Re: Comics/Manga/FXL workshop - narrow scope to "sequential art"?

> On 3 Apr 2018, at 22:31, Bill McCoy <bmccoy@w3.org <mailto:bmccoy@w3.org>> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I’m working (well, I’m on vacation in Hawaii this week so not able to work very hard, but I would still like to get a green light decision onto next week’s W3M agenda) to add some flesh to Ivan’s skeleton [1]  for the proposed September workshop in Tokyo, particularly the call for participation . I made one push to the github repo to adjust the proposed name per discussion in last week’s strat call to more prominently feature Manga and Comics in the title, which now says “W3C Workshop on Manga, Comics and Fixed-Layout Publications”. I have agenda input from Daihei and Yoshii-san and believed I had enough to make a rough first cut at purpose, scope, possible topics, etc. to motivate further refinements, but have gotten stuck on one point.
> 
> I think it’s clear that we don’t plan to cover issues relating to PDF and more generally that we don’t plan to cover, at least not in depth, issues that are not applicable to Comics/Manga but only to things like digital versions of coffee table books, children’s books, cookbooks and so on – much less enterprise documents. At least, it would be my assumption that with a 1 or 2 day workshop and based on need to focus on the many issues applicable to Comics/Manga and the Web Platform, that we shouldn’t try to make it that broad. Particularly since Manga is 50% of Japan’s publishing industry, and the needs of comics/manga are somewhat distinct in the digital realm.
> 
> While I could clarify this in scope section, and have started drafting accordingly, I am now thinking that my suggested title could be too broad since “Fixed Layout Publications” does encompass all those other types of content from children’s books to enterprise-generated PDFs.

True

> When IDPF did a comics/manga workshop 4 years ago in Paris ]1] we used a more focused title “IDPF Worskhop on Sequential Art (Comics, Manga, Bandes dessinées, and new form)”. Perhaps we could take some inspiration from this and title this proposed workshop “W3C Workshop on Digital Comics, Manga, and Sequential Art”??

Looking at the IDPF workshop, my question is also whether the French/Belgian term of Bandes dessinées is covered by "Comics, Mangas". I simply do not know. In a way, maybe the former IDPF CEO will agree reusing an IDPF title, and call the Workshop "Sequential Art Publications (Comics, Manga, Bandes Dessinées)". (I am not sure what "and new form" included in Paris.)

> 
> I mean, at some level this is a semantics nitpick  – “Goodnight Moon” could be considered sequential art too – but I do think we should be clear about whether the bull’s-eye of the scope includes all forms of digital fixed layout content or not as well as on whether the general topic of “beyond PDF” for publications is squarely in scope. Perhaps others are more optimistic than me that we can cover these areas in Tokyo, if so please advise. I am happy to shape my draft fodder according to whatever folks think best.

I would be wary of casting too large in this case. So I am o.k. with being more restrictive.

One more issue, though. Are we are looking at publication of these sequential art on the Web, too, not necessarily part of a closed EPUB publication? (I was not part of your earlier discussions in Tokyo.) Are we looking at what techniques are missing from OWP? (Which do have an effect on what can be done in EPUB, too.) Because if yes, we may want to emphasize that in the Workshop title as well, ie, something like:

 "Digital Publications of Sequential Art (Comics, Manga, Bandes Dessinées)"

although it does become a mouthful…

Just my 2 cents

Cheers

Ivan


> 
> Thanks,
> 
> --Bill
> 
> [1] https://www.w3.org/publishing/events/tokyo18-workshop/ <https://www.w3.org/publishing/events/tokyo18-workshop/>
> [2] http://idpf.org/idpf-comics-manga-workshop-paris <http://idpf.org/idpf-comics-manga-workshop-paris>

----
Ivan Herman, W3C
Publishing@W3C Technical Lead
Home: http://www.w3.org/People/Ivan/ <http://www.w3.org/People/Ivan/>
mobile: +31-641044153
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0782-2704 <https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0782-2704>