If you're new to the Classic Comics Forum, you may well be wondering, “What's all this Twelve Days stuff?” So glad you asked! TDCCC is an annual celebration of the tastes, opinions and quirks of our happy little society of classic comics fans. I began it back in 2005 and, to my eternal shock and pleasure, it has become a tradition, one I wouldn't dream of futzing with. I know I say that every year but every year I mean it.



Creative credits in comic books being what they are, it can be impossible at times to determine what is meant by and who is responsible for “writing” a particular story. So for our purposes here, a scripter is the individual who composes the captions and fills the dialogue balloons in a comic book, regardless of their degree of collaboration in the plotting of the story. It is the finished product, the reading experience, that we are evaluating. Artists who script their own work are not eligible (as we covered cartoonists in an earlier TDCCC), and newspaper comic strips are excluded. Otherwise, any format, any era, any nation of origin is acceptable with a single restriction: because it's the Classic Comics Forum, you may only consider work that first appeared in print prior to January 1, 2011.

Keep in mind that these are your personal favorites, not what you or anyone else considers “the best,” and remember: you must explain your choice. You are not required to include pictures for your selections but if you do, please post no more than two images per entry. Also—and I must insist on this—if you quote someone else's posts, please edit out the images. I have very little time to devote to the event this year and will help me immeasurably if I don't have to scroll past the same pics over and over.

The survey will work just as it has in previous years. Each participating poster will draw up a list of their favorite scripters, ranked 12 (lowest) through 1 (highest). On December 13, I will post my #12 choice, on the 14th, #11, and so on until our #1 choices on Christmas Eve. You must post each selection on the appropriate day's thread, though not necessarily on that day. Late entries (up through, say, the 31st) are welcome. At the end of the survey, the results and a brief statistical overview will be posted with links to the original 12 threads.

Rules are subject to tweaking based on participant input for the next week (until midnight on December 5), after which they’re locked in. Any questions, suggestions or (horrors!) criticisms should be posted in this thread.

So this is your official heads up: you have two weeks and a day to create your lists before the fun starts. Who's in?

Cei-U!
I summon the wondrous world of wordsmithing!

* I try to keep public rules lawyering to a minimum so I encourage you to contact me via PM if you have any questions about your choice's eligibility.