History ShownTheirWork / Comicbooks

* Following the CosmicReboot of ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'', the writers needed to quickly refill the cast with new characters to replace the ones that had been written out - basically, any that hadn't been created by either Sega or [=DiC=]. To do this, instead of creating an entirely new cast of supporting characters, they decided to look to the more obscure bits of Sonic's history for inspiration, ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' in particular. This resulted in re-imaginings of such characters as Breezie the Hedgehog, Wes Weaselly, and even Professor Von Schlammer from "Boogie Mania" (the "pingas" episode).

** His ''{{Marvel 1602}}'' really shows how much research he did into Marvel history, or just knew off the top of his head. For example:

* {{Disney}} comics are not usually known for their accuracy, with one notable exception: Stories by the renowned comic book writer and illustrator DonRosa often present surprisingly accurate and well-researched history, geography and even science (for example, if you see some mathematical formula in some comic of his, you can be pretty certain the formula is, in fact, real and accurate). Rosa is known for the amount of research he makes for some of his stories.

* Creator/GarthNix does something similar to the above, but it largely amounts to him throwing in every bit of cool-sounding mythology he can find. [[RuleOfCool No one minds]]. In one of his books, he says how surprised he was when his editor informed him he couldn't use Aboriginal elements in his story [[UnfortunateImplications because he was a white Australian]].

* In ''Godzilla Ongoing'', it's mentioned by Boxer that the Endinburgh Castle is set over an extinct volcano which he and his team of monster hunters [[spoiler: use to defeat Anguirus]].

* Many of Mike Mignolia's ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'' stories are essentially retellings of documented folktales, often using details that would usually be lost in modern versions. For example, "The Corpse" is mostly derived from "Teig O'Kane and the Corpse," which originally appeared in a compilation of Irish folklore edited by William Butler Yeats.

* In ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'' the writers intended to have [[ComicBook/GothamCentral Renee]] [[TheQuestion Montoya]] be an actual alcoholic, not a light-hearted HardDrinkingPartyGirl. To help illustrate this, in one scene she takes a pair of aspirin while on a stakeout. The panel where she puts the pills in her mouth was specifically drawn to give the impression that she was chewing the pills and not just swallowing them; this is, apparently, "an old drunks trick."

* Brian K. Vaughan has a tendency to throw random factoids into his comics writing. While this is reasonable for [[ComicBook/YTheLastMan a comic about the importance of women in everyday life]], it's a bit ridiculous when you're reading ''[[ComicBook/UltimateXMen Ultimate X-Men]]'' and a cop mentions how many people are born with a thirteenth rib.
** In fact, they've been doing this in Marvel comics for a while. ''Comicbook/SpiderMan'', for example, often has tidbits about this or that, mostly about spider biology.

* In ''ExMachina'', everyone slips statistics or historical factoids into their dialogue without missing a beat. Then again the main cast is the Mayor of UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity and his staff. Politicians are usually pretty good at spewing out statistics. This is lampshaded when Creator/BrianKVaughan and Tony Harris meet by a statue (yes, inside the comic) and Brian starts to say something about the statue, until Tony interrupts him and pleads him not to say random factoids.

* ''ComicBook/YTheLastMan'' often feature characters randomly spouting statistics about exactly how many women are involved in which professions in which parts of the world. This is probably the kind of thing lots of people would know, given the setting.

* In James Stokoe's comic [[{{Franchise/Godzilla}}]] The Half Century War, during a fight between Godzilla and Anguirus, the latter doesn't curl up into a ball like he did in Final Wars or any of the other comics, he instead turns around with his spikes pointing at his enemies and launches himself backwards. Also there's a lot of references and MythologyGags to show Stokoe is not only a huge fan of the franchise, he also did a vast amount of research. Not only that but the way he designs the environments is very accurate to the time periods they happen to be set in.

* Creator/AlanMoore loves to do this. Probably the best example is ''Comicbook/FromHell'', which features a lengthy annotations section describing the research he put into making the comic & the truth (or lack thereof) behind the more fantastic elements.

* Just about every SilverAge ''{{Flash}}'' story is solved using a random law of physics, expressed by Barry Allen (a forensic scientist) as a "Flash Fact". Wally West, thankfully, remembers the lessons from his days as Kid Flash, though now he has the Speed Force to help him with all the [[RequiredSecondaryPowers stuff that can't be done by physics]].

* Like the Flash, a lot of the Silver Age [[TheAtom Atom]] stories were heavily grounded in science and spent quite some time teaching it to the kids. One particularly extreme example is a story that essentially told the story of the telescope with a teensy bit of super heroism thrown into the middle.

* ''{{Tintin}}'': A comic famous for its research, such as when Tintin and the gang go to the moon with all scientific plausibility that the cartoonist, Hergé, could create. In fact, Hergé was notorious for his early [[TheThemeParkVersion Theme Park Version]] travelogue stories, until a friend convinced him to do serious research, beginning with ''Recap/TintinTheBlueLotus''. The result is a story in China that has been praised as an excellent primer for the China of the 1930s.

** Herge's drive for realism probably culminated in ''Recap/TintinTheCalculusAffair'', where the amount detail put into background art and scene composition would have put a movie cinematographer to shame. In fact, in planning for a minor scene in the story where enemy spies force Tintin's car off the road into Lake Geneva, Herge actually sent a employee to drive along Lake Geneva to find a location where assassins might plausibly force a car off the road.

*** Probably inspired by Herge's example, anal-retentive amounts of research and detail has become a defining trait of the ''ligne claire'' comic artists.

* NeilGaiman does this a lot with mythology. He also has a tendency, though, to come up with things that ''sound'' like they came from actual myth or history, but he really just pulled out of his ass to fit the plot. Finding out which is which is part of the fun.
** Gaiman pretended at the end of ''Dream Hunters'' that the story was adapted from the tale "''The Fox, the Monk, and the Mikado of All Night's Dreaming''", a traditional Japanese tale he had found in the book ''Fairy Tales of All Japan'' by Rev. B. W. Ashton while doing research for ''PrincessMononoke''. This information was mentioned in almost every critics of the book. A few years later, Gaiman admitted in the preface of ''Endless Nights'' that he had completely made it up.

* Brian K. Vaughan has a tendency to throw random factoids into his comics writing. While this is reasonable for [[YTheLastMan a comic about the importance of women in everyday life]], it's a bit ridiculous when you're reading ''[[UltimateXMen Ultimate X-Men]]'' and a cop mentions how many people are born with a thirteenth rib.
** In fact, they've been doing this in Marvel comics for a while. ''Comicbook/{{Spider-man}}'', for example, often has tidbits about this or that, mostly about spider biology.

* In ''ExMachina'', everyone slips statistics or historical factoids into their dialogue without missing a beat. Then again the main cast is the Mayor of UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity and his staff. Politicians are usually pretty good at spewing out statistics. This is lampshaded when BrianKVaughan and Tony Harris meet by a statue (yes, inside the comic) and Brian starts to say something about the statue, until Tony interrupts him and pleads him not to say random factoids.

* When it comes to adding random (albeit often relevant) factoids into the dialogue, PeterDavid can outdo BrianKVaughan any day.

*** Though this is the comic that gave us the story of [[MythBusters raising a sunken ship using ping-pong balls]].

** MarkWaid, the man who wrote it, is known as "the living, breathing DC encyclopedia" due to the insane amount of knowledge he has on TheDCU; to the point where DC sometimes holds "stump Mark Waid" contests at conventions just to find out what he ''doesn't'' know.

* ''YTheLastMan'' often feature characters randomly spouting statistics about exactly how many women are involved in which professions in which parts of the world. This is probably the kind of thing lots of people would know, given the setting.

* In ''ExMachina'', everyone slips statistics or historical factoids into their dialogue without missing a beat. Then again the main cast is the Mayor of NewYorkCity and his staff. Politicians are usually pretty good at spewing out statistics. This is lampshaded when BrianKVaughan and Tony Harris meet by a statue (yes, inside the comic) and Brian starts to say something about the statue, until Tony interrupts him and pleads him not to say random factoids.

* Creator/GregRucka did a shocking amount of research on the geography, history, weather and politics of Antarctica for his first comic, ''{{Whiteout}}''. The portrayal of the continent itself and the behavior of research stations and governments on its territory has been heralded as one of the most accurate depictions of Antarctica in American media.

* GregRucka did a shocking amount of research on the geography, history, weather and politics of Antarctica for his first comic, ''{{Whiteout}}''. The portrayal of the continent itself and the behavior of research stations and governments on its territory has been heralded as one of the most accurate depictions of Antarctica in American media.

** In one ComicBook/{{X-Men}} story involving the space shuttle nearly everything was correct - and this comic was written before the first time a shuttle actually went into space. Props to ChrisClaremont!

* From the beginning, ''ComicBook/TheTaleOfOneBadRat was meant as a modern-day analogue of the life of Creator/BeatrixPotter and the Lake District or England. Creator/BryanTalbot decided on sexual abuse as the reason for Helen running away from home as a simple reason, without thinking much about it. Then he started to research the psychology of abused children.
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* The St. Patrick's Day themed Hot-Topic [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uCGtDlC5lK4/URb4NeZuIOI/AAAAAAAAcg4/W84gB9H4U-o/s1600/KuJqyaK.jpg variant cover of Issue 4]] of ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'' has Lyra in a pony version of an appropriate Irish stepdance dress.

* AlanMoore loves to do this. Probably the best example is ''FromHell'', which features a lengthy annotations section describing the research he put into making the comic & the truth (or lack thereof) behind the more fantastic elements.
** ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' has annotations online that include paragraphs of text explaining single panels.

* LarryNiven did the prestige format "Ganthet's Tale" for ''GreenLantern'', and inserted his own hard science twist to Hal Jordan's known abilities. Hal has to defeat a rogue green lantern, but they are too evenly matched. So Hal uses his ring to fly at near-lightspeed - backwards, away from the target. He then lets loose with a green energy beam of power. But because Hal is moving away at near-light, the beam is red-shifted, and transforms into a YELLOW beam, which bypasses the other lantern's defenses. This was used [[ItOnlyWorksOnce little if it all afterwards]]. Bizarrely enough, one of the few other places this turns up in was ''{{Superfriends}}'', where Hal Jordan is able to free himself from a bubble created by Sinestro this way.

*** Though this is the comic that gave us the story of [[TropesTestedByTheMythBusters raising a sunken ship using ping-pong balls]].

* Many {{Batman}} stories written by Doug Moench, especially from the ''Batman'' flagship title, take unexpected sidesteps from the actual plot to allow for lengthy monologues or discussions of scientific, religious or philosophical nature. Unsurprisingly, even the discussions between two characters come across like the writer talking down to the audience.

* In James Stokoe's comic [[{{Main/Godzilla}}]] The Half Century War, during a fight between Godzilla and Anguirus, the latter doesn't curl up into a ball like he did in Final Wars or any of the other comics, he instead turns around with his spikes pointing at his enemies and launches himself backwards. Also there's a lot of references and MythologyGags to show Stokoe is not only a huge fan of the franchise, he also did a vast amount of research. Not only that but the way he designs the environments is very accurate to the time periods they happen to be set in.
* In Godzilla Ongoing, it's mentioned by Boxer that the Endinburgh Castle is set over an extinct volcano which he and his team of monster hunters [[spoiler: use to defeat Anguirus]].