9 Answers
Flipping through the margins of old comics and modern trade paperbacks, I’ve noticed that the folks who write lore for supercommunicators are rarely a single mysterious genius — it’s a messy, deliciously collaborative stew. The credited writer usually lays down the initial rules: how a telepathic net works, what limits a device called the Babel Engine has, or why a character’s voice can carry across worlds. But beyond that, artists, editors, letterers, and colorists shape the practical feel of those powers. A splash page drawn with frantic, overlapping speech balloons can sell a whole system of communication in ways a paragraph never could.
On top of the creative team, there are often consultants and research notes. For long-running properties like 'X-Men', people like Chris Claremont historically added layers of telepathic etiquette and ethics across decades. In modern shared universes, a series bible, editorial continuity notes, and even tie-in novels or games get stitched into the canon. I love spotting little touches: a throwaway line in issue #12 that becomes the foundation for a whole culture’s communication ritual. That slow buildup is what makes the lore feel lived-in and believable to me.
Looking at it through a more analytical lens, I see multiple authorship processes at work. The primary writer is the canonical architect, but their vision is mediated through editorial mandates, artistic decisions, and occasionally legal or marketing constraints. For major universes, there may be an in-house lore team maintaining coherence across titles; for example, editorial oversight can retcon or formalize how a ‘supercommunicator’ tech functions across decades. Graphic novelists and mini-series creators often have the freedom to craft tight, internally consistent systems, while event-driven shared universes rely on bibles and continuity editors.
Beyond the pages, novels, games, and animated adaptations frequently expand or reinterpret the rules. I find it fascinating when a mechanic that started as a throwaway panel becomes canon because a tie-in novelist explored it in depth — those expansions show how collaborative and layered comic lore really is, and they usually yield the richest storytelling.
I get excited thinking about this because to me it's like worldbuilding archaeology. The writer who gets the byline — the one named on the cover — often gets credit for the lore of supercommunicators, but that’s only half the story. Scripts go through editors who can demand consistency, artists who visually interpret how a telepath’s words ripple across a panel, and colorists who decide whether psychic waves are icy blue or hot magenta. Sometimes a co-writer or a ‘plotter’ devises the mechanics while a scripter fills in the dialogue, and both leave their fingerprints on the rules.
There’s also the corporate layer: in big houses, a continuity team or series bible keeps things from breaking between issues. And in indie projects, the creator might flesh out an entire linguistic framework themselves — I’ve seen creators write full conlangs or use real linguistics to make screaming broadcasts feel authentic. I usually hunt down interviews or letters pages to see who really pushed what, and those behind-the-scenes insights make me appreciate the lore even more.
A surprising amount of what becomes the official lore for a 'supercommunicator' in a comic usually starts with one writer’s brainwave and then becomes communal property. The scriptwriter who plots the issue will sketch the device's purpose, limits, and a couple of dramatic beat-points. From there an artist refines how it looks and an editor checks continuity against the universe's bible. If it's a big company title, a continuity editor or series editor will enforce rules so the gadget doesn't break everything established in 'Batman' or 'Spider-Man' stories.
Beyond that core trio, other people get involved: colorists and letterers influence how it reads (think glowing panels or jittering speech balloons), and sometimes the publisher assigns a technical consultant or research assistant for believability. Larger franchises bring in tie-in writers for novels, games, and animated shows who expand the social, historical, and cultural lore. Fans and fan wikis then pick over every panel and sometimes the editorial team quietly adopts popular headcanon into canon. I love that messy, collaborative process — it makes a single prop feel lived-in and layered in a way solo creation rarely does.
I like to think of this as teamwork more than solo creation. The person listed as the writer sets the concept, but artists, editors, and even fans can shape the lore for communicators. For example, a telepath’s rules might be invented by the writer, tightened by editors, and cemented by a popular tie-in series or novel. Fan wikis and letter columns sometimes pressure creators into clarifying or changing rules — I’ve watched a community discussion turn a loose idea into a solid piece of canon. That feedback loop is part of what keeps the mythos alive and evolving, and I find that really satisfying.
Think of creating lore for a 'supercommunicator' as collaborative historiography: there's an origin narrative, ideological framing, and then successive authors layer reinterpretations. My academic-ish take notices that the origin tends to be authored by the primary writer or creator, who sets the initial technology’s in-universe purpose and political valence. After that, editors and continuity managers function like archivists, preserving or pruning claims so future stories can reference them without contradiction. Guest writers, novelists, and game designers contribute secondary layers; when a novelist for a franchise writes a usage manual or a backstory it can alter how readers perceive the device in comics. Retcons and editorial mandates can flip meanings — sometimes a 'supercommunicator' shifts from a purely utilitarian tool to a symbol of surveillance or resistance across decades, as seen in various takes on 'Watchmen' or serialized spy arcs. I enjoy tracking those shifts over time because they reflect real-world debates about technology and power.
Sometimes it’s as simple as reading the credits, but it’s rarely that simple in practice. The credited writer usually designs the basic rules for how a communicator’s power works, but then artists interpret it visually, editors question plausibility, and others add details through scripts, captions, and spin-offs. Fan contributions matter too: wikis, forums, and letters pages often compile inconsistencies and force creators to tighten the lore. I spend a lot of late nights comparing issue annotations and creator interviews to figure out who added which piece, and I love how the final lore is a tapestry of many hands — it keeps things interesting and full of surprises.
I usually look at this from the perspective of someone who devours comics: the primary lore builder is the head writer or creator, but they rarely work in isolation. After the initial concept, a writers' room (or co-writer) will add rules and history so the 'supercommunicator' behaves consistently across arcs. Editors act like the guardians of continuity, flagging anything that threatens prior stories or future plotlines. When a gadget becomes central, publishers create a world bible or tech dossier that other creatives reference. Sometimes tie-in novels or spin-off miniseries by different authors bring in new details, and in some cases those fresh bits stick and become part of the official record. I find those moments where a minor line in a tie-in becomes a major piece of lore to be the most fun — it shows how collaborative storytelling can surprise even the creators.
Practical answer from someone who tinkers with worldbuilding: the lore almost always emerges from the creative team, not a single genius inventor. The writer seeds the idea and its narrative rules, then the artist and editor firm them up. If the 'supercommunicator' matters beyond a single issue, the publisher often asks for a short bible — history, who made it, how it works, cultural taboos around it, failure modes — so other contributors don't contradict it. Independent creators might skip a formal editor and rely on consistent notes, while big franchises route everything through a continuity editor and legal team. I like that the process forces you to think not just about how a device looks, but who owns it in-universe and what it means to the world — that’s where real storytelling gold hides.