The page width for the site is pretty conservative – roughly 950 pixels, if memory serves. The picture columns are 300 px wide, and the column of text content is about 500 px wide plus some white space on the sides.

This choice was made in part because netbooks were big back then – then tablets emerged, though the most recent ones have very good resolution. But more broadly it was motivated by knowing that people don’t generally have high-performance monitors. The two most common screen resolutions for WORG readers are 1366×768 and 1024×768 – with 1280×800 close behind. At these resolutions you’ve got a bit of blank (well, green) screen on the right, assuming your browser window is at full width – which isn’t a good assumption.

The space left at these common resolutions is about the width of the illustration column… basically, enough space for me to slip an advert in, when that will become necessary to pay for the hosting (so roughly five years ago).

Still, I’m considering slightly bigger images when we redo the next version in a few years – the difference between a 300-pixel-wide illustrations column and a 350px one is larger than it sounds. And I assume many people frequent the site in good part for the images as our illustrations slowly get better.

The width of the content column is unlikely to change, though – it’s the length for a line of text that is best-suited to most readers.

Anyway, roll call for a quick, small batch while I have a bit of time.

• The entry for Overmaster’s Cadre in the DC Universe was rewritten for style and concision.
• After the cartoon version, here’s a full profile for the comic book version of the original Sportsmaster – a veteran DCU villain.
• The entry for the pre-Crisis version of Onyx (DC Universe) had its texts polished. He he. Onyx. Polished. Ditto for the first Shatterfist (also the DC Universe one) who was largely rewritten.
• Lady Vermin of the Knights of Wundagore, in case your game needs a flying rat that shoots energy blasts.
• If flying rats that shoot energy blasts are not your thing, Pur_See_i8 wrote an entry for cyberpunk mercenary Johnny Mnemonic – the version from the eponymous movie.
• MASS EFFECT. Now it’s Ashley’s turn - Gunnery Chief Williams reporting. Furthermore, the main article is finalised for now, with various additions and changes — and a note about how this material would require extensive playtesting.
• The first two entries for Carol Danvers (entry one, entry two) have had yet another minor round of rewriting for clarity, since they’re complex entries.
• The third Carol Danvers entry (early Ms. Marvel) was thoroughly overhauled and extended to cover everything up to the costume change in late 1978. Lot of new material and what was already there was reorganised and partially rewritten.
• Superstar, from the Busiek/Immonen series of the same name, as written up by Bryan.
• UNIVERSE AZ. Azrael’s newest entry is about a version of Blossom – from the Powerpuff Girls – operating in his super-heroes universe.
• And an entry for Sonny Crockett by Mike – from the movie version of Miami Vice.

4,842 entries.

Another round of quick-to-publish material to catch up with the backlog :

• THE ORDER. Now closing Gareth’s arc about the heroes, and introducing a villain :
  • Veda, the last Order member
  • General Softly, the M.A.N. from S.H.A.D.O.W.
• MASS EFFECT. Now that the huge article is online and is being finished, let’s start with a simple character – Flight Lieutenant Jeff “Joker” Moreau.
• Advancing our years-long Ms. Marvel work, here come a detailed article about the lizard-folks of the People, who pop up a few times in Claremont-penned stories. We’ve also thrown in an entry about Serpentyne, one of the survivors of the People, who appeared in Rom, Spaceknight.
• YOUNG JUSTICE. Bryan covers another fan-favourite, the cartoon version of Miss Martian. Hello Megan !
• BLACK PANTHER. Continuing Gareth’s run through the Christopher Priest era – Malice (Nakia), the psychotic former dora milaje.
• Another video game profile – Carl “CJ” Johnson, the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto IV – San Andreas.
• THE BIG HIT. Two entries by Pur_See_i8 about this 1998 action comedy :
  • Melvin Smiley, Mark Wahlberg’s sentimental hitman character
  • Cisco, Lou Diamond Philips’s over the top assassin
• WRESTLING. It’s been a while since we’ve had one of those “wrestlers as superhumans” entries, but Doug cooked up an article about one of the classic names, André The Giant.

4,834 entries.

A quick one with material that can be published without review – because the recent Mass Effect work took quite a toll on the publishing schedule:

• Said Mass Effect stuff includes the rather big main article. It covers the Mass Effect universe, equipment and psionics as seen in the first game so they won’t have to be explained in individual entries. It’s still getting polished but it’s essentially done, with one exception – kinetic shields and biotic barriers for DCA are still being hammered out (you can see the discussion here). We’ll let you know on this page when that bit’s done.
• Argurous Astraph from GURPS IST has had her entry overhauled and streamlined, with some Greek language notes thrown in and a corrected name. Mother Gothel from Tangled had her stats upped a bit (and is now in the main search engine, which she had inexplicably dodged).
• BLACK PANTHER. Continuing Gareth’s additional entries about the Priest run, we’ve got the evil schemer – Achebe.
• YOUNG JUSTICE CARTOON. We’re now entering the final phase (for now) of Bryan’s YJ arc. In this batch, Cheshire.
• BLOODLINES. By request, but moving very slowly, this arc continues with Joe Public, would-be super-hero.
• SOUL CALIBUR. Tom now covers Maxi, the Elvis nunchaku pirate !
• THE ORDER. Let’s have two entry at once since I’m kinda late in publishing ‘em — Mulholland Black and Supernaut.
• MAN-BEAST. “They” are a unit of ultratech cyborg soldiers. Though they weren’t seen much, having stats for those is interesting.

4,823 entries, ’twas a small one.