How do you handle annuals from a cataloging perspective?

For the purpose of cataloging you comic books, are annuals considered separate titles from the regular title? Or are they considered part of the regular title? If not, is each year that an annual is published considered a separate title?

On the Grand Comic Book Database (GCD) they have taken a mix of approaches, sometimes classify each year an annual is published as a separate title, sometimes all annual fall under one title and sometimes a combination of both. For example the title Fantastic Four Annual (1963) has issues 1 – 27 (years 1963 to 1994) are under one title, but the annuals from 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 are each a separate title. I don’t have access to all of these issues, but for the ones I do have, a different title appears in the indicia than on the cover or the regular title and this could be the reason. However, I feel this is very confusing.

I prefer the methodology that the Comic Book Database (CBDB) uses, where they include the annuals with the issues of Title that was active in the year the annual was published. For example the Fantastic Four (1961) contains annuals 1 – 27 and the Fantastic Four (1998) contains annuals for 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 (these annuals were not assigned numeric issue numbers on the cover or in the indicia).

What methodology do you prefer? I’d to hear from you.

And did you ever notice that the first Fantastic Four annual was published in 1963 and not 1961 the first year the Fantastic Four were published. Also there were no Fantastic Four annuals published in 1972, 1974, 1975, 1982, 1986, 1996 and 1997. Finally there haven’t been any annuals published since 2001? Why. Please respond with a comment if you know. Thanks.