  Timelike and spacelike virtual Compton scattering in the generalized Bjorken
scaling regime are complementary tools to access generalized parton
distributions. We stress that the gluonic contributions are by no means
negligible, even in the medium energy range which will be studied intensely at
JLab12 and in the COMPASS-II experiment at CERN. Ultraperipheral collisions
with proton or ion beams may also be used at RHIC and at collider or fixed
target experiments at LHC.
