__________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- " C O M I C B O O K E - M A G " Issue 14 - June 19, 1995 "Brought to you by the fine folks at the COMIC BOOK Network!" Editors: Ed Dukeshire Network Administration: Mike Imboden Mike Imboden Ed Dukeshire David Leblanc Bobb Waller Special Thanks: Ryan Brewster Anthony Palacio Walter Tietjen Chris Oarr David Leblanc William Hughes Nathan Bredfeldt Jeff Watts John Keady Jim Murdoch __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [-1-] The Bullpen ........................ Nathan Bredfeldt [-2-] The 25th Hour ...................... Mike Imboden [-3-] Comicunications .................... Ryan Brewster [-4-] CSNsider ........................... David Leblanc [-5-] Retcon ............................. Jim Murdoch [-6-] Komic Komments ..................... John Keady [-7-] Recent Reads/Random Thoughts ....... William Hughes [-8-] Feedback ........................... Various [-9-] BBSes Linked into CBN .............. CBN Staff __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-1-]--/ THE BULLPEN /----------------------------------------------/ The Bullpen By Nathan Bredfeldt Once in a while, over on CBN, there's an outbreak of top ten lists. Favorite writers, favorite artists, favorite comics, whatever. For you, I'd like to list my ten favorite mini series/storylines of all time. These are mostly pretty old, which means that either I've stopped reading all the good stuff, or maybe they just don't make them like they used to. Or maybe I've become cynical in my old age. I dunno. Here they are, with full commentary, in no particular order: 1) Thanos Quest A truly nasty piece of work. So few books actually focus on really well developed villains (That's why I'm looking forward to the Darkseid/Galactus crossover). This definitely shows Thanos in all his wretched glory, as he cons, lies and deceives his way across the universe for the love of a woman. An often overlooked gem, because it serves as the prelude for the truly awful Infinity Saga. 2) The Origin of the Mask (Mask 0) This is the quintessential Mask. Not Mask Returns. Not the movie. Not that new series. This book. This reprint of the b&w misadventures of a geeky guy who stumbles upon the mask has it all: comedy, action, excessive violence, and even a pretty girl. Sure, this version isn't as PC as the movie, and lacks the depth of later Mask projects, but it still good, clean fun. 3) Emerald Dawn (GL: Emerald Dawn 1-6) Who loves green Lantern? Who hates that Kyle person? The rest of you can leave. This is the post crisis origin of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, a character who everyone loved, but DC still decided to mess with. That makes me mad, but at least I'll always have this mini series (very cheaply reprinted, thank you) to fondly look back on. Right up there with Byrne's Man of Steel mini-series (but I like Hal more than Supes, so this made the list) 4) Alpha and Omega (Solar 1-10) The vertigoesque origin of Valiant's SOLAR, this mini gives a fairly probable answer to the question: "What if a man became a god?" The ride is fun, even with the nasty ending. Not so cheaply reprinted in TPB, this series sports great art (by BWS) on special paper. 5) Havok and Wolveriene: Meltdown I'm probably just being influnced by the neato art styles (one for Havok scenes, one for Wolvie), but this one was eye catching, and had a neato plot. Tying it in to a real world event was a good hook. 6) The Sinister Six (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1) THE supervillain team. Period. Great story, no doubt. Sure, some people complain that the villain should have all gotten together and beat on Spidey at once, but realistcally, their egos wouldn't have let them; that's why I liked it. Plus, the pinups were great. 7) Watchmen Everyone seen those annotations that people have put out, pointing out all the little details and things that go on in this grand epic mini series? Ignore them. Watchmen is a book you can read over and over and over, and every time you read it, odds are you'll find something new and interesting. It's just that complex and gripping. Sadly, I have to compare everything else I read by Moore to this work (I don't have to, but I end up doing it anyhow). 8) Dark Knight Returns Seems like just another Elseworlds Batman book (like we don't get enough of those) until the last part (Fall of the Dark Knight?). This sucker is visually engrossing, exciting, and has a very satisfying and believeable ending (too bad about Alfred, though). 9) Batman/Grendel Is anyone Batman's equal? Not Bane. Not Joker. Not Catwoman. How about Hunter Rose? Yup. This guy is as close to a challenge as Batman's ever gotten from a single villain, and it's a fun read. The multiple POV's kept me engrossed through the slower parts, and the art, while sometimes troublesome, was great to look at! Of course, you might be a bit lost if you don't know about Hunter Rose Grendel, but I did, so I liked it. I hope Bats/Grend II is just as good. 10) Cosmic Odessy Another Starlin book! This is a crossover that I like! (rare thing) Actually, I think it's more of a team-up. Anyhow: Mignola's art is a big plus, and the writing ain't so bad, itself. Great suspense between issues, and a well presented story, that shows how sucky being a hero can sometimes be. (with that mega body count and all) That's it for me! Maybe the CBEM guys will let me write another thingee, and I'll get to talk about the time I nailed down that issue of Hulk with Keown's first art in it for just $2! (I didn't get it for his art! Really! I just wanted to know how the story ended!) Or, we can chat about who the most attractive guy/woman in comics is, or whatever else you might want to chat about. See you soon. Nathan Bredfeldt __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-2-]--/ THE 25TH HOUR /--------------------------------------------/ The 25th Hour By Mike Imboden :: Mike is taking a break this week, catch him here next week. __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-3-]--/ COMICUNICATIONS /------------------------------------------/ Comicunications by Ryan Brewster Ý Þ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÝ Ûßßßßßß ÞßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÝ Ý Û ÛßßßÛ ÛßÛßÛ ßÛß Ûßßß Û Û ÛÜ Û ßÛß Ûßßß ÛßßÛ ßÛß ßÛß ÛßßÛ ÛÜ Û Ûßß Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û ÛßÛÛ Û Û ÛßßÛ Û Û Û Û ÛßÛÛ ßßÛ Û ßßßßß ß ß ßßß ßßßß ßßßß ß ß ßßß ßßßß ß ß ß ßßß ßßßß ß ß ßßß ßßßßßßß -------The Comic Book Net's Weekly Comics News Journal-------- ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛ Û Û ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ Û Û ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ Û Û Û ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛ Volume 1, Issue #20 Monday, July 12th, 1995 ________________________________________________ [Editor's Note: Whoa. Slow news week this week... :S] Ultraverse & Marvel Remain Separate: [Sources: Steve Gerber, Len Strazewski, Hank Kanalz, James Hudnall] 6/6/95 - The rampant speculation that the Ultraverse and MarvelVerse will become one in the wake of the Black September event has proved false. According to Len Strazewski, he and Gerard Jones have already written the Prime story to follow Black September, and it is set back in the Ultraverse. The Ultraverse exploded onto the scene in '93 and '94, releasing 2 or 3 #1 issues for new ongoing series each month, with a total of about 15 at the height of their expansion. Though their overall product hasn't decreased by all that much, the only four of the ongoing books that will still be running are Steve Englehart's The Night Man, Len Strazewski & Gerard Jones's Prime, Mike W. Barr's Mantra and Gerard Jones's Ultraforce. James Hudnall has recently announced that issue #26, to ship in August, of his Hardcase comic book, will be the last issue. He has wrapped things up by that issue, and has two fill-in issues written that take place after #26. He doesn't know whether they'll see print or not. James has hinted towards the possibility of doing another superhero for another publisher, but will be keeping mainly towards more alternative comic titles. Steve Gerber has all but severed ties with Malibu. He has no idea as to the new Exiles comic book coming out, though he did write the original four-issue Exiles run. As far as he knows, the two books will be completely different, save for the name. Some have speculated that the Exiles title, a book in which the Marvel character Juggernaut will be leading some of the Marvel mutants into the Ultraverse, is simply a way for Marvel to incorporate their characters into the Ultraverse even more, and eventually bring the two universes together. Not so, says Ultraverse editor and writer Hank Kanalz. "...[The New] Exiles is a Malibu title, and we ASKED for the characters we're using. It is not some Marvel scheme to expand the X-Books", said Kanalz. Dean Cain Sets ABC-Online Record: [Source: ABC Online] 5/30/95 - Dean Cain, who still holds the NCAA football record for most interceptions, has set another record, this time for ABC-TV's online forum on the America Online information service. Dean Cain, who stars as Superman/Clark Kent in ABC's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, attracted over 900 fans to his appearance in the ABC-Online Auditorium on May 25th. This is the highest amount ever for ABC's forum and the 7th highest for ANY America Online forum. His number was exceeded only by such superstars as Aerosmith and Courtney Love. Paul Pope Expands THB #1: [Source: Diamond's Previews Magalog] 6/1/95 - Paul Pope's award-winning comic THB will begin anew in August, as Horse Press releases a special second edition of THB #1. THB #1 Second Edition will contain over 20 pages of new art along with the original story, as well as a new full-color wrap-around cover. The 104-page [wow!] comic will ship in August for $5.50. Bizarre Heroes Grows Weirder Still: [Source: Don Simpson] 6/10/95 - In a recent interview uploaded to Compuserve's Comics/Animation forum, Don Simpson revealed some of his plans for the future of his creation, Bizarre Heroes. Don is currently working on issue #14 of the one-universe, one-title comic book. Bizarre Heroes brings together many of his previous titles, and is the 45th comic he's created. Issue #14 will bring a major storyline to a close, as Megaton Man is found (though he was never really lost...?), and the Bizarre Heroes have their first all-out battle with the Megaclones from Project Mainstream. Simpson creations Whitebread and Forbidden Frankenstein (formerly from Adults-Only comics), will join the universe, keeping their clothes on this time around. It will become clear in the course of the series that Kolordot (who have been around since Megaton Man #6) want Frankenstein's special serum to create their own Megabeings to compete with Project Mainstream. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has developed a new Megaton Man to keep that franchise alive. And they have developed the x-ray specs which their trying to get back from X-Ray Boy. However, he lost the glasses to Nikki, on of his high school classmates. After issue #14, Don plans to explore the Bizarre Heroes universe, going innto the inner machinations of Kolordot, Mainstream, the Pentagon... and will explore individual characters like the Slick and the Meddler. He will introduce the Teen Idols ans will have a visitor from the Border Worlds future rather soon. NightCry Changes Format: [Source: Lead Balloons] 6/10/95 - NightCry, the book that replaced the popular Cry For Dawn, will change to an all-new format and will be released on a bi-monthly schedule beginning September 1995. The series will feature all new stories and art. William S. Baker will team up with Chuck Yates for "Prime Cut" for the first issue of the new series (in fact, Nightcry #4). Heavy Metal artist Juan Acantara and writer Mike Murray will tell the story of Metamorphosis... Matt Roach will write & draw a 4-page story called Lifeline, and Joe Monks will join Jose Holder to bring Blades. A NightCry #4 premium edition, with a variant cover, will also ship to retailors who order 10 or more copies of Nightcry #4. It will boast a variant cover and a limited edition printing of a color centerfold by Vampirella artist Louis Small, Jr. ___________________________________________________________________________ Legal Stuff: Copyright (c) 1995 Ryan Brewster. Distribute in ENTIRETY __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-4-]--/ CSNsider /-------------------------------------------------/ CSNsider by David Leblanc This is the CSNsider from CSN #419, which will be in shops on 6/28/95. It is reproduced in its entirety with the expressed permission of COMIC SHOP NEWS! CSNsider apologies go out to DC editor Rob Simpson, who somehow became Ralph Simpson due to a typo that slipped past everyone in our recent interview with John Byrne; sorry, Rob!... Popular Marvel writer Fabian Nicieza is leaving his last remaining X-title -- and, as a matter of fact, Nicieza, who waas once writing over a half-dozen titles for Marvel, is taking a break from all Marvel titles for the time being, although he does have a proposal in for a Captain Marvel miniseries as well as Spider-Man miniseries... Previously unannounced bonus: Inquest #5 will offer a bonus Spawn Powercard... Readers have asked us how they can send get-well notices to Christopher Reeve; he can be contacted at Christopher Reeve, University of Virginia Medical Center, Jefferson Park AVenue, Charlottesville, VA 22908. Over the weekend of June 9th, the Superman Convention at Metropolis Illinois gathered thousands of signatures on an eight-foot get-well card for Reeve... Image is doing one last rerelease of Jeff Smith's Bone in comic book format; after this reprinting, the stories will only be available in hardcover reprint volumes... Topps will offer second printings of hard-to-find X-Files #s 1, 2, and 3 in late August, at the same time they release X-Files Annual #1... Caliber has cancelled its plans for the last three issues of the Renfield comic book miniseries, inspired by the character so well known to Dracula fans; instead, they will offer a 160-page trade paperback of the entire series at the bargain price of $8.95, which is what readers would have paid for the last three issues of the comic book... Al Gordon and Chris Marrinan unleash the new Wildstar ongoing series in September; a limited edition ashcan will precede the series by a month... The Black Cat, one of comics' first "good girls," returns later this summer in Alfred Harvey's Black Cat #1, written by Mark Evanier and illustrated by Murphy Anderson... Warner Bros. has announced that they will produce a new line of Warner Bros. Toys, operating under the aegis of Acme Design and Development; the company is considering producing specialty toys for comic shops that would be of the same high quality as the toys that Acme produces for the Warner Bros. stores... Later this year, Dreamhaven Press is offering a must-have for Sandman fans: a compact disc featuring acclaimed author Neil Gaiman reading from his own works... REBELS '95 is coming to an end once its current storylines wrap up (probably by December of '95)... Billy Zane and Cameron Dias have signed on to star in director Joe Dante's new film based on Lee Falk's The Phantom... Is it true that George Lucas has begun preproduction work on the long-awaited new Star Wars film series, shooting for a 1998 release date?... Jon Peters, who helped to helm Batman's return to the screen in 1989, has acquired the rights to bring Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon comic strip back to the big screen... At long last, the THUNDER Agents are coming back -- and you'll find 'em in the pages of Omni Comix. CSN #419 features a cover feature on Turok #0 from Acclaim plus more news and the complete July Checklist. You won't get a complete checklist for July from Advanced Comics or Previews, so don't miss this issue of CSN! The only way to get Comic Shop News is to visit a shop that carries CSN. The publication costs the shops just a dime each and is generally free to customers. If your shop doesn't carry CSN, nag 'em until they do. After all, isn't your business and satisfaction worth a dime a week? Visit our WWW site! http://www.actwin.com/csn Ward Batty wardo@netdepot.com Cliff Biggers cliffbig@netdepot.com (c)1995 CSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved. úúúúÄÄÄÄÍÍÍÍ*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/743.1 __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-5-]--/ RETCON /---------------------------------------------------/ Retcon 1 by Jim Murdoch RETCON 1 is on the air! From high atop El Dub City, we spew forth. RETCON 1 features up to date news, quality reviews, and trivia! Plus fabulous prizes! This week's TOP 10! (Of course, I only bought 10 comics, so there you go) :) Reviews are at the end of the post. 1. Nexus: Wages of Sin #3 2. Preacher #4 3. Legionnaires #27 4. Primitives #2 5. Godzilla, King of the Monsters #0 6. Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such #5 7. Oh My Goddess Part II #4 8. Kobalt #14 9. Neil Gaiman's Lady Justice #1 10. Neil the Whore's Mr. Hero #7 NEWS NEWS NEWS!!! Christopher Reeve, Superman, is in critical condition with a broken neck after a riding accident. MOVIES MOVIES MOVIES!!! This summer promises a rash of comics-related films. The only one I'm planning on seeing first-run is Judge Dredd, because my dad is a Dredd fan. Every other one seems to be of the sort that you can wait until they hit the bargain houses before wasting your money and time. :) REVIEWS!! SPOILERS!! Stop now or find vital plot elements!! You were warned... Nexus: Wages of Sin #3. Dark Horse, $2.95 and worth far more. It's a shame Steve Rude can't commit to a monthly Nexus book, because he is by far the best artist in comics today. Mike Baron shows us a society where everyone looks alike, and the seething desire for individuality that burns within all beings. THe story read like a standard Star Trek plot, but Rude's excellent art saves everything. Highly recommended. Preacher #4. Vertigo, $2.50. I'm certain that Garth Ennis was holding back on Hellblazer, since this title is so far beyond the pale that you can't even begin to describe the festering evil that dwells within this book. Absolutely not for children, or Republicans. :) Steve Dillon does his usual perfect job. Recommended. Legionnaires #27. DC, $2.25. Peyer, McCraw and Moy have meshed into an ideal team that won't even miss Mark Waid's guiding hand. This issue is mostly subplots leading up to the Daxamite invasion, but there were several nice touches, including Tinya ogling that 70's pantsuit with the bell bottoms in the store window, as well as several other Legion costumes, Violet and Tyroc among them. If not for Nexus, this could easily have been the best book of the week. Recommended. Primitives #2. SpareTime Studios, $2.50. 20,000 years ago, a tribe of cavemen were abducted by aliens to fight in a war. The 5 survivors have returned to Earth to find it a very different place. A solid tale about the dangers of nukes. The art is more consistent than in the first issue, but I still feel it would be better in color. Proof that this is fiction: Since when is THAILAND a nuclear power? :) Recommended. Godzilla #0. Dark Horse, $2.50. I mostly bought this so I could run around screaming, "Godzilla, King of the Monsters," but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The story concerns a scientist who has created a poison that may kill the big guy, and ties up subplots of previous DH 'Zilla stuff as well as tying into the films. Bobby Rubio's art reminded me of Geoff Darrow, but he didn't draw the whole thing. Pretty good. Jonah Hex #5. Vertigo, $2.95. Joe Lansdale and Tim Truman must be smoking those funny cigarettes again, because this was about as goofy as I've ever seen a Western/horror/musical comedy. Jonah and the boys from the Wilde West Ranch blow them worms up real good. Recommended. Oh My Goddess #4. Dark Horse, $2.50. Keiichi, his buddies, and the goddesses play a version of Life where the person has to do whatever the board says for real. Keiichi ends up sweeping the walk, mostly because Urd's cheating. Belldandy wins the game, and Keiichi gets a kiss. It's a good sign when a book this good only makes it to #7 on my list. Recommended. Kobalt #14. Milestone, $2.50. It's cancelled with #16. Great cover, fair interiors. Intense foreshadowing of the deaths of Kobalt and Page. Not the greatest, but better than anything with an X in the title. Lady Justice #1. Tekno, $1.95. Great Brereton cover, crummy Netzer interiors. Don't waste your time. Mr. Hero #7. Tekno, $1.95. Art Nichols' inks really give this book a step up in art, but the story is still mired in who cares? This is the last Tekno*Comic I'm ever buying. Good riddance to bad rubbish. RETCON 1 TRIVIA! A prize will be awarded to the person who has the most points. I decide who's right or wrong. :) Every question is worth 10 points. Partial credit will be given. 1. What planet was the bottle city of Kandor enlarged upon? 2. Name three members of the Space Canine Patrol Agents. 3. Which 1940's Justice Society member never appeared in a JLA/JSA teamup? 4. Who did the Beyonder use at the template for his human body? 5. What was the visual gag at the end of the story where Rick Jones and Marlo Chandler got married? 6. Where did Judge Dredd first appear? 7. Which science fiction author created the Green Lantern oath that begins " In brightest day...' ? 8. Name three characters who have had their own comic title who have graves in Wildwood Cemetary? BONUS!! Name the one who's actually buried there. 9. Kid Sidekicks! Name the kid sidekick for each hero given here. Batman Judomaster Human Torch Mr. Scarlet Sandman Captain America TNT Nightwing Silver Streak Batwoman 10. What detective was "the man who has no business being anyone's role model?" EMAIL EMAIL EMAIL!!! You can contact me at: smiv@primenet.com if you really want to. Jim, Master of Comics ... EL DUB CITY and RETCON 1 COMICS are tm and (c) 1995 Jim Murdoch. __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-6-]--/ KOMIC KOMMENTS /-------------------------------------------/ Keady's Komic Komments By John Keady Well it's been a busy week for me! Let's see how I did! Superboy #18- Look, it's a bird, it's a plane..........It's SUPERKRYPTO!!:) This issue was very enjoyable one. A good fight scene, excellent character developement and a suprise at the end! The shiny paper actually makes Grummet's art look even better! VERY GOOD Primal Force #10- OK.....I'm gonna be cranky about the cancellation of this book until it goes. WHY DID THEY DO THIS!!!???!!!! The sinister August plots to take out the Laymen as a dark part of Meridians life is revealed. Once again there was great plotting with some very good art! VERY GOOD Flash #104- Flash & Linda beat up on some demonoids while the mystery with the Mirror Master deepens. Better art work then the last couple titles with a pretty good story is an improvement over the last couple of issues! AVERAGE/GOOD Superman Man of Steel #47- We go back in time to tell a story of Perry White and Franklin Stern when they were young reporters. It deals with racism and it's consequences. Meanwhile, Lois goes to a tense Strykers Island Prison to interview the Savior. Not a bad issue. I liked the Perry stuff as it gives some of the secondary characters a chance to shine! GOOD __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-7-]--/ RECENT READS/RANDOM THOUGHTS /-----------------------------/ Recent Reads/Random Thoughts By William Hughes I HAVE RETURNED! It's the return of...ME! That's right, I'm back, and so is my column, RECENT READS/RANDOM THOUGHTS. For those of you who are receiving the E-Mag from one of the big pay services or the internet, you may not be aware of one of the pitfalls of the local bulletin board scene, and that is they sometimes crash, or have software problems. Since most BB's are run by hobbyists, it takes time to resolve these problems. Well, for the last two months or so, I've been a victim of one problem after another that's kept me out of the public eye. So what's a BBS freak to do in this instance? Either find a back up really quick, or start your own board. I've decided to do the latter! It'll take a little time (and a whole lotta cash!) but keep an eye on that node list in future months for a new edition from yours truly. In my absence it appears we've gotten some feedback addressed to me, and I was really upset not to have the ability to respond to it originally. (Although in a cruel twist of fate, I _was_ able to read it.) I thought I'd take the time to respond to it personally now... ======================================================================== Subj: Comments on Recent Reads in CBN E-Mag #7 Date: 95-05-15 09:08:29 EDT From: MCEE@isma.mhs.compuserve.com Hi Bill, I enjoy your column, it forces me to take a more critical look at my comics. PS I've tried to mail your direct email address without any success. CompuServe doesn't like Fidonet probably. Anyway I writing this about a week after I wrote the above. I can't remember if it was you who recommended Black Lightning #5, but it is a brilliant, human story on the nature of true heroism. Also the photorealism of the hospital scenes are remarkably memorable & expressive. Has to be one of the comics of the year Regards, Mamading Ceesay (MCEE@ISMA.MHS.COMPUSERVE.COM) *** [RESPONSE] ::: Hey, thanks for taking the time to write. It's great to know that someone is reading and appreciating my efforts. For the sake of space I deleted your comments on the actual reviews, but I wanted to say I definitely appreciated them, and would love to have a more in-depth discussion on comics. We need to find you a CBN node! Seriously, we're having all sorts of comic discussions going on right now, on almost every aspect of the medium. Chris Oarr and I were just discussing the other day, why do we spend the amount of time we do talking about comics, instead of spending that time reading them? Sure, the news and information is great, but the bottom line is stated in your message: It forces us to take a more critical look at our comics. This self-analysis is necessary for any artistic medium. About the E-Mail address: I've heard from numerous people that they are sending me messages, and I'm simply not receiving them. I'm checking with the board I'm posting from to see if the problem can be resolved, if not I'll be removing it from my signature file. In the mean time, I can be reached at the CBN E-Mail address. Oh, about your comments on BLACK LIGHTNING, I think David LeBlanc and I were both singing it's praises, it's nice to have your voice added to the choir! So far it definitely has my vote for Best Single Issue of the year. Thanks for writing! ======================================================================== If there are any books out there you'd like to see reviewed in RECENT READS/RANDOM THOUGHTS, drop us a line and I'll give it a look see. Bill Hughes!! E-mag Address: ComicBkNet@aol.com (in subject line, write ATT: Recent Reads) -- SPIDER-MAN #60 TRIAL OF PETER PARKER #3 of 4 The face of Kaine held no suprises, most Spidey readers had surmised long ago that he would be another clone of Parker's. There is one aspect of the story that I find confusing however. When Kaine makes the claim that he is the FIRST clone, does he mean _he_ is the one from the classic seventies storyline, or that he is a clone that noone knew about until now? I'm glad to see this chapter of the storyline is ending, IMO it had been dragging on far too long. I had just reached my fill, when the next chapter hit the streets... -- SPECT SPIDER-MAN #226 TRIAL OF PETER PARKER #4 OF 4 The final four pages of this book contain the real shocker, something I had been hoping for since the storyline was first announced so many moons ago. Even though this is probably isn't making it out, and everyone on the planet has read it already, I'll put a mini-spoiler just in case... X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Peter and Ben discover that the character we've known as Peter Parker for so many years is actually the clone, and Ben is the original Spidey! I think this is an incredibly gutsy move, one with lots of storyline potential. Unfortunately, I don't believe Marvel has the balls to do it! I think it'll turn out to be a trick or something, and that the character we've seen all along is the one true Spidey. Personally, I think it would be cool to split the characters long history between two characters and then deal with the fallout in their personal lives and such, but I just don't think Marvel will go thru with it. Of course, I'll stick around to see if they do or don't! :) -- EXCALIBUR #87 This is one of my least favorite X-books, and it pains me to say that because at one point it was my favorite. The Alan Davis/Claremont period on this book was great. Rachel Summers was one of my favorite characters, as is Kitty Pryde, so even thru the bad times I would stick with this book. However, Rachel is gone now, Brian and Megan are practically new characters for all they resemble the originals, and Douglock just brings up bad feelings about the death of the New Mutants and Worlock. I'd have dropped the book already if it hadn't been for the AoA storyline. The only thing keeping me hanging on at this point is the fact that Peter Rasputin will be joining the group. A Kitty/Peter reunion! IMO, it's the books last chance. -- GENERATION X #5 I was worried that this book couldn't survive a four month lay-off. I mean, barely any storylines had begun, how could you take four months off, skip two weeks in the story, and still maintain any interest out of the reader? It would be like starting from scratch. Well, my fears were groundless. Bachalo's artwork alone is enough to keep this reader coming back (although I do have a problem with how amazingly TINY Gateway is depicted in this issue) and throwing in new plot devices like Paige contracting the Legacy Virus and the return of Leech are making this a top notch title. The romp thru New York was a nice touch, buying apples, doing something other than saving the world or the regular mutant angst. Reminded me of the old days, with New Mutants and X-Men. -- X-FACTOR #112 First, I dislike the artwork of Jeff Matsuda. I hope his guest status doesn't last too long. This title seems slightly chaotic right now, old plot lines (such as what happened to Guido, is the Multiple Man back?) are not dealt with, but new problems take center stage. Havok's powers have run amok, as seen in PRIME, and apparently somewhere along the way he got himself kidnapped to boot. X-Factor is on the case to rescue him, with new editions and a few absences. I think too much is happening too fast in this title right now, more care should have been taken in re-entering the timeline. This shaky beginning could easily alienate new readers who have just jumped on after AoA, and also old readers who don't recongnize anything either. -- X-MEN #42 THE FALL OF AVALON! Paul Smith returns to pencilling the X-Men, and boy has his work changed! I barely recognised it! In fact, some pages seemed so rushed, I'm suprised they made it into the book. Hello, Bob Harras? Storywise, it was a very exciting return to the timeline. All hell is breaking loose on Avalon, as Exodus unwittingly brings Holocaust from the AoA into the station. Of course Holocaust freaks when he sees who is aboard the station with him, and a ruckus ensues. Holocaust looks weird without his lifesupport armor, I hope it's returned soon. The slight art problems with the book aside, this was an excellent return for the X-Men. -- SOVEREIGN SEVEN #1 This first issue is completely returnable for dealers. To me, that meant DC COMICS had the utmost confidence in this product. I took that to mean that this was going to be top-notch. Well, while it certainly isn't terrible, it's also nothing to inspire that sort of confidence either. For a first issue introducing new characters, I thought it was rather shaky. Claremont introduces the characters in the midst of a battle we know next to nothing about. They are in a situation we know nothing about. Absolutely nothing in the issue inspires any interest in the reader to continue with this series. Now, that's not to say that Claremont won't pull it all together in a few issues, and that this couldn't still become a very exciting series, but based on this one issue, I couldn't produce the confidence that DC did by making the first issue fully returnable. Dwayne Turner's artwork is probably the saving grace of the book. He has a style that seems more suited for the Image boys than DC comics, and that could be the saving grace of the series. Turner may be able to keep readers coming back for a few issues until Claremont hooks them. I'll give the book a few more issues to see where it's going. -- AZRAEL #6 This is probably one of my favorite titles right now. The initial idea of giving Azrael his own book sounded awful to me at first, but I bought the first issue anyway out of mild curiousity. Am I glad I did. The first six issues have explored who and what Jean Paul Valley is, and what sort of world he comes from. The artwork suits the book perfectly, the supporting characters are great, and guest appearance by Ra's Al Ghul make this an exciting series. If you haven't picked up this book yet, I suggest you do so. -- GREEN LANTERN #64 PARALLAX VIEW 2 of 2 Hal Jordan vs the current incarnations of the original JLA. Once again the writers defile the memory of Hal Jordan, by making him deluded and deranged into thinking he's doing the right thing attempting to "fix" everything, and battling his one time allies to do so. I hate to say that I enjoyed this issue even though Hal was treated like dirt again. I also dislike the newest "final fate" of Hal, deluding himself into believing everything is back to normal. Ugh. Bring back the multiverse and let Hal live in peace. -- HAWKMAN #22 I've almost reached my limit with this series. I've been patiently waiting since ZERO HOUR for this book to explore the Katar Hol, the fact that he's all the Hawkmen combined, and his new abilities. Instead the book has focused on this whole avatar thing, which has been completely lame IMO. Now we get part three of a story I'm not even reading. I don't read GUY GARDNER, and this isn't going to get me to start. If anything, it's gotten me one step closer to dropping this book. -- CHIAROSCURO #1 For the most part I enjoyed this first issue, although I have a few minor problems with some of the language used. Is there some rule in the Vertigo offices that profanity must be used regardless of what type of book it is? Other than that minor complaint, it's an interesting start to an equally interesting undertaking, the story of Leonardo Da Vinci in comic book form. It's often lude and crude, so it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think it's worth a look simply because it's subject matter is so unique in the comic book medium. -- HARDWARE #29 I don't normally read this book, but I picked it up because it is a READERS CHOICE book, which is Milestone's new promotion of offering one book of it's line a month for only 99 cents. I figured this was the time to check out the book. I hadn't read Hardware before simply because I'd had my fill of armored characters. I enjoy X-O MANOWAR, and in the past I had been reading PROTOTYPE, IRON-MAN, WAR-MACHINE and sometimes STEEL. I didn't feel like starting yet another armored book, when some of the ones listed weren't so hot. Well, at the time of this writing, I've cut my "armored" books down to just X-O MANOWAR, the only title that offers exciting stories on a monthly basis out of the whole bunch listed above. I entered my first issue of HARDWARE a bit leary on the book based on this prejudice. The fact that all the Milestone books are starting out with a text page, a "story so far" was a nice touch, it gave me all the back ground I needed on the character, so that there was no guess work. I knew who was who going in, and that added to the enjoyment of the book from jumpstreet. Cudos to Milestone for the text page. Secondly, the fact that Milestone books are centered around Dakota for the most part gave me a familiar terrain in which to learn about the characters, I even knew something of the storyline already from events in other Milestone books, like the LONG HOT SUMMER mini-series. I really enjoyed the artwork, and especially liked the sequence of Hardware activating his armor. Very unique. The fight with BLOOD SYNDICATE was fun, and reminded me of the old Marvel "misunderstandings" that prompted popular characters to do battle with one another with no clear cut victor. I would have to say that, for me at least, the READERS CHOICE program has been a success. I probably would have never picked up this title at full price, but now thanks to the reduced price I've discovered a title that will now be on my monthly pull list. I would recommend HARDWARE and the other Milestone books to anyone who is a fan of "universe" comics with tight continuity and interwoven storylines. -- STARMAN #9 Lot's of different plot threads are touched upon briefly in this book, but not enough. This is a great series, but one issue at a time just isn't going it. I think I'm going to have to take the same approach to this title as I do to SHADE THE CHANGING MAN, wait until I have five or six issues at a time to read. This title is definitely a better read in bigger "chunks" of story. Still one of the better titles out there though. -- ICON #27 The REAL Icon versus Oblivion, destined to be Icon's main arch-villian! Lot's of action and excitement in this one, plus: Rachel gets evicted??? This is a top-notch title, from a top-notch company. Do yourself a favor, if you haven't checked them out before, DO IT NOW! -- WILDSTORM RISING #1 I don't normally read the Image stuff, at least not alot of it, but when I saw the BWS cover on this book, I broke down and bought the thing. This issue certainly isn't one for new readers to jump on with, that I can attest to. Noone is easily identified, it's just one great big fight scene. Without a scorecard, I had no way of knowing what was going on. I did enjoy the BWS art though, although it wasn't his best work and some places seemed rushed and muddled. The one thing I liked is the fat that the guy Grifter got his mask completely mauled. Long time readers of 4CN/CBN will know how much that mask has annoyed me since I've seen it... -- WILDCATS #20 I've tried this book on two or three different occasions, and have never been all that impressed with what I've found. I just didn't care for the characters or premise, even when people like Claremont gave a shot at it. I decided to give it a shot with Robinson doing the writing, and because of the BWS cover. This is probably the most enjoyable issue of WildC.A.T.s I've ever read. I like Charest's pencils, and for the first time I'm starting to get a glimmer of understanding of what is going on in this little universe, with the two alien races. I especially liked the scene where Grifter loses his patience with the team and says, "aliens and half-breeds... maybe I misjudged the lot of you." While I still don't know who alot of the characters are, or what's really going on, this is the first issue I've read that's prompted me to pick up another. I may continue to read thru this WILDSTORM RISING thing and see how I feel when it's all over. -- GEN 13 #2 I can't decide if GEN 13 tries too hard to be hip, or if it's dead on identifying with younger readers. All I do know is, two issues into the run and it's displayed everything I like in a super-hero book: inter-character developments, a definite history, and lot's of action without the angst. As long as the stories are fun to read, I'll buy this book. -- DOMU #3 This series was my first taste of both Katsuhiro Otomo's work, and manga in general. I found it to be a very favorable experience, so I plan on checking out other manga titles as well. (just ordered a CRYING FREEMAN book from PREVIEWS) I keep hearing about another book by Otomo called AKIRA? Man, I saw some issues in a shop over the weekend, it looks like a huge undertaking to ammass the entire series. Has it been collected into tpbs, or a more convenient form? Well, onto the actual comic that's listed in the subject header. DOMU: A CHILD'S DREAM had impressed me from the first issue for both it's art and storyline. The detail that Otomo puts into some of his panels are amazing. I can only imagine how painstakingly long it must have taken to do some of this work. The storyline was very interesting as well: two people with extraordinary psychic abilities; one old man and one little girl, do battle thruout an apartment building. This last installment had the same incredible artwork, but I was not satisfied with how the story itself wrapped up. Otomo never explains the character's motivations thouroughy enough for my liking. Maybe something is being lost in the translation, I don't know. Perhaps I just expected too much after the incredible first two issues. In any case, I would still recommend this series, although the cover price is a bit high, remember that's for over 75 pages of comic per issue! -- THIS IS NOT AN EXIT #1 Having recently discovered the world of black and white comics, I now order one or two titles a month, sight unseen, to give them a shot. This is one of those titles. THIS IS NOT AN EXIT is a comic experiment by a company called DRACULINA PUBLISHING, which is responsible for magazines such as DRACULINA, ORIENTAL CINEMA, and SHE. It is a two issue horror/short story title. I won't go into lengthy detail of the stories in this book, (mostly because I doubt this will ever make it out to the world, what with the problems I'm having with the board!) suffice to say that it's nothing you haven't seen before, probably done better. I'm not much on Horror comics, I think they were done best in the past with TALES FROM THE CRYPT and the like. Even if I were, I would have trouble paying $2.95 for this quality of work. The pencils thruout the book look more like sketches, and the reproduction quality is poor. Even in today's market, with paper concerns and the like, I expect ALOT better for my money. This was $2.95 that could have been spent on something else. -- PRIVATE BEACH #3 This was an amusing little series, and although I didn't care for how some aspects of it were wrapped up, I'd still recommend it. Hahn is attempting to combine a LOVE AND ROCKETS/STRANGERS IN PARADISE with science fiction elements, with mixed results. I really enjoy the characters he has created, but this whole story arc about the lost alien was a bit flat. I think that science fiction elements _could_ be successfully interwoven into the book, but at the cost of some of the realism that most of the characters have going for them. I think I would prefer to see him ditch the sci-fi all together, and just deal with the characters and their lives. Go for more realism in future story arcs. Also, I would suggest losing the super-hero back up features. The comic world is choking to death on super-hero works. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE super-hero books as much as the next guy, but I just thing we need more books like PRIVATE BEACH more than we need the further adventures of Spandex-Man. Besides, others are doing the super-hero thing much better. Is anyone else out there reading FUN AND PERILS IN THE TRUDYVERSE? If so, I would be very interested in your opinions. -- ELEVEN OR ONE: AN ANGRY CHRIST COMIC I'm afraid I am one of the unlucky masses that missed out on CRY FOR DAWN. I first discovered Joseph Michael Linser on a later book, which featured a Dawn cover, called DRAMA. I immediately fell in love with Linser's artwork. I wanted to track down CRY FOR DAWN, but YIPES is that expensive in the back issue market. Anyway, when I heard about ELEVEN OR ONE, I knew I had to pick it up. I'm very glad I did. While I'm not too keen on what an "Angry Christ" is, or what the religious relevence of the issue is, I do know that I enjoyed the artwork immensely, and even though I'm sure certain elements of the story were lost upon me, I really enjoyed the tale. I won't go into the plot, because getting it second hand from someone who may have missed key elements wouldn't do it justice. Still, I think it was very enjoyable, and worth picking up for the artwork alone. I have no trouble recommending it. -- MAGNUS #54 This book has become such a big disappointment to me, I can hardly stand to read it. What was once a favorite of mine has become a shadow of it's former self. The title cannot sustain all the characters that have been thrown into it with the other "future" books being cancelled. All the books on there own, (RAI, PSI-LORDS, MAGNUS) were far more enjoyable than this combination title. I'm sticking around hoping that Giffen can fix things, but at this point it wouldn't take alot to make me drop this book. That's pretty bad considering I've been a faithful reader of all the books, having complete runs of both Magnus and Rai. I enjoy the characters, I've been there thru alot of changes, (three different Rai characters!) some good and some bad, and this is the first time I can remember this book being like this. Ugh. - SOLAR #48 Dan Jurgens has revitalized this title, bringing it back to the excitement levels it hasn't had since the first ten issues of the book. Solar is in another universe on another Earth (again) and apparently he's been there for some time. The heroes of this world have just discovered his prescence and mistake him for God. Meanwhile, someone takes advantage of his appearance by framining him for the murder of the President. Lot's of exciting things are happening in this title right now, if you enjoyed the early issues of this title, you might want to take a peak at these as well. -- X-O MANOWAR #49 Aric has lost everything that mattered in his life- again. All he has left is the X-O armor. That is, until Paul's personality re-emerges, and claims the armor for his own! Yipes! What's a visigoth to do? Why, grab the nearest broadsword and fight for what's yours, of course! It's Aric versus his own armor in the next issue, the fiftieth, which will be split into two books, #50-X and #50-O! The blurb at the end claims it's the ultimate armored clash with the ultimate X-O villain! Things have been heating up on this title since Bart Sears returned on the pencils, but I have a feeling we're reaching a boiling point here! Do NOT miss the next issue(s)!!! -- WU WEI #1 In the last year or so I've discovered a world of black and white comics that had escaped my attention in the past. I now order one or two books a month, sight unseen, to give them a shot. This is one of those books. WU WEI is a title that I've picked up recently under the conditions stated above. It is done by Oscar Stern, someone I have no previous knowledge of in the world of comics. (Not to say he hasn't done six million things, I just haven't been exposed to his work before.) It looks as though this will be a short story anthology title, with at least one storyline continuing from issue to issue. The preface explains to the reader that Wu-Wei is, " the life-style of one who follows the Tao..." and " ...is a combination of this wisdom with taking the least line of resistance in all one's actions." What this has to do with the comic book itself, I don't know, other than to let you know that the creator didn't make it up himself. The first story is called TESTAMENT- A NOVEL. Chapter One is called DEBASER, and runs for about seven pages. The artwork isn't flashy, but it gets the job done. Chapter one is about a homeless man who gets accosted in a park, and easily tears apart his armed attackers with martial arts prowess. The homeless man then flashes back to himself in what appears to be a dojo, training. He then remembers a woman from his past, in one frame healthy and smiling, the next eyes closed and bloody. URBIA uses alot of jumbled television images from sitcoms such as the Cosby show to help make a contrast between the world of television and the world of the main character, who lives in an apartment building where the families, including his own, are not quite as loving as those portrayed on tv. I found TESTAMENT to be interesting, but in seven pages, it didn't spark enough interest that I would be guaranteed of picking up the next issue. URBIA didn't do much for me at all. I didn't care much for the use of television images within the artwork, I would have prefered to see more of the artist's pencils. Stern does earn points for a text piece called CHECK IT OUT where he hypes other Small Press samplings, and the first on the list is Adrian Tomine's OPTIC NERVE. Also included are two titles I've never heard of, FILTHY HABITS and BLOOD RELATIVES. Also, in the letters page there is a letter from another Small Press guy that I've never read, James Kochalka, who does a mini comic. In the final analysis, I wasn't overly impressed with this first issue, although I wasn't discouraged from picking up another issue. If I have two fifty burning a hole in my pocket one day and I see an issue of WU-WEI, I might pick it up, but I don't see myself going out of my way to find this book. -- BACCHUS #1 Eddie Campbell's Bacchus has arrived. One of the biggest hyped comics in the Small Press arena, Bacchus is the tale of the greek god of wine. This is not the first appearance of this character, he's been around for sometime, but the good news to new readers is that this series will reprint all past stories concerning Bacchus in sequence with revisions as the creator feels are needed. I'm coming into this issue with no prior experience with this character, and only limited knowledge of Eddie Campbell himself, although both come highly recommended from people whose opinions I respect. The concept itself struck me as something I'd be interested in when I first saw it in PREVIEWS. Drunken debauchery, a pub in England that declares itself seperate sovereign nation? With the hype surrounding the book, I knew I couldn't pass it up. Now that I have the book in my hands, I still have the feeling that I'm coming into a series in progress. Although an ample introduction of Bacchus is given, the series has other characters that aren't so easily identified. I'm sure over the next few issues, all will be made clear, but I think that this is another one of those stories that one issue just isn't enough to garner an opinion, or to truly enjoy the tale. I wish the early stuff had been collected in a tpb or something first, before beginning the new series. In any event, I'm buying this series until the pub secedes from England at the very least, hopefully I'll have a better grasp on the book in that time. -- STRAY BULLETS #3 This issue is alot more subtle with the violence than the previous two, although it opens with quite a bit of gunplay as well. This issue is about two small time hoods who throw a party for their criminal element friends. One of them is about to make it "big-time" with the big hood in town, when unexpected events change the course of his "career." I personally found the second issue of this series to be the best so far, but this title hasn't had a bad issue yet. This is high quality stuff coming from David Lapham. Highly recommended. -- THB #5 I am really upset to learn that THB #6 will be the last issue. Especially considering I've pre-ordered #7 already. Apparently Pope wants to develop more as an artist. That's cool. His "quick and fluid" approach on THB has been one of the elements that I've stated many times as to why I loved this series, but I also see that he's capable of many different styles, and I look forward to seeing them. In it's place, BUZZ BUZZ magazine will be the new home of THB, as well as other Paul Pope projects. Paul Pope also has one or two short stories in the DARK HORSE PRESENTS #100, and a three page dream sequence in ROARIN' RICK'S RARE BIT FIENDS #9. Starting in DHP #101 he will be doing an eight page a month serialization called ONE TRICK RIP OFF. So, while THB may be fading away as a monthly title far too quickly, Paul Pope isn't going anywhere. If you haven't seen his work before, check it out. It isn't for everybody, I think it's a love it or hate it kinda thing, but if you haven't tried it you owe it to yourself to take a peek. Email Address: william.hughes@p3.f744.n109.z1.fidonet.org. __________________________________________________________________________ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-8-]--/ FEEDBACK /-------------------------------------------------/ From: Nathan Bredfeldt Subj: CBEM #13 Feedback Let's keep it weekly, ok? Ok. I enjoyed Mike's 25th hour-slash-make your own superguy story. I hope future bulpin contributors strive to keep things as fresh and interesting as this one. The double CSN was great! Anyone else looking forward to any of those collector card games? I am looking forward to the Wildstorm one (got some Promo cards in Previews, even!) and maybe Spawn (if it is cheap). As for another Mister Punch printing: Ya-Hoo! That sucker was way too limited the first time out. John Keady is currently my personal hero. I'm just glad to see reviews back in the mag. Missed Ry's column. Hope to see it back, soon. Keep up this quality level, and you'll keep me around. nate! --- Send feedback to: Internet .......... ComicBkNet@aol.com Fidonet ........... ComicBkNet at 1:324/134.0 Comic Book Net .... 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