________________________________________________________________________ Visit Our Web Page! http://www.cris.com/~Xenozoid/ComicBkNet.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------- / THE \ \C O M I C/ Issue #35 This publication is brought to you \B O O K/ by the active participants of \N E T/ Sunday the international center for \ / November 12th, comic book discussion, the Comic *E-Mag* 1995 Book Net. !!! - Editor: Ryan Brewster [Xenozoid@cris.com] - CBN Network Administration Team: - Ed Dukeshire - - Mike Imboden - - William Hughes - - Ryan Brewster - - Jacob Greenberg - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Comic Book Net Founding Fathers: Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] The Bullpen ........................... Ryan Brewster [2] CSNsider #440.......................... W. Batty & C. Biggers [3] Comicunications ....................... Ryan Brewster [4] 25th Hour ............................. Mike Imboden [5] Recent Reads & Random Thoughts ........ William Hughes [6] Comic Comments ........................ John Keady [7] New Comics 11/13/95 ................... Bobb Waller [8] Splash Page ........................... Various [9] Join in the Fun! [10] BBSes Linked into CBN [11] E-Mag Info ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] The Bullpen by Ryan Brewster There's a buncha cool things going on in CBN right now... The next issue of the CBN APA (That's Amateur Press Alliance) is due to come out the 2nd week of December, so all o' youse guys who are writing/drawing stuff, get them in to Ed by the end of the month. The info sheet on the CBN APA, for those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, is in this week's Splash Page section. Those of you who ordered Emissary #1 from me, from the address I gave in this column, what, 2 months ago?, the issues are shipping out Monday the 13th. Please get back to me with your comments! Ed Dukeshire has posted a DC/Marvel ballot in the related conferences, and is taking a "poll" to see how CBNers would call the matchups... pop in and let us all know what ya think! :) Sorry about the wimpy Comicunications this week.. I'll scrounge around for some more info this week. :) Best, --Ry Editor The Comic Book Net E-Mag Xenozoid@cris.com ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] CSNsider #440 by W. Batty and C. Biggers This is the CSNsider from CSN #440, which will be in shops on 11/23/95. It is reproduced in its entirety with the expressed permission of COMIC SHOP NEWS! Correction: we mistakenly reported that the Wildstorms trading card game was being delayed; actually, the starter sets for the game should be out as you read this -- it's the Wildstorm: Conflict expansion series that's been delayed until early 1996... And while we're talking about delays, we should mention that the Mister Miracle series reviewed a few issues ago in CSN wasn't a figment of our imagination: that series has been delayed until early '96... If you didn't get to see as much Stan Lee as you'd have liked in Mallrats, breathe easy: you'll be able to see an entire episode of A&E's Biography series devoted to Stan the Man on December 26th... Is there anything to the rumor that at least one big publisher is looking at the possibility of licensing its characters to other comic book companies? Too early to tell -- but we'll let you know when (and if) any decisions are made!... When you pick up your copy of The All-New Exiles #1, you may notice it's a bit thicker than the usual comic; that's because Malibu is including the entirety of UltraForce #1 in each issue (due to dissatisfaction with the print job on the sale copies of UltraForce #1)... Topps plans to reprint the rare original Duckman black-and-white oneshot originally published in 1990 by Dark Horse Comics; this one-shot, written and drawn by Everett Peck, predates the Duckman animated run on USA Network. Look for it in February... Marvel has announced that Generation X is being made into a Fox Tuesday movie of the week... An authorized Beatles comic book is in negotiations; no word yet on whether it will be a history of the group or a collection of short pieces inspired by their songs, a la Kitchen Sink's Grateful Dead Comix... Sigourney Weaver has reportedly signed to play the witch in a live-action version of the Disney classic Snow White... The CSNsider is just a small part of each issue of Comic Shop News. CSN #440 features an exclusive cover from Broadway Comics featuring all their new characters on the cover as well as more news and the complete December Checklist that is the only place you'll find everything due from every company regardless of who distributes them. The CSNsider is now available via e-mail! In order to subscribe to CSNsider, send a message to majordomo@redweb.com, with a single line message saying: SUBSCRIBE csnsider Visit our WWW site! http://www.actwin.com/csn We post the new CSNsider there each Monday and it will go out via e-mail each Wednesday or Thursday. The WWW site is still the first place it will appear each week, but we wanted to offer it via e-mail as well. 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? Ward Batty wardo@netdepot.com Cliff Biggers cliffbig@netdepot.com (c)1995 CSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Transmitted by . . . úúúúÄÄÄÄÍÍÍÍ*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@mailtrain.com RIME->15 FIDO 1:322/743.1 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] Comicunications, by Ryan Brewster [From: Imajyn's ComICunications] [To: The Comic Book Net] LATE BREAKING COMICS NEWS! [Re: Calvin & Hobbes CANCELLED ] [Date: 11/9/95 ] --- Citing difficulty with meeting newspaper deadlines, cartoonist Bill Watterson has announced that he will no longer be writing new Calvin and Hobbes strips. A tenth-anniversary book was recently released by Bill Watterson, who explained many of his motivations and ideals behind the comic strip. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] 25th Hour, by Mike Imboden, The MST3K Turkey Day Marathon I just got hold of the schedule for this year's Turkey Day marathon and I'm a bit let down. I won't get into the whole Season One fiasco. The thing that bugs me about this year is that it's short. Really short. In years past it used to start the day before Thanksgiving, like around 10pm, and run through Thanksgiving up to about 8 pm. It was usually 20 hours long, or so. The fun part of it was trying to stay awake over the night. Last year I posted an in-depth "survival guide" which I followed and made it through the night with. Not this year. This year it's a mere 15 hours long and runs only during the DAY of Thanksgiving, starting at 9am and ending at midnight. Here's the schedule; 9am - The Crawling Hand (one of four Season 1 eps being aired) 11:30am - Manos, the Hands of Fate 1:30pm - Mitchell 3:30pm - The Outlaw 5:30pm - The Starfighters 7:30pm - The Skydivers 9:30pm - MST Scrapbook * 10:00om - Night of the Blood Beast ** * - this is an edited version of a video available from Best Brains. It's a retrospect of the show, showing lots of good KTMA and Season One clips. I imagine it won't be as good in edited form ** - This is the first of like only six or seven episodes for Season Seven. It will have special host segments that WONT be seen in future airings of this episode. Anyway, this year should be easy to survive. All are good movies, well, crappy movies but good shows. Mitchell is the one where Joel escapes and Mike takes over for those interested that didn't already know. M!ke (mike.imboden@f748.n109.z1.fidonet.org) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Recent Reads & Random Thoughts, by Bill Hughes Welcome To RECENT READS & RANDOM THOUGHTS. I've pretty much given up on ever getting this column back onto a weekly schedule, so I figure I'll add a few more interesting bits to make it extra special when I finally get it out on the net. This time around look for reviews of the new Marvel CD-Rom Comics for X-MEN and FANTASTIC FOUR, as well as my thoughts on a cable television show called THE ANTI-GRAVITY ROOM. I'd also like to point out the EXCLUSIVE news flash on AZURE PRESS, publishers of THE ACOLYTE CHRONICLES. And, the books for this column are: DARK HORSE PRESENTS #102 THE MAXX #19 UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED- ABYSS #1 GENERATION X #10 UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED #1 THOR #493 HULK #436 ASTRO CITY #3 BIG MOUTH #5 POISON ELVES #5 BART SIMPSON'S TREEHOUSE OF HORROR #1 DAWN #2 CREED #1 ACOLYTE CHRONICLES #2 BATMAN #525 BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES #2 ROBIN #23 PREACHER #9 GREEN LANTERN #69 STATIC #30 HAWKMAN #27 SUPERBOY #22 ICON #32 SPIDER-MAN & BATMAN AZRAEL #11 STARMAN #14 AVENGERS #392 CONAN VERSUS RUNE #1 X-MEN #47 UNCANNY X-MEN `95 UNCANNY X-MEN #327 CABLE #26 X-FACTOR #117 X-MAN #10 EXCALIBUR #92 ULTRAFORCE #1 X-FORCE #49 WOLVERINE #96 UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED #2 NIGHTMAN #1 SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #66 Small Press: YOU AND YOUR BIG MOUTH #5 I DON'T WANT TO GET MY HAIR CUT! by Pat Moriarty $2.95 (b/w) I don't care very much for Pat Moriarty's artwork, but the story content was a hoot, and I enjoyed it immensely. The story of night of the haircut is too humiliating and bizarre _not_ to be true. I also liked the pin-nail sketches on the opening inside cover, it was nice to see how the artist works out his thoughts for an issue before actually pencilling it out. INDEPENDENTS: EXIT #1 by Nabiel Kanan $2.95 (b/w) This is a new title published by Caliber Comics, and is the second volume for Kanan. I'm not familiar with any previous works, this is the first issue that I've had a chance to check out. Exit is a compelling story about a young man who thru circumstance and coincidence, finds himself in the position of having too much knowledge about his girl-friend's father. This information leads him into further problems as the comic moves on, from accidentally becoming involved with a breaking and entering, to having the real thief trying to track him down. All the while he tries to think up a way to let his friend know about her father without blowing whatever chances he may have with her. This is a very promising first issue. I could easily see myself becoming attached to this series, if it continues along this path. My only complaint is that the type in the word balloons is on the small side, I had to squint to make them out. Other than that trivial concern, this was a great book. Highly recommended. NEGATIVE BURN #25 This issue has been in my read pile for some time, and I've only gotten to it this week. Had I known what a great issue it would turn out to be, I would have gotten into it the first day. This is one of the best anthology books I've read in a while, better than any of the DHP #100s that came out about the same time. BAKER STREET: THE EMPTY HOUSE by Guy Davis is a female-punk rocker version of Sherlock Holmes. It's got enough elements of Sherlock Holmes to satisfy fans of that type of work, while the punker twist makes it interesting to the finicky comic connoisseur. The first installment begins this issue, and will be continued in the following issues. Bernie Mireault offers a quick-take from THE JAM that's entertaining, about Gordie's attempt at getting a chair left in an alley before anyone else does. Another top notch contribution is David Mack's KABUKI in a story that would make a marvelous introduction to his work for newbies. Teri Wood supplies one of my favorite pieces in this issue, DARKLIGHT. I love her artwork, and these characters look very interesting. I can't wait to see more of them! THE APPARITION by James Pruett is the story about a drug addict who has his last fix. Mildly interesting. ALAN MOORE'S SONGBOOK, with illustrations by Dave Gibbons is also in this issue, (although not really top notch stuff from either one of them IMO) Neil Gaiman fans will probably want to get a look at his SKETCHBOOK, which shows a glimpse at how his mind works... interesting stuff. SUBURBAN NIGHTMARES by Larry Hancock and Michael Cherkas begins this issue, and is the story about a boy who sees mysterious neighbors move across the street at 3AM, but his parent don't believe him. They allude to the fact that they may be aliens. This was only part one, but it looks very promising, I like Cherkas artwork. THE PROTAGONIST VERSUS FRED by Bradley Walton and Mike Hoffman is a pretty funny story about two guys arguing about who's tougher in a bar. Another top notch contribution is Paul Pope's STRIP FOR 6.30.93, I'd love to get the entire piece on one page, poster style. Paul Pope rules. There is also a text piece called THE SAD CASE OF PROFESSOR WOODBURY that I haven't read yet, as well as the usual MR MAMOULIAN by Brian Bolland, and DOMINIQUE by Charles and Lisa Moore. Oh, and a one page strip by Greg DiGenti called CHARLIE SELDOM. This book carries a price tag of $3.95 and it's worth every penny. I don't think I've ever bought an anthology title with this much high quality stuff in one issue. This is the Must-Buy of the Week! Sorry, it's been out for about a month now, but you should still be able to find it if you shop at a decent store. DC COMICS: BLOOD SYNDICATE #32 ALL SOULS DAY Chichester/Cowan/Borderick $2.50 (color) Continued from last issue, the Syndicate battle Soul Breaker, who has taken control of Third Rail and plans to do the same with the rest of the Syndicate. I don't care for the character of Soul Breaker, so I'm glad this storyline is over. I did like how the Syndicate didn't try and stop Brickhouse from getting her due with Soul Breaker after all he'd put her and the team thru. I would have questioned anything less coming from a team like this. Anyway, Ivan Velez Jr. returns next issue, along with a new penciller, Jeff Moore. Hopefully, we can look forward to Velez issues for the rest of the limited time that the Syndicate will be with us. :( NIGHTWING #3 of 4 THE TRAITOR'S DEATH O'Neil/Land/Sellers $2.25 (color) Well, only one more issue to go in the Nightwing mini-series, so I guess it's time to say it. As much as I really want a Nightwing series, if this is any indication of what it would be like, I'll pass. This book just isn't exciting enough, and I don't really care for how Grayson is being portrayed. Personally, I don't think he's as careless or as bungling as he's painted in this series. And I think that if a character like Azrael can get such a great monthly book, we should expect no less for a character with the history of Dick Grayson. First thing I'd change, is get a new artist. Greg Land just isn't doing it for me. Secondly, can we get a new plot for Grayson, please? He's been trying to "find" himself and solve the mystery of his parent's murder for years. I think it's time for him to move on to new things. Let's see a little more personal stuff from him. Settle down in a new city, away from Batman and away from the Titans, and be his own man for a change. Get an apartment, a job and a girlfriend. In short, it's time for Nightwing to get a life! The character deserves one. AZRAEL #11 DARK KNIGHTS (AZRAEL RISING part one) by O'Neil/Kitson/Pascoe $1.95 (color) Guest-starring Batman and Shondra Kinsolving, the healer who helped Batman get back into form after the Bane incident. Jean Paul returns to Gotham City and Wayne Manor. After reading a book called GUARDIAN ANGEL he hears a message on Bruce's answering machine involving Shondra, who is in danger. Deciding to become a Guardian angel instead of an avenging one, he runs off to help her. I didn't really care for Shondra and her healing powers before, I thought it was too easy for Batman to find a healer after being so seriously hurt. Nothing's changed. I still don't like the character. I hope Azrael comes to his senses soon, because I don't think this will be a very fun book anymore if it just becomes another Bat-book, complete with his supporting characters like Kinsolving. This issue was a bit of a disappointment. So far this series has been pretty good from issue one, so I'm willing to cut O'Neil some slack for an issue or two, I just hope it isn't habit forming. BATMAN #525 FROZEN ASSETS by Moench/Jones & Beatty/Wright $1.95 (color) An UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED tie-in, as Mr. Freeze makes his way back to Gotham after his run-in with Green Lantern. The Neron-powered Freeze seems to have a few screws loose, even moreso than normal, and concocts a plan to start a cryogenics lab for the rich elderly looking for a way to live forever. When his first clients decide not to go for the sales pitch, he decides to freeze them anyway. Enter The Bat to the rescue. This was a fairly standard read, bit on the boring side really. Since I'm also not the biggest fan of Kelley Jones, and this was a pretty forgettable issue. BATMAN & ROBIN ADVENTURES TWO TIMER (part two) Dini/Templeton/Burchett $1.75 (color) Based on the animated series continuity, this is probably the best and most consistent Batman book on the stands, going all the way back thru it's previous incarnation as BATMAN ADVENTURES. This issue is about a jealous Two-Face who is convinced that Bruce Wayne is seeing his fiancee. This is good stuff, recommended for all ages, kids or adults. GREEN LANTERN #69 BARGAINS by Marz/Pelletier/Tanghal $1.75 (color) This story takes place after UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED #1 where Kyle gets the stuffing kicked out of him by Neron. Kyle doesn't get a moment to rest as Neron sics Purgatory on him again. Darkstar Donna plays sidekick again as the two duke it out and trash Kyle's apartment building in the process. Decent issue, but the real action is going on in the UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED mini-series. HAWKMAN #27 HAWKMAD! by Loebs/Lieber/Shoultz $2.25 (color) I ordered this book because the solicitation said we'd finally see Hawkman confront the other incarnations of Hawkman living inside him. I had hoped that we would see the different versions of the character that we've seen in DC continuity before, but what we actually got were past Hawk-avatars instead. This book had great promise after ZERO HOUR, and it's lived up to none of it. Steve Lieber's artwork is cool, but the whole avatar storyline has been dragged out too long and has been made too integral a part of the character. I liked Hawkman the alien, not Hawkman the alien/indian/spirit animal. I won't be picking this book up again. ICON #32 LEARNING TO FLY or REFLECTIONS by Middleton/Mak/DeCarlo $2.50 (color) ICON remains the strongest and most consistent book in the Milestone line-up. This issue takes a break from the current "Trial Of Earth" storyline to give us a tale about what an effect Icon is having on the people of Dakota, one in particular. We see the return of one of the teenagers who attempted to rob Icon's home in the first issue of the series. Like Rachel, he was greatly affected by seeing a man fly, and has also decided to make something better for himself than a life of petty crime. This issue would make a pretty good introduction to the character of Icon. Recommended. PREACHER #9 WHEN THE STORY BEGAN (All In The Family 2 of 5) by Ennis/Dillon $2.50 (color) Jesse and Tulip are still held captive by Jesse's demented grandmother. Awaiting their fate, Jesse enlightens Tulip about what it was like growing up in this family, and what happened to his parents. This storyline has all of the in-your-face stylings that are typically found in a Garth Ennis book, but in this case it's all used with a purpose and to move a compelling story along. Unlike earlier issues that felt as though profanity and repulsiveness were thrown in just for pure shock value. Jesse's childhood is a horrifying tale, and whatever fate she has in store for Tulip could be equally horrifying. This is a very enjoyable storyline thus far, moreso than any of the previous issues. ROBIN #23 BUGGIN' by Dixon/Lopresti/Woch $1.95 (color) Another UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED tie-in has the Killer Moth going thru some pretty radical changes at the hands of Neron. Now going by the name of Charaxes, he could be more than the boy wonder can handle! This issue's cliffhanger has Robin in a bad spot... This book has been pretty lucky with guest artists. Aaron Lopresti steps up to the plate and does a great job for the MIA Wieringo. Anyone have any word on what's up? Is Ringo leaving the book, or just on vacation? Lopresti is solicited for next issue as well... SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #6 THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (ROOTS OF MADNESS: 2 of 3) by Milligan/Case/Tolagson $2.25 (color) This series has definitely seen better days. The only thing that's keeping me reading is the fact that it's ending soon and I want to be there at the end. Otherwise, I would have dropped it already. Milligan must be burnt out on the character or something, because ever since Kathy died this series has been on the decline. Also, I don't think Richard Case is the best artist for this series either. Save your money. SPIDER-MAN & BATMAN DISORDERED MINDS by DeMatteis/Bagley/Hanna & Farmer $5.95 (color) This crossover has nothing to do with the upcoming fight to the finish DC versus Marvel. Instead, this tale is like a What If? or Elseworlds tale that presumes that these heroes have always existed in the same world. Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne are both haunted men. Both lost people they loved to acts of crime and violence, and both have dedicated their lives to fighting injustice ever since. Another thing they have in common are homicidal arch-foes, Spidey has Carnage and Batman has the infamous Joker. When a radical new form of lobotomy is introduced as a solution for both The Joker and Carnage, it means a trip to Gotham City for Spidey. Of course things don't work out as planned, and it's a tag-team match-up, Carnage/Joker versus Spidey/Batman. I wasn't overly impressed with this book. It had an unnecessary cover enhancement, and the story content just wasn't that impressive. If you're looking to see the heroes of DC and Marvel together, keep your $5.95 and wait for DC VERSUS MARVELS instead. STARMAN #14 SINS OF THE CHILD (part three of four) James Robinson re-tells the same 24 hour period from the previous two issues, this time from the perspective of the O'Dare family, and Opal City in general. Not only does this make any of the last three issues great jumping on points, but this is going to make some very interesting reading when all the issues are put together and read in one sitting. (I can hardly wait!) If you're not already reading this book, please, do yourself a favor and go grab as many issues of this series as you can find. STATIC #30 SHADOW OF TIME, SHADOW OF BLOOD by Blaustein & Fezzani/Wilfred/Stanisci & Caesar $2.50 (color) David LeBlanc cross-posted Velez Jr's proposed script for this issue, I liked it better than what actually saw print. The new writing team of Adam Blaustein and Yves Fezzani take over with this issue, marking what could be the end of another Milestone title. Don't get me wrong, this is still a good comic, but so many changes are happening over at Milestone right now, the company is obviously in a state of flux. Can they survive the current trends in the comic book industry? Static loses a few close friends this issue, one dies and one leaves the book. Virgil is learning the hard way that his chosen life as hero isn't all that it's cracked up to be. NEXT ISSUE: Gil Kane takes a shot at drawing Static! SUPERBOY #22 FIRE & ICE by Kesel/Grummett/Davis $1.95 (color) Superboy comes home from the 31st century to discover Knockout has moved into his pad and decided to be his new partner. This issue they take on Killer Frost, Neron offers Knockout her wildest dreams come true, and Roxy gets a Legion flight ring. Kesel and Grummett continue to deliver good solid super-hero fun. UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED #1 UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED! Wa id/Porter/Green $2.95 (color) The evil of Neron begins here! I couldn't believe how this one got started, with an immediate death toll. Not just faceless victims either, but actual name villains! Neron needed help to be unleashed into the world, and he recruits The Rogue's Gallery to assist him... little did they know what it would lead to in the end! This was a great beginning for this story. I am especially pleased with the levels of manipulation that Neron uses to insure key events, such as a prison break-out. I also liked the use of the Trickster as a villain's point of view. What was a bit strange was the coloring. DC must be awfully proud of the "fifth" color that they are sporting in this mini, because that florescent green is used as much as they possibly could thru-out the entire book. It was a cool look and all, just overly used. UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED #2 THE DEVIL TO PAY by Waid/Porter/Green $2.95 (color) Blue Devil gets manipulated into doing something he'll regret for the rest of his life. Green Lantern gets his butt kicked. Trickster learns that he's in over his head, and the world's heroes unite against Neron. Plus, all the florescent green coloring you could possibly stand! Really, this has been a pretty good mini-series thus far, the color green aside of course. UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED: ABYSS: HELL'S SENTINEL #1 by Scott Peterson/Phil Jimenez/J.H. Williams $2.95 (color) This is a one-shot chapter in UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED and focuses on the original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, now known as The Sentinel. After his wife foolishly sells her soul to Neron for a chance to be young again like her husband, Alan gathers up some of the supernatural heroes of the DC universe in an attempt to break down the walls of hell itself for a chance to save her. The cast includes Fate, Deadman, The Phantom Stranger, Zatanna, The Spectre, and The Demon. If you're currently enjoying the UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED storyline, you may want to pick this one up. It delves further into the power of Neron, and has, what was for me at least, a shocking ending. I thought it would be concluded in this issue, but it isn't resolved until the third part of the main mini-series. MARVEL COMICS: AVENGERS #392 THE CROSSING: THE PAST IS ALWAYS WITH US Harras & Kavanagh/Wyman/Palmer $1.50 (color) The Avengers begin the lock down of Avenger's Mansion, and an Avenger from the past returns- but not as a friend. More clues are given about Tony Stark as well. The Avengers have been one of my favorite books since the seventies, but in the nineties I've pretty much ignored it because it had lost something along the way. I had hoped that THE CROSSING would bring the magic back, after seeing the opening chapter with the beautiful art by Mike Deodato Jr. Unfortunately, things don't look very good at the moment. The current direction of Tony Stark and Iron Man has me greatly disturbed, and I'm not sure I can stick around to see how this one resolves itself. CABLE #26 THE LONG WAY HOME by Loeb/Haynes & Green/Lowe & LaRosa $1.95 (color) Cable and Domino return from the future and find themselves in Genosha. The story is mildly interesting, but the art is horrible. Pass. CONAN VS. RUNE #1 THE DARK GOD by Barry Windsor-Smith $2.95 (color) Barry Windsor-Smith returns to Conan to pit him against his own Ultraverse creation, Rune. I was very excited about this project, I looked forward to seeing BWS do his thing with Conan again. I must admit it was a disappointing return in this fan's eyes. BWS' style has changed too much over the years, so the homecoming was not what I expected it to be. The cover was really nice, but the interior work seemed was less impressive. Storywise, Rune is the perfect type of monster for Conan. How could a mere mortal stand against something as powerful and totally evil as Rune? What man could survive? Why, Conan of course. I don't read Conan tales that much anymore, haven't since I was a kid, but this story was a nice return to the fold. Overall, I enjoyed the tale, but was let down by the artwork which I expected to be top notch. The story was good but not spectacular. With a cover price of $2.95 I could only recommend it to Conan die-hards, not the casual fans. EXCALIBUR #92 I WANT YOU by Ellis/Jones $1.95 (color) Colossus comes calling on Kitty Pryde only to catch her in a romantic moment with the new Peter in her life. This doesn't sit to well with him, and he freaks out on Wisdom, almost killing him in the process. I'm disappointed with the direction that Colossus is being taken in. I had hoped this homecoming of sorts would be the resurrection of the character, but Ellis has sent him further into the depths with this issue. Personally, I am not pleased. GENERATION X #10 DEATH WAIL by Scott Lobdell/Tom Grummett $1.95 (color) The Gen X kids must come to the rescue as Banshee is in mortal danger after being bushwhacked at school. As he lies near death, they must find a way to reunite his astral from with his physical self. We get a trip into the psyche of Sean Cassidy as The White Queen must enter his body to anchor him on the physical plane as the team searches for who is responsible. We also learn that Sean may have ties to Magneto that go back further than anyone could have guessed! Normally I like Tom Grummett's artwork just fine, but somehow it just doesn't suit this book. It's not distracting or anything, but it's definitely lost some of it's flavor with the loss of Chris Bachalo. It's been ten issues, one alternate reality, and the original introduction in the pages of the X-Men since we've first seen this team, so I think it's time to assess the characters and where they fit into the mutant hierarchy. I like Paige Guthrie. She's a girl who had her wish come true- to have powers so that she could follow in her brother's footsteps. It's nice to see a character who _enjoys_ having her abilities, and lacks the angst that drives most mutants these days. Skin. I can't think of one characteristic of this guy that appeals to me. I don't like his power, his physical appearance, his personality, nothing. If they pulled a Thunderbird and killed him off quick, I wouldn't lose any sleep. Mondo shows alot of potential, not only as the powerhouse of the team, but because he's so different that the average mutant. As long as they keep him laid back and wearing hawaiian shirts in lieu of a costume, I'll be happy. Jubilee- I think she worked best as Wolverine's temporary sidekick, then as junior X-Man. She's lost all her spunk now that she's with the training squad. Synch- Just what the heck can he do with this so called mutagenic aura? Can we say redundant, boys and girls? I knew you could! Chamber- I think it would be really cool if this guy actually burned himself out really quick. Next time he uses his powers too heavily, really rip that chest of his open! I just don't see a power like his being held in check. Thunderbird his butt. Monet St Croix. Easily the most interesting character of the bunch, with all her hidden secrets and personalities that have been alluded to thus far. Overall assessment: While the similarities between the original New Mutants and this team were enough to keep me reading this far, I think it's time for this book to stand on it's own. I don't think the current cast of characters are interesting enough, I think it's time to clean house. If Chris Bachalo were to return, that would be a different story, his artwork makes a difference in the feel of the book, but at this point this book is in the "take it or leave it" category. _Marvel Comics CD-Roms_: I picked up two of the Marvel Comics CD-Roms this week, and thought I'd post my thoughts on them. I picked up the X-MEN CD and the FANTASTIC FOUR CD. The X-MEN interactive CD-Rom Comic Book is actually GIANT-SIZE X-MEN #1, the milestone issue where the New X-Men first form. First appearances of Storm, Nightcrawler and Colossus make this a very expensive back issue, so having it available at only $12.95 is very worthwhile indeed. The comic book pages are beautifully colored on the CD, I pulled out my original copy to make sure the CD was complete and did a page by page comparison, and the CD looks a million times better. The original is twenty years old now, and has faded very noticeably. The gorgeous coloring job makes this CD worth it immediately. But it doesn't stop there. The CD also has bonus comics included. If a panel mentions something that isn't covered in the comic you are reading, you have the option of pressing an icon in the corner of the panel that will take you to another comic in abridged form. For example, when Wolverine is introduced in the comic, and Xavier mentions that he's heard about his run-in with the Hulk, you press the icon in the panel and are taken to HULK #181 featuring the first full appearance of Wolverine as he goes up against ol' greenskin. Or, when Banshee mentions it will be nice to be on the side of good for a change, you can go to another comic that first introduced Banshee. The book also has a narration feature by the voice-actor that plays Wolverine in the cartoon series. He gives you a quick page by page synopsis before you go ahead and read the panels. Some panels even have a side effect thrown in to add to the effect of the book. Another cool feature is that some panels will have a television icon in them that when pressed, takes you to a clip from the animated cartoon series that mirrors what is happening in the panel. For instance, when Nightcrawler is running from the crazed mob, or when Peter Rasputin saves his sister from the run away tractor, these are scenes that have been animated in the cartoon, and you can watch them on your PC if you choose by pressing a button. The CD also has biographies on all the characters that appear in the comic, as well as a trivia game. Answer twenty questions in a row to get to a special clip from the cartoon series. The FANTASTIC FOUR CD-Rom isn't as key an issue as the X-Men. It's issue 243 of their series, which was during the John Byrne run, and has a run-in with Galactus. Great art by John Byrne, and a really good story. This issue also has the video clips from their cartoon series, but personally I HATE the cartoon, so this isn't a plus. This comic also includes mini-comics of past issues, including work from Jack Kirby. I've had some trouble getting the X-Men videos to play properly ever since I've installed the Fantastic Four CD on my computer, but that may be a system problem of my own. My assessment of these CD-Rom comics is that they are both good values, although the better value in my book is the X-Men version because it's a key issue that's too expensive to pick up in it's original form, and it has better video clips in my opinion. The Fantastic Four CD is great as well, simply for the vibrant coloring on the John Byrne and Jack Kirby art. Based on these two CDs, I'll definitely try and complete the series by picking up the IRON MAN and SPIDER-MAN CD-Roms. I hope Marvel brings us more projects in this fashion as well! NIGHT MAN #1 THE NIGHT'S A-SHINE WITH STARS by Englehart/Wildman/Baskerville $1.50 (color) I didn't like the old, Ultra Night Man. I don't like the new, mystic-Ultra Night Man either. Nothing more to say on that subject! SPIDER-MAN & BATMAN DISORDERED MINDS by DeMatteis/Bagley/Hanna & Farmer $5.95 (color) This crossover has nothing to do with the upcoming fight to the finish DC versus Marvel. Instead, this tale is like a What If? or Elseworlds tale that presumes that these heroes have always existed in the same world. Peter Parker and Bruce Wayne are both haunted men. Both lost people they loved to acts of crime and violence, and both have dedicated their lives to fighting injustice ever since. Another thing they have in common are homicidal arch-foes, Spidey has Carnage and Batman has the infamous Joker. When a radical new form of lobotomy is introduced as a solution for both The Joker and Carnage, it means a trip to Gotham City for Spidey. Of course things don't work out as planned, and it's a tag-team match-up, Carnage/Joker versus Spidey/Batman. I wasn't overly impressed with this book. It had an unnecessary cover enhancement, and the story content just wasn't that impressive. If you're looking to see the heroes of DC and Marvel together, keep your $5.95 and wait for DC VERSUS MARVELS instead. The Hulk #436 GHOSTS OF THE FUTURE (part one of five) David/Medina/Riggs $1.95 (color) I haven't read the Hulk in some time. It's been years since I did more than pick the title up for three or four issues at a time. I know Peter David is supposed to be the greatest thing to happen to the book since Kirby, but I must have kept catching him at weak moments in the story arcs or something, because I just wasn't knocked out by him the was some people seem to be. Anyway, I had the good fortune of having a copy available to look over, so i figured I'd see what's happening with ol' greenskin. Yipes! I couldn't have picked a better time to jump right in! This is a really exciting beginning to a story arc, let me tell ya! It's a page turner, that's for sure. It opens with Betty being caught offguard by the U.S. army, led by Major Matt Talbot, her ex-husbands nephew and leads all the way to The Hulk's inevitable confrontation with the latest Hulk-Busters. (For all of you Hulk supporters in the upcoming clash between Superman and The Hulk, take note!) We also see The Leader's hand in subtle manipulations from behind the scenes. If you haven't checked out the Hulk in a while, this is the perfect issue to jump back in on! I'm told it also ties into FUTURE IMPERFECT, which seems to excite true-blue Hulk fans, but I haven't read it yet myself. THOR #493 WORLDENGINE (part three of four) Ellis/Deodato Jr/Babcock $1.50 (color) I picked a fine time to check out a series, on the third part of a four part story arc, but I've heard good things about the title on the net so I figured I'd check it out. This isn't the Thor I remember, but it's exciting and fresh again, something I don't think we've seen in a while. First, Mike Deodato's artwork is enough to get me to buy the book almost immediately. His style has enough flash and pinazz to impress the Image crowd, but he also has a healthy dose of the old school in his style to keep the old fogeys like me happy. And, I don't think I've seen his work looking much better than it does right here. Secondly, Marvel's new workhorse Warren Ellis is weaving in elements from Norse mythology as well as Marvel's own history with the character into something that is at once interesting and fun to read. I like the new look for Thor, it's about time he got some new duds. I know they've tried to change his look before, but always for the worse in my opinion. This time Thor steps up with the times with a visage a God of Thunder can be proud. And for once, I like the character revisions that are taking place. The new persona for the Enchantress is much more befitting a goddess of her stature, but never does Ellis attempt to ignore what has happened with the character in the past, even mentioning the Masters Of Evil, as The Enchantress wonders aloud about how foolish they had been in the past to even have such a name pass their lips. I can't comment to much on the actual storyline, as I said it's the third part of a four parter, but although I'm coming in late, I didn't feel confused or left out at any point. I'll definitely start searching for the recent back issues though. I have no trouble recommending this book, after just one issue. It's got a good storyline going on, excellent art, and it's a great value at a buck fifty. ULTRAFORCE #1 WAVE OF MUTILATION by Ellis/Butler/Jensen & Branch $1.50 (color) The team gets a new headquarters from the government, complete with a support staff of one named Cromwell. And this guy is no Jarvis, let me tell you. Black Knight and Company's first mission is to stop a Ultra-Bomber who is busy blowing up buildings in NYC. This all-new number one is okay, but nothing to write home about. Because it's a buck fifty, I'll stick with it a while. [Editor's Note: Malibu was unhappy with how this book ended up, so they will be reprinting it, _corrected_, and attaching it to All New Exiles #1 in the flip-book format, bringing the comic to a 64-page count. The flipbook will be $1.50] UNCANNY X-MEN #327 IF SINS BE FORGIVEN or WHISPERS ON THE WIND by Lobdell/Cruz/Townsend & Milgrom $1.95 (color) Yaaaay! An issue of Uncanny without Madiuera! Roger Cruz does a wonderful job filling in... I wish they'd give him the job permanently. This issue focuses on an amnesiac Magneto who finds himself living with a nun in an orphanage, until events make them both realize that he cannot remain. Good art, good story. And it's Magneto! What more could you want? UNCANNY X-MEN `95 GROWING PAINS by Kavanagh/Hitch/McLeod $3.95 (color) Forty-four story pages and ten pages of "X-Men Timelines" take the bite out of the high price. The story surrounds Paige and Sam Guthrie, as they return to their hometown to help out another Guthrie sibling who has taken up with an anti-mutant group. Along for the ride are Wolverine, Storm and Bishop. Joelle Guthrie is infatuated with someone who goes by the name of Preacher, who can apparently remember what the world was like during the Age Of Apocalypse. This has lead the two of them to a group called Humanity's Last Stand, which is lead by "Teacher Trask." Trask? Hmmm... One of the cool things about this issue are the X-Men timelines that show a brief description on the lives of some X-characters. This issue has Archangel, Beast, Storm, Rogue, and Mystique. Great for new readers who want more information on these characters, or for the older readers who have a hard time keeping up. WOLVERINE #96 CAMPFIRE TALES by Hama/Kubert & Lima/Rosas $1.95 (color) Caliban, Cannonball, Storm and Wolverine go camping to get a little r&r. Ororo and Logan try to tell Caliban and Sam about the true spirit of the X-men around a campfire. Also, the final fate of Cyber! We're inching closer and closer to issue one hundred... Decent issue, felt like a filler piece to me, other than the developments with Cyber which are obviously leading up to issue one hundred. X-FACTOR #117 PRELATE RISING or ADVERSARIES...OLD AND NEW by Mackie/Epting & Raffaele/Milgrom $1.95 (color) Havok is lead into a trap by the Dark Beast and Random, Forge's greatest adversary returns, and Naze and Roma start a road trip to X-Factor. The artwork is split up between two artists, but it doesn't distract from the story, and both artists do good jobs. Mackie is doing a great job on this book thanks to an interesting cast of characters. I only wish we'd find out about the old team members like Strong Guy and The Multiple Man. X-FORCE #49 TARGET: X-FORCE by Loeb/Dodson $1.95 (color) Sebastion Shaw has teamed up with Holocaust, so look out Mutants! This is one deadly combination, and they are sure to shake things up in the mutant-verse. Also, after the events in Uncanny X-Men #328, Boomer decides to return to her hometown and visit her father. She doesn't get much time to catch up on old times, as Shaw and Holocaust come to finish their collection of mutants. Although I don't like the direction of some of the characters, this is a good, fun read. I look forward to the next issue to see how our band of mutants get out of the trouble they are in. X-MAN #10 XAVIER DEFEATED or CONFRONTATION by Ostrander/Skroce $1.95 (color) Blaquesmith seeks out Professor Xavier after discovering Nate's existence, and the two are promptly off to assess the situation. In Nate's current state of mind he's in no mood for introductions, and a fight ensues between two of the most powerful telepaths on the planet. I'm glad that Xavier is finally aware of Nate. It should make the future very interesting for all the X-books as knowledge of AoA becomes apparent. Good issue. Next issue: Rogue! X-MEN #47 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE ITALY! by Lobdell/Kubert/Smith & Delperdang $1.95 (color) This issue is the conclusion of the X-Babies story, and sees a quick cameo by Alison Blaire, The Dazzler. Her appearance alone makes this one worthwhile to me. The X-Babies are always fun, they make a nice break from the usual mutant angst. IMAGE COMICS: ASTRO CITY #3 A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE Busiek/Anderson $2.25 (color) I enjoyed this issue the most of the three issues thus far. It's told from a criminal's point of view, who discovers the secret identity of one of Astro City's defenders. At no point do we ever get another perspective of the hero, so at points of the story the reader can become actually frightened at one may happen when the hero catches up to the villain! This issue was well crafted, although I found the ending to be a little weak. It was the most logical conclusion, given the way the story flowed, but it was a bit on the boring side. In any event, I look forward to seeing more on The Jack In The Box character, to see what he's really all about, after seeing him thru the eyes of a criminal. THE MAXX #19 LAST...FAIRY TALE by Sam Kieth/Bill Messner-Loebs/Jim Sinclair $1.95 (color) This is one of the most bizarre books on the stands. For those of you who ignore MTV, The Maxx is about a woman named Julie and her protector, The Maxx. What the Maxx is exactly hasn't been determined just yet, Sam Kieth is in the process of mapping that out for us, he could be a dream animal crossed over from Julie's subconscious, a giant rabbit, or a plumber named Dave. Or, perhaps a little from all of the choices. In this issue, a very pregnant Julie is on the verge of finding out the whole truth about her relationship with The Maxx from Mr. Gone, the villain of the book who has been reduced to nothing more than a decapitated head living in the walls of Julie's apartment. Answers to questions that stretch back to the very first issue are finally being answered. This is a very exciting book due to both original story content and stylized artwork by Sam Kieth. If you've ever seen the cartoon on MTV and enjoyed it, then you'll also enjoy the comic book, because the cartoon is derived almost exactly from the comic book, the artwork and pacing are practically exact. Television: THE ANTI-GRAVITY ROOM While watching The Sci-Fi Channel on cable this week, I discovered a television show that is what I'd picture CBN being if we were on the tube instead of on computers. It's called the ANTI-GRAVITY ROOM, and it's a great show about comic books and related media. The hosts of the show are Nick, Shashi, and Phil. Nick is obviously the real comic fanatic of the three, and he is almost exactly what I picture Ryan Brewster [Editorial Comment: What, he looks like Prime too? -Ry] looking like. Shashi is like the roving reporter, and she doesn't seem to be as into comic books and fantasy as much as she's into being on television. Phil is the last host, and he is the computer/fantasy guy on the show, and he does reviews of computer games and other fun stuff. I've caught two episodes so far, and they have both been very informative and fun. Nick had a special feature on horror comics in one episode going from the earliest days of horror thru the Comics Code, all the way to Vertigo. He even had Vampirella herself as a guest. On another episode he reviewed some comics and even had an interview with Stan Lee and Shannon Dougherty from the movie MALLRATS. Phil has reviewed games like CLUB DEAD! and PHANTASMAGORIA, and goes into things that real gamers want to know about the games. This show is really well done, and I'm confident that anyone who is reading this right now would like the program. It's on the SCI-FI CHANNEL (go to http://www.scifi.com for dates and times). Or E-Mail the show itself at ANTIGRAVITY@YTV.CA Bill Hughes!! E-Mail Address: BHughes@riskguard.com ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Keady's Comic Comments Action #717 The Trial of Superman continues as the Cyborg attempts to capture the Man of Steel to bring him back to the Tribunal. Overall this story arc has held up better than most of the recent Superman stories recently. The side stories really add something to the whole picture and the characters are well written and you actually care what happens next! Guy Gardner #38 Mostly a filler issue as Guy finally comes home and for the first time in months, powers down into normal Guy with some interesting side effects. Meanwhile some of the supporting characters try to rid the basement of some of the beasties introduced in the Underworld crossover a couple months ago. Not a bad issue but not something absolutley fantastic either! Robin #24 Part two of his dealing with the new Killer Moth made this one a high mark in all the Underworld crossovers. Seeing how Robin dealt with the fear and horror of being coccooned in a bell tower was riviting! Underworld Unleashed #3 All in all a good miniseries though the ending left me a little flat. I enjoy the fact that we have a bunch of bad guys whith amplified powers which should make for some interesting times ahead for the heroes. Also those heroes who made deals with Neron are going to have to deal with their actions sometime down the road.... Spec. Scarlet Spider #2 Yes folks, I've gone and ended my Marvel boycott. While I am still pissed off at Marvel for doing what they did, it seems that the industry hasn't been hurt as much as I thought it might when they went exclusive with Heroes World. As for the Spider books? I am not that impressed with it so far. I was already tired of stories revolving around cyberspace and having two months of it here was no joy to read. I am hoping for better things when the costume changed back to Spiderman next week! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] New Comics 11/13/95, by Bobb Waller Am I the only one who has a bet that Sandman #75 will not ship till June next year? Man, I think this "monthly" book only publishes 7 books a year! Oh well, Onto the list...: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Acclaim Comics: Magic the Gathering: Homelands Magic the Gathering: Wayfarer #4 Timewalker #0 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Archie Comics: Archies & Friends #17 Betty & Veronica #96 Betty & Veronica Digest #79 Cheryl Blossom Special #3 Flintstones #6 Dark Horse Comics: Dark Horse Insider #48 Dark Horse Presents #103 Ghost #8 Gunsmith Cats #7 Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi - Sith War #? DC Comics: Animaniacs #9 Batman #526 Black Lightning #12 Extreme Justice #12 Flash #109 Goddess #8 Green Candles #3 Joker: Devils Advocate HC GN Legion of Super-Heroes #76 Lobo/Judge Dredd: Psycho Bikers... Sandman #73 Sandman Mystery Theatre #34 Shade, The Changing Man #67 Spectre #37 Star Trek #79 Star Trek:TNG #78 Star Trek:TNG Annual #6 Superboy #23 Superman: TMOS #52 Superman/Toyman #1 Tank Girl: Apocalypse #3 Vertigo Voices: The Eaters #1 Vigilante: City Lights, Prarie Justice #3 Wonder Woman #105 Xombi #20 Drawn & Quarterly Press: Optic Nerve #2 Harris Comics: Rook #4 High-Top Comics: Brinke of Destruction #1 I Box Publishing: Thieves & Kings #8 Image Comics: Bloodstrike Assassin #0 Bone #1 - Image Printing Cybernary #1 Glory #6 Groo #12 Kurt Busieks Astro City #4 New Shadowhawk #4 Ripclaw #1 Spawn #37 Supreme #0 Vogue #1 Wildstar #2 Kitchen Sink Press: Maximum Volume Little Idylls Comics: Swan #4 Marvel/Malibu Comics: Ghost Rider 2099 #21 Lunatik #2 Thor #494 War Machine #22 Ghost Rider #69 Ghost Rider Poster #209 Amazing Spider-Man #407 Spider-Man: The Final Adventure #2 Spider-Man Greatest Villians TP Spider-Man Poster #209 Untold Tales of Spider-Man #5 Generation X #11 Professor X & The X-Men #3 Wolverine Poster #207 X-Factor #118 X-Men: Adventures of Cyclops & Phoenix TP Barbie #61 Terminator: Cybernetic Dawn #1 The Night Man #2 Siren #2 Rune vs. Venom Patchwork Press: Oz Squad #8 Redline Comics: Tainted Blood #1 Sirius Entertainment: Animal Mystic Poster #1 Tekno Comics: Primoprtals: Orgins #1 Mike Danger #& Topps Comics: Lady Rawhide #3 Viz Communications: Bio-Booster Armor Guyver Part Four #? Fist of the North Star Part Two #1 Nausicaa of the Valley Part Two #?? =========================================================================== Well America lost a man who IMHO would have made one heck of a President. Guess all that's left is to read comics... See Ya on the Spinners! bbwaller@iadfw.net is Bobb Waller Sysop of FIAWOL-BBS Dedicated to both Fandom and empowering the disABLED ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Splash Page! CBN-APA : The APA for online artists and writers! CENTRAL MAILER: Ed Dukeshire WHAT IS AN APA? --------------- It's a amateur publishing group where each member creates their own section, makes copies, and sends them to the central mailer. The central mailer pieces it all together into a magazine to send out to all the other members. APA stands for Amateur Press Alliance. The CBN-APA has no specific theme, anything comics related can be submitted. The only requirement is that the contributor can be reached online via echo networks (such as Fidonet or ComicBook Net) and/or internet e-mail. Some folks are sending in pinups, pencil sketches, fully inked work, fan-fiction, while others are doing completed comics. Some of the members are under 18, so we need to keep it clean, no profanity, nudity, or offensive material please. HOW IS THE POSTAGE PAID FOR? ---------------------------- When you join, each member sends $5.00 to get their account started. As each issue gets released, the postage cost to mail you the completed APA is deducted from your account (guessing around $2.00 per mailing). Please make sure there is enough money in your account to receive the mailings, otherwise your copy will sit here waiting for your money to come in. HOW OFTEN DOES IT COME OUT? --------------------------- This APA is released on a bi-monthly schedule. Current deadlines: Issue #2: November 31st, but please send it in sooner! If everyone does, the APA will be shipped ahead of schedule. ;) Issue #3: January 31st Issue #4: March 31st HOW THICK DO THE SECTIONS HAVE TO BE? ------------------------------------- The MINAC (short for MINimum ACtivity) is a 4 page section (that's 2 sheets of paper xeroxed on both sides). Paper size is 8 1/2 x 11, this will be the size of the APA. If you want to produce more pages, please do so, the more pages the merrier! Several members find themselves submitting up to 10 pages. SOUNDS GREAT! HOW DO I JOIN? ---------------------------- Send $5.00 and 15 stapled and collated copies of your 'zine to the Central Mailer, along with your name, address and phone number. Please name your section, think up a wild crazy name if you want. By naming it, it'll give other members a quick way of recogizing who does what. It's always a good idea to have your name and address on your section somewhere (cover, first page, last page, whatever). Note: Please xerox on both sides of the paper. It'll help keep the postage down. Only staple your each section once in the upper left hand corner. Note: If you're interested in obtaining a copy of issue #1, then please submit at least a 10 page section. Otherwise, just make it a 4 page submission to receive the issue it appears in. FIRST SUBMISSION REQUIREMENT ---------------------------- Please write up something telling everyone about yourself, what your interests are, etc. (Toss this on any page in your zine, first page, last page, whatever). It'll help every member get familiar with each other. This doesn't need to be a book, just a couple paragraphs is fine. If you require more info, feel free to write me at e.dukeshire@genie.com or leave a message on the ComicBook Net in the "Writers and Artists" conference. Or -- I can be reached via Fidonet Netmail at 1:324/134.0 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] Join in the fun! You too can enjoy the intelligent conversations and informative threads that occupy the conferences of the Comic Book Net every day! However, many people who read this e-mag aren't familiar with the Local BBS echo-mail system.... Bulletin Board Systems are scattered everywhere across the USofA, and many of them are free! Chances are, if you have a modem you have the accompanying communications software. Using the Terminal Emulation software that came with your modem, you can dial up one of the many systems linked into CBN (see the listings down a few paragraphs). Most of the boards offer all the message echoes in the Comic Book Network... there are message bases devoted to all the bigger comics publishers, as well as big Small Press and Independent message bases, not to mention sections for general (doesn't even have to be about comics!) conversation. If you are worried about long distance charges, worry no longer! Most if not all the BBS's offer a mail service from which you can download a .QWK packet of recent e-mail to read offline with a program called an offline mail reader. You can read & write messages at your leisure, and then upload your own messages & replies the next time you call your local BBS. There are many .QWK packet readers out there, for every type of computer system. They all give you a better explaination in their documentation than I can. These programs are available all over the Internet and are downloadable from most BBS's. These "mail runs" (dialing up, downloading the mail packet and uploading replies) generally take less than 5 minutes to accomplish, and at the average after-5pm/weekends/holidays long distance phone rates, that is LESS THAN 75›! See? Even less expensive than many of the commercial information services available! :) So what else can you find on free BBS systems? Theres plenty of files for specific types of computers. Some systems also offer other types of message networks ranging from general topics to specific themes like sci-fi, role playing, games, music, etc. And, let's not forget online games. Join into the many different multiplayer games, each system sports different challenges. There's nothing like becoming the most powerful being in a online adventure! And when you _do_ log on, leave a message in The Bullpen conference to ALL, and introduce yourself to us! You're guaranteed to get plenty of replies and all the help you need to join in the fun! Best, --Ry, the editor, with assists from Ed Dukesshire. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] BBSes Linked into CBN +----------------------------+ | The ComicBook Network !! | A message network devoted to Comic +----------------------------+ Fans, Collectors, and Professionals! ---- ---------- ------------- - Over 20 message echoes for your reading enjoyment! - Marvel Comics - DC Comics - Image Comics - Independents - Dark Horse Comics - Small Press - Comic Issues - Fanfic - E-Mag - Writers/Artists - Toys and Collectables - Cards - Back Issue Bin - Video Games - Bullpen - Fanboy - Animation - TV/Movies - Role Playing - Gold/Silver Age - SciFi - News, info, reviews, and general conversation with other comic book fans and professionals. - Log onto the systems, check it out and participate. We'd love to have you aboard! - Here's a quick rundown of free access BBSes already linked in! Most offer a QWK/Bluewave door to pack mail and read offline. * = New systems linked in. City St BBS Number City St BBS Number ------------- -- ------------ ------------- -- ------------ Russelville AR 501-968-3910 Hector AR 501-284-5503 Lakeside CA 619-561-2961 Victorville CA 619-955-6445 Destin FL 904-654-9385 Ft. Walton FL 904-244-7434 Jacksonville FL 904-363-6347 Melbourne FL 407-253-0782 Melbourne FL 407-253-8754 * Tampa FL 813-977-6712 Tavares FL 904-343-7272 Palatine IL 708-776-2395 Indianapolis IN 317-856-9020 La Porte IN 219-325-3655 * Lexington KY 606-273-6611 Acushnet MA 508-995-0085 Agawam MA 413-789-6533 Haverhill MA 508-372-2258 * Haverhill MA 508-521-6941 New Bedford MA 508-984-1212 New Bedford MA 508-984-5321 * North Andover MA 508-686-8010 Rochester MA 508-763-5579 Shrewsbury MA 508-753-3767 S. Dartmouth MA 508-979-8930 Worcester MA 508-791-1281 Bishopville MD 410-352-5754 Frederick MD 301-831-8057 Frederick MD 301-698-5194 Gaithersburg MD 301-601-9731 * Kettering MD 301-390-5243 Mount Rainier MD 301-779-9381 Walkersville MD 301-898-4088 * Silver Spring MD 301-431-0647 Dearborn Hgts MI 313-565-8464 Durham NC 919-286-4542 Durham NC 919-286-7738 Raliegh NC 919-833-3412 Raliegh NC 919-790-3599 * Atkinson NH 603-362-4125 * Exeter NH 603-778-4662 * Hampstead NH 603-329-5643 * Kingston NH 603-642-5949 * Newton NH 603-382-0567 * Raymond NH 603-895-2393 * Rye Beach NH 603-964-4760 * South Hampton NH 603-394-7534 * Fair Lawn NJ 201-796-7202 Hillsdale NJ 201-722-1495 * Little Ferry NJ 201-440-5499 Park Ridge NJ 201-307-9225 Saddle Brook NJ 201-368-1866 Astoria NY 718-204-0159 Poughkeepsie NY 914-485-5463 * Rochester NY 716-647-6960 Saugerties NY 914-247-9601 Spring Valley NY 914-426-3029 West Islip NY 516-422-4225 Collinsville OK 918-371-0980 Oklahoma City OK 405-672-0615 Eddystone PA 610-872-2830 * Philadelphia PA 215-365-5225 * Philadelphia PA 215-342-5384 * Philadelphia PA 215-487-7315 Union City TN 901-885-9647 Dallas TX 214-680-2755 Grand Prairie TX 214-641-1136 Houston TX 713-568-0825 Irving TX 214-790-6472 Killeen TX 817-699-2254 Missouri City TX 713-835-0965 Odessa TX 915-530-2712 Waxahachie TX 214-938-7115 Arlington VA 703-415-0134 Longview WA 206-577-7358 Gananoque ONT 613-382-1788 * London ONT 519-850-9929 * London ONT 519-457-6771 * St. Mary ONT 519-284-0223 Tecumseh ONT 519-979-4251 Mexico City MEX 52-5-264-2994 - If you have access to internet mail, you can receive a complete listing of bbs systems linked in. Address your message to ComicBkNet@AOL.COM - Weekly "Comic Book Electronic Magazine" available on all above systems. Also available on AOL - GOTO: SCIENCE FICTION and select Science Fiction Libraries from the main menu. The files are in: ANIME, COMICS, OTHER. If you don't have an account on AOL, check the CompuServe and GEnie libraries, they're uploaded there as well. - Sysops: FREQ the latest information packet using the Magic Filename COMICS from these Fidonet systems; 1:19/37 in AR, 1:324/134 in MA, 1:109/748 in MD, 1:2201/66 in MI ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] E-Mag Info The Comic Book Net E-Mag is published weekly by the many participants of The Comic Book Network. This is a compilation of articles and columns which were originally posted in the network's conferences or written specifically for this electronic magazine. All text contained within are copyrighted to the originating author(s). Freely distributable for noncommerical purposes only. THE CBN WEB PAGE ---------------- If you have access to the World Wide Web, please stop by and visit our web page! On our web page, you can find the latest issue of our E-Mag, as well as an annotated index of back issues. You'll also find important information on how to join the conversation in the Comic Book Net, an archive of Comic Book Net fanfic, and other neat features! The URL address is: http://www.cris.com/~Xenozoid/ComicBkNet.html LOCATING THE ISSUES ------------------- The latest issue is always available from all the systems linked into The Comic Book Network. Issues may be obtained through several online pay services as well (ie; AOL, CompuServe, GEnie). All back issues should be available at the above sites, as well as our World Wide Web page. SUBMISSIONS ----------- To submit an article, review, column, etc to our e-mag, simply post it in any Comic Book Net conference and leave me a message in the CBN: E-Mag conference giving me permission to use the article. If you cannot access the Comic Book Net, submit your news articles (no reviews accepted at this time...) to the editor: Xenozoid@cris.com. SUBSCRIPTIONS ------------- If you wish to receive these issues automatically through your internet account, please address a message to Xenozoid@cris.com to be placed on the subscription list. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - End of Issue #35.. see ya next week!