------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE - ISSUE NUMBER 51 ________________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Page------>> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet ------------------------------------------------------------------------- o \o/ _ o _| \ / |_ o_ \o/ o /|\ | /\ _\o \o | o/ O/_ /\ | /|\ / \ / \ |\ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ This publication is brought to you by the members of the premiere BBS network for the discussion of comics books and the people who create them, The ComicBook Network!!! Edited by: David LeBlanc [ComicBkNet@aol.com] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ComicBook Network was founded by Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to receive these issues automatically through your internet account, please address a message to ComicBkNet@aol.com to be placed on the subscription list. ________________________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net ............................ David LeBlanc [2] Letters to the Editor ................. Your Page! TRIVIA CONTEST......................... Guesses & Answers [3] CBN Insider ........................... News, gossip, & rumors. [4] Suspended Animation ................... Michael Vance [5] Rich's Short Revelations .............. Richard Johnston [6] Some Stuff............................. Nathan Bredfeldt [7] Recommended Reading ................... Joseph Torres [8] Out of Africa ......................... Marc Sparks [9] Top 200 Comics for March(less Marvel).. Matt High [A] How to join ComicBook Network.......... BBS 101 [B] BBSes Linked into CBN.................. CBN node list [C] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net by David LeBlanc Another issue, another editorial page. One of these days I may get around to actually editorializing in this space but nothing comes to mind right now. I am pleased about the response we have had to the Emag since I took over. Every week I get a few new requests for subscriptions and have only dropped a few names, mostly from accounts no longer valid at their service providers. We must be doing something right. I am not going to wait for Bobb's weekly list since this issue is ready to go once again on Friday night. He usually posts it on the net to arrive at this end no later than Friday morning, often earlier. Is a weekly shipping list that important to you folks? I like Bobb's because it is early and hits the most popular stuff. There is also the NCRL list which is available on Monday, (and those that want it can get it mailed right to them or grab it off the web) but I'd rather have my Emag out by the weekend, when folks have more free time to get to it. Hopefully Bobb will be back next week as usual but feedback on this item is appreciated. Another housekeeping thought, I do keep putting some refinements to the web page. It is the *first* place the Emag is available and has links to some areas worth your surfing time. Like a NEW link to a page that has graphic images of the entire first issue of HEROES from Milestone! Last week we ran our "favorite stores" list. Should this be in every issue for the benefit of new readers, or just periodic as we update it? And yet another - this is pretty new to me, editing other people's work. Often I am perplexed with how much I should do to a submitted column. I feel ok about correcting spelling, and I hope our contributing authors don't mind that, but I also have to be careful about *not* changing idioms and slang that are correct in their use. The letters page is tough in this regard, and it is the old question of letting a person's words stand as is, mistakes and all, or touching up a few words here and there just so it is more understandable. I am beginning to see the problems a real life letter page editor has. I *do* and will continue to edit the Trivia guesses to keep that section short. Or do I need to show that stuff at all? Should I just give the answer and the winner? So many questions. Lots o' stuff in this one with 5 contributed columns, which must be a record! I also have Matt High's monthly list of the Top 200 comics as compiled from figures from the major distributors. I like it because it shows the relative ranking of lots of the upcoming Independents and has a good index for direct sales quantities. Using this you can also judge roughly how well the Marvel titles are selling from last week's top 50, for most of them anyway. Here is one thing I noticed, it appears that the Batman related titles, like Catwoman, and Robin, got about a 6000 piece boost from the Contagion tie in. Hmm . . . I need to take a break from all this. Guess I'll attack that pile of unread comics. David LeBlanc [ComicBkNet@aol.com] Editor The Comic Book Net E-Mag ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: letters of comment may be used in future issues of the CBN E-Mag unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. +++++ First a letter from the "Big Cheese" of CBN, Mike Imboden: Dave, I just wanted to say, here in a public forum, that you're doing an excellent job keeping the E-Mag alive - Bill and I were right to consider you for this a few months ago when the former editor looked to be going through a dry spell getting it out weekly, (which wasn't the case I guess - but that's neither here nor there). One minor thing that bugs me is seeing the same people getting multiple stabs at the trivia questions you're running. I have no idea what kind of response you're getting on those, but it would seem only fair to allow just one guess per person. Just a thought, like I said, response may be so low that you need a few shots per person to keep it going. I also have some stuff to donate for future prizes, so I'll bundle it up and send it your way. Love the gimmick covers you've had recently as well! My only question is; What the hell do I put 'em in so they don't get ruined? ;) M!ke Imboden cambot@ix.netcom.com {I am revising the Trivia rules to allow only one prize per month per person, and asking each person to send only one guess per message. There are a few who keep guessing, and I don't mind that at all. I usually can advise you within a day, sometimes the same day, if you are wrong. Shotgun multiple answers aren't advisable or sporting, let's keep it fun! As far as saving those gimmick issues, I'll have to think about it and get back to you. :) - D.L.} From: Oldtownpub@aol.com David Allikas David, thanks again for the terrific review of Dr. Wonder. It was very encouraging to us, and we can only hope that all the reviews we get are half as positive. I quoted it extensively in an ad I just placed in the Comics Buyer's Guide, April 12 issue, pages 22 and 23. And thanks for reminding people to ask their retailer for it! {You and our readers will also regularly see our ad in the monthly column in CBG listing of Comic Book Clubs. It will be fun to see your piece in just a couple of weeks!} Could I ask you a question concerning the Comic Book Network. I'd like to get a message about Dr. Wonder on all the BBS's listed. Is the best way to do this to dial up each one individually and leave a message to ALL? I mean, that's easy enough, but I'd hate to think I missed out on an easier way. {Since we are a *network* of BBSes it is easier than you think. Once you join one BBS you are connected to them all. The messages posted to one are shared with all the rest as daily packets move throughout the network. Just find one to call and post a message addressed to:ALL and you could get responses from anyone in the system from sea to sea, Canada and Mexico! BUT, it is not as fast as Email which is usually same day, or posting to a Newsgroup which can be next day. Net *lag* is at least a whole day and sometimes several. On the plus side, it is *much* cheaper than a pay service like AOL or an Internet Service Provider.} Also, thanks for offering to link our Web page to yours. We don't have one yet but I hope to real soon, and we'll certainly take you up on your offer. Best, David Allikas {Great to see the pros taking the time to personally respond to a review! We need more companies in touch with the readers! - D.L.} From: Keith O'Brien Thanks as always for sending the e-mag. Trivia answer is Lois Lane. {We'll see if that's right later - D.L.} Aside to Nathan: re 9 Princes in Amber: I haven't seen this yet, but I also am horrified at 48 pages allotted to tell this story and the outrageous $7.00 price tag. Unfortunately Mr. Zelazny is (or was) such a nice, mellow gentleman that he is not likely to come back from the grave to haunt the DC offices and demand retribution... .Thanks for responding to my column! =) I guess this information puts an .end to my "DC waited until Zelazny passed away to make this lame comic, .so that they wouldn't have to fear retribution" theory. But I'm still .upset at DC. At least I'll always have the original Amber books, and .the game... .Nate +++++ Congrats on reaching #50!!! :) Ok, I have to recommend a chain of comic stores located Down Under in Sydney (where I live). The Phantom Zone has stores in Chatswood, Parramatta, Liverpool, Gosford, Newcastle, and Canberra. They provide great service, the staff are friendly, oh... and I work for them :) If anyone lives in the great land Down Under, or you're visiting Sydney, drop on in and say "G'day" <> Thanks -=> Stuart :P Stuart Reid (Is this a warm fuzzy moment, or should I be perturbed?) E-Mail: Fantom@ProgSoc.Uts.Edu.Au "Less is less, more is more, more is better and twice as much is good too. Not enough is bad, and too much is never enough except when it's just about right..." The Tick (SPOON!) {Great quote Stuart, and in case you all start getting ideas, this plug was let in but our list of preferred shops was not an invitation for more suggested stores. We plan to limit recommendations to members of the Comic Book Net, so if you want to plug your retailer, join our network! - D.L.} +++++ [TRIVIA CONTEST] Some questions are predictable as to what the first few guesses will be. This one also brought some unexpected guesses! >From the first run of SHOWCASE, name the first character to get a >series of their own. Hi David, In response to your SHOWCASE trivia question, I believe there are TWO correct answers, depending on how you interpret your question. If the Showcase issue is the criterion, then the Silver Age Flash would be the answer; he first appeared in Showcase #4 (9-10/56) and his own title started in Feb '59 at issue # 105. HOWEVER, if the question has the character's subsequent title release in mind, then the Challengers would be the answer. They appeared after the Flash in Showcase, in issue # 6 (1-2/57) BUT their own title came out in April 1958, a good ten months prior to Flash. I really enjoy these trivia contests, and I would like to see them in the future as a possible mainstay in the 'net mag. Maybe I'll tickle my brain and see if I can come up with some tricky trivia questions. BTW, does the Showcase contest offer a prize too....? just curious..... all the best, Dan Wong @ (one of the world's best universities, Queen's University!) {Dan was our first winner, and yes there will be a trivia question every issue and a Cheezy Prize(tm) to the winner or to the question submitter if no one gets it right BUT If I can't verify the answer or I think it is too obscure then I won't use it. This is mostly for fun and it is no fun if it is a total stump. Regarding this question: It was worded in the correct way, the first character to get a series, not the first to appear in Showcase and *later* get a series. Dan was wrong with both guesses PLEASE only one guess at a time guys! - D.L.} --- Hawk, from the pre crisis Dc universe, then Teen Titans and then Hawk and dove, I think Hawk and dove appeared first, but Hawkman was the first to get his own series. As always, Martin Scherer --- Hmm... I think I might have been wrong. After doing a little looking around, I think that the answer may be Challengers of the Unknown. Let's see... Jose --- From: cslepage@computersmart.com (Charles S. LePage) > >From the first run of SHOWCASE, name the first character to get a >series of their own. That would be THE CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN. --- From: cscherer@mgl.ca (Carl Scherer) The answer is GREEN LANTERN who first appeared in the Sept-October issue number 22 which was published in 1959 and entitled "MENACE of the RUNAWAY MISSILE" The creative team was: COVER- Artist Gil Kane Interior Credits- Writer John Broome Penciller Gil Kane Inker Joe Giella. --- Hi Dave I was gonna say Flash II, but research shows me: Showcase #9 Lois Lane Aug 1957 Lois Lane #1 April 1958 VRoom M C SPARKS ----- Well Keith was right and so was Jim, Master of Comics, Murdoch but contributing columnist Marc Sparks hit it first. The Challengers series debuted a month after SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND LOIS LANE, and THE FLASH was a year later. ++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Who is the grandson of Flash's foe, Gorilla Grodd? IMPORTANT RULES NOTICE: The first correct answer to reach our *official* Email address at: ComicBkNet@aol.com will win the CHEEZY PRIZE (tm). Guesses sent by return mail to the magazine mailer at Netcom will be ignored. This is the only way to know which guess arrived first! Please be sporting and send only one guess at a time. LIMIT: ONE PRIZE PER MONTH PER PERSON! Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you stump the subscribers! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] CBN Insider - News, gossip and rumors from around the industry A hint from the Harris Horrornet - The 3 issue Vampirella: Death & Destruction will be followed by another 3 issue mini-series. The writer has been signed and if I read the hint right, it is none other than, Barry Windsor Smith! +++ This one may be common knowledge by the time it hits the mailbox; the not so big but very exclusive distributor has been holding meetings with larger customers across the country and the buzz is a plan to make the little guys buy from the bigger stores and chains by increasing the minimum order quantities. Another spin is that the ones in heavy debt may have to allot 75% of shelf space to this distributor. (Just rumors only at this point) All I know is *my* local guy was invited to such a meeting but it was called because of the weather, and they never said what it was about. +++ From this week's CSNsider in Comic Shop News #457 - lots of stuff we already told you about, plus . . . Flesh & Blood, originally released by Brainstorm Comics will now be self published under the BlindWolf Comics banner by the creators Franco Aureliana and Gary Brown starting with #2 . . . ratings for the Generation X tv movie were evidently good enough to warrant serious discussion about an ongoing series from FOX . . . Tri-Star Pictures has tentatively slated a PROPHET movie for release in the summer of 1997. . . Quesada & Palmiotti are likewise negotiating a film deal for ASH . . . AND Jeff Smith is exploring bringing BONE to the silver screen in an animated film. +++ If you read SINNAMON #5, from Catfish Comics, you met the Bruiser in the back-up story. He'll play an even bigger role in SINNAMON #6. After some negotiations with Mythic Comics, it seems that Catfish will also be carrying the following titles under their banner: The Bruiser#1 and Fangs of the Cobra #1. The Bruiser, originally published by Anthem was created by Angelo Furlan, who is also the writer for the series and as of the second issue, he'll be the editor and letterer as well. As for the Cobra, the book features the first ever comic work art of one M. Gerald Delaney, the spectacular artist on Sinnamon. Two books you might might want to check out. +++ Malibu Update (from Hero Illustrated) The scoop on what is happening after the Marvelcution from Mark Paniccia, editor. Ultraforce and Prime will remain on the schedule but without Gerard Jones or Len Strazewski who opted out. No new team is announced for Prime but Ian Edginton and Dan Abnett will be writing Ultraforce with art by Deodato Studios. Rune is also gone as a regular series but will be back as a series of miniseries beginning September after wrapping up the storyline in Ultraverse Unlimited #1. Exiles continues until August to conclude plots and all others are concluding next month. Malibu has also become the central point for all of the non-Star Trek projects from Paramount Comics. They are working on the Mission:Impossible comic sort-of prequel to the upcoming movie. It is a one-shot, by Marv Wolfman and Pino Rinaldi, with a cover and backup story by Rob Liefeld. The action film stars Tom Cruise. The sequel to Escape From New York, Escape from L.A. is also being planned to feature Kurt Russel's Snake Pliskin character. +++++ Nightwing series to begin this summer! Dick Grayson is finally going to have an ongoing comic book series. DC will launch a Nightwing ongoing series by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel later this year. The series will take place in a new DC city--not Gotham. The team intends to get Dick out from under Batman's shadow and develop on his own. {I can hear the cynics mentioning "until the first crossover" already} +++++ ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Suspended Animation by Michael Vance "It's a man's world,' is a dictum that Captain Rose will not accept, and a challenge that she cannot refuse." That's good, because she not only doesn't _live_ in man's world, she and her anthropomorphic friends live in the fantasy world of Warthaven. Captain Rose d'Orr is a talking female fox, and sponsor of a school for female warriors. Rose and her cast in VIXENS KEEP grew naturally out of The Society for Creative Anachronism and the primary sport of this fascinating organization, simulated Medieval sword and shield combat. She began as a comic strip for "SCA" newsletters poking "gentle fun at many...aspects of the SCA." VIXENS KEEP is an anthology of three stories originally published in 4 or 6 episodes, and a labor of love. For those who equate "a labor of love" with "she's got a nice personality," Rose, Alix, Lorelei and Maya have among the most well defined female personalities in comic books, an incredible feat since their creator is a man. Zounds! Furthermore, this is much more a story of relationships than of physical combat, and one not scarred by the usual soap opera cliches of "steamy, illicit sex", back-stabbing and petty jealousy. VIXENS KEEP is a well-crafted, entertaining comic book. It's a shame some hard-core comics fans will ignore it because it's funny animal kid stuff. Scoundrels! It's a greater shame that some will also pass it over because the art is, at first, amateurish. Less than half way through this collection, that same art becomes a bit very nice. Many fans of BONE, UNCLE SCROOGE and "funny" animals will shamelessly enjoy VIXENS KEEP. VIXENS KEEP/$5.95, 83 pgs., Mu Press/art: Mark Wallace; story: Mark Wallace & M.A. Morgan/available in comics shops and by mail. MINIVIEW: FRANKENSTEIN [Caliber Press]. The faithful interpretation of a powerful and disturbing novel yet to be faithfully adapted on film. Sadly, this is diminished by amateur art. (Mr. Vance is a professional writer having written for numerous magazines like CBG, Starlog and Comics Interview. His work has appeared in over 500 newspapers and he's had work published by Comico, Renegade, Innovation and Rip Off Press. SUSPENDED ANIMATION appears in 14 publications reaching 214,000 readers in the U.S., Ireland and Portugal.) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Rich's Revelations by Richard Johnston Rich's Short Revelations Believe what you want. Spider-man is going through more identity changes in an attempt to fix the clone mess. Apparently both Ben Reilly and Peter Parker are to be revealed as clones. The body of the real Spider-man is discovered, and identified as the original. With Peter Parker being a closer clone to the original than Ben Reilly, Peter Parker will take over the role as Spider-Man. The cancellation of Ghost Rider is temporary, restarting from issue 1 to coincide with the film. Garth Ennis is to replace Alan Moore as WildCATS writer. Thor will continue in the Marvel Universe, but its the other Thor! From William Messner-Loebs. Creative team for the X-Men/Star Trek one shot- Claremont and Hughes dream team? Told you it was short. Richard Johnston Copywriter back in work! Creator and Publisher of Dirtbag and X-Flies as Twist and Shout Comics. Reviewer and Networks contributor for Comics International, and reviewer for Indy. Dirtbag 6 is available now in Previews and Advance Comics 0 (1144) 1865 775236 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Some Stuff By Nate Bredfeldt THE BAD GIRL COMIC THAT WENT TOO FAR! Bad Girls: love em or hate em, you all know about them. They're the wildly proportioned stars of well selling comic books. They can easily be identified by their skimpy "clothes," unrealistically cheezy plots, and endless pinup and/or swimsuit specials. When did this craze begin? I couldn't say. It was during that big glut, back when speculators were fueling the industry, and comics sold four times as much as they do now, and there were about a thousand comics to choose from every month. Remember that? I was madly sorting through 900+ solicitations a month (all labeled `the next big, hot, cool thing!'), trying to determine how many I could cram into my minimum wage budget, to notice them sneaking into the picture. When the rush ended, we all stopped to catch our breaths, and noticed them: Bad Girls (from all around us, every company, it seemed) sticking their barely covered, inhumanly oversized chests in the face of fandom. When did the bad girl craze get out of control? That I can tell you. Surprisingly enough, it was fairly recently. It happened when a little comic book company (for this example, let's call them London Nights Studios) solicited a little comic (let's call it...London Night's Lingerie Special) Anyone who has the April edition of Previews (volume VI #2) can follow along on page 191. As you can see, there are two editions of this comic. For $3, you can get the nice version: with a centerfold of "the next hot bad girl" dressed in something quite skimpy. For a whopping $10, you can have the Naughty version: same, but the centerfold has said bimbo in noting but her butt bare nekkid body. Now, while I am curious about the specifics of the picture (you know: the camera angle, her positioning, the presence of any rabbits, etc.), I'm also really upset at some folks! Isn't this kind of stuff that the Adult Previews supplement was made for? This is being touted as an adults only book, but it could really give some of them younger fanboys the wrong idea about nekkid girls. And while I do feel sorry for this young woman, who had such a poor upbringing that she feels the need to take her clothes off just to give a few fanboys the thrill of their young lives (or worse, just for money); I blame her just as much for poisoning our nice little industry with smut! Now, just so I won't seem like an evil conservative, I'd like to recommend. When it comes out, just buy the nice version of London Night's Lingerie Special. Then, take the $7 difference, and buy a Penthouse. Or, give it to me, and I'll buy it for you. Then enjoy many nekkid girls, plus fiction, interviews, and whatever else, and pocket the change! I hate this bad girl trend... (PS: on the other hand, did everyone see page 208 of this month's Previews (for May `96, vol6 #3)? I have to admit, seeing an already attractive woman pregnant just makes her that much more attractive. (I hope she's not really pregnant!)) Next week: Another thing that really pisses me off! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] R E C O M M E N D E D R E A D I N G N O. 1 by Joseph Torres Small Press Reviews By J.Torres CAFFEINE #1 (Slave Labor Graphics) 24pg, $2.95. By Jim Hill. 979 S.Bascom Ave., San Jose, CA, 95128. #1-800-866-8929. One can might say there's a bit of an Evan Dorkin influence here, Kyle Baker as well, maybe even Ken Stacey. Think of an hybrid of these three legends and you'll have an idea of how cartoony cool Jim Hill's art is, and the kind of zany slice-of-life storytelling he offers. In this debut issue we are introduced to a cast of motley but intriguingly quirky characters: There's Dorion, a kind of cross between Marc Hempel's Tug & Buster (mostly for the hair) and Chandler Bing (complete with bowling shirt, sarcasm and ridiculous but amusing observations about the world around him); There's also Alice Armour, Grrl with a funky name and fashion sense who should be played by Janeane Garofalo if a Caffeine: The Movie is ever made. And that's not all, there are many other interesting players in this comic, all of whom we meet in short, very funny vignettes, and all of whom seem destined to eventually cross paths and get into more fun and kooky kinds of trouble than they may already be in (e.g. one's in jail, another has a killer after them). The comic book gets its title from the main story, the meat of the issue, involving this crazy cast but Hill throws in some bonus laughs with a handful of one page strips about his numerous gripes. "Disgruntled Youth Theater presents" is how one hilarious strip opens, taking a jab at big hair, country music and spandex among other modern day anomalies. Only one gag in the whole book falls a tad short of its potential and that's the one entitled "Disco Mail Man", but here's hoping that he hasn't danced his last dance. Here's also hoping that Caffeine finds an audience and has a long and successful run, for it truly deserves that. Highly recommended for fans of Dork!, Instant Piano, Why I Hate Saturn... AKIKO ON THE PLANET SMOO (Sirius) 40pg, $3.95. By Mark Crilley. P.O. Box 128, Stanhope, NJ, 07874. The story of Akiko and her amazing adventure on the planet Smoo is told with the fantasy and whimsy and ease of the best children's fairy tales. The kind that might involve Living Castles, Bat Creatures and bare-back rides on Long Horned Fubas. And the kind involving a l'il protagonist who simply shrugs off this type of weird, wild, wonderful stuff as just another day in Oz or Wonderland or Neverland. You've met Akiko's kind before, she's a fourth grader not entirely unlike Lewis Carroll's Alice, Frank Baum's Dorothy or Robert Munsch's Paperbag Princess. Why, as King Froptoppit put it, she's "the bravest and most clever girl in the universe". Akiko's adventure on this day begins when the spacemen Bip and Bop promptly show up at 8pm outside her bedroom window (as they wrote they would). What they failed to tell Akiko in advance is that they'd drop by in a flying saucer to transport Akiko across the galaxy to receive an audience with the King of Smoo. You see, the King has a mission for her: Find his son, the missing Prince of Smoo. And so she embarks on a fantastic quest alongside a rag-tag team of cute and crazy characters and gets through it all with their help and... her toothbrush! Mark Crilley provides fun reading material here for the whole family; an all too rare all-ages comic book treat with terrific art and inventive storytelling. Read it together with your kids, nephews, nieces and grandchildren, the ones you baby-sit or the ones you have in your classroom. Highly recommend for children of all ages and fans of Bone, Tales from the Bog, The Replacement God, Thieves & Kings, Disney comics... ------------------------------------------------------------------ [+] j.torres [*] watch for "the copybook tales" [!] jtorres@cam.org [=] from slave labor graphics [x] montreal, quebec [$] may solicitation/july release ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Out Of Africa By Marc Sparks ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I had the privilege to attend my sister's graduation from Teachers training college that other day, where we were addressed by Dr V Zulu (Honest) Minister for Education in Kwa-Zulu Natal (a Province, read "State" of South Africa). In his address Dr Zulu made mention of unions, and of teachers striking, and of the fearful consequences it can have (and has had), on the youth, where teachers have not fulfilled their responsibilities. That got me to thinking..... Power, Responsibility, & Consequence: The reality of ownership. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ A long time ago the great Stan Lee put those immortal words in the mouth of a young Peter Parker, "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility!" A writer, any writer (read artist here too), has a great responsibility to the characters he is chronicling, and an even greater responsibility to the audience of those characters. This weight grows even bigger when the writer is not dealing with his own creations, but with characters that may very well be older than the writer. It is important to remember, that while on paper the publisher owns the character, the success or failure of creation rests in the hands of the readers. You and I, and all the thousands of comic book readers world wide own a very real stake in our favourite characters. Over the years we have paid thousands of Dollars, Rands, pounds, Lira etc for our stake in Superman, or Spider-man, the Sub-Mariner, or the Flash, That entitles us to something doesn't it? In a recent interview Pierce Brosnan reflected on the awesome responsibility of playing OO7, some comic book writers, artists, editors have expressed similar sentiments, yet for the most part these people have made successes of their projects. Creators who shove their egos in first seem to HAVE to write epics, HAVE to rewrite long standing characters originals to include their own shoddy creations. So what does our share in these characters buy us? Good Editors, strong editorial commitment to quality, to retaining the dignity of our favourite characters. Strong editors will attract strong writers, and artists, but more importantly they will get writers and artists who love the classic characters, more importantly creators who won't (lets MarvelBash for the moment) Starkboy, Wasp - Yuck, Spider Clone, simply because they LOVE and RESPECT the characters. If that doesn't work? Well it's just about impossible to legally compel a publisher to "Honour and Respect" characters, but I'm sure a smart assed lawyer could figure an angle whereby `Orphan' characters, characters whose creators are dead, or Classic Silver age characters could be confiscated from a company which unrepentingly abuses it. Just a thought. NEXT ISSUE BOX: A Stitch In Time E-Mail as always Figment@connx.Vironix.co.za Marc Sparks lives in Durban, and has really got the shits because he can't get copies of Impulse in the Province of KwaZulu Natal. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] TOP 200 COMICS FOR MARCH 1996 by Matt High (excluding Marvel Comics) This is a listing of the top 200 comic books (by number sold) for March 1996, as reported by Diamond Distributors and Capital City Distributors. Please note that these sales figures are not confirmed figures; rather, they are ESTIMATES based on information obtained from the two major distributors. For a more detailed report on how these sales figures were determined, see the notes at the end of the list. Sales = Total copies sold (1 index point = approx. 1000 copies) Dia# = Sales rank through Diamond Distributors CCD# = Sales rank through Capital City Distributors D/CC ratio = Diamond sales divided by Capital City sales Rank Title Supplier Sales Dia# CCD# D/CC ratio 1 DC vs Marvel #4 DC 283.5 1 2 Legends of Dark Claw #1 DC 205.7 2 3 JLX #1 DC 170.0 3 4 Amazon #1 DC 168.0 4 5 Spawn #47 Image 167.3 5 6 Spawn #46 Image 167.2 6 7 Super Soldier #1 DC 164.4 7 8 Gen 13 #9 Image 159.6 8 9 Assassins #1 DC 151.9 9 10 Doctor Strangefate #1 DC 139.2 10 11 Gen 13 Ordinary Hero #2 Image 128.1 11 12 Spawn Wildcats #3 Image 124.7 12 13 Lady Death Odyssey #1 Chaos 97.8 13 14 Grifter Shi #1 Image 95.1 14 15 Angela Glory Rage Angels Image 85.7 15 16 X-Files #16 Topps 85.4 23 2 3.30 17 Death Time of Life #2 DC 81.4 16 18 Batman #530 Coll. Ed. DC 76.8 17 19 Wildcats #28 Image 71.6 18 20 Adventures Superman #534 DC 68.0 19 21 Fire From Heaven #1 Image 67.8 20 22 Action Comics #721 DC 67.6 21 23 Superman Man Steel #56 DC 66.5 22 24 Witchblade #5 Image 65.4 24 25 Star Wars Heir Empire #5 Dark Horse 64.7 25 26 Tomoe #3 Crusade 61.4 26 27 Batman Shadow Bat #50 DC 61.2 27 28 Batman Legends Dark #82 DC 58.4 28 29 Cyberforce #21 Image 54.1 29 30 Robin #29 DC 53.8 30 31 Sin City Yellow Bast #2 Dark Horse 52.7 31 32 Sigma #1 Image 52.2 32 33 Star Wars X-Wing Rog #2 Dark Horse 51.5 33 34 Sword of Damocles #1 Image 51.3 34 35 Catwoman #33 DC 50.6 35 36 Azrael #17 DC 50.1 36 37 Wonder Woman #109 DC 50.0 37 38 Weapon Zero #2 Image 49.2 38 39 Star Wars Tales Mos #2 Dark Horse 48.3 39 40 Deathblow #26 Image 48.1 40 41 Flash #113 DC 45.9 41 42 Crow Dead Time #3 Kitchen Sink 43.6 1 43 Superboy #27 DC 43.1 42 44 Team 7 III Dead Reck #3 Image 41.9 43 45 Backlash #18 Image 40.9 44 46 Glory #10 Image 40.5 45 47 Ripclaw #5 Image 37.9 46 48 Vengeance Vampirella #24 Harris 37.1 64 7 3.59 49 Deathblow #25 Image 37.0 47 50 Savage Dragon #27 Image 36.9 48 51 Stormwatch #34 Image 36.2 49 52 Impulse #13 DC 36.0 50 53 Youngblood #6 Image 35.6 51 54 Aquaman #20 DC 35.4 52 55 Defcon 4 #2 Image 34.2 53 56 21 #3 Image 34.0 54 57 Maximage #4 Image 33.1 55 58 X-Files Special Ed #3 Topps 32.7 75 6 3.02 59 22 Brides Married #1 Event 32.4 79 5 2.82 60 Books of Magic #24 DC 31.1 56 61 Body Count #1 Image 31.0 57 62 Vampirella Drakulon #2 Harris 30.9 78 10 3.46 63 Tarzan vs Predator #3 Dark Horse 29.9 58 64 Lady Death Odyssey Sneak Chaos 29.9 59 65 Team Youngblood #21 Image 29.6 60 66 Ghost #12 Dark Horse 29.6 61 67 Vamps Hollywood Vein #4 DC 29.5 62 68 Cybernary #5 Image 29.3 63 69 Black Ops #3 Image 28.8 65 70 Batman and Robin Adv #6 DC 28.5 66 71 Lobo #27 DC 28.0 67 72 Betty Page Comics #1 Dark Horse 27.6 68 73 Lady Pendragon #2 Maximum Pr 27.2 69 74 Cyberpunx #2 Image 26.8 70 75 Hellblazer #101 DC 26.3 71 76 Simpsons Comics #18 Bongo 25.9 100 9 2.64 77 Barb Wire Movie Special Dark Horse 25.7 72 78 Dart #2 Image 25.5 73 79 Legion Superheroes #80 DC 25.1 74 80 Devlin #1 Maximum Pr 24.5 76 81 Legionnaires #36 DC 24.4 77 82 GI Joe #3 Dark Horse 23.8 80 83 Kid Supreme #1 Image 23.8 81 84 Ballistic Imagery #2 Image 23.7 82 85 Spectre #41 DC 23.5 83 86 Lethal #2 Image 23.4 84 87 Lady Rawhide #5 Topps 23.3 107 17 3.37 88 Bloodpool #2 Image 23.2 85 89 Black and White #2 Image 22.7 86 90 Dragon #1 Image 22.4 87 91 Sandman Mystery Thea #38 DC 22.4 88 92 Steel #26 DC 22.3 89 93 Asylum #3 Maximum Pr 22.3 90 94 Concrete Think Mount #1 Dark Horse 22.3 91 95 Green Arrow #108 DC 21.4 92 96 Supreme #37 Image 20.9 93 97 Christian #1 Maximum Pr 20.4 94 98 New Man #3 Image 19.4 95 99 Invisibles #20 DC 19.4 96 100 New Force #3 Image 19.0 97 101 Grendel Tales Devil #4 Dark Horse 19.0 98 102 Mister Miracle #2 DC 18.9 99 103 Vertigo Verite System #1 DC 18.7 101 104 Maggie the Cat #3 Image 18.7 102 105 Thunder Agents #2 Maximum Pr 18.6 103 106 Justice League Task #34 DC 18.6 104 107 Space Above Beyond #3 Topps 18.4 125 23 3.07 108 Extreme Justice #16 DC 18.3 105 109 New Shadowhawk #7 Image 18.0 106 110 Troubleman #1 Image 17.8 108 111 Bone #5 Image 17.4 109 112 Guy Gardner Warrior #42 DC 17.4 110 113 Star Wars Dark Emp TP Dark Horse 17.4 111 114 Verotika #9 Verotik 17.3 135 14 2.13 115 Razor Torture #2 London Night 17.1 112 116 Poizon Lost Child #1 London Night 16.5 113 117 Swamp Thing #166 DC 16.1 114 118 Warrior Nun Portraits Antarctic Pr 16.0 143 21 2.42 119 G.O.T.H. #3 Verotik 15.9 144 24 2.53 120 Strikeback #3 Image 15.9 115 121 Jazz Solo #1 High Impact 15.8 139 25 2.58 122 Dominion Conflict #1 Dark Horse 15.7 116 123 Ray #23 DC 15.7 117 124 Double Impact #7 High Impact 15.7 138 29 2.84 125 Godzilla #10 Dark Horse 15.5 118 126 Primortals #15 Big Entertain 15.4 133 34 3.36 127 Batman #530 regular DC 15.4 119 128 X-O Manowar #66 Acclaim 15.2 120 129 Poison Elves #11 Sirius 15.1 121 130 Ramthar #1 Caliber 14.8 148 28 2.61 131 Fatale #3 Broadway 14.5 122 132 Lady Justice #11 Big Entertain 14.4 146 40 3.38 133 Man Against Time #2 Image 14.3 123 134 Blood and Shadows #3 DC 14.2 124 135 Mike Danger #11 Big Entertain 13.8 149 39 3.15 136 Heroes #1 DC 13.8 126 137 Wheel of Worlds #1 Big Entertain 13.5 152 38 3.05 138 Razor Uncut #20 London Night 13.5 127 139 Firebrand #4 DC 13.3 128 140 Mr Hero #17 Big Entertain 13.2 155 41 3.15 141 Oh My Goddess Valen #4 Dark Horse 13.1 129 142 Cerebus #204 Aardvark-Van 13.1 165 20 1.79 143 Indiana Jones Sargas #4 Dark Horse 12.9 130 144 Crush #4 Image 12.4 131 145 Xander Lost Universe #8 Big Entertain 12.0 158 47 3.28 146 Elfquest Hidden Yr #29 Warp 12.0 167 31 2.00 147 Sliders #2 Acclaim 11.9 132 148 Turok #46 Acclaim 11.8 134 149 Mask #13 Dark Horse 11.8 136 150 Serina #1 Antarctic Pr 11.8 164 36 2.48 151 Killer Instinct #2 Acclaim 11.6 137 152 Elfquest Shards #16 Warp 11.6 169 32 1.99 153 Shadow State #4 Broadway 11.4 140 154 X #24 Dark Horse 11.4 141 155 Youre Under Arrest #4 Dark Horse 11.4 142 156 Deathstroke #59 DC 11.1 145 157 Sunglasses After Dark #3 Verotik 11.0 168 42 2.54 158 Animaniacs #13 DC 10.8 147 159 Dark Horse Presents #107 Dark Horse 10.4 150 160 Fate #18 DC 10.3 151 161 Ranma 1/2 V #4 Viz 10.3 3 162 Elfquest Kahvi #6 Warp 10.2 173 35 1.99 163 Legend Mother Sarah #3 Dark Horse 10.2 153 164 Uncle Scrooge #298 Gladstone 10.2 172 37 2.03 165 Casual Heroes #3 Image 10.1 154 166 High Voltage #0 Blackout 9.9 166 66 4.60 167 Bloodshot #50 Acclaim 9.7 156 168 Mutant Chron Golgotha #3 Acclaim 9.4 157 169 Space Usagi #3 Dark Horse 9.0 159 170 From Hell #9 Kitchen Sink 8.8 4 171 Punx Redux #1 Acclaim 8.8 160 172 Foot Soldiers #3 Dark Horse 8.6 161 173 Campaign of Terror #2 Dark Horse 8.6 162 174 Wildstorms Players #1 Image 8.5 163 175 Araknis #0 Mushroom 8.3 179 55 3.10 176 Donald Duck Advent #38 Gladstone 8.3 186 45 1.95 177 Vampire Miyu #6 Antarctic Pr 8.1 190 44 1.80 178 Battle Angel Alita VI #2 Viz 7.9 8 179 Vampire Bayne #1 Redline 7.6 184 62 3.02 180 Catfight Dream Action #1 Lightning 7.4 183 74 3.56 181 Too Much Coffee Man #5 Adhesive 7.3 204 46 1.60 182 Adventures of Mask #3 Dark Horse 7.3 170 183 Poizon #1 London Night 7.1 171 184 CFD Book of Ling Adult CFD 6.8 187 88 4.09 185 Snowman #2 Hall of Heroes 6.8 193 69 2.86 186 Pitt #5 (o/a) Full Bleed 6.7 194 60 2.51 187 Elementals #4 Comico 6.7 195 59 2.51 188 Static #35 DC 6.6 174 189 Street Fighter II #1 Viz 6.6 12 190 Walt Disneys Comics #603 Gladstone 6.5 208 50 1.69 191 Widow Metal Gypsies #3 Ground Zero 6.5 202 56 2.23 192 Cross #5 Dark Horse 6.5 175 193 Akiko #1 Sirius 6.5 176 194 Vamperotica #13 Brainstorm 6.5 199 61 2.42 195 Armed and Dangerous #4 Acclaim 6.4 177 196 Pitt #6 (o/a) Full Bleed 6.4 197 65 2.58 197 Tekno Comix Handbook #1 Big Entertain 6.4 196 73 2.83 198 Spawn #11 (o/a) Image 6.3 178 199 Nira X Cyberangel #0 Entity 6.2 200 75 2.85 200 Luxura Leather Spec #1 Brainstorm 6.2 201 72 2.63 *Note - Tyrant #5 was only listed on the Diamond sales charts (although Spiderbaby Graphix is not an exclusive publisher). Likewise, Love and Rockets #50 was listed on the Capital City sales chart but not on Diamonds, and should be listed in the top 200 above. NOTES ON HOW THIS CHART WAS CREATED: Each month, Diamond Distributors publishes a trade publication called "Diamond Dialogue", which lists the top 300 comics sold by piece count. Also, Capital City Distributors publishes a trade publication called "Internal Correspondence" which lists the top 200 comics sold by dollar value. In March, Antarctic Press had ten items listed on the Diamond chart, and six items listed on the Capital City chart. Since we know how well Antarctic Press books sold, it is simply a matter of simple math to determine what one "index point" equals on both charts. For example, in the March Diamond Dialogue, Vampire Miyu #6 is listed as having an "Order Index" of 6.8; we sold 5,248 copies through Diamond that month, so the one index point = 768 comics sold (approx.). (This figure also holds true for the other Antarctic Press books listed on the charts for that month). Similarly, on the Capital City charts Vampire Miyu #6 is listed as .3764% of Capital City's total sales for that month (by dollar value). So, one percent of Capital City's sales equals approximately $30,277 retail (approx.). This figure also hold true for the other Antarctic Press books listed on the Capital City charts. Using these two figures (Diamond index = 768 copies sold, Capital City index equals $30,277), it is easy to reorganize and combine the two charts. Please note in the month of March that the following publishers are exclusive through Diamond: DC, Image, Dark Horse, Acclaim, Maximum, Wizard, Gemstone (Russ Cochran and Overstreet), Broadway, London Night Studios, Chaos, Crusade. For Capital City, Kitchen Sink, Viz, and Coppervale are exclusive. Also, Marvel Comics is exclusive through Heroes World Distribution, and the sales figures for Marvel comics are not readily known, so they have been omitted from this chart. "Exclusive" means that comics from these publishers are available to the comics retailers ONLY through the distributor, and from no other source. It must be stressed that these sales figures only represent pre-orders, and do not represent actual sell-through sales at comic stores. This chart also does not include order increases, reorders, or cancellations. However, order increases and reorders are generally only a very small fraction of total sales. Also, this chart only represents sales through Diamond and Capital City Distributors, which combined make up approximately 95% of the direct market. It does not represent sales through smaller distributors, such as Hobbies Hawaii, Big Picture, and Hobby Games, nor does it represent direct-to-retail sales, direct-to-customer sales, or newsstand distribution sales. If you have any questions or comments about this chart, please contact Matthew High at antarc@texas.net. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] How to join the COMIC BOOK NETWORK You too can enjoy the intelligent conversations and informative threads that occur in 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 continent and the world, 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... 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This is a compilation of articles and columns which were originally posted in the network's conferences or written specifically for this electronic magazine. Some articles are independent of any connection with CBN and are used with permission. All text contained within is copyrighted to the originating author(s). Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Editor, the Network Administration Team or the members and users of The Comic Book Network. Except where elsewhere noted, The Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine is Copyright 1996 by the Comic Book Network. You may freely distribute or duplicate this file intact without alteration for noncommercial purposes only. Please do not distribute except as the complete file as originally transmitted by The Comic Book Network. THE CBN WEB PAGE ---------------- If you have access to the World Wide Web, please stop by and visit our web page! 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