------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE - ISSUE NUMBER 72 Edited by: David LeBlanc [ComicBkNet@aol.com] ________________________________________________________________________ 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!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The ComicBook Network was founded by Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to receive each issue automatically through your Email 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] REVIEW: X-O MANOWAR #1 (ashcan)........ David LeBlanc [5] Suspended Animation ................... Michael Vance [6] Marvel Quarterly Report ............... PRNewswire [7] Top 50/top 10 B&W Comics JUL/AUG ...... Comic Shop News [8] Rich's Revelations .................... Rich Johnston [9] New Comics Shipping 8/21/96 ........... Bobb Waller [A] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights [B] How to join ComicBook Network.......... BBS 101 [C] Bulletin Boards Linked into CBN........ CBN node list ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net by David LeBlanc I neglected to mention something last issue. It was my 25th issue editing this rag. Now that in itself is not all that amazing, but in the comic world you are supposed to make a big to-do about anything divisible by 25! It will have to wait for our issue #75. I've been thinking about alternate covers for that one. So anyway,this is ON THE NET #26. Did you ever try to do something like this, week after week and try not to be repetitive? It is tough. I've gone through personal events, industry rants, and lots of other stuff. most of the time I have no idea what it will be until i start typing it. This week I thought I would make some observations about the Comic Buyer's Guide. I get it in the mail, usually on Monday which I suspect is because my letter carrier is reading it over the weekend! This one has a slick cover with CONCRETE holding a 10th Anniversary cake for a Decade of Dark Horse. I still remember being told to try DHP #1 by the local dealer and I am forever grateful to him for all the great stuff I have since bought from Dark Horse. Let's see, a blurb on Teen Titans; some news about insider trading at Panini that led two execs to settle with the SEC and pay over $250,000 in fines after getting caught trading in Sky Box stock after being tipped that Marvel would buy it. A retailer association called PACER elected new officers and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund awarded Dave Sim and Paul Mavrides its first two Defender of Liberty Awards in San Diego. Also, finally, a list of the contenders for the 1996 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award. You may recall I mentioned my dealer, Paul Howley of THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT in Worcester, MA was among the finalists and this is the proof in black and white. They list past winners and the *criteria* used to to judge the award. Ahem! They left one out - must be doing business in California. Only one U.S. store out of six that have ever gotten the award is not in California - Moondog's. HELLO!? I am not saying my guy should be the one, I am saying 5 out of 6 is just plain blatant bias. Oh, So? starts off with letters from Paul Levitz of DC and Lou Bank of Dark Horse about the Diamond buy out of Capital. Next is Edward Lukatch of Hobby Game Distributors. Lots of talk about that whole deal. And a feature article interview with the principles of both companies. As usual, Mark Evanier's POV column is witty and insightful. I think the photo they had been running might have gotten to somebody because it is gone now. Ok by me, I prefer the Sergio sketch of Mark anyway. Oops! Tony's picture is gone too. Must have been a trial run to see if it got any comments. His is one of those unfinished business columns of bits and pieces - also good reading. He promises Tips Reborn next time. Heh, heh! The main Dark Horse feature is cool, with lots of old covers surrounding the text. Something about Mark Hamill's comic, Black Pearl. Next an interview with Richard Hogarth about his dad Burne and another with Roz Kirby. A full page and 2/5 about Barry Smith and his new STORYTELLER series due out Oct 2. According to FORBES, the wealthiest comic guru is Ron Perelman worth about 3.74 Billion which makes him 26th overall in the US ahead of Ross Perot, Joan Kroc, and Rupert Murdoch. The second richest person involved in comics is Masahiro Ohga of the Hitotsubashi Group publishing empire worth $2.1 Billion. But I Digress relates the Diamond/Capital thing to fish in a bowl that eat each other when the quarters get cramped. A very filled issue it was. And so is this one friends. Enjoy! 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, complete with the sender's Email address, may be used in future issues of the CBN E-Mag unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Email address will be withheld upon request. From: gerbil@aztec.asu.edu (KEITH OBRIEN) Subject: Re: CBEM #71 Back when I was paying attention, Valiant was licensing the old Gold Key characters. I dunno if that ever changed, but I don't think so. The Keith gerbil@aztec.asu.edu [ I had alluded to the fact last time that GOLDEN BOOKS INC, formerly Western Publishing, had just bought Broadway Video the parent of BROADWAY COMICS. If you read the copyright notices, to this day, on comics or ads for Turok, Magnus and Solar they are joint copyrights of Acclaim and Western Publishing and Trademarks of Western alone. Thus it appears that WESTERN, and now GOLDEN BOOKS hold the trademarks and license the characters to Acclaim. It is not unthinkable, depending on how long those license last, for them not to be renewed with Acclaim. However, the circumstance would have to be such that it was a better business decision to seek another licensee since Golden appears to be more interested in the multi-media aspects of the deal and BROADWAY VIDEO's film library.] +++++ Subject: name that column From: waltstone@juno.com (Walt Stone) Hi, David! This is my second copy of the emailed CBEM, and I have to admit that it arrived on my computer without it being folded, spindled or peed on by the local Rover... My only comment is to suggest a name for the new column by Mr. Imboden. "Nothing but Net" would be the best sounding column. It probably is already in use by someone else, somewhere, but I figure that Mike won't care, and I'll never tell. If I was writing a column, I might name it, "Something Pickle This Way Comes," but since I am not doing a column, you have my permission to use that instead. Okay. Take care! Walt Stone [Thanks for writing in Walt, and please keep us informed about any developments with the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS!] +++++ [TRIVIA CONTEST] Last week's question: > "Face it, tiger. . .you just hit the jackpot!" was the famous line > from Mary Jane Watson when she first met Peter Parker in Amazing > Spider-Man #42. The question is: WHERE were they when she said it? Once again, we had just two answers. The question was clear, but many people jumped to the wrong conclusion. The previous question was not a *trick* question, as one reader inferred, and yet many people guessed characters from The Wizard of OZ as being part of a DC/Marvel crossover. This week, I assume, people relied on memory and what should have been the logical answer. Heh, heh! From: RHODE@email.afip.osd.mil This is undoubtedly way too late (due to taking the inlaws around DC), but I think that MJ said that to Peter while standing in the doorway of Aunt May's house. Mike Rhode [sorry Mike, but you weren't the only one to pick the wrong house] +++ From: whegdish they were at aunt mays house, and mj was standing at the front door. and btw, i know what a crossover is. i thought it was a trick question. wade baker +++++ From: nexus1 When Mary Jane Watson first met Peter Parker, she was standing in the doorway of May Parker's house (he was inside). +++++ From: ThorIsCool Hey! I don't know it but let me that comic up in my collection.... Okay, they were at Anna Watson's house. Actually, Peter was in the house and MJ was in the doorway. I know that's right, because I'm looking at it right now! [Good for you, you looked it up!] +++++ From: Marlous de Neef They were at 309 Austin Avenue, Forest Hills, New York, which was the house of Aunt May. +++++ From: gerbil@aztec.asu.edu (KEITH OBRIEN) Where were Mary Jane & Peter? Why, on the inside pages of The Amazing Spider-Man comic book of course! She was outside the door of his Aunt MAy's house and he was on the inside. The Keith gerbil@aztec.asu.edu +++++ From: garpete@metro.net (Gary Peterson) In the front doorway of her aunt Mrs. Watson's house. Amazingly, Peter wasn't dressed in the usual blue suit. +++++ From: larryt@tcac.com (Jeff Brown) Aunt May's House +++++ From: dharris@bluemarble.net (Dennis Harris) This is a loooooongshot. I'm thinking they met when Peter answered the door at Aunt May's house. Been a while since I read that issue. Sure hope I'm right this time - I MUST win the cheeziest of cheezy prizes! +++++ And once again the winner hit it early and first! Date: 96-08-09 23:51:35 EDT From: rjp1224@hci.net (Jay Perry) To: ComicBkNet@aol.com Peter met MJ at Anna Watson's house. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Prior to Zero Hour, we learned that Lightning Lad had been harboring a deep secret for a long time. What was his secret? IMPORTANT RULES NOTICE: The first correct answer to reach the editor wins the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm). The editor will be the sole judge as to 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! You MUST submit the correct answer with the question. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] CBN Insider - News, gossip and rumors from around the industry This job is so depressing sometimes. We just got the word Monday that former editor and writer Mark Gruenwald died from a massive heart attack over the weekend. Further details from SMASH Magazine: Mark Gruenwald died on August 12 at his home in Pawling, New York of a heart attack. He was 43-years old. A great lover and collector of comics from his childhood in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Mark joined Marvel in 1978, taking a position as an assistant editor. In Mark's 18 years of writing and editing Marvel Comics, his work included the longest single writing stint in the history of CAPTAIN AMERICA, and the massive cataloging of Marvel's imaginary universe in the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE. That effort, as well as Mark's pure love for the comic world, made him an invaluable repository of Marvel history. His other editing credits include THE AVENGERS, WEST COAST AVENGERS, IRON MAN and numerous others. He was named executive editor in April 1987 by then editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. Mark was also the catalyst behind the historic MARVEL VS. DC crossover earlier this year. At the time of his death, he held the post of senior executive editor. He is survived by his wife Catherine; his father, Myron; his mother, Norma Jean; a daughter Sara; and a sister, Gayle. +++++ BURBANK, Calif., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS soundtrack album, which was released by Miramax Records/Hollywood Records on July 30, has debuted on the Billboard 200 album chart at #12. This strong entry makes THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS the highest ranking soundtrack on the chart and marks the highest debut for a non-R&B soundtrack album this year. It is also the week's #1-selling album within the PolyGram Distribution system. The initial retail shipment of 500,000 copies is twice as many as for the original soundtrack for THE CROW, and THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS is already approaching 100,000 in reorders. The film THE CROW:CITY OF ANGELS stars Vincent Perez, Mia Kirshner, Richard Brooks and Iggy Pop and will be released on August 30. Miramax/Dimension Films presents an Edward Pressman production in association with Jeff Most Productions, THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS, directed by Tim Pope from a screenplay by David S. Goyer, based on the comic book series by James O'Barr. Edward Pressman and Jeff Most are the producers, with Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein and Alessandro Camon as executive producers of the film. +++++ Catfish Comics, publishers of SINNAMON, will be joining forces with Mythic Comics in a move designed to raise the profiles of both companies. Catfish publisher Angelo Furlan sees the alliance as a logical extension of the working relationship he shares with Mythic Comics. "I think it was only a matter of time," said Angelo. "After all, I've already established that characters in THE BRUISER live on the same world as those in SINNAMON. And soon, Mythic will be publishing a third book which is set in what I, with typical immodesty, call the Angelverse. GENSTAR has more of a science fiction feel, and it's set on an Earth which parallels the one SINNAMON and company live in. Only this one was invaded by aliens in 1991. And they haven't left yet." The lines between the companies were already blurred by shared booths at 1996 comic convention appearances, and the "Catfish Editions" of Mythic titles THE BRUISER and FANGS OF THE COBRA. While maintaining editorial control over their respective titles, the two companies will work closer together on promotion and distribution. One of the more noticeable changes will be the moving of the Catfish line under the Mythic Comics banner in Diamond Previews starting with books shipping in March 1997. Gary Ainsworth, publisher of Mythic Comics, added that he "was very pleased to officially bring Catfish under the Mythic banner. I have always been a strong believer in Angelo's writing abilities and this move really solidifies our mutual commitment to producing top quality comics for our readers for many years to come. Mythic Comics is fast becoming known for its commitment to quality and innovation, and is attracting great interest from established comic professionals as well as being a launching pad for up and coming new talent in the field. Mythic is the company that cares about comics and comics fans and this is the guiding principal that is quietly building the company into one of the strongest independent publishers today." Expect more exciting announcements from Mythic Comics as we enter 1997. Mythic Comics currently publishes THE BRUISER, GRIMLOCK, FANGS OF THE COBRA, STUF, and LEITMOTIV, with other projects in various stages of production. Catfish Comics produces SINNAMON, the seventh issue of which will ship before the end of August. For more information, contact either Angelo Furlan at afurlan@pathcom.com or Gary Ainsworth at garyain@pathcom.com. Check out the Catfish Comics Web Page at: http//www.thenerve2.com/catfish +++++ Slave Labor Graphics is putting their catalogue on the WORLD WIDE WEB and you can check it out as it begins to unfold at: http://members.aol.com/danslave +++++ Big Boy Restaurants, International announced a fresh new look for its famous comic book, familiar to generations of Americans, beginning in October. Available in Big Boy Restaurants, the new comic will be created by a long time member of the team behind the Muppets, Craig Yoe. Yoe won an intense competition for the assignment. He has been a consultant to Nickelodeon, The Smithsonian Institute, MTV, and Time Warner Communications among others. He has a studio in Peekskill, NY. Big Boy Restaurants, Inc. headquartered in Warren, Michigan, is the exclusive worldwide franchisor of the more than 800 Big Boy Restaurants in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Thailand, and soon, South Korea, Brazil, and the Philippines. +++++ From SMASH: -- Jim Lee -- co-founder of Image Comics and founder of WildStorm Productions -- has announced that effective with product shipping in November, Homage Comics titles will be available only through Image Comics. When asked why WildStorm made this adjustment at this particular time, Lee replied, "Due to ongoing shifts in the marketplace, we determined that this move makes a tremendous amount of sense. There will be many strategic benefits for both our creators and fans alike. Plus, the retail community is now assured of a consistent flow of Homage Comics product at the incredibly competitive prices offered by Image Comics' discounting policies." Homage Comics' expansion will continue to proceed according to its previously announced business plan. Image Comics Executive Director Larry Marder adds, "Speaking on behalf of all of Image Comics', we are delighted to welcome Homage to our ever-expanding line-up. The combined clout of Homage Comics titles with the rest of our product mix offers the retail community tremendous opportunities to increase their stores' sales and profitability." +++++ NEW YORK, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- "Spider-Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" zooming across race tracks at speeds of up to 190 miles per hour? They will be this Sunday, August 18, as they help power the Racing for Kids car in the GM Goodwrench Dealer 400 at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The car features two emblazoned images -- Spider-Man doing some web swinging on the hood, while the Hulk is seemingly bursting through the trunk! So watch for car #14 being driven by Ron Hornaday, Jr. -- and try catching a glimpse of Marvel's Super Heroes! The event marks the premier appearance of Marvel Super Heroes on the Racing for Kids car, which is sponsored in part by Toy Biz, a Marvel Entertainment Group company. Under a new agreement with NASCAR, Toy Biz will be producing action feature mini vehicles, radio and remote controlled vehicles, ride-ons and motorized vehicles as well as action figures and Interactive CD-ROM products. The first products are expected to ship in winter 1997. Racing for Kids is a monthly magazine that promotes racing to children ages 4-16. The GM Goodwrench Dealer 400 is part of the 31 weekend NASCAR championship. Over 110,000 fans are expected at the race and a national television audience will watch it live on ESPN beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. +++++ From the Comic Cafe: Kull The Conqueror is coming to the big screen from Universal starring Kevin Sorbo (Hercules). Also in the movie are Tia Carrere as Kull's 3000 year old sorceress nemesis, Thomas Ian Griffith, and Karina Lombard. . . Jeph Loeb is leaving his job as writer of CABLE and X-Force as of issues 38 and 61 respectively. He will be writing CAPT. AMERICA for Liefeld and the 13 part BATMAN: The Long Halloween. . .The first annual for Batman and Robin Adventures arrives Sept 4th with a sequel to Mask of the Phantasm and the final artwork of Mike Parobeck who died earlier this month. . . the script idea for the Superman movie the Comic Cafe mentioned last week was never being considered but has been called fan fiction. The real screenwriter has been assigned the work but no proposal is currently under consideration. . . according to fans from the San Diego comic convention, Jeff Smith says that BONE wraps up the story Jeff Smith wants to tell with Issue #60. +++++ From the CSNsider in Comic Shop News #478, a lot of stuff we already told you about, plus . . . Wildstorm Productions will be offering High-quality art reproductions of classic Marvel Covers and those prints will be shot from original art when possible. . . a second Generation X film is possible, and it still has a chance as a FOX mid season replacement series. . . Marvel is coming out with "phonebook" black and white editions of "The Essential X-Men" - 528 pages of G.S. X-Men #1 and X-Men 94-119; and "The Essential Wolverine", 528 pages from Wolverine 1-2, both at $12.95. . . E! Entertainment Television say the next 3 Star Wars movies have been written and casting is underway - as is the next collectible related to the movies, "cash cards" that are used like credit cards but have a set value. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] REVIEW: X-O MANOWAR #1 by David LeBlanc X-O MANOWAR #1 (ashcan preview) - shipping late October "FEAR ITSELF" ACCLAIM/VALIANT HEROES Story: Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn Art: Sean Chen & Tom Ryder Letters: Richard Starking's COMICRAFT with Dave Lanphear (final product separations - Atomic Paintbrush) To begin with, let me say I am a Valiant fan from the very beginning of the line, even bought all the Nintendo titles. I'll spare a lot of gushing praise on the highs, and sad disappointment of the lows I experienced as the Shooter era ended and the various changes took place until it looked like the line would disappear altogether. Then came the news that Fabian Nicieza was going to take over the reins and soon a list of creators was revealed that gave new hope for life. All the hype and promise is one thing, and many have made snap decisions based on that alone. I prefer to sample the product and then decide. And so, through the courtesy of Editor Lynaire Thompson and assistant Omar Banmally I got an ashcan of the first 19 pages of X-O MANOWAR #1, due out in late October. Here then is a review of that early look of one title: ***SPOILER WARNING*** In case you don't know, the story is no longer about Aric of Dacia. This is a new beginning and it is about two men. The man in the armor is Rand Banion, Special Forces Major during the gulf war, and from the brief bio recap a real James Bond type with absolutely no fear. (Just as an aside, I wish they had picked another name. I can't help but think of old Johnny Quest cartoons every time the name is mentioned, not that that's a bad thing!) He is picked to bring the fury and might of the Manowar suit to bear against R.A.G.E. and stop them from starting World War III. They have been raiding military bases and stripping them of all ordinance before destroying them with Washington next on the list. This is all Banion needs to know to volunteer to be the one man army that stops their agenda. If the armor alone can't do it, then Banion's guts and instincts and heart just might. The other man is Donovan Wylie who cracked the secrets of the X-O armor. In this version it seems the armor was captured from the Nazis 50 years ago but no one could figure out its secrets until Donovan was brought in to give it a try. We begin the story after he has managed to learn what is needed to know to make the suit useful as a weapon. We are treated to our first look at the defensive invulnerability of the X-O armor and the strong caution that once a user bonds with it, the union becomes permanent - no convenient sphere to be called when needed by he who wears the ring. The X-O disk is permanently attached to the chest and becomes the full armor at the users flip of a switch. According to the recent pre-publicity the previous users have burned out from wearing it and Donovan has solved that problem as well. In this opening chapter, the stage is set for Banion to don the armor and start the task at hand - stop the killing that already totals over 400. Donovan is reluctantly forced into being his coach via comlink, since the baptism of fire happens before any training in the suit can take place. Throughout the opening scenes Waid drop hints that Donovan is not comfortable about something and can't seem to put his finger on it. The fact that Banion is fearless sets off warning bells, but why? Something about the suit has been overlooked, but what? Then, just as Donovan figures it out, and Banion is about to meet the main R.A.G.E. hover carrier head on. . . Well, the preview ends. Based on this brief glimpse and the rather quick but full enough origin tale, I give this one a resounding YES! I was expecting some fine work, as I always do, from Waid and Augustyn and this beginning does not disappoint. I am not sure how this will play out in the chapters to come. Mainly, the idea of a "coach" for X-O is similar to the Armorine concept and how long will it take for Banion to learn all he needs to know? (that is if he survives the first issue.) The character is a true blue patriot and I can't help but wonder if shades of Captain America won't work their way into the stories, since Mark won't be using those plots at Marvel. The art is dynamic and detailed. I am anxious to see the full colors when the full product hits the stands. This is one first issue you don't want to miss! RATING: I don't *do* ratings! Reserve this book today! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] SUSPENDED ANIMATION by Michael Vance COMIC LEGENDS "He's the toughest man there is alive/wears clothes from a wildcat's hide/he's the king of the jungle jive/look at that caveman go!" Alley Oop was the caveman of that 1960 rock and roll hit record, and the brainchild of comic strip genius V.T. Hamlin. Begun in 1933, the exploits of this tine-hopping apeman have made Oop one of the most popular comic strips in history. As appealing as were his rough and tumble stomps through the dinosaur infested jungles of Moo, Oop's real fame came when he proved that time waits on no apeman. While minding his own business in prehistory, Oop and his girlfriend, Ooola, dissolved from Moo to reassemble in Doc Wonmug's time machine in the 20th century. This first chronic adventure began on April 5th, 1939. With a powerful premise, stylized and beautifully detailed artwork filled with kinetic energy, and a distinctive supporting cast with well defined personalities, it's no surprise that Oop became and remains one of the greatest adventure strips in history. Among Hamlin's works are four Big Little Books (Alley Oop and Dinny, Alley Oop and Dinny in the Jungles of Moo, Alley Oop in The Invasion of Moo and Alley Oop in The Missing King of Moo), Alley Oop comic books, (Dell Four Color, Standard Comics, Argo Comics) appearances in THE FUNNIES and THE COMICS, two Alley Oop collections (Kitchen Sink Press) and ALLEY OOP: THE SAWALLA CHRONICLES (Ken Pierce). Of these, the last three are excellent, available and affordable. V.T. Hamlin's strips are also being reprinted in the magazine, Comics Revue. Hamlin's apeman from Moo was the subject of a U.S. Postage stamp in 1995. The work of V.T. Hamlin is highly recommended. (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.) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Marvel takes second quarter loss PRNewswire NEW YORK, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. (NYSE: MRV) reported net revenues of $182.2 million and a net loss of $11.0 million or ($0.11) per share for the second quarter ended June 30, 1996, consistent with the Company's July 18th announcement regarding second quarter results. In the second quarter of 1995 net revenues were $169.2 million and the Company incurred a net loss of $17.7 million or ($0.17) per share. Marvel said that it had made progress during the first half of 1996 in implementing numerous strategic initiatives intended to strengthen and improve the results of its publishing and trading card businesses over the long term. However, the Company said it is taking longer than anticipated to achieve further improvements due to soft conditions in some markets, weakness in third party licensed properties, and slower timing in realizing benefits from various strategic initiatives and other new business activities. Toy Biz, Inc. continues to track to the Company's expectations. Looking ahead, Marvel anticipates improved second half 1996 results compared to the net loss of ($0.39) per share the Company incurred in the second half of 1995. On August 13, 1996, in an offering of Toy Biz Class A Common shares, Toy Biz sold 700,000 shares and Marvel sold 2.5 million shares at a price to the public of $15 per share. The net proceeds to Marvel and Toy Biz which aggregated $45 million are intended to be used as needed to finance, in part, Marvel Studios, a new company being formed to facilitate the development of live action and animated motion pictures and television programming and other media and theatrical productions based on the Marvel Characters. As a result of the offering, Marvel owns approximately 7.4 million Class B shares with approximately 27% economic interest and 78% voting control. Some of Marvel Studios' first projects will involve the upcoming animated Hulk TV series on UPN and the recently announced long term animation broadcast agreement with Fox Children's Network. Other new businesses Marvel is in the process of developing include Marvel Interactive Online entertainment and video game publishing, Marvel Mania theme restaurants, and additional site based entertainment opportunities. Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. is a leading youth entertainment company. Operations include publishing of comic books, trading cards and activity stickers; marketing and distribution of toys; and licensing of its characters for consumer products, media and advertising promotions. The Company operates through various subsidiaries, including Marvel Comics, Fleer/SkyBox, Panini and Toy Biz. MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Dollars in millions, except per share data) (unaudited) Three months ended Six months ended June 30, June 30, 1996 1995 1996(a) 1995 Net revenues $182.2 $169.2 $371.8 $327.1 Cost of sales 115.4 116.9 229.3 213.8 Selling, gen. & admin. expenses 55.6 50.2 107.9 93.6 Depreciation and amortization 4.9 5.0 9.3 7.5 Operating expenses 175.9 172.1 346.5 314.9 Amortization of goodwill, intangibles & deferred charges 5.5 4.0 11.0 7.3 Interest expense, net 13.8 10.4 27.5 18.3 Foreign exchange (gain)/loss, net 0.9 0.8 1.5 (0.8) Other income (b) -- 0.3 -- 14.3 Equity in net income of unconsolidated subsidiaries 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.8 (Loss) income before (benefit) provision for income taxes, minority int. & extraordinary item (13.5) (17.2) (14.2) 2.5 (Benefit) provision for inc. taxes (5.4) (5.5) (3.7) 4.6 Loss before minority interest and extraordinary item (8.1) (11.7) (10.5) (2.1) Minority int. in earnings of Toy Biz 2.9 2.7 4.9 4.1 Loss before extraordinary item (11.0) (14.4) (15.4) (6.2) Extraordinary item, net of taxes -- (3.3) -- (3.3) Net loss ($11.0) ($17.7) ($15.4) ($9.5) Loss per share: Loss before extraordinary item ($0.11) ($0.14) ($0.15) ($0.06) Extraordinary item, net of taxes -- (0.03) -- (0.03) Net loss per share ($0.11) ($0.17) ($0.15) ($0.09) Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding (in millions) 101.8 101.6 101.8 101.6 (a) Results for the six months ended June 30, 1996 include the consolidation of Toy Biz, Inc. and the addition of SkyBox International Inc., which was acquired April, 1995. (b) Other income for 1995 reflects recognition of a gain from the initial public offering of Toy Biz, Inc. Forward Looking Statements: Statements in this news release which are not historical are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements include, without limitation, Marvel's expectation as to financial performance for the remainder of 1996. In addition to factors that may be described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, the following factors, among others, could cause the Company's financial performance to differ materially from that expressed in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company: (i) the failure of fan interest in baseball to return to traditional levels prior to the 1994 baseball strike, thereby negatively impacting the Company's baseball card business; (ii) continued weakness in the comic book market which cannot be overcome by the Company's new editorial and production initiatives in comic publishing; (iii) continued weakness in the trading card market; (iv) the effectiveness of the Company's changes to its trading card and publishing distribution; (v) a decrease in the popularity or level of media exposure of the Company's characters resulting in declining licensing revenues; (vi) the lack of continued commercial success of properties owned by major licensors which have granted Marvel licenses for its sports and entertainment trading card and sticker businesses; and (vii) unanticipated costs or delays in completing projects associated with the Company's new ventures including media, interactive software and on-line services and theme restaurants. SOURCE Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Top 50 comics/10 Black & White for July/August -from Comic Shop News 1 Kingdom Come 3 2 Spawn 50 3 X-Men 56 4 Uncanny X-Men 336 5 wolverine 105 6 X-Force 58 7 Uncanny X-Men '96 8 X-Men Unlimited 12 9 Generation X 19 10 Gen 13:The Unreal World 11 Gen 13: Ordinary Heroes 12 X-Man 19 13 X-Factor 126 14 Cable 35 15 Deviants Rave 16 Supergirl 1 17 Excalibur 101 18 Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire 3 19 Batman Black & White 4 20 Justice League:A Midsummer's Nightmare 1 21 Incredible Hulk 445 22 Amazing Spider-Man 415 23 Batman 534 24 Detective Comics 701 25 Batman:Shadow of the Bat 54 26 X-Files 19 27 Cyberforce 25 28 X-Men:Pryde & Wisdom 1 29 Robin 33 30 Batman:Legends of the Dark Knight 86 31 Superman 115 32 Adventures of Superman 538 33 Action Comics 725 34 Spider-Man 72 35 Superman the Man of Steel 60 36 Catwoman 37 37 Dreaming 4 38 Wetworks 18 39 Sin City:That Yellow Bastard 6 40 Crow: City of Angels 1 41 Sensational Spider-Man 8 42 Green Lantern 78 43 Preacher: Saint of Killers 2 44 Spider-Man: Redemption 1 45 Flash 117 46 Preacher 17 47 Spectacular Spider-Man 238 48 Wonder Woman 113 49 Grifter 1 50 Birds of Prey: Manhunt 1 Black & White: 1 Batman:Black & White 4 2 Crow:Flesh & Blood 2 3 Sin City:That Yellow Bastard 6 4 Strangers in Paradise 12 5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1 6 Elfquest 2 7 Cerebus 207 8 Ranma 1/2 Part Five 8 9 Return of Lum Part Three 2 10 Oh My Goddess Terrible Master Urd 4 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Rich's Revelations August by Rich Johnston All the below may be taken with as much salt as you wish. Believe what you want. Stepping Stones Milestone at DC no more? Falling sales and falling relationships between the two companies mean that Milestone may be stepping out on its own in the next year. Millar Time Mark Millar is next in line for the Morrison/Ennis/Dillon treatment, a title that he will create and own for DC Vertigo. More details as the news emerges. Better Never Than Late Looks like Liefeld's late on Captain America already. With much of FF and Iron Man in the bag, Marvel are only seeing dribs and drabs of Cap Chesty. Probably spending too much time drawing advertising pinups. You know, if only those pinups could be joined together to make a comic... well it's never stopped Liefeld before. Creepy The Legion of Night are back. Remember that two-parter by Gerber and Portacio way back? Released by Marvel when Portacio suddenly became successful, leading to about three Portacio books in one month (compared to recent form, a miracle. Ther may be a revival with a new cast... can we say Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, Satanna, Man-Thing, Wolverine and... Punisher) It might be by Mackie (boo) and Romita Jr/Janson (Yay!) And it's by Gerber, so maybe... Dark Howard? Raving DV8 1 the best selling comic of the month? So... how many copies of DV8 Rave shipped? And which issue did they appear in first? Davis X-Men Clandestine, Gen 13, Penthouse, looks like Davis is getting back to form and back to schedule... and more importantly, he's not just working for Marvel and DC. Y'see, Alan Davis has never been what you'd call involved in the comics scene. As far as he's been concerned, the only companies to work for after Fleetway were Marvel and DC. Because any other company might go bust on him. That's why he took ClanDestine to Marvel UK- he thought that Dark Horse was a fly-by-night publisher. The Penthouse deal may be understandable... Davis will have heard of Penthouse. But doing work for Image shows that Alan has made the break. We look forward to seeing some more creative-led work from him in the future from other publishers. Hey, maybe he'll get over his Bryan Hitch problem while he's at it. Or maybe not. he's also doing an X-Man Annual. But starring which character....? Dirtbag Blues Damn. Sales are up on Dirtbag 7. By 15 copies. If anyone cares, please ask your shop to reorder Dirtbag 7. They can, you know. Hit them on the head. To Mark Gruenwald. You got me reading American Comics with DP7. Thank you. Sympathies go out to all friends and family. Rich Johnston Twist and Shout Comics twist@easynet.co.uk ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] New Comics Shipping 8/21/96 by Bobb Waller Well There's hope for the list yet! Someone local to me has offered to take the board, now if I can convince her to keep all the networks! Well here is the list of what is scheduled to ship 8/21/96: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Academy Comics Ltd.: Metal Bikini #4 Robotech II The Sentinels Book IV #9 Robotech The Misfits #1 Acclaim Comics: Gravediggers #2 Sliders:Darkest Hour #2 Antarctic Press: Luftwaffe 1946 #1 Masked Warrior X #3 Archie Comics: Archie Andrews Where are You #108 Jughead #86 Scooby Doo #14 Astro Comics: Hilly Rose #7 Big Entertainment: Mike Danger #5 Bongo Comics: Jimbo #5 CFD Productions: No Profit For the Wise Chaos! Comics: Purgatori The Vampires Myth #1 Claypool Comics: Elvira #39 Comic Shop News Inc.: CSN #4790 Crusade Comics: Lethargic Lad #2 Custom Comics Of America: Rooter Sweatin Bullets #1 Dark Horse Comics: American Splendor Comic Con Comics Art Adams Creature Feature TP Big Blown Baby #1 Chronowar #1 Classic Star Wars DevilWorlds #1 Concrete:Think Like a Mountain #6 Gamera #1 Godzilla #15 Nexus Executioners Song #3 Usagi Yojimbo #5 DC Comics: Action Comics #726 Amber Guns Of Avalon #1 Aquaman #25 Artemis Requiem #5 Aztek The Ultimate Man #3 Batman #535 Batman & Robin Advs. Back to School Pack Batman & Robin Adventures #11 Batman Chronicles #6 Books of Magic #29 DC Vs. Marvel TP Detective Comics #702 Dreaming #5 Firebrand #9 (Final Issue) Flex Mentallo #4 Gemini Blood #2 Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #7 Lobo #32 Mister Miracle #7 (Final Issue) Preacher Special Saint of Killers #3 Ray #28 (Final Issue) Sandman Mystery Theatre #43 Superboy #32 Superman Krisis of Krimson Kryptonite TP Total Justice #1 Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego #3 Diversity Comics: Alpha Korps #1 Draculina Publishing: She #7 Fantagraphics Publishing: Acme Novelty Library #7 Overstreet Publishing: Over street's Fan #16 Hamilton Comics: Donald Duck #299 High Impact Studios: Double Impact Vol. 2 #1 Image Comics: Distant Soil #15 Grifter #2 Lady Supreme #2 Shattered Image #2 Spawn Bible #1 Stormwatch #38 Supreme #41 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 London Night Studios: Demonique #0 Razor Uncut #24 Marvel Comics: Adventures Of Spider-Man #7 Amazing Spider-Man '96 Excalibur #102 Green Goblin #13 (Final Issue) Marvel Motion TC's Incredible Hulk #446 Punisher #12 Marvel Heroes & Legends #1 Road to Onslaught #1 Spider-Man #73 What If? #90 X-Man #20 X-Men #57 X-Men:Rise of Apocalypse Maximum Comics Press: Avengylene #5 Priest #1 Sirius Entertainment: Halo #4 Slave Labor Graphics: Johnny The Homicidal Maniacs #5 SQP: Primal Lust #1 Stabur Comics: Calibrations #3 Tapestry Introduction Set The Wretch #1 Topps Comics: Star Wars Galaxy Magazine #8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- See ya on The Spinners! Origin: FIAWOL/MSConnections * PP288MT II V.34 * 214-790-6472 * (23:203/4) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights The Comic Book Net E-Mag is published 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. 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 http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet ---------------- 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 and all back issues. You'll also find important information on how to join the conversation in the Comic Book Net, and other neat features like newly released comic book graphics, links to lists of Comic Book Company addresses, Comic Professionals Email addresses, and other Comic Book related Web pages! LOCATING THE ISSUES ------------------- The latest issue is always available from all the systems linked into The Comic Book Network. You can also find the back issues at America Online, by going to Keyword: Science Fiction, scrolling to the menu item _Comic Book Forum_ and then going to the _Comics Library_ from there. Most issues should also be available on Compuserve, Genie, Channel1 BBS and Software Creations BBS as well as other non CBN affiliated Bulletin Board Systems. 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 articles for consideration to the editor at: ComicBkNet@aol.com Reviews of mainstream books are least likely to get included when submitted from sources outside of CBN, but are not excluded off hand. We give more consideration to reviews of indies and self published material as we feel that material deserves more exposure to the general public. If You write intelligent, coherent, and timely reviews of anything it will almost always be printed so give us a shot. Commentary on the state of the industry, and personal observations and reflections related to comics are *most* likely to be included in our publication. We also accept product for review purposes. Advanced copies of comic books will not be returned but anything sent to us will be reviewed in the ComicBook Net Emag. Send all material to: David L. LeBlanc 84 Heather Circle Jefferson, MA 01522-1419 SUBSCRIPTIONS ------------- If you wish to receive each issue automatically through your Email account, please address a message to ComicBkNet@aol.com to be placed on the subscription list. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B] How to join the COMIC BOOK NETWORK (CBN) 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... 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 conversation, collecting, gaming and other forms of entertainment. 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 explanation in their documentation than I can. These programs are available all over the Internet and are free to download from most BBS's. I recommend SLMR or OLX-TD for DOS to get started. 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? There are 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! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [C] BBSes Linked into CBN Here's the most up-to-date node listing for the COMIC BOOK NETWORK F=FIDO Q=QWK B=Both *=Major HUB -- ARKANSAS ------------------------------------------------------------- F* Karate & Comics & ... Russelville AR 501-968-3910 Robert Wood Conway PC Users Conway AR 501-329-7227 Tim Stone -- CALIFORNIA ----------------------------------------------------------- Q Freedom Flight Victorville CA 619-955-6445 Ronald Siodla -- FLORIDA -------------------------------------------------------------- F Never Never Land Melbourne FL 407-253-8754 Wayne Bell F Steel Dog Cafe Destin FL 904-654-1631 Keith Schultz Ghost's Realm Crestview FL 904-689-6664 Kie Dorton Q Oak Street BBS Ft.Wayne Beach FL 904-244-7434 Michael Fischer -- ILLINOIS ------------------------------------------------------------- -- INDIANA -------------------------------------------------------------- F The CyberSpace BBS Indianapolis IN 317-856-9020 Charlie Smith -- KENTUCKY ------------------------------------------------------------- Lex Corp Georgetown KY 502-867-0992 -- MARYLAND ------------------------------------------------------------- F The Vampyre Bar! Frederick MD 301-698-5194 Darryl Pierce F DataStorm Kettering MD 301-390-5243 Tarek Gordan F Bifrost Mount Rainier MD 301-779-9381 Kevin Carlin F Womens World East BBS Silver Spring MD 301-431-0647 Wendy Dumser F Sherata's Realm Mechanicsville MD 301-884-9732 Linda Peek -- MASSACHUSETTS -------------------------------------------------------- F Archives BBS Acushnet MA 508-995-0085 John Viera F Muskrat & Heatwave New Bedford MA 508-984-5321 Dennis Racine B* Keystone BBS Shrewsbury MA 508-753-3767 John Harris F HellFire BBS S. Dartmouth MA 508-979-8930 Brock Cordeiro B Call Again Soon Worcester MA 508-791-1281 Joe Johnson -- MICHIGAN ------------------------------------------------------------- F Intl. Comic Network Dearborn Hgts MI 313-565-8464 Anthony Palacio -- MISSOURI ------------------------------------------------------------- F The Oan Citadel Grandview MO 816-767-1488 Brian J. Stewart -- NEW HAMPSHIRE -------------------------------------------------------- F Venom's World Rollinsford NH 603-743-4188 Ira Locke -- NEW JERSEY ----------------------------------------------------------- Phoenix Modernz Systems Seaside Hts. NJ 908-830-8265 Tal Meta -- NEW YORK ------------------------------------------------------------- B Asgard TW BBS West Islip NY 516-422-4225 Tom Pemberton Interzone BBS Long Is. City NY 718-786-5557 Jim Garvin F Starbase : Red Dwarf Saugerties NY 914-247-9601 John Dragun -- NORTH CAROLINA ------------------------------------------------------- F Electronic Hangover Durham NC 919-286-4542 Richard Lee F Psychotronic Durham NC 919-286-7738 Richard Lee F* TI-Raliegh Maximus Raliegh NC 919-833-3412 Walter Tietjen F Federal Post Spring Lake NC 910-436-2055 Frank Koza -- OKLAHOMA ------------------------------------------------------------- F Beggar's Forum Oklahoma City OK 405-787-2540 Lonnie Johnson Compumate Tulsa OK 918-628-0887 Danny Pelletier F Snart's Dreamland Collinsville OK 918-371-0980 Jeff Bennett F The Dreaming World Broken Arrow OK 918-451-3056 Greg Adkins -- PENNSYLVANIA --------------------------------------------------------- F Comic Book Board Philadelphia PA 215-365-5225 William Horton -- TENNESSEE ------------------------------------------------------------ F The Factory BBS Union City TN 901-885-9647 -- TEXAS ---------------------------------------------------------------- B* FIAWOL/MSConnections Irving TX 214-790-6472 Bobb Waller F Star Streams Waxahachie TX 214-938-7115 Michael Rudolf F Orion BBS Odessa TX 915-530-2712 Dennis Brown -- VIRGINIA ------------------------------------------------------------- B Crystal Aerie Arlington VA 703-415-0134 Spencer Greenwald -- WASHINGTON ----------------------------------------------------------- F Longview On-Line! Longview WA 360-577-7358 Jeanne Lejon -- ONTARIO, CANADA ------------------------------------------------------ F Dark Knight BBS London ONT 519-850-9929 Michael Cross F MACH 1 BBS London ONT 519-457-6771 Tomasz Heiber Stargate:Above & Beyond London ONT 519-472-4938 Paul Nicholas -- MEXICO --------------------------------------------------------------- B* The Gate BBS Mexico City 52-5-264-2994 Emilio Karam - From USA, dial international-access 011 then 52-5-264-2994# ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - End of another Issue .. see ya in the funnny papers!! * Batman:"SHAZAM!" Luthor: "Shut up." *