------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE - ISSUE NUMBER 76 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] Diamond Top 150 for September ......... Matt High [5] Reviews: MANYA and CANUS .............. David LeBlanc [6] Name This Column ...................... M!ke Imboden [7] Rich's Revelations .................... Richard Johnston [8] JUST IN ............................... Justin Steiner [9] UNDERGROUND PRESS/INDY COMICS EXPO..... RHODE@email.afip.osd.mil [10] Press Release: DOCTOR CYBORG........... Attention! Publishing [11] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [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 First a notice to someone who wants the Emag. For the second time I got a request from this address: From "/dd.ccMail=Michael Depace at PAPT1/"@ccmail.nmb.norwest.com The mail program I use, Eudora, to send the Emag does not like the spaces in the above and interprets them as the end of the address. I have tried test messages with underlines and removed them altogether both had "no such account" returns back. I just sent replies from the AOL account and while they do not bounce back, Michael did not reply either. SO, MICHEAL, if you are reading this from another copy (off the web page?) I cannot send you Email. Until you can help me find a way I can't add you to our mailings. Sorry folks, didn't want him to think I didn't try. This looks like it will be a monster issue, and as I type this it is only Thursday night. I got bombarded with press releases, all deserving space this week. Rich & M!ke have submissions as well (don't know where I'll squeeze in JUST IN if it shows up on time). The Diamond Top 150 is back thanks to Matt High of Antarctic Press and I have two reviews myself this issue. I try to post reviews of material sent to me the week after I get it, so... though I could leave it out, I thought it better to live up to the expectations of those folks kind enough to send material. I am always pleased that the overwhelming majority of material sent for review is usually better than anything on the racks. All you editors and creators out there can be sure I will continue this prompt service but I won't rush to press either. Instructions for sending material for review is in section [A] after the NCRL list. Now instead of some rambling thoughts, here is a message of importance to anyone in the NEW ENGLAND area: ***********PRO-AM COMIC JAM!*********** On Saturday, September 28, 1996, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, will present an exciting opportunity for people who create and appreciate comic book art: THE PRO_AM COMIC JAM. Between 1 and 4 p.m. a group of professional and amateur graphic artists will gather at 244 Park Avenue, Worcester, MA [routes 9 & 12] to demonstrate techniques of dynamic illustration. They'll also offer expert advise on making a career in illustration. Aspiring artists are encouraged to bring along their work for review. Headlining the event is Paul Ryan, a well-known comic book artist whose credits include the "Fantastic Four" for Marvel Comics and "Superman" and "Flash" for DC Comics. Ryan has also taught illustration at Assabet Valley Regional Vocational School Evening Program. Marvel's David Tata, freelance cartoonist Andy Fish, and Caliber Comics' Randy Buccini will also lend professional insight into the technical and business aspects of illustration. Amatuer comic book creators Memo Salazar and Derek Ring round out the group; they will talk about their experiences in self-publishing with other aspiring artists. THE JAM is designed for artists of all ages and ability levels. For more details contact Kenneth Carson, Assistant Company Manager at: THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT (508) 755-4207 244 Park Avenue FAX (508) 754-3882 Worcester, MA 01609 (Routes 12 & 9) See you there! 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. +++++ A couple of things to take note of, forwarded to us by a diligent reader: From: RHODE@email.afip.osd.mil Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 20:51:19 -0600 From: Road Angel Subject: organizing comics panel at ECA '97 Rigorous and intriguing research is sought for a panel on the comics medium being organized for the Eastern Communication Association conference in Baltimore on April 10-13, 1997. My goal is to demonstrate the diversity and quality of comics research, and so all theoretical/methodological approaches welcome. If you are interested in participating on this panel (as a presenter, chair, or respondent), please contact me at jam3@ascu.buffalo.edu, and include an abstract if possible. ...Jeffrey A. Miller From: RHODE@email.afip.osd.mil COMIC BOOKS AND POPULAR CULTURE - CNN. CNN magazine show producer is looking for a scholar of pop culture (officially or unofficially) acquainted with comic books, particularly "Spawn." The perfect subject would be aware of Spawn, the number-one selling comic book in America, and even have kids or students who are avid fans. Please contact Graham Messick by e-mail at graham.messick@turner.com [T:+en::9/6:1777] +++++ From: Angelo Furlan Subject: CBEM #75 I'm a bit disappointed. I REALLY wanted to get the BABE WATCH cover version of CBEM #75. Instead, all I got was the BAMF edition. Now I'll have to shell out the big bucks to some lousy speculator. Oh well ... Kudos once again on another excellent issue. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have known about Rob L. parting ways with Image. I liked how you hunted down various sources to give us as many sides to the story as possible. I'm not much of an Image fan ... in fact, I've never paid full cover for any of their titles (love those bargain bins!), but I still like to be informed. BTW, when you mentioned this season's superhero cartoons, why did you overlook the Hulk? Up in Canada, FOX will show it at 8:00 a.m. Sunday. good thing I know how to program my VCR! [In Boston the local affiliate ran it at 10:00 a.m.] I'm sure I'm not the only one who find Marvel's cartoons to be more entertaining than the printed product. A lot cheaper to enjoy, too. Finally, I'm a little surprised that you don't get more mail. You'd think people would be more supportive of a freebie! Oh, as for your "trivia" question? [see the TRIVIA section below - D.L.] Angelo Furlan Writer/Creator of SINNAMON, BRUISER, and STUF. email me at: afurlan@pathcom.com Check out the Catfish Comics Web Page at: http//www.thenerve2.com/catfish +++++ From: zodiac22@earthlink.net (Janice Bradford) To: ComicBkNet@aol.com I just received all three of the alternative covers for issue 75 of your magazine and I must say that they are pretty good looking. I know it's only 25 issues away,but are you thinking about putting a gold cover on your #100 issue. What type of cover was on your #25 & #50 issue. Also,do you have any info on how the name that column contest is going. Keep up the great work guys. FX zodiac22@earthlink.net [NAME THIS COLUMN is in this issue so see that for details on progress. Issue #46 was my first issue. #47 had a *chromium* cover, celebrating our first anniversary. #50 had the gold cover. Issue #100 will be special fer shur!] [TRIVIA CONTEST] Last week's special anniversary question >What do the following comics have in common: > >ENEMY #1 (Dark Horse) >HAWKMAN #15 (latest series)(DC) >THE MACHINE #2 (Dark Horse) >+++++ If you bothered to check the letters pages of those comics you will see each has a letter of comment from your humble editor. As if by magic, DARK HORSE PRESENTS #113, just out this week, carries my latest letter in print. As promised, everyone who got it wins, and all are regulars here; in the order I got them: From: Angelo Furlan Subject: CBEM #75 Oh, as for your "trivia" question? Geez ... and people call ME self-absorbed! Hawkman #15 has fan mail from a certain editor of the CBEM, and I don't doubt the same is true for the other two books mentioned. [I wanted to make people actually have to DO something to win, like look it up. Most trivia is stuff you know, hence I get a dozen answers in the first few days; or you don't in which case you take a wild guess or just don't bother. This one is such that unless you have been reading my online comments in CBN, Fido, or Rime for a long time, you really can't guess. The promise of a prize for every correct guess was the added incentive for somebody to actually put the effort into research.] So why didn't you include SINNAMON #6 in the question? Then you'd only be giving away ONE prize! :> [I figured you would get it, since you had just mentioned coming across that issue of Hawkman in the back issue bins. Researching artists to work with in your comics perhaps? Yes I've had letters printed in Sinnamon as well, but I did not want anyone to feel they had no chance of finding a copy (since they sell out so fast) and therefore figure they had no chance to win!] +++++ From: "Mike Imboden" Subject: Re: CBEM #75 The trivia was pretty easy. No need for a cheesy prize, just wanted to let you know that I was paying attention for those (almost) two years. They all feature letters written by YOU. I even have a signed by you copy of Enemy #1, remember that? :) [Mike and I go way back. Ask him to tell you about ROM sometime :) ] Nice cover BTW, I was laughing when I first opened it. [I get crazy mail by fanatics who *must* have all three! I thought it was a fun joke, then I saw the alternate covers this week for CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 and had no sudden urge to have either one!] +++++ From: "Jim, Master of Comics" Subject: Re: CBEM #75 all have letters in them by David LeBlanc that were submitted electronically. [and Jim probably remembered I have had letters printed from being almost everywhere online people discuss comics! Since he has been a contributor to CBN and a trivia master in his own right he gets to plug his store, which we will add to our *Favorite* list we run from time to time: > Our Favorite Comic Stores The ComicBook Net Add this one: Comic Madness 3277-L Grand Avenue Chino Hills, CA 91709 909-590-5949 I'll be the one behind the counter. Jim, Master of Comics Comic Madness smiv@primenet.com 3277-L Grand Avenue Coming soon: Chino Hills, CA 91709 universo@lsh.org (909) 590-5949 +++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What were the circumstances of the death of Henry Pym's first wife? 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 can stump the readers! You MUST submit the correct answer with your question. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] CBN Insider - News, gossip and rumors from around the industry. Last weekend, shortly after the news spread that Rob Liefeld had left Image Comics, someone posted a message on not only AOL, but Compuserve and the Usenet rec.arts.comics newsgroups as well saying that Jim Lee had quit the company too. The *source* was the San Diego paper from an interview in the business section supposedly with Jim Lee. Within hours Mr. Lee himself responded noting that the confusion was probably due to the reporter in the article referring to Jim Liefeld saying he could not talk about his leaving Image. Mr. Lee made it clear he was NOT leaving Image and signed it with his title - CHAIRMAN, Image Comics +++++ From the CSNsider in this week's Comic Shop News #482, lots of stuff we already told you about, plus . . . Big Entertainment is taking January off to prepare for a stronger push in 1997. When they return the ongoing titles will resume joined by special projects and mini-series. . . Mike Baron and Dave Ross are doing a super hero series called THRAX for Event Comics next year . . . Dark Horse Comics has a licence to produce limited edition sculptures based on characters and concepts from the FOX TV hit, X-Files. The first one will be out in 1997. . . looks like Birds of Prey, the Black Canary/Oracle team, will be out on a regular quarterly basis 48 page series in 1997. . . alternate covers are not only popular in comics but also on TV GUIDE as the 4 Star Trek covers proved. The results are not yet in on the success of the alternate covers on the 4 Heroes Reborn titles from Marvel. . . The INVISIBLES is being developed for a series for the BBC. . . Applause Entertainment will be putting out several high-quality figures next year including Star Wars stuff and Marvel characters. . . the X-Men/Star Trek crossover is now delayed until late October. . . Archie Comics will be putting out a SPACE GHOST comic later this year. . . Acclaim will add a Quantum Leap series to its line of licensed comics which also includes Sliders and Waterworld. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Sales figures for September 1996 AP's Matt Many, many people have been asking for sales figures, which I have been negligent to post or update for quite some time - about five months. Well, now that Diamond controls 98%+ of the non-Marvel direct market, their sales figures are now incredibly accurate. Here's the latest: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Top-selling Comics for September 1996, based on pre-orders through Diamond and Capital City Distributors. These figures >>do not<< include Marvel Comics. estimated # # Title Publisher sold (1000's) 1 Spawn #54 Image 160.3 2 Curse of the Spawn #1 Image 157.8 3 Deathblow Wolverine #2 Image 95.2 4 Final Night #1 DC 90.8 5 Final Night #2 DC 84.1 6 Final Night #3 DC 82.5 7 Final Night #4 DC 81.8 8 DV8 #2 Image 73.8 9 Batman #536 DC 73.2 10 X-File #22 Topps 71.3 11 Parallax Emerald Night #1 DC 70.9 12 Star Wars Shadows Empire #5 Dark Horse 70.1 13 Detective Comics #703 DC 68.5 14 Supergirl #3 DC 67.0 15 Superman #117 DC 64.5 16 Action Comics #727 DC 63.2 17 Adventures of Superman #540 DC 63.1 18 Superman Man of Steel #62 DC 62.0 19 Star Wars Boba Fett When... Dark Horse 61.3 20 X-Files Season One #3 Topps 55.4 21 Green Lantern #80 DC 55.1 22 Shattered Image #4 Image 55.0 23 Robin #35 DC 54.7 24 Nightwing #2 DC 54.5 25 Batman Shadow of the Bat #56 DC 53.6 26 Flash #119 DC 53.3 27 Justice League Midsummers #3 DC 52.9 28 Cyberforce #27 Image 52.4 29 Batman Lgnd Dark Knight #88 DC 51.8 30 Preacher #19 DC 50.2 31 Catwoman #39 DC 48.3 32 Preacher Special Saint K #4 DC 47.9 33 Superman Adventures #1 DC 47.6 34 Purgatori Vampires Myth #2 Chaos 47.2 35 Superman Man Steel Annual #5 DC 46.3 36 Dreaming #6 DC 46.0 37 Wetworks #21 Image 45.1 38 Star Wars X-Wing Rogue #4 Dark Horse 45.0 39 Wonder Woman #115 DC 44.9 40 Batman Shadow Bat Annual #4 DC 44.1 41 Superboy #33 DC 42.8 42 Azrael #23 DC 41.1 43 Teen Titans #2 DC 40.7 44 Astro City #2 Homage 40.4 45 Aquaman #26 DC 39.1 46 Maxx #27 Image 38.9 47 Total Justice #1 DC 38.8 48 Hitman #8 DC 38.7 49 Glory Celestine Dark Ang #1 Image 38.7 50 Avengelyne #6 Maximum Pr 37.0 51 Dark Chylde #4 Maximum Pr 36.4 52 Backlash #24 Image 35.1 53 Hitman #7 DC 35.1 54 Total Justice #2 DC 35.0 55 Grifter #3 Image 34.4 56 Total Justice #3 DC 34.2 57 Impulse #19 DC 34.0 58 Artemis Requiem #6 DC 33.9 59 Bone #26 Image 33.8 60 Savage Dragon #32 Image 33.7 61 Arcanum #1 Top Cow 33.6 62 House of Secrets #2 DC 33.2 63 Legion of Superheroes #86 DC 32.9 64 Birds of Prey Manhunt #3 DC 32.4 65 Superboy and the Ravers #3 DC 32.2 66 Batman GCPD #4 DC 31.4 67 Vampirella Death and Des #3 Harris 31.4 68 Classic Star Wars Devilw #2 Dark Horse 31.3 69 Tempest #1 DC 31.2 70 Starman #24 DC 31.2 71 Stormwatch #40 Image 31.1 72 Power of Shazam #20 DC 31.0 73 Books of Magic #30 DC 30.5 74 Hellboy Wake the Devil #4 Dark Horse 29.8 75 Glory #15 Image 29.4 76 Sovereign Seven #16 DC 29.3 77 Monkeyman and O'Brien #3 Dark Horse 28.9 78 Green Arrow #114 DC 28.8 79 New Gods #12 DC 28.6 80 Vampirella Sad Wings #1 Harris 28.5 81 Starman Annual #1 DC 28.1 82 Grifter and the Mask #1 Dark Horse 27.3 83 Black Lamb #1 DC 27.3 84 Bloody Mary #2 DC 27.2 85 Spectre #47 DC 27.1 86 Avengelyne Bible Revelations Maximum Pr 27.1 87 Batman and Robin Advent #12 DC 26.7 88 Batman Robin Advent Ann #1 DC 26.7 89 21 #6 Image 26.2 90 Legionnaires #42 DC 25.2 91 Hellblazer #107 DC 24.7 92 Leave It To Chance #1 Homage 24.5 93 Lobo Death and Taxes #2 DC 24.1 94 Lobo #33 DC 24.0 95 Predator Dark River #3 Dark Horse 23.7 96 Simpsons #24 Bongo 23.3 97 Youngblood #12 Image 23.2 98 Crow City of Angels #3a Kitchen S 22.8 99 Ghost #18 Dark Horse 22.4 100 Lady Supreme #5 Image 22.1 101 Vampirella of Drakulon #5 Harris 21.7 102 Ess. Vertigo Sandman #4 DC 21.6 103 Badrock Super Special #1 Image 21.5 104 Terminal City #5 DC 21.4 105 Sandman Mystery Theatre #44 DC 20.8 106 Animal Mystic #2 Sirius 20.7 107 Aztec Ultimate Man #4 DC 20.6 108 Warrior Nun Scorpio Rose #1 Antarctic 20.0 109 Supreme #42 Image 19.9 110 Blindside #2 Image 19.3 111 Power Rangers Zeo #1 Image 19.3 112 Black Pearl #1 Dark Horse 19.3 113 Steel #32 DC 19.2 114 Atomik Angels #4 Crusade 18.7 115 Dhampire Stillborn DC 18.3 116 Crow City of Angels #3b Kitchen S 18.2 117 Decade of Dark Horse #3 Dark Horse 18.2 118 22 Brides Married to Mob #4 Event 18.1 119 Maximage #10 Image 18.0 120 Cyberella #3 DC 18.0 121 Extremely Youngblood #1 Image 17.9 122 Johnny Quest Real Advent #1 Dark Horse 17.6 123 Showcase 96 #10 DC 17.2 124 Body Bags #2 Dark Horse 16.9 125 Blood a Tale #1 DC 16.8 126 Seekers Into Mystery #10 DC 16.8 127 Kabuki #1 Caliber 16.6 128 Takion #6 DC 16.5 129 Priest #2 Maximum Pr 16.4 130 Vermillion #2 DC 16.3 131 Battlestar Galac Journeys #3 Maximum Pr 16.2 132 Grendel Devils Legacy #2 Dark Horse 16.2 133 Poison Elves #16 Sirius 15.6 134 ER Burroughs Tarzan #3 Dark Horse 15.3 135 Witchblade Collectors Ed #3 Image 15.1 136 Elfquest #5 Warp 15.0 137 Newmen #22 DC 14.8 138 Gemini Blood #3 DC 14.6 139 Ess. Vertigo Swamp Thing #1 DC 14.3 140 Hazard #5 Image 14.3 141 Roswell Little Green Man #1 Bongo 14.2 142 Nexus Executioners Song #4 Dark Horse 14.1 143 Rack and Pain Killers #2 Chaos 14.1 144 Verotika #12 Verotik 14.0 145 Hercules Legendary Journ #4 Topps 13.9 146 Godzilla #16 Dark Horse 13.5 147 Vertigo Verite Unseen Ha #3 DC 13.3 148 Tongue Lash #2 Dark Horse 13.2 149 Kid Supreme #5 Image 13.0 150 Gunsmith Cats Return Gray #2 Dark Horse 12.8 Top-selling comics from companies that did not quite make it into the top 150: 151 Ranma 1/2 Part Five #10 Viz 12.7 153 Grackle #1 Acclaim 12.5 154 Hellborne #1 London Night 12.4 156 Cerebus #210 Aardvark-Vana 12.1 167 Primortals #5 Big Entertain 10.3 169 Double Impact v2 #2 High Impact 10.2 172 Knights on Broadway #3 Broadway 10.0 173 Creed Cranial Disorder #1 Lightning 10.0 174 Mythography #1 Bardic Press 9.9 181 Uncle Scrooge #301 Gladstone 8.9 187 Goblin Lord #1 Goblin Studios 7.6 197 Whoa Nellie #3 Fantagraphics 7.0 198 Warrior #1 Ultimate Warrior 6.7 201 La Blue Girl #3 Cent Park Media 6.5 209 Bratpack Maximortal Spec #1 King Hell 6.1 211 Escape #4 Comico 6.0 218 Sonic the Hedgehog #41 Archie 5.5 220 Haunt of Fear #17 Gemstone 5.4 222 Drywall Unzipped #1 Fireman Press 5.4 228 THB #6 Horse Press 5.0 230 Vampfire #1 Brainstorm 4.8 240 Bacchus #17 Eddie Campbell 4.4 246 Sisters of Mercy When Raz #1 No Mercy 4.1 250 Lady Vampre vs Black Lace #1 Blackout 4.0 258 Thieves and Kings #13 I Box 3.8 260 Widow Bound by Blood #2 Ground Zero 3.7 264 Nira X Cyberangel Annual #1 Express/Entity 3.6 276 Underwater #7 Drawn and Quart 3.3 280 Milk and Cheese 666 #1 (2nd) Slave Labor 3.2 282 Passion #1 Blue Dog 3.1 284 Brinke of Disaster #1 Hightop 3.0 298 Reid Fleming Milkman #3 Deep Sea Comics 2.6 Publishers Market Share, September 1996: 1 DC Comics 33.79% 2 Image Comics 14.56% 3 Dark Horse 10.05% 4 Wizard Press 4.19% 5 Topps 3.34% 6 Viz Communications 2.10% 7 Maximum Press 1.98% 8 Harris Comics 1.73% 9 Kitchen Sink Press 1.38% 10 London Night Studios 1.26% 11 Gemstone Publishing 1.25% 12 Caliber Press 1.11% 13 Fantagraphics/Eros .99% 14 Chaos! Comics .92% 15 Antarctic Press .91% 16 Homage Studios .90% 17 Sirius .90% 18 Verotik .75% 19 Crusade .73% 20 Lightning .64% Everyone Else 16.44% Note: This information was obtained from Diamond Distrib- ution's DIAMOND DIALOGUE, which publishes various sales charts every month, and is available to comics retailers. This listing includes sales of all comic books (excluding Marvel) sold through Diamond and Capital City, which constitutes 98-99% of all direct market comic book sales. This list only includes pre-orders, and does not include advance reorders, reorders, or cancellations. This listing also does not include trade paperbacks, magazines, or other non-comic items. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Reviews by David LeBlanc MANYA: FALLING Vagabond Press - Black & White $3.50 Written by Jen Benka Art by Kris Dresen The promo insert says Manya is a female character for the 90's, really grounded and faces a lot of the issues women face today. A realistic female perspective on life. Not being a woman, I approach this with some wonder and concern whether I will "get it". The art is the first thing that jumps out at you. Except for the first and last pages it is 9 panels per 8 1/2 X 7 page. The style is somewhat familiar but I can't place it. It has a bit of a Rick Geary look but is more realistic without being unnecessarily detailed. There are some nice uses of the layout, for example a phone conversation takes place and the 3 middle vertical panels are occupied by a utility pole with a piece in each panel. It nicely bridges the space between Manya in the left panels and her friend Sal in the right panels. Most Black and White comics need to have some style to the art or I am lost or bored or just turned off. Bone has it, Frank Miller has it, most of the B & W books I have reviewed have it. For me it is essential even more than in a color book. I guess I mean I am less tolerant of poor Black and White art. Manya has GREAT art so I could absorb the story in words as well as the story in the art. This story is called falling, opening with a full page panel of snow falling as Manya looks out her window. As we get into the pages we learn that she is mourning the death of Paul. She goes through all the daily tasks one might on a winter day, all the while thinking about things and about Paul, dead just 2 days. I can't really recap more of the plot other than say that the other main thread running through is a discussion between Manya and Sal about getting tested for AIDS. I do not think the implication is that either or both have reason to believe they might be infected, only that the death of their friend to the disease has prompted them to think they should be tested themselves. Has this not crossed the mind of any single person these days who may not be promiscuous but can't really be sure that they haven't been with someone who is HIV positive. The simple charm of this book is the thoughts expressed like thinking that when you are younger you don't think death is that awful, because it is distant and perhaps too far away to affect you. As we grow in age and experience we see it more and more and the losses get closer and more difficult to cope with. Another thought that hit home was that the past, our childhood, tends to be romanticized in memory, and was somehow perfect and why in times of stress or grief we wish we where back in those idyllic times probably because we fear the present. This book is not depressing although it deals with a sad subject, rather I found it insightful and in the ended uplifting. It does not sensationalize but tries to show real people as they might handle issues such as coping with death and our own mortality. I found several readings revealed a little more I missed at first. This aspect, drawing me back in for another look, is always a sign of a quality book. There are 2 other Manya books from Vagabond. They bother to mention they are distributed by Last Gasp and Capital - so you may want to see if Diamond carries them as well now, or contact Vagabond Press, 2300 N. Clybourn, Suite #2, Chicago, IL 60614. or Manya13@aol.com +++++ CANUS:UNLEASHED (ashcan $.75) Nightowl Studios P.O. Box 893111, Oklahoma City, OK 73189 Story & Art: Russel Oldham Color & Effects: Lonnie Johnson Typesetting & Layout: Vickie Johnson Lonnie Johnson frequents Fido Comics and Comic Book Network and offered a copy of this promo book for review. Included in the package was a with a bit more detail about the Canus and explaining the "Bloodmoon" in their lore. CANUS:BLOODMOON is the first six issue series set to begin in January. He also included a nice print of the cover showing some earthy browns and greens as we view from below 4 Canus atop the walls of some sort and very tall skyscrapers in the background, all lit by a full moon. What is a Canus? At first look, if you get a look, it appears to be a werewolf, a wolf that walks like a man. The background material tells us that the race of Canus existed long ago before recorded history as part of the seven great nations. They lived in peace, in paradise until came the deadliest of god's creatures . . . Man! The other races eventually left their world to man, all but the Canus and through history slowly dwindled to scattered tribes in isolation at the overwhelming numbers of Man. Now an ancient prophecy is being fulfilled and the Canus believe that by the sign of the blood red moon they will have their vengeance and justice. So we are introduced to another culture, another way of life filled with traditions and an ancient language. At first the Canus seem brutal and savage as the ashcan opens on a familiar turn of events, where man once the hunter, suddenly becomes the hunted. Three men are tracking a wounded animal but soon find that they are now hunted by something more than a mere wolf. Even more jarring is the second scene in the botanical garden in Oklahoma City. In this unlikely venue another Canus appears to bring Jennifer Daniels, whom he declares is a *chosen one* back to what is referred as "second Earth". Truly not enough to get a full understanding of all that is going on but certainly enough to get the feel of the intrigue and wonder at the grand plan for the Canus to assert themselves and "come into the light." The artwork is a nice mixture of layouts, each page in its own form but each showing the story as it unfolds panel to panel. The only thing I would fault is the eyes of the humans, they are all too narrow most of the time, like these people want to squint. A minor distraction at best. I am anxious to see the colored 32 page issue as I think that will add a lot to what already is fine drawing. This seems worthy of checking out based on this ashcan and the color cover and text flyer. It is not another rehash of the old werewolf legend but a tale of ancient people that might have existed in a long forgotten past and are forced to struggle to survive in the present. I anticipate some tribal aspects to the Canus, perhaps even disagreements among factions as to how to proceed based on the revelation of the prophecy they believe is coming true. An intriguing concept, and an alternative to most of what is out there. I suggest you watch out for this one, or write to Nightowl for more details. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] NAME THIS COLUMN by M!ke Imboden Still no winners in the Name This Column contest. If I don't get a winner this week I'm keeping the comics and stuff for myself and naming it something drab and boring. Send your suggestions in to me at cambot@ix.netcom.com and I'll pick the best one and award the aforementioned free comics and stuff to the person who sent it in. Okay, now with the business stuff out of the way we can dive right into things. And, surprise, I'm actually going to talk about comics. I've been a fan of Spider-Man for years, before I even started collecting comics back in 1978. I would faithfully watch repeats of the classic Spidey cartoon on the local UHF channel and wonder to myself why the Web Slinger would seem to subtly change the way he looked from scene to scene. When I was older and going through some tough times I looked to Peter Parker and Aunt May to help me get by. And now, all these years later, I'm still loyally reading the regular monthly titles. By no means do I pretend to know everything about Spider-Man but I consider myself in the upper bracket when it comes to knowing his history. So with those (that?) as my credentials, here is my final take on the whole Spider-Mess (those of you who were with us back in CBN's glory days will remember my uncanny ability to know what was going to happen (shadowy stranger is Clone, clone turns out to be the real Parker and so on), now that we know Marvel plans on putting Parker back in the costume as the one, true Spider-Man. The mastermind behind the whole thing has been a not-so-dead Norman Osborne. Everything up to now has been carefully orchestrated to break Parker's will and make him an easy(ier) target for his ultimate revenge. Ben Reilly is the clone, make no mistake about that, after all it was Seward Trainer who "proved" otherwise and we all know he's working for someone who has access to Osborne Industries' finances and resources. I also find him too convenient. He just happened to be where Ben wound up? Right. No way do I buy that. Trainer has been "attached" to Reilly all this time to make sure he did what was needed, that is, to come back to New York and make Parker question his own being. As for Judas Traveller and this Gaunt fella, I can't begin to guess. Traveller could actually be what and who he claims he is, but Gaunt is obviously someone we've seen before. Possibly even Osborne himself. Anyway, the only way to end this thing is to have Ben get killed. The secrets will come out, everyone will know exactly who and what they are, but Ben will still order Peter to stay with his wife and child - they are his RESPONSIBILITY now. Peter will do what Ben tells him and as a result, Ben will be killed. This will provide Peter with a new focus for the "With great power there must come..." mantra and will spur him to resume the Spider-Man identity and kick some major butt. I'm not really doing this subject any justice by condensing it and trying to cram it into one column - there are so many other factors that could be considered such as the Hobgoblin/Ned Leeds mystery, the fact that Spidey tossed Doc Connors' test results to the winds way back after he ditched the first clone, and so on. I'd be really interested in hearing what you folks have to say, so write in and bombard David with a ton of letters. In any event, it will be nice to have the whole Spider-Mess cleared up and maybe get back to some good old-fashioned Spidey stories. Before I go I wanted to just touch on the whole HEROES REBORN thing. Jim Lee's Fantastic Four was pretty good. The art was nice and easy to look at and the story was acceptable. Well, maybe except for these four clowns kicking butt past a bunch of SHIELD agents to get to a prototype rocket. And what exactly we're they going to do once, and if, they caught up to the Excelsior? Oh well, details. Why bother. On the other hand we have Liefeld's Captain America. I liked the story. In fact, I thought the story was very good. However, I needed a bottle of Pepto Bismol just to get past what was being called art. The hell was going on there? Rogers looked Asian with his slitted eyes and I'll never understand what all those lines are that Rob sticks on people. I kinda dig Wonder Woman's "eagle" on Cap's head, I always thought the big "A" was a mite silly. But HO-DADDY! The rest of that book really sucked in the art department. I also can understand why Liefeld is late with his stuff. I mean, if *I* had to add all those lines to everything I'd be late too. Until next time...... (M!ke is also rather annoyed by this "reboot" of the Marvel Universe but can't help chuckling when he remembers someone at Marvel saying, during DC's CRISIS, that they didn't need to fix their character's origins because they got them right the first time.) -M!ke (cambot@ix.netcom.com) "...I'm coming to get the rest of you alien bastards!" - Duke Nukem http://www.netcom.com/~cambot ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Rich's Revelations September by Rich Johnston Rich's Revelations! First for news! Last for reliability! Believe whatever you wish! Morrison and Millar are not sources for this column! Rigged Reviews? Have you seen all of Robin Riggs' rave reviews (RRRRs) for Alan Davis' work over on racmu and racmx? Well it could be more than just a professional fanboy (pro-boy?) as Robin Riggs may soon be working with Alan Davis as an inker. Spirited revival. Rich's Revelations, the first to mention the Spirit revival, is pleased to announce that Bryan Talbot is also joining the crew. Eisner will be providing... only the covers? Feudal barons. The Erik Larsen/Peter David feud has been well documented. What hasn't been revealed much is another reason why Erik might dislike PAD/ In the back of one of his DRAGON reprints is his design for X-Factor, with SuperPatriot, Horridus and others. He states that the book was given to another writer but his and Rob Liefeld's ideas were thoroughly nicked. Hmmm. Strong Defence! Cast call for the Defenders! Could it be Ant-Man, Hercules, Valkyrie, Doctor Strange and my fave Kirby Kharacter (TM) of all time, Devil Dinosaur? Marvel's marketing department will have a great time with this! Home again. Art Thibert plays Prodigal Son, returning to Marvel after his failed Image escape. Could retailers actually have thought that Black And White was a black and white comic? However, while before he had his pick of the X-Men books, now he s relegated to smaller projects, including the new Marvel Try- Out book. We may see him on his own book soon though. Talking of which, at a time when the industry is in decline, when there are more creators than books, is this the right time for Marvel to encourage youngsters to pick up the pen? Round numbers Uncanny X-Men 350 isn't too far away, one year, an X-Man will die! No names who as of yet, but with Cable coming up to 50 at the same time my money is on Alt-X Nathan, freeing X-Man to star Scott Summers. X-Force reaches 75 then, as well as X-Men. We may see a six-month long storyline crossing over, with the powerless Prof X being assassinated by mutant haters. Around that time, Avengers, Cap and the FF will be coming back.... oh great... More Moore. Alan Moore's new book The League of Extraordinary Gentlefolk, does to superheroes what Lost Girls did to pornography. A Victorian supergroup with Victorian fictional characters (aren't they all?) from Mycroft Holmes to Phileas Fogg, from The Time Traveller to The Invisible Man, from Jekyll to Hyde. Could be a lot of fun. And it should be from Wildstorm/Homage, as long as Jim Lee doesn't do anything silly with Marvel, so that Alan has to leave... Indie Pendant. Page 45. Independents Day. 26th October, 12pm, Stakis Victoria Hotel, Milton St, Nottingham. I'll be there as will all of gathering.uk. Join us, join us, join us... Blatant plug Oh and The Dirtbag Ketchup Pack is in Previews at cheap rate this month. Check it out under Twist and Shout Comics. Or I'll take a hammer to your face and pummel. Rich Johnston rjohnston@ea.com Mark Millar mentioned me in the last Swamp Thing. I'm so proud. And sad too, of course. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] JUST IN Justin Steiner Some big doings around the industry, huh? Liefeld and Image parting ways? And so soon after Rob proclaiming his commitment to the group in last week's CBG. Well, at least he got CAPTAIN AMERICA out on time (not that I read it). Interesting times we live in, don't you think? I have been reading some super-hero material lately and thought I'd share some with you this time around. One title is a skewed look at super-heroics and the other is about as mainstream as you can get. Onward and upward... ATOMIC CITY TALES #2 $2.95. 24 pgs. Written and illustrated by Jay Stephens. Published by Kitchen Sink, 320 Riverside Drive, Northampton, MA 01060. This is the comic with GO POWER! Why? Because Jay "Sin" Stephens tells us so and he should know - he's part of the comic! Yes, Jay himself is a character in this comic. He is the official cartoonist of Big Bang, the most powerful hero in Atomic City. As such, it is his duty to chronicle the exploits of Big Bang and those around him. Which, of course, is what the real Jay Stephens is doing as well. This issue finds Jay still at Doc Phantom's "Crook of the Year" party, where he is supposed to be transcribing the party for posterity. In the process, he meets Apeface, learns more about Big Bang from Morbidia (who used to be Big Bang's girlfriend and is the father of his child), and witnesses a staring contest between two gangsters who are settling a territory dispute. Meanwhile, the other story in this issue focuses on Big Bang's attempts to find "his" missing cartoonist. In order to do this, he needs the help of Quirk, a hero who lives up to his name. Quirk knows where Doc Phantom's hideout is - he's standing right in front of it when they meet up. From that point, it becomes a job for Big Bang. Stephens' art is great stuff, very detailed and clean. He uses the black and white format with skill, making fine use of light and shadow. And his depiction of Jay's sketchbook (rough around the edges) is a nice contrast with the style of the comic. This series is a lot of fun and there are plenty of comical moments. One that stood out was a song performed by Morbidia and the band Draculoids. It begins, "You're bad for me/Like cigarettes/But I ain't sucked in/Enough of you yet." Great stuff. As an added bonus, Stephens includes a subplot on the back cover as well. It doesn't make much sense at the present time but I have faith that we will know its meaning soon enough. The first issue should be available as well and is well worth the time and money to track it down. This is a series that is going places and the trip is going to be a lot of fun. And there is soon to be a collection of this series previous incarnation, which is always a plus. So, if you're looking for some GO POWER, head for Atomic City. FINAL NIGHT #1,2 24 pgs. each. $1.95 each. Written by Karl Kesel, Pencilled by Stuart Immonen, Inked by Jose Marzan. Published by DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, Ney York, NY 10019. FINAL NIGHT is this year's crossover series in the DC Universe. And after seeing the first two (of four) issues, it looks to be the best crossover since LEGENDS in 1986. The series begins with an alien ship crash-landing in Metropolis (home of Superman). The ship carries Dusk, a woman who brings news of imminent disaster - the Sun-Eater. This phenomenon, on its way to Earth, has devoured countless stars in its path, leaving behind dead world after dead world. Needless to say, the heroes of the DCU come together in an attempt to defeat this menace. The first two attempts fail and the sun is blotted out, which leads to a drop in temperature all across the Earth. Now, not only do the heroes have to avert disaster but they have to keep watch over a panicked populace as well. The big guns of DC are all present (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman), as well as many lesser-known heroes (such as the Legion of Super-Heroes, half of whose members have recently been stranded in the 20th century). The art team of Immonen and Marzan does an excellent job capturing the look of all these heroes. Not just costumes and hair styles but the things that really matter, like personalities and a sense of nobility. And the coloring of Lee Loughridge serves to enhance the entire project. As a longtime DC fan, I like how Kesel incorporates various heroes into the mix. We see Oracle and Black Canary as vital parts of the effort to keep the peace. And we find Golden Age heroes like the original Flash, the original Wildcat, and Liberty Belle willing to fight the good fight once more. A series like this gets you excited about the possibilities that exist in a shared super-hero universe. And there's a great story to boot. If you're a fan of DC or of super-heroes, you owe it to yourself to take a look at FINAL NIGHT. Justin Steiner jsteiner@netnitco.net ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] UNDERGROUND PRESS CONFERENCE INDEPENDENT COMICS EXPOSITION ------------------------------------------------------------ Specifics: * When: Saturday, October 12, 1996 from 10am til 6pm * Where: Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. (Randolph Street entrance) * How Much: $3 general admission * Pre-Registration Deadline: September 30, 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------- Special Guest appearances: * Jessica Abel, Creator of Artbabe * Amy Ahlstrom, Creator of Sticky, Moist * Scott Beaderstadt, Creator of Trollords * Pam Bliss, Sparky the Dog * Tim W. Brown, Poet and Distributor, Tomorrow Magazine * Ivan Brunetti, Creator of Schizo * Glenn Carnagey, Red Planet * Joe Chiappetta, Creator of Silly Daddy * Virginia A. Conn, Word Outa Buffalo * Carlos Cumpion, March Abrazo Press * Kyle Dakota, Ism Studios * Jeffrey Donaldson, 5th Panel Comics * Matt Feazell, Creator of Amazing Cynicalman * Kathleen Flinn, Editor, Microsoft, Founding Editor, Internet Underground Magazine * Richard Gage, Illinois Arts Council * Jose Garibaldi, Mad Terrorist Press * Scott Gilbert, True Artist Tales * Jenni Grover, Buffalo Speedway * Mary Hackett, Plastic Ass * Christian Hansen, A-Zone * Melyssa Harmon, Columnist, Virtually Alternative Magazine * Dan Heise, Rising Star Productions * Don Humbertson, Advertising Director, Chicago Reader * Greg Hyland, Creator of Lethargic Lad * Dorothy Kavka, Evanston Publishers * Terry LaBan, Creator of CUD * Batton Lash, Creator of Wolff & Byrd * Haki Madhubuti, Poet and Teacher, Chicago State University, Third World Press * Maria McCray, 1996 Chicago Poetry Slam Team * Eric Miller, Circle Studios * Erica Miller-Mahin, Crimson Studios * Marc Moscato * Josh Neufeld, Creator of Keyhole * Mark Oakley, Creator of Thieves & Kings * Raphael Nieves, Moonstone * Frances Calloway Parks, Writer and Teacher, Chicago State University * Peter Pavement, Editor and Publisher, Bypass Magazine (British equivalent to Factsheet Five * Paul Pope, Creator of THB * Ernest Posey, Taurus Publishing * Mark Ricketts, Caliber, Nowheresville * Don Simpson, Creator of Bizarre Heroes * Jay Stephen, Creator of Land of Nod * Mark Thompson, Cold Cut Distribution/Slave Labor * J.Torres/Tim Levin, Creators of Copybook Tales * Cheryl Townsend, Poet and Bookstore Owner, Impetus Press * Michel Vrana, Black Eye * Britton Walters, MOO Juice * Chris Ware, Creator of Acme Novelty Library * Rodd Winscott, President, Newsweb Corporation * Joe Zabel, American Splendor * and many more Hotel/Travel Arrangements: Please Contact: Andrea Ducasse Edgewater Travel 5701 N. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL 60660 1-800-284-0887, Fax 312-784-2703 Panel Discussions & Workshops: Seminar/Workshop Room Schedule (tentative) 10:15-11:15 Activism in Independent Press Batya Goldman, Christian Hansen, Richard Thieme 11:15-12:15 Funding Sources for Publication Jessica Abel, Don Humbertson, Richard Gage Kathleen Flinn, Dorothy 12:15-1:30 Production Workshop Kavka, Don Sinker, Rodd Winscott 1:30-2:30 Comic Art Workshop Amy Ahlstrom, Terry LaBan (tent.), Don McQuay Melyssa Harmon, Tim 2:30-4:00 Marketing/Promotion/Distribution Brown, Peter Pavement, Tim Gagne 4:00-5:00 Writing Workshop Francis Callaway Parks Auditorium Schedule (tentative) 10:00-11:00 Open Mic Poetry Ed Layer, emcee 11:00-12:00 Open Mic Poetry/Video Dan Weinberg, videographer, emcee Haki Madhubuti (1/2 hr.), Maria McCray (1/2 hr.), 12:00-2:00 Featured Poets Carlos Cumpion (1/2 hr.), Kathleen Schandalmeier emcee 2:00-3:30 Bizarre Heroes Universe Slide Don Simpson, Presentation creator/narrator 3:30-4:45 Open Mic Dan Weinberg/Batya Goldman WANTED: send biographies, samples and sketches (No returns policy, SEND COPIES ONLY) 1. Indie film/video; i.e. documentary, spoken work, animation, instructional, animation for live screening. 2. Performance poets and hip-hoppers and rappers, for live performances. 3. Taggers, to do live tagging on canvas walls. On the Internet: * http://www.redweb.com/upc-ice (You Are Here) * http://www.redweb.com/wraith/Cerebus/Spirits/chicago.html (ICE '95) * http://www.well.com/users/soapbox/upc95.html (UPC '95) * http://grove.ufl.edu/~jrm/comicexpo.html (@ Indy) Exhibition Packages: * All package prices include general admission, a ticket for the Bop Shop's Saturday Night Network Party, and at least 1 and up to 3 reviews of your publications/videos and films/CDs and tapes and your press listed in the publishers' index. The $uccessful Self Publisher by Dorothy Kavka and Dan Heise (UPC/ICE speakers), normally $19.95, is available to all exhibitors for $15 postage paid. * Tables are 8' x 30" * $30 - group (3 per table) * $45 - half table * $80 - full table U-Direct: * U-Direct will publish the program guide complete with a schedule of events, speaker's bios, picture and a listing of all exhibitors with their mailing info. U-Direct seeks submissions of comics, b&l;w art, poetry, fiction and cover art (4 colors). We also seek: interviews, articles, how-tos, resources and anything that pertains to independent/underground media. 25,000 copies will be printed and circulated to 500 locations Chicagoland by October 5. Open Mic Policy: * Anyone who wishes to read poetry may do so, but must sign up before our deadline. No charge, general admission applies to everyone attending and can be paid at the door. All open micer's will have up to 7 minutes. Open mic will be ongoing throughout the day in an area separate from the book sale. Saturday Night Network Party: * @ the Bop Shop, 1807 W. Division from 8pm on. Jazz, pool, networking. Must be 21 for this one, call 312/235.3232. 4 ways to register: 1. Internet @ UPC/ICE web site: http://www.redweb.com/upc-ice/register.html 2. Snail mail, make check payable to: Mary Kuntz Press POB 476617 Chicago, IL 60647-6617 3. In person @ Chicago Comics (credit cards accepted) 3244 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60657 4. By phone @ Chicago Comics, 312/528-1983 (credit cards accepted) Ask about getting your zine or comic in the store too! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] ATTENTION! PUBLISHING PRESENTS DOCTOR CYBORG First Collaboration of Wheatley & Hempel since Award Winning Breathtaker "THE TRUTH IS IN HERE!" That's the first words you will hear from DOCTOR CYBORG researcher and author Allan Gross. And he means it. "Never mind alien autopsies. This is the real thing. And this November, the world will see why DOCTOR CYBORG may be the most unique comic ever created. For legal reasons and fear concerning my personal safety, I can't tell you everything," says Gross, "but I can tell you that when the truth behind DOCTOR CYBORG is finally revealed, it will change the way the public views comic books." Gross explains that DOCTOR CYBORG is a true piece of expository literature. Each issue of this limited series will contain a separate story relating to an actual real life conspiracy. These range from the nuclear fallout from government testing that ravaged the Nevada desert in the 1950s to cover-ups surrounding new evidence from ancient biblical writings. The stories are all based on fact and presented through the eyes of Malcolm Syberg -- the man the government came to call Doctor Cyborg. A man whose existence has since been erased from the public record! If all of this sounds unbelievable, you're not the only one who thought so. When Gross first brought the evidence for the stories behind DOCTOR CYBORG to comic veterans Mark Wheatley and Marc Hempel, they thought he was crazy. It wasn't until they saw the ten years worth of research he had performed that they knew this story had to be told. Although busy with their own self-publishing efforts of Radical Dreamer and TUG & buster, they agreed to help. They realized that comics allowed a unique forum to bring this to public notice without the danger of censure by the forces that would prefer for this muckraking epic to be silenced. The art work for DOCTOR CYBORG has been in production over the last couple of years with Wheatley and Hempel squeezing in time between their own self-publishing efforts and work they have been doing for D.C. Comics. "Yeah, Al would bring me the script and I'd pencil a page whenever I had a chance, here or there -- usually THERE", said Hempel, pointing to the bathroom. Marc Hempel was the artist for Vertigo's acclaimed SANDMAN: THE KINDLY ONES. "I've learned a lot doing this project, " said Wheatley, "like how many days I can work without a vacation." In addition to the latest Radical Dreamer story, "Forbidden Knowledge", Mark Wheatley is currently working on a two part LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT story. Insight Studios regular Damon Willis (Aliens, Out of the Vortex) fills out the talent on this project, doing the lettering and black and white toning that gives this book all the charm of color -- maybe more. It is worth noting that Wheatley and Hempel are no strangers to revolutionary projects. Their collaboration on Breathtaker was a driving force behind the Vertigo line. And they see a similar reaction possible from DOCTOR CYBORG. There is little doubt that it is destined to become one of the most controversial books of all time. On the surface, the book appears to be an X-files type adventure, based on a cold war journal surrounding the life of little known cybernetics developer Dr. Malcolm Syberg. And it works on this level. The reader who is only interested in a good story will enjoy reading this book. "Conspiracy theory for the whole family," Gross jokes. But there's more! Much more. You can learn many of the secrets concerning the research that yielded this story from the free preview issue of DOCTOR CYBORG. It has being distributed at conventions and through DIAMOND to all comic retailers this month. It will also be available at the Small Press Expo in Washington D.C. and the New York Comic Con later this month. While supplies last, other interested parties can get one directly from ATTENTION! PUBLISHING. The ash can should convince you that DOCTOR CYBORG will cause critical re- examination of comics, perhaps even in their role in society. Gross freely admits to fictionalizing the events in order to allow publication before powerful forces attempt to suppress it. However, Gross also provides clues and keys to solving the ciphers and parables which allow the reader to unlock the truths hidden within. He warns it is not easy, as he has learned from the masters, such as Francis Bacon, who hid his name in the works of Shakespeare, and the Essenes, whose hidden messages in the Dead Sea Scrolls shed new light on the Christian gospels. And Gross doesn't just claim government conspiracy, he vows to outline the actual methods they use and how the "scientific Mafia" and other forces collaborate to suppress knowledge. "These things are in the public record, if you know where to look. And I'm going to show the world!" asserts Gross. When not scanning the internet or pouring over obscure scientific journals and government records to research DOCTOR CYBORG, Gross is busy penning Tarzan for Dark Horse Comics. A long time Burroughs Bibliophile, Gross' four part series, Tarzan and the Legion of Hate will be published starting in January of 1997 as part of the Tarzan ongoing series. In addition to Nazis, Tarzan will be battling his own racist image in Africa. This landmark Tarzan story finally examines this controversial issue, a topic crying out for attention. "It was fun doing fiction," Gross says, but make no mistake, DOCTOR CYBORG is Gross' true love, "It's not just a job, it's an obsession. I've sacrificed nearly everything -- money, time -- you name it, to get this to the public. That's how important I think it is. I just hope someone's paying attention." ATTENTION! PUBLISHING will be publishing DOCTOR CYBORG on a bi-monthly basis as a six part limited series beginning in NOVEMBER. Contact ATTENTION! PUBLISHING at 7844 St. Thomas Drive, Baltimore, MD 21236. insight@clark.net (Attention! Publishing) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] New Comic Book Releases List by Charles LePage NCRL: New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, September 18, 1996, compiled by Charles LePage. This is the preliminary list and is not complete. The complete list is posted weekly, usually Monday evening, at rec.arts. comics.info, http://www.america.net/~cslepage/ncrl.html, and Compuserve's Comics Publishers Forum. PLEASE NOTE- Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. Let me know if any of the names or numbers are wrong. "TPB" means "trade paperback". "AA" means "available again". "S/N" means "signed/numbered". PUBLISHER TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER, PRICE IN U.S. DOLLARS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ACCLAIM All New Armed & Dangerous #4 (of 4), 2.95 All New Bad Eggs #4 (of 4), 2.95 ARCHIE Jughead #87, 1.50 Pals N Gals Double Digest #22, 2.75 Sabrina The Teenage Witch #1, 1.50 Scooby Doo #15, 1.50 Sonic The Hedgehog #41, 1.50 BIG Mickey Spillane's Mike Danger #6, 2.25 CRUSADE Dogs Of War #2 (of 3), 2.95 Lethargic Lad #3 (of 3), 2.95 Shi: The Way Of The Warrior #9, 2.95 Tomoe/Witchblade: Fire Sermon #1, 3.95 Who Is The Crooked Man #1 (of 4), 3.50 DARK HORSE Art Adams Creature Feature TPB, 13.95 Big Blown Baby #2 (of 4), 2.95 Black Pearl #1 (of 5), 2.95 Classic Star Wars: Devilworlds #2 (of 2), 2.50 Chronowar #2 (of 9), 2.95 Gamera #2 (of 4), 2.95 Godzilla #16, 2.95 Rocketeer: Cliff's NY Adventure TPB, 9.95 Star Wars: Boba Fett- When The Fat Lady Swings, 3.95 DC Action Comics #727, 1.95 Amber: The Guns Of Avalon #2 (of 3), 6.95 Aquaman #26, 1.75 Artemis: Requiem #6 (of 6), 1.75 Aztek The Ultimate Man #4, 1.75 Batman & Robin Adventures #12, 1.75 Batman: Shadow Of The Bat Annual #4, 2.95 Big Book Of Hoaxes TPB, 14.95 Blood: A Tale #1 (of 4), 2.95 Detective Comics #703, 1.95 Dreaming #6, 2.50 Final Night #3 (of 4), 1.95 Gemini Blood #3, 2.25 Heroes #6 (of 6), 2.50 Lobo #33, 2.25 Lobo: Death & Taxes #2 (of 4), 2.25 Looney Tunes #26, 1.75 Parallex: Emerald Night #1, 2.95 Preacher Special: Saint Of Killers #4 (of 4), 2.50 Sandman Mystery Theatre #44, 2.50 Superboy #33, 1.95 Total Justice #3 (of 3), 2.25 Wise Son The White Wolf #1 (of 4), 2.50 DIVERSITY Alpha Korps #1, 2.50 GEMSTONE Crime Suspenstories #17, 2.50 Frontline Combat #6, 2.50 Haunt Of Fear #17, 2.50 Overstreets Fan #17, 4.50 GLADSTONE Donald Duck Adventures #41, 1.50 GRYPHON RAMPANT Syrenniel #2, 2.95 HIGH IMPACT Raptus: Dead Of Night #1, 2.95 IMAGE Big Bang Comics #4, 2.50 Bone #11 (reprint), 2.95 Brass #2, 2.50 Curse Of The Spawn #1, 1.95 Cyberforce #27, 2.50 DV8 #1, 2.50 Defcon 4 #4, 2.50 Gen 13 #13A, 1.30 Glory #15, 2.50 Grifter #3, 2.50 Hazard #5, 1.75 Newmen #21, 2.50 Spawn Bible #1, 1.95 Supreme #42, 2.50 Witchblade Collected Edition #3 (of 4), 4.95 MARVEL Adventures Of Spider-Man #8, 0.99 Excalibur #103, 1.95 Incredible Hulk #447, 1.50 Iron Man #1 (Heroes Reborn), 2.95 Iron Man: The Legend #1, 3.95 Prime #12, 1.50 Punisher #13, 1.50 Spider-Man #74, 1.95 The Amalgam Age Of Comics TPB #1, 12.95 What If? #91, 1.50 X-Man #21, 1.95 X-Men #58, 1.95 X-Men: Rise Of Apocalypse #2, 1.95 MAXIMUM Avengeblade #2, 2.99 Dark Chylde #3, 2.99 NBM Justine TPB #1 (new printing), 10.95 SIRIUS Dawn #4, 2.95 SLAVE LABOR Milk & Cheese #666 (2nd printing), 2.75 TOPPS X-Files Special Edition #4, 4.95 X-Files Annual #2, 3.95 X-Files Season One #1, 3.95 VIZ Adolf Vol. IV Days Of Trinity Hardback, 21.95 Animerica Vol. IV #9, 4.95 Maison Ikkoku Part VI #2 (of 11), 2.95 Viz-In Vol. VIII #9, free ZOO ARSONIST Red Calloway's Big Bang #4 (of 4), 3.95 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [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. 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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 -------------------------------------------------------------- -- 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 Alpha's Attic Tacoma WA 206-272-8083 Robert Richards Area 51 Tacoma WA 206-538-9435 Paul Powloski -- 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!! Who threw those pies?? {]====---- {]====---- {]====----