------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE - ISSUE NUMBER 79 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 FREE 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] Keep up with DePace ................... Michael DePace [5] Imboden of Iniquity ................... M!ke Imboden [6] Just In ............................... Justin Steiner [7] Rich's Revelations .................... Richard Johnston [8] REVIEWS: SINNAMON; FASTLANE ILLUSTRATED David LeBlanc [10] 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 A brief word on my comments about Savage Dragon #31 last time. It turns out that dealers were told about the *clean* and *naughty* versions in a Diamond newsletter or flyer included in with the books. From what I gather Erik has pretty much said he realized he would get some people mad, but too bad - you know, his normal attitude. I think he is confusing free speech and his rights as a creator with common sense and good business. The dealers I asked opinions from said they had to guess which version to put in subscription pulls or decided case by case as kids came to the counter whether to sell them the one they picked up; that is the dealers who hadn't run out of a version. You see, he took the decision of how many of each type to buy away from his paying dealers, not good business. Then he rubs their nose in it with a "tough luck" comment. Sorta like spitting at the umpire. Oh, well. Did anyone catch the Bizarro World episode of Seinfeld this week? "Me so happy, me could cry!" Bwa Ha ha ha! I've got so much stuff in this issue I did not want to overcrowd the reviews so I am saving another ACCLAIM preview review until next time. This time you can read about Body Bags, two new Homage comics - Astro City and Leave it to Chance, and two old favorites Sinnamon and Fastlane Illustrated. PLUS, M!ke has another new title and a contest for everyone. And Rich Johnston has more revelations. On our Web Page, check out the preview art to Gen13 Bootleg and the NEXT Homage project just announced from the guys who made the Punisher mini-series, Steven Grant and Mike Zeck. A wicked awesome Dark Knight poster for the 10th anniversary plus other new photos as well. Check it out sometime. So without further ado, and before I am off to a bachelor party at Bibbo's, here is CBEM #79 . . . David LeBlanc [ComicBkNet@aol.com] Editor The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [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. +++++ Date: 96-09-29 13:07:51 EDT From: jimwelch@portal.ca (Jim Welch) To: ComicBkNet@aol.com I got one. I finally got one. However, since I probably won't be the first I might as well include a letter to the editor as well. But first thing's first! [see trivia section below - D.L.] Now the letter. In a previous editorial, you mentioned the pleasures of buying comics on road trips. I travel quite a bit in my job and I agree. Business travel tends to be very boring. I usually spend most of the day with the customer and when I get back to the hotel it's usually too late to do anything. Getting a comic book is the way I treat myself. I check the telephone book for comic stores. This can be really challenging if I am in someplace like Zurich or Geneva or Stockholm. I get a per diem instead of claiming straight expenses for meals and incidentals. Grabbing a meal at a place like McDonald's means money for comics and gifts. My treasures include some golden age Canadian comics from a convention in Charlotte, the leather-bound Complete Frank Miller Batman collection, silver-age Batmans from my childhood and others. If I am across the ocean, I try to find something unique and local to the area. I have a copy of Laderlappen (Swedish, directly translates to Leatherman, is Batman) from Stockholm, some BDs from Geneva, some Perry Rhodans from Zurich. Zurich was really interesting for a number of reasons. The best comic book store was located in 'the bad part of town' only two blocks away from a brothel. There, I picked up an English translation of Ironfist Chin Mi put out by Bloomsbury Books in London. This is a great manga series and is printed manga format (back to front). It was cheap too -- only 10 SFr (about 9 US$). Can't find the subsequent books in series in North America. Pity. Oh well, I have a trip to the UK pending. Maybe I can find it then. ################################################## Jim Welch and Family jimwelch@portal.ca ################################################## [Thanks for writing in Jim, good to know I am not the only scavenger on road trips. => ] +++++ [TRIVIA CONTEST] Last week's trivia question: >Dick Grayson is the 3rd Nightwing. Name the other two. From: "Jim, Master of Comics" Superman was first. After that, some guy from Kandor. Nor-Van? Jim, Master of Comics Comic Madness smiv@primenet.com 3277-L Grand Avenue Chino Hills, CA 91709 universo@lsh.org (909) 590-5949 +++++ From: jimwelch@portal.ca (Jim Welch) I got one. I finally got one. However, since I probably won't be the first I might as well include a letter to the editor as well. But first thing's first! The first one is Superman. This was a Batman-type identity he took up in the bottled city of Kandor. Jimmy Olson was Flamebird, his Robin-like sidekick. The second was a Kandorian scientist called Van-Zee (Or is that Van-Zed in Canada :) [you are right, you weren't the first! :) ] +++++ From: U-KnOwHo Just a wild guess .... Jason Todd and Tim Drake. Tee Yong +++++ From: gerbil@aztec.asu.edu (KEITH OBRIEN) Generally I answer the trivia questions that I can think of while reading (ie, no long delving through the memory or comics). So I can not remember the name of the second nightwing, though I do remember that he was a Kal-el double living in Kandor. The first was, of course, Kal-el himself with pal Jimmy Olsen as Flame Bird. The Keith gerbil@aztec.asu.edu +++++ From: jsacks@juno.com (Jason Sacks) The first Nightwing was Superman who teamed up with Flamebird (I think that was Batman but it might have been Jimmy) in the Bottle City of Kandor. The second Nightwing and Flamebird were actual residents of Kandor who solved crimes there - kind of like Batman& Robin of the bottle city. So who will be Dick's Flamebird? Or do you suppose Starfire is as close as they'll get to that corny name? Jason _____ Jason Sacks, Central Mailer for Apa Centauri For more information about Apa Centauri, contact me or go to: http://www.mi.net/dialin/marshall/ac.htm [Sorry Jason but the task was to NAME the person who used the identity. The winner came in minutes later with both names] From: nexus1 The first Nightwing was Kal-El, also known as Superman (or Mr. Lois Lane). The second Nightwing was Van-Zee, a Kandorian scientist. Comic fans, check out my page at http://soho.ios.com/~nexus1/ which features the cover to the upcoming Cap/Batman team-up, cover to the Robin/Batgirl special ThrillKill, and a large section on comic news. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What character, who has been published by 4 companies, first appeared in the pages of RUST? 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. SMASH Magazine broke this one just 2 days ago: ROB LIEFELD VS. IMAGE COMICS: ROUND 2 ROB LIEFELD FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST IMAGE COMICS October 3 -- On October 2, 1996, Rob Liefeld, Rob Liefeld, Inc., Extreme Studios, Inc., and Maximum Press filed a lawsuit against Image Comics, Inc., Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino and Marc Silvestri in the Orange County Superior Court. The complaint seeks the recovery of $1,000,000.00 based on claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, conversion, libel, slander, and interference with contract. "For the past two months, I have been trying to resolve my differences with Image Comics in a reasonable manner," says Extreme Studios President Rob Liefeld. "They have responded to my efforts by engaging in actions that I believe are designed to smear my reputation and drive me out of business. On September 20, 1996, Image Comics refused to pay amounts due from the sale of our comic books. Despite my efforts over the last few weeks, I have been unable to convince Image Comics to pay these amounts. This has left us with no choice but to commence this lawsuit." +++++ There is a rumor circulating around that Spawn, or an actor playing him if you want to get technical, will be on "Third Rock from the Sun" this Sunday, October 6th on NBC at 8:00 - same time as the wedding of Lois & Clark. . . AND UPN is having a two hour STAR TREK anniversary special from 8-10! and of course there is NFL football (Uh, *what* debate?) +++++ The Comic Cafe reports that Variety magazine has verified that Marvel will announce the FANTASTIC FOUR movie, directed by Chris Columbus, is a go. Scripted by Michael France (CLIFFHANGER) it will be big budget for a summer 1998 release. Preproduction is to begin after "Jingle all the Way" starring AH-NOLD is finished. . . and word is that Marvel has bought a major Italian comic distributor and Marvel Italia will publish SPAWN in a 48 page per month format. +++++ Fabian Nicieza is going to be too busy to continue writing Virtual Comics new series "The 6" which starts in November. Danny Fingeroth, Virtual's Editor in Chief, has signed Louise Simonson to co-write issue #2 with Fabian and then take over solo with issue #3. "The 6" is the story of a half-dozen humans who find themselves imbued with amazing powers as a result of the explosive demise of a hero known as The Blast. As one of Virtual Comics' kickoff trio of titles it is illustrated by Greg Luzniak and Andy Lanning. +++++ Beeper Casings -- A Licensing First -- From Marvel Comics and Ricton NEW YORK, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Get ready for on-call action -- alerted at a moment's beep or buzz with the first licensed beeper casing from Marvel comics and Ricton! Ricton, a South San Francisco-based specialist in colored housing has created a plastic molded case with eight of your favorite Marvel Super Heroes screened onto the surface. Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Beast, Punisher, Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider will equip you for round-the-clock communiques and contact. The cases will be available at cellular phone stores and major paging wholesalers and retailers across the United States in October of '96. At $12.95 (suggested retail price), they're the ideal gift for comic book enthusiasts, collectors and the truly connected! Since 1991, Ricton Company has been the source for pager accessories and repair parts for the paging retailer and wholesaler. With manufacturing facilities located in Hong Kong and China, Ricton is one of the first companies exclusively dedicated to the pager accessory market. +++++ From this week's CSNsider in Comic SHop News #485, lots of stuff we already told you about, plus . . . Savage Dragon visits the Topps Universe when Mars Attacks the Savage Dragon in a four issue limited series starting in December. The Martians capture old fin head and take him back to Mars . . . Villa of the Mysteries comes your way in December from Mack White and Fantagraphics. . . DV8 trading cards are coming from Wildstorm in November with 90 cards done by an all star lineup of creators. . . also coming is the Wildstorm Ultimate Sports Trading Cards featuring Wildstorm comic book characters involved in a variety of sports. . . Agony Acres has been expanded from 4 issues to 5. . . Evil Ernie Vs. the Movie Monsters in January and then late in 97 he'll be in a 9 part "Quest for Nukes". . . the Mark Gruenwald project, Official Timeline of the Marvel Universe, has been cancelled for now though talk is it will be revived late next year. . . The painted series "OINK" by John Mueller will be out in trade paperback in November and will include a sneak peek of the next series, Blood & Circus. . . the long awaited ZOT! Book One is coming out in November with a new cover by creator Scott McCloud and all new full colors by Denis McFarling. . . Don Pendleton's "The Executioner" will be in a graphic Novel this fall written by Linda Pendleton. . . Adventures of Superman #540 (Final Night - Ferro) sold out in spite of heavy over printing, expect more high sales with the wedding next week AND DC is making the WEDDING ALBUM available on MONDAY October 7th to come out closer to the TV Wedding. . . the author of AKA Goldfish and JINX, Brian Michael Bendis, is working on a hush hush project for Marvel. . . how about a $10, 11 X 17 limited edition, 2500 copy painting from Chaos of Lady Death and her steed, Vasago? The Joe Jusko work will be available in December. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Keep up with DePace by Mike DePace BODY BAGS #1 Dark Horse Comics (Blanc Noir) MATURE READERS Story & Art: Jason Pearson Body Bags is the classic tale of medieval knights in shining armor and damsels in distress who live happily ever aft... no, actually it's a story about bounty hunters and violence, violence, and more violence. It has a Stray Bullets/Hitman/Pulp Fiction type of brutality to it with a little satire thrown in for spice. Clownface, the protagonist, is a big, menacing bounty hunter who wears a smiley face for a mask (very cool). The story begins with his quest for revenge against Janus, a "pretty boy" rival bounty hunter. Janus, in an effort to reduce the "body bagging" competition, destroyed Clownface's office and attacked his friends. Pops is Clownface's seasoned prot‚g‚ in the bounty hunter business who also has a debt to pay to Janus for killing his woman friend and attempting to kill him. The second story arc in this first issue deals with Panda. She's a teen with "much attitude" and the fierceness to back it up. Her story basically deals with her plane ride to visit her father. On the plane Panda doesn't take crap from the passengers or flight attendants. The best example of this is when a spoiled rich kid groped her and ended up having the flight attendants pick up his teeth for him. The story didn't have much depth to it. But it was an easy read and somewhat entertaining. The violence was prevalent and sometimes shocking (and that's something coming from me!). Pearson's comedic interjections were humorous with an interesting O.J. joke and a cool confrontation between Clownface and Janus ("By dose! You cud off by dose!" - priceless). The artwork was intriguing, but it was not my cup of tea. At times it was a little too cartoonish for me but it complemented Pearson's storytelling style. I'm not a big fan of the manga "big eyes and feet" genre that's been becoming more prevalent. However, I did like the art work for Clownface. There's something very appealing about the whole character. If you like Stray Bullets or Hitman you might give this one a try, but don't expect the brilliance of Lapham or Ennis. What do you think? Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you. mdepace@aol.com ;^) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] IMBODEN of INIQUITY -by M!ke Imboden A quick note to all Prize Pak(c) winners: You should be getting them soon. I was out of those cushy mailers and kept forgetting to buy more until a couple days ago when I finally had some time off for work. So rest assured, they're coming. (Then again, they're free so who can really complain if it takes me a while to get off my butt and take them to the post office?) Don't forget, we still don't have a final name. Send in your suggestions today to get a shot at a jumbo sized Prize Pak(c). Opinions are like copies of the multi-covered (A-E) Jim Lee X-MEN comic - everyone has one. The only difference being that some people might actually want your opinions. Well, unsolicited as they may be, here are mine on what I think are some titles worth reading. Broadway Comics. I'd list the titles but frankly I have a hard time remembering what they're calling them this week. Well, there's FATALE - that's remained constant at least. But that's my only complaint on Jim Shooter's latest crack at the publishing thing. What I've seen so far reminds me of the early Valiant stuff. It isn't great stuff, but it's better than most of what's out there. STRANGEHAVEN. Published quarterly I believe. My store stiffed me on the fourth issue (more on that in a minute), so I'm a little behind (but when I grow up......). This is hard to describe except that it's a little like Twin Peaks. The art is really nice and the story with secret sects (sects, not sex!), odd characters and good pacing make this one of my favorite books. OPTIC NERVE. Originally a self-published thing from Adrian Tomine, it's now published by Drawn & Quarterly. Each issue has a few short stories that are always compelling in one way or another. The art is nice, not excellent and at times a little distracting, but 95% of the time it's just right. The stories themselves are very realistic - it seems like you could either experience these things yourself or know someone who has. I dunno, I hate trying to review things. I'm better at just sitting back and saying things like "This book kicks ass!" or what have you. ASTRO CITY, BONE and STRANGERS IN PARADISE are all worth reading. But they've been reviewed and touted for eons now, so I won't bother. I will just say that the scariest thing about all these books is that they are now all published by IMAGE!?!?! LEAVE IT TO CHANCE (also by Image!) looks like fun. TUG & BUSTER is fun and James Robinson's STARMAN is quite well done. PREACHER is, well, Preacher. Along with HITMAN this is on top of my reading pile whenever it comes out. STRAY BULLETS is cool and UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN is the best Marvel book on the stands. As far as "old" stuff goes, THE TICK, THE TROUBLE WITH GIRLS and ULTRA KLUTZ are all worth hunting down. First run TICKs are nigh-impossible to find, but the reprints are just as good if not better. (avoid the icky Karma Tornado thing that NEC pawned off on us a couple years back. Demand the real TICK). Trouble w/ Girls is action at it's best. Not the chumpy version that was part of Marvel's HEAVY HITTERS a few years ago, no sir, we want the old black and white stuff by Entity and maybe the few color issues by Comico. And Ultra Klutz can be found collected into a mammoth trade paperback. I'm not sure who's handling creator-extraordinaire Jeff Nicholson's stuff these days but his Father and Son mini series was published by Kitchen Sink, so I'd start there. Also check out Nicholson's THROUGH THE HABITRAILS. A fine, fine piece of work if I may say so myself. Holy Moley! That took longer than I expected. I'll get to the whole comic store thing next week, I want to make sure there's room to announce my big contest! I will say one thing now, though. If I'm buying stuff at your store and I regularly buy something non-mainstream (like the aforementioned STRANGEHAVEN), please make sure you order it when it's solicited. So I'm the only one who buys it? So what, you know then it's at least a guaranteed sale. Grrrrr. More next week. Before I announce the contest I have to mention this. Last week I jokingly pointed out Ray Palmer's "dirty" quote in the first issue of the new Teen Titans. Well, this past week in the second issue Palmer goes two for two with another penis (can I say that here?), reference. While changing his size to accomplish something Ray thinks to himself "And who says size doesn't matter?". Can The Atom "keep it up" and go three issues in a row? We'll all find out soon enough. Now, the contest. It's easy enough. Take a picture of yourself, well, have someone else take the picture, in your best Halloween costume, scan it and send it to me as an attachment. Before sending it I suggest making the size something like 320x200 or thereabouts with no more than 256 colors. Otherwise, it will be huge and when you try to send it it will take forever. The deadline will be the 28th of October right in time for Halloween. I will then decide on the winner and, if he's willing, David will stick the winning photo on the CBN web page for the entire world to see! What will you win? Not much I'm afraid. But like I always say, who can argue with free stuff? Probably some comics and other goodies and anything else I can find lying around. This week's title comes from Keith O'Brien and was the best play on words that I received. In fact, now that I look at it, I might just make IT the winner. Then again I've been known to change my mind quicker than Wally West changes his clothes so it's still up in the air. I've gotta run, there's a wedding in the works. Until next week, I am still M!ke !mboden (cambot@ix.netcom.com) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Just In by Justin Steiner jsteiner@netnitco.net No chitchat this week; straight to the reviews... KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY #1 (Volume 2) $2.50. 24 pgs. Written by Kurt Busiek, Penciled by Brent Anderson, Inked by Will Blyberg, Cover by Alex Ross. Published by Homage Comics, 7910 Ivanhoe, Suite 438, LaJolla, CA 92037. This issue marks the long-awaited return of ASTRO CITY, last year's Eisner Award winner for "Best New Series," "Best Single Issue," and "Best Cover Artist." If you aren't familiar with this series, fear not. Kurt Busiek has structured this issue to be completely accessible to new readers. The story begins with Marcy Doerr doing interviews for the KAST-TV "Roving Report." She (and we) are introduced to Ben Pullam, who, along with his daughters, is spending his first day as a resident of Astro City. The conversation between reporter and resident is interrupted by the super-hero Samaritan and his (brief) battle against the Iron Legion. Busiek then gives us a tour of the city through the eyes of Pullam and his daughters to reintroduce us to the world of Astro City, from its architecture to its history to its colorful crime-fighters. Before the day is through, however, the city is threatened by the angry storm god Thunderhead. The heroes, of course, turn out to face this foe. Ben turns to the television to find out what is occurring and the scene shifts to those responsible for the coverage. And what we find in those scenes is there are heroes out and about, protecting the city at ground level while their brethren are fighting Thunderhead: Jack-In-The-Box, Quarrel, and Crackerjack are protecting against looters; Hanged Man keeps watch over Shadow Hill; Gentleman saves a traffic helicopter; Nightingale and Sunbird deal with the criminal element. All of this is brought to you by the solid art team of Brent Anderson and Will Blyberg and the wonderful coloring of Alex Sinclair. The pages come alive under the steady craftsmanship of these gentleman. Add expressive lettering by Comicraft's John Gaushell and a stunning Alex Ross cover and you have one attractive package. Ultimately, it is the writing on ASTRO CITY that draws you in and won't let you go. Not only has Busiek created dozens of heroes that you immediately want to know more about but he has also created many "ordinary" citizens of the city in whom you become interested. Case in point, I would like to find out how the Pullam family is doing from time to time. As for the rest of the story, I don't want to give too much away. There is a final confrontation with Thunderhead and Marcy Doerr returns to finish her interview with Ben (and his answer has been in doubt during the course of the issue). This issue (and the previous six, which have been collected into a trade paperback by Homage Comics) form the groundwork for a series that can go in so many different directions and probably will. With the team of Busiek, Anderson, Blyberg, Gaushell, Sinclair, and Ross, the quality will definitely be high. And people say the super-hero genre is dead. LEAVE IT TO CHANCE #1 $2.50. 25 pgs. Written by James Robinson, Illustrated by Paul Smith. Published by Homage Comics, 7910 Ivanhoe, Suite 438, LaJolla, CA 92037. James Robinson is a critically-acclaimed writer, whose current work on DC's STARMAN is nothing short of brilliant. Paul Smith is a gifted artist who worked on Marvel's UNCANNY X-MEN years ago (among other things). And the two have previously teamed on DC's Elseworlds mini-series THE GOLDEN AGE. Now they combine their talents once again to bring us their creator-owned series LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. CHANCE is the story of Chance Falconer, daughter of Lucas Falconer, occult protector of the city Devil's Echo. Chance has just turned fourteen, the traditional age for a Falconer to begin training for the role of the protector. However, Lucas refuses to train her due to the fact that she is a girl. And as the title would suggest, Chance doesn't quite go along with her father's wishes. Before I go any further, I have to comment on Paul Smith's art. In short, it is fantastic. His line work is beautiful, whether drawing the denizens of Devil's Echo or outlandish creatures such as the demon Lucas battles at the outset of the issue. And Jeromy Cox's colors are the prefect complement for Smith. Robinson has cast Lucas Falconer as a Batman-type, complete with mansion and butler (Hobbs). However, Lucas is much more accessible to the public, press, and police. And Chance is a curious teenager who will get into lots of trouble, I'm sure. In fact, she runs into some at the end of the issue; she has set out to find the daughter of a shaman in a coma. Trust me, it makes sense when you read it. Robinson is crafting this series with an eye toward accessibility. There will be separate story arcs of this title and a potential reader will be able to jump on at any point without fear of getting lost. Knowing Robinson's work, however, I'm sure a familiarity with the series will add to its overall depth. In all, a delightful start to the story of the Falconers. I look forward to reading the rest of it and will probably not want to endure the hiatus months in between story arcs. That's okay, though. A quality comic book series is worth the time and money invested in it and this is one of those series. jsteiner@netnitco.net ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Rich's Revelations October Rich Johnston Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of Rich's Revelations. Back for a further episode. Before long, you should be able to get Rich's Revelations whenever you want, from the new Twist and Shout Comics Web Page. Mike and I are really going to design the page as a service to the comic internet as well as a plug machine. Okay, on with the column, usual plugs at the bottom. Titan has bought Manga Mania, firing everybody. With title like Mania and X-Files, there must be future for the company but no one knows what it is yet. Titan's new line of licensed mags seems a safe bet, but the quality threshold isn't as guaranteed. Look's like Scott's denial of X-plotlines (Revelations passim) may be off the ball. According to Marvel, Scott is the last person to know what is happening in the X-Men (maybe the colourist is kept in wait longer.) So look for deaths galore! Could Lee and Silvestri be moving in to take over Liefled's role if his titles fail to cause the correct impact? Artists to watch: Dave Ross, on Event's Thrax. Maximum's Pop Mhan,replacing Salvador LaRocca on Ghost Rider, as LaRocca joins Ben Raab on Excalibur. Twist and Shout's Mark Stafford. See below. Hulk/Pitt: Call Out called out in January, by David and Keown! We've heard about Tony Lobito's new company... but what will happen to Avengelyne? For Kathy Christian, Avengelyne model and ex-Vampirella model owns half the character. And she is Lobito's lady. So will Rob lose one of his more popular characters? X-Flies Bug Hunt 1 has been spotlighted Diamond. This is the first X-Flies with an actual plot. Fresh from their appearance in Topps' X-Files 20, the X-Flies are brimming with action- adventure potential. This book is a flip book with Mark Stafford's "Ain't We Got Fun" taking up the back 6 pages. There's more Dirtbag, more Bebe Williams' Cyber X-Flies, a veritable phasmagorical feast. People are saying my art is getting a lot better, and I've been getting giggles from people reading advances. Tell your retailer to get you a copy, 'cos these things fly off the shelves otherwise. Rich Johnston ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] REVIEWS by David LeBlanc SINNAMON #7 Catfish Comics (B & W) $2.75 ($3.40 CAN) (MATURE) 56 Clayhall Crescent, Downsview, Ontario, M3J 1W6 Story: Angelo Furlan Art: M. Gerald Delaney Inks: Nick Poliwko Long time readers will know that Sinnamon is my favorite Super Heroine and one of the better looking ones at that. You won't find a better cover artist than M. Gerald who has a superb talent for the painted posed portrait of sexy ladies. This may make his interiors seem a bit less dynamic than other artists, as was pointed out to me by someone drooling over my shoulder when I picked up this issue, but I think it is more a function of user larger panels and fewer of them per page that makes the action less fluid on certain pages. Be that as it may he captures the human form in a more realistic style than most artists selling many more books than this one. Each person is unique and he often will use famous celebrities as characters or in cameos which adds to the enjoyment of the book. Angelo tells a good story and has been weaving this one for over a year to get to this seventh issue. We have a heroine who is striking out on her own, hiding her past and trying to make sense of the other powered people out there who either want to kill her, recruit her, or get to know her >much< better. She is a vigilante whose secret is not too hard to figure out for one of the local cops, and since most of the police applaud her work she gets away with working outside the law. Meanwhile a bunch of lawless females want her to join their group, which has dissension in its ranks, and some ruthless criminals on their own are killing people and always manage to get away with it. Most of Sinnamon's success seems to be against the small timers and the subplots involving the worse criminals go on and on each issue. While this is fine for a monthly comic, in a quarterly publication it becomes annoying to see a little bit of each plot every 3 months while she either nails a minor criminal, fights another good guy, like Bruiser, or battles the major bad girls to a draw as they mange to escape. Angelo promises that all these threads are leading up to something big, and I know he will deliver, but I think he needs to pick up the pace a little to keep more interest. They are promising to go bi-monthly next year which should help in this regard so it is worth hanging in there for now. Some rumblings behind the scene at Catfish hint at big things on the horizon. Why not jump on and find out what it is all about. Back issues are readily available. See Catfish on the web at: http://www.thenerve2.com/catfish +++++ FASTLANE ILLUSTRATED #3 (full color) $2.50 ($3.50 CAN) Story and Art by: Franciso Ramirez Published by: Ramirez & Mitchell P.O. Box 36090, San Jose, CA 95158 CiscoRam@aol.com (back issues 1 & 2 are $2.50ea, #1/2 is $5 plus $1 S & H per book) I last reviewed this series in our issue #58 so for a better idea of the full background see that issue by surfing to our web page and the back issue list. This is a story of hot rods and extra-normals. We have people that possess super normal powers, like the ability to persuade people to commit suicide, or to tear apart and melt metal with bare hands and we have automobiles that are really beings from a future time, sent back to kill thousands of humans to redeem themselves. The story is moving along at breakneck speed with killings and tragedy page after page. This issue stands alone, if you know that much, and you can even surmise it from just reading this one issue. I think if you do you will want to get the back issues as well to get better acquainted with the players and background. This issue is a series of tragedies from mass killings to the main characters losing close friends while the plans of the mysterious future beings move ever on, though not always as planned. I am particularly impressed by the styles that Francisco blends with a traditional panel sequence to start, a nearly all text page in the middle, some softer edged panels blending into a very stylish but vague look at the beings in the future, back to panels at the end which go off parallel as tragedy strikes again. A two page cartoony "Dear Diary" story pops up as a surprise after the letter page in yet another change in mood. This is really a fascinating book, not only in the plot which is a few well crafted ideas moving toward a collision in issue number four, but also in the variety of styles that Francisco masters with seeming ease. My description does not do it justice. Comic Shop News lists this as coming out in October (I got an advanced copy a while back) so start asking your retailer to get you a copy or just send away yourself for the only hot rod comic on the stands today! You can reach them on the web as well, and sample some of the art, through the link on our page, or at: http://members.aol.com/ciscoram ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] New Comic Book Releases List by Charles LePage ncrl@fair.net NCRL: New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, October 9,1996 compiled by Charles LePage. This is the *preliminary* list and is not complete. The completed 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 * Titles with asterisks (*) are NOT verified by Diamond or Heroes World as having come out this week. ACCLAIM Grackle #2 (of 4), 2.95 ARCHIE Betty & Veronica Digest #85, 1.79 Betty & Veronica #107, 1.50 BIG Leonard Nimoy's Primortals #6, 2.25 BLACK EYE Dear Julia #2 (of 4), 3.50 BLACKOUT Lady Vampire Vs. Black Lace #1, 2.95 BONGO Bart Simpsons Treehouse Of Horrors, 2.50 CHAOS Cast Of Chaos Poster, 5.95 COMIC SHOP NEWS Comic Shop News #486, free CRUSADE Thundergod #2 (of 4), 2.95 Tomoe #1 (Fan Appreciation Edition), 2.95 Tomoe/Witchblade: Fire Sermon #1, 3.95 DARK HORSE Dark Horse Presents #114, 2.95 Gunsmith Cats: The Return Of Gray #3 (of 7), 2.95 Insider #11, free Predator: Dark River #4 (of 4), 2.95 Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi: Golden Age Of Sith #1, 2.95 DC Animaniacs #20, 1.75 Azrael #24, 1.95 Batman #537, 1.95 Batman Gordons Law #1 (of 4), 1.95 Black Lamb #2 (of 6), 2.50 Bloody Mary #3 (of 4), 2.25 Books Of Magic #31 , 2.50 Essential Vertigo: The Sandman #5 , 1.95 Green Arrow #115, 2.25 Hardware #45, 2.50 House Of Secrets #3 , 2.50 Impulse #20, 1.75 Legionnaires #43, 2.25 Lobo/Demon: Helloween #1, 2.25 New Gods #13, 1.95 Night Force #1, 2.25 Preacher Special Story Of You Know Who #1 (of 1), 4.95 Sandman The Kindly Ones Hardcover, 34.95 Sovereign Seven #17, 1.95 Sovereign Seven TPB, 12.95 Starman Annual #1, 3.50 Static #42, 2.50 Supergirl #4, 1.95 Superman The Wedding Album (collectors edition), 4.95 Superman The Wedding Album (standard edition), 4.95 Superman/Wonder Woman: Whom Gods Destroy #1 (of 4), 4.95 Tempest #2 (of 4), 1.75 DIVERSITY Alpha Korps #1, 2.50 EL CAPITAN Stray Bullets #8 (AA), 2.95 EVENT Ash: Fire Within #1, 2.95 FANTAGRAPHICS New Love #2 , 2.95 IMAGE Backlash/Spider-Man #2 (of 2), 2.50 Gen 13 #13B, 1.30 Hazard #6, 2.25 Kid Supreme #4, 2.50 Lady Supreme #3, 2.50 Shattered Image #2, 2.50 Spawn #53, 1.95 Spawn The Impaler #1, 2.95 Stormwatch #40, 2.50 Wetworks #21, 2.50 Youngblood #11, 2.50 KRAUSE Comic Buyer's Guide #1196, 2.95 MARVEL Amazing Spider-Man #418, 1.50 Avengers #2 (Heroes Reborn), 1.95 Essential X-Men TPB, 12.95 Ghost Rider #80, 1.50 Journey Into Mystery #504, 1.50 Professor X & The X-Men #14, 0.99 Spider-Man Unlimited #14, 2.95 Spider-Man: Redemption #4 (of 4), 1.50 Starlord #1 (of 3), 2.50 Untold Tales Spider-Man #16, 0.99 X-Factor #129, 1.95 MAXIMUM Asylum #8, 2.99 Avengelyne/Bible Revelations, 3.50 Priest #2, 2.99 SLEEPING GIANT Threshold #1 (of 2), 2.50 VEROTIK Black Angel Reprint, 9.95 Jaguar God #5 , 2.95 Satanika #5 , 2.95 VIZ Fatal Fury Poster, 9.95 Game On Usa Vol. I #6, 4.95 Manga Vizion Vol. II #10, 4.95 Riot Act II #7 (of 7), 2.95 Sanctuary Vol. VI Graphic Novel, 17.95 WELLS & CLARK Arcana #9, 2.25 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights SUBMISSIONS ----------- To submit an article, review, column, etc to our e-mag, simply post it in any ComicBook 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 ComicBook 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. 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 ComicBook Net, and other neat features like newly released comic book graphics, links to Jeff Mason's lists of Comic Book Company addresses and Comic Professionals Email addresses, plus other Comic Book related Web pages! LOCATING EMAG ISSUES -------------------- The latest issue is always available from all the systems linked into The ComicBook Network. You can also find the back issues at America Online, by going to Keyword: COMICS, then choose 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. COPYRIGHTS ---------- The Comic Book Net E-Mag is published by the many participants of The ComicBook 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 ComicBook Network. Except where elsewhere noted, The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine (CBEM) is Copyright 1996 by The ComicBook 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 ComicBook Network. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [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 ComicBook 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 ComicBook 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 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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!! A Congressman's worst nightmare is an informed citizen.