------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE - ISSUE NUMBER 91 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] Network Buzz........................... News, gossip & rumors [4] CSN Insider............................ Comic Shop News [5] MARVEL files Chapter 11 ............... PRNewswire [6] SUPERMAN 1997.......................... PREVIEWS [7] My View:INNOCENT BYSTANDER............. David LeBlanc [8] The Pen Is Mightier.................... Brian Matus [9] The Year in Review .................... Various sources [10] Red K Awards .......................... Comic Shop News [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 My favorite Christmas present: A bottle of ARMSTRONG ALE vintage 1993 brewed exclusively for VALIANT Comics, from the guys at "That's Entertainment" - the BEST comic and Collectibles store in the New England! On the racks this week, in case you missed them I recommend: X-O MANOWAR #3 SUPERMAN: WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW JUSTICE RIDERS THE INVISIBLES Vol. 2 #1 THE QUESTION RETURNS MARS ATTACKS THE IMAGE UNIVERSE (Just because I saw the movie-AK, AK!) VOLUNTEER COMICS WINTER LINEUP 96 #2 HILLY ROSE #8 Web site of the week: Are you a newsgroup reader and are sick of those Make Money Fast Schemes? So is this guy and he is doing something about it. Using the posters own messages he traces the message back to its origin and then picks one a week to expose and ridicule, mostly because these things are illegal not just annoying. Whether you agree that this is the correct thing to do the web site is a barrel of laughs so check it out: http://www.clark.net/pub/rolf/mmf/ The MMF Hall of Humiliation Speaking of Web Pages, I personally signed on to the Comic Book Net Home Page on Christmas Day as visitor #10,000!! It is good to see the response to our effort. In return I have changed the main page, and a couple more, to make them load faster and be easier to read. I would rather people get to what they want and be able to understand it than have all the latest bells and whistles and annoy the hell out of those who *don't* have a Pentium 200 and 32 Meg of memory. User friendly is much nicer. Besides I want to promote what we stand for, comic books, not the page itself. On the main page click the EVENT line for a listing of major CONVENTIONS scheduled for 1997. I welcome more details from any who have them. +++++ The following people have contributed material to the Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine during 1996. On behalf of all of us at CBN, the former editor, and all the readers who have been entertained by your efforts we extend heartfelt thanks and best wishes for the new year! In no particular order: Ryan Brewster Ward Batty & Cliff Biggers Michael Vance Chuck LePage Bobb Waller Andrew Troth Marc Sparks Rich Johnston Ronald Thomas Fleming Jeff Archer Matt High Michael Cross Francis Uy Nathan Bredfeldt Jim Murdoch John Keady Bill Hughes Joseph Torres M!ke !mboden Bill deHaan Justin Steiner Keith O'Brien G. Folland Karl Kindt Johanna Draper Angelo Furlan David Allikas Michael DePace Brian Babyok Bebe Williams Brian Matus Lonnie Johnson Scott Kuhn Sorry if I missed anyone. Here are some of the great products I have been introduced to this year through this mag and the generosity of the creators and publishers. I recommend all of them to our readers who can always search our back issues for reviews of these and other fine products. A great big thanks to everyone who mailed stuff for me to review. Moot Comics Dr. Wonder The Copybook Tales Hilly Rose Jack Split: Undergut Detective Innocent Bystander Fastlane Illustrated Steven's Comics Taboux Volunteer Comics Canus Manya Template Dr. Cyborg Acclaim's Valiant Heroes titles Vampirella Lives 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. +++++ From: The Keith Personally, I find having all the "boiler plate" stuff at the end the best place for it as I can skip it that way. My e-mail access is such that I have to go through screen by screen the entire message until it's over or I quit. The "boiler plate", the new comics list, the top 8 billion, and all that are stuff I don't want to read, so sticking them at the end means I WILL read the other stuff. Making me read through the stuff I don't want actually means I don't read any of it. [Good point Keith. I plan to keep the news and letters at the top, Statistics, new comic list at the end, and reviews and columns in the middle.] In non-comics related news, my new artistic venture is into rubber stamps. A tarot contact lead to doing some art for a gentleman who makes rubber stamps. The current crop can be seen at http://www.icanect.net/wolf/stamp.htm (I think) It's strange that my initial foray into trying a "big" project under my own initiative in the comics world was coordinating a funny animal tarot that, instead of leading to more comics stuff, keeps leading to more tarot stuff. The Keith gerbil@aztec.asu.edu +++++ Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 16:01:06 GMT From: Rich Johnston >Subj: Cerebus >Date: 96-12-11 17:53:49 EST >From: scott_kass@bus.emory.edu (Scott Kass) > >What other Cerebus stories (or appearances) exist besides those in the >phonebooks, current issues, cerebus #0, shi/cyblade, spawn #10, cerebus >world tour book 1995, cerebus jam, xombi #21 (believe it or not), and >tmnt #8? I know there were stories in the backs of cerebus bi-weekly and >swords of cerebus, but I am hoping that maybe they were collected >somewhere. Dirtbag 1 has a cover with Cerebus, drawn by Sim and Gerhard. He appears drawn by me in issue 3. Check out www.netgate.net/~twist Other appearances... there was a Cerebus story in CBG that never saw print, the CBG strips from ages ago were reprinted as a C Bi-weekly , the bi-weekly behind-the-scemnes won't be much reprinted. You're missing the Epic Illustrated Cerebus, the creation of Cerebus by Delirium in Sandman, and that's all just off the top of my head. The Cerebus Companion, issues 1 and 2 should help. Rich J +++++ Subj: self-publishing Date: 96-12-20 22:14:55 EST From: GSassaman To: ComicBknet David... Merry Christmas! Thought I'd add my own thoughts to the Lonnie Johnson/Robert Luedke "conversation". First of all, I think any admittedly-unknown self-publisher who decides to publish a COLOR COMIC in this market is just plain nuts. Your work can be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but without a name attached to it, or some massive Diamond push (small press snapshot, spotlight, hot flash, certified cool, whatever) you're not going to sell squat. You need to make a name for yourself with a black and white book and if word of mouth gets around, and you get a little success, then push for color. But stick your toe in the water first...don't jump in four-color. Your heart will stop. Personally, I do everything backwards. I decide a budget per issue and go from there. For IB3, I decided to spend around $2000. My printing bill (24 B&W pages, Color front and back covers) was $1400. I took an ad in PREVIEWS for $800. I'll be happy to sell 1,000 copies. I won't make my money back at that rate, and that's why I'm nuts, but I have a decent job and it enables me to do this a couple times a year. I plan to keep doing this like this for a few more issues and see if the book goes anywhere. You can't find an audience with 1 issue, just like TV can't find one with 5 or 6 weeks of shows. Everyone does NOT have that luxury, but there's a two-fold beauty to my plan: 1. I have the copies ready to ship when (and IF) I sell any...and 2. I can always go back to press if I just happen (oh, please God!) to sell out. I disagree with Robert about advertising. No one is going to buy advertising in an unproven book. Just because you print 5,000 doesn't mean you're going to sell 5,000 and most advertising sales are made on the basis of circulation. Without issues already published to show what the circulation is, you have nothing to sell and the advertisers have nothing to buy. Unless you can find some Broadway Angel to help you put on the show, forget it. From my experience...I sell to Diamond at 40% of cover price ($1.10 on a $2.75 book). I believe they sell it to retailers at 60% of cover price ($1.55 on a $2.75 book). So Diamond makes 45 cents everytime they sell an issue of IB. The retailer makes a $1.20. This may vary with different retailers who order huge amounts of product, but I think that's the way it works (although, I may have my %'s mixed up...business is never an artist's strong point). Recently, either someone said to me or I read somewhere, (maybe even here in ComicBkNet) that since the non-sports card market died, they've taken the money they normally used to buy cards for their store and used some of it to buy different comics, 1 or 2 or 3 or whatever of comics they wouldn't have bought before, just to see if they sell or not. They said they could buy 100 comics on what they used to spend per month on cards. That's what every retailer needs to do. They don't have to buy 100 comics. They have to look at what they buy and what they sell. Do they really need 40 IRON MAN or AVENGERS when 10 each month end up in back issues, never to move? Each retailer should buy between 1 and 5 new books a month, put 'em up and see what they do. If they don't sell, try 5 different ones next month. $10 a month on new books as opposed to $10 a month on books that they know don't sell. Although, I'm the first to admit that buying from most catalogs is like pin the tail on the donkey. It's a blind guess. Hopefully companies like the new emerging SYCO Distribution will remedy that, at least for the small press. Well, I've rattled on enough...that's my perspective. For what it's worth. -Gary Sassaman [Gary self-publishes Innocent Bystander under the Ollie Ollie Oxen Free imprint. Look for it, order it, buy multiple copies for friends, and mom. My review of the latest issue, which your dealer can order, is in this issue. AND, speaking of SyCo, here is an appeal direct from the man to us as they join our mailing list. . .] +++++ Subj: Request for assistance Date: 96-12-22 21:42:28 EST From: sycomics@erols.com (SyCo Distribution) To: comicbknet@aol.com Hello I am S.Robert Picone and I am chairman and CEO of SyCo Distribution. We are a new, totally independent friendly distributor, who will specialize in the sale and promotion of small press and independent comic books. We are putting out a catalog/magazine which is intended to showcase the independent comic book in an entertaining and informative package. Our initial release will be on April 1st with the inaugural edition of S.C.A.N.S.. We are in need of a few columnists to help us achieve our goal which is to put the smaller press books on an equal turf with the big guys. We offer to publishers a very inexpensive way to showcase their wares and offer a forum where everyone is equal. Our system is simple. We list ads and listings in strict alphabetical order by publisher name and no single publisher may purchase more than 5 pages of advertising in any single issue. It is imperative that we allow everyone, no matter how deep their pockets, to have the same playing field as others. We will offer to retailers what may have been asking for for years, limited returnability on a portion of their products, which will give them the opportunity to try different products and thus expose their customers to new and different books. We will not only carry future solicitations for products but we will also carry the back issue catalogs of all the publishers who choose to advertise with us.And we will only carry comic books and related material. We will not carry sports cards or other merchandise which could possibly lead to the products we care so deeply for, to be ignored and passed over. We pride ourselves in our service to both the publisher and the retailer. It will be a tough go at first to gain the confidence of the retailer but as time goes by , we will prove to be a reliable and user friendly distributor, with both publisher and retailer advisory boards so as we grow, we branch into the spaces where there is a hole in this monopolistic business that needs to be filled. We know that given the chance, SyCo and the products it represents will become mainstays and a driving force towards the recognition of what seem to be obviously ignored or just plain overlooked work. It is imperative that each one of the publishers we distribute and each one of the retailers we service give us feedback, for without it, how can we better the system. It has been brought to my attention on more occasions than I can recall lately that the system has got to change and that the small retailer and the small press publisher have the same rights to exposure and products as the larger more lucrative accounts. At SyCo, EVERYONE is just as crucial to us as the next, be it a retailer ordering 5 books or a publisher who only gets orders for 25 comics. In the current system, unless you meet a certain criteria, which at times is not easy, you could be threatened with loss of you ability to purchase product or if you are a publisher the possibility of the loss of the only outlet currently available to showcase your books. This is why, we have decided to enter the arena. We do not believe that anyone should have the right to say you cant buy that unless....(as long as they are a valid retailer) or " we'll your sales over the past three months do not meet with our quotas and you better increase your sales or we will have to discontinue distributing your books". As far as i know, there is only one spot on the cross and it is taken. We know we can help both the retailer and the publisher, if given the opportunity. Please advise your local retailer that and any publishers you might come in contact with, that there is a new kid on the block and he's SyCo. S.R.Picone SyCo Distribution email: sycomics@erols.com 703 492-8787 +++++ Date: 96-12-22 15:58:02 EST From: Plattzine A few quick responses to Lonnie Johnson's response to my response. (Huh?) First off, let me say that I'm really sorry Canus didn't receive enough orders for the book to be released. Lonnie, your enthusiasm had already sold me on the project, and I do hope to get a chance to read it some day. Best of luck getting it out. I'm sorry you didn't agree with some of my ideas, Lonnie, but I still stand by them, and feel many small press publishers would benefit from trying to run their companies a little bit differently. I know, you said you are in it because of the love of your story, not the desire to make money, but if you want to tell your story in such an expensive medium as comics, you still need to run things like a business, as horrible as that sounds. (God knows it makes me shudder.) What you need to do to make Canus and books like it succeed is to look at things in the long run. You mentioned equipment, and how it won't be covered by the income from sales. You're right. Equipment, along with publicity, promotion, convention appearances, etc., are all start-up costs. You can't make them back (although they are tax-deductible expenses), but once you've paid for them, you can move on to the next step of getting your product out. And this is another spot where you are going to lose money, at least to start. It could take a year of publishing - or maybe even more in this market - to get your sales to the point where you are making a profit, or even breaking even. That's tough. A small business will eat into your pocketbook and leave you poor. But eventually, if you stick with it, you might be able to make it succeed. Use your day jobs to pay for printing to keep your comic book coming out (that's what keeps a great comic like Ragmop on the stands). Try to build an audience, through good reviews, well placed advertising and consistent quality publications. I'm glad Brian Matus agreed with my point about advertising. Advertising is vitally important to the success of any publication. Every dollar it brings in helps to keep your company alive for one more day. Even if you have to do ad trades (which can promote you to an established audience of independent comics readers) or low-cost ads, it will help to bring in other advertisers in the future. I want to point out a specific example of a small press comic with ads: Bulk Comics # 5 from Chiasmus Publishing. I count eleven full, half and quarter page ads in that comics book. Almost all are from local comic shops, art stores, music retailers, etc. An indy publisher won't get a video game or movie ad on their back cover, but they can get local companies to advertise if they go out of their way to court those advertisers. Brian also make a good point about high-profile creators helping a book out. Lonnie, you said that retailers don't order anything without a "name" attached to it. So go out and get a name. See if you can get a recognizable creator to do a Canus cover, or pin-ups in the back of the book. Pay them a lot if you have to, but some will even do it on the cheap if they like you. Or you can go the book publishing route and try to get a good quote from a recognizable creator or two. Put that quote/review in your ads and solicitations. It can't hurt. What I have to emphasize here is that there is little chance of your breaking even when you start to publish this comic. Not in this market, anyway. But if you and other publishers like you are willing to lose money to start, and to keep pushing for reader and retailer acceptance, you can build a company to a point where it succeeds. Keep sending out the positive messages, folks. It's the only way to get retailers and readers alike to try something new and keep the industry alive. John Platt +++++ [TRIVIA CONTEST] Last week's question: Who was the Eternal Geomancer? [The winner, and ONLY respondent gets the Eternal Warriors preview, if he or she ever sends me the snail mail address!] Date: 96-12-21 22:19:41 EST From: Monster X7 To: ComicBknet The Eternal Geomancer is Aram Ana Padda of Archer & Armstrong +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What comic has the first appearance of Dick Grayson as Nightwing? 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] Network Buzz News, gossip and rumors from around the industry Alternative Press Expo (APE IV) -Hype/update From: danslave@aol.com(DANSLAVE) Date: 23 Dec 1996 The Fourth Annual Alternative Press Expo (APE IV) will be held on Saturday Feb1 in San Jose, CA at the Parkside Hall. Admission is $5.00 at the door, qualified retailers with a business card will be admitted FREE. The exhibit hall will be open from 11:00 AM till 6:00 PM. The Alternative Press Expo is a one day exhibit of self-publishers, independent publishers and cartoonists. In attendance at APE IV will be David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Jeff Smith (Bone), Jhonen Vasquez (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac), Brent Anderson (Astro City, Knee Deep Productions), Roberta Gregory (Naughty Bits), Donna Barr, Jim Valentino (A Touch of Silver), Paul Pope (THB) and Batton Lash (Wolff & Byrd) plus a whole lot more. Publishers exhibiting include Slave Labor Graphics/Amaze Ink and Fantagraphics. Members of Diamond Distributions purchasing department will be in attendance making evaluations of new comics for solicitation. You can get more information by going to the APE website (http://members.aol.com/apeiv). For general information about the APE call 1-800-866-8929. For exhibitor information call Comic Con international at 619-544-9555. +++++ NEW YORK (Reuter) - Topps Co. Inc., the trading card, bubble gum and comic book company, Friday reported a loss in the third quarter, which it predicted earlier in the year due to a plant closing and related charges. Topps reported a loss of $18.5 million, or 39 cents a share, on revenues of $62.5 million. A year earlier it had a profit of $1.3 million, or three cents a share, on revenues of $69.5 million. In late October, Topps said it planned to close its 577-employee factory in Duryea, Pa. Additionally, the company said it plans to contract out production of Bazooka bubble gum and trading card products after a labor agreement expires in December. Both moves, it said, would reduce manufacturing costs by at least $9 million a year, but Topps said it planned a $20 million charge to write off fixed assets and an additional amount to cover other costs. Topps has also said it expects to report a loss for the fiscal year ending March 1, 1997, because of the write-offs. Topps stock was unchanged at $3.875 on Nasdaq in midday trading. +++++ DORVAL, Quebec--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 24, 1996-- Grand Toys International, Inc. (Nasdaq Small Cap: GRIN) announced today that its Grand Toys Ltd. subsidiary signed a three year extension to its agreement with Toy Biz, Inc. (NYSE: TBZ) to distribute its products throughout Canada on an exclusive basis. The Toy Biz line includes major action figures and toys such as Spiderman, X-Men, the Hulk and other Marvel characters. It also includes a line of top-selling dolls, including Baby Tumbles, Baby Headstand and the Take Care of Me Twins. Stephen Altro, Chairman of Grand Toys, stated, "We are extremely pleased that we will continue to distribute the Toy Biz line at least to the end of the century. Their products have been very successful at the retail level and comprise a significant portion of this year's revenue for Grand Toys. We have enjoyed a strong working relationship with Toy Biz's management, for whom we have tremendous respect, and are delighted to be able to continue our association." In a separate corporate development, the Company announced it settled a law suit for approximately $600,000. It is anticipated that this one-time expense will result in a small loss in the fourth quarter, although management expects the Company to be profitable for the entire year of 1996(a). Grand Toys, through the first nine months of 1996, earned $835,019, or $0.11 per share ($0.08 fully diluted). Grand Toys International, Inc., through its Canadian subsidiary, Grand Toys Ltd., has been in the toy business in Canada for over 35 years and currently distributes a wide variety of toys, many of which feature well-known character licenses. Through another subsidiary, Grand Concepts, Inc., the Company distributes in Canada various accessories, including backpacks, duffels, handbags, small leather goods and rainwear. -0- (a) This statement is a forward-looking statement within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those related to business conditions and the financial strength of the retail industry, particularly for toy and toy-related products, the level of consumer spending for such products, the ability of the Company to successfully obtain its products from suppliers and the success of advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns. CONTACT: Ron Goldenberg, E.V.P./C.F.O., Grand Toys, tel. (514) 685-2180, ext. 227 or Hal Levine/Marty Cohen, The Levine Group, tel. (212) 682-8875 +++++ New York Investors Face Off Over Future of Marvel Comics Source: Daily News Daily News via Knight-Ridder/Tribune via Individual Inc. : By Angela G. King Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Dec. 24--It looks like Carl Icahn is going to call Ron Perelman's bluff. Icahn, who owns 25% of the debt in Marvel Entertainment, doesn't plan to sweeten his offer for the ailing publisher of Spider Man and other comic books, sources said. Instead, the takeover artist will hold out to see if Perelman, who controls 80% of Marvel, and investors will accept the bid or force the company into bankruptcy. Last week, Icahn -- who has bought a stake in such companies as Samsonite and Western Union -- proposed that investors take control from Perelman by matching Perelman's $350 million offer for the company. Icahn's High River holding company would underwrite the plan. Icahn's move was aimed at appeasing bondholders who believe they would lose money under Perelman's plan. As the two Wall Street bigwigs lock horns, experts believe the company could fall in bankruptcy. "This thing is probably going to end up in some judicial system somewhere," said one source. Perelman recently offered bondholders 85 cents a share for Marvel, or $350 million in cash or shares of Toy Biz, a toymaker. But bondholders balked, saying that the deal would dilute their stake in Marvel. Many bondholders dumped their holdings, leaving so-called "vulture investors" to swoop in and pick up the bonds at rock- bottom prices. "These are not necessarily people who care about the longterm investment of a business the way a strategic investor might," said Joel Lustig, a senior analyst with Moody's Investors Service. "The vulture investors are in this for one simple reason, to make a huge return on their investment." Icahn has made a fortune buying the junk bonds of such troubled entities as Western Union when they were in trouble at rock-bottom prices, and selling them for a hefty return. Now he's hoping to cash in on Marvel. Icahn has racked up about 200 million shares of Marvel's debt since Perelman warned last month that the company would run out of money. Perelman has convinced banks to lend Marvel money to keep it going for now. He also raised his offer for Marvel to 89 cents a share, from 85 cents. Many investors believe they should be able to buy the company -- along with Icahn -- for the same price. "The shareholders should have the right to do the same thing," a source said. But a Perelman spokesman said investors would be better off with their proposal since Perelman has bank financing and wants the company to grow over the long term. ----- [12-24-96 at 12:00 EST, Copyright 1996,Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News] Contact: Daily News [see latest Marvel news after the CSNsider!] ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] CSNsider by W. Batty and C. Biggers This is the CSNsider from CSN #, which will be in shops on 1/2/97. It is reproduced in its entirety with the expressed permission of COMIC SHOP NEWS! More comics-to-the-big-screen news this month. First writer/creator James Hudnall reports that Columbia-Tristar has just optioned his series Espers for TV development. Tim Hunter, director of The River's Edge and Saint of Fort Washington, has been signed on to direct the pilot. "We're very excited." Hudnall said. "I've always wanted to see these characters come alive on film or television and now an excellent team is being assembled to make it so"... Over on the Marvel front, The Usual Suspects director Bryan Singer is in final negotiations to direct a big screen adaptation of the X-Men, Reuters has reported; E! Entertainment News is reporting it as a done deal. Singer said, "We're taking the subject matter very seriously. This will not be a comic-book style film, for the X-Men are an ensemble of anti-heroes, and we've figured out a way to make the story accessible to fans and non-fans alike. The story deals with the origins of the characters, but its not completely based on the first comic book"... Other Marvel projects in the works include Iron Man by Jeff Vintar, Fantastic Four directed by Chris Columbus, and Daredevil directed and written by Carlo Carlei; Fox TV is still reportedly working on The Silver Surfer (directed by Geoffrey Wright) and Nick Fury/SHIELD (no director announced yet)... And once again, rumors about a Spider-Man film are making the rounds, and once again Tom Cruise's name is attached to the rumors... You can expect to see Hanna-Barbera comics from DC sometime in 1997... Writer/artist Jenni Gregory reports that increased interest in her Dreamwalker title (which recently joined Caliber's Tapestry line) has resulted in a sellout on the second issue and near-sellouts on the other self-published issues; she does plan to go back to press on the book, however, to make sure that readers can follow the entire story... DC is working on a more upbeat superheroes line for readers who are weary of the violent renegade anti-hero approach... To reintroduce readers to its line of comics, Archie plans to offer several bargain-priced three-packs of various Archie titles in March... Diamond Comics has announced that their monthly Previews catalog will return to in-house designed comics listings, in alphabetical order, for all publishers except for their premiere publishers (Acclaim, DC, Dark Horse, Image). Readers and retailers had asked for this to create a more uniform looking catalog... Marvel is considering expanding their Essential black and white trade paperback line in '97 with the addition of Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and more X-Men and Spidey volumes... The Chaos! comics Universe expands in March with the addition of Suspira: The Great Working, a four-issue all-ages miniseries created by Brian Pulido, written by Phil Nutman, and painted by Mike Okamoto; Pulido describes Suspira as, in some ways, a mirror image of Lady Death-but she has chosen the path of light rather than the path of darkness... Also coming up in March is Homicide: Tears of the Dead, an Evil Ernie spinoff one-shot written by Hart Fisher and illustrated by Steve Scott... Barbara Kesel, Ryan Odagawa, and Chuck Gibson unveil Savant Garde, a WildCATs spinoff title, in March. The book focuses on Zealot's sister, an ancient part-Kherubim woman whose hobby is collecting rare artifacts-and as you might expect, her hunt for these rarities often leads her into adventure... Not only are negotiations underway to bring Chris Carter's Millennium to comics, but a collectible card game based on the series is also in the talking stages... This March, WildStorm will reissue its Gen13 Chromium trading cards in a more affordable standard-printing format under the Gen13 Classic Trading Cards name; the set will include all 107 regular cards and 18 chase cards from the original set, as well as 9 new Gen13 cards for the WildStorms CCG. WildStorm also has a new CCG slated for March release; Deus, a new game produced in France by Avimages, is inspired by mythology from around the world. The game will feature art by Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin Brett Booth, Tomm Coker, and many others; the text is printed in French, but each box comes with an English translation of the rules... Event Comics, aware of reader concerns over late books, has announced that they are making concerted efforts to get back on schedule. Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos have been brought in to handle the creative honors for Ash while Joe Quesada finishes up on the Ash/Azrael crossover book, and the Event team intends to do whatever they can to get back on regular schedule this spring... +++++ CSN is available exclusively at over 1,000 finer comic shops nation-wide. A list, sorted by zip code, of shops that carry CSN is available at our website. CSN only costs your shop a dime each, so if they don't carry it, nag them until they do. Isn't your patronage and satisfaction worth a dime a week? We post some art to go along with this news at our website: http://www.dreamsville.com/CSN/CSNsider.html Ward Batty wardo@netdepot.com Cliff Biggers cliffbig@netdepot.com (c)Copyright 1996 CSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] MARVEL files for Bankruptcy Protection PRNewswire Date: 27 Dec 1996 Marvel Entertainment Group Files Voluntary Chapter 11 Petition to Implement Financial Restructuring Plan Plan Contemplates Marvel Receiving $525 Million In New Funds and Trade Partners and Employees Being Paid On Time and In Full Business To Continue Uninterrupted NEW YORK, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. (NYSE: MRV) today announced that, in order to implement a proposed $525 million recapitalization that will enable Marvel to pursue its new strategic initiatives and achieve sustained profitability, Marvel has filed a voluntary petition for reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in Wilmington. The filing will ensure that Marvel can continue all business operations without interruption while it obtains necessary approvals of its financial restructuring plan. The filing was necessitated by the failure of the holders of bonds issued by Marvel's holding companies to reach agreement regarding any alternative plans for the Company's future. As a result of today's petition, Marvel will be able to avail itself of the orderly processes of the court to complete the reorganization and move forward without the necessity of bondholder consent. Holders of Marvel holding company bonds were asked more than a month ago to support Marvel's plan by waiving certain restrictions contained in the bonds. However, the failure to reach agreement with bondholders, many of whom are so- called "vulture investors" who recently accumulated the bonds, delayed Marvel from moving forward with its plan in a timely fashion. "We would have preferred to re-capitalize Marvel without having to seek the aid of the court, but the actions and positions taken by the bondholders prevented that approach," said Scott Sassa, Chairman and CEO of Marvel. "The key to putting Marvel on track for a dynamic and profitable future is a quick resolution to this situation, and we want to get on with it." "We are taking steps that are not typical in this situation," said Mr. Sassa. "We intend to pay all of our bills, including those submitted prior to the filing, on time and in full, and maintain normal credit terms with our suppliers and licensors. We expect to continue doing business with our customers and licensees under normal business terms. We will fund and move forward with all of our new strategic investments, and employees will be paid in full and on time. We will gain a valuable new asset in Toy Biz, Inc. and new funds that will allow us to face the future with strength and confidence." "The recapitalization plan represents a strong vote of confidence by our principal shareholder and lender group in the fundamental strength and promise of the Marvel brand, our creative properties, business partners, licensing relationships, and strategic initiatives," said Mr. Sassa. Marvel's strategic investment program includes Marvel Studios' development of television and film properties, Marvel Mania theme restaurants, Marvel Interactive software and Fleer/SkyBox trading card initiatives. Under the proposed financial restructuring plan, Andrews Group Incorporated will invest $365 million in new equity in Marvel, allowing Marvel to make Toy Biz, Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marvel. In turn, Marvel's lender group has agreed to provide $160 million in new funds to finance Marvel's new strategic investment program and working capital requirements. Marvel's Board of Directors has approved this proposed plan. In conjunction with the chapter 11 filing, a bank group led by Chase Manhattan Bank has agreed to provide Marvel with $100 million of debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing. Upon court approval, which is expected shortly, this DIP financing will ensure that Marvel has sufficient liquidity to pay all current and expected trade and employee obligations and to meet all of its operating and investment needs during the reorganization process. Marvel expects the reorganization to be completed within a few months, although there can be no assurance that such reorganization will be consummated. In addition to Marvel, the companies engaged in the publishing, licensing, distribution and trading card businesses of Marvel have filed voluntary chapter 11 petitions today. Marvel's filing does not include Marvel's Panini subsidiary, which is headquartered in Italy. Panini has had an operating profit each year since its acquisition by Marvel and will continue to operate independently and unaffected by today's filing. The filing also does not include Marvel's Restaurant Ventures affiliate. Toy Biz, Inc. continues as an independent, publicly traded, New York Stock Exchange listed company and its operations are unaffected by today's filing. CONTACT: Gary Fishman, for Marvel Investor Relations, 212-685-6890 +++++ Marvel issued a press release stating that it plans to continue all normal operations, including production and payroll, on time, and that its Chapter 11 filing was part of a plan to incorporate Toy Biz as a wholly owned subsidiary of Marvel. The text of the press release follows: Dear Valued Customer, Because you are an important customer of the Marvel Comics Group, we wanted to explain an important news event which occurred today regarding Marvel Entertainment Group. This morning Marvel Entertainment Group filed for a voluntary, pre-arranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of a $525 million restructuring plan that will enable the Company to: * Fund all its new strategic investment and cash needs, * Continue all operations without interruption, and * Make Toy Biz a wholly owned subsidiary. To protect our valuable relations with all our business partners, we are taking steps that are not typical in this situation. We intend to pay all our debts, including those submitted prior to the filing, on time and in full, and maintain normal credit terms with our suppliers and licensors. We expect to continue doing business with our customers, licensees and creative talent under normal business terms. We will fund and move forward with all of our new strategic investments, and employees will be paid in full and on time. We will gain a valuable new asset in Toy Biz and new funds that will allow us to face the future with strength and confidence. Under the proposed financial restructuring plan, Andrews Group Incorporated will invest $365 million in new equity in Marvel, allowing Marvel to make Toy Biz a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marvel. In turn, Marvel's lender group has agreed to provide $160 million in new funds to finance Marvel's working capital requirements and new strategic investment programs in media, interactive software and restaurants. Based on this plan, a bank group led by Chase Manhattan has agreed to provide Marvel with $100 million of debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing to ensure that Marvel has sufficient liquidity to pay all current and expected trade and employee obligations and meet all of its operating and investment needs during the reorganization process, which is expected to be completed within a few months. The filing was necessitated by the failure of the holders of bonds issued by Marvel holding companies to reach agreement regarding any alternative plans for the company's future. As a result of today's petition. Marvel will be able to avail itself of the orderly processes of the court to complete the reorganization and move forward without the necessity of bondholder consent. Holders of Marvel holding company bonds were asked more than a month ago to support Marvel holding company bonds were asked more than a month ago to support Marvel's plan by waiving certain restrictions contained in the bonds. However, the failure to reach agreement with bondholders, many of whom are so-called "vulture investors" who recently accumulated the bonds, delayed Marvel from moving forward with its plan in a timely fashion in Marvel's - and your - best interest. The recapitalization plan represents a strong vote of confidence by our principal shareholder and lender group in the fundamental strength and promise of the Marvel brand, our creative properties, business partners, licensing relationships and strategic initiatives. There well be absolutely no interruption of our publishing schedule or our development plans for TV and feature film production, interactive products and services, licensing and sponsor partnerships, themed restaurants and theme park attraction. X-men and Spider-Man on the Fox Kids Network continue to be top rated animated series on television. Marvel Comics continues to dominate the business with a 37% market share and 16 of the top 20 comics on a monthly basis. Today's action positions us to build Marvel into an even stronger, more focused character creation company for today's fans, and for those of the future. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call to call 1-800-654-hero or 1-800-4-heroes. Sincerely, David J. Schreff President & Chief Operating Officer ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] SUPERMAN - 1997 PREVIEWS If you have seen this week's PREVIEWS then you will already know, if you haven't or don't get it then the following reveals major changes to the Man of Steel, both in powers and appearance. You can get a look at the new costume on our PHOTO page of the web site http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet/photo.htm Here is the text of the solicitations for March: *****MAJOR SPOILERS - BE WARNED!***** SUPERMAN #123 COLLECTOR'S EDITION Written by Dan Jurgens; art and cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein DCU. A glow-in-the-dark cover highlights the cover to this special issue as Superman receives a new costume with a new symbol on his chest to go along with his strange new powers. But the costume comes from more than one source. Who has contributed to the suit that helps Superman adjust to his new powers? The answers will surprise and astound you in this event that deeply affects the lives of Superman and those around him. FC, 32 pg. Miraweb Format 1.95 (NOTE: NO price increase! There is also a standard cover with no enhancement) The Man of Tomorrow... Today SUPERMAN'S NEW POWERS, NEW LOOK Faster than a speeding bullet. Faster than lightning...? More powerful than a locomotive. More powerful than anyone can guess...? Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Everything you believed was true is wrong. Something very fundamental about the universe has changed. The Team of Steel is doing it again. And this time they've really outdone themselves. The Last Son of Krypton is going through changes you never expected to see. For the first time in over fifty years, there will be a new look, new logo, new powers, a new SUPERMAN! His powers drained by the darkness of THE FINAL NIGHT, Superman has struggled in the intervening months to regain his lost powers. In the recent past, it appeared as if his quest was successful, but then he began to notice strange things happening. Sharp-eyed readers have noticed that his strength, his speed, his invulnerability - everything that made him Superman - wasn't working exactly as it should. In March's issues, it all comes together. In SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #67, Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke uncork the bottle city of Kandor and release an emissary who wreaks havoc on Metropolis. But how can The Man of Steel stop him when he can't control his own newfound abilities? The story reaches a fever pitch in SUPERMAN #123 when Dan Jurgens, Ron Frenz, and Josef Rubinstein kick out the jams. The new powers reach their fullest potential and Superman receives a new costume with a new symbol from a mysterious source. Who has contributed to the new suit that helps Superman adapt to his new abilities? The answers will surprise you. Issue #123 features the first appearance of the new costume and logo. The Collector's Edition sports a glow-in-the-dark cover on stiff paper stock with no price increase! A Standard Edition is also offered, with a different cover and no enhancement. The story continues in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #546 when Karl Kesel, Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr. bring on the one villain who might be able to defeat the new Superman by using his own powers against him. How can Superman beat the malevolent might of Metallo when it's Superman's powers that Metallo is using to boost his own abilities? The answer comes from an unexpected quarter in ACTION #733, when Superman consults with the only hero he knows whose powers are similar to his own - the Ray. David Michelinie, Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier continue the tale of the new Superman and his quest to master his new abilities. "All of his traditional powers are gone," says editor Joey Cavalieri. "Instead of the living solar battery he's always been, Superman is now an energy being. Instead of bullets bouncing off him, they now either pass through Superman or get caught in his energy matrix. Superman doesn't exactly fly anymore; he zaps from place to place like a bolt of lightning, though he has problems with the landings at first." Alert readers will note that Cavalieri only refers to Superman having the new powers. The other big change is that when Superman changes from his energy form into his human form, Clark Kent has all the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of a normal human being. "So not only does Clark have to deal with all the problems these uncontrollable new powers bring him," Cavalieri says, "He has to worry about all the normal stuff that humans have to deal with - like head colds and torn muscles - things he hasn't had to think about since his powers kicked in as a teen." And then, of course, there's the effect these radical changes might have on his new wife. "Lois," Cavalieri concludes, "Is predictably and understandably worried." These questions and many others - such as the cause and source of the new powers and the effect they'll have on Superman and Clark Kent's lives - will continue in the months to come. How will the rest of the DC Universe react to such a fundamental change in the single hero who stands for truth, justice and the heroic ideal? Only time will tell. DC supports this project with an a 4-color poster, a window poster featuring the new "S" shield, five different header cards with the new logo design, co-op ad slicks, and extensive house and trade ads. The Superman titles are all ongoing 32-page series in the Miraweb Format, edited by Joey Cavalieri. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #67 arrives in comic-book stores March 5; SUPERMAN #123, with an enhanced cover, arrives March 12; ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #546 arrives March 19; and ACTION COMICS #733 arrives March 26; all have a cover price of $1.95 U.S. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] My View: Innocent Bystander David LeBlanc INNOCENT BYSTANDER #3 24 pages B&W - FC covers $2.75 (US) by Gary Sassaman GSassaman@aol.com Ollie Ollie Oxen Free Press 121 Academy Ave. #2 Pittsburgh, PA 15228-1422 (IB#1 and IB#2 are available for $5 for both, postpaid and Gary will Autograph them by request. Check or Money Order payable to Gary Sassaman.) Innocent Bystander #3 is solicited in January "Previews" for shipment in March, and also available from Cold Cut Distribution and SyCo Distribution. Those who have read my previous reviews of this title know I am a big fan of Gary's work. In his simple but detailed style he captures the essence of life experience and helps you ponder the things you have always pondered, like what are cats really thinking, and what if tv celebrities acted the way you wanted them too, and why is it certain famous people have the same hair styles. I could go on and on about the various bits of my own childhood I saw in the first two issues of Innocent Bystander, but this is about #3. Trust me, the first two issues are worth ordering. Number three is a departure in that it deals with only one subject - the Marx Brothers: Julius, Arthur, Leonard and sometimes Herbert. For us layman that is Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo. If you have ever been fascinated by their humor, their timing, their timeless relevance then you will appreciate what a loving fan has put together in comic book form. It is a history, a bibliography, a terrific insight into what made them tick and the impact they had on the author's life. Like his other essays on cats, and tv and the Three Stooges, and other bits of life we all share, Gary hits home discussing some of the best bits in the brothers colorful careers with illustrations that clearly show his love for the subject. The favorite Groucho TV moment he mentions, is also mine, although I too never saw it but many swear it was the funniest moment on the old "You Bet Your Life" show. Gary gives us a timeline of the major events in their lives and a two page bio on the major three brothers. He details their rise from early vaudeville, to the movies, radio, and tv to the early deaths in the sixties and Groucho's return to fame in the seventies. He even has a two page movie script he wrote himself, starring the brothers. A departure for sure from the previous issues but just as delightful to read and more entertaining than most of the mainstream comics out there today. If you ever laughed at the Marx brothers then you will enjoy this comic for the memories it stirs. If you are a true Marx brothers fan you MUST get this book. So I leave you with this dialog, sort of appropriate for this time of year: Chico: So, is thatta iron clad contract? Groucho: Of course it's iron clad, it even has a sanity clause! Chico: That's a crazy! Everybody knows there's no Sanity Claus! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] The Pen Is Mightier... By Brian Matus I know that I usually don't review mainstream comics, or at least comics from the "Big Two", but this week they surprised me. Like I've said before, I try not to let personal feelings get in the way of a good story, and as my last few columns have been a little "review weak" and "opinion strong", I figured that I'd review two books this week and keep the outside chatter to a minimum. Review of LOBO #36 From DC Comics Written by Alan Grant Even though this is the second part of a two-part story, you can enjoy this comic without having read the previous issue (or any previous issues). You will immediately be able to distinguish this comic from the others on the stands as Lobo is dictating this month's script to William Shakespeare, whom we see chain-smoking and typing away. Alan Grant, veteran writer of SHADOW OF THE BAT, THE DEMON (prior to Garth Ennis, but after Jack Kirby and Matt Wagner), and hundreds of JUDGE DREDD stories for Britain's 2000 A.D., gives us another dose of hilarity this month as Professor Shakespeare gives his English Lit class (with such luminous students as Hemingway, Chaucer, Twain, Poe, and Alan Moore (look for him on the first page with the SWAMP THING T-shirt)) an "Analysis of a Story where the Writer runs out of Plot." This is an insightful look at comic book writing thinly disguised as a funny comic book, complete with enough info to understand what has gone on before (which is a not so thinly disguised take on ROMEO & JULIET set on another planet). As every month, there is the not so subtle blend of humor and ultraviolence (think REN & STIMPY not CLOCKWORK ORANGE) that keeps bringing me back, although surprisingly less sexual innuendo than usual. The artwork is good, in a Kelly (BATMAN) Jones / Tom (SPECTRE) Mandrake kind of way, which is to say that it's slightly exaggerated and dark, and no characters are particularly attractive, yet the artwork in general is reminding me also of Bernie (SWAMP THING) Wrightson. As long as Alan Grant continues to satirize the genre and industry in which he works (and makes me laugh), I'll be buying LOBO. Review of WHAT IF...#94 Written by Jorge Gonzalez Art by James Calafiore and Mark Mckenna Besides ELEKTRA, by Peter (SHADE THE CHANGING MAN) Miligan, this is the only other Marvel book that I pick up regularly. For the last couple of months, WHAT IF... has been exploring the darker side of ELSEWORLDS-type stories, closer to (and probably inspired by) RUINS by Warren Ellis. This is definitely the bleakest issue I've read so far. In this issue, it appears the Sentinels have killed just about everyone on the planet, except for the Juggernaut, and as he destroys the last few Sentinels, he contemplates the events leading up to him being the last man on earth. I won't tell you the rest, 'cause then there wouldn't be any reason to pick up the issue, but I will tell you that the ending is what caused me to pick this book to review. Another trend I've noticed recently in WHAT IF... (and ELEKTRA) is that the authors seem to be getting inside the character's heads more. While not lacking in action, it's nice to see the character's thoughts for a change (and to know that they have thoughts). The art is good "superhero art", with some unusual panel layouts, but still easy to follow, and, more importantly, to look at. At $1.50, this is definitely worth picking up, and just might lead you to check out some of the last couple of issues (despite the fact that Marvel is putting it out). Happy Holidays, Brian bmatus@suffolk.lib.ny.us P.S. As my New Year's Resolution, I'm going to stop being proud and ask that anyone who has anything they want me to review to please e-mail me so that you can send me some stuff in the mail. I've been cutting back on my spending lately and I'd hate to miss out on good books because I didn't have the extra cash that week. Also, if you send me previews before it gets to the stands, I can give my readers advance notice, rather than have them try and find the books after they've already come out. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] 1996 in review David LeBlanc A look back on the year and the things we reported on, most of the time before the trade press did. Proving that the information age is definitely electronic! January - Marvel laid off 275, Diamond closed warehouses, the Romitas leave Marvel, Waid leaves Captain America. February - CBEM gets dynamic new editor!, 1995 Squiddies announced, CSNsider stops electronic transmission. March - NYC Great Eastern Con cancelled at last minute, Terror Tots goes to World Wide Web, CBEM trivia contest begins in memory of Seaborn Adamson, Homage signs on KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY, Marvel announces big losses - cuts some prices adds pages., Dr. Wonder #1, Malibu gets Paramount imprint - trims some titles. April - Hundreds panic as CBEM reports Heroes Reborn cancelled, Sandman #75 recalled and 5th ink in comics found toxic in first CBEM Special Edition April Fool issue! Heroes World downsizes, Strangers in Paradise to join Homage, Perez quits Liefeld's Avengers, Marvel announces Orlando theme restaurant, Leave it to Chance to join Homage, Harlan Ellison has bypass surgery, Homage to be non-exclusive, Margot Kidder found dazed, May - Eisner nominees, Fabian announces creative lineup for reviving Valiant, Dream Factory files for bankruptcy, Marvel posts 1st qtr loss, Acclaim to get Classics Illustrated, Marvel finally comes to the web with Onslaught.com, Turok announced for Nintendo 64 in 1997, Diamond Gems awarded, HERO Illustrated leaves web, Marvel Entertainment Group posts investor news on Web Page, HULK cartoon cast announced, KINGDOM COME!, DC announces CD-Rom project, June - Top Cow to leave Image, HARVEY Nominations, Marvel gets new Executive VP, Curt Swan dies, ASH optioned for movie, Disney characters grab major CBG Fan Awards, Howard the Duck by Gerber to return, FOX and Marvel sign multi-year deal July - Marvel signs on to America OnLine, stock issued to fund Marvel Studios, Mike Parobeck dies, Eisners awarded, Super model in Batman & Robin movie, DIAMOND BUYS CAPITAL, Fox cartoons go to CD-Rom, Dallas Fantasy Fair cancelled, August - Golden Books buys BROADWAY Comic's parent, Mark Gruenwald dies, Acclaim sends out previews of new Valiant series, Marvel announces 2nd qtr loss, Homage to become Image imprint, Marvel gets new president, Small Press Expo details, DC says Superman will wed, Tick going to the movies. September - CBEM releases variant cover #75, Liefeld leaves Image, New Comics Release List begins in CBEM, Gerber declares Howard the Duck is Dead, Sirius stops exclusive with Diamond October - Liefeld sues Image for $1,000,000 ; Marvel loss in 3rd qtr send stock down to record low, Image responds to suit, Top Cow to rejoin Image, Liefeld posts "open letter" on Internet cancels Darkchylde, new Kingdom Come project announced, Marvel adds another VP, DC to aid Bosnia, Lois & Clark get hitched! November - Marvel gets new president, Acclaim Inc declares loss, Lights go out on BROADWAY Comics, Image to add more self publishers - Matt Wagner's MAGE, Xeric winners announced, Marvel stock hits new low as stock holders sue to stop Perelman scheme, Bone to leave Image, Marvel lays off 115 to close West Coast division including Malibu books- Ultraverse to cease at year end, CSNsider returns to CBEM, Milestone line to end in March December - Marv Wolfman forms studios and announces T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents cartoon option for ABC TV, Marvel gets $15 MILLION from banks, Director near signing for X-Men movie, Kesel quits Daredevil, ESPERS optioned for TV, CSN announces annual Red K awards, DC to publish Hanna-Barbera characters, and a very different SUPERMAN will be coming in 1997! Perelman's scheme challenge by Icahn, MARVEL files for Protection from Bankruptcy under Chapter 11. From Diamond(Which means MARVEL product is not included): TOP TEN COMICS OF 1996 Rank Title Company 1 DC VERSUS MARVEL #4 DC COMICS 2 SPAWN #50 IMAGE COMICS 3 SPAWN #43 IMAGE COMICS 4 SPAWN #42 IMAGE COMICS 5 SUPERMAN: THE WEDDING ALBUM COLLECTOR'S ED. DC COMICS 6 GEN 13 #8 IMAGE COMICS 7 DV8 #1 IMAGE COMICS 8 LEGENDS OF THE DARK CLAW #1 DC COMICS 9 KINGDOM COME #4 DC COMICS 10 SPAWN #44 IMAGE COMICS TOP TEN GRAPHIC NOVELS/TRADE PAPERBACKS OF 1996 Rank Title Company 1 BATMAN/CAPTAIN AMERICA TP DC COMICS 2 BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS-10TH ANNIVERSARY SLIPCASE EDITION DC COMICS 3 SANDMAN: THE KINDLY ONES HC DC COMICS 4 BATMAN/DEADMAN HC GN DC COMICS 5 LADY DEATH: THE CRUCIBLE #1-LEATHER LIMITED EDITION CHAOS! COMICS 6 LADY DEATH: THE ODYSSEY #1-PREMIUM EDITION CHAOS! COMICS 7 DEATH DEALER #2 VEROTIK 8 SANDMAN: THE WAKE HC DC COMICS 9 STAR WARS: BATTLE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS POP UP DARK HORSE COMICS 10 FLASH ARCHIVES VOL. 1 DC COMICS ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] 1996 RED K AWARDS Comic Shop News Another year, another fifty two weeks of funny books-and another year of achievements, both serious and dubious. And, of course, that means another set of Red K Awards. If you're an old-time fan of those Mort Weisinger Superman stories, you know what Red K is-it's the stuff whose effect is always unpredictable, sometimes zany, but usually very interesting. It's in that spirit that CSN presents these awards, just as we've done for the past seven years. Now, let's take a look back at the hits and misses of 1996, Red K style!... +++++ The "I'll Be SuperAmalgamated" Award Amalgam Comics For one week last winter, we were all introduced to a comics universe more fun than any we've seen in years... and judging from the phenomenal audience response, everyone was pretty darned please with their little side trip into the Amalgam Universe. Before the event occurred, some were concerned that fans wouldn't be able to afford twelve Amalgam books on the same week; obviously that wasn't a problem for the many readers who found this blend of the DC and Marvel Universes to be just the ticket to escape the winter doldrums. The Missing In Action Award Neal Adams Whatever happened to Neal? A few years ago, he seemed on the verge of making a real impact on the industry with some of his work for Continuity; then the dreaded deadline doom made Continuity's non-continuity a joke in the industry. Now there's not only no Continuity, but apparently no Neal, either. The Stitch In Time Award Caliber's Tapestry Comics Hoorah for Gary Reed and the gang behind Caliber's new Tapestry line. At the same time that fans are asking for more books appropriate for readers of all ages, Caliber brings together some of the best independent creators to form an imprint devoted to all-ages comics that realize that "all ages" doesn't have to mean "puerile juvenility." The "If At First You Don't Succeed" Award Superman's Wedding If the folks at ABC have any doubts as to why they've seen such a ratings drop in their New Adventures of Lois and Clark tv series, all they have to do is watch the truly abominable wedding episode of the series to understand why. They took what should have been a major event, full of emotion and power, and turned it into one of the most embarrassingly bad comics-tv moments since Adam West first did the Batusi. Thankfully, the folks at DC refused to let a dog of a tv episode stop them from producing a first-class comic book version of the wedding of Lois and Clark; their 96-page comic, featuring the work of some of the greatest talents in Superman history, was every bit as good as the tv episode was bad. The Inflation Award Untold Tales of Spider-Man TPB Let's see here... A $.99 comic has proven so popular that there's demand for the early issues of the book. So Marvel puts together a trade paperback of the first eight $.99 issues of Kurt Busiek and Pat Oliffe's comic... and then prices it at $16.95, more than twice the cover price of the comics and more than the current value of the back issues of the actual books. *sigh* The "Cross Purposes" Award Crossover Comics Way back there in 1975, when DC and Marvel produced that first crossover meeting of Spider-Man and Superman, the truly momentous nature of the intercompany crossover was realized. This past year, though, it seemed like every superhero in the comics world had a layover flight in someone else's hometown; what was once unusual became so incredibly common that, in November, there were almost three dozen different crossover books on the schedule! Boy, talking about overdoing it!... The "Hardest Working Man In Comics" Award Chuck Dixon Don't be surprised if, some month in the near future, you discover that Chuck Dixon is writing every comic being published. Every month, it seems like Dixon is writing a significant portion of the Marvel and DC superhero line-and what's even more amazing is that, month after month, he makes all those books thoroughly readable and entertaining! Way to go, Chuck! (By the way, those sobs you hear in the background are all those writers who keep waiting for Chuck to take a week or two off...) The "Black and White and Should Be Read All Over" Award Marvel's Essential... Volumes Wotta deal! 500+ pages of comics for only $12.95; this is the sort of phonebook sized volume that no one ever expected to see from a major publisher. Oh, sure, the comics are in black and white, but that's okay; this way, you get a heaping helping of comics for about the cost of a pizza. Our favorite is the Essential Spider-Man volume, featuring two years of Amazing Spidey tales; let's hope they can continue the trend into next year with lots more Essential volumes focusing on the FF, Avengers, and other popular characters. The "Kingdom and the Glory" Award Kingdom Come Mark Waid and Alex Ross produced what was without a doubt the finest book of 1996; each rereading of the series brings out new elements that were overlooked on the previous perusal. Kingdom Come raised the bar for all comic book creators another notch or two-and in the process, it just may have begun a redefinition of the DC Universe, based on some of the announced plans for 1997. The Shattered Image Award The Image Split Shattered Image sounded like a promising crossover series that would involve every major Image character... but before the first issue of the book hit the stands, the real Image began falling apart as creators left the group, formed their own sub-imprints, and made the group dynamics of the Image publishers more fascinating than the crossover book! The Under-Seasoned Award X-Files Season One Now here's a mystery that Scully and Mulder should be called in on... Topps is doing a much better job of getting their regular X-Files title out on schedule, thanks to increased cooperation at Fox TV-but they're months behind on X-Files Season One, which offers comics adaptations of first season television episodes. Maybe Krycek is working in the production department... The "Dream Lover" Award All those dream comics Did Sandman help to create the current trend in dream-based comics? Or can we credit Fantagraphics' reprints of Little Nemo in Slumberland? Or was it Rick Veitch's Rare Bit Fiend, the title of which is a nod to classic Winsor McKay material? It's hard to say where it began, but suddenly the dreamworld is busier than O'Hare Airport at Thanksgiving, with all sorts of characters dropping in, kibitzing in other folks' dreams, and inviting readers to sample the REM-fantasies of comic creators, famous figures of the past, and ordinary people. Didn't Simon and Kirby do this four decades ago?... The "No A For Effort" Award Rob Liefeld's Captain America redesign Okay, we don't mind the revamping of the origin. We'll take the change in personality. We'll even take the somewhat malevolent character of Nick Fury. But where the heck did the A on Cap's head go? And why did he swipe Wonder Woman's logo? (We could make some obvious jokes about Wonder Woman's chest being on his mind, but we'll forego them for now...) Bring back the original costume! The "Enjoy Your Work" Award John Byrne's Batman/Captain America If you look at most comics, you'd get the feeling that superheroes aren't very happy with their profession. They grimace, they frown, they scowl, they grit their teeth... but they never look happy! By contrast, John Byrne's Batman and Captain America seem to be having a great time; they smile, they grin, they laugh. This is the way comic books superheroes used to be, before "grim 'n' gritty" became the norm. Kudos to John Byrne for going the extra smile to make this comic truly recapture the look and feel of the Golden Age. The "One Is Enough" Award Warp Graphics' Elfquest Realizing that their fans were gradually being overwhelmed by a flood of Elfquest titles, Wendy and Richard Pini chose to replace four to six different books with one double-sized title that fans could afford to follow. Many publishers do whatever they can to squeeze every last nickel out of their fans' budgets; thankfully, the folks at Warp stress entertainment, not greed. "The Buck Stops Here" Award Untold Tales of Spider-Man What a rarity: the most entertaining title in the entire Spider-Man family of books is also the least expensive! Kurt Busiek and Pat Oliffe continue to make these "in-between" Spidey stories (they fit "in between" the Silver Age Steve Ditko issues) more memorable than the events of the regular Spidey books-and nary a clone in sight! The "Gone But Not Forgotten" Award Curt Swan Mike Parobeck Alas, comics are at that age where many of the field's pioneers are beginning to pass away-but unlike so many of the venerable creators who have since retired from the field, Curt Swan remained active and highly visible as an artist up to (and even beyond) the time of his death. DC was able to include several pages from the premiere Superman artist in the Superman Wedding Album; Colleen Doran has a Curt Swan piece coming up in a special Distant Soil gallery book. Not only was he still working regularly, but he never lost that skill and craftsmanship that made his rep to begin with. There'll never be another like him... As for Mike Parobeck-unlike Curt Swan, he was in his youth and his star was still climbing when death claimed him far too early. His illustrative talents were visible on his first work for DC, El Diablo; in recent years, he brought the same skill and love of comics to his work on the animation-style Batman book. Along the way, his blend of superhero art and cartooning sensibilities helped create a new look for comics. The "Make Up Your Mind" Award Bone Volume Three TPB So howcum some trade paperback editions of Bone Volume Three include Bone #19, and some only reprint through Bone #18? What's the deal, Jeff? Don't you know what you're doing to collectors minds?! The New Math Award Marvel's "40-page" comics It sounded great, didn't it? Marvel was going to give fans eight extra pages for their $1.95, upping the page-count of all those books from 32 to 40 pages. Somehow, though, 32 + 8 = 32, because fans didn't really get any new pages of value, just eight pages of house ads and hype that offered no added value. All this, and lower quality paper, too!... The "Missing In Action" Award Part Two Dave Sim's Inside-Cover Editorials For years, one of the most stimulating sections of Cerebus was Dave Sim's opinionated, outspoken, insightful columns that ran on the inside front cover of each issue of Cerebus. In recent issues, Dave has abandoned the editorial approach... and I miss it! Come on, Dave, climb back on that soapbox; we miss hearing from you! The "Something to Chew On" Award Fleer/SkyBox's Bubble Gum Revival Back in the Golden Age of trading cards, every pack of cards included a piece of hard, dry, powdered-sugar-covered bubble gum. It may not sound like much, but we sort of missed it when all the manufacturers took the gum out of the packs a few years ago. Congrats to Fleer/Sky-Box for reformulating the gum so that they can bring it back in a fresh, chewable format-and a tip of the hat to whomever had the brainstorm to imprint images on the gum in vegetable dye, thereby making collectible gum as well as collectible cards! The Heroes Reborn Award Acclaim's Valiant Heroes Relaunch Forget that Marvel relaunch-Fabian Nicieza has come up with the most memorable superhero relaunch of 1996 over at Acclaim, where he's overseeing a bold revitalization of Magnus, Solar, Shadowman, Ninjak, and Turok in an effort to re-establish Acclaim as a major player in the superhero market. In many cases, these relaunches are more entertaining and more promising than the original series-and in every case, they're better than most of what's on the stands right now. The Unluckiest Guy In Comics Award Jim Shooter Man, what a streak of bad luck! Jim Shooter almost managed to buy Marvel Comics a few years ago, only to be outbid by Ron Perelman. Then he confounded Valiant's line of comics, before he and the company split. Then he launched his own line, Defiant, which collapsed due to some funding problems. And then came Broadway Comics, which seemed to have the necessary backing to make it work. Shooter and Co. put together some entertaining comics, and they were generating some real fan interest when the company was sold to Golden Books-ironically, the company that owned the Gold Key characters that had been the core of the Valiant line. Alas, they weren't interested in publishing comics, and the lights are no longer bright on Broadway. Don't count him out, though; Shooter's too good at the comics biz to stay out of the field for long... The "Fangs For Nothing" Award Vampire comics Is anyone else out there as tired of the endless parade of cliched vampire comics that keep showing up month after month? Do we blame Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, or creators who lack the imagination to do anything more than imitate the sanguine flavor of the month? A few years ago, Marvel implemented a vampire moratorium in the Marvel Universe; maybe it's time for some other publishers to take the hint... The "Kitty Pride" Award Reality Check If you haven't discovered the charm of this delightful comic, you've really missed out. Reality Check, the story of a young man's experiences in computer-generated virtual reality-a virtual reality also inhabited by an anthropomorphic version of his pet cat-is an all-ages fantasy that deserves to be enjoyed by everyone who thinks that comics can transcend superhero adventure. The "Naked Greed" Award Overpriced Nude Cover Issues "It's all ink lines on paper," one of my best friends is fond of saying when someone gets too enraptured in a discussion of the fictional realities of comic books... and that phrase always comes to mind when I see publishers charging outrageous $10-$15 prices for $2.50-$3.00 comic books just because they've drawn nekkid wimmin on the front cover (believe me, it's always nekkid wimmin... the folks who are willing to be taken for $10-$15 won't pay that much for drawings of nekkid men). For the price difference, they could buy the regular edition of the comic and a magazine filled with real photos of real nekkid wimmin, some of whom are just as anatomically unbelievable as the nekkid wimmin on the covers of these ripoff comics. (No slur intended on RipOff Comics, one of the finest publishers of underground and alternative titles; they never charge extra for nekkid wimmin on their comics.) The "Puttin' the Fun in Funnybooks" Award Comic Shop Retailers The next time you're in your local comic shop, say a word of thanks to the folks there who make it possible for you to scan all the titles each week, looking for those comics that you might enjoy. Forget those mail order catalogs, subscription services, and so on-it's the local comic shop that really keeps the comics industry going, offering you a chance to see what the field has to offer, to sneak a peek at a page or two of the book you've often wondered about, to swap stories about favorite books, and to have a good time with comics. These men and women are there month after month because they love comics-heck, most of them are longtime fans themselves-and they want to share that enjoyment of the medium with their customers. Their stores serve as a focal point for fans, as a place where you can meet others with similar interests. They keep you up to date on news, they swap opinions, and they can help turn you on to the hot comics you might have overlooked. Think how dull comic collecting would be without 'em!... "A Mine Is a Terrible Thing..." Award DC Comics' Batman and Superman anti-mine comics Comics have, for decades, had a conscience-but it's rare that a company is willing to feature not one but two of its highest-profile characters in a pair of books designed to inform Bosnian children-and the rest of the world-about the horrors of land mines. Here in the US, the terrifying aspect of these indiscriminate weapons were presented in Batman: Death of Innocents, a special book that shows that some problems are too great for any one person to solve. In Bosnia and Herzegovena, children learned about the dangers of millions of unexploded mines in Superman: Deadly Legacy, produced by DC in conjunction with UNICEF, IFOR, the Department of Defense, Time Warner, UN Ambassador Madeline Albright, and First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton. Thanks to DC for showing that, like their characters, comics publishers can do something to make the world a little safer, too. The "Welcome Back Why Were You Gone So Long?" Award Barry Windsor-Smith Barry Windsor-Smith hasn't done a phenomenal amount of comics work during his quarter-century career, but what he has done is phenomenal (Conan, Weapon X, Archer & Armstrong, just to name a few)... so we were thrilled to see him back with a monthly book that featured not one, but three new concepts. Barry Windsor-Smith: Storyteller has lived up to our high expectations; the story is filled with a mixture of beautiful artwork, exciting storylines, and captivating characterization. Sort of makes us feel cheated for all those years that we were Windsor-Smith-less!... The "Just the Fax" Award Fax From Sarajevo Joe Kubert has managed to humanize a war that had been little more than statistics and news briefs to most Americans; in Fax From Sarajevo, he presents the real-life story of one man's struggle to save his family from the terrors of war in their homeland-a story told to Kubert and the rest of the world through a series of faxes transmitted and random intervals, updating friends on the family's efforts to escape to safety. For decades, Kubert has been associated with WWII comics; here, he proves that the horrors of human cruelty and hatred are still alive and still need to be fought. +++++ And now it's your turn. You've seen our Red K Awards-so howsabout sending us some of your own? Who do you think most deserves praise, recognition, or some gentle (and maybe a bit sarcastic) criticism? Each year, we run the best fan entries in a follow-up column; why don't you become a part of this year's Red K Awards? You can send your entries via snail mail to: Red K Awards 2770 Carillon Crossing Marietta GA 30066 or you can e-mail 'em to cliffbig@jupiter.netdepot.com. [NOTE: DO NOT SEND THEM TO *THIS* MAGAZINE - D.L.] Whichever method of delivery you use, please include your name and city along with your entries, and get 'em in to CSN by the end of January! Copyright 1996 CSN, Inc. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] New Comic Book Releases List by Charles LePage cslepage@highway1.com NCRL: New Comic Book Releases List for Thursday,January 2, 1997, compiled by Charles LePage with information from Suncoast Comics. 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. PUBLISHER, TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER, PRICE IN U.S. DOLLARS ACADEMY Robotech Breaking Point: Cadet Lisa Hayes Special #1, 2.95 ACCLAIM X-O Manowar #4, 2.50 ARCHIE Archie Digest #147, 1.79 Betty #48, 1.50 Knuckles: The Dark Legion #1, 1.50 DARK HORSE Art Of Big Guy And Rusty The Boy Robot TPB, 29.95 Barry Windsor Smith Storyteller #4, 4.95 Comic Book #2, 5.95 Comics And Stories #4 (of 4)(resolicited), 2.95 Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan #7, 2.95 Legend Of Mother Sarah: City Of The Angels #4 (of 9), 3.95 Oh My Goddess: Trials Of Morisato #1, 2.95 Predator: Kindred #2 (of 4), 2.50 Real Adventures Of Johnny Quest #5, 2.95 DC Batman: Gordons Law #4 (of 4), 1.95 Batman: Legacy TPB, 17.95 Batman: Shadow Of The Bat #60, 1.95 Big Book Of Losers, 14.95 Book Of Fate #2, 2.25 Books Of Faerie #1 (of 3), 2.50 Catwoman/Vampirella: The Furies, 4.95 Cyberella #7, 2.50 Green Lantern #84, 1.75 Hellblazer: Fear And Loathing TPB, 14.95 JLA #3, 1.95 Nightwing #6, 1.95 Pinky And The Brain #9, 1.75 Power Of Shazam #24, 1.75 Preacher #23, 2.50 Seekers Into Mystery #14, 2.50 Starman #28, 2.25 Steel #36, 1.95 Superboy And The Ravers #6, 1.95 Superman Adventures #5, 1.75 Superman: The Man Of Steel #65, 1.95 Terminal City #9 (of 9), 2.50 IMAGE Gen 13 #15, 2.50 Wildcats #32, 2.50 Wetworks #25, 3.95 Grifter #7, 2.50 Elektra/Cyblade #7 (Devils Reign), 2.95 MARVEL Due to the lack of timely information from Heroes World, the new releases information for Marvel will be, now and in the near future, highly inaccurate. Cable #41, 1.95 Code Of Honor #2 (of 4), 5.95 Daredevil #362, 1.95 Fantastic Four #5 (Heroes Reborn), 1.95 Incredible Hulk/Pitt TPB, 5.99 Sabretooth & Mystique #4 (of 4), 1.95 Sensational Spider-Man #14, 1.95 Spider-Man/Batman TPB (AA), 5.95 Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #3 Ultra Girl #3 (of 3), 1.50 Uncanny Origins #7, 0.99 Uncanny X-Men #342, 1.95 TOPPS Lady Rawhide #4, 2.95 X-Files TPB #2, 19.95 TOP COW Darkness #2, 2.50 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights SUBMISSIONS ----------- To submit an article, review, column, etc to our e-mag, simply E-mail it to the editor at: ComicBkNet@aol.com If you have access to the ComicBook Net, submit your articles for consideration in any ComicBook Net conference and leave me a message in the CBN: E-Mag conference giving me permission to use the article. Reviews of mainstream books are welcome and will get included when submitted from sources outside of CBN, they 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 FREE 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, as well as some non CBN affiliated Bulletin Board Systems. All back issues are also available on 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) 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 CBN Node Board Name Sysop Phone ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23:102/0 Warner Robins Net Host Jeff Floyd 1-912-929-3762 23:102/1 The Congressional BBS Jeff Floyd 1-912-929-3762 23:103/0 Russellville Net Host Robert Wood 1-501-968-3910 23:103/1 Karate & Comics &... Robert Wood 1-501-968-3910 23:103/2 The Factory Rick Brewer 1-901-885-9647 23:103/3 The Mystic Curtis Tesch 1-501-284-5503 23:103/4 Conway PC Users Group BBS Tim Stone 1-501-329-7227 23:104/0 Raleigh Net Host Walter Tietjen 1-919-833-3412 23:104/1 TI-Raleigh Maximus Walter Tietjen 1-919-833-3412 23:104/3 Psychotronic Richard Lee 1-919-286-7738 23:104/4 Electronic Hangover Richard Lee 1-919-286-4542 23:104/6 The Federal Post Frank Koza 1-910-436-2055 23:108/0 Melbourne Net Wayne Bell 1-407-253-8754 23:108/2 Never Never Land Wayne Bell 1-407-253-8754 23:109/0 Jacksonville Net Eric Cohen 1-904-363-6347 23:109/1 Extreme Online Eric Cohen 1-904-363-6347 23:110/0 Destin Net Keith Schultz 1-904-654-1631 23:110/1 Steel Dog Cafe' Keith Schultz 1-904-654-1631 23:110/2 Ghost's Realm Kie Dorton 1-904-689-6664 23:111/0 Lake County Net Thomas McNeill 1-904-357-0355 23:111/1 Programmers Citadel Thomas McNeill 1-904-357-0355 23:111/2 Ded Dudez Mike Burgess 1-904-343-7272 23:112/0 Area Code 305 Mitchel Waas 1-305-792-9622 23:112/1 Information Interchange Mitchel Waas 1-305-792-9622 23:202/0 Houston Net Jeff Watts 1-713-568-0825 23:202/1 The RASTER Line Jeff Watts 1-713-568-0825 23:202/2 Dream Sequence Biju Mathai 1-713-835-0965 23:203/0 Nearly Dallas Wayne LeMonds 1-214-494-3702 23:203/2 Star Streams Michael Rudolf 1-214-938-7115 23:203/5 Way Out There Justin Pasher 1-214-680-2755 23:206/0 Collinsville Net Jeff Bennett 1-918-371-0980 23:206/1 Snart's Dreamland Jeff Bennett 1-918-371-0980 23:206/2 CompuMate Danny Pelletier 1-918-663-3454 23:206/4 The Round Table Garett Merrill 1-918-274-0775 23:207/0 Killeen TX Net T.J. Gohl 1-817-699-2254 23:207/1 Young Blood T.J. Gohl 1-817-699-2254 23:208/0 OKC MetroNet Lonnie Johnson 1-405-787-2540 23:208/1 Beggar's Forum IV Lonnie Johnson 1-405-787-2540 23:208/2 Beggar's Forum IV Lonnie Johnson 1-405-787-2557 23:400/0 Saugerties Net Host John Dragun 1-914-247-9601 23:400/1 Starbase : RED DWARF John Dragun 1-914-247-9601 23:401/0 Mass Net John Harris 1-508-753-3767 23:401/3 Archives BBS John Viera 1-508-995-0085 23:401/7 Keystone BBS John Harris 1-508-753-3767 23:401/8 Call Again Soon Joe Johnson 1-508-791-8456 23:401/9 Muskrat & Heatwave Dennis Racine 1-508-984-4632 23:401/10 HellFire BBS Brock Cordeiro 1-508-979-8930 23:403/0 DC MetroNet Spencer Greenwald 1-703-415-1130 23:403/4 Crystal Aerie Spencer Greenwald 1-703-415-0134 23:403/6 Bifrost Kevin Carlin 1-301-779-9381 23:403/7 Vampyre Bar Darryl Pierce 1-301-698-5194 23:403/8 Womens World East BBS Net Wendy Dumser 1-301-445-1612 23:403/9 DataStorm Tarek Gordan 1-301-390-5243 23:404/0 NH Net Don Foster 1-603-332-0419 23:404/3 Brickyard BBS Don Foster 1-603-332-0419 23:405/0 LI Net Host Tom Pemberton 1-516-422-4225 23:405/1 Asgard.TW BBS Tom Pemberton 1-516-422-4225 23:406/0 Philadelphia Net William Horton 1-215-365-5225 23:406/1 Comic Book Board William Horton 1-215-365-5225 23:406/2 Dark Lands Chris Ford 1-215-487-7315 23:407/0 RoachTel Net Eric Sears 1-716-647-9068 23:407/1 Generation X Eric Sears 1-716-647-9068 23:409/0 St Mary's County Net Linda Peek 1-301-884-9732 23:409/1 Shearata's Realm Linda Peek 1-301-884-9732 23:410/0 Bergen County Net Jacob Greenberg 1-201-722-1495 23:410/1 Bergen BBS Jacob Greenberg 1-201-722-1495 23:410/2 Cyberspace Arcade Rick Smorawski 1-201-440-0563 23:410/3 Unnamed BBS Edward Di Geronimo J 1-201-368-1866 23:410/4 Quantum Zone Wayne Robinson 1-201-307-9225 23:410/5 Virtual Connection Dmitry Korsun 1-201-796-7202 23:411/0 AreaCode 908 Tal Meta 1-908-830-8265 23:411/1 Phoenix Modernz Systems Tal Meta 1-908-830-8265 23:501/0 KY Net Todd Millhouse 1-502-867-0992 23:501/1 Lex Corp Todd Millhouse 1-502-867-0992 23:503/0 Windsor Net Gary Ranchuk 1-519-974-2976 23:503/1 The Trading Post ][ Gary Ranchuk 1-519-974-2976 23:503/2 The Snake Pit BBS Mark Godard 1-519-979-4251 23:506/0 Gananoque Net Mike Serson 1-613-382-1788 23:506/1 Gananoque System Mike Serson 1-613-382-1788 23:507/0 Iowa Net Andy St.Pierre 1-319-359-4449 23:507/2 The Final Destination BBS Andy St.Pierre 1-319-359-4449 23:508/0 KC Area Net Brian J. Stewart 1-816-767-1488 23:508/1 The Oan Citadel Brian J. Stewart 1-816-767-1488 23:509/0 Ontario Net Michael Cross 1-519-850-9929 23:509/1 Dark Knight Michael Cross 1-519-850-9929 23:509/3 Mach 1 Tomasz Heiber 1-519-457-6771 23:509/5 Stargate: Above & Beyond Paul Nicolas 1-519-472-4938 23:510/0 Chi & Burbs Alex Gen 1-708-776-2395 23:510/1 Warp Speed Alex Gen 1-708-776-2395 23:512/0 Area Code 219 Rob Swanson 1-219-325-3655 23:512/1 Rob's BBS Arcade 1 Rob Swanson 1-219-325-3655 23:512/2 Rob's BBS Arcade 2 Rob Swanson 1-219-324-4713 23:600/0 Longview Net Host Jeanne Lejon 1-360-577-7358 23:600/1 Longview On-Line! Node1 Jeanne Lejon 1-360-577-7358 23:600/2 Longview On-Line! Node2 Jeanne Lejon 1-360-577-0276 23:601/0 Tacoma Net Host Robert Richards 1-206-272-8083 23:601/1 Alpha's Attic Robert Richards 1-206-272-8083 23:601/2 Area 51 Paul Powloski 1-206-538-9435 23:700/0 Mexico DF Net Emilio Karam 52-5-264-2994 23:700/1 The Gate Emilio Karam 52-5-264-2994 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - End of another Issue .. see ya in the funnny papers!! Psst..."bagged" comics rot in the bag. Pass it on...