---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 201 2/12/99 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com FREE VIA EMAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 1995 ______________________________________________________________________ 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! [3] TRIVIA CONTEST ........................ Win *real* prizes! [4] Network Buzz .......................... News, gossip & rumors [5] Ramblings `99 ......................... Rich Johnston [6] Pipeline Commentary and Review ........ Augie De Blieck Jr. [7] Had Your Phil? ........................ Phil White [8] And let me tell you why ............... David Coulter [9] Venting My Spleen ..................... David Groenewegen [10] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [11] My View: .......................... David LeBlanc [12] Top 10 Black & White Comics ........... Comic Shop News [13] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [14] HYPE! Section ......................... Various [A] Submission, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights, BBS Info ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet HTML WEB EDITION at -->> http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem featuring the exclusive comic strips: HEROES RERUN by Johnny Gonzales and ACTION COP by John E. Thompson ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o \o/ _ o _| \ / |_ o_ \o/ o /|\ | /\ _\o \o | o/ O/_ /\ | /|\ / \ / \ |\ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 with the word SUBSCRIBE in the SUBJECT to be placed on the FREE subscription list. To drop it use UNSUBSCRIBE as a SUBJECT. See section [A] for the address to mail material to be reviewed. ______________________________________________________________________ All text contained within is copyrighted to the originating author(s). Except where elsewhere noted, The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine is Copyright 1999 by The ComicBook Network. You may freely distribute or retransmit this file intact without alteration for noncommercial purposes only. Except for personal archiving, permission must be obtained from the individual authors to reproduce, retransmit, or publish any part of this magazine. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net David LeBlanc In case you were wondering about the size of last week's issue, yes it was our largest ever. Kind of fitting for the 200th issue to be a record breaker as well. The funny thing it was not planned that way. Most of the time I take what comes in and find the news I can, throw it in the magic blender and pour it out for all to consume. It just turned out we had lots to tell and lots of contributors getting in on the big landmark issue. Even at that, a couple missed out on the deadline but are with us this issue. With you this week at the comic store are a few things to try out: CATFISH COMICS Medora #1, 2.95 DC COMICS Adventures Of Superman #566, 1.99 Green Lantern #111, 1.99 Hourman #1, 2.5 Human Target #1 (Of 4), 2.95 <----Pick of the Week! Impulse #47, 2.25 Legends Of The DC Universe #15, 1.99 Legionnaires #70, 2.5 Resurrection Man #23, 2.5 Titans #2, 2.5 MARVEL COMICS Avengers #14, 1.99 THORBY ENTERPRISES Skulker #2, 2.95 When I mentioned last time that Todd McFarlane should stop claiming that Spawn "is the number one comic in America" I never expected to get a response from anyone - just one of those editorial quips, you know? Well, it seems W.J.C. of Washington, D.C. defends Todd because, "it all depends on what your definition of "is" is!" Next time, yet another anniversary, but not the big one! 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 may be used in future issues of CBEM unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Your Email address and/or name will be withheld upon request. +++++ Subj: Comics in the mainstream From: charles.willard@ccmail.wpcorp.com.au To: comicbknet@aol.com Let me start by congratulating you on the 200th issue of an invaluable source of news, gossip, humour and plain old hype. May we all enjoy the fruits of your efforts for a long, long time. I've been reading CBEM for around nine months now, and in that time I must have read dozens of articles from those "prophets of doom" who claim to have a full understanding of the comics industry and economics. We keep saying that there isn't enough variety and that the reason for the current state of affairs is because the superhero genre is the only option available. Well, did you take a look at the results from Tony Isabella's poll? Superhero comics were voted most popular genre with 72% of the vote. The closest category was alternative with less than 3% of the total vote. While I agree that many people like more than one genre, it would be unreasonable to dismiss the popularity of superhero books. Not too long ago someone wrote that we should give up superhero books, even if we're forced to go "kicking and screaming". In fact, there is probably a greater variety of "alternative" books on the stands -certainly more than 3%- than ever before. This may be the main reason for comic books having lost their "juvenile" label. And I firmly believe that comic books need to cater for ALL ages, but primarily for kids- because that's the age when they're most likely to discover the medium. So if you want to make comics really "alternative" then they should represent an alternative to movies and video games. Just last week, as the summer holidays draw to a close (in Australia) I overheard a couple of guys complaining about having nothing to do. Kids don't even *think* about comics. So its up to all of us to educate these guys, let them know comic books exist. But word-of-mouth is limited. Comic book publishers need to advertise. Really drive the message home that comics are out there and they're cool. I reckon that the big publishers should increase advertising in the mainstream media - at the cinema, on TV, radio. Tell listenerrs about "No Man's Land" - show viewers that John Romita Jr is pencilling Thor. I just feel that young people have forgotten that comic books are entertaining. They probably think its like collecting stamps. Charles Willard +++++ From: wmeaney@cusa.canon.com [Last week's trivia winner - DL] Boy, was I surprised to learn this -- thanks very much!! I started reading G.I. Combat around the time Archie Goodwin started writing it and I really enjoyed those stories -- Gus being introduced and having to run against Nazi soldiers as payback for Jesse Owens' victories in the '32 Olympics, although you knew Arch was going to depart since he got a "Dear John" letter. And you knew that five guys really wouldn't fit in the Haunted Tank. Ah, the memories... I would hope I'm not the only one that got the answer (and remembers those stories)...that would be sad. Just a final note to say that I enjoyed the 200th issue of your "e-mag" except maybe for one item. The market report seemed rather out of place compared to the other articles. Your mag seems to be more about reading (first) and collecting books (for collectors). A dealer writing about how good (or bad) his month was doesn't do it for me. Shouldn't something like this report be presented in Comic Book Marketplace or (obviously) the Overstreet Price Guides? But hey, I think I read only one of the earlier issues, so maybe this is a regular feature or I've misinterpreted the raison d'etre for your mag. Regardless, I'll be sending a "subscribe" e-mail next and look forward to more reading pleasure with you. Maybe I'll even contribute something (at least a letter) -- I have some strong opinions about that twin brother of Barry Allen story in the Flash (among other things). :) Okay, NOW I'm done... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet/emag.htm QUESTION OF THE WEEK (Prizes donated by THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT - Worcester, MA) (DC COMICS & DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS, INC.) +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.+ LAST ISSUE'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Who is the missing team member? Rick Rowlins, Slim Stryker, Arch Asher, Gus Gray, Bill Craig, Eddie Craig... Bill Meaney knew that the missing member from the HAUNTED TANK crew was Jeb Stuart. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: From anonymous Chuck: Who used the pseudonym Martin A. Bursten? 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! Messages with more than one guess will be disqualified. LIMIT: ONE PRIZE PER MONTH PER PERSON! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Network Buzz News, gossip and rumors from around the industry Well we told you when MSNBC broke the news, even though it was denied by sources close to the Todd, but now he has gone public. Buyer of McGwire's 70th HR ball is comic book artist SportsTicker NEW YORK (Ticker) -- The man who paid more than $3 million for St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire's 70th home run ball is a former semi-pro player who made his fortune as a comic book artist and entrepreneur. Todd McFarlane, the 37-year-old Canadian-born creator of the popular comic book series "Spawn," today was revealed as the anonymous bidder who last month paid $3.005 million for the final home run ball of McGwire's record-setting season. McFarlane, who owns a minority interest in the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, beat out rival bidders in the auction conducted by Guernsey's on January 12. He paid a record $2.7 million plus a $305,000 commission fee after Phillip Ozersky, the fan who caught McGwire's 70th homer, decided to sell the ball. The price was 23 times the world record for any baseball ever sold and more than five times the amount of any sports artifact. "Baseball is the only sport where the `record' can leave the field of play and the average fan can take home a piece of history from the stadium," McFarlane said. "You can't do that in hockey, basketball or football. That's why I wanted to bring the ball back to the fans across North America and the world, to recapture the excitement of the record, to be able to let everyone look at the ball and say, `cool.'" McFarlane plans to take his "McFarlane Collection" -- featuring numerous home run balls hit by McGwire and Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa -- on a tour which will include major league cities, the Hall of Fame and international venues. Portions of the proceeds will go to charity. The collection includes McGwire's first home run of the season, in addition to his 63rd, 67th, 68th and 69th, and Sosa's 33rd, 61st and 66th home run balls. McFarlane paid $150,000 for Sosa's 66th and final home run of the season. Born in Calgary, McFarlane attended Eastern Washington University and in 1982 played for a Canadian team associated with the Seattle Mariners. He landed his first job with Marvel/Epic Comics, serving as a graphic artist in the "Spiderman" series of books. In 1992, he formed his own publishing company, Image Comics, and created "Spawn." Five years later, he served as executive producer on a movie version of the series and a feature-length animated film grossed $100 million. +++++ Marvel Enterprises Appoints Winston Fowlkes as Publisher of Marvel Comics NEW YORK, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) announced today that its has appointed Winston Fowlkes, age 66, as Publisher of Marvel Comics. Mr. Fowlkes has over 40 years of entrepreneurial and senior management experience in the publishing industry, including three decades at Time Incorporated. Eric Ellenbogen, President and CEO of Marvel, commented, "With the appointment of Winston Fowlkes, we have significantly upgraded Marvel's senior management team. Winston is a respected veteran of the publishing industry and brings Marvel extensive experience in developing and managing major content libraries. Comics are the creative foundation of our company, and Winston will be invaluable in managing that business as we leverage the popularity of our characters across all media, whether film, television or the Internet." Mr. Fowlkes commented, "I'm very pleased to play a major role in the new Marvel. Marvel's massive character library lends itself to a myriad of media, licensing and promotion opportunities and I believe the company has only just scratched the service in exploiting these assets. I look forward to working with Eric as we seek to maximize the full potential of the company's publishing division." From 1988 to 1997, Winston Fowlkes was an entrepreneur having co-founded Voyager Communications, a comics publisher. He also served in senior manager positions including Executive Vice President of Novatek Medical Inc., Publisher of Enlightened Entertainment Partners and President of Broadway Comics. From 1958 to 1987, he held various senior management positions at Time Incorporated, including Assistant Business Manager of LIFE Magazine, European Books Manager, General Manager of the International Division, Treasurer and Vice President. He is a graduate, cum laude, of Princeton University. Marvel Enterprises, Inc. is one of the world's leading entertainment companies with operations in the licensing, comic book publishing and toy businesses. The company was formed on October 1, 1998 upon the emergence of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. from bankruptcy and its merger with Toy Biz, Inc. Through its ownership of over 3,500 proprietary characters, the company has published comic books for over 60 years in over 70 countries. Marvel licenses the right to use its characters in a wide range of consumer products such as video games, interactive software and apparel, as well as for television series and feature films. For additional company information visit the company's corporate web-site www.marvel.com. +++++ Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Enterprises Reach Agreement for Fox to Extend its Rights to Motion Picture Projects ``X-MEN,'' ``FANTASTIC FOUR'' and ``SILVER SURFER'' LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Feb. 9, 1999--Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Enterprises have reached an agreement for Fox to extend its rights to the motion picture projects "X-MEN," "FANTASTIC FOUR" and "SILVER SURFER." Fox is currently in early preparation for production and expects to begin shooting "X-MEN" this summer for release in 2000. "FANTASTIC FOUR," which is in an earlier stage of development, is expected to follow in release later that year, or in 2001. The agreement follows Marvel's recent emergence from bankruptcy under the new management and was announced Tuesday by Tom Rothman, President, Twentieth Century Fox, Film Production. The "X-MEN" feature film will be directed by Bryan Singer, whose credits include the acclaimed "The Usual Suspects." Christopher McQuarrie, an Oscar-winner for Best Original Screenplay for "The Usual Suspects," wrote the latest draft of the screenplay. The producers are Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner, with Ralph Winter ("Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," "Inspector Gadget") serving as executive producer. Casting will begin shortly. "FANTASTIC FOUR" is from 1492 Pictures and producer Bernd Eichinger at Neue Constantin Film. Sam Hamm ("Batman") is writing the screenplay. "SILVER SURFER," also produced by Eichinger, is being written by Mike Finch. "X-MEN" and "FANTASTIC FOUR" are based on legendary Marvel comics, which debuted nearly four decades ago; "SILVER SURFER" followed in the mid-Sixties. Marvel's "X-MEN comics" remain the number one sellers in the entire world. +++++ From the Diamond Comics Distributor's Web Page www.diamondcomics.com New Vertigo Title Features Jim Lee's First DC Story Art A surprising array of writers and artists tells modern horror stories for the new millennium in Flinch, a new ongoing Vertigo anthology series (suggested for mature readers) that is everything you fear...and nothing you expect. And beginning the surprises is WildStorm's Jim Lee, who illustrates his first story for DC Comics in the pages of Flinch #1 (FEB990191D1/$2.50). From surveillance technology gone amok to out-of-control cloning experiments, from double-cross murders in the Outback to corporate backstabbings by the water cooler, Flinch takes a hard look at what scares us today, with culprits who are anything but usual. In Flinch #1, "The Rocketman," written by Richard Bruning (Adam Strange) and illustrated by Jim Lee (Divine Right: The Adventures Of Max Faraday) updates the Icarus myth, as a fledgling inventor with his head in the clouds embarks on the ride of a lifetime; "Wolf Girl Eats" reunites the seminal horror team of Bruce Jones and Richard Corben, as a traveling minister with gold in his eye and blood on his hands brings his act to a backwoods town with secrets of its own; and in "Nice Neighborhood," written by Jen Van Meter (Dark Horse Presents) and illustrated by Frank Quitely (The Kingdom: Offspring), a gang of suburban teenage girls comes face-to-face with the outlandish side effects of a certain "performance-enhancing" drug. The whole scary business is wrapped in a disturbing painted cover by renowned horror novel cover artist Phil Hale (Stephen King's Insomnia and The Drawing of the Three). Future issues of Flinch will feature writers and artists such as Garth Ennis, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bernie Wrightson, Paul Gulacy, Phil Jimenez, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Bradstreet, Kent Williams, Jim Woodring, Ted McKeever, Brian Azzarello, and Eduardo Risso doing their best to scare readers to death. Be afraid to miss a single issue. Secret Origins Of Spider-Man Villians In Spider-Man Chapter One #0 (JAN990823D4/$2.50), writer/artist John Byrne delves into the origins of the Sandman, the Vulture, and the Lizard, revealing the previously unknown details of their criminal careers before Spider-Man's first appearance. The Sandman's revised origin plays into the startling developments in Amazing Spider-Man #4 (DEC980829D4/$1.99), scheduled to arrive in comics shops Feb. 10. Wesley Snipes has officially signed on to star in New Line Cinema's Blade sequel, reprising his role as the ultra-cool vampire hunter from Marvel Comics. Realm Press, publishers of Battlestar Galactica, has been acquired by JMJ Media Group and has scheduled an immediate, full-speed return to a regular publication schedule. "We're very excited about getting a chance to proceed with Galactica," said series writer James Kuhoric. "We've kept the creative team intact, but we're going to address the most serious concern retailers and fans alike had about the series: its timeliness. This is our number one priority." The company's first new offerings will appear in the March Previews for shipping in May. Kenzer & Company, publisher of the award-winning Knights of the Dinner Table, has announced that it is now the exclusive publisher of the fantasy comic Avelon, which was formerly self-published by its creators, artist Manny Vega and writer Blaine Loyd. The series will continue as a creator-owned, black-and-white bi-monthly, and will bear the Kenzer logo starting with issue #6. +++++ Marvel Enterprises Announces Completion of Sale of Fleer/Skybox International NEW YORK, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) announced today that it has completed the previously announced sale of Fleer/Skybox International, its trading card business, for a purchase price of $26 million in cash, subject to post-closing adjustment, to a newly formed private company founded by Alex Grass and his son Roger Grass. +++++ From the splash page of www.comcicon.com: MARVEL BANKRUPTCY TRUSTEE ISSUES NEW SUMMONS TO FREELANCERS, VENDORS AND EX-EMPLOYEES! The SPLASH has learned that the Marvel bankruptcy Trustee, who last month sued hundreds of freelancers, ex-employees and vendors to recoup payments made during Marvel Entertainment's Chapter 11 filing (see the SPLASH SPECIAL REPORT: MARVEL IN CRISIS), has apparently sent out a fresh batch of similar summons. Moose Baumann, who worked for Malibu Comics between 1993 and 1997, told the SPLASH he was in receipt of a summons from the offices of Connolly, Bove, Lodge and Hutz on behalf of Marvel Entertainment (Civil Action No. 98-746). The court papers are dated Feb 3rd. He said he was one of two freelancers on a list of twenty-five, the rest being either former Marvel employees or outside service providers. He also said the dollar amounts ranged from $10k to almost $81k. After speaking with the lawfirm that filed the papers, it was Baumann's impression that there were "many, many other people" who received these summons other than the 25 on his current list. In a statement to the SPLASH, Bauman said: "At this point, nobody can tell me exactly WHAT I'm being sued for. Is it for freelance pay, severance pay, or something else altogether? After talking with Cheryl Page (at Marvel), Karen Bifferato (at Connolly, Bove, Lodge and Hutz, the lawfirm that filed the papers) and several others in the never-ending legal food chain, nobody can tell me this one little thing for certain. In fairness, I should point out that all calls to Rhonda Rivera at the Trustee's office have yet to be returned. The one thing I did find out from Cheryl is that, if I were still actively working for Marvel in a freelance capacity, Bob Harras himself could take me off the list. I found that somewhat interesting. I was also told that the trustee doesn't really expect anything from the individuals listed, their mention in the lawsuit is strictly "procedure", whatever that means. I worked at Malibu from early '93 to Dec '97. When other employees scattered, a mere handful of us stayed to help close things down. I packed up my cubicle and packed my computer up so Marvel could ship my job overseas. The only thing I got out of it was a severance package and a boot in the ass. Now it looks like all I'll be left with is a freaking boot." +++++ A "Tour De Farce" press release Eisner nominated Jon "Bean" Hastings and critically acclaimed Jimmie Robinson have banded together to create a multi-convention, national tour to promote humor in comics: the "Tour De Farce". "We're going to make the "Trilogy Tour" look like a big tree!" stated Hastings, "We took Linda Medley's advice, locked ourselves in a room with a bottle of bourbon for a looooong night, and are happy to say that we are fit to the task of touring over the entire year." "We're itchin' to go," said Robinson, "I'll be promoting my new all-ages series 'Evil and Malice' (Image) and Jon will be finishing up the second 'Smith Brown Jones: Alien Accountant' mini-series (Slave Labor) as the tour starts." The center piece of the tour is the "Comedy Machine," a giant kinetic sculpture/backdrop that will dominate the Tour de Farce booth and which will grow in size at each consecutive convention, culminating with its largest incarnation at San Diego. Under the whirling, blinking monstrosity Jimmie and Jon will be joined by other humor book creators as they wend there way across the country. "Although our goal is to bring back belly laughs and giggle fits to comics," continued Hastings, "we also have a serious side to the tour. We're doing several promotions with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and the Cartoon Art Museum. Both organizations are vitally important to the future and past of comics and we want to make as many people aware of them as possible." The tour's tentative stops include A.P.E. VI, WonderCon, Wizard World Chicago, Comic-Con International: San Diego and SPX '99 along with store signings to be announced later. If you have any questions or want to interview the heck out of us; Jon can be reached at 831-761-5494 or at KiwiStudios@CompuServe.Com (website: http://members.xoom.com/kiwistudios/). Jimmie can be reached at 510-638-3098 or at Jimmykitty@aol.com. +++++ From the Comics Continuum of the Detroit News at http://www.detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/ KABOOM RETURNS Awesome Entertainment's Kaboom returns in June with Kaboom Vol. 2 #1, the start of a new mini-series. "We have been flooded with requests for Kaboom's return since the end of the first series," said Awesome CEO and president Rob Liefeld. "Kaboom was a book that was ahead of its time and we are thrilled to continue expanding the saga of Kaboom and Co." The mini-series will be plotted by Liefeld and Jeph Loeb, written by Loeb and illustrated by Keron Grant. "Keron's work is going to take the industry by storm," Liefeld said. "Everyone who has seen what he is doing on Kaboom is just blown away. Keron is sure to turn a lot of heads with this series. We have had the good fortune of breaking many of today's outstanding young talents into the comic marketplace including Pat Lee, Jeff Matsuda, Danny Miki, Liquid! and Keron is one of the best new talents that I have seen in my 12 years in the business. I can't wait for the fans to experience his work." Added Loeb: "Kaboom co-creator Jeff Matsuda will be on board illustrating covers and in general giving the project his inspiration and blessings." Here's how Awesome describes the mini-series: "The new adventures of Kaboom opens months after the first series and Geoff Sunrise is coping with the ever-expanding Kaboom Cycle. He is older and wiser and his relationship with his mentor, The Zang, is strained by revelations that have forever altered Geoff's life. A new Kaboom protege, a female skate-punk named Kyra, arrives on the scene and her presence is unsettling to Geoff. Her approach to her Kaboom heritage is decidedly different than Geoff's and this creates a fair amount of tension with Geoff and The Zang. The villainous Scarlett will stop at nothing to crush the trio and regain the gauntlets." A Kaboom action figure from Awesome Toys will make its debut as an incentive on Kaboom #2 and will later be offered in an assortment of new Awesome toys. AWESOME GUARANTEES SHIPPING In what it calls "an effort to increase retailer and fan relations," Awesome Entertainment has moved to guaranteed ship dates on a majority of its upcoming titles. "This is a necessary move for Awesome as we continue to emerge from the ashes of our nearly yearlong publishing hiatus," said Rob Liefeld, president and CEO of Awesome. "Awesome realizes how important it is to give the retailers and fans that have supported our company reliable dates so that they can better anticipate our titles. We moved to guaranteed ship dates in April with the first issues of Alan Moore's Awesome Adventures and The Allies, and in May with Supreme Returns #1. We have since been able to coordinate much of our shipping schedule and are excited to provide the following ship dates. We appreciate the continued patience, support and enthusiasm that the retailers and fans have given us through this difficult transition". Awesome's shipping schedule is as follows. Glory #0, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Brandon Peterson, ships on March 9. Avengelyne #1, written by Liefeld and Bob Napton, and illustrated by Dan Fraga, ships on March 16. Coven #2, written by Jeph Loeb, illustrated by Ian Churchill, ships on March 23. Alan Moore's Awesome Universe Handbook #1, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Alex Ross, Pat Lee, Liefeld, Ed McGuiness, ships on March 30. Fighting American: Dogs of War #3, written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by Stephen Platt, ships on March 30. Alan Moore's Awesome Adventures #1, written by Moore and illustrated by Steve Skroce, ships on April 20. Allies #1, written by Eric Stephenson inspired by stories from Moore, illustrated by Liefeld, ships on April 27. Supreme: The Return #1, written by Moore, illustrated by Chris Sprouse, ships on May 4. Liefeld noted that the books might ship before the listed dates. +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 REC.ARTS.COMICS.* "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE DC has announced new creative teams for the SUPERMAN books. Stuart Immonen and Mark Millar move over to Adventures of Superman so that JOE KELLY (DEADPOOL, X-MEN) can take over the writing on ACTION COMICS. Steve Epting will be pencilling. Meanwhile Jeph Loeb will take on the writing on SUPERMAN with a to-be-named artist. Devin Grayson will be leaving CATWOMAN after issue #17. The next six issues will be written by John Ostrander. Supernatural Law (the adaptation of Wolff & Byrd: Counselors of the Macabre): Jackie Estrada said that the film is still in development at Universal. Steve ("Tremors," "Short Circuit") Wilson and Steve ("Liar Liar") Mazur recently delivered a script, but no director has been signed. Ben Raab and Cary Nord will be doing a 4 issue mini-series entitled HELLFIRE CLUB: INNER CIRCLE about the origins of the Hellfire Club of X-Men fame. Backlash and Taboo's African Holiday is a 48-page prestige format one-shot, tentatively scheduled for July '99. Written and penciled by Brett Booth, with inks by Sean Parsons, it guest stars Vigor from Wildcore, and a whole bunch of dinosaurs. The TRILOGY TOUR, featuring comic creators including Jeff Smith, Mark Crilley, Linda Medley, Stan Sakai, Jill Thompson and Charles Vess, will only get together at the Comic Con International in San Diego this year. Conflicting schedules and many projects prevent a multi-convention tour. +++++ From Zentertainment; HTTP://WWW.ZENTERTAINMENT.COM To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN yourself, e-mail SeanJordan@aol.com and say SUBSCRIBE. A still-bodyless Mr. Freeze is introduced into the futuristic Gotham City on this Saturday morning's BATMAN BEYOND episode, where he teams up with the caped crusader's new nemesis. http://www.batmanbeyond.com FOX's announcement of its Saturday morning line-up does indeed include the AVENGERS and BIG GUY AND RUSTY THE BOY ROBOT animated series, as well as NASCAR SUPERCHARGERS, more BEAST WARS, it's new spin-off BEAST HUNTERS, and a new SPIDER-MAN series entitled SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED. This new AVENGERS series looks to be the best animated series to ever come out of MARVEL, and will feature the line-up of Vision, Scarlet Witch, Wonder Man, Hawkeye, Wasp, Ant Man, and Tigra. It looks like this new SPIDER-MAN series will feature a younger Peter Parker, trapped in a strange world, and wearing a new costume. FOX is developing a series based on MARVEL's mutant comic GENERATION X for its mid-season line-up. +++++ Warner Bros. Interactive and Ubi Soft Entertainment Sign Multi-Platform Videogame Licensing Agreement NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 1999--Ubi Soft(R) Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have signed a licensing agreement to create interactive adventures for DC Comics' flagship super-hero Batman. The two entertainment companies will team up to offer, in the year 2000, titles that will give an "interactive life" to the heroes, villains and settings of the award winning animated series "The Adventures of Batman and Robin." The agreement, of international scope, encompasses all formats, including PC CD-Rom, Dreamcast(TM), Game Boy(R) Color, Nintendo(R) 64 and Sony PlayStation(R). Design work on the title has already begun at Ubi Soft's production studios in New York. "Warner Bros. Interactive is very excited about this agreement. 'The Adventures of Batman and Robin' is perfectly suited for computer games, with Batman's super-hero image and his personality he is a great fit for the medium," said Rob Sebastian, director, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "Warner Bros. has always been on the cutting edge of technology and by partnering with Ubi Soft we are taking an aggressive approach to the next level." "With Batman's universal character recognition and the innovative art style of 'The Adventures of Batman and Robin,' Ubi Soft hopes to broaden its international recognition, particularly in the United States," said Alain Tascan, vice president of Special Projects, Ubi Soft Entertainment. Ubi Soft will take full advantage of this great Warner Bros. license by keeping to its commitment to create titles with advanced technology, innovative graphics and game-play. Ubi Soft's 3D open-space engines and its experience with game design and the creation of game worlds will enable the New York team to develop a top-quality title for the international market. +++++ From the DCOnline newsletter; http://www.dccomics.com/newsletter.html To subscribe, or for questions or comments about the DC newsletter, please email DCWebSite@aol.com. CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS HARDCOVER ARRIVES FEBRUARY 24 The corrected copies of the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS hardcover with slipcase are now scheduled to arrive in stores on Wednesday, February 24. Each corrected copy will have a sticker on its shrink-wrap announcing the following: "Congratulations! You've just purchased the ultimate, archival collection of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. FREE poster of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #1 with this purchase of this book. Ask your retailer for details." Please note: This free poster does NOT reproduce the George Perez/Alex Ross cover art to the hardcover. A retail poster reproducing the Perez/Ross cover art will be solicited in Previews Vol. IX, No. 4, and is scheduled to arrive in stores in July. VINCE SULLIVAN, ORIGINAL DC EDITOR, PASSES AWAY On Wednesday, February 3, DC Comics' first editor, Vince Sullivan, passed away after succumbing to cancer. He was 88 years old. More than sixty years ago, in 1938, Vince Sullivan was the editor of DETECTIVE COMICS, the flagship title of fledgling comics publisher National Allied Publishing. He was searching for material to fill a proposed new series, ACTION COMICS, when he saw a proposal from two young comics creators for a strip about a brand-new kind of hero - a "super-hero". Sullivan accepted Jerry Siegel's and Joe Shuster's often-rejected proposal for a comic strip entitled "Superman", and made it the cover and lead feature for the new title. When "Superman" began taking off, Sullivan turned to another young cartoonist, Bob Kane, to see if he could come up with a second costumed hero for DETECTIVE COMICS. With the debut of Superman in ACTION COMICS #1 and Batman in DETECTIVE COMICS #27, Sullivan kicked off what became known as the Golden Age of American comics, and brought the world the first appearances of two of the most enduring icons of popular culture. Together, Superman and Batman would help to make National the top publisher in the industry, and keep it there over the years as it evolved into DC Comics. After leaving National in 1940, Sullivan went to work for Columbia Comics, where he launched the comics magazine Big Shot Comics, which featured the work of Gardner Fox, Creig Flessel, and Ogden Whitney, among many others. In 1943, he formed his own comic book publishing company, Magazine Enterprises, where he remained for the next fifteen years, finally leaving the industry in 1958. After several decades away from comics, however, Sullivan was located by Golden Age comics enthusiast David Siegel, who convinced him to be a guest at Comic-Con International: San Diego 1998 last August. There he was reunited with old collaborators and warmly received by a host of comics veterans, including writer Mark Evanier, who concluded his posting of Sullivan's passing with the following words: "He was a fine gentleman, and I was honored to spend time with him at last year's ComicCon International. We already miss him." Said Siegel, "I was very fortunate to find him, and very proud to help give him his last hurrah." TROUBLE MAGNET MINISERIES POSTPONED The miniseries TROUBLE MAGNET (the first issue was solicited in Previews Vol. IX, No. 2 with an in-store date of April 7) has been postponed. Orders for all issues are cancelled. DC will resolicit this miniseries at a later date. ANIMATION EPISODE SCHEDULE Warner Bros. Animation has supplied us with the following air schedule, which is subject to change. THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES airs weekdays and Saturdays on the WB Network. Times given are Eastern and Pacific time. 2/15/99 (4:00 pm) -- "The Main Man Part 1" (Superman) 2/15/99 (4:30 pm) -- "The Main Man Part 2" (Superman) 2/16/99 (4:00 pm) -- "House and Garden" (Batman) 2/16/99 (4:30 pm) -- "A Little Piece of Home" (Superman) 2/17/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Stolen Memories" (Superman) 2/17/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Harlequinade" (Batman) 2/18/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Lock-Up" (Batman) 2/18/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Prototype" (Superman) 2/19/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Bizarro's World" (Superman) 2/19/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Cold Comfort" (Batman) 2/20/99 (8:00 am) -- "Judgment Day" (Batman) 2/20/99 (8:30 am) -- "Superman's Pal" (Superman -- NEW!) 2/20/99 (9:30 am) -- "Heroes" (Batman Beyond) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Ramblings 99 Rich Johnston twisting@hotmail.com [Renamed for the new year, Ramblings 99 continues to spread confirmed and unconfirmed news and rumours. It welcomes comment, especially comment that clarifies, refutes and corrects information already disseminated. Rich Johnston is an advertising copywriter, co-self publisher of Twist And Shout Comics, BBC comedy writer and comics columnist. He currently lives in South London, England. His column can be found online at: http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com All Ramblings e-mail received will be considered public domain and may be quoted.] This column is RUMOUR. Do not take anything here seriously. These RUMOURS are presented here as GOSSIP for their ENTERTAINMENT value. Dateline: 08 February 1999 Pete Hogan Presents. Peter Hogan was on hand to respond to the recent DC May Days article, where we commented upon his latest project for The Sandman Presents line. He writes "Actually, the 'Sandman Presents' title was Neil's suggestion. I'd written 'Love Street' as an arc for The Dreaming monthly. Then Vertigo decided it merited a bit more of a fanfare, and - because of the Constantine factor - were going to do it as a "Dreaming/Hellblazer crossover mini-series", which is a bit of a mouthful, to put it mildly. So Neil suggested The Sandman Presents banner, at which point - when The Dreaming was changing format anyhow - Vertigo decided to commission some more stories (from me and others) that would fit with the new title i.e. Sandman-related stories that aren't set mainly/exclusively in The Dreaming itself. Neil gets to approve everything in both titles, so it's not like Vertigo are trying to sneak anything past him." Peter then clarified "Basically, DC owns Sandman. Legally, they could do whatever they want with it without involving Neil at all ... but I think they're extremely happy that he's involved as creative consultant on all the Sandman spin-offs. And so am I. Neil makes comments at all stages, from proposal through to finished artwork, and any changes he requests are - as far as I'm aware - always incorporated. I wouldn't want it any other way, and talk to Neil frequently about the scripts I'm working on. I know that Caitlin Kiernan feels the same, and so do the editors involved." So that's us told then. Thanks Pete, for clarifying and contributing your informed perspective. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] PIPELINE COMMENTARY AND REVIEW Augie De Blieck Jr. http://www.nic.com/~augie/pipeline augie@nic.com RANDOM THOUGHTS Congratulations for CBEM on its 200th issue! Sorry I missed it last week. But I'll try like heck to be here for the 500th. Yes, I'm sick of the GOT MILK ad campaign, too. But it sure beats the heck out of having those GAP kids on the back covers of comic books! Am I the only one who is sick and tired of everything being compared to The X-Files these days? I don't know which annoys me more -- the fact that everything these days has to bear a comparison to the TV show for it to get green-lighted, or that the comparisons are often stretched quite thin. BTW, J. Torres' interesting new series has a new web site URL: http://www.monsterfightersinc.com LOTS LITTLE REVIEWS X-MEN #85 stands up as the single finest issue of any X title in a LONG time. Its brilliance is that even a first-timer in the mutant universe could pick it up, understand it, and enjoy it. Joe Kelly and Alan Davis conspire on this one. -- I am still so-so with Alan Moore's LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. I'll give it another issue or two, but so far I'd much rather see a new issue of SUPREME. If you want that kind of period storytelling, do what I'm doing now -- read the complete tome of Sherlock Holmes stories. -- Picture Jimmy Stewart's classic film HARVEY with Stewart playing a hitman. That's what THE MARCH HARE is, besides being a reprint from a series that didn't make it past issue 1 a few years back. This is Keith Giffen at his most deranged. Funny stuff. -- SUPERBOY #60 begins the Hypertime storyline. So far, it's a success. Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett do their best work together artistically, for starters. This is the cleanest and most inviting their work has ever looked. And the story has its fair share of nice "moments." It's the opening gambit of an ambitious 6 parter. Thankfully, everything is re-explained to you, so you don't have to worry if you didn't bother with KINGDOM #2; all is explained herein. -- I wonder if I like the direction Mark Waid is bringing CAPTAIN AMERICA in. Why does everything with Cap lately have to be a universe-altering senses-shattering storyline? You're going to need Hypertime to navigate through all these plots. (Maybe Waid is forgetting what universe he's in? ;-) I also think the new Red Skull in armor looks terribly silly. Maybe it's the comic book purist in me, but I like the sleeker, business-suited Skull with a cigarette dangling from his lips. (Yes, Marvel, it's OK to show the Skull smoking. He is a bad guy. Sheesh, I hate smoking nazis. And I'm not talking about Red Skull there. . .) It isn't all bad. The interplay between Sharon Carter and Steve Rogers is the strongest thing this book has going, and is something Waid could write whole issues of without boring me. Picture it -- 22 pages of Carter and Rogers sitting across the table and talking. And Andy Kubert is still doing some wonderful stuff. His storytelling is getting much better, too, along with his dramatic camera angles. -- I wonder if I just don't care about GEN13 anymore. . . Without the scripting of Peter David, Gary Frank's art begins to look incredibly boring after awhile. And the plots and the characters in the book aren't moving anywhere. It's just that all the stuff we've known about them forever is just now finally being dealt with, long after we've ceased to care. Maybe it's a good idea to cancel the book and start it over. Get a new creative team, let them take it in a direction all its own which doesn't involve IO, Coda, or Daemonites and see what happens. Ground the kids somewhere more permanent. Give it more of an edge somehow. There's been some wonderful stuff done with these characters. Much of it has been more cutting that this. Maybe that's what the book needs. QUOTES OF THE WEEK "I don't buy everything I read; I haven't read everything I've bought." -Barenaked Ladies, who must be comic book fans ;-) "Pages C10, C15, and C21: Censor wants us to figure out someplace for Catwoman to land other than on her face or breasts." -Paul Dini, BATMAN ANIMATED -Augie -- ------------------------------------------------------------------- Augie De Blieck * augie@nic.com <*> Pipeline Commentary and Review: http://www.nic.com/~augie/pipeline ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] HAD YOUR PHIL? Phil White ogre4@earthlink.net [Phil White has contributed articles and cartoons to Comic Buyer's Guide, Wizard and Cinefantastique. He has written comic books for Americomics (AC) and Mattel Toy Company and has self-published comic books featuring his own characters, including Ogre, Felony, and the acclaimed "I Hunt." He supports his comic book hobby, and his family, as director of marketing and sales with a medium sized software and remote data-entry company in Southern California.] Space. The mere thought of this measureless, eternal void shrinks one's image of man to something just shy of nothingness. The stars that litter its blackness are forever unreachable. There is no more desolate image than that of a solitary man, wrapped in the fleeting security of an environmental suit, set adrift in the emptiness of this infinite, hostile void. Or is there? What if this poor, hapless soul should witness his one and only hope of salvation from certain death, his home planet, explode before his eyes? Would this astronaut be overcome with grief at the loss of the entire human race? Would he weep in self-pity at the prospect of his own, eminent and desolate demise? Would his fragile psyche snap at the extreme hopelessness of this predicament? Well, if he's Nick Fury, there is no time for mourning or self- pity. He's too busy aiming his high-tech handgun at the alien interlopers who have instigated these events. Earth may be a goner, but he will exact revenge on behalf of all mankind. I am describing what is, without question, one of the most powerful images of heroism and defiance in the face of hopeless odds that has ever graced a comic book cover. It is an image that I will never forget. Only three main objects appear against the star-filled blackness of space on this cover. At the top, and filling half the page, is the dark side of the moon. Below it is the blue, green and brown marble that is Earth. In the immediate foreground, and overlapping these two celestial bodies, is Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Jim Steranko uses the dead, gray shadows of the moon as a backdrop for the comic book's title logo. It also establishes the distance from Earth. He leaves no doubt that Terra is doomed, showing its entire circumference as gigantic chunks, larger than entire continents, burst out in all directions from the planet's very core. Thanks to the vacuum of space, we clearly see the North and South American continents breaking apart as blue oceans shoot out white vapors into space. This is true Armageddon. The principal image here is Nick Fury, shown in full figure to drive home his desolate situation. Cast adrift, he has no tethers, no lifelines. He is lit, from the side and from behind, by the exploding planet. His antagonists are off page and left to our imagination. But we know they are there because his weapon is drawn and he's taking aim. Steranko puts Fury in a typical, S.H.I.E.L.D. designed environment (space) suit covered with plenty of pockets, zippers, belts, mysterious gadgets, a bayonet and straps that float in free-fall. Despite all this equipment, the suit is not bulky. After all, that would detract from Fury's perfect physique. Steranko colors the suit in shiny flaxen hues to give Fury heroic appeal, like a night in golden armor. His gizmos are a metallic, purple gray while the belts, straps and thigh holster are leather brown. We barely glimpse what might be a rocket pack on his back. His helmet is a clear, bullet shaped bubble, modern in design, that allows the viewer to instantly recognize the distinguishing eye patch and gray temples that are Fury's trademark. Missing is his five o'clock shadow, an image that is more closely associated with his World War II exploits. (Or should be.) Fury's grim defiance on this cover illustrates the purest example of his character. Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, then sustained by artist John Buscema and then writer/artist, Jim Steranko, Fury is a no-nonsense, patriotic go-getter. As a Sergeant in WWII, he was a fearless leader of courageous men. As director of the Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law- enforcement Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) he is foremost in the "good fight" often going solo to achieve his goals. He places duty and honor to his country above all else, sacrificing his personal life. If anything, Fury can be so determined and forthright that he leaves himself vulnerable to those he has trusted who have their own, devious agendas. It may be his weakness, but it is a real-life weakness that makes him all the more appealing. Fury is not a hero for the 1990's. He belongs in the past, when men felt it was their patriotic duty to serve their country, not find ways to avoid that responsibility. Comic book fans today actually laugh at patriots like Nick Fury and Captain America. Perhaps they are merely reflecting a society that can embrace and respect compulsive liars who break and bend the very laws they are meant to uphold. Maybe they mirror a culture that sees nothing wrong with dishonest leaders, as long as they "are doing a good job." Today's comics emulate the lower standards being set for our leaders, our heroes and us. It has led to a kind of reverence for fallen angels; to the glamorization of agents of the devil like SPAWN; and to comics starring assassins-for-hire like DEADPOOL, HITMAN and THE DARKNESS. Can you imagine Marvel or DC glamorizing paid killers in the 1960's? (Hey, who put that soapbox in the middle of my column? Please excuse my digression.) I enjoyed most of Jim Steranko's covers on STRANGE TALES and S.H.I.E.L.D. Those with the Stars and Stripes said more, perhaps, about the character's patriotism, but this particular cover demonstrated Nick Fury's heroism in the face of certain death. In style and technique it exemplifies the "best-of-the-best" that Marvel Comics had to offer, back in those days. Now, before you go running out to spend $5.00 or more at your local retailer for this comic that I have not named yet, I should warn you that Steranko does not contribute to the interior story or art on this, or subsequent issues. Archie Goodwin provides an average script, over an equally average Roy Thomas plot underneath this magnificent cover. An alien race, with a collective intelligence, arranges to have an asteroid crash into Earth in order to disrupt a dimensional barrier long enough to return to their home. The story art is pedestrian, journeyman fare by veteran illustrator Frank Springer. His extra-dimensional villains, for example, are borrowed from old matinee serial aliens from RKO, complete with scaled, skull hoods and black bags under their eyes. Barry (Windsor) Smith and Herb Trempe joined Springer in offering their interpretations of Fury in following issues, but after Steranko, any other art style was doomed to pale in comparison. Steranko did provide more S.H.I.E.L.D. covers though, including a Salvador Dali tribute and several more flag-waving pin-ups when the comic went into reprint status. Many comic book artists have tried to capture the look and feel of this particular cover. In fact, just five issues later, Barry Smith attempted to recreate that "space opera" cover with one of his own. He failed miserably. Smith depicts Fury in a 1950's, Wally Wood style space suit, complete with a fish bowl helmet. Nick is facing off against the Hate Monger, who wears his usual Earth garb, but with a fish bowl of his own. The two float above a space station swiped from 2001, A SPACE ODYSSEY. Instead of distant stars in a black void, Smith shows blue stars coalescing into the laughing face of another villain, complete with granny glasses. Years later, the original Steranko cover was reprinted in a series of mini-posters of classic Marvel covers. Like the other 19" X 12" posters in this series, this one was cheaply printed in only two colors, red and blue with duotone screens. They weren't even fluorescent inks that might have made the poster suitable for black light illumination. Still, it was nice to see the details of Steranko's art in this larger format. In 1984, some sixteen years after the original cover appeared, it surfaced on a Baxter paper reprint of Steranko stories in NICK FURY, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 2, No. 2. Sadly, someone decided to recolor it without referring to the original. They mistook the moon for Earth and colored it a solid, ocean-blue. They also confused the exploding Earth for an erupting sun, and colored it orange with an incendiary white spot. Fury's suit was now a solid yellow with a solid gray tone used for all of his accessories, including straps, weapons and gear. While it was nice that a new generation of comic fans had a chance to buy this detailed cover illustration by Steranko, it's too bad they missed the fine coloring of the original. A retailer I talked to over the weekend assured this cover has actually been reprinted three times. He said that when he had a store instead of just doing shows, he had all four versions on display so customers could compare the different colorings. He agreed that the original, produced when Steranko was handling his own colors, was still the best of the lot. I have seen thousands of comic book covers in my lifetime, from the golden dawn of our four-color media, right up to last Wednesday's new releases. If you were to asked me to name just one single cover, a cover that originally grabbed me, frightened me, moved me, and inspired me, a cover I consider to be the most memorable of them all, I'd answer without hesitation. NICK FURY, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Vol. 1, No. 6, November, 1968, by Jim Steranko! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- What comic book cover do you consider to be the all-time best-of- the-best? Send me your vote via e-mail. Limit one comic book cover per person. I'll need the title, number and artist, if you know that information. Write me by February 26 and I'll list all the responses in this column in March. PW ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] And let me tell you why .... David Coulter david102@netscape.net [David - who declared himself "Official Columnist Of the New Millennium, " and then thought better of it (deciding instead on "America's Weirdly Cool Columnist") -- lives with his family in Kansas City and pays the bills as Marketing Director for a computer consulting group. He likes Superman better than Batman, baseball better than football, and Mac better than Windows.] I've said it before, but I'll say it again - comics needs more giant robots and monkeys! A mention in last week's CBEM about the upcoming Big Guy & Rusty the Boy Robot cartoon caught my eye since I have a real weakness for a well-done comic about Giant Robots. I think it stems from a misspent youth watching Johnny Socko and Giant Robot and Ultraman reruns on afternoon TV (Ultraman wasn't exactly a Giant Robot, but he was close enough for government). So, in hopes of sitting down in front of the TV in the not- too-distant future to thrill to the animated exploits of Big Guy & Rusty the Boy Robot, here's a list of my favorite Giant Robot comics to tide you over. Big Guy & Rusty the Boy Robot Well, this one was a no-brainer. Frank Miller, one of the modern masters of slam-bang action and Geoff Darrow, one of the most mind- blowing artists of our time, team up to bring us one of the ultimate Giant Robots - the Big Guy. This one has it all - and it's absolutely essential to read in the large-size format so you can appreciate Darrow's psychotically detailed artwork. The Big Guy also made a guest appearance in Madman, which I highly recommend you track down. If you read only one Giant Robot comic in your life, it must be this. Miller & Darrow also brought us the hair-raising Hardboiled, which doesn't exactly count as a Giant Robot comic, since the lead character isn't a Giant - but he's definitely a robot, so it gets honorable mention. Shogun Warriors Before the Power Rangers, before the Transformers and the Go-Bots - there were the Shogun Warriors. This book kicked off around the same time as the Micronauts - but wasn't as good and didn't last as long. What is amazing to me is that the book lasted 20 issues - it'd probably last 3 today. Ah well. If you're a fan of Herb Trimpe's art (and if you aren't, what's wrong with you?), these books are fun to look at. The stories are pretty basic, and all sort of blend together after 4 issues - but the art is fun: Big Giant Robots (the Shogun Warriors are, like, 100 stories tall) beating up big nasty, Godzilla-like monsters. One of the Warriors, Red Ronin, turned up in Avengers a few years later and beat the crap out of Wonder Man. Dynamo Joe My very favorite Giant Robot book - and probably the best one ever done. DJ told the story of a Battle `Bot (the eponymous Joe) and his human pilot and feline co pilot. The books were filled with slimy aliens, cool space ships, and lots of big `bots bashing each other. Life doesn't get much better than that. Except the book didn't last long. Oh well. The masterminds behind this gem were John Ostrander, Doug Rice and Hilary Barta, and it was published by the late, lamented First Comics (one of these days, I'm going to have to devote a whole column to First - the fact that they're no longer around is yet another in a long list of comic tragedies). If you're interested in DJ - you'll have to track down the last six issues of First's Mars (in which DJ ran as a back up feature), then into the nifty First Adventures anthology, and finally into its own book (there was a special, and I think it reprinted the Mars material and/or the First Adventures material). This one rocks - go track it down! Magnus, Robot Fighter/ Nexus Not exactly Giant Robots, but a damn good book nonetheless. Metal Men Another sentimental favorite. They're not giants, but they're some of the coolest robots around. Stick with the original series, the 1993 miniseries wasn't worth the foil cover it was printed on. Iron Man Pick up the Bob Layton/David Michelinie issues - especially the ones with the Titanium Man. Giant robots masquerading as superheroes. Machine Man The original Kirby comic was from his post-fourth-world return to Marvel, an era that brought us The Eternals and Devil Dinosaur. The first few issues are marginally interesting, but are nothing compared to the wonderful, sublime and disturbing Walt Simonson miniseries (reprinted a few years ago as Machine Man 2020). So get out there, and hit the back issue bins kids - I'm expecting book reports! Comments? Criticisms? Flames? E-mail them to david102@netscape.net or DneColt@aol.com. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] VENTING MY SPLEEN David Groenewegen david.groenewegen@lib.monash.edu.au After a long break (or so it seemed) Keith Giffen seems to have popped back into the public eye of late, firstly with Tattered Banners, and now with Vext, DC's latest attempt at a light hearted book that will last more than 12 months. To be quite honest, I doubt that it will. I've been a big Giffen fan ever since I first read the Ambush Bug mini series in the mid eighties, but Vext #1 didn't do a hell of a lot for me. Probably Mike McKone's art, which I've never liked, put me off a little. Still there are some good laughs to be had in Vext, don't get me wrong, so I'll give it a few more issues. Anyway, reading the work of Giffen again, reminded me of all the great stuff he's done in the past. Giffen always had a funny image to me - he was a mainstream creator, working on mainstream books, but he seemed to have a very different sensibility. He wasn't afraid to experiment with his art (boy, was he not afraid to experiment with his art), his books often had exciting superhero stories in them, but they were really far more character driven than most. And he had that wild scatological sense of humour. If you've never wandered into the strange world of Keith before, or you're looking around for his stuff, here's my assessment of some of his career highlights. AMBUSH BUG: God, I love this character. Even now, I often dig out all his tiny appearances (DC Presents, a backup in Action Comics, a Secret Origins story as well as his mini series and specials) and I laugh. They were so funny, so full on, so irreverent. I read an interview recently where he said he had to stop doing the Bug because he was offending so many people at DC. Most of these books are far cheaper than they deserve to be. The references are often very dated, but they're fun if you remember mid-eighties comics. JUSTICE LEAGUE/JLI/JLA/JLE: In recent years the Giffen version of the League has got a bad rap from many people, as being too silly. I suspect that these people couldn't see past the Bwahhahaha jokes to the really nice character driven stories they were doing. Before the Giffen JL the Martian Manhunter was a third rate Superman clone with the stupidest costume in comics. After Giffen had worked his magic he became the venerable heart of the JL. Sure the team were mostly second stringers (although they were giants compared to their predecessors, like Gypsy and Vibe), but at the time there was a real push to keep the biggies out of team books because of continuity problems. And Giffen (and the rest of the team) often made the second stringers interesting. Even when the characters weren't terribly well done (Flash springs to mind) there would be moments were the character grew (like when Flash and the Elongated Man sort out their "Barry was the Flash" problems). There is a myth that all post-Watchmen book were grim and gritty. JL could be (e.g. the Despero storyline), but mostly they were fun. I expect them to be rediscovered any day now. LEGION OF SUPERHEROES: Giffen did lots of great work with Paul Levitz on the LSH, but his moment really came when he took over as plotter and artist with the relaunch in 1990. But for meddling by DC suits (who wouldn't let him use the Superman stuff, not even the neat little "pocket universe" escape clause from a few year before) this would have been one of the great runs on any title. As it is, it seems to be a missed opportunity. So many interesting plot threads and background stories and new character and changed worlds to explore, and he didn't really get to show you half of them. In a way, they tried to do too much - the first couple of years really needed one of those quiet fill in stories that Levitz used to do so well to pace his work. And the art, while fantastically evocative for mine, was probably too experimental for the subject matter, and too formulaic at times - I don't mind the nine-panel grid, but you need to break it up a little for maximum effectiveness, the way Dave Gibbons does in Watchmen. This is still the real Legion, as far as I'm concerned. The book got really stupid after he left, picked up a bit while Waid was writing it, and has been in terminal decline ever since. Giffen did the last really great Legion. A couple of others worth mentioning: LOBO, which was funny when it started, but got tired pretty quick; TRENCHER, which seemed a little too much like "Lobo, but I own the copyright this time"; HECKLER, which would have been great if Giffen had been prepared to draw it in the a lighter style - it just looked too grim; VIDEO JACK, which started well but ran out of steam; and INVASION which was one of the better summer events. The main series is actually completely readable without seeing any crossovers, and, in a Giffenesque way, features far less superheroes than most. Even Todd McFarlane's art is OK, probably because Giffen tended to plot by drawing out the story, thus taking that element out of Todd's unskilled hands. And if you want to see superheroes being made fun of, the LEGION OF SUBSTITUTE HEROES special is a must have. Keith Giffen. Go out and get some of his stuff. David Groenewegen davidhar@lib.monash.edu.au ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts silhouet9@aol.com [Paul promotes amateur and professional comic book artwork, scripts, storylines, and unpublished comic books with a newsletter called the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter. Its website is at Jazma Comic Book Newsletter Productions at http://www.twmgrafix.com/jazma He is also a prominent letter hack, as anyone who reads comic letter pages would know. He is in production of his own self-published comic book called The Legendary Dark Silhouette and has copyrighted over 600 characters for his Jazma Universe.] Name: Elvira #69 Publisher: Claypool Comics Written by: Frank Strom, Richard Howell Drawn by: Tod Smith, Bob Wiacek, Dan Day Price: $2.50 Comments: I don't read too many humor type of comic books. I read a few here and there, but Elvira is one that I keep reading over and over again. Why? Because, if I read a comedy type of comic book, it has to be funny, real funny and Elvira never lets me down. Every issue is hilarious and all those bits and pieces of side humor and gags gets me rolling! Talk about funny, this stuff was more than funny, it was zany, crazy and outrageous! White House or Bust! was a delight and the parody of Monica Lewinsky, Rush Limbaugh and President Clinton was absolute madness! Elvira discovers that President Bill Clintstone has an evil sexual harrassing clone, that can't keep his hands off any woman! Anyway, you know Elvira saves the day and President Clintstone can sleep better at night! Great story and lots of fun! Diving Belle was another delight and I love the parody take on Titanic as Elvira hits the water in Abyss 28! Another thing, I love about the Elvira comic books are the new characters they introduce and this time being....Saline Doyenne! She's a undersea water dryad and has a very strange personality! I think John Cameron would roll over in his grave...(oops! he's not dead)..if he saw this story! Elvira is definitely 'queen of the world'! Name: Curse of the Spawn - Return of Suture Part II #28 Publisher: Image Written by: Alan McElroy Drawn by: Clayton Crain/pencils Chance Wolf, Todd McFarlane, Jonathan Glapion/inks Price: $1.95 Comments: Suture can carry her own weight in a comic book. I am completely fascinated with this character. I love Spawn and only a comic book like Spawn can create such a detailed character that has a hypnotizing effect on us readers. I got some tantalizing bits of her history, but there is so much more I want to know about her. Her adversary, or should I say savior, Dr. Ian Sanders is another complex character that has a major personality disorder. A very sick, sick individual that is a cross dresser, a reputable national radio show personality and a serial killer to boot! I would hate to think that there could be someone like Dr. Ian Sanders lurking in our world. But, unfortunately we have had some strange bizarre serial killers like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy aka the Killer Clown, David Berkowitz aka the Son of Sam and Dennis "British Butcher" Nilsen who have maimed, murdered and tortured through the sheer pleasure of doing it. So with the Curse of Spawn #28, I received more horror than I bargained for. This was a story of unadultered terror, that left vivid images in my mind and made it hard for me to sleep. Alan McElroy did a great job in delivering this story, because when the story is good, it will linger with the reader for a good while and this story did just that! It's like watching John Cameron's The Titanic, it lingered with me after watching this movie. Why? Because I still thought of those multitude of people trying to survive in that icy cold water. What a horrible scene and yes it stayed with me for awhile. John Cameron did his job and so did Alan McElroy. Another person who did his job was Clayton Crain, who delivered the images with horrifying accuracy! The Head Hunter aka Ian with his slaughter of 22 men and women is a damnation, that needs to rot in a cell and die a grisly death! I had to keep saying to myself, this is only a story, but the reality of the story sunk in as I know there are people like Ian out in our own world, out there somewhere, lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce. The madness in this story didn't end, as Suture seeks help from a madman, and that madman being Ian himself. Suture's story was fascinating as she relives her life as Gretchen Culver. A girl that had the good life, or did she? Ian helps Suture find a purpose in her life and I guess he did his job and won his freedom, so he thought. Yep, I yelled out some cheers as the police hauled this madman away! When Marlon Brando said the words..."the horror, the horror" in Apocalypse Now!, he must of been talking about Curse of the Spawn! Excellent! M.O.E. Sidenote: Taking a detour from comics and will talk about some very cool videos out right now at Blockbuster Video. If you have a chance, check out two of their Manga video titles like: Patlabor-Mobile Police and Outlanders! Great animation and superb coloring! Then for a good horror flick, check out their favorites horror title called Necronomicon - Book of the Dead, this one will have you shaking like a leaf! Then for you sci-fi buffs out there, you won't want to miss out on Dark Breed. These are American astronauts that have an alien parasite inside them and they are harder to stop than the Terminator! Then for a good action flick, check out Jackie Chan's Who Am I? Got to go, I have to turn these movies back in, before I get an overdue payment on them! Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off.....until next time. Name: Deadbeats #33 Publisher: Claypool Comics Written by: Richard Howell Drawn by: Ricardo Villagran Price: $2.50 Comments: Dracula is now the leader of the Deadbeats and Martine and Colleen (2 beautiful, but lethal vampires) do his every bidding. Besides vampires, you have witches and you will meet The Witch of Tiger Hill and her charming witch friends. These witches are a lot like the witches in "Charmed". One of the rules in the vampire world, I learned from this story is that after a vampire drains your blood, if he / she breaks your neck, there won't be a vampiric resurrection. Dr. Powell who has now became a vampire, has let the darkside overwhelm him and becomes very evil. Dakota Kane, vampire hunter tries to convince Dr. Ralston that Dr. Powell needs swift termination. Dr. Powell has a dramatic ending by the weapon of Dakota Kane. Incredible artwork and two drawings that really stood out, was when Martine and Colleen take to the air in leathery wings and an intimate scene with Christine and her lover. The artwork is something that needs to be displayed in some art gallery somewhere. The story was breathtaking and quite chilling. This is a must read! Name: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #19 Publisher: Image Comics Written by: Gary Carlson Drawn by: Frank Fosco/pencils Mark Heike/inks Price: $2.95 Comments: Story starts off with Donatello behind a 2 way mirror and Rock trying to figure out what kind of creature Donatello is. After Rock realizes that it is Donatello, their mutual friendship comes across strongly and you can tell that there is a good comradery between these two. There is mention of Savage Dragon and Knight Watchman in this story, since TMNT share the same universe with these 2 icons. Casey calls in sick and plays hero on his day off and gets plenty of publicity for supposedly killing 3 large alligators in the sewer systems. The alligators were from the previous story and they were the cause of many peoples' deaths. Casey's boss sees Casey on the news and fires him. So, Casey has problems with this and one of the turtles doesn't appreciate the fact that Casey is taking the limelight on killing the alligators. Splinter is back to normal and is upset with Raphael. Raphael dishonors Splinter and find out how he dishonors him in this exciting issue! Raphael is now the leader of the footclan and has sort of disbanded from the TMNT. Leo gets transported in a Matter Translocation Machine and brings back some Triceraton Commandoes! Great cliffhanger and don't know where this story is headed! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] My View David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com [David LeBlanc is the Editor of the Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine. He is a long time fan of comics and the electronic media - having been the moderator of the comics forums on WME, FIDONET and the Comic Book Network. He and his wife are attempting to raise two teenage sons in a suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts. David supports his comic book habit by working as the Manager of Marketing and Sales for a privately owned manufacturer of electro-mechanical components.] THORBY COMICS 16 Technology West, Ste 134 Irvine, CA 92618 http://www.thorby.com THE SKULKER #1 32 pages black & white, color covers, $2.95/$4.25 CAN Story - Terrance Griep Jr. Pencils - Steve Kurth Inks - Jim Brozman Cover by Kuth & Jaewon Lettering - Tom Tetzlaff, Greg Grankowski & Jaewon This story uses a common device, tell two separate stories with different characters and bring them together by the end of the book. One begins in a graveyard as a group of guys, lead by a man whose face is covered in cloth but wears glasses and a top hat, prepare to open a coffin they have dug up. They are interrupted by the title character, The Skulker, a costumed hero who looks somewhat like Moon Knight with a cape as long as Spawn's. The first thing you notice is he is carrying on a dialogue with someone else or maybe it is the costume? As he tries to stop the mayhem the geek in the hat whammies him with a Orgo-Bionic Worldline Transferatron (patent pending) which has a decidedly adverse effect on our hero and his suit. Meanwhile another story unfolds in the Little Eire section of Eden City in December of 1889. A young artist has big hops of improving his career at the newspaper by beginning to write as well. Now he is bragging to the kids on the street how he can marry his sweetheart after he becomes famous by uncovering the problems in the slums. Trouble is he does not know it but his services, even as an artist, are no longer needed. Soon he will be bemoaning his fate at the top of a bridge and it is that place and time that will lead to his fate being mingled with that of the Skulker and his enemies. This is pretty good fare in all aspects. The art works well in black and white as both Kurth and Brozman show they are talented in their craft. They tell the story and give depth to the characters and scenes throughout the book. On the other half, there is more to this story than just another do-gooder in tights. The extensive background into the story of Quinlan Cullen and how the people in his sphere interact in the present promises to be intriguing. The sentient suit thing, if that is what it is is not new so we will hold off judging that until we see more. This was a solid first issue worth checking out. JOHNNY COSMIC #1/ SPACE GIRL#2 32 pages, black & white, color covers, $2.95/$4.25 CAN JOHNNY COSMIC Story - Terrance Griep Art - Steve Kuth & Greg Grankowski Letters - Mort Castle Johnny is a a stranger in a strange land. He tells us he has been transported, along with his floating robot N.I.C., to an "alternate" Earth where the hideous K'Thal double agents disguised as humans fight the Altuans on a planet that is like a work camp. Trouble is the Altuan's believe he is an enemy and start to hunt him down. By the time they realize their mistake they are all fighting for their lives surrounded by K'Thal. Johnny and the Captain of the Altuans squad manage to escape but N.I.C. is lost to the enemy. As the two heroes get to know each other the bad guys use the robot's technology to track them down. This is a pretty interesting story, if a little bit corny at times. It has a touch of humor that works most of the time and the art is competent enough to carry the action. On the other hand it is just average does not grab you as something exciting or different than a lot of other work out there. SPACE GIRL By Mike Kadin & Adam Byrne This is the flip side and is also a space based adventure. We follow Black Hole Joel into a local bar at a space port where he gets the cold shoulder from a lovely lady alone with her drink. She tells the bartender she came to the city to help make enough to get her family out of debt but she is down to her last herself. Joel gets into a card game and can't pay the losses which in turn gets Margaret, the Space Gal involved in the brawl that ensues. 8 pages which are to be continued is not quite enough to judge the story. It is a decent start and the art is also better than average. Stay tuned to see if it lives up to its promise. NIGHT CITY 32 pages, black & white, color covers, $2.95/$4.25 CAN "Music on the Bridge" & "The War GOes On" Story - Mort Castle Art - Mark Nelson Letters - Willie Schubert "Wondering Where The Lions Are" Story - Mort Castle Art - Don Kramer Letters - Jaewon This is an anthology of stories that takes a look at violence in a variety of forms. It is not violence for its own sake or graphic to titillate those who thrive on that. It is a rather cold look at the forms it take. In the first story two cops stop on a bridge next to a street musician playing the sax. Much of the dialogue is about the music and indeed different tastes in music. What the cops do next seems out of place to such a conversation. They take a captive out of their cruiser and tell the sax player to play a few numbers while they do a number on the perp. In the second a subway seems a likely place for a group of young neo nazis to get some kicks. They spot a down on his luck vet panhandling from a black lady. They decide to off them both just for the fun of it but the vet is not going to be that easy. Finally a hostage situation in a fast food joint looks like it may end with bloodshed as the gunman decides to talk to his daughter on the phone one last time. As he sinks into despair, nearing the end of his rope, the little girl tells him of her latest dream and that just might make the difference in the outcome this night. I enjoyed each of these stories as they stand alone as short statements about real people and real situations. Some are disturbing and all are very well done in all aspects. I could have taken a book twice this size with a bit longer stories. This is the best of the bunch from Thorby. SANTA CLAWS 24 pages, black & white, color covers, $2.95/$4.25 CAN Story - Dave Olbrich & R. A. Jones Art - Mike Deodato Jr. Script & Lettering - Tom Tetzlaff As you might guess form the title the book is about the spirit of Christmas with razor sharp talons. The local mall has turned into a death trap for the few late workers on Christmas Eve. As the store Santa take a smoke break in the alley he is replaced by a santa with mayhem in mind. This is much like a cream movie with SANTA CLAWS doing the Freddy Kruger routine. It is pretty much a showcase for Deodato to play around as the art is the best part of the whole book. The plot is somewhat predictable and the script does little to inspire. The twist at the end is not expected and saves it from being just so so. At only 24 pages you may need to be a fan of Deodato to go for it but it is entertaining enough. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [12] Top 10 Black & White Comics Comic Shop News CSN's Top Seller charts are based on orders reported by Diamond Distribution and sales reported by a cross section of comic specialty shops. The former are orders placed by retailers for stock while the later are actual sales to the consumers. 1 Pokemon: Tale of the Electric Pikachu 3 2 Jay & Silent Bob 3 3 Dragonball Z Part Two 2 4 Sailor Moon 4 5 Pokemon: Tale of the Electric Pikachu (2nd printing) 2 6 Oh, My Goddess!: The Devil in Miss urd 3 7 Dragonball 11 8 Ranma 1/2 Part Seven 12 9 Blade of the Immortal: Dark Shadows 29 10 Mazakazu Katsura's Shadow Lady 4 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [13] New Comic Book Releases List [NCRL] by Charles LePage ncrl@mediaone.net +++WINNER OF THE 1996 REC.ARTS.COMICS.* "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE+++ http://www.jacksonville.net/~ncrl New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, 2/17/1999, 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.jacksonville.net/~ncrl, and Compuserve's Comics Publishers Forum. "TPB" = "trade paperback". "GN" = "graphic novel". "AA" = "available again". "SC" = "softcover". "HC" = "hardcover". "S/N" = "signed/numbered". "AR" = "ask retailer about price". PUBLISHER TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER, PRICE IN U.S. DOLLARS ABSTRACT STUDIOS Strangers In Paradise Vol III #21, 2.75 ALTERNATIVE COMICS Lemon Kids #1, 2.95 AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Awkward, 4.95 Love In Tights Valentines Day Special #1, 2.95 Potential Unit Four Plants Form And Function, 3.5 ARCHIE COMICS PUBLICATIONS Betty & Veronica #135, 1.79 Cheryl Blossom #22, 1.79 Pals N Gals Double Digest #40, 2.99 AWESOME ENT/HYPERWERKS Deity Vol 2 #4, 2.95 CHAOS! COMICS Cremator Hells Guardian #4 (Of 5), 2.95 DARK HORSE Dark Horse Presents #140, 2.95 Ghost Vol 2 Stare At The Sun (3 Of 3) #6, 2.95 Grendel Black White & Red #4 (Of 4), 3.95 Gunsmith Cats Bean Bandit #2 (Of 9), 2.95 Kelley Jones Hammer The Outsider #1 (Of 3), 2.95 Star Wars Vaders Quest #1 (Of 4), 2.95 Usagi Yojimbo #27, 2.95 DC COMICS Action Comics #753, 1.99 Aquaman #54, 1.99 Batman Beyond #2 (Of 6) (resolicited), 1.99 Batman In The Sixties TPB, 19.95 Batman #564, 1.99 Cartoon Network Presents #20 Cartoon All Stars, 1.99 Crisis In Infinite Earths HC And Slipcase Corrected Ed, 99.95 DC Universe Villains Secret Files #1, 4.95 Dreaming #35, 2.5 Gifts Of The Night #3 (Of 4), 2.95 Heart Throbs #4 (Of 4), 2.95 Invisibles Counting To None TPB, 19.95 Preacher War In The Sun TPB, 14.95 Scooby-Doo #21, 1.99 Superboy #61, 1.99 FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS Minimum Wage Vol 1 New Printing, 9.95 HARRIS COMICS Vampirella Lady Death #1, 3.5 IMAGE COMICS A Distant Soil #27, 2.95 Age Of Heroes #5, 2.95 Darkminds Coll #1, 7.95 Jinx Torso #3, 3.95 Lady Pendragon Vol 1 Remastered #1, 2.5 Mage The Hero Discovered Coll Ed Book 3, 5.95 Savage Dragon Greatest Team-Ups TPB, 19.95 magazines Comic Shop News #609, AR Jack Kirby Collector #23, 5.95 MARVEL COMICS A Next #7, 1.99 Captain America #16, 1.99 Doctor Strange #3 (Of 4), 2.99 Hulk #1, 2.99 Hulk #1 25% Variant, 2.99 Marvel Remix Fantastic Four Fireworks #3 (Of 3), 2.99 Mutant X #7, 1.99 Peter Parker Spider-Man #4, 1.99 X-Men #87, 1.99 MOCK MAN PRESS HP Lovecrafts The Dream Quest Of Unknown Kadath #5 (Of 5), 2.95 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Animerica Extra Vol 2 #3, 4.95 Dragonball Z Part Two #3 (Of 14), 2.95 Maison Ikkoku Part Eight #7 (Of 8), 3.25 Striker Vs The Third Reich TPB, 15.95 NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD DATE NEW DATE DC COMICS Batman In The Sixties TPB 02/10 02/17 Scooby-Doo #21 02/10 02/17 Batman & Superman: Worlds Finest #1 02/17 02/24 Fanboy #2 02/17 02/24 Lobo #61 02/17 02/24 Superman & Batman: Generations #4 02/10 02/24 The Flash 80-Page Giant #2 02/10 02/24 Wildcats 2-Sided T-Shirt LG 02/10 02/24 Wildcats 2-Sided T-Shirt XL 02/10 02/24 Wildcats Poster 02/03 02/24 Gen13 #38 02/17/99 02/24/99 Kurt Busiek'S Astro City Vol. 2 #16 01/20/99 02/24/99 Flintstones & Jetsons #20 02/03/99 03/03/99 Gen13: Wired 02/03/99 03/03/99 Crimson #9 02/10/99 03/10/99 Divine Right #9 01/27/99 03/10/99 Golden Age Flash Medium Statue 02/24 03/17 Green Lantern: The New Corps #2 02/17/99 03/17/99 Flintstones & Jetsons #21 03/03/99 04/07/99 Crimson #10 03/10/99 04/14/99 Battle Chasers #5 09/30/98 TBA Danger Girl #5 02/24/99 TBA MARVEL Avengers #14 01/27/99 02/10/99 Battlebooks: Colossus 12/02/98 02/10/99* Battlebooks: Gambit 12/02/98 02/10/99* Battlebooks: Rogue 12/02/98 02/10/99* Battlebooks: Storm 12/02/98 02/10/99* Generation X #50 02/10 02/17 Iron Man #15 02/10 02/17 Mutant X #7 02/10 02/17 Black Panther #6 02/10 02/24 Avengers Forever #5 02/10/99 02/24/99 Thunderbolts #25 02/17/99 02/24/99 Daredevil #6 02/03 03/03 Mutant X Coll Ed #1 02/10 CNCLD Spider-Man Manga #28 01/13/99 TBA Spider-Man Manga #29 01/27/99 TBA X-Men Manga #23 01/06/99 TBA X-Men Manga #24 01/20/99 TBA X-Men Manga #25 02/03/99 TBA ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [14] HYPE! Section Various Here's what TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS has shipping in the month of APRIL (SPOTLIGHTED in your current PREVIEWS Vol.IX #2, page 282): THE HEY MISTER CELEBRITY ROAST By Pete Sickman-Garner The "Hey, Mister Celebrity Roast" is a fat, juicy 144-page feast of "America's funniest comic book" (Details Magazine). Included are the first four issues of "Hey, Mister", topped off with three new stories and all of Sickman-Garner's anthology pieces from the last two years. Follow the adventures of Young Tim and friends as they continue their guerrilla war against everything sacred and beautiful. -- Best of all, there aren't any actual celebrities! Well, except for Sting, but he gets killed and eaten rather quickly, so that's okay! -- $9.95 (US), 144 pgs, Color Cover, B&W Interiors, 9" x 6", Perfect Bound HEY MISTER is one of our most popular (and hilarious) items. It wouldn't hurt to stock up on this one! By the way, Brett Warnock and I have been quiet the last couple of months gearing up for a big 1999 and 2000. We'll be sending out press releases shortly, but be prepared, there will be some big announcements coming_ Your friend thru comics, Chris Staros Top Shelf Productions, Inc. PO Box 1282 Marietta, GA 30061-1282 USA Phone: (770) 425-0551 Fax: (770) 427-6395 Email: staros@bellsouth.net +++++ For Immediate Release Contact: William A. Christensen, Editor-in-Chief email: avatar@net66.com Avatar, Rendition Launch Quantum Mechanics Urbana, IL - Avatar Press has announced their first foray into the science fiction genre with Quantum Mechanics, a star-spanning saga which will debut in May 1999 in a self-titled two issue introductory series, to be followed shortly by Munhgo, the first in a line of Quantum Mechanics action figures from Rendition Figures. A video game and animated series are also in the early stages of development. "I've been saying since the beginnings of Avatar Press that we would launch a science fiction property only when the right proposal crossed my desk," says Avatar editor in chief William Christensen. "And this is the one I've been waiting for. It combines the epic scope of Star Wars, the atmosphere of Blade Runner, and the action of Starship Troopers." "Comics is the perfect medium for this kind of story," adds Quantum scribe Barry Gregory. "There's no concern for special effects budgets, or set construction, and you don't have to pay union scale to all the hundreds of extras milling about in each scene. You just need a story and a great artist to put it all down on the page." And for that job Avatar tabbed artist Jacen Burrows. Burrows has been getting quite a few plum assignments at Avatar lately and anyone who's seen his work can clearly see why. "We're creating a whole new ... and original ... sci-fi universe," Burrows says. "There are a lot of things in here that I don't think anyone's ever really thought of before. This is a very unique universe." Quantum Mechanics is the saga of a great conflict between a centuries old society of mystics known as the Warrior Mechanics and an upstart, cult-like Theocracy that controls and rules a hundred worlds with an iron fist. The story begins with Arissa Boddu, a girl who gets stuck right in the middle of the conflict between the Warrior Mechanics and the Theocracy. Quantum Mechanics #1 and the Munhgo Collectable Figure will be available for pre-order from Diamond Comics in their March issue of Previews. Please consult your local comics specialty shop for details or to find a comics specialty shop near you please call the Comic Shop Locator Service at 1-888-266-4266. Quantum Mechanics #1 from Avatar Press is 32 pages with black & white interiors and full color covers. The regular cover (with art by Jacen Burrows) is $3.50 and the deluxe wraparound variant cover (with art by figure designer Karl Waller) is $3.95. The Munhgo collectible figure from Rendition Figures stands a menacing 8 inches tall and features 11 points of articulation, a swivel neck joint, and all the amazing detail and accessories you've come to expect from Rendition Figures. Suggested Retail Price is $15.95. The Munhgo collectible figure is also available in a Previews Exclusive Stealth Armor variant! For more information about Quantum Mechanics or Avatar Press please visit the Avatar Press web site at www.avatarpress.com. +++++ FYI - the 2nd printing of Pokemon #2 is close to selling out after being on the market for just 1 week. Order immediately, since I am reprinting the 3rd printing for delivery in March 99. The 3rd printing of #1 & 2nd printing of #3 will be shipping on 2/19. Place your reorders today. Issue #608 of Comic Shop News has Viz dominating the American black & white comics market: 1. Pokemon #3 3. Dragon Ball Z, 2#2 5. Pokemon #2 (2nd printing) 7. Dragon Ball #11 8. Ranma 1/2, 7#12 Having just returned from Toy Fair, I know Pokemon will get only hotter in 99! Expect to see Viz and Viz titles in new places! Oliver Chin Viz ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights and the Comic Book Network BBS system. SUBMISSIONS ----------- To submit an article, review, column, etc. to our e-mag, simply E-mail it to the editor at: ComicBkNet@aol.com Reviews of mainstream books are welcome and will get included when submitted, they are not excluded off hand. We encourage reviews of indies and self published material as we feel that material deserves more exposure to the general public. 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When you open a bag of cotton balls, is the top one meant to be thrown away?