---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 211 4/23/99 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] 1998 HARVEY AWARDS .................... Chris Juricich [7] 1998 EISNER AWARD NOMINEES ............ Eisner Judges [8] Interview: David LeBlanc .............. Paul Dale Roberts [9] Had Your Phil? ........................ Phil White [10] And Let Me Tell You Why ............... David Coulter [11] Some Pages, a Cover, and a Few Staples. Marlan Harris [12] Venting My Spleen ..................... David Groenewegen [13] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [14] My View: MUTATOR/TEMPLAR............... David LeBlanc [15] Top Ten Black & White Comics for March. Comic Shop News [16] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [17] 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 strip: HEROES RERUN by Johnny Gonzales ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 I mentioned my problems with getting mail TO people on AOL and those folks know that the problem persists - if I send more than 3 sections of the EMag at once. Well, this week I got the announcements that 2 major email newsletters are moving OFF AOL to be distributed by another ISP. Wizard Emailer was first and did not make a big deal about it but then Zentertainment followed on Thursday: From: ZENtertainment --------------->--------------- Well it's happened -- After a few weeks of hard times sending out ZEN and the other e-mailers I handle, AOL has deleted my account, and it doesn't appear that I'll be getting it back... This is kinda all news to me, since every time I've called to explain that I'm sending an e-mailer to willing subscribers, for AOL areas, I've been told what I'm doing is just fine and had my account reactivated. Only to have it happen all over again - and again - and again. So to make a long story short, and this is regrettably a long story that appears beyond my control, my AOL accounts (SeanJordan, Ztainment, WizEmailer, and FTWeekly00) are all dead, so all correspondence for the time being should be sent to sean@zentertainment.com. --- They will continue on but I mention it here as a commentary on the ever changing nature of online communications, of which this Emag is a part. Sometimes combatting the abusers of privilege does harm to the good users as well. This week we have a unique feature and an announcement about our online edition on Digital Webbing. A little while back our long time columnist Paul Dale Roberts asked if I would consent to an interview. Some of you may not know that besides the column that Paul submits to CBEM every week, and his Interviews we also run, his writings are also seen on his own web site as well as the CBC Web-Mag, Genesis International and in his PEOPLE'S COMIC BOOK NEWSLETTER which is mailed out to comic fans the old fashion way. I have touched on subjects about my own background, policies and functioning of the newsletter, highlights over the years, and other subjects in my various editorials here. Now I had an opportunity to put it together by answering questions from Paul in a coherent fashion. I think the end result will give our readers a comprehensive and concise view on all the things that go into this mag, the motivations behind it and more than they will ever need to know about yours truly. I decided to run it here to give our readers the information if they want it. More importantly it gets exposure on those other sites and helps spread the word about the Emag - something we always approve of. I hope you folks enjoy it - but then you can also skip it if you like. Next week we will run a more traditional interview from a professional in the comic business. Here are some of the comics I recommend this week - check them out: CARTOON BOOKS Bone #36, 2.95 COMICS CONSPIRACY Para Troop #6, 2.95 <-----Pick of the week! DARK HORSE COMICS Dark Horse Presents #142, 2.95 DC COMICS Batman & Superman Worlds Finest #3 (Of 10), 1.99 Fanboy #4 (Of 6), 2.50 Invisibles Volume 3 #10 (Of 12), 2.95 Planetary #3, 2.50 Resurrection Man #25, 2.50 Titans #4, 2.50 MARVEL COMICS Captain America #18, 2.99 Marvel Masterworks Daredevil Vol 1 HC, 34.95 Thunderbolts #27, 1.99 Bet you thought I forgot about Digital Webbing! Heh, heh. Starting next week Ed Dukeshire and I are pleased to announce the addition of Steve Conley's ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS to the online Edition of CBEM at: http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem Steve has been nominated for an Eisner award this year and we are thrilled to have him bring his web comic to our site. ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS runs as a daily web comic strip on Steve's own web site at: http://www.astoundingspacethrills.com Each week we will be running the entire previous week's worth with the new edition of CBEM so if you miss a daily installment you can catch the re-cap with us over the weekend and for the entire week until we post the next issue of CBEM. We also hope that if you enjoy AST you will not be able to wait until we post another issue and will head over to the AST site to get your daily fix and shop for some of Steve's printed comics while you are there. If you never saw AST before, here is your chance to sample it online. We think you will be impressed. Now on with the show . . . 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. +++++ From: ZorroComix@aol.com Subject: DETECTIVES, INC.: A Terror of Dying Dreams and ZORRO: MATANZAS! To: Silhouet9@aol.com Paul, Just ran across your site, and know you wrote to the Zorro series when it was coming out from Topps. Well, just this week, the Matanzas! story arc, which was to have been Zorros 12 - 15 is being scheduled. The first issue of the 4 part mini-series should see print in September. Mike Mayhew worked for over two years drawing the book, and it will be printed from his pencils, in full color. I'll send you a few attachments of art so you can see what it looks like. But also, in May, DETECTIVES, INC.: A Terror of Dying Dreams will be released. This is the Detectives, Inc. series drawn by Gene Colan, and it's the first time its ever been collected in one graphic album. I've had a chance to correct all the stupid mistakes that appeared the first time it was printed, including five lines of dialogue that are REPEATED in one panel. I don't even want to think about it. But now, it's all fixed, and it's being shot from Gene's pencils. Along with that it will have a back-up section on the making of the Detectives, Inc. movie that was the lead feature in www.comics2film.com awhile back. Here's a few of the quotes for the back cover of the new album. From PAUL BISHOP, Author of TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD: "Don Mcgregor is the crowned king of the graphic noir novel. His stories are torn from the soul, and I covet his ability to touch us collectively and individually as he marries words to images. Coupled with Gene Colan's brilliantly moody and evocative images, McGregor's storytelling is at its gut-level best in Detective, Inc.: A Terror of Dying Dreams. Rainier and Denning are characters who resonate with hard boiled legacy -- Raymond Chandler twisted by Jim Thompsonn. They are dark knights treading a difficult path toward salvation through the horrors of man's unique inhumanity. It is the words and art of McGregor and Colan, however, that make us care about the detective duo, make us think about the story, and finally consider our own actions as we teeter along the same path." Whew! If only comic book editors felt that way! And DWAYNE McDUFFIE, Co-Creator of ICON and THE MILESTONE UNIVERSE writes: "Private investigators Ted Denning and Bob Rainier are back and mystery fans couldn't be happier. A TERROR OF DYING DREAMS is a virtuoso synthesis of words and pictures from two of the industry's grand masters. Intelligent, moving, funny and wise, it also manages to be at least a hundred times more entertaining than a story dealing with such serious subject matter has any right to be. DETECTIVES, INC. is exactly what we mean when we say "good comics." Don't just stand here reading the back cover, Man. Take it home!" My sentiments exactly. If they do, Paul, I get to return to Denning and Rainier, and maybe even SABRE. I am in the process of trying to see if we can get the color shot out of the Billy Graham drawn Sabre's a print them in one large book. At the same time, I can write a memorial for Billy, whom the comics industry has scarcely noted as passing. Anyhow, I know this is the time to promote Detectives, Inc. since were about a month away from it becoming a reality, and if you want to do something on the book, want to do an interview, whatever, let me know. I can even get you some visuals. I'll attach some to this for Matanzas and A Terror of Dying Dreams. I'm a one-trick pony on the computer. I can't scan, but I can attach. And if folks want to see more they can check out my site at http://www.comicon.com/donmcgregor. Sabre and Detectives, Inc., not to mention Ragamuffins and Alexander Risk, as well as Zorro and Hopalong Cassidy are up there. Quite a mixture. Let me know what you think of the visuals. Thanks, Paul. And hang in there! Don McGregor +++++ Subj: Not so fast, Eddie From: perry@vistatech.net (Jay Perry) Open letter to CBEM: Well, they say if you want something done, do it yourself. I really thought that Eddie Mitchell would have to suffer a little more criticism than he has. But apparently, no more commentary is going to occur unless I keep the ball rolling. Let me bring anyone who is not familiar with the subject up to date. In issue 207 (March 26) of CBEM, Eddie makes several insulting comments about Paul Dale Roberts. There, his name has been said. Since March 26, Eddie has been able to sidestep around actually referring to Paul by his name. Then, a week later, in issue 208 (April 2) an entire section of Eddie's column, "Odds and Ends," is devoted to outright bashing Paul by "satarization," as Eddie calls it, or "humiliation," as I call it. Finally, in issue 209 (April 9), fellow columnist Phil White writes a letter to the editor criticizing Eddie, and Eddie responds. I will touch on all of these incidents. Let me get specific about how Eddie insults Paul. First of all, let me point out that M.O.E. is a term Paul uses in his column (Multiverse Observer and Explorer). In issue 207, Eddie describes _Ever the Horse Comes Home_ as a comic that will make "your average moe ... scratch his head and go 'huh?'." Later in that column, he devotes a category of comics to "Things That Make Moe Go 'Huh?', including _Tales of the Great Unspoken_, which, according to Mitchell, "make moe go running back to his multiverse to find a quiet corner to hide and whimper. In other words, its a great comic." So in other words, anything that Paul likes is not a great comic. Just in these three issues of CBEM (207-209), Paul promotes _Mage_, _Eightball_, _Gifts of the Night_ (excellent mini-series), and _Stray Cats_. Wait a minute, Eddie himself reviews and recommends _Stray Cats_ in issue 207. Hmmmm. In issue 208, Eddie writes a portion of his column exaggerating Paul's style of writing. Basically, by the way you depict Paul, you are saying that he is stupid. But that's not meant to offend much, as you say, is it? Later in this issue, you quote what Paul would say as, "I would have bought or rented something, but I was too busy making my rounds to look at all the comics, books, and videos." So your saying that you don't approve of how Paul spends his time, checking out all these various forms of media. I would think that a gay man living in Kentucky would be more tolerant, and not so judgmental about someone else's lifestyle. If Paul wants to search for these things, he should be able to do so without ridicule. In issue 209, in the response to Phil White's letter, Eddie calls Paul's reviews "rehashes of the same old crap flooding the market." I love how people like Eddie do not want censorship, but if its a book that they do not enjoy, for whatever reason, they think that it should go away. If there was not a market for T&A comics, then they would not be published. But Eddie feels that he needs to tell the majority that the books they read are not good, and the ones he reads should be the ones they buy. Eddie, you buy your books, everybody else will buy theirs. Secondly, Eddie calls for "intelligent writing or serious criticism." Well, not everyone can live up to your high standards of literary excellence, Eddie. I'm sure that this letter will not pass your standards. But maybe Eddie should worry about reviewing comics, not reviewing reviewers. Its just like TV. If you don't like a program, switch the channel. If you don't like Paul's column, scroll past it. Those who do like it, should be allowed to read it. We shouldn't be denied it simply because Eddie doesn't approve of it. Finally, in this issue, Eddie states that, "I don't feel that there is anything else to say on this particular matter in a public forum, although I would gladly discuss ... in private mail." That's a cop-out. Eddie, you wrote a public piece bashing someone, but you want the criticism of it to be private? Too bad. I think that anyone who has an opinion on his, either pro or con, should write in. I would love to hear what Paul has to say. He has remained silent so far. I would like to know what the other CBEM reviewers feel about Eddie reviewing them (other than Phil White, we know where he stands). And finally, I would like to hear what David LeBlanc's opinion is. All in the public Letter to the Editor feature. After that long-winded introduction, let me analyze a little. Eddie has a problem with WHAT Paul reviews, and HOW he reviews it. But he offers no constructive criticism. He just tries to humiliate Paul. I have problems with Paul's column, but I will get specific and tell why. 1. Subject matter. I do not like all of the books Paul reviews, but some of them. The ones I don't like, I skip over. 2. Paul gives away the ending of the story in his reviews. If I haven't read the book yet, I skip his review. A review should entice you to buy, not just summarize. 3. He starts his reviews by assuming that the reader knows who all the characters are and what their situations are. There is not intro or set-up, unless it is a #1 issue review. 4. His "Books on the Rack" list is too long, with no descriptions. Although, really, this is not much different from David LeBlanc's "Picks of the Week" feature. 5. His overuse of exclamation marks. This is just a personal preference though. Those are the type of critiques that can make Paul better. Humiliation will not do it. I am glad to see that Paul has continued to do his column each week without interruption. Eddie, you have a problem with comics that you don't like, i.e. T&A and superheroes. You seem to not want to acknowledge anything good in the superhero comic community. Which, is okay if you do not like these books. But your absolute hatred for such books (which are the only things keeping this industry afloat), makes it hard for anyone to take your criticisms seriously. You are so obviously biased, how can anyone think that you look at something like Paul's column with objectivity. You see an easy target, and you strike out at it. You think that the books that you read, and almost everybody else dislikes, are better than anything on the racks, and you want all of the silent majority to fall into line. "The books you read are bad. My books are good. I have to make you know that the comics you spend your hard earned money on week in and week out really suck. You don't know it, so I'm going to drill it into your head." That seems to be your philosophy. But guess what, Eddie, I'm going to continue buying superheroes, and you can continue buy minis and things no one has ever heard of, and we'll both be happy. I just want to point out that personally, I buy all kinds of comics, from superheroes to indies, and even some that Eddie has recommended. I'm sorry for the length of this letter, but I guess that I don't have Eddie's grasp of succinctness. Thank you, Jay Perry [I appreciate your well thought out response to our magazine. I must decline the invitation to give a personal opinion on the matter and caution others not to construe anything from my silence. - D.L.] +++++ Subj: Not so fast, Eddie II Date: 4/22/99 From: perry@vistatech.net (Jay Perry) To: comicbknet@aol.com, memitch@worldnet.att.net To David: Here is a follow-up letter to my first one to be included in this week's Letters to the Editor section. To Eddie: Here is the follow-up that I told you I was going to write. I once again invite you to publicly respond, but will understand if you choose not to, as you have stated you wouldn't. Thanks. Open Letter to CBEM II: Just a quick follow-up to my first letter. I wanted to acknowledge the fact that Eddie Mitchell has responded to me via private email about my letter. He said that he does not wish to respond publicly, which I will respect. The end result of said conversation, is that neither one of us has been able to sway the other's opinion on this subject. And although I made several personal "slams" against Eddie in my letter, we have ended the debate on amicable terms. I do want to amend one idea I don't think that I made clear. I do believe that Eddie has the right to have an opinion about other reviewers. I just don't think that he should use his column to bash them. If he wants to criticize them, I think that it should be done more constructively in a Letter to the Editor. I don't have a problem with Eddie's criticism of Paul, just HOW he chose to express it. I wrote that letter last Sunday (April 18). Now, as I write this one on Thursday evening, this does not seem as important in light of the tragedy in Colorado. That made me personally put comic books in their proper perspective. Respectfully, Jay Perry +++++ From: Comickaze CC: DneColt@aol.com Subject: Re: Coulter's comments in CBEM 209.2 > See, I just quit a comic shop that was convenient to my workplace, > because another one that was considerably out of my way offered me 20% off > if I joined their subscription service... When the guy at my old store > asked me where I'd been when I stopped in last week, and I told him why I > left, he just shrugged. He freaking shrugged! In the two months I shopped > there, I spent almost $400! Over the course of 1999, he just lost about > $2500 worth of business! I probably would have had a similar reaction. You have already made it clear that cost is the most important thing to you, even more important than convenience. In 20+ years of retailing I have found that when a customer is driven by price, there is not much I can do to convince you that it is in your best interest to pay full pop with me and I refuse to discount on a regular basis, outside of providing Previews, bags and boards to my subscribers. I just wait for the discounters to screw up or go out of business and know that you'll be back. > And I'm sorry, but judging from the general condition of his shop, this > guy doesn't look like someone who can just shrug off $2500 worth of > guaranteed income. Ahhh, but it is not $2500 of INCOME. Add in the cost of purchasing the books, freight and store overhead and it is more like $800 of income but lets just look at cost of product to keep it simple. Assuming he gets a 50% discount across the board(not likely) +freight costs he has a potential gross profit of about $1200 on your purchase without a discount. You want to reduce that by another 20% so we are then looking at you being worth around $700/yr to this guy. Now if we look at overhead which normally runs 20-30% of gross revenues, this shop owner is now working for free! But I'll tell you what, you can come with me next time I go grocery shopping and you can explain to the cashier that since I spend around $200/wk, I deserve a 20% discount on my groceries! This is a BUSINESS, we are trying to raise families, pay mortgages and enjoy a decent lifestyle with the profits we can squeeze out of $2 comic books. Is this immoral? Is there a legitimate reason that we should feel bad that we are earning a living from this? Why not talk to the creators and/or publishers earning Millions on this product? Scott Campbell gets a $500,000 dollar check for an option on a Danger Girl movie and you want ME (the retailer) to discount your purchase of his book?! Sorry, you are way off base. > I'm interested in getting input on this both from fellow fans as well as > retailers. Here we go: > > 1. Offer discounts to regular customers. > > ...in order to show a modicum of consideration to the regular customer -- > shops should offer some sort of discount. Ridiculous. We are showing you respect by providing a venue for you to purchase the items you are looking for. By maintaining a comfortable environment, taking the time to learn what you appreciate and being able to offer items we think you would like based on that knowledge. > Doesn't have to be much, whatever you can afford. You don't understand, WE CAN'T AFFORD TO DISCOUNT ON A REGULAR BASIS! Seasonal sales, sure. Free Previews to those who actually use them to order and sales at cost to those who don't, probably. Free bags and boards to subscribers, maybe... But flat out discounts are lousy business practices. > But we know that you guys don't pay cover, and when we come in week in and > week out, dropping upwards of $200 month, paying cover price like all the > other plotzers gets galling. There is no amount of money that would get me to treat you differently than any customer I have. If you really want to discounts, EARN THEM! I have to buy $600 worth of Marvel product to even earn a 35% discount (All publishers have their own minimum levels that I have to meet for specific discounts). Unless you are ordering a quantity that will move me to a higher discount level, like it or not you are just another plotzer. > Come on man! We're you're damn bread and butter! Come on man! That is the nature of the retailer/consumer relationship! We buy at a discount, sell to you at a markup that covers our costs and still delivers a paycheck! What do you do for a living? Would you be willing to have your paycheck halved so that your company can give me a discount? > 2. Either give regular customer Previews for free, or enable them to > order from Previews with having to buy the damn book. Why? I have to buy the book. Why am I going to give you a privilege I can't get myself? If you need it free, go online and download it. Actually once a subscriber buys the first Previews they use, I do provide subsequent copies at no charge, but if they don't pay for an order they have to pay for the next one. I also bag and board all subscriber books free of charge but only for books that are ordered. If they pull from the rack they pay for bags and boards. > How stupid is this? We have to pay the comic shop for the privilege of > making the comic shop's life easier? Don't do me any favors, guys. You are not making our lives easier. Easy is unpacking books, putting them on the shelves and having you come in and pick your own titles, not spending 3+ hours going through 100 order forms to pull books for each account. Subscribing also gives you access to items we never would have carried and you may have completely missed until it was to late to get it. The ONLY benefit we get out of it is that we know what our minimum orders for each title will need to be. > mean, good grief, if I'm committing to a subscription service, seems > the least you could do is throw in a copy of Previews every month. And did you give the last shop owner 60days notice that you were switching to another store? If not he had to eat 2 months of your orders, what kind of commitment is that? > 3. If I take the trouble to actual buy Previews, fill out my order, and > give it back by the appointed date, at least have the common decency to > actually fill my damn order! Obviously, however you have to remember that a lot of indy books ship very late and many are canceled and resolicited, which means that if you don't order again, you're not going to get it. > 4. And if you absolutely can't bring yourself to fill my order, don't > lie to me about it. Have the common decency to say "No, I didn't order > your copy of Astounding Space Thrills because I think it sucks." I still fail to believe that any retailer refuses to fill an advance Previews order for any title (that is not an adult title). I know that I have missed ordering books because some subscribers refuse to use Previews and just hand me a sheet of paper with titles they like. It's tough to always find single listings, especially on books that don't ship monthly and is the price they pay for not using the order form that has the ID# that I can enter write into my order program. > I've had guys look me in the eye and tell me "oh no, Castle Waiting > didn't ship this week," only to find it sitting on the shelf at another > store. And I told that to a customer who asked about the awesome new mini series "THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY WEEN, BOY GENIUS" last Wednesday. Then he brought me a copy and knowing that I had ordered a few dozen, called Diamond and found that a 1 of 5 shipping containers for the week was still sitting in New York. It's not always "our" fault. > A little basic customer service tip here, guys: If you don't > know, don't lie. It just makes you look like a jerk. A little life tip here, guy: Name calling rarely puts anyone in a mood to empathize with you. On top of that, the attitude you effuse when you automatically assume someone is deliberately trying to screw you is not going to earn much compassion either. > 5. Don't smoke in the store. Probably a given, but I always thought that about restaurants too. I guess that is just one of those things each person has to decide for themselves. At least you can choose to go elsewhere. We can't escape those customers drenched in B.O. and/or tobacco smell. This whole list of yours came off extremely one sided and when viewed against any other retail group comes off at least as ridiculous as it does here. Does that mean that I don't think you have the right to ask for these thing's? No. It never hurts to ask for a discount, I do it often for airline tickets, clothing, movies... but I don't demand it as a right and I am not petty enough to take it as a personal insult if the answer is no. I would also never be sp presumptuous as to say, "But we know that you guys don't pay"...retail, why should I? If you want discounts, do what we did. Open an account with Diamond and meet their monthly minimums. Get all your buddies to order with you and offer them a discount. See how much work you have to go through to EARN that discount and then look any retailer in the eye and tell him he doesn't deserve to ask for cover price on his merchandise! -- Thanx, Robert +++++ From: Comickaze CC: ogre4@earthlink.net Subject: Re: White's Comments in CBEM 210.3 > Trade reprints present a "chicken or the egg" conundrum. > > We accept that reprint trades (the chickens) could not exist without > the original story arcs published in the comic series (the eggs). > Still, some questions arise. > > Will readers continue to purchase the original comic series or the > trade reprints? Or both? At Comickaze, I find that many will do both. Many choose to keep the TPB for re-reading and to share with friends. > If it turns out that the majority of readers prefer to purchase the > trade reprints, will that negatively impact sales of the ongoing > series? Not if the TPB is not made available for at least 6 months after the end of the series. Many of our customers are to excited to wait for a story that is available now. > Without the original series (the eggs) there can't be trade > reprints (the chickens) right? Unless you don't consider a Graphic Novel a TPB. Miller's FAMILY VALUES was not a collected work. > According to COMICS RETAILER, trade reprints are becoming more and more > popular with readers. Subsequently, they are becoming increasingly > profitable for both publishers and retailers. I would agree. > Today, trades are no longer restricted to reprints of limited series. > They now include reprints taken from story arcs published in the > ongoing series. Of the first 29 issues of JLA, for instance, 23 issues > have already been reprinted in four different trades... Expect to see > more, lots more. I hope to! The fact is that just like the inevitable "8 hotdog 10 bun" controversy, it is almost impossible to maintain even sell through on a title, even story arcs. It is much easier to collect them into a single book and the existence of these books makes it easy to introduce titles to people who are unfamiliar with that title. > It's no longer a case of reprinting popular and sold-out issues. DC > demonstrated their intention to publish stories twice when then > assigned Bob Gale, Alex Maleev and Wayne Faucher to produce BATMAN: NO > LAW AND NEW ORDER in four different Batman titles. The trade came out too > quickly to be a response to demand. It was by design. Most likely. There is another huge benefit to doing this. TPB's can be sold through traditional book stores and are no longer limited to a 30-45 day shelf life. What better way to "take it to the people"? > Will the majority of readers purchase both the original and the reprint > trade? Unless one is one of the morons who purchase multiple alternate > covers as an investment, the answer is a resounding "No." No need to call names. Actually one benefit I offer to my customers is the ability to trade in complete individual runs towards the purchase of a TPB. This lets them read the story at the same time as their friends and not have to duplicate a purchase they may not want to make. I would encourage all retailers and their customers to look into this. Of course some people enjoy things like letter cols that won't exist in TPB's or in the case of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" the period advertisements in the back of the comics will not be included, so many will want to retain the originals. > That narrows the choice to either purchasing the series or the trade. > > > An advantage of purchasing the comic series is that it gives you an > opportunity for sampling. You can evaluate the story arc with a minimum > investment. Don't like the first issue? You're only out $1.99 for your > curiosity, compared to the price of the reprint trade. Agreed > Price is the final factor. And this is the factor where the trades > shine. > > The BATMAN: NO LAW AND NEW ORDER trade reprint runs $5.95, a very > acceptable price point. By comparison, the four comics it reprints ran > $1.99 each for a total of $7.96 (or $9.96 if one purchased the enhanced > cover by Alex Ross). Fans and retailers have been crying for lower prices > for years and this trade paperback works out to only $1.49 per comic. > That's a huge rollback from the original series cover prices. Purchasing > the JLA trades instead of the ongoing series would save a reader about > thirty cents per comic. Ooops! You forget that the reason that the TPB can be done so economically is "because it is a reprint". While they are paying royalties, they generally are not paying writers, artists, inkers and colorists to create this book. Were that the case you can be sure that pricing would be much higher than the equivalent "pamphlet" run. > Has it ever bothered you when, after purchasing every issue in a > limited series, you see it in a trade reprint just two months later at > a lower price than the combined price of original series? No, just like it doesn't bother me that a movie I paid $7.50 to see is available for rental at $1.50 two months later. It's a different animal and it wouldn't exist in that state if the initial run hadn't been consumed and a new demand been created. > Actually, it makes perfect sense. > > The lower price point for reprints is possible because much of the > overhead and production costs, like color separations, are paid for > with the initial printing. If DC did, indeed, plan ahead with the NO > LAW AND NEW ORDER, it probably printed the "reprint" simultaneously with > the original series, greatly reducing press costs. The only new expense > would be the bindery requirements for the trade's format. Ah hah, I see you did understand all along. > We don't have to worry about rising sales of reprint trades threatening > the sales of the original series form which they are derived. Publishers > will continue to offer us both the "fresh eggs" every month as well as > "chickens" that give us more the same clucks for a few less bucks. I hope that more people come to understand that these entities both need to exist and that it would be a very bad idea to force a choice of one or the other. I know that my upcoming comic series THE END is being prepared to go to TPB as soon as a target sell through has been reached. This is particularly to establish both THE END and AFC Studio in both the comic market as well as the book market. THE END is also being done in b/w but we are setting up the artwork to be rendered in a 3-color process for the TPB, so anyone who decides that they liked it enough to also purchase the TPB will get a something a little different. > PS. By the way, kudos to DC. With the NO LAW AND NEW ORDER, they've given > readers what we have asked for in trade reprints: a complete story arc by > one writer and artists team with a single vision plus reproductions of > the original covers, all at a reasonable price point. > Let's see more! Yes please! -- Thanx, Robert +++++ Subj: Chaos! Comics New Address Date: 4/22/99 7:49:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: bsprenger@chaoscomics.com (bsprenger) Chaos! Comics is moving!!!! Effective April 29, 1999 Chaos! Comics' mailing address & phone will be as follows: 7655 E. Gelding Rd. Suite B-1 Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Tel: (480) 991-9080 Fax: (480) 991-6005 Please make a note of this, and feel free to call if you have any questions. Thank You! Bob Sprenger Chaos! Comics +++++ From: ComicsRus Hi Here's some info about our Comic Book Convention(s) May 2 (I know its a little late, but I just found you!) June 6 WILMINGTON Comic Book Marketplace New Castle DE Ramada Inn (I-295 & Rt 13) At the foot of the Delaware Memorial Bridge Minutes from Philly, South Jersey, or northern Delaware! Fee : $2.00 Time : 10:00am until 4:00pm E Mail: ComicsRus@aol.com Phone: 302-456-0319 or 609-848-6347 Comic Book Shows (http://members.aol.com/ComicsRus/Marketplace.html) Thanks! Joe +++++ Subj: 'Nuff Said! radio show info From: nuffsaid@escape.com (Nuff Said) 'Nuff Said! is on the air for a full hour every Tuesday at 10 PM on WBAI-FM, 99.5 in the New York City metropolitan area. Here's the schedule for some upcoming segments: Tuesday, April 27, 1999 - Long-time DC writer Julie Schwartz will be our guest, discussing the life and work of the late John Broome, who passed away March 14th. Broome was arguably the best comic book writer of the 1950s. Julie called him "My best friend, my best writer and the best man at my wedding." The most famous creation of his 20-year career was the silver age Green Lantern. 'Nuff Said! Tuesday, May 4, 1999 - Hopefully, Jimmy Palmiotti will be our guest. Successful Writer, Inker and co-publisher of Ash for Event (currently in pre-production from Dreamworks) and editor of the "Marvel Knights" titles from Marvel (Daredevil, Inhumans, Black Panther & Black Widow). Tuesday, May 11, 1999 - Probable pre-emption for the membership drive. Tuesday, May 18, 1999 - Probable extra-long special for the membership drive. Still in the planning stages. WBAI-FM, 99.5, is a 50,000 watt station broadcast from the Empire State Building. Our signal usually gets out to New Haven, CT; Westhampton, L.I.; the Poconos of Pennsylvania, Orange County, NY and Trenton & Princeton, NJ. The show covers the entire world of comics: golden age, silver age, contemporary, mainstream, independent, underground, foreign, strips and fandom. Hosted by Ken Gale (interviewer) and Ed Menje (Engineer). WBAI is a Pacifica Network station (if your local station carries any Pacifica programming (such as "Democracy Now" and Gary Null), they might be able to get 'Nuff Said! as well). WBAI is now at 120 Wall St., 10th flr, New York, NY 10005. --Ken Gale, co-host ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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: >In the early days of ACTION COMICS, which issue was the LAST to NOT >feature SUPERMAN on the cover? Bonus - how many issues prior to that did NOT feature SUPERMAN on the cover? Gary Peterson was the first to know that ACTION COMICS #18 was the last to not have the big red "S" featured on the cover in those golden age days. He missed the count for the bonus question though, that answer was 11. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: When the FANTASTIC FOUR first met the HATE MONGER, who help them defeat him? 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 Wm. Kelly Mordaunt Owner, KKC PH: (760) 739-0446 kkc@thereplicators.com http://TheReplicators.com/ Adam Hoppus Is Winner of Replicators Special Series Poster Contest Escondido, CA--17 April, 1999-- Congratulations go out to Adam Hoppus, one of the contributing artists to The Replicators web site and an entrant in the Special Series Poster Contest, which ended last night. After a brutally close race, in which visitors to the site cast their vote for their favorite poster, Hoppus pulled ahead of his leading contender by one single vote! As the winner, Hoppus will be receiving $100 and a copy of the soon-to-be printed poster. "I'm very happy with this poster," said Kelly Mordaunt, owner of King Kelly Comics, publishing company of The Replicators. "I wasn't really sure what we'd get by way of entrant submissions, and what we got was high quality all around." Hoppus' poster covers many of the aspects of issue #1 of The Replicators. "Set against a background of space, a planet can be seen in one corner, the planet Ĉonos. In front of this, but still in the background is a gigantic shadowy figure, the 72 foot tall robot, Emesstus," explained Mordaunt. "Emesstus is the main bad guy in issue #1 and Adam brilliantly shows this by the menacing demeanor and grasping hands of the robot. In front of him stand five other giant robots, though much smaller in comparison with the hulking Emesstus." Continued Mordaunt, "The five robots from left to right are Enlague, Advang, Azontomei, Terrifax and Ciamez. All of them stand upon the title: The Replicators: The Civil War of Ĉonos and they look fantastic. Not only did he do a wonderful job on the artwork in general, but the lettering is primo, too. All in all, I'm very impressed, and I believe other will be, too." This poster, as well as all the other poster art submissions can be viewed by visiting the web site of The Replicators at the above url. A much smaller version is included in this press release as a courtesy. Will there be other contests? "Oh, most definitely!" said Mordaunt. "I had a lot of fun doing this. But right now we are concentrating on some very important projects which I think will turn people's heads in our direction, whether immersed in comic books or not." Smiling, he added, "But, these other things will be announced in future press releases!" The Special Series of The Replicators is an online comic book drawn by site visitors. The actual script of The Replicars is readable online and all submitted images are displayed on the site. The very best submissions will be included as filler pages of the Regular Published Series of The Replicators, scheduled for publication sometime during the summer of 1999. All artists of any medium from all over the world are encouraged to submit. The web site is set up with translators into 5 languages other than English. Presently there are 15 contributing artists and over 80 images. King Kelly Comics is the publishing company of The Replicators: The Civil War of Ĉonos and is but a few months old. The Replicators is their flagship magazine. For more information please contact Kelly Mordaunt. +++++ NEW YORK (AP) -- John Broome, a DC Comics writer whose 25-year career included the popular superheroes Green Lantern and Flash, died March 14 of a heart attack. He was 85. He died while traveling through Thailand with his wife Peggy. Broome, who wrote under his own name and the pseudonyms John Osgood and Edgar Ray Merritt, was responsible for the colorful writing in The Justice Society of America. The comic depicted the first team of superheroes, and Captain Comic, a character with great mental powers. Other comics Broome wrote included Detective Chimp, about a chimp who worked with a sheriff in a small town to solve crime. It was written from the chimp's viewpoint. He also wrote the comic Atomic Knights. Green Lantern, first created during the Golden Age of Comics in the 1940s, was revised by Broome in the '50s and '60s. He also wrote most of the stories of Flash, during the same period. Both comic characters survive into today. After retiring in 1970, Broome moved to Paris and later to Tokyo, where he taught English. +++++ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Pamela Hazelton Wrightson, Star Wars Guest Featured at Chiller Theatre E. Rutherford, NJ - Legendary comics artist Bernie Wrightson will not only be appearing at Chiller Theatre's Toy Model & Film Expo this May. He's also the judge of honor of the convention's model kit contest. The convention, to be held May 21 - 23, 1999, attracts thousands of horror and sci-fi fans from across the United States, as well as hundreds of worldwide fans. More than 45 guests are featured at the spring's expo, including RAY PARK, who plays Darth Maul in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace. Other comic book guests include Chanting Monks Studios Publisher Joseph M. Monks and Editor Pamela Hazelton. Artist Ric Frane and model Wendy, will also be signing at the convention, along with dozens of movie star guests and, as always, Zacherley: The Cool Ghoul (TV's First Horror Host). Other highlighted guests: Terry Moore (Mighty Joe Young) and Dick Durock (Swamp Thing). The expo features hundreds of tables of model kits, magazines, comic books and movies plus many other items relating to sci-fi and horror. Information on the convention can be found at http://www.chillertheatre.com +++++ Jhonen Vasquez, creator of the hit series Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and Squee is returning to comics after over a year's absence from the comic book scene. Entitled I Feel Sick: a book about a girl, the new one-shot has the distinction of being the first full color comic from Slave Labor Graphics in it's thirteen year history. The comic revolves around a character named Devi, a young woman who is an artist, and her successes and failures in the world of love and romance. Told in a series of short stories in the distinct Jhonen Vasquez style, most of the stories detail the disasters and heartbreaks that distract poor Devi from her true love, which is her art. Nominated for two 1998 Eisner Awards (the comic book industry's equivalent to the Oscars) Vasquez promises to bring the same energy to the new project that he did to his other work. In describing the new book, Vasquez put it this way: "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to kick your mother in the neck? Well then read some other book because this book has nothing to do with that." "This book" explained Vasquez "chronicles the history of Devi (the girl who kicked Johnny's ass in the pages of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac) and her life degenerating relationships with other human beings, told in the form of several delightful, mercifully short stories." He described I Feel Sick as "Not quite a cursing away at the rest of the human race, but more a testament to love and friendship's uncanny ability to make one buckle at the knees and purge their stomachs in the most violent projectile of manners." Vasquez will be providing a brand new painting for the landmark color comic. Interior color will be provided by Rikki Simons of Reality Check fame. The 32 page color special will retail for $3.95 and will be available in August. Vasquez will be appearing at the 1999 Comic-Con International: San Diego to help promote the release of the new book. The comic will be available in finer comic book stores and select Hot Topic stores as well as directly from Slave Labor. SLG President Dan Vado said that he was "Very excited to have new work from Jhonen." and he added that he was looking forward to releasing the company's first ever color comic. For more information about I Feel Sick, or any other Slave Labor/Amaze Ink comic contact Slave Labor Graphics at 1-800-866-8929 or visit the Slave Labor website at www.slavelabor.com +++++ Diamond Congratulates the 1998 Diamond Gem Award Winners Below is a list of Award Winners that made the grade for the year 1998. Kudos to the victors! Comic Publisher of the Year Over 5% Market Share: DC Comics Under 5% Market Share: Oni Press New Publisher of the Year: Dreamsmith Studios Star System Publisher/Manufacturer of the Year: DC Comics Sports Card Manufacturer of the Year Topps Company Non-Sports Card Manufacturer of the Year: Inkworks Game Manufacturer of the Year: Wizards of the Coast/TSR/Five Rings Toy Manufacturer of the Year: McFarlane Toys Video Manufacturer of the Year: Viz Video Best Comic Book of the Year: Under $3.00 Danger Girl #1 (Image) Over $3.00 Superman for All Seasons #1 (DC) Magazine of the Year: Wizard (Wizard Entertainment) Original Graphic Novel of the Year: Superman Peace on Earth (DC) Reprint Trade Paperback or Hardcover of the Year: Sin City Booze Broads and Bullets TP (Dark Horse) Intercompany Crossover Event of the Year: Batman/Judge Dredd: Die Laughing (DC & Fleetway) Sports Card Product of the Year: Topps 1998 Chrome Football (Topps) Non-Sport Card Product of the Year: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1 (Inkworks) Game Product of the Year: Magic: The Gathering Urza's Saga Boosters (Wizards of the Coast) Trade Book of the Year: Kingdom Come Novel (Warner Books) Toy Product of the Year: Movie Maniacs Action Figures (Todd McFarlane Productions) Collectible Statue of the Year: Dawn Statue (Sirius) International Product of the Year: Silver Surfer Kirby Cold Cast Statue (Attakus) Video of the Year: Spawn 2 Animated Video Unrated (HBO Video) Steve Geppi President & CEO, Diamond Comic Distributors +++++ NEW YORK--(BW SportsWire)--April 20, 1999-- - Nine Motorsports Champions Unveil Supermann Race Cars - For the first time in the history of motorsports, nine of the nation's most celebrated champion drivers from four racing series today unveiled spectacular Superman-themed race cars at New York City's landmark Central Park venue, Tavern on the Green. The Superman Racing theme, a celebration of the world's first and foremost superhero, is a year-long collaborative program created by Action Performance Companies, Inc. (Nasdaq NM: ACTN), DC Comics and Warner Bros. Consumer Products. The world-renowned superhero was paired with the faster-than-a-speeding-bullet world of motorsports, as four Superman Racing cars were on-site for the ceremony. The cars' vibrant paint schemes featured the Superman shield and images of the Man of Steel flying fist-forward with a look of speed and determination. The drivers will debut their respective vehicles throughout the 1999 season. Superman Racing drivers include: National Association Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) Three-time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon 1998 Busch Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. Two-time Craftsman Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Eight-time Funny Car champion John Force Five-time Winston Top Fuel champion Joe Amato Four-time Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson Two-time Winston Drag Racing Pro Stock Bike champion Matt Hines Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) PPG Cup/FedEx Championship Series champion Jimmy Vasser World of Outlaws 15-time Sprint Car champion Steve Kinser Said Fred W. Wagenhals, Action chairman, president and chief executive officer, "Superman is the perfect icon for these champion drivers because they are truly superheroes in the motorsports industry with as much strength, speed, energy and excitement as the Man of Steel himself. We are proud to continue our collaborative partnership with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Consumer Products in this exciting program that is sure to inspire race fans nationwide." Said Joel Ehrlich, DC Comics/Warner Bros. Consumer Products senior vice president of advertising and promotion, "It is fantastic to have nine of the greatest drivers in motorsports come together as a tribute to Superman, who represents strength, speed and the ideals of Truth, Justice and the American Way. The tradition of auto racing and these champion drivers represent those same qualities. This program combines action with adventure, to create a powerful image that will thrill fans throughout the summer." Jeff Gordon will be the first driver to debut his themed car on May 22 at The Winston at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. To commemorate the drivers, their vehicles and the unique Superman-themed promotion, DC Comics created a custom comic book featuring all nine drivers as characters in an action adventure story with Superman. The limited-edition custom comic will be sold exclusively by Kmart in its mass retail stores. Action will design, market and distribute a variety of exclusively designed collectible die-cast replica cars, adult and children's apparel items and other merchandise to fans and collectors. Superman Racing memorabilia will be available trackside and through Action's established distribution channels. Related Hasbro Winner's Circle(R) products will be available through mass retail outlets. Action Performance Companies, Inc., is the leader in the design, marketing, promotion and distribution of licensed motorsports merchandise. Its products include a broad range of motorsports-related die-cast car replica collectibles, apparel, souvenirs, and other memorabilia. The Company markets and distributes products through a variety of channels, including the 160,000-member Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA), online through SpeedMall at goracing.com, trackside at racing events, mass retail department stores, and a worldwide network of wholesale distributors and specialty dealers. +++++ From the Comics Continuum of the Detroit News at http://www.detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/ CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS VOTING Voting starts on Friday at www.marvel.com/champions for Marvel's Contest of Champions II mini-series. The summer mini-series, by Chris Claremont and Oscar Jimenez, finds Marvel Universe heroes at the mercy of an unrevealed alien race who have created the ultimate "Battle Royal," pitting heroes against each other. Fans can cast votes for each of the four bouts, with one vote per person allowed per day. Visitors to the site can also win sets of the mini-series signed by Claremont and Jimenez. Following is a rundown of the mini-series: Contest of Champions II #1, the games begin. Issue ships on July 7. Contest of Champions II #2, Mr. Fantastic vs. Hulk. Voting begins on April 23 and ends on April 30. Issue ships on July 21. Contest of Champions II #3, Slingers vs. New Warriors. Voting begins on April 30 and ends on May 7. Issue ships on Aug. 4. Contest of Champions II #4, Daredevil vs. Deadpool. Voting begins May 7 and ends of May 14. Issue ships on Aug. 18. Contest of Champions II #5, Hawkeye vs. Gambit. Voting begins on May 14 and ends on May 21. SPIDER-MAN GUITAR In conjunction with Marvel Comics, Gibson Guitars Custom Ship will introduce a unique Spider-Man signature guitar called Webslinger One. The limited edition of 150 guitars will be offered only through national and international comics and collectible dealers. Webslinger One features Spider-Man artwork from the archives of Marvel Comics and the shape of the legendary Les Paul, considered a signature instrument. Each pickguard will be signed by Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee. The ebony wood fingerboard will feature a hand-inlayed pearloid web design. Volume and tone controls will feature an arachnid pattern. A set of limited edition Spider-Man picks, strings and strap compliments each guitar along with the hardshell custom case with "Spidey blue" interior and web case cover. "At Gibson we've built a tradition of creating guitars that capture the imagination and express excitement. The Spider-Man guitars do both of those things," said Gibson Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. "We couldn't be more proud of our relationship with Marvel Comics and Stan Lee. The legend that Stan and Marvel have created fits perfectly with Gibson's reputation for making great instruments that are fun, works of art and good investments too." Marvel plans to promote Webslinger One in each of the Marvel books during July through a contest. One guitar emblem will be hidden in every book and contestants must find at least 10 emblems in various issues to win their own guitar. Contestants can send answers to Marvel on a 3X5 postcard or to the Marvel website at www.marvel.com. Contestants who submit 10 correct answers will become finalists and the winner will be randomly selected at a drawing. Winners will be announced in September. +++++ From The Daily Buzz at http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html Aquaman will appear on the NEW SUPERMAN/BATMAN ADVENTURES on May 8. Aquaman bears his traditional orange and green costume, without long hair or hook. Miguel Ferrer will perform his voice. Wolverine may get his adamantium claws back in his 25th anniversary issue, Wolverine #145, on sale in October, hinted Marvel Comics X-titles Editor Mark Powers in Marvel's weekly emailer. Blade, Armageddon Hope for MTV Awards Blade, the surprise hit based on the Marvel comic, and the effects-heavy Armageddon are vying for MTV Movie Awards in several categories. Stephen Dorff of Blade will compete with Chucky from The Bride of Chucky for "Best Villain". Armageddon's Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler are nominated for "Best On-Screen Duo" while Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing" from that movie is up for "Best Song." Josh Hartnett of Halloween H20 will compete for "Breakthrough Performance-Male" while Brandy (I Still Know What You Did Las Summer) takes on Catherine Zeta Jones (The Mask of Zorro), among others, for "Breakthrough Performance-Female": Armageddon's destruction of the Big Apple is up for "Best Action Sequence" while Blade's Wesley Snipes might get "Best Fight" for his battles with bloodsucking fiends. That is unless the award goes to Antonio Banderas and Zeta-Jones for The Mask of Zorro. Harvey Suitors War Over Casper Artisan Entertainment aimed to make a last-minute counter-offer for Harvey Entertainment, the home of Casper, the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich. Roger Burlage's bid was challenged by Artisan's cash-tender offer, which could reach $32 million. Burlage is a former chairman of Live Entertainment. Marvel reportedly was in the running at one time for Harvey. Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning have been named as the full-time creative team on the Legion of Super Heroes titles, not just for the previously announced 4 issue arc, "Legion of the Damned.' French artist/animator Olivier Coipel, a 1998 San Diego International Comicon discovery and contributor of the "Blight" one-page pin-up in the recent Legion Secret Files #2, has been named artist for all four parts of Legion of the Damned, and current plans call for Coipel to remain on as regular artist for one of the two sister titles, if all things work out. A second penciler has not yet been signed... Ultron, the Zodiac Gang and the Grim Reaper will appear as villains on the Avengers animated series, producer Ron Myrick told the The Detroit News Comic Book Continuum. Captain America and the Sub-Mariner will make guest appearances the first season, he said. +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE Joseph Harris and Georges Jeanty will take over the chores on BISHOP: THE LAST X-MAN? beginning in August. Danger Girl #6 is now tentatively scheduled for September, but there is still no word for the expected shipping date of issue #5. In other Cliffhanger scheduling news, Battlechasers #6 was pushed back this week from 4/14 to 5/26, and Crimson #11 from 5/12 to 6/9. Crimson #10 is currently "scheduled" for 5/5. Mike also expounded on this unconfirmed rumor: According to sources, writers Mark Waid and Kurt Busiek and perhaps some unspecified others are currently exploring options with publishers (including Image) with creator-owned experience about a NEW creator-owned imprint the would feature new characters and concepts created by Waid, Busiek and whatever other writers and artists are involved. No other details were given, nor was it known how far along these discussion/"negotiations" were, but if they prove true, some of the possible ramifications of such a development are obvious, particularly for Marvel as Waid and Busiek currently write 4 of Marvel's more high-profile titles in the "Marvel Heroes" family between them. +++++ From COMICS 2 FILM at Website: http://www.comics2film.com Spider-Man ---------- FROM THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Aurelio Munoz delivered his ruling on schedule in the hearing over the TV distribution rights for a Spider-Man movie. According to the Hollywood Reporter Marvel/Sony emerged from the courtroom victorious over Viacom in what is hopefully the final legal snag in Spidey's journey to the silver screen. On Monday, Munoz rejected all claims Viacom asserted in regards to the yet-to-be-filmed movie and to the character itself. Of course, the victory is as indecisive as any of Spider-Man's victories over the Green Goblin. Just as Spidey's nemesis always returns, this battle will likely drag on in the appeals process as these comments from a Viacom spokesperson suggest, "We are very disappointed by the judge's decision in the Spider-Man case today. We believe strongly that we have valid rights in Spider-Man and expect those rights to be upheld on appeal." Marvel attorney Carol Handler made this simple statement, "We've won. Marvel is looking forward to making a very successful movie with its partner, Columbia TriStar (Sony)." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ Swamp Thing/Batman 5 -------------------- FROM AIN'T IT COOL NEWS: A spy for Ain't it Cool News reports hearing movie news from Michael Uslan of Batfilm Prods. Uslan is responsible for bringing Batman to the big screen and the Swamp Thing movies and TV series as well. The producer refused to disclose any significant details about the next Batman movie, except what we've heard in the past: the movie will be smaller in scale, more similar to the first film and is targeted for a 2000 or 2001 release date. However, the scooper reports that Uslan did reveal that there are plans to launch a new Swamp Thing movie. The new movie is said to have a budget of $28 million, up from the $1.9million allotted to the original. http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/ X-Men ----- FROM CORONA COMING ATTRACTIONS: A source for Corona Coming Attractions tells them that the role of Sabertooth in the X-Men movie has been cast. An unknown actor by the name of Tyler Mane has allegedly landed the role due to the virtue of being 6' 10". CCA cautions that this is "completely unconfirmed", which makes it a rumor in our books. However, CCA has confidence in their source who they know well. http://www.corona.bc.ca +++++ From BEAU YARBROUGH News Editor Comic Book Resources http://www.comicbookresources.com/ DC CRACKS DOWN ON FAN WEB SITES Last week, Warner Brothers took the bull by the horns, and a Beverly Hills law firm hired by the corporation began sending off letters to Web site owners. The first-known site contacted by lawyers from the office of Baker and Hostetler was the Unofficial Superboy Website (http://members.tripod.com/~yobrepus/). Site owner Nik Stanoshek received the e-mailed letter last Tuesday. Stanoshek chose to shut down the Web site, as did several of the people contacted about their Web sites later in the week, although at least one fan, Robert Olivera, put his site (http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/2997/) back up after making some changes. Other sites affected have included a Secret (from Young Justice) site, a Hawkman site and a Legion of Super-Heroes site. Since last week, however, no new sites have reported receiving the letter. DC Comics has had no public comment on the subject, and no guidelines for fan Web sites are available at their Web site (http://www.dccomics.com/), although the site does include a notice that materials on the site are not to be used on other Web sites. Warner Brothers is no stranger to fans' desire to create Web sites based on its entertainment properties. In partnership with free home page provider Fortune City (http://www.fortunecity.com/), Warner Brothers has officially sanctioned fan Web site communities under the Acme City banner (http://www.acmecity.com/) for everything from Bugs Bunny to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There is, however, no DC Comics neighborhood and, according to Acme City representatives contacted by the Comic Wire this week, no plans to create one. +++++ Star Wars comic offer and Austin Powers booklet in Wizard No. 94! CONGERS, N.Y.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--April 21, 1999--Wizard Entertainment is proud to announce that in May, Wizard: The Comics Magazine No. 94, in association with Dark Horse Comics, will present the first-ever Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace No. 1/2 comic book offer. This limited edition comic book will only be available through a special mail-in coupon offer in the magazine. This collector's edition will feature Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and the new characters from the upcoming film. In addition, Wizard No. 94 will also be bagged with an exclusive Austin Powers booklet. This all-new book will feature characters and products from the forthcoming New Line Cinema motion picture, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Wizard Entertainment Chairman and CEO Gareb Shamus remarked, "These collector's items are from what will be the two hottest films of the summer and only scratch the surface of the excitement that we have packed into this issue of Wizard." Wizard: The Comics Magazine No. 94 will have two covers. The first will feature a photo of Mike Myers as Austin Powers, and the second will feature three of comics most fearsome femme fatales, Lady Death, Vampirella and Witchblade, drawn by artist Adam Hughes. The issue will go on sale April 28 at comic book specialty stores and on May 12 at newsstands everywhere. +++++ 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. TOM STRONG COMES ON STRONG! After only a week on the stands, the second title in writer Alan Moore's new AMERICA'S BEST COMICS line has proven it will have no trouble living up to the imprint's lofty name. TOM STRONG has followed nimbly in the footsteps of its predecessor, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, with vibrant, engaging art from Chris Sprouse and Al Gordon and a narrative that could only come from the inimitable mind of the writer of WATCHMEN, SUPERMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW?, WildC.A.T.s, and Miracleman. In what is fast becoming the signature style of AMERICA'S BEST COMICS, Moore and his collaborators continue in TOM STRONG to rediscover the excitement, adventure and sheer fun that only the best comics can offer. From the first page of "How Tom Strong Got Started" in the extra- long TOM STRONG #1, the story of the man raised to be "a perfected human specimen" grabs hold of readers and pulls them into his world. Born on a mysterious South Seas island at the turn of the century, orphaned by his scientist parents at an early age, and raised by a steam-powered robot butler named Pneuman, Tom Strong makes his home in an extinct volcano -- a fortress blending advanced science with natural beauty. After touring the world, he develops an affinity for America's Millennium City, but is able to go almost anywhere -- even to other worlds -- through his own technological marvels. Upcoming issues will showcase some of the unique array of allies Tom has acquired over almost a century of heroism and exploration -- his beautiful wife Dhalua, daughter of a mighty chieftain; Tom and Dhalua's illustrious daughter, Tesla Strong; the enhanced ape King Solomon -- and an equally distinctive range of enemies, such as the ruthless Moriarty-like villain Paul Saveen, the pre-human monster called The Pangean and Nazi super-woman Ingrid Weiss, who regards Tom not only as an enemy but as an ideal mate. And with the main character's access to realms beneath the Earth's surface and in other dimensions, TOM STRONG offers a stunning variety of backdrops for his battles and voyages of discovery, a series that is guaranteed to be one of America's Best. DC ANNOUNCES NEW BATMAN BEYOND PROMOTIONAL GIVEAWAY COMIC Following the success of last year's Cartoon Network giveaway comic and TV ad campaign, DC Comics is pleased to announce that it is offering a brand-new promotional giveaway comic, scheduled to arrive in stores on May 12. The new comic will be a special issue of BATMAN BEYOND, reprinting the two-part origin story that ran in BATMAN BEYOND #1 and #2, re-edited to comfortably fit in one 32-page issue. As DC Executive Vice-President & Publisher Paul Levitz explains, "BATMAN BEYOND is a great comic for bringing in young new readers just getting excited about super-heroes and science fiction -- two classic comic-book themes. Retailers asked us to follow up the Cartoon Network giveaway issue with a more direct bridge to our main comics, and BATMAN BEYOND was a perfect candidate." In addition to distribution through all participating specialty retailers, starting in May, DC will also be distributing free copies of the BATMAN BEYOND PROMOTIONAL COMIC at three Six Flags theme parks (Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, TX, Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, CA, and Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ). ANIMATION EPISODE SCHEDULE THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES airs weekdays and Saturdays on the WB Network, and BATMAN BEYOND airs Saturdays. Times given are Eastern and Pacific. This schedule is subject to change. 4/24/99 (8:00 am) -- "Superman's Pal" (Superman) 4/24/99 (8:30 am) -- "Old Wounds" (Batman) 4/24/99 (9:30 am) -- "Heroes" (Batman Beyond) 4/26/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Ghost in the Machine" (Batman) 4/26/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Mean Seasons " (Superman) 4/27/98 (4:00 pm) -- "The Laughing Fish" (Batman) 4/27/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Target" (Superman) 4/28/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Double Dose" (Superman) 4/28/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Bane" (Batman) 4/29/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Baby-Doll" (Batman) 4/29/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Avatar" (Batman) 4/30/99 (4:00 pm) -- "The Late Mr. Kent" (Superman) 4/30/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Second Chance" (Batman) 5/1/99 (8:00 am) -- "The Ultimate Thrill" (Batman) 5/1/99 (8:30 am) -- "Absolute Power" (Superman) 5/1/99 (9:30 am) -- "Spellbound" (Batman Beyond -- NEW) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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: 22 April 1999 I'm Married And Don't Have Time To Write Weak Headlines. First things first. Bob Wayne, DC marketing head honcho and proof that teddy bears exist corrects an earlier article about Superman Vs Predator. The creative team is in fact, David Michelinie and Alex Maleev. And checking my notes, I find he's right it was Superman Vs Terminator that Grant and Pugh are working on. Our report that Warner Brothers may threaten the title of Dark Horse's Maverick line goes further... Madonna's vanity record label is also named "Maverick." Of course, Warner Bros. distributes that label, too. Mike Doran's Newsarama reports that Kevin Smith intends to do Green Arrow for DC with Quesada and Palmiotti. What this means for Marvel Knights is anyone's guess (and we certainly have guessed in the past). Doran goes out of his way to avoid blatantly saying that the Marvel Knights agreement won't be renewed or that Quesada and Palmiotti will work for DC, as if he's presenting a news story which he's not actually allowed to say is true. Well, what can we add but that at Wondercon on Friday, Quesada and Palmiotti spent almost all day at the DC table talking to editors. Talking about schmoozing, Garth Ennis and the Oni guys were pretty inseparable at the con, too. Oh dear me no. Alex Ross is planning a fifth oversized painted book for DC with Paul Dini using Plastic Man. We are all expecting to see Nick Fury back from the dead in the new Deathlok title from Joe Casey. The series could almost be called Nick Fury with Deathlok. Well, since the name Nick Fury never sells, this may be the only way to give him a book! Other characters in the series will be The Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime. Joe Casey is also writing, "X-Men: Children Of The Atom" mini-series, and we can expect to find out that Beast, Cyclops, and Iceman are all from the same high school. Kevin Smith is expecting a baby in two months, the name, Harley Quinn Smith. Let's hope Warners don't put the kibosh on that... We had an interesting message from Rob McCallum, one of the artists on Stan Lee's "officially on hold the last I heard" Excelsior line. He drew the first two and a bit issues of the lead title written by Kurt Busiek as well as designing the characters. His excitement is that the line may actually now happen. Sometime. Rob asks "I heard a rumour that old Stan was shopping Excelsior around other companies and could it be that my hard work might not have been for naught?" Well, Rob, the latest we heard was that NextPlanetOver.Com were doing deals with StanLee.Net so who knows? Give Stan an e-mail. The recent Comics Journal covered the situation pretty well too. As to why he asked me? Well, "all my contacts have been "let go"." Poor, poor Marvel. And the rumour mongers have to pick up the pieces. See you folks, marriage update shortly! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] HARVEY AWARD WINNERS Chris Juricich Today was the first day of the WonderCon in Oakland, CA, and so I thought I'd report the Harvey winners to the group. No comment, just the basic report. Best Letterer Todd Klein Best Inker Charles Burns Best Cover Artist Alex Ross Best Writer Alan Moore Best Artist Jaime Hernandez Best Single Issue Penny Century #3 (Jaime Hernandez) Best Continuing/Ltd Series Frank Miller & Lynn Varley Best Syndicated Strip For Better or For Worse (Lynn Johnson) Best American Edition of Foreign Material A Jew in Communist Prague Best DOmestic Reprint DC Archives: Plastic Man Best Graphic Album of Previously Published Work Cages (Dave McKean) Best Anthology Oni Double Feature Best Graphic Album of Original Work You Are Here (Kyle Baker) Special Award for Excellence In Presentation Acme NoveltyLibrary Best Bio, Historical, or Journalist Presentation... Comics Journal Best New Series Spirit: New Adventures Best New Talent Kevin Smith (James Kochalka got a bit ovation, though) Special Award for Humor Sergio Aragones Best Cartoonist Jeff Smith for Bone Best Colorist Lynn Varley for 300 That's about it, except for Lifetime Achievement Awards (Neal Adams and Frank Frazetta) and Jack Kirby Hall of Fame (Otto Binder, Morton Meskin) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] 1998 Eisner Nominees www.comicbookresources.com April 15, 1999 OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE The 1998 nominees for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards highlight the full spectrum of the comics medium. Top nominees range in genre from ancient history (Frank Miller and Lynn Varley's 300) to modern romance (Kyle Baker's You Are Here, Steve Darnall's Empty Love Stories), from crime fiction (Greg Rucka and Steve Leiber's Whiteout, Steve Seagle and Guy Davis's Sandman Mystery Theatre) to dystopic science fiction (Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson's Transmetropolitan). The nominees also run the gamut from the well known to the obscure, from modern to historical, from mainstream to cutting edge. And although the majority of nominees are from major comics companies, more than two dozen are from self-publishers and the small press. As in previous years, DC and Dark Horse lead the pack, combining to account for about half of the nominations. DC's 60th anniversary salute to Superman is well-represented by nominations for Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Superman for All Seasons (Best Limited Series, Best Writer, Best Penciller/Inker), Paul Dini and Alex Ross's Superman: Peace on Earth (Best Graphic Album-New, Best Painter), and various historical works: the replica edition of The Giant Superman Annual (Best Archival Collection), Les Daniels' Superman: The Complete History (Best Comics-Related Publication, Best Publication Design), and Superman: The Dailies (Best Archival Collection, Best Publication Design). Other DC books with multiple nominations include You Are Here (3), Sandman Mystery Theatre (3), Transmetropolitan (2), Preacher (2).Justice League of America: The Nail (2), and Young Justice (2). Dark Horse's top nominees, with 5 nominations each, are 300 (Best Limited Series, Best Writer/Artist, Best Coloring, Best Cover Artist, and Best Comics-Related Product, for the limited-edition print), Matt Wagner's Grendel: Black, White, and Red (Best Short Story, Best Limited Series, Best Anthology, Best Writer, Best Lettering [1/2] and Best Penciller/Inker [1/2]). Other Dark Horse multiple nominees include Usagi Yojimbo (3), Comics: Between the Panels (2), Flaming Carrot's Greatest Hits (2), and Intron Depot 2-Blades (2). Various Image titles gave the company a total of more than 10 nominations: 3 1/2 for WildStorm, 1 for Top Cow, 1 for Todd McFarlane Productions, and 5 for various individual creators put out under the Image umbrella. The late lamented Kitchen Sink Press has 6 nominations, including 2 for Will Eisner's own Family Matter (Best Graphic Novel-New, Best Writer/Artist). Oni Press is well represented with 3 nominations for Whiteout and 2 1/2 for Oni Double Feature. Marvel is represented with nominations for The Avengers (2 1/2), The Inhumans (2), and Daredevil (1), Fantagraphics has 5 nominations, Slave Labor has 4 (3 of them for Roman Dirge's Lenore), Bongo has 3, and NBM has two. Caliber, Sirius, and Archie all have 1 each. Several self-published titles received multiple nominations, including Rich Koslowski's The 3 Geeks (3), Jeff Nicholson's Colonia (2), and Steve Darnall's Empty Love Stories (2). The nominations were selected by a panel of five judges: writer Len Strazewski, retailers Jon Cohen (Beyond Comics) and Nancy Trempe (Comics Unlimited), Diamond Comics Distributors' Mike Schimmel, and online journalist Jonah Weiland (ComicBookResources.com). Strazewski summarized the judging: "From the most familiar names and publishers to the most unusual independents, the comics that I and my judging colleagues reviewed indicated to me that there continues to be great vitality in the medium and great opportunity for creators to tell stories--real stories about people, what they see in their lives and what they feel about what they see. "With serious metaphor, fantastic allegory and wacky humor, comics and comic creators are up to great things again. I think the Eisner nominations are the best of the best. " Ballots will be going out in early May to some 5,000 comics publishers, creators, and retailers. The results will be announced in a gala awards ceremony at Comic-Con: International: San Diego on Friday, August 13. Following are the complete nominations. Best Short Story "Devil's Advocate," by Matt Wagner and Tim Sale, Grendel: Black, White, and Red #1 (Dark Horse) "Electric China Death," by Richard Bruning and Mark Chiarello, Gangland #4, (Vertigo/DC) "The Illustrative Man," by Batton Lash, Julius Priete, and Tim Bavington, Treehouse of Horror #4 (Bongo) "Invincible Man and Nifty Boy," by Bob Burden, Flaming Carrot's Greatest Hits, vol. 3 (Dark Horse) "Whhyyyyyy? (Oh, God, Why?)" by Rich Koslowski, The 3 Geeks #4 (3 Finger Press) Best Single Issue The Clowns (I Pagliacci) by P. Craig Russell and Galen Showman (Dark Horse) Empty Love Stories, by Steve Darnall and various artists (Funny Valentine) From Hell: Dance of the Gull Catchers, by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell (Kitchen Sink) Hitman #34: "Of Thee I Sing," by Garth Ennis, John McCrea, and Garry Leach (DC) Kane #22: "Fwankie's Big Night Out," by Paul Grist (Dancing Elephant) Best Serialized Story Oni Double Feature #9-10: "Road Trip," by Judd Winick (Oni Press) Sandman Mystery Theatre #69-70: "The Hero," by Steven Seagle and Guy Davis (Vertigo/DC) StormWatch #7-9: "Bleed," by Warren Ellis, Bryan Hitch, and Paul Neary (WildStorm/Image) Transmetropolitan #10-12: "Freeze Me with Your Kiss," by Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson, and Rodney Ramos (Vertigo/DC) Usagi Yojimbo #13-22: "Grasscutter," by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse) Best Continuing Series Avengers, by Kurt Busiek, George Perez, and Al Vey (Marvel) Kurt Busiek's Astro City, by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Will Blyberg (Homage/WildStorm/Image) Preacher, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon (Vertigo/DC) Sandman Mystery Theatre, by Steven Seagle and Guy Davis (Vertigo/DC) Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson, and Rodney Ramos (Vertigo/DC) Best Limited Series Grendel: Black, White & Red, by Matt Wagner and various artists (Dark Horse) Justice League of America: The Nail, by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer (DC) Superman for All Seasons, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (DC) 300, by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley (Dark Horse) Whiteout, by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber (Oni Press) Best New Series Age of Bronze, by Eric Shanower (Image) Colonia, by Jeff Nicholson (Colonia Press) Inhumans, by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee (Marvel) Lenore, by Roman Dirge (Slave Labor) Young Justice, by Peter David, Todd Nauck, and Lary Stucker (DC) Best Title for a Younger Audience Akiko, by Mark Crilley (Sirius) Batman: The Gotham Adventures, by Ty Templeton, Rick Burchett, and Terry Beatty (DC) Colonia, by Jeff Nicholson (Colonia Press) Simpsons Comics, by various (Bongo) Young Justice, by Peter David, Todd Nauck, and Lary Stucker (DC) Best Humor Publication Empty Love Stories, by Steve Darnall and various artists (Funny Valentine) Lenore, by Roman Dirge (Slave Labor) Sergio Aragonés Groo, by Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier (Dark Horse) Simpsons Comics, by various (Bongo) The 3 Geeks, by Rick Koslowski (3 Finger Press) Best Anthology Big Book of Bad, by Jonathan Vankin, Paul Kirchner, Steve Vance, and Anina Bennett, ed. by Andrew Helfer (Paradox Press/DC) Grendel: Black, White, and Red, by Matt Wagner, ed. by Diana Schutz (Dark Horse) Negative Burn #50, ed. by Joe Pruett (Caliber) Oni Double Feature, ed. by Bob Schreck (Oni Press) Trilogy Tour II Book, by Jeff Smith, Mark Crilley, Linda Medley, Stan Sakai, Jill Thompson, and Charles Vess (Cartoon Books) Best Graphic Album--New The Amazing "True" Story of a Teenage Single Mom, by Katherine Arnoldi (Hyperion) Family Matter, by Will Eisner (Kitchen Sink) My War with Brian, by Ted Rall (NBM) Superman: Peace on Earth, by Paul Dini and Alex Ross (DC) You Are Here, by Kyle Baker (Vertigo/DC) Best Graphic Album-Reprint Batman: The Long Halloween, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (DC) Cages, by Dave McKean (Kitchen Sink) Caricature, by Dan Clowes (Fantagraphics) Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse) Booze, Broads, and Bullets, by Frank Miller (Dark Horse) Best Archival Collection/Project The Complete Sally Forth, by Wally Wood (Fantagraphics) Flaming Carrot's Greatest Hits, vol. 3, by Bob Burden (Dark Horse) Giant Superman Annual #1, by various (DC) Plastic Man Archives, vol. 1, by Jack Cole (DC) Superman:The Dailies, by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster (DC/Kitchen Sink) Best U.S. Edition of Foreign Material Blade of the Immortal, by Hiroaki Samura (Dark Horse) Intron Depot 2-Blades, by Masamune Shirow (Dark Horse/Studio Proteus) A Jew in Communist Prague, vol. 3: "Rebellion," by Vittorio Giardino (NBM) Star Wars: A New Hope-Manga, by Hisao Tamaki (Dark Horse) Strain, vol. 1, by Buronson and Ryoichi Ikegami (Viz) Best Writer Kurt Busiek, Kurt Busiek's Astro City (Homage/WildStorm/Image); Avengers (Marvel) Jeph Loeb, Superman for All Seasons (DC) Greg Rucka, Whiteout (Oni Press) Steven Seagle, "Drive By," Oni Double Feature #10 (Oni Press); Sandman Mystery Theatre (Vertigo/DC) Matt Wagner, Grendel: Black, White, and Red (Dark Horse) Best Writer/Artist Alan Davis, Justice League of America: The Nail (DC) Will Eisner, Family Matter (Kitchen Sink) David Lapham, Stray Bullets (El Capitan) Frank Miller, 300 (Dark Horse) Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojmbo (Dark Horse) Best Writer/Artist--Humor Kyle Baker, You Are Here (Vertigo/DC) Roman Dirge, Lenore (Slave Labor) Evan Dorkin, Dork (Slave Labor) Rich Koslowski, The 3 Geeks (3 Finger Press) Batton Lash, Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre; Mavis (Exhibit A Press) Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team Claudio Castellini, "Predator: Demon's Gold," Dark Horse Presents #137 (Dark Horse) Gene Ha, Starman #46 (DC) Steve Leiber, Whiteout (Oni Press) George Perez/Al Vey, Avengers (Marvel) Tim Sale, Superman for All Seasons (DC); Grendel Black, White, and Red #1 (Dark Horse) Best Painter (interior art) Kyle Baker, You Are Here (Vertigo/DC) Dan Brereton, Thrillkiller '62 (DC) David Mack, Kabuki (Image) Alex Ross, Superman: Peace on Earth (DC) Best Coloring Bjarne Hansen, Superman for All Seasons (DC) Dave Kemp, Inhumans (Marvel) Liquid! (Christian Lichtner and Aron Lusen), Battle Chasers (Cliffhanger/WildStorm/Image) Jonathan D. Smith, Fathom (Top Cow/Image) Lynn Varley, 300 (Dark Horse) Best Lettering Todd Klein, Castle Waiting (Olio); House of Secrets; The Invisibles; The Dreaming, etc. (Vertigo/DC) Sean Konot, Grendel: Black, White, and Red; Star Wars: Crimson Empire (Dark Horse); Nobody (Oni Press) Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo; Sergio Aragonés' Groo; Sergio Aragones' Boogeyman; Sergio Aragonés' Dia de los Muertos (Dark Horse) Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library (Fantagraphics) Bill Yoshida, Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, etc. (Archie Comics) Best Cover Artist Brian Bolland, The Invisibles (Vertigo/DC) Glenn Fabry, Preacher; Hellblazer (Vertigo/DC); Aliens vs. Predator: Eternal (Dark Horse) Dave McKean, The Dreaming (Vertigo/DC) Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, 300 (Dark Horse) Joe Quesada/Jimmy Palmiotti, Daredevil (Marvel); Painkiller Jane/DarkChylde; Painkiller Jane/Hellboy(Event) Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition Brian Michael Bendis, writer/artist (Jinx, Goldfish, Torso) Steve Conley, writer/artist (Astounding Space Thrills) Nat Gertler, writer (The Factor) Lea Hernandez, writer artist (Cathedral Child) Scott Morse, writer/artist (Soulwind, The Visitation,etc.) Best Comics-Related Periodical Comic Book Artist (TwoMorrows) Comic Book Marketplace (Gemstone) The Comics Journal (Fantagraphics) The Jack Kirby Collector (TwoMorrows) Wizard (Wizard Press) Best Comics-Related Book Batman: Animated, by Paul Dini and Chip Kidd (HarperCollins) Comics: Between the Panels by Steve Duin and Mike Richardson (Dark Horse) Intron Depot 2-Blades, by Masamune Shirow (Dark Horse) Malicious Resplendence: The Paintings of Robert Williams, text by C. R. Stecyk (Fantagraphics) Superman: The Complete History, by Les Daniels (Chronicle Books) Best Comics-Related Product/Item Fabulous Furry Freak Bros. Munchie bars and box (Kitchen Sink) Phoney Bone inflatable (Cartoon Books) Sandman Pocketwatch, designed by Kris Ruotolo (Vertigo/DC) Supreme limited-edition lithograph, by Alex Ross (Awesome/Dynamic Forces) 300 limited-edition lithograph by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley (Dark Horse) Best Comics-Related Sculpted Figures Big Blast Premiere Series action figures: Mage, Madman, Grendel: Hunter Rose, produced by Graphitti Designs Ghost action figure, sculpted by Steve Kiwus, produced by Dark Horse Hellboy statue, sculpted by Randy Bowen, produced by Bowen Designs Mage statue, sculpted by Randy Bowen, produced by Bowen Design Spawn action figures (McFarlane Toys) Spy vs. Spy action figures, designed by George Brewer, based on the characters by Antonio Prohias (MAD Magazine/DC) Best Publication Design Batman Animated, designed by Chip Kidd (HarperCollins) Cages deluxe signed and numbered slipcased hardcover edition with CD, designed by Dave McKean (Kitchen Sink) Comics: Between the Panels, designed by Tom Gould(Dark Horse) Superman: The Dailies, designed by Chris Shadoian, art direction by Evan Metcalf, cover color design by Pete Poplaski (DC/Kitchen Sink) Superman: The Complete History, designed by Chip Kidd (Chronicle Books) Hall of Fame (Past winners: Neal Adams, Barks, C.C. Beck, Caniff, Crumb, Ditko, Eisner, Foster, Frazetta, Gaines, Archie Goodwin, Gil Kane, Bob, Kane, Kelly, Kirby, Joe Kubert, Kurtzman, Stan Lee, Winsor McCay, Moebius, Alex Raymond, Julie Schwartz, Charles Schulz, Siegel & Shuster, Curt Swan, Alex Toth, Wally Wood) The judge's choices picks will all automatically go in the hall of fame (one criterion was that all had to be deceased). Of the remaining names, voters will select four. Judges' choices: Jack Cole L. B. Cole Bill Finger Gardner Fox Mac Raboy Alex Schomburg Murphy Anderson Matt Baker Reed Crandall Dan De Carlo Bill Everett Al Feldstein Carmine Infantino Sheldon Mayer Jerry Robinson Joe Simon Art Spiegelman Dick Sprang Al Williamson ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Interview Paul Dale Roberts Interview with David LeBlanc, Editor and Publisher of CBEM Interviewed by: Paul Dale Roberts Question: David, let's start off this interview, by telling the readers something about your background, family life, schools you attended, real work you do, where you were born and raised, etc. I was born in Gardner, Massachusetts which at the time was renowned for it's furniture making industry and Simplex Time Recorder Co. I was the 3rd child of eight and managed to make it through Worcester Polytechnic Institute and actually pay back those student loans. I have worked in technical sales ever since and managed to travel to about 3/4s of the US, Canada and Mexico in the process. I now manage sales and marketing for a small manufacturing company in Massachusetts. I met my wife in high school and we married on that same date, six years later. We have a son in college and another in high school. Question: What was the first comic book you read? I don't really remember but I know where I read it - at Pete The Barber's in Gardner. He had a couple piles for us kids and every time I went there I devoured as many as I could. This was early 60's and I remember Green Lantern was my favorite along with Adventure Comics and Action. Later when I got a paper route I got to see the piles of new comics at the newsstand distributor where I cashed in after my route. WOW I was so amazed at the stacks of new comics waiting to be delivered to all the drug stores and corner markets. I also remember the beginning of the Marvel Age and had a good friend with whom I traded comics with - so we could pool our resources and read more of what was available. Isn't that a radical concept - TRADING comics! Question: Right now CBEM is one of the most popular email Ezines out there. Very informative and at times makes Wizard blink. How do you do it? Heh! The method is simple as far as the news part is concerned. I gather as much as I can from available online sources. I subscribe to the DC, Zentertainment, Marvel, Comix2film and a couple more weekly newsletters. I also read the DAILY BUZZ and of course NEWSARAMA as well as the SPLASH PAGE at COMICON.COM, the Detroit News comics section online, Comic Shop News online and the ComicWire and every month catch the updates on Diamond's web site. I also have managed to get on mailing lists from a number of publishers - like Harris, Viz and a few others so the press releases show up in my Email. The ones that don't, I get from AOL by doing an automatic news search which they auto-send to me as well. I used to spend a lot of time scanning the newsgroups for stuff, and I still do a quick look but not as much. Then I try to boil it down to just the informative parts - culling the news from the other 3/4ths of fluff if I can. The pure hype press goes in the HYPE section at the end of the Emag - and idea that has been well received by all. All this I do at night for a couple hours as I unwind from the day. It is my only hobby - beside reading comics. Question: How did CBEM get started and can you tell us what does CBEM stand for? This was covered in our recent anniversary issue, marking 4 years this past February. CBEM stands for the COMIC BOOK NETWORK ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE. The emag began 4 years ago from the inspiration of Ed Dukeshire, who was the first Editor, and Mike Imboden. Together they had gotten together a BBS network called 4ColorNet - devoted entirely to comic book forums and later merged with another regional comic book network to form the Comic Book Network. The Emag was a way to collect some of the discussions and informative posts being made on that network and spread them around to the rest of the world - by posting the files to other BBS's not on the network, AOL, Prodigy, Genie and later our very first web site. The idea was to find other computer literate comic book fans and get them to seek out our BBS Network. The three of us were part of the first Admin Team for that network. Soon a mailing list was created for people to get the emag in their Email and by the end of the first year we had around 200 subscribers. Around that time I took over as editor in a bloodless coup and moved the online presence to our current web site. Question: Besides the email Ezine, can you tell us something about your website? What will we find there and please give us the URL address so we can visit it ourselves. The main URL is http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet and you would not believe how many people add a WWW in there by mistake! From the main page you can click to a list of major upcoming conventions, information pages about the Comic Book Network BBS locations, a few comic stores the members have recommended, our LINKS page and of course the Emag section. The LINKS page is newly redesigned to be less graphic intensive. My policy is to provide links to companies and creators who ask - though I keep it based on printed material only. There is a proliferation of Web comics out there and I want to keep the focus on comic "books". There are also sections by category for information, online shopping and other resources on the net that are far more extensive in cataloging lists of comic book fan pages and the like. I want to keep the list manageable and focus on the creator section and direct people to places to find other sites that have all the stuff they may want. The Emag section has the latest issue ready to read online in one huge text file or download as text or a ZIP file for later. From there you can also go to the back issue list and download any issue from the very first one - over 200 to date. We also have links in key pages to the ONLINE WEB EDITION at Ed Dukeshire's most excellent site, DIGITAL WEBBING at the URL http://www.DigitalWebbing.com/cbem What Ed does every week is break down the Emag into individual HTML pages for each column so you can click on the ones you want to read and easily skip the ones you do not care about. We also have an exclusive online comic strip HEROES RERUN by Johnny Gonzales there and it is worth going just to catch that every week. Question: How do you find your columnists for CBEM Email Ezine? They pretty much found me! Most of the columnists have been readers of the Emag who decided they had something to say and could do it just as well as the others. Occasionally an independent creator like Joe Torres, Gary Sassaman or Rich Henn came along and found it as a way to give everyone a unique perspective on the comic industry and get there name out to a few more fans. In fact, one columnist in our very first issue was Chris Oarr who is now the director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Larry Underwood, of Volunteer Comics wrote a great series of columns "TIPS OF THE TRADE . . " on how to go about self publishing that is worth going to our archives to find. Robert Beerbaum offered to provide a series of columns derived from his research on his major work yet to be published called the COMIC BOOK STORE WARS about the evolution of the direct sales market, which have been extracted and collected separately on the web page. Tony Isabella offered to allow us to run his daily column from wfcomics.com and now I choose from among them and run one every other week. Others like Rich Johnston's RAMBLINGS `99 , The CSNSIDER, and the NCRL have had there own online presence and we sought to include them in the Emag. Our only basic rule is that any submitted column be about some aspect of comic books as I have stayed focussed on that and stayed away from collectibles, gaming, Science Fiction, MTG and other stuff that has a presence in comic stores, but is not comic books. ONE THING we have NEVER had and I would love to see is a female contributing columnist. I had a potential contact me just last month but so far no column. Anyone else out there willing to share your point of view? Drop me an email - PLEASE. Question: What is the motivation factor behind CBEM? Love of comics, pure and simple. I have been an avid fan most of my life. I enjoy reading them and talking about them and promoting the hobby. Doing that has provided me with an introduction to the great variety of material available out there and some truly fine people who have become friends. Question: How can someone subscribe to CBEM? What do they need to do? There are two ways to do that. You can just send me an Email to ComicBkNet@aol.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject. The other is to go to the web site and use the Emag Mailing List Maintenance form which will lead you through giving the information I need to start, stop or change addresses on your subscription. Question: How many online subscribers do you have? Online we get about 500-600 hits a week between the Emag page and Digital Webbing. By Email I send out to a mailing list that is now over 1200 people. Some of that is passed along to even more - for example by other mailing lists like SUPER HERO NEWS. I estimate at least 2000 readers which is 10 times what we had when I took over. Question: What are some of the featured columns? Right now we have the award winning New Comics Releases List, a "heads up" on what will be shipping the following week to the comics stores, which is the longest running feature contributed to the Emag. Our own Trivia Contest is the oldest feature which just had its 3rd anniversary. Not only can the winner win a unique comic related prize (usually preview editions or advanced copies of new works) but our very own Trademark CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) is included. The aforementioned TONY ISABELLA's JOURNAL is run every other week and Rich Johnston's gossip and rumour column RAMBLING'S `99 is run as an authorized repost whenever there is an update. There is a group of about 10 regular columnists that contribute columns of reviews and opinion and in any given week 4 or 5 of those show up for publication. I could name about 15 people that have given columns over the last several months but I would not want to miss anyone and regret the omission. They are all have different things to say and find different ways to say them. Old timers that keep coming back are David Coulter, Phil White and Eddie Mitchell while John Barker and Jim Murdoch just stopped by again. There are just too many to list - I would rather people sample a few issues and find their own favorites. I have my own column called MY VIEW wherein I review material that has been mailed to me specifically for that purpose. Our policy is that ANYTHING that is mailed for review will be reviewed, as long as it is a comic book or related magazine like Comic Book Profiles. Early on I would include reviews of comics I had bought but I now get so many review copies I never am without one to review for the next issue. Directions on how a creator or publisher can send me stuff to review is included in each issue and on the web page. We also feature news in our NETWORK BUZZ column, as I mentioned before, as well as the monthly statistics of the TOP 100 comics from DIAMONDS rankings by orders from retailers and the top 10 Black & White Comics as ranked by Comic Shop News. Whenever there are presentations of comic book awards we feature the results in a separate column. And of course we run interviews whenever we can get them. Oh, I would be remiss in not mentioning one contributor who week after week provides a steady stream of reviews and interviews that boggles my mind - Paul Dale Roberts. How do YOU do it? Question: Does CBEM only provide comic book news, or does it discuss other subjects? As I mentioned about the web page - I try to stay focused on comic books with only bits and pieces of news that are related to comics - like comic derived movies, tv and the like. Columnists are warned - stay on topic and no fan fiction. There is really a lot to cover with the comic industry as a basis. The creative side, the business side and the related industry spin offs keep things active every week. The conventions, the annual awards, and various controversies are enough without getting into other things. Question: What have been some of the memorable interviews that CBEM has carried in the past? The first issue I edited, #46, had an interview with Jeff Smith, way cool! Keith O'Brien has provided some interesting pro interviews from among the better known independents as has that guy Paul Dale Roberts. We ran a very timely interview with Chuck Rozanski of Mile High Comics when he and Jim Shooter where positioning themselves to try to buy Marvel Publishing. We had an interview with Gene Colan in conjunction with THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, the sponsor of the trivia contest. Parts of that interview later were included in the COMIC BOOK PROFILE issue on Gene. My most memorable interview - the only one I did myself, was with Chris Oarr - the first exclusive interview after his appointment to the CBLDF. Question: When does the CBEM come out? Every Friday night, anytime after about 10:00 PM and sometimes as late as midnight. It is first posted to our official web page - so as to give everyone a fair chance at guessing the trivia question - and then emailed to our subscribers. At that time it is sent to Ed Dukeshire so he can begin to set it up for the HTML version on DIGITAL WEBBING which is usually available by Saturday. Question: If you were stranded on an island, what 3 things would you bring with you and why? That is easy - the three most important people in my life - the lovely and gracious Diane and our two best accomplishments, Jason and Brian. I would not want to face total isolation from any of them. You probably meant three objects, not people, so how about my complete set of TALES OF THE BEANWORLD comics, my computer, and a REALLY long extension cord. Question: What do you think about the comic industry (pro and con)? I think there is a future to it. It is NOT online - that is just an adjunct. Online comics are not comic "BOOKS". You can't feel them, smell them or roll them up and put them in your back pocket. I mean that comic BOOKS will always be around. They may never be as widely read as in other countries, like Japan, but they will always be published and that is good enough for me. I dislike the lengths that people in control of publishing (be they companies or creators themselves) have put profit ahead of quality. In my business that is certain death but in comics there are still too many people willing to be parted with their money for the wrong reasons and FAR too many people willing to take advantage of them. Question: What comics do you read now? How long do you have? Way too many. I specifically seek out works by Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, Bill Willingham, and Warren Ellis who are the best writers working today. I am also a fan of Frank Miller, James Robinson, Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek, Paul Chadwick, James Hudnall, and Wagner's MAGE. I tend to avoid most mainstream Image stuff except Savage Dragon which has stayed true to its purpose from the start and Gen 13 (now at DC) which has always been a fun read in its various incarnations. I go for lots of DC books as I am a super hero junky and they have editorial direction most in line with my tastes - like the Legion books, JLA, FLASH, IMPULSE, YOUNG JUSTICE, ROBIN, HITMAN as well as Vertigo products like PREACHER and INVISIBLES. I am not entirely hooked on spandex - a result of being associated with so many fans over the past decade which broadened my interests. Among my favorites are BEANWORLD, BARRY WEEN, STRANGERS IN PARADISE, COPY BOOK TALES, ONI DOUBLE FEATURE, DARK HORSE PRESENTS, SIN CITY, BONE, BRUISER & SINNAMON, INSIGHT STUDIOS stuff, MYTHOGRAPHY, CASTLE WAITING and the "BEST" comic whenever it comes out INNOCENT BYSTANDER! Question: Have you ever written to a comic book and had your letter published? Well, not as many times as you but yes I have. My first Letter of Comment to be published was in Steven Grant's ENEMY #1 published by Dark Horse. I so wanted them to make that movie they optioned - it was a great story! I have been in a few other Dark Horse letter columns (DHP #113, THE MACHINE #2, ELRIC #3), in HAWKMAN #15 from DC, DR. WONDER, DR. CYBORG, VAMPIRELLA LIVES #2, RAT BASTARD #4, various VALIANT Heroes (VH2) titles, a bunch of SINNAMON & BRUISER issues, and a few others. I keep a three ring binder of those issues as a reminder of the fun this hobby brings. Question: What hobbies and recreational activities are you involved in besides comic books? Who has time? Between the Emag and *trying* to get through the to-be-read pile I have no time for anything else except my family. The boys and I get to a movie on occasion - #1 son is a movie fanatic. Question: What books do you like? I have not read a book in years. I was always a reader of Science Fiction when I had the time - Asimov, Heinlein and Frank Herbert were my favorites. I also read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy several times. Question: What are your favorite cartoons, movies and tv shows? Cartoons I hardly ever miss are BATMAN BEYOND, SIMPSONS, KING OF THE HILL, DILBERT and the new FUTURAMA. I also like BATMAN/SUPERMAN, SOUTH PARK, and will suffer through the new PINKY & THE BRAIN on occasion though I LOVED the older series much better. Movies I see tend to be only a few and mostly science fiction or action. Starship Troopers, Saving Private Ryan, Star Trek and of course STAR WARS. A list of long time favorites would include AIRPLANE, 2001, DIRTY HARRY, TERMINATOR 2, ALIEN, ALIENS, PREDATOR, HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, THE FUGITIVE, INDIANA JONES, BACK TO THE FUTURE, ET, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, ... you get the idea. TV is always on in the `puter room. Favorites are NYPD BLUE, ER, NASH BRIDGES, LAW and ORDER, SEVEN DAYS, STAR TREK (both), EARTH FINAL CONFLICT, MILLENNIUM, X-FILES and for fun HOLLYWOOD SQUARES, DREW CAREY, JUST SHOOT ME, THIRD ROCK, FRIENDS and THAT SEVENTIES SHOW. Question: Will CBEM be here forever? Nothing lasts forever. I set out with the promise that I would continue to edit the mag as long as it was fun and that is what I will do. Should personal matters require more of my time (job & family come first) then I would cut it back or discontinue it if it was not going to be the same quality people have come to expect. Would it continue after me? I don't know - that has not been discussed with anyone. Part of the success has been my dedication to getting it done right - which is to say my way. Some of the fan mags that have failed have had too many people involved which brings in dependence on others and disappointments when everyone can't or won't pull their weight or be on time. I make no schedule demands for frequency to any contributor - they have to get things to me by Thursday night or it is held for the next week. Everything else I do myself so it gets done. Question: What are some of the things you hate and like? I hate phoney people whether they be personal contacts or prominent people such as the President. I have no need for people who are devious or try to manipulate other people. I like chocolate and potato chips though not necessarily at the same time. Oh, and classic rock is what I listen to mostly. Question: What comic conventions have you attended or will be attending? None. Funny huh? I have been to a couple small events - one in Boston where I met Dick Ayers - the only in-person autograph I have. I do not have the time to spend away for a weekend and the business travel was never in sync with a major event nearby. A life goal is to go to the San Diego Con at least once. Question: Is there a hard copy edition of CBEM? Nope, but many people actually print it out and read it that way - which boggles my mind because it is SO big. Question: How can someone locate back issues of CBEM? Members of AOL can get them real easy by going to the KEY WORD: COMICS and then accessing the COMIC BOOK FAN FORUM and the file libraries there. These are all text files for downloading. Everyone else can go to our web page and click to the BACK ISSUES section which accessed directly is at: http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet/_cbem99/index.html There you will find a list of each issue and its contents with a hyperlink to download the file in PKZipped format. Question: Do you think CBEM will ever become a magazine on the racks one day? No I don't and I have been asked to consider doing that. Part of the appeal currently is the timeliness of the news content - it is fresher than the print media. LOTS of readers want that weekly fix dropped into their Email - which is the other main feature - It is free and requires no effort to get. I just don't see a printed version being worth the effort. Question: What 3 things would you wish for, if a genie was in front of you right now? Peace in the world Abolishment of the Federal Income Tax and thereby the IRS A cure for Diabetes Question: Well, that wraps up the interview David, is there anything else you would like to add? My personal thanks to you, Paul, for being a part of the success of CBEM over the years. The emag is only as good as the people that contribute to it. You help make my job easier. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] 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.] Gotham City? It's not on any map I've ever seen. Metropolis? No such metropolitan giant exists. Coast City? No city by that name has ever existed on the West Coast, or the East, even in the days when Hal Jordan was Green Lantern. New York? You bet. It's right there on every map, plain as day and bigger than life. That was just the first of many reasons I preferred Marvel Comics to DC when I became a comic book fan in the sixties. There was always a sense that Marvel's stories took place in something closer to the real world; much closer than DC's. Marvel comics are firmly anchored in New York City, which is smack dab in the center of the whole blamed cosmos. Being the center of the Marvel Universe, New York is subject to constant attacks and threats of annihilation, dating back to the days when it was the hang out Timely Comics' characters. And, the attacks didn't just come from fiendish felons or European spies. Sometimes they came from the stars of the comic books themselves. In 1940, a very young Sub-Mariner went on a revenge-spawned rampage (the first of many) against humanity. He targeted New York City for annihilation. Any New Yorker who was grateful to have a protector in the form of the original Human Torch quickly changed his mind. Because the ensuing battle between the two elements, fire and water, was nothing short of an out-and-out bloodbath for the citizenry. There was no escape from either enemy or friendly fire. A collapsing George Washington Bridge mangled travelers. Buckets of melting steel rained down on innocents. The Hudson Tunnel was completely destroyed and hundreds of commuters drowned, trapped in their cars. Props were yanked off biplanes, and fighter planes were literally torn in half by the combatants, sending them plummeting into the panicked throngs on the streets below. Wild and frenzied beasts were set loose from the city zoo and attacked pedestrians. There were stampeding elephants, hungry lions and lethal snakes. Even New York's precious water reservoir was destroyed, vaporized into steam near the battle's end. Death! Carnage! Mayhem! Then, the Torch and Sub-Mariner made up, shook hands, and with a wink returned to their respective super heroics. I read the stories of their battles, and others, in some fun comic book reprint series published by Marvel in the sixties. To their credit, DC Comics had their own GIANT SIZE ANNUALS and 80 PAGE GIANT reprint comics beginning around 1961. These featured selected stories, usually from the fifties and early sixties, starring Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Superman, Batman, or the later two under the banner of WORLD'S FINEST. Each DC giant had a theme assigned to it like, "Jimmy's Weirdest Transformations," "Batman's Most Offbeat Villains" or "Lois' Most Mixed Marriages." These were fun and a great deal for only 25 cents. (They had to be, because a kid could buy two regular comics and a Tootsie Roll Pop for that price." Then there was Marvel's approach to giant size, 25 cent reprint comics, which started around 1964. (Maybe earlier. I'll leave it to historians, like Steve Chung, to figure out.) Marvel was smart. Rather than selecting random stories with common themes, they began reprinting consecutive stories starting with their character's first appearances in 1961. In this way they were able to make their giants ongoing series themselves, rather than occasional annuals and one shots. It was also a great way for newbies, such as myself at the time, to enjoy the early continuity that led to the comics of the mid-to-late sixties, arguably their prime. And, wasn't continuity what really made Marvel's comics superior to DC's? You could, and I did, buy MARVEL TALES, featuring ongoing reprints of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, or MARVEL COLLECTOR'S ITEM CLASSICS featuring ongoing reprints of FANTASTIC FOUR. As the Veg-a-matic Salesman says, "But wait! There's more!" Marvel packed each issue with tons of back-up material. MARVEL TALES followed each installment of AMAZING with reprints of Human Torch stories from STRANGE TALES, Thor stories from JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY and Ant Man stories from TALES TO ASTONISH (which were often a "Tales of the Wasp" backup feature). CLASSICS added reprints of Dr. Strange stories from STRANGE TALES and Iron Man stories from TALES OF SUSPENSE behind the monthly reprint of F.F. With its 23rd issue, CLASSICS changed names to MARVEL'S GREATEST COMICS, but I always thought the original name had more, um, class. The earliest issues of these two comics reproduced the original covers or story splash pages as a cover collage, which was nice for reference purposes. Marvel's reprints weren't perfect. Sometimes they would skip an issue or print entire story arcs a bit out of sequence from their original schedule. But, overall, they were the cheapest way for late arrivals to catch up on the earliest adventures of these characters. Even today, these reprint giant comics are a better price value than the original series. (Today's readers can get a great value in the Essentials TPB reprints, provided they don't mind black and white comics.) One of my favorite Marvel reprint giants from those days started as a one shot special, MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #1, before becoming an ongoing series, FANTASY MASTERPIECES, which reverted to the original name MARVEL SUPER-HEROES with issue #12. This is where Marvel reprinted comics from the the forties, including Simon and Kirby's original Captain America, Carl Burgos' Human Torch and, my favorite, Bill Everett's Sub-Mariner comics. It was here that I discovered Timely's original, if short lived, answer to DC's Justice Society, the All Winners Squad and read the horrendous battles between the elements represented by the Torch and Sub- Mariner. It helped me to understand why New Yorkers both feared and loathed Prince Namor when he emerged from a state of decades- long amnesia in the sixties. Granted, the 1940's comics reprinted in FANTASY were crude by mid- sixties' standards, and absolutely primal when compared to today's fare, but there was also something very basic, earnest and innocent about them. So, why am I going on about those old reprints? Because I just read TIMELY PRESENTS THE HUMAN TORCH, a 60-page reprint of HUMAN TORCH #5 from Fall, 1941. Once again, Torch must protect mankind from the Sub-Mariner. This time the stakes are much higher than just the fate of New York City. This time the Sub-Mariner has decided that he deserves a place in history alongside Napoleon and Caesar and he sets out to attack Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, before turning his wrath on the United States and poor old New York City once again. The Torch must contend with the Atlantian's tidal wave and water funnel machines while avoiding a fleet of submarines disguised as armored whales. He must also deal with the threat of melting glaciers that threaten North America, Europe and Russia. Even Africa, the domain of the 1940's version of Ka-Zar, is threatened with continent spanning floods. All this chaos erupts because Prince Namor wants to impress a girl his Mom has brought home for him to meet. (Don't you just love it!) An excellent editorial by Roy Thomas speculates that this 60-page, pre-World War II war comic was written, pencilled, lettered and inked in bullpen-style, by six crazy creators, including Burgos and Everett, over a four day weekend binge. (Unlike today, deadlines mattered back then. Creators actually worked together to help finish assignment on time, rather then waste time on the phone with their Hollywood agents.) Great care has been given to replicating this comic from an actual surviving issue. In fact, even the pages are yellowed to give you the feeling you are reading a 58 year-old comic. The only thing missing is the wonderful smell of rotting pulp. Considering the original issue lists in Overstreet's Price guide for over $3,600 this reprint is a steal for only $3.99. Three of the shops I visit only ordered one or two shelf copies of HUMAN TORCH. All of them sold out within two days. I was lucky enough to find four copies left at Crazy Cat Comics in Manhattan Beach, California. Seeing as the Sub-Mariner destroys New York City with a, "tidal wave, so high it surmounts the city's tallest building (and) so wide is stretches from the Battery to the Bronx," it seems only fitting that I found my copy in Manhattan! PW PS: When FANTASY MASTERPIECES reverted to MARVEL SUPER-HEROES with issue #12, the format was changed. Now, the lead feature was an original, try-out story for secondary characters or new concepts, and backed up by more reprints from the forties and fifties, including Marvel Boy. In addition to new stories about the Black Knight, Medusa, Ka-Zar and Dr. Doom, the new format launched the careers of Captain Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] And let me tell you why .... David Coulter DneColt@aol.com [David - who declared himself "America's Weirdly Cool Columnist" in a misguided tribute to The Firesign Theatre -- lives with his family in Kansas City and pays the bills as Marketing Director for a computer consulting group. He's heard the old saying that the best comics ever published were the ones that came out when you were ten ... and he's not buying it. He knows there are good comics out there, he can hear them breathing.] First off -- thanks for all the nice notes of congratulations on my son's birth! They were greatly appreciated by me -- and most importantly by my lovely bride ... who did all the heavy lifting in this endeavour (I just watched and fetched ice chips). Okay, let me say right now that "grim and gritty" comic books bore me to tears. Once you've read Watchmen and Dark Knight, you've seen everything of quality the genre has to offer. That's why I find most of the books Vertigo published to be so god awful. Vertigo is a direct outgrowth of the whole grim and gritty movement of the 80's. The only books Vertigo is currently publishing that are worth a damn (besides the two I mention in the next paragraph) are Scene of the Crime (Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark: A can't-go-wrong combination) and Invisibles (so totally mad it's hard not to like), the rest are pretentious dreck. So, that being said, I have to confess that Warren Ellis has become my grim and gritty guilty pleasure. Between Transmetroplitian, The Authority, Planetary and -- to a lesser extent -- Hellblazer, Ellis is taking comics and doing something thoroughly unpleasant to them. His books are unspeakably grim, unbearably gritty -- and I love every page. I think what appeals to me so much is that Ellis is a really good writer. His dialogue is snappy and witty, his characters have a lot of depth to them, and the stories are very compelling. In the hands of a lesser writer, the "Change or Die" sequence that closed out his first run on StormWatch would have been just another unbearably dull slayfest. In fact, it was. The plot for "Change or Die" was the same basic plot as every other team book that ever bore the cover blurb "In This Issue, A Member Dies!" We've seen it done hundred of times, with the original JLA, with the X-Men (ad naseum), with the Avengers, and every time is more boring than the last. Yet, somehow, Ellis made it seem interesting -- and even new. The Authority, the book that grew out of the ashes of StormWatch, is currently my favorite of Ellis's monthly titles (though I suspect Planetary will soon take over). Between two runs on StormWatch and The Authority, Ellis has produced about 25 of the grimmest comic books dealing with superheroes I've ever read. They also happen to be 25 of the very best. He's taken every single super-team cliche -- parallel worlds, alien invasion, a traitor within -- and worked his brand of horrible magic on them. Having only read two issues of Planetary, I can't make a strong statement about the book -- but based on last issue I have a feeling this book is going to be a hellishly good one. Transmetropolitan ISN'T a superhero book. It isn't a sci-fi book, either (although it's all that remains of DC's abortive Helix line). Transmet is basically just a forum for Ellis to rant and froth -- and he does it very well. Saying that Ellis has unresolved issues is like saying Mt. Everest is a rock -- obvious and woefully inadequate. He seemingly has so much unfocused anger it's a wonder his head hasn't exploded. And finally, Hellblazer, an ill-advised book that has been worthless from the start. The whole point of Constantine is that he's mean, mysterious and manipulative. Showing us his home life and his love life and what's in his fridge defeats the purpose of the character. But, outside of Alan Moore, I can't think of anyone better suited to write Constantine than Ellis -- he's got just the right amount of spite to pull him off. Come to think of it -- Ellis might even be better suited than Moore. Actually, I guess calling Ellis's writing "grim and gritty" is, in and of itself, a dire understatement. I suppose "semi-psychotic and abrasive" might be better. But whatever adjectives you use Ellis and his writing, "talented" has to be among them. If you aren't reading any of these books -- you should be. Comments? Criticisms? Flames? E-mail them to DneColt@aol.com ______________