---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 228 8/27/99 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] Tony Isabella's Journal ............... Tony Isabella [7] A Voice from the Doorway .............. Christopher Myers [8] And let me tell you why ............... David Coulter [9] Too Old for Comics? ................... Johnny Gonzales [10] Stranger in a Strange Land ............ Jennifer M. Contino [11] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [12] My View:GEEKSVILLE .................... David LeBlanc [13] Top 100 Comics - August ............... Diamond Distributors [14] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [15] HYPE! Section ......................... 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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 Once again we set a record - our LARGEST issue to date. Which means our AOL subscribers meight get all of it by Sunday - long story but I am actually in Email contact with AOL about it so we will see if this is more than lip service or they really want to help. So far it is not very promising. :( Welcome to the 1999 back to school issue of CBEM. Everything you need to know about the coming school year you will learn here. Everything, that is, you need to know about comic books. There is a phenomenon on the online world that occurs this time each year and it is directly related to the beginning of the new school year, particularly the college year. Every year, round about September, there is an influx of new users on the internet. This is most notable in discussion groups like Usenet newsgroups. You see, many people go away to college and for the first time get unlimited access to the internet through their school. Many have gotten their first very own computer or can use one at school and they jump in with a vengeance. The running gag, when a noticeable increase of messages appear that either do not follow the normally accepted rules of etiquette in the forum or just plain disregard them in the misguided exercise of free speech, is "Is it September already?" So just a few words of advise to you first time netizens. Take your time and read, for several days first, to get the general idea on how things work. It will be much appreciated by the old timers and you will be more welcome when you do join in. Be aware there are those who will jump at the chance to provoke a newcomer, or anybody for that matter, and the best policy is to ignore them. They only want attention anyway so if you don't give it to them they will move on to the next target. Most of all be courteous and have fun. Anyway, back to school means finding a place to get the latest comics like these out this week: DC COMICS Authority #6, 2.50 Batman & Superman Worlds Finest #7 (Of 10), 1.99 Dv8 #31, 2.50 Flash #153, 1.99 Flinch #5, 2.50 Hitman #42, 2.50 JLA #34, 1.99 Legion Of Super Heroes #120, 2.50 IMAGE COMICS Age Of Heroes Special #2, 6.95 <------Pick of the Week! MARVEL COMICS Avengers #21, 1.99 Black Panther #10, 2.50 Daredevil #8, 2.50 Earth X #7 (Of 12), 2.99 This week please welcome our newest columnist Christopher Myers. Drop him a line if you like what he has to say. This issue is dedicated to the lovely and gracious Diane. You made me what I am today by letting me be all I can be. You are my love, my life, my soul mate. I will love you 'til the day I die. 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. +++++ [Here is a rather lengthy response to David Coulter's critique of Chris Claremont. If this is not of interest to you then skip down about 790 lines. - D.L.] I think it is fair to let you know about some of the comments regarding David Coulter's thrashing of Claremont. It is actually three different responses. ================================================ #1) Michael Faraquar (mdfarquhar@dial.pipex.com) ================================================ David Coulter wrote > Chris Claremont is the single worst thing to happen to the field of > comic book writing, ever. I disagree. But there you go. > Leaving his work aside for a moment, the thing I find most irritating > about Claremont is that he gets a great deal of credit for basically > being in the right place at the right time. He didn't create the > "all-new, all-different" X-Men as most people think. Nevertheless, Claremont took them over within an issue or two of their arrival; he may not have been responsible for their first appearance, but it was him who took them and ran with the idea. > And it's not even like you can convincingly argue that he "made the > franchise what it was today," as one reader claimed. > Do you honestly think -- even for one minute -- that if Dave Cockrum > and John Byrne & Terry Austin HADN'T been the artists on that book at > that crucial early stage that it would have survived? > I don't. And if it had been just those artists without a writer of Claremont's quality, then it probably wouldn't have survived either. Comics is a visual medium, yes, of course it is. But that doesn't mean the art is the most important thing about it; it's still the writer who comes up with the story and script, and in most cases, the artist who *interprets* that and portrays it visually. > No, they were all saying, "Wow, did you see that new book Byrne is > working on?" And even then, there were very few of those. Slightly circular logic there. > I guarantee if Don Heck or Herb Trimpe had been doing the artwork, > the "All-New, All-Different" X-Men wouldn't have made it past #110. And if it had been written by an appalling writer (fill in the blank), it'd have been just as handicapped. I hate the view of comics which plays down the writer and makes the artist the be all and end all (and I know I'm probably in a minority, but so what). > And he let the dialogue carry the story, rather than the > visual action -- a downright oddity in a visual medium. I don't think it is that odd, especially given that the early ANAD era, once Byrne entered the picture was so definitely a *synthesis* of both men's skills. > After 20 issues, those 3 or 4 story threads he had going had become > 12 or 14 story threads, and as hard as it was for the reader to keep > track of all the threads, you began to get the sense that even > Claremont himself couldn't keep track of the threads. Eventually, the > book became impenetrable. Now as someone who's first-read issue of the X-Men was probably in the 230s somewhere as a 10-11 year old, I didn't find it impenetrable at all. Sure, when I reread those issues now, I see things I didn't see then, and part of that is because I know more of the X-Men's history, and part because I'm a bit older, with all that goes with that. But impenetratable ? > After 20 issues, the characters had grown irritating because, had he > continued to follow the natural arc he'd established in the early > issues, the characters would have been pretty much fleshed out. But > in order to keep them "mysterious" he was having to actively work hard > to keep their backgrounds murky by throwing in misinformation and > "everything-you-know-about-X-is-wrong!" stories. I'd be interested to have seen exactly who he meant by this. Yes, there are a few points this criticism could be applicable to - most obviously Logan, but also things like the Chuckles/Magnus history which was retconned in rather rapidly - but it' nowhere near as endemic as this guy is implying - and after *20* issues - I really don't see what he's talking about to this extent. >Characters were routinely stripped of their powers and put through the >wringer for no reason other than it kept the characters "fresh," which >is stupid. Egads, and that takes us back to Byrne's recent "change is bad; the characters must stay the same for all time" brand of comment. Not my sort of thing at all I'm afraid. "Claremont Angst" is a cliche in a way; yes - but really, all he did was apply some basic simple story telling ideas to the comics medium - we're talking soap opera level here really - and by God, it sold comics. Taking the characters and *doing* things to them is where we get the stories from - that is sort of the point... > After 20 issues, the lack of visual storytelling also got old. For a > while, it's okay to carry a story on dialogue, but this is a visual > medium and issues after issue of talking heads gets old. I'm not > talking about having endless fight scenes, I'm talking about visual > storytelling. If you have two characters in a room talking about how > much they love each other (which happens constantly in X-Men), the > reader is going to get a much stronger sense of that affect if that > conversation takes place while the characters are embracing. If those > characters are just sitting in chairs on opposite sides of the room > talking about how much they love each other, it loses some of it's > impact. As I said, once in a while, doing a scene like that where the > characters sit in chairs is unusual and interesting -- but after 20 > issues it ceases to be interesting and becomes merely annoying. And again, I don't really, on a look back over issues in my head, see this as a problem. Yes, Claremont issues have had their share of "talking heads"; but yes, I can remember scenes of characters talking about how much they love each other who do embrace and interact with each other. As far as I can see this is manufacturing a criticism by looking at the man's work in a blinkered fashion. Very easy to do, but much harder to justify. > The real tragedy is that a lot of writers today look at Claremont's > success and think, "hey, it worked for him." Look at almost every > book ever produced by Image, for example. Using this reasoning is > like saying "Hey, all Jackson Pollack did was throw paint at a > canvas, and he's famous! I can do that do, so I should be famous." > Sad to say, it doesn't work that way. The key difference is -- > whether or not you think what Pollack did was art -- it was different > and unusual and broke all the rules and, most importantly, he thought > of it first. Anyone else who tried it just looks like a dummy. And how is this Claremont's fault ? > So now, because of Chris Claremont, we have a bunch of writers > running around saying, "hey I don't need a plot -- or even a point -- > to this story. And this character doesn't actually need to have > character, he has a big gun and that's enough." This leap of logic I really don't follow; earlier on, this fellow is accusing Claremont of being too wordy, of having too *many* plot threads on the go; then turns around and says that this sort of writing is what encourages writers to produce stories with no plot. Hello ? One thing you can't accuse Claremont of is being light on plot. Overall, I didn't think much of this as as assault on Claremont's position as "revered god of comics past". Yes, there were problems with his writing then (and by all accounts, his talent has left him in recent years); but that can be said about *any* writer - no-one's perfect, and that's as true of Busiek or Moore as it is of Claremont or Ellis (Busiek is a very good example actually; I think the man is an intelligent writer, who provides interesting plots, good characterisation, and good dialogue - and yet, despite it being technically great, I found his Iron Man a dull read, and dropped it. I still like his work on Avengers, and up to now Thunderbolts, but he's not perfect. Neither was Claremont; but he doesn't deserve this sort of generally unjustified attack) Yes, especially amongst older x-fans, his writing tends to be somewhat deified, and that's mainly a reaction to the paucity of simple-yet-complex writing that we were used to when he was writing the book. At the end of the day Claremont wrote "out of this world" stories that were firmly grounded in reality. He developed characters and plots at a variety of rates, kept them as people we could believe in the realit of despite the weirdness of their lives, and I think he did that whilst keeping the books in the main accessible to new readers - as I said I came onto the books relatively late in Claremont's run, at Uncanny 231 - and I didn't find it a problem. But there you go. Michael ==================================== #2 Paul (kenwilson@c031.aone.net.au) ==================================== It's a good piece, i found myself sometimes completely agreeing and then completely disagreeing, back and forth. There are some things i took issue with. >Most readers who wrote in wanted to know "what my problem was" with >Chris Claremont. > >I thought I'd made that clear, but I guess not. > >Chris Claremont is the single worst thing to happen to the field of >comic book writing, ever. Disagree strongly >His one skill -- his mutant ability -- if you will, seems to be that he >can cram more words into a single panel than Stan Lee, who was >notorious for his verbosity. Again disagree strongly. That's an incredible harsh statement to make. I agree he is verbose, but to label it as his only skill is quite ignorant on the your part. >The single most common argument I got from Claremont's defenders was, >basically, "his work is popular and that speaks for itself." *lol* I admit this is a commonly used arguement, and pretty pathetic. >My response to that is: Rob Liefeld's work was popular, but he still >sucked. Popularity is no standard for talent. > >Leaving his work aside for a moment, the thing I find most irritating >about Claremont is that he gets a great deal of credit for basically >being in the right place at the right time. He didn't create the >"all-new, all-different" X-Men as most people think. I wasn't aware that most people thought this way. I could see how easily presumptous it could be though. But Claremont never claimed that he did. What he did create hoever was the personalities of the all new all different x-men. Okay, he took them from the starting block and made them interesting. Which is the reason why i find up to #150 in particular some of the greatest stuff of all time. >In fact, I think >it was Len Wein who wrote their first appearance in Giant Size X-Men #1 >(Wein, incidentally, didn't have much to do with the creation of the >group himself. An article in the second or third issue of Comic Book >Artist makes it sound like it was a committee decision based on the >desire to add more international heroes to the Marvel roster). Romita Sn did a lot of the character designs i think. >And it's not even like you can convincingly argue that he "made the >franchise what it was today," as one reader claimed. No, however he did create a community of which the franchise is based on today. He DID create the new mutants, excalibur etc. He did create most of the characters which became x-men from his beginning. Psylocke's the only one i can think of, possibly longshot. >Do you honestly think -- even for one minute -- that if Dave Cockrum >and John Byrne & Terry Austin HADN'T been the artists on that book at >that crucial early stage that it would have survived? Possibly. It's not our place to say >I don't. > >They were the only reason I bought the book, and the only reason >everyone I knew bought the book. No one I knew of said, "hey, did you >see that new book that Chris Claremont is writing?" No, they were all >saying, "Wow, did you see that new book Byrne is working on?" And even >then, there were very few of those. John Byrne wasn't really a big star >until about the time he left the book to do the FF. Wonder how you feel about Bryne? Then AND Now? >I guarantee if Don Heck or Herb Trimpe had been doing the artwork, the >"All-New, All-Different" X-Men wouldn't have made it past #110. Hey. I like Herb Trimpe! >Anther thing that irks me about Claremont is that he basically taught >an entire generation of writers how NOT to write comics. Unfair call. >I had a writing teacher who once told me "learn the rules, and then >violate them to great effect." Claremont knew the rules of writing >comics -- his run with John Byrne on Marvel Team-up is a text book >example of how to write a solid comic book story -- so you can't say he >didn't know what he was doing. > >Now, admittedly, during his run on the X-Men Claremont violated the >rules of comic book writing to great effect: He rarely brought stories >to a conclusion, rather he kept several threads going at once and >jumped between them. He didn't spend a lot of time fleshing out >characters, preferring to let their personalities reveal themselves >over time. And he let the dialogue carry the story, rather than the >visual action -- a downright oddity in a visual medium. Agree somewhat. I think, again up to #150, possibly #175 he didn't have the huge ongoing threads. And this is one aspect which i think he has brought to the comic community. Inferno was, at the time, the most convoluted, confusing, potentially uneccessary story of all time. Pretty much post inferno is where the book lost it's shine. As for the verbosity Vs visuals, i think that Silvestri is not that good an artist, heck JRJr's stuff wasn't crash hot either, so i think his over-storytelling wasn't all that redundant. >And -- for a while -- 15, maybe 20 issues -- his violation of these >conventions worked, and worked well. Not only did the X-Men have the >unique visual talents of the above-mentioned Cockrum, Byrne & Austin, >it had a decidedly odd sense of storytelling and pacing that was >dramatically unlike anything else on the stands. This only takes us up to about #115. >But AFTER those 20 issues, it got real old, real fast. #135? Possibly up to #140? Real old? There is IMO some great stuff in these twenty issues, and the two following. Proteus, Dark Phoenix, DofP?? I have to admit, you're the first i've met who didn't like these. I think i may be misinterpreting the figures of yours. >After 20 issues, those 3 or 4 story threads he had going had become 12 >or 14 story threads, and as hard as it was for the reader to keep track >of all the threads, you began to get the sense that even Claremont >himself couldn't keep track of the threads. Eventually, the book became >impenetrable. As i said, i think the convoluted sub plots got out of hand after inferno. >After 20 issues, the characters had grown irritating because, had he >continued to follow the natural arc he'd established in the early >issues, the characters would have been pretty much fleshed out. But in >order to keep them "mysterious" he was having to actively work hard to >keep their backgrounds murky by throwing in misinformation and >"everything-you-know-about-X-is-wrong!" stories. Agree somewhat, but wouldn't be as judgemental about every single issue, and wouldn't lay the role of responsibility entirely with Claremont either. >Characters were >routinely stripped of their powers and put through the wringer for no >reason other than it kept the characters "fresh," which is stupid. Besides Storm, who did this occur to besides those who went through the seige perilous? I may have forgotten someone, but don't recall it being routine. Why is making a character *fresh* such a stupid idea? Would you continue to read a book if the characters have no further exploring to go. Would you read a book for years whilst no-one changes characterwise. I'd rather something new happen than the stale ol characters doing the same thing month after month without moving on in their lives. Heck the whole original reboot was to make the x-men fresh again, was *that* a wrong decision on Marvel's part? >After 20 issues, the lack of visual storytelling also got old. For a >while, it's okay to carry a story on dialogue, but this is a visual >medium and issues after issue of talking heads gets old. I'm not >talking about having endless fight scenes, I'm talking about visual >storytelling. If you have two characters in a room talking about how >much they love each other (which happens constantly in X-Men), Examples of how often this happened in Claremont days. Constantly???? >reader is going to get a much stronger sense of that affect if that >conversation takes place while the characters are embracing. If those >characters are just sitting in chairs on opposite sides of the room >talking about how much they love each other, it loses some of it's >impact. As I said, once in a while, doing a scene like that where the >characters sit in chairs is unusual and interesting -- but after 20 >issues it ceases to be interesting and becomes merely annoying. > >The real tragedy is that a lot of writers today look at Claremont's >success and think, "hey, it worked for him." Look at almost every book >ever produced by Image, for example. I think Image is based on things Marvelwide, not just Claremont. Image, to me, is Marvel with big boobs, lacking the history, and character development. >Using this reasoning is like >saying "Hey, all Jackson Pollack did was throw paint at a canvas, and >he's famous! I can do that do, so I should be famous." Sad to say, it >doesn't work that way. The key difference is -- whether or not you >think what Pollack did was art -- it was different and unusual and >broke all the rules and, most importantly, he thought of it first. >Anyone else who tried it just looks like a dummy. > >So now, because of Chris Claremont, we have a bunch of writers running >around saying, "hey I don't need a plot -- or even a point -- to this >story. And this character doesn't actually need to have character, he >has a big gun and that's enough." First you say he had way too many plots going at one time, now you're claiming that people who can't write stories properly with plots copy claremont. ???? And since when did Claremont start this whole big gun trend. Wasn't that Cable, wasn't that Liefeld and Nicieza? Where on earth can this all be attributed to Claremont???? >All I have to say is, thank god for Alan Moore and Kurt Busiek -- >writers who really know how to write. There may yet be hope for the >future. Agreed. >(And just as an aside to anyone who's still here and who thinks I'm >trashing Claremont out of "jealousy," trust me, I'm not. I just think >he's bad at what he does and I'm continually baffled as to how he's >become so popular. I am, however, jealous of Alan Moore and Kurt >Busiek. I would give my right arm to be able to write half as well as >those two). > Fair enough. Claremont is not a saint, and that's, i think, what's caused a bit of your anguish about the man. He has an image of being pure. People keep saying that Claremont should come back on the books. No thanks! He had seventeen years, he did some good, some bad, but he had his time, he made his contribution. I think a lot of Claremonts image today is due to the lack of good writers following him of the x-men. Lee was never a writer, he draws women posing. Even Seagle and Kelly didn't live up to the whole hype for me. I don't get was was meant to be so good about their short lived run. Sure Claremont stayed on the books too long. Sure he wrote some bad stuff. So has Kurt. So has Alan. You ignore the famous marvel editorial though. You ignore that a decent part of the x-men in later years was not *his* direction. You blame the man for things he had little more with to do with than being part of the same industry. Paul ========================= Akanni (AkanniMD@aol.com) ========================= > Chris Claremont is the single worst thing to happen to the field of > comic book writing, ever. > > His one skill -- his mutant ability -- if you will, seems to be that > he can cram more words into a single panel than Stan Lee, who was > notorious for his verbosity. I would not go that far, but he definitely wants to communicate a story within his work. While you can do so quite effectively with little or no words at all as impressionist artists do, I really don't see it as a detriment that he uses the English language effectively to do so. Comics are not and never have been a purely visual medium. It should be a mesh of verse and art. To scorn the complexity of writing is tantamount to lambasting Alex Ross for his complex portrayal of the visuals in Marvels or Kingdom Come. > > The single most common argument I got from Claremont's defenders was, > basically, "his work is popular and that speaks for itself." If this is the most common argument that you get, than you have not run into enough Claremont "defenders." :) > > My response to that is: Rob Liefeld's work was popular, but he still > sucked. Popularity is no standard for talent. No, it isn't. The true standard lies in the reason *WHY* he is popular. Claremont's popularity lies in the fact that he is excellent at spinning a story. While it is true that readers generally have to be patient with him as he will sit back and give you only appetizers of the main course for what seems like an eternity, he generally leaves enough to maintain an interesting and dynamic tale. The complexity of the characters and their interaction is also an example of how talented he is as a writer. Furthermore, his development of characters over time is exquisite e.g. Kitty Pryde, Ororo Munroe, Wolverine, Kurt Wagner. The list goes on and on. The characters as they appear in Uncanny 101 are not the same characters in 201 or even 271. > > Leaving his work aside for a moment, the thing I find most irritating > about Claremont is that he gets a great deal of credit for basically > being in the right place at the right time. He didn't create the > "all-new, all-different" X-Men as most people think. In fact, I think > it was Len Wein who wrote their first appearance in Giant Size X-Men > #1 (Wein, incidentally, didn't have much to do with the creation of > the group himself. An article in the second or third issue of Comic > Book Artist makes it sound like it was a committee decision based on > the desire to add more international heroes to the Marvel roster). Perhaps, but I thnk what you are overlooking is the fact that he took a failed concept....a comic book that basically only had a cult following and transformed it into one of the best selling books at the time. Regardless of what Wein or any committee left for him, Claremont did NOT inherit a golden egg. Not by any means. Claremont immediately took over the reigns and the saga about mutants, humans, and lack of tolerance exploded. There is a large amount of credit that does belong in Mr. C.'s lap for that. > > And it's not even like you can convincingly argue that he "made the > franchise what it was today," as one reader claimed. > > Do you honestly think -- even for one minute -- that if Dave Cockrum > and John Byrne & Terry Austin HADN'T been the artists on that book at > that crucial early stage that it would have survived? > > I don't. Fair enough. But I also don't believe that ANY book based on visuals alone survives for very long either. Comics is a mesh of storytelling and art. If you want to extend credit to the artists for the success of the rebirth of Uncanny, that is fine. However, you can not fairly dismiss the writing contributions of Claremont....especially when you consider that artists came and went while Claremont was a mainstay on the book for 17 years. > > They were the only reason I bought the book, and the only reason > everyone I knew bought the book. No one I knew of said, "hey, did you > see that new book that Chris Claremont is writing?" Hmm. Perhaps you had a very small circle of friends buying comics? Alternatively, have you ever heard the saying "Birds of a feather....?" Up until now in your criticism, you have come across as someone who favors art over text when it comes to comics. That's entirely fine, but I would hope you would notice the inherent bias that brings in your argument. In any event, I sincerely doubt you can realistically prove that even a slight majority bought "All-New" continuously simply because of the artwork. > I guarantee if Don Heck or Herb Trimpe had been doing the artwork, > the "All-New, All-Different" X-Men wouldn't have made it past #110. And if Terry Kavanaugh had been doing the scripting "All-New" would not have lasted past #105. What's your point? > Now, admittedly, during his run on the X-Men Claremont violated the > rules of comic book writing to great effect: He rarely brought > stories to a conclusion, rather he kept several threads going at once > and jumped between them. He didn't spend a lot of time fleshing out > characters, preferring to let their personalities reveal themselves > over time. Actually character development was Claremont's best trait as a writer. He spent MOST of his time fleshing out characters and giving little tidbits of their history ish by ish. Rarely brought stories to conclusion? Gee, you must have missed The Phoenix Saga, the Dark Phoenix Saga, the epic battles with Magneto, Days of Future Past, the two issue Proteus story which is a classic, and the 3 issue original Brood story. Now, later in his run things may have gotten a bit out of hand with multiple threads being woven at once, but I don't think it is fair generalize his whole 17 year run with such sweeping statements. > And he let the dialogue carry the story, rather than the > visual action -- a downright oddity in a visual medium. I don't see this as an oddity really. But I think I addressed this above. > > And -- for a while -- 15, maybe 20 issues -- his violation of these > conventions worked, and worked well. Not only did the X-Men have the > unique visual talents of the above-mentioned Cockrum, Byrne & Austin, > it had a decidedly odd sense of storytelling and pacing that was > dramatically unlike anything else on the stands. > > But AFTER those 20 issues, it got real old, real fast. > > After 20 issues, those 3 or 4 story threads he had going had become > 12 or 14 story threads, and as hard as it was for the reader to keep > track of all the threads, you began to get the sense that even > Claremont himself couldn't keep track of the threads. More like after *200* issues. I did not sense Claremont having a hard time keeping track of anything until late in his run. I think you need to research this a bit. Claremont took over with Uncanny 94. Twenty issues would place this alleged confusion on the author and readers' part at about issue #114. That is *hardly* the case. On the contrary Claremont's ability to put everything together (and the readers' ability to follow) is obviously apparent in the Dark Phoenix Saga Uncanny #131 - #137....some 40 issues down the line. It's also not so hard to see where he is going in #150 where Magnus makes a play for the world and fails and begins to second guess himself...some 50 issues down the line. Not so hard to see where he is going when the team takes on a new shape with a reformed Magnus as headmaster in #200...some 100 or so issues down the line. I could go on...but I think you get the point by now. Of course, when you get to the Australia days.....you definitely have a point. It's a great concept, but by then there ARE a lot of sub-threads and it quite frankly is NOT apparent where Claremont is going and why the X-men are toiling in the desert of Australia. But again....to make such sweeping remarks about his entire run save his first 20 issues is unfair to say the least. I'm curious though....how much of Uncanny have you actually read? > > After 20 issues, the characters had grown irritating because, had he > continued to follow the natural arc he'd established in the early > issues, the characters would have been pretty much fleshed out. But > in order to keep them "mysterious" he was having to actively work > hard to keep their backgrounds murky by throwing in misinformation > and "everything-you-know-about-X-is-wrong!" stories. With a couple of exceptions here and there, I disagree. To keep them interesting Claremont gradually changed the outlook and perspective of each character. Wolverine went from being a bloodthirsty, hotheaded assasin to someone much deeper who could appreciate life. Ororo went from being this divine weather goddess to a hardnosed leader. Kitty went from being this clumsy kid unsure of herself to a kid genius who displayed leadership qualities and saved the X-men by herself regularly. > Characters were > routinely stripped of their powers and put through the wringer for no > reason other than it kept the characters "fresh," which is stupid. What books are you reading? Routinely stripped of their powers? Ummm....Banshee lost his powers in or around Uncanny #120. No other character lost his/her powers until Ororo did in or around #180. In the 200s you might have a point as Kurt, Piotr, and Kitty have their powers altered detrimentally....but that was largely to ship K & K off to the U.K. and to launch Excalibur.....not to make the characters fresh. Wolverine does not lose his adamantium until Wolvy #75 and that is AFTER Chris Claremont has left Marvel. Hellooooo? > > After 20 issues, the lack of visual storytelling also got old. For a > while, it's okay to carry a story on dialogue, but this is a visual > medium and issues after issue of talking heads gets old. I've addressed the 20 issues thing already. You obvously like more visuals than dialogue. I actually prefer a good story with text. Who is correct? No one really. It's all a matter of taste. But as I said above, I don't think it's fair to take away from Claremont's writing prowess because of your disdain for dialogue. > As I said, once in a while, doing a scene like that where the > characters sit in chairs is unusual and interesting -- but after 20 > issues it ceases to be interesting and becomes merely annoying. Annoying...to you. But fair enough. > > The real tragedy is that a lot of writers today look at Claremont's > success and think, "hey, it worked for him." I think you need to blame those writers and the editors that hire them, not Mr. Claremont. > So now, because of Chris Claremont, we have a bunch of writers > running around saying, "hey I don't need a plot -- or even a point -- > to this story. And this character doesn't actually need to have > character, he has a big gun and that's enough." I'm afraid I don't follow you. I think you are confusing Chris Claremont for Rob Liefeld. Claremont *always* had a plot. I think you were just criticizing him for having *too many* plots, right? No you are inferring that he never had one, and that writers are imitating his disdain for plots. So..ummm....which one is it? > (And just as an aside to anyone who's still here and who thinks I'm > trashing Claremont out of "jealousy," trust me, I'm not. Oh, I don't think you are. I think that you prefer visuals over text...at least in a comic book medium, whereas a lot of Claremont fans look at what he did over 17 years and are amazed. He is popular for the very things you don't appreciate in his work....which is entirely fine. The character interaction, the character growth, the ongoing drama drawing similarities between the real world and the fantasy comic world in terms of prejudice, injustice, and racial disharmony. Overall he did an excellent job and it puts him among the top ten comic writers of all time. Your thoughts were...interesting to say the least though..... PaX Akanni PS....I think you might want to compare "wordage" between that of Claremont's and that of Busiek's. You might be just a tad bit surprised. [and the last word from David . . .] Subj: Re: the massive missive From: DneColt I'm tempted to say this is a "you say ta-may-tah, I say ta-mah-toe" kind of disagreement, but it's not. As always, my tendancy to make things up as I go along and sprinkle hyperbole liberally throughout my columns comes back to bite me in the rear. I made some mistakes and sweeping generalizations and, as always, my tendancy to make things up as I go along and sprinkle hyperbole liberally throughout my columns comes back to bite me in the rear. I think the above analyses of my column suffer from a few misinterpretations, but for the most part pretty accuratly pick my anti-Claremont rant apart. I still stand by what I wrote, but mostly for the reason that, if I didn't throw a grenade once in a while, this job would get real boring. I'd like to thank these guys for taking the time to offer their criticism, and I'd like to thank... well ... anyone who's actually taken the time to read this far! D. +++++ From: "rasmus@timespell.com" Subject: Hershal the Rat/Indy Voices #2 http://www.timespell.com/hershal/hershal1.html Well, friends...my Herhsal the Rat story for the Independent Voices #2 is on line. Click on the above url to check it out! Rich +++++ Subj: XXX-Ploits of the MIGHTY! From: lira@trinidad.net (lira) Dear David, Invitation To the MIGHTY, Here is an offer to join a rather "unique" and "special" club. Oh, do not turn way now as we can offer you a service that no other party in creation can provide. The Late Knight club offers freedom of movement and expression for all you "adult" superheroes who tire of going through the daily grind of being Paragons of Virtue for the general populace. Here your indiscretions are jealously guarded to the point that not even your arch-enemies can use them against you. So all you well-endowed supermen and women, come one, come all. Tiberius Le Savauge The Manager The Late Knight Club When I was child one of the reasons that I enjoyed comic books was for the action. I had not really matured into the kind of person who would enjoy the characterizations that would be portrayed by the characters in the magazine. Now, I would enjoy a story whereby the players would sit and interact even if a "bim boom bam biff" was not interjected into the story. I can not say the same for the tendency to enjoy the creation of characters who could be poster superboys and girls for "Muscle Titano Beach, Anywhere". I would enjoy reading about the thinking person's hero and/ or heroine rather than bear witness to the use of physical exploitation of body parts in order to promote sales. Siiigh, but then I am just one voice. Writers and artists who exploit this aspect of the industry only do it because it sells well. Pish, if it did not then one would not have the nude variant covers that have been prevalent in the late 1990s. I am not the one to say that they should stop doing it. Oh no, I do not have the power, but all I ask is that I do hope that the creators and the bean counters of comic book companies realize that there are those of us who enjoy a well-thought story over the tendency to resort to sticking certain unmentionables in the collective faces of the readers. All you have to do is listen and pay attention. We are out here. What do you think? Thank you Julian Gift PS: True Confessions I have enjoyed certain series that have parodied this tendency for physical Xploitation, but it has always been evident that they were making fun of it. Hmmmm, which is in and of itself an exploitation of sorts. Such series that I can mention are C.H.I.X. by Studiosauras comics and The Blonde Avenger by Cindy Johns. Of course, how one enjoys these comics is subject to opinion. +++++ Subj: Re: VENTING MY SPLEEN From: peter-t@dds.nl (Peter Teffer) Hey Davids (both LeBlanc and Groenewegen), In the "Venting my spleen" column of CBEM #227 David Groenewegen wrote about Yeah! #1, which -I couldn't agree more- sucked. But what did he write a few lines above the end: "[Yeah! is] not interesting enough to make anyone under the age of 15 or over the age of 25 want to read it." Well, the 17-year old dude who sent this letter didn't want to read it as well. Just to tell you that age has nothing to do with it, it's the personality that counts. Take care, Peter Teffer (peter-t@dds.nl) +++++ Date: Sat, 21 Aug 1999 05:48:26 +0100 From: "Mitchell Senft" Hi, David; You and the CBEM readers might be interested in this, an article about Stan Lee that ran in (at?) Salon recently. The URL is http://www.salonmag.com/people/bc/1999/08/17/lee/index.html Mitchell [Check this one out folks, it is quite extensive! - D.L.] +++++ Subj: Brrrrrriiiiinnggg On The Bad Guys! From: lira@trinidad.net (lira) Dear Good People, Thank god for "bad guys". After all, without them, our heroes would be well, unemployed.Seriously folks, there have been some rather interesting creations that have appeared on paper and film from the minds of writers throughout the glorious history of comics. I know, I know that these "characters" are the people who we should all love to hate, but there are some who possess rather interesting personalities. Let us think about it, for one thing, it takes a lot of confidence to be a villain. 1. You are a non-conformist of the highest order as you seek to dominate that society that seeks to set out rules in order to control its "members". The control may be for the good of all, but do you care??? 2. Do you have any idea how much confidence it takes to dominate the world?!? Now there is a confidence- builder course that may serve a person in better stead than any ever dreamed of by Dale Carnegie and his fellow practitioners in the field. 3. You fall down but you get up again because they can not keep you down (Words quoted, more or less, from a song). Now there is a confidence- builder course that may serve a person in better stead than any ever dreamed of by Dale Carnegie and his fellow practitioners in the field. Here are a few villains that I find rather interesting. The Brain ( Pinky & the Brain- Comedic Villainy) & Mr. Mind ( SHAZAM!)- They serve to remind us to NEVER underestimate the enemy and their dreams. Chairface Chippendale of the Tick- The man(?!?) has arrogance and self-centered confidence that will not see him cowering in the shadows beacause he looks different. He was born to rule and will honour his destiny by remaining true to the course that has been laid out for him in life. There was an episode on WB's Superman whereby a viilain with an eye-badge tried to recapture an operative ( a firestarter) he used for illegal operations. I liked his cool, calm confidence that was perfectly paired with his obvious competence. Well, there you have it. These names are just a few that I would mention. What do you think? Do you have any that you well, umm, admire??? Thank you Julian +++++ Subj: Movie & Comic newswire! From: MCNWire MCNWIRE The Movie & Comic Newswire! - http://members.aol.com/mcnwire/ Updated Daily! ------- A daily source of current news and reviews featuring the world of comics & film. Check it out! +++++ From: WingnutIBH@aol.com Subject: Real BRAINBOMB website http://hometown.aol.com/WingnutIBH/webprof/index.htm The above will get you to the real BRAINBOMB website. Brian +++++ Subj: =ity From: lira@trinidad.net (lira) Dear Good people, I saw a picture in the newspaper that serves as the topic for this letter. The picture shows a boy who suffers a condition that makes him vulnerable to sunlight, having fun playing ball with a friend in the element(sunny day) that could harm him. How is he able to survive? NASA has created a suit that blocks out the harmful radiation and he can enjoy aspects of life that may have been denied to him. However, he must wear it at all times when he is in the sun, possibly for life. No, my discussion is not about technology but rather about recognizing people as people and not as "freaks of nature". People must be treated with respect and can not be judged for how they look. After all, none of us ordered ourselves from a catalogue. Comic books have featured people from various backgrounds and of varying physical appearances working together to accomplish a common goal. The skills of the individual and what he or she can offer to resolve a dire situation is what is important. Certainly, clashes of personalities are depicted but it is far far different from practising discrimination based on what you believe is an inferior quality in others. For example, superhero teams show super-powered persons (superman, storm, icon, ) working with individuals who possess no powers but have honed other skills investigation, martial arts, technology) in their effort to help their super-powered compatriots face foes and circumstances that no single HERO can withstand. You have witnessed artists depicting characters that look nothing like us but share certain emotional qualities that all sentient beings have and they work well in teams which ignore the cosmetic aspects of how a person looks( Legion of Superheroes, X-Men, JLA, JSA, Avengers, Defenders and the Tick's universe), to name a few. It would serve well to pay attention to that fact for the next time that we decide (unconsciously or consciously) to deny a person a chance an equal opportunity to show what they can do. Comic books could be used to teach children that what we need is not tolerance but real acceptance that goes beyond looking at persons' physical appearances and varying levels of skills. Think about it. A medium such as this could be used to teach kids that some people may be more intelligent than others, some people may be more handsome than others, some may even be more articulate than others, but no one is "more equal" than anyone else. What do you think? Thanks Julian +++++ Subj: We need your help! Date: 8/26/99 7:37:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: bcemylar@cwixmail.com (BILL COLE ENTERPRISES, INC.) HELP WANTED!!!!! ARE YOU CREATIVE? DO YOU KNOW THE RETAILER AND COLLECTOR COMIC BOOK MARKET? CAN YOU CREATE ADS QUICKLY FROM START TO FINISH, INCLUDING CAMERA READY COPY? ARE YOU CAPABLE OF CREATING STUNNING AND NAVIGABLE WEB SITES? If so we may be interested in seeing what you have. Bill Cole Enterprises is currently looking for the above individual. This does not mean a relocation. Rather, most items can be accomplished by phone, fax or e-mail. We do need the following from you. 1) A complete resume. 2) If you have our catalog, we need a dummy mockup of any page you wish to change to see your creativity. 3) see our web site at www.neponset.com/bcemylar and give recommendations on changes. 4) Upon receipt of your completed portfolio, it will be reviewed and a final determination will be made. 5) What you send us will be used for discussion purposes only! Please call or write 1-781-986-2653 FAX 1-781-986-2656, e-mail bcemylar@cwixmail.com web site www.neponset.com/bcemylar Thank you for your time Bill Cole Bill Cole Enterprises, Inc. PO Box 60 Randolph, MA 02368-0060 +++++ Subj: 'Nuff Said! radio show guest info & web site From: nuffsaid@escape.com (Nuff Said) 'Nuff Said!, the comic book interview/talk show, 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. We're also on the internet at www.wbaifree.org and www.2600.com as well. There's a link to each of those on our own web site: www.nuffsaid.net Tuesday, August 10, 1999 - Our pre-emption has been pre-empted because WBAI's mini fund drive has been postponed a week. Tuesday, August 31, 1999 - Probably a tape of a panel conducted at the Big Apple Con. Tuesday, Sept 7, 1999 - Keith Williams. A show about inking. Keith has been inking The Phantom newspaper strip for five years. He started out as one of (John) Romita's Raiders so we'll talk about about the influence John Romita had on Keith's art and life. Keith also was John Byrne's assistant on Alpha Flight, The Hulk and Action and inked Alex Saviuk on Web of Spider-man for 3 1/2 years. For Dark Horse, he inked The Mask Strikes Back mini-series. Your phone calls, too. Tuesday, Sept 14, 1999 - Randy Zimmerman, editor-in-chief of Arrow Comics. Hopefully, Randy'll bring a few other people from Arrow with him. We'll be talking about the current state of the independent comics market as well as what makes good comics (in our opinions, natch). We'll be taking listener phone calls, too. 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. But via the internet for an even greater distance, natch. 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) although this might not be a good time to contact them about a WBAI show. WBAI-FM, 120 Wall St., 10th flr, New York, NY 10005. --Ken Gale, interviewer and 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: Who was on the cover of the comic that also had the first appearance of CONCRETE? Jeremy Finestone got there first with the correct answer, it was Chris Warner's BLACK CROSS on the cover of DARK HORSE PRESENTS #1. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: From: Federico Kereki At what time did the earthquake hit Gotham City in the No Man's Land story? 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 David Coulter passes this item on to us: From: DneColt@aol.com Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 16:25:44 EDT Subject: Some news for the network buzz. I don't know if any CBEM readers are fans of the Marvel Novel series published by Byron Priess (I am), but here's an interesting email I got from series editor Keith R.A. DeCandido: ME: >Has it -- in fact -- been shut down and will any of the novels now >scheduled but yet to be released (X-Men/Avengers pt3, etc.) ever >see the light of day? HE: It [the Marvel Novel series] has been shut down for the moment because of a contract dispute between BP Books and Marvel (I'm afraid I can't go into specifics). Right now, everything is in the hands of lawyers, but there is a possibility that the program will be relaunched -- possibly with a different publisher -- aand that the two trilogies [X-Men/Avengers & Spiderman, The Sinister Six] left hanging will be finished off. At the moment, though, the program is on indefinite hold. Keith R.A. DeCandido Albι-Shiloh, Inc. krad@ix.netcom.com www.sff.net/people/krad www.dqydjp.com +++++ SPX 99: THE EXPO -- CELEBRATING COMICS CULTURE SPX 99: The Expo (www.spxpo.com), the nation's premiere showcase for alternative, small press, and creator-owned comics, will be held September 17-19 at the Holiday Inn in Bethesda, MD, just over a mile from Washington, DC. Now in its sixth year, the event celebrates the enormous diversity and potential of comics and cartooning. Proceeds from the show benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a non-profit organization protecting the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Exhibiting artists at this year's expo include Charles Burns ("Black Hole"), Eddie Campbell ("Bacchus," "From Hell"), Jeff Smith ("Bone"), Jason Lutes ("Berlin"), James Kochalka ("Kissers"), and dozens more. Altogether, nearly 200 artists and publishers, including Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, Oni Press, and Slave Labor, will be in attendance. While the Expo's focus is firmly on small press comics, the show draws fans and professionals from all parts of the comics community. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund board member Frank Miller ("Sin City") will take time out from his visit to sign at the CBLDF Booth. Acclaimed comics and fantasy author Neil Gaiman ("Sandman," "Neverwhere") will also make an appearance at the show before his 1999 Guardian Angel Tour kicks off with a reading on September 21 at the Bethesda Theatre Cafe. SPX 99: The Expo is to host the third annual Ignatz Awards to recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning. Named after George Herriman's brick-wielding mouse, this festival prize is determined by ballot at the Expo. The awards themselves will be presented at a gala Ignatz Awards ceremony on Saturday night (September 18). For a list of this year's nominees, visit www.spxpo.com/ignatzaward.htm. This year's Expo will be held in conjunction with ICAF, the fifth annual International Comic Arts Festival (www.sp.uconn.edu/~epk93002/icaf). ICAF is one of the few academic convocations in this country devoted to comics, bringing together artists, scholars, and critics from around the world. Held on September 16 - 18, this event is sponsored by Georgetown University and the embassies of France and Belgium. ICAF's focus this year is on culture, industry, and discourse. Papers to be presented at ICAF include "On Byron, Shelley, and Crazy Jane: Romanticism and Modernity in the Comics of Grant Morrison," "The High Cost of Fandom: The American Comic Book Industry from Mass Medium to Niche Medium," and many more. The Expo is also proud to host the annual trade show of PACER, the Professional Association of Comics Entertainment Retailers (www.pacerpro.org) on September 16-19. This trade event allows retailers to meet with publishers and distributors on issues that affect the comics industry. PACER also includes educational seminars, roundtable discussions, and publisher presentations. All this takes place at the Holiday Inn in downtown Bethesda, MD. With easy access from Washington, DC, northern Virginia, and I-95, the area also sports more than 170 restaurants. Rooms are still available at the Holiday Inn at special discount rates through the end of August. Contact the hotel at 301-652-2000 for details and reservations, and be sure to mention that you're with the Expo. For more information about SPX 99: The Expo, visit the show's web-site at www.spxpo.com. In addition to providing event, travel, and lodging information, the site features spotlights on the work of attending creators. It also provides a list of comic and book stores around the country which carry and support independent comics. SPX also publishes an annual anthology comic featuring new stories and strips from many of the attending creators. "SPX 99: The Comic" sports 200 pages of cutting-edge comics, wrapped in a "Jay and Silent Bob" cover by Matt Wagner. This hefty package retails for only $5, and all proceeds support the CBLDF. "SPX 99: The Comic" is available from your local comic shop, or directly from the CBLDF by calling 1-800-99-CBLDF or visiting the CBLDF web-site at www.cbldf.org. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization preserving the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Donations and inquiries can always be sent directly to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061. Be sure to check out "Busted!," the CBLDF's quarterly newsletter or www.cbldf.org for more CBLDF news. For additional information contact Chris Bleistein at (413) 586-6967 or cbldf@compuserve.com +++++ A LOOK AT THE GREAT CARTOONISTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY: FBI TO PUBLISH READING THE FUNNIES BY CRITIC DONALD PHELPS "Most writers react; a few do more because they feel and know more. Donald Phelps is one of the few.” — Nat Henthoff The comic strip — a feature perhaps overlooked in your daily paper — is a creation unique to American cultural life and has for a century commented on the way we see and view ourselves as it has fulfilled its daily appointed task of amusement and distraction. From its "high culture" influence on Pop Art to its "low culture" appeal to children of all ages, this phenomenon has had a lasting hold on the imaginations of generations, and READING THE FUNNIES collects a wide range of noted writer Donald Phelps' (“...a phenomenon in contemporary American criticism... a critic of remarkable curiosity and perception,” as Gilbert Sorrentino has written) essays on this often overlooked medium. From essays on popular classics (such as Chester Gould's Dick Tracy, E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre, and Frank King's Gasoline Alley) to the more obscure, Phelps' keen and discriminating eye discerns the sublime qualities of this most American of art forms with wit, candor, and an almost Baroque grace. As Phelps tellingly notes in his introduction, he writes not "as comic strip specialist, nor as comic strip expert, but rather as a critic of some latitude and eclecticism, trying to articulate that which pleases and creatively perplexes me in my own samples of this phenomenon.” For the curious and the well-versed in the history of American comic strips, READING THE FUNNIES offers an elegant and eloquent look into this fascinating slice of American popular culture. With a foreword by Fielding Dawson, Reading the Funnies includes the following essays: • "Footsore Audacity" (The cartoons of B. Kliban) • "George and Josie" (Harry J. Tuthill's The Bungle Family) • "Flat Foot Floogie" (Chester Gould's Dick Tracy) • "Nobody Watches the Birdie" (Featuring various classic American newspaper cartoonists) • "Real People, Real Theater" (E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre and the genesis of Popeye) • "The Boys of Winter" (Frank King's Gasoline Alley) • "Cady Did" (The strips, including Peter Rabbit, and cartoons of Harrison Cady) • "Jimmy and Company" (James Swinnerton and Little Jimmy and Mr. Jack) • "James Swinnerton, R.I.P.” (An appreciation of the artist) READING THE FUNNIES By Donald Phelps • 7” x 9” • 300 pages • nonfiction essays, heavily illustrated with examples from strips • Softcover • $19.95 • ISBN: 1-56097-368-4 • Literary Criticism • DECEMBER For more information, contact Eric Reynolds @ (206) 524-1967 or email to: reynolds@fantagraphics.com +++++ IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, HOW MUCH ARE 2000 PAGES OF PICTURES WORTH? COMING THIS DECEMBER: COMIX 2000 Paris, France --- Imagine a comic book collection four times larger than CAGES or FROM HELL, or roughly equivalent to 100 issues of CEREBUS. This December, you won't have to imagine. COMIX 2000 promises to be the talk of the new millennium in comic book circles, with the greatest assemblage of international cartooning in the history of publishing creating 2000 pages of all-new comics to celebrate the end of the 20th Century. Better yet, the book features entirely wordless strips, giving every inhabitant on the planet the potential to enjoy it. The brainchild of revered French publisher L'Assocation (co-founded by Nimrod creator Lewis Trondheim), COMIX 2000 will feature all-new work from critically-acclaimed international stars like CHRIS WARE, DYLAN HORROCKS, MAX, and TRONDHEIM himself, as well as dozens of soon-to-be international stars from every corner of the globe. Published by L'Assocation, COMIX 2000 will be available exclusively in the American market through Fantagraphics Books, and will be available in Diamond's PREVIEWS catalog for titles shipping in December under the Fantagraphics section. Best of all, COMIX 2000 costs only $75 — not bad for the biggest comic book of all time. L'Assocation has already assembled well over 100 contributions in the form of one to ten-page pantomime strips out of the hundreds of submissions sent in from around the globe. The total roster of cartoonists will expand between now and publication, and is sure to include a large number of international superstars. A (very) partial listing of countries and cartoonists involved reads like an atlas and a who's who of cartooning: Argentina (Carlos Nine, Pablo Sapia), Belgium, Brazil, Canada (David Collier, Richard Suicide), China, Cuba, Finland (Blab's Matti Hagleberg), France (David B., Edmond Baudoin, Jochen Gerner, Lewis Trondheim) Germany (Anke Feuchtenberger, Martin Tom Dieck), Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand (Hicksville's Dylan Horrocks), Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain (Max), Sweden (Annmari Olsson, Olle Berg), Switzerland, the United Kingdom (Roger Langridge), the former Yugoslavia (Aleksandar Zograf), and the United States (James Kochalka, Chris Ware, Eric Drooker, Ethan Persoff, Krystine Kryttre, Mike Diana, Bob Sikoryak, MATSO, Brad Johnson). 2000 pages! That's the same length as 17 issues of BLAB_ or 40 issues of ZERO ZERO... Sure to be one of the most exciting comics projects of all-time, COMIX 2000 will be a handsomely awesome object for your shelves, as is everything L'Assocation publishes. COMIX 2000 • $75.00; $112.50 in Canada • MATURE READERS +++++ ELLEN FORNEY's MONKEY FOOD BOOK SIGNING TOUR Ellen Forney will be appearing at the following bookstores/events to promote her new book, MONKEY FOOD: The Complete ‘I was Seven in ’75’ Collection, $12.95, ISBN 1-56097-362-5, Fantagraphics Books, September publication. Forney's appearances transcend typical book signings. In her one-woman multimedia performance, Forney combines lively narration with projected slides of her autobiographical “I Was Seven in ’75” comic strips, interspersed with related slides of her family members (e.g. a photo of her brother sporting a "winged" hairstyle), plus audio clips and props. Forney's show has already won over crowds in Seattle, where multiple performances have been hosted due to popular demand. For more information, contact Fantagraphics Books Publicist Eric Reynolds (206-524-1967 or reynolds@fantagraphics.com) or Seven Hills Book Distributors Publicist Greg Hatfield at (513-471-4300 or gregh@sevenhillsbooks.com). BETHESDA, MD Friday, September 17 - Sunday, September 19 Small Press Expo On Saturday, from 2 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Ellen will be performing her multimedia show at SPX in addition to signing throughout the weekend at the Fantagraphics Books space. BALTIMORE, MD Tuesday, September 21, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Atomic Books 1806 Maryland Avenue 410-625-7955 PHILADELPHIA, PA Saturday, September 25 New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association Regional Conference PHILADELPHIA, PA Sunday, September 26, 6:00 p.m. Tower Books 425 South Street 215-925-9909 Barb Aleo, Events Coordinator * Tuesday, September 28, 9 -10:30 ET Live Internet Interview with Minx Magazine Online www.minxmag.com NEW YORK, NY Thursday, September 30, 7 to 10 p.m. Siberia Bar (Show followed by live music from THE BOOTY OLYMPICS) 1627 Broadway (In the 1 and 9 subway, under the Kentucky Fried Chicken) 212-333-4141 NEW YORK, NY Friday, October 1, 7:00 p.m. Tower Books 383 Lafayette Street 212-228-5100 Tiffany Eager, Events Coordinator SEATTLE, WA Thursday, October 21, 7:00 p.m. Bailey/Coy Books 414 Broadway East 206-323-8842 PORTLAND, OR Monday, October 25, 7:30 p.m. Powell's Books on Hawthorne 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 503-228-4651 Steffan Silvas, Events Coordinator BERKELEY, CA Wednesday, October 27, 7:30 p.m. Barnes & Noble Booksellers 2352 Shattuck Avenue 510-644-0861 LOS ANGELES, CA Saturday, November 6, 7:00 p.m. Soap Plant/Wacko/La Luz de Jesus Gallery 4633 Hollywood Blvd. 323-663-0122 SAN DIEGO, CA Tuesday, November 9, 7:00 p.m. Borders Books, Music & Cafe 1072 Camino Del Rio North 619-295-2201 Shelley Porter, Events Coordinator Signings in LOS ANGELES, CA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA to be announced... “I Was Seven in ‘75 is a photo album of the ’70s come to life in all its shag-rug glory. Forney's witty documentation of the Me Decade... and charmed nostalgia stands in relief to typical Gen-X angst-drenched memoirs.” — Elle "The comic is hilarious week to week, but this collection reveals the remarkable and subtle changes in Ellen, Matt, Mom and Dad over time that give this comic strip more grace, power, and narrative scope than most contemporary novels.” —The Stranger (Seattle) "Sweet, funny, and refreshing.” — Trina Robbins, author, A Century of Women Cartoonists Breathing some life into the current trend of seventies nostalgia, Monkey Food is sweet, charming, and very funny, free from the mocking irony that mars most "retro" stories in the 1990s. Readers will recognize their own childhood selves in these coming-of-age stories, whether they were ’70s babies or not. Based on semi-autobiographical material of growing up in a liberal, suburban hipster Free to Be...You and Me family in the ’70s, this is a collection of hilarious, light-hearted, and fondly-remembered stories. Storylines include getting caught reading Judy Blume's Forever, family camping trips to a nudist camp, arm-wrestling the second-grade class bully, trying to avoid getting stuck with a regrettable nickname (like "Horny Forney"), how to fake blowing one's nose into one's hands, and the author's perfect moment: when Lindsay Wagner sang "Feelings" on The Bionic Woman. Ellen Forney is a Seattle cartoonist/illustrator whose comic strip "I Was Seven in '75" has run in Seattle's popular alternative papers The Stranger and the Rocket, as well as Minneapolis' City Pages, The Austin Chronicle, and Tower Records' Pulse! magazine. Forney illustrated The Field Guide to North American Males by Marjorie Ingall (Henry Holt, 1997), and her work has been published in New York Press, Out, Ms., Slate, Nickelodeon Magazine, and other print and online media. Her comics have been published in many books and anthologies, including Dyke Strippers and The Best Contemporary Women's Humor. Her first solo comic book, Tomato, received much critical acclaim. MONKEY FOOD: The COMPLETE ‘I WAS SEVEN IN ’75’ COLLECTION By Ellen Forney 7 1/2” x 7 1/2”, 144 pages • b&w illustrations • Trade Paperback, $12.95 ISBN: 1-56097-362-5 Press photos available upon request. +++++ BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH's OPUS NORTHEAST BOOK TOUR Legendary painter and comics creator Barry Windsor-Smith will be embarking on a Northeast tour this October to support the publication of his new deluxe hardcover art book and autobiography, BWS:OPUS Volume 1 ($39.95, ISBN 1-56097-367-6, Fantagraphics Books). Windsor-Smith gave BWS: OPUS a sneak-preview this past August 12-15 at the San Diego ComicCon, where he was a sponsored guest of the convention and signed advance copies for the hundreds of fans that turned out for his appearances. Interest in BWS: OPUS exceeded even Fantagraphics' lofty expectations and sold out of its advance run well before the convention's end on Sunday afternoon. This September, Fantagraphics Books will release the first volume of BWS: OPUS to the rest of the world, and Windsor-Smith will appear at the following locations in support: LONG ISLAND, NY Thursday, October 14, 7:30 p.m. BARNES & NOBLE 380 Walt Whitman Road Huntington Station 516-421-9886 KANSAS CITY, KS October 23 & 24 KANSAS CITY COMIC BOOK CONVENTION Jack Reardon Civic Center 7th St. & Minnesota Ave. BOSTON, MA Wednesday, October 27, 7:00 p.m. BARNES & NOBLE Boston University 660 Beacon St. 617-267-8484 POUGHKEEPSIE, NY Friday, October 29, 7:00 p.m. BARNES & NOBLE 495 South Rd. (Route 9) 914-485-2224 RED HOOK, NY Saturday, November 6, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. MERRITT BOOKSTORE 7496 South Broadway 914-677-5857 PHILADELPHIA, PA Saturday, November 13, 7:00 p.m. TOWER BOOKS 425 South Street 215-925-9909 NEW YORK, NY Friday, November 19, 7:00 p.m. TOWER BOOKS 383 Lafayette Street 212-228-5100 OPUS Vol. 1 is the first in a series of five stunningly designed hardcover art books featuring hundreds of the artist's works from throughout his remarkable 30-year career. These FULL-COLOR editions — chronicling the life and works of one of the most acclaimed artists from the worlds of comics and Romantic Art — will present SCORES OF NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED PAINTINGS and DRAWINGS from the artist's personal collection, while also re-presenting many of his classic works from the ’70s and ’80s. The extensive texts in the series of books are sure to create excitement and controversy among his legion of fans, while at the same time attracting new audiences through Windsor-Smith's involvement in, and observations regarding, the paranormal. Paranormal? Yes. In BWS:OPUS , the author recounts his life's adventures not so much as a painter, storyteller and comics artist, but in the mysterious realms of cosmic experience. BWS:OPUS is the most mature work of Windsor-Smith's career, and is a document of wit, grace and style, exhibiting the same integrity and ambition that has kept BWS at the forefront of the storytelling arts for three decades. In each volume the artist explores the new meanings of objective reality in this modern world of quantum physics and its attendant theories of time travel, multi-dimensional life-forms and even extraterrestrial visitors, and shares for the first time ever his personal encounters with Extraordinary Experience. Every BWS aficionado will find BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH: OPUS a must have. When Barry Windsor-Smith began his career as a comics artist in the late-60s, working on Marvel's new Conan the Barbarian series, the young artist immediately made a name for himself as one of the most exciting stylists ever to arrive upon the scene. Infusing a Pre-Raphaelite influence into comics had never been done before, and Windsor-Smith created many of the most elegant and beloved comics of the 1970s with stints on Conan the Barbarian, The Uncanny X-Men, The Avengers and more. Then, after he had taken the comics form to new heights in his momentous two-year run on Conan, Windsor-Smith left comics to pursue creation of single-picture, "easel" works, deciding that mainstream superhero comics were not the best medium to foster his widening artistic ambitions. He founded The Gorblimey Press, which released many fine art prints of his own works that reflected a more refined pursuit of his Pre-Raphaelite, Romantic and Symbolist interests (if you can find any of these works of art you'll likely have to pay `art'-with-a-capital-'A'-prices — they're more collectible than ever). Now, in 1999, BWS has come full circle. After several years of re-exploring and honing his grasp of the comics medium (Weapon X, Machine Man, X-Men: Lifedeath I & II, Solar: Man of the Atom, Rune, Archer & Armstrong, etc.,) Windsor-Smith reinvented comics in a major way in 1995 with his groundbreaking BWS:Storyteller series. The funny, charming, ribald, naturalistically scripted and beautifully drawn series earned critical applause from those in the know. Although the ongoing Storyteller series went on hiatus in 1997, this past April saw the release of Adastra in Africa — a graphic novel focusing on one of Storyteller's "Young GODS,” The Lady Adastra. Originally intended as the third and final installment of the seminal "Lifedeath" stories for The Uncanny X-Men, this engaging graphic tale sat unpublished for more than a decade until BWS refashioned it as a "Young GODS" graphic novella. Published by Fantagraphics in a deluxe hardcover format, Adastra in Africa only hints at the pleasures in store for Barry Windsor-Smith fans in 1999. For print information on OPUS, visit the Windsor-Smith website at www.barrywindsor-smith.com, the Seven Hills Books website at www.sevenhillsbooks.com or www.fantagraphics.com For more info, or to set up an interview with Windsor-Smith, contact Fantagraphics Books Publicist Eric Reynolds (206-524-1967 or reynolds@fantagraphics.com) or Seven Hills Book Distributors Publicist Greg Hatfield (513-471-4300 or gregh@sevenhillsbooks.com). +++++ Artist Mike Hoffman discovers Utopia! In a major coup, Black Daze Publishing reveals that renowned fantasy artist Mike Hoffman will take over the art on their current series 'THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA" starting with a re-release of issue #2, volume two. Mike's work has appeared on numerous magazine covers, and he's well-known for his astonishing fantasy paintings and numerous comic titles, such as last year's highly-acclaimed "Tigress" mini-series, published by Basement Comics. Creator, writer and original artist for "THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA", Barry Buchanan is ecstatic over this new addition to "THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA" team. "Over the course of producing the art for the first four and half issues, I realized that my drawing wasn't progressing as fast as I'd like" explains Buchanan. "I also was discovering that on top of my other roles on this comic, I was too slow art-wise for a bi-monthly title. So, while I went ahead with my artwork in the first three finished books, I was on the lookout for a new person to help out." Barry continues "I'd seen a "Tigress" back issue, and was immediately struck by the classic quality of the book's artwork. Later, I had a table in artist's alley at one of the big cons, and Mike was a few rows over--so, I dropped by to talk with him. After showing him the first three issue of "THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA", Mike remarked that he was contemplating making his next project a different take on Westerns!" After reading "TIGRESS", I emailed him my thoughts on the book and his art, and he replied that he loved "THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA", as it wasn't an "ordinary" Western at all. As we talked further, he showed interest in drawing the book, and naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to let him." Barry finishes with, "Since then, Mike has redrawn the entire issue that will be the "new" #2, and I've got to tell you, they challenge the writer in me to meet the higher standard he has set for the series. I couldn't be more pleased!" "THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA" is the tale of two men's search for the person(s) responsible for murdering the local stage keep, Charlie Burnette. Due to their quest the secrets of the small, southwestern town of Utopia are slowly brought to light, much to the chargrin of the townsfolk and the other forces at work in Utopia. "I've always thought that the old American West had a very macabre feeling to it," states Buchanan. " And with this series I hope to touch upon that impression. Now, with Mike's atmospheric drawing style and his momentous ability to bring out the personality and spirit of my characters, I think this book is going to do just that!" "THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA" is a Western Gothic Drawn Dime Novel, 24 pages, b/w interiors, 4-color color cover , standard format comic. Cover price is $2.95 . For more information contact Barry Buchanan at Black Daze Publishing, P.O. Box Golconda, IL 62938 email: tralride@shawneelink.com For a sneak peak go to www.blackdaze.com. +++++ The writer, teacher, and former executive editor of THORBY COMICS stated... 1999. Everyone has to have a web page. Or a bunch of web pages. So now I do. http://mortwrites.fresservers.com. e-mail: mortwrites@aol.com What makes my website different: 1) I have discovered that I cannot write about myself in the third person. You know, say there's a picture of me taking the car in for an oil change at Carl Hilchen And Rob Forstall's Crete Service Center, with a caption along the lines of... The author is shown as he records local color and customs for his next short story, "Dead Dennis, the Phantom Menace,” set in a suburb of Chicago. 2) There is nothing high tech at the site. Pictures and text. No 3-D vision with surround sound and subliminal nerve ending reduction equipment. I had enough trouble with low-mid tech. Despite the light-hearted tone of the announcement, Castle is serious about his desire to work with aspiring comics scripters. With more than 2,000 students who've seen their work published, Castle enjoys a reputation as an outstanding writing teacher. His comics work most recently earned him the 1998 International Horror Guild award nomination for "Best Comic Story" for NIGHT CITY; Castle says, "You bet I wanted to win, but I can live with losing to TRANSMETROPOLITAN." Mort Castle has been working with writers of all ages since 1970. He has taught for Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development, is presently a part time faculty member in the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College, and has been working as an Instructor/Editorial Associate through Writer's Digest School's correspondence program since 1983. "If you want to learn comics scripting, if you are willing to work and then work and then, for a little variety, work some more, you will succeed. The industry needs people who are willing to do the labor necessary to become REAL WRITERS. The days of a script commanding the artist, 'Give us a 14 page fight scene and I'll think of motivation for it later' are--thankfully--long past. "It's not about 'seize the day,' for the comics writer," Castle says. "Our business needs people who can 'seize and dream and shape tomorrow--right now." For more information mortwriters@aol.com +++++ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 23, 1999 Contact: Matt Hawkins mjhawkins@earthlink.net RISING STARS #1 GOES TO 2ND PRINTING SECOND PRINTING BEING OFFERED THROUGH QUICK SOLICIT PROCESS With Diamond Comic Distributors reporting an instant sell-out and an overwhelming quantity of unfillable reorders for Top Cow's newest title, Rising Stars, the Image studio has opted to produce a second printing of the first issue to help satiate demand. "Rising Stars has exceeded all our expectations from both a creative and business stand point," says Top Cow Editor-In-Chief David Wohl. "Readers have enthusiastically responded to J. Michael Straczynski's incredible storyline and the top notch artwork in the book." "When Image's sales director Bob Matson called and said we need another 20,000+ copies of Rising Stars #1, I was a little stunned," says Top Cow's VP of Publishing Matt Hawkins. "The book ranked at #3 in the industry sales charts with initial orders alone. To have this much demand above and beyond the original orders is a testament to the quality of the book and the longevity of the project." Retailers will also have the opportunity to increase their orders on Rising Stars #2 through Diamond Dateline's order adjustment program to give retailers the ability to more accurately meet first week demand. Top Cow will also be releasing a collected edition of the first issue and the exclusive Preview edition story in one prestige format book in January. Originally printed in black and white, the preview edition will be fully colored in the special Rising Stars Collected Edition. +++++ UGO Networks Selected to Co-Sponsor Online `X-Men' Sweepstakes NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 24, 1999-- Fox and Marvel Choose Key Partner Based Upon its Position as THE Online Entertainment Destination for Guys UGO Networks announced today that it has been selected by Fox and Marvel to co-sponsor an online sweepstakes for the soon-to-be-made movie, X-Men, based on the best-selling Marvel Comics characters, reaffirming its position as the leading online entertainment destination for guys. Comprised of a network of more than 200 Web sites and wholly-owned properties in the Gaming, Music, and Film/TV categories, UGO is the most visited Web site by guys between the ages of 18-34. Last month, UGO reported that it attracted 3.35 million unique visitors and 70 million impressions. The network has experienced a 375% growth over the past six months and continues to grow at a rate of 62% per month. "Co-hosting a sweepstakes with Marvel and Fox is a tremendous validation of the UGO brand and our strengths as the leading irreverent and revolutionary entertainment site for guys," said J. Moses, President and CEO of UGO. "We're honored to be sharing the space with such respected names in the industry, and to be playing a integral role in the promotion of X-Men." "UGO communicates directly to our most sought after demographic," said Patrick Cuneo, CEO and President of Marvel Enterprises. "It was critical that the partner Marvel and Fox selected to co-sponsor the X-Men promotion was an established leader among the online audience, and that clearly is UGO." The sweepstakes, running until September 17th, will be hosted on all three of the sponsors Web sites: ugo.com, marvel.com and foxmovies.com. UGO's users are uniquely suited to this kind of promotion. In research conducted by NPD Research this past June, it was confirmed that UGO's users are avid comic and adventure film enthusiasts, and it was found that more than half of UGO's users see movies the first weekend they are released. UGO's users are also very committed to online entertainment, accessing the Web an average of 47 times a month. +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ NEW REGIME AT IMAGE! VALENTINO TAKES HELM OF 'IMAGE EXPERIMENT'! August 26: Jim Valentino, one of the original Image partners, has taken over day-to-day operations of the third largest comic book publisher in the Direct Sales Market. As reported last weekend on the SPLASH, he replaces outgoing Image Executive Director, Larry Marder, who will move to an unnamed position with Todd McFarlane Productions. In a Wednesday press release, Image announced, "Image Co-founder and Vice-President, Jim Valentino has been named Publisher of Image Comics, Inc. replacing the departing Executive Director, Larry Marder as head of daily operations. "Larry has done an exemplary job managing Image Central and leaves some pretty big shoes to fill.” said Valentino. "Day-to-day business operations will not change under my stewardship, but my tenure will tend to be more pro-active than Larry's due primarily to the fact that I am an Image partner. "My goal is to refine the Image Central brand as one fans can trust for excellence and retailers can trust for dependability as we move Image into the twenty-first century. We intend to expand our presence in the Direct Sales Market while also aggressively seeking new venues for our art form.” "Image will remain the best place for self-motivated creators to bring their intellectual properties. We have an exciting year ahead of us as the comics market renews itself from the slump of the last few years and Image intends to be at the forefront of creativity and diversity.” In the same press release, Larry Marder explained his leaving the company: "Six years ago I was brought onboard to help coordinate the interaction between the six Image partners and their six separate agendas. For the past year, because there has been nothing but peace at Image, it no longer seemed the best place for me to utilize my particular talents and skills. With that in mind, I've decided to take a job with Todd McFarlane Productions. It has been a great pleasure to be an active participant in the Image Revolution. I look forward to reading the comics that Jim Valentino will publish.” Valentino told the SPLASH that as Publisher, he'll be responsible for managing Image's exclusive brokerage agreement with Diamond Distribution. "I'll be the person they and Image basically turns to when there is a question about the contract, problems with shipping, things like that." In explaining the difference between Marder's role as Executive Director and his own title as Publisher, Valentino said, "As Larry said in the press release, when he came to Image there were six partners with six different agendas. So, his job, at that time was to, essentially, direct the executives of the company. The early Image needed a point man, we needed someone to keep the peace. Those days are now behind us as an entity now that there are only four partners, all of whom get along with one another. A publisher is the guy who interfaces with creators, distributors, printers, the Image Central office staff, brings in new books, carries out the day-to-day stuff and interfaces with the Board of Directors. So, they really are two different jobs." When asked for more details on how he plans to "expand our presence in the Direct Sales Market while also aggressively seeking new venues for our art form," Valentino said he was purposefully trying to be unspecific, but that he is " open to any and all suggestions of format and venue to increase visibility for Image titles specifically and the comics artform in general. What that means in practical terms exactly I can't say at this time. I intend to look at everything--all markets, including the direct sales market, the web, bookstores, libraries, whatever is out there." Valentino said the switch in leadership will not affect any current Image titles, with Image Central free to pursue its own publishing agenda, as it has been for some time now. "The Board of Directors will have to vote on any policy or change of policy that affects operational procedures, just as any corporation would." When asked if we can we expect to see the continued participation of the remaining Image partners in Image, Valentino said, "As far as I know, yes. I haven't heard that anyone is either unhappy or wants to leave. That said, Image remains an ever-evolving experiment in publishing as a unique cooperative of autonomous publishers. I expect the experiment to continue to change and evolve over the course of time. Exactly how it does, is anyone's guess." +++++ From the Comics Continuum of the Detroit News at http://www.detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/ UNIVERSE X A GO Writer Jim Krueger told The Continuum that a sequel to Earth X has been approved by Marvel Comics. The sequel, again created by Krueger and Alex Ross, will be called Universe X. "It's a go," Krueger said. "It'll come out 3-4 months after Earth X #X comes out. It's on the schedule. "Marvel's excited about it. They don't want fans to wait too long." Universe X will likely be in a similar format to Earth X. "This'll be a pretty big story. Actually, maybe even bigger than Earth X," Krueger said. "It'll be another 14-issue saga. There may be some related specials, though." Krueger said Universe X will spin out of Earth X, but that the first maxi-series will complete a definitive story. "It's not a cliffhanger," Krueger said of the end of Earth X. "It's an ending. The way it ends has ramifications. Universe X will take those ramifications to the nth degree." Krueger said he expects there will be a collection of Earth X. "I don't know when, but I'm sure Marvel will want to take advantage of (the release of) Universe X." +++++ From COMICS 2 FILM http://www.comics2film.com Shadowman, Damage Control and More! ----------------------------------- Comics 2 Film spoke with Dave Elliot, VP of Development at Takoma Entertainment Group about the variety of comic related projects in the works at that company. Elliot's name may be familiar to comics fans. He's worn many hats in the comic industry including his role as the founder and publisher of Blackball Comics. More recently he wrote Sharky, a boy-turned-comic-book-hero mini-series which was illustrated by Alex Horley and published by Image. Elliot told us that Takoma's next big project is Shadowman based on the Acclaim Comics character. Rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube (The Players Club, Anaconda) is set to start in the title role and co- produce as well. Michael Henry Brown (Dead Presidents) and Paul Aaron (In Too Deep) have developed as script which is close to the most recent incarnation of the character but is different from any of the comic versions. The movie is now set to go into pre-production this October or November, with filming set for January 2000. Elliot also clued us in about the filmed adaptation of Marvel's Damage Control. We were intrigued by the decision to go develop a movie about one of Marvel's lesser known concepts. The humorous Damage Control comics featured a team of civil engineers charged with the task of rebuilding cities and restoring order in the wake of devastating super-hero battles. We asked Elliot if any big-name Marvel heroes would appear in the movie. Much to our surprise Elliot told us the movie would feature none-other than Marvel's team of Justice League Wannabes: The Squadron Supreme. Elliot told us that while the focus of the film will be on the Damage Control team, the Squadron would be prominently features. Fans can expect some good riffs on the thinly-disguised JLA characters. Elliot also verified that Turok is in the works. KISS demon Gene Simmons is working on the project and is in talks with New Line Pictures. No script treatment has been turned in at this point. Elliot also hopes to bring his own Sharky to the big screen. He's written a screenplay for it which is currently being shopped around to such studios as Dreamworks and Dimension. Stan Winston Prods. has also taken an interest for it. A search for a suitable director is underway. Elliot and his Sharky cohort Alex Horley also promise a new graphic novel for the character next year. The comic will likely be published by Heavy Metal. The comic will be called Alien Arena and will feature the Sharky character along with an extensive cast of alien creatures. Elliot and fellow comic/animation creator Keith Giffen are hoping to develop the Alien Arena concept into an animated show with Mainframe the animators that created the hit show Reboot. Giffen is developing a script for the potential show. Finally, Elliot informed us that Takoma head Barry Levine is being courted heavily by the comics companies and has many Marvel concepts waiting in the wings in addition to the ones mentioned here. Torso ----- Dimension Films has acquired the rights to Torso, the comic series chronicling the true story of Elliot Ness and his pursuit of America's first known serial killer, from Todd McFarlane Entertainment. Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko, creators of Torso, will adapt a screenplay based on the comic book series. The film will be produced by Todd McFarlane and Terry Fitzgerald, president of Todd McFarlane Entertainment. Lady Death ---------- A recent Chaos! Comics news e-mailer reveals new details about the animated Lady Death feature. Fans can rest assured that the character is in good hands. Her creator and Chaos! publisher Brian Pulido will be handling the screen writing chores for the movie. "While I never really mentioned it before in public, it's always been my strong desire to see Lady Death star in an anime-style film of her own," Pulido said. "AD Vision, Phoenix and Chaos! make the perfect team to bring Lady Death to life in all her epic glory. Both AD Vision and Phoenix are experts at adding a grand, almost myth-like quality to their animation, which, as everyone knows, is perfect for Lady Death." Pulido also assures readers that this movie is "Just the first." Production on Lady Death: The Movie is slated to begin early next year, with a projected release, appropriately enough, tentatively scheduled for Halloween 2001. The movie will carry a PG-13 or R rating. Acclaim Movies -------------- FROM CORONA COMING ATTRACTIONS: Corona Coming Attractions recently caught up with Walter Black, Acclaim Entertainment's Director of Publishing and Operations. Black scooped CCA on a number of forthcoming movie projects based on Acclaim comic book characters. Black confirmed that Ninjak is in development. Paul Anderson (Soldier, Mortal Kombat) is attached to direct. Actor Robin Shou (Mortal Kombat) is attached to star and actually made the deal happen. Black told CCA, "I got a phone call from a producer named Jeremy Bolt, who works with Paul Anderson. And Robin Shou had read Ninjak and thought the series to their attention. They happened to be in New York about two months ago, so I brought them out to Glen Cove and I showed them the whole place. We sat down and we spoke, and Robin obviously wants to star in it. That's going along real well. We made a pretty decent arrangement and the attorneys are just working that one out." Black also talked about everyone's favorite dinosaur hunter, Turok. This project has garnered interest as live-action film, CGI-animated film and TV series in both formats. Black reports that Barry Levine of Takoma Entertainment has been working with the property. Rock star turned producer Gene Simmons is also interested. Black reports that he and Levine are working on Turok as well as Quantum & Woody. http://www.corona.bc.ca Batman Beyond Feature --------------------- FROM MANIA: According to the Daily Buzz column on Mania, Paul Dini told fans in San Diego that the Batman Beyond direct-to-video feature has a release date of November 7, 2000. This is unusual because the production has not yet been greenlit. Collaborator Bruce Timm said it may possibly end up a theatrical release. Gen 13 ------ FROM THE DETROIT NEWS COMIC BOOK CONTINUUM: Rob Allstetter of Detroit News Comic Book Continuum reports that the Gen13 animated movie has been sold to Paramount for international distribution. Jim Lee of WildStorm Productions also told Allstetter that the third draft for a live-action Gen13 movie is in the works. http://detnews.com/comicbooks/ Hot Stuff, Bunny, Wendy and Huey -------------------------------- FROM MARK ARNOLD'S HARVEYVILLE FUN TIMES: The latest e-mailer from Mark Arnold's Harveyville Fun Times reports on the Harvey Entertainment Annual Report. Apparently the report indicates that a Hot Stuff movie is in the works. Good news to us fans who want to see more of the original Hellboy. The report also talks about a Bunny movie and TV shows based on Wendy and Baby Huey. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/3550 X-Men ----- FROM DAILY VARIETY: Daily Variety reports that the announced release date for the X-Men movie is now July 2000. The mutant-fest is being moved up to fill a gap left by the Steven Spielberg-Tom Cruise project Minority Report. However, the article also mentions that the filming start has been moved from September to October. Thanks to Phil Clark for the tip! http://www.variety.com +++++ From The Daily Buzz at http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html Marvel announces that X-Men: Hellfire Club, a four-issue limited series, will debut in November. Drawn by Charles Adlard and written by Ben Raab, it exposes the origins of the centuries-old Hellfire Club, which first crossed swords with the X-Men in the adventure that created Dark Phoenix! Guest stars include the 17th-century Sorcerer Supreme, the Captain America of 1776, and Union Jack, the hero of World War One! +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE Valentino Takes Over At Image by Michael Doran, Contributing Editor Original Image Comics co-founder Jim Valentino has confirmed a Comicon.com (www.comicon.com) Splash Page News report suggesting that the publisher's Executive Director Larry Marder is stepping down from his position as early as yesterday, to be replaced by Valentino. "As of yesterday I am officially the Publisher of Image Comics," Valentino told Newsarama Tuesday morning. According to the Comicon.com report, the departing Marder is expected to take a new position at the Image sub-studio/imprint Todd McFarlane Productions. DC Unearths Some Lost Gaiman DC Comics has confirmed that it is preparing a pair of projects that will serve as part of their upcoming celebration of the 10th anniversary of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. First up this winter from Vertigo and Executive Editor Karen Berger is a retrospective of Gaiman's varied Vertigo work. According to Gaiman, the one-shot special, tentatively titled Midnight Days will feature previously uncollected stories, like the Hellblazer story "Hold Me" illustrated by Dave McKean, a Sandman Midnight Theatre story, along with several others. Also included will be a never before illustrated or published 10-page Swamp Thing story based on a "trial" script Gaiman submitted to Berger in 1986. The story will finally be illustrated for the special, by that art team of Steve Bissette and John Tolteben...familiar names to fans of the Alan Moore Swamp Thing run. Next up in the spring of 2000 is another similar special, this time from the DCU files. Edited by Bob Schreck, it's a 38-page one-shot that according to Gaiman was meant to have been the "last episode" of DC's former Action Comics Weekly series. "But is was scrapped for continuity reasons which were at the time incredibly important but which are pretty much forgotten today," explained Gaiman. "In brief, I'd written a story about Superman and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern as old friends, one of whom has problems, the other doesn't. It was decided the week after I'd written it that too many people knew Superman's secret identity and henceforth no-one would know it. The story didn't really work if they weren't old friends in their secret identities, so it was scrapped. In it, Superman and Green Lantern go to Hell." Also featuring cameos by all the characters featured in ACW at the time - including, amongst others, Deadman, the BBlackhawks and the Phantom Stranger (drawn by Jim Aparo) - the special story will be illustrated by a host of high-profile artists on pencils and inks each doing a chapter, including, according to Gaiman - Eddie Campbell, Matt Wagner, Mike Allred, Art Adams, Gil Kane, Eric Shanower, Kevin Nowlan, and others. Frank Miller will provide the cover. ----------------------------------------------- Bob Gale's Big Little Marvel Knights Plans After several very well received Batman story arcs for the current "No Man's Land" event, writer Bob Gale is readying to bring his talents over to DC's cross-town rival, Marvel Comics - or more specifically, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti's Marvel Knights imprint. Gale's first project for MK will be the December one-shot special, Ant-Man's Big Christmas, with pencils by Phil Winslade (who did NML's "Shades of Grey" with Gale). As to Gale's other upcoming Marvel Knights project, a Daredevil story arc following David Mack's upcoming run, the writer couldn't reveal too much of his plans, he did say he'll be expanding the cast of characters around Matt and Foggy, and also said his approach would be lighter in tone than Kevin Smith's work..." I still love the Stan Lee/Gene Colan stuff," the writer said. "But DD won't be wisecracking while he beats up crooks. Well...maybe a little...!" Word On the Street - That special project "super"-creator Stuaart Immonen is taking a short penciling sabbatical from the monthly Superman titles for is nearing completion and set to ship to stores this December. Entitled, appropriately enough, Superman: End Of The Century, this hardcover graphic novel is written, penciled, and painted by Immonen, who will also incorporate computer-generated collages. Starring Superman and Lois Lane, End of the Century reveals the mysterious past of Lex Luthor's ex-wife - the seemingly immortal Contessa. Immonen will return to regular penciling duties in January as artist and co-writer for The Adventures of Superman, scripted by Mark Millar. Immonen's return is just in time, as January's Super-titles will also debut the new-look, futuristic Metropolis, the designs of which Immonen is chiefly responsible for. +++++ From Zentertainment; HTTP://WWW.ZENTERTAINMENT.COM To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN yourself, e-mail: subscribe@ZENtertainment.com KIDS WB! will begin airing new episodes of POKEMON and BATMAN BEYOND on Saturday, September 4th, before officially premiering its fall line-up on September 18th. Listen for guest voices on BEYOND this fall by Tim Curry, John Ritter, Andy Dick, Henry Rollins, Ice T, Wendy Malick, and Kate Jackson. http://www.kidswb.com SPAWN 3: THE ULTIMATE BATTLE, the third collection of HBO's SPAWN animated series, is released on VHS this Tuesday. The combined 150-minutes have our anti-hero torn between the forces of Heaven and Hell, while rival forces battle for the power found in the War Mask of Ghengis Khan. Season 3 features guest voices by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eric Roberts, and Robert Forster. HBO Home Video will release SPAWN 3 as a special DVD on October 5th, but this VHS version has a few bonuses as well, like mail-in offers for a McFARLANE Toys action figure and a 1/2 comic from WIZARD. http://www.hbohomevideo.com DIMENSION Films has acquired the rights to the TODD McFARLANE Entertainment series TORSO. Creators Brian Bendis (Jinx) and Marc Andreyko (The Lost) will adapt a screenplay from the comic, based on the true story of a post-UNTOUCHABLES Elliott Ness' pursuit of America's first known serial killer. Todd McFarlane and Terry Fitzgerald will produce. http://www.dimensionfilms.com http://www.mcfarlane.com Joel Schumacher (Batman & Robin) has exited directing a remake of the French thriller THE APARTMENT, citing creative differences. Freddie Prinze Jr., and Kate Winslet are in negotiations to star in the film. It is unknown what Schumacher will move on to, but he has been very vocal on wanting to give the fans one more BATMAN film to make up for the last one... +++++ 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. THE LEGACY OF KRYPTON LIVES ON IN THE SON OF SUPERMAN HARDCOVER It's been 17 years since Superman disappeared, but Jon Kent has never really missed him. After all, the teenager never knew the Man of Steel. He also never knew his father, Clark Kent, who -- according to Jon's mom, Lois Lane -- died before Jon was even born. One thing does bother Jon, though: the weird sunspot activity that's made his body go through some awfully strange changes... changes that have given Jon Kent powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. The first original Superman hardcover ever published, a gripping, generational Elseworlds tale of super-power and responsibility unfolds in SON OF SUPERMAN. Jon Kent's discovery of a heritage he never imagined is the heart of the unforgettable hardcover graphic novel written by Howard Chaykin (American Flagg!, BLACKHAWK) and David Tischman with beautiful art by the PROMETHEA team of J.H. Williams and Mick Gray. By the year 2017, life without the Man of Steel has had some surprising consequences. A bright, seemingly happy world brimming with optimism has bred an unexpected, new kind of "hero:" a terrorist group called the Supermen. Armed with high-tech battlesuits, they have committed themselves to overthrowing the all-pervasive government influences that direct everything from public schools to the JLA. The emergence of Jon's inexplicable powers calls the Supermen's attention to the befuddled teenager, and leads them to recruit him -- by force if necessary -- for their ultimate mission: finding the whereabouts of the original Superman. The Supermen are not the true inheritors of the Last Son of Krypton, but will the rightful heir to that destiny -- Jon Kent -- come to terms with a legacy he never believed possible? SON OF SUPERMAN is a 96-page hardcover book edited by Andrew Helfer. It arrives in comic- book shops October 20 with a cover price of $24.95 U.S. Check your orders before September 8 to make sure your store will have enough! KIDS' WB! FALL SCHEDULE INCLUDES ALL-NEW EPISODES OF BATMAN BEYOND On September 4, the new fall season begins on the Kids' WB!, and included in it will be all-new episodes of the highly-rated Batman Beyond on Saturday mornings, as well as bonus episodes twice a week during the weekday cartoon line-up. 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. 8/30/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Double Talk" (Batman) 8/30/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Monkey Fun" (Superman) 8/31/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Double Dose" (Superman) 8/31/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Bane" (Batman) 9/1/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Little Girl Lost Part 1" (Superman) 9/1/99 (4:30 pm) -- "Little Girl Lost Part 2" (Superman) 9/2/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Growing Pains" (Batman) 9/2/99 (4:30 pm) -- "The Hand of Fate" (Superman) 9/3/99 (4:00 pm) -- "Old Wounds" (Batman) 9/3/99 (4:30 pm) -- "In Brightest Day" (Superman) 9/4/99 (8:00 am) -- "Absolute Power" (Superman) 9/4/99 (9:00 am) -- "Meltdown" (Batman Beyond) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Ramblings 99 Rich Johnston twisting@hotmail.com [Renamed for the new year, Ramblings 99 continues to spread confirmed and unconfirmed news and rumours. It welcomes comment, especially comment that clarifies, refutes and corrects information already disseminated. Rich Johnston is an advertising copywriter, co-self publisher of Twist And Shout Comics, BBC comedy writer and comics columnist. He currently lives in South London, England. His column can be found online at: http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com All Ramblings e-mail received will be considered public domain and may be quoted.] This column is RUMOUR. Do not take anything here seriously. These RUMOURS are presented here as GOSSIP for their ENTERTAINMENT value. Dateline: 20 August 1999 Not Robbed A Ramblings reader writes "As to the Awesome Art sales of Ian Churchill, I was at the Awesome Art table looking through the portfolio's of art when Churchill came to ask the booth attendant how the pages were selling. He seemed to be in good spirits with no visible anger at the fact that his work was up-for-sale. Also, great follow ups on the Liefeld-Silvestri and Top Cow-Eidos stories." Another reader posts to say that Ian was sending people to Awesome to buy his artwork... good to hear. Although not so good to hear is an e-mail saying that I can add Matt Smith as far as the threats of physical violence to us go. Well, we've never heard him say anything like that to us... hmmmm. By the way, check out rec.arts.comics.dc.universe for a truly hilarious parody of this column. I'll reprint it here, soon! And another, what seems to be unequivocal denial of our early rumour from a regular Ramblings reader, "Ian Churchill was well aware that his artwork was being sold by Rob. Afterall, Ian was a house guest of Mr. Liefeld for the several weeks between the WizWorld show and the SD show. Ian set the prices and commissioned Awesome Fine Arts to represent his work at the con. Ian did quite nicely by the way too..." Case settled, it seems. By the way, check out rec.arts.comics.dc.universe for a truly hilarious parody of this column. I'll reprint it here, soon! Dateline: 27 August 1999 Rich is honeymooning in Scandinavia right now, but the e-mail keeps humming, and rather than wait for him to return, thought I'd share a couple of the things I've gotten. Now, you know the drill, this stuff is rumour, we're reporting the stuff people are talking about, not necessarily the news. However, Richard actually does check secondary sources and tries to get confirmation from people before he shoots off his mouth. Not me, I'm just filling in, so you'll have to take this stuff with an extra large grain of salt. House of Ideas Catches the Millennium Bug Word from a spy over at Marvel is that Marvel is preparing to ring in the New Year by collecting a primo set of DC's best talent. New names being kicked around include Garth Ennis and Mark Millar. Marvel bosses have apparently been courting Millar actively for a major assignment, with one potential project a big all-encompassing 12-issue maxi-series, with "an A-list artist" assigned. Our mole has peeked at at least one fax between Tom Brevoort and Millar and calls this "possibly the most radical thing Marvel U has published in years." With Morrison, Ennis, Millar, Jurgens and Ordway at Marvel, by Y2K, perhaps the end is nigh? All bets are off for the new millennium... Maybe even a new Twist and Shout release. Awesome fisticuffs After years of sticking with Rob Liefeld through think and thin, apparently Dan Fraga is now persona non grata at Awesome. This sounds rather weird, but apparently the falling out between Rob and Fraga has taken on both verbal and physical(!) dimensions, with Fraga seeing the worst end of the deal. From what we've heard, this story is way more compelling and dramatic than anything Awesome has ever published, complete with accusations of pre-marital infidelity, verbal abuse, and physical intimidation from Rob and his 'posse'. Whether Fraga just got tired of being a second banana, or whether Rob's grievance was real, Fraga is apparently looking for other options to replace the doors which have slammed shut on him. If someone wants to come forward and corroborate what we've heard, or tell us the real story, how about waiting for Rich to return? This sort of muck isn't my forte... If you can't say something catty... Well, if I have to fill the space around here, I'm going to promote some of our friends. Monique MacNaughton, creator of Canadian cult favorite Arrowflight has a new site up. Arrowflight is a very original synthesis of fantasy, hardware, fur and politics, and her fans have patiently been waiting for new chapters. They often bug me at APE. You can catch some of Monique's work on our site soon; she illustrated the Aviatrix short story Baby Flight. Look for that on our main page. Elsewhere on the net is one of our sister sites, WeirdClipArt.Com. So far, it's full of dozens of disturbing or stupid images, and you can be a part of it, by either downloading your fill, or sending the Weirdmaster your favorite odd art cuts. Contributors include Twist and Shout contributor/Listening to Viagra creator Peter Penn, who has donated some completely unsalable illustrations. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Tony's Isabella's Journal Tony Isabella tonyisa@ohio.net Tony Isabella is a featured weekly columnist in the nation's largest comic book collector's publication, Comics Buyer's Guide. His satiric "Tony's Tips!" is a favorite among fans and industry professionals alike. A life long comic book fan, Tony began his career in 1972 as a comics professional as assistant to Stan Lee! He has worked in nearly every aspect of the business, from retailing, to distribution to writing. Among his credits is the creation of DC's first black super-hero, Black Lightning. Tony's latest project, the daily "Tony's Isabella's Journal" made its debut in June of 1997 on the world wide web exclusively through World Famous Comics, at http://www.wfcomics.com/tony The following is one of those daily columns . . . Tony Isabella's Journal #786 for August 24, 1999 We've got new additions to the WORLD FAMOUS COMICS message boards, so I want to take a moment to welcome BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS and the whole crew of BONEVILLE to the WFC family of fun. Bendis, another Cleveland comics guy--it must be something in the waters of Lake Erie--just won the 1999 Eisner Award for "Talent Deserving Of Wider Recognition." Bendis has a lot on his plate these days--new comics *and* a new movie deal--but he still finds the time to hang out at his message board. Why not drop by and welcome him to our online community? You'll find a link to the message boards at the end of today's column. Boneville? It's the message board for readers of Jeff Smith's BONE, one of the best comic books of the past decade. Justin, our WFC webmaster, designed Smith's new Boneville website and added a Boneville message board to this site. The website is fabulous and the message board rocks. Check them out soon. No new additions to TOT at this time, but I did post four new questions on the TONYPOLLS page. We ask which of Superman's powers you would most like to have, which is your favorite of the current X-Men titles, why you go to comics convention, and...in our usual silly question of the bunch...with which comics character you would fix up the Tipster if he were single. These questions will be up until the end of the month. (And, if you're wondering about the results of the questions posted from August 11 through 21, I will have those results for you on Saturday, August 28. I have to do a little extra math on one of the questions because--shame on them-- someone tried to stuff the ballot box for one of the choices. But I'm punching those calculator keys as fast as I can, and will have the totals for you then.) There's also lots of spiffy stuff at the WFC website, columns and comic strips and more. So, after you're done having fun with TOT, why not visit the rest of the WFC crew? There are links all over the place, so start clicking. ****** BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES It's been just under a year since I've reviewed BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES, so we're covering issues #8-17 and a "changing of the guard," as it were. Ty "the Guy" Templeton wrote #8-12 and #14, with Kelley Puckett guesting on #13, and Scott Peterson coming on as the new regular writer with #15. Art-wise, it was Rick Burchett and Terry Beatty on issues #8-13, and combinations of Beatty, Craig Rousseau, Stan Woch, Tim Levins, and Rob Leigh on the other books. That's the creative line-ups; now for the box scores. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (#8) finds Batman and Batgirl in Paris on the trail of a member of the League of Assassins. It's a solid (but not spectacular) story that introduces a new super-hero, a police scientist driven by admiration of Batman and a desperate experiment gone wrong. In "A League of His Own" (#9), Batman and Batgirl's pursuit of the Assassins takes them to Tibet for a showdown with Ra's Ah Ghul and the Sensei. What elevates this one to the spectacular is the wonderfully-crafted sub-plot concerning the heroes' divergent views on the use of firearms. Harley Quinn is back in "Mightier Than the Sword" (#11), which finds her declared sane and writing a book reported to be a "tell- all" about her life with the Joker. With Batman and Batgirl still abroad, it's Nightwing and Robin who must protect Quinn from her escaped boyfriend. It's a neat little story with a nifty surprise in its final pages. Templeton gets inside the heads of the Riddler (#11) and Two- Face (#12) in a pair of stories that pack a real emotional wallop. If I were forced to choose between the two, I'd go with the Riddler tale--"The Oldest One In the Book"--but it would be an incredibly close call. In #14's "Masks of Love," Templeton wraps up one of the best comics runs of the decade with a follow-up to Harley Quinn's career as a romance novelist. It's a fast-moving tale with a clever plot and a bittersweet ending. Rousseau and Woch are the penciler/inker team for this issue and do a creditable job filling in for Burchett and Beatty. I'm sorry to see Templeton leave, but I am very much looking forward to his work on the animated Avengers title over at Marvel. It should be an interesting change of pace. Kelley Puckett's "The End" (#13) is a moving tribute to the late Archie Goodwin, who, along with fellow DC editors Mike Carlin and Denny O'Neil, had appeared in previous animated Batman comics as "The Threatening Three." The cover is a homage to the cover of MAD #1, and there are several wonderful moments to be found in the story itself. Scott Peterson comes onto the title with issue #15's "Cash 'N the Hood," which recasts Bane as a far more clever opponent for the Batman than he's been in previous animated appearances. The slight ambiguity of the ending works well. I liked Peterson's debut, but I do have two quibbles. The first is the Levins/Leigh portrayal of Tim Drake when he's not doing the Robin-thing. The kid's eyes were so big they stopped me in mid-panel, not a good thing for story flow. The second is a cumulative complaint. All three of Peterson's issues start out with three or four pages of mostly silent action with double-page spreads in two out of three stories. I'd like to see more variety to the opening scenes. "Captive Audience" (#16) focuses on Alfred and it's good for a giggle as the butler is kidnapped and held for ransom, something which, apparently, happens with alarming regularity. I liked the story, though I think Alfred's abilities were a little overplayed. Beatty inks Rousseau and, though Woch did a good job back in issue #14, I think Beatty is better suited for this title. "Daddy Dearest" (#17) is Peterson's strongest story to date as a mob boss enlists Batman's help to reunite him with his son. It's a solid human interest story with a great ending. Yeah, I'm gonna miss Templeton here, but Peterson might just be up to following one of the toughest acts in comics. The Levins pencils are still a bit shaky, but Beatty's inking make for a noticeable improvement in the finished artwork. Overall, I think BATMAN: GOTHAM ADVENTURES has lost a step or two with the departures of Templeton and Burchett, but it remains one of the best super-hero comic books being published today and, arguably, the best of the Batman titles. TONY'S MAILBOX Let'S start with this from BRIAN CARROLL: Great to have you back! I personally don't see much wrong with you continuing to finish the columns close to your deadlines on TOT. I look at TOT as a very personal letter everyday from you to us, so if you need time off, I'd rather wait until you're ready to go. I would have felt bad about getting joy from reading your reviews while you're in the hospital in pain. As for the Brits' anti-American bias, while you may be right, I look at it as a disrespect for authority in general. It's not like they've been whitewashing their own homeland. After all, there's been many an issue of HELLBLAZER concerned with some monster among the royal family. Grant Morrison's THE INVISIBLES paints British upper classes in league with evil monsters from beyond. And of course, one of Alan Moore's masterpieces, FROM HELL, theorizes how the royals were involved in the Jack The Ripper killings. All the best with your continued recovery! Thanks, Brian. Physically and mentally, I'm in a good place right now. It's been tough finding time to exercise and following a diet, but I'm beginning to make some progress on those important fronts. It was a tremendous lift to my spirits when my lab tests and stress tests came back as good as they did. Mentally, I've had a great summer with my kids *and* I'm back writing some comics again. I've talked about the STAR TREK special that I wrote with Bob Ingersoll...and I should be able to announce a second completed script--this time a solo effort--within a week. I'm just waiting for word that the script has been approved by the good folks who own the licensed property for which it was written. I'm the cautious type, don't you know? ****** MORE MAILBOX And we have this from CHRIS DAVIES: Oh boy, is this gonna be a can of worms. Well, speaking as one who looks at American comic books from something of the same perspective that Warren Ellis must--that of an outsider--I have to say that I don't see the various evil things the U.S. government is up to in STORMWATCH as America-bashing. U.S.-government-bashing, maybe, but, if anything, that only reflects the deep distrust many people feel towards any government, even their own. (Consider Alan Moore's very unflattering portrayal of the British government in various titles.) Or really, any large organization that doesn't always seem to be responsive to the needs of the general public, such as most large corporations. I also kind of have to take issue with your statement that portraying the American government is "biting the hand that feeds you." When you criticize the civic government of your city in your columns, as a review of back issues suggests that you frequently do, are you biting the hand that feeds you? Of course not, you're engaging in criticism. The idea that someone shouldn't be free to say what they think about any government is, well, wrong. It's not a matter of gratitude, it's a matter of artistic honesty. Or so I think. What do I know, I'm just a Canuck? It seems I'm in the minority re: my views on the U.S.-bashing I perceive in current comics. Perhaps if Ellis and others based their stories on actual incidents instead of creating fantastical situations and straw men--the government protecting the murderous love child offspring of John Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe--I would be less annoyed. But, basically, the stuff strikes me as the usual vast conspiracy paranoia, albeit being written by some of the very best writers in comics. A little balance and a lot more research would do wonders for these works. Re: the biting of hands. I guess the main difference here is that I do write from the perspective of someone who lives in these United States. The portrayals of America to which I've objected strike me as only marginally more accurate than the portrayals of the Soviet Union in the Commie-bashing comic books of the 1950s and 1960s. If I criticize some aspect of American society, I'm biting my *own* hand and, on occasion, shooting myself in my *own* foot. The majority of the Brit writers don't have that personal stake in their paycheck's country of origin. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff. Tony Isabella ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] A Voice from the Doorway Christopher Myers myers@albany.net [By night Chris is a forty something part time writer, reader and comic fan. By day he is a Police Officer in upstate New York where he lives with his wife, along with two dogs and two cats.] I read comic books for the same reason I read mystery novels and listen to music. Enjoyment, pure and simple. I do not judge the story I'm reading or the song I'm listening to against everything that has come before. Is it the genre that I expected and did I enjoy it? That's my criteria. Along with established series like Batman, Soulsearchers and Company and Strangers in Paradise I like to give mini series and new titles a chance. In the past year I have read John Ostrander's The Kents, which I found to be a fascinating look at the affect of the Civil War on one family. I've also become a fan of Little White Mouse by Caliber, Rat Bastard by Crucial Comics and Pete the PO'd Postal Worker by Sharkbait Press. One of the things that I like about comics is the variety of product. If you want to read superheroes there are a lot to choose from. If slice of life is your thing, there is Box Office Poison or Stangers in Paradise. If you lean towards the anthropomorphic, there is always Cerebus, or Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows. If you lust for crime stories, how about Whiteout by Greg Rucka or Sin City by Frank Miller. You can't miss with any of these titles. When I'm reading a comic book the thing that is most important to me is that it have a well written story with art that is pleasant to look at. It does not matter to me if Batman is 25 or 35 years old or if he is ageless and immortal. As long as he stays some where within the parameters that have been established for him. Similarly whether or not Dick Grayson was nine or thirteen years old