---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 231 9/17/99 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] Independent Voices .................... Rich Henn [6] Comic Abstracts ....................... John Barker [7] A Voice from the Doorway .............. Christopher Myers [8] Venting My Spleen ..................... David Groenewegen [9] Stranger in a Strange Land ............ Jennifer M. Contino [10] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [11] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [12] HYPE! Section ......................... Various [A] Submission, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights, BBS Info ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet HTML WEB EDITION at -->> http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem featuring a week's worth of the online strip: Steve Conley's ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o \o/ _ o _| \ / |_ o_ \o/ o /|\ | /\ _\o \o | o/ O/_ /\ | /|\ / \ / \ |\ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The ComicBook Network was founded by Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ----------------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to receive each issue automatically through your Email account, please address a message to: ComicBkNet@aol.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the SUBJECT to be placed on the FREE subscription list. To drop it use UNSUBSCRIBE as a SUBJECT. See section [A] for the address to mail material to be reviewed. ______________________________________________________________________ All text contained within is copyrighted to the originating author(s). Except where elsewhere noted, The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine is Copyright 1999 by The ComicBook Network. You may freely distribute or retransmit this file intact without alteration for noncommercial purposes only. Except for personal archiving, permission must be obtained from the individual authors to reproduce, retransmit, or publish any part of this magazine. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net David LeBlanc Well, the AOL Corporate Communications office I was supposed to hear from "shortly" never contacted me. That means that my AOL subscribers will once again get the first part of the Emag on Friday night and the rest whenever the PTB at AOL decide to let it through. I assure you that when this happens each time I file a formal protest with the AOL postmaster - and you should too. They are filtering YOUR mail - not letting it get to you and that is not the way to treat paying customers. This is like shovelling it against the tide or turning around an aircraft carrier but a journey of a thousand steps . . . As I read through this week's columns it reminded me of something I should mention. Each columnist's Email address is listed at the top of their column. We urge you to send mail directly to them if you have something to say about their work. We also print letters you decide to share with the other readers of this Emag, as you can tell from reading our letter section. I do not refuse those letters, but you should maintain a modicum of decency and refrain from personal attacks. You should also Carbon Copy the columnist on any letters to the editor, as yours truly sometimes forgets to forward them. They will still see them in the Emag but it is better if they get their feedback direct. I know there has been a running commentary on one particular column and the motivations for the style used. We have heard enough on that subject and I would prefer people instead comment on the subjects of the columns and not the columnists themselves. If you think a particular review or point of view is unfair, in error, or just plain lousy than by all means offer YOUR point of view on the SUBJECT, not the person. Some people take their comics WAY too seriously. Me, I just love to read them, like these out this week . . . ACCLAIM COMICS Quantum & Woody #32, 2.50 <------Pick of the Week! COMICS CONSPIRACY Para Troop #0, 3.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Dark Horse Presents #146, (Aliens/Predator) 2.95 Sin City Hell And Back #3 (Of 9), 2.95 DC COMICS Day Of Judgement #3 (Of 5), 2.50 Flash & Green Lantern The Brave & The Bold #2 (Of 6), 2.50 Gen 13 #45, 2.50 JSA #4, 2.50 Superman & Savage Dragon Metropolis, 4.95 Top Ten #3, 2.95 MARVEL COMICS Avengers Forever #10 (Of 12), 2.99 Captain America #23, 1.99 Thunderbolts #32, 1.99 SICILIAN DRAGON Anne Rices Tale Of Body Thief #1 (Of 12), 2.95 I am taking the week off on the review column, just have been very pressed for time. Keep those new products coming and I will review them in the order they arrive. David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Editor The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: Letters of comment may be used in future issues of CBEM unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Your Email address and/or name will be withheld upon request. +++++ Subj: Passing On The Torch From: lira@trinidad.net (lira) Dear Good people, I recently saw the movie "The Mask Of Zorro" with Antonio Banderas on cable recently. There was action, romance, comedy and the feeling of euphoria that one feels when a champion of justice saves us from tyranny at the possible last moment. I rather liked the way that a certain amount of "artistic freedom" was taken and used to show that the main star was not the original Zorro but his choice for the generation, a younger Zorro. What I had liked the best about the movie and is the topic of this letter is that the inherent beliefs that we hold dear about truth, justice and equality have been passed on to the next generation along with the necessary tools and skills in order to ensure that they are not just mere words but are actually applicable in the defense of life. How distressing it is today to read about so many youths committing heinous crimes ESPECIALLY the ones who are born into privileged circumstances and may never know what real hunger, poverty and not possessing opportunities due to a lack of education and/ or contacts feel like. Comic books serve a necessary purpose when they depict a young generation of superheroes who are prepared to uphold the basic tenets of truth, justice and equality. It does not matter whether they act as teams or solitary figures. It is refreshing to see titles that feature former young associates (sidekicks sounds soooo disrespectful) who try to apply what they have learned from their older teachers. They deserve as much respect as the older generation. Look past the violence in comics straight onto how they formulate plans to achieve a common goal and apply initiative to problems as they must constantly remember to expect the unexpected in their line of business. They are not self-absorbed because they try to bring about positive changes in the living conditions of sentient beings who are trapped in unfortunate circumstances. Please note: Bucky Barnes (Captain America's original partner) formed the adult Liberty Legion to help rescue his fellow teammates, the Invaders, when they were captured by the Red Skull. He was also instrumental in the creation of the Kid Commandos. The original Teen Titans comprised the junior partners of members of the JLA. They decided to band together and fight evil in all its forms using the training that they had received from their more experienced paramours. Younger members of the new JSA have joined forces with the greatest heroes of the Golden Age(Who says that a bridge can not be built to cross the generation gap. Forget the bridge, as it looks more like a road). Other teams and persons that I can mention are The New Warriors, Young Heroes In Love, Arthur ( Tick's partner), Young Justice, Generation X , Rocket (Icon's partner), A-Next, the Titans and Spidergirl. If immortality is truly achievable through the children then the cause celebre for upholding truth, justice and equality will remain timeless and evergreen. What do you think? Thank you Julian +++++ Subject: Re: CBEM 230.3 From: schung1968@juno.com David, Regarding "Venting My Spleen", Byrne's last X-Men was #143 and not #139. #143 had Kitty Pryde alone against a N'gari demon at Christmas, while #139 had Wolverine and Nightcrawler in Canada with members of Alpha Flight (Vindicator, Snowbird, and Shaman) and the final page with WEN - DI - GO casting a shadow on Nightcrawler. Steve Chung +++++ Subj: MAR93 From: pjhay@clara.net (p hayward) David, I know you said it was the final word on the subject but just adding my 10 cents worth to say that I agree with most of what Marlan Harris had to say. I can't read PDR's column & always skip it. Part of that has to do with the presentation- there's so much densely packed text that it's very off-putting to look at. The fact that it's (to my memory) always positive means that it's worthless. If everything is white there is no colour. If there's a reviewer who says that most comics are ok, has a few favourites & claims a few a re crap i think it's fair comment. He was on the money about the Prophecy comic. When I read that review I had to go out & find a copy to see if it was that bad. His review didn't do that title any harm (to me) & if he wrote that kind of stuff all the time he'd be just as "guilty" as PDR. On a non-related topic, can I just moan about comics which are solicited & then don't appear. How many of us have comic budget & when we reach them we don't order any more from that month's Previews? And how many of us have been let down by books like, for example, Strangehaven which was solicited for June & stopped me buying another comic that month. It's now solicited for October. We'll see. I'm down a book (no chance of finding anything non-mainstream if it's not pre-ordered), my retailer is down a sale & so is that other guy whose book I would have bought. Everybody loses. I know it's naive, but wouldn't it be nice if every book which was solicited for a particular month came out round about that time (with occasional exceptions- nobody's perfect). I think the industry is losing a lot of sales because of this. Thanks for a good read, this week as always. Paul hayward +++++ Here is my response to a letter which came on this week: Subj: Re: Copyright laws and comic book characters From: ComicBknet To: bill.kropfhauser@gte.net In a message dated 9/12/99 11:44:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time, bill.kropfhauser@gte.net writes: > I've viewed the discussion over the new copyright laws and the loss by Time- > Warner of half of Superman with great interest. Thanks to the column > published by Tony Isabella last week, I think I've got a handle on the ins > and outs. If a character is submitted for publication by one or more people > not on staff with that publisher, they are eligible to reclaim the copyright( > or their half)five years after the renewal or during the extension period. The only reason the Siegels get 1/2 is because the Shuster estate does not have a direct descendent to claim the other half. If there is a sole creator he would get it all. > That means, say, Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert would not be eligible to get > part of The Flash if they were on staff, but since Martin Nodell brought > Green Lantern to Sheldon Mayer as a fully realized concept, he would be and > he alone(although I think if he hasn't filed already, it's too late); That would be correct. If Nodell files the proper claim he gets ALL rights, if he is eligible. and Dr. > William Marston would be eligible for part or all of Wonder Woman since he > brought the concept to Max Gaines, but Gaines wouldn't be eligible for his > contributions(if any)because he was on staff(as publisher). I think WW is a different situation - I believe it is a LICENSE not a sale of the copyright, to DC. > > This inspired a couple of questions in my mind that hopefully someone can > answer. Number one, What if two people (i.e., Bill Finger and Bob Kane) got > into a dispute over what constituted creation of a character (Kane created > the Batman concept, but Finger contributed greatly into molding the character > into what finally saw print)? How would that be settled, through litigation, > arbitration or the judgment of the Patent Office? Patent Office is not involved at all, COPYRIGHT is established at the original filing of the copyright or original date of publication by claiming WHO is the copyright owner. If Finger never claimed creation he is out of the picture. > Secondly, what if Time-Warner decided to tell the Siegels to agree to a lump > settlement of their claim, otherwise T-W would refuse to pay and they could > sue, since T-W has more money and more lawyers and could probably outlast the > Siegels? The Siegels could get a lawyer to take the case on contingency - if they win they get a share. ANY lawyer would take that (and they already have one) since DC would be challenging established LAW not the merits of the claim. [See this weeks news from COMICCON.COM in NETWORK BUZZ for more.-D.L.] +++++ From: "Ben Adams" Subject: (MEDIAWARP COMICS UPDATE) Adams Blows Off SPX Hi. I just wanted to dash off a quick message to let all potentially-interested parties know that I WILL NOT be at the Small Press Expo in Maryland this coming weekend. (The SPX website is at www.spxpo.com.) I had been indicating otherwise on my website, so I just wanted to clear up any possible confusion. As some of you have heard, my mother died suddenly and unexpectedly earlier this year. This has thrown my schedule (and, frankly, my LIFE) a little out of whack since I've had to help my father and brother adjust to this. Even though I will not be at the Expo, MURDER BY CROWQUILL publisher Joe Zabel will be there, so, if you don't already have it, pick up MBC to check out the new 16-pager from Adams and Polacek. Since I'm now getting a couple e-mail list sign-ups DAILY, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for signing up. Mediawarp Comics Online is getting several dozen visitors a day at this point -- thanks to everyone who is stopping by. I'm running a little behind on all my e-mail ... if you're waiting for something from me, it should be on the way shortly. I've got big expansion plans for the Mediawarp website, and I hope to be sending more info out on them shortly. (Be sure to check out http://go.to/prison to get a glimmer of what is going to happen.) I probably should add that I will be at the Minnesota Fallcon in Bloomington on September 25 & 26. So much to do. So little time. ------ Ben Adams Mediawarp Comics Online Mediawarpcomics.com +++++ Subj: Lady Pendragon Update 9-14-99 From: mjhawkins@earthlink.net (Matt Hawkins) Greetings, It's been a few weeks since my last update, but I've just finished the 5th issue of Lady Pendragon Dragon Blade and it should be on the stand in two Wednesdays. The 6th issue wraps up the Dragon Blade storyline in October, so I'm excited to get feedback from all of you on the whole story arc. In November I'm launching a new story arc titled "Future Prophecy" to celebrate the one year anniversary of the character. This will be the 7th issue (not a new #1), but will be a good place for people to start reading the series. So if you have friends who want to start reading the book and can't get the back issues, please recommend they start with issue #7. The story here deals with Jennifer Drake travelling with the Priestess to her time to confront this whole Messianic Lineage question. I'm also releasing a trade paperback which collects the mini-series, prelude, #0 and the original one-shot. Other stuff for that month includes a special Lady Pendragon: Origin of Merlin one-shot, a Celtic cross and a cool Lady Pendragon mini-bust (makes a cool paper weight). I'm always looking for feedback, so please let me know your thoughts on both the Lady Pendragon and Alley Cat series, what you'd like to see and even what you didn't like. I'm looking for honest feedback, so please no sugarcoating! Lastly, I wanted to offer another online incentive to get ya'll to help promote the series, so here it is: Anyone who can get their comic book store to put up a major display in the store promoting Lady Pendragon for the anniversary month will get a Lady Pendragon Volume 2 #1 Foil Tour Edition (the purple one) with an original drawing by John Stinsman or one of the other Lady Pendragon artists on the back! We sell these for at least $60 retail and they go for as high as $200 on ebay, so this is a once in a lifetime offer. A couple of rules: 1) Only 1 winner per store, twenty of you can't claim the same display. If there is a problem here, I'll ask the retailer to tell me who was the first to bring up the idea. 2) This is a major freebie offer on my part, so the display better be cool! 3) You'll need to take a photograph of the display and send it to me at: Matt Hawkins PMB #142 520 Washington Blvd Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 be sure to include the store name and the address and phone number of the store. You'll also need to include your own address as well. Failure to include any of this info will result in your not receiving the book. 4) I'm also going to give the five best displays/store promotions a piece of original Lady Pendragon artwork. This will be my subjective opinion, but I'll be more than fair. I want to apologize to those of you who I've been unable to respond to your emails as quickly as I'd like. The volume gets a tad overwhelming at times, but I do try to keep up. Thanks for your understanding! Carpe Diem, Matt Hawkins http://www.ladypendragon.com/ +++++ Subj: 'Nuff Said! radio/web show guest info 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, 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. Tuesday, Sept 21, 1999 - Will DC Comics lose some or all of the rights for Superman to the creator(s) heirs? We'll be talking about the new copyright laws that might result in just that with Michael Sangiacoma, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter who has been looking into the case. How will this effect other comic characters? Will the Iwerks estate get Mickey Mouse? Tune in on the radio or the internet. 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). 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 Trivia prize provided by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. +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: Figure out the title of the comic from the below clue and then tell us what COMPANY published the comic! "September 1999? . . . Shouldn't Martin Landau be on the moon by now? The quote refers to a TV show featuring the post MISSION IMPOSSIBLE couple Martin Landau and Barbara Bain and THE FUGITIVE's Lt. Gerard, Barry Morse, as Moon colonizers. The opening credits showed the caption "1999 . . . " and then exploded into scenes from the upcoming episode. The name of the show was SPACE 1999, and the company that did the comic book adaptation was CHARLTON. A few remembered the comic but guessed Dell or Gold Key. The first answer was correct and was from our friend in Rio, Pedro Bouca. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Is sponsored by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. What do Harley Quinn and Firestar have in common? 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 From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ SUPERMAN BUYOUT MAY BE UNRAVELING! INSIDE $150M SUPERMAN SETTLEMENT! September 16: It has been two weeks since Matt Brady broke the startling news on AnotherUniverse.com that Jerry Siegel's wife and daughter had succeeded in regaining ownership to his portion of the copyright to SUPERMAN. But since the principles in the case, the Siegels and their lawyer, DC Comics and TIME WARNER have for the most part refrained from anything more than general public statements, little is known about the status of any possible settlement. What is certain is this: Siegel's lawyer, Arthur Levine has stated, and documents published on the web confirmed, that Jerry Siegel's heirs have succeeded in regaining his half of the copyright to SUPERMAN. What is also known is that TIME WARNER is now publicly stating that it views this development differently than most observers. TIME WARNER public relations spokesperson, Barbara Brogliatti told the SPLASH on Wednesday that, "We have had a long and amicable relationship with the Siegels, and look forward to working with them in the future. We do have differences of opinion concerning interpretation of the copyright law and how it applies to any limited rights the family might have." The SPLASH has pieced together a scenario of what has apparently been going on behind the scenes. It is by no means complete at this early date, as secrecy has been paramount to the players, and details are of course sketchy. But sources close to the situation have confirmed the following points: Between the time when the papers were filed by the Siegels and the news broke publicly, DC Publisher Paul Levitz has been trying to broker a deal with TIME WARNER to buy out the Siegels. Levitz is greatly trusted by the Siegels for his personal handling of their particular situation since the 1970's. Levitz had immediate problems selling the deal, which is said to be in the $150 million range, to his own board of directors. When he approached his bosses at TIME WARNER with it they were even less amused. TIME WARNER is looking at this, not just in terms of SUPERMAN, but as setting a precedent for the many creators who stand to regain lucrative franchise properties, not just in comics but in music, film and all other forms of entertainment, from them down the road. TIME WARNER perceives a number of holes in the Siegel's case. Sources tell the SPLASH that TIME WARNER will maintain that the paperwork may not have been filed within the two year window; that any copyrights regained by the Siegels cover only the first thirteen pages of ACTION COMICS #1 and the characters of Lois Lane, Clark Kent and Superman. In addition, the corporation will maintain that all other work done by Siegel was under a work for hire agreement. TIME WARNER will also maintain that the rights regained by the Siegel's only constitute U.S. Rights, and that DC Comics retains all other worldwide rights under the copyright convention. TIME WARNER, the world's largest media conglomerate, is of course well prepared to fight the Siegels in the courts as well as in the court of public opinion. Levitz was reportedly furious when the story broke on the Internet on August 31, apparently unaware that copyright lawyer Michael Lovitz had made the announcement two weeks earlier during a legal workshop at the San Diego Comic-Con International. Word immediately went out to everyone at DC that leaks concerning the case were unacceptable. A deal still seemed possible during the first two weeks in September, but now the parties appear ready to take their cases to the public, a good indication that private negotiations have not worked out. The whole affair has no doubt complicated Levitz's and DC's position as part of Warner Bros., by putting them on the radar as a major negative during a critical management transition. As publisher of DC Comics, Paul Levitz has to make the tough decisions, and has often been painted as the villain in the comics press. But sources close to this situation describe him as personally concerned and really trying to do the right thing for the Siegels, but caught in a corporate vice that is squeezing him from both ends. It is nothing short of ironic that the man who occupies the desk of Donenfeld and Liebowitz may find the defining moment of his career trying to get a fair shake for the heirs of Jerry Siegel from his corporate bosses! Developing. +++++ X-Men' to be Released June 30 LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1999--"X-Men," the epic, live-action film adaptation of the legendary comics, will be released on June 30, 2000, it was announced today by Tom Sherak, chairman of the 20th Domestic Film Group. "X-Men" is based on the legendary Marvel comic, which debuted nearly four decades ago. X-Men comics have sold more than 400 million copies, making it the most successful comic book property ever. The phenomenon also conquered television as a top-rated series, and has become a No. 1 licensing property. Commented Sherak: "Even at this very early stage, there's a tremendous amount of excitement among the public and within this studio about `X-Men.' We want to make sure that moviegoers can experience what we expect will be one of next year's most-anticipated films during the prime summer playing time." Ian McKellen, who was Oscar-nominated for his starring role in "Gods and Monsters" will portray the villainous Magneto, the ultimate foe of the heroic X-Men -- mutants who use their powers for the good of both humans and mutants. Patrick Stewart, best-known for his work as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" series and three subsequent "Star Trek" films, is Professor X, the founder and backbone of the X-Men and one-time friend of Magneto. Dougray Scott ("Ever After," "Mission:Impossible 2") takes on the role of the powerful Wolverine, who possesses amazing healing powers; Academy Award-winner Anna Paquin ("The Piano") is the troubled teen Rogue, who can absorb the strengths and memories of others through touch; Famke Janssen ("Goldeneye") plays the telepathic and telekinetic Jean Grey; and Halle Berry ("Bulworth") portrays Storm, who has the ability to control the weather. Casting of the key role of Cyclops will be announced shortly. Ray Park (Darth Maul in "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace"), Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and wrestler Tyler Mane will portray Magneto's evil cohorts. The film is directed by Bryan Singer, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated "The Usual Suspects" and "Apt Pupil" which starred Ian McKellen. The screenplay is by Ed Solomon ("Men in Black") and Christopher McQuarrie, an Oscar-winner for Best Original Screenplay for "The Usual Suspects." The producers are Lauren Shuler-Donner ("You've Got Mail") and Ralph Winter ("Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," "Inspector Gadget"). Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group. +++++ Subj: SACCO IN PITTSBURGH From: reynolds@fantagraphics.com (Eric Reynolds) For immediate release: The Graduate Program for Cultural Studies at the University of Pittsburgh, in conjunction with several other university programs, will present COMICS AS JOURNALISM: PALESTINE AND THE BOSNIAN WAR, "The Experience of Relating History, Political Events and Personal Testimonies Through Cartoons." The event focuses on the comics of JOE SACCO, author of PALESTINE (a 1996 American Book Award-winner), WAR JUNKIE, and the upcoming GORAZDE: SAFE AREA (due April 2000). Featuring a presentation of his work and discussion of same, Sacco will appear at the University of Pittsburgh's Catherdral of Learning (ground floor, room 24) on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Sacco will also be signing that day at Pittsburgh's PHANTOM OF THE ATTIC comic book shop from 3 to 4 p.m. Call 412-621-1210 for more information. COMICS AS JOURNALISM is receiving additional support from the U of P's Center for Russian and East European Studies, Center for West European Studies, University Honors College, Dept. of History of Art and Architecture, Dept. of Studio Arts, Dept. of History, Dept. of Political Science, Dept. of Communication, and the Dept. of Hispanic Languages and Literatures. For more information on Joe Sacco, contact Eric Reynolds at (206) 524-1967 or email to reynolds@fantagraphics.com. For more information on the COMICS AS JOURNALISM conference, contact Ana Merino at anamerino@hotmail.com. +++++ TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR NEIL GAIMAN'S GUARDIAN ANGEL TOUR LIMITED TICKETS are still available for NEIL GAIMAN's 1999 GUARDIAN ANGEL TOUR. The acclaimed comics and fantasy author will be giving readings from his short fiction in the WASHINGTON, D.C. and BOSTON areas, as well as putting in an appearance at SPX:THE EXPO. Gaiman will read at the Bethesda Theatre Cafe in Bethesda, MD on SEPTEMBER 21, and at the Brattle Theatre at Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA on SEPTEMBER 23. The Brattle will also host the U.S. theatrical premiere of Gaiman's BBC series "NEVERWHERE." All proceeds from Gaiman's Guardian Angel Tour and the Neverwhere screening will benefit the COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND, a non-profit organization protecting the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Tickets can be ordered on-line at http://www.cbldf.org, by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-800-99-CBLDF, or direct from participating comic shops (see below). Gaiman first attracted critical acclaim for his graphic novels and long-running comic series "Sandman." A masterful storyteller, Gaiman has written two best-selling novels, numerous short stories, and has seen his unique vision translated for film, television, and the stage. He is the recipient of the prestigious World Fantasy Award and is noted in "The Dictionary of Literary Biography" as "one of the top ten post-modern writers" in America. At the Guardian Angel events, Gaiman will be giving dramatic readings from his shorter fiction, including stories from his collections "Angels & Visitations" and "Smoke & Mirrors." He will also be debuting new, unpublished works. Each reading will be preceded by a private cocktail reception with the author for Premium Ticket holders and CBLDF Members, and followed by a question and answer session with the audience. The 1999 Guardian Angel Tour begins on Tuesday, September 21 in downtown Bethesda, MD, just over a mile from the nation's capital. Gaiman will be reading at the BETHESDA THEATRE CAFE (7719 Wisconsin Avenue), a fully renovated art-deco theater from the 1950s with nightclub seating. Gaiman will host a casual reception for Premium Ticket holders and CBLDF Members beginning at 6:00 p.m. The reading itself gets underway at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the reading are available for $20 and $30. ONLY A FEW Premium Tickets, which include the reception, are STILL AVAILABLE for $40 and $50. In each case, the more expensive tickets are for tables closer to the stage. A seating chart is available on-line at http://www.cbldf.org/pr/gat99/ tickets.html. On Thursday, September 23, Gaiman will read at the BRATTLE THEATRE at 40 Brattle Street in Cambridge, MA. One of the best art houses in the Boston area, the Brattle is located on historic Harvard Square next to HMV Records. The Guardian Angel events begin at 3:00 p.m. with a screening of Gaiman's acclaimed fantasy series "NEVERWHERE." Produced by the BBC, the series received limited television airplay in the United States and is frequently bootlegged by fans. The 1999 Guardian Angel Tour marks Neverwhere's theatrical premiere, which Gaiman will introduce. Tickets for Neverwhere are $10, and available from the CBLDF and participating retailers. The reading itself will be preceded by a private cocktail reception with Gaiman for Premium Ticket Holders and CBLDF Members. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m.; seating for the reading begins at 7:30 p.m. Mezzanine tickets are $30, and Premium tickets including the reception are $50. BALCONY TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT. A seating chart for the Brattle is available at http://www.cbldf.org/pr/gat99/tickets.html. Gaiman will also be appearing on September 17 and 18 at THE EXPO:SPX in Bethesda, MD. Held at the Bethesda Holiday Inn Select, the Expo is the nation's premiere celebration of small press, alternative, and independent comics. Gaiman will take part in a discussion on the craft of storytelling with "Bone" creator JEFF SMITH on Friday, September 17 at 7:00 pm. This event is co-sponsored by The Expo and the International Comic Arts Festival (ICAF). On Saturday, September 18, Gaiman will be SIGNING at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund booth from 3:00 to 4:30 pm. For more information on The Expo:SPX, please visit their web-site at http://www.spxpo.com. The Guardian Angel Tours are part of Gaiman's continuing commitment to raise money and awareness for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. To date, Guardian Angel events have raised more than $60,000 to support the legal defense of comics-related First Amendment cases in court. Gaiman was awarded the 1997 Defender of Liberty Award for his efforts to promote free speech in comics. He has also been the driving force behind a number of other projects designed to benefit the CBLDF, including "Gods & Tulips," a collection of his speeches and essays, and a 1999 Guardian Angel Tour T-Shirt featuring tour dates and artwork by MICHAEL WM. KALUTA (available at both tour stops). Tickets to all events are available from the CBLDF at http://www.cbldf.org/pr/gat99/tickets.html, by calling 1-800-99-CBLDF, or from the following participating comic retailers: BETHESDA TICKETS CAMBRIDGE TICKETS -------------------------- ------------------------------- Big Planet Comics (MD) Million Year Picnic 4908 Fairmont Ave. 99 Mt. Auburn St. Bethesda, MD Cambridge, MA 301-654-6856 617-492-6763 Big Planet Comics (VA) Comicopia 426 Maple Ave. East 464 Commonwealth Ave. Vienna, VA Boston, MA 703-242-9412 617-266-4266 Closet of Comics That's Entertainment 7315 Baltimore Ave. (US Rt. 1) 244 Park Ave. College Park, MD Worcester, MA 301-699-0498 508-755-4207 Beyond Comics Lake Forest Mall 701 Russell Ave. Gaithersburg, MD 301-216-0007 Comics, Cards & Collectibles 513 Main Street Reisterstown, MD 21136 401-526-7410 The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization protecting First Amendment rights in the comics community. Donations 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 Fund's quarterly newsletter, or our web site at http://www.cbldf.org for more CBLDF news. For additional information please contact Chris Bleistein at (413) 586-6967 or cbldf@compuserve.com ********************************************************* Chris Bleistein - Deputy Director Comic Book Legal Defense Fund P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061 413-586-6967 Voice 413-582-9046 Fax web: http://www.cbldf.org e-mail: cbldf@compuserve.com ********************************************************* +++++ ART OF NICK CARDY book Announcement? John Coates Atlanta, GA U.S.A. Nick Cardy has been both a creative and dynamic artistic force within the comic book industry for over 50 years. Finally, he will be honored with the publication of a new book focusing on his art and illustrious career titled, "The Art Of Nick Cardy." Carmine Infantino, long-time DC Comics artist and publisher stated, "It is not an overstatement that one of my greatest pleasures in this industry is having known Nick and his work. He deserves every accolade." Marv Wolfman, respected industry writer said, "Simply put, Nick is an artist who makes you feel good when you see his art. Nick's a consummate penciled, inker and painter." Mark Evanier, screen-writer and industry historian had this to say about Mr. Cardy's work, "He drew men of imposing elegance and women of striking beauty, and he somehow managed to juxtapose both with funny-book fantasy.and still not lose that wonderful air of reality and credibility." Beginning in 1939 with the Eisner/Iger shop, through newspaper strips (such as Lady Luck, Tarzan and Casey Ruggles) and his almost 25 year stint at DC Comics, Mr. Cardy's career spans the history of comic books from the Golden Age to the present. Fans will remember that while at DC Comics in the 1960s Mr. Cardy helped define the Silver Age with his stunning sequential artwork on DC's Aquaman, Teen Titans, and Bat Lash titles, as well as his innovative cover art design. Because of his artistic contributions to the medium, in 1998 he was awarded the prestigious "Inkpot Award" for outstanding achievement in the comic arts. "The Art Of Nick Cardy" will be signed and numbered by Mr. Cardy and is a professionally packaged perfect bound, card stock cover trade paperback that measures 8 X 11. It is a must for any Nick Cardy fan, as well as comic book fans, comic industry and art historians alike. The book is being designed by Jon B. Cooke of Comic Book Artist magazine editorial fame and will include the following; a new painted cover by Mr. Cardy, Foreword by Mark Evanier, Afterword by Kurt Busiek, a comprehensive interview spanning Mr. Cardy's career, an essay on his artwork by Richard Howell, early and unpublished non-comic book/comic related art, obscure artworks, a color art section, an extensive index of Mr. Cardy's comic book and newspaper strip art, as well as tributes from peers and current professionals ranging from Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino, Julie Schwartz, Mark Waid, Marv Wolfman, Dan Jurgens, Charles Vess, Tony Isabella and others. Fans familiar with Mr. Cardy's comic book artwork may be surprised at the scope of his non-comic book related art and award-winning western oil paintings, feature film posters (including contributions to the first Star Wars movie poster) and magazine illustrations. Unlike other books of this type, all profits from the sale of this book will go to the artist. The book is currently in production and will be available in the November of 1999 and only be through mail order, with an initial print run of 1,000 copies. Advance orders are now being taken by the publisher on a first come, first served basis. If interested in reserving a copy, please send your name, full mailing address and a US check or US domestic money order for $24.95 + $4* postage book rate, payable to Coates Publishing, Inc., PO Box 420316 Atlanta, GA 30342-0316. Once your payment is received you will be sent a confirmation card for your order. *Canada & Non-continental United States orders send $7 US postage per book. If outside of continental United States please send International Money Order. Credit cards not accepted. Unfortunately, we are not set up to receive non-US funds. However, we understand the issues involved in ordering overseas and are sensitive to currency exchange issues. +++++ NextPlanetOver.com Spins Licensing Web with Marvel Comics SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- NextPlanetOver.com (http://www.nextplanetover.com), the ultimate Internet destination for the entertainment hobbyist, has inked a one year marketing and content licensing deal with Marvel Comics (http://www.marvel.com). Terms include a year of run-of-site advertising on Marvel.com. In addition, NextPlanetOver.com will sponsor monthly "CyberComics" created exclusively for NextPlanetOver.com by Marvel. NextPlanetOver.com co-founder and CEO, Dave Scott, said, "Our license with Marvel Comics deepens our working relationship with a leading player in comic book publishing. We are thrilled to be playing a key role in bringing this form of entertainment to the Internet, where it can be reached by tens of millions of potential fans. Our mission is to broaden the appeal of comic books and bring them to the forefront of the entertainment world." The CyberComics, which will exclusively appear on NextPlanetOver.com, will feature Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, Thor and the Incredible Hulk, and will fit into current Marvel plot lines. NextPlanetOver.com has also purchased rights to 12 previously created episodes from Marvel's CyberComics library. In addition to the CyberComics, NextPlanetOver.com currently carries over 600 Marvel products including comics and books that are available for sale to the site's users. Peter Kelley, Vice President, Programming, Marvel.com said that Marvel signed the deal with NextPlanetOver.com because of the company's opportunity to reach out to develop new fan bases. "CyberComics' bring our characters to life in new ways, and we believe that they will have broad mass appeal. NextPlanetOver.com is leveraging that appeal to market our published comic books to these new fans, ultimately increasing sales of our publishing division," comments Kelley. The Marvel agreement represents a cornerstone of NextPlanetOver.com's site development strategy. By partnering with leading content providers and publishers, NextPlanetOver.com is blending its e-commerce operation with top-quality exclusive content that enthusiasts of entertainment products such as comic books, graphic novels, action figures, board-games, trading cards and Japanese animation cannot get anywhere else on the web. +++++ Contact: Jeremy Kirby C/O Kirby Comic jkirby@kingkirby.com WWW.KINGKIRBY.COM For fifty years Jack Kirby inspired us. His bold creations pushed our imaginations to the farthest reaches of the Universe. Once again the Kirby family invites you to let Jack Kirby take you to the stars and beyond! On September 12th 1999, the birth of a new comic book publishing company took shape. It's goal, to sweep a new generation of fans off their feet and cause their imaginations to run wild. Kirby Comics was formed for the most part, to publish a brand new Captain Victory mini-series. This all new adventure will re-use Jack's original artwork and will include never before published works from the series, which ran in the early eighties. It will also contain a back up story of a never before seen comic strip as well as new characters that were lost for twenty five years! As if that isn't enough, the three book, thirty two page, black and white mini-series due out in April, will be written by Jack's grandson Jeremy Kirby. The book, which delves into the origin of Captain Victory, will deal with the creation of the Insectons and force Captain Victory into a fight for his life between himself and his Grandfather Black Mass. Due to use of never before seen artwork, no advance copies of Captain Victory are scheduled for viewing, but interviews will be granted by Jeremy Kirby and others involved with the project as they are named. Until the Future! Kirby Comics +++++ Alien Hero Has Arrived From Zen Comics Publishing STUDIO CITY, Calif., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- "Alien Hero" -- a collection of stories about an extraterrestrial who's a good guy -- is here. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990915/ZENCOMICS ) Author Steve Stern is on a mission: to inform Earthly readers that some aliens are stand-up citizens of the universe. "With the enormous popularity of movies like 'Independence Day' and 'Men in Black' and TV shows like 'X-Files,' most people think aliens are evil monsters intent on destroying humanity," he says. "Alien Hero" is Stern's antidote to this anti-alien paranoia. He began his crusade back in 1987, when he and artist Dan Cote published the first issue of their "Zen Intergalactic Ninja" comic-book in Auburn, Maine. Zen has since sold millions of comic-books, and spun off items like toys and videogames via Ninja Turtle agents, Surge Licensing. And now Stern wants to spread the good word about an heroic ET to an even wider audience. "Zen's adventures are written in the first-person, so the reader can get into his alien psyche," he explains. "What they'll find is that Zen is every bit as heroic and self-effacingly humorous as any human hero." Readers can also visit the Zen website at www.zenintergalacticninja.com and electronically sign the Petition Against Alien Discrimination that urges the media to treat ETs more fairly. "One day we really will be visited by beings from another planet," Stern says in all seriousness. "At that time, it will serve us well to have a more balanced view of extraterrestrial biological entities." The outer space "Alien Hero" (ISBN 1-892572-00-1) can be found in cyberspace at amazon.com or ordered through such Earthly retailers as Barnes&Noble. CONTACT: Steve Stern, Zen Comics Publishing, (818) 508-8190 or ZenEmail@aol.com. Artwork also available at http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990915/ZENCOMICS +++++ Peregrine Entertainment P.O. Box 6523 Springfield, VA 22150 September 14, 1999 PEREGRINE BRINGS INDEPENDENT VOICES #2, DARK ONE TO THE EXPO: SPX ‘99 WASHINGTON, DC—Peregrine Entertainment will debut a new book and bring back the cover artist from its first book at The Expo: SPX ’99 this month. Independent Voices 2, a follow-up to last year's collection of creator-owned stories, will be made available to the public for the first time, and Dark One, creator of Animal Mystic and cover artist for Books of Lore: Special Edition #1, will make his first East Coast convention appearance in four years. The Expo: SPX ’99 (www.spxpo.com) is the pre-eminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and publishers. It will be held September 17-19 in Bethesda, MD, just one mile outside Washington, D.C. "We consider the Expo to be our `hometown' convention," said David Napoliello, founder of Washington-area publisher Peregrine Entertainment. "So we're very excited about highlighting area creators in Independent Voices and bringing back Dark One, one of the local fans' favorite artists." Independent Voices #2 (Diamond Item Code: JUL991577) is Peregrine's second book benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. It features a cover by Joseph (Dawn) Linsner and stories from a variety of independent creators, including Vincent Sneed and John Peters (Forty Winks), Rich Henn (Hershal the Rat), Billy Martinez (Kickass Girl), Steve Stegelin (Boondoggle), Eva Hopkins (Crypt of Dawn), and several others. Dark One, a former Maryland resident, will be appearing on the East Coast for the first time since he moved across the country in 1995. He is best known as the creator, writer, and artist of Sirius Entertainment's Animal Mystic, but also contributed the cover story to Peregrine's first publication, Books of Lore: Special Edition #1. Dark One will be appearing exclusively at the Peregrine Entertainment booth throughout The Expo. Other Peregrine guests will include horror personality Countess Vladimira, star of the Countess Vladimira: Blood Relations comic book; John Gallagher, creator of Buzzboy; Vincent Sneed and John Peters, creators of Forty Winks; and Kevin Tucker and Philip Xavier, writer and artist for Books of Lore. Peregrine Entertainment was founded by David Napoliello in 1997 as a vehicle for publishing his sword-and-sorcery, fantasy-adventure comic book series, Books of Lore. Since then, the company has become home to a wide variety of high-quality creator-owned titles. Its expanding line of books now encompasses such diverse genres as science fiction (Digital Dragon), all-ages adventure (Forty Winks), superhero (Buzzboy), and gothic horror (Vladimira). For more information, please visit www.peregrine-entertain.com on the Web or call 703-627-7989. +++++ From COMICS 2 FILM at http://www.comics2film.com Lady Death ---------- Andy Orjuela, Special Projects Coordinator for ADV Films, gave Comics 2 Film an update regarding the upcoming Lady Death animated feature. "Progress on Lady Death is moving," Orjuela told us. "But we are taking our time making sure everything is 'solid' and looks real good. We have received a first draft from Chaos! President Brian Pulido. Just like we predicted, this is going to be quite an epic piece." ADV will first wrap production on an animated movie called Sin which is based on Ritual Entertainment's video game of the same name. Orjuela tells us that movie "looks absolutely fabulous!" Spawn 2 ------- Curious about the Spawn 2 movie poster that's been making the rounds on the internet of late, Comics 2 Film contacted Terry Fitzgerald, President of Entertainment for Todd McFarlane Entertainment to ask about its origins. The poster was created by Spawn cover artist Ashley Wood and was recently available for download on his website. Fitzgerald told us that the artwork is not a teaser poster, but more like concept artwork. "This was generated and delivered to New Line along with the movie script," Fitzgerald informed us. "It was simply created to show the New Line execs the look and feel we are interested in producing for the sequel." The sequel is intended to be a darker movie, more of a psychological thriller, picture than the original. It will frame the title character more as an urban boogeyman than a super-hero. Thanks to Mark Douglas of the Dark Justice website for his invaluable assistance on this story. (The aforementioned image may be viewed at the Comics 2 Film website: http://www.comics2film.com) http://www.woodhaus.com http://www.mania.com.au/~grahark/darkjustice/ Avengers -------- FROM THE COMICS CONTINUUM: Rob Allstetter of the Comics Continuum reports that the animated Avengers TV show will not premier on Saturday, September 25, as most recently announced. "Production requirements" are cited as the reason for the delay. The show is still slated for a Fall premiere on Fox Kids. http://comicscontinuum.com Danger Girl, Josie and Wonder Woman ----------------------------------- FROM ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Entertainment Weekly #503 (September 17, 1999) features a two page article on the upcoming Charlie's Angels movie. Of interest to comic book movie fans is the section of the article dealing with three such projects. The article quotes J.C. Spink, the developer of J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell's Danger Girl for New Line Cinema. Although the article is short on details about Danger Girl, Spink does give his take on why movies featuring "action babes" are in vogue. "Girl action films like Barb Wire used to be real B movies," Spink is quoted as saying. "But lately they're becoming A movies with A-list stars. These aren't damsels in distress. These women are kicking ass and taking names." Spink later comments on the appeal of such movies. "Guys want to see these movies because the women are beautiful. Girls want to see them because the women aren't just sex objects. These girls are more likely to rescue guys than the other way around. And who doesn't want to see that?" The article also mentions a movie version of Josie and the Pussycats. The planned film is set to be a live-action adventure for Universal Pictures. Deborah Kaplan, who co-wrote and will co-direct the movie with Harry Elfont (both of Can't Hardly Wait fame), comments on the concept. "The girls don't all become Stallone and Schwarzenegger. They're just girls trying to look hot and rock the house. But they also have to do a good amount of butt kicking." Finally, the article reiterates a story that you heard first here on Comics 2 Film. EW reports that insiders are saying that Sandra Bullock has been in talks with producer Joel Silver about a Wonder Woman movie. As we found last month, Bullock's reps would not acknowledge such talks. http://www.ew.com Generation X ------------ FROM THE COMICS CONTINUUM: On the newly relaunched Comics Continuum website, Rob Allstetter reports that the live-action Generation X TV series is "picking up steam". Later, Allstetter reported on a conversation with TV writer Steve Melching. Melching had this to say about the planned Generation X TV show, "I think Generation X may be getting back on track soon, I had a meeting with 'The Powers That Be' a few weeks ago, and they were eager to get things moving again." http://comicscontinuum.com +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE Wizard To Publish Comics! AnotherUniverse.com's Newsarama has learned that Wizard:The Comics Magazine is close to announcing a new publishing venture that will see the comic book industry's leading fan-based print magazine cross over to actually producing what they once only reported on. Called Black Bull, the new line of comics will feature high-profile creators and will launch in January, 2000 with GateCrasher, a new, original series by written by Mark (JLA)Waid, penciled by Amanda (Vampirella) Connor and inked by Marvel Knights' Jimmy Palmiotti. The series storyline is unknown at this time. Wizard is now technically a competitor of the comic book publishers and titles on which it reports, and to whom it sells advertising space. However, more than one pro asked for comment pointed out that Time-Warner produces movies through Warner Brothers while publishing Entertainment Weekly, a magazine that reports on movies. - DC is taking a month off from its Secret Files specials but they'll be back with a bang in the new year with the massive, 96-page, Secret Files and Origins Guide to the DC Universe 2000_and it going to be exactly as the title suggests. Explained SF editor Maureen McTigue, "The Secret Files can be considered a handbook for everyone who wants to know what's what in the DC Universe as the new year (century, millennium) comes upon us." The 38-page lead story by writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and artists Scot Eaton and Ray Kryssing gives readers a guided tour of all the prominent DC heroes as many DCU cities and locals as they can fit in, as seen through the eyes of Green Lantern. Abnett calls it "a jam-packed State of the DC Nation address". Other features give glimpses and more information about the DC Universe at large, including: * First looks at the new skylines of the new Gotham and Metropolis * A map of DCU "trouble spots" Science and technology investigation by Blue Beetle * A run down of the all the DCU aliens and robots * A summary of "who runs what" in the DCU government * A visit to the Garden of Heroes * The Atom pulling some of the "heavy hitter back-up of the JLA in" * Profile pages on all teams and families done by artists specific to each respective title * Assorted smaller features provided by a "ton" of various creators * And last but not least and sure to send continuity purists into a tizzy, what McTigue calls "the ultimate, last word timeline." * Providing a back-up feature and the cover is artist Darick Robertson, who tell us the cover features Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Steel, Star Spangled Kid, Starfire, Hawkgirl and The Martian Manhunter. - Expect the much anticipated 2nd issue of J. Michael Straczynski's Top Cow series Rising Stars to be a bit late and to finally hit the stand at the end of this month or early next. According to reports on the Tow Cow message boards system, Straczynski scrapped a cover design by series artist Keu Cha at the last minute, and the cover had to be started over from scratch, causing the delay. +++++ From Zentertainment; HTTP://WWW.ZENTERTAINMENT.COM To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN yourself, e-mail: subscribe@ZENtertainment.com The season's first new episode of BATMAN BEYOND premiered Friday afternoon, at 4:30pm, on KIDS WB!. It's entitled "Splicers," and if you missed it Friday, you can catch it Saturday morning at 8:30, following the new "Demon Reborn" episode of SUPERMAN ADVENTURES. http://www.kidswb.com +++++ 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. NEW PRODUCTION RUNS OF WONDER WOMAN, ALFRED E. NEUMAN AND SPY VS. SPY ACTION FIGURES ARRIVING IN NOVEMBER Due to the tremendous success of the WONDER WOMAN, ALFRED E. NEUMAN, and SPY VS.SPY action figures, DC DIRECT will release new production runs of all four figures, retrosolicited for release in November. Said Director -- Marketing Syndee Barwick, "We've been completely blown away by the incredible response to our DC Direct figures from both retailers and consumers, and we're thrilled to be able to go back to press on four of the most popular figures - Wonder Woman, Alfred E. Neuman and the two Spy vs. Spys - in time for the holiday season." Added Barwick, "In addition to the Green Lantern, Green Arrow and Black Canary figures that have already been announced, there are plans for many more DC Direct figures for the year 2000 and beyond." ANIMATION EPISODE SCHEDULE THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES and BATMAN BEYOND air Weekdays and Saturdays on the WB Network. Times given are Eastern and Pacific. This schedule is subject to change. 9/20/99 (4:00 pm) - "New Kids in Town" (Superman) 9/20/99 (4:30 pm) - "Heroes" (Batman Beyond) 9/21/99 (4:00 pm) - "Cult of the Cat" (Batman) 9/21/99 (4:30 pm) - "Brave New Metropolis" (Superman) 9/22/99 (4:00 pm) - "Two's A Crowd" (Superman) 9/22/99 (4:30 pm) - "Avatar" (Batman) 9/23/99 (4:00 pm) - "Heavy Metal" (Superman) 9/23/99 (4:30 pm) - "Make 'Em Laugh" (Batman) 9/24/99 (4:00 pm) - "Unity" (Superman) 9/24/99 (4:30 pm) - "Black Out" (Batman Beyond) 9/25/99 (8:00 am) - "Little Big Head Man" (Superman) 9/25/99 (9:00 am) - "Earth Mover" (Batman Beyond - new) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] INDEPENDENT VOICES Rich Henn rasmus@timespell.com [When not stressing over the next issue of TIMESPELL, Rich is stressing at the day job. He lives in sunny Maryland with his beautiful wife and their lazy Siberian Husky.] THE EXPO/SPX 99-BIGGER AND BETTER! Every year around the middle of September, something wonderful happens. No, it's not the beginning of the school year...although for you parents out there, that truly is the wonderful thing that happens in September. I'm talking about something that marks the gathering of so much creative talent within the comic book field. The one weekend where old friends gather to celebrate their family reunion. No, I'm not talking about Granddad and that cousin you hate so much. I'm talking about the family reunion of the independent publisher. The small (press) guy. The one time of the year when so much talent comes out of the woodwork to display their work for the public. I'm talking about The Expo! That's right...what was once SPX is now The Expo. SPX, referring to Small Press Expo, is no longer small. We want to state that right out in the open. It's no small event. It's huge. It's massive. It's the end-all-be-all of comic conventions, that's away from the mainstream spandex crowd. It's thought provoking, entertaining and well-crafted comics, presented by the fine people who breathed life into these books. It's the weekend that many self-publishers gather for the first time in a year (or more), to greet old friends, make new ones and show off their hard work. Their labor of love...their babies. Never in any one location, will you find so many creators with such an incredible passion for their craft. It's the accumulation of a dream, and The Expo allows these fine people to recognize that dream. This year marks the sixth gathering of The Expo/SPX. The convention will be held over the weekend of September 17th-19th at the Holiday Inn Select in Bethesda, Maryland, just one mile away from the nation's capital. It primarily features over 200 independent comic book writers and artists, and enough comic books to choke Steve Geppi himself. It allows fans and aspiring creators to meet and talk with these self-published professionals; to discuss their work and give tips on how to break into the field. The Expo/SPX 99 can expect to attract more than 2000 fans through the door this year, and as always, all proceeds will go to the CBLDF (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund). Last year, one of the main attractions of the SPX was the appearance of comic legend, Frank Miller at the CBLDF table. Frank signed books throughout the course of the day, raising money for the fund. Then there was the incredible one on one public interview between Frank and Scott McCloud, author of UNDERSTANDING COMICS and ZOT! This year, Frank Miller is expected to return to The Expo, as well as two other legends within the comic book field. Neil Gaiman (Sandman) and Eddie Campbell (From Hell). As I said, bigger and better. The Expo also takes the time to recognize the talents of so many hard working creators, with the presentation of the IGNATZ award. This year will mark the third annual presentation of The Ignatz Awards, named after George Herriman's brick wielding mouse. It recognizes outstanding achievement within the comic's field, as an art form and means of personal expression. This year, the awards ceremony will be held Saturday night, September 18th in the grand ballroom of the Holiday Inn. After which, much drinking and merriment ensues, and it's a game of duck and cover. Last year, James Kochalka (Monica's Story) of Alternate Press, showed everyone that he was not just an artist, but a performance artist. During what turned out to be an "open mike" night of sorts, James proceeded to sing and undress for the crowd, bringing the house down. Well, artists need to unwind too. During the convention itself, a VERY pregnant lady proceeded to walk around the floor with her massive belly exposed, asking artists to sign and sketch on her stomach. Yep...you never know what you're going to see at The Expo. But not just the unusual will you find at this gathering. You can also expect to find budding talent from the Xeric Foundation. The Xeric Foundation founded by Peter Laird (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) supports creators with the talent, but not necessarily the cash flow to produce an extraordinary piece. Such creators granted the fund have been Linda Medley (Castle Waiting), Jeff Nicholson (Lost Laughter), Dawn Brown (Little Red Hot), Steven Blue (Red River), and Jason Little (Jack's Luck Runs Out). The Expo/SPX particularly enjoys showcasing the talent of the Xeric winners. Last year, Jason Little attended with much success. This year, another Xeric winner will be attending the show. Don Bethman, Jr. showcases his winner, PAPER CINEMA. This unusual and unique approach to sequential art and storytelling, Paper Cinema takes a live actor (Eli Wallach of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly), and throws him into three separate genre pieces. A western comic, a horror tale and a sci-fi adventure. Be sure to stop by Don's table, and check out this extraordinary comic. Also appearing at the show, will be none other than Steve Conley, creator of Astounding Space Thrills, and the genius (along with Rick Vietch) behind the online comic convention, Comicon.com. Steve Conley is the George Lucas of comics. He has combined an ages old medium with the electronic age, and turned it into a new and stunning approach of comics. Not only has he created one of the largest and best online comic sites with partner in crime Rick Vietch, he has created an online comic strip with the ability to reach thousands on a daily basis. His beautifully rendered comic, Astounding Space Thrills in not just confined to the paper and ink medium. Steve has been able to allow fans to read his daily online strips via email with a simple html code. By subscribing (free) to Astounding Space Thrills online, the server which houses the strip will automatically send you the latest adventure of Argosy Smith each and every day, right to your email account. Be sure to stop by Steve's booth (Day One Comics) when you're at The Expo! On Sunday, the Small Press Summit will once again take place. There, you can partake in some Q&A with your favorite creators. Some topics generally covered are comics and the electronic medium, getting started, working with the media, and how to distribute your book. After which, the annual softball game and pig roast will take place at a local Bethesda park. As always, The Expo/SPX will be held in conjunction with the International Comics and Animation Festival (ICAF), which is sponsored by Georgetown University and the embassies of France and Belgium. With 1998 being ICAF's fourth year, it is one of the few academic convocations in this country devoted to comics, bringing together artists, scholars, and critics from around the world. In an effort to increase retailer participation at The Expo, we have teamed up with the Professional Association of Comics Entertainment Retailers (PACER). PACER will be holding their annual convention on Thursday and Friday morning in conjunction with The Expo. Having the opportunity to continue to build relationships in the comic book industry is what will keep The Expo/SPX the number one trade show for all independent comic book publishers. It's bigger and better...it's The Expo! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Comic Abstracts John Barker jbarker@inch.com [John Barker lives and works in New York City. Comic Abstracts contains some commentary and thoughts on the comics world. http://www.inch.com/~jbarker/comic contains previous work.] SOME ITEMS BEFORE I GET BACK INTO THE SWING OF A WEEKLY COLUMN RECYCLING COMICS In June my cousin graduated from high school and had his 18th birthday. My mom asked me what she should get him. Since he is a comic fan, I recommended 'The Dark Knight Returns'. I bought him the TPB of Watchmen. What better way to initiate a newly self-actualized young adult into real world of comics? And speaking of this cousin, three years ago I made the transition from college to real world and I needed to sort my comic book collection. I ended up with a long box of comics that either I no longer wanted, didn't want to admit I owned, or had too many copies of (for various stupid and now embarrassing reasons). I couldn't just throw these away, after all, I'd shelled out my hard earned money. And it's not like any dealer would ever want them. So... I sent them to my younger cousin who was starting to collect comics. I figured it'd only be a few years before he'd realize I'd sent him a bunch of, for the most part, crap titles (Youngblood Strikefile #1, 'Terror Inc', 'Will to Power', 'Boof and the Bruise Crew', etc.) and I hope he wouldn't hold it against me. I did send him one of my Amazing Spider-Man #423, featuring Captain America appearance (a cool book, IMO) and some Bat Man issues (Knightfall, what else?). I didn't send him the worst title in my collection; Satan's Six #1. It features some of last art by Jack Kirby. It'd be one thing if the story was mediocre, but it was just horrible. It was the only book where I had to force myself to finish it... and even then I couldn't do it at one sitting. Every so often I'll glance back through it... and it's like smelling your armpit, you do it just to say "Woah! That's what stink IS". Flash forward to present day: Along with sending him Watchman, i threw in a bunch of the flotsam and jetsam from my collection. And... I thought long and hard before sending him the the 2nd worse book in my collection: "Black Flag Preview" by Dan Fraga. I had picked it up for $.25 out of morbid curiosity to see what Dan Fraga attempted to do with the name of a great a damn good band. That book is SUCH A HORRIBLE READ, I know my cousin then truly be able to know "what stink IS". Because, to paraphrase Stan Lee, there would be no good comic books if there were no bad comics books. So I'm anxious to talk to my cousin again and see what he thought of two of the greatest comic book his most recent shipment. Next year i will send him Frank Miller & Geof Darrow's "Hard Boiled" TPB. ENCOUNTER ON THE SUBWAY Recently I took the D-Train home after visiting to Jim Hanley's Universe (located at the foot of the Empire State Building). Getting on a relatively empty car, I immediately noticed the gentleman sitting across from me is Jim Salicrup. He's the man who made Spiderman the best title in the late 80's, and really did a lot of great stuff at Marvel as an editor. Earlier this decade he went to Topps, and, well, not much happened. The past spring I went to a Big Apple Con (woo woo) and ran into him there. I had a Michelenie/McFarlane ASM that I asked him to sign. That run: ASM 298-328 was one of my favorites and sported some great artwork by McFarlane (keep in mind this was in a simpler Pre-Image age). Jim was kind enough to sign it and it was fun to tell him how much I enjoyed the books he edited. PAUL ROBERT'S 'PLANETARY' REVIEW First things first: start buying and reading Planetary if you don't already. It features Warren Ellis at his peak doing the superhero genre, and some great art by John Cassaday. A while ago I wrote to editor David LeBlanc that I wasn't convinced Paul Roberts reviews the same comic books we all read, and somewhat smugly queried if Paul reviewed the books on Earth 2. Editor LeBlanc suggested I own up to my charges, which I heartily said I'd do. Time commitments got the better of me, but here it is. While I don't normally find Paul's comments or synopsizing of comic books my cup of tea, I was curious on his take of Planetary #4. Paul Robert's review of Planetary #4 is as follows: >Comments: As Jim Wilder wonders about the terrorist group 'Snowflake' >and how they got their name, everything came to perspective as how the >Multiverse is put together....like a snowflake. Warren Ellis has taken >the readers on one wild roller coaster ride with this story and I love >the way he incorporates the persona of Doc Savage in Doc Brass and >perhaps The Avenger in Elijah Snow? Or is this merely a coincidence? >I was completely taken in on how Jim is managing to handle himself as >he is now in the medical ward and must worry about his dire >circumstances that has lead him there. Jakita Wagner and her >investigative team Planetary are willing to stop watching and take some >kind of action. I am looking forward to seeing how they will deal with >situations in future issues. The Multiverse comes into play and the >realization that there is more than one Earth and multiple realities. >That an entity has sailed the 'Bleed' which is a trading ship amongst >realities and between universes and now it has crashed into this >reality. I must give a cordial bow to Warren Ellis for keeping me >enthralled with the story and to John Cassaday for delivering such >magnificent artwork that flows with the story! This is high quality >entertainment! I will agree to an extent with Roberts on his final point: it is high quality entertainment. But then, people say that about the Circus. Planetary #4 is a very well written, very well drawn superhero story that leaves you in heavy anticipation of the next issue. It uses quite a few elements from each of the past three issues and gives you a sense that things are really starting to build, and that we are still just seeing a very small part of the picture. Roberts' comments can be taken at face value, and a few sentences are worth dissecting. For example: "I was completely taken in on how Jim is managing to handle himself as he is now in the medical ward and must worry about his dire circumstances that has lead him there." How was Roberts taken in? Was he excited on how the character Jim handled himself after his ordeal? Or just was Roberts sucked into the story by how Jim made it to the medical ward? Don't you think the Planetary team was more intrigued with the events surround Jim Wilder? And he wasn't concerned with the circumstances that led him there, on the contrary his primary focus was recruiting people to help him send the spacecraft home. The synopsis by Roberts comes off more like a disconnected series of sentences. He gives no background about Planetary (for instance: "A team of three super-powered individuals: Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner, and the Drummer, who investigate the hidden secrets of the twentieth century"). I thoroughly enjoyed this issue. The dynamic between the three members of Planetary was fleshed out quite a bit as Elijah Snow showed some leadership and vision for the first time. And we see his desire to change the role of Planetary from investigative to reactive. The point that Jim Wilder wants to help save the alien spaceship, just as he stopped the mugging in the first sequence, shows he kept his humanity despite having his life changed forever. And it's left wide open at the end; there's nothing stopping Jakita Wagner and the Drummer from helping Jim Wilder pilot the ship. And Elijah's line near the end about finding a dog to flavor his coffee... I enjoyed the subtlety in Ellis' humor. Reading Roberts' account of Planetary #4 leaves you with a vague notion of what the book is actually about. Roberts "calls 'em like he sees 'em" treatment stops short of drawing any sort of conclusions on the material. In my opinion he's missed the point of his review material. There's a better sense of Roberts fiction writing to be had on jazmaonline.com, where his online comic features a truly... unique... origin story.. AND ON A FINAL NOTE Some have asked what happened to 'Comic Abstracts' this year, a column which has been a part of CBEM semi-regularly since May 1997. David Coulter suggested that this was to be "the" column of 1999 (or wait, was that "the letdown of '99", I forget which). But the answer is like this... I was working on some other stuff. -john barker http://www.inch.com/~jbarker ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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 remember reading Batman and other DC comics as a kid but I got away from them, once Marvel caught my attention. About a year or two ago at the urging of a friend I started reading Batman again, it was right after the Knightfall broken back storyline. I found that I enjoyed the stories and I really liked Kelley Jone's rendition of Batman, with the huge cape and giant pointy ears. I was quite disappointed to see Jones leave. I realize from what I read that I am in the minority on that point. I find the No Man's Land storyline to be very interesting. When I started to hear talk of the earthquake I thought what a neat idea. Tear everything away, kick the status quo in the butt, finally a story where when they say every thing changes, it does. The idea of having different creators produce different story arcs appealed to me also. Not to disparage the work that others were doing, but getting new blood into a project can be a good thing. The new writer or artist can bring a viewpoint or technique that hasn't been used before or at least in a long time. One of the sticking points in NML for some people is cutting Gotham off from the rest of the nation. The argument being that in reality the US government would never do such a thing to any community let alone a major city. I agree, in real life the federal or state government would come to the aid of a community that had suffered such an occurrence, but this isn't real life, it's fiction and in fiction the writer has the opportunity to orchestrate events in a manner that accommodates the story. How do you take a situation like a devastating earthquake and make it worse? How do you bring chaos to a society that is accustomed to order and the rule of law? One way is to not only refuse them aid, but to cut them off from any outside intervention. How can we survive if no one helps us? What happens to the society that we knew if there are no more rules? What happens when society's protectors, the police, are reduced to being just another gang fighting for turf? How do Batman, Oracle and the rest hold things together? These are all questions that exiling Gotham from the rest of the country can produce, along with how does Gotham rise from the ashes to regain it former position? I have to admit that some of the story arcs have been better that others. I thought the kick off by Bob Gale was excellent, he set the stage and gave the reader an idea of what they had to look forward to. I think that Greg Rucka and Devin Grayson have also done a fine job. I have read Rucka's Whiteout and his novel Keeper, so I am looking forward to his No Man's Land novel. I think that tying the various pieces into a whole should make for good reading. One of the best stories to come out of NML in my opinion was Batman Chronicles #18, which came out a couple weeks ago. Where Chronicles usually contains two or three stories featuring different characters, this issue consists of one story that incorporates many of the Bat characters. Spiritual Currency, written by Devin Grayson with art by Dale Eaglesham takes place at the medical field hospital that is run by Batman's old family friend, Doctor Leslie Thompkins. This is a story that goes to the heart of right and wrong, trust and betrayal and ultimately good and evil. It also addresses the question of what a hero is and how heroics can take different directions. In addition to the aforementioned Dr. Thompkins, the story features Batman, Huntress, Killer Croc, the serial killer Zsasz, Officer Pettit, his men and I can't forget Mikey, the former Black Mask henchman. Grayson did a good job with this cast of diverse characters, the motivation and character of each was clearly shown and no one, except for possibly Batman overshadowed anyone else. As No Man's Land heads to a conclusion I am curious as to how the hinted at new and improved Gotham is achieved. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] VENTING MY SPLEEN David Groenewegen david.groenewegen@lib.monash.edu.au [David Groenewegen is 30, a librarian and sadly addicted to comics. He has been reading them since before he could read, and plans to keep on doing so. His first trip out of the house with his infant son was to a comic shop. Can't start 'em too young. ] I've had some mail about the column I wrote last week about Chris Claremont. Let me address some criticisms to save those of you who haven't written in yet the effort. 1. I'm a "senseless basher" of something I don't like. Hey, I read all those books. Call me an old-fashioned, but I only read books I like. I think there were many good things about the X- MEN, but I also think Claremont's work was seriously flawed to the point where I no longer felt I could enjoy his work. 2. I haven't read enough of his work to criticise him. I'm sorry, but 100+ issues is the equivalent of nearly nine years worth of monthly publication. To say that I have to read EVERYTHING he's written is to support my argument that he didn't write in a style that welcomed the new reader. And these were Claremont's prime years (early to late 80's), the ones where he was king at Marvel and major fanboy favourite. 3. Claremont wrote good exposition, but I was too dense to notice, and exposition is boring to the long time reader anyway. You're backing me up here - I felt his exposition was poor (and I can follow most monthly books, thanks), so he wasn't doing a good job with me, was he? Good exposition doesn't mean "3 pages of boring rehash at the start of every issue". The best writers blend it seamlessly so that you only notice it when you re-read a lot of books in succession. And the skewing of the books towards the interest of the long time reader is exactly what I was complaining about. It makes it hard to get new readers. Can we agree that new readers is what we all need? But this trend, started by Claremont (in my estimation), has permeated most mainstream titles. I don't think it's good for comics. 4. I don't know enough X-men continuity. Fair call, I haven't read any of those issues in ten years. Have no interest in doing so either. These are my recollections of the reading experience, for a range of issues whose rough numbers I listed in the previous column. Details are not necessarily what I was shooting for. I was giving my take on my experiences. 5. Name some names/issues for your claims: Dead people who came back to life, (that spring to mind): Xavier, Karma, Cypher. The whole Inferno thing (that was the one where New York was turned into hell, and everyone died, wasn't it? Only they didn't die). I don't blame him for Jean Grey (and I didn't write that anywhere either). But then again Jim Shooter ordered her killed off in the first place. The original script (and art) showed her surviving. Women in their undies/fetish gear, beyond the normal long underwear tradition: Storm, White Queen, Black Queen, and didn't Rachel/Phoenix sport a fetching leather bodysuit with metal studs and a collar? Issues where there seemed no link to the previous one: sorry, can't remember issue numbers after 10 years. I do strongly recall having that feeling on a number of occasions, however. It was worse in the second year of EXCALIBUR as I recall. 6. X-men are a metaphor for racism/prejudice, not teen angst Sure, there's merit in the argument that he was doing that. Doesn't make my view any less true. I think that the fact that most of the X-Men were teenagers is one of the key points here, especially given that their powers hit them at puberty. This is where I draw my idea of audience identification from. And when it comes to teen angst versus appeals for tolerance, bet I know which one sells better. 7. Teenagers are not the only comics readers. Lots of adults read the X-MEN. True. But before X-MEN comics were actually aimed primarily at pre- teens, the expectation being that most teenagers "grew out of them" (not my view, but the industry's). In the eighties this began to shift, and the X-MEN were a big part of that shift. Unfortunately there has been a steady aging of the comic buying population ever since, partly because it is hard to attract new readers (note the persistent rumour that all the X-books are about to be rebooted to make them more accessible, and produce new #1s), and the old readers are so demanding about continuity etc. I said in my previous column: "I have no problem with comics playing the teenage wish fulfillment card" - but I do object to the fact that most mainstream books are skewed towards teenage values, despite the fact that they are mostly read by adults, and we need more kids. 8. I overdid it with some of my statements Yes, I did overstate a couple of points to get my feelings across. My recollection was that Claremont got Cyclops and Marvel Girl together as a couple. Wrong (although he did marry them). The Xavier school was only destroyed totally once, but large parts of it were reduced to rubble often. Some characters may have experienced some growth (Storm, Wolverine and Kitty were all mentioned, but no others), but my personal feeling was that those changes were superficial. If you were convinced by them, fine. Storm was also cited often a strong female role model, but that was by men, so obviously our opinions vary there. There were other exaggerations, caused more by faulty memory than malice. Mea culpa. But I stand by the essence of MY views (and you may think differently, but this is my column, not yours) - Claremont, for all his popularity, was an average writer who was in the right place at the right time, and his tenure on the X-books did more harm to comics than good. At its most basic level, this can be charted by the fact that far less people read mainstream comics now than ever before. This is due to many structural problems, and many completely unrelated elements. But I believe that the desperation to emulate Claremont's success ultimately crippled Marvel, and comics in general. Finally, let me say how disappointed I have been by the rudeness of some of the mail I got. I've been called, among other things, ignorant, a liar, hapless and a stirrer. One person berated me for perpetuating the fanboy geek stereotype while implying I must be a geek because I'm a librarian (way to shoot yourself in the foot!). Let's try and keep it dignified, shall we? David Groenewegen davidhar@lib.monash.edu.au ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] Stranger in a Strange Land Jennifer M. Contino Jencomx3@aol.com [Jennifer M. Contino is 27 and a life-long lover of comics books and super heroes! While most girls were playing with Barbies and watching cute little shows, she was playing with Mego's and watching the Superfriends and any other super hero show she could find on the television! NOW almost 19 years later she owns over 26000 comics, has written some interviews for SEQUENTIAL TART--the online e-zine, is a frequently published letter of comment writer and is the official HOST of the DC COMICS chats on AOL! She is pursuing work in the comics field at DC and is trying to start her own independent comics company!] "SAY NO TO DRUGS!" Nice slogan, but I don't know if I would have really followed it if it hadn't been for the comic book stories I read which dealt with drug and alcohol addiction. The New Teen Titans was my favorite comic title and the issues with the drug dealer NEW TEEN TITANS # 26 and 27 were strongly etched in my mind when my best friend arrived at my house with a bag of colored pills encouraging me to "try one for a HIGH you will never forget!" YOU see . . . I was never given the "drug" talk by my folks. I didn't really know the dangers or the addictions or how messed up you could get from taking drugs. I guess my parents thought I was too young or were waiting. I'm not sure. I don't even know if I would have listened to my parents or even been influenced by their words. I DO know, however, that the image of that boy sweating, imagining bugs all over his body, then getting killed by the car plastered in my mind. Then the senseless death of those other teens all trying to get some of that "white stuff." Those two issues affected me more than a talk mom or dad would have given me, because at that point in time the COMICS were more real to me than life could ever be. I mean, what 12 year old wants to listen to their parents? After a while in that tone of voice you just zone out, nod your head a lot, and pray that the lecture will be done soon. However, when a hero is killed or you see someone young like that die it becomes real. More real to me, because I relate to comics. Comics are not 'preaching' to me. Comics are my 'friend.' The New Teen Titans was my favorite comic on the market and seeing them feeling helpless like most of us feel faced with a problem that is more of a plague than anything else just brings it all home. Marv Wolfman is one of my favorite writers and his work with George Perez is some of the best i've ever seen. I miss their collaboration on comics! I'm glad that they were not afraid of non comics approved and that they published those issues... or else who knows if I would have really believed and said NO to drugs! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts silhouet9@aol.com [Paul promotes amateur and professional comic book artwork, scripts, storylines, and unpublished comic books with a newsletter called the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter. Its website is at Jazma Comic Book Newsletter Productions at http://www.jazmaonline.com/ He is also a prominent letter hack, as anyone who reads comic letter pages would know. He is in production of his own self-published comic book called The Legendary Dark Silhouette and has copyrighted over 600 characters for his Jazma Universe.] M.O.E. Sidenote: New on the racks at Broadway Comics & Cards are the following: The Redeemer #18 by Warhammer Monthly, Neon Cyber #2 by Image, Dark Utopia by Timothy B. Vigil, Raw Media #4 by Avatar, Klor 2 of 3 by Sirius and a whole lot more! For more information on the above-mentioned titles or anything else comic book related, please feel free to email Wilson Lew, owner of Broadway Comics & Cards at: wilsonlew@sprintmail.com Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time.... Name: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #4 of 6 Publisher: America's Best Comics Written by: Alan Moore Drawn by: Kevin O'Neill & Benedict Dimagmaliw Price: $2.95 Comments: Is the populace truly in safe hands with these so-called extraordinary gentlemen? When Nemo considers that one who plays games with him, play games of destruction. Mr. Campion Bond needs to tread lightly around Nemo. Again, I ask is the populace safe? With Griffin aka the Invisible Man ruthlessly slices the big Chinese guy's throat. Then if this isn't savage enough, we have the big nasty Edward Hyde showing his most hideous, horrifying side in all of its terrifying glory as he rips into bodies with a strange delight. Seeing body parts thrown about in a ghastly manner left a bad taste in my mouth. The only thing that shifted my thought patterns was seeing the queer device, known as the Cavorite. What hellish nightmare will this bring about and how and where was it created? The funny part of this story was seeing Jekyll talking with Griffin and it appears that he has gone mad and is simply talking to himself. I still can't get over the way Hyde loses control. Ahh...now, I can direct my thoughts to elsewhere in this gothic adventure, as the waterous escape was quite spectacular and how it was accomplished was an amazing feat! I was startled, as must have Campion Bond been startled, as what we thought was Mycroft Holmes is actually James...but James who? Alan Moore has the story moving like a bucking bronco and I can't seem to get my lasso around it. Kevin O'Neill has the right touch to the artwork, in which it sends the reader back into this time period with ease. Congrats to both Alan & Kevin for making this series an adventurous one, with many marvels and delights. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 4 of 6 was quite intriguing....quite intriguing indeed. M.O.E. Sidenote: Today at A1 Comics, I found these extraordinary comic books on their racks: Ace McCoy by America's Comic Group, Alley Oop #1 by Antarctic Press, The Lonely War of Willy Schultz by America's Comic Group, ACG Presents Weird #1, Roland - Days of Wrath, The Monstermen by Gary Gianni and much, much more! For more information, you can contact Brian Peets, owner of A1 Comics at: A1Comics@quiknet.com Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time..... Name: The Hero Defined Mage #14 Publisher: Image Written and Drawn by: Matt Wagner Price: $2.50 Comments: Man, as the conclusion gets closer, I was left flabbergasted at all the things that are coming to a head! Kevin Matchstick's vision comes to play and his feeling of déjà vu is strong. He thinks they are in an arena and he was so right. Dealing with one of the five Grackleflint brothers is enough; to deal with all 5 would be disastrous! Especially, if they hold some of Kevin's powers. The encounter with Pale Incanter was horrific enough, but having the Man-Mountain of Dzoxk on their behinds was most terrifying! This is not the right time to have discord amongst the heroic three, as the greatest battle Kevin has ever fought is taking place against the Man-Mountain! There were hardly any light moments in this epic story of monumental proportions, but I did get a kick out of seeing Sigmund and Ignatz zooming around in their flying skateboards. Grim reminder that this story is reaching the end, as Kevin's bat is destroyed and his friend is now dead and he seems to blame himself. What a shocking scene to see Kevin on the brink of madness, as he tries to bring his friend back to life. Kevin is going through some agonizing times and how he will pull out of this, is anyone's guess. The Hero Defined Mage #14 left me in awe and wonderment. I really don't know how this story will end. After I finished reading #14, I had the story linger with me for quite sometime. I'm sort of in a state of shock right now. Looking forward to the conclusion, but don't want to see this series end. Now now, not ever. Name: A Shadowlander's Dream: Chapter One: A Faraway Place Issues 1 & 2 Publisher: Kat & Neko Manga Story and Art by: Kathryn Williams Price: $2.50 Comments: In Chapter One: Kurisu Taru says in the introduction: "I thought today would be just a normal first week of a new semester, but a new girl, Kima Hitarino, arrives at Higashi Junior High and all hell broke loose. Friends became enemies as an unknown force from a world of shadow came looking for Kima only to mistakenly attack my best friend, Jenn Kitano, who opened an unbreakable link between her and the new kid. I arrived just in time to give Jenn a chance to run off and warn Kima, only she interrupted a fight between Kima and her father, which ended explosively. This has been one hell of a day, what more could go wrong?" This is what Paul says: I will have to say that these two chapters are dramatic and inspirational. The stories have strong human elements underlined with heartfelt meaning. Kathryn Williams has not only proven herself as a storyteller, but has honed her skills as a reputable Manga artist. The artwork is done with a high quality of flair. Her skill as a talented artist shows in each panel. She has a great bio on each character that you will find in Chapter Two. Let's meet some of these characters: Kima: She stumbled upon the shadowlands 5 years ago, only now is remembering. Jenn: Wishing to become friends with Kima she looked into her mind and saw more than she wanted to know. Kurisu: A friend of Jenn, who is turning out to be much more. Leinala: Was the second person to meet Kima the first time she came to the shadowlands. Neko: Half cat. The first to meet Kima in the shadowlands. Ami: Daughter of the Innkeeper at which Neko and Alyson are currently staying. Alyson: Traveling companion of Neko, who was recently shot. For some good adventurous stories, done Manga style, check out these chapters. To order, you can contact Kathryn at: Email: neko_haruka@hotmail.com or website: http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/Shadowlander or trusty snail mail at: Kathryn Williams, 505-160 Emery Street W. London, Ontario N6J 3W3 Canada Also, hurry your order, because these issues have limited colored covers and the colors will dazzle you! Name: Spirit of the Tao #12 Publisher: Top Cow Written by: D-Tron Drawn by: Bill Tan/pencils Price: $2.50 Comments: Let's get talking about Spirit of the Tao #12! I think I'm for the Tao all the way. Why? Easy, if most human beings are like Mutt who receives immense enjoyment of killing a 70 year old woman for twenty bucks and raping her too, then let the Tao bring on Mother Earth and end humankind. But, of course this is only a comic book and most people are civilized, as long as you don't watch the news. The strongest form of sexual harassment was depicted in this story as the waitress is fondled by a bunch of low grade drifters. I was expecting one of the low lifes to start whistling and yelling "puppies!" like King Lawler of WWF Wrestling does. Now Jasmine is completely out of control as she does a mass slaughtering of humans. This was total carnage and a full scale massacre! Mutt having a lucky day? Ha! I don't think so. Mutt loses his hand after he faces off with the power of the Tao. I was cheering his pain! Jasmine goes on a rampage, she definitely has a "kill them all" attitude. As this story continues, Mother Earth will destroy the virus and that virus is known as man. Some Indians believe that the Earth is a living entity and if mankind keeps harming the environment, Mother Earth will retaliate, this is all becoming a reality in Spirit of the Tao! Jasmine is relating this message and mankind does not heed her warning. Jaime on the other hand is being told to become one with the Tao and she is rejecting this idea. And Menicus is ready to end Tao with evil intentions, only to become the Tao. Menicus seeks ultimate power and that's scary. What a dramatic entrance that was depicted at the ending of this story. The entrance of The Queen of the Moiri Clan....for Mother Earth! Spectacular, dazzling and the story moved like water rushing from a broken dam! High charged and energized! Name: The Tick and Arthur #4 Publisher: NEC Comics Press Written and Drawn by: Ben Edlund Price: $3.50 Comments: Enjoyed the comic book / catalog format of The Tick and Arthur #4! As I moved away from the catalog and got into the story, I got a kick out of the conversation about superhero careers and if superheroing was just a passing phase like banjo and dance lessons. Ha! Not to Arthur! Tick & Arthur think they can further their careers by joining a super team. That all depends, as long as there are no prima donnas, like Superman & Batman are to the JLA. But, knowing The Tick he will always be a prima donna of sorts, as Arthur stays back from the limelight. Arthur has that accountant mentality. What does Arthur and Mr. T of the A-Team have in common? Easy, the fear of flying and to know that Arthur's suit is able to give him the ability to fly and knowing that Arthur is scared of flying is absolutely nuts! As Mr. T would say..."I pity the fool!" No matter where The Tick and Arthur go, things get weird. Watch out, county fair, things won't be normal again! Great entertainment as The Tick and Arthur encounter their reverse alter-egos and wager with Skeeball on either learning everything about Arthur's suit or learn about true superheroing. As Austin Powers has "Mini-Me", The Tick has "Evil-Me". The chasing the pig fiasco was something out of Keystone Kops! Just to think, this whole mess started because they were looking for the milk carton missing boy! Nice touch as Arthur and Chet get somewhat close on the ferris wheel. A nice happy ending to a hilarious story! Make sure to check out their website at: http://www.necomics.com Name: Para Troop #0 Publisher: Comics Conspiracy Written by: Doug Miers Drawn by: David Birdsong Price: $3.95 Comments: 48 pages that place Willow in the spotlight! Majestic story that leaves the reader hungry for more! Interesting perspectives come to play, as a saucer is 80 feet across, but the corridors inside run for miles. Man is aware of 3 dimensions, but what if many other dimensions exist and that's why those corridors run for miles within an 80-foot width sized saucer? Doug sets the story up in such a way; it has the reader thinking about endless possibilities. What was funny with the mentioning of the saucer, is that this saucer is filled with technology, but where are the TVs and couches? Willow, shows her innocence and doesn't quite grasp of what is occurring around her surroundings. Her childlike qualities come out, as she creates fireflies from the air. The artwork in this comic book is exceptionally detailed and painstaking hard work was done to complete this gem. While Max looks for entertainment as he searches for a holodeck. Willow is dizzyingly watching Quim (the gray alien) out in space socializing with other grays. She says that Quim is out playing and the question is asked of her..."how can Quim be out playing, when were cruising near Saturn?" Willow, doesn't lie, and the reality is that Quim is out in the middle of space with other grays. In this story, we learn that grays are unisex, they are neither female nor male. Encounter of a time traveler is set in motion and Willow gives the time traveler a hard time as the time traveler is placed directly into their time period. You will see how a young Willow encounters a gray for the first time. The incredible mystical properties of neylines are discussed and Willow performs a miracle without realizing it! Willow may be schizophrenic, but she has god like qualities. As this story progresses, the excitement builds. When Stanley Kubrick wrote "2001 - A Space Odyssey", he landed a hit. When Doug Miers wrote the beginnings of Para Troop, little did he know that he was writing a science fiction marvel that can be compared to the ingenious plots of 2001! Brilliant, masterful and crafty! To contact Doug, he can be reached by email at: Doug@comicsconspiracy.com ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] New Comic Book Releases List [NCRL] by Charles LePage ncrl@mediaone.net +++WINNER OF THE 1996 REC.ARTS.COMICS.* "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE+++ http://www.jacksonville.net/~ncrl New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, 9/22/1999, compiled by Charles LePage with information from Suncoast Comics. This is the *preliminary* list and is not complete. The completed list is posted weekly, usually Monday evening, at rec.arts.comics.info, http://www.jacksonville.net/~ncrl, and Compuserve's Comics Publishers Forum. "TPB" = "trade paperback". "GN" = "graphic novel". "AA" = "available again". "SC" = "softcover". "HC" = "hardcover". "S/N" = "signed/numbered". "AR" = "ask retailer about price". PUBLISHER TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER, PRICE IN U.S. DOLLARS AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Gloom Cookie #2, 2.95 Lenore #6, 2.95 Mister Blank #11, 2.95 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Archie & Friends #38, 1.79 Betty & Veronica #142, 1.79 Betty & Veronica Double Digest #84, 2.99 Sonic The Hedgehog #77, 1.79 AWESOME ENTERTAINMENT Lionheart #1, 2.99 BONGO COMICS Bart Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror #5, 3.50 CLAYPOOL COMICS Elvira #77, 2.50 CPM MANGA Call Me Princess #5, 2.95 Frontier Line #1, 2.95 Lodoss War Lady Of Pharis #6, 2.95 Martian Successor Nadesico #2, 2.95 Record Of Lodoss War Grey Witch Book One, 15.95 CROSS PLAINS COMICS Robert E Howard A Short Biography, 14.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Blade Of The Immortal Heart Of Darkness (3 Of 8) #37, 2.95 DC COMICS Batman #571, 1.99 Body Doubles #2 (Of 4) (resolicited), 2.50 Books Of Faerie Mollys Story #3 (Of 4), 2.50 Catwoman Guardian Of Gotham #2 (Of 2), 5.95 Day Of Judgement #4 (Of 5), 2.50 Deathblow By Blows #1 (Of 3), 2.95 Dreaming #42, 2.50 Flash Secret Files #2, 4.95 Hitman #43, 2.50 Law (Living Assault Weapons) #3 (Of 6), 2.50 Robin #70, 1.99 Speed Racer #2 (Of 3), 2.50 Starman Medium Statue, 89.95 Strange Adventures #1 (Of 4), 2.50 Supergirl #38, 1.99 Superman Collectors Ed #150, 3.95 Superman In The Sixties TPB, 19.95 Superman Standard Ed #150, 2.95 FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS Champs, 12.95 IMAGE COMICS Adventures Of Evil & Malice #2, 3.50 Aria Blanc & Noir #2, 2.50 Ascension #19, 2.50 Blue #1, 2.50 Cosmic Ray #2, 2.95 Crow #8, 2.50 Cygor #3, 2.50 Deadlands One Shot, 6.95 Duncans Kingdom #1, 2.95 Forever Amber #3 (Of 4), 2.25 Kiss Psycho Circus Vol 2 Destroyer TPB, 9.95 Savage Dragon #66, 2.50 MARVEL COMICS Avengers Domination Factor #1.2 (Of 4), 2.50 Bishop The Last X-Man Cover A #2, 1.99 Bishop The Last X-Man Cover B #2, 1.99 Deadpool #34, 1.99 Earth X #8 (Of 12), 2.99 Gambit #10, 1.99 Webspinners Tales Of Spider-Man #11, 2.50 X-51 #4, 1.99 X-Men #94, 2.99 X-Men Children Of The Atom #1 (Of 6), 2.99 ONI PRESS INC. Jenny Finn #2 (Of 4), 2.95 PEREGRINE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Independent Voices #2, 2.95 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Black & White #2 (Of 5), 3.25 Night Warriors Darkstalkers Revenge GN, 15.95 Pokemon Part 3 Electric Pikachu Boogaloo #3 (Of 4), 2.95 Ranma 1/2 Part 8 #6 (Of 13), 2.95 magazines Comic Shop News 100Ct Bundle #640, AR Comic Shop News Fall Preview, AR NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD RELEASE DATE NEW RELEASE DATE DC COMICS Batgirl Mini-Statue MAY990313 09/22 09/29 Battle Chasers: A Gath. Of Heroes HC 10/13 10/20 Crimson Sourcebook #1 09/29 10/27 Crisis On Inf. Earths Medium Statue 10/20 10/27 Danger Girl Door Poster 03/10 TBA Darkchylde: The Legacy #4 08/04 TBA Deathblow: Sinners And Saints TPB 10/06 10/13 Divine Intervention: Gen13 08/25 09/29 Divine Right #12 09/29 10/20 Dreams Of The Darkchylde #0 06/16 TBA DV8 #32 09/22 10/06 Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 06/30 TBA Gon Underground 09/22 09/29 Hellblazer #142 08/25 09/29 Mr. Majestic #3 09/22 10/06 Planetary #6 07/28 10/06 Planetary #7 10/13 11/10 Promethea #4 09/22 10/20 Promethea #5 10/27 11/17 Speed racer #3 10/13 10/20 Tom Strong #5 08/25 10/13 Tom Strong #6 10/06 11/17 *Please Note: These dates are tentative. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [12] HYPE! Section Various DORK TOWER #7 November/December, 1999 _______________________________________ Shipping November 15 from Corsair Publishing "A Very Dorky Christmas" Get into the holiday spirit with fanboy fun, Dorky goodness and more pages than ever packed into this expanded special issue! Matt, Ken and Igor have to get through the holiday knowing their favorite game system has just been canceled. Oh, the humanity! PLUS, get ready for "Dork Tower: Dealer's Doom," the way-cool free 3-D board game created by those maniacs at MicroTactix Games! And if that's not enough, we've got more pages of Christmastime chaos with a very special DORK TOWER backup appearance by Aaron Williams' hilarious NODWICK, straight from the pages of Dragon Magazine! Get ready for issue #7 of the critically acclaimed, best selling and ever-popular DORK TOWER! And be on the lookout for the reprint of DORK TOWER #1! Sold out for months, now's your chance to see how it all began! Bonus all-new cover for those who seek such things! Creator: John Kovalic john@kovalic.com Publisher: Corsair Publishing (contact: Jon Leitheuser) (608) 833-8911, corsairj@itis.com Release Date: November 15, 1999 +++++ Avatar Press PRODUCTS SHIPPING: December 1999 If you have any problems or questions on any of the information, or need any graphics, please e-mail William Christensen, Editor in Chief, Avatar Press at avatar@net66.com. AVENGELYNE / PANDORA Retail Price: $3.50 US Cover: Rick Lyon Writers: Christensen, Seifert Artist: Rick Lyon Readership: All Ages Format: Full color , 32 pages, one shot PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Two years in the planning, Awesome's Avenging Angel meets Avatar's Girl of Myth! The coolest crossover of the century is happening now and in full color! When demonic activity breaks out at a holy temple in Mexico, Avengelyne and Pandora end up face-to-face thinking the other is responsible. But can the sexy sirens stop fighting in time to put down a cult of demons that are powered by the blood of Lucifer? Rick Lyon provides the stunning pencils on a book you don't want to miss! AVENGELYNE / PANDORA (Previews Exclusive cover) Retail Price: $3.50 US Cover: Tim Vigil Writers: Christensen, Seifert Artist: Rick Lyon Readership: All Ages Format: Full color , 32 pages, one shot PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The master of mayhem Tim Vigil provides the cover for this previews Exclusive edition! AVENGELYNE / PANDORA VELVET COVER Retail Price: $25.00 US Cover: Rick Lyon Writers: Christensen, Seifert Artist: Rick Lyon Readership: All Ages Format: Full color , 32 pages, one shot PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: A stunning red velvet cover limited to only 700 copies! STRANGE KISS #2 Retail Price: $3.00 US Cover: Mike Wolfer Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Mike Wolfer Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W , 32 pages, monthly (2 of 3) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The most anticipated series of the year kicks and screams its way into a second issue that promises to be more horrific than the first. Warren Ellis continues to redefine the bleeding edge by making your worst nightmares seem pleasant compared to the true terror he unleashes on the page. In this issue, a soldier and a police pathologist have fallen into the worst secret in the world through different doors. And now, they're locked inside it; trapped in a place where bodies pile, horror mounts, and the dark edges of the world can be seen a world becoming a sick breeding pen. STRANGE KISS #2 Wraparound cover Retail Price: $3.95 US Cover: Mike Wolfer Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Mike Wolfer Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W , 32 pages, monthly (2 of 3) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Mike Wolfer once again cuts loose on an insane wraparound cover. FAUST HORNBOOK '99 Retail Price: $4.95 US Cover: Tim Vigil Writer: David Quinn Artists: Tim Vigil Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W, 48 pages, one shot PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The definitive guide to the universe of Faust, 777: The Wrath and the other twisted creations of David Quinn and Tim Vigil. Featuring twisted background information on the cast of characters, summaries of all the books to date, the most revealing interviews with David Quinn and Tim Vigil to date, checklists of all the variants, and much, much more. The Faust Hornbook lets you break the seal on the writer's flesh bound notebooks and peer into the artist's vaults. Know the characters and stories as you have never known it before, and learn the last secrets...before it is too late. This unique product is a must for die-hard Quinn/Vigil fans as well as anyone interested in the collaborative process of comic arts on the bleeding edge. FAUST HORNBOOK '99 HARDCOVER Retail Price: $29.95 US Cover: Tim Vigil Writer: David Quinn Artists: Tim Vigil Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W, 48 pages, one shot, hardcover PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Get a permanent edition of the definitive Quinn and Vigil reference tool for your bookshelf. Limited to only 250 copies. THRESHOLD #23 - RAVENING cover Retail Price: $4.95 US Cover: David Boller (painted) Writers: Christensen, Seifert, Dante Artists: Sean Shaw, Jacen Burrows, Dante Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: We unleash one of our best issues to date starting with a Ravening story with art by Jacen Burrows and covers by David Boller and Tim Vigil! Ravyn and Glyph have their hands full when they face off against assassins who's blood is poison to vampires! Fauna springs from the pages of the Cavewoman color special into the first of her own short stories with art by the dino-master, Sean Shaw! After more the three years in the making, we proudly present the return of Dream Wolves in an all-new story. Get sucked into the stunning painted pages as the main characters are introduced in a vicious tale that serves as a perfect starting place. THRESHOLD #23 -FAUNA cover Retail Price: $4.95 US Cover: Sean Shaw Writers: Christensen, Seifert, Dante Artists: Sean Shaw, Jacen Burrows, Dante Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series THRESHOLD #23 - DREAM WOLVES cover Retail Price: $4.95 US Cover: Dante Writers: Christensen, Seifert, Dante Artists: Sean Shaw, Jacen Burrows, Dante Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series THRESHOLD #23 - RAVENING Nude cover Retail Price: $6.00 US Cover: TIM VIGIL Writers: Christensen, Seifert, Dante Artists: Sean Shaw, Jacen Burrows, Dante Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series WIDOW X #8 Retail Price: $4.95 US Cover: Mike Wolfer Writer/Artist: Mike Wolfer Readership: Adults Only Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Things heat up in the New Mexico desert as Emma and Drew finally consummate their mutual lusts, while Father Love's true intentions are revealed under the voyeuristic gaze of Rissk in all-new XXX action! Mike Wolfer's erotic horror opus continues at a blistering monthly pace! WIDOW X #8 XXX cover Retail Price: $6.00 US Cover: Mike Wolfer Writer/Artist: Mike Wolfer Readership: Adults Only Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series STRANGE KISS #1 Signed Leather cover Retail Price: $29.95 US Cover: Mike Wolfer Writer: Warren Ellis Artist: Mike Wolfer Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W , 32 pages, monthly (1 of 3) PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The first Warren Ellis signed book in years! This special edition, with a leather-composite cover limited to just 350 copies, features the signatures of Warren Ellis, artist Mike Wolfer, and grey tone artist Dan Parsons. RAZOR/RAVENING #1 EXPANDED EDITION Retail Price: $5.00 US Cover: Sean Shaw Writers: William Christensen and Mark Seifert Artist: Sean Shaw Readership: Adults only Format: B&W, 40 pages, one shot PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The pages that were too hot to include in the first edition! Sean Shaw turned in eight pages that were blistering hot, and we just didn't feel comfortable including them in the general edition. But with stunning art like this, we certainly didn't want them to be unseen by the adult audience they deserve. Razor and Ravyn burn up the sheets in eight all-new pages included in the story that you won't find anywhere else! Limited to only 1500 copies! RAZOR/RAVENING #1 EXPANDED Adult cover Retail Price: $6.00 US Cover: Sean Shaw Writers: William Christensen and Mark Seifert Artist: Sean Shaw Readership: Adults only Format: B&W, 40 pages, one shot PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Limited to only 1000 copies. CUDA #0 Prism foil (PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE) MSRP: $12.95 US Net Cost to Diamond: $6.00 Cover: Tim Vigil Writer/Artist: Tim Vigil Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W, 80 pages, one shot PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Previews Exclusive! This special edition of Cuda #0 features a stunning Prism foil logo cover and is limited to only 500 copies. CUDA - THE BOX SET MSRP: $99.95 US Net Cost to Diamond: $45.00 Covers: Tim Vigil Writer / Artist: Tim Vigil Readership: Mature Readers Format: B&W, 18 books in an illustrated box PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: This is the chance you have been waiting for! If you missed out on Tim Vigil's sold-out, maximum sword-and-sorcery carnage, masterpiece, Cuda, here is you chance to get every cover produced! All five #1 covers (including the leather), all three #2 covers, all three #3 covers, all three #4 covers, all three #0 covers + the rare Cuda B.C. from Rebel studios all inside one box! This special box is limited to just 100 sets. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights and the Comic Book Network BBS system. 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Information about the Comic Book Network of computer bulletin board systems and how to join can be found on our internet homepage at: http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - End of another Issue .. GIVE A KID A COMIIC TODAY! Tell me what you need, and I'll tell you how to get along without it.