---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 235 10/15/99 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com FREE VIA EMAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 1995 ______________________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net ............................ David LeBlanc [2] Letters to the Editor ................. Your Page! [3] TRIVIA CONTEST ........................ Win *real* prizes! [4] Network Buzz .......................... News, gossip & rumors [5] Ramblings `99 ......................... Rich Johnston [6] Too Old For Comic Books?!? ............ Johnny Gonzales [7] Independent Voices .................... Rich Henn [8] And let me tell you why ............... David Coulter [9] Stranger In A Strange Land ............ Jennifer M. Contino [10] Venting My Spleen ..................... David Groenewegen [11] Comic Abstracts ....................... John Barker [12] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [13] My View:GEEKSVILLE .................... David LeBlanc [14] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [15] 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 I give up! I have no idea when or how the mail gets through to AOL, or now why it does not get to other sites. Last week #234 made it through like a hot knife through butter. The week before we had all kinds of problems - not only to AOL but many other places. Just can't figure it out. One item in our news this week is the closing of MARVELMANIA Restaurant at Universal City in Hollywood, Ca. Some of you may remember, that the summer before last I visited that establishment and recounted my chat with Captain America and Spider-Man while having a free beverage courtesy of the clumsy wait staff that dropped our meals and had to start all over. The food was typical pub fare, very fattening and over-priced; but the once-in-a-lifetime experience of this humble comic fan from the East Coast will be remembered for many years to come. Maybe Marvel has no business being in this kind of enterprise, but I've got that picture of me posing with a life-sized Incredible Hulk statue to savor an all time great vacation. Still doesn't beat the Grand Canyon though! And not much beats this week's comics: ACCLAIM COMICS Armorines Vol 2 #1 (Of 4), 3.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Sin City Hell And Back #4 (Of 9), 2.95 DC COMICS Batman No Man's Land #0, 4.95 Batman The Long Halloween TPB, 19.95 Hourman #9, 2.50 Legionnaires #78, 2.50 Tom Strong #5, 2.95 MARVEL COMICS Iron Man #23, 1.99 ONI PRESS INC. Jay & Silent Bob #4 (Of 4), 2.95 THREE FINGER PUBLICATIONS Geeksville #2, 2.75 <--- Pick of the week MAGAZINES Comic Book Profiles #8: Chris Claremont, 2.99 On the other hand, I just got a message from Netcom/Mindspring this evening - because I am allowed to send Email to more than the usual amount of people per message. Starting October 19 they are going to finally take a more positive action to stop SPAM that is being relayed through their servers - a common cause for other ISPs to refuse any mail with a Netcom origin. What will happen is that only people with Netcom/Mindspring accounts will be able to send mail from their servers AND that person will have to dial in to that server - not relay mail from another service. If you can relay THROUGH a server it is more difficult for the owner of that server to do anything about it, difficult but not impossible. By going to the more restricted, members directly connected only outgoing mail service they will be able to stop any Spam by cutting off the offenders' accounts. Hopefully this will be welcomed by those systems currently blocking netcom mail. Anyone who used to get the Emag via Email but was informed by me that their service refuses Netcom mail should check back next weekend and ask their ISP to lift the ban. It is still their decision but customer prompting won't hurt. Reverse the curse - GO RED SOX! 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: PR: THE SCARY BOOK ships! From: rmann@kakuta.com (Roland Mann) Just in time to laugh yourself to death, THE SCARY BOOK from Silverline ships out to distributors! The 104 page Trade Paperback written by horror novelist Sidney Williams left the printer on friday, October 8th and should be in stores in time for Halloween. For more on THE SCARY BOOK, ask your local retailer or visit the SILVERLINE web site: http://www.kakuta.com/silverline THE SCARY BOOK The devil's spell book meant only for accomplished sorcerers goes on sale in a neighborhood bookstore. Soon the most inept of magicians are conjuring the demons of hell to do their bidding. The world is thrown into surreal chaos. Worse, the devil's demons are all out on assignment, and he is left with no one to run hell. So, he orders innocent bookstore clerk Marty Applegate to track down the spell book or face eternal torment. He is aided by the beautiful Crimson, and the two-bit actor who speaks in third person. 96 pages, black and white interiors. $12.95 "The Scary Book features cunningly creative and fiendishly funny writing (filled with lots of insidious in-jokes--read carefully) and maliciously maleficent Mad-quality art (filled with lots of hilarious hidden treasures--look closely)." -C. Dean Andersson, novelist +++++ Subj: Comic Book Display Units Date: 10/13/99 2:01:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: BCEMYLAR@CWIXMAIL.COM (BILL COLE ENTERPRISES, INC.) For the past year, we have received many requests for some type of a clear wall unit to display comic books and magazines. Many of you probably remember the "Showcase Sealer". There were four sizes of the "Sealer" ranging from current to magazine size. Since the manufacturer is no longer in business, we need samples of those four sizes so new designs can be made and manufactured. Please e-mail us if you have any. Of course we will send them back to you after we are completed with this project. As an added incentive, we will send free units to those who send us the samples. Please do not send anything until you hear from us. Thanks for your help. Bill Cole Enterprises PO Box 60 Randolph, MA 02368-0060 781-986-2653 FAX 781-986-2656 +++++ Subj: Michael Silberkleit and Bill C Kropfhauser From: astro@game-master.com (Paul Stock) CC: bill.kropfhauser@gte.net Sirs: May I start by saying that I am a liberal. I believe in freedom of speech, in civil rights, in women's rights, in the ACLU, and so on. I am as far away from a member of the Moral Majority as one might be. My children read Transmetropolitain, not Jughead. Please bear that in mind as you read this: I find it quite hard to believe that anyone could consider Mr.Silberkleit's displeasure with Ms Hart as being anything but concern that the wholesome image of the Archie group of comics may have been sullied by her actions. I am not privy to the contract that Ms Hart has with her production company, but it is not that unusual for there to be a "morality clause" as part of any employment contract. There may well be one in Ms Hart's case, and if so, in consideration of the "innocent" nature of the Sabrina show, it may well exclude public displays of pulchritude. The two parties' lawyers can discuss it. Mr.Kropfhauser declares that Ms Hart "living in a free country" etc., brings up a corollary: So is Mr. Silberkleit, and he is entitled to express his opinion. Mr. Silberkleit owns the Sabrina character. He has a proprietory interest in maintaining its value, which goes hand in glove with maintaining the public image of the Archie titles. He would be negligent in his duties to his company to allow its wholesome image to be besmirched in any way without some expression of dismay. Mr. Kropfhauser takes Mr. Silberkleit to task, saying "but when in the last thirty odd years have you cared one wit (sic) about Sabrina's image? You weren't even publishing the character until Viacom optioned it." The point is irrelevant. I have owned things for thirty years that I have not used, nonetheless, they are mine, and as my possessions, they are not available for other people to vandalize. I may lend a tool to someone, I might even rent it, but in neither case does it give that person the right to abuse my possession. That Sabrina (according to Mr.Kropfhauser) was not being published is simply a corporate concern. Archie is a business. If a property is not likely to make money, it won't be published, and vice versa. The TV show, Viacom (and yes, their employee Ms Hart) made the comic title viable again. A collateral benefit, but such benefit does not lessen Mr. Silberkleit's right to protect his possession. That Mr. Silberkleit "didn't seem to care what alterations to the character were made so long as you kept raking in that licensing dough" is obviously false. Mr. Silberkleit didn't seem to care about alterations to characters or any possible misbehavior on the part of Viacom employees as long as they did not tarnish the wholesome image of Archie Comics. Once a threat became apparent, Mr. Silberkleit demonstrated that he cared very much. It is also apparent that Mr. Silberkleit in no way considered Sabrina a "sacred character", by virtue of his requiring his creative staff to match Viacom's model. Archie, in continuous publication for fifty-odd years, "ain't broke", so he might be considered a "sacred character". Sabrina wasn't making it as created, so changes were allowable. You are partially right in one thing though Mr. Kropfhauser, when you say "This has nothing to do with the "image of Sabrina", it has everything to do with the image of Archie Publications as a whole, of which Sabrina is a small but very visible part. Your misguided rant was amusing, but it was your final paragraph that really pruned my pickle, Mr. Kropfhauser: "...You can dress it up in all the moral indignation you like, but I suspect your objections would disappear like the morning dew if you were getting a cut of Ms. Hart's Maxim spread." You may fantasize about how delightful it would be to "get a cut" of Ms Hart's "spread", as might I, but (presuming we're talking money here;-) I doubt that Maxim's publisher makes as much from sales in a year as Mr. Silberkleit makes in a week selling his wholesome entertainment. His investments probably pay him more in an hour than Ms Hart's entire modelling fee. "So just go back to running the company your father helped start into the ground." With all due respect for Viz' Pokemon claims, I don't think there's anyone in this industry who doubts that Archie is the best selling comic in America, and, if you look at all the Archie titles as a single entity (for they all share the same characters), possibly the best selling in the world. This is hardly "running the company ...into the ground". As a final note, let me mention just how greedy and money grubbing Mr. Silberkleit is: Archie comics have a $1.79US/$1.99CDN cover price. The absurdly low exchange rate is that way (on the advice of newsstand distributors) to keep the cost to parents low enough that Archies are perceived as good value. When we Canadian retailers had our own distributors, Archie would charge them in Canadian funds, based on the Canadian cover price, and our distributors would do the same for retailers. When Diamond took over, we were forced (by Diamond) to pay based on the U.S. price, while at the same time forced (by market pressure) to honour the Canadian cover price. It took some time, but Archie came up with a solution: Canadian retailers now get a greater discount than American retailers. Archie gets about twenty cents less per comic shipped to Canada than they do in the U.S. They did this because they felt it was unfair that hard-pressed retailers be forced to suffer because of marketplace pressures. Mr. Silberkleit decided that Archie should bear the brunt of the damage. The man shows an awfully keen interest in squeezing the buck, now doesn't he Mr. Kropfhauser? I wish the rest of the industry had half the integrity he does. Yours truly, Paul Stock Paul Stock Librairie Astro 1844 Ste.Catherine St.W. Montreal, Que. Canada H3H 1M1 (514) 932-1139 +++++ Subj: Re: CBEM 234.2 From: jbarker@inch.com (jb) To: ComicBkNet@aol.com, Jencomx3@aol.com [Quote from STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND - - CBEM 234. - DL] >What is not entertaining is to watch GREAT characters be revived solely >for the purpose of making a mockery out of their once glorious career. >I wish we would stop seeing this happen..and start seeing the returns >be what we remember..not something we would almost PAY to forget! I'm curious which great characters have been brought back solely to make a mockery out of their once glorious careers. Could you cite some examples to flesh out your argument regarding this alleged misuse of humor? Or were you referring to artists and writers? thanks, john barker +++++ Subj: COLBURN COMICS From: Kulcom1@aol.com hi My name is KIRK ABRIGO and I am the president of COLBURN COMICS. My new title SAMURAI GUARD arrives in stores mid October, I would like to send you an issue for review. I just need to know the address to send it to. To get a better idea of what im talking about, please visit our website, COLBURN COMICS WEB PAGE, the address is www.geocities.com/~colburncomics/ Thank you and I look forward to your response KIRK ABRIGO [Kirk now knows, as should others who want to submit their work for review, that the address is in the very end - past the HYPE section, of every issue of this publication. - DL] +++++ 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. I'm hearing the limited number of connections gets filled up early, so dial in early. Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1999 - A two-hour special, 10 PM to midnight. We'll be playing an interview with Mike Kaluta taped at a recent Big Apple Convention here in New York City. Mike's fine, detailed line work has made him one of the most admired and respected of all comic artists. His Shadow series from DC in the '70s is considered by many to be the best rendition of that character. "Starstruck" the continuing series he does with Elaine Lee is always eagerly anticipated. He's done posters, the Tolkein calender, and so much more. He talks about the history of the legendary "Studio" and gives advice to young artists. A helluva nice guy, too! A wait'll you see the PILE of excellent comics you can get for becoming a member of WBAI-FM! Tuesday, Oct. 26, 1999 - The continuation of the Mike Kaluta interview from the week before. Tuesday, Nov. 2, 1999 - To Be Announced Tuesday, Nov. 9, 1999 - Chris Companik has a new on-line educational comic on the internet at www.righttrack.org. We'll be talking with him and his writing partner and medical expert on that project, Derek Mace. They use humor and characterization to educate about health issues and AIDS, taking into account a number of attitudes and lifestyles. Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1999 - Jim Toomey, the creator/writer/artist of the excellent offbeat charmingly demented comic strip "Sherman's Lagoon," now syndicated by King Features. Comic strip expert Jeff Lindenblatt will be joining me on this. Your phone calls, too. WBAI-FM, 99.5, is a 50,000 watt station broadcast from the Empire State Building. Our signal usually gets out to New Haven, CT; Westhampton, L.I.; the Poconos of Pennsylvania, Orange County, NY and Trenton & Princeton, NJ. But via the internet for an even greater distance, natch. The show covers the entire world of comics: golden age, silver age, contemporary, mainstream, independent, underground, foreign, strips and fandom. Hosted by Ken Gale (interviewer) and Ed Menje (Engineer). WBAI is a Pacifica Network station (if your local station carries any Pacifica programming (such as "Democracy Now" and Gary Null), they might be able to get 'Nuff Said! as well). WBAI-FM, 120 Wall St., 10th flr, New York, NY 10005. --Ken Gale, interviewer and co-host ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet/emag.htm QUESTION OF THE WEEK Prizes donated by 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: The Joker and Catwoman are often mentioned as being in BATMAN #1. What other notable Bat-foe appeared in the issue? Jeremy Finestone got it first, Dr. Hugo Strange. Jeremy won a TRANSMETROPOLITAN: LUST FOR LIFE +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What is the real name of the Ranger squad known as Sgt. Fury's Howling Commandos? 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 Comic-Con International Introduces Redesigned Website. Comic-Con International: San Diego has redesigned their website at http://www.comic-con.org The new site includes an updated interface and new content, including a 1999 Convention Report, a look ahead at next year's Comic-Con and information on APE, the Alternative Press Expo. In the weeks to come, the site will feature virtual slide shows showcasing the events of the 1999 Comic-Con. Comic-Con International: San Diego is the biggest event of its kind in the world, featuring the largest gathering of comic book publishers, creators and professionals of any convention or event of it's kind . Next year's convention will be held in San Diego, July 20-23 and APE, the Alternative Press Expo will be held in San Francisco, February 5, 2000. For more information contact: cciweb@aol.com +++++ Contact: Larry Young AiT/plaNETLar publishing and production (415) 504-7516 planetlar@earthlink.net ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE WRITER COLLECTS EARLY WORK AS PLANET LAR 1999 DEBUTS Answer to the question "Where did this guy come from?” forthcoming SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. (October 11, 1999) Many of you have been witness to the multimedia onslaught that is Larry Young. It seems lately you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a mention of the lad in SCI FI UNIVERSE, VISIONS, COMIC SHOP NEWS, or the COMICS BUYER'S GUIDE. But, like a hurtling asteroid the size of Texas, Mister President, many see him coming but few know from whence he came. PLANET LAR 1999 aims to fix all that. “A couple of years back, I did an acetate-covered weekly review `zine chock-full of my idiosyncratic opinions and singular world-view,” said Young. “I called it `Planet Lar,’ after the B-52s song `Planet Claire' but with my own entertaining spin. After fifty or so issues of reviews, rants, and recriminations, and to acclaim from everyone from Harlan Ellison to Dave Sim, I finally came to the attention of Comix Experience owner Brian Hibbs, who had been looking for just my sort of opinionated lunatic to write an in-store magazine.” Currently on its 47th consecutive monthly issue (and produced by Young in his capacity as the wise and terrible Minister of Propaganda at CE), the Comix Experience in-store magazine ONOMATOPOEIA sports the same sort of rants and reviews as PLANET LAR, but also features an interview with a comics industry notable. Warren Ellis, Steve Dillon, Grant Morrison, Joe Casey, Kurt Busiek, and Walt Simonson have been but a few of the many subjected to the insightful stylings of the ONOMATO-Interview in the past. And it is from these humble acorns that the body of PLANET LAR 1999 springs forth. "Collecting these little-seen gems of rants and interviews, and the artwork done for the covers by such big-shots as Matt Wagner, Mike Allred, Walt Simonson, Brian Wood, Phil Winslade, and Steve Dillon, just to name a few, has been a bit of the ol' dream-come-true for me,” said Young. "To have these pieces seen nationally is my gift to all of those who really enjoy comics. And wait until you see Darick Robertson's famous Mel's Diner placemat drawings!” Young hopes that the PLANET LAR 1999 Annual tides everyone over until January when the next ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE story arc, AiT: SPACE: 1959, begins, by Young and series artist Charlie Adlard. As always, updated information is available on : www.astronautsintrouble.com The Astronauts in Trouble family of publications, published by AiT/Planet Lar, are available from Diamond Comics Distributors, Cold Cut Distribution, and FM International. +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ MILE HIGH AND AMAZON DEAL IN WORKS! ROZANSKI SET TO FORM 'STRATEGIC ALLIANCE' WITH AMAZON.COM! October 12: The Comics Buyer's Guide has scooped the Internet news sites with a story on a soon-to-be-announced "strategic alliance" between Chuck Rozanski's MILE HIGH COMICS and Internet e-commerce powerhouse AMAZON.COM. The Comic Buyers Guide reports that Amazon.com "plans to announce a strategic alliance with MileHighComics.com in the coming weeks" and that "the arrangement...give(s) Amazon an option for an ownership stake in Mile High." The alliance is based upon Amazon's new zSHOP online e-commerce service for small retailers Mile High Comics is one of the best known comic book retailers in North America and is one of the few players in the old Direct Sales Market that has created a strong Internet presence, providing back issue and subscription sales at its popular site. Recently, owner Chuck Rozanski was embroiled in the controversy surrounding Diamond Comic Distributors' financial involvement with other Internet comic book retailers, AnotherUniverse.com and NextPlanetOver.com. Rozanski told the CBG that with the Amazon.com alliance "he becomes the Internet company's representative to the comics industry, taking projects he finds in the industry's interest to Amazon to explore. Rozanski said he retains near-complete automony — the limits mostly applying to any dealings with competitors of Amazon. "It's very much a hybrid deal," he said. "They look to us for advice about the world of comics, and we look to them for things they can make happen for the world of comics." FULL STORY: THE COMIC BUYER'S GUIDE Thanks to James Coville HARSH REALM CREATORS FIGHT STEREOTYPING IN MEDIA REPORT ON LAWSUIT! HUDNALL, PAQUETTE DEMAND 'HARSH REALM' CREDIT! October 13: James Hudnall and Andrew Paquette, who created the HARSH REALM comic book that debuted as the HARSH REALM television show in the new season, are suing series producer Chris Carter. Hudnall and Paquette are demanding that they receive on-screen credit as creators of the series. In the first show of the season, only Chris Carter was listed as creator of HARSH REALM. With HARSH REALM being Carter's follow up offering after his hugely successful X-FILES, media eyes are upon him. The NEW YORK OBSERVER covers the lawsuit story this week under the headline "COMIC BOOK GEEKS FIGHT CHRIS CARTER OVER HARSH REALM". The OBSERVER says that "Andrew Paquette and James Hudnall are a couple of comic book geeks. In late 1998, it looked like they would finally hit it big. That's when Chris Carter, the TV genius behind The X-Files, began working up a new series based on their comic book, Harsh Realm, for Fox. But now that the show has made its debut, the comic book kids are feeling ripped off. Mr. Paquette and Mr. Hudnall are receiving some royalties, but they're unhappy that they are not listed in the credits as the original creators. Only Mr. Carter was. So now they have a New York lawyer drafting a lawsuit to get them a more prominent credit and a bigger share of the money." The OBSERVER said that "Mr. Carter's Harsh Realm is significantly different from the comic. For starters, his Harsh Realm is a virtual-reality world resembling a post-apocalyptic modern city run by a renegade U.S. Army guy. The hero is a young hotshot soldier. Mr. Carter wouldn't comment on the current situation, but he recently told Starlog magazine: "It's a big departure from the comic book idea. We've changed everything. The comic book does have a [virtual reality] component. But beyond that, we really haven't saved much." Hudnall responded to the OBSERVER article with a letter, which the SPLASH has obtained, citing his outrage at the term 'geek' and other factual misrepresentations. Hudnall said: "I saw your article and was stunned by the number of errors and mischaracterizations. For your information the word "geek" is an insult. The fact that you insulted us in the title amazes me. I am no more a geek than you presumably are. I am a professional writer who just happens to work in the medium of comics. Calling me a geek is like using a racial epithet on someone. Don't they have a rules guide at the Observer? "Secondly, the lawsuit is being filed this week. Saying "if it materializes" is an extreme mischaracterization. So is the claim that the show is "significantly different from the comic". It is only different in surface matters, the story and character roles are the same. He changed the setting, but not the point of the story, nor did he significantly change the idea. You didn't even get into the reasons it's similar, which I explained in detail. "Further, saying we're like the "lone gunman" characters in the X-Files is another joke. Those guys are fringe weirdoes. Losers. I have had a successful career as a writer and a computer software consultant. Andy is a highly respected art director in the computer gaming industry. I specifically said we were not like those characters, but obviously you just wanted an angle. Calling us kids, please! "It's really a shame to see my cynical views of journalists made real. I don't know how much is yours or Peter Bogdonavich, but whomever is responsible for the use of the word geek should find another career." Hudnall and Paquette weren't informed of the credit situation until October 4th, just before the series debut broadcast. Hudnall told the SPLASH that the lawsuit would also be filed "against the publisher of the comic, Harris Comics. Our suit involves a lot of serious contract breaches on their part and their failure to make any effort to resolve this through arbitration." REPORTER APOLOGIZES TO HARSH REALM CREATORS! OBSERVER SAYS IT USED 'GEEK' TERM 'ENDEARINGLY'! October 15: A reporter for the NEW YORK OBSERVER, who referred to HARSH REALM creators James Hudnall and Andrew Paquette as 'geeks' in a story, has apologized to the pair. Jim Rutenberg, who's report of Hudnall and Paquette's attempt to receive on screen credit for creating the HARSH REALM comic book that became the new television series ran under the headline "COMIC BOOK GEEKS FIGHT CHRIS CARTER OVER HARSH REALM" told the pair that, "I am sorry that you guys are so hurt by the item. I see where you're coming from over the geek term, but it is used endearingly, and I had even talked with Jim--and you--about how I was going to portray you guys as such--as guys who are into the stuff Carter professes to be into. I think I even told one of you I was going to compare you to the lone gunmen. And in fact, I believe that portrayal goes a long way toward showing that you guys are getting screwed here--that Carter is refusing to give credit where credit is due and to guys who are just looking for the big break...I understand that you guys are deeply involved in this situation, and so, rightly, very sensitive to anything having to do with it. But I have to maintain that this item does nothing but support you guys--not that that's my job as a journalist but I think in this case the facts are undeniably on your side--and if you take a second look at it in a day or two, you'll see what I mean. No one is going to read this and side with Carter. I still regret that it has offended you and for that I am sorry." Hudnall posted the complete letter on the Comicon.com Message Board yesterday along with his response: ""Everyone who read your article that knows me said it was insulting to us. The term geek is not endearing. I mean, Chris Carter is a surfer. It would be the same thing to say: "Chris Carter is a beach bum, who..." Just as African-Americans are serious about how they are described, so are people in comics. The medium does not get any respect, by virtue of its image in the mind of many Americans. Whereas in Europe and Asia comics are read by people of all ages and is considered a medium as valid as TV or movies. Here, the press never talks about comics without using some term to make it seem stupid, like BIF, BAM, POW! Comics aren't all about superheroes. And what I do is far from that as you can get, which is why the term geek was insulting to me. I try to take high road in comics." Hudnall said that the story of Chris Carter's credit grab for HARSH REALM, and the lawsuit Hudnall and Paquette are preparing is about to climb the media food chain: "Entertainment Weekly will have the story on their site on Friday and Time should be running it on Monday in print. As for the suit, we can't sit by and idly let Carter walk all over us on this credit thing. My agent was not involved in this deal beyond the initial option. It's a long convoluted story bound to make the halls of legendary comic-creators-getting-screwed stories. It's not about what my agent did or didn't do. The problems stem from the contract I signed with Harris comics back in 1991. I foolishly didn't get a lawyer. It was fundamentally similar to the Epic deal at that time. I mistakenly thought since this was a "creator owned deal" I would have rights. Well, I do, but not what I though and I found out the hard way. One of the things I didn't secure was a guarantee of credit if Harsh Realm was ever sold to TV or some other media. I didn't realize how important that was until this deal happened. If you don't get such a guarantee, you can get shafted like this. Harris got a credit for themselves and did nothing for us." Hudnall and Paquette are demanding that they receive on-screen credit as creators of the concept which began as a comic book series published by Harris in 1991. In the first television show of the season, broadcast last week, producer Chris Carter was listed as creator of HARSH REALM. Hudnall and Paquette weren't informed of the credit situation until October 4th. EUROPEAN TOONMEISTERS JOIN TOGETHER! POOL RESOURCES FOR 'ELFQUEST'! October 15: Seven animation houses from France, Germany and Spain have decided to pool their resources to form the European Animation Group. VARIETY is reporting that, "The alliance is looking to produce a minimum of one toon feature or series per year, with the first pic, the $15 million "Elfquest," set for delivery in 2001. EAG is currently developing some 12 projects. Half of the production financing will be raised in Europe, with the rest coming from the U.S. and international sales." FULL STORY: VARIETY +++++ From Beau Yarbrough's Comic Wire at: http://www.comicbookresources.com/ Monday, October 11th, 1999 GARTH ENNIS ALIVE AND WELL, CONTRARY TO ONLINE RUMOR Whether as a prank or by an innocent mistake spun out of control, one more person was drawn into the London train station accident that occurred last week: "Preacher" writer Garth Ennis. Internet rumor had Ennis incorrectly listed among the dead. Not so, Stuart Moore told worried fans on Friday morning at DC Comics' Vertigo message board. "Garth's alive. I just talked with him. He doesn't have a computer, but Warren Ellis had told him about the rumor. Garth said he was doing pretty well, considering he was 'dead.' He did say that sales would probably have gone way up if he really had died." MARVEL MANIA LOS ANGELES CLOSES DOORS Comic fans looking to dine in [Marvel Mania Hollywood] the most famous of comic book theme restaurants better make alternate plans: Marvel Mania in Los Angeles has closed its doors. Marvel Mania (http://www.MarvelMania.com/), at the end of the City Walk pedestrian mall outside Universal Studios in Hollywood - visible from CBR world headquarters in nearby Toluca Lake - officially closed its door on September 10. Opening in 1998, just as theme restaurants as a whole began to face a severe drop-off in business, Marvel Mania served up items ranging from Shang-Chi Chinese Tacos to Fin Fang Fetuccine in a two-story restaurant decorated in the Mighty Marvel Manner. A second Marvel Mania restaurant, in Orlando, Florida, is still open for business. +++++ From the Comic Shop News at http://www.csnsider.com/ Finn Waves Goodbye Oni Press reports that the third and fourth issues of Jenny Finn, the series by Mike Mignola and Troy Nixey, have been cancelled. "Jenny Finn was rife with scheduling problems and production difficulties," Oni publisher Joe Nozemack said. "While all parties involved entered into the project with every intention of putting out the best book we could, somewhere along the way our paths diverged. When it became clear that we could no longer agree on the way things should be done and the direction the book should go on, we decided it was best if Oni release Mike and Troy from the publishing agreement so they could pursue the book in a manner that would be the most pleasing to them. This is an amicable split... the doors are not closed to future endeavors between them and Oni." +++++ From The Daily Buzz at http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html Scott Out as Wolverine in X-Film According to today's Daily Variety, Dougray Scott will not fill the role of Wolverine in the upcoming X-Men film. As reported in The Daily Buzz last week, Scott has not been able to free himself from the current filming of Mission: Impossible 2 in Australia, in which he plays the villain. An extended shoot by director John Woo, along with an arm injury made Scott unavailable to begin filming in Toronto by October 18th, the deadline set by Fox Studios for Scott's participation in the film. Replacing Scott as Wolverine will be Australian actor Hugh Jackman who has most recently starred in the London revival of Oklahoma. While Jackman has been in several independent Australian films, X-Men will be his first feature film. Jackman was fitted for his Wolverine costume over the weekend, and is slated to begin rehearsals and action choreography today. --Daily Variety +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE Ladronn and Pacheco Take On The Inhumans Fans of artist Jose (Cable) Ladronn can look forward to more of his unique but Kirby-esque work in 2000 with a pair of projects from Marvel Comics. Ladronn, whose latest work, the Fantastic Four '99 Annual, is due to hit stores today, tells Newsarama that he's also got a Thor 2000 Annual lined up for January (penciled, inked and painted by Ladronn and featuring Thanos, according to Marvel), and then a 4-issue Inhumans mini-series that he'll begin work on very soon for later in the year. According to the artist, Mark Powers will edit the limited series - a huge epic story featuring the Inhumans - and its origins can be explained in 2 parts... The project began life as a proposal from former Marvel editor and freelance writer James "The Professor" Felder. Ladronn, who is good friends with Felder, drew 5 sample pages based on the proposal_what he calls his "personal vision" for the project. But the artist soon landed other projects at Marvel, including his eventual ongoing gig with Cable, and final approval for the Felder proposal never came. But then two years after he first drew them, those sample pages were published as a back-up feature in Fantastic Four V3 #8. And now, almost 2 years after that, "I again have the chance to come back to my desk, dig through my archives and resume the project," explained the artist. The second part of the project's origin involves what Ladronn calls "the dream of a man who loves comics as much as I do, Carlos Pacheco." According to Ladronn, Pacheco, best known as the penciler for the X-Men and the current Avengers Forever maxi-series, is slated to make his debut as a writer with the mini-series. "I got the beautiful script for issue #1 from Carlos 2 weeks ago," said Ladronn. "He's someone who takes his work in the comics industry very seriously. He also loves the Inhumans, and I think he has many things to say about these exotic characters, their dark origins, and the purpose of their existence. Carlos always was very attracted to exploring some of the unknown interior myths surrounding the Inhumans." This Inhumans project could signal the start of the next phase in Pacheco's career. According to industry rumors, in an effort to keep the now exclusively contracted creator "at home" with creator-owned possibilities beckoning elsewhere, Marvel and Pacheco may be exploring options that would allow him to write as well as draw projects featuring the classic "Marvel Heroes" stable of characters, for which the creator has well known affection for. One rumored scenario involves Pacheco taking over as plotter/writer and artist of the Fantastic Four monthly series, with current FF artist Salvador Larroca moving over to a core X-title with Chris Claremont when the writer makes his long-anticipated return to the X-Men in March 2000. Marvel has not confirmed or commented on any possible upcoming changes to the FF or Pacheco's future post Avengers Forever, nor have they officially commented on possible art teams for the adjectiveless X-Men following Alan Davis' exit and Claremont's return. But in addition to the rumored Larroca scenario, Wolverine artist Leinil Francis Yu has also emerged as a possibility. "Watch out for X-Men #100," Yu posted on his own website's message boards, weeks before Claremont's return with that same issue was announced...later adding, "If things go well I might do more X-Men starting #100...crossing my fingers." Weeks later Yu told the online comics magazine Sequential Tart, "I'll be leaving Wolverine for the X-Men pretty soon...something that has eluded me for a while...and something that I'm looking forward to." Oni Talks Davis' Marquis Oni Press has confirmed more details regarding the upcoming publication of creator Guy Davis' The Marquis mini-series. The project originally began life at Caliber Press with the publication of a preview issue entitled The Marquis: Les Preludes, which featured a short story and some sketch pages, but subsequent issues of limited series were never published. Now Oni is stepping up to the plate to present the entire 5-issue series - what Oni publisher Joe Nozemack calls "the first mini" - beginning in March 2000. Subtitled Danse Macabre, according to Oni Editor-in-Chief Jamie S. Rich, "The story is set in late 19th century France, and the Marquis is part of the ruling class in the Catholic Church. He dons a mask to hide his identity, as he is one of the heads of the inquisition. Once he has the mask on, it allows him to see demons that are roaming the streets in human form. He believes this to be a talent sent to him by God and that he is on a holy crusade, but as he delves deeper, things turn darker." Cover artists confirmed for the series include Matt Wagner, Mike Mignola, Charles Vess, and Kelley Jones. Nicieza's Magnetic New Work Marvel Comics will continue to delve into the Master of Magnetism's role as ruler of mutant-state Genosha, in Magneto: Heaven and Earth, a new three-issue limited series by writer Fabian (Gambit) Nicieza slated for a spring 2000 release. "The supporting cast established by Joe Pruett for the Magneto Rex limited series -- Quicksilver, Voght, Cortez, Pipeline, Jenny Ransome and Phil Moreau, and Alda Huxley - will return_sans Rogue,” explained Nicieza. "As a result of events in the core X-titles leading up to the Limited Series, we will also have a new supporting cast member, who has `defected' from the X-titles and now questions his/her role at Magneto's side. Fraga Shifts Into Overdrive Creator Dan Fraga is "gearing" up for the next phase of his career, as the co-publisher of a new creator-owned property from his new studio Gear23 via Image Comics. Set to debut in March 2000 as a monthly ongoing series, The Gear Station is a sci-fi kung fu fantasy tale that centers on a young man named Bryce and his peoples struggle with the oppressive Steamlords. In addition to creating a new sub genre, Fraga also hopes The Gear Station will blaze new trails for comic books with its use of CGI, i.e. – computer generated imaging. Casey's and Phillips Wild `Cats Plans Writer Joe Casey, artist Sean (Hellblazer) Phillips and the rest of the new creative team of Wildstorm's "all-new monthly" Wildcats series have opened up to the press to talk about their plans for the series. Casey and Phillips take over the reins of Wildcats V2 from the exiting Scott Lobdell and Travis Charest with issue #8, due to ship in February 2000. The series goes to a monthly release schedule with the January 2000 issue (#7). Word On the Street Writer/artist John Byrne has announced that he will be stepping down from his role as the penciler for Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man, with issue #18 (April, 2000) being his last. According to Byrne, the parting is amicable, and he's leaving to concentrate on other projects, presumably his X-Men: The Hidden Years series and the January debuting Marvel: The Lost Generation, a 12-issue maxi-series that he'll pencil and co-write with Roger Stern. No word yet from Marvel as to who will replace him as penciler of Amazing. +++++ From Comics 2 Film http://www.comics2film.com X-Men On Monday, the role of Wolverine in the currently-filming X-Men movie has officially been recast according to Daily Variety. Australian actor Hugh Jackman has been tapped to replace Dougray Scott. As reported last week, Scott's participation in the movie was jeopardized by shooting overruns on Mission: Impossible 2 as well as injuries incurred on the set of that movie. Jackman was cast late last week and began rehearsals and action choreography for the film Monday. Although Jackman's name is not well-known to American moviegoers he has appeared in several Australian independent movies like Erskineville Kings and Paperback Hero. He's also appeared on Aussie television the the shows Corelli and Halifax f.p.  http://www.variety.com Archie's Weird Mysteries ------------------------ While Fox Kids is bombarding comic fans with heavily promoted animated shows like Big Guy and Rusty, Spider-Man Unlimited and Avengers, PAX TV has done a fairly poor job of promoting its latest comic based show Archie's Weird Mysteries. The show debuted on October 2 to little fanfare. In order to avoid leaving fans mystified Michael Patrick Dobkins, one of the show's story editors, is working to promote the show using the internet. In a recent posting to a usenet newsgroup Dobkins described the show for the uninitiated. "The series premise puts the classic Archie comics characters (Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, and the rest of the gang) into Twilight Zone-type situations and 50's Science Fiction B-movie scenarios." "Earlier this year, Brian Swenlin, Jymn Magon, and I managed to complete forty scripts during a tight twenty week writing schedule," Dobkins informed usenet readers. "While the schedule was grueling, I believe we managed to create some very interesting genre stories while remaining true to the spirit and the personalities of the original Archie Comics characters. While I haven't had a chance to see any of the actual episodes yet, they should be fun if the storyboards and voice tracks are any indication. The storyboard artists and the voice actors did some phenomenal work, and I'm very excited to see how everything comes together." With the lack of publicity surrounding the show, Dobkins wants to make sure that everyone is aware of it who possibly can be. "Tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Sneak into the homes of Nielsen families and program their VCRs to tape PAX TV at 8 AM every Saturday," the writer encourages. "Buy the products advertised by our sponsors and mail the receipts to their corporate headquarters! Write happy letters to Pax TV!" Check your local TV listings for PAX affiliate in your area. Fans interested in learning more about the show and corresponding with Dobkins (and other fans) are directed to a discussion forum at http://www.egroups.com/list/archies_weird_mysteries. You can join the forum by sending e-mail to archies_weird_mysteries- subscribe@egroups.com. A comic book version of the show is slated for November of this year. http://www.paxtv.com Bohos ----- FROM DAILY VARIETY: 18-year-old Maggie Whorf has made a deal to bring her comic book creation Bohos to the small-screen. Michael Fleming reports in his Dish column from Daily Variety that young comic creator worked with Michael Yanover, President of Bohos publisher Flypaper Press, to secure the deal. The show is to be developed by Sonnefeld/Josephson Worldwide Entertainment and Columbia Tri-Star Television. Although "veteran show runners" will actually create the show, Whorf will provide a creative presence. The article also reveals that Whorf is in talks with Disney for a feature film deal. It is unclear whether that is also to be based on Bohos, or if it is a different concept. http://www.variety.com Faust ----- FROM THE COMICS CONTINUUM: Rob Allstetter of the Comics Continuum recently spoke to Faust creator David Quinn. Quinn filled The Continuum in on his various upcoming comic book projects. He also gave a status report on the Faust movie. "I worked on rewrites to my screenplay with Faust film director Brian Yuzna and sat in on casting and special effects meetings," Quinn told Allstetter. "Pre production continues, hurtling toward a late October start date." http://comicscontinuum.com Nexus ----- FROM THE COMICS CONTINUUM: Rob Allstetter of the Comics Continuum reports that the animated series based on Mike Baron and Steve Rude's Nexus is making progress. Baron told The Continuum, "Negotiations grind on with Fox TV, but we seem to be getting closer." Columbia/Tri-Star Television picked up the option on the concept early this year. Rude is serving as the show-runner for the series. http://comicscontinuum.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. DETECTIVE COMICS #741 TO FEATURE 8-PAGE EXCERPT OF BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND NOVELIZATION "From the journal of Oracle, No Man's Land, Day One: No money for Gotham, said Congress. No money for Gotham, said the Senate. Federal funds in excess of one hundred billion dollars would be needed to rebuild the civic infrastructure, that was the sound bite. And then the number climbed higher -- not one hundred, one-twenty -- not one-twenty, one-fifty. We became the nation's latest scapegoat and, in a way, wasn't it about time? We're the murder capital of the country, or at least, We used to be, when we were part of the country. According to the FBI -- and I know this, trust me - we out-scored every other city in the nation with our stats. Highest incidence of crimes against property per capita? Gotham City. Highest incidence of robbery- homicide per capita? Gotham City. Assaults? Gotham City. Rapes? Gotham City. Kidnapping, arson, hell, even auto- theft? Gotham City. If that wasn't enough -- and for the politicos, it wasn't - next came the parade of lunatics. Two-Face and Mr. Freeze. Ivy and Clayface. Mr. Zsasz, the Riddler, the Penguin - and, of course, their favorite madman, the son of a bitch who put a bullet through my spine and put me in this wheelchair for the rest of my life: The Joker. Where the politicians went, then, the nation followed. Gotham City, the new Sodom. Let it burn. Let it rot. Let it crumble." So writes Barbara Gordon -- a.k.a. Oracle -- in the Batman: No Man's Land novelization, written by Greg Rucka (DETECTIVE COMICS, Whiteout: Melt). As a special preview, an eight-page excerpt of the upcoming novel (scheduled for release in January) will be included in DETECTIVE COMICS #741, arriving in stores December 15. Already solicited as an extra-length, 40-page issue (with a cover price of $2.50 U.S.), the excerpt brings DETECTIVE #741 to a total of forty-eight pages with no increase in price. Narrated by Oracle from her bunker, the novel documents the fall of Gotham City and the shifting of power within the city from a patchwork criminal network back towards the forces of "the Bat." Batman: No Man's Land marks the first comics novelization by Rucka, the author of acclaimed crime novels Finder, Keeper, and Smoker and features an introduction by Batman Group Editor Denny O'Neil, who notes: "We've got great news for you if you've been enjoying No Man's Land in our magazines. For a thrilling new reading experience, a hardcover novel expanding on this saga has been written by Greg Rucka, who was a major contributor to the No Man's Land comics and who has published four extremely well-reviewed novels of his own. In cooperation with our friends at Pocket Books, we're happy to be able to give you a sample in the following pages." "Greg Rucka is a rare talent," says Charles Kochman, Editor -- Licensed Publishing for DC Comics/MAD Magazine and editor of the novelization. "Not only is he an excellent comic book writer, but he is one of the best crime novelists around, which is why he was asked to write this hardcover novel. Rather than do a straight issue-for-issue novelization, Greg expanded upon the No Man's Land storyline, making his adaptation work first and foremost as a novel. Comics fans won't be disappointed, nor will readers approaching this material for the first time." DETECTIVE COMICS #741, which, in addition to the novel excerpt also features the final chapter of the final "No Man's Land" story arc, "Endgame" (written by Rucka and Devin Grayson with art by Damion Scott, Dale Eaglesham, Sean Parsons, and John Floyd with a cover by Alex Maleev and Bill Sienkiewicz), arrives in comic-book stores on December 15. The Batman: No Man's Land Pocket Books hardcover will be solicited in the November issue of Previews (Vol. 9 #11) for a January 2000 release. THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN BUMPER COMPENDIUM #2 TO ARRIVE IN STORES ON NOVEMBER 3 In last week's Newsletter, the in-store date for THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN BUMPER COMPENDIUM #2, collecting issues #3 and #4 of the miniseries, was listed as being November 6. Please note that the correct in-store date is November 3. 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. 10/18/99 (4:00 pm) - "Gotham Golem" (Batman Beyond) 10/18/99 (4:30 pm) - "Joker's Millions" (Batman) 10/19/99 (4:00 pm) - "Action Figures" (Superman) 10/19/99 (4:30 pm) - "Critters" (Batman) 10/20/99 (4:00 pm) - "Mudslide" (Batman) 10/20/99 (4:30 pm) - "Warrior Queen" (Superman) 10/21/99 (4:00 pm) - "Bizarro's World" (Superman) 10/21/99 (4:30 pm) - "The Terrible Trio" (Batman) 10/22/99 (4:30 pm) - "Ascension" (Batman Beyond) 10/22/99 (4:30 pm) - "Old Wounds" (Batman) 10/23/99 (8:00 am) - "Unity" (Superman) 10/23/99 (9:00 am) - "Bloodsport" (Batman Beyond - new) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Ramblings 99 Rich Johnston twisting@hotmail.com [Renamed for the new year, Ramblings 99 continues to spread confirmed and unconfirmed news and rumours. It welcomes comment, especially comment that clarifies, refutes and corrects information already disseminated. Rich Johnston is an advertising copywriter, co-self publisher of Twist And Shout Comics, BBC comedy writer and comics columnist. He currently lives in South London, England. His column can be found online at: http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com All Ramblings e-mail received will be considered public domain and may be quoted.] This column is RUMOUR. Do not take anything here seriously. These RUMOURS are presented here as GOSSIP for their ENTERTAINMENT value. Dateline: 10 Oct 1999 Ramblings '99 Yes, yes, I've been away. Sorry chaps, sometimes I need a bit of Ramblings motivation. And I've only just finished Peachtree on Dungeon Keeper 2. Okay on with the rumours. Remember, these are rumours, stuff that's circulating around the industry, believe what you want. The usual nonsense applies. Defective Comics Like Marvel a while back, it's possible that DC might be going through a night of the long knives. And a Dark Knight at then. As speculated by Comicon's Splash Page and others, Time-Warner may be getting more involved in DC's goings on. And as we originally reported, it's Batman that has their interest. We hear that Warner are unhappy with the Batman books and the general slowdown in sales. And those who face the consequences go all the way to the top of DC. There may be personnel cuts and changes all across the board. If this rumour is true, expect to see something happen in the next week or so. DC's not alone to have these kind of rumours. Todd McFarlane Productions may also be facing downsizing very shortly as Larry Marder goes to work. Look to see books cancelled, freelancers dropped and some production and colouring staff let go. Again, if this rumour is true, we'll see the effects soon. Distribution Adventures Okay here's something that's true. Alan Moore's Awesome Adventures finally shipped to the UK this week, two months late. Which means we've only just seen those last few pages... ouch! Spawny Grant We're told on the rumour grape vine that Grant Morrison and Ashley Wood are doing a mega-graphic novel-prestige project for McFarlane next year. We also hear it's the most shocking thing he's done yet. Also look to see Ashley Wood's work for a few pages in the last few issues of the Invisibles (still the greatest superhero comic book being published). There's another story in this one, but I've got to check with Grant first... Nameless Wonder. A few people have e-mailed me to ask what I've heard about the new Paul Jenkins/Jae Lee book for Marvel Knights. Well, these people have taken the first rule of rumour management - don't tell anyone. Anyway, to reiterate what we know, it's a new comic featuring a character supposedly (but not) created by Lee and Kirby in the sixties but who ws too powerful to publish as the concept of him wiped everyone's mind... including the title of the comic. Does anyone have any info on this to share? Or has the Mighty Marvel Media Machine succeeded where it often fails? M******man Rec.arts.comics.misc has been going over the 'who-owns-Miracleman' again. At Ramblings, I'd love to do a he-said, she-said, get every account together and let them sort it out special. But for a taster, here's what a publishing insider had to say recently. "I can tell you that the original contract deeded Alan Moore 1/3 of profits from Miracleman, but no rights to vote or make any decisions regarding the series. Alan signed this contract, so that should put to rest those rumors that Miracleman was illegally sold to Eclipse by Dez Skinn. However, when Neil took over, Alan deeded his share to him (apparently. I never saw documents to support this, but Eclipse certainly believed it was so) for the duration of his time as writer. When the series ended, the rights should have reverted to Alan, but Neil never gave them back!" Well, I've certainly heard different versions that contradict this... specifically that the rights to create future issues went *permanently* to the next creative team when creators changed... this was certainly the case with the artists so I'm sure it should have been with the writers. If this is Eclipse's stance, it differs significantly with all the involved creators I've talked to. Over the next month, I'm going to try to talk to or get messages to Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Dez Skinn, Gary Leach, Alan Davis, Cat Yronwode, Mark Buckingham, Rick Vietch and as many others as I can think of. Let's clear this thing up once and for all. If anyone can help, please e-mail twisting@hotmail.com. And that goes for any of you. If you'd heard a spicy bit of news (the closer to the source, the better), have any particular views about the column, or just fancy a rant, e-mail me. I guarantee anonymity. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] TOO OLD FOR COMIC BOOKS?!? Johnny Gonzales gonzalesj@ltsgate1.lts.aetc.af.mil [Upon graduating from high school, Johnny Gonzales took off to follow his dream. When the adult film industry turned him away, he decided to enlist in the Air Force and pursue cartooning on the side. He's had cartoons published in various publications including AJA magazine and draws caricatures at local events and parties. He has been reading and buying comics ever since grade school. Johnny use to live in Texas until a misunderstanding with local law enforcement forced him to relocate to parts unknown.] You know what really bugs me a lot about the comic book industry. It's how the powers to be at our favorite companies come up with such idiotic decisions and then try to make it sound like it's something we asked for. For example, whenever we read some blurb from the mainstream companies about some new series or spin-off, we always seem to get the same regurgitated line of, "because the fans demanded it!" I wish it were possible to take a poll and find out just how many fans demanded another X-title? Or even during Valiant's ill-fated BIRTHQUAKE, how many fans demanded bi-weekly issues? Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional spin-off mini-series, but too many times the companies get greedy and give us too much of a good thing. When Elektra reappeared in Daredevil during the "Fall From Grace" storyline. Many fans were excited (there were a few, like me, who despised Marvel for this), but the majority of fans loved it and sales on the book soared. Next up, we saw Elektra appear in Wolverine, again, many fans were excited about seeing her with our favorite mutant. The time would have been right for another mini-series, however, the greed of Marvel was too much and we witnessed instead the birth of an on-going series, which sadly, lasted less than two years. Why did it fail? The problem could be that Marvel was too much in a hurry to jump on the Elektra fanfare when they created the series. Things that went wrong automatically were a lousy setting for her stories as well as an over-exposed artist. I know this sounds harsh but I'm basing this opinion on many responses that I received in several newsgroups I subscribe to. With these two problems, the series was destined to destroy itself. Had Marvel taken the mini-series route, they probably could have checked out more proposals as well as maybe taken a chance on either a new up and coming talent, or even have spent the money to get a fan-fave (Adam Hughes, anyone?) to commit to the mini-series). Instead, it seemed like they jumped both feet into the water real quick and gave us the justification of, "because the fans demanded it!" Shoot, how many of us demanded to see Jubilee of Generation X get the "Erik Larsen" makeover in Wolverine, but did we get that?!? Why not just be honest with us. Just look us straight in the eye and say, "Listen kids, we want your money and since you like the X-Men so much, we figure seven titles isn't enough. So we're going to put out two more mini-series as well as two more spin-off titles so you'll be sure to starve yourself for a week so you can a spend your lunch money on buying the $2.99 first issue of these books." There, isn't that simple? I mean, heck, we get enough lies from our politicians about their military service, drug use, and extra-marital affairs, do we really need the same deceit from our funny books? ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] INDEPENDENT VOICES Rich Henn rasmus@timespell.com [When not stressing over the day job, Rich is at home stressing over the next issue of TIMESPELL. He lives in sunny Maryland with his beautiful wife and their lazy Siberian Husky.] Well, it had to happen. This week, I got some upsetting news from my rep at Diamond Comics Distribution regarding the fate of my book, TIMESPELL. The numbers have not been great lately, and the future of the book was looking pretty grim. Back in early September, I placed a call to my rep, Chris Schaff, regarding the upcoming ship schedule of TIMESPELL #4. The wife and I had been sacked pretty hard lately with a number of things financial wise and the publication of this latest issue did not seem to be a possibility for the deadline. Even though it was still pretty early to be hitting the panic button, I still needed to give my rep, and Diamond, a heads up to the situation at hand. The book was scheduled to ship in September. Diamond allows a 30-day grace period to actually make a drop dead date. For Timespell #4, that drop dead date would mean October 31st. Even though I was already into the first week of September, things were looking pretty grim. There were (and still are) just too many family and financial obligations that need to come first. The very expensive hobby I have (not crack) would have to come second. Although not all options are exhausted yet, when October 31st comes and goes, TIMESPELL will more than likely be cancelled. Given the time I project needed to pull everything together at home, four more weeks is more likely. The numbers on the book are too low to get an order adjustment, and at this time there does not appear to be alternatives. I have informed Diamond that I will be printing Timespell #4 regardless of what they decide the fate of my book to become. I have already invested more time and money into this one book than any other to date. Although it has been suggested that after the book prints, perhaps they may allow me to solicit again, that would mean not reaching shelves until March 2000 at the earliest. That could mean certain death. A book becomes returnable after a certain amount of time has passed. That means, a shop can return a late book to Diamond for credit if that retailer wishes. I'm realistic to enough to know that 90% of my orders are more than likely subscribers who have no intention of returning the book anyway...they just want to read it. I highly doubt that many shops have ordered the book in droves for their shelves, therefore it's hard to envision any shops actually returning the book. As I said, these are mostly people who ordered it for their pull and hold boxes. I never pretend to make my book out to be something that it's not. It's no Image or Dark Horse or Marvel book, to be certain. But it is a part of me, and my desire to tell a story in the comic medium. It has been my passion to produce TIMESPELL now for well over 12 years. Only the last two years has begun to see that come to fruition. In the past year and a half, I (and Timespell), has been fortunate enough to get the attention of some big industry folks such as Kevin Smith, Maggie Thompson, CSN, Chris Oarr of CBLDF, Jonah Weiland, David LeBlanc, Tony Isabella, and many others. I enjoyed much success with the sellout of the first printing of TIMESPELL #1, mostly due to the 99 cent cover price. Although that cover price was highly publicized, and intended to be the course for the long haul, upon being picked up from Diamond, I was informed I would have to raise the price. The reason being, that in order to stay in the game, everyone would need to benefit from this. Although a gallant and bold step into the comic field, in order to meet the $1000 bench mark, I would have to be selling a boat load of books at 99 cents each. Taking all this into consideration, I asked many retailers and collectors what they felt the best course of action would be. The majority suggested to bring the cover price up to the industry indy standard of $2.95. This was a huge jump in cover price, but being the new kid on the block, you always want to play nice with your new friends. Besides, I had already gotten rejection from a few other distributors because of the insanely low cover price. There was one who informed me that I would be paying HIM to distribute the book at such a cost! I feel that my only course at this point is to implore on Diamond that there is indeed still support for the book. I believe, as does my rep, that Timespell #4 could be the issue to turn it all around. With a new inker on board and an incredible painted cover by artist Brian Rood, we could see a big increase in interest in the book. I would like to ask all of you out there, fans and retailers alike, to share your support for TIMESPELL with my rep, Chris Schaff. Again, Chris is the greatest guy...he's gone to the wall and back for me on this, and his efforts do not go unnoticed. You can email Chris at the following: schris@diamondcomics.com Again, I thank you all, and will continue to keep you updated on the situation at hand. For those of you who did order TIMESPELL #4, please email me directly and I will fill your order personally, in the event of cancellation. Until next time... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] And let me tell you why .... David Coulter DneColt@aol.com [David - who declared himself "America's Weirdly Cool Columnist" in a misguided tribute to The Firesign Theatre -- lives with his family in Kansas City and pays the bills as Marketing Director for a computer consulting group. He's heard the old saying that the best comics ever published were the ones that came out when you were ten ... and he's not buying it. He knows there are good comics out there, he can hear them breathing.] I want to talk about Steve Ditko's package. Actually, he has two, and they're both pretty sizeable. You knew, of course, that I was referring to Steve Ditko's 80- and 160- Page Packages. Of course you did. For those of you who didn't (well, what did you THINK I was talking about?), Steve Ditko has published a pair of hefty tomes collecting some of his recent work -- both published and unpublished. Stuff like the Missing Man strips from Topps Kirbyverse comics, and some of his own musing on the nature of the world. Now, I'm the first to admit that I don't know the first thing about Steve Ditko, which is, I guess, the way he wants it. He never gives interviews or makes convention appearances and he's apparently always maintained that he'd rather let his work speak for itself. I say apparently because I don't KNOW. All I know about him is reading articles with oblique, knowing references to his "reclusive nature" and "odd politics," like everyone is in on the full story. Well, I'm not, and if someone is, please let me know. Anyway, if he wants to let his work speak for itself, that's fine. The Packages certainly say a great deal. They say he's an artist who knows how to tell a story visually and values iconography representation (bad guys who look and act like bad guys, etc.) to the point where he actually spends whole pages explaining his concepts and with graphical representation and icons. As for his politics, he seems to be a pretty hard core follower of Ayn Rand which, frankly, is what I found most fascinating about these books. I suppose -- in the interest of full disclosure -- I ought to reveal that my politics tend toward the commie-lib-pinko side of the spectrum. Ayn Rand's follower's notions of Individualism can get up my nose sometimes - - and they do here, too. But Ditko presents his arguments in such a reasoned compelling way that I find myself -- in not agreeing -- at least understanding. His political pieces aren't screechy or preachy, either, which political comics tend too often to be. Rather they're almost a series of parables designed to illustrate the foundations of his beliefs. I think it's a good thing to have deeply-held beliefs challenged from time to time -- it helps to keep them from calcifying and turning into mere dogma. And it's a real treat to have those beliefs challenged by a comic book. I mean, when was the last time a comic book caused you to question your political outlook? I can't think of any, offhand. But these books aren't just political diatribes. There's some pretty insightful social criticism, some very Seinfeld-esque observational humor, some old-fashioned EC Comics-style morality plays, and even some straight-ahead superhero action. There's a little something for everybody. The books seem, at first glance, to have a slapped-together, this-is-what-I-found-on-my-desk kind of feel. But as you read through them, you find Ditko working his way back to the same ideas and themes again and again, playing with a scene from many different points of view. There's one scene in particular -- a street fight -- that he comes back several times, working it over from many different point of view, adding and subtracting characters, motivations and dialogue. He plays with this idea like a Rubik's Cube, twisting the various elements into different combinations and trying them out. Now, that being said, I will warn you that reading these books is sort of like being trapped in an elevator with a crazy person. Ditko's dialogue is so stilted and weird and -- quite frankly -- crazed, that it's difficult to read at times. In some ways, Ditko is just a cranky old man. He has nothing but contempt for people like social workers, institutions like NEA, and the entire culture of blame and excuse we live in. But even in his non- political stories, the characters become little more than mouthpieces for some pretty strange and abstract ideas. I came at these books as -- if not a lifelong fan of Ditko's -- at least as an admirer. I came from the John Romita/Ross Andru age of Spider- Man, so Ditko's take on the character was always a novelty for me (and, like Matt Groening, I was always frightened by the way he drew women's hair). His Dr. Strange, however, remains definitive. No one had done this character right since Ditko did him in Strange Tales, and Marvel ought to just accept that and move on. I discovered Ditko's Strange first through reprint, then back issues, which led me to other Ditko work I still love to this day. His Blue Beetle and Captain Atom, for example, are wonderful pieces of work. And I always enjoyed the occasional Ditko story that popped up through the years -- in The Creeper, Machine Man, the Hulk, Micronauts, Starman -- his figures were somewhat stiff, but weirdly compelling. But the Packages are different. They're almost like listening in on a private conversation. I do recommend these books, though, to anyone looking for something different. These books definitely are that. They're also an interesting glimpse at a creative mind at work. Chances are, your shop won't be carrying these books (not unless you have exceptional good fortune), so here's a web address where you can buy them -- and even preview a little of the work: http://www.comicsfun.com/thecomics/books.htm Enjoy! Comments? Criticisms? Flames? E-mail them to DneColt@aol.com ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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!] "I don't want to grow up..." When you are younger you have a very strong sense of right and wrong...good and evil...true or false. It's why we are fooled so often by those older than us. WE want to believe what our ears hear, eyes see, or hands touch. IT'S the reason that so many of us become superhero fans at a young age--the boundaries between right and wrong are clearly defined and we can respect those who fight for the right! Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman--there they all were..fighting for TRUTH, JUSTICE, and the AMERICAN WAY..or at least a better way...a safer way..a peaceful way! We can and do relate to the want to be safe and sound. We can and do relate to the honesty each hero radiates! Ahh...when we were young weren't things so grand? We believed in all of the things we heard...after all what is not to believe? Why should anyone lie? What can be gained by that? WE are likely to believe in dreams and that good things are going to happen..that life is fair. However, as we grow we see the harshness of reality and know that somewhere along the lines the unfair happened, we were lied to, maybe now we cannot even trust what we see....whatever the reasons..somewhere along the line we lose something. Innocence? Naivette? Childhood? Our Shadows?? WE stop believing in the impossible. We strive for logic in all. We lose the magic and look for the science. WE LOSE ourselves! I still can remember what it felt like to be in the yard, calling for the zephyr winds or spinning till I was so dizzy that all the kids pointed and laughed, and just 'playing' cause it was the FUN thing to do. I worry that as we age we lose track of the FUN. We want things..especially our comics... to be more and more realistic--but at what cost? I love to watch kids play and use their imaginations. I love to just drop a bunch of comics that are 'continued next issue' in front of kids and watch as they DISCUSS what they think will happen next! HALF the time their visions are better than the actual conclusion. I wish sometimes I could go back....cause I really don't wanna grow up! **************************** HEY my first WIZARD work is going to appear FRIDAY OCT 15 on their online site at www.wizardworld.com Check it out and encourage our readers to check it out..I'm hoping you all like it! Jen ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] 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. ] David Groenewegen email: david.groenewegen@lib.monash.edu.au VENTING MY SPLEEN Well, after a couple of weeks away, I'm back. Admit it, you missed me. Didn't you? Maybe not. Anyway, I've been re-reading MAGE: THE HERO DEFINED in preparation for the last issue coming out. I'm not sure exactly when this will be, but given that the series started a fair while ago, I thought it would be nice to remind myself of everything that had happened. When I started with MAGE, I bought it on the half-remembered quality of #14 from the first series, and because it seemed like a good idea. To be honest, I wasn't terribly impressed with the first couple of issues. Sure there were some nice fight scenes, some cool looking "nasties", some characters with groovy logos on their T-shirts. But the story seemed a little thin. I mainly decided to stick with it for the art, which isn't a decision I make often. I'm more of a story man myself. But Matt Wagner drew such graceful, kinetic characters, just bristling with life. Sure sometimes they stand around in poses reminiscent of Arnie in "Conan the Barbarian", but mostly they were so fluid that I was just hooked. I was amazed to see that a lot of people really hated the art in this series, or so the early letter cols seemed to indicate. But I liked the generally sparse backgrounds, and the use of bold colours. They seemed to me to indicate the speed at which things were happening. Later the art got more detailed, but only where it needed to be. I like that - no showing off, just doing what needs to be done. What about the story though? Well, even though I kept buying it, I wasn't really sure about the story. Partly this was due to the occasional long gaps between the issues, which tends to diffuse the action, as well as dim my memory of what's going on. Partly it was the slow build up (which works really well when you read the books in a bunch). But I kept going. It reminded me a bit of when I first used to read SANDMAN. I bought it for a year without really knowing why, or even thinking about it too much. I liked it, but didn't really follow it. When I went overseas I dropped it, but one night I read all the issues I had in a row (it was the "Doll's House" story), and I was hooked. I won't say that re-reading MAGE has had quite the same effect, but it is a lot better read in unison. The characters seem better formed, the themes (of responsibility and recklessness) are clearer. I picked up on little things I'd missed, like the procession of silly hats the Pale Incanter wears. And, as I said before, the whole thing builds up really nicely. Which isn't to say that there weren't some problems. Kirby Hero's on again, off again relationship with Kevin Matchstick seems really stupid because he turns up again all the time. There's no real sense of how much time has passed, at least to me, so it seems like Kirby just goes and comes back again straight away. And there's the pervading scent of in-jokes about the place. Apparently all the characters are based on friends and associates of Wagner's - Joe Phat is Joe Matt, while the Dragonslayer is Dave Sim. This is nice if you recognise them (or if someone tells you), but when you don't know, you feel like you're missing out on something. But maybe that's just me. Anyway, overall I'm glad I stuck with it, and I look forward to #15 to find out what happens. And then I just have to wait a few years until Wagner starts the third part of the MAGE trilogy. That should be really interesting. David Groenewegen davidhar@lib.monash.edu.au ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] Comic Abstracts John Barker jbarker@inch.com ["I live and work in New York City. Comic Abstracts contains some commentary and my thoughts on the comics world. http://www.inch.com/~jbarker/comic has my previous work." -John ] 1999 1999 is nearly over. It seems like not too long ago I was making predictions about what 1999 would be like, comic-wise. My realization came as an afterthought that it doesn't really matter how I thought it would be- because in the grand scheme of things it's not the most important thing in the world. I'm sure years from now 1999 won't be seen as this pivotal year of comicdom... but suffice to say 1999 has been, for the most part, satisfying. Ya know, Wednesday comes around, and there are some good reads and some bad reads. My sense of anticipation is completely shot... gone are the days of visiting comic shops hoping to find the next issue (circa Iron Man #227, FYI). But still... there's nothing like walking out of a comic book shop, blowing $20 on a new bag of comics. And New York City has it's fair share of decent comic books stores. The fans don't smell too bad, either... unless you go to a big apple con. EWAC REVISITED I'm sure many folks (especially those on the east coast) remember all the commotion made by the group "Eastern Wolverine Adamantium Consortium". They had a big to-do over a year ago with their convention in East Orange, New Jersey regarding the status of Logan, AKA Wolverine, as a non-adamantium super-hero. They were lobbying for Wolverine's return to an 'adamantium-enhanced superhero'. While the fires have died down slightly and people aren't raking at the gates of Marvel for everyone's favorite canuckle- head to get his metal back, a few folks haven't forgotten the dream. I recently spoke with Greg Miles, the leader of the EWAC group. In addition to calling Marvel's treatment of Wolverine "inhumane" and "stupid", Greg calls for the X-Men member who is 'the best there is at what he does' to return to his heavy metal glory. Miles says Wolverine "is a lie and a sham that he doesn't have his adamantium". Miles went so far as to say that in a real world situation, Wolverine wouldn't last because "his bones would have been ground to powder years ago... after every meeting with Sabertooth, there was no way his healing factor could recover it". There you have it: such passion from people in Jersey. Miles made me an honorary member of EWAC, for which I received an EWAC t-shirt and an "adamantium" bottle cap opener. But I won't hold back my personal views on the matter: Wolverine sucks without his adamantium. Instead of being indestructible and able kill everyone, he's this little girly man with these skimpy bones. Okay, obviously I'm fooling no one here. I really don't care too much. As long as he's not appearing in to many stupid crossovers (remember Marvel UK?)... or slumming with a patch over his eye in the dumbest of all comic book cities: Madripoor, then I'm happy. But to use a line from the best comic mini-series ever (What the :?!), Colossus commented on Wolverine: "I don't see what that washed up rock singer has to do with it anyway" (get it? the guy Adam Ant? Good Two Shoes? Prince Charming? Oh, forget it...). TRASH TALK AND THE HEROES I was taking the F train home the other day, and I was pondering the places I'd worked... where lunches with co-workers evolved into bitch-fests about other co-workers. This sort of behavior is oft considered 'backstabbing', but it's usually fairly tame and not too many feelings get hurt. Unless you work at a community radio station, then it's armageddon. I couldn't think of any great examples of trash talk or backstabbing that weren't overt or purposeful. For example, Count Nefaria informing the X-Men that they would meet their ends is something that could be expected. Doctor Doom telling the Fantastic Four you could assume that the Doc would tell them he would beat them and how. Giffen's Guy Gardner was always talking trash, but it was so over the top. But around a lunch table, or maybe a late night call between heroes might reveal something different... break the surface of superficiality and truly reveal what they think about other heroes. Take Kyle Raynor, this guy has aliens after him, deranged villains, Hal Jordan fans, a troubled career, and he's in this bizarre love triangle. Now, I like Kyle Raynor, but the guys gotta vent and at the very least feel like the little man on the campus. I imagine that every so often Kyle would lose it and 'vent' or 'project' onto anyone unfortunate to be in the way. So imagine this fake scenario with Kyle dishing to Roy Harper (Speedy) Kyle: "That jerk... Batman is so pompous, I'd like to give him a what for. Roy: Batman? Yeah, right. Kyle: I'd like to see him evade a 50 wide twenty thousand pound hammer. Roy: You can't do that, he's Batman. Kyle: Yeah. You ever notice I always beat Superman back to the space station? Roy: No, I... Kyle: That boy is whipped. And he's dull. Roy: He's Superman Kyle: And he's a bore! the guy's got zero personality. Roy: He's got super-hearing, though. Kyle: Ah, to heck with him. That's what I say! To heck with him! I don't care if he hears me! Roy: Nice, Kyle.... real nice. Kyle: But that ain't all... You ever walk into the bathroom after J'onn? Roy: Are you done? You get the idea... Not every hero has a "perfect attitude" and could conceivably end up dishing on some other undeserving hero. It's human nature. Plus, with perfect attitudes, gone would be any sense of drama or conflict in any story. GOOD COMIC READ OF LAST WEEK: Iron Man #23 by Stern, Busiek and Chen. Must be something about booze 'n broads. -john barker http://www.inch.com/~jbarker ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [12] 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.] Name: The Victorian #7 Publisher: Penny-Farthing Press Written: Lovern Kindxierski Drawn by: Martin Kontiel Luna/pencils Jose Carlos Buelna/inks Price: $2.95 Comments: The Victorian aka Laszlo is quite the enigma. His whole life is a mystery. I am looking forward to further stories from this series. The scene shifts play out like a blockbuster movie as the reader goes from Drylake, Nevada - near Area 51 then to Egham, England. There is a huge web of intrigue and much of it has to be deciphered as this plays out. Another scene shift to New Orleans 1999, brought me down to harsh reality as I witnessed gangbangers who plan to whack a fellow associate of crime, who has come to them for protection at their safehouse. The horror sets in as he hears they plan to end his life in an undisclosed location, he escapes their wrath, only to find himself at the New Orleans police station. This 'rasta' as anyone with dreadlocks in the Virgin Islands are called, is interrogated by the New Orleans Police on suspicion of murder and the inscrutability of this tale heightens! Another character introduced is Master Thit, back in Egham. Master Thit trains the Victorian children well and is preparing them for some futuristic event. This is what I gather as I see the Victorian children practicing their Lai Ka (fight dance). The Victorian children belong to The Order of the Blue Rose. The Order of the Blue Rose is probably as powerful and mysterious as the Freemasons or the Rosicrucians. I will be looking forward to learning the purpose and mission of The Order of the Blue Rose. The present day has a major crisis to deal with. They find missing missiles at Drylake. President Clinton seems quite agitated with this dilemma and I feel this will have a strong impact as this story progresses. An impact of biblical proportions, my guess. Powerful and emotionally charged story that leaves a deep impression on my mind after reading it! I also love the outfit that The Victorian wears, it reminds me of something out of the movie "Wild, Wild West". Excellence is a virtue and excellence is The Victorian! Cutting edge drama! Name: Exposure #2 Publisher: Image Written and Drawn by: David Campiti Price: $2.50 Comments: Wow! Was I ever impressed with Exposure #2! The cover was glamorous with the real life models. I have always enjoyed investigative teams that seek out answers from the world of the paranormal from the "X-Files" to "Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal" to "Poltergeist: The Legacy" to "GvE". Now I have Para Tech Research and all other paranormal investigative teams pale in comparison to this awesome team of Lisa and Shawna! What an incredible team we have here, from Lisa who has sensitivity to the paranormal to Shawna, a former cop. These two beautiful ladies have a long history together, since childhood when they played Sherlock Holmes and Watson. It will be interesting to see possible flashbacks of their lives as this series continues. Just when I thought I was really infatuated with these hot ladies, then comes along Mrs. Naomi Christenson as she struts down the street. Her outfit was absolutely incredible and I fell right into the story as I learned that she was frightened of all cameras and believes that cameras steal a part of her soul. If Naomi is panic stricken from the video camera in a ATM machine, she needs to watch out for surveillance cameras from satellites. It's also interesting on how she can feel the presence of a video camera, without actually seeing it. She has a horrible panic disorder. With this going on, there was more going on with the story as our heroines Lisa and Shawna dealt with the silicon based life form during the autopsy. Since these glass creatures inhabit mirrors, I wonder if Naomi's fear of cameras and these creatures are somehow connected, as we all know that mirrors are just one of the pieces that make up cameras. Hmmmm. Naomi must have had a pretty nerve wracking life, as there are now video cameras everywhere, from street stop lights, to department stores. There is no way to escape the multitude of cameras and I can see why Naomi freaked out when her husband invited her to the KNJL party and brings out a camera right in their home. Naomi was on the brink of madness and her husband finished it off, by picking up the camera in their home, which lead her to leap off the balcony to her death? I am curious on why the glass shards were moving away from Lisa, but in time I know that this will be answered. Lisa and Shawna have no peace from these strange creatures, as one of the creatures leaps out from their rear view mirror, while they are driving. The horror is tremendous for both of them. Excitement and nosebleed thrills are found in this spectacular comic book! If you have a chance, pick this comic book up, you won't be disappointed! MOE Sidenote: New at Broadway Comics & Cards this week: Armorines by Acclaim, Congo Bill #3 by Vertigo, Hellhole - Vision #2 by Image, Finals 4 of 4 by Vertigo, Heavy Liquid by Vertigo and 7th System #5 by Sirius. Of course, there is plenty more! For more information about any of the above-mentioned titles, please email Wilson Lew, owner of Broadway Comics & Cards at: wilsonlew@sprintmail.com Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off, until next time..... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [13] My View David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com [David LeBlanc is the Editor of the Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine. He is a long time fan of comics and the electronic media - having been the moderator of the comics forums on WME, FIDONET and the Comic Book Network. He and his wife are attempting to raise two teenage sons in a suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts. David supports his comic book habit by working as the Manager of Marketing and Sales for a privately owned manufacturer of electro-mechanical components.] GEEKSVILLE #2 32 pages, Black & White, color covers - by Gary Sassaman, $2.75 Three Finger Prints N69 W15890 Eileen Avenue Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 Back issues of GEEKSVILLE, THE 3 GEEKS, and INNOCENT BYSTANDER available - credit cards now accepted. Call 1-414-250-0269 10AM-5PM Central time. Also try www.innocentbystander.com Email: GSassaman@aol.com This appears to be the obligatory Halloween issue, the first I have read this year and each of the three parts touches on the theme, somewhat. - TRUE TALES FROM THE COMIC SHOP Written and Illustrated by Rich Koslowski This section is supposedly about things that are unbelievably true and happen at comic shops. That was my perception, but this time it is a story of GEEK creator Rich Koslowski on a Halloween long ago and how he was a super hero for a day. He relates the story while in a comic shop, so I guess that counts. He and his future bride are attending a party in costume as Batman and Robin. On his way to a birthday celebrating record 21 boilermakers (shot and a beer to you young `uns) Rich gets drawn into defending a party-goer against some boorish clod. Things escalate and our hero manages to gather additional troops to eject the bad guy and his friends from the party. Outside there are heated words and he figures discretion is the better part of valor and walks away from an obvious attempt to pick a fight. Soon he is called back out as the fight began without him and people are getting hurt. Rich being a big guy manages to stop the bully and then a knife is pulled. The story ends with the cops being called, the bad guy in jail and a few people in the hospital. Rich had saved the day by finally decking the bad guy, but had several knife wounds to show for it. This was then his night as a super hero. Hmm.. I found it interesting enough as a short story, but disappointing as a Tale "from" the Comic Shop and only mildly entertaining. Some guys get rowdy and a fight breaks out, he stops the bad guy and this makes him a super hero? I prefer something either totally outrageous or very funny - not this slice of life from the author's earlier days. The header said "Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction" but I see nothing strange in this story. - AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER ILLU-ESSAY "I Remember Franky" by Gary Sassaman Those familiar with Gary's excellent series, INNOCENT BYSTANDER, know that he often leads us down some shared memories, shared that is by many of us not only those of the same generation (boomers basically) but those who have common interests - like the Marx Brothers, cats, The Three Stooges, our first date, and so on. This time he educates and reminisces about a classic character of the silver screen and the actors who played him - Frankenstein's Monster. Often mistakenly referred to "as" Frankenstein (whom we all know was the creator of the monster) he is a classic character and has been redone a number of times over the years. But Gary relates his personal discovery of the horror movies as they found popularity on television. I can relate to my own fascination with all of those, never could get enough of them, from Frankenstein to Dracula to Wolfman and on to the insect monsters, the Blob, and of course the Japanese entries later. This essay takes us through the early days of color tv and the first cable system, relates the Saturday morning thrillers as well as the late night Saturday classics of the genre. The topper of course was The Bride of Frankenstein. The illustrations, as always are first rate and the details of some of the behind the scenes triumphs and tragedies bring a new dimension to the memories of the old time horror actors. Karloff, Chaney, Lugosi are names that we all know from those stories on film. As always, was thoroughly entertained by the depth of interest and detail Gary takes on his subject. I mentioned last time that I prefer to read his stuff in bigger doses as essays like this are then balanced by sillier stuff and perhaps a story from real life experiences that stir our emotions. This may be difficult for newcomers to read and get a handle on what Gary is all about or even why he is in this anthology. You need to read more of his work to see the range of things - and the best way is to get some back issues of INNOCENT BYSTANDER. They have my highest recommendation - THE 3 GEEKS "Go a Haunting" by Craig Boldman & Rich Koslowski, lettered by Sandy Koslowski This one is really about Halloween as the 3 Geeks go out trick or treating, despite the fact they are too old. After all, by the time you are old enough to "do" trick or treating right - with a great costume you can afford yourself - well you are too old to be doing it. But that does not stop our fearless geeks. As a ninja, Cyclops and The Hulk they are off to get loot. Allen is the Hulk and needs to take off his jacket before he approaches each door for the real effect. The Ninja lurks off unseen each time which kind of defeats the purpose of trick or treat - but it is what a ninja does. And at one house they unexpectedly get comic books for a treat which sets off Cyclops on a plan to get more. He trades face masks with a kid to return to the same house but fails to get a comic worth collecting. To add insult to injury the kid took off with his Cyclops goggles, and Allen's jacket as well. The night appears to have turned to a disaster, until Jim the Ninja shows up with a surprise. Those of you looking for the "funny book" part of this comic will find it here. The geek are cute cliches of comic fans and yet are not overly so. Even Allen's unnatural speech is easy to get used to. Again we get some nostalgia along with a bit of fun and even a reminder about a terrific idea. Many have suggested it before - if you have a large collection, with lots of stuff you do not really plan on keeping, or know where to get lots of clean readable comics real cheap, then consider giving out comics for Halloween. And of course get a copy of GEEKSVILLE for your own treat! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [14] 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, 10/20/1999, 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 AIT/PLANETLAR Making Of Astronauts In Trouble, 10.95 AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Caffeine #10, 3.95 Smith Brown Jones Special Convention Mayhem, 5.95 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Betty & Veronica #143, 1.79 Cheryl Blossom #28, 1.79 Jughead Double Digest #64, 2.99 Sonic The Hedgehog #78, 1.79 BONGO COMICS Simpsons Comics #45, 2.50 CHAOS! COMICS Armageddon #2 (Of 4), 2.95 Insane Clown Posse Raze Desertz Of Glass, 2.95 Undertaker #8 Photo Cvr Ed, 2.95 Undertaker #8 Reg Ed, 2.95 CPM MANGA Call Me Princess #6, 2.95 Geobreeders #8, 2.95 Lodoss War Grey Witch #12, 2.95 Lodoss War Lady Of Pharis #7, 2.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Dark Horse Presents #147, 2.95 Feeders, 2.95 Hellboy Jr #1 (Of 2), 2.95 Masakazu Katsuras Shadow Lady Eyes Of A Stranger (1 / 7) #13, 2.50 Spyboy #1, 2.50 Usagi Yojimbo #32, 2.95 DC COMICS Animaniacs Featuring Pinky And The Brain #55, 1.99 Aquaman #62, 1.99 Batman #572, 1.99 Batman Dark Victory #1 (Of 13), 4.95 Books Of Faerie Mollys Story #4 (Of 4), 2.50 Cartoon Network Starring #4, 1.99 Deathblow Sinners And Saints TPB, 19.95 Dreaming #43, 2.50 Flash & Green Lantern The Brave & The Bold #3 (Of 6), 2.50 Gen 13 #46, 2.50 Giantkiller #5 (Of 6), 2.50 JSA #5, 2.50 Michael Moorcocks Multiverse TPB, 19.95 Sci Tech #4 (Of 4), 2.50 Secret Origins Of Super Villains 80 Page Giant #1, 4.95 Superboy #69, 1.99 Superman The Man Of Steel #95, 1.99 Titans #10, 2.50 Tomorrow Stories #3, 2.95 Young Justice #15, 2.50 FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS Combustion, 7.95 GEMSTONE Md #4 (Of 5), 2.50 Psychoanalysis #3 (Of 4), 2.50 Panic #12, 2.50 Tales From The Crypt #30, 2.50 IMAGE COMICS Cygor #4, 2.50 Desperate Times TPB, 14.95 Fathom Collected Edition #3, 5.95 Kabuki Classics #8, 3.25 More Than Mortal Coll Ed Vol #1, 6.95 Spawn #88, 1.95 Spirit Of The Tao #13, 2.50 Weasel Guy Road Trip #2, 3.50 INSIGHT STUDIOS Jimgrim And Devil At Ludd HC, 39.95 MARVEL COMICS Black Panther #13, 2.50 Blade Vampire Hunter #1, 3.50 Captain America #24, 1.99 Contest Of Champions II #5 (Of 5), 2.50 Deathlok #4, 1.99 Fantastic Five #3, 1.99 Galactus The Devourer #4 (Of 6), 2.50 Hulk Vs Thing, 3.99 Marvel Mystery Comics, 3.95 Thunderbolts #33, 1.99 X-Men #95, 1.99 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Animerica Extra Vol 2 #11, 4.95 Dragonball Z Part 2 #11 (Of 14), 2.95 Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 #8 (Of 8), 2.95 magazines Comic Shop News #644, AR NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD RELEASE DATE NEW DATE DC COMICS 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 #6 11/12 11/24 Divine Right #12 10/29 11/10 Dreams Of The Darkchylde #0 06/16 TBA Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 06/30 TBA Hellblazer #143 09/29 10/27 Leg. Of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9 10/27 11/10 Planetary #7 10/13 11/17 Planetary #8 12/10 12/22 Promethea #4 10/22 11/03 Promethea #5 10/27 11/17 Son Of Superman HC 10/20 11/10 Speed Racer #3 10/29 11/10 Tom Strong #6 12/17 12/29 Tomorrow Stories #4 11/17 11/24 Top Ten #4 10/15 10/27 *Please Note: These dates are tentative. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [15] HYPE! Section Various From: John Kovalic Subject: [MUSKRAT-L]: September 1999 Muskrat Mailing! THE BIG, FAT MUSKRAT CENTRAL MONTHLY NEWSLETTER THINGY September, 1999 * APPLES TO APPLES Named GAMES MAGAZINE'S Party Game of the Year! * DORK TOWER in Portuguese! * In-Store Signing in Madison Oct. 16 * New DORK TOWER Mailing List * SITH PARK T-Shirts and DORK TOWER Golf Shirts are on their way again! * New DorkWear T-Shirt? * DORK TOWER #6 at the printer. * The COMIC SHOP NEWS run of DORK TOWER continues. * Escape From Elba Update! * Chez Geek Update! * Reprints, reprints, reprints! I think it's safe to say this has been the busiest two months of my life. In the last four weeks alone I've finished off 170 illustrations for two big game releases (CHEZ GEEK by Steve Jackson Games, ESCAPE FROM ELBA for Cheapass Games), written the flavor text for 160 cards in the Apples to Apples expansion deck, finished off DORK TOWER #6 and gotten a good chunk of DORK TOWER #7 completed. Also got a few dozen illustrations off to the THE FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAMER'S BIBLE, and finished off twelve brand-new full-color DORK TOWER strips for the Comic Shop News. This is, of course, in addition to the strips for Pyramid Online, Dragon Magazine and the usual batch of goo. It's October. And this is the September newsletter. So you can see how busy things are. Mostly, this is because the business side of things has gotten so busy, lately. So I'll cut the chatter, and get to the updates. John ************************************************************ * APPLES TO APPLES Named GAMES MAGAZINE'S Party Game of the Year! Let's start off with the Huge News of the month: Apples to Apples, which I illustrated and helped to develop, published by Madison's own Out of the Box Publishing, has been named the PARTY GAME OF THE YEAR in the December 1999 issue of Games Magazine. This represents the third national award Apples to Apples has received in 1999. This is just fabulous, unbelievable news. First introduced at the New York Toy Fair in February, Apples to Apples received the MENSA Select Award for games in April, and The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval in May. Now in its third printing since June (the latest run being 25,000), Apples to Apples is available at over 750 game and book retailers nationwide. You can also find it at the DORK STORE (http://kovalic.com/sales/sales.html) Apples to Apples has also been picked up by Barnes and Noble, and Wireless catalog. The game is a complete blast to play, and the Apples to Apples Expansion Decks should be out soon. Out of the Box Publishing's first game, Bosworth (which features the DORK TOWER characters), has also won worldwide critical acclaim since its release in 1998. * DORK TOWER in Portuguese! This seems close enough to being done for me to announce it. It looks like Portuguese will be the third language DORK TOWER is translated into. Currently, the strip is translated into German by Pegasus Spiel, and into Italian by Nexus Editrice. Now a well-established company in Argentina is keen on taking Matt, Ken, Igor, Carson and Gilly into Portugal and Argentina. We seem to be close on terms, and I've got a good feeling about things. Also had an enquiry from a second Spanish comics company recently, which is fun...if far from anything being finalized. Knock on wood. More news as things develop. You can see samples of DORK TOWER in German at http://kovalic.com/dork/indexdeu.html. You can check out the same strip in Italian at http://kovalic.com/dork/indexita.html. * In-Store Signing in Madison Oct. 16 Believe it or not, I've never done an in-store signing for DORK TOWER. That's gonna change in just under a week. Saturday, October 16, I'll be signing copies of DORK TOWER at the grand opening of Pegasus Game's brand-new downtown location, 315 West Gorham St, inside of Canterbury Bookseller and Coffeehouse. I'll be there from 2 to 4 pm. The folks from Out of the Box will also be running demos of Apples to Apples and Bosworth. It's a great store in a great new location. A splendid time is guaranteed for all. For more info, call 833-4263. (Later on that night, I'll be at Laugh Lines comedy club, watching my pal Tim Clue's standup brilliance. Tim'll be in Madison from Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 14-17, opening for John Pinette. I may be biased, but despite the fact that John Pinette was named Standup Comic of the year, I think Tim should be headlining. Everyone should check out his act. (On the topic of Laugh Lines, Steve Marmel, my pal the genius, will be headlining Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 21-24. Steve's written for Johnny Bravo and Cow and Chicken on the Cartoon Network, has been nominated for an Emmy award, and just cut his first HBO special. His standup comedy rocks, and anyone in the area should check his show out. I'll probably be there all nights. (Back to the topic of DORK TOWER, Steve's co-writing a couple of scripts with me for the animated version of DORK TOWER. We may even be collaborating on some stories in the comic book. He's a great guy, I've known him since college, and I really can't wait to work on some projects with him). * New DORK TOWER Mailing List OK...several people have asked for it. It's now a reality. If you'd like more Dork News than just the Muskrat-L Announcement List updates, or if you want to talk with other folks who enjoy all things Dorky, an honest-to-goodness, full-blown DORK TOWER mailing list is now available from OneList.com. You can sign up to a regular version and a digest version. All you have to do is go to http://www.onelist.com/community/DorkTower to subscribe. Speaking of Internet matters...is there anyone out there who might help me set up a chat area for the DORK TOWER web site? I have no idea how one would even start going about getting this done. * SITH PARK T-Shirts and DORK TOWER Golf Shirts are on their way again! A few orders from the DORK STORE (http://kovalic.com/sales/sales.html) have been delayed due to the Sith Park T-Shirts and DORK TOWER Golf shirts selling out. The manufacturer assures me that the new order is on its way, and I'm hoping all back orders will go out before the end of the week. * New DorkWear T-Shirt? and speaking of the shirts -- In the wake of the Sith Park T-Shirt, there may be a new DorkWear shirt available before Christmas. Check out http://kovalic.com/pokegone.jpg, and let me know what you think. (This is quite a bit darker than anything I've done before -- attribute it to my love of Mad Magazine and Wacky Packages as a kid). Also, look for a Gilly the Perky Goth T-Shirt sometime in the Spring of 2000. * DORK TOWER #6 at the printer. I've never put out an issue of DORK TOWER that has suffered from more niggling problems than issue #6 ("Goth Drops"). The book was finished a month ago, but is only now at Quebecor. Just received an e-mail from them telling me page 29 was missing, so I've got to e-mail them that as soon as this newsletter is done. This means DT6 should be out in two weeks. The reprint of DORK TOWER #1 will be off to the printers soon, hot on its heels, and DORK TOWER #7 should be available around Thanksgiving. I'm VERY happy with the main story in DT6. I'm looking forward to people's feedback. I think it ranks alongside the Goth story in DT2 and the Star Wars story in DT4 as my all-time favorite. Don't want to spoil anything, but it's sixteen pages long (!), and involves Matt, Gilly the Perky Goth and Clan Gangrene. Love is in the air! Or is that just Gamer Funk? I also redid the cover for DORK TOWER #7. I'm much happier with this, and I think DT7 will be a ton of fun. Upcoming schedule: DORK TOWER #1 (reprint) (October) ("Heart of Dorkness") should ship mid-November DORK TOWER #7 (November/December) ("A Very Dorky Christmas") should ship late November DORK TOWER # 8 (January/February 2000) ("High Sobriety") will ship January 5 DORK TOWER #9 (March, April 2000) DORK TOWER #10 (May, June 2000) DORK TOWER # 11 (July/August 2000) DORK TOWER Trade Paperback (August 2000) (Collecting issues one through six) DORK TOWER #12 (September/October 2000) ("The Young and the Feckless" - reprinting DORK TOWER'S Comic Shop News and Dragon Magazine runs) * The COMIC SHOP NEWS run of DORK TOWER continues. Still five weeks left of the Comic Shop News run of DORK TOWER. Feedback's been great so far, and I'm enjoying working with the CSN folks enormously. If your comics store doesn't carry CSN, don't worry -- all of the strips will be reprinted in DORK TOWER #12 ("The Young and the Feckless"), September 2000, along with ten SHOP KEEPS from Dragon magazine. Of course, they won't be in color (well, probably not, anyway...since all 22 comics were in color to begin with, there may be a chance to run the series as a color special, if circulation warrants it). * Escape From Elba Update! My part's done, and I had a blast with it. Try and find the hidden DORK TOWER cameo, by the way (and no, it's NOT the "Omnivore" card. I said "Hidden."). Hit http://cheapass.com for the latest info. Here's what they're saying at the moment: "Coming in October: Escape from Elba. A new five-dollar Cheapass boardgame, illustrated by DORK TOWER artist John Kovalic. You're Napoleon, and so is everybody else, in this whacked-out word game that has nothing whatsoever to do with history. Be the first to assemble the right letters, get yourself out of Elba, and return to become the Emperor of France. This game is on schedule for mid-October." * Chez Geek Update! Again, the art's done, and I'm VERY proud of this work. 110 full-color cards, each with a unique drawing. Info is up at up at http://www.sjgames.com/chezgeek. Sample cards are at http://www.sjgames.com/chezgeek/art.html. (Note: This game is probably not suitable for kids. If you check out the cards, you'll see why). Look for more DORK TOWER cameos in Chez Geek. These'll be easier to spot than those in Escape from Elba. Stock #1329 ISBN 1-55634-411-2 110 cards Suggested Retail Price: $19.95 Coming November 8th! * A few things I'm Grooving On... * "Local Hero" and "Rushmore": two movies I recently picked up on DVD. Loved them both. * "Geeksville" by Rich Koslowski and Gary Sassaman. * The last two CDs from Neil Finn, ex-Crowded House frontman. * Being home for longer than a week. It's autumn in Wisconsin, the biking is wonderful, the hammock is comfortable, and life is good... * "Action," on Fox, Thursday nights. * Time Clue (Oct. 14-17) and Steve Marmel (Oct. 21-24) coming to Laugh Lines comedy club in Madison. Call (608) 833-1055 for more info. The Muskrat-L list is a monthly read-only mailing list, updating all who care on the doings of DORK TOWER and other such scribblings of John Kovalic, including the comic strips WILD LIFE, Beached and the Unspeakable Oaf. +++++ viz-in vol. 11, no. 10 Your One-Stop Monthly Manga & Anime Connection! Kick off the new century right with VIZ! ITEMS SHIPPING JANUARY '00 Director of Sales & Marketing/Oliver Chin MAISON IKKOKU PART 9, #10 10-issue series story & art by Rumiko Takahashi b&w, 32 pages $2.95 USA/$4.50 CAN SHIPS 1/14 THE FINAL ISSUE This is it! Six years of romance come to a heartfelt conclusion as Kyoko and Godai admit their love and say their vows. At the wedding and the reception, see the reappearance of all the familiar faces you've come to know and love: Kozue, Mitaka, Asuna, Yagami, Godai's family, and the entire household of eccentrics. Bid the past goodbye, join your old friends, and see a glimpse of their future in the last issue of MAISON IKKOKU! MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0079, VOL. 1 Viz graphic novel story & art by Kazuhisa Kondo b&w, 192 pages $15.95 USA/$23.95 CAN SHIPS 1/7 CIVIL WAR, ROBOT WAR The official manga adaptation of the classic mecha anime! In the future, overpopulation drives the inhabitants of Earth to live in colonies in outer space, until the Duchy of Zeon, a militant colonial group, declares independence from Earth. In a devastating civil war, Zeon's army of Zaku mobile suits is the deciding weapon…until Amuro Rey, a young electronics wizard, inherits his father's top-secret invention, Mobile Suit Gundam! Collects MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0079 #1 through #7. IN THIS VOLUME: Until Amuro Rey's colony, the White Base, was attacked, he was a civilian. But when he sets foot inside the prototype Gundam to fend off the Zeon invaders, he becomes a fighter, who must defend the White Base as it desperately struggles to deliver its cargo of refugees to the green hills of Earth. Against conventional weaponry, advanced mobile suits, and the great tactical genius of Zeon ace Char Aznable, Amuro and his companions are the last hope for peace…in space and on a war-torn world! VOYEURS, INC., VOL. 1 Pulp graphic novel story & art by Hideo Yamamoto b&w, 208 pages $15.95 USA/$23.95 CAN SHIPS 1/14 UNSEEN EYES For the right price, no secret is safe! In the grimy motels and smoky back rooms of Tokyo, three men-professional Cho, talented but unpredictable Ken, and clueless apprentice Smile-have set up business as VOYEURS, INC., using the latest surveillance equipment and oldest crooked tactics to expose the peccadilloes, perversions and crimes of corrupt and powerful men. The creator of the drama VOYEUR returns in this new series! This graphic novel collects the installments from PULP Vol. 3, No. 2 through Vol. 3, No. 10. IN THIS VOLUME: Ken and Cho receive a simple-sounding assignment from a businessman whose smile is a little too wide: find out what his daughter is doing in her spare time. But high school student Reika is anything but simple, for she is already spying on her father, and easily avoiding the voyeurs, and running an enjo kosai-prostitution-ring with her cash-hungry classmates for sale. Soon Ken, a driven man with dichromatic eyes, has a personal interest in his subject…and at the risk of her father's rage, he's determined to discover her secrets…both of the mind and the body . pokémon POKéMON TV ANIMATION COMICS VOL. 1 color, 128 pages squarebound, comic size $10.95 SHIPS 10/99 FULL COLOR POKéMON Originally published in Nintendo Power, these full-color animation comics contain the first 6 episodes of the hit TV series. Follow Ash's adventures as he meets Pikachu, Misty and Brock, explores Mount Moon, and more! Published by Nintendo. POKÉMON THE FIRST MOVIE ANIMATION COMICS: MEWTWO STRIKES BACK #2 4-issue monthly series full color, 40 pages $3.95 USA/$5.95 CAN SHIPS 1/14 THE ISLAND OF STORMS Washed ashore at the foot of a mysterious castle, Ash, Misty and Brock, along with three other trainers, are taken inside to meet the one calling himself the Greatest Pokémon Trainer in the World. But how can a Pokémon be a Pokémon trainer…? POKéMON ADVENTURES #5: THE GASTLY GHOSTS unlimited monthly series story by Hidenori Kusaka art by MATO squarebound, b&w, 48 pages $5.95 USA/$8.95 CAN SHIPS 1/28 GHOST HOUSE On a dark, stormy night, Red climbs the haunted Pokémon Tower, where he must fight Gastly, a ghostly Psyduck, and his rival Blue! But why is Blue behaving so strangely? Then, meet Green, a girl Pokémon trainer! POKÉMON: SURF'S UP, PIKACHU #3 4-issue monthly series story & art by Toshihiro Ono b&w, 40 pages $2.95 USA/$4.50 CAN SHIPS 1/21 BEACH BLANKET PIKACHU Sailing across the ocean on the back of a Lapras, Ash and Misty must face challenging trainers to collect the badges of the Orange League! viz videos RANMA 1/2 MARTIAL MAYHEM: ONE LUMP OR TWO two complete episodes each volume subtitled color, stereo, 52 mins. $24.95 USA SHIPS 1/7 viz comics SILENT MÖBIUS: KARMA #3 7-issue monthly series story & art by Kia Asamiya b&w, 40 pages $3.25 USA/$4.95 CAN SHIPS 1/7 THE KEY AND THE GATE Katsumi comes out of her flashback only to find herself in terrible peril, attacked by the greatest Lucifer Hawk she's ever seen. What is the secret that her mother concealed from her? Is Katsumi really the child of the Gateway…the living "key" that can connect Nemesis and Earth? INU-YASHA, PART 4, #3 7-issue series story & art by Rumiko Takahashi b&w, 40 pages $3.25 USA/$4.95 CAN SHIPS 1/7 BROTHERS Inu-Yasha finally says good-bye to Kagome, after she falls at Sesshômaru's hands. Which brother-which demon-is the strongest? MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 0079, VOL. 2, #3 5-issue monthly series story & art by Kazuhisa Kondo b&w, 32 pages $2.95 USA/$4.50 CAN SHIPS 1/21 CONSPIRACY Amuro has his first battle with the mobile suit veteran and Zeon tactician Ranba Ral. But the true maneuvering is off the battlefield, as the treacherous Giren maneuvers for power within Zeon. NO NEED FOR TENCHI, PART 8, #4 5-issue monthly series story & art by Hitoshi Okuda monthly, b&w, 32 pages $2.95 USA/$4.50 CAN SHIPS 1/28 YOSHO'S STORY A special issue looking at Tenchi Muyo! through the eyes of Yosho, Tenchi's grandfather, once the greatest kensai-swordsmaster-of the planet Jurai. DRAGON BALL Z, PART 2, #14 story & art by Akira Toriyama 14-issue monthly series b&w, 32 pages $2.95 USA/$4.50 CAN SHIPS 1/14 LAST LEGS Having survived the worst thing Goku can throw at him, a somehow-still-alive Vegeta fights Earth's few surviving defenders. Five minutes to Earth's destruction…four…three… DRAGON BALL, PART 2, #11 story & art by Akira Toriyama 15-issue monthly series b&w, 32 pages $2.95 USA/$4.50 CAN SHIPS 1/7 GOKU VS. NAMU Our monkey-tailed hero fights the Indian mystic Namu (no, not Dhalsim)! But Namu needs to win the tournament to save the starving people of his village…can Goku bring himself to beat the good guy? RANMA 1/2, PART 8, #10 13-issue series story & art by Rumiko Takahashi monthly, b&w, 32 pages $2.95 USA/$4.50 CAN SHIPS 1/21 THE BIG BRAWL Pantyhose kidnaps Akane! Now Shampoo, Mousse, Ryoga and Ranma, armed and dangerous, must follow her…into a trap! viz magazines ANIMERICA EXTRA, VOL. 3, No. 2 FEB '00 manga anthology b&w, 128 pages $4.95 USA/$7.50 CAN SHIPS 1/14 EXTRAVAGANT Psychics, video girls, magic priestesses and steam-powered robots! ANIMERICA EXTRA brings you the best of shôjo and shônen manga the way it was meant to be read-as serialized stories in one huge 128-page manga anthology. Plus, each issue contains fan art; manga reviews by P. Duffield; anime and convention reviews by Carl Gustav Horn; and much, much more! IN THIS ISSUE: X/1999: A vision of her mother's death throws fragile Kotori into shock. Kamui struggles to bring her back to reality…but now that Kotori knows the truth, will she ever be the same? STEAM DETECTIVES: The Dragon of Steam City still stalks the metropolis, and news reporter Amanda Rose is on the scene. VIDEO GIRL AI: While Yota broods over Ai's date with Takao, Moemi finds herself ostracized by the other high school girls for going out with Takashi. FUSHIGI YŰGI: Nakago and the other Qu-Dong warriors hold Miaka and Yui at spearpoint. Can Tamahome rescue them? PULP, VOL. 4, NO. 2 FEB '00 manga anthology b&w, 128 pages $5.95 USA/$8.95 CAN MATURE READERS ONLY SHIPS 1/7 PULPTIME Check out PULP's new website at www.pulp-mag.com! Slake your thirst for manga that's more than big eyes and speed lines…the adult, sophisticated stories of PULP: MANGA FOR GROWNUPS, praised by the SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN and SCREW magazine, and deemed "unsuitable for prisoners" by the Virginia Department of Corrections! Each issue contains columns on film, manga, music, and more, plus six manga stories ranging from crime and suspense to sex and comedy. IN THIS ISSUE: STRAIN: While Shimei Sai's mistress makes a hard-to-refuse proposition to Shingo, Shion is introduced to a man who might be Shingo's grandfather. BAKUNE YOUNG: The Osaka police, and their naďve new recruit Go, are drummed up for the mission of arresting Bakune. BANANA FISH: Arriving in the smoggy city of Los Angeles, Ash and Max save the son of a doctor-one of the men behind "Banana Fish"-from mysterious men in black. VOYEURS, INC.: Riding his motorcycle, Ken catches up with Reika and her insane father, only to find himself nearly run off the road by the derange