---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 236 10/22/99 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com FREE VIA EMAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 1995 ______________________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net ............................ David LeBlanc [2] Letters to the Editor ................. Your Page! [3] TRIVIA CONTEST ........................ Win *real* prizes! [4] Network Buzz .......................... News, gossip & rumors [5] Ramblings `99 ......................... Rich Johnston [6] Tony Isabella's Journal ............... Tony Isabella [7] Random Thoughts in a Less Than Random World ........ Gary Sassaman [8] A Voice from the Doorway .............. Christopher Myers [9] And Let Me Tell You Why ............... David Coulter [10] Stranger in a Strange Land ............ Jennifer M. Contino [11] Comic Abstracts ....................... Jon Barker [12] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [13] My View:SAMURAI GUARD.................. David LeBlanc [14] Top 100 Comics for October ............ Previews [15] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [16] 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 Damn Yankees! Wait 'til next year. Now, this will be the final essay on inter-ISP wars over SPAM, open relays, and the like. This is provided as a service to those who are not familiar with the workings of Internet providers and the problems of Email. Since this publication is an Electronic one, sent via Email, I have pointed out the good, the bad, and the ugly of the operation of Email distribution to the readers as problems occur over the years. If you don't care about such things, scroll down to this week's list of recommended comics. I have been working on the domain blocking issue on Webtv with some of the subscribers who are not getting the Emag. Basically it boils down to an anti-spam filter that can be switched on or off if you use WEBTV. Unfortunately, NETCOM is included in the filter so these new subscribers did not get the Emag and don't know why. At least we suspected that Netcom was being blocked and it was verified by Webtv. BUT, they do not have a mechanism, apparently, to let individual addresses get through the filter and so until Netcom does certain things to satisfy Webtv (more on that later) all of their mail does not get through. This is not unusual - other ISPs do it to certain domains all the time. Most of the time it is warranted because a domain is just set up for all kinds of unsolicited mail and other times it is because they allow relays THROUGH their servers of unsolicited mail. To stop those relays many ISPs decide to try and force more responsible network management by blocking them out. So Webtv folks have to hope that NETCOM will comply with WEBTV's request or turn off the WEBTV spam filter which will allow any mail through at all. For those who wish to know how to do this here is how: "Start on the web tv homepage, high light the settings and press return, then high light the mail setting and press return, this will give you access to many different settings and adjustments for various mail functions including the anti spam setting which you can turn on or off" Not an ideal solution but it will allow the EMAG through. However, it may be a temporary situation since Netcom (now part of Mindspring) is taking the "responsible" action I mentioned before. This will help other people who use an ISP that blocks Netcom for the same reason. Here it is in a nutshell: In an effort to help fight spam you will only be able to send mail using smtp.ix.netcom.com when connected to Netcom/MindSpring access numbers. You will want to configure your email program to use the outbound mail server of the provider of your connection. Q. Can I use any other outbound mail server other than smtp.ix.netcom.com when connected to a Netcom/MindSpring access number? No. For spam and abuse controls, only our customers dialing a Netcom/MindSpring access number will be able to use the smtp.ix.netcom.com outgoing mail server. For additional information regarding this please, see . This was supposed to start this week so we will see if it trickles down to places like Webtv eventually. Enough about Internet stuff for now. Let's get back to comics - here are some out this week: DARK HORSE COMICS Dark Horse Presents #147, 2.95 Spyboy #1, 2.50 DC COMICS Flash & Green Lantern The Brave & The Bold #3 (Of 6), 2.50 Gen 13 #46, 2.50 JSA #5, 2.50 Superboy #69, 1.99 Titans #10, 2.50 Tomorrow Stories #3, 2.95 Young Justice #15, 2.50 IMAGE COMICS Mage Hero Discovered Coll Bk 8, 7.50 MARVEL COMICS Thunderbolts #33, 1.99 SILVERLINE Scary Book, 12.95 <---Pick of the week! TERRA MAJOR Roland Days Of Wrath #3 (Of 4), 2.95 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: a comic book question From: LDYJAYNE@aol.com Last night I was listening to Fresh Air on my local NPR station. They were getting ready to do an interview with Mickey Spillaine and in the introduction, Terry Gross said the Mickey had written for comics and was the originator of Captain America & Captain Marvel. I really didn't think so but I had arrived at my destination and did not get to hear the interview to see if anything more came out about this. So, who out there can fill me in on the rest of the story:? Jane Larsen [Well, I never heard of this claim. Readers? - D.L.] +++++ From: "Peter Teffer" To: "David L. LeBlanc" Subject: Re: CBEM 235.3 >[12] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts > silhouet9@aol.com > >Name: Exposure #2 >Publisher: Image >Written and Drawn by: David Campiti >Price: $2.50 [cut] >If you have a chance, pick this comic book up, you won't be disappointed! Oh please! Exposure is nothing more than a bad Danger Girl imitation. And to think Danger Girl sucks, Al Rio should have considered some other role model than J. Scott Campbell. (Does Al Rio *have* an own style? I don't think so!) Anyway that's just my opinion, although I find it incredible that you like the series... Peter Teffer, president of the Dutch comics magazine the Monthly Bugle peter-t@dds.nl http://huizen.dds.nl/~mbugle +++++ From: "J.Torres" Subject: MFI: The Ghosts of Christmas #1 MONSTER FIGHTERS INC.: THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS #1 is solicited in the October issue of PREVIEWS (page 136). This holiday special published by IMAGE COMICS features the debut of hot new artist Francis Manapul (penciler on the forthcoming "Gladiators" series from Top Cow). Please visit www.monsterfighters.com for a sneak peak at the exciting new art and direction for the Monster Fighters! +++++ Subj: Muffin Man Museum website update - October 11, 1999 From: ultimateart@planet.it (Enrico Salvini, the Muffin Man) The Muffin Man Museum of Original Comic Book Art has been updated Oct.11 at http://members.xoom.com/mmmuseum Please take note that the website address is changed: please update your bookmarks! What's new? - a new, friendlier browsing design; - over 40 new original art pages on displaay, bringing the tally to over 140 pages; - new, better scans directly from the origginal pages instead than copies; - 18 months experience with Photoshop: kinnda shows on the color scans, now sporting their true colors instead than those psychedelic blurs of days past. Right now the only working links are "Original art" and "For sale", but in a few weeks there will be SEVEN more galleries to browse through: - Grendel sketchbook; - Frank Zappa sketchbook; - Andy Lee sketches; - Unpublished art; - Commissions; - Studies; - Convention sketches. http://members.xoom.com/mmmuseum Enjoy the tour! Until the next update, Enrico +++++ Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 18:21:06 -0500 From: Jeff Smith Subject: spelling Hi, David-- I'm trying to catch up on e-mail that arrived during a vacation, and am just reading #232. If you ever do the spelling/grammar thing in your editorial again, point out the difference between "its" and "it's"--the most common mistake I see. If the sentence doesn't make sense with "it is" in it, use its rather than it's! All best Jeff Smith (a non-famous one) +++++ Subj: News Release: Mid-Ohio-Con Misprint Alert From: MidOhioCon@wfcomics.com (Roger Price) Flyer, Postcard & Ad Misprint! It was just brought to our attention that all of Mid-Ohio-Con's promotional flyers, postcards and our most recent CBG ad have incorrect information regarding the show's US AIRWAYS "Gold File" discount. The CORRECT gold file number is: 79171224 The CORRECT phone number to call is: 877-874-7687 The information appearing on the event's web site has been correct from the start. We apologize for any confusion. +++++ Subj: 'Nuff Said! radio/web show guest info '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. 26, 1999 - The continuation of the Mike Kaluta interview from the week before. 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 linework 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! 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 15, 1999 - Listener phone calls. The callers are this week's guests. Tuesday, Nov 22, 1999 - To be announced 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. You can view "Sherman's Lagoon" at www.slagoon.com 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: What is the real name of the Ranger squad known as Sgt. Fury's Howling Commandos? The official name of the Howlers was First Attack Squad, Able Company. No one came up with the answer so yours truly gets to keep the CHEEZY PRIZE (tm) this week! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Who (person not company) is listed as the PUBLISHER of the very first IMAGE comic book? 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 THE CBLDF "MAKING WAVES" CRUISE: THE COMICS EVENT OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM April 9, 2000 represents the opportunity of a lifetime for comics fans: hobnobbing with the industry's finest on a one-week luxury cruise, with all proceeds benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The CBLDF "Making WAVES" Cruise leaves Los Angeles and features three ports of call in Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazatlan). The guest list represents the finest the industry has to offer: NEIL GAIMAN, WILL EISNER, KURT BUSIEK, DAN CLOWES, JEFF SMITH, JULES FEIFFER, FRANK MILLER, GILBERT HERNANDEZ, JAIME HERNANDEZ, MARK WAID, MATT WAGNER, P. CRAIG RUSSELL, NEAL ADAMS, BRIAN PULIDO and ADRIAN TOMINE are just a few of the creators whom fans will be able to hang out with throughout the week. The event will include week-long programming on board the ship, including official cocktail parties, slide shows, panel discussions, Q & A sessions, writer seminars, chalktalks, dinner parties, and more! When not attending Neil Gaiman's writer's workshop or Jules Feiffer's slideshow, guests will have plenty of decadent diversions to choose from: the ship has swimming pools, a casino, spa, sporting activities, restaurants, bars, 24-hour room service. (The ship even includes a play area for passengers with children.) The "Making Waves" Cruise promises a much more intimate setting for mingling with creators like Frank Miller and Dan Clowes than any comic book convention. Fans will be able to sign up for dinners with all attending pros as well as hang out in various informal settings such as the pool or bar. A joint fundraising activity between the CBLDF and The Comics Journal, the "Making Waves" Cruise follows the lead of many high-profile publications and organizations who have hosted successful celebrity fund-raising cruises, from political magazines like The Nation and The National Review to almost every major league baseball team. The cruise ship includes nine deck levels with a sliding scale of cabin rates, from luxury accommodations to "starving artist" rates (and no, one doesn't need to be an artist to qualify). Prices include just about everything --all food, room service, accommodations, even tips-- except drinks and personal expenditures at the mall and while on shore excursions. To receive a full color brochure and booking package, call the Cruise Authority at 1-800-448-1830. For comics-related questions about the cruise, you may call the CBLDF at 1-800-992-2533 or The Comics Journal at 1-800-657-1100. Also, look for further information in articles and advertisements appearing in The Comics Journal, Previews, Busted! (the CBLDF newsletter), Sin City, Penny Century, Luba, Bone, and numerous other comic books and magazines. +++++ A Good Night's Sleep Can Make Big Difference in the Classroom;Kids Comic Book on Sleep Now Available for Kids, Teachers and Parents MEMPHIS, Tenn., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Most adults know the importance of a good night's rest for optimum performance at work, school or play -- but do children? Sleepyhead, the first resource addressing the importance of sleep for children could help more kids get a better night's rest, and do better in the classroom. Designed as a comic book that both educates and entertains, Sleepyhead covers a range of current issues affecting children -- including sleep, single parents, peer pressure, and new school fear. The 12-page color comic book is available to teachers and parents from American Innerspring Manufacturers (AIM), a non-profit trade association that has provided free information on a restful sleep, sleep surfaces and proper back care for more than 30 years. "Discussions with parents and teachers indicate that many kids have trouble in the classroom because they don't get enough quality sleep," says George Gwin, associate executive director of AIM. "We view this as a critical issue, especially since children have enough obstacles to overcome these days. The purpose of Sleepyhead is simple: help more children get the right kind of sleep to maximize growth and learning." "Sleepyhead is an excellent, multi-level piece that can be used in the classroom, during parent-teacher-student meetings, and at home to teach children the importance of a good night's rest," he adds. "We hope that teachers and parents will take advantage of this valuable resource." Single copies of Sleepyhead are available to parents and teachers free of charge by contacting AIM at 1-800-TUCK-ME-IN (1-800-882-5634), or online at www.aiminfo.org . Bulk quantities of the educational comic book are also available. SOURCE American Innerspring Manufacturers +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ HARSH REALM CREATORS FILE LAWSUIT! HUDNALL, PAQUETTE SUE FOX, CARTER, HARRIS OVER CREDIT FOR 'HARSH REALM'! October 18: HARSH REALM creators James Hudnall and Andrew Paquette have filed a lawsuit in the US District Court of Southern New York against Twentieth Century Fox, Chris Carter and Harris Publications over a dispute involving creators' credit of the HARSH REALM television series. The dispute originated when Hudnall and Paquette did not 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. In court documents obtained by the SPLASH, Hudnall, asking the court for an immediate injunction compelling the defendants to modify the credit to state "created by Chris Carter based on the comic book by James Hudnall and Andrew Paquette," states that, "Through our faithless agent, defendant Harris Publications, we licensed defendant Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation to use Harsh Realm as a basis for a television series, but did not authorize any misrepresentation as to the original creators of Harsh Realm. Indeed, in one agreement, Harris and Fox, specifically agreed that "customary credit (would be given) to...the creators." Yet despite our request for appropriate credit, defendants, at the last moment, on October 4, 1999 rejected our demand for an appropriate credit and broadcast the television series internationally on October 8, 1999 with the intentionally misleading statement that Harsh Realm was "created by Chris Carter." At this point Hudnall and Paquette appear to be foregoing any monetary award from Fox and Carter, and only asking for credit on the television show, even though Hudnall states in the documents, "Mr. Paquette and I are suffering immediate and substantial irreparable injury from the misrepresentation as to the origin of Harsh Realm. In the entertainment industry in general credit is the lifeblood of a career. With it, one can open numerous doors. Without it, there is no career. Specifically, here, we have been approached by publishers such as DC Comics and Penguin, who have offered us contracts if we can prove that we were the ones who created the basis for Harsh Realm. Without the credit, the same publishers simply will not do business with us. Ironically, Chris Carter is famous because he is known as the "Creator of the X-Files." Obviously a creator credit can have a huge salutary effect on an entertainment industry career. By denying us our creator credit, defendants are effectively cutting us off from future success. Only by an injunction to correct the misleading impression given by defendants can we avoid this injury." Hudnall and Paquette are asking for monetary damages from Harris. Court documents allege that Harris breached the original 1992 agreements with Hudnall and Paquette by "failing to register the copyright to Harsh Realm under the names of plaintiffs as owners thereof; giving away the rights to Harsh Realm for almost no consideration in light of the commitment Fox was making to it; excluding plaintiffs from the negotiations and from receiving any information about the negotiations; failing to insist upon appropriate credit for plaintiffs, while obtaining a credit for themselves; failing to timely pay plaintiffs what little sums Harris did receive and not paying sums currently owing to plaintiffs; losing the original films from which the comic books were produced; preventing plaintiffs from negotiating a superior transaction with NBC." Hudnall and Paquette are asking for damages "not less than $5,000,000 from Harris and a declatory judgement that Harris' rights in Harsh Realm be terminated. +++++ From COMICS 2 FILM at http://www.comics2film.com Harsh Realm Lawsuit ------------------- The new Fox TV series Harsh Realm, based on James Hudnall and Andrew Paquette's comic is off to a bumpy start. The Hollywood trades initially reported disappointing ratings (7.47 million viewers, dropping off sharply from the lead-in show), although more in-depth analysis reveals that the show was the champ in its time-slot and improved upon ratings in that period from previous years. However, by the end of this week Fox, Chris Carter and Harris Publications will be slapped with a lawsuit from Hudnall and Paquette. Comics 2 Film followed up with Paquette on the story which appeared yesterday in the New York Observer. Although the Observer article characterizes the suit as a plea for on- screen credit on the show, the complaint actually delves into much deeper issues of compensation and fair dealing regarding the Harsh Realm property. Paquette told C2F that he and Hudnall began work on the project in the early 1990's, well aware of the licensing potential of comic book properties. "When Jim and I went and did this comic for Harris, this is just after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had done so well. So when Jim came up with the idea of doing this project at a creator owned deal, I was very excited about it because that was better than any of the comic book publishers were offering," Paquette said. "So, we went ahead and did this with the understanding that Jim and I would own Harsh Realm." According to Paquette, Harris started failing to meet their contractual obligations almost from the start. At the time Paquette was the proverbial starving artist. With a child on the way his modest earnings as a comic artist were already stretched thin. Compounding the problem were difficulties with Harris. "My daughter was born was born while I was drawing Harsh Realm and I was in such financial distress because they were paying me awfully late for everything," Paquette told us. "I sold my art supplies, my copier which I used for my work, I sold my book collection and still needed money. My wife and I had to accept state aid to help pay for my daughter's birth because Harris wasn't paying us on time." As the Harsh Realm TV series began to develop, Paquette viewed it with a cautious optimism. However, things eventually began to appear suspicious. Although stories about the show were widespread on the internet and had originated in Daily Variety, Harris repeatedly denied to the creators that any deals had been signed or that their negotiations might be leading anywhere. In spite of this, Paquette was convinced that there was plenty of wealth to be spread around, and the likelihood of foul-play was slim. "I was thinking this deal is too good for everybody for Harris to be screwing us around." Paquette said. Even as the Harsh Realm pilot began to go into production Paquette claims that Harris still denied that there was a deal for the TV show. This prompted some investigation on Paquette's part, "I started looking over our contracts and I started spotting thing after thing that [Harris had] done wrong. Out of about nine paragraphs that described things they had to do, they satisfied two of them and they were the least important two. The only two things that they...actually did were to return the original art to me and give me twenty five copies of each of the comics." Harris also failed to post the appropriate copyright notices on the first issue of the Harsh Realm comic. That issue named Harris as the copyright holder, an oversight that Hudnall and Paquette insisted be rectified. The subsequent five issues of the series appropriately name the creators as the copyright holders. However, documents filed by Harris with the U.S. Copyright office still show the Harsh Realm copyright in the publisher's name. In addition, the contract between Hudnall, Paquette and Harris may now have been terminated. Paquette informs us that the lawsuit will specify several additional serious contractual breaches which will support termination of the contract. After his work on Harsh Realm Paquette left the industry and built a successful career for himself as a CG animator for games and film. He's been most recently employed as an art director at Universal Studios. Although both Paquette and Hudnall earn good livings these days, they both feel they deserved more than the $625 that they each receive for each episode of the TV version of their creation. Paquette informed C2F that the current deal allocates $2500 per episode to be divided between himself, Hudnall and Harris. He estimates that the per-episode budget for the show is $2.5 million or more. "Typically in deals like this, people in my position and Jim's position get the value equivalent of between five and ten percent of the production budget, overall. We're getting about one four-thousandth of the production budget, presuming it's only $2.5 million. And on top of that we're not getting a credit." While ownership and compensation are major parts of the lawsuit, the on-screen credit is also a central issue. Paquette was hoping to capitalize on his association with the show as a springboard into a budding screen writing career. "I started getting calls from agents and they said, 'It's really dependent on your having credit on the show. We can walk into any studio with your stuff and at the very least make an attempt to sell it, providing you've got credit on the show.' Well, there's no credit." Absent that credit these opportunities are just so much thin air. "That is kind of a meaningful loss." Paquette continues, "On top of which, I just don't like seeing a lie perpetuated. I happen to be a fairly honest person and I get just a bit indignant when I see somebody profiting from a lie...When I see that that show says, 'Created by Chris Carter' and it isn't true and meanwhile Jim and I aren't mentioned anywhere it's incredibly insensitive and I want that changed." The creators hope that the lawsuit will force Fox to put their names onto the show's credit. According to Paquette there's plenty of precedent for it. "Usually 'based upon' material is credited. The way it's normally done is it says 'based upon a comic book by James Hudnall and Andrew Paquette, adapted for television by Chris Carter, written by Chris Carter.' That's how it should read. What we might wind up with is something like, 'created by Chris Carter based on a comic by James Hudnall and Andrew Paquette' except that also is false. It's not created by Chris Carter. It just isn't." The creators began seeking legal council back in June. Paquette told C2F that the process of "finding lawyers that we both liked and that liked us and that met all our other criteria, like not already working for Fox for instance, was extremely difficult and time consuming." Eventually, attorney Ray Bragar agreed to represent Hudnall and Paquette. The lawsuit is expected to be filed in the state of New York by the end of this week, possibly today (the 14th). Adding insult to injury was the New York Observer article discussing the case. The mention flew under the headline of "Comic Book Geeks Fight Chris Carter Over Harsh Realm." The article repeatedly refers to the creators as "geeks" and "kids", downplays the contributions of the creators. Besides the nasty slant of the article, it contains factual errors as well. Paquette dashed off a rebuttal to the author of the article, which he shared with us. In response to the assertion that the TV show is radically different from the comic, Paquette wrote, "It is visually dissimilar, but from a story mechanics standpoint, nearly identical. I presume you or your co-author read through the xeroxes and disagreed? Did you fail to notice that both stories revolve entirely around the notion that a person escapes into a virtual world, takes it over, and then another person is sent in from the 'real world' to fish him out? That is the central theme of both projects, and is fundamental to both to such an extent that were it removed, either version of the story would collapse. To suggest otherwise is specious." In response to a quote from Carter in which he asserts that he "changed everything" from the comic, Paquette said, "As for what Carter says here, it is pure balderdash. They certainly have not changed 'everything'. If they had, Santiago would not have taken over Harsh Realm, Hobbes would not have been sent in after him, the environment would not be one great big series of war zones, there would not be a virtual character following them around helping them and healing them when needed. If they had changed everything, Scott Bairstow would not look like Dan Crawford, D.B. Sweeney would not look like and act like Dexter Green, Hobbes would not have had an AV orientation before going into the Realm, nor would he have gone to a gross out bar looking for information. ALSO, it wouldn't be a great big game simulation! Dammit! Why on Earth did you see fit to compromise our position so totally by portraying us as a couple of idiot nerd teenagers that can't tell the difference between an adaptation and a 'huge departure'?" Paquette points out that it is very rare for a comic creator to successfully develop more than one property for TV or movie. "There isn't a historical precedent for it," Paquette said. "So we do not want to be throwing away opportunities like this with the expectation something will happen on another property. It would not be reasonable to assume something of the like." There is one more ironic twist to this story: The name of Chris Carter's production company is Ten Thirteen, which is his birthday. October 13 is also Andrew Paquette's birthday. Most recently, it also became the day that news of the lawsuit broke in the Observer. http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/nytv.htm Blade 2, Fantastic Four, Hulk ----------------------------- FROM THE COMICS CONTINUUM: Rob Allstetter of the Comics Continuum spoke to Marvel executive Avi Arad who gave him an update on various Marvel movies. Arad told Allstetter that Blade 2 will begin production early next year, shooting for a possible release date of the holiday 2000 season. Arad also said, "We are interviewing directors, and I think we'll be able to announce something in a couple of weeks. Wesley is committed to it, and we have a great script that is ready to go. We are talking to a bunch of directors, and we go from there. But the movie is ready and the movie is a go." Arad also said the the Fantastic Four movie is "on a very fast track," and a new script for The Hulk is expected soon. http://comicscontinuum.com +++++ From Beau Yarbrough's Comic Wire at: http://www.comicbookresources.com/ A LITTLE LESS 'EVIL AND MALICE' FROM IMAGE Image Comics' "Adventures of Evil and Malice," a superhero miniseries aimed squarely at the youth market, Series writer Jimmie Robinson told the Comic Wire Thursday that the four issue miniseries would be finishing up with its third issue, shipping in November. "Production is still sketchy surrounding the final outcome," he said. "But the series could have finished in three issues all along. I just wanted to add extra materials/pages to fill out four issues. This was originally a trade paperback, so it was never planned as a series. Due to lackluster sales, the change/editing is necessary." 'DANGER GIRL' TEAM LOSES A REAL-LIFE MEMBER When "Danger Girl" next hits the shelves, the book may well look a little different. Inker Alex Garner has left the chronically delayed Cliffhanger/Wildstorm title. "Garner has wanted to pursue penciling and other projects for some time now and I guess the time finally came for him to move on," Campbell said. "As far as I know he's no longer doing anymore comic book related projects but maybe once in a while you may see him still pop up here and there." No permanent replacement has been chosen for Garner, Campbell said, but Tom McWeeney inked most of issue six and Scott Williams and Sandra Hope inked issue seven. DC Comics is currently listing issue six as hitting the shelves on November 24. +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE Writer Fabian Nicieza will be getting in touch with the DC Universe's feminine side early next year in a 2-issue Elseworlds project entitled Created Equal. The project reunites him with artist Kevin Maguire, and according to Nicieza, the story can be boiled down to the simple sound bite, "World Without Men." "Each issue is a self-contained story taking place several years apart," explained the writer. "In Book One, we see the surviving females - both human and metahuman alike - coping with the horrendous tragedy of the mysterious plague that killed all (well, almost all) men." Over the weekend, Bob Layton and David Michelinie announced that they will be returning to Marvel's Iron Man series for an upcoming four-issue story arc that would ("as usual") be co-plotted by both creators, scripted by Michelinie and penciled and inked by Layton. The duo is well known to Shellhead fans as the creative force between two of the original series' best-remembered runs, Iron Man v1 #s116-153 and #s 215-254. +++++ From Zentertainment; HTTP://WWW.ZENTERTAINMENT.COM To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN yourself, e-mail: subscribe@ZENtertainment.com Neil Gaiman returns to SANDMAN for the first full story since 1996 with THE SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS, a graphic novel illustrated with full-page paintings by acclaimed illustrator Yoshitaka Amano. DREAM HUNTERS tells of the ill-fated romance about a shape-changing fox who must rely on all her craftiness to save the humble monk she loves. The hardcover runs 128-pages, for $29.95, and mid-way through it contains a four-page pull-out spread of the Japanese Sandman, referred to in the story as The King of All Night's Dreaming. Artist Amano is currently the subject of a major multimedia exhibition at New York City's ANGEL ORENSENZ FOUNDATION. Original cels from his work on SANDMAN are on display, as is his work on the FINAL FANTASY games, and his new creation, HERO. http://www.dccomics.com http://www.orensanz.org The story begun in Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale's BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN continues this week with a new 13-part murder mystery, DARK VICTORY. The story adds Robin, Two Face, and The Joker, and other super-powered characters to the ingredients of this early tale of the Dark Knight, where Batman adjusts to his new sidekick and the betrayal of Harvey Dent. New LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning begin their "Legion of the Damned," storyline next week, posing the question of whether the team will make it to the 31st century. As the story begins, most of the galaxy has already been conquered by the powerful new alien race The Blight, and many of the heroes have been possessed. Grant Morrison doesn't hold back with his final JLA story arc, starting next week in JLA #36. It's hard to tell who is left standing at the end of part one, which begins with a sudden attack by a new Injustice Gang, and sets the stage for the arrival of the feared Mageddon, and you can bet Morrison will do as much damage as he can before he hands the reigns over to new writer Mark Waid next year. SIRIUS Entertainment releases its latest SCARY GODMOTHER hardcover later this month. Written and illustrated by creator Jill Thompson (Sandman, Invisibles), SCARY GODMOTHER: THE MYSTERY DATE has Hannah-Marie and Orson, the Vampire boy trying to determine the identity of Scary Godmother's secret admirer. http://sirius.edgeglobal.com The BLAIR WITCH PROJECT spoofs extend to the world of comic books this December, with the GROO team of Mark Evanier & Sergio Aragones' BLAIR WHICH? one-shot from DARK HORSE. http://www.dhorse.com Manga artist Kia Asamiya (Silent Mobius, Steam Detectives) will illustrate a two-issue STAR WARS I: THE PHANTOM MENACE for DARK HORSE. The first issue is due out December 15th. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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: 11 Oct 1999 Sea Monkeys. It's been a while since we've had any rumours on the Waid/Busiek writer-owned imprint Gorilla (currently been mulled over by both Image and Wildstorm). Well now we've been given a lovely rumour to sink our primate teeth into. One of the first titles (we haven't got a name yet) will be a pirate comic, created by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco and Merino on inks. Spanish Armada. But another rumour may contradict the above one... as Chris Claremont shores up for his return to the X-Men stable, who'll be taking over his chores on Fantastic Four? Well, the rumour is that Pacheco and Merino will take over the writer and artist roles on the book with the able assistance of Spanish sci-fi and comic book writer Rafa Marin. And what then for Larroca? Only time, a dose of reality and a report at Beau Yarborough's Comic Wire will tell.. Dateline: 16 Oct 1999 Green Slip An anonymous member of some group called H.E.A.T.(Hal's Emerald Advancement Team) e-mails me to tell me that Green Lantern writer, Ron Marz is stepping down from the book in a few months. Rumour has it that Kurt Busiek has been approached with an eye to taking over the title. However, Busiek's previous statements about the book, that he's bring back Hal as the lead and that he wouldn't write the Kyle character make this part of the rumour fairly tenuous. Let's see, shall we? Dateline: 19 Oct 1999 Ramblings Revisited. It's a tad quiet at the moment, so I'd thought I'd take time out to flick through recent Ramblings and pick out anything that needs elaboration and correction. The Ashley Wood/Grant Morrison project for Todd is, apparently, not on paper yet. It's planned but hasn't reached official nature within the company. We do hear though that this project is a result of Ashley Wood meeting Grant at SDCC, and getting a few pages on the last issues of Invisibles. Rumours we've received (but not yet printed) about editor Shelley Roeberg not knowing Wood's work and demanding samples have been scotched. As to Marvel Boy being a previously submitted concept by Grant, apparently that's untrue. Grant says that Marvel Boy is very much a development of his work on JLA. Oh, and Mark Waid sent Ramblings a pleasant, almost reconciliatory e-mail about various stuff. Thanks, Mark! Now... if Kurt's doing pirates, what are you doing for Gorilla? Romance? Police? Medieval? We wait in awe... Still no more on the big sackings... the rumour stated that we'd hear something in days and, aside from a scotched rumour that Dan Raspler had gone, nothing. Hopefully a rumour is all that it was... Talking of rumours... DC Shall Pay. Alan Moore's been having fun... he's claimed to one of our sources that DC haven't been paying him on time and he's been having to hassle them. You know, this is starting to sound familiar. All sorted now though, I'm sure. Marvel Kerniggits! Couple of other pieces... another rumour from San Diego (how long ago was that now?) is that Brian Michael Bendis and Bill Sienkiewicz were preparing a Marvel Knights book, about Nick Fury. It wasn't signed then, but they were very interested. On that point, speculation about whether Marvel Knights would be taking over Spider-man at some point had an interesting twist when we were informed by Warren Ellis that he's been offered both a Marvel knights team book and Daredevil/Spider-Man, but turned both down. He is in talks with them, but if he does anything, it won't be superheroes. But this might indicate that one one level at least, Marvel Knights have some Spider-man plans... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Tony's Isabella's Journal Tony Isabella tonyisa@ohio.net Tony Isabella is a featured weekly columnist in the nation's largest comic book collector's newspaper, Comics Buyer's Guide. His satiric "Tony's Tips!" is a favorite among fans and industry professionals alike. A life long comic book fan, Tony began his career in 1972 as a comics professional as assistant to Stan Lee! He has worked in nearly every aspect of the business, from retailing, to distribution to writing. Among his credits is the creation of DC's first starring black super-hero, Black Lightning. Tony's latest project, the daily "Tony's Isabella's Journal" made its debut in June of 1997 on the world wide web exclusively through World Famous Comics, at http://www.wfcomics.com/tony The following is one of those daily columns . . . Tony Isabella's Journal #835 for October 12, 1999 Mid-Ohio-Con is my favorite comics convention, due in no small part to the family atmosphere created by Roger Price, its founder. Many--perhaps most--of the fans and pros who have been attending the event since its debut in 1980 come to feel that they are "part" of Mid-Ohio-Con in a way that just isn't possible with the larger and more overtly commercial comics shows. Another "family" aspect of Mid-Ohio-Con is its commitment to promoting the comics community to the outside world through support of charitable organizations. In the last 20 years, Roger's shows have probably raised close to a million dollars for organizations such as The March of Dimes, Ronald McDonald's Children's Charities, Ronald McDonald House, The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, PBS, and others. This year's auction will benefit the CBLDF. The 20th anniversary Mid-Ohio-Con will be held on Thanksgiving weekend, November 27 and 28, at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Harlan Ellison is our special guest of honor, but the guest list also includes Dick Ayers, Darryl Banks, Brian Michael Bendis, Dan Brereton, Kurt Busiek, John Byrne, Dan DeCarlo, Lou Ferrigno, James Hudnall, Paul Jenkins, Scott Lobdell, David Mack, Matt Wagner, Mark Waid, Dawn Wells of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND fame, and many others. Industry exhibitors include The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, McFarlane Toys, and Top Cow Productions. New names are being added to the exhibitor and guest lists on a nearly daily basis, so, for the most current information, check out the way cool Mid-Ohio- Con website at: http://www.midohiocon.com I've been a part of the past seventeen Mid-Ohio-Cons and, over that time, my role with the show has grown. I'm not sure how Roger gets so much free work out of me each year--it's not those photos; I think I look pretty good for a man my age--but I once again find myself in charge of creating and producing the panel programming for the event. And, this year, because we have obviously lost our minds, we're planning to run three tiers of programming. Something for everybody is our intended goal. Unfortunately, due to the demands of real life, my most valued assistants will not be able to participate as fully in Mid-Ohio-Con as they have in past years. I'll give it to you straight...I need volunteers and I need them bad. I need people who can remind the various celebrities when they are supposed to be doing a panel, who can introduce guests, who can moderate panels, and who can hold up annoying signs informing the guests that their panel has five minutes to go. I figure I need a crew of four or five volunteers. Are there perks to being part of the "Tony Team?" Naturally. To quote Roger Price: "In addition to being able to work various fun and challenging parts of the event, Mid-Ohio-Con crew members will get a special t- shirt, complimentary two-day admission, and other 'perks' including a chance to meet and work with our guests. Plus one lucky winner gets to wash Tony Isabella's van each year!" Roger is, of course, just kidding about my van. That job's already covered. I mean, why else would we invite Bob Ingersoll to the show every year? However, in addition to the perks mentioned above, I'll have something extra for those crew members who end up working with me. If you like to join the Mid-Ohio-Con crew, you'll find sign-up information at the event's website. If you would specifically like to work with me on the panel programming, you should still sign up at the site, but you must ALSO e-mail me directly. I'll coordinate with Con Crew Chief Wes Aten. Even if you can't volunteer to help out at the con, I urge you to make plans to attend Mid-Ohio-Con. It's a remarkable convention and I know you'll come away from it with wonderful memories and the desire to return again and again. ****** ON SECOND THOUGHT I'm going to recommend ON SECOND THOUGHT by Gary Belsky, Anne Weaver, and William Mulvey ($7.95 paperback) without having seen it myself. According to reviewer John Stickney, it's a collection of "365 of the worst predictions, truly stupid pronouncements, and very wrong-headed promises that you can read, sit there, and shake your head and thank your lucky stars that no one was hanging around writing down whatever dumb thing you might have said." Stickney offered these examples: "When elected, Newt will keep his family together." (Ad for Newt Gingrich's first congressional campaign in 1978. Less than two years later, while his first wife was in a hospital bed being treated for cancer, Gingrich filed for his first divorce.) "Get rid of the pointed ear guy." (Said by an NBC executive to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1966.) "What's it good for?" (Said by Intel chairman and cofounder Gordon Moore--sometime during the early 1970s--on the concept of personal computers.) This is a book I've got to have. ****** SABRINA SCANDAL Several TOT readers have asked me to weigh in on the dispute between Melissa Joan Hart, who plays Sabrina the Teenage Witch on television; and Michael Silberkleit, publisher of Archie Comics, over Hart's "sizzling" photos in BIKINI and MAXIM magazines and the not exactly "G-rated" comments the 23-year-old actress has made in various recent interviews. Silberkleit claims there are guidelines for portraying the Archie Comics character. He wants Hart to stop with the risque shots/talk...and issue a public apology for those already published. Let me preface this by saying I don't know what the contracts between Hart, Silberkleit, and whatever production company makes the weekly ABC series contain. I find it hard to believe that they contain "morals" clauses so stringent they would encompass Hart's recent...ah...exposure. The photos I've seen are sexy, but still tasteful; her comments are clearly those of the actress and not the character she portrays. However, if the contracts do contain such clauses, and if the clauses are legal, then all parties should live up to them for the duration of the contracts. I can sympathize with Silberkleit's wish that the television Sabrina reflect the same values he tries to reflect in the comics his company publishes. But, it's not a realistic expectation given either Hart's First Amendment rights or the very harsh realities of the entertainment industry. While free expression is not an absolute--you still can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater or blab state secrets, to name just two reasonable exceptions--Hart has the right to speak freely when she is being interviewed as herself. She is not Sabrina; she's just an actress playing Sabrina. You can't muzzle her because there may be idiots who can't tell the difference. Now let's consider the cruel realities of the entertainment industry. Actors can and have been typecast to such a degree that, their entire career, they never play more than that one role which made them famous. Hart is already at least four years older than the character she is currently playing. No matter how beautiful she is, or how good an actress, she is not going to be able to play a teenager for the rest of her life. It's understandable that she would want to be recognized as an adult performer, though unfortunate that Maxim and other magazines have chosen to play the "teenage witch" angle to titillate their readers. On the other hand, I believe that performers such as Hart, who are portraying young characters for young viewers, have a certain moral responsibility to that audience. Is it difficult to balance that moral responsibility with their constitutional right of free expression? I'm sure that it can, but, from my admittedly limited knowledge of Hart's interviews, I don't think she's corrupted any of her young viewers with her comments. I can understand where Silberkleit is coming from; he is very protective of the Archie characters. (And I make no apologies for my own uneasiness when it comes to "Sabrina" or any other drinking games. "Binge" drinking is a serious and life-threatening problem among teenagers and college students.) But, realistically, he will have to face these concerns as long as there are live-action Archie movies and television programs. For that matter, as much as I enjoyed the TO RIVERDALE AND BACK television movie of several years ago, I wasn't thrilled with such concepts as Betty shacking up with her boyfriend/fiancee and the multiple divorces/marriages among other members of the Archie crew. Mileage can and does vary. Hart has expressed a desire to work things out--privately-- with Silberkleit. I think that would probably be for the best. The "public apology/humiliation" bit, while momentarily satisfying for some, usually comes back to bite someone on the butt. Witness how many straying Republicans will forever be known as hypocrites for their condemnation of President Clinton's shameful strayings in the midst of their own randy antics. I've had a friendly relationship with Silberkleit for a great many years. I think Hart is a talented young actress. I hope they can work this one out among themselves. ****** THIS IS SAD Every year, SCENE, one of Cleveland's leading entertainment weeklies, publishes a special "Best of Cleveland" edition in which the paper's staff and readers select their favorite people, places, shops, restaurants, and recreations. This year's "Best Of" issue sported a comic-book theme. The cover, each of the section title pages, a dozen interior illustrations, and all the display lettering were lovingly designed in a comic-book motif. It almost brought tears to my eyes to see how painstakingly the various artists "homaged" the classic cover of SUPERMAN #1, a variety of classic Superman logos, and even the boxy cover design of the early 1970s Marvel comic books. Note that I said "almost" brought tears to my eyes. Here's what actually *did* have me misting up. There is no listing for "Best Comic-Book Store" in Cleveland, despite such a listing in as many previous years as I can recall. There are listings for "Best Place to View Clothed Geese" and "Best Place to Pick Up a Transvestite Prostitute," but, in the city where Superman was created, there is no listing for the best comic-book store. That's just so wrong...and so indicative of the sorry state of the comics field as we approach the year 2000. We have to do better. We must do better. ****** TONY'S MAILBOX In TOT #809 [September 16, 1999], I wrote: In his biography, Bob Kane admitted Finger was more than a "ghost," and Finger's contributions to Batman have been common knowledge in the DC editorial offices, dating back to the 1940s. Kane himself has passed on; Finger has no living heirs to claim compensation or reclaim copyrights. It's time to give Finger his due. PAT O'NEILL responded thus: The problem for DC is that they have a contract with Kane and his estate, a legally binding document that says only Bob Kane shall be credited as the creator of Batman. There is little chance Kane's heirs would be willing to renegotiate that contract at this late date. Contracts can be renegotiated. I think DC Comics should make the attempt to get the Kane estate to agree to recognize Finger's role in the creation of Batman and that, when that attempt is made, that the creative and fan communities should also communicate their interest in having this matter set to rights. I'll be back tomorrow with more stuff. Tony Isabella ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] RANDOM THOUGHTS IN A LESS THAN RANDOM WORLD Gary Sassaman GSassaman@AOL.COM [Gary Sassaman is the Writer/Artist of INNOCENT BYSTANDER, appearing in each and every issue of GEEKSVILLE, published by 3 Finger Prints.] You know, it's getting to be that time of year when publishers release their higher-priced items in anticipation of the Christmas season. A few of them have passed my way (okay, I broke down and bought the damn things, so sue me!) and I thought I'd write a little about them. First off is SUPERMAN IN THE SIXTIES. It looks like this may be an ongoing series. Batman in the Sixties has already been released, and a companion 70s volume is scheduled for release in December. The Superman one held a particular warm spot in my heart because of all those stories that I dearly remember from my childhood. It's funny, but I remember thinking the Superman books were so...dumb, to put it in a ten year old's perspective, compared to Marvel Comics back then. But now I have a soft spot for those old Weisinger- edited tales, when it seemed the entire planet of Krypton just happened to be vacationing elsewhere when it blew up, and eventually found their way to Earth. This is a very nice collection, but alas, DC has adopted a policy of not reprinting the reprints. I would have loved to have seen "Superman Red and Superman Blue" and "The Death of Superman" included in this book, but they've been reprinted too many times. There's a number of pages containing historical information and reprints of special Annual features also, but on the whole, I was slightly disappointed in this book. One thing it did bring home was that Neal Adams really wasn't that great back then. He was sure different compared to Swan and Schaffenberger and Boring, but his stuff is sort of painful to look at now. When it comes to innovation in the sixties, I'll take Steranko. The news of DC reprinting comics of historical significance over the year 2000 is certainly good, but isn't it sad when I get more excited over 30+ year old reprints than the new stuff? Which brings us to: THE ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR Volume 2 is out, covering issues 21-40, the beginning of the peak years of Lee and Kirby's masterpiece. After the painful inking of George Bell in issues 21-27, Chic Stone signed on for a year's worth of stellar work, including the reprinted FF Annual #2. The reproduction in this volume is quite good, and the pages stand up quite well as straight black and white, thus refuting the DC theory that Kirby's black and white art needs graytones to add depth (as in THE NEW GODS, FOREVER PEOPLE and MISTER MIRACLE reprint volumes). There's some great stuff here, including the classic tale (FF 38-39-40) where the FF lose their powers only to return home to Dr. Doom in the Baxter Building. These issues guest-starred Daredevil, and #39 had DD inked by Wally Wood. My own personal favorite era of the FF is issues 44-93, and hopefully, there will be a Volume 3 to start us on that road. Highly, highly recommended. At the same time I bought ESSENTIAL FF Vol. 2, I also purchased MONKEY FOOD by Ellen Forney. This book reprints all of Ellen's "I Was Seven in `75" strips, which were printed in various alternative newspapers. Its subject matter is right up my alley: Evocative, honest tales of growing up. Autobiographical comics can be like water torture...drip, drip, drip, but this is a great collection, 144 pages in a squarish format, and it's one of those comics that transcend the barriers of the medium and is appropriate for anyone to read. Although it may look a little like a kid's book at first glance, it is for grown-ups. This is my first real exposure to Ellen's work, and I fell in love with it. It's poignant, nostalgic, and out-and-out hilarious in spots. And her art is just wonderful: A very clean, open style, cartoony, yes, but also a bit slickly illustrative. You can see a preview of it at www.ellenforney.com. Very highly, highly recommended. In the coming weeks, the next Frazetta book is due out. Titled LEGEND, it's by the same folks who brought us the wonderful ICON last year. Also due this month is BATMAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY by Les Daniels and designed by Chip Kidd and published by my all-time favorite book publisher, Chronicle Books. This is the follow-up to last year's great SUPERMAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY also by Daniels and Kidd. There's supposed to be a WONDER WOMAN: THE COMPLETE HISTORY next year, too. Is this a great country or what? And now, my friends, I have a confession to make. If you read this column regularly (or as regularly as it appears), you know I absolutely HATED SPIDER-MAN: CHAPTER ONE by John Byrne. Despised it. Loathed it. Well, quite the opposite has happened with X-MEN: THE HIDDEN YEARS. I actually liked it. I'm sure part of the reason why is Tom Palmer. I still contend that Byrne is one of the best pencillers in super- hero comics today, and with a decent inker, his work soars to the head of the pack. Tom Palmer is much more than decent, and the book even has a Neal Adams flavor to it on some pages. The conceit of the book is it picks up where the very first X-Men series left off and went to reprint (issue #67 ). Somehow this works for me, where Spider-Man didn't. This isn't retro-continuity. It's Untold Tales. I have less of a problem with that. Updating a story to change a microscope to a computer is just plain stupid. But telling an "untold tale" is respectable (after all...aren't they all untold until we read them for the first time?). Although I can also admit to absolutely hating the Kurt Busiek UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN book, but that was mainly due to the awful art. This one (X-MEN, HIDDEN YEARS) I'll be buying and, hopefully, enjoying for a while to come. On a related note, the news that Chris Claremont is taking over the two core X-titles brings a great sigh of relief from me. Not because I give a s&*) about the X-Men, but because I'm hoping this means our long personal nightmare of Claremont-scripted Fantastic Four tales is over and done with. Give it to Alan Davis! There's been much debate in these pages on Mr. Claremont's contribution to both the X-Men and comics. I think he wrote a fine run of books there for a while. But unfortunately, he also made the X-Men an extremely closed club. There were so many back-stories, and plot threads, and recurring characters. It was great for back issue sales. It was awful for a new person to try and get in and understand what the books were about. I guess that's what's both good and bad about comics today, though. Continuity. On one final note...I'd like to mention STRANGERS IN PARADISE, which has also been mentioned as of late in this magazine. Personally, I think Terry Moore is at the absolute peak of his story-telling ability. The last few issues blew me away. Not only did they take some major turns from funny to sad, but they also killed off a major character. I'm looking forward to the next issue to see how those left behind react to and move on from this tragedy. And take this to the bank: Terry Moore draws the best hair in comics. Male or female. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] A Voice from the Doorway Christopher Myers myers@albany.net [By night Chris is a forty something part time writer, reader and comic fan. By day he is a Police Officer in upstate New York where he lives with his wife, along with two dogs and two cats.] Why do we like one comic book over another? What is it about one writer or artist that catches our attention when others doing similar things don't? My only criteria for a comic book is that the story hold my interest and that the artwork be pleasing to look at. This standard applies to all types of comics. For example, the story in Buzzboy by John Gallagher works as well for me as Paul Jenkins' Inhumans series, which is every bit as engaging as Frank Miller's Sin City, which I find as entertaining as Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows. The art side of the equation works the same, a well done intricate piece of machinery can be every bit as interesting to look at as a beautifully drawn woman. When I'm reading I don't go in any sort of order, I can take a pile of comics, start with Batman, then work my way through Planetary, Strangers in Paradise, Box Office Poison, read Deathlok, Birds of Prey, reread a Cavewoman book by Budd Root, check out Sam and Twitch by Bendis and then finish off with Castle Waiting or Gutwallow, the Gingerbread Man. I know that I am not unique, I'm sure that there are people reading this who could easily come up with a more diverse list. On the other hand I know comic readers who will not pick up a black and white comic, not because of the content, not because of the writer or artist and not because of the publisher. They leave it on the shelf simply because it is a black and white publication. I would really like someone to explain this to me. I've mentioned before that I pay more attention to writers than to artists, which is probably a result of being a writer myself. A side effect of this is that I am a writer interview junkie. The current issue of Comics Journal #216 has a long interview with Kurt Busiek that covers his entire career. If you are curious about the creator of Astro City then this is the magazine to read. A comic that I think deserves some attention is Forever Amber by Don Hudson. This is a black and white creator owned project that is published by Image Comics. Writer/artist Don Hudson shows us a dark future in which operation of the worlds governments have been turned over to private industry. In this privatized society everybody has a job, but no one is allowed to quit. Amber Twelve is a bounty hunter employed by the First World Corporation. She has been specially bred to be substantially stronger and smarter than the average person. When someone breaks the rules and quits their job, Amber or someone like her is sent to bring them back. Amber is currently searching for Ernesto Gallvas, a First World vice president who has fled from his job in Mexico. At first Amber views this as a simple slam dunk assignment, but after her informant is murdered and she gets her ass kicked, she starts to take her job seriously. Hudson is a good all around storyteller, in this case he uses a first person narration to bring the reader closer to the story. You quickly become interested in what Amber is doing and why she is doing it. The writing is straight forward and the art flows nicely. Check it out, it's worth it. Remember read your comics, don't just collect them and support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund 1-800-99-CBLDF ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] 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.] Is eBay and effective price guide? I was reading an article on Comicon.com a while back which made that assertion, saying eBay and all the other auction sites (Yahoo!, and Amazon.com come immediately to mind) had 'freed us from the tyranny of Overstreet.' Or some such B.S. Granted, Overstreet isn't by any means the authority on prices (and Wizard is a joke), but it's useful for what it is: A guide -- as in "an indication or outline." I think anyone who really expects to get Guide price for their copy of X-Force #1 is deeply naive. On the other hand, someone who desperately needs a copy of X-Force #1, like, TODAY, could reasonably expect to pay Guide price. But cruising around eBay gives you an idea of what X-Force #1 is really worth (not the paper it's printed on). You see a lot of supposedly "Hot!" comics being auctioned at a fraction of their Guide price, but still attracting no bids. On the other hand, eBay is a mighty testament to the ability of the true collector to totally overfocus on a desired acquisition and lose all perspective of its actual value. Witness the poor dummy that bid $33 for a complete set of Captain Carrot and his Zoo Crew. Okay, it was me. Are those books really worth $32? At Guide price, yes. In reality? No. Only to me, at the time I was bidding (hey, I was already willing to go $25 for the damn things, why not go another measly seven bucks? Made sense at the time. But I think that mentality is what makes eBay an artificial indicator of a book's worth. Look at the Elseworlds 80-Page Giants that have been popping up. The first one went for something like $300. I saw another one a week later that had an opening price of $225, and went down with no bids. But the same book starting at $20 a week after that went up to $260. People don't seem to have a problem shelling out $250+ when they're bidding against someone else, but they're reluctant to bite when the price starts out that high. Which, after all, is the entire point of an auction -- the competition to drive up the price. If the auction format wasn't guaranteed to increase the price of an item, then Christie's and Sotheby's would just hold garage sales every month. So, I don't think eBay will replace the price guides anytime soon. But what it does to is give you a more accurate idea of what you could get for your collection if you just walked out and started flogging it on the street (for example, I had no idea that anyone would be willing to pay that much money for the James Robinson/Paul Davis "Golden Age" mini -- I might have to put mine online, pay a few bills). It also gives you an idea of what's valuable and what's not. Now, that being said, I think a lot of fans and collectors out there need to be reminded that the Overstreet Price is not the bible. Far from it. It is -- as I said earlier -- a guide, sort of loose idea of what you could expect to PAY for a comic. I think a lot of people think that it is a guide to how much their comic is WORTH, and I don't think that's ever been the case. I also ought to point out that the Guide is published by Gemstone Publishing, which is owned (in whole or in part) by uber-collector Steve Geppi's Diamond Distributors. So -- not to look like a conspiracy-theorist or anything -- but if you see, say, Little Lotta comics take a sudden jump in this year's guide, don't assume that people are just now discovering what you knew all along (namely, that Little Lotta was a high-point in the artform) and start bagging and boarding your entire collection of the portly princess's adventures. Rather, ask yourself if it isn't possible that Steve Geppi has suddenly found himself sitting on a warehouse full of Little Lottas. Makes you think, don't it? eBay might not be the best price guide, but it IS a great place to bargain shop: It's like the biggest quarter bin in the world. I was mightily tempted, for example, to pick up a complete run of Haywire for $4.99 -- regardless of the fact that I distinctly recall picking up the first issue when it was on the stands waybackwhen, and then putting it down because it looked boring. I mean, heck, how can you pass up the opportunity to get a pile of comics for 35 cents apiece these days? (well, I just did the math, 38). I'd be a lot more willing to take a chance on something (and more inclined to feel like I'm getting my money's worth) at that price. Seems to me that runs, bundles, and packages get more action than single issues. And those seem to be valuable only if they contain a complete series, or a complete run. Someone is more likely to bid big bucks for a complete set of Swamp Thing 20-64 (Alan Moore's run) than they would for 44 random issues of Swamp Thing between 1 and 120. And if you put a whole run up, putting it up in one chunk seems to be better than to list all 44 issues separately. Granted, I might buy a bundle of random crap if one of the books happened to be one I particularly prized -- it would depend on how much crap there was. Even if you don't buy anything, eBay is fun just to check out to see what kind of crap people have bought and are now trying to unload (like the poor dummy selling a "collection" of 100,000 comics made up of "25-100 copies of several hot books, such as Legends of the Dark Knight #1 and X-Force #1"). I just want to email some of these poor bastards and say "hey, I'll take your books if your pay me to haul them off. I need to beef up the insulation in my attic!" Comments? Criticisms? Flames? E-mail them to DneColt@aol.com ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] 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!] "Declaration of Independence" It seems since the year 1990 that everybody and his brother are starting their own independent comic book company--but how many really have what it takes to make the grade and survive? When Image made it's debut no one thought that ten years later they would be the haven for independents--gobbling up most of the little guys and adding them to their company...but how many of those are that 'good?' Just because the Image label is attached does not make the comics 'good' or even worth the money or time to read them! SO how do we know what independents are going to last or are even interesting enough to view? A lot of us see the lable and assume because DC, Marvel, Image or JO BLO does the comic it must be good! BUT a lot of garbage is out there now and the sea of unending junk is encompassing some really cool comics that do not have the backing of the BIG names in order to make it! ONE such really cool comic that is being drowned by the big guys and other problems is TIMESPELL. Here is a fresh innovative comic book that is probably not going to make it--not because the comic sucks--but because it isn't given a shot. IF TOP COW or IMAGE gobbled up this title as one of their own then it would easily be selling TONS of copies each month and the creator would have the financial backing to have quality copies produced each month! AS it is now, due to finances and other strains, we are all losing out on this GREAT comic and I am mad. I'm mad that I won't get to see the conclusion of this great tale! I'm mad that half of you probably never even heard of TIMESPELL and the other half are thinking "OH WELL NO BIG LOSS!" But it is a loss..a loss of an innovative and cool comic that did not rely on cleavage and titilation to sell book..it relied on TALENT and a neat tale that has not been done to death! I bet every one of you reading has an independent comic book that you liked that was cancelled before it really had a chance to get a following! I know in the last few years I have lost a lot of favorites...and what sucks even more is getting all excited about a comic that is supposed to come out..only to have it SUNK before it has a chance to swim! Sure, I'm glad that MORE THAN MORTAL--one of my absolute favorites--is doing so well that IMAGE made Sharon an offer and she joined their cast..but I mourn for TIMESPELL and the others who are never given the chance. It's sad...ya know? Too bad the DECLARATION of most INDEPENDENTS is little more than a whine and are not afforded the chance to really ROAR! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] Comic Abstracts John Barker jbarker@inch.com [John Barker lives and works in New York City. Comic Abstracts contains some commentary and thoughts on the comics world. http://www.inch.com/~jbarker/comic contains previous work.] JORDAN AND HIS MONITOR At work this summer, late May, I overheard: "His name is Gorfinkel, he brought his monitor in a few days ago" Gorfinkel, I thouht... how many people could there be with the name of Gorfinkel. It has to be DC Editor Jordan Gorfinkel. And I was right. Standing in our lobby, waiting for news on his monitor was the aforementioned Jordan Gorfinkel. He's the guy who's idea it was to do "No Man's Land" across all the Batman titles. I eyed him for a few moments, then when I had my chance I asked him if he was, indeed _the_ Jordan Gorfinkel (not that the comics biz has it's superstars, but I honestly wanted to talk to the guy). I told him I liked Batman: NML so far, and that Devin Grayson had done some excellent work. He said he'd pass that along to her, and he was glad there was increased interest in the title. And much as I like to hype comics' best e-zine: CBEM, I felt kind of weird discussing it with someone in "the biz": "So I do a column for this weekly zine about comics", I told him. Sadly, in a moment of confusion I couldn't remember what CBEM was an acronym for, so I just said it was the best weekly e-zine around (which, of course, CBEM is). So I had a brief but very cool conversation with the man. And the words of wisdom from Mr. Gorfinkel? After I gushed about Batman: No Man's Land, he told me I genuflect very well, and that I should write in and tell them of my thoughts. And that was cool. But "genuflect"?... I was very impressed that Mr. Gorfinkkel could throw out, IMO, such a cool word. Mr. Gorfinkel queried me as to the status of his monitor. I informed him that it would most likely be a week, and that monitor repairs of that type were generally not worth it (against the price of a new monitor). He said he hoped to have it soon because he was working on a chapter of No Man's land. That chapter (at least I'm guessing that's what it was) came out last week and it was a great read. Greg Land's work was positively stunning. His illustrations of The Huntress (both as the Huntress and as BatGirl) were great. I love that style. As Editors go Jordan Gorfinkel was okay. If it had been Mark Powers, I don't think I would have said anything. DID I MENTION One of the rarest signed books in the world? If you can imagine... just for a moment... Epic Comics Coyote #13 by Steve Englehart and Chas Truog (featuring a cameo by Mike Baron's awesome Badger). This particular copy is signed by Chas Truog, Steve Englehart, Archie Goodwin, AND Todd McFarlane. Chas Truog is a great artist who kicked ass on the early Animal Man issues (remember Chas or Buddy Baker?). I had both Chas and Steve sign the book right as the were discussing the Coyote character. Meeting Archie Goodwin is an honor. Having him sign a few books was a really great experience as a comic book fan. And the coolest thing about Archie Goodwin signing books, is that he'd do a little illustration inside the cover (much like the inscriptions of the Epic books he edited). He was always the nicest guy to talk to at cons. I got Todd McFarlane to sign this book in 1992 for no real reason. Hundreds of people lined up at the Chicago Comicon, and I have him sign Coyote #13 (he did a back up story). He also signed my ASM #298 (I really enjoyed his early Spiderman artwork, call me crazy). I don't know why I had him sign such an obscure book. I guess I thought it'd be funny. I think I said "Coyote #13" was the first comic book I read, but that'd have been a lie. Oh well. Todd no longer draws. Signed books are strictly for a collector in my mind. I suppose there's sort of a market for it, but for your average collector, it's not about increasing a book's value. If there's a book I love, and I have the opportunity to meet the talent behind it, those books have an added worth in my mind. I'm not sure why... maybe it just seems like a cool thing to do. But I'm not about to trade my Alien Legion #7 (the awesome ALL-JUGGER issue) signed to me with a kick-ass quote by Chuck Dixon. Speaking of Alien Legion- what ever happened to Larry Stroman? -john barker http://www.inch.com/~jbarkerr ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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.] Comic book historians now talk of the Bronze Age, Golden Age and the Silver Age. One day they will talk of the Cyberspace Age of Comics. Not only do comic book aficionados have their comic book fix on the racks of their local comic book stores, but anyone with the Internet has the luxury of reading on-line comic books, interviews, reviews at various comic book websites and email ezines. Comic book collectors that have scanners, have the option of scanning their favorite pages from comic books and zapping it through email to places around the world to other comic book collectors. I know, I have a few friends that do this. I won't mention any names, in that way they don't get punished for copyright infringements through unauthorized scanning of copyrighted material. What amazes me is the fact that there are so many aspiring amateur creators out there, creating their own on-line comic books and publishing them right on their comic book websites. I have found so much comic book material on comic book websites, that it would take me an eternity to go through all this material. I have tapped into comic book websites that have their origins in places like China, South Africa, Virgin Islands and other exotic locales. The Golden Age was a time to marvel, but if we really think about it, the Cyberspace Age of Comics is something to be in awe of. What's next? The Virtual Reality Age of Comics? Food for thought. M.O.E. Sidenote: At A-1 Comics this week, I found the following cool comic books: S.N.A.K. Posse by HCOM Inc., Straitjacket Studios Presents #1, Video Girl by Masakazu Katsura, Tokyo Pop, Panku Ponk by Ironcat L.L.C., Little Gloomy by SLG, Sparky and Tim by Aaron Warner, Sof' Boy & Friends #1 by D&Q Quarterly, Moebius: The Man from Ciguri by Dark Horse Comics, Torres Rocco Vargas, Los Bros Hernandez - Las Mujeres Perdidas, Jim Woodring's Frank Vol. 2 and a whole lot more! For more information, you can email Brian Peets, owner of A1 Comics at: A1Comics@quiknet.com Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time...... Name: Gary Spencer Millidge Strangehaven #12 Publisher: Abiogenesis Press Written and Drawn by: Gary Spencer Millidge Price: $2.95 Comments: The story starts off with 3 young guys named Bob, Bruv and Ben. They're your typical party dudes as they discuss everything from the latest gossip to babes and sex. These 3 talk of Janey and other people in their community. Strangehaven #12 starts off just like a good movie and the reader feels like he or she is placed right in this story, as events start taking place. I know I did as I kicked back on my couch with my Jack Russell Terrier named Pika and started off with this story that began mysteriously. Scene shift to Janey and things are a bit heated as she is in the midst of an argument with her dad. Janey mentions to her dad that Alex might be asked to join the society and her dad freaks out and forces the information out of her. I was disappointed that she confessed and gives up her source as being her friend Suzie Tang. More information slips out as it is mentioned that Billy Bates has been released out of prison. Then another scene shift to the Inner Circle of the Sovereign High Council as they interrogate Petey about breaking his oath of The Knight of the Golden Light. This society, a very secretive society is much like the Freemasons and Roscricians. Petey is found guilty and sentenced to death. They 'set the example' with Petey and Petey is seen left hanging from a tree by his neck. More to this story will come, as this series moves along! Name: Frank Miller's Hell and Back - A Sin City Love Story #4 of 9 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Written and Drawn by: Frank Miller Price: $2.95 Comments: Story starts off with the interactions between Wallace and Delia. There is talk of Esther and who she was scared of and what has been done to her. Tension is heavy in the air. The realization that Esther has been kidnapped sinks in with Delia. Delia gets intimately close to Wallace. Wallace starts shaking like a leaf and when quizzed about his shaking, he comments that he barely knows Delia. Hmmm...shouldn't this be the other way around? Muscled bound creep breaks into the room and Wallace holds his own as he breaks his nose and gives him the chance to back off. When he doesn't, out the window our big friend goes. The story moves along with mysterious circumstances that only tantalizes the reader to flow with the events. The artwork? Gorgeous, like always! Name: Impulse #55 Publisher: DC Comics Written by: Shon C. Bury Drawn by: Ethan Van Sciver Price: $2.25 Comments: Great story and fantastic artwork! Ahh...I should have known, Impulse has a guest writer by the name of Shon C. Bury. This guy is good! What? Ethan Van Sciver as the artist? Man, what a team! Well, let's move along. Sir Real - Master of Virtual Reality was quite the unusual bank robber as he uses virtual reality as his weapon. I had some good laughs as Bart makes the sly remark that his body is a temple and desires pizza and other junk food. Max is quite frustrated with Bart and gets even more frustrated as Bart takes off after Sir Real without waiting for Max. When Bart gets zapped into virtual reality, he doesn't fall into the virtual reality of Super Nintendo or Playstation, but falls into a reality that is strangely similar to.....ho, ho, ho...the Jolly Green Giant. Except the Jolly Green Giant has been replaced with the sinister Mushroom Man. The subconscious mind of Bart remembers how Max scolded him about not eating his veggies and now he is in a virtual reality that requires he eats his veggies and more! A place that Max would love! Mushroom Man's gnomes were quite comical and Big Grub took the icing off the cake! Excellent story that really brought on some good laughs and Max should go after Kaylene, this lady is a looker. Name: Stone Cold Steve Austin #1 Publisher: Chaos! Comics Written by: Steven Grant Drawn by: James Fry Price: $2.95 Comments: I'm now the proud owner of Stone Cold Steve Austin #1 and highly enjoyed the story. Steven Grant did a marvelous job in portraying Stone Cold in this comic book. His persona was right on 'q'. Things got hopping as this adventure took place in Jude River, Texas. This is one event that the residents of Jude River will probably never forget. Stone Cold is known to smash walls, buildings and anything else when he drives his monster trucks and he does just that, as he crashes into this saloon where a cult is holding a girl hostage for speaking out against them. The girl is Jana, the damsel in distress in this story and Stone Cold makes his appearance right on time. You don't need any superheroes, when you have a anti-hero like Stone Cold around. Stone Cold's sudden appearance was majestically orchestrated and my jaw was hanging low, as I knew the whoop #$% was about to proceed! First of the Chosen didn't have a chance and I really got a kick out of the Stone Cold Stunner used on the First of the Chosen. This wouldn't have been a Stone Cold comic book if they would have forgotten Austin 3:16, I just kicked your #$%! I enjoyed the way Stone Cold hears the bit on Romans 12:19 and retaliates with his own 3:16 dialogue. I am quite curious on how this story will proceed and how he is made out to be a drifter in these stories. Stone Cold didn't waste anytime, as he sought out the self proclaimed god named Adam. Just like a high flying Sylvester Stallone movie, we get Stone Cold piloting a helicopter for the first time. Plenty of action that kept me right on the edge of my seat. James Fry knocked me out with the artwork too. Adam got some payback from Stone Cold and now is basically a simple hostage to Stone Cold. Looking forward to more issues, this comic book will be a major success, I can see it already. And that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold Roberts says so! Name: Legionnaires #78 Publisher: DC Comics Written by: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning Drawn by: Jeffrey Moy/pencils W.C. Carani/inks Price: $2.50 Comments: In this story the Legionnaires take on military attack robots that are 5 centuries years old. Created by humans to serve humans. When a virus takes over these robots system, they attacked mankind. Some were unplugged and when the Legionnaires come across them, they awaken and all havoc takes place. Lot of the Legionnaires seem to be pairing off, as Brainiac 5.1 misses his KoKo. Brainiac 5.1 gets heavy into his work and some of the other Legionnaires like Garth Ranzz and Imra Ardeen get intimately close. I always wondered if these inside-the-team relationships would hinder their teamwork? So far, the Legionnaires work perfectly as a team and nothing seems faulty. They have a strong esprit de corps within their ranks. Cliffhanger as the crucial Stargate 4897 is shutdown! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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.] SAMURAI GUARD #1 32 pages, full color, $2.50/$3.75CAN Currently available through FM International. Colburn Comics 1112 Prospect Place Brooklyn, NY 11213 http://www.geocities.com/~colburncomics/ Writer/Artist - Kirk Abrigo Colorist/Letters - Leon Allen Some folks may look at a title like this and for whatever reason pass it by. Just as some folks do not read any black and white, or any super hero, or any of a particular company and so on. Just because a book has Samurai in the title does not make it the same as any other comic about Samurai. This one, from the first issue at least, takes an approach that tries to capture the essence of the "way of the warrior" in a modern world. The back story is told in one text page about the evolution, rise and fall of the prominence of Japan's warrior class. As they were about to be relegated (and regulated) into history, the last Samurai bought an island off the coast in the late 1800s and began to settle their own world where they could hold on to their traditions without interference. That is until today. A routine patrol happens upon a group of small boats on a beach of the island. They attempt to take the illegal immigrants into custody only to be ambushed by an overwhelming force of frogmen emerging from the sea. Now three Samurai try to hold off dozens of modern fighters and automatic firearms with throwing stars, arrows and if need be swords while they wait for reinforcements they have signalled to help. The flare is seen all over the island and the call to arms if quick. At the last minute the remaining two are rescued and a single prisoner is left alive to be taken for questioning. It is soon apparent that the beach episode is part of a larger plan as even in the police headquarters a new attack by Ninjas is launched to rescue or silence the prisoner and retrieved confiscated explosives. The plot thickens, as the saying goes, as we learn more about Miamoto Shindo, The Samurai in charge - a legend among his kind - and some of the valiant men and women under him. But even he has secrets that may be his undoing as a mystery man hints of the greater plan at work. The story is very well laid out so far with transitions from action to exposition and character development all in proper sequence. The elements of the traditions of the old coping with the technical advances of the new remind me of the old KUNG FU series on TV which showed time and again that superior weapons or numbers do not always ensure victory. There is nothing too complex or ambitious so as to overwhelm the reader in detail before we need it. Often first time authors will try to create their "world" in such detail in the very first issue that they forget to tell the story. Kirk appears to have worked that all out and recognizes the pacing is the thing. The art follows the same rhythm as the story, keeping us interested with a variety of panel placements that serve to move the story forward by complimenting the text and dialogue. The coloring is a bit dark though very competent. The selection of tones is noticeable but not distracting. I would have chosen a bit brighter colors, or at least lightened it up from time to time. All in all a solid effort from another newcomer to the business. It deserves a look and hopefully will get a shot at a wider audience. Check out their web site for a better look at what it is all about. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [14] TOP 100 COMICS October Diamond Comics Distributors Rankings are based on orders placed by retailers and reflect total units ordered not dollar values of total ordered. Unit prices are given for reference only. This is NOT a list of comics that sold the most copies to the consumers - it is a list of ORDERS by DEALERS. TOP 100 COMICS - OCTOBER 1999 1 UNCANNY X-MEN #375 $2.99MAR 2 X-MEN #95 $1.99MAR 3 DANGER GIRL #6 (RES) $2.50DC 4 WOLVERINE METALLIC FOIL COVER #145 $3.99MAR 5 JLA #36 $1.99DC 6 SPAWN #91 $1.95IMA 7 AVENGERS #23 $1.99MAR 8 DAREDEVIL #10 (RES) $2.50MAR 9 EARTH X #9 $2.99MAR 10 X-MEN: THE HIDDEN YEARS #1 $3.50MAR 11 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #12 $2.99MAR 12 FANTASTIC FOUR #24 $1.99MAR 13 PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN #12 $2.99MAR 14 THOR #18 $1.99MAR 15 X-MEN: CHILDREN OF THE ATOM #2 $2.99MAR 16 AVENGERS FOREVER #12 (RES) $2.99MAR 17 BATMAN: DARK VICTORY #1 $4.95DC 18 CAPTAIN AMERICA #24 $1.99MAR 19 IRON MAN #23 $1.99MAR 20 WOLVERINE 1999 $3.50MAR 21 MUTANT X #15 $1.99MAR 22 X MEN UNLIMITED #25 $2.99MAR 23 BATMAN #572 $1.99DC 24 DETECTIVE COMICS #739 $1.99DC 25 WITCHBLADE #36 $2.50IMA 26 JSA #5 $2.50DC 27 X MEN: PHOENIX #1 $2.50MAR 28 WITCHBLADE/THE DARKNESS SPECIAL $3.95IMA 29 BATMAN: NO MAN’S LAND #0 $4.95DC 30 AVENGERS: DOMINATION FACTOR #2.4 $2.50MAR 31 BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #92 $1.99DC 32 BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #124 $1.99DC 33 NIGHTWING #38 $1.99DC 34 CRIMSON #13 (RES) $2.50DC 35 GENERATION X #58 $1.99MAR 36 SPAWN: THE UNDEAD #5 $2.25IMA 37 FANTASTIC FOUR: DOMINATION FACTOR #2.3 $2.50MAR 38 X FORCE #97 $1.99MAR 39 INHUMANS #12 $2.99MAR 40 HULK #9 $1.99MAR 41 GREEN LANTERN #119 $1.99DC 42 GAMBIT #11 $1.99MAR 43 CABLE #74 $1.99MAR 44 SPAWN: THE DARK AGES #8 $2.50IMA 45 THUNDERBOLTS #33 $1.99MAR 46 FLASH #155 $1.99DC 47 SUPERMAN #151 $1.99DC 48 SIN CITY: HELL & BACK #4 (MR) $2.95DAR 49 PREACHER #56 (MR) $2.50DC 50 BISHOP: THE LAST X-MAN #3 $1.99MAR 51 FLASH & GREEN LANTERN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #3 $2.50DC 52 ACTION COMICS #760 $1.99DC 53 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #573 $1.99DC 54 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #95 $1.99DC 55 SPIDER-GIRL #15 $1.99MAR 56 X-MAN #58 $1.99MAR 57 TITANS #10 $2.50DC 58 TOM STRONG #6 $2.95DC 59 STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN #1 (2 Covers) $2.95CHA 60 TELLOS #4 $2.50IMA 61 BATMAN & SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #9 $1.99DC 62 TOP TEN #4 $2.95DC 63 ROBIN #71 $1.99DC 64 BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND SECRET FILES #1 $4.95DC 65 SPIDER-WOMAN #6 $1.99MAR 66 BLADE: VAMPIRE HUNTER #1 $3.50MAR 67 WARLANDS #3 $2.50IMA 68 PROMETHEA #5 $2.95DC 69 JLA: PRIMEVAL $5.95DC 70 GALACTUS THE DEVOURER #4 $2.50MAR 71 GENERATION X 1999 $3.50MAR 72 CATWOMAN #75 $1.99DC 73 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #14 (2 Covers) $2.95DAR 74 YOUNG JUSTICE #15 $2.50DC 75 PLANETARY #7 $2.50DC 76 FANTASTIC FIVE #3 $1.99MAR 77 POKeMON PART 3: ELECTRIC PIKACHU BOOGALOO #4 $2.95VIZ 78 WILD THING #3 $1.99MAR 79 TOMORROW STORIES #3 $2.95DC 80 STAR WARS #11 $2.50DAR 81 DEADPOOL #35 $1.99MAR 82 AUTHORITY #8 $2.50DC 83 BLACK PANTHER #13 $2.50MAR 84 SAM AND TWITCH #3 $2.50IMA 85 BATMAN/TARZAN: CLAWS OF THE CATWOMAN #2 $2.95DAR 86 NEW WARRIORS #3 $2.50MAR 87 GEN13 #46 $2.50DC 88 SPAWN: BLOOD & SALVATION GN $4.95IMA 89 FLASHPOINT #1 $2.95DC 90 STAR WARS: BOUNTY HUNTERS—KENIX KIL $2.95DAR 91 AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT #59 $2.25DC 92 XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS #2 (2 Covers) $2.95DAR 93 SUPERGIRL #39 $1.99DC 94 AVENGERS: UNITED THEY STAND #2 $1.99MAR 95 THE TENTH: EVIL'S CHILD #2 $2.50IMA 96 X-51 #5 $1.99MAR 97 STARMAN #60 $2.50DC 98 ASCENSION #20 $2.50IMA 99 DEATHLOK #5 $1.99MAR 100 WARLOCK #4 $1.99MAR ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [15] 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, / /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 ACCLAIM COMICS Quantum & Woody #18, 2.50 AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Wyrd The Reluctant Warrior #4 (Of 6), 2.95 ARCHIE COMICS PUBLICATIONS Archie Digest #168, 1.99 Jughead #124, 1.79 Veronica #95, 1.79 CARTOON BOOKS Bone 2000 Calendar, 13.95 CLAYPOOL COMICS Elvira #78, 2.50 CORSAIR PUBLISHING Dork Tower #6, 2.95 CPM MANGA Frontier Line #2, 2.95 CUP O' TEA STUDIOS Xenos Arrow #5, 2.50 DARK HORSE COMICS Blade Of The Immortal Heart Of Darkness (4 Of 8) #38, 2.95 Bob Burdens Original Mysterymen #4 (Of 4), 2.95 Ghost Vol 2 #13, 2.95 Horror Of Collier County #1 (Of 5), 2.95 Out For Blood #2 (Of 4) 2.95 Xena Warrior Princess #2, 2.95 Xena Warrior Princess Newsstand Photo Cvr #2, 2.95 DC COMICS Action Comics #760, 1.99 Authority #8, 2.50 Ball And Chain #2 (Of 4), 2.50 Batman & Superman Worlds Finest #9 (Of 10), 1.99 Batman Beyond #2, 1.99 Body Doubles #3 (Of 4) (resolicited), 2.50 Catwoman #75, 1.99 Crimson Sourcebook #1, 2.95 Deathblow By Blows #2 (Of 3), 2.95 Detective Comics #739, 1.99 Dexters Laboratory #4, 1.99 Faith #2 (Of 5), 2.50 Flash #155, 1.99 Flinch #7, 2.50 Hellblazer #143, 2.50 Hitman #44, 2.50 JLA Primeval, 5.95 JLA #36, 1.99 Law (Living Assault Weapons) #4 (Of 6), 2.50 Legion Of Super Heroes #122, 2.50 Mr Majestic #4, 2.50 Proposition Player #1 (Of 6), 2.50 Robin #71, 1.99 Sandman 10Th Anniversary Poster New Printing, 6.95 Sandman Dream Hunters Free Promo, AR Strange Adventures #2 (Of 4), 2.50 Supergirl #39, 1.99 Top Ten #4, 2.95 Veils SC, 14.95 Wonder Woman #151, 1.99 DIAMOND PUBLICATIONS Previews Vol IX #11, 2.95 FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS Combustion, 7.95 IMAGE COMICS Adrenalynn #2, 2.50 Ascension #20, 2.50 Crow #9, 2.50 Forever Amber #4 (Of 4), 2.95 Intrigue #2, 2.95 Kabuki Agents #2 Scarab, 2.95 Lady Pendragon Dragon Blade #6, 2.50 More Than Mortal Otherworlds #3, 2.95 Neon Cyber #3, 2.50 Spawn The Undead #5, 2.25 Warlands #2, 2.50 MARVEL COMICS Avengers Domination Factor # 2.4 (Of 4), 2.50 Black Panther #13, 2.50 Deadpool #35, 1.99 Gambit #11, 1.99 Generation X 1999, 3.50 Peter Parker Spider-Man #12, 2.99 Spider-Man Unlimited #1, 2.99 Timely Presents All Winners, 3.99 Warlock #4, 1.99 Webspinners Tales Of Spider-Man #12, 3.50 X Men Phoenix #1 (Of 3), 2.50 X-51 #5, 1.99 X-Man #58, 1.99 X-Men Universe #1 (resolicited), 4.99 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Animerica Volume 7 #10, 4.95 Black & White #3 (Of 5), 3.25 Black & White Vol 2 TPB, 15.95 Ranma 1/2 Part 8 #7 (Of 13), 2.95 Pokemon Part 3 Electric Pikachu Boogaloo #4 (Of 4), 2.95 magazines Comic Shop News #645, AR NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD RELEASE DATE NEW DATE DC COMICS Batman & Superman: World's Finest #10 11/24 12/01 Danger Girl #6 11/12 11/24 Danger Girl Special 11/24 12/01 Divine Right #12 09/29 11/10 Dreams Of The Darkchylde #0 06/16 TBA Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 06/30 TBA Invisibles Vol.3 #5 11/03 11/10 Leg. Of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9 10/27 11/10 MAD About TV TP 11/03 11/17 Planetary #7 10/13 11/17 Planetary #8 12/10 12/22 Promethea #4 10/22 11/03 Promethea #5 10/27 11/17 Sandman Companion HC 11/17 11/10 Sleepy Hollow Movie Adaptation 11/03 11/17 Son Of Superman HC 10/20 11/10 Speed Racer #3 10/29 11/10 Spider Jerusalem Statue 11/17 12/01 Tom Strong #6 12/17 12/29 Tomorrow Stories #4 11/17 11/24 IMAGE Adventures of Evil & Malice #3 10/27 11/17 Cy-Gor #5 11/10 11/17 Lady Pendragon Gallery Ed #1 10/27 11/03 Neon Cyber #4 11/10 11/17 Spirit of the Tao #14 11/03 11/17 Tenth: Evil's Child #2 11/3 11/10 Witchblade #36 10/27 11/10 Witchblade/Dark Special 11/03 11/17 *Please Note: These dates are tentative. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [16] HYPE! Section Various FROM HELL (The Limited & Signed Hardcover Edition) By Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell Published by GRAPHITTI DESIGNS Ten years in the making, winner of many awards and soon to be a movie, the definitive From Hell Limited Hardcover Book is here! Over 560 pages, this black & white bedtime Graphic Novel features the story of Jack the Ripper, the most infamous serial murderer of all time. Alan Moore names Dr. Gull as the villain and creates the most compelling and terrifying psychological study ever undertaken in a comic book. Together with artist Eddie Campbell, all of the conspiracies and cover-ups are considered and bound together in this vortex of terror. Limited to just 1000 copies, each hardcover book features a special, individually-numbered signature page, signed by Campbell and Moore. Printed on 70# paper stock, this deluxe presentation also includes Smyth-sewn hardcover binding with debossed cover, special endpages and an array of quality features that have made Graphitti Designs hardcover collections some of the most sought-after books on the market. Quantities are limited, with orders subject to allocations based upon orders received. FROM HELL (THE LIMITED & SIGNED HARDCOVER EDITION), solicited under GRAPHITTI DESIGNS in the November PREVIEWS (Volume 9 #11) for books shipping in January 2000. 560 pages, black & white, $95.00 (US) Queries to: GRAPHITTI DESIGNS (or) Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell Comics (or) Chris Staros Top Shelf Productions, Inc. +++++ PREVIEW OF PREVIEWS Diamond has updated their web site for the new PREVIEWS out next week. Writer/Ad Coordinator Vince Brusio is the designated editorial writer for Previews' "The Splash Page" which is our source material On The Cover... The latest TP from Image, Savage Dragon: Gang War grabs the front cover spotlight this month because of the landmark issues that are collected in this book. The solid, face-hit-concrete storyline to emerge from Savage Dragon #22-26 was a wake-up call for readers who thought bone-crunching comics might have gone the way of a Commodore computer. Larsen pulled out all the stops on this run, and let us feel like we're the ones who should be scrambling behind cars and brick walls to escape the flying shrapnel and exploding bad guys. Gang War delivers what is implied: Blam, blam, blam, action with all the blood and lacerations that go with it. It's not a love story, that's for sure! The once-powerful Overlord is out of the picture, and all the local degenerates make the streets of Chicago their back-yard miniature dirt war. And what's going to stop them? The Savage Dragon? Well what do you think? And who else might get caught in the crossfire? As a side note, Kurt Busiek writes the introduction to this collection. There's also an extensive sketchbook section. On the flip side you'll see that Han Solo's furball co-pilot has finally been featured in a Dark Horse limited series. Chewbacca is the subject of scrutiny and speculation, as many tales are told about the Wookie who's known to not like losing a game of space chess. Many words (some not so pretty) have been used to describe this furry muscular space pirate. But the words "hero" and "legend" are among the most frequent, and it is this aspect of Chewbacca's history that the 4-issue Star Wars: Chewbacca limited series seeks to explore. Each issue of this Dark Horse series will feature several chapters of the walking carpet's adventures, with each chapter illustrated by a different artist. Those who knew `Chewie' best — his father, his wife — are the minstrels. They tell many tales of how the warrior and smuggler aided Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian, and, of course, Han Solo. It’s doubtful that the stories will be tame. This big bruiser, despite his soft side, was a gung-ho gunslinger who could not only navigate space ships, but also get in laser beam shootouts that were pretty brutal and bleak, to say the least. And since we're on the subject of Dark Horse, you should remember to check out the Dark Horse Month section of this site! Take these words of wisdom: log on now, read the news, and have a go at the games, trivia, and loads of free prizes that can be yours if you check out the Diamond site now! Ya gotta play to win, folks. So sit in front of that monitor, and get on the Internet today! Look for Savage Dragon: Gang War from Image Comics and Star Wars: Chewbacca from Dark Horse in the Premiere section of Previews. Wizard Imprint For New Millennium The folks at Wizard are no longer content to give you their monthly price guide and roasted editorial. With the new millennium comes a new expansion into the wide world of comics publishing. So the safety bar is lifted up, the door is opened, and out charges Black Bull, brought to you by Gareb Shamus and company. And who gets to pioneer the movement for this new publishing house? Take Daredevil inker Jimmy Palmiotti, Kingdom Come writer Mark Waid, Vampirella artist Amanda Conner, put them in a playpen, and watch as they come up with Gatecrasher. And it's not a spin-off, parody, or recycled storyline that's reminiscent of flashy atomic cartoon pop. This is the real thing. Waid, Palmiotti, and Conner are not the type of people you approach with lame-brained ideas. Their time is too precious. Their track record and notoriety shows that they're in it for the story, the guts, the real blow-up-the-outside-world approach that makes comics a living breathing thing. And they bleed all their talent into whatever project they handle. When their conversations with Wizard publisher Gareb Shamus revealed that he wasn't a project soul-eater ("Give me your inner light. It's mine! All mine! Ah, hahahahahahahah"), the two comic big guns signed on to develop Gatecrasher, which Waid claims will not be a hot property conceived for the sole purpose of selling action figures and video games (movie rights are out of the picture, too). No, the trio will don caps to be new starship troopers that command stories introducing new villains, new worlds, and_new women (always a positive)! Here is the opportunity to see what happens when shining stars are given free reign to play in the sandbox as long as they want. Prepare for the trio's creative license that acts as their backstage pass to any imaginative direction. Look for Gatecrasher #1 from Wizard Entertainment's Black Bull in the Premiere section of Previews! And Now For Her Latest Trick_ How easy was your first day of school? That question pretty much sums up Lady Death's latest headache, now that our ivory goddess doesn't know which end is up, or what her new destiny will be since the events that unfolded in the 4-issue Armageddon limited series. As depicted in the Chaos! Comics milestone that concludes this December, Lady Death may have met her match as the devastator of all reality, Armageddon, came to the Chaos! Cosmos, raining death and destruction on untold billions. The earth, Lady Death, and all that inhabited it shuddered under Armageddon's heel and breathed their last breath. Or did they? Were they really reduced to instant flower food? "Not a clone story, not a `back from the dead' story, not a new character as Lady Death story. In the wake of Armageddon, is there or isn't there a Lady Death? You're gonna have to buy the book for answers to the entirely new, dark direction of the Chaos! Cosmos," said Chaos! founder, President, and writer, Brian Pulido. "This is the place where the Dark Millennium takes off," Pulido continues, "We're headed into new territory here, and now is the time for fans and fiends around the world to experience the beginning of Chaos! Comics's second era." Look for Lady Death: Dark Millennium #1 from Chaos! Comics in the Comics section of Previews. [Convention Calender] As a service to you, the dedicated Previews reader, we offer this rundown of upcoming events and conventions. SHOW DATE LOCATION AASL Ninth National Nov. Birmingham, AL Conference & 10-14 Exhibition NY Comic Spectacular Nov. NY, NY 13-14 Mid Ohio Con Nov. Columbus, Ohio 27-28 +++++ CLAYPOOL COMICS solicitations for FEBRUARY, 2000: ELVIRA #82: Elvira's won a trip to a tropical island resort. Shame it's overrun by scientifically-created beast-men creatured by Dr. Merlot AND bedeviled by a masked killer AND visited by Lovery "Love" Love, teen TV titan. Is it any wonder that Elvira's response is "Groan -- Two!!"? it's by Frank Strom, Ronn Sutton, and Bruce Patterson. Also featuring another hilarious "Elvira" back-up featurette by a surprise creative team. Color Photo Cover of Elvira B&W Interior 32 pages $2.50 REMEMBER: Claypool Comics can be ordered as back issues. Reorders can be placed for Elvira #77, 78, 79, 80, or 81 along with your order for #81. PLUS: All Claypool Comics have easy, reader-friendly intro pages on their inside front covers, making it simple to get a new reader started enjoying our stories. DEADBEATS #40: In the wake of the shocking deaths that marred "HorrorFest," the characters take stock of their lives and unlives. For the Deadbeats, it's their latest campaign of fear; for Southie and Brittany, it's the triumph of their eternal love. For the humans, it's a surprising panoply of dreams and desires. Don't miss the poignant coda we call "Yearnings!" by Richard Howell and Ricardo Villagran, with a flat-out masterwork of a cover by Howell and Villagran. Color Cover B&W Interior 32 pages $2.50 REMEMBER: Claypool Comics can be ordered as back issues. Reorders can be placed for Deadbeats #35, 36, 37, 38, or 39 along with your order for #40. PLUS: All Claypool Comics have easy, reader-friendly intro pages on their inside front covers, making it simple to get a new reader started enjoying our stories. ALL CLAYPOOL TITLES CAN BE RE-ORDERED -- AND WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU START WITH OUR PERENNIAL TRADE PAPERBACK COLLECTIONS ELVIRA MISTRESS OF THE DARK TPBK "Comic Milestones -- Comics Format!" The very best of the adventures of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark as she faces foes both fearsome and farcical. Make sure you get your customers to sign a laugh-release so you won't be responsible if they suffer harm from extreme amusement. The volume is an incredible 152 pages if sexy, silly, satirical sashays by Elvira. Buy it for your sexist roommate! Buy one for your feminist cousin! Your mother! Your job counselor! Everyone will enjoy Elvira-- except those who have absolutely no sense of humor! Don't become one of them!! This collection features work from the first twelve issues of Claypool's Elvira Mistress of the Dark comics series, nominated by the British Comics professionals Society as Best Humor Comic (and they read it). Stories and Art by: Kurt (Astro City) Busiek, Paul (Batman Adventures) Dini (his first published comics work), James (New Shadowhawk) Fry, Terry (Mr. Miracle) Austin, Dave (X-Men) Cockrum, Ricardo (Strange Tales) Villagran, Jim (Spider-Man) Mooney, and a host of others! Every line approved by Elvira herself as being witty and/or curvaceous enough for her! New Photo Cover B&W Interior 152 pages $12.95 SOULSEARCHERS & COMPANY TPBK "On the Case" The early adventures of the funniest supernatural investigators that ever existed! Discover the roots of Bridget, Baraka, Kelly, Janocz, and Peterson in their first forays against the forces of farcical fright! This material had initial low circulation and is in high demand today. Including: "Puppet Dictatorship," a cadre of killer marionettes target kids'-show hosts; "Pastramia on Wry," introducing Creature-Feature; "Season of Misseds," the war between the dream-demons (Sandman parody); "Into the Woods," twisted excursions into fairy-tales; "Spin Cycle," Soulsearchers get a make-over into more commercial models (Image Parody). This riotously funny collection features work from the first six issues of Claypool's much-hailed Soulsearchers & Company comics series, nominated by the British Comics Professionals Society as Best Humor Comic (they read this one, too). Stories and Art by: Peter (Hulk, Aquaman, Spider-Man 2099) David, Amanda (Vampirella) Conner, Jim (Spider-Man) Mooney, Steve (Hitchhiker's Guide) Leialoha, and Richard (Portia Prinz) Howell. New color cover by original Soulsearchers artist Amanda Conner with Steve Leialoha; introduction by Peter David. New Color Cover B&W Interior 152 pages $12.95 DEADBEATS TPBK "New In Town!!" Five fearsome newcomers arrive in Fear City, and their first outreach is to murder four teen-agers on the beach. They're the Deadbeats, a cruel and crafty vampire gang, and their mission could result in utter destruction of the entire town. Meet Dodger, Colleen, Mickey, and their so-called leader Southie, as they were presented for the first time. Discover why Deadbeats is the vampire saga with enough murder, sin, lust, and redemption to satisfy the most discerning reader. The early chapters of the vampires' invasion are presented in their integrity. Deadbeats is America's new favorite vampire epic, and this volume collects all the vital early issues of the story. This thrilling and terrifying collection features work from the first six issues of Claypool's much-hailed DEADBEATS comics series, with stories and art by Richard (Portia Prinz) Howell and Ricardo (Strange Tales) Villagran. Deadbeats has been nominated by the British Comics Professionals Society as Best Dramatic Comics Series (and they read it). And, as a bonus for fans -- Kathryn Leigh Scott of the original Dark Shadows television program has written a foreword to this collection. Vampire fiction -- especially that with a strong horror or sexual flavor -- is always popular, and Deadbeats has both of those qualities in spades, in addition to the added allure of strong, continuing story momentum and lush, reality-based art. Any reader of Vampa, Vampirella, Lady Bathory, or viewer of Dark Shadows or Forever Knight would be happy to add Deadbeats to their ongoing list of "must-have" titles. Try it out and see! New Wraparound Color Cover by Howell and Villagran Foreword by Kathryn Leigh Scott B&W Interior 160 pages $12.95 THE PITCH Many retailers have found that their customers have expressed interest in all the critical praise that Claypool Comics have garnered, but are wary of committing to any line which is so hard to locate. Our TRADE PAPERBACK LINE is Claypool's commitment to making our earlier material continually available to the comics-store retail professional chain, with an eye towards solidifying the interest in a continuing consumer base for Claypool Comics. If you have any questions about story content or distribution, please call me at (707) 887-1524 or fax (707) 887-7128. Thank you, catherine yronwode claypool@sonic.net +++++ CHAOS! COMICS PRODUCT SHIPPING IN FEBRUARY, 2000. FEATURED ITEM LADY DEMON #1 (OF 3) ITEM# LDM10 Written by Brian Pulido & Len Kaminski. Illustrated by Ken Lashley. Inked by Curtis Arnold. Colored by Jason Jensen. Painted cover by David Michael Beck. You wanted her, you got her! Chaos! Comics1 most sultry femme fatale in her own mini-series! Having escaped from Hell, with a new Earthly identity, Lady Demon discovers herself at the center of an insidious web of espionage and covert operations while wrestling with the greatest curse of all: her own humanity! Lady Demon #1 (OF 3).....................$2.95 Full Color. Terms: 60.75% for pick-up / 60% shipped. LADY DEMON #1 PREMIUM ITEM# LDM1P Featuring a fully painted, killer cardstock cover by Dorian Clevanger and limited to just 3000 copies! Celebrate the new Dark Millennium and remember... the possibilities are endless... Lady Demon #1 Premium ..........................$9.99 Terms: 50% off retail. LADY DEATH: DARK MILLENNIUM #2 (of 3) ___ITEM #LDDM20 Written by Brian Pulido & Len Kaminski. Illustrated by Ivan Reis. Inked by Joe Pimentel. Colored by Roy Young. Painted cover by David Michael Beck. Having chosen her destiny as the Right Hand of He Who Reaps, Lady Death must now venture forth into the dark and dangerous new world that lies beyond the walls of her fortress sanctuary Oblivion; a world seething with evils greater than she1s ever faced before! Lady Death: Dark Millennium #2 (of 3)............$2.95 Full Color. Terms: 60.75% for pick-up / 60% shipped. SPOTLIGHT LADY DEATH vs. VAMPIRELLA II ITEM # LDV20 Written by Jesse Leon McCann. Pen