---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 247 1/07/2000 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 2000 ........................ Rich Johnston [6] Independent Voices .................... Rich Henn [7] Some Pages, A Cover, and A Few Staples. Marlan Harris [8] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [9] My View:FAITH: A FABLE................. David LeBlanc [10] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [A] Submission, Back Issues, Copyrights ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Mailed by ONElist http://www.onelist.com/community/ComicBookNetworkEmag 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, FREE, please send amessage FROM that account TO: ComicBookNetworkEmag-subscribe@onelist.com To UNSUBSCRIBE send a message FROM the account to be dropped to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@onelist.com 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 2000 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 WELCOME to the new year and the first ONElist edition of the Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine! After all the problems with getting the Emag to all the people who had asked for it had been resolved I decided to investigate the alternatives of distributing it that would take less of my time and perhaps avoid future situations like the mysterious AOL blockage. I decided on ONEList since most of the mailing lists I get come through that service. It is free, it is totally controlled by yours truly as to how it is distributed and it keeps the email list safe and free from use for any other purpose. You won't be getting mysterious emails because you happen to be on this mailing list. That was my main concern and so with that out of the way I set it up - a very easy task - over the holiday break and we are ready to roll. I may be doing some tinkering for the next few weeks on the structure of the messages and so on and would appreciate any input you folks might have in that regard. The content of the Emag stays the same with the exception of the absence now of Tony Isabella and Ramblings now being update to 2000. You will still be able to comment on the content of the emag as you always have. And my Email is still at ComicBkNet@aol.com If any of you have bookmarked the NETCOM address from where the Emag USED to be distributed you will soon get mail bounced back at you if you try to send me mail there. So, change that address in your Email address book to ComicBkNet@aol.com I had a very hectic week off between the holidays. Not only did I take care of all that stuff but did some major pruning of my comic collection, did some career improvement stuff and had some work begun on the house. I certainly did not read enough off the to-be-read pile. I did get some great material review, the first review is this week's FAITH: A FABLE by Bill Knapp. Pay attention and order it now through the Diamond January catalogue at your local retailer. And while there check out new books on the rack! ABSTRACT STUDIOS Strangers In Paradise Vol III #29, 2.75 ACCLAIM COMICS Armorines Vol 2 #2 (Of 4), 2.50 AVATAR PRESS Marshall Godling Of War Giant #1, 11.95 CARTOON BOOKS Stupid Stupid Rat Tails Advs Big Johnson Bone #3, 2.95 COMICS CONSPIRACY Operator 99, 3.95 DARK HORSE COMICS World Below II #1 (Of 4), 2.95 DC COMICS Invisibles Volume 3 #4, 2.95 Legionnaires #81, 2.50 Millennium Edition JLA #1, 2.50 Preacher #59, 2.50 Young Justice #18, 2.50 IMAGE COMICS Mage The Hero Defined #15, 5.95 <----PICK OF THE YEAR! Rising Stars #4, 2.50 Comic Buyer's Guide wrapped up the results of their Favorite Comics of the Century poll in issue #1365. Here are the top three categories: FAVORITE WRITER The General Fandom poll chose the current fan favorite, also my pick, Alan Moore. The readers of CBG and the Pros looked back further though and chose STAN LEE to put him on top overall, giving him a second personal win since he was also favorite editor. In third place, another long time favorite of many, Neil Gaiman. FAVORITE PENCILLER Once again in this category, the General fans took a different perspective than the other two. They chose George Perez as their favorite. The Pros and CBG readers picked the second half of the team that made Marvel great and gave the overall win to JACK "KING" KIRBY. Neal Adams took third place. FAVORITE COMIC BOOK SERIES And once again, the same pattern of voting prevailed. THe General Fans took a more recent look when judging the century's best and chose Uncanny X-Men. However with the overall tally that series only makes it to #5 on the list. The Pros and CBG voters made it a triple win for Stan & Jack by picking FANTASTIC FOUR (Vol. 1) as the FAVORITE Comic Book Series of the Century. In second place was DC's SANDMAN (1989-1996) and third place goes to AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (Vol. 1). Justice League of America (Vol 1.) beat out UNCANNY X-MEN with its 4th place showing. Now a recap of the overall winners - remember these are FAVORITES in their categories: Publisher: DC Newspaper Strip: Calvin & Hobbes Publication about comics: Comic Buyer's Guide Limited Series: WATCHMEN Character: Batman Inker: Terry Austin Colorist (tie): Marie Severin/Lynn Varley Cover Artist: Brian Bolland Editor: Stan Lee Painter: Alex Ross Letterer: Todd Klein Graphic Novel: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL Story: THE GALACTUS TRILOGY Writer: Stan Lee Penciller: Jack Kirby Series: FANTASTIC FOUR 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: CBEM article: Year in Review From: jose_de_leon@hotmail.com (José de Leon) To: ComicBkNet@aol.com Hi, Great Year in Review article... an eventful year to say the least, surely one to build on! You missed an item I think is fairly significant: the late Christmas Eve scale-back on 'T&A' books at Image (the cancellation of 'Exposure', the non-renewal of 'Jade Warriors' and 'Alley Cat') as ordered by Jim Valentino -- a reduction in one of the two elements known to be noxious to comics: SILICONE (the other being CHROMIUM) Have a Happy 2000 and continued success to you...! Jose de Leon [Well, We reported some of those details in that same issue, but well maybe it should have been in the recap. D.L.] +++++ From: blue_moon_99@hotmail.com (Lloyd Smith) BLUE MOON COMICS would like to congratulate our very own Steve Skeates for his work in PLOP! #1 winning its round of DC's Millennium Editions! The special edition of PLOP! #1 won its round with over 1/3 of the vote (over 1,000 votes!), and will go on sale in May. In related news, Steve recently completed a brand new script--a modern, 21st Century version of the same type of "dark humor" strips he originated in PLOP! Drawn by Johnny Gonzales, Steve's brand new story will appear in Blue Moon's INFINITE TALES #4 in July. Make sure you contact us for ordering information. (Our apologies to everyone who tried to access our website last week. Our server was down for the weekend--Y2K? We dunno, but...But we're back online with lots of art and info! Come see us at: http://bluemooncomics.tsx.org) Best, Lloyd Smith, Publisher Blue Moon Comics +++++ Subj: 'Nuff Said! radio/web show guest info From: nuffsaid@escape.com (Nuff Said) 'Nuff Said!, the comic book interview/talk show, is on the air for a full hour every Tuesday at 10 PM on WBAI-FM, 99.5 in the New York City metropolitan area. We're also on the internet at www.wbaifree.org and www.2600.com as well. There's a link to each of those on our own web site: www.nuffsaid.net. I'm hearing the limited number of connections gets filled up early, so dial in early. Tuesday, Jan 11, 2000 - None other than one of the creators of Captain America: Joe Simon. He's one of the giants of the golden age of comics, especially when teamed with Jack Kirby, natch. We'll be talking about his silver age stuff, too, including Brother Power the Geek. Tuesday, Jan 18, 2000 - A two hour special featuring John Romita, Sr. Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot. The artist who followed Steve Ditko on Spider-man and drew pretty much every character Marvel published during the '60s, including romance comics. He was also the art director at Marvel for years and founded Romita's Raiders. A delightful interview taped at the Big Apple Con a few months ago. Tuesday, Jan 25, 2000 - Pre-empted. 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: Rainbow, Tank, Surge . . . what group did they belong to? Mark Anabel was the first of many to know some of the members of Mark Evanier's DNAgents. Mark wins each of Marvel's Year in Review books for Avengers, Spider-Man, and X-Men. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What unique cover enhancement was used in the DC/MILESTONE crossover, "WORLDS COLLIDE"? 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 MAD Cartoonist Don Martin Dies MIAMI (AP) _ Don Martin, longtime Mad magazine cartoonist who drew an assortment of wild-haired characters, punctuating the grotesque action with wacky words like SPLOP! and POIT!!, has died. He was 68. Martin died of cancer at Baptist Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Christine Thompson said today. During his 30-odd years as a Mad contributor, Martin based his humor on misery and misfortune, to crack ``sick'' jokes. The magazine dubbed him ``Mad's Maddest Cartoonist.'' The guy poisoning pigeons in the park _ ``I hate pigeons'' _ winds up killing the people who gather around to sample his scrumptious popcorn. Mona Lisa, as the reader realizes only in the last frame of the strip, is sitting on a toilet. Hapless boobs with big feet get squashed in all manner of ways. ``There's always been physical suffering in comedy,'' he once said. ``Even ancient clowns kicked each other in the seat of the pants or hit each other over the head. It's the same thing in our time, just a little stronger.'' The cartoons had a vocabulary all their own. ``SHKLIP'' was the sound made when construction workers tossed concrete at each other. ``SPLOP'' described a surgeon throwing body parts into a doggie bag. ``FAGROON'' came from a collapsing skyscraper. His license plate read ``SHTOINK.'' ``Is it funny? That's the only test I know when it comes to cartooning,'' Martin once said. ``Not whether it's sick, or whether it's going to ruin people's values or morals. You only have to ask a simple question: Is it funny?'' His twisted approach influenced generations of younger cartoonists. ``Don Martin was the one who really stood out,'' Gary ``The Far Side'' Larson told The Miami Herald in a story published in 1990. ``I really always loved his work. He was such a great artist.'' Martin left Mad magazine in 1987 after a falling-out with its publisher, the late William Gaines, accepting a job at Cracked, a competitor. Martin chafed at the tradition that Mad, like most publishers, retained all rights to reprint and profit from his work that it used, paying him on a free-lance basis. But he put out paperbacks of cartoons not published in the magazine, eventually selling more than 7 million copies. Martin drew despite a degenerative eye condition that forced him to undergo cornea transplants, wear special, highly uncomfortable contact lenses and use a magnifying glass while drawing. ``He was a shy and retiring sort of guy, considering he drew a comic strip that was crazy,'' said a longtime friend, Laurence Donovan. Martin was born in Clifton, N.J., and began his undergraduate work at the Newark Institute. He earned a fine arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He began submitting drawings to the fledgling Mad magazine in the mid-50s. +++++ NextPlanetOver Leaps into Auctions; Business-to-Consumer Auctions Will Bring Retailers Online, Add Entertainment Collectibles to NPO Offerings SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 2000--NextPlanetOver (www.npo.com), the ultimate Internet destination for the entertainment hobbyist, today announced that the company will add a business-to-consumer auction area to its site in order to give traditional retailers of entertainment collectibles a place to sell their products online. The auction area will include graphic novels and comic books, collectible card and role-playing games, action figures, toys, TV- and film-related memorabilia, and exclusive original art pieces. Retailers that partner with NextPlanetOver to sell products through the company's auction area will be able to brand their own stores. Items posted for auction will be cross-merchandised with related products, content, and community events elsewhere on the NPO site, allowing seamless navigation between new and old products by the same author or brand, such as Neil Gaiman, Star Wars, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "We want to cater to both the retailer and the consumer by being more responsive to retailers than other auction sites, and by focusing on our customers' product interests," said David Reid, cofounder and COO of NextPlanetOver. "What our auction area provides is a place for sellers of a specific category of merchandise to connect with the people who are dedicated to buying those types of products." NextPlanetOver aims to bring focus and efficiency to online auctions by providing its retail partners with personalized service and support from a dedicated auction manager, and by offering consumers only the best selection of merchandise from top retailers who specialize in entertainment collectibles. +++++ TIMESPELL #4 ships! That's right...it finally happened! Timespell #4 has indeed shipped from the printer to Diamond and comic shops around the world! If your not familiar with Timespell, it's a supernatural thriller based in Manhattan, with a fan base of folks who enjoy Bendis and Ellis work, as well as Preacher, Stray Bullets, Twin Peaks, Seven, etc. This new issue features new inker Mostafa Moussa (who has a book coming out with Image called Iron Wings) and painted cover by Brian Rood (who is currently working on an X-Men project with Paul Jenkins). "Timespell #4 is by far the best in the series, and is a great jumping on point for new readers. There is a full plot synopsis of the previous books on the the inside cover, and this fourth part, CHILDERMAS, lays the groundwork for issues #5-8," says Henn. If your local retailer or vendor does not carry the book, or is just out of stock, by all means...tell him to get some! The Diamond reorder code for TIMESPELL #4 is JUL991328. And, there are still some signed collector packs of #1-#3 still available for only $6.00! The Diamond reorder code for the collector pack is JUL991329. In appreciation to all the retailers and fans, Henn also had this to say: "Thank you all again, much more than words can say, for all your support to save this book. I appreciate so very much, the kind letters and mail I received in support of Timespell. I hope when you see this latest effort, you'll feel it was worth the wait." In addition to TIMESPELL, Maryland native Rich Henn has also worked on the CBLDF benefit books INDEPENDENT VOICES with Peregrine Entertainment publisher, David Napoliello. Last year, Indy Voices #1 raised over $1100 for the fund, and this year issue #2 (featuring a Joe Linsner cover) raised over $5000. Henn is also part of the organizing steerring committee for the SPX/EXPO, an annual Independent/Small Press comic book convention that gathers every September in Bethesda, Maryland. For more information on Timespell, check out the website at http://www.timespell.com and for previews of #4 click on: http://www.timespell.com/prev/prev.html +++++ Press Release Abby's Menagerie Abby's Menagerie, an all new, on-going, graphic novel published exclusively on the world wide web is set to launch on February 1, 2000. Created, written, and illustrated by DreamWalker creator by Jenni Gregory (along with her collaborator/husband Barry), Abby's Menagerie will appear in daily episodes every weekday at www.abbysmenagerie.com. Daily episodes will also be available (completely free of charge) via e-mail delivery. All episodes will be archived at www.abbysmenagerie.com. "I am so excited about this," says Jenni Gregory. "Barry and I have been working on this for months now. It's been our own private manhattan project. An on-going web comic offers us amazing opportunities ... and I get to see my stories published in full color!" Like DreamWalker, Abby's Menagerie is a contemporary urban fantasy. "But that's where the similarities end," says Jenni. "Abby's Menagerie is the story of a zookeeper who gets caught up in a series of fantastic occurrences. Animals long believed to be extinct suddenly begin reappearing ... and Abby is somehow at the center of the whole phenomenon. Although the daily episodes won't begin until February 1, the site's up and running now with a sort of teaser/preview. We'll be putting up a new promo each week until the daily episodes begin." For additional information contact Jenni Gregory at jenni@abbysmenagerie.com. To subscribe to the daily episodes visit ONElist E-mail Communities and type abbysmenagerie in the search field. Prompts will be given on how to register (absolutely free) or you can click the icon located at the www.abbysmenagerie.com site. +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ 'CRATER KID' AND 'BUZZBOY' DEBUT AS NET DAILIES! NEW DAILY STRIPS OFFER ANY WEBSITE FREE UPDATED CONTENT! January 5: Following in the footsteps of Comicon.com's own Steve Conley, who's ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS daily strip pioneered the mass distribution of comics as free content on the web, two new daily web strips, CRATER KID and BUZZBOY, have begun with the new year, utilizing the same free format. Conley's ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS launched last March, made available free to any web site that wishes to run it. Webmasters just log onto the ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS home page, copy a few lines of code, and paste that into their own web page's code. Whenever anyone logs onto their site, the code reaches out to the ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS server and automatically loads the latest strip. AST is updated every weekday. Conley says the response to the idea has been fantastic. "The AST daily comic strip just passed 1.5 million viewings since its March launch and I fully expect that number to reach 2 million by our one year anniversary." The strip is also available for direct delivery via e-mail. In addition, Conley has secured a sponsor, i-3D.com, whose advertisements appear on the strip module, along with links back to the AST bookstore, message board and homepage. The CRATER KID, by Marty Bauman, who's motto is "Remembering the future the way it was supposed to be!", features a "rambunctious, 10-year-old cowpoke who's forced to do battle with all manner of monsters on the far-flung planet, Meta 4." The strip is said to be a family-friendly mix of "Space Ghost," "Robot Monster," "Mad" magazine, "Calvin and Hobbes," and Dizzy Gillespie. BUZZBOY, by John Gallagher, features the adventures of Buzzboy, Becca, Doc Cyber, and other denizens of New Paradise Metrogrove. The first story arc will adapt the Buzzboy/40 Winks mini comic handed out this year at both San Diego Comicon and SPX. Readers will be introduced to the subconscious mind of Buzzboy, and meet Forty Winks' newest character, Dream Angel Pandora. HARVEY AWARDS GO ON AT PITTSBURGH COMICON! THE HARVEYS LIVE! January 6: The SPLASH has confirmed that the HARVEY AWARDS will be staged at the Pittsburgh Comicon in April. The news contradicts a press release earlier this week, in which Wondercon Awards Coordinator Steven Morger announced that the HARVEY's were changing their name to the JERRY ROBINSON AWARDS and would be awarded at Wondercon again this year. Denis Kitchen, who represents the Kurtzman estate, told the SPLASH Thursday afternoon that the HARVEYS "had moved to a new home and been given a new look" and that the Pittsburgh ceremony was "the same award, new venue." Disputing Morger's interpretation, Kitchen said it would be "wrong and incorrect" to claim that the JERRY ROBINSON Awards were the HARVEY's under a new name. Kitchen said he would be issuing a statement on the matter soon. Developing. +++++ From Beau Yarbrough's Comic Wire at: http://www.comicbookresources.com/ EISNER JUDGES ANNOUNCED, 'COMICOLOGY' CREATOR INCLUDED For the second year in a row, when the judges for the Eisner Awards were announced, a name familiar to Comic Wire readers was included amongst the group that will be assembling the list of nominees for one of the comic industry's most prestigious awards. Last year, it was Comic Book Resources founder and executive producer Jonah Weiland. This year, it's Brian Saner Lamken, the journalist behind the once and future "Comicology" magazine. This is something of a rags-to-riches story for Lamken, who is perhaps best-known for producing a magazine that led to DC Comics closing him down. "Comicology" #1: "The Kingdom Come Companion" was a fat black and white magazine thicker than DC Comics' "Kingdom Come" trade paperback and was stuffed with annotations, interviews and page after page of never-before-seen Alex Ross conceptual sketches for the characters. Don't look for it in stores, however: After the initial run shipped to comic shops, DC Comics lawyers decided the magazine went beyond mere journalism to the point of copyright infringement and slapped Lamken with a cease-and-desist. Unable to afford a the cost of a legal defense against the challenge, Lamken shut the doors on "Comicology." The magazine will be coming back, in a more conventional format, this spring from TwoMorrows Publishing, the publishers of "Alter Ego" and "The Jack Kirby Collector." And while Lamken isn't turning down the chance to help recognize the best comics of 1999, that doesn't mean he's a knee-jerk supporter of the awards. "I'll be honest: I'm among those who've questioned the Eisner methods of nominating works, i.e., using a panel of judges rather than having an open call as the Harveys/Robinsons do. Other approaches have their own pitfalls, however, and I can certainly see the argument for doing it this way. Jonah Weiland and Tony Isabella both told me how feverish but fun they found the process during their respective tenures, and, let's be honest, there was just no chance in heck that I was going to turn down this opportunity. Thanks to the revival of 'Comicology,' I'm reading more comics than ever anyway, and the chance to participate in the comics industry's most celebrated awards, named for a true living legend and master of the medium, is a rare and special thing." Other judges announced this week include: * Alex Amado, the co-writer and co-creator of "Nobody: Sacrifices" from Oni Press, contributor to "Axcess," "The Comics Buyer's Guide," "Combo," and "Overstreet's Fan." He has also served as the general manager of WonderCon, the administrator of the Harvey Awards, the administrator of the Direct Line Group retailer organization, and publicist for the International Association for Direct Distribution (IADD). * Joe Ferrara, owner and operator of Atlantis Fantasyworld in Santa Cruz, California, which received the 1996 Will Eisner "Spirit of Comics" Retailer Award. Ferrara serves as facilitator for the judging for that award and is MC of the award ceremony at Comic Book Expo in San Diego. He is a member of the DC RRP program and serves on the Diamond Retail Advisory Board. * Wayne Markley, founder and operator of FM International, Inc., the second largest comic distributor in the United States. * Pam Noles, a journalist and writer living in Southern California. The Eisner awards - named for legendary "Spirit" creator Will Eisner - will be voted on by industry professionals and awarded this summer at Comic-Con International in San Diego. +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com The Tick TV Show ---------------- It appears that last week's report regarding alleged problems with the scripting of the live-action TV version of The Tick was off-base. Comics 2 Film spoke with a source at Sonnenfeld/Josephson who told us that the picture painted by the recent NY Post article was "completely wrong." The article stated that the Tick creator Ben Edlund and his co-writers were struggling with how to scale down the outrageous comic/cartoon concepts for live-action TV series. Our source corrected this saying that there are no co-writers, Edlund is developing the pilot script on his own and "he's not struggling." Faust ----- Longtime genre movie journalist Andy Mangels sent us an update on the upcoming movie based on David Quinn and Tim Vigil's Faust. Here's what Mangels had to share about the project: "The Faust movie is nearing completion of filming. I talked to Jeffrey Combs (for an article in the February British Star Trek Monthly magazine) about it a few weeks back, and he had just done five weeks of shooting in Spain. It has been significantly toned down from the comic, though there is a shower love scene. "Brian Yuzna is directing, and there are basically three movies in one: the dark super-hero Faust part, the dark psychological thriller with the woman, and a noirish crime plot. A British actor named Mark Frost is Faust; newcomer Isabel Brook is the lead; Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster) plays the satanic M, with bleached white hair; Jeffrey Combs plans police Lieutenant Dan Margolies." No release date has been set for the movie, which is titled Faust: Love of the Damned. X-Men ----- FROM SIR IAN McKELLAN'S WEBSITE: The Sir Ian McKellen website has posted a photo of the actor in an early version of the Magneto costume. The same page also features two set photos and the Magneto design sketch which surfaced late last year on the internet. Thanks to PGF. http://www.mckellen.com/cinema/xmen/x-garb.htm FROM COUNTDOWN TO X-MEN: The Countdown To X-Men website scored a couple of cool scoops this week. According to Lincoln, who runs C2X, We can look for the X-Men trailer, presumably in theaters, on January 28th. Previous speculation was that the trailer may air during Superbowl, which would be on the 30th. C2X also reports that a new teaser poster will roll out at the same time. The "B" teaser is said to feature Rogue and Professor X along with the X door which was seen in "A" poster and on the official website. Finally, C2X also features what is alleged to be a blow-by-blow description of the trailer. According to the report, the trailer will use Rob Zombie's Dragula for it's soundtrack. Viewers will see computer Rogue, Storm, Cyclops, Mystique, and what sounds like a cool action shot of Wolverine squaring off with Sabretooth. The site promise that the trailer will be available for download in the near future. http://countingdown.com/x-men/ http://www.x-men-the-movie.com/ Stone, Skeleton Key ------------------- FROM THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: A recent article in The Hollywood Reporter indicates Sony Wonder is developing Whilce Portacio and Brian Haberlin's Stone as a kids TV show. The project will be offered at the NATPE trade show. Stone is being packaged as 52 episodes of 11 minutes each. The comic tells the story of a TV actor who must take up the role of real-life action hero to "protect a set of magical stones from evil." Also being offered by Sony Wonder is Andi Watson's Skeleton Key. The article describes this animated show as being "about a 16-year-old girl who escapes her small-town high school and discovers a parallel mystical world." Our friends at Sunbow, who have been developing this project, tell us that comic and TV writers Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer have been hired as writers for the show. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ Bruce Wayne ----------- FROM AIN'T IT COOL NEWS: Harry Knowles of Ain't it Cool News reports that he's received a copy of Tim (Iron Giant) McCanlies' script for the planned Bruce Wayne TV series. According to the report, Bruce Wayne is depicted as still trying to find his way in life. He's a martial arts expert who can kick any bad guy's ass at will, but he hasn't yet been driven to his war on crime. The initial script also features a mentoring Alfred, police detective James Gordon, a 13 year old Barbara Gordon, a young Selina Kyle and a still-in-law-school Harvey Dent. http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/ Spider-Man ---------- FROM AIN'T IT COOL NEWS: According to a recent report from Ain't it Cool News, Jan de Bont (Speed, The Haunting) is in talks to direct the Spider-Man movie. Beyond that, no further details are given. Recent reports indicated that Sony had narrowed the field down to Chris Columbus (Bicentennial Man) and David Fincher (Fight Club). However, those same reports claimed that the studio would close the deal with one of the two before the end of 1999. We here a Comics 2 Film are still keeping our fingers crossed for Fincher. +++++ From The Daily Buzz at http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html Inhumans to be Collected Matt Brady, Contributing Editor Responding to fan wishes, sources at Marvel have confirmed that an Inhumans trade paperback, collecting the critically and fan acclaimed Marvel Knights series by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee is in the works. While a release date has yet to be scheduled, look for the massive trade, which will include all 12 issues, in the fourth quarter of 2000, or early 2001. No word yet on whether Lee or Jenkins will add any material to the collected edition, or whether the collection will be labeled with the Visionaries label as was Daredevil: Visionaries: Kevin Smith, which reprinted Smith's intial run on Daredevil. Lyle Continues On Star Wars Tom Lyle's first issue of Dark Horse's monthly Star Wars book, which shipped last week, definitely won't be his last. Lyle told Comics News Bytes that he will be drawing more issues beyond his original six-issue agreement. "They are shuffling the schedule and I am only doing the four-issue arc, and the two issues after it are going to be another artist," Lyle said. "However, they are getting (writer Tim) Truman and I to do another four-issue arc for later in 2000." The new issues would likely be Star Wars #23-26, according to Lyle. "I'll be starting it shortly after I finish the first arc," Lyle said. Avengers Forever Trade Coming As with yesterday's confirmation that an Inhumans trade paperback is in the works for late 2000 or early 2001, Marvel sources have also confirmed that a collected edition of the critically acclaimed Avengers Forever limited series is in the works as well. Again, playing their cards close to their chest, no release date has been officially scheduled, but it will most likely hit stores late this year. Ideally, a collected edition of the end note heavy limited series would include all the end notes in the back of the edition, as with Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's From Hell. Avengers Cartoon Book Axed Rob Allstetter/Comics News Bytes Marvel Comics has pulled the plug on Avengers: United They Stand, the comic book based on the continuity of Fox Kid's The Avengers animated series. The book will end with the seventh issue, which will likely be extra-sized. DC Comments on MAD #1 Millennium Edition Recall After a couple of weeks on internet news reports on the production error and the publisher's recall of their Millennium Edition reprint of Mad Magazine #, DC has finally issued an official comment on the situation. According to the publisher, "the issue was not recalled because of an error in the indicia as has been reported, but due to the use of the incorrect masthead. The DC masthead had been used in place of the one for MAD. The MAD masthead prominently features `William M. Gaines, founder.’” Paul Levitz, DC's Executive VP and Publisher said of the situation, "Bill Gaines left an indelible mark on MAD and the comics field. It would be wrong for such a commemorative issue to be in circulation without testimony to his legacy." Spidey Vitamins Rob Allstetter/Comics News Bytes They won't let you do whatever a spider can, but Spider-Man vitamins are on the way. TrimFast Group announced that it has entered into a letter of intent for a licensing agreement with Marvel for Spider-Man Children's Chewable Multi-Vitamin and Mineral Supplement. TrimFast's first licensed products -- the World Champion Wrestling Ultra Energy Bars -- were launched in December. Purgatori/Vampirella Art Change Matt Brady, Contributing Editor Brian Pulido confirmed that Luke Ross, the previously announced artist of March's Purgatori/Vampirella crossover has been changed. The new artists on the project will be Rising Stars' Ken Lashley on layouts and Christian Zanier on pencils. "It was a great coup for us to land both Ken and Christian," Pulido said. "Together, these guys have been turning heads with their teaser work on Rising Stars, and now, fans will really get a chance to see them cut loose with a healthy dose of gorgeous women, blasphemy and a healthy dose of vampiric violence. It's gonna be a real treat for Vampi fans, Purgatori fans and fans of Ken and Christian's work." +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE Winick Confirmed by DC as Next Regular Green Lantern Writer by Michael Doran, AnotherUniverse.com's Newsarama Today DC Comics officially confirmed creator Judd Winick as the next regular writer of the Green Lantern ongoing series. Longtime scribe Ron Marz, who recently announced his departure from the title with issue #125 (April) due to his commitments to CrossGen Comics, has named Winick in the past few weeks as a potential new GL writer. Winick, tentatively set to begin his Green Lantern run with issue #127 (June), is writer and illustrator of Oni Press' The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius, and is maybe best known as one of the seven `roommates' in MTV's 3rd season of The Real Word, set in San Francisco. DC SPOTLIGHTS THE SILVER AGE With the success of last May’s JSA/Golden Age 5th Week event, it didn't take the brains of a Ray Palmer to figure out what DC might be up for an encore this May, and the publisher has confirmed that a Silver Age 5th Week event is on the drawing table and getting ready to roll. With well-known Silver Age fanboy Mark Waid serving as point guard for the entire project, the event will kick off with the 48-page Silver Age #1, by Waid and penciler Terry (Generation X) Dodson, the first of a pair of `bookend' chapters, followed by 9 ones-shots by various creative teams spread out over the middle 3 weeks, finally wrapping up in week 5 with a Silver Age Secret Files #1 and a special Silver Age 80-Page Giant #1, "because," said Waid, "what says the Silver Age more than an 80-Page Giant?" The 50-page lead story by Waid and Eduardo Barreto will serve as the storylines' concluding chapter and the issue will feature a cover by Alan Davis. "The conceit of the stunt is to turn back the clock to the mid-60’s,” explained Waid. “A time of go-go checks [a distinctive black-and-white checkerboard pattern DC bannered/placed above the logos for about a year and a half in the mid-1960s] and Definitely Cool comics and Direct Currents promo pages.” As with its inspiration, the JSA Skip Week event, the Silver Age event features one mammoth story that begins and ends in the bookend chapters involving all the then-contemporary DC super-heroes. And according to Waid, while the 9 `middle books' each have threads of that big main story running through them, each issue contains a complete story in and of itself, one that the writer says can be fully enjoyed both as a stand-alone tale and as part of a greater whole. “I cannot stress this enough or tell you how important that was to me or how hard the writers worked to make certain that was the case - we'd like people to want to buy all these books, not feel like they have to,” said Waid. "That said, they will want to – they're fun, they're fantastic, and they're perfectly reflective of the era. Some are a little more `camp', some are spookily evocative of the '60s, but they're all home runs. Moreover, editor Dan Raspler should be saluted for his courage in this ageist, `flavor of the month' era for eagerly recruiting original 1960s artists to contribute covers to this event - covers which are unified by a terrific cover design complete with a 1960s DC bullet and a big honkin' Comics Code seal the size of a barn door.” And as to the story that will drive the event? "Ask Agamemno,” said Waid. "He's the cosmic villain from the beginning of eternity who's come to Earth to recruit the JLA circa 1965 (Green Lantern, the Flash, Black Canary, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, the Atom, Green Arrow, Superman and Batman – the story takes place right before Hawkman joined the team) in his quest to rule the universe. Unfortunately, the Justice League is dedicated to all things good and right, which doesn't help Agamemno one bit. Their collective power is useless to him - until he brings them up against 9 of the world's most vicious super-villains and swaps their minds and bodies -trapping the JLAers inside the forms of their most hated foes while allowing their arch-enemies total control over their bodies - and super-powers! Now, under Agamemno's leadership, the villains - in the JLA's bodies - cruise the spaceways in search of 3 artifacts of great power which, when combined, will form a barely imaginable super-weapon with which they can conquer the galaxy, while our heroes-in-villians'-bodies are stuck on Earth, on the lam from the Doom Patrol, the Challengers of the Unknown, the Teen Titans - all the other heroes who've sworn to bring these `villains' to justice!” "The ‘3 artifacts of great power' are a particular joy to me,” said Waid. "They're all established DCU artifacts of various vintage - one very familiar, one known mostly only to guys over 30, and one (my favorite) that was seen only once, in a 1964 issue of Action Comics. To further spin the mystery, none of them in and of themselves would be characterizes as `weapons'...but when properly combined... “ Following Silver Age #1, the action then continues over the next 3 weeks, in the following 32-page one-shot specials: Week Two Challengers Of The Unknown #1 – by writer Karl Kesel, penciler Drew Johnson, with a cover Joe Kubert. Teen Titans #1 – by Marv Wolfman, penciler Pat Oliffe, and cover by Nick Cardy and Dave Gibbons. Justice League of America #1 – by writer Mark Millar, penciler TBA and cover by Murphy Anderson and TBA. Week Three Flash #1 – by writer Brian Augustyn, pencils Ty Templeton (first story), Norm Breyfogle (second story), cover by Carmine Infantino and TBA Dial "H" For Hero #1 - by Waid, artist Barry Kitson, with a cover by Jim Mooney. Doom Patrol #1 – written by Tom Peyer, with an artist TBA and a cover by Ramona Fradon. Week Four Green Lantern #1 – by Kurt Busiek, pencils by Brent Anderson and a cover by Gil Kane and Kevin Nowlan. Brave And Bold #1 Starring Batman and the Metal Men – by Brave and Bold legend Bob Haney, with pencils Kevin Maguire and a cover by Jim Aparo. Showcase Presents The (Silver-Age) Seven Soldiers Of Victory #1 – by writer Geoff Johns, art and cover by Dick Giordano. Silver Age Month then concludes in Week 5 with the Silver Age Secret Files #1 and the Silver Age 80-Page Giant #1, which according to Waid contains something like 36 heroes_"It was a blast to write individual chapters teaming, say, Metamorpho and the Doom Patrol (why'd we never see them together?) or with Green Arrow hitting on Batgirl. Plus, look for a team of never-before-seen new heroes! Who are they? What are they? And will they save the day?” The Giant also features backup "faux-`reprints', culled from unpublished DC inventory of the era,” said Waid. Finally, the SA Secret Files #1 features a lead story by D. Curtis Johnson and a penciler TBA. "The story's intended to show how Agamemno first learns about Earth and the JLA,” explained Johnson. "And, of course, when you're a cosmic conqueror bent on universal domination and you hear that there's a batch of do-gooders who a) supposedly have enough power to be really useful for your plans and b) are apparently going to oppose you the minute they hear about you, obviously you want to check them out a little from afar, get the skinny on them... and what better way to do this than to get a little info from other would-be cosmic conquerors who have had their butts kicked by the JLA in the past?” Additional features include a short Dial H story by Waid and Mooney focusing on the Dial and exactly how it works, along with "two very, very special guest appearances,” according to Waid. While last years' JSA event didn't have any direct ramifications on the present-day DCU, it did lead indirectly into the new JSA ongoing series and ’99 also saw the revamp/revival of several classic Golden Age concepts and characters, like the JSA, Dr. Fate, and the Spectre. Does Waid expect a similar Silver Age revival in 2000? "If there's a God, yes, “ he exclaimed. “I already have stuff percolating, though we can't say much at this time. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Agamemno show up again sooner than later, should he prove popular...” MARVEL GOES TO THE MOVIES Marvel Comics editor Mike Marts gave Newsarama the creative line-up for this summer's X-Men Movie Adaptation one-shot, along with 3 `prequel' one-shots featuring prominent characters from the movie that will accompany the adaptations release in late May and/or early June of this year. Each one-shot stands alone but features a common threads with the movie that leads up to the movie's events. According to Marts, the movie adaptation will be written by Ralph (Spider-Man editor) Macchio and illustrated by Anthony Williams and Andy Lanning. And also in the works are the following prequel specials_ Magneto Prequel – by writer Joe (Cable) Pruett, with Mark Texiera & Jimmy Palmiotti on art. Rogue Prequel – by writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, with art by Alan Evans & Rob Nikolakakis. Marts replied "no comment" when asked why Rogue was chosen over other seemingly important characters in the movie, like Cyclops, Storm or Prof. X. Wolverine Prequel – by Jay (New Warriors) Faerber and artists Karl Waller & Mark McKenna. According to Faerber, the Wolverine special takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia, "where Logan comes to the aid of an amnesiac Asian woman who seems to be wanted by everyone - the cops, the mob, and even the Silver Samurai!” Asked whether the movie version of Wolverine differs from the comic book version and if the differences played a role in the writing of the special, Faerber replied, “I approached Wolverine pretty much the same way I'd approach him in mainstream continuity (although I don't think I've ever written him in mainstream continuity). He's his classic Canadian, cigar-smokin', motorcycle-ridin', beer-drinkin', claw-poppin', fast-healin' self.” Marts also told Newsarama the characters in the movie prequels are "essentially the same" as their comic book counterparts. Finally, asked for their impressions of the X-Men movie script - if they had a chance to read it in preparation for tackling the prequels, Marts said "can't comment", and Faerber nervously uttered, looking over both shoulders, "some tern men in black suits have informed me that it'd be in my best interests not to answer that question.” NEVER SAY NEVERMEN AGAIN "Never mind that the city's underworld is controlled by a squid-headed crime boss, a zombie swashbuckler with an army of undead, and a disembodied head in a box.” "Never mind that the public they're sworn to protect looks upon them with fear and suspicion.” "Never mind that one of their number has gone missing and another has turned to a life of free-lance revenge.” "Never mind all that, because the real problem is that there's a madman bent on destroying time - stopping the linear, sequential progression of events and plunging the world into temporal chaos. But it's all in a night's work for The Nevermen - the greatest heroes who never existed.” So says writer/editor Phil Amara of his new Dark Horse property The Nevermen, a new 4-issue series debuting in May with art by Guy Davis. "In 10 words or less, The Nevermen is The Matrix meets L.A. Confidential,” explained Amara. "They're the only heroes in a 1930's-style city filled to the brim with weird crime bosses, thieves and thugs (and butler monkeys!) as if out of H.P. Lovecraft (see Honshu, the squid-head crime boos). The Nevermen are the thin, ragged line between law-abiding society and immoral chaos.” Look for the Nevermen to continue in future 4-issue story arcs if the first series catches on with readers. WORD ON THE STREET - Dark Horse editor Peet Janes, who headed uup the publisher's Star Wars line of comics, has announced his departure from DHC after a 7 year run. And in other editorial news, a spokesperson for Marvel Comics confirmed that editor Ruben Diaz departed the publisher at the end of the December. His current ongoing assignments have been distributed among current Marvel editors, with Black Panther going to Avengers editor Tom Brevoort, M-Tech title Deathlok going to Bobbie Chase, and Deadpool going to Mike Marts, who reports he has an upcoming treat in store for fans of Marvel's old G.I.Joe series. Deadpool #42 (May) will a special tribute to G.I. Joe #21, the Silent Snake Eyes issue. "That's right, it's the Merc-without-a-Mouth! It's guest written, well, sorta, by Glenn Herdling and drawn by Jim Calafiore, inks by Mark McKenna,” said Marts. - Speaking of Marts, the editor also tells NNewsarama he's in the early stages of a SpaceKnights 5-issue mini-series, which according to the editor, "is somewhat Rom related, though set a bit in the future from Rom's time period.” - Look for Top Cow's flagship title Witchblaade to undergo a full creative turnover later this year. Top Cow has previously confirmed that current penciler Randy Green is exiting, to be replaced with former Rising Stars artist Keu Cha as of issue #40. And this week's Comics Continuum is reporting that according to Top Cow editor Renae Geerlings, this April's new Witchblade mini-series Destiny's Child will be long-time WB writer Christina Z's final project with the character. So who can Witchblade fans look forward to guiding the series in the new year? Though neither party is commenting, rumors suggest red-hot writer Paul (The Incredible Hulk, Spawn: The Undead) Jenkins is slated to join the series as its regular scribe along with new artist Cha with issue #40. Reportedly, Jenkins would co-write his first few issues before assuming full writing duties on the title. +++++ From the DCOnline newsletter; http://www.dccomics.com/newsletter.html To subscribe, or for questions or comments about the DC newsletter, please email DCWebSite@aol.com. DARK KNIGHT BLASTS INTO BURGER KING RESTAURANTS WITH BATMAN BEYOND KIDS' MEAL PROGRAM Warner Bros. Consumer Products, DC Comics and Kids' WB! are joining forces with BURGER KING restaurants in the United States and Canada for a Batman Beyond Kids Meal and BURGER KING BIG KIDS MEAL program, beginning on January 3, 2000. The five-week promotion will feature a total of eight toys at participating restaurants, while supplies last. "Batman Beyond is one of the hottest animated series on television and is consistently one of the highest-rated Saturday morning shows on Kids' WB!" said Joel Ehrlich, Senior Vice President of Promotions for DC Comics and Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "We are thrilled to team up with BURGER KING for this kid's meal promotion. The toys look great and capture the energy and the colorful nature of the series' characters." The eight Batman Beyond action premiums include: Action Wing Batman, J-Man Getaway, Indelible Inque, Batarang Batman, Enemy Blight on the Glow, Bat- Signal Spinner, Voice of Justice Batman and Batmobile Blast-Off. One toy will be placed in every kid's meal. Set in the new millennium, Batman Beyond explores Gotham City in an age of technology and boundless innovation in which the legend of Batman is reborn in a young high school student named Terry McGinnis. After accidentally discovering the Batcave, Terry confronts the recluse Bruce Wayne about his alter ego and eventually takes over his crusade. Batman Beyond currently airs three days a week and Saturday mornings on the Kids' WB! and continues to be one of the network's strongest series. Kids' WB! is this season's leading choice for kids 2-11 among broadcast and cable networks on Saturday mornings. On December 21, Warner Home Video debuted three all-new Batman titles -- Batman Beyond: Disappearing Inque, Batmann Beyond: School Dayz, and Batman Beyond: Tech Wars -- and a special DVD version of Batman Beyond. DC COMICS MILLENNIUM EDITIONS ONLINE VOTING GOES "PLOP!" AS A NEW ROUND BEGINS The second round of online voting for DC COMICS MILLENNIUM EDITIONS has concluded, and the fans have made their choice with 1973's PLOP! #1 topping the Steve Ditko-illustrated SPACE ADVENTURES #33, taking nearly a third of the more than 4,000 votes cast. DC COMICS MILLENNIUM EDITION: PLOP! #1 will arrive in stores in May 2000 and will be solicited in Previews Volume 10, No. 3. Readers can visit www.dccomics.com to help select the next "reader's choice" MILLENNIUM EDITION from the following five items: ADVENTURE COMICS #285 Written by Jerry Siegel; art by Wayne Boring, Curt Swan and various This unforgettable 1961 issue introduced the "Tales of the Bizarro World" feature starring Superman's most imperfect duplicate and the cube-shaped Earth he called home. THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #54 Written by Bob Haney; art by Bruno Premiani and Charles Paris Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad first joined forces as the Teen Titans in this issue from 1964. MYSTERY IN SPACE #53 Written by Gardner Fox; art and cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson This 1959 issue features the first time one of DC's best-loved science- fiction/adventure heroes was illustrated by one of DC's best-loved art teams: Adam Strange drawn by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson. SHOWCASE #6 Written and illustrated by Jack Kirby They lived on borrowed time! The Silver Age's first super-hero team -- the Challengers of the Unknown -- made its debut in this 1956 issue written and drawn by comics legend Jack Kirby. WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #71 Written by Alvin Schwartz; art by Curt Swan and Charles Paris; cover by Win Mortimer Superman and Batman trade identities in this classic 1954 story that began the WORLD'S FINEST team-ups between the two heroes. Polls will be open until 1/24/00 and the winner will be solicited in Previews Volume 10, No. 4 for release in June. ANIMATION EPISODE SCHEDULE THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES and BATMAN BEYOND air Weekdays and Saturdays on the WB Network. Times given are Eastern and Pacific. This schedule is subject to change. This Week 1/10/00 (3:30 pm) "Superman's Pal" (Superman) 1/10/00 (4:30 pm) "Disappearing Inque" (Batman Beyond) 1/11/00 (3:30 pm) "Growing Pains" (Batman) 1/11/00 (4:30 pm) "Warrior Queen" (Superman) 1/12/00 (3:30 pm) "Speed Demons" (Superman) 1/12/00 (4:30 pm) "Harlequinade" (Batman) 1/13/00 (3:30 pm) "Love is a Croc" (Batman) 1/13/00 (4:30 pm) "Fish Story" (Superman) 1/14/00 (3:30 pm) "Where There's Smoke" (Superman) 1/14/00 (4:30 pm) "Hidden Agenda" (Batman Beyond) 1/14/00 (8:00 am) "Unity" (Superman) 1/14/00 (9:00 am) "Terry's Friend Dates a Robot" (Batman Beyond-new) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Ramblings 2000 Rich Johnston twisting@hotmail.com [Renamed for the new year, Ramblings 2000 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: 6 Jan 2000 Happy New Thing. I spend it next to Big Ben watching the fireworks. No River Of Fire, but lots of pretty lights and pretty ladies. Yes I know this has been ages. A story I've been working on is taking too long, so I thought I'd send everything else up to the website instead. Plus I just got this lovely Alan Moore piece that I couldn't leave to myself anymore... Big Transcripts. The long and hard road to the television adaptation of the incomplete Big Numbers series has hit a hurdle. Apparently, Channel 4 don't 'get it'. Twits. The writer working on the project with Alan Moore and Alex Usborne, a certain Michael J Bassett, has posted the first section of transcripts between them all discussing the initial stages of the project. Here's a clip: MJB: Well, so each of them has got a story? AO: Maybe if we go through the characters one by one and you tell us where they go and how they... ALAN MOORE: OK, AO: Is that alright? MJB: Well, yeah. Let's give it a whirl. ALAN MOORE: OK, shall we start with CHRISTINE? AO: Absolutely, well she obviously drives everything, well I got from her was that she is coming back for stability, which is the one thing by the very nature of what you're doing, that you can't have because the natural system is chaotic ALAN MOORE: And she can't write her book because of that chaos, she'd come back to Northampton for stability but sort of, No, she finds everything's in chaos, you know, her friends lives, her family's lives, everything's mad she can't get into it, she can't make any sense of her own life or the lives of the people around her, enough to get the novel together. AO: And this is everyday chaos we're talking about here? ALAN MOORE: Yes, just the everyday chaos. AO: The shit that we all go through? ALAN MOORE: Yeah, the shit that we all go through. And it's just more extreme than when she was here last time. People are in deeper shit. Read the full transcripts (so far) at Michael's home page at http://homepages.enterprise.net/bassett/BigTranscripts1.htm but be warned, if you believe Big Numbers will ever be published or broadcast, here lie spoilers... Quesada Takes The Piss. Joe Quesada has been posting about a life-transforming incident on an event message board. "A bit more than a year ago when we were putting together the Dr. Strange mini series, Tony Harris (in the background mind you) drew a dog relieving itself on someone's leg. The editorial brass at Marvel had us white out the urine stream because they said that the code would bounce it and mothers of America would complain. The same gag was toned down during the Lockjaw issue of Inhumans. Christmas Day, Nanci and I went to see Stuart Little (you can't get much cuter). The theater was filled with little kids and their parents, the energy level was quite high in anticipation of the CGI rat. A series of trailers came on and the last to play was a snippet of the next Rugrats movie. All the children started cheering and wouldn't you know it, one of the opening portions of the clip was a cartoon dog taking a very bright streaming laser whiz against I don't remember what. The crowd went wild! All the kids and respected parents laughed their butts off at that and all the other sight gags in the trailer." "So my friends, the bar has once again been raised! New ground has been broken! Edgier material has entered the mainstream and I'm pissed as hell!!!! Why? Because Rugrats had to do it and Marvel was too afraid! Needless to say, I'm taking this up with the brass next week, I'll let you know how it turns out. On a related note, in my first issue of Iron Man, I have Tony Stark, in one of his internal captions, using the word "suck," as in something sucks. Bobbie Chase is going to bat on this one for me. I see the word in use on half a dozen kids related programs and I think it's high time that a Marvel icon ads it to his vocabulary. Keep in mind, I'm not going for the shock value thing here, but if we don't start keeping up with the rest of the youth market (who is by far much edgier than some of the milk toast Marvel stuff) we're going to be left in the dust. Using a word like suck may seem like a small thing, but here within the walls of Marvel it would be a major move." "Filled with piss and vinegar this morning!" There we go people, canine urination and use of the word 'sucks' at Marvel. A far cry from the Epic Comics imprint, don't you think? The Mighty Beau Smith Upcoming Projects Arm-Wrestling Tournament. A brawlin' and a grapplin', The Mighty Beau Smith popped by Ramblings to let us know what he's up to. A vast array of projects... but are they any good? Which is better? Which is more likely to succeed? There's only one way to find out... the Beau Smith way! So Ramblings has arranged The Mighty Beau Smith Upcoming Projects Arm-Wrestling Tournament. First up, the Xena/Wonder Woman prestige book at DC Comics vs Maximum Jack. Xenu/Wonderwoman puts on the pressure revealing it's a crossover with Dark Horse and that Eduardo Berreto is the artist but Maximum Jack retaliates with the news that it's a creator owned mini-series that The Mighty Beau has co-created with artist Scot Eaton (JLA: Superpower, The New Corp., Creature Commandos). And Xena/Wonderwoman gets slammed down. A fairly easy victory for Maximum Jack there. On another mat, it's Parts Unknown vs Wyonna Earp. A titanic struggle, as Parts unknown is a Smith-owned previously published comic, originally by Eclipse. Ramblings presumes that The Mighty Beau's close relationship with Eclipse-owner Todd McFarlane, heading up the publishing and marketing for Todd McFarlane Productions and McFarlane Toys, smoothed out any of the legal wrinkles that have tied up properties such as Marvelman/Miracleman. And Wyonna Earp is feeling the strain. The Mighty Beau will be collecting the five issue mini-series this year and is also talking with The UPN Network and The USA Network about it being a syndicated series. That's a good fightback, but the fact that Parts Unknown's latest installment will be coming out in 5 issues through Image Comics in April and running through September wins the day. Well done, Parts Unknown. Now a real grudge match. The Undertaker vs Wolverine/Shi. And the crowd aren't cheering for anyone here. A fine comic as it may be, Undertaker is published by Chaos, which is never a good sign, but it does have a strong wrestling stance. Wolverine/Shi is being pencilled by far right-wing novelty act Billy Tucci who, it is reported, is a member of the Conservative Party in London. That's like Alan Moore being a card carrying member of the Democrat Party, it's just rather odd. Now, the Undertaker is a three issue mini-series, scheduled for late summer or fall, but The Mighty Beau Smith describes Wolverine/Shi, a Marvel/Crusade crossover as 'brutal'. That wins the day and Wolverine/Shi goes through. But calamity, as Wolverine/Shi steps away from the table, The Undertaker throws a chair at it, breaking its spine and going rapidly from NM to simply Fair. It's all over for Wolverine/Shi, which handily leaves the last round for Maximum Jack and Parts Unknown to finish. As the finalists take their stance, Maximum Jack taunts Parts Unknown with the news that The Mighty Beau will be shopping it and the former Image book, Wynonna Earp around for a publisher this summer. Parts Unknown smiles and takes a rip. Parts Unknown knows that The Mighty Beau has written it. That Brad Gorby and Richard Pollard have done the art. That it already has covers done by: Dwayne Turner (Spawn: The Undead) Scot Eaton (JLA: Superpowers) Danny Miki (Spawn, Flint Henry (Grimjack, Detective Comics) and a hot young art team that The Mighty Beau discovered last year at the Wizard World convention--Nat Jones and inker Slick. They have a very Michael Turner, Greg Capullo, Tony Daniel look to them. And that, yes, The Mighty Beau is also in contract talks with American Home Video about Parts Unknown being a direct to video film. That has been his plan for the series since the beginning. And with a final flourish, Parts Unknown knocks Maximum Jack's shoulder out from its socket and takes the The Mighty Beau Smith Upcoming Projects Arm-Wrestling Tournament Prize, consisting of a slice of watermelon on a stick. Well done Parts Unknown! Suddenly Miscellaneous runs through the door, shouting that The Mighty Beau is working on another creator owned project for both TV and Comics called Danger-911 and also working on a novel called Gun Lust. Too late for the competition, he slinks back outside, mumbling to himself. Poor old Miscellaneous... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] INDEPENDENT VOICES Rich Henn rasmus@timespell.com [When not stressing at the day job, Rich is stressing over the next issue of TIMESPELL. He lives in sunny Maryland with his beautiful wife and their lazy Siberian Husky.] Hi, all! Well, after my Peter Parker/Spiderman rant last week, I thought I'd start with something a little more upbeat this week. Two fantastic things happened over the last two weeks. First, TIMESPELL #4 shipped from the printer to Diamond and comic shops all over. I was very happy to see that puppy hit the road, after all this time. This issue of Timespell is by far the best of the series. I couldn't be happier with the work done by Mostafa Moussa as new inker (Mostafa has an Image comic coming out called IRON WINGS) and the painted cover by illustrator Brian Rood is just phenomenal. For those of you unfamiliar with Brian Rood's work, you'll be able to see more of it soon. Brian has an X-Men Unlimited story coming out, written by fan favorite Paul Jenkins. I got the opportunity to see those painted pages at Mid Ohio back in November, and I must say its just outstanding work! (More on Mid Ohio Con 99 later). The SECOND fantastic bit of news is that I received an email from Marcel Guldemond of Aporia Press. It seems that Diamond Comics has FINALLY picked up his title, UNDER A SLOWLY SPINNING SUN. Now, for those of you reading this who are not familiar with Marcel's work, let me state for the record that it is some of the most INCREDIBLE drawing and story telling combo I have yet to see in the field. Marcel's unique line work is a wonder to look at. The sheer intensity and passion behind his drawing alone, is enough to make you cry. The writing is powerful stuff. In fact, if you look in this month's issue of PREVIEWS from Diamond, you'll see that they took a poll among the industry's top pro's and asked them what they thought were some of the most underrated comics in today's field. Both Dave Sim and Scott McCloud listed Marcel Guldemond's UNDER A SLOWLY SPINNING SUN. On top of all that, it is also noteworthy to know that Under A Slowly Spinning Sun was one of the recipients of last year's Xeric Grant. Be on the look out for Aporia Press' listing for this title in next month's comic section of PREVIEWS, for books shipping in April. For more on Marcel's work, check out http://aporia.brainmade.com/ Moving right along... Mid Ohio Con 1999. This was (I believe) my 13th Mid Ohio Con in a row. This convention is something of a staple in my Thanksgiving holiday at this point. My first Mid Ohio was also one of my first major conventions, and it was there I got to meet two of my personal heroes for the first time...Dave Sim and Matt Wagner. So it was something special for me to meet Matt Wagner again after all these years, and to present him with copies of my own work, which he in no small way, influenced when I was in college. MAGE is to me, the epitome of classic storytelling. I got more friends into comics (who never picked up a comic before) just by showing them Mage. One of the highlights of the Mid Ohio this year, had to be the appearance of sci-fi author Harlan Ellison. There are no words to describe the experience that this man leaves you with after a lecture. He's short, he's angry, and he's funny as hell. When there was no more seats on the floor, he offered those standing to sit with him on stage! So, yes, I was one of the lucky ones who got to sit next to Ellison while he went on his rant. And what a rant! That man can start and weave 7 different tales at one time. He's start one story, then get sidetracked as he remembered something ELSE...get started on a second story, then sidetrack to a third, fourth, fifth, etc. FINALLY he had something like seven or eight stories going at once. So what he does is wrap the eighth story, then the seventh, the sixth, and so on until he's backtracking to his point of origin. And to think this all started because I asked him about a Colleen Doran story. About a year and a half ago, I did a signing with Colleen Doran (A Distant Soil) and David Napoliello (Books of Lore) at a local Another Universe shop in Virginia. Afterwards, the manager, Bob Tala, takes us all out to dinner. At dinner, Colleen starts telling us about this stalker she had that was relentless. I mean, this guy was flat out frightening. She can't get rid of him. So Harlan Ellison offers to "talk" to the guy. Colleen said that to this day, she has NO IDEA what Harlan said to the fellow. All she knows is that he stopped bothering her, and that the story is apparently very funny at Harlan's lectures on the convention circuit. She says "If you ever get to see one of Harlan's lectures, ask him about the stalker." So for a year and a half I've got this beating around in my head, wondering just WHAT in the world Harlan Ellison told this guy? So I ask. And he starts to tell the story...and gets sidetracked seven ways to Sunday. Over an hour later, he finally gets to his point of origin, and tells the tale. Now, I can't begin to even remotely come close to telling you the clever and insanely funny story the way Harlan tells it. But suffice to say, it IS one of the better stories I've ever heard. So on that note, I leave you with this...if you ever get the opportunity to listen to one of Harlan Ellison's lectures...beware. He is funny, he's angry, and he's intelligent as all get out. Ask him to tell you the story of how he unloaded Colleen Doran's stalker. I'm sure he'll oblige you...because it is one FUNNY story. Another great bit that happened at Mid Ohio, was meeting fellow pro Barry Buchanan. Barry self publishes a western comic called THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA. You can get a look at it on the internet at http://www.blackdaze.com Well, Barry is a lot like me. Persistent. Barry had self-published three issues of his comic before Diamond picked him up, and continued to email updates to a number of people on his subscription list, always keeping them informed on the status of his book. Well, a little bit of time went by, and Barry found a new artist to illustrate his already excellent western tale. Mike Hoffman, an industry pro who's been around for a while now, has picked up his pencil and pen to begin redrawing Barry's comic, right from scratch. At Mid Ohio, Barry presented me with copies of the new book, and it's just some of the nicest rendering I've seen on a small press title. As such, Diamond has now picked up Barry's book as well, and you can find it listed in the new Previews from Diamond, for books shipping in March. Diamond even saw fit to give THE BALLAD OF UTOPIA a Small Press Snapshot listing, and a Spotlight on the solicitation as well. I highly recommend this comic, to all fans of western comics, especially Jonah Hex. For more on Barry Buchanan, Blackdaze comics or The Ballad of Utopia, just click to http://www.blackdaze.com Until next time... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] SOME PAGES, A COVER, AND A FEW STAPLES Marlan Harris mar93@aol.com [Marlan Harris lives and works in Burbank, CA.] Ready or not, I'm back. I think using column space to talk about personal stuff is an abuse of the forum we have here, so I'll be as brief as possible. I've written a column here in the CBEM for the last 2 years or so, very irregularly, though I've slacked off for the last 6 months or so, to the point of only contributing a few letters, many of which actually got into the letters column. But I'm back now. I've made a new year's resolution to get this back on track and, since we've all survived into the year 2000, there's no better time then now. Though as far as personal stuff goes, I'll say that a big reason that I've been away from this column and the CBEM for so long is, indeed, comics-related, though I'll talk more about that in the near future here. Or find me at APE in San Francisco in early February. And since I'm using this space as a partial introduction to new CBEM readers, I'll also bring some long-time readers up to speed. All comics-related, of course. So some of what I've been reading, and some very quick reviews, just to warm everyone up: Good: PENNY CENTURY. The best ongoing comic being published on a regular basis today. Anything by Warren Ellis. PLANETARY, THE AUTHORITY, TRANSMETROPOLITAN. I don't have to tell you this. If you're not reading his comics, you're an idiot. Anything by Alan Moore. TOM STRONG, TOP TEN, TOMORROW STORIES, PROMETHEA (personal favorite: TOP TEN for quite some time, but TOMORROW STORIES wins for variety and the fact that you can savor each of the stories at a different sitting). Ditto what I said for Ellis, except that if you're not reading Moore's comics, you're doubly an idiot because Moore has done twice as much stuff as Ellis. INHUMANS. Duh. BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND #0. The story is so-so, but the art is fantastic! Does Greg Land (here, inked by Drew Geraci) do as well on BIRDS OF PREY? (If so, I really should read the issues I've bought.) Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad: GENERATION X. Even art by Terry Dodson, now moving on to much better stuff, can't save bad stories and boring characters. PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN. One of the most innovative pencillers, John Romita Jr., has to draw stories that not only don't challenge him at all but also barely tell a coherent story, much less a good or interesting one. THE DARKNESS/BATMAN. A comic so formulaic you almost don't notice how formulaic it is. Even worse since Silvestri, really the only decent artist Top Cow has or has had, drew, like, 2 pages of the whole issue. The last year of the X-MEN. Really, anything in that whole family. Even art by Alan Davis can't save some of the most contrived and ill-conceived comics stories of recent memory. We'll see what Claremont can do in a few months, but considering his performance in any other comic since 5 years before he got kicked off of X-MEN (the first time), I'm not getting my hopes up. And I don't do clever or cute sign-offs. mar93@aol.com Http://members.aol.com/mar93/BoneMachine.html ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts silhouet9@aol.com [Paul promotes amateur and professional comic book artwork, scripts, storylines, and unpublished comic books with a newsletter called the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter. Its website is at Jazma Comic Book Newsletter Productions at http://www.jazmaonline.com/ He is also a prominent letter hack, as anyone who reads comic letter pages would know. He is in production of his own self-published comic book called The Legendary Dark Silhouette and has copyrighted over 600 characters for his Jazma Universe.] Name: Alan Moore's Tomorrow Stories featuring The Cobweb #5 Publisher: America's Best Comics Written by: Alan Moore Other Talent: Jim Baikie, Rick Veitch, Melinda Gebbie Price: $2.95 Comments: You can say, I celebrated my Millennium New Year by watching a bit of MTV, WWF Eve of Destruction, while I sipped on some Cook's champagne. To start off the Year 2000, I knew I had to start off with a good comic book as the clock hit 1a.m., without a Y2K glitch. Instead of hitting the streets with the many revelers, I decided to dig in at home with my Claymore mines planted indiscreetly in my front lawn, while I hid out with my modified R.A.D. Robot I got for Christmas - that now has the capability to fire armor piercing bullets, instead of the foam missiles. Now that I feel safe where is my "Alan Moore's Tomorrow Stories featuring The Cobweb #5"? Ahh...here it is. The cover is absolutely striking to behold. The Cobweb reminds me a bit of Betty Page, she is alluring and seductive. I will be honest with you, the miniaturized lettering in "La Toile dans le Chateau des Larmes" was very difficult to read. I only had 3 glasses of champagne, so I could hardly blame it on my slight intoxication. Melinda Gebbie did a wonderful job putting this collage artwork together for this story. The Cobweb has plenty of potential and I feel she will grow with your readership as Tomorrow Stories continues its path towards fame and glory. Now let's talk about Greyshirt in "Dr. Crescendo". Greyshirt seems to have the investigative insight of Sherlock Holmes, the stealth secrecy of The Shadow and the dapper ways of The Scarlet Pimpernel. Greyshirt is extreme enjoyment for me. Rick Veitch did a magnificent job with the artwork. The art flowed well with the story, not missing a beat. I was taken immediately in, as it was mentioned that Ed Fegley was completely reversed. His heart being in the wrong spot, then seeing his watch in a reversed arrangement. I thought immediately, this story is bizarre already. Roseanna, a beautiful damsel, relates the story of her father, the ingenious Dr. Victor Crescendo - musician and physicist. As Victor admired Einstein, did he also admirer other great achievers like the great inventor Nikola Tesla who was rumored to have worked closely with Einstein? I wanted to know more about Victor, as this character has so much to offer personality wise. Victor lectured advanced physics and people thought his theories were out of whack, is the way some people felt about Tesla and Einstein. Victor's comparison of the universe being like a symphony was quite amazing. I can place this easily into perspective. As Victor felt the world was against him, he decides he wants to punish the world by playing his violin, that when reaching its crescendo will alter all reality. But, unfortunately it backfires and sends Victor into the void. Will Victor someday return to extract his revenge? Will he have gained universal knowledge as he returns from his limbo? This story can easily continue in some future issue. Greyshirt was done with sheer excellence! Now, to The First American and U.S. Angel. I had to study each panel to find all the inside jokes, like the reindeer wearing a Christmas tree dress, the wrapped up bike with sign saying "no peeking". Funny stuff that had me laughing hard from the mention of the legal term of "Santa Clause" to the take on Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol. The first ghost being "Buckley" who died tragically, that reminded me of the sidekick known as "Bucky" of Captain America fame. 2nd ghost called Wallet Monster who shows First American how kids are getting hooked on video games and whatnot, instead of comic books. How comic book readers are labeled "socially inadequate" from people outside of the comic book subculture. Now this is SCARY stuff! Of course, there is the last ghost that shows First American the future death of comics. Horror upon horrors! First American did the right thing in hiring his sidekick back and changing his ways for the good! Long live comics! Standing ovation to Alan Moore once again, for delivering highly entertaining stories to kick off the Year 2000! Name: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #7 Publisher: DC Comics Written by: Geoff Johns Drawn by: Lee Moder/pencils Dan Davis/inks Price: $2.50 Comments: Master Nichols is having plenty of problems at Civic City Military Academy, as he has now broken the rules by sneaking out. His worse punishment is that he is restricted from seeing any girls. Having served 12 years in the US Army and Louisiana National Guard, I know about military discipline. If someone is against the military way of life, they will only become rebellious and get into more trouble. I feel Master Nichols is headed for more trouble. Courtney is not like your typical cheerleader. She nonchalantly accepts her role as a cheerleader and complains about her dress being too short. Courtney has other things on her mind, from the loathing she has for her mother and being the superheroine known as Star Spangled Kid. She enjoys superheroing and anything minor like cheerleading is considered simple for her. I had to chuckle as I saw that Mary had a "Wizard" t-shirt on. Impulse always seems to get the short end of the stick and he would be heartbroken to know that Courtney and Mary think of him as clueless. The evil sinister Cindy aka Shiv did her best against Star Spangled Kid. I sort of felt sorry for Shiv, because of her failure to defeat Courtney she must now face experiments, testing and more needles from Dr. Graft. Her father the Dragon King is callous and heartless as he sentences his own daughter to the hands of Dr. Graft. With all this going on, Mary is dealing with her secret admirer and I wonder who that could be? Courtney has much to learn yet, as she hasn't mastered her stars yet. Other things she needs to realize is that she must adjust to team playing with her partner S.T.R.I.P.E. She must not react so quickly, she needs to think things out, then make her strategic move. She was lucky this time with Shiv, but what about next time? Exciting surprise scene shift to the Himalayas and seeing the return of Nebula Man! All I can say is one word....."wow!" MOE Sidenote: Coming soon from Vertigo is a comic book from the pages of Sandman, called "Lucifer - Moving Heaven & Hell". Look for it in April! Vertigo says: "He gave up his wings to walk among mortals. Now the darkest star in the city of angels is ready to get back in the game...only this time he'd rather play god. He will stop at nothing to reclaim his wings and regain his power...anyone who gets in his way can go to hell!" Wait until you see the depiction of Hell in this comic book! This Hell is a cross between Clive Barker's vision of Hell and the vision of Hell depicted in the movie Phantasm! They say that Hell is made up of many different sections, as one who visits Hell would probably walk into one section and come into contact with the Cenobites from the movie Hellraiser and as they crossed into another section would run smack dab into Lady Death of the Chaos! segment of Hell. Now there is a new section of Hell that will be fully explored in the pages of Lucifer, done the Vertigo way! Also, be on the lookout for Swamp Thing, this March, there's new blood in the swamp! Reminder: Vertigo is for mature audiences. MOE Sidenote: Came across a very interesting back issue. If you have a chance pick up "Sherlock Holmes Reader - Premiere Issue" by Tome Press - Caliber Comics. This comic book is full of goodies and you think you're reading a magazine. Some of the good stuff that is inside this comic book is: Sherlock Holmes timeline (putting everything together), the Many Faces of Holmes, The Loch Ness Horror, inside blueprint of 221-B Baker Street, the Unchronicled Cases of Sherlock Holmes that Watson never wrote down. Anyway, if you love Holmes, you will love this informative comic book! Got to go...need to read this gem tonight! Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time........ ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] 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.] FAITH: A FABLE 72 pages, black & white, $8.95/$11.95 CAN Carbon-Based Books 2304 Oakland Drive Kalamazoo, MI 49008 www.carbonbasedbooks.com Created by Bill Knapp OK, all you dealers, go to PREVIEWS January 2000 issue for products shipping in MARCH and page 227. That is where you will see this comic being solicited and the dramatic cover art in full color. Now order a bunch of them so you will have them on hand to recommend to your customers after you have read it yourself and delighted in the wonderful art and storytelling ability of Mr. Knapp. I told my readers long ago that THE FURIES was one of the best super hero comics I had ever read, largely due to the characterization and the detail in the art to bring out that quality so rarely found in mainstream comics - a true marriage of story and art. Now you don't have to commit to a series or even a mini-series to see what I'm talking about. For the price less than the cost of two X-Men annuals, or JLA events, or Image prestige specials you can enjoy a very talented artist and writer telling a story you will want to pass along to friends and family with a demand that they read it. This story starts from the viewpoint of a newspaper reporter who has tried to climb that ladder of success only to fall prey to his own greed for success. Now he has gotten back to small town writing and is loving the simpler life and real honest to goodness reporting. Slowly he is drawn to investigate a local girl and her apparent effect on those she meets. Twelve year old Lori Branyan somehow has been changing people's lives simply by listening to their desires, or troubles or worries and talking some common sense observations - steering those people to take charge of their fate. A girl decides to leave for California, a man lets go of his grief for his long lost wife, and our reporter stops smoking, without even realizing he has done so until much later. They say word of mouth is the best advertising and soon people are seeking a meeting with Lori. Some have heard of her seeming supernatural ability to turn peoples lives around. Some believe that she can heal sickness, and others have problems that really require trained professionals. But, they all come to talk to Lori and soon it is all her parents can do to keep the crowd organized and keep their daughter from being overwhelmed. Lori does not mind because she is doing good for people. Seeing the strain on the family, Roy Westerly, our reporter, offers to help organize their effort and soon is drawn into the whole experience. More people are asked to help and word spreads until the national media picks up on it. Soon Lori has become a modern folk hero. All who have sought her advice quickly and proudly declare she helped them see the right move to make. Behind the scenes there are some seeking to make a fast buck after this phenomenon, or to increase their own fame at the expense of the Branyans. And even though they may succeed, Lori will see things as they occur and will help guide her family on the path they are meant to travel. As I mentioned this is a true melding of words and art. It really is a novel in words and pictures - sometimes structured like a regular comic and sometimes a narrative with pictures. It all works well and the time flies quickly until you are turning the last page, satisfied that the whole thing went as long as it had to and said all it needed to, a very satisfying read. The core truth driven home to me, one by mere coincidence I am acting on in my own life right now, is that an individual must have self-confidence and faith in order to choose their own path. Now that I have read this story I have to order more as gifts to those I care about the most. You guys will have to get your own! Rating: I don't "do" ratings. BUY THIS BOOK! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] 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, 1/12/2000, 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 Shadowman Vol 3 #5, 2.50 AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Slave Labor Peepshow Vol 2 #1, AR ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Archie Double Digest #114, 2.99 Archie Weird Mysteries #2, 1.79 Betty #83, 1.79 Jughead With Archie Digest #155, 1.99 CHAOS! COMICS Stone Cold Steve Austin #4 (Of 4), 2.95 Stone Cold Steve Austin #4 Photo Cvr (Of 4), 2.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Hieroglyph #3 (Of 4), 2.95 Masakazu Katsuras Shadow Lady Awakening (4 / 7) #16 Spyboy #4 DC COMICS Adventures Of Superman #576, 1.99 Azrael Agent Of The Bat #62, 2.25 Books Of Magic #70, 2.50 Brave Old World #2 (Of 4), 2.50 Crimson Heaven And Earth TPB, 14.95 Detective Comics #742, 2.50 Faith #4 (Of 5), 2.50 Hourman #12, 2.50 Impulse #58, 2.25 JSA The Liberty Files #2 (Of 2), 6.95 Millennium Edition Watchmen #1, 2.50 Nightwing #41, 1.99 Scooby-Doo #32, 1.99 Stars And Stripe #8, 2.50 Superman Adventures #41, 1.99 The Witching Hour #3 (Of 3), 5.95 Titans Legion Of Superheroes Universe A Blaze #1 (Of 4), 4.95 Transmetropolitan #31, 2.50 FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS Luba #4 (resolicited), 3.50 IMAGE COMICS Fathom #10, 2.50 M Rex #2, 2.95 Nine Rings Of Wu Tang #2, 2.95 Sam And Twitch #6, 2.50 Soul Saga #1, 2.50 Spawn #91, 1.95 Tellos #5, 2.50 Top Cow Classics Witchblade #1, 2.95 INSIGHT STUDIOS GROUP Liberty Meadows #6, 2.95 MARVEL COMICS Amazing Spider-Man #15, 1.99 Avengers United They Stand #5, 1.99 Blade Vampire Hunter #4, 2.50 Blaze Of Glory #3 (Of 4), 2.99 Earth X #11 (Of 12) (resolicited), 2.99 Generation X #61, 1.99 New Warriors #6, 2.50 Spider-Girl #18, 1.99 X-Men Phoenix #3 (Of 3), 2.50 NEW BREED COMICS Tohubohu #4, 3.00 SICK MIND PRESS Sheba Vol 2 #8, 3.50 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Dragonball Part 2 #11 (Of 15), 2.95 Inu Yasha Part 4 #3 (Of 7), 3.25 Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Part 2 #3 (Of 5), 2.95 Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Vol 1 TPB, 15.95 Ranma 1/2 Part 8 #10 (Of 13), 2.95 Silent Mobius Karma #3 (Of 7), 3.25 magazines Toyfare Magazine #31, 4.99 NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD RELEASE DATE NEW DATE DARK HORSE Red Tide TP 12/04 Jan 2000 DC COMICS Dreams Of The Darkchylde #0 06/16 TBA Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 06/30 TBA Faith #4 12/22 01/12 JSA: The Liberty File #2 01/05 01/12 League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #5 12/10 01/26 Secret Files & Origins Guide to DCU 2000 01/05 01/12 IMAGE COMICS Blue Behind-the-Scenes TV Pilot Book 01/05 Cancelled Chassis #2 01/12 Deity: Revelations #4 12/22 01/12 F5 Preview Book 01/12 Fathom #0 01/05 01/12 Lady Pendragon Origins TP 12/08 01/12 Pakkins' Land Coll. Vol. I TP 01/12 Sam & Twitch #6 01/12 Spawn #91 01/12 Spawn Bible Vol. II Book of the Dead 12/29 Cancelled Tenth: Evil's Child #3 12/22 01/12 Top Cow Classics: Witchblade #1 01/12 Warlands #4 12/15 01/12 Weasel Guy: Road Trip #3 12/08 Cancelled *Please Note: These dates are tentative. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Back Issues, Copyrights SUBMISSIONS ----------- To submit an article, review, column, etc. to our e-mag, simply E-mail it to the editor at: ComicBkNet@aol.com Reviews of mainstream books are welcome and will get included when submitted, they are not excluded off hand. We encourage reviews of indies and self published material as we feel that material deserves more exposure to the general public. If you write intelligent, coherent, and timely reviews of anything it will almost always be printed so give us a shot. Commentary on the state of the industry, and personal observations and reflections related to comics are *most* likely to be included in our publication. PLEASE, no material on Gaming, role playing, collectible card games or other hobbies or collectibles other than comic books. That does not include plugs for web pages UNLESS they are concerned with print comic books. We do not promote web comics. SEND US YOUR WORK ----------------- We also accept product for review purposes. Advanced copies of comic books will not be returned but anything sent to us *will* be reviewed in the ComicBook Net Emag. Send all material to: David L. LeBlanc 84 Heather Circle Jefferson, MA 01522-1419 Material is generally reviewed in the order received and be advised that we work a few weeks in advance so your review may not be in the magazine immediately. Advanced copies are therefore encouraged so the review will occur prior to your product hitting the stores. 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This is a compilation of articles and columns which were originally posted in other forums or web pages or written specifically for this electronic magazine. Most articles are independent of any connection with The ComicBook Network and are used with permission. All text contained within is copyrighted to the originating author(s). Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Editor, the Network Administration Team or the members and users of The ComicBook Network. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - End of another Issue .. GIVE A KID A COMICC TODAY! When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.