---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 268 1999 EAGLE AWARD NOMINEE 6/9/2000 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com FREE VIA EMAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 1995 ______________________________________________________________________ C O N T E N T S ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] Submissions, mailing address, web page [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] Interview: David Goyer ................ Tim O'Shea [6] Thoughts To Be Heard .................. Jeff Clifford [7] Sound & Fury .......................... Craig Lemon [8] Great Googaly Moogaly ................. Chad Trout [9] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [10] My View:Cross Generation Comics ....... David LeBlanc [11] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [12] HYPE! Section ......................... Various ______________________________________________________________________ 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 a message 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. 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. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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 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 as we do not consider them to be comic books. 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. THE Comic Book Net WEB PAGE http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet ---------------- If you have access to the World Wide Web, please stop by and visit our web page! On our web page, you can find the latest issue of our E-Mag, as well as all back issues and an annotated index. You'll also find important information and other neat features like links to the HTML version of the current issue of this magazine at DIGITAL WEBBING, [http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem], some of the comic companies and creators' web pages and many other Comic Book related links! You can also find some back issues at America Online, by going to Keyword: COMICS, then choose the menu item _Comic Book Forum_ and then going to the _Comics Library_ from there. These are non-zipped text files. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net David LeBlanc Who saw SPIDER-MAN on FAMILY GUY this Tuesday? I decided to release this issue a day early so as not to have to rush it or run out of time and delay it until Sunday. Most of the news comes out before Friday and we'll catch up next week on any late breaking stuff. I did not even get to the store this week, but if I did then these would be there waiting for me: AWESOME ENTERTAINMENT Supreme The Return #5 (resolicited), 2.99 CROSSGEN COMICS Mystic #1, 2.95 DC COMICS Astro City Vol 2 #22 (resolicited), 2.50 Preacher #64, 2.50 Reinventing Comics SC, 19.95 <------Pick of the week! Starman #68, 2.50 IMAGE COMICS Rising Stars #8, 2.50 Well, I will be checking in on the email late Friday or maybe Sunday afternoon. Until next time . . . 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. +++++ From: klutter@frontiernet.net (Keith OBrien) >I have had the fortune to have a few fun experiences like this in my >travels. I have passed senators, tv newscasters, athletes, Arlo >Guthrie and even Jimmy Carter in various airports. The best was >bumping into John Travolta in an airport newsstand about 15 years ago. >Two of us introduced ourselves and he was very cordial, asking more >about what we did and where we were going. A real friendly guy. Probably the most interesting celebrity run in I've had was when taking my then pen-pal (who was soon to become my girl friend and is now my wife) up Mount Holyoke for a nice view of the valley's scenery and coming across Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman (TMNT creators just before the height of Turtle-mania) sitting on the grass and talking shop. I introduced everybody. My wife (then pen pal) got to tell all her friends, as they started hearing about the Turtles, how she met the creators of this phenomenon. Doesn't sound like much, but it was the sheer middle of nowhere running into celebrities I happen to know with somebody I wanted to make a good impression on! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet/emag.htm QUESTION OF THE WEEK Prizes donated by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. +Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you can stump+ +the readers! You MUST submit the correct answer with your question.+ LAST ISSUE'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What group of kids debuted in DC's STAR SPANGLED COMICS #7? Mike Clark was first to jump on this one. He knew that it was Kirby's NEWSBOY LEGION that made their first appearance way back then. He wins the "Strangers in Paradise Sanctuary" Trade Paperback from our sponsor. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Which comic does OVERSTREET list as the first BAXTER PAPER as well as the first Deluxe format comic? IMPORTANT RULES NOTICE The first correct answer to reach the editor wins the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm). The editor will be the sole judge as to which guess arrived first! Messages with more than one guess will be disqualified. LIMIT: ONE PRIZE PER MONTH PER PERSON! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Network Buzz News, gossip and rumors from around the industry From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ ARE YOU READY FOR THE AMAZING SPIDER-CAM? MARVEL ANNOUNCES COMICS WITHOUT ARTISTS! June 8: Marvel Comics President of Publishing Bill Jemas has [Image] announced a new web comics initiative that fulfills what many freelancers wryly say is a long held dream of publishers: it does without traditional pencillers or inkers! Marvel is currently creating a new crop of digitalized photo comics, sometimes referred to as 'fumetti', starring their crown jewel character, SPIDER-MAN, for broadcast free on the World Wide Web this summer. The NEW YORK TIMES is reporting that: "Everything except Spider-Man himself is being shot in New York with high-resolution digital cameras using models, actors and landmark locations that even the occasional tourist would easily recognize. Little, if anything, will be drawn by hand. Details and visual effects, like the suggestion of motion, are more likely to be accomplished with computers using Photoshop software, say artists working on the SpiderCam episodes. "We're getting as much as we can in camera," said Henry Tenney, director of the first SpiderCam episode, called "Pretty Ugly." He said artists using Photoshop would give the comic a consistent look. Spider-Man, the arachnid-powered superhero, will also be computer-generated and inserted into the photo-realistic action scenes. Why? "Because no human can do what your imagination wants Spider-Man to be," Mr. Jemas said. When these still scenes download and appear on computer screens, he said, they will -- using Flash technology -- splash, slide and glide into view, quickly assembling in varying shapes for dramatic effect into something resembling a traditional comic book page." Jemas told the TIMES that: "Our mission here is to invite the best and the brightest from other media to come into the comic book world," Jemas said he would like to say to screenwriters unable to get their projects on movie screens, "Here's a budget and go shoot your stuff." Marvel recognizes that producing a photo comic book is not as simple as it may sound. The TIMES reports that: "Like an action film, each SpiderCam script is worked out on a storyboard with scene-by-scene sketches. Actors and models are cast and put in costumes. Location shooting, usually with a crew of no more than a few people, takes about 10 days. Everything is shot with two Sony high-resolution digital still cameras, one automatic and the other manually operated. Hundreds of pictures are taken, but only about 150 will make it to the finished episode. One of the biggest difficulties, according to Marvel's VP of New Media, Phillip Goetz, is shooting still scenes that give the reader a sense of action. In a traditional comic book, action is often suggested by drawing characters frozen in motion or placing the reader at distorting vantage points, like beneath a falling bad guy or in the direct path of a spray of gunfire. When similar techniques are used with flesh and blood models and actors, the effect can be stilted," Mr. Goetz said. The article did not go into detail about budgets for the web comics, which will be available for free on Marvel's site, or if the 'work-for-hire' contracts that the company has long relied on in dealing with freelance talent will apply to the new medium. +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com THE TICK -------- It's rare to find a live-action comic to film project that has the comic book creator in creative control and the fans giving overwhelming approval to the casting of the hero. However, the Tick TV series is just such a show. Tick creator Ben Edlund assumed the roles of writer and producer while Tick-incarnate Patrick Warburton has stepped up to don the big blue antennae and defend "The City." Comics 2 Film spoke with Warburton about his experiences filming the pilot for the show. "Well we had a lot of fun doing the pilot. Of course, in doing a pilot you are burdened with the task of giving the audience huge amounts of information in a 22 minute period," Warburton told us. "The Tick is a fantastic concept and character. Personally I feel like its an honor to get to be the Tick, because the Tick is a creation that's been around long before I got to attach my face to the guy" The actor is very serious-minded about doing justice to this fan favorite character. "I want to make this work. The Tick worked as a comic book. The Tick worked as a cartoon. I want to see The Tick work as a live-action show. I'd hate to fail as the Tick," Warburton continued, " I feel glad that we're going to have an opportunity to do a number of episodes where we can flesh this all out. Because, although I feel the pilot is a success and the response has been extremely positive, the pilot is our chance to experiment a little bit and be able to produce something and say 'Hey, this is the type of stuff that we're going to do.'" Many fans caught a glimpse of the pilot when a three-minute excerpt hit the Internet last week. Although fans found the clip to be funny, some bristled at the scene where the character whips a coffee-vending machine into submission and declares "Java devil! You are now my bitch!" "That is going out. That line will be taken out. That line is absolutely non-Tick. Anyone who knows the Tick knows that the Tick would not say something like that. It's absolutely not what the Tick would say," Warburton assures the fans. The line was apparently inserted into the pilot as some kind of in-joke among the executives. When the pilot is broadcast, the line will not be in it. The actor found that his kids were able to help him in his research for the part. Producer and Director Barry Sonnenfeld provided Warburton with tapes of the run of the animated show to view. "I was going to watch them for homework. [The kids] all fell in love with them. They were watching them every day. So, I was learning a little bit more about the Tick every day just peripherally, subliminally. I'd be walking through the room the kids would be sitting there watching the cartoon." And what is it like for a child to have a father who is The Tick? "They live in sort of an unreal world. Daddy's The Tick. They've actually seen the pilot. I think that they really do appreciate it," Warburton told us. His two-year-old now calls the actor by a new name. "I'm not 'Daddy' I'm 'Daddy-Tick! Daddy- Tick!' They'll grow up to realize, one horrible day, that Daddy's really not a superhero or a cartoon character. For now I think they're having a lot of fun that Daddy is The Tick." Unlike most children, the Warburton kids will have a large selection of Daddy action figures to play with. In addition to being The Tick, Warburton will also give voice to Buzz Lightyear in the upcoming animated series, and has a voice role in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove. Of course the actor also provided a voice for Superman in the famous American Express commercial with Jerry Seinfeld. Warburton's previous experiences in series television had him playing supporting roles on shows like Dave's World and Seinfeld (where he played the unforgettable Dave Puddy). In these roles the actor had a lot of down time between scenes and a trailer where he could relax or do other things while waiting for his next scene. Such comforts are not to be for a TV superhero. "There's longer hours and a lot more work. Now I've got the lion's share of the work on this show and I also wear a big blue full-body rubber suit, which really doesn't allow me to relax even during the off time." The creation of the suit was a strenuous enough task for our hero. Warburton wore a skin-tight body stocking which was then covered with Vaseline. A layer of plaster was then poured on that to make a body cast. The increasingly hotter process proved too much for the big blue bug, who passed out while still in the cast. "Wearing a huge rubber suit, wasn't something that would've attracted me to a project," Warburton said, laughing. " It was something that slightly turned me off. But there's an exception for everything. With the Tick, I decided that I would make the exception. I will wear the suit however long I have to wear it to be the Tick." Warburton seems genuinely please to be involved with the show. " I do think it's a great opportunity. Just the fact that it's a brilliant character creation of a guy that I respect a lot. Ben Edlund's a really creative guy [and has] great comic sensibilities." Warburton told us one of the best parts of the Tick experience is "hanging around the set and chatting with Ben about ideas. He has these wonderful ideas for future episodes and every single one of them is so outlandish, so funny, so bold and audacious that the concepts themselves would make me laugh. What a tremendous opportunity to work on a show like this where the reality that you're in is so surreal you really can take all the characters and go anywhere that you want. The same rules don't apply to us as that apply to most things that are on the air." With the show set to air in February of next year, Warburton leaves fans with this thought, "The Tick is the ingenious creation from the mind of Ben Edlund. The Tick has been around a long time before I entered the picture. I love The Tick! I am dedicated to preserving the integrity of this masterful creation. We will not attempt to redefine or to reinvent what is perfection We do have a task at hand though and that task is to present the Tick in a whole new medium. A multi-dimensional medium. I am forever grateful to the fans of The Tick for their support. God bless. SPOOOOOOOOOOON!" MAGE ---- Matt Wagner told Comics 2 Film that John Rogers' screenplay for the Mage movie is making its way up the studio ladder for approval. "Our final draft has been approved by everyone at Spyglass and now, as far as I know, it's in Touchstone's hands." Spyglass Entertainment, of Sixth Sense and Shanghai Noon fame, is one of the production companies involved with the movie. Wagner told us that he's really happy with the latest draft. "Everyone seems to be very thrilled about it." The script has gone through a few iterations of improvements. "Spyglass is real particular about getting it exactly the way they wanted it. With each draft, the differences were really small." Wagner continues to praise Rogers' work. "He's really managed to maintain everything about the book. He also puts so much of his own sense of humor and way of looking at things into it." Wagner and company are anticipating hearing from the studio soon. The script is said to be in the hands of the person at Touchstone who could greenlight to the project. JONAH HEX, CAMELOT 3000, HOUSE OF SECRETS, PRIDE AND JOY --------------------------------------------------------- Fans who were dreading the prospect of a TV movie based on DC Comics' Jonah Hex can breath easier. The pilot, which was in the works at The Canton Company with Akiva Goldsman (Batman and Robin) developing it is now "dead" according to Nathan Kahane, a Creative Executive at Canton. "Fox passed on it." Likewise, Canton has also abandoned plans to develop of a movie version of Garth Ennis' Pride and Joy and Mike Barr and Brian Bolland's Camelot 3000. The on-again/off-gain House of Secrets is also currently off- again. "House of Secrets is on the shelf right now. Warner Bros. isn't going to make the movie," Kahane told Comics 2 Film. "We're going to have it free-and-clear in August and we're going to try and set it up at another studio." BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER ---------------------------------- FROM COMICOLOGY: Brian Saner Lamken interviewed comic and animation artist Bruce Timm for the first issue of the newly relaunched Comicology magazine. One point of interest in the extensive interview is where Timm talks about the Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker animated feature. The movie is due out October 31 of this year and will be released both on VHS and on DVD. Timm enthused about the higher quality animation that will be seen in the movie. "We just got our first 10 minutes of animation back last week," Timm told Lamken, "and it's stunning. It's really dynamite. I don't want to oversell it. It's between what we normally get and that Disney quality." Although the movie doesn't have a budget comparable to a Disney movie like Tarzan, Timm does say that the animation on this movie will be a "quantum leap beyond Mask of the Phantasm or Sub-Zero." Timm also revealed that plans are for the DVD version of Return of the Joker to sport the kinds of extras that DVD aficionados have come to expect. "We're gonna try to stick as many bonus features on it as possible." The DVD should have a commentary track. It will also present the movie in the wide screen format that it was intended to be seen in (as well as a full-screen presentation). Finally, Timm reveals that the DVD may contain materials representing 10 minutes of the movie that had to be discarded for time and budget considerations. One of the scenes features the future Bruce Wayne returning to the now-abandoned Arkham Asylum. These scenes were not animated, so they would be included in the form of animatics, "which is basically the storyboards filmed on tape, timed out to the correct length and with the dialogue laid in," explains Timm, "so you'll get a rough idea of what the sequences would've been like if they'd been animated." Among the many pieces of Timm artwork that accompanied the interview, was a sheet of character design sketches for the movie. Lamken gave Comics2Film permission to reprint those designs on the website (http://www.comics2film.com). Depicted are the Joker and his new gang: Chucko, Woof, Dee-Dee, Ghoul and Bonk. Comicology #1 features over 30 pages of interview and several dozen Timm sketches. Other features in the issues are interviews with Jeph Loeb and Lea Hernandez as well as several other full- length articles. Thanks to M. Terry Jackson for the tip. http://www.comicology.com/ http://go.to/tblmagazine BONE ---- FROM CORONA COMING ATTRACTIONS: Corona Coming Attractions reports that comic creator Jeff Smith recently spoke with The Onion newspaper about progress on the animated version of his creation Bone. "I've found that in Hollywood there is no 'plan all along.' They don't operate under the same rules of physics as we do," Smith is quoted as saying. "I think we were a little optimistic: We thought that, because Bone was so fleshed out, our development time would be really short, like six months or so. Instead, it's turned out to be a fairly normal development time of two years. But things are going really well, and we're hoping to put the movie out in 2002." The article also states that the movie will begin at the same starting point of the comics and continue "right up to the 'Dragonslayer' storyline." Also, the creator is said to like Tim Robbins (Mission To Mars) for the voice of Fone Bone. http://www.corona.bc.ca/ ADRENALYNN ---------- FROM DAILY VARIETY: According to a recent article in Daily Variety, Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures have purchased the screen rights to Tony Daniels' Image Comics title Adrenalynn. The movie is set to star Christina Ricci (Sleepy Hollow) in the title role. The producers on the movie will be Joel Silver, Ricci and her Blaspheme Films partner Andrea Sperling. The article consistently refers to the title as Adrenaline, although the comic book carried the alternate spelling, representing the name of the primary character. Daniels' F5 Entertainment website provides this description for the comic: "Adrenalynn is a story about a secret weapons program being developed by the Soviet Union in the 1980s that involves the merging of human and machine to build the perfect weapon of mass destruction. After these androids make their way to the U.S., something unexpected began to happen with the biological make-up of the newly formed artificial beings. They began to mutate into flesh-eating robot monsters! Soon after, a new and enhanced version of the same weapon is sent to America to hunt down and destroy the evidence...and her name is Sabina, AKA Adrenalynn!" Ricci and Sperling are currently co-producing Prozac Nation, based on Elizabeth Wurtzel's novel. Ricci also stars in that. Thanks to Dana for the tip! http://www.variety.com/ http://www.f5entertainment.com/ KNIGHTS OF JUSTICE ------------------ Fans who are eagerly anticipating the release of the Knights of Justice video can start marking their calendars. The video, which brings the characters from Chris Ecker and Gary Carlson's Big Bang comics to small-screen life, is available for order in this month's Diamond Comics Catalog. This means the video should ship in August. Diamond provides this description of the video: "Features all of your favorite heroes from Big Bang, the Image Comics title that ignited the retro revolution in comic books! Ultiman the Knight Watchman and Thunder Girl are joined by the leggy Masker to combat the fiendish plots of evil mastermind Cortex in this direct-to-video release. Just as Big Bang recreates the look and feel of the classic comics, this 40-minute TV pilot evokes the feel of the early 70s Saturday-morning shows as Shazam and Electro Woman & Dynagirl." The movie features martial arts champ Allen Woodman as the Knight Watchman, Lorin Taylor as Masker, Mike Constantin as Ultiman and Sandra Kuhn Thunder Girl. http://www.diamondcomics.com/previews/products/videos/june_00/big _bang.html X-MEN ----- The 3rd X-Men trailer hit the web on Thursday and is now downloadable from the official site. The site offers a variety of download choices depending on your bandwidth. The new trailer does a great job of laying out the concepts of the movies and depicting the conflict between the characters. New in this trailer are glimpses of Wolverine vs. Jean, Wolverine vs. Sabretooth (both in the woods and on the Statue of Liberty), Wolverine vs. Wolverine (or Mystique morphed into Wolverine). There are also enough snippets of dialog to give a better introduction of Professor X, Magneto, Senator Kelley and...you guessed it...Wolverine. One other cool moment shows Toad using his super-tongue to snatch the visor off the face of an unsuspecting Cyclops (causing much accidental destruction). This is the best trailer yet. http://www.x-men-the-movie.com/ WHATSONWEB ---------- Kevin VanHook, who fans may recognize from his days as a writer for Valiant Comics is branching out into online film. VanHook co-created and wrote Bloodshot, and also wrote Solar, Man of the Atom and Eternal Warrior all as regular monthly series. In more recent years, VanHook transitioned into visual effects and writing and directing film. He has credits on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, My Favorite Martian, The 13th Warrior and more. This week, VanHook will launch an entertainment website called WhatsOnWeb.com. The site promises to be a QuickTime TV channel, delivering high-quality original shows to the broadband internet audience. VanHook tells us that, with the June 5th launch the site "features our first show--which is really a live-action comic book. It's a fantasy series called, Kyra: The Cursed, in the vein of a show like Xena." VanHook also reports that he's also in negotiations with certain comic book companies about licensing characters for similar treatments. http://www.whatsonweb.com/ +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.AnotherUniverse.com/newsarama WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE According to journalist Mike Sangiacomo in the upcoming June 3rd edition of this weekly column Journey Into Comics, Marvel's relaunch of their "edgy" adult line Epic is on track for a fall debut. Though there is still little specific information as to what titles will be produced and who will create them, in a conversation with Sangiacomo, Marvel's CEO Peter Cuneo clarified that plans for the Epic line includes both online comics and traditionally published comics. "There will be Epic comics on the Internet and there will be Epic Comics on the stands," Cuneo said. "We will have both, one certainly does not exclude the other." Cuneo said he hopes contracts with writers and artists should be signed within weeks. "It will be a system where the creator will share in the character," he went on to say. "Marvel will own the characters, but the creator will get a piece in perpetuity." Though he declined to talk about any of the projects, Cuneo did say that the industry's best-known names were involved. For more of Sangiacomo's conversation with Cuneo on Epic and other Marvel matters, check on the new June 3rd edition of Journey Into Comics Saturday in the Cleveland Plain dealer. Treading again into the dangerous territory of creators announcing the end of the series on Internet message boards, writer John Byrne has told readers on Marvel's AOL folders that his Spider-Woman series will be coming to end with October's issue #18. Byrne confirmed that issue #18 is the conclusion of a three-part storyline, so he'll be able to wrap up the storyline as originally planned - and the book - without it being "extremely forced or rushed". The news of course coincides with penciler Bart Sears recently announced hiring by CrossGen. Creator Paul Chadwick recently checked in with Newsarama to give us an update on what he will be working on over the next several months_ "I`m penciling three issues of Deadpool (Nos. 46-48)," said Chadwick. "…A three-part nourish story full of double-crosses, a femme fatale, and Dickensian supporting characters: `Cruel Summer.’ It`s Jimmy Palmiotti`s writing debut, and he`s set it in his backyard, Brooklyn. Gangsters are being assassinated in darkly comic ways all over the borough. Ron Randall, my intern for The World Below, is inking. "June 15, the second of my stories for the MATRIX website will be posted. Titled `Let It All Fall Down,’ it`s a story of characters serendipitously finding the existence of The Matrix, and the fragility of the reality they know. It`s also a love story, albeit a tragic one. It`s 12 regular comics pages, divided in a way that it can be displayed on 24 horizontally oriented screens. "Last week I turned in the cover story for Tom Strong #9, pencils and inks, `The Terror Temple of Tayasal.’ It`s a droll SF short, which Alan Moore wrote around my strengths and obsessions: fanciful marine life forms, glowing circuitry, the rain forest, weathered Mayan ruins. Alan`s script lived up to his reputation. It had detailed, evocative descriptions that read like he`s channeling the story and noting all the sensory input he`s receiving. It was inspiring. Finally, Chadwick reported that he working on a new screenplay for the Concrete movie…"A little smaller and more character-oriented than the earlier Peter Jackson/Fran Walsh script, but still with some action set pieces and a bit of spectacle." "And in a month or so, I`ll turn to the next Concrete miniseries, The Human Dilemma" MARVEL TRIES DIGEST FORMAT THIS FALL So we've already heard about Ultimate Marvel, the return of the Epic imprint, and the X-Men film adaptation comics that will be given away to moviegoers this summer_ So what's Marvel's next idea in their efforts to broaden their market, and the comics market overall? It's called Backpack Marvels, a new small line of digest-type publications set to debut later this year. In the new issue of Comics Buyer's Guide (June 16, #1387), Marvel's Associate Manager Retail Sales, Advertising and Promotion Bill Rosemann tells journalist Christopher Irving that this fall Marvel will release 160-page, 8x5" digests reprinting popular runs of Spider-Man and the X-Men, priced roughly at $6.95. An Avengers and second X-Men volume are due out in November. Rosemann tells CBG that the Backpacks will be similar to the Essentials line of b&w trade paperbacks that reprint classic runs of Marvel books. Backpacks however will start with material from the 1970’s so as not to compete with the Essentials and Marvel Masterworks volumes, which primarily reprint material from the ‘60s. "Backpack Marvel's are a step between the $2 monthly comic and the $20 trade paperback," said Rosemann. "The are comparable to a young-adult novel." The digests, which will be printed on a cross between heavy paperstock and thin newsprint, are being aimed at children, as in introduction to the Marvel Universe with "classic and timeless material that is still somewhat modern." "They're for everyone, but we're trying to go for the younger readers who are familiar with the digest size. " Picking their "core and most recognized" characters, Marvel hopes to expand the line if they're received well and envisions future backpacks featuring their other flagship characters such as Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and the Fantastic Four. According to Rosemann, the digest will be available in the direct market as well as bookstores and more mainstream markets. "We have a distributor called LPC, which offers trade paperbacks to booksellers and independent chains. Rosemann tells CBG the format works for all types of readers, young and old. "What the mass market understands is spending between $4 and $6 for a big magazine. Currently, there is resistance to spending $2 for a 30-page comic book, when you can buy a Rolling Stone, a gaming magazine, or Vanity Fair, spend $3,and get 200 pages_." "_With this, you get 160 pages for $6 or $7. I think the book market understands that, and people will get a good product for the price. The full story can be read in the June 16th edition of Comics Buyer's Guide, on sale this coming week. E-BOOK COMICS PUBLISHER DEBUTS ONLINE Jambooks.com, a new online publisher announced that they've opened for business on the web at www.jambooks.com. Jambooks offers downloaded eBook version of comic books and comic strip collections – including Chris Eliopoulos' Desperate Times - allowing users to read them offline using the free JamBook reader software. The format is designed to allow creators to offer their work to potential readers at an inexpensive price, typically around $1.00 per collection. MORE CLUES TO MARVEL`S MAXIMUM SECURITY This week's Yourman@Marvel revealed a few more details about the publisher's October event Maximum Security. The project will encompass a weekly mini-series written by Kurt Busiek and penciled by Jerry Ordway, as well as spill over into various monthly titles from around the Marvel universe that same month. The project will actually kick of with a September 48-page one-shot prologue entitled Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet. Though details in the over all event storyline are still being kept mum, according to Yourman, "the great galactic powers of the Marvel Universe will gather to deal with a globe that they perceive as a threat, but is that world the maddened and rampaging Ego the Living Planet -- or Earth itself?" The prologue will feature appearances by several of Marvel's cosmic characters, including "the Avengers Infinity team, the Silver Surfer, the Inhumans, the Starjammers and even Professor X and his cadre of mutant Skrulls!" DC TO PRODUCE WATCHMEN ACTION FIGURES - HELL TO FREEZE OVER TOMORROW Not really. While Alan Moore confirmed that DC will be producing action figures based on he and Dave Gibbons` 12-issue masterpiece which saw print in 1986 and 1987, heralding a revolution in comics, the legendary creator denied that he was making the deal due to inside information that the world would be ending soon, since he is apparently getting cozy with DC Comics again. "As far as I know, there's been talk," Moore told Newsarama Monday morning. "The action figures end of the market is not one that really grabs a lot of my attention, but as far as I know, they're supposed to be doing something along these lines." A quick point of clarification – while the phrase "Watchmen merchandise" may ring warning bells inside fans' heads who remember that some brouhaha over Watchmen merchandise was one of the reasons Moore left DC years ago, the writer explained that this situation with DC is decidedly different from what went before. "That issue was about Watchmen merchandise that was claimed not to be Watchmen merchandise – that was one of the contributing factors," Moore said. "Back then, there seemed to be things that to us, were pretty clearly merchandise, such as wrist watches and such, that we were told were not merchandise. That was one of the things that helped end my relationship with DC. It wasn't a question of the merchandise being produced - it was a question at the time of merchandise being produced and us being shut out of the loop when it came to any reimbursement or royalty for it." "This is a different situation entirely, and one that I'm fairly removed from. All I do is write the comics, and while Watchmen is one that I wrote a long time ago, honestly, it's one I don't really think about any more, to tell the truth." BENDIS EXITS ULTIMATE X-MEN Marvel's upcoming new Ultimate line is going through some creative changes since the line was initially announced last month by the publisher's President of Publishing and New Media Bill Jemas. The debut title Ultimate Spider-Man remains steady as she goes, with the creative team of writer Brian (Powers) Bendis, and at least for the first six-issue story arc, the penciling/inking team of Mark Bagley and Art Thibert in place. But the next title in the line, Ultimate X-Men is getting a bit of a shuffle. Bendis, who was previously announced as the writer of that title as well, is no longer attached to the series. "I will still enthusiastically continue as writer of the Spider-Man book for as long as Marvel will have me, but after some soul searching I have come to the decision that I am not the right choice for the X-Men book," Bendis announced to readers of his Jinxworld.com message boards, "Marvel's response to my first full script on Spider-Man was so enthusiastic that they offered me X- men as well. I was so happy about this that I agreed without even considering whether or not I was the right guy to do it. And that is why I took the job initially. Usually my instincts in these areas are right on, but I screwed up. "I would also like to make it very clear that this is in no way a denouncement of what the X-Men book will be," Bendis continued. "I actually think it's going to be one of the best versions of this particular title ever. Not to mention insanely successful. I just think that I am not suited to write it. _________________________________________________ LATEST DC MILLENNIUM RESULTS, NEXT ROUND OF VOTING BEGINS In the latest round of on-line voting for DC Comics Millennium Editions, 1941’s Adventure Comics #61 - marking the first appearance of the Golden Age Starman, Ted Knight (and also included tales of the original Sandman, Hour-Man, Paul Kirk and others) – scored a narrow victory over All American Comics #16, and will released as a Millennium Edition this November. Voting has begun for the next Millennium Edition set to be selected by visitors to the DC Comics website. The candidates are as follows, with information provided by the publisher. Camelot 3000 #1 Written by Mike W. Barr; art and cover by Brian Bolland "The first-ever comic-book maxiseries began with this groundbreaking 1982 issue that saw King Arthur returning to a future England in desperate need of salvation." Detective Comics #225 Written by Edmond Hamilton, Henry Boltinoff, and Jack Miller; art by Sheldon Moldoff, Charles Paris, Ruben Moreira, and various; cover by Win Mortimer "Even more historic than the Batman story in this 1955 issue is its backup feature: an 8-page story introducing future JLA member John Jones, the Martian Manhunter." Deathblow #1 Written by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi; art and cover by Jim Lee "The newsstand version of the 1993 WildStorm Productions title that introduced Michael Cray, the living weapon known as Deathblow, co-written and drawn by WildStorm founding father Jim Lee." Doom Patrol #19 Written by Grant Morrison; art and cover by Richard Case and Carlos Garzon "The adventures of the Fabulous Freaks of the Doom Patrol were never the same again after this 1988 issue that saw the beginning of writer Grant Morrison`s unforgettable run. This issue also introduced the remarkable Crazy Jane, whose multiple personalities each have a different super-power." House Of Mystery #174 Written by Arnold Drake, Don Cameron, Otto Binder, and Jack Miller; art by Lee Elias, Doug Wildey, Bernard Baily, Sergio Aragones, Carmine Infantino, and Mort Meskin; cover by Joe Orlando "This 1968 issue marked HOUSE OF MYSTERY`S rebirth as a showcase for stories of suspense and the supernatural with reprints of such DC classics as `The Wondrous Witch`s Cauldron,’ `The Man Who Hated Good Luck' and `The Court of Creatures,’ starring Mark Merlin. Voting ends on June 26. The winning candidate will be reprinted in a Millennium Edition in November. WAID`S SECOND JLA STORY ARC PREVIEWED- Updated DC has released a few details on writer Mark Waid's second JLA story arc, a 3-issue story that begins in September and marks the debut of the new regular art team of Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary in the regular title. According to the publisher, "As the Leaguers struggle to adjust to the changes caused by kicking out a core member of the team (in August`s JLA #46), mysterious forces conspire to incapacitate them for good. Leaving the world of science to compete in a dark realm of sorcery, the JLA must face the immortal Queen of Fables - the shrewish empress of the imagination who gave the Brothers Grimm their nightmares." Asked if he comment on the "kicked out" member, Waid told Newsarama, "All I`ll say is that if you think you know where THAT`S going, you`re dead wrong." ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN GETS A NEW LOOK In a textbook example of why ALL comics news should be considered somewhat tentative at all times, DC has confirmed that artist Howard (JLA) Porter, who was to take on the regular penciling duties of Adventures of Superman this September, is no longer attached to the series. Porter, who actually signed a new two-year exclusive contract with DC early this year and was officially announced as the AOS penciler at the same time (after many months of rumors), is leaving DC on very good terms to pursue a full-time career outside of comics, possibly related to website design, according to a DC spokesperson. Porter, who will take time to fully focus on his new career, may return to do some smaller, limited run projects with DC in the future. As to who will fill the AOS penciler vacancy, Superman editor Eddie Berganza tells Newsarama artist Mike (X-Man) Miller has filled the role. "Mike is doing some real cool stuff on the book. His first issue of AOS actually hits next week, and it`s nothing compared to what he`s doing now. In short, he`s my guy." ELLIS ON STRANGER KISSES UPDATE! Warren Ellis has responded to Newsarama's report this morning that he's working on a sequel to this Avatar mini-series Strange Kiss, entitled Stranger Kisses. Calling the sequel "_much more in Pop Comic mould -- denser, faster, and madder", the writer posted an "introductory essay" on his Delphi Message Forum that he intended to distribute to readers and retailers when the project was to be officially announced. CROSSGEN GIVES MORE DETAILS ON NEW MONTHLY TITLE CrossGen has released more information about their upcoming new ongoing title, The First, set to debut this November by the creative team of head CG writer Barbara Kesel, and the art team of penciler Bart Sears and Andy Smith. According to the publisher, named for the god-like characters that will appear within its pages, the original plan was for The First to only appear in the pages of the quarterly CrossGen Chronicles, but "_Due to the overwhelming response to the characters featured in the initial CrossGen Comics release, CrossGen Chronicles #1, and the demand for more regular stories based on these characters, CrossGen has decided to change the format of its announced quarterly title Chronicles and add a fifth monthly title to its line." And now with stories featuring The First will be featured in a monthly title, the originally planned quarterly title will change format and focus. CrossGen Chronicles will now become an umbrella title that will showcase specials tied to all the main titles of the CrossGen Universe. The first four of these will tell background stories of some of the main characters or events mentioned in the monthly titles and will be penciled by fan-favorite artist George Pérez, as the creator himself announced last week. SEINFELD VET JOINS THE TICK The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that television comedy veteran Larry (Seinfeld) Charles has been recruited as an executive producer and showrunner on Columbia TriStar's upcoming Fox live action TV series based on The Tick, starring Patrick Warburton. Fox has given the show an eight-episode order for midseason. Charles will join Barry Sonnenfeld, Barry Josephson and Tick creator Ben Edlund as executive producers. As part of the deal to secure his showrunner services, Charles has extended his overall production-development pact with Columbia TriStar. X-MEM MINI-SERIES PUSHED BACK Cable writer Robert Weinberg checked in with readers on Fandom`s X-FAN domain to provide an update on his X-Men: Citadel Of Night limited series. "Because there are so many limited series coming out in September/October, Marvel has pushed back Citadel Of Night to December. So figure on having `nightmares for Xmas`," Weinberg posted on X-Fan`s message boards. "Michael Ryan, who is Cable`s artist, will be illustrating the four part series," he continued. "I`ve already written the first two parts of the story and hope to have the rest done shortly. The entire series is plotted." "The adventure will feature seven of the X-Men fighting a menace that threatens to devour all life on Earth," the writer revealed. "While it does has supernatural overtones, the story is science-fiction horror very much in the H.P. Lovecraft vein (though with no direct ties to HPL). Some of the visuals are going to be quite striking. And hopefully scary." YANKS TAKE ON THE AUTHORITY IN ANNUAL EVENT! With The Authority heading towards its second year in print, the time for an Annual issue has long since come. Finally this fall, Authority fans will get a chance to see their favorite team in an extra-length adventure told by_a couple of Yanks? Comics Newsarama has learned that X-Men: Children of the Atom writer (and Comics Newsarama columnist) Joe Casey will write the Annual, while Cully Hamner will provide the pencils. As ever, Casey had his own way of confirming the news. Following The Authority Annual, Hamner will team with Casey again for a prestige format miniseries for DC Comics called Tenses. "It involves a pretty major character, though I`m not at liberty to say who yet," Hamner says. "It`ll run two issues, sixty-four pages apiece. This will probably take me until late ‘00/early ‘01 to finish. As I said before, I can`t divulge much. But after you read it, you`ll have to reset your freakin` clocks! Joe and I have developed a quick friendship over the last year or so, and with The Authority Annual and Tenses, we`re pretty much going to be married to each other until 2001." "After that, I`m tentatively back to Wildstorm for another project. I absolutely can`t give anything away yet, because we haven`t yet signed the contracts. But I`ll be working with someone I have been dying to work with for years, and I am not kidding!" TUCCI DONATES SHI CYCLE AND YEAR OF THE DRAGON ART TO CBLDF Shi creator Billy Tucci has announced donate the Shi - Year of the Dragon Motorcycle and all original art from the upcoming Shi - Year of the Dragon #1 for auction on eBay to benefit the CBLDF as part of the CBLDF's summer Auction Extravaganza. "I wanted to give a little something back to the industry that has changed by life," Tucci said. "The CBLDF is a great organization, and is the sole representation of the comic industry, so by making these donations I hope to draw attention to its cause and give them a helping hand. At the same time, I'm sharing some of my rewards with our wonderful fans." The Shi -Year of the Dragon Motorcycle is a customized Bimota SB6, a very rare Italian sport motorcycle. Hand built in Italy and is valued at over $25,000.00, the motorcycle posed with the Air Force's SR71 Blackbird atop the U.S.S. Aircraft Carrier Intrepid in the famous poster "Bimota and the Blackbird". Emblazoned with a dragon's wing and images of Shi, the custom painted cycle is a favored possession of Tucci's, but he's decided it should be put to better use. "I've had so many offers for the Bimetal, that I decided to sell it, then CBLDF Executive Director Chris Oarr and I came up with the idea that it could be used to benefit a great cause, our first amendment rights," Tucci stated. Shi- Year of the Dragon Motorcycle and the original artwork from the book join many other coveted comic collectibles on the auction block this summer in a massive benefit for the non-profit CBLDF. The Fund will have three Featured Auctions on eBay launching July 13, July 20 and July 27. The end of the auction will coincide with a huge Live Auction event at the Chaos! Comics party at Wizard World on Saturday, August 5. For more information, visit www.cbldf.org or call the Fund toll-free at 1-800-99-CBLDF. The CBLDF Auction Extravaganza is sponsored by Chaos! Comics, eBay, and Wizard World. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization protecting First Amendment rights in the comics community. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interview:David Goyer Tim O'Shea tim_jen@mindspring.com [Tim O'Shea is a 31-year old desktop publisher who lives in Atlanta with his wife and four-month old son. Tim, who has been reading comic books on a weekly basis since 1977, thinks he's the only rabid comic book fan who intends never to attend a convention.] Originally posted to: http://www.thecomicreader.com/newsmain.htm Copyright 2000 - The Comic Reader, used with permission Having just finished his first year on DC's JSA as half of its writing team (with Geoff Johns as the other half), screenwriter, producer and comic book writer, David S. Goyer took time out of his heavy load to chat with TCR via quick e-mail interview. We ran the full gamut of topics and not only comic books since Davidăas the interview I think will proveăis a fellow of many talents (in addition to being the screenwriter for The Crow: City of Angels and Blade I and II as well as several other films). I want to thank David for sharing his time and thoughts with TCR. --Tim O'Shea TCR: What skills honed as a screenwriter and producer do you think help you in comic book writing and vice versa? GOYER: Having done so many screenplays (30 by my count now) has simply allowed me to have a lot of experience with story telling. It means that I've developed a fair amount of short-cuts, etc. in my writing style. I can write/think faster. As a producer, I've been able to develop some "people skills," which is important because in comics you work with a team -- editor, artist, inker, etc. You need to be able to communicate with people -- to listen to their gripes or ideas. To make them feel like they are a valued part of the whole team (which, of course, they are). A comic team is a bit easier, though, than having to wrangle a film crew of 3 to 400 people! TCR: I once read that you sometimes do major research before writing a story (for example, in one of the JSA one-shots you had a scene whereăin an effort to scare Japanese troopsăfoxes were sprayed with phosphorescent paint, a true moment you gained from interviewing an OSS operative). Are there other scenes you could point to in JSA where the series reaps the benefits of your penchant for historical accuracy? (I'd just love to know how you got to interview someone from the OSS.) GOYER: I happened to meet a retired OSS agent and plied him with drinks and alcohol. Sometimes I collect stories -- this was one of those instances. I didn't research that scene specifically for the JSA. I'd spoken with him a few years ago -- recorded the conversation and then had it transcribed -- knowing that I'd be using it at some future date. As far as other research gems finding their way into the book goes, though -- I tend to do a lot of web surfing. I never try to take anything for granted. When Dr. Mid-Nite talks about inner-ear disorders, he's referring to real disorders. There's a medical scene coming up in one of the issues and I called a friend of mine who's an oncologist to make the scene more accurate. Also some science-related bits having to do with Mr. Terrific and Jay Garrick -- again, spoke to a few scientists. It doesn't have to take hours and hours of research -- sometimes, just a few well-placed phone ccalls will give the comic that veneer of authenticity. TCR: A couple of JSA character questions. You once expressed an interest in utilizing Liberty Belle, any chance that could happen in the near to long term, or are there too many other stories you want to tell before then? Also anyone that read JSA 10, which pitted an injured Wildcat alone against the new Injustice League, can tell you love writing Ted Grant. Ever considered doing a WILDCAT miniseries? GOYER: I don't think we'll be seeing Liberty Belle anytime soon now -- our plans have changed and our dance card is pretty filled up through the third year. As for Ted Grant, I love writing him and usually end up writing his scenes. Geoff and I tend to split up the script in terms of characters rather than specific scenes. More often than not, I write Mid-Nite, Terrific, Wildcat, and Black Canary. More often than not, he writes Star Spangled Kid, Atom Smasher, and Jay Garrick. It's not a die-hard rule, of course, but it seems like we end up doing things that way fairly often. As far as a Wildcat mini goes, probably not in the cards for the foreseeable future. I think Ted works better as a straight man to other heroes. TCR: This fall you're going to be involved with a new FOX series, Fearsum, which the network states will be a show that exists both on TV and on the web, "allowing series viewers to delve further into the show's mythology via the website." Would you ever consider doing something like that with a comic book project? GOYER: Regarding Fearsum. I co-wrote the pilot with Gregg Hale, the producer for The Blair Witch Project. Also had a hand in creating the website that will be integrated with the show. Talking to a number of different companies about doing some web-based projects but I'm just really getting my feet wet right now. I can't really see myself having the time to integrate a website to an ongoing comic book, but you never know. I enjoy working in film, television, comics, and now interactive media so we'll see. TCR: A look at your Internet Movie Database (IMDb) bio reveals that on top of such screenwriting successes as Dark City and Blade, you were also the writer of FOX's 1998 TV-movie Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD. In addition, I once read that you also have an unproduced Dr. Strange script. I mention Fury and Strange to lead to my question -- would you ever consider writing either (or any) title for Marvel? And are there any other DC or Marvel characters you'd like to tackle? GOYER: I have no interest in writing a Dr. Strange or Nick Fury comic book. Writing the scripts was fun (even though the Fury telefilm was only mediocre). The greatest compliment Stan Lee ever gave me was when he called me up to tell me how much he enjoyed the Nick Fury teleplay. Fury is one of those "second-tier" characters that I always felt worked better as a guest-star or as the subject of a one-shot or mini-series. Like Hawkman or the Atom, Fury has never seemed to be able to retain his own title for very long. As far as Dr. Strange goes, I like dabbling in magic, but I wouldn't want to have to script the adventures for something like that on a monthly basis. Again, Dr. Strange is a difficult character to writer for week after week. I thought it might be fun to write the Hulk, since that was my favorite character as a kid. But so far, no one at Marvel Comics has even approached me to write one of their books -- which is odd, given that I do so much film work for them. DC actually contacted me about writing a comic for them -- and I have the opposite issue with them. I've yet to write an adaptation of a DC comic. Been offered a few (Steel, for one -- and thank God I passed). Not sure who I would be interested in if I were to write another DC book. The fun for me on JSA is that these are largely characters I grew up with. I'm getting to play with the toys I've admired all these years. In that sense, I'm less interested in writing a creator-owned character. I also like the challenge of taking a potentially shop-worn title like the JSA and making it viable once again. TCR: Given that I once read you disliked the way ZERO HOUR killed some of the original JSA, would you ever consider doing a TIMES PART type story with them? GOYER: We have a Times Past story happening in issue #18, drawn by Steve Yeowell. There will be others, time permitting (pun intended). TCR: In a recent interview you described Atom Smasher as the heart of JSA. When you killed Atom Smasher's mother in issue 11, you might say that you ripped the "heart" right out of the JSA. Do you plan to have Al substantially changed by this event or merely work through his grief in the next few issues? GOYER: Al will definitely be changing as a result of the events in issues #11-12. Physically and emotionally. And as you've stated -- if Al if the heart of the JSA and the team's heart has undergone such emotionally trauma -- how does this bode for the team as a whole? TCR: Is the way the JSA writing duties divvied up much the same way for you and Geoff Johns as they were when you and James Robinson were writing it together (in #1-5), or is it vastly different? GOYER: Geoff and I plot each issue together, then divide up the script. We write our halves individually, give each other notes, then marry and polish the completed script together. TCR: Do you think the release of this summer's X-Men movie and the 2001 release of your Blade 2 will help bolster new interest in comics? GOYER: Since the first Batman film, there has been continued interest in comics characters with regards to Hollywood. The actual industry is another question entirely. The problem is, we have a contracting market. At the moment, a lot of comics are just being published as loss leaders for potential film/interactive projects. I think that the publishers on a whole are not doing a great job in terms of reaching a broader audience. They are largely preaching to the converted -- instead of trying to figure out ways to generate new excitement and new readers, they are squabbling over the same 60,000-100,000 reader base. TCR: Are there any upcoming projects that you'd like to discuss that I may have not asked you about? GOYER: My upcoming projects include Blade 2, which will begin pre-production this summer. We are also in talks with Marvel, New Line, etc, about a re-working of my old Ghost Rider script. I have a number of non-comics based scripts in the fire -- a few for me to direct. One that is based on a Neil Gaiman short story. Also been talking to Marvel about producing and over-seeing some of their film/TV projects. No other comics work -- just struggling to meet my deadlines on the JSA. I do think, however, that there has been a bit of press prejudice regarding the book. It doesn't get nearly the press that JLA does, but it is still consistently one of DC's top five selling books. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] THOUGHTS TO BE HEARD Jeff Clifford proton5@aol.com A lot going on out there in the comic book world, as usual. I love comics, they let those of us not lucky enough to work in the comic industry a chance to escape from the reality of their everyday jobs. I work as a Health Physicist, which is sometimes cool, but I wish I could make up science technology, like they do in comic books. Although, a lot of what got me interested in science were the comic books of the 60's, especially Flash and Atom. Does anybody remember Flash facts? Scientific facts usually involving velocity concepts. The great writer John Broome used to throw in a lot of science fact in his Flash stories. Take a classic from 1965: Flash # 155,The Gauntlet of Super Villains. Mysteriously Pied Piper, The Top, Captain Cold, Heatwave, Captain Boomerang and Mirror Master are teleported from prison and all end up at the costume shop that makes their costumes. They decide to band together and kill Flash. Flash escapes from them and follows a trail of radiation to the gorilla cage at the zoo. He also receives a telepathic message from the leader of Gorilla City that Gorilla Grodd (the super-intelligent evil Gorilla) has switched his mind with the gorilla at the zoo. Flash defeats his rogues gallery villains using scientific velocity physics but Grodd's radiations weakened Flash every time he fought the villains, which is why Grodd teleported the villains from prison in the first place. It looks bad for Flash until the female gorilla from the zoo, mad at her boyfriend (the gorilla Grodd exchanged minds with) and attacks him. That breaks Grodd's mental concentration and Flash is able to beat him to a pulp using his super speed punches. Needless to say, Flash returns the villains to prison, and the scientists of Gorilla City use their "special science" to return Grodd's mind to his own body. Hooray! With an interesting blend of science fact and fiction a way cool story is created. Great job, John Broome! And of course, the usual fantastic artwork of Carmine Infantino. Silver age rules! Paul Roberts' a big snooze! It's here! The blockbuster cross-over you've been waiting your whole life for! Yes. it's Superman and Bugs Bunny! When that wacky imp from the fifth dimension, Mr. Mxyzptlk, hooks up with the last of the Do-Do's and do some interdimensional teleporting, wacky fun ensues as Looney Tunes hooks up with the JLA. Yes it's Mr. Mxyzptlk vs. Foghorn Leghorn, Duck-Tagnan and the Tazmanian Devil; Green lantern vs. Marvin the Martian, Flash eats Speedy Gonzales' dust, Plastic Man fends off Pepe Le Pew's romantic advances, and Batman survives a chilling encounter with the only Penguin born in Hoboken: Chilly Willy! Not just a one-shot, but a four-part mini-series! Also read part 1 of Before the Fantastic Four: Grimm and Logan four-part mini-series, great read as we run into Logan, Ben Grimm, Carol Danvers, Tony Stark and Colonel Nick Fury. It didn't look like Nick has an eyepatch, which is incorrect, since he lost his eye while he was a sergeant in World War II. They (Logan, Grimm and Carol Danvers) embark on a secret mission over soviet air-space, have to wait for part 2 to find out if they survive a Soviet missile attack and Logan's mission objective. Two fist fights between Grimm and Logan, one because Grimm buzzed Logan's sports car in his plane and the other because Logan suspected Grimm of being a soviet spy (yeah, right). Remember when Wolverine slashed the Thing's face with his adamantium claws so bad he had to wear a helmet? The artwork could have been better, I'm becoming increasingly disappointed by great stories being marred by poor cartoony artwork. JLA, Batman and Iron Man prove you can have both great writing and artwork. Cartoony artwork has it's place, but not with the mainstream superheroes. Top Cow, Image and Crossgen have great artists. I don't understand why DC and Marvel have poor artwork on some of their better titles. Speaking of great writing and artwork, check out JLA # 43 written by Mark Waid (new JLA writer) and Howard Porter, Ra's Al Ghul unleashes a fiendish plot designed to lower the world's population and destroy the JLA! He starts off by preoccupying Batman by stealing his parents graves! boo, hiss! After a long stint on Flash, it looks like Waid is ready for a great run on JLA. Was lucky enough to get an advance copy of Mystic, from Cross-Gen Comics, the new creator owned company, written by Ron Marz (former Green Lantern writer), pencilled by Brandon Peterson and inked by John Dell, Looks like a great series and the artwork is out of this world, literally. A world of sorcery, magic and guilds and a reluctant hot-bodied guild master. Check it out on June 7! Another month for the X-Men movie, hope it's better than the rumors that have been circulating. Have a great summer and read those comics! Pick up some silver age if you get a chance and go to a Comic Book Convention if you get the opportunity, they're great fun! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Sound & Fury Craig Lemon Craiglemon@aol.com Here's a question doing the rounds on some mailing lists at the moment. Imagine you've been stranded on a desert island, with just one comic for reading material. Anything comic related is allowed, with just a couple of provisos - page count must NOT exceed 80 pages, and the comic must have been published somewhere under one cover (so you can't select four issues of one title and elect to bind them together, sorry). Tough question, one comic, less than 80 pages. Here were my thoughts: Nearly choose "I Die At Midnight" by Kyle Baker, to cheer me up. A very funny one-off GN by DC's Vertigo imprint, 64 pages of more like cartoons, which text usually running along the bottom of each picture. Seriously considered "The Killing Joke" by Moore and Bolland, just one of my favourite Batman stories ever. Now out in it's, I don't know, tenth printing? more? it's the definitive origin of the Joker and very stylish. Or "The Dark Knight Falls" (book four of 'The Dark Knight Returns') by Miller and Janson, for the upbeat ending and the old Batman-Unaged Superman fight. A real classic, more commonly available as the collected TPB, but individual copies of the issues are still around in some places. Almost took one of Alan Moore's Swamp Things, published by DC in the 80s, the one where Lex Luthor designs that huge mother of a gun that blows Swampy away. You really feel that this time there is no coming back for Swampy, that's he's finally been blown away from the face of the earth - which, of course, he had. Close to the wire went Cerebus 183, where Dave Sim went off the deep end about women, but also contained the classic lines about lying about continuing Cerebus to issue 300, and that 200 would be finito. I can't express the shock this produced on first reading - there I was, having following the title for 70-80 consecutive months, having picked up the back issues, looking forwards to another 117 of them, when the bombshell dropped. Of course, in true comic book tradition things are back to normal by the end of the comic! Very close was Superman Annual 11, "For The Man Who Has Everything" by Moore and Gibbons, 40 pages of beautiful Superman wish fulfillment. An excellent story, not so accessible for people who know very little about Supes, but very well done nonetheless. But, the winner, by a nose, was the two-part (and I claim the published edition containing both parts to be eligible) story in Superman 423 and Action Comics 583. The story concludes the first version of Superman's life, before DC and John Byrne did the big reboot, and concludes it in style. Nothing published in the Superman family of titles since has come close to the standard this story set, and precious few other stories have either. Do yourself a favour and track this down in your local comic shop, and enjoy. OK, you've seen my rejections and the final winner - what about yours? ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Great Googaly Moogaly Chad Trout cct107@psue.edu This is the Fifth title this column has had this week. I just decided to change it and came up with several possibilities. Of course I tried to get input from my friends, who couldn't agree on anything. I ended up going with this one because it made me laugh when I initially read it. It's a line that appears in last weeks Liberty Meadows. I can't remember where it originally comes from though. I know I've heard before. Books of Lore: Storyteller #3 comes out this Wednesday, so be on the look out for it. Next week will be Books of Lore week here. I really like the stuff they have done and Philip Xavier is amazing as an artist. I plan on reviewing the whole Storyteller mini, plus an assortment of others. I had intended to review Black Panther last week, but I forgot to take it with me when I went to write the reviews. It is here this week though. Black Panther - "Retribution" Marvel Comics - 2.50 Writer - Christopher Priest Pencils - Sal Velluto Inker - Bob Almond Lettering - Sharpefont & PT Colors - Steve Oliff Editor - Tom Brevoort Chief - Bob Harris Summary: This is the finale confrontation between Killmonger and Black Panther for now, but you just know there is another coming. The ramifications of what T'Challa did to stop Killmonger's play for power and the hatred these two feel for each other are explored. This confrontation has been building for a few issues and is nicely climaxed here. Oddly enough T'Challa is NOT the king of Wakanda right now. Everett K. Ross is king, which I found widely amusing. Moon Knight shows up, which is nice because I really like him. He doesn't do much here, but it seems like he could be around for awhile I have not read Priest since he wrote The Ray for DC in the early 90's. You could say I held a grudge against him for ruining a favorite character of mine. I have tried other books by him, but I was never able to get into any of them, which I think was do to the cloud that hung over his name. On this book though, Priest has done a terrific job of taking third rate character and making him fascinating! Now if he could only go fix the Ray! Discussion: The problem I have reading this book is that I don't know the history of Killmonger and T'Challa, but enough back story is given that it's not really a problem. The difference and the similarities between the two characters are brought to light during the breaks in their fight. I was surprised at the ruthlessness that the panther used to protect his kingdom. Basically he plunged the whole world into an economic crisis to stop Kilmonger. That doesn't exactly sound like a hero to me, but it does sound like something a King would do to protect his kingdom and his people. I like that this aspect seems to be played up during this run, because it makes the Panther a more interesting character. Every appearance I have seen of the Panther before has shown him to have above peak human ability in most things. I wasn't sure so I checked with the Wakanda Embassy (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/2888/ ). It turns out he also has a gifted intelligence and enhanced senses. Priest has given T'Challa a higher level of technology that he hasn't had before. I think this is a good move because Wakanda is supposed to be the most technologically advanced nation on Earth. So he should be putting that technology to use. Not only that but those daggers just look cool! One problem I had with this book is that you need to read at least 4 issues before you understand what the heck is going on. I did enjoy the way the story was told, because it was unique. I don't think every issue needs to be reader friendly, but even after I obtained several issues I still had trouble figuring out where the story stood or what was going on. I heard that Black Panther is supposed to go to a more linear story telling. I wish it wasn't because I like this experiment, but I think it may be out of hand. It may be that I need more of the issues for it to make sense too. Overall I like the experiment, even if it needs fine-tuning. Recommendation: Read this comic! This was the first comic in a long time that made me go out and hunt down back issues immediately! A couple issue of this comic may be needed to help get you to the point where you understand what is going on, but it is well worth it. The web page I gave earlier has a lot of good info if you have questions about anything. Supernatural Law - "Black Market Souls" Exhibit A Press - $2.50 Writer/Artist Batton Lash Editor - Jackie Estrada Summary: Mrs. Preiss enlist the help of Wolff and Byrd to sue her husband. She is already separated from him, but she wants him to release the soul of her lover, who she had an affair with while she was married. Of course her husband is a mad scientist who has learned to capture souls and sell them to needy people. Discussion: I hate lawyer shows, but I love this comic. This is usually a solid read every time it comes out, but this time I had a feeling of sameness! This book reminded me of that episode from HBO's Tales From the Crypt show. It doesn't have anything in common, except that they both capture souls, but it did remind me of it. Batton Lash's art is always a pleasure and he is only one of two artist that I would rather see in black and white than color. (Next week I will review the other artist) This story does have some nice twist in it. At the beginning I thought something happened to the husband, but not till the end does anything happen to him. The beginning was actually the most suspenseful part of the book. Once I found out why Mrs. Preiss was there to see Wolff and Byrd, the suspense kind off dies off. That is about the point where I had a good idea of what was going to happen. I really liked the character of Lazlo M. Lowenstein! What a squirrelly little lawyer that man is. He was a nice counter to Mr. Preiss. I did like the fact that Preiss was selling the souls to people who needed a clean slate to get into heaven. It certainly brings up some interesting ideas and its probably better that Lash didn't go there. It works better because it has me thinking of about the possibilities. I like comics that give m something to think about. One thing that really bugged me was Mrs. Preiss meet her lover at work and he worked with her husband. No one is that blind! It came across as being utterly stupid and just bothered me. Recommendation: I liked this issue even though the ending was a bit telegraphed. Having one down issue every now and then is forgivable. I will always recommend this book, but this issue is not one of his best. Batton Lash hasa web page at http://www.exhibitapress.com/ that has information on the book and you can also order from the website if your store can or won't get the book. Superman and Bugs Bunny - "The DC Super Heroes Meet The Looney Tunes" DC Comics - 2.50 Writer - Mark Evanier Layouts - Joe Staton Finishers - Tom Palmer and Mark DeCarlo Letters - Phil Felix Colors - Trish Mulvihill Editor - Joey Cavalieri Summary: The Do-Do bird from that Porky Pig cartoon is looking for people to pull gags on. It seems Wackyland was turned into a gated community with condos. At the same time Mxyzptlk (who henceforth will be referred to as M because I want to be lazy) is sent back to the Fifth dimension by Superman. On the way back he bumps into Do-Do who is traversing through the dimensions looking for someone to play tricks on. M finds out there is a world with no heroes from Do-Do and the mixing of the worlds begin. Discussion: I was wondering how the two worlds were going to mix, but I shouldn't have worried because Evanier has done a fine job of coming up with an entertaining idea. M has always been one of my favorite villains for Superman, so I am glad he is being used. I also have found memories of that Do-Do cartoon with Porky Pig. Another thing I liked is that the Do-Do is in black and white. If you haven't seen the cartoon then this probably doesn't mean anything to you, but I was glad he was kept that way. I enjoyed how Bugs got the Do-Do's dimensional transporter working. I can not believe I didn't see that coming, because it was so obvious. This issue felt very rushed. The first thing is that I wanted to see M explore Looney Land a little more. Within two pages he becomes terribly upset? It just seemed to quick for M. At least we now know more about Taz and his diet! That was my favorite bit in Looney Land. Mark Evanier is really pulling out ALL the Looney characters. I can not believe he even put in the Hoboken-Born Penguin. I love that little guy! Each hero meets a Looney Tunes character and that's it? I would have liked to see some interaction between them. I know that will come, but the book had the feeling of being a bunch of one-page gags put together. I hope the rest of the mini reads better. Recommendation: My wife loved this book! Now she doesn't really read comics, but she likes the Looney Tunes characters. I enjoyed this and will be buying the rest of the series. Got something to say? email cct107@psu.edu ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] 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.] WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN MAY REVEAL SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF PLOTS OR ENTIRE PLOT DEVELOPMENTS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. MOE Sidenote: New at A1 Comics are the following comics: Fear Effect #1 by Image; Mostly Wanted #1 by Wildstorm; Crime Patrol #3 by EC Comics; Charm School #1 by SLG; Comic Book Artist #8; Comics International #120; Simon Archer - Fab Facts; Hackmasters of Evernight - Kenzer and Company; Parts Unknown - Killing Attractions by Image; Spookgirl #2; Aqua Knight by Viz Comics, Tokyopop Issue 3-9; Terry Moore's Paradise by Abstract Studio; Neil Gaiman's - Only the End of the World Again and a whole lot more! For more information on any of the above mentioned titles, you can contact Brian Peets, owner of A1 Comics at: A1Comics@quiknet.com or A1Comics@a-1comics.com MOE Sidenote: At Broadway Comics & Cards are the following comics that caught my eye: Supergirl #46 (incredible ending with Blithe being rescued by a man/horse winged creature named Andy), Wolverine #152, Lazurus #5 by DC Comics, Hawkshaws by Image, Buffy the Vampire Slayer #21 by Dark Horse Comics, The Authority #15 by Image Comics, Catwoman #82 (trouble with the women inmates at Cinque Center!) and a whole lot more! For more information about any of these comic books, you can contact Wilson Lew, owner of Broadway Comics & Cards at: wilsonlew@sprintmail.com Name: Prophecy of the Soul Sorcerer #2 Publisher: Arcane Comics Written by: Eric Dean Seaton Drawn by: Patrick Blaine/pencils Mark Stegbauer/inks Price: $2.95 Comments: What this comic book has is very original characters. I absolutely love Elijah Alexander aka Nighthawk the Soul Sorcerer. We need something fresh and this comic book is exactly that...fresh! Standing ovation to Eric Dean Seaton for a well told and thought out story! The artwork is 'knock-em'-dead gorgeous! Spectacular details and stunning colors. The centerfold was exceptionally spectacular. I see this story is going to be a wild ride as Noah Gwbelloa is looking for the 5 Horsemen. It will be interesting to watch the character development on all of the main characters, so far everything is unfolding smoothly. Also, there is plenty to analyze and study as the story slowly unravels. It will be interesting to see the level of magical powers on each character introduced in this comic book. With shape shifters and Death Soul Warriors lurking about, how can you go wrong with this comic book? I enjoy hearing the origin of the soul sorcerers, as they are an ancient race of warrior magicians from Nubia. There is much to tell, as one day as this series continues, the creator can take us back into time and we can witness the soul warriors for ourselves. Biblical events are being set in motion as it was mentioned that our own world will change due to the events that are unfolding. This comic book is definitely a 'heavy hitter'. Name: Superman and Bugs Bunny #1 of 4 Publisher: DC Comics Written by: Mark Evanier Drawn by: Tom Palmer and Mike DeCarlo Price: $2.50 Comment: When I first saw Superman and Bugs Bunny #1 by DC Comics. The first thing I thought was...'how in the world did this crossover take place?' Then of course Mr. Mxyzptlk is involved and anything can happen. In the movie "Who Killed Roger Rabbit?" I thought all 'toons' lived in Toon Town? In this story the Warner Brothers toons have their own separate reality - world and universe? But of course again, anything can happen in the reality of toons and their own reality can perhaps go from Toon Town to a separate universe. Mr. Mxyzptlk like always is causing havoc and this time is creating a strip mall through Superman's city. Superman who isn't stressed over this matter, is able to trick Mr. Mxyzptlk and send him back to his own dimension. While Elmer Fudd hunts down Bugs Bunny, other events take place and a strange character 'Do-Do' bumps into Mr. Mxyzptlk while dimension hopping. From there, Mr. Mxyzptlk learns about the world of toons and has an anvil dropped on him by Daffy Duck and has other mishaps all caused by toons! Of course about this time, I'm laughing my head off at the zaniness of this story! What a good way to bring in young readers than by crossing over DC main characters with cartoon characters! Now Do-Do and Mr. Mxyzptlk have created a gateway to both worlds and the universe of DC will never be the same again as Flash runs next to Speedy Gonzales and Plastic Man goes through a harrowing ordeal with a certain skunk toon! Watch out for the invasion of the cartoon characters! It's interesting to note that this isn't the first crossover for these characters. Superman has been seen on Cartoon Network crossing over with many toons, including Warner Brothers toons. This is truly a delightful read for the whole family - I truly recommend it to everyone! Name: The Gear Station #2 Publisher: Image Written by: Dan Fraga, Janak Alford and Ford Lytle Gilmore Drawn by: Dan Fraga. Price: $2.50 Comments: Standing ovation to Dan Fraga, Janax Alford, Ford Lytle Gilmore for bringing this comic book to life! What an incredible read! What did I love about this comic book? Easy question. The story is powerful and strong and heads down a direction with a purpose! The artwork is state-of-the-art! The colors, the honed details, the mega-spectacular cover, etc. If someone wants high quality, top notch artwork and story, then this is the comic book to pick up! Anyway, I think I said enough, let's talk about the story. Right from the start the story is exciting as Darwin trespasses into the 'forbidden grounds - Pariahian Forest' to gather grakata gems tthat possess magic. Rust Troopers who don't favor fairies or even 1/2 fairies go after Darwin with a vengeance. Darwin is well-seasoned warrior and charges up her Grakatan staff and eliminates those Rust Troopers! Her agility and fighting ability is amazing and being an action kind of guy, I was tuned into the story immediately! There is so much going on as the 23rd gear must be given to the righteous ones, so the Kingdom can be restored. Loved the character Mirata - the blue haired lady! This woman is not only a great brawler, but she carries herself with dignity and is sassy with her tongue! She could probably carry-on as a spin-off with her own title, due to her magnetism that attracts readers like myself! I like the bit of side humor as Arthur doesn't like being called a 'boy' by Darwin. The Healing Chamber was depicted well, it was impressive, lots of details. It's interesting on how the Healing Chamber can expedite the healing process by 100 fold, but yet its not perfect. The cliffhanger had me clinging onto the edge of my seat, as Bryce must be trained to become champion for the Kwan Tournament, because the world is in the balance! The Gear Station #2 was everything I wanted and more! Keep up the good work! Name: Supernatural Law #26 Publisher: Exhibit A Press Written and Drawn by: Batton Lash Price: $2.50 Comments: Loved the parody of Vincente aka Vincent Price. The story had some dramatic overturns as Edith and Vincente are going through their marital problems. Problems that range from Edith having an affair with David (Vincente's employee), Vincente not giving Edith the needed attention that she needs, because he is obsessed with his work and finally Vincente who murders David due to his jealousy of the affair. These are strong grounds for divorce. The story becomes quite creepy as the medium brings back the deceased David who tells Edith on how Vincente is selling souls through the blackmarket. It's interesting on how Vincente has discovered that the soul resides at the base of the pineal gland, perhaps he's not too far off as our own scientists try to discover what the soul really is and where it is located on the human body. My theory is that the soul is the electrical aura of the body and when we die, the aura detaches from the corpse and moves on to an energy dimensional reality where there is no matter, but everything is created from pure energy. My theory and I'm getting a bit off track. Vincente doesn't stop collecting souls from just ordinary folks, but collects souls from celebrities and politicians. I wonder if he has the soul of Huey Long? Alanna and Jeff put up a good argument to free the souls and I like the way Alanna lays out the facts that Vincente and the judge belong to the same social club. Great ending as Vincente loses face in court and kicks the bucket and because he doesn't admit to his wrongs, he is now headed for the parking lot of lost souls...poor Vincente. M.O.E. Sidenote: New at Broadway Comics and Cards are the following comics: City of Silence #1 by Image, Blood Legacy #2 by Top Cow, The Nevermen #2 by Dark Horse Comics, Lucifer #3 by Vertigo, X-Men the Movie - Prequel by Marvel Comics, Wonder Woman #158 by DC Comics, Christopher Hart's Portable Action Hero, Breakfast After Noon, Wildcats #12 by Wildstorm and a whole lot more. For more information, you can contact Wilson Lew, owner of Broadway Comics & Cards at: wilsonlew@sprintmail.com Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time....... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] 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 BBS 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'S favorite motivational phrase is, "BEHOLD THE TURTLE, HE ONLY MAKES PROGRESS WHEN HE STICKS HIS NECK OUT!"] CROSSGEN COMICS - PREVIEW EDITIONS 32 pages (Sigil 38), full color, $2.95/$4.25 CAN All available in June, 2000 cover dated July CrossGeneration Comics Inc. 4023 Tampa Road, Suite 2400 Oldsmar, FL 34677 http://www.crossgen.com info@crossgen.com The FOUR main titles in the CrossGen Universe debut this month, one per week staring with MYSTIC this week. I received all four advanced copies for review - despite my rather lukewarm review of the CROSSGEN CHRONICLES. I read them all in one sitting and here then is the good, the bad and the ugly, so to speak. They all have the same opening sequence: a view from space of the planet involved in that book. There are two sets of eyes floating as if to represent two cosmic beings and a dialogue is taking place among the two. They speak how the worlds are losing their vital energy and the FIRST are doing nothing about it. They need to be moved to action. One urges the other to mark one or two on each world with the sign, the sigil of power (sort of a yin/yang design) to have them re-ignite the forces needed in these dying worlds. The next splash show a scene from the planet of that book's characters and is followed by another page of common dialogue to each of the four books, claiming the newly marked will stoke the fires of Cross-Generation. This is an okay device to tie things together. You are left to wonder who these beings are and if there are deeper meanings in their words. If you are able to follow what it is they are implying then you better understand the impact the sigil mark will have on each main character, why they are chosen, and what they will do with their newly found power. MYSTIC (debuts June 7) Writer - Ron Marz Pencils - Brandon Peterson Inks - John Dell Colors - Andrew Crossley Letters - Dave Lanphear This one turned out to be my favorite and a good starting point. The world is full of magic, so much so that what we would call miracles are everyday occurrences. Two unlike sisters are the main characters. Genevieve has spent her life studying for her ultimate goal to head her guild as its master, one of the seven of the alliance of guilds. Her sister Giselle is more into having fun and being less responsible. They argue about their differences but in the end Giselle settles down to not be a spoiler on her sister's big day - at least not intentionally. At the fatal moment, our mysterious being from the intro places the mark on Giselle and she, not her sister attains the power passed on from the previous master of the guild when the ceremony is disrupted by the sudden emergence of the spirits of power from all the masters. These spirits seek out Giselle as their new host - something that will really piss off her sister, not to mention the 6 other masters. Fortunately she has a cute little pet that may now be her only friend. As I said, this was my favorite. The story was well paced, the characters developed, the situation defined and then the moment of truth ends the first act. Peterson and the rest turn in a superb job on the art, even on this less than finish quality preview - it is vibrant! The package is tight and promises to keep rolling. The only distraction is the oh so convenient ripping of Giselle's clothes as the spirits enter her so her cleavage and navel are exposed, thus determining the costume seen in all the previews. Is the skin necessary? SIGIL (debuts June 14) Writer - Barbara Kesel Pencils - Ben Lai Inks - Ray Lai Colors - Wil Quintana Letters - Dave Lanphear This world is on the edge of interstellar war. Sam and Roiya are adventurers looking for some pseudosaur action - sort of a cock fight with mini dinosaurs controlled by humans in special headgear. Sam tries his luck and behind the scenes the ruler is playing humans against the real Saurians for this world is the cross roads between opposing forces. This sultan has forces that keep the peace and incidentally break up illegal pseudosaur fights. But this night they are looking for a wife of the sultan on the run, one Sam has seen in the crowd. Soon the place is in panic as Saurian forces break the treaty and attack the gaming house - seeking Sam for some reason. As the mysterious women joins with Sam and Roiya in their fight, a misplaced Saurian distracts Sam and Roiya receives a fatal blow. If we look close, the blow was struck while Sam was getting the sigil from the Saurian who is not a Saurian. As another joins them the four race to Sam's craft and he manifests the first sign of the power as Roiya asks to be let die. This one has an intriguing story with the war between the Saurians and humans being the backdrop. Why they are seeking out Sam in particular is not yet clear. How the power will be used and the cryptic words the giver of the sigil spoke as he passed it on is another mystery. And who is calling Sam's name as he lies on the floor after his burst of power? I just hope Darth Vader doesn't show up before Luke learns how to use the force. . . oops, wrong space opera. Seriously, the story is decent and the art works ok though I did not like it as much as Peterson's on Mystic. Still, it is a nice package and worth looking at. SCION (debuts June 21) Writer - Ron Marz Penciler - Jim Cheung Inker - Don Hillsman Colorist - Caesar Rodriguez Letterer - Dave Lanphear Ethan is a boy Prince about to come of age in his first tournament. This next world is a mix of the elements of chivalry and swords and armor with strange beings that while they walk and talk are less than human - and are treated as the same. Skink, Ethan's servant, is such a genetic aberration, used as a court jester but much more to our hero. How these lesser beings will play in the larger scheme of things remains to be seen - if Marz has any sense he will make something of it. It is apparent there are man fish, dragons as well as some form of man bird beings, and references to the gene-splicers. But for now we are occupied with the upcoming tournament and the history behind it. It is a ritual perpetuated since the days of his ancestor who fought to a standstill with his opponent on Tournament Island. On the way, he too is grabbed on the arm by a stranger and receives the sigil of power. However it may be a curse to him. While he fights his fight it activates though his sword and causes an unhealable scar. this is unheard of in the rules - since the gene-splicers can heal most cuts. An illegal weapon, it is assumed by the judge, loses him the contest, gets him censured, and perhaps creates a deadly enemy of his opponent. Once again, Marz provides good opening scenarios and character development. There is much to build on and from the peak in CROSSGEN CHRONICLES it won't be long before things heat up. The art is up to snuff with great production values all around. I am looking for some good things to happen here - everything is present if they run with it. MERIDIAN (debuts June 28) Writer - Barbara Kesel Penciler - Joshua Middleton Inker - Dexter Vines Colorist - Michael Atiyeh Letterer - Dave Lanphear The final world of the four is one of island cities, islands that float. Seph lives on one of the best known for its quality work, Meridian. The islands trade with each other - trying to survive in a delicate balance of resources and skills. Her father, Turos rules Meridian while her uncle Ilahn oversees Cadador. In a secret moment the brothers talk of Turo's failing health and Ilahn's desire to join forces of the two cities (obviously to gain power) before his brother dies. He yearns for more than Turos who wants the simple life and joy in achievement for his subjects. As they argue over this issue again - the sigil giver, in the form of a bird, touches them both but the strain is too much for the kindly Turos. As he collapses, his daughter discovers him and crying over his body the sigil is passed on to her. Now, with his brother dead, Ilahn finds the sigil gave him a destructive power. Fearing that Seph has gained power he sends the person who helped him do in his brother to stop her before she finds out. However, the power saves her from the assassin, though not immediately from the machinations of her uncle. This too has all the production values and great look of a well crafted comic. You would expect as much from any comic with a $3 tag, but sometimes they fall short. The dual sigil bearers of this title, and how the powers may interact is intriguing as the plotting of the evil uncle to gain power over the city island he covets. Good strong plotting and well crafted characters seem to be the norm at Crossgen! LAST WORD: I found most of these titles good strong beginning efforts, with SIGIL perhaps the least appealing due to a bit more different art and not as interesting, to me, backstory. With these "new universe" launches it takes time to build on the individual stories and inevitable to the interaction they may later have. We already see the common element of the giving of the Sigil and the reference to the other beings known as THE FIRST, which will be the fifth title to launch later. Whether the line can capture enough of the audience to remain viable long enough to gain the momentum is the gamble they take. They have plotted an interesting enough course it seems. The rest is up to you the readers. I recommend you give it a chance. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] New Comic Book Releases List [NCRL] by Charles LePage chuck@comiclist.com +++WINNER OF THE 1996 REC.ARTS.COMICS.* "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE+++ http://www.comiclist.com New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, / /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 Tuesday evening, at http://www.comiclist.com and other places. You can receive this list each Tuesday via email by following the instructions at the web site, or you can email NCRL-subscribe@egroups.com PLEASE NOTE- Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. Let CHARLES know if any of the names or numbers are wrong. chuck@comiclist.com (Charles LePage) PUBLISHERS: If you know when your comics are going to be available through Diamond, please email chuck@comiclist.com so that he can place your comics on the appropriately dated list. Thanks! "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 AAA POP COMICS Atomics #6, 2.95 AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Skeleton Key Vol 5 Roots, 12.95 Sleeping Dragons #1, 2.95 Slave Labor Peepshow Vol 2 #7, AR ANTARCTIC PRESS Gold Digger Vol 9 TPB, 12.95 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Archie Digest #173, 2.19 Archies Vacation Special #8, 2.49 Betty #88, 1.99 Cheryl Blossom #33, 1.99 CHAOS! COMICS Counter Strike #1 (Of 4), 2.50 CPM MANGA Dark Angel #14, 2.95 Geobreeders #16, 2.95 Lodoss War Grey Witch #20, 2.95 Martian Successor Nadesico #12, 2.95 CROSSGEN COMICS Sigil #1, 2.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Battle Gods Warriors Of The Chaak #3 (Of 9), 2.95 Masakazu Katsuras Shadow Lady Sudden Death (2 Of 5) #21, 2.50 DC COMICS Adventures Of Superman #581, 2.25 Azrael Agent Of The Bat #67, 2.50 Batman Huntress Cry For Blood #3 (Of 6), 2.50 Books Of Magic Vol 6 The Burning Girl TPB, 17.95 Brass #1 (Of 6), 2.50 Creature Commandos #4 (Of 8), 2.50 Detective Comics #747, 2.50 Dreamer SC, 7.95 Gen Active #2, 3.95 Hourman #17, 2.50 Impulse #63, 2.50 JLA Annual #4, 3.50 Millennium Edition Wonder Woman 1St Series #1, 3.95 Realworlds Superman, 5.95 Relative Heroes #6 (Of 6), 2.50 Scooby-Doo #37, 1.99 Stars And Stripe #13, 2.50 Steampunk #4, 2.50 Superman Adventures #46, 1.99 Superman Gen 13 #3 (Of 3), 3.50 Swamp Thing #4, 2.50 Transmetropolitan #35, 2.50 Vertigo Secret Files Hellblazer #1, 4.95 FANDOM, INC Gear Station Prelude Exclusive, 5.00 IMAGE COMICS Chassis #4, 3.50 Chassis Variant Cvr #4, 3.95 Crimson Plague #1, 2.95 Empire #1, 2.50 F5 #2, 2.95 Fathom HC, 39.95 Kin #4, 2.95 Red Star #1, 2.95 Savage Dragon Vol 6 Gang War TPB, 16.95 Tomb Raider #6, 2.50 Witchblade Convention Poster #1, AR IRONCAT Futabakun Change Vol 4 #6, 2.95 Gun Crisis Deadly Curve #4 (Of 4), 2.95 Hyper Dolls Vol 4 #4, 2.95 Ogenki Clinic Vol 6 #2 (adult), 2.95 MARVEL COMICS Avengers Universe #1, 4.99 Black Panther #21, 2.50 Cable #82, 2.25 Fantastic Four #32, 2.25 Generation X #66, 2.25 Iron Man #31, 2.25 Magneto Dark Seduction #3 (Of 4), 2.99 Punisher #5 (Of 12), 2.99 Spider-Girl #23, 2.25 Spider-Man Universe #5, 4.99 X-Force #104, 2.25 X-Men Millennial Visions (One Shot), 3.99 ONI PRESS INC. Blair Witch Chronicles #3 (Of 4), 2.95 TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS Bughouse GN, 14.95 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Animerica Extra Vol 3 #7, 4.95 Dragonball Part 3 #1 (Of 14), 2.95 Pokemon Advs Part 2 #5 (Of 6), 2.95 WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT Wizard Presents Inpower Pokemon Cover #4, 4.99 Wizard Presents Inpower Harry Potter Cover #4, 4.99 magazines Comic Book Artist Collection Vol 1, 21.95 Comic Shop News #678, AR NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD RELEASE DATE NEW DATE DARK HORSE Digimon #3 07/12 06/21 Digimon #4 07/26 07/05 DC COMICS Legends of the DC Universe #31 06/21 06/28 Planetary #11 06/14 07/12 Steampunk #5 06/28 07/12 Tomorrow Stories #8 06/07 06/21 Top 10 #9 05/10 07/12 WildCATs: Street Smart HC 06/14 06/21 IMAGE Aria Collected Ed. #1 05/24 06/21 Blood Legacy #3 06/21 Chassis #5 07/05 Cow #1 Spring 00 05/24 06/21 Dark Angel #1 06/21 06/28 Dark Crossings Special: Dark Cloud Rising #1 05/24 06/21 DarkMinds II Poster #1 07/05 DarkMinds Vol II #5 06/28 DFE Chassis Gold Foil Daniel Cover #4 05/31 06/21 Echo #4 06/21 Empire #2 07/05 Fathom #12 05/31 06/21 Gear Station #3 06/28 Geeksville #2 07/05 Hawkshaws #2 06/28 Jinn #2 Holofoil Incentive 06/21 Jinn #3 06/14 06/28 Kin #5 07/05 Lady Pendragon #10 05/24 06/21 Lost Ones #2 05/31 06/21 Neon Cyber #8 06/07 06/21 Nine Rings of the Wu-Tang #4 05/24 06/21 Nine Rings of the Wu-Tang #5 06/14 07/05 Objective Five #1 07/05 Parts Unknown: Hostile Takeover #1 06/07 06/21 Powers #3 06/21 Rumble Girls #2 06/21 Saffire #2 06/07 06/21 Saint Angel #1 06/21 07/05 Sam & Twitch #12 07/05 Savage Dragon #75 07/05 Section Zero #1 06/21 06/28 Shockrockets #3 06/14 06/21 Spawn #97 06/28 Spawn: The Dark Ages #16 06/28 Tomb Raider/Witchblade #1/2 06/07 06/21 Violent Messiahs #1 06/14 06/21 Warlands #7 06/07 06/21 Warlands Chronicles Vol. 2 05/31 06/21 Wicked #5 05/24 06/21 Witchblade #41 06/21 Witchblade Deluxe TPB: Revelations 06/21 Witchblade: Destiny's Child #2 06/21 MARVEL COMICS X-Men: Beginnings TP* 06/28 06/21 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [12] HYPE! Section Various Judd@frumpy.com Hiya gang, long time no hear ( from ME, that is) so ,I thought I'd give an update. I'll keep it quick. No fat, just the lean meat of it. DA BIG NEWS: After a brief five year courtship Pam and I are engaged to be married. The wedding will be next year . Spring or summer. MY OL' BUTT ON TELEVISION AGAIN: I'll be one of the hosts on the REALWORLD/ROAD RULES CASTING SPECIAL. It airs this Tuesday, June 6th, at 10 p.m. (9 central). Come see how bad my hairline has become. BARRY WEEN The BARRY WEEN 2.0 miniseries has met with GREAT success. It's been selling out all over the joint. A trade collection of it will available in November from ONI PRESS. The OFFICIAL home of BARRY WEEN. Also-- T-SHIRTS!! Barry Ween T's will be coming out this summer from GRAPHITTI DESIGNS. Check the website and your local comic store for details. BARRY WEEN is still being batted around Hollywood as an "optioned property". I'll let you know as soon as I do whether lil' Barry will become a TV Show, a movie, or just stay a comic:> PEDRO AND ME: My graphic novel about my friendship with my REAL WORLD roommate Pedro Zamora will be shipping out this August and should hit stores by September. It will be available in all major( and minor) bookstores and comic shops. And anyone attending the San Diego Comic-con or WIZARDWORLD con in Chicago can purchase an advance copy out there. I will have them on hand. In mid-September I will begin a 10 to 15 city tour. I'll be lecturing at High Schools and signing at book stores. If you are affiliated with either, feel free to contact me and we'll add you to the schedule. FRUMPY THE CLOWN The moment many of you have been waiting for-- THE FRUMPY THE CLOWN COLLECTION! Yes, finally collecting my defunct comic strip in two snazzy volumes. Thanks go to the beautiful men of ONI PRESS who have decided to throw this ol' cat a bone and publish the collection so many of you have been bugging me about since I stopped doing the strip. FRUMPY THE CLOWN The Collection. " Freaking out the neighbors" Will be in stores next year. Stay tuned. GREEN LANTERN: I'm the new writer of DC comic's THE GREEN LANTERN. My first issue is number 129 coming out this August. But the same month you'll be able to find another issue of GL by me in the GREEN LANTERN month-long event called CIRCLE OF FIRE. I've written the one called GREEN LANTERN-GREEN LANTERN. It's a team up and that's all I'll say about that. BRAGGING: I've been nominated for my second Eisner, this time the "TALENT DESERVING WIDER RECOGNITION"( The "Bendis" ). And I've been nominated for the RUSS MANNING BEST NEW COMER AWARD. The awards will be given out at the Eisner's at the San Diego comic con this July. That is it, kiddos. I'll send more info as I have. These mailers will be coming more frequently now, please forgive me. take care, hugs and fishes, Judd +++++ INFINITE TALES #2 is on sale now! Don't miss all the thrills and chills as Dick Ayers inks a tale that pays homage to his pre-Marvel days with Lee and Kirby, "No Man Can Stop...Toombora!", written by Lloyd Smith and penciled by Phil Fried. Plus, cosmic hero ULTIMUS debuts courtesy writer Smith and artist JP Dupras; SKYBLAZER returns by Smith with artists Evan R. Driscoll and David Vance; Ed Quinby mixes the supernatural with ...wrestling?!...in "Champion of Light/Champion of Darkness"; Steve Skeates contributes a prose story (with spot illos by Tom Doyle and Larry Blake) entitled "One Simple Ton"; and finally, the team of Dave A. Law and Vatche (Bounties) Mavlian present a tale of sci-fi adventure in SPACE THUNDER. 44 giant pages! Six fantastic stories! Full color flip covers! I.T. #2 is available right now directly from BLUE MOON COMICS for $4.95 (s/h included). Order by visiting our website at http://bluemooncomics.tsx.org or send check or money order (payable to Lloyd Smith) to: BLUE MOON COMICS/HC 66 Box 1448/Barbourville, KY 40906. AND make sure to visit comics legend, and BLUE MOON mainstay, the Fabulous Steve Skeates at Heroes Con Father's Day weekend! Lloyd Smith, Publisher Blue Moon Comics Wanna know what's going on at BLUE MOON COMICS? Check out our website at: http://bluemooncomics.tsx.org INFINITE TALES! Comics done RIGHT by the best and brightest new and pro talents! +++++ News and Press release for Colburn Comics Issue number two of SAMURAI GUARD has been shipped to Diamond on June 6, 2000 as promised by Colburn Comics. Issue number one was first distributed by FM INTERNATIONAL in October 1999, then was relaunched via Diamond and was shipped even before the scheduled shipping date. Which was suppose to be May 2000, but it was shipped in April of 2000. We are striving to Make Samurai Guard a monthly title with the Quality of artwork, color and story that has graced the pages of issue number one and two. Issue number two takes it up a notch with all of the previously mentioned and will continue to do so with every Issue. It may Hit the retail stores Either on the 7th of June or that following Wednesday. Starting in January 2001, Samurai Guard will be Bimonthly. In that Same Year we are hoping to make it a monthly title as more artist come aboard. Kirk Abrigo, Penciller,creator and writer of SAMURAI GUARD has stated, "I will be the penciler for Samurai Guard, No one else. I will commission other artist for the inking and coloring duties for upcoming issues, but I will always pencil and write Samurai Guard." He Also Added that There are some plans for oneshots that other artist will get a chance to collaborate. Before Issue number three Of Samurai Guard Hit the stands, Colburn Comics Has Plans for a trade paperback compiling the first two issues of SAMURAI GUARD along with some behind the scenes sketches and all new pinups from Kirk Abrigo As well as other artists. This is scheduled to Hit the stands in December. A New Inker will take over the inking chores of SAMURAI GUARD from Kirk Abrigo, Starting with issue number three. "This is the first step in a few more to go that leads us on our way to becoming a monthly title," Kirk Stated. This New Inkers Name is Scott Goodell. Scott Has worked on Many independent projects. Even in issue number two of SAMURAI GUARD we get to see just a glimpse of the work between Kirk and Scott As penciler and inker with the pinup they did in that issue. Kirk was quoted as saying "I just did Somewhat of a quick drawing to test Scott out to see how more or less he would ink my pencils. After getting back that Drawing now inked by Scott, I decided that It would be a crying shame if The Fans didn't get to see what Scott Can do with my Pencils before issue number 3 of SAMURAI GUARD. It blew me away. So I hired him.", "Now All we need is Colorist and we might be able to pull of a monthly or 6 week schedule. Our Main Goal is to be A monthly title with the quality of SAMURAI GUARD increasing with every issue." Issue Number 2 of SAMURAI GUARD is also respectfully dedicated to the memory of Steven Hughes, The Chaos comics co-founder and head penciler who passed away this past February. As a promotion for SAMURAI GUARD, we gave out raffle tickets last year for a chance to win a DVD Player; the holder of the winning ticket had until December 1st 1999 to claim the prize. We have changed that and extended the deadline to December 1st 2000. The winning ticket number is posted in Samurai Guard #1, so all of you out there holding those raffle tickets, pick up a copy of Samurai Guard #1, to see if you're the proud new owner of a spanking new DVD player. The Winning Ticket number will also be posted in the Trade Paperback. Kirk Abrigo and Colburn Comics will be appearing at the SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2000 and the Wizard World Chicago Comic-con 2000. We will have issue numbers one and two of SAMURAI GUARD for sale and of course Kirk will be on hand to sign copies for fans. We will also be selling the SAMURAI GUARD LIMITED EDITION ASHCAN which has a totally different cover the first issue. We also be giving away free stuff and also having the Coolest Raffle in Both Cons. Come by the booth to see what we mean when we say "The Coolest Raffles " We Have a website www.colburncomics.com please let everyone know. KuLcom1@aol.com COLBURN COMICS c/o Kirk Abrigo 1112 Prospect Place Brooklyn, NY 11213 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - End of another Issue .. GIVE A KID A COMICC TODAY! 24 hours in a day ... 24 beers in a case ... coincidence?