---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 269 1999 EAGLE AWARD NOMINEE 6/16/2000 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] Ramblings 2000 ........................ Rich Johnston [6] Interview:Karl Kesel .................. Tim O'Shea [7] Sound And Fury ........................ Craig Lemon [8] Great Googaly Moogaly ................. Chad Trout [9] E-Dispatches from the Great White North Jonathan A. Gilbert [10] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [11] My View:THE GENE COLAN ANNUAL.......... David LeBlanc [12] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage ______________________________________________________________________ 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 strips: Steve Conley's ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS DR. CYBORG by Alan Gross & Mike Oeming ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Just a few words this week as I prepare to get things around the house cleaned up and ship shape so that Sunday morning I can whisk the lovely and gracious Diane off to a tropical climate for a few days of much needed vacation for both of us. Have no fear the Emag will be back on time next week as usual. I might emphasize something that people overlook, though it won't do much good. I try real hard each week not to let the focus of this Emag drift off from comic books, and the characters and creators of same. E.G., There is much news these days about Stan Lee and all his web stuff and frankly I have stopped adding those to the weekly news reports. When a famous icon of the comic world begins a new endeavor it is news. When he releases news every week about who he just hired or what toy company will be licensing his online characters - well it is hype for a web business - not news about comic books. When he actually starts putting out some comics, if he ever does, then we will report it and help promote it. By the same token, I am constantly bombarded with requests to promote in the mag, or link to web pages that are not involved in published comics. Some border on it - being based on comics that have gone from print to webisodes. Most are online comic strips - some are even animated. I politely turn back these requests advising those people that we concentrate on the print media and things directly related to those comics - like movie adaptations. We are not interested in promoting people who are great programmers, or electronic artists or animators. Remember it has to be, or have been a comic BOOK! - on PAPER! AND, if you are creating your own comic and plan to market it online don't ask us to link to your page until you have a product we can read on paper. If you are relying on the hope that a spectacular web page will pre-sell the product and ensure your success you will be sadly disappointed. You need to have talent, and perseverance and pay your dues like any other new creator has had to do. A lot of sweat and a few breaks and maybe some luck will get you a chance. So put the effort into getting your product into the hands of those who can get it published and into the hands of potential readers. It needs to be seen, and advertised to dealers who will be willing to put it on the shelf. You won't get enough of those guys relying on a web page. If you have published or even prepublished work you want us to promote we will gladly take a look and give it an honest review. After that we will provide the link without further condition. Just don't put the cart before the horse. Now here are some items to consider at the stores this week: COLBURN COMICS Samurai Guard #2, 2.50 CROSSGEN COMICS Sigil #1, 2.95 DC COMICS JLA Annual #4, 3.50 Realworlds Superman, 5.95 IMAGE COMICS Crimson Plague #1, 2.95 Empire #1, 2.50 <------Pick of the Week Red Star #1, 2.95 MARVEL COMICS X-Men The Movie Rogue Prequel 5.95 X-Men The Movie Wolverine Prequel 5.95 One link we are very glad to add this week is to Bill Knapp's Carbon- Based Books at www.carbonbasedbooks.com. I urge you to follow that link and take a look at FAITH A FABLE, one of the best books I have read in a long time. AND we have a very special new edition on our Online Web Edition hosted by Digital Webbing and that wizard of webdom - Ed Dukeshire. Now, like our other hosted online strip, Astounding Space Thrills, you can enjoy a whole weeks worth of DR. CYBORG by Alan Gross & Mike Oeming. Those of you who have delighted to the Dr.'s adventures in the comic books from Insight Studios will be able to jump right in to his return in this new adventure. The strip runs daily on their site: http://www.insightstudiosgroup.com/fundays/docdex.htm if you can't wait to read the week's worth on Digital Webbing. Of course we will add that link to our CBEM links page. I hope everyone is getting ready to have fun this summer. There are bound to be plenty of good comics to read on those lazy hazy days. Of course the big comic related movie will be the X-MEN, challenging us to see if it can live up to the hype. I'll judge it once I see it, not before, like some folks already have. I'll be back in 7, if they let me back into the country. *8^) David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Editor The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: Letters of comment may be used in future issues of CBEM unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Your Email address and/or name will be withheld upon request. +++++ Subj: COMIC BOOK MOVIES Date: 6/9/00 10:05:11 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: jrbarrett101@yahoo.com (JOHN RANDY BARRETT) I'm starting to get the feeling that the X-MEN movie might just the next summer flop after BATTLEFIELD EARTH. I don't base this on any thing in particular, just a gut feeling. For one thing those uniforms look damn silly, especially on the cover of PREMIERE magazine. What do they have Wolverine wearing? I've also heard that the script leaves something to be desired. Now, I could be wrong and the flick could turn out to be the best super hero movie since Superman II or Batman, but I'm not going to hold my breath. What if the best comics adaptation is Dan Clowes GHOST WORLD! Now, that would be funny. +++++ Subj: media colliding? Date: 6/11/00 4:42:39 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: senft@worldnet.att.net (Donna Ellis € Mitchell Senft) With all this talk of Big Media combining, let's see how it all shapes up in the comics world.... 7th Portal film goes to a former Warner Bros. (DC Comics) exec and now an independent producer based there. Marvel's publisher emeritus takes a freelance gig with DC Comics. One major's figurehead writes (or should that be more like licenses his name??) for "his" company's major competitor -- and "creates" what's likely to be the company's most significant profit source. Presumably. Then again, exactly how well did that Spider-Man bookshelf from a couple of years ago do? A Time Warner film -- "Lord of the Rings" --sells licensing rights to Toy Biz (Marvel). Of course, TW and Toy Biz aren't directly competitive, except the money Toy Biz'll make (this is supposed to be profitable) would aid and abet, ultimately, DC's competitor. I mean, fiscally enfeebled competitor. And Wall Street wonders where's the synergy? Just wondering.... Mitchell +++++ Subj: [MUSKRAT-L] [News Flash] Origins Awards Nominations! From: john@kovalic.com (John Kovalic) Hi Everyone, The 1999 Origins Awards ballot is up and running online. The Origins is the highest award you can get in the gaming industry. Three projects I've worked on are up for awards this year, so I'm pretty psyched. DORK TOWER is up against some very strong competition in the Best Professional Magazine category, while both APPLE TO APPLES and CHEZ GEEK are up against each other in the Traditional Card Game category. It's a great feeling when you put in a lot of work in on something, and it gets recognized by your peers.. However, more importantly these awards are given by the voting public. They mean more when you participate so please take the time, fill out the ballot and vote for the products (whether they be mine or someone else's) that you honestly feel deserve the award. Date: 6/15/00 8:55:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: john@kovalic.com (John Kovalic) As some folks ALSO may have noticed, the GAMA site, where you can vote for the Origins Awards, was down. apparently, GAMA let their domain name expire. Aha. Anyway, if you'd like to vote in the Origins Awards, that site can be found at http://207.138.108.161/academy/academy.html Thanks, John Kovalic Publisher Dork Storm Press Box 45063 Madison, WI 53744 http://www.dorkstorm.com ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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: Which comic does OVERSTREET list as the first BAXTER PAPER as well as the first Deluxe format comic? We had many people guess the same few answers; THE NEW TEEN TITANS, THE LEGION OF SUPER HEROES, and MARVEL FANFARE most often. A few thought CAMELOT 3000 was it, but that was later and on Mando paper. The earliest Baxter paper, Deluxe format comic was STARLORD:THE SPECIAL EDITION in February of 1982. Matt Poslusny of COMIC BOOK PROFILES got it first and wins DC/Marvel Crossover Classics II Trade Paperback from our sponsor. And to celebrate, Matt kindly offered THE GENE COLAN ANNUAL:PAINTING WITH PENCIL as this week's prize. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This week's prize is donated by As You Like It Publications home of COMIC BOOK PROFILES and the GENE COLAN ANNUAL THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Whom did Gene Colan model his Dracula character for Marvel after? 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 EBAY AND WIZARD WORLD LAUNCH CBLDF AUCTION EXTRAVAGANZA This July and August, the COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND will launch not one, but FOUR HUGE COMICS AUCTIONS--three on EBAY and one live at WIZARD WORLD in Chicago. The CBLDF AUCTION EXTRAVAGANZA will feature original comics artwork, signed prints and comics, rare collectibles, toys, and much more. The auction action begins on JULY 13 on eBay and climaxes at Wizard World on AUGUST 5. Visit the CBLDF at http://www.cbldf.org or eBay at http://www.eBay.com for more information. The CBLDF Auction Extravaganza is orchestrated by CHAOS! COMICS publishers BRIAN and FRANCISCA PULIDO, and sponsored by EBAY and WIZARD. Many comics creators and publishers have already come forward to donate items for this special event. Acclaimed author NEIL GAIMAN has very generously given the Fund the leather jacket that he wore during his years writing "Sandman." CBLDF Board Member and comics maverick FRANK MILLER donated the original cover artwork from eight of his legendary superhero comics. There's also original art from ADRIAN TOMINE, JUDD WINICK, STEVE LIEBER, and two unique jam pieces created by all the artists aboard Making Waves, the CBLDF Cruise. And for the serious comics fan, there's a chance to win a cabin for two aboard MAKING WAVES 2001. "Our annual Chaos! auctions at Wizard World have raised thousands for the CBLDF," said Francisca Pulido. "But the wonderful sense of community aboard the Making Waves cruise gave Brian and I the idea that we could do something really special for the auction this year. By opening it up to the entire comics community, we can really make a point about the importance of the Fund to everyone in comics. Once Neil offered his leather jacket, I knew we were on to something. And with eBay pushing this, I know it's going to be a success." The Auction Extravaganza begins with a unique series of FEATURED AUCTIONS on eBay, the world's leading person-to-person online trading community. Each auction lasts 10 days and will include a wide variety of comics items, with starting bids at all price levels. The auctions launch the last three Thursdays in July: JULY 13 (ending Saturday July 22 during Comic-Con International), JULY 20 (ending Saturday July 29), and JULY 27. The last auction concludes on Saturday August 5 and coincides with the LIVE AUCTION at the famed Chaos! Comics Party at Wizard World. "I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this may be one of the biggest events in the history of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund," said CBLDF executive director CHRIS OARR. "It's a real pleasure to work with promotional partners like eBay, Chaos!, and Wizard that are really 100% behind the Fund. And we've gotten a really tremendous show of support from artists, publishers, and collectors willing to contribute to the cause." The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization protecting First Amendment rights in the comics community. Donations and inquiries should be directed to the CBLDF at P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061. For more CBLDF news and information, pick up a copy of "Busted!," the Fund's free quarterly newsletter, or visit the CBLDF web-site at http://www.cbldf.org. For additional information please contact Chris Bleistein at (413) 586-6967 or cbleistein@cbldf.org +++++ GMAI and Metropolis Collectibles Acquire World's Best Collection of 'More Fun Comics' Valued at Nearly $1 Million WEST CALDWELL, N.J., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMAI), together with Metropolis Collectibles, Inc., has announced the purchase of the world's best collection of "More Fun Comics," an individual's private collection valued at nearly $1 million, which includes one comic book valued at more than $200,000, the most expensive comic book ever sold. The unrivaled collection of 120 of a possible 127 issues in the "More Fun" comic book run took six years to put together and contains nearly 70 "Mile High" copies including "More Fun #52, #53, and #54." The "Mile High More Fun #52," as valued in this collection, becomes the most expensive single comic book ever sold, at over $200,000. Other pedigree issues include comics from the "Larson, Rockford and D" collections. Bill Hughes, vice president of Collectibles for GMAI, commented, "Greg Manning Auctions was presented with this opportunity because of our strength and standing in the comic book and comic art market. It is a rare occasion that a collection of this magnitude comes up for sale and we simply could not pass up the opportunity to acquire one of the world's best collections." Vincent Zurzolo, Metropolis vice president, said, "Any one of these books could stand alone as the finest in the world. An entire collection such as this is simply breathtaking." Stephen Fishler, president of Metropolis, stated, "The immaculate condition of this collection is unmatched -- the rich color saturation of the covers, combined with the bright white pages, are a remarkable sight." The majority of the collection will be certified by CGC, a third-party grading and certification company. The collection will be available in upcoming Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. Comic Book and Comic Art Auctions, through Metropolis' website, metropoliscomics.com, and at the upcoming San Diego and Chicago conventions this summer. About Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. (GMAI) is a global eCommerce company and Internet merchant with operations in North America, Asia and Europe. In North America, GMAI is a leading traditional and electronic -- Internet, interactive telephone, and Internet and live simulcast -- auctioneer of collectibles. Coins, stamps, sports cards and memorabilia, comic books and comic art, Rock 'n Roll and Hollywood memorabilia, affordable fine art, and diamonds are offered at www.gregmanning.com , www.teletrade.com and the branded www.gregmanning.amazon.com site on Amazon.com, a minority shareholder. Greg Manning Direct, a wholly owned subsidiary, creates and mass-markets high interest collectibles, targeting beginning collectors. GMAI-Asia.com, Inc., a 48% owned subsidiary, owns and operates a Chinese language cybermall, auction site, and vertical portals in cellular telephones, electronics and collectibles. The site, www.iAtoZ.com , offers over 100,000 diverse items provided by more than 5,000 merchant partners and is supported by more than 660 strategically located Internet shopping and service facilities throughout China's urban centers. GMAI-Europe.com, Inc., a joint venture with Afinsa Bienes Tangibles S.A., of Spain, is targeting European and Latin American markets through its Internet auction portal, www.gmai-europe.com . About Metropolis Collectibles, Inc. Metropolis Collectibles, Inc. is the world's largest vintage comic book retailer. Located in the heart of New York City, the Metropolis showroom houses over 100,000 pre-1975 vintage comic books. The company is a leading seller of vintage movie posters, original comic art, and TV related memorabilia through traditional mail order, a state of the art web site and trade shows. Metropolis Entertainment, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Metropolis Collectibles, Inc. is a licensing company creating characters and story lines for mass market distribution in video games, animation, Hollywood movies, novels, and internet gaming. CONTACT: Janalyn Schreiber, Investor Relations of Greg Manning Auctions, 973-882-0004; Philip Thomas of P.L. Thomas Group, 312-704-1800, for Greg Manning Auctions SOURCE Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. +++++ CROSSGEN COMICS TO EXPAND LINE Fifth Monthly Title Scheduled and Creative Team Hired Contact: Ian M. Feller 813/891-1702 Ian.Feller@CrossGen.com TAMPA, FL., June 7, 2000 - 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. This fifth monthly title will be called The First, named for the god-like characters that will appear within its pages. Originally planned to only appear in the pages of CrossGen Chronicles, these characters will now appear in their own monthly adventures. CrossGen Chronicles #1 introduced a few of the First. This new series will open the door to their world and their ways as seen through the eyes of two characters fated to clash. Persha, whose dark eyes see more than vision, and Seahn, whose ambition could bring down both Houses. This race of beings, the First, held power over all. Worlds were created at their hands, and their only threat was each other. Now the twin towers of the old city and the new city, separated by the eidolon rift, are united in a new anxiety; the ennui of centuries has catalyzed into fear with the discovery of the Sigil-Bearers. The First have just discovered they are not the only...and hints that they might not even be the first. The Sigil-Bearers are a threat the First cannot ignore...but are the Sigil-Bearers their most important problem? Answers to this question and more will be given starting in November with the debut release of this new monthly title. Barbara Kesel could barely control her enthusiasm as she spoke of her next writing project, "These characters will scramble to investigate the riddle of the Sigil-Bearers, squabble, tryst, scheme, and battle their way toward dominance...and that's just part of the first issue!" The creative team hired to draw this latest addition to the CrossGen Universe is penciler Bart Sears and inker Andy Smith. Sears is best known for his characters Brute and Babe, both of which appeared for three years in the pages of Wizard: The Comics Magazine in his monthly how-to-draw column. Sears is also well known for his work on the Valiant Comics' titles X-O Manowar and Turok Dinosaur Hunter, as well as Image Comics' Violator mini-series. Over the course of his 15 year career, Sears has self published through his Ominous Press, worked for DC Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Valiant and Acclaim Comics, and most recently for Marvel Comics. His highly detailed penciling style makes him a logical choice to pencil the tales of the characters originally brought to life by Claudio Castellini. Andy Smith is an almost 10 year veteran who has collaborated with Sears before as his inker on Blade for Marvel and his work for Ominous Press. As well, Smith has inked Uncanny X-Men and Captain America for Marvel and Green Lantern for DC. Smith is also known for his penciling skills and has drawn Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men, and Silver Surfer for Marvel, Green Lantern for DC, X-O Manowar for Valiant, and his recently released how-to-draw comics book titled "Drawing Dynamic Comics." Said Sears of this new project, "I've worked for a lot of comic book companies and drawn dozens of different titles over the last 15 years, always searching for something. Now I've finally found it. A home at CrossGen and a chance to draw the book I feel I was born to draw." Now that the tales of the First will be told in this monthly title, the originally planned quarterly title, CrossGen Chronicles, will change format and focus. 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 Pιrez. Stay tuned for more information. Look for Bart Sears, along with many other CrossGen creators, appearing this summer at Comic-Con International San Diego and Wizard World Chicago. CrossGeneration Comics is based just outside of Tampa, Florida. Their unique and innovative approach to comic book publishing is sure to make them a company to watch out for well into the next millennium. +++++ WARREN ELLIS WRITES, HERNANDEZ DRAWS "POPPY" BONUS STORIES FOR IMAGE COMICS' RUMBLE GIRLS #5, #6, #7! All you who were begging to know about an Ellis/Hernandez collab--the graft and gifts, not to mention that other lovely "g" word, groveling, have paid off. POPPY Poppy Fields. Ha ha. Welcome to your future: Mr. Fields thinks he's Mexican wrestler El Grindo, Mrs. Fields slums at the teleport station, you were grown in the Nativity Garden, and you've heard "Poppy Fields, haha," all you care to before you're six. When Ellis and Hernandez set out to make a story to sell for kid's animation, POPPY is what happens instead. POPPY will be three self-contained vignettes running in Rumble Girls 5-7, written by Warren Ellis, art by Lea Hernandez, and only from Image Comics. WARREN ELLIS is the multiple award-winning creator of TRANSMETROPOLITAN and PLANETARY. LEA HERNANDEZ is the creator of RUMBLE GIRLS, CLOCKWORK ANGELS and the Eisner Award-nominated CATHEDRAL CHILD. +++++ PRESS RELEASE June 6, 2000 For more information contact: Dave Nordhaus, Publisher and CFO dave@darktales.com DarkTales enters Mort Castle's Story Collection, Moon on the Water, in Pulitzer Prize Competition DarkTales Publications will enter Mort Castle's short story collection, Moon on the Water: Selected Stories 1972-1999, into contention for a Pulitzer Prize. The annual Pulitzer award is given to a distinguished work of fiction "by an American author, preferably dealing with American life." "That's exactly what we have with Mort Castle's collection," states Dave Nordhaus, CFO and publisher of DarkTales Publications. With Butch Miller, editor, and Keith Herber, editor and artistic designer, and Nordhaus comprising a managerial troika, the small press has quickly established itself in the fields of horror and dark fantasy with such well received books as Sephera Giron's Eternal Sunset, Steve Savile's The Secret Life of Colours, and the anthology series Asylum. "But," continues Nordhaus, "good writing is not meant to be confined to any one genre. Author Mort Castle, who's been writing for over 30 years, sees his `niche audience' as people who can and do choose to read and we agree that's the target group for this book." Castle has written and edited a number of comics, including J.N. Williamson's MASQUES, with stories by Stephen King and Robert R. McCammon. In 1998, Castle's comic, NIGHT CITY, with art by Mark Nelson and Don Kramer, was nominated for the "Best Comic" by the International Horror Guild. MOON ON THE WATER opens on a distinctly literary note, with a "Foreword" by internationally renowned poet and scholar Lucien Stryk, in which he writes: "Mort Castle's stories, piece after finely honed piece, give a full sense of life. . . in the U. S. A, painting a vivid sense of goings-on light and dark." The book is thematically united, as noted by critic Thomas Deja: "Each (story) add(s) to. . . a portrait of America as a land ruled by delusions." But while Castle might portray the "American Dream" as "nightmare," Moon on the Water presents a far more positive view of American society. Castle says, "If I don't believe in myths, I do believe in people, and there you have the subject, theme, and raison d'etre of everything I write." Castle is currently writing a musical and has a number of comics projects in the works. Chicago, IL - June 16, 2000 - DarkTales Publications(www.darktales.com) and Bookface (www.bookface.com) today announced a partnership agreement that will allow the independent press publisher to deliver their books to readers directly over the Internet. "We immediately saw the potential in Bookface.com and wanted to be a part of what they were doing from its very inception," said David Nordhaus, CFO and Senior Editor at DarkTales Publications. "Our company, utilizing digital archiving and print-on-demand for our paperbacks, and Bookface.com, with their innovative approach to book display, was the perfect complement of new technologies. Imagine the first online bookstore to make books available in their entirety for perusal to the potentially huge marketplace of the Earth, where readers may "walk" in and browse books at their leisure before making a purchase, (the virtual counterpart to sitting down at your local Barnes and Noble store with a book in your hand)...then add our limitless supply of books with POD to the equation. It just makes sense." "DarkTales has a definite energy," said Lou Anders, Senior Editor at Bookface.com. "They have a wonderful mix of name and new authors, and titles that sell themselves. DarkTales brings their distinct edge to our Horror Genre, and we're very excited to be working with them." DarkTales books that are immediately available at www.bookface.com, include: Scary Rednecks & Other Inbred Horrors, by David Whitman and Weston Ochse; Deadtimes, by Yvonne Navarro; Clickers, by J.F. Gonzalez and Mark Williams; Eternal Sunset, by Sephera Giron; In Memoriam, by Mort Castle; Demonesque, by Steven Lee Climer; The Asylum, edited by Victor Heck; and Secret Life of Colors, by Steve Savile. DarkTales plans to offer new titles each month at Bookface.com. DarkTales will also offer an exclusive prerelease of the collection Moon on the Water, by Mort Castle at www.bookface.com starting today. Moon on the Water is being entered as a candidate for the Pulitzer Prize and will be available in trade paperback format soon. "Bookface.com is about bringing quality reading experiences to the world. DarkTales is about bringing horror to the world. It is a natural fit," added Len Liptak, Director of Marketing for Bookface.com. +++++ Cult action comic, HYSTERIA, returns to print at Slave Labor Graphics. June 2000- Hysteria, Mike Hawthorne's hit underground action comic, will return to print in Slave Labor Graphic's anthology 'Love in Tights' this summer. Hysteria was the sleeper hit of last summer and gained rave reviews from fans and pros alike. After the four issue series ended in September, Hysteria's creator Mike Hawthorne, took his comic to the web. The web comic version of Hysteria has enjoyed a home at www.thinktankcomics.com. However, after being asked to contribute to SLG's 'Love in Tights' Hawthorne has decided to bring Hysteria back to the real world. An all new Hysteria story will appear in the August issue of 'Love in Tights' and features the villain from the original series, The Red Parody. In addition to Hawthorne, a great crew of creators also is slated to contribute to the book. Some of the contributors are: John Kovalics (Dork Tower) Mike White (Lil Lethargic Lad) and Stephen Geigen-Miller (Xeno's Arrow) J. Torres (Sidekicks, Monster Fighters, Inc., Siren, Copybook Tales) and Jason Bone cover art by Andi Watson (Skeleton Key, Geisha, writer of the Buffy comic) Love in Tights # 6, from Slave Labor Graphics is scheduled for an August release, and will be contain pages, black and white (natch), for $2.95. The book is being solicited in Previews this month. +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ EDITORIAL RESIGNATION FOLLOWS DC VOUCHER FLAP! LEVITZ LIVID OVER INVALID VOUCHERS! June 9: Reports on comic book news sites this week that "A DC Comics spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that "Wonder Woman" editor Maureen McTigue has left the company" are only the tip of the iceberg. The SPLASH has learned that McTigue left DC after being disciplined by Publisher Paul Levitz in an extraordinary flap over the practice of forging signatures on freelancer vouchers by the editorial staff. Sources close to the action tell the SPLASH that the root of the controversy lies in the longtime bad habit of some editors who sign freelancer names to work vouchers to facilitate their checks being cut more quickly. Such signature shennanigans are always done with full knowledge of the freelancer and usually because they are desperate for their money. While industry insiders confirm that editorial signature forging has been widespread and ignored at virtually all comic book companies for decades, apparently Levitz has been agitating to Mike Carlin on the subject for some time since the terms of 'work-for'hire' contracts are legally eroded, and possibly negated by the practice. The SPLASH has learned that the dispute came to a boil after Levitz was told by TIME WARNER higher ups to stop the practice once and for all. Three weeks ago, Levitz assembled DC Editorial, including some of the Wildstorm staff, and, as one source put it, "read them the riot act, in his own inimitable style." The message was clear: No more forging freelancer signatures on work-for-hire contracts, no matter how bad they need the check. Even though everyone involved recognized how pervasive the practice had become, sources tell the SPLASH that Levitz decided to "make an example" by disciplining Editor Maureen McTigue. The SPLASH has been told that this was done by taking her coveted WONDER WOMAN assignment away and reducing her pay and benefits. McTigue, feeling that she was being treated unfairly, as she was not the only person in Editorial who had been signing vouchers, quit. McTigue was said to be well liked by her co-workers and the incident has apparently cast a pall over the DC offices. SHARES RISE 30% ON HEAVY VOLUME! June 16: Shares of Marvel Enterprises, which have been in steady freefall for months are suddenly coming to life again in the wake of a multi-year agreement with New Line Cinema on Monday. Marvel's Toy Biz division will be the master toy licensee for all three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's popular "The Lord of the Rings" series. Shares of Marvel, which were in the low 4's, rose roughly 30% from the middle of last week on heavy volume. About 765,000 shares changed hands on Tuesday, more than five times its daily average. INDIVIDUAL INVESTOR, which rates MARVEL as a 'BUY' in its 'Magic 25' portfolio, said: "The toys will hit stores to coincide with the first film release of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, which is scheduled to hit theaters at the end of 2001. The market's positive reaction to the news has been a long time coming for Marvel investors who watched shares decline over the last month, despite the fact that the company signed several new studio deals to make movies of its comic book characters. The recent pressure on the stock price has been attributed to everything from investors taking a wait-and-see approach for Marvel's X-Men movie release on July 14 and related toy sales figures to a financially troubled investor, Value Partners, dumping shares to raise cash." INDIVIDUAL INVESTOR also reported: "With the X-Men release just a month away, this week's momentum could easily be attributed to the movie's buzz. Marvel is after all expected to see a sales boost related to its line of X-Men toy merchandise. Compared to the company's other merchandise, the toys carry strong profit margins thanks to the proprietary status of X-Men characters. Marvel needs more catalysts than a few toy figurines to spark investors' interest, right? Well over the next six months, investors should start to also see Marvel generate some high-margin revenue from licensing deals for the 2001 Spider-Man movie with its joint venture partner, Sony Pictures. On a macro level, success with X-Men means that Marvel should have greater leverage when negotiating future deals with studios for bringing other characters to life and/or making sequels. Specifically, investors would love to see the company taking home a cut of the box office sales each time." +++++ From Beau Yarbrough's Comic Wire at: http://www.comicbookresources.com/ DENNY O'NEIL TO RETIRE 'WITHIN A YEAR' BAT EDITOR REMINISCES, LOOKS TO FUTURE Denny O'Neil is getting ready to pass on the mantle of the bat, and step down as the editor of DC Comics' Batman books. "I am decreasing my editorial presence; I'm only going in three days a week, and at the same time, trying to write more. And looking for some more outside things to do. That three days a week thing can be reduced at my option. They were very generous in renegotiating the contract this time," O'Neil told the Comic Wire on Thursday. "It's up to me how soon I want to de-escalate and stop being the Batman editor. It'll happen within a year and probably a lot sooner than that." "Editing is a very, very hard job. One of my favorite scary statistics is that the fatality rate for heart attacks among editors is about three times the national average," he said. "It's a very gratifying job, but it's constant stress, and it doesn't seem to leave a lot of room for anything else. … When it seemed to be possible to get out from under a lot of that, it seemed like the logical thing to do." As for his successor overseeing the Batman line of books, "there is a candidate, and we are in the process [of changing over]," he said. While O'Neil declined to name names, editor Bob Schreck has been widely predicted to eventually follow in O'Neil's footsteps. O'Neil said he's working to make the transition as smooth as possible. That doesn't mean that O'Neil will be vanishing from DC Comics entirely, though. "I have a contract that guarantees I will deliver a good amount of writing to DC through the beginning of 2003," he said. What exactly he'll be writing, though, isn't set in stone. "Right now, I have 'Azrael,' which is kind of a Batbook, every month. … I have a tentative agreement to do a Batman story set in Chile with Alan Grant. … But it's impossible to say. Besides writing for DC Comics - his contract prohibits him working for any other comic companies - O'Neil may well branch out beyond comics entirely once he's out of the editing business. "I hope so. I've been dealing with an agent. I've given him three book ideas. … There's a possibility of some TV. I just did a short story - I don't do many of these any more - for an original anthology." But just when you think he's out, the DC Universe pulls him back in: There's a possibility that O'Neil will be writing a novel starring the Question. One book that's definitely on the way is a guide to writing comics, tentatively called "Writing Comics the DC Way." It'll be one of a three volume series that will also include penciling and inking the "DC way." And look for O'Neil to stay on as a writer of monthly comics for the foreseeable future. YANICK PAQUETTE CONTEMPLATING QUITTING MONTHLY COMICS If you like Yanick Paquette's work on Marvel Comics' "Gambit," or before that on DC Comics' "Wonder Woman," better enjoy it while it lasts. The Quebecois artist may not be cranking out monthly comics forever. "I'm only planning not doing monthly stuff for a while after 'Gambit,'" Paquette told the Comic Wire on Friday. "I feel like pushing 22 pages/month is an artistic dead-end, or suicide. I'm doing it well so far, but I'm not entirely proud of my books. I'd like too have some time to do my very best. One-shots, covers, annual prestige books, and personal projects as well. I'll stick around DC and Marvel for sure, but I'm doing comics for the fun and love of doing it, not the money and I need to find a way to believe in our medium again." This isn't the first time such issues have surfaced: He lost his "Wonder Woman" assignment last year because he couldn't keep to the pace needed. +++++ From the Comics Continuum at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/: RAT BASTARD NOT ON UPN The animated Rat Bastard series, based on Crucial Comics' character, will not be on UPN. According to Crucial Comics president Cliff Galbraith, Imagine Entertainment has stopped working with UPN on the show, even though a three­minute presentation originally went well with the network. "It went from a really positive response, to them telling us it wasn't sitcom enough," said producer Ed Neumeier. "One of the executives actually asked, 'Why does it have to be a rat?' and at that point, you could feel a vacuum in the room." According to Galbraith, UPN requested several changes to the character, including giving him a group of friends and having him fall in love in the pilot. The network also wanted the character's origin and for his parents to be included. "The story was getting lamer by the week," Galbraith said. "It had little to do with detective work and almost nothing to do with science fiction. All this back story about his family was ridiculous." "They were ruining a really good character," director Kevin Altieri said. "Maybe we can make the show we originally wanted to make." Executive producer Barry Jossen said Imagine remains committed to Rat Bastard. "It's just a matter of finding the right network for it," he said. SPIDER-MAN/MARROW Scott Lobdell told The Continuum he will be writing a Spider-Man/Marrow one-shot to be drawn by Ale Garza. Why these two characters? "Because they are both orphans raised by surrogate parents and they both turned out so differently in their quest to do the right thing," Lobdell said. Lobdell said the 40-page story will likely be released in November or December. +++++ Warner Bros. Online Joins Forces with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation to Create Original Animation for Debut of Redesigned Warner Bros. Online June 15 BURBANK, Calif., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Warner Bros. Online (www.warnerbros.com), DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation have partnered to bring the first all-new original Internet animation shorts and entertainment destinations based on renowned DC Comics characters to the Web. The launch will coincide with the debut of Warner Bros. Online's redesigned Web site on Thursday, June 15, and will star "Lobo" (www.loboonline.com), as the ruthless anti-superhero sprung from the cult classic DC Comics title. "Gotham Girls" (www.gothamgirls.com), featuring the vivacious vixens from the Batman comics -- Batgirl, Cat Woman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn -- is slated to launch mid July. The redesigned Warner Bros. Online Web site will feature reorganized categories to better direct visitors, including sections on movies, television, kids, music, games, community (message boards and chat rooms), shopping and a link to Warner Bros. Online's sister Web site, Entertaindom.com. Users will now be able to access more information and features on Warner Bros. properties in all media easier than ever before. The site will also highlight original content created specifically for the Web in a new section, "Warner Bros. Originals" (which is where users will find "Lobo" and "Gotham Girls"). In addition to a retooled navigational bar, a Flash player will be available to download from the site directly for easy viewing of all multi-media content. Among the first Warner Bros. Originals are shorts, which combine the unparalleled talents of Warner Bros. Online, DC Comics and the Emmy Award-winning Warner Bros. Animation (producer of the popular "Batman," "Batman Beyond" and "Superman" television series). Each original cartoon will run approximately three minutes in length, and will use state-of-the-art Flash animation to show off the characters in interactive stories. New episodes of both "Lobo" and "Gotham Girls" are scheduled to appear on a regular basis. "These exciting two projects are a great addition to our newly redesigned Web site," said Kevin Tsujihara, Executive Vice President, New Media, Warner Bros. "By combining Warner Bros.' expertise in animation with DC's renowned characters, we're able to provide fans with the best of both worlds, offering them a new dimension of interactive community, while extending and expanding our brands in cyberspace." "Comic book characters are born to jump off the page into other media," said Paul Levitz, Executive Vice President & Publisher, DC Comics, "and Internet animation is a perfect way to tell their stories. Lobo's been looking for a new medium to destroy, and the Gotham Girls are hunting for a Webby to go with their Emmys. Watch out, netizens." "The Internet provides unique creative opportunities especially for those of us working in the animation world. It is a new medium that demands you change the way you traditionally think and work," said Jean MacCurdy, President, Warner Bros. Animation. "We're literally breaking new ground and bringing a whole new dimension to these popular comic book characters." The "Lobo" site focuses on the infamous deeds of Lobo, an intergalactic bounty hunter who careens through the galaxy inciting his patented brand of mayhem. In the premiere, "Lobo is a Four Letter Word," Lobo and another bounty hunter, Sunny Jim, have made an unusual bet -- and when Sunny breaks the rules to win, chaos breaks loose. Set to debut mid-July, the "Gotham Girls" site, which also utilizes Flash technology, will follow the escapades of Gotham City's fearless females including Batgirl, and her felonious foes -- Cat Woman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. Their talents are revealed as they move through crime-laden Gotham City in each Internet "Gotham Girls" cartoon short. The first installment, "The Vault," finds Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn on an antic-filled, safe-cracking caper. Both Web sites will link to the DC Comics Web site (www.dccomics.com), as well as to Warner Bros. Online (www.warnerbros.com). The "Lobo" Web site will also include: -- "Spread the Word," a community area desiggned with Web cards, e-mail-a-friend functionality, chat (available mid-July) and message boards. -- "The Main Man Files" gives a glimpse intoo the world of Lobo. This page will provide new features on an ongoing basis, giving details on everything from Lobo's high-tech gadgetry to his eccentric mannerisms and unsophisticated tongue -- "Loboisms." -- "Win Big -- Fan Boy Art Contest," asks ussers to submit their artwork of a character they create and design (artists from Warner Bros. Online and DC Comics will select the winner based on creative merit). The winning character will be incorporated into a future Internet episode of "Lobo." -- "Lobo's Locker" will give fans downloadabble images, audio files, wallpaper and screen savers. -- "Lobo's Game Sty" is a place for users too play games online -- smash, clobber, destroy! The interactive games let users get their hands on the controls of Lobo's space-bike and his awesome arsenal -- let the mayhem begin! The "Gotham Girls" Web site will also include: -- "Spread the Word," a community area desiggned with Web cards, e-mail-a-friend functionality, chat and message boards. -- "Gotham Girls Exposed" gives a glimpse innto the world of the Gotham Girls, providing a detailed orientation of each girl's personality and delves into why Cat Woman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are just so very good at being very bad and why Batgirl is determined to thwart their efforts. -- "Win Big -- Gotham Girl Art Contest," askks users to submit their artwork of a character they create and design (artists from Warner Bros. Online and DC Comics will select the winner based on creative merit). The winning entrant will have their character incorporated into a future Internet "Gotham Girls" short. -- "Gotham Loot" gives fans downloadable imaages, audio files, wallpaper and screen savers. -- "Harley's Funhouse Arcade" -- houses inteeractive games featuring all of the Gotham Girls. Contacts: Cathy Dore of Warner Bros. Online, 818/977-8864; or Peggy Burns of DC Comics, 212/636-5450 +++++ eWANTED TO WIELD THE WITCHBLADE Reverse Auction Site Teams Up with Top Cow to Publish Special Edition of Popular Witchblade Comic Book SAN DIEGO, Calif. _ COMIC CON Show - July 19, 2000 _ eWanted (www.ewanted.com), the leading reverse auction site, today announced it has signed an agreement with Top Cow Productions Inc. to publish a special eWanted edition of the Witchblade comic book, to be distributed free at the San Diego Comic-Con trade show. Currently being filmed as a TNT movie starring former Brooklyn South star Yancy Butler, Whitchblade tells the story of a New York detective, Sara Pezzini, whose search for justice leads her to an arcane weapon that grants her the power to battle Earth's darkest evil forces. The special variant edition, some of which will be produced with a limited edition holofoil cover, will only be available at the eWanted booth at the San Diego Comic-Con show, and on the eWanted site as incentive for referrals to the site. "Working with Top Cow on this limited edition Witchblade has been very exciting, particularly since we are able to offer it for free,” said Mark Del Vecchio, Vice President of Marketing, eWanted. "We really wanted to do something for comic fans, and felt that the best way to do this would be to provide them with a truly entertaining and collectible book.” The special eWanted Witchblade marks a complete creative team change for Top Cow's flagship title. Writer Paul Jenkins (Inhumans, Hulk, Spawn the Undead) and Keu Cha (Rising Stars) are taking over as the ongoing team for Top Cow's longest running title. "We're very pleased to be able to offer our readers a special edition of our most popular comic, and we're also pumped to work with an auction site like eWanted, that truly understands the comic book market and what our readers really want.” eWanted provides comic book collectors and dealers with a unique forum for buying and selling even the most obscure and hard-to-find comics. Comic book collectors simply log onto eWanted and post exactly what they are looking for – if they wish, specifying the edition and in what condition they would like the book - then simply sit back and wait for the offers to come in. Using eWanted, collectors need not scour shops and ads looking for what they want, and are often able to drive the price down as sellers compete for their business. Sellers using eWanted benefit by being given direct leads to qualified, ready-to-purchase buyers. Launched in July 1999 and recently named one of the Internet's "Top 100 Web Sites" by PC Magazine for the second time in a row, eWanted has carved a place out for itself as the Internet's first true reverse auction site in the buyer-initiated auction segment. The site recently dramatically rose in web site rankings, according to an April report on Top Web Sites by PC Data, which placed eWanted higher than any other reverse auction site. About eWanted eWanted is the leader in reverse auctions, where buyers post exactly what they want and sellers find targeted audiences for their specific product or service. Founded in 1998, eWanted hosts over 19 major categories and over 100 sub-categories of virtually any product or service available. eWanted was named a "Hot Site" by USA Today, and a Comdex Fall 1999 "Goody" by CNet. The eWanted team is committed to providing buyers and sellers an effective and entertaining forum with dependable customer service. For more information, visit www.ewanted.com. About Comic Con Top Cow Productions, Inc. was founded in 1992, and is based in Santa Monica, CA. # # # eWanted and the eWanted logo are trademarks of eWanted. Other trademarks and registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. Patti Haverty Sydney Communications 5 Garden Lane Daly City, CA 94015 650-755-3535 phone 650-755-4445 fax phaverty@sydneycomm.com www.sydneycomm.com +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com G-MEN FROM HELL --------------- The movie version of Mike Allred's G-Men From Hell is in the final stages of post-production and heading towards a possible debut at next month's Comic-Con International in San Diego. Comics2Film spoke with director Christopher Coppola about the movie. "Both [producer Rick Albert] and I want Michael Allred's fans to know about the movie before anyone else. We've tried to be really loyal to his vision of it in all sorts of manners, the acting, the look of it, the story, the dialog, everything," Coppola told us. "I feel really good about it," the director said of the production, which made frequent use of Allred's comics. "We went through a few rewrites and kind of went back to the comics constantly as a bible. One of the things I really liked about Michael Allred's characters is that they all seem to be a little insecure. Even the devil is constantly wondering why people don't like him." Coppola continues, "The two G-Men, although they act all tough and stuff, they're not the best cops in the world. They don't complete what they're doing and they always have to deal with that insecurity. Cheetahman, obviously, doesn't totally enjoy being a superhero. He's always insecure about whether or not he's going to be able to pull it off. So all of his characters have that quality and that's why I really responded to it." The director is a fan of the work of both Allreds. "I like [Laura Allred's] colors, the primary colors, which I really brought to the film. I really tried to stay very true to that color scheme." Almost all of the story elements from the comics do end up in the movie, "Everything except the [Bill Mummy] character. He's in the comic but he's not in the film," Coppola explained. "Which is kind of cool because if there is a G-Men 2, which I think there could be, and there is definitely, from the nature of the film, there could be all kinds of spin-offs from it. The characters are strong so, it's nice to save some of those characters for other possibilities." The director also told us he feels his creative sensibilities are in line with Allred's. "I have a really strong appreciation for the film noir period, the 40's period in film. It's really in my skin and with several films I've done I drew from that period. What's nice about G-Men From Hell, so is Michael Allred. That's why I say [G-Men] is sort of like a surreal James Cagney movie. A lot of my personal style, which is, I would call it a kind of a noir, dark style, lends itself well to his story. So, it was a good marriage." "William Forsythe is also a real fan of the period," Coppola told us. "He really got under the skin of that character and really pulled it off. That was also amazing to see. It fit his skin perfectly." When we talked to the director, he was just putting the finishing touches on the movie's sound mix. "We just did the final mix. I did a really cool kind of jazzy score that was part Artie Shaw, part Martin Denny. One element that I wanted to bring to the film, which really wasn't in the comics, was this Robert Williams hot rod visual. Like in Hell we have a lot of funny neon and hot rod chicks and all that kind of stuff. I wanted to put that in as another element in the design of the film. Which I why I went also with the Martin Denny tropical jungle type stuff." http://www.plastercity.com/ JINX ANIMATED FEATURE --------------------- When he's not writing every comic title being published today, Brian Michael Bendis is hard at work directing an animated feature version of his Jinx comic. The movie will be one of several serialized, animated films to be broadcast over the web by Scott Morse's new entertainment startup Thrave.com. Comics 2 Film spoke with Bendis about the progress being made on that movie. "I'm having a blast! What a lot of fun," Bendis told us. "It's coming along quite nice, we've already cast the voice of Jinx, and we're finishing up the voices next week." Bendis could not give us the name of the lead actress yet, but did tell us they were very close to completing her deal. He did say the actress is "No one you know but someone who's perfect. She's very cool. We lucked out." Michael Avon Oeming, who partnered with Bendis on the currently- in-stores Powers comic from Image, is the art director on the movie. Oeming has completed the character designs for the movie, which can currently be found in the "Animated" section of the Jinxworld.com website. Bendis and Oeming are developing the look of Jinx as film noir, stark black and white movie. "Everyone's on the same page. Everyone likes the film noir like I love. Me and Mike were already on the same page, and he's the most important component, visually." "We're going to have five minutes available by San Diego, that's what we're working on right now," Bendis told C2F. "We're doing these three to five minute trailers for each one of the Thrave movies. We each have a deadline. We're forging ahead." "I've finished directing it visually and then my next step is to direct the voices and then we have to mush them together. I want the voices to control the animation instead of vice versa. You know, a lot of times you have stilted dialog in animation. I'm much more interested in sounding like a play," Bendis said. Bendis also seemed pleased with the high-level of creative control he's been given in bringing his comic to animated life. "The people who made the deal [to make the movie], they were very aware of what the book was. It wasn't like anything's an uphill battle. 'Go ahead and do it. We know exactly what the project is.'"Bendis told us his contract does call for him to turn in a move that is between 80 and 120 minutes, "but I'm probably going to go over. There's like a legal minimum we're supposed to do for the money we're getting paid and I'm like, 'Don't worry about it. Have you seen my books?'" Jinx is just one of several movies, set for Thrave. Also on the slate are Morse's Volcanic Revolver and Apparition Fightmachine, Jim Mahfood's GRRL Scouts, Chynna Clugston's Blue Monday, Lawrence Marvit's Cupids and Reid Gershbein's Seat of Life. Like Jinx, many of these features are set to being airing next month. http://www.thrave.com/ http://www.jinxworld.com ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY REPORTS ON COMIC MOVIES --------------------------------------------- The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly provides what they describe as "your complete guide to comic book flicks." (Excuse me...I'm not laughing...just need to clear my throat). The article provides some interesting editorial remarks about what does and doesn't work in comic book movies. Likewise, comic and film pros like Warren Ellis, Brian Michael Bendis, Todd McFarlane, Stan Lee and some others comment on the top comic book movies to date. The write up does provide one or two newsworthy remarks. For example, the report that Daredevil is now set up at New Regency with plans for a 2003 release. Marvel big shot Avi Arad states that he did not move the project (along with Dr. Strange) from Sony due to internet tie-ins. He just got a better deal from New Regency. Arad provides this quote regarding the Fantastic Four movie, which will have the first family displaying their dysfunctional qualities: "It's probably the biggest sitcom of all time." http://www.ew.com/ MAI, THE PSYCHIC GIRL --------------------- Daily Variety reports that Kirk Wong (The Big Hit) is now attached as director on the feature film version of Mai The Psychic Girl. The movie is set up at Sony Pictures. http://www.variety.com/ DEADWORLD --------- Rob Allstetter of the Comics Continuum website reports that Warner Bros. has extended its option on the Deadworld comic from Caliber. According to Caliber Entertainment pres Gary Reed the production is experiencing "heavy activity." Reed also told The Continuum that the screenplay for the movie has been completed, the studio is working up a special effects budget and locations are being scouted. http://comicscontinuum.com/ ECHO ---- The Hollywood Reporter provides new details on the Echo story we reported just a little over a week ago. According to a recent report, Fox 2000 has purchased the film rights to the Dreamwave Productions concept. The deal netted a mid-six figures. As we reported, Thai director Kaos has adapted the comic as a screenplay for producer Chris Lee. The article describes Echo as a "Blade Runner for the new millennium, set in the near future [which] involves an elite government squad sent out to destroy a human-like species." Peter Kang, director of production for Fox 2000 will oversee the project. Jonathan Hung will supervise for Chris Lee Productions. "I was in Bangkok for two months and had nothing to do, so I sat down and wrote the screenplay," Kaos is quoted as saying. "It was supposed to be a template for other writers, but Chris (Lee) and Jonathan (Hung) encouraged me to finish it. I was able to create a very cool world and I got really lucky with it." Thanks to Michael Rhode of the Comics Research Bibliography. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ http://www.rpi.edu/~bulloj/comxbib.html GEN13 ----- Will the Gen13 movie be released this month? It will if you believe a blurb on the DC Comics website. On a page promoting the for the Gen13 Movie Adaptation #1 comic, which is said to have hit the shelves this week, is verbiage suggesting the comic is being released in conjunction with the movie. The blurb reads, "Teens with super-powers, on the run from the government that created them! In June, viewers get to experience the story of Gen13 in animated form for the first time ever on home video! Directed by Kevin Altieri (GEN13: GRUNGE SAVES THE WORLD), the movie retells the explosive events of the original GEN13 miniseries that introduced some of today's most recognizable comic-book characters. Celebrating the event, WildStorm Productions releases the GEN13 MOVIE ADAPTATION, a 4- issue miniseries adapting the high-powered animated adventure." Anything's possible but we've heard no other reports that the movie is due out this month. We would think that if the movie actually were to be released this month there would have been a considerable promotional push by now. For now one might assume that the blurb is old and needs to be rewritten. Thanks to John Nadvornik for the tip. http://www.dccomics.com/ DANGER GIRL ----------- A recent installment of The Stax Report at IGN Filmforce features a look at Andy Hartnell's screenplay for Danger Girl. Stax sums up the review as being "negative" with "some spoilers." http://filmforce.ign.com/news/1036.html +++++ Fox Cancels X-Men Junkets Eric J. Moreels, X-Fan According to the Mr Showbiz web site, 20th Century Fox cancelled all planned X-Men movie press junkets. This move is most likely related to the recent Toronto Sun news article about how director Bryan Singer is working overtime to get the film ready for the scheduled July 14 release date. However, the Coming Soon! web site tells a different story. According to them, X-Men has already had a `test screening` in the U.S., and the audience supposedly hated the film. Coming Soon! cited this as the reason for Fox canceling the press junkets. Coming Soon! went on to speculate that 20th Century Fox will have to do a re-edit, possibly delaying the July 14th release date. However, seeing as Singer is still working on the film as the Toronto Sun reports, its highly likely that no version of the film would have been available for a test screening. Following up with a report of their own, the IGN FilmForce web site posted the following comment from a Fox representative, albeit one not working on X-Men exclusively: "It seems that with Ian McKellen busy with Lord Of The Rings and Halle Berry still ducking questions about her hit-and-run, it looked like cutting the junket might not be a bad plan. Apparently there were also conflicts with Patrick Stewart`s schedule, which meant that three of your biggest names wouldn`t be available to the press. Rather than have to explain all of this over and over again to the press, it was thought that just canceling the junket might be the way to go." X-Fan has recently been in contact with the SFX team at Hammerhead Productions in Los Angeles, who are responsible for several of the FX that will be seen in the film (more on that at X-Fan soon), and by the sounds of things they`re still hard at work getting the FX finished. With that in mind, if there were indeed a test screening, it would have been of an incomplete movie. Knowing how much both 20th Century Fox and Marvel Comics are counting on this film, it's perfectly understandable that Fox would not want to show an unfinished movie to the press, thereby leading to the canceling of the junkets. --X-Fan +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.Fandom.com/comics/ WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE GRENDEL: PAST PRIME DEEMED "OFFENSIVE" As a character, Matt Wagner's Grendel Prime has fought vampires, tyrants, zombies, alligators, biker gangs and even Batman, winning virtually ever battle, his victories a tribute to his fighting prowess and savage, man-machine construction. Grendel Prime was unstoppable. Until he met Lake Printing, Inc. in Chicago_ Lake Printing was the printing house that was supposed to publish Greg Rucka's novel Grendel: Past Prime for Dark Horse Comics. The novel, tells a story set in the future of the Grendel mythos that features Grendel Prime and Susan Veraghen from Grendel creator Matt Wagner's Grendel: War Child storyline. The book, which is set to hit shops this month, contains many spot illustrations by Wagner, including one showing Susan and her lover, a woman named Mace, making love. After holding the book for 10 days, the book was deemed to be offensive by one of the staff members, and brought to the management's attention at Lake Printing. As is their policy, if an employee finds anything in the material objectionable, the company will not print the book. Both Rucka and Wagner were outraged by Lake's refusal to print the book on the grounds that the illustrations were offensive. While the printer deemed the entire book offensive, sources at Dark Horse later learned that the image of the two women making love was the picture that put the book over the edge and canceled the print job. "The policy of letting the line people call the shots and forcing the company to refuse the job completely, sounds like letting the cart lead the horse," Wagner told Newsarama. "The line works are setting the company's editorial policy on a day to day basis?" While the objection to the book came about due to Wagner`s illustration, Rucka wrote the scene that gave Wagner inspiration. "Matt asked me to write him a pulp adventure, and that's what I did," Rucka says. "A pulp at the turn of the 20th century is much different than a pulp at the turn of the 21st century – the violence isn't behind the curtain, the adventures are grittier, and the titillation of the original pulp can now be freely, at least, we though it could be expressed freely, as open, mature sexuality between two people who have grown to love one another over time. "The thing that's driving me nuts - this isn't a reaction to obscenity or offensiveness – I really feel that this is homophobia. We have a scene of two women who, in the course of this story have fallen in love, and are making love. Anyone who has ever had sex knows how silly it looks, so this is not an issue of the image being obscene, this is an issue of someone being upset that the image showed two women making love." Ironically, while the lovemaking scene was seen as offensive, the printer reportedly found no problems with Wagner's other illustrations, many of which depicted scenes of graphic violence. "It's horrible and sad that the stuff they took offense to has to do with sex rather than the bloody violence in the novel," Wagner says. "One image shows a decapitated head coming away from its body, and there's one scene where Grendel kills an enemy and rips his spine out, so the accompanying picture is of a hand holding a bloody spinal column. That's not offensive, but a sex scene is? Ah, Illinois_" According to an anonymous source at Dark Horse, "In truth, there were two problems with this book, in the eyes of the printer. The first was the employee who found the material offensive, and the second involves the printer`s other clientele. This printer produces a lot of religious materials, and it`s common practice for companies to send employees out on print checks. They were worried that if a representative from one of their religious clients was on-site and saw the Grendel material, they might lose customers." But all is not lost – as soon as learning of Lake's refusal to print Past Prime, Dark Horse scrambled to find another printer who would be able to print the book as specified and quick enough not to cause a large delay from the novel's original ship date. A printer was found in Canada – apparently, the new home of the free and land of the brave. But thanks to the Lake's refusal to print the book after they had held it for 10 days, and the mad scramble to find a new printer, the books will end up costing more to print – a price that will not be passed on to the consumer – but rather, Dark Horse will have to eat the difference to keep the book at it`s original cover price. WORD ON THE STREET In this day and age of nosey internet news columns and three-months-in-advance solicitation info, rarely does a major story development take readers by surprise, but DC`s Superman crew might actually catch a few of their fans off guard with next week`s Adventures of Superman #581, and right smack dab on page two no less. Regular Superman readers may want to skip what we`re about to tell ya so as not to spoil the fun, but for you Superman fence sitters, observers of the DC Universe or readers of their other titles might want to check the issue out, the future implications for the DCU are to say the least notable. But just to be safe, spoiler space here, Don't say we didn't warn you... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "I've called you all here to announce that I am a candidate for the office of the President of the United States." – Lex Luthor, Wednesday, June 14, 2000 Yup, as we rumored a few months back, Lex is indeed in the race for the White House. But would the Powers That Be at DC really let him win? What implications would that have for the DC Universe? DC is keeping those details close to the vest right now, but from the sounds of it, this has the making of a potentially major storyline. "Luthor is a very serious candidate," said AOS writer JM DeMatteis. "Donald Trump he`s not." "We're serious about Lex running for President," added Superman editor Eddie Berganza. "To the common people of the DCU, Lex is a real hero. He came in and saved Gotham City, something even it`s leading citizen Bruce Wayne could not do. For Metropolis, he sacrificed his own child and helped make it truly the City of Tomorrow. Have Bush or Gore done anything close to this? Sad to say, but if I was voting in the DCU, Lex would get mine." Superman writer Jeph Loeb had his own unique take on the situation when asked for comment. "When Lex Luthor first told us that he was going to run for President, we were a bit shocked," he said. "Although, his public persona is one of a charitable minded tycoon, we know something of his backroom dealings. Can he stand up to the media pressure that will surround his life? Does he want to? Will he go the entire distance and could he win? One thing is for certain, and I`m quoting Luthor in a recent interview with Lois Lane, `Tell me the truth, Lois. Can I do any worse than the people who have been doing the job for the last 25 years?’ Now, that`s Luthor`s opinion, not ours - but it is curious to see how the public will react." That pretty much sums up DC's comments on the development at this juncture, so questions about the future ramifications of this storyline go unanswered. Will he win? Speculatively speaking, it would give the publisher a No Man's Land-esque scenario which could involve the entire DC Universe beginning in January 2001, and which could play out for as long as it's creatively viable. And we have been hearing some rumors of a DCU-wide event storyline in January_ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A few months back when DC announced Garth Ennis's upcoming new Vertigo series, Adventures in the Rifle Brigade, they also noted he had "several" other lined up with the imprint. Ad while the projects are still in the "in-development" stage (read tentative), editor Axel Alonso filled us in on what's in the works. "In broad strokes, Garth plans on doing four self-contained, but somewhat interlinked graphic novels," explained the editor. "Each is 56 to 64 pages, takes place during World War Two, most during the final stages of that war, and each presents a view of the war from a different POV (American, British, German) and a different vantage point (land, sea, air)." Each project will be illustrated by yet to be assigned artists, though one cover artist will probably be utilized to the give projects a unified look. Though each story is intended to be complementary, Alonso each will stand alone as an independent read. And while set in Word War II, the editor stresses these books are not linked in any way to the wacky WWII yarn, Adventures in the Rifle Brigade. "Tonally, they have more in common with, say, Unknown Soldier, taking a more serious look at war," said Alonso. And speaking of Ennis, the writer has also been tapped to write a Punisher/Painkiller Jane Marvel Knights/Event Comics `crossover' one-shot for release this September with art by Joe Jusko. Here's a look at the cover of issue #1 of Marvel's September X-Men five issue limited series X-Men: Black Sun In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the "All-New, All-Different" X-Men, pits the team against Belasco and promises the appearance of a girl name Magik. But is or isn't it THE Magik from years past remains to be seen. Written by Chris Claremont, with Len Wein, Louise Simonson and Roy Thomas, creators who figured prominently in the evolution of the All-New, All-Different X-Men, the series features five painted covers by Vince Evans that will fit together to form one large image. THE GRAPELINE (a.k.a. – the Rumor Mill) Okay, so what's being talked about under hushed tones this week? With Brian Bendis' announcement that he's decided to step down as writer of Marvel's Ultimate X-Men, but that he already had a new project lined up in its stead, came two new questions – who would be writing X-Men now, and what is Bendis' next project? According to current rumors, Marvel may be looking to go back to the future with the Ultimate X-Men, approaching writer Scott Lobdell – who has just a little past experience writing Marvel Mutant Mayhem – to come onboard and give it a go. Though we don't hear any formal agreement has been reached, word is the ideas for the 2K, continuity free version of the X-Men flowing between 387 Park Avenue South and Lobdell's secret lair underneath Los Angeles' famous `Hollywood' sign mark a quite a departure from the current titles. No word on team members of storylines yet... As for Bendis, speculation is you don't have to look very far to find his mystery replacement project. Newsarama hears Bendis is on tap to pick up another new Ultimate series to go along with Ultimate Spider-Man_What is the series? Ultimate Fantastic Four is looking mighty likely_ POWERPUFF GIRLS GO WIDESCREEN According to John Dempsey of Daily Variety, Warner Bros. Pictures will produce and distribute a $25 million animated theatrical movie based on the Cartoon Network series The Powerpuff Girls for release in the summer of 2002. The series is the network's highest-rated original series and one of its two or three best-performing overall. The Powerpuff Girls, which is adapted into a Cartoon Network comic book series by DC, began on the network as a weekly series in the fall of 1998. According to Betty Cohen, president of Cartoon Network Worldwide, gross sales for merchandising of the "Powerpuff" characters will reach $100 million this year. More boys than girls watch the show, Cohen says, because "boys like action and there`s plenty of action when the three little girls take on the villains. The design of the cartoons also uses elements of anime, the Japanese animation style, which boys are attracted to." STARLIN TO DRAW CAPTAIN MARVEL AGAIN_SORT OF_ Rewarding fans at the Captain Marvel message board section of www.comicboards.com (otherwise known as the Alvaro's Comic Boards) for their enthusiasm, Captain Marvel writer Peter David slipped them a bit of info before distributing it to the various comics press outlets. "We`re having a guest art team for issue #11: None other than Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom, posted David. "Yes, that`s right: The guy responsible for some of the most cosmic stories ever in Marvel history is stepping in for a guest-penciling gig. And I`ve tailored a story appropriate for the moment: "Genis meets Mar-Vell. Not quite in the way that you`d expect...but Captain Marvel Junior, as it were, has a face to face with his father. Punches will be thrown, bolts will be zapped, and tears will be jerked." Captain Marvel #11 ships in September. RUCKA MEA CULPA Bat-writer Greg Rucka is seeking forgiveness from Bat-fans, for a continuity error committed in issue #3 (released Wednesday) of his current mini-series Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood. Rucka posted the following admission and apology for the error, including on Usenet's alt.comics.batman newsgroup. "Not sure this requires spoiler space... "For the record Barbara does NOT know that Tim is Robin. That`s my mistake, and it`s a big one, and for the record--such as it is - I apologize for committing such an incredible error. It`s my bad and it`s my fault, and it shouldn`t have happened. "I`m seriously sorry about this, and pretty embarrassed, too. "And while we`re at it... in TEC [Detective Comics] #747 there`s a discrepancy between Art and Dialogue Art says Renee is 29, Dialogue says she`s 28. For the Record, once more, she`s 29. "Once again, apologies for the gross error in CFB #3." Asked by a reader in the same Usenet thread if his editors should have caught the error prior to publication, Rucka responded, "Yes. The Bat Editors are the keepers of continuity, and at least two of them read the issue before it went to Burchett [series artist Rick Burchett] , and I believe those two also reviewed it when it was in inks. The mistake should never have made it to print. "But the fact remains that what I wrote was wrong, and the error started with me, and therefore it`s my mistake. I should have done a better job checking with Chuck Dixon before the script went in. The irony is that I actually had talked to Chuck about using Robin in the issue, had given him an outline of what would happen between Barbara and Tim in the sequence, and had gotten his blessing. What I should have done was then send him the scene for review - because he would have caught it before he`d cleared the first panel. "But I didn`t do that. So much as I`d like to hide behind an editor or four, it`s still my bad." "UH-OH IT`S MAGIK_YOU KNOW-OH-OH" While Marvel still isn't revealing the identity of the `Magik' appearing in this September's X-Men: Black Sun event, they aren't wasting anytime making her a major player in the Marvel Mutant-verse. X-editor Mike Marts confirmed with Newsarama that a four-issue Magik mini-series spinning directly of the Black Sun will premiere in October. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and illustrated by Liam Sharpe, the limited series will answer who Magik is, where she came from and what her true purpose on Earth and in Limbo is. Marts promises a slew of other "demonic, magical and mystical" guest stars throughout the series. HARLEY DUE IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN A spokesperson for DC Comics told Newsarama Wednesday afternoon that the upcoming Harley Quinn ongoing series from the creative team of Karl Kesel and Terry and Rachel Dodson is currently tentatively scheduled for an October debut. AWESOME'S SUPREME SHIPS TWICE THIS MONTH Awesome Entertainment has announced that issue #6 of Alan Moore's Supreme is set to be released on June 28th, just three weeks after the release of issue #5, which hits stores last Wednesday. Written by Moore and illustrated by Rick Veitch, the issue is the writer's tribute to Jack Kirby and his "enduring legacy" in comics. According to Awesome, "In the story that celebrates Kirby`s powerful imagination and dazzling creativity, Supreme discovers `New Jack City', a place where he encounters dozens of characters and locales bearing the signature stamp of Jack Kirby, before eventually coming face-to-face with the King himself. "New Jack City" is one of Alan`s most powerful stories," said Awesome's Rob Liefeld. " I believe that if you were to ask Alan he would tell you this is his love letter to Jack. It`s sweet, clever, humorous and most importantly, educational to those who may not be familiar with Jack`s work and tremendous influence. The fantastic artwork by Rick Veitch compliments Alan`s brilliant story. It is Rick`s finest effort - there is love on every page. This is award winning stuff." THE SHIPPING NEWS DC has updated the shipping schedule of a few upcoming releases this week. JLA #44, originally scheduled for release on 06/28 is now slated for 07/12; Tomorrow Stories #8, solicited as a 06/07 release is also now set for 7/12; Top 10 #9, originally scheduled for 05/10 is now scheduled for 07/26, and Steampunk #5, has been changed from a 06/28 to an 08/02 release. SUPERBOY TO RECEIVE INFUSION OF `ACTION' Superboy readers already know writer Karl Kesel and penciler Tom Grummett are set to take a creative sabbatical from the title they created beginning this September with issue #80. Kesel and Grummett are taking time off to work on their upcoming Gorilla series Section Zero, and Kesel is also working on his October-debuting ongoing series Harley Quinn. But what was once to be just a three-issue interim arc by writer Jay Faerber, has tuned into a little bit more. Superboy Mike McAvennie told Newsarama that following Faerber's three-issue arc, a new creative team will join the title on an indefinite basis – writer Joe (Action Comics) Kelly and penciler Pascual (Warlock) Ferry. Beginning in December with issue #83, Joe Kelly and Pascual Ferry are THE Superboy creative team. "Joe seemed really cool with the situation and agreed to see where this goes," said McAvennie. "I told them this your book is you want it to be your book," So why did he pick Kelly? "I thought of a couple of guys," said the editor. "But I worked with Joe on the Secret Origins of Supervillains 80-Page Giant last year, and I really like what's he done with Superman in Action Comics. I thought that I'd go for someone who's aware of the Superman mythos and all the history behind it, as well as someone who knows how to write good kids stuff_Not kids stuff as in `young reader' type stuff...I just think Joe has a very youthful way of thinking, that's very current with today's kids and teens. He has a very easy to communicate style...and he's funny. And I think Superboy has a lot of humor to it so I thought Joe was just the right fit and he met my criteria in a number of areas. I thought the character would benefit." And while plans are still in the formative stages, among the things McAvennie and Kelly have discussed is to build the environment around Superboy again. "Karl did that a lot with the Cadmus stuff, what Joe and I have been talking about building an outside environment around him, with other kids," explained the editor. "It's not the thrust of the first story, but it's just some overlying themes. "I don't think we plan on doing any `Superboy's body being his own worst enemy stories' because I think we've done that story in the past. I think thy threats are going to be played up as bigger, and more external. We're going to keep some supporting cast members along for the ride, but we are going to be getting out of Cadmus more. But we're not going to be forgetting anything; we'll just be trying new things. MY FARBER SEPTEMBER (with possible Titans spoilers) September is looking to be a banner month in the relatively young career of writer Jay Faerber. His name will be all over the upcoming Previews solicitations for books coming in that month. Amongst the projects Faerber is writing that month are the aforementioned first issue of his three-issue guest stint on Superboy, the debut of his Marvel Iron Fist / Wolverine: The Return Of K`un-Lun limited series (for more on that, check the Newsarama Digest), the entire Superman 80-Page Giant #3, and a story in Wildstorm's anthology series Gen-Active #3. But maybe Faerber's biggest project that month is his debut solo issue as The Titans regular writer. Issue #21 also marks the debut of new regular series artist Paul Pelletier. And while he isn't going into too much depth regarding future storylines, he did drop us a clue here and there as to what to expect. The first story arc will introduce the Hangmen, who have plans for Roy and Cheshire`s daughter, Lian. Jesse Quick receives some shocking news from the Golden Age heroine Liberty Belle, who happens to be her mother, Dark Angel and Slizzath will be making appearances later on and Faerber will introduce Epsilon, a mysterious new super-hero who will become a part of the Titans` lives in the coming months. "I`m not saying he`s going to join the team, but he`s a young, enthusiastic NY-based hero who will cross paths with the team very frequently. And he seems to know a lot about the Titans, which means maybe he`s got some history with them..." Finally, Faerber says to expect a meeting between the his Titans team and another team - a team from Hypertime that he says is gonna knock peoples` socks off. "It`s the kind of team-up fans have always wanted to see, yet never even thought to ask for." As to that line-up, users of DC's official message boards already know Faerber has plans to cut the roster down from ten members to six, and with Jesse Quick and Arsenal having storylines in the first story arc, the writer cops to the fact that they've made the cut, but his lips are sealed on the remaining four. "I`ve been making the message boards rounds, and I`ve made it known who some of my favorite Titans are. But if you think you can use that info to determine who`s gonna make the final cut, you`re wrong. Some of my favorite Titans aren`t on the team." WORD ON THE STREET Expect a double Ariel Olivetti/Counter X dip in August. X-editor Jason Liebig has confirmed that the X-Man artist will also pencil X-Force that month, giving regular artist Whilce Portacio a one-month breather. Portacio returns to the title in September and Olivetti continues with X-Man without missing a beat. Writer Dan Abnett checked in with Newsarama to give us a few additional details on his, co-writer Andy Lanning and artist Liam Sharpe's upcoming Magik October-debuting, four-issue limited series, spinning out of this September's X-Men: Black Sun event. "The story details Magik`s efforts to unify her realm of Limbo as a line of defense against incursions from the outer realms," said the writer. "Marvel continuity is chock full of magical despots and supervillains who each seem to rule a pocket dimension of their own. This series tries to make cohesive sense of that, and therefore we`ll get such characters as Nightmare, Dormammu, Surtur, Satannish, Belasco and the like involved. Nightcrawler is the main `guest star`. Lots of otherworldly, superhero/heroic fantasy stuff, brought to life by Liam`s great artwork." Also that month, Abnett and Lanning also have an four-issue mini-series from Wildstorm premiering, with art by Dustin Nguyen, who coincidently will be illustrating the return of another supposed-dead teenage mutant girl, Blink, in Scott Lobdell's upcoming mini-series. Jet: Midnight to Midnight expands upon the Jet/Jodi Slayton character the writers created in Wildstorm's anthology series Gen Active. Explained Abnett:"Midnight to Midnight is exactly what it sounds like – 24 hours in the life of Jet. It`s fast paced stuff, and played for fun through four issues: morning, lunch, afternoon and evening. There are new villains galore, popping out of the woodwork to give her a very busy day (a new one each issue and an big villain behind it all). And we also feature the support cast of fellow college students and the Special Crimes Force agent Bobby Stubbs as set up in the Gen Active stories. A little college soap, a little romance, and some wild vigilante action." Captain America gets the annual treatment in September, and in keeping with the theme of this year's Marvel 2000 annuals, it will be written by regular series writer Dan Jurgens in a "must read" story that blends into current Cap continuity. "One of the things I`ve been setting up in the regular series is the mystery of Cap`s new foe, Protocide," said Jurgens. "In the annual, we finally learn who Protocide is as well as the startling and amazing way he received his powers. He shares an incredibly strong connection to Cap, so this is a story no one will want to miss." The annual is penciled by Greg Scott. Also that month, Jurgens new creative partner on Thor, penciler Andy Kubert debuts. According to Jurgens, the duo will begin to "mine" the Walt Simonson Thor era a bit, and they'll start by bringing back Malekith. "After that, another of Walt`s characters, perhaps the most loved Thor supporting cast member ever, returns_" Peter David's Supergirl, reaches a milestone this September - issue #50_not at all bad in this day where new series have had a hard time surviving in the marketplace. According to David, the 50th issue story is entitled "Wally`s Angels", and will be a double-sized climax to the storyline he`s been building for the last three years. "With the Carnivore apparently having won his ultimate victory, and nothing to fear from any power in the universe, it is up to Supergirl, Comet and Blithe - the Earth angels of Fire, Love, and Light - to form an uneasy alliance that will bring the Carnivore down," explained David. "This issue marks a stunning turning point in the life of both Linda Danvers and Supergirl, and promises a shocking conclusion to what is probably the most ambitious storyline I`ve ever undertaken...while, at the same time, launching a very new and unexpected chapter in our heroine`s life." Asked for hints as to what that direction may be, David declined to comment as to not blow the ending of the story, but did say that the events in #50 will result in a "startling new/old look" in issue #51. Any Marvel readers wondering where "Stan`s Soapbox" has been the last few weeks, and speculating whether its absence might be related to Lee's upcoming work for DC Comics or his focus on Stan Lee Media the last year or so, "not so" said a spokesperson for Marvel. According to Bill Rosemann, Marvel's Associate Manager Retail Sales, Advertising and Promotion, Stan's column is just taking a couple month`s hiatus because of the "phenomenal interest outside promotional partners have in advertising in Marvel Comics." "Due to excitement about the X-Men movie, everybody wants to be in Marvel Comics," said Rosemann. "Therefore, we`ve given up our usual subscription page to them... and merged a smaller subscription ad with the Bullpen Bulletins. The witty words of Stan `The Man` Lee will return as soon as space permits." In their latest issue, Comics Buyer's Guide (#1388, June 23, 2000) is reporting the formation of The Committee to Explore a Comics Industry Organization. Formed at a series of meetings organized by Bob Chapman of Graphitti Deigns aboard the recent Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Making Waves cruise, the exploratory committee has been given the task of researching structural options for some sort of industry organization that would act to improve the comics field, "addressing both the immediate and long-term needs of those involved in the comic art form." According to CBG, in attendance at the Making Waves sessions included: Neal Adams, Charles Brownstein, Kurt Busiek, Chapman, Zander Cannon, Evan Dorkin, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Gary Groth, Denis Kitchen, Linda Medley, Frank Miller, Terry Nantier, Chris Oarr, Brian ad Francisca Pulido, Eric Reynolds, P. Craig Russell, Jeff Smith and Vijaya Taylor, Jill Thompson, Maggie Thompson, Mark Waid, Judd Winick and Connie Zastoupil. The group quickly arrived at a consensus that industry organization is needed. According to CBG, though technically considered unofficial and in the formative stages, Chapman said to properly represent the comics industry, "the group will be asking for the participation and membership of the larger comics community in the near future." Dialogue within the exploratory group, which includes Brownstein, Chapman, Kitchen, Medley, Nantier, Smith, Thompson (Kim) and Thompson (Maggie), continues via email and telephone and plans call for the group to reconvene at next month's Comic Book Expo (precursor to the Comicon International) in San Diego. +++++ From Zentertainment; HTTP://WWW.ZENTERTAINMENT.COM To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN yourself, e-mail: subscribe@ZENtertainment.com VOIGHT PRODUCING, MAY STAR IN 'GHOST RIDER' MARVEL Enterprises and CRYSTAL SKY Entertainment (Baby Geniuses) have announced an agreement to jointly produce a GHOST RIDER feature film. Jon Voight is producing, and may also star in the film, which David Goyer (Blade) will script. Johnny Depp is being targeted to play the lead role of the anti-hero with the flaming skull, who makes a pact with dark forces so as to get revenge on the people who killed his true love. http://www.marvel.com RICCI TO STAR IN 'ADRENALIN' ADAPTATION VARIETY reports Christina Ricci will star in and co-produce ADRENALIN, an adaptation of Tony Daniel's IMAGE Comics series about a post-Cold War Russian orphan turned into a cyborg programmed to destroy America. +++++ From the DCOnline newsletter; http://www.dccomics.com/newsletter.html To subscribe, or for questions or comments about the DC newsletter, please email DCWebSite@aol.com. TOM STRONG: SCIENCE-HERO VALUES AND BONA-FIDE BONUS MATERIAL FOR YOUR HARD-EARNED HARDCOVER DOLLARS What better way to celebrate the first award-winning year of AMERICA'S BEST COMICS, as well as preserve these stories for future generations, than to collect these slyly subversive samples of sequential storytelling into extravagant-yet-affordable hardcovers? AMERICA'S BEST COMICS is proud to be doing just that when the first of such hardcovers, TOM STRONG BOOK ONE, arrives in stores this July. Not satisfied with merely reprinting the first seven issues of the Eisner-nominated TOM STRONG series (including the Eisner-nominated "How Tom Strong Got Started" from issue #1), the TOM STRONG BOOK ONE HC also will feature nine pages of sketchbook and developmental material by series artist Chris Sprouse, as well as an introduction by America's Best Scribe, Alan Moore. The TOM STRONG BOOK ONE HC will also be wrapped in a fully-painted cover pencilled by Chris Sprouse and painted by Josι Villarubia (PROMETHEA, VEILS). According to WILDSTORM Group Editor Scott Dunbier: "The work Alan has done on all the ABC titles stands up against any work he's ever done. Looking ahead, I can't help but think that, in 10 years' time, the material collected in TOM STRONG BOOK ONE will be viewed as one of the classic comics projects of the decade." According to Vince Letterio, DC's Manager — Direct Sales: "Given the overwhelming critical and fan response to AMERICA'S BEST COMICS in its first year and the sales on the individual issues of the ongoing TOM STRONG series climbing steadily, the ABC hardcovers are great for new readers and collectors alike. Alan Moore's collected work has strong long-term sales and this deluxe hardcover is sure to be in demand." TOM STRONG BOOK ONE (MAY00 0180) is a 208-page hardcover from AMERICA'S BEST COMICS, arriving in comic-book stores July 12 with a cover price of $24.95 U.S. Please note: A trade-paperback edition will not be offered with an in-store date earlier than November 2000. NEW ROUND OF MILLENNIUM VOTING BEGINS AT WWW.DCCOMICS.COM In the latest round of on-line voting for DC Comics Millennium Editions, ADVENTURE COMICS #61, the 1941 classic marking the first appearance of the Golden Age Starman, Jack Knight (and also included tales of the original Sandman, Hour-Man, Paul Kirk and others) — eked out a narrow victory over ALL AMERICAN COMICS #16, and will solicited as a MILLENNIUM EDITION in Previews Vol. X #9, for sale in November. Voting has already begun for the next MILLENNIUM EDITION set to be selected by visitors to the DC Comics website. Retailers and their customers are encouraged to visit www.dccomics.com to select from the following choices: 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 30. The winning candidate will be reprinted in a MILLENNIUM EDITION in November and will be offered in Previews Vol. X, No. 9. THE NEW BATMAN/SUPERMAN ADVENTURES/BATMAN BEYOND EPISODE SCHEDULE Warner Bros. Animation has supplied DC with the following air schedule for the animated The New Batman/Superman Adventures and Batman Beyond on the WB Network, airing Saturday mornings and on weekday afternoons. All times are Eastern and Pacific: 6/17/00 (8:00 am) — "Tools of the Trade" (Superman) 6/17/00 (8:30 am) — "Bloodsport" (Batman Beyond) Be advised that this schedule is subject to change. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Ramblings 2000 Rich Johnston twisting@hotmail.com [Renamed for the new year, Ramblings 2000 continues to spread confirmed and unconfirmed news and rumours. It welcomes comment, especially comment that clarifies, refutes and corrects information already disseminated. Rich Johnston is an advertising copywriter, co-self publisher of Twist And Shout Comics, BBC comedy writer and comics columnist. He currently lives in South London, England. His column can be found online at: http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com All Ramblings e-mail received will be considered public domain and may be quoted.] This column is RUMOUR. Do not take anything here seriously. These RUMOURS are presented here as GOSSIP for their ENTERTAINMENT value. [NOTE: we sometimes edit this column for language so we can keep our AOL access for the Emag. Original intent is left in tact. - Editor] Dateline: 8 June 2000 Mad Pulper --The T-Shirt Ramblings intend to release a limited edition run of T-shirts, specially designed for the summer convention season. Strut down those San Diego walkways with the latest in Victoriana filth. Yes, it's the pulped ad from League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, advertising the Marvel Douche company. With the legend 'Mr Levitz, Do You Ever Feel Less Than... Fresh?' emblazoned across the shirt. We've confirmed that the ad is public domain, and that neither Kev nor Alan added to its original printing. So all bets are off! Wahey! E-mail our specially created address, madpulper@hotmail.com if you're interested. If we get enough interest, we'll work out the pricing and e-mail you to see if you're still interested. And it's first registered, first served. Freebies will go out to the creative team behind League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. And Paul Levitz. Mad Pulper Π The Origin Continues... Regarding our previous Secret Origin Of The Mad Pulper story, we received the following responses from people seemingly in the know. One person responds "Regarding your item about the Mad Pulper... the proofs that the editors saw DID include the ads. A few of them denied seeing the ads, but when we pulled the proofs back from the printer, they were indeed in place. (Had the ads not been in the proofs, it would have been the printer's responsibility and all that pulping would not have cost DC any money.)" And another adds "Yeah, that Amalgam pulping story is generally true. It was indeed the ads that were the problem, although I don't recall if the situation was ads that ran instead of fake ads, or DC ads that ran when it was Marvel's turn to have the ads. ANYWAY, the funny coda to the whole thing is that Levitz had the issue pulped without telling Marvel about the f***-up, I guess to save face. Someone in Marvel editorial later said that if DC had just told them about the f***-up, they wouldn't have made them pulp the entire issue but maybe pay a small penalty, which means DC probably could have saved at least half the cost of the print run pulped. Now that's management." Criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. I shall become... a pulper! Kryptonite Ceiling What is it with DC of late? The word coming from DC employees and sources close to the company have alluded to a 'kryptonite ceiling' in the DC Universe offices, where women just can't get promoted. Currently, there are no prominent women staff in the DC Universe... there's plenty in Vertigo, Mad, Cartoon Network and across the company in other positions... hell, there's Jeanette Kahn for goodness sake. But not in the superheroes, which is DC's bread and butter and the easiest way to get noticed and get on in the company. And tongues are wagging. Most people we spoke to were not keen to go on the record over this situation, as in many cases it could affect their jobs or career prospects. In fact many weren't happy with Ramblings quoting what they had to say at all, even if they had a lot to say in private. But one source told us "most women in the DCU leave after not getting promoted at all". Another said "Even people who thought the 'glass ceiling' for women in the DCU didn't exist are now beginning to wonder." Based on recent events at DC, I can't blame them. Once Upon A Time At Home I Sat Beside The Telephone Waiting For Someone To Pull Me Through. When At Last It Didn't Ring I Knew It Wasn't You. Ahh, any excuse for a Billy Bragg lyric. So what's happening at Acclaim? Mike Doran on the Daily Buzz (www.mania.com/buzz) covered the various earlier responses and replies as they emerged on rec.arts.comics.misc, but a couple of later Usenet responses by Quantum And Woody writer, Priest, stick out and need highlighting. While his editor at Acclaim, Omar Banally, has been let go and Quantum And Woody put on hold, Christopher Priest has yet to receive a phone call from anyone at Acclaim to tell him the situation -- he's seen it all emerge on Usenet instead. Priest writes "Inker Romeo Tanghal got a call from publisher Walter Black. I have yet to be officially informed." So, this appeal goes out to Acclaim, you have publication rights to the greatest superhero comic book currently being published, Quantum And Woody. You have the services of one of the better comic book writers, Priest. Why not pick up that phone and tell him how much you love him? Acclaim reports that they will continue Quantum And Woody when issues 21 up to 27 are in the can are a little weird when we hear reports that artist MD Bright has finished issue 27 and Priest has started writing 28. So what hope for continued adventures of Quantum And Woody if Acclaim don't get their act together? Well, Priest then let drop a biggie. "I can't discuss the rights status right now, other than to say an agreement is in place that covers rights reversion. At this point, it really depends on what Acclaim's publishing plans are, so we have to wait and see what they come back with and take it from there." Acting On Impulse What a lot of fun Todd DeZago's been having with the online news reporters of late. First he clearly states that Impulse is cancelled, then news sources such as Comic Wire (www.comicbookresources.com), Newsarama (www.fandom.com/comics) and Comics Continuum (www.comicscontinuum.com) get further clarification from him that yes, Impulse is cancelled. Ripping of sack cloth across the land ensues, except Todd then starts doing an 'oh no, that's not what I meant at all, I was surprised to see the Impulse Cancelled headlines', and changes his entire story based on a typo he claims he made on the DC Universe message boards. Except that self same message, he seems to make a number of similar typos, and repeated those typos when the comics news sources talked to him. So what do I reckon happened? Well, from past experience, it looks like Todd was told by DC editorial that the book was cancelled, he started to tell people, DC changed its mind or its right hand discovered what its left hand was doing, got angry with Todd, Todd tried to fix things, and persuaded all the news reporting services to go along with it without pointing out the gaps in the story to help him out. Phew. Beau Yarborough tells us "Well, I actually wrote three stories about the health of the "Impulse" series. The first was based on a letter to me by someone close to the book who at that time did not want their name used, something you're familiar with. To the best of my knowledge, nothing has changed in that regard, so I'm going to protect my source on this one." "As for the other two articles, they both were based on comments left by Todd Dezago on DC Comics' "Impulse" message board. The second set of comments, placed next to the first, does in fact raise some questions. I am pursuing answers on my own, and think I may know what's going on, but I prefer not to speculate or comment further until I have supportable facts." We wait with bated breath, oh wise one... Of course one story concerning Impulse that seems to have slipped by is one that was predicted by Mark Martin in 20 Nude Dancers 20 ages ago... Ethan VanSciver, the artist for Impulse, which is definitely not cancelled, posted to the DC Message Boards: "We've got an agreement with NAUTICA clothing to feature their apparel on Bart Allen and his friends, starting with IMPULSE #67. This might be the first time that a mainstream book has utilized what the movie industry calls 'product placement', and we're all pleased as punch to be involved! Who knows what this might lead to, except that it's a good indication that the future might have comic book characters 'sponsoring' products within the books themselves, thereby generating more revenue for the comic book industry!" Bucket Of Scotch "Barman! Your finest methylated spirits if you please!" Why, it's your friendly neighbourhood Rumour Mongering Wino! Sozzled as a sausage, we buy him a few drinks and he starts to spill. We get a cloth as he then starts giving us some rumours instead. All on very dodgy ground of course and not one of them checked with anyone who might actually know what's going on. Ah well. "Right, mate, right. Nah, what was it? Oh yeah, during a panel discussion at Big Easy Con in New Orleans, Scott Lobdell informed the audience that he had finished writing the Hellhole movie, and was approached to pitch Batman: Year One. The wanker. No offence mate, is he a friend of yours? I'm pissed as a fart you know. Lovely." "Anyway, The launch of DC's new tasty bit of stuff, phwoooahhh, look at the jesters on that, Harley Quinn project has been pushed back in DC's schedule again, mainly due to Terry & Rachel Dodson's schedules. They'll both be stopping work on all other pin ups and covers until they get up to speed. They're both wankers you know. Now, you buying us another drink? Come on you tight arsed bastard! I f***ed your mother you know." "Ahhh, bollocks. The future Green Lantern in the Green Lantern: Circle of Fire event will have a direct link into the current series, being the daughter of current the Current GL, although there is some confusion as to whether the mother is Donna Troy, Jade or even Supergirl. You're me best mate you know that? You f***er. I've pissed on your shoes and all." "*BELCH* Wildstorm looks to drop the Star Trek License when it runs out, due to the fact that no one seems to be buying the minis. On the flipside, Dark Horse are considering the option of making Xena Monthly into a series of mini's, as they feel they would be better received by the fans. The f***ing fans, ungrateful bastards, I used to have fans you know? Where are they now, eh? F*** 'em." "Ye bollocks, mate. I love ye bollocks. Over at Marvel, in direct competition to DC's Secret Files, Marvel plan to produce "Avengers: Strike Files" and "Marvel Heroes Unleashed" by the end of the year, featuring Bios of all major characters + a lead in story. Arse. Wank. Bollocks. F***er." "***k. Jeff Smith always said he'd do either his Bone comic or the Bone movie for Nickelodeon. Well, he's doing the third volume of Bone... so what happened with ol' Nick? Who f***ing cares, the c***ing c***." "Talking of c***s, there are twin alternative comics weddings this summer. Matt "Black Candy" Madden and Jessica "Artbabe" Abel will be married at the beginning of July in Chicago. Ariel "Deep Girl" Bordeaux and Rick "Doofus" Altergott will tie the knot at the month's end, probably in Seattle. Maybe I'll gatecrash, free booze you know? And I reckon I'll stick one up a bridesmaid or two. F***. It's a long way to Tipperary, it's a long way to go. Wank. I'll headbutt them for a start. Right in the f***ing kisser and they'll be down, I'll take them on, I'll take you all on. Come here. You looking at my pint, you f***? Your arse!" "Snot fair, I knew Bob Marley, right gent, bought me a house, I burned it down. Now, after the Bissette interview in the Comics Journal a few years back, Alan Moore got rather annoyed off with both Steve and TCJ. Well, bridges were being rebuilt at Fantagraphics and an interview with the Northamption holy man arranged. And now Alan Moore is fighting with the Journal again, over Gary's portrayal of him in his recent "Comics Sucked from 1980-2000" editorial from a couple of issues back. Alan was scheduled to do an interview that will now not happen. A few days later, Gary Groth gets a release form from Wildstorm asking him to sign off on an appearance by himself in a forthcoming ABC comic. I hope you told them to get f***ed. Oh shit, I've shat myself." "Nyyeeee... Howard Porter's leaving comics... Byrne being dropped on his current books... Sam Keith's doing a book for Homage... ye bollocks..." And with those final witterings, our rumour mongering wino stopped slipping us rumours, slipped into unconsciousness, slipped off his stool and slipped into a dream about large men with pitchforks and petrol. We didn't believe any of it anyway... Plug-U-Like We started with a plug, weΥll end with a plug. I'm writing a weekly column for http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com called, imaginatively, Rich's Rumblings (which is what *this* column used to be called about seven name changes ago), I'm still selling lots of comics at http://www.geocities.com/evenwood/sale.html and I've been doing some weird sitcom writing for Kev F Sutherland's Situations Vacant at http://www.sitsvac.org . And a quick congratulations to Mike Doran and Matt Brady for Comics Newsarama, launched at http://www.fandom.com/comics. And thanks for the Ramblings link back. Now, who's for a fight? ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Interview 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 Zooming Into the Zeroverse with Karl Kesel To find out more about SECTION ZERO, the new Gorilla Comic by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett, I recently e-chatted with Karl. A preview of the series will be available this Wednesday, June 14, in CRIMSON PLAGUE #1. SECTION ZERO #1 will be out June 28 and in between now and then TCR will provide a preview review of the issue. In the meantime, settle back and enjoy our conversation with Karl. (And my thanks to Karl for his time). -Tim O'Shea, TCR Senior Staff Writer TCR: SECTION ZERO was described in Jennifer Contino's article on you in Mania) as "a secret group that looks into such things as UFOs, monsters, lost civilizations, time travel, ancient gods, and other creatures." Is SECTION ZERO the Gorilla world equivalent to Area 51? KESEL: That . . . and much more! In all honesty the concept and reach of the series is extremely flexible on purpose. As readers of the SECTION ZERO Preview in CRIMSON PLAGUE #1 know, the team itself has been in non-existence from the late 1940s, allowing Tom and I to do a Groovy 1960s story if we want, or a 1950s Red Menace story, etc. Additionally, Doc Challenger (Section Zero's new leader) comes from a long line of adventurers, traceable at least back to Professor Challenger from Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World-- exploring her family bloodline could be a series all by itself! And then there are other storyline threads that would be cool to follow-- back to the Wild West and beyond! Unexplained Phenomena have been part of the world as long as there's been a world, so SECTION ZERO gives Tom and I the chance to do whatever kind of stories we want to. TCR: Since Doc Challenger comes from a long line of adventurers, would you ever consider doing an eight-page backup story with different artists that would document the Challenger family history? Or will any work you do in the SECTION ZERO world always be with Tom, since the two of you have co-created it? KESEL: Very interesting question. I imagine MOST of the SECTION ZERO work will be done by Tom and myself-- although we have already talked about the possibility of bringing in other pencillers (or inkers) for special stories from time to time. TCR: Will you and Tom try to emulate comic genres or looks (like a Dick Sprang style for a 1950s tale) of certain specific periods (as Alan Moore and the various artists did to great effect in some issues of SUPREME). Or do you fear that could become too gimmicky and would end up serving as more of a distraction from the actual storytelling? KESEL: For the most part, I believe Tom and I do what we do, stylistically, and that's where our strengths lie. That doesn't mean we wouldn't get a kick out of trying to emulate a certain style to evoke a certain period, but I think our basic "look" would still be there. If we really wanted a totally different look, I believe we'd hire a penciller or inker that could more naturally take the work in that direction. TCR: Did you and Tom create a SECTION ZERO character/universe "bible" when setting out to do this series, or will you plan to shape the SECTION ZERO universe as you go along, partially reacting to reader response and feedback to somewhat influence its course? KESEL: Tom and I know the Big Picture-- what's come before in the Zeroverse, and more-or-less where we're heading-- but a lot of the details are vague, allowing us to shape things as we go. For instance, we know the team broke up for a while in the 1960s. In very broad strokes, we know why the team broke up. The exact details leading up to the break up, and the fall-out afterwards, however, are unknown to us right now. In many ways, we're waiting for the characters themselves to tell us what happened. You'd be surprised how often that happens. In SECTION ZERO #1, A.J. Keeler does something that totally surprised me-- I certainly wasn't planning for it to happen-- but as soon as he did it, I knew exactly why. It made perfect sense. TCR: Do you find writing the characters of SECTION ZERO more liberating, since the storylines are not constricted by any Marvel/DC continuity/editorial (or Gorilla for that matter) concerns? KESEL: Liberating and frightening both. Sometimes you do better work when you're placed inside a box-- the limitations force you to become more creative-- but just as often, you find yourself knocking your head against a corporate wall because a good idea or good story can't be done because of some annoying continuity detail-- a detail you didn't put there, usually! With SECTION ZERO, Tom and I are starting with a blank piece of paper-- and the only ones we can blame for bad continuity are ourselves! TCR: Will you and Tom Grummett be co-plotting the book, or how does the creative process work between you two? KESEL: Tom and I are equal partners in SECTION ZERO. While the majority of the writing work falls on my shoulders, Tom throws a lot of ideas and insights into the mix. Usually the work process goes something like this... Using a yellow legal pad, I'll work out the basic beats to an issue. Page numbers down the left-hand side, a few quick sentences or notes next to each number to describe that page's action. Then I call Tom and we talk through the issue. This is where we nail down specifics and Tom generally saves me a lot of embarrassment by pointing out plot holes and things that make no sense. If I already have an idea for how Our Hero will escape the death trap, I'll explain it to Tom and he'll give me his feedback. If I don't, Tom and I discuss how to save Our Hero. After our discussion, I sit down and enter everything in the computer. Tom and I generally work plot/dialogue style, but my plots are broken don panel-by-panel, often with suggested or possible dialogue included. This way, Tom and I both know how the story is being paced out, when critical information is being revealed, etc. Tom takes that plot and pencils it, sometimes pushing and pulling the pacing--changing a four-panel page to five or vice-versa. He faxes me layouts, which are usually absolutely perfect. Maybe once or twice an issue I'll ask for a minor change--"Could she have a glass of water in her hand?" Things like that. Then, as Tom pencils the issue, I dialogue the layouts. Having been away from the plot for a while at this point, I can see it more objectively and very often change the rough dialogue I included in the plot-- sometimes very minor changes, sometimes rethinking entire scenes as a new insight into a character dawns on me, or a story contradiction becomes suddenly, painfully clear, etc. Then I just sit and wait for the penciled pages to arrive so I can ink them-- without a doubt my favorite part of the process. TCR: Regular readers of your work know that you're an avid fan of Jack Kirby. Is SECTION ZERO going to be your own "FOURTH WORLD" within the Gorilla (Non)Universe, possibly leading to other titles being started by you at Gorilla? KESEL: I think I touched on this in Answer #1. It would be extremely easy to use SECTION ZERO as a starting point for a vast and intricate self-contained Universe-- and Tom and I would like nothing better! Only time (and sales!) will tell if that's possible . . . For more information on SECTION ZERO and Gorilla Comics, visit Ape Nation, the official web site of Gorilla Comics. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Sound And Fury Craig Lemon craiglemon@aol.com [Craig is currently watching and writing about Euro 2000, despairing of England's chances of progressing. Maybe next week he'll have read some comics!] There's a new magazine in ComicsTown, staking a claim for your comics dollar. Comicology is published by TwoMorrows Publishing, and is a quarterly magazine for $5.95. Quite a lot of money, is it worth it? In a word, no. The covers are nice enough - one is a Bruce Timms piece showcasing the many faces of Robin; the flipside is a Lea Hernandez piece of "Glory" - her typical manga-style girlie. What's under these wrappings? Bad news, I'm afraid. The first thing that hits you after opening the magazine is the design - it is very poor. Most pages have enlarged illustrations that just waste space - too big and too many. Also, you get two columns of text plus a large gutter wasting even more space. And the font used is quite large, so there are not very many words to a page. What about the articles? An alleged 35-page interview with Bruce Timm, the man behind many of the animated Batman and Superman shows. I say alleged, as the interview itself is quite short, just padded out with overblown pieces of art, seven pages of sketchbook material that could easily have been condensed down to four, and a page wasted on a Timm Bibliography. This is a recurring problem in the magazine, this sort of material is better suited as a link on their website, or, if it had to appear in the mag, as part of a general appendix/resources page, at a reduced size so all would fit onto one page. An uncredited three-and-a-half page piece on 60 years of Robin, truncated due to lack of space. That's unbelievable, the design team should be shot, there is so much scope for extra room in this issue without making it look cluttered, and without adding extra pages, that to cut short their major feature is almost criminal. The rest of the article will be posted on their website - I suggest you go there instead of buying this magazine, better value for money. Four pages on a not-interesting feature on Manya, an independent comic and a strange choice for their first issue. Introduce readers to new stuff, by all means, but this is too much on too little. Couple of opinion columns that are the same old, same old, no promise of anything interesting there. 26 page Jeff Loeb interview, which is much better and more relevant to today's comics buyers. This should have lead the issue, but again suffers from too much art reproduced at too large a size. Short Lea Hernandez interview - well, it takes up 10 pages, but the words only run for maybe four, thanks to the p