---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 272 1999 EAGLE AWARD NOMINEE 7/07/2000 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com FREE VIA EMAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 1995 ______________________________________________________________________ C O N T E N T S ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] Submissions, mailing address, web page [1] On the Net ............................ David LeBlanc [2] Letters to the Editor ................. Your Page! [3] TRIVIA CONTEST ........................ Win *real* prizes! [4] Network Buzz .......................... News, gossip & rumors [5] Interview: Susan Dorne ................ Jon Gilbert [6] Ramblings 2000 ........................ Rich Johnston [7] Great Googaly Moogaly ................. Chad Trout [8] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [9] My View: ALTERED REALITIES & CARTOON CAVALCADE ............. David LeBlanc [10] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [11] HYPE! Section ......................... Various ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Mailed by ONElist: http://www.onelist.com/community/ComicBookNetworkEmag HTML WEB EDITION at -->> http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem featuring a week's worth of the online strips: Steve Conley's ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS AND 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, Web Page 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 If you noticed the online Web Edition at Digital Webbing had not yet updated this weekend and decided to check out the print ASCII version on AOL, I must explain the problem. It is my sad duty to report the death of the father of our co-founder and Editor Emeritus, Ed Dukeshire. This being the case, Ed is taking a break from the weekly chores at Digital Webbing, which includes this week's version of the Emag posted there. I am sure you will join me in offering condolences to Ed and his family. ***** Well it is a bit of a short week here at CBEM central. The hordes of employees of the Emag have taken the week to do summer stuff and yee lonely editor is left alone high atop the empty CBN tower to put this puppy to bed. Fortunately a few of our contributing columnists sent in there columns to fill out things. Paul Dale Roberts got an interview from Jon Gilbert for us to run and after some investigating I tracked down why we have not heard from Rich Johnston lately. Chad Trout managed to send in a column prior to his vacation while I wrap up some reviews that have been piling up here in the plush offices of our world headquarters. The news has some interesting bits this week I think. I hope no one paid cover price for SAVAGE DRAGON #75 this week and wait until you read what happened to Todd McFarlane in court this week! Just because it is the dead of summer and lots of people are on vacation does not mean nothing is happening in the comic industry. Convention season is in full swing and the big ones are yet to come. Meanwhile, stock up on some of these to bring to the beach: DC COMICS Authority #16, 2.50 JLA #44, 2.25 Starman #69, 2.50 IMAGE COMICS Geeksville Vol 2 #2, 2.95 Savage Dragon #75, 4.95 <----Pick of the week! INSIGHT STUDIOS GROUP Frank Cho Illustrator HC, 29.95 Liberty Meadows #12, 2.95 LIGHTSPEED PRESS Finder #17, 2.95 MARVEL COMICS X-Men The Movie Adaptation One Shot Art Cvr, 5.95 X-Men The Movie Adaptation One Shot Photo Cvr, 5.95 Next week it is my turn to travel, though not on vacation. We already did our fun-in-the-sun stint 2 weeks ago. I will be out on business in the deep South where it is very hot and humid. I'll be bringing Scott McCloud's REINVENTING COMICS with me to read on the plane and with any luck will find time to write up a review along the way. See you in 7, more or less. Just in time for the US premiere of the X-MEN movie! Chuckle of the week: I just heard the announcer on E.T. talking about Wolverine in a bit about the upcoming movie. He said that for the shooting Wolverine had 4 sets of claws: wood, plastic, aluminum and metal. Last I checked aluminum was a metal! David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Editor The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: Letters of comment may be used in future issues of CBEM unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Your Email address and/or name will be withheld upon request. +++++ Subj: CBEM 271 From: cargill@rampageusa.com (Vern Kriske) To: ComicBkNet@aol.com I don't know why this caught my eye in the banner of Issue 271 but.... FREE VIA EMAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 1995 Lord, it's been five bloody years and more since the BBS days. I remember our borderline flame wars with great affection (which goes a long way towards proving it *has* been that long). I notice we have 29 issues till the next "divisible by 50" issue. And a Century issue at that. As always, I am looking forward to one of those. Slainte', Vern Kriske cargill@rampageusa.com ps: If Mike, Bill, Chris or Ed read this, shoot me a note. Any e-dresses I have are long out of date. [Ed of course is the aforementioned Mr. Dukeshire and Mike is the other name in our masthead. Chris is Mr. Orr of CBLDF. The 5 of us have similar fondness for the BBS days when the Comic Book Network first began. Vern coined the phrase "divisible by 25" back in those days and we have used it often to poke fun at the over-emphasis by glitzy, over priced issues on the so-called anniversary issues. - D.L.] +++++ Subj: Pick of the week Date: 7/1/00 11:03:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: jimbo@radiks.net (Jim Lawless) Thanks for noting Supreme the Return #6 as your pick of the week in the new CBEM. I managed to snag the last copy at the comic store this morning. I **loved** the book. Jim Lawless jimbo@radiks.net http://www.radiks.net/jimbo [Though I do not enjoy supporting Mr. Liefeld in any small way, I do not let personal feelings stand in the way of buying product I truly enjoy, or recommending it to others. I will buy almost anything that is written by Alan Moore and that particular issue of STR is a very unique homage to Jack Kirby ++++ Subj: Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine From: loric@collectorspress.com (loric) Dear Sir or Madam, My name is Lori Cunningham and I am with the publishing company, Collectors Press. We publish high quality art coffee table books on nostalgia and pop culture and we are coming out with a few books that may be of particular interest to your readers. 1. Horror of the 20th Century: An Illustrated History, by Robert Weinberg. A vivid recounting of the writers, illustrators, publishers, actors, and film makers, that for more than two centuries, have fed our hunger for the macabre. 10 X 13, 256 pages, hardcover with embossed jacket. $60.00 2. Comic Book Culture: An Ill lustrated History, by Ron Goulart. A thrilling full-color visual journey through the Golden Age of Comic books. Lavishly illustrated with over 440 of the most popular and collectible comic book covers, this is the first high-quality art book ever published on the subject of comic books. 10-1/2 X 11, 208 pages, hardcover with jacket. $49.95 3. Science Fiction of the 20th Century: An Illustrated History, by Frank M. Robinson. A monumental volume documenting 100 years of the science-fiction genre. Deeply researched and meticulously documented, this is an enormous book on an enormous subject. $59.95 Do you do book reviews and if you do, would you be interested in reviewing any of these titles? I would be happy to send you a catalog if you would like more information on the books we produce. Our website, www.collectorspress.com, is currently under construction, however, it will be up and running within the next three to four weeks. I can be reached by phone at 503-684-3030, by fax at 503-684-3777, or of course by email at loric@collectorspress.com. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing back from you. Lori Cunningham Publicity Manager Collectors Press [We definitely want a look at the COMIC BOOK CULTURE hardcover for review purposes. Check out this web site kids. Lots of neat stuff is available! - D.L.] ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet/emag.htm QUESTION OF THE WEEK Prizes donated by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. +Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you can stump+ +the readers! You MUST submit the correct answer with your question.+ LAST ISSUE'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What animated TV show are some of the characters in DR. CYBORG patterned after? Former contributor Johnny Gonzales got it first - the characters are based on JOHNNY QUEST. Gonzo wins receives Nightwing: Rough Justice Trade Paperback (plus the certificate for $10.00 off an order of $50.00 or more) from our sponsor, Discount Comic Book Service. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What company publishes PETE THE P.O.'ed POSTAL WORKER? 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 Jury Sides with Hockey Player in Case ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - A jury has awarded more than $24 million to a former hockey player who claimed his name was stolen for use in a popular comic book series. Former St. Louis Blues NHL player Tony Twist sued Todd McFarlane, creator of the ``Spawn'' comic book and HBO cartoon series, on the grounds that the mobster character ``Antonio Twistelli'' was named after him without his consent. The St. Louis Circuit Court jury on Wednesday agreed with Twist and awarded him $24.5 million. A marketing consultant who testified during the trial had suggested that Twist could be entitled to as much as 20 percent of all Spawn revenues of about $120 million. McFarlane, of Phoenix, said he would appeal. Otherwise, he said, the award could put him out of business. McFarlane had testified the Twist name came from an old-time mob figure's nickname; but in a letter once sent to a fan he had said the character was named after a player for the Quebec Nordiques, Twist's former team. Co-defendant HBO settled with Twist during the trial for an undisclosed sum. +++++ Scott McCloud reinvents 'Zot! at Comic Book Resources LOS ANGELES, July 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Comic Book Resources (http://www.comicbookresources.com/), the leading comic book news and resource Web site, is proud to announce Scott McCloud's ('Understanding Comics,' 'Reinventing Comics') 'Zot!' comic at CBR for an exclusive three month engagement beginning today. What is 'Zot!?' McCloud's 'Zot!', originally published from the mid-eighties to early nineties, follows the exploits of a young space hero from the future, Zachary T. Paleozogt. McCloud describes 'Zot!' as "a cross between Peter Pan, Buck Rogers and Marshall McLuhan." This will be the first 'Zot!' in almost a decade. "I've had tons of ideas for new Zot! stories ever since the original series stopped at issue #36," said McCloud. "The only reason I waited at all was that I had a lot of other ideas for non-'Zot!' projects as well (including 'Understanding Comics,' followed by its sequel 'Reinventing Comics!'). I think comics can go in many different directions and 'Zot!' was just one of those directions. "Anyone who's read 'Reinventing Comics' knows that I'm totally obsessed with online comics," McCloud said. "I think they're an exciting new form of communication and storytelling, and I plan to spend a lot of my energy on such Web-only stories for the next few years." "When Scott pitched the idea of bringing 'Zot!'s' adventures to the Web at CBR, I jumped at the chance!" Jonah Weiland, CBR's Executive Producer said. "'Zot!' is an original and charming comic that can be enjoyed by all ages and created by a well-respected creator. This version of 'Zot!' will be unique in that it allows Scott the chance to flex his muscles creatively, using the canvas of the Web." As for why McCloud chose CBR: "I can tell when a site is in it for the long haul, dedicated to building something of lasting value to its readers, and CBR certainly qualifies as such a site." Zot!' will be published Fridays beginning today for 12 weeks and is sponsored by Mile High Comics (http://www.milehighcomics.com/). About Comic Book Resources: Comic Book Resources has been on the Internet since 1995. One of the largest comic information sites on the Internet, CBR is a comic community with news, reviews, message boards and more. Comic Book Resources is a division of Boiling Point Internet, a Los Angeles, California based Web Hosting company. +++++ Subj: At San Diego... Contact: David Seidman, Marketing Director (310) 652-4369 BUSIEK SIGNS! CONNER PAINTS! NEW BOOK DEBUTS! Claypool Plans Big Events for San Diego Convention KURT BUSIEK, AMANDA CONNER, and books signed by ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK are among the hot stuff that Claypool Comics will offer at booth 1419 during Comic-Con International: San Diego. The company will present the world premiere of ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK: DOUBLE DELIGHTS, a 152-page trade-paperback compilation of sexy, funny comics by KURT BUSIEK, JIM MOONEY, RICHARD HOWELL, NEIL VOKES, JOHN HEEBINK, TOM SIMONTON, FRANK STROM, RONN SUTTON, and others, with an introduction by MARK EVANIER. AMANDA CONNER will paint the cover of a NEW trade-paperback compilation, PETER DAVID's SOULSEARCHERS AND COMPANY: FROTHY FUN!, due in stores this year! For the first time, Claypool will sell copies of the FIRST Elvira trade paperback, COMIC MILESTONES--COMICS FORMAT! in a numbered edition signed by ELVIRA herself! KURT BUSIEK will sign Double Delights and other Claypool publications! PETER DAVID is tentatively scheduled to sign Soulsearchers and Company comic books and trade paperback compilations! Claypool will give away a NEW-ISSUE SAMPLER, BACK-ISSUE CATALOG, and (to retailers and the press) kits with FREE COMICS! There'll be other goodies, too, including more signings, sales of back issues, and plenty of fun! Claypool, which specializes in humor and horror, is known as "The Publisher of Hidden Treasures." +++++ TRONDHEIM OVER AMERICA Acclaimed French cartoonist Lewis Trondheim -- creator of the five- issue THE NIMROD series (okay, four issues so far -- #5 arrives next month) and two McCONEY albums for Fantagraphics -- is embarking on his first American tour this July in conjunction with his appearance as the San Diego Comic Con's International Guest of Honor. Trondheim will be appearing in Boston as well as three Pacific Northwest stores prior to attending San Diego from July 20-23. The dates are as follows: CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS Saturday, July 15 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. THE MILLION YEAR PICNIC 99 Mt. Auburn St. (Call 617-492-6763 for details) SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Sunday, July 16 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. CONFOUNDED BOOKS 3506 Fremont Ave. N. (Call 206-545-0744 for details) PORTLAND, OREGON Monday, July 17 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. READING FRENZY 921 SW Oak St. (Call 503-274-1449 for details) OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON Tuesday, July 18 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. DANGER ROOM COMICS 201 W. 4th Ave. (Call 360-705-3050 for details) SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA July 20 through July 23 Comicon International San Diego Convention Center 619-544-0763 Trondheim will be signing all of his Fantagraphics books and comics, including the new NIMROD #4, at each store appearance, and Fantagraphics plans to debut the NIMROD #5 at that time as well. Visit Lewis's site at http://www.kkn.com/lewis, and keep an eye out for a page devoted to Lewis on the Fantagraphics website, any day now. Lewis Trondheim was born in 1964 and spent his childhood in the french town of Fontainebleau. In 1987 he met Jean-Christophe Menu, an aspiring cartoonist who turned him on to the world of comics. In 1990, together with four other cartoonists, Menu and Trondheim co-founded L'Association, a publishing company which would go on to publish some of the most revolutionary alternative European comics of the decade. A hugely prolific and well-regarded cartoonist, Trondheim splits his time between two ongoing full-color album series --the comedy-adventure-fantasy series "Lapinot" ("McConey" in the U.S) and the sword-and-sorcery series "Donjon" (done in collaboration with Joann Sfar) -- as well as many diverse other works, including children's albums, unique one-shots, and new work for L'Association. He has ventured into autobiography with the graphic novel "Approximativement" (see The Nimrod #1), and his book length silent strip "La Mouche" ("The Fly") has been turned into an extended series of five-minute animated cartoons. Trondheim now lives in Montpellier, France, with Brigitte Findakly, his colorist and wife of 10 years, and their two children. In the U.S., Fantagraphics has released two full-color McConey albums and four issues of the eclectic anthology "The Nimrod,” as well as running some of his short strips in Measles and Zero Zero. Fantagraphics began publishing Trondheim in 1997, with the release of "Harum Scarum,” the first volume of "The Nifty Adventures of McConey,” a full-color series of graphic albums from the French cartoonist Lewis Trondheim. The "McConey" series features a continuing cast of characters (including the rabbit McConey, a cat, and a dog), but each album is set in a different milieu and time period, and the cast members, while maintaining a certain continuity of personality, appear in different roles. "It's sort of like the Marx Brothers,” explains editor/translator Kim Thompson; "in each movie, Groucho is the same wheeling-and-dealing sleazeball, but he may be an attorney, the president of a college, or an African explorer.” Thus "Harum Scarum" is a horror thriller set in ‘30s Paris, but other volumes (only available in French thus far) include a Western, a Medieval adventure, and a kids' story (with the characters as gradeschoolers). The second Fantagraphics McConey volume, "The Hoodoodad,” is a contemporary comedy thriller that focuses more on sitcom-type character comedy. "Trondheim has appropriated the classic funny-animal tradition of cartoonists like Carl Barks, Walt Kelly, and Stan Sakai and given it a fresh, ‘90s spin with his `McConey' stories,” enthuses Thompson. "The dialogue is consistently witty, and the stories are fast-paced and surprising.” In "Harum Scarum" McConey "plays" a medical student who invites a journalist friend (interpreted by Trondheim's flaky "cat" character) to accompany him on a visit to a classmate's house, where they are unexpectedly confronted with a menacing monster. Joining them, in the guise of a police inspector, is the series' other recurring character, a sensible and loyal dog. Hijinks ensue, including a trip to the morgue, arson, gunplay, foreign agents, a time-travel machine, and a city-wide plague of monsters -- not to mention spirited arguments about tipping, headlines, and the correct location of the jugular vein. All of Trondheim's American work is being translated into English by Thompson and lettered by alternative cartoonist Jeremy Eaton (Whot Not, Hump Crazy, and A World of Trouble). Fantagraphics' ongoing Trondheim series, THE NIMROD, presents a vastly different, and wildly versatile side of Trondheim. The series features a wide variety of Trondheim comics, including a 144-page autobiographical graphic novel, many short strips from the acclaimed French anthology Lapin (co-published by Trondheim with several of his cartoonist friends), some McConey stories that don't fit into the album format, and new material done especially for this series. "Although I enjoy working in the European album format with books like LA MOUCHE and the Lapinot (McConey) stories, I have a special fondness for the American comic book format,” says Trodheim of THE NIMROD. “I love that the author can do exactly as he pleases, and that this kind of publication is so much cheaper than a French album — $2.95 versus $15 and up. I enjoy playing with new formats, new approaches to narration — I like pantomime, I like autobiography, I like adventure, I like stupid humor, I like sophisticated humor, I like nonsense humor. We can do everything in comics, even things that haven't been done yet; it's a wide-open playing field. And a comic book like The Nimrod offers me this kind of playing-field.” Trondheim is fully involved in The Nimrod, creating new covers, writing introductory material as needed, and overseeing the translations. Trondheim's work has also appeared in the pages of ZERO ZERO and MEASLES. +++++ Timothy Truman GRIMJACK Art Auctions Continue With A Bang On July 4th! IRVINGTON, NJ, July 4, 2000 – Larry Shell, original art agent for noted comic artist, Timothy Truman, announces the second in the series of quarterly auctions of the original interior artwork to Tim's popular series of the 1980s, GRIMJACK! All of the interiors for the series penciled AND inked by Timothy Truman will be sold over the next several years, every three months. Fans of Truman's breakthrough series have searched for years for artwork unaware that save for the cover art, all the interiors were saved by the artist who has chosen to release them at this time. This second offering will be in a 10 day Feature Auction on eBay, the Internet Auction Website, and shall begin on July 4th. A link to all 3 auctions is at the bottom of this notice. In addition, if anyone is interested in purchasing a specific issue outright, they can contact Larry now. This auction includes Issue #14 of the regular series as well as Chapters One and Two of "BURIED PAST," the multi-part GRIMJACK serial which ran in the back pages of STARSLAYER prior to him receiving his own series. Anyone interested in receiving news of future Grimjack auctions or other available Timothy Truman artwork should email Larry at sheltone@ix.netcom.com. Link to eBay Auctions: http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewListedItems&userid=sheltone &sort=2&page=2&rows=25&since=-1 +++++ VIRTUAL COMIC BOOK HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL CLASS Creators of Superman, Batman, Captain America, the Spirit and Uncle Scrooge chosen as the greatest of the Golden Age CLEVELAND, June 30, 2000 - In its first election, conducted over the Internet, the Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame has established the standard-bearers who virtually invented the comic book medium through their legendary creations. Inspired in part by the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame limited its inaugural class to five plaques, although thanks to its recognition of the collaborative nature of comic book creation, the Virtual Hall includes eight people on its "First Five" plaques, who collectively created some of the greatest characters in popular fiction. * Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, not surprisingly, were named "first in class" for their creation of the granddaddy of all comic book characters, Superman. The Golden Age of comic books is said to have begun with the publication of ACTION COMICS # 1 in June 1938, Superman's first appearance. Less well known is that Siegel, along with Bernard Baily, created another classic superhero - the Spectre, and wrote countless comic book stories for a number of publishers. * Bob Kane and Bill Finger created the second-most popular superhero, Batman, who first appeared in DETECTIVE COMICS # 27 in May 1939. Although to this day Kane alone is credited as Batman's creator, it has long been acknowledged that Finger - who later helped create the Golden Age Green Lantern - was Kane's collaborator and writing partner for that first story, and countless other Batman stories over the years. * Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's greatest creation was certainly Captain America, who debuted in CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS # 1 (March 1941), but their inspirations were not limited to star-spangled superheroics. The Boy Commandos, the Newsboy Legion, the Fly and even YOUNG ROMANCE are just some of the other products of these two creators' fertile imaginations. And Kirby, of course, proved equally prolific as a creator years later, paired with Stan Lee at Marvel, and later as the architect of the "Fourth World" group of comics for DC. * Will Eisner is best known as the creator of a comic book supplement that featured his Spirit character, which debuted on June 2, 1940. He also helped create such Golden Age greats as the Blackhawks and Uncle Sam, and is credited as one of the originators of the graphic novel format. * Carl Barks not only created Uncle Scrooge but helped make funny animal comics the dominant genre in the comic book field for many years. Known for many years as simply "the good duck artist," Barks has since earned rightful recognition for his many years of producing the most fondly remembered Disney comics ever made, and his election to the Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame is testament to the wealth of his imagination. In choosing the "First Five," nominations were specifically solicited for creators of genre-defining comic book characters. Since the Golden Age of comic books extended from the late 1930s to the late 1940s, voters chose to name the best known creators who helped define that Golden Age. "Certainly many, many others are worthy of being named to the Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame, and their day will come. However, we took our cue from the Lords of Baseball who got their Hall of Fame started by choosing Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson as the best 20th Century ballplayers up to that point. Similarly, the Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame's first class is made up of the most important Golden Age comic book creators," notes Dave Blanchard, curator of the Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame. The voting was conducted via the Internet's Silver Age-Golden Age electronic list. According to Wayne Boncyk, administrator of the electoral process, nominations centered on "those who made significant contributions to the 'comic book' form during the Golden Age." Even at that, the list was quite long and rich in comic book immortals, all of whom deserve and undoubtedly will some day enjoy their own enshrinement in the Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame as well. the URL for the Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame is: http://hometown.aol.com/blanchardd/myhomepage/index.html For more information, contact: Dave Blanchard Curator, Virtual Comic Book Hall of Fame (216) 931-9794 BlanchardD@aol.com +++++ From Rich Johnston's Gutter Press Gossip Column at: http://www.nextplanetover.com/pulse/ Rich reports rumors that Marvel intends to sell a number of its characters to Dark Horse Comics. If a majority of stock holders agree, so say the sources, they could be a select few, or many less a select few, or maybe just the Malibu stuff. All the rights or just licence to print comics is up in the air. Rich rates that rumor as very unlikely. The new marvel character, Sentry, has a false back story; that before Fantastic Four #1, Stan Lee and artist Artie Rosen created a new character, Sentry, who debuted in Startling Stories #1, a comic and a character that everyone forgot about until Rosen's widow found some sketches and the new Sentry creators got involved. It is all part of the hype and there was no Rosen, those sketches are by John Romita Sr. - Highly confident rumor. PAPER CRISIS The Paul Levitz interview on www.csnsider.com announces among other projects, a trade paperback version of Crisis On Infinite Earths, to be published for Christmas 2000, hopefully with all right panels this time. What interests The Gutter Press is that wasn't it too long ago that Bob Wayne, DC Marketing supremo, was declaring that Crisis wouldn't be in paperback. How things change... +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com KNIGHTS OF JUSTICE ------------------ The Knights of Justice video is due to hit comic-store shelves in August and the heroes are heading for the San Diego Comic-con this month. Producer Philip Cable told Comics2Film that he and other members of the crew and cast for the film will be on hand to sign autographs. Lorin Taylor, who appears in the movie as a new super heroine called Masker, will be on hand for the signing, as will people from Big Bang Comics (on which the film is based). Also on hand will be Dan Lane, who appears in the movie, Charles Dichiera a producer on the movie and Jim Willis who did many of the fight stunts and was recently inducted into the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame. The other actors who play superheroes in the movie have expressed interest in attending but haven't confirmed yet. Cable gave us the following schedule for the autograph sessions: * Friday, July 21st from 11:30am-4pm (or closing) at tables 11 & 12 * Saturday, July 22nd from Noon-3pm at tables 3 & 4 * Sunday, July 23rd from 11:30-4pm (or closing) at tables 9 & 10 Copies of the tape will be available, but Cable emphasized that this is mostly an opportunity to meet the fans. "If they just want to come on by with a comic or come on by and get an autograph we'll be more than happy to sign anything for people," Cable told Comics2Film. There may be some other surprises as well. "We expect the people from Big Bang Comics will have a special issue that's coming out just before the convention that they're sending down to us," Cable said. "There'll be a seven page layout in the magazine devoted just to the movie." That's not all. Cable also hopes to have trading cards based on the movie on display at the autograph sessions. "They're inspired by the old, original Adventures of Superman trading cards that came out in the late 50's/early 60's. Some of the cards, if you turn them over you'll see the covers of the comics on the back of them. On certain ones you'll see little sections, if you form them all together they form a puzzle, the form a picture from the movie as well." Cable hopes to do more with the Big Bang characters under his AAA America with partner Lisa Todd. "We're talking very seriously about doing a feature film based on Knights of Justice, that's one thing. We're also talking about doing a series of little short films based upon individual adventures or teams within the Knights of Justice. For example, I'd like myself, since I created the character, to do a short Masker film. At this point we've actually written up the better part of 20 or so episodes for a kids' show should it go into production." Cable reports there has been some interest in such a show with the U.S. networks, but even stringer interest in foreign markets. It seems likely that a Knights of Justice TV show would be developed, primarily targeting foreign outlets. American distribution would follow later, either through the networks, the video marketplace, or even through Internet distribution. BATMAN BEYOND: RETURN OF THE JOKER ---------------------------------- The animated feature Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker isn't due in video stories until Halloween of this year. However, online vendors have already begun taking pre-orders for the DVD. Bruce Timm recently told Comicology magazine that the DVD would be packed with the kinds of features aficionados have come to expect, like commentary tracks, wide-screen presentation and even a "deleted scene." http://www.comicology.com/ In a related story, Rob Allstetter of the Comics Continuum reports that the Batman Beyond crew will be attending the upcoming San Diego show. Producers Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Bruce Timm and Glen Murakami will be on hand as will Mark Hamill who voices the Joker and Will Friedle who plays the heroic Terry McGinnis. http://comicscontinuum.com SHI --- In an interview appearing in this month's Diamond Comics Previews catalog, Billy Tucci talks about progress on bringing his creation Shi to film. "I have been out in Los Angeles a lot working on two major projects that I'm really excited about," Tucci told Previews. "One is Shi: The Motion Picture in which Kevin Bernhardt (Wesley Snipes' Art of War) and myself are finishing up the final polish. Franchise Pictures plans to have the director and cast secured by the end of July and is set to start filming after Christmas, for a July 2001 release." Tucci continued, "The second is a new video and comic book series we affectionately call Shi.G.I. 2001. It'll be a collection of three, 30-minute animated videos. I've already written the scripts and will direct the videos. I am also creating the CGI characters; it's incredible actually building and painting Shi in the computer. A monthly comic book series will launch with the videos in April 2001, so fans will be getting a tremendous amount of Shi next year!" During the interview Tucci also discusses current and upcoming publishing plans for Crusade Entertainment. http://www.diamondcomics.com http://www.shiweb.com GEN13 ----- The guys at the CHUD website have returned from Dragon*Con with the scoop on the live-action Gen13 movie. CHUD talked to Courtney Solomon, the director and producer of the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: The Movie. Solomon told CHUD that He is is the producer on the Gen13 movie and that is is very close to being greenlit by Disney. Obviously no real casting has been done on a movie at these early stages, but Solomon did mention that he likes Tyra Banks for Rainmaker. CHUD also mentioned that they will have extended reporting on D&D later in the week. Now...if someone could just tell us when the animated version will be released... http://www.chud.com/news/july00/july03gen.php3 X-MEN ----- Does Professor X know something we don't? Maybe so. This week Comics2Film received the following e-mail from the good professor: Dear Prospective Student, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters is now accepting online applications for the Fall 2000 academic year. Enrollment is extremely limited so please submit your applications early. To apply online, visit http://www.x-men-the- movie.com/theexperience.html and complete the genetic enhancement assessment in full. Eligibility will be based solely upon the results of your assessment. You will be notified of your admission status shortly after completion. Please do not attach written recommendations or outside medical evaluations, as they will not be considered in the selection process. Thank your for your interest in Xavier's School for Gifted youngsters. Sincerely, Professor Charles Francis Xavier Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters Well, we were admitted to the school. Once there we could visit an online simulation of the school, exercising our mutant abilities to explore the school grounds. It also appears that our mutant student self will have it's own X-Men costume and profile some day! In other X-Men news, fans wanting a piece of the X-Men movie have a chance to win a Magneto comic signed by the big-screen master of Magnetism himself, Sir Ian McKellen. Stop by McKellen's website and fill out the enrollment for to win. The contest ends July 17, 2000. http://www.mckellen.com/contest/ Meanwhile, the Maxim Online website has launched an X-Men section in conjunction with their recent cover story on the women of the movie. This section of the men's magazine site includes several subsections. Attack of the 2-D Bombshells looks at a number of female comic book characters. The X-Men Trivia Quiz tests your knowledge about Marvel's Mutants. The Mutant Maker program lets you generate new mutants like Colon Monkey who generates fighting monkeys from her....well, you figure it out. Of course, the site also includes the recent X-Mania photo spread featuring Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Halle Berry and Famke Janssen. Also found on the Maxim site is the Bad-Ass Face Off. This doesn't really relate to X-Men, but comic fans may want to visit this 32-villain battle royale soon. One of the contenders is comics' own The Joker who is currently going head-to-head with Vincenzo Coccotti (Christopher Walken's "anti-Christ" gangster from True Romance). Fans can vote to put Coccotti down and advance The Joker to the next round. Thanks to Sarah for the tip. http://www.maximonline.com/big_show/xmen/ Getting back to X-Men, the MPAA website reveals that the X-Men movie has been given a PG-13 rating. Thanks to Irina Fridman for this tip. http://www.mpaa.org Fans in the U.S. know that X-Men will hit the big screens here on the 14th of this month. Fans in other countries may want to consult the international release schedule which has been posted on the Stan Lee Media website. http://www.stanlee.net/xmen/xnews/index.html X-Fan strikes again, this time providing fans with the TV commercial for the upcoming Mutant Watch special. The commercial makes the special look like a conventional behind-the-scenes promotion, downplaying the Senator Kelly mock-campaign feel that the fans love. Check out X-Fan for the 4 meg download. http://www.fandom.com/x-men Can't wait for Mutant Watch to let you behind the scenes? Then head over to the MovieHeadlines website. That site has posted behind the scenes photographs from the production. These photos are scanned in from the July 2000 issue of American Cinematographer. http://www.movieheadlines.net/x-men/ Finally, many of the X-Men actors have revealed that they signed multi-picture deals to appear in what is anticipated to be a studio franchise. An article at E! Online indicates that Janssen has signed on to appear as Jean Grey in a sequel. Thanks to Artemisboy for the lead. http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,6139,00.html FANTASTIC FOUR AND HULK ----------------------- In the latest issue of Wizard magazine, Marvel's Avi Arad talks about various movie projects in the works. About Fantastic Four, Arad told Wizard, "We're aiming for a release date of July 4, 2001. We've got a script and a director in place, and we'll be casting very soon." Previous reports indicate that the director is Raja Gosnell (Mrs. Doubtfire). Arad also talked about the Hulk movie, which now sports Michael Tolkin (Deep Impact) as a writer. "Slated by Universal for a Thanksgiving 2001 or summer 2002 release. Big announcements on this one are coming very soon." Thanks to Drew Reiber for the lead. http://www.wizardworld.com MAGE ---- IGN Movies has posted a review of the screenplay for the movie version of Matt Wagner's Mage. The draft by John Rogers is dated 5/30/2000. IGN sums up their review by saying, "We like it a lot." http://movies.ign.com/news/3833.html SUPERMAN -------- Superman came back from death at the hands of Doomsday, so did anyone really think Hollywood could kill the man of steel? According to a recent write-up on E! Online, Warner Bros. claims it is still intent on making a Superman movie. In spite of the fact that the studio is going through screenwriters like Supes goes through capes and in spite of the fact that director Tim Burton and, more recently, star Nicolas Cage have walked, work continues on the movie. The article states that the studio is happy with William Wisher's (Terminator 2) latest script and mentions the recent report that Ralph Zondag (Dinosaur) has been offered the directing job. Thanks to Michael Rhode of the Comics Research Bibliography. http://www.eonline.com/ FATHOM ------ Corona Coming Attractions reports that the animated feature version of Top Cow's Fathom is still in the works. A recent report found in the The Hollywood Reporter indicated that Fox was closing down it's Phoenix-based Arizona facility. However, the same report indicated that some projects, like Fathom would be moved to the Blue Sky Studio facility in New York. http://www.corona.bc.ca BLADE 2 ------- David Goyer gave Rob Allstetter of the Comics Continuum a progress report on the upcoming Blade sequel. "Blade 2 is just finishing up being budgeted," Goyer told The Continuum. "If all goes well, we will begin pre-production in August." The movie is to be directed by Guillermo del Toro (Mimic). Wesley Snipes is set to return as the day-walker. http://comicscontinuum.com PREACHER -------- Tom Mayo of SFX Magazine wrote in to offer us a clarification on the image of Arse-face which is circulating on the web. We had reported on the image, which features make-up tests for the tragic-comedic character which was to be featured in the Preacher movie. According to Mayo, the image originated with SFX, which is published in the UK. Mayo told us the picture was "taken from an exclusive feature we did in issue 66." http://www.sfx.co.uk/ +++++ From The Daily Buzz at http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html X-Men Premiere Guest List The stars will come out for the X-Men movie premiere, the live Webcast for which Fandom is sponsoring on Popcast (http://www.popcast.com/events/xmen/default Look for Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, director Bryan Singer, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Anna Paquin, Ray Park, Bruce Davison, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Tyler Mane, according to Comic Book Continuum. Also look for Heidi Klum, Keith Richards and post-screening fireworks. In related X-Men news, look for TV Guide to do six different movie-themed covers of Prof. X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine and Rogue. X-Men Producer ‘Yes’ to Sequels Lauren Shuler Donner, producer of the X-Men film, says she always expected to make sequels of the mutant movie. During an online chat yesterday, Shuler Donner said, "In all honesty, yes, our plan was always to make this a franchise, which is why some characters were included and some are to be introduced in the sequels. But, of course, economics dictate that the first movie must do well to spend money on another." Other highlights of the chat include: Screenings -- "There have only been a few screenings and they were really well received. But we just literally finished the picture last weekend, and they didn't start printing until Sunday. So we didn't have a chance to really screen it because we didn't want to miss any effects." Casting -- "Yes, very difficult. Even more so because rather than just getting the best actor for the role, we had a certain image that the fans are expecting to look and act like the characters." Spandex -- "First of all, the costumes themselves have evolved and changed color through the years. We felt if we went with any of the colors, say the yellow and blue, that it would not be realistic that they would be walking around in the world wearing yellow and blue spandex fighting. We chose black because it would cloak and hide them in the darkness. But they have their colors stitched on the black." Gambit -- "Next movie, he'll be in the next movie. Write 20th Century Fox and express your desire for a sequel." Most difficult effects -- "There were so many hard ones -- Mystique's morphing was a difficult one." Residents of the X-mansion -- "Xavier, Jean Grey, Cyclops and Storm. And lots of other, younger X-Men. The young Iceman, the young Kitty Pryde, young Pyro and others." For more highlights of the chat, check out Comic Book Continuum (www.comicscontinuum.com) and later this afternoon, our own Trailer Park, also written by Rob Allstetter. --Comic Book Continuum Ziskin To Produce Spider-Man Columbia Pictures has hired Laura Ziskin to produce the Spider-Man feature film. Ziskin had been the president of 20th Century Fox before signing a three-year, first-look deal with Columbia. --The Hollywood Reporter +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.Fandom.com/comics/ WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE MCFARLANE TO APPEAL 24.5M RULING A day after a St. Louis Circuit Court Round awarded former NHL player Tony Twist $24.5 million in his lawsuit against Todd McFarlane, TMP announced they have "immediately started the appeals ball rolling." "It`s not over," McFarlane said in a press release. "I`m willing to go the whole nine yards on this one." According to TMP, a judge will look over the ruling within the next 30 days, at which point the case may move up to the Missouri Appellate Court. McFarlane contends the Tony Twist comic book villain shares no physical characteristics and is not based on Tony Twist the hockey player, and cites that the Twist character in Spawn is a minor one, appearing in only 166 of the nearly 31,000 images in the Spawn series. "I`m taking this very personally," said McFarlane. "I resent the state of Missouri for taking away my constitutional rights." "This is not about Twist," he continued. "We get along fine, this is way beyond Tony Twist, this is a First Amendment issue." Calling the ruling "huge", McFarlane claims this is not a really a monetary issue for him. "If I lost and the damages were only $10, I`d still fight this thing, because you can`t let what happened stand. I`m not trying to cover my ass on this. What I was just found guilty of, there are now thousands of people in the entertainment and publishing industry guilty of the same crime. We all became guilty. You can take my name out and put in CNN or Time Warner or Stephen King ... you`re guilty. "I`m just glad this part is over so I can get back to work. I can approve more toys this week, read more scripts. This ruling does not affect any of our daily activities," said McFarlane. The publisher added that the McFarlane companies "will still run on time", with action figures comics being released as scheduled and that TMP will continue to pursue movie and entertainment deals. "The only dramatic change in my day-to-day activities will perhaps be changing character names in reprints or trade paperbacks," said McFarlane. "That`s it." IT`S TIME TO STOP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR SAVAGE DRAGON Readers of Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon should be aware of a printing error affecting the upcoming issue #75, due in stores this Thursday (a day late due to the July 4th holiday.) According to a spokesperson for Larsen, due to a printer misprint, the cover price of the issue reads $5.95, as opposed to the $4.95 cover price the issue was solicited under. According to the spokesperson, retailers will only be charged for the equivalent of the $4.95 book. "If you pay cover price for SD #75 you`re paying too much!" said Larsen on his Savage Dragon message boards. "I`m NOT trying to rip you guys off." Larsen later added, in responding to readers questions and remarks over the situation, "Understand this - that extra dollar goes directly into your retailer`s pocket - I will see none of it. Your retailer will be charged as though he bought a $4.95 book but since the cover says $5.95 he will be able to pocket the extra cash (unless he knows better and is honest). It was a typo that benefits retailers and will (in all likelihood) cost me readers. I am not happy about this." BENDIS` `COLLECTED` THOUGHTS This weekend Brian (Powers) Bendis announced to readers at his Jinxworld message boards a few details regarding his and co-writer Marc Andreyko's previously announced Torso: The Deluxe Collection. Collecting the entire original series, the 290-page, b&w volume (printed on non gloss white paper) will include an introduction by Greg Rucka, "over 30 pages of never seen before material", plus a photo essay of the actual 1935 Cleveland murders. A limited Hardback edition, limited to 750 copies, with an exclusive signing plate signed by Bendis and Andreyko, will also be available. Image Comics will offer both collections for an October release. In addition, Bendis also reported that issue #2 of this and artist Mike Avon Oeming's Powers series has sold out, despite overprinting it by over 100%. THE EL NINO/COMIC BOOK CONNECTION In another example of how the real world, and oddly enough, weather, can impinge upon comic books, Monday's Today show on NBC ran a quick story about how the water levels in the Great Lakes are falling, due to a natural 30-year cycle. Their drop this time, however, is being augmented, some experts feel, due to the different weather cycles seen recently thanks to the recent el Nino and la Nina weather events in the Pacific Ocean. So how does, or could this affect comics? The fall in lake level is also being felt at Niagara Falls, home to a major hydroelectric plant that provides cheap energy to over 100 local businesses. Among those local business is Quebecor World Inc. (formerly Quebecor Printing Inc.), the printing plant that prints the majority of comic book offerings from the major publishers. Quebecor is running fine despite the lowered power production from the hydroelectric plant – however, they've had to purchase extra energy from other sources, and as a result, are paying somewhere in the neighborhood of 30% more for their electricity. It was left unclear from the report whether or not Quebecor will begin passing those costs on to their clients. ERIK LARSEN: "DEAR COMIC BOOK READERS..." This afteroon, Image Comics released the following open letter to the comics reading public from Savage Dragon creator Erik Larsen... "A lot of folks in the comic book business talk about what`s working and what isn`t in comics. I`ve made it no secret where I think we have gone wrong and rather than simply talk about it-- I`m going to DO something about it. In some ways Savage Dragon has been part of the problem. In the past, I`ve failed to remember that any issue is somebody`s first. My book has really played to and rewarded long-term readers-- each issue has been a chapter in a massive involving story. Starting with issue Savage Dragon #76, everything literally changes and in the process, each and every issue will become far more coherent and inviting to new readers. I'm placing the Dragon in a New World -- more dangerous and with much different rules. It`s like "No Man`s Land" meets The Road Warrior on a global scale -- but actually, it`s a world where literally ANYTHING goes and it`s wild as all hell. Imagine all the crazy stuff from every comic book ever published crammed into a single title and you`ll begin to get an idea of what I`m talking about. From Giant Killer Ants to Frost Giants to Underwater Kingdoms to Hidden Cities and everything in between -- this one, truly, has it all. Long term readers will be happy to hear that as the series progresses, old friends and foes will be reintroduced to contrast this New World. The stories work well for both regular and new readers but the important distinction is that the issues themselves will be far more self-contained and accessible. You will be able to pick up any issue and get a satisfying read out of it. This is my effort to try and show by example how it can be done right. I think the proof will be in the actual books themselves. It`s hard for me to even begin to communicate just how excited I am to do my book each month-- after eight years on a title you`d think I`d be pretty tired of it--I`m more excited than ever! I`ve done a lot of comics over the length of my career and the Dragon is by far the one that thrills me the most-- this is my dream book-- and it`s the dream book where the dream never ends and can`t be taken away. And I`m telling you-- that`s the best kind of dream to have." Erik Larsen JINGLE BELLE RINGS IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN Oni Press has announced an October 27th release date for Jingle Belle: Naughty And Nice, an 88-page b&w collection of the two-issue Jingle Belle mini-series and short story from Oni Double Feature by Paul Dini and Stephen DeStefano. The story of Santa Claus' rebellious adolescent daughter, the trade paperback will include an exclusive, 8-page color signature featuring a brand-new Christmas poem by Dini with painted illustrations by SPARKS creator Lawrence Marvit and a new painted cover by Lynne Naylor "I usually hate Christmas stuff," Oni's Jamie S. Rich commented. "Most of it strikes me as too sugary and not remotely like any holidays I've ever experienced. The great thing about the JINGLE BELLE material is that Paul has given us a character who knows the Christmas routine inside and out and views it very cynically. At the same time, Paul tempers her with the just enough sentiment to charm Christmas-lovers as well." "There's a bratty kid in all of us that both loves and hates Christmas," Dini added. "We love the concept of celebrating getting presents, but we also loathe the anxiety of having to be good and measure up to our parents' expectations. Jingle Belle has that worse than anyone. As she is Santa's daughter, she's under constant scrutiny from her old man. One slip-up and on the naughty list she goes. Jing is out to prove to Santa that this Christmas stuff is no biggie and anyone can grant the wishes of kids, even her. Naturally, she fails spectacularly and nearly gets the holiday season torpedoed for good." "What makes JINGLE BELLE a fulfilling read, is it moves beyond its initial concept," Rich said. "It's not just the gimmick of `she's Santa's daughter and they don't get along.’ Paul has created a whole world for Jing that has a lot of wonderful characters—the elves, the whales, the lemmings—and has also tapped into a certain adolescent zeitgeist we can all identify with. We've all had to balance responsibility with wanting to have a good time, we've all felt like we can't do anything right. And, at the same time, it's insanely funny." Dini has also recently launched his own website, www.jinglebelle.com. The site will a source for news, products, and exclusive animated shorts starring the character. This collection follows the character's appearance in July's Oni Press Summer Vacation. +++++ From Zentertainment; HTTP://WWW.ZENTERTAINMENT.COM To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN yourself, e-mail: subscribe@ZENtertainment.com X-MEN: THE MOVIE EXTRAVAGANZA, MONDAY, JULY 10 On July 14, X-Men: The Movie explodes onto movie screens across the nation! Want to know what happened before the movie? Check out Home Shopping Network, July 10 at 1pm and 11pm eastern, for the origins of Wolverine, Rogue, and Magneto. Plus comics autographed by X-Men co-creators Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "The King" Kirby, Magneto product signed by Sir Ian McKellen, Sabretooth product signed by Tyler Mane, three comic prequels to the X-Citing X-Men Movie featuring ten signatures and much, much more. +++++ 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. Beginning this week, the Superman titles inexplicably enter the twisted world of "Superman: Arkham," a 4-part story linking all the monthly Superman titles in a topsy-turvy tale of a world gone horribly wrong, where the Man of Steel is a hunted villain, Bizarro is hailed as a champion, and the heroes of the JLA have been altered almost beyond recognition. Now Superman must help his former allies rediscover their true selves in an incredible struggle against an enemy at last revealed as Emperor...nope, we're not telling. The covers of all the Superman titles in August — including an extra-sized one-shot and an extra-sized issue of ACTION COMICS — will identify the mystery villain, but you'll have to wait until they hit the stands to find out, so we're calling the story (and the one- shot) SUPERMAN: EMPEROR ????????. But trust us, the revelation will be worth the wait! In the SUPERMAN: EMPEROR ???????? one-shot (written by Jeph Loeb and Joe Kelly with art by Duncan Rouleau, Jaime Mendoza, Marlo Alquiza, Todd Nauck, Scott McDaniel, and more with a shocking cover by Ed McGuinness and Cam Smith), Superman and Steel stand alone against a horribly twisted world. But will knowing who is responsible for mangling reality give them the edge they need to assemble this world's JLA — Green Paper Lantern, a Fish-headed Aquaman, a criminally prim Wonder Woman, and, of course, the Flab? The adventure continues in SUPERMAN #161 (written by Loeb with art by McGuinness and Smith and cover by Kano and Danny Miki), ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #583 (written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Mike Miller and Josι Marzan Jr. with cover by Kano and Andy Lanning) and SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #105 (written by Mark Schultz with art by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen and cover by Kano and Drew Geraci). The assembled heroes mount an assault on the Emperor's fortress, Superboy and Supergirl are slain, Lois and Steel are trapped in the villain's clutches, and Superman faces the very real possibility of dying again when our heroes are transformed into — gulp! — Super-pets? Be sure to follow the "Emperor ????????" storyline by following the "triangle number" system featured on all Superman books; the one-shot EMPEROR ???????? will also feature a triangle number. According to Vince Letterio, DC's Manager — Direct Sales: " We want to make it clear that that the SUPERMAN: EMPEROR ?????? one-shot is part of the "Superman: Arkham" storyline and uses the same trade dress, as well as the start of the the "Emperor ??????" storyline. Make sure you don't get caught short, like you may have on the SUPERMAN: Y2K one-shot." SUPERMAN: EMPEROR ???????? one-shot (JUN00 0244) $3.50 in stores August 2 SUPERMAN #161 (JUN00 0245) $2.25 in stores August 9 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #583 (JUN00 0246) $2.25 in stores August 16 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #105 (JUN00 0247) $2.25 in stores August 23 ACTION COMICS #770 (extra-sized issue) (JUN00 0248) $3.50 in stores August 30 The twisted tragicomedy reaches its climax in the extra-sized ACTION COMICS #770 (written by Joe Kelly with art and cover by Kano and Alquiza). As evil wins and good faces ultimate defeat, am this the ultimate Bizarro ending? ********** ARCHIVE EDITION SHIPPING CHANGES Please note the following Archive Editons will change their shipping dates due to printing concerns: HAWKMAN ARCHIVES VOL. 1 HC will arrive in stores 8/30. BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT ARCHIVES VOL. 3 HC will arrive in stores 9/13 JUSTICE LEAGUE ARCHIVES VOL. 6 HC will be re-solicited in Previews Vol. X #9 to be in stores 11/1; all previous orders will be cancelled. DC DIRECT DELAYS Due to quality control issues, the KID FLASH ACTION FIGURE (JAN00 0291) has been canceled and will be resolicited in the August Previews. Additionally, the STARFIRE ACTION FIGURE (JAN00 0292) has been delayed until Aug. 30; the TOM STRONG DELUXE ACTION FIGURE SET (JAN00 0263) until Sept. 6; and the SHAZAM! DELUXE ACTION FIGURE SET (MAR00 0244) until Nov. 1. The latter three items are Order Adjustable in this issue of Dateline. "DC DIRECT is extremely concerned about quality and timeliness," Vice President — Direct Sales Bob Wayne said. "Once we decided to make improvements to the Kid Flash Action Figure, it was obvious that we would no longer be able to hit the original in-store date. Instead, we've chosen to release it with two other super-speedsters — Impulse and Max Mercury — on Oct. 25. As for the delayed Tom Strong two-pack, Shazam! two-pack, and Starfire Action Figure, we're allowing order adjustments to minimize the inconvenience to everyone." NEW LATE SHIPPING ITEMS Please note that the following items have been added to the late shipping charts this week: MAD BATHROOM COMPANION TP 7/26 LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #32 7/26 THE SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS SC 8/02 SWAMP THING: LOVE & DEATH TP (NEW PRINTING) 8/09 GON ON SAFARI 8/09 HAWKMAN ARCHIVES VOL. 1 HC 8/30 STARFIRE ACTION FIGURE 8/30 TOM STRONG DELUXE ACTION FIGURE SET 9/06 BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT ARCHIVES VOL. 3 9/13 SHAZAM! DELUXE ACTION FIGURE SET 11/01 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: 7/8/00 (8:00 am) — "Deep Freeze" (Batman) 7/8/00 (8:30 am) — "Once Burned" (Batman Beyond) 7/10/00 (3:30 pm) — "Avatar" (Batman) 7/10/00 (4:30 pm) — "Livewire" (Superman) 7/11/00 (3:30 pm) — "Two's A Crowd" (Superman) 7/11/00 (4:30 pm) — "Absolute Power" (Superman) 7/12/00 (3:30 pm) — "Trial" (Batman) 7/12/00 (4:30 pm) — "Warrior Queen" (Superman) 7/13/00 (3:30 pm) — "Solar Power" (Superman) 7/13/00 (4:30 pm) — "Double Dose" (Superman) 7/14/00 (4:30 pm) — "Earth Mover" (Batman Beyond) 7/15/00 (8:00 am) — "Chemistry" (Batman) 7/15/00 (8:30 am) — "A Touch of Curare" (Batman Beyond) 7/17/00 (3:30 pm) — "The Late Mr. Kent" (Superman) 7/17/00 (4:30 pm) — "Showdown" (Superman) 7/18/00 (3:30 pm) — "Identity Crisis" (Superman) 7/18/00 (4:30 pm) — "Critters" (Batman) 7/19/00 (3:30 pm) — "Harley and Ivy" (Batman) 7/19/00 (4:30 pm) — "Last Son of Krypton-Part 1" (Superman) 7/20/00 (3:30 pm) — "Last Son of Krypton-Part 2" (Superman) 7/20/00 (4:30 pm) — "Last Son of Krypton-Part 3" (Superman) 7/21/00 (4:30 pm) — "Eyewitness" (Batman Beyond) Be the advised that this schedule is subject to change. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interview by Jon Gilbert SUSAN DORNE INTERVIEW BY JON GILBERT Where were you born and raised? What schools did you attend? What was your family life like? I was born August 6, 1958 in a hospital in Manchester, CT and was raised and lived in Rockville, CT most of my life. I have a sister, Gail, that's 11 years older then me, and now with both parents gone, we have become the best of friends. Gail has been married for over 25 years and has two grown sons. I've been married and divorced twice, and have no children. I graduated Rockville High School in 1976 and attended the University of Connecticut School of Engineering for 2 years before dropping out to get married for the first time in 1978, so I never graduated college. In 1981, the marriage ended and I remarried in 1986. That one ended REAL unpleasantly in 1988. During all this time I had lived briefly in Massachusetts, and for a time in Waterbury, CT and Plantsville, CT, but ultimately came back to the Rockville/Manchester area and that's where I bought a condo and live today. What was the first comic you read? Geez, I'm not sure I really remember the very first comic I ever read specifically. I actually can remember very little of my real early childhood. Just a mish-mosh of vague impressions. I DO remember that I was totally infatuated with MIGHTY MOUSE at an early age, and I remember that I cut his picture out of a comic book cover (I think there might've been a TV cartoon on about that time, too) and put it in a drawer and wished every day for it to come alive. The first comics I ever had were hand-me-downs from my sister, and I can remember such titles as LITTLE LULU, MICKEY MOUSE, and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. A Little later on I graduated to ARCHIES and MILLIE THE MODELS. What times are you reading these days? Well, I'm not sure I understand the question there, but that's exactly what it says on the typewritten page you sent me, Jon. I'm sort of assuming you meant to say "comics". Is that right? The comics I'm reading these days are: STRANGERS IN PARADISE, CEREBUS, THE DREAMING, BONE, GROO, SIN CITY, the occasional BATMAN or SPAWN, PEEPSHOW, FATHOM, DAWN, GRENDEL, and the new SWAMP THING. The times I'm reading these days (in case that's what you really meant) are usually the first hour after I wake up in the morning (my quiet time) or late in the evenings. How did you get started in the comics industry and what sort of lettering training did you receive? I got started in the comics industry upon the encouragement of my pen-pal Steve Haynie, who had worked himself into a lettering position at a major company. He felt it was something I could learn to do as well and advised me on the basics and tools necessary. Basically, I'm self-taught, with no real formal lettering training - just an aptitude to write neatly and legibly, a decent sense of balance and design, an understanding of the "flow" of a comics page, and a desire to work in the field I loved. I practiced for a while before attempting a real "assignment", and as I recall, my first "jobs" were mostly in the small press and fanzine publications where I either worked for free for friends or for a minimal fee, like $1 a page. What publishers have you worked for? These would include First Comics, NOW Comics, Blackthorne Press, Revolutionary, Triumphant, Rebel Studios, Palliard Press, Big Bang Comics, Comic Zone Productions, Alpha Productions, Caliber Press, Chrysalis Studios, COMICO, Malibu Comics, One Shot Press, and of course Claypool Comics, the one place I still do lettering for. What titles and series have you worked on? Whew! Way too many to remember or list, but I'll give it a shot. For First Comics: ELRIC For NOW Comics: MARRIED WITH CHILDREN,and GREEN HORNET For Blackthorne: some 3-D thing I can't remember For Revolutionary: Numerous unauthorized sports and celebrity biographies. For Triumphant: their entire short-lived superhero line For Rebel Studios: NIGHTVISION For Palliard Press: two one-shot adult X-rated specials For Big Bang: BIG BANG COMICS For Comic Zone Prod.: a couple of serial killer biography issues For Alpha Productions: numerous B & W series. Can't remember the titles. For Caliber Press: literally dozens of comics, including ZULUNATION, OZ, DEADWORLD, REALM and more. For Chrysalis Studios: RARE BREED For COMICO: ELEMENTALS, SPLATTER, misc. one-shots For Malibu: WARSTRIKE, ELVEN, HARDCASE, PROTOTYPE, STRANGERS, FIREARM, FREEX, MANTRA, NIGHTMAN, SOLITAIRE... For One- Shot Press: The PHILISTINE For Claypool: DEADBEATS and ELVIRA. Who have you worked with over the years? To be honest, I had very little contact with writers and artists. Mostly I dealt with the traffic editors at the various companies. I did, however, deal directly with David Quinn, Gary Carlson, Phil Foglio, Zoe Rochelle, Jeff Austin, Frank Albanese, Brian Azzarello, Hannibal King, Mike Mongillo, Ken Penders and Chris Mills to name a few. For readers who don't know about lettering, what exactly do you do? Well, generally I receive the pencilled art pages along with a script. The editor has indicated balloon and sound F/X placements. Sometimes the artist has pencilled in a rough version of the title and credits. Other times, I design it from scratch myself. For many years, I used an Ames lettering guide and would sketch in the balloons in pencil and then hand-draw the lines for the dialogue with the Ames Guide. That, of course, meant having to erase all those lines later when the inked letters and balloons were complete. For the past few years, I've done my lettering on a light table, using an already-ruled guide under the pencilled page of artwork. MUCH less erasing afterwards! I typically start with the first page, though I leave the title and credits for last, and letter the dialogue and other text right through to the end of the story. Then I go back and ink in the balloons and sound F/X. Then the panel borders, and then the title and credits. If any character speaks in a strange voice that requires special lettering (i.e. a robot... or demon) I usually leave that for after the "normal" lettering is done. That's often where I get to be a bit creative and use scratchy or wiggly letters for an eerie or evil voice, or mechanical-looking letters for a robot. Sometimes the balloons are varied from the standard oval to indicate a different-sounding voice, or the tails are left off to indicate telepathy, or a crowd talking. The title and credits are another area where I get to be creative and I try to tailor the lettering of the title and its design to the story. For example: spooky, dripping letters for a horror story, or fancy script for a romance, or dynamic, bursting block letters for a super hero. How do computers affect comic book lettering and you specifically? Well, you've touched a nerve here, Jon. Computer comic book lettering has virtually taken over the industry and become the norm in the past few years. Very little lettering is still done by hand, and only for small, usually B & W, publishers. It's put most freelance hand-letterers out of business, or forced them to adapt to the new computer methods. Some letterers have developed and marketed their own fonts and gone on to become highly successful, even running their own "lettering businesses", with a full staff (i.e. Richard Starkings and Comicraft) and much more lettering is now done "in-house" at the major publishers, or transmitted over the modem, saving them huge FedEx charges and much time previously lost in shipping the pages around. It's much more efficient for the publishers, and the lettering produced in this manner is sharp and clean and, for the most part, generic. The element of hand-craft is gone and so is the personal touch - - the human part. The advent of computer lettering has affected me, personally, in a pretty negative way, since I resisted it for a long time when it was becoming prevalent, and still won't use it today. I prefer the old-fashioned hand lettering technique. Unfortunately for me, computer lettering came into vogue at about the same time I had established myself professionally and was ready and eligible for assignments from the "Big Two". I feel certain that if computer lettering hadn't come along when it did, I'd be working for Marvel or DC on a regular basis right now. It took me from Lettering-as-a-full-time-job to Lettering-as-a-very-occasional-part-time-hobby status. I'm actually still a little bitter about it, but how can you be mad at technological progress? Who are your lettering influences...whose work do I admire? This one is easy. Todd Klein (of mostly DC fame) has long been a major lettering idol for me. I greatly admired his stunning work on SANDMAN, THE DEMON, THE SPECTRE and numerous other series over the years. When I finally got to meet him at the Philadelphia Comicfest back in 1993 or 1994, it was the thrill of a lifetime - akin to meeting any Hollywood celebrity or sports legend. We corresponded for awhile, then gradually drifted out of touch, but I still have the utmost respect and admiration not only for Todd's work, but for him as a person, as well. He's an intelligent and genuinely nice guy, not to mention a Master of his Craft. I've also greatly admired the lettering work of Dave Sim on CEREBUS. His innovative and creative techniques of accent and enunciation have taken the art of lettering to new heights, and I never fail to be quite amazed at what he's been able to achieve with his dialogue. There are some others whose work I've enjoyed and I've had the pleasure of meeting or corresponding with a few such as Bob Pinaha, Tom Orzechowski, and the aforementioned Steve Haynie. What are your other hobbies and activities when not lettering? I enjoy movies, reading, NASCAR auto racing, UCONN (National Champions!) Women's Basketball, bicycling, swimming, and sunbathing, but mostly I enjoy playing TENNIS. I do it a lot these days. It's fun, competitive and great exercise. I'm on two different teams during the indoor winter season, and play almost daily outdoors in the summer. Right at this moment I'm pretty bummed because I've just developed a flaming case of tennis elbow and will have to lay off playing for several weeks while it heals. I can't even pick up a racquet right now, much less hit a ball with one. Considering how much of my social life revolves around tennis, it seems like the end of the world if I can't play. Guess I'll have plenty of time to get caught up on all the reading and movies I usually put off now. What are your favorite books, TV shows and movies? I'm a huge Stephen King fan and have all his novels. Also enjoy reading Dean Koontz, Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham, Caleb Carr and John Patterson. Generally I'm a fan of the horror and mystery/intrigue/adventure genre with maybe a little romance and historical fiction thrown in for good measure. Favorite TV shows now are XENA, X-FILES, WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE, THE PRACTICE, and my soap opera, THE GUIDING LIGHT. Favorite TV shows of all time include GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, HOGAN'S HEROES, SIMPSONS, MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, STAR TREK:TNG and OUTER LIMITS. My favorite movies are probably the whole STAR WARS series, including the latest: PHANTOM MENACE. Also liked the ALIENS movies and both TERMINATORS (do we detect a science-fiction theme going here?) The INDIANA JONES movies were fun and so was MEN IN BLACK. Just saw GLADIATOR which was excellent, too. Mostly I guess I tend to go for action/adventure and comedy stuff over serious, gut-wrenching dramas. I like to be entertained, not depressed. Are there any artists or comic series you'd like to letter one day? Well sure, it'd be nice to letter some high-prestige title like CEREBUS or SWAMP THING or X-MEN, but that doesn't seem like a very realistic goal. I enjoy working on stuff where I have direct interaction with the artist and/or writer and where I'm invited to be creative and distinctive. These elements were all in place when I was lettering the NIGHTVISION series for David Quinn at Rebel Studios, and I have to say, that's a time I will always remember fondly. As for the future, I'd certainly love to work with Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Charles Vess, Michael Mignola, Alex Ross or Barry Windsor-Smith if any of them were to ask, but I'm not exactly holding my breath. All are talented, top-notch comics creators. What are the lettering projects that you are currently working on? Only ELVIRA stories for Claypool at this point in time. Usually 15-pagers, but sometimes an occasional 8-page back-up. Are there any other projects lined up for the near future? Another very easy question. The straight answer is: NO - none. Tell us about the Collectors Club and how to join? I'd almost rather not talk about the club at all since it's virtually defunct. It's been over a year since the last issue of the newsletter and it's not real likely there'll be any more unless another member jumps in and volunteers to be President and Publisher. I know your purpose in mentioning it, Jon, was to help promote the club and provide a little free advertising, and I certainly appreciate that, but it's kinda become a sore subject for me, and one I feel bad enough about already without rehashing it all again. Sorry. Tell us about SHOPTALK APA. SHOPTALK was an APA (Amateur Press Assoc.) for working comics professionals in any area of the industry. It was started by my friend Hector Diaz of New Hampshire in the mid-80's and lasted for a couple of years before dying out. It was the first and only APA I've ever been in, and mt regular contribution "Balloon City" talked about my lettering career at that time. It was enjoyable at first, but after a year or so, it became more of a "chore" to put together my pages than the "fun" it was supposed to be. What do you think the current state of the comics industry and where is it going a few years down the road? In my opinion, the comics industry has been slowly dying ever since the big speculator boom of the early to mid 90's. Entertainment today is so much more high-tech. What modern kid wants to read a comic book? Printing and paper costs keep rising and comic books have priced themselves out of competition for young people's spare change. I foresee it becoming purely a nostalgia thing. There will always be comic book readers out there, but the numbers keep dwindling down to the real die-hards. Companies such as Marvel and DC could never survive today on their comic book revenues alone, but they need to keep the characters active for the other licensing and marketing venues. Much has been said and written about the effect of computers on comics -not only in their utilization producing traaditional comics, but in the concept of comics-on-computer. I'm not too sure how much that'll catch on - aside from the novelty factor. Most people, it seems, prefer NOT to sit at their computer terminals for leisure reading of books (or whatever...) I'm hopeful that there will always be comic books produced, but I wouldn't be surprised if there comes a day when the "traditional" comic as we know it becomes too expensive to produce for the ever-dwindling market. Most likely "graphic novels" and "collections" with higher price points will someday replace the monthly periodical we all know and love. Is there anything to add? Just that I'm very flattered to be selected by Jon as an interview subject. While it's certainly true that I have been a professional comics letterer, and actually made my living in the business for a few years, I've never really felt that I contributed in any significant way to the advancement of the art form or anything as illustrious as that. I mean, it's not like I was a writer or an artist, whose stories may have actually moved someone at a certain point in their life, and which are remembered fondly later in life. Still... I did manage to meet a lot of nice people through my comics associations and actually had the thrill of signing autographs (for dozens of people who had no real idea who I was) at a big comics convention in Philadelphia once. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] 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.] [Editor's note: Have you been wondering where Ramblings 2000 has been? Me too, so I wandered around other places Rich hangs out and found this explanation posted just this week. - D.L.] Quoted From Rich's Ramblings at: http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/rich/index.htm Selling Out In Style By Rich Johnston I've sold out. I've taken the King's shilling. I am in debt to the Man. Ramblings 2000, that fiercely independent rumour column, the guilty pleasure of comic book professionals the world over and a source of great entertainment to the comic reading masses has been finally neutered, tamed and caged. And not, as it may have been predicted, by a company legal department determined to banish any non-official information leak, or a comic creator with an ambulance chasing lawyer by his side or even a disgruntled type with a baseball bat. Not even, as some hoped, that I'd get bored with it all, grow up and leave it behind as I did my teddy bear, my plastic He Man sword and my penchant for masturbating four to five times a day. No, instead it's the lure of filthy lucre, of cold hard cash and the desire of a company to broadcast content that attracts viewers, hooks them and then forces them to buy comics and comic-related paraphernalia. Naturally, the details are a tad fuzzy at present, but as far as I can gather, I'll be writing a weekly column detailing the latest, greatest rumours to circulate the industry as well as a few blasts from the past so new readers can slowly catch up. So how will this affect the column? Well, usually the delay from writing to broadcast was due to me being bothered to properly collate the info I'd received, waiting patiently for creators to confirm or deny a rumour so I wouldn't look so irresponsible when it saw print. Now of course I've got a weekly schedule to stick to, so there'll be none of that. There won't be any of this `it's been three weeks and no column' malarky that Ramblings readers have been used to of late. Mind you, I've got layers of managers and lawyers to go through. Who knows what they may object to or demand snipped to protect themselves from a massive lawsuit here or a threat of non-compliance there. Ah, but there's the thing. You see, the column will need a name change. That means I can keep the old Ramblings column going in the same space, this time for stuff that gets sniped out by the lawyers or for long winded stuff that, while interesting, might not be what a modern professional rumour column is in need of. So I get all the new readers and exposure that this venture will bring, a more reliable and regular service for the old readers, and a bit of much-need cash that will go a long way. Hopefully that's everything covered. For now... you see, I'm not giving you the new web address, because I don't know it myself. I don't know when it'll appear, exactly when it starts or in what format it'll be presented. I look forward to finding out though. Oh and I've got another deadline to meet for this Tuesday. Of course, this could be a completely made up story to explain why I haven't put up a new Ramblings column for a month now. But either way, it's a damn good rumour. Rich Johnston [Rich's new column is on NextPlanetOver.com and is called Gutter Press Gossip Column at: http://www.nextplanetover.com/pulse/ D.L.] ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Great Googaly Moogaly Chad Trout cct107@psu.edu [Chad Trout has been collecting comics for over a decade. Currently he toils away in grad school, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.] Well, I have been thinking about that game show comic some more. Last week I suggested that comics could cash in on the game show craze, but I didn't offer any ideas. Well, this week I have some. I have three ideas that might work. The first is to have Regis guest star in a comic. It should be Batman or Superman, since they are the big two. I don't watch his show, but almost everybody else is and that's why I picked him. The problem is getting his appearance out to the general public so they know about it and can get it. By having Regis guest star, this would make people actually read the book (Hopefully), which is what we want them to do. Yeah there are those that would horde this comic, but hopefully some would read it and become interested in comics. The next idea I have is to feature the cast of Survivors. I haven't seen this show, but it sounds like it would make a good comic. The people who are not watching Millionaire are watching this one. You could always throw in super powers like Stan Lee did with the Backstreet Boys, but I really don't think that is necessary. It would hurt the story by taking out the human element, which is the most interesting. I imagine this comic as a Challengers of the unknown type of book. The cast investigates the island and finds danger at every turn! There has got to be some danger, because how long can we watch them eat those poor mistreated rats!! I wonder if ALL 8 of the PETA people would protest DC Comics if they ate the rats in a comic book? That would be great, because then DC would be on CNN News, FOX News and every other news channel. The last idea I have is the worst, because I don't see any real benefit to the industry. It doesn't get people to read the books and would bring back the ugly speculation market of the early 90’s. A particular low selling comic (Let's just say Aquaman!!) is printed with special numbers inside and bagged. These numbers are like lottery numbers and you win cold hard cash by matching them up. I am not entirely sure I would even want to see this idea, but it might get people into the comic book store. Good stores (like the one I go to) would have a variety of stock on hand and be able to direct people to the good stuff. People are always surprised at the variety that comics have to offer and this may be a good chance to get them exposed to different stuff. The problem is that most stores are not well equipped or that friendly. I was recently in Newark, Delaware and called a store to get directions to the place. The clerk, rather unbelievable, told me he didn't know how to give directions! I talked to him for another couple of minutes, but hung up out of frustration. People who work at a store should know how to get to it from the major highways in their area. I did find an excellent store down there though. It was in Newark, just off the main drag. The people were friendly and knowledgeable. It was a nice, open clean store. Well stocked to boot! As I was thinking about these comics, I also came up others that I would like to see. Diablo II just came out this week and it is great. I am not sure how the Tomb Raider comic is doing, but I would like to see more comics based on computer games. I like sword and sorcery adventures, so that is why I mentioned Diablo II first, but Warcraft and Starcraft would make excellent comics. Both games are set in worlds that are developed and rich with story potential. I would buy all three comics if they came out. I think this would help draw different people into the stores. Well, those are my ideas for the week. Now on to some reviews, which will contain minor spoilers. The Marquis Oni: 2.95 By - Guy Davis Letters Vince Locke Cover Matt Wagner Editor Jamie S. Rich I cannot find the prelude to this issue! I know I bought it, but it's not where it's supposed to be. I figure it just got misplaced, but I just don't have the time to look for it right now. I was going to talk about both, but I guess that won't be happening. This book is set in the 18th century. Guy Davis explained it, as "the world of the Marquis is its own.” Although set in the trappings of the 18th century, its land, history, and religion are all its own.” This book is steeped in atmosphere. It's so thick that you could cut it with a knife. The world Guy Davis has created is very rich and comes to life both with the story and the art. I have never been a big fan of black and white comics, but this is another one that I feel is better in black and white than it would be in color. This book gives the background on de Marquis and shows us why he carries out his crusade. It also hints at the society, in which people wear masks, and the religion the world is based on. I am really glad this issue explored de Marquis, instead of just jumping into a story. It was a very good way to introduce the world that Davis has created and makes the issue very reader friendly. Guy gives us enough information, so it's not too confusing, but not the whole picture. More than any other comic (even the Black Panther), this book leaves me wanting more. I am wondering about de Marquis' age though. He seems more than a little past his prime. I just cannot picture this man running around hunting demons and fighting it out with them. The physical activity seems like it would be a bit too much as he comes across a bit on the side of poor health. Of course, he may have some kind of link to his god aside from the tools given to him. Time will tell though. Recommendation: Get It! This book left me wanting more and wishing I could go buy some back issues tonight. Hellblazer 151 Good Intentions Part 1 of 6 DC Comics/Vertigo 2.50 Writer Brian Azzarello Artist Marcelo Frusin Colors James Sinclair Letters Clem Robins Cover Tim Bradstreet Asst. Editor Jennifer Lee Editor Axel Alonso This story shows two car rides that John takes in his quest to get to Doglick, Virginia. That doesn't exactly sound exciting, but this was one of the best single issues I have read recently. Yet Brian Azzarello pulls it off beautifully. The first part of the story recaps the previous 6-part story line in a frightfully fun way. I can't remember actually ever laughing out loud at a Hellblazer comic before, but the first half had me giggling all the way. I certainly won't be picking up any hitchhikers anytime soon! The second half of the story has a much different tone and shows a different side of John. The first half had him being rather mean and scaring the life out of some one for fun. The second half shows that he does have a heart and will help people in need. The theme of the issue is death and John shares his view of road kill with us. I was a little disappointed in it; because it was something I had thought about or heard some where along the way. That doesn't diminish the story any though, because it's still a fun ride. There is a lot of road kill in this comic and I feel I am missing something in the story here because of it. The visuals by Marcelo Frusin are great. Considering that most of this comic consists of talking heads, Frusin does a wonderful job of bringing the story to life. I have never heard of him before, but I will be on the lookout for his art in the future. Recommendation: This issue is a good jumping on point for new readers and I highly recommend that you give Hellblazer a try. Azzarello also writes 100 Bullets for Vertigo, which is another favorite of mine. Got something to say???..Email cct107@psu.edu ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts silhouet9@aol.com [Paul promotes amateur and professional comic book artwork, scripts, storylines, and unpublished comic books with a newsletter called the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter. Its website is at Jazma Comic Book Newsletter Productions at http://www.jazmaonline.com/ He is also a prominent letter hack, as anyone who reads comic letter pages would know. He is in production of his own self-published comic book called The Legendary Dark Silhouette and has copyrighted over 600 characters for his Jazma Universe.] WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN MAY REVEAL SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF PLOTS OR ENTIRE PLOT DEVELOPMENTS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Name: Warlands #7 Publisher: Image Written by: Adrian Tsang Drawn by: Pat Lee/pencils Alvin Lee/inks Price: $2.50 Comments: Standing ovation to Pat Lee, Adrian Tsang and Alvin Lee for their exceptional artwork and story-telling! The mystery surrounding the Darklyte armor is fascinating and more will be exposed as this story continues. With everything that is going on, the battle between the armies of the Eastern Kingdom against the Dataran horde is in full progress! Warlands #7 laid out a beautiful story as the battle with two dragons takes place and I found myself holding onto the edge of my seat! I had to chuckle a bit as the Mage is hesitant in entering that cave. If I were to step into this reality, I would be a bit frightened as the skies above the battlefield are in turmoil, fighting everywhere is taking place and one mean intimidating warrior with a battle axe who merely states..."stand aside" makes his appearance on the battlefield. Delezar seems to have evaporated, but I won't know the full details until the next issue. A story with elves, vampires, dragons, warriors and witches is my kind of fantasy story. The cliffhanger was superb as this story ended with the collapsing rock formation. Name: War Against Crime #5 Publisher: EC Comics Price: $2.50 Comments: In War against Crime #5, I got 4 great stories that came from real police files! Being a person that enjoys watching Unsolved Mysteries, America's Most Wanted and FBI Files; I got hooked right into these stories. Let's talk a bit about "Little Miss Mob Marker". When it was mentioned that Betty Zalman was impatient and wanted things now, I thought for sure you were talking about my wife. The story was entrancing as she heads off to the 54 Club (not Studio 54 - those good ol' disco days) and sets up an old man for robbery by playing she was hurt. The exact same thing that Ted Bundy did with women, he would pretend to be injured and then when they got close to his car, he would force them into his vehicle. The only thing that the old guy could do was 'chalk it up for experience' and what a bad experience it was! Betty met her match when she comes across mobster Happy Gordon. It's like Russian Roulette she was playing and now she meets a real bad guy. Happy has her staking out a bank for him and she doesn't seem to like being controlled at a later point with Happy, in which leads to her turncoat ways with Happy. Turncoats must always beware...revenge is around the corner and it happens here with Happy finishing Betty off for the last time. A true tragedy indeed. "Curse of the Pharaoh" was very intriguing as the master jewel thief Fingers Sharp performs his job with strategic precision. The museum detective seemed to be as sharp as any street detective is as he investigates the stolen scarab. This adventure also leads to tragedy as Fingers wears all black and the green scarab stands out enough for him to be shot. That tinge of green was a dead giveaway. No pun intended. "The Law's Revenge" was another exciting story as this is the story of Charles Hanley who really gets his just reward at the end. He claims up and down he's not Charles Hanley that Charles Hanley is dead and winds up paying for his crimes with the dreaded electric chair. Poor, poor Charles. Name: Grendel - Devil's Legacy 4 of 12 Publisher: Dark Horse Maverick Written by Matt Wagner Drawn by Arnold & Jacob Pander/pencils Jay Geldhof/inks Price: $2.95 Comments: This Grendel story is hot! Can't seem to get enough of it and of course it inspired me to letter hack to the legendary Matt Wagner. Here's that letter: Oh my god - Rocky & Bullwinkle! Sorry, I had to say that, I keep hearing it on the trailer for the upcoming movie. Let's get down to business and talk about Grendel - Devil's Legacy 4 of 12. Grendel is truly haunted by the vampire murder that she witnessed. Being a Grendel she is going to witness a whole lot more when it comes to the horrific. Many things at once are going on with this story as a slaver is planning to take Brian, Chris is playing 'guardian Grendel' with Brian and of course Brian gets lucky with Chris. This is a story filled with clever maneuvers to keep the reader guessing on what will occur next. Very well done Matt. Even when Chris and Brian were talking on the telephone, I felt like I was eavesdropping on a private conversation. It was done with realism. I like the term 'Grendelish' as the murder on North Beach was discussed by Brian. It's interesting on how it was mentioned that Oriental vampires are a rare breed. During my time in Hong Kong - Macau and Mainland China and watching some Chinese horror movies, I remember only one horror movie that dealt with vampirism and it's only because Dracula was accidentally shipped over to Mainland China! Perhaps Tujiro is blood connected to Dracula...just kidding. The fork is such a superb precise weapon. I can't believe everything that it is equipped with. From radio to protective circuitry and of course it burns! What I like about Grendel is the way she stalks. This is one lady I would not want on my tail! Now the burning question...'where's Tujiro?'...ahh, let's not turn around real soon! Grendel is really giving me the chills....I'm loving every bit of it! Name: Countdown #3 Publisher: Wildstorm Written by: Jeff Mariotte Drawn by: Aaron Lopresti/pencils Randy Emberlin/inks Price: $2.95 Comments: This story is quite strange, from the unique cover of some old cowboy eating his cherry pie and watching Tap, The Black, Gale and Force outside of the restaurant window. I think this cover will stick in my mind for a long time. Another haunting image that will stick with me (no pun intended) is when the story reaches Shelley Morgan in Portland, Oregon and during a conversation with Cassandra, Shelley sticks a fork through her hand. While all this is going on, Doug Burton uses his newfound abilities on a woman and wins her heart through his powers and later convinces a burly truck driver in not kicking his behind all the way to Missouri. I do have to admit, I like Doug's unique powers of persuasion. Not too many comic books can do scene shifts from Portland, Oregon to several million miles in outerspace where an alien armada is ready to vaporize Earth, not to mention scene shifts to Nevada and Los Angeles. Big things are happening in Los Angeles, as an Intelligence Officer checks out the shocking scene in Cassandra Stein's motel room. It's up to these heroes Gale, Force, Tap and The Black to stop the alien armada. Coming soon: Crossover between The Authority and Planetary. Watch for it, only from the Wildstorm Universe! Name: X-Men - Children of the Atom - Book Four: Child's Play Publisher: Marvel Comics Written by: Joe Casey Drawn by: Paul Smith & Michael Ryan/pencils Paul Smith & Andrew Pepoy/inks Price: $2.99 Comments: Getting pretty excited about the upcoming summer blockbuster movie The X-Men? I know I am and I'm going to be first in line to see this dynamic movie! But, if you want a pacifier to calm your nerves a bit, try X-Men - Children of the Atom. This comic book will prime you up for the movie! Pretty cool story with Charles Xavier with a teenage Scott aka Cyclops. He talks to Scott about how he lived with a crook, but still cared about attending high school. Scott is still pretty naive and thinks that he has a nice place to crash out at. Charles has plenty to teach Scott about the ways of the mutant. On how humans loathe their kind. Other things are cooking as Agent Duncan is questioned about his involvement with the Mutant Response Directive. Agent Duncan keeps vague with his answers. Charles Xavier is like the Martin Luther King of mutants while Magneto is like Malcolm X - a real radical and preaches hate to his fellow mutants. To Magneto, it's time for Homo Superiors to strike back, seek their revenge against Homo Sapiens. They are the next step on the evolutionary ladder. Charles Xavier talks to a young Bobby Drake aka Iceman and convinces him to accept what he is. The X-Men before they were heroes, were troubled children and it was Charles Xavier who made them feel accepted, made them a team, made them heroes, made them be compassionate to humans. It was Charles Xavier who made them the X-Men! Remember the trouble in the South with the KKK? In this issue you will see a sinister group go after a young Angel, setting his living dwelling on fire and burning not a cross, but a large wooden X out on the front lawn. This is the time of hate and this is also a time for forgiveness. From the ashes are born the X-Men! See ya' at the movies! MOE Sidenote: New at A1 Comics are the following comics: Empire #1 by Image; Louis Riel - 4th Issue; Jack Staff #1 by Dancing Elephant Press; Junior & Friends #1; Voodoom by Oni Press; Super Manga Blast #4 by Dark Horse Comics; Ashen Victor by Viz Comics; The Celestial Zone; Dean Hsieh - Westside by Antarctic Press; Aqua Knight by Viz Comics; Rex Hellwig #1 by Blackcat Comics; Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver; Sleeping Dragons #1 and a whole lot more. For more information about any of the above-mentioned comics, you can contact Brian Peets, owner of A1 Comics at: A1Comics@a-1comics.com MOE Sidenote: New at Broadway Comics & Cards are the following comics: Detective Five #1 by Image Comics; Dark Angel #1 by Image Comics; Promethea #9, Sam & Twitch #12; Mystic #2 by CrossGen Comics; Wildcats #13 by Wildstorm and of course a whole lot more! For more information, please contact Wilson Lew, owner of Broadway Comics & Cards at: wilsonlew@sprintmail.com MOE Sidenote: Coming soon is a one-shot comic book from Silverline Comics, called "Bloodline". Dugan who drives a motorcycle hog and plays the role of a real tough guy, hunts down the new Bloodline of vampires. Yep, he's a vampire hunter with an attitude. He's the Stone Cold Steve Austin of vampire hunters. This story originated from "Under the Fang" anthology. Dugan is trying to redeem his ways and he has plenty of work ahead of him. For more information, you can contact the Roland Mann, publisher of Silverline at: rmann@kakuta.com or go to the website at: http://www.kakuta.com/silverline Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time..... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] My View David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com [David LeBlanc is the Editor of the Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine. He is a long time fan of comics and the electronic media - having been the moderator of BBS comics forums on WME, FIDONET and the Comic Book Network. He and his wife are attempting to raise two teenage sons in a suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts. David'S favorite motivational phrase is, "BEHOLD THE TURTLE, HE ONLY MAKES PROGRESS WHEN HE STICKS HIS NECK OUT!"] ALTERED REALITIES #1 (SEPT 1999) 32 pages, black & white, color cover, $1.00 Altered Reality Comics 1819 West 11th St. Brooklyn, NY 11223 alteredrealities@aol.com "Funny Little Voices" (1 of 12) Written, Illustrated & Lettered by Sal Cipriano "Bruisa" (1 of 3) Written by Sal Cipriano Art by Brien Cardello "Temporary Hero" Written by Sal Cipriano Art by Marco DiLeonardo Another independent anthology book this week - this time in standard comic book size. The stories are all be Sal Cipriano and the price is certainly affordable at $1. This is intended as a showcase for new talent in the NYC area to get in print. One recurring Email theme I have gotten over the years is people asking me HOW to get into the business. THIS is one way how. Get your stories and art PRINTED, even if you have to finance it yourself. Get it into as many hands as you can and go to conventions where you can meet people already in the business and can hand them already published work. A finished product will show a lot about your talents, organizational skills, story telling ability and yes determination. Sketches of someone else's super heroes are a harder sell. So Sal set out to get this work printed and spread it around to the NYC area cons and will be at the SPX in Maryland as well. He did not included purchasing information so try the addresses above. How can you co wrong at that price (plus P & H of course). In reverse order, the one shot "Temporary Hero" story is a tale of two astronauts who rendezvous with creatures on an age old mission. They are pacing a comet which just happens to be heading straight for earth. The two energy beings merge with one spacewalking earthling, leaving his partner and their craft destroyed (uh - only 2 people flying a shuttle mission???) He on the other hand has been merged with the beings and is coated in an extra skin, allowing him to survive in space. They explain it is up to him to destroy the comet with the powers he now has or earth will be destroyed. After struggling with the death of his partner and the inconsistencies of the beings stories, our hero decides he must do as they say. There is a bit of a twist ending, although it is not kept a secret as it should have been for better impact. Sal missed his chance to make this a better story on that count. The art is the best of the book. Marco DiLeonardo has a nice style and discipline composition techniques that keep things moving and add the needed visuals to enhance the story. "Bruisa" is the story of a street fighter who makes his money by winning fights others bet on. His "boss" decides he is ready to hit the big payday by taking a dive in a fight with a new Japanese hired hand to help build his reputation and thus let the Boss' Japanese friends get respect in the states. Bruisa was laid off and now his only income is from fighting. If he crosses the boss that will end, and maybe more. An older fighter advises him to do it and even to take a drug to ease the pain while he is fighting. It is a lot to think about as he meets his new opponent and throws his fatal first punch that may change his life forever. I liked this story the most as it clearly has some values at odds with the realities of doing what you can to provide for your family. The conflict in the fighter's mind and the tangle web he is in appears to be heading him to a dead end. The script was decent as well and Cardello's art, though not as good as DiLeonardo's is well suited for the story. It is a bit flat though and could use more polish in places. I'd be interested to see how this one ends - which is the sign of a good story. "Funny Little Voices" is the sole effort of Sal Cipriano (notice all these guys have names ending in "O"??) This style art reminds me very much of TEMPLATE in that it is somewhat cartoonish (oversized feet and eyes in particular). That is not a bad thing and this being a story involving some creepy critters it helps to set the mood for fantastical developments. Mikey Turcotte is on the run, heading to New York to find help. Help from the Funny Little Voices in his head that manifest themselves as crazed demons at times, leaving dead bodies in their wake and Mikey to take the blame for the deaths of family, friends and others. His travelling companion knows more about these Naum beings and their advisor whom he tells Mikey have been around for ages. They get spotted in a diner and soon the chase is on - other people are not yet aware of the creature's in his head that pop out when he is in danger or angry. It does not matter if they are local toughs or cops, the Naum do Mikey's bidding with a vengeance. There are others aware of the Naum and seek to get control of the power as well. This is only the first chapter and merely sets the ground work for what is to come. I think a full chapter in one book would be much better in telling this story as larger chunks would advance things more. It seems Sal has a lot to tell in this one and more characters to get involved. Overall I was pleased with this anthology. Not a bad first effort for all these newcomers. Hopefully we will see more of them in the near future. CARTOON CAVALCADE #1 (Jul - Sep, 2000) Quarterly 32 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, black & white, $3.50/CAN $4.50 Rick Enright Productions 106-60 du Progres Blvd. O Gatineau, Quebec J8T 2B4 CANADA lafftoon@yahoo.com http://www.geocities.com/lafftoon/index.html Available only by mail order at above prices. Subscription for 4 issues $14 US/ $18 CAN payable to Rick Enright One of the hardest things to review is a collection of cartoons and the hardest is one panel collections. This is such a work. It is meant to showcase some cartoonists and provide exposure and perhaps spark work for hire or new venues for their work to be printed. I look at this stuff and think that these are those little one gag shots you see in airline mags, or any number of publications that are mostly filled with material on a particular topic or industry and throw in a few cartoons here and there for fun. So the question I had is how would some of these cartoons hold up against those I have seen, or maybe against those in the newspapers. Here are the contributors: Rick Enright - his "George O'Toole" appears weekly in THE WESTERN PRODUCER in Saskatchewan Dan Rosandich - Editorial projects specialty, Doug Blackwell - http://pages.hotbot.com/humor/bcs Jon Carter - toon71@infocom.com David Quintanar - El Paso, TX Werner Wejp-Olsen - http://www.reuben.org/wwolsen Bob Zahn - zahntoons@aol.com Some only give phone numbers so ther is little to go on except if you buy this mag. For the most part I found it amusing. There are no belly laughs but some very clever observations and play on words abound. The "Man of Steel" setting off the metal detector - vowing to fly on his own next time, Tiny Elvis clones exiting a small flying saucer, a mechanic taking a swim in a "flooded" engine compartment, the cave man who invented a toilet seat that looks like a wheel, the toll gate with an axe blade on it and a STRONG suggestion you pay the toll, are all worth a chuckle and there are more of the same. I am not sure if there is a demand for such a product, particular by mail only, but these guys are all professional cartoonists who know their stuff. Rick might try sending this to various magazine publishers to see if it will arouse some interest for his contributors. I thank him for the copy and will surely pass it on. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] New Comic Book Releases List [NCRL] by Charles LePage chuck@comiclist.com +++WINNER OF THE 1996 REC.ARTS.COMICS.* "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE+++ http://www.comiclist.com New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, 7/12/2000, compiled by Charles LePage with information from Suncoast Comics. This is the *preliminary* list and is not complete. The completed list is posted weekly, usually Tuesday evening, at http://www.comiclist.com and other places. You can receive this list each Tuesday via email by following the instructions at the web site, or you can email NCRL-subscribe@egroups.com PLEASE NOTE- Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. Let CHARLES know if any of the names or numbers are wrong. chuck@comiclist.com (Charles LePage) PUBLISHERS: If you know when your comics are going to be available through Diamond, please email chuck@comiclist.com so that he can place your comics on the appropriately dated list. Thanks! "TPB" = "trade paperback". "GN" = "graphic novel". "AA" = "available again". "SC" = "softcover". "HC" = "hardcover". "S/N" = "signed/numbered". "AR" = "ask retailer about price". PUBLISHER TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER, PRICE IN U.S. DOLLARS ABSTRACT STUDIOS Strangers In Paradise Vol 8 My Other Life TPB, 14.95 AIT/PLANETLAR Nobody TPB, 12.95 ARCHIE COMICS PUBLICATIONS Archie Double Digest #118, 3.19 Archies Weird Mysteries #8, 1.99 Betty #89, 1.99 Cheryl Blossom #34, 1.99 Jughead With Archie Digest #159, 2.19 ASTONISH COMICS Herobear And The Kid #2, 2.95 BLACK DAZE PUBLISHING Ballad Of Utopia #3, 2.95 CHAOS! COMICS Vandala #1, 2.95 CPM MANGA Martian Successor Nadesico Book One, 15.95 CROSSGEN COMICS Sigil #2, 2.95 CROSS PLAINS COMICS HP Lovecrafts Return Of Cthulhu (resolicited), 5.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Battle Gods Warriors Of The Chaak #4 (Of 9), 2.95 Space Circus #1 (Of 4), 2.95 DC COMICS Adventures Of Superman #582, 2.25 Azrael Agent Of The Bat #68, 2.50 Batman Huntress Cry For Blood #4 (Of 6), 2.50 Batman Outlaws #1 (Of 3), 4.95 Brass #2 (Of 6), 2.50 Creature Commandos #5 (Of 8), 2.50 DC Two Thousand #1, 6.95 Detective Comics #748, 2.50 Flash Annual #13, 3.50 Hellblazer Special Bad Blood #1 (Of 4), 2.95 Hourman #18, 2.50 Impulse #64, 2.50 Millennium Edition House Of Mystery #1, 2.50 Nightwing #47, 2.25 Preacher #65, 3.75 Scooby-Doo #38, 1.99 Star Trek Voyager Avalon Rising, 5.95 Stars And Stripe #14, 2.50 Superman Adventures #47, 1.99 Superman The Dailies Vol 1 TPB, 14.95 Swamp Thing #5, 2.50 Tom Strong Book One HC, 24.95 Transmetropolitan #36, 2.50 Wonder Woman #159, 2.25 DRAWN & QUARTERLY Optic Nerve #7, 2.95 FANBOY COMICS Sidekicks #1, 2.75 FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS Zippy Annual, 19.95 GEMSTONE PUBLISHING Crime Patrol #6, 2.50 War Against Crime #6, 2.50 I BOX PUBLISHING Thieves & Kings #32, 2.50 IMAGE COMICS Kin #5, 2.95 Spawn #97, 1.95 Witchblade Photo Cover Ed #1, 2.50 IRONCAT New Vampire Miyu Vol 3 GN Shinma Wars, 17.95 MARVEL COMICS Amazing Spider-Man #21, 2.25 Avengers Infinity #1 (Of 4), 2.99 Avengers Universe #2, 3.99 Black Panther #22, 2.50 Cable #83, 2.25 Generation X #67, 2.25 Iron Man #32, 2.25 Magneto Dark Seduction #4 (Of 4), 2.99 Punisher #6 (Of 12), 2.99 Spider-Girl #24, 2.25 Spider-Man Universe #6, 3.99 ONI PRESS, INC. Stupid Comics, 2.95 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Animerica Extra Vol 3 #8, 4.95 Dragonball Part 3 #2 (Of 14), 2.95 Inu Yasha Part 5 #2 (Of 11), 2.95 Pokemon Advs Part 2 #6 (Of 6), 2.95 WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT Inpower Harry Potter Cover #5, 4.99 magazines Comic Shop News #682, AR NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD DATE NEW DATE DARK HORSE Classic Comic Char. Ignatz Statue #5 4/5 7/26 Classic Comic Char. Mandrake Magician Statue #7 7/26 8/9 Classic Comic Char. Olive Oyl Statue #6 7/12 7/26 Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol. 3 8/30 9/13 Gon on Safari 7/19 7/26 Gon on Safari TPB 7/19 8/9 Hawkman Archives Vol. 1 HC* 9/6 8/30 Justice League of America Archives Vol. 6 HC 6/28 11/1 MAD Magazine #396 7/6 7/19 New York: The Big City SC 7/12 7/26 Planetary #11 6/14 7/26 Robin: Flying Solo TP 6/28 7/19 Saga of the Swamp Thing TP New Prtg 6/21 7/19 Sandman: The Dream Hunters SC 7/19 8/2 Shazam Deluxe Action Figure Set 9/13 11/1 Starfire Action Figure 7/12 8/30 Steampunk #5 06/28 8/02 Swamp Thing: Love & Death TP New Ptg. 8/2 8/9 Tom Strong Deluxe Action Figure Set 7/19 9/6 Tomorrow Stories #8 6/7 TBD Top 10 #9 5/10 8/9 WildCATs: Ladytron 8/16 8/30 Wildstorm Thunderbook #1 8/2 8/16 A Distant Soil #30 7/26 Age of Bronze #8 8/9 Aria Vol. 1 TP 7/19 7/26 Aria/Angela: Heavenly Creatures #2 7/19 8/9 Astounding Space Thrills #2 07/19 Big Bang Comics #33 8/9 Blood Legacy #3 7/12 7/26 Butcher Knight #1 7/26 Canceled City of Silence #3 7/12 7/19 Cow #1 Spring 00 7/12 7/19 Cow Summer '00 #1 7/12 Canceled Crimson Plague #2 8/9 Dark Angel #2 8/2 Dark Crossings #2 7/19 8/2 Darkchylde/Witchblade #1 7/26 DarkMinds Vol. 2 #0 7/26 Darkness #33 7/12 7/19 Demonslayer Vol. 2 #3 07/12 07/19 Echo #0 7/19 Empire #2 7/5 7/26 EVE Protomecha #5 7/26 8/2 EVE Proto-Mecha #6 7/26 F5 #3 7/12 8/2 Fathom # 13 7/19 7/26 Fathom HC 7/26 8/2 Fathom HC Exclusive Signed Dustcover Ed. 7/26 8/2 Fathom Poster #2 8/9 Gear Station # 4 8/2 Gear Station #3 7/12 7/19 Geminar #1 06/14 07/19 Geminar #2 8/9 Canceled Go Girl #1 8/9 Hawkshaws #2 7/19 7/26 Jinn #3 7/12 7/19 Kin #6 8/9 Kiss: Psycho Circus #31 7/12 7/19 Kiss: Psycho Circus #32 8/2 Lady Pendragon #10 7/12 7/26 Lost Ones #2 7/12 Canceled Magdalena #3 6/28 7/26 Messenger 07/19 M-Rex #3 7/12 Canceled M-Rex #4 8/9 Canceled Nine Rings of the Wu-Tang #5 7/12 7/26 Objective Five #2 8/9 Parts Unknown: Hostile Takeover #2 7/26 Red Star #2 07/19 Rising Stars #9 7/26 Rumble Girls #3 8/2 Saffire #2 7/5 7/19 Saffire #3 7/26 Saint Angel #1 7/12 7/19 Sam & Twitch #13 8/2 Savage Dragon #76 7/26 7/19 Savage Dragon #77 8/2 Section Zero #2 7/26 8/2 Shockrockets #4 7/19 7/26 Skinners #1 7/12 8/2 Soul Saga #3 7/19 Spawn #98 8/9 Spawn: The Dark Ages #16 7/12 7/19 Spawn: The Dark Ages #17 7/19 8/9 Tellos #8 8/2 Tomb Raider #7 7/19 7/26 Tomb Raider Vol. I: The Saga of the Medusa Mask 7/12 7/26 Top Cow Classics: Rising Stars #1 07/19 Violent Messiahs #2 7/26 Wahoo Morris #2 7/12 Canceled Warlands #8 7/19 8/2 Wicked # 6 07/19 Wicked #7 8/9 Witchblade #42 7/19 7/26 Witchblade Deluxe TPB: Revelations 7/19 8/2 Witchblade/DarkMinds Special 7/26 8/2 Witchblade: Destiny's Child #2 6/28 7/26 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] HYPE! Section Various From: John Kovalic THE BIG, FAT, CRUNCHY MUSKRAT CENTRAL MONTHLY NEWSLETTER THINGY July 1, 2000 * DORK TOWER #9 is almost here! * DORK TOWER in SCRYE * DRAGON Magazine DORK TOWER News * ORIGINS Awards * PRESIDENTIAL BUTTON MEN * DORK TOWER BUTTON MEN * Upcoming Production Schedule * WILD LIFE selling outŠ * Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year * Convention Schedule * E-Bay Updates * Egyptian Campaign T-shirts * The Daily Cardinal Award * Rarities in at the Dork Store * MUSKRAT-L Special Offer! * My sorry little WANT LISTS * Things I'm Geeking on --------------------------------------------------- Well, THIS has been one of the busiest months of my life. Busy, but wonderful. The business side of Dork Storm Press is starting to fall into place. The switchover from Corsair is now complete. The big old DORK STORM in AUGUST event is going forward, and I've even managed to get my home printer working with the new computer (after the lovely and talented Judith did a quick search of the Apple web site for the right patch). Even got some updated software that seems to be running pretty darned effectively. I just returned from a week in Minneapolis, for the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists convention. As usual, it was a great time. Editorial Cartooning is a much more solitary profession than the comic book biz is. There are only around 250 such cartoonists in the country, so any chance to hobnob with peers is a welcome one. I got up to Minneapolis early in the week, since both Steve Sack (The Minneapolis Star Tribune) and Kirk Anderson (The St. Paul Pioneer Press) are good friends, and I'd volunteered to help a bit. At one time, I thought it would be a grand idea to try and bring the convention to Madison. This is a great city, after all, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Convention center is just something you wanna show off. Well, HAH! After just one day setting up the art show, I was beat. I have no idea how exhausted Steve and Kirk must have been; and I don't really think I