---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 286 1999 EAGLE AWARD NOMINEE 10/13/2000 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:Andrew Watson ................ Paul Dale Roberts [6] Interview:Barbara Kesel/Bart Sears...... Tim O'Shea [7] The D Spot ............................. Darrell Goza [8] 4 Color Review ......................... Jason Baldwin [9] Comics Culture Shrapnel ................ Kris Naudus [10] M.O.E. Reviews ......................... Paul Dale Roberts [11] My View:STATIC SHOCK:REBIRTH OF THE COOL David LeBlanc [12] New Comic Book Releases List ........... Charles LePage [13] HYPE! Section .......................... Various ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Mailed by Egroups: http://www.egroups.com/group/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@egroups.com To UNSUBSCRIBE send a message FROM the account to be dropped to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@egroups.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 have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. *** Some of you may be getting unsolicited Email from people who use this Emag as a source for addresses. How you deal with it is your choice. We still stand by our policy of withholding Email addresses of letters of comment if requested to do so, so do not be afraid to send in your comments on the Emag. Our columnists always give their Email address for your personal comments to them if you prefer. They have to put up with those unsolicited mails as do I. Since this is a mag designated as an ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE, I have in the past advised the readers on the various aspects of electronic communication from proper Email etiquette to handling SPAM. Now seems like a good time to run a refresher course. Skip to my pick of the week if you prefer. This pertains to mail from individuals, NOT SPAM or other unsolicited commercial Email. Those mailings are purposely constructed to not only ignore any requests to stop but actually put you on mailing lists for more of the same. Often you can't just hit REPLY and get a valid address to mail to. If you indeed get mail you do not want you from a person not on a commercial venture, you can handle it in a number of ways. You can delete it unread. You can read it and not respond. You can often filter it from even getting to you depending on your software. None of this will ensure it will stop coming, depending on the sender. If you choose to be pro-active about stopping the sender the best advise is to be direct, polite and firm. Keep a copy of the entire message, including the headers. Send a short reply asking the person to remove you from all future mailings as they are unwanted by you. If you get anything back except an acknowledgement of your request, send a second message that copies the ENTIRE messages you received (including all headers) and carbon copy the POSTMASTER from the sender's ISP [for example Postmaster@aol.com]. Your second response should repeat the request you not be sent anymore mail or you will consider it harassment. DO NOT mention anything else about the mail, respond to any subject raised or try to argue with the unwanted sender. The ISP only needs to see you are getting unwanted mail, not that you have a personal problem with the offender. If you get another unwanted mail send a message DIRECTLY to the Postmaster asking they restrict the sender from sending you any more mail and be sure that message includes a COMPLETE copy of the last time you asked the offender to stop as well as the complete copy of the current message. If you keep it short, just the requests, nothing more, most ISPs will investigate (they need those complete copies to compare with the records on their systems, to be sure you are not forging a message) and stop the offender. If it is commercial in nature they will likely lose their access. If it is an individual who thinks freedom of speech means sending as much mail, saying anything they want, to whomever they want, as often as they like they will be warned to stop. Often they will be forced to send an Email apologizing for not stopping when requested or they too will lose their access. The point is, you do not have to put up with people wasting your time or filling your mailbox with mail you do not want. It is up to you whether you ignore it, brush it aside, or do something that helps others from having the same problem. *** If someone insists on proving they are an idiot, get out of their way and let them! *** Now, check out these at your local store. CARBON-BASED COMICS Faith A Fable (AA), 8.95<-------Pick of the week! Yes, asked again, and worth your time it should at least be nominated for an award - GET IT! CROSSGEN COMICS Sigil #5, 2.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Lone Wolf And Cub Vol 2 TPB, 9.95 FANBOY ENTERTAINMENT INC Sidekicks #2, 2.75 IMAGE COMICS Savage Dragon #79, 2.95 INSIGHT STUDIOS GROUP Liberty Meadows #15, 2.95 One of our more regular contributions comes from 4 Color Review, a web site with reviews, columns and chats. I particularly enjoy these submissions because they come from a number of different writers that are regulars on that site. The samples we have run here so far are indeed good reads and varied in subject. So, I was really pleased to see someone else take note of the quality coming from that web site. The October issue of DARK HORSE EXTRA came out last week. It is that full color, poster sized promo piece that includes three or four comic strips, the list of the month's comics, a big poster, and a column called DHC WEB WORDS by Jay Pegg. This time around Jay reviews online sites about comics. Among the first to get coverage are: Comic Book Resources, Sequential Tart, Pop Image and 4 Color Review! These are all fine web sites and 4Color should feel honored to be among the first four. Congratulations to Webmaster Steve Gerding and all involved. Check it out at: http://4colorreview.com Final though - PRAY FOR PEACE. 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: Steven Grant's letter in CBEM 285 and related issues Date: 10/10/00 3:12:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: senft@worldnet.att.net (Donna Ellis € Mitchell Senft) To: ComicBkNet@aol.com Steven Grant was at Marvel at the time, I think; if so, he can correct me; I always thought the problem with George Perez's work on the Korvak story had nothing to do with full script, 3 sentence-plot-over-the-phone or any other manner in which he got what he was supposed to draw. I always thought, maybe even based on something I read somewhere at the time, that he more or less burned out under deadline pressures. I, and I'm sure many of us, have heard over the years and/or read to the effect or just seen evidence of what I take to be an established fact that Jim Shooter frequently had deadline problems. (The preceding is not meant to have any reference to his talent as a writer.) I believe it showed in Perez's work on the Korvak story; indeed, if I recollect, the story-line was interrupted at least once for a fill-in or something. Last, given my foundational "knowledge," I never interpreted Perez's work on Korvak as a reflection on his ability to work full-script. I agree with Steve Grant that his I-Bots work was good looking, competent work. Mitchell +++++ Subj: Question on Bill Mantlo From: tim_jen@mindspring.com (Tim and Jen) Dear Mr. Gentile, Other CBEM Readers (and David): Tim O'Shea of www.thecomicreader.com and CBEM interviewer here. Given the nature of this week's CBEM On the Net column, I have no proof I'm Tim O'Shea, but I sure as heck would be stupid to pay all the bills sent to my house for this guy named "Tim O'Shea" if I weren't. Sorry had to make a joke. On to the IMPORTANT question you had. I know Tony Isabella, writer for Comic Buyers Guide and www.wfcomics.com/tony (and former CBEM contributor through reprints of the latter site's column, Tony's Tips Online) has faithfully kept track of Bill. I went looking through the net to find an update and lo and behold the CBEM archives held the answer: http://hometown.aol.com/ComicBkNet/cbem/index.html From issue 193, we have the following item. I have no idea if the address is still correct for contacting, but Mr. Mantlo's very unfortunate situation is best explained here and that's why I rerun it. Tony has done more recent Mantlo updates and his column is archived on the wfcomics site, for those interested, and might I add my thanks for Tony doing these updates on Mr. Mantlo. From: tonyisa@ohio.net (Anthony Isabella) Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.marvel.universe Subject: Bill Mantlo: An Update Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 02:35:50 GMT -------- BILL MANTLO: AN UPDATE Bill Mantlo, the popular and prolific Marvel Comics writer of the 1970s and 1980s, is currently residing in a nursing home in New York City. CBG columnist Tony Isabella was contacted by Michael Mantlo, the writer's brother and guardian, after running a letter from reader Mike Kuypers in the "Tony's Tips" column which appeared in CBG #1307 [December 4]. Mantlo writes: "Bill suffered what is called a 'closed-head, traumatic brain injury' after being struck by an automobile approximately six-and- a-half years ago. While he was able to regain nearly all of his physical abilities, he was, and remains, severely impaired cognitively. I must tell you I was pleasantly surprised to read your column inquiring as to his status, as I had pretty much assumed Bill had been forgotten since leaving the comics field to practice law. Outside of immediate family, Bill currently has little, or no, contact with the 'outside world' on any regular basis. If you, or any other fans of Bill's work, would like to communicate with him, we would appreciate all cards/letters be sent to Bill in care of: The Mantlo Family 1995 Miller Place Merrick, NY 11566 "Our parents or I will relay all correspondence to Bill during one of our near-daily visits with him, and if possible, will try to have Bill respond personally, as best he can." Mantlo added these comments for reader Kuypers: "Mike, I really appreciate you asking about Bill after so much time has passed. I know the mountain of cards and letters which he received immediately after the accident helped get him through a very difficult time, and can only hope that any renewed interest in Bill, or his work, might motivate or inspire him to try again. You have my best wishes for continued success in your daily struggle with CP, and my sincerest thanks for the support letters like yours give to Bill. Thank you from the bottom of my heart." The most recent published work by Mantlo was in Heavy Metal's 20th anniversary issue. It was a short story written years ago for French artist Jean-Claude Gal. The writer's brother described it as "a neat Indiana Jones-type adventure." Publishers seeking to contact Mantlo's family for the payment of royalties owed to the writer for the various reprintings of his work can contact them at the above address. They can also call or e-mail CBG to be put in contact with Mantlo's brother. Tony Isabella http://www.wfcomics.com/tony Tim O'Shea again. Hope this answers your question. Take care, Tim www.thecomicreader.com +++++ Subj: A Message from Jon Gilbert! Date: 10/7/00 5:23:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: Silhouet9 SUBMISSIONS FOR NEW PCBN SPECIAL WANTED!!! From: Jonathan A. Gilbert, JUO V.P. Date: 10/6/00 Time: 10:59:34 AM Comments Hey, Folks; My first PCBN SPECIAL is going to be about the Archie Comics/Red Circle Comics Group super-heroes such as The Shield, The Fly and Pow Girl (if you don't know, don't ask) plus the 60s Archie characters as superheroes (Superteen, Captain Hero, etc.) and Sabrina. I need articles, artwork and that kind of stuff so if you want to include something mail it to me at...Jonathan A. Gilbert/2-225 Colborne St./Box 10/Port Stanley, Ontario/N5L 1C2/CANADA. If you have any questions I can be reached at my JUO email address . Comments from Paul Dale Roberts: The Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter is proud to announce a future edition that will feature Archie Comics/Red Circle Comics Groups characters. To make this issue a special one, we need contributors who provide artwork, columns, etc. This issue will be sent to the Archie Comics archives. If you contribute you will receive a complimentary issue of this newsletter. Let's all make Archie history together! +++++ Subj: A Message from a South African Superman Fan. From: Silhouet9@aol.com Hush is from South Africa and is a big Superman fan as you can see from her email note. She is in desperate need of various Superman back issues. If anyone can help this lady out, please contact her by email. I will be sending her a few of my back issues as a early Christmas gift. Sincerely yours, Paul Dale Roberts, Publisher Jazma Universe Online! http://www.jazmaonline.com/ Subj: SUPERMAN Date: 10/7/00 1:06:11 AM Eastern Daylight Time From: Aliye@worldonline.co.za (Aliye) To: SILHOUET9@AOL.COM Dear Paul I am a superman collector and huge fan,please liase with me regarding back issues i desperately need. Home base South Africa tx Hush +++++ Subj: New (updated?) official website for AC Comics Date: 10/8/00 4:05:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: msheike@accomics.com (Mark and Stephanie Sanderson-Heike) Hi , I guess this falls under the category of "hype". Since we are a commerce site, I'm guessing we are excluded from your digital webbing site, so I am sending this information to your newsletter, C.B.E.M. Thank you for your time and patience, Stephanie Heike I don't know if the website has been sent to you before, we were on aol (members.aol.com/GAReprints/reprints.htm and members.aol.com/FemforceHQ/femfhq.htm), now we are in the process of moving to www.accomics.com We now have an e-commerce website which is linked at the bottom of the main page. The webstore will have AC Comics books for sale , online with Visa or Mastercard. We have close to 500 titles in stock, published from 1982 to today, including all 113 issues of Femforce, (The first all-female superhero team book that combines Silver-Age style superheroics with Golden-Age style Good Girl Art )plus other AC comics characters like Nightveil, The Shade, Commando D and the Scarlet Scorpion in Americomics, Captain Paragon, Sentinels of Justice and She-Cat, Golden Age Reprint books like Golden Age Greats reprinting, Golden Age Men of Mystery, Crimebuster Classics and Golden Age of Sheena and our Western titles Roy Rogers Western, Dale Evans, Rocky Lane, Lash Larue, Best of the West plus many, many more. Art by Chris Allen, Dick Ayers, Dell Barras, John Beatty, Bill Black, Willie Blyberg, Vic Bridges, June Brigman, Pat Brodrick, Rick Burchett, John Dell, Jordi Ensign, Brad Gorby, Tom Grindberg, Doug Hazlewood, Mark Heike, Stephanie Sanderson-Heike, Don Hillsman, Greg Horn, Chad Hunt, Erik Larsen, Rik Levins, Tom Lyle, Mike Machlan, Billie Marimon, John Nadeau, Jerry Ordway, Andrew Pepoy, Mark Propst, Roy Richardson, Dave Roberts, Paul Ryan, Jim Sanders III, Don Secrease, Tim Townsend, Rod Whigham and more. (Dave Dorman, Paul Gulacy, Steve Lightle, George Perez and Mike Kaluta only did covers, so we're not mentioning them) Mark and Stephanie Heike +++++ Subj: thank you From: f1c2@hotmail.com (fernando corrêa de carvalho) dear David LeBlanc. i will read everything and will discover how i can participate. I am brazilian and collect american comics for over twenty years. i already sended my opinion to thet thorboard regulator and i think my idea is good. I think that we can use this groups to ask with more respect to...for example...ask marvel enterprises to publish at least one essential book like ff,xmen,wolverine for month. what do you think. I hope that you all have a wonderful thanksgiving day ( forgive me if i am wrong ) tomorrow. fernando from são paulo [Our friends in Canada celebrated Thanksgiving this week. The USA has it in November. - D.L.] +++++ Subj: New BIMP review!!! From: dino@cobite.com (Dean Haspiel) Hello-- Today, Thecomicstore.com's Paul Harrington writes a rave review for my latest Billy Dogma Experience; BOY IN MY POCKET. Please go to: http://www.thecomicstore.com/Merchant/boyinmypocket.htm Enjoy-- --Dino Dean Edmund Haspiel 335 Court Street, #131 Brooklyn, NY 11231 USA My website/portfolio/resume ~ http://keyhole.wraithspace.com/dean/ BILLY DOGMA/KEYHOLE/etc ~ http://www.topshelfcomix.com ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet/emag.htm QUESTION OF THE WEEK Prizes donated by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. +Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you can stump+ +the readers! You MUST submit the correct answer with your question.+ LAST ISSUE'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Name any one of three DC characters who won Olympic Gold medals. Gary Peterson was first with a correct answer, Jefferson Pierce aka Black Lightning. The other two Brent was looking for were Amazing Man I, and Gus Gray from the HAUNTED TANK crew. Other late guesses came in for Arrowette & Cyborg (Vic Stone) but I cannot verify if those are correct. Anyway, Gary wins Essential Avengers Volume 2 from our sponsor Discount Comic Book Service www.dcbservice.com . +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In the STATIC comics, what school did Virgil and friends attend? 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 Static Shock and Milestone Comics co-creator Dwayne McDuffie joins industry stars J. Michael Straczynski and Kevin Smith as the third regular columnist at http://www.psycomic.com/ the SciFi Channel's revamped "PSYCOMIC - THE FINAL WORD ON COMICS" website. His new weekly comic book and media opinion column, BROUGHT TO YOU BY, officially premiered this Wednesday, October 11. Fans of Dwayne's previous media columns, EDGEWISE and TO BE CONTINUED, will be happy to hear that Dwayne's as irritable as ever. Newcomers are reminded that under the right conditions, irritation produces pearls. +++++ Turner Network Television and Warner Bros. Television To Produce WITCHBLADE Limited Series ATLANTA, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the ratings success of the recent two-hour Original film WITCHBLADE, Turner Network Television (TNT) announced today that it has ordered eleven episodes for a limited series based on the best-selling Top Cow comic book of the same name. Yancy Butler (Drop Zone, Hard Target), David Chokachi (12 Bucks), Eric Etebari (The Murder in China Basin), Anthony Cistaro (Angel) and Will Yun Lee (What's Cooking) will reprise their roles for the series, which is slated for a summer 2001 premiere. WITCHBLADE is produced by Top Cow Productions, Inc. and Halsted Pictures in association with Warner Bros. Television. Ralph Hemecker (Millennium, The X-Files) returns to direct, with Dan Halsted (Any Given Sunday, The Virgin Suicides) executive-producing for Halsted Pictures and Marc Silvestri executive-producing for Top Cow Productions. "TNT's commitment to the WITCHBLADE series is a response to the strong performance of our two-hour WITCHBLADE original film," said Robert DeBitetto, president of original programming, TNT. "We are thrilled to be able to offer viewers additional hours of a franchise they clearly enjoy, while continuing our successful partnership with our sister company, Warner Bros. Television." "We are delighted that WITCHBLADE has received this well deserved order for production," said Peter Roth, president, Warner Bros. Television. "We truly appreciate the support of Bob DeBitetto and his terrific team at TNT." The TNT Original thriller WITCHBLADE was the top movie for the week of Aug. 21-27, earning a 4.5 rating (3,491,000 households) for the 8 p.m. (ET/PT) premiere performance. The TNT Original also was the top movie among the key adult demographics 18-49 (3,157,000) and the most-watched program among adults 25-54 (3,631,000). WITCHBLADE is currently the number-one original movie among adults 18-49 and 25-54 for the year to date. WITCHBLADE is the story of a New York detective, Sara Pezzini (Butler), whose search for justice brings her into contact with an ancient, intelligent, living weapon so powerful it can battle Earth's darkest evil forces. Chokachi portrays Pezzini's partner, Jake McCartey. Cistaro stars as Kenneth Irons, a billionaire obsessed with possessing the Witchblade, and Etebari stars as Ian Nottingham, Iron's enigmatic henchman. Lee stars as Pezzini's slain partner, Danny Woo. This information can also be accessed on TBS, Inc.'s press site at http://pressroom.turner.com . SOURCE Turner Network Television +++++ Gaiman's Last Angel Tour Moves to Bigger Theatre for LA Finale Due to the overwhelming demand for tickets, award-winning author NEIL GAIMAN's LAST ANGEL TOUR is moving to a larger theatre for its final stop in LOS ANGELES. The tour, which features Gaiman giving dramatic readings from his fiction and poetry, was originally slated to reach its conclusion at the Pacific Design Center on OCTOBER 26. Strong ticket sales have prompted a move to the nearby WRITERS' GUILD THEATRE, located in Beverly Hills just over a mile from the reading's original venue. All proceeds from the OCTOBER 26 event benefit the non-profit COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND and help protect the First Amendment rights of the comics community. "The Writers' Guild is a wonderful theatre," said Gaiman, "and I'm glad the CBLDF has so many friends and supporters in Los Angeles. As a member of the Writers' Guild myself, I think the theatre is a perfect place to host a reading to benefit the Fund." "I'm amazed and completely gratified by the enormous response we've gotten in LA," said CBLDF executive director Chris Oarr. "There are certainly worse problems to have than finding a bigger venue! The Writers' Guild Theatre has a lot to offer, and should be a great spot for the finale of the Last Angel Tour." The Writers' Guild Theatre is located at 135 SOUTH DOHENY DRIVE in BEVERLY HILLS. The move to a larger performance space means that additional tickets are now available for the Los Angeles reading. General Admission Tickets, which cost $20 each, can be purchased through TICKETMASTER by calling (213) 480-3232 or by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com/cgi/artist.idc?searchname=NEIL_GAIMANS_LAS _ANGEL_TOUR&state=ca&type=STATE&minorcatnum=104&MajorCatNum=4. The new venue also provides additional Premium seating. PREMIUM TICKETS, which include seats in the front rows and admittance to a private COCKTAIL RECEPTION with Gaiman before the reading, are again available for $60. General Admission ticket holders who would like to UPGRADE to Premium Tickets may do so by requesting a refund from Ticketmaster for their original ticket, and then purchasing a Premium Ticket. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund MEMBERS are welcome at the reception regardless of what level ticket they may purchase. The reception kicks off the evening's festivities at 6 PM. The reading itself has been pushed back to 8:30 PM to allow additional time for travel and for the reception. For complete tour information, please visit http://www.cbldf.org or call the Fund toll-free at 1-800-99-CBLDF. Neil Gaiman first attracted critical acclaim for his graphic novels and the groundbreaking comic series "Sandman." In addition to his comics work, Gaiman is the author of the best-selling novels "Neverwhere" and "Stardust," and has seen his unique vision translated for film, television, and the stage. He is the recipient of the prestigious World Fantasy Award and is noted in "The Dictionary of Literary Biography" as "one of the top ten post-modern writers" in America. This seventh and final Guardian Angel Tour will bring the author to Chicago, New York, Portland OR, and Los Angeles. To date, these Guardian Angel Tours have raised more than $100,000 to protect free expression in comics. Tickets are also on sale at Ticketmaster for the first three stops on the tour: OCTOBER 16: The Vic Theatre, CHICAGO call Ticketmaster at (312) 559-1212 or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/cgi/artist.idc?searchname=NEIL_GAIMAN&state=il&t ype=STATE&minorcatnum=21&MajorCatNum=2 OCTOBER 18: St. Mark's Church, NEW YORK call Ticketmaster at (212) 307-7171 or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/cgi/artist.idc?searchname=NEIL_GAIMAN&state=ny&t ype=STATE&minorcatnum=104&MajorCatNum=4 OCTOBER 24: The Aladdin Theatre, PORTLAND OR call Ticketmaster at (503) 224-4400 or visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/cgi/artist.idc?searchname=NEIL_GAIMAN_LAST_ANGEL _TOUR&state=or&type=STATE&minorcatnum=43&MajorCatNum=2 The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization protecting First Amendment rights in the comics community. Donations and inquiries should be directed to the CBLDF at P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061. For more CBLDF news and information, pick up a copy of "Busted!," the Fund's free quarterly newsletter, or visit the CBLDF web-site at http://www.cbldf.org. For additional information please contact Chris Bleistein at (413) 586-6967 or cbleistein@cbldf.org +++++ Million Dollar Comic Book Auction to be Held by Greg Manning Auctions WEST CALDWELL, N.J.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2000-- Several Important Collections to be Part of Auction That Will Accept Bids Live From the Floor as Well as Online and Via Phone Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMAI) will hold the largest comic book auction in hobby history on Saturday, October 21, 2000. The auction will have several important collections as part of its 916 lots and bids will be accepted from an unprecedented six different mediums, including live from the floor and from GMAI's website (www.gregmanning.com). Among the lots are 200 pedigreed comic books including a Curator copy of Amazing Fantasy no. 15. Other vintage issues that will be available include Detective Comics no. 27, widely regarded as the second most important comic ever published because it marks the first-ever appearance of Batman, as well as Batman no. 1. In addition to the comics, lots offered will also contain rare original Spiderman, Hulk and Fantastic Four comic art by Silver-Aged Greats Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and John Romita. "Rarely have so many great comic books been available in a single auction. There will be fresh original collections and many, many more comics from pedigreed collections," said Bill Hughes of GMAI. "Even though our last comic auction achieved a record breaking $1.3 million sales, we expect this auction to surpass that success." Descriptions and images of the comics scheduled to be up for bid can be seen online by visiting www.gregmanning.com. All of the comics in the auction have been certified by experts to guarantee authenticity and condition. For more information on Greg Manning Auctions, Inc., please visit www.gregmanning.com or call 800-221-0243; fax: 973-882-3499. +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ ANALYST SAYS MARVEL CASH RUNS OUT BY END OF 2000! IF THIS BE RAGNOROK (UPDATE)! October 11: The financial position of struggling MARVEL ENTERPRISES may be worse off than previously reported. A new analysis of the company and the recent collapse of its stock price at individualinvestor.com warns that MARVEL is in danger of running out of operating capital before the end of the year. To make matters worse, news broke yesterday that MARVEL's largest institutional investor, MORGAN STANLEY DEAN WITTER, the brokerage firm that successfully floated the $250 million in junk bonds that MARVEL ENTERPRISES is built on, is facing serious problems as well. IndividualInvestor.com said today that: "Shares of Marvel have not fared too well since our last update, losing about 40% of their value in the last five weeks. The drop is likely due to a six-month delay in the release of the company's next major movie production, a live-action version of Spider-Man. That means the schedule for receiving licensing revenue on the movie's merchandise has also been moved forward. Investors had hoped that initial Spider-Man-related sales would come as early as the current quarter. Management also reiterated that it sees a deteriorating landscape in the toy industry, which may be reflected in its Toy Biz division." IndiviualInvestor.com said: "At this point we would be remiss to ignore Marvel's financial situation, given the fact that the company is sitting on $250 million in debt and has lost $49 million over the last four quarters. With management's recent guidance to investors for possibly lower revenue and EBITDA (year-over-year), Marvel's losses over the next two quarters will be at least $15-20 million. At the end of the June quarter, Marvel had about $46 million ($1.37 per share) of cash on hand. In addition to the $15 million semi-annual interest payment due in December, the company also has preferred stock dividend obligations of about $4 million in the second half of the year. These calculations mean that the company is in danger of running out of cash some time before the end of the year. While Marvel does have a $60 million available line of short-term credit, we believe that the company may opt for the sale of debt and/or equity securities. The cash situation will undoubtedly come up during the third quarter conference call, currently scheduled for a month from now." The picture may actually be bleaker than that painted by IndividualInvestor.com. A poster to the MARVEL Yahoo! Message Boards pointed out that according to MVL's recent 10Q filing, the Citibank Credit Facility (which IndividualInvestor.com referred to as a "$60 million available line of short-term credit") was reduced in April 2000 to $40 million. Perhaps even more troubling is the recent news concerning MORGAN STANLEY DEAN WITTER who own an 11% stake in MARVEL and would be involved in any further sale of securities or junk bonds to refinance the company. According to the THE NEW YORK POST, MORGAN STANLEY "tumbled another $8.25 yesterday to close at $74.50 - its third significant stock market decline in three trading days. The brokerage company closed at $92 on Thursday, meaning it has lost more than 17 percent of its value in a few days time - not unheard of for a tech stock, but rare for a white- shoe investment bank. Persistent rumors of high-yield losses have dogged the company since Dwight Sipprelle, the company's head of high yield, resigned last week. Ken deRegt, the company's global head of fixed income, also resigned recently in a management reshuffle. Morgan Stanley has never denied the rumors, but says they are "greatly exaggerated." Some industry sources place the losses as high as $500 million. Morgan Stanley has issued bonds for Viatel, Call-Net Enterprises and ICG Communications - all of which have declined significantly - leaving the underwriter with positions that are said to be troubling it greatly. A rival suggested Morgan Stanley could also be holding problematic positions in Owens Corning bonds, Amazon.com convertibles, Amazon.com high-yields, as well as a loan to Nortel Inversora in Argentina. A Morgan Stanley spokesman declined to comment on the firm's positions." MORGAN STANLEY's problems signal a softening of the junk bond market, which could create difficulties in any refinancing of MARVEL's existing debt or attempts to float new paper. MORGAN STANLEY currently holds 2.2 million shares of MARVEL and has seen their worth plummet from almost $16 million to $6.5 million in three months time. Were MORGAN STANLEY to unload its large position, it would drive the price down even further. With its market cap shrinking rapidly along with its stock price, Marvel might be a tempting target for a hostile takeover. A month ago, the Board of Directors went so far as to erect a controversial "shareholders rights" takeover defense designed to keep them in control of such a situation. Ironically its greatest defense right now is its debt, which at $250 million, is seen as high for the company. The doomsday scenario comes at a critical time for MARVEL's publishing arm. Unconfirmed rumors that the company was close to a deal that would have licensed its comics division out to another large publisher buzzed around the industry all summer. But the recent addition of a fresh editorial team taking charge, and the announcements concerning new MARVEL newsstand magazines aimed at younger readers, signals a renewed commitment to its publishing division. The question is, can the parent company hold together financially long enough to realize these new visions for comics? More importantly, based on the old adage that "As Marvel goes, so goes the industry", can the current Direct Sales Market, already battered and bloodied by years of decline, survive yet another Marvel meltdown? +++++ From Beau Yarbrough's Comic Wire at: http://www.comicbookresources.com/ SMITH TALKS 'GREEN ARROW,' 'DAREDEVIL' Fans of DC Comics' Green Arrow have been waiting a long time for the return of the late Oliver Queen. Early in 2001, it looks as though their long wait might finally be over. "Today, I finished the script for issue six to the new 'Green Arrow' (and I've gotta say - it's pretty darn sweet)," series writer (and sometime filmmaker) Kevin Smith posted at DC Comics' official Green Arrow message board on September 29. "This means that DC can now start soliciting for the book. "Depending on how quickly the good folks in marketing can pull together the necessary material to make the Diamond catalogue deadline, it'll be in either the January or February solicitations. "I've also seen all the art to issue one and most of the art to issue two, and it's great. The boys are doing a fantastic job. "Add to that the beautiful cover sketches I've seen thus far (courtesy of Master [Matt] Wagner), and I can assure you, you won't be disappointed in this relaunch (well, at least not in the art, anyway). "Huzzah for all of us long-suffering 'Arrow' fans (and sorry for causing some of the suffering myself). Our day is now dawning." Smith, who is in the early stages of putting together what is reportedly the last of his New Jersey films, has become something of an irregular presence at the Green Arrow board, dealing with sometimes dubious fans. "In all honesty, I don't think what we're doing on 'Green Arrow' is sensationalistic crap," he posted on October 3. "Ollie is the Ollie most have known for years, and will become even more so as the series progresses. I never wanted to re-create or re-envision the character; I just wanted to tell a good Green Arrow story. Don't fix what's not broken, I say (except, of course, that we're bringing a character that was considered dead back to life; and as mentioned by someone above, I don't think DC ever really considered the character dead; Ollie was always meant to come back, sooner or later; at least, that's what I was told by higher-ups at DC, long before I was ever involved with 'Green Arrow' as a writer). "And even if you didn't like what we did on 'DD', then maybe you'll read the 'Green Arrow' run - if for no other reason than just to see if I'm a total hacky hypocrite. And that, too, will be good for the comics industry. Because, at the end of the day, isn't that what we all want - the longevity and vitality of this pocket of the literary arts that we all love and support? "And on a side note: that metagene stuff? I got nothing to do with that, and it's not addressed in our run at all. So I'm not taking a bullet for that." DC Comics reportedly now considers Green Arrow to be possessed not of Olympic-quality archery skills, but superhuman skills -- a position that hasn't been greeted with open arms by all the character's fans. "Again - I'm not reinventing the wheel on this title (just like I didn't try to do on 'DD'); I'm just adding another spoke. I have tons of respect for continuity … and I'm not going to disrupt any of it - trust me. Even with bringing Ollie back from what many presumed (and rightly so) was his death, I'm STILL not disrupting continuity. It'll all come together by the end of the twelve issue arc. "And if you don't like it then, well jeez - you guys are f*cking tough. "(Please excuse the * stuff; I'm not sure if you can hurl even mild obscenities in this Warner Bros.-financed forum)." DEATHSTROKE'S DAUGHTER MOVES INTO TITANS TOWER, DEVIN GRAYSON TO TAKE ANOTHER SWING AT THE TITANS? Superheroes and their nemeses are like family. Sometimes literally. Fans of DC Comics' Titans will be seeing the daughter of assassin Deathstroke the Terminator moving into Titans Tower. "All you need to know about Rose is that she's Deathstroke's daughter, and she's tough as nails," series writer Jay Faerber said Wednesday at DC Comics' official Titans message board. "She hasn't had any kind of coup de grace, which is what I like about her -- she's got lots of potential, and lots of empty spaces to fill in. "And I wanted to tell you guys that we've got a new cover artist ... but I ain't saying who. Mwa-ha-ha!!" DEFENDERS STORIES REPRINTED While Marvel Comics' new "Defenders" relaunch has been much-hyped, most of today's comic readers never read the early issues of the quirky original series, which are now available at a high price, when they're available at all. They don't call it the House of Ideas for nothin': Marvel will be releasing an 80 page "Megazine" on January 10, the same day the new "Defenders" #1 is slated to ship, featuring a meeting between Dr. Strange and Namor from 'Sub-Mariner' #22, a Dr. Strange/Hulk story from 'Incredible Hulk' #126 and all three original Defenders together from the pages of 'Marvel Feature' #1. +++++ From Comic Book Resources at: http://www.comicbookresources.com/ An open letter from Jim Valentino and Anthony Bozzi from Image Comics: Dear Fans and Retailers, Orange, CA -- POWERS #1 through #5 and THE RED STAR #1 and #2 are sold out. Image Comics has been besieged in the last few weeks with phone calls, e-mails, faxes, and letters regarding the availability of POWERS #1 through #5 and THE RED STAR #1 and #2. We regret to report that we no longer have any copies available of these aforementioned issues. We also regret our inability to answer each query personally and individually as it is distracting us from the business of publishing comics. However, we have worked directly with the creators of these books to return some copies of their personal stock to Diamond Comic Distributors. Last month we shipped all available copies literally from creators' garages, and our own personal complimentary copy list and archive stock to accommodate as many back order requests as possible. As of this release, systems and inventory should be back in place today to take very limited reorders on Powers #1 (Diamond Reorder code: FEB000802D) and The Red Star #1 (Diamond Reorder code: APR000905D).1 We assure you that the total print run for each of these individual comic books exceeded the initial orders placed by retailers by a minimum of 43% and a maximum of a 112%. It was always our sincere wish, from the very beginning, to make as many copies of these titles available. We will continue that philosophy with upcoming issues as well. THE RED STAR #3 debuts in comic stores on Wednesday, October 11th. POWERS #6 will be available to stores on Wednesday, October 25th. In order to guarantee your copy of POWERS, THE RED STAR, or any other title from any other publisher you may want, we highly recommend you request a copy from your local retailer in advance. Please call the Comic Book Shop Locator Service at 1-888-COMIC BOOK or online at http://csls.diamondcomics.com/ or as an equally fine online alternative, there is also The Master List of Comic Book & Trading Card Stores at http://www.the-master-list.com/. Finally, we want to offer our deepest gratitude to the retailers who have continually reordered these books and have taken the time to hand sell each issue. When Powers artist, Michael Avon Oeming, was informed of the situation via e-mail he humbly responded with this enthusiastic reply: "Honestly, I can't believe all this is happening to us. Brian (Bendis, Powers writer) and I met when both of us were hocking our small press and small time black and white books, hoping someone would actually buy and maybe even want to read them one day. It's just beyond perfect that retailers and fans have allowed us to achieve some success together!" Thank you for your support. With gratitude, Jim Valentino Publisher Image Comics Anthony Bozzi Director of Marketing Image Comics +++++ From Rich Johnston's ALL THE RAGE Gossip Column at: http://www.SilverBulletComicBooks.com. It is too long to post or give a fair synopsis of but the column posted on October 8 is a fascinating account from an ex DC employee of how the things work behind the scenes. Rich gives a proper disclaimer that this is the view from a "former" employee so read with open mind about the veracity of everything. In other stuff: Authoritarian Punishment Right. Now, where were we? Ah yes, rumours about Mark Millar. Just when will Mark Millar leave Authority? He isn't saying. The rumour, still doing the rounds come back to me. "Mark Millar and Frank Quitely are leaving the Authority with #25. Quitely will actually leave a little before that. I know that Millar denies that he is leaving, but I hear that he is. Why? Because he's hot shit now. And Marvel is kissing his ass trying to get him over there. Brain Azzerallo has been offered the book. But I do not know whether or not he'll take it." There was no response from Mark Millar, but letter on the Wildstorm Authority message boards, he wrote "As for me and Frank, regardless of what you hear we're BOTH leaving at exactly the same time." He also said "I'm not saying The Authority die in #22, but as of #22 there's a WHOLE NEW TEAM!" Then when asked about rumours of a 6-months on, 6 months off writing relationship with Garth Ennis on the Punisher, wrote "As for Punisher, Marvel have yet to make an announcement about the on-going so I can't say... which possibly answers your question." He also mentioned "starting a big Marvel Knights project" possibly the much-rumoured Nick Fury/SHIELD project. And finally, when asked about Jenny Sparks' relationship with Indiana Jones, mentioned in the Sparks mini-series, he wrote "Yeah, Jenny shagged Indy." +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com SPAWN 2 ------- Spawn 2 will likely not be made with New Line Cinema according to Terry Fitzgerald of Todd McFarlane Productions. http://www.comicscontinuum.com/ +++++ From The Daily Buzz at http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html Malkovich Definite As Goblin While speaking to E! Online, director Sam Raimi confirmed that John Malkovich will portray the Green Goblin in the upcoming Spider-Man movie. Raimi went on to say that while casting for Spidey's girlfriend Mary Jane Watson is still underway, he is "thinking hard" about offering the role to Alicia (Urban Legend) Witt, because he "really liked how she tested." In related news, James Franco is purportedly a frontrunner to play the Green Goblin's son, Harry Osborn. Franco had been in the running to play Spider-Man, but Tobey Maguire eventually won that coveted role. --E! Online/Popcorn X-Men Reaches Milestone Thanks to strong openings in Japan and Spain, the X-Men motion picture has passed the $100 million mark at the foreign box office. The film pulled in $3.7 million in Japan and $1.9 million in Spain, which was enough to bring its overseas total to $104 million. In other foreign box office news, Scary Movie continues to perform well, earning $3.2 million in its German debut and easily grabbing the number one spot among Austria's top ten box office money-earners. --Reuters/Variety +++++ Alien Legion Gets Big Screen Treatment Dimension Films has hired J.D. Zeik to write a screenplay based on Carl Pott's Alien Legion comic book series. The story follows a young man who joins a group described as "the French Foreign Legion in outer space" in order to prove himself. Zeik will serve as executive producer on the film, with Potts co-producing. Pott's created Alien Legion for Epic Comics, which published the series from 1984 to 1992. The proposed live-action film adaptation will feature a combination of physical and CGI effects. "I like action-adventure projects that have something to say," Potts said in an inteview with The Hollywood Reporter. "The Alien Legion universe is a giant extrapolation of the U.S. melting-pot society. Instead of just having dozens of different cultures and races living together, you actually have hundreds of radically different species coexisting, and you also have all of the strengths and weaknesses of that diversity. There are obviously going to be troubles on occasion, but the strengths of the society working together far outweigh the weaknesses." --The Hollywood Reporter +++++ From Newsarama; http://www.Fandom.com/comics/ WINNER OF THE 1997 & 1998 INTERNET "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE CROSSGEN ANNOUNCES ART TEAM CHANGES ON SIGIL Press Release Sigil inker Ray Lai has been released by CrossGen, and Sigil penciler Ben Lai has subsequently resigned, as of issue #7 of that title. The staff change was precipitated by a sustained pattern of significant creative differences over the direction of the book. A new art team, consisting of penciler Kevin Sharpe (All-Star 80-Page Giant, Generation X, Vampirella), inker Randy Elliott (Batman, Stormwatch, Justice League Europe) and regular Sigil colorist Wil Quintana, will take over Sigil as of issue #7, after the scheduled fill-in by penciler Steve McNiven and inkers Jordi Ensign (Green Lantern, Star Wars) and Batt for Sigil # 6. Quintana will remain the regular colorist for Sigil, while the team of Sharpe and Elliott has committed to perform the art chores of Sigil through issue #10. The bulk share of the work on those issues, while contracted to Sharpe and Elliot as freelancers, will actually be performed in CrossGen`s Florida studios. A permanent team for Sigil will be announced soon. "Deciding to let people go is the hardest thing to do in any creative enterprise, and we agonized long and hard about this decision," CrossGen publisher Mark Alessi said. "Of course, we have a tremendous amount of respect for Ray and Ben`s work, and we wish them success in all their future endeavors. Let me assure all our fans that making this change was the absolute last thing we wanted to do, but we saw the day coming when those creative differences might have stood in the way of us meeting our responsibilities to our fans and retailers. In the meantime, we are ecstatic with the initial work turned in by Kevin, and we`re looking forward to this very exciting four-issue run." This being the first major staff change at CrossGen, Alessi also reflected on what CrossGen`s studio method of creating comics means to the creators who work here. "The fact of the matter is that working for CrossGen isn`t for everyone," added Alessi. "The mission we`ve carved out for this company is an extremely difficult one. It`s hard creating high-quality comics. It`s hard delivering them month in and month out, topping ourselves with each subsequent issue. It`s hard making people change the way they work and create in order to fit a framework that enables us to continue to make good on our promises to the fans and retailers. Is this type of job for everyone? Hell, no. Does it make them bad people if it`s not? Hell, no. It just doesn`t make them compatible with CrossGen`s goals and mission." End Press Release NEWLY-EXCLUSIVE BRUBAKER TAKES ON BATMAN, CATWOMAN Readers who are enjoying the current five-issue Batman run by Deadenders writer Ed Brubaker will have something to look forward to in the summer of 2001... Brubaker, who last month signed a one-year exclusive contract with DC, tells Newsarama he`s been offered the Batman writing assignment on a regular basis, has accepted and will tentatively begin his ongoing run with the June-shipping issue of next year. A few months later, Brubaker will also begin his run as regular writer of Catwoman, but he won`t have to worry about writing a big 100th issue of the series, which would have been due in November 2001 - think two less zeros… According to the writer, the folks at DC have been so supportive of Brubaker`s efforts so far - along with the work of his for-now super-secret penciler - they`ll be relaunching the title in the fall of 2001 with a new first issue from him and his mystery art partner. Current writer Bronwyn Carlton`s last issue will be this February and then following a three-issue story arc by John Francis Moore and Staz Johnson wrapping up the current series in May, current tentative plans call for Brubaker and ?? to write a four-part, 8-pp, "Catwoman-related" serial for publication in Detective Comics in May-August, leading into the relaunched ongoing series. "I don`t want to reveal too much, but the end of the current Catwoman series, really will be an ending, and our serial will explore and lay the groundwork for what we plan to do in the new series," said Brubaker. "It`ll be a Private Investigator story, about the hunt for Catwoman, who is MIA, and will delve heavy into her past and hint at her future. And it will star someone whose connection to Detective Comics is even older than Batman`s." MARVEL RECONSIDERS ULTIMATE SPIDEY REPRINT Despite a controversial announcement by Marvel's Bill Jemas last month that the publisher would not offer a reprinted edition of the sold out Ultimate Spider-Man #1 until the January debut of the newsstand/mass market Ultimate Marvel Magazine #1, it appears as if Marvel has reconsidered that position for readers who missed it the first time around. Series writer Brian Bendis has announced publicly that a reprint edition is in the works, an announcement confirmed by last week's "Marvel Alert Flyer", a memo sent to comics retailers via Diamond Comics Distributors. Marvel's Bill Rosemann told Newsarama late last week the format for the reprint has not been decided upon, but according to information from retailers, it looks as if a collected edition of issues #1 and #2 (also sold out) may be made available for around a $6.00 cover price. NEW ELLIS GRAPHIC NOVEL IN THE WORKS - Updated AiT/Planet Lar publisher Larry Young has announced a new Warren Ellis-written original graphic novel for publication in late summer, or early fall 2001. Entitled Night Orbit: Decadent Sci-Fi and Dark Speculation, according to Young it will be at least a 72-page collection of short stories written by Ellis of the same size and shape and paper stock as Young's own Astronauts In Trouble and Brian Wood's Channel Zero. Though no artists have been lined up yet, Young told Newsarama he and Ellis as determined to get, "exciting and offbeat folks who wouldn`t be able to work with Warren on longer projects, but would be able to give him eight, ten, or twelve pages." +++++ GRANT MORRISON ON X-MEN CONFIRMED The identity of one of Marvel’s post-Claremont, core X-Men writers has moved from best-known internet rumor to confirmed status Friday afternoon… Marvel’s Joe Quesada has officially confirmed with Newsarama that Grant (JLA) Morrison will write one of the core X-titles, probably beginning sometime in early spring 2001…When he starts and which book he’ll write has not yet been determined, but Quesada says the "plan for now" is for Morrison to write one of the titles, with another yet-to-be-announced writer taking over the other. "We`ve only just received a two-year overview for the X-universe and it`s mind boggling!" said Quesada. "Grant`s been screaming about the `revolution` like a comic book John the Baptist. Now he`s going to be physically ushering it in with some of the great talent - old and new - that we have living in The House!" Look for updates and more details when they become available… HABERLIN, CLAYTON INVESTIGATE AREA 52 Image Comics has announced a January debut for Area 52, a new series by Brian Haberlin and Clayton (Wu-Tang) Henry. According to a release by Image, the first four-issue arc stars a rag-tag group of military misfits assigned to guard a super-high-tech computer-automated climate-controlled warehouse hidden in the most remote region of Antarctica and then are promptly forgotten about. A sneak peek of Area 52 is available at the Avalon Comics website. CROSSGEN ISSUES WRITING SAMPLES MORATORIUM CrossGen Comics has announced that as of Thursday, October 12th, they have stopped accepting writing submissions, in preparation of beginning the search through their existing submissions to find the publisher’s first Associate Writer as part Head Writer Barbara Kesel and Mark Waid’s new Associate Writers Program. The publisher hopes to fill the spot by early 2001. The Associate Writer’s duties will include writing practice plots and dialogue, research, technical writing, and sales copy. The Associate will work out of CrossGen’s Oldsmar, Florida, office and receive a salary. Since the publisher says the selection process will take some time to complete, they will not accept any new writing samples until February 2001. Any writing samples received prior to February 2001 will be stored for later evaluation. Any current samples are automatically considered eligible for selection. This "moratorium" will not affect art submissions. Art samples will continue to be accepted and evaluated by CrossGen as usual. BYRNE`S GENERATIONS 2 IN THE WORKS Though making it clear he has not yet signed the contract, John Byrne has announced a sequel to his 1998-99 DC Elseworlds prestige-format mini-series Superman & Batman: Generations – An Imaginary Tale looks like a definite "go", and on pace for a mid-2001 debut. "As it stands at present, Generations 2 will begin in 1942 and proceed in incremental jumps of eleven years (as opposed to the decade jumps last time), so as to end in 2019," Byrne told Newsarama. "This time, at the request of editor Mike Carlin, the scope will expand to include more of the rest of the DCU, including the likes of Hawkman, Green Lantern, Flash, etc, as well as the stars of the previous series. As with G1, the series will attempt to play to both the ‘mood’ of the particular decades in which the chapters occur, as well as the kinds of inconsistencies which have cropped up over the years." DC ANNOUNCES JANUARY SUPERMAN PLANS DC has announced that in January, fans will finally (?) get the true story of Superman’s origin in Superman #166, which will ship in both standard and collector’s editions. The collector’s edition will feature a holographic foil enhancement at no extra cost. The issue will feature the series’ regular creative team of writer Jeph Loeb and artists Ed McGuinness & Cam Smith, telling what DC says is, "the startling true origin of the Last Son of Krypton! That`s right -- you only think you know the truth about Superman, but this month the lie finally is revealed and the Man of Steel`s real heritage is uncovered!" FANBOY ENTERTAINMENT TO PUBLISH KIA ASAMIYA`S MOBIUS KLEIN New York, NY - Fanboy Entertainment is pleased to announce that they will begin publishing Kia Asamiya`s Mobius Klein, the prequel to the hit manga and anime series Silent Mobius, in January 2001. The release of Mobius Klein also marks the launch of Fanboy Entertainment`s new translated manga line. "As a big fan of the Kia Asamiya`s Silent Mobius manga and anime series`, I feel blessed that we were able to acquire the rights to publish its prequel, Mobius Klein.", remarked Fanboy Entertainment`s C.B. Cebulski. "Our partnership with Mr. Asamiya`s STUDIO TRON continues to strengthen and grow and I think Mr. Asamiya`s decision to bring Mobius Klein to Fanboy is a sign of his faith and belief in us." "Over the years, as the Silent Mobius story and world expanded, fans always had questions about the pasts of certain characters, settings and plot points. With each issue, the mysteries grew and I knew I had to one day go back and explain some of the back story to make the present storyline coherent.", explained Mr. Asamiya. "With the Silent Mobius manga continuing monthly from Viz and the anime series now being released in English from Bandai, I felt now was the perfect time to have Mobius Klein, the Silent Mobius prequel, translated and published in English.", he continued. "With Fanboy`s belief in quality and their commitment to upholding the integrity of the original story and art, I was more than happy to work with them to help bring Mobius Klein to the international English audiences. Hopefully now more of Silent Mobius will start making sense.", he joked. In order to avoid common reprinted manga problems such as moray patterns, dark reproduction, and blurred screentones and to help insure near perfect print quality, Mr. Asamiya will be allowing Fanboy access to his original Mobius Klein artwork. "This is a great step in the right direction for manga reproduction in my opinion.", Cebulski commented. "I have complained endlessly in the past about poor print quality due to the fact that inadequate source material is usually never provided. We`re honored Mr. Asamiya is allowing us to use his original artwork to create the English language versions of Moius Klein. We will now be able to reproduce his detailed lines and intricate screentone work exactly as it was seen in the original Japanese versions. No more muddy panels and blurred lines like some of his past works have suffered here. I think the fans will be happy with what they see." Mobius Klein will be an eight issue mini-series beginning in January 2001, Each issue will be black and white, 32 pages in length and cost $2.95. Full color cover by Kia Asamiya. +++++ From Wizard World Emailer; to subscribe send Email to WizEmailer@aol.com with the subject: ADD ME WIZARD WIZARDWORLD.Com Newsletter WIZARD FAN AWARDS! When the calendar says "October," you know three things are happening: It's getting colder, football is in full swing, and. It's time to vote for nominees for the Wizard Fan Awards! That's right, bunky! As Y2K rolls to a close, it's time to honor the best the year has to offer. Vote for your favorites in the following categories, and the top five vote getters in each category will become nominees on the Wizard Fan Awards ballot going into Wizard #113! Just keep in mind these simple rules: 1) Only material from calendar year 2000 is eligible 2) You don't have to vote in every category, and you may vote for ONE and ONLY ONE nominee in each category. 3) You may vote ONCE and ONLY ONCE. Trust us-We'll know. Feel free to cut and paste this sucker and e-mail to: nominees@wizardworld.com or go to http://www.wizardworld.com/fan_awards.cfm and we'll e-mail it for you! Deadline is December 5, 2000. Then check out Wizard: The Comics Magazine #113, on sale December 20, to see if YOUR fave-raves made the grade! The Categories are: Favorite Writer Favorite Penciler Favorite Inker Favorite Painter Favorite Colorist Favorite Letterer Favorite Editor Favorite Male Hero Favorite Female Heroine Favorite Villain Favorite Supporting Character Favorite ongoing series Favorite one-shot or mini-series Favorite Publisher Favorite Comic Merchandise Favorite Comic TV or Movie Project Comics' Greatest Moment of 2000 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interview Paul Dale Roberts Silhouet9@aol.com Interview with Andrew Watson, Creator of Breakfast After Noon Interviewed by Paul Dale Roberts, Publisher, Jazma Universe Online! http://www.jazmaonline.com/ Question: Before we get this interview started, can you tell us something personal about yourself? Your family life, where you were born and raised, what schools you attended? I was born and raised in a small town called Kippax on the outskirts of a city called Leeds. That's in Yorkshire, a northern county of England (think "Brassed Off" movie.) I went to school there and eventually to study a BA degree in Liverpool (in graphic design/illustration.) I met my wife, Philippa, there and we've lived in various places...London, Brighton, Oxford, California and now sunny Wolverhampton. Question: What was the first comic book you ever read? Probably in the newspaper...Disney or Peanuts? I remember cutting out Peanuts when I was 5 or so. I progressed to The Beano and Star Wars which were the only comics I bought until I stopped all together. Question: For people unfamiliar with Breakfast after Noon, can you please tell us something about it? It's a story about a young couple who're about to get married and lose their jobs. The series follows how they and their friends react to the changes in their lives. Question: How did you come up with the idea of Breakfast after Noon? Just from listening to the news really. Well, I wanted to write something about the deeper changes in the world of work. How, we're moving from industrial to post-industrial. Manufacturing is dying to be replaced by the service sector and "information technology." Phrased like that it sounds pompous and off-putting. But it's really about how big changes in society affect "small" people. It's focussed on one couple and how it changes their lives. Question: Tell us something about the characters. Louise takes a more pragmatic view of their situation and sees the changes as an opportunity. Rob doesn't really know how to deal with life without work and finds it hard to adapt. Question: There has been some buzz about your comic book, it has been compared to many dramatic comic book works. Really? There is some real humanistic dramas going on. Do you portray anyone or people you know? I remembered how friends of mine reacted to being on the dole, their stories and parts of my own experience and mixed them all together. I have been unemployed but am relatively lucky in that I knew what I wanted to do and how to work towards it. But I have seen what life on the dole does to peoples sense of self worth and self esteem. Question: Do you have a website? If you do what is the URL address? Can we see any of the characters on your website? www.andiwatson.com Shamefully I admit that it hasn't been updated in months which is entirely my fault because I haven't contributed anything. James kindly maintains the site for free so I don't like to hassle him too much. Once BAN is done I'll have time to update more seriously. Life and work have tended to get in the way recently! Question: How can somebody contact you? Via Oni snail mail or: andiphil@dircon.co.uk Question: If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things would you bring with you and why? Unless 2 of those things are a Condo and an endless supply of food I'm gonna be dead pretty quick. So a cooler, bottles of beer and a copy of "War and Peace" I intend to read that before I expire. Question: Your thoughts on the comic industry? Not particularly optimistic, looks like it'll continue to contract. Question: Your 3 favorite fictional heroes and why? I've never been one for heroes but there are characters I like: Elizabeth Bennett from "Pride and Prejudice" I enjoy her appreciation of the good and ridiculous in people. Becky Sharp from "Vanity Fair" she's mean and vibrant and thoroughly modern. Flora Poste from "Cold Comfort Farm" she's utterly stylish, dignified, sarcastic and has a mania for organising which I can admire. Question: Your 3 real life heroes and why? My Mom and Dad and my wife, they pretty much always do the right thing. Question: What movies, cartoons and TV shows are your favorites? Heathers, Sonatine, Adam's Rib, Tottoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Simpsons, Seinfeld, Sopranos, His Girl Friday, Roman Holiday Question: What books do you read? Most recently I read Vanity Fair by Thackeray, The Spoils of Poynton by Henry James, Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford and am currently re-reading Pride and Prejudice. Question: What are your hobbies and recreational activities? The usual...films, books, music, museums, playing with the cat, snowboarding occasionally. Question: What comic books do you read now? I pick up Penny Century, Optic Nerve, Eightball, Sugar Buzz, Weasel, D&Q, Nimrod, Palookaville + various manga and euro stuff whenever I get the chance. Question: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? Writing and drawing better...more financially secure would be nice. Still happy, a little wiser. Question: What are some of your other projects? Next thing I do will be a series with Slave Labor. I have a few ideas stewing away in my head...the one that matures first will see print. At some point I'd like to go back to a regular series... There will be a Sugar Kat/Skeleton Key flip book next year. Question: When can we expect Breakfast after Noon the Movie? Who will play the character parts? Sly Stallone and Sharon Stone in the lead roles? Doesn't seem like Hollywood material does it? Maybe they could do a "High Fidelity" and change the setting to the US :) Question: Well, I guess that winds up the interview. Thank you. Is there anything else you would like to say before closing? Thanks to everyone who's supported BAN! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Interview Tim O'Shea tim_jen@mindspring.com [Tim O'Shea is a 32-year old desktop publisher who lives in Atlanta with his wife and son. Tim, who has been reading comic books on a weekly basis since 1977, thinks he's the only rabid comic book fan who intends never to attend a convention.] Originally posted to: http://www.thecomicreader.com/newsmain.htm Copyright 2000 - The Comic Reader, used with permission Who's on First?: E-Chatting about CrossGen's New Title What you see in front of you is the first part of a two-part e-interview with two of the creators of CrossGen's fifth new comic book, THE FIRST. (I feel like I'm channeling for Abbott and Costello). With the book slated to premiere the FIRST of November, it seemed like a good time to get the score on this new project from writer Barbara Kesel and artist Bart Sears. OK, that's the last number joke. Seriously though, in Part One of the interview we catch up with Barbara. Part Two with Bart. My thanks to the ever-helpful Ian Feller of CrossGen for facilitating these interviews, as always. And thanks, of course, Barbara and Bart. -Tim O'Shea, TCR Senior Staff Writer O'SHEA: Of all the characters in THE FIRST, do you have a favorite? KESEL: Of the original six, Trenin is my guy. Of the newer characters, Raamia is certainly taking on a bigger role than the one for which she was intended, and Enson keeps surprising me. O'SHEA: Any teasers either one of you'd like to throw out about the series? KESEL: There is a development with Enson in issue two that long-time readers of CrossGen's line may find interesting. O'SHEA: CrossGen has signed a deal to have its books translated and released in France. Unlike the Marvel and DC universes--which are predominantly Western World in their settings and influences-the CrossGen universe seems to be European/international in tone. Nonetheless, as a North American writer are there certain aspects of your storytelling that you're having to adjust knowing that the audience is more than just a predominantly U.S./English speaking audience? KESEL: No. I'm sure all translators are frustrated by idiom, but you can't construct a story catering to every possible audience. You have to construct a story to be true to its own characters and direction. O'SHEA: Again a wee bit off topic, but still CrossGen- related, what kind of response has there been to CosmoGIRL/Meridian contest. Has the winner been announced yet? Any plans to do any other kind of contest for THE FIRST? KESEL: The contest winner has not yet been announced; there were hundreds more entries than expected. CosmoGirl will announce the winner, but we will run a notice of who won on our web site, also. Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement in our "news" section (www.crossgen.com/company/company.htm). There are no First contests to be announced at this time. Maybe later. Not tellin'. O'SHEA: With Mark Waid coming on board and the stable of CrossGen writers inevitably growing, do you think it will become harder to maintain continuity with different folks playing with the set of CrossGen "toys." Or is that even a concern amongst the various books, given that each book for the most part, has its own planet? KESEL: Continuity problems? You just said it yourself, MARK WAID will be coming on board. If ever there was a guy who understands the pros and cons of a glitch-free continuity, it's him! Each book has its own continuity, which is another thing to keep track of, but both Ron and Mark are going to help make my work easy. O'SHEA: How hard was it for you to give up SIGIL (in order to be able to write THE FIRST)? KESEL: Agonizing, since I was there from its beginning, I like the way the book was going, and I've been desperate to break out of the "chick book" label, but I knew when I took on THE FIRST that one of the others had to go, and that it wasn't going to be MERIDIAN. SIGIL was the title I thought could successfully change writers; Mark will be left with continuity directions I've established, but he will not be obligated to go the same direction I was headed. Many roads lead to Rome... End of Part One. For more info on this new CrossGen book, be sure to go to www.crossgen.com/thefirst/default.htm Part Two with Artist Bart Sears Here's the second part of TCR's interview with two of the co-creators of CrossGen's fifth new comic book, THE FIRST. O'SHEA: Of all the characters in THE FIRST, do you have a favorite? SEARS: Yes. ... oh... you probably want to know who. Seahn. It's gotta be Seahn. I just finished a poster for Wizard with 122 characters from The FIRST, and, even after that, Seahn is still the coolest. O'SHEA: Any teasers either one of you'd like to throw out about the series? SEARS: Watch out for the women. O'SHEA: What was the major attraction for you in signing on with CrossGen? Do you hope to write one of the CrossGen books at some point down the road? SEARS: CrossGen, as a company, is a family. There is a strong commitment here to quality, to the fans, and to the people that work next to you. Mark convinced me the future was here. He was right. As far as writing . . . haven't thought about it. I'm a penciller. I'm here to draw. O'SHEA: Will you continue to self-publish through Ominous Press, or will any projects along those lines now be published by CrossGen in conjunction with you? SEARS: Ominous Press has been gone a long time... six years. Right now, CrossGen publishes CrossGen Universe books, and nothing else. Will that ever change? Who knows? We'll have to wait and see. O'SHEA: Much as Mark Waid and Barbara Kesel are establishing a writer's mentoring program--as someone who has taught at the Kubert School, as well as authored instructional books--do you hope to establish an artistic mentoring program at CrossGen? SEARS: Yes. Mark has talked to myself and Brandon about that very thing... and I've been practicing on our own associate penciller, Andrea Devito. Wait till you see his stuff. O'SHEA: You were quoted in the original press release upon joining CrossGen that this was a "chance to draw the book I feel I was born to draw." Three-fold question: For a person in the industry for 15 years, that's a very strong statement to make. What is it about the book that makes you say this? Also, growing up as you were learning to be an artist what were some of your artistic idols? Is there somebody that you still say to yourself today: "If only I could draw like him or her?" SEARS: A. It's about gods. Regal, majestic beings who know they can kick butt. It's right up my alley. B. I became interested in comics looking at guys like Neal Adams, John Buscema, Curt Swan and Gil Kane. Still love their art. C. No. There are many artists whose work I admire, but I've never had any interest in drawing like anyone in particular. I study other artists' stuff, and incorporate things I like into what I do, but that's about the extent of it. Don't get me wrong, I look at what I do and I hate it, see all the mistakes and problems, I've still got a lot to learn. End of Part Two. For more info on this new CrossGen book, be sure to go to www.crossgen.com/thefirst/default.ht ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] The D Spot Darrell Goza darrel1@idt.net [Darrell works with the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter providing them with covers, art and columns. Go to http://www.jazmaonline.com/ He has now placed his column in cyberspace and PCB has agreed to share his column with others. ] Why on earth would anyone respect the comics industry if the publishers in the industry don't. I thought this would be an interesting 'for example' to be filed under: how the comics industry still treats its creators... This is an ad that was run in the Comics Buyers Guide, classified section, on April 7, 2000, under artists wanted: Bullpen artist wanted, results needed! Looking for fast artist who can do quality background pencils, inks and embellishments and is looking to get published. Get $100 up front. Send samples, full contact info and SASE to Artist Needed, his address and e-mail address here. (No e-mail samples please.) My response was: Dear Sir, I've inked backgrounds for Hero Comics "Icicle" #1 book, and I've aided Howard Simpson on "Young All Stars" #14, for D.C. comics, Art Nichols on "The American" #4, for Dark Horse, as well a assisting Nichols on "The Ray" #6 for D.C. During this time, I sent submissions to D.C. comics and was placed on their ready to work list. I am now penciling "The Professionals" for ScriptGraphics and have inked "The Mission" issue #2 for Beatnik Productions. I also penciled the book "Danse" for Blackthorne Comics. I've also computer lettered "Shadow Walker" for Third Eye Comics. I've worked as a public relations artist for Catholic Community Services, layout artist and graphic designer for the accounting firm of Touche Ross. I spent twelve years working as an assistant to Neal Adams at Continuity Associates in New York, where I did advertising artwork and backgrounds for many of the comics they produced. I received name credit in Continuity's "Crazyman" #1 comic. In addition to the expertise that I bring from the independent market, I also have background in computer graphics on the Macintosh using such software as Aldus Pagemaker, Aldus Freehand, Quark Express, and Adobe Photoshop. I have a 40+ page comic portfolio ready to be mailed for the cost of postage. Please send an SASE with at least $2.90 in postage, affixed, to: Darrell Goza P.O. Box 2170 East Orange, NJ 07019-2170 and you'll receive a fantastic spiral bound portfolio of work that I'm sure will fit your bill. I'll also send you a copy of the second issue of "The Mission". The following was his response to my response: Dear Darrell, You sound like you're experienced. I need to tell you this isn't the most high paying job. It's $300 for backgrounds and inks. And I'm talking full backgrounds and even some of the foreground stuff. You will be doing finished pencils. If you're still interested I'd love to see some of your stuff. If you want me to get it quicker send it to: His address and e-mail address Here's the rub, he may be a well meaning fellow, but because he doesn't understand that what he's asking is so disproportion to what he's willing to pay (notice he didn't make any mention of how many pages the artist would be doing or if the penciling and inking would be paid separately). It may be that he only has $300 to pay. More clarification is necessary but at this juncture, I was no longer interested. And as an ironic aside, another independent comic company also had a classified ad in the very same issue that I saw that ad. They're looking for inkers and pencilers and writers and they only pay percentage rates. And so it goes, and so it goes... Darrell General Notes I've kept over the years. While winter apartment cleaning, I ran across some items that I had taped to an art table desk lamp. These were news items or columns that had been written which caught my eye and I had taped them to said lamp for future reference; here are some bits and pieces: 1938: Superman makes his debut in Action Comics. The creators of what will soon become the world's best-known super-hero get precisely as little as the publishers can give them and still get the fruits of their labors. Respect is a rare cost of doing business. Publishers avoid it whenever possible. 1992: Publishers give creators precisely as little as the publishers can give them and still get the fruits of the creators labors. Respect remains exceedingly rare. For some of us, it's just a song by Aretha Franklin. Written by Tony Isabella From Tony's Tips, a feature of The Comics Buyers Guide. These excerpts, from a column that was written sometime in the 90's, are never more relevant than today. I recently read an article in the Comics Journal that was covering the rise and fall from grace of Image Comics. The most damning part of the article, for me at least, is that the McFarlane camp at Image now has adopted the standard industry practice of "Work for Hire" as their way of doing business as usual. Let me explain: Work for Hire is the practice of having a creator create a character or storyline, and just because they pay you for said service, it's as if they created it, not you. Jack Kirby was one of the big creators that Work for Hire was most blatantly used against. Right now, Dan Decarlo is in a fight with Archie Comics Inc. for his right to share in the proceeds of Josie and the Pussycats. A property he maintains he co-created with one of the publishers of the Archie Comics during his tenure there. Once he initiated the action of fighting for his rights, he was summarily fired. Marvel and D.C. both require you sign Work for Hire contracts for you to be able to work for them. You don't sign, you don't work; it's that simple. (Possible exceptions being the Paradox line at D.C. and Marvels creator owned line...more on this in a future D Spot). The reason this irritates me with Image is because Image started as a forum for creators to get the lions share of the profit for the fruits of their labors. Now that appears to no longer be the case. Do publishers think they're lose out if they changed the way they did business? Apparently so, see the second and third paragraph that began this section. I look for the publisher that will take the chance and have the creators share (as close to 50% as is humanly possible) of the net of what's earned in the marketplace. I think this would free creators to truly create new mythology's that they would see and profit from. Think about it. Now, most creators recycle the same old plotlines and storylines adding only a thematic twist and package it as something new. Fortunately, writers like Warren Ellis, Alan Moore, and Brian Bendis are not afraid to push the envelope, even in such a prohibitive environment. But just imagine what other writers would do if the restraints of Work for Hire were removed. And Last but not least... Back in the mid 70's, I lllustrated a book called "Danse" for the now defunct Blackthorne Publishing. It was written by a gent named Mark Wayne Harris, who also wrote this little ditty in one of his editorials. Mark Harris wrote: Van Halen once said (and I paraphrase): "It never ceases to amaze me how, when people are given complete artistic freedom to create whatever they want, the will ultimately imitate somebody else". If anybody doubts the accuracy of the above statement, take a look at the amount of Wolverine clones on the market today. Everybody is a bladed character. We won't even talk about the Batman rip-offs. Perhaps every type of character that could be created has been created. For the, would be new creator, take a good look at the character you're creating. If he or she is derived from something that's already a success, why would anyone read yours? That's the challenge ahead of you. Do they even have to be superhero's? If you could write about the average man and have that be as action packed and thought provoking as your favorite costumed hero, then writing superhero's would be no problem at all. The commentary and ramblings herein are not the views of the PCBN. They are wholly the thoughts and ideas of the D-Spot & Darrell Goza. If you wish to contact me, I can be e-mailed at darrel1@idt.net or regular mailed at P.0. Box 2170, East Orange, NJ 07019-2170 Next: The Small Press Expo Expose! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] 4 Color Review webmaster@4colorreview.com [4-Color Review is a website that's gone through many changes in the 4 years it's been online. It began as a small review site, and has grown to a full-blown webzine with reviews, columns and much more. The following article is presented by 4-Color Review where it was originally posted. If you enjoy this article we encourage you to send mail to 4-Color Review and then visit the web site for comic book READERS at - http://4colorreview.com ] This week, an interview with Jay Faerber. ----------------------------------------- Jason Baldwin (jbaldwin@4colorreview.com) is a copywriter by day and a comic book reader by night. Jason's POV on comic book happenings is often very different from just about everyone else's. Combine the fact that he's not afraid to stir things up with his background in investigative journalism, and you have an interesting - and oftentimes controversial - combination. Jason's column, Paper Cuts!, can be read regularly at 4-Color Review (4colorreview.com). ----------------------------------------- If you take a closer look at Jay Faerber's three-year career as a comic writer, you'll start to notice a pattern -- that he writes, with one or two exceptions -- largely teen/young adult heroes and characters. He's written Generation X and the ill-fated New Warriors relaunch for Marvel, as well as the Wolverine X-Men movie prequel. At DC, he recently contributed a three-issue fill-in on Green Lantern, bridging the gap between Ron Marz' departure and the arrival of newcomer Judd Winick. He's co-written Titans with fellow 2K Studios-mate Devin Grayson for the better part of this year, and one of his true loves is the character Firestorm -- a gestalt of teenager Ronnie Raymond and stuffy college professor Martin Stein. The New York resident has been all over the map with his short career and is very passionate about what he does for a living, while also making it clear that he's a fan at heart. He's genuinely excited about every project and clearly has an attachment to a majority of the characters that he writes. Faerber's most current Marvel work hits the stands Sept. 20: Iron Fist/Wolverine. The author's collaborator on the project, artist Jamal Igle, has said a number of times in the past that the book features so many guest stars that it should be called Marvel Team-Up. "If I remember correctly, Bobbie [Chase, Marvel Editor] was encouraging me to use as many guest stars as I could, so with that in mind, these characters worked pretty naturally," he said. "Expect to see Misty Knight, Luke Cage, Sharon Carter, Sunfire, Captain America, Iron Man, Psylocke, Kingpin, the Yakiba, and the Hand. I would've loved to work in the Warriors, since the whole story started with them, but they're not really sales magnets, so it didn't happen. I doubt it'll happen in the proposed sequel, either." Faerber said he's happy to be working with Igle again and that the talented artist brings a number of things to the table for the miniseries. "[He has] a stunning sense of storytelling, as well as a martial arts background. Jamal's one of the best sequential artists in the biz. He can tell like nobody's business, and he can also cram a lot onto a page. And his martial arts background makes him perfect for a series that has countless martial arts fight scenes. He's one of my favorite artists, and we're already pitching other books to work on together." Faerber said the concept behind Iron Fist/Wolverine came from a number of different sources. "The whole "evil teenage Iron Fist" idea wasn't mine, but assistant editor Brian Smith's. He also came up with the fantastic Johnny Storm /Namorita pairing (which, for some reason, Carlos Pacheco isn't using). I loved the idea of a teenage Iron Fist from the get-go, and at the time, Marvel was planning on releasing a number of villain- oriented mini-series in 2000, and I asked Bobbie if we could prepare one for this new Iron Fist, and she liked the idea," he said. "But before I got a chance to pitch the mini, NW was cancelled, so Bobbie just said we'd try and launch the mini right out of NW's last issue. It didn't quite work out that way, but we did hint at the mini at the end of NW." "...to me, Luke Cage is Danny's back-up. He'd team up with Luke, not Wolverine. No one else at Marvel was concerned about that, but I like the characters a lot, and I knew that, as a fan, if I read it, and there was no mention of Luke, I'd be pissed." Faerber said he's always liked Luke Cage and Iron Fist and that he enjoyed the recent "Heroes For Hire" series, written by John Ostrander, that focused on the duo and a rotating team of heroes. One of the major plot threads left over from the cancelled book dealt with Iron Fist willfully setting a series of events into motion, in the wake of Onslaught, that would bring the mystical realm of K'un L'un into our world, effectively destroying a good portion of our reality. "I enjoyed the series, for the most part. I could've done without the cheesy narration and the Wundagore nonsense, but overall, I enjoyed it. It was my idea to pick up the "K'un-Lun returns" plot thread. I don't know where Ostrander had envisioned it going we just took it in our own direction. However, Faerber said he had no intentions of even including Wolverine in the miniseries. "I'd initially proposed it without him [Wolverine], and the Sales & Marketing guys did a sales projection and said it wouldn't sell. I think my editor, Bobbie Chase, came up with the idea to put Wolverine into the mix. So while we came up with a reasonably-organic way to add him, the bottom line is that he's there to get people to buy the book," he said. Of course, longtime fans of Iron Fist will immediately see a glaring problem in the pairing with Wolverine. "...to me, Luke Cage is Danny's back-up. He'd team up with Luke, not Wolverine. No one else at Marvel was concerned about that, but I like the characters a lot, and I knew that, as a fan, if I read it, and there was no mention of Luke, I'd be pissed. So I came up with a way for Luke to play a role, and for it to make sense that Wolvie is Danny's primary partner." Still, he said, it was a daunting task to involve everyone's favorite Canuck. "It was tricky, trying to get Logan involved, since Steve Skroce was doing a bunch of stuff with Logan in Japan in his solo title at the time." Faerber wasn't totally forthcoming with exactly what his method of bringing the two together is, but he did offer one teasing tidbit. "The only hint about Luke that I can give you is this phrase: Power Man VS. Iron Fist." Faerber said he feels so strongly about the Iron/Fist Wolverine sequel that he's already pitched a sequel with Igle. Sept. 20 also marks Faerber's first issue as the new solo Titans writer, following the acclaimed run of fan favorite Devin Grayson. Penciller Paul Pellitier joins Faerber, with Phil Jiminez providing covers. The book will feature a new focus on the initial six Titans: Nightwing, Arsenal, Troia, Tempest, Jesse Quick, and Argent. Faerber also said that he's close with Grayson, and that's helped ease the transition. "Devin's a fantastic writer, and she knows a lot of the Titans like the back of her hand, so it was fairly daunting. But at the same time, I've been working with her on TITANS since the first issue. You know, listening to her ideas, making suggestions, helping her work out scenes, etc. And she's still only a phone call away, if I want her input on how Nightwing would react to something, or whatever. So I don't feel like I've been dropped into the deep end of the pool right off the bat." Since before he even took the Titans gig, he said he's bounced ideas off Grayson daily. "We talk on the phone four or five times a day, and she lives two subway stops away. So whenever I'm stuck on a story -- or vice versa - - she's my first phone call. And if she's uunavailable, or of no help, then it's on to Brian Vaughan." While most of the details of his first year are still clouded in mystery, fans do know that Faerber will work on an upcoming arc dealing with Donna Troy's often-convoluted continuity. "I can't talk about my entire first year, but I can tell you that my first two issues feature the return of Cheshire and Deathstroke, and the introduction of a new team called The Hangmen. After that, we've got a 3-parter dealing with Donna Troy and Dark Angel," he said. "I'm not looking to "fix" Donna. I'm not CHANGING (or fixing, really) anything about her in this arc. I'm just trying to clear up her history, and put some closure to her self-doubt. At the end of the story, we'll see a return of the strong, confident, self-assured Donna Troy that everyone knows and loves." Faerber said he wasn't afraid of tackling the character by any means, and that the changes, as a whole, really haven't effected the core of the character. "As many changes as there've been, none of them affect her PERSONALITY. Sure, I can't reference her growing up on Paradise Island, or Wonder Woman attending her wedding, but all in all, she's the same as she ever was." At the same time, he also said he doesn't expect to please everyone. "I think they'll be happy, but there are always fans who will complain. It's human nature. There's just no pleasing EVERYONE," he said. "Fan reaction to the CoF one-shot, however, has been pretty positive. If I had my way, I wouldn't have had Firestorm go off into space (because I hate space stories), but I think I made the best of it." What pleases him at this point, is working with Pellitier on Titans. "Oh yeah, Paul's GREAT. I've only been in this business around three years now, and I've been SO LUCKY with the artists I've gotten to work with," he said. "Guys like Terry Dodson and Jamal Igle and now Paul. I've been a fan of Paul's work since he was doing GREEN LANTERN a few years ago, and he does wonders with my scripts. TITANS is the book he most wants to draw right now, and it shows!" Faerber also quickly quelled rumors that he'd be splitting the focus of the book between the Titans and a "Titans West" group. "I have nothing to do with the Titans West stuff. Geoff Johns and Ben Raab spearheaded that movement, along with then Associate Editor Maureen McTigue. Their proposal, called TITANS LA, hasn't been greenlit yet, and I don't really plan on doing anything with the California-based Titans. They show up briefly in #25, but that's it. I trimmed down the roster because I want to focus on the six Titans, so alternating between two different teams would destroy that intent." Also slated for Sept. 20 (what is it with that date for him?) is the first of three fill-in issues on Superboy. Faerber said following creators Karl Kesel and Tom Grummet's legendary (and Jack Kirby- centric) runs on the book wasn't intimidating -- because he didn't realize he was following the duo. "When I was asked to write these fill-ins, Karl and Tom were still on the book, and Karl was actively involved in the plotting of the first two fill-ins. I was continuing threads he'd begun, so we (editor Mike McAvennie and I) involved him so the fill-ins wouldn't disrupt the flow of the series. So in that sense, I didn't feel like I was "following" them, I felt like I was "helping" them," Faerber said. "After I'd plotted at least one of the issues, McAvennie told me that Karl and Tom weren't coming back, and that he needed a third fill-in while he readied the next creative team, so I happily obliged." Faerber mentioned he'd like to have done one thing differently with the book. "Had I known Karl and Tom weren't coming back, I would have intentionally moved away from the Kirby stuff. I appreciate that Karl and Tom (and scores of other creators) were hugely influenced by him, but I wasn't at all. I know folks will read this and think I'm a blasphemer, but Kirby's stuff just holds no appeal to me," he said. His other fill-in job was the aforementioned stint on Green Lantern. He also wrote the Firestorm/Green Lantern One-Shot for last month's Circle of Fire fifth week event. The writer cites #127 as his favorite of the trio of fill-in stories. "Probably #127, the one where Effigy and Killer Frost team up. I just liked writing the story from the POV of a villain, where GL is essentially the antagonist. It was a fun exercise, and I think Ron Lim did a great job of interpreting my plot," he said. A recent letter column sent Faerber a different signal. "As is par for the course where GL is concerned, fan reaction was mixed on my fill-ins. Check out the letters page in GL #129. They run comments on #126, my first fill-in issue, and they ran some NASTY letters. I couldn't believe it. I don't know if I ran over the editor's dog, or what, but whoever put together that lettercol must've been ticked at me," he said. "I thought I was just being paranoid until Pelletier called me up the next day, and was like, "Did you see how they SLAUGHTERED you in that lettercol?" Fan reaction to the CoF one-shot, however, has been pretty positive. If I had my way, I wouldn't have had Firestorm go off into space (because I hate space stories), but I think I made the best of it. Faerber said he has a proposal for a new Firestorm series in at DC and hinted that Igle ("I'm not the only Firestorm fan out there.") will join him if it gets picked up. Recent books have put Ronnie working with Ray Palmer, the Atom, who has taken on the "Professor Stein" role as the "brains" combined with Ronnie's power. Faerber said Palmer is in his proposal, but he declined to say in what capacity. He said his love for the Firestorm character is very basic. "It's part nostalgia, part legitimate love for the character, and part me seeing his vast potential. I really think the two-guys-become-one idea is fantastic, and could be reworked to give DC a fresh book unlike any they're publishing right now." Faerber cites the first Hyena arc in the book as his favorite, with Ronnie's girlfriend Doreen, and sideburn-sporting nemesis Cliff Carmichael as favorite supporting characters. "I could never understand what he was supposed to be. Ronnie was the jock, and Cliff was the brain, and yet Cliff was constantly beating Ronnie up. What's up with that," he said. Firestorm ended in the early 90s with issue 100. The character was very different, in both philosophy and appearance, from when he was created in the 70s. He went from a wet-behind-the-ears, fun-loving hero to a brooding fire elemental with, as one fan put it, "Eartha Kitt hair." Faerber said the constant changes killed the book. "I think it'd been revamped one too many times. When John Ostrander first came on the book, he revamped it by merging Ronnie and the Russian guy, and giving Firestorm his own personality. But then he added in Fire Elementals, and a lot of other stuff," he said. "Just when you think you had things figured out, he'd revamp it AGAIN, and I think readers just got tired of it after awhile. I know I did. And plus, by the end, it'd strayed too far from the original concept: two-guys-fuse-into-one." Faerber knows all about cancellation. His New Warriors relaunch was recently cancelled and it was a tough road for the writer before the first issue even hit stands. He said he was very sad to see the book go. "The frustrating thing was that we got notified the book was cancelled the same month Jamal's FIRST ISSUE came out. I really thought his presence would help us turn things around, but we were never even given a chance," he said. Faerber revealed his plans for the book, had it continued rather than have been cancelled. "We were going to introduce a new, teenage-skewed Heroes For Hire, and have them be rivals of the Warriors. And the Xandarian Nova Corps was going to invade Earth in an effort to try Rich Rider for treason. Those were our two big upcoming story arcs," he said. "Basically, Nova was going to have a falling out with the Warriors. After #12, he was going to consider himself better than them, and quit, and accept an offer from Stark-Fujikawa (who bought Oracle Inc., who own HFH, back in the last issue of HFH), to lead their new HFH team. It was going to be Nova, Darkhawk, Ultra Girl, Dusk (from SLINGERS), and a new Box (from Alpha Flight), who was going to be a robot, controlled from a distance by Hindsight Lad. There might have been one more, but I think that's it. Stark-Fujikawa was going to give them the works -- a PR person, a fancy headquarters, a big budget. They were going to have everything the Warriors didn't. But they were going to be secretly exploited by the corporation (their missions would become increasingly illegal or immoral), and eventually Nova would stumble onto this, and eventually quit, and return to the Warriors." The biggest hurdle for Faerber with New Warriors was fan backlash, not dealing with the plots or the characterization, but with the characters' costumes -- something Faerber had zero control over. "Yeah, it REALLY annoys me that folks were so outraged by the costumes. I can't think of anything less significant than what a character's wearing. Sure, I wish we'd have kept a lot of their old costumes, but to not read a book because of the COSTUMES, is, to me, moronic," he said. Faerber said dealing with fans, as a whole, is a stark contrast. "In person, people are almost always nice and pleasant and complimentary. You rarely get criticized at Cons. But on the internet, where the fans are in the privacy of their own home, they can lash out without any consideration for a person's FEELINGS. I think the most frustrating thing about dealing with fans is having to take the blame for stuff that's not really your fault. If I legitimately screwed up, I'll be the first to admit it. But because comics are so collaborative, writers tend to get blamed for all kinds of things that aren't their fault," he said. "For instance, I wrote last year's GENERATION X Annual, in which we essentially retconned an earlier story about Jubilee's parents' deaths. I'd wanted to tell the story where she found out who killed them, not knowing she'd already found out, in an old issue of WOLVERINE. So I proposed the story, and my editor said, "Oh, well that was already covered in WOLVERINE, but that story sucked, and we like yours better, so go ahead." I was surprised at that attitude, but I went right ahead, and tried to pay tribute to the earlier story. But I'm still slammed by fans for discarding continuity. The other thing about fans is that it's human nature to complain more than compliment. Me and my friends do it, too. We'll watch THE WEST WING, and afterwards, talk for five minutes about all the things that were fantastic, and but spend 20 minutes bitching about one little scene we didn't like." A good example is Faerber's Wolverine prequel. Complaints from online fans and reviewers ranged from it being too confusing to ending with a "To Be Continued..." caption. However, Faerber said the complaints are news to him and fairly inaccurate. This is honestly the first I've heard any complaints about that book. I guess parts might've been confusing, because Karl Waller, while he did a terrific job overall, didn't always nail every scene. And it was my responsibility to cover things in dialogue, but I was so intent on making it dialogue "lite," that maybe I didn't explain things that I should've," he said. But still, I thought it was pretty simple. And there was absolutely no editorial interference, so I can't blame Mike Marts! I CAN blame him for the "To Be Continued..." ending, since these things were designed to be Prequels. They were lead-ins to the movie. Of course it's "To Be Continued..." My only real regret is that one of the driving plot-points of the one-shot (Wolvie's search for the woman in that mysterious picture) never made it into the movie. In the movie script that we read, Wolvie was searching Canada, looking for this mystery woman. So when we meet him in that bar, he's not a cage fighter, he's passing around that photograph. The script was obviously re-written after I saw it, but it's nobody's fault, really." As for the future, Faerber said he's working on a creator-owned project. "It's still too early to talk about, as it's still taking shape, and I'm starting to assemble my creative team. It combines two of my loves: super-heroes and soap operas, but that's all I wanna say about it right now. I'll be shopping it around to Image, and some other small publishers." ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] Comics Culture Shrapnel Kris Naudus Krissy80@aol.com [Kris Naudus is a full-time student at New York University, founder of the Justice League of Stuyvesant, part-time Amazonian warrior and distinguished scholar of geek studies. Her previous roles have included "pathetic Star Wars fan #6" outside the Zeigfield Theatre last May, as well as "bored cashier #4" at Barnes and Noble. ] Higher Learning I'm sorry to say that I haven't been to a comic shop this week. Not at all. I am totally ignorant of whatever came out this past Wednesday. How dare I write this column! I am ignorant and out-of-touch, Or something like that. Of course I have a perfectly good reason for shunning my hobby this week: midterms. I know myself well enough to know that new comics and studying just don't mix. Biology versus Transmetropolitan - no contest. It's always been the case for me. How many tests have I failed because I was reading JLA instead? Quite a few. And that's not counting all the times I didn't pay attention in class because I was busy indulging in adolescent power fantasies in my head. I used to count the days and class periods until a new issue of Impulse or Generation X came out. Every Wednesday at lunch I used to run out of school, whooooooosh to the store, then spend a few minutes casually browsing the shelves ... after which I whooooooshed back to school, where I would plop down in an empty corner in the hall and happily content myself with Sandman or Scud or Flash, until the bell rang and I was forced back into class. Sometimes I would bring them with me into class. Drafting class (yes, I actually had this subject) was always a nice place to read comics, laying them out flat on the drawing table and pouring over each page. I sat in the back and the teacher rarely ever left his desk. It was the perfect combination. But for the most part, comics and school have always been mutually exclusive in my life. There was never any room to combine the two. Until college. College is weird. It's school, but not. The courses have weird names and people generally do whatever they feel like, which actually extends to what you could do in class. The projects you do, the papers you write, there's more freedom there. Which is where comics come in. I was in a writing class and our essays could be about anything we wanted to write about, so long as we followed the style guidelines laid out my the teacher. Anything. I started out writing about serious, contemporary subjects, but found comics sneaking in there more and more. And my grades started getting better. I felt guilty. I felt weird. It just didn't seem right. Did I stop? No way. Just last week I wrote a "stylistic analysis" of Wizard. I've incorporated the Fantastic Four into literature papers and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac into sociology. I've been told to write from experience by numerous teachers, and like it or not, comics are part of that experience. Which is why we shouldn't feel guilty or ashamed to say we like comics and incorporate them into our schoolwork, whether it be college or high school. For the most part, teachers want you to be interested in the work you do, and they want you to think. By writing coherently and intelligently about the comics you read, you've proven that they have depth and maturity beyond the stereotypes your teacher or professor may have. Additionally, you've also proven that you have a brain too. Despite the fact that you read comic books. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] 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: No Need for Tenchi! Publisher: Viz Comics Written and Drawn by: Hitoshi Okuda Price: $2.95 Comments: With all these cute kids in No Need for Tenchi! 1 - Part Ten, I thought for sure Art Linkletter was going to make his appearance and interview these children for 'The Kids Say the Darnest Things'. Hitoshi Okuda not only draws Manga with perfection, but he also delivers a nice family oriented story that everyone can pass around the house. The carrot dig was a classic way to start off this story and I found myself laughing as Ryo-oh-Ki started munching down the carrots as they were getting dug up. Bugs Bunny would have had a rockin' good time in this story. A bunch of energetic brats on a field trip and anything can happen. The teacher looked dazed and confused and I can see why. One of my favorite characters was the catty Ryo-Chan. Almost every character could be a toddler's toy at Toys R Us. Even though this was family oriented, there was some good action and a nice funny ending as the kids are told by their teacher to draw the field trip and when the teacher sees the drawings, she immediately seeks employment somewhere else. Very comical indeed. Name: Jenny Sparks 4 of 5 Publisher: Wildstorm Written by: Mark Millar Drawn by: John McCrea/pencils James Hodgkins/inks Price: $2.50 Comments: This was a very exciting story and I definitely had to letter hack a note to Mark Millar. Here's what I had to say: Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable! I'm talking about Jenny Sparks #4 of 5! Let's talk about the beginning of the story and dissect the story fully. Berchtesgaden, Germany - 1943. I have to tell you, I have been to Berchtesgaden, it's a beautiful little town, went there in 1974, 31 years after Jenny was there. The action picked up immediately as those Nazi soldiers are chasing down Col. Jenny Sparks. I was completely sucked into the story, as her horse is shot in the buttocks and Jenny is wounded. Jenny is accused of being a top allied spy who has infiltrated the Nazi Eagle's Nest and stolen the Tibetan egg known as the Egg of Dhammpada. As we all know that Adolf Hitler was into mystical objects, it would seem natural for him to want this egg. Scene shift to Vienna, Austria 1913. Here's where I started to get blown away. What's this? Jenny's parents died on the Titanic? Jenny's godfather is Albert Einstein? Whoa! This is way too much for me to handle. Things went back to normal as Jenny discusses her hatred in attending an all girl school in Vienna. Now, here is when I started freaking out again. Jenny happens upon a disheveled artist by the name of Adolf Hitler who happens to like Jenny and gives her a painted postcard. Jenny was the direct cause of this young Adolf going from penniless starving artist to the world's greatest dictator by making fun of his artwork and telling him to go into politics. Like I said...this was unbelievable! I was glad for the scene shift, to get my mind off this boggling possibility and seeing Jenny annihilate her Nazi tormenters before they rape her to death. I was completely fascinated with the egg, as it will hatch a woman at the end of the Millennium who will bring a golden age of love & peace. This story has moved onto biblical proportions. Also, it was interesting on how the Nazis wanted to dissect Jenny on the autopsy table to see how she works and create soldiers of pure energy to fight the allies. All this would be accomplished through their knowledge of the inner workings of Jenny. Hitler had a small amount of goodness in his heart, as he spared Jenny's life and sent her back to Britain. Jenny was very fortunate to have treated the young Hitler with kindness when he was down on his luck in Vienna. Now to the 1998 Skywatch as Jenny ponders these memories of her life and what a life she had!! I don't know if I can take anymore of this. This story is way to wild and basically left me stunned. Looking forward to that conclusion! Standing ovation to Mark Millar, John McCrea & James Hodgkins for making this story possible! Name: Elvira #89 Publisher: Claypool Comics Staff Involved: Frank Strom, Tod Smith, Bill Anderson, Janet Hetherington, Ronn Sutton Price: $2.50 Comments: I absolutely loved this issue and I was motivated to write the editor a letter. Below is my letter and plenty of spoilers. So, if you want to be surprised, don't read any further. I was pretty excited in this letter, so forgive me for my over-enthusiasm. Here we go: Please try to hang with me, because I have a feeling this is going to be a long letter. Why? Because Elvira #89 pushed all my buttons! I loved every bit and piece of 'S'Mource of my Discontent!' This was such an entertaining piece, I am going to be sad not seeing Elvira dimension hopping anymore. But, I do see that the next issue will be the Headless Horseman of Creepy Hollow. I have always loved the story of Sleepy Hollow, so I know this will be right up my alley! Just in time for Halloween! Now back to that dimensional hopping Elvira. It's interesting on how she 'hops' through Morella's paintings, when I saw the ruin of the Statue of Liberty, I thought for sure she landed in the reality of the Planet of the Apes, in fact she hints at this. Then as I saw the Kirbyish Battle Fortress, my eyes popped open! The artwork was done with that Kirby flair and I got a kick out of seeing "The King's Statue". Sigma the Living Starburst was a very interesting character and this is a character that would make the king smile. Now, this is where I was completely blown away. As Great Smackdaddy says his speech and I found these characters in the audience. Let's see if I can name them all. I was able to identify: Spiderman, Batman, Grim Reaper, Submariner, Zorro, Tin Man, Thor and Barnabus Collins of Dark Shadows & Pinhead. Well, maybe not Barnabus or Pinhead, I'm getting a bit carried away. I was told by two Jazma Universe characters Green Gladiator and Jet-X, that they were in the crowd, but you couldn't see them. In fact, I now have a Morella painting here in the Jazma Universe, so I can capture Elvira as she comes through the dimensional portal! Yep, I'm ready for her! Man, it was great to see Lord Harvest and Skelloween in this story. I had to laugh as Skelloween squashes his half-brother Lord Harvest like an insect. I see Elvira would be good with a Louisville Slugger as she smacks Skelloween over the skull. Violence is the dominating force for this battle and Elvira wins again! Cosmoburg was a fun reality and I hope Elvira returns through the Boom Tube...oops! I meant Ker-Shoom Tube! Here's where I laughed so hard, my buttons popped off my shirt, that's when Skelloween goes through the portal and lands in the pumpkin patch of Linus! (Right on Linus' noggin!) I didn't see that one coming! Frank Strom, you outdid yourself with this story!! Wow! Now, let's talk about the Elfansupreme.com story. Janet Hetherington did a remarkable job with this story too. I see Elvira likes online shopping....just like my wife (sigh). Just stay off the online gambling sites! Elvira starts freaking out when she happens upon Elfan1's unauthorized Elvira site and sees her head attached to a dog's body and pictures of her showering. This is worse than 'freaky.links'. Then to discover the site was created by some little girl fan named Lulu who is helpful in neutralizing other Elvira unauthorized sites. Elvira can use Lulu, like Agent Mulder uses The Lone Gunmen. I have always said, I was the 'king of my domain'...but I must bow down and say Elvira is truly the 'queen of her domain!' Egads! There I go talking in quotations! I definitely LOVED this issue and can't wait for your Halloween issue! It's going to be a PARTY! MOE Sidenote: I was talking with a good friend at B. Dalton Books and he showed me various science fiction books that he felt would be perfect in comic book form. So, if you have a chance, check these books out: Harry Harrison - The Stainless Steel Rat Joins the Circus; Debra Doyle - James D. MacDonald - The Price of the Stars; The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks; Tad Williams - Otherland; L.E. Modesitt Jr. - The Magic of Recluse; Harry Turtledove - King of the North; James Doohan/S.M. Stirling - The Privateer; William Shatner - Tek Lords; Charles Sheffield - My Brother's Keeper; Kristine Kathryn Rusch - The Black King; Sean Russell - Gatherer of Clouds; R.A. Salvatore - The Chaos Curse; Myst - Rand Miller/David Wingrove; Janine Ellen Young - The Bridge. Each one of the books, has very unique costumed characters, strange vehicles, strange landscapes, strange creatures, strange mechanisms. Yep, I think these sci-fi books would make great comic books! MOE Sidenote: New at A1 Comics are the following comic books: Eagle Vol. 8 The Debate; Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers by Jack Kirby Comics; Vampire Yui; Alison Dare: Little Miss Adventures by J. Torres & J. Bones; Junior & Friends #3; Will Eisner Reader; Adventures in the Rifle Brigade by Vertigo Comics. If you want information about any of the above-mentioned titles, you can contact Brian Peets, owner of A1 Comics at: A1Comics@a-1comics.com Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time..... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] 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 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!] STATIC SHOCK:REBIRTH OF THE COOL #1(of 4)(B&W preview edition) (Arrives in stores Nov 1, 2000) Milestone Media, Inc. http://www.dwaynemcduffie.com Published by DC Comics Dwayne McDuffie - Writer/Editor Dwayne@DwayneMcDuffie.com John Paul Leon - Artist Melissa Edwards - Colorist/Separator John Workman - Letterer Catch Dwayne's new online column on the PSYCOMICS website at http://www.psycomic.com/columns/2000/dmcduffie/ Woo Hoo! Milestone is back! Long have I waited to see stories about the heroes of Dakota once again. I was overjoyed to hear about the animated series being planned for KIDS WB (Saturday AM, 10:30 Eastern repeated Thursdays 4:30PM - check local listings). So far it has not disappointed. Whether it will survive that very competitive market is up to you so watch it and write in to WB with your praise. I am also delighted to see this mini-series is picking up the life of Virgil close to where we left off. For those who are totally unfamiliar with STATIC and don't care about Saturday morning cartoons (??) a brief intro to the character is in order. Once upon a time, in a city called Dakota, a bunch of people were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some gang bangers were ready to rumble in an area of town and the whole shebang, and a bunch of innocent bystanders (our hero included) got gassed by the local constabulary. It turns out this was no ordinary gas and while it killed some it changed others either immediately, or gradually over the next few days. Virgil, a teenage black, was suddenly gifted with electromagnetic powers (you know like that Magneto guy) and so adopted a super hero identity as you wold expect. The event is referred to as the Big Bang and those effected are known as Bang Babies. Some are good, some are bad, and some a little of both. This pretty much is captured in the first episode of the cartoon series as Virgil encounters other bang babies as each episode unfolds. But this is the comic and is part of the comic continuity. That event is long in the past and Virgil hung up his costume and title six months ago. The loss of a fellow do-gooder weighed heavy on his mind, he felt he had failed. He is now more involved in the daily life of a teen, dating, hanging with friends, school, etc. But, like the old westerns were the gunslinger is not allowed to retire, Virgil is soon made aware of a threat to his old friends of the genre and to himself. In fact, the opening sequence, and another later, show just how serious this threat is. We watch in amazement as Third Rail and later other members of Blood Syndicate are attack and easily defeated by strange men with staffs. Other heroes of Dakota know that these men are after Bang Babies in particular, but Icon and Rocket are in deep space and Hardware is now disabled so they attempt to convince Virgil to get pro-active before he is the next victim. This leads to the inevitable encounter, the turning point in his mindset, and the debut of a new costume. What I enjoyed most of all about the Milestone line of comics was the writing. Others did too and STATIC won the Internet USENET Squiddy right out of the box - a fact they proudly acclaimed in subsequent promotional material. Likewise, the rest of the books drew on a wealth of talent and brought to life the character and concerns of a wide range of multi-cultural groups. It was mislabelled by those who did not bother to read the comics as a line of comics by blacks about blacks. True the high profile titles starred blacks - STATIC, ICON and HARDWARE, but the rest of the line was so diverse it was truly s