---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 351 1/11/2002 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Nominated as FAVORITE COMIC EMAG in the 2001 EAGLE AWARDS! 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: Mike Deodato, Jr. .......... Tim O'Shea [6] Thoughts to Be Heard .................. Jeff Clifford [7] Comics Culture Shrapnel ............... Kris Naudus [8] Sound And Fury ........................ Craig Lemon [9] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [10] My View:THE MISSING YEARS MAGAZINE .... David LeBlanc [11] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [12] HYPE! Section ......................... Various ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Mailed by Yahoo!: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag AOL text copies in Sci-Fi Library II - Keyword aol://4400:3990 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@yahoogroups.com To UNSUBSCRIBE send a message FROM the account to be dropped to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.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 2002 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 Emag, simply Email it to the editor at: ComicBkNet@aol.com You must include your REAL name and a valid Email address in order to be published in this Emag. Sorry, we do not accept anonymous columns. 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 any comic book 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 also includes 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 any comic books 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 of our 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. AOL search/keyword: aol://4400:3990 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com Well another deadline doom and another passing in the comic world. First this week's new stuff I suggest you look for: ABSTRACT STUDIOS Strangers In Paradise Vol III #46, 2.95 ALTERNATIVE COMICS 9-11 Emergency Relief GN, 14.95 <--------Pick of the Week! AVATAR PRESS Alan Moore's Glory #1 (Of 4), 3.50 CROSSGEN COMICS Mystic #20, 2.95 DC COMICS Adventures Of Superman #600, 3.95 Power Company Witchfire, 2.50 Suicide Squad #5, 2.50 DORK STORM PRESS Dork Shadows Coll Dork Tower TPB Vol 2 Curr Prtg, 15.95 IMAGE COMICS Rising Stars #17 (resolicited), 2.50 Savage Dragon #92, 2.95 MARVEL COMICS Moment Of Silence, 3.00 SECOND TO SOME STUDIOS Two Over Ten #3 (Of 5), 2.95 I don't feel witty or critical this week. Sometimes bringing the latest news means I have to bear sad tidings. And so, if you don't know already, John Buscema passed away on January 10th from stomach cancer. See the top article in the Network Buzz for the details. Godspeed John. I'll be on the road again this week from Sunday night til Friday. I plan to be on time with the next issue but sometimes the airlines mess up our plans. If all goes well, I'll see you all in seven. 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, including those sent to the columnists, 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:media coverage of comics Date:1/11/02 2:30:19 PM Eastern Standard Time From:jmason@indyworld.com Here's the link to the article on the benefit comic books that will appear in the print version of the Daily Oklahoman tomorrow (Saturday January 12): http://www.newsok.com/cgi- bin/show_article?ID=808384&pic=none&TP=getyouth We also expect a number of other regional papers to run stories this Sunday -- Of course I'll let you know about them and other media stuff as they actually happen. We are also going to be on CBS Early Morning on Tuesday morning January 22 in reference to the opening of our big "Heroes Among Us" art show with Marvel in NYC. I'll keep you updated! Jeff Mason Alternative Comics http://www.indyworld.com/altcomics +++++ Subj:Letter to the Editor: Cheap Seats Welcome! From:tim_jen@mindspring.com David: It's been a long while since I've written an official letter to the CBEM editor (or written a new column for that matter), but the latest addition to the CBEM family of columnists, Rich Watson, online friend of mine, has inspired me! To say I'm overjoyed to have A View From the Cheap Seats gracing CBEM's "pages" (so to speak) is an understatement. That folks get a best of 2001 column for an introduction to the esteemed Mr. Watson is an even greater bonus. I hope Rich's presence will serve to draw more even more people to read CBEM. Rich is a great writer with a diverse range of knowledge and talents, as evidenced by this first column. I wish I could say I want to be Rich when I grow up, but let's be honest, I love superhero comics too much to be able to write as cutting edge, alternative and yet all inclusively as he does. And let me second from Rich's list the following Mike Kunkel's HEROBEAR AND THE KID (I love Astonish's ZOOM ACADEMY by Jason Lethcoe as well) and Pam Bliss' DOG & PONY SHOW (and she is indeed the most benevolent "Queen of Small Press"). And let me also take this occasion to thank YOU, David, for all the work you do on CBEM, the kind words and support you lend to both the industry and to all CBEM contributors. The industry is lucky to have you as one of its advocates, sir. Congrats on Issue 350, as well! Take care and thanks as always, Tim "How many times is he going to interview/stalk Kurt Busiek?" O'Shea www.thecomicreader.com and www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem PS Boy, buying this week's Batman made me wish all comics were 10 cents. They were already "still only 35 cents!" when I started buying them back in 1977. +++++ Subj:Letter to the Editor From:Kulcom1@aol.com HEY ooohh Man !!!! Talk about chicken coming home to roost. I have long been an observer oh how Mark Alessi has been talking pot shots at Marvel comics ( and other companies) in the Comic Shop News. I always thought it was a waste of time for any company to buy advertising space to belittle another company. But there it was. Mark Alessi has been taking Marvels talent for some time now. Not only that, he's always making statements in my opinion to rattle marvels cage. Of course as a businessman I can see why if you're a new Company and you want to get your name out there, why not get it mentioned Constantly in the same sentence as the biggest comicbook company out there. Good or bad, it's your name getting out there, and that's understandable. However.... Mark May have forgotten in his haste to insult marvels marketing, etc. He Also Owns MEGACON. And that If you have a comicbook convention, you may want to stay on ALL the top publishers good side so that you can get there support when it's time for your con. I can just see Marks face as he realizes this while shaving in the bathroom. Must've been priceless. After pissing Marvel for so long, Now his CON is suffering for it, because Now he has no support from the Big name creators at Marvel. If you look at the list of Guests, it's weak in comparison the guest list of Practical business men who have con's like WIZARD WORLD, PITTSBURGH COMICCON (I'll be there by the way, in April:) Anyway, the Bottom line is I have to take my hats off to Bill Jemas who reply to marks letter was Beyond Perfect. Don't get me wrong, Im don't hate either of these companies, They both have great products. But Certainly MArk must be getting to big for his britches If he thinks he's in the same league as Marvel. That is what I think Bills reply was saying when he used the Micheal Jordan comparison. Not just anybody can invite Mike and charles to play in there yard. and not just anyone can invite marvel to trade ideas in a forum on there turf, just so he can get marvel talent at his con. Mark you want some good Advice, Think about the big picture, before opening your mouth. because like now, you're foot is bound to get stuck in it. Make no mistake, I think his business Ideas are EXCELLENT. he has some solid plans that has worked for him. Grossgen has some of the greatest Marketing Ideas in comics today. But I just think that Mark forgot and I can almost hear the Homer Simpson like "DOH!!!! when he realized this. Who Know's maybe for his next con in order to have all Marvels top names at his con he's continue to lure them away from Marvel with Fat Contracts. Anyway, that's my Two cents, what do you think? Kirk Abrigo COLBURN COMICS +++++ Subj:Re: [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 350.6 From:bradcook7@attbi.com Hi Dave: As the author of the story that Paul reviewed below (as part of his Vault of Shadows #4 review), I wanted to point out that he got the story a bit wrong. (I should also warn readers that his comments spoil the surprise of the story, so go on to something else if you haven't read that one yet.) }Hey...here's a different kind of story called 'Werwolf', that takes }place in 1945 Waldenburg, Germany. The story starts off by introducing }all of the soldiers and giving a mini-bio on each one, sort of the way }the movie Goodfellas was done and the movie going audience was }introduced to each gangster. I love these kind of introductions, it }makes me feel like part of the story. I saw this one soldier who is }reading Hitler's Mein Kauf and right off I was thinking this is some }weird guy. There are shocking pieces to this story, especially when a }10-year-old kid is screaming and kicking that he is a werewolf. This }story is quite chilling! Actually, the kid is a werwolf, which has nothing to do with werewolves. As explained in the story, the SS werwolves were an organization started by Himmler as a last ditch effort to salvage the war. The basic idea was that all German citizens--including women and children--should take up arms and engage in guerilla warfare against the Allies. I got the idea from seeing a picture of four kids picked up by the Allies for shooting at them. All of those kids had such anger in their eyes. Yes, Lloyd published the story in what I assume is primarily a horror title (I have to admit I haven't received my copies yet), but it's not a horror tale in the "Ooh, scary werewolves" sense. It's a horror tale in the "Look at what Nazi Germany did to its own children" sense. Often times, real horror can be found in true events. - Brad Cook +++++ Subj:Bob Layton on Ultrazine [and moore] Date:1/8/02 7:19:09 AM Eastern Standard Time From:smoky_man@yahoo.com Hi folks, you can read an interesting interview to comics veteran Bob Layton at http://www.ultrazine.org/ultraparole/layton/layton_english.htm Plus, a new update at Ultrazine's Alan Moore Special with an in deep article on "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" by expert Jess Nevins and two moorish pin-ups by italian artist Marcello Albano http://www.ultrazine.org/ultraspeciali/UM015/nevins/nevins_english.htm http://www.ultrazine.org/ultraspeciali/UM015/albano/albanoswampy _picture.htm http://www.ultrazine.org/ultraspeciali/UM015/albano/albanotomstrong _picture.htm smoky ciao ciao +++++ Subj:Flirt lancement photo / launch photos From:veena@cam.org The english version of this message is just below the french one. **************************************************** Flirt, un livre de pin-up: le lancement! Le lancement de Flirt qui a eu lieu hier au café Chaos a été un succès au dela de nos espérance! La place était remplie à craquer! Presques tous les artistes du livre étaient présents ainsi qu'un grand contingent de coloristes du studio d'animation Toutenkartoon. Comme vous pouvez le voir sur les photos, le body painting a marché a plein. Grace au photographe Bernie Reichl, nous avons plein de photo de body painting a présenter sur le site, ici... http://www.cam.org/~veena/Francais/index-french.html dans la section nouvelles. Il y en a aussi une autre serie de Denis-Carl Robidoux. J'en aurai d'autres à ajouter tres bientot. Merci encore! Eric Thériault P.S. Utilisez cette adresse-ci pour nous contacter à propos du livre. Isabelle.stephen@sympatico.ca est déconnectée. "Veena, the expanding spiral" sera lancé le samedi 12 janvier 2002, à partir de 17 h à la taverne du Cheval Blanc, 809, rue Ontario est, Montréal, Canada tel: 522-0211. ********************************************************************* Flirt, a book of pin-up: the launch! Last wednesday's launch of Flirt at Café Chaos has been a success beyond our wildest dreams! The place was filled to capacity! Almost every artists from the book was there, as well as a big group of colorists from Toutenkartoon animation studio. As you can see on the pictures the body painting worked equally well! Thanks to photographer Bernie Reichl, we have lots of body painting photo to show on the website, here.. http://www.cam.org/~veena in the news section. There's also a second serie by Denis-Carl Robidoux. I'll have more to add very soon! Thanks again! Eric Theriault P.S. Use this address to contact us about this book. Isabelle.stephen@sympatico.ca is disconnected. "Veena, the expanding spiral" will be launched saturday 12, january 2002 at 5:00 pm at Cheval Blanc, 809, Ontario st. E, Montréal, Canada tel: 522-0211. ********************************************************************* Eric Theriault Press, publisher of Veena and of Flirt, a book of pin-ups. Presse Eric Theriault, éditeur de Veena et de Flirt, un livre de pin-ups. veena@cam.org Official web site http://www.cam.org/~veena Flirt http://isabellestephen.free.fr +++++ Subj:RE: Comic book radio show info - January From:nuffsaid@escape.com Hi, folks, 'Nuff Said!, the comic book interview/talk show, is still on the air and over the internet for a full hour every Tuesday at 10 PM (eastern North American time) on WBAI-FM, 99.5 in the New York City metropolitan area. There are TWO live streams (via 2600.com and escape.com) that you can get from our web site, http://www.nuffsaid.net. If one access is unavailable, try the other. Everyone with the right software (and there's a free download link from our site) should be able to get through now. In fact, I was told by one of the techies that only one show fills every slot and it ain't 'Nuff Said! I expect that the next show might fill up, so dial in early. Also, the listener lawsuits with the Pacifica Foundation have been settled at last! Not that it means things are better there. Not yet, anyway. Upcoming shows are: Tuesday, January 15 - Jules Feiffer, Part 2. It takes two shows to do his career justice. We talked about him writing The Spirit for Will Eisner in the '50s; "The Great Comic Book Heroes," one of the first books about comic book history and this week will go into detail on the syndicated strip "Feiffer" that he did until until last year. Plus he's a screenwriter, playwrite, children's book author and teacher. Your phone calls this week. Connect early. Tuesday, January 22 - Randy Scott, founder and head librarian of the Michigan State University Library of Popular Culture. It probably has the largest collection of comic books and fanzines in the U.S. Your phone calls, too. Tuesday, January 29 - Might be a Membership Drive show, might be a listener phone calls show. Keep checking our web site. WBAI-FM, 99.5, is a 50,000 watt station broadcast from the Empire State Building. Our signal usually gets out to New Haven, CT; Westhampton, L.I.; the Poconos of Pennsylvania, Orange County, NY and Trenton & Princeton, NJ. But via the internet for an even greater distance, natch. We cover the entire world of comics: golden age, silver age, contemporary, mainstream, independent, underground, foreign, strips and fandom. Hosted by Ken Gale (interviewer) with Mercy E. Van Vlack. WBAI is a Pacifica Network station (if your local station carries any Pacifica programming (such as Explorations, "Democracy Now" and Gary Null), they might be able to get 'Nuff Said! as well). For information on the WBAI "crisis" (a lot of you have asked me about it at conventions), I highly recommend checking http://www.glib.com. It's full of information, history and links covering several different points of view and is updated frequently (sometimes several times per day). WBAI-FM, 120 Wall St., 10th flr, New York, NY 10005. --Ken Gale, producer, interviewer and co-host ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet 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: In Superboy #50, three characters from the original KAMANDI series appeared. Name them. Jason Mah knew the three characters. They were Dr. Canus, Prince Tuftan, and Great Caesar. Jason wins The Nevermen TP from our sponsor. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Another non-comic trivia question, because I am lazy this week: Which US state capital is (or perhaps was, by now) the only one NOT to have a McDonald's within the city limits? IMPORTANT RULES NOTICE Email your guess to ComicBkNet@aol.com or just REPLY to the message if you read the Emag in your mail. DO NOT quote the entire message! You MUST allow mail from ComicBkNet@aol.com to be notified if you win. 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. Winners will forfeit their prize if the Email notification is not accepted from ComicBkNet@aol.com LIMIT: ONLY ONE PRIZE every 4 weeks PER PERSON! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Network Buzz News, gossip and rumors from around the industry John Buscema, 1927-2002 Revered Comic Book Artist for Marvel and DC Comics January 11, 2002, New York, NY -- Legendary comic book artist John Buscema of Port Jefferson, NY, passed away January 10, after a battle with stomach cancer. Buscema was instrumental in the early visual styling of Marvel Comics and worked for both Marvel and DC Comics. During his time at Marvel, Buscema's illustrations graced the pages of virtually every title, including Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, and Conan. Born December 11, 1927 in Brooklyn, NY, Buscema attended the High School of Music and Art and Pratt Institute, where he studied life drawing and design. Ultimately, Buscema's studies landed him a job at Marvel Comics, then Timely Comics, in 1948. After a stint in advertising, Buscema returned to Marvel Comics in 1966, at the specific request of then Editor-in-Chief Stan Lee. Buscema became one of the artistic pillars of the young Marvel, tutoring countless young artists, as well as co-writing with Lee How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. Many of today's top comic book artists cite Buscema as one of their chief influences. Lee commented on the death of his longtime collaborator, "John Buscema was far more than one of our finest comic book artists. If Michaelangelo had elected to draw storyboards with pencil and pen, his style would have been close to that of Big John's. But, even more than a superb illustrator, John also was a brilliant visual storyteller. Thinking back on all of the strips that we had done together, I had only to give him the briefest kernel of a plot and he would flesh it out with his magnificent illustrations so brilliantly that the stories almost seemed to write themselves. Happily, the legacy of artwork that my dear friend, the creative giant that was John Buscema, leaves behind, will bring wonder and enjoyment to generations of readers to come." Joe Quesada, current Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, said, "I remember how captivated I was as a young comics reader by the power of John Buscema's artwork. Even at a young age I knew I was looking at something created by an artist whose skill level was so much better than that of his contemporaries. I had the pleasure about three years ago of meeting Mr. Buscema in the Marvel offices, and he was as powerful a presence in person as his work was on the printed page. We will all miss him." After thirty years at Marvel, Buscema began working for for DC Comics, drawing Batman in the anthology title Batman: Black & White. His most recent published work was, touchingly, with Lee, in Just Imagine Stan Lee with John Buscema Creating Superman. Mike Carlin, Executive Editor at DC Comics, said, "It goes without saying what a privilege it was for DC to have tapped the legendary team of John Buscema and Stan Lee to reimagine Superman just one year ago... and a singular thrill to edit anything John worked on. Sadly, as it's proved to be their final collaboration, it's even more important a personal pleasure to have been a small part of it." At the time of his death, Buscema actively was working on projects for several publishers. Buscema is survived by his wife, Dolores, son, John Jr., his daughter, Dianne, and four grandchildren. The family has announced that a viewing will be held on Sunday, January 13 from 2pm to 4pm and 7pm to 10pm at The Bryant Funeral Home, 411 Old Town Road, East Setauket, NY, 11733, 631-413-0082. The funeral will be held Monday morning, January14. Bill Rosemann Marketing Communications Manager Marvel Comics +++++ Marvel Enterprises, Inc. Promotes Bill Jemas to Chief Operating Officer NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2002--In the past 24 months, Bill Jemas has rejuvenated the publishing, licensing and online divisions for Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:MVL). In a move designed to further strengthen the company's businesses, Marvel has promoted Mr. Jemas to Chief Operating Officer. The announcement was made by Marvel CEO Peter Cuneo. "Bill has done an extraordinary job in leading these divisions," said Mr. Cuneo. "He has been the driving force in the formulation and execution of new strategies and tactics that have pushed these businesses to new heights. And, most importantly, Bill has recruited, a new wave of top executive talent and successfully integrated them into the company's operations." During his tenure at Marvel, Mr. Jemas has been responsible for a complete revamping of each division he heads including: PUBLISHING Jemas has teamed with his newly-appointed Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada to lead an industry wide resurgence in comic book publishing. Marvel currently publishes 20 of the top 25 comic books in the North American market and has over a 40 percent marketshare. Jemas is Marvel's first "suit" since Stan Lee to play a lead role in the creative process. He developed the Ultimate Marvel teen line (which sells nearly 500,000 units per month) and co-wrote Ultimate Spider-Man. Jemas also conceived the best-selling Origin of Wolverine mini series and co-wrote the plot with Quesada. Additionally, during Jemas tenure, Marvel has expanded its trade paperback and graphic novel offerings and also launched the "Max" comic book imprint, which is designed for mature readers. It is the company's first foray into this area, which currently accounts for approximately 33 percent of comic book industry sales. LICENSING AND MERCHANDISING Jemas had been with Marvel in the mid 1990's when the company and its characters were powerful forces in kids marketing. Among his first moves upon returning to Marvel was to bring back another Marvel alum, Russ Brown, to run Consumer Products. Under Jemas and Brown, the company has signed lucrative deals and run strong promotions in just about every major category from electronic games (Activision and Vivendi/Universal) and kids shoes (Buster Brown) to fast food (Burger King). They also have opened areas that are new to Marvel including wireless communications, NASCAR and Monster Trucks. ONLINE Jemas brought Gui Karyo into Marvel to be the company's Chief Information Officer and direct Marvel.com. Bill and Gui developed Marveldotcomics - a fun and easy way to read Marvel comic books on- line. Downloads of Marvel's new "dotcomics" regularly top 1.3 million per month and Dotcomic pages have been very popular with Advertisers (because this is the only place online that they can get wide distribution of full-page ads to their target audience). Moreover, all of Marvel's monthly titles that have been distributed as dotcomics have had growing retail sales. Keenly aware of the influence of Marvel Comics on both adults and children, Jemas has also stressed the importance of using that power for the social good. That has never been more evident than after the September 11 terrorist attacks when he authorized the publication of three different tribute books - Heroes, Amazing Spider-Man #36 and A Moment of Silence - which have combined to raise more than $1,000,000 for The Twin Towers Fund. Prior to re- joining Marvel, Mr. Jemas was most recently Executive Vice President, MSG Sports. In this capacity, he managed more than 40 sporting events that took place at Madison Square Garden. He also oversaw MSG's Sponsorship Group and the MSG Collection, which produces and distributes MSG and team-identified merchandise. Earlier in his career, he served as vice president, business development and business affairs for the National Basketball Association, where he was instrumental in re-organizing NBA Properties into one of the League's most successful divisions. Mr. Jemas received his law degree from Harvard Law School and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Rutgers College. He currently resides in Princeton, NJ. About Marvel Enterprises, Inc. With a library of over 4,700 proprietary characters, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused in five divisions: entertainment (Marvel Studios), licensing, toys (Toy Biz), comic book publishing and Internet/New Media. Marvel facilitates the creation of entertainment projects, including feature films, television, home video and the Internet, based on its characters and also licenses its characters for use in a wide range of consumer products and services including video and computer games, apparel, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel's characters and plot lines are created by its comic book division which continues to maintain a leadership position in the U.S. and worldwide while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property. For additional information visit the Marvel Web site at http://www.marvel.com . CONTACT: Bender Helper Impact Jeffrey Klein or Adam Fenton, 212/689-6360 jeff-klein@bhimpact.com adam-fenton @ bhimpact.com +++++ Robbie Williams' grin inspires new Beano rebel LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Robbie Williams' cheeky grin has been preserved for posterity in a comic book character who debuted on Wednesday. Robbie Rebel is the latest star in the popular children's comic "The Beano," which also features the ever rebellious Dennis the Menace and his dog Gnasher. Beano editor Euan Kerr said the new character shared pop star Williams' anti-authority attitude. His creator, artist Ken Harrison, was commissioned to design a character with Williams' grin. Robbie Rebel is around eight or 10, the same age as most Beano readers, Kerr said. But unlike Robbie Williams, he has no musical aspirations. The Beano has been entertaining children for over half a century, and only adds one or two new characters a year to its pages. +++++ Borderline 2002 A New Year - A New Borderline #6 is live! In the best issue so far: 64 pages including... Chris Ware - an 8-page special on the creator who has joined Art Spiegelman as one of the few comics creators to win a major literary prize. We have an exclusive interview with the winner of the Guardian First Book Prize... Steve Gerber - Howard the Duck is coming back and we've snared the elusive comics writer. Read what Gerber himself described as one of the most enjoyable interviews he's ever done. Peter Ferguson - mutants meet fine art: the Montreal-based painter on life as an X-book artist and exclusive never-before-seen material from the artist painting Muties #1. AIT/PlanetLar - It's the Larry and Mimi show as Borderline finds out what they have planned and also discovers what the people they publish think of them! Yves Chaland and La ligne Claire - Brad! Brooks delves into the work of the celebrated French artist. Lew Stringer - one of the UK's top humour artists opens up his portfolio. Gerry Alanguilan - the pride of San Pablo City and former X-Men inker is given spotlight away from Leinil Francis Yu! Turnhout - one of the largest comic conventions in Belgium - a place where the attendance makes San Diego look like two guys having a beer in an empty bar! We have an exclusive report! Martin Eden and the O Men - called "the best small press comic of recent years" and given the accolade of being "better than The Authority!". Find out why a humble magazine editor has a small press sensation on his hands. Plus + Dan DeCarlo remembered Dudley Watkins appreciated Alternative manga exhibitions The launch of artbomb.net Miffy by Kermode & Wiley Comics 2040 by Paul Rainey Mike Kidson's Comics Milestones Carol Close's Issues Sarah Littlehales's Learning Curves Chev's The Blank Page Paul Gravett's World Comics Kev Hill's What is Manga? Martin Shipp's controversial Man On A Mission and Phil Hall's Industry Standard The best reviews section in comics and some other stuff... Download for FREE from http://borderline.mediahall.co.uk Read with Adobe Acrobat Reader on screen or print selected pages off to read at your leisure! Borderline - The Comics Magazine "I have seen the future of comics and it is Borderline!" Bryan Talbot (A Tale of One Bad Rat and Luther Arkwright) +++++ Subj:SPIDEY ON HOME SHOPPING NETWORK! From:brosemann@marvel.com DYNAMIC FORCES AND HOME SHOPPING NETWORK CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF SPIDER-MAN! On January 15th at 11:00 PM, Dynamic Forces brings the world-famous web-slinger into your home through the shopping power of the HSN (The Original Home Shopping Network)! This special prime-time show will be celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Amazing Spider-Man with two spectacular guests - artists John Romita Sr. and John Romita Jr.! That's right, two generations of Spider-Man artists - both definitive in their own right chronicling the adventures of the wall-crawler - join Dynamic Forces president Nick Barrucci as he brings you not only the best Spider-Man collectibles, but much more! Having two generations of awesome Spider-Man artists is worth tuning in all by itself, but check out all the great stuff DF will be bringing into your home on January 15th at 11:00 PM: * Spider-Man: The Romita Legacy Lithograph -- signed by John Romita Sr. with a Spider-Man Head sketch at the base by John Romita Sr. This sketch features the classic half-Spidey, half-Peter Parker image with his "Spider-Sense" going off! This is the first time DF has ever offered this classic sketch anywhere! * The Spider-Man/Green Goblin Canvas Giclee -- signed and limited to only 40 pieces in the world, with a Green Goblin sketch at the base by John Romita, Sr.! * Marvel 40th Anniversary Origins lithos Artist Proof Edition -- signed/Re-Marked by artist Tom Grindberg featuring the Origins of Marvel's most famous heroes - an HSN Exclusive limited to wwwwaaaayyyyy less than 100! So check your local listing and tune in for this once-in-a-lifetime show! And be sure to check out www.dynamicforces.com for more information on future HSN shows! +++++ 9-11: Emergency Relief benefit book signing tour announced Over 50 cartoonists take part in US and Europe tour with 18 event stops starting in New York City Gainesville, Florida, January 5, 2002: Alternative Comics announced that with the January 9 release of their 9-11: Emergency Relief benefit comic book anthology (ISBN 1-891867-12-1), over 50 contributing cartoonists begin a signing tour across the United States and Europe with 18 confirmed scheduled stops starting in New York City on January 17. Each tour stop will be an event at which participating cartoonists will be signing and discussing the 9-11: Emergency Relief book and their other works. "The terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001 touched people worldwide," said Alternative Comics Publisher Jeff Mason, "and cartoonists have turned to art to express their grief and support." 9-11: Emergency Relief is a comic book project to benefit the American Red Cross featuring some of the comic world's leading talents. From legendary creators such as Will Eisner and Harvey Pekar to new talents on the cutting edge of the comics medium such as James Kochalka and cover artist Frank Cho, over 80 cartoonists from all areas of the cartooning world have joined together in this community effort. Released January 9, 2002 from Alternative Comics, 9-11: Emergency Relief is a collection of these cartoonists' personal non-fiction accounts of their experiences related to the tragedy. At $14.95 and at 208 pages, all profits from the 9-11 Emergency Relief trade paperback will be donated to the American Red Cross. Details of the confirmed 9-11: Emergency Relief Signing Tour stops: Thursday January 17, 5pm - 7pm Midtown Comics 200 West 40th Street (and 7th Avenue), 2nd Floor New York, New York 10018. Telephone: 212-302-8192. E-Mail: info@midtowncomics.com (Gerry Gladston) Web: http://www.midtowncomics.com/ No admission cost. With: Michael Avon Oeming, Josh Neufeld, Dean Haspiel, Jessica Abel, Tom Hart, Ted Rall, Alex Robinson, Nick Bertozzi, Evan Forsch, Peter Kuper and others (all New Yorkers). Saturday January 19, 1pm - 4pm Beyond Comics 3060 M Street NW Washington, DC (Georgetown) 20007. Telephone: 202-333-8651. E-Mail: burntigr@erols.com (Jon Cohen) Web: http://www.beyondcomics.com/ No admission cost. With: A. David Lewis, Chris Pitzer, K. Thor Jensen, Ellen Lindner, Danny Donovan, Neil Vokes, Sam Hester, Robert Ullman, and others. Saturday January 19, 1:30pm - 6:30pm FLUKE Tasty World (http://www.tastyworld.net) 312 East Broad Street (at the corner of Jackson and Broad Streets just next to the campus of the University of Georgia) Athens, Georgia Telephone: 706-543-0797 E-Mail: angelhead@netscape.net (Todd Bak) With: Steve Stegelin, Jeff Mason, and others. More details to be released. Wednesday January 22 - February 7 Heroes Among Us - Comic Book Art Exhibit New York City Fire Museum (http://www.nycfiremuseum.org) 278 Spring Street New York, NY 10013. Telephone: 212-691-1303 Press contact: Sean Lough, The New York City Comic Book Museum, phone: 917-710-2779; nyccbm_press@hotmail.com. The New York City Comic Book Museum (http://www.nyccomicbookmuseum.org/) is exhibiting artwork from Marvel's Heroes, Alternative Comics' 9-11: Emergency Relief, and other benefit comic books at the New York City Fire Museum starting on Tuesday, January 22. The exhibit is open for three weeks and may be viewed during 10am to 5pm Tuesdays through Saturdays and 10am to 4pm Sundays. A $4 donation to visit the Museum is suggested. January 24 - 27 Angouleme Comic Book Festival Angouleme, France E-Mail: info@bdangouleme.com Web: http://www.bdangouleme.com/ With: Mark Wheatley, Tom Hart, Jeff Smith, Metaphrog, and others. Saturday January 26, Noon - 4pm Richmond Comix 8523 Midlothian Turnpike Richmond, Virginia 23235. Telephone: 804-330-3460. E-Mail: richmix@home.com (Frank Miller) Web: http://www.richmondcomix.com/ No admission cost. With: Chris Pitzer, Robert Ullman, Jennifer Sorensen, Eric Wolfe Hanson, Danny Donovan, Renee French, and others. Saturday January 26, 3pm - 5pm Meltdown Comics 7522 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90046. Telephone: 323-851-7223 or 823-851-0393. E-Mail: Patty@meltcomics.com (Patty DeFrank) Web: http://www.meltcomics.com/ No admission cost. With: Tony Millionaire, Scott Morse, Fly, Graham Annable, Laurenn McCubbin, Andy Ristaino and others. Thursday January 31, 7pm - 9pm Atomic Books 1100 West 36th Street Baltimore, Maryland 21211. Telephone: 410-662-4444. E-Mail: rachel@atomicbooks.com (Rachel Whang) Web: http://www.atomicbooks.com/ No admission cost. With: Frank Cho, Brian Clopper, Neil Kleid, A. David Lewis, K. Thor Jensen, James Kuhoric, Danny Donovan, Greg LaRoque, and others. Saturday February 2, 6pm - 9pm Comic Relief 2138 University Avenue Berkeley, California 94704. Telephone: 510-843-5002. E-Mail: info@comicrelief.net (Rory Root) Web: http://www.comicrelief.net/ No admission cost. With: Jon "Bean" Hastings, Fly, Daniel Cooney, Laurenn McCubbin, Andy Ristaino, Tom Beland, Sam Hester, Graham Annable, Keith Knight, and others. Saturday, February 2 21st Century Comics 124 West Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton, California 92832-1809. Telephone: 714-992-6649. No admission cost. E-Mail: 21stccomics@prodigy.net (Barry Short) With: Tony Millionaire Saturday February 2, 1pm - 3pm Comicopia 464 Commonwealth Avenue, Kenmore Square Boston, Massachusetts 02215. Telephone: 617-266-4266. E-Mail: comicopia@hotmail.com (Matt Lehman) Web: http://www.comicopia.com/ No admission cost. With: Nick Bertozzi, K. Thor Jensen, Ellen Lindner, Tom Hart, Josh Neufeld, Dean Haspiel, James Kochalka, A. David Lewis, Gregory Benton and others. Saturday February 2, 4pm - 6pm The Million Year Picnic 99 Mount Auburn St Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 Telephone: 617-492-6763. E-Mail: myp@world.std.com (Tony Davis) Web: http://www.millionyearpicnic.com/ No admission cost. With: Nick Bertozzi, K. Thor Jensen, Ellen Lindner, Tom Hart, Josh Neufeld, Dean Haspiel, James Kochalka, A. David Lewis, Gregory Benton and others. Sunday February 3, 1pm - 3pm That's Entertainment 244 Park Avenue Worcester, MA 01609. Telephone: 508-755-4207. E-Mail: thatse@thatse.com (Dave Hartwell) Web: http://www.thatse.com/ No admission cost. With: Nick Bertozzi, K. Thor Jensen, Ellen Lindner, Tom Hart, Josh Neufeld, Dean Haspiel, James Kochalka, A. David Lewis, Neil Kleid and others. Wednesday February 6, 4pm - 6pm Zanadu Comics 1923 Third Avenue (between Stewart and Virginia) Seattle, Washington 98101 Telephone: 206-443-1316. E-Mail: kev@zanaducomics.com (Kevin Halstead) Web: http://www.zanaducomics.com/ No admission cost. With: David Lasky, Laurenn McCubbin, Donna Barr, Shannon Wheeler, Sam Hester, and others. Saturday - Sunday, February 9-10 Alternative Press Expo (APE) Herbst Pavilion at the Fort Mason Center (http://www.fortmason.org/) 3799 Buchanan Street San Francisco, California E-Mail: cciweb@nucgen.com Web: http://www.comic-con.org/ With: Jeff Smith, Scott Morse, Layla Lawlor, Laurenn McCubbin, Jon "Bean" Hastings, David Lasky, Fly, Tom Beland, Daniel Cooney, Andy Ristaino, Ellen Lindner, Sam Hester, Renee French, Tom Hart, Graham Annable, James Kochalka, Keith Knight, Jeff Mason and others. We are going to have a panel on Saturday from 1pm to 2pm at APE, and probably a Friday evening event in conjunction with APE. Tuesday, February 12, 4pm - 7pm Dr. Volts 2023 East 3300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84109 Telephone: 801-485-6114 E-Mail: drvoltz@earthlink.net (Jon Bray) Web: http://www.drvolts.com No admission cost. With: Alex Robinson Wednesday, February 13 - Evening Moving Pictures - Literary Event New York City Fire Museum (http://www.nycfiremuseum.org) 278 Spring Street New York, NY 10013. Telephone: 212-691-1303 E-Mail: slashr3@aol.com (Neil Kleid) Alternative Comics will join Marvel Comics for "Moving Pictures" an event to showcase the collective benefit projects to the public -- Many dozens of cartoonists will attend with selected readings, discussions, and slide shows from the benefit books. More details to be released. Friday - Sunday, February 22-24 MegaCon Orange County Convention Center (http://www.orlandoconvention.com/) 9800 International Drive Orlando, Florida Phone: 813-891-1702. E-Mail: info@megaconvention.com Web: http://www.megaconvention.com/ With: David Lasky, Chris Pitzer, Ande Parks, James Kochalka, Phil Hester, Jennifer Sorensen, Danny Donovan, Mike Avon Oeming, Mark Wheatley, Alex Robinson, Jason Narvaez, Phil Noto, Jim Harrison, Robert Ullman, Jeff Mason and others. There will be a 9-11: Emergency Relief panel at the Orlando MegaCon; and Alternative Comics will sponsor a reception/signing party along with Highwater Books, Top Shelf Productions, Fantagraphics Books, and Oni Press on Saturday February 23. Biographies of cartoonists confirmed on Signing Tour: Jessica Abel Cartoonist and Illustrator Jessica Abel (Chicago, 1969) is best known for her comic-book series of short fiction, Artbabe, and her journalistic comics, such as Radio: An illustrated Guide. Her most recent book, a serialized thriller set in Mexico City, is titled La Perdida, and is published by Fantagraphics. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, Matt Madden. www.artbabe.com. Graham Annable Graham Annable was classically trained as an animator at Sheridan College in Toronto, graduating in 1992, and has worked as an animator ever since, including work on British children's TV, story boards for Chuck Jones Enterprises, Disney's A Goofy Movie, and since 1994 an extended string of computer game projects for LucasArts such as Full Throttle, The Dig, Afterlife, Outlaws, and The Curse of Monkey Island. Annable was the Lead Animator for the LucasArts video game Star Wars: Obi-Wan. His projects have won numerous animation and graphics awards including the ASIFA Annie Award, animation's highest honor, in 1998 for "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Interactive Program." Graham currently resides in the Bay Area, California where he creates his Grickle series of books for Alternative Comics. www.indyworld.com/grickle; grickle@hotmail.com Donna Barr Donna Barr has been a respected presence in Drawn Books since 1986. Her award-winning, ground-breaking, mind-twisting books, including Desert Peach and Stinz. www.stinz.com; barr@stinz.com Tom Beland Tom Beland is a cartoonist from Napa Valley, California now living in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico with his wife, Lily Garcia. His strip, True Story, Swear to God is available on-line at www.yunque.net/tom; tom@yunque.net Gregory Benton Artist/Writer Gregory Benton was born and lives in New York City. www.gregorybenton.com; gbenton@nyc.rr.com. Nick Bertozzi Nick Bertozzi lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and daughter. He is the author of Boswash (Luxurious Comics), a map-comic, and The Masochists (Alternative Comics), and he is working on a new series for Alternative Comics. www.indyworld.com/bertozzi; nick@luxcomics.com. Frank Cho Frank Cho's comic books sell out, issue after issue with early issues now in later printings. His college comic strip collection, University2, The Angry Years is soon to enter its 8th printing. He has won the Charles Schulz Plaque for Excellence in Cartooning, the Scripps-Howard Award for Best College Cartoonist and the Ignatz Awards for Outstanding Artist and Outstanding Comic for Liberty Meadows. He was born Duk Hyun Cho in 1971 in Seoul, South Korea. At the age of six he and his parents came to live in the United States. In college he created University2. Upon graduation from the University of Maryland in 1996 with a degree in Nursing, he signed with Creators Syndicate, Inc. for a continuation of University2 as Liberty Meadows. He was married in April of 1999 and lives in the Baltimore area with his wife Cari and his wiener dog, Truman. www.InsightStudiosGroup.com; Insight Studios, 7844 Saint Thomas Drive, Baltimore MD 21236. Brian Clopper Brian Clopper, 5th grade teacher, children's book author and cartoonist, is the creator of The Heebie-Jeebies, Monster Pals, Norton The Vampire, Graham The Gargoyle, and Cartoonists in the Classroom. www.brianclopper.com; wingnutibh@aol.com. Daniel Cooney Daniel Cooney, 31, is a graphic designer by day and aspiring comic book illustrator by night. There's no sleep for this aging hipster who is the artist/writer of Valentine: Assassin For Hire, published by Red Eye Press. dan@csdsinc.com; www.valentine4hire.com Danny Donovan Born in Portsmouth Virginia, Danny Donovan traveled extensively, just seeing what he could see. He spent three years living in North Yorkshire, England and recently coming back to the states in 1998 where he presently lives in the mountains of North Carolina with plans to head back to his place of birth soon. He began his career in 1998 with his web comic Hardcore and working for other small press companies along the way. Currently he works for Committed Comics and Marvel Comics. www.dannydonovan.com; impulse545@aol.com. Fly Fly has been living and squatting in the lower East side of Manhattan since 1990. Mostly she paints and draws comix and illustrations. Her work has appeared in the New York Press, Village Voice, San Francisco Bay Guardian, The Comics Journal, The Bradleys (Fantagraphics Books), Raygun, World War 3 Illustrated, Maximumrocknroll, and numerous others. Fly's first book - CHRON!IC!RIOTS!PA!SM! was published by Brooklyn- based Autonomedia in 1999. She is currently working on a collection of portraits and stories called Peops which will be published by Soft Skull in the fall of 2002. www.bway.net/~fly; fly@bway.net; PO Box 1318, Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276. Evan Forsch Evan Forsch is a tall, quiet and mysterious man, except that he's not all that tall nor mysterious. Five days a week Evan is a corporate drone, sitting in front of a computer and pretending to work while daydreaming of peace on earth in a world where everyone reads his comics. Evan Forsch's story for 9-11: Emergency Relief details his escape from the 89th floor of WTC 1 after the first plane hit on September 11. evan4sh@yahoo.com Renée French Renée French has been writing and illustrating comic books since 1991. She's the creator of the Fantagraphics Books series Grit Bath, the Dark Horse graphic novels, The Ninth Gland and Corny's Fetish, the Oni Press book, Marbles in My Underpants: The Renée French Collection, and the recently released picture book, The Soap Lady, published by Top Shelf Publications. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and a hermit crab. www.reneefrench.com; renee@mightycheese.com. Eric Wolfe Hanson Eric Wolfe Hanson has illustrated G.I.Joe and Tellos: Sons & Moons for Image Comics. Hanson lives in Richmond, Virginia with his lovely wife, Trish, and their three cats. ericwolfehanson@aol.com. Jim Harrison Jim Harrison is a noted graphic designer and illustrator with DECA Design in Gainesville, Florida. His comics work includes various freelance assignments as well as 4 issues of his creation Humongous Man, with partner Dan Stepp. InkPotJim@aol.com. Tom Hart Many of Tom Hart's comics feature the confrontational pariah, Hutch Owen, squaring off within and against the forces of multi-nationalism and corporate hegemony. His stories, often examine issues with an uncommon objectivity and emotional depth. Tom Hart was born in upstate New York and lived in Seattle, Texas, Morocco, Florida and Boston before settling in New York City. www.newhatstories.com; tomhart@newhatstories.com Dean Haspiel Dean Haspiel is the author of semi-autobiographical comix and super- psychedelic romances. Haspiel's aggro-moxie appears regularly in The Billy Dogma experience (Top Shelf); heart-charming tales about the last romantic anti-hero, and Opposable Thumbs (Alternative Comics); episodic tales about a native New Yorker. www.DeanHaspiel.com; dino@cobite.com. Jon "Bean" Hastings Jon "Bean" Hastings is the creator of Smith Brown Jones: Alien Accountant and Mad Science. His Lovely wife Terry is a former fire fighter and he spent most of 9/11 thinking what it would be like to lose her. He didn't like it at all. This was the hardest story he's ever had to write. www.beantoons.com; kiwistudios@compuserve.com Sam Hester Sam Hester has been picturing her life as a comic strip for as long as she can remember, so she was very glad to be able to contribute to this project. Sam is a Calgary-based artist, and her autobiographical comic strip can be found at www.thedrawingbook.com; sam@thedrawingbook.com K. Thor Jensen K. Thor Jensen, 25, is a New York resident currently traveling around America gathering material for his next book, Red Eye, Black Eye. www.shortandhappy.com; kthor@portalofevil.com; PO Box 250593, New York, NY 10025. Neil Kleid A Detroit native, Neil Kleid moved to Manhattan in 1999, where he created "Stand Up Comics" – forums designed to elevate awareness of the comics medium. He co-founded the Third Eye Publishing Anthology and writes Bit City for Committed Comics, as well as features for the on- line PopImage.com. Kleid is working on perfecting the art of "rant" comics with Singles Night, his upcoming autobiographic novel. http://www.neilkleid.addr.com/; slashr3@aol.com Keith Knight Keith Knight is a cartoonist, rapper, teacher and media activist. His two comic strips, "(th)ink" and "the k chronicles" can be found in various newspapers, magazines, and websites around the world. His hip- hop/garage band, The Marginal Prophets, isn't very popular at all. keeflix@hotmail.com; PO Box 591794, San Francisco, CA 94159-1794. James Kochalka James Kochalka has been keeping a daily diary in comic strip form since October of 1998. His contribution to this book consists of his diary entries from September 11 and the days immediately following the tragedy. They vary in tone from being heartfelt to being snotty and flippant, but they accurately reflect the range of emotions that he, and many others (one presumes), went through that week. Kochalka's diary strips are being collected by Top Shelf Productions and published in a series titled The Sketchbook Diaries. The first volume is currently available from www.topshelfcomix.com. www.indyworld.com/kochalka; james@indyworld.com. James Anthony Kuhoric James Anthony Kuhoric is a seven-year professional in the comic book industry with a degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Maryland. He has written over two-dozen comics including the sci-fi mainstays Battlestar Galactica and First Wave. Currently he is writing the upcoming series Roger Corman's Black Scorpion with artist Greg LaRocque and is developing a creator owned series with artist Neil Vokes. His most important role in life is being the father of two very special boys – James "Jay" Anthony and Zachary Allen Kuhoric. james_kuhoric@hotmail.com. Peter Kuper Peter Kuper's work has appeared in, among others, TIME, Newsweek, The New York Times, and Mad, where he illustrates "Spy vs. Spy." In 1979, Kuper co-founded the political comix magazine World War 3 Illustrated and is currently co-editing issue #32. His comics have been translated into German, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Spanish and Greek and his artwork has been exhibited around the world. His most recent book Speechless is a coffee table art book covering his career to date published by Top Shelf Productions. www.peterkuper.com; kuperart@aol.com. Greg LaRocque Greg LaRocque is a twenty plus year veteran of comics. His career began in 1980 and has included stints with both DC Comics and Marvel Comics on titles including Legion of Superheroes, Marvel Team Up, The Avengers, and Web of Spider-Man. His kinetic storytelling style was epitomized in the classic Flash story arc "Return of Barry Allen." Through Exiled Studios Greg was able to unleash his creator-owned projects Crybaby and The Exiled. exstudio@aol.com. David Lasky Originally from the Virginia suburbs, David Lasky moved to Seattle in 1992, where he joined the ranks of a new wave of young "alternative cartoonists." He has since produced a number of experimental comic books, including a nine page adaptation of Joyce's Ulysses. Urban Hipster, his collaboration with Greg Stump, was nominated for a Harvey Award in 1999. www.indyworld.com/uh; davidlasky@yahoo.com Metaphrog Metaphrog are a Franco-Scottish duo comprising Sandra Marrs, art, and John Chalmers, words and lettering. Their publications include The Maze, Vermin, Strange Weather Lately and the Louis' series. The scary cute Louis – Red Letter Day received multiple Eisner and Ignatz Award nominations. www.metaphrog.com. Tony Millionaire Tony Millionaire lives in Los Angeles. His comic strip MAAKIES can be seen in weeklies across the country, with collections published by Fantagraphics Books. His comic book Sock Monkey is published by Dark Horse Comics and Sock Monkey – A Children's Book is available in book stores now. www.maakies.com; millionaire@mindspring.com. Scott Morse Scott Morse is the Eisner and Ignatz Award nominated creator of Soulwind, Visitations, and Volcanic Revolver. His comics work also includes The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Star Wars Tales, and the comic book companion to the Jim Jarmusch film Ghost Dog. His current work includes the series Magic Pickle for Oni Press, and Ancient Joe for Dark Horse. In animation, Morse has worked as an art director and storyboard artist for Universal and Cartoon Network, most notably on the Emmy Award nominated Cow and Chicken. www.crazyfish.net; crazymorse@earthlink.net. Phil Noto Phil Noto is the cover artist for DC Comics' Birds Of Prey and the artist for the upcoming miniseries Beautiful Killer from Black Bull. He is also currently an assistant animator at Disney, where his credits include Lion King, Pocahontas, Hunchback, Tarzan, Mulan and the upcoming film Lilo and Stitch. www.notoart.com; phil@notoart.com Ande Parks Ande Parks has been employed in the glamorous world of comic book inking for over a decade, working on such titles as Superman, Wonder Woman and Catwoman. He has often been teamed with his long-time friend, Phil Hester. The duo has won acclaim for their bold, graphic style. Parks has also created his own characters, Uncle Slam and Fire Dog. He is currently continuing his work on Green Arrow, and writing a gangster graphic novel. He lives in Kansas with his lovely wife and daughter. www.uncleslam.com; ande@uncleslam.com. Chris Pitzer Chris Pitzer's first memory of comics was a House of Mystery, which had a monster breaking out of a box in the attic. Pitzer has worked at Eclipse Comics (as their Art Director), and Wildstorm and IDW in the capacity of freelance designer and colorist. Currently, Pitzer likes to publish minis every now and then. In addition to contributing a story to 9-11: Emergency Relief, he also did the graphic design. Chris Pitzer lives in Richmond, Virginia. pitzerboy@aol.com. Layla Lawlor A graphic artist, illustrator, minicomic creator and former Alaskan hippie-child now living in Illinois, Layla Lawlor self-publishes Raven's Children, a graphic novel serialized in chapters. She also write for the comics webzine Sequential Tart and has been known to refer to herself in the third person. www.ravenschildren.com; layla@ravenschildren.com; Shadowgrass Design, PO Box 3283, Champaign, IL 61826-3283. A. David Lewis A. David Lewis hails from Boston, a graduate of Brandeis University. Now at Georgetown University, Dave has presented conference papers on comic books across the continent and is working with Committed Comics, The Third Eye Group, and other collaborators on upcoming projects. He thanks his loved ones for their support. http://www.serious-about- comics.com/; adl6@georgetown.edu. Ellen Lindner Ellen Lindner is an emerging wit in the New York City comix scene. In her zine/comix compilation little white bird/MEGACOM, comix Beatnik Love and The Egg Mysterious, Ellen explores the malaise of relationships, rubbernecking boys through the dual lens: patriarchy and pleasure. Her brazenly introspective humor, rock-fashion edge and graphic styling meld subversive context with romantic content while revealing the mystery of female orgasm. She's a sista. littlewhitebird@fantasticteam.com Jeff Mason Jeff Mason is the publisher of Alternative Comics, a company billed as "publishers of cool comic books." When Jeff is not working on Alternative Comics' latest release, he is working diligently to protect everyone's rights as a criminal defense lawyer in Gainesville, Florida. www.indyworld.com/comics; jmason@indyworld.com. Laurenn McCubbin Laurenn McCubbin has done a little bit of everything. She's been a retail slave, an office drone, a stripper, a teacher, a successful graphic designer and a broke art student. A California native, she moved to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute on a scholarship, then scurried back to her beloved Bay Area as soon as she graduated. She and Nikki Coffman began collaborating as students in Chicago, and on moving to San Francisco they resumed their collaboration in XXX Live Nude Girls. She continues doing freelance design, lettering translations of Japanese comics and silk-screening postcards and prints. www.xxxlivenudegirls.com; laurenn@xxxlivenudegirls.com Jason Narvaez Raised in the Bronx, Jason Narvaez would lose himself in his comic collection for hours, if not days, at a time. He attended the High School of Art & Design and mostly credits any lessons learned to other students. In the early to mid-1990s, he visited the offices of DC Comics and received invaluable advice on how he could improve his artwork. Narvaez currently manages the graphics department for a top consulting company and has continued to pursue his life-long passion of drawing comics. http://home.earthlink.net/~bidexx; jncomix@arghstudios.com. Josh Neufeld Josh Neufeld has been drawing comics since he was four years old. With writer R. Walker, Josh has recently published Titans of Finance (Alternative Comics), a satire comic of the financial world featuring true tales of money & business. Josh also co-created Keyhole, where he does stories about his travel experiences in Southeast Asia and Central Europe. He has contributed artwork to Harvey Pekar's American Splendor, the SPX anthologies, and many other comics. Josh resides in Brooklyn and makes a living mixing freelance illustration with web design. www.josh.neufeld.com; joshn@mindspring.com. Mike Avon Oeming Mike Avon Oeming began his career inking for Innovation Comics at the age of 14. He has inked Daredevil, Avengers and various titles for Marvel Comics, pencils/inks on Judge Dredd and the Big Books at DC Comics. After stumbling into Foot Soldiers at Dark Horse, Mike and writer/partner Bryan J.L. Glass, created Ship of Fools as a six issue mini-series originally published by Caliber Press. He is co creator of Eisner Award winning book Powers with Brian Bendis and currently creates his Hammer of the Gods comic book series with Mark Wheatley and Insight Studios. Mike lives in New Jersey with his wife and son. oeming@aol.com. Ande Parks Ande Parks has been employed in the glamorous world of comic book inking for over a decade, working on such titles as Superman, Wonder Woman and Catwoman. He has often been teamed with his long-time friend, Phil Hester. The duo has won acclaim for their bold, graphic style. Parks has also created his own characters, Uncle Slam and Fire Dog. He is currently continuing his work on Green Arrow, and writing a gangster graphic novel. He lives in Kansas with his lovely wife and daughter. www.uncleslam.com; ande@uncleslam.com. Ted Rall Ted Rall, 38, is an editorial and social-commentary cartoonist for Universal Press Syndicate. A Pulitzer Prize finalist and two-time RFK Journalism Award winner, Rall is the author of seven books, including the graphic novels My War With Brian and 2024, as well as the Gen X manifesto Revenge of the Latchkey Kids. www.rall.com. Andy Ristaino Andy Ristaino is a freelance animator/illustrator from Massachusetts. Ristaino is currently working on the two titles Life of a Fetus and The Babysitter for Slave Labor Graphics. rashanko@yahoo.com Alex Robinson Alex Robinson's graphic novel Box Office Poison was released by Top Shelf Productions in 2001, and he is hard at work at his second book, tentatively titled Sophomore Slump. He is a little over six feet tall and he lives with his girlfriend Kristen in New York City. http://members.aol.com/ComicBookAlex; ComicBookAlex@aol.com. Jeff Smith Born and raised in the American mid-west, Jeff Smith learned about cartooning from comic strips, comic books, and watching animation on TV. After four years of drawing comic strips for Ohio State's student newspaper, Smith co-founded the Character Builders animation studio in 1986. In 1991, he launched a company called Cartoon Books to publish his independent comic book Bone, a comedy/adventure about three lost cousins from Boneville. Against all odds, the small company flourished, building a reputation for quality stories and artwork. Word of mouth, critical acclaim, and a string of major awards, which continues to this day, helped propel Cartoon Books and Bone to the forefront of the comic book industry - an industry not known for its openness to non-action heroes. In the American comic book direct market (the largest system of comic book retail stores) Bone has risen to the #1 spot for humor. Jeff Smith's work is published in thirteen languages and has won the highest awards in Germany, France, Italy and at home. Jeff Smith currently works and resides in Columbus, Ohio. www.boneville.com; PO Box 16973, Columbus, OH 43216 Jen Sorensen Jen Sorensen is the creator of Slowpoke, a weekly comic strip that appears in several alternative newspapers throughout the US, for which she was nominated twice for the Friends of Lulu Kimberly Yale Award for Best New Talent. Slowpoke, which serves up political and social commentary with an absurdist twist, grew out of a popular daily strip she drew while a student at the University of Virginia. Jen was recently awarded a Xeric Grant to publish Slowpoke: Cafe Pompous. Jen Sorensen's work has also appeared in several other publications, including The Big Book of the '70s (DC/Paradox Press), Action Girl Comics, Dignifying Science, Empty Love Stories, the EXPO anthologies, and will be featured alongside such luminaries as Matt Groening and Tom Tomorrow in Ted Rall's upcoming book on alternative political cartoonists. Jen Sorensen lives in Charlottesville Virginia, where she also does web design. www.slowpokecomics.com; jls6c@virginia.edu. Steve Stegelin Steve Stegelin is best known as the creator of the cult comic book Boondoggle, currently running in strip form at www.popimage.com/boondoggle and in various anthologies. He resides in coastal Charleston, South Carolina with his wife and daughter. stevesteglin@juno.com. Robert Ullman Robert Ullman has been diligently pumping out issues of his mini-comic From the Curve for six years, and his spot illustrations appear weekly in several alternative newspapers on the East coast. A resident of North Carolina, his comics work includes Signifying Nothing, a collection of his best cartoons from 1994 to 1998, Atom-Bomb Bikini, and World's Apart. The first issue of the all-new, big time From the Curve is slated to debut in 2002 from Alternative Comics. www.lurid.com/chappy; fromcurve@yahoo.com Neil Vokes Neil Vokes is a middle aged Hammer film fan with a Dr. Pepper addiction who has drawn comic books for 17 years. Vokes has a wife who supports him, a daughter who is the light of his life, and a job that makes him feel young every time he sits at his drawing table. ndv45@home.com. Mark Wheatley Mark Wheatley is known internationally as an accomplished illustrator, writer, editor, and publisher. He has won the Inkpot, Speakeasy, Gem and Mucker awards and been nominated for the Harvey and Ignatz awards for his comic book and pulp creations that include Breathtaker, Radical Dreamer, MARS and Titanic Tales. His illustration work, chosen for inclusion in the annual Spectrum selection of the best in fantasy and science fiction art, has also appeared in magazines, books, comic books and on games. He has written books, comic books and television shows. Currently he is writing Michael Avon Oeming's Hammer of the Gods comic book series and acting as publisher for Insight Studios Group. www.InsightStudiosGroup.com; Insight Studios, 7844 Saint Thomas Drive, Baltimore MD 21236. Shannon Wheeler Shannon Wheeler was born a while back and went to various schools. None of the schools managed to knock enough sense into him to keep him from becoming a cartoonist. Currently he draws a comic strip called Too Much Coffee Man and contributes his efforts to a magazine of the same name. www.tmcm.com; wheeler@tmcm.com The American Red Cross name is used with permission of the American Red Cross and does not constitute an endorsement, express or implied, of this book. 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the American Red Cross to support its lifesaving relief efforts in communities everyday. For more information on this promotion, please contact Heidi Seiffert at seifferth@usa.redcross.org. About The American Red Cross The American Red Cross is dedicated to saving lives, easing suffering and restoring hope at home and around the world. Currently operating on a budget of $3.0 billion, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to the victims of more than 67,000 disasters nationwide and has been the primary supplier of lifesaving blood and blood products in the United States for more than 50 years. In 2000, the Red Cross also trained almost 12 million people in vital lifesaving skills, provided direct health services to nearly 2.6 million people and delivered more than 21 million locally relevant community services. The organization also assisted international disaster and conflict victims in close to 40 locations around the globe, and its emergency communication centers processed 1.2 million calls in support of U.S. military families. The website for 9-11: Emergency Relief is: http://www.indyworld.com/relief The cover to 9-11: Emergency Relief is available on-line as: http://www.indyworld.com/pics/911.cover.tif or http://www.indyworld.com/pics/911.cover.jpg For more information about 9-11: Emergency Relief or the signing tour, please contact: Alternative Comics Publisher Jeff Mason at 503 NW 37th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32609-2204. Phone: (352) 373-6336. E-Mail: jmason@indyworld.com +++++ Subj:MoCCA Art Festival & Speechless Art Exhibit Comics Fans Worldwide, New York City is playing host to two really cool events this year. One happening right now, and another debuting on June 23rd: -- Peter Kuper's Art Exhibit at the Parsoons School of Design through Jan 18th & -- The MOCCA ART FESTIVAL to be held in NNew York City on June 23rd, 2002 Here's some details on both of them. Let's all try and attend! MOCCA ART FESTIVAL Kristen Siebecker -- well known on the convention circuit as the "behind the scenes" organizer and promoter of Alex Robinson's BOX OFFICE POISON -- is kicking off an all-new Small Press Convention in New York City this year on June 23rd. This is something that I am totally excited about, and I urge all of you to get involved. A New York alternative comics convention is something we've needed for quite some time, and it will be a perfect compliment to our other hallmark conventions, the SPX and APE. Kristen is the perfect organizer for this event, and you can count on Top Shelf having a large presence at this show. Here's the announcement that Kristen has put together for it. Let's make sure we all attend! -- Chris Staros Hello! Do you love comic and cartoon art? Do you love New York City? Do you love June? Then what could be better than spending a lovely June day in New York City hanging out and having fun with other people who love and/or create comic and cartoon art? I am writing to you because you're either a creator or fan (or both!) of comic and cartoon art. That being said, I am asking for your participation and support in a New York City show that will be small press, creator owned and alternative comic and cartoon art friendly. This is a MUST attend event! MOCCA Art Festival June 23, 2002 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Puck Building 293 Lafayette Street New York City All entry proceeds will benefit the: MUSEUM OF COMIC AND CARTOON ART If you are interested in exhibiting, sponsoring, covering and/or attending, please go to the official website for further information: http://www.moccany.org/events.html If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us: MOCCAaf@aol.com Or call the MOCCA Art Festival hotline at: (212) 696-7945 New York City needs this kind of event; it has a great wealth of artists and fans. That is why it is so important that you participate. If you know of anyone that might be interested in this event, please forward this e-mail. You won't want to miss this one! Thanks for your attention, Kristen Siebecker MOCCA Art Festival organizer ---------------------------- Parsons School of Design presents TWO MAJOR RETROSPECTIVES Peter Kuper's SPEECHLESS and INX "Fever Lines": A 20-Year Retrospective Parsons School of Design presents TWO MAJOR RETROSPECTIVES Peter Kuper's SPEECHLESS & INX "Fever Lines": A 20 Year Retrospective Through Friday, January 18th Gallery Hours: Mon-Thurs 10-9, Fri 10-6, Closed Weekends AT 2 WEST 13TH ST (between 6th and 5th Aves) New York City SPEECHLESS SPEECHLESS by Peter Kuper, a hardcover book published by Top Shelf (ISBN: 1-891830-14-7, $19.95), will serve as a catalogue for the excellent show. The exhibit will include cover illustrations, paintings, sculptures animation and wordless comics in Kuper's unique stencil style. Also featured are examples of Kuper's step-by-step process of illustration, a comic chronicling his experience serving as an expert witness in a landmark obscenity trial, as well as examples of his "Eye of the Beholder," the first comic strip to ever appear in the revered New York Times. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY says: "… Peter Kuper [is] a passionately openhearted creator."-- Ken Tucker. PAPER MAGAZINE says: " … Speechless more than defines one artist's vision, it reinvents the comics medium." -- Carlo McCormick INX "FEVER LINES": 20-Year Retrospective An exhibition of cutting edge editorial page drawings spanning the Age of Reagan past the World Trade Center disaster. The show offers highly opinionated perspectives on world affairs by nearly 50 internationally known illustrators in a variety of styles and techniques. From broad caricature to somber surrealism, from ink to paint to collage to computer, this work represents a wide range of moods and media. The show features the international perspectives of artists including Horacio Cardo, Felipe Galindo, Janusz Kapusta and Igor Kopelnitsky as well as the homegrown viewpoints of Yvonne Buchanan, Randy Jones, Thomas Kerr, David Klein and INX art directors Martin Kozlowski and Peter Kuper. This retrospective serves as an illustrated history lesson full of biting humor, surprising insight, startling images and extraordinary craft. Hope you can attend! Your friend thru comics, Chris Staros Top Shelf Productions PO Box 1282 Marietta, GA 30061-1282 USA staros@bellsouth.net http://www.topshelfcomix.com ORDERING: http://www.topshelfcomix.com/topshelf/ordering.html +++++ Subj:Gilbert Hernandez New Release Celebration! From:fbicomix@fantagraphics.com YOU ARE INVITED: This month, GILBERT HERNANDEZ and his wife and daughter will relocate to Las Vegas after a lifetime in Southern California. To say goodbye, as well as to celebrate the release of Gilbert's new graphic novel, LUBA IN AMERICA, please join us at Los Angeles's GOLDEN APPLE COMICS this January 19th! Get your copies of LUBA IN AMERICA and LOVE & ROCKETS signed by LOS BROS HERNANDEZ, bid brother Gilbert a fond adieu, and mingle with the best of So. Cal's comics scene! When: SATURDAY, JANUARY 19th from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Who: GILBERT & JAIME HERNANDEZ -- plus special signing guests including TONY MILLIONAIRE, CAROL LAY, and others t.b.a. Where: GOLDEN APPLE COMICS, 7711 Melrose Ave. (323-658-6047) Over 20 years ago, Golden Apple hosted the very first signing with the Hernandez Brothers, upon the release of LOVE & ROCKETS Vol. 1 #1 in 1981. Gilbert's move to Las Vegas marks the end of an era, so Golden Apple and Fantagraphics are proud to send Gilbert off to Vegas with their best event yet! Can't make it to LA? Order Luba in America online via fantagraphics.com: http://fantagraphics.com/elist/s.cgi?which=1-01-8-2002-15-8&page=/artist/ lr/losbros/gilb/gilbert.html +++++ MARVEL ART BY LEE, SIENKIEWICZ AND VILLARRUBIA FEATURED IN MUSEUM OF ILLUSTRATION! The artwork from the series SENTRY/HULK by Bill Sienkiewicz and Jose Villarrubia and FANTASTIC FOUR: 1234 by Jae Lee and Villarrubia was chosen for the 44th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Illustrators to be shown in the Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustration and featured in the book ILLUSTRATORS 44. These exhibit and book showcase the best American Illustration of the year and they are the most prestigious of its kind. This year, for the first time, the exhibition includes sequential art. The opening will take place on February 5th. Here's more information about the exhibit and the book: The Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustration Gallery 2 128 East 63rd St. New York, NY 10021 212-838-2560 si1901@aol.com www.societyillustrators.org Feb. 6 - Feb. 23, 2002 "44th ANNUAL EXHIBITION, SEQUENTIAL CATEGORY" A new component of the Annual Exhibition for those uses where the sequence of images is necessary to fully illustrate the idea. The final art will be exhibited for such projects as: Animation (TV, film, WEB, video games), Comix, graphic novels and art journalism. ILLUSTRATORS 44 The Society of Illustrators Annual of American Illustration remains the original and most comprehensive compilation of illustration on the market, and Illustrators 44 is by far the best reference source for the latest trends in an ever-changing industry. Each year a jury of professionals selects, from over 6,000 entries, Gold and Silver medals for excellence in Editorial, Book, Advertising, Institutional, Sequential and Uncommissioned/Unpublished Illustration. The results are presented in this valuable reference: over 500 dazzling, full-color examples of innovative, exciting work by established illustrators. Illustrators 44 is an indispensable sourcebook of classic solutions, intriguing ideas, and creative insight. Bill Rosemann Marketing Communications Manager Marvel Comics +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ MARVEL WILL GET PIECE OF UPCOMING MOVIE ACTION! AVI: MARVEL SEES BETWEEN 1% AND 10% OF TOTAL RECEIPTS! January 9: Marvel Enterprises' past movie deals are famous for coming up short in the pay-out department. But, according to a report on the Dow Jones Newswire, two upcoming realeases based on Marvel characters will be much more generous. Avi Arad, head of Marvel Studios, Marvel's production division told DOW JONES that the comic-book company will see "a larger slice of the movie-studio pie. The movie studios producing "Spider-Man" and "Daredevil" will pay Marvel between 1% and 10% of total studio receipts. Marvel's portion of studio revenue includes box-office receipts, cable showings, television syndication home video "and so on," said Arad. "Smart accounting" means few profitable movies are ever produced in Hollywood", said Arad. "If the studio didn't make money, we still make money. " DOW JONES said: "Marvel may have learned to fight for a bigger cut after "X-Men" hit the screens in 2000. The film, based on Marvel's mutant superheroes, generated $400 million for Fox Entertainment's 20th Century Fox. It pushed Marvel's $3 to $4 stock to more than $7 a share, until it was discovered that the comic-book maker had already been paid what some considered a pittance years before." DOW JONES said: "Additionally, Marvel's movie lineup over the next two years has some not-so-great deals. Of the five films scheduled for release, only the two mentioned above will share studio revenue. Arad declined to comment on the details of the other deals. The much-anticipated showing of "The Hulk," based on The Incredible Hulk, "is a decent deal, not a gross deal," Arad said. The other two movies slated for release in the next two years include "Blade 2," in theaters this March, and "X-Men 2," to be launched in May of 2003." Marvel stock is currently in the $3.80 neighborhood, a slight improvement from the $2 days of last year. Marvel stock has been under $5 a share for some time amid concerns that the company hasn't seen a profitable quarter since it emerged from bankruptcy in 1998, and hasn't posted a profitable year since 1996 January 9: Marvel Enterprises' past movie deals are famous for coming up short in the pay-out department. But, according to a report on the Dow Jones Newswire, two upcoming realeases based on Marvel characters will be much more generous. Avi Arad, head of Marvel Studios, Marvel's production division told DOW JONES that the comic-book company will see "a larger slice of the movie-studio pie. The movie studios producing "Spider-Man" and "Daredevil" will pay Marvel between 1% and 10% of total studio receipts. Marvel's portion of studio revenue includes box-office receipts, cable showings, television syndication home video "and so on," said Arad. "Smart accounting" means few profitable movies are ever produced in Hollywood", said Arad. "If the studio didn't make money, we still make money. " DOW JONES said: "Marvel may have learned to fight for a bigger cut after "X-Men" hit the screens in 2000. The film, based on Marvel's mutant superheroes, generated $400 million for Fox Entertainment's 20th Century Fox. It pushed Marvel's $3 to $4 stock to more than $7 a share, until it was discovered that the comic-book maker had already been paid what some considered a pittance years before." DOW JONES said: "Additionally, Marvel's movie lineup over the next two years has some not-so-great deals. Of the five films scheduled for release, only the two mentioned above will share studio revenue. Arad declined to comment on the details of the other deals. The much-anticipated showing of "The Hulk," based on The Incredible Hulk, "is a decent deal, not a gross deal," Arad said. The other two movies slated for release in the next two years include "Blade 2," in theaters this March, and "X-Men 2," to be launched in May of 2003." Marvel stock is currently in the $3.80 neighborhood, a slight improvement from the $2 days of last year. Marvel stock has been under $5 a share for some time amid concerns that the company hasn't seen a profitable quarter since it emerged from bankruptcy in 1998, and hasn't posted a profitable year since 1996 +++++ From the Comics Continuum at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/: MICRONAUTS CREATORS, DESIGNS Image Comics on Friday announced the creators for the Micronauts comic book from Devil's Due and released the first design images. Micronauts will be written by Scott Wherle, who is editor on the Devil's Due/Image's G.I. Joe book. Eric Wolfe Hanson will pencil and Barbara Schulz will ink. Devil's Due president Joshua Blaylock will serve as creative director. Michael Golden, penciler of Marvel's Mircornauts series, will be providing covers for the "first few" issues. Blaylock announced the Micronauts series at the Mid-Ohio-Con in November. "Ever since, we've been deluged with questions about the book," Blaylock said. "It took a while to get the initial character designs approved, but now that we have, I wanted to share them with the thousands of Micronauts fans eagerly awaiting a sneak peak. "We are looking forward to making this series the best it can be and something that both hardcore 'Micro-fans' and newcomers alike will enjoy." Image Comics vice-president and publisher Jim Valentino said, "Micronauts will be an on-going, full-color, bimonthly series, tentatively scheduled to begin in June 2002. Josh's track-record on G.I. Joe, which has shipped two issues early, should give retailers confidence that the Micronauts will ship on time, every time." CHRIS GIARRUSSO DOES SAVAGE DRAGON BACK-UP Erik Larsen has announced that cartoonist Chris Giarrusso will be doing an all-new comic strip in the back of Savage Dragon beginning with issue #93. Giarrusso is the creator of Marvel's Bullpen Bits and the recent Giant-Size Mini-Marvels one-shot that reprinted past strips alongside an all-new story. His new Comic Bits strip will be very much in the same vein, but instead of solely poking fun at Marvel characters, Giarrusso will be satirizing the whole world of comics. Comic Bits is the latest in a series of back-up strips in Savage Dragon. Others included Chris Eliopoulos' Desperate Times and Don Simpson's Megaton Man, as well as the current ongoing strips Savage Tales by Brian Blake and Nick Derington and Savage Dragonbert and Savage Brainbert by Karl H. "These are the best comic strips not found in your daily newspaper," Larsen said. "Comic Bits is a swell addition to the fabulous funnies section that appears in the back of my monthly mag." Larsen said the new strip isn't a substitute for an existing strip or an excuse that would allow him to reduce the page count of his lead story. "I think it's my duty to give readers as much as humanly possible for their hard earned money," he saidd. "Instead of cultivating an ad farm in the back of Savage Dragon, I'd just as soon fill the book up with as much solid entertainment for your funny-book dollar as I can manage." Savage Dragon #93 goes on sale in February. SMALLVILLE ACTION FIGURES, EPISODE UPDATE DC Comics announced on Tuesday that DC Direct will be producing a line of action figures inspired by The WB's show Smallville. The three figures will be based on the likenesses of Clark Kent (Tom Welling), Lana Lang (Kristen Kreuk) and Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), as they appear on Smallville. They are tentatively scheduled to be solicited in April, and will be released simultaneously in the comics specialty market and other venues. No release date for the action figures has been set yet. "We're absolutely delighted to be able to offer figures based on such an enormously popular series," said Cheryl Rubin, DC's vice-president - licensing and merchandising. "Everyone at DC loves the way Smallville has reinvented the Superman mythology for a new audience," said Paul Levitz, DC's executive vice- president and Publisher. "The Smallville guys have been doing such a great job playing with our toys, now we'll get to play with theirs!" NEW X-MEN: EVOLUTION, STATIC EPISODES "Mindbender," a new episode of X-Men: Evolution, will air on Kids' WB! on Saturday, Jan. 26. The episode is No. 25 in the show's production order, but will air before No. 23, "Walk on the Wild Side," or No. 24, "Operation: Rebirth." That day also marks the return of Static Shock at 8:30 with "The Big Leagues" episode featuring Batman and Robin. Here's how Kids' WB! describes the episode: "Dakota gets a real jolt when The Joker comes to town, recruiting a band of metahumans to wreak his own special brand of havoc. Of course, with The Joker on the loose, Batman and Robin cannot be far behind. The biggest challenge for Static comes when he must help his heroes save the day, and earn the respect of the famed caped crusader." To accommodate Static Shock, the network is moving Cubix to 8 a.m. and reducing Saturday Pokemon episodes from two to one. ONI PRESS' SKINWALKER Oni Press will begin a new four-issue mini-series, Skinwalker, in May. Written by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, Skinwalker is a crime comic with a supernatural twist It follows an FBI Agent and a law enforcement agent from a Native American reservation police force as they track a serial killer who has learned the sacred tribal ritual of skinwalking, and had distorted it into something more-the ability to jump from body to body, a handy trait when one is attempting to elude capture. The mini-series will be penciled by Queen & Country artist Brian Hurtt, with digital inks and tones by Kissing Chaos creator Arthur Dela Cruz. Covers are by Durwin Talon, the cover artist for the "Office Down" story line in last year's Batman titles. "We had several things we wanted to accomplish with Skinwalker," Weir said. "We wanted to tell an intelligent mystery story with supernatural elements, preying on the imagination and teasing out the suspense to keep the readers coming back issue to issue. We also wanted to show a realistic view of Native American culture, which often gets shoddy, clichéd treatment in mainstream entertainment. We wanted Officer Adakai to be a real person, a real police officer, and not just some excuse to have someone spout pseudo-mystical wisdom." Skinwalker #1 will arrive in stores on May 17. DAWN BROWN DRAWS VAMPIRELLA Harris Comics on Thursday announced that Dawn Brown will be the artist on Vampirella # 7-10. Brown is the creator and owner of the Image series Little Red Hot and Little Red Hot: Bound. "Vampirella's a strong female hero who has stood the test of time," Brown said. "Plus, the fun subject matter of Vampirella was a welcome break from the somber tone of Little Red Hot. I promise I'm working hard to bring you guys my very best work!" Harris editor Maureen McTigue said she had a challenge when looking for someone to fill in for regular artist Mike Mayhew. "Mike's set such a high bar for the book's look that I needed to find a very specific style," McTigue said.. Dawn has that and more. She jumped at the chance and she's been more than just a pleasure to work with. "She has a great visual sense and she bends over backwards for details. Just wait till you see the circus!" Vampirella #7 is in stores in March. The Vampirella story, "Hungry Ghosts," is written by series regular John Smith with art by Brown. Joining the book for those four months is a Pantha story written by Smith with Mark Millar and fully painted by Mark Texeira. +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.comicon.com/Newsarama/ FREE COMIC DAY UPDATE: MORE PUBLISHERS CHIME IN As May 4th draws closer, comic book publishers and Diamond are firming up plans for Free Comic Book Day. As already announced, DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Image have chosen the books that they will make available as giveaways to comic retailers across the country. And now, the attention has moved online. Diamond has issued the following statement regarding how the online comics community can get involved in Free Comic Book Day: In the spirit of the event, Diamond would like to welcome the online community of fans, creators, and retailers to get involved with promoting Free Comic Book Day. Any and all websites connected to the comic book industry and medium are invited to link to www.FreeComicBookDay.com. Webmasters can use the site's logo if they wish. As time goes by and the event draw nearer, more and more content will be available online relating to Free Comic Book Day. "We'll be doling it out as we go along," said Diamond Marketing Communications Manager Barry Lyga. "Right now, we're simply using the site as a clearinghouse for press releases, but keep an eye out in the coming weeks." In the meantime, the event's sponsors are asking everyone to join in and help to make Free Comic Book Day as big a success as possible, beginning with the small step of using the Free Comic Book Day logo on their sites and linking back to www.FreeComicBookDay.com. Diamond reports that thousands of people have already signed up for e-mail updates from the site, since its launch, and they anticipate that number steadily increasing as May 4th approaches. According to Diamond, the distributor plans to spell out everything for retailers regarding Free Comics Day in the February edition of Previews. Diamond's Purchasing Department is speaking with publishers about their options for the event. And to clarify what Newsarama has reported earlier, Image Comics' giveaway issue for the even will be Tomb Raider #1/2, the origin story, as opposed to Tomb Raider/Witchblade, which was in contention. Additionally, Marvel has confirmed that their edition of Ultimate Spider-Man #1 will be the 24-page version of the issue. Plans currently call for retailers to order low-cost bundles of special give-away comics published by Dark Horse, DC, Image & Marvel from Diamond. In exchange for their order, retailers will be listed as participants on the Free Comic Book Day website, and will subsequently benefit from the public relations and advertising campaigns that will be carried out in support of the event. But what of other publishers? Just because Marvel, DC, Image, and Dark Horse have made news about what issues they'll be releasing, it doesn't necessarily mean other publishers aren't participating. "It's been my understanding all along that any and all publishers are invited and encouraged to participate," said Flying Colors Joe Field, who first brought the idea to Diamond. "When I proposed this plan, it was envisioned as a way to get everyone under the same tent so we could all do something positive together---whether retailer, publisher or creator. I'd be very disappointed if something markedly different winds up happening. Progress should not have any exclusives placed on it." In a letter sent to publishers, Diamond, while not suggesting that free, giveaway comics were exclusive to the four publishers, did offer alternatives for publishers who might not be able to mount campaigns as large. The distributor has asked publishers to promote Free Comic Book Day in their comics and on their websites; donate excess inventory to Diamond, where it will be distributed free of charge to retailers in proportion to the giveaways of the larger publishers; and work in cooperation with other comic shops to maximize awareness and participation. If smaller publishers wanted to produce a giveaway comic of their own, Diamond said they were welcome to use the Free Comic Book Day trade dress as well. Of the publishers contacted by Newsarama however, only Viz said they had a plan in the works for Free Comic Book Day. "It's taken us a little bit to work through all the details, but we should have everything hammered out in the next few days," said Viz's Director of Sales and Marketing Dallas Middaugh. "Our plan is to re-release Dragon Ball Z #1. DBZ is our most popular comic by a long stretch, and those familiar only with the anime will be in for a nice surprise: the manga is fun, action-packed, and just a plain ol' good read. It's an excellent starting point for anyone not familiar with Japanese comics, adults and children alike." When asked for his view of how plans for Free Comic Book Day are progressing, Middaugh was optimistic. "For an event that is uniting many disparate comics publishers, I think it's going pretty well," Middaugh said. "Our biggest problem is going to be getting the word out there, and coordinating that is no small thing. We can all advertise in our books, but then we're just preaching to the converted. If we can get our act together, we can reach a lot of new readers. Marvel's Spider-Man movie will help a lot, just as our tie-in to the Cartoon Network via Dragon Ball, Gundam, Tenchi, and ZOIDS will make a difference." Meanwhile, CrossGen has told Newsarama that they will not be taking part in Free Comic Book Day. "Driving new customers into reading comics is one of our primary missions, and it should be the mission of every comics publisher every day," CrossGen said in a statement to Newsarama. "However, as we've watched the concept of Free Comics Day evolve from an idea to a reality, our opinion of whether a Free Comics Day would achieve that goal has evolved as well. While we have high hopes and best wishes for the participants and architects of Free Comics Day, we are not entirely convinced that the event will drive new customers into the hobby. Given the implications of adding one additional publisher to the mix, we feel the best use of our resources and efforts are in the execution of our day-to-day initiatives and our already in-progress activities aimed at supporting retailers and driving new customers. "CrossGen has already made - and continues to make - a considerable investment and take an extensive risk in supporting our direct market retailers through our initial money-back guarantee program last year, our overprinting, our extensive reorder program and other retailer-centric day-to-day policies. In fact, we will be releasing during the course of the next 60 days a variety of extensive new market initiatives – which have been researched and developed over the last 18 months - that will make the extent of our commitment to the direct market crystal clear. So, instead of reserving our efforts for a one-day- initiative, we'll stick with our current plans, but we will do so while rooting for the success of Free Comics Day this year and our best wishes for those engaging in that effort." Chaos! Comics' Brian Pulido said that while his company, to his knowledge, has not been approached specifically to participate in Free Comic Book Day, he would like to see Chaos! take part in some manner. That said however, Pulido doesn't imagine for a second that years of decline can be made up with a one-day giveaway. "I stand by the idea, but we have to commit to it for years to come," Pulido said. "It will improve each year if we commit long term to it. My concern is that the concerns of other folks in the industry will strangle any shred of hope or power we, as an industry, can glean from this. When there is a ray of hope, there are quite a few of the likely suspects that will come out of the woodwork and kill the idea off. I say, the Hell with it, let's do it." Almost in response to Pulido's challenge, Eric Reynolds from Fantagraphics said he presumes Fantagraphics won't be participating in Free Comic Book Day, describing the event as: "A noble effort that won't yield much in terms of getting new readers into comic shops. "I don't expect it to do much, and I've spoken to a few prominent retailers who agree," Reynolds continued. "The reasons why so few people frequent comic book specialty shops are so nuanced and varied that I can't see how this will accomplish the goal of bringing new readers in. It's like putting a band aid on a bullet wound, except the bullet wound's in your chest and the band aid was applied to the elbow." Taking a more moderate track is Oni, who, while not planning a major initiative, is planning to work locally with retailers in the Portland, OR area, as well as urging its creators to go out into their communities and local comic shops to promote comics and their own work. Oni Publisher Joe Nozemack also pointed to what he saw as a weakness in the variety of giveaway comics announced to date. "I think it's a great idea as long as diversity is stressed," said Nozemack. "If we just flood the country with superhero comics I think we're wasting our time. That's the one type of product that everyone knows we have. I'm always a bit skeptical of the motivation for the big publishers to do this since the majority of their product is pretty much this genre. I can't see a real initiative for them to say, 'Hey comics are great. There's a lot more going on here besides capes and tights. We don't publish much else, but these other guys do.' We need to prove that there's more to comics than just that one genre and that there is material for all age groups and walks of life. "While I think it's important to use comic shops as focal points for these events, I also think places like libraries, children's hospitals, book stores, reading clubs and other institutions would be great places to distribute the samplers and get them into the hands of potential readers who might not get to a comic shop. "This is just the first year though, so any progress is welcome. In coming years this program can be shaped here and there and hopefully become more inclusive of all publishers and types of materials. Every industry has its 'Holiday.' Hell, the floral and greeting card industries have dozens. I definitely think it's time we had ours." +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com DOCTOR JUSTICE -------------- Galfo Films Entertainment has announced plans to develop the best-selling French comic strip superhero Doctor Justice for TV and film. Galfo has joined forces with the Canada-based Cinegroupe to develop the concept as either a live-action and animated TV series and a major feature film. Doctor Justice is based on the strip Docteur Justice by French cartoonists Jean Ollivier and Raphaël Marcello. The title character is a humanitarian hero, an expert in martial arts and a dedicated defender of the human rights and environmental rights. According to the press release, "the adventures of Doctor Justice have inspired millions of young readers for more than two decades all over Europe and is the perfect representation of a new kind of hero." Galfo reports that humanitarian organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Greenpeace, Unicef , and Doctors Without Borders have already expressed their support for the character and to help make Doctor Justice, "the superhero of the new millennium and a true inspiration for young children and teenagers." Fans can visit DoctorJustice.com to learn more about the humanitarian superhero. +++++ From Zentertainment; HTTP://WWW.ZENTERTAINMENT.COM To sign a friend up or begin receiving ZEN yourself, e-mail: subscribe@ZENtertainment.com <<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TV - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->> DEADMAN May Air on TNT - VARIETY reports WARNER BROS. TV is developing a pilot for a TNT series based on DC Comics' DEADMAN. The dark fantasy involves a murdered man who becomes a ghost that can inhabit the body of others. The hour-long show is expected to air back-to-back with the network's show based on the WITCHBLADE comic from TOP COW. http://www.tnt.tv http://www.dccomics.com http://www.topcow.com <<- - - - - - - - - - - - - - MOVIES - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->> Norrington to Helm EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN - DAILY VARITY reports Steve Norrington (Blade) has signed on to direct an adaptation of Alan Moore's comic book miniseries THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. The Victorian era suspense thriller involves a group of fictional characters including Captain Nemo, Allan Quartermain, and Dr. Jekyll teaming up on a mission of utmost importance for Queen Victoria. http://www.variety.com http://www.wildstorm.com King Joins MONK Cast - According to The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, James King (Pearl Harbor) will play the female lead in MGM's loose adaptation of the comic series BULLETPROOF MONK. She'll play a sexy Russian mob princess who joins a wise monk (Chow Yun-Fat) and a streetwise young man (Seann William Scott) in their quest to protect an ancient scroll that holds the key to unlimited power. +++++ From the DC Comics Online Newsletter at http://www.dccomics.com WIZARD FAN AWARDS NOMINATE DC PROJECTS AND TALENT The February issue of Wizard announces the nominees for this year's Wizard Fan Awards, which includes a number of DC comics, characters, and creators. The nominations were based on results of an online poll, and the winners will be announced at Wizard World Chicago in July. DC's nominees are: Favorite Writer Kevin Smith (GREEN ARROW) Favorite Penciller Ed McGuinness (SUPERMAN) Favorite Breakout Talent Phil Jimenez (WONDER WOMAN) Geoff Johns (JSA) Favorite Painter Alex Ross (WONDER WOMAN: SPIRIT OF TRUTH) Favorite Colorist Laura DePuy (JLA) Favorite Letterer Ken Lopez (JLA) Favorite Editor Eddie Berganza (Superman books) Bob Schreck (Batman books) Favorite Hero Green Arrow Superman Favorite Heroine Batgirl Favorite Villain Lex Luthor Manchester Black Favorite Supporting Character Donna Troy Favorite Ongoing Series GREEN ARROW Favorite One-Shot or Miniseries JUST IMAGINE STAN LEE CREATING… Favorite Publisher DC Comics Favorite Comics Merchandise Batman: Vengeance (Ubi Soft) Favorite Comic TV or Movie Project Justice League Smallville Comics' Greatest Moment — 2001 Superman defeats the Elite (ACTION COMICS #775) BATMAN: THE 10-CENT ADVENTURE PRESS RELEASE CORRECTION Please note that the BATMAN: THE 10-CENT ADVENTURE Press Release, which was sent out in DIRECT CHANNEL #548 on December 19, included an incorrect in store date of January 2. The actual in store date is January 4. We regret any inconvenience this error may have caused. NEW IN-STORE DATE FOR DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN #2 THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN #2 (NOV010565), which was scheduled to reach stores on January 16, instead will reach stores on January 30. "What can I say? Good things take time, and this book is way beyond just good," says Group Editor Bob Schreck. "Trust me, it will be worth the wait." Please note that copies of DK2 #2 ordered to arrive on the staggered ship dates also will be delayed to follow the weekly delivery pattern. In addition, revised release dates for DK2 #3 will be announced in the near future. BACK TO PRESS! As part of DC's commitment to retailers and readers alike, selected items go back to press when quantities become low. The following title has been reprinted and is available for order: DC VERSUS MARVEL TP (STAR14838) (4th printing) NEWS FROM THE MAINSTREAM PRESS The January 4 issue of Entertainment Weekly includes a review of THE ATOM ARCHIVES Volume 1, with Ken Tucker calling it "a visual triumph" and noting the Atom's role in THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN. The article "Frank Miller Returns with DK2" has been posted at PublishersWeekly.com, with quotes from Frank Miller and DC Executive Vice President & Publisher Paul Levitz. The January 1 edition of The Village Voice includes a review of the Chronicle Books' publication Jack Cole and Plastic Man, with R.C. Baker describing it as possessing "a serendipitous, homely beauty." The December issue of Southwest Airlines Spirit briefly reviews Jack Cole and Plastic Man, calling it "rich and colorful." NEWS FROM THE TRADE PRESS Comic Shop News #758 includes the article "Dark Knight Makes History Again," in which Cliff Biggers speaks to Frank Miller, Paul Levitz and DCU Executive Editor Mike Carlin about the series' success. This issue also includes at article on September 11 Volume One and Two and the DC Comics Pocket Super Heroes. Among the Hot Picks for January listed in this issue are the "Batman: Murderer?" tie-in issues, September 11 Volumes One and Two, THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN #2, the JUST IMAGINE STAN LEE_SECRET FILES, THE POWER COMPANY: POWERSURGE one-shots, and THE SANDMAN PRESENTS: THE THESSALIAD. Among "Cool Collections" for January are THE GOLDEN AGE GREEN LANTERN ARCHIVES Vol. 2 and TOMORROW STORIES BOOK ONE. "Molten Merchandise" for January includes the ACE THE BAT HOUND SOFT TOY, the CLASSIC SUPERMAN MINI-BUST, the GREEN ARROW STATUE, the GREEN LANTERN CORPS JOHN STEWART and TOMAR RE ACTION FIGURES, and THE ENDLESS WALL SCROLL. The January 4 edition of Comics Buyer's Guide (#1468) features SUPERMAN #177 as its "Pick of the Week," with S.A. Bennett calling it "pretty much a perfect Superman story." This issue's "Reading Room" reviews BATGIRL #23, with S.A. Bennett calling the series "the best Batman comic book." The GREEN LANTERN: TRAITOR TP is reviewed as well, with Brent Frankenhoff calling it "must reading for fans of any GL of any era." In the "Comics Guide," Maggie Thompson looks at WONDER WOMAN: SPIRIT OF TRUTH, writing, "As ever, [Paul] Dini is a moving, exciting writer with a gift for perfect expression. And [Alex] Ross is a painter who never abandons clarity or plot_but somehow manages to come up with astounding pictures anyway." This issue's "Comics in Your Future" includes reviews of FARSCAPE: WAR TORN #1, with Phil Mateer writing, "Fans of the TV series should like this_it's faithful to its origins, and the art is detailed and well-composed." Also reviewed is JLA: SHOGUN OF STEEL, with Robert Scott writing, "I found [Ben] Raab's story and Justiniano's art a fantastic combination_I'll be looking forward to the rest of the story." S.C.I.-SPY is reviewed as well, with Jeremy Shorr writing, "This is another excellent addition to the pantheon, with [Paul] Gulacy's trademark look and [Doug] Moench's classic dry and witty dialogue." The "News International" section in the January issue of Comics International includes an article on the upcoming HAWKMAN series, as well as stories on S.C.I.-SPY, KING DAVID, BATMAN/NIGHTWING: BLOODBORNE, and LAB RATS. "Reviews" spotlights such titles as CATWOMAN #1, FOUR WOMEN #2, TRANSMETROPOLITAN #51, as well as numerous other titles. SMALLVILLE AND JUSTICE LEAGUE EPISODE SCHEDULES DC has been supplied with the following episode schedule for Smallville on the WB and the animated Justice League on the Cartoon Network. All times are Eastern and Pacific: 1/12 (12:30 pm) "Secret Origins, Pt. 2" (Justice League) 1/13 (8:30 pm) "In Blackest Night, Pt. 1" (Justice League-Widescreen) 1/14 (9:30 pm) "In Blackest Night, Pt. 2" (Justice League) 1/15 (9:00 pm) "Rogue" (Smallville - New) Be advised that this schedule is subject to change. +++++ From Rich Johnston, THE 2000 SQUIDDY JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR, in his ALL THE RAGE Gossip Column at: http://www.SilverBulletComicBooks.com RUMOUR BARRIER "I accept that the following material is rumour and gossip, intended to entertain only. "I won't repeat the information inside as fact. I understand if I want the truth, I will go to Silver Bulletins. "I enter freely with my mind open and my blinkers off." Now, onto the rumours. Licking The Plate First a little good personal news. I'm now back in permanent employ. The Punch Magazine Young Writer Of The Year Award has opened up a door or two. And the local supermarket has just started selling some really decent cheese. Rejoice! And anything you can find lacking in this column, you can blame on two stories that were ready to run have stalled. Still, it's New Year, you can forgive me. Birthday Boy Our congratulations to Joe Quesada, turning 40 this week. Frankly it's amazing he's survived so long, what which his debauched behaviour, scandalous history and enraged John Byrne fans roaming the streets. His birthday bash is expected to be a big one, and he launches his website http://www.joequesada.com on the same evening. It's taking place very close to DC offices... does he expect to do any headhunting at the same time perhaps? Either way, I hear a few uninvited DC staff members may well try to crash it... As for the contents of the site? Well, it sounds like it's going to be a big one. From one creator alone, Mark Millar says, "2002 will also see the launch of my personal web-page and the MILLARWORLD forum (thanks, Blankboy) over at JoeQuesada.Com. This has been set up to provide updates on X-Men and The Ultimates and also to provide information on the other 2002 projects like my two creator-owned series WANTED and XXX." This Has A Gatecrashing Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Dark Knight Steps Up I hear that Warner Bros. have been having meetings about getting a certain Frank Miller involved in developing one or both of the Dark Knight books as a feature film. This may keep Miller very busy in Hollywood as he is currently working on screenplays for both Batman: Year One, with Darren Aronofski, and his and Geof Darrow's Hard Boiled. How this will affect his schedule on the discussed DKSA sequels, or the Jesus series or even the Black Captain America project is yet unknown. Say, is Clint Eastwood too old to play the role now? This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Lee Lines I hear that just prior to Christmas, Stan Lee has turned up at MGM Studios, where he's involved with a number of film projects. So just how much with Sony use his Spider-Man credentials during the promos for the film this summer? So what else is Stan Lee up to? Well, a novel was published over Christmas that managed to escape everyone's attention. Called The Alien Factor, written by Stan Lee and Steve Timmons of Battlestar Galactica fame, it's a sci-fi what-if story, with aliens making contact during World War II. To find out more, click here for a 30% saving. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Cold Turkey Posted by SK McGrovern to the Delphi Retailer's Forum in response to Marvel's 9 cent Fantastic Four #60 Christmas poem, just in time for Christmas and reprinted here, because it was rather funny. Twas a Marvel Light Xmas Twas a few days 'fore Xmas, and all through the store Many customers were shopping, (though I was hoping for more); I cleaned up the comics, handling them with care, Then started relaxing, resting back in my chair. I shut off the light, and locked the doors tight, I was almost quite ready, to call it a night; So I hit the computer, and accessed the 'Net, And saw Marvel's latest, to my full regret. Rhymes and insults, were all of the matter, To the Media Whores', newest little clatter. I sighed and wondered, and then realized That if Jemas could write one, well then so could I! I turned on the lamp, and through the soft glow, I noticed some papers, had fallen below; When outside the store, what should appear But an over-sized sleigh, and eight tired reindeer. With a rosy red driver, neither loud nor shrill I knew in a flash, it wasn't Joey or Bill. Searching his bags, he looked rather frazzled As he called out some names, he sounded quite dazzled "Where, Origin? Where, Spidey? Where, Daredevil Yellow? Where Kubert or Miller, or those English fellows? To Diamond I search! Through stockrooms I crawl! I'm better off banging my head 'gainst the wall!" He seemed quite perturbed, that Jolly St. Nick, I noticed his anger, it came rather quick. "This is getting absurd," as he kicked a small rock, "Why call them "Essential", if you can't keep 'em in stock?" He sat down on the bench, feet over the ground So I asked him inside, join me for a round. An hour later, He was one drunk Elf Who started to talk, quite in spite of himself "I really don't get it," he said, looking pissed "Explain to me how, they get away with all this; Marvel is rather rude, with these little tactics But in Marvel's glass house, they shouldn't toss bricks!" "CrossGen always gets, their books out on time, DC is selling, a comic for a dime, Neither is perfect, I will agree, But at least they're getting something, under THEIR x-mas tree!" "What bothers me most," he said with a frown, "Is that Marvel thinks they're, the best show in town!" "Now just wait a second," I said with a smile, "Compared to last year, Marvel's better by miles!" His eyes- how they sparkled! His dimples how merry! Then his cheeriness faded, and his voice got quite angry. "You stick up for them still, after what you've gone through? Late product and arrogance, very pricey trades, too!" The stump of a pipe, he held in his teeth His smoke filled the room, while I started to speak "I won't argue the truth, they could use a clue On how to treat people, or judge their IQ." "Marvel will say, 'We put asses in seats' When their books fail to show, I've got others to read! I've got Oni and CrossGen, DC and Dark Horse Slave Labor, Top Shelf, Larry Young and much more!" He walked out the door, threw his bags on the sleigh, I finished my beer, and walked over to say, "At Las Vegas I heard, Valentino speak smart He had a good point, so take it to heart." "Remember his words, when asked whose side he's on? 'On the Side of Comics', was his smart response. That jolly old man, he stood rather still, Then laughed really hard, while the snow blew uphill, "You speak the truth, sir, they don't really matter, It's just that they sound, as mad as a Hatter! Thanks for reminding me, whom I can trust, And which Industry Pro's, need a kick in the nuts!" He leapt on his sleigh, hit Prancer's brown ass And whipped the reins hard, while smiling quite crass I heard him exclaim, as he flew out of sight "Merry Xmas to all, and to all a good night!" This Has An IQ Rating Of 7 Out Of 10 RR 07 Start The Year As You Mean To Go On The staff of DC returned to work after the New Year break to discover a slight problem. They couldn't make any long distance USA phone calls. Some could call Brooklyn. And Birmingham, UK. But if they wanted the West Coast, they could forget it. For the whole day. A little inconvenient as they'd just all spend ten days off and had work piling up and people to talk to. Shame that Bat Signal doesn't have better range really... This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Art Attacked And finally, to reward those readers who read the whole column, right to the end... and especially those of you expecting a certain story I wasn't able to finish in time for today... Art Adams looks like he won't be drawing the last issue of Authority, due to a tight schedule getting even tighter - partly due to the interplay between creative and editorial of late. No idea who his replacement is yet. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] 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 has been reading comic books on a weekly basis since 1977.] Used with permission of www.thecomicreader.com Deodato Tells What's Brewing With Marvel's WITCHES, TIGRA and Other Work TCR was able to recently touch base with artist Mike Deodato, Jr., about his upcoming work with Marvel on the series, WITCHES (written by Bronwyn Carlton), TIGRA (with writer Christine Z) and covers for the upcoming Citizen V miniseries, CITIZEN V & THE V BATTALION: THE EVERLASTING. My thanks to Mike for his time and thoughts, David Gallaher for helping facilitate this interview, Steve Chung (TCR-C) for the opening question, and David Wiltfong for his permission (and assistance) to use his recent comicboards.com Deodato interview for a springboard on my first question. Enjoy! Tim O'Shea, TCR News TCR-C: What is it about the Witches characters make them stand out amongst the diversity (among the many super-heroes, super-villains, Masters of The Mystic Arts, Asgardian and Greek Gods, Living Legends of World War II) that is the Marvel Universe? Deodato: Well, although they may be considered only second-tier characters, I think it itself will make the difference. I hope the fact they aren't so popular, nor so super- powerful, can help to create a connection with the anonymous, mortal, reader. And there's the depth Bronwyn has built into their personalities, making them as real as possible to be in a comic book as well as the incredibly well written and natural dialogue she's writing for the series. And last but not least, there's my "new" style, more realistic but yet dynamic. Altogether -- I believe -- we'll create a strong empathy between the reader and the characters. TCR-O: In an interview with David Wiltfong at ComicBoards.com (http://www.comicboards.com/interviews/deodato.html), you mentioned that the art on the book would not be inked, but instead you were "doing super tight pencils." How much of a challenge has that been? Deodato: Actually it's rather a pleasure than a challenge. It's much more comfortable for me to be able to control the final result of my art without depending on any inker skills. Remember: I'm an inker, as well. I love to ink, but this has been much more fun, more liberating and spontaneous, I tell you. I've turned down jobs recently where the editor was stuck on going back to the traditional penciller/inker situation. TCR-O: Also, who will be the colorist on the book? Deodato: Dennis Calero, from Atomic Paintbrush. He's done an outstanding job out there. Wait and see. TCR-O: With a female writer (Bronwyn Carlton), do you think WITCHES will have a stronger perspective than other books with female lead characters, but that are written by male writers? Or do you think that gender makes a difference in writing a book of this nature? Deodato: I tend to think that, if you're a good writer, it doesn't matter what kind of book you're writing or what sex you are. It's unquestionable that a female writer knows better about women soul. Fortunately to the series, Bronwyn has both characteristics: A female writer with a hell of a talent! TCR-O: With the departure of Lysa Hawkins to DC, do you think having new editorial guidance on the book has impacted the direction of the book at all? Deodato: Not at all. The basic idea is the same as well as the enthusiasm. I'm totally in tune with Axel's ideas for the book. Lisa is a good friend of mine and -- Witches being her baby -- I know that even distant, she'll be cheering for us. I'll do my best to not disappoint her. TCR-O: Of the three lead characters, is there one that you can say is your favorite to draw? If so, is it because of her personality or because of her power? Deodato: Well my favorite is Topaz, but not because of her personality or because of her power. I'm using the face of my lovely wife as reference to the character, so... :) TCR-O: Doctor Strange will have a role in Witches, albeit minor. Nevertheless, each artist seems to give a unique look to the mystic Doctor, what quality do you hope to emphasize in this seemingly always fun to draw character? Deodato: I'm trying to make him look as serious and self-controlled as possible. I mean I prefer to pass the idea that he's the kind of guy who does not show his emotions at all. And -- of course -- I wanna play a lot with his big cape, a la Spawn! :) TCR-O: What attracted you to a project like TIGRA with Christine Z, was it the character, the writer or a mixture of both? Deodato: I was at first attracted by the character, because I didn't know, at the time I was invited by Tom Brevoort, who was gonna be writing it. Of course when I realized Christine Z was the writer, my interest by the series increased considerably. She's a terrific writer. TCR-O: What kind of photographic references are you using for TIGRA? Deodato: I'm using Mila Jovovich's face as reference for Tigra. For the rest I'm using me, my wife, and a bunch of friends. TCR-O: Both the characters from WITCHES and TIGRA made the bulk of their appearances in comics of the 1970s and 1980s. How much research did you have to do (Such as reading the old comics), or had you read them growing up? Deodato: Although I've been reading Marvel comics all my life, I still had to do some research on the Internet, because I was not familiar enough with the new stuff. It was not hard, though. TCR-O: Given that you got to redesign these characters in WITCHES, did you and Bronwyn approach the characters with a clean slate and ignore the baggage of old continuity? Deodato: The continuity has been followed because our goal is to keep them fresh but respecting their background. I've just tried to translate Bronwyn's ideas to the paper: She described Jennifer Kale as being 18, blonde, pretty, and full of herself. She should be like the head cheerleader, the most popular girl in school, always smiling and "nice" -- in a patronizing way. So I draw her as a somewhat inspired Mena Suvari in American Beauty. As for Topaz, she wanted her to be quiet, with gentle ways and "exotic" good looks, like some kind of hippie, but also very intelligent, observant, and with a dry, ironic sense of humor. My wife matched perfectly with the description, so I had no doubt on using her as the model for the character. Satana should be the youngest of the three, maybe 16. Goth- chick coloring: pale skin and black hair with a few burgundy streaks and she wears her hair short and spiky -- and the two longest spikes, near the front, resembling horns. I've just followed her description, adding Thora Birch's facial structure as a reference for the character's face. TCR-O: How much fun has it been doing the covers for the CITIZEN V mini? Deodato: In the beginning, I was not so enthusiastic about drawing the covers because I thought I'd have to draw the old outfit which seemed just ridiculous. Luckily they had changed the uniform to something much better. So, yes, I'm having a lot of fun doing it. TCR-O: Did Fabian Nicieza give any kind of suggestions or feedback, or did anyone else give you guidelines for what they needed? Deodato: The first and only time I talked to Fabian was back in 1996, at the San Diego ComiCon. I wasn't able to speak in English so he talked to me in Spanish. He's very a nice guy. Tom Brevoort was the one who gave me the guidelines and feedback. I like the way Tom challenges me to try new things. After seeing my graytone layouts for issue #1, for example, he asked me if I couldn't finish it in a washtone style, I said yes and we decided to do all the covers this way. TCR-O: As an artist, where would you say you improved the most in your career? Deodato: I don't know if it is because I'm older, experienced, or if it is because I've just rediscovered the passion for comics... the thing is that I'm much better now. TCR-O: Is there anything I did not ask that you would like to discuss? Deodato: Buy my books! I'm having loads of fun and I think it shows in my work. :) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Thoughts to Be Heard Jeff Clifford jcliffor@dhs.ca.gov By Columnist (not communist) Jeff Clifford What does a