---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 366 5/03/2002 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Winner of the 2001 EAGLE AWARD as FAVORITE COMICS E-ZINE! 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:Steve Niles ................. Tim O'Shea [6] Interviews:Shannon Wheeler Mike Indovina .............. Paul Dale Roberts [7] Shaddowfish Comments .................. David Dentler [8] Stream of Babbling .................... Tim O'Shea [9] Graphic Novel Reviews ................. Amy Harlib [10] A View From the Cheap Seats ........... Rich Watson [11] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions ............. Tim O'Shea [12] Comics Culture Shrapnel ............... Kris Naudus [13] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [14] My View:WAKE/THE UNFORGIVEN ........... David LeBlanc [15] Harvey Award Winners .................. Harvey Awards [16] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [17] 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 Let's see - May 3rd and the buzz is getting intense. Can SPIDER-MAN top Harry Potter? One article speculated aq $100M weekend. We'll know soon enough. And with free comic day as well it will be like a lost weekend. Devoted comic fans, I implore you to bring ONE person who is not a regular comic book reader to your local store and get them to try something they might enjoy. That is what it is all about. Maybe one of these . . . ABSTRACT STUDIOS Terry Moore's Paradise Too #7, $2.95 DARK HORSE COMICS Star Wars Episode II Attack O/T Clones #3 (Of 4), $3.99 Star Wars Episode II Attack O/T Clones Photo Cv #3 (Of 4), $3.99 DC COMICS Doom Patrol #8, $2.50 Hawkman #3, $2.50 MARVEL COMICS Alias #9, $2.99 Exiles #13, $2.25 <--------------Pick of the week! Ultimate Spider-Man #22, $3.50 Ultimate X-Men #17, $2.25 Ultimates #4, $2.25 SHANDA FANTASY ARTS Fantastic Furry Stories #3, $4.99 Can't wait until the 9:00 AM curtain on the free screening provided by THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT. I ended up winning 4 extra tickets from the local AM station so I get to treat more people to the blockbuster of the summer. I'll be waiting to hear YOUR impressions of the movie next time. David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com "Your Friendly Neighborhood 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:comic marketing ideas From:tricycle@sfcomics.com Based on several emails I've received from ShaddowFish fans and fellow publishers, I compiled a list of free online marketing tools and sites that may help other independents looking to increase sales and traffic. These are what we use, so I know the material is sound. Feel free to use this information for yourself, or share this URL with anyone you feel may benefit, including the link on your site or in your newsletter. http://www.sfcomics.com/Marketing/marketing.html Best, David Dentler ShaddowFish Comics www.sfcomics.com tricycle@sfcomics.com ICQ 36447997 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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: The DC ONE MILLION stories took place in which century? Randy Dere was the first of many who knew it was the 853rd Century. He wins GI JOE A Real American Hero Vol. 1 TP from our sponsor. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: SPIDER-MAN is hyping lots of products right now. One of the latest TV ads he is in is for Cingular Wireless, wherein he webslings around the country to the tune of a heavy rock beat. The question is what is the name of the song or the group that performs the music? Hint: It is an original song from the same decade Spidey began. 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 Free Comic Book Day - UPDATE #5 - FINAL UPDATE ***** THE TIME HAS COME! This is it! Saturday May 4 is Free Comic Book Day! There's not much left to say, other than this: On Saturday, grab your buddies, your kids, your siblings, your spouse, your parents, or strangers off the street, and take 'em to your local participating comic book store for a free comic! Need to find a participating store in your area? Use the handy Free Comic Book Locator at http://www.freecomicbookday.com/fcbd_locator.asp.) Wondering what comics are being given away? Check out http://www.freecomicbookday.com/pub_com.asp. Need to convince a friend or family members that comics are cool? Need to teach a newbie the basics? Refer to http://www.freecomicbookday.com/new_to.asp and http://www.freecomicbookday.com/comic_hist.asp. And don't forget to ask for your free Neal Adams postcard, featuring The SCI FI Channel's Farscape and Stargate SG-1! You could win the original art, signed by Adams himself...and who wouldn't want that? ***** IT'S NOT OVER YET! Just because May 4 is approaching doesn't mean that the fun is over. In the coming weeks and months, check www.FreeComicBookDay.com to see how May 4 was celebrated in stores around the world! +++++ Barking Dogs Helps Spider-Man Scale Skyscrapers Barking Dogs Promotions Scales the Sides of Buildings Around the World With a 60' Inflatable Replica of Spider-Man, Promoting the Film Release of Spider-Man. SANTA CLARITA, Calif., May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Promoting a national comic-book treasure turned movie may seem daunting to some, but not to the top dog at Barking Dogs Promotions. Joanne Allor's Barking Dogs Promotions is the event marketing and special events company recently hired by Sony Pictures Entertainment to create a 60' inflatable Spider- Man that will "crawl" down the sides of buildings around the world. The challenge to create an enormous inflatable replica of Spider-Man allowed the four-year-old event marketing company to make quite a bit of noise. They started by hiring Inflatable Marketplace to manufacture the inflatable to such exacting specifications that, to some passersby, the hosting city might appear to be under the protection of teenager turned super-arachnid, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. Next, Barking Dogs started chewing on rigging contractors for the wondrous act of installing the inflatable on the side of chosen buildings in these select cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Toronto, Tokyo, Berlin, Mexico City and Sydney, Australia. The Spider-Man inflatable also made an appearance on the theater at the film's star-studded world premiere. "There is already such buzz about the film and we were hired to capitalize on that excitement, and keep the momentum gathering until the film release," explains top dog, Joanne Allor. "An inflatable of this size, in some of the biggest cities in the world, will keep everyone excited about the movie. And that's why companies hire Barking Dogs: to build and maintain momentum for their particular product or brand." Barking Dogs Promotions specializes in getting clients noticed. The 60' Spiderman inflatable is only one in a long line of successful promotions, mobile marketing tours, special events, and sponsorship programs engineered by Joanne Allor. Through it all, Joanne has stayed true to the company vision statement: to be the premier entertainment event marketing service provider for all studios' event-driven films. Barking Dogs Promotions has been getting companies noticed with their inventive and creative solutions to marketing and promotional challenges since 1998. Their motto: get noticed. They have done just that for Saban Entertainment, Bandai Inc., Fox Kids, Toys R Us and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Through mobile marketing tours, event planning, promotions, sponsorship, and consulting, Barking Dogs gets clients noticed. For more information, contact Barking Dogs Promotions at (661) 251- 2380. Online at www.barking-dogs.com +++++ Sony Pictures to Offer Exclusive Spider-Man Costume Pieces & Props On eBay; Superhero Collectibles Hotter than Ever; Spider-Man Tops the List on eBay SAN JOSE, Calif.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--April 29, 2002--As Spider-Man fans and collectors around the world eagerly await the release of the upcoming Spider-Man film on May 3, Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment and eBay, the world's online marketplace(TM), will offer fans the chance to bid on exclusive items, including many props and costumes, from the highly anticipated film. Beginning April 29, the items from Sony Pictures will be listed for sale on eBay. The first round of items will be available on April 29 for 10 days, with additional items listed through May 14. Over 75 items will be available for bidding. Some of the exclusive Spider-Man items to be listed for sale include: -- Mounted and framed pieces of an authenntic Spider-Man costume worn by Tobey Maguire with certificate of authenticity signed by Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi -- Movie posters signed by Maguire, Raimii and Kirsten Dunst -- Director chairs signed by Maguire, Raiimi and Dunst -- Spider-Man webshooter -- Mary Jane Watson's dress from Unity Daay worn by Dunst -- Spider-Man Peter Parker lab research ooutfit Currently more than 30,000 superhero-related items are listed on eBay. Of those, more than 13,000 are Spider-Man related, making him eBay's most popular superhero. Batman comes in second with just over 10,000 items, followed by Superman with nearly 7,000. Among the most popular superhero items sought after by collectors are comic books, animation cels, pop culture toys and movie memorabilia. Superheroes such as Spider-Man, Superman and Wonder Woman have had a strong influence on pop culture. The presence of powerful and near mythic figures has a deep-seeded appeal to people of all ages. The Spider-Man phenomenon began in 1962 when Stan Lee created the comic book characters of Spider-Man and Peter Parker. Today he is featured in more than 2,000 comic books, as well as and in numerous books and cartoons and video games. "The release of the latest Spider-Man movie is expected to fuel the collecting of Spider-Man items. We've already seen the popularity of the Spider-Man film drive more interest, which may increase the prices of Spider-Man collectibles on eBay," said Jim Griffith, eBay Ambassador. "eBay is thrilled to offer Spider-Man fans around the world the chance to purchase some great items, including the exclusive items from Sony Pictures from their upcoming film." Examples of some of the rare and exciting Spider-Man collectible items available on the site include an original "The Amazing Spider-Man" comic book, which is currently at $20,100 with 30 bids; original Spider-Man artwork by Randy Queen, currently at $455 with 31 bids; and a lot of more than 50 vintage Spider-Man collectibles, currently at $355 with eight bids. +++++ Spider-Man(TM) Joins Web of CD Cardz Titles; Web-Slinging Superhero Swings Onto Computers With New Set of Serious CD Cardz NEW YORK, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Spider-Man(TM), along with pals Mary Jane and Harry, and his nemesis the Green Goblin(TM), will swing onto computers via a CD ROM card in May 2002 just in time for their first live-action feature film, Columbia Pictures/Marvel Entertainment's release Spider-Man(TM). Serious USA Inc., the creators of the digital portable entertainment on a baseball card-sized CD-Rom, under a license from Spider-Man Merchandising, LP, announced the upcoming set of Spider-Man CD Cardz today, based on the action-packed film directed by Sam Raimi. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020429/NYM115 ) "Spider-Man is one of America's favorite superheroes, and is the perfect addition to our ever-growing cast of CD Cardz," said Pamela Henning, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Communications. "Both the movie and the comic book have huge fan bases, and these fans will love our new collectible CD Cardz." Each of the CD Cardz contains digital sound effects, concept art, and action photos from the movie. Users can build postcards using Spider- Man images and then e-mail the postcards to friends. Cardz feature a movie trailer, an exclusive screensaver, and information on the characters and the actors who play them. Spider-Man CD Cardz are part of Serious' 2002 roster of hot entertainment properties including The Scorpion King, Men in Black II(TM), Stuart Little 2(TM), and Spy Kids 2. The set of four Spider-Man CD Cardz is available at select retail locations nationwide and online at Serioususa.com and features individual Cardz for the web-slinging superhero Spider-man (Tobey Maguire), his star-struck sweetheart Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst), his nemesis the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), and Spidey's best friend Harry Osborn (James Franco). Serious USA produces collectible, interactive CD Cardz(TM), the latest in portable and affordable digital entertainment products. Serious CD Cardz are packed with image galleries, episode highlights, movie trailers, character profiles, puzzles, and sound effects and they interact with the Internet. The rectangular CD-ROMs -- similar in size to baseball cards -- are both Windows and Mac compatible and mark the introduction of digital collectibles without the headaches of additional software and hardware installation. Serious currently has ten titles in release including: The Scorpion King, Spider-Man(TM), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(TM), Buffy the Vampire Slayer(TM), Stargate SG1, Medabots, Jurassic Park III, The Outer Limits, Planet of the Apes, and Final Fantasy. Expected in 2002 are CD Cardz for Men in Black II(TM), Stuart Little 2(TM), Spy Kids 2, and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers(TM). Current titles are available nationwide, for a list of retailers visit Serioususa.com. With offices in both London and New York City, Serious is a cutting-edge multimedia company specializing in the production of CD Cardz for the consumer market. Spider-Man Merchandising L.P. is a limited partnership between Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. and Marvel Enterprises Inc. The partnership oversees the expansive licensing and merchandising campaign surrounding Columbia Picture's highly anticipated theatrical release, Spider-Man. Spider- Man Merchandising L.P. explores a full range of merchandising categories for one of the world's most recognized characters. +++++ Midway, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, and DC Comics Sign Landmark Deal to Publish Videogames Starring the World's Greatest Super Heroes CHICAGO--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--April 29, 2002-- Agreement Grants Midway Rights to Use Comic Book and Animated Television Series-Based Justice League Characters in Upcoming Videogames Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), a leading software industry publisher and developer, announced today that it has secured the license from DC Comics and Warner Bros. Consumer Products to publish videogames based on the Justice League comic book franchise and animated television series featuring the world's greatest super heroes and some of the most well-known villains. Midway plans to feature the popular characters in videogames slated for development on next-generation systems and the Nintendo Game Boy(R) Advance. The agreements grant Midway the rights to publish Justice League videogames, with at least one based on the DC Comics' comic book series JLA and another based on the current Cartoon Network hit animated series, Justice League, produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The Justice League features the greatest super hero team of all time. In both the comic book and animated series, the core members of the team include Batman, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter. Hawkgirl and Aquaman round out the team in both the animated series and comic book. Fighting for truth, justice, and freedom, the Justice League's mission is to protect the world from evildoers such as The Joker, Lex Luthor, Mongul, Cheetah, Solomon Grundy, The Shade, Star Sapphire, Copperhead, Gorilla Grodd, Felix Faust and The Manhunter Robots. "DC Comics' compelling characters and storylines create unique properties that are ideal for the videogame experience," said Helene Sheeler, Vice President of Marketing, Midway. "We look forward to bringing these iconic characters to gamers everywhere." "The videogame platforms are a perfect fit for the ever-popular Justice League super heroes as their interactive adventures will reach new and existing fans," said Philippe Erwin, Vice President of Interactive Entertainment for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "We look forward to working with Midway's experienced developers to create engaging and entertaining games." The Justice League has existed in some form since 1940 when DC Comics' All-Star Comics introduced the first-ever group of super heroes in a comic book series, entitled Justice Society of America, which ran until 1951. DC Comics revived the concept in March 1960, renaming it Justice League of America. The League became the longest-running television cartoon based on a comic book when Hanna-Barbera Studios produced it as Super Friends (1973), The All-New Super Friends (1977), Challenge of the Super Friends (1978), The World's Greatest Super Friends (1979) and The Super Friends Hour (1980) for Saturday mornings, each with new characters added and each produced for ABC Television. Justice League of America, a monthly comic book, continues to be one of DC Comics' best-selling titles, consistently ranking among the top ten in industry sales. The Warner Bros. Animation- produced series, Justice League, premiered on Cartoon Network on November 17, 2001, and quickly became an audience favorite with children and adults alike, ranking consistently in the network's top ten performers. Issue #1 of the series tie-in comic book, entitled Justice League Adventures, debuted in November 2001 and is one of the industry's top sellers. "Midway is the perfect choice for developing the Justice League into a gaming franchise that will bring our super heroes to life like never before," said John Nee, Vice President of Business Development, DC Comics. "The creativity, experience and knowledge between both companies are of super-heroic proportions. Stellar videogames for next- generation video consoles are a guarantee." Midway Games Inc. is a leading developer, publisher and marketer of interactive entertainment software. Midway videogames are available for play on all major videogame platforms including the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance. For more information about Midway Games visit www.midway.com. +++++ SKETCH MAGAZINE #14 Neil Gaiman on stands May 8th One of the most anticipated Sketch interviews ever is arriving to your local comic shop May 8th. In a rare comic interview, the sensational national best selling author Neil Gaiman tells the story of his passion for storytelling and shares his approach to creating world filled with imaginative delight. From the pages of Vertigo/DC's Sandman to the creative word play of American Gods, Neil Gaiman's writing talents has woven threads of fantasy and intrigue into every story he has created. How does he do it? What is his approach? These questions and more will be answer as Sketch Magazine welcomes Neil Gaiman in an entertaining and informative feature interview. "Neil has worked on all kinds of projects. He has done comics, novels, children's books, short stories, TV programs and movies. You name it; he has done it and done it like no one else. I'm awe-struck by the level of his creative imagination," commented Bob Hickey, Sketch Creative Director. Here is a small excerpt from the interview: Sketch: When did you first become enamored with story telling? Was there a particular moment that you remember it happening, or was it more of a gradual process? Neil Gaiman: No. I think it was hard wired. I remember, as a kid, I would daydream about being a writer at the kind of age when kids are really meant to daydream about being astronauts, or train drivers, or firemen. I never had any of those daydreams. My daydreams were always, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to be a writer?" Only it never occurred to me I could do it by writing, because I was a kid, I guess. But that is what I always wanted to be. Those were my daydreams. I wish there was one cool, blinding moment that I could [point to and] say, "Before this, I didn't know that stories were what I wanted, and after it..." I think it goes as far back as I can remember, which is a very long way. Sketch: What about story telling really appeals to you? Is it the whole act of creation, the fact that, in a sense, you're transforming reality? Gaiman: No, I think a lot of it ...In many ways, the biggest thing, and the coolest thing, is creating something where there wasn't anything before. The magic of story telling, you don't get to do it that often in your life, even as a successful writer, even as a fairly prolific writer. But, every now and then, you can give people stories that will change the way they see things. And that, of course, isn't why you do it. But that part is kind of cool, kind of strange. The thing that I love is the way that "Dream of a Thousand Cats" (Sandman #18) didn't exist before I wrote it. And it was barely in my head before I wrote it. I knew I had to do a bunch of Sandman short stories, because I'd decided to do some short stories to get some ideas out of my head before I started the next big, long story line. And I was driving to the railway station, which happened to be at Gatwick Airport. It's about a half-hour drive through narrow country roads. And I saw a large cat sitting on the side of the road, very big, and very, very black, just looking like a little patch of night. And I thought, "You know, if the Sandman was a cat, that's what the character would look like." And I thought, "There's a story! I think I'll tell that one." The following four or five days later, I sat down and wrote it in a weekend. Which might sound incredibly odd, because normally it would take me something in the region, at that point, of about two to three weeks and, later on, four to five weeks to write a Sandman story. Like I say, it's that moment of creation, the moment where there wasn't something where you began and now, suddenly, there's something cool that is. I suppose [stories are] always like a kid. You know, they grow up, and go out in the world, and do their own thing. And that's what I love about stories, because they do that, too, sometimes. Now within the third year of successful and well-received publication, Sketch is the accomplished and asked-for trade magazine of pros, pupils, and hobbyists. Proud to proceed in serving the comic book creative community, Sketch continues its tradition of high-profile creator cover interviews, and now showcases an improved format, larger graphics, and even more in-depth and precise "how-to's". You can find more information about Sketch at www.bluelinepro.com +++++ Pin-Up Girls From Around The World Coming From Humanoids Los Angeles ­ April 30th, 2002 ­ Humanoids Publishing enthusiastically announces a new graphic album from TechnoPriests creator, Fred Beltran, due this July. Metal Hurlant Proudly Presents: Pin-Up Girls From Around The World is a collection of pin-up artwork from one of the mediums most unique and talented creators. Presented in the high quality albums that Humanoids is known for, Pin-Up Girls From Around The World is being released to coincide with Beltran¹s current Megalex serial and pin-up work in Metal Hurlant. Pin-Up Girls From Around The World is a tongue-and-cheek presentation, meant to showcase Beltran¹s art within the context of pop culture. Pages display influences from many different areas including pin-up magazines from the 50¹s, television, movies, music, and comic books. "It's a very layered book", says Ian Sattler, Marketing Manager for Humanoids who is also credited as writer and co-creative director on the book. "First and foremost, people are going to notice Beltran¹s art. There is nothing else like it in the world, and it¹s going to win over a lot of new fans. Past that, it was important that Pin-Up Girls From Around The World was different than other art books out there. There is something to notice on every page, whether it be something Beltran hid in the art, where captions are taken from, or what an image is parodying. I know that people won¹t catch everything right away. There is no filler in this book; it¹s full of detail. And the girls don't seem to be wearing much clothing, so that¹s always a plus." Fred Beltran is an international superstar artist, his work in Europe sells hundreds of thousands of copies. In the past he has let his art speak for itself. Pin Up Girls From Around The World will feature an exclusive interview with Beltran, in which he will discuss the process behind his creations and several other exciting topics. His bio for this album reads as follows: "Fred Beltran is not an easy man to find. The multi-millionaire playboy has a history of never staying in one place for too long, as can be witnessed by his recent two-year hot air balloon trip around the world. Beltran has had many careers over his lifetime: race car driver, the 5th best selling musician of all time, shark hunter, mercenary, president of a lucrative winery, head of the "Beltran 4 Kids" charity, male model, and Olympic water polo champion are just a few of the astonishing accomplishments Beltran has to his name. But now, at long last, he has returned to his true passion: Pin-Up Girls. Metal Hurlant Presents: Pin-Up Girls From Around The World is a collection of Beltran¹s work that was inspired from the many different locals he visited during his globe-spanning balloon trip. Hot on the heels of Beltran¹s other acclaimed work for Humanoids Publishing, Megalex and The TechnoPriests, this collection is everything the fans have hoped for and much, much more. Here now is a rare look into the mind of the world¹s most famous and adored international playboy of art and excitement." Metal Hurlant Proudly Presents: Pin-Up Girls From Around The World, a 64-page hardcover album retailing for $15.95, goes on sale in July. For more information, go to www.humanoids-publishing.com Humanoids Publishing is a division of The Humanoids Group, with offices in Paris, Brussels, Saigon, Geneva and Los Angeles. The Humanoids Group is a multi-faceted conglomerate headed by Chairman Fabrice Giger. Humanoids features subsidiaries that include an internationally renowned graphic novel/comic book publishing house, a 3-D animation and visual effects studio, an animation software development company and an entity currently developing interactive, role-playing computer games. For more information or a complete product list: http://www.humanoids-publishing.com +++++ Borders Books and Music Celebrates Mother's Day With Wonder Woman Gift Cards BUSINESS WIRE-Celebrate your super Mom with a Wonder Woman electronic gift card from Borders(R). The dynamic electronic gift card featuring DC Comic's Amazon Princess is the perfect way to tell Mom she's your heroine. You can reach the story directly by going to http://www.newstream.com/cgi-bin/display-story.cgi?5825 This multimedia news story is for free and unrestricted use on your news information site (and for print or broadcast too). Visit http://www.newstream.com to download video, audio, text, graphics, and photos. +++++ ALL-SMASH FUNNIES #1 NOW ON SALE! Produced by SeajayVentures Studios and published by Blue Moon Comics Group All-Smash Funnies #1 is now on sale. Priced at $2.00 U.S. this quarterly early 1940s style anthology featuring a spectacular full color cover by Ed Quinby on the outside and inside is presented the origins of The Meteor (by Jonathan A. Gilbert & Ed Quinby), Mister Chameleon (by Jonathan A. Gilbert, Seppo Makinen, David Owens & Susan Dorne) and Captain Sentinel and the Lads of Liberty (by Jonathan A. Gilbert, Bill Holloway and Stan Wong). The issue is rounded out with the first part of a prose serial featuring the golden age Black Rose (by Lloyd Smith with spot illos by David Vance) and a superhero satire by Chris O'Bryant and Vache Mavlian. For ordering information please go to the Blue Moon Comics Group Supersite at www.bluemooncomics.tsx.org For more information on SeajayVentures Studios contact Jonathan A. Gilbert at seajventures@hotmail.com +++++ PHOSPHORESCENT COMICS - MAY PRESS RELEASE WITCH KING #1 Limited Edition. Written by Christian Read, Illustrated by Paul Abstruse PJ Magalhaes, Laing Rahner The crown prince Andarien is dragged before the greatest wizard of the age, who now sits on his own father's blood soaked throne. This is the Witch King, who has wrought an army from the dead and succeeded in destroying their own father's ancestral estate. Now victorious, the Witch King desires that the Andarien be forced to listen to his own life story; a story that is wracked with hardships and bravery, and also with dark places beyond the capacity of human reason. It is also a story of the Witch King's youth, from a time the two were kindred... In his story, Gavriel the Witch King tells of his desire for knowledge that bought him scorn from the family that held no place for him, and of his experiments with magic that saw him branded an outlaw. He tells of his training at the hands of an insane witch and his enslavement of an undead Warlord (Van Istrian). He talks of his foundation of a land of the dead of which he is now the king. Gavriel also tells of a greater threat, waiting outside the Universe, that is now ready to devour the world. This is the story of Gavriel the Witch King - An Autobiography of a Dark Lord! This tale of the Witch King is the latest in high-quality work from Australia's own Phosphorescent Comics, incorporating the proven creative writing talents of Christian Read (writer of DUNWICH and THE WATCH and recent works published in Starwars Tales) with that of rising star and illustrative genius Paul Abstruse. Together Christian and Paul make an awesome, almost unbeatable team that's perfectly suited to telling this dark but fascinating tale. Other contributors to this edition include PJ Magalhaes (Inker) and Laing Rahner (greyscaler), and their work on this project speaks volumes of excellence in the finished product itself. Witch King is planned as a six part, full colour, internationally released series. However, this #1 Limited Edition is a black and white stand-alone edition (no issues to follow) and for general sale in the Australian and New Zealand markets only. We are using this mini-release to test the local market and to finalise some production details. They are in very limited supply so make sure you get your bit of Southern-Hemisphere comic history! Copies of this special release are also available through our online store at but if you are a regular comic shopper we suggest you pay a visit to your local comic shop! 24 pages, b&w, AU$6.95 Visit http://www.phosphorescent.com.au/comics/ for more information on new releases and new titles. Reviewers, please send email to mailto:comics@phosphorescent.com.au for information on future releases. +++++ Nick Bertozzi at the Book Expo America / Publishers Weekly Review New York cartoonist Nick Bertozzi will be attending the Book Expo America as an exhibiting author. He will be bringing copies of his The Masochists (ISBN 1-891867-03-2) book as well as some preview material for his new Rubber Necker series that will start to appear in collections of his work starting either in 2003 or 2004. He'll also bring copies of 9-11: Emergency Relief in which he had an amazing piece. Please let me know if you'd like to arrange anything special with Nick Bertozzi during the show. Bertozzi's The Masochists has been receiving a lot of trade journal reviews, the latest comes from Publishers Weekly: From Publishers Weekly Comix artist Bertozzi's latest presents three honest and unforgiving stories that examine miscommunication, emotional indifference and blatant cruelty. Each character copes with his or her own feelings of inadequacy. "Passing Out" charts the course of a high school friendship. A fantasy-character card game between two teen aged band members comes to an abrupt halt when one of them falls in love with a girl and coldly rejects his former friend. In "U.V. Katastrophe," a former punk rocker, frustrated with writing advertising jingles, experiences a moment of musical transcendence when he sits in with his former band; readers see him spiraling up toward the heavens on Bertozzi's vine-like visual representations of sound. And in "5/4," a story of maladjustment and cynicism, Donna, a self-mutilating and alcoholic young woman, lives a sad life with her brother and beer-guzzling father. Inebriated and stumbling home one evening, she's picked up by some art patrons and put on display, half-undressed and humiliated, during a crowded exhibition. Bertozzi (Boswash) infuses his stories with a deep melancholy and punctuates them with moments of genuine emotional discomfort that reveal his characters' most intimate and vulnerable sides. His b&w drawings are powerful but deceptively simple; they push the narrative along almost without help from the truncated, acerbic dialogue. +++++ Lea Hernandez' Rumble Girls Comes to the Web May 2, 2002 San Rafael, California (For more details, and some beautiful artwork, see www.rumblegirls.com). Today, Modern Tales, www.moderntales.com, and Lea Hernandez (creator of Rumble Girls and Cathedral Child, and artist on Marvel's Mangaverse Punisher) announced that they will be working together on a new subscriptions-based webcomics site, RumbleGirls.com in May. The site will feature all previous Rumble Girls stories, published by Image Central from Spring 2000 to Spring 2001, as well as the long-awaited conclusion to the storyline begun in print. After the print storyline has been completed, Hernandez will be creating all-new stories set in the Rumble Girls universe, taking the characters and the concepts far beyond where she could have taken them in print. When asked why she would make the risky move to webcomics, Hernandez said, "What I want to accomplish is completion! I owe myself the ending of RUMBLE GIRLS: Silky Warrior Tansie. I pay myself the final chapter, and my readers that have waited so patiently are rewarded too! My vision for the RG:SWT online comic is pretty straightforward. It'll be conventionally comic-shaped pages presented in a form and fashion that will allow the people who followed it in print as well as new readers to get the whole story." After the print storyline is completed, says Hernandez, "The next RUMBLE GIRLS story will be RUNAWAY LIGHTNING OHMRY, another title that's supposed to intrigue with the mini-poem quality of its seven "evoke 'Silky Warrior Tansie" syllables. But to hell with that: it's about a former Rumble Girl, Ohmry, who has walked away from an industrial intelligence agency, Twig. Twig wants Ohmry retrieved, and in a way so spectacular, public and humiliating that no agent will walk away again, but that everyday people will never believe is anything but a huge show for their benefit. Enter EnTeCo HardSkin pilots Rumble Girl Pink and Rumbler Ace Uno, two entertainers who will "hunt" Ohmry. Pink thinks she's picking up her last EnTeCo paycheck before she retires. Ace KNOWS he is--he plans to prove he's worthy to join Twig by retrieving the elusive Ohmry, even (and especially) at the expense of Pink's life, but Twig goons Pry and Relume have other plans for them and Ohmry." Hernandez isn't new to the web. Her work has appeared on the Modern Tales anthology subscription site since its launch, and she has also worked with Warren Ellis and others on web-based projects. As an active and engaged self-publisher in the print world, she has used her website divalea.com as a primary means of promoting her work, and has had first-hand experience of the power of the web. "One of my favorite things about the web (and online services), and the reason why I have been using it to publicize projects since 1990, is because it instantly makes information viral and democratizes access to works of art such as comics. It makes an end run around the logistics of printing, publishing and distribution. It can keep most of the power in the hands of creators. (Creators can always choose to give it away, but that's a different story!)" Online publication of the series in no way precludes eventual print publication of the new material, according to Hernandez. "I haven't forgotten (and never will, since I'm one of them) that people like a book they can hold, take in the tub, take on a plane. I am talking with publishers now about a trade collecting the entire series, which I hope people will be reading with Mr. Bubble, leaving in the guest bathroom and using to strike up conversations with cute gals and guys in airports by sometime in 2003." The web publication of the series will serve as an analogue to periodical comic publication, and stand in the same relationship to the trade as standard comics stand in relation to the paperbacks which collect and reprint them, Hernandez explained. Modern Tales publisher Joey Manley said, "The Modern Tales concept has worked far beyond our expectations: our flagship site, moderntales.com, has had $20,000 in sales in the first two months of its existence, on $9000 capital investment and $400 in recurring monthly expenses. The reason it has worked has been the energy and enthusiasm of Lea and the 27 other cartoonists whose work is on the site. That $9000 was out of my personal bank account, so you can imagine how relieved I am that it's working! It was a risky experiment, but that's what makes life worth living. Rumble Girls is the next experiment: a single-series website, offering as much ongoing material as a standard monthly comic, but released in smaller bits on a daily basis. It's one of many we hope and plan to launch in the coming weeks and months." Rumble Girls will launch on the web on September 1, 2002. Readers who wish to be notified of the site's launch are encouraged to contact Modern Tales at the email address: subscriptions@moderntales.com with the subject line "Rumble Girls." Email addresses collected in this manner will, according to the company, only be used once, to remind readers that Rumble Girls has launched. The Rumble Girls subscription site will cost readers $1.95/month, if they are not current customers of Modern Tales. Subscribers of Modern Tales' anthology site at www.moderntales.com will be able to add Rumble Girls to their package as a premium comic for $1/month. Editorial contacts: Joey Manley joey@moderntales.com Publisher, Modern Tales Lea Hernandez divalea@divalea.org Creator, Rumble Girls +++++ COMICS ON THE WEB UPDATED FOR BROADBAND USERS New High-Resolution Option Now Available TAMPA, FL., May 2, 2002 - In response to the growth of broadband Internet use, CrossGen Comics has added a high-resolution Comics on the Web player to its existing Comics on the Web system. This new version is optimized for Cable Modems, DSL, and faster Internet connections, offering users of these high-speed Internet services better quality images possible only via these high-speed connections. Both current subscribers and new readers are able to access this new high-resolution player, with the introduction of a high-bandwidth/low- bandwidth option screen that will now appear before the opening page of every issue of Comics on the Web. Those who choose the high quality version will notice a sharper image quality at normal size or when zooming in. "In February, just about half of all Internet usage in the United States was accounted for by broadband usage," said CrossGen's VP of Business Development Tony Panaccio. "As we continue to reach out to the mainstream with our growing list of Web partners, it only makes sense that we market to this increasing audience of broadband users. Especially when we are asking consumers to pay money for access to our Internet content, the quality has to be there. For these users, they will see the sharpest, highest quality graphics of any comic currently on the Internet. Instead of following the current standard, we'd like to help set a new higher one." +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ BANK CLAIMS PUBLISHERS FAILED TO FILE LPC CONSIGNMENT FORMS! BANK SET TO HIT LPC AGAIN! April 30: The LPC bankruptcy, which has ensnarled the cash flows and inventories of almost every independent graphic novel publisher in North America, is set to get even nastier. According to a report on Counterpunch.org, the bank which originally seized $1.2 million from the distributor's account is threatening to repeat the action when LPC receives this month's payments from book warehouses. The payments are due May 1st. A second seizure could have dire consequences for publishers who have kept product flowing to LPC in hopes of helping them reorganize. The LPC bankruptcy was filed after Bank One and its subsidiary, American National Bank, seized $1.2 million in the LPC account. That seizure is currently being challenged in the courts by publishers who say the bulk of the funds were theirs COUNTERPUNCH reports: "In an effort to resolve the matter quickly, some publishers tendered a generous offer. It would have allowed the bank to keep the $1.2 million already taken and be paid an additional $750,000 of publishers' money over 10 months, amounting to about 80% of what the bank is after. Bank One turned it down cold." COUNTERPUNCH said: "85 publishers use LPC Group as a distributor for their books. LPC had a loan from the bank, with about $2.7 million outstanding. No publisher had signed onto the loan. Most if not all were unaware that LPC had obtained it. The bank acknowledges that LPC was not behind in loan payments. It recalled the loan after deciding LPC was a bad credit risk, essentially asking publishers to pony up for its own bad business choices." COUNTERPUNCH said: "As with every month, on April 1, LPC deposited a $1.2 million payment it received from an independent warehouse for sales of the publishers' books. Bank One, from documents in its possession, knew at the time that the payment was created from the sale of books owned by the publishers that were with LPC on consignment. It also knew that $1 million of the deposit was due to be sent out to publishers. Nonetheless, it seized the money the day it arrived in LPC's account. Bank One, still owed another $1.4 million, wants money from the next sales as well." COUNTERPUNCH said: "Bank One's position is straightforward. Yes, the contracts between publishers and LPC all stipulate that the books belong to the publishers and are under consignment. But the publishers failed to file forms with state governments that would have "perfected" the consignment. Had they done so prior to the loan from the bank in 1999, publishers would have had first claim to the books and resulting sales. That publishers were unaware of the loan and had no way of knowing it was about to be made in '99 is irrelevant, according to the bank." FREELANCER WINS SUIT AGAINST THECOMICSTORE.COM! PRICE MOVES TO GARNISH CMI ACCOUNT! April 29: Freelance comics journalist, Howard Price, has been awarded $3575 in a lawsuit against Ross Rojek's CMI Holdings. The suit concerned unpaid invoices for freelance reviews, interviews, and feature articles Price wrote for the e-commerce site The ComicStore.com. The suit was filed in Faulkner County Arkanas Small Claims court. Price told the SPLASH: "I was paid at a rate of $25 per review and $75 for interviews and features. My last payment for this work was in March of 2001, in the form of a transfer of shares of CMI Holdings (CMIH), the parent company. Repeated requests were made during the course of the year for further payments, during which time I continued to write articles--relying on the good faith of the company and because I personally liked the editor (whom I still count as a friend and am working with part time producing the Pictographic Revue email 'zine.) When no payments came by October, I ceased writing for TheComicStore.com." Price said he filed suite in December of 2001, "for a total amount of revenues owed of $3,575. On January 16, 2002, the Small Claims court of Faulkner County found a judgment in my favor for the above amount, plus the $33.00 of court costs, said judgment to accrue interest at the rate of 10% per year. 30 days after the judgment was served, there was no response from Ross." Price said: "On March 5, 2002, I filed a Writ of Garnishment (incurring another $14.00 in court costs) with the bank on which TheComicStore.com LLC checks were written. In April, I received notice from the courts that the bank in Sacramento could not comply with the Writ because the Arkansas court did not have jurisdiction, and that I would need to register my judgment in Sacramento county and get another Writ on the new case number to make it enforceable. I contacted the courts in Sac county, and obtained the 4 documents necessary to register the judgment. They will be sent in soon, along with another $97.00 incurred court costs. (Additionally, there is a $5.00 for getting a certified copy of my judgment, and another $7.00 for the new Writ.) Once Sacramento County has registered my judgment and given it a case number, I will be able to apply for a new and enforceable Writ of Garnishment." In addition to the Price case, the SPLASH Has learned that at least one other freelancer is awaiting payment for articles submitted and published to thecomicstore.com site. Don Markstein told the SPLASH: "I also wrote some reviews and features there, tho I didn't let the outstanding balance get out of hand. If you're interested, they still owe me $75 for the last feature I wrote there. Also, they "reprinted" one of my features without payment or even notification, but since there wasn't any contract specifying payment for that, let it go." Ross Rojek, CEO of CMI Holdings, which owns the Comics & Comix stores, the Beyond The Pale distribution company along with Internet sites TheComicStore.com and AnotherUniverse.com., did not respond to requests for a statement. SPIDER-MAN SET TO OPEN ON 7,500 SCREENS! HOW BIG WILL SPIDEY BE? May 2: For a nation that ignores comic books, America is genuinely lathered up for the opening of SPIDER-MAN on Friday. The film has been tracking some of the highest numbers ever recorded for audience expectations and is booked in 3,615 theatres. It is estimated that the film will show on 7,500 screens through double- and triple-booking in some venues. VARIETY is reporting: "So high are expectations for Sony's weekend bow of "Spider-Man," it's considered a foregone conclusion the comic- inspired actioner will easily break the $68.1 million frame record set by Universal's "The Mummy Returns" last year. The big question is by how much." Warner Bros' "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" opened in 3,672 theatres and 8,100 screens and took in a record three-day opening at $90.3 million. VARIETY said: "Such an opening would represent a staggering $25 million-$30 million take per day over the opening frame. Only a handful of pictures have ever done north of $25 million on any one day, so it's small wonder Sony execs are eager to rein in over-enthusiastic "Spidey" projections. After all, no one wants to become the next "Pearl Harbor." Pre-release hopes for the Disney war epic ran so high that "Harbor" somehow became perceived as an underperformer even while sailing to more than $450 million in worldwide box office. +++++ From the Comics Continuum at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/: ORIGIN #6 ON-SALE DATE Marvel Comics announced on Tuesday that the delayed Origin #6, the final issue of the mini-series, will arrive in stores on May 22. Marvel also released the cover to the issue, penciled by Joe Quesada and digitally painted by Richard Isanove. The mini-series is written by Paul Jenkins, with art by Andy Kubert. +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.comicon.com/Newsarama/ Winner of the 2001 Squiddy - Best General Comics Web Site NEW 'POWERS' TPB OFFERED UPDATED - Image Comics today announced the August release of a new, third trade paperback collection of Brian Bendis and Mike Oeming's Powers. Called Powers: Little Deaths, the 224-page, $18.95 volume will compile the three-part "Groupies" story arc from Powers #12-14, along with "Ride Along", the story from the sold-out Powers #7 in which writer Warren Ellis guest-starred as himself. Also included is the complete Powers Annual (including the story that first ran in Wizard's Powers ) and the Powers Coloring And Activity Book, along with a new sketchbook section from Oeming, a cover gallery, and an in-depth interview with Bendis. And according to Image, as a "special bonus", Powers: Little Deaths will include Powers: Who Killed Madman? from the 2000 Oni Press Color Special, "a sly parody of Powers by the series' creators featuring a mind-blowing lineup of comic book guest-stars that has to be seen to be believed." And in addition to that, the new trade paperback will also feature Bendis and Oeming's very first collaboration, the crime noir tale, "Keys", a short story that originally appeared in the "ultra-rare" Jinx True Crime Confessions Special. "We understand what the readers expect from Powers trade paperbacks: more, more, more," said Bendis. "I think this trade builds on the expectations set by Who Killed Retro Girl?" Speaking of which, Image also noted that the third printing of that first Powers collection is due to ship in July, with the second printing of the second trade paperback, Roleplay set to follow shortly thereafter. A signed and numbered print of the cover from the latest printing of Retro Girl trade is also being produced, with all proceeds going to ACTOR (A Commitment To Our Roots). +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com RANXEROX -------- Comics2Film has learned that there are plans afoot to bring artist Tanino Liberatore and writer Stefano Tamburini's European comic Ranxerox to the big screen. Producer Chris Hanley is working to develop the concept with London-based director Chris Cunningham. Cunningham first came to prominence doing special effects work for movies like A.I., Alien³ and Alien: Resurrection. He went on to direct the controversial "Come to Daddy" music video for Aphex Twin and also directed "All is Full of Love" for Bjork. Hanley told us that Cunningham is a fan of the book and wanted to adapt it for film. The director is currently writing the screenplay for the movie. The darkly humorous comics features Ranxerox, a punk, Frankenstein's monster and Lubna his teenage sidekick. Together they form a bizarre beauty and beast team in a post-apocalyptic world. DAREDEVIL --------- Fox has released a photo depicting comic legend Stan "The Man" Lee's recent appearance on the set of the Daredevil feature film. Comics2Film followed up with sources at Twentieth Century Fox and confirmed that Lee has a small but important role in the film. Fox said that Lee plays the old man that young Matt Murdock saves from being hit by a bus. Fans know well that Murdock is blinded and given his other super senses while trying to save the elderly pedestrian. It appears Daredevil's creator is playing the man who helped Daredevil become a superhero. HELLBOY ------- Variety confirmed the story that Ain't It Cool News broke over the weekend: Revolution Studios has committed financing to the Hellboy movie. The movie is budgeted at $60 million. Blade II director Guillermo del Toro is set to helm the pic from his own script. Actor Ron Perlman is in talks to star. Revolution's Todd Garner brought the project to the studio and Revolution top gun Joe Roth gave the greenlight to the project. http://www.variety.com SUB-MARINER ----------- Screenwriter David Self is set to dive into the undersea kingdom of Sub-Mariner according to today's Hollywood Reporter. The trade magazine reports that Self has signed a seven-figure deal to write and executive produce a movie based on Marvel's aquatic king for Universal Pictures. Sub-Mariner marks Self's second major comic book adaptation. He also penned the script for Road to Perdition, which is due out later this year. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com CONSTANTINE ----------- The big-screen version of DC/Vertigo's Constantine (based on the comic Hellblazer) was charging towards production when the director bailed out on the project in January. Now The Hollywood Reporter reports that Warner Bros. and that director, Tarsem Singh, have filed lawsuits against one another in Los Angeles Superior Court. On Feb. 1, Warner Bros. filed a complaint against Tarsem and his Oedipus Productions. The suit alleges that Singh violated his contract with the studio by bailing on the project. Warner is requesting that the court order arbitration of the dispute and may also seek damages. Last Friday, Singh fired back claiming that Warner "baited (him) with false promises, usurped his creative rights (rights guaranteed under the DGA Agreement), and then, in an ultimate irony, sued him for millions for allegedly failing to do exactly that which they prevented him from doing." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com +++++ From the DC Comics Online Newsletter at http://www.dccomics.com DC EXCLUSIVE! JIM LEE SPEAKS FROM THE EYE OF THE STORM! Comics creator Jim Lee is mighty excited about WildStorm's new mature readers imprint, EYE OF THE STORM. When a guy of Jim's caliber gets excited about something, you can bet it's gonna be worth a trip to the comics shop to check out. Sure Jim Lee is WildStorm's founder and loves all his babies, but this time papa is particularly proud. We asked Jim to tell us what makes EYE OF THE STORM so special: This year, as we continue to commemorate our past, namely WildStorm's 10th anniversary, we also celebrate our future. Our strength has always been our ability to reinvent ourselves; to fearlessly come up with new projects and new lines to match the ever-changing landscape of comics. Our creative teams have always been on the cutting edge, blazing new trails and pushing the envelope of what readers could come to expect in a mainstream superhero comic book. And over the years, the WildStorm universe has changed and grown to keep pace with the readership's expectations. This summer, we blow those expectations right out of the water with the launch of EYE OF THE STORM--WildStorm's mature audience line of superhero comics. Within the EYE OF THE STORM, our creators will have the opportunity and freedom to paint the most realistic and unconventional view of what the world would really be like if there truly were metahumans amongst us. Our creators will show you the beauty of metahumans godlike powers, the deadly consequences of their irrational whims and explore their ability to change mankind's destiny in the blink of an eye. The bone-crushing action hits the stands this July with the launch of the first two of our six EYE OF THE STORM titles, the adrenaline-fueled STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES and the deliciously twisted romp AUTOMATIC KAFKA. Guided by the impressive creative team of hot new writer, Micah Ian Wright with fan favorite artist Whilce Portacio, STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES will drop you right into the middle of geopolitical intrigue and hard-hitting conflict as mankind fights back against fanatical metahumans hell-bent on reshaping the world in their own twisted image. Also launching in July, AUTOMATIC KAFKA is Joe Casey and Ashley Wood's most ambitious work to date. Here we're introduced, after the fact, to the $tranger$ (once the biggest and most popular superhero team of the 80s), and what remains of its lead members. It's not always pretty but it's always interesting as AUTOMATIC KAFKA will push all the right buttons while twisting our preconceptions, creating a truly original take on what superheroes mean to our world. So strap yourself in and get ready for an exhilarating ride--the EYE OF THE STORM is coming in hard and fast! We know you're going to want to get on board. -- Jim Lee May 2002 San Diego IT'S NO JOKE - DC OVERSHIPS MAD SPIDER-MAN ISSUE IN MAY! We may have missed April Fool's Day, but May still isn't too late to get the last laugh! On May 8, retailers will receive a free overship of MAD Magazine #418 (MAR020446), featuring a Spider-Man cover, movie parody and more. The issue will arrive in quantities of four times retailers' initial orders. "Between Free Comic Book Day and the opening of the Spider-Man movie, we're expecting a surge of traffic in comics shops that weekend," says Vince Letterio, DC's Manager — Direct Sales. "And for all the people entering a comic book store for the first time, MAD is a familiar name, one that they know from television as well as the magazine itself." The magazine should also be in high demand due to its cover, which features a tongue-in-cheek rendering of Spider-Man by longtime MAD contributor Mort Drucker. Inside, the issue includes the movie parody "Spider-Sham," by Dick DeBartolo and Tom Richmond, a "Mad Look at Spider-Man," by Sergio Aragonés, plus "The 21 Hottest Star Wars Rumors," by Arnie Kogan and Hermann Mejia. "EYE OF THE STORM" MINISITE AT DCCOMICS.COM WildStorm's "Eye of the Storm" line takes center stage at a new minisite that includes art and editorial profiles from STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES, AUTOMATIC KAFKA, WILDCATS, POINT BLANK, SLEEPER, and BLACK SUN. Also new at the site is a minisite about THE LEGION, including quotes from reviewers, background on the Legion's previous series, and links to THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES. Also, the Secret Files section has exanded with new information on the members of the JSA. SGT. ROCK ACTION FIGURE SELLS OUT Less than a week after arriving in stores, the FIGHTING FORCES: SGT. ROCK ACTION FIGURE (STAR15606) has sold out at the distributor. THE BLACK AND WHITE KNIGHT RETURNS IN BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE VOLUME 2 Five never-before-seen stories highlight BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE Volume 2, a new hardcover collected edition that follows the successful and critically acclaimed BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE. Coming to comic-book stores in August, BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE Volume 2 collects the Dark Knight's back-up tales from BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #1-16. This oversized, 176-page, hardcover edition measures 7 1/2" by 11 5/8", and is printed on high-quality paper. The five new stories, which also will see print in future issues of BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS, are: "Bats, Man!," written by Ty Templeton with art by Marie Severin "Case Study," written by Paul Dini with painted art by Alex Ross "Fortunes," written by Steven T. Seagle with art by Daniel Torres "A Matter of Trust, written by Chris Claremont with art by Steve Rude & Mark Buckingham "Night After Night," written by Kelley Puckett with art by Tim Sale This new volume also features a new cover illustration by Mike Mignola, along with stories by Warren Ellis & Jim Lee, John Byrne, Paul Pope, John Arcudi & Tony Salmons, Paul Levitz & Paul Rivoche, Walter Simonson & John Paul Leon, Arcudi & John Buscema, Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso, Howard Chaykin & Jordi Bernet, Alan Brennert & José Luis García- Lopez, Bob Kanigher & Kyle Baker, Dave Gibbons, Harlan Ellison & Gene Ha, Dini & Ronnie Del Carmen, Tom Peyer & Gene Colan & Tom Palmer, and Alan Grant & Enrique Breccia! BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE Volume 2 is solicited in the June issue of Previews (Volume XII #6), with an in-store date of August 28 and a cover price of $39.95 U.S. Also, please note that the first BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE TP is still available for reorder (STAR10808, $19.95). 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 titles have been reprinted and are available for order: BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL PART 1: BROKEN BAT TP (STAR10510) (3rd printing) HELLBLAZER: DANGEROUS HABITS TP (STAR00730) (4th printing) JLA: TOWER OF BABEL TP (STAR13735 D) (2nd printing) NEWS FROM THE MAINSTREAM PRESS The April 25 editon of USA Today includes the article "Keep 'Em Laughing," in which Whitney Matheson interviews CODENAME: KNOCKOUT writer Robert Rodi about his new novel. NEWS FROM THE TRADE PRESS The April issue of The Comics Journal includes a review of the GON series, with Andrei Molotiu writing, "[Masashi] Tanaka's visual storytelling is as masterful as it would have to be for a silent narrative to carry such a depth of meaning…[I] laughed myself utterly silly." Also reviewed in this issue is the Watson-Guptill publication The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics, about which Trina Robbins writes, "I actually learned something from this book!" Comic Shop News #775 includes the article "Our Gang," about the upcoming miniseries FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE. "May Hot Picks" include the "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" storyline," the DC FIRSTS specials, GREEN LANTERN #150, GREEN LANTERN SECRET FILES #3, THE HUMAN TARGET: FINAL CUT, JUST IMAGINE STAN LEE WITH CHRIS BACHALO CREATING WONDER WOMAN, the SUGAR AND SPIKE #1 facsimile edition, and the Dark Horse title Superman/Aliens II: Godwar. The "News International" section of May's Comics International includes an article on THE FILTH and ANIMAL MAN: ORIGIN OF SPECIES, as well as articles on 100%, RESIDENT EVIL: CODE VERONICA and JLA: DESTINY. "Advance Listings" spotlights the JOHNNY DOUBLE TP and EVERQUEST: TRANSFORMATION. The "Current Comics" section in the April 26 issue of Comics Buyer's Guide (#1484) includes items on SUPERMAN #183 and the ANIMAL MAN: ORIGIN OF SPECIES TP. SUPERMAN #180 is reviewed in "Comics Guide," with Maggie Thompson calling it "a rewarding Done-in-One." The "Comics in Your Future" column in the May 3 issue of Comics Buyer's Guide (#1485) reviews WONDER WOMAN: THE HIKETEIA, with S.A. Bennett writing, "This well-written, beautifully drawn hardcover has [Wonder Woman and Batman] at war, both physically and philosophically, in a way that will redefine both their characters." Also reviewed is 100% #1, with Phil Mateer writing, "What's here looks intriguing, inventive, and of the same high quality as Pope's other work." In this issue's "Reading Room," Jack Abramowitz reviews JUST IMAGINE STAN LEE WITH JOHN BYRNE CREATING ROBIN, giving it a grade of "B+." Abramowitz also reviews GREEN ARROW #12, calling the series "One of the deepest, most insightful takes on a DC character in a long time." "Comics Guide" looks at 100% #1, with Maggie Thompson writing, "It looks as if [Paul] Pope is continuing to maintain his excellent track record." Thompson also reviews WONDER WOMAN: THE HIKETEIA, calling it "a compelling, fascinating adventure." The June issue of Wizard includes an exclusive 8-page comics preview of STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES. The "News & Notes" section features an article on the upcoming run of BATMAN by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee, along with a sidebar on Loeb's upcoming work with Ed McGuinness. "DC Locks Up Stars" covers DC's exclusives with Brian Azzarello and Ed McGuinness. The section also includes an article on the SGT. ROCK graphic novel from VERTIGO. "News Flashes" includes items on THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY collected edition and several in-the-works projects from VERTIGO. BATMAN #600 and The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics are included in this issue's "Heat Index." Batman faces Snake-Eyes in this issue's "Last Man Standing," with art by HAWKMAN's Rags Morales. "Stuff" spotlights DC Direct products including THE AUTHORITY ACTION FIGURES, THE DC COMICS POCKET SUPER HEROES, THE SPECTRE STATUE, and THE BRAVE & THE BOLD #28 STATUE. The section also looks at the Infogrames games Superman: Shadow of Apokolips and Superman: The Man of Steel. THE LEGION is this issue's "Book of the Month," with a sidebar listing the top five shocks the series has delivered so far. "Picks" this month include BATGIRL, BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS, THE FLASH, GREEN ARROW, HAWKMAN, JSA, 100 BULLETS, and SUPERMAN. This month's "Hot 10" comics includes CATWOMAN #3 (at the #6 spot) and BATMAN #600 (at #10). "In & Out" looks at DOOM PATROL, from its beginnings in MY GREATEST ADVENTURE to the current monthly. NEWS FROM THE INTERNET The Fourth Rail has posted a review of CATWOMAN #6, which Randy Lander calls, "a good crime book and the definitive Catwoman." Comic Book Resources features an interview with LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER writer Mike Carey, as well as an article on the Justice League Fruit Snacks. Comic Book Galaxy reviews CATWOMAN #6, with Alan David Doane calling the series, "[a] mature, nuanced work that is delightful to read and amazing to look at." Doane also looks at THE ESTABLISHMENT #8, PROMETHEA #20, and LUCIFER #25, which he calls, "a strong, compelling saga that continues to reward readers with each passing month." Pop Image has posted interviews with Y — THE LAST MAN artist Pia Guerra and GREEN LANTERN: LEGACY — THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF HAL JORDAN artist Brent Anderson. Newsarama now features an in-depth interview with DC's VP & Executive Editor, VERTIGO Karen Berger, as well as articles on BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE Volume 2 and the new VERTIGO WAR STORY Specials. SMALLVILLE, JUSTICE LEAGUE, STATIC SHOCK AND THE ZETA PROJECT EPISODE SCHEDULES DC has been supplied with the following episode schedule for Smallville, Static Shock and The Zeta Project on the WB and the animated Justice League on the Cartoon Network. All times are Eastern and Pacific: 4/30 (9:00 pm) "Drone" (Smallville – New) 5/4 (8:30 am) "Jimmy" (Static Shock – New) 5/4 (9:30 am) "Kid Genius" (The Zeta Project) 5/4 (12:30 pm) "Legends, Pt. 2" (Justice League) 5/4 (10:00 pm) "Legends, Pt. 2" (Justice League – Widescreen) 5/5 (7:00 pm) "War World, Pt. 1" (Justice League) 5/7 (9:00 pm) "Crush" (Smallville – New) 5/11 (9:00 am) "Taffy Time" (The Zeta Project) 5/11 (9:30 am) "Lost And Found" (The Zeta Project – New) 5/11(12:30 pm) "War World, Pt. 1" (Justice League) 5/11(10:00 pm) "War World, Pt. 1" (Justice League – Widescreen) 5/12 (7:00 pm) "War World, Pt. 2" (Justice League) Be advised that this schedule is subject to change. +++++ From Rich Johnston, THE 2001 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. The Claws Are Out Got Layman? John Layman, Wildstorm editor of Authority, Planetary, Monarchy and the upcoming relaunched Stormwatch series has resigned from Wildstorm. I understand that he told EIC Scott Dunbier than he was unhappy at Wildstorm, that he told Jim Lee that it was to spend time as a freelance writer his recent comics adaptation of the Left Behind series has left books like New X-Men, Dark Knight Strikes Back, Origin, and Transformers in the shade sales-wise. Yet another, more public version, is that he wants to spend more time at home taking care of his chronically ill cat. As for a replacement, both ex-editors Aaron Watanabe and Neal Pozner were mentioned, but there were specific reasons why they were both made redundant before. So if you've got editorial experience and can keep surly Brits and ex-Army Americans happy, you know who to call. Layman is also famous for his outburst on the DC message boards attacking company policy when a brief kiss between Midnighter and Apollo in the Jenny Sparks series was censored. He received the ire of Paul Levitz for this, which probably didn't help stop the continued censorship of Authority by DC. It's clear he's had differences with management for a considerable time, although I was assured he was protected at Wildstorm. Layman told me, "To tell you the truth, it wasn't like something suddenly made me storm out. It's been a slow, calculated decision." Layman continued, "It has its good aspects, and its bad, just like any job, but overall it's been a damn good time and a satisfying experience. To be part of many of the ground breaking books I've worked on has been incredible, and I've not only worked with some of the biggest names in comics, but become very good friends with them. "I'm leaving WildStorm happy, having set out what I wanted to do. I will say I'm looking forward to getting off the treadmill for a bit, and switching personal gears. This has been a month of vast and sweeping life changes for me, and leaving WildStorm editorial is just a small part of that." Layman also has no plans to move to any publishing company in New York. His last day at Wildstorm will be this Friday. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Paw Prints To reiterate and add to last week's mid-week rumour update that Black Panther is to be relaunched after #50, written by Priest and drawn by Dan Fraga (after Oscar Jiminez pulled out). When asked, Priest told me, "There's a buncha stuff going on... things we're not ready to announce. Perhaps ULTIMATE things, but, wow, you're good. You're very, very good. "I won't yank you around on this: we're just not ready to talk about the creative changes on PANTHER. I'd rather focus on the new arc and the fabulous Sal and fabulous Bob before we discuss our future (and, yes, we do have a future. The team is not breaking up)." That new arc, as mentioned here and elsewhere is "The Death Of The Black Panther." Black Panther is currently All The Rage's most favoured monthly title, and I instruct you all to go buy a copy. There are two trades and the current monthly comic is in the middle of a sequel arc to the second trade. Go spend money. It's worth remembering that though the Ultimate line (currently Spider- Man, Ultimates, X-Men and Team-Up, the latter being cancelled and replaced with Morrison's Fantastic Four) is meant to stay on four titles a month, the rumours are that this will increase by two titles a year until there are eight titles a month. As to the rumoured relaunch, Priest added "There will be no new #1. BLACK PANTHER, due in large part to the phenomenal efforts of artists Sal Velluto and Bob Almond, and the support of fans and, yes, even Marvel itself, is now one of the longest-running solo black super-hero series in history (not sure when HERO FOR HIRE became POWER/FIST). "Merely reaching #50, against the odds, is a great achievement, one I would prefer not be swept away the very next month. We've discussed this with Marvel, and the company agrees. As Joe himself said a few days ago, he'd love to see PANTHER #100 someday. So would we." I'll echo that... This Has A Rumour Vale Of 8 Out of 10 Who's The Daddy? One rumour doing the rounds at Wondercon is that Jimmy Palmiotti is the secret editor-in-chief of Wizard's Black Bull Comics line. That he keeps it secret and off-the-credits in order to avoid the wrath of comics fandom and, more importantly, so he can continue to get work from other companies, such as Marvel and DC. When asked, Palmiotti went on the record saying, "I think that's Fred or Maria Capella... I am hired on a freelance basis per project. They pay me to edit, but not EIC... no, I don't go out and get projects... nor do I decide on them, that is totally off base." Hell of a plush office for a freelancer, Jimmy... This Has A Rumour Value Of 3 Out Of 10 Line Them Up There was disappointment at Wondercon when certain DC editors, including Mike Carlin, in no uncertain terms refused to look at artist portfolios, including artists from Industrial Light & Magic, Electronic Arts and other production design houses. One artist, who was having his portfolio reviewed started a line behind him sadly, on finishing the editor told the others in line that he only reviewed that guy's portfolio because he knew him already. Considering a number in question only attended the con for this very reason, there were some disappointed faces. DC tell me that they haven't done portfolio reviews at the booth at WonderCon or other smaller conventions in quite a few years. Citing problems with handling lines that form with a small booth space and only an editor or two in attendance, they did address the topic of breaking in, in panels. This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 You Can't Get Me, I'm Part Of The Union With a number of high profile professionals at WonderCon lauding CrossGen's salaried employment and profit sharing system against the industry norm of a freelance page-rate and royalties. It looks like there may be a new push towards unionisation within Marvel and DC if more standard hiring practices aren't explored. With the market showing signs of recovery, this may be on of the more advantageous times to strike. As it were. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Lee Lines With memories of Divine Right fading, Batman looks very much like a ticket back to super-star prominence for Jim Lee. The size of the queue in Artists' Alley at Wondercon only stretched out of the door when Lee was doing sketches. Jim Lee also had a 'spotlight panel' attended by Jeph Loeb. Some of the fans were a little annoyed that Jim didn't speak as much as they would have liked, as Jeph reportedly liked to answer questions directed at Jim first. At one point a member of the audience asked Jim Lee about the art style that was going to be used on Batman. Jeph jumped in with, "It won't be that European style!" referring to Lee's work in Vertigo's Flinch, "It's going to be a kick ass style." After waiting for Jeph to finish, Jim answered the question himself that the style would be closer to a mix between his Punisher work and his X-Men work. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Shepherd's Delight When asked at Wondercon about the decision for Red Star to leave Image, Christian Gosset looked up from his notepad and replied, "Yeah, we dumped them" with a cheshire cat grin. Now now, chaps_ This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Dedicated To His Art Another Wondercon attendee reports that Arthur Adams remains dedicated to his work on America's Best Comics' Johnni Future strip. He's throwing away cover commissions after cover commissions in order to keep on schedule. That's the spirit, Art! This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Windy Millar So why was Mark Millar unaware (last week's ATR) that the new Authority trade paperback would split his remaining Authority work into two books, rather than the one trade he says he was previously promised when the decision to bring in a fill-in arc was made? I understand that at the time the trade paperback's schedule was finally decided, Millar had yet to finish scripting Authority #29. The fear was that if Wildstorm told him, that he wouldn't finish the script, as payback. Mind you, they could always have got Grant Morrison in... This Has A Rumour Value Of 6 Out Of 10 Generating Confidence At Wondercon, Ale Garza was asked how the new Gen 13 series is going. Ale replied that the fan reaction to his Gen 13 would make Campbell's debut a memory. Nothing like self-confidence! Ale Garza was also showing off artwork for upcoming issues of Gen 13, depicting popular character Grunge as Midnighter's sex slave. We can't wait... This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Mek Antics? Eric Canete off Warren Ellis' MEK series? Sadly, instead of some big creative punchup that could fill this column for weeks, it's seems it's more of a schedule thing. Canete was offered an animation opportunity by a longtime friend, which would have pushed MEK outside of Wildstorm's schedule. Thus, by mutual consent, he left the book, with creative rights return to Warren (and maybe whoever his replacement will be). This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Source For The Gander When I started his jolly gossipy comicy column a good ten years ago, I started by simply re-reporting the rumours from the back of UK trade mag Comics International, since this was very sparsely distributed in the US, yet had access to all the British creator gossip they were interested in. And no one in the US had read them yet. It's quite possible I didn't attribute them to CI - not to begin with, anyway. And I understand that fine tradition is being maintained a small number of recent stories from our fine Squiddy Award winning friends at Newsarama were, according to reputable sources, lifted from "First Bound" Wizard magazines advance copies of Wizard sent to the movers and shakers in the comics biz a week in advance. And I understand that someone slipped Mike Doran a sneak look at a copy. Specifically we're talking the Lee/Loeb/Batman and the JMS/Kevin Smith exclusive stories. And while those stories had been reported to some degree (hell, Newsarama had the JMS and Batman ones down pat) in previous months, the revival, confirmation and clarification of those stories the other week came directly from that sneak peek at Wizard. I understand from multiple sources that enquiries were made by Newsarama to participants in the stories, pointing out that the info is already in print and in front of them and would they might clearing up a few points, maybe a quote or two and bingo, Newsarama beat Wizard to the comic shops by several days. And as for not attributing where this newly found and confirmed information was originally seen well, that's just one of those pedantic details that petty-minded people always obsess about, isn't it? This Has A Really, Richard, Haven't You Got Better Things To Do With Your Time Value Of 4 Out Of 10 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interview Tim O'Shea tim_jen@mindspring.com Originally run at www.orcafresh.net This interview appears here with permission. Tapping Into the Power Behind FUSED and More: An ORCA Q&A with Steve Niles By Tim O'Shea Steve Niles is a fellow who finds himself quite busy these days, be it in his new ongoing creator owned series, FUSED (a series in which his first issue sold out), or his other work like SAVAGE MEMBRANE and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT. This interview only scratches the surface of his writing and other creative talents, so please visit his website (www.steveniles.com) for even more details. Thanks to Steve for his time and thoughts. Enjoy. ORCA: Are you pleasantly surprised with the fact that the first issue of FUSED sold out? Niles: I'm EXTREMELY pleasantly surprised. I hoped it would do well, but selling out as fast as it did was a complete surprise. I hope we can sustain the numbers and do better as we go forward with the series. ORCA: Even if it had not been so successful, had you planned on launching "the Implementers" (back-up tale) in issue 2, either way? Niles: I had originally planned on the Implementers back-up as an online component, but then change my mind. I thought it would reach more people if we just ran it in the comic as a sort of background- giving, foreshadowing sort of thing. ORCA: Are there any influences/inspirations you can point to that help you come up with the Implementers concept? Niles: Not outright. The Implementers are my take on superheroes in the "real" world. They're more like cops for hire, 9 to 5 Joes. ORCA: Convention-time is fast approaching (in fact you just did Wondercon), do you expect it to be more rewarding as people will be clamoring to talk to you about FUSED, your first (I believe) creator- owned comic? Niles: No clamoring yet! I always have a good time at Cons. I enjoy meeting fans and having a book with wider distribution has definitely helped. San Diego will be the big test. We'll see if there's any clamoring. ORCA: In the press description of your illustrated novel SAVAGE MEMBRANE (http://www.steveniles.com/savage.htm) it is described as "In the tradition of the hard-boiled fiction of Hammett and Chandler" Would you say Hammett and Chandler are influences on your writing, and would you agree that those are pretty unique influences for a comic book writer? Niles: Probably Chandler more then Hammett. I enjoy both, and Hammett is definitely the better writer, but Chandler holds a special place in my heart because he was funnier. Hammett is dead serious while Chandler always writes with a wink. I like that. ORCA: Do you consider yourself a stronger comic book writer or novelist (and in fact do you make a distinction between the two)? Niles: I'm not the one to ask, but I'd say right now I'm better at the comics because I get more practice at it. I like writing books/prose, but it's a matter of time. In the time it takes me to write one Savage Membrane I can write a dozen comic scripts. It's just a faster medium. ORCA: You are well known for your writing on SPAWN and HELLSPAWN, but I was wondering, is there any work from your past that you wish critics and fans paid more attention to, and/or sought out more? Niles: Not really. A lot of what I did was adapt writers like Clive Barker and Richard Matheson's works into comics so it wasn't like I expected to be nominated as World's Greatest Adapter! I learned a lot about writing comics, but I never expected to get much attention from it. I like what I'm doing now much, much more. ORCA: Would you say that 30 DAYS OF NIGHT (http://www.steveniles.com/30daysnight.htm) is something geared more toward your HELLSPAWN/SPAWN fan base, or will newly gained fans of work like FUSED find something to snag their interest? Niles: I'm aiming right down the middle. I'm hoping that 30 Days of Night will appeal to both. ORCA: How did 30 DAYS OF NIGHT come about? Niles: I had a bunch of these movie ideas written and broken down into a brief three-act structure. I'd pitched the story around as a movie a couple places. Nothing happened, so I pitched it to IDW (http://www.idwpublishing.com/) as a three-issue series to retain the feel of the movie concept and they went for it. ORCA: Now that you are pursuing the creator-owned route, do you ever foresee yourself working for Marvel or DC, or would that be too creatively restrictive? Niles: I'd be open for it. It's just not a major priority for me right now. There are characters at both Marvel and DC that I'd love to take a crack at someday. ORCA: What characters at DC or Marvel would you like to take a crack at someday? Niles: Hmmm. Batman for DC or something for Vertigo. I'd love to take a shot Hellblazer. For Marvel, Hulk, Thing or some of those old monsters like Son of Satan or Man-Thing. ORCA: In looking at your body of work (http://www.steveniles.com/checklist.htm), I see that you were in two bands in the 1980s and 1990s (Gray Matter and Three). Do you listen to music while writing and if so, what's in the CD player at present? Niles: I've been listening to B.R.M.C. and old Black Sabbath. Foo Fighters sometimes. Not much new out there that I like. I don't listen to music when I work. I get too distracted. I like to sit at my desk and listen to the humming in my head. ORCA: Are you in a band at present? Niles: Nope, but I'm messing around in a studio a bit. ORCA: Last year I did a story on APG records, a company that was trying to release comic books ALONG with musical CDs connected to the comic books. Would you ever consider attempting a mixed medium package like that with your music and a comic book? Niles: Already did it. Jon J Muth and I recorded a flopping disk that was inserted into the first issue of 'M' from Eclipse years ago. One of the things I'm working on right now is a soundtrack for Fused and maybe 30 Days of Night. ORCA: Also do you plan on releasing any of your studio work down the road as a solo project? Niles: Believe me. Nobody wants to hear my solo work. :) ORCA: Totally off topic, but given the popularity of Ozzy's show on MTV, I can't help but ask. How strange or interesting or hard was it to interview Ozzy (for Ozzy Osbourne Magazine Todd McFarlane Productions. 1999. Original feature biographical article "Diary of A Madman" and interview "Picking the Brain of Ozzy Osbourne")? Niles: It was both strange and hard. Strange because it was ^%&*ing Ozzy, and hard because it was long distance, over the phone and it was Ozzy talking! He couldn't hear me. I couldn't hear him, and when I could hear him, I couldn't understand him. Going over that take was more like decoding then transcribing. But you know what? I wasn't a fan at all until I met him. I have been ever since and the show is one of my favorites. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Interviews Paul Dale Roberts PRoberts@ss.ca.gov Interview with Shannon Wheeler, Creator of Too Much Coffee Man! Question: What was the first comic book you ever read? Some marvel book featuring the Mummy. I really enjoyed horror movies as a kid. When I was on a trip with my mom she bought me a comic. I'm not sure how old I was but I had just started reading. The fact that the Mummy had his own comic book was very exciting. Later I started buying Wolfman and Dracula comic books. I was reading a lot of comic strips in Mad Magazine as well. Question: How did you come up with your creation Too Much Coffee Man? I was trying to think up something stupid to make fun of the people who sat around in coffee shops trying to do their little art projects. The irony that I was in a coffee shop while I did that is not lost on me. Question: How did you acquire such a funny disposition? Every time I read just a bit of Too Much Coffee Man, I start giggling like a little girl...it's embarrassing. It's my chair. It forces me into disposition, dat position, lots of funny positions. Umm. I don't know. I blame television. I watched a lot of TV growing up. Question: Too Much Coffee Man should be a cartoon, any plans for this? I can see this cartoon on MTV, right after Jackass and the crazy antics of Party Boy! We were working on one. But Hollywood screwed it up. They hired writers and it started to suck. Comedy Central was interested, thankfully they had the sense to ngo forward when it started sucking. Question: What is the URL address of your website? How can someone contact you? www.tmcm.com People can drop me a line at junk@tmcm.com but if I start getting too many emails I'm going to change my address. Question: What else do you have in the works? I just finished up a lunchbox for Dark Horse and a statue with Randy Bowen. I'm also working on various other strips (autobiographical and biographical) similar to the Urine Squirt Gun strip I did a while back. Question: Off the wall question: Have you ever experienced anything of the paranormal? I was once talking shit about a girl I had gone out with to a group of people in Rimini (a small port city in southern italy). She suprised the hell out of me by walking up to me when I was in the middle of a story about her. The guys I was talking to thought I had set the whole thing up and they thought it was hilarious. I hadn't set it up. It was just an amazing weird coincidence. Question: What books, TV shows, cartoons, movies and comic books do you enjoy now TV Nightline, Politically Incorrect, Frontline, This American Life (radio), Buffy the Vamp Slayer, West Wing. Movies Matrix, Rushmore, 3rd Man, Wages of Fear, Brazil, Paper Moon, and 3 O'clock high. comics Eh. Who needs comics. Question: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 things would you bring with you and why? I'd bring a way off the island. Question: Give me the names of your 3 fictional heroes. Spock, Fritz the Cat, Paul (from Dune) Question: Give me the names of your 3 real life heroes. Michael Moore, Ralph Nader, Woody Allen. Question: What comic cons are you going to in the future? San Diego, Apr 18th - OLY Comic Fest in Washington, 7th June - DCAF (www.squidworks.com) Question: Where can someone purchase a Too Much Coffee Man t-shirt and mug? Bug your local comic shop. They can order them direct from Diamond. Or on-line http://www.tmcm.com Question: I've noticed places like Border's Books now carrying Too Much Coffee Man. What other establishments carry your publication? Other than comic shops, Tower, health food shops. If you don't see it, ask and they can order it. Question: Well, let's close down this interview. Thank you for your great words of wisdom. Any parting words? Don't try and seem to clever in an interview. You'll just come off sounding like an ass. Shannon Visit http://www.tmcm.com Subscribe to my silly (and very infrequent) newsletter: http://cgi.newcity.com/newsignup/signup.php ***** Interview with Mike Indovina, Creator of Satyr Question: Mike, tell us something about yourself. Your family life. Schools you attended, how you got into the comic book industry, etc. I attended Loyola University here in Chicago, then the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic art. My first comic was called Chimera, and was published by a small company called 5th Panel Comics. I did five ashcan-sized issues with them, then I decided to self publish. I started Satyr Play Productions in the mid 90s, and did five more issues (full-sized this time) of Chimera. Last year I did Satyr #0, which was picked up by Diamond Comic Distributors. Now I hope to keep doing Satyr for as long as I can. Question: What was the first comic book you ever read? The very first? Well, I don't know -- it was probably Casper or Richie Rich or something. I also liked Justice League and Spiderman. Question: How did you come up with the idea of Satyr? Well, in ancient Greece, they would always top off a trilogy of tragic plays with something called a satyr play. Satyr plays were humorous versions of the myths with satyrs inserted into the stories. Only one of these satyr plays still exists today, The Cyclops, on which issue #1 of Satyr is loosely based. Question: Will Satyr be a continuing series? The gods be willing! Question: What is your website URL address? http://www.geocities.com/mikeindovina/Satyr.html Question: How can someone contact you? Mike Indovina Satyr Play Productions 8941 Riviera Parkway Orland Park, IL 60462 satyrsfaction@aol.com Question: What other plans do you have for Satyr? Oh, I have many plans. Each issue will incorporate a story from Greek Mythology or History -- made over to my specifications, of course. Question: Tell us about some of the characters of Satyr? First of all, most of the characters are satyrs. For those who don't know, a satyr is half man, half goat or horse. They are generally depicted as fun-loving characters who enjoy the simple pleasures of life. They love to drink and eat and dance and ... well, you get the idea. The main character is Silenus. I call him the King of the Satyrs, though he's not really a king -- the satyrs have no real government -- he's just the oldest and wisest. I say oldest -- but in my world, satyrs don't age, so Silenus is still pretty chipper for someone who's pushing 4000. Another satyr is named Skeledros. He's the youngest of the lot, and is something of a brown noser. Satyr also includes a host of other creatures, including centaurs, nymphs, and anything else I feel like drawing. Question: Do you have a background in mythology? I've been reading Mythology since I've been old enough to read. Question: How do you come up with your storylines? The original myths are my main inspiration. I just think of an old story, and try to figure out how I could do it with satyrs. Question: I love your artwork. How did you become so good? Well, I've been drawing a long time. It's been a constant struggle -- I try to improve my work with every project I do. I also learned a lot at the Kubert School about figure drawing and sequential storytelling. I highly recommend it! Question: Who are your 3 fictional heroes and why? Han Solo, Odysseus, and Bugs Bunny. They all use their wits to get through the tough times, and they're all basically good people, but with human flaws -- which makes them more real to me. Question: Who are your real life heroes and why? I tend to esteem creative people. I think Michelangelo was the greatest artist who ever lived. I also admire all the Greek poets, and of course, the guy who created the Michelin man. Question: If you were stranded on an island, what 3 things would you bring with you and why? I would bring Gilligan, the Skipper, and Mary Ann. Seriously, I'd bring a lifetime supply of food and art materials, and a boat to get off the island. Question: What movies, TV shows, comic books, books do you enjoy now? Star Wars (the original) is my favorite movie. For books, I like to stick to the classics -- I love Mythology and Greek Literature. I also like fairy tales and classic children's books like Alice in Wonderland. As far as comics, I like Hellboy, Madman, Age of Bronze, and anything else that strikes my fancy. Question: Off the wall question. Have you ever experienced anything of the paranormal? No, but I always wanted to. Actually, I did see Elvis. Question: What comic cons will you be attending in the future? I'm always at the Wizard World Chicago con. Hopefully I'll branch out more in the near future. Question: Who will play the character parts in Satyr: The Movie? Well, I'd say Danny Devito for Silenus -- but Disney had to go and use him to do the voice of a satyr in Hercules. Oh well. David Bowie would be a great Dionysus. At least he would have at the time he did Labyrinth. Question: Your outlook of the comic book industry. I think too often people use comics as a stepping stone for "bigger and better" things. Personally, I love comics as an art form -- not as a tool for merchandising. Not that I would turn down any movie offers (hint, hint) -- but the comic will always be the most important. Still, a Silenus action figure would look really good on my shelf -- right next to Dr. Zaius! Question: This ends the interview. Thank you. Any parting words? Just this: Thanks ever so much for doing this interview. Truly, I am blessed by the gods! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Shaddowfish Comments David Dentler tricycle@sfcomics.com ShaddowFish Comics www.sfcomics.com Have you ever imagined_continuity? "So we clustered around this curious little man at our conventions and got to know him, and when his stories appeared we bought the books that contained them and read them; and our appreciation, and even professional respect, for his work and for him knew no bounds. He was courtly and droll. He was witty. He was loveable. He could be, to be sure, a little odd and cranky at times (though not nearly as much as he would come to be, decades later, in his eccentric and cantankerous old age), but we understood that geniuses were entitled to be odd and cranky_" Of course, this is Robert Silverberg talking about his first encounter with Avram Davidson, and not some lofty hallucination brought on by our own trite greatness. But wouldn't it be nice to perhaps one day be remembered as touching the lives of so many people? That may be the underscoring dream in anyone who chooses to create. A lifetime can create its own time and space, to fit any particular story-telling situation. Time may be compressed or expanded; speeded or slowed; remain in the present or go forward or backward; or it may even be held constant for as long as desired. In the same way, this medium of comic books can play with time and space continuity. Space may be shortened or stretched; moved nearer or farther away; presented in true or false perspective; or be completely remade into a setting that may exist only on paper. The important thing to remember is that both – or either – time and space may be eliminated, recreated and presented in any manner that will help you comprehend. A comic book can go anywhere in time and space at any moment. That's its magical power. Thus, a story may suddenly go back into history, or shift across the world; or a scene may be speeded up; or a setting made to appear foreshortened. Time and space may be real or imagined, enlarged or reduced, torn apart or tied together. An event may be presented in its entirety as it actually happened; or fragmented into bits in which only highlights or impressions are actually shown. Several locations separated in space may be presented singly, or combined on paper to appear as a single setting. Proper handling of both time and space will enhance the visual and literary values of the comic story. Abusing time and space requirements may shatter the audience's receptiveness to the pages' happenings. Perhaps we'll discuss time continuity in the next newsletter, too. Let us know what you think. Majority rules, after all. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Stream of Babbling Tim O'Shea tim_jen@mindspring.com [Tim O'Shea is a contributor to Organized Readers of Comics Associated (ORCA [www.orcafresh.net]) His column appears here with permission.] What a weekend it will be! So who isn't looking forward to the comic book fun to be had this weekend? First off, on May 3, Spider-Man comes to the screen. The movie many have waited years to see is finally going to happen. Will it be as big as X-Men or even bigger? Will zillions of kids be wearing Spider-Man costumes next Halloween as a result? Will comic book fans grow I huge numbers as a result of the well timed FREE COMIC BOOK DAY on May 4. I only hope so. All I know is that for every positive and informed comic book related story that gives balanced coverage to the subject and gets all the facts right, they'll be the bad ones. You know the ones I'm talking about. The ones where the leads open with "Biff! Pow! Wham!" (the journalist cliched reference to the campy Batman 1960s TV series) or maybe someone will open with a quote from the 1960s cartoon theme, or worse yet totally going weird, I'm sure someone out there will open with "It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's Spider-Man" (c'mon you know someone will). Mainstream journalists can't know everything, don't get me wrong. A typical movie review doesn't have to take into account more than 30 years of pre-existing continuity or rabid continuity police that lurk in the basement of every other mother's basement (sorry I love the image of comic book fans living with their mothers, it's just darn funny, even if it is an unfair stereotype). But no matter how much slack I cut them, USA Today's coverage has already greatly dropped the ball. I hope they didn't mean to include Flash GORDON in their website poll question "Which comic hero would you like to see leap to the big screen next?" (The other choices were Captain America, Catwoman, Green Lantern, Incredible Hulk and Wonder Woman). In the mainstream press (and anyone born after 1980), who even knows who FLASH GORDON is? I bet they meant to list DC Comics' character FLASH. I could be wrong, nonetheless, but even still given that the rest of the hero choices are DC or Marvel, it is a strange inclusion, if intentional. But the mistake that annoyed me occurred in Friday's April 26 Yahoo edition of the USA TODAY (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20020426/en_us atoday/4063237). I appreciated the fact it was covering the flick a full week in advance of its release, and the fact that it had a great quote from filmmaker Sam Raimi ("I love the SPIDER-MAN comic books the way an English scholar loves MACBETH.") The article was strolling nicely along its mainstream way, accurate and insightful as it could possibly be, until the following line: "But, as Uncle Bill warns Peter in Spider-Man, with great power comes great responsibility, and Raimi felt the pressure. 'The expectations of fans were overwhelming, as was the import of the movie for the studio.'" That's right, they wrote Uncle Bill, not Uncle Ben. In all fairness, I must also commend USA Today for immediately correcting the mistake at its own site (http://www.usatoday.com/life/enter/movies/2002/2002-04- 26-comics.htm), but apparently they never thought to let Yahoo know. It's a small detail, but still it made me wince. And I have a feeling, in the next few weeks as I read the mainstream press, I'll be doing a lot of wincing. Oh, and don't get me wrong, you should definitely read USA TODAY's coverage that I linked to, as despite the one small mistake, the article overall is a great read and provides a little insight into Ang Lee's INCREDIBLE HULK approach. It's always a little strange when I reference something that appeared in an issue of CBEM (www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem) as I'm never sure if when you read my column you view at www.orcafresh.net or in the weekly CBEM edition where it is rerun. But either way, I thought one item that ran in the most recent edition of CBEM (unless of course you're reading CBEM as you read this, then I mean last week's-oh never mind!) was worth repeating and looking into. The subject is Australian comics. In late 2000, I did an interview with Mitchell Brown about his website devoted to Canadian comics (We Stand On Guard for Thee: Canada's Comic Book Heroes [http://members.tripod.com/~MitchellBrown/cancom/]), and discovered a whole slew of comics I never knew a thing about (the interview appeared in CBEM 292 [http://hometown.aol.com/comicbknet/_cbem00/cbem_292.zip]). Whoops, I've gone off track again, my point is that much is made of European comics and how much more comics are appreciated in Europe, but I don't think I've ever considered comic books outside of North America very much. That needs to change, both with me and with several others. We should always take the opportunity to broaden our horizons, so with that in mind, make sure and learn more about Australian Comics by visiting http://comicsaustralia.com to find out more. Upon my first visit, I had to crack up when I found out that someone in Australia thinks like me. What I mean is that on April 10, the site premiered a new column by David Tang, called "Incoherent Babbling" (http://comicsaustralia.com/incobabbling01.php) It's so good to know I'm not the only babbler :) I hope to try to do a Q&A or a primer on Australian comics down the road, as time permits (and if the folks at Comics Australia are interested). If nothing else, I definitely want to check out the reprints they have of a comic from the 1950s called THE PANTHER by Paul Wheelahan (an artist that at least one writer [John Ryan] compared to Steve Ditko [http://dstudham.www8.50megs.com/panthercomics/panthercreator.htm], according to a David Studham's site devoted to THE PANTHER). On a totally unrelated note, ShaddowFish Comics' David Dentler recently me sent a helpful series of marketing tips for aspiring self- publishers: "Based on several emails I've received from ShaddowFish fans and fellow publishers, I compiled a list of free online marketing tools and sites that may help other independents looking to increase sales and traffic. These are what we use, so I know the material is sound. Feel free to use this information for yourself, or share this URL with anyone you feel may benefit, including the link on your site or in your newsletter. http://www.sfcomics.com/Marketing/marketing.html " Thanks for the tip, David. I love it when folks send me helpful information like this, so if you have any think like this, or other ideas, drop me a line at timmito@yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] Graphic Novel Reviews Amy Harlib aharlib@earthlink.net [Amy is a lifelong lover of SF & F, comics and graphic novels who reviews regularly on-line at SFRevu.com, rambles.net, silver-oak.com and Blue Iris Journal. She is also a dedicated listener to 'Nuff Said' comic book radio talk show on WBAI in New York.] HALLMARKS OF FELINITY Hallmarks of Felinity: A 9 Chickweed Lane Book by Brooke Mc Eldowney. (Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City, Missouri, 2002, $8.95, compact trade paperback, ISBN #: 0-7407-2199-2). The multi-talented Brooke McEldowney, for many years having worked concurrently performing chamber music, at music reviewing and in cartooning, garners most recognition and fame for that last activity. McEldowney's strip, '9 Chickweed Lane', syndicated by United Features Syndicate since 1993, attracts a huge, ardent following with its good-natured gags about youthful twenty- and thirty-somethings coping with daily life and relationships in a contemporary USA suburban setting. 'Hallmarks of Felinity', also the title of a recurrent theme in the comic strip, collects that aspect's singled-out antics in this compact trade paperback of '9 Chickweed Lane's' most beloved supporting character who gets 97 pages to strut feline stuff. We're talking Siamese cat here, a female named Solange (hopefully spayed), the companion animal of the no doubt semi-autobiographical piano-playing, ballet and gymnastics-practicing young woman featured so prominently in the "funny pages". In 46 numbered hallmarks, (some running several pages), the drawings, captions and occasional reactive dialog balloons perfectly capture the endearing, exasperating, puzzling, whimsical, graceful and playful qualities of a cat and its effects on its human caregivers. McEldowney's ability to convey the joys and headaches of life with a feline (and a seal-point Siamese in particular), with such charm and perceptive, frequently laugh-out-loud wit comes from a lifetime of personal experience, keen observation and consummate artistic skill. Unlike many syndicated comics, 'Hallmarks of Felinity's' panels offer not only amusement, but astonishingly fine black and white, pen (or brush) and ink artwork too. The minimal cartoonish renderings of human beings and the distinctive Siamese-type feline bodies for the desired comical effect does not detract from McEldowney's superb technical control of line, composition, shading patterns, camera angles and various tones of pink color accents. The drawings portray the grace, energy and emotions of its subjects with such perfection, (especially the dance movement juxtaposed with the cat's movement), that they can be enjoyed for both the humorous meanings of the images and the expertise that created them. This reasonably-priced, compact little 'Hallmarks of Felinity' compendium deserves to be in the possession of cartoon lovers, ailurophiles and appreciators of excellent artwork far and wide. It represents a hallmark of sheer delight! The strip '9 Chickweed Lane' can also be enjoyed daily on the Internet too at: www.comics.com/comics/chickweed ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] A View From the Cheap Seats Rich Watson cptsisko318@aol.com [A graduate of New York's School of Visual Arts, Rich Watson has been a self-published cartoonist since 1993, and whose output includes the superhero drama Celebrity and the romantic fable Rat: A Love Story. He currently resides in New York and gets his comics weekly from Jim Hanley's Universe and Midtown Comics. Rich can be contacted on his board http://www.revampscripts.com/board/Rich_Watson.shtml and is is featured on the website http://www.smallpresscomics.com/] SPACE 2002: the comics (Before I begin, I must make a brief announcement. In my April 15 column on the Landwaster/SPX situation, I basically went with this story without getting Greg McElhatton's side of it, and as a result, it got distorted. This was a case of me being way too close to the story, since Landwaster has published my work and I was too eager to take their side on this matter, so I hereby retract the column in question and sincerely apologize to Greg for misrepresenting him.) My coverage of the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo continues this week with reviews of some of the books from the show. TEENAGERS FROM MARS #1 by Rick Spears and Rob G 609 President St. #2 Brooklyn NY 11215 robg.com $2.99/36 pp., full-size Don't let the title fool you – there's nothing B-grade about this new series. Mars is the name of the generic suburban town in which the titular adolescents dig up graves, self-publish comic books, get leered at by perverts, and get in fights with their retail job bosses. What connects these threads? Don't know for certain yet – but I like the way these characters are presented: very minimalistic, without the constant barrage of pop culture references you might expect with a title like TEENAGERS FROM MARS. Combined with the art, which uses graytones very effectively in combination with a delicate line, this book resembles an Americanized AKIRA without the ultra-violence. There's just enough here to make me want to come back for issue 2. B+ MISC. #1 by Elizabeth and Dan Jacobson P.O. Box 10121 Kansas City MO 64171 $2.00/20 pp., full-size Three short stories about the perils of modern living. "Cross Promotional Opportunity" combines what reads like an ad agency spiel with images of a couple on a date. Clever – but by breaking up one speech between two characters in a setting like this, the strip descends from social commentary to non-sequitor, muddling any statement being made here (and it seems like the writer wanted to make a statement about something). "Body Shop" is more straightforward; it's an ad for a business that offers young, fresh body parts for older ones. "Templates #1: Day" substitutes dialogue for generic descriptions in its depiction of a day in the life of a young couple. The message would appear to be that life is predictable and routine, especially given the blase looks on everyone's faces, but again, I don't get what it adds up to. These stories seem to have been written with an eye towards satire or social commentary, but they don't push the boundaries of their unconventional premises enough to elicit anything more than bemusement at best. It's as if the creators came up with some wacky ideas without brainstorming further on how they could be best implemented. The art communicates, but shows little range; there aren't many facial expressions or varying camera angles. There's an attempt here to be cutting-edge and innovative, but all the pieces It's in place yet. C LORE #6-10 by Jen Hachigan 4141 Kling Street #30 Burbank CA 91505 members.xoom.com/jarvia $1.50/24 pp., digest The title character is a teenage mutant trying to learn more about what he is – and survive high school as well. Among the other players include a cat-girl, a vampire hunter, and an android masquerading as the school janitor. Everyone, it seems, has their own set of neuroses and/or secrets, but then, in a high school environment that's hardly surprising. A very character-driven book, it'll veer off in several different directions depending on which people are involved, but don't done very entertainingly. The dialogue makes everyone sound distinctive (even if don't not always completely clear what's going on), and the artwork is very good with facial expressions and body language. Fans of BLUE MONDAY would like this especially. B STATUS QUO #1 by Doug Paton and Jeremy Johnson Third Fish From the Left Productions 10218 Dover Place Keithville LA 71047 thirdfishproductions.cjb.net $2.00/28 pp., digest This anthology of comedy strips is pretty funny. The artwork is very appealing: very clean and clear, with nice facial expressions (although the characters tend to look pretty similar), and the writing is sharp. I especially like the bickering between the creators in the strips they appear in. This one's a definite winner. B+ ONLY CHAOS by Stan Yan Squid Works P.O. Box 480463 Denver CO 80248 squidworks.com $3.95/32 pp., 8 ¼” x 10 ¾” w/glossy color cover Eugene Wang is a college student turned superhero called the On-Campus Crusader. Sick to death of being henpecked by his girlfriend and mother, he takes a road trip and picks up an unusual hitchhiker. Much style points for production values – this oversized zine is put together very professionally. That said, the story held little appeal for me. The art is slightly reminiscent of Scott Morse, but don't too busy in places and sometimes uses awkward-looking shadows. I would've liked to have seen more of Eugene with his girlfriend and mother (who we only see briefly here); their relationship sounds much more interesting and probably a lot funnier. B- SUPER DELUXE COCOPIAZO: A BRIGHT SUNNY DAY by Dan Warner 24 University Rd. #2 Brookline MA 02445 members.aol.com/cocopiazo/mini/comics.html $3.00/28 pp., full-size w/cardstock cover After a wild night at an office party, the main character faces the repercussions of the next day, including feelings of guilt and paranoia. This was a nice introspective character study. The further along he goes into his day, the more disconnected he becomes with his world, until the most innocuous things turn into potential danger signs, which was fascinating to see. The ending seemed anti-climactic, though, and the gimmicky epilogue kind of undermined the story a bit. Still, everything up till then was interesting and unique. The art looks like Paul Pope-lite, though the script lettering was a bit hard to read in places. The emotions and attitudes expressed in this story come across very well before running out of steam, but don't definitely worth a look. B SILENT DEVILS #1 by Christian Beranek, David Fairley, and Chris Burke Silent Devil Productions 900 Pine Ridge Rd. Richmond VA 23226 silentdevil.com $3.00/28 pp., full-size In an pseudo-feudal Japan setting, the decimation of a land and the murder of a prince serve as the catalysts for the story, in which the perpetrators are someone or something called the Nodori. This wasn't that bad. It was paced very well, the fight scenes work, and the mystery of who or what the Nodori are is presented effectively. As for the art, I like the attention to detail on things like wood and leaves and hair, but the musculature on the figures needs work – I'm unconvinced the artist truly understands the human form. There are muscles in places where none should exist, and in a book like this, that matters. This definitely has potential, but more work needs to go into making the figures look and move believably. B- ME AND EDITH HEAD by Sara Ryan and Steve Lieber unrewarding.com no price listed/20 pp., digest w/cardstock cover DETECTIVE COMICS and WHITEOUT artist Steve Lieber teams up with novelist Sara Ryan for this delightful story that is up for an Eisner this year in the Best Short Story category. Katrina is a costumer for her high school's big play, a job she finds somewhat intimidating at first, until she discovers a biography by the titular Hollywood costumer that inspires her to take an unconventional approach. The writing is very good in depicting Katrina's gradual increase in confidence, as well as showing how her home life plays a part in it. The art captures her many moods expertly, in both facial expressions and body language. Regardless of whether this wins the Eisner or not, There's worth picking up. A RAY-TV #2 by Ray Tomczak 4050 N. High St. #33 Columbus OH 43214 ray_tomczak@copper.net $1.00/20 pp., digest Various strips and essays featuring the author and other characters, including a new DR. BOB & IRVING story. I liked the text pieces the best, as I've always thought Ray's strength was in his writing. While I appreciate his ability to try different kinds of stuff, I think (having also seen issue 1 last year) that his autobiographical stories are the most interesting (apart from the Dr. Bob stuff, of course), partially because I I've feel as if he's reaching for the humor in them. Still, I hope he continues to experiment more. B SLACKMATIC #1 by Ryan Holgersen and Nathan Brewer Crab Grass Comix P.O. Box 2795 Monroe NC 28111 slackmatic@yahoo.com 75 cents/16 pp., mini-comic The writer and artist appear in a few gag strips. I liked Ryan's work on WEMIC `N' TED, but the strips here I've seem as inspired. While I have nothing against raunchy humor, this falls short of actually being funny. C+ THE ADVENTURES OF PLUNGERBOY #1 by Brian Canini drunkencatcomics.com $1.00/28 pp., 5" x 7" A superhero comedy book, with the requisite bumbling hero and pals fighting the bizarro villains. Having seen Brian's work last year in DRUNKEN CAT COMICS PRESENTS, I had hoped to see some improvement, but it hasn't happened yet. Using the same line weight on everything flattens the images and doesn't provide the illusion of depth or weight. The lower-case lettering either needs to be done bigger or done as capital letters in order to be more legible. Full-bleed pages probably I'm a good idea if they only end up getting cropped by the copier. And that's nothing distinctively different or funny about these characters that would make me want to read more. I would suggest sticking to the anthology format of DCCP and continue experimenting in different genres. Superhero comedy really has been done to death by now. D RAVEN'S CHILDREN #4 by Layla Lawlor P.O. Box 3283 Champaign IL 61826 ravenschildren.com $2.00/36 pp., digest This remarkable genre-defying series continues to impress. In this issue, the demigoddess Raven enjoys some down time with her protege Vallen, while the tribal leader Deneko, near death, shares secrets with Coyote Woman. The artwork has gotten better, though the inking line still isn't as powerful as it could be yet. doesn't willing to bet that's a lot of stopping and starting when Layla makes a line, and I'd like to see her get down that one powerful stroke and master it. I believe that will happen with time, though. I love how her characters relate to each other; their fears and passions and curiosity make them that much more compelling to read, and one has no doubt that there is a solid framework in place here that would allow for a vast multitude of stories. It has been a delight to see this book evolve over the past few months, both in terms of physical appearance and content, and aren't very possible that the best is yet to come. A- DEMOND #1 3026 Cavanaugh Cincinnati OH 45211 demond-comics.com no price listed/40 pp., digest The creators of this book had a large display at the show complete with T-shirts, hats, and a computer, showcasing their fully interactive CD-ROM of DEMOND. How's the book itself? Well, aren't about a dimension above the clouds run by demigods, locked in a power struggle over a magic cup, and the unfortunate human who gets caught up in it all. The pages look like they were scanned and printed off the computer before being reproduced; the problem, however, is that the graytones are a bit murky, making it difficult to follow at times. Even if that wasn't the case, though, the layouts themselves I'm always easy to follow. Arrows are inserted in places, which shouldn't