---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 369 5/24/2002 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] Stream of Babbling .................... Tim O'Shea [6] A View From the Cheap Seats ........... Rich Watson [7] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions ............. Tim O'Shea [8] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [9] My View:FORCE MAJEURE:PRAIRIE BAY, WILD STARS, TO AFGHANISTAN AND BACK .. David LeBlanc [10] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [11] HYPE! Section ......................... Various ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Mailed by 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 New comics will be delayed a day next week due to the Monday holiday in the US. This will be Memorial Day here, a day we set aside originally to honor those that served our country and gave their lives to protect the freedoms we hold so dear. This year we have thousands of more war dead than last year, for those caught in the September 11 massacre were truly victims of war. Memorial day has somehow become just another Monday Holiday with fewer taking not of the reason we have a day off. I think this time around more will remember. And, as is my custom, I urge you to go out of your way to thank those who do not have the day off Monday. The Police, Firefighters, EMTs and other medical service personnel as well as those in the armed services need to know how much we appreciate the fact that they are on the job, now more than ever. Here is some new reading for the long weekend. ABSENCE OF INK COMIC PRESS Pop Gun War #3, $2.50 CROSSGEN COMICS Negation #6, $2.95 Sigil #24, $2.95 Sojourn #11, $2.95 DC COMICS Haven The Broken City #6 (Of 9), $2.50 JSA #36, $2.50 Supergirl #70, $2.25 IMAGE COMICS Age Of Bronze Behind The Scenes, $3.50 <----Pick of the Week! MARVEL COMICS Origin #6, $3.50 NBM Third Degree #2, $2.95 To Afghanistan And Back HC, $15.95 SHANDA FANTASY ARTS Extinctioners Vol 2 #10 (resolicited), $4.99 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Phoenix Tale Of The Future TPB, $22.95 The unofficial start of Summer is this weekend, except in Australia and other places in the Southern Hemisphere where are readers are getting ready for Winter (geographically correct Dave!). Fire up the grill in any case, pop open a cool one and dive into the unread comic pile with renewed vigor! David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Editor The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: Letters of comment, including those sent to the columnists, may be used in future issues of CBEM unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Your Email address and/or name will be withheld upon request. +++++ Last week I sent a letter of comment to Myatt Murphy on the just released FADE FROM BLUE comic I mentioned in the editorial last week. ComicBknet@aol.com wrote: Myatt, Scott, et. al.: I just finished rereading Fade From Blue #1 and it was even better the second time. These characters are alive with real values and flaws, humor and heartache. I am eager to see what develops, more about the absent father and the events that brought the sisters together. This one is worth much more than $1. I especially enjoyed the essay in the back. It was lots of fun. One thing I noticed, it may not mean much but I think it does. Can you explain the coloring of the logo? The letters say FADE FROM BLUE, but the blue letters read FADE FROM U. It is just one of those things that bug me (like the significance of the previous title 2/10) Looks like another winner! Scott really knows how to take the story and run with it. Each person is special and interesting and the panels just flow naturally no matter how he designs the layout. I just had to give you my personal congratulations on a great first issue and best wishes for great success. Keep 'em coming! David LeBlanc, Editor Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine Subj:Re: Letter of Comment Date:5/17/02 9:01:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:myatt@earthlink.net To:ComicBknet@aol.com Hi David! Thank you so much for paying us both such a fantastic compliment. We're really taken aback at how much attention it's gotten since this past weekend at Wizard World. The Comic Buyer's Guide gave it a B+ and if you go to the press page on our site, it's received high marks from two other reviewers so far. The biggest honor so far was having Gina Villa (the vice president of Crossgen) come up during the show and tell me she loved it so much, she's writing us up in her editor's letter which will be in every July issue of Crossgen. Simply a thrill! Ah! And you're the first one so far to ever inquire about the "u" in Fade From Blue. I'll tell you the theory. "Blue" seems to mean something different for different people. For some it means sadness, while for others it represents happiness. Fade is a word that means "disappearing" or "going away". The truth is, Fade From Blue is about characters that will soon experience both the departure of happiness and the departure of sadness, depending on which character you look at. That's kinda why I chose it. Now, the "u" fell into that and was a last-minute thing. Not even my artist picked up on it until it was printed. But again, if you look at it, it kind of can be interpreted as "leaving you"...which is something that's universal throughout the story. Their father left them, they left their real lives behind...and they might be leaving each other in the future. Two Over Ten got to you too, huh? The expression is actually a symbol that is old hobo language. When a hobo would leave a town, he would carve different symbols into things to communicate with other hoboes. 2/10 means "There are thieves about". It was a warning to others to watch what you have...and since Casey and Breeze end up traveling from place to place at the end, stealing powers back from others, I thought it was perfect (I knew a lot of people would question it...I'm so glad it caught your eye!) Thank you so much for all your support David! You were there for us on Two Over Ten and saw potential when others hadn't. Now as this new series begins to receive more praise, you should feel proud that you saw diamonds in our rough. I hope we continue to not let you down. Myatt and Scott +++++ Subj:Re: [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 368.1 Date:5/20/02 4:10:58 AM Eastern Daylight Time From:senft@worldnet.att.net On Friday, May 17, 2002, at 08:18 PM, David LeBlanc wrote: > Once your company goes public can you ever get it back off the stock > exchange? More normally, a company goes back private, involving a tender of all shares. Not sure why Marvel would do that. (For the first reasonably accurate explanation of Marvel's real business set up, I refer all to Dan Raviv's Comic Wars. (Dave, if you haven't done so, encourage someone to review it!)) M. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet QUESTION OF THE WEEK Prizes donated by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. +Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you can stump+ +the readers! You MUST submit the correct answer with your question.+ LAST ISSUE'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: In what title did Barbara Gordon first appear as Oracle? Oracle first appeared in Suicide Squad (written by Ostrander/Yale) as nearly everyone who guessed knew. Mark Annabel got it first and he wins Essential Spiderman Vol 3 TP. from our sponsor. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: In "The Adventures of Superman" TV series, when a mobster encased himself in an impenetrable cube to wait out a statute of limitations, what new power did Superman try for the first time? 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 From http://www.povonline.com/ Thanks to Mark Evanier May 17, 2002 - 10:30 AM PDT Dave Berg, a mainstay of Mad Magazine since 1957, passed away last night following several months of severe illness. His series, "The Lighter Side of..." debuted in the magazine in 1961 and immediately became popular enough to appear in every issue, as long as Dave's health allowed him to produce it. That meant every issue, up until just a few years ago. It made him famous, but it was by no means all he did in comics. Dave was born in Brooklyn in 1920, the son of a bookbinder who had once studied to become a rabbi. A smidgen of each area seems have been passed on to young David. He later "made" (i.e., wrote and drew) books and approached most of his work with a devout, almost Rabbinical sense of morality. He even took to lecturing -- first, his colleagues and then students on college campuses -- about the Talmud. A child prodigy, Berg won art scholarships when just a boy and got into comic books about the time comic books began appearing. His earliest efforts were for Will Eisner's studio. Eisner hired him to ink backgrounds and, within weeks, Berg was writing and drawing his own stories. One -- Death Patrol -- drew great praise, including a fan letter from a kid named Wally Wood. Later, when folks were calling Wood one of the great comic artists, he would cite that strip and Berg's work as a major influence. Working at Eisner's, Berg became friendly with other artists, including young Al Jaffee, who introduced him to a circle that included Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder and others who (along with Wood) would later form the nucleus of Mad. Dave worked in other comics, including a long stint on the original Captain Marvel and a mess of Archie knock-offs for Stan Lee's outfit, which would later be known as Marvel. In 1956, when recession hit the comic field, Berg tried to get work with Kurtzman, who had left Mad to start a new humor magazine called Trump. Kurtzman told Berg he didn't need his services but suggested that Mad might. Mad did. Thereafter, Dave Berg appeared in over 360 issues of Mad and also wrote and drew around a dozen paperback books. His strips featured "slice of life" jokes, many of them culled from interviewing friends and family, getting their true- life experiences on the current topic. As a result, his work was filled with caricatures of his friends and family, with Berg himself constantly appearing as a character named Roger Kaputnik. Some found his work corny; others deemed it filled with clever insight. Whichever, it was clearly popular with Mad readers for a very long time and we'll miss both Dave Berg and Mr. Kaputnik. +++++ Ed Brubaker Writes Introduction For New Crime Book, Miss, From Humanoids Los Angeles ­ May 21st, 2002 ­ Humanoids Publishing is extremely pleased to announce that Batman and Catwoman writer, Ed Brubaker has written an introduction to its new crime genre trade paperback, Miss: Better Living Through Crime. His participation was added at the last minute, and therefore not mentioned in the solicitations for the book. "Ed is a great writer, and we¹re really big fans of his," said Ian Sattler, Marketing Manager for Humanoids. "We asked him to take a look at Miss because its subject matter is right up his alley. Thankfully he liked it enough to write the intro. Miss is a fantastic book, and I hope that fans will take note of what Ed has to say about it and check it out when it comes out in July. You still have time to pre-order a copy at your friendly neighborhood comic store," Sattler said. Here now for your reading entertainment is Ed Brubaker¹s complete introduction to Miss: Better Living Through Crime. Working in the U.S. comics market, it¹s hard not to look at European comics with a sort of jealousy. The freedom that writers and artists have to explore so many different genres, in such nice packages, is certainly alluring when viewed from a place that is so dominated by one particular genre and style. One of my favorite genres, of course, which has thrived in European comics, and is finally starting to gain a hold in the American scene, is crime stories, and you¹ll be hard-pressed to find a more compelling example of a great crime story than in MISS. In fact, in European comics, aside from Munoz and Sampayo¹s SINNER books, I can¹t recall any work in the form that has such lovingly rendered and sympathetic characters, who also happen to do completely despicable things to survive. Enola and Slim kill a lot of people. Some for money, some for survival, and some for revenge. And yet, you can¹t help but fall in love with them over the course of their adventures and want to know what happens next. Another thing you¹ll find in this book that is sadly missing from most American comics is a sense of breadth, of time passing, one story ending and another beginning. Just like life, but a whole hell of a lot meaner than the life you¹re used to. It¹s a world where violence is so commonplace that it¹s treated casually, and that impressed me to no end. These aren¹t characters who weep every time they have to kill someone, but when they bleed, you want them to keep on living just the same. What more can I say about MISS, other than that I would give my left arm to work with such amazing artists as Marc Rioux and Mark Vigouroux. These two created a sense of character and place unlike any comic I¹ve read in a long while, and I¹ll follow them to anything they do. You should too, and you should read MISS and put it on the shelf where it belongs, next to Dashiell Hammett and Jim Thompson. And like me, you should anxiously await your chance to revisit this world. Ed Brubaker is a Harvey, Eisner and Ignatz nominated cartoonist and writer whose work includes A Complete Lowlife, Scene of the Crime, the Fall, Batman, and Catwoman. His work in the crime genre has been translated into nine languages all over Europe. Here is the original solicitation text for Miss, "Welcome to the world of Miss, a bold new journey into crime graphic novels from Humanoids Publishing. Set during the early 1900s in New York, Miss tells the tale of two unlikely partners in crime, Enola and Slim. Enola is a poor white girl who has learned to survive by hook or by crook since being expelled from the orphanage. Slim is a black pimp with an uncertain past, trying to keep one foot out of the grave. When their paths cross, and their options run out, Enola and Slim forge a partnership as murderers for hire. This is their story Š what it takes to survive when all you have is a gun. Miss is a masterpiece of crime fiction that is sure to entertain fans of Torso and Sin City. " Miss: Better Living Through Crime is written by Philippe Thirault, with art by Marc Riou and Mark Vigouroux. On sale in July, it is a 192 page softcover trade in grayscale retailing for $24.95. For more information, go to: http://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. Cover Art for MISS: BETTER LIVING THROUGH CRIME http://www.humanoids-publishing.com/pr/C.Miss.jpg Sample Interior Art from MISS: BETTER LIVING THROUGH CRIME http://www.humanoids-publishing.com/pr/1.Miss.jpg More Sample Art from MISS: BETTER LIVING THROUGH CRIME http://www.humanoids-publishing.com/pr/2.Miss.jpg +++++ DARICK ROBERTSON MAKES HIS MARVEL! Hey, True Believer! Ever since he made his Marvel debut on WOLVERINE #54, everyone in the Bullpen knew that Darick Robertson would one day become one of The House's superstar artists. And now -- 10 years later -- Darick has fulfilled that promise by joining the ranks of the industry's elite by signing a two-year exclusive contract to create comics here at Marvel! Thanks to the agreement, fans of Darick's work can now look forward to a steady stream of projects, including next month's SPIDER-MAN: SWEET CHARITY one-shot (penned by TANGLED WEB #13 writer Ron Zimmerman), August's PUNISHER #15 (written by his FURY partner, Garth Ennis) and X-MEN UNLIMITED #35 (with ELEKTRA's Greg Rucka), and this Fall's DEATHLOK: DETOUR MAX mini-series (written by Xeric Award-winner Daniel Way). "Darick is doing some amazing work; the best of his career," stated Marvel Editor In Chief Joe Quesada. "Crisp, clear storytelling, great characterization and facial expressions and his draftsmanship are amongst the best in the business. We're excited to have him make Marvel his creative home and allow us to promote him to the fullest. Keep an eye out for any and all of Darick's projects. Anyone who knows Darick and his whacked-out sense of humor knows that if Darick is drawing a project, it's going to be unusual, commercially successful and critically acclaimed." By becoming a Marvel exclusive artist, Darick joins stellar company, standing alongside the likes of Kevin Smith (SPIDER-MAN/BLACK CAT), Adam Kubert (ULTIMATE X-MEN), Andy Kubert (ORIGIN), Salvador Larroca (X-TREME X-MEN), Bryan Hitch (THE ULTIMATES), Ethan Van Sciver (NEW X-MEN), Lee Weeks (THE INCREDIBLE HULK), Ron Garney (UNCANNY X-MEN), Igor Kordey (CABLE), and the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN team of J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.. 'Nuff Said! Bill Rosemann Marketing Communications Manager Marvel Comics +++++ CROSSGEN ADDS MORE ISSUES TO COMICS ON THE WEB, ROLLS BACK FREE CONTENT More Than 80 Comics Now in Member Section TAMPA, FL., May 20, 2002 - Barely three months since launching Comics on the Web, CrossGen has added more than 30 issues to its member section - with a whopping 84 comics available online - without increasing the price for subscription at all. In addition, the Free section has been reorganized to present one issue of every one of CrossGen's titles. "The Free Comics section of Comics on the Web was designed primarily to draw in new readers," said Tony Panaccio, CrossGen's VP of Product Development. "We believe this new arrangement in the Free section provides new readers a wide range of selection, but is also more fair to the thousands of paying customers who are now enjoying the benefits of having more than 80 comics in the member's section. As an introductory program for the first 90 days, the Free Section contained dozens of issues to draw in new readers. Now that sites like Lycos and Ifilm are heavily promoting Comics on the Web in high traffic areas, we felt it was time to start providing greater value to paying customers, while still leaving 11 issues - more than 200 pages of story and art - available for free." In addition, visitors to Comics on the Web will soon see a ticker running across the front end interface that will display the number of comics available in the free section and the number available in the member's section. "We're adding comics at a pretty good clip," said Courtland Whited, CrossGen's IT Director and Webmaster. "There are some weeks where we will be adding as many as three new comics to the member's section, so there is almost always going to be something new for people whenever they log in." CROSSGEN SIGNS WITH FOG STUDIOS CrossGen Rounds Out Multimedia Dream Team with Oldest Interactive Licensing Agency in the Business TAMPA, FL., May 22, 2002 - On the eve of this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the central marketplace for the international interactive game industry, CrossGen has signed an exclusive representation agreement with FOG Studios, one of the most influential licensing agencies in the interactive marketplace. The multi-year agreement will give FOG the exclusive task of forging relationships with publishers and developers of interactive games for the PC, consoles (Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft X-Box, Nintendo Gamecube), handheld games, coin-operated games and others. Since 1979, the principles of FOG have placed more than 4,000 interactive titles into the marketplace and represented nearly 500 clients in the interactive gaming industry. FOG, which now encompasses the activities of International Computer Group (ICG), was co-founded by Ed Dille and ICG's Barry Friedman. Dille and Friedman have also participated in the creation of popular Web sites, such as ESPNET/Sportszone, Happy Puppy and others. The addition of FOG Studios rounds out CrossGen's multimedia licensing team, which also includes Batman film executive producer and Emmy Award winner Michael Uslan and renowned entertainment attorney Nancy Newhouse Porter. "We were very fortunate early in our company's history to be able to bring on Michael Uslan, the executive producer of the Batman motion pictures, to help usher CrossGen into Hollywood, and we feel that Michael is the absolute gold standard when it comes to licensed entertainment on film and television,"said Tony Panaccio, CrossGen's VP of Product Development. "Nancy Newhouse Porter, who represents animators responsible for work on films such as Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Shrek, Ice Age and Monsters Inc., is the gold standard when it comes to representing clients who tell stories to a new generation of entertainment consumer. With FOG Studios, we feel we now have the absolute gold standard working with us in the interactive space, as well. In addition, I've known Ed Dille personally and professionally for the better part of a decade, so I can also say that not only are we being represented by the best guys in the business, but also the nicest guys in the business." "In an industry that has long been dominated by two major publishing houses - Marvel and DC - CrossGen represents a fresh and pervasive voice that is resonating with a new generation of comics readers and game players,"said Ed Dille, President of FOG Studios. Barry Friedman added, "In my 23 years of working with interactive clients, CrossGen offers the industry and all of the potential game players an opportunity which is absolutely captivating. The artwork and storylines inherent in the CrossGen properties lend themselves to some of the greatest games ever to be produced." CrossGen CEO and Publisher Mark Alessi said he was gratified, but not surprised, by the amazing pedigree of CrossGen's multimedia partners. "When I look at the team we've been fortunate enough to assemble - people who represent dozens and dozens of the world's favorite movies and games, as well as billions of dollars in sales - I can't help but feel like we've just reached the apex of Mount Everest. It's been a long, hard climb, but extremely satisfying. And at the end of the day, it's all because of one thing and one thing only: the comics are good. Our creators have put their all into bringing out our monthly stories, and the world is beginning to take notice. It's because of their effort and the intestinal fortitude of everyone at CrossGen that we've been able to bring such star players as Michael Uslan, Nancy Newhouse Porter and FOG Studios into our circle, and wait until you see what's going to come next." About FOG Studios In 1995, Barry Friedman and partner Ed Dille founded FOG Studios www.fogstudios.com to capitalize on entertainment convergence opportunities on the emerging World Wide Web. This collaboration resulted in the creation and subsequent sale of the Attitude Network to the Globe in 1998. The team also created and launched magazine and book properties during this time for Random House's Prima Games imprint and many others. In 2001, Barry Friedman officially moved full time under the FOG umbrella of activity. With the expanded charter, FOG is officially re-launching with an impressive slate of License opportunities, developers and other intellectual properties at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles May 21-25, 2002. Friedman is often referred to as "The Father of Interactive Licensing."Surprisingly, Friedman did not get his start in the high tech world. He began in 1972 as an artist's agent. After he began offering artwork to the computer gaming industry for packaging design, his interest and involvement in electronic entertainment grew. In 1979, after recognizing the potential of the then foundling electronic gaming industry he founded International Computer Group (ICG), the first interactive rights representation firm. Noteworthy accomplishments include an agreement that Friedman initiated between Prodigy and ESPN in 1994, to create the extremely well-known ESPNET/SportsZone. At the time, the deal was judged by industry analysts to be the largest in online history. Friedman finalized arrangements with Paul Allan's Starwave for the creation of their ESPNET/SportsZone Web site, and shortly thereafter, was also responsible for the sale of Westwood Studios to Virgin Interactive. He also negotiated the purchase of Spectrum Holobyte for the late Robert Maxwell. Friedman also discovered and helped to launch the careers of many current key executives within the sprawling electronic entertainment community. In placing over 4000 titles and representing nearly 500 clients including all of the major founding publishers, Friedman has been instrumental in helping the electronic gaming industry reach its current entertainment dominance, eclipsing the total revenues of Hollywood handily each year. Dille is a 1982 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He served on active duty until 1993, and is a Veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Dille began his writing career in 1985, while still on active duty. Since then he has authored or co-authored 26 books and over 1000 articles for publication in print and on the Internet. He has founded or co-founded multiple companies, several of which have been acquired in whole or part by other entities. The most notable of these was the Attitude Network Ltd. HappyPuppy.com, which was founded with partners Kunkel and Friedman of FOG Studios in conjunction with outside investors and subsequently sold to the Globe (Nasdaq: TGLO) in 1999. His articles have focused on interactive entertainment, Internet communities, gaming and many other topics for print and web publication in properties such as Computer Gaming World, Electronic Entertainment, Electronic Games, PC Games, PCM, Video Games & Computer Entertainment, GamePower, Naval Institute Proceedings, Aviation Art Illustrated and many others. Parties interested in CrossGen properties for interactive game licensing can contact Ed Dille at eddille@aol.com or Barry Friedman at myriver@aol.com +++++ ``Daredevil'' to Hit Screens Feb. 14, 2003; Launches First Film Mega- Event Weekend of the Year LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--May 24, 2002--Twentieth Century Fox today announced that it will release the Fox/New Regency production DAREDEVIL, the next comics-to-film epic, on February 14, 2003 - kicking off the first moviegoing mega-event weekend of the year: the four-day Presidents' Day holiday. DAREDEVIL stars Ben Affleck in the title role, a blind vigilante with ultra-heightened other senses and incredible acrobatic abilities. Also starring are Golden Globe winner Jennifer Garner ("Alias") as Elektra, a sexy superheroine in her own right, Colin Farrell ("Minority Report") and Michael Clarke Duncan ("The Green Mile"). Commented Twentieth Century Fox Vice Chairman Bob Harper: "Audiences have demonstrated a tremendous appetite for comic super heroes in the last couple of years. We are very excited about unveiling the next big Marvel superhero on the first big holiday of the year." DAREDEVIL is written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson ("Simon Birch"), produced by Gary Foster ("The Score") and Avi Arad ("X-Men," "Spider-Man"), and executive produced by Kevin Feige ("X-Men") and Bernie Williams ("The Score"). Co-starring are Jon Favreau ("Made"), Joe Pantoliano ("Matrix"), David Keith ("Behind Enemy Lines") and newcomer Scott Terra ("Eight Legged Freaks"). Fox and Regency are bringing Marvel's legendary comic hero, known as the Man Without Fear, to the big screen. Attorney Matt Murdock is blind, but his other four senses function with superhuman sharpness. By day, Murdock represents the downtrodden. At night he is Daredevil, a masked vigilante stalking the dark streets of the city, a relentless avenger of justice. "Daredevil: The Man Without Fear" debuted in Marvel Comics' Daredevil #1 in 1964. Created by comics legend Stan Lee, Daredevil has endured as one of the most popular comic book heroes of all time and remains one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel universe. The behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Ericson Core ("The Fast and the Furious"), production designer Barry Chusid ("Blade" art director), three-time Oscar(R) winning costume designer James Acheson ("Spider-Man"), Academy Award(R) nominated editor Dennis Virkler ("The Fugitive," "The Hunt For Red October"), legendary action director Cheung-Yan Yuen ("Charlie's Angels," "Iron Monkey") and second unit director Alexander Witt ("Black Hawk Down"). Rhythm and Hues ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Titanic," "Men In Black 2") is handling the visual effects under visual effects supervisor Rich Thorne ("Behind Enemy Lines"). Twentieth Century Fox is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group. Founded in 1991 by producer Arnon Milchan, New Regency Productions, a unit of Monarchy / Regency Enterprises, has produced over 60 feature films. +++++ Spider-Man 'Drops In' at Universal Studios Hollywood As Giant Spiders, School Kids and Arachnid Experts Help Spin A Greeting Arachnid Arrival Celebrates Opening of 'Spider-Man Rocks!' - New Live Rock-N-Roll Stunt Show - Opening Memorial Day Weekend UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., May 23 /PRNewswire/ -- After crawling 50 feet down a stone wall to the entrance of his new theme park home, Spider- Man brushed a giant spiderweb aside today and, accompanied by a live over-sized tarantula, greeted scores of Los Angeles schoolchildren, real-life spider experts and the first audience for "Spider-Man Rocks!," a rock 'n' roll stunt show opening this weekend as a regular attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. A 20-minute live performance of adrenaline-pumping adventure showcased in a 1,500 seat venue, "Spider-Man Rocks!" features a dynamic ensemble cast of dancing, singing and web-wielding actors in a performance highlighted by elaborate stage pyrotechnics and high-flying stunts that propel Spider-Man more than 30 feet above the audience. With music, dance and eye-dazzling action, the show recounts the comic book tale of Peter Parker. The story recounts his school boy crush on the beautiful Mary Jane Watson and the infamous bite from a genetically altered spider that forever changed the high school student into one of the world's greatest living superhero legends. Flashy costumes fashioned a la comic-book chic in a palate of vibrant primary colors and a backdrop of larger-than-life sets coupled with an eclectic musical score and rhythmic choreography help spring "Spider-Man Rocks!" vividly to life. Featuring such unique and ground-breaking attractions as "Terminator 2: 3D," "Jurassic Park-The Ride," "The Nickelodeon Blast Zone," the world- renowned behind-the-scenes Studio Tour and the new interactive "Special Effects Stages," Universal Studios Hollywood is the world's largest movie studio and theme park. +++++ ADV Films Announces 'Lady Death Endless Graveyard Contest' Contest Gives Fans the Chance to Be a Part of the Upcoming Lady Death Animated Film HOUSTON, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- ADV Films is proud to announce its "Lady Death Endless Graveyard Contest." This contest gives fans a chance to be a part of ADV's upcoming original production Lady Death -- an animated film based on Chaos! Comicss' most popular creation. One grand prize winner will be selected to have his or her name inscribed onto one of the key gravestones seen in the film. The grand prize winner will also receive an original animation cel set-up of the scene signed by the producers. Five runners-up will also be selected to have their names included on gravestones in the film's Endless Graveyard. To enter the contest, fans must design their very own tombstone, then send a copy of that design along with the official entry form -- available for downloading and printing on the ADV website -- to ADV Films' home office in Houston. The contest will be judged by Lady Death producers Carl Macek and Andy Orjuela, who will pick the design they feel is most creative and best embodies the spirit of the project. All entries must be postmarked by July 13, 2002. The grand prize winner will be announced during ADV's Lady Death panel at the San Diego Comic-Con International in August. For more information about the contest, including complete contest rules and entry form, visit the official "Lady Death Endless Graveyard Contest" page at http://www.advfilms.com/cool- stuff/contests/ladydeath/index.asp . Founded in 1993 by Brian Pulido and his wife, Francesca Pulido, in Scottsdale, Arizona, with a satellite office in Hollywood, CA, Chaos! Comics has consistently remained one of the top ten comic book publishing companies in North America since 1995. The company is the number one publisher of "supernatural" comics, appealing to a wide generational span of readers, including females. Chaos! has also consistently led the publishing industry in the introduction of "cutting edge" innovations within the comic book field, including the first-ever velvet, leather, canvass and "coffin"-shaped magazine covers. ADV Films is Anime -- and more. In 1992 ADV Films (ADV) transformed a niche market into a global industry by bringing Japanese animation to North America and beyond. As the #1 distributor of Japanese animation, ADV's holdings include such premier titles as: Spriggan, Sailor Moon, Samurai X, Medabots, Robotech, Gasaraki and Neon Genesis Evangelion. ADV's commitment to genre programming, including popular science fiction programs such as Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Farscape and Gamera: Guardian of the Universe has helped ADV become a burgeoning entertainment powerhouse. For more information, visit ADV on the web at www.advfilms.com . +++++ May 2002 SKETCH MAGAZINE #16 The Sizzling Sequential Art of J. Scott Campbell August is really going to be heating up, as Sketch magazine presents the white-hot talent J. Scott Campbell in a feature interview that will knock your socks off! He's one of the industry's most sought-after cover illustrators, the creator/artist behind the hugely successful Danger Girl series, an instant fan favorite since his simmering style first appeared on Gen 13, and he has granted Sketch his most extensive interview to date. Readers will get the real behind-the-panels story of Campbell's experiences in the comic book industry, what's in store with his highly-anticipated upcoming projects, and his thoughts, influences, and info on how he creates some of sequential art's hottest characters. "We're excited to have the most in-depth interview ever with this terrific talent," commented Sketch Creative Director Bob Hickey. "Everyone enjoys Scott's work, and this issue of Sketch is a must-have for Campbell fans everywhere." As always, Sketch supplies its great instructional columns on digital coloring, penciling, scripting, and marketing your comic work – "how- tos" that creators of all levels will find informative and entertaining, keeping the creative furnaces full blast. With nearly three years of successful and well-received publication, Sketch continues its tradition of high-profile creator interviews, complemented with step-by-step tutorials covering the entire spectrum of comic book creating. The accomplished and asked-for trade magazine of pros, pupils, and hobbyists, Sketch is proud to proceed in serving the comic book creative community. Blue Line Pro is the leading provider of comic book art boards and art supplies, providing the proper tools, knowledge, and professional edge to established and aspiring creators around the world. Blue Line Pro is the parent company and publisher of Blue Line Pro Comics and Sketch Magazine, the world's leading industrial trade publication among the comic book industry. Sketch Magazine Cover Image links for Web and Print below http://www.bluelinepro.com/press.htm +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ MARVEL SCALES DOWN EXHIBITION SPACE AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL! NO MARVEL BOOTH AT SAN DIEGO! May 21: The SPLASH has learned that MARVEL COMICS will not be a major exhibitor at Comic-Con International in San Diego this year. Instead of its traditional presense at the country's largest comicon with one of the most elaborate booths on the floor, Marvel will apparently rely on other exhibitors to stage signings and apply its promotional budget to events outside the hall. Insiders tell the SPLASH that Marvel had demanded major fee concessions as a condition of their involvement, with one source saying "They wanted everything for free." Comic-Con International, which is a non- profit, was unable to meet those demands. While confirming Marvel's presence will be limited to a small table shared with Diamond, Marvel Editor In Chief has denied that the move comes as a result of a Comic-Con not meeting their demands for free concessions, Last night, both Jemas and Quesada told Newsarama they "will be present in San Diego, but without the large booth set-up they've traditionally offered. "We won't have our normal presence, just a shared booth with Diamond," explained Jemas. "We decided to put the money into flying out more talent." Jemas also added if asked, they would participate in Comic-Con programming/panels as normal, which Quesada corroborated. " Quesada told NEWSARAMA that Marvel "will not have their traditional large booth set-up, rivaling those of DC and CrossGen, and while they will be sharing a small booth with Diamond Comics Distributors, saying "We're spending our money on talent and on hospitality suite. We came to the conclusion that this giant booth thing is an incredible waste of money. We figure, people know what Marvel is and what we do. Last year we had the big booth and it was a mess, with big logjams in the center and other problems. We looked at our con budget, which is the same as last year and we found that there were better ways to spend that money at the cons." NEWSARAMA said: "Asked specifically if their plans came as a result of a Comic-Con not meeting their demands for free concessions, Quesada responded, "Not true at all. As a matter of fact Comic-Con wasn't even aware of what we were doing until a week ago. This is strictly a reallocation of the con money." Gary Sassaman, Director of Programming for Comic-Con International told Newsarama Monday night he was unaware of any dispute between the con and Marvel." Jemas and Quesada have been warning fans for months that Marvel might be altering its standard approach to exhibiting at comics conventions. While Marvel may be the company of the hour in global popular culture they are not cash rich by any means. Still, their financial picture is steadily improving and they are nowhere near the dire straights they experienced in the last few years when they were forced to cut back drastically on their promotional budgets all across the board. Their comics are considered the leading mainstream titles and they are aggressively moving new comics related film projects into the public eye. With major motion pictures in the pipeline based on THE HULK, DAREDEVIL and FANTASTIC FOUR, as well as SPIDER-MAN II, the decision not to pull out all the stops at the biggest comic convention of all is an odd one. Comic-Con International is considered a 'gathering of the tribes' for the comics community as well as a trade show. The move by Marvel to drop out of San Diego in this manner is unprecedented and, considering their current Hollywood success, might lead to negative backlash from devoted fans and conventioneers. TINTIN TITLE RESTORED! 'TINTIN IN TIBET' FUROR SETTLED! May 23: An international political furor over a change in the title of a Tintin book has been settled. The incident began last year when a Chinese publisher changed the title of 'Tintin in Tibet' to 'Tintin in Chinese Tibet'. The change led to a protest by the widow of Tintin's creator, Herge, which in turn led to the book being withdrawn from sale. The BBC is reporting: "It was relaunched under its original title in Beijing on Wednesday - the 95th anniversary of Herge's birth - as part of a new Chinese-language Tintin collection. The Belgian publisher, Casterman, says the earlier title change was made unilaterally by its Chinese partner, China Children's Publishing House. Casterman's head of copyright, Willy Fadeur, said the publishing house was happy to restore the original title in the interests of authenticity." STUDIOS BIDDING FOR 'COMIC WARS'! WHO'LL PLAY STAN? May 23: While comic book fans have long relished the game of which actor should play the role of which superhero, the recent success of the SPIDER-MAN movie and the good reviews for Dan Raviv's "COMIC WARS" might have fans imagining which Hollywood hunks will be playing Ron Perleman, Ike Perlmutter and Carl Ichan. Neal Travis, gossip columnist for the the NEW YORK POST is reporting that "Comic Wars" is a "hot property. (Raviv has) had nibbles for screen rights from FX, HBO, TNT and NBC." Raviv's "COMIC WARS" provides an inside look at the personalities associated with Perelman's purchase of Marvel and his battle with Carl Ichan for control, which eventually ended in bankruptcy of the company and the cratering of the whole comic book industry. Travis said: "Raviv tells me that there is one mystery source also bidding for the movie rights and he suspects it's someone working for Perelman, who supposedly wants to bury the project. C'mon, Dan, you're getting paranoid. Tycoons just don't do things like that, do they?" +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.comicon.com/Newsarama/ Winner of the 2001 Squiddy - Best General Comics Web Site DC INCREASES PRICES IN AUGUST In August, DC will raise the price on 20 of their monthly titles. The price increase is virtually line-wide, and affects titles in the mainline DC imprint, four Cartoon Network titles, and four Vertigo titles. No Wildstorm titles show a price increase in August. As a result of the change, DC no longer has any comics priced under $2.00, as Justice League Adventures, Scooby Doo, Batman: Gotham Adventures, Powerpuff Girls, Looney Tunes and Dexter's Laboratory will increase in cover price from $1.99 to $2.25. Many DC books that were priced at $2.50 will rise in price to $2.75, with Azrael: Agent of the Bat showing the largest jump, rising from $2.50 to a $2.95 cover price for its final seven issues. Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Hawkman, Lab Rats, JSA, Green Arrow and The Legion will remain at a cover price of $2.50, while the four Superman monthly titles, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, JLA, Green Lantern, Nightwing and Robin remain at $2.25. Of Vertigo monthly titles, only Fables, Transmetropolitan, Lucifer and 100 Bullets maintain a $2.50 cover price. Ongoing Wildstorm titles retail for $2.95. While most likely not a direct cause of the price increases, several paper industry sources recently predicted that the downward price slide in paper prices would be coming to an end soon, which will result in increased production costs. As a slight aside, the price of standard newsprint continues to slide however, dropping roughly 28% in price per ton over the course of the past year. These price decreases won't likely have any effect on comic prices, as virtually every publisher prints on better stock paper due in part to the rapid price increase of newsprint a few years ago which made it cost essentially the same to print comics on newsprint as it did to print on higher grade paper. Now that most comics use computer color separation, moving back to standard newsprint, even though it is cheaper, according to some publishers, would result in a dramatic decrease in color quality, as ink spreads further on newsprint, causing the colors to run slightly at their borders. Back to DC's price increases, Detective and Gotham Knights are the only titles consistently under the #50 sales spot to see increases, while the remainder of the mainline DC titles cover the bottom half of the Top 100 and beyond, with Legends of the Dark Knight ranking #64 for May sales, and Azrael clocking in at #132. Based on estimated sales numbers, it would roughly appear as if monthly DC titles selling under 25,000 copies a month (with the exceptions of Detective, Legends of the Dark Knight, and Gotham Knights) saw a price increase, while those selling roughly 26,000 copies a month or more maintained their price. The full list, and prices of the series seeing price increases reads as follows: Title, new price (old price) (position on May, 2002's Top 300 chart) Detective Comics $2.75 ($2.50) (19) Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight $2.50 ($2.25) (64) Batman: Gotham Knights $2.75 ($2.50) (45) Azrael: Agent of the Bat $2.95 ($2.50) (132) Harley Quinn $2.50 ($2.25) (94) Supergirl $2.50 ($2.25) (106) The Spectre $2.75 ($2.50) (111) Young Justice $2.75 ($2.50) (79) The Power Company $2.75 ($2.50) (104) The Titans $2.75 ($2.50) (88) Hunter: The Age of Magic $2.75 ($2.50) (145) Codename: Knockout $2.75 ($2.50) (149) Hellblazer $2.75 ($2.50) (109) American Century $2.75 ($2.50) (157) Batman: Gotham Adventures $2.25 ($1.99) (139) Justice League Adventures $2.25 ($1.99) (115) Looney Tunes $2.25 ($1.99) (203) Scooby-Doo $2.25 ($1.99) (180) The Powerpuff Girls $2.25 ($1.99) (166) Dexter's Laboratory $2.25 ($1.99) (no issue) Historically, Marvel and DC play the waiting game with one another in regards to price increases in their product, one publisher announcing price increases only after the other releases information first. When asked about the price increases, DC sources declined to comment. Marvel's Joe Quesada told Newsarama that no price increase was expected in Marvel's titles in the foreseeable future. VIOLENT MESSIAHS RETURN IN SEPTEMBER Image Comics announced Wednesday further details regarding the next Violent Messiahs series. The "macabre thriller" is returning this September with an all-new four-issue mini-series entitled Violent Messiahs: Lamenting Pain. Picking up a month after the events of the first mini-series, Violent Messiahs: Lamenting Pain opens with the city in a social meltdown. "Street gangs prowl the night, riots break out constantly, and the mayor is talking about marshal law," reads Image's description. "Amidst all of this, Citizen Pain has disappeared from Rankor Island, and in his absence, a new vigilante is striking, leaving her victims horribly mutilated with a single word carved into their corpses: Scalpel." "Scalpel is a latex-dipped femme fatale who is sexually, emotionally and physically obsessed with Citizen Pain," explained Violent Messiahs writer Joshua Dysart. "We'll try our hardest to use the character as an honest exploration of the world of fixation, fetish, and S&M without disrupting the traditional pulp narrative of the comic." Accompanying Dysart once again is artist Tone Rodriguez, who penciled the first mini-series. Cover artist Travis Smith will also be returning for VIOLENT MESSIAHS: LAMENTING PAIN, and his photomontage covers will be featured in rotation with covers by Rodriguez, as well as a "surprise guest artist or two". Violent Messiahs: Lamenting Pain is a $2.95 color comic book that will be available for order in the July issue of Diamond's Previews. +++++ From Comics2Film at http://www.comics2film.com GHOST RIDER ----------- Today's Variety and Hollywood Reporter both confirm recent talks that Sony Pictures, the studio who brought us Spider-Man are set to burn rubber on Marvel's Ghost Rider. The spirit of vengeance was previously set up at Dimension Films, who placed it in turnaround after the production spun out. The studio is said to be in negotiations to take on the adaptation. Sony is looking to hire screenwriter Shane Salerno to write the script for the feature. Comic-to-film writer/ producer David Goyer had written the draft for the previous development effort but is not involved with the new deal. Salerno may be best known for writing the slick action- Jackson flick Shaft. WITCHBLADE SEASON 2 ------------------- Production on TNT's Witchblade TV series was temporarily halted this week. An official statement issued by TNT states, "series star Yancy Butler has voluntarily checked herself into a rehabilitation center for alcohol treatment. We wish her all the best." The series is still slated to premiere on schedule with a two- hour showing on Sunday, June 16th at 8 p.m. Filming was been completed on six episodes before the production stopped. Fans who would like to send well-wishes to Butler are encouraged to send them to witchblade@turner.com. BIRDS OF PREY ------------- When Birds of Prey hits the airwaves this fall one character in the show is former (in the context of the series) Batman butler Alfred Pennyworth. Now, Gotham Clock Tower reveals that Ian Abercrombie will play the part. The actor has appeared in movies like Wild Wild West, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Army of Darkness. He may be best known for playing Elaine's demanding boss Mr. Pitt on the hit sitcom Seinfeld. http://www.gothamclocktower.com ROAD TO PERDITION ----------------- Fans who want a sneak peek at The Road To Perdition can direct their browsers to http://www.roadtoperdition.com/media/honor_qt_h.html for an online version of the official trailer for the movie. IT'S BACK TO THE BATCAVE FOR CBS -------------------------------- Fans who miss the old Batman TV series will be pleased to learn that CBS is ready to take you "Back to the Batcave". Variety reports that Paul Kaufman, who produced Surviving Gilligan's Island will executive produce Back to the Batcave: The True Adventures of Adam West and Burt Ward for the eye net. The telepic will reunite the cast of the classic comic book adaptation. No word is given on when CBS plans to air the show. http://www.variety.com +++++ From: Silver Bullet Comic Books at http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/news/ Hammer Of The Gods Moves To Image By: Jason Brice Image Comics officially announced today that the hugely successful indy hit HAMMER OF THE GODS is moving to Image Comics. POWERS artist Michel Avon Oeming and BREATHTAKER scribe Mark Wheatley, the creators behind HAMMER, are moving their epic saga to the big "i" with a spectacular collection of the original miniseries in trade paperback form this September. Entitled, HAMMER OF THE GODS: MORTAL ENEMY, the new collected edition of the original miniseries is slated to get the full-color treatment for the first time, and subsequent offerings will debut in color. A new three-issue miniseries -- HAMMER HITS CHINA -- will follow in November. HAMMER OF THE GODS began as a five-issue miniseries published by Insight Studios Group. The epic saga focuses on a Viking boy, Modi, who is cursed to never touch a weapon lest he lose his soul. Modi is a frustrated Viking, angry with the world and the gods themselves. His quest against the gods forces him into hand-to-hand battles with giants, trolls, demons and even beautiful Valkyries. Created by Michael Avon Oeming, co-creator of the Image Comics smash hits POWERS and BASTARD SAMURAI, HAMMER OF THE GODS is a collaboration between Oeming, who plots and draws the stories, and Mark Wheatley, who plots and writes the tales. Wheatley is perhaps best known for his creations MARS, RADICAL DREAMER, and BREATHTAKER. The stories are told with a light touch that brings the characters to life in a world of wonders and tumultuous action. HAMMER OF THE GODS, as reviewer Mike Barron noted, "dodges every cliche." "I'm trying to make it easier on my readers to find my books," Oeming said from Insight Studios' headquarters. "The overwhelming success of POWERS and BASTARD SAMURAI have made a very strong statement that Image Comics is a great home base for me. That's where many of my readers look for my books, and that's where HAMMER OF THE GODS is going to be." He said he wanted to make it clear that he was not leaving Insight Studios behind. "The guys at Insight are my friends, and there is no place better to give birth to a new project." Insight head honcho, Mark Wheatley agreed. "We're trying to be good parents to HAMMER OF THE GODS. Mike and I took the luxury of several years of development on the series before we started publishing. Then we focused a great deal of attention on just how our Viking was introduced into the market. But the kid is all grown up now! We're gratified by the strong response the series has generated, and the time has come to turn this over to a publisher who has the experience dealing with hits the size of HAMMER." Insight Studios will continue to produce HAMMER OF THE GODS for Image with the creative team remaining the same, including the exceptional work of John Staton. The one major change for the Image incarnation of HAMMER will be the move to color. When Insight Studios published the HAMMER OF THE GODS COLOR SAGA in December of 2001, it became the fourth best-selling graphic novel offered through Diamond Comic Distributors. This first color book was the maiden effort for colorist John Staton and the positive response from fans was largely responsible for the decision to take all HAMMER projects to color. "I've been fortunate to work with some great colorists," said Oeming. "John's gray-tones were fantastic, but his color work takes my art to the proverbial whole new level." Scheduled to strike the comic-buying public in September, the 176-page HAMMER OF THE GODS: MORTAL ENEMY will be available for order in the July issue of PREVIEWS. Current printings of some issues of the original miniseries remain available through Diamond Comic Distributors. These include: HAMMER OF THE GODS #1 (DEC002073), #2 (FEB012085), #3 (APR012241), #4 (JUN012205), #5 (AUG012047), and HAMMER OF THE GODS COLOR SAGA (STAR14986). These issues should be available for immediate reorder. +++++ From the DC Comics Online Newsletter at http://www.dccomics.com KEVIN J. ANDERSON BRINGS THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS TO WILDSTORM New York Times best selling science fiction novelist Kevin J. Anderson brings an original project to WildStorm Productions with the graphic novel THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS: VEILED ALLIANCES, illustrated by Robert Teranishi and colored by Wendy Fouts Broome. If the title sounds familiar, it's because The Saga of Seven Suns novel series debuts in July with the Warner Aspect title The Saga of Seven Suns: Hidden Empire. As Anderson says, "THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS is a multi-volume chronicle of a legendary war that spans half the galaxy and nearly shatters the cosmos. The series follows the family intrigues, the loves and tragedies, pomp and pageantry among several competing races in an expanding stellar empire. With my previous work on Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune, I feel like I've been training my whole life for this epic." "I've created a universe filled with fantastic places, strange creatures, and plenty of characters and color," says Anderson. "There are some parts of the story that are best told visually, and there's no better way to do that than in a gorgeous graphic novel format. There are things you can do in a comic that you can't do in prose, and I tried to take advantage of those possibilities when I wrote the graphic novel." "Kevin's imagination is a wild and wonderful gift, and one that he's always been generous about sharing with the reading public," says WildStorm Senior Editor Jeff Mariotte. "As an editor, it's a joy to work with such an inventive writer, particularly on a project designed to bridge the worlds of science fiction and graphic fiction. THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS can only help to spread the word about how great comics can be." "I'm truly excited about the Saga. The novels are engrossing, and Kevin has created a highly imaginative and elaborate world that's ripe for expression through different media," says Jaime Levine, Editor of Warner Aspect. "It's a real pleasure to be working with DC Comics." THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS: VEILED ALLIANCES is set a hundred years before events in Hidden Empire and establishes many of the situations from the novel. Although both the novel and the graphic novel may be read as free standing works, readers of both will be treated to a larger scope of events. Anderson is the writer of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi and Predator: Primal for Dark Horse and Topps Comics' X-Files, as well as being the co-writer of the WildStorm graphic novel STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION — THE GORN CRISIS. Anderson's prose works include the Dune prequel novels (co-written with Brian Herbert), Star Wars and X-Files series novels, as well as original works including Hopscotch, Resurrection, Inc., and the short story collection Dogged Persistence. THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS: VEILED ALLIANCES is a 96-page hardcover graphic novel scheduled for 2003. MAD'S "LIGHTER SIDE OF_" ARTIST DAVE BERG, 1920-2002 David Berg, one of MAD Magazine's best-loved and well-known cartoonists, passed away on May 16 at the age 81 at his home in Marina del Rey, California. Born in Brooklyn and the son of a bookbinder, Berg is best known for his strip "The Lighter Side of_" which first appeared in MAD Magazine in October 1961 and went on to appear in 365 subsequent issues of MAD. Berg's first article for MAD was "Modern Furniture," which ran in issue #34 in August 1957. Berg is the author of 17 books - fifteen for MAD Magazine and two theological books. "To overstate Dave's importance in MAD would be virtually impossible," said MAD co-editor John Ficarra. "For many readers, Dave's 'The Lighter Side of_' served as an introduction to the magazine. His unique comic observations on Americana really hit their mark." "To this day "The Lighter Side of_" remains one of the most popular features in the magazine," added co-editor Nick Meglin, "a true cultural touchstone. Dave will be sorely missed." At the age of 10, Berg's artistic talent was noticed by his teacher, who suggested that Berg attend art school. At 12 years old, Berg received a scholarship from the Pratt Institute to attend a Saturday morning art class. After high school, Berg attended the Cooper Union and at 20, Berg went to work at the studio of Will Eisner. Berg began his career in comics by filling in the backgrounds of Eisner's "The Spirit." He then moved onto writing and drawing the "Death Patrol" and "Uncle Sam." It was at Eisner's studio that Berg met fellow cartoonists Al Jaffee and Jules Feiffer. Jaffee introduced Berg to a circle of peers that included Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder. He would later share a studio with Kurtzman, who would suggest that Berg work for MAD. After two stints under Stan Lee at Timely Comics and a stint at Archie Comics, Berg successfully submitted a script to Editor Al Feldstein for MAD Magazine, which was illustrated by Bob Clarke. Berg submitted a second script, "Modern Furniture," and, upon submission, Feldstein suggested that Berg draw it and include himself in the art. Berg did, portraying himself under the name "Roger Kaputnik," which his mother called him during his childhood. Kaputnik, along with the faces of Berg's friends and family, have consistently appeared in virtually all of Berg's "The Lighter Side of_" strips. Berg served in the Pacific in World War Two as a soldier in the Air Corps. He was awarded the "Chair for the Great Cartoonist" from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is survived by his wife, Vivian, and his son and a daughter. NEWS FROM THE MAINSTREAM PRESS To accompany the article "Super-Hero Nation," the May 20 edition of Time includes the sidebars "Holy Multimedia," which covers TV and movie appearances by super-heroes including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, and "A Short Comic-Book History," which looks at highlights from comics history including ACTION COMICS #1 and Will Eisner's A CONTRACT WITH GOD. The Sunday, May 12, edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer includes the article "What — Me 50?," about the fiftieth anniversary of MAD Magazine, with quotes from co-editors John Ficarra and Nick Meglin. The May issue of the Evansville, IL, magazine News4U, includes a review of KING DAVID in which Shane Hazen writes, "Even if you already like Kyle Baker, KING DAVID is a revelation. It's simply one of the best comics of the year." The April 28 edition of the Knoxville News-Sentinel inlcudes the article "New Batgirl Nothing like Predecessor," in which Terry Morrow interviews BATGIRL writer Kelley Puckett. NEWS FROM THE TRADE PRESS The "Buzz" section of the July issue of ToyFare includes an item on the Subway Justice League promotion. The "Incoming" section includes the ENEMY ACE DELUXE ACTION FIGURE and the CLASSIC LUTHOR and JOKER MINI- BUSTS. The May issue of Tomart's Action Figure Digest includes a range of upcoming DC Direct products including the CRIME SYNDICATE ACTION FIGURES, the GOTHAM GIRLS: ANIMATED BATGIRL POSTER, the ANIMATED SUPERGIRL POSTER, the CLASSIC BIZARRO MINI-BUST, the CLASSIC AQUAMAN STATUE, the JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED FLASH MAQUETTE, the COMET THE SUPER-HORSE SOFT TOY, the ENEMY ACE DELUXE ACTION FIGURE, the SUPERMAN #14 STATUE, and the SUPERMAN, BATMAN and WONDER WOMAN HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS. The June issue of the U.K. magazine Memorabilia includes an item about the upcoming run of BATMAN by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. The "Shortcuts" section covers the MR. FREEZE SNOWGLOBE and the CRIME SYNDICATE ACTION FIGURES. In the "Most Wanted" section, the hottest 10 action figures include the KYLE RAYNER GREEN LANTERN ACTION FIGURE (at #4) and the ALAN SCOTT GREEN LANTERN ACTION FIGURE (at #8). "Most Wanted" comics include HAWKMAN #1 first printing (at #2), JSA #23 (#3), CATWOMAN #1 (#5) and BIRDS OF PREY #41 first printing (#6). The May 31 issue of Comics Buyer's Guide (#1489) includes an article on the upcoming THUNDERCATS projects. DC FIRST: SUPERMAN/LOBO is reviewed in the "Reading Room," with Brett Weiss calling it "actually kind of fun." Also in this issue is an article about Robert Kanigher, and an item on the collected edition CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS. NEWS FROM THE INTERNET Newsarama has posted an interview with Ty Templeton about his graphic novel BIGG TIME. Also on the site is an interview with GREEN ARROW writer Brad Meltzer and a preview of THE AUTHORITY: KEV. Comics Continuum looks at upcoming events in POWER COMPANY with an interview with Kurt Busiek. The site also features an article on JLA: THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU. Seth Fisher, artist of VERTIGO POP: TOKYO!, is interviewed at Comic Book Resources. 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: 5/25 (8:30 am) "Static Shaq" (Static Shock) 5/25 (12:30 pm) "The Brave and the Bold, Pt. 1" (Justice League) 5/25 (10:00 pm) "The Brave and the Bold, Pt. 1" (Justice League - Widescreen) 5/26 (7:00 pm) "The Brave and the Bold, Pt. 2" (Justice League) 5/28 (9:00 pm) "Rogue" (Smallville) 6/1 (8:30 am) "Bad Stretch" (Static Shock) 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 [NOTE: This column copy may be slightly edited for language - DL] 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. Refried Beans No Gay Sex Please, We're The Authority So you thought last week's Authority, if nothing else, put lie to the rumour that DC have been very edgy about the relationship between Apollo and Midnighter? Currently Wildstorm are launching a "round robin", asking some of the bigger names in comics to pitch to write a mature readers ongoing Authority series. Six or seven names... names I've heard mentioned include Matt Wagner, Brian Wood, Doselle Young, Grant Morrison and Ian Edginton. There is one proviso. According to the pitch document, they don't want to see any gay stuff between Apollo and Midnighter. This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Ran Out Of Beans On Thursday, the receivers were called in to online comic book publisher Cool Beans Productions and a number of employees were dismissed. Cool Beans is a design, animation and production company based in Sheffield, UK. Prominently, it also produced Cool Beans World, a pay- comics site featuring fine work from the likes of Simon Bisley, Charlie Adlard, D'Israeli, Kevin O'Neill, Ian Edginton, Pat Mills, John Wagner and more. I understand that the receivers are currently preparing the company for asset stripping and have told creditors that cheques sent out will no longer be honoured. There has been no official statement issued from either Cool Beans Productions or the Official Receiver's Office regarding the future of the company. On Friday, the phone rang without being answered and e- mails to company addresses bounced. However, word was passed on from one former-employee who said "It's obviously been on the cards for a while, but everyone's a bit stunned at the suddenness of it. That's the trouble with venture capital I suppose - if they decide to pull the plug, there's not a damn thing you can do about it." Another stated, "The receivers have shut down Cool Beans. It's come completely out of the blue to me." Pat Mills, creator of Marshall Law for CBW told me "Coolbeans certainly had a fantastic dream which I can't congratulate them enough on. Anyone trying to do something different and exciting needs encouraging and, if it doesn't work out, our sympathy. If the rumours are true , I don't believe it's the end of the line anyway. I think Coolbeans created something so special and innovative that it won't go away. Something new and even more dynamic will emerge from it." For a start, Titan's repackaging of Marshall Law: Fear And Loathing! Borderline, the online PDF international comics magazine is one of the many ventures threatened, as Cool Beans World was recently its main source of income. Normally expecting to report on the news, Phil Hall, editor-in-chief of Borderline, said, "We were all as surprised as the rest, but to be honest we've put Borderline out for so long unpaid that it hasn't really affected us on a production level. Personally I'm fishing round garbage cans for scraps, but the magazine's health is fine." What else did Hall know about the closure? "Not a lot really. I got a call from the guy we've been dealing with on this deal - he'd been following up the cheque that hadn't been paid and of course found out why it hadn't been paid!! He just said that he'd got a call from the Receiver at home - he was on vacation - telling him he was out of a job and could he come into the office and clear out his personal belongings. You've got to feel sorry for the innocent people involved in this venture, a lot of them didn't know this was going to happen." Borderline received their first cheque, one-and-a-half-months late, and hours before they were told that it would no longer be honoured. Phil Hall, editor and publisher told me that Borderline would definitely continue for two more issues - but after that, he'd have to see. More on that story below. The Bristol comic convention, Comics 2002 was also to have had a massive Cool Beans presence, and will no doubt have helped towards its profitability. Thankfully, organiser Kev F Sutherland told me that the cheques have cleared, even if the company doesn't show up. Might be some spare table space going if anyone's interested. There is speculation that funding was being sought from Germany, based on Cool Beans' promo film, Saintly, featuring cutting edge computer generated images. I understand that funding for the film was not found and this may have precipitated the fall. However, with so much talented comic book work produced by top names, and the print rights still held by Cool Beans World, expect certain publishers to jump on the carcass and start ripping out the juicier bits of meat. Comics 2002 will be a good place for negotiations to kick off. The Cool Beans World website is at http://www.coolbeansworld.com This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 The House Of Work-For-Hire Marvel's basic contract with freelance creators, reportedly cause for much nonsigning, general rumpus, and a variety of online battles has been rewritten to address creator concerns. The new contract will finally make freelance work truly work made for hire. Until this point, although Marvel creators would sign a voucher stating the work was made-for-hire, the work technically wasn't (unless the creator had a separate agreement so stating). Under U.S. copyright law since 1978 a work by a freelancer is work-made-fore-hire only if done pursuant to a written agreement signed before the work is commenced. So, although those vouchers may validly be a transfer of rights, they did not make the work one made-for-hire. I understand after talking to a few creators that Harris Miller, who represents most of the top talent in comics, led the fight for freelancers in negotiations with Marvel. Miller declined to comment about this story apart, apart from stating, "The revised agreement is better for creators than the first draft, and the freelance community have Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada to thank for going to bat for them within Marvel." I have not been aware of any other attorney or agent working for the freelancers over the contract. One freelancer currently working for Marvel described the revised agreement as having been changed to it being "now just a case of simple rape rather than the case of aggravated rape as it was initially drafted." Some creators were reportedly so insulted or offended by the first draft and Marvel's stance during the negotiations, that they ceased working for Marvel. I understand that this may now change too. Based on copies supplied to me, it appears that the following amendments were made in the freelancers' favour: The contract is tighter and covers only work Marvel and the freelancer intend for it cover, rather than its previous broader coverage of almost anything the creator had done and would do. Specifically "This Agreement will not in any way affect, amend or modify any Creator-Owned Agreement that has been, or in the future may be, entered into by MARVEL and TALENT." It now covers only material that Marvel has requested, rather than anything additional the creator produces, such as sketchbooks. It states that Marvel will not present creators as endorsing anything without their permission. It holds Marvel culpable if artwork is not returned and it's Marvel's fault. And, yes, Marvel will pay up page rates and fees owed if the creator dies. The "pay during the creator's lifetime only" aspect has been removed from the new contract. The freelance agreement never dealt with incentives, which was a matter of Marvel corporate policy, but thanks to Jemas and Quesada, the lifetime restriction has been modified there as well to a certain extent (the details of which were not available as yet). With a number of creators previously unwilling to work for Marvel because of their old contract, we may see a new flurry of creators returning. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 On The Borderline So what will happen to Borderline now? How will the closure of Cool Beans World affect this online international comics magazine? Phil Hall told me, "Not a lot really. There was a rumour I'd been considering throwing the towel in a couple of months ago, but that probably came from the frustration of dealing with some of the well known message board posters - and anyone who's been on something like a Delphi forum knows how you can lose your cool quicker than a quick thing!" "The bottom line is that Borderline will continue for at least two more issues. You could say I'm "contracted" with myself to do a dozen. However, the general feeling from my team and the readers is "DON'T STOP!" and, hey, if there's anyway we can continue producing the magazine we will - even if it means me asking someone to take a lot of my work off my shoulders and allowing me to get out there and earn some sheckles!" "One thing I've noticed over the last couple of months is just how important the magazine has become to some people and for the industry as a whole. That's why I'd like it to keep on going. Yeah, we may well be allowing a little more cynicism than we ever anticipated when we started, but on the whole we offer so much more than *anything* else out there and of course, we're free!" So how will the lack of funding affect Borderline? "Well, it means that I have to look for work, either in or outside of comics and some of our freelancers, who were just getting their first taste of being paid journalists, have been badly let down, but they've all been positive about it. Mike [Kidson] keeps telling me I have nothing to feel guilty about, but I do. I was so damned proud the day Cool Beans offered us this deal and I felt that even if I could only offer them all something token, at least I *could*!" "Seriously, both Mike Kidson and I have struggled to make ends meet since last June and we'll probably continue to struggle until we get ourselves some paid work. But . . . we love doing it, we believe in the product--who couldn't?--and both of us are in our 40s now and we're enjoying having the naked women throw themselves at our feet just because of Borderline. . . . OK, I lied about the being in our 40s bit!" What ultimately would he like to see happen with the magazine? "Borderline as a printed magazine--it's always been the intention. Whether a physical manifestation of the magazine would be identical to the PDF version is very doubtful, but you can guarantee one thing it will have a quality about it comics fans appreciate. But my hat goes off to people like Gary Groth, Dez Skinn and that Shamus fella for continuing to get this kind of product out on the stands month in month out, what we do at Borderline is only two thirds of the work that really goes into producing a comics magazine of quality." "I think we're good enough to carry print off--we're a serious comics magazine that isn't *that* serious about it's subject--the middle ground's borderline, if you like. I think we have that middle ground and that's why over 40,000 have downloaded us since last August." The next issue of Borderline, issue 11, will be available from midday (BST) May 31st from http://borderline.mediahall.co.uk free. This Has A Dez Skinn Glee Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Back To Basics On his newly launched website, Peter David writes, "Just finished the script for Supergirl #74... we have a major new storyline that starts with #75... which will launch a major new, and highly demanded, storyline." I understand that this new storyline is called "Many Happy Returns" and features Supergirl finding herself face-to-face with a young girl in a Silver Age Supergirl costume landing on Earth who introduces herself as Kara Zor-El from Argo City. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Arse Claws And so the dodgy rumour came down. That later this year, the new Wolverine team would be Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, the same team who worked on Fury recently for Marvel. A quick e-mail to Darick scotched it completely. He writes, "Garth is definitely not writing it, and I may be doing some Wolverine special projects. Since Axel Alonso is the new editor people have made assumptions, and I may have been misquoted about what I'll be doing under my new Marvel Exclusive contract. Frank Tieri and Sean Chen are doing a fine job and I don't think anyone's taking them off the book anytime soon. If there are plans to change the team I am not a part of that decision." Darick went on to say, "I am currently doing Deathlok: Detour, a MAX miniseries, and will be doing a fill in issue of the Punisher (#15) with Garth as well as a MAX Punisher project for the fall. Within all that I'm doing an issue of X-Men Unlimited with Greg Rucka, and finishing up Transmetropolitan. So there are no immediate plans for me to take on Wolverine monthly." This Has A Rumour Value Of 1 Out Of 10 And You Thought Thundercats Was Bad DC have the licence to He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe and are not afraid to use it. This Has A "I Have The Power" Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Fire Sale Jim Krueger is to be the new writer for Firestorm at least he recently bought a large run of backissues on eBay for research. A fairly telling sign_ This Has A Rumour Value Of 3 Out Of 10 More Than Meets The "Ey" I understand that John Byrne has been commissioned to draw the cover of an upcoming Transformers trade paperback. This Has A Rumour Value Of 5 Out Of 10 It Figures George Brewer, one of the execs involved in DC Direct's daily business, informed several different people at WizardWorld Philly this weekend that it has been decided to discontinue the PVC set program because of poor sales. Anything to do with recent sets being Metal Men, a third Justice Society, a second Green Lantern Corps, Silver Age Justice League Villains and Smallville (comics, not TV) all scheduled close together? This Has A Rumour Of 8 Out Of 10 Doing Time Ty Templeton appears to have sworn off Vertigo Comics. His project Bigg Time was previously edited by Heidi MacDonald, and had to go through some serious editing after DC's legal department got involved way back. However I understand that he and Vertigo have now come to blows after Heidi's departure, over a difference of opinion over financial matters over the project. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out of 10 Windy Millar It's good to know that Mark Millar is still an All The Rage reader. On Millarworld he writes: "Jerry Seinfeld says the best revenge is living well and I swore to myself I wouldn't bash Wildstorm anymore, but JESUS... "Not content with turning Authority vanilla and then canning it over a painful eighteen month assassination exercise, I now hear that these guys are doing Thundercats and Christian Comics. "(must bite tongue, must bite tongue) "Holy ^%$#! Have DC replaced these guys with the Stepford editors or something?" A couple of pages later, that tongue was unbitten. "Basically, I chose to attack Wildstorm/ DC because I have some insider-knowledge of the company and I have been seriously undermined by the machinations of the corporation. I'm not alone in this and this was evident by the number of people who jumped ship last year when Bill and Joe seized control of Marvel and raised the good flag. "Authority is a perfect example. The book was brilliant, but was stuck around number eighty or ninety in the sales chart (which made no sense given that it was the best book on the market). Quitely and I took over with issue 13 and sales stayed the same. We did an international promotional stunt with Apollo and the Midnighter and sales jumped over five months to make the book not only Wildstorm's biggest seller, but DC's THIRD biggest. Our last issue together outsold Superman and Batman and was only beaten into third place by JLA and Kevin's Green Arrow. We picked up a bundle of awards, got nominated for a dozen more and were named as Wizard's book of the year. "But they still *^#%ed us. "At a time when the industry was dying on its feet, this was defying all the odds and actually rising up the charts. But they still &^%$ed us. The reason was simple; DC is a corporation and they didn't like a character who looked like Batman having a relationship with a guy who looked a bit like Superman. They also disliked the attitude, the violence and sometimes the language, but this was always a smaller concern. Wildstorm did, however, like the sales. They liked the sales so much that they spun the book out into two ongoing series and had a whole gaggle of special projects planned. But DC were making things VERY uncomfortable for them and an eighteen month assassination took place. "First off, they let Marvel steal Quitely. Frank would have stayed for an extra few bucks a page, but they said they wouldn't pay him a cent. I don't think this was planned, but it was very, very stupid. The time needed for a new artist to start from scratch would mean that the issue would be delayed a few months. Art Adams, brilliant that he is, is famously meticulous and very, very slow. This meant the book would be delayed for TEN months. Between parts one and two of my final story, they then sandwiched a four part series and then, to make matters worse, they started chopping into my scripts (and Art's art) making the book as vanilla as possible. They liked the sales, but they didn't like the reasons the book had so much heat. Could this be any MORE of a corporation? "Add this to the fact that I received two personally abusive messages from the New York office (too obscene to be printed here) and had people at Wildstorm and DC briefing against me in private to Rich (Johnston) and other people at a time when everyone thought I had cancer last year, I think I have every reason to feel slighted and to lash out at what I think are a bunch of people making very bad decisions and slighting the people who have a tendency to sell a lot of comics. The final insult, I discovered last month, was when they held back the solicitation for the next Authority trade until I handed in the final dialogue for issue 29 because, and I quote, 'we knew he wouldn't hand it in if he saw that we were splitting his last two story arcs over two collections.' "Again, I can only wonder at the logic of annoying a creator who's writing two of the top 5 books at the moment, someone who sold a great deal of comics for them recently and someone who (let's face it) didn't bugger off. I stuck around and finished my commitment, despite everything they did to me. "Yeah, Marvel was a piece of shit for a long time and the creators were treated badly in a great many cases, but I didn't blame Bill Clinton for the Nixon administration. Bill and Joe have done a lot of good things since they took over Marvel. They killed the pay-freeze for creators, they NEVER interfere with the scripts, they treat the artists like artists and, no matter how much of an ass you think Jemas is, he and Joe have pulled that company from the red into the black and Marvel have 21 of the top 25 books. This isn't just sales, this is also critical acclaim so they must be doing SOMETHING right. "Meanwhile, I wouldn't rule out working for DC ever again. John Byrne says that every five years and it always comes back to bite him on the ass. What I WOULD rule out is working for many of the personalities who made a lot of stupid decisions in the last eighteen months. But I don't think they'll be there by the time my Marvel contract expires anyway." This Has An Unbitten Tongue Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Here Lies Moon, Second String, Where's Higgs? My worthy rumour compatriot, Ian Ungstad, has also been gathering a bunch of worthy words. He reports for All The Rage: Update On The Thundercats Recently a number of Thundercats Images that Dreamwave had commissioned from Brett Booth began to appear across the net. Obviously Dreamwave lost the licence to Wildstorm . . . but apparently Wildstorm offered Thundercats to Brett Booth anyway, who had to turn the assignment down to work on the Dreamwave series Limbo City, with writer Brian Augustyn. Metal Hurlant Update Writer Alejandro Jodorowsky and Promethea artist JH Williams III will collaborate on a short story for an upcoming issue of Metal Hurlant. Williams will pencil and ink his own art with painted colors by Jose Villarubia. Look for this and the collaboration between Geoff Johns and Team Red Star (previously announced in All the Rage) to hit comic shops later this year. How Long Is Mike Carey Writing Hellblazer? Lucifer writer Mike Carey's initial run was supposed to only run 6 issues . . . now it will be at least 14, maybe longer, depending if Azzarello wants to return to the title . . . at all. Mick Gray To Ink Batman/Deathblow Due to time constraints placed on some of Tim Bradstreet's other assignments, inker Mick Gray will step in to help Tim finish the inking on Batman/Deathblow #3. This book has been resolicited and rescheduled. Brian Talbot And Bill Willingham Collaborate Look for Brian Talbot to illustrate a self-contained story "Bag of Bones" for Willingham's new Vertigo series FABLES. The story takes place in the Louisianan bayou during the American Civil War. It won't be till issue 11, so it's going to be a long wait for Talbot fans. Gilbert Hernandez will also pencil a two issue arc. Thanks Ian! Keep them coming, you hear? Joe Speaks. The Nation Listens We'll leave the column with a few wise words from Joey Da Q. Joe Quesada gave an interview a few weeks back that hasn't received much coverage elsewhere. Shame, cos there's some belter quotes. Click here for the full article, but here's something to wet your whistle. "After we're through, you're going to be Spider-sick! We're going to have people puking Spider-Man." "I liked it when the two companies hated each other," he said. "It made it better for the fans. You know, if you like DC, then you hated Marvel. If you like Marvel, then you hated DC." "What the %$^& is DC anyway? They'd be better off calling it AOL Comics. At least people know what AOL is. I mean, they have Batman and Superman, and they don't know what to do with them. That's like being a porn star with the biggest dick and you can't get it up. What the %^$&?" "You know what? I'm going to have books that are going to sell a lot and are going to be critically acclaimed. So, what are you &%$#ing going to cry about tomorrow?" This Has A Joey, Joey, Joey Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Casting Call Okay, one last last thing. In two weeks time, it's Comics 2002, at Bristol. On Sunday at midday, there will be a very special occasion, All The Rage Live! Taking a room, it's bound to be packed--for the first half hour anyway, until the Marvel panel starts. I need volunteers for the door. Big burly chaps or chapesses willing to eject certain ne'er-do-wells from the event who will no doubt cause trouble--say, people with tape recorders, company lawyers, and Patty Jeres. Make yourselves known to me . . . and anyone else who fancies helping, email me at twisting@hotmail.com. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] 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.] Don't Rely on the Internet: Talk to Your Fellow Humans Today I was in the comic shop picking up the comics a day early from usual Thursday trip. See, I'm going on vacation Friday night and wanted to write a column and reviews before hitting the road with the family (and without a computer). Oh, quick side note, they'll be no interview this week for ORCA or CBEM. Sorry. On the plus side, I may seek out some off the beaten track comic book stores in Alabama, and if I have any interesting tales that result from my journey, I'll be sure to pass them on in the next column. Well anyway, I'm picking through the comics and I mention to Ron that I was in the midst of e-interviewing acclaimed writer (and current Hulk scribe) Bruce Jones. Ron mentioned he was enjoying the run on Hulk and had liked the few issues of Red Sonja that Jones wrote years ago, just prior to Roy Thomas coming on board the book. I had never known this. As the old saying goes, you learn something new every day. Suddenly I see a fellow put a copy of Harley Quinn back. I ask him "Hey, is she still stuck in Metropolis or have they finally moved on?" (I bailed on the book in mid-Metropolis arc) The fellow mumbled "uh- huh" and never said another word to me. You would have thought I'd asked him to pull my finger and/or join the dark forces of evil, the way he quickly distanced himself after I asked him. That's a shame as we all should talk to each other more in the store. The exchange of ideas is fast and furious on the Internet, why should it not be the same face to face? If I'm ever lacking for a column topic, all I have to do is a search on the Internet for "Nicolas Cage" + comics and I've hit a gold mine. A few months back, longtime SOB readers may remember, I went off on a rant noting how Cage was listed as interested in doing Superman (with Tim Burton) and then rumored to be interested in Iron Man. Well now it gets even funnier. In two separate news items, Cage is connected to a movie based on Hellblazer (called CONSTANTINE), while at the same time allegedly being considered for Marvel's GHOST RIDER. I'm sure it's the producers behind the projects in development that are tossing his name out there, but still I find the frequency of his name to be too regular for it not to be influenced somehow by him or his people. On a more serious note, I recently ran across news that Cage recently found out that a former bodyguard of his had stolen from him. Among the items taken, classic comic books. I wish I could find a link that was more reliable, but the best I can do is STAR magazine (one of the supermarket tabloids, so take the reliability of this story with a grain of salt [http://www.starmagazine.com/stories/feature.cfm?instanceid=32660 ]). I love it when people e-mail me with news of new projects or publications, as it makes it easier to fill up the column when I'm pressed for time. This time I have creator JE Smith's latest work to thank for the following text: "COMPLEX CITY: ALL IN A DAY'S WORK, 128-page trade paperback by JE Smith collecting the critically acclaimed sf/humor/adventure series (issues 1,2, and 4, as well as app. 30 pages of previously unpublished material, concluding the Crazy Quilt storyline), will debut at the EXPO Small-Press convention on Sept. 6th, 2002, and will be released to comic book shops approximately three weeks later. However, I am offering a special deal now to those who would like to pre-order their copy directly from me, and get a special signed, remarked edition. WHY order now, almost four months in advance? Well, there are three reasons: 1. Pre-selling the book will help me meet my printing bills. Small- press books are virtually always required to pay their printing up- front (or at least by the time the books are shipped), and do not have the luxury of being billed later, when they can apply a Diamond check to the amount. So, having a few extra bucks up-front will definitely soften the blow of getting the book printed in the first place. 2. Signed and remarked! I am limiting this special offer to 100 copies, and each one will be signed and numbered by me, and will be remarked with a small head sketch of one of the main characters. I can also personalize the book if you wish. The markings will be unique to this special offer, so your copy will be truly "limited" and highly, highly collectible. ;-) 3. NO shipping charges. That's right, there is NO extra charge for shipping, so you will essentially be paying the same cover price you would in a comic shop; the book will be shipped to you in a sturdy container, and you will most likely receive your copy before it hits the comic shops. If you plan on attending the Expo, I can bring your book and give it to you personally there (but please make arrangements with me ahead of time, so I make sure to bring your copy). ORDER TODAY! I will accept orders until June 29th, 2002, OR until I hit 100 orders. ONLY $12.95 send to: JE Smith Better Comics PO Box 541924 Dallas, TX 75354-1924 (please make checks or money orders out to Jeff Smith or JE Smith, not Better Comics) For more information, and a sneak preview of some of the pin-ups that will be featured in the trade, check our website at www.bettercomics.com And THANKS for your support!" If you've never check out Mr. Smith's work, please do yourself a favor and visit his site. You'll be greatly entertained, to say the least. Sorry to keep the babbling so brief, but hopefully the vacation will help recharge these typing fingers (and the lagging synapses in my brain). By the way, I do note the irony of the fact that I started this column suggesting that folks step away from the Internet somewhat, only to end by telling you to check out a website. What can I say, we're all creatures of habit. Be well. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] 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/] conventioneering part 3 Well, I'm feeling much better now. I bought some more allergy pills so I should be good to go for awhile. I'd like to say hello this week to everyone reading this column at the ORCA site (orcafresh.net) and as part of the Comic Book Electronic Magazine (digitalwebbing.com/cbem). Thanks for your support. Convention season is in full swing, so once again I'll share some of my favorite con stories from years past. One of the very first shows I ever did was a small one-day show here in the suburbs of New York – Queens, specifically. It was held at this Jewish community center in Ozone Park. It wasn't much – it was mostly a collectibles show, but I didn't realize that at the time I decided to do the show. I had wanted a banner or sign or something to go behind my table, so I decided I'd try and make one. Unfortunately, all I could afford at the time was to take the cover to CELEBRITY #1 and blow it up to poster size on regular copy paper and affix it to a giant piece of cardboard. I even tried coloring it in with markers! (I still have this monstrosity – god knows why.) I even conned my buddy John into doing the show with me, if for no other reason than I wanted the company. The show was in this one large room with dull lighting. We had a huge table against a wall, far more space than I needed at the time on account of I only had that first issue of CELEBRITY. We tried tacking my poster on the wall, but the tacks kept falling off and wouldn't hold in place for long. I ended up just laying it on the table. As I said, it was a collectibles show, so most of the other dealers were selling stuff like old movie posters, toys, cards, etc. I suspect I probably chose this show because it was cheap. Needless to say, I didn't make a lot of money. It's not that it was a bad show, for what it was; it simply wasn't the proper venue for my work. The very first time I ever worked a table at a show was back in 1994, I believe. I had just joined the Small Press Syndicate at the time, a mailing group of self-publishers who share each other's work (which is still around today). The chairman at the time was Chris Erwin, and he had a table at this show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, representing the SPS as well as selling his own books. I was there as a fan, hanging out at Chris' table during the show along with a bunch of other SPS members I met that day. We got to talking, and at one point he said he wanted someone to help him out at the table on Sunday. Would I be interested? I was shocked. I had been to conventions like this before, but certainly never on the opposite side of the table. And yet, I had to admit, I did want to know what it was like. Understand, at this stage of my self-publishing career I hadn't given much thought to the prospect of touring. I was still very new to everything, and I didn't realize how necessary it would be to establish myself within the small press community. I just figured I'd do this as a favor to Chris this one time and that would be it. So Sunday came and I was admitted to the building early. I was thrilled to be able to see the show with no other fans around; it was almost like walking through a carnival or an amusement park without anyone on the rides. Still, I was nervous. Would I be able to sell comics once the fans came in? I figured I'd at least have Chris backing me up, but as it got closer to showtime I noticed he wasn't around. Then the gates opened and a flood of fans came through and I realized I'd have to do this by myself! Yikes! Once the initial shock wore off, though, I tried to settle into my role as a salesman. I don't recall everything about those early moments, but I do know I didn't embarrass myself too badly. I talked to some people about Chris' comics, and about the SPS, but I don't think I made too many sales. Chris arrived maybe an hour later – I forget the reason why he got held up – and I gladly abdicated my position to him. I certainly don't regret doing this now, but looking back at it now, I have to laugh at how nervous I was over working a table. I certainly never would've thought I'd continue doing it but a few years later I would be back at it. Dave Sim's Spirits of Independence tour was a series of shows specifically for independent artists. When I saw that this was a show in which any self-publisher could get into, I got pretty excited about it. I decided to attend the show in Pittsburgh, a city I had never been to before. I figured I'd need to spend Saturday night there, so I looked through a guidebook to the city and found the name of a hostel I could stay in. So about a month or so later, I packed my duffel bag and got on the bus for Pittsburgh. When I arrived, I called the number for the hostel and got a nasty surprise: it wasn't there anymore! It got torn down! Needless to say, this was a big setback. I got the names of a few other hotels in the area, and after obtaining a map, I left the bus terminal to find one that would take me. Now this was the first time I had done something like this before on my own, but I figured it wouldn't be a big deal, since I had enough money for a night's stay in a hotel. I was about to learn a harsh lesson about travel: cash isn't always enough. I must have been to about a half-dozen different hotels – I remember walking all around the city with my large duffel bag, which wasn't so much heavy as it was cumbersome – and at every one I was told the same thing: I needed a credit card to get a room. Didn't matter that I had more than enough cash to afford one. Even the hotel that hosted the show said the same. The evening was slowly creeping up and I was getting scared. I had no place to stay that night and I still had to do the show the next day. What was I to do? I was seriously contemplating sleeping in the bus terminal – oh, and did I mention it was beginning to rain too? As I thought about it, I hung around the hotel where the show was because there was gonna be a panel that evening about horror comics that I wanted to see. I met these two guys in the lobby who were also going to the panel. I told them I was an exhibiting artist and explained my situation, and they offered to sneak me into their hotel room for the night. I must have seemed pretty pathetic. I gratefully accepted. The show itself went great. This was when I was still doing my ashcan RONNIE & DAVID, and I sold more copies than I ever would've imagined. I met some more people for the first time there who I had only known through the mail, like FANTASY THEATER's J. Kevin Carrier, who offered to drive me back to the bus terminal after the show ended. One problem, though: neither of us knew exactly how to get there. Kevin lives in Cincinnati, which isn't too far away from Pittsburgh, and I must have been under the impression that he had been here before. Still, he had to get directions to the bus terminal from someone. We left the show and drove for a little over a half-hour. The scenery was starting to get more and more rural. Nothing looked familiar to either of us. After awhile it became painfully obvious we were lost. We pulled into a gas station and asked the guy there for instructions. I was getting tense. My bus was gonna leave pretty soon. Would I make it in time? Finally we turned ourselves around and managed to make it back into the city, and after a little more buzzing around, arrived just as the bus was about to board. To this day, this incident has become a running joke between Kevin and me. (Of course, if I had missed my bus, I doubt I'd be laughing about it_) So I went to see ATTACK OF THE CLONES Saturday night with friends and you should have seen the line. This was at the Ziegfield Theater in Manhattan, a very old theater. I arrived at about six PM for a seven PM show, and the line was around two corners! I half-expected to see some fans in costume or something, and while there were some people wielding lightsabers (and I thought I saw someone in Jedi robes), there were no such fans to be found. Without giving anything away plot details here, we all enjoyed it. There was still plenty of cringe-inducing dialogue, especially in the romantic scenes with Anakin and Padme, but there was still plenty of great action. Ewan McGregor has become Alec Guinness. The way he talks (and looks, to an extent) is so very close to the Obi-Wan of the previous films it's uncanny – and he gets to do a lot more here than in THE PHANTOM MENACE. Plus, he and Natalie Portman seem more relaxed in their roles now, which is good. Samuel L. Jackson finally gets to kick some butt, and Jango and Boba Fett play significant roles in the story too. Jar Jar is around, and he's still annoying, but he does much less here. Threepio ends up taking over Jar Jar's role, and I could have done without him too. Far and away the single most thrilling moment in the film for me, and for the packed house that we saw it with too, was finally getting to see Yoda with a lightsaber, whupping ass. That alone was worth the price of admission. Overall, AOTC was better than its predecessor, but fell flat in the romance department. Partly because of the dialogue, partly because of Hayden Christiansen himself, who struck me as completely unconvincing the entire time, and it's a shame because the romantic subplot is integral to the story. Still, mocking Anakin and only added to my enjoyment of the movie, so maybe that's not such a bad thing after all. I found out about the book FADE FROM BLUE (Second2Some) from a review at The Fourth Rail and decided to try it last week. You can't beat the price -only ONE DOLLAR for the first issue and $1.50 for subsequent issues. It's worth a lot more. It's about four half-sisters, each of whom live very distinctive, very different lives: one writes for a magazine, one's a cop, one's a bartender, and one's a nightclub singer. I had no problem at all distinguishing them from each other; they all have different body types and personalities, and they're all people I want to know more about. Exactly what a good comic should do. You really must give this book a try – it's only a dollar! How can you pass that up? The rest of the books I bought last week were: WAY OF THE RAT #1 (CrossGen) – great kung-fu action, and funny too; STRANGERS IN PARADISE #50 (Abstract) – I find myself wishing Casey were the star of this book now; X-FORCE #127 (Marvel); NOBLE CAUSES #3 (Image); SANDWALK ADVENTURES #3 (Active Synapse) – a clever storytelling twist in this issue; CASTLE WAITING #14 (Olio); and NEGATION PREQUEL (CrossGen) – now I have the entire run. Later_ ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions Tim O'Shea tim_jen@mindspring.com [Tim O'Shea is a contributor to Organized Readers of Comics Associated (ORCA [www.orcafresh.net]). His reviews are reprinted here with permission.] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions for Comics Sold May 15, 2002 Howdy folks, my review system is straightforward: "Yes" means buy it "No" means don't buy it "Maybe" means make your own call based on your own likes and dislikes, it's too close to call for me. -Tim O'Shea, ORCA Contributor The Way of the Rat 1 (CrossGen) Dixon/Johnson/Garcia/Ryder I'll be the first to admit, I came into this book expecting to have to endure another book like CrossGen's THE PATH (a book that has so far left me unimpressed). Fortunately for me I was wrong. Imagine Jackie Chan meets Crouching Tiger rendered by an artist who has a mixture of Mike Zeck meets Steve Ditko. Then to cap it all off, Dixon introduces a talking monkey. I'm hooked. Yes Mystic 24 (CrossGen) Bedard/Fiorentino/Ryan/Crossley I hope over time, as CrossGen's books grow in number and Alessi feels more comfortable with his staff, that he lifts the "exclusive" contract limitation. Why, you may ask? Well, as solid as Bedard's writing is with the magical sisters of this book, I just hope he gets the chance to write Doctor Strange (or heck, I'll take a Clea miniseries) written by him. He's taken some characters that I previously had cared very little about and made them quite interesting. Yes Authority 29 (Wildstorm) Millar/Erskine/Baron I'm not sure who's fault the floundering of this book was, be it editorial or creative, but it lost its steam a long time ago. No Peter Parker: Spider-Man 44 (Marvel) Jenkins/Ramos/Faucher Peter/Spidey and Norman/Goblin clash in a blinding rainstorm and sadly this story made very little sense, both in terms of writing and art. No Morlocks 2 (of 4) [Marvel] Martinbrough/Johns I like the way that this creative team portrays these characters as humans who happen to be mutants. It works. If I were to describe the characters in this series, I would characterize them as flawed, reluctant heroes. Yes Noble Causes 3 (Image) Faerber/Gleason/Wycough & Hacker; Johnson I'm conflicted, I wish the main story in this book was full length, after a fashion, but then again, I enjoyed the "how Race and Krennick met" story, which was the back-up tale. I'll need to read another issue or two before I can decide whether or not to completely recommend this newcomer. Maybe The Power Company 4 (DC) Busiek/Grummett/Rollins I find myself examining movies and movie criticism more closely these days. And in a strange way it's helping me to appreciate the subtle nuances of other media forms as well. That being said, Busiek throws in an incidental character to advance the plot. This was a person the reader has never seen before and most likely will never see again, and yet because of the way he wrote the scene, I cared about the character and his welfare as much as I would any lead Power Company character. Now that, in my opinion, is effective storytelling. Yes Ex-Parte 1 (Lone Star Press) Williams/Turnbull/Sever/Mullin Imagine if there was a Law & Order show, but for superheroes and you would have this book. The first issue, which is on one level an homage or what if to the various Submariner(Marvel) or Aquaman (DC) attacks the land dwellers, but with a much darker side and far more twists than I would have expected. Check it out. (and thanks to my friend at Book Nook, Ron, for pointing this one out to me). Yes New X-Men 126 (Marvel) I'm conflicted on this one. Yes, I'm happy as the multi-part arc is finally concluded. But yet again, Morrison has built up some impossible odds, a hopeless situation over several issues that is far too easily tied up in one issue. If you like Morrison's X-Men, you'll be happy, if you're looking for non-pithy straightforward storytelling, look elsewhere. Maybe Lab Rats 2 (DC) Byrne How many times can John Byrne draw a giant hand chasing little people. It seems like this is the 100th cover he's done like that. And don't get me wrong, I'm a Byrne fan, just not of this project. Issue 2 of this series and I could not care any less about the characters. That's a bad sign. No Deadman 6 (DC) Vance/Garcia-Lopez/Rubinstein I'll stick with my stand on the last issue. The story is not that solid, but how often do industry greats like Garcia-Lopez and Rubinstein work together these days? Yes The Incredible Hulk 40 Jones/Weeks/Palmer So much of what Jones does with this book is rather than write an adventure-your typical Hulk smash, or Banner Hulk intellectualizes or fights the demons of his childhood-these tales place Banner as a bystander at an intersection of several events beyond his control. Rather than causing the chaos as his character inevitable normally does, surprisingly Jones puts Bruce Banner in the role of mediator/negotiator (quite literally in this issue) and I love how it works. Yes The Invincible Iron Man 55 (but really for old times like me issue 400) [Marvel] Grell/Ryan/Parsons I expected a great deal more from this issue. Suffice to say, the battle between the (Son of) Mandarin and Iron Man makes very little sense, and I'm still unsure of the resolution. And the fact that we're still dealing with the whole Ayisha (kill me, please-but you can't) subplot is really grating on my nerves. And then Grell totally throws me for a loop with this issue's conclusion. If they stick to this plot development, I'll be pleasantly surprised. This is one of those genuine "Iron Man will never be the same" moments if they do keep it this way. A reluctant Yes (only for the conclusion and the cool pinups, including ones by George Tuska and Bob Layton) Thunderbolts 64 (Marvel) Nicieza/Zircher/Vey I'm really glad this book is going biweekly, because hopefully this means they'll all be on the same earth that much sooner. That being said, the recent developments with Zemo and his new body provide some interesting moments in this issue. Maybe (but only if you're a longtime fan, this is no jumping on point issue) ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts Silhouet98@cs.com [Paul promotes amateur and professional comic book artwork, scripts, storylines, and unpublished comic books with a newsletter called the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter. Its website is at Jazma Comic Book Newsletter Productions at http://www.jazmaonline.com/ He is also a prominent letter hack, as anyone who reads comic letter pages would know. He is in production of his own self-published comic book called The Legendary Dark Silhouette and has copyrighted over 600 characters for his Jazma Universe.] WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN MAY REVEAL SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF PLOTS OF COMIC BOOKS, OR THE ENTIRE STORY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Name: Fade from Blue #1 Publisher: Second 2 Some Studios Written by: Myatt Murphy Drawn by: Scott Dalrymple Price: $1.00 Contact Information: www.secondtosomestudios.com Email:Secondtosomestudios@earthlink.net Comments: Holy smackaroo! Wow! One buck and this superb story is all here in this one comic book! Also, we have great artwork that is filled with details! Here we have 4 half sisters Iya, Marit, Elisa and Christa and each one is different from the other in personality and looks! They all share a very mysterious father. A father who has a secret occupation. Could he be a bounty hunter or something more? Iya seems to be the sweetest and perhaps she has a Slavic mother, since her father had 4 wives in 4 states and during that whole time kept his life secret from all of his wives. I have heard of an airline pilot and a doctor who maintained a multitude of wives, but after awhile the dominoes all fell and everything came to the surface. There is testimony on Scalamantri that is taking place in this story and I wonder if the mob has anything to do with their father. There is hard-edged action as Marit steps to the plate. Marit is a cop that is very super assertive and destroys any stereo type thoughts of how women should actually be. Then there is Christa who has a very nasty attitude. Elisa seems very innocent and not accustomed to the evils of the world. Elisa seems like she has a lot to learn about the ways of men and everything else. Now Iya is another story, she seems innocent, but she knows a whole lot about the ways of men. She did the right thing when she turns down the sleazebag photographer who wants her to model for a portfolio. Her Slavic good looks seem to attract all of the men and being a bartender, she seems to learn a lot about the world around her. The sleazy men coo over her body parts and she realizes this and probably yearns for a man to respect her for what she is. Now to the innocence of Elisa. Poor Daggy the rollerblader who is head over heels in love with Elisa and right in front of Doggy...I mean Daggy she gets asked out by a very handsome Derek. This was just like the movie 'Goodfellas' in which right in the beginning of the movie, the audience is introduced to all of the major players. I loved the way Myatt Murphy introduces each sister and we the reader, get to know each sister on an intimate level. There is mystery thrown in as Christa writes a dire note that says...'Went to kill Jason'. What does the father have to hide? Who is out to kill him and for what reason? What are the details to his line of work? Why did he have 4 wives in 4 states? With Fade of Blue, the possibilities are endless! This is ingenious work done by a master! Name: Savage Dragon #97 Publisher: Image Comics Group Written and Drawn by: Erik Larsen Price: $2.95 Comments: I love the run downs that Savage Dragon does, as he mentions how Cyberface (in this world) killed off Castro, Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein. Now wouldn't that be just too sweeeeet! I had a big laugh as Savage Dragon sits down in front of his computer terminal and tries to write a book of the events that took place. Yaaaa right...I knew Savage Dragon wouldn't last long in trying this incredible endeavor. Then his wording layout sounded almost like my scribings...that was scary. Dragon felt like an idiot when trying to describe everything that occurred. What Dragon needs is a ghostwriter! Couldn't help but feel sorry for the big green guy, as he wants answers to Jennifer's disappearance. Like I said before, I knew Dragon wouldn't last long as an author and pissing the afternoon away...it was time for some busting ass and that's exactly what the Dragon does best. Herakles is getting sick and tired seeing the Dragon in God Town and he definitely laid out his point. Herakles is at least logical with reasoning and allows the Savage Dragon to locate another god in trade for the little girl Janey. It was great seeing the Dragon go into some more action and saves the damsel in distress, that being the She-Dragon. What a surprise when the She-Dragon plants a big kiss on our hero. Savage Dragon #97 had a happy ending, as Savage Dragon returns the god, saves the She-Dragon, tosses the book idea out of the window, gets Janey and finally gets home! Frank was sure trying to convince Dragon to stay, but like Dorothy...there is no place like home! Man, can't wait to see what will happen now! MOE Sidenote: The following new comics are on the racks at Comix & Comics: The Amazing Screw-On Head - Dark Horse Maverick; The Hood #1 of 6 - Max Comics; It Girl - Mike Allred; Mike Kennedy - Lone World 2100; My Monkey's Name is Jennifer #2 by Slave Labor Graphics; Midnight Mass #2 by Vertigo; Peach Girl by Miwa Veda; Takehiko Inove - Vagabond by Viz Comics; Tigra 3 of 4 by Marvel Comics; Scott Mills - Trenches; Jeffrey Scott - How to Write Animation; The Vanishers by Chuck Dixon; The Art of Jay Anacleto. Make sure to pick up their free CSN #779 with a Hellblazer cover and a Wonder Woman back cover! Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time...... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] My View David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com [David LeBlanc is the Editor of the Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine. He is a long time fan of comics and the electronic media - having been the moderator of BBS comics forums on WME, FIDONET and the Comic Book Network. He and his wife are attempting to raise two sons in a suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts. David's favorite motivational phrase is: BEHOLD THE TURTLE, HE ONLY MAKES PROGRESS WHEN HE STICKS HIS NECK OUT!] WILD STARS #5 & #6 (MAR/APRIL) 32 pages, black & white, color covers, #2.95 Little Rocket Publications cbsrock@swbell.net Story - Michael Tierney Pencils - Dave Simons Cover art - Frank Bruner Cover color - Tom Smith Interior covers - Mary Tierney Those interior covers are not part of the story or anything, they are just super cool paintings! Carlton Mackanlay is in a space ship with Daestar and Songwolf trying to escape from Brothans. They are heading to a lost world and perhaps help, if they live long enough. The Brothans fight against the Wild Stars for dominion of the Earth, they call it Old Atlantis. They believe the leader Erlik has amassed a Wild Star armada and that the trio will lead them to it. Carlton is trying to figure out why he has memories of the planet they find and other things about his past are suddenly clear. Readers of this series will know that he appears to be in two places at once, as the story taking place in #6 back on Earth reveals. Why this is starts to become clear in #5. They find more than they bargained for on the planet they hide on - another ally, dangerous beings and secrets starting to unravel. Back on Earth, Carlton Mackanaly is visiting his parent's grave when he is visited by an old classmate. He is just back from escaping drug runners in the Caribbean when a treasure dive he was on was interrupted. Others with him apparently are not so lucky, but it could be we are not seeing all that is going on. He is lead to search for the key to his parents death in an accident long ago and when he examines the long abandoned car discovers it was no accident. There are people who want him dead and others who are secretly protecting him and leading him to their own goals. In another story a powerful man's desires conflict with that of the Artomiques and an attempt to buy in fails. This sets the wheels in motion for things to collide in the near future. The story is a bit complex as several elements are involved and each issue takes us to another venue. The good part is that each issue is largely self-contained and entertaining on its own. The 64 page finale in July brings it all together. This independent has better than average art and an intricate plot that gets better the longer you stick with it. The quality is all there. FORCE MAJEURE: PRAIRIE BAY #1 32 pages, black & white, color covers, $2.95 Little Rocket Publications Created & Written by Michael Tierney Cover & Pencils by Armando Gil Cover Color by Tom Smith Prairie Bay is a spaceport off Mars. A girl finds the chief mec