---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 372 6/14/2002 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] A View From the Cheap Seats/Interview . Rich Watson [6] Stream of Babbling .................... Tim O'Shea [7] Dreams of Silver and Gold ............. Terrence Lo [8] Graphic Novel Reviews ................. Amy Harlib [9] Comics Culture Shrapnel ............... Kris Naudus [10] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions ............. Tim O'Shea [11] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [12] My View:CrossGen Monthly Titles ....... David LeBlanc [13] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [14] 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 I will forego the normal editorial this week to bring you news of concern to many in the industry. If you are connected and can help or just know someone to talk to, please take the time. It is important. So as not to interrupt that text; here are some books to check out on the racks: CROSSGEN COMICS Way Of The Rat #2, $2.95 DC COMICS Fables #2, $2.50 Power Company #5, $2.50 Suicide Squad #10, $2.50 DIGITAL WEBBING Digital Webbing Presents #3, $2.95 <----Pick of the Week! IMAGE COMICS Midnight Nation #12 (Of 12) (resolicited), $2.95 MARVEL COMICS Ultimate Spider-Man Special #1, $3.50 WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT Just A Pilgrim Garden Of Eden #4 (Of 4), $2.99 BILL LOEBS IN TROUBLE: HELP NEEDED Gary Groth Administrator posted June 11, 2002 05:59 PM http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ I spoke to my old pal and creator of the superb historical comedy- drama Journey (which Fantagraphics published for several years) the other night. Bill (and his wife Nadine) have gone through a miserable stretch, culminating in the probability that they'll lose their home imminently. One of my suggestions to Bill was that he could take his plight public and hope that some philanthropical soul with deep pockets might come to his aid. I suggested this advisedly because I didn't want Bill to feel like he was humiliating himself (even though I don't think it should be humiliating to be suffering economic deprivation). He subsequently sent me the following "press release" and asked me to post it here. I don't have to reiterate how much Bill's situation sucks. If anyone can help him or suggest anything that could ameliorate his circumstances, please contact him at BillMLoebs@aol.com. Gary Groth Here's the bad news: COMICS ARTIST MAY LOSE HOME! Critically acclaimed, award-winning 27 year veteran writer/artist Bill Messner-Loebs thought the comics industry had forgotten him. "I was working at Marvel Comics when that company hit hard times but was assured by my editor that my job was secure. Little did he know that he was soon to be fired along with most of Marvel's staff and talent. I didn't scramble for a job when the crisis first hit and when I was let go, all the jobs were filled." Subsequently, Bill and his wife, Nadine, went through a bad patch where they were unable to pay their mortgage. "We had enough money to redeem the house in September but the company holding the lien wouldn't talk to us. We didn't know what to do so we were sent to a friend, Catherine Reisterer, a real-estate attorney, who contacted the lien-holder, Trott & Trott of Southfield, Michigan, on our behalf in November. She was assured that the company was willing to work with us. Consequently we stopped looking for alternate financing. We had a good down payment but, of course, our credit rating was terrible. "For months she called and wrote but got no reply. On the very day she spoke to a representative who assured her everything was fine, we came home to find an eviction notice on our door. Ms. Reisterer was furious and we were completely terrified. As it is now, we need to find someone to buy our home for $84,000 from Trott & Trott and resell it to us on a land contract before June 15th, with our home as security," Nadine added. "We are desperate because due to the rising prices we cannot even afford to move into another house, even to rent one!" Maggie Thompson, editor of the esteemed Comics Buyers Guide, the comics industry newspaper, steered them toward A.C.T.O.R. (All Committed to Our Roots), a Hollywood-based relief fund for comics industry professionals. They came forward with living expenses for the winter and additional funds to help redeem the home so they could keep the down payment as a lump sum. The board of directors also began helping Bill find work, but the income from various jobs won't be enough to save our home in time. Nadine pointed out that Bill has had to deal with unemployment as well as a sudden downturn in his wife's health. She has lost 50 percent of her hearing in one ear and 60 percent in the other. She had a bad fall in February, 2002 and the subsequent head injury has left her with double and blurred vision, unceasing headaches, nausea and an uneven gait. She injured her lungs as well and has had pneumonia, influenza and bronchitis since then, all resulting in very serious breathing problems. In one eight-day period she had five breathing treatments. The lack of insurance has meant that she has been unable to see the neurologist recommended by her doctor and has applied for McPherson Help, a program designed to help the uninsured. Still, the uncertainty over the home situation has not helped her problems. As handicapped senior citizens, Bill (who lost his right arm when only 13 days old) and Nadine did everything they could to take care of themselves without looking for outside assistance. Bill was an on-line entertainment editor for a dot.com company from January to May in 2001 but only received five pay checks because the recession caused their major client to default on his payments. "We all kept working because the guy kept saying he would make it up and we were expecting a big check. He never paid and the company went under. That was the straw that broke the homeowner's back. "Since then we've learned that the middle class is the largest group dropping into homelessness. We're not on drugs or alcohol, involved in crime or nefarious activities, we just couldn't get the money and the projects lined up in the right order to keep the mortgage paid. We only owe one-third of what the property is worth. We feel as if we are in a Simon Legree melodrama and the bad guys are twirling their mustaches to throw us out immediately. It's ironic that we have been volunteers for the Salvation Army R.E.A.C.H. program for the homeless and have helped raise monies and food for the needy now we are in the same situation." Bill appeared in the first alternative comic book published by Power Comics in Lansing, Michigan and in the second one, A+ Comics, published in Detroit. He is thus considered a comics pioneer. "Michigan has been in the forefront of the comics industry, in providing talent and inspiration. We have top letterers, pencilers, writers and cover artists actively working in this fascinating industry. I just feel fortunate that I was in it for so long and it looks now that my friends are helping me to a comeback. You can't get any luckier than that!" Asked if the national publicity on ABC and on Tom Brokaw's news program at NBC had been embarrassing, Nadine replied that "we are beyond embarrassment. We represent a lot of people tumbled from their secure homes and jobs by forces bigger than ourselves. We just want to have a happy ending to our story so that everyone can have hope. Maybe if we can make it, they can too." David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Editor The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: Letters of comment, including those sent to the columnists, may be used in future issues of CBEM unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Your Email address and/or name will be withheld upon request. +++++ Subj:Letter to the Editor From:tim_oshea@bellsouth.net David: I wish I could do this every week, but I haven't been able to so far. In answer to your proper warning that contributors rarely get feedback, I'm going to start trying to give feedback. First off, that was incredible that you got to talk to Stan Lee. Years ago I can remember staying up late, when LARRY KING had his all-night radio show on Mutual, where he'd interview Stan periodically. I so wanted to call, but being a little kid I could not (don't ask me what I was doing up so late listening to radio). And as an aside, the folks at Creative Light Video sent me a review DVD of Stan Lee's MUTANTS, MONSTERS & MARVELS, so I hope to have a review in next week's column. On another note, FILTH 1 was your pick of the week, I skipped it, so I was wondering what you found so "pickable" (if that's a word) about it. I was just curious, as not surprisingly I often agree with your opinion on things (or so I think). Long-time readers of my stuff know I'm a superhero comic book reader at the core, so I always wince when I perceive negative comments about the superhero genre. I have been enjoying Amy Harlib's writing at CBEM, she's definitely one of the great "voices" of CBEM. But I was struck in her opening to the review for LITTLE LIT: STRANGE STORIES FOR STRANGE KIDS, when she wrote that the collection's contributors were: "all exercising their creativity in 16 works that bear no resemblance to cliched superhero fare, exhibiting instead, free-wheeling imaginative diversity" I'll admit that (as with any genre) there are cliched superhero titles, but I was wondering if there was any recent superhero fare targeted toward children that was cliched that struck her. Otherwise I was confused by the comparison. Maybe with greater context I could better understand her point. (It may be a weakness of my comprehension level, not her writing necessarily). That being said, if LITTLE LIT can succeed, maybe capitalizing on the success of SPIDER-MAN (a movie that Ms. Harlib recently positively reviewed in CBEM), a comic book creator (or creators) should try to do a superhero version of LITTLE LIT. Maybe it's been done and I just am forgetting such a project. Either way, I'd be curious to hear other folks' opinion on the prospect of such a project (especially of course Ms. Harlib, who I've cc'd in my LETTER TO THE EDITOR, so she won't be blindsided by my feedback when she goes to read this week's CBEM). Well anyway, thanks as always for the forum, David, and for all the contributors for giving us entertainment and something to think about. And to you readers out there, write letters, please! Take care all, Tim O'Shea www.orcafresh.net www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem [On the subject of my "Pick of the Week" I often don't get to even buy the weeks issues let alone read them before press time so my pick is often based on expectations when it involves a new title. In the case of THE FILTH I usually enjoy Grant Morrison's work and the lack of hard pre-sale hype intrigued me even more. This Vertigo title is definitely up to his usual quality level and the art is superb. Mature readers only! - D.L.] From: aharlib@earthlink.net Dear Tim, Thank you for the interesting feedback! I have enjoyed your reviews as much as you've liked mine---mutual appreciation society here! As for a Little Lit of superheros, there has not been one yet. So far Speigelman and Mouly have compiled 'Little Lit: Folklore and Fairytale Funnies' and 'Little Lit: Strange Stories for Strange Kids' both of which I have reviewed for David's newsletter. What they'll do in the future---if they have any more Little Lit anthologies planned, is anyone's guess. Concerning "cliched superhero fare", I said that to indicate that because most people automatically associate comics with superheros and I wanted to make it clear that the contents of Little Lit was different. Perhaps my phrasing was misguided and I should have said "that bear no resemblance to expected superhero fare......" Though I admit I OD'd on most superhero comics a long time ago and can't stomach very much of that kind of that story anymore unless exceptionally well-written and drawn (such as some work by Warren Ellis for example or Kurt Busiek). My personal taste tends to gravitate towards graphic novels without superheros but I try to keep my mind open. I plan to review 'Origins' which should be an exception to my usual avoidance of that sub-genre. I still like to follow all developments in the comics world. Anytime you wish me to review something specific for your website, I would be honored to do so! Excelsior! Amy (envious that you got a review copy of MUTANTS, MONSTERS AND MARVELS. I'd love to have a go at that one myself!) +++++ Subj:Borderline Appeal Date:6/11/02 5:23:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:phil.hall1@ntlworld.com Hi, A lot of you know me, a lot of you know of me and any of you who haven't got a clue must have been hibernating for the last 12 months. But the point is you know that BORDERLINE has been one of the best things to happen to comics and the comicbook industry for a long time. BORDERLINE has helped newcomers get jobs, it has helped sales on the most marginal of titles, it has given exposure to product that wouldn't have been given any coverage at all by the existing comics press, it has shown the world that the rest of the world reads and produces comics as well! It has been damned unlucky, but that bad luck has been through entrepreneurial businessmen attempting to benefit on the back of our internet success and the blind ignorance of magazine distributors who can't see that comics for the first time in years are actually news again! We believe in BORDERLINE, we might be stupid to have carried on for so long without hardly earning a penny/cent/yen/euro/peso, but we did it because this industry deserves so much more from the press than it currently gets. But now we're facing the old "final curtain" and we could postpone that final call if we could guarantee the support of the rest of the industry. Over 40,000 people have benefited from us offering a FREE magazine every month, as regular as clockwork (apart from the Cool Beans fiasco) for the last year. You know that the product is good. You know that people read it. You can see the impact it has on the industry and the people who are reading it. Ask people in the industry and they want to get exposure from us. But now we need the industry to rally round and support us the way we've been supporting it. We need to survive and we have a couple of ways that you might be able to help... If you're a PUBLISHER: pledge us some advertising. Already Rebellion, the owners of 2000AD have sponsored our next issue. They're getting the usual unbiased editorial coverage and an advertising package and we know we can at least get the next issue out. We need you to match Rebellion or better them. We won't compromise our editorial ethics, but we will ensure that you get the coverage that will guarantee increased profile. But, even if all you can afford to do is throw some donations our way, at least you'll be helping to safeguard the industry's most important journal. If you're a READER: go the http://Borderline.mediahall.co.uk and pledge us some money via Paypal or send cheques or IMOs (made payable to P. Hall) to the address at the foot of this email. We've seen many people each donate $20.00 with promises to pledge $2.00 for every subsequent issue that comes out. Many of them feel that it's a small price to pay for something as professionally prepared. I urge you to help us out in our hour of need. With just a little bit of your help we can continue to produce the best comics magazine money normally doesn't buy. Thank you Phil Hall Editor Borderline - The Comics Magazine Winner of the Best Comics Magazine or Website in the 2002 National Comics Awards Visit and download Borderline from: http://borderline.mediahall.co.uk E-Mail: phil.hall@borderline.mediahall.co.uk Editorial address: 45 Fullingdale Road The Headlands Northampton NN3 2PZ England Tel: 01604 513867 +++++ Subj:Updates about GrayHaven Magazine (Hype) Date:6/13/02 11:47:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time From:PRoberts@ss.ca.gov Hey Gang, Time to fill you in on the latest.... www.grayhavenmagazine.com is currently dead. Somehow, the site was unregistered and reregistered by someone in Australia who's now using the name as a search engine. Sigh. Within the next couple of days we'll find out whether we own the domain name. The calls have been made to the hosting companies but it may take a few days to get a final answer. Regardless of what happens, backups of the site were made and none of the work you all did has been lost. It's all there, waiting for a url. We may put up a temporary url that you can give people as direct links to keep them going to the site, but if we can not get grayhavenmagazine.com back, we'll have a new url set up with the Grayhaven name within a few days. So if anyone asks, we were cyber squatted but we will be back shortly. I'd like to welcome three new additions to the site, Tim Schnurr, William Satterwhite and Paul Dale Roberts. If you've ever read a comic, you've seen Paul's name in a letter column, I'm sure. Both he and Tim and Will are great writers with the kind of enthusiasm and creativity we always look for and I can't wait to have their work up on the site. July is going to be a big month, with the addition of as many as 5 new professional (as in comic industry pros) columnists. Their identities remain guarded for now, as most of these writers want time to promote their arrival here in their own way, but I can assure you that we've got an interesting group of creators coming on board, from across the industry. Added to the already existing branch of Bill Jemas, Chynna Clugston Major and Tom DeFalco, we're going to have an all star line up to overshadow any other site. I know that for some of you, technical issues have been a concern. If for whatever reason, you aren't happy with the timeliness or appearance of your work on the site, please email Travis at: cth424242@hotmail.com. He can usually respond and fix the problem in the same day. If his account is full or you don't get a response within a day, email me of Chris Allen (caallen@LondonAmerican.com) and we'll resolve it. We know you all put a lot of effort into your work and we do not want you to think that we're taking it lightly. Communication mishaps do occur, but the key is to keep us informed so that we can resolve the issues and get your work out the way you want it. 2 weeks until the Griffin Awards for Excellence in Comics closes out. If you haven't voted, please do so. Staff picks make up 50% of the final vote and with over 1800 votes in so far there are several close races in which your picks can make a difference. And get the word out to others to vote, when we have the site back up, of course. One last plea and that's to be on the lookout for new talent. On the comic side, we want to be able to expand the ideas of the readers and keep them open to new projects and comics, which means trying to do more to promote indie creators and their work. So if you know of any reviewers who want to join the fun, invite them and tell them to email me. We're also really, really looking for some more online comics. This section has been increasing in popularity week by week and we need to bring in some additional talent to give the readers what they want, in light of some strips ending here. Also, don't forget that we have a huge part of the site that has nothing to do with comics. The Short Story and Poetry section have been an essential part of GHM since our inception and we've had some great success stories from that department. Let's try and let people know what's going on over there and find some more creative writers willing to participate in our Literature Section. Thanks again for all your hard work and patience. -andrew ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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 best-selling comic series does the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Chaim Rosenzweig appear? James Marshall got the answer first, the series is the LEFT BEHIND graphic novels. James wins Batman: Cataclysm TP from our sponsor. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: From Erwin Rafael: "Who is this current "hot writer" who wrote the Inferno storyline for the KA-ZAR title during the 1980s?" 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 [NOTE: If you have skipped this week's editorial "ON THE NET" please go back to it. It concerns the hard times that have fallen on William Messner-Loebs and his wife. Perhaps you can help - D.L.] THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH Two New Inkers And A Colorist Join Staff; Others Rotate Positions Ian.Feller@CrossGen.com TAMPA, FL., June 7, 2002 - There's a reason why the chairs at CrossGen have wheels on them, and the art staff is proving it with a spate of new shifts and hires that will see new faces on old titles, old faces on new titles and one good guy who is just plain giving it a rest for a little while. The end result will see some changes on the art teams for SOJOURN and SCION, as well as additions to the ranks of our full-time relief squad. The changes are: As of issue # 13, the new art team for SOJOURN will consist of regular penciler Greg Land and new inker Jay Leisten and former SCION colorist Justin Ponsor. SOJOURN inker Drew Geraci will be taking on the role of full-time relief inker. For SCION, the new team will be regular penciler Jim Cheung, regular inker Don Hillsman II, and new colorist Jason Keith. And finally, SOJOURN colorist Caesar Rodriguez, who has been with CrossGen since Day One and has colored a monthly book just about every month of CrossGen's existence (from the first issues of SCION to the regular run of SOJOURN), will be taking a well-earned leave of absence to tend to some family matters on the West Coast. First, CrossGen has hired inker Jay Leisten. Leisten will begin inking Greg Land's pencils on SOJOURN starting with #13, and current SOJOURN inker Drew Geraci will be taking a break from his long-standing partnership with Greg Land to become a full-time relief inker for CrossGen. He is currently inking the relief issues penciled by June Brigman for SOJOURN and MERIDIAN. "I've been working with Greg for a long time, both here and at DC," said Geraci. "It's been a productive relationship for us both, and for me, it's just time for a change of pace. A lot of artists in the freelance world stay fresh by switching projects, and the great thing about CrossGen is that I can change teams without changing loyalties. And judging by what I've seen of Jay Leisten's inks so far, Greg's in really good hands." Taking over the inking chores of SOJOURN is Jay Leisten. Leisten came to CrossGen from Top Cow where he served as an in-house inker working on projects like Midnight Nation, Felon, Tomb Raider Journeys, and Fathom. Previous to that he worked on Mutant X for Marvel. Leisten is a long-time friend of Greg Land, meeting him while Greg was working on Nightwing for DC. After all that time, Leisten now gets the chance to ink Land. "In my mind, Greg is one of the best pencilers in the industry, but he's also one of my best friends, so for me, this is a dream gig," noted Leisten. "Working at CrossGen is definitely less hectic than freelancing, and I like being able to work so closely with the whole art team. There is definitely a strong team dynamic here." Justin Ponsor moves over to take the coloring reigns of SOJOURN. Current colorist Caesar Rodriquez is taking an extended leave of absence to head back to his home in California to address some family issues that have arisen in his absence. Rodriguez will remain in California and should return to CrossGen in the future. Ponsor's move over to CrossGen's best-selling title allows newcomer Jason Keith an opportunity to color one of CrossGen's more successful titles. "I would have to say I have slightly mixed emotions about the change," said Ponsor. "I'm excited because, having been a freelancer, I was accustomed to working over different artists on a monthly basis and changing projects frequently, and those changes would always juice me up a bit. It constantly forced me to re-examine what I was doing, and that's a great journey for an artist. I think that working with Greg and Jay on SOJOURN is going to have the same effect on me. I'm sad because I will miss working with Jimmy and Don on SCION, as I feel my work with them represents some of the best I've ever done. Hopefully, working on SOJOURN, I can continue to improve over what I've accomplished at CrossGen so far." The youngest and newest member of the CrossGen staff, Jason Keith comes to CrossGen from Hi-Fi Colour and Design where he served as art director for the past three months and colorist for the past nine months. While at Hi-Fi, Keith worked on titles for Marvel (New X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, Doom Returns), Image (G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Violent Messiahs), and Chaos! Comics (Lady Death), as well as for toy company Mattel on the Transformers and He-Man lines. "I got hired so quickly, I really didn't have time to get too excited about it," said Keith. "Bart [Sears] just told me on the phone about a week ago that I would be coloring SCION, and that was my favorite book, so that got me jazzed. Other than that, I basically had enough time to sign the agreement, pack my stuff and get out here. The ironic part of all this is that the coloring samples I sent to Hi-Fi that got me my first professional coloring job in comics were pages from SCION. Now here I am taking it on for myself." Rounding out the latest hires is inker Roland Paris. Paris has been hired to work as a relief inker, currently working over the pencils of Al Rio on MYSTIC and Lee Moder on SCION. Paris' past credits include Purgatori: The Hunted for Chaos!, a cover and several pin-ups for Image and pre-Ultraverse work for Malibu. "After freelancing and bouncing around doing different day jobs in art and graphic design, it's nice to be in a studio atmosphere where I can work with people on a regular basis and sponge a little bit off of all the experience from the people who work here," said Paris. CrossGen Publisher and CEO Mark Alessi wanted to be sure all CrossGen's fans understood that the creative moves were made for the benefit of those involved. "When we first launched CrossGen, creative changes were seen as a negative," Alessi commented. "Now I believe we are passed that stage. The most important thing to this company is its employees and their happiness. When one of our people requests a change or needs to handle family issues, we try to accommodate them as best we can. CrossGen is like a family; a continuously growing family, but one nonetheless. Because of this, I want to let Caesar and his family know that we wish them the best and we will all miss them. We hope to have him back as soon as possible." RUSE GETS A NEW WRITER Scott Beatty to Take Over RUSE, As Mark Waid Departs TAMPA, FL., June 13, 2002 - The adventures of master detective Simon Archard and his femme fatale assistant, Emma Bishop, have a new wordsmith at the helm in writer Scott Beatty, who will be taking over the writing chores for the title with issue #13. Current RUSE writer Mark Waid will be leaving the title. Scott Beatty has written extensively for DC Comics with credits including Joker: Last Laugh, Robin: Year One, Robin, over 27 different issues of Secret Files, and the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knights beginning with issue #33. Beatty will not be relocating to Tampa as he will only be working on this single title, but will be writing from his home in Pennsylvania. He will be making frequent trips to the CrossGen studio to interact with the creative team and discuss the title's direction with head writer Barbara Kesel. "Obviously, Mark helped to set the bar very high on RUSE," noted Beatty. "I'm quite excited to be following him on the book, and I very much look forward to working with Butch, Mike, and Laura in chronicling the continuing exploits of Simon and Emma." Beatty was CrossGen's choice for replacement based on the extremely high recommendation of current CrossGen writer Chuck Dixon. Dixon has collaborated with Beatty in the past and has served as something of a mentor to him. "The choice of Scott Beatty to take over RUSE was a natural from the start," said Dixon. "From his educational background to his deft grasp of characterization, he has all the requirements needed to chronicle the further adventures of Simon and Emma. He and I have worked together extensively and I was always amazed at his ability to drop in and perfectly nail the tone and 'voice' of any character. He's going to have fun on this book and I think readers will too." While Mark Waid was the writer of the title, he enjoyed a fully collaborative relationship with the other members of the RUSE creative team. A difference of opinion on the future direction of the title led to Waid's decision to step down and allow a new writer to take his place. "I greatly enjoyed working on RUSE during my run. Since the team wanted RUSE to go in a different direction than I did, we decided to part ways. It's unfortunate, but these things happen in a dynamic creative environment. I am pleased that someone I respect, such as Scott Beatty, has been chosen to take over the writing chores. I will very much miss working on RUSE, and I wish the team and CrossGen all the best of luck in the future." Waid's influence on RUSE will last through issue #12. Beatty will take over the title full-time beginning with RUSE #13. "In a perfect world, creators working together on the same project all have the same ideas, are all on the same page and work toward exactly the same vision," RUSE colorist Laura DePuy said. "Unfortunately," added RUSE penciler Butch Guice, "it's not a perfect world and it doesn't always work out that way. Understanding that, the whole team is excited to welcome Scott Beatty aboard. He comes very highly regarded by Chuck and others, and from what we've seen so far, the book won't miss a beat." Waid's departure ends his one and a half year tenure with CrossGen. "As I've said many times before, Mark Waid has done a commendable job writing RUSE and the title would not be as widely-acclaimed without him helping his team launch it," said CrossGen Publisher and CEO Mark Alessi. "On behalf of the entire CrossGen staff, I want to thank him for his work on the title and wish him luck with all his future endeavors." +++++ From: "Indigo Cafe & Books" info@indigo-cafe.com Celebrate Blacks in Comics! Greetings Indigo People -- Where are the black folks in today's graphic novels, comic books, and newspaper comic strips? Apart from Aaron Magruder's "Boondocks," they can be hard to find -- but they're out there! If you're a cartoonist, an aspiring cartoonist, or someone who wants an inside look at what's happening in the art form, you won't want to miss Indigo's Blacks in Comics event -- Saturday, June 15, beginning at 4 pm. You'll have a chance to meet four leading African-American comic artists, and an expert in the field. Original art will be on display in the store. The event features Alex Simmons, creator of the Blackjack comic and the graphic novel Blackjack: Blood and Honor, reading from and discussing his work. Blackjack has been optioned for a film, and Alex Simmons was also recently chosen to create a Batman storyline that introduces a new African-American superhero. More information is at http://www.geocities.com/dapink4u/ . Also on hand will be: * Barbara Brandon, the first nationally syndicated black female cartoonist, creator of Where I?m Coming From * Jerry Craft, creator of the nationally syndicated strip Mama?s Boyz (details at http://www.mamasboyz.com/intro.html ) * Professor William Foster, creator of a traveling museum exhibit on blacks in comics * Jamal Igle, who currently pencils Blackjack and who has worked for nearly every major comics publisher, including DC, Marvel, and Image See you Saturday! Indigo Cafe & Books is located at 672 Fulton Street in Brooklyn between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue. For the most up to date information check out our website at http://www.indigocafe.com. Indigo Cafe & Books - An independent community bookstore with an Africana emphasis +++++ Sirius Entertainment, Inc. SCHOOLGIRL FANTASIES COME ALIVE IN BANZAI GIRL #1 June 12, 2002 Andover, NJ - Asian model, author, and artist Jinky Coronado, winner of a dozen beauty competitions as well as a former Miss Pond's Asia, writes and illustrates BANZAI GIRL, a fanciful action/ adventure version of her real-life schoolgirl adventures, as a $3.50 full-color comics series premiering July 2002 from Sirius Entertainment "BANZAI GIRL has a somewhat manga-influenced style, fun Asian schoolgirl characters, lots of action, pretty pictures, shadowy monsters, wild settings, a cool story, and it's even sorta based on my life," explains Jinky. "So I guess I'm sorta the star." The comic-book version of "Banzai Girl" Jinky Coronado is a girl of three worlds; she just doesn't know it yet. She's a fun, pretty, popular schoolgirl about to have her big 18th birthday debut party, when her life gets turned upside-down. She begins having dreams that she's a Princess on a far-off world, only to see those dreams turn nightmare as her King father is murdered in her arms. Her nightmares veer further into weird as she also dreams of being a futuristic freedom fighter battling hideous tentacled things buried beneath robotic exteriors. And her life goes over the edge when the weirdness comes home, as she fights a very real invasion menace that takes control of the city's adults -- and her compelling nightmares seems to hold the key to stopping it all. Joining Jinky Coronado on the BANZAI GIRL project are co-artist "Wunan" Wilson Tortosa (Battle of the Planets, Jade), letterer Matt Thompson, and colorist Andre` Vazzios. "Jinky created a complicated world that she unfolds in a clear, fun fashion," says Mark Bellis, Sirius's editor-in-chief. "Juggling two nightmare concepts, the real world action storyline, and the fun schoolgirl characters wasn't enough for her. She peppered the comic with merchandise from a make-believe popular newspaper comic strip called Katie's World, then even invented the damn comic strip!" A week's continuity of Katie's World is included as a bonus in each issue. "When I say this book is kind of about my life: It really is," says Jinky. "The character Michelle in the book is my sister in real life; Rommel is my cousin; Katie really is my best friend. I have many friends and relatives who get mentioned or get walk-ons in the comic. I am even including specific cultural details and my country's version of urban legends. And yes, I really wore an Asian schoolgirl uniform, but I promise you it wasn't that short," she adds, laughing. "I had read Blue Monday, Strangers in Paradise, Go Girl!, and Bone, and came away from them knowing I had to appeal to the guys as well as the girls. I realized that if I made the main character ME using my own professional name, and made it from the heart, with lots of sass and adventure, I could appeal to a wide audience, male and female, whether they were mana/anime` fans or not." "When I read Jinky's proposal and saw her level of effort and commitment to this, I knew Sirius simply had to do this project," says Sirius Entertainment publisher Robb Horan. "We don't publish a lot of projects, but this one was especially sweet. "It's very rare that we get a project as complete and thought out as this one. In fact, we have never received a proposal that also included such a strong plan for marketing and execution. Not to mention, it seemed like a lot of fun. We'd been looking for a property like this for a long time. Her talent, education, background, and experience in public appearances are sure to make BANZAI GIRL a competitor in the comic marketplace." "The project boasts some added bonuses that you don't usually see in a comic book," adds editor-in-chief Mark Bellis. "She's a model, happy to do the Convention in costume as her character. Plus, each issue will feature a Photo Album of Banzai Girl photos with Jinky in character. The series will also offer digitally-enhanced alternate photo covers of Jinky and other models, battling the monsters unleashed in each issue." But the special attractions don't end there. Superstar artist Al Rio (Kraven, X-Men, Spider-Man, GEN 13) provides variant cover art for all four issues of the first story arc; and artists Mike Deodato (Tigra, Witches, X-Men) and Will Conrad (Buffy, Scorpion King) provide pin-ups. Among the beauty competitions won by Jinky Coronado: Miss SK Supermodel; Miss Iloilo Summer Youth; Miss Lovely Girl; Miss Guimbal; Miss San Nicholas, etc. "Most recently I was Miss Atub-Atub Queen, waving to folks from atop a float during Dinagyang 2001 -- our country's proud equivalent of Mardi Gras or Brazil's Carnival." Even before BANZAI GIRL explodes in comics shops in July, look for Sirius to offer a limited edition BANZAI GIRL PREVIEW BOOK at Conventions where Jinky appears in costume. Pittsburgh ComiCon, Motor City Comic Con, Wizard World Philadelphia, and San Diego ComiCon International are on her appearance schedule. Watch for her! If you would like more information on Sirius Entertainment's BANZAI GIRL, please visit the official website, http://www.BanzaiGirlJinky.com. There, you'll be able to explore BANZAI GIRL's world, and meet the talented creator Jinky Coronado. +++++ MEET MIGHTY MARVEL AT THE HEROES CON! Free Preview Book, 1-On-1 Panels & More In Charlotte! Hey, True Believer! By re-thinking how we apply our resources, Marvel will be hitting more conventions than ever this year! Last week saw Axel Alonso, Joe Quesada and more hit the Comics 2002 Festival in Bristol, UK -- and this weekend Joe leads the charge again when The House parties in Charlotte, North Carolina at the family-friendly Heroes Con! From Friday, June 14th, through Sunday, June 16th, the following cool creators will be signing autographs (for free, 'natch) at the Marvel booth: Kurt Busiek (Avengers), Tim Townsend (New X-Men), Ron Garney (Uncanny X-Men), Bob Almond (Black Panther), Jim Krueger (Universe X), Georges Jeanty (Weapon X), and the new Fantastic Four team of Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo! Joining them at the booth -- and appearing at panels -- will be Editor In Chief Joe Quesada, Soldier X editor Andrew Lis, Avengers editor Tom Brevoort, and yours truly, Deadline writer Bill Rosemann. We'll also have exclusive previews of comics that haven't even been printed yet (like the 9 cent FF issue) -- and you'll be the first to see them! Finally, we'll also be handing out the 2002 Marvel Convention Preview Book, featuring 32 pages of full-color sneak peeks at some of our biggest upcoming comics (like Kevin Smith's Spider-Man/Black Cat #1) -- and it's absolutely free, True Believer! Here's the schedule of the Marvel events at this year's Heroes Con: MIGHTY MARVEL PANELS: SATURDAY, JUNE 15TH 1:00 - 2:00: Joe Quesada: Ask The EIC! With the help of the industry's greatest creators, Marvel's new Editor In Chief has driven The House straight to the top! Now it's your chance to ask Joe anything you want about what it's like to run Marvel! SUNDAY, JUNE 16TH 1:00 - 2:00: Marvel: 2002... And Beyond! From Ultimate Spider-Man to X-Force, The House is rocking like never before! Now it's time to look ahead at what wild comics are coming your way! Special guests include Sr. Editor Tom Brevoort and the new team on Fantastic Four: Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo! MIGHTY MARVEL SIGNING SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JUNE 14TH 11: 00 - 12:30 Joe Quesada & Tim Townsend 12:30 - 2:00 Bob Almond & Kurt Busiek 2:00 - 3:30 Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo 3:30 - 5:00 Jim Krueger & Georges Jeanty SATURDAY, JUNE 15TH 11: 00 - 12:30 Joe Quesada & Ron Garney 12:30 - 2:00 Bob Almond & Kurt Busiek 2:00 - 3:30 Ron Garney & Tim Townsend 3:30 - 5:00 Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo 5:00 - 6:00 Jim Krueger & Georges Jeanty SUNDAY, JUNE 16TH 12: 00 - 1:00 Mark Waid & Mike Wieringo 1:30 - 3:00 Bob Almond & Kurt Busiek 3:00 - 5:00 Ron Garney & Tim Townsend & Georges Jeanty See ya at Heroes Con! THE EVER-CHANGING FACE OF MARVEL CHANGES AGAIN! Change is the hallmark of the New Marvel, and today Stuart Moore, Eisner-award-winning editor of the Marvel Knights line, will be leaving his staff position in July to concentrate on his writing career. "When Stuart first came to Marvel Knights I was certain of two things," Marvel Editor In Chief Joe Quesada said. "One, that he was an incredible addition to the company, and two, I knew we were on borrowed time because he is such a talented writer. I knew that keeping him busy with editorial work would eventually keep him away from what it was that he ultimately wanted to do. I'm saddened to see Stuart go, but I, more than anyone, understand his yearning to stretch his wings." In addition to editing DAREDEVIL, THE PUNISHER, ELEKTRA, CAPTAIN AMERICA, MARVEL KNIGHTS DOUBLE-SHOT, and other comics for the Marvel Knights line, Moore was also one of the initiators of the smash hit MAX line of adult comics at Marvel, editing titles including ALIAS, BLACK WIDOW, and HOWARD THE DUCK. Previously he was a founding editor of DC's Vertigo line. "Marvel's been an incredible ride the past two years, but times change and it's time for me to move on," Moore said. "I'm very grateful to Joe and Nanci Quesada and to Bill Jemas for all the support and encouragement in letting me run through the Marvel Universe with big nasty cleats, and I'm confident that I'll be leaving the Knights imprint in good hands. This is a completely amicable split, and I'll still be around at Marvel Knights through late July to make sure the transition to the new editor is smooth." Zendra, a miniseries written by Moore and published by Penny Farthing Press, garnered rave reviews last year, and the sequel begins in July. Another original project is also in the works. "A writer I know was once told that his editor was quitting to become a writer," Moore said. "His response was, 'That's like a guy who works in a slaughterhouse deciding he wants to be a cow.' All I can say is, Moo. See you around the ranch." "And despite what the rumor mill may say, Marvel Knights and MAX are as healthy as ever," Quesada stated. "The fun part for fans and industry experts alike is going to be trying to guess whom will be the next person to sit at the helm of Marvel Knights! Keep watching the skies." Your Man @ Marvel, Bill Rosemann Marketing Communications Manager Marvel Comics +++++ Highwater Books will be having a fifth anniversary party in Brooklyn on Saturday June 22nd, the night before the MoCCA Festival. Highwater Books will also being doing a joint signing with Red Ink Saturday afternoon. Come on down and maybe you'll get a chance to swipe one of the many Brian Ralph moleman or monkey standups that will be decorating the bar. Details below: WHAT THE PRESS IS SAYING: Flaunt magazine called Highwater cartoonists "not just the future Cloweses and Wares. Rather, they exist in a category all their own, a league of sort of avant-garde poet-cartoonists who create fanciful, exceptional 'art-boy' comics." The Village Voice said Red Ink's "Non is to young experimental cartoonists what Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly's Raw was in the '80s-rule-free turf to find their voices, sometimes explosively." Publishers Weekly noticed that Highwater "publishes small, thoughtful, arty, beautifully designed graphic novels that are entirely outside the mainstream comics world. Every element of their presentation, from their shape and size to their paper stock and ink, is planned with affection and care." TO SEE FOR YOURSELF: CLOVIS PRESS SIGNING - Highwater Books & Red Ink comix signing with Brian Ralph (debuting his new Xeric Award-Winning book Climbing Out), James Kochalka, Megan Kelso, Matt Madden, Tom Devlin, Kurt Wolfgang and Greg Cook. Saturday, June 22, 2002. Climbing Out is Brian Ralph's most beautiful and allegorical work so far. Weaving 70 new pages into the stories that he did for the EXPO anthology and the Dark Horse Mavericks comic. This melancholy story about a cute monkey who tries to set out on his own has adventure, science and laughs. This is the first stand alone part to his ongoing serial that will be continued later this year with Crumbums. 6:00-8:00pm at Clovis Press, 229 Bedford Avenue between North 4th and North 5th in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. SHIPS MAST TAVERN HIGHWATER 5TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY - Featuring a performance by James Kochalka Superstar - starting at 10pm. Join Highwater Books at the Ships Mast Tavern (AKA Local, Rock Bar) next to the Williamsburg Bridge. S5th and Kent. For more information on Highwater Books, go to http://www.highwaterbooks.com A web graphic for Brian Ralph's Climbing Out is available on-line at: http://www.highwaterbooks.com/img/climbingout.gif For more information contact tom@highwaterbooks.com +++++ lightning31@hotmail.com http://clix.to/lightnin GET READY TO SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF! Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 8th, 2002 – SMASH Comics want you to get ready to suspend your disbelief this summer with the release of Suspension of Disbelief. This one-shot is a re-print of a ground breaking fan favorite mini-series by Paul Quinn. Paul brings a lot of sway with independent comic reading fans to the table with joining the SMASH stable. Suspension of Disbelief is a black and white independent comic about a young man named Davis and his relationship with a female friend named Alison after they both leave some less than faithful relationships. Fans of the original series published by Lone Horseman Press can still enjoy this new edition by SMASH as it has some added unseen features and scenes that were edited out of the original printing. The comic is an oversized trim size of 8 ½" X 11". This 48 page comic will be carrying a retail cover price of $4.95 Canadian; $2.90 US. It will be available for sale through the Smash website and Help Independent Comics Magazine starting this July, with widespread distribution through most other dealers by September. On a deeper note, as part SMASH Comics/Lightningstrike Publishing's general goal to use their success to help improve everyday life in general 3% of the gross sales of the book is tentatively scheduled to be donated to Easter Seals Canada charities. "I can't wait to see what the folks at SMASH Comics can do for _Disbelief. Maybe if it's successful we can do a sequel!" Says Paul Quinn, series creator. For more info about SMASH Comics visit the website at http://clix.to/lightnin or e-mail lightning31@hotmail.com Samples of the work can soon be found on the SMASH Page of the LSP website. +++++ Rubber Necker #1 in stores this week and debuting at MoCCA By Nick Bertozzi, Mature Readers, 32 pages, B&W, full color covers; $3.50US. ISBN: 1-891867-13-X; DCD: MAR021923 Nick Bertozzi, the exciting, inventive New York cartoonist best known for his Ignatz-Award winning "map-book" Boswash and 2001's outstanding graphic novel The Masochists that garnered him an Eisner Award nomination this year, now unleashes his first ongoing series – and it's his most amazing work yet! Bertozzi's bag of tricks is huge – one minute he's laying his characters' souls bare with his bold, expressive cartooning, the next he's doubling you over with a bit of perfect streetwise dialogue, the next he's teasing your brain with an ingenious twist on the workings of the comics page. At the heart of each issue of Rubber Necker will be a new chapter of "Drop Ceiling", the intense, hilariously seedy tale of a young man facing ejection from the family business, and his quest for the fateful box left him by his late father. In this first issue, "Drop Ceiling" is joined by two self-contained stories – one, a gleeful satire on the genre of the "Ivy League Professor" novel, and another exploring a surreal downtown club-scene in which everyone talks in pictograms. Get on board and get wrapped up in the world of one of America's most exciting young cartoonists! Rubber Necker #1 will be in stores this week and Nick Bertozzi will be at the MoCCA Festival in New York on Sunday, June 23 to debut his work to the public! The cover art by Nick Bertozzi is available on-line at: http://www.indyworld.com/pics/rubbernecker1.250px.gif in .GIF format. For more information or requests please contact Alternative Comics publisher Jeff Mason at 503 NW 37th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32609-2204. Phone: (352) 373-6336. E-mail Jeff Mason at jmason@indyworld.com +++++ The Hulk' to Rage on Multiple Video Game Systems in 2003 NEW YORK, (Licensing Show, Jacob Javits Center, Booth #1333), June 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Interactive, Inc. (UI), a studio of Vivendi Universal Games, announced further details today regarding its upcoming video game titles based on Universal Pictures' "The Hulk," the eagerly- anticipated feature film from acclaimed director Ang Lee ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). Based upon one of Marvel Comics' most memorable and popular superhero series, this film is scheduled for release on June 20, 2003. "The Hulk is one of the most physically powerful and emotionally compelling superhero characters ever created, and his transition to the world of interactive entertainment will extend all the power of this movie event and create a uniquely exciting game experience," said Jim Wilson, President of Universal Interactive. "UI's upcoming titles will provide Hulk fans and action-adventure gamers with all the thrilling action and adventure they have come to expect from this hugely popular character." Universal Interactive has scheduled the release of games based on "The Hulk" for the Nintendo GameCube(TM), the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft to coincide with the film's theatrical release. UI also will release a Game Boy(R) Advance title inspired by the classic Marvel Comics series The Incredible Hulk in second quarter 2003. Additional titles may be announced in the future. Acclaimed filmmaker Ang Lee's concept for his film adaptation of the classic Marvel Comics series, "The Hulk," combines all the elements of a blockbuster visual effects-intensive superhero movie with the brooding romance and tragedy of Universal's classic horror films. In depicting "The Hulk" as both a superhero and a monster, a wish fulfillment and a nightmare, Lee and his team have stayed true to the early subversive spirit of the character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, while completely updating "The Hulk" and projecting it into the dangers and aspirations of contemporary times. Eric Bana ("Black Hawk Down") stars as scientist Bruce Banner, whose inner demons transform him in the aftermath of a catastrophic experiment. Bana plays both the human Banner and -- through groundbreaking visual effects technology provided by the Oscar(R)- winning Industrial Light and Magic -- the superhuman Hulk. Academy Award(R) winner Jennifer Connelly ("A Beautiful Mind") portrays Betty Ross, whose scientific genius unwittingly helps unleash The Hulk; Nick Nolte ("The Thin Red Line") plays Banner's brilliant father, who unwittingly passes on a tragic legacy to his son; and Sam Elliot ("The Contender") portrays the commander of a top-secret military research center. Universal Pictures' "The Hulk" has not yet been rated. Consult www.filmratings.com for more information. Universal Interactive's games based on "The Hulk" have not yet been rated by the ESRB. +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ VIZ PLANS MAJOR MANGA NEWSTAND MAG! SHONEN JUMP TO INVADE US! June 10: The best selling comics magazine in the world, SHONEN JUMP, is set to debut an English language edition on American newsstands in November. The $4.95 magazine will be published here in the States by Viz Communications, which has a licensing deal with Tokyo-based Shueisha Inc. The company is aiming to debut at 100,000 copies a month with a circulation goal of 1 million in three years. The NEW YORK POST is reporting: "In Japan, SHONEN JUMP sells 3.4 million copies a week to teen boys. In the U.S., the target audience is boys aged 13 to 15 - typically one of the toughest audiences for publishers to reach. "We have done market research," said Satoru Fujii, executive vice president and chief financial officer of San Francisco-based Viz Communications." The POST said: "Teen boys have always been tough for American publishers to reach except for sports and auto titles - even though publishers don't necessarily want the attention from the younger set for their advertisers. But in Japan, the reverse seems to work. The highly stylized comic book stories have a cult-like following that spills over into the adult audience. The Japanese company does more than $600 million a year in a market where comics are a big business. The typical comic book there contains advertising and can run up to 200 pages." The POST said: "Negotiations are under way to develop more of the stories in conjunction with the Cartoon Network. "We've been talking for three or four months," said Fujii. MARVEL WILD CARD IN LPC BANKRUPTCY? LPC/CDS DEAL SHAPING UP! June 11: The SPLASH has confirmed that the LPC Group, which filed for Chapter 11 following the bank seizure of over $1 million in its accounts in April, is filing a Liquidating Plan of Reorganization under Chapter 11 procedures later this week. The Plan will involve major participation by Client Distribution Services, usually referred to as CDS, which has long been doing logistics and collections for LPC. The SPLASH was unable to determine if the Plan called for a full acquisition of LPC by CDS Distributors, but however the deal is structured, it appears that CDS will not be assuming LPC's liabilities or obligations moving forward. LPC CEO David Wilk told the SPLASH that while none of LPC's current graphic novel publishers have yet signed on, "CDS will offer contracts to at least some LPC publishers, who are free to sign with CDS or any other distributor. Since LPC's client's inventory is stored at least in part at CDS now, any publisher that signs with CDS will not have to move its books." Wilk also said: "CDS may offer positions to some LPC staff." Current rumors circulating among insiders is that Wilk, Robert Boyd and Michael Murphy are among those who may be moving to CDS. Wilk told the SPLASH: "Through the Plan, if confirmed, LPC will pay a certain percentage of pre-petition amounts due to publishers and other creditors. Also through the Plan, if confirmed, LPC will pay post- petition sales amounts due to publishers and return unsold inventory (or transfer to new distributor)." When asked about the chances of the lawsuit against the bank, Wilk said: "Publishers are free to pursue their legal remedies against thee bank - LPC is not making any statements about that possibility." Once the Plan is approved by the court, it will be presented to the Creditors for voting. An interesting, and perhaps volatile, angle to the LPC/CDS plan are rumors (which ran on ICV2 last week) that Marvel is planning to pull its substantial bookstore business away from Diamond and embark on a new exclusive deal with CDS. While a big publisher changing distributors is always news, in this case Marvel is one of the three largest creditors of LPC, being owed over $500,000. Given Ike Perlmutter's well earned reputation as a master of bankruptcy maneuvers, insiders are wondering about the timing of such a move. When Wilk was asked about the Marvel connection he said: "LPC is not the distributor for Marvel now, and I have no knowledge of any Marvel deal with CDS but there can be no "side deal" in the Bankruptcy, which is under strict supervision of the Bankruptcy Court." HE-MAN BACK IN THE COMICS RACK! NEW BREED OF FAN LICENSEE EVOLVING? Special to the SPLASH by Ace MacDonald June 12: Following on the heels of such comics licensing success stories as TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and BATTLE OF THE PLANETS, Mattel has announced the comic book license for another gem in the crown of '80s animation nostalgia: MV Creations has been granted a non-exclusive license to produce comics, posters, calendars lithographs and wall scrolls for Master Of The Universe. Creative team and further publishing details are still under wraps. MV CREATIONS is run by Val Staples, is best known as a colorist and currently co-creator of "Tales of the Realm" in Funk-O-Tron's DOUBLE TAKE comic. Staples is also a long-term MOTU fan, and one of the people involved with one of the biggest MOYU websites. "Master of the Universe is truly a mega brand and we are pleased to welcome two such reputable licenses to the He-Man family," said Jeffrey Orridge, VP of Boys/Entertainment Consumer Products at Mattel. (Mattel also announced a deal for MOTU shoes with ACI International today at the Licensing Show in New York.) "Working with Mattel on the Masters of the Universe brand is a dream come true for all of us here at MV Creations," said Staples. Masters of the Universe was originally launched as a cartoon and toy line back in 1982, and characters such as He-Man, She-Ra and arch villain Skeletor quickly became pop culture icons. Mattel began prepping a new animated series several years ago, to appear just in time to catch the wave of '80s toy nostalgia which is sweeping the licensing business. A new 90-minute cartoon premieres on the Cartoon Network in August, with a weekly show to follow, putting He-Man and Skeletor back in the spotlight. Staples joins Dreamwave and Devil's Due as fresh faces on the comics scene who have gone where the Big Two dare not tread by shelling out the big bucks necessary for such well known licenses. All these companies are run by people who are huge fans of the properties involved. While it might seem surprising that a toy titan such as Mattel would go with a virtual unknown, a Mattel insider didn't see anything unusual in it. "They convinced us that they were the right ones. Sometimes its better to be the big focus, rather than just one out of dozens." The '80s are still huge (see other Licensing Show coverage below). Top Cow just announced that their BATTLE OF THE PLANETS comic sold over 150,000. (The fact that Alex Ross is a huge Battle fan and is working on the comic obviously was a big help in achieving these numbers.) But it remains to be seen if the craze will have enough legs for Staples and DC's Thundercats to cash in. IKE TEMPTS TOON TITANS! MARVEL FOR SALE? June 13: Rumors have been swirling all week concerning a possible offer by SONY to purchase MARVEL ENTERPRISES. The SPLASH took a dip in the industry scuttlebutt and found industry insiders convinced that SONY is not the only media conglomerate taking a hard look at the company. Well placed sources tell the SPLASH that virtually all the other Toon Titans have been sniffing around Marvel since Ike Perlmutter began to actively shop the company in the week leading up to the release of the SPIDER-MAN film. The list of interested parties are said to be led by SONY and WALT DISNEY Corp., while VIACOM, UNIVERSAL, NEWS Corp, and AOL TIME WARNER have all been approached. SABAN, MATTEL and HASBRO are also seen as a possible suitors. SONY or DISNEY appear to be the best fit for MARVEL, although SABAN, with its large cash reserve and personal relationship to Ike and Avi Arad, is being handicapped as a wild card. While MARVEL, in conjunction with SONY, is riding the hottest pop culture property in the world at the moment, with a raft of Hollywood projects in the pipeline, any sale would be difficult and complex considering Marvel's past financial difficulties. The company's balance sheet, while technically showing a profit, is not something to write home about, and the long term debt load, even after this year's buyback of junk bonds, is still heavy. A big question would be whether or not a sale could be completed without a competing bid arising. MARVEL has a well documented history of being fought over by zealous financiers such as Ron Perelman and Carl Ichan and an offer from one company might ignite the passions of another. While investors usually see a big payday when a public company is bought out, MARVEL comes pre-loaded with a huge block of preferred stock, which was issued to secured investors in the wake of their spectacular losses in the MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT bankruptcy. It is expected that preferred stockholders will get the first (and possibly the lion's) share of any purchase deal. Signs to watch for in the coming weeks and months as interested companies perform Due Diligence on MARVEL's books: trimming of any organizational fat to improve the bottom line; cleaning up any Hollywood hooks in the properties left from the bad old days, undoing any side deals (like Marvel Knights) and taking a long hard look at the "unaffiliated" TOY BIZ WORLDWIDE in Hong Kong which somehow inherited Ike's exclusive license to manufacture toys based on Marvel characters. +++++ From the Comics Continuum at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/: DAREDEVIL MOVIE UPDATE The first teaser trailer for the Daredevil movie will premiere in theaters and online next week. The trailer will appear before another Fox release, The Minority Report, which opens on June 21. It will also appear online at the film's upcoming site, www.daredevilmovie.com, and will likely be appearing on the entertainment television programs. Fox is staging a press conference for the film on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Sources told The Continuum that might be the first place where the trailer is shown. Scheduled to attend the press conference are stars Ben Affleck (Matt Murdock/Daredevil), Jennifer Garner (Elektra), Michael Clarke Duncan (Kingpin) and Joe Pantoliano (Ben Urich); director Mark Steven Johnson and producers Gary Foster and Avi Arad. NEW HE-MAN ON CARTOON NETWORK He-Man and the Masters of the Universe will make its Cartoon Network debut at 4 p.m. (ET, PT) on Friday, Aug. 16 with a 90-minute special featuring the never-before-told story of the origin of He-Man. Beginning Aug, 23, the 26-episode series will begin airing on Fridays during Toonami. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe will join the daily Toonami line-up in November. Here's how the network describes the show: "Eternia is a land of myth, sorcery and advanced technology where epic heroes accomplish remarkable deeds, strange creatures roam the land, and malevolent enemies wreak havoc. Deep within Castle Grayskull lies the repository of universal knowledge hidden long ago by the Elders of Eternia. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe defend Castle Grayskull and all of Eternia from the tyrannical Skeletor and his Evil Warriors." The original He-Man series was introduced to television audiences in 1983 and became one of the most successful kids entertainment properties in history. +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.comicon.com/Newsarama/ Winner of the 2001 Squiddy - Best General Comics Web Site FOOT SOLDIERS RETURN Writer Jim Krueger's Foot Soldiers are rising from the grave (so to speak) in their first all-new adventure in three years. Foot Soldiers Volume 3 will be published by AiT/Planet Lar in September as an original 156-page b&w trade paperback retailing for $14.95, written by Krueger and illustrated by Steve Yeowell. Including new appendices and text pieces by Krueger, a cover by Tony Harris and pin-ups by the likes of artists like Richard Case and Kieron Dwyer, the story introduces the newest member of the team, a character known as the Spokesman. According to Krueger, the new character will "put the Foot Soldiers in harm's way for the purpose of allowing them to discover how this futuristic world became the industrial nightmare it is, and for the purpose of teaching the team the high price of doing the right thing." For readers maybe not up-to-speed on the series, we asked Krueger to give a short intro to the concept behind the series. "The Foot Soldiers is the story of three kids in an oppressive future that go to the graveyard of super heroes and rob the graves," explained Krueger. "They try to fill the 'literal' shoes of the actual heroes and that's when things get far worse than they were before. "It's a story of mistakes. And of the power of legend to inspire people to greatness. It also deals with the fact that sometimes a little power is enough to make change in the world." Written prior to his work on the Marvel limited series Universe X, Krueger originally intended to publish the story as another limited series, but he felt in the long run, that format would create some "real frustration" with the fans of the series, and he felt it would be better to just put it out as a trade paperback right off the bat. And in order to do that, he had to approach Yeowell years ago and paid him for his work over that time period in order to publish the story all at once. "I've been a giant fan of Steve's work for years," said Krueger of his artist, "ever since I read Zenith in 2000 AD. Steve and I have built up a friendship over a period of time. We did a back-up 'Banshee' story in X-Men Annual #3, and Steve just drew the Paradise X Special: XEN (which was inked by Bill Sienkiewicz). "Incidentally, Steve and I are preparing to do a new Image Comics title to come out early next year." New Foot Soldiers stories are also in Krueger's plans_. "Indeed, there is more to come," he said. "I've just finished another short story with a talented new artist named Sanford Greene (who I am working on a new project on for Dark Horse). And, there are actually at least 3-4 more volumes of story with these characters I would like to tell before I would think that I could be done. "It's kind of hard to say, really, if there will be an end. Those 3-4 stories are ones I have planned since the beginning. The last story, of course, will be the 'Last Rags Story', which will be both an end to the entire story cycle, and a beginning for a possible new one. "I know that sounds cryptic, but hey – they're grave-robbers, right? That's what this is all about." Foot Soldiers Volume 3 will also include a detailed text piece retelling the full origin of the team +++++ From the DC Comics Online Newsletter at http://www.dccomics.com BACK FROM THE FUTURE WITH DC DIRECT To friends and family, they are just Thom Kallor, born on a space-based observatory, Reep Daggle from the planet Durla, Jo Nah of Rimbor, and Dirk Morgna of Earth...but to a grateful universe, they are better known as Star Boy, Ultra Boy, and Sun Boy, Chameleon Boy, members of the 30th Century's Legion of Super-Heroes! Ever since their debut in the pages of ADVENTURE COMICS #247 (April, 1958), the Legion has been one of the most popular team of super-teens to ever hit the comic book page. What they haven't been, up until recently, were action figures...but thanks to the efforts of the industrious folks behind the DC Direct line of action figures, toys, props, and collectibles, that's all changed. While Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad have already debuted as action figures, it's time the three founding Legionnaires recruited some new members...who all happen to feature multiple points of articulation. Says Georg Brewer, DC's Vice President-Design and Retail Product Development (about whom someone was recently overheard in the halls as saying had "the coolest job in comics!"), "The classic era Legion is a natural for action figures because the style and sensibility of the line lends itself to the 'army of superheroes' unlike any of our other teams. If they do well, we certainly can continue for some time to come." Georg rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "I personally can't wait for the inflatable Bouncing Boy figure!" We figure Georg is pulling our leg...but considering some of the amazing toys DC Direct has come out with lately, we can't really be sure. You don't even have to wait for the 30th Century to roll around to get your hands on these guys. The Legion of Super-Heroes: Star Boy, Chameleon Boy, Ultra Boy and Sun Boy Action Figures (each figure sold separately, in resealable packaging) will be available in comic shops January 29, 2003. DC BRINGS TOP TALENT TO COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL Beginning July 31, DC Comics will be ready to meet and greet fans, retailers and comics professionals at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2002. DC will be on hand with a full complement of staff and guests at DC's legendary "big booth." DC's sponsored guests include Eisner-Award winning writer Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS, BATMAN/DEATHBLOW), writer Ed Brubaker (BATMAN, POINT BLANK), DC DIRECT sculptor Tim Bruckner, Eisner-Award nominated writer Mike Carey (LUCIFER, HELLBLAZER), penciller Yvel Guichet (JLA), writer Joe Kelly (JLA, ACTION COMICS), penciller Doug Mahnke (JLA), penciller Scott McDaniel (BATMAN, NIGHTWING), penciller Carlos Pacheco (JLA/JSA: VIRTUE AND VICE), Eisner-Award winning artist Eduardo Risso (100 BULLETS), and writer Bill Willingham (FABLES). Other DC departments also will be represented at the convention, including members of Creative Services, Editorial Administration, and the Collected Editions and DC Direct groups, along with most of the Direct Sales department. "Without a doubt, Comic-Con is one of our most important shows of the year," says Fletcher Chu-Fong, DC's Manager — Events & Retailer Services. "It's great for spending time with the fans, nurturing relationships with freelancers and retailers, and doing business of all kinds. We wouldn't miss it for the world." DC editorial staffers scheduled to attend the show include Karen Berger, VP — Executive Editor, VERTIGO; Mike Carlin, VP — Executive Editor, DC Universe; Dan DiDio, VP — Editorial; Jim Lee, Editorial Director — WildStorm; Scott Dunbier, Group Editor; Andy Helfer, Group Editor; Dan Raspler, Group Editor; Bob Schreck, Group Editor; Jeff Mariotte, Senior Editor; Ben Abernathy, Editor; Joey Cavalieri, Editor; Will Dennis, Editor; and Mark Chiarello, Editorial Art Director. ROAD TO PERDITION — NEW EDITION TO REACH STORES EARLY DC Comics' instore date of ROAD TO PERDITION — NEW EDITION (MAY020278) has been moved to June 19 from July 3 to help retailers take advantage of the release of the major motion picture from Dreamworks Pictures. The movie, which stars Tom Hanks, Jude Law and Paul Newman, hits theaters on July 12. This item was solicited in the May issue of Previews (Volume XII #5). Written by award-winning mystery novelist Max Allan Collins with evocative artwork by Richard Piers Rayner, ROAD TO PERDITION is the tale of Michael O'Sullivan, a hitman who is as devoted to his family as he is to his work. When those worlds collide, killing his wife and the younger of his two sons, O'Sullivan and his surviving son embark on a father-and-son journey of revenge. This edition features a new introduction by Collins. "The movie is being promoted right now," says Bob Wayne, DC's VP — Sales & Marketing. "Retailers have an opportunity here to play off the movie's high profile, and the public gets to experience this powerful story in its original form." THE ROAD TO PERDITION — NEW EDITION has a price of $13.95 U.S. and is scheduled to be in stores on June 19. It is now available for advance reorder. SPECIAL OFFER: T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS ARCHIVES & DYNAMO STATUE The legendary heroes of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS make their return this December in T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS ARCHIVES Volume One and the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS: DYNAMO STATUE. Now, DC Comics is pleased to offer these items together at a special price of $175.00 U.S. — nearly $25 off their individual prices! No T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS fan will want to miss out on this incredible offer! T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS ARCHIVES Volume One is a 248-page hardcover with a cover price of $49.95 U.S. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS: DYNAMO STATUE has a price of $149.95 U.S. The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS ARCHIVES Volume One HC & DYNAMO STATUE SPECIAL OFFER has a price of $175.00 U.S. Please note that the SPECIAL OFFER is available only on initial orders. All three of these items are advance-solicited in the July issue of Previews (Volume XII #7) with a discount code of X1, to arrive in comic stores December 4. JIM LEE CRITIQUES ART AT WILDSTORM.COM WildStorm Editorial Director Jim Lee has taken portfolio review in a new direction with the first in a series of online, audio critiques at WildStorm.com. Lee looks at three pages of art submitted by an aspiring professional called Clement, offering in-depth commentary and his own "overlay" sketches suggesting how the artist's work could be improved. "This seemed like a great opportunity to get the ball rolling on a new way for those in the business to interact with fans trying to break in," says Lee. "It gives Clement the kind of feedback most young artists are looking for, and other fans who visit the site can, hopefully, get something out of it." You can hear what Lee has to say at http://www.wildstorm.com/universe.html. A link to the critique also appears at DCComics.com. WILL EISNER HONORED WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD On June 3, the New York-based National Foundation for Jewish Culture presented comics legend Will Eisner with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Thirteenth Annual Jewish Cultural Achievement Awards in the Arts. The award was presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and author Art Spiegelman. The award was given to Eisner and the evening's other honorees based on "their ability to draw from and shed light upon, the American Jewish Experience." Please consult your STAR catalog for information on titles in the WILL EISNER LIBRARY and THE SPIRIT ARCHIVES. BACK TO PRESS! As part of DC's commitment to retailers and readers alike, selected items go back to press when quantities become low. The following titles have been reprinted and are available for order: JSA: JUSTICE BE DONE TP (STAR10947) (2nd printing) SANDMAN: THE WAKE TP (STAR07487) (4th printing) NEWS FROM THE MAINSTREAM PRESS The May issue of Flaunt includes the article "Comics 101," which feaures art from such titles as 100%, THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN, and PROMETHEA. NEWS FROM THE TRADE PRESS Comic Shop News #781 includes an item on the passing of MAD contributor Dave Berg. The issue also previews upcoming comics for August including BATMAN: BLACK AND WHITE Volume Two, ACTION COMICS #794, the CATWOMAN: THE DARK END OF THE STREET TP, GOTHAM GIRLS, GREEN LANTERN: EVIL'S MIGHT, HAWKMAN #6, JLA #69, JLA: THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, GREEN LANTERN #16, JSA #39, POWER COMPANY #7, and the SUPERMAN: OUR WORLDS AT WAR TPs. VERTIGO titles in the spotlight include BIGG TIME, HELLBLAZER #175, LUCIFER #29, and LUCIFER: NIRVANA. From WildStorm, CSN spotlights the FOUR WOMEN TP, SLEEPER, RESIDENT EVIL: CODE VERONICA, THUNDERCATS #0, and WILDCATS #1. "Mad in August" looks at the upcoming MAD Books titles MAD ABOUT THE MOB and THE MAD MONSTER BOOK OF HORRIFYING CLICHES. DC Direct products are previewed as well, including THE CLASSIC AQUAMAN STATUE, THE CLASSIC BIZARRO MINI-BUST, THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN OVERSIZED DOOR POSTER, THE SUPERGIRL MINI-STATUE, THE SPIRIT MINI-BUST, and more. The "News International" section of the June issue of Comics International includes items on CATWOMAN: SELINA'S BIG SCORE, IN THE SHADOW OF EDGAR ALLEN POE, THE FLASH: TIME FLIES, STORMWATCH: TEAM ACHILLES, and Y — THE LAST MAN, GEN13 #0. Also in this issue is an article on the work of Will Eisner, in which Paul Gravett calls THE NAME OF THE GAME "A compelling generational saga…" The June 21 issue of Comics Buyer's Guide (#1492) includes an article on Steve Seagle and Scott McDaniel taking over as the creative team on SUPERMAN, along with items on Terry Moore's work on BIRDS OF PREY and the miniseries THE SANDMAN PRESENTS: LADY CONSTANTINE. The "Reading Room" offers reviews of ACTION COMICS #791, with Brett Weiss writing, "Fans of the Smallville television series as well as the Superman mythos in general will want to check out this accessible done-in-one story." Also reviewed is the Dark Horse Comics title Superman/Aliens 2: God War #1, which Weiss gives a grade of "A." NEWS FROM THE INTERNET Grayhaven has posted a review of THE LEGION, with Chris Allen calling it, "a fun, great-looking book." The site has also posted a brief interview with writer Ed Brubaker. 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: 6/14 (7:00 pm) "Legends, Pt. 1" (Justice League) 6/15 (8:30 am) "Pop's Girlfriend" (Static Shock) 6/15 (10:30 am) "Legends, Pt. 1" (Justice League) 6/15 (10:00 pm) "Paradise Lost, Pt. 2" (Justice League – Widescreen) 6/16 (7:00 pm) "Legends, Pt. 2" (Justice League) 6/18 (9:00 pm) "Leech" (Smallville) 6/21 (7:00 pm) "Legends, Pt. 2" (Justice League) 6/22 (10:30 am) "Legends, Pt. 2" (Justice League) 6/22 (10:00 pm) "War World, Pt. 1" (Justice League – Widescreen) 6/23 (7:00 pm) "In Blackest Night, Pt. 1" (Justice League) +++++ From Rich Johnston, THE 2001 SQUIDDY JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR, in his ALL THE RAGE Gossip Column at: http://www.SilverBulletComicBooks.com RUMOUR BARRIER "I accept that the following material is rumour and gossip, intended to entertain only. "I won't repeat the information inside as fact. I understand if I want the truth, I will go to Silver Bulletins. "I enter freely with my mind open and my blinkers off." Now, onto the rumours. [NOTE: this column may be slightly edited for language. - D.L.] Enter The Sauna Hanging With My Dealers Last weekend, I was at Bristol for the Comics 2002 show. Sneaking my way into the Retailers Meeting (or rather asking Diamond UK demi-god, Pat Sullivan, if I could attend and then walking in, in broad daylight), I joined retailers for a series of publisher presentations. As Diamond UK asked for retailer feedback, it was a refreshing change to hear that almost all of the retailers were perfectly happy with service. Things have clearly improved on previous years and they were happy to sing Diamond's praises. There were a couple of niggles, however. It appears that there is a jinx on issue 40s from Dark Horse through Diamond UK - a number of titles have seen their issue 40 vanish, orders go missing, or develop problems with licence holders. The advice from Diamond? Dark Horse should never do an issue 40. But, seriously, they are looking into this problem. Amongst the many Diamond Select Toys featured, one stand-out was Replica Web-Shooters in November. Not from the film then. With 4500 customers worldwide, 370 of those in the UK, Diamond's sales as a whole are up 5% on last year, with comics sales falling in the first half of 2001, rising in the second half and continuing to rise through 2002, already up 10% on last year. Graphic novels have risen in sales by 25% and seem to be the real success story. UK retailers put increased sales in their shops as down to increased availability and saleability of graphic novels, and the increased desire for Marvel Comics. We also heard that Hellboy trade paperbacks are to be licensed by Titan for distribution in the UK through bookstores and comic shops. Com.X gave the most dramatic show - a mixture of multimedia, images, logos, breakdowns, pencils, all with quotes from the likes of Wizard, the Financial Times, Silver Bullet Comics and Erik Larsen and an energetic dance track exaggerating the beats and ticks in the video. Announcing their audience as "anyone who goes to the cinema", new books on the way include Josh Middleton's stunning Sky Between Branches, Mike McMahon's upcoming Heavy Plant, a mixture of Victoriana and giant fighting robots, Monkeyboy and Boosh and Babe Tool, as well as a Silent Hill graphic novel for Christmas. Com.X have clearly impressed the British retailers and those who dismissed them a couple of years ago have eaten their words. Now, if only they could get that schedule sorted. They've stated that Puncture will be collected as soon as it's been published, hopefully later this year. Rebellion, owners of 2000AD appealed directly to the retailers, asking what they could do to improve sales in the stores. Since last year, they have improved retailer's biggest concerns, the margins on the titles, but have failed to see a commensurate increase in sales. There seems to be a dichotomy over who to aim 2000AD at - old readers who demand the return of the likes of Moore, Milligan, Morrison and Millar, Fabry, Talbot and the like, or brand new readers. Rebellion announced they were extending their promotional activity towards the skateboard crowd. Rebellion confirmed that the first Zenith trade paperback had indeed been printed but was held up by legal issues. The rest of the convention clarified that this was over a misunderstanding between Rebellion and Grant Morrison over who owned the work - it transpires that Morrison never signed work for hire documents for Zenith and didn't receive contracts that Rebellion were meant to send him. So currently, Zenith Book One sits in a distribution warehouse rotting. Sort it out, guys! With Patty Jeres on slides, DC VP of Marketing, Bob Wayne gave an entertaining presentation of DC's upcoming product, that was fairly Marvel-dig-free. Is the old man mellowing? League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen II got a lot of attention. We like it here. As for its schedule - artist Kev O'Neill gave up a free trip to San Diego Comicon 2002 so he could keep drawing the book. They want this on time, folks! DC Comics are also, against their normal policy, considering keeping the original LOEG series available in hardback as well as paperback. The regular answer to whether Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's Flex Mentallo will be collected received a new twist this year. Usually, it's a simple "no" - but this year there was a fuller explanation, that DC could not comment, as part of the settlement. It's previously been reported that DC Comics *won* the court case against the estate of Charles Atlas - but this reply indicates that's not exactly true, and that DC settled - presumably agreeing not to republish the book. Patty Jeres told the throng that she had her copies of the magical muscular mini-series caught in the rain and proceeded to dry them out, page by page, as she didn't anticipate a collection... DC reported that JLA/Avengers was not finished yet, but that every character is doing what the fans will want them to be doing - the series is full of in jokes as well as the classic debated clashed between characters. Dark Knight Strikes Again #3... Bob Wayne asked how well that did for UK retailers. After getting the expected response he countered, "Really? Pat mustn't have shipped it - ah well, you guys got the Elseworlds 80 Page Giant." Pat's response? He must have forgotten to order it for Diamond. Bob followed, saying that no one would have wanted a fill in - although Mike Carlin said he would have stepped up if he were called. Bob showed off the upcoming Sophie and Promethea toys - "So you can live out your most perverse dreams." As for Wildstorm heavyweight Scott Dunbier's absence this year, it was down to a knee operation. Bob said he's thought about sending Dunbier by boat, but couldn't get clearance through the Panama canal. On Stormwatch #1, "This has had a very strong reaction at DC, it's a very strong book, so I will underprint it - oh no, that's the next guys' speech." And Catwoman Year One, was announced as being written "Before Chuck Dixon went into exile..." those were the only digs of DC's show, folks! When Marvel were ready (eventually), they were very quote heavy as they ran through their upcoming work - when they could remember which artists were working on which books, that is. Joe Quesada blamed Bill Rosemann for everything he couldn't find in his notes. But there were a few otherwise unreported surprises. "Darco Macan on Soldier X - All Croatian, All The Time" - Stuart Moore "In order to research The Call, the creators went out on the streets with the services ... they started fires, committed crimes, and watched what happened" - Joe Quesada "Black Cat - an old flame of Spider-Man. We've brought her back and given her bigger boobs" - Axel Alonso "Hood - it's a light hearted book with incredible profanity" - Joe Quesada Axel also confirmed that Marvel were in talks with Peter Bagge to create a themed-sequel to his Megalomaniacal Spider-Man, "something along the lines of Incorrigible Hulk." They also talked about Slap Leather, which is a new comedy Western from Ron Zimmerman and John Severin, featuring the return of Rawhide Kid. Pushed as having an "outrageous concept" and tight fitting leather, it looks like Marvel will be putting the Go West into the Wild West. Joe Quesada told the retailers that Ash was still in consideration for a movie, but that his agent called him recently to tell him that Nicolas Cage was interested. "You've got to be f^&*ing kidding me..." he replied - Cage is currently seen as the death knell for all comic book movies. And... well, I don't know if this has been reported elsewhere, but Quesada named the title that he's personally editing in competition with Bill Jemas' The Marvel and Peter David's Captain Marvel, as The Adventures Of Hank Kibble. Hmmm. Appreciation of what Marvel have been doing was high among retailers, and Stephen Holland of Page 45 said that he was, "No longer embarrassed to sell Marvel comics to the over 12s" - and the presence of Marvel at a British convention for the first time in ten years went over really well. By not spending money at San Diego, they were able to do more here. Yay! This Has A Rumour Value Of Anywhere From 5 To 9 Out Of 10. Your Mileage May Vary. Anyway, more titbits from the weekend. Lowest Common Distributor I understand that beleaguered distribution company, LPC, will close in July, owing a lot of money to a lot of people. This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out of 10 A Man With Vision The rights to Jamie Delano's 2020 Visions, a creator-owned Vertigo miniseries, featuring the art of Frank Quitely, David Lloyd and Steve Pugh has reverted back to Delano. He has signed a deal to publish the book as a black-and-white trade paperback with a yet-unnamed publisher. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 The Origin Of Harry Knowles Lookalike gags aside, Bob Wayne told us all about his first meeting with Harry Knowles. It involved a comic convention a while back and some severe weather. In fact a tornado was on its way, clearly visible outside the convention windows and heading in their direction. Everyone got indoors except for one small red haired child who ran out towards the tornado, hands waving and shouting "I want to go to Oz! I want to go to Oz!" Beautiful, isn't it? This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Uneasy Lies The Head Grant Morrison's stage play Red King Rising is to be adapted as a comic for Vertigo. A possible artist is his collaborator on upcoming LeSexy, Cameron Stewart. This Has A Rumour Value Of 5 Out Of 10 Think Of A Number Michael Uslan and Peter Snejberg are behind a new Elseworlds series, Detective 27. Starring Bruce Wayne as the twenty-seventh detective in an elite organisation, look out for it next year. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Branching Out Ashley Woods has signed up as designer and art director for comics magazine, Tripwire. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Cover Thumbnail The cover to Dicks 2, the sequel to the current mini-series Bigger Dicks from Avatar, will feature a very familiar visual. Against a blue background, a dark silhouetted fist is raised... and gives the finger. The logo reads 'DicKs 2'. Bob Wayne's reaction? "The background colour is wrong..." This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Avatar Baby Jacen Burroughs and Mike Wolfer of Strange Kiss, Dark Blue and more, have signed exclusively to Avatar. William Christiansen, publisher of Avatar and their crop of comics featuring naked demonesses having sex with crucifixes, is a thoroughly nice chap, all round good egg, and whose comment on being taken by John McCrea to Bristol's only strip bar was to comment that it was a bit "seedy." He also does a mean Spitfire impression when running down the hill. This Has A Dakka Dakka Dakka Value Of 8 Of 10 Established Story Establishment is officially cancelled from #13, as rumoured in All The Rage a while back. The last issue will tie in with the end-of-the- universe story that Alan Moore wrote a wee while back. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 On Board Negotiations with Phil Hall's benefactor, mentioned last week, seemed to go well. Hopefully we'll see a revived Borderline soon. This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Pizza Squashed There was a vile rumour going round that Joe Quesada ordered two large pizzas at the Pizza on The Hill restaurant on the Friday and ate them both, gaining himself the nickname Joe "Two Pizzas" Quesada. I'd like to stop that vile rumour in its tracks. It seems it may have been started when Axel Alonso dared to order some garlic bread with his meal, but Quesada assures me he ordered and ate only one pizza for himself. So there. This Has A Rumour Value Of 2 Pizzas Out Of 10 Four Moments To Treasure Grant Morrison sheepishly realising that the hotel breakfast is a buffet, and no matter how long he sits at one of the tables, no-one is going to bring it to him. Phil Hall's face when his Borderline voting crew pushed him up to Number Six on the Lifetime Achievement vote at the Awards. Dave 'Watchmen' Gibbons being voted off his own team during The Weakest Link, thanks to a deft voting move by Antony Johnston. Dez Skinn, when giving the award for Best Comic Ever, stating that the best comic ever was yet to be published. Some wag shouted out, "Dark Knight Strikes Again #3!" This Has A Giggle Factor Of 8 Out Of 10 Hypothetically Speaking A favourite of all the Bristol Comics Conventions so far has been Lee 'Budgie' Barnett and Dave 'Watchmen' Gibbons' Hypothetical panel, where comic celebs are taken from their present reality to Earth Dave where they have to play out hypothetical situations in the comic book industry there - made up of creators, editors, accountants, journalists and retailers. But time is always a constraint in shows like this, so here is a section of script there just wasn't time for. You can imagine the responses_ OK, turning away from crossovers, everyone's sitting in their respective offices and studios one day when the television news breaks in with a newsflash: there's been an earthquake in San Francisco. Initial reports put the injured in the tens of thousands with worse to come. Joe Quesada - A terrible event. Awful. As the initial shock is settling in, there's an "Oh hell" as you realise that the crossover we spoke about a few minutes ago, which at this moment has been written, drawn with some of the books printed, but not yet distributed was an earthquake, hitting Battle Lord's home city. This isn't a couple of books with some minor damage. This is a massive crossover with huge repercussions for the Wonder Comics universe. Would you pull the entire line or even individual books? Will you be calling for the scripts to review them? John - you're in the middle of drawing the final issue of the crossover. Would the real world events in America affect your work, if the order came down from Joe that the story is going ahead? Mike - you've written the crossover. Would you be worried about your work seeing print with this happening? Joe - would you be concerned about an accusation of "cashing in?" Budgie - would there be concern from the financial side of the business? If Joe pulled the storyline, would there be an increased cost to the company? Joe, back to you. After the initial shock, would Wonder Comics be thinking of doing a book together with fellow publishers to raise funds for the victims? What would *stop* you? Dez - someone suggests that comic book companies should give away stock to the thousands of children left homeless or injured. Would you expect companies to do this? How well or badly do comic book companies react to real world disasters, given how often fictional disasters happen every month in the books? Antony - if Wonder Comics came to you and asked you to participate in an emergency relief book at the same time that a book for Independent creators asked you, is there a reason you'd choose one over the other? Chris - would you expect to order heavily for an emergency relief book? Would you expect some types of books to sell better than others? Does quality actually matter with these books in the shop or will people buy them anyway? Budgie - as CFO, would you be telling Joe "no, that's not in the budget, we can't do that?" The All The Rage panel also seemed to go very well. A few slightly strained gaps throughout were nicely filled by Dez Skinn and well timed audience contributions. As to what was said? Ah, well you had to be there really_ but thanks to DC for the complimentary bullet beer mats we were able to hand out. This Has A Panel Beating Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Corrections And Clarifications From a couple of weeks ago, a story involving CrossGen, writers and people standing in corners. I understand that it's a fan fabrication... disregard it as you would a worthless badger. And from last weekend's column, on SuperHeroNews, Peter David comments over the Shazam! revival rumour that he might be writing two Captain Marvels at once. "I've no idea if the series is to be relaunched, but if it is, I have not been approached about it." Those Damn Foreigners Cable #105, set in Rio de Janeiro is said to have one of the more accurate portrayals of that area in US comics. Indeed, I understand that writer, Darco Macan, has been consulting with Brazilian writer/editor Ricardo Giassetti on the book. And that's about all I understand - can anyone help me with a translation of this? This Has A Panel Beating Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Grab Quotes And Fill http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/05/nyregion/05PROF.html Shrink From The Masses The recently announced Hollywood purchase of the Shrink concept from Rob Liefeld, starring Jennifer Lopez as a psychiatrist for superheroes, caused quite a bit of mainstream media hype through news services and the Howard Stern show. When the Hollywood Reporter printed URL to Spinnerrack who have hosted the Shrink trip, hits went ballistic and the site crashed. They're not too happy_ This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Fairly Believable Breasts Les Humanoides seem to be having a lot of fun with their Metal Hurlant Presents: Pin-Up Girls From Around The World by Fred Beltran. Something to do with his Megalex story in Metal Hurlant, All The Rage would like to deny it's running this story and the pictures below in an attempt to get more hits. Don't be stupid, you must be mad. Anyway, this comes out in July, 64 pages, painted, sixteen dollars. And I want a copy. I mean, if you are going to buy pictures of women in their underwear, at least buy intelligent pictures of women in their underwear. This Has A Chest Size Of 36DD May You Live In Chaotic Times Earlier this week, Brian Denham, artist for Chaos Comics (and All The Rage Irregular) posted to the Chaos Message Board that he was leaving the company because he wasn't getting paid and he had commitments to keep. At least that's what he appears to have said as the original post, and the thread it started, were deleted by board moderators. Spinoff threads however remain, as some fans call for boycotts, others claim "My Chaos, Right Or Wrong" and it all turns into a free for all. Other Chaos creators were soon brought in to give their point of view: David Michael Beck, a Chaos creator stated, "I can honestly state that Chaos! has been up front with me in regards to delay of payment on work I've produced for the company. I understand the situation and will work with them on this matter." Dan Jolley wrote, "I'm sticking around. Late payments or otherwise." John Ostrander added, "EVERY company in the biz goes through cash flow problems. Mighty Marvel went through some severe ones not so long ago. Other companies that I've worked with in the past and that I work with now have those problems. I continue to work with them if I believe they'll work those problems out and that they're dealing honestly with me." And Jesse McCann wrote, "Chaos! has always paid me, and if they happen to be a little late, with sincere apologies. When you go freelance, you have to save up for a rainy day. Otherwise, you'd be better off at a 9- 5 job where you know when the check is coming." "Boycotting will not only hurt Chaos!, it will hurt the freelancers hired by Chaos!, too." All The Rage heard rumours about payment problems a few months ago, but were assured this was a very temporary thing. It appears it's not quite as temporary as some thought. No one at Chaos as of yet chose to respond to enquiries. This Has A Rumour Value Of 6 Out Of 10 Cross Congratulations Sources tell me that the CrossGen finally has a winner, with correct answers to all 20 questions that appeared in a copy of Wizard a fair while ago. With an original prize of $10,000, that was doubled when no one got all the questions right. Well, they've got one now and I understand the winner will be announced at the San Diego Comicon. This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out of 10 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] 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/] Droppin` science: the Jim Ottaviani Q-and-A part 2 This week we continue my conversation with FALLOUT writer Jim Ottaviani as he discusses how he got into science to begin with, and also about how his comics have garnered mainstream attention. RICH WATSON: You majored in nuclear engineering in college. What is it about the subject that attracted you? JIM OTTAVIANI: The first few time I remember reading about nuclear power were in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, and the illustrations were excellent and made a big impression on me. So were the words: Laser fusion! Inertial confinement! Tokamak! Now, it turns out that none of these things were ready for prime time (nor do they work now, at least as sources of commercial electricity), but the ideas behind them were so intriguing that I read more. And once you've been introduced to the strange world of quantum theory there's no turning back. It's beautiful and bizarre down there at the sub-atomic level. The ideas have held my interest ever since. RW: Does atomic energy still hold the potential to improve the quality of life that it did in the years following WW2? Do you see it being realized? JO: That's hard to say, actually, and I don't want to give you another yes and no sort of answer. But I guess I have to, so here goes... Yes, in the sense that nuclear power has a relatively small environmental impact compared to fossil fuels, especially as it relates to the major problems we're beginning to have with greenhouse gases and the like. No, because the long-term impact is really, really, really long term and (here comes the engineer in me) non-trivial. There's not much to love about radioactive waste! Nor is uranium mining a whole lot nicer than mining for coal and drilling for oil. And the social and political problems that nuclear energy has -- and some of these are a result of the technology being over-hyped in the early days -- has led to very high costs and heavy regulations. The way I see it, the western world, and particularly the U.S., made a Faustian bargain when we decided to devote so much of our research efforts to nuclear energy. On the one hand, it works, and can work for many years to come. On the other, it's messy and expensive, and like all complex technologies has unintended (and messy, and expensive) consequences. Knowing what we know now, I would hope that if we could turn back the clock we would have chosen to devote a lot of the money we spent on nuclear energy research to research in renewables such as solar, wind, and geothermal... at the expense of all those cool fusion technologies that got me so excited about the idea of nuclear power in the first place. RW: In 1990, you joined the University of Michigan's Library and Information Science Program to take up library science. Could you explain what that entails? JO: Some aspects of my job are fairly traditional. I head up a staff of reference librarians, all of whom have special subject knowledge in areas related to the professors and students we serve, and we work at a reference desk answering questions. Just like at the public library, except we don't get too worried if people talk around here. In fact, providing people with a place to meet and discuss ideas is one of our main functions as a library. We select books and journals (both in paper and electronic forms) to meet the needs of the research and teaching done here. And we work to move our collections and services forward to meet future needs as well -- as more people find more information on the web, they need more help and live assistance while they're there. So that's another area we're working on. RW: You recently flew to Stockholm to give a lecture about your work [at the Nobel Institute]. What was that like? JO: The flight was very nice, but even though it had some of the best airline food I've tasted, I still don't like pickled fish. Thanks for asking. Oh. The lecture. It went quite well. I can name many folks who are more qualified to act as ambassadors for comics, and did indeed discuss them in the course of the talk, which I called "Comics Art and Science: Telling Stories with Pictures (That Don't Move)." But they asked me, and I said yes, and too soon afterwards I got the program. When I saw "Nobel Prize," "Cultural Series," and my name in the same sentence, I wondered if I'd entered a parallel universe -- you know, Earth-17 or something. I started a long, slow, panic which resulted in brief bursts of nervous note-taking on ideas for a talk, followed by longer bursts of guilty inactivity. In the end, I finished making the slides two days before getting on the plane to Europe – but didn't finalize the script until the flight into Stockholm. I had a full script before that, of course, but I tend to go on. That meant that the first draft would have taken about two and a half hours to read, so unless the question and answer period took, oh, about negative 1.75 hours, I was going to have trouble fitting into the scheduled time slot. So I sliced away between take-off and the surprisingly good Scandinavian Airline Service airline food. I covered some comics theory, the process of going from ideas to images, and closed with some thoughts about using comics to reach new audiences, especially as they relate to the sciences. There were so many great comics to talk about along the way that most of the things that I cut out on the final leg of the flight found their way back into the discussion. Fortunately, the audience was patient, and the extra few minutes I spent on each digression didn't seem to add up to too much for the group to bear. In the end, it would make for better after-dinner storytelling if there had been some wacky and mildly embarrassing slip-ups. But it's probably for the best that people came, paid attention, asked questions, and I didn't call myself or anybody else a jelly donut even though I tried my hand at speaking a tiny bit of (heavily rehearsed) Swedish. Anyway, my hosts were pleased, so that's good enough for me. The only down side was that earlier in the day I was recorded for Swedish television, which still mortifies me. The (blessedly short) spot aired during Dec. 10th's during breaks in the Prize ceremonies. Very few Swedes saw it, I suspect, since I'm betting that everybody was standing in front of their refrigerator instead of watching me during said breaks. Which is just fine. More things happened on the trip, including a visit to the Niels Bohr Institute, where I got to stand in Bohr's office (it was great - I'm a geek), and my first live opera experience in Mainz, Germany, where we saw my wife's cousin Beth perform as the prima soprano in Tosca. I'm never going to be an opera fan, but this was very hip nonetheless, and doubly so when, on the way back from the Gutenberg Museum that afternoon, we stumbled upon the opera house we would be returning to that night - which we were able to identify because of the Four Story High Poster - of Beth! - hanging on the side. It put my 2.5 minutes on Swedish TV in perspective, I must say. RW: How have you gotten mainstream media (that is, outside of comics) to take notice of your work? JO: I send out complimentary/review copies to folks in the mainstream media. My books have enough mainstream appeal (science is always of at least passing interest, and comics are pretty hip these days) that the combination of the two helps get the books noticed. Not by everybody, and not always right away. (I think it was my first review in DISCOVER magazine that came about because one of my first 32 page comics bouncing from desk to desk and editor to editor, all of whom but the last apparently said, "Cool, let's do a review, but not now.") But with patience I've slowly built things to the point where people have begun to notice what I'm doing. RW: How often do you deal with people who won't take your work seriously because it's "only" comics? JO: Not very often. They avoid me, and I avoid them. Seriously! Most folks don't take the time out of their lives to dump on something they don't like or have no interest in, and that's the way it should be. And I don't get too concerned about being taken seriously anyway. I like what I'm doing and others do too -- and there are more of them with each title. RW: How have younger audiences responded to your books? Have they made it into classrooms? JO: I don't hear from or see too many younger readers, which is too bad. I'd be pleased to discuss the stories with grade school and high school students, although I'm not sure folks younger than teens are likely to be interested in the types of things I do. (That's an individual thing, of course, but I think it's a pretty fair generalization.) Regardless, they're making it into school libraries, so I expect somebody is reading them in that age range. I think my next book should be even closer to an all-ages one, though, so we'll see. RW: What will that be? JO: More of the same, only different. I'll keep publishing books about scientists because that's what I like to do, but the next one (which I'm close to finishing the initial research on) will be different from the others in both storytelling format and theme. That's about all I should say about it right now, but I'm happy with the outline and some of the sequences I've visualized -- but not fully scripted -- so far. The working title is "Suspended In Language" but I'm not going to say what the sub-title is because I'd rather wait until I'm 100% sure what I'm doing to talk about the subject... I don't mean to be coy. This is simply all those years as an engineer manifesting themselves via being conservative about what I promise, and when, I guess. But I'm excited about the subject, and starting to get that itch to put stop reading about it and get down to making a comic. You can order Jim's books directly at his website, www.gt-labs.com. My thanks go out to him for his time. Related Links: Steve Lieber: www.unrewarding.com nuclear energy: www.nuclearfiles.org carries a ton of information about the uses, ethics, and history of nuclear power, including a full bio on Robert Oppenheimer. Nobel Museum: www.nobel.se (including a full bio on Niels Bohr). ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Stream of Babbling Tim O'Shea tim_oshea@bellsouth.net [Tim O'Shea is a contributor to Organized Readers of Comics Associated (ORCA [www.orcafresh.net]) His column appears here with permission.] Good Simonson News From the DC Boards: Unintentionally, almost all of this column is about DC this week. I'll try to give the other folks a chance next week. Cruising the Internet the other night, I ran across this gem of an item from a Walter Simonson post on the DC official ORION message board (kudos to DC for keeping even the boards of cancelled books alive) [http://dcboards.warnerbros.com/files/Forum121/HTML/000890.html]: "...Michael Moorcock and I have just gotten a go-ahead from DC to do a four issue prestige mini-series concerning Mike's best known character from his novels, short stories, and the occasional comic book--Elric. I haven't talked with Mike yet although DC has notified him as well. So I don't want to add anything about the story itself until I've had a chance to chat with him. This is a project we've both had in mind for some months but it took a bit of time to get the proposal in and I really didn't want to say anything at all about it until I knew for certain that we were going to be able to do it. And now we are. All I'll say for the moment is that these will be new stories, not adaptations of existing material, and will cover a part of Elric's life about which very little has been written to date. You know...dating, going to the senior prom, working at Pop's deli...oh, wait...I seem to have confused my notes with the Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Ah, well. I'll leak a bit more information when I can. Which should be shortly. No release date yet, folks. Heck, we've just gotten the word! I would guess sometime next year but that's STRICTLY a guess on my part, based on the fact that I still have all the work to do. And so does Mike. But I'm delighted to be doing the book and can't wait to start. Which should be right around the beginning of July. (I've just finished pencilling the issue of [CrossGen's] The Path I'm working on and begun inking it. And actually, that's working out pretty well too!)." I touched base with Walter to make sure I had his permission to include this news in my column. He said yes, adding: "I'll probably put a bit more up (on the DC message board) one of these days as Mike and I have had a chance to chat now. I just didn't want to mention anything he didn't want out but we're all set." Be sure to follow the link to see Walter's comment on an old series of his, METAL MEN How Enlightened Are We? The NY Mets/Sexual Preferences uproar of a few weeks ago struck me as strange developments. I won't rehash events or question anyone's journalistic intelligence on this one, it's beyond my comprehension, for numerous reasons, none worth mentioning. But it got me thinking about an earlier pseudo-uproar (in message boards, it only needs several exclamation points and the use of ALL CAPS, to get people upset) about the prospect (or speculation) that a member of DC's POWER COMPANY (by Kurt Busiek and Tom Grummett) was possibly homosexual. Right out of the gates, I have to say: "Who cares?" I won't derail attention to good storytelling any further by telling you whom fans suspected. And therein lies the problem. In a world where some of us expect society to mirror an episode of Jerry Springer, people now seem to seek out controversy or conflict, rather than look for simply good storytelling. So instead of wondering about the sexual preference of a fictional character, maybe just maybe it might be time to think in terms of "is this a good story?" Focus on the main elements of a book and shy away/elements of controversy, just read, immerse yourself in the fun. Wonder Twins...Call Your Agents! Somewhere in the back of your mind, you knew it was going to happen. With the popularity and success of the Spider-Man movie, somebody has decided to try to get a live action version of the Wonder Twins (the brother and sister that were one of the most strange aspects of the 1970s Superfriends cartoon). In a world where Scooby-Doo can be live action, any thing is possible. Some folks seem genuinely disturbed by the prospect, as evidenced by E! Online's Joal Ryan's article (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/eo/20020608/en_movies_e o/10072). The piece is darn funny, even delving into the failed teen characters that predated the twins ("Wendy and Marvin, with their pet pooch, Wonderdog"). If you want a sure fire way to kill this project, somehow try to get Nicolas Cage to say he's interested in playing Jayna and I'm sure the project will die. (For folks unaware, Cage has expressed interest in playing every comic book character under the sun, in fact, I'm surprised he has not aimed for his namesake's character to be made into a movie starring him). Be thankful, however, that this Spidey success has not inspired George Lucas to develop a Howard the Duck prequel trilogy...to the best of my knowledge. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Dreams of Silver and Gold Terrence Lo terrylo@videotron.ca [After years of mylar bag imprisonment, Terrence Lo aka Terry was released into hockey loving atmosphere of his beloved (frigid, cold and icy) Montreal. Terry has pretty much coasted for the last few years while pretending to be a scholar, lover and wanna-be superhero. Now quickly approaching the end of his graduate studies, he clings to his beloved comic collection in the hope of maintaining his lost youth and sex appeal_but would settle for a complete autographed run of the Watchmen.] DREAMS OF SILVER AND GOLD (for the June 13th submission) A Taste of The Marvel-ous Years MAKE MINE MARVEL! That was the battle cry in virtually all of the Marvel comics in the 60’s and 70’s, and a challenge to all comers. Timely Comics aka Marvel experienced a rebirth in 1961, with the coming of their own brand of Silver Age heroes, The Avengers, The Hulk, Daredevil, Dr. Strange,.the X-Men and everyone's favorite Webhead, Spider-man. Unlike DC, Marvel never really had particularly memorable Golden Age heroes to recycle, so virtually all of their popular characters were created by a few memorable comic greats, Jack `King' Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Stan `The Man' Lee to name a few. As for which Golden Age heroes they did return to duty, one returned to greatness with a song in his heart and an indestructible shield of Red, White and Blue. Another returned to become one of the greatest foes to mankind, and then one of her greatest champions, the Sub-Mariner. The third reappeared in a new incarnation with a Fantastic foursome, and only returned in his own right over 30 years later, The Human Torch. It really didn't take Marvel too long to become the new champions of the comic book world. Their heroes seemed a bit more fragile, even helpless at times. Iron Man, the second-most powerful character, was held hostage by the simple need for a power outlet. The Hulk was a tragic case of good intentions gone horribly , horribly wrong. Daredevil was blinded as a child (but then, he did decide to be a lawyer, so maybe he was being punished early_) and Spider-Man (hoo boy) was the picked-on nerdy teen, orphaned one and a half times and perpetually in money problems. Even the golden family of the Fantastic Four had their own issues, ranging from bad landlords, bankruptcy, love triangles and the tragedy of the Thing. This was completely opposite to the idealistic silver age hero world of DC whereas the only ones with any real angst were Batman (his dead parents), Superman (his dead planet) and the Swamp Thing (his dead vegetables). To top it off, DC comics of the 50’s and 60’s were downright cheerful. For example, Batman always had a helpful comment (a la Boys' Scouts) to Robin. In one issue, while being shot at by 10 men with submachine guns, Batman cheerily advises Robin, "When in this kind of situation, don't forget to duck." No wonder the Dark Age of Comics came not too long afterwards_. While DC never really stopped printing superhero books since the 40’s, Marvel not only stole the baton, but ran off with it. Their characters were a little more real and relevant, and kids young and old could identify with some of the human foibles their favourites had to undergo. But while DC, whose British talent seems to scour it's past for strange references of it's own past (for example, Neil Gaiman's Sandman retake on Cain and Abel, the Silver-Age Sandman and teen USA super-president Prez!), Marvel barely ever touches their own extensive back history of the 60’s and 70’s unless the story has in some way touches the Defenders or the Avengers. 3D-Man is a great example, as a key person involved in the recent Kang-Earth War storyline. Have you ever heard of Ulysses Bloodstone, Monster Hunter? How about Satana, the daughter of Satan? The Blood Brothers? Fin Fang Foom? It, the Living Colossus? Venus, super-heroine and Goddess of Love? The Human Robot? The Phantom Eagle? Two-Gun Kid? Toro, the original Human Torch's sidekick? Even if you had, can you name any of their adventures pre-1980’s? I've collected for over 20 years, and I can barely say that. And what about the earlier adventures of some of their more interesting side characters? Nick Fury, Agent of Shield, was probably the single-most visually pleasing and parodied James Bond long before Austin Powers. Imagine a comic where on every page you could see bizarre images and colours normally viewed after smoking or drinking something very strange while listening to Jimi Hendricks. Jim Sternanko, a renaissance man in his own right (he's an interesting article in itself) and graphic designer, decided to out-do the 60’s and 70’s and brought out Fury's glory days. Luckily, Marvel is doing some effort to expose new readers to these great old adventures, though maybe some thought should be made about new means of marketing these tales. Some tales (very few) are being reprinted in the popular trade paperback form in the black and white `Essential' line. Others are being reprinted in the Marvel Masterworks hardcover trade paperback line. (All can be ordered from your local comic book store.) Even others can be seen in the reprints, `Bring out the Good Guys', `Bring out the Bad Guys', `Origins', `Son of Origins' and `Grandson of Origins' books (I've seen a few here and there in used bookstores, and some might still be available for ordering). There were even the occasion