---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 373 6/21/2002 Edited by: David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Winner of the 2001 EAGLE AWARD as FAVORITE COMICS E-ZINE! FREE VIA EMAIL SINCE FEBRUARY 1995 ______________________________________________________________________ C O N T E N T S ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] Submissions, mailing address, web page [1] On the Net ............................ David LeBlanc [2] Letters to the Editor ................. Your Page! [3] TRIVIA CONTEST ........................ Win *real* prizes! [4] Network Buzz .......................... News, gossip & rumors [5] Interview:Jareth Grealish ............. Tim O'Shea [6] A View From the Cheap Seats ........... Rich Watson [7] Graphic Novel Reviews ................. Amy Harlib [8] Stream of Babbling .................... Tim O'Shea [9] Comics Culture Shrapnel ............... Kris Naudus [10] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions ............. Tim O'Shea [11] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [12] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [13] 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. 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AOL search/keyword: aol://4400:3990 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com Last week in MY VIEW I reviewed the CrossGen title WAY OF THE RAT #1. In part I wrote: "The setting is a world like ancient Japan near the end of a peaceful Empire." Well, I was not concentrating on what I was typing. While it won't make much difference to the casual reader it is a disservice to the creators not to correct the error. The setting is meant to be similar to ancient CHINA. THE PATH, also by CrossGen is set in a country like Japan. My apologies to all. Thanks to Amy for catching it. Here are some new comics to check out: CROSSGEN COMICS Sojourn #12, $2.95 DC COMICS Establishment #10, $2.50 Haven The Broken City #7 (Of 9), $2.50 JSA #37, $3.50 Road To Perdition SC New Ed, $13.95 Supergirl #71, $2.25 DORK STORM PRESS Dork Tower #18 (resolicited), $2.99 <---------Pick of the Week! IMAGE COMICS Micronauts #1, $2.95 MARVEL COMICS New X-Men #128, $2.25 Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 3 TPB, $17.95 Ultimate X-Men #19, $2.25 I know it is one of the most universal cliches but it got me today. I waited for the cable guy who was supposed to be here from 1:00-3:00 to convert my sevice to digital. You guessed it, they never showed. Next appointment (and a no-show credit on my next bill) is Tuesday A.M. but Mrs. CBEM will have to wait for that one. 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:ALERT: cartoonist on brink of homelessness Date:6/17/02 6:43:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:reynolds@fantagraphics.com Hi folks - This is an unusual "press release" which I'm forwarding on behalf of our TCJ.COM webmaster, who has taken it upon himself to help someone in need. I hope you won't mind the spam. Best wishes, Eric Reynolds Fantagraphics Books From: Dirk Deppey Subject: ALERT: cartoonist on brink of homelessness Hello, my name is Dirk Deppey, and I'm webmaster for The Comics Journal (www.tcj.com), America's most reputable magazine of news and opinion on the comics medium. Last Tuesday, we received word from William Messner-Loebs, creator of the acclaimed comic book series "Journey" and former writer for DC Comics' "The Flash" that his home was in imminent danger of foreclosure on Friday the 14th due to the machinations of a double-dealing bank. We immediately set out organizing a web-based campaign to find some rich benefactor to save him from this fate. When the deadline came and went, we shifted gears and began attempting to raise money amongst comics fans to help make Bill and his wife Nadine's landing as soft as possible. To facilitate this, we've opened an unused forum on our online message board to serve as a clearing-house information, and for fans to advertise benefit eBay auctions and the like. The forum, entitled "Bill 'n' Nadine's Online Rent Party," can be found here: http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubbcgi/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum= Bill+|APO|n|APO|+Nadine|APO|s+Online+Rent+Party&number=5 I realize this is an unwieldy URL, so here's the "basic information" thread within that forum: http://www.tcj.com/messboard/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000003.html We are of course looking to spread the word about all of this as far and wide as possible -- which brings me to you. Could you help? [Note: see CBEM 372 - "ON THE NET" for the detailed press release on the Loeb's situation. - D.L.] We're encouraging people to send checks (made out to "William F. Loebs") to: Bill & Nadine Messner-Loebs PO Box 558 Pinckney, MI 48169 Bill and Nadine need help something fierce. Incidentally, they can be contacted via email at "billmloebs@aol.com". Thank you in advance for any consideration you can spare. - Dirk Deppey dirk@fantagraphics.com Webmaster, The Comics Journal +++++ Subj:Letter to the Editor From:tim_oshea@bellsouth.net To:ComicBkNet@aol.com CC:terrylo@videotron.ca David: Another great week of reading, thanks to you and the other contributors. In this week's DREAMS OF SILVER AND GOLD, Terrence Lo asks: "Have you ever heard of Ulysses Bloodstone, Monster Hunter?" Yep, sure did. Roger Stern used him in Marvel Universe 4-7 (back in 1998) and then along with John Byrne, Ulysses appeared in Marvel, the Lost Generation #2 (which was actually 11 of 12 issues, oh never mind) in January 2001 Then in late 2001, writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (apparently trying to tap into potential TOMB RAIDER fans after the movie's release), introduced Elsa Bloodstone, who inherits the Bloodstone after her father's apparent death or disappearance (it's all the same in comics, after all, as no one really ever dies, unless your the original Captain Marvel). That was a four-issue limited series that was actually a fun read. Most recently, the next issue of Black Panther (46) http://www.marvel.com/comics/onsale/onsale.htm?id=251 is advertised as follows: "Caught in a temporal loop by King Solomon's brass frogs, the Black Panther and company suddenly find themselves in Alberdene, Texas -- in the year 1875! And as if that weren't bad enough, they're trapped with no apparent means to get home! Guest starring BLAZE OF GLORY's Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt, and The Two-Gun Kid! It's rip-roarin', rootin'-tootin' action at the OK Corral! Yee haw, y'all!" Maybe those appearances will inspire folks to check out the original stories where these characters first appeared. Speaking of greats of the past, I picked up Devil's Due MICRONAUTS 1 this week. I picked it up partially for the art of Eric Wolfe Hanson, a great guy and artist I met at last year's Atlanta Comicon. But what made me definitely buy it is that the first issue is dedicated to Bill Mantlo, the Marvel writer on the original series who suffered a serious brain injury a number of years ago (after leaving the comics field and becoming a lawyer). A thread over at the Devil's Due message board http://forums.devilsdue.net/showthread.php?s=b71ea8064b7b356653c15b5583 be47b0&threadid=2436 recounts and links to Tony Isabella's 1998 column about Mr. Mantlo's situation. It also provides an address for Mr. Mantlo (his family says he loves to receive fan mail). The relaunch of MICRONAUTS seems like a good occasion to drop him a line. Thanks for the forum, David, as always. Take care, Tim O'Shea P.S. I think I'm not alone in missing Ken Gale's letters regarding upcoming 'Nuff Said shows. Here's hoping it's back on WBAI soon and his letters return just as quickly. +++++ Subj:Fw: Science of superheroes Date:6/15/02 12:47:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:aharlib@earthlink.net Dear David, Here's a link that folks subscribing to this list ought to check out. They may find this 'science behind the fiction' article interesting. Excelsior! Amy http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/superheroes/index.shtml +++++ From: Benny7dude@aol.com Subject: Next NEW Crusaders comic! Greetings, Crusaders fans! Paul Castiglia here, happy to report I've had the opportunity to pen another new Mighty Crusaders story... sort of. Every year, Diamond Comic Distributors puts out a mini-comic book made available to comic shops around Halloween. Most of these retailers give the comics away for free; some of them sell the comics. The Crusaders have appeared in two previous editions and once again, they will make an appearance in this year's edition, with art courtesy of Fernando Ruiz. In the upcoming comic, Archie and his friends are enjoying the premiere of the "Shield Movie." Dressed in Crusaders costumes to get half-price admission, the teens thrill to the exploits of comics' first patriotic hero. During the movie, we are treated to a retelling of the Shield origin, an adventure costarring other Crusaders and even an appearance by Dusty! Given the framework that this is "only a movie," I took a few liberties (as if having both Dusty and the Crusaders in the movie wasn't liberty enough)! It gave me an opportunity to spoof how studios make changes in movies based on comics and the fans reactions to those changes. The best news is, The Shield and other Crusaders take up about 8 of the 12 pages in this story. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Please be sure to tell your local comic shop to get behind this special mini- comic by ordering plenty. Thanks! Paul Castiglia +++++ Subj:Our new redesigned web site Date:6/17/02 4:27:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:bcemylar@cwbusiness.com June 17, 20002 We at Bill Cole Enterprises, are pleased to announce that after hearing all your comments both positive and negative have redesigned our web site to make it easier for you to view and order. The new and improved www.bcemylar.com is now ready! We have added pull down menus, sizing charts, and other new features. Please come by and place an order. After you have visited the site let us know what you think. For the second straight year we will be at Wizard World, booth #2561 across from Artist Alley from July 5th to July 7th 2002. We will have plenty of merchandise available, but if you want specific products, please let us know by June 21st 2002 by noon and we will bring it out without any freight charges. The San Diego Comic Con will be held August 1st to August 4th 2002 with a special preview night on July 31st for all pre registered attendees. Once again we will be at booths 1209 and 1308. For those of you who want specific merchandise at no freight charge we need your order by July 15th 2002. Last year we sold out early on many supplies so don't delay. When placing your order on line please state "I WANT FREE FREIGHT FOR "WIZARD WORLD OR COMIC CON" (don't forget to specify which con)" As always thanks for letting us keep in touch with you this way. Bill Cole, President Bill Cole Enterprises, Inc. PO Box 60 Randolph, MA 02368-0060 1-781-986-2653 Fax 1-781-986-2656 e-mail: bcemylar@cwbusiness.com +++++ From: GrayHaven00@aol.com Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 08:09:13 EDT Subject: www.ghmonline.com Now Live Hello All, We're back in the game. After a 4 day shut down thanks to our Australian cyber squatter who registered the name 'grayhavenmagazine.com' we're back in business. The new site address, as if the subject line didn't give you a hint, is www.ghmonline.com. Please spread the word and spread it often. A lot of people have been asking what happened to the site so there's some ground to cover here. Besides, it never hurts to promote ourselves. Last week, I introduced you to Tim, William and Paul, three of our newest contributors. We added a few more: John Tchoe (who's already started his new 'What I Think' column and Danny Donovan, writer of stuff who will be working the site on all fronts. I can also safely announce the addition of two other columnists: Jay (Noble Causes) Faeber and Ron (Howard Stern, VIP, Get Kraven) Zimmerman. Beginning in July, these two will be joining the team as regular columnists, the first of what looks to be like 6 new Pro Columnists joining up by August. Thanks for your patience with the site switch. Now we can get writing and plugging! -andrew www.ghmonline.com www.aint-it-cool-news.com ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet 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: "Who is this current "hot writer" who wrote the Inferno storyline for the KA-ZAR title during the 1980s?" Bruce Jones was no stranger to almost everyone this time and Michael Slark got him first. Mike gets THE EDGE TP from our sponsor. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What Title and issue number marked the first appearance of Captain Universe? 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 Red Star And Geoff Johns Team-Up For Metal Hurlant #2 Los Angeles ­ June 20, 2002 ­ Humanoids Publishing is privileged to announce that the second issue of their new Metal Hurlant series will feature the story, Red Light, written by Geoff Johns (JSA, Flash, Avengers) and featuring art and coloring by Team Red Star's Christian Gossett and Snakebite. Red Light is the story of a prisoner on an alien world who is kept subdued by a mysterious red light and what happens on the fateful day the light is turned off. The second issue of the bi-monthly anthology book also features work by Pin-Up Girls From Around The World artist, Fred Beltran, as well as Metabarons scribe, Alexandro Jodorowsky. "The new Metal Hurlant is not just a comic. It's an attempt to raise the standard of excellence in the medium by a company of people whose tastes simply rock," said Gossett. "It's great to be a part of what Humanoids is doing and to get Geoff Johns thrown into the bargain is also just very cool. We've had lots of offers, (It was nice of Alex Ross to offer us Battle of the Planets, but 'Power Rangers in Bird Suits' just isn't our thing), but this is the first work that Snakebite and I have accepted outside of Red Star. It all comes down to the amazingly high level of professionalism at Humanoids. It's an unparalleled experience to work with them and Geoff's story is awesome. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship," Gossett concluded. "Red Star is an amazing book produced by an amazing creative team," added Geoff Johns. "I feel extremely lucky that Humanoids brought us together. And I hope Red Light raises a few eyebrows." "All I have to say is Owow,'" offered Ian Sattler, Marketing Manager for Humanoids. "Speaking strictly as a fan, I couldn't be any more excited about Red Light. Geoff, Goss, and Snake produce some of my favorite comics of all time. JSA and Red Star are always at the top of the reading pile when I get home from the comic store. The story they have produced for this issue of Metal Hurlant is freaking amazing and sure to be a real treat for their fans. This is one great comic experience," Sattler said. Metal Hurlant #2 is 48 pages and retails for $3.95. Humanoids will support this issue with ordering incentives for retailers. Humanoids plans to simultaneously release Metal Hurlant #2 in several countries besides the U.S., including France, as part of a compressive and aggressive publishing plan. For more information go to: www.humanoids-publishing.com Pages from Red Light are available at: www.humanoids-publishing.com/pr/REDLIGHT-02.jpg www.humanoids-publishing.com/pr/REDLIGHT-06.jpg For more information or a complete product list: E-mail: cs@humanoids-publishing.com If you would like to read reviews of other Humanoids titles, please visit the following links: www.marsimport.com www.icomics.com +++++ STAN LEE, KEVIN SMITH, MICHAEL CHABON, JOE QUESADA AND SIX OTHERS SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE NEW YORK CITY COMIC BOOK MUSEUM nyccbm@hotmail.com Tuesday June 18th, The New York City Comic Book Museum is proud to announce the creation of an honorary board of trustees. Ten of the biggest figures in the comic book world - legends if you will - have agreed to become a part of this esteemed body. The line-up includes: Neal Adams, Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Chabon, Neil Gaiman, Carmine Infantino, Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Trina Robbins, Kevin Smith, and Matt Wagner! From Pulitzer-prize winners to one of the most popular and successful woman in the industry, this list has them all. "We are very fortunate to have the support of such distinguished and talented individuals in the comic book industry," said Executive Director and Founder David Jay Gabriel. "It just goes to show that the industry wants to see a comic book museum in New York City as much as we do." Over the past three years the NYCCBM has come to be recognized as a leading force both inside and outside the comic book industry: for its award-winning Comic Books and AIDS documentary and exhibition; for the Comics Code and Free Speech televised panel discussion seen on PBS networks nationwide; and most recently for the highly publicized exhibition Heroes Among Us: The Artwork of 9-11, which embarks on a nationwide tour this fall. The NYCCBM is dedicated to engaging its audience and bringing the highest quality programs and activities to its members and friends. Here is what some of the honored trustees had to say about the New York City Comic Book Museum: "With each passing day people are realizing, more and more, what a major, integral part of Americana comic books truly are. It's also becoming increasingly obvious that comic books represent one of the most popular literary and art forms of our time and, as such, the importance of a museum to house these cultural treasures cannot be overstated," said Stan Lee, Chairman Emeritus, Marvel Comics. "I encourage all of you to support the museum and our art form in as many ways as possible," Joe Quesada, Editor in Chief of Marvel Comics. "These people are quite sincere. They actually believe that what we do is art and even perhaps_important_and that our original work should be seen. I freely admit, they've turned my head. ," Neal Adams, artist of Batman, X-Men, and countless others. "I fully believe in the goals and aspirations of this organization and their beliefs in the future, and the preservation of the past, of our glorious medium," Brian Michael Bendis, writer of Ultimate Spider-Man and Powers. "While there are other museums that honor and celebrate the cartoonist's art, the NYCCBM is the first I know of that seeks to spotlight the unique contribution of comic books to the world of popular culture_the NYCCBM seems like a natural venue to honor this vital and powerful art form--the birthplace of the comic book itself," Matt Wagner, creator of Grendel and Mage. "I wish you walls!" Trina Robbins, author of the Great Women Cartoonists, co-creator of Go Girl!. The New York City Comic Book Museum started its mission in 1999 to preserve the historical and artistic legacy of comic book culture, place it in the context of a changing society, show its usefulness in educating and entertaining, and instill in audiences the value and joy of this rich American heritage. It is the nation's only museum dedicated to the art of the comic book. The NYCCBM has concentrated on its outreach programs with traveling exhibits, industry gatherings, panel discussions, virtual exhibits and comic book promotions all around the city and the country. The museum is searching for its permanent home to serve as a research facility, library, and showcase for comic books and the creators of this American art form. More information available at www.nyccbm.org. David Jay Gabriel Executive Director New York City Comic Book Museum www.nyccbm.org ++++++ CHARLOTTE HEARS THE CALL OF DUTY Heroic Fans Raise $2,500 For Children's Charity! Hey, True Believer! Joe Quesada, Tom Brevoort, Andrew Lis and myself want to personally thank Shelton Drum and all of the fine folks we met in Charlotte, North Carolina at this year's Heroes Convention for their generosity. Not only did con attendees give selflessly during a charity art auction that raised money for John Romita Jr.'s Saving Baby Jordan fund, but they also donated their own blood to the American Red Cross. But the giving didn't stop there! By purchasing a limited number of autographed copies of MARVEL MUST HAVE: THE CALL OF DUTY at the Marvel booth, the Heroes Con crowd also raised $2,500 for the Charlotte Burned Children's Ward. Signed by Quesada himself, the hefty reprint volume was priced at only $5.00 a pop, with all funds going to the children's charity. The Marvel booth was also hopping with Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo, Tim Townsend, Ron Garney, Georges Jeanty, Jim Krueger, Bob Almond and Kurt Busiek signing autographs for tons of fans. On the panel front, Joe Quesada explained the method behind the madness in his "1-On-1 with the EIC" discussion, while Waid, Wieringo and Brevoort gave readers a hint at the wonders to come during an exclusive Fantastic Four panel. And, as always, we were happy to give away thousands of our free Marvel Convention Preview Book to everyone that stopped by to say "hi!" Once again, thanks to everyone who donated their hard-earned money. Your generosity reminded all of us at The House who the real heroes are. Thanks for stopping by -- and we look forward to seeing you all at WizardWorld: Chicago in July! X-FORCE'S PETER MILLIGAN IS "IT"! Entertainment Weekly Spotlights Wry Writer! Entertainment Weekly magazine has released their 6th Annual "It List" -- and Marvel personalities once again madde the grade. The list, which spotlights "the most creative (and irresistible) people who are the rise in showbiz" named X-FORCE scribe Peter Milligan as their "It Comic Book Writer." You can read why right here: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,263224~5~0~petermilliganmadee ws,00.html In another Marvel-related nod, actor Eric Bana was named "It Hulk." And here's why: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,262166~1~0~ericbanamadeews,00 .html To find out who else is "It," pick up the June 28th/July 5th issue of Entertainment Weekly! KEVIN SMITH ON THE TONIGHT SHOW: UPDATE! Hey, True Believer! I've just heard word that -- to better promote to the debut of SPIDER-MAN/BLACK CAT -- Kevin Smith's appearance on the mega-popular Tonight Show has moved up one day to the evening of Tuesday, June 25th. This is great news, because that means the first issue of the highly- anticipated five-issue series will go on sale the very next day after his appearance! So tune in to see Kevin tell the world about his next hit from The House! Your Man @ Marvel, Bill Rosemann Marketing Communications Manager Marvel Comics +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ COSTUMED 'SPIDER-MAN' SCALES FRENCH SKYSCRAPER! WALLCRAWLING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD! June 19: A daredevil who has earned the nickname 'Spider-Man' climbed up the side of a Paris skyscraper yesterday dressed in the comic book and movie superhero's red and blue costume. REUTERS is reporting: " Alain Robert, a Frenchman who has conquered some of the world's tallest buildings without climbing gear or safety equipment, paid homage to the eponymous hero of the blockbuster film "Spider-Man" before beginning his ascent. "The character of Spider-Man is interesting because he is a hero of the modern age, a kind of new Robin Hood," Robert told reporters. "I can tell you that I share the same kind of philosophy as the Spider-Man, if a comic-book character can be said to have a philosophy." Robert scaled the 490-foot Franklin Tower without equipment, using only his hands and feet. The climb took about half an hour. Roberts has already climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Empire State Building in New York, the 54-floor Shinjuku Tower in Tokyo and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. EXHIBIT A SIGNS WITH SEVEN HILLS! BEWARE! THESE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT HAVE DISTRIBUTION! June 19: Exhibit A Press, which publishes Batton Lash's long-running Supernatural Law comic book series and its collected trade paperbacks, has signed with Seven Hills Book Distributors as its exclusive book trade distributor. Exhibit A had previously been represented by LPC Group, as part of a consortium of publishers known as Graphic Interface. In a press release, co-publisher Jackie Estrada said: "We had formed Graphic Interface in 2000 with four other publishers as a way to become an LPC account. However, before LPC even announced its bankruptcy, GI and LPC had reached a mutual parting of the ways." Estrada and Lash said they attended Book Expo America in May, where they met with several potential distributors. "After talking with Greg Hatfield at Seven Hills and then hearing all the good things other publishers had to say about them, we knew we had found a new home for our titles", said Estrada. +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.comicon.com/Newsarama/ Winner of the 2001 Squiddy - Best General Comics Web Site GEPPI & SAD SACK AT PEACE Alan Harvey, of Sad Sack, Inc. has reportedly abandoned all claims against Steve Geppi, which had been sought in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The corporation, acting though Harvey, had sued Geppi for $1.7 million in late 2000, claiming that Geppi illegally obtained 15,000 pages of original art from the Harvey Comics warehouse. As originally reported, the Sad Sack art was discovered to be missing several years ago, shortly after Geppi had access to the Harvey warehouse. When Harvey confronted Geppi, Geppi denied knowledge of the missing art, and the matter was dropped by Harvey. The suit against Geppi was filed after pages of the missing art were found being sold at San Diego Comic-Con International. According to Harvey's account, the sales were traced to the Alexander Gallery in New York and then to Geppi. In a release yesterday, it was revealed that Geppi had countered the allegations by stating that he had initially stored the disputed artwork in his warehouses as Harvey Publications was being evicted from its warehouse in Brooklyn, New York. In June of 1984, Geppi had purchased all pre-1955 Harvey artwork from Harvey Publications and, at Harvey's request, had moved all of the pre- and post- Harvey art to the warehouses in Baltimore. After several years of incurring this storage expense, Geppi entered into an agreement – in exchange for the storage costs – in 1992 with the subsequent purchaser of the Harvey Publication and Entertainment companies, Jeff Montgomery, for the post-1955 Harvey art, which may have included what few pieces of Sad Sack art remained in the collection. According to the report sent out by Harvey, the Supreme Court of the State of New York dismissed Sad Sack's claims against Geppi. Geppi had counterclaimed against Harvey for malicious defamation statements made on the Sad Sack website and this counterclaim, despite legal assault by Harvey's attorneys, remained pending at the time the agreement to settle was reached. In the settlement agreement reached between the parties, Sad Sack and Alan Harvey have dismissed all of their appeals in exchange for Geppi's voluntary dismissal of his counterclaim. There has been no exchange of monies between the parties. Geppi continues in his ownership interest of the previously disputed artwork and his right of transfer of such artwork to others. "It's great to be exonerated of all the charges Sad Sack made against me and against Geppi's Comic World," Geppi said in the release. "It's not in my nature to be litigious, so I was more than happy to dismiss my counterclaim against Harvey and Sad Sack voluntarily. Frankly, I wish that this lawsuit had never happened. "I want to go on record expressing my best wishes for Alan Harvey and the eventual success of Sad Sack," Geppi continued. "I stand ready to offer whatever assistance I can to help Harvey achieve that success within the comic book industry." +++++ From the DC Comics Online Newsletter at http://www.dccomics.com RETURN OF THE KING: AQUAMAN TO RESURFACE IN NEW SERIES This December, following the stunning conclusion of "The Obsidian Age: The Hunt for Aquaman" in the pages of this summer's riveting JLA epic, the King of the Seven Seas resurfaces in the all-new AQUAMAN #1. This new, ongoing series is written by Rick Veitch (GREYSHIRT: INDIGO SUNSET, Bratpack) with art by the JLA's Yvel Guichet and Mark Propst. The repercussions of the "Obsidian Age" storyline lead directly into the new series' launch. "Without giving too much away, let me say that Aquaman's missing hand will play a big part in the new series in a way that will resonate with classic Arthurian legends," says Veitch. "We're also going to explore water in a way that's never been done in AQUAMAN before." Veitch also promises an expanded supporting cast for the series, as well as appearances by past characters and locales including Atlantis and Poseidonis. "At the end of 'Obsidian Age,' Aquaman will be in a shockingly different place than he was previously," says Dan Raspler, Group Editor. "Rick's experiences with other comics projects gives him a unique viewpoint on super-heroes. He's bringing new depth to Aquaman, taking the character, his powers and situations and looking at them in an entirely new way." "The Obsidian Age: The Hunt for Aquaman" begins in the following issues: JLA #67 (APR020443) Obsidian Age Tie-in instores 6/26 JLA #68 (MAY020225) Obsidian Age Prologue instores 7/31 JLA #69 (JUN020434) Obsidian Age Part 1 of 7 instores 8/14 JLA #70 (JUN020435) Obsidian Age Part 2 of 7 instores 8/28 SNEAK PEEKS LIVE AT DCCOMICS.COM Get an advance look at selected upcoming DC projects at DCComics.com's Sneak Peek section. Currently on the site are Sneak Peeks of JLA #69, BIG DADDY DANGER #1, GOTHAM GIRLS#1, POINT BLANK #1, WILDCATS Version 3.O #1, LUCIFER: NIRVANA and BIGG TIME all of which are solicited in the JUNE issue of Previews (Volume XII #6). Sneak Peeks will continue to be posted to DCComics.com in conjunction with solicitation in the future. We recommend that retailers make a habit of reviewing these Sneak Peeks as part of their order-placing process. NEWS FROM THE MAINSTREAM PRESS The June 15 issue of TV Guide spotllights the magazine's fifty greatest covers, including the December 8, 2001 four-part Smallville cover by Alex Ross. Also included are covers featuring George Reeves as Superman (September 25, 1953) and Adam West as Batman (March 26, 1966). The May 20 edition of Publisher's Weekly includes the article "Graphic Novels Feel the Love," in which Douglas Wolk and Calvin Reid look at BookExpo highlights such as THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN!, THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN Volume II and THE FILTH. The June issue of Locus includes a review of TOP 10 BOOK TWO, with Carolyn Cushman writing, "Alan Moore is in top form in this series, ably abetted by artists Gene Ha and Zander Cannon." The June issue of Sales & Marketing Management includes the item "MAD about Marketing," about Alfred E. Neuman. The May 12 issue of the Colorado Springs Gazette includes an article in which Bill Radford talks to Jeph Loeb about upcoming projects including BATMAN. The May 22 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer includes the article "BLECCH — MAD Is 50 and Still a Guy Thing," in which Howard Shapiro looks at highlights of MAD history. NEWS FROM THE TRADE PRESS The August issue of ToyFare includes an item on the upcoming THUNDERCATS projects from WildStorm. The July issue of Memorabilia includes items on the DC COMICS POCKET SUPER HEROES and THUNDERCATS, as well as an article on the DC HeroClix game. The "Shortcuts" section looks at THE AUTHORITY: KEV, THE SPIRIT STATUE, THE SUPERGIRL MINI-STATUE, BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE Volume 2, and the JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED WONDER WOMAN and MARTIAN MANHUNTER MAQUETTES. "Summer Heat" provides previews of upcoming projects including WONDER WOMAN: THE HIKETEIA, 100%, HELLBLAZER #175, the "Eye of the Storm" titles, THE BRAVE & THE BOLD #28 STATUE, THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN Volume II, CATWOMAN: SELINA'S BIG SCORE, THE AUTHORITY ACTION FIGURES, the MAD 50th ANNIVERSARY BOX SET, the BATMOBILE REPLICA 1950s EDITION, and the BLUE BEETLE, THE QUESTION, PHANTOM LADY and UNCLE SAM ACTION FIGURES. Comic Shop News #782 includes an article on the upcoming WildStorm graphic novel THE SAGA OF SEVEN SUNS: VEILED ALLIANCES. Also in this issue is a review of WONDER WOMAN: THE HIKETEIA, with Cliff Biggers writing, "[J.G. Jones's] talent at drawing beautiful women is aptly demonstrated here, but his skill at bringing the Dark Knight to life is equally impressive." The June issue of Tripwire features a cover story on Alan Moore, who is interviewed about THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN Volume II and other America's Best Comics projects. This issue also includes an interview with artist Colin Wilson on POINT BLANK. "On the Shelf" reviews DC titles including PROMETHEA BOOK TWO, with Joel Meadows writing, "PROMETHEA… makes readers think, and in these days of cheap, brainless thrills, it's heartening to see a comic that does that." Also reviewed is LUCIFER: CHILDREN AND MONSTERS, about which Meadows writes, "LUCIFER has very quickly moved out of the shadow of its parent (THE SANDMAN) to become the powerhouse of the VERTIGO line." The June 28 edition of Comics Buyer's Guide (#1493) includes a cover feature on the newly-scheduled THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN #3. Inside, the "Current Comics" column includes an item on THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN Volume II. "Reading Room" selects the DK Publishing book Superman: The Ultimate Guide to the Man of Steel as its "Pick of the Week," with Nathan Melby calling it "an enticing guide to everything that has to do with Superman." Also reviewed are SUPERGIRL #70, with Brett Weiss writing that the issue "offer[s] its share of entertaining moments." S.A. Bennett looks at THE FILTH #1, writing, "There are questions of morality, identity, and secret identity — and a deluge of ideas seemingly designed to keep the reader hyper-aware of each turn of the page." NEWS FROM THE INTERNET The Honolulu Star Bulletin website has posted a review of CATWOMAN, with Gary C.W. Chun writing, "One of the small pleasures over the past six months or so has been the reinvigoration of Batman's favorite feline counterpart, Catwoman." KnoxNews.com has posted a story about THE FILTH, in which Terry Morrow interviews writer/creator Grant Morrison and Karen Berger, VP — Executive Editor, VERTIGO. FABLES #2 is reviewed at Comic Book Galaxy, with Alan David Doane writing, "[Bill] Willingman's script is filled with imagination, ably brought to life by Lan Medina's artwork." Comic Book Resources has posted an extensive interview with writer Max Allan Collins about the graphic novel and movie versions of ROAD TO PERDITION. Also at the site is a preview of THE LEGION #9. Joe Casey talks about AUTOMATIC KAFKA and WILDCATS Version 3.0 at Comic World News. Comics Continuum has posted previews of AUTOMATIC KAFKA, THE RESISTANCE and 21 DOWN. Also at the site, Pete Woods talks about his work on ROBIN. Randy Lander reviews BIRDS OF PREY #44 at the Fourth Rail, writing, "I'm glad to see [Chuck] Dixon take it back to basics in his last arc." Lander also looks at LUCIFER #27, writing, "The conclusion of Purgatorio is as good as LUCIFER gets." Also at the site, Don MacPherson reviews JSA #37, writing, "…The writers… bring an edge to the story with the concluding scene featuring the Icicle, and they took me off guard with their retooling of the Thunderbolt." Hero Realm has posted a review of AMERICAN CENTURY, with Steve Sellers writing, "If you're looking for a quality non-superhero title, American Century is a good one to start out with. This series should appeal to anyone interested in pulp-inspired storytelling, though it does have an added edge to it." Raving Toy Maniac has posted a shot of the new GREEN LANTERN JOHN STEWART ACTION FIGURE. 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: 6/21 (7:00 pm) "Legends, Pt. 2" (Justice League) 6/22 (8:30 am) "Tantrum" (Static Shock) 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) 6/25 (9:00 pm) "Kinetic" (Smallville) 6/28 (7:00 pm) "In Blackest Night, Pt. 1" (Justice League) 6/29 (8:30 am) "Power Play" (Static Shock) 6/29 (10:30 am) "In Blackest Night, Pt. 1" (Justice League) 6/29 (10:00 pm) "War World, Pt. 2" (Justice League - Widescreen) 6/30 (7:00 pm) "In Blackest Night, Pt. 2" (Justice League) Retailers are encouraged to share this information with their customers. Be advised that this schedule is subject to change. +++++ From Rich Johnston, THE 2001 SQUIDDY JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR, in his ALL THE RAGE Gossip Column at: http://www.SilverBulletComicBooks.com RUMOUR BARRIER "I accept that the following material is rumour and gossip, intended to entertain only. "I won't repeat the information inside as fact. I understand if I want the truth, I will go to Silver Bulletins. "I enter freely with my mind open and my blinkers off." Now, onto the rumours. [NOTE: this column may be slightly edited for language. - D.L.] All The Raijin Honshu Globetrotters The US version of Shonen Jump from Viz Comics has caused much debate and speculation across the message boards this week. One speculation is that this monthly manga anthology will contain Slam Dunk, the insanely popular Japanese basketball manga residing in the Japanese Shonen Jump library of properties. It won't. The reason is that Slam Dunk has already been signed up for a weekly manga anthology magazine in preparation for publication this autumn called Raijin Comics. Already Japan's first English language manga magazine, I understand that Raijin Comics will be published in the US by Gutsoon. Raijin looks like a direct rival to Shonen Jump in the US. On the Warren Ellis website, Sam Humphries, Consulting Editor of Gutsoon recently wrote. "Looks like the tiger is out of the suitcase.... the format will be similar to what you see in Japan, with serialized stories continuing from week to week. Trade paperbacks collecting the stories will follow_ obviously, this is a risky format for the US market, so it's great to see some are at least intrigued." But as far as Slam Dunk is concerned, Sam Humphries, Consulting Editor for Gutsoon would only tell me that he could "neither confirm or deny" the story. See the gameplan at http://www.gutsoon.com and http://www.raijincomics.com - and according to their website, they will be publishing Global Infiltration Manga. Can't wait. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Cat Cap Orders for Thundercats #0 from Wildstorm, featuring a 12 page story drawn by fan favourite J. Scott Campbell may well be down on what they could be. DC are not letting retailers order any more of #0 than of #1 (not by Campbell). Intended to push #1 sales up, retailers are left with the possibility of getting stuck with #1s they think they won't be able to sell, or reduce the number of 0's so that those buying only for J. Scott Campbell will be disappointed. Clever marketing but could it bite DC in the arse? Are DC the new New Marvel? This Has A Rumour Vale Of 9 Out Of 10 Checking The Atlas DC's clarification at Bristol that they "settled" with Charles Atlas, rather than won, over the Flex Mentallo case does seem to conflict with a certain legal document online. I'm the furthest thing from a legal expert on this planet (as the Bristol Comics 2000 panel plainly showed) but it looks fairly cut and dried to me. Here's a few quotes: "Plaintiff's argument that DC's bad faith is evinced by its decision to forgo publication of a planned Flex Mentallo paperback after receiving plaintiff's cease and desist letter is unavailing. We refuse to infer bad intent from DC's decision to accommodate Atlas's request. To the contrary, since DC has represented that it has no intention to use the Flex Mentallo character again, the likelihood of confusion in the future is even further reduced." "The likelihood of confusion is therefore slim, and is clearly outweighed by the public interest in parodic expression. As a result, summary judgment must be granted to the defendant." "For the foregoing reasons, defendant's motion for summary judgment is granted in its entirety. Defendant's motion for sanctions under Rule II is denied. The Clerk of the Court is respectfully directed to enter judgment in favor of the defendant and close the above-captioned case." Any legal eagles care to help out? Any reason here why DC had to settle, and not reprint the Flex Mentallo series as a TPB? This Has A Treading-On-Thin-Waters Value Of 8 Out Of 10 That Pizza Order In Full There are still unbelievers that last week's Joe "Two Pizzas" Quesada story is false. So, for their benefit, here is the Marvel crew's full order run down for that night: Joe Quesada - Margarita Pizza and Southern Fries Axel Alonso - Seafood Pizza and Garlic Bread Stuart Moore - Four Seasons Pizza but he did not eat the quarter with Olives. Was this a sign of his imminent resignation? The only complaint was that there was not enough ice in the cokes. Axel's response? "To confirm: There was not enough ice." This Has A Pizza Value Of Formaggio* Out of 10 God Is Watching You William Messner-Loebs or Bill Loebs, is one of my favourite writers and artists. Creator of Journey and Bliss Alley, writer for Sam Keith's The Maxx, his work has often entertained me. He's now in very serious financial trouble due to a series of very unfortunate events. Anything you can do to help will be gratefully received. Also looking for aid are the Borderline team, creators of the pdf free downloadable Borderline magazine which has just lost the possibility of further backing from one source, after Cool Beans World went down. And if you're not all tapped out, the Just One Page charity comics project I was vaguely associated with a year ago is selling its original art. Click here http://members.ebay.com/about me/just1page/ for the full list, including a Howard the Duck page drawn by Phil Winslade from a script by Steve Gerber, created before the series was started by the pair. This will be the only Winslade Howard art available for sale. This Has A Dig Deep Value Of 9 Out Of 10 World's Greatest Allocation I understand that Fantastic Four #60, The 9 Cent Edition has received disappointing initial orders compared to DC's Batman 10 Cent Edition. This may explain the recent Diamond announcement that this book may be allocated when published - so retailers only receive a proportion of what they ordered. Either Marvel they're using it as a way to bump up initial orders from retailers in the fear there will be allocation.or they've have decided to cut their losses on this one, and are trying to make an impact with what they've got for less outlay. Thus making it a small collectable. Look at it this way, if demand does exceed supply, this comic is bound to go up in value. In a year it could have doubled in price! Tripled even. One day it might be worth a quarter! This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out of 10 Fury At Fury I understand that ER and Batman star, George Clooney, was being groomed as the new Nick Fury, for either TV or film. Until, that is, they saw a copy of the recent MAX series Fury, in which Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson depict Fury as a cold war dinosaur trapped in a world he didn't make, full of PR, collateral damage and an enemy solider called F*&^%$face. They passed. Avi Arad was not a happy man. This Has A Rumour Value Of 4 Out Of 10 Bolt In The Neck? I hear that editor Andrew Lis is working with comic book writer John Arcudi for a total revamp of Kurt Busiek's Thunderbolts series, currently written by Fabian Nicieza. Thunderbolts is one of the few projects associated with Bob Harras' regime that has survived relatively unscathed under New Marvel. So far. This Has A Rumour Value Of 5 Out Of 10 Manpowers Want to work at Marvel? You could do worse than try here_ VP of licensing, fiction editor_ the choice is yours! Click here. http://jobsearch.monster.com/jobsearch.asp?cy=US&brd=1&q=marvel This Has A Flood Barrier Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Truth, Justice And The American Waid I hear that Mark Waid is working on a year-long Superman project for DC Comics. Famously, after the failed attempted "Superman coup", he was informed that he'd never be allowed to write the solo character something he found very hard to take. Looks like they've found a way around it. Mark Waid did not choose to comment. This Has A Rumour Value Of 5 Out Of 10 Cable Call There were plenty of Portuguese speakers on hand ready to translate last weekend's report on Cable being welcomed in Rio de Janiero - including from article writer Pedro Bouca himself. He writes: "Croatian writer Darko Macan has just took over the writing of the Cable book which, by the way, is about to be renamed as Soldier X! On this first issue, the Askani'son visits Rio de Janeiro and Surprise! the place REALLY looks like Rio de Janeiro! The tourist attractions are well represented, the slums look like slums, the people look like Brazilians (whites, blacks, false blondes, cheap hookers on the sidewalk) and not like Mexicans! Congratulations to the penciler also Croatian Igor Kordey, for his great research work! Also, everyone speaks Portuguese... with slang! Macan was even able to put a "caralho" in one of the balloons (sorry about the context). Fortunately the Marvel censors don't know jack of our language! On the book, Cable goes to Rio to relief his stress, there he meets a mutant-powered street kid named Xande. With the help of the boy, he finds out an illegal Ultimate Fighting ring for sons of the atom. It's at that moment that appears on the book Juliana Jararaca, the first genuinely Brazilian mutant, much different from "Made in Paraguai" Brazilian mutant Sunspot. And what does the great hero, relentlessly called "gringo" by the locals do? As a good defender of the American Way of Life, he decides to put an end to the fights. The result: he gets his crap beaten out of him and has to flee for his life, maybe then he will learn not to put his nose where he isn't needed. As it is evident, it's not Alex Ross' Superman bringing food for slums in Rio de Janeiro which appear to be Mexican shantytowns in a Rio de Janeiro where the building of the Escola Militar da Urca, razed decades ago, still stands. My sole criticism, Macan made Xande pronounce Sao Paulo slang "gambι" to say that Cable wasn't a policeman instead of the more "carioca" (native of Rio de Janeiro) "cana", but it is understandable since, in the book, he thanks with good reason to the "paulista" (native of Sao Paulo) Ricardo Giassetti for help with the Brazilian expressions. I trust that our friend, Fernando Lopes, editor of the Brazilian arm of Marvel/Panini, will correct that small mistake whenever the story gets published here. For its good representation of Brazil a relief after aberrations such as Batman in Brazil, Superman: Peace on Earth and the execrable Sunspot, great artwork and subtle criticism of the US interventionism in Latin America Latina, Cable #105 gets a deserved A+!" Pedro also added a few of his excess notes from the original article, exclusively for All The Rage readers to enjoy. ""Batman in Brazil" is a fairly unknown storyline for Detective Comics written by Peter Milligan and penciled by Norm Breyfogle. In Brazil it was published, with pomp and circumstance, in a special edition, which only made the horrible misconceptions about Brazil in the story and art (and the general mediocrity of them) all the more evident for the Brazilian comics readers. Kordey did very good shots of distinctive places of Rio de Janeiro like Pao de Aηucar, Copacabana Beach, the church of Candelaria and even the Rocinha slum! "Caralho" is an horrible profanity (one of those that they don't speak on TV), one of the worst nicknames for penis_> "Xande" is a nickname for Alexandre (Alexander) which is exclusive of Brazilian portuguese, no other portuguese-speaking country that I know of makes use of it. It's typical of lower- class people. Brazil (and Rio de Janeiro in particular) is a virtual factory of champions of Ultimate Fighting tournaments. An illegal mutant Ultimate Fighting ring in Marvel's Brazil is something that makes a lot of sense! The marvel character Sunspot is used in Brazil as an example of the lack of research of the American comic writers which try to do stories happening on Brazil. The little bastard speaks spanish and is a boring prick, much different from the typical (even stereotypical) Brazilian, which is smart, cool-headed and goes out of his way to avoid problems (and work_). That guy was as angst-ridden as all of the other New Mutants. The "Made in Paraguai" reference. In Brazil, Paraguai has the reputation of being a heaven for low-quality product piracy. We use to say here that any product that looks like a particular brand but isn't nearly as good is made there. Yes, that is not very nice with the citizens of Paraguai. Yes, Americans are despised in Brazil for their holier-than-thou attitude and the backlash that results of Cable's actions is extremely appropriate. A not-very-subtle shot at the terrible "Superman: Peace on Earth" special of some years back. As I said, the slums on the special are from Mexico and the reference used by Alex Ross for the bird's eye view of Rio de Janeiro is half-century old. The large building of the "Escola Militar da Urca" (a VERY large building which is a distinctive feature of old pictures of Rio) was razed long ago, after being shot at by the insurrected garrison of Copacabana's Fort (don't ask). The inhabitants of the two largest Brazilian cities Rio de Janeiro ("cariocas") and Sao Paulo ("paulistanos" or, in a more general classification, "paulistas") are fierce rivals (think New York and Chicago). They use an entirely different slang from each other. Most of it is alien for the natives of the other city. There are also a few typos on a couple of Portuguese expressions. "Louco" (madman) is written "luoco" on the book and "Paulo" (both as a character name and the name of Brazil's largest city) is written "Paolo" in italian fashion." This Has A "Wait Till The End Of The Week, Brazil" Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Next week is the last All The Rage I'll be writing for Silver Bullet comic Books before I start up Lying In the Gutters for Comic Book Resources. So be here for one last shout... [Unfortunately, it will also be the last reprint of Rich's column in this Emag as CBR is holding exclusive rights to his new column. We hope you will continue to follow Rich at his new location and we will report on bits of his rumors as they warrant. - D.L.] ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interview Tim O'Shea tim_oshea@bellsouth.net Originally run at www.orcafresh.net This interview appears here with permission. A Series to Remember: An ORCA Q&A with THE FORGOTTEN's Jareth Grealish By Tim O'Shea Sometimes e-interview opportunities just fall in your lap. Such was the case when Jareth Grealish-one of the creative minds (along with Evan Young) behind Fintan Studios' (www.fintanstudios.com) latest series, THE FORGOTTEN-dropped by the ORCA message boards. A few e-mails later, we had wrapped up an interesting examination of Fintan and its new series, which can be best summed up as follows (from the site). Forgotten is about: "a mysterious vigilante undertaking an investigation of the murder of an exotic dancer found dead in the slums of a south Philadelphia motel room. However, this vigilante also unknowingly becomes the topic for a University of Pennsylvania student's term paper on long-since forgotten heroes from an era gone by." For more information, be sure to visit the site yourself. Enjoy. ORCA: Are you and Evan buoyed by the round of praise the first issue of THE FORGOTTEN has garnered from critics? Grealish: Very much so. Regardless of how much you may love a project you've worked hard on, you just never know what the critical reaction to it will be. I have to admit it feels pretty incredible to have gotten the kind of favorable criticism we've been receiving. To have writers like Tony Isabella and Steven Grant saying good things about your work definitely bolsters the ego. It's really got us psyched to get to work on the next story arc for next year. ORCA: While at the Wizard World East show, were you able to get the book into the hands of some veteran pro creators and get some feedback? Grealish: To be honest, we didn't really focus on that too much at the cons we attended. It was much more important for us to get the book into the hands of comic readers regardless of whether they were fans or pros. We just really want to get as many people reading "the forgotten" as possible right now. ORCA: Is FORGOTTEN a four-issue miniseries, or an ongoing project? Grealish: Our plan is to publish "the forgotten" as a series of mini- series. Tentatively the plan is to have the second mini-series out by Spring of next year. There is a distinct possibility however that the forgotten may develop into an ongoing series eventually. There are a lot of factors involved into making that decision though. ORCA: What would you say are some of the influences (be it other comics, writers or other forms of media) on the book? Grealish: The city of Philadelphia is one of the biggest influences on the book. Both Evan and I have ties to the area and wanted to be sure to showcase Philly throughout the series. As for comics, for me personally the works of Frank Miller, Warren Ellis, James Robinson and Brian Azzarello have been a huge influence. I also draw inspiration from movies and books: M. Night Shyamalan's films and James Ellroy and Andrew Vachss crime novels to name a few. My parents have always been a huge influence on me since my mom was an artist and my dad a writer. The arts are in my blood. ORCA: Given that you're also a musician, do you listen to music while you write? If so, what do you listen to? And if not, what kind of original music do you compose at present? Do you think your abilities as a musician help you to be a better writer of dialogue (both arts depend partially on rhythms to a certain extent)? Grealish: If I listen to any music while I write, it's jazz. Mostly Coltrane, Miles Davis and Horace Silver. I'm not a huge jazz fanatic, but my dad is and he's turned me on to some of the greats. It definitely helps get me in the zone when writing "the forgotten". As for my original music, I'm just starting a new project up with some incredible musicians from PA and NJ. The music is just starting to take shape, but I can tell you it will be melodic and at times heavy, always soulful and full of tight musicianship. Oh, it will most definitely ROCK! I suppose having that sense of groove from being a musician may indeed help with my dialog pacing, but it's not something I've ever been conscious of. ORCA: Not every writer can say he was taught at one point by Don McGregor, "the scribe behind some of the most controversial comics in history (Black Panther, Sabre, Detectives, Inc.)," as you so aptly phrase it on your site. What did you learn from him about being an effective storyteller? Grealish: Don is just an incredible human being. I still keep in touch with him to this day. I learned so many things from him, but I'd have to say the most important was to maintain your dignity and pursue your passion when it comes to the comic book business. There were all the lessons about storytelling and plotting and character development of course, but keeping your dignity and passion intact was the biggest lesson he taught me. ORCA: What has been your favorite moment so far in THE FORGOTTEN? Grealish: Some of my favorite moments so far have been the scenes of Clarence working on the case or recovering in his loft. I love getting to know what makes a character tick and it's those scenes where I think we start to reveal that. I also really loved the scene at Temptations in issue #1. I thought it had some good interaction between Clarence and the stripper he questioned and also some great action. John did a helluva job drawing that scene too. ORCA: Would you ever want to write for DC or Marvel, or do you prefer the self-publishing route, working solely with your own creations (and thereby having more control)? Grealish: While I can't say I'd never write for DC or Marvel if the opportunity came knocking, I can definitely tell you it's not something I actively pursue in any way. I'd rather just create and write the best original stories I can and get them out there to the readers than spend my days cooped up trying to come up with a great Ghost Rider pitch or whatever. Maybe someday down the line, the Big Two will come knocking on our doors, but for now I'm perfectly happy just trying to make Fintan a success. ORCA: How hard is it to be creative in addition to helping run a studio? Grealish: It can be very, very difficult at times. Right now for instance, most of my time and Evan's is wrapped up with marketing the current series. Somehow we have found the time to plot almost the entire next arc though. I wouldn't change a thing though. It's been an incredible learning experience and I think we are poised for a very big year in 2003. ORCA: Is there anything you'd like to discuss that I may have not asked? Grealish: I'd just like thank ORCA for their support and to urge everyone that read this interview to give the book a try. If you enjoy it, spread the word to not only your fellow readers, but also to retailers. Nothing convinces a retailer to order a new book more than positive feedback from customers. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] A View From the Cheap Seats Rich Watson cptsisko318@aol.com [A graduate of New York's School of Visual Arts, Rich Watson has been a self-published cartoonist since 1993, and whose output includes the superhero drama Celebrity and the romantic fable Rat: A Love Story. He currently resides in New York and gets his comics weekly from Jim Hanley's Universe and Midtown Comics. Rich can be contacted on his board http://www.revampscripts.com/board/Rich_Watson.shtml and is is featured on the website http://www.smallpresscomics.com/] Writing her mind: The life of Hilda Terry The impact of women cartoonists throughout comics history has only recently begun to fully take shape. As a result, names once obscured by the passage of time have resurfaced and their contributions to the medium have, at long last, been duly recognized. Some of these artists, though, left their mark in ways far beyond the printed page. Hilda Terry is one such pioneer. Creator of the comic strip TEENA for King Features during World War 2 and beyond, her career is especially noteworthy for a specific event during the 1940's that forever changed the status quo of the cartooning industry. Terry was born on June 25, 1914 in Newburyport, Massachusetts (just outside of Salem), on the same day as the famous Salem Fire, attributed by some as the revenge of the persecuted witches from colonial times. From the age of 5, she knew she wanted to become an artist. By the time she was 14, though, she, like many youths of her era did, left school to earn a living. In her case she had a job welding radio tube parts. Soon she realized she had to expand her horizons. "At my sweet sixteen party - a fizzle - I suddenly realized I had not grown up to be a cartoonist as I and everyone else had expected,” says Terry today, looking back. “I didn't even know another artist. So, being already grown, I came to New York where I soon found lots of artists.” Terry moved to New York about a week after that party and took various art courses, including a stint at the prestigious Art Students League (ASL), while making money waitressing. She would even go to wrestling and boxing matches and get the athletes to pose for her. Soon she entered into a brief career of fashion illustration. "From very early on, starting with portraits of boys with bugs crawling over their heads and snots falling out of their noses, I began drawing everybody. I could do portraits for five cents and pick up bus fare, and as a waitress, I never went hungry. Meanwhile, I loved cartoons. My best fun was drawing the stylish stouts as cute chubbies. Everyone knew that was what I wanted to do. In those days, artists would gang up in a village loft, and have rent parties every week –– 10 cents to come and mingle with artists and poets.” It was at one such party that she met fellow cartoonist and ASL men's president Greg d'Alessio, who she'd go on to marry in 1938. With his direction and encouragement, Terry began selling cartoons to magazines like THE SATURDAY EVENING POST and THE NEW YORKER. Terry, like her other female peers, was fighting difficult odds to succeed. “I get the impression that already, by the ‘30s, it wasn't as easy for women,” says comics historian Trina Robbins, author of THE GREAT WOMEN CARTOONISTS. "Dale Messick changed her name so the editors wouldn't know she was a woman. Although it was a useless gesture; the editors knew anyway, and the editor of the Chicago Tribune at first didn't want to publish her because `he had used a woman cartoonist once and she hadn't worked out!’” "The men used to meet at bars and talk shop,” says Terry. "Women didn't hang out with male groups in those days, so unless you already had a newspaper job, as Nell Brinkley did, or a male friend who could instruct you, there was no way an aspiring lady cartoonist could ever learn how to find the door.” Still, she remained vigilant in her efforts. "Having to do twice as good to get a job was what made me try harder. It was a privilege to be underprivileged. By the time you make it, you've worked so hard, you've learned to do it so damned well, they have to notice you.” Then came the pivotal year of 1941. "They called me into King Features,” Terry continues, "and showed me a telegram from William Hearst. 'Get Hilda Terry,' it said.” IT'S A GIRL'S LIFE, her strip about adolescent girls, debuted on, of all days, December 7, the day of the Pearl Harbor bombing. Over the course of World War 2, the strip would portray the girls' perspective of the war. “[It was] 6 panels, each a gag in itself, but [in] a sequence where the last panel is a finale. I did that so I could run [it] as a daily as well as a Sunday. But then we hit the paper shortage. I didn't sell any dailies. By the time the panic settled, 4 or 5 others got on my adolescent bandwagon. My characters were Henny and Penny. One of the new strips was called PENNY, which gave me a chance to change my format with new characters. I coined the name Teena from Tina when the word teenage made its appearance.” The cartooning community did its part for morale during the war. D'Alessio staged an anti-Axis exhibit at ASL which drew a large number of freelancers. Additionally, a group of cartoonists would entertain hospitalized troops with "chalk talk" shows, in which they would draw on giant sketch pads. Such events would forge a fellowship amongst the artists, which led to them creating an official club in 1946 called the National Cartoonists Society (NCS). Today it is the world's leading organization for professional cartoonists. Some of its members over the years rank among the greatest names in cartoon history: Rube Goldberg, Walt Kelly, Arnold Roth, Lynn Johnston, and many more. From its inception, though, it was, for all intents and purposes, a men's club. "One of the founders, C.D. Russell, when he first proposed the idea of a cartoonists club, said, over and over again (he was a little tipsy at the time), `No girls. Men only,’ etc.,” says cartoonist and columnist R.C. Harvey, author of the book THE ART OF THE FUNNIES. "And the early constitution of NCS specified that members had to be men.” D'Alessio was the group secretary. During their formative years, they would organize original art exhibitions and hold charity chalk talks, often with movie stars and other celebrities. They quickly became a prestigious and high profile group. Still, even with the influx of women cartoonists replacing the men who fought in World War 2, the formation of a group like the NCS was not unusual. "Remember, there were quite a few male-only organizations in those days,” says Robbins, "even public places like McSorley's bar in New York, which simply didn't admit women, and could do so because there were no laws to the contrary.” Terry, through D'Alessio, saw what was going on with the NCS and realized this organization, which claimed to represent professional cartoonists, was systematically blackballing herself and other women from membership – in other words, three negative votes were enough to deny entry, despite the number of members who did want to admit women. In 1949 she drafted a formal letter to the NCS, claiming to represent the Committee for Women Cartoonists, and requested they either change their name to reflect the true makeup of their club, go back to being a private institution, or admit women. “I knew I had everyone's support. It was only maybe a half a dozen who thought I was spoiling things for them -- who felt if women come, they'll have to bring their wives.” In late November 1949 her name was officially put up for membership, along with magazine cartoonist Barbara Shermund, however when it came time to vote they were both blackballed. Harvey, in an article at his website rcharvey.com, describes how club president Milton Caniff, among others, was irate at the decision, and that the ensuing debate lasted long into the night before they voted to restore Terry and Shermund's names to the ballot. Harvey quotes a passage from a letter written by member Bob Dunn to the Committee that says the three negative votes were cast "to bring the issue forcefully to the attention of the membership because the return on the first referendum for admitting the gals [conducted in the November Newsletter] was a mere 29 out of the entire 238 [members].” The blackball provision proved to be a major bone of contention for months. "Many of the people involved in founding NCS were members of other New York clubs, all of which employed the blackball,” says Harvey. After much wrangling and discussion, the NCS agreed to admit women into their ranks in June 1950. Terry remained cool and confident through all the heated squabbles. "I was much too busy to spend any time worrying about that. When something annoys me, I write my mind and get back to my own life. That's how I've lived to 88." Terry, once part of the NCS, was able to bring in other like-minded women artists as well, such as Gladys Parker. In addition, she went around the world doing USO shows with other members, in places like France, Germany and England. Meanwhile, she kept doing TEENA until 1964, when unexpected circumstances prematurely ended her run. "When television began shaking up the newspaper business,” she continues, "the truck drivers struck, newspapers folded, and all the photographers, writers, newspaper boys and cartoonists had to find new jobs. I was already over the employable age, so I got ten things going on a freelance basis. Whenever anyone asked could I do this or that, I said sure - and ran to the public library to find out how. Among my ten things was engineering drawings for patent applications. To draw something that never existed as though it already does, the inventor has to explain every detail of what will make it work. That was my college education. Also high school.” A year later, the Houston Astrodome, a completely enclosed sporting facility with a retractable roof and artificial turf instead of grass, opened. It had a scoreboard with filmed graphics from a number of movie cameras. Terry hooked up with entrepreneur Bob Roston, who had the idea of building open-air scoreboards with computer generated images, but needed an artist who understood computers. He sold the idea to the appliance manufacturer Stewart Warner and they got it in motion, with Terry's help. “[I] did full board portraits for [player] introduction and celebrations, and quarter boards for stats for every man on the roster. Also at least two cheers for each player - one short for the disk for instant access, and one unlimited for the tape, plus the commercials and other animations.... I worked for all the teams that bought the boards I helped design, program, and sell as we led the technology, until the Japanese took over.” She even met some unlikely people. "Rush Limbaugh was my scoreboard director when he worked for the [Kansas City] Royals. The fellow who got the job Rush wanted took one look at this little old lady in the computer room, and replaced me with a 20-man first-class animation company. Two years later I got a nice letter from the manager asking if I could come back. They missed my spirit.” In 1979, Terry received the Best Animation Cartoonist award from the NCS for her work. She remains computer literate, despite the multitude of changes in technology. “I try to keep up - but it goes so fast. All of a sudden I can't open my Quicken files. I have to upgrade. And every time I have to change the ink cartridge, I lose the printer. I struggle with everything.” Also in 1979, Terry returned to TEENA by way of a new project - one that began with an epiphany of sorts. “I spent the summer doing all the crazy things to contact a guardian angel whom I believed must've been helping me with my gags.” Terry was no stranger to spiritual matters. At 13 she wrote a manifesto questioning the nature of the universe, including what a soul might look like. The discovery of DNA in 1953 was of great religious significance to her, as she saw it as a critical component in understanding the nature of God. And now another potential piece of the puzzle fell into her lap. “I had an encounter with a vision - a child whom I later found did exist 300 years ago. While laminating my old rotting cartoons, I discovered that not only did she help me with the gags - she actually put herself in the comic strip.” This led to the creation of THE BABYSITTER'S MAGIC MOUSE STORYBOOK, a self-published book done in collaboration with children's TV show host and long-time friend Job Matusow, that integrates the TEENA strips into a prose story featuring Matusow's Magic Mouse character. Matusow, an accomplished writer, producer, and actor in radio and early television, began Magic Mouse as a radio show in Arizona, and slowly it grew into a traveling theater troupe, and in 1979, became the TV program MAGIC MOUSE MAGAZINE. "Some people wanted to revive the Magic Mouse stories,” says Terry, "and he wanted me to illustrate them with my teenagers, from when young girls were more innocent. Teena started as a babysitter during WW2.” Terry believes that one of her characters, Gwendolyn, is an unconscious expression of the child from her vision, Dorcas Good, who would act as a kind of muse. "When I had to get an idea for my comic strip every week, I prayed for help. I knew I was getting the help. It was very specific at times. When it continued with the sports it was so different - and the year I won the award for best cartoonist animator, I simply had to know who was doing it.” Terry remains active today, both in her writing and on the Internet (hildaterry.com), in addition to teaching at the ASL and running the 8 Henderson Place Foundation, dedicated to preserving the history of a landmark building in Manhattan (8hendersonplace.org). Currently she's working on creating a website to preserve websites of other creative people and act as a central archive, an idea for which she's currently looking for collaborators. She stays quite healthy, too. "I swim two to five times a week - an hour each time. Sometimes less, and I fill the hour with water exercises. Five of them. I'm up to 100 times each. Keeps me sanitary for one thing.... My father made it to 90, smoking, drinking, carousing, the whole bit every inch of the way. His last wife was younger than I was at the time. You can say that nothing beats genetics, but nevertheless, I think my natural pleasure preferences gave me a lot more fun in my life than he got out of his." This past June 11th, Terry was the featured artist at the Friends of Lulu "Women and Comics" discussion series, held in the Manhattan bookstore Bluestockings. (For more information on this yearlong event, visit the site friends-lulu-nyc.org.) Terry regaled the crowd with stories of her career as well as her thoughts on science and religion, all with a great amount of exuberance and joyfulness. Later this month, she'll appear at the Friends of Lulu table at the MOCCA Art Festival, also in New York. All her life, Terry has had a profound awareness of the ties that bind the spiritual with the material. Within her writings, she continues to explore the questions that everyone asks at some point in their lives: who are we and why are we here? “I think all creative people must sense that what they do comes through them. They may reject religious faith, but I'll bet I'm not the only one who is confounded by the eternal mystery of what's out there in Infinity.... We don't invent. We discover what's in Nature, and figure how to use it.” ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Graphic Novel Reviews Amy Harlib aharlib@earthlink.net [Amy is a lifelong lover of SF & F, comics and graphic novels who reviews regularly on-line at SFRevu.com, rambles.net, silver-oak.com and Blue Iris Journal. She is also a dedicated listener to 'Nuff Said' comic book radio talk show on WBAI in New York.] Murder Mysteries. Original short story and radio play by Neil Gaiman. Graphic story script and art by P. Craig Russell. Coloring by Lovern Kindziersky. Lettering by Galen Showman. (Dark Horse Comics, Inc., www.darkhorse.com , June 2002, $13.95, hardcover, ISBN#: 1-56971-634-X). Two of the brightest luminaries in their creative fields---Neil Gaiman (award-winning writer of numerous works of fantastic fiction) and P. Craig Russell (artist extraordinaire renowned for his sequential narrative style and shimmering, intricate effects)---team up to render a graphic novel adaptation of one of Gaiman's short stories, 'Murder Mysteries'. The tale concerns the matter of who investigates a murder in heaven, a job that falls to Raguel, the angel of vengeance, Gaiman's and Russell's creative efforts in communicating combining synergistically in a way that can best be described as heavenly, pardon my pun. Rich in subtle allusions to classic literature, an homage of sorts to the elaborate Christian mythos celebrated in the works of Milton, Coleridge and Dante not to mention Blake, but perfectly enjoyable on its own terms without referring to time-honored texts, the skillfully structured 'Murder Mysteries' will thrill angelologists in particular and everyone else in general who appreciates superb, powerfully moving storytelling and art. The tale comes structured with two seemingly unconnected plot threads, one being a narrative set in contemporary Los Angeles (that name being no coincidence), with an unnamed 30-something British visitor recounting his depressing failure, despite erotically trying, to reconnect with an old flame, a lovely divorcee oddly called Tink, short for Tinkerbell Richmond, who has a 5 year old daughter. Feeling lonely and empty after the disappointing rendezvous, the Englishman returns to the place where he is staying where, on a nearby park bench, he meets an elderly-looking gentleman who, in return for cigarettes, relates the second major story strand. The bulk of the book, this consists of a fantastical Biblical yet noirish yarn set in a glittering celestial realm where elaborate hierarchies of wondrously winged, androgynously beautiful, nude-in-appearance but without genitals, angels assist in the Creation of the Universe according to Divine Plans. Raguel,the angel of vengeance, gets called upon to discover who among them had deliberately killed Carasel, the angel ironically in charge of the phenomenon of "death". Raguel's inquiries lead him across the gorgeous heavenly environs where, among innumerable hosts, he encounters notable and intriguing entities: Carasel's partner (in every sense of the word), Seraquel, the angel of love; Phanuel the #1 angel and more than he seems; Zephkial, the divine messenger; and Azazel, 2nd in command to Lucifer, the loveliest and most luminous and the only angel who walks in the Outer Darkness. The surprising resolution comes after fascinating twists in the tale, revealing startling and provocative connections between the dual developing storylines, leaving the reader touched and profoundly pondering deeper meanings concerning the nature of identity, the soul and perception of the layers of reality. Gaiman's and Russell's entwined talents have produced a stunning work of dazzling beauty, mythic resonance and emotional richness, satisfying and meaningful no matter what the belief-system of the audience. Gaiman's prose and Russell's art merge in that thrilling way that happens in the best graphic narratives---each enhances the other to make the whole more than the sum of its parts. The gripping prose and the delicate gorgeousness of the detailed visuals serve to make 'Murder Mysteries' a splendidly successful graphic adaptation of vividly written words---the illustrations skillfully contrasting the muted tones of the earthly locations with the exquisite, refulgent arrays of the lofty realms of the higher powers, thus expertly conveying the intent of the tale. Russell's renderings of mortals and celestials, nothing short of awesome, gives human beings and their settings distinctive character no less than the glorious perfection of the winged wonders in their fabulous domain. 'Murder Mysteries', hugely entertaining while contemplating the mystery of existence, embodies a match of creative collaborators made in heaven---not to be missed! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] 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.] Stan is Still the Man To be honest, I expected Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters & Marvels to be Kevin Smith in some huge auditorium (at a con) shouting questions and jokes to Stan and maybe a bit of insight. Not to mention I assumed it was going to be clips of conversations from when Stan appeared in Mallrats years ago. Imagine my surprise when the documentary opens at Hi De Ho Comics in California, from an interview conducted on February 22, 2002. Imagine my pleasure that rather than being a static one- camera affair, multiple angles and supporting photos are used. And you have to give Stan credit, as ever the marketing genius, copies of FF1 and other Marvel items connected to Stan through the years sit on display for sale right next to Stan. All the Marvel greats are there, plus JUST IMAGINE Stan Lee's JLA. I kid you not, even in a documentary covering the history of his career, Stan's getting a plug in for the new stuff. That's the Stan I love in a nutshell. (As a side note, they discuss in the documentary how DC's JUST IMAGINE project came into being.) I've got to warn you, those looking for a PBS level documentary or something along the lines of A&E's biography, look elsewhere (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000006QFL/brainvideoscom/104- 4855461-3870359 to be exact) as Stan consistently refers to the Marvel publisher Martin Goodman as Martin, and neither Kevin or Stan clarify this element. Only veteran fans would get what Stan means when he says Martin. That being said, longtime comic fans are in for a treat, as long as they're not looking for historical documentation (but they'll definitely get impassioned solid storytelling) I nearly busted a gut when Stan described the premiere of Spider-Man, the comic. Describing how the first appearance came about, Stan said: "We published it, we put it on the cover of the last issue of Amazing Whatever We Called It" To which Kevin interjected "Amazing Fantasy" Now understand, I'm not mocking Stan, he's learned and done more in his lifetime than I ever hope to accomplish. It's just in this continuity and fact crazed world that populates Internet comic book fans, it's refreshing to see one of the creators of Spider-Man not being able to remember the name of the comic he started in. Oh and I forgot the other kicker, back in those days it was months before they were able to see the sales figures and realize they had a hit with Spider-Man. Stan had forgotten about the book, when Goodman showed him the figures and months later they decided to start a regular series. Of course, for several reasons, this could never happen in the current market, given the veracity of bottom-line monitors following the financial troubles of Marvel in the late 1990s. The documentary has several bits that may have been said before, but that I never heard and that really struck a nerve with me, including when Stan said: "I never wrote for kids, I wrote for myself." "I wish I hadn't told Gerry Conway Yes [it was OK to kill Gwen Stacy]." Sharing his belief that Jack Kirby would have been a great movie maker. The interesting and insightful moments like these go on forever in this DVD. Sure, Stan is saying a lot of things he's said before and that's been written and debated in numerous article, but there's just something special to seeing Stan reminisce in person. Even as an elderly man, he has the enthusiasm of a teen, recounting a record the bullpen cut where Jack and others sing the anthem to the Mighty Marvel Marching Society. Stan explains how fans just loved getting to hear the voices behind their comics with a record like that, causing Kevin to point out that the record was almost a precursor to the director's commentary on a DVD. And he's right. That's also the appeal of this DVD, the getting to hear first hand, Stan's love of comics, right down to why he wanted to personalize the letters column (changing letters that said "Dear Editor" to "Dear Stan"). I only have small problems with the documentary. The first one, I understand why they did it. Non-comic fans interested in the documentary want to hear about Stan's role in creating Spider-Man, which is the lead documentary part. The secondary feature ("Here Comes the Heroes") goes back in time, recounting Stan's career. So the order for me was a bit out of whack, but understandable for marketing purposes. Also, while there is a DVD extra that explains why they didn't go the route of VH1's BEHIND THE MUSIC or A&E's biography, as they wanted to hear Stan tell the story of his life and his role in making Marvel such a success, I would still have loved to see interviews with folks like Steve Ditko and John Romita Sr. Then again, I'm not so sure Ditko would have participated. These are small complaints, as overall the DVD is a blast. And really, for a 95 minute DVD (not including the extras), $16.95 is quite a bargain, in my opinion. The extras include Stan' home videos showing film with his wife, Joan and their daughter. Even though silent, you can still see Stan's enthusiasm for his family is believe it or not, more kinetic than his thrill for comics. The man loves life and I know I'm fawning here, but it's his love of comics that really laid the foundation for comics that I love today. Other DVD extras include "God Woke," a poem he wrote in the early 1970s (on the occasion of a night where Stan and Marvel was celebrated at Carnegie Hall); an interview with Stan Lee's wife, Joan. And in keeping with Stan's note at the end of the documentary thanking all the creators who worked with him to make Marvel a success, the DVD includes a link to ACTOR (http://www.actorcomicfund.org/index.html), the non- profit organization dedicated to helping comic book industry veterans. Clearly, Stan acknowledges that he would not have been as successful a writer without the artists who so effectively conveyed his ideas, and I think the inclusion of ACTOR is another effort (by both Kevin Smith and Stan, I assume) to show he has not forgotten that he did not make Marvel so successful alone. The VHS edition (which I did not see, but I'm sure has the same quality-minus obviously the DVD extras) is an even better bargain of $13.50. Either the DVD or VHS can be ordered at http://store.yahoo.com/creativelightvideo/ 'Nuff Said in Trouble Watching the DVD, I was struck at how great it is to hear about comics from the creators themselves, which in turn shifted my thoughts toward Ken Gale's WBAI-FM radio show devoted to the world of comics, 'Nuff Said. Unfortunately I've never lived in New York, and logistics have always prevented me from listening to 'Nuff Said, which has been on WBAI for the past nine years. Well, changes in the radio's schedule have resulted in the end (for the time being) of 'Nuff Said. You can find out more details of what happened from Ken himself at http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/ While I've never listened to Ken's show before, I've always been impressed at the quality and variety of guests he's garnered over the years, as he kept CBEM readers up to date with weekly e-mails of upcoming shows. In addition, I've had the pleasure of talking with Ken personally at last year's and this year's Atlanta Comicon, as recounted at http://members.aol.com/comicbknet/_cbem01/cbem_314.zip and http://www.orcafresh.net/Shea/sh41702.html respectively. To see for yourself the variety of guests on Ken's show, check out http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/nsglnew.html and be amazed. Commenting on the last show (http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/lastshowthoughts.html), Ken wrote: "When I heard 'Nuff Said! had been canceled after almost nine years, I had a strong reaction, of course (anger mixed with depression). I wasn't getting paid to do the show (very few people at WBAI are). Only a passion for the medium and art form of comics could motivate me to continue to spend the time and money necessary to do a good show... As the days passed, I was told reasons why I was canceled, such as being "narrow focused" despite dealing with nearly every political, social and cultural issue there is. My first feeling was that such a reason was "insult to injury." Didn't he listen to the show before he made his decision to cancel it? Was he one of those people prejudiced against comic books? I didn't know him well enough to know whether that was true, but I couldn't help but think it. I quickly rattled off some of the topics we covered in the course of interviewing comics creators: racism, sexism, censorship, independent thought vs. corporate control, quite a few environmental issues, war and peace issues, gay rights, literacy, dozens of cultural and historical topics. Since then, I've naturally thought of more topics we've covered, such as nationalism, religion, terrorism, education, freedom of speech, relationships, love, sex, language, foreign relations, copyright and trademark law, the internet, all types of music from opera to jazz to folk to r&b to punk, mass media, corporate responsibility, workers' rights, creators' rights, diversity and, of course, techniques in art and writing. My telling him this has not been enough to bring the show back. But since WBAI-FM is a listener-supported station, your phone calls, e-mails and letters have more impact than I do. After doing the last show, I thought a lot of past shows that I'm proud of. Discussing the difference between spirituality and religion with Stan Lee, discussing the definition of super-hero comics with Harlan Ellison, linking Jamal Igle to a teacher who wanted him to talk to her class, listening to an anti-Viet Nam War comics writer and a WW 2 Veteran discuss writing war comics, various guests who said my interview was the best one they ever had, exposing a few myths about the industry that fandom has believed in all these years.... There are a lot of shows I'm proud of, but my thoughts kept straying to the callers. Those who called on air and those who called off air. I don't know most of their names. Many of them turned me on to excellent comics that I might not have learned about without them... The decision to cancel 'Nuff Said! or put it on hiatus belongs to the Program Director, Bernard White. He does indeed listen to reasonable input from listeners. E-mail him at burnardwhite@aol.com (not a typo) and/or call his voicemail at (212) 209-2834 and/or write to him at WBAI-FM, 120 Wall St., 10th flr, New York, NY 10005. I'd appreciate a cc at nuffsaid@escape.com just to look over your shoulder." Ken's a great comics journalist that many new folks like myself could stand to learn a great deal from. I'm sure many of my readers are like myself and have never had the opportunity to listen to 'Nuff Said for various reasons (namely we all don't live in New York). And that's where an idea of mine comes to mind. I've not run this by Ken, and no parties involved may be interested in exploring the option, due to legal or financial hurdles that may have to be addressed. But what if WBAI and/or Ken could make a best of CD of the interviews that were done over the nine years? Looking over the guest list, I see at least 10 interviews I'd love to have in my CD library. Given how many fans out already buy great magazines like THE COMICS JOURNAL and the many periodicals of TwoMorrows Publishing, I think there would be a market for The Best of 'Nuff Said. If it sold well, rather than having to do a fund drive for that portion of programming, 'Nuff Said could literally pay for its own slot. It's just a thought, and it's a thought I'm going to pass on to Mr. White. He may reject outright or he may consider it. I won't know until I try. If you've ever listened to 'Nuff Said, or otherwise want to show support for a great show (or have a suggestion to Mr. White as to how or why 'Nuff Said should be brought back), please consider contacting him, be it via e-mail, a phone call or mailing him a letter. Good journalism and discourse of comics is hard to come by, everyone must admit. So if we can help keep the show around, I think we'd be doing a good thing. I already miss Ken's weekly letters to CBEM, and hope they resume (along with the show) in the very near term. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] Comics Culture Shrapnel Kris Naudus Krissy80@aol.com [When not dozing off in lecture or at her computer at work, Kris Naudus runs several comic websites, works publicity for Shoujocon, writes articles for a bunch of other magazines, and seriously wonders if too much caffeine can kill you.] Shameless This past week has mostly consisted of me finding a new energy, getting things done, reevaluating my geekiness. No new revelations yet, but I am getting things done. Today I continued my run around the city, getting pictures of places that I'm reviewing in the Otakon '02 issue of Kakumei. That's the anime-manga magazine I write for, at least right now. Last year they printed a guide to anime-manga resources in the DC Metro area, I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to do an overview of NYC. Some comic shops here, some supermarkets there. Chinese and Japanese supermarkets, that is. They sell snacks that otaku (anime & manga fans) like to eat. Enough of that. I feel weird taking pictures of places from the inside, mostly 'cause I know a lot of places don't like it. Which I don't understand. Afraid someone is going to steal their store layout? I don't buy it. Something wrong with the stock that they don't want their suppliers to know about? Silly. I don't really see any reason for stores to not want pictures. I expect curiosity, but not paranoia. These aren't restaurants we're talking about here. Though I once saw a cockroach in my favorite comic store once. I told a manager and he took care of it. That was all. No need for fuss. It happens. Hell, we get bugs in our home occasionally but it doesn't make my family bad people. So once more, I don't understand why managers don't like pictures of their store taken. Or why when I was standing out on the sidewalk outside St. Mark's some supervisor-type guy felt the need to come out and interrogate me. He wasn't aggressive or demanding, just kind of there. He wouldn't move until I left. He kept saying "usually people ask permission to take pictures." Well then, good for them. I'm not going to ask because while it is courteous, it shouldn't be necessary. My friend told me that apparently people have gotten busted for dealing drugs in there. If that's true and that's why they don't want people taking pictures in there, then well, MAYBE they shouldn't be DEALING DRUGS. Honestly! There are so many good stores out there, and then the occasional bad egg. And those are always the ones that get the spotlight. Either through their own stupid actions (which leads to my focus on St. Marks in this column, sorry) or because they know how to market themselves, or position themselves. I don't know, it's just that I know so many good places that deserve better. And can't stand the "famous" places in NYC. Forbidden Planet? Merely a lame shadow of it's relatives in the UK. Skip it and go to Jim Hanley's Universe. Or Midtown Comics. Cosmic Comics, even. Look them up in the phone book and pay a visit, it's totally worth it. This column was supposed to make a point, but I think I just did a public service instead. Give the good stores a try, and maybe I'll share more St. Mark's horror stories with you (Oh, do I have stories.... well, complaints, anyway). ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions Tim O'Shea tim_oshea@bellsouth.net [Tim O'Shea is a contributor to Organized Readers of Comics Associated (ORCA [www.orcafresh.net]). His reviews are reprinted here with permission.] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions for Comics Sold June 12, 2002 Howdy folks, my review system is straightforward: "Yes" means buy it "No" means don't buy it "Maybe" means make your own call based on your own likes and dislikes, it's too close to call for me. -Tim O'Shea, ORCA Contributor Way of the Rat 2 (CrossGen) Dixon/Johnson/Ryder/Garcia If you haven't bought issue 1 of this series, stop reading this and go get that issue and this one. It's solid storytelling featuring the adventures of a not-so "common" thief, Boon Sai Hong, and what happens when he gains possession of some powerful ancient objects. And not every comic book has a talking monkey named Po Po, who makes Star Wars' Yoda look like a wimp. This issue I was even more entertained with the premiere of the letters page, "Talk to the Monkey" with letters answered by (yep who else) Po Po. It can't miss with the comedy and adventure combination in my estimation. Yes The Order 5 (Defenders 17) [Defenders] Busiek/Duffy/Reis I'm conflicted. While this storyline has dragged on to long and has confused me (while at the same time providing some interesting thoughts on the whole superhero game courtesy of Busiek and Duffy), I don't want it to end, as it means that's the end of the series. In addition, this issue with art by Reis truly impressed me. He does a two-page spread with more than 30 Marvel heroes and they're all dead on and vibrant. It's a book I want to love, but can't. But maybe you can. Maybe Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special (Marvel) Bendis and too many artists to list In the closing notes, Bendis acknowledges this is his good-bye shot to the short-lived Ultimate Team-up series, which he had to end due to workload. With this week's reviews, I'm introducing a new feature. Longtime readers have heard me mention Ron, my comic book store/general bookstore manager friend at the Book Nook. You've also noticed I sometimes pick up books solely on his recommendation, which is usually a solid recommendation. With that in mind, I'm going to start noting which comic is Ron's pick of the week. This week it's this one. He and I both agree the story, where Peter comes to terms with being a hero, is solidly written. The art, which is intentionally done as a sort of artistic jam session (with different folks tackling different pages), fails for the most with me. I loved the John Romita Sr./Al Milgrom pages, don't get me wrong. But for every gem, there was an eyesore. And one plot element, introduced by a character early on, is totally fouled up, when the same character, drawn by a different artist, completely changes races. I'm not talking different facial structures, I'm talking one scene/artist, she's a Caucasian woman in her late 40, then later scene/different artist, she's a mid-30ish African-American? Ignore the art and enjoy the story, then everything should be fine. A hesitant Yes Iron Man 56 (Marvel) Grell/Reis/Pimental Twice in one month I'm entertained by the art of Reis. He along with Stuart Immonen are two folks that should have monthly assignments at Marvel. That being said, onto the actual story. I'm not sure if it was Stan Lee or the late Mark Gruenwald who said, write each issue if it was a person's first time reading a certain comic book series. I've been reading Iron Man since Grell started on the book, and I have to say, I have no idea what the heck happened at the end of this issue. This current storyline seems to be getting mixed up in old bad storylines of previous writers. No Incredible Hulk 41 Jones/Weeks/Palmer Some folks may not know (I wouldn't know were it not for my friend Ron), but the original version of this cover was supposed to be a Tony the Tiger satire cover (with Hulk saying "GRR-eat!" instead of "Hulk eat!"), but wiser legal experts shut that comedy moment down. Still it works for me, even with modifications. The insides are even better, mind you, with Jones playing more mind games between failed cop negotiator, Bruce, the hostage taker and the government agents after Bruce, ending with even more surprising results. Yes Impulse 87 (DC) Dezago/Barberi/Adams What I wouldn't give for one month where there's no "alternate reality" in my regular continuity. For seemingly the zillionth issue, all is not right in Bart's world, even though he's trying to do right. In a sense it's a unique spin on Dezago's part, but given that Impulse is living on borrowed time and fast approaching as the last issue is 89. Give me Impulse's "real" world, quick, please. No The Power Company 5 Busiek/Grummett/Rollins/Alamy You have to love a comic book with a half page of footnotes connecting it to other books in DC's history. This comic is a labor of love for all involved and it just gets better with every issue. This issue catches a day in the life of many different characters. Get it. Yes The Punisher 13 (Marvel) Ennis/Dillon With this issue the two big guys return and so does the level of zaniness. But I'm reminded of the years of reading Matt Howarth's POST BROTHERS, sure mayhem abounds, but what really happens. If you love the Punisher, hop on board, if you like character development and growth look elsewhere (unless you count the cop Soap and how much has he really grown if he can't recognize his own mother?). Maybe Legends of the Dark Knight 156 (DC) McDuffie/Semeiks/Green Something about the crimes in this issue really bothered me, and maybe that was the creators' goal. Still I didn't like the unease I felt at reading some of the scenes (again maybe that's the intent). That being said, the framework of the story, a blind man that can see through other's eyes, is a great draw for the story and you can guess where it leads for Batman/Wayne. Also, I'll completely admit, the writing was secondary, as I'll buy just about anything drawn by Semeiks. A borderline Yes Infinity Abyss 1 (of 6) [Marvel] Starlin/Milgrom While not Ron's pick of the week, he did recommend it. And I'm partially glad I did. Starlin is a great artist, his work has always interested me. His writing has always been a tad too "cosmic" for me, or more exactly, dense, in terms of plotting and dialogue. On the other hand, he's establishing the framework for an interesting take on THANOS. I'll definitely try the next issue and make my final verdict then. Maybe (leaning toward yes) Spider-Man: Blue 2 (of Loeb/Sale Maybe it's because I just got done watching the Stan Lee' MUTANTS, MONSTERS & MARVELS documentary, or maybe I'm always a sucker for soap operas (and long for Stan Lee type stories). Either way, as usual, Loeb & Sale make me wish they were writing the character (whomever stars in their current miniseries) on a regular basis. This re-examination of the courting Gwen Stacy is as good if not better (artistically at least) than Busiek/Olliffe's UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN [and Olliffe's on my short list of favorite Spidey artists mind you]. This is my pick of the week. Yes Black Panther 45 (Marvel) Priest/Velluto/Almond When I have a spare week, I'll sit down with a lot of Internet references and maybe Cliff Notes (if they'll make them for me) to figure out what happened in this story. If you want to work hard to be entertained, go for it. But if you think part 5 of 5 on this story arc means complete resolution, then think again. Maybe ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts Silhouet98@cs.com [Paul promotes amateur and professional comic book artwork, scripts, storylines, and unpublished comic books with a newsletter called the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter. Its website is at Jazma Comic Book Newsletter Productions at http://www.jazmaonline.com/ He is also a prominent letter hack, as anyone who reads comic letter pages would know. He is in production of his own self-published comic book called The Legendary Dark Silhouette and has copyrighted over 600 characters for his Jazma Universe.] WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN MAY REVEAL SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF PLOTS OF COMIC BOOKS, OR THE ENTIRE STORY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Name: Elvira #110 Publisher: Claypool Comics Price: $2.50 Creative Force: Frank Strom, Dan Day, Louis Lachance, Janet Hetherington, John Heebink, Mike Manley. Comments: My gosh, everything in Elvira #110 was exceptionally excellent! I had a good laugh throughout both stories. The first story 'Between the Covers' was a blast and a half! Elvira in the beginning is fussing over her hair and then things take a twist and Elvira is reading a good Nancy Drew_..I mean Nancy Klew mystery! There is a touch of everything in this story and one of the great things about Elvira is the spoofs. After Elvira gets an avalanche of fan mail, the story takes off with a cursed book and zombies at the door. Ahh_shades of Night of the Living Dead and Evil Dead. Then that Hollywood sign is so true_.'abandon hope all ye who enter here'. I guess that would go for actors and actresses like OJ Simpson, Wimona Ryder, Gary Coleman and many other Hollywood types that wind up on shows like E! True Hollywood Story. It's great the way the writers dig up some old characters like Yorick Von Rippuh the biker dude who hasn't been around since Elvira #24. The touch on altered realities, zombies at the mall, a possible human sacrifice and finally the appearance of Yog-sk-urku-uk'ku – The Elder God made this story very enjoyable. I will be on vacation to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August for 10 days and hopefully I will be able to find a comic book store around Rio, so I can pick up my favorite comic book Elvira! The story starts off with Elvira fussing over her hair and then right at the end Elvira gets hold of some cursed gel that gives her that Medusa look! Things like this can only happen to Elvira! Tele-Castaways was a humorous look at everything from TV reality series like Survivor, a touch on Sinbad, as skeletons with swords make their appearance. A fun romp with King Kong….dang, I meant Konga King and of course some nasty zombie cannibals who are willing and ready to cook up Spookie Suzie and company in their big black pot. As Elvira looks for a treasure chest on this island, I couldn't help but think there is no better treasure than Elvira herself. Spookie Suzie can never get over on Elvira, as she is able to outsmart Suzie in every way. I never expected Elvira to bring in a squadron of helicopters equipped with video cameras that are trained on Suzie and her big mouth! Suzie and Elvira will always be the best adversaries since Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Moriarty. Name: Love and Rockets #4 Publisher: Fantagraphics Books, Inc. Creators: Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario Hernandez Price: $3.95 Comments: $3.95 sure gets the reader plenty of stories in one comic book! My son Jason and his friend Robert Loa went to Arco Arena to see Britney Spears live and Jason was thrilled to be able to shake Britney's hand, as he got home he saw me reading Love and Rockets #4 and said that is exactly what Britney is all about! I looked at him and said_.'huh?' 'How is Britney compared to Love and Rockets?' Jason said_'easy, she goes up on stage and she fills the arena with love through her songs and in almost each number there were fireworks rockets set off that went high over the audience heads!' I looked at my son and said_.'okay then'. I really can't say that one story is actually filled with love in this issue. What you truly have is extremely intense human drama. Drama that really hits hard in the realism of certain people's daily lives. 'Me for the Unknown' was quite odd and I can't say that I have ever experienced anything like this. There were many twists and turns in the story. I really didn't know what to expect. From the beginning as the reader is transported to Aguas Olvidados (The Forgotten Waters) where it is a haven for pirates, smugglers and black marketeers. I never really thought much of black marketeering, even though when I was stationed in Germany, I would sell American cigarettes and liquor to the German nationals for a minor profit. Being an M.P. (Military Policeman) at the time, my Captain got wind of it and told me that this is a crime. I immediately quit, but I guess Black Marketeers can get extremely involved with their business making big money and not chump change like I was doing in Germany. The violence in this story was powerful. I was moved by the sword and gunplay. Dario doesn't seem like a bad pirate, he has a powerful gun, but merely sends his aggressors into the water and doesn't kill them. Then here comes the twist as the reader is introduced to Prester Jr and Wumperdink Jr. Wumperdink Jr regains his trousers and gets lost in the woods and I wonder who is calling for him in the woods. What stranger will he meet? Will he be in danger? The chaos in the little village Comprachico, as Wumperdink's mother cries out for her lost son. Very heavy laded drama and not to forget the pirates are ruthless. Then a sultry scene with Debra who is completely nude and worries about her mom never being sane or sober again and cries for her lost baby brother. Then the sight of dead bodies everywhere. Yep, no Britney 'love and rockets' here. Only human horror! Yes, like a voyeur, you definitely caught my attention and I couldn't stop reading this story. Then I get two 'Maggie' stories. The first one where Maggie and Hopey deal with the weird Izzy and tall sexy Alarma ties Izzy up for them. Izzy is one strange lady and she is very hard to handle. Even in the next 'Maggie' story, Maggie is always down on Izzy and they argue while Maggie is driving. Where is Maggie headed in her life? How will she eventually end her bickering with Izzybelle? Then I must thank the Hernandez Brothers for giving me some strange facts with 'Roy Presents Traditional Uses for a Corpse's Hand'. Who would have thought that people in olden times used a corpse hand to dispel tumors? I have the notion to say_.believe it or not! Now in the story 'The High Soft Lisp', is nothing more than male hormones and testosterone going at full blast and the lady Fritz with the big chi chis is every man's lust. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Fritz, because every man she encounters seems to use her for sexual pleasures. She's a lady with low self-esteem, because she has a lisp when she talks and all she wants in life is to be popular. Now to 'Julio's Day' in which Benjamin (I remember a kid like him in my school days) who doesn't hesitate to try to steal money from other kids. Then Ben heads off in the woods and encounters an older boy named Tommy who is basically a pervert. What an odd tale this was. Then finally the final tale called 'The Frogmouth'. As I write this, I am extremely sleepy, but this was a very true-to-life story that delves on Doyle's inadequacies of dating strippers, then touching upon male hitting female aspect of the story, that can be compared to a pimp beating his working stable of women with clothes hangers. It's a story that touches upon the ugliness of mankind, but we can't run away from it, because the ugliness is here to stay. Women have been brought down all their lives and if a woman wears a t-shirt that has the 'c' word on it, she is making a statement that she isn't going to take on any male crap! I must say that the stories in this comic book made me cringe at times, but they were stories that bares the soul of what some people are all about. There is no 'Ozzie and Harriet' here! Magnificent! Name: Forge, Vol. 3 Publisher: CrossGen Comics Price: $9.95 Comments: A big thick book carrying some of your favorite CrossGen comics stories like Meridian – Chapters 19 & 20 – (after the disaster at Torbel, Sephie vows vengeance on her Uncle Ilahn); Negation – Chapter 3 – (stranded in space – Kaine band of escapees struggle for their lives!); The Path – Chapter 1 – (Obo-san prepares to embark on his quest for vengeance, but the emperor has other plans); Crux – Chapter 6-8 – (frustrated by countless setbacks, Capricia goes on a rampage); Sojourn Chapters 4-6 – (the mysterious cloaked woman entrusts Arwyn with a rare artifact); Saurians Chapter 1 of 2 – Unnatural Selection – (from the world of Sigil, a miniseries that reminds us that you are what you eat!). Monthly comics for your bookshelf. What is nice about this book is if you fell behind in any of the CrossGen titles, you can play catch-up with this inexpensive book that has 272 pages altogether! CrossGen is getting these beautiful books out on a monthly basis! What a concept! MOE Sidenote: New at Comix & Comics are the following: Banished Knights #4 by Dreamwave Productions; Athena Inc. - The Manhunter Project #2 by Image; Midnight Mass #3 by Vertigo; Lucifer #27 by Vertigo; The Hood #2 of 6 by Max Comics; The Haunted #1 by Chaos! Comics; Marvel Morlocks #3 of 4; Louis Riel #7 by Chester Brown; Pete the P.O.'d Postal Worker by Sharkbait Press; Brian Wood - Pounded; Mike Hoffman - The Sorceress Sketches; GTO by Great Teacher Onizuka; Marmalade Boy by Tokyopop; Mars 2 by Fuyumi Soryo; Angelic Layer #1 by Tokyopop; Love Hina by Ken Akamatsu; Road to Perdition by Max Allan Collins; Saurai Gin - Realabout High School; Marionette Generation Vol. 3 by Manipulations. Multiverse Observer and Explorer signing off until next time.......... ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [12] New Comic Book Releases List [NCRL] by Charles LePage chuck@comiclist.com +++WINNER OF THE 1996 REC.ARTS.COMICS.* "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE+++ http://www.comiclist.com New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, 6/25/2002, compiled by Charles LePage with information from Suncoast Comics. This is the *preliminary* list and is not complete. The completed list is posted weekly, usually Tuesday evening, at http://www.comiclist.com and other places. You can receive this list each Tuesday via email by following the instructions at the web site, or you can email NCRL-subscribe@egroups.com PLEASE NOTE- Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. Let CHARLES know if any of the names or numbers are wrong. chuck@comiclist.com (Charles LePage) PUBLISHERS: If you know when your comics are going to be available through Diamond, please email chuck@comiclist.com so that he can place your comics on the appropriately dated list. Thanks! "TPB" = "trade paperback". "GN" = "graphic novel". "AA" = "available again". "SC" = "softcover". "HC" = "hardcover". "S/N" = "signed/numbered". "AR" = "ask retailer about price". PUBLISHER TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER, PRICE IN U.S. DOLLARS AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS Patty Cake Vol 2 Everything Nice, $13.95 Sleeping Dragons #5, $2.95 Slow News Day #3 (Of 6), $3.50 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Archie #516, AR Archie Digest #185, $2.19 Veronica #120, $1.99 CHAOS! COMICS Jade Redemption Premium Ed #1, $9.99 Lady Death Mischief Night Super Premium Ed #1, $20.00 CPM MANGA Record Of Lodoss War Chronicles Heroic Knight Book 1, $15.95 CROSSGEN COMICS First #13, $2.95 Mystic #18, $2.95 Negation Prequel, $2.95 DARK HORSE COMICS BTVS #38 False Memories (4 Of 4), $2.99 BTVS #38 False Memories Photo Cvr (4 Of 4), $2.99 Blade Of The Immortal #60 Secrets (3 Of 4), $2.99 Super Manga Blast #17, $5.99 Superman Tarzan Sons Of The Jungle #1 (Of 3), $2.99 DC COMICS 100 Bullets #30, $2.50 Adventures In The Rifle Brigade Operation Bollock #3 (Of 3), $2.50 Batgirl #22, $2.50 Batman Legends Of The Dark Knight #149, $2.25 Books Of Magic Vol 3 Reckonings TPB New Prtg, $14.95 Crusades #9, $2.50 Doom Patrol #2, $2.50 Hellblazer #167, $2.50 JLA Haven Arrival, $5.95 Joker Last Laugh #6 (Of 6), $2.95 Looney Tunes #84, $1.99 Lucifer #20, $2.50 Star Trek Voyager Encounters With The Unknown TPB, $19.95 Superman Adventures #63, $1.99 Young Justice #39, $2.50 IMAGE COMICS Agency #4 (Of 6), $2.95 Aria The Soul Market #5 (Of 6), $2.95 Black Tide Bachalo Cvr #1, $2.95 Black Tide Miller Cvr #1, $2.95 Black Tide Park Cvr #1, $2.95 Little Red Hot Bound #3, $2.95 Powers Scriptbook, $19.95 Savage Dragon #90, $2.95 Universe #3, $2.50 Zorro Complete Alex Toth TPB New Prtg, $18.95 INSIGHT STUDIOS GROUP Liberty Meadows #23, $2.95 MARVEL COMICS 100 Greatest Marvels #4, $7.50 Cyclops #4, $2.50 Daredevil Visionaries Frank Miller Vol 3 TPB, $24.95 Exiles #6, $2.25 Fantastic Four #49, $2.25 Spider-Girl #40, $2.25 Thor #43, $2.25 Ultimate Marvel Team Up #8 Spider-Man Daredevil & Punisher, $2.25 Ultimate Spider-Man #15, $2.25 Wolverine 2001 Annual, $2.99 X-Men E Is For Extinction TPB, $15.95 MOONSTONE Werewolf Apocalypse Vol 1 GN Bone Gnawers, $5.95 ONI PRESS INC. Kissing Chaos #3 (Of 8), $2.25 Nocturnals Dark Forever #2 (Of 3), $2.95 TUSK ENTERTAINMENT Burning Circle #1, $2.95 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS Animerica Vol 9 #12, $4.95 WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT Inquest Gamer Lotr Cvr #80, $4.99 Wizard Anime Invasion Dragonball Z Cvr #1, $4.99 Wizard Anime Invasion Gundam Campbell Cvr #1, $4.99 magazines Alter Ego #11, $5.95 Comic Shop News #751, AR NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD RELEASE DATE NEW DATE DARK HORSE Star Wars Anakin Skywalker Mini Bust 06/12 07/31 Star Wars Mace Windu Mini Bust 06/12 07/31 Star Wars Obi-wan Kenobi Mini Bust 06/12 07/10 Star Wars Padme Amidala Mini Bust 06/12 07/31 DC COMICS American Century #16 06/19 07/03 Tom Strong #17 05/15 07/03 MARVEL COMICS Marvel 2000-2001-Fanboys & Girls Adventure HC 06/26 07/24 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [13] HYPE! Section Various PREVIEW OF PREVIEWS Diamond has updated their web site for the new PREVIEWS out next week. Writer/Ad Coordinator Vince Brusio is the designated editorial writer for Previews' "The Splash Page" which is our source material DC Heroclix by Wizkids Put down that comic book, and dream a little! Why wouldn't you want to hang with the DC heroes? It's possible if you check out the DC Heroclix Premier Edition from WizKids. Dreams can come true. You won't need to don a costume or buy prop gadgets in order to assume the roles of your favorite DC knucklebusters. In this "big box" version of the DC HeroClix game you have everything you would expect in a normal Starter set, plus one extra map and extra tokens! Choose from good guys (and girl) Batman, Robin, Aquaman, Hawkman, and Huntress! Got a mean streak? Become The Joker, Bane, Man-Bat, Clayface III, or Harley Quinn. The DC Heroclix: Hypertime Starter Set featuring 130 different characters. Select from teams like the JLA, JSA, Teen Titans, or the Injustice League. Use 8 characters, rules, 2-sided map, three scenario cards, special ability card, tokens, and dice to keep active! But if you've maxed out your game, and require further stimulus, check out the Premier Edition, which includes a rules book, two double-sided maps, a Quick-Start rule sheet, a super powers and abilities card with collector's checklist, tokens, markers, and dice. And keep the DC Heroclix: Hypertime Booster Pack handy if you need 4 more DC figures to fight the good fight! Archie Gang Return In Halloween Ashcan Betty as the Comet? Veronica acting catty as The Jaguar? The rest of the gang join in the fun, dressed up as the Mighty Crusaders in the free Archie Halloween Ashcan 2002: Archie & Friends and the Shield. This is yet another holiday freebie that anyone can pick up and pass out as a Halloween treat. In this ashcan, the patriotic superhero The Shield guest stars as a key player in the fight against terror! He's commissioned by the FBI Chief as a special agent, and the Archie gang gets to see why The Shield makes the grade! But Archie has his mind on other things. There's this cute girl dressed up as a heart at the movie th