---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 374 6/28/2002 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] July Press Releases ................... Diamond Distributors [6] Interview: Bradley Kayl ............... Tim O'Shea [7] A View From the Cheap Seats ........... Rich Watson [8] Stream of Babbling .................... Tim O'Shea [9] Comics Culture Shrapnel ............... Kris Naudus [10] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions ............. Tim O'Shea [11] Graphic Novel Reviews ................. Amy Harlib [12] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [13] Top 100 Comics for July ............... Diamond Distributors [14] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [15] 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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Commentary on the state of the industry, and personal observations and reflections related to comics are *most* likely to be included in our publication. PLEASE, no material on Gaming, role playing, collectible card games or other hobbies or collectibles other than comic books. That also includes plugs for web pages UNLESS they are concerned with print comic books. We do not promote web comics as we do not consider them to be comic books. SEND US YOUR WORK ----------------- We also accept product for review purposes. Advanced copies of comic books will not be returned but any comic books sent to us *will* be reviewed in the ComicBook Net Emag. Send all material to: David L. LeBlanc 84 Heather Circle Jefferson, MA 01522-1419 Material is generally reviewed in the order received and be advised that we work a few weeks in advance so your review may not be in the magazine immediately. Advanced copies are therefore encouraged so the review will occur prior to your product hitting the stores. THE Comic Book Net WEB PAGE http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet ---------------- If you have access to the World Wide Web, please stop by and visit our web page! On our web page, you can find the latest issue of our E-Mag, as well as all back issues and an annotated index. You'll also find important information and other neat features like links to the HTML version of the current issue of this magazine at DIGITAL WEBBING, [http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem], some of the comic companies and creators' web pages and many other Comic Book related links! You can also find some of our back issues at America Online, by going to Keyword: COMICS, then choose the menu item _Comic Book Forum_ and then going to the _Comics Library_ from there. These are non-zipped text files. AOL search/keyword: aol://4400:3990 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com This time around I thought I would take a closer look at a bit of mail that came in this week. Bill Rosemann, Marketing Communications Manager for Marvel, sends out bulletins and hype items every few days. Near the end of the month, once he gets the sales results from Diamond he usually send a note to his mailing list about how well they are doing, and have been for months. This time the memo had a distinct new spin. Here it is, in part, below: Subj:MUTATING X-BOOKS X-PLODE IN JUNE! Date:6/25/02 1:06:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:brosemann@marvel.com MUTATING X-BOOKS X-PLODE IN JULY! X-STATIX, AGENT X & SOLDIER X Raise 77 Spots! Hey, True Believer! Diamond Comics Distributors has released the monthly Top 100 Selling Comic list again, and it's clear to see that retailers responded in a big way to the three mutating X-books! In fact, in the month of July, X-STATIX, AGENT X and SOLDIER X rocketed up the charts 77 spots collectively! Analyzing the growth, X-FORCE became X-STATIX and increased 7 spots, DEADPOOL morphed into AGENT X and rocketed up 35 spots, and CABLE transformed into SOLDIER X and also shot up 35 spots! Your Man @ Marvel, Bill Rosemann Marketing Communications Manager Marvel Comics To me, the interesting thing to ask is why these titles jumped all at once? Did the dealers really believe the sales would come if they ordered heavy? Is the advanced information so compelling that they feel they would miss a sure thing if they didn't? Are they swayed by the new names - two have added the all-powerful trademark "X" and the other added a second "X"? Following that premise - does "X" equate to higher sales and better sell-thru? Can we be in for IRON MAN-X, FANTAST-X FOUR, PANTHER X? I guess we will find out how good their prediction is down the road if the sales match their orders. I have no real opinion on the matter. I am not a retailer nor do I play one on TV. Here is another interesting bit from this week's Top 100 list: Qty Ret Rank Rank GUIDE Description Price PUB 1 1 258.25 TRANSFORMERS ARMADA #1 $2.95 DRE 2 2 239.62 TRANSFORMERS GENERATION ONE #4 $2.95 DRE 3 3 208.60 BATTLE O/T PLANETS #1 $2.95 IMA 4 207 205.66 GEN 13 #0 $0.13 DC That is right, a thirteen cent comic sold the fourth most copies and still made the top 300 dollar-wise at #207. A challenge for the FANTASTIC FOUR ten cent issue coming up! It just caught my eye as food for thought. Now here is food for thought - how well will these titles sell this week? ABSTRACT STUDIOS Terry Moore's Paradise Too #8, $2.95 CROSSGEN COMICS Crux #15, $2.95 Route 666 #1, $2.95 <-----------------Pick of the Week! DC COMICS Green Arrow #14, $2.50 JIST With Walter Simonson Creating Sandman, $5.95 JLA #67, $2.25 Legion #9, $2.50 DREAM WEAVER PRESS Tall Tails Thieves Quest #8, $3.50 Tall Tails Thieves Quest #9, $3.50 FELIX COMICS INC Felix The Cats Tv Extravaganza #1, $2.50 MARVEL COMICS Captain America #3, $2.99 Incredible Hulk The End, $5.95 X-Force #129, $2.25 NBM Oddballz #2, $2.95 SHARKBAIT PRESS Pete The Pod Postal Worker #11 (resolicited), $2.95 Now here is where I go into my "old fart" mode. When I was a kid we had no idea what was coming out in three months and most of the time the only advanced news was in house ads or little blurbs on the letter pages. It is not a bad thing for the retailer to be able to make informed judgements based on advanced info and you certainly want the potential readers to sign on to a new title (or a change in direction) prior to those orders. But once in a while, I miss that feeling of going to the local newsstand and seeing a title I never saw before, and heard nothing about. The real great rush was finding a gem in that fashion. It gets harder to do that these days. More often it is a pleasant surprise when a new title is far better than anticipated. It is especially cool when there isn't an "X" in the title. :) David LeBlanc - ComicBkNet@aol.com Editor The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: Letters of comment, including those sent to the columnists, may be used in future issues of CBEM unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Your Email address and/or name will be withheld upon request. +++++ Subj:Letter to the Editor Date:6/23/02 3:23:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:3rdsummers@edsamail.com.ph Mr. LeBlanc, I am really enjoying this e-zine. Helps me save on internet costs, which is well and good because internet access could still be quite expensive here in the Philippines... Anyway, I would just like to remind everybody that BLACK PANTHER #46 is coming out June 26. As most of you would remember from my letter which got printed some weeks back, I organized a contest wherein one lucky winner would get a chance to win a Black Panther starter pack, which would include all available Black Panther trades, a year's worth of Black Panther issues, and a bonus Blaze of Glory TPB. All you have to do to enter the contest is answer two questions concerning the "Saddles Ablaze" storyline, which would run in Black Panther #46-47. Full details at http://geocities.com/saveblackpanther . Black Panther has been getting some share of the limelight lately with positive reviews of Black Panther #45 in a lot of review columns. It was also the subject of the latest Journey Into Comics column by Mike Sangiacomo. Hopefully, the good word would bring in a lot of new readers just in time for the landmark "Death of Black Panther" story arc, which would run from issues 48-50. There have been hints that surprise guests would pop up in that story, a couple of them possibly from the ever-popular pool of Marvel mutant characters. I am not exactly sure, but my sources say that this "Death..." storyline would be MAGNETic and STORMy :p -Erwin Rafael- Online reviewer of Black Panther, Avengers and X-Men Unlimited for X-Fan: http://x-mencomics.com/xfan +++++ Subj:Letter to the Editor Date:6/22/02 7:41:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:tim_oshea@bellsouth.net To:ComicBkNet@aol.com CC:Krissy80@aol.com Dear David: Lest folks think I'm always going to be a blind cheerleader for CBEM when I write letters to the editor, this letter should disabuse that notion. All the contributors to CBEM are amateur journalists (myself DEFINITELY included), to the best of my knowledge. You run several disclaimers that make it clear that just because you use the column does not mean you agree with it. But still, I have to take issue with this week's Comics Culture Shrapnel by Kris Naudus, even though it is clearly one person's opinion. The column started out interestingly enough, detailing her effort to take photos of various points around town. All's fine so far. Then the column shifts to disbelief that people might be annoyed at her taking photos of their workplace. She doesn't spell it out clearly, but I surmise after reading further into the column, that she typically didn't asked for permission, or at the very least proactively explained (prior to snapping the photos) what her purpose was. I may have not even written, were it not for the two following paragraphs: "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!" I'm sure the events of 9/11 directly impacted Ms. Naudus in many ways. So I'm really surprised that she would not understand why some folks may not like photos being taken of their business by a stranger without asking. Granted, a comic book store is not the typical target of any terrorist, but I imagine folks in New York are still a little sensitive to watching out for things "out of the ordinary." It doesn't sound like Ms. Naudus did a very good job of communicating with the "supervisor-type guy," if she never found out who he was, or if he even worked at the store. (My first question, when he approached me, had I been her, would have been to find out who he was). Odds are if she'd answered his questions, he might have liked the free publicity, I don't know for sure, of course. It sounded like he had a concern, because as he so correctly pointed out and she recounted: "usually people ask permission to take pictures." I'm curious, what made Ms. Naudus feel like she didn't have to be courteous, as she herself concedes: "because while it is courteous, it shouldn't be necessary." A little courtesy I find goes a long way with most folks, I find. A reason the store clerk (or whomever this "aggressive" person was) questioned you is because the store (if my research is right [http://stmarkscomics.citysearch.com/]) stays open until 1 AM. I know many retailers with hours like that who are often nervous about their store being cased for robbery. I'm not implying that Ms. Naudus looked like she was casing the store, but a vigilant store employee may explore every possibility, no matter how harmless it may appear. Secondly, I'm sure she would not like it if her place of work was accused of being a haven for drug dealers on the basis of hearsay. I hate any sentence, purporting to be fact, that starts with "my friend told me." Unless the friend was the arresting police officer or a person that happened to be holding documentation that drug busts had occurred there, I don't believe this characterization. How many e-mail hoaxes have we all received that starts out "my friend told me" after all? The leaps of logics between "I don't understand why managers don't like pictures of their store taken" to implying a store shouldn't be "DEALING DRUGS" are INCREDIBLE HULK gamma-sized leaps. For the record, I live in Atlanta, have never heard of this St. Mark's and could care less about it. I have no vested interest, except for the fact I'm interested in CBEM being a fair forum toward comic readers, creators and retailers alike. I would think as a former retailer herself (her bio once read "'bored cashier #4' at Barnes and Noble," after all), she would be more careful in lambasting a store. I suggest the next time Ms. Naudus wants to critique a store, she do it with more substantial evidence and be a little more balance in her account. But hey, it's her opinion, I just think more folks might support her opinion if it were more firmly grounded in logic and fairness. Ms. Naudus is normally a very insightful and solid writer for CBEM, so this column in a sense both surprised and disappointed me. I hope she'll consider her audience and her writing more carefully in the future. Also, I hope she realizes the next time I make a flawed leap of logic in my column, she can feel free to take me to task. Criticism after all is only useful if it is constructive. Typically great issue, otherwise. Thanks for the forum, Tim O'Shea Subj:Re: Letter to the Editor Date:6/24/02 1:28:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time From:Krissy 80 To:ComicBknet, tim_oshea@bellsouth.net To all it may concern: First off, I'd like to state that I am flattered that people read my column, and am glad that Tim took the time out to actually respond when something I wrote displeased him. I will admit to being something of an amateur when it comes to my writing (in not having a terrible amount of experience, and of course I have never been paid) and appreciate efforts to rectify any mistakes that may have been made. My comment regarding St. Marks' Comics may be construed as libelous and perhaps could influence people not to shop there, which constitutes damage. I would like to make it clear that I never intended any harm, or for people who read the article to take it entirely seriously. I specifically mentioned that it was my friend who told me to clarify that this was hearsay, and if such rumor was untrue then they should not be concerned with my picture-taking. One of the objectives of my column was the search for an answer to the question "Why do stores not allow picture-taking?" Mr. O'Shea attempted to answer this question with several possibilities, and I thank and commend him for the effort. Unfortunately, because he lives in Atlanta there are quite a few things about the store and the area he does not know that effectively invalidate his answers. I will explain these now, as well as my apparent hostility toward the store and the individual who approached me. Please do not use 9/11 as a possible excuse. Mr. O'Shea even admits that a comic store is an unlikely target for a terrorist. I find that such speculation draws attention from the "real" targets that exist in the city and also feeds into the paranoia that I'm sure the terrorists absolutely love to see. There is also the quite real fact that this no-picture-taking policy in MANY stores has existed long before last September. I was aware of this as an employee of Barnes and Noble, and never got a straight answer when I questioned the policy. Yes, St. Marks is open until 1am. It is located in the middle of Greenwich Village, a neighborhood where closing up shop at that time might be considered early and prudish. It is located on a street that also harbors high-end clothing stores and nightclubs, establishments that usually rake in more cash than your typical comic store, "trendy" neighborhood notwithstanding. It is also (and this is probably the key point) a street continually patrolled by police. Most of the police presence is to deter possible drug activity (and this has been documented in the news, not just hearsay on my part), though I'm sure they'd also stop any potential robberies. So O'Shea's assertion that perhaps the store thought I was "casing" the joint is a little far- fetched. I could have just been an enthusiastic tourist, which is another thing the neighborhood is known for. When I was approached by the man outside the store I was a bit thrown at first. He made no attempts to identify himself or even show the slightest bit of courtesy. He simply said "people usually ask permission" and glared at me, so I really hadn't the slightest idea what he wanted from me. I did tell him that the photo was for a magazine article and we were reviewing the store, and also that he could buy such magazine at Otakon. He did not seem placated and I began to get the idea he just wanted me gone. This was a marked contrast from my experience in Kinokuniya Books, where the saleslady politely asked that pictures not be taken. Courtesy goes both ways. I was not ready to apologize to a complete stranger on the street for some undefined slight. As I already stated, I wrote the column partly to get an answer to the question of why stores do not like picture-taking (around the cashier area is understandable, but elsewhere in the store is still a mystery). I'm not going to apologize if I don't understand what's wrong. Maybe I'm being stubborn and should apologize anyway, but I also have a history with St. Mark's that is rather unpleasant. I may have mentioned this in the columns before, but I'll elaborate on it now. I don't like the way they store their back issues, I don't like the way that toys and models receive more attention than actual comics, I don't like how stuff is displayed, I don't like how they price things up. Now, these are minor concerns that plague a lot of stores in this country, and alone they aren't worth the nastiness and bitterness I have shown in my writing. But there have been a number of occasions where the actual treatment I've received was unpleasant, and I'm not alone. I've encountered incompetence, stupidity, and in the most infamous instance, I was cursed at. Considering these factors and the clientele that haunts the place (including several disreputable people I know personally), my response to my friend's assertion that people may have sold drugs in there was "I wouldn't be surprised." Of course, this might not be true. I thought that was clear in the column - if they weren't dealing, then why were they worried, and if they are, then they shouldn't do it. Once again, I'm sorry if I was misunderstood and hope no business was lost due to that claim (though there is plenty of reason not to shop there anyway). Mr. O'Shea writes that he wants to be CBEM to be a fair forum for fans, industry, and retailers alike. So should the owners of St. Marks wish to defend their honor and clear their name, I welcome it. I would even be willing to bury the hatchet and shop there again, if they would have me. I didn't intend to insult anyone and I apologize to anyone who would accuse me of "irresponsible journalism." Someday I might be able to handle these incidents with a tad more grace. For now I can only patch things up, and offer explanations after-the-fact. I hope all of you continue to read my column and respond when inspired to. Thank you for your time. And I await a reasonable explanation to the original question of why stores do not like pictures being taken. Kristina Naudus CBEM Writer Subj:Re: Letter to the Editor Date:6/24/02 7:25:03 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:tim_oshea@bellsouth.net To:Krissy80@aol.com, ComicBknet@aol.com David and Ms. Naudus: For clarity's sake, this reply can also be used in the letters column. Thank you, Ms. Naudus, for taking my constructive criticism in the manner in which it is intended. You're already a better writer than many for being open to critique. And thanks for being flattered and appreciating my effort. I in turn, appreciate your thoughtful reply. I appreciate her valid counter-arguments to my ill-informed theories. She's right I know nothing of the NY area. That being said, I'm not sure the odds of the store management reading the column. While CBEM has a strong readership, the only way I could be sure someone read my column is if I sent it to them. Past columns of mine have addressed bad store experiences, but I made an effort to never name them. This is a two-fold purpose, it doesn't single anyone out that cannot defend themselves (as I never attempted to reach the store), and by not naming the store, it makes several store managers consider "could that have been my store he's describing?" Finally, if you want an answer to "to the original question of why stores do not like pictures being taken." you may do better to contact the manager of a store like St. Mark's and ask them why? Or maybe your column, and/or this exchange of letters fosters some feedback from retailers. Either would bring great closure to your open question, both for readers and yourself. I look forward to your future work. I hope someday you get paid for your writing. Good luck. Take care, Tim O'Shea +++++ Subj:Columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr, Writes About Ben Grimm Being Jewish From:hpdhurst@yahoo.com To:ComicBkNet@aol.com In today's column (Friday, June 28), syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr. (Knight Ridder Newspapers) writes about Ben "The Thing" Grimm being Jewish in a recent edition of The Fantastic Four. Nice column. Pitts has quotes from writer Tom Brevoort and also discusses Brevoort's writing about two female characters in Captain Marvel sharing a kiss. Nice column. If you can find it, give it a read. Keep up the good work on this newsletter! I always enjoy reading it each weekend when it finally reaches my email box...usually not until late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Thanks again! +++++ Subj:LETTER TO THE EDITOR From:hpdhurst@yahoo.com What the heck is going on at Marvel? Are they 'outing' all of their characters' secret identities one-by-one? *(((((((((SPOILER ALERT! - SKIP TO NEXT SECTION! - D.L. )))))))))* In the past two months, we've seen Tony Stark reveal himself as Iron Man, Matt Murdock 'unmasked' by unethical journalists and Steve Rogers reveal himself on national television as Captain America! Who will drop their cowl or mask next? Robert C. Hurst #1 Spider-Man fan ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [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: What Title and issue number marked the first appearance of Captain Universe? In honor of the new series I picked a question from THE MICRONAUTS first series, and Capt U. first appeared in #8. Jason Mah is our winner and he gets Ultimate Spiderman Vol 3 TP from our sponsor. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: From: Erwin Rafael Who are the 2 Filipino artists who both had stints as regular pencilers in the core X-books, UNCANNY X-MEN and X-MEN? 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 The Comics Interpreter Question From:interpreter11@comcast.net Hello, For our next issue of TCI we'd like to ask you a simple question. To wit: WHO IS THE MOST INTERESTING PERSON(ALITY) IN COMICS? We're not necessarily asking for the most lovable, the cuddliest, the most hate worthy, the most talented, the most logical, illogical, or scatological. Although certainly a combination of all of the above would make for a most interesting character. But simply which comics creator, bureaucrat, critic, pundit, publisher or phantasm demands your attention; be it for their work, their vision, their comments, or their behavior. We present to you a few choice candidates merely as an example. Dave Sim, Scott McCloud, Moebius, James Kochalka, Gary Groth, Trina Robbins, Yoshitaki Amano, Todd McFarlane, Vladmir Putin, Grant Morrison, Johnny Ryan, Frank Miller, Paul Pope, Karen Berger, Joe Quesada, Alan Moore, Che Guevara, Ted Rall, Neil Gaiman, Kevin Smith, Jenna Jameson... (sure we tossed in a few decoys just to see if you were paying attention) Please feel free to present your own individual choice (or make up your own list) which may or may not include someone listed above, with as lengthy or as brief an explanation for your reasoning as you like. We Know you're all very busy, and thus thank you very much for your participation. We welcome any questions or comments. best wishes, Robert Young Editor, The Comics Interpreter http://tci.homestead.com +++++ Corrected copy from writer Paul Castiglia Betty as the Comet? Veronica acting catty dressed 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 Shield guest stars as Riverdale's favorite teens enjoy a major motion picture based on the famous exploits of the very first patriotic comic book hero! A key player in the fight against terror, the movie covers The Shield's entire career-- from his commission as a special FBI agent; to his adventures with his teen sidekick, Dusty; to action-packed baddie-bashing alongside the other Mighty Crusaders! Noble and heroic, the Archie gang gets to see why The Shield makes the grade! Best of all, they show up in costume to get half-price admission-- and to display their love for the Mighty Crusaders! But The Mighty Crusaders aren't all Archie loves... there's this cute girl in a costume covered with hearts, and she's set his own heart aflutter! But how can he get to her in a darkened movie theater? Will Archie ever see the mystery girl again, or will fate play a hand in this lovestruck teen's romantic future? Will Betty and Veronica gain superpowers and put an end to interloper? It's typical teenage hijinks with Archie and the gang... and a super spoof of superhero movies, to boot! Don't miss the Archie Halloween Ashcan 2002: Archie & Friends and the Shield! +++++ From ICV2.com at http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/1564.html July Comic & Graphic Novel Orders Up 5% Over 2001 Comic Orders Hit High For 2002 June 27, 2002 Comic and graphic novel orders (dollars) were up 5% in July vs. 2001, continuing the trend that began in the second half of last year. July orders were up 1% over June, with almost all the gains coming from comics, since orders for graphic novels declined slightly from June to July. July comic orders reached the highest level yet (in dollars) for 2002. The gains in comics came largely from the top of the list where newly re-launched retro titles debuted strongly and many of Marvel's top books (especially the Spider-Man titles) posted solid increases. Sales continued a slow steady rebound, but have yet to reach 2000 levels. Orders for July still fell 3.2% short of orders from July 2000, with the 7% deficit in comic orders mitigated considerably by a 51.45% gain in orders for graphic novels. Marvel was the only publisher of the Big Four comic publishers that grew vs. either of the last two years, with a 12% growth rate over 2001 and a 27% growth rate vs. 2000. The dollar estimates discussed in this article are based on ICv2 estimates of initial raw orders to Diamond North America on titles scheduled for shipment in July 2002. Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Image distribute 100% of their comic store orders through Diamond. Some other publishers distribute directly to stores or through other distributors and as a result this analysis may underestimate their sales. Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image distribute some of their titles through channels other than comic specialty stores, e.g., newsstands and bookstores. These quantity estimates do not reflect distribution through those channels. The quantities above do not include advance reorders, late orders, or reorders. Most of the titles on this chart are also distributed to Europe by Diamond UK, which can account for significant sales for the publisher, ranging from 3-20% of the US numbers. Sales by Diamond UK are not included in the numbers above. Even given the above, however, it is probably safe to say that these quantities reflect 80% or more of the total North American sales by the publisher on most periodical comics. One other factor to consider is that sales through Diamond and other comic distributors are non-returnable to retailers. That means that there is a considerable unknown percentage of books unsold at the retailer level. If that percentage is 10-20% of sales (a reasonable assumption), the estimates above may be quite close to actual sales to consumers. +++++ Things From Another World Opens at Sony Metreon; West Coast's Largest Comic Book Retail Chain Celebrates Grand Opening of First Bay Area Location June 27-30 SAN FRANCISCO--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--June 28, 2002--Things From Another World and Metreon -- A Sony Entertainment Center announce the opening of the first Bay Area location of the unique comic book and toy retailer. The new Things From Another World shop is located on Metreon's Second Floor, and celebrates its Grand Opening June 27-30, 2002. Things From Another World is the West Coast's largest comic book retail chain and the number one source for the coolest comics and collectibles in the galaxy -- all the latest pop culture toys, action figures, movies, model kits, apparel and more. In addition to the entire Dark Horse Comics collection, pop culture buffs can find merchandise based on favorite books, films and TV including Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Superman, Star Wars, Gundam, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, Men In Black, Spawn, Lord of the Rings, Robotech, GI Joe, Godzilla, and classics such as Frankenstein, The Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. "Metreon is always evolving with the newest products and entertainment," explained Eva Miranda, senior vice president and general manager of Metreon. "We're excited to welcome Things From Another World, one of the most distinctive voices in comics and collectibles." "The Bay Area is home to a rich and enthusiastic comic book community and the opening of Things From Another World in San Francisco represents a great new addition to our chain of shops on the West Coast," said Mike Richardson, founder of Dark Horse Comics. "Our newest location within the high-traffic Sony Metreon enables us to bring our extensive product lines to comic fans and gives comic book culture immense exposure to a whole new audience." About Metreon Metreon(R) is a business unit of Sony Corporation of America. Since opening in San Francisco on June 16, 1999, Metreon has received more than 18 million visitors. The 350,000 square foot center features the latest in entertainment and technology. For more information about Metreon, please call 415/369-6000 or visit our Web site at www.metreon.com. About Things From Another World Things From Another World is a division of Dark Horse, which publishes the galaxy's greatest comics. There are seven Things From Another World locations on the West Coast including Portland, Milwaukee and Beaverton, Oregon; Universal City and San Francisco, California. Find more information at www.tfaw.com. +++++ CROSSGEN CREATES NEW PUBLISHING ENTITY AND LAUNCHES NEW IMPRINT CG Entertainment To Publish Comics From CrossGen And Creator-Owned Companies; New Imprint, Code 6 Comics, Created For Non-CG Titles TAMPA, FL., June 27, 2002 - CrossGeneration Comics, Inc. has launched two entities which will make it easier for creators to see their work published, licensed properties to make the transition into comic book form, and help resurrect other comics which have languished without the support of a publishing house. CG Entertainment (CGE) is a publishing entity owned by CrossGen Comics that would publish non-CrossGen Universe comic book projects. Those projects include but are not limited to: Affiliated Creator-Owned comics - Comics created and owned by companies outside of CrossGen. Code 6 Comics - Code 6 Comics is a new imprint under CrossGen created for the purpose of publishing non-CrossGen Universe continuity titles, such as new projects outside of the CrossGen stable of creators who are willing to share ownership of the project with Code 6 Comics. In addition, all of CrossGen's current and future titles within - as well as outside - the continuity of the CrossGen Universe will also now be published through CG Entertainment's Supply Agreement with Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. Diamond Comic Distributors has graciously allowed CrossGen to assign this agreement to CGE. This will allow CrossGen to publish and distribute all of the products stated above through the CGE banner. None of these new ventures could have been implemented without the help of Diamond Comic Distributors, and CrossGen is deeply appreciative of Diamond's consideration in this regard. Creators whose titles are published through CGE as affiliates will retain complete ownership of their properties, but be able to choose from an extensive list of added value services from CrossGen that include marketing, licensing, Comics on the Web and merchandising among others. These same creators will also benefit from lower printing costs and better discounts and promotion in the direct market, again with thanks going to Diamond Comic Distributors for allowing CrossGen to assign its current distribution contract to CGE. As more titles are added under CGE, deeper discounts and a higher profile in the direct market will result. Code 6 Comics, CrossGen's independent comics imprint, is named for the Florida police signal code for "escaped prisoner." This is a hint at the imprint's primary purpose, which is to provide a friendly home for creator-developed projects which lack the funding for traditional self- publishing. Through Code 6 Comics, creators would share ownership of the titles, but in return receive a much more comprehensive set of benefits that would allow them to make a living at producing such comics, while at the same time benefiting from back-end participation in the profitability of those titles through all print and ancillary revenue streams. These creators benefit from the built-in licensing arms in film, television, Comics on the Web, video games and other areas that CrossGen has worked for nearly three years to create and prove effective. "CrossGen's primary mission has been and always will be to make comics relevant to a new generation," said CrossGeneration Comics Publisher and CEO Mark Alessi. "The creation of CG Entertainment and Code 6 Comics is a natural and logical progression of that mission. We'd be foolish and arrogant to believe that CrossGen's creators are the only people out there creating great comics. The problem, though, is that the existing means for independent creators to get their works published isn't equal to the task of delivering them to the currently troubled marketplace. There's some great stuff out there that hasn't seen the light of day, so we're taking on the additional responsibility of using the marketing and distribution infrastructure we've created at CrossGen to bring other comics to the public. And I cannot stress enough my appreciation to Diamond for helping us by assigning us the process right to establish these new entities. Diamond has in the past been criticized for its business practices by independent creators, but their help and support in setting up CGE and in end result the Code 6 Comics imprint, proves Diamond's commitment to helping the independent creator, and will soon result in the publishing and marketing of some very fine comics." While CGE's participation with affiliate creator-owned titles is merely as a publisher, Code 6 Comics is designed to act as a proactive imprint tailor-made for great creators with great ideas who have been hampered by an inability to fund their projects or who have not received from other publishers the type of treatment they feel they deserve. The CODE 6 COMICS Mission Statement includes: To be the best publishing alternative for creators looking for a home for a new or existing project. To provide a fair profit and rights split that will be beneficial to both the creator and CODE 6 COMICS. To be open and accessible to all creators involved. To serve as a vehicle for creating global recognition to a select line of high quality, timely shipping comics. To alleviate the burden of self publishing by handling most aspects of distribution, sales and marketing to allow creators to create comics and not worry about the time impacting responsibilities of these other important, yet difficult areas. "We built Code 6 and CGE for those creators that want to create great comics, but also want to be able to eat and support their families," said Ian M. Feller, Director Business Development for CG Entertainment and Code 6 Comics. "This industry is not an easy place to produce something you love without taking on the financial hardships associated with self-publishing or signing your creation away, yet still having to do all the work to make it a success. We wanted to build a better home for these types of creators. A place that treats them fairly, treats their creations fairly, and allows them to profit from doing what they love to do and what they do best_creating great comics!" One of the primary functions of both CGE and Code 6 lies in the marketing, advertising and licensing backbone that CrossGen has built for itself over the past few years. "A lot of people in the industry talk about creator-ownership and/or development, but sometimes forget that along with that also comes a lot of work that writers and artists aren't very fond of, or aren't necessarily prepared to implement successfully," said Tony Panaccio, CrossGen's Vice President of Product Development. "There's distribution, marketing, advertising, and then if a creator wants to see some additional revenue from licensing, there's dealing with agencies, lawyers, film producers, video game manufacturers and other licensing professionals while still trying to produce a quality comic. Those can be some murky waters, and if you're in the game because you simply want to create good comics, chances are you're either not going to do any licensing, or you're going to do it at the cost of impacting your product's timeliness and quality. That's why they hire guys like me, who can't write or draw a lick, to market the comics. At CrossGen, we've built a robust marketing program on the Internet through Comics on the Web (with which we recently launched a ground-breaking project with Clear Channel Radio Interactive to bring COW to Clear Channel's vast network of radio station Web sites nationally), created ground- breaking partnerships in Hollywood through Branded Entertainment's Michael Uslan, established a broad spectrum group of effective foreign publishing options, including our recent agreement for China, and we've begun building a strong licensing presence in video games through FOG Studios. CGE and Code 6 were built to take advantage of those relationships and provide that behind-the-scenes infrastructure that the fans never see, but the creators need in order to help make it financially rewarding to create good comics." UPDATE FRIDAY JUNE 28th CG ENTERTAINMENT TO PUBLISH THE RED STAR Team Red Star Brings Their Flagship Title to CrossGen's New Publishing Line TAMPA, FL., June 28, 2002 - CrossGeneration Comics new publishing imprint, CG Entertainment, will begin publishing the popular independent comic book The Red Star starting with issue #10, the beginning of the book's newest story arc, scheduled for release in November. The Red Star will be the first independent comic to carry CG Entertainment's logo, and be solicited and distributed to the direct market under the new CGE label. CG Entertainment (CGE) is a publishing entity owned by CrossGen Comics that would publish non-CrossGen Universe comic book projects. Diamond Comic Distributors has graciously allowed CrossGen to assign its publishing Supply Agreement to CGE and allow CrossGen to publish and distribute non-CrossGen continuity titles - such as The Red Star - through CGE, as well. This new venture could have not have been created without the help of Diamond Comic Distributors, and CrossGen is deeply appreciative of Diamond's consideration in this regard. "The Red Star is one of the most beautiful comics being published today, and what Team Red Star has been going through in order to get their book to market is a perfect illustration of why CGE exists," Alessi said. "The fact that these guys have had to work so hard to get this book on shelves is ridiculous. We believe in their book, we believe in their commitment to quality and we believe that together we can pave the way for a long and prosperous run with one of the highest quality comics on the market today. And again, I cannot thank Diamond Comic Distributors enough for helping us set up our distribution contracts under CGE so that arrangements like the one with Team Red Star could come about. They've gone above and beyond on this one." Team Red Star's new publishing imprint, Archangel Studios, will provide CGE with the finished product, which CGE will solicit, distribute and market. "CGE is exactly what we've been looking for," said Christian Gossett, creator of The Red Star and co-owner of Archangel Studios. "We have had nothing but respect for the way CrossGen has approached the comics industry, and as independent creators, we feel that CGE allows us to tap into the best of both worlds. We get to create The Red Star the way we always have, but then we also get to benefit from the market strength and marketing ingenuity of one of comics' movers and shakers." "The ball is really rolling now with the addition of The Red Star to the CGE family," said Ian M. Feller, Director Business Development for CG Entertainment and Code 6 Comics. "We couldn't be happier to have such an incredible bunch of people associated with this new entity. CGE has only just been announced and the response to it has been overwhelming. It sure seems that there are a lot of creators looking for someplace new to bring their projects." CROSSGEN GOES TO CHINA CrossGeneration Comics Becomes Only Western Publisher to be Granted Permission To Publish Comics in China TAMPA, FL., June 24, 2002 - CrossGeneration Comics has struck an exclusive deal with the Chinese publisher Dian Shi Tang, one of China's largest publishers, to begin publishing CrossGen's entire line of titles in August, 2002. Dian Shi Tang is one of the five largest publishers in China, and the only one of those five that is not government-owned, publishing more than 300 titles in 2001. The company has good experience with publications from the U.S., having handled such titles as, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" and "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus." The company currently possesses distribution deals in more than 100 cities around China. This deal with Dian Shi Tang grants CrossGen exclusivity, making CrossGen the only U.S. comics publisher whose titles will be published by Dian Shi Tangs in China. "This is a big one," said CrossGen CEO and Publisher Mark Alessi. "We've been blazing a trail around the world, with our titles licensed in 31 countries and in 11 languages, but breaking through in China is a barrier we never thought we'd overcome this early in our business." The deal was brokered by executives with Enorbus Technologies, one of China's largest wireless entertainment companies. Enorbus currently has a licensing agreement with CrossGen to produce wireless games and icons for the worldwide mobile phone marketplace. Being based in China, Enorbus leveraged its knowledge of CrossGen's product line with its own business contacts in the Chinese publishing community to help bring about the licensed publishing arrangement with Dian Shi Tang. Enorbus has also brokered meetings with Chinese-based Web portals that will jointly work with CrossGen and Dian Shi Tang to eventually bring a Chinese version of CrossGen's Comics on the Web to China's major Web portals. "We believe that with the right promotion, we can make CrossGen the next big thing from America," said Ms. Sun Yi Xue, President of Dian Shi Tang. "These are some of the most beautiful comics we have seen from just about any country from around the world, and the stories are so universal, we believe that CrossGen will be a big hit in China." CrossGeneration, Clear Channel click in online partnership June 21, 2002 By Chris Marlowe CrossGeneration Comics has launched a partnership with Clear Channel Radio that brings its new-media strategy full circle. Visitors to selected Clear Channel station Web sites are invited to become CrossGen Comics on the Web subscribers in a project the companies consider to be mutually beneficial. With the current success of "Spider-Man" and "Blade 2," the companies feel that audience interest in comics is high, and therefore the partnership launched Friday is well timed for maximum impact. A market test of the idea in Florida was successful enough to warrant a national rollout, according to Andy Friedman, content director at Clear Channel Radio Interactive. MIX 100.7 FM, station WMTX in Tampa, Fla., tried the idea out on its popular "Mix Morning Show" with Nancy Alexander and Mike Reeves. Friedman said the station noticed that a significant number of its Web site visitors chose to click through to CrossGen Comics on the Web. CrossGeneration Comics vp Tony Panaccio said the increase in traffic was noticeable from his company's side, too. About 11 comic books are available free of charge on the CrossGen site. Subscriptions to the rest of the library cost $1 a month for unlimited access, a price that is scheduled to rise a dollar toward the end of next year, when CrossGen's online library reaches more than 370 issues. Panaccio said that stations can put as much or as little as they like into the partnership, with a corresponding amount of success. He suggests that stations could use the free section of CrossGen for scavenger hunt competitions, for example, asking listeners to list five characters from Comics on the Web who can fly. "It drives traffic to your site, builds loyalty, gets your audience involved -- and it's fun," Panaccio said. "The possibilities are endless, and we're working on future promotional packages as well." Stations are under no obligation to participate. "It's up to each individual station to decide if they want to take advantage of the opportunity," Friedman said. "It's one more thing we're offering our radio stations for the Web sites. We give them the parts; they decide what they want and what suits their audience and their identity." The subscription fee is divided between the partner companies. Clear Channel also gets half of the advertising avails built into Comics on the Web to sell. Consumers who subscribe through the Clear Channel link also must continue to use that portal, which will drive up ad impressions. "Besides the economic incentive, it's another way for stations to connect with their listeners," Friedman said. There are incentives for the on-air talent too. Any personality who drives more than 100 paid memberships to Comics on the Web will appear as a character in a CrossGen Comic, both in print and then later in the Web versions. Panaccio envisions this as something that a station could turn into an entire publicity campaign. "For us, the idea is that people will be able to read the stories from the beginning, and then once they're hooked, they'll pick up new issues at the retail level," Panaccio said. "Some of these people haven't seen a comic book in 10 years." Nearly 6% of the people who view the free content decide to subscribe, more than triple the typical conversion rate of other subscription online content. In addition to the online activities, CrossGeneration Comics has a development deal with Michael Uslan, executive producer of the "Batman" movie franchise. So far, that has resulted in agreements with Threshold Entertainment and Craven/Maddelena Pictures (HR 5/13). Uslan will be executive producer on all CrossGen licensed feature film and television projects. +++++ Comics Legendary Artist Neal Adams To Kick Off The Victorian: Act III In August Houston, TX -- June 2002 -- Penny-Farthing Press (PFP) recently commissioned comics legend Neal Adams to paint a cover for The Victorian #14 slated for an August 2002 release. Issue #14 will kick off The Victorian, Act III: Self-Estrangement PFP announced this month. Returning to the series will be Act II writer Len Wein (X-Men, Swamp Thing, Batman the Animated Series), penciler Claude St. Aubin (Green Lantern), inker Mostafa Moussa (Iron Wings, Violent Messiahs), and colorist Chris Chuckry (Gen 13, Superman, Star Wars). The Victorian creator and developer, Trainor Houghton, will continue to direct the series he launched at Comic-Con International in 1998. In The Victorian, Act III: Self-Estrangement, readers will discover the mystery behind the Victorian's identity and Ballarι's plot for financial and political tyranny. Favorite characters like Winston FitzRandolph and Eudora Kincaid return as well to lead readers on a chase through New Orleans. Houghton, exclaimed, "It's an exciting time at Penny-Farthing Press. When we began the series in 1998, I wanted to assemble a creative team of talented people that really clicked. The story is reaching new heights, look for some intriguing twists in Act III." The story arc of The Victorian follows a five-act format much like a Shakespearean drama and features a decreasing number of issues in each subsequent act Houghton explained. Some of the artists featured in the series have included Jim Steranko, Doug Beekman, Bernie Wrightson, Tim Bradstreet, Michael Kaluta, and Rick Berry. Michael Kaluta and Rick Berry each won Spectrum Silver Awards for their cover work for The Victorian. Act III will continue to showcase Canadian penciler Claude St. Aubin who took over penciling duties for comics veteran Jim Baikie (Tomorrow Stories) in Act II. "St. Aubin proved to be a nice fit for the romantic writing style of comics and television writer Len Wein," Houghton added. St. Aubin and Wein have collaborated to bring a new lyrical look to The Victorian that is enhanced by the bold inking and embellishing skills of Mostafa Moussa. Rounding out the cast is Chris Chuckry who gives The Victorian its moody, painterly feel. Since 1998, PFP's The Victorian has found a cult following and has warranted the production of two graphic novels, The Victorian: Act I, Self-Realization and The Victorian: Act II, Self-Immolation. PFP's Zendra 2.0: Heart of Fire Creative Team Heats Up In July Hot Cover Artists Mike Lopez, Keu Cha, and Richard Bennett Showcased Houston, TX – April 9, 2002 – Penny-Farthing Press (PFP) recently revealed its popular sci-fi title Zendra, returning in July as a six- issue mini-series called Zendra 2.0: Heart of Fire, will feature hot new cover artists Mike Lopez, Keu Cha, and Richard Bennett along with the original creative team members. Again featuring the crisp writing of Eisner Award-winning editor Stuart Moore, Zendra 2.0: Heart of Fire will focus on the adventures of HALLE, the Human Analog Life-Link Experiment and her new life on the planet Zendra. "The scope of this Zendra mini-series is different from the first," Moore revealed. "Where the previous story arc relied on action-intensive events, Heart of Fire features psychological warfare. But action fans won't be disappointed. There are plenty of battle scenes to keep even hard-core action lovers happy. Martin Montiel does a marvelous job of rendering high-tech action." Moore currently works with Marvel Comics as an editor on the Marvel Knights comics line, as well as such titles as Daredevil, The Punisher, Elektra, Alias, Wolverine/Hulk, and Captain America. Pulling double duty as the co-creator/penciller Martin Montiel returns to his creation with Witchblade work under his belt. He also designed a new look for HALLE that will show how she has changed in the year since the first mini-series. "I'm really excited to be back on this project," Montiel says. "The production standards at Penny-Farthing Press are very high, and I'm happy with the team." In addition to Moore and Montiel, J.C. Buelna, also a co-creator, will ink the six-part mini-series and Mike Garcia (Top Ten, Tom Strong, Gen 13) will provide digital coloring. Each issue will feature a gatefold cover and a three-to-four page back- story spotlighting the supporting characters of the mini-series. Red-Hot Talents Buddy Scalera and Joe Chiodo Heat-Up PFP's Decoy Mini- Series Relaunch Houston, TX -- February 25, 2002 -- By popular demand, Penny-Farthing Press (PFP) announced recently the relaunch of their out-of-this-world comics title, Decoy, along with a hot, new creative team. Decoy, Storm of the Century mini-series featuring in-demand Marvel writer Buddy Scalera and red-hot cover artist Joe Chiodo ships July 2002. Highlighting the action-filled, sometimes humorous adventures of a little, green, shape-shifting alien called Decoy and the rookie cop he befriends. Decoy has been a popular title at PFP since it first hit retailers in 1999. Returning as penciler, Decoy creator Courtney Huddleston credited PFP's policy of tapping into the some of the most exciting talent in the industry and its high-quality production standards has resulted in the best Decoy yet. "For the new mini-series," Huddleston revealed, "I wanted to explore new elements of Decoy and tap into a new audience. I enjoyed what Scalera did on Deadpool and felt he would bring the right mix of humor and weirdness to the book. PFP made this happen." Scalera wrote and co-wrote 10 issues of Marvels' Deadpool. His work also appears in X-Men Millennial Visions, Marvel Knights Millennial Visions, Marvel Millennial Visions, X-Men Unlimited, and portions of the recently announced Weapon X project. Scalera self-published the horror title Necrotic: Dead Flesh on a Living Body through After Hours Press as well. With Scalera's addition, the full-color mini-series marks a new, slightly darker direction for Decoy. Huddleston has drawn all six issues of Decoy as well as the self-titled Decoy trade paperback book. He also received writing credits for two, one-shot issues in 2000 and 2001. "I thought the new Decoy series needed a visual hook to entice new readers," Huddleston explained, "and nobody captures readers and the energy of Decoy like Joe Chiodo." Huddleston continues to draw all interior pages of Decoy, but has utilized the legendary talent of Joe Chiodo for cover work. Chiodo, recognized for his stunning painting achievements for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Wildstorm, also has received recognition through the Spectrum fantastic art anthology. While each issue will feature a gatefold cover by Chiodo, PFP signature gatefolds also contain bonus art by other popular artists. For Decoy, Huddleston revealed interior gatefold art by Violent Messiahs' Tone Rodriquez would be in the lead issue. In addition, readers jumping into the Decoy mini-series will be treated to a five-to-seven page backup story each issue, designed to recap early Decoy adventures and origin he said. Astonish Comics' Herobear and the Kid and Penny-Farthing Press' Decoy To Release Crossover Comic Field Trip Houston, TX -- February 25, 2002 -- Based on an earlier collaboration, a two-issue crossover comic, Field Trip, will combine characters from PFP's Decoy and Astonish Comics' Herobear and the Kid. Published by PFP, the first issue of Field Trip ships in July 2002 and the second ships in October, the companies announced recently. For Field Trip, Decoy creator Courtney Huddleston will share writing and penciling responsibilities with Herobear and the Kid creator Mike Kunkel. Field Trip will feature Kunkel's signature black and white, spot-color format. Huddleston explained, "The Field Trip collaboration is an opportunity of a life-time. I've been a fan of Herobear and the Kid since Mike Kunkel released his first issue. This two-part issue is fantastic." The partnership allows both creator/artists to show their versatility as well as their strengths in the unique publication. Both Decoy and Herobear share similar audiences that make the crossover a compatible collaboration. Targeted for a younger demographic, both comics have found wide readership with adults and children alike. Themes of justice, innocence, and ethics prevail in each story and provide a sound basis for entertainment. Kunkel revealed, "I took more time than usual to write the story for Field Trip. I wanted the story to contain all of the charm of Herobear and the Kid along with the fun and action of Decoy; I think we succeeded. Fans of either series should be happy with Field Trip. The story features the meeting of crime-fighting duos, Bobby Luck and Decoy, and Herobear and Tyler, and follows them as they solve a mysterious crime. The release of Field Trip is timed to coincide with the July launch of PFP's Decoy: Storm of the Century four-issue, mini-series. Since 1999, PFP's popular series Decoy has captivated children and adult audiences alike, and has warranted the production of a trade paperback book and two one shot issues published in 2000 and 2001. Penny-Farthing Press' comic book line includes The Victorian, Captain Gravity, and Zendra. Their line of children's books includes The Loch trilogy, also illustrated by Courtney Huddleston. Decoy: Storm of the Century will be distributed through Diamond Comics Distribution and other direct-market channels to comic book stores. Mike Kunkel's Herobear and the Kid hit the comics market in 2000, and received an Eisner Award nomination for Best Title for a Younger Audience and a Russ Manning Award nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. Since that time, the first four issues of the acclaimed series have sold out in each subsequent printing and the series has been named by Wizardworld.com as a "a great pick." In 2001 Kunkel received numerous nominations in the industry and was awarded Roll of Honor recognition through Lighthouse Awards as Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition. +++++ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Bright Red Rocket Releases "God Hates Cartoons." "God Hates Cartoons" - a DVD collection of animated shorts from stars of the alternative comic scene! NATIONWIDE, August 1, 2002 - Over an hour of outrageous fun! The first ever collection of its kind, "God Hates Cartoons" brings together some of the best names in alternative comics today. The stellar lineup includes Jim Woodring (Frank, The Book of Jim), Tony Millionaire (Maakies, Sock Monkey), Kaz (Underworld), Sam Henderson (The Magic Whistle, Humor Can Be Funny), Ivan Brunetti (Schizo, Haw!), Mark Newgarden (Garbage Pail Kids, B. Happy), Walt Holcombe (Poot, King of Persia), Tim Maloney (Underwear Girl) and Lance Myers. * Contents * Ivan Brunetti & Tim Maloney "Diaper Dyke and Captain Boyf***" - 4 segments Too sick and twisted for Spike & Mike! The wacky adventures of America's sickest odd couple-- earth-loving lesbian Diaper Dyke and her boy-loving roommate, Captain Boyf***. Based on characters from Brunetti's popular comic, Schizo, you can sing along with the catchy theme song as our two heroes look for their butt plugs, talk about preemies, and bitch at each other! Sam Henderson "Lonely Robot Duckling" Poor little lonely robot duckling. All he wants is a friend. A friend who will love him, be his good buddy, and who will pee on stuff with him! Our hero, the Businessman, can't resist those watery metal eyes and agrees to let this mechanical menace takes him on a pee spree! Walt Holcombe "The Courtship of Sniffy LaPants" Anyone who's had unrequited love will have a soft spot in their hearts for Sniffy LaPants, the awkward but lovable star of this touching cartoon. Sniffy falls in love with the Crazy Lady in the Well, but does he win her over? You'll have to watch the cartoon to find out. Kaz "Smoking Cat", "Nuzzle" Nuzzle's bought a bag of strange potato chips! A cat takes up an oral vice! These two vignettes are taken from Kaz's popular newspaper strip "Underworld," and showcase the usual crowd of losers, perverts, low- lifes and freaks that make it so worthwhile. Tim Maloney "Testiklιs", "My Friend God", "Cat-Head Theatre" "Testiklιs" stars the beautiful, but disobedient Greek horse graced by the largest balls ever seen in the animal kingdom. "My Friend God" features our superhero, God, in a fight to the death with the evil Bunny. And "Cat Head Theatre" is everything you can dream of when it comes to felines and Shakespeare. The Bard himself would be proud! Lance Myers "Gutsman" Introducing Gutsman: he's a hero who would just as soon slice you up as lock you up! When he confronts his nemesis - also armed with a scalpel - things get a little out of control. Chock full of body parts, Gustman will have you clenching your guts in laughter. Tony Millionaire "Maakies" - 6 segments Stars of Millionaire's popular strip come to life in these animated adventures. Drinky Crow, the alcoholic fowl, and his friend Uncle Gabby, the sea-faring monkey, take to the high seas and encounter mermaids, enemy cannon fire, haute cuisine, and the difficulty of catching rats. Mark Newgarden "Cartoons and You" Narrated by the soothing voice of Brian Dewan, "Cartoons and You" is a delightful explanation of how cartoons work and the dangers associated with them. After viewing this public service announcement, you too will want to "Use Cartoons Responsibly." Jim Woodring "Whimgrinder" Woodring's signature character, Frank, meets the moon-faced Whim and his terrifying device, the Whimgrinder. Good thing Frank has Pupshaw, his pet Godling, to keep the danger at bay! This black and white cartoon evokes the surreal animations of the Fleischers, but with an eerie touch only Woodring can provide. * About the Artists * Ivan Brunetti - www.ivanbrunetti.com Named after Ivan the Terrible, Brunetti was born in a small town in Italy on October 3, 1967. At the tender age of 8, he moved from his grandparents' Italian farm to the industrial South Side of Chicago; and has lived in this fair city ever since. He has worked at a series of unglamorous occupations, gone to college, fallen in love, and then watched his life unceremoniously crumble. Somewhere in there, he began drawing intensely personal, notoriously suicidal, and just-plain vile comics, perhaps as a reaction to bitter regrets and dashed idealistic hopes. He's actually a wistful, heartbroken, sweet-natured fellow. He now lives with 2 cats and an antique mannequin and has made his peace with the saha world and lives in relative harmony with the universe. Sam Henderson - www.indyworld.com/whistle Funnyman Sam Henderson has most recently been seen writing and directing for SpongeBob SquarePants. This Ignatz and Harvey Award- nominated cartoonist draws a book called The Magic Whistle (Alternative Comics). In addition to a regular strip in Nickelodeon magazine, Henderson's work has been featured in The New York Press, The Stranger, Comics Journal, Heavy Metal, Zero Zero, Word, and Screw. Walt Holcombe - www.sniffpants.com Born in San Antonio, TX in 1969, Walt Holcolmbe's first word was "flower," which explains a lot. After spending his miserable, formative years in the rural West Texas town of Pecos, Walt attended film school at the University of Texas at Austin, but discovered he was better suited to the solitary craft of cartooning. His graphic novel The King of Persia (Accordion Press) won him the Eisner and Xeric Awards, as well as the Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent in 1997. His credits include work on Space Jam, animation for Nickelodeon CD- ROMs, and his comic series, Poot (Fantagraphics). Declared a "National Treasure" by President Jimmy Carter in 1977, Walt now lives in beautiful Los Angeles with his cat, Eartha Kitty. Kaz - www.kazunderworld.com Born in Hoboken New Jersey, Kaz studied comics under Art Spiegelman and contributed to the early issues of Raw magazine. His work was eventually collected into Buzzbomb. His illustrations have been seen in Entertainment Weekly, Esquire, Details, The New Yorker, GQ and Screw. Kaz's weekly comic strip Underworld was nominated for a Harvey Award in 1996 and 1997. His latest works can be seen on SpongeBob SquarePants, in the children's book Little Lit (Harper Collins), and the book collections of Underworld comics (Fantagraphics). Tim Maloney - www.nakedrabbit.com Tim Maloney escaped the cornfields of the Midwest for the charming horizons of Los Angeles. An alumnus of both Northwestern University and USC's film schools, Maloney has been making cartoons and films for almost a decade. His accolades include directing Mrs. Munger's Class for Disney's One Saturday Morning. He can also eat solid uranium without any harmful effects. Lance Myers - www.lancefever.com Born in Lubbock, TX in 1971, Roland Lance Myers became Lance Fever 22 years later when he moved to Austin and began drawing naughty cartoons. When hunger gets the better of him, animator Myers has to tear himself away from his own projects to work on such respectable ones as Space Jam, Anastasia, Prince of Egypt, and most recently, the video game Turok 4. Tony Millionaire - www.maakies.com Tony Millionaire is the creator of the comic strip Maakies. A hardcover collection of his most recent strips, The House at Maakies Corner (Fantagraphics) will be published in the fall of 2002. His new children's book, Sock Monkey: The Glass Doorknob (Dark Horse) will also be released soon. Millionaire lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter. Mark Newgarden - http://www.laffpix.com Creator of the Garbage Pail Kids, Newgarden had long proclaimed the cheap novelty as the true art form for the 21st century and has unleashed a torrent of warped and weird gimmicks for everyone from Pee- Wee Herman to your local fast food trough. Newgarden has blemished an incredibly diverse array of publications from Raw to The New York Times. His work has also graced such venues as the Smithsonian, The Cooper- Hewitt, The Brooklyn Museum, the Society of Illustrators, & the ICA in London. In 1997, he served as story director on The Stinky Cheese Man & recently completed 4 episodes of B. Happy for cartoonnetwork.com. His animated pilot/holiday special Santax is currently being developed for the Cartoon Network. Jim Woodring - www.jimwoodring.com Born in L.A. in 1952, Woodring enjoyed a childhood of hallucinations and other psychological malfunctions. After barely graduating high school, Woodring worked as a garbage man and lived in picturesque squalor as he set out to capture his inner life in words and pictures. In 1980, he self-published JIM, containing drawings and stories from his indelible childhood (later published by Fantagraphics). Eventually, he landed a job in an L.A. animation studio where he made some of the worst cartoons this degraded planet has ever seen. His work has been featured in Kenyon Review, World Art Magazine, and Zoetrope, to name a few. At present, he is working on the 5th issue of Frank and lives in Seattle with his family and residual phenomena. * About Bright Red Rocket - www.brightredrocket.com * Bright Red Rocket is a company created by artists for artists. Organized to bring greater freedoms and rights to artists, Bright Red Rocket's mission is to give the widest distribution to the best-kept secrets in creative efforts today. Additional information and downloadable art can be found at www.brightredrocket.com. +++++ DOCTORS DISCOVER FUTURE X-MAN? Mutant Found In Kazakhstan? Hey, True Believer! You know how they say that truth can be stranger than fiction? Well it looks like that's the case, as the following was reported this weekend in the New York Post in their "Weird But True" column: "Doctors in Kazakhstan have made a hairy discovery. A team of physicians in the former Soviet republic is baffled after finding a 6-year-old boy covered head-to-toe in apelike hair. The boy, identified only by his first name, Ablay, was discovered in the village of Terymagash, a remote, mountainous hamlet. Doctors report that Ablay also has 'surprising mobility, flexibility, sociability, a kind of special intuition and a unique sense of direction.' The doctors believe nuclear radiation or a genetic disorder may be responsible for Ablay's condition." Sounds like a case for Dr. Henry McCoy and Professor X! MARVEL ROARS INTO THE WINDY CITY! Top Creators & Editors Storm Wizard World Chicago! Hey, True Believer! The gang in the Bullpen -- and the most-popular creators in the biz -- are once again assembling at Wizard World Chicago! From noon on Friday, July 5th through 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 7th, the Marvel booth will -- like it did at Wizard World Philly -- bbe rockin' with the biggest crowd at the show. Why? Because -- since we've rethought how we run our con appearances -- we can now spend moolah not on fancy schmancy display cases or spinning signs, but on what you really want to see: more cool creators! Just feast your eyes on this rambunctious roster of talent that will be signing for free at the Marvel booth: JOHN CASSADAY (Captain America) SEAN CHEN (Wolverine) DAVID FINCH (The Call of Duty: The Brotherhood) GREG HORN (Elektra, Deadline) RICHARD ISANOVE (Origin & Daredevil: Yellow) GEORGES JEANTY (Weapon X) PAUL JENKINS (Peter Parker: Spider-Man) GEOFF JOHNS (Avengers) ADAM KUBERT (Ultimate X-Men) ANDY KUBERT (Origin) JAE LEE (Fantastic Four: 1234) JEPH LOEB (Daredevil: Yellow & Spider-Man: Blue) ALEX MALEEV (Daredevil) TOM MANDRAKE (The Call of Duty: The Precinct) DANNY MIKI (Ultimate X-Men) HUMBERTO RAMOS (Peter Parker: Spider-Man) MARK WAID (Fantastic Four) RON ZIMMERMAN (Spider-Man's Get Kraven) And best of all, if you don't feel like luggin' around back issues for these titans to sign, we'll once again be giving away the MARVEL 2002 CONVENTION PREVIEW BOOK, which features the official Mighty Marvel Autograph Section! If that's not enough for ya, we're also bringing almost the entire Marvel Editorial Team, including Axel Alonso (Amazing Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Force, etc.), Tom Brevoort (Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, etc.), C.B. Cebulski (Marvel Mangaverse, X-Men Unlimited, etc.), John Miesegaes (Peter Parker: Spider-Man, Tangled Web, etc.), Mike Raicht (Weapon X, Black Panther, Exiles, etc.), Brian Smith (Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, The Ultimates, etc.) and our very own EIC Joe Quesada! And I even heard that our crazy Prez, Bill Jemas himself, will be stirring things up too! And all you hopeful creators are in luck, because word is that the editorial crew will be looking for the next big star, so make sure to stop by the Marvel booth bright and early to sign up for our official portfolio review! Last year we picked two lucky souls to write and draw Wolverine stories -- and you could be next! Last but not least, below is a day-by-day listing of our star-studded signings and panels! SIGNINGS: FRIDAY, JULY 5TH 12:00 - 2:00 THE MARVEL KNIGHTS & MAX John Cassaday Greg Horn Jae Lee Jeph Loeb Alex Maleev 2:00 - 4:00 THE X-MEN Sean Chen Richard Isanove Georges Jeanty Adam Kubert Andy Kubert Danny Miki 4:00 - 6:00 SPIDER-MAN + JOE! Paul Jenkins Joe Quesada Humberto Ramos Ron Zimmerman 6:00 - 8:00 HEROES David Finch Geoff Johns Bruce Jones Tom Mandrake Mark Waid SATURDAY, JULY 6TH 10:30 - 12:00 HEROES David Finch Geoff Johns Bruce Jones Tom Mandrake Mark Waid 12:00 - 2:00 THE MARVEL KNIGHTS & MAX John Cassaday Greg Horn Jae Lee Jeph Loeb Alex Maleev 2:00 - 4:00 THE X-MEN Sean Chen Richard Isanove Georges Jeanty Adam Kubert Andy Kubert Danny Miki 4:00 - 6:00 SPIDER-MAN + JOE! Paul Jenkins Joe Quesada Humberto Ramos Ron Zimmerman SUNDAY, JULY 7TH 10:30 - 12:00 THE X-MEN Sean Chen Richard Isanove Georges Jeanty Adam Kubert Andy Kubert 12:00 - 2:00 HEROES David Finch Geoff Johns Bruce Jones Mark Waid 2:00 - 4:00 THE MARVEL KNIGHTS & MAX John Cassaday Greg Horn Jae Lee Jeph Loeb Alex Maleev 4:00 - 5:00 SPIDER-MAN + JOE! Paul Jenkins Joe Quesada Humberto Ramos Ron Zimmerman MIGHTY MARVEL PANELS: FRIDAY, JULY 5TH 2:30 - 3:30: The Marvel Knights & MAX! Take a walk down Marvel's mean streets as John Cassaday (Captain America), Jae Lee (Captain America), Jeph Loeb (Spider-Man: Blue), Alex Maleev (Daredevil) and Sr. Editor Axel Alonso answer your questions! SATURDAY, JULY 6TH 11:00 - 12:30: Stan Lee Q & A! He was there when The Marvel Age of Comics began -- now he's watching his children leap to life on the silver screen! Spider-Man and Co. are leaping to new heights -- and this is your chance to rap with "The Man!" 12:30 - 2:00: Wizard School ρ 1-On-1 With Joe Quesada! How can you break into the biz? What kind of comics is Marvel interested in publishing over the next year? What's he really think of Bill Jemas? Find out as Marvel's EIC answers every question you throw his way! 2:30 - 4:00: Wizard School: World's Greatest Writer Mark Waid! He's written everyone from Captain America to Ka-Zar! And now Mark Waid is returning to The House to take the reigns on Fantastic Four! So pull up a chair and pick the brain of one of the industry's top scribes! 4:00 - 5:00: Swingin' With Spider-Man! His movie blasted apart the record books. His cartoon on MTV will have you climbing the walls. Now talk to Paul Jenkins (Peter Parker: Spider-Man), Humberto Ramos (Peter Parker: Spider-Man), Ron Zimmerman (Spider-Man: Get Kraven), and Sr. Editor Axel Alonso as Spidey conquers the world! SUNDAY, JULY 7TH 11:00 - 12:00: The X-Men & The Marvel Heroes! There's plenty of creative changes on the horizon for the X-Men, the FF, the Avengers and Marvel's varsity squad. Now you can get the lowdown straight from editors Tom Brevoort & Mike Raicht, Bruce Jones (Incredible Hulk), Sean Chen (Wolverine), Georges Jeanty (Weapon X), Geoff Johns (Avengers) and Mark Waid (Fantastic Four)! And remember, everyone who buys advance tickets gets -- for free -- WEAPON X #1/2, with the exclusive variant cover... which Georges Jeanty will happily sign for you! For tickets to Wizard World Chicago, call 1-800-328-6604 or go to wizardconventions.com. See you at the show! Your Man @ Marvel, Bill Rosemann Marketing Communications Manager Marvel Comics +++++ Garth Ennis, John McCrea Return for Dicks 2 at Avatar Avatar Press has announced that the characters that Garth Ennis calls his favorites of any he's ever created or written come back for more when Ennis and John McCrea resurrect their irreverent pair of private eyes, Dougie and Ivor, for Dicks 2. An all new, self-contained series written by Ennis and drawn by McCrea, Dicks 2 #1 is scheduled for release in September 2002 from Avatar Press. "I never forgot Dougie and Ivor, not once, not even with all the Preachers and Hitmans and Punishers and all the other stuff I've been doing down the years," says award-winning writer Garth Ennis. "They remain my all-time favorites of the characters I've written or created-- my pride and joy, the ongoing saga of two idiots from Belfast, by two idiots from Belfast." "Garth Ennis and John McCrea disgust me in new ways every day," adds fellow creator Warren Ellis. "If the streets are paved with gold, this is the shit on the sidewalk," agrees John McCrea's mum. John himself was not immediately available for comment as he was too embarrassed. "If the early reaction to this new material is any indication, Dicks is destined to take its place alongside Preacher as one of Garth's most notorious works," laughs Avatar editor in chief William Christensen. "A preview of the cover art of issue #1 alone created a minor scandal at the Bristol convention earlier this year, not to mention the promotional custom-printed Dicks condoms that McCrea gleefully handed out at the convention-- those will be available with a retailer incentive offer, incidentally. But on a more serious note, I'm just pleased that Avatar is playing a part in getting the continuing adventures of Garth and John's favorite creator- owned characters out to their fans with this brand new, stand- alone epic." As Ennis implied above, this new beginning for the Dicks has been a long time in the making-- over a decade, in fact. Dicks protagonists Dougie and Ivor first appeared and began to take shape in Troubled Souls, a story first serialized in seminal British anthology Crisis in early 1989, putting it among the earliest professional works of both creators. Dougie and Ivor's antics took center stage in the 1990 sequel titled For a Few Troubles More. The first actual Dicks series appeared in 1996 and was brought back into print with new material by Avatar as Bigger Dicks in early 2002. Dicks 2 will feature all new material in a self-contained, new-reader-friendly saga of the further adventures of Dougie and Ivor. Avatar Press is a comic book publisher which has carved a niche for itself as a company that pushes the boundaries between mainstream and independent by working with creators such as Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, Steven Grant, and Tim Vigil. The company has published over 300 comic books since 1997. Dicks 2 is a four-issue stand-alone mini series by Garth Ennis and John McCrea beginning in September 2002 from Avatar Press. Issue #1 will be available in regular, offensive, and retailer-incentive condom edition with new cover art and Dicks promotional condom included. For more information, email info@avatarpress.net or see our web site at www.avatarpress.com. +++++ Recently Science Fiction & Fantasy authors participated in a very special Superhero feature. This feature was created for the Del Rey Internet Newsletter (DRIN). We thought you might enjoy hearing their comments. FEATURE The highly anticipated SPIDER-MAN movie leaped from comic book to record book, becoming the first movie to hit $100 million in its first weekend. Here at Del Rey, as the official publisher of SPIDER-MAN and film tie-in projects, we've been talking a great deal about superheroes in general, and--more specifically--the central theme of the entire SPIDER-MAN mythos, the wisdom that Peter Parker's wise uncle Ben imparts to him before his own death: "With great power comes great responsibility." Since the events of last September, the ideas behind the story of SPIDER-MAN seem ironically relevant. We've been confronted on almost a daily basis with startling examples of both megalomaniacal abuses of power as well as extraordinary feats of real-life super-heroism, and sometimes we wish that a good guy in a red-and-blue mask really could sweep down and take care of our poor battered city. All of this got us to thinking: what do other writers think about superheroes? What are their memories and experiences of superheroes? Do the modern myths of comic book superheroes serve a greater purpose in our everyday lives? As part of a special issue of the Del Rey Internet Newsletter focusing on SUPERHEROES, we've put together a short list of four questions about superheroes and superheroism. Here are the responses to the first question. You can read the replies to the other questions by clicking on the links immediately following the text below: QUESTION #1: As a child, who was your favorite superhero and why? (Comic book, television or otherwise) Click here to read replies: http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/inbox/DRINSuperHero1.html QUESTION #2: If you could be any superhero in the world, who would you choose to be and why? Click here to read replies: http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/inbox/DRINSuperHero2.html QUESTION #3: Have you ever been a superhero to anyone else in your life? How did you feel? Click here to read replies: http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/inbox/DRINSuperHero3.html QUESTION #4: Has anyone ever been a real superhero to you? Who were they and how did they affect you? Click here to read replies: http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/inbox/DRINSuperHero4.html +++++ Wizard #131 unveils The Truth behind the first Black Captain America CONGERS, N.Y. -- Wizard Entertainment is proud to announce that the next issue of Wizard: The Comics Magazine, #131, will premiere the very first appearance of Marvel Comics' African American Captain America. This issue will provide exclusive news from Marvel's Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada and artwork behind this ambitious new project, which will be called The Truth. Quesada also creates a powerful image of this new Captain America on the cover to this issue of Wizard magazine. Wizard Entertainment Chairman Gareb Shamus remarked, "I'm very excited to be able to break the story on such an exciting new project for Marvel in the pages of Wizard." Wizard: The Comics Magazine #131 will go on sale June 26th at comic book specialty stores and on July 9th at newsstands everywhere. +++++ From the SPLASH PAGE of Comicon.com at: http://www.comicon.com/splash/ ALA HOSTS COMIC CREATORS! LIBRARIANS LOVE GRAPHIC NOVELS! Special To The SPLASH By Sara Ryan June 24: It was June 14th in Atlanta. Neil Gaiman was there. So were Jeff Smith and Colleen Doran. Also reps from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, TokyoPop, Image, CrossGen, the CBLDF, Diamond, and Book Wholesalers Incorporated, among others. Oh, and Art Spiegelman did his first ever post-Pulitzer presentation sans cigarettes. (He did have Nicorette gum, however.) But there wasn't a dealer's room or an artist's alley, and nobody, not even Steve Lieber, was doing portfolio reviews. So what was this show? It was "Getting Graphic @ Your Library," a full- day preconference put on by the YOUNG ADULT LIBRARY SERVICES ASSOCIATION, as part of the AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION's Annual Conference. One hundred seventy five librarians learned about the history of comics, censorship and intellectual freedom issues, how to promote graphic novels once you've got them into your book collection, how to catalog them so that people can find them, and what manga you should buy if you don't know Japanese. The publishers and distributors were very generous. All the librarians who attended received huge bags of swag: Bone action figures, Simpsons comics, the 911 Emergency Relief anthology, Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", Debbie Dreschler's "Summer of Love", Jay Hosler's "Clan Apis", Enki Bilal's "The Black Order Brigade" and "The Dormant Beast", single issues of "Bone" and "A Distant Soil", among many other titles. Not to mention the actual bag to carry it all in: courtesy of Dark Horse, featuring Sock Monkey and Drinky Crow. Librarians across the country are putting graphic novels into their collections -- sometimes specifically for teenagers, sometimes for adults and kids as well -- and finding that there's a huge demand for the format. "It's a format, not a genre" was one of the refrains of the day, as people learned the breadth of material available. Several people also used the phrase "tipping point" -- from Malcolm Gladwell's book, "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference", which is about ideas and trends spreading through our culture like epidemics. People said that when these librarians went back to their libraries, they could really push comics and graphic novels to new audiences, and even help to give the format more mainstream credibility. There are nearly 9,000 public libraries in the United States -- that's public library *systems*, each of which may have dozens of branches -- and there are 98,000 school libraries. That's a lot of places for people to discover comics and graphic novels. There'll be another focus on graphic novels in libraries during the week of October 13-19. That's Teen Read Week, and the theme of Teen Read Week this year is GET GRAPHIC @ YOUR LIBRARY -- yes, just like the theme for the preconference. Many libraries will celebrate the week with programs featuring comic book writers, illustrators and fans. So if you don't know your local librarian, introduce yourself. Experts on comics and graphic novels are getting more and more valuable for librarians to know. +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.comicon.com/Newsarama/ Winner of the 2001 Squiddy - Best General Comics Web Site HARLEY QUINN GETS NEW CREATIVE TEAM IN NOV By the character's very nature, the life of DC's Harley Quinn has always been chaotic. The DCU's femme fatale in clown garb gets another changeup later this year when Harley Quinn gets an top-to-bottom creative team changeover. While the former art team of Terry and Rachel Dodson have already stepped down to tackle Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do at Marvel, writer Karl Kesel will follow with issue #25, making way for the new creative team of writer Andy Lieberman, penciler Mike (The Coffin Huddleston, and inker Troy (Trout) Nixey to debut with November's #26. "BY THE POWER OF IMAGE": Image Comics Lands He-man Image Comics has finally officially confirmed what was announced by Mattel at a recent NYC licensing convention. They've not only confirmed MV Creations has obtained the exclusive license to develop comics based on He-man and the Masters Of The Universe, but that MV Creations will publish through Image. The initial new series will begin this November. "We couldn't be more pleased to add Masters Of The Universe to the Image roster," commented Image Publisher/Vice-President Jim Valentino. "We hit one out of the park and sparked the '80s nostalgia boom last year with the return of GI JOE, followed that up with Micronauts and Battle Of The Planets, and this makes it a grand slam!" "It's a dream come true for all of us here," said Val Staples, President of MV Creations. "We've been working closely with Mattel via our Website www.he-man.org for almost two years to relay important brand news to the fans. Then, early this spring we completed a special promotional comic and other exciting promotional items to be released later this year with the toy line. Producing the new comic series was more than we ever could have hoped for." Masters Of The Universe will make its debut at Image Comics as a four- issue limited series that is centered around the upcoming new animated cartoon feature by Mike Young Productions airing in August during the Toonami block on Cartoon Network. According to Image, the new comic book series will approach the stories from a "more mature angle, with intense action and emotional depth". After the conclusion of the initial Cartoon Network special depicting the never-before-told story of how Prince Adam become He-Man, a regular series will launch, focusing on the saga of the Masters Of The Universe, "exploring the individuality of popular characters while introducing fans and collectors to the less-than-campy side of this well-loved franchise." "The direction of the story and the quality of the art is very important to Mattel," Staples noted. "They are mindful of the fans, and they do not want to limit the creative possibilities of the comic. This makes producing the series even more enjoyable for the entire creative team. "While the comic must revolve around the saga of the new toy line and cartoon, the story within won't be treated as just a rehash of the past. We will explore areas fans have wondered about for years, and the comic will lead up to things no one ever expected." Masters Of The Universe will be written by Staples with some unidentified "surprise guest writers" also contributing over the course of the series. Penciling the series is Italian artist Emiliano Santalucia, joined by inker Marco Failla, also from Italy. Colors are by Jason Keith and lettering will be handled by Dreamer Design. Masters Of The Universe #1 will feature three covers: one by Santalucia, one by cover artist/80's revival go-to-guy J. Scott Campbell, and a special wrap around cover by painter Earl Norem. Many longtime Masters Of The Universe fans may recall that Norem painted the posters/covers for the old Masters Of The Universe magazine, and Image reports he's coming out of retirement specifically to be part of the series' relaunch. "We are very excited to have Image Comics and MV Creations on board for the relaunch of Masters of the Universe," said Mattel's Marketing Director, Geoff Walker. "This is one of the largest action figure launches in Mattel's history. The role of comic books in extending the storyline to our fans is very important. Image and MV Creations have shown the passion for He-man that we believed necessary to create an incredible comic. Additionally, fans of J. Scott Campbell and Earl Norem are in for a special treat with their interpretations of He-man." MILLER's BOOK OF 'SIN': The Art of Sin City Readers still analyzing and debating the evolution of Frank Miller's art can look forward to another volume to fuel the discourse in addition to July's concluding issue of The Dark Knight Strikes Again. In October, Dark Horse will publish Frank Miller: The Art Of Sin City, a 128-page hardcover volume featuring both published, unpublished and never-seen-by-the-public art from the Sin City series which began n 1991, and has sold over 236k graphic novels in the last five years alone. The cloth-bound, 9"x12" coffee table book printed on glossy 100lb coated paper will feature items ranging preliminary sketches to promotional pieces, and includes an intro by comics historian R.C. Harvey. "One of the reasons I want to do The Art of Sin City is to get across this feeling that as an editor, I'm kinda blessed," explained editor Diana Schutz in an interview on the Dark Horse website. "When Frank sends in his original art - and it's big, his art is big - it's big and it's brash and it's bold - and I open the package and I have these giant, beautiful pages of art in front of me. And I'm not reading the story anymore, I'm just completely overwhelmed - it's an aesthetic experience - and that's what I want to give to readers and fans. Because Frank doesn't sell his original artwork, or at least not much of it, and what does get sold is extremely expensive. So I thought, if I do a big coffee table art book, that will help give that kind of experience to his fans." Miller will also be involved in another upcoming though unscheduled Dark Horse project. Recently, the publisher flew Miller to Florida to spend time with Will Eisner, so the two of them could have a two-day conversation about their approach to comics and comics storytelling that Dark Horse will edit and publish. Schutz compares the idea for to the book to 1967's Hitchcock/Truffaut, a seminal film studies book. "Once a few years back, in San Diego, I spent the night in the bar of a hotel sandwiched between Frank and Will, and in those few hours I listened to them do exactly that - talk to each other about their approach to comics and argue, and go back and forth, and agree and disagree," recalled Schutz. "Even though at that point I'd been editing comics for some 16 or more years, that was probably one of the most instructive nights I have ever spent, just listening to the two of them go at it head to head." 'JIM LEE SKETCHBOOK' INCENTIVE OFFERED DC has announced a special 'Jim Lee' incentive for retailers ordering [initial orders only] Gen13 #1, 21 Down #1 and The Resistance #1, the premiere issues of three new Wildstorm regular series, all debuting in September. For every combined total of 40 copies ordered of the three titles, retailers will receive a bonus - a copy of the Jim Lee Sketchbook. This new, 16-page, color publication showcases characters and concepts from Jim Lee's 10 years at WildStorm, including never-before-seen art from Lee's upcoming run on Batman. DC added there are no plans to make the Jim Lee Sketchbook [which will be in stores September 25th] available in any other place, so readers desiring a copy should make plans with their retailers to acquire one. "I don't think anyone will be surprised to see that Jim's sketchbook work is every bit as exciting as his published comics," said Scott Dunbier, WildStorm Group Editor. "This peek at his private work will be a thrill for fans while also helping to get three very cool books off to a strong start." "I really think Gen13, 21 Down and The Resistance are terrific books, and the sketchbook is my way of giving them my personal endorsement," said Jim Lee. +++++ 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.] Goodbyeeeeeee That's right, folks, the last All The Rage at SilverBulletComicBooks by me. Next week, Ian Ungstad comes on board - and I hear he's got the first three columns complete already! He's got a host of good contacts and should be damn entertaining. I'm off to ComicBookResources, to launch a new rumour/gossip column entitled Lying In The Gutters, starting next Monday. Come by and check out the new pad. Until then, it's been a lot of fun. And be nice to Ian, and please don't sue him. Sue Jason Brice instead. Thunder Clap There's also been developments on last week's story about Thunderbolts editor Andrew Lis recruiting John Arcudi to replace Fabian Nicieza as part of a Thunderbolts revamp. Privately, Lis has been comparing his revamp to that of X-Force and wants it to have the same impact. This new direction and John Arcudi's first issue will be #76. This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Lab Closure? John Byrne recently posted the news to the John Byrne Message Board that, he's been talking to DC editor and vice president, Mike Carlin about a Generations 3 series, following his previous Elseworlds real- time DC universe set across different generations. Stating that the project is a step closer to reality, there is discussion over schedule and format - with a possible change to the latter. Byrne also reported that after talking to Carlin, it seems that Lab Rats may well be drawing to a close, however. To read John's post, click here. This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 Losing Cable I hear that, yes, Nathan Summers will indeed be the star of Soldier X. I hear that the Newsarama interview with editor Andrew Lis (that name again) and Darko Macan was agreed to be intentionally vague - and that Darko has a comedy solution for the change from Cable to Soldier X in issue 2… This Has A Rumour Value Of 8 Out Of 10 They're Baaaaaack It was six years ago that country musicians Johnny and Edgar Winter sued DC Comics and comic creators Lansdale, Truman, and Glanzman over the Vertigo title Jonah Hex: Riders Of The Worm And Such, featuring the Autumn Brothers, characters that resembled them, appearing in a not-so- attractive light. They lost their case. But that was then. This time Johnny and Edgar are suing DC's owners, AOL Time Warner, and have been given legal cause to proceed. Click here for the story and here for a CBLDF summary of the last case six years ago. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Comic Book Colours I understand that Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb have been commissioned to do more 'early Marvel' titles, after the success of Daredevil: Yellow and Spider-Man: Blue. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Mini-Millar Mark Millar, who gained prominence at 2000AD, DC and Marvel as a co- writer with the more respected Grant Morrison, is now to pass that respect on. Currently writing Ultimate X-Men, The Ultimates and soon Youngblood, Millar is to take on an apprentice as a co-writer in the very near future. This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Co-Write My Arse Mark Millar wrote to clarify Sunday's Mini-Millar story. And, hopefully, to stop the flood of submissions he's been getting. Millar tells me, "In the interests of helping out some promising young newcomer, I'm going to be an ear on the end of the telephone / fount of wisdom, etc, in the ways of the industry for them, definitely NOT a co- writer. Co-writing is like co-acting; virtually impossible except in the most exceptional circumstances. I mean tell them who to pitch to, who to avoid, give them a buzz when I hear about a gig coming up and so on and even coaching them a little in terms of the actual craftmanship of the job." "The Hollywood studio system had something a little like this back in the thirties and forties; something more like a Big Brother scheme. It's something a couple of us had been talking about because there's hardly any good new talent coming into the system and I feel like a lot of the creators have pulled the ladder up behind them to a certain extent. There's a lot of good on-line talent out there and I think the current generation of creators should be passing on what they've learned to ensure that there even IS a new crop. I should stress, btw, that I've already selected who I'm Big Brothering so, please, direct proposals only to the editors." This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Art Mechanics The art team for Chris Claremont's upcoming MechaniX series starring Kitty Pryde are Juan Bobillo and Marcelo Sosav who drew a fill-in for Captain America #49 last year. The covers will be painted by a fashion designer. This Has A Rumour Value Of 6 Out Of 10 Don't Go Changing I understand that at the Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC, USA, last weekend, Mark Waid let it slip at an Fantastic Four panel that issues yet to be published before he takes over the book will remove Ben Grimm's ability to turn from human back to the Thing. "You won't be seeing that," he said. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Hell Fire Can't believe I forgot this. Mike Carey is the new writer of DC's upcoming Firestorm series. A long standing 2000AD writer, he currently writes the award winning Lucifer for DC/Vertigo and is about to take over Hellblazer. And I'll start buying it again. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Arnie To Play The Russian, Please The new Punisher movie going through the wheels of production at the moment, is based on the Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon twelve parter, Punisher: Welcome Back Frank, currently collected in the Punisher hardcover. This Has A Rumour Value Of 6 Out Of 10 Silent Glenn Glenn Fabry is working on a top secret project for Marvel. What it is, we don't know, all he can tell anyone is that it's top secret. In fact, he says he's encouraged to tell people that it's top secret - but that's all. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Hard Times For Marvel More Marvel hardcovers to come, in order, are X-Force, New X-Men, Hulk and Daredevil. The first three will collect the first twelve issues of each title after their respective revamps, while the Daredevil hardcover will collect the Bendis run. This Has A Rumour Value Of 7 Out Of 10 Allocation Nation Joe Quesada decided to email me about the whole "allocation of Fantastic Four #60" situation. Firstly, Joe clarified the playing field. "What's being announced is the obvious and a policy which we have for all our books. At any time, Marvel has the right to allocate any book it publishes. So why mention it in conjunction with FF #60. The reason is because we took a look at the Batman 10 Cent numbers and at Ultimate Spider-Man FCBD numbers and we put a number down on paper that we felt was approximately what retailers would order based upon what was ordered in the past. It was also a good gauge to figure out exactly how much we intended to lose on the promotion." Joe confirmed the rumour that the decision that Marvel may allocate was down to advance reorders - but it was the fear that they were too high rather than too low which caused it. "We were then shocked to find out, before we even solicited it, that someone was looking to order 300,000+ copies of the book. Well, that many copies is way above and beyond what any single retailer ever order on Batman 10 Cent and Ultimate Spider- Man FCBD. Now, this doesn't mean that we will not fulfill the 300,000 copies but this account will have to work out a separate deal than a retailer ordering a number close to what they did in the past. The logic behind it is of course that if several retailers order that large a number, we will lose a fortune. So if a retailer really wants to order way above and beyond what they ordered for these types of initiatives in the past, we will be more than happy to work out a deal in which we don't lose our shirts quite as much." Joe then clarified the situation for other retailers. "As for retailers that order close to past numbers, we will fill those orders completely. This has nothing to do with making the book collectable at all but it's a move to protect ourselves. The other part of the equation is that as of this moment, I don't even know what the orders are and I'm having my sales people look into it because they don't have it in front of them either. So to state that we did this because the orders were low is once again, unfair. Just the one 300,000 copy order will put us way over the top." Thanks for clarifying this story, Joe. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Superman, Where Are Yu Now Last week All The Rage wrote about an upcoming 12 issue Superman maxi- series written by Mark Waid. We've since learned that this series is to be drawn by the artist of the New X-Men Annual, Leinel Yu. This Has A Rumour Value Of 9 Out Of 10 Right! That's all folks! I'd like to give thanks to Joe Quesada, Paul Levitz, Bill Jemas, Mike Carlin, Bill Rosemann, Patty Jeres, William Christiansen, Warren Ellis, Peter David, Erik Larsen, John Byrne, Jim Valentino, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek, Dan Jurgens, Mike Doran, Matt Brady and all the many, many other comic book creators, editors, publicists, interns, publishers, retailers and readers who have made All The Rage what it is today. A pissy little gossip column that you can safely ignore. And special thanks go to Jason Brice and Mike Meyer for putting up with me for so long. Jonah, here I come! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Diamond Comic's Distributors NEWS RELEASES June 25, 2002 CONTACT: Andrew Smith, Marketing Manager Diamond Daily Content Schedule Announced Beginning on May 28, Diamond Comic Distributors took steps to improve e-mail communications with its customers, streamlining what had been multiple e-mails into a single "digest" e-mail sent out on a daily basis. The new e-mail, called Diamond Daily, contains news, information, and product updates that previously would have been sent individually. Each edition of Diamond Daily is broken up into sections for ease of use. Certain sections will always carry stories on particular days of the week (barring holidays or unforeseen circumstances). Retailers can expect to receive the following information each day in Diamond Daily Monday Diamond Daily Deal Retailer Shipping Lists Updated Consumer Shipping Lists Updated Previews Update Just Shipped list (product that shipped the previous week that is still in-stock) Liquidation Lists Tuesday Diamond Daily Deal Wednesday Diamond Daily Deal Product Updates Invoice Adjustments Price Changes Order Adjustments Diamond Top Line Check Your Orders Weekly Sales Charts Thursday Diamond Daily Deal Shipping Updates Authorized Returns Out of Print Future Returns Friday Diamond Daily Deal Order Increase Reminder for the coming week Back in Stock list New to Star list All other information is presented on an ad hoc and as-available basis, including breaking news, website updates, and more. Diamond looks forward to customer feedback on this timely and efficient source of information and news. Retailers are asked to answer this month's Info Please poll on page 123 of the Previews Retailer Order Form to register their opinion on Diamond Daily. If they have further suggestions beyond the scope of the poll, they should contact their Diamond Customer Service Representative or e-mail them to suggestions@diamondcomics.com. Star System Order Form Contains New DVD Section Beginning with Diamond Comic Distributors' July Star System Order Form (which ships in the July 10 issue of Diamond Dateline), DVDs are listed in their own section, rather than in the Videos section. "We made this change for two reasons,” said Diamond Brand Manager – Videos Brian McGeehan. "First, we wanted to respond to a number of customer requests that we have received on this topic in recent months. Second, as DVD sales are now beginning to rival – and in many cases surpass – video sales, we felt that they merited a section unto themselves, independent of video.” Previews Readership Survey Winner Announced In the July Previews, Diamond Comic Distributors announced John Winegar of Kingsport, TN, as the winner of its Previews 2002 Readership Survey. Winegar, whose name was randomly selected from all survey participants, won a $100.00 shopping spree at his favorite specialty shop, Dewayne's World in Kingsport, TN. Furthermore, Winegar also won $100.00 in Star System merchandise for the store itself. The Readership Survey published in the February Previews asked specialty shop consumers to answer a number of questions concerning general information, Previews, Previews Online, buying habits, and more. As a participation incentive, everyone who completed and returned the survey to Diamond by March 5 was automatically entered into the prize drawing. "The annual Readership Survey is designed to make Previews a better catalog, so every response received is appreciated,” said Diamond Previews Manager Marty Grosser. "Our thanks go out to everyone who took the time to complete the survey, and to the retailers who encouraged their customers to participate.” Diamond Improves Discount on Wacky Wobblers Starting with the July Previews, Diamond Comic Distributors is offering Funko's Wacky Wobblers at an "F" (45%) discount. The F-discounted Wacky Wobblers solicited in the Collectibles & Novelties section of this month's Previews catalog include the Yogi Bear Wacky Wobbler (JUL023173F), the Wally Gator Wacky Wobbler (JUL023174F), and the Atom Ant Wacky Wobbler (JUL023175F). Marking the first time that Hanna-Barbera characters have been available as Wacky Wobblers, these four collectibles are sure to be hits with fans of the fondly remembered animation studio and its large cast of characters. To further increase the profitability of these products, Diamond is also offering better volume pricing on Wacky Wobblers beginning with those offered in July. With the new volume pricing, retailers who order six or more Wacky Wobblers will be billed at the lower price of $10.50 per unit, and will still enjoy the "F" discount. (Please Note: These increased discounts apply to Funko's Wacky Wobblers only, and not to similar products.) "We have found tremendous consumer interest in Wacky Wobblers, making them a profitable part of any retailer's inventory,” said Diamond Purchasing Brand Manager – Collectibles & Novelties Brian Jarosinski. "In order to make them even more attractive to shop owners, we went to the vendor and negotiated a better discount, resulting in even greater profit potential for this fun product line.” Reorders Online Improves Editing Function Diamond Comic Distributors has improved the ordering screens of Reorders Online to enable its customers to review and edit their orders more quickly and efficiently. Previously, comics specialty retailers who wanted to review and/or edit the last item of an order had to page through that entire order to reach the desired item. Now, once a customer's page exceeds one page in length, a "Last Page" button appears on the screen. Clicking on this button immediately takes retailers to the final page, and most recently entered items, of their order. Retailers can see the changes for themselves at https://retailer.diamondcomics.com/main/reorders.asp. Patriotic Colors Fly in Archie Halloween Ashcan Diamond Comic Distributors and Archie Comics are once again joining forces to celebrate All Hallows Eve Riverdale-style with the Archie Halloween Ashcan 2002: Archie & Friends and the Shield, which features an all-new Halloween adventure pairing everyone's favorite teenagers with America's first patriotic comic book hero, the Shield! Sized to fit easily in most shopping (or trick-or-treat) bags, the ashcan is a mini-comic retailers can use as giveaways and bag-stuffers, or distribute in lieu of candy on Halloween night. They can also sell the ashcans to customers who want to distribute them to children in their neighborhoods. "Archie Halloween ashcan editions always draw an incredible response from our customers,” said Diamond Purchasing Senior Brand Manager – Comics Steve Leaf, "and we'll be pulling out all the stops to make this year's version the best yet. One of our continuing goals is growing the children's market for comics by attracting younger consumers. Archie titles are ideal for this purpose, and the annual ashcan is perfect for helping us seed communities with wholesome Halloween entertainment.” The 16-page, full-color mini-comic contains an all-American Halloween story in which the Shield gets commissioned by the FBI as a special agent in the war on terror. Meanwhile, Archie and the gang head down to the local movie theater dressed as the Mighty Crusaders_but the cute girl Archie has eyes for could mean a break-up for the "super- team!” An ad bearing the toll-free number of the Comic Shop Locator Service will also be included to direct readers to comic book specialty shops where Archie books and other lines are sold. Containing 25 copies, the Archie Halloween Ashcan 2002: Archie & Friends and the Shield Bundle (JUL020001J) is solicited in the July Previews at a Net Cost of $3.00. The ashcan is scheduled to ship on October 9, in plenty of time for Halloween giving. July Exclusives: Red-Hot Products for Explosive Sales! The treasure trove of exclusive items offered in the July issue of Diamond Comic Distributors' Previews are just the thing to help heat up sales well into fall! Previews Exclusives These items are available only through the Previews catalog. Monty Python's Flying Circus Previews Exclusive Exploding Penguin Plush (JUL022962H): Straight from the "Death of Mary, Queen of Scots/Exploding Penguin on TV Set" skit from Monty Python's Flying Circus's 22nd episode comes this one-of-a-kind plush doll! Dawn: Return of the Goddess Previews Exclusive Poster (JUL022155F): Dawn shines through in all her otherworldly glory on this 24” x 36” poster, which presents a large-scale version of creator Joseph Michael Linsner's beautiful cover illustration for Image Comics' Dawn: Return of the Goddess TP (STAR15771D). Wonder Woman Retro Washed Cotton Twill Previews Exclusive Cap (JUL022864H): Similar to the goddess Pallas Athena before her, DC Comics' Amazing Amazon comes alive with this handsome cap with Velcro closure. Official Buffy Yearbook Previews Exclusive Cover (JUL022425H): Featuring a stunning Previews Exclusive variant cover, this 100-page tome includes exclusive interviews, articles, photos, and more covering all things related to UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the WB's Angel. Protoculture Addicts #73 Previews Exclusive Cover (JUL022461H): Covering all styles and genres of anime, and including title overviews, reviews, feature articles, and more, this 72-page anime resource comes with a striking Previews Exclusive variant cover. Farscape Magazine #9 Previews Exclusive Edition (JUL022438H): The 100- page magazine features exclusive news, interviews with the cast and crew, behind-the-scenes reports, and comes with an out-of-this-world Previews Exclusive variant cover. Diamond Select Toys & Collectibles The following items are specially created by Diamond's sister company, which works with toy suppliers to develop, manufacture, and market toy products for both specialty and mass-market retailers. Avengers: Captain America 8” Resin Statue (JUL021695H): Guaranteed to ship in October, this 8”-tall resin statue (with base) celebrates Marvel Comics' Star-Spangled Soldier, Captain America. Sculpted by master artisan Sam Greenwell, the statue is limited to 7,500 pieces and ships with hand-numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Marvel Select: Punisher Action Figure (JUL021701H): Sculpted by Steve Kiwus and produced in conjunction with Toy Biz, this 7”-scale, articulated figure (based on Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's interpretation of the character) ships with a highly detailed base and accessories, comes with deluxe blister card packaging, and is advance- solicited for October shipping. Ultimate Iron Man Bust (JUL021698H) and Ultimate Iron Man Special Edition Bust (JUL021699H): Sculpted by Andy Bergholtz, the bust is in scale with the rest of the Ultimate line, measuring over 7” tall. Packaged in a fully illustrated box (depicting a highly detailed comic book version of the bust itself) featuring all-new artwork by Ultimates artist Bryan Hitch, the bust is limited to a 6,500-piece total production run and comes with a full-color Certificate of Authenticity. The Special Edition Mini-Bust is limited to 500 pieces, and comes with a Mini-Print/Certificate of Authenticity personally signed by Bergholtz and Hitch. Both mini-busts are guaranteed to ship in November. Spider-Man's Rogues' Gallery: Kraven Mini-Bust (JUL021696H): Guaranteed to ship in October, Kraven is the fifth release in Diamond Select's collectibles line celebrating Spidey's most notorious foes. Designed and sculpted by Art Asylum – and limited to 6,500 pieces – the bust measures 6” tall and 4” wide, and comes with a full-color, hand- numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Bob Larkin Incredible Hulk Poster (JUL021700E): Illustrated by comics veteran Bob Larkin, and guaranteed to ship in September, this beautiful 34” x 22 Ό” poster is certain to be a smash with your customers! Lady Death 2 Resin Statue (JUL023005H) and Lady Death 2 Special Edition Resin Statue (JUL023006H): Sculpted by Art Asylum, this hauntingly beautiful 3-D rendition of the Diva of the Undead is scheduled to ship in October. Spider-Man Motion Globe (JUL021697H): Guaranteed to ship in October – and sculpted by master artisan Sam Greenwell – this first collectible of its kind depicts Spider-Man crouched on top of a building, with his greatest foes acting as gargoyles on each of its sides. Measuring over 8” high and over 10” wide on the diagonal (the globe itself is 6” in diameter), the battery-powered motion globe is easily activated by a switch located on the bottom of the piece. Once the globe is turned on, a silent motor keeps tiny black spiders swirling around the web-slinger – giving the illusion that Spidey is constantly in motion! Limited to 2,500 pieces worldwide, the motion globe comes complete with two easily replaceable AA batteries and a full-color, hand-numbered Certificate of Authenticity. Island of Misfit Toys Series 2 Resin Figures (JUL023008-10H) and Island of Misfit Toys Series 2 Resin Figure Assortment (JUL023011H): Based on characters from the Rankin/Bass's treasured Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer television special, this sophomore series includes the ferocious Bumble's Cave Figure, the disheartened Charlie Waits for Santa Figure, and the benevolent King Moonracer Figure – which can be linked together to form an island of Misfit Toys! Advance-solicited for an October release, the resin figures – which ship individually or as an assortment containing four of each in a case – come painted and ready to display this October. This month's Previews also offers again the Chastity & Jade Resin Statue (JUL022998H), the Chastity & Jade Special Edition Resin Statue (JUL022999H), Island of Misfit Toys The Adventurers Resin Figure (JUL023012H), the Island of Misfit Toys Elves Workshop Resin Figure (JUL023013H), the Island of Misfit Toys Rudolph & the Snowman Resin Figure (JUL023014H), the Island of Misfit Toys Santa Prepares for X-Mas Resin Figure (JUL023015H), and the Island of Misfit Toys Series 1 Resin Figure Assortment (JUL023016H) – giving retailers another opportunity to bring these best-selling exclusives into their stores, and another chance to sell them to consumers who are looking high and low for them! Art for all of these products is available upon request. 1966 Greenspring Drive, Suite 300 • Timonium, MD 21093 Phone (410) 560-7100 • FAX: (410) 560-7148 • www.diamondcomics.com DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS, INC. – the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise – is based in Timonium, MD, with strategically located Distribution Centers servicing more than 4,000 specialty retailers worldwide. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Interview Tim O'Shea tim_oshea@bellsouth.net Originally run at www.orcafresh.net This interview appears here with permission. "...Only our vision can really limit us...": An E-Interview with The Red Star's Bradley Kayl By Tim O'Shea As described on the Archangel Studios website (http://www.archangel- studios.com/comics/redstar/frame.htm), "The Red Star is about an epic battle in a world of militarized sorcery and monolithic technology, where-unknown to all but a few-the ghosts of old soldiers continue to fight alongside the living." It's an ambitious work and, as the Red Team leaves Image after the release (this month) of issue 9, it's becoming readily apparent that the creators of the series are an ambitious group. In the near term, Archangel will be releasing a 176- page trade paperback (Nokgorka), which is the second TPB for The Red Star. To mark this transition, I recently caught up with two members of the team, Bradley Kayl and Christian Gossett. Both folks had so much to say I've split the interview into two parts. The first part, with Bradley Kayl, runs this week, while the second portion with Christian Gossett will run next week. My thanks to both creators for their time and thoughts. (A special thanks to Bradley, who had his computer crash right before he sent me his replies, so he had to retype the whole exchange!) Enjoy. ORCA: Since announcing the business shift (from Image to self- publishing entity Archangel Studios), what has been the overall response from the industry (pros and fans alike)? Have there been any reactions that surprised you? Kayl: The response has been overwhelmingly positive from both pros and fans. I think that there is a certain respect that comes when you decide to go it alone, a respect for what bravery it takes to do the things we're doing. Of course we could just be totally and utterly insane... ORCA: Do you think you have an advantage over some independent creators, given that your message board (VOICE OF THE REVOLUTION) appears to be stocked with a veritable army of hard-working supporters? Kayl: I think that there is an advantage, but not one that couldn't be mimicked by other creators as well. Independent bands have been doing this for quite some time. In their corner of the world their supporters as collectively known as 'street teams.' We took this concept to the comic world and there has been great success ever since. We are definitely blessed with our readers-they are some of the sharpest people out there and we love them to death. ORCA: What inspired the Red Star Team to do its first annual this year? Kayl: Christian and I have been talking about doing this annual for quite some time. In case it isn't obvious Run Makita Run is a homage to Run Lola Run, a great movie that we both love. The subject matter is very different of course but Run Lola Run served as the kernel for our ideas in this book. Makita is so much like Lola in that movie too-she's a kick ass character who takes no shit. I think our readers will really like it. ORCA: In 2002 and beyond, do you plan to branch out? Would you consider publishing other creators' work? Kayl: We're actually branching out right now. We, under Archangel Studios, have published a Dungeons and Dragons supplement entitled Dramatis Personae (we are in reality a bunch of gaming nerds when it comes to role-playing games). The book is a collection of NPC's or Non Player Characters (g