---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE ISSUE NUMBER 398 12/13/2002 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] Interviews:Claude St. Aubin & Tim Lewis Tim O'Shea [6] My Life With Comic Books .............. Paul Howley [7] Stream of Babbling .................... Tim O'Shea [8] E-Dispatches From The Great White North! ......... Jonathan A. Gilbert [9] X-FAN Reviews ......................... Eric J. Moreels [10] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions ............. Tim O'Shea [11] M.O.E. Reviews ........................ Paul Dale Roberts [12] My View:ATTIC WIT, MR. BIG #2: NIGHT OWLS, TRUE FACTS .............. David LeBlanc [13] New Comic Book Releases List .......... Charles LePage [14] HYPE! Section ......................... Various ______________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Mailed by Yahoo!: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag AOL text copies in Sci-Fi Library II - Keyword aol://4400:3990 HTML WEB EDITION at -->> http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem featuring a week's worth of the online strips: Steve Conley's ASTOUNDING SPACE THRILLS AND DR. CYBORG by Alan Gross & Mike Oeming ----------------------------------------------------------------------- o \o/ _ o _| \ / |_ o_ \o/ o /|\ | /\ _\o \o | o/ O/_ /\ | /|\ / \ / \ |\ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The ComicBook Network was founded by Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ----------------------------------------------------------------------- If you wish to receive each issue automatically through your Email account, FREE, please send a message FROM that account TO: ComicBookNetworkEmag-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To UNSUBSCRIBE send a message FROM the account to be dropped to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com See section [A] for the address to mail material to be reviewed. ______________________________________________________________________ All text contained within is copyrighted to the originating author(s). Except where elsewhere noted, The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine is Copyright 2002 by The ComicBook Network. You may freely distribute or retransmit this file intact without alteration for noncommercial purposes only. Except for personal archiving, permission must be obtained from the individual authors to reproduce, retransmit, or publish any part of this magazine. Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Editor, the Network Administration Team or the members and users of The ComicBook Network. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [A] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Back Issues, Web Page SUBMISSIONS ----------- To submit an article, review, column, etc. to our Emag, simply Email it to the editor at: ComicBkNet@aol.com You must include your REAL name and a valid Email address in order to be published in this Emag. Sorry, we do not accept anonymous columns. Reviews of mainstream books are welcome and we encourage reviews of indies and self published material as we feel that material deserves more exposure to the general public. If you write intelligent, coherent, and timely reviews of any comic book it will almost always be printed, so give us a shot. Commentary on the state of the industry, and personal observations and reflections related to comics are *most* likely to be included in our publication. PLEASE, no material on Gaming, role playing, collectible card games or other hobbies or collectibles other than comic books. That also includes plugs for web pages UNLESS they are concerned with print comic books. We do not promote web comics as we do not consider them to be comic books. SEND US YOUR WORK ----------------- We also accept product for review purposes. Advanced copies of comic books will not be returned but any comic books sent to us *will* be reviewed in the ComicBook Net Emag. Send all material to: David L. LeBlanc 84 Heather Circle Jefferson, MA 01522-1419 Material is generally reviewed in the order received and be advised that we work a few weeks in advance so your review may not be in the magazine immediately. Advanced copies are therefore encouraged so the review will occur prior to your product hitting the stores. THE Comic Book Net WEB PAGE http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet ---------------- If you have access to the World Wide Web, please stop by and visit our web page! On our web page, you can find the latest issue of our E-Mag, as well as all back issues and an annotated index. You'll also find important information and other neat features like links to the HTML version of the current issue of this magazine at DIGITAL WEBBING, [http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem], some of the comic companies and creators' web pages and many other Comic Book related links! You can also find some of our back issues at America Online, by going to Keyword: COMICS, then choose the menu item _Comic Book Forum_ and then going to the _Comics Library_ from there. These are non-zipped text files. AOL search/keyword: aol://4400:3990 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] On the Net David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com Another hectic week, what with all the Christmas shopping last weekend, and a trip to the Big Easy for the entire week. As most of you know I use the plane time to catch up on my comic reading. On the way down I finally read Larry Young's superb book on self-publishing called TRUE FACTS, which I review in this week's MY VIEW. But of course, when I got back I had even more review material waiting for me, including a 300 page graphic novel. Yikes! Missed Stan Lee on CNN talking about Rawhide Kid being outed but I guess they will run a clip mixed in with the news reports or something over the weekend. I find it ironic he is suing them and then goes on TV to defend this PR to build hype for the company. Maybe he has to by contract. Personally, I am not impressed with this gimmick and all the fuss Marvel is trying to create. I'd rather make a fuss about this week's comics, that I think are on the shelves. I'll find out tomorrow when I get to the store. CG ENTERTAINMENT Negation #13, $2.95 Sojourn #18, $2.95 DC COMICS Aquaman #1, $2.50 <----------------Pick of the week! Hawkman #10, $2.50 War Story J For Jenny, $4.95 MARVEL COMICS Captain America #6 (resolicited), $2.99 Next week will be Issue #399 - our Christmas issue, only because it will be the last before Christmas. I hope everyone has had time to do their shopping by now; and mail those packages right now if you want a chance they will arrive on time. See you next week. 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. +++++ Comic books and fanzines on the radio From:nuffsaid@escape.com Hi, folks, It's nice to be able to bring you some comic book radio news four times in five weeks. It had been a while. And there are more in the planning stages, all different time slots. 'Nuff Said!, the comic book interview/talk show, is still off the air as a regular show, but I'm talking about comics on the air twice more. Friday night/Saturday morning, Dec. 21st at 3 AM - Music fanzine special Sean Rhodes is doing a special on music fanzines and I'll be supplying a segment on fanzine history from Julie Schwartz and Mort Weisinger's fanzine in the '30s to the comic book fanzines of the '60s and '70s to apas to internet chat rooms and e-lists. Monday morning, Dec. 23, 2002, 11 AM - Out FM. I'm doing a segment on gay comic book and comic strip characters with Pedro Serrano covering what's going on in current mainstream comics, but also talking about gay characters over the years. I might have someone from comics with me. Unconfirmed as I write this. Some of you may gotten an e-mail that this show was on the 16th. This is the correct date. For those of you in the area who are at work or asleep or something, there is an article on our web site about how to tape radio using your vcr: http://www.comicbookradioshow.com/vcr.html There are TWO live streams (via 2600.com and escape.com, though sometimes the escape.com feed doesn't work) that you can get from our web site, http://www.comicbookradioshow.com (please note the new domain name, the old domain has been taken over by a porn site, the former registrar simply wouldn't let me re-register it so I had to change the name). If one access is unavailable, try the other. Everyone with the right software (and there's a free download link from our site) should be able to get through now. WBAI-FM, 99.5, is a 50,000 watt station broadcast from the Empire State Building. The signal usually gets out to New Haven, CT; Westhampton, L.I.; the Poconos of Pennsylvania, Orange County, NY and Trenton & Princeton, NJ. But via the internet for an even greater distance, natch. Bernard White, the program director, has said on the air that 'Nuff Said! has not been canceled, just "on hiatus," but I have not been told anything about a possible return to the air. Whether he said that to stop the flow of phone calls and e-mails asking for its return or because he hasn't finalized plans, I do not know. His e- mail address is burnardwhite@aol.com (not a typo) and his voicemail is (212) 209-2834. Snail mail is WBAI-FM 120 Wall St., 10th flr, New York, NY 10005 (letters have the greatest impact). It was through him that the specials on Women and Comics and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund were scheduled, so perhaps you have been having an effect and a thank you to him is in order. Or perhaps this is all we'll get. I don't know. I hope we'll be back to a regular weekly time slot when the schedule is changed again next year. There's more information about that on the web site, too. And in the latest Comics Journal. Thanks, Ken Gale, producer, interviewer and host www.comicbookradioshow.com ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] **THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE!** IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet QUESTION OF THE WEEK Prizes donated by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. +Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you can stump+ +the readers! You MUST submit the correct answer with your question.+ LAST ISSUE'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: From Federico Kereki Who was the first MAD artist to draw DAREDEVIL? We got a lot of people with this one! Instinct told a lot of people that the artist beginning with issue #5, Wally Wood, would be the answer. But, the second DD artist, Joe Orlando, started on issue #2 and he had worked on MAD as well as many other EC publications in the past. We did not fool Bob "The Law is a Ass" Ingersoll who was first within minutes of our post with the correct answer. Bob wins Liberty Meadows Eden Book 1 from our sponsor. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: SABRE, a graphic novel published by ECLIPSE in October of 1978, is credited by Overstreet with being the first graphic novel for the direct sale market. America's First Graphic Novel Publisher is claimed by another company two years earlier. Can you name the book and publisher? IMPORTANT RULES NOTICE Email your guess to ComicBkNet@aol.com or just REPLY to the message if you read the Emag in your mail. DO NOT quote the entire message! You MUST allow mail from ComicBkNet@aol.com to be notified if you win. The first correct answer to reach the editor wins the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm). The editor will be the sole judge as to which guess arrived first! Messages with more than one guess will be disqualified. Winners will forfeit their prize if the Email notification is not accepted from ComicBkNet@aol.com LIMIT: ONLY ONE PRIZE every 4 weeks PER PERSON! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Network Buzz News, gossip and rumors from around the industry From the AP News Wire see http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/4730955.htm Posted on Fri, Dec. 13, 2002 Pair convicted of stealing from comics icon's Internet company Associated Press LOS ANGELES - Two brothers were convicted of federal fraud charges for writing checks from empty bank accounts, costing the now-defunct Internet company of comics legend Stan Lee and two financial institutions more than $10 million. Stephen M. Gordon, 52, who was Stan Lee Media's former chief operating officer, and his brother, Jonathan Gordon, 44, were found guilty Thursday of conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office. CBEM Thanks to Jeff Mason - Publisher Alternative Comics - http://www.indyworld.com/altcomics +++++ Marvel Pays off Balance of Its Bank Loan NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2002--Reflecting its strong cash position and confidence in the future strength of each of its business segments, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:MVL) announced today that it has repaid in advance the remaining current and long term balances, totaling $22.4 million, of its three-year term loan with HSBC Bank USA. Kenneth West, Executive Vice President and CFO, commented: "This event, coupled with Marvel's recently completed exchange offer for its 8% preferred stock, reflects management's commitment to continually improve the Company's capital structure and reduce debt with operating cash flow." After the repayment, Marvel's cash position stood in excess of $55 million at December 11, 2002 compared to $21.6 million at December 31, 2001. The three-year HSBC term loan was initiated in December 2001 (totaling $37 million) to fund a portion of Marvel's repurchases of its 12% Senior Notes. Next week, Marvel will make a required semi- annual interest payment of approximately $9.1 million on its Senior Notes. Marvel's early retirement of the balance of the HSBC loan requires the accelerated amortization of all unamortized deferred loan costs which were to be spread over the remaining two years of the loan's three-year term. As a result, Marvel will record a non-cash charge (reflected within interest expense) of approximately $9.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2002 to reflect these costs. +++++ New York City Comic Book Museum Hosts Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol Comic Book Signing & Exhibit Dec. 17 at Midtown Comics New York, NY - December 11, 2002 - The nation's only museum dedicated to the art of the comic book, the New York City Comic Book Museum (NYCCBM), is hosting a book signing event on Thursday, December 19 to celebrate the debut of the new comic book, Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, published by Airwave Comics. The event is scheduled from 12:30 to 2:00 PM at Midtown Comics located at 200 West 40th Street in Manhattan. Original art from the comic book will be on display, with a number of the artists in attendance. Special guests at the December 19 book signing include a number of creators who collaborated on the Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol comic book, including: Richard Maurizio (interior artwork): Christopher Lopez (interior artwork); and Robert V. Conte (writer and editor). The Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol commemorative comic book features two covers, one painted by Bill Morrison, famed for his work on The Simpsons and with The Walt Disney Company. Recently published by Airwave Comics, the comic book includes a complete adaptation of the 1962 UPA Productions animated cartoon classic, as well as a history of the Mr. Magoo character, and additional classic Mr. Magoo comic book stories. Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol was the first-ever, animated special produced exclusively for television. It was originally broadcast on the NBC television network in 1962. "The original animated Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol is a memory that many who grew up in the Sixties and Seventies share, and it has always been a favorite of fans of animation and comic book art," said David Jay Gabriel, Executive Director of NYCCBM. "This holiday signing is an exciting opportunity to share this beautiful new comic book at this time of year with our community, and the chance for many to meet the artists and view their work. We hope this will be the first of many such events in the future." NYCCBM recently co-sponsored Comic Books Fight AIDS, a World AIDS Day event at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, and the special showing of the 1941-1943 Fleischer/Paramount Superman cartoons, Symphony Space presents Retro Superman, at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre. In addition to the upcoming book signing, other NYCCBM programs include: C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum - Challenging Objective Minds: an Instructional Comicbook Series, the first museum-approved educational program designed to bring comic books into the classroom; The highly acclaimed exhibit, Heroes Among Us: The Art of 9-11, which recently completed successful showings in Texas and Oregon; The annual Golden Panel Awards for excellence in comic book art; The exhibit Daredevil: The Exhibit Without Fear, scheduled for February 2003. About Midtown Comics: Conveniently nestled in the heart of Times Square in New York City, Midtown Comics has something for everyone. For the serious collector or the casual reader, Midtown offers two huge floors of comics and everything related. From mainstream titles to alternative press, Midtown Comics has the latest titles and a selection of over 500,000 back issues. Midtown Comics also offers a comprehensive selection of action figures, classic toys, statues, movies, books and posters as well as a courteous, knowledgeable staff always on hand to offer assistance. Additional information about Midtown Comics is available on their web site at http://www.midtowncomics.com. About The New York City Comic Book Museum: The New York City Comic Book Museum (NYCCBM) started its mission in 1999 to preserve the historical and artistic legacy of comic book culture, place it in the context of a changing society, show its usefulness in educating and entertaining, and instill in audiences the value and joy of this rich American heritage. It is the nation's only museum dedicated to the art of the comic book. NYCCBM, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, has concentrated on its outreach programs with traveling exhibits, industry gatherings, panel discussions, virtual exhibits and comic book promotions all around the city and the country. The museum is searching for its permanent home to serve as a research facility, library, and showcase for comic books and the creators of this American art form. Additional information about NYCCBM is available on their web site at http://www.nyccbm.org. +++++ This week the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund sent a $10,000 retainer check to Jesus Castillo's legal counsel to pay for the first stage of his Supreme Court appeal. We were able to do this thanks to the generous contributions raised in auctions initiated by Jim Lee, Comicon.com, and MileHighComics.com. Since starting in mid-November, the Comicon.com auction has raised over $8,000 for the CBLDF, and it's not over yet. Spearheaded by Comicon.com founders Rick Veitch and Steve Conley, artists from across the industry have donated work to this auction to benefit the Fund. There's still a week to go, with original and rare work by David Lloyd, Gilbert Shelton, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bryan Talbot, Paul Mounts, Marc Hempel, George Walker, Judd Winick, Brian Wood and others on the block. This auction aims to generate enough income for the Fund to pay off the rest of this year's legal bills. Last week, the Fund also auctioned off the Perfect 10.0 Edition of Thor #156, donated by Mile High Comics founder Chuck Rozanski. The book sold on Sunday to a supporter for $5,000. Rozanski has been the Fund's most ardent supporter this season. He won the Jim Lee Benefit Signing auction for $6,700 and followed that up by running The Fund's Mid-Ohio Con auction, where he raised over $2,000. His donation of the rare, historic Thor comic from the Mile High 2 collection is a sacrifice that demonstrates his firm commitment to the Fund's mission, and it's a commitment for which we're grateful. The donations these auctions have generated and the steady flow of memberships and other contributions that you've made are helping the Fund through one of our most expensive years in recent memory. Because of this support, we've been able to tackle the latest crisis in the Castillo battle. Unfortunately, the bigger war is not won. The Fund still has to raise another $20,000 to pay off the rest of this year's legal bills, which include fees for our retained counsel and bills from Stu Helm's battle with Kraft. With your continued support during the last week of the Comicon.com Auction, we can come close to that. And if you've been meaning to join or renew your membership, going to www.cbldf.org and doing so now will help us get even closer. It's not a secret that the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund depends on the support of the comics community so that we can defend our industry's own. The community's response to the immediate crisis of the Castillo Supreme Court appeal demonstrates that comics people care about their own. If you've been among the individuals who supported that motion, you should know that your dollars truly have made a difference. As we close the year, keep an eye on cbldf.org for info about the last offerings of the Comicon.com Benefit Auction. There's some excellent one-of-a-kind pieces that will make great gifts for your favorite comics fan, or a nice reward for yourself. If your payment is received by December 19, we can still turn it around in the continental U.S. for Rush Christmas delivery. Best of all, you'll be giving a gift that matters by supporting the Fund's efforts on behalf of the comics community. All of us at the Fund thank you sincerely for your support of our work in 2002. With your continued support, we can make 2003 a better tomorrow for comics. Charles Brownstein Executive Director The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. Donations and inquiries should be directed to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund at P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061. For additional information, call 800-99-CBLDF or visit http://www.cbldf.org To support the CBLDF, make a donation at: http://cbldf.safeshopper.com/12/cat12.htm?479 P.O. Box 693 Northampton, MA 01061 413-584-7151/Phone 413-582-6955/fax info@cbldf.org +++++ Rawhide Kid Makes Comic Book History By LARRY McSHANE The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) - The Rawhide Kid, a longtime Marvel Comics character, is coming out of the closet next year. A new story line will reveal the Kid's keen fashion sense - including a stylish leather outfit - in what one Marvel editor boasted would be ``the first gay Western.'' The Kid's orientation, along with his white gloves and a white cowboy hat fashioned from Canadian beaver pelts, will be unveiled this February in a Marvel series called ``Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather.'' Marvel is the home of more old-school comics like Spider-Man, the X- Men and the Incredible Hulk. The Kid made his debut in 1955, when comic book sexuality was not an issue and Marvel was looking to cash in on the success of the classic TV show ``Rawhide.'' The times have certainly changed. ``It's not a book solely for a gay readership,'' said Joe Quesada, editor-in-chief at Marvel. ``Who watches `Will and Grace'? Everybody I know. This is the same. If you like a good story and a good laugh, this is for you.'' In keeping with the light theme, the writer will be Ron Zimmerman, a frequent guest on the Howard Stern radio show and a television writer. Artist John Severin, who worked on the original Rawhide Kid, will handle the drawing. The Rawhide character will not walk out of the closet and into a saloon - not that there's anything wrong with that. ``He doesn't come out and say he's gay,'' explained Quesada. ``But it's obvious through his actions and the things he says that his preference is men, not women.'' Part of the comedic slant will come in the Rawhide Kid's asides to the reader after the townsfolk can't quite figure out what makes the gunslinger ... different. In his previous incarnation, the Rawhide Kid was very shy around women. Nothing about that will change in the new version. Among the clues to the Kid's sexuality will include his reaction to other characters from the comic book, including Wild Bill Hickok and The Lone Ranger. ``I think that mask and powder-blue outfit are fantastic,'' he says of the Ranger. ``I can certainly see why that Indian follows him around.'' +++++ Stealth Literacy Comes to Utah Publisher Launches Books Using Superheroes and Special Effects Graphics Designed for the Reluctant Reader OREM, Utah, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- A new concept in children's literature -- Stealth Literacy, designed for reluctant readers (primarily boys) ages 6-13 is now being offered in the Utah market. "TIME SOLDIERS BOOKS 1, 2, and 3" and "SPIDER-MAN ULTIMATE PICTURE BOOK #1," recently featured on CNN, represent the beginning of an important new genre of children's books. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20021011/LAF025 ) Big Guy Books creator, Robert Gould, found that publishers are less inclined to develop books for boys because that market isn't as strong, citing the fact that boys are reluctant readers. The problem, he discovered, is not with the boys, but with the books. "The average children's book can't compete with the barrage of high- tech images boys are used to. Books must have exciting visual graphics and an adventurous story in order to compete with TV and video games," says Gould. "Reading is fundamental to everything we do. It is tantamount to success as an adult. We cannot allow our children to be turned off to reading. We have to find a way to reach them." After years of researching the reluctant reader, he created the "TIME SOLDIERS SERIES" and "SPIDER-MAN ULTIMATE PICTURE BOOK #1." These books incorporate compelling special effects photography to create a more realistic, yet magical, experience for enticing young readers. Dinosaurs, pirates and superheroes come to life on these pages! Last year, "Time Soldiers Rex 1" was awarded the Golden Duck, given in honor of outstanding illustration or graphics in a science fiction book for children. The books caught the eye of Barry Cunningham, the original publisher of Harry Potter who calls the new genre of books a "brilliant" concept. Cunningham now publishes the "Time Soldier" books in the United Kingdom. Marvel Comics approached Gould about adapting several of their comic book heroes using this new "photo-novel" concept. The first of the Marvel stories re-created by Big Guy Books, is "Spider-Man Ultimate Picture Book #1" dedicated to Stan Lee, Spider-Man's creator. Stan has several cameo appearances in the book and has called it "one of the best original adaptations of Spidey, I've ever seen." Robert Gould is being called the Steven Spielberg of children's books and his vision drives every project at Big Guy Books. Projects grow in a circular fashion: a creative process much like film development. The Team: Robert Gould, BGB founder, visionary: Director and Photographer. Eugene Epstein, Illustrator: Digital Wizard. Rain Ramos, Illustrator: Storyboard Artist, Casting Director. Kathleen Duey, author of over fifty children's novels: Writer. Big Guy Books strives to interest children down to the last detail. Their interactive website is as exciting as any cartoon or adventure movie trailer yet. Kids can log on and view pages of the books and enter contests for prizes. Parents, children and teachers are encouraged to preview the books at www.timesoldiers.com . Books are available at amazon.com and As Seen on TV gift stores. +++++ The December 9, 2002 issue of Publishers Weekly reviews Leela Corman's Subway Series graphic novel (Alternative Comics; ISBN 1-891867-14-8; Diamond Code: STAR 16775): Publishers Weekly - December 9, 2002 Subway Series Leela Corman, Alternative Comics, $9.95, paper (160p) ISBN 1-891867- 14-8 Corman’s (Queen's Day) new work follows a group of Manhattan teenagers in the process of growing up, pretending all the while that they already have. Tina is looking for love but has no idea where to find it. Technically a virgin, she supposedly dates James, who's off studying in Florida. Meanwhile, she takes guitar lessons from Evan, a cute alt. music boy whose girlfriend is in Germany. Tina and Evan’s growing attraction is buried behind the cynical fronts that all these teen characters maintain to seem cool. Tina and her girlfriends brutally catty behind each others' backs, sit in diners drinking coffee and trying to impress each other with sexual braggadocio that actually betrays their inexperience. As Tina gets closer to Evan, James returns on a school holiday and things begin to heat up, but James is ultimately revealed as a rather nasty sexual predator. Corman's drawings are very cartoony and lack detail, but skillfully convey the confused emotions her characters seek to hide. Although sloppy in places, her strong graphic sense and knack for storytelling carry the book. Corman’s reliance on showing rather than telling sometimes leaves the narrative sketchy and in need of explanation. But older teens and those who were once older teens should have no trouble relating to this tale. Other recent reviews of Subway Series: December 4, 2002Artbomb November 13, 2002iCOMICS November 11, 2002The Fourth Rail October 28, 2002Silver Bullet Comics October 4, 2002TIME.com September 22, 2002Optical Sloth September 10, 2002The Continuity Pages Leela Corman's September 2002 graphic novel Subway Series follows the exploits of Tina, a frustrated sixteen-year-old city girl whose affections are divided between two guys. The problem is, one has an out of town girlfriend and the other is a complete jerk. Add to that a bitchy adversary whom she once called a friend who's out to humiliate her, and now confused Tina doesn't know which way to turn. Subway Series is a teen Sex in the City. Tina doesn't know what she wants, but she's pretty sure it involves "getting it over with." With whom will it be? When will it happen? Most current comics about female sexual experiences focus on extremes of behavior such as abuse. Subway Series depicts the more average teen experience: coercive, confused and mundane. Leela Corman's, lavish calligraphic drawing style, described as "Music to my eyes" by Scott McCloud, vividly brings to life this singular graphic novel showing real teen sex and angst in all its awkward splendor. +++++ SHOUJO ARTS SOCIETY ANNOUNCES NEW DATES AND LOCATION FOR SHOUJOCON 2003 NEW YORK, NY (December 09, 2002): For three years in a row, Shoujocon has provided New York- based fans of Japanese animation and comics with a "different kind of convention" experience: A unique, weekend-long event dedicated to manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese animation) for girls and women, and the first of its kind held in North America. Shoujocon continues a fourth year of specialized programming--with new dates and a new location: August 22-24, 2003 at the Ryetown Hilton in Rye Brook, NY. Well known for its focus on women's pop culture products from Japan, Shoujocon is also the first anime convention since 1996 to take place in the New York City region. The convention has traditionally been held in mid-July, and at New Jersey hotels (Newark in 2000; East Brunswick in 2001 and 2002). The new dates and locations reflect accommodation of the growing number of anime/manga conventions in the Northeast region, as well as plans for the future success of Shoujocon. Shoujocon's new location provides easier access via air, car and public transportation for convention attendees. The Ryetown Hilton is within an hour's drive of three airports (LaGuardia, JFK and Westchester); and less than an hour's drive away from New York City for those who wish to visit the Big Apple. To learn more about Shoujocon, as well as the convention's rates and hotel reservations, please visit the event's website at http://www.shoujocon.com. More information about Shoujo Arts Society (the group organizing the convention) can be found at http://www.shoujoarts.org. Paulette Hodge & Kristina Naudus Shoujocon 2003 Publicity http://www.shoujocon.com +++++ Urban Hipster cartoonists David Lasky and Greg Stump take Seattle art scene by storm David Lasky to show art in several spaces this month Seattle, Washington, December 8, 2002: Seattle residents looking to view art by local Urban Hipster cartoonists David Lasky and Greg Stump have a plethora of choices this December. Lasky is participating in multiple group and solo art shows across the Seattle alternative art scene; the works include original comics art, watercolor paintings, and three-dimensional dioramas. In the midst of this unprecedented artistic explosion, Lasky is completing his half of the long-awaited, soon-to-be-released new volume of Urban Hipster with collaborator Greg Stump. The second Urban Hipster volume from Alternative Comics will debut in San Francisco at the Alternative Press Expo in February 2003. So why all the extracurricular activity right now? "A lot of what I'm exhibiting is art that I've completed earlier this year," Lasky said. ""My fans can rest assured that all that's left for the next Urban Hipster are the finishing touches, which I am working on now." Take a deep breath – here's the rundown on the artists' activities for December and January: David Lasky was one of several artists on hand at the SOIL gallery in Capitol Hill for the December 6 opening of "Off the Page: 3 Dimensional Narratives," running through December 29, in which curators Randy Wood and Carrie Whitney challenged more than 20 local cartoonists to extend their standard two-dimensional stories into three dimensions. Artists with work in the show also include such greats as Jim Woodring, Ellen Forney, Bill Griffith, and Lasky's Urban Hipster co-creator Greg Stump. SOIL is located at 1317 East Pine Street in the Capitol Hill area and is an artist co-op run for-the- artists, by-the-artists. It shows wild, alternative works in all mediums: painting, drawing, photography, multi-media, sculpture and installation. http://www.soilart.org "I'm especially proud of my work in the SOIL show," said Lasky. "It's exciting to be in a show with a lot of artists I really admire." David Lasky has illustrations currently on display at the "Little Things Count" show through December 31 at the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), also in Capitol Hill. Among them is the cover for "Jesus Delivers" the acclaimed Jack Chick-like tract, with a different spin on Christianity, written by Jim Woodring. CoCA, located at 1420 11th Avenue, serves the Pacific Northwest as a catalyst and forum for the advancement, development, and understanding of contemporary art. http://www.cocaseattle.org The Gray Press Gallery is now holding its grand opening exhibition with a show of works based on Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven", featuring David Lasky's minimalist comics adaptation of the poem. The show will be on display to the public January 2, and otherwise may be seen prior by appointment. 89 Yesler Way, #206, next door to Cafe Paloma (go up the stairs). The mission of The Gray Press is to bring to light the work of emerging artists that share a common extraordinary vision in ordinary life, or whose intention it is to reinterpret extraordinary artists' visions that hold indisputable status in the modern lexicon, but that are seldom held up in the spirit of interpretation that established their significance in the first place. http://www.thegraypress.com David Lasky's comics adaptation of "The Raven" is now also available in Orchid (Sparkplug Comic Books; $8; 116pp.) a collection of seven black and white adaptations of Victorian-era short stories, all of which involve shocking apparitions. http://www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com/ Starting on December 9th, David Lasky's solo art show goes on display at Glo's cafe, down on 1621 East Olive Way in Capitol Hill. Stories and pictures of the Carter Family of country music fame will be on view, much of it from a collaboration with writer Frank Young that will soon be published in the fourth volume of Sammy Harkham's annual Kramer's Ergot comics anthology. Coincidentally, Lasky takes over the Glo's café space from his Urban Hipster co-conspirator Greg Stump, whose work from his weekly strip "Dwarf Attack" ran through December 8. Tucked away in an unassuming storefront on the Olive Way climb is one of the friendliest and tastiest breakfast joints in Seattle. Glo's opened its doors to the Capitol Hill community in 1987, and has been serving up great food and service ever since. Glo herself waits on you, and you feel like you are being pampered by your favorite aunt For fans of David Lasky and Greg Stump, the excitement is merely being in Seattle this month to see what the fuss is all about. It is an excitement that will remain unmatched until February 2003, when the second volume of Urban Hipster debuts from Alternative Comics at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco. Stay tuned! "Urban Hipster — or "UH" as it has come to be known through mysterious, wordless advertisements in this very magazine — is a satirical rebuttal to the state of the art in alternative comics, produced with a clever and uproarious, yet thoughtfully despairing, sense of just how far contemporary underground comics have to go to negotiate an escape from the wearisome quagmire of in-clubbish back- patting and "slacker" cool. Be warned: Lasky and [Stump] mischievously trade writing and drawing tasks without warning throughout this imminent threat of a publication, just to lend an added dash of irreverence to its ticking Unabomb to the tushes of those who've dragged the level of excitement and insight in Generation-X cartooning down to that of the average Internet chat room" ~Jeremy Pinkham, The Comics Journal Urban Hipster volume 2 -- This long-awaited follow up to the Harvey Award-nominated debut features two engrossing stories from two of the most exciting new voices in comics, David Lasky and Greg Stump. "Babette's Feast" continues the saga of Chloe and Natasha, two thrift store employees whose combative friendship gradually reveals their secret hopes and desires. The second feature, "Four Twenty Five," tells the funny and poignant tale of a recently laid-off urban wanderer whose life becomes increasingly consumed by his obsession with pinball. One of the most highly anticipated comics of the year, Urban Hipster is a sure seller that appeals to a diverse audience. (By David Lasky and Greg Stump) All ages, 32 pages, B&W, full color covers; $2.95US. ISBN: 1-891867-32-6. Web: http://www.indyworld.com/uh +++++ From Michael Doran, Marketing Communications Manager - Marvel Comics Get all the latest Marvel news and previews at www.Marvel.com Doctor Doom has been trying to get rid of the Fantastic Four for years, and in March he finally succeeds ... for one month at least. FANTASTIC FOUR #67 serves as the opening chapter of "UNTHINKABLE", a five-part story arc that features the return of Doom ... and Marvel readers know when Doom does anything, he does it big! In an issue completely devoted to the classic villain, Doom seeks out a piece of his past - a piece that holds the key to his future... "I promise you with no hyperbole - this quest will leave Doom a changed man, redefined for the 21st century," says writer Mark Waid, who along with artist Mike Wieringo has been winning fans back to the title since the special 9-cent FF#60. "Everything has been building to 'UNTHINKABLE', which caps off our first year and culminates in July's extra-sized FF#71 - the 500th issue of FANTASTIC FOUR and a shocking change for Reed Richards." Adds editor Tom Brevoort, "We're going to remind everybody why Victor Von Doom is the premier villain of the Marvel line." FANTASTIC FOUR #67 goes on sale March 26th and will be available for order in the next edition of Diamond's PREVIEWS (Jan. 2003, Vol. XIII #1). +++++ Daredevil(TM) for Nintendo Game Boy(R) Advance Goes Gold Videogame Featuring the Marvel Comics Super Hero(TM) to Release in Conjunction With Daredevil Live-action Film in February 2003 MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Navarre Corporation (Nasdaq:NAVR) and Encore, its majority-owned subsidiary today announced that Encore's Nintendo Game Boy(R) Advance version of Marvel's Daredevil(TM) has gone gold. The game is anticipated on store shelves in conjunction with the February 2003 premiere of the highly anticipated New Regency/ 20th Century Fox/Marvel Studios Daredevil movie starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. The "E" rated game -- which incorporates many elements of the feature film including its characters, costumes, and Hell's Kitchen, New York setting -- will retail for approximately $30. Said Eric Paulson, President and CEO of Navarre, "The momentum for Daredevil has been building, and anticipation is high both for the movie and the videogame. We believe that Daredevil for Nintendo Game Boy Advance will appeal not only to gamers, Daredevil fans and comic book enthusiasts, but also to those who are excited about the movie." Added Russ Brown, Executive Vice President, Consumer Products, Promotions & Media Sales at Marvel Enterprises, Inc., "The legacy of the comic books, the upcoming film, super-star status for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, and a strong videogame all combine to make Daredevil a very strong brand. We are eagerly anticipating the movie premiere and videogame launch in February." Daredevil Battles the Kingpin(TM) in New York's Hell's Kitchen New York's crime gangs have escalated their activities to intolerable levels, and Daredevil is out to stop them. In this action-filled sidescroller, players get to be Daredevil as he fights his way through the underbelly of New York's Hell's Kitchen to defeat these criminals and their boss, the Kingpin. Daredevil will run, jump, fight and perform acrobatic maneuvers as he battles with the Kingpin, Elektra(TM), Bullseye(TM), and the Sewer King(TM), as well as ninjas and mafia thugs. A unique feature of the game will be "Radar Sense," which will allow Daredevil to see invisible enemies and find hidden items. The game will also feature 23 levels; gritty New York settings from the movie; and lots of power-ups, hidden items and game secrets based on movie details such as Ben Affleck's and Jennifer Garner's costumes. More information on the game, including screenshots and a trailer, is available at http://www.daredevilgame.com . Daredevil, the Marvel Comics Super Hero Daredevil is one of the most popular and best-selling comic book Super Heroes of all time. Since his introduction in 1964, over 40 million Daredevil comic books have been sold. The iconic Marvel character is part of the vast Marvel universe, which includes Spider-Man(TM), The X-Men(TM), The Fantastic Four(TM) and The Incredible Hulk(TM), among others. Daredevil continues to be one of Marvel's most successful series, with a dedicated fan base of millions worldwide. Daredevil consistently ranks as one of the industry's top-selling titles, and, over the past 24 months, the comic book series has sold over 2 million copies (source: Diamond Distributors, the leading comic book distributor in the world). Daredevil, the Movie The Daredevil movie is scheduled for release on February 14, 2003. The film is produced by Arnon Milchan, Gary Foster and Avi Arad (Marvel) and will be distributed by 20th Century Fox. It will star Ben Affleck ("The Sum of All Fears," "Pearl Harbor"), Jennifer Garner ("Alias"), Michael Clarke Duncan ("The Green Mile") and Colin Farrell ("Minority Report") and is written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson ("Jack Frost", "Simon Birch," "Grumpy Old Men"). More information is available at http://www.daredevilmovie.com . +++++ From THE PULSE by Heidi MacDonald and Jennifer Contino at: http://www.comicon.com/pulse/ EAGLESHAM TO XGEN? Pulse spy Courageous tipped us off to a discussion on DC's message boards about the future of GREEN LANTERN artist Dale Eaglesham. According to Dale's fiancée, who posts as Wolfgangsta, he wanted an exclusive contract at DC, but was initially turned down. Then, it seems, Crossgen came a calling. But even threatening to move to Florida didn't make DC cough up an offer. "We would have preferred to stay here and for Dale to continue to strive for GL's success, but when Dale talked to editorial about an offer he just received, the response he got was 'Good luck in Tampa!'" Wolfgansta posts. Predictably, this has led to an outpouring of support for Eaglesham on the part of the notoriously vocal Green Lantern fanatics, and the formation of D.E.A.L.: The Deal Eaglesham Advancement League. No word on whether Eaglesham is actually going to go to Crossgen or if the grandstanding is going to pay off. SAVE THE WATER TOWER! A water tower is a terrible thing to waste, especially a water tower that has a picture of Superman on it! Metropolis, IL has made a bit of a name for itself by dressing up as Superman's hometown. There's a Superman statue, a Superman museum, festivals...you name it. If it's super, it belong in Metropolis. It seems that Metropolis also has this giant ol' water tower on the edge of town, and at various points its been decorated with murals of Supes or just the "S" logo. But now the water tower must come down. Land needed. Too expensive to maintain. It's the familiar refrain you hear every day in our harem scarum era. But the Superman fans, led by Jim Hambrick, ain't taking this lying down. Oh, no. In fact the tower was supposed to have been demolished last week, but due to the big ruckus Hambrick and his allies have stirred up, it's been postponed until January. According to one consultant, Metropolis city planners just don't know what they have. "Doesn't anyone around here see the value of this structure?" asks David Price, plaintively. "Don't they realize that this multi-story structure can be used for signage, lighting and continue as Metropolis' most famous of all of the city's landmarks?" The Mayor, the aldermen...everyone has been dragged into this battle. And now you can join the fray, as well! Go to the Superplanet Chronicles website and make your feelings known to the proper authorities. It's going to take all the efforts of fandom united to save that water tower, because apparently some developer wants a parking space where the tower now stands. But you've got to fight for what you believe in. Go do it now! You will feel oh, so much better! TODD WORKS WITH SWOLLEN MEMBERS While Todd McFarlane's chronically tardy publishing schedule and legal battles are what usually get him the headlines, he's also an award-winning video director. That's right, the Toddler has won both a Grammy and a VMA for his music video directing efforts, and The Beat dare say, there is not another cartoonist who can make that claim. Now McFarlane has been tapped by Vancouver-based hip hop band Swollen Members to direct their next video, and Nelly Furtado will be making a guest appearance. DEVIN GRAYSON EXCLUSIVE TO DC DC COMICS TELLS THE PULSE ...DEVIN GRAYSON SIGNS EXCLUSIVE WITH DC Acclaimed writer Devin K. Grayson has signed a one-year exclusive with DC Comics. Grayson has earned accolades for her current run on NIGHTWING as well as her prior work on BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS and the VERTIGO miniseries USER. "Devin has a unique voice in comics, and she's been a major contributor to the success of the BATMAN line over the past few years," says Mike Carlin, VP -Executive Editor, DC Universe. "It's only fitting that we cement the collaboration with this deal. I know I look forward to seeing where Nightwing is taken by Devin!" "DC has always felt like family to me, both in terms of the characters in the books and the characters in the office," says Grayson. "From day one, these were the people who believed in and trusted me. Between the ongoing series and increasing interest in developing new, creator- owned material, I feel confident that this exclusive will allow me to continue producing work that excites and challenges me." +++++ From the Comics Continuum at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/: X-MEN SEQUEL COMICS Marvel Comics has provided The Continuum with an exclusive first look at two of its upcoming projects tied to the X-Men movie sequel. X-Men 2 Movie Prequel: Nightcrawler and X-Men 2 Movie Prequel: Wolverine are both 48-page books due in March. The Nightcrawler book is written by Chuck Austen, with art by Karl Kerschl. "I enjoyed writing it, and the art looks stunning," Austen told The Continuum. "It's a prequel to the movie, and it deals with how Nightcrawler got to where he is at the beginning of X², some of his time in the circus, and past relationships. "It's all movie continuity, although some of it may eventually make it into regular continuity." The Wolverine book is written by Brian K. Vaughan, with art by Tom Mandrake. Here's how Marvel describes it: "In this prequel to the upcoming X² movie, Wolverine hunts down the secrets to his mysterious past and finds someone looking for similar answers... Sabretooth! Starting where the original X-Men movie left off." Both books will cost $3.50. +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.Newsarama.com/ Winner of the 2001 Squiddy - Best General Comics Web Site WINDSOR-SMITH'S YOUNG GODS COLLECTED Via his website, Barry Windsor-Smith has announced that his Young Gods series will be collected and reprinted in 2003 as the first of the Barry Windsor-Smith: Storyteller Collected Editions. The volume will be published by Fantagraphics Books in September, and will collect the Young Gods from issues #1-#9 of BWS: Storyteller, as well as all of the Young Gods pages which were completed for the never- published issues #10-#12, and many pages of story and editorial content created especially for the collected edition. An oversized, near-tabloid series, BWS: Storyteller was originally published by Dark Horse from 1996-97, but publication was cancelled due to disagreements between the publisher and creator. The series contained three separate stories, Young Gods, Freebooters, and The Paradoxman. Following the cancellation of the series, one of the Young Gods, Adastra, made an appearance in the Adastra in Africa oneshot, which was originally designed by Windsor-Smith as “Lifedeath III,” a continuation of his expoloration of the Storm character from his run on Uncanny X-Men in the ‘80s. Marvel declined the story, resulting in the recasting and tweaking of a Young God visiting an African village. The graphic novel was published in 1999 by Fantagraphics, which has also published two volumes of Windsor-Smith’s work entitled Opus. From the website: “BWS is aware that the loyal readers who supported Storyteller would like to see a resolution, in the collected edition, of the story line begun in the first 9 issues, but, unfortunately, it is not possible. To artificially accelerate a story intended to play out in the pages of the magazine over many years to a contrived conclusion would contradict everything BWS was striving to achieve in Storyteller, his most evolved creative work to date. “Some of the new story material in the collection will address the untimely demise of the series, but there will not be an expedient wrap-up of the story lines. We hope that readers will understand that, given the turn of events that led to BWS' having to suspend publication of Storyteller in 1997, the material to be presented in the Young Gods collection is the most appropriate denouement that can be achieved under the circumstances.” According to Windsor-Smith’s original plans for Storyteller, all three stories were headed for a crossover in issues #10 - #12. The collected edition of Young Gods will be followed by collections of The Paradoxman and The Freebooters in 2004 and 2005, respectively. GEMSTONE ANNOUNCES DISNEY PLANS Gemstone Publishing and Disney Publishing Worldwide plan to bring back a variety of comic books featuring many of the classic Disney characters. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and other Disney favorites will be featured in a series of monthly comic books to be introduced by Gemstone in June 2003. The comic books will include classic series such as Uncle Scrooge Adventures, Donald Duck Adventures and Walt Disney Comics and Stories. Gemstone Publishing will introduce two monthly comics starting in the Summer and will follow-up with two additional monthlies later in the year. The comics will be distributed to the comic book specialty market by Diamond Comic Distributors and to traditional book markets throughout the United States and Canada by Diamond Book Distributors. “There’s a legacy of Disney comics that can now be enjoyed by a whole new generation,” said Deborah Dugan, president, Disney Publishing Worldwide. “We are pleased to be working with Gemstone to widen the reach of these timeless stories and to keep them alive for all readers to enjoy.” “With the support from Disney Publishing Worldwide, the old gang that has entertained the world for the past seventy-five years will soon return to their comic book roots,” said Steve Geppi, Gemstone Publishing president and CEO. “This means that some of us older folks will get another opportunity to be enchanted by the distinctive artistry and humor of Disney comics.” Gemstone has already assembled a team of Disney comic veterans to preserve the quality of these classic comics. The new series of comic books will contain the recognized work of Disney artists William Van Horn, Don Rosa, Daan Jippes, Daniel Branca, Noel Van Horn, Patrick Block, Shelly Block and the legendary Carl Barks, as well as others. Disney comic book fans can go to www.gemstonepub.com/Disney and register to receive e-mail news regarding special offers, subscriptions information and contests. Best known as the home of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, Gemstone Publishing was formed by Diamond Comic Distributors President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen A. Geppi as a conduit for his efforts in preserving and promoting the history of the comics medium. Gemstone publishes The Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide, The Big Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, Hake's Price Guide To Character Toys, The Overstreet Toy Ring Price Guide, The Overstreet Indian Arrowheads Identification and Price Guide, and Comic Book Marketplace, a monthly magazine for comic book collectors. Most recently, Gemstone added Scoop, a free, weekly informational e-mail newsletter, to its list of popular publications. A subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, (NYSE: DIS), Disney Publishing Worldwide, is the largest children’s publisher in the world, with 274 children’s magazines and 120 million children’s books sold each year. DPW publishes books, magazines and continuity programs in 55 languages in 74 countries, reaching more than 100 million readers each month. Global headquarters are in New York City. +++++ From Alan Donald 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.] Heading For A Hangover Hi, my name is Alan Donald and this is All The Rage, Silver Bullet Comics' weekly rumour, news, and opinion column. Every week we have a competition to win a fabulous prize from either a very generous comic book company or from our even more generous and fantastic column sponsors DYNAMIC FORCES. Make sure you visit their lovely site by clicking on the banners scattered about this page. The competition is simple, most of my sources are anonymous so I give them codenames, identify where the codenames come from, e-mail competition@silverbulletcomicbooks.com with your SBC Message Board ID, and if you're first out of the hat you'll win Uncle Sam, Signed by Alex Ross and Steve Darnell. Last weeks source was The Long Walk by Richard (aka Stephen (what with all those mentions of Maine you really expected to fool anyone) King) Bachman. Just goes to show what I said the source could be anything really - films, TV, books, or comics. Last weeks winner was the delightfully named Grublord who won Tom Strong Book One Signed, Limited Edition Hardcover. On with the show... Ultimate Sony Sony might be taking over Marvel. Not exactly an up-to-the minute bit of gossip there but hold on there's more. As readers of this and other similar columns know the Marvel take-over rumour has been on the cards for a while. Particularly there has been talk of Marvel streamlining its titles and canceling the Max line in order to make the company palatable to investors. It seems that Sony want a little more. Doc, an insider at Sony has informed me that the company wants Marvel to Ultimize their entire universe and gradually phase out the original one. It would appear that Sony doesn't want to sit back and simply use Marvel as a resource to plunder for films but that they are determined to turn comic books into a mainstream form of entertainment. Doc has informed me that Sony would promote the new Ultimate Marvel line-up, an up-to-date and easily accessible line of comics with the same effort as they would one of their films. Doc has said that Sony are aware that not all fans will be overly enamored with their plan but he/she points to the recent Wizard article as being a good reflection of the rationale behind Sony's decision. Wizard pretty much summed it up. DC did it in '86, we are going to do it better... I am a huge comic book fan and I am personally going to push Marvel to wrap up the 'old' Universe with the type of stories that will have fans talking about them for years. I want to see JMS or Kevin Smith write a 'What Ever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow' [Alan Moore's classic Superman story that effectively summed up the rest of the Pre-Crisis Superman's career] for the likes of Spidey or Daredevil. Ok... great story, enormous scoop. Is it true? I've no idea. Our source certainly had a Sony email address but I imagine any desk jockey working for them would too. The story is incredible; it certainly has a great many things going for it to suggest it's true. Now I'd morn the passing of the old Marvel Universe I agree with Doc that the closing stories could be fantastic. It just sounds a little too much. This isn't official word but there's as much info as if it was. The info came to me very late in the day so I haven't yet had a chance to ask Marvel for any comments they may have but rest assured I will. Frankly I dunno, it could be true, stranger things have happened or it just could be an imaginative Sony employee who read the article on Ultimizing the whole Marvel Universe in the last but one issue of Wizard. This Has A "Mark Millar Will Be Busy" Value Of Six Out Of Ten More Disney Man, I hate to keep on about this but I thought I'd point out that this week there's yet another story in the press about the state of Disney's finances, particularly after the losses made by their new film Treasure Planet (have you heard of it? Nope me either, didn't even know there was one out). Also heard from Ty about the Gemstone titles, in that the first two will be Walt Disney Comics And Stories and Uncle Scrooge. These will reprint previously unseen (in the US) European material, translated into English and essentially produced "on the cheap". I'll put that script proposal back in the drawer, then. This Has A "Sick As A Duck" Value Of Eight Out Of Ten Short Cuts Loads of stuff sent to me that you might want to look out for on the web: There's a whole bunch of rumours flying around about X2, the new X-Men film. It's gonna have Beast, Gambit and Cannonball cameos, Stryker is the baddie and Nightcrawler the big star. There'll be loads of Weapon X stuff and Magneto will combine forces with Xavier. Along with the rumours for Spider-Man 2 (which has apparently started shooting without a script) there's also rumours for the third instalment which Sony is apparently pushing for Venom and Carnage to be in. In Smallville, Clark Kent will apparently leap over the Daily Planet building in a single bound in an episode by Jeph Loeb to be screened in the US early next year. These Have A "I'm Ready For My Close-Up" Value Of Seven Out Of Ten That Nice John Byrne Received from Bosco: While waiting in line at the Mid-Ohio Con this weekend, someone ahead of me asked writer Marv Wolfman if his being there was the reason that John Byrne did not appear for the first time in awhile. Marv replied..."I hope so." Considering the history between them, I found it pretty funny! I have absolutely nothing to say on the matter – except check out a couple of issues of The Comics Journal for the full story. This Has A "Not Even SBC Columnists Are Immune" Value Of Nine Out Of Ten SHAZAM!! It's been a long time coming but we could soon see the cheesiest character in comics on the big screen, but Captain Marvel (SHAZAM) has been optioned by the Time/Warner/AOL/DC studio, New Line Cinema. Will this be the film to kill the recent run of fantastic comic book movies? Perhaps, but equally this is a character with hidden depths and possibilities as readers of the classic Kingdom Come found out. Only time will tell, but I'm guessing we'll either see a children's film or a complete character revamp that'll take us all by surprise. This Has A "Hidden In A Cave" Value Of Six Out Of Ten More Wizard No, not the hokey old guy that gave Billy Batson his power but the comic book magazine. Further to our report last time, it would appear that the optimism expressed by some was ill founded. I deliberately avoided saying that the wizardworld.com website would definitely shut as many of those involved were expressing a very firm view that it wouldn't (and because despite everything going on they had managed to keep the site quite up to date). Unfortunately things have changed. Wizardworld.com is no longer on the web and apparently many (if not all) 800-America employees have been laid off. Wizard's replacement site (wizarduniverse.com) is still under construction and is a poor replacement for the moment but hopefully they'll get it together soon. There is no news, as yet, of what will happen to the all the site users collection details nor any orders they placed through the site. This Has An "Online Woes" Value Of Eight Out Of Ten Another "Rage" Hell, I'm not so paranoid or big-headed that I think everyone is talking about me but... I open up a website, I see a headline containing the phrase "All the Rage" and "Comic Book" together and I assume, well you know what I'd assume. Well, I was wrong. Instead I'd stumbled across details of the latest gay comic book. Rage Gay Crusader is based on a comic book created within the TV series Queer as Folk. The premise is certainly interesting and worth a look if you are interested (or just curious...). This Has A "Guy On Guy Action" Value Of Nine Out Of Ten Some Pimping Wanna see top creators 'pimping' their own work? Just check out: http://forums.delphiforums.com/Isotopelounge/ For example: EBRUBAKER Okay, I'm here to pimp, so please buy my new bitch, Gotham Central, which is also the co-bitch of Rucka and Lark. We've been working on this book for over a year, and it's finally out this week. This is the cop comic I've been wanting to write for a long, long time, with just enough Batman thrown in to get DC to publish it. Check it out, please, or I'll have to get it some new hot pants. The point of all this? Wouldn't you rather hear creators talking about why you should buy their books than marketing departments? This Has An "Inventive Solicitation" Value Of Seven Out Of Ten Captain Marvels Wins U-DECIDE Comic shop employee, Jimmy, reports: Keen-eyed observers might have already guessed this from visiting Marvel's new and improved website. With Marvel's listing of available Trade Paperback additions, along with their new trade dress/numbering scheme, Captain Marvel Vol. 1 is listed including artwork of the "New" Captain Marvel in Kree uniform, along with a different ISBN # from the initial CM trade. Marville and Ultimate Adventures are not featured with trades. Furthermore, the regular ISBN updates contain this new CM trade number, but no mention of a Marville or Ultimate Adventures trade_ Congrats to Peter David_ of course this could just mean that the other trades will come along a month or so later, given the shipping delays to both of those other titles, and the early Captain Marvel trade just reflects that it has actually shipped monthly_ This Has A "It Pays To Stay On Time" Value Of Six Out Of Ten Kevin Smith To Catch-Up On His Writing Commitments? Bad news for fans waiting for Kevin Smith to finish off his mini- series Spider-Man/Black Cat, to continue Daredevil: The Target and to start work on Amazing Spider-Man. Faith found this snippet for us: Cult film maker Kevin Smith has been enlisted to pen the next installment of the Scary Movie franchise - according to American entertainment bible Variety. Smith, who has just finished shooting Jersey Girl with Hollywood super couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, will be working with three other screenwriters including Brian Lynch, Pat Proft and Craig Mazin. Airplane! helmer David Zucker will direct the film, although the Wayans brothers who were involved with both other outings are not on board. Smith says, "It is an honor to be involved with David, one of the creators of Airplane!, which is arguably the funniest movie of all time. Our aim is to make this third in the franchise as funny as that other hysterical third-in-the- franchise flick, The Godfather Part III. Of course, once this is finished, any prizes for guessing yet another movie will come along? This Has A "Waiting In Line Is Never Fun" Value Of Five Out Of Ten Marvel's New Ultimate Covers = The Reader's Nightmare, The Collector's Dream? Yet more evidence (perhaps) that Marvel likes the collectors market – the flimsy, shiny, crappy (damn, said I wouldn't editorialise) covers on Ultimate Spider-Man #32 and Ultimate War #1, both out this week. Bye, bye, nice, hard wearing, card stock covers, hello cheap and cheerful laminate jobby. But why? Apart from them being miles cheaper, a cool post from pogoman on http://www.joequesada.com reveals a possible reason: In my opinion, the old covers arrived ALWAYS damaged. White corners ALL the time and heavy SPINE WEAR. Now, if you are spending decent money on the Ultimate books, might as well make it a nice copy. When TRUTH came out I did not find one copy that didn't have the white corners. I checked out about 6 different stores in the NJ-NYC area. With these new covers it was easy to find books in really nice condition, in fact I found such nice copies of Ultimate War and Daredevil-Elektra that I can consider sending them to CGC. And that says for a lot. Yes, I'm posting this out from the collector end so condition is always important. I would love to have 2 copies of each, but these ultimate books don't come cheap. There was some unique- touch to the cardstock cover but these new glossy covers are now of my preference. The reason that this gains added credence is Marvel's assertions that top retailers like their no re-order, no over-print policy, because it helps maintain the collectability of their monthlies. Another view espoused on the Brian Michael Bendis Message Board read that Marvel are covering their greatest ever comic books in toilet paper. So what's the score? For a possible answer to that I hand you over to BENDIS himself (on the Brian Michael Bendis Message Board): brianbendis 12/5/02 10:52 PM ultimate covers explained [Post#: 86836 ] talked to bill j briefly today and i voiced some of your concerns over the cover stock. the decision was made to find a stock that printed the ultimate style of covers better, the emulsion on this stock tightens the colors of the computer airbrush style and makes them pop. so there you have it. BENDIS! I wasn't satisfied with this answer, so I put the question about why the covers were changed to Joe Quesada, and he replied: "[we're] trying to keep the price point of the books at $2.25." Um, so pick your favourite reply of the two and go with that – u decide! This Has A "And Jemas Thinks It's Crazy To Call 'Em Pamphlets" Value Of Eight Out Of Ten Ultimate Secret Wars? Another cool story on http://www.joequesada.com, from IanZL: This story begins as most rumors do but... I was at my comic book store today and the clerk there was telling me about the end of the Venom saga in Ultimate Spider-Man where Spidey heads to Central Park with Venom following behind him. When they get there they see a spaceship of some sort, something happens where they end up getting sucked into this void and end up in something called the Secret War. A Secret War written by some guy named Morrison, in which the FF would play a prominent role and Dr. Doom would be a MAJOR player. As a result Ultimate FF would spin off of this book written by that same Morrison fellow. Oh yeah, you are thinking to yourself, "Bull shoot, Ian, I can make crap up too" but see my friend said he saw the penciled pages (on the net). Pages that heavily resembled Bagley's art. Heavily in the sense that for someone to draw this they would have to be very skilled at mimicking others and well, mimicking Bagley in particular. And we all know Bagley likes to work in advance so its not that far off... Wonder if it's true. Well, as you know, we like to substantiate rumours here, so we asked Joe Q and Grant M about this – JQ was kind enough to respond on another matter in the same email but declined to deny or confirm this one, Grant hasn't yet replied_ Looking forward to it? This Has An "Ultimate Symbiote Alien" Value Of Five Out Of Ten Ex - Com.X ? Well, maybe. You're almost certainly not aware of it, but the "official" Com.X message boards are available at: http://www.theintake.net/ and if you head over there and register, you'll see a whole flurry of activity right up until the break-in at Com.X HQ, and then_ virtually nothing. Couple this with a press release I heard rumours of and finally had a copy passed onto me by an editor at SBC, reveals that a couple of design companies have merged and formed a new company – at the HQ of Com.X. With no activity on the message boards, I thought I'd email the webmaster at their website_ bounced back, illegal user. I asked someone else to e-mail individuals on alternate addresses – no response. Does this mean Com.X has gone belly up? Please drop us a line, guys, and tell us what you're up to! This Has A "Missing You" Value Of Nine Out Of Ten Sky Between Branches Is Back! Having said all that, one person from Com.X (sort of) has been posting on the message boards. Josh Middleton, one of the finest artists in comics today, talks about his beautiful Sky Between Branches series on the above website. Bad news is that you're unlikely to see a copy of issue one anytime before 2004. Josh is working on it in his spare time between other, paying, projects, and it may finally see light as a completed graphic novel, rather than in 40 page installments. The implication, of course, is that it won't be published through Com.X when it does finally see the light of day, but Josh was good enough to post a couple of new pictures from #1, you can enjoy them at: http://www.theintake.net/scripts/cgi- bin/yabb/YaBB.pl/YaBB.pl?board=branches;action=display;num=1039128045; start=6 A new page and a panel_ check it out_ even if the real issue #1 is several years off. This Has An "Anticipation" Value Of Nine Out Of Ten Messageboard Madness Last week, I invited readers to comment on last week's article and the column in general. Check out this week's Soapbox for the responses and my replies. If you agree or disagree with anything then feel free to leave a message yourself. If YOU are the holder of any rumour/gossip on the comic book industry then why the HELL haven't you e-mailed it to me yet? You can have as much or as little publicity as possible and you never know what little spec of a rumour may well turn out to be just the tip of an exclusive iceberg. I'm off to get very drunk with a comic book store owner (provided I can persuade a certain Senior Editor to be the designated driver). TTFN Alan Donald +++++ Items found in Rich Johnston's "Lying in the Gutters" column at http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/ which are all rumors or gossip so take any of it with a BIG bucket of salt! Rich heard rumors . . . Marc Silvestri will be the new regular penciller for "New X-Men," with Batt inking. Fellow Top Cow cattle fodder David Finch will be the new regular penciller for "Uncanny X-Men." Mark Millar and Adam Kubert let slip they are to work together on a new "Ghost Rider" mini-series. Marvel comics was in talks with AOL over providing content for a number of its services. Grant Morrison is working on an "Invisibles" computer game. Frank Miller did indeed find time for a "Daredevil" movie cameo. Could it be that Wizard supreme Jim McLaughlin will step in to be the new editor in chief at Top Cow? Top Cow may have lost Mike Turner as a creative resource, leaving to work on a book at a brand new company. The canceling of "Arkanium" has freed up Lesean Thomas to work on Dreamwave's up and coming "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" comic, written by Peter David. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interviews Tim O'Shea tim_oshea@bellsouth.net Originally run at www.orcafresh.net This interview appears here with permission. "...a lot of treasures out there...waiting to be had...": An ORCA Q&A with Artist Claude St. Aubin By Tim O'Shea Claude St. Aubin is the kind of creator that has been around for years and has always been respected, but never the beneficiary of a high profile project. This is not meant as an insult. There are a number of people in the industry that execute their craft extremely well, but don't seek the glory or the limelight. They do the work for the love of comics. These are my favorite kind of creators and I'm honored that Claude took the time and effort to share his thoughts. He is one of the most talented and yet also the most modest folks I've had the pleasure to interview. Also, I'd like to thank Penny-Farthing Press' Michelle Harman for helping arrange this interview. Enjoy. O'Shea: What is it about THE VICTORIAN that attracted you to the project? St. Aubin: The need at PFP for an attention to details and to have a very tight team and script. They-I mean by that the team at Penny- Farthing Press-are probably the best people I have had the pleasure to work with. They are very involved with the project and they make you feel part of the team. I really appreciate that. This is a very close formula to put out a perfect product. Because I am far from perfect, well the product might not be perfect,but the editor and the others at PFP are a lot closer to that.[perfect] O'Shea: Some of the scenes and equipment are mechanically quite complicated and yet antiquated at the same time. How challenging is it to draw such scenes and do you have to do research for some of your drawings? St. Aubin: The fact that it needs quite a bit of research is the part I like most. The more you find in the research the more you learn. Yes, I admit at times it is a little difficult to find the right look and you hope that it is but... when you look at the premise for The Victorian, it is so unique and original that if you can succeed to give it its own look and world and to keep it in our modern world than you get a bonus of satisfaction of a job hopefully well done. It is a very delicate balance to achieve and to make the whole thing credible to the readers is very important. They need to enjoy the book and be convinced by the visuals and the story. O'Shea: Has there been a favorite character or issue to draw of THE VICTORIAN so far? St. Aubin: Yes, I like the character of Fitz, Ballare and Eudora. The Victorian himself of course and his alter ego, Trace. O'Shea: How did the DOMINION project with Keith Giffen develop? St. Aubin: Simple, I got a call if I was interested in doing the inking and I said yes. I have worked off and on with Keith Giffen in the past and enjoyed it a lot. The premise of the Dominion project and the actual approach of the art really interested me the most. Keith was going to use a more animated approach than in his usual drawing style. Just that alone I couldn't pass up. O'Shea: Many folks may not realize that you have been in comics since the mid-1970s. For folks new to your talent, are there any projects that people should seek out that you think are among your best? St. Aubin: To be honest, no not really. A lot of those projects in the past-for DC, Marvel, Acclaim, Topps or Crusade-were mainly rush jobs, Whatever I did--pencilling or inking. But a lot of those projects were fun and challenging. O'Shea: In what ways have you most improved as an artist over the years? Do you prefer doing the full art chores versus inking a project, or do you enjoy both aspects equally as much? St. Aubin: It depends. If there is a really good penciller that I like than at this point, I prefer inking. But you need to know something, I am not an inker. My goal when I started in the industry was to be the best storyteller that I could be. My first natural approach was to be a penciller. But I am of average talent at that. The more I draw, the more I am discovering how little I know about drawing. I REALLY admire those with natural talent that came and went in the industry and some that are still there. They are the ones that you learn from and are influenced by. I am talking those that were there at the beginning in the 1940s to now. O'Shea: In the mid-1990s you teamed with Lofficier and Roy Thomas on THE FRANKENSTEIN-DRACULA WAR for Topps. Do you have any interest in doing more horror work at some point (or have you already)? Is there any genre of the comic book medium that you prefer over others? St. Aubin: Yes and no. First, when I was younger I really liked the horror genre now I am over that. I would really like to do comedy and make the readers laugh. That would be most fulfilling. Beside that, science-fiction, perhaps fantasy (sword and sorcery), western for sure but that last one is not popular anymore. Still a fun super hero project would be fun also. A project like the Victorian is also lots of fun because you need to be creative and exciting when there are sequential pages where nothing is really happening visually. O'Shea: You've done a variety of work over the years, including more recently the PLASTIC MAN ONE-SHOT with Ty Templeton. How much fun was that to work on, given the comedic nature of both the character and Templeton as a creator? St. Aubin: I REALLY enjoyed that very much. Too bad it was a one shot deal only. Yes that was loads of fun. O'Shea: While you've worked on a variety of characters in your career, I was wondering if there were any characters you'd particularly like to draw or creators you want to collaborate with on a project? St. Aubin: That is quite the question. I really do not know what to say. I never was introduced to a situation where I could pick a writer and a project to work on. But if I had a choice, I would like to work on one of my ideas with a writer that would like that idea and go from there. But who, I do not know. Perhaps Brian Augustyn. I like the way he takes a story and develops it and where he goes with all the elements with the story and characters, situations etc.... But there are others also, but I haven't pushed the wishful thinking beyond that, having never experienced it, I never put a lot of thought to it. O'Shea: What other projects are on the horizon for you in 2002 and beyond? St. Aubin: Hopefully, The Victorian and Dominion. O'Shea: Is there anything that you'd like to discuss that I may have not asked? St. Aubin: Well, the one thing you should know, is that I find myself very fortunate to be working in this industry. I LOVE comic books. I love the concepts of it. I appreciate and am grateful to work with exceptional talents now and in the past. When you see a product on the shelves and the readers appreciate your efforts, I find that very rewarding. The only sad note to that, there are not enough books for the children and many of them (the children) are missing the magic of opening a comic book and reading it. There is so much to enjoy. From the publisher right down to the letterer, including the writers, pencillers, inkers and colorists put a lot of work and their personalities in these gems. It is worth looking into. There are a lot of treasures out there sitting on those shelves waiting to be had. ++++++ "No godhood is required or aspired.": An ORCA Q&A with A. David Lewis By Tim O'Shea The world needs more ambitious creators and more ambitious comic anthologies. Luckily the comics market is starting to find such folks more and more every day. And one of them is A. David Lewis, one of the creative forces behind Mortal Coils (http://www.georgetown.edu/users/adl6/index2_sac.html). Fortunately, Lewis recently took some time to share his thoughts about his work and other matters. My thanks for his time. Enjoy. O'Shea: Trying to write a story, even in the post-crime stage, that involves the topic of rape is not an easy one to tackle. But that's what you did in the first story of the first issue of Mortal Coils. Were your nervous about tackling something that "sensitive" in your first effort? Lewis: Part nervous, part excited, sure. That is, "Disembodiment," the story to which you're referring, wasn't my first whack at ever writing a comic script. It actually came about as a challenge posed to me by an indy editor for whom I had done some previous work. But the idea and the topic were quite delicate and quite volatile, so, yeah, there was a bit of wariness in tackling it. I knew it couldn't afford to be done in a mediocre manner -- the script either had to be sharp and focused or it wasn't worth doing. I felt up to the challenge, though. I read up on a couple of rape cases and books on dealing with sexual assault and then poured the "juice" that came from this jangling apprehension into the deeply focused writing of the story. I can honestly say that there isn't one word in there that wasn't specifically and actively chosen -- that's how much weight I felt was on me to do this right. Before I showed my final revision to this indy editor, I asked some of the women at Sequential Tart to verify that I had treated the subject matter appropriately. Then, with their seal of approval, I turned it in. But, I had fallen so in love with it, when the publisher began to push back the release date on the other stories I did for them, I asked to have "Disembodiment" back so I could release it myself. They kindly assented, and thus the world of Mortal Coils began to take shape; "Disembodiment" really unlocked something for me. O'Shea: As for the second Mortal Coils story, I was wondering, are you a chess fan, or did you have to do a lot of research to get the story right? Lewis: I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I'm relatively familiar with it. "Deeper Blue," the second Mortal Coils story, came from a similar challenge as "Disembodiment" but in a much more loose and organic fashion. I was simply asked what my personal spin would be to "The Most Dangerous Game" story -- that is, the story of a man being hunted for sport. So, I played with a number of ideas until I remembered the story of Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and his losing to the IBM computer Deep Blue in a tournament. It seemed like a really interesting theme to pursue -- a man being challenged or hunted by a machine because that's precisely what the machine had been programmed by a man to do! That is, in all these other "Most Dangerous Game" scenarios, even the Terminator scenario, the motives were always greed or revenge or survival or entertainment or whatnot. Here, I got to explore what I considered a rather new motive in a relatively standard scene. So, remembering my inspiration, I just chose to employ a bit of the chess terminology I picked up and to have the robots (seen in color on the back cover of Mortal Coils #1) painted in a dark, metallic blue -- an homage to their Chess Champion brother. O'Shea: How did you end up deciding to try doing Mortal Coils in the first place, how long has it been in development? Lewis: Feels more like it decided to do me...But, seriously, it was an interesting evolution. That is, I had been starting to think about producing my own comic for a while. I had done scripts for a couple of independent companies and, while those were good experiences, I had little to show from it. That is, the scripts either got tossed or postponed or taken under with the company. So, I felt that, in order to make sure this thing actually happened and was done well, I had to surround myself with some good people and just do it myself. Before moving ahead with that, though, I had to make sure I wasn't just doing it to be seen -- just doing it to say, "Hey, guys, look! I have a comic! Lookit me!" I needed to make sure I had solid stories that had something to say and would also entertain. I had already retrieved "Disembodiment" and "Deeper Blue" from Committed Comics, but was looking for something a little more unified to produce; after all, these hadn't originally been meant to hang together, you know? I played with some other ideas -- concepts I may still find it in my cruel heart to unleash upon the world someday -- but then it suddenly hit me just how the two stories could work together...Work together rather well, actually. I conceived of a whole universe and a plot linking together various mini-tales of this twisted cosmos that would serve "Disembodiment" and "Deeper Blue" quite well. It took a bit of re-editing, but, in the end, I had the first issue of what I hoped would be an entertaining and intriguing ongoing series. From issue #1 alone, I doubt anyone can guess how these two stories, each from a very different genre, are connected. And, issue #2 may do little to shed additional light, this time pulling from mob and fantasy genres. Hopefully, the stories are interesting in and of themselves at this point. But, by issue three, the threads will start weaving together so that, should we have a solid enough readership to reach issue 6, the true crisis of this shared world should be fully apparent. Incidentally, I think it would be totally remiss, rude, and ridiculous for me not to mention the huge role that my art and editorial team has played in helping to develop Mortal Coils. There are avenues and details I would never have thought to pursue without the likes of Dan Cooney, Evan Quiring, Darren Merinuk, and Jason Copland. Moreover, I'm not sure if I would have the guts to put out my own book if it wasn't for the encouragement and support of Rima Mulla, Dave Gordon, Neil Kleid, and my friends and family. I doubt there would be much "development" to speak of without this incredible network of wonderful people. No A. David Lewis is an island! (And, please smack me if I talk about myself in the third person again, ok?) O'Shea: Not every creator gets an endorsement from the likes of Devin Grayson, how did that come about? Lewis: You know, I haven't a clue! I mean, I know what I did -- I just can't believe it worked! Now, I hope I'm not opening up Devin to a torrent of pestering would-be writers (which I certainly was and still could be), but it was no more difficult than approaching her at WizardWorld East, giving her a photocopy of the advance issue, and politely asking for her comments on it. She kindly said sure, took the photocopy and my card, and put it in the towering stack of free books she had received. Now, I figured that was it -- I had taken my shot. At the very least, a writer I admire will read my work and, maybe, she'll like it enough to remember my name if we're ever reintroduced. I had given my stuff to creators before, and that's usually the best I could expect to happen. Not so here! I can't say whether she does this will all the scripts she receives, but a week or two later, I got an e-mail from her expressing her praise of my modest efforts. There was criticism in the message, sure, but I appreciated every line of it (especially the criticism, actually, since she was giving it in an effort to improve my writing further). So, here, I'm on cloud 9, yet I push my luck further, which, admittedly, could have been disastrous and may have been wildly arrogant. I ask if I can get a quote from her to use in the publicity material. And, after chuckling at me, I'm sure, she said yes. Now, I don't expect every comic pro to do this, and I certainly don't expect Devin to do this for everyone, but it was a really wonderful and inspiring experience to have an established writer still care about those of us still digging our way into the industry. Should I ever have the good fortune to be in a similar position, I can only hope I'd do the same. That is the true favor Devin did me, far beyond the quote -- she reaffirmed my faith in the industry to a great degree. O'Shea: I know that issue 2 of Mortal Coils is currently under development, but any idea when the next issue will come out and where you plan to go from there? Lewis: Barring any unforeseen delays and holiday nonsense, Mortal Coils #2 should be out in January 2003. Issue #1 got such great response and we were so pleased with it, so I didn't want to tamper with the winning formula all that much. It will feature much the same creative team as the previous issue, though inker James Cosper will be taking over for our busy friend Mr. Merinuk. So, that means it's Jason Copland on the first story "What Gazes Also" and Evan Quiring & James on the second one "Vaya Con Dios." Dave Gordon will have a hand in the graphic design of the issue, and Red Eye Press chief, Dan Cooney, will be lending his skill to the lettering and other layout work. In fact, the only thing that's changing in any way is the tone of the stories. That is, they'll still be in keeping with the themes of "bodiness", sanity, death, and reality, but this next pair of stories is...I don't want to say less dark, but they're certainly less obviously dark. I've held back on my word count quite a bit, letting the stories breathe a bit more and giving the artists more room to strut their stuff. So, I'm hoping that the people who liked issue #1 will also dig #2, but it will not be the exact, same sort of stories. I would like to see at least 2 issues of Mortal Coils in 2003 in conjunction with the separate, 2-issue mini-series I'm working on with Jason Copland; he'll be taking a break from Coils to work on that other series while letting someone else complete the artistic pair with Evan. Issue #3 will provide the first solid clue as to what is going on -- what links all these stories together. And, issue #4 should feature the return of a familiar face from issue #1. So, by the end of next year, we'll know whether Mortal Coils has a true audience, people that "get" where the book it going and actively want to see how it unfolds. Don't get me wrong -- there has been a wonderful response from readers in buying the book. But, it's a passive purchase, a person willing to take a risk on a book they don't know from an imprint they may not have heard of with a story they no nothing about. I would love if, by this point next year, there are a couple of "mortalists" eagerly awaiting the next issue. My main goal is just to write a good comic, to tell a good story. I would like for it to sell well, but only so that it affords me to print the entirety of the series, not necessarily to make me rich, you know? Red Eye's been approached by studios about turning properties into movies, television shows, video games, and whatever, but -- though Mortal Coils could make a sweet TV show! -- that's not what I'm in this for. If I have any selfish motive here, it's that I would like to have my stories told and be known for them. I'm not Art Spiegelman, I'm not Alan Moore -- hell, I'm not even Stuart Moore. I'm just a guy in love with words and stories and comics who would like to contribute something worthwhile to the never-ending discussion. O'Shea: In my review of issue 1 (http://www.orcafresh.net/ooo/oo100702.html), I described the first issue as "Imagine two stories that are a mixture of science fiction meets social commentary with a dash of horror. " What kind of influences or area of experience brought you to be a person who wants to write stories with a mixture of SF and social commentary? Lewis: And what a delightful review it was! :-) I've pretty much been an English student all my life. I mean, I was decent at Math and Science, but I always approached those other subjects as, "How could I use this knowledge in a story? What character would this appeal to?" I mean, I also studied Psychology and Drama, all of which sort of boils in the same pot for me. So, I feel as thought I've been exposed to a good range of written work, though, admittedly, not as broad a selection as someone with a more classic education. I'm a big fan of Vonnegut, of Bradbury, and of Asimov. Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger In a Strange Land also holds a special place for me as does Tolkien's The Hobbit, Homer's Odyssey, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Waiting for Godot. Of course, there are the thousands of hours spent reading comics of every time and quality, though Moore (both Alan and Terry), Gaiman, Miller, David, and Morrison all sort of climb to the top of that mound. Specific to Mortal Coils #1, though, are Gaiman and Vonnegut, I think, because neither one ever seemed bothered by turning genre on its ear. I mean, neither does either Moore, but I think Gaiman and Vonnegut demonstrate this best. I recently have been reading "A Peanut Scorned" in Jason Yarbluth's Deep Fried, and I say to myself: "This is just genius: To throw Sparky Schultz's Peanuts into your standard Wolverine-as-Mad-Max post- apocalyptic setting. I've seen Peanuts and I've seen this other plot done ad nauseum. Seeing them done together, though? That's brilliant!" I aspire to do the same thing, but not necessarily to comedic effect. To find a genre or a situation that, basically, has been played out several times over and find some new twist or direction for it that can give it a second life. I mean, isn't that what we expect from the best writers, particularly those in the superhero genre? It's not like we haven't seen Superman fly to Lois' rescue before. But, if this time, there's something that's gone on to make him wonder if he should let her die -- well, hot damn, that's interesting! That's what I'm going for and I think that's what, no matter when they created, the authors, filmmakers, and musicians I enjoy most have the remarkably ability to do. O'Shea: Looking at your scholarly works (http://www.georgetown.edu/users/adl6/index3_sac.html), it seems you're partial to DC, am I right? (Then again, in your reviews from Pop Matters, you address several Marvel books, so I'm wondering if you do have a preference of one universe over the other)? Lewis: You know, Tim, I think I'm actually the reverse. Or, at least, I used to me. In the words of Inigo Montoya, "Lemme 'splain...No, is to much -- Lemme sum up:" As a young boy, I read Marvel almost exclusively. The DC heroes were far too iconic and convoluted for me to either enjoy or understand, even after Crisis on Infinite Earths. That said, I revelled in the soap opera that was X-Men, in Peter David's Hulk, in the Pre-McFarlane Spider-Man, etc. As I got older, my tastes changed, as did my buying habits. I moved towards more adult fare like Vertigo and some of the more accessible non-mainstream titles (e.g. Strangers In Paradise, Sin City, etc.). For academic study, though, I initially found DC to be the most interesting. First, because of the same thing I disliked them for as a kid: they're iconic. When I dabbled in myth criticism, Superman and Batman were far easier to play with next to Beowulf and the Valkyries than Iceman or Cable. Second, by the time I got into academia, DC comics were being written much better and Marvel's were largely worse; I had Kingdom Come on one hand and Spider-Man's Clone Saga on the other. Which would you bank a term paper on? Lastly, though, I think I still had what I considered Marvel's "glory days" (since I was too young to go back to the Silver or early Bronze Age, experiencing just the best of the Iron Age) reserved for my youth. Until recently, nothing they did could compete with "The Kraven's Last Hunt" or Captain America's "Hunt for the Scourge" or Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. To be fair to Marvel, we are talking about a relatively short period of time, from my "youth" until now, so we shouldn't crucify them for some slippage. But, if my research to date has favored DC over Marvel, that's probably why. (Which is strange unto itself, since I think there's some really incredible things happening in the indies or at creator-owned houses like ABC.) The book-length text I'm currently working on for 2004 should address this disparity, using both companies alike and rather indiscriminately. O'Shea: The authors discussed in your academic writing include Alan Moore, Mark Waid, Neil Gaiman and Judd Winick. I was wondering if you've ever had the opportunity to share your analysis with any of these creators? Lewis: Actually, yes! While the Brits still seem to elude me, I have been lucky enough to share my work with both Mark Waid and Judd Winick. Mark, actually, was kind enough to work with me on my early papers, submitting to e-mail interviews and the like. When "Kingdom Code" did get published in The International Journal of Comic Art, I was quick to send him a copy. I knew he wouldn't agree with everything I said in the article, but I also knew he wouldn't hold it against me. Since then, I continue to share things with Mark whenever I can, and he's always cool enough to send me a quickie thank you note with a line or two of responses. Judd, on the other hand, was someone I simply assaulted with my observations. No, seriously, though, I was so really pleased with how this little mini-site I did as a hypertext paper on Pedro & Me turned out. My girlfriend, an avid Real World watcher and no stranger to comics, urged me to send it to Judd. I don't honestly recall what happened next, but I either saw him at a convention or I sent him an e-mail about the site and then saw him at the convention...in either case, he sent me this wonderfully gushing e-mail about how he had to show all his friends my website and how honestly impressive it was to him. I mean, it impressed him! It's not often a scholar gets that kind of response from his or her subject -- we rarely even get read by our subjects. But, fortunately, I'm in a field where that can happen. If I were a scientist, I couldn't expect the mice to say, "Hey, I like what you did to my brain -- this electrode wiring really lets you know when I have to pee." But, that's what I got. (Not to equate Judd or Mark to a lab rat...Ok, maybe Mark...) O'Shea: On a related note, what was it like to give a presentation at this year's San Diego Comicon (One For the Ages: Barbara Gordon and the (Il-)Logic of Comic Book Age-Dating)? Lewis: Even though this was my fourth time presenting at this conference, it had a lot of special significance to it. After all, it was the first time I got to officially wear both hats, as a scholar with a paper to present and a creator with a comic to sell. It was nice to be in a place where those worlds could meet. Also, it was a terrific panel, since people had a lot of interest and opinions on the subject of the superhero comic Ages (e.g. Gold, Silver, Bronze, Tungsten, Tweed, Plastic, Felt...). I always enjoy the thrill of performing -- it goes back to my theater days. I generally "perform" my papers; that is, I don't just read from the paper, as some presenters do, but rather I go from notes, improv a bit, and try to get the audience involved. But, two things made this year particularly special. First, both my girlfriend Rima and my Mortal Coils collaborator Evan Quiring were in the audience. This was the first time either one had heard me present a paper, so it was a special thrill to see them out there and feel their support. The other bonus was who else sat in the audience: Will Eisner! I mean, the man for whom the Eisner awards themselves are made, the author of Comics & Sequential Art, the creator of the Spirit, the pioneer of the first graphic novel -- here he was, listening to me! If it didn't feel so stupendous to me, I'm sure I would have probably noted how absolutely bizarre it was. And, all through my paper, he gave these little nods, as if he was either expressing his approval or just noting that he understood this boiled-down elitist, collegiate nonsense. In any event, I was in heaven. While Rima and Evan stayed for the whole panel, Eisner left soon after my paper. But, as he did, he lightly shook his fist in the air on the way out, as if to say, "Stay strong, fellahs." It was a wonderful, surreal moment. O'Shea: As a critic for Pop Matters, you once wrote an editorial entitled "Truth, Justice, and the British Way" In it (http://www.popmatters.com/comics/truth-justice.html) you wrote: "In any form of art or entertainment the American ideal fluctuates from year to year and generation to generation." It's a fun essay to read (and I assume it was written prior to September2001), but I wonder have you considered re-examining the topic of British writers trying to write "American" heroes. Would you like to here with your answer :) ? Lewis: Nope. Haven't thought about it. Next question... ;-) To be honest, if I have anything more to say on the subject, it would probably have more to do with the writing sensibilities of the two nations rather than the nations themselves. That this, there's nothing wrong with a Brit writing Captain America or a Venezuelan writing Superman. What interests me more is the cultural storytelling traditions they bring with them that might otherwise not be expected from such a character or from such a genre. I think this is part of the reason people like Moore and Gaiman and Morrison and Ellis and Ennis have burst on the scene at their respective times; we Americans sometimes get too comfortable with our American writing, even if it does sometime adapt to the influx of another writer's culture. That isn't to say the only strong and surprising writing out there will come from imports -- it's only to explain why their work seems so fresh. Further, this isn't to say that if I go plunk down in Liverpool I'll be a star. Rather, I think there is something to the British sensibilities about writing that isn't always found in the American about reinventing and reconsidering one's self constantly. O'Shea: As a scholarly writer, I would assume that you view academic analysis as an effective way to further legitimize comic books as a literary form. Do you think your's and others academic efforts are making progress toward such recognition? Lewis: In many ways, yes. I mean, we're not replacing Shakespeare or winning the Nobel Prize for our work. But, more colleges are considering comics as legitimate study texts (whether that be for Art, for English, for Sociology, for Philosophy), and that, in turn, helps connect all of us with the international community that had long ago come to that conclusion -- comics have held a well-respected position in Italy, France, and Japan for some time. Further, I think anything that brings positive attention to the medium, be it a new movie or a biography on Stan Lee, is a boon. I don't argue that all comics should be revered as works of art or as high literature; a lot of comics suck, and I think even comic book readers and fans know and accept that. However, there are those gems that should be held high and found by the rest of society. The same is true for print novels, for movies, and for music -- 98% of it sucks, but there's that 2% that reaffirms it as art. Too much of our society either disregards comics' 2% or doesn't even know it exists. Anything that redirects their attention back to comics is a good thing, in the hopes that it will lead them to that 2%. I'm not a purist, after all; I don't think its heresy for kids to know Spider-Man better through a $400 million film or even Electric Company than they do through a comic. I just think it's important that they know and appreciate that Spider-Man came from a comic, thereby underscoring the potential of the medium. It's like Sherlock Holmes -- you may never have read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but you know and in some small way appreciate his work, even if you're just smiling at Bart Simpson blowing on a bubble-pipe and leading his sister-Watson towards Sideshow Bob. It's the acceptance of the medium, not any one work or character, that I want. And anything that treats the medium with respect -- be it a movie or an essay -- is a step in the right direction. (Incidentally, I feel similarly, though not as passionately, about works of hypertext fiction. I'm curious to see the day when both comics and online writing take a step up the social culture ladder and something else -- holographies? -- become "low culture.") O'Shea: I know you've scripted an issue of Dan Cooney's VALENTINE (issue 8), will you be doing more? Also, in terms of other work, would you ever like to write for one of the "mainstream" companies, or do you prefer to write your own characters? Lewis: Yes, I will definitely be working more with Dan on his Valentine series. He and I met a few years ago at Comic-Con in San Diego and started a really nice friendship that has just really clicked. For issue #7, I offered to edit, since Dan and grammar don't always mix. He liked the result of my smoothening the dialogue of his otherwise excellent storytelling that he allowed me to do the entire script for issue #8. We work in a very Lee-Kirby way: After discussing the plot of an issue or storyarc, he goes off to do all the pages. Then, taking his suggestions into account, it's my job to fill in all the sharp barbs and retorts to match the panels. It's an interesting way of doing things, not one I employ with any of my other artists, but it really works for us. So, expect to see more in the near-future for certain! As for other companies...sure! That is, when I write, I come from one of two places: I either pull an idea out of the ether or I have some foundation from which I start building additional levels. In the first case, these are generally my own ideas, and I have a hard time parting with them freely. That is, if a company were to come knocking, I would so much prefer they say, "We want you to write a story for Quicksilver lost in the Bermuda Triangle," than, "So, what do you have for us?" Pitching is a terrible and terrifying experience to me. I'd rather keep the home-grown ideas for myself and fly off someone else's springboard when writing for them; in that case, even if their idea is lousy, I can go about figuring out ways to make it work. It becomes a puzzle for me, and I can really find some pleasure in that. Besides, having me play in another kid's sandbox, allowing me to play with (and potentially break) their toys is a high compliment! I'm just a particularly fussy kid who loves others' toys but keeps his own locked away in his room. All that said, I've broken these rules several times already. I've handed over ideas to some excited artists like puppies from a litter. Further, I've built up story ideas for other folks' properties without their invitation. I swear, at their request, understand, I pitched about a half dozen ideas to Marvel for their X-Men Unlimited title in less than three months, none of which they eventually accepted. But, such is life! Again, the goal here isn't glory. It's being able to self-sustain -- to make enough money to continue making more comics -- it's being able to tell stories (of my characters or of others'), and it's being able to say, "Hey, I'm Dave Lewis," and have the person respond, "Yeah? I've heard of you. I like your stuff. Got any more?" No godhood is required or aspired. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [6] My Life With Comic Books Paul Howley pmca@together.net [Paul Howley is the owner of the Eisner Award winning pop culture collector's store known as " That's Entertainment " in Worcester, Massachusetts. His store has been around for over twenty years and it's been a long and interesting combination of events and people that has brought it to its current place. The purpose of this column is not to boast or brag about his store but to tell you his story. See more about the store online at http://www.thatse.com ] MY LIFE WITH COMIC BOOKS: THE HISTORY OF A COMIC SHOP - Part Eight After six months of dealing with comic book collectors, working by herself (with no telephone), driving a lousy commute through heavy traffic each day, and not really knowing much about the product she was being forced to sell, my wife grew to feel trapped in our first comic book shop. She had enough. Because I was seemingly more interested in my business than her, she also had enough of me. She moved back into her parent's house. I was shocked. Everything seemed fine to me. I enjoyed my full time job at the computer factory and I loved working at the store on Saturdays. I had continued selling at the monthly comic book conventions one Sunday each month. I made time for everything I enjoyed except my wife! After a few days of separation, I explained to Mal that my commitment to her was much more important to me than comic books. I told her we'd obviously get rid of the comic book store. I convinced her to come back to me. We decided that it was time to make some changes in our lives. We though it would be good for us to get away from the "comfort" of our families and friends so that we would have to rely on each other more. I quit my job at the computer factory. I remember the "exit interview" given to me by my boss. He said (in a condescending tone) "You need to face the facts and grow up. You'll never make any money selling comic books." Since we weren't working, we thought we'd take advantage of the free time by going to Disney World. I convinced my whole family to go; My Mom, Dad, all six kids, and Mal. My brother Jay had married Annette and she came too. We drove down in three cars and camped in Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort. We all had a great time. In fact, it was so much fun that Mal and I decided that we would move to Florida so that we could work in Disney World. It seemed like such a happy place! After we got home from this vacation, my brother Jay decided that he was moving to Chattanooga ,Tennessee. Mal and I had an old van and plenty of time (since we still weren't working) so we loaded up the van with Jay's stuff to help him move south. We figured we'd go from Tennessee to Disney World to apply for work. Jay and his wife Annette were headed to Tennessee to join a group of "believers" in a commune- type life. Mal and I ended up staying with them for almost a month. We enjoyed being around the members of this "group" of people who really seemed to care about each other. One of the men living there had some old comic books from the early 1960's that he wanted to sell so he could donate the money to the group. I had gone to a local flea market and heard about an upcoming comic book convention so I decided I'd sell the comics as a favor to these nice people we'd met. After a little investigation I contacted the organizer of the convention and rented some table space from him. I figured it would be a fun way to spend a Sunday. Little did I know how pivotal this day would be! Next chapter: We meet the hardest working man in the comic business: Gary Walker! ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Stream of Babbling Tim O'Shea tim_oshea@bellsouth.net [Tim O'Shea is a contributor to Organized Readers of Comics Associated (ORCA [www.orcafresh.net]) His column appears here with permission.] A Year Off From Science By Tim O'Shea Before sharing my opinion on The Science of Superheroes, a nonfiction scientific analysis of comic book fiction by Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg, I have to disclose something. I am the most scientifically ignorant person in my house. My wife is enthralled by all things science (and about every show on TLC or Discover channel). I was the son of an electrical engineer and the charge skipped a generation. Do you want proof? It was mid-1984, sophomore year at the St. Pius X Roman Catholic High School (like a learning institution named after a saint could be any other religion...) and teachers are advising us of the courses to take the next year. As I sat in the biology class, counting the seconds until the infinite seeming class would end, the teacher Ms. Tanner walked up to me. There was pity in her eyes (I saw that look in a lot of my science teachers' eyes over the years, so it was nothing new). She looked at me and with a sense of regret, relief and condolence she said to me: "Tim, we in the science department talked it over...and we decided that you should...take a year off from science." Never was a teen so happy as me. Her news that she thought may crush me, in fact buoyed me. My performance was so bad (and my comprehension was so pathetic) that they were giving me a year to maybe mature a tad. Or I don't know what. But that's how I found myself taking chemistry my senior year at Pius. Don't think I did any better, mind you. It was only through the kindness of a retiring chemistry teacher, who knew I would never try to work in a science field and she gave me a passing grade in the class. (I was an "A for effort" student, who got himself wound up with worry to the point I could not think.) And for those of you who actually read this column on a regular basis and know my full-time job, I do not consider my job as an editor/writer for a nuclear consulting firm to be in the science field. I've never even set foot in a nuclear plant. So no need to panic and contact the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as this boy merely edits the scientific geniuses, I don't pretend to be one. (And yet, the partial irony does not escape me). So what the heck am I getting within a 100 foot radius of this book to evaluate it, you may ask? Here's the good part-the book speaks to me. Not in a "voices in my head" way, but in a "we're not here to educate you, we're here to entertain you" way. The accessible tone of the book is to the credit of authors Gresh and Weinberg. And to better understand how they come to set such a effective tone for the book, it's best to look into some background on the authors. Lois H. Gresh (http://www.sff.net/people/lgresh/) has written eight novels as well as dozens of mystery, fantasy and science fiction stories. Her fiction has been nominated for the Nebula, Bram Stoker, and Theodore Sturgeon awards. Her titles include (in addition to this new book of course): The Termination Node, The Computers of Star Trek, Dragonball Z: An Unauthorized Guide, The Chuck Farris Series, and Technolife 2020. Robert Weinberg "has written 15 novels, 10 non- fiction books, and edited over a 100 anthologies. For the past several years, Bob has been writing comic books. He's also a collector of rare pulp magazines and original science fiction art." That merely scratches the surface of what he's done, in fact, and you can find out more at http://www.robertweinberg.net/. The authors, having worked both in the realms of fiction and nonfiction (and the nebulous matters in between), were well suited to analyze the strange science that is prevalent in comic books. While extremely well-researched-almost every other page in the book carries at least one footnote-the book does not get bogged down in minutiae that would only serve to bore mainstream readers like myself. Just when you fear that the book has gotten too technical, the writers have the presence of mind to balance out the analysis with a funny line or anecdote, or some other observation of the industry. For me, one element of analysis that won me over in terms of the book in general was not scientific, it was something that showed the authors to be true (and wise) comics fans. It occurs in the chapter Of Atoms, Ants, and Giants: "Reading comic books requires some suspension of disbelief. When we pick up a comic book, we need to be willing to give the author some leeway in his writing. Except in extreme cases, we have to be willing to accept some compromises. In comics, odd coincidences are allowed to help the plot move. Characters can change their minds suddenly, because, though most of us hate to admit it, we do the same thing. Situations are resolved in most books by the end of the story because readers like tidy conclusions. Many classic science fictions stories are based on the premise What If? What if hostile aliens visited Earth? What if time travel were possible? One unlikely premise is made or an unproven conjecture is assumed for the sake of a good story. A good writer can take a single premise and construct an entire novel, or even a series of novels, based on one logical extrapolation of events or ideas. And then there are comic books. Superhero comics expand the What If? concept into a premise for a hero or heroine. Batman, for example, is based on the premise of what if a young boy saw his parents gunned down by a crook and decided to dedicate his life to preventing crimes...The concept supplies our character. The details make the character believable...Unfortunately, such characters are few and far between in comics. For instance, details destroy the Atom." [referring to the Silver Age DC Comics character] I've read reviews by folks who don't enjoy this book, mostly it appears because of some lines of analysis and routes to certain conclusions like the one I just provided. And that's what makes this book so good. This is the kind of book that can sit behind the counter in a comic book store (in addition to of course, being sold) and be used as a reference or the kind of thing that can start debates among fellow customers. Aspects of this book are destined to be reposted on message boards and debated for threads that will go on indefinitely. I saw a glimpse of that when the book was briefly mentioned at the Silver Age Reviews List (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SilverAgeReviews/) starting with this post (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SilverAgeReviews/message/1756). While I don't always agree with the authors' analysis, I appreciate the "suspension of disbelief" premise, and I think my science ignorance helps me to suspend my disbelief even to a greater degree. Another great aspect to the book is the nuggets of pop culture and science fiction contextual information that is loaded into each chapter. It makes for great bathroom reading material (and I apologize for folks who don't seek such reading material and are offended at the thought of it, but I'll write it anyway). What I mean is, this book is the kind that you can pick up anytime, anywhere and read a chapter that interests you. You can skip ahead to chapter four, then move on to 10. It doesn't matter, the book is just a fun collection of facts and theories. The appendices to the book are even fun, as the first one (Who Missed the Cut?) explains the why and how certain characters did or did not get picked. The second appendix is a psuedo panel/Q&A about science and comics with Len Wein, Mark Wheatley, Brett Booth, Buddy Scalera, Mort Castle and Max Allan Collins. It's an interesting discussion and while gender politics don't enter into a discussion of science and comics, it would have been nice to have some female representation in the Q&A (In addition to the book's female co-author). Fortunately you don't have to go on merely my endorsement to decide if this book is for you. Amazon has kindly made a 47-page book excerpt (out of 224 pages) available on their site at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/- /0471024600/ref=lib_dp_sp_1/103-0046337- 4285475?v=glance&s=books&vi=slide-show#reader-link Finally, here's the vital info for how much the book costs and all. Please do seek it out, as it was a pleasure to read: The Science of Superheroes Lois H. Gresh, Robert Weinberg ISBN: 0-471-02460-0 Hardcover 224 Pages September 2002 US $24.95 (but check with your local retailer or online bookseller, as many places are giving it some sort of standard new book discount) Another Holiday Suggestion Throughout the month of December, I'll be trying to review potential gifts related to comics. If you know of a great holiday offer, please let me know by e-mail at timmito@yahoo.com Thanks to Exhibit A Press' (and industry all around great person) Jackie Estrada for the following tip. Holiday gift suggestion: SUPERNATURAL LAW trade paperbacks! You have two to choose from: THE VAMPIRE BRAT, AND OTHER TALES OF SUPERNATURAL LAW and SONOVAWITCH! AND OTHER TALES OF SUPERNATURAL LAW. Both deluxe 176-page books (on high-quality paper with spot-gloss covers) feature the wacky wit of cartoonist Batton Lash. Whether poking fun at pop culture or satirizing the legal system, Batton's stories have plenty of plot twists and interesting characters to grab even the most jaded reader (SUPERNATURAL LAW has even been called "the comic for people who don't read comics"). SPECIAL HOLIDAY DISCOUNT: If you use the order form on the Exhibit A Press website, you can get either book for $12 (regular list price is $14.95). These books great gifts for lawyers, law students, and folks who like to read humor, horror, and mysteries. For more information on SLaw, the books, and the holiday special, go to: http://www.exhibitapress.com/pages/whatsnew.html Tim again...Batton is a truly effective satirist, and the Exhibit A trade paperbacks are the perfect gift to give a friend who doesn't read comic books. These stories also celebrate the fun of pop culture and satire of this type is rare to find. A Robot, A Minatour and A Plant Before you ask, that's not the beginning of a joke involving three people walking into a bar. Those are the three characters in Joel Priddy's new 160-page graphic novel, Pulpatoon Pilgrimage. This graphic novel, about the journey of a minatour (Bull), a robot (Rowbot), and a plant (Delaware Thistle), is the first book to be released by Chris Pitzer's AdHouse Books (http://www.adhousebooks.com/adhouse.main.html). According to Pitzer, AdHouse was "founded with the purpose of helping artists to create distinct, original stories in the format of comics and books." I'm pleased to say that Priddy's work is extremely distinct. This pilgrimage comes at a unique time in history, as I think as a society, whether we realize it or not, we're all one ourselves and the journey has taken some strange turns in the past few years. Priddy, an artist who has had his illustrations run in a wide range of publications including the New York Times, Playboy and Cricket Magazine, wrote and drew this examination of humanity and nature during a Visiting Professorship at Virginia Commonwealth University. What I love about his storytelling is how on one level he's telling a straightforward short story, but in actuality each separate narrative combines with the others to make one greater story, which (obviously) is the pilgrimage. Jen Contino recently interviewed Priddy over at Pulse (http://www.comicon.com/cgi- bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=36&t=000139) and one thing he said confirmed my impression of his work: "For every idea that actually got captured in ink, there's at least 10 more floating just off the page." For me, that's what makes great literature-a story that speaks in different ways to different people. From my days as an English major, I became a major proponent for the concept of intertextuality in literature. I always assumed (given my written word bias) that the idea of a "complex interrelationship between a text and other texts taken as basic to the creation or interpretation of the text" (let's clearly and officially define what I'm talking about here) worked best in "traditional" novels. Priddy has proven me wrong, as I discovered when I got to the Lost Ties chapter. In a mere 21 pages, Priddy has Rowbot find a tie hanging from a tree, the tie has frogs on it. From there the creator references the folksong Froggie Went A-Courtin', which then transition into a dreamscape dissection of the song, that in turn segues into an examination of relationships and in particular the dissolution of Rowbot's (who I must add has an occupied fishbowl for a skull) relationship with a human female. If I have one complaint about this book, it may be that it's not long enough. When the book concludes, in a sense so does the three characters' collective journey. But then again, as in life, the journey metaphorically and realistically has just begun. Priddy was able to tell, I thought, a great deal more to the reader about Rowbot, then the tales of Delaware Thistle or Bull. Then again, in the 160 pages he also told a great deal about the characters. It's the quandary of good storytellers, do you give the reader too much story, or leave them wanting more. Good entertainment, I guess should leave you in the latter state of mind and that's what Priddy achieves here. Even more enjoyable than the stories or the layout of them, I enjoy Priddy's lettering, particularly when it comes to Bull's dialogue. The lettering is so vivid that I can almost hear the characters' respective voices. Since its release a few months ago, Pulpatoon Pilgrimage has already won the SPX 2002 Ignatz Debut Comic Award (http://www.spxpo.com/ignatzwinner02.htm). As I mentioned before, we're all in a sense, consciously or unconsciously on a pilgrimage of our own, and if you're looking for a meditative work that entertains then spend $12.95 on this fine book. But If You're Looking for a Good Murder Mystery.... Now to the other extreme (in terms of content), let's discuss Batman: Dark Victory, one of the better TPBs that DC released this year. I meant to review this 388-page story by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale when it was first released, but other deadlines and priorities got in the way. I miss James Gordon in the current Batman continuity. He's just too integral a part of Batman to be gone this long. I maintain you can do a good Batman story without any incarnation of Robin, but to do any substantial story that involves Gotham, you have to have Gordon. That's something that I think some people do not understand. Gotham is the heart of Batman, if you think about it, as protecting the city is what helps ease the pain of losing his parents, while keeping a part of them alive by maintaining the quality of life in that city. Gordon is an integral part of the quality of life in Gotham. And while I just said that you can do a story without Robin, this murder mystery is set in the days when Dick enters Bruce's life and becomes Robin. And the way that Loeb and Sale reveal the parallels of Dick and Bruce's respective lives through the eyes of Alfred is a nice element. In retrospect, while I'm glad I bought the TPB, I really should have been buying it every month and skipping the main Batman monthlies, as if memory serves, while this work was celebrating the presence of Alfred and Gordon, the monthlies were doing their best to remove both men from the present day tales. Thankfully, Alfred is back in current DC continuity, but Gordon is still among the missing. In the meantime, if you're hunkering for a good Gordon tale (along with a whole slew of characters, including the Falcone Crime Family, who of course played such a major role in Loeb/Sales' other Batman maxiseries, The Long Halloween) this is well worth $19.95. Brubaker and the other writers of the Batmonthlies would do well to use these tales as a reminder of the right way to tell tales of Gotham's protectors. Reviewers Worth Paying Attention to: Johanna Draper Carlson I never presume to be the expert opinion on all comics. I am, after all I'm the guy who offers Offhand Opinions every week. But in deciding what comics to seek out, one should always consult multiple sources. And one source who's quite thorough in her work, every week, is Johanna Draper Carlson. If you've never read her analysis before, you really are missing some great insight at her Comics Worth Reading site (www.comicsworthreading.com). Please be sure to visit it often (just as often as you read my columns, please). ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [8] E-DISPATCHES FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH! Jonathan A. Gilbert edispatches@hotmail.com [Jonathan Gilbert is a freelance writer and columnist. His internet work can be found at www.madreview.com, in CBEM and other places. His print work can be found in MAD SCIENTIST, and THE JOURNAL OF SCIENCE GONE AWRY] Copyright-2002:Jonathan A. Gilbert All Rights Reserved. Regarded as a major influence on the early comics (not to mention the starting ground for some of the early comics creators and birth place for numerous comics characters) pulps are a popular collectable with many comics fans. While cherished by anyone who has them in their collection the big complaint regarding these publications is that their collectors can't read them. Pulps were published on the cheapest of paper and due to the paper's high acid content become brittle over time making handling them hazzardous to the publications' health. So while pulp collectors can amass a fair size collection they are unable to enjoy their content without the possibility of causing them a great deal of damage. Until now. The folks at GIRASOL COLLECTABLES are now producing a product which they call 'pulp replicas'. Basically what these are are exact reproductions of pulps-both in size and content-but produced on quality paper enabling anyone who buys them to read them without fear of the magazines falling apart. Last week I received in the mail from Girasol Collectables a copy of the February 1st 1935 issue of THE SHADOW MAGAZINE (originally published by Street & Smith Publications) and with the exception of an explanation of the product on the inside front cover the magazine is almost exactly like the original right down to the NRA symbol on the cover. I say "almost exactly" because it is produced on paper superior to what was used on the original though visually it still looks the same as it is an off white paper which simulates the original look to a large extent. Girasol Collectables has a number of these 'pulp replicas' on hand and will be producing more in the coming months. Their current ones include a number of Shadow issues (including the oft sought after issue #1), a couple of Spicy titles, two issues of Strange Tales and Weird Tales #1. Prices vary on these replicas with the regular ones costing $25 including shipping and handling and Weird Tales #1 is priced at-due to its larger page count-$35. I'm not sure if these prices are in Canadian or American dollars so my suggestion is that you contact either Neil or Leigh Mechem at info@girasolcollectables.com. They will not only give you the exact price but answer any other questions you may have. While your emailing Neil and Leigh you might also want to ask them about a couple of other fine products they still have available. One is an excellent paperback titled "It's Raining More Corpses In Chinatown" featuring 'yellow peril' stories from the 1930s and early 40s. While not exactly the most politically correct in its content, the stories are not only exciting and action packed but give you a good insight into the attitudes of the times in which they were published. These types of stories by the way were among the influences behind MARVEL's YELLOW CLAW character and are a must read for anyone interested in learning more about past influences on the comics industry. I've read this trade paperback three times so far and have yet to tire of it. The other product available from Girasol is their modern day pulp, PULP TALES, which they published under their Prime Directive imprint. Featuring new material but written in the same exciting, crisp prose style of the pulps of yesteryear the two published issues of this mag are superb reads from beginning to end. They, as well as "It's Raining More Corpses In Chinatown", come with my highest recommendations. Girasol Collectables has lots of other fine stuff, too. To find out what they have on hand check out their website which can be found at www.girasolcollectables.com. Once you do that if you see anything that interests you contact Neil and Leigh at info@girasolcollectables.com. Be sure to tell 'em I sent ya. Just enough time left to tell you that the fine folks at Chimera Arts, publishers of comics inspired by the Skywald line of comics from the 1970s, will not only be releasing the latest issues of their titles, USHER and BEDLAM, in the next few weeks but also have a new message board at their website for fans to discuss not only Chimera Arts but Skywald comics, too. Their message board can be found at the Chimera Arts website which is located at ww.freewebs.com/chimeraarts. - - - - - That does it for this installment. Do you have something you'd like to see reviewed in this column? Contact me at edispatches@hotmail.com and I'll give you the mailing instructions. See you soon, folks. Jonathan A. Gilbert is a freelance comics writer and columnist whose work can be found in a variety of publications. This column can be found online in Comic Book Emag located at http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet and at TWM Grafix found at www.twmgrafix.com. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [9] X-Fan Reviews Eric J. Moreels X-Fan Editor-in-Chief xfan@ihug.com.au From X-Fan: http://x-mencomics.com/xfan UNCANNY X-MEN #416 REVIEW Reviewer: Anthony Zisa, PopinFrsh@aol.com Quick Rating: Average Story Title: Living in a Mansion Kia Asamiya joins Uncanny X-Men as the spotlight falls on Juggernaut! Written by: Chuck Austen Art by: Kia Asamiya Lettered by: Paul Tutrone Colored by: JD Smith Assistant Editors: Mike Raicht and Nova Ren Suma Editor: Mike Marts Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada President: Bill Jemas Uncanny X-men #416 and Kia Asamiya's debut as new co-artist on the book has been anticipated and debated for no less than five months. One mere facet of his style—his tendency for exaggerated noses—has even had entire Internet columns devoted to discussion of its relative merits. On the Internet (as all of those reading this undoubtedly are), Asamiya's debut is anxiously awaited. While "Living in the Mansion" is certainly not a bad place for Asamiya to start, it certainly is not the best place for him to begin his tenure. "Living in the Mansion" suffers from one key story problem that severely hampered my enjoyment of the book, and that is that writer Chuck Austen has put so much into the book that it all ends up falling short, and feeling a bit rushed. The real meat of the story, Juggernaut coming to terms with Xavier, his past, and his future, takes up just about half of the story, when it could certainly fill an entire issue on its own. It is a pity, because the Juggernaut characterization is one of Austen's strengths as an X-men writer—he makes Juggernaut into an interesting, three-dimensional character, instead of the "crush, kill, destroy, I hate my step-brother" character I've always felt he was in the past. Juggernaut's acceptance of his past, and of his inability to blame himself for his own mistakes and take responsibility for his own decisions, seems to be brought about by the twenty-second page, rather than the revelations contained within the story. Which is sad, because Austen does have something to say about the character. The other half of the book is dedicated to furthering the subplots that Austen has been methodically planting and nurturing over his first half-year's worth of issues. The subplots, while each with the potential for interesting payoff, are simply not as interesting as the Juggernaut spotlight, and upon second read-through, feel they would be better served individually via separation into another story. At the very least, they feel like they could have been trimmed a bit, to dedicate more to the primary storyline. Austen's characterization remains, for me, a mixed bag. On one hand, he does write a great Juggernaut. Conflicted, angry, self-loathing, but he (and Austen's decision to voice this in the book was brilliant) does not see anything he did as wrong because most villains would not see their actions as such. Juggernaut, rather than being the "reformed villain cliche, manages to rise above such simplicity. Which is a shame, because another interesting character seems to be on a descent into another cliche. Stacy has recently been treading dangerously towards the "Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman'" stereotype— the hooker with a heart of gold. It is a characterization I have never enjoyed in media, as the prostitute should not be characterized in binary terms—either "heart of gold" or "insufferable bitch." There are shades of grey in between, and the current direction of characterization seems to be moving away from those shades. Iceman is another character whose characterization has been less than savory in the past few issues. His behavior in "Living in the Mansion" does not make sense, even in a short-term perspective. That he would attack all second-generation X-men, including Nightcrawler, seems abruptly xenophobic of the character. While the power level Austen has indicated, and his new uses of his power, are both interesting developments/follow-ups, his new found attitude makes his scenes nearly insufferable. In fact, I found myself wishing the Iceman sequence had been cut entirely in favor of more Annie/Northstar interaction, which remains the highlight of the book. The dialogue between both is always enjoyable, sharp, and, most importantly, funny. However, Austen also voices this issue an acknowledgement of the creepy nature of Annie's love for Alex, a man who is, for all intents and purposes, dead. At the same time, I felt there could have been more introspection on Annie's part, but hopefully, that will come in due time. However, the real attention this month falls onto Asamiya's debut. Quite frankly, I found it disappointing. While Asamiya's personal style fell a bit flat, that is not the primary problem with his contribution this month. His storytelling, while certainly serviceable, was missing some key element that would have propelled his contribution into true collaboration. Asamiya's artwork certainly did not hamper the telling of the story—a phenomenon that has occurred far too frequently in the past two years of the book—yet, at the same time, it did not add anything to the story, either. It could be because Asamiya seems to have a more dynamic style, suited less to character introspection and suited more to action, of which there is only a minimal amount this issue. On the rendering front, Asamiya is fairly successful, and he delivers clean, stylized pencils that mostly fit the tone of the book. At the same time, there is one distracting habit that really distracts from the book, particularly on second or third reads, and that is Asamiya's tendency to not draw a second eye on an angled face. No less than three times, the reader is faced with eyeless angles that are noticeable and distract from the enjoyment of the book as the reader wonders, "Where did the other eye go?" Similarly, there is an underlying rage in all of the characters that occasionally seems out of place. I am of two minds about why this could be—either Asamiya's stylized pencils convey emotions as hyperbole, or there is a layer of subtext that is unclear at this moment in time. I am inclined to believe the latter, as Sean Phillips' pencils in the last issue had the same sort of anger etched into them. It is a problem that will hopefully be resolved story-wise, should it be a story element that will soon be brought to the forefront, or art- wise, as Asamiya becomes more comfortable drawing the characters and their emotions. Austen and Asamiya have a lot of potential together, and from previews of their upcoming collaboration on "Dominant Species," it would appear they will be delving into territory more suited for Asamiya's style and strengths. "Living in a Mansion," however, is not ideal territory for the beginning of what will most likely be a fruitful relationship. Art: 2.5/5 Story: 3/5 Overall: 2.5/5 WOLVERINE: NETSUKE #4 REVIEW Reviewer: T. Gray, elTGray1@aol.com Quick Rating: Good Story Title: Netsuke, pt. 4 of 4 Wolverine's bizarre journey comes to a close. Written and Illustrated by: George Pratt Lettered by: George Pratt and Casey Burns Assistant Editor: Mike Raicht Editor: Mike Marts Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada President: Bill Jemas Well, kiddies, this is it. The fourth and final installment of the Netsuke series and I don't even know where to begin. Maybe I should go back to where I left off in my review of #3 and my hopes of #4 being an epiphany of sorts to understanding the entire series. Unfortunately, that's not the case and all I can say is I sort of understand it. This last book was ripe with symbolism, as were the previous ones. But this doesn't come as a surprise as I've pretty much been working off this assumption all along but it took #4 to hit me over the head with it. I'd love to have a moment alone with Pratt in order to pick his brain and see how his mind works. I still found this book to be just as confusing of a read as it's predecessors, however I have a few theories about what some of the symbolism in this issue means. Now keep in mind that these are my own speculations. I have in no way had the privilege to speak with Mr. Pratt over any of this so I can't say what his intentions were or if I'm even correct in my assumptions. He's the only one who knows his agenda. If any of you have any ideas of your own, post them here as I'd love to read them. SPOILERS AHEAD! Mariko's Death: In this issue, Mariko commits seppuku (ritual suicide). Wolverine questions why she did this and why she used his own blade. My theory here is that this scene represents Mariko's original death in Wolverine #57. She asked him to dispatch her rather than face a painful death from the blowfish toxin. Her request to take her own life is the 'suicide' aspect and Wolverine's claws represents the use of his own blade. And his questioning as to, "Why?" is his unanswered search as to why she would ask the one who loved her most to sever her mortal coil. Perhaps this was also a representation of Wolverine's guilt over the act, wondering, "Why?" he conceded to do it. The Children: Two children rise from the ground giving Wolverine some metaphysical speech about them being him and he being them. (And you are me, and I am he, and we are all together. Koo koo kooju.) I haven't been able to figure what part of Wolverine's past Hiro represents but Akira I have surmised is James Howlett. Akira states that he drowned when he was eight. In Origin #1, James fell into the river and for all tense and purposes drowned, eventually being rescued by Dog. The Old Man: Wolverine seeks out an old bald headed man for guidance and to teach him. I suspect this sensei (teacher) is Xavier. It was Professor X who saw both the feralness and gentleness in Wolverine much like this wisened teacher saw the beauty and beast within. It was also the good Professor who helped Wolverine to learn to control his rage and gave him hope for the future. This scenario plays out with the sensei having Wolverine climb the mountain to the summit. Forcing him to face his fears, stop living in the past, and to seek his future. The Snow Witch: This for me was the most confusing aspect of all and I'm fixing to go out on a limb here to endeavor to explain her. I think it's possible that the snow witch is Reiko, the woman who in Wolverine #57 gave Mariko the poisoned blade. The reason why I suspect her is because she never realized, until it was too late, that Mariko was Wolverine's love. And upon that revelation, she impaled herself on the Silver Samurai's sword rather than to face Wolverine for what she had done for she owed him. In Wolverine #33, he spared her life and single handily destroyed the crime lord she worked for in effect setting her free. By betraying Mariko and subsequently Wolverine, she had dishonored herself and her ancestors. This leads me to believe that she was actually the one in Netsuke #1 who came to Wolverine in a dream posing as Mariko asking him to release her. In her confession to Mariko, she states that she never wanted to harm Wolverine but instead wanted to enrage him enough to kill her. Beheading one's enemies is considered an honorable death in the Bushido code. But the thing that the snow witch didn't count on was Mariko and she admits to underestimating her. It's Mariko who in defense of Wolverine took the snow witch's head instead, giving her an honorable death at the hand of an enemy and allowing her join her ancestors. Also, Mariko states that the snow witch took her love from her. I'm assuming this to mean that through her death, she lost Wolverine which leads me to suspect Reiko and her betrayal. Even with the above theories, there are still many things I have yet to figure out such as Mariko's baby for instance. I know the child represents something but I fail to grasp it. And that has basically been the whole problem with this mini. The writing wasn't bad at all but it was too abstract to understand completely and no explanation was forth coming in the last issue. I found myself having to go back and reread the issues several times to try and make sense of it. I found that to be very annoying and I believe a comic book should be an easy read. Not that I'm saying it should be on par to a third grade reader either, I just think comics are to be enjoyed and one shouldn't have to work very hard to garner the meaning behind every little thing. I think this story would have been best if told through a different medium. Perhaps a graphic novel would have been more suitable. Overall, I'm fairly neutral to the story and the series in general. I didn't feel it was great but it wasn't awful either. Again, the confusion factor is what made it a hindrance to me. Also, when I first heard about this mini coming out, I had all sorts of ideas about what it would entail and the actual issues were nothing like what I expected. I think this concept had a lot of potential for a highly emotionally charged character driven story and Pratt gave us something totally unexpected. Which isn't to say that's a bad thing, just surprising. Pratt's artwork throughout the series has been stellar. There really isn't anything I can say that does it justice. There aren't many fans of painted comics but I find them a refreshing break from the conventional means when the imagery is done as well as that in the Netsuke series. Everything was organic and flowing as opposed to the staticness of the traditional penciled, heavily inked and colored comic. While not to say that form of imagery isn't any less appealing, it's just nice to have variety every once in awhile and the same would hold if the reverse was true. My final thoughts on the series as whole; in a nut shell, it's a visual treat but a confusing read. Art: 5/5 Story: 2.5/5 Overall: 3.5/5 EXILES #20 REVIEW Reviewer: Jim Lemoine, darkkelf@earthlink.net Quick Rating: Below Average Story Title: Legacy – Part One The Exiles are stranded on an Earth ravaged by a techno-organic Legacy Virus! Written by: Judd Winick Pencilled by: Jim Calafiore Inked by: Jon Holdredge Colored by: Transparency Digital Lettered by: Paul Tutrone Cover by: Dale Keown Assisted by: Nova Ren Suma Edited by: Mike Raicht & Mike Marts Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada President: Bill Jemas Maybe it's just me, but I was decidedly underwhelmed by this month's installment of Exiles. This, after all, was the first part of a three-parter that everybody at Marvel has been calling the next big Exiles Skrull epic. Like the three-issue run in Exiles #8-#10, this arc would feature a decidedly darker mood, with the team against a larger-than-life threat, and like those instant-classic issues, one of the team members won't be with the team after this arc. While the first issue of the Skrull arc blew me away, this issue only left me slightly more than apathetic. Perhaps the problem is all in presentation. In Exiles #8, we picked up the story after the Exiles had already been defeated and imprisoned. It wasn't the threat of the Skrulls that gave the story its dark mood; it was the fact that not only was the team already defeated, but they were acting like they were already defeated. We saw the Exiles in their most desperate hour, with morale at its lowest. We saw the team acting in ways they never would have normally. In Exiles #20, by contrast, it's all a bit cliched: arrive on the new world, save some little kids, escape from bad guys, meet some good guys. Been there, read that. Admittedly, my expectations going into this issue were very high, and perhaps even unreasonable. That may contribute to why I disliked this issue. After all, there was a lot to like. The story of this new Earth is truly fascinating. Winick and Calafiore do a good job of working in tandem to set a dark mood. Our introduction to this world and its super-mutated Legacy Virus has a good touch of scariness to it, even if it doesn’t induce the hopelessness of the Skrull Earth. But as the issue progresses beyond the introduction, that near-horror feeling of a huge danger fades into more of a mundane super-villain- type threat. The best example of the feeling this issue should have maintained would be the Star Trek movie, First Contact. After all, Winick's techno-organic-Legacy-Virus is an imitation of Marvel's old Phalanx concept, which itself was a knee-jerk copy of Star Trek's Borg. Watching that Star Trek movie featuring the Borg race, you could actually feel the protagonists' terror at the prospect of losing their humanity and independence, at turning into some grotesque component of a group mind. You could empathize with that, it made the story stronger… and Winick doesn’t keep that feeling throughout this issue of Exiles. With the exception of the introduction and the very last page, it just doesn't work. And then there's the matter of character development. Usually the strength of every single issue of this series, there is virtually none in Exiles #20. The closest we come to any real personality from the team is when Mimic takes over for Blink after she's knocked out. That's it. Where the Skrull saga built up these characters in anticipation of a member's eventual fall, this Legacy arc seems content to merely focus on the alternate Earth. While this would be bad enough alone, the cover of this issue really makes the problem worse. Don't get me wrong: Dale Keown renders a beautiful Sasquatch for us. Unfortunately, many of us had assumed from that cover that Sasquatch would finally get some face- time in this issue; after all, she's been with the team for half of the series' existence, and yet we know virtually nothing about her. Again, after this issue, we still know virtually nothing about her. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by Jim Calafiore's art in this issue. To be honest, I had expected to read through this issue thinking to myself, "I wish Mike McKone were still around." Nothing against Calafiore, mind you, but McKone's art had taken the characters to a whole new level. Happily, the only times I found myself missing the former penciller was when I saw a picture of the Mimic: Calafiore's angular style doesn't lend itself well to Calvin. Other than that complaint, I was more than pleased with the art. What dramatic mood there was in this issue, we have Calafiore and Holdredge to thank for it. The attention to detail by this team, especially in the scenes regarding the Vi-Locks, is fantastic. Through scenes of infirmary sickrooms, mass graves, and morgues, Calafiore and Holdredge paint a chilling picture of this reality. Also worth mentioning is this art team's portrayal of Cypher and Warlock. Winick's story sets it up nicely, but it's the artwork that really makes these two characters come alive. When Doug Ramsey died in the Marvel Universe, Warlock's reactions moved me even more than the death itself did. This art team nicely dug up all of those old feelings, and shoved them right back into the uncomfortable places I couldn't ignore. Well done, indeed. I find myself with more questions than answers after reading this book, but not in a good way. Judd Winick has quickly become one of my favorite writers in comics; I'm surprised to be writing a negative review on his material. But the simple fact is, this issue ignores character development and doesn't reach the mood it's searching for, except in a few brief instances saved by the artwork. However, Winick is a fantastic writer, and I have faith that the rest of the "Legacy" arc will make this relatively lackluster beginning well-worth a read. Art: 3.5/5 Story: 1.5/5 Overall: 2/5 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [10] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions Tim O'Shea tim_oshea@bellsouth.net [Tim O'Shea is a contributor to Organized Readers of Comics Associated (ORCA [www.orcafresh.net]). His reviews are reprinted here with permission.] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions for Comics Sold November 27, 2002 If there's a book you think I should be reviewing and I'm not, drop me an e-mail and tell me what it is and why I should at timmito@yahoo.com Howdy folks, my review system is straightforward: "Yes" means buy it "No" means don't buy it "Maybe" means make your own call based on your own likes and dislikes, it's too close to call for me. -Tim O'Shea, ORCA Contributor Ron's pick of the week is Fantastic Four 63 (Marvel). Digital Webbing Presents 4 and 5 (Digital Webbing) With nearly 40 creators over the course of two issues, to type all the names would wipe me out, sorry (please go to http://www.digitalwebbing.net/dwp/) First off, there is some level of conflict of interest, given that Digital Webbing was the first place (through CBEM) to run my comic book writing (and continues to along with ORCA at present). That being said, it's hard not to like a book that for $2.95 you get to see on average the work of 19 different creators each issue. In terms of subgenres, each issue has a little of everything: comedy and superhero satire; drama; horror; action; romance and futuristic science fiction. The works that really stood out in issue 4 were Amber & Alley (superhero satire) by Joe Morris, Hannu Lipponen and Ron Riley; and Human Race (drama) by Chris Kirby and Scott LeMien. All of the stories are incredibly presented (one or two suffer from being too text intensive). Another savvy thing of both issues is the creator's ability to promote their other work amidst the margins of the pages in an unobtrusive manner. In issue 5, Eric Powell's The Goon provides some incredibly goofy and entertaining art. I was also pleased to see in issue 5 that they were able to garner a story by writer Christopher Golden (The Hustler) with Rich Bonk and Ron Riley on art . In terms of horror/adventure, I really want to see where the detective series, F. Stein (by Sean Dulaney, Jason Ho and Dash Martin) goes. Ed Dukeshire, who serves as publisher, letterer and several other roles in this project, is to be commended for these efforts. Yes Simpsons Comics 76 (Bongo) Boothby/Costanza/Novin and Shum/Villanueva and Mason The English major in me is a sucker for any issue like "The Simpsons Shake-Up Shakespeare." It's a formula that cannot miss, particularly with Krusty the Clown as Richard III using "Now is the winter of our discontent" as a means to lament poor show ratings. Another highlight is the Saint Crispin's Day Speech from Henry V as done (and modified) by Professor Frink. Yes Leave It to Chance 13 (Image) Robinson/Smith After too long of an absence, new stories have finally resumed at long last. And is it just me, or does the tone of the book (with Chance's losses) seem a tad darker? That's fine by me, as long as the same madcap/inventive adventures bound off the page, as they thankfully do here. Welcome back. They really could have junked some of the pinup pages to do a text piece addressing the return. This has to be one of the most low key relaunches of a highly appreciated series I've seen in years. I guess the creators want to let the work speak for itself, and well they should. The thumbnail reproduction also provides some insight into Smith's creative process. Yes Avengers 60 (Marvel) Johns/Dwyer/Remender I remember the first time the character of Henry Gyrich was foisted on the Avengers. I was a kid and I resented that this character was limiting the number of Avengers there were on a team at one time. I thought it to be unfair to the characters and to us readers. Now some 20 years later (with Gyrich back on the scene again), I think whoever was the genius who came up with this plot device was wise to limit the number of characters the writer and artist had to handle in an issue. Staring at the opening page rundown, it is revealed that this issue features 15 Avengers. For an epic tale, that's a fine number, but on a regular basis, it's too much for a writer. And Johns is starting to show the strain in the dialogue: he has Thor banter with Namor (Thor does not banter with folks, he's the Lord of Asgard, not the captain of a high school football team), and no matter how strained the relations are between Iron Man/Black Panther (drawing upon Priest's stories in Panther's books), Stark would never be foolish enough to berate someone of Panther's stature. That being said, Johns still is delivering an entertaining story. As for Dwyer and Remender, a personal note to the artists (if I may): I apologize for the armchair critics that helped lead you to decide to leave the book. I always appreciated your work. That being said, I doubt you'll miss the monthly grind and the hyper-criticism of your work. Here's hoping you return to a limited series at either of the mainstream two (in addition to your creator owned work) in the immediate term. Yes Fantastic Four 63 (Marvel) Waid/Wieringo/Kesel As a staunch defender of Waid's first issues, I must join the chorus of disliking "Young Johnny Storm." I wouldn't have minded if you just made him younger, but did you have to make him an idiot to boot? Otherwise, I'm still loving this run so far. Yes Batman Family: Freeway 1 [of 8] (DC) Moore/Gaudiano/Hoberg This issue's focus on Robin is a nice balance, the way the plot is advanced without Robin being uncharacteristically stupid is nicely handled. But I found it lame when the villain visited her son's grave and it appeared that his name (thanks to whomever lettered the gravestone) was Beloved Son (it's the only words you see). She could have been at anyone's dead son's site, what with the lousy labeling system at this graveyard. Yes Flash 192 (DC) Johns/Kolins/Hazlewood The new character bio on the first page with the little running Flash looks a tad cheesy. And as much as I love that Johns has made Keystone City a character of the book, the whole emphasis on Iron Heights was old around the time of the prestige one-shot. What kind of system of checks and balances does the city and state government have that they haven't caught on to the corrupt nature of the warden. But any comic that has angry parachuting gorillas, plus the breakout of Grodd himself wins me over despite all the flaws. You may not be as easy to impress as me. Your call. Maybe Action Comics 797 (DC) Kelly/Arlem/Rouleau/Conrad/Bonk Kelly is not typically a favorite of mine, but he surprised me with this latest chapter in Superman gets psychological counseling arc. It works and ties elements reaching as far back as Byrne's run on the book. Thanks to fellow reviewer, Johanna Draper Carlson, (www.comicsworthreading.com) for convincing me to buy this book. Yes The Titans 47 (DC) Peyer/Kitson/Pascoe Recent issues have been too much soap opera, not enough action for my taste. And with this issue and the angst ridden marital problems with Tempest, the problems of tone continue. Knowing that the book is to be cancelled, I ask myself will be there enough time to make some good remaining stories? Time will tell, but this one is no winner. No Batman: Gotham Adventures 56 Peterson/Levins/Beatty Greg Rucka should wish he could write as well Peterson. This focus on the Riddler who is not the Riddler, is a great examination of the differences in thought processes between classic villains and the new seemingly apathetic generation of evil. I'm enjoying this series more than I'm presently enjoying Loeb/Lee's approach on the Batman book. Yes Batman 609 (DC) Loeb/Lee/Williams Wow, what a difference an issue can make. The cover is lame (cats sitting on a very active and live vine powered by Ivy, while Catwoman and Ivy respectively "Tawny Kitaen/Whitesnake" one leg each of the Batman. Are they his enemies or did he just pay them to do a lap dance. Even worse is Loeb's inability to set up a plausible reasoning behind the injury to Batman. Like he wouldn't have a way to an alternate plan if his line broke. Loeb gives us a Batman that is too sloppy and inexperienced to be believed. So the rest of the issue is "how we save Batman," when I failed to believe he ever would have found himself in this situation in the first place. Been done before and better, yawn. I normally enjoy Loeb's Batman much more than this. No Truth: Red, White & Black 1 [of 7] (Marvel) Morales/Baker Over at Tartsville (http://www.sequentialtart.com/cgi- bin/community/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro&BypassCookie=true) in the past few weeks we've been discussing the positive and negative of hype in comics. I must admit the hype regarding this series made me have absolutely no interest in the series. Fortunately, Marvel offered the comic for free over at its site (www.marvel.com) giving me a chance to look at it. Morales is tackling some weighty racial issues of the 1940s in this tale of the "first" Captain America. I think an opportunity for serious discussion may have been squandered in many people's mind by the amount of pre-series hype. But now that the series is here, I may very well give it a try when the next issue comes out (or I may wait for the trade paperback). Baker's art is interesting as usual, but really struck me was Morales' effort to address the fact that there were anti-war protesters even after Pearl Harbor, is uniquely ambitious. This book is more than just about race, and unluckily a majority of fans including myself, became fixated on the Black Captain America aspect. Another interesting reference is made at one point, to Philip Wylie's semi-autobiographical 1934 novel, Finnley Wren. Wylie is a writer of interest for comic book fans, namely for his influence on the industry-most importantly his 1930 novel Gladiator served as one of the inspirations for Superman. A surprised Yes O'Shea's Offhand Opinions for Comics Sold December 4, 2002 Ron's pick of the week is Green Arrow 19 (DC). GAAK 1 [of 4] (Smash! Comics) Hughes/MacNaughton Reading this comic it's clear that at least partially the creators hope to reach a teen audience. And that's why, while I'm sure the creators have a good reason for naming it such, I just think the title of Groovy Ass Alien Kreatures will turn off some folks, language wise. The art by MacNaughton is really solid, I must say. But in a market where many comic companies are still putting mature labels (or creating an adult line), a comic that has a scene where the kid gives an obscene gesture, is quite jarring to me. I wanted to like this book, and I hold out hope for the writing to improve in the next three issues, as long as the creators are willing to listen to constructive criticism. In a recent Rick Olney interview with the GAAK series writer/creator, Darryl Hughes describes GAAK as "an homage to 50's "creature feature" movies like "The Invaders from Mars" and 80's "suburbia touched by the unknown" Spielberg movies." (http://www.orcafresh.net/ravin/rv111102.html). In fact, the issue is replete with some unique pop culture reference moments, but the better moments are when the creators focus on action, rather than focusing on one-liners and other comedic moments. Solid creators learn from their early efforts, and I hope that as we get deeper into the remaining issues, Hughes finds his narrative voice better suited to the action aspect. I look forward to seeing where the miniseries goes from here, but I'm waiting until the second issue comes out to make a more in- depth judgment. There is potential, but I must see where this story goes. Maybe JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice Goyer/Johns/Pacheco/Merino with Major I'll stress, yes the art is incredibly beautiful. I'll agree with everyone on that. But... Normally when I read a story like this, where the dialogue is a smidgeon off, and the characters interact poorly in a giant crossover, I chalk it up to the fact that the creators are not as familiar with the characters as they don't write them on a regular basis. I can't do that here, as Goyer and Johns are the regular writers on JSA. And it is the JSA characters that are the most off in this book. Even in the heat of battle, Sentinel would not be the kind of person to say "shut up" to Wildcat, it's not the Golden Age style, who the two men are at the core of their characters. Also the entire Limbo element of the JSA's past was trotted out and treated too lightly. No matter what kind of heroes they are, there's no way they could just shrug dying repeatedly off like it was no big deal. It's all little things that bothered me, but they all add up. Case in point, by having Despero rip up the American flag and use it as a cape, to make the audience dislike him even more, there needs to be closure. One of the heroes (most logically Superman) could have taken the flag back from him, or one of the mystical heroes could have taken it and repaired the flag as a sign of regaining the upper hand. I'm not some patriotic enforcer who says you can't rip up the American flag in a work of fiction, I just would have liked some closure. It could be said that the victory alone was the closure, but still it rubbed me the wrong way. I sincerely dislike massive death and destruction one-shots like this, which drastically alter the landscape of cities (and in this case the JSA headquarters, let's not forget the headquarters was also a museum for the group, so all that historical [yea I know fictional, get a grip, Tim] is lost or seriously damaged), and by the story's end, it wraps up as neatly as a 1970s Barnaby Jones episode. It's a shame, as Pacheco's art is a sight to behold, as usual. I just can't rationalize spending $24.95 on such an (for me) uneven tale. I know there's only so much you can do in a one-shot, but if writers insist on making the destruction so grand scale, I tend to want to see the repercussions equally explored. No Double-Shot 2 [of 4] (Marvel) Priest/Rivera (Doom); Morrison (Avengers) Everybody's going to be raving about the Priest character analysis of Doom and well they should. But for my money, the Simpson-ization of the Avengers by Bongo's Bill Morrison is the most fun I've had reading a Marvel offbeat tale since Fred Hembeck's roasting the Fantastic Four many, many years ago. I could see a whole four-issue miniseries of that stuff (imagine Morrison Does the Marvel Universe). Yes Justice League Adventures 14 (DC) Morrison/Delaney/Snyder There was choppiness to the narrative (and this isn't an Aquaman joke), that just rang wrong with me. I didn't enjoy it as much as I normally enjoy this book. And the scene where Batman was attacked by the sea creature was just a bit nonsensical. I can't heartily recommend it, but neither can I pan it. Maybe X-Men Unlimited 39 (Marvel) Pearson/Stewart; Torres/Grant/Stull/JD Smith; Claremont/P Smith/Reber The art on all three Storm stories was top notch, though to a certain extent I thought there were some needless references to continuity in the first and second story. And the second story, plotwise came across as nonsensical. As for the final story, the old X-Fan that I am could not pass up on Claremont and Paul Smith working together again. But if you are not an old X-Fan, I hesitate to recommend the book to non X- readers. As always to a certain extent, it's bogged down in X- continuity. Maybe Spider-Girl 54 (Marvel) DeFalco/Olliffe/Williamson I'm not sure which annoyed me more, the misleadingly (and inaccurate) violent Christmas cover (Tis the season for a superhero to fire a gun and say "ho, ho, ho"? [Great Uncle Ben must be proud]) or the fact that they are getting away from the standalone issue concept and entering a six-issue arc. Egads. But DeFalco is doing a good job allowing May to mature as a hero and allowing Pops Parker to be a pseudo-mentor. That and the appearance of the Fantastic Five almost make this issue OK. Almost. No Noble Causes 3 [of 4] (Image) Faerber/Richardson; Faerber/Sommariva/To Doc Nobel finally crawls out of the bottle and shows that he has the potential to be an interesting character. But the highlight of the lead story for me is Rusty's tour of Image superheroes, trying to find out if they fathered Zephyr's child. And the back-up glimpse into the early childhood of Frost provides context to the bigger family drama. If all of Faerber's work for Image turns out this good, the man's going to have his own line soon enough. Yes Ex-Parte (Lone Star Press) Williams/Turnbull/Sever/Mullin/Zahler I loved the first issue of this series, so I'm saddened to see the second issue fail to deliver. I fondly remember the Grant Morrison run on Animal Man. And pardon my pun, this issue apes that book far too much and badly to believed. I hope this is a fluke, but this crossed the line from homage to borrowing a bit too much. Don't get me wrong, Williams has his own unique story to tell, it just draw upon Animal Man a bit too much for me to completely get lost in the tale (and it's too convoluted, ironic considering that's how I viewed some of Morrison's AM run as well). Here's hoping the next issue returns to the success of the first issue. No Batman: Detective Comics 777 (DC) Brubaker/Castillo/Von Grawbadger; Spore: Gagne Sometimes when I read a Brubaker story, it strikes me in the way a Law & Order story grabs me and leads me along with strange twists and turns. This issue, which centers on an attempted changing of the guard of one of Batman's old enemies (as well as featuring some of Bat's old enemies). I also appreciate how Detectives Montoya and Allen seem to be filling the Gordon role as Batman confidant (though I still want Gordon's return). I also like how Castillo shows a scene where Batman is back in the cave talking to Oracle, but feels comfortable enough to take off the mask. Immediate Post-NML I don't think he would have done that. The Gagne backup story is not as absurd to me as it was last issue, now that despite being a giant glob of spinach he still has the detective instinct. The first issue was just to jarring for me to consume. Yes Exiles 20 (Marvel) Winick/Calafiore/Holdredge This is the best kind of What If book, I'll just keep saying that. And finally an alternate universe where Doctor Henry Pym appears to be a nonmedicated, natural born leader. I look forward to where this Legacy Virus storyline goes. Yes Superman 189 (DC) Johns/Ferry/Champagne I like the way that Johns is taking Superman/Kent out of his element completely, in his search for a missing Lana Lang. Johns also pulls some really nifty Loeb-ian moments with interaction between Batman/Wayne and Superman/Kent. He does a nice job of peeling past the Boy Scout demeanor to reveal a depth that doesn't ignore the character's history. Along the way, Johns makes some great observations about the dynamics/motivation of Batman. The artistic shift to dark, almost noir tones toward the end of the first part was a nice touch as well. Yes Uncanny X-Men 416 Austen/Asamiya Great art, lousy soap opera. This issue tries to tie too much of past continuity into the present tale. While intrigued by the prospect of adding depth to Cain/Juggernaut, the whole Stacey subplot is immediately tiresome. I haven't read all the X-books, but am I to understand that the X-ranch used to be a brothel for mutant prostitutes. That's a bit much if true, and if not a pre-existing story, why would Austen pursue this strange plot element. No The Mighty Thor 57 (DC) Writer: Jurgens/Art: Andrews, Bennett, Haberlin, Hotz, Jimenez, Johnson, Kaluta, Leon, Pacheco, Russell, Sienkiewicz, Tan This unique experiment (multiple artists doing two page spreads, no dialogue, but a picture book style narrative) in which Volstagg tells his children a tale of a recent monumental Thor battle, reminds me of Gaiman's Sandman at its prime. Jurgens, quietly and consistently, is raising the quality of this book (along with the help of Editor Tom Brevoort) and I wonder why more folks aren't praising it. Yes Batman Family: The Technician (DC) Moore/Guadiano/Hoberg First off, I complained about the art of this book early on, but it is now growing on me immensely. The decisive factor was a flashback scene involving the suicide of a Texas businessman, which the artists add the small but subtle touch of an armadillo crawling across the foreground of the suicide panel. It's little moments like this (and the fact Batman, right on time after five issues, appears to be renting a clue). One strange element that bothered me. Oracle is working out in a gymnastics routine. Nightwing happen to be there to spot here, but had he not been there to catch her on a final dismount, what does she do? I'm being nitpicky, but the fact that I noticed this element, combined with the fact I'm not the most observant reader at times, makes me suspect I'm not the only one to be bothered by this. I may be wrong. Nonetheless, I liked this issue's villain, who seemed to have ties to the past of Gotham. Yes Green Arrow 19 (DC) Meltzer/Hester/Parks Brad Meltzer, thank you for making me forget Kevin Smith's run. Do you really have to leave? Sure, I bet being a New York Times best- selling novelist has its benefits, but I really like your comic writing. Please don't go! The visits to the JLA Watchtower and the Flash Museum are as intriguing as the other stops on this arc. And Hester's art seems to mesh much better in this arc than it did during the Smith run. Yes The Path 9 (CrossGen) Marz/Smith/Pennington/Atiyeh This issue's tale is far more cohesive than the past issues, and yet at the same time artistically I have a hard time figuring out who is who. Too many people seem to die and come back to life too easily, and there are too many "men of mystery" to keep track. Still this issue shows the best potential since Simonson's issue. Maybe Meridian 30 (CrossGen) Kesel/McNiven/Simmons/Hollowell I think Barbara Kesel could have been a great political science professor if she was so inclined. The art of negotiation is taken to new heights with this issue and the evolution of Sephie continues to interest me. Yes Way of the Rat 8 (CrossGen) Dixon/Johnson/Ryder/Garcia Po Po gets angry and then the fun really begins. The whole reading of the Book of Hell in some way reminds me of the old Monty Python's World's Funniest Joke sketch. I really can't believe how much I enjoy this wacky book. Yes Mystic 31 (CrossGen) Bedard/Lopresti/Ryan/Quintana I'm really not sure if this is the best "key issue" moment for the series. Granted it's the start of a new arc, but there's something about the situation that Giselle finds herself in that bothers me. It's not really a good representation of Bedard's normal narrative. But maybe it's just me. Personally, I found the issue a bit off. Maybe The First 26 (CrossGen) Kesel/Smith/Hunter/Pak After months of being lost in this book, I'm finally starting to catch on to the myriad subplots. Now if they can keep this up (and keep the twists and turns to a coherent level) this series may begin to grow on me. I'm willing to try. Yes Ruse 14 (CrossGen) Beatty/Guice/Perkins/Martin The conclusion to this two-parter where Emma and Simon work undercover left me a tad under whelmed. I sense that the creators tried to too much in too few pages. This is the first RUSE in quite a while that left me disappointed. No R.A. Salvatore's DemonWars: Trial by Fire 1 [of 5] (CrossGen/Code 6) Salvatore & Ciencin/Wagner/Rodriguez This issue marks the launch of CGE's new Code 6 publishing venture. And I'm pleasantly surprised at how different in look and tone this book is to the base CGE universe. Unfortunately I'm completely unfamiliar with Salvatore's DemonWar series, so it may be an issue or two before I can give this series a completely fair assessment. At the very least, I'm pleased to see a comic veteran like Ron Wagner mark his return to comics with a project like this. Yes ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [11] Multiverse Observer and Explorer Reviews Paul Dale Roberts Silhouet98@cs.com [Paul promotes amateur and professional comic book artwork, scripts, storylines, and unpublished comic books with a newsletter called the Peoples' Comic Book Newsletter. Its website is at Jazma Comic Book Newsletter Productions at http://www.jazmaonline.com/ He is also a prominent letter hack, as anyone who reads comic letter pages would know. He is in production of his own self-published comic book called The Legendary Dark Silhouette and has copyrighted over 600 characters for his Jazma Universe.] WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN MAY REVEAL SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF PLOTS OF COMIC BOOKS, OR THE ENTIRE STORY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Name: Atlas #1 Publisher: Tidal Wave Studios/Avatar Price: $3.50 Written by: Darren G. Davis with RJ Gamayo Drawn by: Mark Brooks/pencils Clayton Brown/inks Contact Information: www.tidalwavesstudio.com www.avatarpress.com Email: tidalwavestudios@aol.com Comments: What I found in Atlas #1 is some great comedy! Imagine a god like the Olympian Atlas zipping around the Hollywood hills sign! Imagine that same god being scolded by a mortal cop for reckless endangerment, destruction of property, flying without a license, etc. Yep the big god is going to be buried up to his neck in fines and the poor lug says that he was trying to help out a girl. This is his excuse to the police. Atlas has a tendency to sing while he talks, it's hard to imagine that this is the continuing story of the god that held up the heavens at one time. Emma Sonnet the 10th Muse is in this exciting story also! Watch as Atlas plays security guard and confronts a girl who was frozen for 30 years! Also, with this electrifying story you get another story about a very unusual superhero called Wonderboy – Hero for Hire! Name: 10th Muse #2 Publisher: Tidal Wave Studios/Avatar Price: $3.50 Written by: Darren G. Davis Drawn by: Roger Cruz/pencils Oclair Albert/Edde Wagner/inks Contact Information: www.tidalwavesstudio.com www.avatarpress.com Email: tidalwavestudios@aol.com Comments: There is a court scene that would make Court TV blink, because it is so dramatically realistic! Emma Sonnet is the district attorney in San Francisco and she delivers her case to the judge. This is true blue courtroom drama that is played out well. Meet the bad guys. Introductions that are similar as the gangster introductions done in a great classic film like 'Goodfellas' we have bad guys introduced with names like Miguel the Knight, Gabe the Rook, Kate the Bishop and of course you have your King & Queen. If you want a homicidal maniac in spandex, you might find it here in 10th Muse #2! Emma v. the bad guys and all hell breaks loose! Great climatic cliffhanger as Emma finds Trident at her doorstep, injured and he tells her he is being sought after. Name: 10th Muse #1C Publisher: Tidal Wave Studios/Avatar Price: $3.50 Written by: Marv Wolfman Drawn by: Roger Cruz/pencils Oclair Albert/Edde Wagner/inks Contact Information: www.tidalwavesstudio.com www.avatarpress.com Email: tidalwavestudios@aol.com Comments: Love the introductions that Marv Wolfman does in 10th Muse #1C as the reader is introduced to such colorful characters like: Orion the Hunter, Overthrow, The Guardsman. Then Marv takes you on a wild ride into a story that takes you to places unknown. Emma Sonnet aka the Muse is dynamic in this action packed story. You will have fun in the sun as Atlas steps in and makes his appearance at Muscle Beach – Venice, California. There is some slapstick comedy as Atlas gets slapped and is accused of trying to steal someone's babe. If you want evil, then look towards the way of Overthrow! Beautiful colors, beautiful artwork that will have your jaw agape in wonder as you see some of your favorite heroes in flight. The story is exceptional, especially when you know you are dealing with a villain that feeds on energy. Lots of energy! Name: Shi #1 Publisher: Avatar Price: $3.50 Written by: Billy Tucci & J.C. Vaughn Drawn by: Karl Waller Contact Information: www.avatarpress.com Comments: There is one beheading..but, it was enough to put a lump in my throat in this realistically powerful story! Realistic in a historical content, realistic in the authentic looking costumes that the characters wear. Billy Tucci does some great research when laying out his story in Shi. Some of the words leave an impact with the reader. The words that got to me is when it is said to this effect that 'there is killing of your fellow man, because he doesn't believe in Christ the same was as you do'. Isn't this so true? Words that kind of reflect upon the 9/11 incident and the differences in religions from Muslim to Christianity to the Jewish belief system. Faiths that are different, but believe in the same lord. Enough differences to spawn terrorism and war. Billy Tucci & J.C. Vaughn leave haunting words for the reader. Slight humor as Yuri keeps being teased that she fights like a girl. But, let me tell you this girl can fight better than most male warriors. I could hear that Rocky movie theme song 'Eye of the Tiger' as it is mentioned that Yuri must fight like the Tiger of Death! Pure adrenalin rush! Pure excitement! Name: Shi #2 Publisher: Avatar Price: $3.50 Written by: Billy Tucci & J.C. Vaughn Drawn by: Karl Waller Contact Information: www.avatarpress.com Comments: Learn the way of the warrior through the eyes of the very enchanting and beautiful Yuri Ishikawa! Everything in this exciting story happens in the year 1614. The Shogun Ieyasu go up against the Christians of Japan and it's a war that is unimaginable. It can only be shown in this colorful and very artistic comic book! Karl Waller has a great way of depicting characters in intense action. Bring out the samurai swords, get ready for some bloodshed, the price will be brutally heavy in Shi #2! For the price of freedom, an entire village will be destroyed! The scratched body of Yuri still prevails in this onslaught of death! Shi #2 will have you gyrating in your seat, as you will receive some shocking images that will give you a jolt right up the spinal cord! Name: The First #26 Publisher: CGE Price: $2.95 Creative Force: Barbara Kesel, Andy Smith, Rob Hunter, Sumi Pak Comments: I love the way The First #26 starts off with Trenin learning that Yala is missing. Sort of the hook that catches the fish. The guts of the story is when Pyrem unites intimately with the Queen of Chaos known as Ingra! When Pyrem brings Ingra to his people, everything is in turmoil. Are they truly in love? When Ingra is hit with the questions like will she remain in House Dexter? Will she stay with Pyrem? How come I feel Ingra is not opening up fully? Ingra is keeping something hidden and it will be amusing to find out exactly what she has hidden. Things are going to become chaotic and I can see why Trenin wants to find some new allies_. Name: Key Issue Mystic #31 Publisher: CGE Price: $2.95 Creative Force: Tony Bedard, Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan, Wil Quintana Comments: Extraordinary artwork_.extraordinary!! Aaron Lopresti really kicks butt with this issue of Key Issue Mystic #31! I had a kick when the Revenants were accidentally summoned and it was up to Genevieve to put them back in their rightful place. I love a mystery and right now we have a big mystery going on as Skitter tells Gen that Giselle is missing. Not only missing, but also she can't be detected anywhere, she has truly vanished without a trace. Loved the scene shift as Tony Bedard takes the reader to Giselle's location. A location that is filled with incredible dragons and sabretooths. Giselle maintained her cool when she was eaten by a very large dragon and because of her Sigil and magic abilities she is able to escape the dragon's mouth of death. Giselle would fit in with many California girls, because she's sassy. She shows off her sassy ways by dressing very skimpy for the tropics. The artwork of the city of Vardan Ree was break taking! Vardan Ree reminds me of the Mayan temples and the sheer cliffs and foot bridge was eye candy to any reader. The cave man looking mud hunters on pterodactyls was another incredible sight! All I can say is Tony and Aaron hit it on the nail with this thrilling story! Name: Steven Grant Mortal Souls #2a Publisher: Avatar Created and Written by: Steven Grant Artwork by: Phil Xavier Price: $3.50 Contact Information: www.avatarpress.com Comments: Listen to Sharpe who is gifted or cursed in seeing the Qelipoth tell his confession to a priest. A confession that is beyond bizarre. Sharpe can see the Qelipoth which is a Jewish Kaballah word which means a body that outlives its spirit, or simply said 'husks of the dead'. Yep, were talking zombie like creatures and Sharpe with the help of his female angelic friend hunts them down. In this exciting issue Sharpe heads off to a strip club and sees a Qelipoth heat up a dollar coin to give to a stripper so she will be burned. Sharpe makes mince meat out of this zombie. What is interesting is to learn that Qelipoth are afraid of dogs. Why? Because dogs love bones and rotten meat and that is exactly what Qelipoth are, not to mention the maggots! Superb details are shown in the artwork! Name: Tim Vigil Webwitch #1 Publisher: Avatar Story & Art: Tim Vigil Price: $3.50 Contact Information: www.avatarpress.com Comments: Spectacular thrills can be found in Web Witch #1! Web Witch is on a ledge and the Special Forces have her pinned. Captain Walters of this elite military team wants her alive! Web Witch jumps on a military chopper and causes the chopper to crash into a building. One pilot loses his intestines as the Web Witch rips his stomach open with her sharp claws! When the elite military team finally do capture the Web Witch, it's time for experiments. They discover that she has an extra lobe in her brain. This lobe provides telepathic communication with the Queen of the SpiderNation and the weblings that she has birthed. The Queen and the Weblings are all beautiful..but, they are all very deadly! The female weblings must breed and must mate with any living man that they come across! Added note that Tim Vigil is an outstanding writer, but also a very incredible artist! You will be stunned by Tim's masterful artistic craftmanship! Name: Tim Vigil Webwitch #2 Publisher: Avatar Story & Art: Tim Vigil Price: $3.50 Contact Information: www.avatarpress.com Comments: Choppers in the jungle and Web Witch finds herself allied with a elite military team. Watch as Web Witch transforms from a beautiful woman to a beautiful, but lethal spider woman. Can the Web Witch be controlled? The elite military team encounter some horrific beasties in the jungle and one poor soldier has his torso ripped in half! If you remember the shocking images of when the Marines went up against the Aliens in the Alien sequels, you will have fun watching the exploits of the Web Witch! Go inside the hive and find out what the Web Witch is really about! There is graphic violence and some graphic sex scenes! Name: Warren Ellis Strange Killings - The Body Orchard #3A Publisher: Avatar Written by: Warren Ellis Artwork by: Mike Wolfer Price: $3.50 Contact Information: www.avatarpress.com Comments: Let's go back a few years and watch Sergeant Major with his elite military team in the jungle as they seek out a terrorist cell. Sergeant Major is legendary...he has a reputation that his soldiers fear. Sergeant Major calls himself a combat magician and you will see why as this series continues. There is a chilling beheading and a gigantic spider that this elite military team encounter in the jungle. There is a shocking scene in which Sergeant Major takes one of the bad guys, slits his throat and literally rips his face off his skull! This story is not for the weak hearted. Mike Wolfer does a magnificent job with his drawings that go perfectly well with this action packed story! Name: Warren Ellis Strange Killings - The Body Orchard #2 Publisher: Avatar Written by: Warren Ellis Artwork by: Mike Wolfer Price: $3.50 Contact Information: www.avatarpress.com Comments: The cops are after the killing machine known simply as Sergeant Major. Sergeant Major is holed up in a building and there is tremendous gunfire. Yep, cops get killed and wounded. After the hail storm of gunfire we have 23 dead and one of them is Mayor Irons. This includes 9 dead NY cops with 17 wounded. Sergeant Major is one bad dude and after this melee, he awaits for an extraction team to get him out. You will think you are watching The Terminator as Sergeant Major breaks through several walls and jumps from an incredible height from the building he is holed up in. If you want action, it's all here! Name: Ruse #14 Publisher: CGE Creative Force: Scott Beatty, Butch Guice, Mike Perkins, Laura Martin Price: $2.95 Comments: Heavy rains and 2 traveling strangers meet. What a mysterious way to start this story off. The chaotic mind games that Simon Archard plays upon the populace in having them think that he is the condemned man known as Obed Joy. The choices that Obed Joy had were harsh for mutiny. Either he could walk the plank, or receive the gallows or have his neck stretched from a rope. Simon plays this game of his to the very close end, as it is discovered that Obed Joy via a rubber mask is actually Simon Archard. This was truly a dark story and the artwork was very dark in the use of various shades. Magnificent! Name: Warren Ellis Strange Killings #1 Publisher: Avatar Creative Force: Warren Ellis Price: $3.50 Comments: Killings on the open sea, the probe on Strother’s murder and a trench coat wearing suspect was seen. Bill Gravel, our trench coat wearing suspect is quite smart in his tactics and sets off to wear other clothing after listening to the news report. What is interesting is how he checks on his various money accounts and listens to the transactions being made after completion of his jobs? What was shocking was seeing Mayor Fredrick B. Irons of New York get assassinated in such a cold, callous brutal way. Bill Gravel recognizes the assassination team as his old S.A.S. team. Everyone is hooping and hollering about the new James Bond movie…but, they haven’t seen anything yet until they pick up the latest Strange Killings. The readers who want gunfire and action will find it here. Name: R.A. Salvatore's DemonWars - Trial by Fire #1 of 5 Publisher: CGE Creative Force: R.A. Salvatore, Scott Ciencin, Ron Wagner, Caesar Rodriguez Price: $2.95 Comments: Adventure on the high sea! There is so much to learn from DemonWars. I want to know more about the ritual known as the Elven Sword Dance. I want to learn more about the characters, like Borrok NeeNoch and definitely the one that stands out named Andacanavar the Ranger. I want to know why others think of Andacanavar as a demon. I can see how JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings inspired R.A. Salvatore. What a fantastic fantasy he has created with DemonWars. Even the very cool map of the world of Corona was a definite inspiration from the legendary JRR Tolkien! This is a great world of fantasy and there are so many interesting characters from Chieftain Byggvir to the very lovely and sexy Moira! This is going to be a very exciting series, all the way to #5! Name: Way of the Rat #8 Publisher: CGE Creative Force: Chuck Dixon, Jeff Johnson, Tom Ryder, Chris Garcia Price: $2.95 Comments: The innocent eyes of young Tei Su as she sees in wonderment the beautiful Imperial City. Jeff Johnson does a wonderful job in drawing this beautiful city for this issue of the Way of the Rat. The Princess who is with Tei Su teaches her about life, even though the city is beautiful it also hides corruption. What an intriguing story as the scroll is brought into the foray. What an unusual name…’The Book of the Hell of the Hungry Dragons’. A scroll that is called an abomination. I had to laugh when Boon and PoPo discuss this hideous book and PoPo the monkey gets all over Boon for giving it to Judge Xain. If this book is the gateway to Hell, now Judge Xain will have this power and it’s all because Boon dropped the ball. PoPo had every right to scold him like a monkey stepchild. Judge Xain is quite smart on the way he handles the scroll and convinces one of his foolish followers to read the scroll at the bottom of a grain well. The way the dragons manifested from out of the poor guy’s nose was horrific. Many dragons appear and it’s interesting on how they eat each other and the remaining ones become bigger. Why do I gather that only one HUMONGOUS dragon will be left, to cause havoc throughout the land? ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [12] My View David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com [David LeBlanc is the Editor of the Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine. He is a long time fan of comics and the electronic media - having been the moderator of BBS comics forums on WME, FIDONET and the Comic Book Network. He and his wife are attempting to raise two sons in a suburb of Worcester, Massachusetts. David's favorite motivational phrase is: BEHOLD THE TURTLE, HE ONLY MAKES PROGRESS WHEN HE STICKS HIS NECK OUT!] WASHINGTON AREA SMALL PRESS waspcomics@yahoo.com I received 2 digest sized comics for review with no material included as to the source, price, availability, or any other information. Unfortunately the comics themselves do not give much help in this regard. At least credit yourself if you are going to bother to print a comic and let people know how to buy it if you are serious about it, which we presume you are if you are mailing it for a review. The only hint is on the back covers with a suggestion to Email Matt Dembicki at the above address. We are here to help but people want to know the details if you are going to stimulate interest. ATTIC WIT #2 20 pages, black & white, blue highlights, $ ?? by Matt Dembicki ? I remember this story from getting the first issue. It is the story of souls in the afterlife written by Marek S. Huberath and this is an adaptation. The central character is Rud Milankiewicz. The experience is more like a jail where Rud is assigned tasks and is convalescing from a series of tortures from which he had been given surgery to correct some of the effects of the torture. There are newcomers to the area. The unborn come in vats of liquid, something Rud did not know until after he had helped move some around, and now he can't stand the thought. Then there are old people who bring belongings so he tells them they cannot bring things to the other side. The bulk of the story is about Rud's interaction with a girl newcomer and a fellow who seems to get preferential treatment, a better looking fellow who is keeping him from befriending the girl. The overlord, Neuheufel uses Rud for tasks and is trying to get him hooked on nicotine like the others. Rud gets paid for some tasks in cigarettes but does not smoke them so he can use them as currency. he even buys guard boots with them, so some mistake him for a guard. His attempt at befriending the girl, Maria, ends in disaster and the episode ends with a conversation with one of the unborn. In the afterlife they manifest as floating embryos and have interesting outlook on life, very curious about things those that have lived experienced. This is not a very happy story. It highlights some of the dark side of human behavior and calls to mind the atrocities of war and modern day socially accepted atrocities as well. It is a bit complex to understand where this might lead but the supernatural can be anything we can imagine and this one is most likely something you never would imagine. MR. BIG #2: NIGHT OWLS 20 pages, white on black, $ ?? by Matt Dembicki? Mr. Big is a giant snapping turtle that lives in a pond near Washington DC. The art is, as noted, white line work on black background, as the story is all at night. The art is one panel per page mostly and follows the activity of the life around the pond at night, an owl, mouse, insects and fish. And of course the turtle sees it all. The art is the star as there really is not much plot. It is a fascinating study in negative pictures that conveys many thoughts with minimal lines. ++++++++++ TRUE FACTS Comics' Righteous Anger By Larry Young Introduction by Matt Fraction 120 pages, paperback, pocket-sized, (2002) $9.95 AIT/PlanetLar 2034 47th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94116 www.ait-planetlar.com This is not a comic book. What it is a guide to self-publishing your own comic books from someone who does and has done everything connected with publishing, including writing, except the art work. If you are not familiar with Larry's writing I suggest you look for ASTRONAUTS IN TROUBLE (the AIT part of the company name) either as back issues or in collected form from your dealer or direct from AIT/PlanetLar via their web site. It is a great example of a well done, entertaining, self- published comic. Their other products are dammed good as well. So, Larry proposed to contribute a column for the webzine, SAVANT called TRUE FACTS. It would be his chance to collect the answers he had been giving to many people who wrote to him about how they too could get into self-publishing. This column was first envisioned as basically only four units, one each on pre-press, printing, distribution and retailing. But one suggested a couple more and soon it became open ended. This book collects the series from 2000 with updated comments by Larry for this collection of reprints. Most if not all the informational data is current, and where it isn’t Larry brings it up to date. The book is very easy reading; it is not a textbook dry approach. It also is not a shortcut to success in the sense that you can just sit back after reading it and do a few things right and clip coupons the rest of the time. He does point out key things you must do, and part of that is working at it as much as possible. One column is particularly eye opening, What the Comics Industry isn't: 10 Myths Debunked. Entries like – you need thousands of dollars to get a single issue on the stands (true) and Self-publishing is too complex a financial and logistic nightmare all but a few to attempt (false) - may have you wondering if you believe Larry is a genius or way off base. I believe that he is someone who navigated his way through the ups and downs and found the path to success and that path is there for anyone with talent and determination. He is very helpful on key points like marketing, how to, what contacts to make, the format and content of press releases and the like. The part on pre-press is invaluable as is finding the right printer to handle the job. And of course the three main avenues of distribution are detailed – without them forget it. He gives names, addresses, and email or web URLs, to help you get started. And, this you might find odd until you read the explanation, the two MUST reads he lists are 'RULES FOR REVOLUTIONARIES' by Guy Kawasaki and 'DIGITAL PRE-PRESS FOR COMIC BOOKS' by Kevin Tinsley. There is much more to discover in this volume which I will leave to the reader. I will tell you it is a quick and fun volume for anyone. Even if you are not planning to ever publish your own comic book you will get educated on this part of the industry that is in many ways on the cutting edge of comics evolution. If you have self-publishing as a goal, I will end this review with Larry's first TRUE FACT: Go ahead! Nobody's stopping you. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [13] New Comic Book Releases List [NCRL] by Charles LePage chuck@comiclist.com +++WINNER OF THE 1996 REC.ARTS.COMICS.* "SQUIDDY" FOR BEST WEB SITE+++ http://www.comiclist.com New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, 12/18/2002, compiled by Charles LePage with information from Suncoast Comics. This is the *preliminary* list and is not complete. The completed list is posted weekly, usually Tuesday evening, at http://www.comiclist.com and other places. You can receive this list each Tuesday via email by following the instructions at the web site, or you can email NCRL-subscribe@egroups.com PLEASE NOTE- Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. Let CHARLES know if any of the names or numbers are wrong. chuck@comiclist.com (Charles LePage) PUBLISHERS: If you know when your comics are going to be available through Diamond, please email chuck@comiclist.com so that he can place your comics on the appropriately dated list. Thanks! "TPB" = "trade paperback". "GN" = "graphic novel". "AA" = "available again". "SC" = "softcover". "HC" = "hardcover". "S/N" = "signed/numbered". "AR" = "ask retailer about price". PUBLISHER TITLE, ISSUE NUMBER, PRICE IN U.S. DOLLARS ABSTRACT STUDIOS Terry Moores Paradise Too #11, $2.95 AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS) Gloom Cookie Monsters Christmas Color Special, $3.95 ARCHANGEL STUDIOS Red Star Annual #1, $3.50 Red Star Annual Gold Foil Incentive, $5.00 ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS Jughead With Archie Digest #180, $2.39 Pals N Gals Double Digest #72, $3.59 Sabrina Vol 2 #40, $2.19 CG ENTERTAINMENT Crux #21, $2.95 Route 666 #7, $2.95 Scion #31, $2.95 CLAYPOOL COMICS Elvira #116, $2.50 DARK HORSE COMICS Blade Of The Immortal #74 Fall Frost (Part 2 Of 6), $2.99 Blade Of The Immortal Beasts TPB, $14.95 DC COMICS Authority Scorched Earth, $4.95 Automatic Kafka #6, $2.95 Batgirl Year One #1 (Of 9), $2.95 Batman Gotham Knights #36, $2.75 Birds Of Prey #50, $2.50 Black Sun #4 (Of 6), $2.95 Fables #8, $2.50 Forever Maelstrom #2 (Of 6), $2.95 Hellblazer Special Lady Constantine #1 (Of 4), $2.95 JSA #43, $2.50 Lucifer #33, $2.50 Powerpuff Girls #33, $2.25 Robin #109, $2.25 Robotech #1 (Of 6), $2.95 Supergirl #77, $2.50 Superman The Man Of Steel #133, $2.25 Swamp Thing Dark Genesis TPB New Edition, $19.95 Wonder Woman Annual 1967 #1, $4.95 Y The Last Man #6, $2.95 DREAMWAVE Transformers Armada #5, $2.95 EL CAPITAN BOOKS Stray Bullets #28, $3.50 HARRIS COMICS Vampirella #15 Ltd Harris Cvr Ed, $9.95 Vampirella #15 Ltd Model Photo Ed, $9.95 Vampirella #15 Reg Ed, $2.99 IDW PUBLISHING Lurid #2, $2.99 IMAGE COMICS Aria Vol 2 The Soulmarket HC, $26.95 GI Joe Vol 2 Reckonings TPB, $12.95 Hawaiian Dick #1, $2.95 Rising Stars #21 (Of 24), $2.99 Top Cow Classics Battle Of The Planets #1, $2.99 MARVEL COMICS Daredevil Quesada Poster, $5.95 Incredible Hulk #48, $2.25 New X-Men #135, $2.25 New X-Men 3 New Worlds TPB, $14.99 Shang Chi Master Of Kung Fu #4 (Of 6), $2.99 Soldier X #6, $2.25 Spider-Man Blue #5 (Of 6), $3.50 Spider-Man Peter Parker #51, $2.25 Truth #2 (Of 6), $3.50 Ultimate Spider-Man #33, $2.25 Ultimate X-Men #26, $2.25 Ultimates #2 Cover Re-Imagined Iron Man Poster - Bryan Hitch, $5.99 Weapon X #4, $2.25 NBM Oddballz #5, $2.95 ONI PRESS Jason & The Argobots #4 (Of 4), $2.95 SUMMERTIME COMICS Invincible Ed #2 Beating Of Ed (Of 6), $3.95 VIZ COMMUNICATIONS All New Tenchi Muyo Part 2 #3 (Of 5), $2.95 Animerica January 2003 Vol 11 #1, $4.95 Battle Angel Alita Last Order Part 1 #4, $2.95 Dragonball Part 5 #7 (Of 7), $2.95 Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Vol 8 TPB, $9.95 Pokemon Adventures Vol 7 Pokemon Elite TPB, $13.95 Ranma 1/2 Part 11 #10 (Of 11), $2.95 Vagabond #14, $4.95 X 1999 Vol 9 Requiem TPB, $15.95 Zoids #11, $5.95 magazines Alter Ego #19, $5.95 Comic Book Artist #23, $6.95 Comic Shop News #809, AR Comic Shop News Winter Preview, AR Newtype English Version Magazine #3, $9.95 NCRL for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD NEW DC COMICS 100 Bullets #41 12/04 01/01/03 100% #5 10/09 02/05/03 American Century #21 12/18 01/03 Batman: Family #8: Blackout 12/18 12/26 Gotham Girls #5 12/18 12/26 Green Arrow #20 12/26 01/01/03 League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. II #4 10/23 12/26 League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. II #5 12/26 01/15/03 Power Company #11 12/18 12/26 T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Archives Vol. 1 HC 12/04 12/26 Thundercats #5 12/18 12/26 Tom Strong #19 12/11 01/01/03 IMAGE COMICS Athena Inc #5 Cvrs. A-B 12/25 01/01/03 Bastard Samurai Vol. I: Samurai Noir TP 12/26 Electropolis #4 10/30 01/01/03 Fused #4 12/25 01/01/03 G.I. Joe: Front Line #3 12/25 01/01/03 Midnight Nation TP 12/25 01/01/03 Mutant Earth #4 Cvrs. A-B 12/25 01/01/03 Mutant Earth #4 Incentive 12/25 01/01/03 Powers #27 12/26 Savage Dragon #103 12/26 Tomb Raider Journeys #9 12/26 Violent Messiahs: Lamenting Pain #2 Cvrs. A-B 12/26 Witchblade#41 Foil Cvr. 12/26 MARVEL COMICS Amazing Spider-Man #48 12/11 12/26 Captain America #7 (RES) 12/18 12/26 Captain Marvel #4 12/18 12/26 Daredevil #40 12/26 01/02/03 Elektra #19 12/18 12/26 Elektra #20 01/02 01/29/03 Marville #4 12/18 12/26 Punisher #20 12/26 01/02/03 Spider-Man: Get Kraven #6 12/18 12/26 Thunderbolts #75 12/26 01/02/03 Ultimate Adventures #3 11/20 01/29/03 Ultimates #8 (RES) 09/15 01/02 X-Men Unlimited #40 12/26 01/02/03 ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- [14] HYPE! Section Various Hi everyone, I hope you're all having a great holiday season. We have a lot of Shades of Blue news to update you on, so let's get to it. First off, we'd like to announce that Shades of Blue is now being published by Digital Webbing Press. That's right, after issue 10, you will no longer be able to find us in Previews or at your comic shop under Amp Comics. Digital Webbing started off as a great talent engine site at www.digitalwebbing.com, and has recently begun publishing comics, starting with their flagship title, the Digital Webbing Presents Anthology. So what does this mean for you, the Shades of Blue reader? Well, the Amp crew will still be bringing you great Shades stories. You'll just have to tell your comic shop to order us from the Digital Webbing section of Previews, not the Amp Comics section. And we now have a great partnership with Digital Webbing, and their line of books. They host our new forum at their web-site, so go check that out and join in on the discussion. Our first project with Digital Webbing is in Previews this month: The Shades of Blue Trade Paperback, collecting the first 5 issues of the series. There will be some extras in the collection, including commentary by me on each issue, telling you how each issue came about. And Cal's throwing together some extra art for the book. I can honestly tell you that Trade Paperbacks are one of the few ways that small publishers like us can actually break even making these comics, so I'd appreciate any support you can give in picking up this collection, and getting your shop owners to order it pronto. Also available in this month's Previews is Digital Webbing Presents #7, which features an all-new 6 page Shades of Blue story. It bridges the gap between the old series and the new series, and features Heidi finding out some clues to the origin of her powers and blue hair. And then, come February, you can order issue 1 of our all new series! New Series! New story line! New friends for Heidi! New logo! More exclamation points than you can possibly handle! We're cranking it up a notch for our relaunch under Digital Webbing. In the first 3 issues we'll find out who gave Heidi her powers, and which one of her friends has been working against her all along. So, to recap, issue 1 of Shades of Blue, vol. 2 will be available for order in the February Previews under Digital Webbing, and will ship to stores in April. Thanks for all of your support. Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you next year, as we hit the con circuit big time. Sincerely, Jim Harris Writer/Co-Creator of Shades of Blue www.ampcomics.com Jimhar1@aol.com +++++ Moonstone April '03 releases Title: "The Silencers" Issue: #1 ("Bitter Fruit" #1 of 2) Story: Fred Van Lente Art: Steve Ellis 32pgs, color, $3.50, on-going The first of Moonstone's comic format books bursts onto the scene! Superheroes and the Mob mix into a volatile cocktail right here, man! For decades THE SILENCERS have been the superpowered enforcers of New York's Provenzano Crime Family, protecting them from "The Tights". When CARDINAL, their fearsome leader, makes plans to retire from a life of crime, a rival syndicate makes a move against him, and the quiet life he's trying so hard to achieve may slowly trickle out of his grasp. THE SOPRANOS_ meets _POWERS_ in this explosive new crime saga of honor and betrayal from the award-winning creators of _TRANQUILITY_. More story and stuff, and less ads than your average 32pg comic! Title: "Werewolf the Apocalypse: Get of Fenris" Story: Joe Gentile Art,colors, cover: Fernando Blanco 48pgs, 2-color, square-bound, self-contained, $5.95 ISBN: 0-9721668-9-0 This is the next volume in a series of one-shots based in the noir universe of White Wolf's "Werewolf the Apocalypse" role-playing game. The Get of Fenris-VIOLENT. The Get of Fenris-WARRIORS. The Get of Fenris-WEREWOLVES! A group of young tribesmen of The Get of Fenris are sent to test their power and worth. They find little problem dealing with the threat's presented by the many Black Spiral Dancers that stand before them. It's the past, and the awful truth of an elder's betrayal so many years ago that proves to be the greatest foe they will face. Much blood will flow from the veins of these Garou, enough to drown Gaia! But will justice be delivered against those who have betrayed her? A fierce icy tone laid down by Joe Gentile and Fernando Blanco, who's riveting 2-color canvas really pulls you into the action! (printed and shipped from Quebecor) ++++ The F.B.I. Informant Vol. III, #10 December 5, 2002 ------------------------------------------------------------ IN THIS EDITION: EVENTS IN L.A., S.F., PORTLAND, SEATTLE, & NYC * TCJ HONORED BY UTNE * TCJ WEBLOG LAUNCHES * FREE 'BETO MP3 * SACCO IN CHECNYA * WARE CAUSES TRAFFIC JAM * STAN LEE SHOULD BE ASHAMED * ASIA ARGENTO & COMICS * COMPROMISING PHOTOS ------------------------------------------------------------ NEW RELEASES: [See end of newsletter for full info] JIMMY CORRIGAN VINYL FIGURE * ENID & REBECCA CLOTH DOLLS * BEG THE QUESTION * BLAB! 13 * DEAD END * T.O.T.T. * DOOFUS OMNIBUS * HOUSE AT MAAKIES CORNER * KRAZY & IGNATZ 1927-1928: "LOVE LETTERS IN ANCENT BRICK" * PRINCE VALIANT 46 * WHITE FLOWER DAY * BLACK HOLE #10 * TCJ #248 * DEATH & CANDY #3 * HATE ANNUAL #3 * LOVE & ROCKETS #6 * NAUGHTY BITS #37 * Plus a li'l somethin' from MR. SHOW! --------------------------------------------------------- REBEL VISIONS DEBUTS 12/20 IN PORTLAND, OR ------------------------------------------- Portland author PATRICK ROSENKRANZ's long-awaited history of the American underground comix movement, REBEL VISIONS, will debut Dec. 21st at Portland's COUNTERMEDIA bookstore (on Oak St., right across from POWELL'S). Rosenkranz will be signing copies from 7 to 9 P.M., but in addition to that, Countermedia will be putting on a ONE-DAY- ONLY exhibition of classic underground comix originals. The exhibit will be up from 11 A.M. Friday morning to the end of the signing at 9 P.M. and include original art from ROBERT CRUMB (3 pieces), ROBERT WILLIAMS, RICK GRIFFIN (four pieces), VICTOR MOSCOSO, S. CLAY WILSON, KIM DEITCH, and even two BASIL WOLVERTON originals. Rosenkranz and Countermedia proprietor CHARLES BOUCHER will also have an amazing collection of rare underground comix ephemera on hand, including rock posters, buttons, photographs and other ephemera. Meanwhile, following the Countermedia event, Rosenkranz will also sign the book on Tuesday, January 21st at 7:00 P.M. at the BORDERS BOOKS in BEAVERTON, OR. More details next time, along with information on Rosencranz's appearance along with ROBERT WILLIAMS and DAN CLOWES at the ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO in SAN FRANCISCO on Feb. 1-2, including some fantastic underground comix programming with Rosenkranz, Williams, SPAIN RODRIGUEZ, S. CLAY WILSON and more! REBEL VISIONS is, of course, the first definitive history of this seminal artistic movement. Weighing in at 300 pages with hundreds of illustrations, many in full-color, this mammoth hardcover has been in the works for 30 years and was written and researched with the full- cooperation of virtually every major participant in the movement. Look for it in stores at the end of this month, or come join us in Portland on the 21st! ROBT. WMS. LIVE ON KPCC 89.3FM ON 12/12 --------------------------------------- On Thursday, Dec. 12, ROBERT WILLIAMS will be a guest on the radio program "TALK OF THE CITY," a popular talk show generating from Southern California's largest National Public Radio affiliate, KPCC 89.3 FM in Los Angeles. "Talk of the City" will air from 1:45 P.M. to 2:30 P.M., with Wms. talking about his new book, HYSTERIA IN REMISSION: THE COMIX & DRAWINGS OF ROBT. WILLIAMS, a 300-page monster from Fantagraphics (available in softcover and ltd. Signed hardcover), collecting of all of Wms.'s underground comix, Big Daddy Roth advertising art, and much more, most of it out of print for over 30 years. Meanwhile, HYSTERIA has hit U.S. shores and will hit stores this month (and is now available for direct ordering from Fantagraphics). Coochy Cooty Men's Comics, Felch, Snatch, Yama Yama, Zam, Zap and everything In between are included, all under one cover. Hysteria In Remission also features: 30 pages of Williams' outrageous advertising art for Roth Studios; dozens of never-before-collected examples from the early-’60s of the young illustrator’s earliest professional work; full-color storyboards for a proposed Zap animated film from 1970; unpublished gems from the artist’s files; and much more, spanning 40 years and featuring annotations by Williams and an introduction by fellow Zap cartoonist Gilbert Shelton. Here's the skinny: 9.25" x 12" * 288 pages * 32 pages in full-color * Adults Only Available in two formats: SIGNED HARDCOVER EDITION: Ltd to 1000 copies, with signed/ numbered translucent tip-in sheet $75.00 / $120.00 CAN ISBN 1-56097-521-0 SOFTCOVER: $29.95 / $44.95 CAN ISBN 1-56097-465-6 WOMEN COMIX PANEL IN SF ----------------------- San Francisco's MODERN TIMES BOOKS (888 Valencia St. in San Francisco) is hosting an event titled WOMEN DOING GRAPHIC NOVELS on Tuesday, December 17th at 7:30 pm. The event includes a reading & panel with MOLLY KIELY (creator of the semi-autobiographical EROS COMIX classic, DIARY OF A DOMINATRIX, as well as THAT KIND OF GIRL, ON YOUR KNEES BOY and others), MADISON CLELL (CUCKOO), MARIAN HENLEY (MAXINE), and TRINA ROBBINS (GO-GIRL!). http://www.moderntimesbookstore.com/ DEITCH & FRIENDS DO COMIX DECODE NYC ------------------------------------ Another COMIX DECODE event is coming up fast in NEW YORK. On Sunday, December 8, at 8:00 PM, KIM DEITCH, PHOEBE GLOCKNER and NICK BERTOZZI will appear at NorthSix (66 North Sixth St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn) along with hosts CALVIN REID, JESSICA ABEL, and MATT MADDEN. The featured cartoonists will project and read a short selection of their work, and then discuss the ins and outs of their methods, as well as their thoughts on cartooning in general. The event is free with a suggested $2 donation and two-drink minimum. For more info, visit: http://www.comixdecode.org/ FORNEY, SAVAGE & FRIENDS BENEFIT SEATTLE SHELTER ------------------------------------------------- At 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, Seattle's ELLIOTT BAY BOOK COMPANY (101 S. Main Street in Pioneer Square) will host in conjunction with The Collins Library a benefit for First Place, a Seattle shelter for at-risk children and mothers. Billed as a "Literary Revival," the event will feature authors like ELLEN FORNEY (MONKEY FOOD: "I WAS 7 IN '75") and DAN SAVAGE (THE KID and SKIPPING TOWARDS GOMMORAH) reading from their favorite forgotten old books. Books will be available for purchase with proceeds to go directly to kids at the shelter. The reading also features SEAN CARMAN (McSweeney's and Ready Made contributor), TOMMY WALLACH (McSweeney's and Ready Made contributor), and PAUL COLLINS (Banvard's Folly, a book we heartily recommend along with Forney's and Savage's). WOODRING, FORNEY, GRIFFITH & MORE GO 3-D IN SEATTLE ---------------------------------------------------- "OFF THE PAGE: 3 DIMENSIONAL NARRATIVES" is a new group show at Seattle's SOIL GALLERY (1317 E Pine St.), opening Friday, Dec. 6 in a 7-10 p.m. reception. SOIL invited some of its favorite artists to create a comics narrative that would convey a story (however loosely they choose to interpret the word "story") in 3 dimensions. The result is an eclectic show of works by over 20 artists, who meet the challenge in a variety of ways, including installations, motorized sculptures, and toys. The show includes JIM WOODRING, BILL GRIFFITH, ELLEN FORNEY, BLAIR WILSON, DAVID LASKY, Fantagraphics's own art director and fine ah-tist extraordinaire CARRIE WHITNEY, MARC BELL and GREG STUMP, amongst several others. http://www.soilart.org/ ABEL EXHIBIT AND BITCH COVER ---------------------------- First of all, LA PERDIDA creator JESSICA ABEL is featured on the front page of BITCH MAGAZINE online this month: http://www.bitchmagazine.com/ Second of all, Abel is having an exhibition of her work in our very own town of Seattle, at the DAVIDSON GALLERIES in Pioneer Square. The show closes this week, Dec. 7, so check it out, now-like. SEATTLE TIMES art critic FRANCES McCUE cited Abel's work as the most interesting in a very interesting show (in a 11/22 full-page review), commenting that Abel, "like Fantagraphics, is lifting the comic into a more literary form." Aw, shucks, we're blushin' ovah heah! http://www.davidsongalleries.com/ NEW YORK HONORS FEIFFER ------------------------ The NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Two West 77th St. at Central Park West in New York City) has announced two new exhibitions related to the art and life of quintessential New York cartoonist, dramatist, satirist and modern culture commentator JULES FEIFFER (b.1929): "Julz Rulz: Inside the Mind of Jules Feiffer" (February 18 ? May 18, 2003) and "Feiffer’s Family Tree" (February 4 ? June 1, 2002). Co-curated by N-YHS consultant Mina Weiner and Harry Katz, Head Curator of Prints and Photographs at the Library of Congress, Julz Rulz explores the genesis, maturation and versatility of Feiffer’s caustic imagination in the context of the aesthetic, political, social, and personal influences that have transformed his satirical outlook on 20th Century urban culture. Unrestricted access to Feiffer’s private collection of art and papers, and the participation of Mr. Katz (who is responsible for the Feiffer archives at the Library of Congress), ensure a comprehensive survey of a broad-ranging body of work. http://www.nyhistory.org/ TCJ NOMINATED FOR 2002 UTNE INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD ---------------------------------------------------- We're proud to announce that UTNE, the nation's leading alternative press magazine, has announced the nomination of THE COMICS JOURNAL for an UTNE INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD in the categories of ARTS/LITERATURE COVERAGE and GENERAL EXCELLENCE. Since 1989, these awards have showcased the best from the alternative press in categories ranging from reporting excellence to personal life, cultural to international coverage. The Utne Independent Press Awards, previously known as Utne Reader Alternative Press Awards, recognize excellence in alternative and independent publishing. Utne's editors select nominee publications through their extensive reading process and careful examination, rather than a competition requiring entry forms and fees. UTNE magazine has a paid circulation of 225,000. Winners of the Utne Independent Press Awards will be announced in the January/February issue of Utne, which goes on sale Dec. 24th, and awarded on January 18th during an awards banquet held in conjunction with the Independent Press Association Convention in San Francisco. http://www.utne.com/uipa GILBERT HERNANDEZ SPEAKS ------------------------ THE COMICS JOURNAL AUDIO ARCHIVES, a monthly online selection of interviews culled from the massive library of audiotapes accumulated by the magazine in the course of its 26-year history, continues. This month's MP3s come by way of issue #126 from 1989 -- just over an hour of excerpts from GARY GROTH's interview with GILBERT HERNANDEZ, one- third of the creative team behind the comic book that launched a thousand indy comics, LOVE AND ROCKETS. Gilbert discusses his comics- obsessed childhood, his influences, the "Heartbreak Soup" stories, drawing, how he creates his stories... even a word or two about why The Comics Journal's bad attitude gets people so riled up. The address is: http://www.tcj.com/listen/listen.html Please note that these files will be removed on December 13, to make room for the next archival excerpt, so download now. TCJ WEBLOG LAUNCHES ------------------- Speaking of our favorite comics rag, THE COMIC JOURNAL is pleased to announce the launch of JOURNALISTA!, its new daily weblog. Edited by TCJ.com webmaster DIRK DEPPEY, Journalista! covers the entire spectrum of the comics world, from the new breed of art comics to the children's comics for which the medium is best known, from comic strips to editorial cartooning to the latest experiments in online comics, plus business and technical aspects of the medium. Journalista! aims to be a source of thoughtful news and commentary, bypassing the uncritical press-release-driven news and hype-oriented interviews commonly found on most other comics-related news websites and often this very newsletter. With daily updating, be sure to add it to your morning procrastination routine: http://www.tcj.com/journalista/ http://www.tcj.com/ SACCO GOES GLOBAL ----------------- Cartoon journalist JOE SACCO, whose PALESTINE recently entered its umpteenth printing, recently was commissioned to create a full-page comic which ran in the Nov. 17 edition of THE BOSTON GLOBE. Titled "What Refugees?", the strip details Russia's treatment of Chechnyan refugees trying to enter the Russian republic of Ingushetia. Sacco visited Ingushetia this past fall to research an upcoming project and created this prologue of sorts for the Globe. That same issue of the Globe also featured an article spotlighting two independent presses celebrating a quarter-century of publishing. Lo and behold, one of 'em was us! The piece also focused on Boston's South End Press, stating that "these unrepentantly post-hippie outfits share only a fierce commitment to the freedom of speech." GRIFFY ON TV, ON WEB, IN FLORIDA, ELSEWHERE -------------------------------------------- BILL GRIFFITH was interviewed as part of a program on Muffler Men and other roadside ZIPPY favorites on the 11/14/02 TRAVEL CHANNEL show "The World's Best Roadside Attractions" (Termite Art Productions). The show has also aired at least once since, so be on the lookout for further repeats. Bill will be the handsome one in a mumu. (No, not really, he's actually quite dapper.) Meanwhile, Griffy will also be participating in the UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA (Gainesville) Comics Conference, along with ROBERT WILLIAMS, ART SPIEGELMAN, KIM DEITCH, and DIANE NOOMIN ? wow! The event takes place Feb. 7-8, stay tuned for full details. Also, check out the launching-any-day, all-new Zippy website, which will feature up-to-the-minute Zippy news, including information on Griffy's LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Spring 2004 exhibition, as well as an eventual web archive of every Zippy strip ever drawn (well over 5,000 at last count). http://www.zippythepinhead.com/ CHRIS WARE BLOWS OUR FREAKIN' MIND ---------------------------------- If you haven't seen this, prepare to wish you were in San Francisco. Visit the following link and then get yer ass back here: http://www.826valencia.com/store/facade.html Okay, welcome back. As you probably read, CHRIS WARE designed this gigantic mural specifically for 826 VALENCIA. We haven't seen it up close and personal, but it reportedly depicts the parallel development of humans and their efforts at and motivations for communication, spoken and written. If you visit, block some time: it reportedly takes about an hour to take in, with the best vantagepoint said to be the middle of Valenica Street. While the ramifications of building a public artwork that invites people to stand in the middle of oncoming traffic for an hour while staring at a wall gives us pause, upon great consideration we're moving ahead with our recommendation that you check out this most incredible work of public art. According to the site, the mural was applied by artisans according to Ware's specifications. The bottom half of the building, which has been painted black, features gold lettering that states the name of the place. Over the window is a nice burgundy awning. 826 Valencia is a side venture of DAVE EGGERS and his McSWEENEY'S literary house. Visit the rest of the 826Valencia.com site for more info. Meanwhile, Mr. Ware has also designed a brilliant novelty for the wonderful radio program, THIS AMERICAN LIFE. In the style of a 1930s or '40s decoder ring -- which enabled children who drank their Ovaltine to decipher encrypted messages delivered on radio dramas like LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE and CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT -- Ware created a This American Life "CRYPT-O-WHEEL," which was used to win fun prizes from TAL. Download the wheel here: http://www.thislife.org/pages/trax/decoder/decoderfun.html FROM THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO TO 60 MINUTES ------------------------------------------------ Many of you may have caught a glimpse of CHRIS WARE and ART SPIEGELMAN on a recent episode of 60 MINUTES II, muscled out for air time by STAN "THE MAN" LEE and Marvel movie mogul AVI ARAD (in a piece of telejournalism worthy of the SPIDER-MAN DVD bonus disc). Ware was shown speaking exactly one sentence, something truncated and to the effect of, "Gosh, I can't believe I won that British literary award". Art Spiegelman's CIGARETTE got more airtime than Ware, and that despite the fact that Spiegelman, too, got a much too short shrift. Well, at least that man of the people, Stan Lee, has finally had his story aired as a "wronged artiste". Thank the lord they didn't mention that publicity hound STEVE DITKO, or they would have had to edit out Lee's NINETY TRILLIONTH recitation of that "Great Power Great Responsibility" muckety-muck. Sure, it's good advice and all, but Christ, this is 60 Minutes, not the Electric Company. A lot more of us saw the SPIDER-MAN movie, anyway, and Toby Maguire didn't sound nearly as dorky and out-of-touch when he said it, so let's leave it at that, Stan, or you might scare the kids away. So, speaking of power and responsibility, here's to one of the greats, the eccentricly responsible STEVE DITKO, whose principles have purposefully kept him out of the Spider-Man spotlight, which seems to suit Lee and Marvel just fine. Ditko is no doubt costing himself; he receives nothing for creating the character's visual identity and giving Peter Parker the palpable humanity that defines Spider-Man to this day, even though he rarely exhibits it anymore. Meanwhile, Stan Lee continues to never meet a camera he didn't like, except THE COMICS JOURNAL's (well known to be Stan Lee's most-hated magazine, subscribe today!). Oh, by the way, have we mentioned that we're publishing a coffee table retrospective of Ditko's art next summer, titled STEVE DITKO: A MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER? But that's beside the point. If you need a quick fix, we offer a number of other Ditko books in our catalogue (Hey, Stan's not the only huckster in this biz). PUBLISHERS WEEKLY & BOOK MAG NAME BEST OF 2002 ----------------------------------------------- The November 4 issue of PUBLISHERS WEEKLY included the magazine's "BEST OF THE YEAR" lists, and we were thrilled to see not one, but two Fanta titles make the cut in the graphic novel category. Both HO CHE ANDERSON's KING VOL. 2 and DAVID B.'s EPILEPTIC BOOK I made the list of eight titles, along with books by Lynda Barry, Alan Moore, Dave McKean, and others. Meanwhile, BOOK MAGAZINE also recently featured its "BEST OF 2002" lists, in its Dec. 2002 issue, and Fantagraphics published two of the three graphic novels named, TWENTIETH CENTURY EIGHTBALL by DANIEL CLOWES and KRAZY & IGNATZ 1925-1926 by GEORGE HERRIMAN (the third book was ADRIAN TOMINE's lovely SUMMER BLONDE collection from our pals at DRAWN & QUARTERLY). We always knew that Herriman kid would make good one day. MORIARITY EARNS WA ARTS FELLOWSHIP ---------------------------------- BIG MOUTH creator PAT MORIARITY was one of 21 recipients of the distinguished 2002 ARTIST TRUST/WASHINGTON STATE ARTS COMMISSION FELLOWSHIP. Each recipient will receive an unrestricted cash award of $6,000. The award recognizes "an artist's creative excellence and accomplishment, professional achievement and continuing dedication to their artistic discipline." Moriarity was the sole recipient in the Design category! Congratulations, Pat! BURNS, WARE, CLOWES PICS FROM PORTUGAL -------------------------------------- From October 24th to the 31st, Fantagraphics Books authors CHARLES BURNS, DANIEL CLOWES and CHRIS WARE attended the 13th annual Amadora Comics Festival just outside of Lisbon, Portugal. The artists were accompanied by Fantagraphics Goodwill Ambassador Eric Reynolds, who took a number of photos that we have archived on our website. The artists participated in signings and panel discussions throughout their stay, as well as a Fantagraphics-themed exhibition of original art which also included pieces by IVAN BRUNETTI, JOHNNY RYAN, BOB FINGERMAN, GILBERT HERNANDEZ, R. CRUMB and others. Go here for more: http://www.fantagraphics.com/portugal/portpix.html ASIA ARGENTO'S SCARLET DIVA: THE SECRET COMIX CONNECTION --------------------------------------------------------- Newly released on DVD, ASIA ARGENTO's debut acting and directorial debut, the Italian film SCARLET DIVA, features DANIEL CLOWES's comics collection, CARICATURE, in a prominent example of "product placement" during a scene in which Argento leafs carelessly through a couple of books (JOE COLEMAN's ORIGINAL SIN, from GATES OF HECK, is also featured) on her desk while something very important is clearly distracting her attention from them. Even more curiously, the aforementioned Coleman is a featured villain, playing a powerful Hollywood producer (though with missing teeth and handlebar moustache, he resembles something more akin to a hillbilly P.T. Barnum) who tries to rape Argento on the ol' casting couch (he is one of about 18 such characters, but definitely a standout) and, when thwarted, runs naked through a hotel hallway screaming bloody murder. Please note that by drawing your attention to these curiosities, we are not necessarily endorsing the film, if you catch our drift; tread at your own risk. CORRIGAN OF VINYL! ENID & REBECCA LOVE SOFT! --------------------------------------------- PRESSPOP, the beloved Japanese publisher & gallery behind the LI'L ENID DOLL, has done it once again. FANTAGRAPHICS is now offering the JIMMY CORRIGAN VINYL DOLL (see below link) and the ENID & REBECCA CLOTH DOLLS, based on DANIEL CLOWES's GHOST WORLD characters (by the way, please send your Enid Halloween costume pictures to the FBI Publicity Dept., c/o Fantagraphics Books). The Corrigan doll in particular must be seen to be believed, it is probably the nicest item yet from a company with an impeccable track record. Both are imported from Japan and in time for the holidays! http://www.fantagraphics.com/artist/acme/acme.html DON'T FORGET THE CBLDF ---------------------- In addition to all of those Fantagraphics books and comics that we hope you will be giving away throughout the holidays, might we suggest giving a $25 membership to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The Fund has also been hosting a number of unique auctions on eBay that would make great gifts; search the user ID "cbldf". Recent items have included original art by BILL GRIFFITH and MEGAN KELSO. Visit the CBLDF site for information on its recent First Amendment battles and links to the eBay auctions: http://www.cbldf.org/ Oh, and about that Fantagraphics gift-giving thing. See, it's like this. We don't ever like to give the hard sell, y'know, but pretty pretty please? Perhaps something from Joe Sacco for your father? Or a Daniel Clowes book for your younger sister? A vintage comic strip from your grandmother's youth to entertain her during those first few months at the nursing home, as she begins that final chapter of her life and desperately wants to reconnect with feelings of youthful innocence and hope, of an imagination uninhibited by the weight of reality... Or perhaps an Eros sampler pack for your incarcerated cousin? Let's face it, we need new readers. This comics publishing thing is a tough racket, and with a staff of 25 or so, we've got a lot of mouths to feed and bonuses to give out and we barely make a profit year in and year out, and it's not like these 20 people are sitting around doing nothing, we could desperately stand to add staff but can't afford it, see? Besides, the president's kid wants a Hum-vee. So give the gift of comics! We have a secure shopping cart ordering system and all that jazz, so really it's quite easy, we assure you. http://www.fantagraphics.com/cart/ MISC. SELF-INDULGENCE --------------------- * DANIEL CLOWES and his pal, ADRIAN TOMINE, were the subject of a major books feature at SALON.COM on Nov. 21, titled "Worth a Thousand Words": http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2002/11/21/comics/index.html?x * B. KRIGSTEIN author GREG SADOWSKI is the subject of a lengthy interview over at Newsarama this week. He touches on a number of interesting subjects, including the research that went into the book, ART SPIEGELMAN's review of the book for THE NEW YORKER, MARIE SEVERIN and NATALIE KRIGSTEIN's involvement with the book, and much more: http://www.newsarama.com/cgi- bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=000075 * An interview with ANGRY YOUTH COMICS creator JOHNNY RYAN appears at: http://www.comicreaders.com/smallpressindex.shtml * The November issue of ARTFORUM includes a full-page feature on CHARLES BURNS's BLACK HOLE. * The Oct. 29 edition of Canada's NATIONAL POST newspaper featured a meaty article on STUFF OF DREAMS and BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS cartoonist KIM DEITCH. * The Nov. 21 issue of TIME OUT NEW YORK includes a feature interview with BEG THE QUESTION author BOB FINGERMAN. * A new interview with GILBERT HERNANDEZ appeared this week at http://www.comicon.com/pulse/ * A rare interview with Swiss cartoonist THOMAS OTT, who has two brand-new books out (DEAD END and T.O.T.T.), appears at: http://www.exclaim.ca/common/display.php3?articleid=1066 * Our favorite "blurb" of the month comes from Seattle's RESONANCE magazine, comparing DIRTY STORIES VOL. 3 to having sex with WOODY ALLEN: "If Woody Allen was right about sex being a Kafka-esque experience, then reading Dirty Stories must be very like getting down with the Woodman." We'll take that as a compliment. * TONY MILLIONAIRE was the subject of two major profiles recently, one in the 11/6 edition of THE NEW YORK PRESS and one in the 11/14 edition of the LOS ANGELES TIMES, both promoting the new HOUSE AT MAAKIES CORNER. * The just-released KRAZY & IGNATZ 1927-1928: "LOVE LETTERS IN ANCIENT BRICK" is already earning raves. The Nov. 1 LIBRARY JOURNAL calls our second KRAZY KAT volume a "komplete klassic." * Continuing our alliterative theme, the 10/15 issue of BOOKLIST includes a review of DANIEL CLOWES's TWENTIETH CENTURY EIGHTBALL, calling the best strips in the book "masterful miniatures." * Two Clowes features, a Richard Sala review, and a George Herriman feature recently appeared on the BOOKMUNCH.COM site: http://www.bookmunch.co.uk/view.php?id=677 http://www.bookmunch.co.uk/view.php?id=678 http://www.bookmunch.co.uk/view.php?id=748 http://www.bookmunch.co.uk/view.php?id=706 HOLIDAY DELIVERY CUT-OFF DATES: ------------------------------- Worried about your mail order gift not arriving in time for Christmas? Order by the following deadlines to ensure your package will arrive by Dec. 25th! 2nd Day UPS - Dec. 19th UPS Ground - Dec. 16th First Class/Priority USPS - Dec. 17th Book Rate/Media Mail USPS - Dec. 12th Air Mail - Dec. 9th Global/International Surface - Dec. 2nd And for our Canadian brothers: AirMail - Dec. 13th International surface - Dec. 9th Please note that Global/International Surface mail is particularly erratic, we strongly recommend air mail if your package must arrive by Dec. 25th. NEW FUN STUFF: -------------- JIMMY CORRIGAN VINYL DOLL designed by CHRIS WARE [imported from Japan] * $49.95 * Standing just under six inches tall, this gorgeous vinyl doll depicts the "big-head" version of the Smartest Kid on Earth, with limited articulation. The figure comes in an original box designed by Ware, which features new art in full-color! ENID & REBECCA CLOTH DOLLS designed by DANIEL CLOWES [imported from Japan] * $35.00 (for both) * These 9.5" cloth dolls are reminiscent of pincushions or voodoo dolls, but you will surely want to treat them with more love than those things. Featuring front and back depictions of the GHOST WORLD heroines, shipped shrinkwrapped together with a Clowes-designed header card. NEW BOOKS: ---------- The following books are in our warehouse and available for ordering today! BEG THE QUESTION by BOB FINGERMAN, $24.95, 240 pp. hardcover * Fingerman's "great American graphic novel" [CINECAPE], telling the tale of Sylvia and Rob, two twenty-somethings navigating the labyrinth of New York Life. BLAB! Vol. 13 by Various, $19.95, 120pp. The premiere anthology of the graphic arts, dedicated to exploring illustration, design, and art. This edition includes Christian Northeast, Drew Friedman, Spain, and Sue Coe among many more. DEAD END by THOMAS OTT, $13.95, 48pp. hardcover Scratchboard artist Ott's second collection of contemporary silent horror stories, filled with dark twists and turns. THE DOOFUS OMNIBUS by RICK ALTERGOTT, $16.95, 112pp. A cult favorite collected into book form for the first time, Featuring an intro by Dan Clowes. Starring Doofus and his pal Henry Hotchkiss and their wild times in Flowertown, USA. THE HOUSE AT MAAKIES CORNER by TONY MILLIONAIRE, $19.95 96pp. hardcover * A fabulous new collection of Millionaire's weekly MAAKIES strip, blending vaudeville-style humor and a breathtaking line that harkens back to the glory days of the American comic strip. Designed by CHIP KIDD! KRAZY & IGNATZ 1927-1928: "LOVE LETTERS IN ANCIENT BRICK" by GEORGE HERRIMAN, designed by CHRIS WARE, $14.95, 120pp. Our second volume collecting two years of ground-breaking strips of George Herriman's KRAZY KAT. PRINCE VALIANT Vol. 46 by JOHN CULLEN MURPHY & HAL FOSTER, $16.95, 48pp. * Our latest volume, collecting almost two years of full-color PRINCE VALIANT strips from 1976 and 1977. T.O.T.T. by THOMAS OTT, $49.95, 120 pp. [Swiss import] This gorgeous European hardcover collects Ott's illustrations from 1985 through 2001, plus several eye-popping fold-out pages and an interview with Ott. WHITE FLOWER DAY by STEVEN WEISSMAN $14.95, 112 pp. An all-new, all-ages humor book featuring Weissman's gang of Precocious supernatural kids. A charming and respectful look at the not-so simple lives of children. MR. SHOW: WHAT HAPPENED? By NAOMI ODENKIRK, $22.95, 200 pp. No, we didn't publish this one, but we are such MR. SHOW fans we had to mention it. Plus, this self-published gem has received so little attention we wanted to let you know that we have it. Written by BOB ODENKIRK's wife, this is the ultimate insider's guide to what really went down with one of the best sketch comedy shows of all-time, HBO's MR. SHOW. The book chronicles Bob and DAVID CROSS's journey, from their first awkward "pitch" meeting through the final episode and is chock-full of exclusive photos, an episode guide, and more! NEW COMICS & MAGS: ------------------ The following comic books and magazines are now available! BLACK HOLE #10 (of 12) by CHARLES BURNS, $4.50, 32 pp. The next chapter in Burns' novel-length epic, focusing on a group of teenagers who come down with a bizarre, sexually-transmitted disease that begins to cause ghastly deformities and madness. THE COMICS JOURNAL #248 Cover by STEVE RUDE, $6.95, 128 pp. Interviews with artist Steve Rude about his life, art, and experiences working with Marvel and DC, also Andi Watson of SKELETON KEY and SLOW NEWS DAY fame. And of course the news and criticism you can't live without. DEATH & CANDY #3 by MAX ANDERSSON, $3.95, 32 pp. 32 pages of grim and hilarious fairy tales starring Car-Boy, Wreck- Boy, and the rest of the gallery of misfits. HATE ANNUAL #3 by PETER BAGGE, $4.95 48pp. Peter Bagge's yearly gem, including a brand-new Buddy and Lisa story, a 20-page Chet & Bunny saga, a vicious satire of Dilbert, and much more. LOVE & ROCKETS Vol. II #6 by LOS BROS HERNANDEZ, $3.95, 32pp. * The latest issue of LOVE & ROCKETS reintroduces one of Gilbert's wackiest characters- Roy! On Jaime's side of the fence, Maggie, Hopey, and Ray are back for three new stories. NAUGHTY BITS #37 by ROBERTA GREGORY, $3.50, 24pp. The continuation of "It's a Bitchy, Bitchy, Bitchy World" storyline in which Midge finds herself reunited with Kenney. Plus for this winter issue, Roberta relives summer fun and presents a short story by Bruce Taylor. BACK IN STOCK ------------- BLAB! Vol. 11 by Various, $19.95, 120 pp. A new printing of our best-selling BLAB! volume to date. Graced with Mark Ryden covers, this edition contains contributions by Gary Baseman, Doug Allen, Peter Kuper, the Clayton Brothers, and more. CARICATURE by DANIEL CLOWES, $16.95, 200 pp. A new printing of this collection of Clowes' best literary short stories from EIGHTBALL and ESQUIRE. Including the title story, about a traveling carnival caricaturist, as well as "Green Eyeliner", "Gynecology", "The Gold Mommy", and more. KRAZY & IGNATZ 1925-1926 by GEORGE HERRIMAN, $14.95, 120 pp. * A reprinting of the sold-out first volume, collecting the ground- breaking strips of George Herriman's newspaper strips, designed by CHRIS WARE! --------------------------------------------------------- To purchase any new releases or read more about them, visit our website, where secure credit card ordering has never been easier! http://www.fantagraphics.com/ Or, call us toll-free in the continental U.S. at 1-800-657-1100 for easy credit card ordering (206-524-1967 from everywhere else). --------------------------------------------------------- Do you have an event that you think would be of interest to us? Email the info to fbicomix@fantagraphics.com with "FBI Informant" in the subject header. ______________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - End of another Issue . . . GIVE A KID A COMIC TODAY! Whose cruel idea was it for the word "lisp" to have an "s" in it?