----------------------------------------------------------------- Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden Present: THE COMIC BOOK NETWORK ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE Issue Number 510 2/11/2005 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: Rich Bonk & Darren G. Davis . Richard Vasseur [6] My Life With Comic Books ................ Paul Howley [7] Thoughts From the Land of Frost ......... Alex Ness [8] Suspended Animation ..................... Michael Vance & Mark Allen [9] Silva Shado Reviews ..................... Sarah Haslett [10] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions ............... Tim O'Shea [11] ComiX-FAN Reviews........................ Eric J. Moreels [12] Rich's Reviews .......................... Richard Vasseur [13] M.O.E. Reviews .......................... Paul Dale Roberts [14] My View:ROB HANES ADVENTURES, ........... David LeBlanc [15] New Comic Book Releases List ............ Charles LePage [16] HYPE! & LINKS Section ................... Various _________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Mailed by Yahoo!: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag WEEKLY HTML WEB EDITION at -->> http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem ------------------------------------------------------------------ o \o/ _ o _| \ / |_ o_ \o/ o /|\ | /\ _\o \o | o/ O/_ /\ | /|\ / \ / \ |\ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ ------------------------------------------------------------------ The ComicBook Network started 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) and is used with permission. Except where elsewhere noted, The Comic Book Net Electronic Magazine is Copyright 2004 by David L. LeBlanc. You may freely distribute or retransmit this file intact without alteration for noncommercial purposes only. Except for personal archiving, permission must be obtained from theindividual 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. _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [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. The weekly deadline is 7:00 PM Eastern Time on Thursday - NO EXCEPTIONS! Late submissions are held over for the following week. 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 per se, only the printed media. 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 in the column MY VIEW. Send material to be reviewed 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! _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] On the Net David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com We approach our anniversary season. It is a time of renewal, a time to look back and remember and a time to end. Recently a few of you have mentioned that the online Web Edition at Digital Webbing has not been updated. Many people read this publication by going to digitalwebbing.com and going to the features page. It was formatted so that you could click on links to individual columns you wanted without scrolling through the entire Emag. I say it "was" because you will no longer get that feature but be re-directed to the home page at http:\\members.aol.co\comicbknet I have been in correspondence with Ed Dukeshire this week and got this message last night: From: "Ed Dukeshire" eduke@digitalwebbing.com To: ComicBknet@aol.com Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 23:38:14 -0500 Actually... I'm doing the comic lettering/pre-press and publishing thing full time now and since the publishing ain't making the money, the work-for-hire is what I gotta focus on. And since this is the comics business which pays horrible, I'm finding I'm taking more work than hours available. I'll put up a redirect on the /CBEM/ area to point to your website. -e And so the online web edition comes to an end. I know those who used it liked it a lot. They even pass along the URL as the "home" of CBEM, which it is not. I hope they will continue to read the Emag in another format - either as text here on the AOL home page, in their Email as mailed weekly to over 1100 other readers, or on the Yahoo! group website at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag where the Emailed sections are posted for reading online. Our sincere thanks to Ed for doing this thankless task for as long as he has, going above and beyond to help keep the Emag vibrant through the years. His efforts, from the very start, helped keep us going for as long as we have. I urge you to support his comic work and all the products from Digital Webbing Press and look for his credits as a letterer in a lot of other publisher's comic books. Speaking of other comics, these are out this week: DC COMICS Fables #34, $2.50<--------------Pick of the Week! JLA #111, $2.25 JSA #70, $2.50 Outsiders #20, $2.50 DIGITAL WEBBING Bride Of Freakshow, $2.99 IMAGE COMICS Savage Dragon God War #2 (Of 3), $2.95 MARVEL COMICS Ultimate X-Men #56, $2.25 Ultimates 2 #3, $2.99 So much time, so little to do. Scratch that, reverse that. Comics to review, tax returns to start calculating, business stuff to keep ahead of, work at the comic store, home duties and a small bit of recreation to squeeze in here and there. I can understand from my own work load how Ed must feel. Best of luck to him and we dedicate this issue in his honor. Return next week to celebrate the first of three anniversaries. Help me close out the ninth year as your editor in issue #511. Then the following week we hit the landmark 10th anniversary of the Emag, followed the next week with our annual anniversary special edition of the Trivia contest. Be there. Aloha! 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. +++++ I don't know what happened. You don't call, you don't write . . . *8^) _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [3] [TRIVIA CONTEST] Due to costs, customs regulations, and logistical difficulties: THIS CONTEST IS OPEN TO RESIDENTS OF THE CONTIGUOUS 48 U.S.STATES! IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A U.S. ADDRESS DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WIN THE PRIZE. THE FIRST PLACE TO FIND THE EMAG EACH WEEK IS ON OUR HOME PAGE! IF YOU ARE DESPERATE TO WIN THE TRIVIA, GO THERE FIRST ON FRIDAY NIGHT! http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet QUESTION OF THE WEEK Prizes donated by Discount Comic Book Service at www.dcbservice.com where you can order most DC, Marvel, Image, and Dark Horse comics, statues and retail products for 35% off. Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you can stump the readers! You MUST submit the correct answer with your question. LAST ISSUE'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: In the letters page of the issue prior to their first appearance in this comic, this super-team was originally called "The Legion of the Strange." Name the comic (with issue number) whose letters page promoted this, and name the team. In My Greatest Adventures #79 the Doom Patrol was hyped with the other name but debuted as DP. Randy Dere got it first and wins SUPERMAN: THEY SAVED LUTHOR'S BRAIN! TP from Discount Comic Book Service. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: Another non-comic bit of trivia for you to ponder. What organization's members refer to the founding members' hardcover history as "The Big Book?" IMPORTANT RULES NOTICE Due to costs, customs regulations, and logistical difficulties: THIS CONTEST IS OPEN TO RESIDENTS OF THE CONTIGUOUS 48 U.S. STATES! IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A U.S. ADDRESS DO NOT ATTEMPT TO WIN THE PRIZE. 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 the industry Laugh While You Can Tour with Tom Hart, Jen Sorensen and Tim Kreider Award-winning political cartoonists announce Northeast cartoon tour What: Three of America's most promising and exciting new political cartoonists bring their individual reflections on the current state of affairs and crisis of heart and mind. In slides, animation and discussion, Tim Kreider, Jen Sorensen and Tom Hart walk you through the landscape that is the next four year to find the laughs amidst the sorrow, dread and anxiety our socio/political climate. An evening of catharsis and soul- searching with Hart's nervous hobos and outlandish CEOs, Sorensen's hot dog-shaped president and Kreider's anxious, cold stare. The cartoonists will present new work and work from their recent collections. Where and when: Wednesday, March 23 - Million Year Picnic, Boston, MA Thursday, March 24 - Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI Friday, March 25 - Jim Hanley's Universe, New York City, NY Saturday, March 26 - Atticus Books, New Haven, CT Sunday, March 27 - KGB Bar, New York City, NY Monday, March 28 - Robin's Bookstore, Philadelphia, PA Tuesday March 29 - Warehouse Theater, Sponsored by Olsson's Bookstore, Washington, DC Some recent quotes on the work: "I have the cartoon 'male anorexia' on my bathroom mirror for sixteen months. I cannot shave, pimple-scan, or floss without it. It is I; He is me. Kreider rules." -David Foster Wallace, author of Infinite Jeest "Tim Kreider is the unsung superhero of contemporary cartooning, able to pierce the darkest, most clandestine corners of the American subconscious in a single panel. He is crazy and brilliant and funny enough to proclaim as truths the things the rest of us are too chickenshit to say out loud." -Myla Goldberg, author of Bee Season "Smart and sharp" -Get Your War On creator David Rees "All life is a blur of Republicans and meat. Slowpoke roasts them both over the coals...with gusto!" -Zippy the Pinhead creator Bill Griffith "Finally, thanks to Jen Sorensen, we have conclusive evidence that it's actually fun to think!" -Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Diimed: On (Not) Getting by in America "Hart's angry nonconformist Hutch Owen is a modern comics icon; a pissed-off homeless man who stands up for idealism and represents the individual against looming corporate hegemony. But the tales in this collection are not angry diatribes. Instead, they mix slapstick and verbal humor to create high-level social satire." -Publisher's Weekly "It's so accurately dead-on that it's scary... an amazing character... his refusal to become another interchangeable part in society's machine is believable, amusing, and intensely applicable at the same time." -Savant Magazine Tim Kreider http://www.thepaincomics.com Tim Kreider was born in Baltimore in 1967, and graduated from the Johns Hopkins University's Writing Seminars program in 1988. He has been stabbed in the throat in Crete, ridden the Ringling Brothers circus train to Mexico City, attended to a friend's recovery from gender reassignment surgery in Neenah, Wisconsin, and addressed the Forum on Innovative Approaches to Outer Planetary Exploration 2001-2020 at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. He is also the author of groundbreaking critical essays on films such as "Eyes Wide Shut" and "The Straight Story", which originally appeared in Film Quarterly and have subsequently been anthologized. Tim Kreider self-published issue #1 of The Pain-- When Will It End? as a mini-comic in 1994. The cartoon began running weekly in the Baltimore City Paper in 1997, and has since been picked up by the Jackson Planet Weekly and The Indy in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois. Tim Kreider's original artwork has been exhibited in Baltimore, Chicago, and New York. His cartoon "Blowing One's Cool in the Clutch" was included in the Catholic League's 2002 Report on Anti-Catholicism. He is among the artists featured in Attitude 2: The New Subversive Social Commentary Cartoonists, edited by Ted Rall. A collection of his more recent political work, to be titled Why Do They Kill Me?, will be released by Fantagraphics in 2005. He migrates seasonally between an A-frame cabin on the Chesapeake Bay and New York City. Jen Sorensen http://www.slowpokecomics.com Jen Sorensen is the author and artist behind "Slowpoke," a weekly cartoon that runs in numerous alternative newspapers around the country, from the Silicon Valley Metro in California to Norfolk, Virginia's Ninevolt. Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1974, Jen has been turning out drawings of a comical nature for as long as she can remember. In high school she honed her craft through incessant doodling, as well as giving friends the occasional ballpoint pen tattoo. She went on to attend the University of Virginia, where she spent more time doodling in notebooks and studying cultural anthropology. There she also penned a popular daily strip entitled "Lil' Gus." Since then, she has released two books of her own: Slowpoke Comix #1, a 24-page comic book consisting of humorous short stories, and Slowpoke: Cafe Pompous, a 64-page trade paperback which collects the first two years of her weekly strip "Slowpoke." Jen won a Xeric Grant to publish Slowpoke: Cafe Pompous, and has twice been nominated for the Friends of Lulu Kimberly Yale Award for Best New Talent. Her work is also featured in Trina Robbins's book , The Great Women Cartoonists, and in Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists, an anthology edited by Ted Rall. In 2003, she spoke at the first annual ACLU membership conference. She currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. Tom Hart http://www.hutchowen.com Tom Hart is the creator of the comic book series Hutch Owen, described as "Peanuts for the Post-Enron Generation. "Born in Kingston, NY, Tom lived in numerous American cities including Austin, Seattle, while developing his surly hobo who hassles corporations. Tom Hart has been a popular underground/alternative cartoonist since the early 90s. He published the first Hutch Owen as one of the earliest recipients of the Xeric Foundation grant for self-publishing cartoonists, a foundation created by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle co-creator Peter Laird. He has released numerous books to critical and audience acclaim, and has been nominated for two industry "Ignatz" awards and also for the "Eisner" and "Harvey" awards. He has created a series, Pitch Unger, for a publisher in Japan, has been translated into French and Portuguese, and has had his work shown in show from Seattle, Washington to Porto, Portugal to Lubjiana, Slovenia. Tom Hart teaches cartooning all over the New York City area and has also worked in public relations for 4 years, creating many materials for large-scale advertising and PR campaigns. +++++ TALES WITH A TWIST, ILLUSTRATED Eureka Productions is pleased to announce the publication of GRAPHIC CLASSICS: O. HENRY, the eleventh volume in the GRAPHIC CLASSICS series. GRAPHIC CLASSICS: O. HENRY is a collection of stories from the great American short story writer and master of the surprise ending, adapted in comics form. The volume features "The Ransom of Red Chief", illustrated by Johnny Ryan. Plus "The Caballero's Way", the original tale of The Cisco Kid, by Mark A. Nelson, and O. Henry's Christmas classic "The Gift of the Magi" by Lisa K. Weber. With seven more stories, including a new O. Henry "sequel" by Mort Castle, and art by Rick Geary, Gerry Alanguilan, Shary Flenniken and Esao Andrews. GRAPHIC CLASSICS: O. HENRY is available in bookstores, comics shops, or direct from the publisher at http://www.graphicclassics.com. ______________________ GRAPHIC CLASSICS: O. HENRY Edited by Tom Pomplun Published January 2005, Eureka Productions Distributed by Diamond Book Distributors (ISBN 978-0-9746648-2-0) 144 pgs, 7 x 10", paperback, b&w, 4c cover, $11.95 Still Available: GRAPHIC CLASSICS: EDGAR ALLAN POE (ISBN 0-9712464-9-1) GRAPHIC CLASSICS: ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (ISBN 0-9712464-2-4) GRAPHIC CLASSICS: H.G. WELLS (ISBN 0-9712464-3-2) GRAPHIC CLASSICS: H.P. LOVECRAFT (ISBN 0-9712464-4-0) GRAPHIC CLASSICS: JACK LONDON (ISBN 0-9712464-5-9) GRAPHIC CLASSICS: AMBROSE BIERCE (ISBN 0-9712464-6-7) GRAPHIC CLASSICS: BRAM STOKER (ISBN 0-9712464-7-5) GRAPHIC CLASSICS: MARK TWAIN (ISBN 0-9712464-8-3) GRAPHIC CLASSICS: ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (ISBN 0-9746648-0-4) HORROR CLASSICS:Graphic Classics Volume Ten (ISBN 0-9746648-1-2) +++++ ALIAS ENTERPRISES SIGN "THE LEGEND OF ISIS" Long anticipated series lands a publisher and a major film deal February 4, 2005 - The hottest new publisher on the scene, Alias Enterprises, has just acquired the rights to Blue Water Productions' long anticipated comic book series, THE LEGEND OF ISIS - also soon to be a major motion picture! Created by Darren G. Davis ("Tenth Muse"), and written by Ryan Scott Ottney, THE LEGEND OF ISIS is the story of the would-be Egyptian Goddess who never fulfilled her historic destiny, as Isis is magically exiled from her own time, into modern day Los Angeles. Now lost out of time, she uses her goddess powers to protect our world from the same evils that have stolen her from her home. "I miss the fun in comics," said Ottney. "I think sometimes we get so caught up in the battle to prove the industry as a legitimate form of art and literature (and it is - regardless of what your art teacher says) that we tend to forget about the fun. I try to bring that back in my stories and THE LEGEND OF ISIS specifically; mixing modern day realism with a little Silver Age fun. Sure, I want the reader to identify with the characters on some deeper level, and be able to connect with what's going on, but every now and then I promise to make you smile too." Alias isn't the only one interested in this story either. In September of 2004, mega-Hollywood giant, Paramount Studios optioned the property for film with Grammnet Productions, who have acquired an amazing treatment by scribe Ali Russell and Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment, with film and television potential. Russell recently sat down to discuss the upcoming film with Jazma Online; found at http://www.jazmaonline.com/interviews/interviews.asp?intID=133. In the interview, Russell talks more about adapting the comic to film, as well as her other upcoming film projects, including another Blue Water Productions character, THE TENTH MUSE. But before we see her on the big screen, Isis makes her explosive return to comics in a one-shot graphic novel titled, THE LEGEND OF ISIS: BEGINNINGS, featured in the March issue of Diamond Comics' Previews catalog. Featuring stories by Davis, Ottney, and Marv Wolfman, with art by RV Valdez, Roger Cruz, Ferdinand Gertes, and Frank Mills; also sporting a special cover by artist Randy Green ("Witchblade")! BEGINNINGS is a prequel collection; republishing Isis' first appearance in 2002's IMAGE INTRODUCES: THE LEGEND OF ISIS, and then offering an all-new 22-page feature that fills in the time- gap between the end of her debut issue and her second appearance - fighting alongside the Tenth Muse in TENTHH MUSE (vol. 1) #10 . also included in this graphic novel! How did she get from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and why did she seek out the Muse? BEGINNINGS answers those questions and more, as it sets the scene for Isis to star in her own ongoing series. And fans won't have to wait long for that ongoing series to begin, either! You can find THE LEGEND OF ISIS #1 also featured in the March issue of Previews, kicking off the start of her all- new, monthly, solo series! Written by Ottney, and featuring artwork by Rod Fontana, THE LEGEND OF ISIS #1 expands the Isis universe, introducing new friends and villains! Witness the birth of her all-new secret identity, and her museum-wrecking brawl with the deadly mummy of Sekhent! "The first four-issue story-arc is an introduction to the characters, their relationships, and the conflicts that they're all struggling with," said writer, Ottney. "In addition to that, Isis is fighting another ancient warrior named Lynx . trying to stop her from destroying our society, while she unravels clues to Lynx's true identity." This debut issue features three variant covers, by ISIS artist Rod Fontana, along with artists Logan Lubera ("Spider-Man"), and Tone Rodriguez ("Violent Messiahs")! Special edition copies, signed by Ottney, will also be available! Both THE LEGEND OF ISIS #1 and BEGINNINGS will reach comic shops in May 2005! For more information on THE LEGEND OF ISIS, and other great comics, visit Blue Water Productions online, at http://www.bluewaterprod.com, and Alias Enterprises at http://www.aliasenterprises.com. +++++ Temporary goes Bi-Monthly! New Paltz, NY, February 7, 2005: Due to overwhelming reader response, Damon Hurd and Rick Smith's new series Temporary has gone from quarterly to bi-monthly release. The new storyline from Temporary, The Real Me, is now being released in two parts spanning issues 2 and 3 and the cover price has been lowered to $2.95! Temporary # 2: "The Real Me, Part 1" is being solicited in the February issue of Previews, on sale now. Tell your retailer to order a copy today, the Item Code is: FEB053001. So far the series has earned high praise from both critics and fans, and was featured in Wizard's Best of 2004 issue. Also, being offered again in Previews this month is the first issue of the hit series, Temporary # 1: "Cubes and Ladders". Available for re-order the new Item Code is: FEB053003. A complete preview of Temporary # 2 is available on-line for retailers, book buyers, librarians, and journalists: http://www.sulfurstar.com/origincomics/temporary/2_the_real_me_pa rt_1/index.html - this preview should not be announced to the general public. Temporary #2: "The Real Me, Part 1" When Envy goes to work for the 31st Precinct to catalog evidence for a big case, she expects just another typical day. But after meeting Jimmy and his four closest friends, she quickly realizes that there's nothing typical about this job. Jimmy is a detective. His Lieutenant thinks he's edgy. The Assistant DA calls him a loose cannon. His fellow detectives say he's a ticking time bomb. As for Jimmy, he's driving down the dark road of his mind, and he's not alone. He's never alone. Follow Envy this April as she clocks into the 31st Precinct - probably the worst job for a burgeoning kleptomaniac. "The Real Me" is the second issue in the new series, Temporary, by the Eisner-nominated writer of My Uncle Jeff and A Sort of Homecoming, Damon Hurd, and the Ignatz-nominated creator of Shuck and Baraka and Black Magic in Morocco, Rick Smith. Damon Hurd Damon Hurd is the author of four graphic novels, including his Eisner nominated debut, My Uncle Jeff. He lives in New Paltz, NY with his wife Kathryn, and their bird, Zizek. Rick Smith Rick Smith is best known for his work with the devilish Shuck (which he produces with his wife, Tania). The Shuck Unmasked trade paperback collects the Ignatz-nominated Shuck Comics plus 48 pages of new material. His work has been favorably compared to that of Seth and James Kochalka. He and Tania live in Denver with their daughter Sage and cat Peco. +++++ HUNTER-KILLER #1 AND MARK WAID AT ORLANDO MEGACON As the Orlando Megacon draws near, Top Cow Productions is excited to confirm that Mark Waid (Hunter-Killer, X-Men, Flash, JLA, Ruse, Fantastic Four, Kingdom Come) will be a guest at the Top Cow booth #324, as Hunter-Killer #1 launches at Megacon February 25-27. "As happy as I am with the first issue of Hunter/Killer, which looks GREAT, I'm even more excited about issue two because Marc [Silvestri] is bringing so much to it," says Waid. " It's a pretty funny reversal, actually--he, the Image Comics artist, is constantly reminding ME that it's not all about breakneck action and that we need more character moments. And he draws both well. I love the way he's drawing all our characters to look interesting and emotive. I'm glad Marc's on for the long haul, as was always the plan--it's a rewarding collaboration." "It's too bad that I can't be there for the release of Hunter- Killer #1 at Megacon with Mark Waid," says Marc Silvestri. "I'm hip-deep on issue two, but I look forward to spending a lot of time with Waid at WWLA. It's great to be back at the drawing board and collaborating with Mark; this project is proving to be the most fun I've had in years!" For more information about the Orlando Megacon, please visit www.megaconvention.com. Top Cow was founded in December of 1992 and currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and 2 licensed) in the industry's Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise Witchblade was TNT's #1 original film of 2000. Virtually all of Top Cow's other properties are in development as feature films, live action television or animation. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and role playing games. Annie Pham Marketing and Public Relations 10350 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90025 Office: (310) 286-0758 ext. 130 Fax: (310) 286-2128 +++++ DEVIL'S DUE ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF ITS CREATIVE SERVICE DEPT. DDC offers stable of artists and writers to companies seeking creative help Chicago, IL -- Feb 7, 2005 -- Devil's Due Publishing (DDP) is pleased to announce the expansion of one of its departments, Devil's Due Creative. DDC makes available to any company, both inside and outside the industry, their stable of freelance artists and writers in developing creative projects for them. Whether it's for promotional comic books, toy design, video games, collectible card games or package designs, DDC is there to help. DDC has already worked with a variety of clients, helping promote both the companies and their products. Devil's Due Creative Service's growing list of satisfied clients includes Hasbro, Wizards of the Coast, DC Comics, Warner Bros., Upper Deck, Sony Online Entertainment, Proctor & Gamble, Barefoot Advertising and Quest Communications. Managed by Aaron Hbrich, Creative Manager -- with DDP President Josh Blaylock assisting behind the scenes -- DDC is a business opportunity spun out of DDP's success as a publisher. Hbrich said, "It's great to see the variety of projects our talented artists and writers have been involved with over the past year. We're having fun and I think it shows in products we've helped produce. We look forward to even more opportunities by expanding our relationship with clients who can use our talent." Besides in-house talent, DDC offers a proven network of top freelancers, ranging from traditional illustrators, storyboard artists, painters, digital colorists, background artists and writers. To learn more, check out http://www.devilsduecreative.com/>www.devilsduecreative.com or email ahubrich@devilsdue.net ### ABOUT DEVIL'S DUE PUBLISHING (DDP) Devil's Due Publishing was formed in 1999 as both a commercial art studio and a small press comic book publisher. DDP's first breakout success was 2001's revamp of G.I. JOE, returning the long-lost 1980s characters to comics. Fans bought over 100,000 copies per month, immediately propelling G.I. JOE to the top of the charts. Today, DDP's lineup includes Army of Darkness, Street Fighter, Hack/Slash, Mu, and the Aftermath universe, a new imprint featuring super-powered heroes in titles like Defex, Breakdown, Blade of Kumori and Infantry. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Brian Petkash 813.784.8576 brian@sphinxgroup.com +++++ CBLDF Initiates Obscenity Defense in Georgia The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has undertaken the defense of retailer Gordon Lee of Legends in Rome, GA against charges arising from the dissemination of "Alternative Comics #2." Lee was arrested on charges of distributing material depicting nudity, and distributing obscene material to a minor; the first charge alone, a felony offense in Georgia, carries a penalty of one to three years in prison and/or fines of up to $10,000, if convicted. The Fund has retained the firm of Begner & Begner of Atlanta, GA to lead the case, with experienced obscenity defense attorney Alan Begner heading up the defense. The Fund has also retained Paul Cadle, an independent practice attorney specializing in criminal law, as associate counsel in Rome. On Halloween, Legends participated in a trick-or-treat event in downtown Rome by distributing free comics. "Alternative Comics #2," the Free Comic Book Day edition from publisher Alternative Comics for 2004, was inadvertently included in the mix of books being disseminated. The comic features a variety of stories from the company's line, including an excerpt from Nick Bertozzi's "The Salon" depicting the first meeting between Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. On three pages of the eight page section, Picasso is depicted in the nude, a factually accurate detail for the period during which the story is set. There is no sexual content in the story. The comic was inadvertently distributed to a minor, whose parent filed a complaint with the police. The age and identity of the minor are unknown. Days later, Gordon Lee, the owner, was arrested. Lee appealed to the Fund for help late in January by bringing his situation to the attention of Board Member Peter David. The CBLDF Board of Directors voted unanimously to financially support Lee's defense. Within days a defense team was in place to prepare for the arraignment, which has yet to occur. "Our view is that Gordon was wrongly arrested and that no crime has been committed," Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the Fund said. "We don't believe that the material is constitutionally obscene nor harmful to minors, and we know that even though the work is not illegal, that Gordon did not intend for it to fall into the hands of a minor. We feel that Gordon is within his rights, and we're confident that we've retained the best counsel in the state to defend those rights. We hope that we can get the charges dropped before it has to go to trial. If not, we're prepared to fight this battle as far as it needs to go." Gordon Lee says, "Though I am willing to apologize for this particular art book getting in the hands that found it offensive, I will adamantly agree that the book is not 'harmful to children' or 'obscene.' In my opinion, this book is no more offensive then viewing the beautiful paintings of the Sistine Chapel or reading one of the best selling books with stories of sex, lust and nudity known as the Bible." Lee continues, "I would like to thank Peter David for expediting my concerns and contacting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund on my behalf. I feel their influence and considerable knowledge in First Amendment rights will be extremely beneficial in this case which will lead to a very successful and satisfying conclusion." The Fund has already invested $10,000 into the defense of this case and is prepared to continue its investment in this case through to its conclusion. 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 www.cbldf.org +++++ From Amy Harlib aharlib@earthlink.net Cartoonist sentenced to 6 months This guy needs the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! Ananova: Jesus cartoonist 'jailed' A cartoonist who portrayed Jesus as a pot-smoking hippy has been sentenced to six months in prison by a Greek court. Austrian Gerhard Haderer's comic book The Life of Jesus shows the son of God crossing the Sea of Galilee naked on a surfboard. It depicts the Last Supper as a drinking binge and the late Jimi Hendrix as a heavenly friend of Jesus. The cartoonist, who did not attend the hearing, described the Greek court ruling as "absolutely scandalous". Publisher Fritz Panzer said: "After all, Greece is a member of the European Union and, so you would think, not a religious state, in which an artist's freedom of expression is kicked to the ground." Haderer's lawyers have appealed against the sentence which can only be imposed if Haderer travels to Greece. The book cannot be sold in Greek shops until legal proceedings have been completed. The case against Haderer was started after the Greek Orthodox Church submitted a complaint when the volume first appeared in Greece in February 2003. At the time Athens public prosecutors ordered all copies of the book to be seized. +++++ BLOODRAYNE: SKIES AFIRE #1 SELLS OUT, BACK TO PRESS WITH 2ND PRINTING! FEBRUARY 10, 2005 -- BAYVILLE, NJ -- Echo 3 Worldwide and Digital Webbing are proud to announce that its first one-shot, BloodRayne: Skies Afire, has sold out from the publisher. To meet demand, the issue will immediately go back to press with BloodRayne: Skies Afire Second Printing (Diamond Item Code: DEC04 8345 F) and features a blueline sketch version of the original cover by Romano Molenaar. This edition also includes 4 pages of behind-the-scenes material which was not in the first printing. The mysterious Brimstone Society has lurked just outside the fringes of mankind for ages. They keep a tight reign on the horrors of the world, and to accomplish this, they need agents just as horrifying. One of the Society's recruits is Agent BloodRayne--a dhampir. Her father...a powerful vampire. Her mother...a beautiful human. She inherited violence and power from one and compassion from the other. Luckily for the Society, she leans more towards her father's side when dealing with the supernatural threats of the world. Based on Majesco's popular video game, the BloodRayne comic books bring readers a darker look at the past. History and horror merge as Agent BloodRayne and the Brimstone Society slice their way through the demons of the night. "The fan reaction to the first one-shot was simply amazing," says Echo 3 Worldwide's Steven O'Connell. "We knew we had a fantastic property featuring a hot, butt-kicking girl, with a throng of devotees, but I'm still surprised the book was able to sell out this quickly." "We will overprint the next one-shot, BloodRayne: Seeds of Sin in response to the first one-shots' sell out," says O'Connell. "Of course, we are also encouraging retailers to take advantage of this and increase their orders for upcoming issues accordingly." BloodRayne: Skies Afire (second printing) written by Steven O'Connell and Jefferey Stevenson, with art by Romano Molenaar, Marco Galli and Blond. BloodRayne: Seeds of Sin is written by Christina Z (Witchblade, The Darkness) with art by Kody Chamberlain (30 Days of Night: Bloodsucker Tales) and ships end of March/Early April. ORDERING INFORMATION --Retailers can order BloodRayne: Skies Afirre Second Printing (Diamond Item Code: DEC04 8345 F) or BloodRayne: Seeds of Sin (JAN05 2654) by contacting their Diamond Customer Service Representative About Echo 3 Worldwide The brainchild of Writer/Producer/Director, Steven O'Connell, Echo 3 Worldwide was conceived as a vehicle for acquiring the rights to video games that O'Connell felt would translate well to comics. BloodRayne is the first of many projects to come from Echo 3. Echo 3 Worldwide can be found on the web at www.echo3worldwide.com About Digital Webbing Digital Webbing (www.digitalwebbing.com), created by Ed Dukeshire, is the acclaimed source of comprehensive information on comic book-related websites. In addition to providing daily comic news and daily columns, Digital Webbing is well known for its "talent engine" - matching writers with artists, both amateur and professional. +++++ eigoMANGA CEO Austin Osueke Is Featured On StirTV eigoMANGA - Bringing Anime to the US In seven years, the American anime industry has grown from $50 million to $200 million. Stir TV talks with Austin Osueke, CEO of the eigoMANGA publishing company which features Japanese manga and anime in the US. Come see what all the fuss is about, and discover the anime fan inside yourself. About eigoMANGA: www.eigoMANGA.com Founded in August 2000, eigoMANGA is an independent media and publishing company committed to developing, producing and marketing original American "manga," or Japanese-influenced comic books and graphic novels. eigoMANGA's integrated media offerings include anime-themed television programming and anime-themed live events. About StirTV: http://www.stirtv.com/ StirTV, the first show for and about Asian America's next generation. The program will be a showcase feature of International Channel's groundbreaking English-language programming block "Asia Street," which was launched in January 2003, and has proven to be one of the most popular segments of the cable channel's schedule. Stir is being produced and distributed by a novel partnership between International Channel, a national cable network that reaches nearly 12 million households across the nation, and KTSF- TV, the nation's oldest and largest Asian-language broadcast channel. The show is unique for both KTSF-TV and International Channel, longtime stalwarts of the Asian-language television industry, in that it targets the emerging audience of 18-to-25-year-old Asian Americans who were born, raised, or educated here in the U.S.-a diverse group of trend-setters and pop-culture mavens who are among the nation's most dynamic and rapidly growing populations... For more information, contact: eigoMANGA 4610 Mission St. 4th Floor San Francisco, CA 94112 Phone/Fax: 877.880.8615 http://www.eigomanga.com outreach@eigomanga.com +++++ Pressman Toy Gets Movie Mania! NEW YORK, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Pressman Toy is taking Hollywood by storm. The leading game manufacturer announced today that it is developing officially-licensed games and puzzles based on three of the hottest film properties of the year -- Zathura from Columbia Pictures, Fantasticc Four from 20th Century Fox and Marvel, and King Kong from Universal Pictures. The games will debut at the American International Toy Fair, held February 20-23, 2005 in New York (showroom #1050). "We're thrilled that three major Hollywood studios have chosen Pressman to make the licensed games for their top films of 2005," said Jim Pressman, president of Pressman Toy. "We have long licensed popular film, television and comic book properties for games and puzzles, but this is the first year that our line- up features three movie properties that are expected to be blockbusters." Zathura, which will be released in theaters in November, is based on the best-selling children's book by Chris Van Allsburg, the award-winning author of Jumanji and The Polar Express. The story revolves around two brothers who discover a vintage board game that catapults them into outer-space. Similar to Jumanji, the film shares the common device of a magical game that motivates the storyline. The film is directed by Jon Favreau (Elf, Something's Gotta Give, Swingers) and executive produced by Ted Field (Jumanji, The Last Samurai). Fantastic Four, the best-known team in comic book history, comes to the big screen this July. The film, which is about four people who are changed by cosmic rays, features an all-star cast including Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") as the Thing and Jessica Alba ("Dark Angel") as Sue Storm. King Kong, debuting in theaters in December, is the most highly- anticipated film of the year. Directed by Peter Jackson (Academy-Award winning Director and Writer of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and starring Adrian Brody (The Pianist, The Village, The Thin Red Line), Naomi Watts (The Ring, 21 Grams, Mulholland Drive) and Jack Black (School of Rock), the film is a remake of the classic 1930's film. About Pressman Pressman Toy Corporation, a leading game manufacturer in the United States, was founded in 1922. One of the first companies in the industry to begin licensing popular characters and content for toys and games, Pressman has created games and puzzles based on Spider-Man, Scooby-Doo, The Simpsons and Marvel Heroes, as well as Who Wants to Be A Millionaire and Wheel of Fortune. Pressman has also released many strong brands that consumers have enjoyed for generations: Rummikub, Mastermind and Tri-Ominos. Further information on Pressman can be found at http://www.pressmantoy.com . SOURCE Pressman Toy Corporation +++++ CHECKER BEGINS HIGH-ART EUROPEAN PUBLISHING INITIATIVE WITH CIVIELLO'S "A BIT OF MADNESS" From the brush of French comic book artist Emmanuel Civiello comes A Bit of Madness (ISBN 0-9753808-9-3, $24.95 paperback), a high fantasy tale of epic proportions. This gorgeously painted work boasts page after page of beautiful artwork, enticing the reader into a complex and breathlessly paced tale. Critics have described Civiello's work as "...pure graphic enchantment, a ballet of imagination and of the fantastic... a hatching of extravaganza and a hymn celebrating Celtic traditions." Published in oversize format (9" X 12.5") to fully showcase the detailed panel artwork and collecting all four chapters, first-time readers will understand why Civiello has stunned tens of thousands of comic book lovers with his artistry. Strongly influenced by Tolkein's Lord of the Rings and Celtic lore, A Bit of Madness focuses upon on the classic battle between good and evil... but with evil clearly having the upper hand. The story follows the adventures Igguk, an elf that has been chosen to save his homeworld, the Land of Faerie, from demonic forces bent on its destruction. The battle between the two powers has raged on for years, and now Faerie's only hope is for Igguk to find the Heart of Crystal, which holds the essence of Faerie, before the Lord of Darkness does. Civiello fills the panels with photographic-type detail and spins a tale full of adventure, intrigue, and of course... A Bit of Madness. Boasting some of the finest interior artwork ever to grace the pages of a comic book, this European best-seller was serialized in Heavy Metal and is to be collected for the first time by Checker. To preview more interior art from A Bit of Madness, visit http://www.checkerbpg.com/docs/som1_01.html Checker Book Publishing Group, located in Dayton, Ohio, was established in 2000 to bring the absolute best of dormant, unpublished, and underpublished serial comics material back to print. Look for this title in bookstores and comic shops in May, or pre- order your copy today at www.checkerbpg.com! +++++ Comic Book Creators Unite for Writing Event at No. VA Barnes & Noble Washington, DC - February 11, 2005. Literary discussion will turn to the art of graphic novel storytelling on March 3rd when a group of acclaimed comic book creators from around the metropolitan Washington DC area will come to speak at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Arlington, VA. As guests of the weekly, in- store writing group, this team of authors and artists will discuss both their industry and their techniques from 7-9pm, with attendance free and open to the public. Comic book scholar and creator of the Mortal Coils suspense series A. David Lewis proposed the evening event hosted by resident writing group head Jennifer Brinn. Lewis will be joined by fellow Arlington resident, artist Steve Conley, featured in the Michael Chabon Presents the Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, Volume 2 trade paperback as well as his own Astounding Space Thrills and Bloop series. From Falls Church, John Gallagher of Sky Dog Comics comes to the group with his experiences from both the all-ages Buzzboy books as well as the recent Even More Fund Comics charitable anthology. Silent Devil Entertainment's Editor-In-Chief and Silent Forest co-writer Christian Beranek will be in attendance, as will Maryland's own multiple Eisner Award-nominee and Ignatz Award-winner for Finder, Carla Speed McNeil. "It's a great sign of comic books' growing mainstream acceptance," says Lewis about the event, "particularly when it comes from other writers and an establishment like Barnes & Noble. Each of us is growing from our 'small press' roots here in Metro DC into the larger comic book industry, but it's still invaluable to have events like this -- both for people to have access to new kinds of comics but also to share what we've learned from shaping these graphic novels." Brinn notes that conversation will center around questions like "how approaching an idea for a graphic novel is different than using it for any other medium. What do you look for? What makes it a 'graphic novel' vs. standard short story? What do folks who aren't artists do if they want to do graphic novels? What are the publishing options out there for new authors of graphic novels?" The event will be held March 3, 2005 from 7-9pm at 2800 Clarendon Blvd., the Barnes & Noble at the Clarendon Market Commons shopping center in Arlington, VA. Attendance is free and open to the public, but interested parties are suggested to arrive early for seating may be limited. Additional information on the event and the Cat Vacuuming Society writers group can be found online at http://www.cvswriters.com/ Contact the creators at dave@captionbox.net with any media inquiries. +++++ From Darren Kane at Marvel Comics http://www.marvel.com ED BRUBAKER GOES EXCLUSIVE WITH MARVEL COMICS! Ed Brubaker and Marvel Comics are proud to announce that they have inked a deal for the fan-favorite comics scribe to write exclusively for the House of Ideas. "After years and years on exclusive at the competition, I wasn't planning to be anything but freelance for a long time," reports Brubaker. "But Joe and Dan simply made me an offer that was too good to refuse." The agreement between the writer and Marvel is of a very special sort, one that Brubaker seems highly pleased with. "It offers me the chance to work on characters I've loved since childhood, as well as unprecedented freedom to finish all my prior commitments and to do creator-owned work, either at Marvel or elsewhere." Brubaker is currently penning his debut series with Marvel, CAPTAIN AMERICA. Brubaker is perhaps best known for his long run on DC's CATWOMAN and for co-creating the award winning GOTHAM CENTRAL series. He's also especially prideful of SLEEPER, his critically acclaimed project with Sean Phillips for Wildstorm. Nominated for the Eisner Award for Best Writer four times in the past five years, Brubaker has in addition gone on to win two Media Awards, the Prism and the GLAAD award. He's had creator-owned projects optioned for film adaptation, one of which, "The Fall", is currently in development by fellow-writer David Goyer's Phantom Four Films. Reflecting on his recent project, the busy writer says, "Honestly, I've been having the time of my life on CAPTAIN AMERICA, thanks to Steve Epting, Frank D'Armata, Michael Lark, and Tom Brevoort and his hench-people. It's probably the most flat-out fun I've had in the entire work-for-hire part of my career. So, the opportunity to continue doing that and some other big projects that are on the horizon, approaching fast, just makes Marvel the perfect fit for me right now." "Never let it be said that Mighty Marvel is home to fantastic artists only," says Joe Quesada, Marvel Comics' Editor-in-Chief. "We have a history of having the best writers too, and when he heard that Ed would be interested in settling down for a stay with us we knew we had to jump on this opportunity. Ed's work is hard-hitting and that dark under-belly of the Marvel Universe is calling his name." Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley sums it up tersely. "We just know that Ed's going to blow us away. Bring it on!" For news of Ed Brubaker's future projects and all the low-down on Marvel Universe happenings, please visit Marvel.com. Visit soon, visit often. MARVEL RETURNS TO THE AGE OF APOCALYPSE Fans and retailers prepare for the second coming of the Apocalypse! Marvel celebrates the 10th anniversary of the legendary AGE OF APOCALYPSE epic in March, with the first of four trade paperback collections, a brand new one-shot, and limited series. Says Marvel's Director of Sales David Gabriel, "One of the things we are most proud of here, is our 'open door' relationship with the retailers and the fans. We listen.and let me tell you, day after day, there is no other story that we are asked to revisit more than AGE OF APOCALYPSE. Both for new material, and collecting the classic stuff. Currently the orders for X-MEN: THE COMPLETE AGE OF APOCALYPSE EPIC BOOK 1 TPB are phenomenal, unheard of for a classic trade, tracking right up there with Ultimate X-Men trade numbers.and this is only the first volume!" X-MEN: THE COMPLETE AGE OF APOCALYPSE EPIC BOOK 1 TPB will be followed by another three volumes, spaced out through 2005 and early 2006. Special Projects Senior Editor Jeff Youngquist is feverishly working on these exhaustive volumes, "Anything less wouldn't do Apocalypse justice. As you'd imagine, it's a bear compiling these things, but we're taking the time necessary to make them everything the fans have been clamoring for!" Heeding the call of fans, Marvel is also releasing NEW Apocalypse material in March, starting with the X-MEN: AGE OF APOCALYPSE - ONE-SHOT. Written by Scott Lobdell, Tony Bedard, Larry Hama, Akira Yoshida with pencils by Adam Kubert, Andy Kubert, Tony Daniel, Mark Brooks, Paco Medina, Talent Caldwell, Roger Cruz and Kia Asamiya, the one-shot revisits the AoA world with four original stories featuring characters the fans already know and love. It features a special wraparound cover by Ultimates superstar artist Bryan Hitch. .then it's on to the X-MEN: AGE OF APOCALYPSE six-issue limited series, shipping weekly. Written by Akira Yoshida, with pencils by Chris Bachalo, it has Magneto and the X-Men tracking down a retired Weapon X, to help combat an unbeatable force unleashed by Sinister. In addition, all six covers with interlock into one unifying image! Fans of the limited series also won't want to miss the March two- parter AoA extra running in EXILES #60 and #61. Tony Bedard and Jim Calafiore deliver a special story featuring two of most popular EXILES characters -- Blink and Sabretooth -- who got their start in the original AoA event. To help keep track of the action, Marvel will be publishing the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE: X-MEN - AGE OF APOCALYPSE 2005, which will include in-depth bios on more than 40 denizens of the Age of Apocalypse - from Abyss to Weapon X. The Handbook will feature an all-new cover by superstar-in-waiting Mark Brooks, digitally painted by Justin Ponsor. AGE OF APOCALYPSE CHECKLIST March X-Men: Age of Apocalypse One Shot - the all new excitement begins here! X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part One of Six X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Two of Six X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Three of Six X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Four of Six X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Five of Six Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Age of Apocalypse 2005 Exiles #60 Exiles #61 April X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Part Six of Six +++++ From THE PULSE by Heidi MacDonald and Jennifer Contino at: http://www.comicon.com/pulse/ LEDGER AWARDS NAME COMICS' BEST 2005 Australian Comic Award recipients announced! Australian comic creators and publishers were the focus of national industry attention when the Gold, Silver and Bronze recipients were announced in the inaugural Ledger Awards held down-under at the end of last month. Announced in a unique online presentation on January 26, Australia Day, the Ledger Awards mission is to 'acknowledge excellence in comic art and publishing' in Australia. The double crown of Artist and Writer of the Year awards went to Trudy Cooper for her work on the cool, cult classic Platinum Grit. PG also won Gold for Webcomic of the Year. http://www.platinumgrit.com Will Eisner's JOHN LAW: Dead Man Walking, released late last year by IDW, received Gold for International Title of the Year (over Image Comics' Small Gods and Marvel's District X) as well as Single Issue or Story of the Year for 'Law, Luck and a Dead Eyed Mystic', a story that featured in IDW's 80 page LAW edition. The online version of JOHN LAW ( http://www.moderntales.com) featuring new stories, won Silver in the Webcomic of the Year category. The book's writer and artist, Gary Chaloner, received Gold as Inker of the Year, Letterer of the Year and Cover Artist of the Year. He was also inducted into the 'Ledger of Honour', a 'hall of fame' award for lifetime contributions to Australian comics. Chaloner also won Gold for Achievement of the Year, seeing the LAW project through to completion after a serious health crisis in mid-2004. "I was a bit overwhelmed by the response to LAW," Chaloner states. "I'm just saddened that Will wasn't around to share the experience." Both Small Press Title and Anthology of the Year awards went to the Tonia Walden edited Eat Comics. The full list of Gold, Silver and Bronze recipients are: PERSON OF THE YEAR Recognition for an Australian individual's efforts in 2004. Gold: Mark Selan Silver: Aaron Burgess Bronze: Daniel Zachariou ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR Australian artist, publisher, or event. Business or creative. Gold: Gary Chaloner's John Law in print Silver: Dillon Naylor's 2004 (Batrisha wear in Target etc.) Bronze: Phase Two Comics online NEW TALENT DESERVING WIDER RECOGNITION In recognition of excellence in 2004. Print or web. Gold: Matt Huynh Silver: Jase Harper Bronze: Chelsea Fritzlaff SMALL PRESS TITLE OF THE YEAR Mini comics, zines featuring comic content etc. Gold: Eat Comics, Tonia Walden, editor Silver: Sporadic, Jase Harper & Jules Faber, editors Bronze: Dirty Little Creep, Mandy Ord INDEPENDENT PRESS TITLE OF THE YEAR Local publishers distributing mainly in Australia. Gold: The Crumpleton Experiments, Nautilus Illustrations Silver: Killeroo, Ozone Studios Bronze: Azerath, Creatorline/Phosphorescent Comics INTERNATIONAL TITLE OF THE YEAR Titles distributed overseas and within Australia featuring Australian talent. Gold: Will Eisner's John Law: Dead Man Walking, IDW Silver: Small Gods, Image Comics Bronze: District X, Marvel Comics ANTHOLOGY OF THE YEAR Produced by and including Australian creators. In recognition of excellence in 2004. Gold: Eat Comics, Tonia Walden, editor Silver: Sporadic, Jase Harper & Jules Faber, editors Bronze: The Ink, Aaron Burgess, editor WEBCOMIC OF THE YEAR Produced by Australian creators. In recognition of excellence in comics distributed via the web in 2004. Gold: Platinum Grit ( http://www.platinumgrit.com/ ) Silver: Will Eisner's John Law ( http://www.moderntales.com/ ) Bronze: Raymondo Person ( http://raymondo.chickennation.com/ ) WRITER OF THE YEAR In recognition of writing excellence in 2004 by an Australian creator. Print or web. Gold: Trudy Cooper Silver: Christian Read Bronze: Daniel Reed ARTIST OF THE YEAR Full art, penciller, painter or multimedia. In recognition of excellence in 2004 by an Australian creator. Print or web. Gold: Trudy Cooper Silver: Jason Badower Bronze: Jase Harper INKER OF THE YEAR In recognition of inking excellence in 2004 by an Australian creator. Print or web. Gold: Gary Chaloner Silver: Doug Holgate Bronze: Darren Close Honourable mention: Daniel Reed COLOURIST OF THE YEAR In recognition of colouring and/or grey toning excellence by an Australian creator in 2004. Print or web. Gold: Annette Kwok Silver: Doug Holgate Bronze: Jason Badower LETTERER OF THE YEAR In recognition of lettering excellence in 2004 by an Australian creator. Print or web. Gold: Gary Chaloner Silver: Jason Paulos Bronze: Jason Kovacs COVER ARTIST OF THE YEAR In recognition of excellence in cover artwork in 2004 by an Australian creator. Print or web. Gold: Gary Chaloner, Will Eisner's John Law: Dead Man Walking Silver: Matt Huynh, Domino Joe, Bloom Bronze: Jason Badower, Killeroo Book 2 SINGLE ISSUE OR STORY OF THE YEAR In recognition of excellence in a particular issue or short story in 2004 by an Australian creator/s. Gold: 'Law, Luck and a Dead Eyed Mystic' (Will Eisner's John Law: Dead Man Walking), Gary Chaloner Silver: The Eldritch Kid #1, Christian Read & Christopher Burns Bronze: 'Meat Burger Heaven' (Eat Comics), Dean Rankine Honourable mention: 'Good for the Goose' (Killeroo Book 2), Jan Napiorkowski & Jason Badower COMIC STRIP OF THE YEAR Produced for magazines, newspapers and their web sites etc. by an Australian creator, published in 2004. Print or web. Gold: Batrisha (K-Zone et al.), Dillon Naylor Silver: Grossgirl and Boogerboy (Mania), Dean Rankine Bronze: Raymondo Person, Patrick Alexander RETAIL OUTLET OF THE YEAR In recognition of Australian retail excellence and support in 2004. Gold: Kings Comics, Sydney Silver: Phase Two Comics, online Bronze: Minotaur Books, Melbourne DESIGN OR PRESENTATION OF THE YEAR In recognition of design excellence in 2004 by Australian creator/s or publishers. Web site design, book design, promotional materials, et al. Gold: The Watch: Casus Belli, design by Karen Howard Silver: Killeroo Book Two, design by Darren Close Bronze: Keychain Comics, design by Aaron Burgess LEDGER OF HONOUR Nominees chosen from Australian creators, publishers or retailers past or present. Peter Ledger* (automatically inducted) Gary Chaloner Visit the Ledger Awards web site to experience the awards presentation archived at the site: http://litterartsy.info/ledgerawards/ The Ledger Awards are a fully independent initiative. It is non- profit. It has no affiliations or links with organisations, businesses or other parties. The 2005 Awards are presented under the auspices of LitterArtsy, a non-profit coalition of creators, publishers and web sites promoting literacy, creativity, craft and excellence through comics and sequential art. +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.Newsarama.com/ VIZ ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF SHOJO BEAT MAGAZINE New publication to be the only dedicated monthly sh“jo anthology available in North America VIZ, LLC, which recently announced its upcoming merger with ShoPro Entertainment, Inc. to form one of the entertainment industry's most innovative, comprehensive manga and animation licensing and publishing companies, has announced the launch of SHOJO BEAT magazine. The publication will be a new monthly manga anthology inspired by the growing popularity of manga graphic novels with significant appeal to young female consumers. The first issue, July 2005, will hit newsstands in June with a cover price of $5.99 and VIZ will offer a special six-month introductory annual subscription special of $29.95 to coincide with the debut. There will be a special preview issue available at specialty retailers beginning in May and also distributed at summer anime, manga and comic conventions. SHOJO BEAT will offer a format modeled after the tremendously popular, easy-to-read SHONEN JUMP Magazine, also published by VIZ. It will carry a "T+" rating for older teens and feature six ongoing titles each month from Japanese publishing giants Shogakukan, Inc. and Shueisha, Inc. (both parent companies of VIZ), as well Hakusensha, a subsidiary of Shueisha, another one of Japan's leading manga publishers. The premiere issue of SHOJO BEAT will launch several serials that include CRIMSON HERO and NANA (from Shueisha), KAZE HIKARU and ABSOLUTE BOYFRIEND (from Shogakukan), and GODCHILD and BABY AND ME (from Hakusensha). To further complement the new magazine's launch, VIZ will also simultaneously debut a SHOJO BEAT graphic novel line, which will offer an ongoing library of new sh“jo titles from all three publishers at $8.99. No longer just for male readers, manga has become a fast growing trend among teenage and young adult females in North America. Sh“jo manga often depict plots set around love, family, responsibility and identity. The level of fantasy, artifice or artistic ambition involved in most sh“jo stories are endearing, and the universal appeal of these subjects has helped to drive the genre's popularity. VIZ has been a leading proponent of sh“jo manga and the debut of SHOJO BEAT will further affirm the company's belief in the continuing viability and success of the trend. "This will be the only dedicated monthly sh“jo magazine offered in North America, and the first time a single manga publication will contain serialized titles from three different Japanese publishers," says Yumi Hoashi, editor-in-chief and vice president of the magazine division for VIZ, LLC. "The successful format and dedicated fan base, combined with the continued growth of the sh“jo genre among both males and females, is sure to make SHOJO BEAT magazine a hit. VIZ is committed to bringing the highest quality and most innovative manga titles to North American shores by choosing the best sh“jo titles from these three publishers and we look forward to readers embracing SHOJO BEAT with the same fervor that they support SHONEN JUMP Magazine and other VIZ titles." The first six titles to be offered in SHOJO BEAT will cover a wide range of subject matter and will represent some of the most popular serials straight from Japan. Summaries of the first six serials to be offered in SHOJO BEAT follow: KAZE HIKARU by Taeko Watanabe Kaze Hikaru is a story set in nineteenth-century Japan that's packed with action, drama, comedy, historical fiction, and-of course-a little romance. Kamiya Seizaburou is a young girl determined to avenge her murdered father and brother. To do so, she disguises herself as a man and joins the Shinsengumi, a group of swordsmen who her brother greatly admired and who supported the shogun government during the turbulent Bakumatsu Revolution. Amidst learning how to fight and fighting to keep her identity safe, she falls for Okita S“ji (an actual historic figure), one of the most charismatic members of the Shinsengumi. Kaze Hikaru has been called the sh“jo equivalent to the immensely popular title RUROUNI KENSHIN-the setting, some aspects of the storyline, and even some of the historical personages are the same. ABSOLUTE BOYFRIEND by Yuu Watase Absolute Boyfriend shows us what happens when iRobot gets Orlando Bloom's good looks. Riiko Izawa's idea of the perfect boyfriend is someone cute, stylish, smart, and nice. He's a great cook and all-around athlete. And he always wins a fistfight. Too bad Riiko has zero luck with boys. She's a gawky high school student and has never even been kissed, let alone been anyone's girlfriend! Her plots to attract the opposite sex never work-and the aloof boy next door, Soshi, is constantly teasing her about her lousy love life. But when Riiko ends up helping out a mysterious salesman, he agrees to grant her wish for a boyfriend (for a three-day trial, anyway) in return! As it turns out, the gorgeous guy pictured on the sales website is part of a Nightly Lover series-an artificial being programmed to love his owner completely and absolutely. One kiss from Riiko is all he needs to come alive. CRIMSON HERO by Mitsuba Takanashi Crimson Hero takes volleyball and bends it like Beckham in a story that pits family obligation against the love of the game. All that matters to 15-year-old Nobara Sumiyoshi is volleyball; she's an awesome player with big-time ambitions. Nobara doesn't care that she's not feminine and pretty like her younger sister, Souka, but unfortunately her family does. As the eldest daughter, she's expected to work at her family's ryotei, an old-fashioned Japanese restaurant where she'll have to dress in traditional clothes and makeup and accommodate the patrons' every whim. No thanks! Nobara knows exactly what she wants-now she has to figure out how to get it. She enters Crimson Field High School, known for its top-notch volleyball team, but her mother is willing to stoop to dirty tricks to keep Nobara off the court. With assistance from her feisty Aunt Momoko, who's got some helpful connections at Crimson Field, Nobara decides to start playing offense. NANA by Ai Yazawa Nana takes us to Tokyo to follow the tumultuous lives of two young women who have very different dreams. Nana Komatsu has endured an unending string of boyfriend troubles. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love, and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Enter Nana Osaki. Confident and focused, she kicks down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. Beautiful, charismatic, and tough as nails, this Nana wants to be a rock star, and she's not going to let anything get in her way. The two Nanas soon meet, and their new lives step into high gear: love blooms, tempers flare, and egos clash. The world of Nana is a thundering ball of excitement sparked by sex, music, fashion, gossip, and all-night parties. GODCHILD by Kaori Yuki Deep in the heart of nineteenth-century London, a young man named Cain emerges from the shadowy cobblestone streets. Forced to become an Earl upon the untimely death of his father, Cain assumes the role of head of the Hargreves, an aristocratic family with a dark past that seems to unfold one scandalous revelation at a time. Lost, lonely and disenchanted with his fate, Cain develops an obsession with lethal poisons and an uncanny ability to solve the mysterious murders that seem to follow him wherever he goes. With the aid of Riff, his faithful manservant who has a background in medicine, and Oscar, his long-time friend, Cain wades through his tormented life and struggles to find the truth behind his father's mysterious death and alleged involvement with a sinister secret society. BABY & ME by Marimo Ragawa Baby & Me is a moving story about a boy who is forced to grow up quickly and who, through sacrifice, shows us the true meaning of love. Takuya Enoki isn't your average 11-year-old Japanese elementary student. The tragic death of his mother puts him in the difficult position of taking care of his 2-year-old brother while their father works long hours. Takuya must devote all of his free time to becoming his brother's guardian. Cooking, cleaning, sewing, and scolding become an integral part of the young boy's life-responsibilities usually reserved for adults. Baby & Me follows Takuya and his brother through their unique new life together, filled with trials and tribulations, humor, and adventure. ISOTOPE CALLS FOR MINICOMICS ENTRIES Acclaimed San Francisco comics retailer James Sime, proprietor of Isotope - the comic book lounge, announced today that submissions for the much-celebrated 2005 Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics will be accepted until March 15th at midnight. "Alright mini-comic creators, it's time to fire up your printers and copy machines again," said Sime, "And it's time to score yourself some of the gold and the glory that is the third annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics!" Established in 2003, the Isotope Award was created to celebrate the thousands of unique, hand-produced mini-comics that are created each year. Focusing on this often overlooked segment of the comic industry and the creators who make them, the Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics is known internationally for launching the professional comic careers of Rob Osborne (1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION) and Josh Cotter (SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST). "Mini-comics are the basement tapes of the comic industry," Sime told Newsarama, "And just like basement tapes, this is where the raw creative spark is at it's brightest. Mini-comics represent the bleeding edge of comics innovation and evolution and this where the industry's superstars of tomorrow are perfecting their riffs and chops today. We want to shine the spotlight on the work these future superstars are making... that's what the Isotope Award is all about!" Sime's goal of bringing greater glory to the mini-comic artform has resulted in great success for Isotope Award winners with 2003's winner Rob Osborne having his full length 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION graphic novel published by AIT-PlanetLar last October and 2004's winner Josh Cotter having his winning entry SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST published in all it's glory by AdHouse Books in January of this year. Both books have been well received by the comic reading public at large and have been lavished with tremendous critical success. Mini-comic creators from the four corners of the globe are once again encouraged to submit their minis for a chance to win this annual prize, "Sometimes it seems this little pond of industry that we call comic book making is riddled with awards, so it's nice when an award comes along that not only stands for something new, but also serves a greater good" said AdHouse Books publisher Chris Pitzer who began publishing 2004's Isotope Award winner Josh Cotter's SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST in January. "The Isotope Award for Excel lance in Mini-Comics is our industry's Sundance. It's a chance for an unknown comic to gain exposure, and hopefully gain something from it. And heck, any award that pointy has to be great to win!" The Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics trophy is as unique as the award itself, designed by famed sculptor Crowe the trophy stands nearly ten inches tall and is made entirely from carved ebony fossil stone and satin silver. "It's an honor to get to present one of these awards each year to a well-deserving winner," said Isotope Special Projects Director Kirsten Baldock, "And thanks to the exceptional work that has been submitted to our judges in past years, the Isotope Award continues to be an unmistakable symbol of leadership and innovation in the comics industry." "I don't want to sound cliche," 2004's Isotope Award winner Josh Cotter said, "But winning the Isotope has changed a lot of things for me... primarily with going from making comics that not many people other than my wife and parents were reading to getting published (by AdHouse Books) within just a matter of months of receiving the award. James and the Isotope folks are truly doing a great thing for the world of mini-comics, by not only giving a bunch of otherwise non-competitive introverts something to strive for, but by helping an often overlooked niche of the comics medium to get some well-deserved attention." 2003's Isotope Award winner Rob Osborne agrees, "Making mini-comics is a labor of love, and the blood, sweat and tears that you put into your comics can be very rewarding. The Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics will bring some talented person the adoration they have coming to them." AIT-PlanetLar publisher Larry Young knows a thing or two about the Isotope Award bringing recognition to mini-comic creators like Rob Osborne, it was because of the award that he first discovered 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION which he published a greatly expanded version of as an original graphic novel in October. 1000 STEPS has proven to be an excellent seller and one of AIT-PlanetLar's most critically acclaimed titles of last year. "I'm luckier than most in that the Isotope is my local shop," Larry Young told Newsarama, "and I see lots of the cool stuff that passes over its transom. When Rob Osborne's 1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION was anointed with the very first Isotope Award for Excellence in Minicomics, though, I knew it was something special and signed up Rob nearly on the spot. We're even publishing a new work by Osborne, SUNSET CITY, this fall, so that proves that the attention an Isotope award brings you pays off in career accolades. I mean, seriously, when the Boston Red Sox finally beat the Curse of the Babe and won the World Series for the first time in 86 years, the ARIZONA REPUBLIC led the story with a mention of Osborne's comic. That's the sort of attention winning the Isotope gets for your work." The award selection committee for 2005 remains a mix of comic aficionados, entrepreneurs, artists, and industry impresarios. Including self-publishers, mini-comic creators and, of course, a person who sells comics for a living, "We like to keep the committee fresh by bringing in new blood each year, but we still ensure that the Isotope Awards Committee covers the entire spectrum of the mini-comic equation," Sime declared, "Like last year I'll be on the judging committee once again, as will be mini-comic success story Rob Osborne. Representing for the classic literature set we've got our comic lovin' Librarian in the form of Isotope Special Projects Director Kirsten Baldock who heads up our judging committee. And for our new additions this year we're bringing on board self-publisher and PopImage columnist Jason McNamara who always keeps his finger on the pulse of what's happening and has exceptional taste in minis, and the penultimate comic connoisseur Jim Cox... I've walked the floor at San Diego with Jim and let me tell you this, that guy has an incredible ability to find greatness." The only fee for entry to this competition is five copies of your mini-comic sent to Isotope's Special Projects Director Kirsten Baldock at the Isotope address (1653 Noriega St San Francisco, CA 94122) before the March 15th deadline. As is tradition, the award will be given out at a grand ceremony during APE AFTERMATH at the Isotope in conjunction with San Francisco's http://www.comic-con.org/ape/index.shtml ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO. San Francisco's APE convention has been a forum for small and independent publishers in the industry for many years. Because of the nature of this award, the winner will be contacted in advance and must be present at the Isotope at 9 PM on Friday, April 9th for the award presentation ceremony. "These award ceremonies are a blast, and I don't doubt that this year's award ceremony to be the best one yet!" enthused Sime, "Our entire judging committee is going to be there to honor this year's winner, and both Osborne and Cotter will be in attendance to welcome the next generation of Isotope Award recipient into the winner's circle. And for those who attended APE AFTERMATH last year, you can expect our usual massive turnout of supporters and creators... but this year we're going to be having even grander superstar entrances for the Isotope Award winners!" Like Sime and the rest of the Isotope Award Committee, Rob Osborne encourages all mini-comic creators to take a chance on their work and get their minis in before deadline, "Winning this award completely blew the doors of the comic industry open for me," said Osborne, "That step from the shadows of mini-comic obscurity to the limelight of big time published creator may be just one submission away, I highly recommend that you submit your mini-comic for the Isotope Award. You may be a mini-comic star and not even know it!" The Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics could be yours, submissions of five copies accepted until March 15th at 1653 Noriega St. San Francisco, CA 94122. For more information contact the Isotope at (415) 753 - 3037 or at jamessime@earthlink.net DC MARKETING REORGANIZES According to a memo making the rounds at DC, and leaked to various press outlets, Stephanie Fierman, DC's recent hire as Senior VP Sales and Marketing has already made her presence felt, and has announced a reorganization of DC Sales and Marketing staff. According to the memo, Bob Wayne will now manage DC publishing sales both in direct and bookstore markets, with Rich Johnson, who handles the bookstore market will report directly to Wayne, while Wayne will report to Fierman. The memo also announced that DC will establish a separate Marketing unit, and a search for a VP, Marketing, is currently underway. Until the position is filled, all marketing a publicity will report directly to Fierman. Marketing groups, which previously supported the direct market, will now handle both the bookstore and direct market channels. In the memo Fierman spoke in about the importance of graphic novels to the company's business, and to that end, making sure the bookstore market has sufficient support makes sense. According to sources speaking to Newsarama on terms of anonymity, the breadth of the change was relatively unexpected, and is causing some fairly major shifts in workloads and office alignments. The changes are seen by many as a harbinger of things to come throughout DC, company-wide. +++++ From ComiX-Fan at http://www.comixfan.com/xfan COMIX-FAN NEWS BRIEFS - FEBRUARY 9, 2005 NEWSFLASH! 20th Century Fox has pushed the release date for Fantastic Four back one week, to Friday, July 8, Reuters reports. The film was scheduled to debut for the 4th of July weekend, in direct competition with War of the Worlds, though Fox president of distribution Bruce Snyder said, "We are not running from War of the Worlds. This (new) date just works better for us." NEWSFLASH! Bryan Singer's Superman has officially been given a release date, June 30, 2006, HSX reports. NEWSFLASH! Eva Marie Saint has been cast in Bryan Singer's Superman film, the Hollywood Reporter reports. Saint, best known for her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest, will play Martha Kent, Clark Kent's adoptive mother. Saint talked with IESB briefly about the role. She revealed that Martha Kent will be a widow in the film, keeping with the established chronology of the original Superman movies. Saint said her shoot will be in March and will last for approximately three weeks. Saint also joked that she is trying to convince Bryan Singer to let Superman take her flying in the film. NEWSFLASH! Dullam-Causey and CapedWonder.com have several pictures of a new full-scale Christopher Reeve Superman statue created by artists Bob Dullam and Bob Causey. The statue took over a year to complete and was unveiled during the DG Promotions convention in Chicago this weekend. Margot Kidder, Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran were the guests of honor. NEWSFLASH! Eva Mendes has been cast in Ghost Rider, the Hollywood Reporter reports. Mendes, who stars in the Friday release Hitch, will play Nicolas Cage's love interest. NEWSFLASH! The official site for Aeon Flux is now up at www.aeonflux.com. There is nothing currently on the site other than a background and logo, the phrase "The Future is Flux," and a chance to register for updates. NEWSFLASH! The Official Site for Batman Begins has been updated with new wallpapers, new interviews with production art, the TV Spot which aired during the Super Bowl, and buddy icons. Upcoming features will include contests, mobile, updates, and partners. NEWSFLASH! Gaming site Jolt has posted some new screenshots from the upcoming Batman Begins video game. NEWSFLASH! IGN FilmForce has posted an interview with Dave McKean, director of the Neil Gaiman written and Jim Henson Company produced MirrorMask. In the lengthy interview McKean talks about MirrorMask and the process in getting it made, as well as future projects. NEWSFLASH! NECA has a first look at the Sin City figure for the character Manute, played by Michael Clarke Duncan in the film. The site also includes a wallpaper for the character. Also, The Exclusives Club has a first look at the full color 13" Marv figure. Shipping in April, the figure is limited to 2500 pieces. NEWSFLASH! Sam Raimi recently announced that he would be producing a big-budget remake of Evil Dead, but he told Sci Fi Wire that he would still like to make and direct an Evil Dead 4. Raimi said he would want to direct it, and get as many people from the first films as possible to return, like producer Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell, and makeup artist Tom Sullivan. He also said that he isn't worried that the remake will harm the prospects of another sequel, but he doesn't know when he will return to the series as a director. "I'd like to one day," he said. "I can't promise that I will, but that is something I'd really like to do, and I'd like to pursue that. My brother (Ivan) and I have written down some ideas, but I think that's what we'll do. When the time comes, when we're done with the Spider-Man films, we'll sit down and write the script." ComingSoon.net also talked with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert at the premiere of Boogeyman, a film they produced under their Ghost House Pictures, where they talked about the Evil Dead remake and possible sequel, The Grudge 2, and Spider-Man 3. Raimi said that he will start shooting tests for Spider-Man 3 next month. "Tests, experiments with costume and the characters, movement, new CG types of technology that we're going to develop, combinations of existing technologies that are put together in new ways to make it seem new but that stuff already exists. Our stunt people are going to be working in a month also, shooting tests, mechanical effects tests." He also said that himself, director of photography Bill Pope, and the visual effects supervisor will probably be shooting environments in September, and the actors will maybe start shooting in October. NEWSFLASH! Diamond Comics Distributors reports that the What If ..? Vol. 1 TP has been reduced from 192 pages at $19.99 to 152 pages at $16.99, because the collection will no longer include the Wha ... HUH? issue. The issue was originally solicited for a December 2004 release, but was never released. Marvel.com lists the book for release on March 2. Brian Michael Bendis commented at Image Comics Continuity that, "There is a Wha ... HUH? complete. Colored, lettered, done. It is at the printer. It has no ship date for legal reasons. No one on editorial or the creative teams is to blame for any of this. And if you think this is how I want it, you are wrong. Hopefully it will be resolved very soon. I am more annoyed than you." NEWSFLASH! Diamond Comics Distributors have also provided a couple more comic updates. First, April's Y: The Last Man #32 has been cancelled and is being resolicited in the February issue of Previews. And second, Daredevil: Father #2 has been cancelled and will be resolicited at a later date. +++++ From the DC Comics Online Newsletter at http://www.dccomics.com CONSTANTINE MOVIE SCREENING IN LOS ANGELES February 8th, 2005 - CONSTANTINE is a new Keanu Reeves film based on the Vertigo's HELLBLAZER series. Warner Bros. is having a special screening of CONSTANTINE for attendees of the February 13th Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention. The first 250 people who purchase the Premium Ticket for the Sunday, February 13 convention will receive a WARNER BROS. screening pass to see CONSTANTINE at the PACIFIC ARCLIGHT THEATER, 6360 Sunset Boulevard at 6:00 P.M. on Sunday, February 13 (after the Con). Following the screening there will be an audience Q&A with CONSTANTINE DIRECTOR FRANCIS LAWRENCE. (Try to arrive early for the screening, around 5:00 P.M.) For more about HELLBLAZER, check out the mini-site. http://www.dccomics.com/features/hellblazer/ THREE ISSUES OF JLA'S "SYNDICATE RULES" NOW SOLD OUT AT DC COMICS February 8th, 2005 - The Crime Syndicate of Amerika is back - and readers can't get enough of them! Three issues of the 8-part JLA story arc "Syndicate Rules," written by Kurt Busiek with art and covers by Ron Garney & Dan Green, are now sold out at DC. The issues are JLA #107, #109 and #110. "This is great! I'm thrilled to hear that it's doing this well," says Busiek. "It's been fun to see the audience reaction as this story has built, ramping up in tension every month. We're at the halfway point now, and things have just broken open big time. #111 is a major smackdown between the JLA and the CSA that changes everything, and after that, it keeps getting bigger and the stakes keep getting higher - battles on Earth, in space, in the anti-matter universe, and Justice Leaguers being rung in to help from the reserves and the Elite. It's been a privilege working with Ron Garney on this arc. His art's only gotten bolder and more dynamic over the course of it, and I'm eager to see it all play out." The next chapter of "Syndicate Rules" is due to arrive in comics shops tomorrow in JLA #108 - don't miss it! For more about JLA, check out the mini- site. http://www.dccomics.com/features/jla/ DC DIRECT TO PRESENT AUTHENTIC BATMAN BEGINS MOVIE COLLECTIBLES AT THE AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIR IN NEW YORK February 8th, 2005 - DC Direct, DC Comics' toy and collectibles brand, will unveil its line of Batman Begins authentic movie collectibles at the 2005 American International Toy Fair. The line includes several Batman Statues, a Batman Bust, a Batman 13" deluxe figure, Ra's Al Ghul and Scarecrow Mini-Statues, a Batmobile Replica, and a Batarang Prop Replica. About the DC Direct line of Batman Begins Movie Collectibles: BATMAN BEGINS: CHRISTIAN BALE AS BATMAN STATUE Having mastered an array of training and fighting methods, Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to strike fear in those who prey upon the innocent. This limited edition, hand-painted cold-cast porcelain statue measures approximately 14" high x 8" wide x 8.5" deep, includes a full-color Certificate of Authenticity and is packaged in a 4-color box. Limited edition of 2,500. Price: $195.00 U.S. / $299.95 CAN. In stores April 27, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: BATMOBILE REPLICA Sculpted directly from the actual 3D designs for the Batmobile in Batman Begins. No car has ever been like the Batmobile, or been called upon to perform incredible feats that Batman demands of his unique vehicle. This limited edition, hand-painted cold-cast porcelain replica measures approximately 4.25" high x 6.5" wide x 10" deep, includes a full-color Certificate of Authenticity and is packaged in packaged in an elegant black gift box with foil stamping. Limited edition of 2,600. Price: $195.00 U.S. / $299.95 CAN. In stores May 4, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: BATARANG PROP REPLICA The Batarang Prop Replica is an authentic "life-sized" movie replica. This limited edition, hand-painted cold-cast porcelain replica measures approximately 2" high x 11.5" wide x 5.75" deep, includes a full-color Certificate of Authenticity and is packaged in an elegant black gift box with foil stamping. Limited edition of 1,500. Price: $150.00 U.S. / $231.00 CAN. In stores May 11, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: BATMAN IN FLIGHT STATUE Suspended in mid-air, the Caped Crusader cascades into the shadowy streets of Gotham City to unleash his vengeance against evildoers. This limited edition, hand-painted cold-cast porcelain statue measures approximately 11" high x 8.5" wide x 5.5" deep, includes a full-color Certificate of Authenticity and is packaged in a 4-color box. Limited edition of 4,000. Price: $195.00 U.S. / $299.95 CAN. In stores May 11, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: BATMAN ON ROOFTOP STATUE Batman, guardian of Gotham City, stands watch and is ready to leap into danger at any given moment. This limited edition, hand- painted cold-cast porcelain statues measures approximately 7" high x 4" wide x 4" deep, includes a full-color Certificate of Authenticity and is packaged in a 4-color box. Limited edition of 3,500. Price: $89.99 U.S. / $139.99 CAN. In stores May 18, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: CHRISTIAN BALE AS BATMAN BUST Batman is the masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high-tech inventions to fight the sinister forces that threaten Gotham City. This hand-painted cold-cast porcelain bust measures approximately 6.25" high x 3.5" wide x 3.5" deep and is packaged in a 4-color box. Price: $45.00 U.S. / $61.95 CAN. In stores June 1, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: 13" CHRISTIAN BALE AS BATMAN DELUXE COLLECTOR FIGURE DC Direct's first ever 13" collector figure features Christian Bale as Batman! Based on the new film from Warner Bros. Pictures, this Batman 13" figure includes an authentically detailed fabric costume, an alternate set of hands, a grappling gun, Batarangs, and a stand to display the figure. This collector figure also features a full-Color Certificate of Authenticity. Packaged in a deluxe 4-color window box with a 5th panel. Price: $89.99 U.S. / $139.99 CAN. In stores June 8, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: CHRISTIAN BALE AS BATMAN MINI-STATUE All Batman Begins mini-statues can be displayed together to create dramatic fight scenes. This hand-painted cold-cast porcelain mini-statue measures approximately 4" high x 2.75" wide x 2.75"" deep and is packaged in a 4-color box. Price: $29.99 U.S. / $45.99 CAN. In stores May 25, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: KEN WATANABE AS RA'S AL GHUL MINI-STATUE All Batman Begins mini-statues can be displayed together to create dramatic fight scenes. Ra's Al Ghul guides the League of Shadows and if the legends are true, he has done so for longer than a mortal man is entitled to live. This hand-painted cold-cast porcelain mini-statue measures approximately 4" high x 2.75" wide x 2.75" deep and is packaged in a 4-color box. Price: $29.99 U.S. / $45.99 CAN. In stores June 1, 2005 BATMAN BEGINS: CILLIAN MURPHY AS SCARECROW MINI-STATUE All Batman Begins mini-statues can be displayed together to create dramatic fight scenes. Dr. Jonathan Crane has found the way to unleash fear and uses it against Batman as Scarecrow. This hand-painted cold-cast porcelain mini-statue measures approximately 4" high x 2.75" wide x 2.75" deep and is packaged in a 4-color box. Price: $29.99 U.S. / $45.99 CAN. In stores June 8, 2005 +++++ From ICV2.com Eva Mendes Cast in Ghost Rider Shooting Starts this Month February 08, 2005 Variety reports that Eva Mendes has been cast as Roxanne Simpson in Ghost Rider, which starts shooting next week in Melbourne, Australia. The film also stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze and Wes Bentley as the villain Blackheart. It's directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Fantastic Four Avoids 'War' Moves Back One Week February 09, 2005 Fox has moved the Fantastic Four movie off the July 4th weekend; it will now open Friday, July 8th, leaving the holiday weekend to War of the Worlds, starring Tom Cruise. Fantastic Four will now compete with Bewitched. The move of Fantastic Four illustrates the risks in tying a major promotion like Free Comic Book Day to the release of a film -- the studios can change the release date. This year, comic retailers voted to hold Free Comic Book Day on the first weekend of May instead of in conjunction with the release of a comic- based film. The first weekend in May 2006 also has two major action flicks head to head. It's the release date for both X-Men 3, and the recently announced date for Warners' Poseiden Adventure. Tokyopop Schedules Heat Guy J Plus Beck, Tokyo Mew Mew Sequel February 11, 2005 Tokyopop has scheduled the release of the Heat Guy J manga, based on the anime that aired on MTV last year, for July (see "Tokyopop Has Heat Guy J Manga"). The company also announced a number of other summer launches. Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad Vol. 1 is also scheduled for July. The manga was quite successful in Japan, and it spawned an anime which began airing in Japan last year. Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode, a two-volume sequel to the completed seven-volume run of Tokyo Mew Mew, will launch in June. 4Kids, which has had rights to the anime for some time, will finally begin airing it on Saturday morning on Fox this fall. Tokyopop announced three other launches for June and July. Arcana, by So-Young Lee, who created Model, will launch in June. Blazin' Barrels, a futuristic Wild West story by Min-Suh Park, will launch in June. And Chrono Code, by Eui-Cheol Shin and Il- Ho Choi, will launch in July. V for Vendetta Starts Filming Soon Starring Natalie Portman February 11, 2005 The Wachowski brothers' V for Vendetta, based on the Alan Moore graphic novel, will start shooting next month in Germany starring Natalie Portman, according to Variety. Joel Silver will produce with the Wachowskis. James McTeigue, their longtime first assistant director, will make his directorial debut on the film. The film is expected to be released this fall. +++++ From The SCOOP! at http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/ DC Lands Strong Presence At WonderCon Industry News, Scoop, Friday, February 11, 2005 San Francisco's WonderCon, February 18-20, 2005, will see a huge contingent of creators and staff personnel from DC Comics in attendance. DC also presents two panels at the convention, which is hosted at the Moscone Convention Center. Creators attending the show include Arthur Adams (Tom Strong's Terrific Tales), Sergio Aragones (MAD), Michael Bair (Identity Crisis), Adam Beechen (Justice League Unlimited), John Cassaday (Planetary), Matthew Clark (Adventures Of Superman), Amanda Conner (Two-Step), Steve Englehart (Batman: Dark Detective), Christos N. Gage (Deadshot), Mick Gray (Promethea, Seven Soldiers: Zatanna), Devin Grayson (Nightwing), Adam Hughes (Wonder Woman), Geoff Johns (Green Lantern, Teen Titans, The Flash, DC Countdown), Jimmy Palmiotti (Hawkman, The Twilight Experiment), Harvey Pekar (The Quitter), Gary Phillips (Angeltown), Alex Ross (Justice, JSA) Greg Rucka (Adventures Of Superman, Wonder Woman, Gotham Central, DC Countdown, The OMAC Project), Gail Simone (Action Comics, Birds Of Prey, Villains United), Ryan Sook (Hawkman, Seven Soldiers: Zatanna), Mark Verheiden (Superman, Smallville) and Judd Winick (Green Arrow, Outsiders, DC Countdown). DC Editorial staff at the convention includes Dan DiDio (VP - Executive Editor, DCU), Scott Dunbier (Executive Editor, WildStorm), Bob Schreck (Group Editor, DCU) and Mark Chiarello (Editorial Art Director), Jonathan Vankin (Editor, Vertigo), and Terri Cunningham (VP - Managing Editor). DC's Direct Sales staff will also be at the show. They'll be represented by Bob Wayne (VP - Sales & Marketing), Patricia Jeres (Director - Sales & Marketing Communications), Fletcher Chu-Fong (Manager - Events & Retailer Services), Stuart Schreck (Administrator - Direct Sales) and Vinnie Costa (Representative - Events & Retailer Services). For more information on WonderCon, visit http://www.comic-con.org/ +++++ From Blair Marnell in his ALL THE RAGE Gossip Column at: http://www.SilverBulletComicBooks.com Write to him at: BlairM@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, on to the rumours . . . [NOTE: this column may be slightly edited for language. - D.L.] Super Sunday By Blair Marnell Welcome back to another edition of ATR, here on Super Bowl Sunday. Like most of America, I'm getting ready to watch the last real football game until next summer. (And no... the Pro Bowl doesn't count) But for comic fans, I think the day's biggest curiosity will be the Marvel Superheroes Visa card advertisement, which should air some time during the first two quarters. However, I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing it. I mean, I look at it... And the first thing that comes to mind is this... The infamous Hawkman Baby Ruth ad. Yeah... and that's not good. I think the best we can hope for is that the Marvel ad isn't a complete embarrassment for superheroes. But we'll see for ourselves soon enough... It's In the Game EA Games is in the early development cycle for a new Superman video game to coincide with the release of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns in Summer 2006. Since EA picked up the Superman license in 2003, there hasn't been much movement with the video game franchise. However, it's now heavily rumored that EA is planning to use Superman in other titles as well, based on the comic and possibly the TV series, Smallville. EA also has the license for the Batman Begins video game, which we will probably see at the E3 in a few months. This is really good news for gamers. EA's movie based games like James Bond and Lord of the Rings have been excellent. Well... most of them, anyway. Golden Eye: Rogue Agent was an aberration. This Has A "Challenge Everything" Factor of Eight Out of Ten Dream Weaver In a recent newsgroup post, J. Michael Straczynski gave an update on his current projects, including his two creator owned books at Marvel. According to Straczynski, Dream Police (with art by Mike Deodato) will be coming out in June and The Book of Lost Souls will follow in September. Straczynski also had this to say, regarding the artist for The Book of Lost Souls: "I can't reveal her name yet, because that has to come through Marvel, but she's a very well known and popular artist." Popular speculation has centered on Colleen Doran, which lines up with what I've heard as well. Multiple sources have confirmed that Doran is working on a new book for Marvel. It's just not clear if this is the one. This Has A "Voice In The Wilderness" Factor of Seven Out of Ten Watching the Trades Last week, a story on ICv2 revealed Dark Horse's plans to publish a series of Nexus hardcover books. It also mentioned that Dark Horse would also put out a new Nexus one-shot by Mike Baron and Steve Rude. However, I've heard that's not happening just yet. Apparently, the response to the Nexus hardcovers will determine whether or not the new one-shot is published. The same goes for the upcoming The Moth trade paperback. If it doesn't sell to expectations, then a new Moth series may not be forthcoming. As for the Nexus hardcover editions, they will be released in the same format as Dark Horse's Magnus Robot Fighter and Dr. Solar reprints. Current plans call for eleven or twelve volumes collecting Nexus #1 through #80, with each volume containing seven to eight issues. The first volume is expected in November 2005. This Has A "Sundra Peale" Factor of Eight Out of Ten Jordan, Unlimited In "The Once and Future Thing, Part 2", the Justice League Unlimited third season finale which aired last weekend, there was a surprise appearance by Hal Jordan, in his first animated DCU appearance. The role was uncredited, in part to keep the surprise intact. But I've been told that Jordan was played by Adam Baldwin, who also portrayed Jonah Hex in the first part of "The Once and Future Thing." The fourth season started on Cartoon Network last night, and from what I've heard, JLU is building towards a HUGE four-part season finale, which will tie up the series' multiple storylines. This Has A "Conspiracy Theory" Factor of Nine Out of Ten Jock Talk ATR Associate, John Voulieris checked in this week with an interview featuring one of his favorite artists. Take it away, John: John Voulieris: Jock is a DC exclusive artist who has been impressing readers with his art on The Losers from Vertigo (it was recently revealed that The Losers is safe from cancellation until its planned conclusion which is over a year away). This is great news for its many fans - including myself who counts it as one of the best books out there these days. Jock recently took some time and answered a few of our questions: JV: I've noticed on your website your list of clients include the BBC, MTV, some snowboard companies, - what did you do for these various companies? And how did you end up in comics? JOCK: Pretty much most of my other work has come through my comic stuff, doing comic related images for other clients. For example, a picture of Judge Dread for British airways, or design work for a 2000AD animation for MTV. As much as I love drawing comics, it's great working outside the industry too - I feel it's got to improve the comics work you do. JV: The covers for The Losers from Vertigo are amazing and really stand out on the racks - how long does it take you to design and finalize a cover? JOCK: Thanks! I love working on the covers, for me they're a real chance to push the boundaries of what's out there. It's very difficult to do something new in comics, as it's all been done, but I like the challenge of bringing a new spin to it. So many comic covers seem to opt for the 'safe' option... just another beautifully rendered shot of a hero looking cool or involved in some dynamic pose. which is great, but each time I design a Losers cover I'm thinking of something that'd appeal to the non comic reader as well - something that if you showed it to someone on the street they'd think 'yea, cool, that looks interesting'. That was one of our goals when we started the series, was to appeal to a wider audience. How long to finish a cover? - that is the magic question. Could be anything from a morning to a week! If the idea is working and all going smoothly it can all come out very quickly, if it's not it can be a real nightmare to reach where you're trying to go. A good example happened recently - I was working on a Losers cover, it was quite an abstract image, but my editors and I where happy with it. It wasn't an obvious image - but still, it was finished and ready to go. Karen Berger (DC editor) took a look at it and just felt it needed a little something else, it wasn't quite working for her and thought it needed another element to bring it together. I stared at it for a couple of days whilst working on other stuff and just couldn't find a way to make it work, and on the spur of the moment came up with a twist on the Losers classic group shot. I worked on the sketch at full resolution - threw it together literally in a couple of hours and fired it over to DC as an alternative. That was basically it - done! A brand new idea, finished in a couple of hours - and I'm very happy with it. But that rarely happens! JV: I've noticed you've done a few Batman and Catwoman covers recently - any plans to do some interior work in the Bat office? Any DC characters you want to tackle? JOCK: Yes, I've done a handful of Batmancovers over the last year or so. I was signed on to do a run of Catwoman covers, but only completed two before getting the chance to take over as Batman cover artist from Matt Wagner, so I'll be starting that in the next month or so. You heard it here first! Batman's a character you can handle in a lot of different ways, so I can't wait to get a crack at the main title. JV: Andy Diggle has stated that he has a few more Lenny Zero tales to tell - will you be onboard for those? JOCK: We'd love to do more Lenny Zero - in fact, before starting The Losers we had the next story totally planned out, character sketches drawn and the first 5 pages of script written. We'd both love to go back to that. It's a cracking story. Andy has said he really doesn't want anyone else to draw it, which is very kind of him as there's some wonderful people that he could get to do it. Andy and I work very well together and Lenny Zero was our first baby, so it'd be nice to re-visit it again! JV: Any other future comic or non-comic related projects you want to plug? I've noticed you have a link to some T-shirt designs for Yard on your website - what's your involvement? JOCK: I'm looking forward to what I'll be working on after The Losers wraps up... more on that nearer the time. The Yard is a clothing label started by three good friends of mine, I haven't done any designs yet, but you should all go and buy something from their website now - http://www.yardclothing.com -plug over. Thanks! This Has A "Spec Ops" Factor of Ten Out of Ten Needless Savagery Over at the Savage Dragon Forum a user pretending to be Erik Larsen sparked an uproar when he claimed that the series was being canceled. Several Image insiders and the real Larsen have already shot down this rumor. So relax, Dragon fans. The book is definitely NOT canceled. This Has A "Fin Fanatics" Factor of One Out of Ten Breaking the Seal According to a post by Terry Dodson on his Yahoo group, Kevin Smith has turned in the script for the fifth issue of Spider- man/Black Cat. Smith's next script (for the sixth and final issue) will trigger the apocalypse. This Has A "Write, Fatass Write!!" Factor of Seven Out of Ten Hammer Time Mike Oeming has announced via his e-mail newsletter that the next Hammer of the Gods trade paperback will be coming out in June. Hammer Hits China will be released in standard trade format and in a collector's edition, which will include a statue of Modi. This Has A "Hammer's On A Roll" Factor of Eight Out of Ten The Fists Keep On Flyin' Even though Beau Smith has left IDW, I believe he still has another Wynonna Earp miniseries lined up with them. And he's already picked up another writing gig. I hear that he and Mitch Byrd have signed on to produce a superhero title for Across the Pond Studios. This Has A "Beau Knows" Factor of Seven Out of Ten Mercury Rising Steve Lieber and the rest of Mercury Studios have posted another round of ebay auctions to help out Bill Messner-Loebs. And the auctions can be found here. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZslieber234 You know, it's nice to see the comic creators and fans rallying around Messner-Loebs in his time of need. But I'm kind of shocked no one has suggested a Bill Messner-Loebs tribute book. Last year's Dave Cockrum tribute seems to have helped Cockrum a great deal, and Messner-Loebs could surely use the additional support. Are there any takers out there? And we're done. Special thanks to John and Cap for contributing. Later, Blair PS If anyone has any rumors, stories or news to share, please email me at blairm@silverbulletcomicbooks.com. Thanks to everyone who has been sending stuff in. It's greatly appreciated. +++++ 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 was chosen Best Comics Journalist in the 2003 Usenet Squiddy Awards, his fourth consecutive win. Write to Rich at: richjohnston@gmail.com Rich heard rumors . . . Jim McLauchlin of Top Cow writes, regarding the previous LITG rumour "Hunter Killed," alleging that Marc Silvestri was off the book as of issue two, that "This is all incorrect." Shaun Thomas has worked on a new Silent Hill book for IDW due later this month. Called "Silent Hill: Paint It Black." A final decision on who gets the "Transformers" comics license, and the remaining Diamond solicitations still on hold, will be made between the 11th and the 18th of February. The Alan Moore/Alan Davis "Captain Britain" TPB is getting a second print. "Sports Illustrated" just published a golf special. With a Marvel comics tie-in. When "Wizard" kicked off there seemed to be little coincidence with its championing of the Valiant line of comics as "hot" and "collectible," with its price guide in agreement and the fact that Gareb Shamus' family's shop had stocked heavily on Valiant back issues. Some are asking if history is repeating itself. Looking at the kind of comics "Wizard" is promoting as hot, with a price guide reflecting such expectations, they do seem to coincide with the massive stockpiling of comics at Wizarduniverse.com, which it will then happily sell you for cold hard dollars. It's official. Issue 2 of "X4" by Pat Lee & Dreamwave Studios Issue 3 of "X4" is Pat Lee & Dream Engine Studios _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [5] Interviews Richard Vasseur richardv@sympatico.ca Rich Bonk Penciler on "The Gift" from Image Comics interviewed by Richard Vasseur, Vice President - Jazma Online! www.jazmaonline.com Richard: How did you move from inking "The Gift" to pencilling it? Rich: Well, as I previously mentioned, Raven offered it to me after seeing some of my Conan artwork posted on my Website. Richard: Do you look at this as a promotion? Rich: Most definitely! I think that most, if not all inkers want to be pencillers (whether they admit it or not). Pencilling is quite a bit more creative, though inking, as I stated before, can be very fulfilling, creativity-wise. Richard: Do you like the fact that as penciller you will be more recognized for your work? Rich: Absolutely, yes...I just hope, as all pencillers do, it's recognition for being a GOOD penciller. Richard: How would you describe your drawing style? Rich: I would say that my style is on the cartoony side, definitely NOT mainstream...a bit gnarly, interpretive-more suited for horror or fantasy than superhero fare. Richard: What other comics have you worked on? As inker or penciller? Rich: Well, as an inker WITCHBLADE, ASCENSION, THE DARKNESS, THE TENTH and F-5, SPAWN: DARK AGES, SUPERMAN and other DC stuff, some DARK HORSE covers, PURGATORI (Chaos!) and others. As a penciller, THE GIFT is my best gig to date. I did fill in on EVIL ERNIE for Jerry Beck on an issue, trying (in vane) to match his style. I penciled, inker (with Kevin Conrad's assistance on inks), and had a hand in writing a book called NANOSAUR, based on a Macintosh computer video game which never made it to print (posted on my website in it's entirety). Richard: Can you identify with any of the characters in "The Gift"? Rich: Not really, but I can certainly put myself in the character's "shoes" as I illustrate them. I was told that the Ancient One on the cover of the up-coming issue # 11 look's just like me. Richard: How do you describe the atmosphere of "The Gift"? Rich: Well,, it's definitely a dark book...not for the kiddies. No "wine and roses" here-this book addresses the evil that dwells in man's heart and the fact that we don't even know what's good for us...as well as other sinister forces that exist in this world (Whew! I spooked myself!) Richard: Do you have any other projects in the immediate future? Rich: Nothing in store right now, but they'll be other projects down the road...keep an eye out! Richard: Who do you most look up to in the comic field? Rich: Well, I look up to and admire anyone who can still manage to make a living solely on comics. With the condition of the industry, that's truly an accomplishment of talent, resourcefulness and dedication...Hat's off! Richard: If you are not working on comics, what do you do? Rich: My wife and I are partners/co-owners of a campground in Upstate New York (www.schroonrivercampsites.com). I handle the advertising department as well as a lot of the "bull work" involved with the operation-I spend nearly all summer outside (which makes it really tough to draw!). I also maintain a non-art related, full-time job to pay the bills and the all-important health benefits (I've got three kids who can "put away groceries"!). With the rest of my time I just enjoy hanging with my family and I like to pump some heavy weights 2 or 3 times a week, as well. Richard: What would you like to say to your fans before parting? Rich: Fans? I have fans? Seriously, I'll be at the Pittsburgh ComicCon in April, at the Outcast Booth if things work out. Come by, say hello and let me do a sketch for ya'! ***** Darren G. Davis creator/writer on "The Tenth Muse"from Blue Water Productions interviewed by Richard Vasseur Vice President - Jazma Online! www.jazmaonline.com Richard: Where were you born and raised? Darren: I was born in East Meadow on Long Island, NY. I grew up in Westlake Village in CA. Since I moved when I was 8 I consider myself a Californian. Richard: What can you tell us about the story line in "The Tenth Muse"? Darren: Greek mythology has documented the nine Muses, the inspirational daughters of the almighty god Zeus. But history forgot one--the 10th Muse. Greek mythology set in a modern day world. It follows the life of Emma Sonnett and her friends as she learns about the powers she inherited. Richard: What inspired you to create "The Tenth Muse"? Darren: When I was a kid my bother used to read me stories from a Greek mythology book. I use that book for reference when I am creating the characters in the world. All the characters in the world are named after my family and friends. It is sort of my way of giving back to them for all their support. Clash of the Titans was one of my favorite movies growing up! Richard: How did you feel about getting Cindy Margolis to be the model for the comic? Darren: Rena Mero (Sable from the WWE) was the 1st choice to be the Tenth Muse because we knew her. I knew of Cindy Margolis and she honestly was the person I wanted to do something with. When I was getting ready to do the relaunch of the comic - she was the only person I contacted about taking the helm of the Muse. This woman is the American dream. She started with creating greeting cards and turned herself into an icon. She is definitely a great role model for people that want to start their own business. Working with Cindy and her people has been such a great process. She really is a part of this rather than us licensing her image. The photo covers we have of her have come out 100 times better than the last time. Richard: What happened to Sable the former model? Darren: Last I heard she left the WWE again. I lost contact with her. Richard: Do you see any of the tenth muse's characteristics in women around you? Darren: My best friend is a strong independent woman so a lot of who the Muse is, is based off of her. I wanted the character of the Muse/ Emma Sonnett to be a good role model for girls. Independent, successful and with heart were the main things I wanted her to have when I created her. As for my mother, she dressed up as the Emma Sonnett/ Tenth Muse a couple of years ago with lightning bolt and all - so there were some psychical characteristics. Richard: Do you have any other future projects planned? Darren: I have a bunch more stuff coming out this year. Judo Girl, starts in April. Legend of ISIS starts in May (This is the one that will be a movie through Paramount Pictures). I have a couple brand new projects, Power of the Valkyrie and Victoria's Secret Service. I also have a couple of animation projects that I am working on. As for the Muse we have a graphic novel coming out in April with all new stories. Richard: Besides writing "The Tenth Muse" what else do you do at Blue Water Productions? Darren: I created all the main characters in the Blue Water world. That is the best part of doing what I do. I am not an artist but I do like designing the costumes and the world for the new people. Some of my artists look at the pictures I draw up and they ask if my 8 year old nephew did it. I also do the editing on the other comics/projects. I have let some of the editing go to my production guy Johnny Lowe. Richard: What comics do you read now? Darren: I pretty much only pick up DC Comics. I am an avid Batman fan. I really loved IDENTITY CRISIS, it was probably the best comic I have read in a long time. I would be excited to pick up that issue each month. I also pick up anything by Randy Green, he is my favorite artist. Richard: Will you be attending any conventions? Darren: We will be having a booth at San Diego Comic con. We also are planning to do the launch of the comic in April at the Los Angeles Sci-fi and Comic convention, at the Shrine. Richard: How can someone contact you? Darren: I am pretty accessible and answer all E-mail. Darrengd@aol.com Richard: Any pearls of wisdom for your readers? Darren: Network, Network, Network. The people you grow with are going to be the decision makers of tomorrow. This is the single best thing I learned from working in the entertainment industry. _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [6] My Life With Comic Books Paul Howley pmca@together.net A brief introduction: My name is Paul Howley, owner of the Eisner Award winning pop culture collector's store known as "That's Entertainment" in Worcester, Massachusetts. Some people have called me the "luckiest man in the comic book business." My store has been around for over twenty-four years and it's been a long and interesting combination of events and people that has brought my store to its current place. It is not my intent to boast or brag about my store or my life. I just want to tell you my story. In many instances, my wife remembers things a little differently, but this is the truth as I remember it. [See more about the store online at http://www.thatse.com ] The current cast of characters: Paul Howley: age 41 Mal Howley: my wife My brother Rick and his wife Lori MY LIFE WITH COMIC BOOKS: THE HISTORY OF A COMIC SHOP-Part 106 My youngest brother, Rick, was only six years old when I got married so we weren't very close when he was really young but there had been a period of time when we got to know each other pretty well. In the late 1970's and very early 1980's Rick worked with me at the many baseball card conventions where I set up booths of cards to sell. Even though he was only a teenager, he had a good head for math and knew more about sports and the players than I did. It required long hours and hard work at these card shows, but we had a fun time together. But after Mal and I had our son, Adam, we weren't attending as many card shows anymore and as Rick got older he got more involved in school, sports, and girls. Rick eventually married his high school "sweetheart," Lori, and they had a son, Jordan. Rick was a hard-working man who frequently worked over sixty hours each week at a physically demanding job in order to provide a good lifestyle for his family. They bought a nice home in a quiet rural town because they wanted to have a pleasant and safe place to raise Jordan. Even though it required Rick to drive a long way to work each day, Rick was willing to sacrifice a lot for his family. In April of 1996, Lori was pregnant again, this time with twins. As they were preparing for life with twins, they were stunned when Lori began to have complications during her 19th week of pregnancy. She was hospitalized in Boston from that time on. During the 28th week of her pregnancy, it was determined that an emergency surgery was needed and Lori gave birth to Ryan and Tyler Howley on October 23rd. The two tiny babies each weighed only two pounds, two ounces and had serious health concerns. While Lori was on another floor, recovering from the surgery, the doctors told Rick that Ryan wasn't going to make it. Rick held Ryan in his arms as he died. Rick then had to bring Ryan to Lori so she could say her "goodbyes." I couldn't possibly understand what Rick and Lori went through during those weeks. Lori had been hospitalized far away from their home for nine weeks. Rick had visited Lori in Boston as often as possible and he also had to deal with going to work and keeping as much of a normal life as possible for Jordan. Some of us helped out by taking care of Jordan when we could, but much of the time, Rick handled it all. Now they had lost Ryan and Tyler was in danger. They also had to arrange a funeral for Ryan. Although I don't remember all of the details of the funeral and burial, I'll never forget the intense look of sadness on my brother's face at the cemetery. As I watched him live through this tragedy I wished I could help to relieve his emotional pain but I had little to offer him. A high school English teacher had convinced me that death was just "part of life." I wasn't an emotional human being and death rarely surprised me. I still felt very saddened by the death of those people who were close. I understood why people would cry but I was unable to let the emotion out. In his time of need, I wasn't a "good" brother for Rick. Rick and Lori's new son, Tyler, continued to lose weight and soon weighed only one pound, eleven ounces. It was a scary time for them as they waited for Tyler to become healthy and strong enough to be released from the hospital. Thankfully, he survived and is a healthy young boy today. _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [7] Thoughts From the Land of Frost Alex Ness Alexander@popthought.com [Alex has taught college level history and is a full time father. His interests include cats, comics and militaria. His writings have been featured on SlushFactory.com, UGO.com, and are currently on the Popthought.com web site. ] MEGACONVENTION I am happy here to present an interview with Beth Widera, the manager and owner of Mega Convention, a fabulous event held from February 25th to the 27th 2005 in Orlando Florida. Had events worked out better financially for me, I'd be there. I was asked by someone close to me if I could go to just one convention what would it be, and I said MegaCon. Why? Rather simply, it rocked when I was there before. I have dear friends Raymond Neal, Julio Diaz, and Steve & Charlene Pyskoty-Olle who will be there. I have many creative industry friends there who I wish to talk to. AND I want to be there in the Florida sunshine. I have had too many health issues and money issues this last year to be able to go. But let us gather together there in 2006. But with or without me, go. GO. It is a seriously wonderful event, with great guests, and a warm feeling between industry talent and fans. I am not being paid to say this. It is one of the finest times I have ever had. Interview subject Beth Widera ran the convention when it was owned by CrossGen Entertainment, and bought the convention when CGE slipped into bankruptcy. Her work on it then made it a wonderful event, and an industry showcase for CrossGen Entertainment, and now it continues in excellence with her as owner. AN: As the convention manager and owner, what makes MegaCon special? BW: I think Megacon is special because it offers so much more than just shopping on a showroom floor. We offer special events that will appeal to a large number of people. We provide autograph opportunities from comic book creators; mainstream creators; fantasy/fiction authors and celebrities, a different costume contest everyday, gaming events, anime events, and panel discussions everyday. And new this year we have an Independent Film Festival on Friday and a Japanese Rock Concert on Sunday. AN: How is MegaCon affected by CrossGen being defunct (and for that matter Future and Dreamwave?) BW: CrossGen always attended the convention with its entire staff. As you know this staff was full of very talented people. Many of the artists will still be attending, but some have moved quite a distance. The fans and myself especially will miss those people. As far as the companies closing, there is still a large fan base of people who love comics and there are still many great comics being made. I believe comic companies will continue to come and go as with all businesses but I truly believe people will continue to read comics in the future. AN: What short term goals do you have for the future of MegaCon? How about long term goals? BW: Short term, I plan on doing pretty much the same as I have always done, which is to provide a weekend of fun with a lot of choices for the fans, a great environment for publishers and artists to promote their work, and maintain superior customer service to everyone. On a long-term basis, I am always looking for new events to make the show even better. I work hard to try and keep up on new trends. Every year we try to improve our show and offer something special for everyone. AN: What is the most difficult aspect of running a con? BW: That would probably be dealing with all the requests I receive from people who would like to attend. Unfortunately, as with all businesses, I have to work within a budget. I always want to invite more people than I have money for. When people call to be added it is difficult telling them the budget has been exhausted. I would never want anyone to feel I didn't want him or her to attend. AN: What guest would you most like to attend MegaCon, and which guest was the most popular in terms of long lines and the like over the past years of MegaCon? BW: I would like to see Stan Lee attend again. He attended in 2000, my first year of running the show. He definitely was a fan favorite. Kevin Smith was also very popular. We had to turn people away his lines were so long. He was great with the fans and spent a lot of time with each individual. I have a lot of respect for a celebrity who is that committed to his fans. AN: Is the involvement of Entertainment industry guests vital to a large show like yours success? Why? BW: Yes, because there is a crossover between comics, fantasy and fiction. They all meld together. Especially since so many new movies are based on comics and their characters. AN: Where should interested parties go to register or find out information regarding attending the con? BW: megaconvention.com or call 727-796-5725 AN: Anything else you'd like to say? BW: The only other thing I would like to mention is the show's commitment to ACTOR (A Commitment to Our Roots). Over the past years we have been the home of the annual ACTOR auction. This charity organization auctions rare and one-of a kind comic book art and memorabilia. The funds generated help provide financial assistance for retired comic book creators. FINAL THOUGHTS: Do yourself a favor, go to this wonderful convention. Special thanks to Beth Widera. REVIEW from Top Shelf VOICE OF FIRE Written by Alan Moore, art by Jose Villarrubia, foreword Neil Gaiman Cover Price $26.95 ISBN: 1891830449 Twelve people, twelve eras, twelve views, and one place are the setting and cast for this book. Moore, whose comic works have left most readers feeling him to be the best writer of comics, addresses, through prose, the development of a mindset and outlook. The new, and mystical force that lays beneath the surface is something that is intangible but clearly there. In the vignettes and short stories Moore creates a sense of travel, of journey, but that of the mental variety. The writing here will disappoint some, for the power of the work is how he presents the rise of individualistic perhaps paganistic mystical energies of the self. The weaving through odd, different lives of a tale of this nature means that by necessity Northampton is the central figure. Strangely, Moore resides near there. This is a clearly intriguing work, and one that exemplifies how author Moore sees life as a means of capturing the creative energies found in us, and translating them into expression. Whether it is through 'the hunt', a poet's life, a traveler or otherwise, we create through this. Moore intrigued me with this work, and while I do not altogether agree with his philosophies deeply ingrained within it, I am not offended by the fact that he has those thoughts and beliefs. He captures the intrigue of searching within and from without to develop that ... VOICE OF FIRE. ONLINE ARCHIVES: http://www.popthought.com/archives.asp?CMID=3 http://www.robingoodfellow.com/tftlof.html http://www.slushfactory.com/columns/an/ http://stlcomics.com/columns/tftlof http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem Yo Publishers...Send review products to: Alexander Ness The Land Of Frost Box 142 Rockford MN 55373-0142 Alexander@popthought.com _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [8] Suspended Animation Michael Vance & Mark Allen MiklVance2@worldnet.att.net [Michael Vance, a professional writer since 1977 and has been published in dozens of magazines including Starlog and Jack and Jill, and as a syndicated columnist and cartoonist in over 500 newspapers. His history book, Forbidden Adventure: The History of the American Comics Group, has been called a "benchmark in comics history". He ghosted an internationally syndicated comic strip, and his wrote own strip, Holiday Out, that was reprinted as a comic book. Vance also wrote the comic books Straw Men, Angel of Death, The Adventures of Captain Nemo, and Bloodtide. He is listed in the Who's Who of American Comic Books and Comic Book Superstars. His short stories have appeared in dozens of magazines and recorded by actor William (Murder She Wrote) Windom. Suspended Animation, has been published for more than sixteen years, and Vance worked in newspapers for 22 years as an editor, writer and advertising manager. Mark Allen lives in Western Oklahoma with his wife and daughter. He has been a Baptist minister for over 15 years, and has also written for the Oklahoma news industry. Having indulged in comics for nearly 30 years, Mark now enjoys using the written word to share with others what he believes is a true, and extremely under-acknowledged, art form.] "The problem is I have no answers, and neither should a satirist or car-toonist - just complaints, really." Ralph Steadman "Drawing The Line" reprints lots of artwork from and interviews with four 'famous' cartoonists, Jules Feiffer, David Levine, Edward Sorel, and Ralph Steadmen. Feiffer is best known not for his art but for writing the plays Carnal Knowledge and Little Murders that became movies. Comic book fans will also remember his work on The Spirit newspaper insert that has been re-printed many times in varied formats. Sorel, Steadman and Levine are famous for their ... uh ...er ... I had never heard of them before this collection. From their reprinted art, it is obvious that these extremely talented men who have graced the editorial pages of newspapers, magazines and books deserve fame and fortune. It is also obvious from their interviews that none of them seem to want either. Each embraces some form of socialism that doesn't exist (they despise the forms that do) and each hates capitalism (although cashing the paychecks generated by it). In fairness, each seems to hate everything. These are very egocentric, unhappy men. They also wanted to change the world at the beginning of their careers. It should look like them, of course. Steeped in the traditions of comic books, strips and editorial cartoons, their minimalistic art embraces some of the nuances of 'fine' art: Impression-ism, Dadaism, surrealism and several other isms. Each style is distinct and dynamic and worth the price of this collection alone. The overriding impression left a reader is that these men don't like their lives. These acerbic, politically far-Left interviews will irritate or even anger people who hold different beliefs. Nevertheless, Drawing The Line is highly recommended for its in-depth investigation of the artistic styles and social and political beliefs of these accomplished cartoonists. MV The Comics Journal Library: Drawing the Line #4/$22.95 and 148 pages from Fantagraphics Books/sold in comics and books stores and at www.fantagraphics.com. For information on Vance's short stories, comic books, and available work, query Miklvance@Yahoo.com. _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [9] Silva Shado Reviews Sarah Haslett silva_shado@yahoo.com [Known as Silva Shado on many boards, Sarah is most frequently found at HeroRealm.com and MightyMiniCon.com. She is a reviewer, moderator and columnist for both sites. At HeroRealm, her monthly column "Independent Forecast," co-written with Juan Gamez, which looks at the non-spandex titles in the current Previews, has expanded to become weekly. Called Independent Focus, the weekly columns will rotate through an examination of past Previews picks; the new Previews; independent companies and creators; and web comics. Though she is going on hiatus, you can still find her previous "Under the Radar" columns at MightyMiniCon.com, which looks at those comics that go unnoticed by the majority of comic book readers.] Here are links to some of my recent columns: IF: Independent Forecast - Greg and I take a look at the most recent Previews and talk about some indy goodness that you should check out. http://www.herorealm.com/features/ifjan021105.htm IF: Then & Now - Here I take a look at some of my past picks and see if they lived up to my expectations. http://www.herorealm.com/features/ifjan020405.htm Manga No Gakusei - Sam invited me to guest write his column for Valentine's Day, so I decided to talk about manga for the ladies. *WARNING* Mature content. http://www.herorealm.com/features/MNG_020805.htm I will be out of town for a couple of weeks visiting family. So Sam, writer of Manga No Gakusei, is filling in for me on Friday the 18th. He's going to be looking at Moonstone and the comics they publish. On Friday the 25th, I'll be reviewing some web comics by Amber "Glych" Greenlee - NoStereotypes and Glych's Experiment. Visit the following link and click on the image for Independent Focus: http://www.herorealm.com/features.htm The Symbiotes #3 (of 8) Title: Fear of Falling Writer: Davis R. Vaughn Penciler: George Lippert Publisher: Drive Comics I was curious as to the exact definition of the word Symbiote. Looking it up in the Oxford dictionary, the closest word I could find was symbiosis, which means, "close co-existence and interaction of two different organisms, usually to the advantage of both." I'm assuming this refers to some of the characters who are products of two different species, which full-blood humans use as a reason to wage war against them. But I believe Symbiote also refers to the art because it's beautifully done in CG, a style reserved, until now, only for animation. The Symbiotes proves to us that CG can work very effectively and enjoyably in comic books. As I mentioned above, Symbiotes is set in a futuristic sci-fi world where there's a war between humans and non-humans. There's a lot of intolerance by humans towards anyone who isn't 100% human. This means that many almost full-blooded humans are considered lower-class citizens, and aliens are just scum to be killed. But there's a group of mixed race people who are trying to fight back. They call their group the Symbiotes. In this issue, one of the Symbiotes, a woman named Pasique, codename Blur, saves Khalid, a soldier of the Human Empire. He was foolish enough to take on a Raider who was needlessly killing aliens to eliminate a threat. She takes Khalid with her and he's introduced to all of the Symbiotes, including Adnan, who tells Khalid that he's not fully human and hints that he's "much more." That's the main plot, but there are several subplots going on. Sometimes it's overwhelming at how complex this all is, but it's all inter-related and building towards something big. Khalid's old partner is trying to become a Raider and is going through the academy. Raja Deimos, the totalitarian ruler of the Human Empire, is trying to put an end to the Symbiotes. Also in this issue, we see Trayred Vul returning a mixed breed woman to her home instead of taking her to The Boss. Boy is he gonna be in trouble when The Boss catches up to him. And we get to see more about Pasique and her past. The art is really rocking now! Everything is clear and bright and action-packed. I love the emotions on people's faces. The fight scenes are terrific. I don't have any complaints about the art, except to continue stating my wish that this'll become an animated feature. I truly feel that this is deserving of 5 stars now. The story, the art - you've never seen anything like this before. This is groundbreaking work. Don't miss the boat on this one, call up your comic book shop and add it to your pull list. The first two issues are still available as well. And check out http://www.thesymbiotes.com for more info on the story and characters. Dead@17: Rough Cut volume 2 Writer/Penciler: Various Publisher: Viper Comics For old and new fans alike, Dead@17: Rough Cut Volume 2 is a great way to delve deeper into the world of Dead@17. Like the first volume, this volume has a variety of creators who dip their fingers into the pot and pull out some amazing stories. These stories add to the already existing canon created by Josh Howard. It's great to see him letting people play with his characters because these stories fill in a lot of holes. First off, the timeline on the inside cover is really helpful at placing all of the events, not only for these stories, but for the overall story of Dead@17. If you're like me and get dates easily confused, refer back to this as often as you need to keep things straight in your mind. "The Sparrow," by David Hopkins and Guy Lemay, takes place just a little while after Nara is born. A woman leaves her baby with a minister at a church, but the minister is soon attacked by feeders. The mysterious bald man shows up and helps fight the feeders, protecting the baby. Overall, this story was confusing, though I did like the alternating between the fighting and the black woman singing a hopeful song. "Dear Diary," by Joe Breeden and Cal Slayton, takes place in 2002, a year before the first miniseries. It's a very strange story of how this diary "coincidentally" gets into Nara's hands. How she writes down everything that happening to her and all the strange symbols. It's really creepy how the guy gets the diary back at the end, all blank again. What I enjoyed most about this story was Cal Slayton's art. I've missed his work on Shades of Blue and it was a real treat to see him drawing again. "Next Days," by Kazu Kibuishi, takes place early in 2003 before the first miniseries. This is a sad, yet charming story of Nara and Hazy talking about responsibilities and finding out who they are. It smoothly alternates with scenes of Nara's future, of fighting zombies. It was great to see Kazu Kibuishi try his hand at Dead@17. Ever since Daisy Kutter finished, I've missed reading Kazu Kibuishi's stories. The one downer about this story - it was too short. But hopefully, he's worrking on another comic and it'll be released soon. "Blood, Spit & Gun Powder," by Greg Gatlin and Brent Schoonover, also takes place in 2003 before the first miniseries. This is a very gritty and disturbing story of how Bolabogg's minions pick new feeders. "The Time Between," by Alex Hamby, Benjamin Hall, and Marlena Hall, takes place during the second miniseries. This chilling story follows Violet from her suicide to her decisions to become host of Bolabogg. She's faced with a choice - go with the good guys or go with the bad guys. We obviously know what choice she makes, but now we have the reason behind her decision. It's sad and haunting, how cruel life has been to her. "Intersection," by Josh Howard, takes place right at the end of the second miniseries. This is right after Nara is defeated by Bolabogg and she's feeling pretty down about everything, but a chance encounter with another girl lifts her spirits a little and shows us that Nara isn't the only one. Then comes the fun stuff. The Lighter Side includes "Special Delivery" by Pat Bussey, "You'll Have That" by Wes Molebash, and "Bored At 17" by Brian Thompson. All of these hilarious comic strips occur right before the second miniseries. It's great to see a lighter side of Dead@17, considering how serious everything is all of the time. I hope to see more of these in future volumes of Dead@17: Rough Cut. If you're completely new to Dead@17, this probably isn't the best place to start. I highly recommend buying the first and second trades of Dead@17 and then reading this. It'll make a lot more sense. Then you'll just need to wait till April for the third trade, which will wrap up the Dead@17 story. _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [10] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions Tim O'Shea timmito@yahoo.com http://www.thegreatcurve.net/2005/02/less-filling-offhand- opinions.html The key to offhand opinions is it's a gut reaction with bare bones analysis. I tell you if it's worth buying in a basic Yes or No situation. Ron's (for those of you just tuning in, Ron has managed the place where I buy comics-Atlanta's Book Nook since the mid-1980s and he's a good friend with good taste) pick of last week Matt Howarth's Bugtown 2 (AEON). My pick for this week is Captain America 3 [Marvel]. This episode of Offhand Opinions is abbreviated, as I was unable to pick up my DC comics due to technical difficulties beyond everyone's control. Captain America 3 (Marvel) Brubaker/Epting/Lark/D'Armata Brubaker pulls subtle, biting political commentary in one panel that is more effective than any other post-9/11 Captain America attempted effort (and trust me, there's been many...too many). And is it me, or would Brubaker and Lark be perfect for an Untold Tales of the Invaders miniseries? The way Lark and Epting mesh perfectly despite vastly different art styles is a credit to the colorist D'Armata. Yes District X 10 (Marvel) Hine/Medina/Sicat Making Bishop the lead (rather than some anonymous mutant character previously unestablished in the X-universe) was a mistake. One has to believe that the character is at risk, and the scenarios Hine puts him in, I know cliffhanger or not, Bishop's fine. Kind of kills that element of suspense, don't it? No The New Thunderbolts 5 (Marvel) Nicieza/Grummett/Erskine The day I praise Tom Grummett for his portrayal of a stripper in a strip club is a unique day. But oddly enough, some of the best action scenes and plot twists to this issue find their foundation in a strip club. I kid you not. Yes Fantastic Four Tales 1 (Marvel All Ages) Thomas/O'Hare & Lim/Moussa & Glapion/Brown It's odd to review a retelling of a tale you read years ago, but here I am. Not as fun as the original, but tell me what average seven year old would be roped in by Kirby? So for its target market, I concede...solid gold. Yes Fantastic Four: Foes 2 [of 6] (Marvel) Kirkman/Rathburn Kirkman writes some solid scenes (particularly playing off She- Hulk at once), but Rathburn's art still does great damage to the narrative. All the characters have these odd facial ticks that derail any ability to lose yourself in the tale. In one pivotal scene, rather than being angst ridden, I'm fairly certain Reed is reacting to some bad chili he ate. Also, Kirkman is a tad off in the way he dialogues Reed and Sue. No 4 #15 (Marvel Knights) Aguirre-Sacasa/Muniz/Royal/Reber Bill Jemas did something right when he pegged Aguirre-Sacasa for the FF. He was wrong to try to replace Waid with this writer, however. Fortunately a solution was found and we got the best of both worlds. Aguirre-Sacasa perfectly captures the family nature of the FF in this issue. Yes The Incredible Hulk 78 (Marvel) David/Weeks/Palmer I assume in PAD's mind, he's written a tale that is challenging himself. Personally I'm reading a convoluted pseudo-head games mystery that more than likely will end with Doc Sampson showing up to explain how Bruce did all this. Weeks, however, has been given a fun opportunity to draw a very surreal Hulk versus Hulk tale. And he delivers the goods but it's not enough to sway me. No Alpha Flight 12 (Marvel) Lobdell/Henry/Morales Like Quantum and Woody or Deadpool before it, as funny as some of the scenes in this (ending with this issue) series may have been, the core story trying to be told was never distinctly engaging/interesting/coherent. No _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [11] ComiX-Fan Reviews Eric J. Moreels X-Fan Editor-in-Chief x-fan@bigpond.net.au From ComiX-Fan: http://www.comixfan.com/xfan [Editor's note: Some of the following reviews have spoilers to plot details. This is a TEXT ONLY newsletter so those spoilers are not hidden by HTML code. - D.L.] UNCANNY X-MEN #455 Reviewer: Robin Lewis, lucillerobin@aol.com Quick Rating: Good. Story Title: World's End (part one of five) The Hellfire arc wraps up. Writer: Chris Claremont Pencils: Alan Davis Inker: Mark Farmer Colours: Dean White Letterer: VC's Chris Eliopoulos Assistant Editors: Sean Ryan and Stepahnie Moore Editor: Mike Marts Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada Publisher: Dan Buckley Warning: Spoilers are rife throughout the review. If you wish to be surprised by the contents of the issue look away now. No really, I mean it. Still here? Don't say I didn't warn you. The reason I'm not just covering up the spoilers with tags is that doing so would make for a review that was mostly blank spaces, which is no fun for anyone. Besides, anyone taking even a cursory glance at the thumbnail cover about three centimetres above this sentence will have worked out that Betsy Braddock is back. Psylocke's return has been on the cards for a while now, after Chris Claremont's original plans for her resurrection in X-Treme X-Men were scuppered by Marvel's "Dead means dead" policy (unless of course they decide that dead actually means not really very dead after all). The last Uncanny X-Men arc left me somewhat cold, but the return of Alan Davis on penciling duties for this five part arc promises better things, although I have yet to be convinced that Claremont's work is back to anywhere near his best. We'll see. Being the first part of five this issue is pretty much all set- up, starting with the mysterious return of a significantly powered-up Psylocke (whose powers are, as is common these days, off whatever scale mutants measure themselves by), moving thorough some training scenes and another old friend of Wolverine calling on his aid in sorting out a problem from the past. Logan does so much of this it's a wonder he doesn't start screening his calls just to get a day off - "I'm not at home right now, but if you leave your name, number and specific life-threatening problem you want me to solve I'll get back to you as soon as possible". Is there anyone he doesn't owe a favour to? Claremont still doesn't appear to be in any hurry to tie up the loose ends from previous arcs, and this one adds what I'm sure will become more mysteries. One or two subplots are advanced on the sidelines, the apparent budding romance between Ororo and Logan being one of them, and Nightcrawler's jealousy of that match being another. The fallout from last issues Hellfire climax is also briefly mentioned, with Sage now being considered as an unsanctioned operative with suspicious motives. I'm sure there are long-term plans for all these plot-threads to lead somewhere, but in comics these days there's never any promise that the writer will get the chance to finish up what he starts, and Claremonts penchant for incredibly drawn out stories make his books more of a risk than others. Several times over the past few years meticulously planned stories have been scrapped on his books, making for a disjointed read at the best of times. It's not entirely clear where this story is going to go in the next four parts. Psylocke is bought back to the mansion and then immediately left by the team as they investigate Logan's personal mission. Logan himself is mixed up in something to do with an old promise and a hunt for something valuable and probably dangerous. And there are apparently some aliens involved. It's a scattershot affair, with no real direction yet making itself obvious. That said, the training scenes are nicely done and Davis makes any comic easy on the eye. I'm just not yet convinced that Claremont's stories are going anywhere. This happens, then that happens, and hints of stories behind stories are dropped, but there's no real central force driving things along. I'm sure some of you will be saying "Patience, patience", but that isn't the issue. I'm quite willing to wait for the pay-off, but I'll only stick around for it if what happens in the meantime comes up to scratch. So far that hasn't been the case, but there's enough here to be at least mildly optimistic that this time there'll be a story good enough to get my teeth into. The art team of Davis and Farmer turn in a typically polished performance. I'm not entirely sure I like Logan's Indiana Jones knock-off outfit he pulls on when he's away digging out the remnants of his own past and I'm even less sure about Psylocke's old psuedo-bondage costume, though I'm sure that some of you will pay that particular splash page close attention. Davis manages to capture the characters excellently, from Storm's mature grace to Betsy's casual poise to X-23's callow childishness. There are few better storytellers in the business. I'm going to reserve judgement on the first look we get at the probable bad guys, but I'm tempted to say they're not the best design I've ever seen. Imagine a goat: skin it and put it in a spacesuit, then give it flying goggles. Not great. I know that for some of you the simple fact of Betsy's return will make this a five star issue, and that's fine. For me, I'd rather be sure the story that introduces her was going to be great than have her back just for the hell of it. Comics have so devalued death as an emotional event it's hard to care about the hows and whys of a characters return, but we should demand that bringing people back from the dead be done as well as possible. If the deaths don't matter we won't care, and if the resurrections are sloppily done we'll feel insulted. Since we don't have any explanation yet for Betsy's miraculous appearance (not to mention her significant increase in power) it's too early to judge whether this is going to be a rare example of a resurrection done well or yet another in a long line of returns that make us wonder why we bother buying comics in the first place. ART: 4.0 STORY: 3.0 OVERALL: 3.5 NEW X-MEN: ACADEMY X #9 Reviewer: Phil Filippopoulos, astral_revolution@yahoo.com Quick Rating: Very Good Story Title: "Haunted" Part 3 I apologize for the lateness, but you have to read this issue. Writers: Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir Penciller: Carlo Pagulayan Inker: Norm Rapmund Colorist: Pantazis, Soto & Chu Letterer: Dave Sharpe Cover Art: Randy Green Assistant Editors: Moore and Ryan Editor: Mike Marts Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada Publisher: Dan Buckley New X-men, since it came to us as New Mutants, has seen a great many artists, of varying quality. Of course, everyone has had their favorites. Personally, though it's been fun seeing different interpretations of characters and whatnot, I'd like to get one artist on this book and have them there every month. In any case, I was hoping that Michael Ryan would be the regular artist for this book. His art was consistent and fun to look at, not too serious or too cartoony. When I opened this book and saw someone else drawing it, I was, at first, apprehensive. However, after a couple of pages, this apprehension faded into awe. I'm not sure I can even say why I enjoyed the art so much. Its nice to see the characters rendered a bit older, and the art is, in general, less cartoony than most of the past artists. The closer shots of characters are gorgeous (some of the farther away shots could have used more detail, though), and his facial expressions are deep and realistic, and everything is really consistent. If I had only one complaint, it would be that in the middle and end of the issue especially, he draws Sophia and Laurie very similarly, and sometimes they were difficult to tell apart. Still, there was just something extra that made the art in this issue "right". I would love for Pagulayan to continue penciling this series, and am admittedly disappointed, looking at next issue's preview, that he won't be. Hopefully he'll be back sometime. The color in this issue was very nice as well. The team of Pantazis, Soto and Chu do very well with lighting, which creates great accents on the art. Especially nice was the seance scene, which was full of varied tones and helped the mood fantastically. My only qualm here was that Sophia's hair looked blonde, and it was even harder to tell her apart from Laurie. On another small note, in the beginning of the issue, a nifty green effect was used for telekinesis that I really enjoyed. It really struck me for some reason, and is probably one of my favorite renditions of that power I've seen. This issue wrapped up the "Haunted" arc. There's something incredibly nice about a three-issue arc that doesn't end with the school exploding, a character dead, or some other series- effecting change. This was just a small adventure, with no outstanding consequences (though I'd love to see Jeffrey again). However, this doesn't stop DeFilippis and Weir from advancing the characters and providing some new drama. There was, looking back, a surprising amount of character development in these issues. We find out a lot about Noriko, and I really enjoyed her role in the end of this story. The complicated...let's call it a square for simplicity, between Kevin, Laurie, Josh, and Rahne had plenty of new developments. I have never been a huge fan of Josh and Rahne together, but its place in the story and what it means for Josh and Laurie, as well as their relation to Kevin, makes me glad its there. Speaking of Kevin, his own story is advanced very briefly, but its apparent that we'll be seeing more of him soon. DeFilipps and Weir have created very multidimensional characters, and continue to expand them every month. I'm also loving Dani's presence in the squad. She's not so much a leader as she is an older teammate at times, though this seems to be amounting more so to an inability to command authority than anything. Of course, it makes sense; she's not all that much older than them, so they feel better about doing things they shouldn't. Dani is, however, coming into her role well; even she said she'd have a hard time adjusting. Her conversation with Josh was interesting; the more she becomes a leader and teacher, the less she seems to be able to connect with her students. This issue exemplifies what makes me love this series. The stories aren't typical X-stories, the characters aren't typical X-characters, and its all mixed together with some fantastic art to make one of my favorite comics to read. If you're not reading this series for whatever reason, I suggest starting now. ART: 4.5 STORY: 3.5 OVERALL: 4.0 X-MEN PHOENIX: ENDSONG #2 Reviewer: Phil Filippopoulos astral_revolution@yahoo.com Story Title: Phoenix: Endsong pt. 2 of 5 Bring a napkin, folks; it's about to get messy. Writer: Greg Pak Penciller: Greg Land Inker: Matt Ryan Colors: Justin Ponsor Letters: Clem Robins Assistant Editors: Stephanie Moore & Sean Ryan Editor: Mike Marts Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada Publisher: Dan Buckley NOTE: If you haven't read the first issue, there are some mild spoilers in here, specifically in the last two before the final paragraphs. There have been volumes written about Jean Grey and her penchant for never staying dead for more than a couple of story arcs. Even among the X-Men, her death and rebirth has become a generally casual affair; and who can blame them? There's only so many times something can be emotionally destructive before you have to start to shrug it off. That makes some of the drama in this a bit.dated? If I had one problem, that would be it; this story should have happened a long time ago. I don't mean anything regarding Phoenix and Jean by that. I think it would apply most to Scott and Emma. Greg Pak is nailing every character here, and the conversations between the two were great, probably the best exchange I've seen between them. But, shouldn't this have happened a long time ago? Scott and Emma seem to have been sidestepping actually talking about any of this for so long, and it irks me a bit. That, in general, made this issue double-sided for me. I'm really enjoying the ride, but there's just something off; in all its myriad time-counting methods, any way you look at it, Jean has been dead for a long time and it's strange to me that all this is happening now. Since when does Scott need to get used to killing his wife? Wolverine seems to be the most well-adjusted, and thus most realistic, character. This is just another day in the never- ending existence of Jean Grey for him. Of course, I could spend pages writing about that; Jean's back, and whatever the timing, it's a big deal. I must say, whether or not she should be back, I love the characterization. I've always loved Dark Phoenix's rather Emma-like qualities, and her one line in this issue, as well as the beautiful page it appears on, exemplifies what I love about the Phoenix Force. Speaking of which, it seems the ol' PF is the central figure of this story, without having done horribly much yet. You may recall one Quentin Quire, who ascended to a new level of existence a while back. Reading issue one, it seems at least a viable option that he might return. He does, and in a big way. This was the highlight of the issue to me. His arc was my favorite of Morrison's run, and the grandeur with which his current form is realized was great. Quentin is crazy powerful, and he's got plans. Here we go. This is what takes a typical Jean/Phoenix story and turns it into something great. The Phoenix Force itself is getting some needed spotlight, and it seems Jean may not be its only host. The best thing about this issue, for me, is the infinite possibilities of where this story could go. Greg Pak is being insanely ambitious doing a Phoenix story now; here, he showed me that he's breaking the mold and doing something that's starting to feel epic already. All you have to do is look at the cover to see how freakin' beautiful the art is. There are many times where they might as well have taken pictures of actors, because Land has captured these characters and given them incredible detail. This kind of story is full of drama, and the art screams it. I absolutely adore the effects being used for Quentin's powers, and the aforementioned Phoenix-centric page just before the end was one of the best renditions of her I've seen. So, there you have it. Parts of this issue were bothersome, but whether or not you agree with what's going on, it is masterfully done. I have high hopes for this series; I don't doubt that the Gregs will let us down, but this kind of thing does have a history. Even if you're against this whole concept, read the first two issues, and at least try number three. There has been lots of eye-rolling going around since this thing was announced, but it may meet and exceed your expectations. Frankly, it could go both ways at this point. ART: 4.5 STORY: 3.5 OVERALL: 4.0 _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [12] Rich's Reviews Richard Vasseur richardv@sympatico.ca [Rich has been collecting comic books for about 25 years. He belongs to two comic book clubs Jazma and ORCA. He has been writing reviews for Jazma's paper newsletter for about 2 years and has his own review page at www.jazmaonline.com] SPOILER WARNING: Some plot details may be revealed in these reviews! Title: Starkweather # 1 Publisher: Arcana Writer: David A. Rodriguez Penciler: John Bosco Inker: Rob Lean Price: $ 2.95 US, $ 4.50 Can Comments: Alexander Starweather is a witch. He has a unique personality. He's not your typical hero. He doesn't really fit the role of world savior. His day job is as a line cook. Hes an ordinary guy with witchy powers that could level a building. The lettering by Sean O'Reilly has a magical look to it when Starkweather casts a spell. It catches your attention and gets you wondering what language is it. You can tell they are words of power. Starweather is new to magic but he learns quick and hes powerful. You get lots of action as this series starts off. Magic and bullets make a deadly combination. The art when Starweather uses his powers has his eyes light up. They look magical like little stars. The characters are drawn with a realistic quality. The lizard creature that helps Starweather is something else. It is really something else its not really a lizard it just manifests as one. This creature I'm sure will play a weird part in this fantastic adventure. The pin-up a the back is gorgeous. Magic and bullets go great together. Title: Captain Canuck: Unholy War # 2 Publisher: Comely Comix Writer: Riel Langlois Artist: Drue Langlois Price: $ 2.50 US, $ 3.50 Can Comments: Nemisar makes a formidable opponent. One on one Captain Canuck wasn't doing to good. But he never gives up, hes a true Canadian. He knows he has to be confident in his own abilities. Captain Canuck gets a new motorcycle and he is like a modern day Knight in shining armour. But he is just an ordinary guy wanting to do whats right and he does. He is a hero for the people. This issue is filled with action. A beautifully choreographed fight, leads to a car and motorcycle chase. The motorcycle slide and crash will have you on the edge of your seat. Title: Captain Canuck: Unholy War # 3 Publisher: Comely Comix Writer: Riel Langlois Artist: Drue Langois Price: $ 2.50 US, $ 3.50 Can Comments: Captain Canuck gets outfitted like James Bond. He gets a bunch of realistic gadgets. Captain Canuck and Mr. Gold have a great battle as they go back and forth. It ends with them facing off with rocket launchers. Its explosive. The most exciting part though is when the original Captain Canuck shows up. Apparently he travelled into the past and created this alternate time line that now exists with the new Captain Canuck. So you have two Captain Canucks. This was an entirely unexpected turn of events. This story is far from over Mr. Gold puts a million dollar bounty on the new Captain Canuck's head. Will the original stay around? Hopefully we will not have long to wait for more exciting adventures of Canada's own home grown super hero. Title: Black Panther # 1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Reginald Hudlin Penciler: John Romita Jr. Inker: Klaus Janson Price: $ 2.99 US, $ 4.25 Can Comments: We see the Wakandans are a fierce people and intelligent. They have been ahead of the world for a long time. No one has ever been able to conquer this warrior race. As we look at their past conquests it becomes clear they are always one step ahead. They will also defend their land and home against anyone. The warriors and an earlier Black Panther are all well drawn in there savageness but its easy to see they are also civilized. The battle scenes while short does show a great battle of two of the world's best hand to hand fighters. Captain America though actually lost to the Black Panther. This was in 1944. Today might have a different outcome. Klaw is back! Yes this villainous character has been updated. So he is now ready to face the Black Panther. Klaw has always been a fantastic character, here though he seems less enigmatic. It looks as if there will be some political intrigue as the US government officials want to control Wankanda and all its resources. This first issue starts the ball rolling and the momentum looks as if it will just keep building. Title: Shanna The She-Devil # 1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Frank Cho Artist: Frank Cho Price: $ 3.50 US, $ 5.00 Can Comments: The cover by Frank Cho is gorgeous as Shanna kneels at the ready with spear in hand. All the little animals and insects around her really add to the atmosphere of the cover. Shanna is a savage beauty and this cover brings that out. Someone is breeding Shanna's or cloning them. A group of men stumble upon the facility and break out one of the Shanna's the only living one. You can tell there will be good girl art as she falls breasts first into the face of one of her rescuers. All the drawings of her nude are beautifully done. Her body could not be drawn better. If you want action and excitement you got it as a raptor starts hunting these guys. You do get to see it rip out people's guts. Its gory. The raptor is so realistic you half expect it to jump out of the pages right at you. Until Shanna gets her hands on it that is. Marvel has another winner here. She is hot, sexy and deadly. She also goes around in a loin cloth. Good art, good story equal a great comic. Title: X-23 # 2 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Craig Kyle Penciler: Chris Yost Inker: Billy Tan Price: $ 2.99 US, $ 4.25 Can Comments: X-23 is shown training to be a killer. Her martial arts training and now her adamantium covered claws make her dangerous and deadly. She only has two claws in each hand. The third claw is in her foot. That was a nice surprise. This girl may be a clone of Wolverine but she certainly is different than him. X-23 is shown as a young innocent girl. She is that until they force her to kill her teacher. Her creators want an assassin as deadly as Wolverine. They have one. The story is riveting as you follow X-23 as she is treated as an object and not a person by those around her with a few exceptions. Than one is taken. How will it affect her? X-23 is a new fresh and exciting character. Title: Vampirella Magazine # 9 Publisher: Harris Publications Price: $ 3.95 US Comments: The first comic story is written and drawn by Batton Lash. Its a black and white tale that might just put you to sleep. Vampirella is charged with indecent exposure and hangs out with two lawyers and that's it. The art is so so. The only really good thing is seeing Pendragon in his role as an imbibing magician. The second story Vampirella/Sword of Dracula is written by Jason Henderson and drawn by Greg Scott. Well this story is worse than the first one. Most of the art is just black filler. The story is pretty much non-existent. The Constantine write up is interesting as well as Cube Zero. Both articles are informative. And both movies look great _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [13] 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.] SPOILER WARNING: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN MAY REVEAL SIGNIFICANT PORTIONS OF THE PLOTS OF SOME COMIC BOOKS, OR THE ENTIRE STORY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Name: Planetes Vol. 4 Publisher: Tokyopop Creator: Maroto Yorimura Comments: This comic book deals with family matters that somehow intercross with worldly matters. Fee deals with her son's penchant for saving every stray animal he comes across. While she tries and deals with her son's collection of animals he brings to the house, there is another crisis going on. There has been an attack on the U.S. in orbital space, that could trigger a huge event. That event would be placing the U.S. on the brink of war, along with the rest of Earth's countries. We're talking about WWIII here. If WWIII occurs, the battleground will be in space. If the war were to ensue in space, it would cause much debris that would destroy the equilibrium of the Earth's axis and end the careers for the astronauts on DS-12. Perhaps Fee's son has an anti-war activism that will allow him to stop a war from happening and still save the animals. Good sci fi, along with some good detailed Manga artwork. Name: Mystique - Quiet 4 of 5 Publisher: Marvel Comics Creative Force: McKeever, Garcia, Fernandez Price: $2.99 Comments: After reading Mystique - Quiet 4 of 5, the startling conclusion is just around the corner! What an intense moment as Mystique tries to kill Charles Xavier and seeing Charles bleeding from his wound. Then if the drama wasn't enough...then we have Mystique confronting Wolverine and Rogue. Rogue doesn't see Mystique in a motherly mode and discusses how she was once stabbed by Mystique a while back. The conversation ends up in a mega-fight between Mystique and Rogue and we can only guess what will happen in the final conclusion. Mystique really has the spotlight on her now! Name: Brodie's Law #4 & #5 Publisher: Pulp Theatre Price: $2.95 Website: www.brodieslaw.com Writer: Alan Grant Artist & Cover: David Bircham Story: Daley Osiyemi & David Bircham Comments: Let me read you the foreward to this comic book first: "What would the law mean, if every day had a different face? I came to possess the powers of anonymity and with it became a law unto myself. But it came with a heavy price. Each journey into the body of another took me further into the darker recesses of the human mind. I am no longer alone, the voices within are getting louder." Now my comments. Brodie has memories of other people. It has to do with something called PM- 13 Psychometa - morphosis. Imagine wearing another man's flesh, have his memories, etc. We are talking about a miracle science, of transferring one's DNA to another. This story takes you to the deep underground of Southern London. The artwork in this comic book is highly detailed and it's almost like watching a movie. You the reader, will meet Dell Tillson, gangboss, multi- millionaire and psychopath. It will be hard for you to forget this guy, because he has a reputation. He loves his chainsaw named Daisy. The brutality that he delivers with Daisy is legendary. Take for example, he has the Goodge twins tied up in some basement and when he does not get the answers he seeks, he cuts them down to size literally. He cuts off their legs, they bleed to death and then he slices and dices them. The Goodge twins are served in some 5-star restaurant (the Baltijoint in Peckham). In one scene Brodie is angered beyond belief and blames himself for his wife Marla's death. He seeks out remorse, but it's mixed up with the sadistic murderer's pleasure in killing her. Brodie carries the souls of many gangsters, including the murderer of his wife. As the story continues, there is a mention of coded emails that are being sent by someone calling themself Cobra, that contain the plans for stealing Project Jameson and selling it to an American for 5 billion dollars. Now if you want some weird scenes, Brodie goes into the flesh of a sexy siren named Suzie Miller. Suzie meets the psycho named Dell and come to find out, Suzie has the hots for Dell. Suzie finds it impossible to resist Dell, and falls into a sea of lust. Brodie can feel her sensual sensations that she has for Dell and there is intimacy involved. What a strange experience this is for Brodie. Because remember, Brodie is inside the body of Suzie, she is in charge and Brodie is just a passenger. Dell speaks to Suzie and is vague with his answers on if Eugene Della Cruz killed Brodie's wife Marla. Suzie (coached by Brodie) cuts to the chase and wants some answers on Eugene and Project Jameson. Dell discovers that Suzie is Brodie and a mega-fight ensues. When all is said and done, it's discovered that Eugene and Superintendent Palmer are behind these heinous crime acts. To solve this mystery, Brodie will have to enter another body and when he does that, it becomes only more dangerous for Brodie, will his mind be able to maintain? Brodie's Law is hard hitting drama that intensifies on each turning of the page!! A highly recommended read! _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [14] My View David LeBlanc ComicBkNet@aol.com David LeBlanc is the Editor of the Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine; which won the prestigious Eagle Award for Favorite Comic Book Ezine in 2001. 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 live in a suburb of Worcester, MA and David works part-time at That's Entertainment, the Eisner-winning Comics and Collectibles store. David's favorite motivational phrase is: BEHOLD THE TURTLE, HE ONLY MAKES PROGRESS WHEN HE STICKS HIS NECK OUT! ROB HANES ADVENTURES #7 32 pages, black & white, color cover, $2.95/$3.65 CAN by Randy Reynaldo WCG Comics WCGcomics@wcgcomics.com www.wcgcomics.com Taking a break from the multi-issue spy adventure plots, Randy is moving to more tightly written, self-contained adventures. This issue is in the style of a classic who-done-it. Rob Hanes is visiting friends in England and gets stranded in a mansion with other guests due to the weather. When the patriarch is attacked and nearly killed Rob is asked to investigate. As you can imagine, everyone has either an alibi or a reason to try and kill Lord Henry. The cast is an interesting mix from the two aunts named Agatha, to an Italian entrepreneur and his valet, to Rob's friend Lorelei and her brother Hugh - the grandchildren of Lord Henry, to the family lawyer, the local police inspector and an international bond trader. While only an attempted murder mystery, the story is still fast paced with lots of possible reasons to suspect some of the above people. The bond trader wants to marry Lorelei but she loves another. The Italian was with Rob at the time of the attack, but what about his valet? Brother Hugh can't get his trust fund money while grandfather is alive. And so it goes. Randy has a nice style that is easy to follow. With a good number of characters involved the faces and body types should be noticeably distinct and unique, and they are. He has the art of sequential story telling mastered right down to the lettering. It is an engaging story that keeps you guessing until the revelation is made and things work out. There is even an added surprise at the end to end with a laugh. The whole thing is truly a "great adventure" and worth your time and money. _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [15] New Comic Book Releases List [NCRL] by Charles LePage chuck@comiclist.com http://www.comiclist.com New Comic Book Releases List for Wednesday, 02/09/2004, 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 DARK HORSE COMICS Apocalypse Nerd #1, $2.99 Shi Ju Nen #3 (Of 4), $2.99 Trigun Anime Manga Vol 1 TPB, $14.95 DC COMICS Adventures Of Superman #637, $2.50 Authority Revolution #5 (Of 12), $2.95 Batman Gotham Knights #62, $2.50 Batman War Games Act One TPB, $14.95 Birds Of Prey #79, $2.50 Books Of Magick Life During Wartime #8, $2.50 Catwoman #40, $2.50 Doom Patrol #9, $2.50 Ex Machina #8, $2.95 Hawkman #37, $2.50 Hellblazer All His Engines HC, $24.95 Human Target #19, $2.95 JLA Classified #4, $2.95 Lucifer #59, $2.50 Manhunter #7, $2.50 Ocean #4 (Of 6), $2.95 Powerpuff Girls #59, $2.25 Promethea #32, $3.95 Promethea Variant Edition #32, $49.95 Son Of The Gun Vol 2 Saint TPB, $17.95 Space Ghost #4 (Of 6), $2.95 Tom Strong #31, $2.95 Trigger #3, $2.95 IMAGE COMICS Amazing Joy Buzzards #2, $2.95 PVP #14, $2.95 Ultra #7 (Of 8), $2.95 MARVEL COMICS Astonishing X-Men #8, $2.99 Cable Deadpool #12, $2.99 Daredevil #70, $2.99 Daredevil Redemption #2 (Of 6), $2.99 Livewires #1 (Of 6), $2.99 Marvel Age Spider-Man Team Up #5, $2.25 Marvel Masterworks Daredevil Vol 3 New Ed HC, $49.99 Marvel Masterworks Daredevil Vol 3 Var Dust Jacket, $54.99 New Invaders #7, $2.99 New X-Men #10, $2.99 Official Handbook Marvel Universe Marvel Knights 2005, $3.99 Runaways #1 (Of 12), $2.99 Sabretooth Open Season TPB, $9.99 She Hulk #12, $2.99 Spectacular Spider-Man #25, $2.25 Stormbreaker Saga Of Beta Ray Bill #2 (Of 6), $2.99 Wolverine #25, $2.25 X-Force #6, $2.99 X-Men Phoenix Endsong #1 Poster, $5.95 WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT Toyfare Batman Thing Movie Cvr #92, $4.99 Toyfare Giant Sized X-Men Tribute Cvr #92, $4.99 Wizard Anime Insider Cowboy Bebop Cvr #20, $4.99 Wizard Anime Insider Steam Boy Cvr #20, $4.99 assorted Archie & Friends #89, $2.19 Bag Of Anteaters #1, $2.95 Betty & Veronica Double Digest #131, $3.59 Comic Shop News #922, AR Cosmic Guard #6, $2.99 Donald Duck And Friends #325, $2.95 Dork Tower #30, $2.99 First King Adventure Manga Vol 2 TPB, $9.99 Gadirok Manga Vol 2 TPB, $9.99 Gamerz Heaven Manga Vol 2 TPB, $9.99 Gate Manga Vol 1 TPB, $9.99 Gunparade March Manga Vol 3 TPB, $9.99 Hardy Boys #3, $2.95 Janes World Vol 3 TPB, $15.95 Level C Vol 1 GN (adult), $9.99 Masca Vol 1 GN, $9.99 Mickey Mouse And Friends #274, $2.95 Ps238 #10, $2.99 Queen & Country Declassified Vol 2 #1, $2.99 Seamonsters & Superheroes #8, $2.95 Simpsons Comics #103, $2.99 Udon Darkstalkers #2 2nd Prtg, $2.95 World Of Narue Book 4 GN, $9.99 Zzim Vol 1 GN, $9.99 ComicList for the foreseeable future... TITLE OLD NEW DARK HORSE COMICS B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs TP 01/26 02/23 Babes, Beasts, & Brawn: Sculpture of the Fantastic TP 12/15 03/16 Catwoman: When in Rome #4 01/26 02/23 DC Comics Classic Animation Maquette Series: Superman 02/02 03/09 Don Bluth Vol. 1: Art of Animation Drawing TP 01/26 04/20 Eisner/Miller TP 12/15 03/16 El Zombo Fantasma Vol. 1 TP 01/26 02/23 Kotobukiya Chewbacca Vinyl Model Kit 03/23 04/27 Kotobukiya Yoda Soft Vinyl Model Kit 03/09 04/06 Manga Darkchylde #2 03/02 03/30 Pete Von Sholly's Morbid Vol. 2 TP 02/23 03/30 Robin #135 02/16 02/23 Samurai Executioner Vol. 4 TP 02/09 02/23 Shi Ju Nen #4 12/01 03/16 Star Wars Tales Art/Photo Cvrs. #23 03/09 03/23 Star Wars Tales TP Vol. 5 TP 01/26 02/23 Star Wars: Obsession #4 02/16 02/23 DC COMICS Catwoman: When in Rome #5 02/23 03/30 Contemporary TT Ser. 2 AFs: Brother Blood/ KF/ SB 01/26 02/23 Contemporary TT Ser. 2 AFs: Master/Inner Case 01/26 02/23 Devlin Waugh: Red Tide TP 02/16 03/02 Green Lantern: Rebirth #5 02/23 03/23 Skizz TP 02/09 02/23 Superman/Batman #18 02/16 03/09 Terra Obscura Vol. 2 #6 02/16 03/09 Vertigo: Destiny Mini-Bust 01/12 03/16 IMAGE COMICS MARVEL COMICS Astonishing X-Men #10 03/23 04/20 Astonishing X-Men #9 02/23 03/23 Avengers Assemble Vol. 2 HC 03/16 03/23 Captain America #4 02/23 03/02 Combat Zone: True Tales of G.I.s in Iraq #1 02/16 03/02 Combat Zone: True Tales of G.I.s in Iraq #2 03/09 03/23 Combat Zone: True Tales of G.I.s in Iraq #3 04/06 04/20 Doctor Spectrum #5 (MR) 02/09 02/23 Doctor Spectrum #6 02/09 03/09 Exiles Vol. 9: Bump in the Night TP 03/03 03/09 Fantastic Four Vol. 2 HC 02/23 03/02 Iron Man #3 01/26 04/13 Kabuki #4 (MR) 03/02 03/30 Kabuki Hughes Cvr.+Incentive #4 (MR) 03/02 03/30 Spider Man/Human Torch #2 02/16 02/23 Spider-Man: India #4 02/16 02/23 Strange #4 02/16 02/23 Supreme Power #16 (MR) 03/23 04/27 Ultimate Fantastic Four #16 02/23 03/02 Ultimate Nightmare #5 02/09 02/23 Uncanny X-Men #456 02/16 02/23 Wha ? HUH?! 02/09 02/23 What If Vol. 1 TP 02/23 03/02 Wolverine: The End TP 12/29 02/23 X-Men: Complete Age of Apocalypse Epic Book 1 TP 03/02 03/30 _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ [16] HYPE! & LINKS Section Various THIS WEEK'S LINKS These are the website URLS to the regular items that are usually here every week or two: World Wide Web Home Page-->> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet Yahoo Group CBEM http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag WEB EDITION at -->> http://www.digitalwebbing.com/cbem Trivia sponsors: Discount Comic Book Service http://www.dcbservice.com That's Entertainment http://www.thatse.com News: Diamond Comics http://www.diamondcomics.com Marvel http://www.Marvel.com DC Comics http://www.dccomics.com The PULSE http://www.comicon.com/pulse/ Comics Continuum http://www.comicscontinuum.com/ Newsarama http://www.Newsarama.com/ X-Fan http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/ The Comic Wire http://www.comicbookresources.com/ ICV2 http://www.ICV2.com The SCOOP! http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/ Alternative Comics http://www.indyworld.com/altcomics All The Rage http://www.SilverBulletComicBooks.com Lying in the Gutters http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/ Columns: New Comics Releases http://www.comiclist.com Paul Howley http://www.thatse.com X-Fan Reviews http://www.comixfan.com/xfan Paul Dale Roberts http://www.jazmaonline.com/ Richard Vasseur http://www.jazmaonline.com/ Michael Vance http://www.starland.com/sus Mark Allen Jonathan A. Gilbert http://www.twmgrafix.com Sarah Haslett http://www.HeroRealm.com http://www.geocities.com/silva_shado Alex Ness http://www.Popthought.com +++++ Title: BOSTON BLACKIE: Inside Out" Story: Stefan Petrucha Art: Chris Burnham Cover: Dave Dorman 48pgs, b/w, mature readers, $4.95 The suave safe-cracker returns! A woman from BOSTON BLACKIE's past comes to him for help. Her son is sitting on death row for a murder she knows he did not commit. Quickly getting himself some short time for a job any fool could sleepwalk through, BLACKIE finds that the rotten warden may have a hand in the man's execution. What is he hiding, and why does he fear the work of the nebbish criminologist? More importantly, can BLACKIE tie all these frayed ends together before an innocent man is, as the mugs say, "WESTINGHOUSED"? Another Tale dripping with Noir, with a painted Dave Dorman cover! Title: REVISIONARY #1 Story: Paul D. Storrie Art: Eric J 32pgs, b/w, mature readers, $2.95 New series by "Gotham Girl's" Paul D. Storrie & "Rex Mundi's" Eric J ! Making a fortune duping people never bothered Randall Gordon. Not until the TV psychic was given what he never really wanted - true precognition! Haunted by nightmares of the tragedies he doesn't prevent, his 'gift' soon leads him to Vegas and forces him to ante up in a high stakes game of life and death. Problem is, having visions of the future is no guarantee you'll live to see it. Title: BELLE STARR: Queen of Bandits #1 32pgs, grey-toned slick b/w, mature, $2.95 Story: Mark Ricketts Art: Steve Buccellato Cover: David Michael Beck Who Killed Belle Starr? Join ("Iron Man") writer Mark Ricketts & ("Batman: Death & the Maidens") artist Steve Buccellatto, as they spin a whole new kind of solution to one of history's most stirring mysteries! BELLE STARR, infamous lady outlaw of the old west, recounts her life story to an eager journalist. From debutante to debaucher, she paints him an image of a beautiful woman driven bad by hunger and hard men. She moves from town to town, seeking any place to hide from her one true demon. But this night, it has all caught up with her, and she has no choice but to turn and fight. But there's no such thing as a fair fight in the WILD WEST... Title: THE PHANTOM #7 Story: Ben Raab Pencils: Pat Quinn Inks: Ken Wheaton Color: tba Cover: Doug Klauba (this is not the final version of the cover) 32pg, COLOR, PG-13, $3.50 They're back! Ben Raab and Pat Quinn! Now, let the action begin! The deadly SKY BANDITS hijack a plane carrying four millionaires in a daring caper that must be seen to be believed! THE PHANTOM sets a trap for them that they all too eagerly step into. But when the lights go on it's THE PHANTOM who is caught by the beautiful SKY QUEEN! Deep in her lair, a shackled PHANTOM must confront a challenge no SKULL RING could punch it's way out of! +++++ DARK HORSE COMICS FOR MAY Following are Dark Horse Comics' solicitations for May, with information coming from the publisher. ALIENS VS. PREDATOR VOLUME 2: CIVILIZED BEASTS TPB Written by Mike Kennedy, art by Roger Robinson. The new world was an unspoiled frontier perfect for colonization, a virtual paradise of boundless beauty and limitless resources, untouched by human hands...but not untouched, as the unsuspecting colonists soon discovered. Now marooned on a planet infested with the deadliest Alien species ever encountered, the colonists learn firsthand the Law of the Jungle: adapt or become extinct. And a little helping hand couldn't hurt, inexplicably provided by the selfsame Predators who destroyed the colonists' ship and made them prisoners in paradise. Are these extraterrestrial hunters actually showing sympathy for the humans' plight, or do they have something even more monstrous in mind? 96 pages, $6.95, in stores on June 29. BILLY THE KID'S OLD-TIMEY ODDITIES #2 Written by Eric Powell, art by Kyle Hotz. After a long journey across the ocean, Billy the Kid and Finneas Sproule s band of sideshow performers find themselves in a creepy European village