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------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70 http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/bGIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ALL THE RAGE continues . . . Rich's World Alan Moore and Joe Quesada will appear as supporting characters in Rich Johnston's upcoming comic project with Vicious Circle. Johnston confirmed this detail late in the show. Additionally, Vicious Circle spent a good deal of time at the con looking at prospective artists for the project. However, there's no word yet on if an artist has been found. This Has A "Tales of the Comic Book Industry" Factor of Eight Out of Ten Explaining The Aftermath Devil's Due Publishing officially announced their Aftermath line of superhero titles at the start of the San Diego con. When asked about his latest publishing plans, DDP President, Josh Blaylock replied: The question to me is, "Why not?" How can you not do this? Growing up, I loved superhero comics. Now, I find myself in a position where I'm one of the top ten publishers and I have an opportunity to create a whole new universe of superheroes. That said, we've been publishing comics a few years now, so I know the importance of not overextending yourself and not spending money on the wrong things. But I think the key to this was getting the top writers involved, so that the retailers who see the artwork and like the concepts know that the stories are going to deliver as well. The people I approached were Chuck Dixon, Marv Wolfman, Joe Casey and Ron Marz. Everyone of those guys is taking concepts that I created, which all fit into the same universe (the Aftermath universe) and then fleshing them out and developing the whole universe. They're all in it for the long haul, and we're all really excited about it. The first two books, Breakdown and Defex come out in October. Defex is written by Marv Wolfman. It's a teen superhero book, but Marv has gone to great lengths to give it a different twist than Teen Titans or X-Men. And he's so good at doing the soap opera interaction of the characters. He really knows how to write that stuff. Breakdown is by Chuck Dixon, and he's just cutting loose on this thing. The concept is "What if instead of a normal guy like Frank Castle becoming the Punisher. this guy who has his whole life go to hell. what if that happened to the Flash or Superman? An actual superhero with powers. That guy, who was probably known as a celebrity, becomes this dark vigilante. Blade of Kumori comes out in November. That one is by Ron Marz. It's about a modern day Samurai clan that has survived for years that's gone beyond serving the government of their country because they feel that they are the only ones who are truly serving their country. And in certain cases, they'll serve anywhere in the world if it's an honorable cause. Their top agent is Kumori, who's a superpowered agent. All of those Crouching Tiger and Street Fighter moves. she can do all that. Nobody else can, so she can just whup ass on a whole lot of people. There's also going to be a sort of Romeo & Juliet, crossed lovers subplot knee-deep in the whole thing. Infantry comes out in December. It's written by Joe Casey and with a character who is the "mystery man" of our universe. He's fighting off threats. doing everything a superhero does. But you don't really know what his agenda is. He obviously has some kind of military connection. Instead of following him around, we're introduced to a normal guy. an insurance claims investigator, who's the one secretly called in to investigate a lab, which is littered with dead bodies. Someone has escaped from there, and it's his job to find the guy, determine his MO and try to find out his origin. The one thing that's really important about all of these books is that "decompressed storytelling" is not something we want to do for this universe. If you pick up the first issue of an Aftermath book, you'll know who the character is, what his powers are, what the concept is and you're going to see some multi-layered characters and action. You're going to get your money's worth. We want people to come back for the second issues. And each book is going to stand independent of itself. It's not like you have to read all of these, but they do exist in the same world. This Has A "Recompressed" Factor of Eight Out of Ten There Are No Small Roles, Only Small Gods Jason Rand and Juan E. Ferreyra are teaming up on Small Gods, from Image Comics. The first issue was available at the con, where Rand took the time to expand upon the premise: Small Gods is, to put it simply, a world. It's our world, but with some small, almost trivial differences. and one big one. In the world of Small Gods, psychics are real. And not just the mediums you see on TV, or the oracles you call on the phone. These are people who can see the future; who can read your mind. or rip it to shreds. with their own; who can lift a book. or a car. or a mountain. just by thinking about it. And there are not just a few of them. When Small Gods begins, 1% of the world's population demonstrates psychic abilities to some degree. That's 63 million people. And they're not superheroes.they're just as ordinary as anyone else. There are psychic cops, doctors, plumbers, criminals. hey, I bet there are even psychic comic creators. And even though they're special, they're human and they have the same problems as anyone else. That's why they're "small gods." Small Gods is told in a series of story arcs, with revolving cast members and changing genres. Each arc is basically stand- alone, so you can pick a story up at the start of a new arc and instantly be immersed in the setting. There are some minor links between different stories, but mostly those are just Easter Eggs for regular readers. Some characters are recurring and, of course, their history plays a part in things, but we'll be making sure that even new readers can follow along with summaries of previous events in the comics and online, at http://www.smallgodscomic.com. As I said, the genres also change - from drama with cop and crime facets in the first arc, to action, chase and character in the second, to espionage and dark thriller in the third and more. There should be something to everyone's tastes in there. We're also trying to get backup stories done for most, if not all, of the issues. I'm taking a few more liberties with those, as I'm creating them in conjunction with the artists involved. Not only will they be Small Gods stories, but they'll be what the artists really want to draw as well. For the first arc the backup story, drawn by a good friend and great artist of my acquaintance named Mahmud Asrar, centers on one of the minor characters from that arc. In the second arc, the majority of the backups will be drawn by Aadi Salman (Silent Hill: Dying Inside). Aadi's stories are a series of linked vignettes fleshing out the backgrounds of the arc's main characters. The genre Aadi chose to do that in? Martial arts action. When asked if there was a planned ending for Small Gods, Rand replied: Not yet, there isn't. Seriously, Small Gods is an ongoing comic. There are 63 million psychics in the world, so there are 63 million stories that can be told. Of course, some are going to be more interesting than others, but that still gives us a lot of scope. Right now I have the first 6 arcs written or plotted to some extent. Basically, as long as I have stories to tell, I want to keep telling them. Small Gods #1 hits stores this Wednesday. This Has A "Tell Me What I'm Thinking Now" Factor of Nine Out of Ten Alright, people. That's gonna be it for now, but I'll be back on Sunday. So stay cool. 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 . . . Eddie Campbell's new graphic novel is "The Fate Of The Artist" to be published by Top Shelf is an autobiographical-abscence piece, as Eddie Campbell's character disappears and has to be replaced by stand-ins. I hear rumours that Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman, may have an heir to his estate. Previously thought to have none, this may prove a threat to DC's ownership of the character, and at least see another bunch of lawyers sat at a table thrashing out a deal... Liam Sharp is behind Man Tor Gems, an Epic Magazine style publishing project which will see the cream of comic book talent contributing to high-value anthology series. The people behind "The Red Star" comic have recently been working on Peter Jackson's "Kong" - and the word is that they've put as much effort into "Kong" as into the whole of Middle Earth. But here are a few things to look forward to from Rebellion in 2000AD. September: "Dredd Total War" by Wagner and Flint, "Strontium Dog" by Wagner and Ezquerra, "Asylum II" by Rob Williams and Boo Cook. "Robo Hunter: The Firzt Case" by Grant and Gibson. October: "Lobster Random: Tooth + Claw" by Spurrier and Critchlow. "Faces" by John Higgins and Mindy Newell. November: "Red Seas" by Edginton and Yeowell in November. Rumours of Michael Oeming working on a "1603" sequel to "1602." Garth Ennis is the new writer for "Ghost Rider." Talent Caldwell left Aspen not under the mutual decision it's been painted as. Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon and Jimmy Palmiotti are working on a prequel to the "Punisher" movie, which will be inserted in the Punisher DVD when released. There will be a "Serenity"/"Firefly" comic book from Dark Horse. Alan Moore and Leah Moore's IPC Comic for DC/Wildstorm is the first book for DC Moore's done outside the ABC firewall for a long time. We're talking Steel Claw, Kelly's Eye, House Of Dollman and more. Drawn by Shane Oakley, inked by Sandra Hope with covers from Dave Gibbons. Another old IPC property, "Charley's War" is being reprinted by Titan Books. Warren Ellis will be on set for the entire "Global Frequency" shoot. Directed by Nelson McCormick, he first arc is written by David Slack, the second by Diego Gartenez (of Buffy), the third Ben Edland. Warren will write one episode. Disney approached a number of creators at San Diego about starting a graphic novel line. Coming from Marvel: "Age Of Apocalypse II," an anthology concept/project. Look forward to a bunch of 48 page one shots by Warren Ellis coming out from Image. Howard The Duck will appear in an upcoming issue of "She-Hulk." Marvel seems to be considering the idea that Peter David may well return to the "Hulk" ongoing comic book. Robert Kirkman is writing a new "Marvel Team Up" series. And I hear Marvel intend to expand the "2099" one shots into ongoing series if they're a success. The post-Oeming Thor is no longer going to be written by Neil Gaiman, plans have changed, but expect a new writer announcement soon. While Quesada confirmed the return of Longshot at some point, I hear Marat Mychaels is doing a "Shatterstar" miniseries for Marvel. I understand Laurenn McCubbin ("Rent Girl") started a fight with a street poet. Finished it as well. I understand that WizardWorld is seriously considering launching comics conventions in the UK and Canada. WHAT IS... WHAT IF? Bruce Jones? Brian Michael Bendis? Mark Waid? What is this? Go to http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785115935 _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [5] My Life With Comic Books Paul Howley pmca@together.net [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 three 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. See more about the store online at http://www.thatse.com ] Cast of Characters: Paul: age 38 Mal: my wife Adam: my son Cassy: my daughter MY LIFE WITH COMIC BOOKS: THE HISTORY OF A COMIC SHOP - Part 88 One day in 1993 I received an advertising flyer from a talent agency that represented a large number of celebrities and entertainers. My store manager, Chris, and I looked through the roster of people they were offering but most of them had no connection to our business of selling comic books, toys, and sports memorabilia. There were lots of singers and some old television stars but one name "jumped out" at me. Davy Jones of The Monkees was available through this talent agency! The Monkees was one of my favorite bands from my childhood and I thought it would be such fun to have Davy Jones as a guest at my Worcester store. The Monkees had gotten back together for a highly successful tour from 1986-1987 and I had paid to see them five or six times during that period. Each show was extremely entertaining and the audiences seemed to love these guys. Chris and I weren't sure that our customer base, primarily collectors of comic books and sports memorabilia, would have any interest in seeing an ex-Monkee, but if the price was reasonable enough I would book Davy Jones just for my pleasure. The Monkees were not touring as a group at this time so I thought that perhaps this could be affordable. The talent agency asked me a bunch of questions about what I would want Davy Jones to do at my store. I explained that I wanted him to sign free autographs for my customers. I wanted Davy to be available to "meet and greet" my customers from 10:00 am to noon, and then he'd take two hours for lunch and come back to sign more autographs from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The agent thought that it sounded possible and she quoted me a price for Davy's services. The fee was reasonable enough so I accepted the deal with the conditions that Davy Jones would be responsible for his own transportation and hotel expenses. The agent cleared the appearance with Davy Jones and she sent me a contract that I signed and returned. I now had four months to make this a successful event. Chris and I worked on press releases to send to the newspapers and radio stations in the area and we created a flyer to be sent to the people on my huge mailing list but I wanted to let the general population know about my exciting guest. I decided to advertise his appearance with some "spots" on cable television. A few months earlier, I had been approached by a cable-television advertising sales person (named Sue) when she was trying to sell me on the idea of actually spending some money on television commercials. I explained to her that I was not in the habit of spending any money on advertising. I had built my business over the previous thirteen years by spending about twenty dollars per year on an advertisement in the annual "Comic Book Price Guide." I was not going to be easy to convince that I should buy television commercials. But Sue was very persistent and she presented me with a proposal for a fifty-two week advertising campaign. The cable company wanted me to run seven spots each day and pay thirty-five dollars for each of the thirty-second commercials. They also wanted me to pay for the production of the commercials. Cable companies have over a hundred channels running twenty-four hours per day for which they need to sell commercial time. If they don't sell that space they'll be forced to run a "PSA" (Public Service Announcement) that they won't get paid for. So I "countered" with a quite different suggestion. I wanted them to pay for all production costs. I was only to pay thirty-five dollars for one spot each day in a pre-scheduled time-slot and I would ask them to place ten "free" bonus spots anywhere on the television schedule. I was also only willing to commit to a thirteen-week contract. Sue spoke with her boss and they agreed to my suggested terms. We filmed two different television commercials in my store to show the viewers how huge this space was and to let the public know what types of products we sold. Our first thirteen-week contract was expiring soon when we got the contract for Davy Jones's appearance. Sue convinced the cable company to renew our contract for another thirteen weeks at the same low rate. The cable company created a new commercial to advertise Davy Jones visit and they really did a nice job. They used a little bit of the original theme song from The Monkees television show and some photos of Davy from the mid-1960's to let the viewer know that he was coming to our store to sign free autographs. The commercial ran for three or four weeks before Davy's store appearance and we hoped that the local television audience would be interested in coming to see him. But as we approached the event date, I was surprised (and dismayed) to learn that my loyal customer base seemed uninterested in coming to meet Davy Jones. Next chapter: Could this event be a disaster?! _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [6] O'Shea's Offhand Opinions Tim O'Shea timmito@yahoo.com [Tim O'Shea is an interviewer for www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com These reviews are prepared exclusively for CBEM.] Plastic Man 8 (DC) My five-year old son loves this book. I must be raising my son right. Yes Loki 2 (Marvel) Long-time readers of my work may remember Ron's pick of the week. Ron is my friend who manages the comic book store I've gone to since 1977. Ron's loving this book and Ribic's rendition of Lady Sif is dizzyingly beautiful. Balder's scenes in this issue are wonderfully written by Rodi. Yes Green Lantern 179 (DC) Green Lantern fights Green Lantern. Reader dozes. No JLA 102 (DC) Flash is in turmoil because he couldn't save a person in a fire. So he becomes Super-Fire-Detector Installer and Battery Replacer. I wish I was kidding. Busiek can't join Garney soon enough. Austen's better than what he's producing at present. No Superman: Birthright 12 (DC) Waid and company finish as strong as they started. Yes Guardians 1 (Marvel) Does every kid in a modern comic book have to have divorced or troubled parents? Apparently so. No Planetary 20 (Wildstorm) This book has lost its inertia and my interest. No Sleeper 2 (Wildstorm) Y'know this Brubaker might be around for the long haul. And as long as he writes stories like this, I'm sticking around. Yes Batman 630 (DC) Remind me again why monster version Scarecrow won't remember he was at Wayne Manor and fought old Bats without his mask on? And what is with the Jason Todd obsession? No The Losers 14 (Vertigo) Some folks might consider me daft, but this issue reminded me of an Indiana Jones flick. That's a compliment. Yes Batman Adventures 16 (DC) Tell me again why it's a good idea to end this book? I love Ty Templeton and Dan Slott's Bat universe.. Yes (Buy it while ya can, people) Hawkman 30 (DC) While the story's interesting, this part strikes me as "stretching the tale to make it a trade paperback" syndrome. Maybe Avengers 500 (Marvel) This better be a giant Franklin Richards practical joke. Wake me when they bring Busiek or Waid on board to straighten out this mess. No Fantastic Four 516 (Marvel) Gene Ha's covers, while generic as all covers mandated by Marvel these days, are a sight to behold. I love Waid's FF for the family dynamics, but honestly this plot resolution left me a tad bewildered/wanting. A half-hearted yes The Amazing Spider-Man 510 (Marvel) JMS' writing is as solid as ever, but Deodato's art after JRJr is just too drastic. And who told Deodato that it was a good idea to draw an established supporting cast member in a totally different manner that resembles Robert Redford? Yes (ignoring the art) Astonishing X-Men 3 (Marvel) Whedon treats Beast with more respect/understanding than Morrison did, but the story just doesn't hold my interest enough. No Excalibur 3 (Marvel) Remember the days when they reprinted X-books on a monthly basis. Claremont would do better to reprint the old Excalibur series than what he's unleashing in this book. No Powerless 2 (Marvel) This book smacks of targeting the Earth X audience and I can't muster up the proper interest in it. No (Unless you miss the Earth X vibe) Venom Carnage 1 Why? Why publish the book? Why would Milligan waste his time? Why can't these two useless characters go the way of the Spider Clones? No, a thousand times No. 4 #8 (Marvel Knights) Writing continues to be solid, but Muniz is no McNiven-his Sue looks like an escapee of a Whitesnake video posing as a schoolteacher, while Namor looks like that old villain Jigsaw. Yes (story)/No (art) Rogue 1 I guess someone wants to see a series with Rogue. Rodi does some nice work, but the character and her trappings aren't enough to hold my interest. No (for me at least, you Rogue fans-knock yourself out) _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Suspended Animation Michael Vance MiklVance2@worldnet.att.net [Michael Vance was first published in The Professor's Story Hour chapbook at the age of eleven and became a professional freelance writer in 1977. Vance has been published in dozens of regional magazines and as a syndicated columnist and cartoonist in over 500 newspapers. Among his credits are: "Forbidden Adventure: The History of the American Comics Group," articles for "Starlog," "Jack & Jill" & "Star Trek: The Next Generation". He briefly wrote the comic strip, "Alley Oop" and his own strip for five years called "Holiday Out," that was reprinted as a comic book. Vance also wrote comic book titles including "Straw Men," "Angel of Death," "The Adventures of Captain Nemo," and "Bloodtide". His work has appeared in several comic book anthologies, and he is listed in the "Who's Who of American Comic Books" and "Comic Book Superstars". With novelists Mel Odom and R.A. Jones, he co-wrote "Global Star". He worked in newspapers for twenty-two years as an editor, writer and advertising manager, creating three successful newspaper magazines. Michael Vance is currently communications director of a nonprofit agency, the Tulsa Boys' Home, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a Christian] "A century ago," claims author Jim Vadeboncoeur of Black & White Images, "artists were the media super-stars." This statement from his mag-nificent collection of black and white drawings is true. Wait! Isn't this column limited to comic book and strip reviews? These drawings influenced the first comic strip and book pencillers and inkers, and that is why Black & White Images is being lauded in Suspended Animation. Inside his oversized collection are 300 magazine and book illustrations by over 60 amazing artists. The art inside is reprinted from "the golden era of pen and ink illustration: 1889-1922". Before photographs were easily reproduced and the use of color in print publications was affordable, publishers were hungry for art to satisfy the demand for images, and "stylistic experimentation exploded". The human form was their dominant subject, but nature and architecture were important as well, as was an eye for meticulous detail missing from most of today's print illustrations. You may not recognize names like Charles Dana Gibson, Edwin Austin Abbey or N.C. Wyeth, but comics professionals like Jim Steranko, Alex Toth, and Neil Gaiman who also laud this collection, know them well. Why? The reason these influential illustrators were superstars is their art is stunning, and wise cartoonists seek out the best to emulate. Black & White Images is one of nine issues published to date. Artists and those who love art must own them all. They should not delay; early issues are growing scarce. If enough back issues are sold, it is likely that a tenth will be published, and no other magazine deserves to continue more than this wonderful title. Buy today. This marvelous collection and The Vadeboncoeur Collection of Images (its sister magazine featuring color illustrations) garner the highest recommendation. MV Black & White Images: Second Annual Collection (Images from the Vadeboncoeur Collection) #2/102 pgs. & $20 from JVJ Publishing/various artists and writers with comments by Jim Vadeboncoeur/sold at book stores, www.bpib.com/images.htm, or comics shops. For a list of Vance's stories and comics,query MiklVance@Yahoo.com. _________________________________________________________________ Thanks for subscribing to the Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine (CBEM) --------------------------->Disclaimer<--------------------------- This is an ANNOUNCE only mailing list, only the Editor can send messages to the list. No one else has access to the subscriber list. Replies to these messages will be received by the Editor ONLY, so you must CC: individual contributors if you want them to get your E-Mail. The E-mail to the E-mag MAY be used in future issues at the Editor's discretion UNLESS you specifically request that they not be. It is our policy to withhold names and/or Addresses, by request only, from letters of comment. All contributors are required to use their real name and have a valid Email address for their columns to be published. Send Email comments to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Material for inclusion in the Emag - press releases, solicitations, column submissions, Letters to the Editor, guesses for the trivia contest should be sent to ComicBkNet@aol.com The EDITOR, not the submitter, has final approval and edit rights on ALL material. Printed comic books and advanced copies for review in the Emag should be sent via US Mail or UPS to David L. LeBlanc 84 Heather Circle Jefferson, MA 01522-1419 TO Subscribe send a message FROM the intended address to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-subscribe@yahoogroups.com TO Unsubscribe send a message FROM the address to be dropped to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com You may also unsubscribe from the Egroups Web page at the short cut below. Shortcut URL to the Egroup page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag All contents COPYRIGHT 2004 The Comic Book Network. 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