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| << November06, 2004 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 496.4 |
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------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/bGIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> +++++ Marvel Sues Disney Over Comic Rights By ALEX VEIGA The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) - Comic superhero stable Marvel Enterprises Inc. has sued The Walt Disney Co., claiming the entertainment giant never had legal rights to make animated television programs based on comic book characters such as ``Spider-Man'' and ``X-Men.'' In the suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court, Marvel accuses Disney of copyright infringement, fraud and unfair competition stemming from Disney's distribution of animated episodes of Marvel characters. ``Disney does not have the right to distribute and profit from Marvel's animated programming,'' the suit states. ``Disney's continued telecasts over the ABC Family Channel and its other acts of exploitation infringe Marvel's copyrights.'' New York-based Marvel said it entered into exclusive licensing agreements with companies that were eventually acquired by Disney, but never directly extended those rights to create or distribute programs based on Marvel characters to Disney. Under copyright law, Disney needed to obtain written consent from Marvel before taking over rights originally licensed to the other companies, the suit contends. The licensing agreements at issue in the lawsuit were made before Disney acquired Fox Family Worldwide in 2001. Made-for-television episodes of ``Spider-Man,'' ``X-Men'' and ``The Incredible Hulk'' were made in the late 1990s. ``Disney never had the rights (to) the properties in the first place and we're claiming our rights back,'' Marvel attorney Carole Handler said Tuesday. In the lawsuit, Marvel also reiterates charges made in a separate suit filed in July that Disney owes it millions of dollars in royalties stemming from the animated superhero series. Marvel is seeking an unspecified amount of money for copyright infringement and other compensatory and punitive damages. Disney, based in Burbank, did not return calls for comment Tuesday. In the July case, Marvel sued Disney in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking nearly $55 million in unpaid royalties and other damages. Disney responded to that lawsuit by asking the court to order arbitration. A decision is pending, Handler said. +++++ From THE PULSE by Heidi MacDonald and Jennifer Contino at: http://www.comicon.com/pulse/ MARVEL Vs. DC: IT'S IN THE CARDS BY JENNIFER M. CONTINO If you've ever wanted to take some of your favorite characters from both the Marvel and DC Universe and team them up to battle evil as you see fit, it's in the cards from Upper Deck. In their recent Vs. System, a collectible card game, players can take heroes from both worlds and pit them against threats. It doesn't matter if Superman and Cyclops might never meet in the comics, they could be two of the heavy hitters in your deck. Lead Game Designer Mike Hummel and Associate Game Development Manager Mark Irwin told THE PULSE although they started with some "iconic teams in the two universes" it might be just a matter of time before other favorite characters make their way onto a card or two. For those unfamiliar with the Vs. System, Hummel described the gist of the workings. "The Vs. System is a Trading Card Game (TCG) engine designed to simulate epic Superhero battles. Currently two games have released using the Vs. System game engine: The Marvel TCG and DC Comics TCG. Instead of the card backs being branded to a specific game (Marvel/DC), they have a generic Vs. System logo. This allows a card from one comic universe to be used in decks with cards from a different comic universe." "As an overarching game engine, the Vs. System allows for potentially any comic license to be incorporated into the brand," continued Hummel. "It was developed by some of the top earning TCG pro-players currently competing and hosts an annual one- million dollar pro-circuit tour. The game rules support multiple tournament formats and the card art was created by some of the top artists in the industry." Many game creators and designers worked together to come up with this system. Hummel credited "Game Design: Matt Hyra, Danny Mandel, Edward Fear. Additional Game Design: Ted Adams, Jeff Donais, David Hewitt, and Kevin Tewart." as having a hand in making this game look and play as well as it does. "Team based mechanics are one of the core focuses of game play," continued Hummel. "As a starting point, we selected characters [from Marvel and DC] that were members of some of the most iconic teams in the two universes. That said, Upper Deck has a long-term commitment to the game and it is only a matter of time until a specific character will find itself in the game." Hummel said for the short amount of time the game has been in play, it's been received "amazingly well. New player interest has been nothing short of mind-boggling for being on the market for such a short period of time. The game has received glowing reviews in industry magazines and has garnered a few '10 out of 10' ratings." Some of the top comics artists have contributed designs and art for this project. Mark Irwin said he was able to get so many different people to work on these cards because he had connections from his prior work as an inker and art director. "Quite a few artists know I am really into making these cards look as good as can be, and hopefully, some of my passion for that gets them excited about the project," he said. "I also think when they see other great artists working on the set, it gets them motivated to be included in the process." He explained it was important to have established and accomplished artists working on this for several reasons. "Legitimacy, as well as great art," Irwin began. "It's important to show the fans out there that we care about the art as much as we care about game play. That's why you'll see a veritable Who's who of comic artists doing these cards. It's also fun to use artists of many different genres, as it allows a really diverse fan base to enjoy these cards." For those wondering how many different cards in this system are out so far, Hummel gave us the run down: "Marvel Origins boosters featuring the X-Men, Brotherhood, Sentinels, Fantastic Four, and Dr. Doom. DC Origins boosters featuring Gotham Knights, Arkham Inmates, League of Assassins, and Teen Titans. Web of Spider-Man boosters featuring the Spider-Friends and the Sinister Syndicate. Superman, Man of Steel is the next booster launch for the DC Comics TCG line." Also upcoming boosters include Avengers, JLA, and Green Lantern Corps featuring art by Alex Ross on Avengers and JLA and Andrew Robinson on GL Corps. "The Sneak Preview release for Superman, Man of Steel takes place in early November," Hummel said. "Players attending a Sneak Preview event get a chance to play with the new cards before they go on sale and receive a special promotional card for attending. For information, please go to www.ude.com/sneakpreview. Also, the second Pro Circuit tournament will be held in Southern California in early December. Over a quarter million dollars in prize money will be up for grabs and the first place winner will walk away with $40,000. To see how you can win this money, please check out this link." HOW TO GET TWO COMICS FOR A QUARTER Image Comics announces TWO BITS, at a mere twenty-five cents a copy ORANGE, CA -- November 3, 2004 --Over the last decade, several comic book publishers have released special sample comics of popular franchises at bargain prices - ten cents, fifteen cents, or a quarter. But Image Comics has outdone them all with its upcoming TWO BITS, which features previews of two brand new books - Writer/artist Mike S. Miller's THE IMAGINARIES and LULLABY - for only twenty five cents. "It's an experiment, I'll admit," says Mike S. Miller, who is heading up the production of TWO BITS. "What we've decided to do is offer readers a chance to preview two high quality creator- owned titles at a price that they can pay with their leftover pocket change. We see this as a great way to not only help readers discover these great new books, but also as a means to help retailers create interest in the upcoming first issues of these books and build their base of pre-orders." One of the major incentives, says Miller, is the price. Retailers can order each issue for what equates to low risk and high profit margins. "For the price it costs to order one normal book from a standard publisher, retailers can order over a dozen issues of Two Bits," says Miller. "And, if the books are likely to sell out very quickly," he adds. Miller is especially proud of the all ages nature of both books. "One of the best things about Two Bits is that it's designed to appeal to readers of all ages and tastes," he says. "The Imaginaries is a great superhero story about an imaginary friend whose creator no longer believes in him, while Lullaby is a cool epic about classic literary characters like Jim Hawkins and Alice (from Wonderland) told in a fun manga art style." TWO BITS will feature not only the pencil artwork from both stories, but also several pages of extras exclusive to the preview that will not be reprinted in the first issue of either book. "I'm a stickler for quality and a stickler for value," says Miller. "And Two Bits is designed to provide readers with as much of both as we can cram into those 32 pages. We're confident that retailers who give this book a try are going to be impressed with the results, and we hope that Two Bits will pave the way for other creator-owned titles at Image to introduce themselves to a larger audience." LULLABY and THE IMAGINARIES have been developed by Mike S. Miller and Dabel Brothers Production. More information about each title can be found at http://www.dabelbrothers.com . Visit www.imagecomics.com for more information. NEAL ADAMS SUNDAY SPECTACULAR Neal Adams Sunday Spectacular at NYC's National - Sunday, November 21st! The National Comic Book, Art, & Sci-Fi Show (Nov. 19-20-21) announces a Neal Adams Sunday Spectacular, November 21st! Adams revolutionized comics with his work on Deadman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Superman, and most notably Batman. On Sunday, 2PM Neal Adams will be interviewed by Dark Knight author/artist Frank Miller, discussing his career and the role of the Caped Crusader in American society. In an age of "Pow! Bang! Boom!" kitsch TV, Adams art explored the darker side of the mysterious crime fighter. This hour-long interview, sponsored by the Big Apple Con and NYC's MoCCA (Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art) promises to be the must see comic book event of the year! Later in the day, at the Continuity Press Booth, Adams will announce the winner of his amazing raffle art giveaway. Customers of the Continuity Press (Sat & Sun) will receive a raffle ticket, making them eligible to win an 11"x14" original Neal Adam's art. This incredible piece (pictured above) features a face off between the Dark Knight and his Nemesis the Joker. The National Comic Book Art and Sci-Fi Expo will be held November 19-20-21st (Fri-Sat-Sun), at the Penn Plaza Pavilion, 401 7th Ave. & 33rd St. NY, NY. For more info please Call: 201-865-3288 or visit:www.bigapplecon.com To learn more about Neal Adams, please visit: www.nealadams.com WIZ TEXAS '05 BEYOND THE DCU BY DAN WICKLINE The Wizard World Texas, Beyond the DCU panel let out a little while ago. Several new projects for both the Vertigo and WildStorm Universe were discussed as moderator Patty Jeres tried to keep Jim Lee, Andrew Sumner, and Alex Sinclair on track. Jeres said this panel is "unique because it would show the diversity of the line with no Bullet comics." One of the first things mentioned was the appearance of Paul Revere in The Authority. Jim Lee said he was really enjoying the artwork of Dustin Nguyen on this title. "I'm continually proud of Dustin's work and I think this is kick ass stuff," enthused Lee. Razor's Edge written by John Ridley and drawn by Simon Bisley is the first in an ongoing series. The first part Warblade began last week. The next part is going to be written by Ed Brubaker and feature art by Jason Pearson. It will come out in 2005 and be called Red Bird. A new Majestic series is beginning soon. The first issue guest- stars Superman but the appearances by DCU heroes will be few. There will, however, be many appearances by some of the characters in the WildStorm Universe. The story begins with Majestic investigating the disappearance of all life on earth. Although there weren't a lot of details beyond that revealed, Jim Lee made the comment, "Majestic will play a pivotal role in WildStorm's plans for 2006." The panelists also confirmed that Warren Ellis is finished writing all the scripts for Ocean and said if there are any delays in its production it will not be because of the writer. A new WildStorm book coming out in February is Legends. It's written by Howard Chaykin and features art by Russ Heath. The story is adapted from a Philip Wylie novel that's in the public domain called "Gladiator." It's a four-part miniseries. Alex Sinclair said, "A book like this makes all the headaches of being an editor go away." Andrew Sumner was on the panel to talk about the IPC deal with DC and revealed a little about some of IPC's other plans. Sumner spoke about the upcoming book Albion. He said, "This project was the equivalent of the British Comics Silver Age and featured the classic characters from all the British IPC books. He also explained how this all came together at the Los Angeles convention last year when he met Bob Wayne." The word "Albion" is the mythical name for England from the writings of Thomas Blake. Sumner said, "This is the biggest UK comics deal of the last 20 years." Working on Albion are writers Alan Moore, Leah Moore, John Reppion, artist Shane Oakley, and Dave Gibbons on the covers. During the Q and A session he also revealed they had made a deal with Titan Books to publish archive editions of the IPC series. There is another CMX titles going to debut in February. It's called Tenjho Tenge. Sinclair said response to the manga line has been very good. "We are getting more and more manga stories brought to us and many people are trying to get us to do manga; so it seems our manga has been very well received." Another WildStorm project praised by several panelists was Ex Machina. "This is WildStorm's breakout book of the year and its gaining readers each issue," said Jeres. "We publish books that should sell more than they do," explained Lee. "So it's really nice to see one do really well and that's all thanks to our readers!" The Humanoids universe was discussed a little. There is an upcoming Incal miniseries that is "A great starting point for anyone who wants to get into the Metabarons Universe," Sinclair said. "This is a great example of DC's commitment to global diversity." It's a story that tells the beginning of the whole thing, where the Incal comes from, and how it ends up with John Difool, the star of this tradepaperback. The story is created by Moebius and Alexandro Jordorowsky. There is some upcoming projects for Humanoids that include works by Geoff Johns, Butch Guice, and Jamal Igle; but not a lot of details were revealed. There wasn't a lot of new projects announced at the Vertigo portion of the panel, but some more details of Neverwhere were made known. It will be a nine issue miniseries written by Mike Carey and drawn by Glen Fabry. About the new creative team on Swamp Thing, Jeres conveyed a message from Vertigo's Karen Berger, "Josh Dysart was born to write Swamp Thing!" His first arc features the return of Arcane. Jim Lee proved he's not just a great artist, but also a good actor when the Constantine trailer didn't work. Lee acted it out on his own for the crowd. He moved around and explained, "First he's fighting a lot of demons, then he sees something and went 'whoa!'" Then there was a quick Question and Answer session. [Note: The Q and A went fast and Dan tried to get as many details from it as possible, but some things might be paraphrased.] QUESTION: When would there be a sequel or more to I AM LEGION from Humanoids? ANSWER: [Alex Sinclair] The book will be released on an annual basis. QUESTION: Will there be any more Gen13? ANSWER: [Jim Lee] There's going to be huge things in 2006 for WildStorm. [He hinted that Gen13 would be part of it and that he will be doing a lot with WildStorm in 2006 but he has a lot of commitments to the DCU in 2005.] QUESTION: Would Majestic be in the DC or WildStorm Universe? ANSWER: It will be in WildStorm universe. Superman will guest star and other DCU characters will be in it a little, but there will be WildStorm heroes guest staring a lot. QUESTION: What about the rumor that Morrison and Lee are doing an ultimization of the Justice League? ANSWER: [Jim Lee] It's not happening. QUESTION: Regarding Humanoids and IPC, if DC's stable of artists and writers would be accessible to those editors' even the ones under exclusives? ANSWER: If something based on story would be a good fit for one of them, then yes they would look at it; but they won't use them just to boost sales or anything like that. QUESTION: Is there a zero issue or anything planned for the IPC? ANSWER: [Sumner] IPC made a deal with Titan to produce archives of the original works starting next year. QUESTION: Jim, will there be any more collaborations with Alex Ross? ANSWER: [Lee] I enjoyed doing it and it is very likely. +++++ From the Comics Continuum at http://www.comicscontinuum.com/: THE SEVENTH SHRINE Amidst publishing problems, hitches and delays, the Dabel Brothers have maintained one thing: Their storybook edition of Robert Silverberg's The Seventh Shrine will hit the shelves in the very near future. The first issue of the the two-part Seventh Shrine mini-series will reach stores on Jan. 19 from Image Comics. Robert Silverberg, a multi-Hugo and Nebula award-winning author, has penned hundreds of short stories, novels and collaborations in his 50-year professional writing career. Dabel Brothers Production (DB Pro) will be adapting the short story "The Seventh Shrine," a follow-up to the novels Lord Valentine's Castle and Valentine Pontifex, into an illustrated storybook format featuring paintings by artist Anders Fin???r. After the mini-series, The Seventh Shrine republished later on in a complete storybook volume. "Working with a writer of the caliber of Mr. Silverberg is both an honor and a privilege," said Les Dabel, New Business Director and Vice President of DB Pro. "We're tremendous fans of his writing, and we're excited to see the world of Majipoor brought to life in such vivid detail." "Most writers just string together action sequences and space them out with a little bit of description and exposition," said Sean Jordan, editor of the adaptation of The Seventh Shrine. "But not Mr. Silverberg. His writing style is almost overwhelming to new readers because it's so detailed and immersive. I've always relished the adventurous feeling of the Majipoor stories because the writing works very, very hard to place the reader in an alien world where violence and warfare are almost nonexistent. The conflict is psychological, political, and cerebral before it ever gets physical." SPIDER-MAN, MIB2 ON FOX Fox has announced it will have the world broadcast premieres of two comics-inspired movies during the November sweeps. The first Spider-Man movie -- starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe -- will be broadcast on Thursday, Nov. 25 from 8-10:30 p.m. (ET/PT) as Fox stretches its prime-time hours on Thanksgiving night. Here's how Fox describes the movie: "A bite from a genetically engineered spider turns Peter Parker into a Spider-Man with superhuman abilities. Is even the amazing Spider-Man able to juggle a new job at the local newspaper, battle the evil Green Goblin and win the affections of his beautiful classmate, Mary Jane Watson?" Men in Black 2 -- starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Rosario Dawson and Laura Flynn Boyle -- will be broadcast on Saturday, Nov. 27 from 8-10 p.m. (ET/PT). Here's how Fox describes the movie: "Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are back in black as scum- fighting super-agents Kay and Jay on a mission to save the world from a total intergalactic disaster." Both films were released in theaters in 2002 from Sony/Columbia. GRIMJACK'S RETURN IDW Publishing has announced that not only is it collecting the entire run of over 80 issues of GrimJack, the classic First Comics book, it is also publishing a brand-new, six-issue mini- series. The Legend Of GrimJack: Volume One by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman kicks off the quarterly reprint volumes. The first 128-page collection, presented in both a trade paperback edition and a deluxe, signed hardcover, starts off the stories from First Comics' Starslayer #10-18. The initial volume concludes with the 28-page crossover with Mike Grell's swashbuckler, Starslayer. Ostrander and Truman also provide eight entirely new pages, plus unpublished art, introductions and a painted cover from Truman, all created under the auspices of original series editor Mike Gold. "These stories have everything that's essential about GrimJack -- the setting, the concept, most of the supporting cast, the tragic backstory, the action, and the underlying sense of humor - - that made the character what he was," Ostrander said. "This was the ground floor and created a demand that quickly kicked Gaunt into his own book. There's no better place to start." GrimJack: Killer Instinct, the six-issue mini-series, will launch in January. In this brand-new adventure by Ostrander and Truman and featuring John Gaunt, there's a firefight in The Pit and GrimJack is in the middle of the conflagration. His friends at Cadre have hired a beautiful vampire assassin to take him out. How does GrimJack save his neck -- and who winds up in possession of Munden's Bar, the nexus of all realities? "Working on Grimjack is like coming home from a long war in a foreign land with a lot of new experiences under your belt and a ton of good stories to tell," Truman said. +++++ From Newsarama at http://www.Newsarama.com/ THE WB PASSES ON GLOBAL FREQUENCY Confirming what began as a rumor at the start of this week, FrequencySite.com is reporting that the WB has passed on Global Frequency, a television adaptation of Warren Ellis' Global Frequency, published by DC Comics. Things are not dead dead yet, as FrequencySite.com posted a message they had received from the show's executive producer, John Rogers: "You can make it official. The WB has passed on the pilot. However, they've also been real gentlemen and released it back to the studio to be taken elsewhere. Many networks hold onto pilots out of spite, fearing that if it succeeds elsewhere, they'll look bad. Luckily the WB folk value the product over politics." Click here for the full story on FrequencySite.com http://www.frequencysite.com/ POPEYE OFFICIALLY ADOPTS SWEE'PEA It wasn't too long ago that he and Olive Oyl actually got married, and now, Popeye is going to make it official with Swee'pea - er, adoption, not polygamy. According to a release from King Features Syndicate: Popeye will finalize the adoption of Swee'pea in a ceremony hosted by the National Council for Adoption in New York City on Nov. 21. The adoption will also be the focus of that day's Popeye comic strip distributed by King Features Syndicate. A week earlier, on Nov. 14, Popeye artist Hy Eisman will insert a flashback to the 1933 strip in which Swee'pea first appeared. +++++ 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. 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| << November06, 2004 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 496.4 |
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