|
ComicBookNetworkEmag Archives Index
|
|
| << January22, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 507.04 |
January22, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 507.07 >> |
|
+++++ 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 . . . "Iron Man" issue 4, being solicited right now in January's Previews, has been delayed until July 20th. Angel Medina has been drawing a lot of Avengers since Todd McFarlane Productions filed for chapter eleven. "Shadowhawk" will return soon from Image with Jim Valentino plotting guiding CBR Comic Book idol winner and "The Pact" artist Carlos Rodriguez as he breaks out the pencils. Paul Ryan, long time "Fantastic Four," "Flash" and "DP7" artist, has landed a rather fun deal with King Features, drawing the "Phantom" daily newspaper strip. His work begins on the 21st of January. Image's "Forsaken" series is no more, with no issues published after #3. I understand Devil's Due Publishing is canceling the "G.I. Joe" title as of issue #45 (though it could be as early as #44). The book is allegedly going to be relaunched with an all-new continuity and an all-new #1 issue, and writer Joe Casey has agreed to write it. Apparently the Ultimate Longshot is gay. "Evil Ernie," last seen dodging CrossGen's lawyers, will re- emerge in "Hack/Slash: The Final Revenge of Evil Ernie" coming from Devil's Due in July. The Dabel Brothers have signed with Red Eagle Entertainment for licensing, design, comics, and movies and stuff. In March cometh a collection of "Lew Stringer's Brickman," with a new strip and pinup art from some of Britain's star artists - Alan Davis, Ian Churchill, Dave Hine, Hunt Emerson, Mike Collins and Charlie Adlard! _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interviews Richard Vasseur richardv@sympatico.ca Josh Johnson letter on Army of Darkness from Devil's Due Publishing interviewed by Richard Vasseur Vice President-Jazma Online! www.jazmaonline.com Richard: How did you become a letterer of comic books? Josh: I've been working as a Graphic Designer in the Industry for a while and the opportunity to letter the book came a long. I do the book layouts for Dynamite Entertainment and was involved in laying out the AOD books and thought I would give the lettering a try. Everyone seemed to like my AOD lettering so I've been lettering AOD since then. Richard: Is Dark Horse the first comic company you have worked for? Josh: I haven't ever worked for Darkhorse just Dynamite Entertainment. Richard: How long does it take to letter an average page? Josh: It really depends on the amount of sound effects and word balloons per page. I would estimate about 2 pages an hour. Richard: What can you tell us about the comic? Jish: Well if your a fan of Army of Darkness you'll love the comic. It has a campy, horror comedy feel to it just like the movie. The AOD comic series are gonna get funnier and more original in the future. Keep an eye out for more series. Richard: Have you seen the movies? Josh: Yes. I thought the movies were good. I really liked the first one because it scared the hell out of me when I was a little kid. Army of Darkness has a different feel to is compared to the first two movies, It's more comedic. Richard: How closely does the comic try to stay to the movies? Josh: Well it wouldn't be much fun if the books were retelling the original story. The AOD comics have all of the characters from the movies in it but tells a different story with in the world of AOD. There are new character being introduced in the new series AOD Shop Till You Drop Dead. Richard: Do you feel the comic has captured the essense of actor Bruce Campbell in the comics? Josh: I would say it does. From the chin to his sarcastic remarks the book deffinetly captures the essence of Bruce Campbell. Richard: You do the lettering on Army Of Darkness, does it take lots of practice to become good at lettering? Josh: I am still learning new things every time I letter. I can see a difference from the first issue of Ashes 2 Ashes to the last issue of Ashes 2 Ashes. There's always room for improvement. Richard: What future projects do you have in the works? Josh: Ill be lettering the new AOD series Shop Till You Drop Dead. I'm not sure what awaits me after that series. Richard: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? Josh: Hopefully living in Colorado. I went there in March 04 to visit a friend and fell in love with the Mountains. Richard: How can someone contact you? Josh: neko1080@hotmail.com Richard: Any last words of wisdom? Josh: If you really want to do something then do it and stop talking about it. Because you'll never know unless you try it. ************** Julie Staples creator/writer on "From Darkness to Shadow" from Shadow Fox Comics interviewed by Richard Vasseur Vice Pesident-Jazma Online! www.jazmaonline.com Richard: What first got you interested in comic books? Julie: A friend of mine in junior high was a big fan of Uncanny X-Men and we used to read her comics together after school. I got into collecting for a little while after that, and started back into hard core collecting a couple of years ago after seeing the Spider-Man movie. It kind of woke something up in me again and I found myself saying, "Hey, I used to love reading this stuff before.." I've never been the same since. Richard: Can you give us a brief outline of the storyline of "From Darkness to Shadow"? Julie: From Darkness to Shadow breaks into the life of a man named Scott Reilly, who has been the super hero Shadow Fox for the past six years in Philadelphia, PA. The first issue starts with a turning point in his career, where he's forced to take stock of the past six years and not only deal with the consequences of being a super hero, but try to remember why he became what he is today in the first place. The first issue starts with that turning point, the death of his son Chris, and moves on from there to parallel a sort of 'career to date' with what happens after Chris's death in the present. Richard: Shadow Fox the super hero has super powers, how did he get them? Julie: When Scott graduated from college, his life seemed to be pretty set. That is, until his fiancee at the time, Melissa Thompson, was killed while entangled in a genetics project. When Scott went after her killers, he wasn't prepared and was kidnapped. They attempted to kill him too by making him their next test subject, but instead Scott was gifted with impeccable healing abilities that also enhanced his sight and hearing, balance and agility, and gave him the ability to "shadow" (or render himself invisible). From here, Scott went through a period of discovery much like the one he will go through in the comics. He re-evaluated everything that was important to him up until this point and decided to dedicate his life to the service of others. That's how he became Shadow Fox. Richard: How does his shadow power work the ability for him to become invisible? Julie: It's actually a form of psychic projection. He blocks himself off in your mind and makes you believe he's not there. That's the long and short of how it works, but it looks more like him... disappearing, if you will. Hence the term "shadowing". Richard: Is Shadow Fox at all like you? Julie: Scott and I are alike, and yet different, in many ways: he's often what I wish I could be and his faults are often my faults, for instance. But personality wise, he's a conglomeration of many people that inspire me, replete with both their strengths and their weaknesses. Kind of a face put to the ideal that one can have the courage to stand up and sacrifice himself for the good of many, yet still be a human being in the process. Richard: Would you like to have his powers for real? Julie: I think it would have its pros and cons. I'd love to be able to have the ability to do what he does, but sometimes I wonder how I'd deal with his powers on a day to day basis. I'd think it would be overwhelming after a while. Richard: Why have the bo staff as his main weapon of choice? Julie: I love martial arts and studying the weapons and fighting tactics of martial artists. By far I think the bo staff is one of the most underrated weapons used - it looks so simple, but in the hands of someone who can use it, it's poetry in motion. Plus it's deceptive. Because it doesn't look like much, you can't imagine what the hands of a master can make it do until he starts using it. I thought it matched Scott's personality. He's not flashy, but that's very deceptive because he can also be a very formidable force at the same time. Richard: Will we get into the grief Shadow Fox feels over his son's death? Julie: Oh yes, we will, because Chris's death brings out a lot about Scott's strengths and weaknesses. You don't truly know the measure of a man until his back is to the wall and this not only takes him to that point, it also defines the person (and hero) he becomes after the fact. Richard: What do you think of Scottie Watson's sequential art? Julie: Scottie Watson is an amazing artist, and being able to work with him is a truly humbling experience. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would have the pleasure of working with someone as talented and as personable as he is, and I hope we have many issues of collaboration ahead of us. I can't wait to show his art off to others. Richard: You are an avid comic collector so what are your favorites that you enjoy reading now?" Julie: I am a Brian Bendis-a-holic... Ultimate Spider-Man, Daredevil, and The Pulse are three of my favorites. But when I'm not oogling over a Bendis-written book, I'm checking out David Mack's work on Kabuki, Joss Whedon on Astonishing X-Men, and J. Michael Straczynski on Amazing Spider-Man. Richard: Was it hard getting into a male dominated field? Julie: Actually, I haven't noticed one way or the other so far. I guess I set it in my mind early on that it wasn't about me, it was about the stories and the characters, and so I just focus on trying my best to be as good of a writer as I can be. People recognize determination and dedication no matter what gender you are. Richard: How can someone contact you? We have a website at http://www.shadowfoxcomics.com, and people are more than welcome to email me at jstaples@shadowfoxcomics.com Richard: What message would you like to tell any potential readers? That we have an awesome team who are dedicated to making great books. The spirit of those I've worked with and am working with is filled with a passion for comic books. We hope you all enjoy the stories we present and hope we all learn a little something along the way. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [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 Adam Howley: my son, age 17 Cassy Howley: my daughter, age 12 Ken Carson: a "key" employee MY LIFE WITH COMIC BOOKS: THE HISTORY OF A COMIC SHOP-Part 105 Ken Carson had an idea for an event to be held at our larger store in Worcester, Massachusetts. He thought it would be fun to invite some professional comic book artists to come to the store to interact with a group of amateur artists to share information with each other and the "general public." Ken called this event "The Pro-Am Comic Jam." We all discussed the budget and the basic concept of this "Pro-Am Comic Jam." Since this event was going to be rather low- key, Ken was encouraged to plan the whole thing by himself but he had access to any employees that he needed. I was confident that he was up to the task because I had witnessed his expertise when he helped us with other in-store event planning. Although Ken knew that this event could be a fun experience for our loyal comic book customers he envisioned this as more of an "outreach" to the general public. He publicized it through the regular media outlets as we usually did. He also wrote a separate "press release" and mailed and faxed it directly to the art departments of the local schools inviting the teachers and students to come to interact with these artists. He hoped that teachers would encourage their more serious art enthusiasts to attend. Ken had invited and received confirmations from "small press" and local artists Derek Ring, David Tata, Andy Fish, Ted VanLiew, and Memo Salazar. Andy, Memo and Ted had done work for "amateur" comic books (called Fanzines) while David Tata had done some commercial artwork for several interesting products including a series of X-Men illustrated boxes of "Nerds" candy. Derek was a regular customer of my store who created a comic book titled "Monster." He had copies printed locally and we promoted them to our customers and tried to keep these in stock at all times. It wasn't very hard to convince comic fans to try this comic book because it had a well-written story with great artwork. When we would sell our last copy, Derek would bring in a few more. Within a few months it actually outsold most mainstream comic book titles including "The Avengers," "Daredevil," and "The Hulk." To represent the "Pro" part of this event, Ken invited Paul Ryan, artist of "The Flash," "The Fantastic Four," and "Superman" and Randy Buccini who illustrated comic books for "Dark Horse Comics." Paul lived in Massachusetts and he was respected in the comic book industry for his high quality artwork and his ability to meet his deadlines. We knew he was very busy so we were pleased when he agreed to be a "Guest of Honor." By the morning of the event, we had no idea if it would draw a crowd. Many of our regular comic customers told us that they either couldn't attend or they just weren't interested. (This kind of thinking always surprises me. This is a free event! If the customers came, they'd probably enjoy themselves!) As it turned out, we shouldn't have worried about it. Hundreds of "general public" came and had a great time! There were lots of families; mothers and fathers with their teenagers who had some artistic ability that they wanted to share with the professional and amateur artists at our store. All of our guest artists were willing to evaluate and critique these enthusiastic young artists without hurting their feelings. Our guests were also willing to do free sketches for the attendees. It was funny to watch professional artist Paul Ryan get requests to do multiple sketches of Spider-Man even though that's not one of the famous super-heroes that he had done in the comic book industry. We had a few librarians come to the store to see what this event was all about and we had the opportunity to begin long- running relationships with them that continue to this day. Most librarians are eager to support programs that encourage reading of any type of literature, even comic books. This event was a success in several ways. It was a low-cost way to encourage young artists, promote the comic book industry in a positive way to lots of families, and many of the attendees have been regular customers now for quite a few years contributing to our increased store sales. Ken had covered all of the bases. Next chapter: Tragedy strikes my youngest brother. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [7] Lines On Paper Bruce Canwell bruce.canwell@verizon.net [Freelance writer Bruce Canwell is a New England native who has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics. His essays have appeared in TOMORROW SF, THE CORTLAND REVIEW, COMIC BOOK WEEK, the PORTSMOUTH (NH) PRESS, and AMAZING HEROES. In the summer he is often found at Fenway Park; in the winter, he enjoys playing high-stakes poker against really dumb opponents.] Installment 42: Eclipse & Sabre Last time, in the process of recounting my letterhacking days, I dropped the names of several of 'hacks from the '70s (sounds like a title from Time-Life Music, doesn't it?) and also mentioned how my missives appearing in the pages of Marvel Comics caused other fans to contact me. Once, when those two points intersected, the result revived my interest in comics when that interest was at its ebb. Dean Mullaney was one of the most visible of the 1970s Marvel letterhacks. Though I have never met nor directly communicated with him, thirty years ago I felt in sync with his thought process, his outlook on the comics of the day. He was high on the series and creators I was high on; he got critical of certain titles even as I was having the same reaction. For example, I had not followed Jack Kirby from Marvel to DC (with the exception of one issue each of MISTER MIRACLE and FOREVER PEOPLE, neither of which bowled me over), so when The King returned to Marvel to write and draw CAPTAIN AMERICA, my excitement over "Jack's Back!" quickly turned to dismay over Kirby's -- shall we say? --quixotic dialogue patterns and utter lack of characterization. Worse, the CAP letters pages were filled with praise for what Jack was producing, which left me even more confused. Had I suddenly taken a left turn at Alberquerque? Did I simply not Get It? My insecurity ended when I read this Dean Mullaney letter: "Dear Marvel -- re: CAPTAIN AMERICA 200 -- zzzzZZZZZZZZzzzzzz. Good night!" Aside from striking me as tremendously funny, that letter also provided me great relief; Dean's unhappiness validated my own. (I've kept his "zzzzZZZZZZZZzzzzzz" in my own quiver of critical sling-&-arrows; it has served me well throughout the years!). In 1978, an envelope arrived in my mailbox bearing Dean's Staten Island address. Inside was no letter, no personal communication of any sort . . . Inside was something better. The envelope contained a one-page advance solicitation. Dean (with his musician brother Jan) had formed a publishing company called "Eclipse Enterprises," the inaugural release of which was a one-shot titled SABRE, the brainchild of writer Don McGregor and artist Paul Gulacy. Dean was touting SABRE as bigger and better-produced than the standard comic: 8 inches by eleven, black-&-white, 48 pages on heavy stock with a tinted wraparound Gulacy cover. More, this work was being touted as something fresh, different, and more pure that contemporary comics fare, since McGregor and Gulacy were producing their work without editorial guidelines or interference. Of course, "bigger," "better," and "different" also mean "costlier" -- SABRE would sport an eye-popping $6.00-plus-shipping price tag at a time when Marvel and DC titles were still many years away from breaking the dollar-an-issue barrier. Six bucks weren't always easy to come by in 1978, but it did not take long for me to decide I was going to spring for a copy of SABRE. I was a supporter of McGregor's Marvel work from only a few years earlier (KILLRAVEN/WAR OF THE WORLDS and "Black Panther" in JUNGLE ACTION), and from his inaugural "Morbius" story in FEAR # 20, I had spotted Gulacy as a talent, watched him become "hot" as he and Doug Moench turned MASTER OF KUNG FU into a fascinating melange of martial arts and superhero-tinged espionage, then saw him disappear from the monthly comics scene almost as quickly as he arrived upon it. Beyond my interest in new material from Gulacy and McGregor, SABRE appealed to me because so many of my old standbys were looking lackluster. By this time I had been a devoted Marvel reader for over a decade and I was getting a strong sense of "been there, seen it done better" from the line. I was entertaining thoughts of walking away from comics altogether: even the knowledge that Steve Englehart was writing DETECTIVE COMICS was not enough to lure me over to DC. So what the heck? If I decided to get out, I might as well depart while supporting creators whose work I enjoyed, as well as my fellow letterhack- now-neophyte-publisher. I sent off my cheque and one day, after the presses had run, SABRE was awaiting me in my mailbox. I read it immediately and for the first time in a long time, I was energized by a comic. SABRE is set in the year 2020; the story's female lead, Melissa Siren, started life a "test tube fetus" grown in a lab. McGregor's grim future society seems closer to becoming reality today than it did 27 years ago: energy crises, the dumping of toxic waste, world hunger, an increasingly totalitarian government stealing the rights of the citizenry and posing behind a glib media facade (hmmm-m-m-m). When a band of rebels are captured by mercenaries serving a government "Overseer," they are brought to the remnants of a once-major Theme Park to "have all their spontaneity ... all their lusts and quirks cut away under the Overseer's PsychoSurgery." Melissa and Sabre come to their rescue. McGregor describes Sabre himself as, "a roguish anachronism .... He is dedicated to evading and outwitting the power mandates of 2020. They are just as dedicated in their efforts to subdue him (read in certain circles as 'exterminate'). And the Overseers and Controllers have the entire military forces at their bequest." Indeed, before Sabre and his ladylove can free the prisoners and escape the Park, they must face the animatronic cat-man Grouse, mercenary Blackstar Blood, and the sadistic Overseer himself. That's a lot of ground to cover in 38 pages! SABRE worked for me in several ways. As a firm individualist, I bought into Sabre's stance against conformity. The natural coolness of Gulacy's linework played effective counterpoint to the bubbling cauldron of McGregor's prose. And this was a "mature" storyline, by 1978 standards -- not just because there's a carefully-staged page where Sabre and Melissa are making love, not just because Gulacy drew bare breasts and revealed a hint of Melissa's pubic hair in one panel, but because in the story's epilogue, we learn Melissa is pregnant as a result of their tryst, and she is going to remain with the freed rebels while Sabre goes off for further guerilla attacks against Authority. I suspect such an ending would no longer play in our sharing-caring 21st Century, but in 1978, when Women's Liberation was still much in the news, it struck the right chords. Best of all, SABRE reminded me of the POTENTIAL of comics. Surely if I exercised patience, the wheel would turn and my old standbys would once again start hitting the high notes . . . As a result of reading SABRE, I decided to stay the course with comics. That is why I was around to see the ascension of '80s talent like Frank Miller and Walter Simonson, and why I got the chance to immerse myself in reprints of the classic newspaper strips (THIMBLE THEATRE, FLASH GORDON, TARZAN, TERRY & THE PIRATES, and more) as they became available. Hey, I even migrated to DC when Jim Shooter pushed the likes of Marv Wolfman, Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, and Doug Moench out of Marvel. Of course, I was also still around when, primarily encouraged by the success of SABRE, "independent" publishing mushroomed. First Comics offered JON SABLE, GRIMJACK, and Howard Chaykin's bold AMERICAN FLAGG!; Pacific produced Dave Stevens's ROCKETEER and a home for Jack Kirby's latter-day creations . . . and Eclipse Enterprises spent many years as a top player in the industry, serving up RAGAMUFFINS and "The Foozle" and AZTEC ACE and many, many other fine series. Those of you who wonder why I am here taking up this space every two weeks need wonder no more. It's because Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy and most of all, Dean Mullaney, released a book called SABRE. And SABRE convinced me that, even when things look dark, Better Days lie ahead. _________________________________________________________________ ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rkgkPB/UOnJAA/Zx0JAA/bGIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 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 2005 The Comic Book Network. This messages may be reproduced only in its original form, and in its entirety for non-commercial purposes. Contact the original author(s) or the Editor for permission to use individual items. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookNetworkEmag/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ComicBookNetworkEmag-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ |
|
| << January22, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 507.04 |
January22, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 507.07 >> |
|
ComicBookNetworkEmag Archives Index
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on ComicBookNetworkEmag |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |