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| << May14, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 523.01 |
May14, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 523.03 >> |
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------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/S.QlOD/3MnJAA/Zx0JAA/bGIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> +++++ Free Comic Book Day 2005: "This was amazing." May 9, 2005 "It was outstanding. We did a week's worth of business in a day." "Our best ever sales in the 2 years we've been in business" "We entered into it cautiously. That was a mistake." "Business was about 4 times a normal Saturday" "Though we're not closed yet...we've already exceeded any Saturday we've done at our new location." On FCBD 2004, the folks at Kingdom Comics in Veslavia Hills, Alabama stopped counting customers after 600, co-owner Stan Daniel told Diamond Daily. But in 2005? "Our guy counting this year stopped at 850 before 1:00 pm." Why did he stop? Because the store was so packed and had so many visitors that at one o'clock it ran out of FCBD 2005 comics! "We had to restock the shelves with leftovers from last year," Daniel recounts, "which almost lasted another hour. We then began using excess store stock. Others who were volunteering at our event insist we easily saw a thousand or more people through the store by 5 pm. It was outstanding. We did a week's worth of business in a day (compared to the successes last year!). This was amazing. Our local 501st Imperial Stormtrooper Legion was on hand and it was like a mini-con. The effort and planning (about 6 to 7 months worth) was well worth it. Our biggest complaint was that we weren't able to move around the store with everyone there to restock as quickly as we wanted -- as you can imagine, I am willing to live with that problem!" Sydney Walton from Collector's Dream in Tavares, FL reports: "What a GREAT day!! We had our best ever sales in the 2 years we've been in business!! We had a couple of comic book professionals here signing autographs (thank you Jerry and Jay!!), a storewide reduction sale, door prizes, free soda, HeroClix tournaments, and, of course, TONS of free comics and other swag!!! We also had, straight from the Death Star.....Darth Vader himself. He was a hit with the kids!! All in all, not a bad day.....can't wait until next year!!" In Alberta, Canada, Jay Bardyla of Happy Harbor Comics & Toys admits that he may have underestimated the potential of the event: "...we were very unsure about how big the day would end up being. Our file customer base didn't seem too excited either so we entered into it cautiously. That was a mistake. "Our special guest Andrew Foley, writer by trade but a very capable artist, had a very steady day of making sketches for a handful of the 350-375 people that came through our doors. Quite a step up from the normal 20-30 people we see on a typical Saturday....by 2 pm we were pulling out last years stock just to be able to give people something. Still, everyone was happy. "Moms who had no idea comics were still for kids and that comic stores could be fun for them as well left with smiles and many thanks. In the end, we could have not asked for a more rewarding day. We have found dozens of new comics fans." From Comic Relief's new location in Berkeley, CA, Rory Root reports a successful day: "At times, the line wrapped from our back counter around our Fiction/Lit/Alternative comics bins all the way to our information station (in the middle of our huge new location) four deep, and at others it was a concentrated frenzy around our back counter. Couples, kids, and fans of all ages came in to see about these so-called 'free comics,' and everyone left satisfied. We at Comic Relief are satisfied with the scattered remnants of our once-proud Free Comic Book Day table setup, but happier still at the hundreds of new readers who have discovered the joy of comics." It wasn't just store traffic that was up, either. Root report that sales were up, as well, "an aspect of FCBD we've come to expect. Though we're not closed yet, and won't be closed until 10pm, we've already exceeded any Saturday we've done at our new location." At Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff in Concord, CA, FCBD Originator Joe Field sent in a midnight missive on the event: More than 1,000 people came through Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff on FCBD '05. A full third of those visitors had never been here before! Business was about 4 times a normal Saturday, but the story of the day was all the dedicated Moms coming to FCBD on their special weekend. Moms accounted for 20% of our FCBD attendance!" Joe Ferrara of Santa Cruz, CA's Atlantis Fantasyworld was quick to point out that his FCBD was a hit, too: "Free Comic Book Day was loads of fun. Bill Morrison signed over 300 copies of the Simpsons free comic and did a sketch on each one! Attendance was slightly down from last year but sales were up. Most importantly everyone who came in had a positive experience in a comic book store!" And from across the Pond, Jared Myland of OK Comics in Leeds let us know that regardless of country, FCBD is a hit: "As always Free Comic Book Day was a great success. I was interviewed on local radio in the morning and that exposure seemed to bring in tons of new people. It was one of our busiest sales days ever, many of the people who came for the freebies ended up spending more money on comics than they were expecting to. We seemed to leave people with a positive impression of comics and the diverse range available." For more information, please contact: Russell Bedell, Marketing/Public Relations Associate, Diamond Comic Distributors, 410-427-9297 (bruss@diamondcomics.com) FREE COMIC BOOK DAY is a joint effort of dozens of publishers, thousands of retailers, and Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of English language comics. +++++ HELIOS ART CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED Dakuwaka Productions Selects Talented Artists To Be Published In The Pages Of Helios May 9, 2005, Somerdale, NJ - The Dakuwaka Productions "Helios Fan Art Contest" has come to a close and due to the overwhelming response the judges decided to select two additional winners and include the art of all four in the pages of the upcoming Helios #4. Readers were encouraged to send drawings of their favorite characters with a chance to win prizes for those drawings deemed the best by the panel of judges that included the series creative team of Mike Penny, Jason Rand and Gabe Pena. Originally, one lucky First Prize winner was to see their work published on a full page in the upcoming Helios #4. This person would also receive a copy of the Helios Limited Edition Preview #1 signed by the creative team of Mike Penny, Jason Rand and Gabe Pena, a piece of original art from Helios #1, a Helios/Dakuwaka t-shirt and mini-posters featuring the artwork from the covers to issues #2-#5. The Second Prize winner was to receive a copy of the Helios Limited Edition Preview #1 signed by the creative team of Mike Penny, Jason Rand and Gabe Pena and mini-posters featuring the artwork from the covers to issues #2-#5. Now, along with these two prizes, Third and Fourth Place prizes have been added and the Second, Third and Fourth Place finishers will each get to see their art featured at one-quarter of a page size along with the full page for the First Prize winner's art in the upcoming Helios #4. "The contest was such a rousing success and the art so well done that we decided it was best to add a few additional prizes," said Dakuwaka Productions president and Helios co-creator Mike Penny. "I thought it would be nice to display the Second Place winner's art along with the other runner-ups in the comic. At least that way, they get rewarded for their hard work and get their art shown in Helios. We're so happy with the response and we just want to say thanks to everyone that participated." The contest winners are: First Place: Gibson Quarter - Toronto, Canada Second Place: John Palmer - Bellwood, Illinois Third Place: Craig Salen - Melbourne, Australia Fourth Place: Kell Forbes - Bowmanville, Canada To learn more about Helios and Dakuwaka Productions, log onto their web site: www.dakuwaka.com. About Dakuwaka Productions: Located in Somerdale, New Jersey, Dakuwaka Productions is the publishing home for the political superhero thriller, Helios. The bi-monthly shipping title is the brainchild of Mike Penny and Jason Rand. Helios is planned as a finite series of 30 issues published as individual mini-series. More information on Dakuwaka can be found on their web site: www.dakuwaka.com +++++ May 9, 2005 Zippy the Pinhead, lunch diners lauded Cartoonist, author meet at book signing By Matt Lynch SPECIAL TO THE TELEGRAM & GAZETTE WORCESTER, MA- A hush fell over the small crowd of patrons at That's Entertainment comic shop Saturday as a proclamation was read to the guests at a table in the back of the store. The proclamation, signed by Mayor Timothy P. Murray, declared the day Zippy Comics and Worcester Diners Day. Applause and some light cheers greeted the news. Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy the Pinhead who often uses diners in his comics, and Richard J. S. Gutman, who has extolled the virtues of Worcester diners in numerous publications, paused from chatting with fans to acknowledge the honor. Mr. Gutman and Mr. Griffith, who were at the store for a book signing, had never met in person before but had exchanged correspondence. "Both of us like this quirky roadside stuff," Mr. Gutman said, explaining their connection as he displayed a framed collage of unusual statuary - often advertising ideas gone awry - that he has seen in his travels. Born in Pennsylvania, Mr. Gutman moved to Boston and studied architecture in college. As part of a project, the architecture of these local diners, specifically the Worcester Lunch Car Co. diners, first attracted him to them. After that, he said, it became "something to sink my teeth into that no one else had beaten to death. I cornered the market, so to speak, and was in on the ground floor before they were." By "they" he meant the Worcester Historical Museum, whose director was also on hand. In the middle of a discussion with one fan, Mr. Gutman referred to the museum and then shouted out the name several times, laughing as he said he was promoting it to the onlookers. He said that the Worcester diners are among his favorites. "I like to celebrate what (diners) bring to the culture," he said, adding that he had met with families that had built and owned diners. "Those people, they're just trying to make a living slinging hash," he continued with a sly smile. "People like 'Griffy' and myself make them nervous." "Griffy" is Mr. Griffith's alter ego in the syndicated Zippy strip, according to the artist. Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Griffith started his comic strip career in 1968 as a spinoff from his painting. He was inspired, he said, by the early "Mad" magazine comics and by Disney's Uncle Scrooge comics. While in New York, he said, he saw the early underground comics that would go on to inspire not only his work but also those of Gary Trudeau, Gary Larsen and many others. When his first attempt at a comic strip was published, Mr. Griffith made a decision. "That was the end of my art career and the beginning of my comic career," he said. He moved to San Francisco and stayed there for years, moving back to the East Coast, to Boston, in 1998. He began drawing his signature strip in the mid-1980s, using the character Zippy the Pinhead, whom he calls a sponge for stimuli. "It's about the everyday information overload that's out there," he said. "Zippy thrives on it and he loves it. He's consistently inconsistent." The combination of Zippy and the character Griffy form a satire, he said. A character from a 1930s movie called "Freaks" originally inspired the pinhead character. One of the characters was a clown named "Schlitzy," who was a microcephalic, the proper term for someone born without a frontal lobe. Schlitzy, he said, didn't speak conventional dialogue in the movie - he just spoke randomly. Mr. Griffith said he once spoke to a microcephalic in a cab. "He turned to me and said, 'So are you still an alcoholic?' and we had a 15-minute conversation. I got years of material from that." He referenced his connection to Mr. Gutman and the roadside attractions by saying that he is fascinated by "Brand X" America, the noncorporate area attractions that are trying to sell something, but in a low-key, goofy way. "They are great manifestations of two great impulses that I love: creative America and commercial America," he said. One of the attractions that has featured heavily in his strips are some San Francisco-area diners built in the likeness of dogs' heads. "I saw one, one day, and thought to myself, 'What would that thing say if it could talk?' Then I realized that it wouldn't say anything to me ... but it would talk to Zippy." He said he receives dozens of photos every week from the far- flung corners of the country of similar attractions, what he calls an endless stream of wackiness. "Every few days, just when I think I've done and seen all the roadside stuff, that there's nothing left to do, I get another one," he said. Between those photos and the ever-changing world of pop culture, he said there is "always more material. It never stops." The next fan then stepped up to the table to shake Mr. Griffith's hand and thank him for all his work. "Thanks for the thanks," Mr. Griffith responded. +++++ Middle East Heroes I'm pleased to announce the launch of AK Comics in the UK. AK Comics produces the Middle East Heroes range of comic books (and animated TV series) in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, selling more than 50,000 copies every month and with sales growing at 8% EACH MONTH during the last few months. The comics are available in English and Arabic. This is a modern day phenomenon that was covered recently in the UK press by all the major newspapers. Please feel free to research the topic at www.akcomics.com and by searching the net for 'ak comics'. The Middle East Heroes series is produced in the Marvel/DC format and tradition. The Middle East Heroes team has four stars: Zein - the Last Pharoah Jalila - Saviour of the City of All Faiths Rakan - the Lone Warrior Aya - the Princess of Darkness Our heroes battle evil throughout the Middle East in the near future, following the 55 years war that ended with a nuclear holocaust. They protect the Holy City of All Faiths from the bad guys in this world and the next! The stories are produced with superb Brazilian artwork and American and Egyptian scriptwriters - a truly global affair. Subscriptions can also be purchased for these great comic books at ?“24 for 12 issues or ?“2 for a single issue from the address below. Cheques should be made payable to 'akcomics uk' We welcome trade enquiries of all kinds, including advertising. We hope you will feel able to recommend AK Comics to your readers and perhaps write an article on them for your next edition. Email contact is: akcomicsuk@aol.com or feel free to contact Head Office via their website if you prefer. For an interview, how about the Managing Editor in Cairo - Marwan@akcomics.com - he speaks perfect English. The offical launch party for AK Comics in the UK is at Dave's Comics in Brighton, England on Friday, July 15th from 4pm-6pm. Everyone welcome!! We offer a unique distribution deal to our readers. Become a 'Trainee Hero' - sell Middle East Heroes to your friends, relatives, colleagues or your local newsagents, bookstores and earn 60p for each one sold. Contact akcomicsuk@aol.com for further details. Best wishes Andrew Stephenson AK Comics UK 9 Southdown Rd Newhaven East Sussex BN9 9JH +++++ MoCCA Event: "Will Eisner" Reception May 21 WHEN: Saturday, May 21 8:00 - 11:00pm WHAT: "Will Eisner: A Retrospective" Opening Reception (complimentary refreshments, cash bar) -- The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art celebrates the opening of its new exhibit featuring the work of Will Eisner (1917-2005),the innovative cartoonist and passionate advocate of the comic art form. The exhibit -- which will be on view at MoCCA through September 19, 2005 -- features prime examples of Eisner's drawings and paintings from 1940 to 2004, including complete Spirit stories, World War II poster art, and pages from his celebrated graphic novels A Contract with God, Life Force, and Dropsie Avenue. WHERE: Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art 594 Broadway, Suite 401 New York City (B,D,F,V to B'way-Lafayette; R,W to Prince St; 6 to Bleecker St) COST: Free for Members / $15 for Non-Members. INFO: For more info, visit www.moccany.org or call 212-254-3511. NOTE: "Will Eisner: A Retrospective" Exhibition at MoCCA runs 5/21-9/19/05 PRESS: To request more information, images from the exhibition to accompany a story, and/or to get on the press list for complimentary admission to the reception in order to cover this event/exhibit, working journalists should contact Ken Wong (kwong@moccany.org). +++++ CBLDF Knocks Out South Carolina Internet Censorship Law The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and a broad coalition representing the interests of booksellers, artists, writers and publishers have secured an important victory that strikes down South Carolina's Harmful to Minors Internet law as unconstitutional. Last Monday Judge Patrick Michael Duffy of the U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina, issued a permanent injunction barring enforcement of the law, which would have restricted the rights of adults and older minors to access constitutionally-protected materials on the Internet. The Fund joined organizations that represent artists, writers, booksellers, and publishers who use the Internet to disseminate graphic arts, literature, and health-related information as a Plaintiff in this case. Plaintiffs argued that the Act would have prohibited their members from sending material with serious artistic and scientific value over the Internet. Judge Duffy found that the law violated the First Amendment because it did not employ the least restrictive means for preventing minors from using the Internet to access harmful to minors material. In addition, as opposed to filtering technology, which can screen out sexually-oriented material from any place, Judge Duffy declared that South Carolina's law could do nothing to prevent minors from accessing material from outside the U.S. Judge Duffy also found that the credit card-based age verification system that South Carolina had proposed to block minors from accessing harmful material would create a chilling effect on the speech of adults. Courts "have unanimously concluded that these measures are far too burdensome, and chill adults' ability to engage in, and garner access to, protected speech for a wealth of reasons." "We applaud Judge Duffy's well reasoned decision in this case," CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein said. "We are pleased that it addressed the concerns raised in our defense of the rights of cartoonists and retailers who work online, and that those rights will not be curtailed by what was a very dangerous law." At issue in the case was an amendment to South Carolina's Harmful to Minors statute that provided criminal sanctions for "disseminating harmful material to minors" online and which defined "material" to mean "pictures, drawings, video recordings, films, digital electronic files, or other visual depictions or representations but not material consisting entirely of written words." The statute ruled that a violation of this law (Section 16-15-375 of the S.C. Code) was a felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of $5,000, or both. CBLDF and partner plaintiffs Southeast Booksellers Association, Print Studio South, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, Association of American Publishers, and Families against Internet Censorship successfully argued that the law placed unconstitutional burdens upon the speech of creators and retailers online, both within the state of South Carolina, and across the United States. The plaintiffs were represented by David W. Odgen, Janis C. Kestenbaum, and Kenneth A. Bamberger of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Washington, D.C.; Michael A. Bamberger of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, New York City; and Armand G. Derfner and D. Peters Wilborn, Jr. of Derfner, Wilborn & Altman, Charleston, S.C. 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, please visit www.cbldf.org +++++ Perdidos En El Eter Online: New URL The URL for the Perdidos En El Eter online broadcast has changed slightly, it's now www.radiomundoreal.fm/envivo The day and hour is still the same, midnight GTM. salutations, MaGnUs & Endriago Perdidos En El Eter +++++ 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. 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| << May14, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 523.01 |
May14, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 523.03 >> |
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