|
ComicBookNetworkEmag Archives Index
|
|
| << October29, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 547.3 |
November05, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 548.2 >> |
|
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/bGIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> +++++ 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 . . . "Disease Of Language" is a new compilation of Eddie Campbell's comic book interpretation of two of Alan Moore's spoken word CDs, "The Birth Caul" and "Snakes & Ladders." 160 pages, hardcover from Knockabout (also the new publishers of "League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen"). Available January 2006, for $19.99 or (Pounds)12.99. FLASH FLIP FLOP Thar be spoilers. Flash related ones. {Wally lives.} Leah Moore and John Reppion have announced they're contributed to the anthology collection, "The Dark Horse Book Of Monsters," published next year. The Guardian blogs the present with the past version of the future. Oh just go and read it. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2005/10/24/the_age_of_t he_smokatorium.html _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- COMICS OBSCURA Mike Curtis shandafa@cyberback.com [COMICS OBSCURA are facts Mike Curtis has dug out during his 30 years of collecting Superman and writing about comics. His website for his comic imprint is www.shandafantasyarts.net ] MIGHTY FAMILIAR NEIGHBORHOOD In the action film IRON WARRIOR filmed on Malta, Miles O Keefe battles barbarian hordes in defense of a princess. Among the many locations pictured in the film is one battle scene lensed on the still standing streets of SWEETHAVEN from the feature film POPEYE. One fight takes place under the bridge Wimpy fell through in the film. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interviews Richard Vasseur richardv@sympatico.ca Andy Eaton President of Chaos! Comics interviewed by Richard Vasseur www.jazmaonline.com Rich: How did you get to your current position as President of Chaos! Comics? Andy: There were a lot of people who had to be climbed over and stepped on. They've since been replaced with sycophants. Rich: Why did you and Joe Hovorka decide to bring back Chaos! Comics? Andy: They're good characters with an established audience -- I think old fans and new readers will like the new stories. Rich: Evil Ernie, Purgatori and Chastity are your first comics, will there be more titles? Andy: Yes, but it's up to the readers. We'd like to bring back The Haunted (created by Peter David) and perhaps Bad Kitty and/or Jade. There are other contenders too. Rich: Can you tell us briefly what Evil Ernie, Purgatori and Chastity are like? Andy: Evil Ernie is a psychopathic teenage zombie. Evil Ernie In Santa Fe, the first miniseries, is written by Alan Grant (Lobo, Batman), with art by Tommy Castillo (Detective Comics, Toe Tags) and covers by fantasy artist Alex Horley (Heavy Metal). Evil Ernie is mayhem-filled slasher horror -- a good time had by all, except the victims. Alan Grant punctuates the stories with black comedy. Funny, disturbing stuff. Purgatori is a smart, epic tale about lust for power in ancient Egypt. We're retelling the origin to set the foundation for a saga. Robert Rodi has plotted 50 issues so far. It is the story of how a slave girl commits a crime of passion, is betrayed, and ends up paying with it with her soul. She's out for blood, literally. Robert is weaving in elements of Egyptian mythology and a historically accurate setting. Cliff Richards (Wonder Woman) is doing excellent work with Robert's ambitious scripts. Chastity has the best action sequences you'll see in comics today. Dan Jolley (Firestorm, JSA: Liberty Files) knows how to deliver jaw-crushing blockbuster action. Chastity is an antihero, forced into action by circumstances out of her control. She's a vampire, blessed with unique abilities, but she doesn't want anything to do with it. She just wants to live her life. Of course, her situation makes that rather complicated. Rich: Will it make a big difference no longer having Lady Death in the fold? Andy: Evil Ernie is the only one impacted, but it's a positive change for the character. He has to find a new direction for his actions, which presents new opportunities for him. The first mini is all about him finding his new direction, his place in the world. He's taking a look at himself for the first time and sorting things out. For Ernie, that kind of introspection involves a body count. Rich: It looks like you are bringing a lot of new talent in, how do you get them? Andy: We pay them! Rich: Chaos! Comics is having a money back guarantee, do you think this will increase sales? Andy: With the original Chaos! Comics, you either loved it or hated it. We think the new talent is bringing a lot to these characters, breathing in new life. We want to give readers who wouldn't normally touch a Chaos! book a chance to try us out, risk free. We also want the faithful readers to know that we're not taking their allegiance for granted. We're standing by these books. Rich: Will this resurrected Chaos! be able to stand up to the 1990's Chaos!? Andy: We're betting on it. "If they suck, send them back!" is the name of our money back guarantee program. Rich: Are you a big horror fan? Andy: One of my favorite movies is Psycho. Rich: What comics did you read growing up? Andy: I didn't read comics growing up. Does that qualify as ironic? Rich: What qualifies you to run Chaos! Comics? Andy: Did someone say I was qualified?! I'd like to meet that person. Rich: How can someone reach you? Andy: The ChaosComics.com website has contact information. Rich: Any last words of wisdom? Andy: The cure for ignorance is knowledge, but there is no cure for stupid. Thank you. Thanks! Andy _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- COMICS OBSCURA Mike Curtis shandafa@cyberback.com [COMICS OBSCURA are facts Mike Curtis has dug out during his 30 years of collecting Superman and writing about comics. His website for his comic imprint is www.shandafantasyarts.net ] IS THIS WHERE KURT BUSIEK GOT THE IDEA FOR SECRET IDENTITY? In Connie Fletcher's book PURE COP; she interviews street veterans of police departments across the country, coming up with some interesting stories. In one chapter called THE STREET, one officer tells her about a setup they used to catch a subway mugger. An officer rented a Superman costume and secreted himself behind a steel door in the subway (with the frame loosened.) Another officer was dressed as a street person and was the decoy. He lay down on the pavement and eventually someone came up and began to pick his pocket. Suddenly "Superman" burst through the door and made the collar. When the case came to trial, the arresting officer identified himself to the judge as such. Then the suspect said "That's ain't the arresting officer. It was Superman that arrested me!" _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Suspended Animation Michael Vance & Mark Allen MiklVance2@worldnet.att.net http://www.starland.com/sus [Michael Vance, a professional writer since 1977 and has been published in dozens of magazines including Starlog and Jack and Jill, and as a syndicated columnist and cartoonist in over 500 newspapers. His history book, Forbidden Adventure: The History of the American Comics Group, has been called a "benchmark in comics history". He ghosted an internationally syndicated comic strip, and his wrote own strip, Holiday Out, that was reprinted as a comic book. Vance also wrote the comic books Straw Men, Angel of Death, The Adventures of Captain Nemo, and Bloodtide. He is listed in the Who's Who of American Comic Books and Comic Book Superstars. His short stories have appeared in dozens of magazines and recorded by actor William (Murder She Wrote) Windom. Suspended Animation, has been published for more than sixteen years, and Vance worked in newspapers for 22 years as an editor, writer and advertising manager. Mark Allen lives in Western Oklahoma with his wife and daughter. He has been a Baptist minister for over 15 years, and has also written for the Oklahoma news industry. Having indulged in comics for nearly 30 years, Mark now enjoys using the written word to share with others what he believes is a true, and extremely under-acknowledged, art form.] Fantastic Four Presents: Franklin Richards, published by Marvel Comics, 32 pages, $2.99. Ahhh, finally! The Marvel Universe has an adventurous, overly- curious, "leap before you think," trouble-finding little bad boy to shake up the otherwise-far-too-serious super hero world! Not that this version of Franklin Richards will be co-starring with your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man anytime soon, but it's quite refreshing to see Marvel publish the likes of Fantastic Four Presents: Franklin Richards. "Why is that refreshing," you may ask? Hey, a character in the best tradition of Dennis the Menace and Calvin and Hobbs, residing in the home of Marvel's premiere super hero family, with all of the inventions, doohickeys and whatsits that no child should EVER have access to? Do I have to draw you a picture?! No? Good! 'Cause I can't draw. But Chris Eliopoulos sure can. And does so with a fun-loving flair that is partially responsible for creating an all-ages-friendly comic that can bring boisterous belly-laughs and generate giggles and guffaws from even the most jaded adult reader. Of course, also partially responsible is writer Marc Sumerak, who expertly places little Franklin into situations that the reader may wish he or she were lucky enough to be in at that age. I mean, playing with gadgets birthed from the biggest brain in the Marvel stable of characters? Be still my child-at-heart! I mean, really, who wouldn't enjoy creating several clones of yourself....out of Jello!? Now, when you first catch a glimpse of this book on the rack, it will most likely bring to mind the afore-mentioned Calvin and Hobbs by Bill Watterson. While not exactly a cloned style, Eliopoulos' art greatly resembles Watterson's, and that's not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it fits this book to a "T". It yells "fun!" It shouts "hijinx!" It screams "buy a self-contained, non-tie-in, make- you-laugh comic book from Marvel for a change!" Let's hope sales are good enough to warrant future adventures from Fantastic Franklin. Recommended for all ages. Review by Mark Allen _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- COMICS OBSCURA Mike Curtis shandafa@cyberback.com [COMICS OBSCURA are facts Mike Curtis has dug out during his 30 years of collecting Superman and writing about comics. His website for his comic imprint is www.shandafantasyarts.net ] IS THIS WHERE KURT BUSIEK GOT THE IDEA FOR SECRET IDENTITY? In Connie Fletcher's book PURE COP; she interviews street veterans of police departments across the country, coming up with some interesting stories. In one chapter called THE STREET, one officer tells her about a setup they used to catch a subway mugger. An officer rented a Superman costume and secreted himself behind a steel door in the subway (with the frame loosened.) Another officer was dressed as a street person and was the decoy. He lay down on the pavement and eventually someone came up and began to pick his pocket. Suddenly "Superman" burst through the door and made the collar. When the case came to trial, the arresting officer identified himself to the judge as such. Then the suspect said "That's ain't the arresting officer. It was Superman that arrested me!" _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [7] ComiX-Fan Reviews Eric J. Moreels x-fan@bigpond.net.au http://www.comixfan.com/xfan [Editor's note: Some of the following reviews have spoilers to plot details. This is a TEXT ONLY newsletter so those spoilers are not hidden by HTML code as they are on the ComiX-fan site.] WEAPON X: DAYS OF FUTURE NOW #4 Reviewer: Brian Wilkinson, bewilkinson@yahoo.ca Story Title: Days of Future Now: Part 4 of 5 Betrayal is becoming a staple of this book and it's effective each and every time. Written by: Frank Tieri Pencils by: Andy Smith Cover by: Bart Sears Inks by: Mark Pennington Colors by: Michael Atiyeh Letters by: Dave Sharpe Editor: Sean Ryan Supervising Editor: Mike Marts Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada Published by: Marvel Comics Though "Days of Future Now" presents a ton of interesting possibilities, postulations, and a titilating look at the potential dark future for Marvel's merry mutants, much like Chris Claremont's epic X-Men: The End this series shows a few small signs of dating itself. Claremont's book is plauged by the fact that the events that it took off from have almost all been retconned by now and the status quo of many of the major books out there has all been changed drastically because of House of M. This isn't Claremont's fault and the story is brilliant despite the impact that storyline has had, but with this issue we see more cracks starting to show. With Weapon X we have a lot of the same issues to deal with as writer Frank Tieri wraps up his evil-doer opus. Though an incredibly enjoyable story that shows the best and worst aspects of what the Marvel universe can become, it's somehow lessened in impact because readers know that none of it could come true. I was shocked and quite excited when he killed all the X-Men in issue #2, then felt the same way with the rebirth and death of the X-Men yet again in issue #3. With this issue, readers come much closer to the possibilty that perhaps Director Colcord may not be entirely on the side of wrong, especially when it comes to this month's poster-boy, Magneto. Tieri gives readers a lot of meat to chew on with this issue. We see multiple versions of x-teams including X-Force, the Brotherhood, and more which makes things quite interesting. I was thrilled to see how Tieri used Chamber and his new Xorn-like appearance, though I felt quite bad for Jono who has been my favorite Marvel character since I first saw Chris Bachalo's designs for the character. Also cool to see in action were Omega Red, Toad, and a number of other characters that had been missing/presumed dead like Cecilia Reyes and Random. I'm not quite sure I buy Omega Red with a giant 'X' on his chest, but who knows what strange alliances may be called for in a future like this. I think the aspect of this book that I had the most trouble dealing with was that the society wasn't completely bleak, destroyed, or helpless. Tieri pulls the camera wide back on this one, and we see that the devastation has mostly been confined to New York, and the heroes have all been run out of town much in the same way people have seen in Watchmen and The Incredibles. Where have all the heroes gone? Well, they're all hiding out on the blue area of the moon, which is the staging grounds for every kind of mission that could possibly go wrong. When Magneto shows up after his months in space (can he do that?), he gets Wolverine and a group of heroes to make a last ditch stand against the sentinels. I think what bothers me, shocks me, is that not only does Magneto's plan seem to work, but the way in which he pulls it off is truly appalling. This brings me back to before, when I almost want Colcord to win just because in this issue all of his fears are more than justified. It's exciting reading when you boil it all down. Here is a book that not only asks the questions, but provides the answers that not everyone may like. It's a brilliant plot device in that it's filled with obvious choices and moves, something not often done these days. The book works brilliantly during a scene between Colcord and Sauron. We see what time has done to the pterodactyl/man, and it isn't pretty. But you also get to see a deeper side of Colcord that makes him all the more interesting. And whoever came up with the design for Colcord's mask should be given a raise. That thing is brilliantly creepy, and much better than conveniently placed shadows. Where the book breaks down a little are in some of the characters themselves. Archangel is still seeminly around despite being shown as pretty much dead in the last issue, completely with a new set of wings. Not the first time Warren has done this so that can be ignored, but it's the fact that he undergoes a drastic costume/look change between the beginning and end. It's a tad confusing. Juggernaut being present is also a bit of a shock. THe whole emotional thrust of last issue came from the fear that everyone Wolverine had brought in was now dead, and this issue takes a bit of wind out of those sails. I will admit that I'm kind of shocked at how easy it is to just make up a new team of X-Men. When the main cast was killed in issue #2, I just kind of thought that was it. There are a TON of these people around. There are also a ton of mutants in this book, which as the rumours for House of M would suggest, this isn't going to be the case for long. Already the cards so carefully stacked when this series was first pitched are starting to shake and fall. That's life, I suppose. Still, this is a great issue with a cool teaser hanging on the end. We see a lot of old faces show up in new and unexpected ways along with shocking behaviour and actions taken by Magneto and even Wolverine, who seems to condone what was done. It's a book that makes an audience think about what they just read and talk about it the next day. There's no higher praise than water-cooler talk for any entertainment medium, and I think it's something that Weapon X delivers in spades. ART: 3.0 STORY: 4.0 OVERALL: 4.0 RUNAWAYS #9 Reviewer: Robin Lewis, lucillerobin@aol.com Story Title: East Coast/West Coast (part one of four) Guest starring the Blockbusting Massive Smash-Hit Success that is the New Avengers! Oh, and Cloak. Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Penciler: Adrian Alphona Inker: Craig Yeung Colourist: Christina Strain Cover Artist: Jo Chen Production: Jacob Chalbot Letters: Virtual Calligraphy's Randy Gentile Assistant Editor: Nathan Cosby Editor: Mackenzie Cadenhead Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada Published by: Marvel Comics Special Thanks: C.B. Cebulski Runaways Created by: Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona I still haven't read season one of Runaways. I never bothered picking it up when it was out monthly, and held off buying the collected editions once I found out Marvel was going to bring out a hardcover containing everything. It's on my Christmas list, so sometime on the 25th December I'll finally find out who this Alex schmuck was. It hasn't affected my enjoyment of this second series, though. This and Young Avengers form the perfect pair of teenage hero books for me. All new characters (newish, in the case of the Runaways) that I already know, like and care about more than a whole universe full of old ones. Smartly written, funny, wonderfully drawn and unpredictable. The new arc will apparently see the team visit New York, because, as I'm sure you know, Marvel's New York is just crying out for another superhero team to come help out there. When will Boise, Idaho get their fair share of superhumans? After losing Karolina last issue to a shape-changing alien the team is moping about in their hideout under an LA Museum. They bicker, play Monopoly, make the awkward emotional connections with each other that Vaughan excels at, and generally go stir- crazy. As usual, the incidental jokes are great: Vic interrupting Cloak as he recounts his tragic history ("Wait, back up. Your secret origin is drugs"), Chase announcing a short break from Monopoly ("I gotta go pinch a loaf"), or just the constant sarcastic banter that makes the characters so likable. I've lost count of the number of teen-heroes that made my teeth grate with the whining approximation of angst that passed for characterisation for the majority of them. The Runaways can still pout their lips and throw tantrums with the best of them, but the sharp humour keeps things entertaining. The plot involves Cloak finding himself to be a wanted man, with the New Avengers on his case and an impersonator putting Dagger into the hospital. His arrival into the Runaways hideyhole activates some security systems even the team didn't know about, but, more importantly, his problem gives them something more interesting to do than sit around feeling sorry for themselves. The action scene with the security deamons feels a little shoe- horned into the issue, and to be honest I'd prefer to just read the team sitting around chatting to each other, but I doubt Vaughan could get away with it in a book that needs to catch hold of a solid readership base to survive. This is a superhero book, and it will therefore have the requisite amount of superhero action. There are vague hints of some background plots here as well, from Cloak's sense of "a powerful malevolence" within the group ("That's probably just Vic") to a seemingly pointless shot of a priest in a crowd looking suspiciously noticeable. I'm sure this is all pointing towards some future plot developments, but I'm actually most looking forward to the possible prospect of the Runaways taking on the New Avengers. They'd last about three seconds, but the thought of Mol squaring up to Iron Man is too good to resist. Regular artist Adrian Alphona is back after a two issue break (I personally liked Miyazawa's fill-in art for the last two issues, but many didn't), and his work is as glorious as ever. The team looks refreshingly like a normal bunch of kids: gangly, awkward, chubby and to be found mainly slouching rather than posing. No unsettlingly pneumatic teens here, thank God. I always feel a little uncomfortable reading about teams of high-school-age heroes with skintight costumes and bodies designed by Russ Meyer. The trip to New York promises to bring in more guest stars (unsurprisingly, as you can't go five blocks in Marvel's Big Apple without tripping over some spandex-clad smart-alec) for the Runaways to be sarcastic to, so things look good for the next few issues. This title has been getting uniformly good reviews and quite a bit of backing from Marvel since the reboot, but that's no guarantee of continued sales, so if you're not already reading this give it a shot. ART: 4.0 STORY: 4.0 OVERALL: 4.0 _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- COMICS OBSCURA Mike Curtis shandafa@cyberback.com [COMICS OBSCURA are facts Mike Curtis has dug out during his 30 years of collecting Superman and writing about comics. His website for his comic imprint is www.shandafantasyarts.net ] NO RELATION TO BAMM BAMM In the 1960's Marvel comics, while Sgt. Fury has as his second in command DUMM DUMM, almost a hundred years earlier the TWO GUN KID had a blacksmith friend called BOOM BOOM. _________________________________________________________________ CBEM 547 concludes next message . . . 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/ |
|
| << October29, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 547.3 |
November05, 2005 - [ComicBooknet E-Mag] CBEM 548.2 >> |
|
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 |