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------------------------ 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 --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ----------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Interviews Richard Vasseur richardv@sympatico.ca Frank Beddor writer on "The Looking Glass Wars: Hatter M" from Desperado Publishing interviewed by Richard Vasseur www.jazmaonline.com Rich: What is the basic story outline of "The Looking Glass Wars: Hatter M"? Frank: The comic book mini-series (Geo-Graphic Novel Volume 1) Hatter M tells the parallel story of Alyss' 13 year exile through the travels of her Royal Bodyguard, Hatter Madigan as he crisscrosses the globe in a desperate non-stop search to find the lost princess after they are separated in the Pool of Tears while escaping a bloody coup in Wonderland. For those unfamiliar with the first book of the Looking Glass Wars trilogy, the bigger story reveals the true history of Wonderland based upon a stunning discovery which unmasked the ultimate literary lie, a twisted fabrication that had existed for nearly 150 years. While universally accepted that Lewis Carroll was inspired to write his classic children's books to entertain 7-year-old Alice Liddell it is far from true. Lewis Carroll did not tell Alice Liddell the story of Wonderland, she told him! Alice was not born into the Liddell family, she was adopted. Her true identity was Alyss Heart, the future Queen of Wonderland. Lewis Carroll had changed everything and everyone including the identity of her royal bodyguard. Hatter M is not the story of a Mad Hatter. Hatter Madigan is an expert bladesman, a ranking High Cut of the Wonderland Millinery and not the tea guzzling madman of children's lit. Aggressively focused on one purpose in his life, Hatter's search for Alyss commences immediately and continues incessantly leaving the whispers and totems of myth in the wake of his non-stop quest. Coming from Wonderland, Hatter must learn to navigate our world. Since Wonderland's language consists of a system of energy and rhythm, Hatter faces no language barriers and is able to transmute and translate everything from Zula to dolphin as he crisscrosses the globe in search of Alyss. But while he begins his search intent upon the single purpose of finding the lost princess, he gradually comes to discover that his travels have a purpose above and beyond this initial motivation and that purpose is to protect and serve Imagination. As revealed in The Looking Glass Wars, Wonderland's great gift to our world is Imagination. As a traveler from the source of all wonder, Hatter will continually find himself facing off against those who wish to either suppress Wonderland's gift or channel the flipside of Dark Imagination for their own diabolical use. This discovery and service to humanity will act upon Hatter and his own humanity as he continues to develop throughout the series/trilogy. Rich: Why did you decide to use "Through The Looking Glass" as the template for your story? Frank: The Looking Glass Wars had nothing to do with using the Lewis Carrol books as a template and everything to do with revealing the truth I happened to stumble upon in the British Museum. A number of years ago I was in London for the European premiere of THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY. I went to the British Museum and saw an exhibit of ancient cards. For instance, Napoleon hired artists to hand paint depictions of his many victories in battle. But what caught my attention, at the very end of the eshibit, was an incomplete deck of cards illuminated by an unusual glow, almost as though they were alive. I was intrigued by the exhibit and captivated by the images on the cards. This was a very, very different version of Wonderland. For the remainder of my trip I was preoccupied with the images and told several friends, one of whom suggested I meet with an antiquities dealer he knew who specialized in collecting all sorts of ancient playing cards. The next morning, on the way to the airport, I stopped at the dealer's shop. When I told him about the unusual exhibit, he revealed that he in fact owned the cards missing from the deck. I was stunned. He brought out this old, worn leather box filled with cards and told me the story as he flipped one card over at a time, revealing the saga of THE LOOKING GLASS WARS. It was a darker Alyss from a darker world and I knew I was meant to tell the story. Rich: Just how dark is this story? Frank: It's not all shadows, violence and solitude for Hatter M - much of who and what he encounters is bizarre, twisted and funny. Hatter M will track the hero's search for a lost princess as he circles the globe from 1859-1872 in a non-stop quest to save the future Queen of Wonderland and redeem himself. Hatter Madigan is wracked with guilt and shame over having lost Alyss in the Pool of Tears after her mother had elicited what amounted to a deathbed promise that he would keep her daughter safe and make certain that she sameday return to Wonderland to rule. Heavy stuff for a Royal Bodyguard to feel he has failed at. But as in most quests, the end-point is not the entire point. As he travels, Hatter M will meet many of the era's famous and infamous characters. He will influence historical battles, save lives and leave behind a legacy of service to Imagination. Rich: Why use the Mad Hatter as your maun character? Frank: It's important to realize that this is NOT the story of a Mad Hatter.As I mentioned earlier, when I discovered the truth behind the deck of playing cards it soon became clear that Lewis Carroll had changed everything. After my discovery of the cards in the British Museum and the true story behind Lewis Carroll's Wonderland books I began putting all the pieces together and weaving the revelations of just how different the real Wonderland and its inhabitants were compared to the children's lit version the world had known and accepted for nearly 150 years. Carroll's choices in how he changed Alyss' story were so fascinating (he even changed her name!) - the monsters and heroes of her lost world became these cheery reinventions. It was such a betrayal on Carroll's part and was in fact, the reason for the rift that eventually occurred between the writer and his muse. For instance - the characters we know as the White Rabbit, the Red Queen, the Cheshire Cat and of course, the Mad Hatter all appear in The Looking Glass Wars as they were intended to by Alyss when she told Carroll her harrowing tale. The White Rabbit was in fact Bibwit Harte, the six foot tall albino royal tutor for all Wonderland Queens (Carroll had anagrammed his name to create the White Rabbit), while the Red Queen was in truth Alyss' aunt Redd, the revenge maddened usurper to the throne ably assisted by her top assassin, The Cat, a man size feline who morphs from adorable kitten to giant mutant feline when called upon to kill. So you see, there is a lot of truth to be uncovered. Hatter Madigan's non-stop, at times heartbreakingly loyal search across several continents for Alyss is a story that I felt deserved telling. Rich: What do you think of Ben Templesmith's artwork? Frank: I believe he's one of the most talented comic book artists working today. Intially I was attracted to Ben's use of color and how he conceptualized his characters. I'd liked what he had done in 30 Days of Night and saw that he had the ability to do horror which occasionally pops up in Hatter's fantastical journey. But it was all luck and intuition that really brought me to Ben. Since working with him I have discovered his sense of humor and this is coming out more and more. Hatter encounters a wide variety of mid-18th century freaks, crooks, phantoms and phenomena and Ben nails it every time. We write characters/action with a huge anticipation of seeing what Ben will do with the descriptions. Fantastic stuff. Rich: How is writing a novel different then writing a comic book? Frank: While novels are a solo trip, comic books, much like film, are a collaborative effort. And I have to say, writing comic books is a lot more fun. Seeing Ben's art graphically illustrate the stories we've worked on is an immediate rush of gratification, absolute eye candy. Rich: How did you go from producing the movie "There's Something About Mary" to writing a comic book? Frank: On a personal level, I was fortunate that I produced such a successful movie that I had some financial freedom. Separate from the financial freedom, I felt a little empty being a facilitator to the creators. I wanted to be a creator. I loved the juice of having a big movie and everybody laughing, everybody recognizing it, but at the end of the day being the creator is the ultimate wish fulfillment. In a way, I kind of dropped out. Most people would have cashed out and done a whole series of comedies. I was offered a lot of comedies, none of them at the level of There's Something About Mary, a number of them I sold and moved along, but I would be disappointed by the outcome of the development process. While this was all sort of swirling around, I made this discovery of this story, of "The Looking Glass Wars" saga and I started to feel my inspiration. It started to become dream-like. Eventually I just dedicted myself to becoming a creator and not a facilitator. Rich: Where does your inspiration for writing come from? Frank: I believe stories and images are literally, everywhere. If something interests me or excites my imagination, I have to trust that it will do the same for others. I think what I really bring as a writer is the ability to create lucid form - to find the proper frame to communicate the story as I sense it should be told so readers or an audience can experience and hopefully enjoy it as much as I do. Rich: What other projects are you working on? Frank: We have two more comic book mini-series planned to complete our trilogy of 'Geo-Graphic' Novels. Rather than graphic novels we've been playing with the idea of calling them Geo- Graphic Novels since the adventures are broken up geographically and follow specific maps for each volume. The first volume tracks Hatter through Europe, the second follows Hatter's journey aboard the HMS Christina to South America, but the ship is attacked by Chinese pirates and Hatter finds himself on San Francisco's Barbary Coast about to embark on a search for Alyss that will take him across the battlefields of the Civil War to a historically suppressed meeting with President Abraham Lincoln. And the third volume will find Hatter in the Far East where he reunites with a fellow Millinery Man. Additionally, I am finishing Book 2 of the LGW trilogy and working to adapt the first book into a film. And we are always adding more cool stuff to the lookglasswars.com website. Rich: What is the most life changing thing that has happened to you? Frank: Walking into the British Museum. Rich: How can someone contact you? Frank: Sign on at our website, www.lookingglass.com and email or send a note to my production company, Automatic Pictures, 5225 Wilshire Blvd, #525, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Rich: Any last words for your fans? Frank: Ignore Alien Orders. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ] ME WORKUM HARD, YOU BETCHUM Television TONTO Jay Silverheels did more public appearances in the role than did his LONE RANGER co-star Clayton Moore. That's because he also did personal appearances with the RADIO Lone Ranger Brace Beemer. At the time, Beemer's Tonto, John Todd, was approaching 80. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [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.] Invincible: Family Matters, published by Image Comics, 120 pages, $12.95. Forgive me, I'm just now catching up. I finally picked up the first trade collection of Image Comics' Invincible. A lot of buzz surrounds this book, the series now having run for over two years. The story revolves around a teenage boy who has inherited his super-hero dad's powers. Nothing new, in and of itself, of course. It's creator/writer Robert Kirkman's skill at characterization and plot-crafting that causes this book to be a diamond among the lumps of coal which largely comprise the super hero genre, today. Kirkman's main character, Mark Grayson, is pretty much your typical high school kid. Well, besides his obvious anticipation of his genetic birthright kicking in. The scene in which this happens is as entertaining (as is Mark's response) as it is surreal, and something the likes of which I had never seen, during over 30 years of comics indulgence. Kirkman also manages to breathe life into Mark's father, his world's "iconic" super hero. This is done primarily through a scene in which daddy decides to sit down with Mark and have "the talk." It's not what readers expect. At least, not EVERYTHING they expect. I believe Mark's mother would be called the "down- to-earth" character. And how! With no super powers, she deals with the dangers associated with her family members' calling with the solidity of concrete. Or...does she? This is a character with layers to be pulled back, I believe. Kirkman's story of a young man's desire to follow in his father's footsteps rings a poignant bell with a big fat hammer of super heroic fun! Top all of this great characterization and story with stunningly action-oriented pencils and inks by Cory Walker, and you've got the hit everyone's been talking about. So, Invincible: Family Matters is recommended for those who enjoy super hero stories with style, as well as substance. Look for it at your local comics shop, online retailers, auctions, or www.imagecomics.com 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 ] THEY MET HERE FIRST A favorite among TV superhero collectors is the two part BATMAN episode guest starring the Green Hornet and Kato. However, their first crossover came some weeks earlier....on the ABC MILTON BERLE SHOW. Uncle Miltie did the famous "stand-in" sketch (Billy Barty coming back with the world's largest powder puff) as he played a villain fighting both Adam West as Batman and Van Williams as the Green Hornet. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [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.] HOUSE OF M #8 Reviewer: Robin Lewis, lucillerobin@aol.com Story Title: House of M (Part 8 of 8) No more mutants. Pretty much, anyway. Written by: Brian Michael Bendis Pencils: Olivier Coipel Cover: Esad Ribic Variant Cover: Chris Bachalo Inks: John Dell, Scott Hanna & Tim Townsend Colors by: Frank D'Armata Letters by: Chris Eliopoulos Production: James Taveras Assistant Editors: Molly Lazer & Aubrey Sitterson Associate Editors: Andy Schmidt Editor: Tom Brevoort Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada Published by: Marvel And that's your lot. House of M is now over, at least as far as the core mini-series is concerned. Spin-offs and stories dealing with the change in the status quo will be forthcoming in future months, but, to all intents and purposes, the genie is back in the bottle. The genie being mutants. Or continuity screw-ups. Or Iceman. Whatever, something's definitely been put back into its bottle, and it'll damn well stay there if it knows what's good for it. Leaving aside the obvious points of interest in the series, mainly because they're all points that won't be dealt with in the series, let's talk about the plot to issue #8 of House of M. I have good news for you, fellow citizens of the internet. Rejoice! Finally, the thing we've been dreaming of all our lives is here: the comic everyone can get mad at. Seriously, there's something for everyone. Morrison fans can chew their own tongue off at the sight of even more of his run on New X-Men being fed into the grinder. Claremont acolytes can compose a firey vengeance for the writer when they discover that Magneto's remaining power is the ability to look sad in torn clothing. Haters of endless resurrections can wail and moan at the last page and its (rather wonderfully rendered) depiction of an energy signature appearing on the horizon, and the scarecrow left by a not-so-mysterious guest at the wreckage of the Avengers Mansion. Fans of Iceman (both of you) will be especially aggrieved, as he becomes the sacrificial lamb to show Marvel don't mean 'No more mutants' is hype-speak for 'no more third-banana mutants you'd be hard pressed to remember anyway'. Honestly, people: they mean it - they de-powered an active member of the X-Men. Those who believe that Marvel is run by a shadowy cabal, headed by Bendis and Quesada, whose primary goal is to ruin the work of everyone else, especially **insert favourite writer's name here** can continue with their righteous fury as normal. The book's a bit late too, so if you don't fall into any of the categories above, you can still moan about the lack of punctuality. The art is mostly up to Coipel's very high standard, though the presence of three inkers suggests this issue was a little more rushed than Marvel might like. A couple of the pages have inking that looks a little basic in comparison to the majority, but it's not crippling. The colouring continues to be rather striking, and Coipel's understated one-page splashes are pulled off with quiet and effective competence. But we don't want to talk about the art, fine though it may be. We want to get back to the story. Unfortunately, we can't. There's no real resolution to the plot of House of M past the points raised above, at least not in the way you might have been expecting. The alternate universe has been expunged, but that wasn't the heart of the story. In fact, I'm hard pressed to tell you what the heart of the story was. We discovered what some secret desires of Marvel's superheroes were, but we could have guessed most of them. We got a new status quo in the mutant population, but that was the ending, and the ramifications won't really be explored until after House of M in the various follow-up stories Marvel are in the middle of hyping up. What it's been, it seems, is eight issues of transition from millions of mutants to 198 of them. And quite often very slow- moving transition at that. It's not like there's nothing to enjoy here: far from it. Bendis manages to hit the right tone of dialogue throughout (a mixture of disbelief and dawning horror), and Pym's closing monologue is a wonderful example of how to build-up future stories. There are some interesting possibilities for Logan now that he's got his memory back (again). Even better, Marvel might actually manage to muster some kind of direction for the mutant books now that Bendis has changed things around. Remember direction? A sense that there was some kind of plan behind the line, instead of some kind of giant target-board in the Marvel X-Men offices, with editors chucking darts toward the sections marked 'pointless punch-up', 'needless resurrection' and 'aimless treading of water'. Also, Iceman might get a decent storyline now that he's off the team. One that's better than the puerile love-triangle he's been involved in lately, anyway. Maybe. I'm not putting any money on it, but I felt like tossing a bone out to Iceman's fans. The coming months will no doubt be filled with howls of outrage (sweet music to the ears of the internet) as we discover that our favourite mutant that no-one else can quite remember has been de- powered and kicked off to the limbo of discarded characters that only Fabian Nicieza and Kurt Busiek know about. I'm sure you'll enjoy them as much as I will. ART: 4.0 STORY: 3.0 OVERALL: 3.5 _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ] PLAN YOUR VACATION IN THE STATE OF HEROES It must be something in the water. The state of Illinois hosts festivals for several comic and heroic characters. From the hometown of SUPERMAN in Metropolis, to DICK TRACY DAYS in Woolstock. In Riverside, you can visit the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise, or pay your respects at the grave of the real POPEYE in Chester. There's also the LONE RANGER festival in Mt. Carmel, home of the radio Ranger Brace Beemer. When your grand tour is over, you can decompress by visiting the statue of forgotten comic strip hero ANDY GUMP in Lake Geneva. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Rich's Reviews Richard Vasseur richardv@sympatico.ca http://www.jazmaonline.com [Rich has been collecting comic books for about 25 years. He belongs to two comic book clubs Jazma and ORCA. He has been writing reviews for Jazma's paper newsletter for about 2 years and has his own review page at www.jazmaonline.com] SPOILER WARNING: Some plot details may be revealed in these reviews! Title: Purgatori # 1 Publisher: Devil's Due Publishing/Chaos! Comics Writer: Robert Rodi Artist: Cliff Richards Price: $ 2.95 US Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars Comments: Hetmet is a young Egyptian girl who does look lovely. She has carnal urges and is always flirting with the boys. As her parents talk with her the mother invokes the Crimson One. The shadowy art is amazing. As the mother talks she will give you chills up and down your spine. The shadowy drawings depict a horrifying monster of insatiable hungers. As Purgatori appears she is a sexy beast, a succubus that reeks of evil. She is death walking. You will not believe the savagery of this demoness. This is a great introductory issue as it lets you know her basic character but it leaves lots of unanswered questions. Raw, sexy and savage is Purgatori! Title: Hack/Slash: Land of Lost Toys # 1 Publisher: Devil's Due Writer: Tim Seeley Artist: Dave Cosland Price: $ 3.25 US Rating: 2 stars out of 5 stars Comments: Are you looking for prancing ponies? They are here and are they ever weird looking. Now Cassie and Vlad, well mainly Cassie goes for overkill. Why use a bonfire when a match will do. Because it is more exciting. Now most of this issue just has Cassie and Vlad sitting in a guy's bedroom talking about this issue's serial killer. Not to exciting. The art could be a lot better. It is not defined and its distorted. The body parts at times are not proportional. The story does have an interesting twist on the normal serial killer. The lack of action and art though bring it down. The cover by Stefano Caselli shows us how Cassie should be drawn. It's a gorgeous cover. Title: Evil Ernie in Santa Fe # 1 Publisher: Devil's Due/Chaos! Comics Writer: Alan Grant Artist: Tommy Castillo Price: $ 2.95 US Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars Comments: The art gives this comic the look and feel of a horror show. The atmosphere as you flip through is one of building terror. There are some changes to this version of Evil Ernie but he is still a murderous psychotic sociopathic schizophrenic dead faced killer. We do see Ernie in action and he is one sadistic psycho. The body count though should have been higher. Ernie and Smiley are in a perfect symbiotic relationship. They each give the other something they need. This Ernie also has a good side. He doesn't like children being abused. He was as a child by his parents and it is what turned him into the walking horror he is. Title: Lost Squad # 1 Publisher: Devil's Due Writer: Chris Kirby Artist: Alan Robinson Price: $ 2.95 US Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars Comments: The Squad is an eclectic group made up of diverse personalities. They work well together. The art is perfect for this story. These army men are drawn realistically. The vehicular chase and battle is spectacular. Its action filled scenes that will have you waiting in anticipation for the next panel. Now as we get to the magical aspect of this comic, it practically jumps out of the page at you. The Major shows his worth and we also get to see the worth of a piece of bubblegum. The best part of this comic is the personalities of these men. In a very short time you will feel you know them and identify with them. 1942's WWII never seemed so strange. Title: The Necromancer # 2 Publisher: Top Cow Writer: Joshua Ortega Penciler: Francis Manapul Inker: Kevin Conrad Price: $ 2.99 US, $ 4.80 Can Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars Comments: As Abby is back in her basement she is reliving the night her parents died. These are eerie ghastly scenes. We get to see Abby is not all sweetness as she has a darker side. The art showing her has a realistic quality with supernatural overtures. The glowing energy gives her an almost demonic look. As we continue it gets horrifically surreal. You can't be sure of what is real and not. The church of Mali is shown as reeking of evil. The real question though is has Abby gotten away from the demon Berzelius. He is a sick puppy. Abby though is filled with dark power. Is she a force for good or evil? Abby is the type of girl you would have nightmares about and enjoy them. Title: Green Lantern Corps Recharge # 2 Publisher: DC Writers: Dave Gibbons & Geoff Johns Penciler: Patrick Gleason Inkers: Prentis Rollins & Christian Alamy Price: $ 2.99 US, $ 4.00 Can Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars Comments: It is great to see all the different Green Lanterns, all the alien species and all the different personalities. Kilowog has a tough personality and he is intimidating. Guy Gardner's face is drawn way to pudgy. The art almost seems childish on the humans. The art for the more alien Green Lanterns though is exceptional. The story line is ok but nothing special. New Green Lanterns are getting trained by more experienced ones. Having Kilowog take center stage was a great idea. Title: Grimm Fairy Tales # 1 Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Writer: Joe Tyler & Ralph Tedesco Penciler: Joe Dodd Inker: Justin Holman Price: $ 2.99 US, $ 3.75 Can Rating: 1 star out of 5 stars Comments: The werewolf art is great the full page spread is a bestial scene. The rest of the art is lacking. Red is a beautiful girl but her beauty is not shown very well. The cover is misleading as it suggests a very sexy Red which is never seen inside. Al Rio and Tom Smith are the artists on the cover and it is a masterpiece. The story is simple and straightforward as it retells the Red Riding Hood tale with a few changes. It needed more to it. Something to help make it stand out. Something to grab your attention. The woodsman is a boring character, well pretty much all the characters are. The best thing is the fantastic cover. Title: Quantum: Rock of Ages # 6 Publisher: Dreamchilde Press Writer: Philip Clark Penciler: James Rodriguez Inker: Alex Rivera Price: $ 2.99 US Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars Comments: We start off with Blu a sensualist at work. These scenes are for a mature audience. You get to see some T&A which is drawn very nice. There is a group of people somehow connected by stone fragments. Blu is the newest one they have found. The group seems to function well together. But the story needs to explain things better as to what is going on and why. There is this big demonic looking being. He is beautifully drawn. Deimos deals the group a devastating blow. Blu has a very provocative pin-up with her bio in the back. Her character stands out and you will enjoy seeing her. From the way she acts as well as her looks she is a delight. Title: Bold Blood # 1 Publisher: Astronaut Ink Writer: Joe St. Pierre Artist: Joe St. Pierre Price: $ 5.95 US, $ 6.95 Can Rating: 2 stars out of 5 stars Comments: The land is being invaded by Goblins and the King has called for brave warriors those bold enough to face any challenge. The first chapter is the gathering of our heroes. The art has the people blending into the backgrounds to much. The people should stand out more with the backgrounds around them accentuating the overall drawing. The overall art is way too cluttered. The colors are looking great though. The battle with the Goblins and the monster was nicely set up and written. It's just too bad you couldn't make out most of it. The second story "Ogre's Lot" shows Ogre the half breed Goblin being treated unfairly just because he is a half breed. Rather than go into this subject more we immediately change to something else. Both of these stories needed to get more into the characters. The more you know them the more you will care about them. The pin-up in the back of Gladius looks good with him in his chainmail. He is drawn with some nice musculature. He looks as if he has bold blood. _________________________________________________________________ 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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