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----------------------------------------------------------------- [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.] Comics Legend E.(dward) Nelson Bridwell was born in 1931 in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Bridwell was possibly the first comics fan to become a professional writer in the medium writing text pages for the American Comics Group in the late 1940s. That was a difficult task at the time. His first notable success was as a writer for Mad during its early, formative years, and Bridwell became an assistant editor at National/DC Comics in 1965 due to his work with the humor magazine. He served as an editor of Lois Lane comics and became editor of the hardback DC reprint titles in 1971. His writing was characterized by a straightforward, simple approach to plot, dialogue, and characterization that was accessible and enjoyable by both young readers and adults. Bridwell was also well-known by other editors and writers for his encyclopedic knowledge of the history of comics, and often used by them as a source of information. He had a photographic memory. During his impressive career, he created several titles for the DC Showcase series; most earned their own venues. Among these were The Inferior Five (a superhero parody title), The Maniaks (humor), Secret Six (adventure), and Angel and the Ape (humor). After his death in 1987 from cancer, Secret Six and Angel and the Ape were revived by new creative teams. Bridwell's work includes: Mad (EC Publications, 1957-'71), Eerie and Creepy (Warren, 1968), Batman comic strip (DC, 1970-'72), text pages (ACG, 1949), Superman Family, Captain Marvel, Action Comics, Adventure Comics, Batman, Binky and his Buddies, Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew, Supergirl, Ghosts, House of Mystery, Jonah Hex, Legion of Super-Heroes and many others (DC, 1965- ). Bridwell was inducted into the Oklahoma Cartoonists Hall of Fame in October, 2005. E. Nelson Bridwell's work is highly recommended for the young and the young at heart. MV Order you copy of the all-Michael Vance horror paperback Apocris 1 at http://www.lighthousemediaone.co.uk/FutureProjects.html For information on the exciting Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection and Toy and Action Figure Museum go to www.fourcolorcommentary.blogspot.com/ _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ] WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT OF OBSCURE THINGS Many times at flea markets in toy bins is an odd red and white item. It resembles a ball, except that it splits apart at the middle, has a straw-like protrusion on each end, and has COCA COLA embossed on it. It's an item produced for a container gone with the wind. THE COKE FLOAT was designed in the early 1960's for kids to enjoy a soda fountain treat in their home. One would get a 6 1/2 or 12 oz, glass bottle of Coke, put a scoop or two of ice cream in the ball, and then drink through the end. Most turn up in toy collections nowadays due to the bright colors. _________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------- [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.] X-MEN: COLOSSUS - BLOODLINE #5 Reviewer: Alan Bergin, alan_bergin@yahoo.com Story Title: Untitled. Part 5 of 5 "It's a terrible thing to know that you are mad". Writer: David Hine Penciller: Jorge Lucas Colours: Tom Chu Letters: Dave Sharpe Production: Deborah Weinstein Cover: Chris Bachalo Asst. Editor: Sean Ryan Assoc. Editor: Nick Lowe Editor: Mike Marts Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada Publisher: Dan Buckley Published by: Marvel Comics When this series was first announced, I remember my initial reaction to the book being quite positive. Since his (in my mind) unwanted return in Astonishing X-Men #4, Peter Rasputin had been shoved to the background of subsequent issues. It was something of a slap in the face for many the longtime Colossus fan. I mean, why bring him back if his only purpose was either to stand ostensibly strong and together in many a Cassaday group-shot or provide some tortured Angel-esque nookie for Kitty (i.e. Buffy)? Bloodline was to be the vehicle by which Colossus could battle with his demons and this would hopefully result in him resurfacing as an enhanced, more-together version of his former self. The closing pages of Bloodline #5 would essentially see him telling Kitty to get-stuffed, as he sits and once again broods in front of the monstrous portrait of himself. Has he learned from his experience? Yes. He has learned to give his brother the benefit of the doubt and punch the living daylights out of pasty-faced ghouls with red diamonds in the middle of their foreheads. This issue disappointed me. Maybe I was hoping for too much with the conclusion. I have faith in David Hine as a writer, but in my mind I had to wonder whether it was really possible to present me with more of a resolute character expos?© of Colossus, when the previous four issues dealt largely with a lost heritage. In saying that, the series was entitled Colossus - Bloodline, so an exploration of familial ties was always on the cards. I had just hoped that the set-up would have furnished Peter with the enough backstory to help tackle his current, post-Ord demons as opposed to a whole new set of worries brought about by the lingering voice of a contrived ancestor. The series was an enjoyable one. The addition of Grigory Rasputin and his lasting influence on his heroic/villainous descendants comes across as a tad forced, but Hine is a talented writer so he could be seen to have made it work. He provided an enjoyable peek into Sinister's past machinations as well as provide some excellently scripted present-day banter amongst the various members of the Rasputin clan. While reading this final issue, I came to the conclusion that while I largely enjoyed the mini-series, it wasn't the mini-series that I truly wanted to read. Being completely honest, Colossus gets little or no air time in this or the previous four issues. His role is far too reactionary on too many an occasion. Grigory rather than Ord's influence was more of a concern for Hine in this mini, but even this aspect does not get fully addressed in relation to our chief protagonist. Issue five goes some way to exploring Mikhail's struggle and succeeds in depicting him as a character of worth, but again that's not necessarily what I signed-up for. Jorge Lucas's artwork has been duly impressive throughout the mini- series. His shadier, more-scratchy style served to impressively reflect the tortured psyches of the various players and his various forays into the past were all depicted beautifully. While I may take issue with the manner in which the story unfolded, the quality of artwork has never been a source of concern. Ahh, it's a toughie. I liked the series. I enjoyed Mikhail's identity crisis. I enjoyed learning about Sinister's past and present aspirations. I enjoyed Larisa's courage in the face of pasty-face. I LOVED the Abba references and Uncle Vlad. He was a hoot. I was impressed by Jorge Lucas's artwork and David Hine's script. I didn't enjoy Colossus's contribution, largely because he didn't have much of one. Therein lies the problem. Enjoyable, but for the wrong reasons. ART: 4.0 STORY: 3.0 OVERALL: 3.0 SENTINEL #3 Reviewer: Alan Bergin, alan_bergin@yahoo.com Story Title: Damaged, 3 of 5 Killing's never simple Writer: Sean McKeever Pencils & Inks: Joe Vriens & Scott Hepburn Colours: Kevin Yan Cover Art: Joe NG & Gary Yeung UDON Chief: Erik Ko Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna Editor: Molly Lazer Editor Emeritus: Marc Sumerak Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada Publisher: Dan Buckley Published by: Marvel Comics I kinda feel bad for Sentinel. Runaways and the semi-pornographic Emma Frost covers managed to garner most of the attention, back when the Tsunami line was first introduced, whereas this time around, the book seems to be lost under it's lack of relevance to rest of the various X- books. Upon it's release, Sentinel: Squad O*N*E is sure to erase the book from the minds of many an unsuspecting Marvelite. It's a pity really. If I'm being completely honest though, I can understand why. It's a beautifully depicted, simple yet fun little story that would most definitely bring a smile to the casual reader, but half-way through this mini-series, I can't help but feel that McKeever and co are playing it a little too safe with their book. My overall complaint with the series has been that while it's enjoyable, it's a little overfamiliar. The idea of Juston giving out to his big friend, being targeted by the government, running around the outskirts of Antigo, his friends bickering about their buddy etc is something that featured prominently in Sentinel Volume 1. Without straying too far from the beaten path, it's a little difficult to see where this book really could be taken, should the opportunity for another ongoing series arise. It's a continuation of the events of Volume 1, but it's important to remember that the events that took place in the first volume steered the book towards cancellation. More of the same is all well and good, but if 'the same' forced the initial book to get scrapped (forgive the pun), how on earth is it supposed to make new readers sit-up and take notice? I hate to sound harsh here, as I do quite enjoy reading about the characters in this book. Juston is quite a likeable protagonist, as are his friends and family back in Antigo, but with the rather slow-pacing in both this and the last issue and the seeming lack of action in the book (with the exception of a brusque encounter with a new Sentinel), it's just quite hard to get excited about a story with no real thrust to it. The artwork is as gorgeous as ever. I'm quite confident in saying that Sentinel is probably the most visually appealing book on the shelves right now. Clean, crisp, chunky, beautifully coloured, manga-esque visuals that greatly enhance the feel of the book in every way. It's a genuine treat for the eyes. When I get a copy of Sentinel in my greasy mitts, I enjoy it. It's good, wholesome fun and I'm genuinely happy to get the chance to review it, but with only two issues left to the series, I find myself hoping that McKeever and co will be able to pull out all the punches and deliver a tale that demands attention. As of right now, it's fun but ultimately passable. ART: 5.0 STORY: 3.0 OVERALL: 3.0 X-MEN: THE 198 Reviewer: Jordan Springer, Slingers24@aol.com Story Title: The 198 Files Who has made the cut in the Post House of M world? Writers: Eric J. Moreels, Marc-Oliver Frisch & Brian E. Wilkinson Designer: Meghan Kerns Editor: Jeff Youngquist Consulting Editor: Mike Marts Assistant Editor: Michael Short Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada Publisher: Dan Buckley Published by: Marvel Comics The one question that has been on many people's minds after reading House of M is who among the thousands of mutants that had existed prior to HOM have managed to retain their powers? Thankfully, if you're like me and have been nervously waiting to find out the fate of a favorite mutant, there's at least some hope with The 198 Files, created by the Office of National Emergency (O*N*E) to organize the information on which mutants have survived "M-Day" and their threat on the nation's security. Eric J. Moreels, Marc-Oliver Frisch, and Brian E. Wilkinson did a good job in organizing the summaries on each of the mutants in the files, giving short, but concise versions of their individual backgrounds as well as their "potential threat level" to the security of the United States. Some of the people listed I wasn't surprised to see, such as SPOILERS! Gambit and Franklin Richards. Others, like SPOILERS! Kiden Nixon and Amelia Voght, I was pleasantly surprised by. There was even a small section describing the main characters in the upcoming Sentinel Squad O*N*E miniseries. While I was satisfied with how the guide came out overall, there was one glaring thing I didn't like about it. As mentioned in the beginning of the guide, the files are incomplete. So, some mutants that are already known to be safe, like SPOILERS! Skids, were not listed, while others that some may still be nervous about were also omitted, such as SPOILERS! Cloak and Dagger. While I understand that to list every surviving mutant would probably have made The 198 Files more expensive than it is, to actually have done it might have made it a more valuable guide. It was good to see a few of my favorite B-list mutants survive the effects of M-Day, but along with the others listed in the guide, I hope that since these people have survived, it means that they will all be seen in the Post M-Day world. I don't mean just in a two-panel cameo in one issue, but to actually have a part in what is going on, even if the part is very minor. To simply list who survived and not to use them at all is a complete waste of time and space. I thought the design of the guide, which was done by Meghan Kerns, was done well in giving it a slick 'database look'. However, if you have to wear glasses sometimes to read like myself, there might be some difficulty in reading at least some of the dark-blue 'hyperlinks' in the guide, even with good lighting. Overall, I feel that The 198 Files is a good book to pick up, or at least browse through. I warn you again, though, that it is incomplete, so if a favorite mutant of yours isn't listed within the files, all you can do is cross your fingers, pray, and hope for the best??¦ ART: 4.0 STORY: 3.5 OVERALL: 3.5 MYTHOS: X-MEN #1 Reviewer: Mario J. Ramos, mjramos86@hotmail.com "We invade another country to "free" its people from tyranny, and that's a war. But fight tyranny at home and you're considered a terrorist." - Magneto Writer: Paul Jenkins Artist: Paolo Rivera Letters: VC's Joe Caramagna Production: James Taveras Assistant Editors: Molly Lazer and Aubrey Sitterson Associate Editor: Andy Schmidt Editor: Tom Brevoort Editor in Chief: Joe Quesada Publisher: Dan Buckley Published by: Marvel Comics Based on X-Men #1, September 1963 by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby According to solicitations, Mythos is a series of painted one- shots about the early days of Marvel's icons. The first is about the strangest heroes of all...the X-Men. The original five, that is. In this story, Paul Jenkins and Paolo Rivera aim to give us a modernisation of the first encounter of the X-Men and Magneto. After the first couple of pages I was happy to see that Jenkins didn't fall into the trap of putting the X-Men of today in yesterday's context. These really are the X-Men of 40 years ago (without Stan Lee's trademark overdone dialogue). They are teenagers learning to use their abilities in a danger room that lacks all the cool shi'ar technology, but the writer still manages to use in a fresh and original way. The emphasis is really put on the fact that these are the X-Men at their beginnings, which Jenkins achieves by focusing on showing them as students in contrast with their actual status as teachers, and also on their dependence on Professor X (which is far from being the case today). If X-Men #1 was written in the socio-political context of the cold war, Mythos: X-Men was written today, in a post-9/11 world, which is a world a whole lot more ambiguous, and the story reflects it. The Magneto in this story is not the over-the-top "eeevil" one that Stan Lee created, but neither is he the misunderstood hero that Chris Claremont created. He is a radical, determined man that will not stop at nothing to see his vision become reality, but unlike most villains, he has a point to make and one that makes a lot of sense. Though I love x-stories like the Dark Phoenix Saga, I've always believed that X-Men is before all a book about the confrontation of different philosophies and socio-political views. This issue proves to be heavy on those. Be it in the comics or in the movies, my favourite x-moments are the debates between Charles Xavier and Magneto, because you realise that neither man is completely right or wrong, and that through the debate, the contradictions in each man come out. Charles Xavier says there is no war. Magneto points out the fact that Xavier has been training the X-Men as a personal army (the danger room session at the beginning of the issue being a recreation of the battle of Waterloo.) In front of Xavier's naivete, I find myself agreeing more with Magneto. So why should we root for the X-Men? Because the young Jean Grey reminds us of what's really important. "You just murdered everyone on this base, Magneto." For Magneto, the end justifies the means. Though, in a way, so it does for Professor X. He sends teenagers against Magneto, knowing that they can't even get close (while convincing them that they can), only has a distraction so that he could get near him. Some great stories are plagued with mediocre art; it is not the case of this issue. For iconic stories, painted art is the best choice as it gives the story a something special that puts it above all the other books on the stands. Paolo Rivera is not Alex Ross, and though I like Alex Ross, it is a good thing. Rivera's art is not photo-realistic like Ross, no, the colors are diluted and the separations not clear, in a way, the art is "ambiguous" like the story. The powers of the characters particularly come off the page beautifully, especially the white of Angel's wings and the red of Cyclops' beams. In conclusion, not only Jenkins and Rivera successfully modernise the classic tale originally printed in X-Men #1, they also make it a lot more relevant to the world of today, keeping the essence of what Lee and Kirby did and adding to it. That is no small feat. It seems that the success of The Ultimates opened the doors at Marvel for more socio-political issues being addressed in their comics. It has always been the case but now there is less metaphors and more direct references to real-world problems. With the coming of Civil War things will only get hotter. That may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I certainly welcome it. ART: 5.0 STORY: 5.0 OVERALL: 5.0 ASTONISHING X-MEN SAGA #1 Reviewer: Zachary Ayotte Story Title: Astonishing X-Men Saga Reacquaint yourself with astonishment. Writer: Eric J. Moreels Cover Art: John Cassaday & Laura Martin Artist: John Cassaday Editors: Sean Ryan & Jeff Younquist Consulting Editor: Mike Marts Director of Sales: David Gabriel Production: Jerron Quality Colour Designer: Meghan Kerns' Creative Director: Tom Marvelli Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada Publisher: Dan Buckley Published by: Marvel Comics The first issue of Astonishing X-Men Saga is equivalent to summer reruns for your average television show: it is an attempt to keep readers interested in their favorite characters during a break, it hopes to draw new readers to the story and it is something that gets put out when there is nothing new to release. With summer reruns, though, a viewer cannot as easily revisit the stories of the previous year. With comic books you can go back and simply reread the old issues, unless you are someone who doesn't keep your comic back issues. The issue starts by introducing the reader to the X-Men as a whole, describing the goal of the X-Men and the home from which they attempt to achieve this goal, and then to each member of the Astonishing Team. This is a logical place to start and quickly establishes the intended audience for this book: new readers. Anyone who has read the first twelve issues of Astonishing is aware of the characters and the X-mission as it stands. From here, Mr. Moreels splits the contents of the first twelve issues into four sections. Two of the sections, the Cure and Danger, are a look back at the two major story arcs of this book so far. The other two sections are about the two major couples in this book: Kitty and Colossus, and Emma and Scott. The four sections actually flow together quite nicely although there are some minor issues in terms of the order of events. I enjoyed the stories of year one quite a bit, even though the Gifted storyline was somewhat overshadowed by the events of House of M. The two love stories are nicely positioned in the book to not only give us a brief look at the two romances but to also point out two of the more important discoveries that are made over the course of the first year. The first discovery is the fact that Colossus is in fact alive and did not die curing the legacy virus. The other is the appearance of the new Hellfire Club and Emma's potential betrayal. While the gist of Astonishing X-Men is conveyed in this issue, I think it loses some of its magic when all crammed into one issue. Part of the problem is that the narration does not pick up some of the strengths in this book. One of the greatest things about the way Joss Whedon handles this book is the way he handles the characters. He has a very solid understanding of how they should behave and interact. The stories are great but if handled by another writer I think they could end up being taken less seriously. The return of Colossus, for example, was one of the best character returns that I have read. I have seen many characters come back from the dead and I often think it simply seems to convenient, the issues often being accompanied by the tag line "Because you demanded it!". In this case it felt like the motivation was the story and bringing Colossus back, while still important, was secondary. This is something that gets somewhat lost in the narration. It seems emotionless and sounds sort of like someone recapping the most recent episode of Days of Our Lives (which, at times, the X-Books are). "Impossibly, Kitty had found her former lover Colossus, seemingly alive and well though she was the one to scatter his ashes over his Siberian homeland." This is just a recap, though, and is not designed to tell the whole story. It was handy to have the two stories collected like this but in no way is it a replacement for the twelve issues. One of the bonuses of this book was getting to see more Cassaday art. This issue included a cover gallery with all the regular covers and as well as the variants. There are also a few pages of Cassaday sketches at the back that are great. I personally love John Cassaday's work. He could draw a series about circles and I would buy it. I think the sketches and the cover galleries in the back are great additions to this and pretty much justified me purchasing it. It is unfortunate that there is not more new art in the book, though. The final additions to this book are the character bios of the two main villains the Astonishing team has faced so far. These are a nice touch since both villains are new to the X-world. It doesn't actually tell the reader anything new, though. In the end, Saga is a book that is best suited to those who have not read the first twelve issues and don't know if they should. It is a book that is designed to motivate a new reader to buy the first two trades (which are advertised on the inside of the front cover) and to start buying the monthly issues when the series returns with issue number thirteen (which is advertised on the inside of the back cover). If you do plan on reading the stories then I would say just read the trades and if you are just looking for a little nostalgia or a little flashback before February's issue thirteen then just go back and reread your old issues. Unless you are someone who doesn't keep the comics you buy, but people like that don't exist...do they? ART: 4.0 STORY: 3.0 OVERALL: 3.0 Thanks for subscribing to the Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine (CBEM) --------------------------->Disclaimer<--------------------------- This is an ANNOUNCE only mailing list, only the Editor can send messages to the list. No one else has access to the subscriber list. Replies to these messages will be received by the Editor ONLY, so you must CC: individual contributors if you want them to get your E-Mail. The E-mail to the E-mag MAY be used in future issues at the Editor's discretion UNLESS you specifically request that they not be. It is our policy to withhold names and/or Addresses, by request only, from letters of comment. All contributors are required to use their real name and have a valid Email address for their columns to be published. Send Email comments to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Material for inclusion in the Emag - press releases, solicitations, column submissions, Letters to the Editor, guesses for the trivia contest should be sent to ComicBkNet@aol.com The EDITOR, not the submitter, has final approval and edit rights on ALL material. Printed comic books and advanced copies for review in the Emag should be sent via US Mail or UPS to David L. 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