________________________________________________________________________ Visit Our Web Page! http://www.cris.com/~Xenozoid/ComicBkNet.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ / THE \ \C O M I C/ Issue #41 This publication is brought to you \B O O K/ by the active participants of \N E T/ the international center for \ / Christmas Eve comic book discussion, the Comic *E-Mag* 1995 Book Net. !!! Merry Christmas! __/\__ \ / |/\| From all of us at CBN To all our pals in Cyberspace - Editor: Ryan Brewster [Xenozoid@cris.com] - CBN Network Administration Team: - Ed Dukeshire - - Mike Imboden - - William Hughes - - Ryan Brewster - - Jacob Greenberg - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Comic Book Net Founding Fathers: Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] The Bullpen ........................... Ryan Brewster [2] CSNsider #446.......................... W. Batty & C. Biggers [3] Comicunicacions Weekly Re-Cap ......... Ryan Brewster [4] Suspended Animation ................... Michael Vance [5] More on Amalgam Comics! ............... DC Comics Online [6] Letters to CBN ........................ Various [7] Splash Page ........................... Various [8] Join in the Fun! [9] BBSes Linked into CBN [10] E-Mag Info ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] The Bullpen by Ryan Brewster A very merry Christmas to everyone out there! It has been a great year! Enjoy the e-mag! :) Best, --Ry Editor The Comic Book Net E-Mag Xenozoid@cris.com ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2] CSNsider #446 by W. Batty and C. Biggers. This is the CSNsider from CSN #446, which will be in shops on 1/4/96. It is reproduced in its entirety with the expressed permission of COMIC SHOP NEWS! Phil Foglio's sexy series Xxxenophile becomes a collectible card game in 1996; Quinton Hoover, fantasy card artist, is supplying some of the visuals for the series... Two, two, two Hulks in one universe? Reportedly, one plan under consideration by Marvel calls for the current Peter-David-written Hulk to continue in his own book, while the savage "Hulk smash!" Hulk will play a part in the new Avengers/FF subuniverse being helmed by Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee... Chaos Comics has a new Lady Death miniseries, The Odyssey, slated to debut in October. Incidentally, the publisher has also signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Diamond Comics; this should not, however, affect availability of these books to comic fans... Look for the long-awaited TimeCop comic book series to join the Dark Horse line-up in '96... Writer changes over at Image include Warren Ellis taking over Stormwatch and Steven Grant taking over Grifter... In response to fan demands for more frequent releases, Wizards of the Coast has announced plans to focus on their board games and their mega-successful line of collectible card games such as Magic: The Gathering and Vampire: The Eternal Struggle; as a result, they'll be phasing out their role-playing-game releases... The X-Men Animated Series on the Fox Network has changed time-slots; look for it now at 11:00 a.m., right after Spider-Man (how appropriate!)... Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl in Batman Triumphant, the next Batman film? Entertainment Weekly reports that it's certainly a possibility. Alas, they also report that Michelle Pfeiffer will not be returning as Catwoman... Rob Liefeld has announced plans to do his part to help bring comics back to their glory days: he's committing himself to doing at least a dozen comics in 1996, and he's encouraging other pros to make the same commitment; fans who have missed seeing Liefeld's work on the stands on a regular basis will certainly be happy with this news!... The CSNsider is just a small part of each issue of Comic Shop News. CSN #446 features Mutant Chronicles from Acclaim Comics on the cover as well as more news and the January Hot Picks. The CSNsider is now available via e-mail! In order to subscribe to CSNsider, send a message to majordomo@redweb.com, with a single line message saying: SUBSCRIBE csnsider Visit our WWW site! http://www.actwin.com/csn We post the new CSNsider there each Monday or Tuesday and it will go out via e-mail each Wednesday or Thursday. The WWW site is still the first place it will appear each week, but we wanted to offer it via e-mail as well. The only way to get Comic Shop News is to visit a shop that carries CSN. The publication costs the shops just a dime each and is generally free to customers. If your shop doesn't carry CSN, nag 'em until they do. After all, isn't your business and satisfaction worth a dime a week? Ward Batty wardo@netdepot.com Cliff Biggers cliffbig@netdepot.com (c)1995 CSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3] Comicunications Re-Cap 12/24/95 by Ryan Brewster ///// ComICunications \\\\\ Weekly Re-Cap 12/24/95 ** MERRY CHRISTMAS!! ** Contents: 1. Editorial: Comics As A Medium 2. Industry News: * Word Taxes for Comic Writers...? * Bagge Cartoon Debuts * Teri Hatcher Stars in Heaven's Prisoners * Bettie Page Comics Debuts * Mister X Returns * Deodato Showcases His Talents * Radical Dreamer Origins Revealed 3. Reviews: * Rune/Venom #1 * Phoenix Resurrection: Revelations 1. Editorial ------------------------------------------------------------ Comics As A Medium ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ryan Brewster Scott McCloud, in his brilliant _Understanding Comics_, comes up with the following definition of the comics medium: COM ICS (kom'iks)n. plural in form, used with a singular verb. 1. Juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or produce an aesthetic response in the viewer. Will Eisner, in his classic _Comics and Sequential Art_, dubs the same medium "sequential art". However you define it, the comic book medium brings writing and art together to create a visually _and_ intellectually active effect. And comics have _huge_ potential for mainstream acceptance... but have they lived up to that potential? We have a comic book, Niel Gaiman's _Sandman_, winning a prestigious science-fiction award (and prompting a change in the rules of the contest to prevent any more comics from winning that award...). We have a comic book, Art Spiegelman's _Maus_, winning the Pulitzer Prize. We have a series of comic books, Calvin & Hobbes, constantly topping the bestseller lists. Whether or not you feel comics has lived up to its potential, it is apparant that comics does HAVE a HUGE potential. While with writing itself, one can convey ideas, and with art itself, one can convey images, comics brings the two together. Other mediums bring different effects together; movies and television combine images and sound. With movies and television, you can see people talking and walking and all that fun stuff... but you can't tell what they're _thinking_, unless there is a narrative voice-over (a device which often tends to detract from the movie or show). With comic books, you can see what the characters are doing. You can read what they are saying. _And_, with a special device known as the "dialogue box", you can tell what they're thinking! Reading dialogue boxes, one can read the very thoughts of not just the main character, but supporting characters as well. Thus, with the comics medium, you (the reader) can really _know_ a character, _intimately_. Not only do you know what the character looks like, you know what they act like, and you know what they think and say. Can this be done in another medium? Maybe it can, but it is already BEING done in the comics medium. So why doesn't anyone take comics _seriously_??? Obviously, some people _do_, or comics wouldn't have the resume' I listed before, but the vast majority of the public sees comics as a juvenile form of entertainment. Some may argue it's the content, yet so many comics contain advanced vocabulary and mature plot themes. Some believe it's the format; comics appear inherently _cheap_, stuffed into magazine racks in supermarkets, too thin and small to be a magazine, but too big to be a pamphlet. Why do I think nobody takes comics seriously? The _name_: "Comic" implies humor. The term "comic book" _itself_ implies humor... and many comic books _are_ humorous. But what do we do when we want someone to take a comic book seriously? We come up with a new name for it. Next week: Naming the Art Form Best, --Ry Xenozoid@cris.com 2. Industry News -------------------------------------------------------- Word Taxes for Comic Writers..? 12/14/95 - On the 12/12/95 edition of Morning Edition (National Public Radio) was a story of the California tax codes' fight to force Paul Mavrides and other cartoonists to pay sales taxes on their words. The tax code argues that they do not consider comic writers to be writers as protected by the first amendment, they are creators of camera-ready templates and, like people who create designes for coffee mugs or t-shirst, should be taxed on their works. Bagge Cartoon Debuts: 12/18/95 - Peter Bagge (Hate!) will see his creations animated this January as the documentary Hype! debuts at Robert Redford's Sundance Festival. Spin Magazine reported in Dec. 1992 on the rock'n'roll movement in Seattle, known as "Grunge". The Seattle Times reported in mid-'94 on Bagge's association with the subculture of '92, which began when he devoted two issues of Hate! to a story where Buddy managed Stinky's grunge band, Leonard and the Love Gods. Hype! is a feature-length film which documents the Grunge phenomenon. Peter Bagge's cast of characters are animated in a four-minute opening animated sequence for the film by former Ren & Stimpy director Steve Loter. Hype! is tentatively scheduled to be released nationally in Summer '96. Teri Hatcher Stars in Heaven's Prisoners: 12/19/95 - Teri Hatcher (Lois of ABC's Lois & Clark) starred in the Savoy- produced Heaven's Prisoners, but the film has been in limbo since the company got into trouble. It has now been announced that Barry Diller's Silver King Communications has acquired Savoy for a reported $210 million. Hatcher fans can look forward to a release soon, either theatrical or straight-to-video. Bettie Page Comics Debuts: 12/17/95 - Bettie Page Comics #1 debuts in March from Dark Horse Comics. The one-shot will depict the glamour queen in several different styles. In the comic book, she will drive off a martian invasion, make 'B' movies in Hollywood and explore the jungle. Jeff Gelb, Bret Blevins, Tony Meers, Russ Heath, Eric Stanton and Jaime Hernandez are among the names mentioned to be involved in the comic. Mister X Returns: 12/21/95 - In April of 1996, Caliber Press will introduce an all-new bi- monthly series of Mister X. Debra Marks will write and Gene Gonazales & David Rowe draw the series, which will be based more on the earlier incarnation of the character. Mister X will also appear in the upcoming anthology from Caliber, New Worlds. Deodato Showcases His Talents: 12/21/95 - Mike Deodato (Thor, Glory) will introduce a new monthly series to begin in March from Caliber Comics. The material will be stories originally run in Brazilian comics. Radical Dreamer Origins Revealed: 12/13/95 - Mark Wheatly has announced that Mark's Giant Economy Size Comics will release a one-shot comic entitled Radical Dreamer Prime in April. The comic will contain a complete story showing readers what inspired Wheatly to create Radical Dreamer. 3. Reviews -------------------------------------------------------------- Comics for review may be mailed to Ryan Brewster, 84 Bunker Hill St., Lancaster, NH, 03584 Rune/Venom #1 Written by Chris Ulm Pencilled by Greg Luzniak, Mark Pacella & Gaberiel Gecko Inked by Bruce McCorkindale & Art Thibert (Should be) In Stores Now, from Malibu Comics This very violent one-shot is brought to life beautifully by its talented line-up of creators. The art in the first 14 pages is to die for, and the other 26 pages hold their own. Despite a pretty clever storyline, the book is still rather confusing at first. It all comes out in the wash, however, as a helpful character exposition (one of those classic villain-explains-everything-to-his-doomed- hostage expositions) pops up in the middle of the story. Better late than never. If you like a lot (a _lot_) of action and complex plots, this book's for you. I would not probably give a copy to Junior this Christmas, though... Phoenix Resurrection: Revelations Written by Ian Edington & Dan Abnett Pencilled by Kevin West, John Royle, Randy Green & Rick Leonardi Inked by Tom Wegrzyn, Philip Moy, Rick Ketcham & Jeff Whiting Shipping Soon From Malibu Comics Despite a cast of creators virtually unknown to me (West, Leonardi, Moy and Whiting were the only names I - vaguely - recognized...), this book turns out to be a decent read. The art is gorgeous all the way through, so these "unknowns" (if they are truly "unknowns" and I am not displaying my own ignorance) will most likely not be "unknowns" for much longer. There are some parts in the issue that seem rather vague, however. Teams popping up fighting each other for apparently no reason... though this may tie up storylines from other chapters of the crossover. Besides the "senseless fighting", the book stands quite well on its own. If you are a fan of both the X-Men and the Ultraverse, you owe it to yourself to pick this book up. It is flashy but substantial, and brings the storyline to a tidy conclusion. If you are not a fan, this book is not the best jump-on point, but may make a fan out of you yet. ________________________________________________________________________ Comicunications is Copyright (c) 1995 by Ryan Brewster. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [4] Suspended Animation, by Michael Vance SUSPENDED ANIMATION - by Michael Vance The silliness called Psychobabble is psychology based on faulty or nonexistant science. Now, there's a new babble in town. A confusion of myths from Atlantis to Zulus with wings -- our metaphysical beliefs from all times and nations -- metababble is hot! And metababble is kept in THE X-FILES. Government agents Mulder and Scully investigate metababble on television and in the new comic book. In recent issues they traveled to St. Elias, Alaska. Atlantis is buried under the ice there. In Atlantis, someone has rediscovered that eating a person gives the eater the eaten's knowledge. This ancient myth of cannabilism is given vericity by the new discovery that all knowledge is stored in human DNA. Adding to the silliness, Aztecs and Toltecs have also become the Lost Tribe of Israel. This is metababble, fun unless taken seriously. Taken with a grain of salt is the art of this series. It's clean, interesting storytelling with one major fault. Neither Scully nor Mulder look like Scully or Mulder. Also salty is the written word. Stefan Petrucha has done his home- work according to a _long_ list of reference materials. He understands that adding layers of myth makes metaphysical confusion almost believable and a fun read. In addition, unfolding plot and characterization are intriguing. Much is promised in this half of the two-part "shocker", "Silent Cities of the Mind". But you won't be shocked. You won't throw this in the round file, either. Taken with a large grain of salt is the price of THE X-FILES, which follows the standard rules of packaging and page count and paper quality. Why is it so high? THE X-FILES\22 pages, $2.95 from Topps Comics available in comics shops, on newsstands and by mail. (Mr. Vance is a professional writer having written for numerous magazines like CBG, Starlog and Comics Interview. His work has appeared in over 500 newspapers and he's had work published by Comico, Renegade, Innovation and Rip Off Press. SUSPENDED ANIMATION appears in 14 publications reaching 214,000 readers in the U.S., Ireland and Portugal.) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [5] More Info on Amalgam! from DC Comics Online From dcopattyj@aol.com (DCO PattyJ) Date 20 Dec 1995 14:44:56 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) UNDER THE COVERS OF AMALGAM COMICS Following the announcement of the unprecedented merging of the DC and Marvel universes in the upcoming AMALGAM COMICS, curiosity over the content of the 12 Amalgam titles has reached fever pitch. To satisfy at least some of that demand, DC Comics has released a roster of the 12 one-shots to be published by the two companies on February 28, each with a brief summary: Shipping from DC Comics -- LEGENDS OF THE DARK CLAW #1 Adamantium claws, a ferocity driven by old wounds, and a dark batlike countenance to make his enemies' blood run cold: These are the elements that make a man the Dark Claw, nocturnal protector of Gotham City. SUPER-SOLDIER #1 Transformed by an experimental infusion of alien DNA, ordinary human Clark Kent became America's greatest super-powered hero of World War II; revived in modern times after a freak accident of suspended animation, Super-Soldier battles the undying menaces of Ultra-Metallo, the Green Skull, and the subversive terrorist organization Hydra. AMAZON #1 Reared on the hidden island of Themyscira, weather-wielding mutant Ororo Monroe ascended to become warrior-champion of the Amazon civilization... and one of the most powerful forces for good the Amalgam Universe has ever known. JLX #1 Mr. X. Apollo. Firebird. Nightcreeper. Wraith. Runaway. Mercury. Mariner. Together they're the JLX, outlaw metahuman heroes hated by the world they've sworn to protect... and hounded by the avenging heroes of the JLA! ASSASSINS #1 Dare and Catsai -- fierce enemies and two of the deadliest femme fatales in the Amalgam Universe -- forge an uneasy alliance against an elite gang of killers. DOCTOR STRANGEFATE #1 The universe's Supreme Lord of Order is Doctor Strangefate, a mysterious helmeted mage who may well be the most powerful being on Earth. He alone knows that this universe is an amalgam of two separate and distinct realities... and he wants to preserve this new continuum at any cost. Shipping from Marvel Comics -- SPIDER-BOY #1 He's cool. He's smooth. He sticks to walls. And he has a serious attitude problem! The Amalgam Universe's maverick Arach-Kid battles Bizzarnage and goes swinging with Insect Queen! BRUCE WAYNE: AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 Driven by the murder of his parents, a grim multibillionaire uses his wealth to build a political power base and take command of the Amalgam Universe's premier espionage force. SPEED DEMON #1 When Blaze Allen chants the ancient words "Gone, gone, o' form of man..." he transforms into Etrigan, a leather-clad monster with a devil's flaming face -- Speed Demon! BULLETS AND BRACELETS #1: A partnership is born as rogue Amazon Princess Diana forges an uneasy alliance with the Punisher against the menaces of Monarch Jim Rhodes and Thanoseid! MAGNETO AND THE MAGNETIC MEN #1 Adapting the robotic technology that his mutant-hating brother Will Magnus used to create the Sentinels, Magneto creates five robots, each formed from a different metal, to protect his fellow mutants. X-PATROL #1 Red-bearded cyborg Niles Cable leads Ferro Man, Shatterstarfire, Beastling, Elasti-Girl, and Dial H.U.S.K. against the threat of the Amalgam Universe's most malevolent despot, Dr. Doomsday! Also shipping for Amalgam week from Marvel is an oversized, 4-color retail poster with pencils from The Uncanny X-Men's Joe Madureira, inks from Mark Farmer, and color by Steve Buccellatto. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [6] Letters to CBN It is a sad day for comic book fans everywhere. Marvel, in its attempt to streamline the company to make it more efficient, has decided to cancel some of its titles and let Rob Liefeld (Extreme Studios) and Jim Lee (Wildstorm Studios) produce some others. Unfortunately, Marvel has decided to cancel its longest running title, Thor. Thor isn't exactly Marvel's worst selling title either. Sure, the quality of the book hasn't been the same since Simonson's run, but any creative team would have been a letdown after Simonson. And this book is steadily improving, because of great artistry by Mike Deodato, Jr. and great writing by Warren Ellis and now Bill Messner-Loebs. Thor constantly make Wizard's "Hot Picks" list and was 43rd on the "Top 100" highest-ordered comics list in Wizard 53. All of these signs point to an incredibly bright future for this comic book; a future that will be cut short because it isn't making as much money as the X-books. Now I know what many of you are saying. "Why should I care about Thor? I've never read Thor before." All comics fans should care about this outrage because what is happening to Thor could easily happen to any other comic book on the market. Marvel discussed cancelling Incredible Hulk, another one of Marvel's longest running titles. One of the reasons that it was not cancelled is because of the uproar that came from the fans. A similar uproar must be made to save Thor. Incredible Hulk will not be cancelled, but other books will not be so lucky. In the near future, Marvel could be reduced to only four lines of comic books; X-Men, Spider-Man, 2099, and the Avengers books that will be published by Image. Is the market so bad that Marvel can only afford to produce about 20 comics a month? But what if you don't read Marvel books, what if you only read DC or Image? You should still protext this decision. If a comic that has gone 500 issues isn't safe from the executioner's axe, who can say that a comics that has gone 600 is safe? Who can say that a comic that has gone 700 issues is safe? Thor's cancelling could begin an alarming trend in the comic book industry in which no comic book is guaranteed to survive. So what I'm asking is for every man, woman, and child who has ever read Thor, or ever even heard of Thor, to write to Marvel and complain about the cancellation. Don't be harsh with your words, because that will not help the cause; it will probably hurt it. The letters do not have to be anything eloquent, I think that four words would get the point across; PLEASE DON'T CANCEL THOR! But everyone who cares about this issue must write! There is strength in numbers, and if enough people write in, hopefully Marvel will see the error in its ways. Sincerely, Justin Marsh ThorIsCool@aol.com P.S.: Marvel's address is as follows: Marvel Entertainment Group 387 Park Ave. South New York, NY 10016 Subj Need Info Date 95-12-18 08:19:07 EST From CNFKEN@aol.com To ComicBknet@aol.com Hello, I am a high school student attempting to gather current information on the art of comic production and collecting. I got your names by doing a keyword search of your AOL profiles, which gave me 250 names. If you have time, I would be interested in your responses to a few questions. 1. Do you collect comics? 2. How did you get started? 3. What do you get out of it? 4. Do you collect for investment or fun? 5. Do you only collect a specific type? 6. Do you intend to get out of collecting in the future? Please send replies to: Jeff McClelland on my teachers account at: CNFKEN@aol.com Thank You, Jeff ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [7] Splash Page! KnightNet is a friendly message network that also offers interbbs games such as BRE and Falcon's Eye. It is a fun place to discuss various topics, meet new people and make new friends. It's also connected to a number of boards in England, and is constantly growing! Users of the network help decide what message areas are included in the network, making for good traffic of messages. This is the current listing of Knight Net Conferences. This list includes the names for the message areas for FIDO systems to use in their mail tossers. This list may change, depending on how responses are to the various areas, and upon suggestions from sysops and users as to what they would like added or removed. FIDO Tag-Name -- Title of Area: Brief description KSN_SYSOP -- SysOps!: Sysop, Administration & network discussions ONLY. * manditory base for use by Sysops & Cosysops whose BBSs are a part of KnightNet KSN_CHAT -- Net Pals!: This is a general discussion area for everyone. * manditory base KSN_COLLECT -- Comics & Collectables: What else, but a comic book and collectable conference. KSN_CRIME -- Law & Crime: Discussion area for people interested in law, crime, social issues, criminal behaviour, etc. KSN_MOVIE -- TV & Movies: Discussion of any TV series or movies not specifically covered in another area of KnightNet. KSN_THEATR -- Theatre & Entertainment: Discussion of plays, musicals, bands, and other forms of live entertainment. This also includes great restaurants, and fun events. KSN_TREK -- Star Trek: Tired of being pushed from one message base to another as you discuss Voyager, the Next Generation, etc.? Knight Net offers a single area for users to discuss everything that has anything to do with Star Trek. KSN_STWARS -- Star Wars: Star Wars discussion. This area is for anything that deals with Star Wars KSN_XFILES -- X-Files: Discussion of anything dealing with X-Files (ie. the TV show, books, etc.) KBOOKS -- Books & Writing: Discussion of anything dealing with books and writing. KSN_HIST -- History & Mythology: Discussion of events and cultures in history, various mythologies and beliefs throughout time and the world, etc. KSN_POLITIC -- Politics: Political discussion dealing with world politics, local, or national KSN_SEEK -- Seekers (Geneology): Got friends or relatives in other areas? KnightNet is connected to parts of England and Canada, and is constantly growing. Why not use this area to discuss family, try and contact old friends, etc.? KSN_MS -- Multiple Sclerosis: Discussion of multiple sclerosis, dealing with this condition, treatments and support Moderator = Murray Atthill KJOBS -- Jobs & Careers: Discussion of careers, job, education, and resources. This includes employers posting available positions, Q&A about specific careers, etc. KSPORTS -- Sports: Discussion area for all kinds of sports (soccer, football, hockey, etc.) KBRE -- InterBBS BRE: KnightNet now offers InterBBS Barren Realms Elite to it's member boards. This area is for discussion of it. KFE -- InterBBS FE: KnightNet now offers InterBBS Falcon's Eye Elite to it's member boards. This area is for discussion about the game. KSN_JOKES -- Jokes & Humor: This area is for talk about comedy, posting clean jokes, humorous stories, etc. KSN_SUGGEST -- Suggestion Box: Area for suggestions of new message areas, how the Net is doing in general (comments, criticisms, etc.), surveys and votes on new areas by the users * manditory base For more information regarding KnightNet, you can get the latest application and setup pack from the following using the magic name KNIGHTNET Dark Knight BBS 519-850-9929 (FIDO: 1:2401/409, KnightNet: 726:1/1, ClibNet: 350:6/0, Comic Book Net: 23:509/1, TransCanada Net: 201:939/100, GlassNet: 75:400/1) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [8] Join in the fun! You too can enjoy the intelligent conversations and informative threads that occupy the conferences of the Comic Book Net every day! However, many people who read this e-mag aren't familiar with the Local BBS echo-mail system.... Bulletin Board Systems are scattered everywhere across the USofA, and many of them are free! Chances are, if you have a modem you have the accompanying communications software. Using the Terminal Emulation software that came with your modem, you can dial up one of the many systems linked into CBN (see the listings down a few paragraphs). Most of the boards offer all the message echoes in the Comic Book Network... there are message bases devoted to all the bigger comics publishers, as well as big Small Press and Independent message bases, not to mention sections for general (doesn't even have to be about comics!) conversation. If you are worried about long distance charges, worry no longer! Most if not all the BBS's offer a mail service from which you can download a .QWK packet of recent e-mail to read offline with a program called an offline mail reader. You can read & write messages at your leisure, and then upload your own messages & replies the next time you call your local BBS. There are many .QWK packet readers out there, for every type of computer system. They all give you a better explaination in their documentation than I can. These programs are available all over the Internet and are downloadable from most BBS's. These "mail runs" (dialing up, downloading the mail packet and uploading replies) generally take less than 5 minutes to accomplish, and at the average after-5pm/weekends/holidays long distance phone rates, that is LESS THAN 75›! See? Even less expensive than many of the commercial information services available! :) So what else can you find on free BBS systems? Theres plenty of files for specific types of computers. Some systems also offer other types of message networks ranging from general topics to specific themes like sci-fi, role playing, games, music, etc. And, let's not forget online games. Join into the many different multiplayer games, each system sports different challenges. There's nothing like becoming the most powerful being in a online adventure! And when you _do_ log on, leave a message in The Bullpen conference to ALL, and introduce yourself to us! You're guaranteed to get plenty of replies and all the help you need to join in the fun! Best, --Ry, the editor, with assists from Ed Dukeshire. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [9] BBSes Linked into CBN Here's the most up-to-date node listing for the COMIC BOOK NETWORK F=FIDO Q=QWK B=Both *=Major HUB -- ARKANSAS ------------------------------------------------------------ F* Karate & Comics & ... Russelville AR 501-968-3910 Robert Wood F The Mystic BBS Hector AR 501-284-5503 Curtis Tesch -- CALIFORNIA ---------------------------------------------------------- Q Corner Mailbox BBS Lakeside CA 619-561-2961 Joy Manning Q Freedom Flight Victorville CA 619-955-6445 Ronald Siodla -- FLORIDA ------------------------------------------------------------- F Info. Interchange Ft Lauderdale FL 305-792-9622 Mitchel Waas F Flamingo Melbourne FL 407-253-0782 Genie Bohn F Never Never Land Melbourne FL 407-253-8754 Wayne Bell Q Twilight Hall BBS Tampa FL 813-977-6712 John Pierce F Steel Dog Cafe' Destin FL 904-654-9385 Keith Schultz Q Oak Street BBS Ft. Walton FL 904-244-7434 Michael Fischer Q Extreme Online Jacksonville FL 904-363-6347 Eric Cohen F Ded Dudez' Tavares FL 904-343-7272 Mike Burgess -- ILLINOIS ------------------------------------------------------------ F Warp Speed BBS Palatine IL 708-776-2395 Alex Gen -- INDIANA ------------------------------------------------------------- F The CyberSpace BBS Indianapolis IN 317-856-9020 Charlie Smith B* Rob's BBS Arcade La Porte IN 219-325-3655 Rob Swanson -- KENTUCKY ------------------------------------------------------------ Q Mister Rogers Lexington KY 606-273-6611 Doug Rogers -- MARYLAND ------------------------------------------------------------ B* The Daily Planet Frederick MD 301-831-8057 Mike Imboden F The Vampyre Bar! Frederick MD 301-698-5194 Darryl Pierce B Zoneland BBS Gaithersburg MD 301-601-9731 Bob Hair F DataStorm Kettering MD 301-390-5243 Tarek Gordan F Bifrost Mount Rainier MD 301-779-9381 Kevin Carlin F Castravalva Walkersville MD 301-898-4088 Jeffrey Frasure F Womens World East BBS Silver Spring MD 301-431-0647 Wendy Dumser F Boardwalk BBS Bishopville MD 410-352-5754 James Davis -- MASSACHUSETTS ------------------------------------------------------- Q DJ Dave's Domain Agawam MA 413-789-6533 David Scarpa F Archives BBS Acushnet MA 508-995-0085 John Viera F Computer Castle BBS Haverhill MA 508-521-6941 John McNally B U.S.S. Saratoga BBS New Bedford MA 508-984-1212 Justin Campeau F Muskrat & Heatwave New Bedford MA 508-984-5321 Dennis Racine F Computer Castle BBS North Andover MA 508-686-8010 John McNally F Enigma BBS Rochester MA 508-763-5579 Chris Ferreira B* Keystone BBS Shrewsbury MA 508-753-3767 John Harris F HellFire BBS S. Dartmouth MA 508-979-8930 Brock Cordeiro B Call Again Soon Worcester MA 508-791-1281 Joe Johnson -- MICHIGAN ------------------------------------------------------------ F Intl. Comic Network Dearborn Hgts MI 313-565-8464 Anthony Palacio -- MISSOURI ------------------------------------------------------------ F The Oan Citadel Grandview MO 816-767-1488 Brian J. Stewart -- NEW HAMPSHIRE ------------------------------------------------------- F Computer Castle BBS Atkinson NH 603-362-4125 John McNally F Computer Castle BBS Exeter NH 603-778-4662 John McNally F Computer Castle BBS Hampstead NH 603-329-5643 John McNally F Computer Castle BBS Kingston NH 603-642-5949 John McNally F Computer Castle BBS Newton NH 603-382-0567 John McNally F Computer Castle BBS Raymond NH 603-895-2393 John McNally F Computer Castle BBS Rye Beach NH 603-964-4760 John McNally F Computer Castle BBS South Hampton NH 603-394-7534 John McNally -- NEW JERSEY ---------------------------------------------------------- F Virtual Connection Fair Lawn NJ 201-796-7202 Dmitry Korsun B* Bergen BBS Hillsdale NJ 201-722-1495 Jacob Greenberg F Cyberspace Arcade Little Ferry NJ 201-440-5499 Rick Smorawski F The Quantum Zone Park Ridge NJ 201-307-9225 Wayne Robinson F Unnamed BBS Saddle Brook NJ 201-368-1866 Edward Di Geronimo Jr. -- NEW YORK ------------------------------------------------------------ B Asgard.TW BBS West Islip NY 516-422-4225 Tom Pemberton F Generation X Rochester NY 716-647-6960 Eric Sears F X-Mansion BBS Astoria NY 718-204-0159 Benny Powell F Starbase : Red Dwarf Saugerties NY 914-247-9601 John Dragun B Gotham City BBS Spring Valley NY 914-426-3029 Gerald Schranz F Di Vermiis Mysteriis Poughkeepsie NY 914-485-5463 Thomas Morton -- NORTH CAROLINA ------------------------------------------------------ F Electronic Hangover Durham NC 919-286-4542 Richard Lee F Psychotronic Durham NC 919-286-7738 Richard Lee F* TI-Raliegh Maximus Raliegh NC 919-833-3412 Walter Tietjen F Crystal Winds Raliegh NC 919-790-3599 Mike Gurkin -- OKLAHOMA ------------------------------------------------------------ F Lets PC BBS Oklahoma City OK 405-672-0615 Hyun Nam F Snart's Dreamland Collinsville OK 918-371-0980 Jeff Bennett -- PENNSYLVANIA -------------------------------------------------------- F Comic Book Board Philadelphia PA 215-365-5225 William Horton Q 3-4-2 LEVI Online Philadelphia PA 215-342-5384 Leo Keil F Dark Lands Philadelphia PA 215-487-7315 Chris Ford F The Malverne BBS Eddystone PA 610-872-2830 Raymond Jones -- TENNESSEE ----------------------------------------------------------- F The Factory BBS Union City TN 901-885-9647 Rick Brewer -- TEXAS --------------------------------------------------------------- Q Way Out There Dallas TX 214-680-2755 Justin Pasher F House Atreides Garland TX 214-494-3702 Wayne LeMonds F The Chess Board Grand Prairie TX 214-641-1136 Ken Givens B* FIAWOL/MSConnections Irving TX 214-790-6472 Bobb Waller F Star Streams Waxahachie TX 214-938-7115 Michael Rudolf F* The RASTER Line Houston TX 713-568-0825 Jeff Watts F The Dream Sequence Missouri City TX 713-835-0965 Biju Mathai F Young Blood Killeen TX 817-699-2254 T.J. Gohl F Orion BBS Odessa TX 915-530-2712 Dennis Brown -- VIRGINIA ------------------------------------------------------------ B Crystal Aerie Arlington VA 703-415-0134 Spencer Greenwald -- WASHINGTON ---------------------------------------------------------- F* Longview On-Line! Longview WA 206-577-7358 Jeanne Lejon -- ONTARIO, CANADA ----------------------------------------------------- F Dark Knight BBS London ONT 519-850-9929 Michael Cross F MACH 1 BBS London ONT 519-457-6771 Tomasz Heiber F The Outpost BBS St. Mary ONT 519-284-0223 Murray Atthill F Snake Pit BBS Tecumseh ONT 519-979-4251 Mark Godard F Gananoque System's BBS Gananoque ONT 613-382-1788 Mike Serson -- MEXICO -------------------------------------------------------------- B* The Gate BBS Mexico City 52-5-264-2994 Emilio Karam - From USA, dial international-access 011 then 52-5-264-2994# ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [10] E-Mag Info The Comic Book Net E-Mag is published weekly by the many participants of The Comic Book Network. This is a compilation of articles and columns which were originally posted in the network's conferences or written specifically for this electronic magazine. All text contained within are copyrighted to the originating author(s). Freely distributable for noncommerical purposes only. THE CBN WEB PAGE ---------------- If you have access to the World Wide Web, please stop by and visit our web page! On our web page, you can find the latest issue of our E-Mag, as well as an annotated index of back issues. You'll also find important information on how to join the conversation in the Comic Book Net, an archive of Comic Book Net fanfic, and other neat features! The URL address is: http://www.cris.com/~Xenozoid/ComicBkNet.html LOCATING THE ISSUES ------------------- The latest issue is always available from all the systems linked into The Comic Book Network. Issues may be obtained through several online pay services as well (ie; AOL, CompuServe, GEnie). All back issues should be available at the above sites, as well as our World Wide Web page. SUBMISSIONS ----------- To submit an article, review, column, etc to our e-mag, simply post it in any Comic Book Net conference and leave me a message in the CBN: E-Mag conference giving me permission to use the article. If you cannot access the Comic Book Net, submit your news articles (no reviews accepted at this time...) to the editor: Xenozoid@cris.com. SUBSCRIPTIONS ------------- If you wish to receive these issues automatically through your internet account, please address a message to Xenozoid@cris.com to be placed on the subscription list. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - End of Issue #41.. see ya next week!