------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE COMIC BOOK NET ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE - ISSUE NUMBER 60 ________________________________________________________________________ World Wide Web Page------>> http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet ------------------------------------------------------------------------ o \o/ _ o _| \ / |_ o_ \o/ o /|\ | /\ _\o \o | o/ O/_ /\ | /|\ / \ / \ |\ /) | ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | / \ / \ This publication is brought to you by the members of the premiere BBS network for the discussion of comics books and the people who create them, The ComicBook Network!!! Edited by: David LeBlanc [ComicBkNet@aol.com] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The ComicBook Network was founded by Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you wish to receive these issues automatically through your internet account, please address a message to ComicBkNet@aol.com to be placed on the subscription list. ________________________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] On the Net ............................ David LeBlanc [2] Letters to the Editor ................. Your Page! TRIVIA CONTEST......................... Guesses & Answers [3] CBN Insider ........................... News, gossip, & rumors [4] Top 50 Comics MAY/10 Black & White..... Comic Shop News [5] Suspended Animation ................... Michael Vance [6] INTERVIEW: Mary Fleener ............... Keith O'Brien [7] Rich's Revelations..................... Richard Johnston [8] Hulk Cartoon cast set.................. News Wire [9] Diamond Gem Awards & Previews News .... G. Folland [10] New Comics Shipping 5/28/96 ........... Bobb Waller [A] How to join ComicBook Network.......... BBS 101 [B] BBSes Linked into CBN.................. CBN node list [C] E-Mag Info: Submissions, Subscriptions, Back Issues, Copyrights ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] On the Net by David LeBlanc So THAT is who Onslaught is! (yawn) What is that sound? Could it be the lemmings marching to the Marvel comic section of the local comic store once again? This week I decided to rant a bit about junk mail. It has been with us forever and probably always will. Everyone must realize by now that once you subscribe to anything or contribute to anything that almost always your name and address get on a mailing list that is then sold to any number of organizations looking for ways to part you from your money. It used to bother me more than it does. I am not one to agonize over the "waste of trees" that all this unwanted paper demands. I recycle it all anyway, so let the environmental whackos go after the people who send it, I never wanted it in the first place. Early on I figured out how to track how a new piece of junk got my address. I started using fake middle initials, nothing serious, and not attempting fraud, just a tracer on the subscription. Sure enough, the same fake initial showed up in junk mail a few months later. Just a curiosity to make the unwanted mail a bit more interesting. Did you know companies routinely have those return post cards and coupons tell you to send it to a *fictitious* Dept H, or some such, so they can gauge the number of returns from a particular advertisement. If you look at the same ad in a number of magazines, often you will see different *departments* in the address. Now, the real problem is junk *EMAIL*!! This one of the most hideous evils known to man. Some of them demand you send them a specially formatted message or they will keep sending them to you. Some don't even have accounts you can send mail to so you are at their mercy even if you ignore it. Now, on a normal ISP mail account, with a decent mail reader, you can screen this stuff out, never to be seen again. On a pay service it is not so easy. AOL has a built in mail reader. It does not have a mechanism to stop any incoming mail. I already mentioned what happens when a faulty system starts burping - I got over 270 copies of the same message and watch the pennies fly by as the flash session (automatic mail retrieval and then sign off) logged each and every one of them. Complain to management only helps if the problem originates on AOL. If someone uses their AOL account to perpetuate a chain letter, AOL will stop it in its tracks, and might even bounce the people responsible. When it comes from outside, via the Internet, they are limited in what they can do. I suppose if enough members complain they can have a lawyer call the offending party but that is a big bluff. The official word to a complaining member is that they cannot control messages from other systems, the only way they possibly could end it is to shut off Email entirely (what about changing the software so a user could *TWIT* repeat offenders???) which they don't want to do. They then advise you to send an Email Complaint to POSTMASTER@ to nip it at the bud. Remember the 270 identical messages? I sent the Postmaster Email advising of the problem and got 50 copies of a message saying he would look into it? AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!! The ones that really get me are those scum whos sign on for their 10 free hours, specifically to send hundreds of Email messages as if they had an account their. These type usually want you to send your name and address, they seem to just have you email address, or else call some phone number to sign up for their service or buy their product, or join their vaguely disguised pyramid scheme. When you send them a note back to tell them to bugger off (the more you get, the nastier your replies become) you get a note back from AOL telling you there is no such account on AOL. That wouldn't be so bad, but the next week they do it again, with another new account, and the same vanishing account when you send an even more threatening reply this time. Drive-by Email! Anyway, I PROMISE, I will NEVER, EVER, give out anyone's address without their permission. The winners of the CHEEZY PRIZE (tm) can be assured that no junk mail generates from me. If you don't want to give me your mailing address, you forfeit the prize, but are still declared the winner. I Email the Emag to all the subscribers by using the Blind Carbon Copy feature of Eudora, which means only 4 people, all members of the Comic Book Net, are actually in the TO: address. If I send an issue to Mike Imboden, in the BCC block is about 75 names. Each one of those people see only their own name, and Mike's when they get the issue. The other 74 are *blind* to each other. This minimizes the chance that our mailing list will be used by anyone for junk Email. I do publish Email addresses in letters to the editor, and trivia guesses, but will withhold it upon request. Just had to get that off my chest. This issue has another interview by The Keith, this time with Mary Fleener. We have Rich's Revelations for the month of May, and Comic Shop News lists the top 50 comics and the top ten Black and White comics. Suspended Animation returns with a look at GHOST from Dark Horse Comics. The usual bits of news and upcoming shipping list round out the issue and we have our first two time winner in the trivia contest as we learn who the *significant seven* of comics are. Toss another shrimp on the barbee and enjoy the holiday weekend, (For those reading this from outside the US, we celebrate Memorial Day on Monday.) but please take some time to reflect on the contributions to your quality of life by those who have gone before and have left this mortal coil. Especially, the creators who crafted our dreams in 4 colors. David LeBlanc [ComicBkNet@aol.com] Editor The Comic Book Net E-Mag ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2] Letters to the Editor If you want to comment on this or any previous issue, want to offer something for us to publish, or just want to shamelessly suck up to the editor to try and get your name in print send Email to: ComicBkNet@aol.com Note: letters of comment, complete with the sender's Email address may be used in future issues of the CBN E-Mag unless you specifically request us NOT to use them. Email address will be witheld upon request. +++++ Date: Sat, 18 May 1996 09:26:32 -0400 (EDT) From: comxtv Subject: COMX-TV Hello, once again. My last letter only generated one comment, which is sad. COMX-TV is a weekly television show on the world of comics. On the air since July, 1993, we have produced over 100 shows. We've had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing everyone from Joe Sinnott, Jim Lee, Dave Sim, Roger Stern and dozens more. We've talked with publishers of all sizes, including many you read about here. So we have the contacts, the show and the desire. I come to you, the on-line comic fans for a few reasons. First and foremost I want to know if the readers here would like a weekly television show on in their local viewing area. If so, what would you want to see? Also, any small press publishers who may have not sent material in to COMX-TV before, our rules are simple. Send it and will be reviewed. Send any comments, questions, scoops, review material: Michael Rizzo COMX-TV 41C Glenwood Ave. Buffalo, NY 14225-2630 716-894-1916 [Well readers, why not send your comments to Mike by mail or Email. All the self publishers, and small press people who read this should consider sending material for review on the air. Couldn't hurt.] +++++ From: gerbil@aztec.asu.edu (KEITH OBRIEN) Subject: Re: CBEM #59B In regards to Mike Baron's GRACKLE title, he call the grackle a small black bird that nests in larger birds' nests. Well, the gracke's around here are of a size that in order for them to be in larger birds' nests, they must be taking over the hawks' nests. And from the number of grackles, they must be sharing said nests with about a dozen (or more) of their brethren! The title BOG getting stuck at the printer's hits me pretty close today. I scrambled really hard to get the latest KLUTTERED VISIONS to the printer in time for a Friday ready date, and they messed up my order. The people on the press at the time couldn't figure out the salesperson's notes. So my hard work to get the issue out on time for Saturday distribution falls flat. Now I'll be spending a few minutes here and a half hour there on my breaks at my "real" job running issues to all the stores in the valley. Grrrrrr. For those wanting to see Frazetta's comic book work cheap, DC did a reprint of his Shining Knight stuff about 10-15 years ago that I keep coming across in the discount bins of various stores and convention dealers. Acclaim's claim of Turok as one of the top 10 selling comics (Turok Dinosaur Hunter #1 anyway) is only loosely based in reality. Most stores over ordered those and ended up selling them (if they could) at far below cost. Maybe the number sold to stores was high, but the initial sales (at least) to the customer on the street was well below that number. The Keith gerbil@aztec.asu.edu [I agree, the claim on Turok should have been worded as ordered, not sold. and thanks for the thoughts and tips. You'll see the Mary Fleener review in this very issue and we are saving your best for last.] +++++ Subj: Writer OR freelance work needed! Date: 96-05-20 16:27:23 EDT From: XRVT39C@prodigy.com (MR NICHOLAS S ROBALIK) My name's Nick Robalik, and I am looking for a talented writer to co-plot and publish an indpendent limited-series comic book. I am currently working for Anarchy Entainment or a PC-based fighting game called Valhalla, for which I've touched up the character artwork, created backgrounds and sound effects. Their web page can be checked out at www.anarchyent.com. I've also done the editorial cartoons for a local high school newspaper, and layed out their literary magazine and did the cover artwork. I have also won a contest judged by Doug Moench and Scott Hanna of >> Batman fame. I'm NOT interested in doing a superhero book, so if that's all you write, don't bother writing me. I'm looking to do a Vertigo book, something along the lines of John Constantine (Hellblazer) or MAYBE Books of Magic. If you're interested in any way, please reply. I can be reached at: XRVT39C@prodigy.com NICK@anarchyent.com Trent@sys647.chatlink.com or snail mail at: Nick Robalik 31 Harrow Rd. Levittown, PA 19056-1401 (215)943-8075 (home) (609)730-0800 (work) I'm also interested in doing freelance artwork, sound FX or layout, and I'm experienced in Pagemaker MAC and IBM), Photoshop (MAC and IBM), Painter 4.0(MAC), and somewhat experienced in Lightwave (Amiga), 3D Studio 4.0, Truespace 1.0, CakeWalk, Scream Tracker 3.2, and FastTracker Nick Robalik [TRIVIA CONTEST] **Last week's question: Which seven characters, according to Mike Benton's "The Comic Book in America", stand out as the most historically significant? From: nexus1@soho.ios.com Date: Sat, 18 May 1996 20:14:48 -0400 Subject: The Significant Seven My guess for the seven most historically significant comic characters: (1) The Yellow Kid - hero of first comic strip (2) Superman - first superhero, created medium (3) Batman - first big superhero with no powers (4) Robin - first teen sidekick (5) Capt. America - first WWII superhero (6) Spiderman - first flawed/human superhero (7) Silver Surfer - first "anti" hero and, I wish... (8) NEXUS - first comic with story and art "light years ahead." [Not bad, 4 out of seven!] +++++ From: 103514.2754@CompuServe.COM (Jose Mochove) The seven most imortant characters in comic books history, known as the significant seven, are: {omitted} . . .to keep you all in suspense because Jose got it right, but is not elligible yet to win again. +++++ Date: Sun, 19 May 1996 17:37:23 -0800 From: scktully@sonnet.com (Wild Side) Hey, the trivia question has to be Action Comics #1!!!! Doiubt I am the first one though. WILDSIDE [Uh, I think you misunderstood the question] +++++ Subj: Cheesey Prize Trivia Contest Date: 96-05-21 16:42:31 EDT From: tfk@nitinolmed.com (Thomas F. Kinst) Hi, > Which seven characters, according to Mike Benton's "The Comic Book in > America", stand out as the most historically significant? I haven't read Mike Benton's "The Comic Book in America", but I'll vote for (in no particular order): Superman Wonder Woman Batman Spider-Man Captain America Sandman (Neil Gaiman) Wolverine [closer, this time 5] +++++ Date: Mon, 20 May 1996 08:41:25 -0700 From: Jim Murdoch >THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: > >Which seven characters, according to Mike Benton's "The Comic Book in >America", stand out as the most historically significant? Not having the book, I'm going to guess: Superman Batman Wonder Woman Captain America Robin Uncle Scrooge Archie I'll swing by a library on Monday and check it out. Jim, Master of Comics smiv@primenet.com Order SPANDEX NOT REQUIRED #2 and HIGH OCTANE THEATRE #! from APL Shipping June 1996 [Seems like everyone guesses Superman, Batman, and Captain America right, you add Wonder Women and before we had Spider-Man, another member of the "Significant Seven"] Jose won last week, so he gets eliminated. Here is the winner, our first two time champ! Subj: Trivia Answer Date: 96-05-20 13:21:44 EDT From: TOPPERSL@sm4.ascsm.wpafb.af.mil (Topper, Steven L.) I doubt I'm the first to answer this question, but here goes. According to Mike Benton the seven most historically important superheroes are: 1. Superman 2. Batman 3. Wonder Woman 4. Spider-Man 5. Captain America 6. Captain Marvel 7. Plastic Man Thanks again for a great emag. Steve Topper Steve's CHEEZY PRIZE (tm) is already on the way, and as promised, a bonus is with it - Dr. Wonder #1. Who knows, it could be another *significant* character in the making! *8^) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THIS WEEK'S TRIVIA QUESTION: What college did the Silver Age Robin, Dick Grayson, attend? BONUS: What degree did he receive? IMPORTANT RULES NOTICE: The first correct answer to reach the editor wins the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm). The editor will be the sole judge as to which guess arrived first! Please be sporting and send only one guess at a time. LIMIT: ONE PRIZE PER MONTH PER PERSON! Submit your own trivia and win the CHEEZY PRIZE(tm) if you stump the subscribers! You MUST submit the correct answer with the question. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3] CBN Insider - News, gossip and rumors from around the industry You may have noticed we sometimes quote Hero Illustrated (online) as a news source. Last week the URL was not registering at the site as usual and John Benton finally posted an explanation on rec.arts.comics.misc: From: John Benton Date: Fri, 17 May 1996 Okay, here's the situation: Last Wednesday, Sendai Publishing Group (Home of Electronic Gaming Monthly and its spinoffs, as well as Internet Underground) and Sendai Interactive (Home of NUKE, the web arena where you all read HERO) were purchased by Ziff-Davis (Home of a WHOLE LOT of computer mags). Z-D's intent is to get into the platform gaming arena, and Sendai was the perfect way to do so. Z-D did NOT buy Cinescape (Home of, well, Cinescape) or Warrior Publications (Home of Ventura, Cards Illustrated, and HERO). Given Z-D's intent with the purchasing, the decision was made to remove HERO and Cinescape from NUKE. The decision was announced to me on Friday, and the site was officially pulled Monday. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you about the whole thing. It's really all I know. All I can do now is thank you all for supporting me these past few months. This is my personal account, so you can always reach me here. Heaven knows I'll stay in touch with the rumor mill, so I'll drop stuff out here whenever I can. Thanks again, for everything. --John Benton +++++ Marvel held its annual stockholder's meeting this week and one person posted a synopsis of the key points. No way to verify the truth so it is taken with however many grains of salt you need: 1>They are not going to sell through Capital, that fell through. They will upgrade Heroes world. 2>They will make product more "editorially attractive", and affordable. 3>More ex-Marvel creators will work on upcoming projects 4> Spider-Man movie still in limbo though the option just ran out, it is still in dispute. Not this year folks. 5> Fantastic Four is probably more likely, Dustin Hoffman is interested??? Stan is Hyping it (kiss of death) 6> Marvel Mania restaurants is in the works, Marvel retail stores is not. +++++ Speaking of annual reports, they have gone to the web: NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--May 22, 1996--Talk about wired to the web! Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. (NYSE:MRV) -- home of the original websurfer himself, Spider-Man -- announced that its renowned comic book annual report can now be seen online exclusively on the Marvel Investor WebSite at http://www.shareholdernews.com/mrv. Netscape V.2.0 is necessary for maximizing the special effects, including limited animation. The Marvel Investor WebSite is linked to the popular Research Magazine Investor Net, Broker Net and Institution Net sites (http://www.researchmag.com), which provide information on hundreds of publicly traded companies. The Marvel WebSite includes recent financial, corporate and product news releases and contact information and also will feature Marvel's comic book quarterly reports. "We expect this will be one of the more entertaining investor sites on the Internet," said Scott Marden, CEO of Marvel Software, which is in the process of developing other Marvel WebSites featuring the youth entertainment company's cast of more than 3,500 super heroes and villains and licensed sports and entertainment properties. The 1995 Marvel Annual presents the company's facts and figures in a reader-friendly way. The annual tells the story of how Spider-Man -- in order to clear his name with Daily Bugle Publisher J. Jonah Jameson -- hunts down stolen layout pages to a special report Jameson plans to publish on Marvel. Aided by Captain America, Wolverine, The Avengers and Generation X, Spider-Man and the Marvel Super Heroes wage titanic battles to recapture the pages from Hulk, Dr. Doom, The Jackal and a brand new villain called The Un-American. The Super Heroes read the pages and learn how, starting from only comic books, Marvel has developed a broad array of revenue sources, including trading cards, character licensing, toys, stickers and software. In addition, Marvel has agreements with Planet Hollywood to develop a chain of Marvel Mania themed restaurants and with Universal Studios to develop a section dedicated to Marvel within its new Orlando theme park. In so doing, the Marvel Super Heroes -- as well as the reader -- learn how Marvel Entertainment Group has become a diversified youth entertainment company. CONTACT: Marvel Comics Group, New York Grazia Daddi, 212/576-9394 +++++ On 5/21 Bob Harras and Scott Lobdell along with Ben Raab attended a Live Chat on America Online. Here is a summary: Does Marvel have internships for High school students? Yes! They should contact Becky D'Souza at Marvel Comics, 387 Park Ave. South, NYC, NY 10016. Some of the current editors and writers began this way. Would not say if anyone would die during Onslaught. No new "X" title is planned for after Onslaught. Apocalypse will not be happy Onslaught is around, Sinister and Magneto figure into the story as well. The connection between Onslaught and the "X-Traitor" is revealed on page 2 of X-Men Onslaught on sale May 27. Waid will leave full time X-writing but will do more projects later on this year. Scott will handle the 2 X-men Titles for the future. There will be more web pages coming. When asked why they were not Online (ala DC) they said they have been waiting to do it right AND that it is in production. They may revisit the AOA world, specifically Blink, but "our world" Blink is blinked off to parts unknown (didn't say dead). No plans to cancel Ghost Rider. There is an important secret about Onslaught in the computers of Excalibur. After the Onslaught story Magneto joins the team, another key character leaves and there is a looming international threat from Bastion. The Bobby to Reinfire story will be dealt with sometime soon. On how powerful Onslaught really is, Scott Lobdell says he has the potential to be more powerful than Phoenix and the story will revolve around the X-Men and the Marvel heroes trying to stop him from achieving that potential. Harras started as a mail clerk at Marvel and did so poorly he made Editor in Chief. Mini series are slated for X.S.E, Magneto, Pryde & Wisdom, and maybe Quicksilver. Elektra gets a series in September. The Gen-x kids are going to try to hide from the Onslaught war. Spidey gets to battle a Sentinel Email MARVEL ->>>> MarvelMail@aol.com +++++ Black Superhero in the Hood (from Reuters- 5/23) Hollywood has hatched its first black superhero. Michael Jai White, who starred as Mike Tyson in the HBO picture ``Tyson,'' has the lead in a big-budget sci-fi drama called ``Spawn.'' Two other black actors, Damon Wayans and Robert Townsend, donned superhero outfits in earlier films but they were spoofs on the genre. ``Spawn'' is about a government assassin who is revived as a black superhero with supernatural powers, five years after being murdered by his agency. Now it's decision time. He must choose between avenging his death or saving Earth from destruction. Production starts this summer. +++++ From this week's CSNsider in Comic Shop News #466, lots of stuff we already told you about, plus . . .DC says it completely sold out Hitman #1, even though they purposely overprinted it (BTW Overstreet's FAN is picking Demon Annual #2, Hitman's first appearance, as a future hot book) . . . CSN withdrew it's report that a Batgirl will be coming to comics continuity anytime soon or in 1997, even though she will be in the next movie. . . Mark Schultz will produce a limited edition (99copies) set of 11x17 plates entitled "Scenes From the Xenozoic Age for $299. . .Marvel sources say Marc Silvestri will be doing some X-Men work off and on in the future (see previous item re Marvel) . . . looks like Barb Wire will be fast to video for your summer viewing after a dismal 12th place opening. . .Jerry O'Connel who plays a young genius on SLIDERS, will be writing a SLIDERS SPECIAL for Acclaim based on his treatment deemed too dark for Fox TV. . . Big changes for Superman is now in the works (it's like deja vu all over again!) . . .X-Files comics based on the original Topps comics are being prepared for the Japanese market. . . AArdwolf Comics will be releasing an anthology in August with stories by Harlan Ellison and Neil Gaiman included, entitled "Strange Kaddish: Tales you Won't Hear From Bubbie." ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [4] Top 50 Comics for May/10 B & W source Comic Shop News #465 Top sellers by *volume* as reported by dealer orders to Diamond and Capital City and sales by a cross section of comics specialty stores. 1. X-Men 53 2. Uncanny X-Men 333 3. Spawn 46 4. Spawn 45 5. Generation X 16 6. Wolverine 102 7. X-Force 55 8. X-Men Unlimited 11 9. Medieval Spawn/Witchblade 1 10. X-Man 16 11. X-Factor 123 12. Grifter/Shi 1 13. Spawn/WildCATs 4 14. Cable 32 15. Batman: Black & White 1 16. Dreaming 1 17. Batman 531 18. Amazing Spider-Man 412 19. Excalibur 98 20. Angela/Glory:Rage of Angels 21. Spider-Man:Legacy of Evil 22. Sensational Spider-Man 5 23. Lady Death:the Odyssey 2 24. WildCATs 28 25. Captain America 452 26. Superman 112 27. Action Comics 722 28. Detective Comics 697 29. Spider-Man 69 30. Superman:Man of Steel 57 31. Incredible Hulk 442 32. Avengers 399 33. Crow: Dead Time 3 34. X-Files 13 35. Artemis: Requiem 1 36. Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye 37. Avengelyne 1 38. Robin 30 39. Catwoman 34 40. Green Lantern 74 41. Flash 114 42. Robin Annual 1 43. Spectacular Spider-Man 235 44. Green Lantern Annual 5 45. Supergirl Annual 1 46. Sin City: That Yellow Bastard 3 47. Purgatori: Prelude 1 48. Azreal 18 49. Sergio Massacres Marvel 50. Wonder Woman 110 Top 10 Black & White Comics 1. Crow Dead Time 3 2. Sin City: That Yellow Bastard 3 3. Cerebus 205 4. Ranma 1/2 Part Five 5 5. Elfquest: Metamorphosis 1 6. Armed & Dangerous Special 1 7. Return of Lum Part Two 8 8. Poison Elves 10 9. Replacement God 4 10. Legend of Mother Sarah: City of Children 4 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [5] SUSPENDED ANIMATION by Michael Vance Boo. Reporter Elisa Cameron died and came back as a GHOST. She isn't friendly like Casper. In fact, she hates men. Her sister and roommate, Margo, loves men... in the sheets. That and the all white, low-cut jump suit and shroud Elisa wears are all that separate her from THE SPECTRE and THE SPIRIT who also died and returned as ghosts, to one degree or another, in the early 1940s. Alright, there is another difference. The current SPECTRE comic book is better written, and the classic SPIRIT books were _MUCH_ better written, more innovative, adult and entertaining. Why Ghost battles cleverly named villains along the "dark waterfronts, art deco canyons and shimmering skyscrapers" of Arcadia is buried in fist fights, blazing guns, and the subtle sexuality of these sisters. Not to be mean spirited, but after randomly reading six issues, you still don't know _WHY_ Elisa hates men or Margo is a whore either. And what readers don't know can bore them. Boo-hoo. Ghost's hatred of men is drawing some spirited letters from readers on both sides of feminism, although Elisa's hatred is ill-defined and stereotyped. Her editor advises readers to be patient. Ghost will grow. Let's see. Eleven issues times $2.50. That's a lot of patience. Luckily, Elisa died in the wool (ouch), and nicely drawn wool at that. The ever changing roster of artists ghosting in the style of the series' long absent co-creator, Adam Hughes, has maintained his high standards. And lots of well-drawn feminine flesh and naughty (but not nasty), seductive poses have saved GHOST from an early grave. Less experienced readers and hardcore fans of superheroes and "good girl" art will enjoy GHOST. MINIVIEW: Boneshaker #1 [Caliber Comics] The mad dreams of a dead wrestler. Excellent story and art; a visual dance. Recommended. (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.) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [6] INTERVIEW: Mary Fleener by Keith O'Brien {Keith O'Brien (The Keith) is the publisher of a FREE Zine called KLUTTERED VISIONS. It explores the world of visual fringe pop culture thus dealing with visual medium like comics, cards, films (but not just audio, like music recordings) in the fringe i.e. not mainstream, and pop which means this stuff is available in quantities for people to own (Videos, laser disks, comics, cards, etc). It is digest sized and packed with reviews, interviews, and information about all this stuff and is supported by paid advertising. He can be reached at: gerbil@aztec.asu.edu } (I sat down with Mary at the Sin Alley booth at the San Diego Comic Con and in the midst of the constant flow of hundreds and thousands of people, attempted this interview.) Keith: This is Mary Fleener who's currently doing Slutburger and tons of other things besides. Mary: Making money. K: We know you do comics, but you're also involved in a lot of other art projects, as can be seen by your pottery, at least, on the table here. What other things are you doing? M: Since I came from a fine art background that's why I try to do everything that I possibly can to make money for creative enjoyment. What I've been doing is big large paintings in acrylics on canvasses that are thirty by forty or larger. For example, the back cover of Slutburger is a forty by sixty inch painting I'd done and then I show in galleries. I've been doing a lot of illustration work, which I'd always wanted to do my whole life but I didn't think I had a prayer. Because of comics I've been able to get into doing work for mainstream magazines. K: Because of comics. M: Because of comics. K: But you're still doing comics, even though comics aren't paying anywhere near what you get by your other illustrations. M: No, I guess I enjoy doing them because there's a different appreciation of the artform. The people who like comics have a more liberal sense of aesthetics than people do in art galleries. People in art galleries compare you to this person and that artist and Picasso, Leger, you name it. In the comics field everybody seems to appreciate originality a little bit more. You wouldn't think that because the industry's sort of dominated by superheroes. That might be true in the business sense, but I meet a lot of people on the street and they're very open minded. And I like that. So then, maybe that's why I like doing the comics. Sure, they don't pay a lot, but they've opened the door for me for so many other things. That's why they're good to do. K: In comics, you have a really unique style. Is this your style overall? Is this more specifically for comics and you do your other artwork in different styles? M: No, I just draw this way. I've been drawing this way since I was a little kid. I always did everything with a hard black outline. I always liked really abstract goony stuff. I was influenced by the fabrics, by the designs of the 50's, which was real atomic and kidney shaped and just real... I don't know. I love Egyptian art, and Mayan art, and African art. It's the only way I know how to draw. So that's the way I do everything. I've refined it over the last couple of years to where I now have my own little clich‚s. I can draw realistic, but it still has that look in it. K: You've been drawing like this since you were a child, so you really haven't been influenced by any one particular artist? M: Well, that's not entirely true. Mad Magazine made my humor have the demented bend that it has now, but Zap Comics was, like, unbelievable. Everyone was trying to draw like Rick Griffith or Robert Crumb. Myself included. And Moscoso doing those kind of spacey compositions he does. So for a while there I was trying to draw like Robert Crumb, like every other person in southern California. As Robert Crumb said to me as I wrote and met him later, he just said, draw the way you want it to look and don't copy anybody else. That's when I started kinda like drawing the way I used to draw as a kid. So that suggestion of his I just took to heart and started to really go back to the way I drew as a child and play around with that. K: What do you find humorous in comics? M: You know, that's interesting, because I don't worry about if something's humorous. If you want humor, it's sort of watch TV. You know, Married... with Children, or Roseanne, or something like that. I don't care if comics are humorous, in fact, I prefer comics that aren't really humorous. I like stuff like Yummy Fur and Dirty Plotte. It's funny, they still refer to the work we do as comics as if it's humorous. I was talking about his to somebody the other day. I never think about that when I write or draw comics and I never think about humor when I read them or anything. I like satire. Satire, I guess you could call it humor. I like it when people do stories that make comments on the human condition, and when hypocrisy is exposed for all to see. That's what I think is really important. That's what gets me off, you know, is subversion. That's where I'm at. K: What new comics projects do you have in the works? M: I just finished Slutburger #5 and I'm going to be participating in a Zora Neale Hurston illustrated reader. Zora is that gal I did the book Hoo Doo about. She was a writer in the Harlem renaissance that died about 1965 penniless and now there's a sort of resurgence of interest in her work. This book is going to be put out by Bob Callahan who put out the Neon Lit series. I'm going to be illustrating about 18 pages in that book. And then when I'm done with that I'm going to do a book for Zongo Comics. That's going to be all fictional and that's going to be a departure from my autobiographical stuff where I'm going to be using little characters. I try to appeal to all ages so I'm not censoring myself, but I'm going to try and get in that Jim Woodring sort of surrealist type of storytelling. One's going to be completely without words and the other one will have a lot of verbiage. The book for Zongo's going to be two different storylines. One's going to be these Tiki people, it's a Tiki universe, called the Cucamungas and that's going to be no words. And then the other plot line is going to be called the Canap‚s, and these little characters that run and operate a restaurant. K: And there's going to be a lot of words... M: There's gonna be a lot of words in that one because the main character is a gay waiter, so, as we all know, a gay waiter is never at a loss for words. They run a very fancy restaurant. The waiter's a knife, just a knife. He has a little sidekick that's a little eggplant guy who never says anything, but helps him out. The cook's a tomato and so on and so forth. I have a terrific Italian cookbook from the 40's. I'm sort of appropriating characters from that cookbook and entering them in this little universe of mine of the Canap‚s and so that's what I'm doing. Then after that, I guess another Slutburger. I'm going to keep on doing more paintings and more illustration. Illustration work kinda has to come to you so you never know when that's gonna happen. The painting show, I'm not scheduled for one up at the La Lusa Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, but I'm hopeful I'll do one next year. A four person show too. I did a two person show and I painted for five months for six hours a day. It was like crazy. That's why I didn't do Slutburger for two years 'cause I was busy painting for awhile. That's about the agenda. K: Okay, thank you very much. M: Okay! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [7] RICH'S REVELATION by Richard Johnston Rich Johnston RICH'S REVELATIONS MAY Rich's Revelations may what? Well, may give you some news you might not have heard. Remember, rumours abound, don't take everything I preach as gospel, and we'll all have some fun. And be protected from libel 8-) The Superman Adventures, in the same vein as The Batman and Robin Adventures will be published in September, based on the new animation. Paul Dini will start the series and then Scott McCloud will write the next six, illustrated by Rick Burchett, Terry Austin and Marie Severin. Garth Ennis will NOT be taking over Ripclaw from issue 7. Well he might. Anyway, he is creating a new character with Silvestri, a kind of vampire Green Lantern, which will spin off from Medieval Spawn/Witchblade, or something. He's getting companies ringing up him asking him for stuff, which is a new experience as far as he's concerned. Neil Gaiman has been asked by Warner Brothers to direct Death: The High Cost Of Living. He's thinking about it. Did you know that Dark Horse have copies of Dark Horse Presents 36 up for grabs with early Aliens/Predator stuff. Wizard has it at $15, but you can get yours for cover price. With their new deal with Diamond, just ask your retailer to order you a copy and in 2-3 weeks... you've got it! Captain America's Ron Garney is moving to take over Silver Surfer after Scott Eaton finishes. This may be part of a move to put hot artists onto shit-selling books to improve their sales. The idea being that anyone on X-Men will sell X-Men, you don't need (insert fan fave here). But the Kuberts (yes, both of them, sorry Paul O'Brien) are staying put, as is Pollina and Joe Madeuria. Jeff Matsuada moves to X-Factor, Bachalo stays on Generation X until he's needed elsewhere, but Ian Churchill is buggering up his deadlines. Pacheco is working on two Fantastic Fours and an Onslaught special. Nate may die in the Onslaught crossover, leaving Scott Summers, his alternate timeline genetic dad to take the top role in the book, X-Man. Further Adventures Of Cyclops And Phoenix... top book! Warren Ellis is to take over Vampirella with the Vampirella Lives title, staring in October with Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti on art. Flash and Wonder Woman on Lois and Clark TV series? D'Israeli has taken up ballroom dancing. Ha! Warren Ellis and Humberto Ramos are starting a new title for Wildstorm entitled DV8, spinning off from Fire From Heaven. Hot book! Charlemagne 1 from Defiant features a very early Adam Pollina. And now an appeal. Hopefully, in next month's Advance and Previews, the guys at Capital and Diamond will list Dirtbag 6 (made available again). It's gone to print now, but low orders (well, compared to X-Flies) means that most of you guys won't be able to buy a copy from your local shop. Now this comic will feature work from the phenomenal Mark Stafford and Roger Langridge, as well by stuff by me, Saint, and other bits and pieces. We could really do with shifting some of these, so here's your chance. Make an order. Get your shop to make orders. We're talking 36 pages for $2.95 which beats most indie titles on the stands, and I'm very happy with it. You should be too. No really. Oh, it's also a "good jump on starting book". Oh, and then there's Dirtbag 7 solicited the month after. So come on guys, hey, I give you all this lovely news month in month out. Go buy one of my comics, hmm? 8-) I'm under Twist and Shout in the catalogues. Cheers. I knew I could count on you. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [8] Hulk Cartoon comes to UPN The Incredible Hulk Returns Actors Lou Ferrigno, Luke Perry, Genie Francis, Mark Hamill, Shadoe Stevens, Neal McDonough and Matt Frewer are among the stellar vocal cast when the Hulk, the green beast who personifies the dark side of scientist Bruce Banner, makes his long awaited return to television in the animated series ``The Incredible Hulk.'' Based on the classic Marvel Comics superhero created by the legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the series premieres this Fall as part of the UPN KIDS Sunday morning line-up. ``The Incredible Hulk'' centers around the two faces of Doctor Bruce Banner after an evil scientist sabotages the Gamma Nuclear Reactor, Banner's work-in-progress on a military base. When the project explodes, Banner's exposed to a massive dose of radiation. Normally a reserved, studious man, Banner now finds that when angered, he transforms into The Incredible Hulk, a huge green beast of immense strength and raw emotion. Although Banner is aware he's metamorphosing into this mysterious raging entity, once he returns to normal, he has no recollection of what the Hulk has done or where he has been. Few are aware that Banner is also the Hulk and while the military aims to stop the menacing creature, Banner, who is suspected of undermining his own project, is wanted in the name of National Security. Knowing that someone, somewhere has the answer to his problem, Banner sets out across the country to seek a cure. He must be wary of everyone, for now he's a hunted man. The voice actors for the series' cast of characters, many culled from the annals of the popular comic books, are: Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk (who, from 1978-82, starred in the primetime television series of the same name), Neal McDonough as Dr. Bruce Banner, Luke Perry as Rick Jones, Genie Francis as Betty Ross, Kevin Schon as Major Talbot, Matt Frewer as The Leader, Mark Hamill as Gargoyle, Shadoe Stevens as Doc Samson, Thom Barry as Gabriel Jones and John Vernon as General Ross. Among the guest stars joining the vocal cast in the first season of exciting episodes are Peter Strauss as Dr. Walter Langkowski, Dorian Harewood as Jim Rhodes/War Machine, Robert Hays as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Lisa Zane as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, Richard Grieco as Ghost Rider and John Rhys Davies as Thor. Stan Lee, Avi Arad and Rick Ungar are the executive producers. Tom Tataranowicz is the supervising producer and voice director. ``The Incredible Hulk'' is a production of Marvel Films/ New World Animation. Beginning the Fall, ``The Incredible Hulk'' will air SUNDAYS (10:00-10:30 a.m., ET/PT) on UPN. The other series joining the UPN KIDS slate are ``The Mouse & The Monster'' (9:00-9:30 a.m.), ``Jumanji'' (9:30-10:00 a.m.) and ``B.A.D. (Bureau of Alien Defenders)'' (10:30-11:00 a.m.). ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [9] Diamond GEM Awards & Previews News by G. Folland From - GFolland via AOL May 22, 1996 DIAMOND ANNOUNCES 1995 GEM AWARD WINNERS Today, Diamond Comic Distributors announced the winners of its 1995 Gem Awards. Now in its sixth year, the Diamond Gem Awards have become a prestigious award in the Comic Book Specialty Market: publishers and manufacturers are singled out by comic book specialty retailers for their overall excellence; while comic books and other related products are hailed as benchmarks of quality, creativity, and high sales. "The nominees and winners of this year's Gem Awards illustrate the innovative spirit that helped make 1995 an excellent year for our industry," said Diamond Vice President of Purchasing Bill Schanes. "What's even more encouraging are the projects we've seen in the first half of this year! It looks like the winners of our 1996 awards will be even tougher to pick!" Publisher of the Year (1995) (Over 5% Marketshare for 1995) DC COMICS Publisher of the Year (1995) (Under 5% Marketshare for 1995) TOPPS New Publisher of the Year (1995) BROADWAY COMICS Star System Publisher of the Year (1995) DC COMICS Sports Card Manufacturer of the Year (1995) UPPER DECK Non-Sports Card Manufacturer of the Year (1995) FLEER Game Manufacturer of the Year (1995) WIZARDS OF THE COAST Best Comic Book of the Year (1995) (Under $3.00) GEN13 #1 (IMAGE) Best Comic Book of the Year (1995) (Over $3.00) DC VERSUS MARVEL #1 (DC) Magazine of the Year (1995) WIZARD Original Graphic Novel of the Year (1995) MR. PUNCH SC GN (DC COMICS) Reprint Trade Paperback/Hardcover of the Year (1995) X-FILES TP (TOPPS) Intercompany Crossover Event of the Year (1995) DC VERSUS MARVEL (DC COMICS & MARVEL COMICS) Co-Op Program of the Year (1995) DC COMICS Innovation of the Year (1995) VERTIGO TAROT DECK (DC COMICS) Sports Card Product of the Year (1995) UPPER DECK SP FOOTBALL T/C (UPPER DECK) Non-Sports Card Product of the Year (1995) X-FILES SEASON I CARDS (TOPPS) Game Product of the Year (1995) MAGIC: THE GATHERING ICE AGE (WIZARDS OF THE COAST) +++++ PREVIEWS COMBINES ESSENTIAL, SELECT COMICS LISTINGS Beginning with the June issue, Diamond's Previews catalog has been redesigned to accommodate two comics sections: one devoted to Premier comic publishers (Acclaim, DC Comics, Dark Horse, and Image) the other listing the remaining comic book publishers in alphabetical order. Previously, the Comics Section was divided into three distinct sections: Premier, Essential, and Select. However, retailers and consumers informed Diamond that they would prefer the Essential and Select listings to be combined. "Thanks to retailer and reader feedback, we learned that, although they were happy with the majority of the improvements, there were many who wanted to see the Essential and Select publishers combined," said Diamond Director of Marketing Communications Dan Manser. Manser added that Essential publishers who had taken over the design and layout of their pages would continue to do so in the future. Publishers who currently lay out their own pages include Amaze Ink/Slave Labor, Antarctic Press, Big Entertainment, Brainstorm, Broadway Comics, Chaos! Comics, Crusade Entertainment, Entity Comics, Gemstone Publishing, Homage Comics, London Night Studios, Mad Monkey Press, Maximum Press, Sirius Entertainment, and Viz Communications. In addition to this new format, Previews has also divided its Magazine section into comics-related and non-comics related publications. The comics-related magazine section will appear in between the Premier and Comic sections. "There is a wide variety of comics-related magazines, and they act as a complement to each month's roster of comic books," said Manser. "We decided to place these magazines before the comics sections in order to ensure readers and retailers took notice of them." The June Previews will also be brighter, thanks to added color for publisher bars and Spotlighted items, a new Spotlight icon, and section bars down the entire page. In addition, starting in July, full color graphics will be used in the Books and Trading Card sections. "This extensive use of color helps retailers and customers obtain a better idea of the product," said Previews Editor Marty Grosser. "It also makes Previews a more attractive publication, which will make it an even better selling tool for comic book specialty retailers." ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [10] New Comics Shipping 5/28/96 by Bobb Waller Acclaim Comics: MTG:Urza Mishra Wars #? X-O Manowar #67 Archie Comics: Archie #450 Archie Digest #142 Hanna Barbera Presents #8 Veronica #54 Artbabe Books: Artbabe #5 Big Comics: I-Bots #2 Bongo Comics: Sim[psons Comics #20 Broadway Comics: Babes of Broadway #1 Powers That Be #6 Shadow State #5 Chaos! Comics: Smiley Poster Claypool Comics: Elvira #37 Soulsearchers #17 Coppervale Pree: Starchild:Crossroads #3 CSN Inc.: Comic Shop News #467 Dark Horse Comics: Advs. of the Mask #5 Godzilla #12 Spirit of Wonder #2 Tarzan/John Carter Warlord of Mars #3 Tex Avery's Comics & Stories #2 DC Comics: Arsenal Special #1 Batman: A Death in the Family TP Batman Chronicles #5 Death:The Time of your Life #3 (of 3) Detective Comics #699 Extreme Justice #18 (Final Issue) Flash #115 Guy Gardner Warrior Annual #2 Hellblazer #103 Invisibles:Say you Want a Revolution TP Legion of Super-Heroes #82 Spectre #43 Superman:MOS #58 Takion #2 Wonder Woman #111 Diamond Publications: Dateline Vol. VII #55 Diamond Dialogue Prevews Vol VI #6 Previews Vol VI #6 Order Book Dynamic Forces Comics: Atomik Angels #1-S&N El Capitan Books: Stray Bullets #9 Event Comics: Ash #0-Future Cover Fantagraphics Books: Orgy Bound Full Bleed Studios: Pitt #11 Gladstone Comics: Walt Disneys Comics & Stories #604 High Impact Studios: Jazz #2 High Top Comics: Brinke of Destruction #3 Image Comics: Bloodpool TP Body Count #3 Cyberforce #24 Dart #3 Glory #11 Maxx #24 New Force #4 Krome Comics: Archie Chromium Cards Ser. 1 Foil Box Magazines: Scrye #15 Marvel Comics: Spectacular Spider-Man #236 Avengers #400 Wolverine #103 Fantastic Four #414 E-XL Basketball Cards Further Advs. of Cyclops & Pheonix #2 X-Force #56 MMG: Doctor Who Starter & Booster Displays ??ed Systems Company: (What Can I say the Fax was bad) Savage Funnies #1 Walter Kitty in the Hollow Earth #1 Slave Labor Graphics: Action Girl Comics #7 Topps Comics: Dragonheart #1 Space:A&B-The Gauntlet #1 X-Files #16 Upper Deck: Collector's Choice 96 Baseball Ser 2 Box Verotik: Satanika #3 Viz Comm.: Adolf:Exile in Japan TP Adolf:Halk-Aryan HB Sanctuary: Part 5 #3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I have to wonder how can there be an issue #55 in a volume in a weekly newsletter? Isn't a volume supposed to start over after one year? A 55 week year????? See ya on the spinners! Origin: FIAWOL/MSConnections * PP288MT II V.34 * 214-790-6472 * (23:203/4) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [A] How to join the COMIC BOOK NETWORK (CBN) You too can enjoy the intelligent conversations and informative threads that occur in 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 continent and the world, 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 conversation, collecting, gaming and other forms of entertainment. 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 explanation in their documentation than I can. These programs are available all over the Internet and are free to download from most BBS's. I recommend SLMR or OLX-TD for DOS to get started. 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? There are 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! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [B] 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 Conway PC Users Conway AR 501-329-7227 Tim Stone -- CALIFORNIA ---------------------------------------------------------- Q Freedom Flight Victorville CA 619-955-6445 Ronald Siodla Electronic RPO Newbury Park CA 805-498-8061 Kelly Cruise -- FLORIDA ------------------------------------------------------------- F Never Never Land Melbourne FL 407-253-8754 Wayne Bell Steel Dog Cafe Destin FL 904-654-1631 Keith Schultz Ghost's Realm Crestview FL 904-689-6664 Kie Dorton Oak Street BBS Ft.Wayne BeachFL 904-244-7434 Michael Fischer -- ILLINOIS ------------------------------------------------------------ -- INDIANA ------------------------------------------------------------- F The CyberSpace BBS Indianapolis IN 317-856-9020 Charlie Smith -- KENTUCKY ------------------------------------------------------------ Lex Corp Georgetown KY 502-867-0992 -- MARYLAND ------------------------------------------------------------ F The Vampyre Bar! Frederick MD 301-698-5194 Darryl Pierce F DataStorm Kettering MD 301-390-5243 Tarek Gordan F Bifrost Mount Rainier MD 301-779-9381 Kevin Carlin F Womens World East BBS Silver Spring MD 301-431-0647 Wendy Dumser F Sherata's Realm Mechanicsville MD 301-884-9732 Linda Peek -- MASSACHUSETTS ------------------------------------------------------- F Archives BBS Acushnet MA 508-995-0085 John Viera F Muskrat & Heatwave New Bedford MA 508-984-5321 Dennis Racine 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 ------------------------------------------------------- Venom's World Rollinsford, NH 603-743-4188 Ira Locke -- NEW JERSEY ---------------------------------------------------------- Phoenix Modernz Systems Seaside Hts. NJ 908-830-8265 -- NEW YORK ------------------------------------------------------------ Asgard TW BBS West Islip NY 516-422-4225 Tom Pemberton Interzone BBS Long Is. City NY 718-786-5557 Jim Garvin F Starbase : Red Dwarf Saugerties NY 914-247-9601 John Dragun -- 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 Federal Post Spring Lake NC 910-436-2055 Frank Koza -- OKLAHOMA ------------------------------------------------------------ Compumate Tulsa OK 918-628-0887 Danny Pelletier F Snart's Dreamland Collinsville OK 918-371-0980 Jeff Bennett F The Dreaming World Broken Arrow OK 918-451-3056 Greg Adkins -- PENNSYLVANIA -------------------------------------------------------- F Comic Book Board Philadelphia PA 215-365-5225 William Horton -- TENNESSEE ----------------------------------------------------------- The Factory BBS Union City TN 901-885-9647 -- TEXAS --------------------------------------------------------------- F Razor's Domain ][ Edinburg TX 210-631-5159 Kevin Nunn B* FIAWOL/MSConnections Irving TX 214-790-6472 Bobb Waller F Star Streams Waxahachie TX 214-938-7115 Michael Rudolf F Orion BBS Odessa TX 915-530-2712 Dennis Brown -- VIRGINIA ------------------------------------------------------------ B Crystal Aerie Arlington VA 703-415-0134 Spencer Greenwald -- WASHINGTON ---------------------------------------------------------- -- ONTARIO, CANADA ----------------------------------------------------- F Dark Knight BBS London ONT 519-850-9929 Michael Cross F MACH 1 BBS London ONT 519-457-6771 Tomasz Heiber Stargate:Above & BeyondLondon ONT 519-472-4938 Paul Nicholas -- MEXICO -------------------------------------------------------------- B* The Gate BBS Mexico City 52-5-264-2994 Emilio Karam - From USA, dial international-access 011 then 52-5-264-2994# ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [C] E-Mag Info The Comic Book Net E-Mag is published 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. Some articles are independent of any connection with CBN and are used with permission. All text contained within is copyrighted to the originating author(s). Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Editor, the Network Administration Team or the members and users of The Comic Book Network. Except where elsewhere noted, The Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine is Copyright 1996 by the Comic Book Network. You may freely distribute or duplicate this file intact without alteration for noncommercial purposes only. Please do not distribute except as the complete file as originally transmitted by The Comic Book Network. 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 and all back issues. You'll also find important information on how to join the conversation in the Comic Book Net, and other neat features like newly released comic book graphics, links to lists of Comic Book Company addresses, Comic Professionals Email addresses, and other Comic Book related Web pages! The URL address is: http://members.aol.com/ComicBkNet LOCATING THE ISSUES ------------------- The latest issue is always available from all the systems linked into The Comic Book Network. You can also find the back issues at America Online, by going to Keyword: Science Fiction, scrolling to the menu item _Comic Book Forum_ and then going to the _Comics Library_ from there. Most issues should also be available on Compuserve, Genie, Channel1 BBS and Software Creations BBS as well as other non CBN affiliated Bulletin Board Systems. 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 articles for consideration to the editor at: ComicBkNet@aol.com Reviews of mainstream books are least likely to get included when submitted from sources outside of CBN. We give more consideration to reviews of indies and self published material as we feel that material deserves more exposure to the general public. Commentary on the state of the industry, and personal observations and reflections related to comics are *most* likely to be included in our publication. We also accept product for review purposes. Advanced copies of comic books will not be returned but anything sent to us will be reviewed in the ComicBook Net Emag. Send all material to: David L. LeBlanc 84 Heather Circle Jefferson, MA 01522-1419 SUBSCRIPTIONS ------------- If you wish to receive these issues automatically through your internet account, please address a message to ComicBkNet@aol.com to be placed on the subscription list. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - End of another Issue .. see ya in the funny papers!! There are those who believe that life here, began out there . . .