" C O M I C B O O K E - M A G " __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue 3 - Volume 1 - March 27, 1995 "Brought to you from the fine folks at the COMIC BOOK Network!" Editors: Ed Dukeshire & Mike Imboden __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [-1-] The 25th Hour ...................... Mike Imboden [-2-] Reviews Agents of Law #1 and #2 ........... David Leblanc James Kochalka Superstar .......... Chris Oarr Optic Nerve #1 .................... William Hughes Optic Nerve mini #7 ............... William Hughes Private Beaches #2 ................ William Hughes [-3-] NatToys ............................ Nathan Bredfeldt [-4-] CSNsider ........................... David Leblanc [-5-] Comicunications .................... Ryan Brewster [-6-] Feedback ........................... Readers [-7-] BBSes Linked into CBN .............. CBN Staff __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-1-]--/ THE 25TH HOUR /--------------------------------------------/ "THE 25TH HOUR" - by Mike Imboden Hey, bet you were expecting me to rant and rave about the whole Marvel/ Heroes World/DC/Diamond/"death of the industry as we know it" fiasco, huh? Surprise. I've decided to just sit back and let the whole mess sort itself out before I go off on any more anti-Marvel diatribes. I AM fully prepared to boycott the big "M" if need be and my latest order is a reflection of that as I drop all Ultraverse titles except Mantra and Ultraforce, and drop Fantastic Four, Avengers and Captain America from the Marvel line up. Will I manage to find the kahunahs to drop the Spidey books? The X-Men books? If the rumors are true, I may not have an option. But, oh, see? I'm starting to do what I wanted to avoid. Best to be moving along into what I wanted to talk about this go 'round. Actually, heh, I don't have anything planned. :) So we're gonna wing it. Humor me here, ok? Thanks.... Ever think how neat it would be if some comic books had soundtracks? I mean, comics are more or less little two-dimensional movies for the most part. It seems logical for them to have soundtracks. Heck, it's a fun game that you can have hours of fun playing. In fact, save me the trouble of writing a future column and send me some examples. I'll run a couple of the better ones I get, assuming anyone sends one in. Does Stephen Spielberg really know Nick Fury? (I love this stuff!) Stephen has made at least one appearance in Tiny Toons. Babs and Buster Bunny have made a cameo in a Yakko, Wakko and Dot cartoon. The Warner Brothers (and the Warner sister) have seen Godzilla face to face. The Big G was once chased around the country by Dum Dum Dugan and a whole slew of SHIELD operatives. Nick Fury was Dugan's boss. Therefore, the possibility exists for Spielberg to have met Nick Fury. Am I the only one who is almost to the point of not really caring what happens in "The Kindly Ones" anymore after all of the delays in this latest SANDMAN story arc? I'm gonna have to dig all of the previous issues out just to refresh my memory when the next part comes out. Do you live in the Washington, DC metro area? Can you just pack a bag and make a trip to the Nation's capitol if you wanted to? Well, on June 23rd Bethesda, Maryland (a suburb of D.C.) will be host to the second annual Small Press Expo. If you're tired of contributing to the pockets of the fat cats playing chicken with your childhood heroes, why not throw your support behind the "little guys" in the industry? The Small Press Expo is an ideal forum to meet the folks that produce some of the most entertaining books available today. I'll relay more details in the coming weeks as guests are confirmed. But start making plans to attend right now. Heck, for anything you'll get to meet yours truly. :) Before I turn control of the E-mag back to everyone else, I wanted to list a few comics that have started sneaking up my list of "faves" in the past few months. Some have been out awhile, some are brand spanking new. ALL are not superhero books, with the exception of one which to call it a superhero book is, well, using it for lack of a better term. STRAY BULLETS, PREACHER, STRANGERS IN PARADISE, STARMAN, PRIVATE BEACH, COLORS IN BLACK, THB (I'll admit, this is based upon what I've seen - I'm jumping on board a wee late on this one). That's it for this time. I'm also waiting for Halloween costume ideas that I asked for in Issue #2. Remember, there's a prize waiting for the best one. Next time I hope to be able to offer my take on the Marvel situation. Until then, Plastic Bubble Wrap! -=ð /\/\!ke ð=- mike.imboden@f748.n109.z1.fidonet.org Fido -> 1:109/748 CBN -> 23:403/2 __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-2-]--/ REVIEWS /--------------------------------------------------/ Title(s): AGENTS OF LAW Reviewed by: David Leblanc AGENTS OF LAW - #1 & #2 - Dark Horse (Dark Horse Heroes) Review adapted from letter of comment - 2/18/95 Agents of Law replaces Catalyst: Agents of Change as Dark Horse restarts the Comic's Greatest World titles in a new direction. Grace, the leader of Golden City went off to The Vortex leaving behind the ruins of battle. As the story opens LAW, last seen in Division 13, approaches the city and begins his rise to power. Actually, as I read it again it is more of a tease than a review.Guess you'll just have to buy it to figure out what I'm talking about! *8^) SPOILER ALERT Before I start, let's handle the obligatory, Name The Letter Page Contest right up front. You have got to go with LETTER OF THE LAW. Is there really any other choice? Once again I had a pleasant surprise waiting for me this week in the mail that had piled up for a few days while I was away earning a living. Always a pleasure to see the Dark Horse logo on the envelope but this time it was not one but a TWO issue preview of Agents of Law. That evil grin staring at me as I slipped it out of the envelope let me know that this was going to be a fun. Actually, I have been looking forward to this series since catching the few pages in Previews recently. It looked to be pretty intense and one thing I hate is boring comics. Lawlis and Akin are a great team on the artwork for this book. Right from the cover page all the way through it conveys every emotion and action flawlessly. The cameos by the other members of Comics Greatest World was a treat I hadn't expected. I hope it is an omen of things to come, especially if we get to see Law tangle with X at some point. If you do it must be needed and not contrived. Steven Grant's characters are best when they stay true to their nature. Now as to the story, well all we need say is Keith Giffen and we know it will be a fun ride. Right from the get go we know this Law guy has big plans and maybe it is just a bit too convenient that he happens on a poor soul that fits those plans very well. Well, for the sake of starting the story we can overlook that, or chalk it up to some kind of willingness on others to let any hope fill the vacuum left behind when Grace left so the question of the body being authentic is never brought up. A minor point in the plot but in real life the identification process would have to be carried out and then where would Law be? Maybe this will be touched on later. After that the story moves forward in fine fashion. The choosing of sides, the mistrust of some, the manipulations and betrayals, all make for a great read that is over too soon. Now I see why you sent 2 issues worth for a preview. The ending of book #1 has a lot of impact and I can just picture those fans waiting eagerly for #2, trouble is now I have a longer wait for #3! I really enjoy the plots and twists they take; the sudden killings to force Mecha's hand and especially the pondering of the aid at the terminal deep within the citadel. I don't know what to expect next, especially after seeing who is kicking around the vortex at Cinnabar Flats. If this is representative of the re-tooling of the CGW titles then I think you will be going in the right direction. I've enjoyed the titles so far, but this is definitely more bang for the buck! Thanks for letting me in early. úúúúÄÄÄÄÍÍÍÍ*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM -------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Title(s): JAMES KOCHALKA SUPERSTAR Reviewed by: Chris Oarr Minicomics are a lot like college radio. There's so much to hate, but every now and then you might run across something completely great that you just aren't going to find anywhere else. Those few pearls make up for all that grit, if only just barely. JAMES KOLCHALKA SUPERSTAR is one such pearl, a mini that exhibits all of the virtues particular to minicomics. Personal, experimental, and strangely affecting, JKS is a well-crafted and immediately accessible piece of work. I wish more comix were this good. Most of the stories in JKS are autobiographical, but don't let that put you off. Whether he's using his "Magic Boy" stand-in or portraying himself "as is," Kolchalka always has a story to tell. Some may be better than others, but most have a strong narrative structure, and almost all of them have some kind of closure. These are missing ingredients in a lot of autobiography these days, especially in minicomics. Kochalka is no wisened sage, but at least he has thought through what he wants to say, and usually it's worth reading. A couple stand out stories come to mind. "Satan's Walk" (JKS #3) follows our hero's thoughts as he walks home from work. One thing that makes it interesting is a critique of NANCY artist Ernie Bushmiller, of all things. This one's been reviewed just about everywhere that follows minicomics (in fact, it was an excerpt from "Satan's Walk" in Comics Journal that prompted me to send away for a few issues of JKS). My personal favorite is "Magic Boy and Girlfriend" (JKS #4), a story in which both Kolchalka and his anthropomorphic alter ego appear side by side. Sexcapades, voyeurism, and copycat behaviour propel the story. Kolchalka's sense of distance and a final judgement make it worthwhile. And it's funny to boot. What does JKS look like? B&W in the "fat" mini format (8.5" x 5"). Thick paper covers with a second color thrown in for laughs. Between the covers the art is strong. That's the best word for it. Kolchalka's clean, thick lines are easy on the eyes, and the simple, uncrowded panels are an anomaly in a field overrun with "ugly art syndrome." It ain't fancy, but it sure is bold. Even zipatone doesn't muddy the compositions. Simple figures and a good sense of black give the pages a strength and balance you don't usually see in minis. There are only six issues of JKS, and there won't be any more. I understand Kolchalka has a "full-sized" comic in the works, but I don't remember when it's supposed to come out. If it's half as good as the minis, though, it'll be twice as good as most comix. Until then, check out this fine homespun effort. Every issue's still in print. Ordering information is below. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = JAMES KOLCHALKA SUPERSTAR is a minicomic from Burlington's own James Kolchalka, P.O. Box 8321, Burlington, VT 05402. $2.00 a pop, postage paid. Collect all six! (And if you're too damn cheap, ask for #3 and #4, in that order.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Title(s): OPTIC NERVE #1 Reviewed by: William Hughes OPTIC NERVE by Adrian Tomine is causing talk amongst the comic world. He's had a successful run of mini comics by the same name, and this is the most talked about debut in the comics world recently. The book is made up of short stories about people. Not people in costumes rushing off to save the world, not about giys with swords, or vampires. Just people. And, to make it a bit more out of the ordinary, Tomine seems to purposely end each story wide open, leaving the reader to decide how the tale ended; or what the story was really about in the first place. SLEEPWALK is the first short story, and it's about one crappy day in the life of a guy. It reads like a journal entry, as the lead character, Mark prepares for his birthday dinner with his ex-girlfriend. It's almost like watching a car wreck in slow motion, as Mark falls into that deadly moment of rejection that we sense will fall upon him. Tomine shows anxiousness, the false hope, and the crushing despair so well I'd guess it had happened to him recently. ECHO AVE. is my personal favorite, and it's about a couple that discover they can see into an apartment across the street, and how they instantly turn into voyeurs, enjoying the thrill of watching their kinky neighbors having sex. The appeal of the story is in the ending, however, as the husband abruptly stops this practice, and refuses to let his wife watch any longer after he sees something while she is out of the room. He refuses to tell her what he saw, but Tomine gets the point across. Something happened that disturbed him. What? Who the heck knows, the story is over! As weird as it may sound, I kind of like the way the story ends, because it's up to the reader to draw his own conclusions. Was it a Hitchcock-esque scene of murder? Was it something in the sex that offended him? Or perhaps he came to the realization that they were getting too into watching? Who knows. Tomine paints an intriquing picture, but leaves it up to you to decide what it is he's painted. I like that. Other short stories include LONG DISTANCE, DROP and LUNCH BREAK. All of interesting points to them, but I don't want to over-analyze the book. It's an interesting book, and I recommend it, if for no other reason, it'll help spark debate over the deeper meanings of each story! Bill Hughes!! Email Address: william.hughes@p3.f744.n109.z1.fidonet.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Title(s): OPTIC NERVE mini #7 Reviewed by: William Hughes This is the final issue of the mini comic that made way for the regular version that I posted about last week. This comic was made available via PREVIEWS, so much for Diamond being anti-small press, eh? Anyway, I got a kick out of seeing the book that spawned the full size OPTIC NERVE, but I'm glad that the regular version is now available. Mini's seem too fragile to me, I wouldn't want to get into the habit of reading them. Other than the paper quality and smaller size, the mini isn't alot different than the full sized kin. Same type of writing technique from Tomine as well. The stories weren't as cool for me as ECHO AVE in the full size, but enjoyable nonetheless. My favorite for this issue is titled "SLEEP=WASTE" and is a rant by the author about how much he could do if he didn't have to sleep. Very cute. I also enjoyed the last page, where Tomine announces that this is the last issue of the mini by depicting himself being heckled by his fans with slurs like, "sell-out" and "Bourgeois scum!" I found Tomine's self-depiction in both SLEEP=WASTE and the last page to be quite humourous, in fact I thought it was the most enjoyable part of the book! Oh, one last note: Anyone who felt a kinship with the character of Mark in the first issue of the regular comic should check out Tomine's STAMMER for another example of Tomine's "Every Man" storyline. Whos hasn't gone thru this as well? Bill Hughes!! Email Address: william.hughes@p3.f744.n109.z1.fidonet.org. -------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Title(s): PRIVATE BEACHES #2 Reviewed by: William Hughes Even though I put in a re-order for this book, when I saw it on the stands I couldn't resist. So I bought two copies. Label me a fanboy! So far Sharona is my favorite character simply because she doesn't take sh*t from anyone she encounters, especially liason's bent on destruction of personal property. Her revenge scheme on Todd- ACK! That's every hair-farmer's nightmare! Seems to be alot of subplots starting to form, with George's crush on Trudy, Sharona vs Todd, and the introduction of Violet. Lloyd and Trudy also begin to plan how to snatch the Visa Fetish. The book also has another chapter of Hahn's super-hero work, which doesn't do a whole lot for me. I'm not sure if he's serious or making fun of the genre, and since I can't tell, that doesn't bode well for whichever it is. Also a funny one-page Trudyverse story called MALL WATCHING that was quite humourous, with Trudy and Sharona making fun of mall shoppers as the walk by. This is a light-hearted series in the same vein as STRANGERS IN PARADISE with an odd twist of para-dimensional beings. (heh!) Check it out! Bill Hughes!! Email Address: william.hughes@p3.f744.n109.z1.fidonet.org. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-3-]--/ NATETOYS REVIEWS /-----------------------------------------/ NATETOYS (Action Figure Reviews) By Nathan Bredfeldt -------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIGURE: Zealot (From Playmates' WildCats line.) PRICE: $6 AVAILABILITY: Good EQUIPMENT/WEAPONS: Five cheapie blades, and a walkie talkie. Most fit into one hand or the other, without much fuss. EXTRAS: A big stand and a trading card. Trading cards suck, and the "one in every 500 signed by Jim Lee!" contest is stupid, because anyone can look down into the package, and see if the card is signed, or not. The large base for her to stand on implies that she's to be looked at, not played with, which the design of this figure seems to confirm. SPECIAL FEATURES: None. DURABILITY: Fairly durable, except those fins in her back. PLAY VALUE: Very little. Her arms and legs bend, but her knees and elbows don't. Neck moves with difficulty. RATING: *.5, 2.75 out of 10, 26%, and D- RECOMMENDATION: Stay away from this whole line, unless you're a big WildCats fan, or you can find them on sale! These are not worth $6, maybe not ever $5! FINAL NOTES: Against my better judgement, I will seek out a Grifter figure for purchase, but only because I like him so much. I'll regret it later, but that's ok, because I'm young. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIGURE: Clown Violator (From Toddy Mc's SPAWN line) PRICE: $6 AVAILABILITY: Fair to poor. (Seen about 10 since December) EQUIPMENT: Big club/turkey leg, with bite taken out of it. Very amusing and sturdy, but I don't use it. EXTRAS: Comic book! Not too bad. Worth about a dollar, maybe 50 cents. Appropriate (nutty) art, and a plot meant as little more than an intro the the character. Smart marketing move on Toddy's part! REAL HAIR! It really is real! Where's my hair spray? SPECIAL FEATURES: Flippin head! Switches between clown and a sinister cross between human and violator... DURABILITY: Lookin good! I dropped him, right after I got him, and he's still holding up well! The arm that is used to flip his head comes loose easily, but is just as easily fixed. PLAY VALUE: Lots and lots! This guy is great lookin, and even without bending feet, the play value is obvious. No problem standing him up, or keeping his arms in place. RATING: ****.5, 9 out of 10, 91%, and A RECOMMENDATION: This is the ultimate fat bald guy figure! You must have it! I don't like the Spawn comic, and I still like this guy! He may be hard to find for $6, but he's not nearly as rare as Overkill and Tremor. FINAL NOTES: Sadly, the rest of the Spawn line dosen't fare so well. Spawn and Tremor are pretty bad, Violator isn't worth the plastic used to make it, and I bet I'll like Midevil and Overkill, but haven't been able to get them, yet. Can't wait to get an Angela, and get a perverted fight scene going! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIGURE: Rouge (From Toy Biz's X-Men line) PRICE: $5, if you're lucky. Otherwise $6. AVAILABILITY: Varies. I've seen very few, but some have seen oodles. EQUIPMENT/WEAPONS: Nada. EXTRAS: Trading card. Stupid and bad art. I didn't even bother getting it out of the package. SPECIAL FEATURES: Uppercut. Not too bad. Better than: "Twist waist and watch him punch" or "Fast draw action!" (Neither of which I can get to work correctly) The button's a little tough to press, but no biggie. DURABILITY: Toy Biz usually makes pretty feeble figures, and just feeling the small frame of this one, I can predict that this is no exception. OVERALL QUALITY: Quality? From Toy Biz? Surely you jest! Sorry face job, no extras, mold lines on the hair, and low availability kill this one. Plus the fact that she can barely stand on her own, and I usually have to lean her against Guido. However, it is one of Toy Biz's best. PLAY VALUE: Well, it's pretty articulate, and the punch is easy and potentially useful, so as long as you don't drop it, you could have some fun with it. RATINGS: B, 73%, ***, 7.5 RECOMMENDATION: Pass. 90% of everything from ToyBiz sux, and the other 10% is mediochre at best. Plus, you should be boycotting those fools at Marvel. FINAL NOTES: Spend the extra dollar and get a Spawn Figure. I'll personally guarantee that more effort was put into each Spawn figure than was put into five ToyBiz figs... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIGURE: Big Beast (Toy Biz's X-Men line) PRICE: $10 AVAILABILITY: Once since Christmas, once before. Not too good, is it? Better than small Beast, I guess... EQUIPMENT/WEAPONS: A hanging bar that you can suction cup to a wall, and hang Beast from. SPECIAL FEATURES: Nope. DURABILITY: Being a full 10 inches, this is more durable than any ToyBiz carp I've ever seen. OVERALL QUALITY: No cheezy wind up arms, no buttons on the back, no multi-electric joints, just a figure. Hallelujah! PLAY VALUE: How could this not have loads of it? It's big, its blue, it's Beast, and it has no cheezy actions to get in the way. Yup, this is figure of the year. Ignore that suction cup hanging thing. Beast is too heavy to stay on it, anyhow. RATINGS: 95%, 10, A+++, and ****.5! RECOMMENDATION: Beast or X-Men fans: Buy me! Casual collectors: Find me on sale, and BUY ME! FINAL NOTES: This is the exception that proves Toy Biz sux. Sadly, Beast is so hard to find, and stores are hesitant to buy a lot of Giant Sized figures, because they don't sell well. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-4-]--/ CSNsider /-------------------------------------------------/ CSNsider 407 by David Leblanc This is the CSNsider from CSN #407, which will be in shops on 4/5/95. It is reproduced in its entirety with the expressed permission of Comic Shop News. George Perez reports that his debut on the Silver Surfer title has been pushed back to at least Silver Surfer #110; but he does have another Surfer project to keep him busy, namely the Silver Surfer/Superman crossover that he'll be writing, with Ron Lim and Terry Austin handling the art... While Blackball Comics is no longer publishing, that doesn't mean an end to Mark Wheatley's Radical Dreamer; the series will continue under the Mark's Giant Economy Size Comics imprint... Malibu has announced a delay in the debut of its Star Trek: Voyager series; while a new release date hasn't been set yet, Malibu hopes to get everything back on track sometime this summer... The upcoming X-Files reprint volume from Topps will include the first three issues for a bargain $3.95-$4.95 price tag... Now Comics has cancelled their Married With Children and Speed Racer titles in a company-wide cutback, but will continue to release issues of Green Hornet and Syphons... The return of The Outer Limits to television has renewed negotiations to bring The Outer Limits to comic books as well, although nothing has been signed yet... Five new episodes will air this fall when The Adventures of Batman & Robin returns to Fox's afternoon program schedule; including a wonderful Jonah Hex episode written by Joe R. Lansdale... Is it true that Fox is considering a new Doctor Who series?... Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, the masterminds behind the Batman & Robin animated series, are already at work on plans for a Superman animated series, probably for Warner Bros... Caliber Press's upcoming Power Cards collectible trading card game will initially feature characters from the Sky Comics Universe; later releases will feature other Big Bang, Kabuki, and UN Force characters, along with some surprises. The starter cards are now slated for April release... Steven Grant and Gil Kane are already doing preliminary work on the return of His Name Is...Savage, the 1968 Gil Kane hard-edged adventure comic that'll fit right in with today's crime comics... Are you ready for Unity II?... George Perez will also be illustrating Isaac Asimov's I-Bots for Tekno-Comix, with Howard Chaykin handling the concept development and Steven Grant doing the scripting for the series... Monogram/Revell will offer inexpensive model kits of the Batmobile and other Bat-vehicles from Batman Forever... Iron Man gets a major revamp in a time-travel storyline beginning later this year... Following the success of The Mask on CD-ROM, some of the bigger players in the comic book marketplace are also considering reissuing some of their books on CD-ROM... Extreme looks way into the future of Image with Extreme 3000, a new line of books that will feature four Image titles set a millennium in the future... Comico has plans to bring back The Elementals at long last this summer... CSN #407 features a cover feature on the Rune/Silver Surfer team-up from Marvel and Malibu, as well as more news and the April Hot Picks. The only way to get Comic Shop News is to visit a shop that carries CSN. The publication costs the shops just $.10 each and is generally free to customers. If you shop doesn't carry CSN, nag 'em until they do. After all, isn't your business and satisfaction worth a dime a week? Visit our WWW site! http://www.actwin.com/csn Ward Batty wardo@jupiter.netdepot.com Cliff Biggers cliffbig@jupiter.netdepot.com (c)1995 CSN, Inc. úúúúÄÄÄÄÍÍÍÍ*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/518 __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-5-]--/ COMICUNICATIONS /------------------------------------------/ Comicunications 1.10 by Ryan Brewster Ý Þ ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÝ Ûßßßßßß ÞßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÝ Ý Û ÛßßßÛ ÛßÛßÛ ßÛß Ûßßß Û Û ÛÜ Û ßÛß Ûßßß ÛßßÛ ßÛß ßÛß ÛßßÛ ÛÜ Û Ûßß Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Û ÛßÛÛ Û Û ÛßßÛ Û Û Û Û ÛßÛÛ ßßÛ Û ßßßßß ß ß ßßß ßßßß ßßßß ß ß ßßß ßßßß ß ß ß ßßß ßßßß ß ß ßßß ßßßßßßß ---The Comic Book Net's Kinda Weekly Comics Journal---------- ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛ Û Û ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ Û Û ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ Û Û Û ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛ Marvel/Heroes' World Announces Terms: First things first. The Discount Structure... :) What everyone wants to know. Heroes' World's TENTATIVE Discount Structure: $ 300 - 999 40% 1000 - 1332 42 1333 - 1999 46 2000 - 2666 47 2667 - 3332 49 3333 - 4166 50 4167 - 4999 51 5000 - 6666 52 6667 - 8332 53 8333 - 16,666 54 16,667 & up 55 There are also 'incentive programs', such as: - 2% extra off if you order at least 5 copies each of 75% of the Marvel/Malibu line. - 3% extra off if you meet the 'sales growth bonus' goal... i.e, if the goal is 5% growth, and you've ordered $1000 of books this month, you need to order $1050 of books next month to get an extra 3% off. - Still 2% more off if you exceed the sales growth bonus goal or participate in merchandising/display of specific Marvel projects, around 1 a week. With this structure, one could hypothetically get up to 62% off... Additionally, in July, Marvel will automatically give the first two bonuses to ALL retailers regardless of whether they meet the criteria. The basic returnability goes unchanged. Mis-Solicitations, books that are more than 30 days late, etc. Products over 90 days late will be cancelled and re-solicited. Co-ops are strictly prohibited. There are 3 delivery methos. UPS, local pick-up and local delivery to place for pick-up by retailers. Retailers pay UPS charges... Credit will be offered to customers who meet credit approvals. Those who don't meet credit approval pay COD. HW Will have regional centers in Toronto, NY, Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and London, England. While some concern was expressed that the $300 minimum wouldn't curtail the co-op programs ("weekend warriors"), however, a Marvel spokesperson said that if an account was suspect, they would require a picture of the storefront. They said that 'We will do more than we've ever done before to try to stop people who are mere collectors.' I'm offended. Also, the co-op ad program is shut down. Marvel will also attempt to publish sell-through data. Says a spokesperson, "We will work with an independent firm who will ask key retailers to submit their sell-through data so that we can publish a chart of sell through data in order that retailers will know what's selling in the industry on a national basis. The re-order fee will drop from 5% to 2%, and order increases AND decreases will be permitted. Joe Monks proposes Independent Coalition: From Mr. Joe Monks of Cry For Dawn Publications: It would seem that in the past three days enough significant events have taken place, enough conversations have gone on, and enough agreements have been made for me to make this post. This might run a little long, but so be it. With the changes in the direct market threatening the existence of many small retailers, small distributors {and one large one perhaps}, and the entire group of publishers who fit the category of "Independent" - the suggestion of a coalition of small publishers/indies has been brought to a head. This concept, is nothing new. In the past, I know of several who have tried, and failed miserably. The elements of trust, money, timeliness, greed, jealousy, and simple petty actions have served to undermine such endeavors every time I have seen them. Right now, I am willing to enter into such a coalition, as are several other publishers, both because of necessity, efficiency, and opportunity. The invite is being made right now, to all the independent publishers who feel they want to participate on an equal playing field regardless of financial situation, size of company, number of titles, etc., to become involved. The man who has volunteered for the headaches of being in charge is Rod Underhill, probably the most accessible man on compuserve. What we will be looking to do, is the following: Form a coalition where every publisher retains autonomy. Keep the politics out of it. There are people in the industry I do not like, nor do they like me. Fine. I can put aside my differences with anybody if it's going to result in a healthier market for independent publishers as a whole, make Rod's job easier, and benefits the coalition as result in a healthier market for independent publishers as a whole, make Rod's job easier, and benefits the coalition as a whole. If there are people you cannot deal with you had better be able to put aside differences before you get involved. I'm all for having Rod run this thing, but I'm about to give up a good amount of my time to help and make sure we bring Rod a package that makes him want to do this. I'm not going to suggest this and drop it in his lap and watch it fall apart because of stupidity. That would be unfair to Rod, to myself, to everybody involved. I'm not in this to waste time - this industry isn't going to allow for that and none of us can survive much less grow if we're counterproductive. Nuff said. We are going to be looking to negotiate better printing prices for volume orders. Timeliness will now be a bigger factor than ever. Press releases and information will most likely be funneled through one centralized location. This would entail getting the information to the center of operations early and have through one centralized location. This would entail getting the information to the center of operations early and have it released from there. There will be an umbrella "logo" involved. All companies retain autonomy but will be represented in purchases, advertising, etc, by the umbrella representative. We will be discussing short, concise contracts to guarantee that no company has to rely on another where billing is concerned. We get better prices in volume, but everybody pulls their own weight, is responsible for their own bills. Nobody's neck gets stuck out here - coalition or not, there's nothing that says who's in charge is on the firing line. These are the loosest outlines thus far. In the next few days I plan to be speaking to Rod {and everybody who's posted me} about putting the wheels in motion as quickly as possible. The plan to draw up some sort of organizational guidelines for all of us will have to follow. I have no doubt that the coalition can, and will work, with cooperation, support, and some hard work. Cooperation is sometimes the hardest thing to come by, and it will necessarily be the biggest requirement for any company which wishes to become involved with this. This is not meant to sound ominous, but it's the truth: Don't even call or post if you don't think you can handle working within the system. Nobody will stand for it. It will not be tolerated. We're going to set up some very easy to deal with parameters which will benefit us all in the long run. That's the hope, and the goal. I've got a deskful of papers towards that end. My address for posting is above. Watch for more information in the next few days. I'm taking the weekend off for a convention and to prepare some of the things necessary to get the ball rolling and to make an offer that's fair to Rod. Being a c-serve idiot, I have no clue how to cut and paste this message elsewhere, so I'd appreciate somebody grabbing the ball and rolling it into some other alleys for me. See, I'm asking for cooperation already :) But it's much appreciated. Let's get together on this, folks, I don't think you'll be sorry at all, and I really am certain that we've chosen the right man to put in place at the helm. Joe Monks CFD Productions Marvel buys Suicide Squid: Marvel Pres. Terry Stewart announced that they have purchased the rights to DC's character Suicide Squid for an undisclosed sum. The Marvel Suicide Squid title is tentatively due for release in late July, with Dan Chichester and Terry Kavanaugh being named as possible writers. No word yet on who would be the artist. Archie Signs with HB: Archie Comics will be doing comics based on Hanna-Barbera characters. Among the popular cartoon stars adapted to the comics medium will be The Flinstones, The Jetsons, and Scooby-Doo, (monthly) and Hanna-Barbera All- Stars and Hanna-Barbera Presents (bimonthly). Slave Labor Graphics announces First Amaze Ink Title: The Replacement God will be the first title for Slave Labor Graphics' new superhero imprint Amaze Ink. They described the title as a charming, lovable tale modeled after Disney. A young boy is prophesied to take a dying god's place and bring down a tyrannical king in a magical kingdom. Zandor Cannon will write & draw the book, and it will carry a $2.95 price tag. Big Entertainment Begins Toy Development: The first TeknoToys based on Tekno-Comics will be based on the characters Primaster, Prisar and Zeerus, of the Primortals comic book. Todd Toys goes Interactive: Todd Toys has signed a deal with Sony Imagesoft to develope a Spawn video- game, to be available on SNES, Sega Genesis, MPC and Macintosh-based CD-ROM platforms. Kitchen Sink sells Film Rights: Terry Hayes, author of the new Planet of the Apes screenplay, will write the screenplay for Touchstone Pictures' adaptation of Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell's graphic novel series From Hell, a fictionalized reenactment of the Jack the Ripper Murders in Victorian England. The CRUMB Film Release Schedule follows: New York, NY Film Forum 4/21/95 W. Los Angeles, CA Nuart 4/28/95 New Haven, CT York Square 5/5/95 Brookline, MA Coolidge Corner 5/5/95 Salt Lake City, UT Tower 5/5/95 Portland, OR Cinema 21 5/5/95 Los Angeles, CA Sunset 5/12/95 Austin, TX Dobie 5/26/95 San Diego, CA Guild 5/26/95 San Francisco Castro 5/26/95 Berkeley, CA UC 5/26/95 Washington, D.C. Key 5/26/95 Sausalito, CA Marin 3 5/26/95 Berkeley, CA Act III 6/2/95 Palo Alto, CA Aquarius 6/2/95 Santa Rosa, CA Lakeside 6/9/95 San Francisco Lumiere 6/9/95 Rochester, NY Little Theatre 6/16/95 Seattle, WA Varsity 6/16/95 Denver, CO Mayan 6/30/95 Buffalo, NY Amhurst 7/7/95 Dallas, TX Inwood 7/7/95 Houston, TX River Oaks 7/7/95 Sacramento, CA Tower 7/7/95 Cleveland, OH Cedar Lee 7/14/95 Minneapolis, MN Lagoon 7/28/95 __________________________________________________________________________ Legal Stuff: Copyright (c) Ryan Brewster. Distribute in ENTIRETY. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-6-]--/ FEEDBACK /-------------------------------------------------/ From: Dave Drew Date: 03-11-95 21:05 To: Chris Oarr Msg#: 6460 Subj.: Comic Book E-Mag I've finally been able to download CBEM001 off the FIDO E-Mag feed. When I saw your comments on the Poison River review, I went back to read it. It certainly was insipid. I think Anne Rubenstein touched on the use of Luba's point of view, but only just. She did seem to reiterate the point that it should be read carefully. The _I Never Liked You_ review in the same issue of TCJ was fine but I've gotten to the point where I look for certain names and know not to bother reading their reviews. Crash looks like it's off to a good start. I often disagree with what they have to say, but there is some intelligent reasoning behind their reviews rather than just being another gushing fan-zine. Heck, it took TCJ a while to realize that Frank Miller's writing left something to be desired. I hope that Destroy All Comics will garner a decent following. A third major voice will make the scene that much better. I've read one issue of Indy and I can't say I saw much promise. Maybe some decent writers will answer Mason's solicitation for new contributors and improve its quality. Anyhow keep up the work on CBEM! While we're on the subject of feedback, I'd like to see some short reviews letting your readers know about some nifty comics they might have missed. //// FEEDBACK RESPONSE by CHRIS OARR ///////////////////////////////////// Thanks for the kind words, Dave. I think you're right about a lot of things, including the need for more reviews. Hopefully, you'll see more in upcoming issues of the CBN E-Mag, although we need more people like yourself to make submissions (hint, hint). I've only seen one issue of INDY (I think it was #3), and I lost that copy halfway through Sim's review of Very Vicky, a title that I'm fond of. Maybe I was premature in my praise, but it's tempting to hype anything dealing primarily with non-mainstream titles. Years of reading The Comics Journal have inured me to bad writing... CRASH (Crash Communications) is the best journal of comix criticism being published today. As you say, it is provocative and sometimes infuriating---I was totally put off by the pan of Paul Pope's brilliant BALLAD OF DR. RICHARDSON in the second issue. Nevertheless, it possesses a level of quality and panache that the Comics Journal has always lacked. One hopes it will be around for some time. It can and probably will improve with time. The current incarnation of DESTROY ALL COMICS! (Slave Labor) is a hoot. Levine and his corps of angry young cartoonists call 'em like they see 'em. DESTROY isn't very nice or even fair. Fortunately, it doesn't pretend to be. These guys have a very narrow aesthetic, but at least they're consistent. I enjoy a rant when I know it's genuine, which is one reason I love DESTROY ALL COMICS and a big part of what I hate about the Journal. Anyone looking for added insight into the best of small press should consider sampling these two great magazines. If you can't find them at your local shop, write for them at the addresses below. Both have only two issues out, and back issues are available. CRASH---The Quarterly Comic Book Review DESTROY ALL COMICS! Crash Communications Slave Labor Graphics 601 Markham Street 979 S. Bascom Avenue Toronto, Ontario M6G 2L7 CANADA San Jose, CA 4 issue subscription: $16 (Can$20) 1-800-866-8929 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// -------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Send feedback to: America Online .... ComicBkNet@aol.com Fidonet ........... ComicBkNet at 1:324/134.0 Comic Book Net .... ComicBkNet at 23:403/2.0 PLEASE NOTE: Your comments may be included in future issues, unless you specifically request to the contrary. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-7-]--/ BULLETIN BOARDS LINKED INTO THE COMICBOOK NETWORK /--------/ +----------------------------+ | The ComicBook Network !! | A message network devoted to Comic +----------------------------+ Fans, Collectors, and Professionals! ---- ---------- ------------- Here's the most up-to-date node listing for the COMICBOOK NETWORK - 6 new systems have linked in since the last issue! Mail transfer method: F=FIDO Q=QWK B=Both *=Major HUB NOTE: Most of these systems offer a means for the casual user to log on and QWK the messages for offline reading. Give one a call and join in on the conversations! 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All articles contained within are written and copyrighted to their authors. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -EOF- .. in TWO Weeks!!