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________________________________________________________________________ Visit Our Web Page! http://www.cris.com/~Xenozoid/ComicBkNet.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------ / THE \ \C O M I C/ Issue #30 This publication is brought to you \B O O K/ by the active participants of \N E T/ Sunday the international center for \ / October 7th, comic book discussion, the Comic *E-Mag* 1995 Book Net. !!! - Editor: Ryan Brewster [Xenozoid@cris.com] - CBN Network Administration Team: - Ed Dukeshire - - Mike Imboden - - William Hughes - - Ryan Brewster - - Jacob Greenberg - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Comic Book Net Founding Fathers: Ed Dukeshire and Mike Imboden ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________________________________________________________________ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] The Bullpen ........................... Ryan Brewster [2] Out of Africa ......................... Marc Sparks [3] CSNsider #435.......................... W. Batty & C. Biggers [4] Some Stuff ............................ Nathan Bredfeldt [5] Suspended Animation ................... Michael Vance [6] Recent Reads & Random Thoughts ........ William Hughes [7] The _Real_ Static ..................... Ivan Valez [8] New Comics 10/9/95 .................... Bobb Waller [9] Top Comics - October .................. Antarctic Press [10] Top Publishers - October .............. Antarctic Press [11] Splash Page ........................... Various [12] CBN Conference Totals ................. Net Admin Team [13] Join in the Fun! [14] BBSes Linked into CBN [15] E-Mag Info ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [1] The Bullpen by Ryan Brewster Well, the new CBN Administration Team is settling in and it looks as though things are going to work out rather well. Right now we are just doing "housecleaning"-type jobs... The collaborative fanfic title I promised I would start is just about off the ground. The introduction has been written and is in the "Splash Page" section of this issue. Be sure to check out the chapters as the authors write them, they should be neat! (For you folks on the Internet who don't get the message bases of CBN, the chapters will be posted on the WWW page). I was excited to recieve another column from Marc Sparks down in Africa. Check it out; it's the next column! :) Also in this issue are the industry lists (top comics and top publishers) from Antarctic Press. Thanks to Antarctic Press and Dave LeBlanc for getting this information for us! Well, that just about wraps things up. Thanks for reading and I'll see y'all next week! Best, --Ry Editor The Comic Book Net E-Mag Xenozoid@cris.com ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [2] Out of Africa, by Marc Sparks The recent resumption of local comic book publishing in Southern Africa has emphasised the need for a committed editorial team. In a market like ours where the publishers, initialy at least, are limited to publishing American and British properties, the editorial task moves from the production arena to the selection of properties, for reprint. Reprinting in an empty hungry market? How can it go wrong? Easy, very easy. 15 years ago an outfit called Supercomix, was publishing a bouquet of Marvel and DC titles, they suffered from lackluster editorial input, no letters columns, and no editorials. Not everything was bad, they had an uncanny ability to reprint classics out of the blue like Avengers #4, but typically that was the only Avengers I ever saw reprinted. When Supercomix folded (with a whimper), we were left at the mercy of imports, and the declining Rand resulted in firstly a steep increase in price and a corresponding decline in the number of titles imported. Over that time a few rather silly attempts were made to print locally. Issue #1 of ~Untold Legend of the Batman~ appear mysterious at the local Cafe, that was 7yrs ago, I'm still waiting for #2. So why am I so excited about the current publishers. They've done it right! Battleaxe (DC, Image, Fleetway) chose to kick off Superman and Batman with ~Man Of Steel~ and ~Year-One~ respectively, and Spawn with Issue one (incidently back issues are obtainable, from the local publishers if you're interested in story rather than collectability), Meteor (Marvel) titles started with the beginning of storylines, accompanied by comprehensive editorial material defining the characters to date. (something the US publshers could take some notes on). By choosing to publish X-men & Generation X and not other X-titles, they've committed themselves to editorial explanations for interlinking storylines (specifically Age Of Apocalypse). For a change the readers of SA, now know whats going to happen, we have am idea of release dates, and we know that issue #6 will follow #5 (and not the other way round), we know forth coming titles and we can subscribe without having to pay double in forex. US readers take that for granted, we're just learning to enjoy this. In closing, and as an example could someone please tell me what happened in the last Issue of Green Lantern: Mosaic, of course it's the only one I couldn't get. Comments, and Flames to Figment@Connx.Vironix.Co.Za Marc Sparks ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [3] CSNsider #425, by C. Biggers and W. Batty This is the CSNsider from CSN #435, which will be in shops on 10/19/95. It is reproduced in its entirety with the expressed permission of COMIC SHOP NEWS! In the aftermath of the current status-quo-shaking storylines in the Avengers family, look for Force Works and War Machine to come to the end of their run... Mike Baron has signed on as writer for the entire miniseries run of Jugular, a contemporary vampire series from Blackout Comics; he was originally slated to write only the opening segment of the book, but enjoyed it enough that he decided to enlist for the duration. Neil Vokes and Michael Avon Oeming will supply the art for one segment of the series... Omni Comix, which was originally announced as the new home of THUNDER Agents, has been put on hold after missing its scheduled shipping date; the death of editor George Caraggone, who played a vital role in bringing the license to Omni Comix, may be a contributing factor in the delays... Gemstone Publishing, the company that brings you Overstreet's Fan, Comic Book Marketplace, The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, and various EC reprint titles, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Diamond Distributors; this change should have no effect whatsoever on the availability of these books to fans all across the country... McFarlane Toys will release a Maxx figure in the spring of '96, and (drum roll here) Gen 13 action figures in the fall of the year... Caliber will launch Moebius Comics in the spring of 1996; the new ongoing series will feature a mix of old material, never-before-seen-in America stories and art, and a chapter of a new Arzach series with layouts by Moebius and finished art by William Stout, Paul Pope, and others.... Is it possible that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might find a publishing home with another popular greenskinned character with whom they've guest-starred on more than one occasion? Could be!... Wizards of the Coast has a new collectible card game, Net Runner, in the works with an early '96 release date; the game is set in the cyberworld, as the name implies... HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos comes to collectible card games in Mythos, set for spring '96 release... Big Bang #5, from Caliber's Big Bang imprint, features a meeting between the Silver Age Knight Watchman and the Silver Age ShadowHawk... Highbrow Entertainment has postponed the new Vanguard limited series for a while; they'll reschedule it when the entire series is finished and ready for release... Word has it that the upcoming Green Lantern/Silver Surfer crossover book slated for late November release will feature a subtle lead-in to the big DC Vs Marvel series launching in December... The CSNsider is just a small part of each issue of Comic Shop News. CSN #435 features Vampire from Wizards of the Coast on the cover as well as more news and a special feature on collectable card games. The CSNsider is now available via e-mail! In order to subscribe to CSNsider, send a message to majordomo@redweb.com with a single line message saying: SUBSCRIBE csnsider Visit our WWW site! http://www.actwin.com/csn We post the new CSNsider here each Monday (it's late this week as I was out of town) and it will go out via e-mail each Wednesday or Thursday. This is still the first place it will appear each week, but we wanted to offer it via e-mail as well. The only way to get Comic Shop News is to visit a shop that carries CSN. The publication costs the shops just a dime each and is generally free to customers. If your shop doesn't carry CSN, nag 'em until they do. After all, isn't your business and satisfaction worth a dime a week? Ward Batty wardo@netdepot.com Cliff Biggers cliffbig@netdepot.com (c)1995 CSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Transmitted by . . . ····────════*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@mailtrain.com RIME->15 FIDO 1:322/743.1 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [4] Some Stuff, by Nathan Bredfeldt This week, I want to respond to the now factual rumor we've all heard. Anyone else notice how many Image related rumors have been circulating lately? Shadowline joining Extreme, Top Cow leaving Image, Gaiman and Moore writing Supreme, they just go on and on. Anyhow, the rumor in question involves Keown leaving Image, and taking Pitt to self publishing world. And since he has, Keown must have done a lot of thinking (in leiu of doing Pitt, I suppose), and I thought I might share with you some factors he might have considered in this decision. First, some reasons to leave the big `i'. As an independent, you don't have to worry as much about being on time. Sure, Keown dosen't seem to give much of a hoot about timeliness at present, but when you're with a big name company like Image (or DC, Dark Horse, etc), people judge you more harshly than they would if you were alone. Maybe he disagrees with some of Image's recent policies. Of course, if there were any policy to disagree with, it would have to be that mass firing (which only ended up firing Keith Giffen and the Axis boys, if I'm not mistaken). But since Keown didn't say anything at the time, I'm guessing nothing would faze him. Bored. This is my best guess. He's young, wild, and sick of the same old same old. And can you blame a man with his potential for not wanting moss to grow under his feet? The `stick around' argument also carries a lot of weight. Let's face it. Image is a great place to be. Retailer and fan apathy is all being focused towards Marvel; and some Image books, like ASTRO CITY, WILDCATS, and WEAPON ZERO are actually starting to get raves from some of us older folks who swore off Image's glamour and glitz almost from day one. These are the best days of their lives! Keown should be living it up, not trying to jump ship! (Oh, by the way, the three titles above are written by folks other than the big 8, which makes it a good thing that personal favorite Steve Gerber (of DEFENDERS, SLUDGE, and STRYKE FORCE fame) is taking over the writing chores of PITT.) Plus, if things wern't looking great enough, Image has Lobito and Maruder to do all of that nasty publishing related stuff that artists shouldn't have to worry about. Also, look at the success all those other ex-Image guys have had in the self publishing realm: Giffen/Trencher at Blackball (who?), The Axis boys and TRIBE (who?), and good old Shaman's Tears (in the year after getting fired, Grell managed to put out ONE ASHCAN, then somehow won his way back into favor with McFarlane (I'd guess blackmail, but don't make me testify), and went right back to putting out late books.). And if that's not enough evidence, Image NEEDS a "big guy" book to compete with Marvel's Hulk. And who's gonna fill that role? Badrock? I think not. All in all, I can't believe Keown is leaving, and would (if I knew him) recommend he go back, or at least keep his options open. But, in the meantime, I'd like to wish him the best, and hope that he gives us fans some sort of formal statement, so I can have more juicy rumors to write about! QUICKIE REVIEW: Hey! Do you like Batman? Do you hate the fact that it's all but impossible to pick up one single Bat title every month, because of the extra tight continuity and the major crossovers every six months? Do you miss the days of the self contained single issue story? And more than anything, do you hate starting on a series after the first issue? Me, too. Fortunately, Bat fans, have I got a deal for you! Might I strongly recommend the Batman and Robin Adventures? It's a stand alone Bat title, usually containing one issue stories. And as an added incentive, issue #1 just hit the stands not two weeks ago, so it'll still be around for you to look over! The first two issues feature Two-Face! What's that you say? "Isn't that the comic book based on the CARTOON SHOW?" Well, yes; but there's little resemblance between the two. The comic is a tad more adult, and definitely NOT simply retellings of the show's episodes. And hey, if everyone buys it, maybe we can convince DC to do a Superman Adventures, or maybe Justice League Adventures (with some original team members, maybe!) {Nathan Bredfeldt, CBN's resident Some Stuffist, can be reached via his cohorts at ComicBkNet@aol.com} ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [5] Suspended Animation, by Michael Vance The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains, not in my mailbox. The same is true for Spanish comics. But today was unusual. My mailbox was awash not only with comics from Spain, but along with the answer to a question raging among comics fans and professionals: Is ART or WORDS AND IDEAS more important in a comic book? Among the wash was "El Wendigo", a professional 'fanzine', (magazines produced for people obsessed). This delightful obsession is filled with articles, photographs and artwork about comics and their creators. Oversized compared to most American magazines and well designed from cover to cover, that 'delightful' remains guesswork unless you can read Spanish. Frustration at MY Spanish illiteracy was compounded because Suspended Animation will soon be added to this magazine and I won't even be able to read what I write! Yeah, yeah. I know. Neither can you. A comic book light bulb (of low wattage) clicked on over my head, illuminating the answer to that question. Another magazine, "Hombre Grande" increased the wattage. It's the simple, poignant story of a giant washed ashore and discovered by children. The artwork is stunning. And as is true with a beautiful woman (attracted first by the beauty, one MUST know MORE), this beautiful artwork promised more than delivered. The fault lay in me. Comics are STORIES. I couldn't know more because I couldn't read the story. Art, words and ideas are equally important in comic books and strips. It's job fulfilled, I clicked off the the comics light bulb, went to bed, pulled the cover over my head and cried myself to sleep. I dreamed of Spanish omelets. "Hombre Grande"/40 pages, from El Wendigo/art and story by David Mazzucchelli. Recommended for interested hombres. For information send a double stamped, self addressed envelope to; EL WENDIGO, Apartado de Correos, 461 Gijon/Asturias, Spain, 8-5351963. (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] Recent Reads & Random Thoughs, by William Hughes I've finally gotten used to WINDOWS `95, all the new ways of doing things, and the little quirks, so hopefully I'll have RECENT READS AND RANDOM THOUGHTS out on a more regular basis these days. Incidently, if anyone cares- I love WIN95! I always liked 3.1 but this beats it hands down. Anyway, on to the books. DRAWN & QUARTERLY #2 PALOOKA-VILLE #6 SLUTBURGER #5 AVENGERS #391 PROFESSOR XAVIER/X-MEN #1 CAPTAIN AMERICA #445 GENERATION X `95 UNCANNY X-MEN #326 CABLE #25 MANTRA #INFINITY SIREN #INFINITY HARDWARE #33 SUPERBOY ANNUAL #2 ROBIN #22 SHADE THE CHANGING MAN #65 BATMAN: BROTHERHOOD OF THE BAT AZRAEL #10 SUPERBOY #21 ASTRO CITY #2 SOLAR #55 X-O MANOWAR #54 SMALL PRESS: Drawn & Quarterly #2 $5.95 (b/w & color) Diamond Distributors offered this one up as a Small Press Sampler, so I snapped it up. As the name implies this is a quarterly publication that's uh, drawn. This issue has a nice cover and short story by David Mazzucchelli. Other pieces are ELEANOR by Eric Drooker, GHOST OF WHITECHAPEL by Loustal & Fromental, MORE THAN COINCIDENCE? by Maurice Vellekoop, and IT WAS THE WAR IN THE TRENCHES by Jacques Tardi. This anthology has a physical presence that few other products can match. Like Mazzucchelli's own RUBBER BLANKET, this is a high dollar format that immediately draws attention to the book. The stories contained within are interesting, although sometimes pointless, as in the case of MORE THAN COINCIDENCE. My favorite stories were Mazzucchelli's RATES OF EXCHANGE and Tardi's IT WAS THE WAR IN THE TRENCHES. PALOOKA-VILLE #6 IT'S A GOOD LIFE, IF YOU DON'T WEAKEN Seth November `94 $2.95 (b/w) Another title grabbed from Diamond's Small Press Sampler package. Boy, they sure are anti-Small Press, aren't they? I like Seth as an artist, I can see that Adriane Tomine has been influenced by him somewhat. But unlike Tomine's work, I don't find Seth's storytelling to be interesting. In fact, I think this is a downright boring book, a real snoozer. Maybe I grabbed a bad issue, but I don't think this is my cup of tea- I'll save my money for OPTIC NERVE. SLUTBURGER #5 Mary Fleener $2.95 (b/w) After months of hearing Chris Oarr rant on about how incredible Fleener's work is, I decided to see for myself. I've never really been into abstract art, but I find it interesting to see it's principles applied to a comic book format. I wouldn't want to see the world convert to this style, I think I'd go out of my mind- but in SLUTBURGER it is stylized and unique, so it works. Doesn't hurt that Fleener chooses interesting subject matter, such as life on the sex, drugs and rock n roll scene. So, I don't see me ever getting to the point of raving about this book, but it _is_ interesting enough to check out. INDEPENDENTS: SOLAR #55 BLACK STAR Bedard/Lopresti/Giordano 2.50 (color) With Dan Jurgen's departure, Solar is back to being treated as a typical super-hero role once again. He is slipping into an atypical role with no sign of any exploration of his godlike abilities realistically. I don't put much hope that this book will ever again reach the levels it attained in the first ten issues of the series, or even the first few issues of the Jurgens run. I'm thinking of starting a pool in CBN to guess how many more months Valiant can hang on as a company. X-O MANOWAR #54 TEST RUN Bailey/Smith/Guynn 2.50 (color) Someone at Valiant decided it was time to put out an Image-style book, without checking to see that Image is now putting out well written stories to go with the pretty pictures. This book has got the cool art now, and the flashy panels, but lacks any substance in the storytelling. A once promising book is now just another grape dying on the vine at Valiant. DC COMICS: AZRAEL #10 ARENA O'Neil/Kitson/Pascoe 1.95 (color) The book moves it's focus back to Gotham City, where Tim Drake makes a frightening discovery. A new Batman is in town, and he bares a striking resemblance to the guy who took Bruce's place a while back. Could Jean Paul have snapped completely and become AzBats again? I'll give you a hint... it's a former the former Azrael, powered up by Neron as a part of UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED. Batman makes a guest appearance to take down the psuedo-Batman. BROTHERHOOD OF THE BAT BROTHERHOOD OF THE BAT is an Elseworlds story inspired by the elaborate costume designs done when Bruce Wayne returned to the mantle and the powers that be decided to update his look as well. Alot of talent put ideas together for the new Batman, and some of them are in this book. The story is about a Gotham City in the near future, where chemical warfare has all but destroyed the world, and what is left of humanity is threatened by Ra's Al Ghul. Al Ghul decides to perfect the Batman, and make an army of Batmen to use as his henchmen to conquer the survivors of the world. And since Bruce Wayne was a casualty of the virus that destroyed the world, no one can stop him- until Bruce Wayne's son decides to take up his legacy, the mantle of the Bat. This is a really fun story, and it's made all the better by the cool designs of Batman costumes thruout the book. Contributors include Jim Aparo, Jim Balent, Bret Blevins, Norm Breyfogle, Vince Girrano, Tom Grummett, and more. Cover price of $5.95 HARDWARE #33 HEPHAESTUS Blaustein/Ching/Rollins 2.50 (color) A computer viruse mixed with magic causes Hardware's original armor to come to life and battle Metcalf, all the while spouting annoying rhymes. Mildly interesting, and the Chaykin cover is the saving grace. ROBIN #22 I WAS A TEENAGED NINJA Dixon/Wieringo/Woch 1.95 (color) Continued from last issue, Tim Drake finds himself undercover at a ninja camp that recruits young juvenile delinquents for robberies. It's nice to see the character completely on his own and self reliant in a situation like this. Dixon and Ringo make one hell of a team, and they are making this book move up on my personal charts. Recommended. SHADE: CHANGING MAN #65 THE IMPOSSIBLE PHOTOGRAPH Milligan/Case 2.25 (color) As much as I love Peter Milligan's work, I don't think I can take much more of this title. The artwork is at an all-time low, and Milligan's heart just doesn't seem to be in it any longer. Word is that the title is slated for cancellation. As much as I hate to see an old favorite get the chopping block, it's better than watching it deteriorate into this. The Impossible Photograph is fashioned after old pulp detective stories, only it isn't nearly as interesting, not even with Shade's madness thrown in. A mystery just isn't much of a mystery if you simply don't care whodunit or why. SUPERBOY #21 FUTURE TENSE pt 1 of 3 Kesel/Grummett/Hazlewood 1.95 (color) The Legion Of Super-Heroes come back in time to find a way to save Valor from the Phantom Zone. Typical super-hero misunderstandings insue and it's Superboy versus the Legion. Nothing groundbreaking here, but loads of fun nonetheless. SUPERBOY ANNUAL #2 Kesel/Kesel/Brewer/Parks 3.95 (color) This was a pretty cool issue, we finally find out from whom Superboy is cloned from, and we see some of the rejected Superboy models. Also, Bizarro Superboy! I enjoyed this story alot, the only downside was David Brewer's artwork, which I felt was a little bit weak, although not as distractic as say, Joe Madureira on the X-Men. IMAGE COMICS: ASTRO CITY #2 THE SCOOP Busiek/Anderson 2.25 (color) Kurt Busiek continues to mimick his previous success with MARVELS within his new creator-owned title, ASTRO CITY. Even to the point of telling the story thru the eyes of a journalist, the similarites are never ending. The one flaw in this formula of course is the fact that the characters are unrecongnizable to the readers, so the nostalgia that played so heavily in MARVELS is absent. I loved the MARVELS mini, and I don't think this series is even close to that title, but it's still and interesting enough read. I'll hang on for a couple more issues to see if Busiek plans on introducing anything new, or if he plans to reduce himself to a formula and repeat his biggest success over again. MARVEL COMICS: AVENGERS #391 SHADOWS OF THE PAST Harras/Kavanagh/Deodato $1.50 (color) THE CROSSING continues... Mike Deodato is adding alot of excitement to this book, unfortunately Bob Harras can't seem to keep up. Avengers Mansion has a mysterious door in the basement, and now people close to the Avengers are being killed. So far the casualties include the female Yellowjacket and Marilla, the inhuman nanny to Pietro and Crystal's child. The most unfortunate part of this story, if the rumours are true, is that it's leading up to Marvel desecrating another character from their stables, this time it's Tony Stark. No, it's not _really_ Tony Stark, it's an LMD that assumed Tony's identity years ago so it could kill off two-bit Avengers now. So tell me, how does an LMD suffer from alcoholism and lose Stark Industries? How does that piece of Stark's history fit into this brilliant subterfuge that's been going on for years? Frankly, I think the new trend to throw away a characters history in order to revitalize him is pathetic. I'll quit buying super hero titles before I watch any more characters get desecrated! CABLE #25 WHAT WAS...WHAT IS... Loeb/Churchill/Hanna 3.95 (color) As if Cable's history wasn't confusing enough to begin with, Loeb is going back to the well again mixing more time travel and making the entire history more confusing than ever. Cable travels back to the future to protect a younger version of himself from Stryfe and a critical point in his own life. The Terminator movies were easier to follow chronologically than this book. CAPTAIN AMERICA #445 OPERATION: REBIRTH (Old Soldiers Never Die) Waid/Garney/Koblish $1.50 (color) I saw Chris Oarr's recent post absolutely slamming the new Waid version of Captain America. I chalked it up to the usual Oarr bias towards anything Waid...;) I mean, how bad could it be? This book has been languishing for almost a decade or more suffering from poor scripts, and a complete lack of understanding of the character. Mark Waid would have to be a complete hack not to be able to improve on that track record, right? Unfortunately for Captain America fans, Chris Oarr hit it dead on with this one. While it's arguable whether it could still be considered an improvement or not over the last armor-wearing incarnation, this is certainly not Cap- or Waid- at his best. My absolute biggest complaint is the return of a much beloved character from my youth- Sharon Carter. She had one of the most poignant deaths in comic books ever- even moreso than Jean Grey in the X-Books, because Sharon had been missing for months before Cap discovered how she had died, brainwashed into a hatred so strong that in her fervor she commited suicide. It's not so bad that Sharon's back, I mean, if Jean Grey could come back, certainly Sharon could, there was no body, no evidence at all other than a video tape supplied by a reporter that seemed to show Sharon pressing a button on her belt that caused her to burst in flames. Video tape can be doctored, so I have no problem with her coming back. Except this sure isn't any Sharon Carter that I ever remember. Her attitude, her demeanor, everything about her- not one iota of this character is Sharon Carter, I don't care how many times she answers to that name. I don't know why I'm suprised- the character of Captain America has been wrong in this book for years, why not the supporting cast as well now? So it would seem that the "HACK OF THE WEEK" award goes to Mark Waid. As to Captain America... well, everyone said Waid would save this book, and he hasn't. I think it's time to put this character back on ice, before any other two-bit writers can come along and muck him up anymore. Maybe in twenty years they can make him interesting again. (And this may be Cap's only way of surviving his upcoming confrontation with Batman!) GENERATION X `95 Lobdell/Loeb Wood/McManus etc... 3.95 (color) A 56 page count, although alot of those pages aren't anything more than cheesy pinup shots. This issue gets Mondo onto the team, and shows The White Queen's sister in action. Yet another pair of siblings who can't effect each other with their powers. How original. The art wasn't all that great, and was rather distracting due to how many different people had a hand in this book. Even so, I enjoyed it just because it was a semi-interesting tale that introduced new characters. MANTRA #infinity Barr/Roberts/Amash $1.50 (color) Well, the price is certainly right on the UV books these days, they've all dropped down to a more reasonable buck fifty. This issue is sort of the origin of the new Mantra, who happens to be the sixteen year old baby sitter for the original Mantra, whose kid has really gotten out of control... This is typical superhero fare, with plenty of cheesy pinup shots, but the price is right and it's entertaining enough, so I'll give the Ultraverse another shot with this title. PROFESSOR X & X-MEN #1 I'm not going to give writing credits on this one, because frankly I don't think anyone deserves them, except Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This is supposedly the X-Men's first adventure. Well, I would have prefered a nice reprint of X-MEN #1 to this. It's simlilar enough to the original, with just enough alteration as to make it pathetic. The one thing that irritated me the most was the depiction of Scott Summers as the "buffed" version that he's become today. Doesn't anyone remember why this guy's nickname is "Slim" anymore??? The saving grace of course, is the price. A very reasonable ninety-nine cents. For that alone I'll continue to pick the book up, and hope it improves. SIREN #infinity Kanalz/West/Almond I haven't been following all the UV books, but somehow Siren has popped up in the normal Marvel universe, and finds herself tied up with The Taskmaster. I remember Taskmaster's first appearance in the Avengers, I thought he was a great character, but he never lived up to his potential, and has been designated as a two-bit villian ever since. I liked this issue simply because I think it's the first time we've ever seen Taskmaster without his mask on, and that's a good sign that he might get a little character development finally. As to the character of Siren, well I'm not too impressed on that front, especially now that her make-up has decided to become a permanent part of her features, making her all the more like CABLE's Domino. But, just as Mantra, I will probably continue to pick the book up for a while, because the price is right and it's mildly entertaining. UNCANNY X-MEN #326 EVIL NATURES Lobdell/Madureira/Townsend 1.95 (color) I've said it before, but it bears repeating: What the heck is Joe Madureira doing on this book? The artists who have worked on this book in the past are a veritable who's who of the comic book industry and his name simply does not belong on the list. I think his work is pathetic and cartoonish, lacking any eye for detail or proportions. I've tried to drop the X-books many times before with no success, but Madureira may single handedly help me accomplish this feat. Speaking of dropping the X-Books, it must be time for another crossover, because everytime I'm ready to drop them, they have an interesting storyline that saves them for a few months. What's that? Oh, the Sabretooth storyline is coming to a head? Oh, that'll probably do it. Bill Hughes! ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [7] The REAL Static, by Ivan Valez [forwarded by David LeBlanc] Saw this in r.a.c.m.. Knowing how popular Static is, i figured some folks would like to know how the "man" would have continued the story from the latest issue onward; Date 1995-09-30,06:09 From xxxxxxxx@xxxxxxx <<<<<----IVAN Velez To ALL Newsgroups rec.arts.comics.misc Subject Re: STATIC #29 I wish I had been allowed to finish my run and the next issue... but I wasn't. this is the way I had ended it... at least a summary. N O S P O I L E R The last page of last issue had originally been pencilled as such... Dusk took five bullets... and one in the chest. Larry only took one in the upper arm. Static, freaked at what happens, rushes to Dusk's aid. He traps the shooters and snatches Dusk up and flies her away towards a hospital(something she keeps trying to stop him from doing). Larry makes it away, freaked that his employers would try to kill him. Static takes Dusk to the hospital, and rushes her to the emergency room. he deals with the public hospital menatality as the folks working are less than helpful, especially in Dakota. Dusk is rushed into ECu, where she promptly has a heart attack (many bullets, etc...). The doctors do what they could, but she dies on the table. Static, freaked, sees her eyes lose the life in them. He knocks the doctors out of the way and zaps her, yelling something about about her being stronger than that. All the time, he's crying and not even knowing. Dusk revives in true comic book form. Static goes into the waiting area and buries his head in his arms, to hide the rush of tears and phelgm(after all, he is a man). Meanwhile, Frieda is still at Larry's mother's house. It's getting real late, and they all know he won't show up. His mother talks to Frieda, telling her that he's just like his father was... all bullshit but with a sweet smile. She loves him. Frieda knows what she's saying, and loves him too. Meanwhile, Larry is wandering the streets, scared and paranoid. he thinks over his options and comes to one conclusion... he has to go to the police.... maybe make a deal... turn state's evidence or something. He knows his life isn't worth anything right now. He goes to a phone and decides to call the cops. But first, he wants to talk to his mother ... maybe make up some lie to explain why he didn't show up...maybe make her feel better. As he picks up the phone, a gun presents itself in his face. We hear it go off. We cut back to the hospital, wher Static patiently awaits Dusk to come through. She awakens, parabnoid and wanting to leave. She asks if they took any blood. She's feeeling a lot better. Static tells her they did, and she starts to feel very antsy. She has to get out of there. Dusk explains that the Feds have her blood type on file, that it's unique to her family, and that if they find out they'll put her away... or try to. She confesses that she's wanted for murder. Satic is surprised. She tells him that she did do it, but the person deserved it, and it was the only way. Sattic thinks, and gets her out of there. Dusk starts telling him more about herself, showing him how the wounds are already almost closed... He takes her to her house, somewhere in the burbs, and he sees that Ducky is her brother. He panics, telling her that their mom is coming any minute and she'll be real pissedif she finds out someone knows about them. Static leaves, telling her he'll visist again. Static is tired, but decides to go by Larry's house. maybe he'll see him. he wants to have a chance to talk to him... to make him think about what he's doing.... He changes to Virgil and walks to Larry's house. He sees thatbthere is a cop var there, and that Larry's mother and sister are crying hysterically on the porch. Frieda is there, and sees him. it takes a second for Virgil to figure it out, but when he does, he collapses on the lawn. All his strength just leaves him as he realizes Larry is dead. there was another scene that I had to add, if I got the chance to do another pass at it. Two scenes actually. One, where it's weeks later, and Virgil and Frieda and the crew are talking, and they notice the empty spot where Larry usuallly sat. Virgil also notices the spot where Ducky used to be. Static goes back to Ducky and Dusk's house and sees that they haved moved. It's an empty house. Ta da. Not so tough, right. Aiya. Anyway... that's where it was. Ivan V. ····────════*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@mailtrain.com RIME->15 FIDO 1:322/743.1 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [8] New Comics 10/9/95, by Bobb Waller Here is Diamond's list for what is supposed to ship next week. The week of 10/9/95. I have added a marvel list this week as well. La Shana Tovah. =========================================================================== Acclaim Comics: Magic the Gathering: Fallen Empires Punx #3 Samuree #3 Solar, Man of the Atom #57 Turok/Shamans Tears (3 issues!) X-O Manowar #56 X-O Manowar #57 Archie Comics: Betty & Veronica #95 Flintstones #5 Jugheads Double Digest #34 Sabrinas Holiday Spectacular #3 Street Sharks #1 Astro Comics: Hilly Rose #3 Black Out Comics: Hari Kari #0 Chaos! Comics: Evil Ernie: Straight to Hell #1 Comic Shop News Inc.: Comic Shop News #434 Dark Horse Comics: Animaniacs #8 Batman #525 Batman:Ghosts-A Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #2 Books of Magic #19 Extreme Justice #11 Fate #14 Flash #108 Goddess #7 Green Candles #2 Icon #32 Judge Dredd #17 Judge Dredd: LOL #12 (Last issue) Legion of Super-Heroes #75 Lobo: I Quit #1 Primal Force #14 (Final Issue) Sandman Mystery Theatre #33 Shade The Changing Man #66 Spectre #6 Star Trek Annual #6 Superboy #22 Superman The Man of Steel #51 Tank Girl: Apocalypse #2 Underworld Unleashed: Devils Asylum #1 Vertigo Voices: The Eaters #1 Vigalante:City Light, Prairie Justice #2 Wonder Woman #104 Wonder Woman Statue Xombi #19 Event Comics: Ash #5 Fantagraphics Books: Sake Jock Fireman Press: Scud The Disposable Assassin #9 Harris Comics: Vengeance of Vampirella #19 Image Comics: Backlash #12 Bloodpool #2 Crypt #2 Cyberforce #16 Deathblow #20 Glory #5 Glory & Friends Bikini Fest #1 Knightmare #5 Kurt Busieks Astro City #3 Prophet Annual #1 Ripclaw #1 Riptide #1 Shamans Tears #12 Spawn TP Star #4 Union #8 Velocity #1 Wildstorm #2 Immortelle Studios: Cynder #3 Marvel Comics: 2099 Apocalypse Untold Tales of Spider-Man #4 Ghost Rider 2099 #20 Spider-Man: The Final Adventure #1 Fantastic Force #14 Professor Xavier and the X-Men #2 Lunatik #1 Generation X #10 Thor #493 Gampit & Rogue Press Poster (#206) Two gun Kid: Sunset Riders #2 Wolverine Calender/Press Poster (#204) War Machine #21 X-Factor #117 Amazing Scarlett Spider #2 X-Men Adventures (Season III) #10 Spider-Man Calender/Poster (#205) Barbie #60 Marvel Riot #1 Maximum Comic Press: Avengelyne/Glory #1 Battlestar Galactica #3 Pocket Change Comics: Assassinette #7 Assassinette hardcore #2 Shadow Slasher #6 Scarlet Rose Productions: Variations on The Theme #1 Slave Labor Graphics: Skeleton Key #4 Tekno Comix: Isaac Asimovs I-Bots #2 Leonard Nimoys Primortals #12 Neil Gaimans Teknophage #7 Viz Communications: Bio-Booster Armor Guyver Part III #7 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Riot #1 X-1999 #6 Warrior Publications Inc.: Ventura #3 =========================================================================== Graffiti (Not to be confused with the company Graphitti) a new card company has signed an exclusive agreemant with Diamond as have London Night and (big surprise here ;^)) Gemstone. See ya on the spinners! bbwaller@iadfw.net is Bobb Waller Sysop of FIAWOL-BBS Dedicated to both Fandom and empowering the disABLED ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [9] Top Comics - October, by Antarctic Press INFO: Top publishers/comics for October 1995 Organization: Antarctic Press MARKET REPORT FOR OCTOBER 1995 (Diamond) The following is a list of the top top 150 comics for the month of October 1995. This information is from the October edition of Diamond Dialogue, published monthly by Diamond Comic Distributors. (Diamond supplies the direct market with all products except those produced by Marvel and related companies). (Note: One order index point equals roughly 1100-1150 comics sold through the direct market. However, since DC is exclusive through Diamond, their order index is equal to roughly 700- 750 comics sold through the direct market). Rank Title Publisher Order Index 1 Spawn #37 Image 245.67 2 Gen 13 #6 Image 216.23 3 Witchblade #1 Image 132.41 4 WildC.A.T.s #24 Image 109.16 5 Star Wars Heir to the E #1 Dark Horse 102.18 6 Shi Senryaku #2 Crusade 100.56 7 Batman #525 DC 100.00 8 X-Files #10 Topps 98.45 9 Superman #107 DC 98.17 10 X-Files #11 Topps 97.37 11 Star Wars Empires End #1 Dark Horse 96.28 12 Action Comics #716 DC 95.82 13 Adventures of Superman #530 DC 95.52 14 Superman Man of Steel #51 DC 94.85 15 Detective Comics #692 DC 88.67 16 Evil Ernie Straight Hell #1 Chaos! 88.49 17 Avengelyne Power #1 Maximum Comics 88.48 18 Superman Man of Tomorrow #3 DC 86.99 19 Ripclaw #1 Image 86.66 20 Vampirella Strikes #1 Harris 83.51 21 Sandman #73 DC 82.66 22 Cyberforce #17 Image 80.43 23 Batman Legends Dark Kn #78 DC 79.01 24 Weapon Zero #0 Image 78.69 25 Batman Man-Bat #3 DC 77.81 26 Batman Shadow of Bat #45 DC 76.48 27 Star Wars Tale Jedi Sith #3 Dark Horse 75.36 28 Wonder Woman #104 DC 73.14 29 Zealot #3 Image 72.92 30 Robin #23 DC 72.02 31 Vogue #1 Image 71.20 32 Underworld Unl. Devils A #1 DC 70.26 33 Batman Ghosts Dark Knght #1 DC 70.12 34 Grifter #6 Image 69.91 35 Azrael #11 DC 69.40 36 Star Wars X-Wing Rogue #4 Dark Horse 68.24 37 Nightwing #4 DC 68.11 38 Grifter Badrock #1 Image 68.11 39 Catwoman #27 DC 67.92 40 Green Lantern #69 DC 67.67 41 Doomsday Annual #1 DC 67.41 42 Batman The Ultimate Dev #1 DC 66.33 43 Sovereign Seven #6 DC 65.91 44 Maxx #20 Image 64.37 45 Underworld Unleashed #2 DC 63.85 46 Deathblow #21 Image 63.62 47 Underworld Unleashed #3 DC 61.72 48 Stormwatch #29 Image 60.80 49 Velocity #2 Image 60.79 50 Glory #7 Image 60.73 51 Backlash #13 Image 60.17 52 Riptide #2 Image 59.31 53 Superboy #22 DC 58.83 54 Vengeance of Vampirella #19 Harris 58.79 55 Wildstorm #3 Image 56.36 56 Vampirella Pinup Special #1 Harris 55.34 57 Chaos Bible #1 Chaos! 54.88 58 Flash #108 DC 54.69 59 Ash #6 Event 54.19 60 Youngblood #2 Image 53.29 61 Sovereign Seven Annual #1 DC 53.23 62 Underworld Unl. Abyss H #1 DC 52.41 63 Underworld Unl. Patterns #1 DC 50.59 64 Wildstorm's Chamber of H #1 DC 47.06 65 Ghost #7 Dark Horse 46.71 66 Chapel #3 Image 45.63 67 Allies #1 Image 45.36 68 Bone #21 Image 44.71 69 Aquaman #15 DC 44.32 70 Astro City #3 Image 42.99 71 Bloodpool #3 Image 41.00 72 Preacher #9 DC 40.08 73 Lobo #22 DC 39.56 74 Superman Man Steel Gallery DC 38.88 75 Spartan Warrior Spirit #4 Image 38.69 76 Lobo I Quit #1 DC 38.41 77 Bloodstrike Assassin #0 Image 37.91 78 Tarzan vs Predator Earth #3 Dark Horse 37.73 79 Books of Magic #19 DC 37.61 80 Batman vs. Robin Advent #2 DC 37.02 81 Union #8 Image 36.74 82 Brigade #26 Image 36.54 83 Star Wars Droids #6 Dark Horse 36.37 84 Impulse #9 DC 36.23 85 Justice League America #106 DC 36.03 86 Warrior Nun Areala Bk 2 #2 Antarctic Press 35.74 87 Wildstar #2 Image 35.23 88 Magic Homelands #2 Acclaim 34.66 89 Horrorist #1 DC 34.19 90 Berzerkers #3 Image 34.08 91 Lobo Annual #3 DC 33.81 92 New Shadowhawk #4 Image 33.73 93 Legion of Superheroes #75 DC 33.73 94 Starman #14 DC 33.34 95 Power of Shazam #10 DC 33.12 96 Supreme #32 Image 33.08 97 Steel #22 DC 32.28 98 Star Trek Next Generat #78 DC 32.02 99 Star Trek TNG Annual #6 DC 31.66 100 Star Trek TNG Ill Wind #1 DC 31.60 101 Bart Simpson's Treehouse #1 Bongo 31.12 102 Legionnaires #32 DC 30.72 103 Green Arrow #103 DC 30.49 104 Newmen #19 Image 30.38 105 Star Trek TNG Ill Wind #2 DC 30.31 106 Spectre #36 DC 30.27 107 Hellblazer #96 DC 29.82 108 Star Trek Annual #6 DC 29.59 109 Battlestar Galactica #4 Maximum Press 29.58 110 Showcase '95 #12 DC 29.04 111 Simpson's Comics #13 Bongo 28.89 112 Risk #1 Maximum Press 28.88 113 Star Trek #78 DC 28.65 114 New Titans #128 DC 28.34 115 Guy Gardner Warrior #37 DC 27.77 116 Alliance #3 Image 27.51 117 New Gods #3 DC 27.41 118 X-O Manowar #57 Acclaim 27.12 119 Star Trek Special #3 DC 27.08 120 Groo #11 Image 27.08 121 X-O Manowar #58 Acclaim 26.79 122 Industrial Gothic #1 DC 26.35 123 Shaman's Tears #12 Image 26.28 124 Extreme Justice #11 DC 26.23 125 Shaman's Tears #13 Image 26.22 126 Goddess #7 DC 26.03 127 Justice League Task For #30 DC 25.84 128 Sandman Mystery Theatre #33 DC 25.83 129 Ghost in the Shell #8 Dark Horse 25.36 130 Babylon 5 #11 DC 25.26 131 Lady Justice #6 Tekno Comix 24.56 132 Primortals #12 Tekno Comix 24.34 133 Jaguar God #4 Verotik 24.21 134 Madman Comics #9 Dark Horse 24.07 135 Egypt #5 DC 23.93 136 Hawkman #27 DC 23.68 137 Satanika #2 Verotik 23.64 138 Ray #19 DC 23.61 139 Vanguard #2 Image 23.54 140 Invisibles #15 DC 23.20 141 Law and Order #3 Maximum Press 23.07 142 Godzilla #5 Dark Horse 22.86 143 Antiquities War Magic #4 Acclaim 22.12 144 Magic Wayfarer #4 Acclaim 21.71 145 Regulators #4 Image 21.10 146 Mr. Hero Newmatic Man #12 Tekno Comix 20.65 147 I-Bots #3 Tekno Comix 20.52 148 Mask Hunt for Green Oct #4 Dark Horse 20.45 149 Xander in Lost Universe #3 Tekno Comix 20.23 150 Tank Girl Apocalypse #2 DC 20.01 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [10] Top Publishers - October, by Antarctic Press INFO: Top publishers/comics for October 1995 Organization: Antarctic Press MARKET REPORT FOR OCTOBER 1995 (Diamond) The following is a list of the top 20 comic companies and the top 150 comics for the month of October 1995. This inform- ation is from the October edition of Diamond Dialogue, published monthly by Diamond Comic Distributors. (Diamond supplies the direct market with all products except those produced by Marvel and related companies). NOTE: Information for September 1995 can be found at: http://www.texas.net/users/antarc/diamond0995.html ------------------- Rank Publisher Sept. 1995 Oct. 1995 1 DC 32.93% 34.05% 2 Image 25.21% 21.90% 3 Dark Horse 6.33% 8.72% 4 Topps 2.99% 3.27% 5 Acclaim 3.19% 2.86% 6 Harris .94% 2.37% 7 Wizard 2.63% 2.17% 8 Chaos! 2.03% 1.76% 9 Maximum Press 2.34% 1.49% 10 Tekno Comix 1.35% 1.28% 11 Viz Communications 1.41% 1.15% 12 Crusade 1.06% 13 General Media .88% 14 Verotik .86% 15 Antarctic Press .91% .84% 16 Father Tree Press .56% .70% 17 Archie Comics .67% 18 London Night Studios .66% .59% 19 Bongo .55% 20 Kitchen Sink Press .46% .52% Everyone Else 12.69% 12.31% Publisher Top 100 200 300 Top-seller DC 47 84 91 Superman #107 (7) Image 34 41 42 Spawn #37 (1) Dark Horse 7 18 24 Star Wars Heir #1 (5) Archie Comics 17 Betty and Veron #95 (249) Acclaim 1 14 14 Magic Homelands #2 (88) Viz 1 10 Ranma 1/2 IV #10 (192) Tekno Comix 7 8 Lady Justice #6 (131) Father Tree Press 4 7 Elfquest Two Spr #1 (190) Entity Comics 6 Nira X Cyberangel #4 (217) Topps 2 4 5 X-Files #10 (8) Antarctic 1 2 5 Warrior Nun II #2 (86) Harris 3 4 4 Vampirella Str #1 (20) Maximum 1 4 4 Avengelyne Power #1 (17) Verotik 4 4 Jaguar God #4 (133) London Night 2 4 Lethal Strike #2 (155) Comico 4 Red Dragon #1 (205) Gladstone 4 Uncle Scrooge #36 (226) Diamond Dist. 3 Wolverine #90 (215) Gemstone 3 Tales f/t Crypt #14 (230) Chaos! 2 2 2 Evil Ernie Hell #1 (16) Bongo 2 2 Bart Simpson's #1 (101) Brainstorm 2 Vamperotica #8 (219) Mirage 2 Usagi Yojimbo #16 (240) Caliber 2 Oz Tin Man #1 (263) Palliard Press 2 Xxxenophile Pres #5 (285) Millennium 2 Bloodchilde #0 (289) Cosmic Comics 2 Rock n' Roll HS #1 (293) Crusade 1 1 1 Shi Senryaku #2 (6) Event 1 1 1 Ash #6 (59) Wizard 1 1 Wizard Promo #51 (162) Sirius 1 1 Poison Elves #6 (163) Blackout 1 1 Bad Girls of Bl #1 (170) Real Comics 1 1 Cauldron #1 (185) Green Man Press 1 1 Book of Ballads #1 (197) El Capitan 1 1 Stray Bullets #7 (198) Aardvark-Vanaheim 1 Cerebus #199 (202) Rival Productions 1 Eye of the Storm #5 (220) Lightning 1 Hellina Catfight #1 (222) Immortelle Studios 1 Cynder #3 (227) CFD Productions 1 Scimidar #1 (233) Voyager Ent. 1 Star Blazers #2 (237) Boneyard 1 Babylon Crush #3 (242) Kitchen Sink 1 Death Rattle #1 (248) Eddie Campbell 1 Bacchus #6 (256) Radical Comics 1 Innocents #1 (257) Doom Theatre 1 Devil-Jack #2 (264) CPM Comics 1 Project A-ko vs. #1 (265) Fireman Press 1 Scud #9 (269) Lorne-Harvey 1 Black Cat #2 (273) Catfish Comics 1 Sinnamon #4 (283) Drawn and Quarterly 1 Optic Nerve #2 (288) Promethean Studios 1 SOB #1 (295) ····────════*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@mailtrain.com RIME->15 FIDO 1:322/743.1 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [11] Splash Page! *************************************** FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION *************************************** Marlowe & Company is proud to announce the Spring 1996 publication of "Porita Prinz of the Glamazons," by Richard Howell, with an introduction by Kurt Busiek. Featuring both published and unpublished stories, "Portia Prinz of the Glamazons" will be the presentation of the character that has been unable to be done until now. Making her first appearances intermittently between 1977 and 1979, and then briefly in 1986, Portia Prinz has been hailed as the watershed event in bringing credible female characters to comics. "Portia Prinz of the Glamazons" is the latest book in Marlowe & Company's graphic novel line, which is dedicated to bringing the best, and most often overlooked, comics back into print. Further information is available by contacting Marlowe & Company via: E-mail: Ldeneault@aol.com Phone: (212) 460-5742 Fax: (212) 460-5796 /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ \=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\= The Ring =\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\=\ /-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/ In the immeasurable vastness of space, in a galaxy not unlike our own, in a solar system similar to ours, on a planet which bore a striking resemblance to planet Earth, there existed a race of nearly-human beings so advanced that they no longer understood their own technology. Their last great mind brought about their last technological advancement, a small ring. This ring's wearer attained incredible gifts dictated by his own imagination. When the scientist imbued himself with super-strength and super-powers, he quickly took control of the planet. Once the master of all, however, he became spiteful, lazy, self-absorbed and tyrannical. After the planet had circled their sun 15 times, the scientist contracted a fatal disease for which there was no cure. As he felt himself wasting away, he tried dilligently to cure himself with the powers of his ring. But the more powerful he became, the sicker he became. At last, he realized the corruptive nature of the ring and, with all his powers and strengths, tore off the ring and hurled it into space. As the ring soared through the abysmal vacuum, the powers within the scientist (in a reaction to the disease) exploded. While the disease was destroyed, so was the scientist, and half of the planet. The ring traversed galaxy after galaxy. Through wormholes, black holes and supernovas, the ring survived. Until finally it came upon a small, blue planet. After millions of years, the ring landed on soil similar to that which it had left. /-/-/-/-/ CONTINUED IN THE CBN: FANFIC CONFERENCE!!!! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\ ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [12] CBN Conference Totals >> CBN Conference Traffic week of 09/30/95 - 10/06/95 Conference Tot Conference Tot ---------------------------- --- ---------------------------- --- CBN: DC Comics 67 CBN: Electronic Mag 9 CBN: Editors Office 66 CBN: Role Playing 9 CBN: Bullpen 64 CBN: Fan Fiction 7 CBN: Marvel Comics 52 CBN: Animation 6 CBN: Small Press 47 CBN: Back Issue Bin 4 CBN: Writers/Artists 43 CBN: Splash Page 3 CBN: Movies/TV 42 CBN: Video Games 3 CBN: Fanboy 29 CBN: Toys/Collectibles 2 CBN: Comic Issues 19 CBN: Manga 1 CBN: Image Comics 15 CBN: Acclaim Comics - CBN: Independents 14 CBN: Dark Horse Comics - CBN: Cards 12 CBN: Sci-Fi - >> Total Combined: 514 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [13] Join in the fun! You too can enjoy the intelligent conversations and informative threads that occupy the conferences of the Comic Book Net every day! However, many people who read this e-mag aren't familiar with the Local BBS echo-mail system.... Bulletin Board Systems are scattered everywhere across the USofA, and many of them are free! Chances are, if you have a modem you have the accompanying communications software. Using the Terminal Emulation software that came with your modem, you can dial up one of the many systems linked into CBN (see the listings down a few paragraphs). Most of the boards offer all the message echoes in the Comic Book Network... there are message bases devoted to all the bigger comics publishers, as well as big Small Press and Independent message bases, not to mention sections for general (doesn't even have to be about comics!) conversation. If you are worried about long distance charges, worry no longer! Most if not all the BBS's offer a mail service from which you can download a .QWK packet of recent e-mail to read offline with a program called an offline mail reader. You can read & write messages at your leisure, and then upload your own messages & replies the next time you call your local BBS. There are many .QWK packet readers out there, for every type of computer system. They all give you a better explaination in their documentation than I can. These programs are available all over the Internet and are downloadable from most BBS's. These "mail runs" (dialing up, downloading the mail packet and uploading replies) generally take less than 5 minutes to accomplish, and at the average after-5pm/weekends/holidays long distance phone rates, that is LESS THAN 75¢! See? Even less expensive than many of the commercial information services available! :) So what else can you find on free BBS systems? Theres plenty of files for specific types of computers. Some systems also offer other types of message networks ranging from general topics to specific themes like sci-fi, role playing, games, music, etc. And, let's not forget online games. Join into the many different multiplayer games, each system sports different challenges. There's nothing like becoming the most powerful being in a online adventure! And when you _do_ log on, leave a message in The Bullpen conference to ALL, and introduce yourself to us! You're guaranteed to get plenty of replies and all the help you need to join in the fun! Best, --Ry, the editor, with assists from Ed Dukeshire. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [14] BBSes Linked into CBN +----------------------------+ | The ComicBook Network !! | A message network devoted to Comic +----------------------------+ Fans, Collectors, and Professionals! ---- ---------- ------------- - Over 20 message echoes for your reading enjoyment! - Marvel Comics - DC Comics - Image Comics - Acclaim Comics - Dark Horse Comics - Small Press - Independents - Manga Comics - Comic Issues - Writers/Artists - Toys and Collectables - Cards - Back Issue Bin - Video Games - Bullpen - Fanboy - Animation - TV/Movies - Role Playing Games - Splash Page - SciFi - News, info, reviews, and general conversation with other comic book fans and professionals. - Log onto the systems, check it out and participate. We'd love to have you aboard! - Here's a quick rundown of free access BBSes already linked in! Most offer a QWK/Bluewave door to pack mail and read offline. * = New systems linked in. City St BBS Number City St BBS Number ------------- -- ------------ ------------- -- ------------ Russelville AR 501-968-3910 Hector AR 501-284-5503 Lakeside CA 619-561-2961 Victorville CA 619-955-6445 Destin FL 904-654-9385 Ft. Walton FL 904-244-7434 Jacksonville FL 904-363-6347 Melbourne FL 407-253-0782 Melbourne FL 407-253-8754 Tavares FL 904-343-7272 Davenport IA 319-381-2906 Palatine IL 708-776-2395 Indianapolis IN 317-856-9020 La Porte IN 219-325-3655 Acushnet MA 508-995-0085 Agawam MA 413-789-6533 Freetown MA 508-763-2027 Haverhill MA 508-372-2258 New Bedford MA 508-984-1212 New Bedford MA 508-984-5321 Rochester MA 508-763-5579 Shrewsbury MA 508-753-3767 S. Dartmouth MA 508-979-8930 Worcester MA 508-791-1281 Bishopville MD 410-352-5754 Frederick MD 301-831-8057 Frederick MD 301-698-5194 Gaithersburg MD 301-601-9731 Gaithersburg MD 301-977-0791 Mount Rainier MD 301-779-9381 Walkersville MD 301-898-4088 * Silver Spring MD 301-431-0647 Dearborn Hgts MI 313-565-8464 Kalamazoo MI 616-349-9438 Durham NC 919-286-4542 Durham NC 919-286-7738 Raliegh NC 919-833-3412 Raliegh NC 919-790-3599 Newton NH 603-382-0338 Hillsdale NJ 201-722-1495 * Little Ferry NJ 201-440-5499 Park Ridge NJ 201-307-9225 Saddle Brook NJ 201-368-1866 Astoria NY 718-204-0159 Poughkeepsie NY 914-485-5463 Saugerties NY 914-247-9601 Spring Valley NY 914-426-3029 West Islip NY 516-422-4225 Collinsville OK 918-371-0980 Oklahoma City OK 405-672-0615 Oklahoma City OK 405-728-7960 Brookhaven PA 610-872-0916 Eddystone PA 610-872-2830 Philadelphia PA 215-535-3055 * Philadelphia PA 215-342-5384 * Philadelphia PA 215-487-7315 Old San Juan PR 809-721-6512 Union City TN 901-885-9647 Dallas TX 214-680-2755 Garland TX 214-494-3702 Grand Prairie TX 214-641-1136 Houston TX 713-568-0825 Irving TX 214-790-6472 Killeen TX 817-699-2254 Missouri City TX 713-835-0965 Odessa TX 915-530-2712 Waxahachie TX 214-938-7115 Arlington VA 703-415-0134 Longview WA 206-577-7358 Gananoque ONT 613-382-1788 Niagara Fall ONT 905-371-0736 St.Catharine ONT 905-938-1670 St.Catharine ONT 905-988-9698 Tecumseh ONT 519-979-4251 Mexico City MEX 52-5-264-2994 - If you have access to internet mail, you can receive a complete listing of bbs systems linked in. Address your message to ComicBkNet@AOL.COM - Weekly "Comic Book Electronic Magazine" available on all above systems. Also available on AOL - GOTO: SCIENCE FICTION and select Science Fiction Libraries from the main menu. The files are in: ANIME, COMICS, OTHER. If you don't have an account on AOL, check the CompuServe and GEnie libraries, they're uploaded there as well. - Sysops: FREQ the latest information packet using the Magic Filename COMICS from these Fidonet systems; 1:19/37 in AR, 1:324/134 in MA, 1:109/748 in MD, 1:2201/66 in MI ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [15] E-Mag Info The Comic Book Net E-Mag is published weekly by the many participants of The Comic Book Network. This is a compilation of articles and columns which were originally posted in the network's conferences or written specifically for this electronic magazine. All text contained within are copyrighted to the originating author(s). Freely distributable for noncommerical purposes only. THE CBN WEB PAGE ---------------- If you have access to the World Wide Web, please stop by and visit our web page! On our web page, you can find the latest issue of our E-Mag, as well as an annotated index of back issues. You'll also find important information on how to join the conversation in the Comic Book Net, an archive of Comic Book Net fanfic, and other neat features! The URL address is: http://www.cris.com/~Xenozoid/ComicBkNet.html LOCATING THE ISSUES ------------------- The latest issue is always available from all the systems linked into The Comic Book Network. Issues may be obtained through several online pay services as well (ie; AOL, CompuServe, GEnie). All back issues should be available at the above sites, as well as our World Wide Web page. SUBMISSIONS ----------- To submit an article, review, column, etc to our e-mag, simply post it in any Comic Book Net conference and leave me a message in the CBN: E-Mag conference giving me permission to use the article. If you cannot access the Comic Book Net, submit your news articles (no reviews accepted at this time...) to the editor: Xenozoid@cris.com. SUBSCRIPTIONS ------------- If you wish to receive these issues automatically through your internet account, please address a message to Xenozoid@cris.com to be placed on the subscription list. ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - End of Issue #30.. see ya next week!