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________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ " C O M I C B O O K E - M A G " Issue 20 - July 31, 1995 "Brought to you by the fine folks at the COMIC BOOK Network!" Editors: Ed Dukeshire Network Administration: Mike Imboden Mike Imboden Ed Dukeshire David Leblanc Bobb Waller Special Thanks: Ryan Brewster Anthony Palacio Walter Tietjen Chris Oarr David Leblanc William Hughes Nathan Bredfeldt Jeff Watts John Keady Jim Murdoch ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -1- The Bullpen ........................... Ed Dukeshire -2- Komic Komments ........................ John Keady -3- CSNsider .............................. W. Batty & C. Biggers -4- World Wide Web Sites .................. David Leblanc -5- Diamond Dist. Press Releases .......... -6- Comicunications ....................... Ryan Brewster -7- Some Stuff ............................ Nathan Bredfeldt -8- BBSes Linked into CBN ................. Net Admin Team ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -1- The Bullpen by Ed Dukeshire Hi folks! Here's another issue of our wonderful electronic magazine. Next issue we should have all sorts of news from the San Diego convention, maybe, hopefully. ;) -- ed P.S. A quick note to anyone trying to contact me through my internet address (ed.dukeshire@ecis.haverhill.ma.usa), that address is no longer valid, the system has gone offline. If you need to contact me via internet, try e.dukeshire@genie.com. But, please don't send me requests to be put onto the mailing list (use Xenozoid@cris.com instead, that's Ryan, he's in charge of the mailing list). ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -2- Keady's Komic Komments By John Keady Damage #16- The one thing I liked about this title was it's art work. IT had been a while since I last read this book and to my dismay, a new artist has turned Grant into Alvin the Chipmunk. Combine that with the lame Zi Charam storyline and you have a forgettable book. POOR Darkstars #34- Another Zi Charam storyline made this one a snore as well Cancelling this book may not be a bad idea afterall! POOR Wonder Woman #101- The reason I started picking up this book was because of its great story and the art of Deodato. Both are gone in my opinion. John Byrne is a good writer/artist but I felt they pushed out Messner-Loebs out too soon to give the book to Byrnes. Not a bad issue for Byrne but I am not sure I like the direction he's taking this book. AVERAGE Extreme Justice #8- What happened to Vado?? He leaves the book right in the middle of a good story and this issue suffers for it. THe art work is better than in the recent past but I found myself lost in the muddled plot! AVERAGE Ghost #4- With Adam Hughes becoming only a part time artist on this book I begin to wonder if the high standards that this book attained will begin to suffer as well. Not a bad issue this time out as the art team on this issue does a good imitation of Hughes's work. Imitation is not the real thing, however, so I wonder how long I'll stick with the book. AVERAGE Green Lantern #66- GL and the Flash unite again for the first time as a new and improved Sonar wreaks havok on Keystone & New York City. Paul Pelletier begins a three issue guest appearance and further convinces me that he's one of the better artists doing comics today. Combined with a action packed & humorous storyline makes this issue well worth reading! GOOD Azreal #8- Jean Paul Valley, Enraged and close to insane after learning about his origins, leads his collegues to safety while illiciting their concern for is wellbeing. Once again this book proves to be among the better books out there with it's fantastic story and good art. I had looked at this book with some skepticism but no more! This is an excellent book! VERY GOOD Green Arrow #100- The sort of climax to the Where Angels Fear to Tread was very exciting and the new art team who did part of this issue show some potential. Has Ollie been this thick headed?? He sure knows how to find trouble! This book has me drooling for #101 and part 6 of the 5 part storyline! VERY GOOD Superman #104- The recent improvement in the Superman line continues with an excellent storyline revolving around Apokalypse and Supes attempt to stop a mass execution by Darkseid. I was never a big fan of Darkseid but this issue makes me very interested in the upcoming New Gods book and makes this issue of Superman one of the best in a while! VERY GOOD ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -3- CSNsider contributed by David Leblanc This is the CSNsider from CSN #425, which will be in shops on 8/10/95. It is reproduced in its entirety with the expressed permission of COMIC SHOP NEWS! George Caragonne, former editor and writer for Penthouse Comix, Penthouse Men's Adventure, and Omni Comix, took his own life on July 20th... Spawn fans can eagerly anticipate a Spawn/WildCATs miniseries beginning in November... P. Craig Russell has finished up the last of the artwork for the Michael Moorcock Elric: Stormbringer series he's doing for Topps... Shade, The Changing Man will come to an end in early 1996... Brian Pulido and Steven Hughes are already hard at work on a new Lady Death limited series slated for early '96 release... David Quinn is writing a two-issue Vampirella miniseries for Harris Comics... Roy Thomas is working on a new title for Stan Lee's Excelsior line... Tim Sale will be illustrating a new Grendel series for Dark Horse... Fleer artist Chuck Maiden will supply painted variant covers for all seven Ultraverse first issues when the line is relaunched in October... Later this fall, Don Simpson will offer a $17.95 Bizarre Heroes Gift Pack that includes Bizarre Heroes #0, a copy of the Bizarre Heroes: The Apocalypse Affiliation trade paperback reprinting the first four issues, and a special ashcan of The Bizarre Files of John Bradford, Simpson's first comic book story; all three items will be autographed by writer/artist Simpson... The latest addition to Todd McFarlane's second Spawn Vehicle Toy Assortment is the Medieval Spawn Battlehorse, which joins the already announced Spawn Aircycle and Violator Chopper; look for 'em this fall... And speaking of Spawn figures, the company that makes them has been renamed McFarlane Toys... While we're on the subject of Spawn, we should mention that HBO has contracted for six animated Spawn episodes, while New Line Cinema has scheduled the release of their Spawn film (with special effects by Industrial Light & Magic) for late '96... Marc Hempel, acclaimed creator of Gregory, will be self-publishing his next series, TUG & Buster; Hempel describes the series as "a satire of the American male ideal... of heroes and the people who worship them. It's a kind of cross between Seinfeld, Home Improvement, and Beavis & Butt-Head!" Look for the first issue in November, under the Art and Soul Comics imprint... Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #s 29 & 30, slated for October and November release, will feature the first comic book crossover tale featuring characters from both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager... CSN #425 features a cover feature on Mars Attacks from Topps Comics. This is a special all-news issue. CSN still covers every major publisher and our only exclusive deal is with you. 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? Visit our WWW site! http://www.actwin.com/csn Ward Batty wardo@netdepot.com Cliff Biggers cliffbig@netdepot.com (c)1995 CSN, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Transmitted by . . . 7777--------*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/743.1 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -4- World Wide Web Sites transmitted by David Leblanc This information comes from the WWW page of Comic Shop News. They list several areas to try out, mostly on the Web, that are tied in to comics and the like. Don't ask me about specifics or complain if some don't work. I am just passing this on to those who like to browse for new stuff. CSN's Internet Hot Picks! Here are some sites that you might want to check out http://dragon.acadiau.ca/~860099w/comics/comics.html">The Comic Book and Comic Strip Page Marty Ward offers dozens of sites available here, an invaluable resource, check it out! http://www.phlab.missouri.edu/HOMES/c617145_www/comix.html">Comics 'n' Stuff! Christian Cosas has a very useful page full of interesting sites. Recommended. http://bronze.ucs.indiana.edu/~mfragass/altcom.html#Finding">Alternative Comics A WWW Guide Dozens of links plus interesting reviews and interviews. http://grove.ufl.edu/~jrm/index.html>Jeff Mason's Comic Book Page Rowan Atkinson info, a few ads, store reviews, Indy Magazine, interviews and even some convention info. A nicely produced page. http://ux4.cso.uiuc.edu/~m-blase/x-page.html">X-Page A good source for X-Men stuff, the unofficial home page for the rec.arts.comics.xbooks newsgroup. http://metcon.met.co.nz/it2/couper/comics/index.html">Marvel Comics Quiz page. Are you a real Marvel Zombie, or just a Marvel Wannabe? Test your knowledge. ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/pictures/comics/">Comics Pics Hundreds of images available for downloading! http://trill.pc.cc.cmu.edu:80/~jkoga/comics_gallery.html">Virtual image gallery of comic book industry sketches Tons and tons of images! You might want to delay the image loading. http://www.math.ufl.edu/~wdn/comics/batman/BTAS/">Batman The Animated Series site. gopher://gopher.uci.agh.edu.pl/11/pub/misc/gifs/cartoons/comics">Comics A gopher site with dozens of comics images from several different companies. http://theory.lcs.mit.edu/~wald/comics.html">David Wald's Comics Information page featuring annotations for Sandman, Books of Magic, and Watchmen. Plus Suicide Squid. http://mtvoddities.viacom.com/maxx.html">The Maxx animated series page http://www.digimark.net/wraith/cerebus.html">Cerebus the Page, OPERATION: Crazed Ferret http://www.maths.tcd.ie/cerebus/crazed-ferret/cerebus.html"> http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Comics">The Yahoo Database-- Entertainment: Comics gopher://gopher.tamu.edu/11/.dir/comics.dir">Comics & Anime index via gopher. http://www.ntt.jp/gnn/mag/1_94/doonesbury.html">Doonesbury Cartoons http://www.santarosa.edu/~sthoemke/x.html">Mutant Page A page for the Marvel Mutants. Creator interviews, images, and lots more. http://www.ifi.uio.no/~janl/ts/asterix.html">Asterix, by Goscinny and Albert Uderzo http://www.halcyon.com/superguy/index.html">The Superguy Home Page http://bluejay.creighton.edu/~jduche/duckfaq.html">Duckman Information File http://turtle.ncsa.uiuc.edu/alan/simpsons.html">The Simpsons FAQs, complete cast list, images, movies and more... http://www.vt.edu:10021/other/transformers/">Transformers The page for the comic book and animated Transformers. http://www.css.itd.umich.edu/users/kens/comics.html">Ken Small's Comics Info page. Lots and lots of images of comic book characters and covers. http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/afs/cs/user/vernon/www/lsh.html">Legion of Super-Heroes home page. http://www.maths.tcd.ie/mmm/ReviewsFromTheForbiddenPlanet.html">Reviews Tons of 'em, updated weekly, from Forbidden Planet in Dublin, Ireland. http://www.crg.cs.nott.ac.uk/~rji/Comics/Pictures/index.html">Comics Pictures Mostly Sandman and The Crow stuff. http://infolabwww.kub.nl:2080/calvin_hobbes/">The Calvin and Hobbes Gallery http://www.ensta.fr/~dumas/calvin.html"> http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/pmc/pop-cult.194.html/start.html"> Krazy Kat, by George Herriman http://kspace.com/KM/spot.sys/Russell/pages/bio.html">P. Craig Russell Art from recent projects. http://www.pvv.unit.no:80/~eddie/comics.html">Kjetil's favourite comics http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/brad/pe/p.elves.html">Poison Elves home page http://www.armory.com/comics/index.html">Tool User Comics' WWW Comics Project online comics Rec.Arts.Comics FAQ Connect to "ftp://rtfm.mit.edu">rtfm.mit.edu, directory is "ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/comics/faq" pub/usenet/news.answers/comics/faq, files are: part1, part2, part3, part4, part5, part6, part7. The files themselves are an introduction to the various comics related newsgroups (part 1), a glossary of Usenet and r.a.c. terms (part 2), the r.a.c. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (part 3), r.a.c. netiquette (part 4), FTP sites with comics related files (part 5), e-mail and other net comics information resources (part 6), and comics mailing lists (part 7). This is essential information for the comics fan on the net. Highly recommended! Finally, here are a few sites we've found very useful and/or entertaining: http://www.iquest.net/iq/reference.html">IQuest's Super Searcher http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/cwis/organizations/kucia/uroulette/uroulette.html URouLette A random site generator. Spin the wheel and find something new! http://www.eecis.udel.edu:80/~markowsk/beatles/>Mike Markowski's Beatles Page Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! http://www.rutgers.edu/x-files.html>X-Files A page devoted to the hit Fox show. http://www.bu.edu/~aarondf/>Last Homely House J.R.R. Tolkien art, games and more! http://www.paramount.com/" >Star Trek Home Page The official site from Paramount Pictures. http://nearnet.gnn.com/gnn/wic/astro.17.html">The Nine Planets http://www.cs.cmu.edu:8001/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/clamen/misc/tv/Animaniacs/ Animaniacs Starting point. http://infoweb.magi.com/~forrest/index.html>Edgar Allan Poe page http://cbs-tv.tiac.net/lateshow/lateshow.html>Late Show With David Letterman official page. Would you believe there's a -- http://www.elmail.co.uk/movie/pulp/contents.html Pulp Fiction page? http://bvp.wdp.com/BVPM/MooVPlex.html>Buena Vista Movie Plex with Judge Dredd movie preview. http://web3.starwave.com/showbiz/>Mr. Showbiz reviews, today in showbiz history and more. http://postcards.www.media.mit.edu/Postcards/cardrack.html>Electric Postcards you can send. http://www.paranoia.com/cgi-bin/fortune>Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy get a different thought every time. http://www.cm.cf.ac.uk/Movies/>Movie Database A fun movie search tool. http://physics.purdue.edu/~sho/choose.html>Choose Your Own Adventure You remember the books, well here's a web page. http://www.tvnet.com/UTVL/utvl.html>Ultimate TV List Transmitted by . . . 7777--------*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/743.1 ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -5- Diamond Comic Distributors Press Releases DARK HORSE COMICS PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Dark Horse comics signs an exclusive deal with Diamond Comic Distributors. Dark Horse Comics and Diamond Comic Distributors announced today an Agreement for an exclusive agency arrangement between the two companies. The Agreement provides that Diamond will act as Dark Horse's sales agent to comic-book specialty stores. The Agreement will be generally effective with Dark Horse's November shipping product. "We've thoroughly researched and studied each of our options over the past several months," said Dark Horse founder and publisher Mike Richardson. "This has been a difficult situation, but because of recent industry upheaval, we felt compelled-not just for our own sake, but for the sake of retailers and the creators we work with, as well-to make a distribution choice. We held up our decision until we fully understood all of the potential ramifications and felt completely comfortable with our course of action." Richardson continued: "We are very excited going into this new relationship with Diamond. We feel that this move will be good for Dark Horse; good for comic-book retailers; good for the industry as a whole, and ultimately good for the consumer. This new arrangement should promote the availability of our publications, giving greater access of Dark Horse comics to current comics readers as well as the uninitiated." "I am very excited by the prospect of working closely with Dark Horse Comics," said Diamond Comic Distributors President and C.E.O. Steve Geppi. "Mike Richardson and his entire team possess a level of creativity and enthusiasm which bodes well for the future of our industry." Mike Richardson issued the following statements: Regarding Dark Horse's decision to go exclusive: There are a number of ways a publisher can reduce costs by entering into an exclusive arrangement. The number of catalog ads can be reduced, allowing, for those resources to be placed into the hands of the retailers; a more efficient system of distribution of POP materials becomes possible, effectively eliminating costly duplication in the production and shipment of such material; the number of trade shows can be reduced; and time saved by dealing with a single distributor can be used to focus on customer service and to process orders in a more streamlined fashion. The savings will be significant, giving Dark Horse the resources to work with comics retailers in new and exciting ways. Marvel has made a number of recent decisions in an attempt to slow the erosion of their sales. These decisions have undermined the system that has served our industry well for over a decade. As a result, publishers and distributors have been forced to rethink their approach to the market. Now Dark Horse is intent on helping to strengthen our industry by focusing on comics retailers and their customers. Our new distribution arrangement will help us achieve that end. Regarding the benefits of the exclusive relationship: Greater access to Dark Horse publications will be one of the key benefits of this new relationship. Dark Horse will now store large quantities of its publications at Diamond's central reorder warehouse. If there are copies in print, retailers will have instant access by making a single phone call. Diamond is making a strong commitment to improve our industry's traditional re-order difficulties, creating more profit and better customer service for the retail community. Dark Horse will now have complete control over discounts and pricing of its' publications. In our old distribution arrangements, Dark Horse was not involved in determining the discount retailers received on our publications. Now, pricing decisions remain with us. Dark Horse will have the ability to hold the line on pricing and offer special discounts in coordination with special promotions. This arrangement will also allow Dark Horse direct contact with every comics store across the country. This contact will lead to more in-store promotions, test marketing, retailer feedback, and greater knowledge of local concerns. Through special programs, such as a comic shop locator "800" number, customers can be directed to comics specialty stores in their area. In the past, the lack of such a system has been the major impediment to creating effective national advertising. Regarding Dark Horse's decision to align with Diamond Comic Distributors: Dark Horse prospered under a distribution system that existed for close to twenty years. Under that system, our company grew from a single-comic operation to the fourth largest comics publisher in the United States. Marvel set a series of events into motion that, in order to stay on a level playing field, ultimately forced Dark Horse to make this decision. Dark Horse chose Diamond as its distribution agent for a number of reasons: Diamond is currently selling to all retailers nationally as a result of their exclusive deal with DC Comics; Diamond has shown a greater propensity in the past toward promoting Dark Horse and the creators it works with; Diamond has the best operations and best staff ; and finally, because Diamond has built a strong financial base that will best serve the publishers it distributes as we go forward into the future. Regarding DC's rumored optional buy-out of Diamond: Our Agreement with Diamond contains safeguards which address any potential concerns resulting from Diamond's agreement with DC Comics, or any other publisher, regarding the acquisition of all or a part of Diamond. Additionally, it's important to note that our relationship with DC Comics has been a close one. Dark Horse and DC have worked together on the industry's most successful crossover program, a program that will continue in the future. Also, Warner Publishers Services (a sister company to DC Comics under the Time-Warner umbrella) currently distributes Dark Horse comics to newsstands nationally. Regarding DC's apparent'most-favored-nation' status with Diamond: Our agreement with Diamond gives us equitable treatment in comparison to any other publisher. Furthermore, we are absolutely confident that Diamond will maintain open access to the marketplace for all quality publishers. Regarding Dark Horse products other than comics: Dark Horse produces apparel, model kits, and other items ancillary to our comics line, and these products will also be included in the distribution arrangement. Regarding the terms by which Dark Horse will sell to the retailers; Dark Horse will be talking to retailers over the next several weeks, gathering information with regard to the various terms under which they're currently purchasing product. Armed with that information, we will try to create business terms that are retailer friendly and among the best in our industry. Regarding cover prices: A number of recent events, including unprecedented hikes in the cost of paper, have contributed to a substantial increase in the cost of producing comic books. The savings gained through this new arrangement with Diamond allows us the opportunity to hold the line on prices. We are exploring a number of options that include reducing the cover price of certain formats. As we have shown in the past, with projects such as our high quality dollar books, Dark Horse is committed to looking for ways to give readers the most bang for their buck. In closing, Richardson stated that, while Dark Horse was happy with the system that had worked well for many years, the distribution of comics was changed forever by Marvel's purchase of Heroes World. "Through our new relationship with Diamond, Dark Horse will continue to pursue its goal of expanding comics readership by publishing a diverse line of quality comics and books. I am thrilled that Diamond has made a strong commitment to help us achieve that goal." --- IMAGE COMICS & DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS NEAR AGREEMENT ON EXCULSIVE BROKERAGE ARRANGEMENT Letter of Intent Signed July 21 On Friday, july 21, Image Comics and Diamond Comic Distributors signed a detailed Letter of Intent signaling the agreement of both parties to enter into an Exclusive Brokerage Agreement. While the Letter of Intent prohibits both parties from discussing specific details of the future arrangement, it does anticipate that Diamond would become Image's Exclusive Sales Agent to comic book specialty shops, effective with Image's December shipping products. This future arrangement would differ from the traditional buy/sell relationship currently shared by the two companies in that it would allow Image to set its own pricing and sell directly to retailers. Under the new arrangement, Diamond would earn a fee for providing Image with distribution and marketing services. Speaking on behalf of all the Image partners, Image Executive Director Larry Marder said: "After carefully evaluating all our options, we've come to the conclusion that exclusivity with Diamond is our best choice both for building Image sales, and for promoting the growth of the entire industry." Image Publisher Tony Lobito added:" We look forward to gathering feedback from as many retailers as possible as we set out to design Image's future discounts and Terms of Sale." "The creators who founded and publish Image Comics are among the most talented and successful working in comics today," said Diamond President and CEO Steve Geppi. "As a company, Image definitely has the kind of creativity, enthusiasm and energy our industry needs to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future. In short, I'm very excited by the prospect of working closely with Image Comics for many years to come." --- DIAMOND EXCLUSIVE NEWS In the days leading up to San Diego Expo & Comic Con, the members of Diamond's executive management team worked closely with their counterparts at Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics to negotiate exclusive sales arrangements between diamond and the industry's third and fourth largest comic book publishers. On Friday, July 21, Diamond President & CEO Steve Geppi and Dark Horse Founder and Publisher Mike Richardson signed a formal agreement outlining an Exclusive Brokerage Arrangement between the two companies, starting with Dark Horse's September solicitations for November shipping products. On the same day, Geppi and Image CEO Rob Liefeld signed a detailed Letter of Intent agreeing in principle to an Exclusive Brokerage Arrangement between Image and Diamond, set to start with Image's December shipping products. Like Diamond's new relationship with DC Comics, its future relationships with Image and Dark Horse will enable both publishers to set their own discounts and trade terms to retailers, while Diamond will earn a fee for handling various distribution and marketing services on the publishers' behalf. In making these announcements, Geppi said: "I want to thank Image and Dark Horse and, of course DC Comics for the confidence they've shown in my company. I especially want to thank all my employees the Diamond Team! for working hard, caring about the work they do, and helping to build a winner over the years! The rules of the game changed this year, but I know that I, and everyone here at Diamond, will do our very best to turn these changes into a new era of success for our industry." Diamond Vice President of Purchasing Bill Schanes added: "We've said it before, but in light of this exclusive news, it bears repeating: Because we believe in a future where there's a comic book for everyone and everyone reads comics, Diamond, as in the past, will do all it can to preserve open access to the marketplace for all quality publishers and products." Diamond Executive Vice President Chuck Parker concluded: "After all the effort that has gone into negotiating our new relationships, we at Diamond look forward to working with Dark Horse, Image, DC, and all our other suppliers-and especially our valued retail customers-for many, many successful years to come!" --- Text of Diamond Fax to retailers: Dear Retailer: Greetings. We are writing you to inform you of two recent developments which we feel benefit comic book specialty retailers everywhere: 1) On Friday, July 21, we signed a formal Agreement with Dark Horse Comics outlining an Exclusive Brokerage Arrangement between our companies, generally effective with Dark Horse's September solicitations for November shipping product. 2) On the same day, we signed a detailed Letter of Intent with Image Comics, signifying our companies' mutual agreement to enter into an Exclusive Brokerage Arrangement which would take effect with Image's December shipping product. Under these new arrangements (and like our relationship with DC Comics), Dark Horse and Image will set their own discounts and Terms of Sale to retailers, while Diamond will act as their "Exclusive Sales Agent" to comic book speciatly shops. Rather than conduct business with these publishers on a traditional buy/sell basis, Diamond will earn a fee for providing both distribution and marketing services. We look forward to working closely with Image, Dark Horse, all other suppliers, and all our valued retail customers for many years to come. Working together, we can achieve a new era of success for our entire industry. We will keep you advised of further developments in upcoming issues of Diamond Dateline and Diamond Dialogue. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this news, please contact Diamond's Home Office Customer Service Department at (800) 793-2981, or (410) 560-7100 from outside the U.S.. You may also fax us at (410) 560-7148. As always, we appreciate your business and look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Bill Neuhaus Director of Customer Service ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -6- Comicunications by Ryan Brewster SPECIAL EDITION <><> SPECIAL EDITION <><> SPECIAL EDITION <><> SPECIAL ____The Comic Book Net's Weekly News Journal____ "News & Views From The World's Greatest Industry" --------- Volume 2, Issue #1.5 ----- Wednesday, July 26th, 1995 -------- COMIContents: 1. LATE BREAKING NEWS STORY: *Dark Horse & Image Go Exclusive! 2. Editorial: "Dawn of a New Age?" 3. Feature: Distributor Timeline 1. LATE BREAKING NEWS STORY -------------------------------------------- Dark Horse & Image Sign Exclusive Deal With Diamond Distributors: 7/25/95 - Fourth-largest comic book publisher Dark Horse Comics and Diamond Comic Distributors announced an agreement for an exclusive agency agreement between the two companies. In accordance with the agreement, Diamond becomes Dark Horse's sales agent to comic book specialty stores. The agreement will begin with Dark Horse products shipping November. It includes Dark Horse-related items such as cards, games and t-shirts. Image Comics also signed a detailed Letter of Intent July 21st, signalling an agreement between the third-largest comic book publisher and Diamond Comics Distributors to enter into an Exclusive Brokerage Arrangement. While the Letter of Intent prohibits the parties from discussing details about the arrangement, it anticipates that Diamond would become Image's Exclusive Sales Agent to comic book specialty stores effective with Image's December shipping products. In April of this year, Diamond Comics Distributors signed an exclusive agreement with second-largest comics publisher DC Comics similar if not identical to the agreements signed by Image and Dark Horse. Comic book specialty retailers recieved their first shipment of products under this arrangement on July 5th. Marvel Comics, the largest comic publisher, purchased Heroes World Comics Distribution in February of this year, and began distributing through them exclusively in July. The arrangements of Exclusive Sales Agency between Diamond Comics Distributors and the three comic publishers allows the publishers to set their own pricing and distribute their product directly to the comic book specialty shops, while Diamond would earn a fee for providing the publishers with distribution and marketing services. Dark Horse founder and publisher Mike Richardson says that Dark Horse has "...thoroughly researched and studied each of our options over the past several months. This has been a difficult situation, but because of recent industry upheaval, we felt compelled - not just for our own sake, but for the sake of retailers and the creators we work with as well - to make a distribution choice. We held up our decision until we fully understood all of the potential ramifications and felt completely comfortable with our course of action." Image Executive Director Larry Marder said: "After carefully evaluating all of our options, we've come to the conclusion that exclusivity with Diamond is our best choice both for building Image sales and for promoting the growth of the entire industry." According to Mike Richardson, there are many ways a publisher can reduce costs by entering into an exclusive arrangement. * The number of catalog ads can be reduced allowing for those resources to be placed in the hands of the retailers. * A more efficient system of distribution of POP materials becomes possible, effectively elliminating costly duplication in the production and shipment of such material. * The number of trade shows can be reduced. * Time saved by dealing with a single distributor can be better spent to focus on customer service and to process orders in a more streamlined fashion. Richardson continued to list benefits of an exclusive relationship: * Greater access to the publisher's publications: Publishers with exclusive arrangements with Diamond will store large quantities of their publications at Diamond's central reorder warehouse. If there are copies in print, retailers will have instant access with a phone call. * Control of pricing: Publishers exclusive through Diamond have complete control over discounts and pricing of its publications. Discounts on comics from publishers not exclusive to Diamond are determined by Diamond, but publishers exclusive to diamond have the ability to offer special discounts in coordination with special promotions. * Closer relationship with Specialty Shops: Publishers exclusively with Diamond have direct contact with comic shops that have accounts with Diamond. In-store promotions, test marketing and retailer feedback will be strengthened through the arrangement. Programs such as a comic shop locator "800" number will allow for effective national advertising. Regarding DC's rumored optional buy-out of Diamond, Mike Richardson says that Dark Horse's agreement with Diamond "contains safeguards which address any potential concerns resulting from Diamond's agreement with DC Comics, or any other publisher, regarding the acquisition of all or a part of Diamond." Capital Comics Distribution, formerly the second largest comic book distributor in North America, is rumored to be headed for bankruptcy. The distributor currently holds no exclusive arrangements with any comic book publisher, and recently closed down a warehouse in Dallas, TX. Other rumors concerning the distribution company claim that it is looking into other specialty areas, such as cards, toys, and games. 2. Editorial ----------------------------------------------------------- Dawn of a New Age?? by Ryan Brewster About now, the industry is scrambling to respond to the deals. Most likely, the computer networks will be spammed with cries of betrayal and predictions of demise. Right now, in order to carry a majority of comic products that customers will want, a retailer must hold accounts with two distributors: Diamond and Heroes World. Before, it was possible to carry all comic book products by holding just one account with just one distributor. That may pose a problem to small specialty shops who now have to meet _two_ order minimums instead of one. And it certainly poses a problem to the smaller distributors who weren't able to close such aggressive deals with large publishers. Already, there is talk of Capital City Comics Distribution, who were formerly the second largest distributor in North America, going bankrupt. Andromeda Distribution in Canada went bankrupt in the middle of April this year. But really, we seem to be just about back where we started. A comic book retailer could do fairly well for himself holding an account with Diamond. And the minimum to order through Heroes World is a paltry $300. So while the situation makes slightly more work for retailers, it also makes the retailers' work more rewarding. (i.e- higher profit margins, etc.) There are two facets of the distribution deals that I am particularly attracted to. First of all is the ability for comics publishers to set their own discounts. We've seen it work for the direct computer market, now we're starting to see the groundwork for the same type of price wars within the comic book market. The four largest comic book publishers in the United States now hold exclusive distribution arrangements, and can set their own discounts. If that doesn't set the stage for a price war, what does? The second aspect that I like is the direct contact with comic book retailers. This contact would make such programs as Mike Richardson discussed in Dark Horse's press release much easier to coordinate. And programs like an 800-number comic book store locator hotline would make national advertising infinitely more rewarding. Though Malibu Comics' Ultraverse blitz - on such national TV channels as MTV and Nickelodian - was somewhat effective, it would have been even more so if the viewers were able to pick up a phone and find out where to buy the products. Though there are many comic specialty stores nationwide, they are often not extremely visible, and can be lost in the sea of merchants stationed in the business district of town. The ability to create programs like an 800-number locator would allow national exposure such as advertising on national TV (and I've seen some impressive commercials for DC and Malibu comics, mainly on videos) and in magazines not specifically dedicated to comics. However, what happens to the smaller publisher? The self-publisher? The cost of publishing a comic book, and the lack of the ability to set their own discounts, could suffocate a large portion of the alternative comic book market. And the loss of alternative comics could stifle the progress of comic book evolution. 3. Feature ------------------------------------------------------------- Distributor Timeline 1995 - Jan.- Marvel buys Heroes World Distribution | |-Feb.- | |-Mar.- Marvel announces exclusivity w/Heroes World |------ Capital City Sues Marvel, settles |------ Slave Labor looks into starting a distribution company | |-Apr.- DC Comics announces exclusivity w/Diamond |------ Andromeda Distribution goes belly-up |------ Capital City sues DC Comics, settles | |-May - Capital City sues Diamond, settles | |-June- Capital City purchases Friendly Franks Distribution | |-July- Dark Horse Comics announces exclusivity w/Diamond |------ Image Comics announces exclusivity w/Diamond |------ Retailers recieve first shipment from DC under | DC/Diamond exclusive agreement |------ Retailers recieve first shipment from Heroes World | under Marvel/Heroes World exclusivity | |-Aug.- | |-Sep.- | |-Oct.- | |-Nov.- Retailers to recieve first shipment from Dark Horse | under DH/Diamond agreement | --Dec.- Retailers to recieve first shipment from Image Comics under Image/Diamond agreement ________________________________________________________________________ Comicunications is TM and Copyright (c) 1995 Ryan Brewster. Distributed EXCLUSIVELY by the Comic Book Net. >;) ________________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -7- Some Stuff by Nathan Bredfeldt Some Stuff By Nathan Bredfeldt NATE'S BIG BATMAN REVIEW No. I don't read Batman comics. Nor do I get to see Batman tv reruns. I don't like the animated series since they stopped showing all the great Batman only episodes. And I DON'T like the 1500 different versions of Batman action figures (More villains, I say! More!). But, I have had the "good" fortune to have seen all five of the Batman movies recently. And, having done that, I figured a nice compare/contrast was in order. So, lets take a look, in chronological order, with final decisions at the end. BATMAN: THE CAMPY ONE Ever heard that adage: Too many chefs spoil the soup? Well, in this case, too many villains spoil the movie. Four? Come on! Minimum of two is required, three will do in a pinch, but FOUR? Too much. No chance to do anything. Just a bunch of people wasting time. Aside from that minor gripe: it just lacked the mood of the show. I mean, it felt like the show (with trying to ditch the bomb, and bat shark repellent) through and through, but maybe it was ruined by all that death. Death is not something that should be pervading this type of movie. Or maybe turning people into dust. That was pretty frightening to me as a child (theoretically the target group for this flick). Or, it could have been that the format of the show just wasn't suited for a two hour flick. This movie does what it sets out to do, but not as well as it could have, or as well as the tv show did. And I didn't like the new Catwoman. I want the old Catwoman back. BATMAN Welp, this is dark. The Joker is really off his rocker (and on screen too much). We didn't get nearly enough Batman or (especially) Bruce Wayne. Kim Bassinger made a great leading lady, even though she did jump into bed with Bruce after just one(ish) date. Bob (Tracey Walter) and Knox (Robert Whul) made neat sidekicks, too! The fight scenes were swell, and the plot moved nicely, with Joker doing Jokerish stuff. In fact, the only thing that excessively bugged me (aside from not enough Batman) was the fact that many things were left unexplained. Oh well, that's what I get for reading the comic version first. BATMAN RETURNS Can anyone say anything nice about any part of this movie? Besides Michelle's rubber outfit, I mean. There's nothing to it. I mean there's something; all the elements of a GOOD Batman flick: heroes, villains, fighting, plot, dialogue, settings, etc. But there's also something missing. Near as I can tell, it's like a water park with no water. You've got slides and intertubes, and women in bathing suits, but what's the point? What is the point? To make a perfectly neato villain like the Penguin into a disgusting, horny little piece of slime? To try and make a catwoman sexier than Julie Newmar in the 60's Batman? (Keep trying) To showcase some really neat sets? (Nope. That Zoo set was the fakest set I've ever seen) To make gobs of money with little effort? (That's the one!) And, just so you won't think I hated everything about this movie, I did think that Michael Keaton did a pretty good Bruce Wayne (some of his lines had me in stiches. So did Alfred's ("One has just sprung to mind" indeed!)) Plus, it raised a great and highly debatable question: if you're out on a date with a girl you really like, and you find out she's your mortal enemy (without disguise), do you have to fight? Still, the weakest of the lot. BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM Did someone say `grim'? Yes, I found this movie to be the grimmest of the lot. There's nothing happy about it at all. Even the happy flashbacks are going to end up grim, and we know it. And the end? Grim. I came away feeling sad, and maybe that's why the movie didn't do so well. Plus, it hinged too heavily on the secret identity of Phantasm, and that mystery had been `solved' for me by a friend, years before I rented it. Aside from those two problems, the movie was pretty nice. Sure the Joker seemed tacked on, seemingly for no reason other than to have a known Batman villain present; and the `Batman a criminal' plot was never fully resolved, but it was an ok movie. The scenery was great. The animators looked as if they put all their attention towards it. The action was well paced, and kept me interested. And, the idea of Joker losing a tooth was original, if gross. Maybe I'm just being bitter because I missed out on the Phantasm figure, or maybe this movie really wasn't as good as it could have been. Could go either way. BATMAN FOREVER Just saw this one at the theater, weeks after everyone else. I'll try not to let the fact that I've seen all the others a hundred times effect my opinion of this one. No matter what happens, to me, the world or to him, Jim Carey's voice does and always will ANNOY me! He starts going into his mindless tirades, and my nerves start to grate. Argh! I hate that! Two-Face, a recent favorite, was played too maniacal. Tommy Lee Jones kept talking about reading Batman comics to prepare for his role; I don't know which comics he read, but they must have involved Joker, because Two-Face was never THAT wacky. Cheers to Alfred (Michael Gough) and Commissioner Gordon (Pat Hingle) for appearing in all three modern day live action movies! Sure, Gordon was just there to turn on and off the Bat Signal, but hey, if you had the perfect vigilante doing all your work for you with a near 100% success rate, would you even try? I sure wouldn't. Why bother? Alfred did a fine job, as usual. Hope he sticks around for as many movies as he can. Note to Val Kilmer: change the voice between Bruce and Batman, or everyone will figure you out. And to Bruce Wayne: carry around a ski mask or something, so when you have to go fight without a costume people won't know its you. Otherwise, no prob. Chris O'Donnell did an outstanding job as Robin. The script was good to him (Holy steel island aside). His fight scenes were great, his reactions to his parents deaths was realistic, and he seemed the perfect combination of the three comic book Robin's. The story was a bit goofy in places, but the action was enough to cover for it. Overall, this sucker is worth it for the rental, at least. FINAL SCORES: The best and the worst! CHARACTER: The worst has to go to (Bat Return) Penguin. Ick! Way to ruin a perfectly good character. I was embarassed to watch him. The best is probably (Bob the Goon) Catwoman (Bat Return). And I'm not just saying that because of that tight rubber outfit. (well, yes I am) MOVIE: The worst was easily BATMAN RETURNS. I just hate that one! The best was Batman. Good fight scenes. Neat characters and sets. FIGHT SCENE: Worst: Any in Bat Forever. Best: Bats vs Joker in MASK...PHANTASM. That was nasty. BATMAN: Worst: ?????? Best: Val Kilmer. BRUCE WAYNE: Worst: Val Kilmer (Script's fault. I couldn't tell Bruce from Batman, in voice or actions) Best: Michael Keaton (especially in Bat Returns) (Nathan Bredfeldt's opinions do not necessarily reflect those of any sane human being. 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