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__________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- " C O M I C B O O K E - M A G " Issue 10 - May 22, 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 __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [-1-] The Bullpen ........................ Ryan Brewster [-2-] The 25th Hour ...................... Mike Imboden [-3-] Comicunications .................... Ryan Brewster [-4-] CSNsider ........................... David Leblanc [-5-] CSN Survey Results ................. David Leblanc [-6-] Splash Page ........................ Various [-7-] Feedback ........................... Various [-8-] Top Publishers for May ............. David Leblanc [-9-] BBSes Linked into CBN .............. CBN Staff __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-1-]--/ THE BULLPEN /----------------------------------------------/ The Bullpen by Ryan Brewster Nudity in Comics This is an unusual installment of the Bullpen column... originally, I thought of it as a joke. "What will people read about?" I thought. "What will generate more feedback?" Automatically, I answered, "Sex!" Of course. But then I got to thinking a little bit more about the concept of sex and nudity in comic books. If comics were intended for young audiences, as the stereotype insists, why was it that sex & nudity were so prominent? And when is it _appropriate_?? Is it _ever_ appropriate??? Well, one of a comic book author's major purposes in writing is to make their readers come back for more. The best way to do this is by making their readers _care_ about the characters. If you didn't care about a character, would you read about him/her?? Of course not! Many authors have discovered that one of the best ways to make readers care about a character is through _characterization_, so that the reader feels like he actually KNOWS a character. The more you know about a character, the more you care about a character. And if that character told you a secret (like many comic characters do), you would feel as though you knew him/her that much more, wouldn't you? The logic follows that if you're now sharing a secret with someone, you would feel closer to them. There's a sort of _bond_ there. One doesn't just go out and tell everyone their deepest secrets, does one? And what is everyones' deepest secret? What doesn't someone reveal to someone that they don't feel that can place their _complete_ trust in, not to blurt the secret out? We ALL know that there are certain areas of a person's body that should be kept a VERY close secret.... Okay, so we've established that nudity can be used as a tool for establishing a "closer relationship" between a comic character and his/her reader. But when should that tool be used, and when is it INappropriate??? Well, there is a certain ceiling to this whole secret-sharing thing. If someone knows EVERY secret of a character they could easily and quickly become quite bored with the guy/gal. Therefore, if a plot is simple enough that, if a character was portrayed in the nude, one would know virtually everything there was to KNOW about that character, then NEVER should that character be displayed in such a manner. Additionally, if the plot seems to center solely on THIS character and is lacking in various sub-plots and supporting characters, then how interesting would it be, if you already KNEW all of THIS character's secrets? In short, the plot of a book must be complex and deep enough so that, if such nudity DID occur, not all of the interest would be gone. There must be more secrets beyond those of the main character to justify nudity in a comic book. Enough, one can assume, so that a small child would not find the book remotely interesting. So - even though I haven't said anything about 'mature readers' comics - in order for the comic to warrant nudity as a characterization tool, it really ought to be at LEAST complex enough so that small kids wouldn't be able to understand it, which is important if you don't want irate parents knocking on your door with lawyer in tow... If the kid doesn't UNDERSTAND the book, he probably will not be interested in trying to BUY it... Also, an author SHOULDN'T go out of his/her way to bring nudity into his/her comic book. If he/she sits down at the beginning of the day and thinks to him/herself, "I wonder how I can get my character naked in _this_ book," then he/she is writing tastelessly. If the op- portunity _presents_ itself, THEN start considering it. But if the character tells its secrets to EVERYONE, well, it's not really a secret any more, is it? I haven't read very many books in which nudity was handled taste- fully. Most books in which there _was_ nudity, I got the sense that the author was forcing it on me. F-III Bandit, from Antarctic Press, handles it _somewhat_ tastefully, but drops the ball by working it in to just about every issue. Still, I have hardly read every comic book that has been published, so I can't really say whether it ever has been done "correctly". However, in books like Gen13 from Image, where nudity is never in fact FULLY portrayed, one does get the idea that the author is going out of their way to bring their characters to a situation where nudity is inevitable. However, by cleverly disguising the characters' secrets, the author is simply alienating the reader further. Because the reader doesn't THINK about the AUTHOR, and what was going through the AUTHOR'S mind. The reader thinks about the CHARACTER. And in a situation where the character appears to be going out of his/her way to avoid revealing a secret, the reader may only be further alienated. But I honestly don't know where the line is drawn. Where does pure decency restrict an author from using nudity as a characterization tool? When does literature end and pornography begin? Let's hear some feedback! Write this e-mag at: ComicBkNet@AOL.com. And I'll see you again soon. :) Best, --Ry __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-2-]--/ THE 25TH HOUR /--------------------------------------------/ The 25th Hour by Mike Imboden [Editor's Note]: Mike is away this weekend. Enjoy the time off Mike! __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-3-]--/ COMICUNICATIONS /------------------------------------------/ Comicunications by Ryan Brewster ▌ ▐ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▌ █▀▀▀▀▀▀ ▐▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▌ ▌ █ █▀▀▀█ █▀█▀█ ▀█▀ █▀▀▀ █ █ █▄ █ ▀█▀ █▀▀▀ █▀▀█ ▀█▀ ▀█▀ █▀▀█ █▄ █ █▀▀ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █▀██ █ █ █▀▀█ █ █ █ █ █▀██ ▀▀█ █ ▀▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀ ▀ ▀ ▀▀▀ ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ ---------The Comic Book Net's Weekly Comics Journal---------- ███ ███████ █████ █ █ ███ ████ ████ █ █ ███ ████ █ █ █ ███ ████ ████ ███ Volume 1, Issue #17 Monday, May 22nd, 1995 ______________________GENERAL SPOILER WARNINGS!___________________________ Warner Bros. Offers Batman Forever Web Site: [Source: Juan Molina] 5/9/95 - Warner Brothers has created a Batman Forever site on the World Wide Web. Fans will be able to access material, some of it exclusive to the web site, including artwork, trailers, storyboards and behind-the scenes reports. Don Buckley, vice president of East Coast Advertising and Publicity, is managing the project. With a view of the Gotham City skyline (from which protrudes a swooping Bat-signal at night), users can navigate their way through to all the page's offerings. The web site is [http://batmanforever.com], without the brackets, of course. Marvel Buys DC???: [Source: Allan Lappin] 5/20/95 - According to a recent article in the New York Times, Mr. Levin - Chairman and CEO of Time-Warner - declined comment on whether he had met recently withh Ronald O. Perelman, the financier who controls New World Communications and Marvel Comics. The rumors around Wall Street claimed that Perelman was considering buying the 14.9% stake in Time Warner owned by the Seagram Company. Time Warner shares jumped $1.50, then declined a dollar the next day. New Diamond Warehouse: [Source: Chris Cade] 5/17/95 - Diamond Distributors has announced plans to open a new Distribution Center in Eastern Canada. Diamond Prez and CEO Steve Geppi cited Diamond's desire to establish a presence in Eastern Canada. Canada recently lost a major distributor in Andromeda Distribution, which recently went bankrupt. Sites are being considered in both Montreal and Toronto. NBC Pits Mad About You Against Lois & Clark: [Source: NBC] 5/20/95 - In their recent announcement outlining next fall's prime time television schedule, the National Broadcasting Company moved the sinking SeaQuest show to Wednesday, bringing the popular sitcoms Mad About You and Hope & Gloria to the Sunday 8:00pm slot to go head to head against ABC's Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman. The Latest L&C Ratings: [Source: Troy Heagy] 5/8/95 - In the latest Sci-Fi ratings listing, Lois & Clark emerged the victor against such competition as The X-Files, Star Trek: Voyager and the new FOX show Sliders. Earth 2 and SeaQuest were both pre-empted that week: PRIME-TIME Ratings: May 8-14(Mon-Sun) SHOW Net/Rating/Share/Viewers in millions 34 Lois & Clark ABC/10.1/18/17.1 41 The X-Files FOX/ 9.4/17/14.5 (tied:ABC Step by Step) 77 Star Trek:Voyager UPN/ 6.1/10/ 8.7 (see note below) 80 Sliders FOX/ 5.6/ 9/ 7.7 84 V.R.5 FOX/ 4.2/ 8/ 6.3 (finale) -- seaQuest DSV pre-empted -- Earth 2 pre-empted 93 shows SYNDICATED Ratings for week ending April 16 (for the complete list see rec.arts.startrek.info) SHOW Rating 3 Deep Space Nine 7.1 -- Babylon 5(R) not listed in Top15 Voyager note: UPN ratings only. In the first run episodes, Classic Star Trek garnered 17 million viewers. Likewise the Next Generation also had 17 million viewers per new episode. Deep Space Nine averaged 13-15 million viewers during the first two seasons. Notes: - (R) means rerun - Ranking is based on the rating - 1 Rating point=954,000 homes/95.4 million homes have TVs - Share is percentage of sets tuned to a particular show - Viewers stats based on log/diary entries - Statistics collected by A.C. Nielson Co. from ~4000 households Lois & Clark Renewed: [Source: ABC] 5/16/95 - In their recent announcement outlining next fall's prime-time television schedule, the American Broadcasting Company revealed that Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, will be returning for another season in its current slot: Sunday nights at 8:00. TeknoGate?? [Source: Anonymous Poster, and Cedric Cahn from Tekno-Comix] 5/20/95 - In a recent anonymous posting to the Internet newsgroup rec.arts.comics.misc, an alleged employee of Tekno-Comix made several disturbing allegations about the comics publisher. The posting ran as follows: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sorry to post this anonymously, but I work for Tekno and hope to keep my position just long enough to find another. Since I love the comic book industry, I felt it imperative to reveal secrets about a company such as Tekno*Comix. For those few of you who like the Tekno story lines, maybe deceptive business practices will dissuade you. Tekno has left a trail of red ink in recent months, with major suppliers holding massive unpaid debts. The company is currently bolstered only by its marginally profitable retail kiosks. Yes, although not highly publicized, Tekno stabs its direct market partners in the back by also operating 8 retail locations. While appearing to support its "creators" Tekno has recently been abandoned by Majel Roddenberry, due to non-payment of appearance fees. Tekno's over funded PR Department recently circulated a corporate-wide e-mail which stresses Majel is not to be contacted by any Tekno employee. Mickey Spillane is also on the brink of severing any relationship with Tekno beyond his contractual minimums. Of course, none of the Tekno "celebrity authors" have ever had any real creative input. Smoke and mirrors are the norm at Tekno. Recently, the founders of Tekno comix addressed the concerns of the corporate employees. Our most recent annual report showed $6.2 Million in losses. Our esteemed founders attributed all losses to "accounting stuff," while completely trivializing the company's shrinking comic book sales. With very poor solicited demand for Mike Danger (only 45,000 issues), and Lost Universe about to become spun off into an even more confusing book, things look bleak. The founders are scratching for any attempt to dump the company, having successfully sold the Sci-Fi Channel while it too had massive debts. The entire "New Media" division of Tekno, which comprised the abortive Prodigy and Interactive Multi-Media projects, has been cut to only 1 employee (from 5). High school interns are handling almost all of the creative events, and respected employees are facing loss of job and/or breach of their contracts. Where are those CD-ROMS, and morning TV shows we promised you?? Techno??? Hah! The company has made failed attempts at additional funding, with Bear Stearns unwilling to proceed on an essential Private Placement. The Controller fields over 50 requests per day from vendors, and 13 of 14 of Tekno's bank accounts are barren. Not sure why I posted this. I have much more to tell, but this seems vaguely like I may be wasting bandwidth. If so, I apologize. Guess I hope the company does fold, and unsuspecting comic book fans will be spared a few bucks to spend on less "Witch Oil" type products. TEKNO*COMIX=81 RIP 1993-1995 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tekno-Comix replied promptly, with the following response: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello everybody, I'm Cedrick from Tekno*Comix and I've been a frequenter of this board for several years now. I'm forwarding this from Denise Treco, Tekno*Comix Director of Communications: In response to the malicious and untrue message posted ANONYMOUSLY yesterday on the Internet, I would like to publicly respond to the utterly false allegations that were made against Tekno*Comix; a company that I have worked for from the beginning and with which I am very happy. All our best-selling authors and celebrities have been promptly compensated. In fact, Mickey Spillane's response to the note was the following: "Absolutely false! I have no intention of divorcing myself from Tekno*Comix. I'm very happy with everyone and everything at Tekno*Comix." A similar statement was made by Neil Gaiman, creator of three of Tekno's monthly titles. "In light of the Miramax Film deal with Tekno these claims seem tremendously improbable...the information on the Internet makes this person look like a disgruntled former employee, of which every company has its share. My relationship with Tekno is fine.. they are well-intentioned people." Ted Slampyak, penciler of Tekno's Mr. Hero title, said, "Tekno has treated me fine and has never shirked any duties or responsibilities. They've been top-notch from the beginning." It's unfortunate for all of us that this individual is ANONYMOUSLY using the Internet to spread such obvious and blatant slander. Tekno*Comix is here to stay. Denise Treco Director of Communications Tekno*Comix __________________________________________________________________________ Legal Stuff: Copyright (c) 1995 Ryan Brewster. Distribute IN ENTIRETY. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-4-]--/ CSNsider /-------------------------------------------------/ CSNsider by David Leblanc This is the CSNsider from CSN #415, which will be in shops on 5/31/95. It is reproduced in its entirety with the expressed permission of COMIC SHOP NEWS. Greg Theakston, publisher and comics historian, has announced plans to assemble a CD-ROM of Jack Kirby's early (pre-Captain-America) comics work... Typhoid Mary will star in her own upscale-format limited series later this year... DC Comics has announced some changes in its previously-announced distribution arrangement: both Diamond and Capital City Distributors will offer DC Comics through August, at which point Diamond will become the exclusive distributor of DC Comics... John Bolton and Doug Alexander handle the creative honors on Askani's Son and The Askani Tome, a painted X-Men graphic novel and limited series slated to debut in August... Water damage to computers in the Mirage Press offices has resulted in the postponement of fourteen titles: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #s 9-13, Construct #s 1-5, and Casey Jones & Raphael #s 2-5; these books, slated for spring and early summer release, will be resolicited beginning in the late summer or early fall... Fleer has secured the license to produce cards to tie in with the November release of Ace ventura: When Nature Calls; they will also produce cards based on the first Ace Ventura film and the Ace Ventura animated series... J.M.DeMatteis, currently the writer of Amazing Spider-Man, will be leaving that title later this year... The Manhunter storyline will come to an end in a grand extra-length twelfth issue finale this fall... Hot on the heels of Marvel's Captain Britain reprint series that's presenting Alan Moore and Alan Davis's Captain Britain tales for the first time in far too many years, work is already underway on an all-new Captain Britain series.. So how many of you out there theorize that Quentin Tarrantino's contributions tO the Crimson Tide script include the now-famous Jack Kirby Silver Surfer versus Moebius Silver Surfer "debate"? CSN #415 features a cover feature on the Regulators from Image, as well as more news and the June Hot Picks. The only way to get Comic Shop News is to visit a shop that carries CSN. The publication costs the shops just 10 cents each and is generally free to customers. If you shop doesn't carry CSN, nag 'em until they do. After all, isn't your business and satisfaction worth a dime a week? Visit our WWW site! http://www.actwin.com/csn Ward Batty wardo@jupiter.netdepot.com Cliff Biggers cliffbig@jupiter.netdepot.com (c)1995 CSN, Inc. ····────════*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/518 __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-5-]--/ CSNsider Special /-----------------------------------------/ The following is courtesy of the Comic Shop News via their home page on the World Wide Web. CSN Survey Results When we first ran our Comic Shop News survey (three times in August and September), we weren't really sure what sort of a response to expect-- but quite honestly, we didn't expect to receive over 2,500 replies! By the time it was all over, though, we had received a grand total of 2,838 replies from all over the United States, Canada, several Pacific Rim countries (including a large number of very enthusiastic comic readers in Singapore), a heaping handful of European countries (France, in particular, had impressive representation), Australia... you begin to get the idea. We got responses from every state in the nation, from rural and urban readers, from all sorts of ages and ethnic groups. In short, we were pleasantly stunned by the sheer volume of mail that the survey generated (boy, if the postal service only offered us a cut!). Then came time to tally all the results.... well, let's say that it's taken a number of people the better part of eight weeks to calculate these results, and some of them have sworn that if we ever did another survey again, they'd make sure they were nowhere near come calculation time! And now, here are the results of the first CSN Reader Survey! This is what readers had to tell us about themselves (if the numbers don't quite add up, that's because a few people didn't answer some of the categories): Age Below 12 - 5.4% (154) 12-16 - 17.2% (488) 16-21 - 27.4% (778) 21-30 - 30.9% (877) 31-40 - 11% (312) 41-50 - 5.4% (154) 51 & Above - 2.5% (71) We were a bit surprised by the fact that the 21-30 age group was the most represented, and by the fact that, in spite of the generally perceived youth market in comics, less than a quarter of the respondents were younger than driving age! Sex 93.8% Male 6.2% Female Ethnic Group White - 61% (1731) Asian - 15.6% (443) Hispanic - 12% (340) African-American - 9.2% (263) Native American - .8% (22) Marital Status 64.5% Single 28% Married 7.2% Divorced Almost 60% of those who are single still live with their parents, but that means that of those who responded, a large number of them live on their own (a number of readers did mention that they lived in a dorm). Almost 70% of that group rents rather than owns their own home. Educationally, customers are not too bad a bunch; just more than 28% of the audience has completed college, and 11% of the total readership has graduate and/or professional level educations. Of course, a large number of readers are still in school. Occupationally, readers are a very diverse group, but the most common occupation, which may or may not be a surprise, was book/comic-related, with a number of readers working in bookstores, comic shops, publishing, etc. Over 72% of our readership works full- or part-time, and if you discount readers below the age of sixteen, whose work options are very limited, that number increases to almost 87% of the readership. How Long Have You Been Buying Comics? Less Than a Year - 4% (113) 1-2 Years - 11.3% (321) 3-4 Years - 37.9% (1076) 5-7 Years - 18.8% (534) 8-10 Years - 11% (311) 11-15 Years - 9.6% (272) 16-20 Years - 3.1% (88) 21-30 Years - 1.9% (53) 30-Plus Years - .9% (27) For a long time, it's been presented as a general rule of thumb that the comics audience "turns over" every five years. Our survey, though, shows that almost half have been reading comics for longer than that time, and an impressive number of readers have been reading them for a very, very long time indeed! The majority of customers (61%) visit only one comic shop each week, but the average number of shops per reader is 2.1, because a fair number visit three or more shops every week. Don't let anyone say that they're not a dedicated group! So how often do CSN readers visit comic shops? Well, almost 34% visit comic shops twice a week or more, while an additional 31% visit once a week; 27% visit two to three times a month, while just about 6% visit a comic shop once a month or less. How Much Do You Spend on Comics Each Week? $1-$5 - 7.7% (220) $6-$7 - 10.5% (298) $8-$10 - 22.3% (634) $11-$15 - 18.7% (531) $16-$20 - 14.2 % (403) $21-$25 - 9.1% (259) $26-$30 - 5.1% (146) $31-$40 - 3.8% (107) $41-$50 - 2.9% (83) $51-$75 - 2.7% (77) $75-$100 - 1.1% (31) $101+ - .7% (19) 63% buy back issues; of those who do, here's how their spending breaks down on a weekly basis: $1-$5 - 26% (465) $6-$7 - 18.4% (325) $8-$10 - 28.2% (504) $11-$15 - 18% (324) $16-$20 - 6.2% (110) $21-$25 - 1.9% (34) $26-$30 - .7% (13) Only eight readers responded that they spent more than an average of $30 per week on back issues, and two of them stressed that they tended to buy expensive Silver Age books a couple of times a year, pushing their average up. The surprising fact is that over half of <b>CSN</b>'s respondents spend either nothing or less than $5 on back issue comics on a weekly basis, and a couple of people noted that the reason was because they spent all their comics money on new releases! 61% said that they spent money on games and accessories, with several people writing Magic the Gathering in the margins. Do You Attend Any Comic Conventions? 79% No 21% Yes Now there's a real surprise! Comic shops play a much larger role than comic conventions in most CSN readers' hobby, with four out of five readers not attending any conventions. Of the 21% who attend conventions, 55% indicated that they only attended one convention a year, meaning that fewer than 10% of CSN's audience has been to two or more conventions a year and only 7 readers placed themselves in the 5-cons-or-more category. Of the 597 respondents who attend conventions, 401 indicated that they bought no new comics at a convention. 196 readers said that they did buy new comics at a convention, but only 21 indicated that they spent more than $10 on new comics at conventions. CSN readers like to be informed: 74% read other comics-related publications, with 52% reading at least two other publications and an impressive 28% reading at least three other publications. What was the first publication readers read when they started buying comics? There was no clear winner here, although the publications most frequently listed on survey forms were >Wizard< (13%), >Marvel Age< (11%), >Previews< (9%), >Advance Comics< (8%) and, we're glad to report, >Comic Shop News< (13%). Intriguingly, those customers without large weekly comics budgets (and that includes many of our younger collectors) very often listed >Comic Shop News< as their first comics publication, while older readers were more likely to list >Comics Buyer's Guide< and >Comics Journal< (which received an impressive 41 write-in listings). A lot of that may have to do with the fact that most of the publications about comics weren't around ten years ago, of course... So where do customers learn about upcoming comics? Since readers often marked more than one category, the results far exceed 100%, but here are the results, with percentages indicating how many of those who completed ballots checked off that publication as a primary source: Comic Shop News (76%), Retailers (58%), Wizard (37%) Previews (24%), and Advance Comics (21%). No other source was marked on more than 20% of the ballots -- and surprisingly, very few customers marked posters in their local comic shop or convention displays as a source of news. Considering how few comic fans are part of the convention crowd, it's easy to see why so few CSN readers get info from publisher displays. Where are customers most likely to see advertising for upcoming comics? Since this was, after all, a CSN survey, we received almost 100% check-offs, but other frequently listed sources of advertising were posters in the shop (68%), Wizard (30%), Previews (22%), Advance Comics (19%), Comics Buyer's Guide (11%), and Hero Illustrated (9%). We're not sure how to explain the fact that some who indicated that they used these publications for info didn't seem to notice the ads in there. 73% of customers said that, when deciding which comic shop to frequent, they are more likely to choose the shop that carries CSN. 28% of them went even further, indicating that they would drive past a shop that doesn't carry CSN to get to a shop farther away that does! How often do customers pick up Comic Shop News? An impressive 63% pick it up every week (although a few readers mentioned that their shop sometimes ran out before they could get by there), while 28% indicated that they picked up CSN at least three times a month. Several readers who indicated that they picked up CSN only once a month noted that their retailer was usually out of copies of earlier issues by the time they got in. Generally, the frequency with which our readers picked up CSN coincided almost precisely with the number of trips they made to the comic shop each month. The third part of our survey dealt with reading and buying habits. The first question asked what customers considered most important in determining what book they buy. The characters in the comic seemed to have the most influence, with 35% of the readers checking it off; writer/artist involved received the second-highest listing, with approximately 27% naming that as the leading indicator; next came the company that publishes the book, at 23%. Other frequently mentioned reasons for buying a book were price, guest stars, first issue, and subject matter. Very few readers marked enhanced covers (only 18 total ballots mentioned this), trading card inserts (only 14 ballots), or poster inserts (only 4 ballots). Do customers buy more comics now than they did when they started reading CSN? You bet! 89% indicated that their buying has picked up since they've been reading our publication. We expected the percentage to be very high, of course; after all, once comic fans discover how much fun this hobby can be, it's only natural that they'd want to read more and more comics, isn't it? We (and our advertisers) will be pleased to hear that 93% of those who responded said that they read the ads in CSN. What are the favorite CSN features? Okay, we'll admit that they surprised us here. The largest number of votes went to the Checklist (26%), followed by Hot Picks (22%), CSNsider (18%), Interviews (13%), Reviews (5%), News (4%), and Charts (2%). Many readers praised the summer's Essential Comics Library feature, asking us to make it a regular part of CSN. There were a number of features that fans asked us to add to CSN, but the most frequently listed were: Information on late or missing books Artist or writer checklists Contests Update listings on late books Reader questions and publisher answers Essential Comics Library Updates History articles on popular comic characters Comic book previews Hot back-issue values and info Do stores carry enough copies of CSN? 83% of our readers said yes, while 14% indicated that their store sometimes ran out before they could get their copy. And obviously CSN is important to the readers who responded to our survey, because 73% of customers said that, when deciding which comic shop to frequent, they are more likely to choose the shop that carries CSN. 28% of them went even further, indicating that they would drive past a shop that doesn't carry CSN to get to a shop farther away that does! In our final section, we offered readers a few lines to add additional comments; some readers had comments to pass along about CSN itself, while others used the time to comment on the comics industry as a whole. Here is a sampling of a few comments that we thought were intriguing (or at least flattering): "The price of comics has caused me to buy less." -- Arnold Dinardi "I like your to-the-point articles and appreciate your unbiased coverage." --Jarrad Zipperer "It took me a long time to convince my retailer that giving CSN to regular customers was a good business move on his part. There's no question that my purchases are larger and more discriminating as a result of CSN."-Peggy Warren "I would love to see an interview with those magicians of computer colors." --Jonathan Chong "This paper helps me to buy comics I might not think of buying, know what's new and helps me decide what to ask the shop to order." --Tanya Schiavone "Comics speculators have spoiled the industry; special covers and limited edition cover stink!" -- Chui Sien Khei "There is a second shop I have to go to which is far away ... I would frequent the closer store if they carried CSN, but they don't." --Bill Gonzalez, Jr. "Add a trivia contest!" -- Mike Lewallen "When my shop carries CSN, it tells me that they care about getting new information to the customers without forcing them to buy Advanced Comics or Previews." --Paul Judge "The Hot Picks and reviews help shape my purchasing decisions. Though I subscribe to CBG, CSN's focus makes it more reader-friendly in terms of providing information." --R.L. Martines "I'd like to see an article about which comics are popular in which regions of the country. I know that some books that are very high in your charts don't seem to do well here, while some of the books that my shop always sells out of seem to be pretty low on the list. I think it'd be interesting." --Angel Ramirez "I don't buy all my comics at one store, but I make it a point to regularly buy some at the shop where I pick up CSN. Good coverage of smaller companies, in addition to the major publishers." --Chuck Wilson "Speculation has almost ruined comics; thanks for not playing up the speculation angle in your mag!" -- Ricardo Lorenz "I always make sure I go to a shop that has CSN." --Kevin Deignault "CSN is important because it's free, and you get interesting descriptions of comics coming out. It's great for those who don't know what they want and want to make an educated comic book purchase." --Elizabeth M. Nelly "How about a section where readers get to ask questions and you could provide us with answers?" --Raymond Santos "Very informative. CSN got me back into buying comics after a 15-year break of not purchasing comics. Thanks!" --Howard Dansky "I'm so glad that you don't include a price guide in your publication. I think price guides ruin the hobby for a lot of fans." --Edward Archer "Why do you want to know how much money I spend, anyway?" --Alan Trousdale "I have made special trips to just pick up CSN. I enjoy the artwork, no junk to dig through to get to the news." --Danny Kellogg "Alan Moore's From Hell is the best thing I ever read!" -- William Miller "Great comics are in demand all around the world, and so is CSN." --Catherine Leow (Singapore) "I've been collecting comics for about 30 years now, and I've interested both of my children in comics as well; now we pick up three CSNs each week." --Gerald Conklin "Japanese style comics are a refreshing change from superheroes. Serialization is annoying in all comics; having to wait a year for a storyline to conclude is too much." --Bob Duffy "Comics are too far removed from the basic entertainment of the '60s." --Jerry Matl "I find CSN is the only way to follow many of the crossovers and discover new releases. I am impressed. My pull list has grown considerably." --Kent Kayhall "How about a poll where you ask writers or artists their top ten comic picks or must reads?" --Michael Leone "Every comic book company should run a reader survey every year (and not charge us to mail in a reply). Then they'd really know what we like and dislike." --Eddie Chaney "I started buying comics in 1957, and I spent $.50 a week on comics; now I still enjoy comics and I spend a whole lot more, but I can afford it a lot more now!" --Kris Edginton ····────════*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/518 __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-6-]--/ SPLASH PAGE /---------------------------------------------/ SMALL PRESS EXPO The second annual SMALL PRESS EXPO will take place at the Ramada Inn in Bethesda, Maryland on June 23rd between 4 and 10PM. Last year's Expo inspired the SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE TOUR now criss-crossing the country. I encourage everyone who can to attend. It's a small but intense gathering, and well worth the price of admission. $8 gets you in the door. Proceeds go to the COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND. No retailer tables this year, but many self-publishers will have books for sale. An original art auction will take place including donated pieces by Mary Fleener, Jeff Nicholson, Joe Zabel, and others. All proceeds from art sales go directly to the CBLDF. Below is a list of confirmed attendees as of May 15. Dave Sim CEREBUS & Gerhard Steve Bissette TYRANT David Mazzuchelli RUBBER BLANKET Evan Dorkin MILK & CHEESE, DORK Sarah Dyer ACTION GIRL, MAD PLANET David Lapham STRAY BULLETS Joe Zabel BULLETPROOF, AMERICAN SPLENDOR Colleen Doran A DISTANT SOIL Mark Wheatley RADICAL DREAMER Mark Hempel GREGORY Bryan Bendis AKA GOLDFISH David Mack KABUKI Chris Staros STAROS REPORT David Zapanta HAIRBAT Other creators/companies that will be represented include: Retrographix, Bebe Williams, Gary Kramer, Anthony Cilio, Steve Campbell, Fifth Panel Comics, Dan Parsons, Blazer Unlimited, James Gowoley, Odd Job Productions, Nightwolf Graphics, Stephen Conley, Steven Peters, Steve Brooks, Don M. Haring, Louis Small Jr., Jason Trimmer, Doug Baron, Flummery Comics, Missing Link Comics, Douglass R. Penny, Dale Rawlings ...and many more! For more information, contact Lou Danoff or Andy Myers at Zenith Comics (301) 774-1345. Directions to the Expo: Take the Capital Beltway to Wisconsin Avenue (south). The Ramada Inn is at 8400 Wisconsin Ave in downtown Bethesda. You can also take the Red Line of the Washington Metro; the Ramada is 4 blocks north of the Bethesda stop. Hope to see you there. Drop me a line if you plan to attend. Chris Oarr -------------------------------------------------------------------------/ TOPPS Buys UK publisher Transmitted: 95-05-19 03:02:05 EDT One of World's Leading Publishers of Sticker and Album Collections Will Give Topps Expanded Product Line, Strong European Distribution Capability NEW YORK, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Topps Company, Inc. (Nasdaq: TOPP) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Merlin Publishing International plc, a rapidly growing, privately held U.K. company that is one of the world's leading publishers and marketers of sticker and album collections, for approximately $50 million in cash. Topps anticipates that the transaction will close in June, subject to clearance by the Office of Fair Trading in the U.K. The Company expects the acquisition to contribute to Topps earnings during the first year. "One of the most important elements of Topps growth strategy is the expansion of our product lines and geographic reach," said Arthur T. Shorin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Merlin's burgeoning franchise, talented management team and strong distribution network are perfect fits for Topps. Together, we will work to increase market penetration of our collectible and confectionery businesses throughout Europe and beyond." Shorin added that Merlin's current management team will continue to lead Merlin. Merlin Group Managing Director Peter J. Warsop said, "Joining up with The Topps Company at this stage is a touch of magic. Their organization, product lines and technologies complement our business profile very well. We couldn't be more pleased." Merlin principally publishes and markets sticker and album collections, one of the most popular mediums for children's collectibles in Europe and many other parts of the world. Currently, Merlin's products feature the U.K. Premier League Football, the Power Rangers action heroes and a variety of other entertainment properties. In addition to its U.K. operations, Merlin has subsidiaries in the Netherlands (serving Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal and Benelux), Italy, France, Spain and the United States. Merlin also exports to other markets throughout the world. The Topps Company, Inc. is a multi-national marketer of entertainment products, principally picture cards, confections and comic books, with manufacturing facilities in the United States and the Republic of Ireland. The Company, founded in 1938, created BAZOOKA brand bubble gum in 1947 and marketed its first TOPPS baseball card in 1951. ····────════*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/518 -------------------------------------------------------------------------/ PUBLISHER of The Comic Buyer's Guide gets award! WASHINGTON, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Wisconsin based Krause Publications was named last night the ESOP Company of the Year and Ohio's Darrell Tackett of Reuther Mold and Manufacturing was awarded the Employee-Owner of the Year by The ESOP Association, the national trade association for companies with employee stock ownership plans. "Krause Publications is a shining example that employee-ownership works for America," said J. Michael Keeling, president of The ESOP Association. "Krause's dedication to employee participation and communications has made it an innovative leader not only in the ESOP community but the business world. We are proud to name Krause our Company of the Year." Krause Publications was awarded Company of the Year based on its strong encouragement of employee ownership and commitment to employee involvement. Prior to the ESOP, a traditional top-down management style served the company through its birth and three decades of growth. With the adoption of the ESOP, Krause adopted an ESOP culture that focuses on employee involvement. Today Krause seeks two-way communications -- up and down the organizational chart -- by urging all employees to become involved. The employees of Krause have responded well. The 368 employee- owners enjoy a high level of involvement in promoting employee stock ownership plans in Wisconsin as well as nationally. In fact, Krause's chief photographer, Ross Hubbard, was named the Wisconsin Employee Owner of the Year by the Wisconsin Chapter of The ESOP Association. Krause Publications is the world's largest publisher of periodicals and books on hobbies. Its 31 periodicals cover antiques, baseball cards and other sports memorabilia, coin collecting, toys, music, comics, firearms, knives and modern collectibles. It also has an outdoor division that publishes hunting and fishing magazines, a trade division that publishes a weekly newspaper for Wisconsin farmers, and magazines for the rural construction industry. Founded in 1952, Krause Publications became an ESOP in 1988 and today is 56% employee owned. Since becoming an ESOP, Krause added almost 200 new jobs, increased its profit margin and saw its stock value per share triple. The ESOP Association is the national trade association for companies with employee stock ownership plans. Founded in 1978, The ESOP Association represents 1200 ESOP companies and 850,000 employee owners who believe that employee ownership will improve American competitiveness, increase productivity through greater employee participation and strengthen the free enterprise economy. ····────════*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/518 __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-7-]--/ FEEDBACK /-------------------------------------------------/ First feedback via E-mail, from America Online: Subj: Feedback: CBEM Date: 95-05-15 01:46:08 EDT From: hal@seas.smu.edu From: hal@seas.smu.edu (Dawoud J. Al-Haddad) To: comicbknet@aol.com Nathan Bredfeldt, here, horking off someone else's account! You want Feedback? I'll give you feedback! Here's your feedback! Well, I just read your first eight issues, and I suppose CBEM is enjoyable enough. But, to be frank ("hi, I'm Frank." "Oh! Hi, I'm Nate"), there are some problems. I'm not a big fan of reviews. I know that this is a personal gripe, but that's the only kind of feedback I know how to give. What I really like is the editorial and Mike's 25th hour. Those are neat. You should get more of those. But, if you have to do reviews, I'd like to see more non comics stuff, like the toys and cards reviews you did in a few issues. I think my problem with most of the rest of it is that I've seen it all before. No way to avoid that, I guess. Don't know what other feedback to give, except to promise that I'll go into more detail after I read #9, in two short weeks! Keep it up! Nathan Bredfeldt hal@seas.smu.edu --- [Editor's response]: Hi Nate! Hey, don't I know you? <grin> Thanks for taking the time and sending us feedback, it's great to know people are reading the magazine and enjoying most of it. As for reviews, you may have noticed that the last few issues didn't have any... maybe this will change, maybe not? I'm in agreement with you about most of what you brought up, your name being 'Frank' is one of them. ;) -- ed --- Send feedback to: Internet .......... ComicBkNet@aol.com Fidonet ........... ComicBkNet at 1:324/134.0 Comic Book Net .... ComicBkNet at 23:402/2.0 PLEASE NOTE: Your comments may be included in future issues, unless you specifically request to the contrary. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-8-]--/ TOP PUBLISHERS /-------------------------------------------/ Top publishers MAY David Leblanc Here's a quick list of the top publishers for MAY 1995, courtesy of ANTARCTIC PRESS, by DOLLAR SHARE of the comics *>direct<* market, as reported by Capital City. This list includes all comics and comic-related items, such as toys, t-shirts, etc. Publisher Yr 92 Yr 93 Yr 94 1/95 2/95 3/95 4/95 5/95 Marvel 45.76 33.43 31.87 33.65 32.01 30.69 34.03 27.11 DC 19.34 19.00 19.35 17.28 18.39 17.19 19.20 21.10 Image 14.79 12.10 14.68 14.51 12.99 10.51 17.20 Dark Horse 5.55 3.36 5.35 5.29 5.98 7.60 5.90 6.72 Acclaim (Valiant) 4.11 9.35 5.25 3.27 3.96 5.28 4.76 4.91 Malibu (Marvel) 8.55 3.52 4.44 4.43 3.13 2.57 3.74 2.49 Wizard Press 1.51 1.76 1.73 2.00 1.59 1.60 1.57 1.32 Tekno Comix .20 1.14 .95 1.16 .88 1.29 Viz Comics .53 .42 1.07 .92 .86 1.66 .97 .99 Topps Comics .22 1.25 .73 1.23 .50 .87 1.23 .87 Maximum Comic Press .46 .36 .34 .13 .87 Chaos Comics .07 .45 .61 1.96 .91 .32 .86 Fantagraphics/Eros .66 .33 .60 .88 .70 .97 1.04 .77 Graphitti .17 .24 .57 .94 .46 .36 .24 .71 Harris Comics .06 .33 .58 .94 2.14 .85 1.05 .65 Comic Images .91 .51 .59 .39 .35 .41 .33 .59 Antarctic/Venus .09 .13 .44 .55 .73 .49 .76 .48 General Media .13 .41 .87 .48 Warp Graphics .16 .18 .47 .60 .63 .63 .46 Caliber .22 .21 .20 .39 .27 .43 .29 .44 London Night .05 .17 .41 .44 .58 .41 Gladstone .26 .23 .39 .36 .38 .36 .40 .38 Kitchen Sink .18 .58 .52 .31 .54 .18 .54 .29 Dynamic Forces .30 .24 .28 .15 .30 .27 .29 Verotik 1.22 .44 .28 Archie .30 .19 .31 .29 .26 .26 .24 .28 Sirius .10 .34 .42 .23 Wildstorm .07 .04 .33 .22 Bongo Comics .19 .51 .27 .51 .20 .48 .22 Rebel Studios .16 .06 .05 .18 .07 .07 .22 Entity (Express) .15 .33 .13 .30 .17 .29 .22 Russ Cochran .11 .19 .30 .22 .16 .15 .21 Brainstorm Comics .04 .06 .08 .05 .13 .13 .19 Hamilton Comics .07 .25 .23 .17 .14 .19 Planet Studios .14 .15 .19 .05 .21 .21 .17 Overstreet/Fan .34 .23 .26 1.03 .17 Warrior Publishing .54 .64 .27 .36 .22 .30 .17 AD Vision .09 .17 High Impact .26 .16 Avon Books .01 .16 Blackout Comics .14 .12 .20 .15 Taliesen Press .15 Cosmic Comics .16 .15 Century Publishing .20 .17 .17 .15 .13 Longmeadow Press .13 Academy/Acid Rain .15 .21 .13 .15 .12 NBM .11 .04 .10 .04 .11 .09 .15 .12 Comic Shop News .17 .14 .16 .15 .12 Heavy Metal .07 .10 .18 .06 .27 .51 .11 Legends and Lore .06 .08 .10 Abbeville Press .10 Clobbering Time .10 Klutz Press* .10 Drawn and Quarterly .06 .05 .04 .09 .15 .09 Warner Books .05 .09 AC Comics .13 .08 .08 .07 .07 .13 .07 .09 Pop Comics* .08 Aardvark-Vanaheim .19 .11 .13 .09 .26 .09 .56 .08 Krause Pub .15 .10 .09 .09 .08 .07 .07 .08 Boneyard Press .02 .03 .06 .09 .07 .07 Millennium Pubs .30 .11 .14 .12 .09 .21 .15 .07 Great Sky* .07 SQP .05 .04 .07 .13 .06 .07 N Studios* .07 Fine Communicat* .07 Event Comics .36 .32 .07 .07 Little Brown .05 .07 ....plus a whole buncha others. NOTE: Sales figures are for advance orders for comic items listed in the comics section in Advance Comics (it does not include books, videos, or sports items). ····────════*David LeBlanc> ComicBkNet@AOL.COM david.leblanc@gaquatic.iii.net RIME->5179 FIDO 1:322/518 __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- /--[-9-]--/ BULLETIN BOARDS LINKED INTO THE COMICBOOK NETWORK /--------/ +----------------------------+ | The ComicBook Network !! | A message network devoted to Comic +----------------------------+ Fans, Collectors, and Professionals! ---- ---------- ------------- Here's the most up-to-date node listing for the COMICBOOK NETWORK - 2 new systems have linked in since the last issue! F=FIDO Q=QWK B=Both *=Major HUB F Dark Knight BBS St.Catharine ONT 905-938-1670 Michael Cross Q MSC Computers Riverside CA 909-685-4393 Michael Carpenter F* Longview On-Line! Longview WA 206-577-7358 Jeanne Lejon F House Atreides Garland TX 214-494-3702 Wayne LeMonds F The Chess Board Grand Prairie TX 214-641-1136 Ken Givens Q Way Out There Dallas TX 214-680-2755 Justin Pasher B* FIAWOL/MSConnections Irving TX 214-790-6472 Bobb Waller F Star Streams Waxahachie TX 214-938-7115 Michael Rudolf F Comic Book Board Philadelphia PA 215-535-3055 William Horton B The Dog's House Gaithersburg MD 301-216-0637 Andrew Ohnstad Q Highlander's Inn Brandywine MD 301-579-2776 Eric Moon B Zoneland BBS Gaithersburg MD 301-601-9731 Bob Hair F Bifrost Mount Rainier MD 301-779-9381 Kevin Carlin B* The Daily Planet BBS Frederick MD 301-831-8057 Mike Imboden Q Megabyte BBS Gaithersburg MD 301-977-0791 Matt Abrams F Intl. 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Saratoga BBS New Bedford MA 508-984-1212 Justin Campeau F Muskrat & Heatwave New Bedford MA 508-984-5321 Dennis Racine F Metropolis BBS New Bedford MA 508-994-4687 Bob Racine F Archives BBS Acushnet MA 508-995-0085 John Viera B Asgard.TW BBS West Islip NY 516-422-4225 Tom Pemberton B The Trading Post ][ Windsor ONT 519-974-2976 Gary Ranchuk Q Medics Meeting House Hinsdale NH 603-256-6931 Doug Munson F Venom's World Rollinsford NH 603-743-4188 Ira Locke F Gananoque System's BBS Gananoque ONT 613-382-1788 Mike Serson F* The Menagerie Kalamazoo MI 616-349-9438 Rick O'Dell Q Corner Mailbox BBS Lakeside CA 619-561-2961 Joy Manning B Crystal Aerie Arlington VA 703-415-0134 Spencer Greenwald F Wall Street Pub Houston TX 713-398-9260 C. Lawrence Heath F* The RASTER Line Houston TX 713-568-0825 Jeff Watts F X-Mansion BBS Astoria NY 718-204-0159 Benny Powell F The Downward Spiral Burlington VT 802-860-2948 Jason Little F Brand X BBS Burlington VT 802-863-1591 Earl Benway B The Lost Realm Williston VT 802-864-7021 Joe Kanfer F Montmorenci Express Montmorenci SC 803-641-9090 Lloyd Vanfossen F Young Blood Killeen TX 817-699-2254 T.J. Gohl Q Oak Street BBS Ft. Walton FL 904-244-7434 Michael Fischer Q Extreme Online Jacksonville FL 904-363-6347 Eric Cohen F Nature Coast BBS Weeki Watchee FL 904-596-6234 Kim Breckenridge F Steel Dog Cafe' Destin FL 904-654-9385 Keith Schultz F Starbase : Red Dwarf Saugerties NY 914-247-9601 John Dragun B Gotham City BBS Spring Valley NY 914-426-3029 Gerald Schranz F Orion BBS Odessa TX 915-530-2712 Dennis Brown F Snart's Dreamland Collinsville OK 918-371-0980 Jeff Bennett F Electronic Hangover Durham NC 919-286-4542 Richard Lee F Psychotronic Durham NC 919-286-7738 Richard Lee F* TI-Raliegh Maximus Raliegh NC 919-833-3412 Walter Tietjan F Crystal Winds Raliegh NC 919-870-9785 Mike Gurkin F* Allied Group Kresgeville PA *MAIL ONLY!* Robert Zellers __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comic Book E-Mag is published weekly by the members 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 latest issue is always available from any of the systems linked into The Comic Book Network. Issues may be obtained through several online pay services as well (ie; AOL, CompuServe, GEnie). Submissions are encouraged. Please address submissions to the internet address: ComicBkNet@aol.com or send directly to one of the Network Administration Team members: Mike Imboden, Ed Dukeshire, David Leblanc, Walter Tietjen, Bobb Waller. If you wish to receive these issues automatically through your internet account, please address a message to ed.dukeshire@ecis.haverhill.ma.us to be placed on the subscription list. You are required to at least acknowledge receipt of the issues from time to time. __________________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - End of Issue .. see ya next week!