release 05.23.99 TEXT-ONLY VERSION
***
This issue at a glance:
TOP____________________________________________________
* The eZine is back!
* August Hype
NEWS___________________________________________________
* Faust Goes COLOR!
* The Razor comic London Night didn’t want you to see:
Pandora/Razor from Avatar Press!
* Faust is Covered
* Retailers: Reorders Get Easier
* Quinn gets Stoker Nominations
* Catch of the Day: Medora
* Roster: LaRocque, Hoover, Petras unleashed
at Avatar
* Beta Testers Needed for Quinn Forum
* Midnight Doyle Preview/Offer
* Faust Film
EDITORIAL______________________________________________
* BEER COMMANDOES: Diamond’s (!) Vince Brusio talks
about beer drinkin’ & hell raising in Pittsburg
* AVATAR GOES WILDE by Gary Petras
* FAN REVIEWS by Paul Dale Roberts
***
WE’RE BACK!
Welcome back to the slightly-irregularly released news
zine of Avatar Press. Good to see so many new addresses
on the list this time, and thanks to all who wrote in
asking us to get this thing out the door (well, down the
wire, thru the router, etc, etc.). We definitely
appreciate your enthusiasm and support.
So what have we been doing lately? Well, getting the
books out and making ’em as good as possible, of course.
A good chunk of our time the past few weeks has been
spent working out the bugs in a new printing process
that will make all the books look that much better
(although we’ve ALREADY got one of the best looking
black-and-white lines in comics. Compare us to the
others and decide for yourself).
We’ve also got a bunch of new online stuff in the
works, as well as new books coming on board, and,
well, just read on and see…
***
AUGUST HYPE
August is the usual kick-butt month from Avatar. Here’s
the short version of what you need to know:
**Faust: Book of M #2: Faust in COLOR! An all-new
mini-series from Quinn & Vigil!
**Pandora: Devil’s Advocate #3: David (Ascension, Batman/
Darkness) Finch returns with another killer cover!
Rick Lyon interiors seal the deal.
**Allura Nudes #1 & Nira X Summer Splash #1: Mausketeer
Alert…It’s a Bill Maus Art Attack!
**Secrets of the Ravening #1: Jacen Burrows shows why he’s
one of Avatar’s rising stars.
**Threshold #19: Wilde Knight debuts by Dave (Captain
America) Hoover and Gary Petras. Furies continues by
Gregory and LaRocque (Flash, Legion of SH), and a
Pandora short by Rick Lyon.
**Widow X #4: The man who’s done monsters for Dark Horse
and porn stars for Carnal brings the best of those
worlds together. How? You gotta read it…
**Cuda BC #1 Signed. Excavated from the Rebel Studios
vaults, and signed by Tim Vigil!
You can get the complete scoop on all these comics,
including variants, prices, and cover graphics, at:
http://www.avatarpress.com/aug99.htm
***
The Beast Unleashed: New Faust: Book of M Series in
Color from Avatar
Urbana, IL – Avatar Press, Inc. announced today that the
company will publish Faust: Book of M by the acclaimed
creative team of Faust: Love of the Damned and 777: The
Wrath, David Quinn and Timothy Vigil. This groundbreaking
series, which features all-new material, marks the first
time the legendary indy comics saga has been published
in color. Faust: Book of M will be available in July.
“To me, Faust: Book of M is all about unleashing David Quinn
and Timothy Vigil on an unsuspecting comics readership,”
says Avatar Press Editor-in-Chief William A. Christensen.
“As for those fans who’ve been saying they’d try the book if
only if it were in color, well… you know what they say
about dealing with the devil,” laughs Christensen. “He
gives you exactly what you asked for, and then some. You’ve
told us you like your comics dark and dangerous, and you’ve
made comics that pretend to be those things bestsellers.
But what will happen, I wonder, when you see the real thing,
and this time you stop and notice it because it’s in color?”
Faust: Book of M takes place deep in the mind of M, ripping
open doors that were closed in Faust: Love of the Damned and
Faust / 777 The Wrath: Darkness in Collision. And who is M?
Well, we all really know who he is, hints David Quinn, “Our
cultural devils, mephistopheles, satans, and lucifers are
one-dimensional saturday morning cartoons compared to the deep
despoiler known as M. We designed M to be as world-weary, wise,
pleasure-seeking, and ripely seductive as the being who first
fell from God’s grace would be. When M’s on his game, he’s
beyond good and evil, and he defines sick, sick love.”
***
The Razor Book London Night Didn’t Want You to See:
Pandora/Razor from Avatar
Urbana, IL – Avatar Press, Inc. announced today that the
company will publish Pandora/Razor: Devil Inside, a crossover
saga featuring two of the indy comic scene’s most popular
characters, with art by fan-favorite Rick Lyon and cover by
the dream team of Matt Haley (Batgirl) and Matthew Clark
(Wonder Woman). The comic, which was originally scheduled
for release in January, 1998 and had been a subject of
litigation between Avatar and London Night since that time,
will finally be released in July, 1999.
“Everette Hartsoe has signed a settlement agreement regarding
this and other matters, and the situation has finally been
resolved to my satisfaction,” says Avatar Press
Editor-in-Chief William A. Christensen. “Avatar Press is
going to give Razor fans what they’ve been waiting for all
these years: the best creators on the indy scene totally
unleashed to do their thing with comics’ premiere goth girl.
Furthermore, Hartsoe has no editorial control over these comics
whatsoever, so you’re going to be seeing some things you never
thought you’d see in a Razor story. And yes, that means
there’s going to be more than one of them. Pandora/Razor is
just the first stop on a long, dark journey for Razor
and some of the other London Night characters. The entire
saga will unfold over the next couple of years or
so – all from Avatar Press. ”
***
FAUST IS COVERED
We’re probably just a little late with this tidbit, but on
the other hand you Faust-Fans are a tenacious bunch, so if
you want to seek this stuff out, we doubt anybody can stop
you. Faust’s CLAIRE is featured on Diamond’s Previews Adult
catalog cover this month (a wraparound, no less… the girl’s
got some long legs, you know), and Faust: Book of M is the
cover feature on FM International’s RequestLine catalog.
***
RETAILERS: REORDERS GET EASIER
We’ve heard from some of you in recent weeks that it has
sometimes been tough to get reorders on Avatar Press
comics through Diamond. We think we’ve finally tracked that
problem down. Apparently, a computer glitch there had made
it a little tougher to get our stuff through their system than
it should have been, and that problem has now been solved.
So if you find yourself needing extras, and you’re a Diamond
account, please give them another shot (and let us know how
things go). Special thanks to the folks at Diamond for
helping us track this down.
***
QUINN GRABS STOKER NOMINATIONS
Congratulations to David Quinn for garnering two Stoker noms
this year for his work on Lady Death and NIGHTVISION. The
Stokers are awarded by the Horror Writers of America
organization, and Quinn joins Preacher scribe Garth Ennis
as the only double nominees in the comic category this year.
Nightvision debuts at Avatar in Threshold #17 and #18, which
should still be available for preorder just about everywhere.
***
CATCH OF THE DAY: MEDORA
Long time indy fans are probably familiar with the work of
Angelo Furlan and M. Gerald Delany, the writer and artist
of the long-running Sinnamon title from Catfish Comics. As
many of you also noticed, this duo recently launched a new
title called Medora. We noticed too, and asked them to
bring Medora to Avatar. Watch for more details in an
upcoming press release.
***
ROSTER: LAROCQUE, HOOVER, PETRAS UNLEASHED AT AVATAR
And speaking of big catches, we’ve landed the services of
quite a few other talented creators in recent weeks as
well.
GREG LAROCQUE is an artist who’s just about done it
all in comics, from Flash, LOSH, and Web of Spider-Man to
his recent Crybaby title from Exiled Studios. Greg’s first
work at Avatar will be FURIES in Threshold #18.
DAVE HOOVER and GARY PETRAS are teaming up to bring you
WILDE KNIGHT in Threshold #19. Hoover, of course, is
another creator most of you are familiar with for his work
on Captain America and other Marvel titles. Be advised,
though… Wilde Knight sure ain’t no Captain America!
***
BETA-TESTERS NEEDED FOR QUINN FORUM
We need a little help from a few of you to test this
diabolical forum we’re cooking up with David Quinn.
That’s right, Quinn is going to be up online discussing
Faust, 777, Nightvision, Luna, the Faust Film, and whatever
else comes up with you guys. For now, just let us know
you’re interested by emailing avatar@net66.com, and we’ll
give you the link when we move into the testing stage.
***
MIDNIGHT DOYLE PREVIEW/OFFER
It’s one of those times that the cliche is
true: The Midnight Doyle Special #1 is a book that
YOU demanded. Brian LeBlanc’s erotic retro scifi
saga featuring private dick Doyle has had readers
of Threshold and Raw Media clamoring for more.
Midnight Doyle Special #1 is also the perfect
chance for new readers to check out this seriously
great adults-only stuff: Bizley-esque artwork
and sexy scifi action that’s made LeBlanc a
favorite among Threshold and Raw Media readers.
Check out a comic preview of Doyle at:
http://www.avatarpress.com/cplayer/doylesp.htm.
And if you like it, we’ve got a net-exclusive
variant cover available for purchase online.
***
FAUST FILM UPDATE
David Quinn informs us that he’s just about finished up his
script rewriting duties for the movie version of Faust:
Love of the Damned, with director Brian Yuzna intending to
begin filming this month or shortly thereafter.
Producer/Director Yuzna, with his solid grounding in indy
horror flicks, is well suited to the task of bringing Faust
to life on film. His various producer and/or director
credits include Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead III,
H.P. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon, and Progeny.
If you’re a frequent movie renter in the U.S., you’ve
probably seen the Progeny trailer in recent weeks. Now,
imagine the slick production values and craft you see
evident in Progeny combined with Vigil’s vision and
Quinn’s script… plus the freedom that comes with making
the film as a low budget indy, and you begin to see that
things could get pretty interesting here…
***
BEER COMMANDOS AT THE PITTSBURG COMICON by Vince Brusio
[Faust & Widow fan Vince Brusio is Writer / Ad Coordinator
for Diamond Comics Distributors PREVIEWS Catalog, as well
as Diamond’s Web Page Wizard. This article, an edited
version of which will appear in an upcoming Previews or
on Diamond’s web page, is (c) 1999 Vince Brusio, portions
(c) 1999 Diamond Comics Distributors, Inc.]
Part I: The Setup: Friday morning, April 23. After a
night of grueling web work I asked my pal in purchasing
if he had got us tickets for the trip to Pittsburgh
Comic Con.
“I haven’t had the chance to catch up with the man
yet,” he said, swiveling around in his chair, and leaning
back. “But I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Anyway, if
I have to, I can always bluff myself in like last year.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have a business card. I’m not part
of the omnipotent Purchasing team. Y’know, all I am is
a lowly editorial writer who makes suck-ass comics
sound good.”
“You know who’s going to be there,” the grand wizard
said, changing the subject, “your boy Tim Vigil’s gonna
be there.”
“Get the hell out of here,” I said, grinning, “Fucking
Vigil’s gonna be there? Is he gonna be surrounded by
severed heads and topless babes?”
“Well, all I know is that if you walk up to him and say,
‘Hey Tim, draw me a picture of Wolverine,’ you’ll get a
shitty piece of garbage. [editor’s note: Now Vince, that’s
not exactly true. If Wolverine was an Avatar title and
Tim was drawing it, well… the mind boggles.] If you
tell him you want something nasty, you’ll get a Rembrandt.”
Part II: Loading the Truck: Beware, cruel world. This
soldier of fortune was prepared for vicious Pennsylvania
mountains that would keep any Nissan trapped in a syrupy
second gear. An arsenal lay before us. A bright red Coleman
cooler was iced down and filled with multi-colored glass
and plastic bottles that contained liquids like Southern
Comfort, Jolt cola, and a variety pack of micro-brews.
The whole life-support system was secured inside the
truck’s bed directly behind our seats with a thick rubber
bungi cord, so all my partner would have to do was slide
back the rear window, reach outside the cab, stretch his
arm to the limit, and open the white lid to pull out an
alcoholic or high- caffeine beverage.
Part III: The Arrival: We had sniffed a bottle of rubber
cement by the time we had cleared the major mountains,
and had reduced our speech to caveman slurs and grunts,
making us incapable of communication or understanding big
green road signs. A wrong exit found us backtracking,
and we lost about 10 miles before I found a break in the
highway’s concrete divider and barreled the truck illegally
back onto the adjacent lane that took us north to the
Pittsburgh Comic Con.
When we finally entered the show, my partner was
immediately attacked by publishers who had waited for us
since we had missed our early breakfast appointment in the
comfort of their hotel room. They joked how they had placed
bets on whether or not we were dead somewhere on the
Pennsylvania turnpike, and if they should even bother to
keep an eye out for us should we magically arrive at a later
time that day. Touched by their compassion, my partner shook
his head and looked at his watch to see how late we had
arrived as compared to when we should have first shown up
with a schedule of meetings and promo prizes to give away.
Two hours late. “Whatever,” he muttered, and fished through
his bag for his note pad.
Part IV: Are You Experienced?: Left alone, I decided to head
back to the truck for my own special brand of refreshments,
and take out the books that I wanted signed from their
protective Mylar sleeves. Buying books at this show was
secondary. Writing the article would come after the headache
trip home. Getting John Totleben to sign my Saga of The Swamp
Thing #37, or Tim Vigil to sign my Faust #1, or Mark Waid to
sign my Captain America #1, or George Perez to sign my
Avengers #1, or Scott Lobdell to sign my Fantastic Four
#1…these were landmark books that were popular as Mickey
Mouse, and to have them graced by signatures of the big guns
was like meeting the President…or hitting the lottery.
I almost fainted after meeting John Totleben. He was a
thin man. Quiet. In tune with a silent chorus as he sketched
with a small pencil. The monster he drew looked a lot like
the deformed Alec Holland. His work was displayed, and I
trembled at its touch. “The holy grail,” I murmured, after
I shook his hand and left him. “I’ve touched the holy grail.
Oh, god! Sweet Jesus, it was him.”
After this meltdown, I was totally immersed in thick
psychic oxygen. Cryptic announcements reverberated throughout
the place. Strange men and women in costumes brushed past me
and licked their lips. The Max-Alerts and Mickey’s kicked in,
and I watched Tracer the Sword Carrying Heroine talk to me
through still-life mannequin communication. I passed by
Widow creator Mike Wolfer’s table, whose ongoing series for
Avatar Press is now surprisingly three months ahead of
schedule. Mike had several spiders crawling over his arms
while he boasted that there was a better chance for a
snowstorm in hell then there was for his book to ship late.
I half- listened to this child of Alice Cooper, while
someone near Mike’s table displayed an item that was
purchased at the CBLDF auction that would, and I quote,
“never be touched by mere mortal hands.”
The momentum of the show was in full gear, as everyone
who was a pro at this sort of thing had the chance to survey
retailers’ tables and pass by creators at least two or three
times. The preliminary research was far over with. The
experienced collectors, the hungry ones, were now going for
the throat. It was time to maneuver. By mid-day, those who
had been at the show since its opening were now freely trading
money for the books that they had been hunting.
Stand back from the sharks in the feeding frenzy, as the
water becomes murky, and the blood begins to spill…
***
AVATAR GOES WILDE by Gary Petras.
Like a true nature’s child she was born to be wild. Cheyenne
Wilde is a Native American Indian beauty. She is the
ultimate nature girl living a dream existance in a new Eden.
A pristine paradise. But the serpent has arrived in the guise
of a corrupted, polluted and false liberty, spewing a venom of
hatred.
W.A.R. – Warriors for the Advanced Revolution – is bent on
establishing a government of their own and living in their
small minded world of twisted, racist and perverse logic
and history.
‘Savages’ (appearing in Threshold #19) is the first story
in Cheyenne’s ongoing saga. It reveals the origin of the
innocent, dream-like world of the Native American girl
Cheyenne Wilde as it is shattered and she is reborn through
death, destruction and fire as the avenging angel…
Wilde Knight.
Breathtaking artwork highlights this stunning new series, which
was more than a year in the making. If you are brave enough
to join Wilde Knight on her deadly and dangerous adventures
then we guarantee you will never be disappointed. It is a
world filled with uncommon beauty, this includes the stunning
beauty of Cheyenne Wilde herself, and the wildness of her being
and her surroundings.
She is at times both the innocent child of the wild and the
savage, uncontrollable beast of the wilderness.
***
FAN REVIEWS by Paul Dale Roberts
Name: Dream Walker – Carousel #1
Price: $3.00
Written and Drawn by: Jenni Gregory
Comments: Jenni has a subtle approach to her artwork. It’s clean,
in focus and done with a pleasant touch. Her artwork is pleasing
to the eye. The cover is one that you sit back a bit and try to
figure out what is going on, as you see the character Karen
sitting on a carousel with a somewhat confused look on her face
playing with butterflies. Jenni’s covers even tell a story, which
is highly unusual.
The beginning of the story focuses on Karen and Cori casually
strolling through the park and having a heart to heart talk about
the places where they work at. Karen is very descriptive of the
tight security of the collection agency she works at and making
calls on bounced checks. Cori describes the art museum she works
at and both women are talking in terms that seem only too
realistic. I felt like I was walking next to them and doing a
bit of eavesdropping. Cori has a way of delivering sexual
connotations when interpreting what her friend Karen is
relating. This is a real turn off for Karen. Cori tries to
convince Karen to go back to the clinic and Karen relates
her fears and describes the dreamwalking state.
Jenni has a way of making you feel like you’re part of the
storyline. She delivers the story with realistic clarity and
keeps the plot fine tuned.
Name: The Goon #1
Price: $3.00
Written and Drawn by: Eric Powell
Comments: The great humor will have you laughing at this
horror tale. Would you believe a Zombie Priest is making a
crime family from the dead and the Goon disturbs their plans every
time? The Goon now has a $50,000 bounty on his head, placed there
by the Zombies! One werewolf bounty hunter tries
to collect the bounty and the muscled bound Goon deals with him
swiftly! At the end, another superb cliffhanger as the Goon is
kicked back at his home, watching tv and drinking a beer and the
doorbell rings. Outside is a pizza delivery zombie with an army
of zombies behind him!! This comic book makes ‘Night of the
Living Dead’ look second rate! It’s entertaining, funny and will
have your hair standing on end! Absolutely outstanding!
************