release 01.03.99 TEXT-ONLY VERSION
you can view this issue in html at
http://www.avatarpress.com/ez0199.htm
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This issue at a glance:
NEWS___________________________________________________
* Avatar, Rendition Join McFarlane & Spielberg for Top
Toy Honors
* Top Cow’s David Finch Covers Pandora
* Jeff Joins Joe & Tim in Vigil Family Comic Dynasty
* Quinn Unleashes Luna, Nightvision, Divas in ’99
* Kaos Moon journeys into Threshold lineup
* Call for Entries: $2000 Avatar Artist Deathmatch
* Avatar Web Site back from the Dead
EDITORIAL______________________________________________
* CREATOR’S FORUM: David Quinn
INFORMATION____________________________________________
* March Solicitations – order now from you local
comic shop or direct from avatar at
http://www.avatarpress.com/aomar99.htm
* Special Notice: Original sketches for The Goon,
Alizarin’s Journal, Dreamwalker available
as ordering incentives this month.
***
AVATAR, RENDITION JOIN MCFARLANE & SPIELBERG ON TOP TOY LIST
“In 1999 we want to do better. We’re going after number #1,” -Todd McFarlane, in reply to his company’s showing on the Reverend Rose’s infamous annual “Warped Toy” list.
“Of course you know, this means war,” Responds Rendition Figures VP William Christensen, whose Gwynn and Mercy figures also ranked (rankled?) with the Reverend Rose on his 1998 Warped Toy Top 10 list.
Gwynn is the protagonist of Avatar Press’s Snowman comic book by fan-favorite creator Matt Martin, while Mercy is a character from manga master Bill Maus’ Cyberangels pantheon. Rose ranked both figures due to sexual suggestiveness, and in a strangely Wertham-esque move found Gwynn particularly objectionable because her top, which is glued on, could be pried off.
Rose’s Warped Toy List, of course, has become a bizarre staple of the holiday season over the past few years, as the well-meaning Reverend attempts to evaluate the suitability of various playthings for consumers everywhere. The list is typically picked up by most major news outlets in the United States. Segments focusing on this year’s list have already been the feature of numerous television and newspaper stories, and have been picked up on the web on the AP Newswire and MSNBC, among other places.
Upstart Rendition Figures, whose Gwynn and Mercy figures are based on comic book characters published by Avatar Press, joins creators such as McFarlane and Steven Spielberg on this year’s list. But Christensen doesn’t plan to cede the title to the big boys next year.
“We’ve got figures based on David Quinn and Tim Vigil properties coming in 1999,” notes Christensen of next year’s Rendition schedule, which includes
figures derived from the works of two creators who are among the most notorious figures in comic book history, based on their work on comics such as Faust and 777: The Wrath.
“I think that makes us the odds-on favorite for ’99,” concludes Christensen. “If Todd wants the title, he’s definitely going to have to fight us for it.”
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TOP COW’S DAVID FINCH COVERS PANDORA
The long-awaited next Pandora mini-series is shaping up to be the best yet, and to make it even better fan favorite artist DAVID FINCH (Top Cow’s Ascension) has signed on to do the cover of issue #1.
Finch joins a stellar cast of creators on Avatar’s flagship company-owned title, as Matt Martin has already turned in a gorgeous nude cover for issue #1 and RICK LYON continues to make his mark as one of the best artists on the indy scene.
The Prelude to Pandora: The Devil’s Advocate takes place in Threshold #12 & 13, and the series will start summer ’99.
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JEFF JOINS JOE & TIM IN VIGIL FAMILY COMIC DYNASTY
Writer JEFF VIGIL is set to jam with father JOE VIGIL on SINNER, a sex and violence drenched tale of a demented vigilante debuting in Raw Media #3.
With TIM VIGIL providing the cover for this tale and TIM TYLER handling inks, this issue is a must-see for fans of no-holds-barred indy comics.
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QUINN UNLEASHES LUNA, NIGHTVISION, DIVAS IN ’99
Avatar is pleased to announce a slate of projects from indy comics legend DAVID QUINN in 1999. If you dig stuff by the likes of Garth Ennis and Warren Ellis, but haven’t checked out Quinn’s work yet, you’re missing out. In addition to the current FAUST/777 series, Quinn has several surprises in store for 1999, including:
**The original creative team of David Quinn and Hannibal King reunite for an all-new NIGHTVISIONseries at Avatar Press.
**Quinn joins rising Avatar star JACEN BURROWS on the adults-only DIVAS for Raw Media.
**The cat girl who makes the other feline females look like pussies, LUNA returns to Threshold for April ’99 from Quinn and CAESAR.
Get the good word from Quinn himself in the editorial section below.
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KAOS MOON JOURNEYS INTO THRESHOLD LINEUP
Acclaimed fantasy adventure series KAOS MOON is set to debut the first part of an all-new story in THRESHOLD #14.
Kaos moon is the story of Katja Zakkov, an accomplished medium who is also the channel forKaos Moon – an astral projection formed by Katja’s mystical mind. The series is written and gorgeously illustrated by creator David Boller.
See a preview of the stunning artwork at http://www.avatarpress.com/kaos.htm
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CALL FOR ENTRIES: THE $2000 AVATAR ARTIST
DEATHMATCH CHALLENGE
We here at Avatar Press believe we have the privilege of working with one of the finest arrays of creative talent this industry has to offer. On the indy scene, the range and talent of the people we work with is unmatched, and realistically we’re giving the big boys a run for their money too. Doing a lot better in many respects, in fact.
But we’ve learned something interesting about the nature of the beast in the two years we’ve been around… No matter how incredibly great it is, and no matter who’s doing it, everybody ELSE thinks that he could do it better.
It goes something like this: Let’s say we’ve got a Frank Frazetta fully painted comicbased on artwork and notes from a recently-unearthed Leonardo da Vinci notebook coming out. It’s published, and is eyeball-scorchingly great. The best comic book ever created.
But the next time we talk to Artist X, he’s gonna say, “Frank and Leo screwed that up man, I coulda done it better”. And practically every other artist we talk to is gonna say a variant on the same thing.
Gentlemen, here’s your chance to prove it.
We’re putting together a little contest in which professionals can submit artwork based on Avatar company-owned characters OR their own properties. We’re gonna publish a book of the entries, and then we’ll let the
fans vote.
There will be four categories with a $500 prize for each, but we’re working it so one artist could possibly walk away with the whole $2000, not to mention some serious bragging rights.
CATEGORIES
1) Best Overall Piece
*Based on whatever criteria the voters
(the fans!) deem important.
2) Best Babe Piece
*This IS Avatar, after all.
3) Most Awe-Inspiring Vision
*This one’s a little more complex…
It has to do with atmosphere, setting,
composition, background, etc… When you
see a great comic cover or movie poster
or ad, etc., it’s that thing that puts your
jaw on the ground and makes you think “YES!
I will pay my hard-earned money for this!”
4) Best Rendition of Avatar Character(s)
*The piece that best captures the spirit
and/or likeness of an Avatar company-owned
character.
ENTRY RULES
1) Any *published* professional, whether you have
worked for Avatar or not, is eligible to enter.
2) Your artwork must feature properties owned
by Avatar or YOU. Meaning: You can do
Avatar characters, you can make up new stuff
or use your own existing stuff, but you can’t
submit a piece based on properties not owned
by us or you. For example, you CANNOT submit
a Wonder Woman or X-Men piece, and you can only
submit a Spawn piece if you are Todd McFarlane.
3) This will be a mature readers publication, so
plan your artwork accordingly. That means
there CAN be nudity but not explicit sex, etc.
that would make the piece adults-only. Of
course, anything from mature readers to all
ages is welcome.
Published professionals, for now, start thinking about your piece and let us know you’re interested, and we’ll get you the complete details and deadlines as things develop.
Aspiring pros, hang tight for a bit, your turn will come… we’re working on a contest for you in Diamond’s Previews. And writers… your turn’s coming too.
As for you fans… sit back, relax, and get ready to make your voice heard — because yours is the opinion that REALLY counts.
*Let us know you want to enter by emailing: avatar@net66.com
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AVATAR WEB SITE BACK FROM THE DEAD
If you haven’t been by in awhile, you may want to check out www.avatarpress.com. We’ve got new articles, games, the latest solicitation and ordering info, a new original art for sale section, and most importantly… lots of graphics for all of your Avatar favorites.
http://www.avatarpress.com
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CREATOR’S FORUM: David Quinn
So you’ve heard that the psychosexual devils of Faust: Love of the Damned are in collision with the gutter angels of 777: The Wrath, right? I encourage you to check it out. If enough readers and retailers support the series, Tim Vigil and I will be able to bring you much, much more Faust, across all media, from novels, to statues, to (caught you smiling) multiplayer POV thrill-kill video games. But that’s not really what I wanted to talk about today.
I hope you saw Luna in Threshold #6. If you did, then you’ve met the cat with the body of a woman who makes all those other catsuit bitches look like pussies. And I say that with the utmost respect, my mistress. Caesar and I have a second story slated for Threshold #15, and an annual will follow. And that’s just for openers.
Astute readers among you may have noticed I am making a lot of room on my 1999 schedule for creator-owned work. Looks like you’ll still see some work-for-hire through Chaos, Sirius, and Top Cow, but since nothing’s going to save the business of comics but new readers, I think it’s time to do the most personal, most creative, most individual work I can. And that means creator-owned. In 1999, besides a slew of Quinn/Vigil jams, watch Avatar for my other personal projects. Some, like Divas, which will appear in Raw Media this spring, have been brewing for years, but no publisher was ever willing to take the heat for publishing it. Others, like Nightvision, have had a cult following for years, but never been produced for the monthly comics grind.
Nightvision is coming sooner than you know it, from Avatar. We’ll start it up with a story designed for new readers, then kick into monthly adventures of the ice goddess sexual creature killer.
Yeah, you got it. Nightvision is what I wanted to talk about today.
“If the eye could see the demons that people the universe, existence would be impossible. The demons are more numerous than we are.”
–The Talmud
Co-creator Hannibal King and I began working on Nightvision in December 1990 with some images and story fragments, a stone cold killer named Blythe, and a quote from the central religious tome of the Jewish faith, The Talmud.
Never read it? Well, from what I’ve seen, it’s just as chock full of drama as the Bible’s Old Testament. (In fact, parts of them are the same book!) These books, like all storytelling were designed to help us live, feel, and understand–and a big part of all that is dealing with our own darkness-our demons, if you will.
Blythe, like all of us, has moments when she can see her demons. But she’s a demon, too. Of course this isn’t the only story that explores this particular dilemma, but I think you’ll find it original and timely. Blythe’s demons happen to be sister survivors of an experiment in brutally toxic intimacy. Blythe had sex. A virus transmitted during sex changed her. She’s more vulnerable than ever, now, but she’s stronger than ever, with the gift of Nightvision, the ability to see the true face of horror.
From 1990-1997, Blythe’s first tale ran for four issues self-published through Rebel Studios, and two one shots sponsored by other publishers. Late last year, a trade paperback collected them all. Starting THIS year, Nighvision, created by the original Quinn/King team, relaunches in b/w mature readers monthly format from Avatar! If you think comics are losing their brains, their balls, and their spirit, DON’T miss it.
I’ll shut up now and drop in some quotes I picked up off www.amazon.com (the online bookstore website), where you can see what other folks are saying about Nightvision.
Blythe: Nightvision
by David Quinn, Hannibal King (Illustrator)
Paperback – 144 pages
“Quinn and King–No cookie cutter comics creators. Thorby’s first trade paperback is the work of two unique talents: David Quinn and Hannibal King. Sigmund Freud and William Blake both contribute to the premise(s) of what is decidedly not “just another vampire story. This is a comic for those who read Ellroy and wish he wrote horror. This is a comic for those who are more familiar with Otto Dix and H. Bosch than the hot comic book artist of the minute. This comic engages the mind.”
–Mort Castle
“The graphic novel that is truly graphic AND novel. A compilation of six of the best comics ever printed, according to reviewers in the U.S. and U.K. A vampire tale for the age of HIV, the dark, dank, and seamy story surrounds a supernatural “What If,” and runs it through to its(seeming) conclusion at a breakneck pace. Blythe, 200-plus-years-old (yet, like traditional Vampires, eternally young), is the first in a string of victims of a romance-era weird-science genetic engineering experiment (the product of which is a sexually-transmitted virus. Blythe is a “Tracer,” hunting down hundreds of misshapen, grotesque harpies, “Dyre beasts”, incubi, succubi, and “rifters” which were produced through the centuries by the virus. Blythe possesses Aetherial powers of Magick, destroying her prey and their foul and unspeakable progeny, by means both Spiritual and Physical. She alone is qualified, capable, and motivated to prevent our safe, normal, sane world from the creeping invasion of legions of unspeakable horrors, shambling in the darkness, seeking to feed on living, innocent flesh.
–Tom Tetzlaff
“This book reeks of love and hate and rage and pain and life and death and it all moves like a goddamn particle accelerator.
–Jay Bonansinga
“What _Vampire_Lestat_ *wanted* to be, yet hadn’t the guts! Fiercely viscious, with a nearly-humanist subtext, BLYTHE pounds away the effeminate, androgynous millstone from the neck of the vampire mythos. In an incredibly cinematic visual feast of nearly 200 pages, I was engorged with the film-noir delicacy of this book. I encourage anyone interested in truly SMART comics and graphic literature to buy, enjoy and share it.
–Egret Snow – Dubuque Daily Review
(5 out of 5 stars)
Chances are I’ll be back in this space to bend your ear again as the launch of Nightvision approaches. In the mean time, stay strong, say no to entertainment that insults your intelligence-and, as always, seize the night.
Yours,
David Quinn
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
In ten years of freelance scripting, David Quinn has written for nearly every reputable publisher in the business-and several disreputable ones-writing for every genre, from Disney Adventures to High Society magazine. He’s best known, however, as one of the original rebels of the Dark Age of comics–comics’ postmodern master of the macabre. In addition to scripting Avatar’s Luna, 777: The Wrath, and Faust/777: The Wrath, he’s contributed acclaimed stories to Dr. Strange, Carnage, and Ghost Rider (Marvel), Vampirella (Harris) and Lady Death and Purgatori (Chaos!). He also writes fiction, film scripts, and his “Not-for-Children-Children’s-Books,” like The Red Flannel Squirrel and The 13 Days of Christmas (Sirius).
David and his wife Diane, along with Luna, make their home in a dark little cottage just west of the Motor City.
THE NIGHTVISION TRADE PAPERBACK
Get ready for the upcoming Nightvision series from Avatar Press! By special arrangement with David Quinn, we are making the Nightvision TPB, published by Thorby, available for order through our web page. Copies ordered through this offer will be signed by Quinn at no extra charge.
Order it at http://www.avatarpress.com/nightv.htm
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March Solicitations at a Glance. These items are NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER from your local comic shop or http://www.avatarpress.com.
Go straight to the order form URL at http://www.avatarpress.com/aomar99.htm
You may also order simply by responding to this email.
RAW MEDIA QUARTERLY #3
by Vigil, Vigil, Vigil, Tyler, Jewett,
LeBlanc, Wolfer
(56 pgs, quarterly, adults-only)
*Vigil cover $4.95
*LeBlanc cover $4.95
*Wolfer cover $4.95
*Jewett cover $4.95
THRESHOLD #14
by Boller, Burrows, Quinn, Rebner,
Gregory, Christensen, Seifert
(56 pages, monthly, mature readers)
*Kaos Moon cover $4.95
*Ravening cover $4.95
*Ravening nude cover $6.00
*Calico cover $4.95
ALIZARIN’S JOURNAL
by Matt Busch
(32 pages, quarterly, full color, all ages)
$3.50
THE GOON #1
by Eric Powell
(32 pages, bi-monthly, all ages)
$3.00
DREAMWALKER: CAROUSEL
by Jenni Gregory
(32 pages, monthly mini-series 1 of 2, all ages)
$3.00
CREED COLLECTED TPB VOLUME 1
by Trent Kaniuga
(112 pages, Trade Paperback, all ages)
$12.95
THRESHOLD #7 FAUST/777 CONVENTION ED.
by Quinn, Vigil, Root, Lyon, misc.
(56 pages, special edition ltd to 500, mature readers)
$5.00
FAUST/777 ROYAL BLUE EDITION
by Quinn, Vigil, B.
(32 pages spec. ed. ltd to 100, mature readers)
$75.00
CUDA PORTFOLIO
by Vigil, Vigil, Tyler
(5 11″x17″ full color plates in full color envelope)
$24.95
RAVYN COLLECTABLE FIGURE VIRGIN WHITE ED.
(7″ articulated figure on color blister pack,
special edition ltd. to 1500)
MSRP $12.95
GLYPH COLLECTABLE FIGURE VIRGIN WHITE ED.
(7″ articulated figure on color blister pack,
special edition ltd. to 1500)
MSRP $12.95
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SPECIAL ORDER INCENTIVES FOR MARCH
Jenni Gregory, Eric Powell, and Matt Busch are providing a very special ordering incentive for comic retailers who order their books. For every 10 copies of each of their books ordered (Dreamwalker, The Goon, and Alizarin’s Journal) they will provide one special edition that includes an ORIGINAL SKETCH for free! You may want to ask your retailer how you can get your hands onone of these.
For those fans who order direct from Avatar, you can get a GOON sketch from Eric Powell when you order any 8 Avatar Comics this month, and an ALIZARIN’S sketch from Matt Busch when you order over $50 of comics & merchandise for the month.
You can order direct from Avatar at http://www.avatarpress.com/aomar99.htm
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