AVATAR E-ZINE

release 02.16.99 TEXT-ONLY VERSION

***
This issue at a glance:
NEWS___________________________________________________
* Avatar Launches Quantum Mechanics
* Avatar’s Nominations for ’99 Eisner Awards
* The Widow Series You Demanded: Widow X
* News Bits: * Donna Mia is Drawn by the Darkness
* Avatar Stomping Grounds Nation’s #2
Comic Market
* Faust is Germany’s #1 Indy Comic
* VCU library to be Avatar Archivists
* Time to Pick Up your Fuzzy Dice
EDITORIAL______________________________________________
* CREATOR’S FORUM by Tom Sneigoski
* FAN REVIEWS by Paul Dale Roberts
INFORMATION____________________________________________
* May Solicitations – order now from you local
comic shop or direct from avatar at
http://www.avatarpress.com/aomar99.htm

***
AVATAR LAUNCHES QUANTUM MECHANICS
Urbana, IL – Avatar Press has announced their first
foray into the science fiction genre with Quantum
Mechanics, a star-spanning saga which will debut in May
1999 in a self-titled two issue introductory series,
to be followed shortly by Munhgo, the first in a line
of Quantum Mechanics action figures from Rendition
Figures. A video game and animated series are also in
the early stages of development.

“I’ve been saying since the beginnings of Avatar
Press that we would launch a science fiction property
only when the right proposal crossed my desk,” says
Avatar editor in chief William Christensen. “And this
is the one I’ve been waiting for. It combines the epic
scope of Star Wars, the atmosphere of Blade Runner, and
the action of Starship Troopers.”

“Comics is the perfect medium for this kind of
story,” adds Quantum scribe Barry Gregory. “There’s no
concern for special effects budgets or set
construction, and you don’t have to pay union scale to
all the hundreds of extras milling about in each scene.
You just need a story and a great artist to put it all
down on the page.” And for that job Avatar tabbed
artist Jacen Burrows. Burrows has been getting quite a
few plum assignments at Avatar lately and anyone who’s
seen his work can clearly see why. “We’re creating a
whole new … and original … sci-fi universe,”
Burrows says. “There are a lot of things in here that
I don’t think anyone’s ever really thought of before.
This is a very unique universe.”

Quantum Mechanics is the saga of a great conflict
between a centuries old society of mystics known as the
Warrior Mechanics and an upstart, cult-like Theocracy
that controls and rules a hundred worlds with an iron
fist. The story begins with Arissa Boddu, a girl who
gets stuck right in the middle of the conflict between
the Warrior Mechanics and the Theocracy.

Quantum Mechanics #1 and the Munhgo the Basilisk
Collectable Figure will be available for pre-order from
Diamond Comics in their March issue of Previews.
Please consult your local comics specialty shop for
details or to find a comics specialty shop near you
please call the Comic Shop Locator Service at
1-888-266-4266. Quantum Mechanics #1 from Avatar Press
is 32 pages with black & white interiors and full color
covers. The regular cover (with art by Jacen Burrows)
is $3.50 and the deluxe wraparound variant cover (with
art by figure designer Karl Waller) is $3.95. The
Munhgo collectible figure from Rendition Figures stands
a menacing 8 inches tall and features 11 points of
articulation, a swivel neck joint, and all the amazing
detail and accessories you’ve come to expect from
Rendition Figures. Suggested Retail Price is $15.95.
The Munhgo collectible figure is also available in a
Previews Exclusive Stealth Armor variant!
Quantum Mechanics #1 can be ordered at your local
comic shop or http://www.avatarpress.com/aomay99.htm.

***
AVATAR ENTRIES FOR 1999 EISNER AWARDS
Avatar Press is pleased to announce its entries for
the 1999 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, a group
of awards in several categories given to the best
comics industry publications and creators of the past
year, presented under the auspices of the San Diego
Comic Convention.

According to information provided by the Eisner
Awards, an independent panel of judges will carefully
consider these and all entries from other publishers
and creators and will choose items for inclusion on a
final ballot, which will be distributed industry-wide
to comics professionals.

Avatar Press is making its own entries public in
recognition of the outstanding group of professionals
we have worked with in the past year. Ladies and
Gentlemen, we salute you.

BEST SHORT STORY
Donna Mia, Threshold #4 short – by Trevlin Utz
BEST SINGLE ISSUE (stand alone)
Ravening #1/2 – by Rick Lyon, Christensen & Seifert
BEST SERIALIZED STORY
Cyberangels, Threshold #1-3 – by Bill Maus
BEST CONTINUING COMIC BOOK SERIES
Threshold – by Matt Martin, Bill Maus, Mike Wolfer,
David Quinn, Tim Vigil, Caesar, Budd Root,
Rick Lyon, Barry Gregory and various.
BEST LIMITED COMIC BOOK SERIES
777: The Wrath – by David Quinn and Tim Vigil
BEST NEW COMIC BOOK SERIES
Avatars – by Barry Gregory and Albert Holaso
Mercy – by Bill Maus
BEST SERIES AIMED AT A YOUNGER AUDIENCE
Creed – by Trent Kaniuga
Dreamwalker – by Jenni Gregory
BEST ANTHOLOGY
Threshold – by Matt Martin, Bill Maus, Mike Wolfer,
David Quinn, Tim Vigil, Caesar, Budd Root,
Rick Lyon, Barry Gregory and various.
BEST WRITER/ARTIST – DRAMA
Mike Wolfer – Widow
Trevlin Utz – Donna Mia
BEST WRITER
David Quinn – 777: The Wrath, Luna, various
BEST PENCILLER
Tim Vigil – 777, Cuda
Rick Lyon – Pandora, The Ravening, Shimmer
Matt Martin – Snowman
BEST PAINTER – INTERIOR ART
Brian LeBlanc – Midnight Doyle
BEST COLORING
Barry Gregory – various
BEST LETTERING
Barry Gregory & Mark Seifert – various
BEST EDITOR
William A. Christensen
BEST COVER ARTIST
Tim Vigil – 777, Cuda, The Ravening, various
Matt Martin – Snowman, Pandora, Shimmer, various
Karl Waller – Threshold, Lookers, Pandora/Widow, various
BEST COMIC-RELATED ITEM
Widow Collectable Figure – Designed by Mike Wolfer
Snowman Collectable Figure – Designed by Matt Martin
BEST PUBLICATION DESIGN
777: The Wrath
Ravening #1/2

***
THE WIDOW YOU DEMANDED: WIDOW X
No, she’s not Nira’s arachnid sister… it’s Widow as
you’ve never seen her before. Widow X is an
adults-only Widow regular series which chronicles
Emma’s saga from the very beginning.
Regular readers will recall Widow creator Mike
Wolfer’s commentary back in the December ’98 eZine, in
which he debated the pros and cons of making Widow an
adults-only book, and asked for your input.

Mike and Avatar got some very, very well-thought out
commentary from many of you, and as a result of that
we’re launching Widow X, which starts at the very
beginning of the story with expanded, new adults-only
material.

Widow X is the best of all possible worlds for Mike’s
fans: a re-presentation of those ultra-rare early
stories for new fans, plenty of juicy new material for
existing fans, and a regular monthly release schedule
(we’re 2 months away from the scheduled release of
Widow X #1 as of this writing, and Mike is currently
finishing up issue #3). If you’re a fan of erotica
and/or horror comics, now is the time to give Widow
a try.

Widow X #1 can be ordered at your local
comic shop or http://www.avatarpress.com/aomay99.htm.

***
NEWS BITES
*DONNA MIA IS DRAWN BY DARKNESS
Those of you who keep track of the various online
newsgroups probably noticed the uproar over Victor
Schukov’s Montreal Gazette article “Drawn by
Darkness”, one of the periodic Fredric Wertham-
inspired attacks on our industry by people who learned
all they want to know about comics (and indeed, about
much of the rest of the world) by age 12. Sharp-eyed
Avatar fans may have seen the now-defunct Dark
Fantasies anthology mentioned in the article, which is
where the beginning of Trevlin Utz’s Donna Mia saga
was originally chronicled. Since Donna Mia is one of
the most literate comics on the market today, one
can’t help but wonder what might have happened if
Schukov had actually bothered to read the Donna Mia
material. He’d have surely been shaken up in a way
quite different from the one he outlined in his
article.

*AVATAR STOMPING GROUNDS NATION’S #2 COMIC MARKET
The Midwest U.S. may be flyover country for most of
you, but we do know our comics here. According to
information recently released by Diamond Comics
Distributors, Avatar’s hometown Champaign-Urbana,
Illinois is the nation’s #2 comic market per capita.
We’d like to think that our presence here and the
presence of our direct-sales agent, Comic Cavalcade,
has at least a little something to do with that. And
just imagine what YOUR hometown would be like if many
of your friends and neighbors read Faust/777, Nira X,
Cuda, Widow, Donna Mia, Dreamwalker, and so on. The
world would be a better place, surely…

*FAUST IS GERMANY’S #1 INDY COMIC
…and that world may be coming sooner than you think.
Germans, it seems, also know their comics. According
to a German publishing official, the recent German
edition of Faust #1 is that country’s best-selling
independent comic. Avatar is currently working to
bring a wide array of its titles to Germany and other
countries.

*VCU TO BE AVATAR ARCHIVISTS
Virginians are no slackers when it comes to knowing
comics either. Virginia Commonwealth University’s
James Branch Cabell library has become an archivist of
Avatar Press comics. VCU sounds like a cool place to
go to school.

*TIME TO PICK UP YOUR FUZZY DICE
We wouldn’t normally be ones to mention the fact
that a guy who’s done stuff for us has accepted work
on a sixty year old character from another company,
but this is definitely one of those times that Avatar
fans can say “we told you so”. When newcomer Matthew
Clark turned in his creator bio information last year
one of the things he said fans should know was that
“he likes to draw the ladies”, and that was readily
apparent to those who read the well-receive debut of
Matt’s “Fuzzy Dice” in Threshold #1 last year. No
doubt Matt will get plenty of opportunity to draw
lovely ladies when he takes over as regular penciller
on Wonder Woman this fall. Of course, those who want
to see his talent for drawing beautiful babes totally
unleashed will check out the Fuzzy Dice one-shot
from Avatar, available about the same time. If you
want to see what the fuss is about before then, you
can still get the Threshold #1 Fuzzy Dice cover
edition direct from Avatar… and don’t forget to
tell your unenlightened friends who only buy what a
magazine tells them to that you saw it first.
Threshold #1 can be ordered from the back issue
section of the Avatar Press web page at
http://www.avatarpress.com/bi.htm.

***
CREATOR’S FORUM by Tom Sneigoski

Hear the sound of thunder, people of shadow,
It is the hour of reckoning —
the harbinger of doom —

She comes.

The Cimmerian comes to close our eyes.
Tremble with fear for it is the beginning of the end.

The Twilight Book:
The Final Days.

Who or what is the Cimmerian? A question whispered
by the frightened population of a besieged, future
world.

It has been ten years since the coming of the
Monsters, since tears in the fabric of reality allowed
foul creatures of nightmare to cross over to our world.
Little by little the population fell. The people of
the world could not understand — could not grasp the
idea of a supernatural threat. And the human race
began its sad decline toward extinction.

Things looked bleak for the human species — until
something — someone began killing Monsters with
abandon. Each night, more and more of the invaders
fell against the mysterious attacker who became known
as the Cimmerian.

The Cimmerian, an angry goddess of the Monster
faith, is a savage deity whose purpose it is to decide
the fate of Monsters as they pass from this life into
the hereafter. It is written that should the Cimmerian
become displeased with the actions of her people, she
will appear to them, striking each and every one of
them down to death and oblivion.

Were the ancient Monster prophecies coming true? Was
the Cimmerian in fact unhappy with her followers, walking
among them, brutally ending theirlives? And
what had they done to so displease their goddess?
While her appearance has thrown the Monster community
into turmoil, it has brought humanity hope. They have
learned that the Monsters can know fear — that they
can be harmed. It has begun to inspire them to action,
to fight back against their would be conquerors.

But again the question, — who or what is
the Cimmerian?

A potent mix of horror, action and suspense, the
Cimmerian has the potential to deliver the thrills and
excitement generated by such titles as, HELLBOY,
WITCHBLADE, THE DARKNESS, and 777 THE WRATH.
Created and written by Tom Sniegoski, veteran of
SHI, VENGEANCE OF VAMPIRELLA, and most recently the
successful revamping of Marvel’s, THE PUNISHER, and
drawn by ultra hot penciller, Jacen Burrows, the
Cimmerian promises to be one of the most anticipated
new independents to come along in quite some time.

The Cimmerian is coming – – take back the night!

Cimmerian debuts in Threshold #16, available for
order from your local comic shop or direct from Avatar
at http://www.avatarpress.com/aomay99.htm.

***
FAN REVIEWS by Paul Dale Roberts

Name: Cuda #1, #2
Written by: Tim Vigil, Joe Vigil, Darrell C.L. Donald
Drawn by: Tim Vigil, Joe Vigil (both on pencils) and Tim Tyler/inks
Price: $3.50
Comments: Cuda is a barbarian warrior, scarred by black wizardry who fights with nothing more than muscle, steel, and a heart of burning fire! It’s Metal v. Magic, a sword and sorcery tale that is reminiscent of the first Conan the Barbarian movie. The series features highly detailed artwork, done by the Vigil brothers. If you’re familiar with the Vigils, you know that their artwork is of the highest quality with exceptional minute details. The opening shot of issue #1 shows Cuda mounted on his steed riding up against the Eastern shore of the City of Kalingar. This opening spread is absolutely breathtaking!

Tantalizing hints to this story: A man barters with evil and is rewarded with plentiful crops and his mantle adorned with the finest silver. He has pledged .his first born daughter, and there is no turning back.

But his daughter is beautiful and his love for her is strong. He realizes he can’t give her up, he must defend her. He faces death by the hands of a hulking gorilla and what the beast does to this man is horribly graphic, not for people who wear pacemakers!

I was saying the Vigils draw superb details. Imagine this from issue #2: “Atop the high battlement that surrounded the black tower of Caleth-Nah-Esh, beneath
the failing luminance of the waning moon, the two (that being Cuda and Zora) crouched in awe of the lush courtyard that stretched a hundred yards toward the dim horizon. Like a carnival of the arcane, or a zoo of the bizarre, the myriad of statues, foliage, and fountains seemed alive with menace in the flickering shadows cast by a handful of red-flamed touchiers.”

This passage describes what Cuda and Zora are looking at, and when you see the artwork for this one scene, you will know what I mean. This is a top grade comic book and Avatar has it!

Name: Faust / 777: The Wrath #0
777: The Wrath #1
777: The Wrath #2
777: The Wrath #3
Written by: David Quinn
Drawn by: Timothy B. Vigil
Price: $3.00 – $6.00
Comments: In Faust/777 we are reintroduced to Kia, a female winged demon and The Wrath, who deals out harsh punishment with nickel plated 45s and sheer brute force. Timothy Vigil does the artwork in all of the 777s and like I told you before, this guy can draw! Powerful action, graphic scenes, intense violence, sexual depictions and adult language is used… not for the teenie boppers!

Is there a story? You bet there is! Is the story going somewhere? You had better believe it! Is it horror? Like Forrest Gump would say…”as horror, as horror can be!”…well, he didn’t really say that, but you know what I mean.

But back to the beginning, the original 777 series. In #1, The Wrath of Man, it is said “Let them say: Fall on us and hide us… for the great day of the wrath has come, and who can stand?” Oh yeah, god is pleased.

The Wrath indeed subsequently proves that none of his enemies can stand against him, such as the priest who meets a rather graphic end in issue #2.

By issue #3 The Wrath thinks that by taking retribution, he can become closer to his god. And when he has finished, burned himself out, he falls from
a skyscraper. But Kia the demon, who considers herself to be god, does not let him free himself this soon. The ending will leave you absolutely speechless. What Kia does is shocking! Highly recommended.

Name: Threshold #11 (Maelstrom/Scythe story)
Written and Drawn by: Barry Gregory and Rick Lyon
Price: $4.95
Comments: Very unusual characters here, the most unusual one being Maelstrom, who once was a servant of the arch-demon Beset until she was forced to flee Hell.
She fled Hell to seek a noble cause and allies herself with the other main character of this story, Scythe.

This story is mythology come to life, with Hades and the 3 headed dog known as Cerberus included in this enchanting tale. Maelstrom and Scythe run a gauntlet through the Underworld. But the ones who are known as The Damned are confined in this part of the Underworld, and if Maelstrom and Scythe are touched by the Damned, they will burn.
If Maelstrom wants to join Scythe’s revolution against Hades, she must face the gauntlet and in this issue she does just that! Cerberus, the guardian of this plane of existence has sided with Scythe.

Adventurous story, gorgeous artwork and some nudity is depicted. A must see book!

***
MAY 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/aomay99.htm
You may also order simply by responding to this email.

QUANTUM MECHANICS #1
Retail Price: $3.50 US
Cover: Jacen Burrows
Writer: Barry Gregory
Artist: Jacen Burrows
Readership: All Ages
Format: B&W, 32 pages, monthly, (1 of 2)

QUANTUM MECHANICS #1 Wraparound cover
Retail Price: $3.95 US
Cover: Karl Waller
Writer: Barry Gregory
Artist: Jacen Burrows
Readership: All Ages
Format: B&W, 32 pages, monthly, (1 of 2)

FAUST / 777: THE WRATH #4
Retail Price: $3.50 US
Cover: Tim Vigil
Writer: David Quinn
Artist: Tim Vigil
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 32 pages, monthly, (4 of 4)

FAUST / 777: THE WRATH #4 Nude cover
Retail Price: $6.00 US
Cover: Tim Vigil
Writer: David Quinn
Artist: Tim Vigil
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 32 pages, monthly (3 of 4)

NIRA X: HISTORY #2
Retail Price: $3.50 US
Cover: Bill Maus
Writer/Artist: Bill Maus
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 32 pages, monthly, (2 of 2)

NIRA X: HISTORY #2 Nude cover
Retail Price: $6.00 US
Cover: Bill Maus
Writer/Artist: Bill Maus
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 32 pages, monthly, (2 of 2)

THE GOON #2
Retail Price: $3.00 US
Cover: Eric Powell
Writer / Artist: Eric Powell
Readership: All ages
Format: B&W, 32 pages, bi-monthly series

THRESHOLD #16 – SCYTHE cover
Retail Price: $4.95 US
Cover: Tim Vigil (fully painted)
Writers: Sniegoski, Gregory
Artists: Jacen Burrows, Pat Quinn, Rick Lyon
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series

THRESHOLD #16 -AVATARS cover
Retail Price: $4.95 US
Cover: Sean Shaw
Writers: Sniegoski, Gregory
Artists: Jacen Burrows, Pat Quinn, Rick Lyon
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series

THRESHOLD #16 – CIMMERIAN cover
Retail Price: $4.95 US
Cover: Jacen Burrows
Writers: Sniegoski, Gregory
Artists: Jacen Burrows, Pat Quinn, Rick Lyon
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series

THRESHOLD #16 – MAELSTROM Nude cover
Retail Price: $6.00 US
Cover: Tim Vigil (fully painted)
Writers: Quinn, Gregory, Christensen, Seifert
Artists: Caesar, Pat Quinn, Jacen Burrows
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 48 pages, monthly series

WIDOW X #1
Retail Price: $3.95 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer/Artist: Mike Wolfer
Readership: Adults Only
Format: B&W, 40 pages, monthly series

WIDOW X #1 Nude Wraparound cover
Retail Price: $6.00 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer/Artist: Mike Wolfer
Readership: Adults Only
Format: B&W, 40 pages, monthly series

WIDOW X #1 XXX Adult cover
Retail Price: $6.00 US
Cover: Mike Wolfer
Writer/Artist: Mike Wolfer
Readership: Adults Only
Format: B&W, 40 pages, monthly series

Quantum Mechanics Series 1: MUNHGO collectible figure
MSRP: $15.95
Format: One 8″ full-color, highly articulated collectable figure in a full color box

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