AVATAR_E-ZINE__________________________release_03.09.00
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* you can place orders for the comics mentioned
here at: http://www.avatarpress.com/aoapr00.htm
http://www.avatarpress.com/aomay00.htm
http://www.avatarpress.com/aojune00.htm
* you can check out the latest release info and
graphics at:
http://www.avatarpress.com/apr00.htm
http://www.avatarpress.com/may00.htm
http://www.avatarpress.com/june00.htm
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This issue at a glance:
NEWS___________________________________________________
* APRIL-JUNE RELEASES – Ellis, Quinn, Vigil, Wolfer,
Rio, Burrows, Xavier, and more!
* QUINN NABS STOKER NOM FOR BOOK OF M
* THE WORD OF ELLIS
* AVATAR EXPANDS TRADE LINEUP
* STAATS JOINS AVATAR STAFF
* FAUST FILM PICS RELEASED
* EZINE CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
EDITORIAL______________________________________________
* THE BEST COMIC YOU’VE NEVER READ by Jason Foster
* WHY COMICS AREN’T FOR KIDS ANYMORE by MTJ
* IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER by R. Ian Jane
* CATCHING UP WITH BLYTHE by MTJ
* FAN REVIEWS by MTJ
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APRIL RELEASES
**Strange Kiss Script Book – Warren’s original scripts
for the series, additional commentary, plus how to
write horror comics by Warren Ellis!
**Faust: Singha’s Talons #3 – Quinn and Vigil continue
the carnage with Joanna Tan, Cabal, and the mysterious
Fallon.
**Threshold #27 – Featuring Dark Blue by Warren Ellis,
Dream Wolves, and Lookers.
**Faust: Claire’s Lust – The completion of the classic
‘Lust is Not Enough’ story by Quinn and Vigil!
*Al Rio’s Ana #1 – Al Rio unleashed! Ana complete and
uncensored. Adults only!
**Widow X #12 – featuring Emma and Brandi 51… only
from the mind of Mike Wolfer!
**Also available this month – Lookers Combo Special
Platinum Edition, Avengelyne/Pandora #1 Royal Blue,
and Cuda #0 Nude Premium Edition.
MAY RELEASES
**Cuda Trade Paperback – The complete saga available
in one volume at last!
**Faust: Singha’s Talons #4 – The Singha slashes to
the bitter end.
**Threshold #28 – Dark Blue by Ellis, Webwitch by
Xavier, Ravening by Burrows.
**Widow X #13 – You’re almost there…
**Plus: an excellent Avengelyne/Pandora cover from
Matt Haley, and more.
JUNE RELEASES
**Faust/777: The Wrath tpb – Darkness Collides in this
Quinn/Vigil saga.
**Nightvision #0 – Blythe returns! Covers by Vigil and
Sean Shaw.
**Threshold #29 – Warren’s Dark Blue, Webwitch by
Xavier, and Ravening by Burrows.
**Widow X #14 – Widow X goes out with a bang.
**Razor: The Furies Expanded – The crossover
continues.
**And: Al Rio’s Ana Prism Foil Edition, Avengelyne/
Pandora #1 McDaniel Cover, Faust: Singha’s #1/2
Beachum Cover, Pandora/Razor Original Art Edition,
and more.
**You can get the complete scoop on all these comics,
including variants, prices, and cover graphics at:
http://www.avatarpress.com/apr00.htm
http://www.avatarpress.com/may00.htm
http://www.avatarpress.com/june00.htm
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QUINN NABS STOKER NOM FOR BOOK OF M
Congratulations to David Quinn for earning a place on
the Stoker preliminary ballot for his work on Faust:
Book of M. The Stokers are awarded by the Horror
Writer’s Association for excellence in horror writing.
Quinn is joined in the comic category this year by
Neil Gaiman, Joe R. Lansdale, and others.
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THE WORD OF ELLIS
Depravity direct from the source! Comic fans will want
to make note of two not-exactly-comics we’ve got coming
up in early 2000. From The Desk of Warren Ellis
collects Warren’s infamous online writings from
1995-98, and the Strange Kiss Script Book gives you a
look at the source of that series, plus additional
commentary and a ‘how to write horror comics’ by
Warren. If you’ve ever wanted a glimpse at the mind
behind the madness, these two releases offer you the
perfect chance.
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AVATAR EXPANDS TRADE LINEUP
Avatar is pleased to announce an expanded lineup of
trade paperback and hardcover collections beginning in
May with the Cuda Trade Paperback. Quinn and Vigil’s
Faust/777 will be released shortly thereafter, to be
followed by other trades throughout the year. If
there’s an Avatar series you’d like to see collected,
let us know at avatar@net66.com.
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STAATS JOINS AVATAR STAFF
Please join us in welcoming our new production
assistant Terry Staats to the Avatar staff. Terry’s
name may be familiar to many of you for his ink assists
on Cuda and his work on a handful of other indy projects
over the years. A student of fine comic art from the
mainstream to the independent, Terry’s eye for the line
has already made him a valuable addition to the Avatar
HQ team.
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FAUST FILM FIRST LOOK
Filmax has begun to release production pics of the
Faust film. Check out www.comics2film.com/Faust.shtml
for several pics, and take a look at
http://www.cinescape.com/insider/faust%2C.jpg
for the first look at Faust in costume. Special thanks
to Rob Worley of Comics2Film for keeping us up to speed
on these developments.
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EZINE CALL FOR CONTIBUTIONS
Avatar readers and creators – we’re always on the
lookout for articles, reviews, commentary, hype, etc.
about our comics for the eZine. Please contact
avatar@net66.com for details. Very special thanks
to M. Terry Jackson, Jason Foster, and Ian Jane for
their contributions this issue.
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THE BEST COMIC YOU’VE NEVER READ
by Jason Foster
Maybe you’ve heard the name spoken furtively. In
whispers. Faust. Maybe you’ve seen it. Even read
through it. Perhaps you’ve shunned it, thinking it
just another comic full of sex and gore.
If so, you’re wrong.
Let me tell you why.
Reason #1. Tim Vigil.
When you think of detailed comic art whose name
comes to mind? If you said Joe Mad, go sit in the
hallway until class is over.
Jim Lee? Maybe. Lots of costume details, buckles,
pouches, and whatnot. But his figures have always
been a little stiff for my tastes. They look like
they were taken out of a catalogue. They’re too
posed for me. They don’t look like they’re doing
anything.
George Perez? Yeah. Highly detailed. Probably
spends hours drawing that Perez rubble alone. Few
people can match his excruciating attention to detail.
One of those few is Tim Vigil. Maybe you think
you know what “The Vig” is all about.
“All he does is gore. He’s sick. Twisted.”
Wrong again.
While yes, he does do gore, that’s far from the
extent of his abilities. Vigil has done work in many
genres, including scifi, horror, fantasy, and
superhero. He paints, he writes poetry, he’s studied
“real” art. And, IMO, is a master artist on par with
Frazetta or Wrightson.
Reason #2. David Quinn. Controversial, outspoken,
intelligent, and a helluva nice guy. For my money,
Quinn is the only American comic writer on par with
Moore, Gaiman, Morrison, etc. This man could be
writing novels. (And with any luck, will one day.)
Both Quinn and Vigil have the ability to be working
in the fields of literature and fine art respectively.
So why do they stay in comics? Pure love of the
medium. A medium that, sadly, for the most part has
rejected them.
When Quinn and Vigil get together it’s magic. And
nowhere is that magic more fully realized than on
Faust. Faust seeks to take the reader on a journey
into areas where the twin desires for love and
destruction meet, explode, and reform into new
configurations, shattering the boundaries of
convention.
And this is your chance to get in on the fun.
Available this month from Avatar you can get twice
the dose of Faust action.
Faust: Singha’s Talons continues the story of
Joanna Tan, the female Faust, and Cabal, rogue
mystic, as they seek to survive their struggle
with Fallon, the queen of pain.
Faust: Claire’s Lust delves into the history of
Claire, one of the most popular characters in the
Faust canon. The devil M’s fatal plaything. Who is
she? How did she get to be the way she is? Find out.
Other Quinn/Vigil series available from Avatar are:
777: The Wrath
Faust/777: The Wrath: Darkness in Collision
Faust: Book of M
Faust Hornbook
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WHY COMICS AREN’T FOR KIDS ANYMORE
by MTJ, Editor-In-Chief,
TBL Magazine (http://go.to/tblmagazine)
Maybe, it’s just me.
When I walk into a comic book store nowadays, I
tend to notice something, well, different. When I walk
into a comic store, and I see the customers actually
talking, buying, enjoying their favorite pastime, I
don’t see school age girls and boys (even with their
shouts of Pokemon! Pokemon!), or do I see teenagers,
decked out in the latest fashions, picking up a cool
‘X-Dude’ this or a rad ‘Bat-Guy Adventures’ that.
No, what I see in comic book stores nowadays, are
more and more faces like mine, wearing shirts and
ties, just having gotten out of their nine to fives,
to come down and buy something to read in their off
hours, and to shoot the breeze with people they know
and share interests with.
I’m talking about adults.
But how can this be…Comic book store owners
said that the longevity of the comic market was
going to be based on the fact that kids of pre high
and high school age were going to buy comics, were
going to have the greatest amount of income to spend
on comics, and that many a store owner could easily
sell many of the cookie cutter spandex hero comics
to these kids and get them hooked… to continue to
buy, buy, buy… and then teach the next generation
to do the same.
But here I am…And all I see are Adults. Buying,
spending, talking, arguing, reading…comic books.
By the dozens.
What gives?
Well, I’ll tell you what gives. It seems that no
one predicted this, but with the advent of two very
important pieces of electronic equipment, the home
video game console and the home based PC, the
demographics for comic buying have become much,
much, different than originally predicted.
Because of the home video game console, whether
Playstation, Nintendo 64, or Dreamcast, kids now have
full color interactive worlds of adventure where they
get to be the hero (or villain), and they get to call
the shots. As such, the interactive storyline has
replaced the imagination, and the gamepad has replaced
the requirement of patience and the suspension of
disbelief. Want to know how that battle with the Dark
Lord is going to turn out? Just skip to the last level
and execute your down-left-right-up-down-hard kick
move and watch him crumble before your eyes in 64
(or 128) bit glory. No muss, No fuss.
And no imagination.
On the other hand, as fans in the 80’s grew up with
their favorite comics, so did their quest for
imaginative stories, ideas, and life-styles. This
lead to the building of what today is called the
Internet, as more and more people foster communities
built ‘on-line’, and more and more people share
everything from what’s their favorite soft drink,
to what’s their favorite movie, to what comics they
like. This in turn has lead to a whole
‘cyber-industry’, in which in this, the ‘Information
Age’, has lead to an outgrowth of young and middle
aged adults enjoying the things they like the most…
openly, unharrassed. Not to mention, that since the
‘cyber-industry’ created a whole new surplus of jobs
for those qualified to work, and plenty of cash to
create a surplus of ‘disposable income’, more adults
now have the money to buy the items they want,
without worry. And their open to try new things,
and new ideas.
And in watching my fellow adults make their
purchases, and buy the items they enjoy, I see
that they are buying less and less of what
constitutes in my grandmother’s eyes a comic
book – ‘super hero muscle men’. They’re buying more
and more of what they like, not what is being
pandered to them. Fantasy Comics. Horror Comics.
Manga. Sci-Fi. Comics based on their favorite
television show. Comics by their favorite
creative teams, that speak in their voices, that
share their ideas and dreams.
It’s a beautiful thing to see.
For the Independent Comics Publisher, now is
a time of rejoicing. The old ways of obstacles
and hurting yourself trying to stay alive in an
overcrowded marketplace are now gone. Now, you
can take to the Internet, and market your title
and sell copies of your comic, before it goes to
the printers. Today is an age where the boundaries
are limitless, and if you can recognize the need to
cater to and speak the language of the adults buying
comics today, as opposed to speaking to the kids who
will be here today, gone tomorrow– then, my friend,
you grant yourself a longevity that no other publisher
can touch, that no other business can break.
Comics aren’t for kids anymore.
Comics are for adults.
And it’s the adults who will save comics books.
Period.
I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me…
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IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MATTER
by R. Ian Jane
http://www.angelfire.com/id/darkutopia/
Long time and attentive readers of David Quinn and
Tim Vigil’s collaborative efforts will know that
their work is littered with little references and
insider guest appearances relating to the comic book
industry. Here is a list compiling all the ones I’ve
been able to find so far. If anyone knows of one not
listed here, please post it on the Quinn forum!
ACT I
Pg. 1 (Splash page) – the copy of the New York Times
has two stories of interest in it. The first reads
“Northstar Unites With Rebel Studios” and the other
states “Quinn/Vigil Team Receives Kirby Award”.
Pg. 7 – 4th Panel, as Jade is flipping through the
medical files, many prominent comic artists are
featured: Neal Adams, John Buscema, Howard Chaykin,
Steve Ditko, Will Eisner, Mike Golden Gil Kane
(RIP, Gil), and in the back is Miller (presumably
Frank).
ACT II
Pg. 4 – A Rebel Studios sign is on the building
behind Jade and Ron.
Pgs. 10 & 11 – The cameraman looks a lot like
David Quinn and the reporter with the microphone
below him bears a resemblance to Vigil. I could
be wrong on this one.
Pg. 25 – The newspaper blowing across the street
in the 7th panel has a story on the front page
that reads “CBG Rates Northstar-Quinn-Vigil Team
D-Minus!” and another one reading “Comic Shop
Owner Shot Twice In…”.
ACT III
Pg. 9 – 5th panel, Jasper’s room number is 666.
Pg. 12 – 2nd panel, there are many prominent comic
book artists featured on the graves in the cemetary:
Gil Kane (1921 – 1981), Berni Wrightson (“May God
Forgive All that He Imagined”), Frank Frazetta (“The
King Is Dead, Long Live The King”) and John Buscema.
Pg. 20 – A Rebel Studios office appears in the back-
ground of the last panel.
Pg. 23 – Second panel, there is a crate in the
background that looks like it has the Northstar
logo on it.
ACT VII
Pg. 8 – A headline on the front of the New York Post
reads “Writer And Artist Get Arrested For Porno
Comic Book! David Quinn * Tim Vigil” then underneath
there is a cartoon of the pair, with a caption
underneath that reads “Not For Kids Anymore!”
Pg. 22 – Third panel, Quinn and Vigil appear on a
wanted poster in the background.
Pg. 27 – The intials TBV (Timothy B. Vigil) appear
on the license plate of the car behind the statue
of the lion.
ACT VIII
Pg. 11 – Fourth Panel, there is a Rebel Studios
Poster on the telephone pole and there are two men at
the bar, presumably Quinn and Vigil, one of whom, the
curlier haired one, is wearing a Rebel Studios jacket.
Pg. 11 – Eighth panel, there are flyers blowing around
in the corner which read, “Porn Comics, Not For Kids!”
and “Ten Year Olds Confess Of Having Sexual Ideas From
Reading Comic Book. What A Gag!” and “The New Republic
1991” as well as some other ones that are not visible
enough to make out all of the text.
ACT IX
Pg. 1 – There is a Rebel Studios sign outside
M’s window.
Pg. 19 – Frank Miller’s grave is in the cemetary,
along with Anton LeVey.
Pgs. 26 & 27 – Again, numerous artist’s names are on
the tombstones: Jack Kirby, (Wally) Wood, (Mike)
Kaluta, Simon Bisley, Steve Ditko, Berni Wrightson.
There is a man who looks a lot like Wolverine wearing
a Danzig t-shirt behind Jaspers grave. Frazetta also
has a tomb in the background.
ACT X
Pg. 21 – There is a statue of an Alien on the right
side of the first panel.
ACT XI
Pg. 27 – First panel, there is a statue of Cuda
fighting a giant snake in the foreground (Thanks
Jason!)
There are a few of these little tributes in
Faust/777: Darkness In Collision as well…
ISSUE #0
Pg. 3 – First panel, “Q.V.B” is spray painted on the
wall behind Joanna, referring to the creative team of
David Quinn, Tim Vigil and inker Johnny B.
Pg. 10 – First panel, there are Avatar boxes of Cuda
comics in the background as well as books referring to
Diamond Distributors and accounting and invoicing. The
filing cabinet drawers have the initials “DQ” on the
first drawer and “TV” on the second.
Pg. 12 – There is a piece of paper that says “Tim Vigil
is dead” under Joanna’s backside.
ISSUE #1
Pg. 4 – First panel, there is a book labelled “Avatar”
on the shelf.
…and Book Of M…
ISSUE #1
Pg. 14 – The Faust logo appears on the tombstone.
…and Cuda as well…
ISSUE #1
Cover – The Faust logo adorns Cuda’s belt.
…and even a few in 777: The Wrath!
ISSUE #2
Pg. 7 – Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer hangs on
the wall in the background of the first panel.
Pg. 9 & 10 – The gun shop in the first panel is
called Diamond Dist.
Pg. 12 – the initials “TBV” appear again on the
license plate.
ISSUE #3
Pg. 16 – “TV98” appears on the license truck of
the car in the first and second panels.
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CATCHING UP WITH BLYTHE
Threshold #17-18 (Nightvision- brief summary overview)
by MTJ, Editor-In-Chief,
TBL Magazine (http://go.to/tblmagazine)
It’s been too long since we’ve seen Blythe, once a
bright star, shining in the Rebel heavens, and it’s
been even longer since we’ve seen the creative
team of David Quinn and Hannibal King mold their
creation, shaping her destiny for all to bear witness.
Now, in Avatar Press’s capable hands, we get to
experience the cold kiss of Blythe again. And again,
its like a breath of fresh air. Quinn brings us up to
speed on what happened last to our hardened heroine:
After walking into a frozen lake at the end of the
original Nightvision series, Blythe is found by two of
her ‘sisters’, once human women, now forever changed
by the ens veneni virus, into creatures of damnation.
Beasties with a purpose: To avenge the deaths of
several of their ‘sisters’ at the hands of the tracer,
Blythe. To accomplish Blythe’s demise, the pair
seek to inject her with a dose of magically charged
retrovirus, hoping to force Blythe, in some weird
experiment, to the next stage of her evolution, and
thus thereby force her to give up her mad quest to
kill everyone of her lover’s broodmares.
If you have never experienced Quinn and King’s
masterpiece of gothic chic, then you are missing
out on some of the best the independent comic scene
has to offer: Hannibal King’s artwork has grown
since his last Nightvision episode ( Bad Blood:
Nightvision), and we are treated to exquisite panel
after panel artwork, highly detailed, yet not
cluttered, containing raw energy in every panel.
Quinn writes Blythe as he never left her, and has
matured her beyond her last appearance, the
Nightvision: All About Eve special for London Night.
Quinn handles the script in a way that brings out
the best both in his prose, and in Hannibal’s
direction of the art, as the two become
seamlessly whole.
Track down these issues of Threshold,
issues #17 & 18. Step into the darkness, and become
acquainted, or reunited, with Blythe and the world
seen through her Nightvision. You’ll be glad you did.
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FAN REVIEWS
The Goon #1-3 (mini-series)
Publisher: Avatar Press
Writer and Artist: Eric Powell
Review: What can be said: This mini-series kicks @ss!
The Goon, hired muscle for the town’s local mobster
boss, takes on all kinds of deranged characters in an
effort to just earn his living. Redneck werewolves,
mad scientists, giant apes, midgets with bowling balls
stuck to their hands,frilly vampires…oh yeah,
ZOMBIES! lots and lots of Zombies!! This series had me
splitting my sides at the hilarious one liners and
sight gags as the Goon, along with his short, smart
mouth pal Franky, get into more scrapes and hijinks,
each funnier than the last. If you’re a fan of E.C.
type horror, edgy humour that doesn’t pull any punches,
and great semi-comical, semi-adventureous art (Think
Wally Wood meets Graham Ingles meets Walt Kelly),
you’ve got a winner here! If you’re tired of spandex,
but don’t want to give up on well drawn fights, if you
like humour, but like it mixed with somthing other
than funny animals, pick this book up! It’s definitely
worth the recognition, or at the least, a good read.
You’ll be glad you did. (Rating: 4.5 out of 5)
Title: Pandora’s Chest
Issue: One Shot
Publisher: Avatar Press
Writer: William Christensen & Mark Seifert
Artists: Rick Lyon, Richard Pollard, Steve Scott,
Kevin Sharpe, Karl Waller, Steven Sandoval
(interior); Eric Powell (cover)
Review: In what could be described as a cheap and
easy comic, Pandora’s Chest is actually made up of
artwork that has been published before: using cover
pieces, interior panels, and previously published pin-
ups, Avatar puts together this primer, sort of in a
Marvel Comics Encyclopedic kind of thing, to narrate
the history of their flagship character, Pandora.
While I would’ve liked to have seen more new art
pieces in this story, nonetheless I can say I was
pleased. Seifert and Christensen do an excellent job
of tying in all together Pandora’s history, friends,
weapons, and foes, in a linear fashion that doesn’t
bore the reader. If you’ve never heard of Pandora,
or never tried an Avatar Press release, then you
should give this a shot. The cover price alone is
worth enough to give this issue a try, putting
it conveniently priced along with several other
mainstream comics. Recommended. (3.5 out of 5)
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