Time Special Feature

Pope Benedict XVI declares: Netzer is the Anti-Christ!

In a fiery sermon addressing Christians of all denominations, from St Peter's Square in Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI accused comics activist Michael Netzer of spreading deceptive commentaries on the Gospels and declared him to be the Anti-Christ, awaited by believing Christians prior to the return of Christ to the world. The sermon came on the heels of Netzer's strong criticism of the Christian Coalition's efforts to pass a new anti-abortion bill in Washington and the Pope's support of Bible-thumping candidates for the upcoming elections in the United States.

The dramatic declaration was apparently intended to curb growing support for Netzer's Creator's Party, which recent polls indicate has risen to 27%. Experts indicate, however, that the Pope's message may actually tip the scales in favor of The Creators and pave the way for a major political upset later this year, heralding the end of the 2 party system in American politics. While both Republican and Democratic spokesmen welcomed the Pope's speech, Rick E. Myerson, a leader of the Liberal Religious Coalition, had this to say about the declaration:

The dilemma which the Christian Coalition faces today is two-fold. First, the advent of the Anti-Christ is a cornerstone of Christianity and deeply rooted in the prophecies of the Bible, which tell of his rise on the world stage, bringing an age of peace and prosperity to the world. Only when he finishes his mission, will he "come to his end" - or be killed - as the prophecies say, paving the way for Christ's return. Christians will now be torn between their inbred fear of this phenomenon and their commitment to fulfilling Biblical prophecy. This means that for the first time in American politics, we may witness a major shift in the way the Christian Coalition votes - and a turnover to supporting The Creators in order to help make the prophecies come true. Secondly, Netzer himself has challenged the Christian world by claiming that he'll give himself in to a public execution and will rise from the dead after 3 days. This challenge is dividing the Christian world and rallying many of its proponents to support The Creators in order to prepare the way for this event, which they believe is in accordance with the prophecies about the Anti-Christ.

The Liberal Religious Coalition has repeatedly denounced the conservative leanings in Christianity, pointing to Jesus himself as being the first liberal and ultimate humanist in history. Michael Netzer and The Creators exemplify this same spirit and have our full support in the upcoming elections.

Presidential candidate for The Creators' Party, Neal Adams, commented on the Pope's declaration, in a press conference from the party's headquarters in Manhattan:

Netzer's personal religious views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the platform of The Creators' Party. In that sense, the Pope's declaration in irrelevant to us. We've made it clear, however, that we believe religious leaders should stay away from the legislative halls in Washington. The Church has no business trying to dictate its moral code on our society and bring this oppression upon the secular world. We look for truth and justice for all people when dealing with our social issues and reject the sectarian manipulations by the Christian Coalition in congress.

Other representatives of The Creator' Party also commented on the recent events:

Frank Miller: If Netzer is The Anti-Christ, then this would be a good death for him. I said this several times in the Dark Knight stories - and now everyone knows what I was talking about.

Denny O'Neil: I foretold all this in Green Lantern/Green Arrow's "And Through Him, Save a World". I just hope they can find an airplane to strap him up to when the time comes.

Mark Millar: It's like "Ultimate Chosen". With his declaration, the Pope has paved the way to the Grand Finale which I predicted in that series.

Jim Starlin: That's what happens when you have 50,000 religious fanatics trying to run the world. I've been warning about this ever since the Warlock series 30 years ago.

Rich Johnston: Netzer has survived his share of lying in the gutters, so you can bet we'll all be there with the cameras when the time comes. Death will not hold down our Michael.

Paul Levitz: When Netzer told me we were going to Titan in a spaceship one day, I thought he was joking.

John Byrne: Anti-Christ is spelled with a hyphen. Every time I see Netzer writing it as one word, I wonder about his sanity.

Beau Smith: I thought I was the symbol of manliness till Netzer came around. I'll gladly move down a notch for him though, even if he is a vegetarian.

The whimsical reactions of Netzer's colleagues should not be taken lightly. The Creators' Party, originally established by The Comic Book Creators' Guild, has attracted the support of a large number or artists, writers, musicians and actors from many areas of American and world cultures. The gains which The Creators are making in the polls can be attributed directly to having tapped the pulse of the people through the comic books, movies, books and music which they're producing - using the entertainment medium in order to spread their message. The Creators are succeeding in convincing growing segments of voters that they have a grasp of the issues pertinent to the people. Their strategy appears to echo that of Ronald Reagan back in the 1960's, who used his career as a movie actor and television talk show host to bolster his candidacy for governor of California.

The Creators' Party rose into prominence last year when the comic book creators made a dramatic announcement about its formation at the highly publicized San-Diego comic book convention, Comicon International. Although political pundits initially scoffed at the idea, the tragic events in Paris and Los Angeles earlier this year, have brought their movement to the forefront again. A pivotal issue of The Creators' Party platform is Netzer's Mid-East peace initiative, which has been welcomed by both Israeli and Arab leaders - and is undercutting the present administration's claims about the futility of diplomatic efforts at this time in the Middle-East. Growing voices in both the American and European communities, disheartened at the escalation of Islamic terrorism in their homelands, are showing support for Netzer's peace initiative. This revived awareness of the situation in the Middle-East is beginning to show positive results at the polls for The Creators.

Netzer's peace initiative calls for a backtracking process in bringing about co-existence for the Arab world with Israel and the Western democracies. It puts aside any decisions for demographic and territorial changes while focusing on the overall relationship between East and West. The initiative calls for a debate intensive 12 month conference where the issues that divide both cultures can be resolved between them, by their representatives. Netzer, who visited several Arab leaders before presenting his initiative, has gained an official endorsement from Jordan's King Abdullah, Egypt's President Mubarak, as well as Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. Syria's President Assad had this to say about Netzer's visit in Damascus last month:

Never has a Western leader shown such understanding of the Arab world and the issues which concern us. Syria will do everything in its power to curtail Islamic military resistance if The Creators' Party is elected and Netzer's peace initiative becomes official government policy in the United States.

Netzer, a Detroit born American of Lebanese origin, emerged on the comics scene in 1975 but left the United States abruptly in 1981, in pursuit of a messianic vision for the role he believed comics creators were to play in world events. He settled in Israel and remained in relative anonymity for nearly 25 years. Several years ago, he began cultivating a presence on the internet, which was initially scoffed at by many of his colleagues. Netzer remained persistent, however and has since produced a few projects, under his Flaming Sword imprint, that have caused many comics creators to join him in establishing The Comic Book Creators' Guild. Flaming Sword has since emerged as the definitive new publisher in the comics world and has attracted some of the major talents of the industry to it. Alongside the publishing and merchandising activities, Netzer inspired a core group of creators to establish The Creators' Party, which was initially believed to be a promotional gimmick for the sales of Flaming Sword publications. In wake of escalated global Islamic terrorism, Netzer launched his Mid-East peace initiative which has helped establish the Creators' Party as a viable contender in American politics.

Along with its Mid-East policy and a strong stand for separation of church and state, The Creator's party is forging a new model for economic prosperity within the comics industry and wider entertainment worlds. Flaming Sword has prospered by offering joint ventures for its projects with other publishers in the comics. This has injected new life into an industry suffering from a two-decade sales slump. DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse and Aardwolf have all produced joint ventures with Flaming Sword, which have become amongst the biggest sellers in recent history. With other publishers joining in, they've formed a coalition of comics publishers and have re-directed the comic book sales to newsstands and grocery stores that haven't carried comics for the last 25 years. All this has catapulted comics sales to unprecedented numbers and inspired a new era of Hollywood entrepreneurs, looking to capitalize on the revival of this pop culture phenomenon. Paul Levitz, head of the coalition, responded to the re-emergence of the comic book as a popular item amongst kids and teenagers:

It's a simple principle of strength in numbers and prosperity for all. Once the comics publishers came together for the collective good, including that of our traditional competitors, we saw the market respond with unprecedented support. I suppose that time has passed on the old ways of devouring the competition. We're finding much more profits and prosperity by helping them instead. It's an exciting time for the comics industry and only good things await us. We hope to inspire such a change in the global economic markets and we're trying to get this message across to some of the big money wielders in Hollywood.

Mike can tolerate people lying and pretending about any issue except for religion. That's where he draws the line. The way he sees it, the only way he knows to show everyone how much God loves this world, and how much the religious institutions have strayed from this love, is to give his life for this cause. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, Mike's a survivor.

Michael Netzer is truly a survivor. But can even he survive the assault that the Vatican is planning for him by declaring he's the Anti-Christ? Oprah Winfrey was caught in the crossfire between Netzer and Archbishop Desmond Tutu on her talk show discussing the proposed new anti-abortion bill. The incident which prompted the Vatican's wrath and the Pope's dramatic declaration began when Netzer attempted to explain that an unborn fetus is not a human being until it is born - and thus a woman has the right to abort it, especially in the early stages of the pregnancy. "This freedom of choice," he said "is anchored in The Bible and was instilled in the first human beings at the onset of the species' creation."

"What makes you such an authority on the Bible?" The archbishop replied "you're not a practicing man of the cloth, of any denomination!"

"Kill me," Netzer replied softly. "After 3 days, I'll rise again. Then you'll know what makes me such an authority."

"How dare you invoke such a statement?" the archbishop exploded. "Have you no fear of God?"

"Do you know with whom you're speaking, Desmond?" Netzer answered, standing up from his chair and extending his birthmarked palm to the archbishop while pointing to his left hip, scarred from childhood surgery.

"Look at my hand, I have the mark. Look at my side, I've been pierced."

The archbishop then stormed off the set in a fury.

The following morning, Pope Benedict XVI made his dramatic declaration at the Vatican.

Netzer shows the birthmark in his palm on the set of Oprah Winfrey.

Permalink Posted: 11:23 PM EST 9 comments  

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Steven points to the enormous number of visitors frequenting the web sites of comics professionals - such as his own column, Warren Ellis and Mark Millar. The article is in response to Warren Ellis' estrangement, in his e-newsletter Bad Signal, at the effect which the closing of his forum had on the sales of his comics:

I've got this guy telling me that the loss of WEF has made a difference to his ability to easily sell my work, but warrenellis.com gets four times the daily users WEF did.

This is something of a puzzle to me.

Grant makes the point that what the cyber-world lacks is the permanent, personal and physical engagement that the comics audience once had in the days when letter columns and fanzine publications bound together comics fandom:

As I've mentioned before, this also affects comics in general to some extent. Companies used to create, as best they could, a sense of community in their audiences. Julie Schwartz emphasized letter pages as an exchange of ideas and made them exciting via art and script giveaways (before we all became aware of what a raw deal that was for the talent) for the best letters published. Stan Lee was a master at creating a sense of community, of conspiracy in Marvel Comics, via every gimmick from letter columns to No Prizes to the Merry Marvel Marching Society. I'm convinced comics companies made a huge, huge mistake in abandoning letter columns, ostensibly because the capacity of the Internet for commentary rendered them redundant - but posting comments on the Internet, where maybe a couple hundred people might read them in most instances, can't begin to measure up to the sense of achievement you got from having a letter published in a comic you like, of knowing someone connected to the comic read your comments and you might possibly have influenced the course of the book, of seeing your name in physical print and knowing most of the however many thousands of readers who purchased the book would also see it. Comics fandom in the '60s wouldn't have even started without letters pages. That was how readers separated by geography became aware of each other's existence and how they got the information that made communication possible.

In other words, what may now be missing, from Warren's online efforts and from comics in general, is a sense, however false, of audience involvement. It's true that other media don't really worry about generating that - they put often misplaced effort into trying to anticipate and manipulate their audiences instead, then dump out product on a take-it-or-leave-it basis and are usually baffled when the audiences they think they've so carefully molded the product to leave it - but comics have a special advantage in that regard. Our audiences are relatively small. We can generate a sense of involvement. We just don't anymore, most of the time.

There's much more, as Steven touches on the convoluted direct marketing and speculation systems governing comics sales today and how they've basically contributed to the sad state of affairs in the industry, the lack of comics distribution into the popular newsstand market and the role which the big publishers have played in the demise of the comic book form, content with their financial conquests in the licensing and marketing ventures spawned in Hollywood. Issues put forth with much rigor, here at Flaming Sword.

Have a look, this is insightful comics commentary at its very best!

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The task of inking over another artist's pencils brought to mind a Hebrew language instructor I studied under in a Kibbutz Ulpan upon arriving in Israel in 1983. Varda was a gifted teacher who knew how to bring across the "music" of the language and enrich the learning process. She also had an aversion to marking our workbooks with corrections and comments, as most teachers do. Varda believed that our writing in the notebooks was our creation and wasn't comfortable with intruding upon it with her markings. I was reminded of this as I inked Neil's pencils, and perhaps took some comfort in that I worked digitally over a scanned image and not directly on his penciled page.

Most comic book penciling is truly a special creation exuding lush sensitivities, made possible by the wide range of values inherent in the graphite's encounter with paper. It almost seems a crime to have to ink such beautiful work, especially under deadline pressures and peculiar stylistic states an inker may be in. Comic book artists are perhaps best served by producing their art completely, themselves. Old habits die hard, however, and the comics production process still suffers from psychological printing limitations it carries, since the early days of the industry. It would make more sense to me, to color directly on enhanced images, from pages such as the ones I inked for Mr. T, scanned from the pencils. Today's printing abilities must eventually put to rest the old working methods employed in the days of limited scanning and color, which necessitated black line inking of penciled work.

Neil Edwards, an accomplished and talented artist, whose work exudes a dramatic sense of storytelling and a fabulous understanding of form, was a delight to embellish. Something within me, however, wants to see his own pencils receive the painted coloring treatment which the digital process allows for today.

The project has since run into a snag, however, and the work produced by myself, and others who pitched in, may not see publication. As APComics attempts to resolve the issues with the parties involved, the speculation is that Mr. T #3 will be re-solicited and the work re-produced by the original team.

This work was of particular significance to me, as I was close to the Mr. T. artwork produced by Neal Adams at Continuity Associates more than a decade ago. This is officially the first comics work I've produced since that period - and in that, a peculiar era of comics inactivity has come full circle to highlight the busy agenda here at Flaming Sword Productions.

Below are a few images from the inking, accompanied by Neil Edward's pencils. All images Copyright © 2005, by APComics.

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Amritas quoting Jack Kirby

PART 2

We'll do it together! You and I shall stay with it! And watch a giant image grow - like the talents and terrors of our times!

Politically, our biggest challenge is the situation in the Middle East - which has been exasperated by the inability of Western leaders to understand the Arab world and the spirit which drives them.

This essential issue, reaking havoc in the world today, is of great concern to both Amritas and I. His Creators' Party item has been followed by this, this, this, this, this, this, this and this - all on the Islamic threat to modern civilization.

What makes Amritas an authority? He's a languages expert with clear and true insights as to cultural differences and crossovers. He understands people and cultures by their languages, which reflect on their behavior. This gives us insights into cultural differences which can help us understand and resolve conflicts. Western leaders, however, don't appear to be interested in understanding anything about Islam. They wish to simply pretend that Islam will fall in step with the Western ideology, while ignoring simple evident facts.

Amritas' friend Lawrence Auster commenting on Londoner Alice Miles:

A typically pathetic post - 7/07 column by Londoner Alice Miles, focusing, as most of these columns do, on "How are we doing in the aftermath, how do we feel." We'll be seeing endless amounts of this sort of therapeutic trash from now on in place of a serious response to the jihadist threat within. True, Miles ends on a quasi hardline note:

No one should stigmatize any community, the police said yesterday. But those bombers have stigmatized the communities that made them, and we should spare a thought for the devastation wrought on those communities; but then we should insist that they cannot continue in a state of alienation from the rest of society. That is a challenge for them, and for all of us. They, too, must become ordinary.

But, my dear (I feel like saying to Miss Miles), what if our Moslem friends don't become "ordinary"? What will you say and do then? This is the interminable trap of the various "peace" processes, the "moderation" processes, with the seemingly insistent statement by the Western partners to the process that the non-Westerners "must" do something, but with absolutely no sanctions and no plan B in place in the event that they don't do what is demanded of them. It is like your typical contemporary mother saying weakly and detachedly to her child, "Don't do that, honey, don't do that," and the child does it anyway, and the mother doesn't react to the disobedient behavior but continues her unserious promptings as before. Columns such as Miss Miles' seem virtually designed to trigger more terrorist attacks, to express the sheer contempt that Moslems must feel for Westerners who, instead of cracking down on the Moslems and throwing them out on their collective rear, plead with them to "change," pretty please.

More Auster:

Unless all Moslems were converted to the belief in democracy, an impossible outcome, millions of Moslems would continue to resent and hate the alien system - the antithesis of their holiest beliefs - that had been imposed on them, and they would fight it with ever renewed fierceness and terror. So Bush’s democratization strategy, even if it succeeded on its own terms, is a recipe for an unending guerilla terror war waged against every democratic regime in the Moslem world, a campaign that America would be responsible for suppressing, forever.

Amritas, a wide awake liberal, agrees that a military showdown with Islam is doomed to failure. One solution proposed recently is the expulsion of all Mulims from the West - the containment of Islamic Jihad (the devastating majority of the Arab and Islamic cultures) in a fenced off Middle-East where they can do no harm to the West. I also question our intestinal fortitude in being able to carry out such a task.

Perhaps it's time to face what we're dealing with. I'll step into questionable territory here; the religious background fueling the conflict.

For all it's worth to all who dismiss the power inherent in the world's religious infrastructure, here's an eye opener. The writer(s) of the book of Genesis foresaw this quagmire more than 3000 years ago. They were writers, like Lawrence Austere, James Hundall, Amritas and myself with a passion for recording their insights and leaving them to the winds of history. The original linguistic essence in the story of the sons of Noah, after the flood, tells everything about this conflict today.

Noah's 3 sons were Shem, Kham and Yefet. According to the narrative, they became the fathers of modern civilization, first separated into 3 large nations and then into the myriad of others we have today.

Shem, in Hebrew means Name, those who call on the name of God. His children were Ever, meaning across or wander the root of the word Hebrew, meaning Wanderer. Ever's children, Terach and Avram-Aberaham father of the Jewish people.

Kham = Hot. Hot tempered and hot blooded. His children: Egypt, Kanaan, Arabia. Father of the Arab/Islamic people.

Yefet = Beauty. Beauty as in the arts and culture. His children: Greece, Ashkenaz and Gog. Father of Western civilization - Christianity.

The narrative tells a story after the flood. Noah became drunk with pleasure from surviving the ordeal and fell asleep naked, covered with a blanket. Kham, being the hot blooded portent of ridicule, uncovered his father and laughed at his nakedness to the eyes of his brothers. Shem and Yefet then took the blanket and walked backwards to cover their father without seeing him naked, causing Kham to reel back in shame and cease his disgusting laughter.

For everyone who sees, as I do, the inexplicable fervor of religious worship, I suggest we consider this fable. Three major religions stand in the midst of civilization today. Their characteristics inexplicably echo those of Noah's 3 sons. The West and Israel are locked in a struggle with Islam, in the same way Shem and Yefet joined hands to reconcile Kham's hot blooded, hot tempered, and destructive ridicule of his father.

We are not simply amidst a cultural clash between East and West. We are part of a conflict driven by forces beyond the grasp of the political proponents who appear to wage it. We can't subdue Islam, not by force and not by isolation. We need to pierce its heart and cause it to reel back in shame.

The way to Islam's heart is through its own religious creed.

We need a diplomacy which challenges Islam's claims to religious supremacy. This is possible because Muhammad left such a failsafe in the Koran. We simply need to understand how to communicate this to the Muslim leaders and fanatics - in their own language, through their own books and with rigorouss debate. We need to lay our arms down and pre-occupy them with the one thing which interests them. Their religious and cultural standing within the family of nations. I've done this countless times here in Israel in heated discussions with Muslims. It needs to be done as a spearheading of a diplomatic initiative. It's the only way to stop the destruction they wish to bring on the world.

If not, then we will suffer the fate of Jack Kirby's childhood friend, Leon Klinghoffer.

From a Twomorrows interview quoted by Amritas.

[At this point, there is a break in the recording, and it resumes with a discussion of the Achille Lauro incident. In October 1985, members of the Palestine Liberation Front, a member-organization of the PLO, hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro while it was at anchor in Port Said, Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea, and held its passengers hostage. Many American tourists were on-board, including elderly, wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer, who was a boyhood friend of Kirby's. The terrorists shot Klinghoffer in cold blood and threw his body overboard. To rub further salt into the wound, PLO officials repeatedly mocked the victims, declaring at the United Nations that Mrs. Klinghoffer had probably murdered her husband "for the insurance money." Abu Abbas, head of the PLF and mastermind of the hijacking, when asked about the killing of Klinghoffer, replied, "Maybe he was trying to swim for it."]

GLENN: The guy who jumped on the terrorists was in a wheelchair?

JACK: He was in a wheelchair, yeah. When I knew him, his folks owned the mini-store on my block. He was the only one that went after the terrorists.

ROZ KIRBY: He went after them verbally. He talked back to them.

MIKE: They shot him in the head.

JACK: Nobody said a word to the terrorists; they did as they willed. Klinghoffer was the only one who talked back to them. He died. They threw him overboard and he died. A guy from my block would do it. He wouldn't stand for it because there were women on board and he felt that...

GLENN: Where was that? In Brooklyn? Bronx?

JACK: No, Lower East Side. And that's why I say they turned on him. [People on my block] were people that were just becoming Americans. I felt I was an American because I was born here. All the guys felt that. And, of course, Captain America came out of that kind of a feeling.

We need to engage the Muslim world with the one issue it does care about. For that we need new inspiration and leadership which The Creators can forge. As Amritas said, we don't sit back waiting to be saved. That's why we take advantage of this incredible communications medium. Joining forces with others and spreading a collective growing awareness and understanding of what we're dealing with. A growing awareness of how to capture the hearts and imagination of the world through a pop culture and the entertainment world phenomenonn with a messianic vision, inexplicable as it is, for turning the tides.

Amritas:

Creators like James Hudnall and Kirby's former assistant Mark Evanier are already disseminating such ideas through their blogs. (You can find many more Creator sites by looking at the links on the right-hand side of Netzer's own blog.) But that's just the beginning. Yes, prose can be powerful, but well-formulated theses and thoroughly researched statements are not enough. It will take a Kirbyesque blend of reality and imagination to awaken the public - stories that are more 'real' than the news, plots that parallel our struggles, characters that could be us.

What if The Creators as a whole don't deliver? Then what? Are we just a passive audience waiting to be saved? Would they have doomed us? No, for if linguistics has taught me anything, it is that we are all creators. Each of us has built our own personal language - our idiolect - and our own worldview. The Creator has made us in His image. The Maker has begat more makers. We are not powerless. In our own small ways - e.g., this blog - we too try to express ourselves. I can't wait for others to speak for me.

In the 1984 reprint edition of New Gods, the King of the Creators said to us readers - the little-c creators -

We'll do it together! You and I shall stay with it!

And watch a giant image grow -

like the talents and terrors of our times!

Permalink Posted: 6:24 AM EST 1 comments  

Comics legend Jim Aparo died early this morning. Spencer Beck, Aparo’s agent and friend of many years, announced that the 72-year-old artist died from complications relating to a recent illness.

Born in 1932, Aparo considered himself a self-trained artist. Following years of commercial fashion design in Connecticut, he entered comics in 1963 with the strip "Stern Wheeler," written by Ralph Kanna, which was published in 1963 in a Hartford, Connecticut newspaper for less than a year. In 1966, editor Dick Giordano brought Aparo over to Charlton Comics where his first assignment was "Miss Bikini Luv" for Go-Go Comics. Subsequently, Aparo drew multi-genre stories for Charlton - westerns, SF, romance, horror, mystery - and was recognized as one of the few mainstream comics artists to pencil, ink and letter all of his work. Then, as now, these tasks were typically divided between artists.

In the late 1960s, Aparo joined National Publications/DC Comics, where he gained prominence on Aquaman and then The Phantom Stranger, along with DC's horror titles. But it was in 1971 that Aparo made his greatest mark. After a startling beginning with issue #98 of The Brave and the Bold (featuring the Phantom Stranger with Batman), Aparo took over the title beginning with issue #102, where he continued penciling and inking nearly every issue until the series ended with issue #200. "Jim's work on Brave and the Bold was his favorite work of his time at DC," said Beck. "He truly considered the series his baby."

Following B&B, Aparo co-created Batman & The Outsiders and also worked on the Batman and Detective series throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, most notably penciling the "Death in The Family" storyline, which featured a phone-in vote deciding the fate of Robin II (Jason Todd). Following a run on The Green Arrow, Aparo moved into semi-retirement, contributing an occasional special or cover and doing private commissions before he fully retired.

Aparo inks over Netzer, Green Arrow, 1994

Clifford Meth:

I first met Jim in the early 1990s when his Batman work was winding down. He was always pleasant, humble and generous. The Batman drawing he gave me is framed and hangs in my office. I considered him one of two finest Batman artists ever. I asked the other one to share a few words.

"The thing people don’t know about Jim Aparo is that he never believed that he could be so lucky as to draw comics," said Neal Adams. "Any time you met or spoke with Jim he'd let you know what a joy it was to do comics. In fact, everything he talked about was with enthusiasm. He never complained and certainly never bad-mouthed anyone; never felt sorry for himself in any way. He always felt lucky and happy. His artistic style was similar to mine - he was kind enough to tell me I was his inspiration relative to Batman. There’s lots of great artists but there are some people in the world that are guileless. And that was Jim Aparo."

"We only did a few jobs together," said Marv Wolfman, "but what a pleasure Jim was to work with. He had a terrific work ethic - a page a day, everyday. And that was pencils, letters and inks. Few guys in the history of comics can fill those shoes."

"I wish I’d known him," said Gene Colan. "He was an excellent artist. You could recognize his style right away, and that’s something special on a character that everyone wants to draw."

"I only worked with Jim once," recalled George Perez. "It was on a Batman-Outsiders crossover and Jim inked it. It was a great thrill for me because I was such a fan of his. Jim Aparo was one of the people who inspired me to get into the business. I loved his Batman but the ruggedness he brought to Aquaman - that was great. Later, when he was on Brave and the Bold, I envied his ability to draw so many different characters with Batman. I thought what a cool gig! I had all of that fanboy pickiness, but he did all the characters so well - even Sgt. Rock - that I was never disappointed."

"It’s kind of sad that we’re such a cottage industry," said Walter Simonson. "I met Jim just once and that was in San Diego. I think he was with Spencer and we were out on the boardwalk. I was delighted to meet him - I’d followed his Charlton work before he came to DC, and I loved his Aquaman work. When I was doing Manhunter, cover assignments were considered graduate work and I was still new, so when we got to the last issue, I still wasn’t quite up to being 'allowed' to do the cover. So Archie [Goodwin] asked Jim to do it. I think I got to do the rough cover sketch, which was cool because I was such a fan."

Jim Aparo is survived by his wife Julie, his three children, his four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and at least three million fans. The Aparo family has asked that in lieu of flowers or gifts, anyone wishing to honor Jim’s legacy make a contribution to any worthy charity, as Jim believed that all charities were worth donating to.

For those wishing to send along their condolences and best wishes to the family, a P.O. Box has been set up for the family to receive cards. The address is:

THE APARO FAMILY

P.O. BOX 28

NORWALK, CONNECTICUT 06852 - 0028

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The Three Tenors: Off-Key, an illustrated collection of short-fiction, ships this week from Aardwolf Publishing. Assembled to support artist/writer Wm. Messner-Loebs, whose work dominates the 138-page book, the collection also features oddball stories and art by Dave “X-Men” Cockrum, Steve Lieber, Clifford Meth, Al Milgrom and Michael Netzer (back cover) , as well as an introduction by Dave Sim and an afterword by Tom Spurgeon.

A limited number of signed/numbered copies are still available from Aardwolf Publishing (www.aardwolfpublishing.com).

Messner-Loebs is best-known for the Inkpot-award winning Journey series, which began as a back-up story in Cerebus in 1982. His most prominent work included four- and three-year stints on The Flash and Wonder Woman, respectively, as well as Image Comics’ The Maxx with partner Sam Keith.

“It’s no secret that the Messner-Loebs couple has been in bad financial straits for quite some time,” said publisher Jim Reeber. “They lost their home and key source of income. This terrific book will show fans and publishers alike that Messner-Loebs still has the right stuff. Aardwolf is even offering this book with a money-back guarantee.”

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Aparo inks over Netzer, Green Arrow, 1994

He already had us hooked with his run on Aquaman in the late 60's. Something very masterful and moving about Jim Aparo's comics which captivated several generations of readers. The motion and emotion bursting through his professionalism was an unmistakable sign of the artist who adorned the DC Comics legacy.

He was the first and perhaps the only artist to pencil, ink and letter every page he produced in the prime of his career - a consummate purist of the craft. Phantom Stranger, Batman, Brave and Bold, Outsiders and Green Arrow were all made magic through his touch.

Have peace, Jim Aparo. The comics community bows in your passing. Your brethren, the creators, salute in your remembrance.

Newsarama story from Spencer Beck.

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It stands for the Creators' Party in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese. Thus saith Professor Amritas in a riveting dissertation on the role of the comics and their creators in today's troubled world. It's followed by another article on the Arab/Western standoff, both of which I'll discuss here. Both highly recommended reading for comics creators, professionals and lovers alike - both bound by the legacy of Jack Kirby, king of the creators, and a childhood friendship which exemplified the heroes he gave us.

What makes comics such a potentially important medium? Why would it be tragic for Amekomi [Japanese for 'comics'] to deteriorate into little more than a memetic well for other media?

My answer is that comics are the closest we've come to seeing what I call an individual's 'total vision'. A great comic is like a direct dose of the output of a creator's mind. Movies, TV shows, video games, etc. are all large-scale collaborations, and maybe it's surprising that an individual vision can still sometimes shine through the mixture. Comics, OTOH, involve small-scale collaboration (e.g., between a single writer and a single artist with the aid of a colorist and a letterer), or even no collaboration at all (if a creator writes, draws, colors, and letters his own story).

When I look at a 70s or 80s 傑克柯比 Jack Kirby comic, I see, no, I experience his 'total vision'. His characters speak Kirbyese, wear Kirby 'klothes', live in Kirbuildings ... Each and every aspect of their two-dimensional realm was 'kreated' by the King himself (with the exception of their coloring in most cases). Kirby's highly stylized worlds can never be mistaken for the real thing and yet they mirror our reality better than a lot of photorealistic art. His 'New God' Orion is all of us, hiding our true face from others as he struggles with the demon within - his father's ugly legacy. We are Kamandi and OMAC, fighting for survival in an alternately animalistic and technocentrist future jungle. We are Silver Star, Homo geneticus, 'superior' to our ancestors in so many ways, yet still stuck in the same savage rut.

Powerful as the comics are, however, they're not so easy to find these days. Not the way they were in the newsstands and drugs stores several decades ago:

American comic books, once a mass medium, are now difficult to find except in 'comics shops' which are few and far between. Since there are no comic shops in my neighborhood, I have not seen a single comic book since I moved to 新澤西 Xin Zexi. (I am not counting comics digests like Disney Adventures Comic Zone which do not contain the superheroes considered to be part of the Amekomi 'mainstream'.) I have been buying comics by mail order for years because of the difficulty in obtaining what used to be on newsstands everywhere. Amekomi would not be so obscure if it still offered messages that 'civilians' - people not like the Comic Book Guy - could relate to.

In 1977, when comics appeared to be on a deathbed (with much better sales than today, btw) a new publisher was brought to DC to attempt to revive the enterprise. Neal Adams, then activist leader of the creators' community, in an advisory status with DC, pointed to the problem of comics sales being that the newsstands and drugs stores weren't displaying the comics enough because of their low price. The stores preferred to give the shelf space to more lucrative magazines and journals. Neal went on to inspire the implementation of the Dollar Comics series at DC, which showed there's a popular buying market for higher priced comics with robust content. This was the intermediate stage in the evolution of the form which later gave birth to the graphic novel. It beckoned a new era for the visual storytelling medium. It was also the turning point for merchandising and marketing of comics properties with the advent of the first Superman film starring Christopher Reeve - the first of the blockbuster movies based on comics creations now flooding Hollywood.

I've said this before but this is a good opportunity to expand on it. Looking at the present situation, comics sales are at an all time low but the big publishers appear to be content with this. No real effort is being made to bolster comics sales and turn them into a popular cultural item. The publishers don't need to, because they make their big profits from the marketing and merchandising of the comics properties. The publishers retain this great source of intellectual property which the comics creators give them and wage a psychological war on the creator community, claiming that sales are so low that their work has little value beyond today's equivalent of work for hire status. This is how the major publishers have put out the fires which began with Siegel and Shuster's claim for just recompense in the wake of the first Superman film of the 1970's.

It was then, in the late 1970's, that the cynical manipulation of comics distribution began by DC and Marvel. Instead of bolstering the price and content of the comics and keeping them at the public's reach in the newsstands and drugs stores, the publishers made a pact with the major comics distributors working the conventions, to deflect the comics buying market into secluded comics stores. This was the move which guaranteed that Neal Adams' vision for a strong and healthy comics industry would never see the light of day. The move which guaranteed that the creators would remain psychologically subjugated with a perpetually dying comic book industry - and allow for the cynical strong-arming of their creations by the publishers. Sure, a few creators have overcome the psychological bombardment. A few have even taken advantage of the bells and whistles which seduced the comics shop owners in the 1980's, and went on to become self publishers. These few, however, are the exception. The vast majority of the creator community remains shackled today by the state of affairs in the comics industry at the hands of the major publishers.

Amritas on Kirby:

In his final interview before his death in 1994, the King said,

In creating villains, Jack Kirby drew on his respect for the evil of legend, but made a concentrated effort to draw, and later writer, all of his characters as human beings, as people. "They act just the way real people would in extraordinary situations. That's why my characters are believable ...

"I was drawing people that I knew," the King recalls, "on the streets of New York and Brooklyn. All the places I lived. I knew how they would react and I drew them that way. I had a lot of fights and arguments myself. But I was always on the right side, the hero. Believe me, at that time, people were hero-oriented."

Kirby points out that the heroic qualities in people are still there, but require a certain type of situation to appear.

That situation is here and now. It's the human condition. Conflict is our way of life, and resolution is our universal goal. Despite all the depressing news and the deterioration of comic book heroes, real flesh-and-blood heroes still walk among us - and among them are the comic book creators.

Amritas points to the effectiveness of the shorter name The Creators' Party, with which I agree, once we have indications for growing support from the comics creators. Based on his perceptions, however, we may be seeing a simultaneous interest also generating outside of the comics community. Reason Magazine's online coverage of the subject was an early indication of the curiosity and hope the idea garners in the murky arena of American politics.

Will The Creators live up to their name? Will they slowly let go of corporate caped icons and increasingly turn toward self-expression? Before they can free the country, they have to free themselves from sixty-year-old fetters.

Perhaps The Creators are not meant to be politicians. Perhaps their true role is to create the ideas that will inspire both leaders and voters to make better decisions that will benefit all of us.

It's truly rare to read such insight, concern and faith in the creative force within the human spirit. Since the first words I read from Amritas, I've been captivated by his piercing message and confident tone which transcend the bits and bytes upon which they ride. Captivated much in the same way Jack Kirby captivated me with his visions and stories of other worlds that told so much about ours.

Amritas: Creator.

What if The Creators as a whole don't deliver? Then what? Are we just a passive audience waiting to be saved? Would they have doomed us? No, for if linguistics has taught me anything, it is that we are all creators. Each of us has built our own personal language - our idiolect - and our own worldview. The Creator has made us in His image. The Maker has begat more makers. We are not powerless. In our own small ways - e.g., this blog - we too try to express ourselves. I can't wait for others to speak for me.

In the 1984 reprint edition of New Gods, the King of the Creators said to us readers - the little-c creators -

We'll do it together! You and I shall stay with it! And watch a giant image grow - like the talents and terrors of our times!

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For those who may remember the dedication page of The Comic Book Creator's Party web site, most entries there were somewhat familiar in the comics community. The subject of one which may be less familiar is Marc H. Miyake, a Hawaiian linguistics professor who explores, with great dedication and insight, the subtleties of languages crossovers at his blog, Amaravati: Abode of the Amritas.

I ran across Marc's blog two years ago when he reviewed Neal Adams' science project and The New Comic Book of Life web site. Some time later, Marc posted a query about the writing style in the Hebrew document, written in my hand, The Last Testament Manuscript which was promptly answered by David Boxenhorn, a friend of the Amritas and a linguistics aficionado residing in Israel, who conducts the Rishon Rishon blog on issues pertinent to Jewish heritage and the Hebrew language. Another friend of the Amritas is none other than renowned comics writer James Hudnall. Marc is a purveryor of the graphic storytelling form and his Amritas Abode, a blog of distinct academic content, brandishes a banner for MyComicShop.Com at its homepage.

When sometimes dismayed at the socio-political items he also writes of, The Amritas seeks temporary relief in the world of comic books. Today, feeling a little down due to a foray into Islamic Jihad issues and the London bombing, he posted a series of transliterated Hebrew terms denoting known comics characters. Going on, he posted a quick review of the Jewish connection to comics and the state of the comics medium in Israel.

I got that quote from Eli Eshed's history of Israeli comics:

There are some "comics experts" in Israel who claim that for historical reasons the Jewish peoples had never shown much interest in visual arts, and that this was the reason why, until recently the comics medium was not very popular in Israel. In fact, this claim shows a complete ignorance of American comics industry, which over much of its history was totally dominated by Jews, both in the management of companies such as Marvel [info], DC [info] and EC [info] which were all originally created or owned by Jews, and in the creative side of comics production. The most popular comics genre, that of superheroes, was developed by Jews, such as Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster the creators of Superman, or Stan Lee and Jack Kirby [my favorite comics creator ever]who created the Marvel universe. [Eshed's הגולם The Golem comic answers the question: what if Kirby had immigrated to Palestine?] These names are just the tips of the iceberg. It can be said that in the US, the influence of Jews in the comics field was even stronger then their influence in Hollywood.

But in Israel, in contrast to the US, for years comics had been a marginal phenomenon.

I wonder why. I still don't fully understand why indigenous comics have become a marginal phenomenon within the US.

The historical reasons Eli Eshed refers to, which have seemingly suppressed the Jewish people's interest in the visual arts, revert to one of the Ten Commandments given by Moses on Mount Sinai "You shall not make any graven images and you shall not bow to them." Eli Eshed is correct in saying that this ignores the primary role which the Jews played in the founding of the most visual of mediums, the comics. While the European visual arts flourished during the renaissance, decorating the churches and embellishing Biblical mythology, its Jewish counterpart, the synagogue remained free of such stark images, reverting at times to iconic depictions of symbols and animals, but rarely ever those of Biblical and historical figures, or even any depictions of people. This principle has been at the crux of religious Jewish culture and is still evident today in the Ultra-Orthodox world - while approached more liberally in the Reform and Conservative communities. It is an issue of the religious communities, however, and does not reflect on the majority of Israeli culture, which is far more secular in nature.

The secular Jewish world has perhaps more correctly understood Moses' commandment in its essence, which is not to turn the visual arts into a focus of worship. This doesn't preclude, however, such use of a visual medium for the sake of telling stories - a pertinent goal and mechanism of the Bible itself. This affinity to telling good stories, which goes back to the forefathers of the Jewish people, perhaps partly explains the overwhelming involvement of secular Jews in the comics.

From my experience in the commercial visual communications medium in Israel, I might add that the underlying reason that the commercial use of the visual medium may not have flourished here, is that it is a luxury which is not readily affordable. In a country which expends a noted majority of its budget on defense issues and an economy which suffers at the whims of a volatile security situation, investing in more luscious graphic design or paying artists a due recompense to produce cutting edge illustrations, did not develop into a national cultural priority as it did in the West. This is changing slowly, however, as Western culture becomes more entrenched in Israel, and a habit of seeking visual finesse in previously neglected areas is beginning to take hold in recent times.

All this may reflect only partly on the reason why indigenous comics have become a marginal phenomenon in Israel while a deeper issue is perhaps the underlying culprit also in America. I've repeatedly said, during the last several years, that as in any supply and demand factor, which includes pop culture dissemination to a buying public, the comics must attempt to more fully understand what the buying market seeks in pop culture mediums, and then nurture this understanding by undergoing a transformation which addresses this public demand. I've also said that the primary issue of 21st century civilization, at the level of the buying masses, is the seemingly hopeless plight of humanity as we careen downward into threats of wars, mass destruction, economic enslavement and the increasing daily strife of surviving the jungles of the modern world. Comics will remain a marginal phenomenon in the Western world, as long as they continue to ignore these anchor issues in their storytelling.

The comics can, however, inspire the rise of the voice of the people of the world against our present hierarchies, which ignore the overwhelming threats all about, by taking the lead and boldly exposing the deception and hypocrisy with which world leaders, of all political intimations, continue to do the bidding of the merchant masters, in their pursuit of economic supremacy and world political domination. This is the hope which will set the world's marketing forces on fire with renewed life and elevate the comics into their destined place as the tool which will change the tides of futility that dominate modern day perceptions.

Marc H. Miyake, the Amritas, goes on to mention my role in introducing Uri-On to the Israeli comics scene. He also cites, and identifies with, a criticism I wrote of DC's Countdown to Infinite Crisis. In classic linguistic fashion, he introduces us to an often misused phrase in order to express his feelings on the present state of affairs in the comics:

'Mainstream' American comics have become a toxic ocean. The medium needs a sea-change.

"Sea-change" is linked to Michael Quinion's World Wide Words, who writes about International English from a British viewpoint:

The phrase is a quotation from Shakespeare. It comes from Ariel's wonderfully evocative song in The Tempest:

Full fathom five thy father lies: Of his bones are coral made: Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade; But doth suffer a sea-change; Into something rich and strange.

Shakespeare obviously meant that the transformation of the body of Ferdinand's father was made by the sea, but we have come to refer to a sea change as being a profound transformation caused by any agency. So pundits and commentators who think it has something to do with the ebb and flow of the tide, and use it for a minor or recurrent shift in policy or opinion, are doing a grave injustice to one of the most evocative phrases in the language. I wish a figurative full fathom five to such people.

With this, Flaming Sword Productions agrees wholeheartedly. This is precisely the sea-change we seek to help bring about by encouraging the comics creators to stand tall and take a leadership role in the world through their storytelling form - and with this raise the comics to a more relevant place on the stage of world cultural events.

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Around noon on July 9, 2005, writer-editor-developer-publisher Byron Preiss was involved in a fatal auto accident as he drove to his synagogue in Long Island, New York-and American popular culture lost one of its most productive and visionary champions.

For more than three decades, he spearheaded a multiplicity of mediaforms, from comics and ebooks to electronic games and CD-ROMs, that fused words and images like few other individuals would achieve in the entertainment arts. As an author, he generated dozens of books, from hard science and history volumes to profusely-illustrated children's literature. As a packager, he produced a stream of quality fiction and nonfiction titles for almost every primary publishing house, including HarperCollins, Penguin Putnam, Simon & Schuster, Random House, Rizzoli, Scholastic, and Oxford University Press, in addition to developing projects with numerous institutions, including Microsoft, Forbes/American Heritage, Fox Interactive, Comedy Central, MSNBC, Imax, Scientific American, the Grand Ole Opry, and Yahoo!.

Born in Brooklyn in 1953, he subsequently attended the University of Pennsylvania (graduating magne cum laude) and received his master’s degree from the Stanford Film School. I met him in1969 at a Manhattan convention, a tall, handsome kid with perfect teeth and thick, black hair who radiated enthusiasm like a human atomic reactor. He recounted his publishing dream so convincingly that I agreed to create some art for his first venture, a fan calendar, just to give his budding career a jump start.

Neither of us realized that our connection was the beginning of a friendship that would grow, ferment, agitate, evolve, bluster, and ultimately endure for the next 35 years. He was my best friend and confidant for more than half my lifetime—and his presence had a profound impact on me, professionally and personally.

One of our earliest projects involved an anti-drug comicbook that he conceived for near-illiterate grade school students (he was teaching at a Philadelphia elementary facility at the time). On a zero budget, we produced THE BLOCK, the tale of two inner-city brothers who choose to walk different paths, which was distributed citywide and met with exceptional success with both educators and students (some classes colored the panels, others read it aloud, and one even transformed the story into a rock opera). Preiss promoted it from New York City to Atlanta, achieving solid student acceptance and continual praise from all who saw and used it, right up to the majors at Sesame Street. The comic premiered in the summer of 1970, a year before the much-heralded Spider-Man and Green Lantern-Green Arrow drug mags.

Over the next few years, we spoke often about the future of comics, discussion which became the architectural foundation of his initial 1974 publishing venture, Byron Preiss Visual Publications (and recently ibooks), and a series of books that were the first to use the terms “visual novel” and “graphic novel”). My hardboiled detective thriller RED TIDE was one of his offerings. Preiss was the first to regularly and continuously publish adult, book-length comic-panel novels by the field’s top creators. His recent effort, Joe Kubert’s Nazi concentration camp epic YOSSEL stands as positive tribute to Preiss’ unyielding vision and belief in the form, as does his 2005 Harvey Awards win for Best American Edition of Foreign Material for BLACKSAD 2.

...

Always on the leading edge of trends, he moved into interactive books, CD-ROMs, virtual comics, and online entertainment, generating a staggering volume of product, including many Marvel-related items. His audiobook The Words of Gandhi snared a Grammy Award in 1985.

Often working under severe licensing, financial, deadline, and distribution constraints, Preiss had an uncanny knack of believing in his product and his collaborative talent. He had a hands-on approach to every stage of production, a staggering juggling feat that blossomed into an operation so large it eventually filled two floors of a mid-Manhattan skyscraper.

Nonetheless, hardly a week went by that we didn’t connect in person or on the phone, often recalling the early days when I’d crash at his apartment for a couple days and we’d strategize our futures at all-night skull sessions at the Silver Star Diner on 3rd Avenue. During the next few decades, we alternated between practical jokes and serious soul searching. And somewhere along the way, we became brothers.

We worked together constantly on a myriad of projects, many of which were highly experimental in nature, not to mention risky—and, in this case, the risk was with his money. But he loved to break new ground, even if it took a few layers of skin off his hide. I still recall his shock when I insisted I’d only work on THE ILLUSTRATED HARLAN ELLISON if the story was printed in 3D (he purchased thousands of glasses and had them bound into the volumes) or the Captain America book cover I wanted produced without any type because, I explained, my painted figure of Cap said it all in every language (the volume had a phenomenal 89% sell-through) or the Wild Cards series title I recommended be run upside down in gloss varnish (it could only be read when angled toward the light, but was a knockout visual surprise).

He backed them all and many others, some of which required him to go toe-to-toe with printers, publishers, and distributors. Preiss took a sensible, cool, controlled approach to his proceedings, but I like to think I taught him a few things about fighting dirty to get the job done. We broke a few rules along the way and perhaps set a couple precedents, too. Unlike many publishers who only talk the talk, Preiss walked the walk.

Although our evenings ultimately migrated to the Friar’s Club, his dedication to the work—to the comics form and its creators—not only remained steadfast, but relentless. He cited me as his mentor for graphic design and narrative technique, and, in similar fashion, passed the torch along to others by discovering new talent and giving them the opportunity to breakout with showcase projects, in addition to supporting his favorite vets with ongoing assignments. He redefined the term loyalty.

His recent line of celebrity-created children’s books includes contributions from Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, LeAnn Rimes, Stephen Ambrose, Carl Reiner, Jane Goodall, Philip Caputo, Jay Leno, and Stan Lee. Several months ago, I pitched a fantasy series in a revolutionary, new format to him and immediately received the green light. Now, that light has dimmed.

He married and had two beautiful daughters, who became the pride of his life. And somewhere along the way, I became part of the family (I always thought I’d adopted him, which only proves how clever he was at making me believe that certain things were my ideas).

Preiss was a subtle, yet seminal force in contemporary popular culture and specifically in the evolution of narrative illustration. His vision will continue to inspire all those who knew him—and those who found something special in his work.

He is survived by his wife, Sandi, and daughters Karah and Blaire.

Heidi MacDonald picked up this communique from IBook's Maureen McTigue at The Beat.

It is with great sadness that we tell you that our beloved colleague, Byron Preiss, died in an automobile accident on Saturday. In addition to being the President and Publisher of ibooks and Byron Preiss Visual Publications, he was the cherished husband of Sandi and the adored father of Karah and Blaire. The Funeral will be held at Sutton Place\ Synagogue in New York, 225 East 51st Street, on Tuesday July 12th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donation be made to the United Jewish Federation of New York or the charity of your choice. While we have lost a friend and a leader in Byron, he spent more than half of his life building these companies. Once we have had some time to deal with the loss, we will move forward as he would have wanted.

The New York Times obituary here.

It is a sad day for the comics, the creators and the professionals who knew Byron, a breed apart in the publishing world. Byron Preiss almost single handedly led the comics industry into independent publishing long before the phrase was coined. His vision for the visual storytelling medium was decades ahead of its time and his contribution remains beyond measure.

I've known Byron since my first days in New York, in the mid Seventies, and was always enriched in his company. A man of grace and goodwill which reflected in everything he touched. The comics world salutes you, Byron Preiss, and mourns the loss of a giant who walked softly amongst us. Your legacy lives on and the many works you've produced shall inspire many more to come.

May your family be comforted in this difficult hour as the mourners of Jerusalem are.

Have peace our friend.

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I've seen other Millarworld members experience altercations with the moderators there and have had a few spicy adventures myself with some. It happens everywhere. Forums are a volatile place due to the lack of personal contact and attention, something that can perhaps drive the interactions to sometimes undesirable places. My experience at Millarworld was always a warm one and when issues were raised about some of my postings there, Michael Tegler, founder and administrator, intervened and smoothed out the situation promptly.

This said, perhaps an incident such as the one Mike sites above needs to be taken to heart. I know that no forum community really wants to perceived in this light in the comics community - except perhaps, the John Byrne forum - but John is unique in this way.

While the moderators could've been more courteous and removed the mentioned material, it's important to remember that absolute copyright of such material on the web is not so easy to maintain and enforce. Beyond the issue of fair use for journalistic purposes, which applies to forums, there is the issue of internet etiquette and tradition. In many ways, once someone posts something on the web, the tradition of citing and linking to the material is so well entrenched today, that it becomes difficult to demand no one do so with your material. Once material is published on the web, it's much like having made a public statement that people feel they have a right to quote. To some degree, because this tradition has become a norm, one must expect such things and be prepared for them.

Although Millarworld.TV is a separate entity from the Millarworld forums, perhaps the forum moderators there should take this grievance to heart and try to resolve it with Larry Dempsey. Maybe even take steps to help prevent such things from recurring.

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I received a nice package in the mail this week from Mike Pascale. The collected Bru-Hed series and first four issues of Nasti from his independent publishing house, Schism Comics.

Paintings by Dean Armstrong

Mike Pascale is an accomplished artist who loves comic books, amuses over Superheroes found in common everyday situations, wants to become a comedian and combines it all as the writer, artist, publisher and grand maestro of Schism Comics.

It was difficult to lay down the collected Bru-Hed and the four issues of Nasti before finishing them - and had to avoid splitting a gut several times from laughing. Bru-hed and Nasti are a fun read that brilliantly combine the Indy autobiographical genre with the world of Superheores, giving a unique synthesis and reading experience. A recurring plot element, the comic book geek who frequents the comics shop, plays a pivotal role in both series and bridges the gap between both worlds allowing for the kind of introspective mayhem that gives a fresher look at the comics community, its absurdities and mythology. In the introduction to Bru-Hed, Clifford Meth cites the character as being an Archie Bunker meets Mason Reese, one chromosome too many. On the other hand, Nasti is a philosopher warrior, fighting to prevent the overthrow of Earth into the realm of darkness. She does so by slipping into and taking over the body of her secret identity, Angie, a journalist for a gossip tabloid who's following up the monster story. The stories and situations in both series are anchored in the often absurd goings on in our world but pull a good measure of the Superhero mythology into them, contrasting the mundane perplexities of everyday living with the fantastic and absurd world of Superhero comics.

Here are some excerpts from Bru-Hed, as he's confronted and attacked by two shady Superheroes who've been assigned to eradicate him:

We're wondrous warriors with incredible capabilities.

Wanna see a few startling images?

We have the amazing ability to alter our anatomy so we can assume extreme poses! (Hey! Peer at these prodigious proportions!)

Our amazing musculature also empowers us with savage strength! (to show off my bony fist, I'll go to any length!)

These are just some of the spectacular sights we can spawn! (Look Ma! Two left hands!)

On top of that we've got 50 teeth and no body hair -- also no nipples and "nothing down there!"

That's why we're so mean!

Nasti, on the other hand, has a pet peeve about people mistaking her for a stripper:

Now hold it right there...I am not a stripper!

Sorry. I meant "exotic Dancer".

I am not that either! First of all, this is a uniform, not a costume!

Secondly, I don't dress this way to titillate oversexed voyeurs like you! This attire allows me complete freedom of movement--and its striking design gives me a psychological advantage over my opponents; you see, I hunt monsters...

...And since most monsters are male--they're usually so distracted by my cleavage and bared flesh that they start thinking with their genitals--like all males--which enables me to outwit them in battle! Understand, sexist mortal?

Bru-Hed and Nasty are funny and fun. Stories about your neighbours and friends coping with Superheroes in their world, told by a guy who wants to tickle your funny bone. Order a copy at Schism's web site or look for it in a comics shop near you.

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For Jonathan in The Free Sketch Thread at Millarworld.

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Few reporters in the comics can turn a phrase and an idea the way Tom Spurgeon does. Here, Tom comments on "the growing pressure provided by Kirby family members in terms of garnering respect for the late co-author and creative force behind the Marvel Comics superhero genre revolution of the 1960s."

It makes sense that this would be tied into the Fantastic Four film, although my suspicion is that the movie will pay tribute to Kirby's work in an unintentional way. I just can't imagine that it will come within a country mile of the furious display of visual dynamism and raw cartooning power, refined by Joe Sinnott's inks and Stan Lee's wry dialogue work, that puts the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four on best comics works of the 20th Century lists. You can send Jessica Alba onto as many talk shows as you want to chat about dysfunctional families, but much of Fantastic Four is conceptual lunacy, which is why so much of it can be seemingly jettisoned by the filmmakers (European armor-plated super-despot) while still keeping elements that make almost no sense at all ("Bring me a funky green jammy and cape"). I don't really have a point here, but it's amusing to note that maybe the one comics artist who is most often cited as someone whose appeal has been supplanted by big-screen spectacle in a way hasn't been touched yet.

Go Tom!

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For those who get Warren Ellis's Bad Signal mailings, Warren's got some interesting things to say about the state of conversation in the comics internet these days in today's email. I don't think he's entirely wrong, but I wonder if it's cyclical; that this current phase of snark and hate uber alles is an unconscious response to the more optimistic Team Comics Activism period of, what, three years ago or so. Or maybe I'm just talking out of my arse and it's just easier to be a dick than try anything constructive. I know that's true for me.

Graeme's right the first time, of course. It takes a measure of patience and long range perception to understand the comics internet as he does. Fanboy Rampage emerged on the scene long before blogging was popular. It has carved a niche which is the source of pertinent comics insider news for the comics industry and the wider entertainment worlds alike. His humble enterprise, still clothed in one of the first traditional Blogger template designs, inspires a raging community of commenters to shake their fists at every snippet and often spew venomous retort at the personalities who star in them. Ed Cunard, of The Low Road blog, recently commented on a question about Fanboy Rampage activism:

The blog itself? Hero. The comments that come from it? Somewhere in between, depending on the day, the cast, and the topic.

Graeme? McMillan I adore to an unhealthy level.

Ed Cunard isn't the only one suffering near fatal illnesses due to their adoration of Graeme. Though my own life-span may have been shortened since getting to know the Rampageans, I've come to appreciate the challenge they pose to the often ludicrous dialogue in the comics community. In an environment where such hostility has become common, comics creators, at the brunt of it, are learning to cope with criticism in a manner they never had to face before. Much like a rigorous basic training for public personalities, to learn to maintain their composure in the face of ridicule. Even this seemingly bad state of affairs which Warren Ellis points to, apparantly has a constructive side which may not be readily evident amidst the quagmire.

It is cyclical, however, as Graeme says. The tides will change and a newer spirit will spread in the community again. Perhaps made better and stronger by the relentless snark the Ramageans, and others, dish out.

They didn't snark thewell baited Jim Shooter airport hijack fable, though. Not to mention that our new forum has, so far, also escaped their slings and arrows. Perhaps we are witnessing the end of an era, after all.

Permalink Posted: 1:28 AM EST 4 comments  

Mark Millar is simply a comic book writer, after all. His rise onto the stage of events in the comics world isn't so simple, however. Mark is a writer of exceptional talent with a vision for the comics industry which is far ahead of many of his colleagues. It is this vision which drives his passion for elevating the comics into a better place within our culture. It is also this same vision which comes through so strongly in his new expanded web complex.

After several years of nurturing a forum discussion community, Millarworld established itself as the place to be for comic book lovers. Mark remained in the background of Millarworld, however, participating and feeding some of the discussions but the prevalent atmosphere there was that of a growing and thriving community. With the launch of Millarworld.TV, the gloves have been removed and Mark Millar, the creator, now emerges in brilliant form and bright light which have characterized his work and career for almost two decades.

Millarworld.TV is a distinguished offering which speaks well of the comics industry and flatters this often beleaguered art form. The tasteful and innovative design and architecture of the web complex reveals a vast library of content, presented in the form and style associated with the finest that culture has to offer. The Magazine, which is the heart of Millarworld.TV, is produced with the elegance, depth and insight reserved for the highest ranks in journalism.

It was flattering to discover, last year, that my comic book work in the 1970's, provided some inspiration for Mark in his early years. Soon after the launch of The Comic Book Creator's Party website, Mark responded to a press release I posted at Millarworld, astonished to discover that the Mike Nasser, whose work on Kobra was that inspiration to him, and Michael Netzer were one and the same. In classic Millarworld hospitality, the Free Sketch Thread later became a significant station for me in my return to comics work, where the art for Heroes & Villains and Other Celebrities was produced.

The real bond between Mark and I, however, is embodied in his comic book masterpiece, Chosen. It may still be early for the comic book industry and the world at large to fully fathom the prophetic insight of this work. In a narrative, Blood Which Flows from the Heart, containing a comparison of Mark's Chosen to Mel Gibson's Passion, I attempted to show that Mark's tale of an identity crisis between The Antichrist and the Christ is well founded in Biblical literature. The conclusion Mark comes to with Chosen is a direct extension of the prophecies of the emergence of the Messiah at the end of days found in both the First Testament and in the Gospels. The insight with which Mark told the tale of Chosen, reveals a writer with the perception and courage to pierce the veils of the facade all about and seek, with great faith, an answer to the mysteries that Biblical mythology represents and holds.

It's this same insight and courage which emerge today in Millarworld.TV, a light and a beacon on the road ahead for the storyteller creators and the world of comics.

Permalink Posted: 11:00 PM EST 1 comments  

On this 4th day of July, the 229th year of independence for America, I raise a hope for the conscience of the people to rise from the quagmire and voice its dissention with the state of affairs in the world's number one super power. The struggle for freedom and independence remains an issue of great concern for the common people today and casts a sombering shadow on the party atmosphere, laden with proud symbols but also with little true depth of meaning and content.

A day is coming when America and the world will celebrate freedom in its truer form. Till then, we call on the people to look deeply at the calamities of our times and muster the courage to demand a change which holds a promise of a better tomorrow.

Happy Birthday America.

Permalink Posted: 10:30 AM EST 1 comments  

FLAMING SWORD FORUMS

Flaming Sword Forums will strive to become the home for a diverse and thriving community in the comics world, reaching out to the wider and more global environment about us.

At the initial stage, the Flaming Sword community is divided into 6 forum areas, The Public Square, Comics Discussions, Press Releases, Entertainment World, News and Current Events - and a Creators' Corner for comic book writers and artists. The rules policy in the forums takes an uncommonly liberal stand calling for minimal moderator intervention in the discussions:

We believe in a hands-off policy with the discussion rules and depend on the forum member's ability to maintain a co-operative spirit and to facilitate the growth and prosperity of the forums as a desired meeting place for people from diverse backgrounds, the comics community and the comic book creators alike. Have fun and keep it cool.

Flaming Sword Productions opens these forums for all and calls on comics creators to take advantage of the closed Creator's Community for discussions and planning to establish our first union of comics professionals, The Comic Book Creators' Guild.

Come by, register into the forum and join this grass-roots effort to build a home for The Creators and a bring a better tomorrow for the comics.

Permalink Posted: 8:30 PM EST 0 comments  

Aardwolf Publishing, headed by Jim Reeber, has joined Flaming Sword and is sponsoring the A-Z Superhero Poster by offering a free signed copy of Clifford Meth's This Bastard Planet trade paperback, with each purchase of the poster from Flaming Sword.

This Bastard Planet, an 88 page trade paperback, continued the tradition started with Aardwolf's Crib Death & Other Bedtime Stories. The book contains six of Clifford Lawrence Meth's wildly imaginative stories with illustrations by Gene Colan, Dave Cockrum, Paty, Paul Abrams, Gray Morrow, and Marie Severin. An afterward by Dave Cockrum and a stunning cover painting by Joe Michael Linsner (who also wrote the Foreword) rounds out this incredible collection. This Bastard Planet has been hailed as "Inventive... Compelling... Original... Words you've heard before regarding new talent on the scene. In Meth's case, they're true." by the departed Gray Morrow - and... "Showing us the wild variety of life, and how a wilder variety of characters cope with it, is what Meth does. And he does it well." by John Romita.

Aardwolf Publishing and Flaming Sword Productions share a common concern for the plight of comic book creators in the publishing arena. Aardwolf has shown its support for Flaming Sword since our launch and now offers this generous giveaway to celebrate our entry into independent publishing and in anticipation of joint ventures now being planned.

As A-Z Superhero Poster enters the final color production stage, winding down for early August shipping, Flaming Sword extends its gratitude to Aardwolf and looks forward to a long and fruitful relationship in helping build a home for the comic book creators.

Don't wait any longer! Place your advance order for A-Z Superhero Poster today and receive a free signed copy of Clifford Meth's This Bastard Planet from Aardwolf Publishing.

Permalink Posted: 1:57 AM EST 0 comments  

Silver Bullet Hosting, headed by Jason Brice of Silver Bullet Comic Books, is the new home for Flaming Sword Productions' web complex. In a seamless operation last week, Flaming Sword was transferred to SBH, as Jason oversaw the smooth transition which remained undetectable to our visitors, with no down time.

Silver Bullet Hosting is a vast operation located in New Zealand, sporting an array of leading web technologies at reasonable and competative prices.

Jason Brice, a rare breed of many exceptional talents, operates one of the comics industry's leading news and commentary enterprises. With such notable credentials in the management and functioning of Silver Bullet Comic Books, moving to SBH was an easy decision, knowing the care and professionalism Jason applies in all his endeavors.

Flaming Sword looks forward to a long and lasting relationship with Silver Bullet. The move heralds the beginning of a co-operative venture which will undoubtedly benefit both enterprises significantly on the road ahead.

Permalink Posted: 12:55 AM EST 2 comments  

It's been widely believed in the scientific community that our planet's inner core is made of solid iron with a minimal amount of light elements. Unable to sample the core directly, Dr. Lin headed a research team that sought to more accurately understand the Earth's center, through traditional seismic wave measurement. Their research led to the discovery that the speculated high density of the Earth's core is not the only mitigating factor in assessing the results of seismic wave measurements - but that the high pressure and scorching temperatures also have a significant effect on the measurement results. The effects of the high pressure and heat on the measurements now leads to new theory that the Earth's core is not at all as dense as previously believed.

Neal Adams sites the discovery in an article on his website, linked to the source material at scienceforums.com and shows that it supports his theory of a growing Earth model. Neal points to his claims that what scientists previously speculated as being a molten iron core is indeed a dense plasma with a Hydrogen inner core while the molten iron remains at the outer mantle. The discovery appears to support Neal's theory that it is this far less dense core at the center of the Earth that facilitates the propagation of new matter which pushes out through the rifts in the ocean floor causing the Earth to grow.

As I mentioned earlier in the discussion with Tim Gasko, the scientific community is truly in dire need of exercising its imagination in order to break the stagnation it's now in. Neal Adams continues to record victory after victory in his research and the Carnegie Institution now has more evidence showing how the scientific community has long been misled by its own dogmatic theory.

Permalink Posted: 12:13 AM EST 0 comments  

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ENTIRE WORK IN PRODUCTION AND ORDER YOUR ADVANCE COPIES NOW WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

Permalink Posted: 10:17 AM EST 1 comments  

FLAMING SWORD SITES

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