This final installment of the Ethereal War is really a few articles joined together to further illustrate the never-ending struggle to retain my copyright of Eros Hawk. In the case of HetaiKey.com it seemed fairly humorous the exchange I had to endure with the cyber idiot called Drawf. Sure I was angry at this point, why shouldn’t I be? I was fighting this war by myself for over a year and it was tiring. I just couldn’t make sense of having to fight the very people who buy the product! Even after moving to CT I was amazed at how I kept finding my work on websites. One foreign site actually sells Eros Comix titles on CD! I realized this was never going to end…

Of course the views expressed are my own and I would like to thank Michael Netzer and Flaming Sword Productions for the opportunity to publish this series of articles.

SB

The Ethereal War Part V

www.dwarfshentaigames.com had 2 of my Eros Hawk books posted on their website. For $19.95 a month (now 29.95!) you get to do all kinds of nonsense and (unbelievably) see the contents of my work. Let me clarify that I do not see any money from this. I spent several days emailing my legal notice to Dwarf with no reply. I emailed his provider and got an immediate response. The following has been edited for clarity.

Hi,

I informed the Webmaster of the site in regards to this issue and he will take care of it. HentaiKey does not own or is in no way responsible for content on sites not owned by hentaikey.com I will look in to this matter and make sure the Webmaster will remove It (the work) ASAP.

Regards,

Chris (The Rowan)

PS: is licensing available for online content from you?

I appreciated the comment about licensing content but I was still waiting to resolve the issue of my work on Dwarf's site. Later this email arrived.

Greetings,

I have removed your comics (Eros Hawk) from my site. Sorry for the delay - I'm not checking my mail every day. Please, if it is possible, include the URL in the future. Two others also update the site and I just can't know every comic they upload.

Best regards,

Dwarf

Now from WHERE exactly are Drawf’s people uploading the work? Not only does Dwarf not know what's happening on his site he wants me to do the research and provide him with proof that he's a THEIF! The funny thing here is not only did he post my work but also much of the EROS COMIX line! That's what prompted this reply from me.

Dwarf,

Let me help you with this:

YOU DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE COMICS POSTED ON YOUR SITE AND I WILL BE NOTIFYING ALL OF THE PUBLISHERS ABOUT YOUR VIOLATION OF THEIR COPYRIGHT!

You should know better.

SB

Now you would think that would be enough but Dwarf just didn't want to believe he was in the wrong and so this followed.

Hello Steven,

If you wish to spend your time (notifying Publishers) feel free... Any publisher who cares could send me a demand to remove their materials and I would remove them. Mostly they just don't care. Anyway comics can be downloaded through any peer2peer network,(edonkey for example) so what's the point?

Best regards,

Dwarf

You know something, he does have a point. It seems many Publishers don't care about the posting of their works. Still I couldn't resist a little righteous judgment.

Dwarf,

This will be my final note to you and I do not wish to engage in any further conversation with you because it is obvious that you are an EXTREME FAN. It is my personal mission to find and remove people like you from the Internet who steal the work I and so many other cartoonists have created. I've had many sites shut down because of what you have done. It does not matter to me what a publisher thinks. I created the work you felt you had a right to post and profit from. That is called THEFT. Slowly I am making all cartoonists know that they have rights and they too will be looking for you and any group that thinks that because they buy a comic they can do with it as they wish. Continue on in the theft of our work...sooner or later you will end up in court. I look forward to it.

SB

In retrospect I could have toned it down a bit. The reality is that I stand on solid ground in this matter. And so far I have 13 kills to my credit while the enemy has not even made a direct hit! It will be exactly one year on December 15th 2004 that the Ethereal War began because of the actions of one silly old man in a newsgroup called Whyld Goose. You want to blame someone for the anger of many cartoonists then he's your man.

***

Late last January (2004) www.hentaiglobal.com was posting my comic book EROS HAWK. It seemed to me that I've spent most of my time fighting websites with the word 'hentai' in their web-name. It was also an association I have little respect for. Adult hentai-anime is really too explicit for my tastes and I don't really see the value in it as a comics art form. I've seen several mainstream super-heroes drawn in this style and I just find it bizarre. www.hentaiglobal.com didn't have a contact link (these geniuses think I can't get at them) so I decided to hit the join button and see where that led me. The link led me to www.adultbouncer.com (the PAY interface) and to my unbelieving eyes a direct link to their attorney! I'd never seen that before so off went an email. While I waited for an answer I also sent my copyright notice to the Webmaster of adultbouncer.com Once again I asked the question, does the Webmaster of this particular site have the rights to post these comics?

A day latter the attorney for adultbouncer.com phoned (!) me and asked what my concerns were about www.hentaiglobal.com. The following is an accurate representation of our conversation:

SB: www.hentaiglobal.com is posting my first issue of EROS HAWK. I own the copyright and it is registered with the Library of Copyright in Washington D.C.

Attorney: Would you be able to provide proof if we required it?

SB: I can fax it over to you if you'd like.

Attorney: That won't be necessary. Is there anything else that is your copyright posted on this site?

SB: No, but anything with the Eros Comix logo is not this site's copyright. Understand that I'm only concerned with my copyright. What the publisher does is his affair and I will notify him of this infringement.

Attorney: We take the issue of copyright infringement very seriously and we'll simply have the site shutdown until the owner can prove he has the rights to post the works.

I thanked him and true to his word www.hentaiglobal.com was shut down and at present has yet to return. This attorney did what others have failed to do, he put the burden of proof at the doorstep of the website owner!

Now if only Yahoo! could see it as plainly.

***

While sitting in a movie theater waiting for the feature to begin a curious preview played. A painter for motion picture sets spoke about how downloading movies hurts not only the studio executives but also people like him who don't make the millions motion pictures generate. The preview ended with the text, www.respectcopyrights.org. It wasn't the first time that I thought; don't we (as comics creators) have the same copyright issues? Don't we have the same rights when it comes to the protection of our works?

***

So here we are in late 2005 and I’m still at it. Many friends and acquaintances don’t understand why the comics industry hasn’t taken up the fight. I can’t even imagine at this point what they’re thinking.

And what of the two major criminals of the theft of comic artist’s works from the newsgroup ABPEC?

Whyld Goose seems to have truly vanished but I do see two of his supposed aliases from time to time in the newsgroups. I don’t know if these are the same person but I do know that my work has disappeared from the newsgroup and I am considered persona non grata. That suits me fine. As long as no one posts or attempts to profit from my work they will have no problem with me.

Ed Macman continues to show his arrogance on Yahoo! Group, ComixBookMuseum. At this point I’m not sure who to be angry with, Ed or Yahoo!

Oh, by the way, both individuals are located in the New Orleans area!

As my attorney said, if your work is not being posted then you have no actionable lawsuit. But what about my fellow colleges, when will you wake up and realize that the Internet is more than what it appears to be on the surface. When will you take the time to try and find out about your works?

It’s up to you.

Steven Bové • CT 2005

The Ethereal War is Copyright © 2003 by Steven Bové

Permalink Posted: 6:36 AM EST 2 comments  

CAPERNAUM - Toursists are flooding this northern Sea of Galilee town in wake of the mysterious photo taken by Hollywood film director, Jerry Lensman, who came here with a camera crew looking to document the mysterious sightings of a man resembling the Biblical Jesus Christ, reportedly seen at the shores of Lake Kineret in Israel - traditionally known as the Sea of Galilee.

Lensman released the photograph on Sunday in a press conference from the Tiberias Hilton as he told of his encounter with the mysterious figure that's brought millions of tourists to the region amidst growing speculation that the escalating phenomenon heralds the Christian Messiah's return to his homeland and his imminent revelation to the world.

"We were driving by Capernaum when Johnny, our technical assistant, noticed someone crossing an open area between the synagogue and church ruins of the landmark site," Lensman said, "at a few hundred yards from him, we couldn't stop the car in time to get a clear shot. Our photographer, Bobby, was barely able to zoom in on him before he disapeared into the ruins." Lensman then told of how him and his crew spent the next few hours combing the Capernaum site looking for more traces of their quarry. "By sundown," he added, "we realized that the reports of his mysterious disappearances are also true. This photograph is all we have to show for what we all saw with our very own eyes."

The photograph appears to match descriptions from previous sightings in the region. Aside from the striking resemblance to the Biblical Jesus Christ, the figure is seen to be wearing a suit jacket and leaning on a walking cane or staff, as has been previously reported. "As he walked away," Lensman told at the press conference, "He seemed to have a slight limp which might explain his need for that staff he uses."

Chief detective Shimon Barak, commander of the Tiberias Police investigative unit, released a statement today saying his forensics team examined the photograph and concluded it to be an authentic image of what the camera recorded at the site. "This is the first corroboration we have of the hundreds of sightings that have been reported here," he added, "but we still have no solid evidence that the man in the photograph is who people here are claiming him to be." Barak's investigative unit sealed off Capernaum after the incident but found no other evidence for the mysterious presence.

The Christian world has become sharply divided by the phenomenon in Israel and the mass rush of millions of believers from around the world to the Sea of Galilee, hoping to get a glimpse of what many believe to be the beginning of a miraculous revival of prophecy in the Holy Land .

Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Rick E. Myerson, leader of the Liberal Religious Coalition, exhanged a heated debate on the Oprah Winfrey show last night when the Archbishop scoffed at what he termed as "The obvious deception behind a man sporting a limp and alluding to his role as the returned Christ to the world."

"He was stabbed in the side by a damned Roman sword, for Christ's sake!" Meyerson reprised. "What the hell is so deceptive about that?"

The Vatican released a statement today warning Catholics not to be tempted by the events in Israel. "Our Lord will return in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory, as he told us in the Gospels." The statement said. "Anything less is clearly the work of a deceiver and a false prophet."

More to come as events unfold from the Sea of Galilee - Israel.

Permalink Posted: 8:55 AM EST 1 comments  

Shortly after publishing Mike's comments in Mike Pascale Dodges Lightning, I emailed him thanking him for the vibrant commentary and told him to expect his purchase of A-Z Superhero Poster to arrive in the mail soon. Today I received this email from him:

Thanks, Michael!

To quote the recently departed, deeply missed Don Adams of GET SMART fame, "Would you believe..." they arrived TODAY??

Yup, no sooner did I read your email, that later that afternoon my Mom dropped 'em off (she picks up my business mail for me as it's closer to where she lives). She said she felt it might be urgent because of the interesting packaging. (And what packaging it was! I feel like I should hang that on the wall too...)

The posters are absolutely STUNNING in person. Truth be told, I was a bit concerned about the printing doing justice to the digital medium. (Since all my book covers were digital, I had all kinds of problems trying to get ink to come close to the pixels on my screen.) But man, you had a perfect job on these! (I hope you were happy as the artist, of course.) The colors are vibrant, intense, and as alive as the characters themselves.

The composition works quite well on the printed piece, something hard to appreciate on the small monitor. The personalities, lighting and rendering detail come through quite nicely. My wife was even more impressed! Looking forward to framing it.

I can't thank you enough for the low number and the wonderful personalization as well---I really was hoping you'd add my name, but didn't want to impose. Man, I am going to keep that one forever---and longer!! Then when I came across the Gargoyle poster...what else could I say but, oy vey!! Mama mia!! Madre Dios! Mein Gott! Mon Dieu! Holy Monkey Crap!!!

Your talent and skill are eclipsed only by your selfless generosity and loving spirit. The next time you visit relatives near Farmington, please do let us know so my wife and I can treat you to a nice meal. I'd be honored.

Thanks for making a balding quadragenarian (?) feel like a full-haired kid again.

Best,

Mike

P.S.: If you need a product endorsement for your website, let me know, and/or take whatever you can use from this email (just wipe off the slobber first...)

;0)

Thanks a million for the enthusiasm and generous words, Mike. You can bet I'll be knocking on your door in Southfield someday. Nice to see how that lightning only lit the way to Heaven.

Mike Pascale. Schism Comics. Go look!

* * *

A-Z SUPERHEROES

A Small Taste of Superhero Heaven

Click here to order your copies while supplies last!

NOW SHIPPING FROM FLAMING SWORD!

Permalink Posted: 6:33 AM EST 0 comments  

With this installment I seem to have hit a brick wall of legalities and ignorance on the part of certain providers of web space. There are still people out there who have no regard for the works of comic’s creators and one such individual still maintains a presence (on Yahoo!) with a membership of 3386 (as of 09-20-05) subscribers! Read on…

Of course the views expressed are my own and I would like to thank Michael Netzer and Flaming Sword Productions for the opportunity to publish this series of articles.

SB

The Ethereal War Part IV

The Internet bothers me.

Once you peel away one hideous layer you find another just as ugly and totally devoid of any respect involving copyright ownership. It’s so widespread that I doubt even an entity such as Disney can control the illegal use of its property. In some cases it may seem like harmless fun but to a corporation or individual trying to create a viable product it’s disruptive and damaging.

Search engines like Yahoo and a host of others allow users to create groups and swap audio and visual material freely. It’s great if the material is totally original but unfortunately that’s not the case. The providers hide behind complex text stating that they are not responsible for the content posted by its members. Exactly how did these providers arrive at the conclusion that they are not responsible?

That’s a question for a Lawyer. And I’ve talked to one and he insists that I should, “Rally the troops!” the problem is the comic book industry has turned a blind eye to all of the scanning and posting of their material and that makes the fight that much harder. I am winning my war to have my work removed from various sites and newsgroups and that should be enough. But it isn’t. I say this because the scanners and posters realize that as a whole they are free to do as they please with little cause or fear of reprisals.

That may soon change. Here are two examples.

Kerry Gonzalez, an insurance underwriter from New Jersey, learned the hard way that you can’t post Universal Pictures property and get away with it. Gonzalez received a promotional video of “The Hulk” from a friend in an advertising agency. He then digitized it and posted it in an Internet chat room. Two weeks before the film’s release! In a short time the FBI became involved and Gonzalez pleaded guilty to one count of copyright infringement. He’s been sentenced (as of September 2003) to six months home confinement and three years probation. He has also been fined $2,000 and been ordered to pay $5,000 to Universal Pictures. The home confinement thing is peculiar…hopefully the Judge took his computer away as well!

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) began filing lawsuits against home computer users who post & download MP3 music, through peer-to-peer software, in June of 2003 Brianna Lahara, a 12 year old girl became one of the first sued. She settled by paying a $2000.00 fine for downloading music.

As you can see once an industry unites against a problem which effects their bottom line then swift action can be expected. And it will happen in the comics industry. Why, because we’re talking about a valuable commodity which generates millions of dollars in all forms of media. When you think about it, comic characters are pretty unique in the fact that they can transcend most media barriers that other characters or personalities cannot. As proven throughout time, comic book characters can be anything from Saturday morning cartoons to movie and television stars. Some even have an album or two to their credit. Consumers (or fans if you’d like) don’t get to make decisions on how these characters are presented to the public. Just try posting the latest Harry Potter book on a web site or newsgroup and see what happens.

And what of the individuals who incurred my wrath to begin with and those who allow the use of their Internet presence to post works under copyright? Here is a short list of major offenders:

*Whyld Goose has returned to posting in the Newsgroup, alt-binaries-pictures-erotica-cartoons (ABPEC). He vanished for a while when I turned up the heat. His return is indeed a sad thing. It just goes to show the callous attitude of posters. *As of this writing Whyld Goose seems to have retired permanently. I am aware of 2 of his aliases and continue my observation of him. I know his real name and I know where he lives.

*Ed Macman and his new Yahoo group, comixbookmuseum, still continues to post comics amongst it members. Yahoo doesn’t seem to have a problem with it. Curious. Ed is also a contributor to the ABPEC. *As of this writing Ed Macman still posts collections of erotic comic art, UNRESTICTED! Here is a direct line from his opening web page that pretty well sums up his arrogance towards comic creators, “The Comix Book Museum is the largest collection of Adult Graphic Novels available for free on the Internet. The largest. Worldwide. Period.” Why does Yahoo condone his actions?

Donnie B. & Robinek of the same newsgroup also posts many creators works. Do they have their permission to do so? Check out www.abpec.com for further information.

These are just a handful of the characters that are stealing the hard work and livelihood of many creators. They’ll tell you that they are doing it to honor and show others the great work they admirer. What they are really doing is providing the countless comics related websites with content to use and charge a monthly fee for!

There are other concerns to consider. Just recently I saw a posting of Madonna’s book SEX on eBay. Well not the book exactly…an E-BOOK! For those of you not familiar with the term an e-book are scans of printed material and burned to a CD. Now the last I heard Madonna pulled the SEX book from publication. The point is clearly illustrated. The possibility for the distribution of electronic information is endless.

Usenetix (www.usenetix.com) & Guba - Gigantic Usenet Binaries Archive (http://www.guba.com/) really anger me with their thumbnails of comic covers and pages from the major companies. They too claim they are not responsible for the content posted by its members. I’d have to think that as an employee of Usenetix or Guba after seeing a posted comic book by DC, Marvel, etc. they would know that the work doesn’t fall under the category of public domain. Usenetix & Guba are by no means the only providers allowing this practice.

www.hentalianime.com and www.hentaitoonami.com posted my work and the work of several others not too long ago. I informed them of my copyright and the work was removed. I then contacted a publisher who has a vested interest in my fight for control of my work. When I informed him that the work he published was also on one monthly pay-site he too issued a letter to have the work removed. Slowly publishers are beginning to understand what must be done.

I have talked with many people, fans and pros alike and still, it comes down to the individual owner of copyright to say what can and cannot be done with his or her property. Publishers of creator owned work should also voice their opinion if for nothing else than the respect for the work they once issued. With all the problems in the comics industry I still find it hard to believe that we are at a point where the industry is clearly at war with the very people who buy their product!

Is there a way out of this mess? The solution is simple. End all postings of copyright owned material and hold the people responsible accountable. The providers of Internet space must screen all material and delete material that is clearly not owned by the posters. If not, then PROVIDERS must be held responsible!

“Hold the providers responsible? He can’t mean that?”, you say. Hypothetically speaking, a distributor of comics sells his copies of Super-Hero X to a retail shop. Now comes along a Consumer and he/she sells their Facsimile copies of Super-Hero X to the retail shop at a fraction of what the distributor does. Sure, the Consumer selling the material is clearly wrong, but so is the retail shop for buying the material. By holding the retail shop responsible, in this example, they are forced to review their actions and make the proper decision. Let me point out that disclaimers and ownership are clearly printed on all mass-market consumer goods. The scanners and poster know this. THEY SCAN AND POST THEM AS WELL!

Some may think that that’s too simple a solution and that comics (super-hero or mature) are not deserving of such stringent restrictions. My response is where would the entertainment industry be without comics? Isn’t the source worth protecting? Even from the very people who claim to be fans of the art form?

Sooner or later I hope that my collegues will understand that they too have the same rights that motion picture and recording artists have when it comes to the use of their works. Their very livelihood, as well as the business of comics, is at stake.

Steven Bové • NY 2004

The Ethereal War is Copyright © 2003 by Steven Bové

Permalink Posted: 4:26 AM EST 0 comments  

Okay, this is why I'm going to hell:

I swear, when I saw the photo (which is before the article),

I thought it was a shot of Spring Break somewhere. I see lots of young people, mostly girls, in bathing suits and short tops, and the one in the orange looks like she's lifting up her shirt.

And the one in the foreground has one nice figure.

The worst part is, I've actually only seen one or two of those "Girls Gone Wild" videos...honest!! (Egad, I'm becoming my own comic character!)

I just hope I'm properly grounded when the lightning bolt hits...

Great article, otherwise. That subject matter is always fascinating.

Best,

Mike

Permalink Posted: 2:20 PM EST 1 comments  

With the third installment of the Ethereal War I receive some harsh criticism of my views on scanning and posting. But in 2003 this issue was truly building up a great deal of steam! The recording industry seemed to have daily attacks on Napster.com and the film industry became aware of piracy of their products through the Internet as well. It was getting messy to say the least. In all of this I expected the Majors to step in and join the fray…

Of course the views expressed are my own and I would like to thank Michael Netzer and Flaming Sword Productions for the opportunity to publish this series of articles.

SB

The Ethereal War Part III

This edition of the Ethereal War deals with responses from both fans and publishers and their reactions to the scanners and posters of comic book material. I also have some thoughts on the exit of Whyld Goose and the existence of ‘The Curator’ and his now defunct (?) museum of erotic comic book art.

I’ve received both negative and positive emails on this subject. The negative group of emails stands firm that they’re not doing anything wrong. Then there is the positive email from person’s who have had dealings with members of the newsgroup,
alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.cartoons (ABPEC), and have their own feelings about certain individuals. These emails provided me with information on the cast of characters and their postings. These people may not be fans of my work (certainly not anymore) but they are fans of the industry and understand the dynamics involved in the scanning and posting of art, as you will see. I’ll be taking sections from various emails and answering them accordingly. Every effort has been made not to take a statement out of context. I have made edits in the name of clarity.

Email: Your attitude in the matter of the scanning and posting of comics has made it clear that you don’t appreciate the fans. I will be boycotting any comics with your name on it in the future.

SB: My attitude is a reaction to the theft of the work that I own. This was stated in the previous articles. While I ran the Eros Hawk web site, back in the late nineties, I had my share of fan emails and there was always a fair exchange of views. Some fans received art or comics without any cost involved. You would find that many of my colleges are equally as generous if addressed properly. I appreciate any fans I have. What I don’t appreciate is anyone who tries to attach his or her self to my work in any manner. It is your right to boycott any work you wish. As a society we do this everyday. It’s called freedom of choice and it is a privilege that’s often taken for granted.

Email: There are two sides to this issue. You have to see the side that says these postings may actually be helping to keep your work alive.

SB: The comics industry cannot allow the fans to dictate how our work will be presented in any form. Comics are still a tactile experience that is not only universal but also necessary for the medium to survive. However the format must evolve. Have you ever wondered why comics have remained essentially the same size for all these years? Don’t kid yourself into thinking that it’s the most profitable form available. What’s left of the comics buying community has dictated to the publishers that this is the only form they will accept! For that reason alone comic companies have been slow to react to the persistent change in technology, media, and consumer preferences outside of the comics’ universe. Comics in the USA are finally making serious strides to advance and reach a greater audience than they do in the vanishing comic shops across the country. Comics are still burdened by the existing format and distribution system that impedes the process. When you add into the equation the scanning and posting of the content on the Internet the problem escalates dramatically. The most important fact about this is that the industry, from the creators to the retailers, makes no income from this action and actually loses potential customers! If a person has the scans to my work would that person be interested in buying a collected edition of the series even with the never published fifth issue? Not to mention the fact that if it were published would it be scanned and posted upon publication? My attitude is simply not to bother until measures are created to safeguard the contents.

Email: Because of the postings I have sought out and purchased many books I may never have seen because of low to nonexistent distribution of the material.

SB: And there’s the problem comics have faced since the dawn of the comic shop. I would have agreed (reluctantly) with you in the past but because of the commercial aspects and advancements in consumer purchasing on the Internet I have to think that you can visit any one of the many comic shop web sites available. From these sites you can view covers and read synopses with ease from anywhere in the world. The Internet is the best place to purchase adult material these self-conscious days. In your case you decided that having scans wasn’t enough but what about the others who decided that the scans are all they need?

Email: What are your views on adult parody art and it’s postings on the Internet?

SB: Since Eros Hawk was essentially a parody I do have some experience in the matter. While researching the web for violators of my rights I came across various sexually explicit works concerning DC, Marvel, Disney, and Hanna-Barbara characters. Much of it was like the nonsense all artists do in their teens. Some of it was extremely well drawn! Some of it led to pay-sites, which is unconscionable. This is where a company has to make very hard decisions on how their property is presented to the general audience. Parody is a great form of artistic expression and sometimes very original. Should it be so visible on the web? That seems to be one of the biggest issues at the moment. There are no easy solutions but we all know that as the laws change the Internet will see greater restructuring and greater restrictions.

Email: The ABPEC has a restricted artists list. This is a list of artists who have requested that their works not be posted. You are on it.

SB: At what point was the group going to inform me of this? Once again your group makes decisions based on work that doesn’t belong to them. You can talk amongst yourselves all you want but since you fail to include the person or persons responsible for the work in question it seems ridiculous. Let’s look at your own APBEC FAQ’s (www.abpec.com). Take special note of http://www.abpec.com/page8.html. Statement 2 says, “Post copyrighted material only with express permission of the copyright holder, subject to his/her restrictions. This should also be safe, and is used by several of ABPEC's major contributors”. No one from your group did that in my case. Of course I know why you don’t communicate with creators. A majority of us would say LEAVE OUR WORK ALONE!

A large part of the problem of scanning and posting stems from the lack of seriousness towards the adult genre (and all forms of comics in general), even from within the industry! In America the attitude is that the adult market is of little value. Cable television, video and the Internet would prove this idea invalid. I have used the adult comics genre as an example only because Eros Hawk was of adult content but the scanning and posting of comics is not exclusive to this. The other comics companies seem oblivious to the scanning and posting of their material. This led me to my conversations with two very prestigious publishers of comics.

Publisher number one said that he hadn’t researched the subject enough to form an opinion. He worried about the man-hours needed to search the Internet for violators. He considers an approach where the company might issue out a notice for posters to just scan a few pages as a teaser as opposed to posting complete books. I informed the publisher that Amazon.com does this on their web site with great results and suggested he might do the same on his site. Would he call his various creators and let them know of the posting of their works? He wouldn’t say. Did he believe that most if not all of his titles had been scanned and posted at one time or another? Definitely.

Publisher number 2 was livid over the realization that Whyld Goose’s final (?) post was of his product. He let me know he would call the creator of the series and inform them. Publisher number two didn’t get publisher number one’s thought process on the issue. He thought there should be wide media coverage within the community to stop the distribution of scans altogether.

After my conversations with these publishers I spent two days emailing many of my colleges and sending them copies of the previous Ethereal War articles. I received NO responses. For some this may seem like a victory to continue scanning and posting comics. Even I have to admit to my disappointment in not hearing from anyone in the industry. The truth is many of my colleges are afraid to confront the dwindling fan base of comic’s buyers. I really can’t blame them as I know how hard it is to make a buck in creating comics. Certainly it would seem that the people in the comics industry who have the biggest mouths on the issue of copyright have nothing to say on the subject when it concerns adult material! I’ve come to the conclusion that I must let publishers and authors fight their own battles. I will however let you in on something. Sooner or latter a cartoonist with a good deal more clout and power in the industry than I have will appear on the scene and once they see what’s going on they will lead the way to the eventual disbandment of the ABPEC…unless the newsgroup heeds the following suggestion. Maybe try and be a little more discrete about your activities. Looking back to your ABPEC FAQ’s you will find right there at www.abpec.com/page3.html it say the following, “ABPEC is devoted to erotic graphic art in a wide (but not unlimited) variety of styles, ranging from simple sketches, to Sunday-comics style cartoons, detailed line art, or photorealistic paintings. The artwork may consist of single images or comic-book style series. It may be original work, or scanned images from various sources -- but please be aware that posting such scans may violate the copyright of the artist and publisher.” With that statement none of you in the group have an excuse for your behavior or actions, not when your own FAQ’s warn you of copyright infringement. The ABPEC FAQ is a good source of information and should be adhered to. When one of your members considered he was above the law and thought he could flagrantly post works anywhere and everywhere (and take credit for it) he brought undue attention to your group. Instead of praising him you should all be insulted by his arrogance not only towards the creators he violated but yourselves. Thanks to Whyld Goose your activities are now known and the spotlight is on you. Remember how it got there.

On the subject of Whyld Goose an interested party has told me of his departure from the comics posting world. I read his goodbye statement and the responses by his followers. Some of you complimented Whyld Goose on all his hard work. Shame on you. Some of you see Whyld Goose as the victim and that I’m using him as a scapegoat. Far from it, I’m using him as an EXAMPLE and I’m not done yet. Sooner or later I will track him down or even one of your own members will end up giving me his real name (That did happen). It’s inevitable. Do I think he’s done scanning and posting? No, I believe Whyld Goose will return under a new name and a new personality. From the stories I’ve read he’s quit and come back a number of times. I have seen him make efforts on the Internet to remove his name from other sites. He knows exactly where all of this is headed and he’s done the smart thing…for the time being. For some of you this is a cause much like the bootlegging of recordings and films. You have the technology so you feel rebellious and think you’re fighting the system. There’s a difference between home use and mass marketing. In the final analysis the manufactures, Apple, Microsoft, etc., won’t be the liable parties because they created the technology. No, it will be the actual violators of the stolen material. The end result is you end up hurting not only the creators but also the consumers that miss out on a quality product.

Now on to Ed Macman (another member of the ABPEC). This so-called ‘curator’ of an erotic comics museum on the Internet. He expressed to me that I “get a life”. Sorry Ed but you don’t have the right to say that to me or any creator. My work is my life and I will hunt down anyone who violates my rights! That you existed as long as you did on the web is a credit to your security and secrecy. That is all over now. I have informed many parties of the existence of the museum that you claim no longer is in operation. If that were true why would you tell Whyld Goose to, in your response to his goodbye note, “drop by the museum sometime”? Maybe you should drop by your old http://museum.web1000.com site. There’s enough information there to infuriate any creator or publisher. I enjoyed your memos with ‘Brian’ and have added those to my file for my lawyer to review. I especially liked the thoughts on generating income from the site. And while you’re at it go by http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acomicxbookmuseum. You won’t be getting anymore ‘donations’ from that source (He did manage later to create another group on Yahoo, even after repeated phone calls to them!). That is the power of ONE artist. You are now on my radar and I will be hunting you as well as other names that have been given to me by the few who think my cause is just. Do not email me again with your sarcasm and childishness. It’s hard to believe that we are approximately the same age and you haven’t figured out that when you steal you will eventually be caught. You, much like Whyld Goose, hide behind an Internet alias and would never face anyone who challenges you. In this case the fight is legal and that scares you more than you’ll admit. Follow Whyld Goose’s lead and just disappear.

It would appear that www.abpec.news2cum.com has been shut down. This should convince many of you of the seriousness of the problem. I may have had little to do with it though. When providers hear from owners of copyrights and get a hint that there might be some sort of impropriety they will often just terminate web sites without much resistance. The threat of a lawsuit is enough to make anyone in this economy think twice. Here is a list of those who have posted my work. I offer this to my colleges who might be curious to know if their works are available without their knowledge. All ask for a fee.

1) www.abpec.com - Believe-it-or-not, a guideline on posting OUR WORK!

2) www.otacomics.com - This site seems to be suspended.

3) www.usenetix.com - Check out the posts of comic book covers and the posters themselves.

4) www.guba.com - Check out the posts of comic book covers and the posters themselves.

5) www.hentalianime.com - This site seems to be suspended.

6) www.hentaitoonami.com - Still in business.

7) www.cartoonheaven.com - This site seems to be suspended.

8) www.hentai-gold.com - Still in business.

9) www.abpec.new2cum.com - Shut down.

10) www.adult-comix.com - This site seems to be suspended.

11) www.dirtyfantasies.com - Still in business.

12) www.hentaiglobal.com - This site seems to be suspended.

13) www.erocomics.com - Very accommodating people. If you don’t want your work posted they’ll drop it. And if they like your work they’ll offer you money to post it!

14) www.adulthentaireactor.com - Is Eros Comix paying attention?

15) www.comixerotica.com - Still in business.

16) www.dwarfshentaigames.com - Still in business.

Are all web sites dealing in comic’s evil? Actually www.erocomics.com was very decent about receiving my copyright notice and said that they don’t have my material posted and inquired about seeing works from me that they could license. That is how it should be done!

Where we go from here is totally up to the scanners and posters. Some of you suggest posting my work elsewhere for revenge. All of you must wake up and stop this pathetic cry for attention. Most of you are frustrated creators and I encourage you to please create works of your own. Know what it’s like to draw endless pages of comics for years on end. Know what its like to pay your dues in the real world. Know what it’s like to search out publishers to print your work and then realize how it feels to have that work stolen from you. For many creators much of their material is out of their control. Those of us who do have control have a responsibility to maintain the integrity of the law and pounce on those who would violate it. Some may think my cause is foolish. Some may think the material doesn’t warrant the expense or effort. That’s not for anyone other than myself to consider. I accepted my responsibility for Eros Hawk (or Battle Bug’s Brigade for that matter) the day I had the idea. This is why I fight and continue to fight.

The war rages on.

Steven Bové • NY 2003

The Ethereal War is Copyright © 2003 by Steven Bové

Permalink Posted: 12:24 PM EST 1 comments  

Throughout the past year, as I have struggled to make BloodStained Productions a reality instead of a pipedream, I had to enter into realms of thought about publishing, copyrights, trademarks, and the infringements possible therein more than I would have liked to at the time. I have known obliquely about copyright infringements through file sharing before, such as the Napster debacle, and some of my friends in the publishing world talking about finding their work available through BitTorrent downloads on such sites as ZCultFM or Demonoid.com.

I never really paid any attention to it though until I began reading THE ETHEREAL WAR posted right here on Michael Netzer's Flaming Sword Productions.

Suddenly there was a comic book professional speaking on these issues that many such as myself have taken for granted. Legalities that seemed blurry before unless we were speaking on my own titles that BloodStained Productions will be publishing, suddenly became clear.

/*This online file sharing of scanned Comic Books is piracy.*/

Even in an article written by a scanner for scanners and leechers (those who download) it states that the scanning and sharing of comic books is not just blurry legal ground, but is in fact illegal.

Whenever you look at a book that you have bought, you read in the indicia (copyright statement) that "No parts of this work may be reproduced in part or in whole without the express written consent of the publisher and/or creators". (Taken directly from the BSPRD indicia) This clearly states that ANY reproduction without the express written consent of the publisher and/or creators is a blatant violation of the copyright. That means anyone who's trying to say that they're DMCA compliant! The DMCA supports copyrights in WHOLE! Just saying that you'll remove the torrent or file from your site isn't enough. You shouldn't even have posted them in the first place.

What surprised me more than anything was the even split of indifference between creators when it came to this issue. Some said "It's only going to be good for the industry in the long run", while others stated in various different ways "As long as it doesn't directly affect me, I don't care.". This low key attitude towards piracy and copyright infringement surprises me in many ways, mainly because some of these who spoke the words above, or some such variation, were also signers and proponents of THE CREATORS BILL OF RIGHTS!

Interesting isn't it?

So in response, as both a publisher and creator, I can only say that I would certainly hope that this industry can and will awaken to the destructive possibilities of online file sharing and begin to prosecute those who display a flagrant disregard for the law.

Martin R. Oakley

BloodStained Productions

http://www.bloodstainedproductions.com

In an earlier private correspondence, also brought here with Martin's permission, he expressed a creative response to the eventuality that he might find his work being freely distributed on the internet:

If I came across one of my books on a website available for free to anyone, I'd definitely have a discussion with that person. Perhaps have him/her post only the first few pages of the book with a link back to my website to buy the whole thing. I'd like to see how that would work out marketing wise ya know?

Not a bad thought, actually.

BloodStained Productions. Have a look.

Permalink Posted: 10:03 AM EST 1 comments  

In this second installment I deal with an email I received shortly after the appearance of my first article. After much research I discovered that the email had to be the work of Whyld Goose himself! It’s an unusually insightful snapshot of the mind-set of the people who inhabit the Newsgroup, alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.cartoons (ABPEC). To this day the group continues to scan and post the works of many comics creators. In the third installment I will introduce you to some of participants and one individual who uses a Yahoo forum to host an online gallery of comics!

Of course the views expressed are my own and I would like to thank Michael Netzer and Flaming Sword Productions for the opportunity to publish this series of articles.

SB

There’s a line in the Oliver Stone film ‘JFK’ that always makes me laugh. In the scene where the prosecutor is explaining to his wife about the importance of a meeting with a suspect to a crime the wife says, “Did you ever think about what he (the suspect) might be feeling?” Compassion for the guilty. What a concept. I often wonder if we, as a society, have lost our common sense when it comes to right and wrong.

In my last article I spoke very plainly about what I felt was an injustice to myself with regards to the comic book I created entitled Eros Hawk. In short my work was scanned and posted by a person using the alias Whyld Goose. This is not suspicion but fact. I have the proof to back it up. I even have his bio from the Internet site Literotica.com where he states, and I quote, “Retired construction worker. Scanner/poster of erotic comics on ABPEC (Internet/newsgroups). Writer of non-erotic romantic poetry and erotic stories.” Proof doesn’t get any better than that.

This article is a response to an email I received recently which appears to defend Whyld Goose and his actions. I suspect this is an email from Whyld Goose himself, going by the ever-popular email name KITTY! The email I received is dated April. 17th 2003. In the first installment I made edits because my suspicions of exactly whom this email was from was not confirmed. Enough time has past and much proof was attained to attribute this text to Whyld Goose. If you keep in mind his bio from the second paragraph you too will arrive at the same conclusion I did. Still minor edits were made for the sake of clarity. I address each paragraph individually.

In December of 2003 I became aware of just how vulnerable I was as a comics cartoonist. I developed the Ethereal War as a way to deal with the loss of not only control of my work, but the monetary income needed to produce the work! Most of the names involved have since vanished from the Internet and you will see after posting the fifth installment that I did make significant progress in defending my rights as a creator. Some of the material will anger you and confuse you. The anger will be apparent by the lack of support I received from publishers. The reason for the confusion is because it's the FANS of comics who are creating the websites designed to profit from their collections of books!

Of course the views expressed are my own and I would like to thank Michael Netzer and Flaming Sword Productions for the opportunity to publish this series of articles.

-SB

THE ETHEREAL WAR part I

I was sitting in a Starbucks with an attractive model talking about our various creative backgrounds. EROS HAWK, an adult comic I produced, came up in conversation. I hadn't really given much thought to the comic book as it was something I did over ten years ago. Later I had Eros Hawk on my mind and the following day I entered the name in a search engine.

Then the WAR began.

I was shocked to find that several web sites were using the material that I created and owned (as well as the works of other artists) for their own monetary gain. I spoke with my attorney and he told me that, aside from the idea of a lawsuit, I had to be diligent and willing to harass anyone who used my work for his or her own profit. Through my attorney I realized I did have ammunition. First, I owned Eros Hawk, not the publisher of the series. Second, I had the Official Library of Copyright documents to prove it. And third, I had The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA) on my side. Within a day I had a short and very effective statement directed not only at the offenders but anyone connected and profiting from any monetary transactions. This would include credit card services, Internet service providers, etc. Emails were sent and before an hour had passed apologies were issued to me and the pages showcasing my material were removed. For a moment I thought the crisis was over.

A couple of weeks later I put Eros Hawk back into a search engine and there to my surprise were new offenders trying to profit from my material. There was even one repeat offender. Once again my statement was issued and once again apologies were sent to me and web pages were removed.

But there was one guy out there I couldn't get a handle on. He went by the name of Whyld Goose. I learned that Whyld Goose had actually scanned my work and was issuing it to anyone who wanted it FREE! He even had the audacity to catalogue the work in CSV (a data table file) form! Yet Whyld Goose was as elusive as his name implied and when I found an email address for him and sent along my statement it just came back to me as undeliverable. It became a quest to hunt down this felon (that's what he was) and have the justice I deserved. As this point I became an Internet Detective. Through a web site called Otacomics (no longer available) from Brazil I found the link that would prove to be Whyld Goose's undoing. ImagEvent.com was the web site where Whyld Goose displayed every page of my work (and the works of many other published artists). Because the web site providers were very accommodating and dropped the pages at my request (within ten minutes!) I harbor no ill will against them. Though they really should have known that the work wasn't the property of Whyld Goose. Not only did Whyld Goose scan every page of my four Eros Hawk books but he also scanned a caricature of himself and boasted that he scanned the work for people's enjoyment! The ironic thing about this is that while Whyld Goose did scan every page of the books he failed to note the copyright notice on the first page of each! After a phone call to the Internet provider not only did they remove my work but the works of other comics that Whyld Goose had posted for the world to see and download. I took it one step further and contacted the Brazilian web site and let them know that the links to my work were now broken and to drop all references to it. Of course the damage had been done. The black and white artwork (from the comic book) was scanned in very good detail and had been available for some time. It is also logical to assume that because of Whyld Goose's postings he provided several new and upcoming comic book web sites with material. This made me realize, even more so than before, that as a creator and owner it is up to me to protect my work and fight anyone who seeks to profit from it.

A few years ago I was talking with a group of comic book professionals and an editor said of the digital realm, "Work on the Internet is ethereal." It was a silly statement because when a web site uses images that an artist owns legally then this impacts on the artist's control and income. This is no different than the situation the music industry finds itself in today with MP3 technology. It is up to the individual who creates work of any nature to defend that work and fight anyone who infringes on his or her copyright. No one else will do it for us.

To Whyld Goose I have this to say, you disrespect every creator by posting works you clearly do not own. You have the right to purchase, trade or sell the comic book in question and that's it! You are obviously old enough, by your caricature, to know this. I am now aware of you and will track you down (I eventually did) as well as any further infringement made on my material.

To James at www.hentai-gold.com, you say you are a college student. Then you too must understand the concept of theft. Because you purchase a comic book it does not give you the right to publish the work and try to profit form it. I have caught you twice and will be monitoring you in the future (The site is still up and I can only guess that some of the books available are not his copyright).

To www.cartoonheaven.com (at this time it seems to have been shut down), you are obviously a fan of comics. But to try and profit from your collection in this manner is shameful. Do not attempt to profit from the hard work of the creators whose work you admire. You too are on my list to monitor.

And to all the new comic book related web sites offering stories and art for a fee, It had better be work you own or are paying the creator for it's use. The Internet is vast and largely ungoverned. As the tools for creating web sites improve in their simplicity and scanner prices drop to under $100.00 you can expect further instances of copyright infringement. I don't know about you but I'll be watching to see what happens next.

Steven Bové . NY 2003

The Ethereal War is Copyright © 2003 by Steven Bové

Permalink Posted: 9:47 PM EST 4 comments  

Millions of tourists and pilgrims are flooding the beaches of Lake Kineret, traditionally known as the Sea of Galilee, in wake of stories coming out of the region about the mysterious presence of a figure resembling the Biblical Jesus Christ who lived in the area some 2000 years ago.

Reports have increased in the last several weeks about the mysterious appearance of what some pilgrims are saying may well be the Return of the Christian Messiah to his homeland. "Look at all these people coming here on pure faith alone," said Jerry Crossman from Pittsburg, who organized a group of 300 worshippers from the Calvary Church in the city. "These numbers don't lie. We're sure that the time has come and the Advent of The Lord is here."

Some Christian authorities are showing skepticism, however, and even hinting that this is a hoax meant to bolster the ailing local tourist industry. "Everyone knows Jesus will not return until the Anti-Christ makes his appearance," said father Duane McCartney, head of the Cleveland Conference of Catholic Bishops. "If anything, this is a sign of the work of Satan meant to encourage the non-believers of the world," he added.

With the surge of tourists coming here in hopes of getting a glimpse of the phenomenon, the number of sightings increased sharply over the last week. John Artman from New York, here with his family in wake of the news reports, had this story for our reporters. "It was him, make no mistake of it. I was standing by the edge of the beach area and noticed someone walking through the thick marsh leading up into the mountains. I tried to get near him and got a close look before he suddenly disappeared into the thick greens." When asked to describe what he saw, Artman said: "Strangest thing, he was wearing a suit and seemed to be injured in his left side and walked with a cane that looked like a staff. Before he disappeared he turned towards me and extended his left palm in my direction. It was him, no doubt about it. He had that face and look that you very rarely find - and his palm had a mark in it that looked like it was bleeding."

The local authorities have been attempting to downplay the events but have found themselves helpless against the tens of thousands arriving here each day from all over the globe. Detective Shimon Barak, commander of the Tiberias Police investigative unit, spoke with reporters today in a press conference and had this to say. "We have no solid evidence for all the stories being told here about the mysterious sightings. But we will get down to the bottom of this once we have the security situation under control." The Israeli Government has dispatched 15,000 border guard troops into the area in order to ensure the visitors' security.

Stay tuned to Flaming Sword News, reporting live on the unfolding drama here at the Sea of Galilee in Israel.

Permalink Posted: 1:53 AM EST 1 comments  

Lake Kineret.

Vacationers across the beaches of Lake Kineret, traditionally known as the Sea of Galilee, are reporting a mysterious phenomenon - the appearance and sudden disappearance of a man resembling the Biblical Jesus Christ, known to have lived in the same area 2000 years ago.

Eye witnesses say the man's been seen at the beaches for fleeting moments, after which he suddenly disappeared, leaving no trace of his presence.

"I looked up and there he was," said Emily Kruger, a Utah resident vacationing in Israel. "As he walked by, he turned to look at me and I swear to you, he had the face of The Lord."

"He just appears out of nowhere and suddenly disappears again," said Eric Meyer, a Tiberias resident. "We haven't seen anything like this around here in a long time."

One eye witness described the man as, "Somewhat short, wearing a 3 piece suit and sporting a walking cane that looks like the staff of Moses."

Local police have no corroboration of the story and are asking vacationers to report all sightings. "It may just be the hot summer sun having its effect on people," said detective Shimon Barak, commander of the Tiberias Police investigative unit. "But we don't take any chances with security here. If it is him, he's accountable to the law just like anybody else - and he'll have to deal with us also."

More to come as events unfold.

Permalink Posted: 7:29 PM EST 2 comments  

A declaration of no superhero comics angst in The Engine, echoed through the pre-launch announcements the writer made in his email communique, Bad Signal. Though destined to raise the irk of some in comics fandom, this will undoubtedly contribute to the more refined dialogue he's hoping to nurture there. Other notable features in the forum structure are the Creator's Stage and Creator's Conference sections, open to the public with thread starting privilege given only to comics creators. The two sections will hopefully nurture the type of dialogue in the creators' community which we've called for here at Flaming Sword, namely the coalescence of a unified voice of the creators, for the advancement of creative and economic independence in the industry.

Amidst the tension of The Engine crashing several times and Warren seeking solace from the frenzy at the local pub (as he told of in Bad Signal), it appears he might have been accosted by one or several born-again Christians peddling their faith. Otherwise, it's hard to imagine an explanation for the tirade he dispatched a few hours ago in Bad Signal, as The Engine began to stabilize. I'm passing it along here (with Warren's permission) because it's a hilarious release, in the classic Ellis style. Be forewarned, however, it's not for the squeamish.

bad signal

WARREN ELLIS

Jesus Christ's liver tasted of gin and semen. I gobbed it out on to the floor and looked around the control room. Somewhere out back, the Pope was still screaming. If I hadn't punched the teeth out of the pirahna before I poured them up him, he might be dead by now. The only thing muffling his fucking noise was the mouthful of used condoms. The Virgin Mary came out of a side door with a shotgun. I bit off the end and spat it in her eye, laughing. "Virgin Mary my arse," I said. "Any wife of mine coming home with that story would have been left out for the lepers before midnight. You like the taste of dadpaste and no mistake. I've chewed open your son and washed his raw meat down with a bottle of shit wine. What do you think to that?" As the Virgin Mary went down on her booted knees and skilfully guided my purple-headed battering ram past her prehensile tonsils, I looked at the control panel. There was a depression in it with a red button at the bottom with the sign DO NOT PRESS. At the last moment, I ripped my beef missile free of her vocal cords with both hands and shoved it down into the control console.

The world exploded.

And THEN I ejaculated.

The end. Fuck off.

Permalink Posted: 1:21 AM EST 3 comments  

Scream If You Want It (www.screamifyouwantit.com), expected to launch later this week, may be shedding the next evolutionary skin of the comics web community. A fascinating synthesis of community content management and cutting edge server technology, designed in functional elegance and placed within operational reach of comics and media creators, Scream If You Want It offers a dynamic perusing experience that sets a new tone for tomorrow's visual-media audience.

With Jim Reeber's record for bringing comics creators to light at Aardwolf Publisning, this new enterprise is expected to attract leading and influential figures from the comics and related entertainment media to ensure the latest word on what industry professionals have on their mind and what lays ahead for the entertainment world.

As the web site nears launching, some of its first offerings include articles from Neal Adams on the creation of the universe, Paty Cockrum on the famed Marvel Bullpen, Mike Pascale with advice on life from Bru-Hed, Michael Netzer on the Israel comics scene - along side interviews with Def Leppard, Kevin VanHook and Dave Cockrum - all accompanied with news items such as Martin Scorsese's new Bob Dylan film No Direction Home, The Fallen Ones horror flick, Bill-Messner Loebs benefit book and the launch of our own Flaming Sword Productions - all only a small taste of what awaits from this unique venue.

Scream If You Want It employs the newest web community technology available and is powered by Mambo, a leading server techonology development foundation ushering in the web communities of tomorrow. With this powerful tool at its disposal, the site puts access and management at the fingertips of its contributors providing for fast and effective flow of new content.

Look for it this week at ScreamIfYouWantIt.Com.

Permalink Posted: 8:34 PM EST 0 comments  

* * *

From The Pulse:

ROB LIEFELD DONATES TEEN TITANS ART TO HELP HURRICANE VICTIMS

Comic creator Rob Liefeld is trying to help Hurricane Katrina victims. He's set up several eBay auctions featuring his work in the recent Teen Titans # 27. All of the money earned from sales of the sequential art goes to the Red Cross.

For those interested go here.

* * *

Peter David Donating Royalties from Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man # 1 to Victims

* * *

Artist Kody Chaimberlain creates print for Hurricane Victims

* * *

Backlog 17: Hurricane Relief and Reviews

* * *

Webcomics Telethon for Hurricane Relief

* * *

Artist Kody Chaimberlain creates print for Hurricane Victims

* * *

MILE HIGH DONATES SALES MONEY TO KATRINA VICTIMS

* * *

DIAMOND, ALLIANCE, VENDOR PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR KATRINA VICTIMS

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, the comics and games industries are mobilizing to determine the extent of the damage to specialty market retailers in those regions, and provide aid to what is believed to be more than 50 affected hobby shops.

* * *

DC PLANS TO HELP HURRICANE KATRINA RETAILERS

With Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath impacting Louisiana, Mississippi and other Southern states, DC Comics is taking steps to help affected area retailers.

DC's Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Stephanie Fierman, says, "We are extremely concerned about the safety of these comics retailers and their families, and DC will do everything it can to assist them both today and when they're ready to get back on their feet. For now, affected retailers will receive their DC items at no charge. We will be announcing a comprehensive set of actions next week, after consulting with our customers."

Watch for the full announcement of DC's disaster aid coming soon.

* * *

Comics Figures With Connection to Gulf Coast Speak Out on Tough Week

For as many times that jazz and comics have been paired together as indigenous American art forms, neither the birthplace of the former nor the region surrounding it has ever been a particularly fertile ground for the latter. Comics has long been driven by industries that settled into the New York City area; New Orleans, like many a large American city outside of the Eastern corridor, was more a beneficiary than a contributor to the world of words and pictures. Ditto the lands along the coast eastward and into Mississippi. More here...

* * *

From Fanboy Rampage:

Indie publisher Ronin announces an anthology to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina

"After the Tsunami of 2004, a lot of people at Ronin Studios got together to produce the first volume of HOPE, an anthology benefiting the Red Cross in the cleanup effort after the disaster in the Indian Ocean (web presence). Two more volumes are forthcoming. In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, inker Jeffery La Jaunie suggested we make another book, with the proceeds going toward helping the Red Cross in this area. Jeffery is living near New Orleans (fortunately, his family and house are safe), so this is especially important to him. A lot of other Roninites also feel that we need to do something to help, so this book is getting made. This new volume will likely be more themed than the previous HOPE volumes, with stories based on/in or inspired by New Orleans."

They're looking for contributors - go here to volunteer.

* * *

Newsarama is keeping track of efforts in the comics community to raise money to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina

Currently, there's news of efforts by Kody Chamberlin, the Bendis Board and Rob Liefeld, but it's being constantly updated.

* * *

ICv2 also has news on the same subject.

* * *

From Super Hero News: Mike Storniolo

Comic Book Auction For Hurricane Katrina

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, near-thousands are dead and nearly one million homeless, in the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. Being hailed as one of the worst natural disasters in the United States history, many are scrambling to make any helping effort.

Industry fans and pros alike are clamoring to the Brian Michael Bendis Message Board to donate items for a charity auction being established. Contributions include numerous comic books, collectibles and pieces of artwork. All proceeds from the auction are sent directly to the Red Cross' relief effort. The winning bidder donates the amount of their bid directly to the Red Cross and presents the receipt to the auction.

The auction starts Fri. Sept. 2, runs through Labor Day, and longer if there is enough to keep it moving. Contributors, as well as bidders, to the auction are called upon to donate whatever you're able to towards this effort. The auction website is located at: www.newcomicreviews.com/auction

* * *

From Broken Frontier

Broken Frontier Launches Hurricane Katrina Charity - Participate Now!

To help the victims in New Orleans and other cities in the state of Louisiana that were hit by Hurricane Katrina this week, Broken Frontier is setting up a series of charity auctions of which all proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross. All auctions will be held on eBay next week, starting on Friday, September 9.

For more information on how to participate, contact me ASAP at frederik@brokenfronier.com.

Permalink Posted: 8:25 AM EST 7 comments  

UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF: (800) 554-8583

Photos and List - New York Times

Permalink Posted: 7:09 AM EST 1 comments  

MICHAEL NETZER'S

FLAMING SWORD PRODUCTIONS

AHEAD OF ITS TIME FOR MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY

1977

* * *

1978

* * *

1978

* * *

1979

* * *

1980

* * *

1981

* * *

2005

* * *

2005

* * *

GET A PIECE OF THE FUTURE:

A-Z SUPERHEROES

NOW SHIPPING FROM FLAMING SWORD!

Permalink Posted: 10:58 AM EST 1 comments  

FLAMING SWORD SITES

The Comic Book Creator's Guild

The Comic Book Creator's Party

The New Comic Book of Life

Steven Bové's
COMIC CARTOONIST'S
WORKBOOK

AARDWORLF

AMRITAS

CREATORS

Comics Professionals on the Web

Neal Adams' Continuity Studios

Clifford Meth's Past Masters

Clifford Meth's One Small Voice

Mark Millar's Millarworld

Rich Johnston's Lying in the Gutters

Steven Grant's Permanent Damage

Bryan Talbot

Norm Breyfogle

Beau Smith's Busted Knuckles

Mike Pascale's Schism Comics

James Hundall

Amritas

Neil Gaiman's Journal

Mark Evanier's News from ME

Colleen Doran

Warren Ellis' The Engine

Brian Bendis

Donna Barr's Submission Engine

Peter David's Journal

Tony Isabella's Online Tips

Marv Wolfman's Today's Views

Joe Quesada Forums

John Byrne Robotics

ORGANIZATIONS

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

A.C.T.O.R.

Friends of Lulu

MoCCA

Comic Book Awards Almanac

NEWS & COMMENTARY

Silver Bullet Comic books

Comicon

Pulse

Comic Book Resources

Newsarama

Heidi McDonald's The Beat

Graeme McMillan's Fanboy Rampage

Scream If You Want It

Elayne Riggs' Pen-Elayne

Sequential Tart

Tom Spurgeon's Comics Reporter

The Comics Journal

Comic Book Conventions

Adelaide Comics and Books

Comixpedia

Captain Comics Roundtable

The Great Curve

Alan David Doane's Comic Book Galaxy

Blair Marnell's All the Rage

Mighty Mini Con

Comics Continuum

PUBLISHERS

Aardwolf Publishing

Antarctic Press

Alternative Comics

Archie Comics

BloodStained Productions

Claypool Comics

Dark Horse Comics

DC Comics

Drawn and Quarterly

Dynamic Forces

Fantagraphics Books

Gemstone

Graphitti

Image Comics

Komikwerks

Mahrwood Press

Marvel Comics

NBM Graphic Novels

Oni Press

TokyoPop

Top Shelf

TwoMorrows Publishing

FLAMING SWORD ARCHIVES

Atom Feed

Syndicate this Site

The Daily Flame
courtesy of