Michael Netzer's FLAMING SWORD PRODUCTIONS

NEAL ADAMS IS NOT ALONE!

For proponents within the comics community who've believed that Neal Adams' science project is... shall we say, a trifle eccentric - please click the image below.

Dennis McCarthy, the man behind The 4th Revolt website, is one of many others now coming forward, after years of difficult research.

Their conclusion is unanimous.

Almost everything that our science has theorized about our world is wrong.

Neal Adams has led this charge for more than 30 years now - but he is not alone.

Much like the characters in Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, who were all given a vision of a mountain without realizing the destiny which awaited them - likewise many scientists, philosophers and researchers are now coming forward and disseminating a shared vision which is about to explode into our social consciousness.

In times past, such revolutions have traditionally taken several generations to bear fruit.

Now, however, with the global internet communications network in place, the upheaval is at our very doorsteps.

We stand on the brink of a design-science revolution and all the science we once held as true is about to change entirely.

Welcome to a glimpse of the new world coming.

DEAD SEA ZOOLA

It was a damn good year, 2005. A couple of major interviews at Silver Bullet and countless mentions in the comics media and blogosphere making the effort well worthwhile. The Beat, The Pulse, Past Masters, The Great Curve, Fanboy Rampage, Newsarama, Scream if You Want It, Lying in the Gutters, Pen-Elayne, All the Rage, Millarword, Adelaide, Mighty Mini-Con and Neilalien were a few that helped spread the word and keep the spark alive in 2005.

Flaming Sword, The Comic Book Creators' Guild, The Comic Book Creator's Party and The New Comic Book of Life have become familiar ideas to many industry pros and fans. From the buzz they helped generate, you'd think I'm sitting on a high profile project coming to a comics shop near you. Except for some sketches, however, a Superhero poster and a couple of ideas for sketchbooks, it was all as virtual as the CGI spaceships in Babylon 5. The big projects at Flaming Sword come to a halt but the comics community gets a fair helping of an ambitious vision for a new kingdom coming. No complaints. That's all I really wanted from the effort, at this stage anyway.

It all comes down on my 50th birthday in early October. Elana presses me to start looking for a job that can generate some income for the family now that the unemployment benefits have ended. She knows I have plans to be on the road by the spring of 2006 and we have a Bar-Mitzvah celebration to prepare for our son Daniel in mid January. I tell her I need to be out in the desert again to think things through and she agrees to a 40 day period which would still give us enough time to prepare the Bar-Mitzvah. Last time I did this I promised myself not make such 40 day plans again because I always miss by a day or two.

"What the hell" I think to myself. "I'll try counting more dilligently this time."

***

I pack a carrying bag with some basic necessities for the trip - rice, beans, coffee, tea, sugar, cakes, canned goods and a carton of cigarettes. They're not for me, I can make this trip without them. I'm heading to a desert area by the Dead Sea, populated by a community that prefers I don't come empty handed. Haven't visited my friends there for almost a year and I'm anxious to be out in the open spaces again.

I'm Hitchhiking there. An hour ride from Jerusalem takes about 25 hours to traverse. Thumbing a ride has become a nightmare in this country, everyone's afraid of everyone - especially if you're a long haired freak that looks too old for the Rainbow movement youth that frequent this road. Somewhere along the way I spend the night on the desert dunes off the side of the road and finally reach my destination by the next morning.

The area is called Metzukei Dargot, "The Stepped Cliffs" in English. About 10 kilometers south of the northern tip of the Dead Sea. There's a new army checkpoint at the spot that leads down to the beach area about 300 meters below, a few kilometers away from Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The terrain is characterized by steep cliffs all the way down to the beach. The cliffs look like a giant staircase sculpted into the rocks and sand, most likely created by the dropping water levels over thousands of years. Looking at the forested beach area from above, it's impossible to see the thriving community of nature dwellers that have lived there for years.

Modern day Esseans is what they really are. The area is under the army's jurisdiction, so the Parks Authority stays off their backs. The army turns a blind eye to the community's presence and even helps by bringing water and provisions from time to time. I make my way down the winding stepped path and arrive, 25 minutes later, at the forest area off the beach.

My first stop is at Shalom's Zoola. Shalom is about my age, a disgruntled escapee from the industrialized madness he once lived in. In his youth he traveled through Africa and studied tribal drumming techniques there. He later became a thriving cartoonist and illustrator in Tel-Aviv until Yitzhak Rabin was murdered there in 1995, after which he decided to put his life on the line in protest of where the country was heading. He left everything and began living on the Tel-Aviv beach, drumming the days and nights away and gathering crowds that sympathized with his message. Several months later, the local authorities forbade him to stay on the beach so he headed out to the Dead Sea and built a Zoola at the feet of the Stepped Cliffs. There are more than 30 such Zoolas here with semi-permanent dwellers today, all following in the footsteps of Shalom, the artist-drummer from Tel-Aviv.

A Zoola is Hebrew slang for the improvised living quarters of the nature dwellers. It's usually built within a cleared area of the forest, about the size of a living room, covered by a sheet of plastic that keeps the rain away. Somewhat unnecessary because it only sprinkles once or twice a year by the Dead Sea. Something about the Dead Sea keeps the area warm and rain free throughout the Winter. The Summer is usually too hot here, so the nature dwellers move up north to their Zoolas by the Sea of Galilee. When it begins to get cold there, they come back to the Dead Sea.

Within the living quarters of a Zoola, there are usually a few boxes hanging from the trees which contain whaterver food provisions the dwellers have. They hang from the trees to keep them away from the mongeese that prowl the area looking for food. Fascinating cat-size animals that live in harmony with the nature dwellers who feed them with whatever scraps and leftovers they have. Each Zoola has a few sheet covered sponge mattresses placed around a central camp fire that keeps everyone warm at night - and where all the cooking is done. Aside from that, one might find some bed sheets or blankets pretending to be living room walls, giving the Zoola a more intimate home environment. No elecricity, no radios, televisions, computers or internet can be found in a Zoola. Just the bare necessities of a trouble free life in nature's bosom. That's all there is to a Zoola.

I first met Shalom there 3 years ago on my first excursion into the Judea Desert. We cultivated a special friendship, being the oldest among a more youthful community. I helped out by cutting down dead dried trees for the camp fire wood he used - and washing some plates and pots after the dinners he cooked for the community. He invited me to room with him in his Zoola for the week I spent there and we passed some time talking about the state of affairs in Israel and the world.

"So, you want to do a Jesus thing in Israel" he'd say to me. "You can get a lot of support in the country today, but the religious communities will crucify you."

"Not if I can get the Pope to do it first." I'd answer.

I've since visited Shalom from time to time, bringing whatever provisions I could. Small payback for the hospitality and friendship. The last time I saw him was when I returned from New York last year, short haired and clean shaven.

"What happened to you?" He said upon seeing me. "Funny looking Jesus, you are."

I told him about The Comic Book Creator's Party and reveal my mad plan to set America on fire through the comics industry.

"That's an interesting plan," he said. "but you still have a lot of groundwork to do from here."

"All in due time." I answered.

***

Now, a year later, I'm at Shalom's Zoola again. He expanded and spread out in all directions to accomodate the growing activity he hosts there, namely being the hub of the beach area where most of the community spends its afternoons and evenings. Camp fire songs to the background of guitars, drums and flutes over the hot dinners he serves everyone, just like he's done every day since he's been here.

"Hey Michael, just in time." Shalom says upon seeing me. "We're out of everything. Whaddaya got?"

I lay the carrying bag next to him and he wastes no time pulling out the cakes, tea and sugar. He then breaks off some branches and twigs from his wood supply and throws them into the coals of the camp fire, fills a pot with water and drops a couple of Lipton tea bags into it from the box I brought him.

"How's The Comic Book Creators' Party coming along?" He asks, handing me a cup of hot tea.

"It's been a busy year. I've done as much as I can over the internet." I answer him. "It's time to get down to the groundwork we need to do from here."

"So that means you'll stick around this time?"

"Not yet." I tell him. "I'll be here for a few weeks, but I have to help out with my son's Bar-Mitzvah. I'll try to come back soon afterwards."

"You can stay here for a while but maybe you should build a Zoola for yourself."

"I'd rather just float around actually, I'm not here to settle down you know." I take a sip of tea. "I'm thinking of walking from here to the Sea of Galilee in the Spring - picking up anyone on the way who wants to come along."

"I've had similar thoughts." Shalom tells me. "Things are pretty tough in Israel now. A lot of people will come along if they'd feel it was a worthwhile movement."

"All we need is one CNN or BBC report and we'll have a lot of comics creators supporting us" I promise him. "From there, It'll only be a matter of time till it reaches Hollywood. A pop-culture revolution in America."

"Have a piece of cake." Shalom says.

I spend the next 6 weeks floating around the Zoolas by the Dead Sea, talking it up about walking to the Sea of Galilee in the Spring. There's some scoffing and snickering but I fend it all off with some background about the 25 year investment I've made into this project through the comics industry. The comics add an unexpected light-heartedness to an otherwise serious and intense proposition.

Natan, Ittamar, Ittai and Urik become enthused supporters of the idea and help spread the word, convincing others that it's a worthwhile notion. When the time comes, I bid everyone farewell and head back home.

"You're a day late." Elana says when I return. "You left 41 days ago."

"You're not supposed to count the first day." I tell her. "That's a traveling day..."

"...I counted very dilligently this time."

Channukah/Christmas-2005, Jerusalem

NEW KINGDOM COMING

Flaming Sword Productions is suspending its web site operations and taking its message into the streets of Israel, intending to land at the Sea of Galilee with a multitude in the Spring of 2006. When you hear about this movement from the Land of the Prophets, know that a new kingdom of The Creators is coming into the world.

I look forward to seeing the comics creators community drawing inspiration from the coming events and giving wings to the rise of this movement through the comics - taking the queue from the likes of Neal Adams' Growing Universe Science Project , his new graphic novel Blood and Mark Millar's Chosen, for a collective thrust of subject matter which will blossom like a mighty oak in the entertainment world. To this end, Neal Adams began forming The Comic Book Creator's Guild more than a quarter of a century ago.

The time is drawing near for the creators to begin making their move.

The rebirth of Biblical Prophecy from the Land of Israel - and the roots it has in the comic book industry - will not only inspire the coalescence of the creators' community and the forming of its first union - but it will also give rise to a new socio-political-economic leadership in America. The Comic Book Creators' Party .

The collective infrastructure and roadmap for this movement began more than a quarter of a century ago in the comic book industry of the mid-1970's. Its goals and aspirations are detailed in The New Comic Book of Life web site.

A well done goes out to Neal Adams, Clifford Meth, Mark Millar, Alan Weiss and host of comics community creators and professionals who've accompanied Flaming Sword. The list is too long to contain here but a few names bear special mention: Rich Johnston, Graeme McMillan, Heidi MacDonald, Matt Brady, Elayne Riggs, Jennifer Contino, Daniel Best, Rick Offenberger, Thom Young, Alex Segura, Mike Pascale, Peter David, Mark Badger, Blaire Marnell, Chris Bunting, Richard Emms, Ed Tegler and Millarworld's Free Sketch Thread community, Beau Smith, Jim Reeber, Steven Bové, Martin Oakley, Rick Olney, Doc, Kurt Buziek, Norm Breyfogle, Steven Grant, Bryan Talbot, Tom Spurgeon, Warren Ellis, the web communities at Talk@Newsarama; Joe Quesada Forums; Millarworld; Captain Comics Roundtable, Comic Book Resources; Comicon; The Pulse; The Beat; The Great Curve; Neilalien; the well remembered Fanboy Rampage crew, the Amritas and my high-school years friend Tim Gasco. A special thanks to everyone who participated in the comment threads and forum discussions, as well as to Jason Brice for the continued professional hosting services at Silver Bullet.

Far from this being the end of Flaming Sword Productions, it's merely a temporary suspension of web site activity which holds a promise of bringing us closer to realizing our goals by breathing new life into the comics industry through the rise of a popular movement from the Land of Promises, where great social, spiritual, political and economic upheavals were born in times past.

To all who yearn for The New Kingdom, an open invitation is extended to come and take part in the glorious events about to unfold, by plannig a visit to Israel in the coming year. An open invitation to join the multitude who'll raise the Son of Man into the Clouds of Heaven.

No need to pack a lunch - we have some fishes and a few loaves of bread in the baskets.

DISCLAIMER

This homepage has been restructured with choice highlights from previous Flaming Sword articles. A complete archive remains accessible in the right-side menu, as well as the extensive comics community links menu it accompanies. Our web site complex will remain accessible for the duration of the rEvolution.

Silver Bullet Shining

Amongst all the great reading material presently at Silver Bullet Comic Books' web site, two Flaming Sword items bear noting.

First, as can be seen in the left side highlight, an A-Z Superhero Poster banner-button (an animated GIF provided by Flaming Sword) has been running at Silver Bullet for the second consecutive month.

Jason Brice, SBC Chief, contacted me today with very good news about the number of click-throughs the banner-button is getting at SBC. I keep track of the numbers through his tracking facilities but Jason's news concerned the amount of people clicking on this banner-button as compared to other similar advertisements:

I was just looking through the statistics of our ad serving software, and your little button ad has BY FAR the highest percentage of click-throughs of any ad on our site (taking into account relative size).
I'm going to refer some of my advertisers to you to get ad graphics made.

Interesting thought, actually. Producing animated advertisements for comics related websites.

The other highlighted item from Silver Bullet's homepage is an interview I gave to Thom Young which has just been posted. It's quite an extensive interview that Thom did a marvelous job of guiding and nurturing - It can be seen directly at this link.

About half of the interview discusses Flaming Sword, its aspiration and projects, within the current state of affairs in the comics. The other half discusses the comics creators having powers and abilities beyond those of mortal men - bringing thoughts about science, religion, philosophy and the state of our world to the doorstep of the comics community.

A big thanks goes out to Thom and Jason for facilitating the interview and for the incomparable professionalism in which it was done.

Worthwhile reading. Go Look.

NEAL ADAMS BACK IN THE SADDLE!

Continuity News - From Superman to Planetary Genetics

Neal Adams announced on his web site over the weekend that he's back in the saddle producing an alternate cover for the long awaited All-Star Superman #1 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. The announcement was accompanied by Neal's first sketches for the cover, now in production.

The announcement noted that "this alternate cover will be harder to find as only one of nine issues to press will feature Neal’s cover." That means that it's not a 50/50 split between the first and alternate covers, rather ONLY ONE OUT OF EVERY NINE COMICS PRINTED WILL FEATURE THE ALTERNATE COVER!!??

Wow! That's really clever marketing from DC Comics. It's hard to believe that we're talking about the artist who raised DC out of the ashes of mediocrity since the late Sixties with his fabulous covers. The same covers that so many of us remember as the pivotal events of an era that kept DC apace with the explosion and rise of Marvel Comics.

ONE OUT OF NINE. Brilliant!

And it's not like we're talking about an artist whose work stagnated in it's ripe age. Just the opposite, actually. Anyone looking at Neal's new work on his web site can see that he's remained as vibrant and innovative as he was when he first walked into DC's offices. Perhaps even more so. And it's not like we don't know what Neal Adams art does to the sales and collectability of a comic book. The announcement itself also notes that "Alternate covers over at Marvel have driven just released books to $20 to $26 per copy with his [Neal's] alternate covers."

I wonder what the story is. C'mon Dan, I know you must have some brilliant explanation for this fiasco. Hey Paul, I'm waiting for the punch line. I find it hard to believe that you guys couldn't be a little funnier than this.

ONE OUT OF NINE. Tell us it ain't so, guys!

Maybe it's just politics. Or maybe it's the tunnel vision corporate confusion that doesn't dare take a chance with anything not considered HOT by the consumer buzz which the corporate confusion creates. It's actually par for the course for DC Comics, if you think about it. I mean, this is the same corporate enterprise that tells us they're helpless to do anything effectual about the dismal sales figures of the last two decades in the comics industry. The same corporate enterprise that's trying to woo comics fandom with smoke screens of increased sales on infinite countdowns and new universes.

Time/Warner/DC Comics... yeah, right. Tell us another one guys. We're splitting a gut here.

I guess DC Comics doesn't give a damn about comics anymore. Why should they? They make their bounty from Hollywood and the licensing operations. They'll continue to sit pretty so long as the comics are barely surviving. They'll benefit more this way, on the backs of the creators who made DC what it is, because creators are disparaged at the dismal state of comics sales. They'll laugh at the comics makers and lovers - all the way to the bank.

Quite brilliant, actually.

* * *

Anyway, the next item in the news at Continuity, right under the Superman item on the web site, is a story - written and drawn by Neal - that was published in Warren Publishing's Creepy magazine in the mid-1970's. Thrilkill.

When one thinks of Neal Adams being ahead of his time (and I'm not talking about his science project, which we'll discuss right after this), Thrillkill perhaps exemplifies more of what this means than much of Neal's Superhero work.

Hey, Warren Ellis! Chew on this for a moment as you scoff at the Superhero creators. Look at what the Daddy of Superhero artists produced in 1975, when you were still in diapers. Comics wise, that is.

Talk about real-life stories with an Indy feel. Talk about a story to get the wheels of the human - and humane - soul churning. 1975. C'mon Warren, take a close look. Have a good read and get to know what the Superhero makers have done and can still do. Take a good close look, Warren. Just click the numbers below and read this story to discover the glorious yesterday of your tomorrow.

ONE - TWO - THREE - FOUR - FIVE - SIX - SEVEN - EIGHT .

Eight pages of story and art that foretold so much of what the Indies have become.

Neal is hinting he may be offering these pages for sale soon. A thrillkill in the making for original art collectors.

* * *

This brings us to a truly delicious item presented on Neal's Science Project Homepage . It presents a few new videos which talk about - and show - some new aspects of how the Earth and other planets and moons have grown. The videos are most likely excerpts from Neal's science video project now in production. I know this has taken some time in the making, but anyone who's seen a preview of this project can understand why. This video production of A New Model of a Growing Universe is going to be very very big news when it's released.

Remember, you read it here first.

The new videos are listed and linked below with a subject heading. Well worth watching for all you science geeks who are also amused at the fictitious malarkey that the scientific community has been peddling for decades now.

Mars Valles Marinaras Spread

* * *

How the Great Lakes were Made

* * *

What Really Happened to India and the Himalayas

* * *

How the Mediterranean Sea was Made

* * *

Tectonic Spreads on the Earth and Other Planets and Moons

* * *

Ganymede, Moon of Jupiter

* * *

and now, introducing (drum roll, please) . . .

PLANETARY GENETICS

Brilliant as these videos are, however, they're not the luscious gem I was referring to. On that same Science Project Homepage , Neal drops a bomb, of the Enriched Uranium variety, then turns around whistling to the birds, as if he had nothing to do with it.

The above image file is named EarthMarsCompare.jpg. As you look and wonder what the hell we're supposed to be comparing, seeing how Neal offers no explanation except for the image itself - and as you wonder why the Earth map is upside down... Oh... Holy crap! there is something familiar and common to these two images.

There's an Africa on Mars! An Australia too! Even the lines and angles of South America are there! Damn. The shape of our entire continental crust is there in the Martian tectonic plate-scape!

But it can't be! It must be a coincidence, right? It can't be that the lower tectonic plates on Mars resemble our continental crust on the Earth... upside down!

I mean, sometimes we see elephants in the clouds, right? But these aren't clouds, folks. This is the topography of Mars, for Christ's sake!

Hey Neal, are you saying that the planets have some type of genetic code which makes their topography look alike? The way two faces of brothers look alike?

And everyone says I'm crazy. Jeez.

It's not so far fetched, actually. Neal has likened the planets to being the children of the sun. Coalesced from the matter and anti-matter the sun puts out. The mother sun and its children planets. Brothers and sisters can look alike, we all agree, don't we?

This is really big news. That's why Neal is so quiet about it. He knows how big it is.

Jesus Christ Almighty.

* * *

Now, I know that you're all thinking I have this inexplicable fixation on Neal. Well, you're right. But it's for a good reason. Not just because of everything you've read here.

It's because it's a reciprocal fixation, you see. That's right. Neal has the same problem with me. What's that you say? You haven't noticed? Well, let's consider the following.

Remember how I talked about our long relationship, last year, in the comic book narrative, Blood Which Flows from the Heart? Remember how I talked about Neal's new graphic novel, Blood?

Well, here's a recent promotional image from Neal's new graphic novel, Blood.

BLOOD WHICH FLOWS FROM THE HEART?

I know, I know, It's just another one of those coincidences, right? How about this one?

Now, why do you think it is that I remind Neal of crosses and crucifixions?

What? What do you mean that I'm being presumptuous?

Alright. I didn't want to do this but you've forced my hand. I know you didn't look at this last year when I told you to, so take a look now and read it carefully. It's one of the pages from Blood.

Ok. You've read it, right? Now, where from do you believe Neal draws his inspiration for such an idea - in a story about aliens? Where does Neal get an idea for a good hearted guy who blows his mind out on Anemae in the desert, or LSD, or whatever hallucinogenic you want to think it is - and then goes out to a place full of Arabs and Jews to warn the world about an impending doom and nobody listens - as if he's some kind of savior or something? Look at the long haired guy with a beard in the middle of the last panel. Look familiar?

Hell, it's all probably just my imagination.

But it's also in Neal's stories and art. He knows the real score and he's putting it down in his comics. I'd have to be one cold-hearted bastard not to have a fixation on a guy like that.

Neal Adams is back in the saddle, showing the way. That's what a lot of comics creators should begin doing more of.

There's a big story coming our way here.

Time to help make it happen - and start cashing in on it.

FRENZY OVER CAPERNAUM PHOTO

Mystery Photograph Corroborates Galilee Sightings

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.

Millions Flood the Sea of Galilee

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.

CNN Special Report

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.

SEEING THE FUTURE

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

Justice! Justice!

With these words, Clifford Meth commented on the settlement reached with Richard Emms over the inking on Mr. T #3. Clifford kept an eye on the incident, in spite of being heavily pre-occupied with his new baby boy and a recovering Mom - and offered to intermediate if necessary. It wouldn't be the first time Clifford would do so for a just cause in the comics community - but fortunately, this was one case he could take a well deserved rest from.

Blair Marnell wrote a detailed summation of the Newsarama thread in his column, All the Rage at Silver Bullet Comics and Books, concluding that "cooler heads" had prevailed to reach a settlement.

Rich Johnston also covered the incident in his column, Lying in the Gutters at Comic Book Resources:

To be honest, I think that's the happiest one of these forum back-and-forths has ever concluded.

Rich's comment reminded me of a Biblical narrative in the book of Exodus telling of the meeting between Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro, upon the latter seeing the Israelites freed from Egypt. Jewish commentaries say that what moved Jethro to join the Jewish people afterwards was that he had seen, for the first time in his life, how a God had helped the oppressed and disenfranchised. Until then, Jethro was known as a master idol worshipper, bowing to every false god he'd come across.

For those who wonder what it is about Rich Johnston that evokes such thoughts, perhaps this will help.

DC Goes to Washington

DC Comics and Flaming Sword Productions have announced a new crossover series starring the two publishers' best selling characters, Batman and Michael Netzer. Slated for release beginning later this year, Washington DC is a four issue mini series, written, penciled, inked, colored and lettered by The Crusty Bunkers - famed creative team from the 1970's.

Dan Didio and Michael Netzer stopped by to interview each other at the unveiling of the first cover for the series in Madison Square Garden, to the cheers of 75,000 comic book fans waiting anxiously for the news. Comics reporter Tom Spurgeon, who hasn't been too hot on the Superheroes lately, was there to give a glimpse of the event and said that a new era has begun again for the spandex-clad warriors. The interview was transmitted by Tom, live from the Garden:

Michael Netzer: Hello Dan. It's great to work with you on this project. Can you tell us what compelled DC to do such an off-beat series?

Dan Didio: Well, Mike, let's face it. You're the hottest property in comics right now. When I saw the mock-up you did at Flaming Sword, I knew this series would sell. But I have to ask you, was that Time cover for real? I mean, are you serious about this Anti-Christ thing?

MN: Dead serious, Dan. Now, can you tell us something about Washington DC?

DD: It's an epic undertaking that introduces 3 major villains to the DC Universe. They'll sell a lot of comic books and change the way we look at the world. There's The Legislator and The Crucifier, who both work for the arch villain, Top Dollar, who makes Darkseid look like Winnie the Pooh. Anyway, the trio brainwashed everyone in Washington and plans on enslaving all of civilization. Batman gets a whiff of the dastardly plot from you - and that's when the action begins. So tell me, does that staff you use for a walking cane really have special powers? I mean, like it does in the comic book?

MN: Absolutely. It brings down lightning from the sky and can split the earth in half. I really have to be careful with it. But let's get back to Washington DC. This is the first time that a comics creator stars in the DCU. Is this something DC plans on doing more of?

DD: Looking at the advance orders on the book, I have no doubt. We are the most creator friendly company out there, after all. Don't let Uncle Joe fool you. Just ask any creator working for us and they'll say it's true. We're trying to convince Neal Adams to do a team-up appearance with Deadman and intend to announce that series as soon as we work out a deal. There's a rich reservoir of creators we can exploit for this line and we intend to do so with every one of them. By the way, do you think there'll be room for me too on that spaceship to Titan that Paul is going on?

MN: It'll be a big spaceship, Dan. I'm sure there'll be a lot of room on it for everybody. Our readers are really curious, though. DC Comics killed Superman, broke Batman's back, killed off long loved characters and even killed its own universe several times in recent history. How do you intend to top all that?

DD: We're going to kill you, Mike. That's what you get for being in one of our comic books. Then we'll wait to see if you come back to life after 3 issues. I hope you know what you're doing.

MN: Piece of cake, Dan. Thanks for the interview and the great project.

DD: Thank you, Mike.

ONE SIMPLE THEORY COVERS IT ALL

Remember the Collector Society Forum where Neal Adams popped in and raised a call to arms for Justice for Jack Kirby? Well that thread developed into an intensive debate about Neal's Science Project. A few forum members with background in the sciences helped extend the discussion to more than 17 forum pages - highly recommended for those interested in the subject.

Summing up, Neal called everyone in for a fireside chat.

Guys,
Tell you a story, come in around the fire.
You sorta know my age. I was a science geek when the Pangea thing showed up.
Now, I was like everyone else, told since birth that there was all this stuff floating around and along came gravity and gathered it all together into clumps and we have a solar system. True, I was like we all are, taught not to question. So I swallowed my questions (wasn't gravity there all along? It suddenly showed up and it all happened? FWOOMP? Or FWWWOOOOOOOMP? Not evolutionary? DonÂt things happen slowly? Just FWWWOOOOOOMP?) Then I was told the planet was molten from all the FWOOMPING. Then it differentiated and began to cool, so granitic rock ON TOP, then BASALTS and on down to heavier silicates. Iron at the core.
SSSo I thought, "Melted, molten" How come we find iron at the surface? And in silicates? Then the questions multiplied. IF it cooled for 5 BILLION years, how come itÂs so hot down there? Unless...something is still REALLLLY going on??
Then came the Pangea theory. God, it made so much sense, in so many ways, in tectonics, distribution of animals, dinosaurs and plants, etc.
Then, doubts crept in.
Did geology do tectonic matching in the Pacific as well as the Atlantic? No, No? Why? What, what? WasnÂt necessary? If I were Chinese, wouldn't I think the Pacific was opening and the Atlantic closing? Why was one hemisphere spreading apart and the other hemisphere's continents moving together? Preposterous. What about the Antarctic Ocean, all spreading apart? IT ALL made no sense.
To my relief a group of geologists stepped forward and said, "No, we think the earth grew and the crust simply spread."
"Thank God." I thought, "a sensible answer."
I had gotten to the point of total frustration, All the continents had, what, gotten together on one big continent on one side of the earth and the remaining three quarters of it was water, five miles deep, no islands, nothing. This boggled my mind; we haven't evolved but a handful of real fish that live at that depth, compared to upper ocean fish. I visualized this Earth in my mind. It was almost funny.
Truly the oddest planet in a Jack Kirby universe." Like an eye, "I thought," an iris, the land, the rest of the eyeball, the ocean. My-o-my-o-my, it was so unnatural.
And these geologists came and saved my sanity. The earth simply grew. Huzzah. [One of these, I found much later was Professor Sam Carey, a brilliant and awarded geologist.
http://users.indigo.net.au/don/nonsense/carey.html
My happiness was however, short-lived. The "community" required that they show HOW the Earth grew, or expanded, or that they must withdraw.
They were Geologists, right or wrong, they weren't Physicists. They withdrew, in derision.
Now rifts were being discovered all over the ocean floor supporting Carey and his "nuts."
Someone, no name, came up with the theory of subduction, I hit the books. Denseness? No! Direction up? No! Down? Impossible. Equal and opposite? No. Anything? No!
Yet it caught on, anything it seemed was preferable to the unthinkable.
If anyone said growth or expansion, someone said, "Big Bang," and that was it. In my head I was confused (why? I'll never know, but then, yes, authority, you know, is a strong force.)
Yet those questions kept popping up. If rifts pull apart, how do landmasses come together? If subduction slides oceanic plate under continental plate, how come the "subduction zones are out in the ocean? Land could never meet land this way. If rifts pull apart, how does together ever happen?
In the beginning they said continents would slide under continents, now they say, "no, never." Continents never slide under anything. But if the Earth was molten and cooled, it was 100% covered with granitic rock, what happened to all that other granitic rest of Earth's surface. I checked the continental thing, no, no subduction of the continental plates that they said was a silly old idea. Impossible!
But three quarters of the Earth's surface is missing. Where did it go? Three quarters of the one billion to five billion year old continental plate is gone. But granitic rock can't subduct!
So, so, so how old is the ocean floor? They measured it. No older than 180 million years old. NO! Yes! 70% of it is only 60 million years old. NO! Yes! If there was no water would the same thing happen? They say yes! Does it happen on Mars? What? Subduction? On Mars?
No, no sign of subduction on Mars. Is there tectonic movement on Mars?
First "they" said NO definitely and unequivocally. Now they say, "well yes, and quite a bit." (Heh.)
Still no subduction?
Absolutely not! They say. They're probably right about that, but how can you have one without the other? Ah, well. Then things became appalling. Near the subduction zones there are high ridges and mountainous granitic formations like in Arizona and such. At the "zones" the trenches, these bluffs. Projections, mountains, and such must be sheered off and piled up at the trench area! No, actually not at all. It is a big wide-open trench. That's impossible, nothing about all of this computes in any way. Thank God for Geology, it is covered with water.
So, the Earth is growing, like Carey said, and someone's going to have to prove it.
But you know, there's a lot of contradictions lying around all the fields of science. What if one theory covers it all? One must. There must be only one. It must be simple and it is probably right in front of us, but we can't see it.
The End
Neal Adams

Drawing some inspiration from Neal's storytelling savvy, I followed him with my own summation of the exchange.

I'll take a cue from the Master Creator and greatest mentor the world has ever known and tell y'all a story. Pull up your chairs again, get close to the fire and start roasting the marshmallows.
I was never a science geek as a kid. Oh, I like to try to figure out how everything works but science seemed to complicate things too much for me. It all seemed a lot simpler to me. So instead of being a geek about how the universe was made, I was a geek about how civilization got to where it is. That seemed a lot simpler to me than how science was explaining how everything works.
The way it looked to me was that the world revolved around The Creators. The Creators made everything happen in civilization. They'd come and go from age to age, from time to time, in different guises, depending on the time and needs of civilization.
It's a very simple model for how the universe works. The first Creators, at the dawn of human intelligence, started scribbling things in the ground with twigs and branches (because they didn't yet know how to talk) and that's how they started teaching everybody that the sun and moon looked like they were spinning around the Earth. They knew the Earth was also spinning but they began with the simple, understandable concepts first. Those first Creators knew they were gonna die, so they scribbled down some stories that they could later hear when they'd come back again a few generations down the line, so they'd remember where they'd left off and keep teaching about how our universe works.
Later, a new set of Creators came and they started drawing pictures on the cave walls. They told stories which made people think about how the universe works. They too knew they were gonna die so they left their cave drawings in order to remember where they left off when they'd come back later.
The next time The Creators came they were writers. They wrote epic stories about how the universe works and why people die. They also knew they were gonna die, so they wrote the stories down in a way that people would never forget them, so the stories would still be there when they come back again. People were really impressed with their stories and made religions out of them. The Creators were just writers, though.
The Creators, in these stories, told about how the universe works and how people are gonna conquer death one day. They said that one day a Creator would come and remind the other Creators that it's time to conquer death. That way The Creators wouldn't have to keep dying and coming back again all the time.
Then one day, a Creator came by and said he's the one the other Creators told everyone about. People didn't believe him so they killed him. Well, he was the one, you know. So he came back to life and became a Master Creator. He told everybody that there was one more that would come in the end who'd conquer death for everyone and then everyone would know what The Creators are all about - mainly that everybody's a Creator, they simply forgot.
Then, in the end, The Creators all came back and waited for the Master Creator so they could all get together and fix everything and conquer death and go to Titan.
That's when the Master Creator came and Neal Adams began telling everybody how the universe works.
And that explains how the creation of matter is an ongoing process and why everything in the universe is so simple.
Michael Netzer

JUSTICE for JACK KIRBY

Neal Adams stopped by the Collectors Society forum, discussing a recent radio talk show he participated in. His opening post ended with the following:

If any of y’all think Jack Kirby and his family should be treated exactly the same as Stan Lee and his family, by Marvel Comics, it would be a simple righteous thing if you would write a straight-forward letter to the publishers of Marvel Comics saying that is what you believe as a fan of their comic books. Say it any way you please, and know that many others will and I will do my very best to settle this issue in a positive way.

Marvel Enterprises, Inc. -- 417 5th. Avenue -- New York, NY 10016.

TIME FOR TOMORROW

Time Special Feature

This Man from Lebanon

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.

Netzer's life-long dreams for change in the world are all coming true today in a big way. He's inspiring political and social reform in American and global politics. He's helped bring about changes in the battered comics industry that have elevated the form to new heights. With all this going so well for him, what is it about this man from Lebanon that prompts a death wish at the hands of the religious establishment? Michelle Camilleri, Netzer's daughter and general director of The Creators' Party, offered some insight as to what feuls her father's ambition:

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.

A Freedom Wish on this Independence Day

I've cited, over the last several years, how shallow the Israel Independence Day celebrations appear to me under the conditions prevailing here. A virtual police state where every citizen is suspect, both in security issues and in government/citizen relationships. True independence for the people appears to have slipped away from the great democracies of the world - and in their place, systemic quagmires of conflict, which manage their populace with an iron fist, in their all-prevalent worship of the new economic gods of our troubled world.

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.

NEW RESEARCH REVEALS MISCONCEPTION ABOUT THE EARTH'S CORE

Dr. Jung-Fu Lin of The Carnegie Institution has published the results of new research in the June 24 issue of Science magazine, which indicates the Earth's inner core may not be as dense as previously speculated.

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.

More Mid-East Meets West

Tim continues with pertinent comments on the Mid-East situation.

You help us to understand this dynamic. I think Americans are trying to understand. What we don't understand is why America is the object of hatred when it is the despotic leaderships of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Libya, and Iran that are keeping down their people. They are the ones who use the oil revenue to buy arms and develop nuclear technology instead of letting this money flow to their population.

America is the object of hatred because the despotic leaders of the Arab world are considered heroes there. Their values are different than ours and they're seen as heroes for confronting Western attempts at economic, cultural, political and military supremacy. It's not a matter of who's right or wrong. They believe that America is attempting to colonize their world and as long as America deals with them confrontationally, instead of diplomaticly, they will continue to hate America.

If we emerge from this quagmire in Iraq, maybe for the first time there will be a government there that is elected by, and servants of the people. I feel that as long as we remain there though, we just inflame the situation. Lebanon is looking promising now that Syria has been shamed into leaving these people to find their own voice.

America withdrew from Lebanon in 1985. Israel has been out of there since 1999. Lebanese leaders who support Western influence continue to be targets of brutal assassinations by Syrian dictates and the Lebanese people remain under the thumbs of Islamic oppression. Until there is a change in the relationship and Western leaders learn to speak to the Arab world in their language and address their concerns, all of our military efforts there are doomed to escalate the violence and hostility.

On the subject of energy independence, I feel that we MUST find an alternative to oil. Hybrid vehicles, hydrogen, fuel cells, these are where we should be looking to wean ourselves off of oil. Clinton had tax breaks and grants to fund the research but of course Bush (being an oilman)cut these programs.

Agreed. I believe, however, that our next significant energy source will be in tapping into the magnetic field which is mistakenly perceived as the source of the Earth's gravity. This magnetic field exists in the centerline of Earth's orbit around the sun. The moon also spins through a similar field surrounding the Earth. We need a switch of thinking processes in the scientific community in order to discover and tap into these forces. When this happens, our energy resources will become exceedingly abundant.

And finally, on the Comic Book Creators Party. In my humble opinion, I think that you should change the name to The Creators Party and open it up to all Creators. Actors, Musicians, Comics, Poets. You can get more people in if you make the tent bigger.

Agreed again, Tim. But we have to begin at home. Once we have growing support from the comics community for The Comic Book Creator's Party, The Creators themselves will step forth to make the tent bigger.

Mike, dialog with you is always stimulating and never boring.

You're the one making this discussion worthwhile, Tim, with your thoughtful comments. Stick with us, my friend, we're only at the beginning.

One More Story for the Creators

It was a cool day in the summer of 77 on 45th and 9th. The premiere season of the comic book creators' volleyball games in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park. Years before the fences and "Keep Off The Grass" signs dominated the scenery. Amongst the regulars at the games were Berni Wrightson, Jim Starlin, Alan Weiss, Mike Kaluta, Walter Simonson, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Jim Salicrup, Roger Stern and Jim Shooter. All players in an all-star cast of the comic book makers, in their heyday of professional brotherhood, enjoying a little weekend fun in the park.

Jim Shooter stood two inches taller than the top of the volleyball net. He was a serious player, as he was a serious editor with eyes fixed on the cockpit at Marvel Comics. Jim Shooter was a serious player who came to help his team win the games. His height and determination dominated the game segments when the player rotation brought him into the front line by the net. On this cool summer day, he'd already spiked a few rocket volleyballs at the opposing team and had rotated again to the front line. Walter asked Jim to moderate his blows - concerned that someone might get hurt. Len agreed and Berni backed them up. Jim insisted that this couldn't happen and even if it did, anyone playing volleyball should be prepared for such a possibility. The rotation had also brought me to the front line of the opposing team, across from Jim, as the ball was served.

The ball volleyed back and forth several times and finally found its way to Jim, who was adamant about his playing method and intended to demonstrate his persistence. He positioned himself to take the pass, cocked his arm in anticipation and spiked a bullet straight into my forehead.

It was a tough hit but not fatal. Still, I couldn't help demonstrate the possible consequences of such aggressive play. Not having much time, I took a queue from a Chaplain routine and allowed myself to go limp, fell straight back on the grass and laid still for several moments without the slightest motion.

"My God, Mike! Are you alright?" Walter screamed from the other side of the court as everyone began converging around me.

"We warned you, dammit!" Len shouted at Jim, who stood frozen and perplexed at the bad turn of events.

Not wishing to overdo it, I opened my eyes and raised my head slightly to see Jim's face redden with the realization that I'd staged the fall. He then quickly turned around and walked off the court in a huff, not to return to the game. It was the last time Jim Shooter played volleyball with us during the summer of 77 on 45th and 9th in the Sheep Meadow of Central Park.

Two years later in the summer of 1979, I was penciling a Spider-Man/Nightcrawler team-up for Jim Shooter, by then captain in the cockpit at Marvel comics. Jim offered this story to me, in his unique graceful style, in spite of my two year departure from regular art assignments and eccentric reputation for pursuing an effort to bring an age of peace to the world through the comics. With only three pages left to pencil, Jim asked me to also produce the cover for the first issue of a new Marvel comic book, Rom the Robot.

"Rom is a fierce and scary robot" Jim said as he explained what he wanted on the cover. "He should be front and center, big and threatening as the villagers cower in fear all around him with lightning flashing in the ominous skies."

I had been back in New York from California for several months during that summer of '79, gravitating back to my mission in the comics. I had just finished penciling Shout of the Archangel, a revision of Whole Parts, which I made many copies of and distributed to churches and synagogues around the city. I was also spending time producing random drawings with no apparent purpose other than to draw things that came to me at a whim. That night, I sat to draw the Rom cover at Continuity. Feeling a need to change the tides of violent images which characterized most of the comics work I'd done, I explored an alternative to Jim's request. By the morning I had an inspiring depiction of Rom standing magnificently on a hilltop, glowing with goodness, as the villagers gazed in awe and reverence at their mechanical savior.

"That's not what I wanted" Jim said when he saw the cover art later that day. "It's not what the story's about. I can't use this, you have to re-draw it."

Although I didn't know what the story was about because there wasn't yet a story, Jim was right. It wasn't what he asked for and my attempt to explain that this cover would serve Marvel's new book well, fell on rejecting ears. I agreed to take it back and try to do what he asked for. That night at Continuity, I drew a Christopher Reeve-like Superman with a horse looming overhead, 15 years before the beloved actor fell off a horse in a tragic accident. Try as I may, though, I couldn't bring myself to draw Rom as Jim had wanted. I put the cover aside, intending to return it to him in the morning, as is.

At 8:00 in the morning, I made my way to Marvel and arrived there before Jim Shooter. Realizing there was no bridging the gap between us on this cover, I ripped the art into four pieces, placed it in the envelope and included the following note:

This was a worthy cover and shouldn't be changed for another depiction of senseless chaos and violence. You've rejected my good efforts for the last time and from me, you'll get no more work!

I slid the envelope under Jim's office door and spent that day in Central Park trying to unwind. By evening time I made my way back to Continuity where Neal and the crew were finishing a rushed storyboard commission.

"Did you rip up your cover art for Marvel?" Neal asked in astonishment as I walked into the studio. I could always count on such news getting around fast in the comics.

"It was a good cover" I said. "They didn't want to use it."

"Everybody here is tired and we need a few more storyboard frames by the morning" Neal offered. "Here, try to do these tonight and we'll talk about this later."

Neal was the last to leave the studio that night. Making sure everyone had left, he stopped by my desk on his way out.

"Listen Mike," Neal said sternly as he towered over me. "I allowed you to come back to Continuity this time on condition that you'll accept regular art assignments and make a living, like everyone else. I also made it clear that you can't work on your religion from the studio." He then leaned into me and raised his voice in anger.

"I've made you what you are today, Mike." He shouted. "Everything you dream of and aspire to do have been influenced by me. I've been your guide at every major step you've taken in your life and I expect you to consider what I'm saying about the situation you're getting yourself into."

"How do you expect anyone to give you any more work when you rip up the art they asked you to correct? Why do I see all of these drawings lying around the studio which no one is paying you to do? Why did you make hundreds of copies of your religion artwork, using the studio Xerox machine, when we agreed that you're not to work on it from here?"

"Listen to me, Michael" Neal suddenly softened. "I'm bending over backwards to help you but you have to listen to me. You have to get back on track with paying projects and you have to stop working on your religion. If not, I'll have to ask you to leave and you can't come back." Neal then turned around and left the studio.

It wasn't the first time I'd leave Continuity not to come back. The same thing had happened a year before and I was all too aware that my time there was running out now as well. I'd already invested two long years pursuing a vision for the comics industry and left behind many stories of rugged individualism in the face of overwhelming pressure to conform to my environment. As I drew the few storyboard frames Neal had asked for that evening, I pondered how I could leave behind one more grand tale for the comics community before moving on. One more story to inspire the comics creators with an adventure that would help break the illusion with which the chains of conformity had bound our thoughts, actions and yes...even many of the comics we produced.

At 3:30 am I locked the studio and headed out to the relative silence of the late night streets of New York. On Fifth Avenue, I hailed a cab and asked the driver to take me to La Guardia Airport. Upon arriving I stepped out of the cab and headed for the terminal. The driver burst out of the cab.

"Hey! Aren't you gonna pay for the ride?" He shouted.

"I don't have any money." I said, walking back towards him.

"You asked me to bring you here and you don't have any money?"

"You didn't ask for money when I asked you to bring me here." I explained.

It was late and he couldn't argue with the logic or the situation. The cab driver then calmed down and pulled out a business card.

"Here's my phone number" he said. "Call me when you have $12 to pay for the ride." I took the card, thanked the driver and entered the airport.

The terminal was silent and empty. Straight ahead was a hallway that led to the administrative offices. A rubber covered chain, such as the ones used in banks, hung between two chrome poles and blocked the entrance. The sign above said: "Authorized Personnel Only". Considering myself authorized, I stepped over the rope and made my way into a maze of administrative cubicles, closed offices and criss-crossed corridors. Several minutes later a light appeared at the end of a hall from one of the open doors in the distance and voices could be heard emanating from the lighted room. I made my way there and found the airport personnel cafeteria with a few night workers sipping coffee and discussing another Yankee defeat in a not too particularly good season.

Across the cafeteria was a door with an "Exit" sign above it. I crossed the cafeteria, straight for the door. No one said a word or appeared to notice the stranger prowling the airport hallways at 4:00 in the morning. Past the door, I found myself at the top of a metal staircase overlooking a hanger housing a parked airplane, several floors below. I walked down the stairway and headed for the giant open doors of the hanger, leading to the airport runways. Arriving at the door, I saw an airplane in a distant runway with its lights on and its tail service door down, forming a staircase leading into the plane from the rear. Heading straight for the airplane, I ascended the stairs and walked in.

The plane was being cleaned by a night worker who vacuumed the carpet midway through the isle. I headed straight towards him and climbed around his industrial vacuum cleaner, continuing to the front of the plane. The night worker didn't say a word and continued vacuuming. Arriving at the front of the plane, I thought about Jim Shooter for a moment, walked straight into the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat. Half an hour later a man in a suit laid his hand on my shoulder.

"Would you like to come with me and have a couple of words with the airport manager?" He asked.

"Of course." I answered.

We stepped out of the plane and back into the airport and the corridor maze. Arriving at an open door guarded by two uniformed policemen, my escort ushered me into the office. Inside, the manager sat at his desk with a few assistants seated beside him in a tribunal formation. The manager greeted me and asked me to take the empty seat across from him in the center of the office. My escort stood by the door and listened to the deliberations.

"Why did you board the airplane?" The manager asked.

"I wanted to fly to Detroit." I answered.

"Why didn't you simply buy a ticket?"

"I don't have the funds right now."

"Did you think we'd fly you to Detroit free of charge?"

"You might have."

It was late and difficult to argue with the logic or the situation. The airport manager composed himself and continued his questioning.

"Why do you want to fly to Detroit?"

"I intend to gather together some friends who are comic book fans, build a camper bus and travel the comic book convention circuit across the country, raising the awareness of a new leadership coming to America from the comic book creators."

It took the airport manager a few more seconds to compose himself this time. His assistants looked on in bewilderment and waited for the questioning to continue.

"Why did you sit in the cockpit?"

"To study the cockpit controls in case something were to go wrong during the flight. I believed I could be of some help by doing so in such a situation."

You could hear a pin drop in the manager's office as eyes gazed in disbelief at what their ears had just heard. Suddenly the door opened and a man in a pilot's uniform burst in.

"Did you think I'd let YOU fly my plane?" He exploded with dismissing laughter. "You? Flying MY airplane?"

"You might have." I answered softly.

The interrogation was over and the airport manager had but one recourse.

"Would you mind accompanying the uniformed gentlemen outside? They'd like to ask you a few more questions."

"Not at all." I answered.

The manager handed one of the policemen the report that his assistant had written while he questioned me. The policemen then escorted me to the underground parking lot where an ambulance waited. We climbed into the back and arrived, twenty minutes later, at a large complex bearing a sign: "Elmhurst General Hospital". The ambulance deployed at the emergency dock and the two uniformed policemen escorted me inside. We made our way to the elevator and up to the 5th floor where the signage revealed that we were entering the psychiatric ward. Once inside, the uniformed policemen handed the airport manager's report to the head nurse and left the ward. The head nurse asked me to wait with the other patients until a doctor would become available to examine me.

For the next several hours, I mingled with the patients. It was a quiet morning but the ward was beginning to come to life as more patients were awakening and joining the group in the open area. Aside from some small talk about why everyone was there, I spent considerable time standing by a patient lying on a wheeled stretcher bed. Another patient had said that this one was a vegetable who wasn't aware of and didn't interact with anyone in the ward. I stood by him for more than half an hour gazing into his open eyes. At one point he began uttering voices and trying to move his hand in my direction. I took the patient's hand and held it firmly. He raised his voice and began to show strength and excitement at the stranger who stood by him. Other patients gathered around in wonder at how a vegetable had suddenly come to life. The head nurse broke it up as she called me to be examined by a doctor who'd just become available.

Her name was Dr. Seinfeld. A psychiatrist in mid-life who had an easy routine examination to evaluate a patient's level of cognizance.

"What day is it today?" She asked.

"People call it Wednesday."

"Do you know what city you're in?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"New York."

"Who's the mayor?"

"Ed Koch."

"Alright." she said, looking over the report that the uniformed policemen brought.

"Where do you work?"

"Neal Adams' Continuity Studios."

"What's the phone number?"

"869-4170. Manhattan."

Dr. Seinfeld picked up the phone, called Continuity and asked for Neal Adams. After explaining to Neal what I'd done that night in the airport, she listened to him explain something about me. Dr. Seinfeld nodded and hummed as Neal went on for several minutes. She then thanked him and ended the call.

"You're free to go." She said. "I'm releasing you this time, but if you're brought here again, it may not be so easy for you."

"Thanks." I said, as I got up from my chair.

"One more thing, Michael." Dr. Seinfeld said as we stepped out of her office. "Forget this prophet messiah thing. It'll only get you in trouble."

By the early afternoon I walked into Continuity. Neal looked at me smiling in disbelief at the story he'd heard from Dr. Seinfeld.

"Everybody's talking about how you tried to hi-jack an airplane last night." He said.

"One more story can't do much harm." I answered.

"You know." Neal said. "There's this guy I know who has a great life story."

"He should only live to tell it one day." He added.

I nodded to Neal with a smile.

"I called your mother and told her what happened. She has a bus ticket to Detroit waiting for you at Greyhound. Take some time off and come back when you feel up to it."

"Fine." I said.

"Oh, by the way, Jim Shooter sent you a letter. I've put it up on the bulletin board."

I stood by the bulletin board for long moments pondering the letter.

Dear Michael,
I'm sorry about the misunderstanding and had no intention of belittling the great cover you drew for Rom the Robot #1.
You're always welcome to work with us again and you'll receive a $25/page rate increase for all future work you produce for Marvel.
Good luck with all your endeavors and please keep in touch.
Jim Shooter,
Editor in Chief, Marvel Comics

True grace in the unique Jim Shooter style.

Jim Shooter. Portraits of the Creators Sketchbook.

How Mountains are Made

Neal Adams has an excellent new video short on his Continuity Studios web site simulating how mountain ranges came into being.

Geologists have long speculated that Earth's mountain ranges are the result of the continents crashing into each other in what they theorized to be part of the process of the Pangea continent formation breaking up into the present one we now have. Neal's science project calls the Pangea model into question, noting the improbability of the continents being able to plow through the ocean floor and lack of evidence for subduction in all the places we'd need to see it.

Neal Adams' new model for the phenomenon we see on the planet today suggests that the Earth has grown in size since it came into being, and continues to do so. The overwhelming evidence he notes for this is the age of the ocean floor, which is 2-4 billion years younger than the continental crust. As geologists continue to struggle with the house of cards they've built most of their theories on, Neal is pushing ahead with his science project and presenting compelling and sound answers to many of the questions about the Earth's origins, still puzzling the scientific community.

Mountain ranges, Neal notes in the new video, came into being as the planet grew and the curvature of the continental crust became more straight. This caused the "bunching up" of land masses at the edges of the continents while leaving open flatlands in the middle areas, as is evident today.

I was fortunate to have viewed a screening of Neal's science project video in production, during a Big Apple convention last fall. An awe inspiring project with much thought and effort behind the conceptual and technical breakthroughs it makes. Difficult as it is to sway public perception of this subject and to compel an acceptance of it in the scientific community, this video is destined to become a landmark achievement in our collective knowledge and understanding of our universe. Go have a look and witness a revolutionary discovery in the making.

This is a good opportunity to pass on a congratulations to Neal and Continuity Studios for the recent news concerning Continuity Comics properties coming to the big screen. Marilyn Adams is no stranger to the TV and Film industries and this good news can undoubtedly be credited to her vast experience and determination to elevate Continuity as a viable contender in the entertainment world. Congratulations, well done and best of fortune on the road ahead to Neal Adams' Continuity Associates enterprise.

Aardwolf Pioneers New Publishing Model

From Clifford Meth in the comments thread:

If you frequent this site and enjoy Michael's art, I urge you to support these [Flaming Sword] projects. Michael has been more than generous in lending his time to any & all of the projects put forth to benefit his fellow comics creators; he works selflessly to better the state of the industry. Please show your appreciation for Michael, his fine work, and his unique artistic gift with your purchase of these beautiful books and posters. I am personally down for the whole collection.

Clifford has indeed made an advance purchase of each offering in our store. As inquiries come in from site visitors, a promising prognosis shapes up for Flaming Sword, thanks in good measure to Clifford's continued tracking and support of the activities here. By commissioning the A-Z Superhero Poster, he set the wheels in motion which helped quicken the emergence of Flaming Sword from the back end of our site complex - and the opening of our on-line store.

The thrust of an endeavor such as this is nothing new to Clifford and Jim Reeber, founders of the industry's benevolent Aardwolf Publishing. Aardwolf has led the way for some time, inviting industry professionals for ventures that hold the creators' concern at heart, both in creative freedom and logistics support for professionals enduring sometimes difficult times. Aardwolf's path has been a primary beacon for Flaming Sword, leading the struggle for the plight of Dave Cockrum and Bill Messner-Loebs, while championing Harlan Ellison's confrontation with AOL over the internet's role in the intellectual property rights arena. Aardwolf has also donated the proceeds from sales of its entire line of products, for an extended period, to the Tsunami relief efforts in wake of the disaster in Asia. Its growing list of affiliate creators includes: Harlan Ellison, Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Gray Morrow, Al Feldstein, Bill Messner-Loebs, Joe Kubert, Joe Sinnot, Mike Ploog, Herb Trimpe, Dave Cockrum, George Perez, Neil Gaiman, Marie Severin, Roy Thomas, Clifford Lawrence Meth, Joseph Michael Linsner, Peter David, David Boswell, and Alex Toth.

We can perhaps look forward to more such initiatives from the comics publishing world in the future. The goal is always to give back to the readers the best that the creators have to offer. The means to achieving it is by recognizing the primary role comics creators play in this process, and expressing this in goodwill towards the writers and artists, providing them with a more just recompense as the force which truly shapes the face of the industry.

Aardwolf Publishing is a pioneer breathing new life to an industry sometimes drunken with its scramble to keep up with the Joneses of the entertainment world. Without Jim Reeber and Clifford Meth, the comics enterprise would be a more lacking community today, showing less of the hope they've helped bring to it with Aardwolf.