Friday 30 June 2023
Cinebook Ltd Newsletter 186 - June 2023
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Thursday 29 June 2023
UK Comic "Grails"
Oh dear.
Was I surprised that two former UK comic professionals slated one of my publications on a forum recently?
No.
They do nothing and have sad lives but if I could only turn the obsession these people have with me (99% I have never met, corresponded with or chatted to) into sales!
But I did laugh out loud over the book they were slating. The issue of Tower Tales of Terror they were attacking has never been published and I have shown no previews of even the cover yet. The files are sat waiting to be made into a PDF ...since last June (2022). So how the two shmucks leading the slating have seen it I have no idea.
It seems on the internet it is perfectly okay to hack at someone's reputation or their work because these people have no real lives. I am quite happy to take their views and really I have no interest in them or their forums as I quit those about 15 years ago.
It is sad that people with some talent find themselves unemployed (they have made themselves unemployable) and all they can do is be negative. But you choose your own life path and if attacking non existent books helps them carry on....
Silvermaigne -Knight Ghoul Hunter
I created the character but Dilworth's twist ending...!!!
The Silvermaigne line is said to go back to the time of the Ancient Britons.
Silvermaignes ancestors were part of a druidic clan based in the great forest that is today known as Leigh Woods, overlooking the River Severn entering (today) Bristol. All the members of the tribe had white hair from birth and they were known as the mwng arian (Silver Manes). Even the druids bowed to their knowledge of demons, spirits and things of the darkness.
But at a point several centuries ago the family split and took two paths -one embraced magik for its own fight against evil. The other renounced the use of personal magik so as not to become tainted and seduced by it.
For the first time Ben Dilworth looks at the latter branch of the Silvermaigne family and what one of them endures to keep the fight Holy!
A Little Tid-Bit About Liz and Jen
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The 1980s Liz and Jen strip was interesting at the time for reactions. Art packages went to various UK comic publishers such as Thomson, Fleetway and Marvel UK and while I never expected any feedback from Thomson my visits to London gave me quite a bit of feedback.
The strip was one that had two editors at Fleetway praise it, however, the company was not geared to having a "coming out" strip in one of their titles. Later when Egmont purchased Fleetway and killed off so many projects I was surprised when the Liz and Jen strip was mentioned as having caught peoples' attention. Egmont -Fleetway were publishing "Right On" titles such as Crisis and Revolver.
That written when I said "Well, how about the Liz and Jen strip if you like it that much?" the panic set in. Every time it was the same excuse that "higher ups" might not like it because of the story focus. Even in the 1990s it was extremely rare to find a gay comic character -the main one was a very campy humorous one and it was outside of mainstream comics (I think it was a one off). Attitudes had not really changed from the 1970s.
At Marvel UK the strip got good feedback but there was no way that it would have fit into one of it's titles. Oddly, at Fleetway and Marvel UK I was somewhat shocked to see that a certain adult (and best selling) series I wrote for Fantagraphics was known. Known and in people's desk drawers! The artist on that series/trade was Art Wetherell and he phoned me one evening to say he had been to Marvel in London and the editor and two other staffers had copies of the trade version. We had a chuckle over a possible "new direction" for Marvel UK!
Liz and Jen were created around the same time that Love & Rockets appeared in the UK. The characters had made an appearance as the focus for the first Freelancer story in Black Tower Presents #1 and that sparked the idea to get their solo story published.
Oddly, I kept getting asked why I have no "gay" characters when I have had gay characters since I first started publishing but they were not the "norm" that you would see in any comics where characters had to be very camp. That written I was also featuring "black" characters when they were a rarity in anything other than humour strips.
Just a little tid-bit for anyone interested.
Wednesday 28 June 2023
Liz & Jen
A4
B&W
21pp
£6.50
https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/liz-jen/paperback/product-1m4g7pe4.html
Originally drawn back in the 1980s, this story of the coming out of two life long friends has never been properly published.
Up-dated with story and pencils by Terry Hooper and inks by Ben R. Dilworth
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David Corenswet to play Clark Kent in DC's 'Superman: Legacy' film
Sadly, I just do not give a flying crap about the DC Cinematic Universe any more. They crapped on Affleck who was doing a good job. They took a mega moon sized dump on Henry Cavill and honestly it all looks like it's down to foot stamping and "I am NOT using those actors! This is MY movie series now!"
"David Corenswet, an actor from Philadelphia, has been chosen to play Superman and his human alter-ego Clark Kent in the upcoming DC film "Superman: Legacy."
"The decision comes after a thorough casting process that was rumored to have had multiple actors and actresses in the running for the roles of Superman and his love interest, Lois Lane, who will be played by "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" actress Rachel Brosnahan, Deadline reported. "
Nother Superman. Another Lois Lane. Another Batman. Another (apparently) Flash. It goes on and on and all that counts are the ego of those in charge and the $ signs. They all fail to understand that the fans need characters they can emotionally invest in as they develop and we found that with Cavillo's Superman, Gadot's Wonder Woman and even Affleck's Batman et al but, you know, **** the fans.
Just as I have had to close my interest in marvel Comics after six decades because it has turned to much and its Cinema Counterpart has terminal virtue signalling as well as racism (sorry but the characters in the Black Panther and Wakanda Forever may well be black but that does not dismiss their casually racist dialogue which also entails stupidity and ignorance of history on the part of the writers/directors).
Harry Stiles as Eros -ffs give me a break.
Monday 26 June 2023
comic bits online: Was Toriyama's Dragon Ball Z Inspired By Chinese M...
comic bits online: More Lost Art Found -Hong Kong Super Heroes
Sunday 25 June 2023
So now you know!
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Any book submitted is reviewed. Whether a "proper comic" or small press zine. I make no distinction and I do not judge small press books by professional comics -they are two totally different things.
Next; there are people I actually hate for very justifiable reasons. However, books with their work in are reviewed without bias -in fact some received very good reviews. People do not understand how I can do that. Well, bitching, back-biting and being 100% negative about anything and everything is an invention of the internet. I adopt a professional stance so judge books by the work not the person who wrote or drew it. At this point, if you followed CBO from its Yahoo 360, WordPress and FreeServers days you will be aware that there is one comic writer (who was personally insulting as well as being insulting toward the artists working on his books who he felt did not deserve praise) who has a lifelong ban from CBO (no, obviously it is not Alan Moore).
People do not agree with my reviews. Well, none have said so in comments though two have contacted me in the past and felt that I was too harsh on their books. As it turns out both later republished their books taking my advice (long story) and one contacted me again after the changes were made to say that his books had actually sold copies.
I get books -whether zines, comics or comic albums- and there are occasions when I think "Yeugh!" but I then put those books to one side and will read over a second time. On occasions I will re-read a book three times before reviewing. I make it quite clear that I do not personally like a certain art style but that I know others do like the style. Reviews are personal things so if I were to keep writing "Wonderful art. Incredible writing. Brilliant" then I would not be honest. Love a lot of the Hexagon Comics and Cinebook titles but there are some that have styles I am not keen on -and I write so.
I am reminded of the best review I ever gave a small press comic which was the worst drawn I had seen, however, every page was clearly written and drawn with love and and this made reading it fun. Yes, fun -what comics should be. One day I need to find the issue of Comics World that review was in.
Now to terminology. Zines are self published comics or mages and they can be A5 or A4 in size.
Comics we all know and depends on the publisher, size and format. The main comic size is US Comic Size which has slightly altered over the years.
Comic Albums were common in Europe and there were some in the UK and these are comics of A4 size (some times slightly smaller) and with 48-80 0r 90 pages.
Graphic Novels are generally US trade paperback size so US comics size and page counts are 100 plus pages. Black Tower graphic novels are A4 and contain 130-300+ pages.
So now you know!
The Green Skies Vol. 3 Part III
A4
B&W
208pp
£16.00
The gathered Sol Defence fleet is prepared to make its final stand led by Johnny Apollo the Z Man. If it fails to halt the invaders then the doomsday weapon will be detonated and destroy the entire Sol System.
Meanwhile, unaware of the threat in space, Jack Flash, the Avenger and others prepare for a final show down with the Many Eyed One; a final confrontation they know they do not have the power to win.
Is this Humanity...the Earths...final day?
The Green Skies Vol. 3 Part II
A4
B&W
126pp
£15.00
Following on from events in Green Skies V. 3 Part I the Clone Zone Boyz are increasing in number while those who created them, the Vampirons, continue to plot and await the arrival of their 'God' -The Many Eyed One.
The Druid finds that his physical and mental state are deteriorating and even the Rev. Merriwether cannot help him.
Shockingly, the Clone Zone Boyz claims someone close to Merriwether and this leads him to team up with two 'unsavoury' characters.
In space Krii and Tyn hrrn face a seemingly unstoppable enemy.
On The Moon the Selenites and representatives of other worlds meet and decide that Johnny Apollo, the Z-Man, is the only one who can lead the counter invasion fleet.
With the enemy striking Mars and then the Moon things look grim
The Green Skies Vol. 3 Part I
A4
B&W
124pp
£15.00
It all began in 1987 and the Black Tower Universe has seen alien attacks, heroes kidnapped to be put into the middle of a war of the gods.
Despite the deaths and losses the heroes -crime fighters, super powered and members of the magical union have come back but now unaware that alien races are escaping through the Sol system and that a mysterious space fleet is heading towards the inner planets, they find themselves trapped or distracted.
The Many Eyed One is finally coming.
The Multiversal Council has quarantined Earth and forbidden any to help.
The evil has spread and there is treachery striking at the very core of Earth's defenders