Roaming the 'net, I found the new site of Brian Bolland. Check it out.!

    Hi Matt

  In regard to Mike Coty's question, Paul only did a cover (& what a great one it was of the Rook at the Alamo) for Warren Presents # 2. That's all. I've looked into this in the past myself.

  However, I did find out an interesting piece of information. Paul had completed a 20 page story for "The Rook magazine" # 1 by Warren Publishing in 1979 (written by Bill Dubay) that was never used. It was later redrawn by Lee Elias for use in that issue. The story was titled "The Original Master of Time". I sure wish we could have seen Paul's version of that story.

  I hope this helps.

                Dave

     I'm still working on the site. Now in the Gallery, by clicking on a cover of a Catwoman issue, you'll see thumbnails of available pages on the site.

     Is there another issue of Warren Presents with Gulacy art?

     I'm working on the site, making bigger thumbnails. If you find dead links, do not hesitate to warn me!

    Hi Matt

    Just a reminder that that Captain Action #0 with a Paul Gulacy cover will be out this Wednesday April 16th. Look for it.

                Dave

   Beth's column

   This month I rave about a website that I heard about on G4TV a month ago. They had reported on hulu.com going into beta testing back then. Well, the month is over and the service is now launched. It's not at all like YouTube which is a common misconception. At hulu, you can watch full LEGAL episodes of shows and full movies in really good quality. You don't even need to register but if you choose to, it helps to build yourself a nice playlist.

   The site tested with contracts from NBC and FOX so at first it might not seem like there's a lot going on there but I know there's a good amount of my favorites up including: Bones, Monk, Psych, American Dad and Gordon Ramsey (the British chef that I have a new addiction for). It could be really quite dangerous for those of you in offices with high speed internet access. Boy, I used to waste a lot of hours on the message boards back then; I can't imagine how long it would have taken for me to get caught with something this awesome at my fingertips.

   HULU also has interesting features. You can view clips - some of the shows and movies uploaded right now only have clips available. They only had so many interns to get things up and running. Users can also define clips themselves and take the code and embed it, email it, whatever!

   What's great about a site like this is that shows that you enjoyed but only got a few episodes are up there! Plus there's some television history too like Hart to Hart and Fantasy Island.

   The site is ad supported but that's only 25% of the ads you'd see on TV. There's even a countdown on the top banner of the video showing you a countdown for when the ad will be over. And some have an option of watching a two minute trailer once at the beginning then run the show commercial free.

    Hi Matt-

    Let me add one piece of information about the Sabre 30th Anniversary edition HC book....Paul is doing a NEW cover! I just spoke with him. You can order this book at amazon.com or through Previews at your local comic book shop. As Renaud mentioned, it will be out on May 28th, 2008. I've already ordered 2 copies myself.

    Dave

   Beth's column

   Comics Now! Magazine Editor: Bryan Deemer Reviewed by Beth Delaney

   It’s like a dream come true when a fan follows the noble path in pursuit of being a part of the comics industry. Such was the case for Bryan Deemer who has been known for years as one of the resident Geeks of the podcast Comic Geek Speak, a show I will never miss. As if he’s a mild mannered journalist by day and cape wearing superhero by night, Deemer made time this past year to spread his wings from the high tech world of podcasting to the more old fashioned form of journalism when he started his very own magazine, Comics Now!

   Toting an average magazine cover price of $5.99, Comics Now! issue one hit the shelves a few weeks ago and impressed everyone who was lucky enough to find it. Issue one flew off the shelves and readers were excited enough to share the news about this new periodical that some even left their copies in the comic shops just so others could get a glimpse and place their own back orders. This magazine includes very lengthy articles on Marvel’s character Nova and DC’s history of crises. These are the kinds of details that are absent in the shallow pages of other industry periodicals. There are plenty of short articles that can fill time while you read on your lunch break too. Plus, with Deemer’s connections to the many creators he has interviewed as part of the CGS podcasts, gorgeous cover art is a sure thing. Issue one splashes a flying Nova by Jun Bob Kim; issue two will have a gang of super villains; and issue three will showcase Superman.

   Comics Now! plans to stand out on its own as a resource for comics fans and should not have a difficult time doing so.

   Links:

   Comics Now! Magazine – iwantmycomicsnow.com

   Message boards - thecomicforums.com

   Comic Geek Speak – comicgeekspeak.com

   Beth's column

   I remember an episode of The King of Queens where Deacon was panicking because he couldn’t find a good black superhero costume for his little boy Kirby. He gets disappointed thinking Darth Vader is the closest one available because Vader was voiced by James Earl Jones but not actually played by him. Incidentally little Kirby wanted to be a Powerpuff Girl. But anyway, it is true that there aren’t readily available costumes for a black child in that situation and by God, there should be! It got me to thinking that February is indeed Black History Month and so we should take a moment in our comic book reading to honor the black superheroes we have grown to know and love over the decades.

   I picked up the Marvel one-shot on Patriot in Young Avengers Presents #1 which came out just a couple Wednesdays ago. It’s a good reminder that there was a black Captain America in comics history. According to the Captain America wiki style entry at ComicVine.com, the black super soldier was Isaiah Bradley who first appeared in 2003. Like Steve Rogers, he was bulked up with the super soldier serum through Project: Rebirth. Three hundred test subjects were all African-American. As part of the storyline, the public was told that all but three of the super soldiers were killed by the Axis powers. To be persnickety, Isaiah was never given the name Captain America since Steve’s Cap existed at the same time, but he was in a similar costume and fighting the good fight for this country. Isaiah is the grandfather of Elijah who is now the Young Avengers member known as Patriot.

   Referencing the wonderful website of the Museum of Black Superheroes (http://www.blacksuperhero.com), there’s a user-friendly way to look up heroes from Marvel, DC, Image and Milestone as well appearances in TV, film and video games. There may be some reader interpretation as to “how black a black character is” giving that Black Adam, an Egyptian man is on their list of black DC superheroes. I wouldn’t have put Black Adam on this list but I supposed “dark” or “Mid-Eastern” has it’s bearings on this radar to some.

   To me, the first character of the DC universe that comes to mind is my favorite Green Lantern, John Stewart. Everyone says Hal Jordan when asked which GL is their favorite, but me, I know Stewart because I love the Justice League cartoons. I also love his history as a US Marine. There’s an episode in the JL series where John’s ring is out of juice and he has to rely on his old Marine skills to get him through the battles and still save other people. When the series expanded to Justice League Unlimited, viewers also introduced to Mr. Terrific, the only super genius human who can be a substitute for Martian Manhunter up in the Watchtower. Other well known characters in the DCU are Steel and his niece Natasha, Cyborg from Teen Titans and Bumblebee.

   Crossing the rift to Marvel, X-Men’s noble character Storm is the first one I think of and the fact that she’s a powerful female as well just makes her even better in my opinion. Too bad she doesn’t get a lot of the attention in storylines that she deserves. Recently, Storm became a little more apparent when she wed another strong black character, the Black Panther which has escalated her to a Queen in Wakanda. The diverse population of the X-Men has always allowed for storylines addressing racism in the form of mutantism, but at the heart, there are figures who have to deal with both. Besides Storm, another very popular character of that universe is Bishop, the black mutant known for his “M” tattoo that was branded on him in a mutant relocation camp.

   Marvel’s Civil War and aftermath thereof gave readers an inside look at vigilante fighter Luke Cage (formerly known as Power Man). We got to see Cage inside his home with his family where he worried about very real dangers on a more local level as opposed to the global war other superheroes faced. According to imdb.com, Tyrese Gibson is possibly slated to play Cage in an upcoming film directed by renown director John Singleton; rumors have also circulated that Cage may be played instead by Michael Jai White who played Spawn in the film adaptation of that character and has voiced several characters from Doomsday in JL to Osebo in Static Shock. Luke Cage also touched the heart of actor Nicolas Cage who changed his Hollywood-heavy Coppola last name to that of a character he thought of fondly.

   So getting back to having costuming options available for black children, we can start with a basic list of fan favorites: John Stewart/GL, Static Shock/Virgil Hawkins, Patriot and even Spyke (from X-Men Evolution). At the very least, this would introduce families to these characters and bring more African-American readers into our comic book cult of geekdom.

   Captain Fatman's Corner

    This month's column from Brian James and Capt. Fat man with Beth is brought to you by the letter K and Crown Royal Whiskey.

   So far the New Year has been going good for the ol'fatman. Myself and Tom the Bearded Wonder went and seen the fabulous David Bromberg play at the Opera House in Wilmington Delaware with Jorma Kaukonen. David has released a new album Try Me One More Time. A great selection of folk music and guitar plucking. If your into folk music or just awesome guitar playing then check out this album it is a must have. The Opera House was a beauty in design and the artwork covering the walls. Also, they had a bar. 3 dollars a beer but considering what they charge at large venues for the sweet nectar of life it is not bad. The show was done all in acoustic guitar. After the show the Fat-man and his drinking buddy Tom went backstage for a nice chat with Bromberg. David is as nice as his guitar playing. Which is phenomenal. David signed some of my old album covers for me and we had our picture taken with him. It was a great night for me; I am a geek at heart and love meeting my idols in the comic world as well as music and movies. Some of my idols I have met over the years I have become good friends with. Believe me if you're a geek like me you'd get a kick out of getting a X-Mas card's from Carmine Infantino, Jim Steranko and other comic legends. Anyway, back to the concert if you live in the Philly, Del, south jersey area and you're in the Wilmington area then check out the opera house you'll be impressed at its beauty and history.

   I have been immersing myself into X-Files lore since I heard a new movie was being made. Revisiting this show, seasons 1-9, the movie and the Lone Gunmen very short lived series was refreshing amid the lack of good shows on the air now. Of course some episodes weren't great but as a whole the X-Files was a cult classic like the original Night Stalker show with Darren McGavin. One of my all time favorite shows. I can't wait to see how they bring Mulder and Scully back into the FBI and facing monsters and aliens again. I haven't been this excited about a movie coming out since the first Batman film back in 89.

   I just finished reading DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke and Dave Stewart. Vol. 1and 2. Now I admit when it first came out as a mini series I never read it. Had no desire to but with the release of the cartoon movie based on it I figured what the hell I'll give it a shot. And boy am I glad I did. It had everything I miss in comics today that was there when I was a kid. It had super suspense and true heroism. Super Hero's doing good and not sullied by today's dark look on life. Get out there and read these books. Yes it is costly 20 bucks a volume but I am sure you can get them cheaper at amazon.com or half.com or check your local library a lot of them have been carrying graphic novels these days.

   The drink of the month is Alabama Slammer. I had this a couple of days ago. What you need is :
     1 ounce of sloe gin
     1 ounce of southern comfort
     1 ounce of triple sec (non flavored)
     1 ounce of Galliano
     6 ounces of orange juice

   Place the booze in a shaker with ice and either pour in a rock glass over ice or do as shots. Either way a couple of these and you'll be feeling them.

   As always any questions can be sent to askcaptfatman@yahoo.com

   See you next month