Guest of Honor, and CBLDF Superstar Supporter Frank Miller recognizes Pittsburgh Comicon's support, and will be on hand to receive the CBLDF's 2001 Defender of Liberty Award. The award honors those members of the comics community who truly dedicate themselves to the support of free speech in comics. Miller's decade-long tenure on the CBLDF board of directors and vocal advocacy of the cause make him this year's overwhelming choice for the award. Before he receives his award on Friday evening, Frank make his only appearance at the show at the CBLDF booth from 3 -5 p.m. signing autographs for our supporters.
In an event sponsored by the Pittsburgh Comicon, there will be a cast reunion of George Romero's Classic Dawn of the Dead. Nine members of the cast will attend the show, and the folks at Pittsburgh have gotten permission to lead tours of the adjacent Monroeville Mall, where the movie was filmed. Tickets for the Saturday morning tours will go on sale at the start of the show for $10 at the CBLDF booth. Participants will be treated to an hour-long tour led by all 9 attending cast members. All proceeds go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. In conjunction with this event, artist Brian Rood has painted an original piece for the Dawn of the Dead Reunion. 750 prints will be made and sold with all the proceeds going to the CBLDF. The original painting will be auctioned off for the Pittsburgh area Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Later on Saturday, after the tour and show, the annual CBLDF Mardi Gras Party will begin. At 10:00 p.m., all attendees are encouraged to hang out in the Monroe Room of the Radisson Hotel/Convention Center for a night of fun, music, and mayhem in support of the CBLDF. This year, actor Bob Trebor, best known for his work on Xena Warrior Princess, will be the Master of Ceremonies. Performing this year will be actor/musician Andres Jones, comicdom's favorite band Ookla the Mok, and the local Dave Hekman's Brothers Band. The event rages until the wee hours as everyone there fights long and hard to defeat the forces of censorship.
Throughout the show there will be CBLDF Quick Sketches, where fans can pay a dollar to watch their favorite artist work. After the hour- long session, lucky fans can win all the work created before their very eyes. Quick sketches are taking place Friday from 6 - 7 p.m., Saturday from 5 - 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 1 p.m.
All in all, Pittsburgh promises to be an important weekend for comics. Not only will last year's great books be honored by the Harvey Awards, but money will be raised to ensure that great comics can and will be produced free from any threat of censorship.
For more on the Harvey Awards visit
Info:
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization protecting First Amendment rights in the comics community. Donations and inquiries should be directed to the CBLDF at P.O. Box 693, Northampton, MA 01061. For more CBLDF news and information, pick up a copy of "Busted!," the Fund's free quarterly newsletter, or visit the CBLDF Web-site at .
Available in Flash, QuickTime AND Real formats, you have no excuse not to watch. And check out the BLOOP.tv "trailer" in ActiveSky format for your Handspring or Palm handhelds. Webisode two will be online May 7!
BLOOP.tv is seen on more than 40 web sites thanks to the miracle of Tooncasting!
Top Shelf Productions would like to invite you to pick up Matt Kindt and Jason Hall's very special graphic novel and comic book, respectively: PISTOLWHIP & MEPHISTO. PISTOLWHIP is a jazz-age crime noir drama of bellhops, expatriates, orphans, and circus sideshow freaks (a 128-page, deluxe-format graphic novel), and MEPHISTO is a moody and enigmatic tale of a magician's obsession with lost love and newfound magic (an oversized 24-page, deluxe-format, comic book). Both are being solicited in the current Diamond Comics PREVIEWS Catalog (and are also available from our other distributors listed below). Ask your local retailer to place an order for one today!
DETAILS:
PISTOLWHIP
By Matt Kindt & Jason Hall
Jeff Smith of BONE says: ". . . strong, distinctive . . . you need to read Kindt & Hall's Pistolwhip!" Tune-in your dial to the smashing Top Shelf debut of two young upstarts and witness with wonder as the lives of morally ambiguous characters collide in a train wreck of a graphic novel called PISTOLWHIP. A naive bellhop's struggle towards a life's ambition . . . an expatriate musician on the run . . . a young woman's battle with her paranoia and her past . . . and the mysterious figure who wants to control their lives. Set in an exotic atmosphere of a by-gone era, PISTOLWHIP is a marvelous tale crafted with a crime noir feel and an artistic style reminiscent of the best European graphic novelists. We promise you will be rewarded with each re-reading of this elaborate narrative. -- $14.95 (US), 128 pages, 8 5/8" x 10 1/2", ISBN: 1-891830-23-6, Color Cover, Black & White Interiors, Perfect Bound, Graphic Novel
MEPHISTO AND THE EMPTY BOX
By Jason Hall & Matt Kindt
The Pistolwhip Boys' exciting premiere continues as they conjure up a moody and enigmatic tale of one man's obsession with lost love and newfound magic. On the night of their wedding, John and Carolyn Flynn attend the performance of a stage magician called Mephisto. But what dark and sinister secrets does Mephisto's devilish magic box hold for the newlyweds that will forever change their lives? The curtain is rising on another thrilling act of the Pistolwhip Boys' debut performance on the Top Shelf stage. Make sure to reserve your seat! -- $3.95 (US), 24 pages, 8 1/2" x 10 1/2", Color Cover, Black & White Interiors, Saddle Stitched, Comic Book
EISNER_AWARD_NOMINATIONS@TOP_SHELF
Top Shelf would like to congratulate all the cartoonists and comics nominated for this year's EISNER AWARDS, but we'd particularly like to congratulate Pete Sickman-Garner (three this year -- wow!), Tom Hart, Scott Mills, Brian Biggs, and Alex Robinson for their Eisner nominations:
AMERICAN_LIBRARY_ASSOCIATION_AWARD_NOMINATIONS@TOP_SHELF
Top Shelf would also like to congratulate Craig Thompson and James Kochalka for being nominated for the American Library Association's Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Awards. Both GOOD-BYE, CHUNKY RICE and MONKEY VS. ROBOT, respectively, were nominated in the Graphic Novel category.
RETAILERS@TOP_SHELF
To All Comics Retailers, we have an all-new $98 package deal to make sure that our front line is fully stocked in your store. If you're interested in jumping on board the Top Shelf bandwagon, or simply need to restock our titles, you might want to take advantage of this special deal (also available through Cold Cut). Just respond to this email requesting information on the "retailer special offer" and we'll get the information out to you right away.
NEXT_MONTH@TOP_SHELF
Next month, the much anticipated solicitation of the annual release from the dynamic and extremely talented Israeli comix team, Actus (formerly known as Actus Tragicus). This year it's THE ACTUS BOX, a deluxe boxed set, featuring FIVE 32-page, full color, perfect bound graphic novellas. Included in the set are: THE PANTY KILLER by Rutu Modan, WE ARE SEVEN by Batia Kolton, CRUMPET LADIES by Yirmi Pinkus, ROYAL SABLE by Mira Friedman, and PRETENDERS by Itzik Rennert. Don't miss this excellent boxed set from the premier Israeli comics team.
Your friend thru comics,
Peter David revitalized Supergirl for DC Comics, showed his witty, inventive sense of humor in Darkhorse's James Bond parody SpyBoy - and that's just a small sample of his writing prowess! So what does Peter David bring to the table for Chaos!? He brings his knowledgeable expertise in writing female characters and he brings a quality to those characters that fans can relate to. Thus, comic readers can look forward to his take on Lady Death's beautiful winged sister - VANDALA.
"I've been a big fan of Peter's for years and I believe he writes heroic women well. Choosing Peter is another step in Chaos! New Visions. Who would expect Peter to write for Chaos!? Probably not many, but wild surprises like this are gonna keep coming with the new Visions," says Chaos! Publisher, Brian Pulido.
Here's a taste of what the story by Peter David will offer: Vandala, the last living Valkyrie is intent on erecting a new Shining Realm amidst the harsh squalor of the darklands. Her only ally is Ravenheart, a warrior whose touch means certain death. They face opposition on all fronts, but that is nothing compared to the insidious treachery planned by the diabolical Pagan, The Court Jester of Hell. Will our heroes heed the warning signs or will all of Vandala's hopes and dreams crumble before they are given life? A tale of fantasy that will touch your heart!
With Peter David helming the script, and Ed Benes illustrating - Vandala II #1 is a high-flying adventure of wordly proportions! The book will be available in both standard and premium versions. The premium cover features a painted piece by Matt Hughes showing Vandala's striking beauty, as she crouches down gazes right at you! Vandala II #1 will be in stores August 8, 2001.
For more info on Chaos!, visit www.chaoscomics.com. For further inquiries, please contact Marketing Manager Chad Soliman at 480-991-9080 ext. 812.
One local artist has helped carry comics -full-scale- into the digital age. Craig Schaffer, a native of Lower Bucks County, now living in Richlandtown, Pa. sees the growth of the Internet as a perfect opportunity to bring comics to the Web. Craig has paired with illustrator Chris Watkins of Henrietta, N.Y. to co-create BorderWalker.com and bring a variety of Web comics to readers around the world.
"Traditional superheroes, manga, educational, and fantasy comic strips are all part of a mix thats still growing. Anyone will be able to enter the site and view a new comic every day. After researching the Internet we found not many sites offered the quality or type of comics we wanted, so we created BorderWalker.com to fulfill that need for ourselves and others. Its a sharp site with great work and tons of variety."
Artists around the world have been turning to the Web in increasing numbers to share their creations with others directly. Watkins and Schaffers contribution to the world of Web comics is BorderWalker.com, an online comics magazine that features an assortment of comic strips and serials ranging from the fantastic to the comedic to the educational. Backdraft, Craig Schaffers personal creation, is a full color super heroic tale of a stranger cursed with the control of fire and lost in the world around him. Electric Spirit, one of Watkins' creations, is a humorous futuristic tale borrowing stylistically from the Japanese cartoons that have become a recent staple in American pop culture. And it just so happens to teach Japanese. Watkins also writes and illustrates Legacy Drawing, a fantasy comic about four strangers attempting to prevent a hidden war.
Borderwalker.com also hosts four syndicated comics; Cigarro & Cerveja, Pewfell Porfingles, Buzzboy and Milestown USA. Visitors to BorderWalker.com can discuss and communicate with other fans of the site. Currently the site is hosting an art contest of illustrations of your favorite BorderWalker creations. Theres also a fan art gallery, message board, reading room, downloads and our new store.
Several other area natives are also involved with BorderWalker.com. Cartoonist Patrick Harrington, who lives in Rockledge, Pa. contributes Windy Gap. This daily strip is about Tara, a starry-eyed little girl, her carnivorous rock star wannabe older brother, their friends and family! James Point Du Jour, creator of Milestown USA and its cast of crazy creatures, is a Philadelphia resident.
What's the cost for these Web comics? "That's the best part," says Watkins. "Every comic on the site is free. We'll be making money through merchandise and sponsorship deals. The Web is what makes that possible -- it's a great time to be creating comics. It's an even better time to be reading them."
For more information contact Craig Schaffer at (215) 538-1038, e-mail: craig@BorderWalker.com or Chris Watkins at Menagerie Publications (716) 475-9766, e-mail: chris@BorderWalker.com or visit .
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