Ansible 184 [long]
David Langford
ANSIBLE 184
NOVEMBER 2002
From DAVE LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5AU. ISSN
0265-9816. E-mail ans...@cix.co.uk. Website at www.ansible.co.uk.
Available for SAE, whim, or a couple of bottles of Numnumo.
[NET NOTE. Please see the last section for subscribe/unsubscribe
information: such requests should NOT be sent to my personal e-mail
address. DRL]
SURPRISE! Searching the British Library website for one of their
publications, I found an unexpected new role for myself in the blurb for
the BL's Jack Vance critical anthology: `In this collection of
appreciations, Hugo and Nebula award-winning authors Dan Simmons and Gene
Wolfe join with academics such as David Langford ...'
### TALES OF THREE HEMISPHERES ###
NEIL GAIMAN won his lawsuit against comics tycoon Todd McFarlane on 3-4
October, establishing his copyright interest in `Angela' and two other
Gaiman-created characters in the McFarlane _Spawn_ universe, along with
his copyright interest in five comics he had written. He was awarded
$45,000 (the full amount requested by his lawyers) for unauthorized use
of his name and biography to imply that he'd endorsed a recent reprint
of some of this material. Much more in back royalties may yet be due, and
it's speculated that as part of the settlement McFarlane will be asked
to release whatever rights he may actually have to the long-tied-up
_Miracleman_ comic. Any Gaiman profits beyond lawyers' fees will go to
charities like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. _Neil:_ `Well, it
really wasn't about money. It was about fairness, and sticking to
agreements. I may be nice, but I'm not a doormat.'
GRAHAM JOYCE tried to explain his first novel to his father.... _Joyce
Junior:_ `It's about dreams, and what they mean.' _Joyce Senior:_ `What
do you mean, what dreams mean? They mean you're asleep.' [MP]
JOSH KIRBY is remembered in Paul Kidby's cover for _Night Watch_ by Terry
Pratchett. The painting parodies Rembrandt's `The Night Watch', which at
Terry's suggestion appears on the reverse of the UK hardback for
comparison: `No sense in the artist being smart and some people not
noticing, eh? Note Josh Kirby in the picture where, in the original,
Rembrandt painted himself.' Just half a face, right at the back....
DARREN NASH, former marketing manager for fiction and the Earthlight
sf/fantasy imprint at Simon & Schuster UK, became Earthlight's senior
editor in October -- replacing John Jarrold, who left in August. Darren
was suitably disconcerted when Walter Jon Williams congratulated him on
having achieved `omnipotence'.
ANDRE NORTON has been `gravely ill' in hospital after surgery, and though
now improving needs cheering up. Cards or flowers can be sent to her c/o
114 Eventide Drive, Murfreesboro, TN 37130, USA.
J.K.ROWLING was the subject of deeply unexciting rumours that there might
be eight rather than seven novels about Harry You-Know-Who. Besides the
five known titles (one still forthcoming), Warner had registered three
more as trademarks in 2000: _HP and the Alchemist's Cell_, _HP and the
Chariots of Light_, and _HP and the Pyramids of Furmat_. In fact, `The
extra names were all part of elaborate efforts to hide (and/or decide)
the name of _Goblet of Fire_ before it was published.' [PL]
### CONTESSERATION ###
9 Nov [] COSTUME CLOSET (costuming), Warwick Arms Hotel, High St,
Warwick. 9:30am on. #10 reg, #5 child. Contact: er, just turn up.
9 Nov [] DANGERCON 40 (_Dangermouse_), Ruskin House, corner of Park Lane
and Lower Coombe St, Croydon. 11am-11pm. #1 at door.
11 Nov [] READING AT BORDERS, Oxford St, London. 6:30pm. With Pat
Cadigan, Ken MacLeod, Chris Priest. Next event February 2003.
27 Nov [] BSFA OPEN MEETING, Rising Sun pub, Cloth Fair, London, EC1. 7pm
on, fans present from 5pm. Guest speaker TBA.
21-23 Feb 03 [] REDEMPTION (_B5/B7_), Ashford International Hotel,
Ashford, Kent. #50 reg; #55 at door. Day: #30, #35 at door. Children #15
or #10/day. Contact 26 King's Meadow View, Wetherby, LS22 7FX.
22 Feb 03 [] PICOCON 20, Imperial College Union, London. GoH Dr Jack
Cohen, Gwyneth Jones. #8 reg, students #5, ICSF #2. Contact ICSF, IC
Students U, Beit Quad, Prince Consort Rd, London, SW7 2BB.
1-2 Mar 03 [] MICROCON, Exeter University campus. More TBA.
30 Mar 03 [] FANTASY FAIR, The Cresset Exhibition Centre, Bretton,
Peterborough. 10:30am-4pm. Contact 5 Arran Close, Holmes Chapel,
Cheshire, CW4 7QP; phone 01477 534626.
18-21 Apr 03 [] SEACON '03 (Eastercon), Hanover International Hotel,
Hinckley, Leics. _Now #45 reg_ ($68, 75) or #22 ($35, 37) supporting
only. Contact 8 The Orchard, Tonwell, Herts, SG12 0HR. [] _Newsflash:_
the Tiptree Award is being presented outside the USA for the first time
ever at Seacon '03, on the Friday evening.
24-6 Oct 03 [] THEY CAME AND SHAVED US (in the vein of Aliens Stole My
Handbag etc), Fairways Hotel, Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. GoH Robert
Rankin, FGoH Padraig O Mealoid. UK #25 reg to 31 Dec, #30 to 22 Apr 03,
#35 thereafter, to 13a Bridge Rd, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 2QW.
Irish/Euro #(I)40/40 to 31 Dec, 45 to 22 Apr, 55 thereafter, to 123
Carnlough Rd, Cabra West, Dublin 7, Ireland.
7-9 Nov 03 [] NOVACON 33, Quality Hotel, Walsall. GoH Jon Courtenay
Grimwood. #28 reg _rising to #32 on 10 Nov 02_; #35 after Easter 03, #40
at door. Contact 379 Myrtle Road, Sheffield, S2 3HQ -- and fast!
9-12 Apr 04 [] CONCOURSE (Eastercon), Blackpool Winter Gardens. _Now #35
reg_, #25 unwaged; #2 extra for on-line credit card payment. Contact 479
Newmarket Rd, Cambridge, CB5 8JJ. [] _Progress Report 1_ has some stern
words for dieting con-goers: `As with a convention in a hotel, the reason
we can afford to use the site is that they are expecting you to buy food
and drink. We will have to enforce this.' [CB]
5-7 Aug 05 [] BINDWEED (Get Out Of Worldcon Free relaxacon), somewhere
in York. #28 reg; #14 junior (under 14 at date of con). Contact 81
Western Rd, London, E13 9JE.
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
AS OTHERS SEE US. When the BBC acquired Steven Spielberg's new sf series
_Taken_ (dealing with `extra-terrestrial experiences' in the form of good
old alien abductions), their head of programme acquisition Sophie Turner
Laing was quick to explain its staggering innovativeness, unheard-of in
mere science fiction: `_Taken_ is designed to have a wider appeal than
just to fans of sci-fi, as it tells the stories of individuals and their
interactions over many years.' (_Independent_, 23 October) [DB]
R.I.P. _Dal Coger_, US midwestern fan since around 1942 and still a con-
goer in 2002, died on 2 October. [JS] [] _Andre de Toth_ (1913-2002),
Hungarian-born director, died on 27 October at age 89. His _House of Wax_
(1953) was the first 3D horror film, an effect which -- having only one
eye -- he couldn't see. [BB/PB] [] _Richard Harris_ (1930-2002), Oscar-
nominated Irish actor who did little genre work but played Dumbledore in
the first two Harry Potter films, died from cancer on 25 October; he was
72. [] _Nathan Juran_ (1907-2002), Austrian-born US director who won an
Oscar for non-genre art direction and later did much B-movie sf and
horror, died on 1 November. His films included _The 7th Voyage of
Sinbad_, with Ray Harryhausen's special effects, and _Attack of the 50-
Foot Woman_ (both 1958). [BB] [] _John Lucas_, writer, producer and
director of the original _Star Trek_ series, died from leukaemia on 19
October. He was 83. [JS] [] _Raymond T.McNally_ (1931-2002), Dracula
scholar and co-author with Radu Florescu of _In Search of Dracula_ (1972)
and _In Search of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde_ (2001), died on 2 October aged 71.
[L] [] _Craig Mills_ (1955-2002), US author of five fantasies published
from 1982 to 1995, died from a heart attack on 15 October. His debut
novel was _The Bane of Lord Caladon_ (1982). [GF/JS] [] _Dennis Patrick_,
US TV character actor who appeared in the 1966-71 Gothic soap opera _Dark
Shadows_ and a spinoff film, died in a fire at his Hollywood Hills home
on 12 or 13 October; he was 84. [BB] [] _Charles Sheffield_ (1935-2002),
British-born physicist, science writer, and noted hard sf author, died
on 2 November aged 67, having had surgery for brain cancer in mid-August.
He is survived by his wife Nancy Kress, to whom all sympathy. Sheffield
famously fictionalized the idea of a space elevator in the same year as
Arthur C.Clarke's _The Fountains of Paradise_, with his independently
conceived novel _The Web Between the Worlds_ (1979). His 1993 novelette
`Georgia On My Mind' won both Hugo and Nebula awards. He will be much
missed. [] _Jonathan Harris_ (1920-2002), US actor famed in sf circles
as Dr Zachary Smith in _Lost in Space_ (CBS 1965-8; `Oh, the pain ...'),
died on 3 November aged 81. [DK]
WORLD FANTASY AWARDS. NOVEL Ursula K.Le Guin, _The Other Wind_. NOVELLA
S.P.Somtow, `The Bird Catcher'. SHORT Albert E.Cowdrey, `Queen for a
Day'. ANTHOLOGY _The Museum of Horrors_ ed. Dennis Etchison. COLLECTION
Nalo Hopkinson, _Skin Folk_. ARTIST Allen Koszowski. SPECIAL/PROFESSIONAL
(tie) Stephen Jones, Jo Fletcher -- both for editing. SPECIAL/NON-
PROFESSIONAL Raymond Russell & Rosalie Parker (Tartarus Press). LIFE
ACHIEVEMENT George Scithers, Forrest J Ackerman. [L]
NEWS FROM _PRAVDA_. Possibly taking their cue from all those Australians
who gave their religion as Jedi, young Russians in Perm have been filling
out census forms with `hobbit' or `elf' as nationality. More inscrutably,
certain citizens of Rostov-on-Don claim their nationality is `skiff', a
term which the _Pravda_ reporter and translator think unnecessary to
explain. Could this be the local shorthand for skiffyfan? [BB]
RANDOM FANDOM. _Forrest J Ackerman_'s famous sf collection has been
largely dispersed to pay medical and other bills. Its home, the 18-room
`Ackermansion', was sold, and Forry has moved (with a few cherished
treasures) to a more convenient bungalow: see C.o.A. He would love to
hear from friends. [] _Lydia Marano Cover & Arthur Byron Cover_ announce
that their 21-year-old sf bookshop `Dangerous Visions' (in Sherman Oaks,
California) will close for the last time on 10 Nov -- but business
continues on-line at www.readsf.com. [] _Tommy Ferguson_ `finally got
married to Leslie Carol Altic at a civil ceremony in Belfast on 29
September 2002 followed by a wonderful honeymoon in Crete. Everything
went without a hitch, despite the cream of Belfast fandom being there.'
What, in Crete? [] _Rog Peyton_ is undaunted by losing Andromeda: `I have
decided to start up selling books again -- second-hand & remainders only
to start with.' Send SAE or your e-mail address to Replay Books, 19 Eves
Croft, Bartley Green, Birmingham, B32 3QL. [] _Geri Sullivan_ observes
that the recent US Silicon `has the most appalling set of written
convention rules I've yet encountered, including one asking that members
keep vomiting to a minimum and aim for the sink or toilet. It'd be funny
if they weren't so absolutely serious.'
JUDGING BY THE COVER. A literary agent with a young female client was
reportedly asked by the publisher: `Never mind the book. What does she
look like?' This led to speculation about _Interzone_ boosting
circulation with a special swimsuit issue, while _Liz Williams_ devised
a cunning plan: `Fortuitously (or perhaps gratuitously), I have a
namesake on the Web who is a "fashion model" -- when last doing a vanity
search for myself, I discovered a picture of "Liz Williams", sporting
waist-length blonde hair and a leather thong. Since this is a look which
I have not previously considered adopting, I was thinking of emailing her
and suggesting she impersonate me at conventions....'
AWARDS AT NOVACON. _Novas:_ FAN ARTIST Dave Hicks. FAN WRITER Claire
Brialey. FANZINE _Plokta_. [PNN] [] _James White Award_ for best
unpublished short story: Julian West, `Vita Brevis, Ars Longa'. [DS]
IN TYPO VERITAS. `Cook has prepared wild bore and pheasant, with spotted
dick for desert.' (Eric Brown, `The Blue Portal', _Interzone 181_, August
2002) [MW]
C.O.A. _Forrest J.Ackerman_, 4511 Russell Ave, Hollywood, CA 90027, USA.
_Joe Beedell_, 73 Bournemouth Park Rd, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 5JJ.
_Jim Caughran_, 43 Dingwall Ave, Toronto, Ontario, M4J 1C4, Canada.
_Eileen Gunn & John D.Berry_, 525 19th Ave East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
(from next week). _Andrew & Suzanne Murdoch_, 9211 Glendower Dr,
Richmond, British Columbia, V7A 2Y4, Canada. _Hal & Ulrika O'Brien_,
18540 NE 58th Ct, Redmond, WA 98052, USA.
SECRETS OF SF PUBLICITY. _Ben Jeapes_ reports from the uncharted depths
of _The Bookseller_: `This week's [25 Oct] has a Malkovichesque ad for
Grimwood's _Effendi_ and _Pashazade_, Pocket Books editions, showing a
crowded street scene in which every person has JCG's face. (The
resemblance to John Malkovich is actually quite surprising.) The caption:
"No, you're not seeing things. Starting February 2003 Jon Courtenay
Grimwood will be everywhere". Turn the page, and we get phrases like "an
absorbing blend of pace, place and character" and the following: "With
the bleak, _noir_ atmosphere of Raymond Chandler, the living, breathing
background of _The Alexandria Quartet_, and a unique, charismatic hero
who is 100% Jon Courtenay Grimwood, _Effendi_ is page-turning fiction at
its finest." You have to wonder exactly how far someone can lean over
backwards to avoid mentioning science fiction or alternate history
without their spine snapping....'
_BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER_ was the subject of a whole academic conference
at the University of East Anglia on 19-20 October: `Blood, Text and
Fears: Reading around _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_'. What a shame that
_Ansible_ didn't learn until too late about such programme highlights as
`Meaning and Myth: Leitmotivic Procedures in the Musical Underscore to
_Angel_, Season One', `Yeats's Entropic Gyre and Season Six of _BtVS_',
or the irresistible `Unaired Pilot or Bad Quarto: Textual Problems in
Buffy and Shakespeare in an Internet Age'.
OUTRAGED LETTERS. _Stephen Baxter_ gloated that _Ansible_ missed the
third Tuckerized sf fan in his _Evolution_. When I asked who: `I wish I
could tell you it was Pebble the randy Neandertal, but he's obviously
working in publishing. In fact it's Ian Maughan, whose robot critters end
up eating Mars, a crime which exceeds even his dress sense.' [] _Damien
Broderick_, `anticipating the inevitable craze', sent a photograph of his
nipple which is inadvertently not reproduced here. [] _Many Of You_
remarked that Kim Hunter was also in _A Matter of Life and Death_ (1946),
and that Michael Elphick wasn't choked by the Force: that was Michael
Sheard in _The Empire Strikes Back_ (fatally) and also Richard
LeParmentier in _Star Wars_ (nonfatally), this scene also featuring Don
Henderson, who _looks_ a bit like Elphick.... Meanwhile, as Steve Green
helpfully notes, Michael Elphick _was_ in _I Bought a Vampire
Motorcycle_.
FANFUNDERY. _TransAtlantic Fan Fund_: nominating deadline for the 2003
eastbound TAFF race extended to 30 Nov 02. Aspiring NA candidates should
send a platform of 100 or fewer words, a pledge to make the trip if
elected, $20 bond, and 5 nominations from known fans (3 NA, 2 Europe),
to Victor Gonzalez, 263 Elm St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Reported
candidates so far: Randy Byers, Colin Hinz, Curt Phillips. [] _Down Under
Fan Fund:_ nominations are now open for the 2003 NA to Australasia DUFF
race. Nominations (3 NA, 2 Down Under), 100-word platform, pledge, and
$25 bond to administrators Naomi Fisher & Patrick Molloy by 15 Nov: PO
Box 9135, Huntsville, AL 35812, USA.
AS OTHERS SEE US (II). `Science-fiction films can usually be separated
into two sub genres: horror and fantasy.' (Text explaining the nature of
sf, from DVD edition of _Sphere_.) [JR]
THE THOG RESPONSE. _Greg Egan_ reproves Thog for pouncing on his `mostly
nitrogen -- six times as much as on Earth' atmosphere: `I hate to be a
bad sport about my Thog entry, but this is either malice or stupidity.
Who said anything about a percentage? Six times "as much" nitrogen would
mean six times the _pressure_ to most planetary scientists, and for those
in any doubt the next sentence makes this clear.... Thog strains so hard
to find misreadings and double entendres these days that he only raises
a chuckle when his quotes are more selective and misleading than the
review snippets on my dust jackets.' Apologies; Thog is evidently not a
planetary scientist. [] _Neil Gaiman_ takes another view: `I'd been
waiting almost twenty years to be Thogged, and practically sent you a
thank you card. (I still think a loud smirk is like a loud tie, being one
you can see all the way across the room. My story, & I am sticking to
it.) I don't think these Johnny Come Latelies realise how lucky they are,
getting Thogged like that, straight out of the box. I've written millions
of words. Millions, I tell you. And I had to win a bloody Hugo Award
before I got Thogged. You tell the kids today that, and they just laugh
at you. And try mentioning Olde English Flavour Spangles, they'll just
look at you. They won't even laugh. Just stare.' [] _China Mieville_ adds
a PS: `Damn you Thog, damn you damn you ...'
HAZEL'S LANGUAGE LESSONS. _Andy Sawyer_ reports from the Plaza San Martin
in Lima, Peru: `the central statue has a figure of a woman with a woolly
cameloid quadruped on her head. Apparently what was really wanted was a
_torch_, but the word for torch is -- you've guessed it -- "llama" and
the sculptor received his instructions in writing.'
GROUP GROPES. _London, Again:_ The Silver Cross had another bad evening
on 3 October (fractured gas line, and thus no beer, cider, or any other
pumped drinks) and is unlikely to be booked for 2003. Fans are
undertaking selfless pub crawls in search of possible alternatives. But
the Xmas meeting on 19 December will still be at the Silver Cross.
THE DEAD PAST. _Twenty Years Ago:_ D.M.Thomas confessed all to _Esquire_.
`When you write the book, it's a virgin. Then when it sells, it loses its
virginity. It's the _off-white_ hotel now....' (_Ansible 30_, Nov 82)
THOG'S MASTERCLASS. _Dept of Eyeballs in the Sky._ `"Seigneur, I have
invented forty new dishes for to-night's banquet," Francois said
pathetically, his eyes creeping out until they hung on the rims of their
sockets like desperate people wavering on the edges of precipices.'
(George Viereck & Paul Eldridge, _Salome The Wandering Jewess_, 1930)
[BA] [] _Neat Tricks Dept._ `They don't kill any of them but the women
are -- how you say -- mutilated. Same way. And beheaded.' (Charlee Jacob,
`Bonerider', in _Decadence_ ed Monica J. O'Rourke, 2002) [] `Mark pulled
Anna's blue bikini top off her shoulders and slid them down to her
waist.' (Nicholas Kaufmann, `V.I.P. Room', _ibid_) [PB]
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
To receive _Ansible_ monthly via e-mail, send a message to ...
Majo...@imi.gla.ac.uk
... containing the sole text:
subscribe ansible
(Subject line irrelevant.) Please send a corresponding `unsubscribe
ansible' to resign from this list if you weary of it or plan to change
e-addresses.
BACK ISSUES ETC
ftp://ftp.dcs.gla.ac.uk/pub/SF-Archives/Ansible/Ansible.[number]
http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/Ansible/
Ansible's Links, http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/Ansible/ansilink.html
Langford's Ego, http://www.ansible.demon.co.uk/
E-ADDRESSES
TransAtlantic Fan Fund 2003, vmgonz...@yahoo.com
CONVENTION E-MAIL
[] 2002
9 Nov, Costume Closet (costuming), Warwick,
Wardrobe_...@yahoogroups.com
[] 2003
21-23 Feb, Redemption (_B5/B7_), Ashford, redempt...@smof.com
22 Feb, Picocon 20, London, pic...@icsf.org.uk
18-21 Apr, Seacon '03 (Eastercon), Hinckley, Leics,
in...@seacon03.org.uk
1-3 Aug, Finncon X -- Eurocon 2003, Turku, Finland, eek...@utu.fi
28 Aug - 1 Sep, Torcon 3 (Worldcon), Toronto, in...@torcon3.on.ca
7-9 Nov, Novacon 33 (Walsall), x...@zoom.co.uk
[] 2004
9-12 Apr, Concourse (Eastercon), Blackpool, conc...@ntlworld.com
20-23 Aug, Discworld Convention IV, Hinckley, Leics, in...@dwcon.org
2-6 Sep, Noreascon 4, Boston (Worldcon), in...@mcfi.org
[] 2005
4-8 Aug, Interaction (Worldcon), Glasgow,
in...@interaction.worldcon.org.uk
CONVENTION BID E-MAIL
[] 2006
Kansas City Worldcon, MidAm...@kc.rr.com
Los Angeles Worldcon, in...@scifiinc.org
[] 2007
Columbus OH Worldcon, ConCo...@yahoo.com
Japan Worldcon, in...@nippon2007.org
### ENDNOTES ###
APPARITIONS. _Bryan Talbot_ is giving a talk and slide show in
Rochdale: Wheatsheaf Lending Library, Fri 8 Nov, 2pm. Free, but call
Andrew Jones or Ray Stearn on 01706 864972 a.s.a.p. as seating is
limited. `SMS will also be in attendance.'
MICHAEL SWANWICK has a fiendish scheme to torment fans while doing
good: `Here's a major blow for Michael Swanwick completists ... and
it's fallen before (as far as I know) there even are any! As part of
_The Infinite Matrix_'s fundfest, I've offered up as a prize a 300-
word short story in a bottle. In editor Eileen Gunn's words, "You can
own the only copy of a Swanwick story that features Janis Ian's three-
legged dog, Stumpy. But the story has been sealed in a blue glass wine
bottle with black wax." The owner can read the story or possess the
object, but cannot do both. Copyright is specifically withheld. All
other copies of the story, including the computer file, have been
destroyed. It is unique in the old, unspoiled sense of the word. []
Which means that now in all the universe there can conceivably be only
one collector to possess copies of all my published works. I wonder
who it'll be?' See picture at www.infinitematrix.net. A Worthy Cause
(interest declared).
AFTER NOVACON 32. Many thanks to Martin Tudor, Dave Hicks, and about
half the convention membership, who respectively organized,
illustrated, and signed a sympathy card for absent Langford (bad leg
now somewhat improved, but I'm still supposed to take it easy).
`Legless' jokes predominate. A nice surprise.... [] _Steve Green_ adds
the all-important news that he's taken over the Nova Awards
administration from Tony Berry, so the contact address is now 33 Scott
Rd, Olton, Solihull, B92 7LQ. [] _Novacon 33._ See details in con
listing above and note the Novacon Challenge of Death: can you get
your membership cheque in before that 10 Nov deadline?
Ansible 184 Copyright (c) Dave Langford, 2002. Thanks to Brian
Ameringen, Paul Barnett, Barbara Barrett, Chris Bell, David Brain,
Everyone at Novacon 32, Gregory Feeley, David Klaus, Locus, Marion
Pitman, Plokta News Network, Publishers Lunch, Jost Riedel, Joyce
Scrivner, David Stewart, Jan Stinson, Mark Watson, and Hero
Distributors: Rog Peyton (Brum Group News), Janice Murray (N America),
SCIS, and Alan Stewart (Thyme/Australia).
7 Nov 02
--
David Langford
ans...@cix.co.uk | http://www.ansible.co.uk/
Nimrod
"David Langford" <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote in message
news:s9hksuolmlbkbfgpf...@4ax.com...
> NEIL GAIMAN won his lawsuit against comics tycoon Todd McFarlane on 3-4
> October, establishing his copyright interest in `Angela' and two other
> Gaiman-created characters in the McFarlane _Spawn_ universe, along with
> his copyright interest in five comics he had written. He was awarded
> $45,000 (the full amount requested by his lawyers) for unauthorized use
> of his name and biography to imply that he'd endorsed a recent reprint
> of some of this material. Much more in back royalties may yet be due, and
> it's speculated that as part of the settlement McFarlane will be asked
> to release whatever rights he may actually have to the long-tied-up
> _Miracleman_ comic. Any Gaiman profits beyond lawyers' fees will go to
> charities like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. _Neil:_ `Well, it
> really wasn't about money. It was about fairness, and sticking to
> agreements. I may be nice, but I'm not a doormat.'
Now this is very good news indeed - the MARVELman (screw the name change!)
comics have been made unavailable due to this for far too long. Here's
looking forward to their re-issue very soon.
Kevin J. Maroney
<nim...@TINNEDSPAMsoutheast1.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
>Now this is very good news indeed - the MARVELman (screw the name change!)
>comics have been made unavailable due to this for far too long. Here's
>looking forward to their re-issue very soon.
A recent comment in Comic Buyer's Guide from McFarlane's lawyer
indicates to me that McFarlane intends to fight hard for the
Miracleman rights, possibly just out of spite. I hope I am wrong.
--
Kevin J. Maroney | k...@panix.com
Games are my entire waking life.
Ken MacLeod
Msoutheast1.fsnet.co.uk> writes
Second that. I found the first two (?) collections in my local library,
years and years ago, and they just blew me away. No matter what happened
to the series after that, I would like to have these stories again, just
to marvel, I mean miracle, at the sheer goddamn brio of the concepts and
execution and the adrenaline pop of the speech bubbles.
--
Ken MacLeod
Nimrod
"Ken MacLeod" <k...@libertaria.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:b$nKQEAfS...@libertaria.demon.co.uk...
I was lucky enough to read the original series in Warrior when it came out
years ago - actually met quite a few of the people involved as well - I used
to get it straight from Quality Communications who were based at that time
in New Cross - as they (Dez Skinn, et all) made the whole thing. Ah, those
glory days. Laser Eraser & Pressbutton.... glory days....
Alex McLintock
<k...@libertaria.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <aqeccg$v4l$1...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk>, Nimrod <nimrod@TINNEDSPA
>Msoutheast1.fsnet.co.uk> writes
>>
>>"David Langford" <ans...@cix.co.uk> wrote in message
>>news:s9hksuolmlbkbfgpf...@4ax.com...
>>
>>> NEIL GAIMAN won his lawsuit against comics tycoon Todd McFarlane on 3-4
>>> October, establishing his copyright interest in `Angela' and two other
>>> Gaiman-created characters in the McFarlane _Spawn_ universe, along with
....
>Second that. I found the first two (?) collections in my local library,
>years and years ago, and they just blew me away.
Seems like an appropriate point to mention that your (UK) local
libraries do have graphic novels, as Ken mentioned. I've been getting
requests from DiverseBooks.com reviewers for graphic novels. I don't
request graphic novels because we don't actually have that many
reviews of graphic novels on the site. To that end I recently reviewed
"Preacher: Dixie Fried", which makes me think I should read Preacher
in the correct order, and am currently reading Frank Miller's "Give me
Liberty" which is scarily appropriate for the way American politicians
seem to be behaving at the moment.
If you want to review any old graphic novels then please go to
http://news.DiverseBooks.com/submit.pl
I'm particularly interested in those books which you consider
classics. And if you don't have any then please go to your local
library and borrow some.
Once we have a body of work then we can approach publishers and ask
for review books of new graphic novels.
PS Anyone want to review the new Smallville books from Orbit?
PPS Review of Ken MacLeod's third book in the Dark Engines series
coming this weekend. http://news.DiverseBooks.com/
It's pretty good, but not IMHO up to the standard set in his first
series.
Alex McLintock
Openweb Analysts Ltd - java, xml, perl, xsl, dev in London UK
Booking now for the next three months work.
http://www.OWAL.co.uk/
Remove nospamplease. from my email address to reply
Sue Mason
I've still got all those issues of Warrior.
Must cull comic collection real soon now.
But not the Warrior collection.
Robert Sneddon
<s...@arctic-fox.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>
>I've still got all those issues of Warrior.
>
>Must cull comic collection real soon now.
>But not the Warrior collection.
Was there ever a collected Zirk? I know he did crossovers with Axel and
Laser, and I recall the Blue-Peter-like "Make your own Zirk" article,
but are all his comics together somewhere?
--
Robert Sneddon nojay (at) nojay (dot) fsnet (dot) co (dot) uk
Nimrod
"Sue Mason" <s...@arctic-fox.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:btaosu41bjq46atcs...@4ax.com...
comics long gone but I still have two "V for Vendetta" buttons and one
Pressbutton adorning my wall.
Marcus L. Rowland
<no...@nospam.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <btaosu41bjq46atcs...@4ax.com>, Sue Mason
><s...@arctic-fox.freeserve.co.uk> writes
>>
>>I've still got all those issues of Warrior.
>>
>>Must cull comic collection real soon now.
>>But not the Warrior collection.
>
> Was there ever a collected Zirk? I know he did crossovers with Axel and
>Laser, and I recall the Blue-Peter-like "Make your own Zirk" article,
>but are all his comics together somewhere?
I don't think so - but the news about Marvel/Miracleman is VERY welcome.
Kimota! Nope, still just me...
--
Marcus L. Rowland http://www.ffutures.demon.co.uk/
http://www.forgottenfutures.com/
Forgotten Futures - The Scientific Romance Role Playing Game
"Life is chaos; Chaos is life; Control is an illusion." - Andromeda
Axel Pressbutton
>On Fri, 8 Nov 2002 01:31:17 -0000, "Nimrod"
><nim...@TINNEDSPAMsoutheast1.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
>>I was lucky enough to read the original series in Warrior when it came out
Me three. Waiting one month for the next issue of Warrior and
installment of MM and VfV was - intresting to say the least.
>>years ago - actually met quite a few of the people involved as well - I used
>>to get it straight from Quality Communications who were based at that time
>>in New Cross - as they (Dez Skinn, et all) made the whole thing. Ah, those
>>glory days. Laser Eraser & Pressbutton.... glory days....
Warrior and my meeting up with CUSFS are irretrievably intertwined
in my mind; so yes glory days indeed.
>I've still got all those issues of Warrior.
Me four.
>Must cull comic collection real soon now.
>But not the Warrior collection.
Amen sister.
Axel Pressbutton
... Usenet Anti-Litter Patrol
... "The security of the Enterprise is of Paramount importance
--
* 20464.27 *
Sue Mason
I've still got a V badge somewhere and the two Zirk badges (I like
what I like and what I like thrashes)
Rob Hansen
wrote:
>On Thu, 7 Nov 2002 18:49:04 -0000, "Nimrod"
><nim...@TINNEDSPAMsoutheast1.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
>>Now this is very good news indeed - the MARVELman (screw the name change!)
>>comics have been made unavailable due to this for far too long. Here's
>>looking forward to their re-issue very soon.
>
>A recent comment in Comic Buyer's Guide from McFarlane's lawyer
>indicates to me that McFarlane intends to fight hard for the
>Miracleman rights, possibly just out of spite. I hope I am wrong.
I doubt that you are. This would be very much in character, alas.
--
Rob Hansen
=============================================
Home Page: http://www.fiawol.demon.co.uk/rob/
RE-ELECT GORE IN 2004.
Jonathan Baddeley
news:3dcba0a0...@news.ntlworld.com...
> Seems like an appropriate point to mention that your (UK) local
> libraries do have graphic novels, as Ken mentioned.
I remember reading Dan Dare collections from my local library in Stoke as a
kid. Glory days.
> I've been getting
> requests from DiverseBooks.com reviewers for graphic novels.
Now I have income you might be getting reviews from me soon :-)
> To that end I recently reviewed
> "Preacher: Dixie Fried", which makes me think I should read Preacher
> in the correct order,
Well worth the effort. Garth Ennis is a writer who can create comics that
can still shock and surprise in this 'seen it all' age.
> and am currently reading Frank Miller's "Give me
> Liberty" which is scarily appropriate for the way American politicians
> seem to be behaving at the moment.
"This won't kill me. I won't die here."
A pity the sequels were never near as great as the original. Martha
Washington is one of the best female comic characters of all time;
incredibly believable and genuinely heroic.
> If you want to review any old graphic novels then please go to
>
> http://news.DiverseBooks.com/submit.pl
As I re-read my pile before filing I'll do that.
> I'm particularly interested in those books which you consider
> classics.
There's a newsgroup thread in itself...
> And if you don't have any then please go to your local
> library and borrow some.
...while you still have a local library :-/
Jonny5
Karen Lofstrom
before appending a two line reply.
--
Karen Lofstrom lofs...@lava.net
---------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW! IMPROVED! ECONOMY SIZE!
Ray Radlein
>
> 95%
Of course, in some cases (like a message of about 20 words or so),
trimming 95% might leave very little left.
- Ray R.
--
***********************************************************************
"Nero? Galba? Otho? Vitellius? All jerks. 'Nuff said."
- Taciturn, "Histories" 1:1
Ray Radlein - r...@learnlink.emory.edu
homepage coming soon! wooo, wooo.
***********************************************************************
Kevin J. Maroney
wrote:
>It would be really nice if people were to trim 95% of the quoted material
>before appending a two line reply.
I just discovered a wonderful pair of e-mails on one of the mailing
lists I'm on--someone quoted an entire daily digest (about 3800 lines)
after top-posting a three-paragraph comment on one letter within it,
and then someone responded with a top-posted "I found your letter very
helpful" letter which quoted *that* entire letter.
I am *so* glad I've got a fast connection now.
David Burns
>little left.
I agree, you don't want to trim too much
--
"Remember, Information is not knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom; Wisdom is
not truth; Truth is not beauty; Beauty is not love; Love is not music; Music
is the best." -- Frank Zappa
Alan Braggins
> I just discovered a wonderful pair of e-mails on one of the mailing
> lists I'm on--someone quoted an entire daily digest (about 3800 lines)
> after top-posting a three-paragraph comment on one letter within it,
> and then someone responded with a top-posted "I found your letter very
> helpful" letter which quoted *that* entire letter.
Could be worse. I've had a digest which included a mail that quoted
an entire previous digest converted to HTML complete with 3000 odd
lines of bloody Office generated stylesheet to say "I agree".
And another digest which included entire messages quoted seven
levels deep, including the automatically added list signature
saying "remember to trim quoted text".
Bernard Peek
<dburns731...@attbi.com> writes
>h
AOL
--
Bernard Peek
b...@shrdlu.com
www.diversebooks.com: SF & Computing book reviews and more.....
In search of cognoscenti
James J. Walton
On Mon, 11 Nov 2002, Kevin J. Maroney wrote:
> I just discovered a wonderful pair of e-mails on one of the mailing
> lists I'm on--someone quoted an entire daily digest (about 3800 lines)
> after top-posting a three-paragraph comment on one letter within it,
> and then someone responded with a top-posted "I found your letter very
> helpful" letter which quoted *that* entire letter.
A lot of e-mailed news letters specifically state that if you forward any
part of the newsletter you must forward the complete issue. This leads to
the problem you mention above.
> I am *so* glad I've got a fast connection now.
Definitely makes it easier to surf for porn.
James J. Walton
On Mon, 11 Nov 2002, Karen Lofstrom wrote:
> It would be really nice if people were to trim 95% of the quoted material
> before appending a two line reply.
What? Useful and meaningful editing? I am _shocked_!
Philip Chee
>On Mon, 11 Nov 2002, Kevin J. Maroney wrote:
>> I just discovered a wonderful pair of e-mails on one of the mailing
>> lists I'm on--someone quoted an entire daily digest (about 3800 lines)
>> after top-posting a three-paragraph comment on one letter within it,
>> and then someone responded with a top-posted "I found your letter very
>> helpful" letter which quoted *that* entire letter.
>A lot of e-mailed news letters specifically state that if you forward any
>part of the newsletter you must forward the complete issue. This leads to
>the problem you mention above.
Hint: e-mailed news letter != mailing list (digest)
Phil
---=====================================================================---
Philip Chee: Tasek Corporation Berhad, P.O.Box 254, 30908 Ipoh, MALAYSIA
e-mail: phi...@aleytys.pc.my Voice:+60.5.291.1011 Fax:+60.5.291.9932
Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief,
oh Night, and so be good for us to pass.
--
ž 20418.98 ž Tagline wanted. Apply within ====================>
Priscilla Ballou
"David Burns" <dburns731...@attbi.com> wrote:
> Ray Radlein wrote:
>
> >little left.
>
> ch
Priscilla
--
"As you get older, physical deterioration is offset by a larger world view
and a deeper sense of gratitude." Diane Keaton
David Dyer-Bennet
And recently I've been encountering a lot of pieces of threads where
the quoting was trimmed to the point that I couldn't tell what the
conversation was about.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, dd...@dd-b.net / http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/
John Dyer-Bennet 1915-2002 Memorial Site http://john.dyer-bennet.net
Dragaera mailing lists, see http://dragaera.info
Ed Dravecky III
> "James J. Walton" <jjwa...@telerama.com> writes:
> > On Mon, 11 Nov 2002, Karen Lofstrom wrote:
> > > It would be really nice if people were to trim 95% of the
> > What? Useful and meaningful
<snip>
> was trimmed to the point that I couldn't tell what the
> conversation was about.
Yeah, some people really go overboard in that respect.
--
Ed Dravecky III - Addison, Texas
Listen at http://brave.com/bo
Timothy McDaniel
David Dyer-Bennet <dd...@dd-b.net> wrote:
>"James J. Walton" <jjwa...@telerama.com> writes:
>
>> On Mon, 11 Nov 2002, Karen Lofstrom wrote:
>>
>> > It would be really nice if people were to trim 95% of the quoted
>> > material before appending a two line reply.
>>
>> What? Useful and meaningful editing? I am _shocked_!
>
>And recently I've been encountering a lot of pieces of threads where
>the quoting was trimmed to the point that I couldn't tell what the
>conversation was about.
I am so rarely plagued by that problem that I would gladly take more
of it if it would reduce the verdammt verbatim quoting.
I loathe and despise massive quoting.
--
Tim McDaniel, tm...@panix.com; tm...@us.ibm.com is my work address
Kevin J. Maroney
<jjwa...@telerama.com> wrote:
>A lot of e-mailed news letters specifically state that if you forward any
>part of the newsletter you must forward the complete issue. This leads to
>the problem you mention above.
This one doesn't, and it's not a news letter.
>> I am *so* glad I've got a fast connection now.
>
>Definitely makes it easier to surf for porn.
Yes, indeed.
Mary Kay
Justifiable homicide, no doubt about it.
MKK
--
There are 10 types of people in the world; those who understand binary,
and those who don't.
Alan Braggins
> Alan Braggins <ar...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> > Could be worse. I've had a digest which included a mail that quoted
> > an entire previous digest converted to HTML complete with 3000 odd
> > lines of bloody Office generated stylesheet to say "I agree".
No, just a rant trigger. But the guy who then said "I don't see that
here, so it must be a problem with your client reading it" might have
been a manslaughter victim if he'd said it in person.
Ronan Flood
> MICHAEL SWANWICK has a fiendish scheme to torment fans while doing
> good: `Here's a major blow for Michael Swanwick completists ... and
> it's fallen before (as far as I know) there even are any! As part of
> _The Infinite Matrix_'s fundfest, I've offered up as a prize a 300-
> word short story in a bottle. In editor Eileen Gunn's words, "You can
> own the only copy of a Swanwick story that features Janis Ian's three-
> legged dog, Stumpy. But the story has been sealed in a blue glass wine
> bottle with black wax." The owner can read the story or possess the
> object, but cannot do both. Copyright is specifically withheld. All
> other copies of the story, including the computer file, have been
> destroyed. It is unique in the old, unspoiled sense of the word. []
> Which means that now in all the universe there can conceivably be only
> one collector to possess copies of all my published works. I wonder
> who it'll be?' See picture at www.infinitematrix.net. A Worthy Cause
> (interest declared).
Cue _The Fan Who Collected Swanwick_ -- with apologies to Kim Newman.
--
Ronan Flood <R.F...@noc.ulcc.ac.uk>
working for but not speaking for
Network Services, University of London Computer Centre
(which means: don't bother ULCC if I've said something you don't like)