Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info
From: [fuy 1] at [umbc.edu] (Francis A Uy)
Subject: CON: Diamond Seminar Report, day two
Date: 21 Jun 1994 08:34:14 -0400

Diamond Retailers Seminar, day two, part one

Including:  Dark Horse coming attractions
	
Sunday June 12

8:30  Diamond Presentation: More Services for your Success

Steve Geppi is up early this morning, speechifying for the groggy masses.
 He's not quite up to speed either, with multiple slips of the tongue. 
 "Previews on dick" (disk) was a fan favorite.  No important news though.

9:15  Dark Horse Presentation

This was my second favorite event of the Seminar (after Frank Miller's
 keynote speech, detailed in the following post).  Mike Richardson 
 (DH President) expounds on Dark Horse's motto, "Quality, Diversity,
 Creativity", and provides ample deeds to back it up.  I must admit,
 I am incredibly biased towards Dark Horse, and wish that all the major
 publishers were more like DH.

DH is moving into the licensing & merchandising business, with this
 summer's movie deals, toys, cd-rom, etc.  Comics Greatest World will
 become a line of video games on Nintendo (Sega is still up in the air)
 and a series of paperbacks at Bantam.

Lou Bank (VP of Sales) speaks next.  He begins, "A funny thing happened
 to me on the way to Europe", drawing laughter (Dark Horse stole Lou from
 Marvel when his coming job running Marvel UK vaporized).  Lou is an
 excellent speaker, well prepared and highly quotable.  "Dark Horse *is*
 diversity.  This is our greatest strength, and our weakness.  It is
 difficult to answer the question, 'What is Dark Horse Comics?'"

"Superheroes are NOT the be-all and end-all of this medium.  Comics can
 handle ANY kind of story."  This sound strangely familiar to me :-)
 "The average comic buyer only reads comics for three years.  People
 don't grow out of TV, movies and books, but they DO grow out of comics. 
 We need to give them something new."  By now I'm ready to give him a
 standing ovation, but I make my Ego Check & stay seated.

Up third is David Scroggy (VP of Publishing), presenting the Legend
 imprint.  The whole Legend crew is here except John Byrne.  Mike Allred
 gets a warm welcome.

Bob Schreck (group editor of creator owned titles & DHP) is fourth.
 His presentation is pretty much straight news (semi-spoilers ahead).

Coming comics:  Cud, Too Much Coffee Man, Johnny Demon, Shadow Empire,
 Enemy, Instant Piano, Grendel Tales, American Splendor.

Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor, an anthology of adapted short stories.
 Artists so far include Eric Shanower, Deodato, Eric White, John Bolton
 & Dean Motter.

Max Alan Collins & Terry Beatty now own Johnny Dynamite, they will be
 doing a JD comic in black, white & red (this fall?).

DHP is trying to get an R Crumb/Harvey Pekar jam story for DHP #100.

Comics from Spike will put out a new real life title, Colors in Black.

Andrew Vachss will continue Hard Looks, and Bluebell will be adapted
 in Spring '95.

John Pollack's Devil Chef, a "sick and twisted" comedy.  Something like
 a more adult version of Beavis & Butthead.  :-/

Mike Baron & Steve Rude will do more Nexus stories, including a Hammer
 of God mini & the Mezz Galactic Tour.  No Badger news, though.

Byron Priess really is working on more Two Fisted Tales.

Joe Kubert is back, and doing a 5 issue war mini called Medal of Honor.
 Cover artists include Walt Simonson, Art Adams, John Byrne & a secret.

Jim Silke's Rascals in Paradise is last -- "Little Rascals in heat"  :-\

10:00  Lou Bank comes back to the podium for a look at DH's licenses.

Lots of new Star Wars goodies will be made, closely tied with Lucasfilm
 in preparation for the coming films.  Classic SW: A New Hope has scads
 of hot artists, ToTJ: Freedon Nadd leads up to SW: Dark Lords of the
 Sith in October.  SW: Dark Empire 2 will feature the Millenium Falcon
 & Boba Fett (somehow), by Veitch & Kennedy.

Chris Claremont comes up to speak about Aliens/Predator.  This man is
 everywhere, as you will see in my later posts.  He plans a followup
 series about Ashe Parnell (love those warrior women, Chris) called
 Renegade, not necessarily involving Aliens or Predators.

Batman/Predator 2 is also in the works.

No real news on the Manga front, just Masamune Shirow's Intron Depot.

Dark Horse will be producing the Bone figurine, as well as statues of
 Aliens 3, Dracula & King Kong.

10:15  Comics Greatest World

"Make the Break is great, but there's nothing wrong with superheroes." 
 CGW is about "superheroes you can read as an adult."

Ghost gets a monthly series in April '95, with alternating issues by
 Matt Haley & Adam Hughes (neither wanted full time responsibility).

The Machine will be by John Arcudi & Ted Nafy, and Division 13 begins
 in September.  Vortex ends with #12, and the finale features a super
 secret guest appearance from outside the CGW line.  Totally unconfirmed
 rumors floating around the net.table pointed towards

Nexus.

Lastly, Dark Horse's other media stuff.  Shadow, Time Cop & Mask are
 all being pushed.  Mask Strikes Back mini is coming this fall, by Arcudi
 & Moenich.  A Mask cartoon has been signed by CBS as a replacement show
 for January.  An all-ages Mask Adventures comic will tie in.

Dark Horse also has the license for Tarzan.  They will be doing Edgar
 Rice Burroughs illustrated pulp novels, and (prepare for a groaner)
 Tarzan/Predator, by Walt Simonson.

[10:30-4 I go back to work at Geppi's.  I am working every afternoon. ]

11:00 Skybox & DC Presentations

Missed these.  Chris Claremont talks about Sovereign 7.

2-6  Exhibit Room

I finally get to cruise around the Exhibit Room.  Lots of stuff.

Tekno Comix has one of those Virtual Reality head to head combat games,
 a big screen video display, and free t-shirts, but no actual comics.

Matt High is running the Antarctic Press booth.  Hi, Matt.

I check in the Malibu area, but don't see Roland Mann.

And at the Warrior/Hero booth, I find John Benton is back home guarding
 the shop.  A question: "How do I get a Wizard Zombie to try Hero?"
 We discuss for a while, and conclude that the unfortunate answer is
 'time'.  Hopefully they'll diversify as they grow older.  Except the
 ones who leave comics behind.

I hear it through the grapevine -- Dave Sim is having a sketch party in
 the Radisson Hotel bar after dinner.  All the cool kids will be there.

The rep from Compuserve's Comics Forum has never heard of Usenet.  Gee,
 I wonder why America Online is catching up so quickly...

--

Up next, the Sunday Dinner, with Frank Miller's pyromanic speech.

-F