ERIC'S "LUCKY NUMBER 7" COMICS NOW! NEWSLETTER VOL. 7 #1 - January 2005

INTRODUCTION
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Whoop, there it is! Six years done and gone and moving into lucky number seven. Yes, if you hadn't realized it by now, this is the seventh volume of Eric's Newsletter written without skipping a beat (or a month) for six full years plus one extra issue (I started with #0 as a tribute to the crazy-ass stuff that DC Comics was pulling off way back in the summer of 1998). So, that makes this issue number, wait for it, #85!!! Didn't think it would last this long but I'm happy as a clam to see that it has. So, without any further ado, let's see what the comic industry has in store for us this month...

IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE
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This month's pick is nice and easy -- X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG. In a new mini-series, the Phoenix Force returns to Earth only to find that it's regular host, Jean Grey, is dead. What's a redhead-loving deadly-force to do but to find another host? The question is -- who will it be?

NOV041759 X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG #1
** 50% OFF AT WWW.COMICSNOW.COM **
NOV041760 X-MEN PHOENIX ENDSONG #2

THE BIZ
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X-AVENGERS?

Love him or hate him, Brian Michael Bendis is getting all the creative freedom he could possibly want from the House of Ideas and starting in Summer of 2005, the X-Men and the Avengers are joining up for a bi-weekly, eight- issue mini-series called THE HOUSE OF M. Apparently, M stands for Mum because mum's the word on any info on the mini-series. I guess we'll all have to wait for next summer to see what's up.

2005 - THE NEXT YEAR FOR COMIC MOVIES?

Fantastic Four, Elektra, Constantine, Batman Begins, Transformers and a number of other comic-book-based movies are scheduled for release in 2005. After years' past being called "The Year of Comics" for movies, it seems as though 2005 is the next big thing.

TRANSFORM -- ROLL OUT -- AND FORGET ALL THAT 2D $#!T!

Yes, it's true, Transformers is headed for the silver screen again but this time it's live-action. And before you've even had a chance to pick your jaw off the floor, it's being produced by Steven Spielberg. Oh yeah, baby, it's on.

TOP-10 and TOP-100
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Check out Comics NOW! Inc.'s Top-100 on IRX Productions. Download the December 2004 Top-100 PDF file (it's 8KB!) at: http://www.irxproductions.com/comics/dec04top100.pdf

It's Comics NOW!'s very own Top-10 and Top-100 lists. This list is based on the internal sales quantities of the titles with Premiere being the big guns who pay the extra bucks to be listed first in the ordering system: Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics. The Independent list is everyone else, all those pea-shooters who no one really pays attention to... or do they?

Here's an example of how to read the format:

1. (3) The Amazing Eric Comic #500

"1." - the place of the title in the list this month

"(3)" - where the title was LAST month ("-" if it wasn't)

the title - this one should be pretty obvious

"#500" - the issue number that made the Top-10

TOP 10 PREMIERE COMICS

1. (-) Ultimates 2

2. (3) Identity Crisis

3. (2) Ultimate Fantastic Four

4. (5) Astonishing X-Men

5. (6) Superman

6. (4) Superman Batman

7. (7) Amazing Spider-Man

8. (1) New Avengers

9. (8) Ultimate Spider-Man

10. (9) Ultimate X-Men

TOP 10 INDEPENDENT COMICS

1. (1) Transformers G1 Vol 3

2. (-) Soulfire

3. (2) Transformers Energon

4. (3) Transformers War Within Vol 3

5. (-) Army of Darkness

6. (-) Transformers Gen 1 2004 Data

7. (4) Pat LEes Transformers GI Joe

8. (6) GI Joe

9. (5) GI Joe vs Transformers Vol 2

10. (9) GI Joe Reloaded

THE GOOD STUFF
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DARK HORSE COMICS

APOCALPYSE NERD #1 of 6

So, it's a nerd (Perry) and his dork of a childhood best friend (Jeff) and they're in the middle of the wilderness when nukes blow away the rest of the planet. The question this series asks is: what would happen to the average Joe if he were one of two men left on the planet? Only... in a humorous, that-could-never- happen kind of way.
By Peter Bagge.
32 pages. Six-issue mini-series. $2.99 retail.

DC COMICS

SUPERMAN: STRENGTH #1 of 3

A look back at Superman's beginnings with a young Clark Kent discovering newfound abilities on a nearly daily basis and struggling to understand why his parents have placed limits on him, in addition to seeking to stretch those limits. Once he goes too far, he has to learn the moral code that is his true strength. So boy-scout sappy that it's a sugar high on paper!
By Scott McCloud, Art Amancio, and Terry Austin.
48 pages. 3-issue mini-series. $5.95 retail.

BREACH #1

DC tries so hard but always ends up with something so generic. A military man, torn between conscience and duty, turns into Breach, a man who the world is not ready for, nor is it ready for the threat he represents. Yawn. It's always such a big build-up with such a let-down in the end. And it's all starting again with yet another generic new superhero. Has it really all been done?
By Bob Harras, Marcos Martin, and Alvaro Lopez.
40 pages. Ongoing series. $2.95 retail.

MAJESTIC #1

Mister Majestic is back again in his own series where the first story is a "while you were out" approach. Majestic has been hanging out in the DCU and now he's finally back in Wildstorm's universe and a whole lot has changed since he's been gone... apparently.
By Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Neil Googe, and Trevor Scott.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $2.95 retail.

IMAGE COMICS

BEYOND AVALON #1

Avalon is the place where heroes go to die. But one was actually born there... supposedly... at least... for the purposes of this comic. Her name is... well... Megan. Okay. So, she's the daughter of Arthur (I assume "King") and she's infected with his "wanderlust." This all sounds real perverse. She decides to find her missing father (oh, he's gone?) and travels beyond the mists surrounding the island of Avalon. There ya go.
By Joe Pruett and Goran Sudzuka.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $2.95 retail.

FREEDOM FORCE #1 of 6

Really, it was only a matter of time. Before CITY OF HEROES, there was Freedom Force, a sleeper-hit of an IBM video game that has finally made its way to comics after CoH began releasing the monthly comic book with membership. Sadly, my first impression is that FF is going to be about as good as the CoH comic book, and, lemme tell ya, that's not good news at all.
By Eric Dieter and Tom Scioli.
32 pages. 6-issue mini-series. $2.95 retail.

MARVEL COMICS

X-MEN: PHOENIX - ENDSONG #1 & 2 of 5

MMmmmm... Phoenix goodness. Phoenix is one of my favorite characters of the X-Men universe, so seeing that they're bringing her back again is just great news. But what happens when the Phoenix Force returns to Earth in search of the one person who could contain the power only to find her dead? Ooooooh.
By Greg Pak and Greg Land.
32 pages. 5-issue mini-series. $2.99 retail.

X-23 #1 & 2 of 6

The full story of the origin behind X-23 starts here as well as the nature of her relationship to Wolverine. What exactly happened? Is she Wolverine's daughter? Maybe we never know because the X-Universe is infamous for leaving big wide-open gaps?
By Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, and Billy Tan.
32 pages. 6-issue mini-series. $2.99 retail.

SPIDER-MAN/HUMAN TORCH #1 of 5

Spider-Man and Fantastic Four's Human Torch have always had a nearly brotherly kind of relationship. This series follows them and their "friendship" through the years from the beginning when Spidey crashed the FF's headquarters straight through to now.
By Dan Slott, Ty Templeton, and Paul Smith.
32 pages. 5-issue mini-series. $2.99 retail.

FANTASTIC FOUR: FOES #1 of 5

This mini-series asks the question: after getting your ass handed to you on a silver platter over and over again by the same superheroes, what in the name of Peter Pan would possess you to go and try it over and over again?
By Robert Kirkman, Cliff Rathburn, and Jim Cheung.
32 pages. 5-issue mini-series. $2.99 retail.

FINAL NOTES
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Sometimes the months with the fewest releases are better because the new releases are of a higher caliber. It looks as though January 2005 is shaping up to be that kind of month. As for Eric's Newsletter, well, I'm not planning on going anywhere so check your email next month for all new comics news and tidbits.

As always, remember, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. If you can't join 'em, beat 'em with a bigger stick next time.

And, as always, thank you for your business!

Eric Jacobson