HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Peter_A_David@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: How does PAD write scripts for Marvel?
Date: Fri,  8 Jan 93 06:17:53 PST
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: world
  <92365.102749EAO102@psuvm.psu.edu> <C08z3r.Eww@ns1.nodak.edu>
  <72917@cup.portal.com> <1ijf4vINN8c7@matt.ksu.ksu.edu>

How do I write a story?

Well--it depends on what I'm writing.  

There is a basic formula on which I generally hang my story construction.
I use it both for lengthy story arcs, and shorter installments of self-
contained stories within that arc.  It's the fundamental structure of
dividing a story into three acts.  The first act is the set-up, wherein
you get an idea of what the story is going to be about.  We then have the
first act turning point--some sort of catalyst sets the story into motion.
The second act contains the bulk of the action--most of the developments the
twists and so on.  And this builds until the second act turning point at
which time I introduce (I would hope) some unexpected twist that (a)
is logical based on the preceeding events while at the same time (b) is
surprising and simultaneously (c) sends the story off into another 
direction in which the stakes (either physical or emotional) are raised in
some way.  This second act turning point spins you into the third act,
during which you build to your climax. (It helps if you can also introduce
some sort of "ticking bomb," as it were--some elements that brings the
story down to a crunch and gives you a sense of urgency that matters must
be resolved *now* or someone is toast.  A good example of a cinematic second
act turning point, for instance, is from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"
at the moment when Indy's father is shot.  That single act accomplished
all of the above goals.)
Once you hit the climax, you then have your resolution.  It helps to wrap
the story as quickly as possible, since--by definition--anything that
happens after the climax is a let down.

That's basic structure.

In terms of story subject matter, it's a constant fight to maintain a sense
of ebb-and-flow, of peaks and valleys.  Doing stories with the peaks--the
fight scenes and action--are no problem.  Editors like those.  Doing stories
with the valleys--(set up, characterization--stories like Hulk #399 or
X-Factor #87)--meet a bit more resistance.  Usually I have to assure the
editor that, although this will be no fighting this issue, there will be
a big blow-out the following issue.  Which is why a development-heavy issue
like Hulk #401 is followed by a slugout in #402.  Even then, I try to 
approach things differently.  I had the Hulk fight Juggernaut, but Juggy
was in civilian garb--and then pleaded with the editor not to advertise
who the Hulk was battling, since I figured the one shot I had at fooling
people was that they would automatically assume that if the Hulk were 
fighting anyone significant, Marvel would splash it all over the cover.
And Bobbie Chase, bless her, didn't hint it at all on the cover.  If
the story worked at all, it's because of her restraint.

That's a real short answer, believe it or not.


PAD
From: clive@snoopy.Aus.Sun.COM (Clive Blackmore - IR Australia)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Superclones
Date: 11 Jan 1993 06:13:27 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Distribution: world
Reply-To: clive@snoopy.Aus.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: snoopy.aus.sun.com
Summary: Superman

Keywords: Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

In article 1594@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com, stailey@bugs.comm.mot.com (Mike Stailey) writes:
>
>*According to a report in New York Newsday this morning, "Superman...
>*will return sometime in April....And, according to one executive,
>*Superman will return not as one Man of Steel - but as four.  Martin
>*Stever, advertising and promotion manager for Capital City
>*Distribution, said he has learned that there will be four Superman
>*clones - an African-American, an Asian, a Caucasian and a Hispanic - 
>*and that each will have his own book.  "DC Comics will bring Superman
>*back to life in four separate comic books, one for each week of April,"
>*says Stever.  A DC spokeswoman denied the reports of 4 Superman clones,
>*and said that there would be an announcement soon "about developments
>*in the Superman storyline."
>
>




All I can say to this is Oh no, or Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !!!

IMHO

Clive  


---

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was  an April Morning - J.Page/R.Plant
 
	----> It sure was, April 16th to be precise

I'm Not Responsible  -  R.Blackmore/R.Glover/I.Gillan

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: jelmore@nyx.cs.du.edu (John Elmore)
Subject: Re: The Big Marvel Slurp (Was Re: Marvel Implosion Imminent?)
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 93 06:06:26 GMT

In article <maguire-050193110936@128.149.100.151> maguire@zappa.jpl.nasa.gov (Kevin Maguire) writes:
>In article <1993Jan5.073245.3315@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>,
>jelmore@nyx.cs.du.edu (John Elmore) wrote:
>> 
>> [Lots of stuff about the big boom deleted]
>
>  [including John's]
>
>> advantage it has over Marvel. That, and its willingness to publish things
>> that are outside of the DC Universe (GRIFFIN and TEMPUS FUGITIVE are
>> two good examples) that aren't striaght schlock--REN & STIMPY, KID-N-PLAY,
>> CAPTAIN PLANET, and BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT COMIC BOOK are examples of
>> what I call schlock, REN & STIMPY's popularity notwithstanding.
>
>Hey!  Did you actually read Bill & Ted or are you dismissing it out of 
>hand as a silly-movie tie-in book?  I would have dismissed it for the same
>reasons, except that it was done by Evan Dorkin (Pirate Corp$, Milk and
>Cheese, Kyle 'n' Evan - Critics At Large).
>
>Bill & Ted, while it lasted, was a great example of a Dorkin book.  Goofy
>supporting cast, really funny stupid plot elements and lots and lots and
>lots of alternative music in-jokes in the backgrounds.  If you like any
>of Dorkin's other stuff, go to your local $0.25 bin and pick up some Bill
>& Ted back issues - but avoid the fill-ins;  they're crap.

Okay, I'l defend myself now; yes, I actually did read the first 5 or 6
issues of BILL & TED'S. I loved the movies, and actually enjoyed the
beginning issues, but I guess Evan Dorkin isn't my cup of tea; I stopped
reading it, and when I heard it was going to be cancelled, I thought "Oh,
well. Nice try."

I have _never_ read an issue of KID-N-PLAY (I have _some_ self-respect...),
I've read an issue or two of CAPTAIN PLANET (...not a lot, but _some_...),
and have yet to read a copy of REN & STIMPY; the cartoon's funny, but not
_that_ funny.

My point was, most of DC's extra-continuity stuff at least tried to
provide of interesting reading for the older reader; whereas all of the
above Marvel example's are "we got the license, let's cash in!"

Jay (=

(I mean, seriously... KID-N-PLAY?)

P.S. I just realized; has anyone ever seen an issue of NIGHT CAT? The
marketing concept kinda scared me; I have yet to see an issue, and am
wondering if I'm the better off for it or not...

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: m1b@rayssd.ssd.ray.com (Barone)
Subject: Re: CBG #1000
Organization: Raytheon Submarine Signal Division
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 16:51:16 GMT

In article <1993Jan6.183151.6069@pacdata.uucp> jimh@pacdata.com (Jim Harkins)
writes:
> So does anyone have a CBG #1000 I can read?  I put mine into an oversized
> mylar
> bag, then sealed it into a nitrogen filled lead lined vault I built into my
> basement.  I figure when I retire it will be worth more than my social
> security.
> Hmm, kidding aside that mouldy old hunk of newsprint probably will be worth
> more than social security by the time I retire :-(

	Mine is already in the recycle bin.  Does anyone want it?
I tore out a couple of pages with ads, though, so it ain't mint.
I realize that the above article is with tongue firmly in cheek,
but does anyone really save CBG?  I used to, when I first subscribed
around issue #500, but I quickly learned my error as the volume became
too great.
-- 
Joe Barone
m1b@rayssd.ssd.ray.com
"Let's play peek-a-boo..."
		"Help! Help! I can't see you! I've been abandoned!
		Father! Father!  Oh, what a cruel, cruel game!"
From: jrd@frame.com (James Drew)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Addresses
Date: 11 Jan 1993 18:46:51 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

Elizabeth Holden (panda@Micor.OCUnix.on.ca) writes:

>Could someone send me the address of Bud Plant so I can order a 
>catalogue?  Also Kitchen Sink?  Please?

Kitchen Sink Press
No. 2 Swamp Road
Princeton, WI  54968
(414) 295-6922

Don't have data for Bud Plant.  Sorry.

------------------------------
                             |     When we walked into the lobby, there was a
Jim Drew                     | guy there, watching television.  Ron leaned over
jrd@frame.com                | the back of the couch and gave him a quick kiss.
(Furry: Randy Puritan)       |     "Hey, Tam," said Ron.  "What did *you* do
"Innocent, but not naive."   | last night?"
B(2)h t c k g+(p) rv p e     |     "Bob," replied Tam.
S8/5 g l+ y+ o+ a+ u++- j++  |     "That's a name," I said.
{opinions: mine != frame's}  |     "It's also an action," said Tam, smiling.
                             |		- Marc Lynx, "Gaol House Rock"
					(* This one's for Roger K. *)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: tara@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Lady Johanna Constantine)
Subject: Re: Request: Fantasy Titles
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 00:18:33 GMT

dnaraghi@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dara Naraghi) writes:

>	Hi.  I was wondering if all you wonderful net.land people
>could help me out.  I'm a big fan of fantasy (sword & sorcery),
>however there are not too many comic books of that genre around.
>I'd like to compile a list of all fantasy titles, past and present.
>	Post your list either to this newsgroup, or e-mail them to
>me (which is probably a better idea because I'm not sure how many
>others will be interested in this topic).  I'm more interested in
>the really obscure titles (small independents) as I already own or
>know about the more well-known titles.  In any case, all suggestions
>are welcome.  (feel free to include short stories from anthologies
>like DHP, or even titles that are a mix of fantasy and science fiction)


Okay, here's a few:

Sisterhood of STeel from EPIC, circa 1985 (only a few issues of this one)

Tailgunner Jo, a miniseries from DC back in 87 I think.  Can't remember
who write it, but it was the first place I saw Ty Templeton's inks.  I think
Tom Artis (sp?) pencilled.  Fantasy/cyberpunk.  I liked it.  Weird tho.

I don't know if you can find them, but look for the translated Mangas of
Vampire Princess Miyu and 3x3 Eyes (sazan eyes).  3x3 was done by
Innovation I think.  I onlt have 1 issue, but the oavs (anime vidoes,
for the unaware) are great.  See if you can get the subtitled version of
3x3 Eyes from an anime club.  Carl Mazek, the anime antichrist, did an
EVIL dubbed version.

that's all on the top of my head.


bye for now.  LJC
-- 
Lady Johanna Constantine* Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will
tara@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu   * endure when mere facts are dust, and ashes, and
Disclaimer - huh?       * forgot.      -Dream of the Endless (and Neil G.)
Church of Our Lady of the Perpetually Clueless, donations accepted......
From: manga@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Peter Michael Betz)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: Animated Batman series
Date: 5 Jan 1993 04:23:25 GMT
Organization: Computing Services Division, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
NNTP-Posting-Host: 129.89.7.4

In article <1993Jan4.201806.21789@physics.ucla.edu> price@uclapp.physics.ucla.edu writes:
>Why do they advertise all week that Sunday's episode will be "all new!" and 
>then show a repeat ("If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?")?
>

All new for the 6:00 time slot, I guess. Ya gotta admit though, it's one
of the better episodes.....
From: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: DC: Scarlett #1
Date: 7 Jan 93 00:43:27 GMT
Reply-To: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Dept., Madison, WI

In <lis.726152837@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu> lis@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Elisabeth Riba) writes:
>What did anyone else think of this one?  I haven't seen Buffy, the
>Vampire Slayer, but the concepts seem too similar to be coincidental.  

I thought it was a good book, though clearly a prologue to the main story.  I
thought the art was some of Jim Fern's best (though I'm admittedly not a fan
of his work at all).  I'm looking forward to more, especially since the
writer/inker team created HammerLocke, which I'm currently enjoying immensely.

>2)  Was anyone else bothered by the party?  I know high school
>students drink, and they were portrayed as "responsible drinkers"
>(designated drivers), but still...  Showing it in the comics seems to
>be condoning the behavior.

So?  Why is it the business of comic books to concern themselves with
"condoning" or "not condoning" any sort of behavior?  If it makes for a good
story, that's enough for me.

>I can't explain why, but this book just didn't appeal to me.  When I
>first heard about the book, I thought it could fit in between the
>standard DC and the Vertigo line.  But this seems aimed squarely at
>the kids.

>Other opinions?

I think we'll really need to wait a few issues to see what this develops into.
The ads made me fear that it could become a typical "hunt the vampires" type
of story, but from the first issue, it seems it could go any number of
directions.  Given Joyner and Wilson's superlative efforts on HammerLocke to
focus on the concepts and characters and stay far, far away from being a
superhero book (no matter what the cover text has said), I'm willing to put my
faith in their abilities and see where Scarlett goes from here.

-- 
Michael Rawdon				  rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department,  Madison, WI
( Now in the Boston, Massachusetts area! )

"I am a cat, and I keep my own counsel."
					- "A Dream Of A Thousand Cats"
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: maguire@zappa.jpl.nasa.gov (Kevin Maguire)
Subject: Re: Is that Susan Richards' new costume?
Followup-To: rec.arts.comics.misc
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 20:52:21 GMT

In article <1993Jan6.085131.1@skcla.monsanto.com>,
jjfink@skcla.monsanto.com wrote:
> 
> Still... wouldn't you think that a woman who can levitate things on force
> fields and make various things invisible, and a man who can stretch various
> parts of his body, would have the best personal life in comics?
> 

In the incredibly funny book _How To Be A Superhero_, Leigh and Lepine
make repeated reference to the fact that heroes with stretching powers
must be extremely careful not to abuse their powers in the wrong way or
they'll piss off all the other (male) heroes and never get invited to join 
any teams, Crises, Secret Wars or crossovers.

They also discuss the advantages of Girl Wonders over Boy Wonders, and 
point out that the best way for a hero with "millionaire playboy" secret
ID to defeat a villain with mobs of henchmen is to say:  "I'll pay you
all twice what Dr. Demonicus is, plus medical, dental and major Jewish 
holidays off.  Now beat the crap out of your former employed for me, will
you?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Maguire                       No, not THAT Kevin Maguire
maguire@zappa.jpl.nasa.gov          I'm a rocket scientist, not an artist
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: faber@loon.cs.wisc.edu (Ted)
Subject: Re: Best Death? (Was Re: Random thoughts on Supes)
Organization: U of Wisconsin Madison - Computer Sciences
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 22:59:03 GMT

tgt33358@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Thanatos) writes:

>In article <1993Jan11.204837.6949@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> dvandom@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dave Van Domelen) writes:
>>>So, anybody can beat that?
>>
>>Yep.  Rorschach. He was arguably the main character of Watchmen, and his death
>>was fairly unexpected, and HE DIDN'T COME BACK! 
>
>Well, the high school teacher that got me reading comic books was hoping 
>there'd be a Watchmen II.  His justification:  Who has a greater sense of will
>than Rohrschach.  I mean Dr. Manhattan went through the same damn thing, and
>recorporated into one of the most powerful beings in the universe.  Our ol'
>buddy ought to do at LEAST that much.  Think of the implications:  the power
>of Manhattan, and the mind of a pstchopath.  Betcha Ozzy never saw THAT coming.
>

	Well, first of all, I'm not sure it's entirely a matter of will.
	Dr. M. knows a lot about physics that make his powers practical for
	him, and Rorscharch just doesn't have that knowledge.  Even if
	Rorscharch "lived on" in some way, it's not clear to me that he
	would have the knowledge to reform himself or to use his abilities
	effectively.  Dr. M. would re-eliminate him in a very short time.

	And I thought Dr. M. just killed him in a messy way, there wasn't
	any indication that he eliminated his intrinsic field.  And even if
	Ozy didn't think of the possibility of Rorscharch gaining his
	powers, Dr. M. probably did.

"Galbraith's Law of Human Nature: Faced with the choice between changing
 one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets
 busy on the proof." --John Kenneth Galbraith

-- 
Ted Faber		Figment at Large		  faber@loon.cs.wisc.edu
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
"The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit." -- Maugham
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: jordan@castor.cs.uga.edu
Subject: Re: LSH: Whose froth this is I think I know (was Re: DC: misc stuff)
Originator: jordan@castor
Organization: University of Georgia
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 03:52:57 GMT

morrow@fnalo.fnal.gov (Elmo the Stunt Elk) writes:
>jordan@castor (Jet Jaguar) writes:
>> 	I hope that after the Legionnaires series gets started, the writers
>> will leave the corny old-Legion type stuff in that book and keep the LSH
>> series as wacky as it used to be.
>
>	You got a weird definition of "wacky", Chuck.  Less'n you're
>expanding the style of the Tenzil issues to the whole series, which ain't
>true.

No, I didn't mean "wacky" like the Tenzil issues; I meant wacky like the
Kid Quantum issue.  They just popped a character out of nowhere into the
established continuity (something I wished they had done with Kent Shake-
speare) gave him a history, and killed him off all in one issue!  That's
the kind of stuff you can do with retcons.  That's also the reason I like
the LSH, when the whole idea of a superhero team book is pretty repellant 
to me.
	Of course, older Legion fans are expecting to get a superhero team
book...

>> If only they'd return to the level of
>> writing they had reached in the first 12 or so issues and stop trying to
>> throw too much stuff in, and stop trying to write down to the old Legion 
>> fans.  (IMO, of course)
>
>     Well, there's a difference between writing down, and writing well.
>I claim that most of v4 has been badly written, not that it was written at
>a level I can't comprehend.

Right.  When I say "write down" I don't mean it in the sense that you
couldn't comprehend the LSH.  I meant that IMO (of course) they're doing
some pretty daring and innovative stuff with the LSH, but a lot of Legion
fans haven't been happy with it.  I hope they use the Legionnaires series
to do the more traditional superhero team stuff (I might even read it) and
keep doing their wacky stuff in the LSH book.

USENET's Chuck

-- 
                  Chuck Jordan | jordan@castor.cs.uga.edu
      "Oh take me to the magical mushroom castle, my friend booze."
		    -- Mystery Science Theater 3000
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: moriarty@tc.fluke.COM (The Napoleon of Crime)
Subject: Re: MISC: Favorite Writers
Reply-To: moriarty@tc.fluke.COM (The Napoleon of Crime)
Organization: The Institute for Criminal Science, Gizmonics Control
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 06:21:03 GMT

In <_2rrmlh@lynx.unm.edu> rkelly@carina.unm.edu (Robert Kelly) writes:

>				(and to spread as much graph and corruption 					 as possible.)

Well, I don't mind corruption in the least; but if you're going to spread
graph, please accompany it with easy-to-read pie charts.

                           DAVE BARRY'S 1992 IN REVIEW -- October 23rd
                              "In the third presidential debate, Bill
                               Clinton promises to give every single voter a
                               briefcase full of money, then clean the
                               voter's garage, while at the same time
                               fighting cavities and saving Bambi's mom from
                               the hunters. George Bush says that Clinton is
                               Satan. Ross Perot says you can't feed grits
                               to a dead hog."
---
                                        Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
INTERNET:     moriarty@tc.fluke.COM
Manual UUCP:  {uunet, uw-beaver, sun, microsoft}!fluke!moriarty
CREDO:        You gotta be Cruel to be Kind...
                 **>> Keep circulating the tapes <<**
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
From: dvandom@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dave Van Domelen)
Subject: Sim and "errors"
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 04:10:45 GMT

One thing I found when I was running a large and complicated Champions campaign
was that my best stuff came from letting myself make mistakes, then covering 
creatively for them.  I'm sure it wouldn't take much to find entertaining 
retcons of such mistakes in comics, and maybe Sim is using this as a way of 
jumpstarting creativity.  Nothing motivates one so much as realizing you have 
only a month or two to fix an error before the readers crucify you on it, and 
such heart-pounding moments can release alot of hidden creativity.
     Dave Van Domelen, off the cuff is the *only* way to go.  Justify after, 
think after, do now.