Public
Service Announcement of the Week:
Watch Out for Fake E-Mails
Be on the look-out for e-mails asking
for your user names, passwords, credit card information, or other
personal details.
We've received a higher-than-usual
number of scam e-mails this week, and at least two Dragon's Breath
readers who received similar e-mails wrote to ask about them.
These e-mails usually appear to come
from eBay (view
sample), PayPal (view
sample), or Microsoft. Using official-looking templates,
images, and fonts, the e-mails mimic the look of real correspondence
from these sites and warn you that your information is incorrect or
out-of-date. They urge you to "click here" to visit
their site and update your details, but the link redirects you to a
web site run by identity thieves. Any details you enter go
straight into their database, not to eBay or Microsoft.
These scams usually have two goals:
-
The fake
eBay messages are intended to get your eBay user name and
password, which are often the same ones you use for your PayPal
account. Once identity thieves have this information, they
can access and drain your PayPal account. Because the fake
e-mail sent you to a page that mimics eBay, it may be days
before you realize the scam actually targeted your PayPal
account.
-
Fake
messages from Microsoft usually prompt you to visit a web
site or download a "security patch" to protect your
computer from viruses. Both the e-mail and the fake
"Microsoft" web site urge you to download spyware that
can be used to monitor your internet access ports and/or scan
your computer for passwords.
The best defense against these
impostor e-mails is this:
Never download any attachment
sent to you by e-mail. And never enter your passwords or
confidential information into a web site you accessed by clicking on
an e-mail link.
If you want to download the latest
security patches from Microsoft, use your web browser to go directly
to www.Microsoft.com.
Likewise, if you suspect your eBay or PayPal information is in need
of an update, go directly to www.eBay.com
or www.PayPal.com and log in.
October Previews
Files Now Available Online
We've posted the text version of the
new Previews catalog online. You can read browse the
text of the regular Previews catalog, the Adult Supplement,
and the new Marvel Previews here
and then place your order here.
Remember, this catalog is for items scheduled to
ship in December.
Orders are due by midnight
on Saturday, October 11.
Comic Club
Meets This Thursday
The Heroes
and Dragons Comic Club meets again on Thursday, October 2
for our monthly discussion group. This time we'll be
discussing issues # 1-10 of the classic EC series Vault
of Horror.
Today's comics readers often overlook the
sophistication of the EC titles, but we're giving them special
attention as we head into the month of October. In their
original run, Vault of Horror and its contemporaries
instilled fear in a generation of a children — and adults:
The titles' violent and gory content inspired a Congressional
investigation by Estes Kefauver and eventually led to the formation
of the Comics Code Authority.
This Thursday we'll discuss the impact of Vault
of Horror, as well as how public perceptions of comics have
changed in the last 45 years.
Our meeting starts at 7:30pm, which is
after regular store hours — if the door is locked, someone will
gladly let you in.
For those who don't know, we are actively
recruiting new members! Comic Club members, bring a friend
with you. If you're not a member, this is a great chance to
meet our club regulars and enjoy a great chat with no obligation to
join.
(But if you do decide to join, you'll enjoy
20% off on all graphic novels and trade paperbacks you
purchase through Heroes and Dragons!)
Comics
News
Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo
are staying on Fantastic Four, after all! more
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Steve
McNiven will still be coming aboard Fantastic Four,
though — launching a second monthly FF title under the
almost-forgotten "Marvel Knights" imprint! more
Shake-ups at CrossGen are the
other big news item this week. Gone is the in-house
"staff artist" system, in favor of a more traditional
"page rate" structure for artists. CrossGen is also
allowing its house artists to take freelance assignments from other
companies. Ruse artist Jackson "Butch"
Guice has already left the company, and an estimated twenty
other employees have been dismissed. Among the creative
losss: George Pérez, Drew Geraci, and Brandon
Peterson. more,
more,
more,
more,
and still
more
MV Creations' Val Staples
talked to Comicon.com's Pulse about how the CrossGen changes
will affect MV's plans. more
Former Kitchen Sink editor Dave
Schreiner died last month, on August 27. more
Neil Gaiman is everywhere
lately: On NPR's
Talk of the Nation, in Entertainment Weekly, on CNN.com,
in Forbes
magazine, in USA
Today, and in Publishers
Weekly.
Transformers: Generation One
becomes an ongoing monthly series in December. Issue # 0
kicks off the new series. more
The Legion #25 marks
Superboy's return to the 30th Century. The issue promises to
be a great jumping-on point, so delay no longer — give Legion
a try! more
Howard Porter takes over the
art on The Flash starting with issue # 207. more
Firestorm returns in an
all-new monthly series in April 2004, with Dan Jolley writing and
Chris Cross on art. more
Stuart Immonen has signed a
three-year exclusive contract with Marvel Comics. more
Wonder Boys and Kavalier
and Klay writer Michael Chabon will write the Mr.
Terrific back-up in JSA: All Stars # 7. more
DC is redesigning the trade dress for
their popular series of Sandman graphic novels.
The new editions (both hardcover and trade paperback) will feature
brand-new artwork by Dave McKean. more
Conservative MSNBC commentator Joe
Scarborough named DC Comics his "Rat of the Week"
on September 19. Scarborough described the plot of Joe
Kelly's current JLA storyline, "American
Nightmare," which has the Justice League invading Qurac (a
fictional Middle Eastern country that has long plagued DC heroes) to
eliminate non-existent weapons of mass destruction. more
The Outsiders team of Judd
Winick and Tom Raney have renewed their exclusive
contracts with Scarborough's Rat of the Week, DC Comics. more
Superman #200 will tie
up loose plot threads, mark a major change in the geography of
Metropolis, and end with the disappearance of Superman. And
those of you who missed the Man of Steel's motorcycle the first time
around can see it in these preview pages! more
Kurt Busiek will write an
introduction for About Comics' new edition of Robert Mayer's novel Superfolks.
more
Image Comics will release new trade
collections of Paul Grist's original Jack Staff
and Kane series in December. more
The University of California at Los
Angeles will hold an independent comics art festival called super*Market
in early November. more
Contrary to rumors, Future Comics will
not publish the Micronauts series. According to
a press release from Future PR Manager J. Hues, Peacekeeper artist
Pat Broderick is leaving the company to work on Micronauts
with whoever decides to pick up the license. more
John Layman and Dave Crosland will
follow up their Image mini-series Puffed with an equally
bizarre one-shot set in Iraq, Stay Puffed. more
Three Days in Europe artist Mike
Hawthorne will pencil a four-issue story arc in Queen
& Country, beginning in issue # 21. more
Ultimate Six is the
latest Marvel mini-series to extend its run by one issue. The
series will now run for seven issues instead of six. more
Byron Preiss will collect comic
adaptations of Ray Bradbury's stories in the forthcoming Best
of Ray Bradbury: The Graphic Novel. more
Rising Stars will
return in April 2004 with Fiona Avery's mini-series Untouchable,
which focuses on Laurel Darkhaven. more
and more
Lea Hernandez's Rumble
Girls will also return in 2004, this time published by
NBM. more
Adam Warren pits Chun-Li
against Cammy in the back-up story in Street Fighter # 2.
more
Gemstone is bringing more Disney
comics to newsstands this winter. more
Astonish Comics (publisher of Herobear
and the Kid) will merge with Scott Sava's animation house Blue
Dream Studios. more
Beckett is publishing a comic book by
Jeff Amano and Ivan Brandon, Ruule. more
Beau Smith's Wynonna Earp is
coming back — this time published by IDW. more
Despite Roaring Studios' departure,
Image will continue to publish George R.R. Martin's Hedge
Knight. more
Media
News
Warner Brothers has released the
first photo of Halle Berry in her Catwoman get-up
for the 2004 movie. more
Dr. Who returns to television
on the BBC in 2005. more
The magazine Reform Judaism
is running a series titled "How the Jews Created the Comic
Book Industry," profiling such influential Jewish creators of
the Golden Age as Will Eisner, Jerry Siegel, and Joe Schuster.
more
Marvel Comics plans to produce its
own "mid-budget" and direct-to-video movies.
Presumably, these wouldn't be farmed out like the Man-Thing movie
currently filming in Australia. more
Awards
News
James Sime of Isotope Comics is
sponsoring the Second Annual Isotope Award for Excellence in
Mini-Comics. more
Legal
News
Captain America co-creator Joe
Simon has reached a settlement with publisher Marvel
Comics. Simon has agreed to sign over all copyrights and
ownership rights to Marvel. more
Larry Cohen and Martin Poll are suing
Fox Studios over the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen film,
claiming parts of the plot and cast are lifted from an unproduced
Cohen script called Cast of Characters.
According to the brief descriptions, there are similarities
between Cast of Characters and the League film. more
Interviews
Worth Reading
Sneak
Peeks
Coming
Events
Lord
of the Rings CCG League meets this Tuesday, September 30 at 4:00pm.
Comic
Club meets at 7:30pm on Thursday, October 2.
1,750-point Warhammer
40,000 Tournament this Saturday, October 4 at noon.
$3 entry fee.
Site to
See
One more time: Who's running
for Governor
of California?!
If you can't tell Arnold's platform
from Angeline's, the Game Show Network has the complete guide for
you:
Question
of the Week
... will return soon. We haven't
forgotten your earlier suggestions, and we'll be soliciting more
opinions from you as soon as we're caught up on our current
projects.
In the meantime, feel free to
send us suggestions using this
form.
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