BM in Love Bleed Green? Comic CD Bloopers In-Jokes          Okay, now that I've spent so much time complaining about the "Biker Mice" comic book as it exists, I'm going to suggest what my dream version of it would have been like. I'm pulling out all the stops, with artists and writers who probably would have been unavailable to Marvel Comics in 1993 (or ever), or wouldn't have been chosen at any rate because they weren't mainstream enough. If it seems like I'm trying to turn the whole thing into a Japanese manga, then maybe it's because those guys know how to do comics right. I'm in the process of finding the perfect images to demonstrate each artist's skill, so for the time being, be patient and check out the links I've provided. FORMAT 48 pg. bimonthly issues, and quite probably black and white. A really good artist is just as good black and white as he or she would be colored. Plus, it makes color pinups and colors even more special. If the book is colored, then Fred Perry, my #1 art guy (see below) and his staff could handle it. Bimonthly to allow plenty of time for the creative team to do the best possible job. A 24 or 32-page main story, and with the rest for backups and editorial stuff. A yearly annual to complement it, with about a hundred pages and several stories by guest artists and writers. $3.50, which is fair, given the size. ART Fred Perry (Gold Digger, The Legacy) In my opinion, one of the few American comic book artists worth a damn (natch, his style is heavily influenced by manga ^^). Perry is the extremely talented writer-artist behind Gold Digger, a popular small press comic that recently completed 50 black and white issues before going color. Perry is a whiz with machinery, action, comedy, and anthropomorphic characters (several of the stars of Gold Digger are were-creatures, like were-cheetah Brittany Diggers). And the fan service….oh, the fan service….Fred would be my #1 choice to illustrate a new Biker Mice comic (preferably in black and white, but if it's Fred, color is fine).         Cheetaholics: the Official Gold Digger Homepage Kenichi Sonada (Gunsmith Cats, Riding Bean) Probably the best Japanese artist to handle Biker Mice, Kenichi Sonada does action, ridiculously powerful vehicles, firearms, and physical violence like no one else. Skilled with screen tone, his pages spring to life before one's very eyes. Slower scenes look excellent as well. My only reservation would be that there isn't much comedy in his comics, so it's hard to say how he'd handle that integral portion of Biker Mice. At any rate, Gunsmith Cats takes place in the city of Chicago, so he'd be good for background detail.         Rally Vincent's Gunsmith Cats Home Page Kosuke Fujishima (Oh My Goddess!, You're Under Arrest) Kosuke Fujishima has a flair with both complicated machinery and beautifully-drawn people. His most famous series, Oh My Goddess!, illustrates both, along with his comedic talent. His spare style can take some getting used to, but it's quite excellent. My only reservation would be that what I've seen of his work doesn't have a lot of physical violence, so he might not be able to capture the action of the Biker Mice. CLAMP (Card Captor Sakura, X, Tokyo Babylon) Actually, there's nothing about CLAMP's work that makes me think they'd be particularly well-suited to Biker Mice (although they do have a lot of wide-shouldered men in their works). They're just a really talented team of artists and writers, and I'd love to see their interpretation of the series. Special Contributing Artist or Inker or Just Something That Gets Her Helping With the Art: Terrie Smith (Katmandu, Havoc, Inc.) Terrie is a terrific anthropomorphic artist, best known for her sensual adult art. I'd like her to have a hand in the art because of that experience and because she'd give it a little softer look. You know, eyes that are a little more soulful, more curved lines, etc. If nothing else, she could do some wickedly cool pinups.         Fantasy Illustrations by Little Paw (Terrie's home page) WRITING Bob Forward, Eve Forward, Greg Blair, etc. (original writers for series) Hey, who knows Biker Mice better than these guys? They turned out 65 wonderful episodes, and I'm sure they'd be best to handle new plots and such for a comic book series. This time, though, they'd go small press (I'm thinking Antarctic Press, Radio Comix, maybe Dark Horse), and no editors (or maybe series producer Tom Tataranowicz to keep 'em on track)! For the second time around, the idea wouldn't be to do a version with a harder edge, but rather, to present one more like the animated series. Feel free to branch out and do new things, guys, but do them well. contributing writers: Fred Perry (Gold Diggers, The Legacy) As I already said, Fred is a writer-artist, and he's got a good eye for action and comedy. Plus, he'd sneak in lots of fan service…This is the man I'd depend on to satisfy my wicked sailor-suit fetish and pop culture needs. Adam Warren (Gen13 Bootleg: Grunge, the Movie, Dirty Pair) Admittedly, Adam Warren would do a terrific job on the art, but what I really want America's best-known manga-style artist for is his writing skills, which are just as formidable. Warren is both gut-bustingly funny and great with action. What more could you want for a Biker Mice writer? Kevin Smith (Mallrats, Dogma, Clerks) I don't think I need to tell you who Kevin Smith is. For those of you who know Smith only from his films, you should know he's done a number of comic books, including a well-received run on the Marvel Knights Daredevil revamp. Kevin would put some bite into a Biker Mice comic, particularly of the sexual nature. Hey, wouldn't it be fun for Vinnie to suddenly go into a Brodie-style monologue? Just picture, right in the middle of an explosive situation: "So my cousin got a cat stuck up his ass…" Come on, you'd enjoy it, too! Kenichi Sonada (Gunsmith Cats) Like I said, he really knows how to write action. When it doubt, go to Sonada. Main basic information episodes in-depth fun MAIN