<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"><FONT BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">Hi all!<BR>
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Here are the previews for Gemstone comics coming out in November from Previews Volume XIV #9.<BR>
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Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #2 --- A holiday special featuring Mickey, Donald, and other popular Disney characters! Carl Barks' classic Holiday tale from the original Christmas Parade #2, "You Can't Guess," is the featured story in this year's Yuletide offering from Gemstone. A new cover from Europe graces the front of the book, while a Don Rosa Christmas pin-up is featured on the back cover. Prestige Format. SC, 7x10, FC $8.95<BR>
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Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas Special --- Adaptation of Disney's Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas, a direct-to-video November release starring Mickey, Donald and Goofy! Mickey Mouse narrates and stars in this selection of short Holiday stories, also featuring Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Pluto, Goofy and his son Max, and of course, Santa, his elves, and the reindeer! Prestige Format. SC, 7x10, 32 pages, FC $3.95<BR>
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Mickey Mouse and Friends #271 --- A vintage Mickey Mouse Christmas story by Gil Turner entitled, appropriately enough, "Christmas Story," leads off this issue, followed by "Food Fight," a Donald tale written by Michael T. Gilbert. Then Mickey, starring along with Doc Static, completes the issue with "The Santa Skeptic," written by Byron Erickson. FC, 32 pages $2.95<BR>
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Donald Duck Adventures #9 --- Three long Disney adventure stories: Donald in "Last of the Blackducks," in which he embarks on a treasure hunt with the ghost of his grand-grand-grand-uncle -- a pirate!; Then Mickey stars in "Just Be Nice," which pits him again against the three mad scientists, Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex; and lastly, Uncle Scrooge stars in "Right to the Source," which takes him, Donald and Gyro to Egypt in search of ancient treasure. SC, 5x7, 128 pages, FC $7.95<BR>
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Donald Duck and Friends #322 --- In this issue: "Wintertime Wager," a classic ( is there anyother kind apparently? :P ) Carl Barks 10-pager (his first story starring Gladstone Gander), is featured, along with a Mickey Mouse adventure, "Uncle Elvis' Ranch," written by Donald D. Markstein; and a Dutch Donald Duck story, "Big Brain Blowout!" A nice Christmas-themed cover by Daniel Branca wraps the issue. FC, 32 pages $2.95<BR>
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Uncle Scrooge #336 --- Carl Barks' classic ( I guess there isn't) Christmas story, "Christmas For Shacktown," leads off this issue! A modern Scrooge Holiday tale, "Christmas Magic," wraps the issue, with a Scrooge adventure, "The Egyptian prince's Secret," and the Pat and Shelly Block-written Grandma Duck story, "She Can feel It In Her Bones," completing the issue. Cover by Daniel Branca. SC, 7x10, 64 pages, FC $6.95<BR>
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Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #651 --- This issue sports a new Christmas cover by William Van Horn, along with a vintage Van Horn Donald Duck adventure, "Just a Humble, Bumbling Duck!" Also featured is "Daredevil Delivery," by Daan Jippes, and "Bogus Badger" by Pat and Shelly Block, along Mickey, Li'l Bad Wolf (okay, honestly, it's time for Bucky Bug to order a hit on that predictable canine. Apparently that's the only way for Bucky to get into the comics, since I guess it's either Li'l Bad Wolf or Bucky Bug. The slot can't alternate apparently), Horace, and Pluto stories. SC, 7x10, 64 pages, FC $6.95<BR>
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And finally, from TokyoPop, and what is personally my most anticpated comic for the month: Lizzie McGuire!!!!!!!!<BR>
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Lizzie McGuire Cine-Manga Volume 9: Magic Train and Grubby Longjohn's Olde Tyme Revue --- Lizzie thought nothing could be as embarassing as her family's annual jaunt to Grubby Gulch, a rather tame "Wild West" theme park. Well, she was so wrong! When Lizzie and Miranda are caught at a taping of their favorite childhood show, "Clover and Daisy's Magic Train," will the trip down memory lane stop at the hall of shame? SC, 5 x 7 7/16, 96 pages $7.99<BR>
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Whew! Glad that ended. Anymore and I'd have to take out a bank loan. :p $42 for all that, though you are getting a lot. That figure doesn't include Lizzie McGuire, which I'll reluctantly have to sacrifice that month. ;) All in all, a good and very crowded month. Also Christmas Parade #1 is being offered again for those who didn't buy it last time. Also, the Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas, along with The Three Musketeers-type projects are encouraging, I just wish Gemstone had a presence in the book store/retail enviroment to take more advantage of these special issues (especially as it could help the $3 regular comics).<BR>
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A few questions for Gary: One, is Christmas Parade #2 going to be 80 pages? I assume it is, but the preview doesn't say. And second, in Uncle Scrooge #333, on the inside front cover, the Romano Scarpa story is referred to as "Gone WIth The Winned." But on the story page itself, it is entitled "One With The Wind." Which title is the correct one? And I'm glad, based on John's comments in the issue, that this is somewhat of an indication of more Scarpa stories to be published in the future. Yay! :)<BR>
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Derek Smith</FONT></HTML>