OK... some months ago there was a discussion here about getting paid for
fanfic use in a 'zine, and the whole host of copyright issues that went
with it.  The bottom line was, you really couldn't get paid for fanfic
(unless you were a trekkie and had an "in" with Pocket Books.)

That has changed.  Sortof.  Well, not really, but this is wierd.

Zen got an issue of the latest Marvel Fan Magazine when he was picking up
his Ranma and Maison Ikkoku books (hey, it was free...) and the cover story
is a shocker.  Mind you, this is the rag that MARVEL puts out to promote
its new books to comic store owners...

And this isn't even the April issue!

---text of article begins---

>From Marvel Vision - the Marvel Fan Magazine
Issue #9 (September 1996)

Page 8 - Cover Story

STAR TREK - X-MEN - "Beam me up, Scotty!" (Summers, that is...)

That's right, history is being made this summer with the mind blowing, 64
page special, one-of-a-kind X-MEN/STAR TREK!  Captain Kirk, Mister Spock,
Bones, Uhura, Checkov, Sulu and Scotty will come face-to-face with
Wolverine, Jean Grey, Beast, Cyclops, Storm and Gambit!

If that idea alone isn't enough to get your blood racing (and we know it
is), let us tantalize you further!  The book, which is due to hit the
stands the last blistering week of August, will be written by Scott Lobdell
(Uncanny X-Men, Generation X) and drawn by the inhumanly talented Marc
Silvestri and the folks over at Top Cow Studios.  The book is being
released in time to celebrate Marvel's 35th anniversary, as well as the
30th anniversary of Trek's original series.  "It's Marvel's most popular
characters meeting television's most popular sc-fi characters," gushes
Marvel Editor-in-Chief, Bob Harras.  "I'm very _very_ excited!"

He's not the only one!  The buzz on this book quickly spread throughout the
industry, and X-TREK Editor Bobbie Chase found herself fielding questions
from freelancers, reporters, and other interested parties on an almost
hourly basis.  One of the most commonly asked questions was, how did this
crossover come about?  Chase explains, "First of all, when we (Marvel) took
over the STAR TREK comics, there was the idea that we wanted to give the
books a fresh look, a whole new feeling.  We also wanted to do something
special with TREK, something that had never been done before."  Paramount
felt the same way, and the X-MEN/STAR TREK crossover quickly became a
viable project.

"There are a lot of similarities between the two teams, both on an
individual basis and in the way they operate together," says Chase.  For
example, both Jean Grey and Spock are endowed with similar gifts.  And both
are members of teams that work so closely with each other that they operate
like well oiled machines.

"Paramount and Marvel tend to treat their characters the same way, in that
there's an emphasis on interpersonal relations, as well as internal
conflict," says Chase.  "I think both STAR TREK and X-MEN are character
driven rather than plot driven."

That's cool, but the buck doesn't stop there!  "Paramount views their
characters as real, and so do we," admits Chase.  "We live and breathe
these characters!"

That's commitment!  Initially, however, many on both sides were skeptical
about the possibility of the crossover.  One of the biggest concerns was
how the art would look.  "Star Trek characters are drawn humanoid like you
and me," says Harras, "whereas the X-men are characters of, well... heroic
proportions!"  Not a problem for Marc Silvestri whose unmatched style
brings total credibility to the concept!

There was also some question as to whether the crossover would feature Next
Generation or Original Trek.  "Marc (Silvestri) really wanted to draw the
original series," says Chase, "and we really wanted Marc to do the book!"
Silvestri, one of the most popular artists ever to draw the X-men, has
since worked for Image and now has his own comic book company, Top Cow
Studios.  "Marc's a great guy," says Bobbie, "and we've had a long
association with him!"

The script itself promises to be "a lot of fun," according to Chase.
"Scott's done a really great story!"  Lobdell (Uncanny X-men, Generation X)
has woven a plot that incorporates the best of both worlds, so to speak.
Each character has been carefully addressed, with no member of either team
being ignored.  Plus, Scott's come up with a plot line that would do the
old STAR TREK series proud.

The comic, which will be introduced under the "Marvel Presents Paramount
Comics" trade dress, also includes a 16-page preview of Marvel's other Star
Trek titles, including Voyager, Deep Space Nine, and Starfleet Academy,
with art by guys like Mark Buckingham, Jesus Redondo, and Tom Grindberg!

But how about more of the plot?  We can't give away too much here, of
course, but we _can_ tell you that the X-men will actually be on board the
U.S.S. Enterprise!  "It's like a dream come true," beams (pun intended)
Harras.

Yep, Xavier's brood will be claw to phaser with the Enterprise's finest!
Does this mean we'll be seeing Storm in one of Yeoman Rand's outfits?  Will
Dilithium and adamantium coexist peacefully?  Will bones mutate?  The
possibilities are endless, but the print run won't be, so don't miss
X-MEN/STAR TREK - it'll be flying off the stands at warp speed!

-POLLY WATSON

---end of article---

Please.  Someone tell Zen that this is a joke.  Pretty please?  Ne?  Ne?

Zen-

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[[                  James Bateman (Otaku@nashville.com)                  ]]
[[ -The experiment has begun - A million monkeys at a million keyboards- ]]
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