Innovation's '91 DS Comic, Book 3

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Granted I haven't been paying much attention to any of this, I somehow thought these were set during the period of time after Woodward's death and "transformation" at the hands of Barnabas, and subsequent destruction.

You may not be paying close attention, but you are dead on (no pun intended) when it comes to what is wrong with Barnabas and Julia's exchange because they're talking about a dead man (a man who is "really most sincerely dead" as the coroner in the Wizard of Oz certified the Wicked Witch of the East ) as if he is still alive! Maybe the snowstorm has somehow adversely affected their brains and they've both forgotten that fact - I don't know. But David Campiti told ShadowGram (see reply #3) that Book 3 is set "right before the 1790 flashback, around the time of Episodes 6 and 7." However, fans will surely recall that after his "transformation," Woodard was dispatched by Sheriff Patterson in the '91 Series' 5th Hour, which is often considered to be Episode 4, but by any accounting is before Episode 6(7th Hour) and Episode 7(8th Hour). The fact that Campiti could continually say that all of the comics' time frames fit in perfectly with the series is simply bonkers. And the added fact that a certain consulting editor didn't catch such a glaring timing glitch as talking about Woodard long after his death (and who knows potentially what else involving Woodard in the unpublished issues of Book 3) is simply ridiculous, though hardly a first editing slip, which leads one to wonder if said consulting editor actually held the title in name only...

The interesting thing, though, is if Book 3 did indeed take place before Woodard's death in the '91 Series, at least the snow in Book 3 might have made more sense. But, well...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And here's the ninth page -

(Click here for a 1328X1996 version)

Note the panel without dialogue at the bottom right...

And once again this is a page where all the dialogue appeared in the slideshow...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It's that time again, time to share a letters column (twenty-fifth page):

(Click here for a 1328X1996 version (without any of the artifacts that the forum's system created when downsizing the image))

It's too bad that Scott Rockwell didn't write an essay like Maggie Thompson often did because we might have been given hints of where he was planning to take Book 3. But alas...

It just goes to show how behind time the comics were when this issue, which came out in December of 1993, was just sharing info about the proposed '91 Series movie(s), even though that info had originally come out in ShadowGram in July of 1993.

Also, it's nice to see someone bring up the discrepancy between the circumstances of Joe's treatment in the '91 Series and in Book 2, Issue 1. Though, of course, the response from Scott Rockwell completely misses the point because, while it might have been possible for Joe's condition to have fluctuated, the series goes out of its way to establish that he'd not only felt depleted but felt trapped at Collinwood for his treatment's duration, so he wasn't driving off to go Christmas shopping or for any other type of drive for that matter. But I've gotten into that in great detail in the discussions of Book 2, so I won't repeat those details here...

[Uncle Roger]

As a lifetime resident of Collinsport, Maggie should have picked up on something about the Grimm sisters. Okay, maybe she wouldn't have been able to ascertain their true nature but she could easily have gotten a certain vibe from them that she couldn't quite specify. And you don't necessarily have to be psychic to know that there's something a little off about your neighbors.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

   I completely agree with that assessment.

I still wonder why the hell Roger makes a remark that the neighbors are "two old bats"? Yes, they're old, as in ancient. But Roger doesn't know that's their secret - and to the outside world they most definitely appear young. Though I suppose at the time Book 1 was written that may not have been what the plan was...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

It was actually a slip-up that MPI would be releasing "13 new DS tapes" because at the time SG #63 was published there hadn't been an announcement for the "Dark Shadows Resurrected" behind the scenes tape, so it's funny and prophetic that there actually did end up being 13 tapes released by MPI for the '91 Series. Though, as was mentioned before, it would be years before the DSR tape was actually released, despite several promised releasings of it coming and going.

ShadowGram's first mention of the "Dark Shadows Resurrected" behind the scenes tape was in SG #66 from October of 1993. On the editorial page (the first page) there was a behind the scenes photo -

- from Joanna Goings and Barbara Blackburn's interview shoot, and there was a short description of the tape -

- on Page 7. As per usual with SG, the photo doesn't scan well, but I've taken two screen captures from both actresses segments -

- to give a much clearer idea.

To say a release date wasn't set was an understatement!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I forgot to mention yesterday that I started to watch "Dark Shadows Resurrected" with the intention of simply getting the screen caps of Joanna and Barbara, but I ended up watching the whole thing. I hadn't seen it in years and I'd forgotten how much behind the scenes footage and how many deleted scenes there are. One deleted scene that's particularly a hoot is from Hour 12/Episode 11 of Willie outside the Old House and feeding the birds -



- though for those who've seen the series, it takes a completely different turn when Joe sneaks into the house behind Willie -

- because we know what Joe's action is leading to...

Watching DSR really has me wanting to watch the '91 Series again...

[Gothick]

I don't think DS Resurrected ever had a DVD release, which is a shame for fans of the 1991 series. There was some very cool material on it. Maybe it's available online somewhere.

cheers, G.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And apparently the DS Resurrected material never will come out on DVD because when you know who put the compilation tape together for MPI he never got the proper clearances for all of it. That's why it doesn't appear as an extra/featurette on the DVD release(s) of the '91 Series. The same is true of all the footage that was restored to the pilot for the MPI release and the footage added to the finale.

One would have expected that after the HUGE fallout from using footage on the 25th Anniversary tape of one of Frid's one man shows without getting permission to use it, you know who would have crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's for any and all footage he used on subsequent MPI compilations. But apparently not. And people in the know have said that at this point it would be next to impossible to get all the clearances necessary to use all the material on the DS Resurrected tape in another form. So, the MPI tape is and will remain the only way to see it. Well, if you could still get your hands on a copy of it because it's long out of print...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And here's the tenth page -

(Click here for a 1328X1996 version)

Note the last panel, one that was skipped in the slideshow, because it reveals that Granny Whitlock was whittling a figure of Maggie...

I do wonder if all the background about Granny Whitlock was setting some sort of foundation for story that would have come up in subsequent issues? One would hope so because otherwise it could come across as dialogue that's simply there to fill up space on the page and that seems odd because, with limited space to tell stories, space in a comic is or at least should be at a premium. I suppose we'll never know for sure. Although, I have to say she reminds me of a character type that could have easily been played by Camilla Ashland on the original DS...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

No, you're eyes weren't seeing things in today's second quote -

Book Three/Issue One/Page 11 - Granny Whitlock: 'NOW
YOU SKIDADDLE, MAGGIE EVANS! CASSIE'S MY ONLY
COMFORT ON THESE LONG WINTER NIGHTS!'

- Granny Whitlock really does refer to "THESE LONG WINTER NIGHTS," meaning it's currently winter!! HUH?!     It couldn't possibly be winter IF, as David Campiti reported, Book 3 takes place "right before the 1790 flashback, around the time of Episodes 6 and 7." Though as I mentioned before, taking place during winter would make more sense given the snow and especially how Professor Woodard is still alive. If the time frame being around Eps 6 and 7 really is true, why does that statement from Campiti fly in the face of what Scott Rockwell has written, particularly when both of them share editor status for these stories? Did they not compare notes? (Though, as I also said, the fact that a certain consulting editor didn't catch the discrepancy is no surprise whatsoever.)

It's too bad that we didn't get all four issues of Book 3 because, like the other two books, there might have been a scene from the '91 Series recreated in the comic. There are no such scenes in Book 3, Issue 1. But if such a scene or scenes might have appeared somewhere in Issues 2 through 4, that would have pinpointed what the time frame actually is...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And here's the eleventh page -

(Click here for a 1328X1996 version)

Note that the last two panels were skipped along a few bits of dialogue on the page...

It is definitely nice to see Maggie have a bigger part in the comics, as was promised for Book 3. However, this page is the last we see of Maggie in this issue (and since it's the only issue available, the last we see of her period). And I forgot to mention that apparently the more use of Carolyn was to come up in the unpublished issues because we already saw the last of her on Page 5. Though if this story truly takes place around Episodes 6 and 7, Barnabas would have already attacked Carolyn (that takes place at the end of Hour 6/Episode 5) so one has to wonder if Carolyn's curiosity about Barnabas and having Maggie do a reading about him is prompted by the attack? However, if this is somehow a pre-attack Carolyn (we can't forget those pesky signs of winter and, well, Woodard supposedly being alive), like the Carolyn of hoDS, she is developing an interest in him? Though given her pre-attack obsession with Joe in the '91 Series, the latter reason would seem unlikely. But, of course, it's only unlikely if Scott Rockwell's approach to Carolyn follows the way she was presented on the show, and that's anyone's guess. It's also something we'll never know...

Of course, if Book 3's story really does take place around Episodes 6 and 7, there's another glaring error that we've seen in what's been presented in Book 3 so far - but I'm going to hold off getting into that until after we've seen Pages 19 through 21...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

And here's the twelfth page -

(Click here for a 1328X1996 version)

Note that the first panel and its dialogue were skipped in the slideshow.

And we've now reached the point in the story as previewed by David Campiti where Granny Whitlock believes her doll is talking to her. But is that what's really happening...

[KMR]

I have to say, absolutely nothing from this issue is ringing any bell whatsoever for me. I'm positive I bought it when it came out, but why wouldn't I have read it?!? I just ran across my bag of the set last week when sorting through a box of stuff. I'll have to go back and take a loom at it...

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I want to begin sharing info and photos from the Fests that took place while the Innovation comics were being released. ('91 DS stars Lysette Anthony, Michael Cavanaugh, Veronica Lauren and Adrian Paul appeared at the '91 LA Fest in June of '91, and Lysette also appeared at the '91 Fest in NYC in November/December of '91 - but those were all before the comics - though three of those stars' '91 Fest appearances will show up in regard to something else down the line.)

Here's info from SG #61 from from August 1992:

And the following is from SG #63 from January 1993:

Much more to come...