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Remember, remember, the fifth of November, and the inspiration for ‘V For Vendetta’

  • News
  • November 5, 2009

On this day
in 1605, Sir Thomas Knyvet, a justice of the peace, found Guy Fawkes in
a cellar below the English Parliament building, involved in a plot to
blow up Parliament itself. The day was later known as “Guy Fawkes Day”
and served as an inspiration for Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s graphic
novel, V for Vendetta.

Today the folks across the pond remember, remember the fifth of
November in honor of a sense of independence and a shaking of fists at
British authority. While we reserve fireworks for summery July 4th,
today is their excuse to blow things up and set things on fire. Really,
every country should follow some such tradition of blowing things up in
good spirits, but in light of recent world politics, let’s not go
there. 

Or if we do, let’s wear an awesome mask while we’re at it.

Neil Gaiman, an ex-pat Brit, held an annual Guy Fawkes party at his home for many years. The late great John M. Ford, Neil’s favorite writer and good friend, once decided to write directions to that party, with great wit and style…

AMERICAN GUY
(C’mon. You know the tune, whether or not you
remember all the words.)

A long, long time ago
But it should be remembered
How it fell out on November five
Some nobles and a guy named Guy
Thought they’d make their oppressors fly
And there’d be revolution, by and by . . .
The commissary must have shivered
When all those herrings were delivered
Barrels in the basement
For Parliament’s effacement
It was a bold, quixotic dream
(Though some say Salisbury’s scheme)
Explosive treason was the theme
The day the fuse went out

They started singing:
Remember, remember, the fifth of November
It was a night full of gunpowder, treason and plot
I see no reason
Why a gunpowder treason
Ever, ever should be forgot
Ever, ever should be forgot

One day with Lord Monteagle’s bacon
A note says, bangers have been laid on
Take a powder, signed, A Friend
The sort of hint that starts you thinking
With leaks like this, we’ll soon be sinking
Knot the rope that marks the end
They thought rebellion had a chance
But no one got up for the dance
Guy bent but didn’t break
Until Salisbury’s stake
The bottom line could not be plainer
A round of trials and attainder
Divide by four with no remainder
The day the fuse went out
They started singing. . . .

I miss Mr. Ford’s writing a lot. Go visit Elise’s LiveJournal for the last verse and say hi.

wdtreasuresix-zorrophoto-032-1484041

Review: ‘Zorro’ The Complete First and Second Seasons

  • Uncategorized
  • November 5, 2009

wdtreasuresix-zorrophoto-032-1484041Walt Disney had a gift, an ability to take someone else’s property and recraft it for a modern audience. Just about every time he touched a fairy tale or legend, he struck paydirt.  Look what he did with Grimm’s fairy tales or A.A. Milne’s [[[Winnie the Pooh]]]. Largely overlooked these days is the incredibly popular 1950s television series based on Johnston McCulley’s pulp hero, Zorro.

The black and white series, starring Guy Williams, ran a mere two seasons but spawned over 500 licensed merchandise items in addition to enjoying a long syndicated run in the 1960s and again after the birth of the Disney Channel. Back in the ‘50s, the season ran 39 weeks and a half-hour show actually had 25 minutes of story so there was plenty of material to recycle.

Fortunately, Walt Disney Home Entertainment noted the enduring appeal of the character and has this week released the complete run in two attractively packaged volumes. Both volumes are available in numbered limited edition tins that come complete with certificate of authenticity, label pin, black and white still of [[[Zorro]]], and a booklet detailing the contents.

Leonard Maltin, who grew up watching the series when it originally ran on ABC from October 10, 1957 through June 2, 1959, provides introductions to seasons one and two, providing some context and information that nicely sets the stage. The seasons nicely fit into five discs and both volumes contain a sixth disc with bonus material.

McCulley’s somewhat clunky prose style was full of ideas: that of a masked avenger rising to protect the citizens of the small town of Los Angeles in the early part of the 19th century. Taking a cue from the precedent set by Baroness Emmuska Orczy’s [[[Scarlet Pimpernel]]], introduced a decade before in 1903. Don Diego de la Vega decided he needed to play the fop so no one would suspect he was the black-cloaked fox known as Zorro.

The stories fired the imagination and were quickly adapted to screen, first in the silent films and then in the movie serials before it enjoyed feature film status. Along the way, McCulley actually incorporated some of the changes made for film into his prose. In 1952, Disney tried to acquire the rights and it took him until 1957 before it was a done deal. In September 1957, on his Walt Disney Presents,  Uncle Walt told stories to his Mousekteers on his fourth anniversary show and it was used to introduce Williams as Zorro, leading people to watch the show which debuted weeks later.

(more…)

Crazy Sexy Geeks: Celebrity Wonder Woman Debate!

  • News
  • November 5, 2009

Super hero costumes are often criticized by fans and non-fans alike. In particular, the female costumes can sometimes seem a bit too revealing or impractical. Even Wonder Woman is occasionally given guff and there are those who say that if they ever made a new movie with her, her swimsuit-like battle armor would have to go.

So we of Crazy Sexy Geeks: The Series decided to ask people: Should Wonder Woman wear pants? Are the shorts or skirt too impractical?

Join us as we discuss and debate this issue with every day comic fans, professional artist Gene Ha (Top Ten, Global Frequency), fashion consultant Tim Gunn, actress Miracle Laurie (Dollhouse), actress/writer Emma Caulfield (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Contropussy.com), digital painter Alayna Lemmer, and the American Gladiators known as Phoenix and Venom. That’s tons of pretty girls talking about the ultimate female super hero! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Alan Kistler is an actor and freelance writer who has been recognized by Warner Bros. Pictures and major media outlets as a comic book historian. He is looking for a new day job, so if you’re hiring you should absolutely get in touch with him.

Happy 20th anniversary, Wallace and Gromit!

  • News
  • November 5, 2009

Tweny years ago today, two clay figures went on a grand day out to get some cheese, so of course they went to the moon to get some. Since then, Aardman Animation’s Wallace and Gromit have become two of the most recognizable
faces of modern British culture. The pair have starred in a number of 30-minute films since, including The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and A Matter of Loaf and Death, and one feature-length film, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. And today, in England at least, they made a Google doodle to mark the occasion.

As for me, I’m off to have some cheese and cracking good toast to celebrate.

Rights to ‘Terminator’ franchise up for auction, and Joss Whedon starts the bidding

  • News
  • November 4, 2009

Nikki Finke points to a piece by Financial Times‘ Matthew Garrahan which tells us the Terminator franchise is going to be auctioned off this month. All the big studios, with Sony leading the way, as well as Summit
Entertainment and Media Rights Capital, are interested in bidding. The rights auction is for new Terminator films, TV programs, comics and any other spin-offs that build on the popularity of the franchise. The sale is being conducted by FTI Capital Advisors for Halcyon which
bought the Terminator rights two years ago for $25 million from Mario
Kassar. Halcyon recently filed for Chapter 11 after a dispute with
Pacificor, a Santa Barbara-based hedge fund that lent Halcyon the sum
to buy the Terminator rights.

And who’s the opening bidder? Why, none other than Joss Whedon:

I have heard through the ‘grapevine’ that the Terminator
franchise is for sale, and I am prepared to make a pre-emptive bid
RIGHT NOW to wrap this dealio up. This is not a joke, this is not a
scam, this is not available on TV. I will write a check TODAY for
$10,000, and viola! Terminator off your hands.

No, you didn’t miscount. That’s four — FOUR! — zeroes after that
one. That’s to show you I mean business. And I mean show business.
Nikki Finke says the Terminator concept is played. Well,
here’s what I have to say to Nikki Finke: you are a fine journalist and
please don’t ever notice me. The Terminator story is as
formative and important in our culture — and my pretend play — as any
I can think of. It’s far from over. And before you Terminator-Owners
(I have trouble remembering names) rush to cash that sweet cheque, let
me give you a taste of what I could do with that franchise…

My theory: he wants to make sure The Sarah Connor Chronicles is well and truly dead and no threat to Dollhouse:

Crazy Sexy Geeks: The Series – Wonder Woman Debate!

  • News
  • November 4, 2009

Review: ‘Say Anything…’ on Blu-ray

sayanything-bd-spine-7054665You never know when something will come along and click with the pop culture zeitgeist. A line, a performance, even a single image, can leap off the page or screen and become emblematic for an era. The sight of John Cusack, holding a boom box over his head, trying to woo back Iona Skye, has become one of those moments now indelibly used to visualize the 1980s.

Here we are, 20 years later, and the moment has been repeated endlessly in real life and parodied throughout movies and television. Now, we can relive that moment in the 20th anniversary edition of Say Anything
…, released this week by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Written and directed by the wonderfully gifted Cameron Crowe, the movie avoided all the clichés inherent in the romance and teen comedy films of the decade. Instead, he found fresh characters in Lloyd Dobler and Diane Court and avoided expectations by enriching every character with complexity.

Diane was the driven class brain, “in the body of a game show hostess”, who was so focused on class work that she missed out on connecting with her peers. Her awkwardness at addressing the student body at graduation punctuates that point. Interestingly, it is only after the ceremony and her forced dealings with them have come to an end that she actually gets to know them.

When love struck Lloyd calls her a fate, he wears down her reluctance until she acquiesces.  After hanging up the phone, she looks up his picture in the yearbook; uncertain of whom she has committed herself. As it turns out, she finds herself enjoying the party antics while Lloyd watches her in action, relegated to being the key master, holding everyone else’s car keys so they can freely get drunk.

Lloyd is uncertain of his future, a kickboxer without a real plan, but he’s a decent guy as seen in his dealings with his young nephew or the residents of the old folks’ home owned by Diane’s father, played with gusto by John Mahoney.  Meantime, Mr. Court disapproves of Lloyd, seeing him as being beneath Diane but puts her happiness ahead of his own misgivings.

Diane’s relationship with her father provides an emotional spine to the film that helps separate it from similar tales. They clearly love and trust one another, and while Diane can tell her father anything, he chooses not to reciprocate. As a result, when he comes under investigation by the IRS, his lack of moral judgment crushes her, leaving her no one but Lloyd to turn to.

The tale is of a young couple falling in love for the first time, complete with the ups and downs that happen. Crowe, who captures voices and emotions so well in his works, treats his characters with respect and is rewarded by strong performances.

After 20 years, it largely holds up and maintains its strong grasp on the viewer. The video transfer looks and sounds good.  The new edition comes complete with Crowe and his cast reminiscing in a 21 minute featurette, An Iconic Film Revisited: Say Anything…20 Years Later. The director continues to chat about the making of the film in his own 9 minute A Conversation with Cameron Crowe.  Also exclusive to the Blu-ray edition is To Know Say Anything…is to Love It! Trivia Track containing over 200 fun questions. Carried over from previous editions are the alternate scenes, deleted scenes, and extended scenes, trailers, original featurette, and a gallery.

The story of Lloyd meets girl is well worth revisiting.

Review: ‘Malice’

Malice

By Chris Wooding, illustrated by Dan Chernett
Scholastic Press, $14.99, 380 pages

What if you could transport yourself to another world by following an incantation found in a comic book? Well, you might find the world a frightening and terrible place, just as children find in the new novel [[[Malice]]].

Chris Wooding, an accomplished young adult author, begins a new series this month with Malice, which mixes prose with comic book pages interspersed. Basically, children around the world have been reading this comic book, Malice, a cult title with each issue a seemingly disjointed series of eerie vignettes. What no one realizes is that if the children following the directions, they vanish and are transported to this other land. In the real world, they go missing and the few that return, have no recollection of where they have been but have been deeply affected by the experience. 

Wooding’s novel focuses on the residents of the small town of Hathern, just as the young teen Luke vanishes. His friends, Seth and Kady, piece together he disappeared after reading the comic book and go on the hunt. Along the way, they find out who has been producing issues but necessarily why they are stealing children.

Only after Seth goes in search of Luke by entering the realm, does he begin to understand the malevolent forces at work, represented by Tall Jake, who has usurped control of this dark world. The world of Malice is a creepy place, patrolled by mechanical and non-human packs of beings, seeking the children who have wound up there. The children, meantime, fight for daily survival and swap stories –notably the rumors regarding the underground resistance force.

While Seth forges new alliances away from Earth, Kady begins to understand what’s happening but has too many questions, including trying to understand what the Queen of Cats wants with her. There’s a great revelation that takes the story in a different direction, keeping the pacing sharp.

Wooding, to his credit, creates credible, likeable characters and his vivid writing demonstrates the stark differences between England and Malice. His evocative writing creates a nice atmosphere and keeps you turning the pages, although as you near the end, it becomes clear this is just the opening chapter. A sequel, [[[Havoc]]], is announced on the final pages.

If only his words were matched by Dan Chernett’s illustrations. The book would have benefitted greatly by using an accomplished comic artist as opposed to a professional illustrator unaccustomed to working in the medium. As a result, his pages are poorly constructed, the storytelling is weak and the use of shadow and scratchy lines robs the comic sections of their power. Had the masters of macabre from Bernie Wrightson to Ben Templesmith been brought in, this would have complemented the prose quite nicely. A real missed opportunity.

The book is recommended for readers 12 and up and that sounds about right given the characters, pacing and description contained within.

Only 1,000 Comic Books?

  • Uncategorized
  • November 2, 2009

1,000 Comic Books You Must Read

By Tony Isabella
Krause Publications, 272 pages. $29.99 retail.

I want to publicly thank Tony Isabella for taking on a task that is as courageous as it is, well, thankless. It’s hard to imagine a more difficult and a more controversial chore than recommending only 1000 comic
books you must read.

This shows you how clever Tony is. First of all, he recruited over 130 people to make suggestions, including me as well as a good chunk of the state of Ohio – past and present (Harlan Ellison and Maggie Thompson are and will always be honorary Ohioans). Second, instead of arranging them numerically, an act that would guarantee his assassination at the 2010 Mid-Ohio Con (although this would make for a good panel), he arranged everything by decade. Brilliant.

This book is, above and beyond everything else, great fun.
There are hundreds of books you’d expect, and even more that you might not. Of those, the ones you’ve read will make you go “oh, sure, of course.” Those you haven’t read – probably the awesome Jingle Jangle Comics, or Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein – you should. Don’t worry: the way stuff’s being reprinted, it’s just a matter of time.

Each choice is covered by the appropriate publishing and talent credits as well as a nice clean reproduction of the cover, along with Tony’s accompanying paragraph explaining what and why. To his overwhelming credit, Tony does not emphasize superheroes and heroic fantasy – Archie, Harvey, and Charlton get their due, and the various genres such as humor, children’s, and romance are well-covered.

The tome is well-designed and not the least bit pompous.
When Tony told me he had taking on this project, he headed me off by saying he was, obviously, crazy. Well, having poured over 1,000 Comic Books You Must Read, I’ve got to say “not so much, Tony. Maybe just a little bit.”

You’ll love it. It’ll make an excellent holiday present.
For any holiday. Go buy it.

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