2014 Fall Movie Preview

With everything going on right now with Great Big World - more news on that coming soon, I promise - I had to condense my annual Fall Movie Preview to cover the thirteen films I'm most excited for this year. This summer was high on quality and this fall movie season looks to keep that trend going with films from Christopher Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Bennett Miller, David Fincher, and more. Check it out over at The Hodgepodge Podcast and thanks for reading!

My Avengers 2 Dream Scene

San Diego Comic Con was two weeks ago and much of the buzz surrounded two films: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice—a horrible title; is Batman suing Superman for destroying his satellite in Man of Steel?—and Avengers: Age of Ultron, or to make things easier, Avengers 2.

Court is now in session. The Honorable Wonder Woman presiding.

Dawn of Justice isn’t due until 2016 and while the snippet of footage Director Zack Snyder played blew the roof off of Hall H, the film doesn’t come out until 2016.

Most of the Avengers: Age of Ultron cast at San Diego Comic Con

So, let’s focus on Avengers 2, which arrives in theaters next May. The majority of the cast turned up at Comic Con along with Producer/Marvel Svengali Kevin Feige—Writer-Director Joss Whedon was recuperating from knee surgery in London—and they brought some footage with them that will inevitably be included in a future trailer for the film this fall. Like with Batman and Superman, the place went crazy. However, what I want to discuss here today is what could happen in the film, or more specifically, what I want to happen. Call it my dream scene. It’s not much, but it would drive every audience member insane with excitement if it happens.

What Ant-Man should look like...if it ever gets made.

First, we need to talk about some of the rumors surrounding the film. Being the sequel to the third highest-grossing film of all time—not adjusted for inflation—is going to generate just a tad bit of interest. So there are a ton of rumors and scuttlebutt surrounding this film. I’ve heard Ant-Man might show up—probably Michael Douglas if it happens.

Please Universe, let this happen - Chiwetel Ejiofor as Black Panther.

I’ve also heard talk of a possible Black Panther cameo or at least his father, T’Chaka—Black Panther is T’Challa—to put the character and his kingdom, Wakanda, on the Marvel Cinematic map. Then there’s all the talk about Falcon and War Machine and how big their roles will be, if they’re officially showing up—the footage at Comic Con confirmed that Don Cheadle will make an appearance for sure.

But the character I keep hearing about, the one that keeps getting teased, is Carol Danvers, or how she’s known nowadays, Captain Marvel. This would be a good move for Marvel in their bid to beat Warner Brothers and DC to the punch at having the first solo female superhero film—although, with WB/DC’s recent announcement of nine(!) films over the next six years, you have to imagine that one of them will be Wonder Woman…right? However, nothing is confirmed on the Captain Marvel front.

Another feather in Marvel's casting cap...if they make it happen.

The actress linked most to the role is Starbuck herself, Katee Sackhoff. This would be very serendipitous casting since both Starbuck and Carol Danvers are very similar characters. Both are pilots and have had to navigate a world dominated by men. Other actresses could do a good job with the part, but I think Sackhoff would hit it out of the park.

So Carol Danvers is the lynchpin of my Avengers 2 dream scene. Here’s how it would play out:

A crowded bar. Thor and Steve Rogers walk in. Immediately, Steve bumps into Carol Danvers. As a pilot, Carol has a professional relationship with Captain America.

Steve: Carol? What are you doing here?

Carol: (Jerks her thumb over her shoulder) Oh, I’m just here with a friend.

Steve looks over her shoulder.

You got a problem, bub?

Cut to a perturbed Hugh Jackman, complete with muttonchops and chomping on a cigar. Don’t call him Logan. Don’t show his claws, just show him glaring at Steve for a few moments.

Cut back to a bemused Steve.

Steve: Well, enjoy your night.

Steve and Thor leave Carol.

Steve (to Thor): I think I know that guy.

This scene would do multiple things. The first obvious thing it would do is connect the X-Men and Avengers universes without explicitly doing so. As of right now, The Avengers and other films under the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” umbrella are produced solely by Marvel Studios, which is owned by Disney—Disney actually owns Marvel in total, comic books and all. On the other side of the street, the X-Men and all characters associated with them are licensed to 20th Century Fox. So, while in the comic books, the X-Men and Avengers all exist in the same Marvel Comics Universe, in the films, the crossing over of the properties across studio lines is a no-no. By doing a scene like this, having Hugh Jackman appear as “a guy who looks exactly like Wolverine,” but not explicitly saying so, it would show Marvel is winking to the fans and saying, “Yes Virginia, there is a Wolverine.”

Chris Claremont and Jim Lee's Uncanny X-Men #268 - You know it's good because Wolverine's wearing the brown and orange uniform.

Second, this simple interaction would go a long way to fleshing out both Cap and Carol Danvers’ characters. In the comics, Cap and Logan met back in World War II—Black Widow was also involved as a child, but we’ll ignore that part for the movies. Since Logan’s healing ability has helped him live for over a hundred years with no hint of aging and he has been involved in every war since his birth, it would make sense that he and Cap might have crossed paths in Europe.

For a while, Carol Danvers only existed in Rogue's mind. The first time the X-Men went to Genosha, Carol had to get in the driver's seat.

Also in the comics, Carol has always had a close relationship with Wolverine as well as the X-Men—ever wonder why Rogue can fly in the books and not in the movies? When she was a villain running with Mystique, she stole those powers from Carol Danvers. A scene like this would acknowledge that history and inform the audience on Carol’s past, making her a more compelling character.

The New Avengers (clockwise from top): Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Luke Cage, Captain America, Ronin, and Iron Man

Third, Wolverine has been a member of the Avengers in the monthly books - as has pretty much every other Marvel character; The Avengers aren't too picky. He helped launch a new title called New Avengers after Brian Michael Bendis blew up the old team back in 2004. While he's mainly been an X-Man, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for Logan to show up and fight with the Avengers.

Finally, it would just be mind-blowingly awesome to see Hugh Jackman as “Wolverine” in an Avengers film. The studios will probably never sort out the legal and financial hurdles to have Wolverine make a proper appearance with the Avengers, but this would be the next best thing. Fans love the interconnectedness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and my dream scene would only go towards enhancing and expanding that. The odds of it happening are less than zero, but we can all dream, right?

Or maybe, not the best idea...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: How the Heck Did We Get Here?

ORIGINAL POST (8/7/2014): I'm currently putting the final touches on my review of the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. In the meantime, head on over to The Retroist and read my personal retrospective of the Turtles' 30-year history!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, this essay is no longer on The Retroist site (hey, webspace costs money!). So, presented here is the full essay I wrote for them. Enjoy!

But, without the different colors, how can I tell them apart???

It’s been thirty years since the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuted in the pages of Mirage Studios comic books. Now, another live-action interpretation is about to hit theaters and honestly, it doesn’t feel like there is any buzz at all. Perhaps it’s because Michael Bay is a producer on the project and fans fear that Bay will completely misrepresent the characters as he’s done in his four Transformers movies. One of his stars from Transformers, Megan Fox, met with much fan derision when she was cast as April O’Neil, the Turtles’ staunchest friend and ally.

Ugh.

Or maybe the problem is in the look of the Turtles themselves? These new incarnations are gigantic and look more like humans than ever before—they have lips! Other elements of their design make them look like they should show up in Rob Liefeld’s X-Force. The rumor that the Turtles will be of alien origin has been seemingly debunked, but a revelation like that would certainly be in keeping with Bay’s M.O. While the trailers for the film have had their moments, it certainly does feel like each new revelation about the film has been more horrible than the last. We won’t know until the movie opens just how awful or great it is, but we still have to ask the question, how the heck did we get here?

Inspirations: Daredevil, New Mutants, Cerebus, and Ronin

It’s amazing how there has been so much hand-wringing about the origins of the Turtles in the new film when you consider that the characters originally were a parody of the comics Daredevil and The New Mutants—the teen X-Men, basically—as well as Cerebus and Frank Miller’s Ronin. So, when the characters’ origins start out as a joke, can people really get upset when moviemakers change them around? I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, of course—making the Turtles aliens would be dumb.

A little more family-friendly

The characters I’m speaking of, obviously, are Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo—four turtles discovered by a rat named Splinter all of whom were mutated by toxic waste. Splinter’s owner was killed by Oroku Saki, better known as the Shredder, and Splinter trains the Turtles in ninjitsu to exact revenge. Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the comic became a cult hit, but it wasn’t until they licensed the Turtles out to Playmates Toys and scored an animated television show that the Turtles really took off. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a phenomenon, launching into every conceivable avenue of merchandising. The property cooled in the late 90s into the 2000s, but they have had a little bit of a renaissance—no pun intended—over the last few years with a new show on Nickelodeon and, of course, the new movie coming out this month.

Not nearly as intimidating as the comic book.

Like most, I discovered the Turtles through the first cartoon—there have been at least three—but I quickly gravitated to the much darker and violent comic books. I liked the cartoon all right, but I thought it was the weakest interpretation of the characters. The Turtles were typical teens, but the creep factor that pervaded the comics wasn’t there. And it really shouldn’t have been, since it was a cartoon for kids. The Shredder, who was supposed to be the Turtles’ main adversary, was relegated to henchman status in the cartoon as he served the alien Krang. I would later learn that the cartoon cannibalized and mixed and matched elements of the comics to create the show—Krang’s alien species showed up early in the comic’s run, but had no connection to Shredder or his Foot Clan. It was just very kiddie and sanitized. Once I discovered the Turtles were based on a much cooler comic book, I sought that out, being interested in a more mature take on the characters. I didn’t object to buying the original Turtle action figures, though.

This collection is SO good.

The early comics were collected into four oversized volumes and colored—the individual issues were black and white. I wasn’t an avid collector of the comics, but I had my favorite stories of those I bought. I really enjoyed the Book Four collection which collected Leonardo #1 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #10 – 11. This arc told the story of the return of Shredder and the Foot Clan. Set at Christmas, Leonardo gets ambushed by the Foot and is horribly injured. The rest of the arc documented the fight between the Foot and the Turtles and the Turtles’ subsequent escape. Issue #11 focused on the healing of the team. A lot of this story was adapted into the first live action movie in 1990, but the filmmakers replaced Leo with Raphael. Raphael has always seemed to be the focus of the films, even the 2007 animated TMNT. I think this stems from the fact that Raph is supposed to be like the team’s “Wolverine,” or the wild, unpredictable one. I was always partial to Leonardo, but I like swords and the color blue.

If you’re a TMNT fan, find this arc if you can.

My other favorite comic arc of the original run was “Return to New York,” (Issues #19 – 21), where the Turtles regroup and return to the city to face Shredder again, which Leonardo does in a brutal one-on-one battle at the end of issue #21. The art from that arc was done by Jim Lawson and I loved the way he drew the Turtles. His art was very detailed and dynamic. When I would attempt to draw the “Heroes in the Half Shell,” I tried to emulate Lawson. He has drawn the Turtles for over 20 years and his style has since evolved to a more cartoony look, but his work on “Return to New York” was breathtaking. It was just a great and—upon learning Shredder’s secret for survival—creepy epic that tied in elements from past adventures.

My interest in the comic books led me to check out the pen and paper Ninja Turtles RPG. If the comic was freaky, the RPG was the stuff of nightmares. It was all right reading about human-like Turtles and their rat ninja master, but imagining all the possibilities of all these different mutated animals—especially with the art that went with them—was borderline horrific. It was cool, no doubt, but it felt dark on a level that I felt could warp me, if that makes any sense. I think it was the haunting artwork most of all that made me feel that way. Of course, none of my friends at the time were really into RPGs, so I never got to play the game hands on.

Hard. As. Balls.

One game I did play, though, over and over again, was the hard as balls Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for Nintendo. The game was released by Ultra Games—a subsidiary of Konami—in the United States and was an adventure game that bordered on impossible, unless you knew the trick to secure victory. That trick was the 99 scrolls trick. The scrolls were a supplemental weapon the Turtles could pick up that unleashed a wave of energy that tore through enemies. In the third level of the game, there was a section the player could return to again and again to find the constantly replenishing scrolls. You would send each member of the team in multiple times until each Turtle maxed out at 99 scrolls. Then, you moved on. It made the game easier to handle, but not a cake walk. It was a really tough game—remember the dam section?—with a fantastic 8-bit soundtrack. The graphics were very good for the time too. Each Turtle had his own attributes. Donatello was the strongest, but slow, while Raphael was the fastest with zero range with his weapon. Mike and Leo were about the same strength-wise, but Leo clearly had the better range with his katanas. It was a fun, but highly frustrating game. You had to beat it in one sitting—no passwords or save function here, wussies. I remember impressing a couple of friends by beating it, but all credit went to Nintendo Power and the 99 scrolls.

This quarter-sucking monster!

Of course, the other big game was the four-player arcade game, also released by Konami, which was eventually ported over to the NES. That game was fun too, but I thought the first NES game had more personality and more variety. The Arcade Game was similar to several other games of the “Beat ‘em Up” genre—X-Men and The Simpsons come to mind, though Ninja Turtles predated both those games.

Go, ninja! Go, ninja! Go!

Of the Turtles’ cinematic adventures, my favorite has always been the first film from New Line Cinema. I liked it at the time because it hedged closer to the comic book origins and was pretty dark for a film that was meant to lure children into the movie theater. The suits for the Turtles were designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and, quite honestly, they look better than the new CGI Turtles in Michael Bay’s latest incarnation.

Cover to the first issue.

For me, though, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will always be comic book characters first and everything else comes second. In the comics, they were treated like real people even though the series started out as a goof. By the time the second live-action movie—Secret of the Ooze—was hitting theaters in 1991, I was already losing interest in the property. I think it just hit at the wrong time for me. I grew up with G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Star Wars, but when the Ninja Turtles became known to the general public, I was moving into middle school and leaving cartoons like that behind. I had to move on to more adult interests…like Uncanny X-Men.

Stuff is about to go down in TMNT (Vol. 1) #10

Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Most Perfect Film Ever Made

ORIGINAL POST (7/9/2014): Is Raiders of the Lost Ark the most perfect film ever made? I like to think so and I explain why over at The Retroist! Join me as I discuss all the fantastic elements that came together in just the right way to make Raiders absolutely perfect. Hope to see you over there and thanks for reading!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, this essay is no longer on The Retroist site (hey, webspace costs money!). So, presented here is the full essay I wrote for them. Enjoy!

And the title is Raiders of the Lost Ark, NOT Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark! Get outta here with that crap!

Thanks to my love of Star Wars and my favorite character, Han Solo, it was a pretty safe bet that I would like Harrison Ford’s next character after Solo, Indiana Jones. What I didn’t know before I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time in 1981 was that I was about to see the most perfect film ever made.

Now I clearly didn’t realize this when I went into the theater at four-years-old with my dad and my oldest sister, but over the years, I’ve seen it to be true. Of course, all the Indiana Jones films are great—okay, the ones released in the eighties are great—but Raiders had that little extra something that made it perfect.

One of these things is not like the others…

Temple of Doom was too dark, while Last Crusade was too much of a comedy. Raiders was just right. It struck the perfect balance between all sorts of elements and genres. With Raiders of the Lost Ark, there really was something for everyone. Clearly, there was plenty of action. There were also equal helpings of character drama and humor and in just the right quantities—it killed me that Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade essentially turned Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) into bumbling idiots. There’s mystery as Indy tries to find the Ark and then the mystery increases once it’s found, as the audience wonders what’s inside. There’s a romance element with Marion (Karen Allen), but it never gets too saccharine. There are even horror elements when you consider what happens when the Ark finally is opened as well as the mummy scene in the Well of Souls. Actually, depending on how one feels about spiders and snakes, the whole movie could be considered a horror film. With the involvement of the Nazis, it could even be seen as a war picture in parts. So, moviegoers of every stripe can find something to like in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

“I am but a shadowy reflection of you.”

Aside from the genres it touches, Raiders is just a perfectly written film. Lawrence Kasdan’s screenplay is whip-smart, (no pun intended), and perfectly paced. It crackles with great dialogue and interactions between the characters. The scenes between Indy and Marion flow with ease as does the banter between Indy and Sallah or Brody. Who can forget the meeting between Indy and Belloq (Paul Freeman) in the café? In a single scene, Kasdan and Director Steven Spielberg sum up the essence of both our protagonist and antagonist all while giving the actors some fantastic dialogue. Watch Harrison Ford in that scene and his barely contained rage. He never looks at Paul Freeman, until he’s ready to kill him. It’s easily one of my favorite scenes in the film, but only one of the several great scenes found throughout the movie.

“It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.”

The interactions between Harrison Ford and Karen Allen are simply magic. The two of them have a fantastic dynamic that is reminiscent of Han Solo and Princess Leia—which makes sense since Kasdan wrote the screenplay for Empire Strikes Back—but with Indy and Marion, you can feel the history between the two characters. Apart from their amazing first scene together, when Indy turns up on Marion’s doorstep after a decade apart, my favorite scene between them is the romantic comedy that takes place on the Bantu Wind tramp steamer. Marion unknowingly decks Indy with the full-length mirror and then attempts to seduce him. It’s some of the best comedy in the film and it effortlessly evolves into a truly tender scene.

Kasdan’s screenplay is backed up by a solid story from George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Making the Nazis the villains was a brilliant move to get the audience behind Indy. Let’s be honest, when we first meet Indiana Jones, we’re not even sure we should be rooting for him. When he’s first introduced, he comes across as a hard and unforgiving man, who could just as easily turn out to be a villain. It’s not until Satipo (Alfred Molina) betrays him that the audience really begins to root for Indy. He shows his humanity and resourcefulness as he fights to survive and escape the temple.

Hey! This guy looks familiar!

Harrison Ford’s overall likability helps, but we learn quickly that Indiana Jones is not the same sarcastic rogue as Han Solo. Indy is a much more well-rounded character. We know his fears, some of his history, etc. This is partly because Han Solo is more of an archetype than a character, though we come to know him better as the Star Wars Saga goes on. But Indiana Jones comes to us fully-formed and, therefore, a more interesting character. This is also a big reason why Ford has always stated publicly that he favors Indy over Han. And why not? Ford was great as Han Solo, giving an easy, confident performance, but his work in Raiders of the Lost Ark is some of the best of his career. Watching the movie again just recently, I was thoroughly impressed with his performance. There’s a lot of nuance there for a film that could have been written off as just a “popcorn flick.”

“Looks like someone’s got a case of the Mondays.”

He will forever be linked with Indiana Jones. Even now, as rumors persist about re-casting the role for future installments, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else in the role. Unlike characters like Batman and James Bond, who originally appeared in other media prior to hitting the big screen, Indiana Jones was originated on the screen and Harrison Ford was the originator. As far as most are concerned, he will always be Indiana Jones. Disney will do what they need to do in order to make the property profitable, but no matter what happens, there will always be just one Indiana Jones.

“You want to see it opened just as much as I.”

Of course, a hero is only as good as his enemies and Kasdan, Lucas, and Kaufman cooked up a great one in René Belloq. My love for Belloq as a villain goes back to that café scene. The audience finds truth in Belloq’s taunts that he is just a “shadowy reflection” of Indy. Although he does bad things to get what he wants, Belloq is more of a gray villain than a straight Black Hat. He does what he does for himself, but he’s not outright evil like the Nazis. He did seal Indy and Marion in a tomb, though, so he was still a pretty bad guy. Paul Freeman brought a suave elegance to Belloq that just made him more sinister. He seemed to get a kick out of playing the role. He is truly Indy’s rival and one of the great screen villains of all-time.

“You Americans, always overdressing for the wrong occasions.”

Another good villain is Toht (Ronald Lacey), the Nazi interrogator. He only shows up in a few scenes, but he demonstrates the lengths the Nazis will go to secure the Ark. The guy’s a sadist and Lacey gives a fantastically creepy performance.

Marcus Brody and Sallah, before The Last Crusade turned them into clowns.

Indy’s allies are no slouches, either. With Raiders, we get serious interpretations of Marcus Brody and Sallah, two characters that, as mentioned above, are mined solely for comedic relief in Last Crusade. The two of them have their light moments in Raiders—“Bad dates”—but for the most part, Denholm Elliott and John Rhys-Davies play the roles straight. Brody comes across as a serious academic who has a healthy respect and fear for the dangers of Indy’s adventuring. Sallah is a devoted friend and family man who is pretty pragmatic. Rhys-Davies never overplays the character. When Indy tells Sallah, mistakenly, that Marion has been killed, Sallah reacts with a solemn, “Yes, I know.” It might come off as cold, but consider: he barely knew Marion and he’s keeping it together to protect his kids. In other words, Rhys-Davies plays him like a real person, which is in stark contrast to the caricature he becomes in Last Crusade. And that last bit goes triple for Brody.

Marion Ravenwood always gave as good as she got.

As Marion Ravenwood, Karen Allen gives a feisty, but vulnerable performance and I can’t imagine anyone else in the role. Like Princess Leia before her, Marion is far from a damsel in distress. Her initial rescue from the Nazi camp is turned on its head, though, when Indy finds her, but leaves her tied up in order to avoid detection. Some hero, right? But Marion turns the situation to her advantage—or at least tries to—with a call back to the drinking contest she won when we first met her. Her arc is well-written. She wants to forgive Indy for whatever happened between them in the past, but she’s not sure if she can. I was happy when I’d heard that Allen was returning to the role in Crystal Skull, but like most everything else with that film, her part was completely mucked up. She had nothing to do but stand around. It was a total waste of the character, so I like to remember her from Raiders.

Take that, Nazi!

While all the character work from the cast was great, at its heart, Raiders is an adventure movie and what an adventure it takes us on. The film’s pacing is perfection. The audience is never bored and the dialogue-heavy scenes are broken up by exciting action set pieces staged by the master himself, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg’s direction in Raiders is amazing. The shots he composes are gorgeous and the action scenes are breathtaking. From the collapsing temple and giant boulder at the start of the film all the way to the opening of the Ark at the end, Spielberg created the greatest action-adventure picture of all. Every set piece elevated the game in one way or another. The boulder was an amazing start. The fight in the burning bar had danger in every form from physical beatings, to gunmen, to the fire itself, but it also had a plot-driven danger in that Toht might have secured Marion’s medallion. That fight was a real highpoint, only to be trumped by the bare-knuckled brawl with the big Nazi (Pat Roach) at the airfield. I didn’t mention the marketplace fight because I consider that more of a chase sequence than anything else—by the way, that scene’s great too. And who can forget Indy’s “fight” with the swordsman?

One of the greatest chase scenes in cinematic history.

But they all pale in comparison to the truck chase scene as Indy pursues the Ark on horseback, at least at first. The scene begins with a joke—“I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go”—and then launches into a chase scene so great, they even tried to rip it off in Crystal Skull. Indy gets on the white horse and John Williams’ fantastic score swells as our hero races to intercept the Nazis. The truck chase is simply amazing. There are so many elements in that scene that we take for granted now as moviegoers, but it was a tense, exciting sequence. Lucas did some of the Second Unit Directing, but Spielberg had set everything up ahead of time in storyboards. Raiders of the Lost Ark was truly a demonstration of a master at work.

JACKPOT!

Speaking of masters at work, John Williams’ score is pitch-perfect. Indy’s Theme (“The Raiders March”) has become as iconic as Williams’ “Star Wars Main Title” and from just the first notes, you immediately picture Indiana Jones. The score is heroic when it needs to be and equally creepy when the film calls for it. I can listen to the score and the associated scenes come to mind instantly. It’s some of Williams’ finest work.

That’s not gonna work.

Everything works in this film and it all works brilliantly. None of this was lost on me growing up. Indiana Jones quickly became one of my all-time favorite characters. Every belt I had in my closet became a makeshift whip and while my blue windbreaker wasn’t a leather jacket, it made due. One Christmas, I received a brown fedora, which I still have to this day. From re-enacting the movie on my front lawn for interested spectators to collecting all sorts of Indiana Jones memorabilia and merchandise, I was an Indiana Jones fanatic. In fact, he played a very important role in my discovering my love of writing. My third grade teacher put up a poster featuring penguins on an iceberg and told the class to write a story about it. Everyone wrote stories about the penguins’ day out or some such thing. What did I write? Indiana Penguin and the Iceberg of Doom. That’s how much Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark impacted my life.

“Ha, ha, haaaaa…son of a bitch.”

No matter what anyone says, the only correct answer to “What’s the best Indiana Jones film?” is Raiders of the Lost Ark. Temple of Doom wasn’t just dark—which is fine, mind you—it was essentially cobbled together from sequences that couldn’t fit into Raiders. Also, Willie (Kate Capshaw) doesn’t hold a candle to Marion. I did like Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), though. Last Crusade was great and revealed more about our hero in a flashback featuring the late River Phoenix as a young Indy, but much of the story was played solely for laughs. While the comedy was free-flowing in Raiders as well, that film was an action-adventure film first, while Last Crusade felt more like a comedy first, adventure film second. But, Sean Connery is great as Indy’s dad and it is easily the second best entry in the series. The less said about Crystal Skull the better. That film is just a mess, as if they had taken nineteen years’ worth of spec scripts and stapled them together. The only thing that is solid about Crystal Skull is Ford as Indiana Jones. A lot of critics mocked him for his age and made jokes, but his performance was on target. It wasn’t his fault that the script was a piece of crap.

Why'd it have to be snakes?

Raiders of the Lost Ark is the most perfect film ever made. That’s a bold statement to make, but the results speak for themselves. From top to bottom, it’s an absolute winner. There’s really nothing one could change to make it better. Spielberg and Lucas tried with the sequels, but none of them really measured up. Its legacy as one of the modern classics is secure and it launched Harrison Ford from stand out ensemble player in Star Wars to full-fledged blockbuster leading man. It also reignited the popularity of the pulp adventure genre. Other films have tried to replicate its magic, but all have failed. To paraphrase the series’ tagline, “If perfection has a name, it must be, Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

The author on a high school trip to Disney. I was skinny once.

Transformers: The Movie - The Only Good Transformers Film

ORIGINAL POST (6/26/2014): Heading out to see Trans4mers this weekend? Be sure to head on over to The Retroist and read my latest essay first. It's all about the only GOOD Transformers film, 1986's Transformers: The Movie. Take a look and thanks for reading!
UPDATE: Unfortunately, this essay is no longer on The Retroist site (hey, webspace costs money!). So, presented here is the full essay I wrote for them. Enjoy!

The only GOOD Transformers movie

As we march inexorably closer to another mind-numbing installment of Michael Bay’s live-action Transformers series, I thought it would be a good time to take a breath and reflect on the only good Transformers film ever made: 1986’s Transformers: The Movie.

Beware, there be spoilers up ahead for those who haven’t seen the film.

In the great Toy Robot War of 1984, I sided with the victors. I mean, what was I going to do, play with Go-Bots? When the Transformers came onto the scene, they were seemingly everywhere at once. G.I. Joe, the Transformers’ label-mate at Hasbro Toys, took a longer road to massive popularity, but robots that turned into cars, jets, and guns were pretty much going to be a home run right out of the gate.

Optimus Prime - He's got "The Touch."

The first Transformer I ever purchased was with birthday money from my grandmother. I chose Wheeljack. If I recall correctly, I received Megatron shortly thereafter. Of course, neither Wheeljack nor Megatron were my favorite Transformer. That honor was held, as it was for the majority of kids, by Optimus Prime. I had other favorites from the cartoon, like Ironhide and Soundwave, but Optimus was king of the hill. I had to wait for Santa to deliver him before I had my own Prime figure to go adventuring with the other Autobots.

Though I was partial to G.I. Joe, I enjoyed the Transformers cartoon, and remember a time when there was just one Transformers cartoon—don’t come at me with that Beast Wars hooey. In looking back, though, the cartoons weren’t that great story wise. The multi-part episodes were usually better, but there were quite a few stinkers over the show’s run. However, what can you expect from a show that was little more than a thinly veiled toy commercial?

Cover to Marvel Comics’ Transformers #5 – Now that is a DARK image.

I remember being more intrigued by the darker stories in the Marvel comic books—the initial limited series ended with Shockwave blowing everybody away! But, even though that was the case, I still loved the cartoon as a kid. It was easily one of my favorites—it certainly had one of the coolest theme songs. That’s why it was all the more exciting when I started seeing commercials for a full-length animated feature in 1986.

Unfortunately, I never did see the film in theaters, but I had heard stories. Prime dies! Transformers swear! I wanted to see it, but the timing never panned out. Only being nine years old at the time, I couldn’t exactly drive myself to the theater and something told me that Mom and Dad weren’t going to be keen on taking me to the movie where robots kill each other. No, I had to wait until the movie hit TV and a giant, computer-animated Optimus Prime told some kid the story about how he died, (awkward….). I recorded it and watched the hell out of that thing. To this day, I can pretty much quote the film line for line. It just struck a chord with me and was chock full of great scenes. One of my favorites is when Starscream finally gets one over on Megatron and dumps him out into space. He gets his comeuppance shortly thereafter, but it was fun seeing him be such a jerk.

Clockwise from Top Left): Unicron, Ultra Magnus, Hot Rod, Galvatron

Let’s be honest, the story wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was still pretty cool. The Autobots have to deal with both the Decepticons, who have conquered the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron, as well as graduate of the Galactus School of Villainy, Unicron (Orson Welles!). Yes, Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) dies—can robots die?—from injuries sustained in an epic final battle with Megatron (Frank Welker)—you know, the one that took place almost entirely off-screen in Michael Bay’s first Transformers debacle. The movie is really a heroic coming of age story starring Hot Rod (Judd Nelson), who later becomes Rodimus Prime thanks to his inheriting the Matrix of Leadership by way of Ultra Magnus (Robert Stack). The Matrix is the only thing that can stop Unicron and his slave, Galvatron (Leonard Nimoy), the reconstituted Megatron. So, the film morphs into a chase film as our heroes are scattered and the Decepticons pursue them in search of the Matrix. The ending is a little abrupt, though, almost as if the production ran out of money and had to quickly wrap up the final scenes. The events of the film led directly into the third season of the cartoon, where Galvatron would return to make the Autobots lives miserable and the Quintessons, who show up briefly in the film, would play a much larger role in the story.

Clockwise from Top Left: Kup, Arcee, Springer, Wreck-Gar

The real story behind the movie, though, is that Hasbro wanted to wipe the slate clean and get all brand new Transformers into the cartoon and toy shops. This was why the majority of the cast of characters was unfamiliar to fans of the show. However, all the new Autobots had distinct personalities and were all likable characters. I liked Hot Rod, which made me buy into his journey. Pairing him with the older Kup (Lionel Stander) was a brilliant move by the writers. I was also happy with how the world of the Transformers was greatly expanded by visiting several different worlds. However, I found it funny how each world had some kind of robot/Transformer life on it instead of organics. It was like Earth was the only non-robot planet in the galaxy. The biggest question I had on a recent viewing was, “What happened to Blaster?” One minute, he’s there helping repair the base and then the others leave without him. Also, the total disrespect for the regular voice cast of the cartoon in the opening credits of the film is disgusting. The credits focus solely on the “name” actors added just for the movie and leave out legends like Cullen and Welker, which was made even more egregious when Welker took over the voice duties for Galvatron in the third season of the series. Optimus Prime would eventually be resurrected—y’know, so he could tell that kid the story—but Transformers: The Movie took a great risk at completely alienating its audience by killing off its most popular character. Prime’s death is also the main reason why the film has endured so long in pop culture.

Aside from the new characters and darker story elements, the film differed from the cartoon series by adding an eighties pop metal soundtrack along with composer Vince DiCola’s moody and atmospheric electronic score. Rock group Lion contributed a rock version of the “Transformers Theme,” while Stan Bush contributed two songs to the soundtrack, “Dare” and the iconic “The Touch,” which was unofficially Optimus Prime’s theme song until it was stolen by Dirk Diggler. Weird Al Yankovic also added his song “Dare To Be Stupid” to the meeting with Wreck-Gar (Eric Idle) and the Junkions. I’m not a huge metal fan, but the pure nostalgia for the film puts the soundtrack on a high pedestal for me as far as film soundtracks go.

I have never been impressed with Michael Bay’s Transformers films. The robot designs are too busy and Bay’s idea of characterization is offensive. The way Bay shoots the action makes it hard to follow what’s going on. It doesn’t help that aside from Prime and Bumblebee, all the robots look practically the same. About the only think Bay got right was recruiting Peter Cullen to voice Prime. So for me, 1986’s Transformers: The Movie is the best Transformers film out there and not just because of nostalgia. It gave depth to characters that were designed solely to sell toys. It also raised the stakes for those characters and reset their world to tell new and interesting stories. The film was also an upgrade from the TV show both visually and in scope. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s more than what critics have dismissed it as in the past. If you like mindless action, Bay’s films might be your thing, but if you care about the Transformers, then there can only be one film for you.

For more Transformers fun, including an alternate take on Optimus Prime’s resurrection, check out Dr. Smoov’s YouTube page, but beware, his videos are NSFW. I also suggest “S.O.S. Wheeljack” and “Shockwave’s Burden.”

Until next time, Bah-Weep-Graaaghnah Wheep Ni-Ni Bong!

20th Anniversary DVD Cover

Introducing: Dr. Beamo & Count Sugar Cain

Time to pull the veil of secrecy off the characters in Great Big World! I dabbled in cartooning in school and have dusted those skills off again to bring my characters to  life. We'll start with the villains of the piece, introduced in the Prologue that I posted a little while back: Dr. Beamo and Count Sugar Cain!

DR. BEAMO - Rogue scientist Dr. Beamo's most obvious physical characteristic is his rather large head. Be careful, though, that cranium holds a devious mind that could pave the way to Sugar Cain conquering the world.

COUNT SUGAR CAIN - He's a sorcerer, so that's what that yellow blob around his hand his. I went with a purple cloak because it felt more regal, while Sugar Cain's clothes help him blend into the forest where he...oh, I've said too much.

There's more to come, but I can't reveal ALL the characters, because then, well, you won't have to read the book.

Thanks for reading!

Batman: The Animated Series - The Dark Knight Defined

ORIGINAL POST (6/11/2014): As I preppped Great Big World for release I contributed some essays to the great nostalgia site, The Retroist. In celebration of Batman's 75th Anniversary, this one was about Batman: The Animated Series, arguably one of the greatest cartoons ever produced. In the essay, I detail my love of Batman and the show and make the argument that Batman: The Animated Series is the definitive Batman.

Head on over to The Retroist and take a look! You can also find my other Retroist Essays there too! If you still have to scratch that Batman itch, head on over to The Hodgepodge Podcast. Episode 32 was our celebration of Batman's 75th Birthday, while Episode 22 was our Cartoon Spectacular, where we covered Batman: The Animated Series. Take a listen!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, this essay is no longer on The Retroist site (hey, webspace costs money!). So, presented here is the full essay I wrote for them. Enjoy!

2014 marks the 75th Anniversary of Batman. This is the first of what I hope to be a series of essays celebrating the Dark Knight.

For as long as I can remember, Batman has been in my life. I see him every day in the scar I’ve had on my forehead since I was three-years-old—the result of losing a fight with the fireplace as I ran around the house pretending to be, you guessed it, Batman. Batman was so important to me growing up, that he made an appearance in a professional portrait photo my parents had taken of me when I was a little boy. I wouldn’t take the picture without my twelve-inch Batman with magnets on his hands for grappling on the refrigerator. When I discovered Star Wars though, Batman faded into the shadows for a little while. However, like the bat that haunts Bruce Wayne in The Dark Knight Returns, Batman was always lurking, waiting to reclaim his position at the top of my pop culture obsessions. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy definitely got him back to the top of the list, but there was another time when Batman returned to my life.

Like most people of my generation, I got caught up in the Bat-Mania that swept the nation in the wake of 1989’s Batman from Tim Burton. However, I became far more interested in my old friend after Burton’s second film, Batman Returns, hit theaters in 1992. In the fall of that year, the Fox Network launched a daring new animated program that debuted in primetime prior to taking its regularly scheduled timeslot on weekday afternoons.

The Batman

The show, produced by Warner Brothers Animation, was called Batman: The Animated Series and it would come to define not only Batman for a new generation, but all of DC Comics’ superheroes.

The show was the brainchild of legendary animator Bruce Timm and his producing partner, Eric Radomski, both of whom had worked on Tiny Toon Adventures together. They then pulled in other masterminds like writer-producers Paul Dini and Alan Burnett.

Fleischer’s Superman

The look of the show had a crime noir feel where Gotham existed in the modern world, but had a real art deco aesthetic that was akin to the Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940s—a major inspiration. It was unlike anything anyone had seen before as Timm and his team presented a dark and serious Batman without a hint of campiness. This was the Batman comic book fans had been longing for. The influence of Tim Burton’s Batman films was apparent as well, especially when it came to the Penguin and Catwoman. In the initial run of the show, Penguin was more dapper and erudite than Danny DeVito’s interpretation, but he still had the flippers. Catwoman, meanwhile, traded her traditional brunette locks for Michelle Pfeiffer’s blonde ones.

Joker, Catwoman, Penguin, and The Riddler - Batman’s most famous rogues

Aside from those quirks, The Animated Series presented Batman’s full world for a new generation. Not only did the show feature classic villains like Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman, it also delved deep into Batman’s rogues’ gallery and reimagined many of the villains, while introducing some to mainstream audiences for the very first time. Killer Croc, Man-Bat, Clayface—these are but a few of Batman’s villains who had the spotlight in The Animated Series.

Mr. Freeze - His origin tale, “Heart of Ice,” is one of the most celebrated episodes of the series

Mr. Freeze, who had been on the 60s TV show, but was little more than a joke, was reimagined as a tragic figure—a scientist ruined by one of his experiments as he tried to save his wife’s life. His cold, dead voice was as haunting as his origin was heartbreaking. He was a relatable villain, one whom the audience could almost root for.

Two Face - Harvey Dent was built up first as an ally of Batman and friend of Bruce Wayne, until he was horribly disfigured and his split personality emerged.

Fans who had only known Batman from television and film finally got a look at Two-Face. In the comics, Two-Face had been one of Batman’s key villains, but probably due to his grotesque appearance, he didn’t make the cut for the campy live-action show and hadn’t been introduced to mainstream audiences until The Animated Series. However, much like Tim Burton’s first Batman film, The Animated Series introduced Harvey Dent—Two-Face’s alter ego—first. Dent, Gotham’s District Attorney, was friends with Bruce Wayne, which made his ultimate transformation into Two-Face hit home for Batman. The audience got to know Dent over a couple of episodes, so they could come to care about him as he descended into madness.

Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter, Talia

Another important villain from the comics finally came to be known by mainstream audiences thanks to The Animated Series and some might say that despite the Joker’s longevity, this villain is Batman’s most formidable foe. I’m speaking, of course, of Ra's al Ghul. An eco-terrorist hell-bent on ridding the Earth of the disease called humanity, the near-immortal Ra's al Ghul learned Batman’s secret identity and matched wits with him on several occasions. Thanks to the mystical Lazarus Pits, Ra’s had lived for centuries and wanted Batman to become his successor. This honor also came with the hand of Ra’s daughter, Talia. If not for The Animated Series, Ra's al Ghul may not have found his way into Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins. He became one of my favorite villains, because as a storyteller, I could see all the potentially great stories he could be a part of. Ra's al Ghul greatly opened up Batman’s world outside of Gotham. Talia was just another layer of those stories. She was another femme fatale for Batman to tangle with, even though it was her goal for them to be together.

Harley Quinn - created for the show, in her original look

However, The Animated Series didn’t just reimagine old villains—it created new ones too. Harley Quinn, the Joker’s henchwoman and girlfriend (?) was dreamed up by Writer Paul Dini, while Bruce Timm created her look. Harley didn’t always work with Joker, though, branching out to have adventures with her best gal pal Poison Ivy. It was an interesting pairing and a lot of fun. Harley was so popular, she eventually made her way over to the “real” Batman comics, while her origin was told in a comic book by Dini and Timm called Mad Love. The book was eventually adapted for the show.

Speaking of adaptations, that’s what The Animated Series did best. Along with forging their own great stories, the writers also cherry-picked some of the best Batman stories from the comics and turned them into episodes. I wasn’t an avid collector of Batman comics, but I recognized some tales and side characters from the collections The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told and The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told. The producers of the show streamlined Batman’s history and got to the core of the character, defining him for generations to come.

I don’t know who this is.

Part of that definition came from the stellar voice cast assembled by Casting Director Andrea Romano. When she cast stage actor Kevin Conroy as Batman, she couldn’t have known she’d be casting the voice of Batman for the next 20+ years. No matter how great Christian Bale did in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films, Kevin Conroy is Batman. His Batman voice was quiet, but commanding and he played Bruce Wayne as a likable guy who knew his stuff, but couldn’t possibly be Batman. Conroy went on to play Batman in future cartoon series as well as video games and direct-to-video movies. His performance is so indelibly linked to the character that when people read Batman comics to this day, Conroy’s is the voice in their heads.

Mark Hamill’s voice work as the Joker made people forget about Luke Skywalker.

The villain castings were just as fantastic. The crown jewel was in getting Luke Skywalker to voice the Clown Prince of Crime. Mark Hamill’s Joker was just as defining as Conroy’s Batman. He was both funny and terrifying. While Heath Ledger’s Joker is probably the best live-action interpretation we’ll ever get of the character, like with Conroy, Hamill is the Joker. People couldn’t believe that the last of the Jedi Knights was also Batman’s arch nemesis and if you tell some people that fact today, they still can’t believe it.

Killer Croc and Harvey Bullock have an encounter; Penguin, Joker, and Two-Face ready to strike; Mr. Freeze demonstrates his namesake; Batman and Catwoman have a moment together

Paul Williams gave Penguin an air of sophistication, while Adrienne Barbeau imbued Catwoman with a slinky, sexy tone. The show really explored the complex relationship between Batman and Catwoman in a great way, perhaps best captured in the silent short, Chase Me. Richard Moll brought charm and madness to Harvey Dent/Two-Face and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was the steady hand of Alfred for the majority of the show’s run.

The tragic Clayface; Commissioner Gordon, Batman’s true partner in crimefighting; Gal pals Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn; Batgirl gets a lecture from Robin

Bob Hastings’ Commissioner Gordon introduced mainstream audiences to the true professional partnership the character shared with Batman—a relationship that had been severely underserved outside the comic books to that point—while Melissa Gilbert and Loren Lester took the Batgirl / Robin relationship to new levels—Tara Strong would play Batgirl later in the show’s run. Arleen Sorkin was responsible for bringing Harley Quinn to life, while Ron Perlman and John Glover gave voice to Clayface and the Riddler respectively. The cast was a who’s who of name actors all opting into what was essentially still a kids’ cartoon. It was far more than that, though. Between Conroy’s standout performance and the excellent writing, The Animated Series became the definitive Batman.

Batman Adventures Annual #1 - Cover by Bruce Timm

Like most cartoons, The Animated Series spawned its own comic book series, Batman Adventures. However, the stories found there were not “kiddie” Batman stories. Much like the show they were based on, the stories were mainly self-contained and didn’t shy away from serious storytelling. The art by, first, Mike Parobeck and, then, Ty Templeton was elegantly simple, evoking Timm’s style from the show. It was a greatly underrated comic series, but a nice accent to the show.

Many fans hold Mask of the Phantasm up as the greatest Batman film ever made. It’s hard to argue with that take.

The success of Batman: The Animated Series—it would become The Batman and Robin Adventures and The New Batman Adventures throughout its run—led to a renaissance for Warner Brothers Animation. No less than three movies were born of the show, including the theatrically-released Mask of the Phantasm.

The Timmverse or the DC Animated Universe including Superman, Batman Beyond, and Justice League

Batman: The Animated Series also extended to the world of video games with Rocksteady Studios’ popular Arkham games. Arkham City’s storyline was written by Paul Dini himself and constituted one of the greatest Batman stories ever told. Conroy and Hamill reprised their roles for both Arkham Asylum and Arkham City and Conroy will return again for 2015’s Arkham Knight.

For me, Batman: The Animated Series improved my understanding of Batman and kept him relevant in my mind. I fell in love with the writing on the show and the fantastic cast. All the episodes were mini Batman films, capturing the essence of the character far better than any of the live-action films until Christopher Nolan came along. I learned about villains I had only been vaguely aware of and came to know more about this hero I’d loved since I was a child than I’d ever known. Batman: The Animated Series taught me about Batman, and it’s a lesson I’ll never forget.

Arkham City - The best Batman video game. Don’t let anyone tell you any differently.

If you want to know more about Batman as well as The Animated Series and those who created it, check out Kevin Smith’s fantastic podcast, Fat Man on Batman. Also, check out Episode 32 of The Hodgepodge Podcast, which was devoted to Batman’s 75th Anniversary.

Classic.

The Uncanny X-Men: The Rise of the Mutants

ORIGINAL POST (5/28/2014): As I preppped Great Big World for release I contributed some essays to the great nostalgia site, The Retroist. This one centers on my love of The Uncanny X-Men and how I became a fan many, many years ago. You can read the essay here, and then check out all the other great stuff The Retroist has to offer.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, this essay is no longer on The Retroist site (hey, webspace costs money!). So, presented here is the full essay I wrote for them. Enjoy!

Uncanny X-Men #227 - Written by Chris Claremont / Art by Marc Silvestri and Dan Green

The year was 1987 and I was becoming a junkie—a comic book junkie. I had gotten a little taste with Star Wars comics and was a regular reader of G.I. Joe, but in 1987, my friend Brian got me hooked on the hard stuff. Brian re-introduced me to my old friend Spider-Man, who was wearing a black costume and in the fight of his life against a hunter named Kraven.

Web of Spider-Man #32 - One of Spidey’s darkest tales

Spidey wasn’t enough, though. I had to go and seek out a bigger high.

A name stuck out to me from the various ads that I found in my G.I. Joe books: X-Men. I vaguely recalled the name from the cartoon, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends from the early 80’s. Another name from those same advertisements—as well as Spidey’s cartoon—simmered in my mind: Wolverine. I had definitely seen him on various covers and such. He had a cool look. His mask was almost like Batman’s and his claws that sprang out of the back of his hands were nothing to sneeze at. He looked pretty bad ass.

One Friday night, I was at the Echelon Mall in Voorhees, NJ with my dad. Every week he’d take me over to the mall for my weekly comic book fix. It’s one of my enduring memories of my father, as we bonded a lot on those short trips. On this particular October night, I saw two books with X-MEN emblazoned on their covers. One was called The Uncanny X-Men—number 226—and had a grinning villain hovering over eight individuals being shocked so that their skeletons were showing.

Uncanny X-Men #226 - Part 2 of Fall of the Mutants

Across the top, above the title, were the words, “Fall of the Mutants.” That name rang a bell. I’d recalled seeing ads for the storyline in one of my other comics.

An ad for Fall of the Mutants - Art by Alan Davis

In the ad art, Wolverine was at the front of a long line of bodies stretching out toward the horizon—it looked pretty cool. I snapped the issue up, noting that it was a “Double-Sized Issue”—more bang for the buck! The other X-Men comic was Classic X-Men #18 and had another villain—this one in purple and red—with the X-Men literally in his clutches. I picked that one up too. I was about to head down the rabbit hole.

Classic X-Men #18 - Reprinting X-Men #112 by Claremont, Byrne, and Austin / Cover by Art Adams

I can’t recall which issue I read first when I got home, but I’ll never forget that first full-page image at the start of Uncanny #226.

Wolverine’s struggle summed up in one perfect page.

There was Wolverine, sans mask, lying on a pile of rubble, broken, battered, and torn to shreds. What an image for a first-timer to encounter—the hero at his lowest. The descriptive narration detailing how Wolverine’s body was knitting itself back together was horrific and mesmerizing at the same time. It was a striking introduction to the character that would quickly become my favorite comic book hero. I remember really enjoying the issue written by legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont with art from burgeoning superstar Marc Silvestri. However, I was reading part two of a three-part story, so a lot of it didn’t make total sense. The other book was a reprint of—as I learned later—the All-New X-Men’s second meeting with their arch-nemesis, Magneto.

Classic X-Men #1 - cover by Art Adams

NOTE for the uninitiated: The original X-Men were: Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Beast, and Angel, while the All-New X-Men were: Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Banshee, and—for this story—Beast and Phoenix—formerly Marvel Girl.

Written by Claremont with art by seminal artist John Byrne, the issue was the first of a two-parter that documented Magneto’s wicked revenge against the X-Men. It was a great story and gave me a nice jumping on point with Classic X-Men to learn more of the team’s history, because I was completely hooked.

However, in the case of Classic X-Men #18, there was more to the story as to how the team ended up face-to-face with Magneto at the start of the issue, while Uncanny #226 was literally in the middle of the Fall of the Mutants storyline. I had to find previous issues, but where? The comic book shop at the mall generally handled only that month’s titles and the X-Men were too popular to end up in their meager back issue inventory. I was too much of a neophyte collector to know about the stores completely dedicated to the hobby of collecting comics, so I had nowhere to turn. Then, it hit me: the book store. In my short time collecting comics, I had learned that the book stores at the mall—B. Dalton and Waldenbooks—were always a month behind the comic book shop. As soon as I could, I headed to B. Dalton’s comic book rack in search of Uncanny X-Men #225 and Classic X-Men #17. I was lucky enough to find them both.

Uncanny X-Men #225 - Part 1 of Fall of the Mutants

Silvestri’s cover for Uncanny #225 was also tagged with the Fall of the Mutants logo and had a standard face-off pose between the X-Men and their foes, Freedom Force. Classic #17, though, had a savage—and hirsute—Wolverine chained to a wooden wall covered in posters touting the other X-Men as performers in a carnival show.

Classic X-Men #17 - Reprinting X-Men #111 - Cover by John Bogdanove & Terry Austin

Though the cover to Classic #17 was drawn by Jon Bogdanove and Terry Austin, most of the early Classic X-Men covers were drawn by Arthur Adams, who also drew what would become my favorite poster of Wolverine. I was sold—the X-Men were my new obsession.

The definitive Wolverine image by Art Adams

Fall of the Mutants was a fascinating story for a new X-Men reader. There was a whole lot more to the story—X-Men was serial storytelling at its best—but for the time being, I was locked into the three issues that made up the core story.

Splash page for Uncanny X-Men #225

#225 introduced me to Colossus, an artist who had recently been released from the hospital. I learned he was having trouble controlling his powers—Colossus can transmute his skin into organic steel, giving him super-strength and invulnerability. Through Colossus, the whole gist of the X-Men is laid out. They are Mutants, born with extraordinary abilities that make the population at large mistrust them, despite how many times the team has done good. He meets a mysterious woman, Roma, who draws him into a celestial battle against the Trickster—later they would call him simply, the Adversary—an ancient demon who thrives on chaos. Apparently, the two people who can stop him are the X-Men’s leader, Storm, and her lover, Forge, but the Adversary has taken them out of play. Colossus contacts his sister, Illyana, and she agrees to teleport him to the X-Men.

So, the story shifts to Dallas, where the remaining X-Men hunt for Storm at Forge’s headquarters. The reader is introduced to every member of the team. Rogue has flight and strength—her ability to absorb powers wasn’t revealed to me until later in the story. Wolverine—acting leader of the team—has his claws, healing ability, and enhanced senses. Longshot’s lucky. Dazzler and Havok can fire lasers or energy from their hands. Psylocke is a telepath. In two quick pages, Claremont gave me a rudimentary understanding of seven characters so that I could continue the story and not be totally lost. He was a master at that—weaving the general descriptions of the characters into the narrative over and over again so that new readers always had an opportunity to jump onboard.

Fall of the Mutants presented an X-Men world turned upside down. With the government super team Freedom Force, villains were the good guys, and the X-Men were seen as outlaws.

Some panels from Uncanny X-Men #226

By the end of the story, which I won’t spoil here for those who haven’t read it, the X-Men were seen around the world as not only heroes, but legends. It was an exciting story to start with, especially since it had such major ramifications for the team and completely reset their status quo for the next few years.

From Uncanny X-Men #227 – the X-Men go to work.

It was a great time to hop onboard the title. Eventually, I would backtrack to get the whole story leading up to Fall of the Mutants—all of which is available in Volume 1 of the trade paperback collection—and I came across Uncanny X-Men #222, which quickly became my favorite cover in a long line of great covers from Silvestri and inker Dan Green.

Uncanny X-Men #222

It was a simple cover, but said so much as Wolverine faced off against his nemesis, Sabretooth. That cover was so great, I had an airbrush artist turn it into a shirt for me in sixth grade.

However, what of the other issue I picked up that fateful Friday in October? Classic X-Men #18 showed me that the X-Men’s past adventures could be just as exciting as their present day ones. The conclusion of the Magneto story in #19 was thrilling as by the end, the only two X-Men left alive—as far as the reader was concerned—were Phoenix and Beast. I snapped up as many issues of that series as I could, buying anything that had X-Men on the cover. This obsession also led me to pick up another book that had Fall of the Mutants splashed all over it: X-Factor.

X-Factor #25 - Written by Louise Simonson / Art by Walter Simonson & Bob Wiacek

I could see from the covers that X-Factor featured Cyclops and a woman who looked like Phoenix and I found out as I read X-Factor #25 that she was indeed Jean Grey. Beast was human again, but getting less intelligent the more he used his super-strength and the final member of X-Factor was an old friend from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends: Iceman. I was also introduced to a fantastic villain in Apocalypse as well as former X-Factor ally, Angel, whom Apocalypse had transformed into the metal-winged Archangel, his horseman of Death—the X-Factor end of Fall of the Mutants is collected in the Volume 2 trade paperback. I didn’t like the art as much in X-Factor as in Uncanny X-Men, but the story was good. Apocalypse was obsessed with survival of the fittest and mutant supremacy. I’m pleased that he was one of the first X-Men villains I was introduced to now that he’s about to get his big screen moment in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse.

I began following Uncanny X-Men and X-Factor religiously—though I never really got into The New Mutants, go figure—but the X-Men clearly held more sway over me than Cyclops’ crew - a testament to Chris Claremont’s fantastic writing and character work. I was fully addicted.

Uncanny X-Men #240 - Part 1 of Inferno - From Claremont, Silvestri, and Green

By the time the fall of 1988 rolled around with the latest Mutant Crossover, Inferno, I was an X-Men Expert, but that’s another essay.

The story had been called Fall of the Mutants, but it represented the Rise of the Mutants in my consciousness. The X-Men, and especially Wolverine, solidified themselves as my favorite comic book characters and it’s a position they’ve yet to relinquish.

A panel from Uncanny X-Men #227

Great Big World Update and the Decision to Self-Publish

As you’ve no doubt noticed, spring is unofficially over and there has been no announcement as to when Great Big World will be available. Unfortunately, the book has been slightly delayed. Sometimes real life gets in the way and unravels our well-laid plans. Not to fear, though, I’m shooting for a release sometime this summer as the final plans are put in place—early fall at the latest. I’ll be posting some character cartoons I’m whipping up as well as some other little teasers in the ramp up to the release, which will initially be digital only before moving to print copies.

Hey, that’s how self-publishing goes. There are several little problems you can encounter that can seriously alter your plans. So why did I choose this path? Freedom, mostly. By self-publishing, my novels can be whatever I want them to be. I can tell the stories I’m passionate about without a publisher telling me to change this or that to make the work more “marketable.”

The other reason I chose to self-publish is because life’s too short. I didn’t want to waste a year or more of my life shopping my book around to literary agents who were disinterested because it’s not exactly like what’s selling right now. I did actually send it out to a sampling of agents and received several polite, but form letter responses. So, that was enough for me to determine I wasn’t going to waste my time when I should be writing. I have confidence that the book is good and I don’t need the gatekeepers of a shifting—some would say dying—industry snubbing me as they cling to relevance.

I realized that while financial success would be nice—if I was lucky enough to score a fat contract in the first place—I really just wanted to get the work out to readers. And if I want to write Great Big World and then shift over to the more adult Maxim Ultra and back again, I can. There won’t be a lawyer or editor hovering over me telling me to stick to my contract. Unless a book is a runaway hit, a lot of authors end up doing all their own promotion anyway, so why not do that with the freedom to do it my way? I don’t need an editor, thanks to the fantastic writing group I work with, so if I have editing and marketing covered, what do I need a publisher for? Of course, a publisher has a much longer reach than a single person, but you only gain the benefit of that reach if you’re one of “the chosen.” It’s maddening, but if a publisher wants to come along and offer me a distribution deal, I’m all ears.

So, that’s why I’ve chosen to self-publish. It will bring me the freedom I desire to steer my writing career where I want it to go, but it’s definitely exhausting work.

Thanks for reading!

Still tinkerin'...

Star Wars Struck First: My History with the Galaxy Far, Far Away

ORIGINAL POST (5/19/2014)
As I preppped Great Big World for release I contributed some essays to the great nostalgia site, The Retroist. This one is about Star Wars and its impact on my life.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, this essay is no longer on The Retroist site (hey, webspace costs money!). So, presented here is the full essay I wrote for them. Enjoy!

Some people have strong ethnic or cultural ties, others have religion. I had Star Wars. Sure, I’m not as devout as I used to be, but the latest news out of Lucasfilm—and Disney—has stirred my interest once again.

A stone cold classic.

The first Star Wars film was released the year after I was born, so I never got to see it in theaters originally. My introduction to Star Wars came in the form of a VCR and a—possibly bootlegged—VHS tape. I say “possibly bootlegged,” because from what I understand today, Lucasfilm didn’t release the Original Trilogy for sale until long after I’d begun my association with the Galaxy Far, Far Away. The minute I watched the first film, it was like a supernova exploding in my consciousness. The movie was beyond thrilling with its space battles, menacing villains, and likable collection of heroes. Its themes of good versus evil resonated with a boy who was developing a strong sense of justice.   I became instantly consumed with everything Star Wars. Any artifact, toy, clothing, or bed sheets I could get my hands on with the Star Wars logo was a treasure to me. The toys especially were a gateway into my imagination as I continued the adventures of Luke, Han, Leia and their friends. My favorite toy in the arsenal was the Millennium Falcon. By the end of my childhood, it looked just as rundown and beat up as it had in the films.

“She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts.” 

I remember coming home from preschool every day, popping the cassette into the VCR, and watching Star Wars as I ate my lunch. Some people boast, with no shortage of hyperbole, that they’ve seen some movies hundreds of times, but I can say with all honesty that I’ve seen Star Wars over a hundred times. Hell, I even learned to read with a Star Wars Mix and Match book. I flat out loved Star Wars.

When I was very young, my main interest was superheroes. I loved the old Batman reruns, Spider-Man, and called my walk-in closet my “Superman Telephone Booth.” That all fell away with the introduction of Star Wars into my life. Oh sure, I still loved the superheroes—still do to this day—but nothing shaped my life like Star Wars did. It ignited my interest in sci-fi and fantasy. Every sentence I write of the current novel I’m working on, I can thank Star Wars for sparking the inspiration in my mind. As a boy, I looked more like Luke Skywalker with my dark blond hair, but I always wanted to be Han Solo and often was him when playing outside with my friends. To me, and thousands of other kids, Han was the absolute coolest guy in the galaxy—the rogue with a heart of gold. He paved his own path in life and didn’t bow down to anyone, but always did the right thing when the chips were down. Because of Han Solo, I developed an affinity for vests and blue jackets, like the one he wore in Empire Strikes Back and Harrison Ford became a major hero to me.

Han & Chewie - The baddest duo in the galaxy. (Harrison Ford & Peter Mayhew)

I also seemed to gravitate to tall guys as friends—Chewbacca, anyone? And there’s no question in my mind that Princess Leia is the sole reason why I’ve been consistently drawn to brunette women with brown eyes. Yes, Princess Leia literally shaped my romantic desires—for life. That’s how profound an effect Star Wars had on me.

The late, great Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.

However, no matter how much I loved the original film, it paled in comparison to The Empire Strikes Back, my favorite movie of all time.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - AKA, the Greatest Movie Ever

If I recall correctly, it had to be the first movie I ever saw at the movie theater. My dad took me to see it twice. The first time my oldest sister came along and the second it was just me and Dad. He wasn’t the biggest Star Wars fan, but he liked it because I liked it. We had the Making of Star Wars VHS tape at home and I watched it over and over again, mainly because at the end they played the trailer for The Empire Strikes Back. I loved everything about the film, even if the Yoda portions made me a little antsy in the theater. It had everything: action, adventure, romance, comedy—you name it, it’s in there. I loved the sci-fi look of Cloud City—the one environment in the Original Trilogy that actually felt like real science fiction to me—as well as the color palette of the entire film.

The famous lightsaber duel on Cloud City. (Mark Hamill & David Prowse)

Everything had this cool tint to it—very sci-fi—which juxtaposed nicely with the warm sunrise and sunset of Cloud City. I mentioned Han’s blue jacket, which I thought was way cooler than his black vest in Star Wars, and Bespin Han Solo quickly became my favorite action figure. And better than that, my favorite character was scoring with the Princess! Even my prepubescent mind could grasp that that was very cool. Yoda was adorable and wise at the same time and the lightsaber duel at the end of the movie was ominous and filled with great, iconic film frames. Some of those frames were collected in the three series of trading cards Topps released to promote the film. The sets were differentiated by color—red, blue, and green. Most of the cards I managed to collect were in the blue set, but for me, it was thrilling to own a piece of this film that had such a profound effect on me. It was like having little snapshots of the film that I could look at whenever I wanted.

Of course, the reason I had to look at the cards so much was because it was impossible to get Empire on home release at the time. Lucas put the VHS out for rental, but in order to buy it, the price was something ridiculous like $98. After having Star Wars on tape for so long and watching it to death, I had to have Empire Strikes Back. Then, a ray of light appeared. In the early eighties, my father purchased one of the first laserdisc players when they were released. He bought a bunch of films like Blues Brothers and Smokey and the Bandit. When Empire was finally made available commercially in 1984-85, we bought the laserdisc, which was cheaper than the VHS for some reason. It was annoying to have to flip the disc over halfway through the movie, but I was finally able to watch Empire Strikes Back whenever I wanted.

The greatest twist in Hollywood? Probably.

Now, as a little kid, I automatically assumed that Darth Vader was lying to Luke when he made his big revelation—apparently, I’m in good company, James Earl Jones thought the same thing—but I didn’t even mind the cliffhanger ending. To me, even as a child, it was significant that the bad guys had won. It made the movie more meaningful as a whole. It also made me totally impatient for the next chapter in the saga. Luckily, I had Bantha Tracks, the Official Star Wars Fan Club Newsletter, to keep me up to date on the production, all the way back when it was known as Revenge of the Jedi or by its codename, Blue Harvest.

Carrie Fisher & Mark Hamill in Return of the Jedi (1983)

I can’t remember if I saw Return of the Jedi on opening night, but it was very early in its run if not opening night. While Empire was mainly a thing for me and my dad, when we went to see Jedi, the whole family went—the only time I can remember that happening. My mother, not usually a sci-fi fan, loved Jabba and wondered why Darth Vader wasn’t James Earl Jones when Luke took off his mask.

Jabba the Hutt in charge.

Return of the Jedi was an event. It was the conclusion of the Star Wars Trilogy and in that, a little bittersweet. I remember enjoying Jedi, but ultimately feeling like it hadn’t lived up to the previous two movies. I took in a second viewing when I visited my grandmother that summer and recall being really bored during the scenes with the Ewoks, so take that for what it’s worth, Mr. Lucas—they should have been Wookies! I will say that Return of the Jedi, to this day, still has the greatest space battle ever committed to film in the assault on the second Death Star. When you realize that that scene was created with all models and blue screen, it makes it even more impressive considering all the CGI effects artists have at their fingertips these days.

STILL the greatest space battle on film.

I remember still collecting the trading cards and toys—less cards this time, while way more toys seemed to be released for Jedi—but there was a sense that Star Wars was starting to wind down. I followed the Marvel comic books at the time and liked some of the post-Jedi adventures they were putting out there, but nothing really felt like true Star Wars in those comics. Even as a little kid, I felt like they were just aping what was in the movies and just rearranging it. Soon, I was swept up in G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Nintendo too much to realize that Star Wars had faded away. I still loved the three films, but they didn’t consume my life anymore.

Then, in the summer of 1991, I was making one of my weekly trips to the mall with my dad to pick up some comic books. We stopped in Waldenbooks and I saw a blue cover for a hardcover book with some familiar faces staring back at me.

Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn

The book was Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire, the first novel in what would become a new trilogy of post-Return of the Jedi adventures and launch the Star Wars Expanded Universe in earnest. I remember I didn’t buy Heir the first time I saw it. I waited, making sure it wasn’t a mirage and was a real going concern. However, when I finally did begin reading Zahn’s books, I devoured them, reading late into the night, pulse-pounding with the action that played out in my mind’s eye. Unlike the Marvel comics, this felt like Star Wars—I could practically hear John Williams’ iconic score as I turned each page.

Zahn introduced great, lasting characters that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the original gang. Mara Jade was a worthy opponent for Luke before becoming much more to him. Talon Karrde was another fine addition to the long line of Star Wars scoundrels. But the crown jewel of Zahn’s new characters was the main villain of the piece: Grand Admiral Thrawn, a tactical genius and appreciator of art.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn was a coldly terrifying villain that made readers truly worry about the fates of Luke, Han, and Leia. Also introduced in the Zahn trilogy were Han and Leia’s newborn twins, Jacen and Jaina, who would go onto lead lives of great importance in the Expanded Universe.

More books followed after Zahn’s trilogy. Some were better than others. To be honest, I didn’t read all of them. Some of the ones I read after Heir to the Empire just didn’t measure up, like Lucas’ disappointing Shadows of the Empire project that covered the time between Empire and Jedi.

The full cover to Shadows of the Empire

There was a novel, comic book, video game, toys—everything but a movie. Generally, it was a weak story with a decent villain in Prince Xizor. Because Han Solo was still encased in carbonite for the duration of this story, fans were introduced to Dash Rendar, or Han Solo-lite. Some people may have liked this detour, but I liked the idea of it more than the execution. That was the case for many of the novels. My frustration with the stories being told led me to attempt to write my own Star Wars novels in college. However, when I found out Lucasfilm offered those jobs to authors and one couldn’t really apply, I cannibalized the ideas for an original project that I’ve still yet to tackle.

As I moved on from high school, Kenner released a new line of Star Wars toys that proved to be as popular as the previous incarnations back when the movies were being released. My best friend from childhood, Josh, and I hunted the figures down like we were bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader himself. I remember Josh calling me one day to tell me he’d found the elusive Boba Fett figure at a K Mart or someplace like that.

Boba Fett - He was so much cooler before the Prequels.

He reported, “I hid it behind the Yahtzee. Nobody looks behind the Yahtzee.” Sure enough, when we arrived back at the scene of the crime, Mr. Fett was chilling behind the Yahtzee waiting for me. I remember paying exorbitant prices at my local comic book shop for the rarer figures with each new wave of specialty figures that was released. It was a sickness, and I didn’t want the cure. Star Wars was back in my life and it was great.

The toys carried through to the Shadows of the Empire thing, but they were really gearing fans up for George Lucas’ 1997 re-release—and re-tinkering—of the Original Trilogy to theaters with what he called The Special Editions.

The fantastic re-release poster for Star Wars by Drew Struzan.

For Star Wars and Empire, I was there opening night and saw them both twice. Jedi I saw once and like I was having a flashback to my childhood, was bored out of my mind during most of it. Star Wars was incredible to see on the big screen after having only seen it through a television set. For the culture, Star Wars was back in a big way. I remember the prognosticators being stunned when both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back—20-year-old films—won the box office on multiple weeks. Lucas had made additions to all the movies—some good, some atrocious—and used their release to bankroll what was coming next.

The lead up to the Star Wars Prequels was an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. Lucasfilm had done a great job priming the pump with the toy relaunch, the Special Editions, and the growing Expanded Universe. Josh and I roomed together at Rutgers University and would spend endless hours discussing what we expected from the new films. I devoured every bit of news I could get my hands on, scouring the Internet for any tidbit I could find. I watched the fan-made trailers and then when the announcement came down that a teaser trailer would be attached to Meet Joe Black and The Waterboy in November of 1998, Josh and I headed to the theater to see The Waterboy. Say what you want about George Lucas these days, but the man can cut a trailer. The teaser trailer for The Phantom Menace was light on plot details and heavy on the imagery, which was mind-blowing. By combining the coolest images with John Williams’ score from the original movies, Lucas sucked audiences in.

Darth Maul (Ray Park) - What a trailer! Too bad the films never measured up.

The unveiling of Darth Maul’s double-sided lightsaber was just the nail in the coffin: everyone was pumped for The Phantom Menace. Then…a second trailer debuted in the spring of 1999. This one had some more dialogue and a bit more plot and I started getting nervous. My friends and I purchased our midnight showing tickets for May 19, 1999, the same day as my college graduation was to take place. Yes, I missed my college graduation for Star Wars—I actually missed it for other, more important, reasons that I won’t delve into here, but Star Wars was one of them.

I’m not going to dwell on the Prequels, because this essay is supposed to be about how I love Star Wars, not what I hate about it. I will say that I gave the Prequels a chance, I really did. There were definitely elements of each that I thought were good, but for the most part, the whole trilogy is a complete mess. I tried to convince myself that they were good, but with each subsequent viewing, they just got worse and worse. The only salvageable thing from The Phantom Menace is the lightsaber duel, but as Mr. Plinkett from Red Letter Media points out, what the heck were those guys even fighting about? All three films were just horribly written disasters that demonstrated the problems that crop up when a director—in this case, George Lucas—has complete and total control over a project. Lucas had surrounded himself with yes men and the Prequels were the result. With no one to challenge him—like Star Wars and Empire producer Gary Kurtz—and say, “Maybe Jar Jar isn’t such a good idea,” the films suffered. And in all honesty, Jar Jar is not the most glaring problem with those films, because he barely shows up in Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith. I will say this for Lucas, he suckered me every time with the great trailers he cut for those turds. Maybe it was my love of the Original Trilogy that gave me such optimism in the face of such inept products.

For me, Revenge of the Sith was the final straw. I became completely disillusioned with Star Wars and the disaster that was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull made it even worse, but that’s another essay.

Cover to the final Legacy of the Force novel.

I did read the Legacy of the Force series of novels that traced Jacen Solo’s arc from hero to Sith Lord, which was great, but I took little interest in the Clone Wars cartoon, even though I heard pretty good things about it. I just couldn’t trust Lucas anymore.

Then, in October of 2012 came the news: Disney was buying Lucasfilm and there would be sequels to Return of the Jedi. For decades, Lucas denied ever saying that there were supposed to be nine Star Wars episodes as opposed to the six we had at the end of the Prequels, despite Mark Hamill himself telling the story of how Lucas informed him he would need Hamill to play Luke again thirty years later. All that was past, though, there would be an Episode VII. I immediately thought that Hamill would be involved for sure. It looked like the story he’d been telling for years was true. But what about Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford? Fisher would more than likely reprise her role of Princess Leia, but what of Ford? In the past he’d always kept his distance from Han Solo, sometimes outright disparaging the character in favor of Indiana Jones. In more recent interviews, Ford seemed to warm to the idea of returning to Han Solo, even though he’d lobbied for the character to die in Return of the Jedi. Rumors flew about that the three principals would be back, but there was no official confirmation—until now.

Table read of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

On April 29, 2014, Lucasfilm and Disney revealed the principal cast for Star Wars Episode VII. All the original actors from the first film—including 3PO, R2, and Chewie—will be back alongside a cast of new characters that will more than likely carry us through Episode VIII and IX. Unfortunately, Billy Dee Williams won’t be back as Lando, or at least as of yet, anything could change. Director J.J. Abrams is at the helm along with Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan on the script. Kasdan is an excellent choice, but Abrams leaves me a little uneasy. I have not been a fan of his new Star Trek films and I felt that Super 8 was a little too much of an E.T./Cloverfield mash-up. However, there’s no denying that his Star Trek movies feel more like Star Wars, so he might just be up to the task.

Despite how much George Lucas hurt me with the Prequels, I can’t help finding myself excited for these new films. Admittedly, it’s a cautious excitement—Star Wars was tarnished badly by the Prequels. And I’m not terribly happy to hear that Disney is keen on spinoff films to pump Star Wars titles out once a year. To me, that sounds a lot like milking the property dry. However, Marvel Studios has a bunch of films lined up covering a diverse array of characters—why can’t Star Wars do that? I for one would love to see a Pixar/Star Wars film with the original cast as voice actors in the near future. The Expanded Universe has been swept away as canon in order to allow the new stewards of the franchise to move forward without being beholden to stories already written. It’s a little crappy for those who have cherished those stories, but I can understand the move. Besides, the old stories will always be there to revisit whenever fans feel like it.

Like with the run up to the Prequels, it’s an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan. My mind is definitely churning with all the possibilities of this new cast, but it’s not as fever-pitched as it was prior to The Phantom Menace—nobody wants a major letdown like that again. I’m just happy I’m going to get to see the heroes of my childhood get one last shot at Star Wars glory. I’ve heard naysayers bring up Indiana Jones 4 as evidence why Harrison Ford shouldn’t be involved with Episode VII or any of the original cast for that matter. I call bullshit on that logic. Harrison Ford wasn’t the problem with Indy 4—it was the shoddy, patchwork script. As long as the Episode VII script is squared away, fans shouldn’t be disappointed. If nothing else, it’ll be interesting. As with the Expanded Universe, we’ll always have the Original Trilogy to go back to the “real” Star Wars, but I’m hoping Episodes VII, VIII, and IX are worthy successors to that legacy.

Yes, people have their ethnic and cultural ties and others have their religion, but not me. Why? Because Star Wars struck first.