George Lucas Strikes Back

This is great interview with George Lucas. It asks questions I've wanted to know for years, and reveals things that I never would have imagined.

For us thirty and forty somethings, Lucas was the childhood game changer. Although he didn't really help any us get laid (except for that brief period in the early 90's when SW was the epitome of self-referential cool,) he certainly provided the template by which we would determine what attitudes and behaviors were acceptable of any right-minded young man. He changed the way we absorbed visual information while at the same time providing us with characters and themes of multigenerational appeal. George Lucas belongs and will be on any respectable list of the great 20th Century innovators.

Now he's coming forward with his thoughts and feelings, and announcing his semi-retirement. See, he's not so much retiring as intentionally fading into obscurity. Art films, he says.

Go for it, I says.

After "Red Tails" Lucas intends to make the types of obscure films that landed him so much attention in the first place, and it's about time. People forget what an innovative cat this guy is, like it's his fault cinematic storytelling hasn't changed much since 1977. It's unfortunate that he feels like he has to make a big announcement, instead of just doing like Spielberg and making whatever kinds of films he wants, whenever he wants, but then George was always a different animal. It could be that is exactly his plan; a couple of sleepers, then a Spielberg approved sequel to Close Encounters of The Third Kind.

I hope that's what happens, or something along those lines. I hope the guy has nothing but fun making his movies from now on, whatever type of movies they need be. I look forward to another tribute, another dystopia, maybe even a comedy or two. And the weirdness... oh, the awesome George Lucas weirdness!

George Lucas is a national treasure. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

My 2012 Comic Book Pull List

With the new year comes the realization that I shelled out for entirely too many mediocre floppies during the biggest event in comics publishing history, so it's time to trim the pull list!

Naturally, I'll start with DC, the main siphon of cash over the past four months. I'll admit, I am for the most part enjoying the relaunch, although I'd really appreciate it if they stop depicting all of the supporting female characters awkwardly copulating with second and third string anti-heros. Here's what I'm sticking with, in no particular order:

Demon Knights- The biggest surprise, I never liked the character before, and still kind of don't, but the supporting casting and setting are brilliant.

Resurrection Man- Another surprise, again with the cool premise and supporting cast.

Frankenstein and The Agents of Shade- A retro-trippy delight. So far so good.

Bat-Man- I wish I could hold off on it for a few years until collectors start dumping, but it's just too much fun. The most "Bat-Man" of the current Bat-books.

Action Comics- Morrison back on Supes is a no-brainer, even though an issue costs four bucks (!) When Morrison goes, so do I.

Swamp Thing- Finally! Something happened! I was afraid I was going to have to drop this book. Nobody wants to NOT like The Swamp Thing, right?

Red Hood- I know what you're thinking, but Roccofort is great, even if the story isn't. It will probably get dropped as soon as he leaves.

Wonder Woman- Not bad. The new origin story might make a warlike Diana more acceptable. One thing I do not like, however, is the return of the hot pants. The revised costume from last year took a while to grow on me, but it did. It was great. WW's traditional costume now seems like a cop-out.

Aqua Man- A fun initial story arc. It looks like Geoff Johns really gets the characters and mythology.

and finally,

Justice League- A really fun team book created by industry superstars. Hopefully we'll get more flashbacks in the future.

Mr. terrific would've made the list if they hadn't tried to totally re-invent the character. Karen Starr is the only reason any one picks it up. This is about half the titles I was collecting during the intial launch. Of all the publishers I collect, DC is the one really on the chopping block.

Most people I know who read comics read DC, whereas most people I know who like comics, but don't actually read them, like Marvel. After DC's impressive re-tooling, with it's emphasis on exposition, it's getting tougher to make it through Marvel's offerings. They edit their stories to accommodate the eventual graphic novel, so why bother with their monthlies? Plus, they continue to deluge us with messy crossover story lines that at this stage in the game are only succeeding at turning me off. Here's what Marvel I can stick with:

Amazing Spider-Man- Peter Parker is another icon whom I feel is getting waaay too much tail these days, something which will no doubt occur again now that Carly Cooper has dumped him. At least Marvel is still willing to keep the sex pg-13. I like the decent mix of new and old characters, a universe within a universe. This book has a life of it's own, and is one of the few that I have subscribed to for years.

Venom- I can hardly believe they were able to re-invent the character so well, and the story hasn't slowed down one bit. This is the best new Marvel comic in years.

I'm giving up on Avengers Academy, since I don't follow any other avengers books and I have no idea what is going on from issue to issue. To be honest, I only picked it up because Tigra is a personal favorite, however I grew to enjoy the young cast. That said, it doesn't make any sense that Tigra is teaching children, since she is a femme fatale who wears almost no clothing. This nonsense might work for me if Marvel could write an energetic, concise story. This problem plagues all of their team books. Overall, Mighty Marvel is looking kind of clunky these days.

There are two Dark Horse publications that I can't give up, ever:

Hell Boy- discussing this books greatness is redundant.

GANTZ- The only manga on my list, this provocative sci-fi actioner is over forty volumes and still publishing in Japan (we're on volume 20 in the states.) I can't imagine this story ever getting boring.

As for the rest of the comic book publishers, I will just mention the few titles that I still regularly enjoy. They are:

Red Sonja- Showing improvement

Queen Sonja- Yes, I am that big of a fan.

Dejah Thoris- I actually like this better than the series it's based on.

I was disappointed in Vampirella, but at least there's Guns and Dinos to look forward to. Indies aren't doing much for me these days.


That's a healthy list, by any non-comics reading persons standards, and that's where I'm going with this hobby for now. Obviously, I'm not purchasing a copy of GANTZ out in public, and there will always be one or two faves worth subscribing to, but buying floppies in the era of graphic novels is becoming a luxury. So, with the intention of pairing back the frivolous purchases even further, the biggest change to my comics buying habits will be a new policy of visiting the shop only once per month. As I continue to accept the fate of the floppies, I will go from needing a weekly fix to enjoying a monthly feast of moronic entertainment.

Congratz to DC for becoming the new biggest publisher overnight.

The 'Zen Was Here

Terra Nova in retrospect

Terra Nova wraps up what is probably it's only season, which is a bummer because the show is actually not half bad. Sometimes slow, sometimes cheesy, at least it always had it's high concept and good production values. With it Amblin delivers another solid sci-fi series that the marketing department at FOX had no idea what to do with. I'm not saying Terra Nova was another Firefly, just that it was better than the way it was presented to us.

While some people complain about Terra Nova's snails pace and cheezy dinosaur effects, the only complaint I had was the world series disrupting it's broadcast schedule. As with all other science fiction on FOX, Terra Nova got bounced around to much, airing on Monday most of the time, but also airing on the occasional weekend or other preemption date. All of these shows were at least good, if not better than average sci-fi adventure series that got handed to a programming philosophy that defies what the genre is all about; in other words, they move these shows to help them find their audience, when it reality these are the types of shows that the audience needs to find.

It's audience will find Terra Nova on it's second run as on-demand content. I might even suggest that Terra Nova will also be continued in a series of paperback novels, if it weren't for the fact that it's not 1989 anymore. Hopefully we have not seen the last of the show, which ever way it returns.

The George Lucas Hate

Okay, initially, this made me taste my own bile. Why? Because I'm an old school fan, just like you are. Then a funny thing happened, and the realization dawned on me that I'm actually probably an older schooler fanner than you are, and THAT is why I'm okay with YET ANOTHER CHANGE TO STAR WARS.

"Funny Thing" you ask? Not really, since STAR WARS HAS CONTINUED TO BE A WORK IN PROGRESS SINCE THE 1978 RE-RELEASE.

Indeed, the 1979 television debut of the theatrical presentation had even more alterations beyond "Episode IV: A New Hope" be it the casual Cantina alien or TIE-Fighter. We didn't mind it so much back then,in fact we were fascinated. Each new iteration of the saga, be it World Television Premiere, Laser Disc, or THX Remastered gave fans something new to savor. The diabolical flip-side is that it was also something for Lucasfilm Ltd.'s marketing department to consider as well.

As a matter of fact, the Star Wars franchise "nuked the fridge" (over-used) when George Lucas himself wiped his hands of Shadows of the Empire. There is no excuse for holding either the original trilogy, or the prequel trilogy for some kind of philosophical ransom in light of the fact that good ol' GL would be willing to let the yuppie marketing reps take the reigns. And really, you'll no doubt be able to recall how by the time Shadows surfaced, common Star Wars fandom had already acknowledged that the Ewoks were teddy bear bullshit. Wicket R. Warrick prancing around holding Princess Liea's hand is total nonsense after her being subjected to Jabba's will, the icing on the preposterous Star Wars merchandising machine's cake.

So, the let down? As long as you insist that we're watching "The God Father" the let down will never end. But I have a different view, one that incorporates the same continuous understanding of the mind-set that lead to the mid ninties Star Wars Revivial in the first place. That is the belief that Star Wars is great, even if its story is extremely silly and perhaps not too well executed. That the film is also a continuous work in progress, an aspect that at one time we all cherished, but now is perhaps a little too played out for it's own good. It is also an understanding that the audience for Star Wars is aging, and that kids today don't play with action figures and grow out of Star Wars by the time they are eight or nine, and that being forty years old and not able to enjoy a kids film is no crime until you decide to make an issue of it. At this stage in the game, the vulgar "George Lucas raped my childhood" crowd needs to take a closer look at itself and figure out what's really important.

Going after pop culture with religious zeal is never cool.

The New 52

DC comics has been kicking up a lot of dust over the forthcoming complete overhaul of their entire comic book universe. Every DC superhero you know is getting a fresh start, complete with 52 first issues (of comics that have been in publication for multiple decades)

Today in comic shops everywhere, anyone can grab a free copy of the promo book "DC Comics The New 52" I got mine and just finished reading, and here's what I think:

The promo book itself is a thoroughly enjoyable read, featuring a six page preview of the new Justice League #1 (which looks fun) and then goes page after page outlining what the new books are all about. Plot summaries, creative team rosters, and tons of visual info, DC Comics, The New 52 does the job selling the biggest multi-series crossover in comic book history.

Yes, I do think it's bullcrap to be renumbering giants like Action Comics and Detective Comics. Completely unnecessary and kind of insulting to long-time readership, although we can't expect to enjoy comics forever, not in the age of video games. So I'll let the vulgarity of renumbering slide for now, seeing it instead as throwing a bone to anyone who ever thought of picking up a comic book, but didn't.

I have mixed feelings about the new roster of title characters. While I have nothing against yet another revamp of Fire Star, I find it odd that fan-fave Power Girl is a no-show. Perhaps that suggests the lengths to which DC has gone in revamping their universe. Reintroducing PG clears the clutter of one of the most complicated origin stories, even as it simultaneously adds yet another origin story to her tale. Classic! Barbara Gordon? The Justive League preview begins "Five years ago" so Batgirl is possible, if they took the entire DCU back in time as well. Scratch that, Damien Wayne is also on hand. Morrison on Supes is great news, I wish they would stop messing around with WW's costume, as the latest version is actually very effective, and why in the hell would you hire Liefeld?

I'm going in on a few of these books, probably more than I should. At least they're all still a reasonable (not actually) $2.99 cover price. I can't believe the way Marvel bleeds it's audience, it's really a disgrace. DC coming back with this insane stunt is really very clever, but also a touch desperate. Keeping in mind that kids today do not read anything except video game manuals, The New 52 looks less like a fanboy inconvenience, and more like an absolute necessity.

Architects of Air, Amacoco

Architects of Air have been producing large scale, immersive art installations since 1992. Essentially giant inflated objects, their fantastic creations have delighted audience throughout the world.



The luminarium known as Amacoco made a recent stop in Pittsburgh. Here are some images accompanied by thoughts.



It's a feast for the sense. The maze-like environment, colored natural lighting, and slight pressurization combine to create a mild disorientation.



Little kids go nuts running around in this place. One can only imagine how youthful enthusiasm and optimism react in such a place of wonderment.



A groovy, barefoot hippy chick divulged that she was actually getting paid to work there for the duration of it's appearance.



Finally, a souvenir map. It's functional, but the whole point of visiting an installation like this is getting lost.