Hi once again Afronerd readers and contributors. I apologize for not turning in a blog last week. Between personal reasons and school work I got a little behind but I intend to rectify that with this week's blog. And yes I remember that I promised you folks my thoughts on Bones and Stargate: Universe too....matter of fact they are going to be a part of the theme of this blog.
Point of reference: http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/10/five-for-thursday-thoughts-on-tcrs-five-biases/
I was on Comic Book Resources last night and came across Tom Bondurant's adaptation of Tom Spurgeon's five stickiest comic biases and wondered if I could use the same philosophies while approaching fantasy and science fiction TV shows / movies and why I am so fickle about likes and dislikes. So my thanks to these two enlightened reporters for this idea and I apologize in advance for most assuredly messing this up.
Tom Spurgeon's five stickiest comic biases were:
1. I don't covet the comics of my youth, I covet the comics from just before my youth.
2. Whether or not there are comics for kids, I still want comics to function as a pastime for a child.
3. I over-trust the serial.
4. I distrust a social component for comics.
5. I expect everything in comics to last forever.
Of course I am not dealing with comics this time so I am going to tweek it a little:
"I don't covet shows and movies of my youth, I covet those from just before my youth" - Guilty as charged and I will give you 2 perfect examples of this. At 9 years old I saw the original Night of the Living Dead. Black and white film, very little gore compared to the psychological thrills you received watching it and one of the most screwed up endings ever. I think this is the reason that I tend to hate on the torture porn and zombie flicks now. When the bar is set so high by Mr. George Romero that is kind of hard to surpass. By contrast I saw Superfriends as a kid and thought what kind of messed up thing is this. I was actually embarrassed to be a comic fan with the shoddy animations and characterizations. This actually scarred me for a bit until the 90's comic animation wave first hit.
"Whether or not there are shows for kids, I still want some of them to function as a pastime for a child." - Well I am of 2 minds of this. I freely admit that the original Star Trek series, Star Wars movies, Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica got me hooked into science fiction viewing and that there always should be gung-ho science fiction shows for kids to watch. But I can not ignore the grown up themes explored in shows like X-Files, Lost, Battlestar Galactica V.2, Fringe, and the new kid on the block, Stargate Universe that appeals to the adult in me. If a science fiction show can avoid falling into the trap of not knowing which audience to pander to (Heroes I looking at you!), then it has a good chance of finding its niche. Well that and avoiding getting the dreaded Fox Friday Night Slot (Sorry DBurt for your loss but I had to joke about this one).
"I over-trust the serial" - I am addicted to watching Heroes. I still watch Smallville every week. I think that shows my dedication to crap at least. However I counter this with Bones, Eureka, Supernatural, and Fringe; shows that have established deep characters with rich history; shows that haven't let me down....yet.
"I distrust a social component for Science Fiction" - O yeah. I guilty of this one too. When EVERYONE loves something in a genre I like, I tend to believe something is wrong with it. Great example of this is Lost. I loved the first 2 seasons. There was hardly a show in the seasons I found fault with. Enter the fake fans overcompensating for not jumping on when the show started, then acting like experts on not just that but ALL of fantasy works in the media, over the airwaves and on the net. After that I so avoided the third season like the plague, figuring it was the show corrupting me. I caught up later through DVDs and Hulu but that original joy is gone.
"I expect everything to last forever." - Yeah. You can't be a fantasy / science fiction fan and not imagine the show lasting forever. There might be an end to the show on the tube and the screen, but in our imaginations the story's adventures can last forever. Just avoid doing ill conceived fan-fiction stories, nothing good EVER comes from those. See Superman Returns as proof of that.
Books of the Week: If you haven't heard about Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday, I would recommend picking it up in trade paperbacks. Never have so many disparate Science Fiction / Fantasy / Comic Hero themes been thrown together and tossed on its ear. Its final issue #27 came out 2 weeks ago and it is awesomely mind trippy!
Last week also saw Doctor Voodoo Avenger of the Supernatural come out and let me say this: Doctor Strange fans and enemies have never seen a Sorcerer Supreme quite like this! Rick Remender is flying under the radar as a writer but gives his characters a bravado that is unmatched in comics today.
This week I would suggest Booster Gold #25. I know Russ Burlingame and his Gold Exchange over at Newsarama always talks Booster up, but it is well deserved. Dan Jurgens writes the hell out of the character and the scenes in this issue with Dick Grayson nearly put a tear in my eye. Most underrated book in the DC stable right now.
Matter of fact, this just gave me an idea for my next blog: Overrated / Underrated next week here in the fantasy blog. Folks you got an opinion? You think I am full of it? What books and shows do you think fit this criteria? Feel free to comment below or to afronerd or to orionben666@hotmail.com. I will reply to everyone I get. This is Daryll B signing out and until next time: Keep Fantasizing!!!
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