Uncertainty is the mother of all (spins wheel) creativity.
So with the economy still messed up and no word about a "North 40" sequel or anything, I've been trying to come up with some new ideas that could support the ol' household. These run the gamut from novels to kids books to small trade paperback comics, basically throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. Or what I've got time for. Or finances for. Stupid reality.
So anyway, I've found that the ones I've been noodling around with have some common themes on occasion. I think I can share some of the underlying concepts without giving away the store and see what you, the readers, think:
- Corporate personhood and emergence: Many corporations are practically people now, at least as far as the law is concerned. They also exist somewhat independently of any one person, especially after the founder(s) die or sell off their interest in a company. It's often a mystery what moves these behemoths beyond an apparent desire to grow until they can't grow anymore. Emergence is what happens when you get a bunch of individually dim creatures (like insects) and they manage to create a beehive or a termite mound or what have you. Are corporations doing the same thing? And what's the end result, if we can see it? Toss in some sci-fi gizmos and the possibilities start to look scary/interesting.
- Superhero sub-contracting: Much like the venerable Damage Control, worlds with superheroes in them surely have a lot of interesting jobs, opportunities, and crappy hero-related careers that our world doesn't. In recent issues of ps238, I have a warehouse at Clay Industries devoted to housing mothballed experiments and "leftovers" from battles with villains. Caretaking that kind of thing surely can't be your typical 9 to 5, and that's just one of a hundred possible tasks needed to support the various Justice Leagues in a typical hero-verse.
- The Twilight Zone for Kids: The ideas in this category aren't just for children, but the protagonists would all be of a certain age. I'd do this because (1) kids are often unpredictable, often having creative responses that older people just wouldn't come up with, (2) they accept the oddest things and (3) can act over-the-top without it seeming forced or odd, which is kind of the response some sci-fi 'monsters' would require. I also cite the Twilight Zone as it was masterful at changing one little aspect of reality and watching the ripples as they spread out over what was thought to be a safe and normal world. And I already have the faceplate for these stories composed: "I put children in these tales not because I dislike kids, but because I know kids can dish out the weird even better than they can take it."
So that's where I am thus far. I'd love to tell you about one of the more recent writing projects I've done (I've non-mentioned it before), but they tell me that mid-January will be the spill-by date on details. I'm hoping they'll let me post some art, too. In the meantime, I've got several stories in the pipe for DC Comics' "Cartoon Network Action Pack," including a few Generator Rex stories.
One of the bigger news items today was the announcement that the 'complete' Star Wars saga is coming out on Blu-Ray. Not a huge surprise, and I'm sure eventually they'll make everyone buy it again in 3D. From what I can gather, Episodes IV through VI are the "enhanced" versions with added CGI and the wrong person shooting first. Putting aside which is "better," the enhanced version or the original, it breaks one of the cardinal tenets I've held to regarding reboots, re-imaginings, and remakes: It doesn't make the original vanish from the face of the Earth, so whichever you like, you're free to own. Not so with "Star Wars," at least, not so legally. The Laserdisc rips of the films will probably circulate on the internet forever, and you'd think George Lucas could look at all of those downloads as pretty much lost revenue. Piracy's effect on sales of movies is highly debatable, but when a movie people love isn't offered in a format they can buy, some of the illegal distribution is lost sales. Not to mention it angers some of the die-hardest fans of the series. Other than some idea that it wasn't his "original vision," which I don't buy, I really can't understand how he can merchandise the heck out of that vision without cashing in on an obvious desire among the public to have those un-enhanced films. Ah, well. Much as in I'm sure the prequels will be rewritten and remade after Lucas' death, It's a pretty good bet that someday some heir to George's estate will smell the cash and give 'em up.
And speaking of movies that need to be preserved: Dubbed TV movies. Or at least the dubbed parts. I don't think they do this anymore (or at least, not as much), favoring the bleeping or blanking out of un-lady-like language, but not so long ago, the distributors of R-rated films would valiantly try to overdub the dialogue that the FCC found objectionable. The results were mostly hilarious. From mis-matched voices to very strange word substitutions, things like these scenes from 'Die Hard 2' became almost an art form in drawing even more attention to profanity. A few films made alternate versions of scenes for TV, the most memorable of which was Ghostbusters, who came up with substitute insults for Mr. Peck after he shut down the containment unit.
Now I'm off to go pop some more Hall's lozenges. My friends warned me that having a kid was like inviting a petri dish into your home, and Josh hasn't disappointed. I just wish he'd quit trying to dig my used tissues out of my office trash can. I'm going to perform the Coughaluia Chorus for the umpteenth time while all you un-sick people can enjoy these:
- When the dog uprising comes, no sled will be safe.
- Mickey Rourke had a comeback in "The Wrestler," got nerds to notice him as "Whiplash" in "Iron Man 2," though he may be going a tad overboard for his next role by removing his front teeth.
- I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Dave Barry. Lucky for me (and anyone else who found him amusing), he's put out 2010: The Year in Review.
- After you view this masterpiece, you may have an insatiable urge to go buy a van and learn how to airbrush.
- I don't know if I put this up before, but it's probably worth a second look: It's the Heavy Metal version of the Doctor Who theme.
- Alert reader Matt warns us of a possible Imperial incursion into our solar system (the "official explanation," that is, "lies," are in the article). :)
- Get out your plumb bobs and levels for Imperfect Balance 2. For me it was mostly on the "imperfect" side.
- How many different versions of the Batmobile have you seen? It turns out there may be more of them than you thought.
- I love (TRON) lamp.
- Until they can figure out how to wire your World of Warcraft account directly to your brain, Razer is looking to make a portable gaming PC.
- Apparently, Gimli is really from a really tough game of 'Dwarf Fortress.'
- If anyone out there has the skill to make this LED cube thing, I'll take two, one for each side of my throne. I'd also like a royal throne, please.
- Another Amazon.com 'review-bombing,' this time of Carrot Top's magnum opus, Chairman of the Board. This is why I love the internet.
- Sure, it's a cliche, and I hear a little GLaDOS in there, but Insane Rogue A.I. is a game that unleashes the Skynet in all of us.