Thursday, March 28, 2013

Yesterday's Energy

The other night I commented on a status on Facebook from the Marvel Cinematic Universe group, wherein they asked "What MCU character looks the least like their comic book version?"  My answer was Nick Fury, because, even though I enjoy the Sam Jackson version (based on an alternate universe Nick Fury), I still prefer my WWII vet of Greek descent.  Well, this caused a shitstorm of commentary, ranging from those who agreed, to those who assumed I'm just racist.  After a while, I just stopped participating in the "conversation."

Then I made an off-hand comment about all of that as my own status, which sparked a whole NEW conversation about Nick Fury.  Thankfully, this was among friends, and after a few tries, I was finally able to get my point across.  But, the after-effect of all of this was that I had now become temporarily obsessed with Classic Nick Fury again.  And one comment from a friend rekindled an idea that I have had rolling around in my head for ages...

What if "Nick Fury" was just a code-name for the director of SHIELD?

With that thought in mind, I set about writing a screenplay about Nick Fury that would reconcile the Sam Jackson version, with the Classic version.  I had a slow day at work yesterday, so I worked dilligently on it for most of the time, and ended up with 12 pages of screenplay.  The dialogue was great, and I could hear the lines being spoken by the actors I had in my head (I had Stephen Lang of Avatar as the old Nick).  I think the story was progressing well.  And it had the benefit of introducing classic Nick in a manner that didn't require a ton of screen time (I had Sam's Nick describing him over the opening credits, as a montage of WWII and Cold War era stuff was being shown), and I am just about to introduce my main villain.

But, this morning, that energy has waned.  After doing a bit of research, I read that Nick Fury will have a larger role in Captain America - The Winter Soldier, and they will be revealing some of his background.  Combined with comments from Jackson regarding the character and his role in the MCU films, it seems that they may try to make his version a WWII vet, stealing Classic Nick's background and just "blackwashing" the character.

In a way, this kind of offends my geek sensibilities.  It just seems disrespectful to the work that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and the writers and artists who followed during the 70's, 80's and 90's did.  But, then again, I guess that's just how comic books work.  At least, comic book movies.  Rarely do they adhere to canon, and comic book geeks are usually just thankful when they merely "respect" the source material.

Anyways, I will probably shelve this screenplay.  I might put it up on the net somewhere for others to read, if they are interested.  I'm rather proud of the dialogue and characterization.  Which leads me to believe that maybe I could write an original screenplay, based on an original idea and characters.  It could happen.

In the meantime, I will continue to prefer Classic Nick Fury.  I'm also browsing Amazon for some collections of his stories, since I haven't read much of his solo stuff, and only know him mainly from seeing him in others' titles, and doing research.  And when we hit Wizard World Chicago in August, I will probably do an improved version of last year's costume.  Mainly, an eye-patch that I can see through, just so I can wear it all day.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Martial Arts RPGs


The Boulder is conflicted about being in this blog...
Last night, while just sitting around the living room with the family, my daughter puts on an episode from Avatar – The Last Airbender. I didn’t think anything of it, as we all like the show. But, apparently the discussion about who in our family was what character (I ended up being The Boulder, a Pro-Wrestler Earthbender) sparked something in my subconscious, and I found myself thinking about Martial Arts RPGs on my drive to work today.

Despite the source of the inspiration of this line of thought, I didn’t start thinking about my planned Avatar RPG. Instead, my brain went to White Wolf’s old Street Fighter Storyteller Game. I have the three main books, purchased from a used book store about fifteen years ago. For a short while I was obsessed with it. Street Fighter has long been my favorite series of fighting games, with Alpha 2 being my top favorite.

I remember my main character I made for that game. His
name was Billy Lo (kudos if you can tell me where I got that one), and he was a young Chinese kid who wore baggy jeans, Chuck Taylors and a sleeveless white t-shirt with a smiley-face on the front. He knew Kung Fu, and fought in a style similar to Fei Long (the Bruce Lee clone from the game). I wrote a short vignette once where Billy fought a Muay Thai fighter named Sampim (named after an Army buddy of mine who was from Thailand).

Over the years, my interest in this genre of RPGs has waxed and waned. I will have short periods (like today) where I become interested again. I've downloaded free MA RPGs, and even tried to get a game of something going. But, I've never been successful. The closest I've come to playing one is playing a Monk in a D&D game. Not quite the same, but it'll do in a pinch, I suppose.

I wish they made Street Fighter games for the Xbox.

Little known Tom fact: On many forums and other places around the ‘Net, I use the name “Gotetsu” (or variations thereof). This name was originally derived from the history of Street Fighter. Goutetsu (I misspelled it at first, and it stuck) was the master who taught Gouken and Gouki. Gouki killed Goutetsu, and became Akuma. Gouken went on to teach Ken and Ryu, before he, too, was killed by Gouki/Akuma.

I used Gotetsu in my friend’s long-running L5R campaign. Hida Gotetsu of the Crab Clan is one of the coolest characters that I have ever played.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Spring Break...and whatnot

Loved this movie as a teen.
This week is Spring Break for everyone.  Well, not for me.  I still have discussions to post, a research paper to plan, and plenty of academic reading to do.  But my kids are all home.  And I mean ALL of them.  My daughter is here for the week from Vegas.  That provided some tension at first, since her now ex-boyfriend, Isaac is still living with us.  But, it seems to have sorted itself out, and all is right in the world.  They may not be dating anymore, but they are obviously good friends.  And at their ages, that's really how it should be right now.

The only downside of this week is that my wife has to bear the brunt of the stress involved with a crowded apartment by herself, for the the most part; I still have a 9to5-er to go to during the day.  But, she will get her break in the evenings, when she has to go to work, and I get to stay home.  Oddly, the biggest problem we run into, it seems, is figuring out how to feed this army of finicky eaters.  But, my wife generally has a good handle on that, so it's not too bad, all things considered.

I spent the day lazing around the house yesterday.  I didn't actually go outside for anything all day.  I should have spent the time reading.  Either for school or pleasure (or even... *GASP* ...writing!!).  But my brain just wasn't having it.  Besides there were bad guys to shoot in CoD: Black Ops II.  The funny thing is that both Isaac and I play that game the same way.  A lot of profanity, cries of cheating, and even more profanity and creative insults.  We had my wife and daughter in stitches yesterday.

I did manage some reading, though.  I finished the third story arch in the Punisher MAX series, entitled "Mother Russia."  Very brutal, tense, and foul-mouthed, and it included a guest appearance by Nick Fury (and not the Sam Jackson version).  I loved the relationship between Nick and Frank, and I hope that continues on occasion in the future.

Also watched a movie I had been eying for a while; Abduction with Taylor Lautner.  I should state that I actually like him.  I think he's a good actor, and has a pretty good screen presence (he plays one of three characters I like from the Twilight movies...Jacob, Charlie and Felix).  This movie was pretty good, and the only reason I can imagine it didn't do well was because of Twilight.  Lautner is going to have to work hard to get past that.  This was a decent start, though.  It had good action, pretty believable characters, and the acting was spot on.  The cast even surprised me a little, as I didn't expect such big names to be in supporting roles.  It was worth a rental for sure (though we saw it on NetFlix).

I don't think we have anything planned for this week.  Tomorrow my in-laws are coming down to have lunch with us and visit with Faith.  Other than that, it's just hanging out at home for the kids.  But, they're all Xbox-babies, so it shouldn't be too bad.  There will probably be some major cleaning and organizing this week, as well.  The Spring Cleaning bug has already hit my wife (despite the snow we were having yesterday), and frankly, our place needs it.  With that many people living in such a small space, it's hard to keep up with it all.  So, we will need to buckle down and get into it this week.

On a final note, I should be getting my copy of Writing Fantasy Heroes: Powerful Advice from the Pros today.  Very much looking forward to digging into this.  I will post a full review somewhere down the line, for sure.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

This post brought to you by…

As a way of saying thank you to some of my close friends, I have decided that this post will be about promoting them, and their works and endeavors. Each one is a talented person who gives me inspiration, and often guidance, as I muddle my way towards my dream of being a successful writer (by my standards).

Joe Bonadonna
Website
On Amazon
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Joe and hanging out with him, and let me tell you he is the genuine dude. He’s one of those eclectic people who dabbles in all sorts of things, and certainly has some stories to tell. His writing is fun and gritty, and takes you on adventures just like they should. Joe’s latest work, a supernatural pirate story he wrote with David C. Smith (himself a noteworthy writer) looks amazing. I can’t wait to dig into that one!

Charles Gramlich
Website
On Amazon
Though I’ve never met Charles in person (which I hope to remedy soon), communicating with him through his blog and on Facebook has always been a treat. A professor of Psychology, Charles has a teacher’s way of communicating with readers and "students." I always learn just a little bit more when I discuss writing with him, or read his opinions and advice on the craft. His own works of fiction are excellent. I especially like his anthologies. And, like me, his taste in genres runs a wide spectrum.

Scott Oden
Website
On Amazon
I “met” Scott on the official Conan forums. I immediately felt a connection with him because, not only did we share a love of Conan and Robert E. Howard, he is also an Orc-o-phile. Last year my wife and I went on a road trip to visit Scott and his wife, and much fun was had. He is a good guy, no doubt about it. As to his writing, Scott’s historical novels are well-researched and engaging, and his Historical Fantasy, The Lion of Cairo, is just a wonderful book. But, I am most excited about his current project, A Gathering of Ravens, wherein he places Orcs smack dab in the middle of Norse history and mythology.

These next authors are the ones who inspire me with their works and words, even though they don’t know me from Adam.

David Morrell
Website
On Amazon
It started with First Blood, and his novelizations of the sequel films. However, I have read several other books by Mr. Morrell (my favorite being Brotherhood of the Rose), and he is a master storyteller with a level of authenticity rarely seen in literature. He’s also the first professional author I ever corresponded with. I mailed him a letter back in the 90’s, and he sent me a typed (on a typewriter) response, complete with corrections done with a pen. Since then I have communicated with him a few times through email, and on his Facebook page.

Stan Nicholls
Website
On Amazon
I read his first Orcs trilogy in an omnibus edition, and it remains one of my all-time favorites. Full of action, dark humor, and interesting characters, his stories are a joy to read. His subsequent books are all on my ever-growing To Be Read pile as well. Stan is also a genuine guy, and I have communicated with him a bit here and there on Facebook. And I still get a little thrill when I see he “Liked” one of my random statuses.

Of course, I wouldn’t even be dreaming of being a writer without the influence of these legends; Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Anyone who reads my blog shouldn’t need to hear anything more about these two. Their writing forms the backbone of much of my tastes.

There are lots of other people whom I draw inspiration and support from, as well; fellow writers, fellow bloggers, fellow writer/bloggers. But none more so than my wife, Michele. She is the light in my day, and inspires me with her support, encouragement, and often her example.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Plot Problems and Fears


When I write, my biggest obstacle is always Plot. I think I’m pretty good at characters and characterizations. I’m rather proud of my ability to write action scenes. And I think I’m fairly decent at descriptions and setting. But all of that means nothing without a Plot. And that is where I falter.

I have a hard time figuring out what should happen to characters. What should the main thrust of the story’s narrative be? How do my characters get from Point A to Point B in a somewhat original, entertaining, and non-linear way? And don’t get me started on sub-plots. Stories within stories make my head hurt when I am trying to invent them.

This is why I tend to write short stories. I can use simple plots and sub-plots, and the outcome is pretty straight-forward. The idea of doing a book-length story of any quality kind of intimidates me.

And that’s probably why I falter. It’s like when I was a kid, I was scared to death to go off the high-dive. Then, at summer camp, I did it. It was easy because the water was so over chlorinated, you couldn’t see how deep it was. When I got home, I went to the local pool, which was crystal clear. And that 12 feet of water scared the living crap outta me! But, I jumped anyways (though I jumped sideways and tried to hit as close to the ladder as possible).

And that’s probably what I need to do for my writing. Just jump. Every piece of writing advice I have ever read tells you that your first works will suck. That’s very disheartening. My ego is fragile, so I can’t imagine enduring endless amounts of “Wow, that was lame. You should just scrap it.”

I avoided that with my first few short stories by self-publishing them. But I don’t know if that’s a viable option. Either way, it requires me to actually write the book(s). And so I am back to being scared of the whole process. Yeah, I know there’s no logic behind my fear. But that doesn’t make it any less real or less paralyzing.

So, are there any tips or tricks to developing a good plot? Or am I going to have to just muscle through it?

Friday, March 15, 2013

30 Years

A post on another blog pointed out that this marks the 30th anniversary of Return of the Jedi.  And it got me to thinking where I was at the time, and what life was like in my early teens. 

When ROTJ came out, I was 12 years old, and living with my grandparents in Northern California while my mom completed Basic and Tech School for the Air Force.  I had already seen the previous two Star Wars films in the theater, and when my mom came to visit on leave before she went to Okinawa, she took me to see the third film.

I was in junior high at the time, and in the throes of many forces of nature.  Aside from the obvious puberty that was beating the crap out of me, I was also developing a love of science fiction and fantasy, mainly through playing D&D and watching TV (mostly Saturday morning cartoons).  However, also during this period, I got to go to the theater by myself for the first time.  I remember it was at the mall in Concord, CA (the theater is no longer there, though the mall seems to have doubled in size).  The movie was Rocky III.

I had only ever seen bits of the first Rocky on TV, so I was only vaguely familiar with it.  At this point, I'm not even sure what motivated me to go see it.  Probably the novelty of being allowed to see a movie by myself.  Little did I know what an impact that movie would have.  Not only did it plant the seed of hero-worship for Stallone (that is going strong to this day), but it also introduced me to boxing and fighting.  As a skinny nerd who was constantly picked on, this was huge.  And I can honestly attribute watching this film on video dozens of times to me winning my one and only fist fight, in 9th grade.

So, anyways, it's been 30 years since the summer of 1983.  At the time there were many things I hadn't discovered or experienced yet that would later mold and shape much of my life.  Things like the works of Robert E. Howard, Star Trek (beyond TOS), Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and of course, Girls (I had discovered them, I just hadn't experienced them yet).  Interestingly, these would all become part of my lexicon within the next two years, and each one is still with me.

But, all that being said, my first Geek Love has always been the Star Wars films.  So, I think maybe it's time to re-watch the Original Trilogy.  I have the re-releases on DVD (where Han shot second, ugh!), so those will have to suffice; my VHS tapes of the original cuts are long gone, as far as I know.  Sydney has seen them, and enjoys them, but I think it's time to introduce Connor to Star Wars.  I was six when I saw the first one in the theater, and he's four and a half.  Close enough.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Some stuff


So, ever since that douchebacle with The Action Elite, I have just been lurking on occasion. It’s a good source of news and I still liked to read reviews and stuff there. I just wasn’t able to post or comment anymore, which was fine. But today, I go there, and all that loads up is a blank white screen with the words “You Are Banned.” at the top. Apparently the dick who runs the site has had some fancy IT stuff done to block my IP Address, or some such. What a loser.

Anyways, in other news, the plague is finally running its course in our house. After each of the rest of us went through it (with my son going so far as to get an ear infection), my wife has finally come down with it as of yesterday. She had to stay home from our make-up session of D&D yesterday, and is working through it like a champ today (both the smaller kids are home with her all day).

Speaking of the little ones, not only did Connor get an ear infection, but Sydney had to have an emergency appendectomy last week! Yeah, she started complaining about abdominal pains on Tuesday. With her being a 10-year old with a penchant for crying wolf, we didn’t think very seriously of it. But her father, having had his appendix removed when he was a kid, took note of the location of the pain when she complained at his house on Wednesday, and took her to the hospital. Long story short, it was inflamed to twice the normal size. She went through the procedure fine, and is on her last day of recovery today.

Scary stuff, man.

I wish I could talk more about my writing, but just about all that my keyboard does these days is compose stuff for school. I have narrowed my research paper to talking about the influence of the Vikings on European and Asian cultures, so I will be starting to pound that out soon. I have another essay due in a couple of weeks, so I’ll be starting that probably tonight. And the discussion boards are constantly calling.

However, I have been looking at all the stuff on my flash drive, and have been picking at a few things lately. I have about five works that are each roughly half done, give or take, with the remainder of each planned out. Now I just need to knuckle down and do it. Maybe now that my house is nearly illness-free, I can do that.

You know, once I dislodge myself from the Xbox and from DCUOnline again…

Friday, March 8, 2013

The obsession continues


In the interest of feeding my recent Punisher addiction, I took the time to start reading the Punisher MAX stories, by Garth Ennis. After discussing the movie Punisher: War Zone with fans who claim it is better than the Thomas Jane film, they cited that the second film was much more like the MAX comics. Well, I have to admit, that is very true.

My first impression of PWZ was that the violence and gore was over-the-top to the point of being cartoonish, and it took me out of the story. However, it does closely match the level of gore and violence in the comics, so that is obviously what they were going for. However, I think this was a mistake.

There are certain things that work well in four-color print that do not translate well to the screen. Spandex and tights, for one thing. But gore and violence are also on that list. Film gore is usually the purview of horror films, and it is done for shock value, and because it’s just expected. When that level of gore is introduced into an Action movie, it seems out of place to me.

Now, that being said, I can set that aside and just accept it. However, PWZ also had the flaw of, as one reviewer put it, “looking as if it were directed by Joel Schumacher.” As you should know, Joel raped the Batman franchise with his neon-infused, nippled batsuit entries. Similarly, PWZ was rife with whole scenes seemingly filmed through colored lenses. This sometimes works on film, but in this instance, each scene used a different hue. The over all effect was jarring and distracting for me.

I also didn’t like that some of the action sequences were a bit “John Woo” for a Punisher film. Hanging upside down from a chandelier comes to mind. That scene made me laugh out loud when I saw it in the preview, and I was not impressed with it in the actual film either.

I have to say, the acting and story were a bit closer to the Garth Ennis stories, and over all, they were good. Ray Stevenson made a fine Frank Castle, and even though I prefer Thomas Jane’s more “human” Punisher, I would be happy with another Stevenson outing.

I have read the first arc in the MAX comics, and look forward to reading the rest (I may even start collecting it, if it continues to be good). I have also decided to give PWZ a re-watch. So, you can probably expect more Punisher commentary here in the future.

Monday, March 4, 2013

My top Five Marvel Characters


As anyone who reads my blog for more than five posts (or even just looks at my current background) knows, I am a huge fan of Marvel Comics. I have been since high school. So, you can probably imagine how giddy I have been for the last few years, being a huge movie buff as well.

Anyways, I thought I would take a moment and talk about who my favorite Marvel characters are. This is my list, in order, as it stands now. At any given point in my life so far, this list might look pretty different. But for now, this is my list as of today.

Captain America
When I was in high school, I was a huge fan of The Avengers, and read all of the related books, as well as the Spider-man titles (my friend was the Mutant freak, and read all of the X-books). At the time, I loved Captain America, but he was #2 after Spider-man. Then, something changed. Not sure what it was, but somewhere along the line, Cap assumed the #1 spot.

Today he is my favorite character in the MU. He’s the perfect soldier, able to use hand-to-hand combat, military tactics, and amazing physical attributes to stand toe-to-toe with anyone. Cap represents, in my mind, everything that a hero should be. And honestly, his movie is my favorite of all of the Marvel movies so far.

The Punisher
I have to admit that I have not read much Punisher in the comics. I would have brief periods where I would read one or two of his titles. And I have picked up enough knowledge of his story to be informed about him. But, recently he has moved up on my list, thanks in large part to the Thomas Jane movie.

As a character who started life as a throw-away homage to Mack Bolan, Frank Castle has grown well beyond his roots, and thanks to Garth Ennis’ run, has become a very unique and readable character. I have recently put four TPBs of Ennis’ work on hold through my local library, just so I can get more acquainted with it.

Hercules
As a scholar of Greek history, and a long-time fan of Greek mythology, Marvel’s take on Hercules is a bit of a dichotomy. On the one hand, he is almost nothing like the original, mythological character, unless a particular writer wants him to be. But, over all, Hercules is an amazing character in the MU. He is virtuous, but with a dark and dirty side. He respects authority that is earned, but has no problem bucking the system if isn’t just.

And when you add in the fact that he is one of the strongest heroes, and is willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone (including the Hulk), regardless of the risk, he just makes for such a cool character. When Jack Kirby first introduced him in the pages of Thor, he was based heavily on the Steve Reeves version of the movies. This is great because Steve’s version is still my favorite film version of the character.

Spider-man
Probably my first real comic book favorite, I have always been a Spider-man fan. The idea that a dorky teen could become one of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel universe, and yet he still has to deal with the issues inherent in being a dorky kid; this just makes for a great character. Spidey also makes a great foil for moral values, being a teen. I mean, who doesn’t know that “With great power comes great responsibility”?

I loved Sam Raimi’s first two movies, but not the third one, and I have yet to see Garfield’s take on the character. But I have watched many cartoons, and read various comic titles off and on for decades. Although some of the shows and stories are hit or miss, Spidey remains a timeless character.

Colossus
Admittedly, I have been at times a huge fan, and at others hugely indifferent to the X-Men titles. However, regardless of how I feel about the X-books, I have always loved Peter Rasputin, aka Colossus. The X-Men muscle with a heart of gold and pure soul, Piotr has always been my favorite character from those books.

I’m not up to speed on recent events, and was surprised to hear that he now possesses the power of the Juggernaut. But I about screamed like a little girl when he briefly appeared in the second movie, and found him to be the most enjoyable aspect of the third movie (which, honestly, I didn’t think was that bad).

This is my list for now. As I said, this list would (and probably will) look different at other times.

Honorable mentions:
Moon Knight
Daredevil
Hulk
Nightcrawler