What Makes a True Science Fiction Fan?

I sponsor a science fiction and fantasy club at the local high school, but to be quite honest, I’ve done a pretty poor job the past few years.  About ten years ago, the club was one of the most active at school.  We held meetings twice a month, hosted movies after school, held contests so students could win signed books and memorabilia.  Last year, I think I called meetings maybe four or five times and probably the same for the year. 

I always have a big turn out for the initial meeting and sign up, but after that attendance drops off drastically.  I think I had thirty people sign up; five came to the last meeting.  I really believe it’s the survey I have them fill out during the first gathering that scares them off.  I mostly use the survey to get a feel for what the members like and want to do with the club.  I ask them to list their 5 favorite books, movies, and games.  Truth be told, it’s the survey that keeps me from committing to the club the way I used to.

The game column fills up first anymore.  Of course, the names of games changes every year as members want to list the newest games as their favorites.  This column generates the most fervor and excitement.  I created the games list thinking they might put down Dungeons and Dragons or some other paper and pencil rpg.  Nope, not in the last ten years or so anyway.  The only rpgs my members no are computer or console games.  Collectible card games haven’t even made the list in five years. I’ve been playing for over twenty years now so it’s always exciting to discuss things with the next generation.  Even when the 3^rd and 4^th editions came out, I expected to see a lot of interest generated, but what was there didn’t last very long.  When members started listing nothing but video games, I realized that paper and pencil games were becoming a thing, maybe not of the past, but of a very select audience. 

The new gaming trend saddened me.  Oh, they saw it as great advancement in technology and entertainment, which I do not deny.  What they don’t see is what the new games are doing to them, or rather to their imaginations.  With D&D, we had to immerse ourselves in the game, visualize it, invent it with our thoughts and words.  Video games will not allow that.  Games have taken all the imagination out of play.  You just react to it, not create.

But I let that go.

Movies.  Well, again most members typically put what’s current.  It’s like they have no conception of “past” or “classic.”  I suppose classic is a relative term.  To me the classics mean The Forbidden Planet, The Thing from Another World, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and even Star Wars and Blade Runner.   Star Wars episodes I-III they’ve seen and enjoyed.  They don’t like the original trilogy because the special effects look fake, or even worse, they’ve not even bothered to watch it because it’s “old.”  How do you convince someone that a movie is good because of its story or characters when all she cares about is how the movie looks?  Again, today’s audience seem to focus on the look over substance.  There is no willing suspension of disbelief, only the will to be dazzled. 

Very frustrating, but I let it go.

The book column, however, was the straw that broke this fan’s back.  They don’t read!  Most of them haven’t read a book in their life.  And their proud of it!  The ones that do read, read mostly media tie-ins.  According to the recent crop, the first Halo book is the best book ever written.  What?  Now, I don’t have anything against media tie-ins.  I’ve read my fair share, but how do you even begin to justify that a Halo book is better than Foundation or Ringworld (both of which my current members have never heard of).  If I’m lucky, I have a few, and not just the girls, that think Twilight, or any of its recent trendy rip offs, is the best book ever.  (Probably the only time I’ve ever missed Anne Rice – but they don’t have a clue who she is either, so what difference does it make?)   When I do manage to convince one of them to check out a book, they don’t read it because it’s boring or it’s confusing or it’s not as good as the movie.  (I, Robot and Starship Troopers are the usual victims of the latter excuse.) 

Am I old fashioned in thinking that, to be a science fiction fan, one must be a fan of its literature?  Seems to me that the whole basis of being a fan began with the stories,   The Lensmen or Fahfrd and the Mouser – there’s too many to think of.  Sadly, all of them are fading from memory.  Of course, publishers aren’t helping.  Where is the Mouser on bookstore shelves?  Where is Doc Smith?  Where’s Burroughs?  We do have great talent putting out great stuff today, so no one can argue that there’s nothing worth reading.  You got McDevitt and Gaiman and Gibson and Card and Martin and Scalzi and on and on.  There’s a lot to love about genre fiction today. 

Am I too demanding?  I personally do not think so.  I refuse to give in on this point.  Fandom began with literature, and to me, to be a true fan you have to read, not necessarily older stuff but read quality to work, the successors to the greats, the ones who followed in the footsteps of the giants and the ones who have made their own. 

So, there’s the root of my club problem.  It’s not that I cannot connect with the new generation, it’s that I don’t consider them true fans.  Science fiction and fantasy literature is a celebration of the imagination.  True fans know that.      

Michael A. Stackpole is telling all of The Secrets

Michael A. Stackpole is a great guy.  I’ve had the pleasure of running into him a few times at conventions.  My fondest memory is an interview he did for me at DragonCon several years back.  When my friend Craig and I asked him in the lobby of the Hyatt if he’d have any time during the con for a few questions for my fanzine and Craig’s website, he just said sure and did it right there.  I was only familiar with his Battletech and Star Wars books initially, but after talking with him, I dove into the Dragoncrown War, which he was just finishing up at the time.  He has another excellent non-franchise series called Age of Discovery and is working on a new one. 

What distinguished his franchise books from all the others – well, what makes all of his works memorable really – are his characters.  He has a knack for making complicated, flawed, believable characters.  Yes, they may fly X-wings or operate battle mech, they are never so different from me or you.  As a result, of course, his stories never follow simple A to B to C plots.  It's no wonder he’s hit the New York Time Best Sellers list, and it’s no wonder that anyone interested in writing or making it in the writing market should listen to what he has to say.

For several years, Mr. Stackpole has been telling all in his newsletter, the Secrets.  Just go to his store at www.stormwolf.com.  For $25.00, you get inside information on publishing, ebook publishing, and the craft of writing.  He offers collections of back issues, too, so you can catch up on anything you’ve missed.  Some of these are organized by themes like plotting, world building, and characterization.  You can also purchase packets of lessons he has used in writing workshops.  All of the information is easy to follow and, most importantly, practical.  Will you make a sell right away?  Who can say?  Probably not, though.  Stackpole stresses the fact that writing and being published is a craft.  The Secrets offers help and insight into the craft just like a book about carpentry might offers suggestions and building plans.  The real work is left to the builder who must hone his skills.  That takes practice and patience.  Only you can give yourself that.

Anyone who aspires to make it in writing needs to check out The Secrets.  No, you don’t have to be a fan of Stackpole’s work, just a fan of good writing.  



Life, the Universe, and Babylon 5

At some point during the year, I get all nostalgic for Babylon 5.  I usually break out the dvds and watch my favorite episodes.  (Still waiting on the Blu-ray edition.)  Three times, I’ve gone from beginning to end.  It’s about time to do that again, I do believe.   When that mood strikes, I can’t help but think that so many things could have gone wrong with Babylon 5.  It could have been like any other science fiction show set in the far future: encounters with strange, ancient aliens, intergalactic wars, and at the center, a small band of heroes always willing and ready for action.  Luckily, it wasn’t.  In fact, it wasn’t like any other science fiction show that had ever been on television before.  Sure, the comparison between it and Star Trek, especially Deep Space Nine, were easy to make just looking at the surface: a mile and a half long station, space ships, plenty of actors with prosthetic pieces glued to their foreheads.  But that’s about as far as comparisons can go.  From conception to production, the show was truly visionary.   

Creator, producer, and writer, J. Michael Straczynski knows that characters drive stories with what they say, think, and do, and from the first episode to the last, it became obvious that Babylon 5 was not about the station or about the aliens or about the wars.  Babylon 5 was about the people.  It was about the choices they made and the consequences they were forced to face.  In short, Babylon 5 was about life.   

But, you say, it is merely a story.  True, but isn’t the stories we tell, how we understand ourselves?  We are entertained, we are moved, we are enlightened.  Truly good stories – no matter when or where they are set – are about life.  Therefore, to celebrate the vision that was, is, and continues to be Babylon 5, I’ve put together a list of quotations.  Yes, all these happen to be my personal favorites.  If you’ve watched, you’ll probably remember who said what and which episode or season they’re from.  If not, enjoy nonetheless (and then maybe go give it a try).  Either way, hopefully you will be entertained, moved, and more importantly, enlightened. 

1. The universe is driven by the complex interaction between three ingredients: matter, energy, and enlightened self-interest.
2. We are all slaves to our histories. If there is to be a bright future, we must learn to break those chains.
3. As the humans say, "up yours!"
4. We are the universe, trying to understand itself.
5. You can never go wrong with garters.
6. Understanding is a three edged sword.
7. Ivanova is always right.  I will listen to Ivanova.  I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations.
8. Narns, Humans, Centauri: we all do what we do for the same reason - because it seemed like a good idea at the time.
9. The third principle of sentient life is the capacity of self sacrifice.
10. A darkness carried in the heart cannot be cured by moving the body from one place to another.
11. The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us.
12. No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow.
13. Evolution is vastly over-rated.
14. Every day, here and at home, we are warned about the enemy.  But who is the enemy?  Is it the alien?  Well, we are all alien to one another.  Is it the one who believes differently than we do?  No, not at all, my friends.  The enemy is fear.  The enemy is ignorance.  The enemy is the one who tells you that you must hate that which is different.  Because, in the end, that hate will turn on you.  And that same hate will destroy you.
15. Faith and reason are the shoes on your feet: you can travel further with both than you can with just one.
16. You take, Zathras die.  You leave, Zathras die.  Either way, it is bad for Zathras.
17. There is always choice. We say there is no choice only to comfort ourselves with the decision we have already made. If you understand that, there's hope.
18. Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope, the death of dreams.
19. The universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.  The language is not Narn or Human or Centauri or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope.  It speaks in the language of trust.  It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion.  It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul.  But always it is the same voice.  It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us and the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born.  The small, still voice that says: 'We are one. No matter the blood, no matter the skin, no matter the world, no matter the star . . . we are one.  No matter the pain, no matter the darkness, no matter the loss, no matter the fear . . . We are one.'  Here, gathered together in common cause, we begin to realize this singular truth and this singular rule – that we must be kind to one another.  Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us and each voice lost diminishes us.  We are the voice of the universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light our way to a better future.  We are one.
20. Where is it written that all our dreams must be small ones?

Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead Ready to Take a Bite Out of Prime Time

I’m probably not the best blogger in the world, especially for a geek.  I’m mean, blogging is all about sorting through tons of info, commenting on info, or adding to it.  That equals lots and lots of time dashing up, down, across, and through the information super-highway.  Yeah, I don’t do that.  I spend my time on the net, but lots more away from it.  When I get breaking info of the geekish or nerdy variety, I usually get it from my friendly local comic/gaming store.  Call me old fashion, but I like interacting with people I can see while leaning on a counter or perusing shelves of books or boxes of comics.  Just can’t do that online.  That is why, no doubt, that when I do find out something, it’s usually a few weeks or months old.  Sometimes years.

What, you well ask yourself, does that have to do with The Walking Dead and television?

Not a lot really.  But it was at my favorite comic shop (big shout out to Brian over at Cavalier Comics in Wise, VA – Hoody Hoo!) where I got the scoop.  Scoop, of course, being a relative term for me, but it has only been a few weeks since the announcement.  Okay, hold on to your hats lovers of the undead: AMC has given the green light for a pilot episode of The Walking Dead.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, The Walking Dead is one of the greatest things to come along since zombies started hanging out in shopping malls.  The main story follows the trials and tribulations of a police officer’s trek from small town Kentucky,  down to Georgia, and as of now, up to D.C.  Family members are found and lost, friends are made and lost, and all the while, zombies are everywhere.  The writing is intense, and the art is fantastic.   I recommend starting from the beginning, which is easy to do thanks to the trade collections.  And once bitten . . . (heh, heh, heh)

Anyway, AMC (of Mad Men fame) gave the green light for a pilot as of this January.  Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist) is set to direct.  Kirkman himself will act as an executive producer.

Will it follow the storyline of the comic?  Who knows and who cares?  It’s Kirkman and zombies!  Either way, it’s a win-win situation.  Actually, it would be great to see what’s going on elsewhere in his zombiefied America. 

Over at Cavalier Comics, we’ve dreamed of this moment for years.  The Walking Dead is everything that’s great about a George Romero film, but with a much bigger canvas and more developed characters.  I doubt it will have the gore of a film, but even with Romero work, it’s the story that makes or breaks the work.  AMC, however, has been pushing the envelope with its current programming, so we’re bound to see some of the ultra-intense, ultra-violent scenes that make Kirkman’s reader’s jaws drop.  This seems like a project that will take a whole lot of effort to screw up.

Why I Strongly Dislike Hollywood 83.8% of the Time

I suppose I need to clarify a few of things first.  For one, hate is a very strong word and one I try to avoid using at work, at home, and on blog.  Not trying to be PC, just a personal quirk.  And two, by Hollywood, I mean the movie-making biz in general.  Don’t care if I’m being PC here or not.  And lastly, I’m generalizing when I shouldn’t be throughout the piece, I know, but . . . ah heck, I’m tired of explaining myself here, so I’m just going to blog a bit.

(Not that I’m trying to PC my way around anything, mind you.)

What happened to originality in Hollywood?  Where are those films the just made you heart leap up and beat your brain silly with excitement?  I will never forget some of the movies I saw when I was young(er), not only for the thrilling stories, wondrous effects, and marvelous, bigger-than-life characters, but also for the sheer joy they brought me.  I’m talking Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Road Warrior.  (And from a not-necessarily-nerdish point of view, how about The Shootist, Jaws, or Rocky.)  Seems like now, I mostly see remakes or reboots or sequels or, CRINGE, the dreaded prequel.  Okay, I admit that every now and then a very good film comes out.  Sometimes, we even see a truly great film.  For, however, 72.8% of the stuff I see coming out is pure, unadulterated, unoriginal bantha pudu.  

Sometimes a sequel's a good thing.Sometimes, sequels can be a very good thing, when they are used to continue a story or develop character.  Who doesn’t think that The Road Warrior is better than Mad Max?  The Empire Strikes Back anyone?  Do I need to say The Godfather II?  Good stuff.  But when we get Hollywood wanting to suck the hard earned money out of the pockets of the people who support it willingly anyway, what do we get?  Jaws II-IV.  Rambo II-IV.  Rocky II-whatever.  Halloween gave us one of the creepiest villains ever. So, what does Hollywood do?  Parts II through whatever plus a reboot with a sequel?  Doesn’t make sense.  And, pardon me while I shudder, instead they give us some crappy prequels.  Stars Wars I-III is about as good example of wasted time and money as I can think of.  We had an enjoyable experience with the original.  If there’s no reasonable excuse to continue the story, before or after the fact, why waste our money.  Invest all that money you have on another, fine piece of film-making.

Lots of adaptations, too.  This one is tricky.  Done correctly, with passion and a love for the source material, it can be a wonderful experience.  The Lord of the Rings comes to mind.  Jackson loved the books and it showed.  What about changes, you ask.  Some have to be accommodated.  If The Fellowship of the Ring had been film verbatim, it would have taken three, three hour movies itself.  Changes were made to make it right for the medium of film.  I have only minor complaints with the results.  The Watchmen also comes to mind.  After watching The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, one can easily understand Alan Moore’s attitude toward Hollywood.  However, The Watchmen, I felt, was true to the comic.  Yes, no giant squid.  But Zack made changes appropriate for the medium.  He didn’t have 12 issues to delve into it.  The ending was different but true to the source material.

Reboots?  Why?  Did you think we forgot about everything so soon?  They’ve rebooted Star Trek.  They’re rebooting Freddy from the Nightmare movies (another great film ruined by sequels, btw).  Can’t wait for Spider-Man IV?  Sorry.  Reboot.  Think of something new for crying out loud. 

Speaking of which, the reason this particular blog came into existence was mainly because I saw someone had remade Clash of the Titans.  Why?  Harryhausen made an enjoyable film.  No, there’s not spectacular CGI, but it’s a prime example of the evolution of FX.  Let it stand.  What’s the reason?  To expose the story to a new audience?  Let ‘em watch the original.  Let them see storytelling, not CGI.  Then there were the rumors – I can barely even think of this one without puking my guts up . . .

Pardon me a moment . . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

Okay, I think I can continue . . .

Nothing on earth could kill Snake Plissken - nothing except Hollywood.An Escape from New York remake?  Why?  Yeah, I know the rumor's old, but how could anyone even consider it?  And with Gerard “tonight we dine in hell” Butler as Snake Plissken?  I’m sorry but some actors own certain roles.  Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones.  Mel Gibson is Max.  And Kurt Russell is and will always be Snake Plissken!  If you want a Plissken film, give John Carpenter and Kurt Russell the money to make the much-rumored Escape from Earth.  Your fans want to see that story, not something that’s already been done.  Sure, you might make it look better, but it will never, ever be better than the way Carpenter and Russell did it. 

Wow, that last paragraph depressed me to the point where I don’t think I can say anything else . . .

Sigh.

Anyway, that’s why I strongly dislike Hollywood 83.8% of the time.