By Alex Ness
July 24, 2022
PASSINGS
Alan Grant, writer of Batman and Judge Dredd passed away, July 20, 2022. His work was loved by fans, it was consistently good, and he left a body of work that other writers won't approach if they'd lived three lifetimes of writing. He also wrote The Demon, a funny, dark, well written and conceived series for DC in the 1990s. I never had the chance to interview him as by the time I had the balls to contact him, he was not writing as regularly and seemed to prefer having a project to discuss than a career. He will be missed.
I receive at least a dozen emails about the articles I write here, per month. The number is probably more, but I don't spend time counting. That may come from, I hope, the fact that I answer the emails, and that by reading my articles some people are inspired to inquire to learn more, to discover what my view is, or to clarify points not understood. More than once small publishers invited me to be a part of their company. And I have done more than 300 interviews with comic book talent, publishers and retailers over the years I've been online.
Now, I'm not someone who knows all there is to know about the comics or any creative medium's industry. I'm not beloved in any way, across the comics industry or any other creative industry, and I've never been told I am easy to work with. Instead I've been called an stubborn idealist. OK, maybe I am that. The two best offers to work at a publisher I was offered would have meant I'd need to live on either coast of the US, and I'd have to get paid less money per month than it would cost to live in that area, so beyond simply being disagreeable, I would never leave my home and family for work no one cares enough about to pay me enough to live. However, even if I am not employed in such an industry I do have ideas about the inner workings of comic books, I've done a great deal of writing and for many sites over the years, and I do try my best, even if people perceive me to be a prick.
Someone who writes somewhat regularly asked me the subject of today's article. What comic book character/setting would I match up with creative teams, and what movies could be made about the "weird but true" things I have written about here?
IF WERE KING: THE COMICS I'D WANT TO READ
Part I
Something Space Opera
Mike Oeming & Bryan Glass
Oeming's art and character design plus Bryan Glass's words and depth of concept make a space opera a comic that anyone with intelligence and taste would enjoy. Conflict isn't always one versus another, sometimes the hero within must fight the villain, from the same within. These two could get it. And the result would be better written than any damn movie, and with Oeming's art you'd have the greatest of tales with an unlimited budget for visionary art.
Something Cyberpunk
David Hine & Brian Haberlin
With Hine's Strange Embrace, Hine's showed himself an unique talent, able to rescue the reader from the depths of sorrow and pain, and still rise. In Hine and Haberlin's Sonata and The Marked, they told stories that defy easy genre tropes, with depth and fascinating twists. Add Haberlin's HellCop to the rest, and Haberlin's skills and talents become obvious and stunning. You can see the powerful connection the pair have. And to enter the future in a dystopia fashion, they'd do the best one out there.
The Ravens Have Left the Tower
Jamie Delano & Chris Weston
There has been a longstanding legend that "If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it." This series need not focus on the ravens, but the consequences and disastrous events that accompany the moment they leave. No other writer does the mad genius work that Jamie Delano has done. Chris Weston has done work on so many series that I have highly enjoyed, and the works The Filth and Ministry of Space pretty much demonstrate how his attention to detail and artistic excellence could illustrate the words of the mad genius Jamie Delano is. I'd likely pay this lavish attention and give it the promotion deserved, should I be truly be king. After all if I were king perhaps the subject matter might make it necessary for me to pay attention, lest I fall from the throne.
Tales From Jack Kirby's Life After the Great Disaster
Erik Larsen & Walter Simonson
I've interviewed and commented often how Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon is a more adult work that is composed of many different influences, but particularly wonderful is his Jack Kirbyesque adventures, character strengths and motivations, and simply stated, fun. Walter Simonson's Orion and Jack Kirby's Fourth World stories illustrated that Simonson is also an apt inheritor of the Kirby mantle. In both cases, the works do not simply evoke Kirby, they embrace it, understand it, and create new works in that same spirit and quality.
The Micronauts
Mike Carey, Steve Kurth and Barbara Schulz
You might note, this is a work that isn't a new one nor is it an adaptation of another work. But I love the Micronauts, I think it has much potential. A writer of the quality of Mike Carey could give it purpose and relevance. The super clean and dynamic art work of penciler Steve Kurth and inker Barbara Schulz could allow the writer Carey to tell a story that would achieve the heights of concept and development of characters. Schulz and Kurth worked on Devil's Due's version of the Micronauts, but that version struggled with changes to the creative team and not having a consistently well written story. IDW released a version of the Micronauts, but it was pretty to look at, while the stories told were bland in taste.
PART II
IF WERE KING: THE MOVIES I'D WANT TO WATCH
Ever heard of the Raid on St. Nazaire? During the Second World War there was a period of time where the Nazi control over continental Europe was limited to land army dominance but that didn't extend much over the control of the seas. The U-boat actions did damage the merchant fleets of the UK and the US. But convoys and collaborative efforts with air units and naval units meant that could improve and come under control for the UK.
There was a fear by the British Command that the French dry dock and repair facilities in the port of St. Nazaire could be used to allow the better surface ships of the German navy to be used as raiders, and to enter fleet actions with the potential to repair any battle damage suffered in such actions. British Command could not accept that likelihood, and planned to ram a ship into the dry dock and blow it up. Commandos entered into action that was reckless in bravery, and risky in terms of result desired versus cost and ultimate utility of the raid. But it did work, and at the time, Germany seemed to be in control of the war. The spark and flame caused by the action lit the lamp of hope throughout occupied Europe.
THE RAMAYANA
For the western audience, many of whom are unaware of story, the backstory and myths, the story of the Ramayana, it is amazing. It was written centuries ago, is set in an ancient, pristine, and magnificent India. It features the story of the legendary Prince Rama of Ayodhya city in the kingdom of Kosala. He is called to fight for his kingdom, and experiences trials and must rely upon the help of an army of monkeys, versus demons and men. It is visually powerful, mythic in scale, and wonderfully epic in every aspect of the telling. It was well adapted by Virgin Comics in the Ramayan 3392 AD, and if someone were willing to spend the money, would make for a film that was an equal to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and other Fantasy or Science Fantasy movies. It would definitely require a budget and a master in the director's chair, but I think it would be amazing.
THE BLACK DAHLIA: SEVERED
The case of the Black Dahlia deals with the murder of Beth Short, in a gruesome manner. It might also involve a number of similar killings both before and after. It is at this point still officially unsolved. There was a film adapting James Ellroy's book The Black Dahlia. And, it was an ok work, but it was far more of a fictionalized and spectacle based work, than an answer to the mystery of who killed Beth Short. A true to source movie of the Black Dahlia based upon John Gilmore's work Severed would answer the questions of the case, and tell a dark and twisted tale. John Gilmore was highly talented in numerous realms, but his masterwork is how he acquired the likeliest suspect in the Black Dahlia case. He was a friend of many film stars, he easily work in and traveled through many creative domains, and I believe essentially solved the case. (I'd interviewed John Gilmore and he did the foreword to my book A LIFE OF RAVENS, and I liked him very much. I'd also interviewed Steve Hodel, and I once favored Hodel's book, it featured a theory that his father was the killer Black Dahlia victim Beth Short. Hodel's father was indeed a dark soul, but, when Hodel later wrote that his father was also the Zodiac killer and who knows what else, I tended to see the flaws in his outlook more accurately. I like and liked both men (John Gilmore passed away), but Severed is the superior and the most twisted of all the works considering the case.
About Getting Reviews from Me
I
can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email
Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at
any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street
address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that. It was a
crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I
was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege
to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send
hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to
send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I
don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them
for free to others.
MY LINKS:
My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Cthulhu Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
All works and art remain the property of the owners/creators and nothing more than fair use is asserted.
No comments:
Post a Comment