Editorials (263)
Alien Day this year celebrates the 40th anniversary of the classic horror, sci-fi film, Alien. The film is recognized for creating a legendary hero and villain (Ripley and Xenomorphs) and feature films and comic books are still being made to expand upon the original story. If you’re familiar with Alien or any of its following stories, it’s obvious that this franchise isn’t necessarily kid-friendly.
The Night Before / I’m Not That Person Anymore
When I was seventeen years old, I got hired at what’s still the best job I’ve ever had. The official policy of Comics & Comix was that employees had to be eighteen, due to the “adult” comic section in one corner of the store. Apparently, the manager saw some combination of enthusiasm and/or maturity on my part that overrode any misgivings she had. I showed up to work each day at a wonderland of comic books, magazines, toys, and t-shirts. The walls were lined with posters and back issues from bygone years, and the stereo (in those pre-Spotify days) was tuned always to classic rock.
We are about to watch the first episode of the final season of Game of Thrones. (“We” being my wife Lacy and I.) I have been with this narrative a long time. I read the books starting back in the early 2000s when my friend and former student made a gift of the first one. (Thanks, Hugh Long, I think…) When the first season was in post-production, I was Mark Addy’s photo double for the ad campaign. (Hundreds of buses, bus stops, and billboards in the greater Los Angeles area featured Mark Addy’s face on my body with the tagline, “Killing Things Clears My Head,” written across the bottom.) Really cool. Been watching it ever since and have written about the last few seasons for Fanbase Press, analyzing theme, character, and plot, connecting the narrative to theology, history, culture, and science. But I am giddy for the last season. So, today, for the first episode of the last season, if you will indulge me, I simply kept a handwritten live blog (Yeah, I know…) of the episode and my in-the-moment reactions. If you will forgive a moment of auto-ethnography, here we go. [SPOILER ALERT – the overarching theme of the episode is “Oh, Game of Thrones, you’re so…you. Many reunions – not just of people but of things the show had kind of stopped doing for awhile. You’ll see.]
When one thinks of superheroes, likely Batman will be the first or second character that will come to mind and rightly so. Thanks to the creative genius of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Batman made his debut in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. He was orphaned as a young boy when his parents were murdered before his eyes, and the seed was planted for the eventual appearance of Batman, who was also known as the Dark Knight and the Caped Crusader. Vengeance and justice weighed on his heart when he donned his bat-inspired outfit to fit crime on the streets of his city: Gotham City.
When he’s not battling Gotham City’s worst criminals and supervillains, Bruce Wayne is the city’s most eligible bachelor. Over the past 80 years, he has been the object of attraction of many female characters, but Bruce struggles to maintain long-term relationships due to his vigilante responsibilities. While Bruce’s social life remains active, his role as Batman always takes priority. Throughout the franchise, his dating escapades have kept us wondering whether Bruce could ever successfully balance both.
I have happy memories of watching the Batman TV series at my grandparents’ house, so when it was re-issued on DVD, I bought it immediately, slammed the discs in the player, grabbed a cup of tea, and settled down to watch. And—
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we often find ourselves becoming more introspective, reflecting on the people and things for which we are thankful. As we at Fanbase Press celebrate fandoms, this year, the Fanbase Press staff and contributors have chosen to honor their favorite fandoms, characters, or other elements of geekdom for which they are thankful, and how those areas of geekiness have shaped their lives and values.
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we often find ourselves becoming more introspective, reflecting on the people and things for which we are thankful. As we at Fanbase Press celebrate fandoms, this year, the Fanbase Press staff and contributors have chosen to honor their favorite fandoms, characters, or other elements of geekdom for which they are thankful, and how those areas of geekiness have shaped their lives and values.
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we often find ourselves becoming more introspective, reflecting on the people and things for which we are thankful. As we at Fanbase Press celebrate fandoms, this year, the Fanbase Press staff and contributors have chosen to honor their favorite fandoms, characters, or other elements of geekdom for which they are thankful, and how those areas of geekiness have shaped their lives and values.
