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thebitterguySometimes, you realize that you do, actually, own something. Maybe it's a book, or a piece of clothing, a movie or a cd. Recently, I remembered that I owned Twilight, a miniseries by Howard Chaykin & Jose Luis Garcia Lopez.
It's a strange creation, something put together by two very talented guys.
The core idea of Twilight was that it was a 're-imagining' of the various science fiction characters that DC had produced before they died off in the winnowing of the comics industry. This was in the early 90s, when people didn't reimagine a lot, since they were in the throes of the speculation boom.
I was moderately familiar with some of the characters. I'd acquired a giant sized DC book that had a Space Cabbie story and a Star Rovers story. The characters were pretty much the epitome of four colour silliness, with Space Cabbie being, well, a cabbie in space, and the Star Rovers a trio of galactic dilettantes, travelling around having adventures. It was the typically fun stuff that could be found back in the day. Tommy Tomorrow was, in the wake of Crisis, now the future of Kamandi.
Twilight, on the other hand, had other ideas. Chaykin put together a galaxy in the aftermath of war between humans and any comers: alien Methusieloids, uplifted animals and robots. He also nastified all the various characters, making Tomorrow a fascist, Space Cabbie a bad stereotype of a slobby cab driver (remember, in his incarnation he'd been a cab driver in a suit who wore a hat. One of those classy hats, too. And a bow tie. At least he didn't make him a sikh) and making the Star Rovers generally less pleasant.
Sure, all of it could be considered to be more realistic, but did we need the realism? Do we need guys who hunt outlaw aliens, wear bubble helmets, and drive interstellar space taxis to be racist (are robots a race?) misanthropes? Hell, making a guy named Tommy Tomorrow a bad guy is not very indicative of a sensawunda attitude.
The high point of the series was definitely the art. Jose Luis Garcia Lopez is one of my favourite artists of my youth. Atari Force was a great little book, and his work on Twilight was strong and clean.
The story dealt with humanity attaining immortality by an act of cannibalism (which is eventually superseded by Science!), and the aftereffects of that.
The story is somewhat weak, but manages to include three or four storylines woven through it. It's disappointing that it had to take some classic SF characters and assholise them to a degree that makes the Ultimates look like the classic Marvel Family. Then again, some people like All-Star Batman & Robin, so maybe it would do better in the modern age.
It's a strange creation, something put together by two very talented guys.
The core idea of Twilight was that it was a 're-imagining' of the various science fiction characters that DC had produced before they died off in the winnowing of the comics industry. This was in the early 90s, when people didn't reimagine a lot, since they were in the throes of the speculation boom.
I was moderately familiar with some of the characters. I'd acquired a giant sized DC book that had a Space Cabbie story and a Star Rovers story. The characters were pretty much the epitome of four colour silliness, with Space Cabbie being, well, a cabbie in space, and the Star Rovers a trio of galactic dilettantes, travelling around having adventures. It was the typically fun stuff that could be found back in the day. Tommy Tomorrow was, in the wake of Crisis, now the future of Kamandi.
Twilight, on the other hand, had other ideas. Chaykin put together a galaxy in the aftermath of war between humans and any comers: alien Methusieloids, uplifted animals and robots. He also nastified all the various characters, making Tomorrow a fascist, Space Cabbie a bad stereotype of a slobby cab driver (remember, in his incarnation he'd been a cab driver in a suit who wore a hat. One of those classy hats, too. And a bow tie. At least he didn't make him a sikh) and making the Star Rovers generally less pleasant.
Sure, all of it could be considered to be more realistic, but did we need the realism? Do we need guys who hunt outlaw aliens, wear bubble helmets, and drive interstellar space taxis to be racist (are robots a race?) misanthropes? Hell, making a guy named Tommy Tomorrow a bad guy is not very indicative of a sensawunda attitude.
The high point of the series was definitely the art. Jose Luis Garcia Lopez is one of my favourite artists of my youth. Atari Force was a great little book, and his work on Twilight was strong and clean.
The story dealt with humanity attaining immortality by an act of cannibalism (which is eventually superseded by Science!), and the aftereffects of that.
The story is somewhat weak, but manages to include three or four storylines woven through it. It's disappointing that it had to take some classic SF characters and assholise them to a degree that makes the Ultimates look like the classic Marvel Family. Then again, some people like All-Star Batman & Robin, so maybe it would do better in the modern age.
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no subject
Date: 2007-01-03 02:48 am (UTC)I think more to the point the question should be, "Do I need to read this sort of story?" Myself, I rather tend to enjoy Mister Chaykin's stuff (though I'll be the first to admit not all of it is as stellar as others), but that's because a lot of his themes appeal to me. (Again, I'll also admit to sometimes having to be in the proper mood to appreciate one of his stories, where many an author I can pick up in most moods and enjoy.)
You ask, do we need, and obviously the answer is 'no'. We do not need such things. You are part of 'we', and you obviously don't need it, else you'd not be disparaging about it. ;)
no subject
Date: 2007-01-03 04:07 am (UTC)The problem is that there are six billion other people out there, and only one of us. So in the end you have to sort of just stick your neck out and hope that someone else takes the plunge too.
I'm a fairly harsh critic of other people's work, but only because I tend to set the bar pretty high depending on what's being offered. I don't much like Chaykin's stuff myself -- he always seems to be rubbing your face in it -- but he, like me, deserves the freedom to try.