Star Mouse - Disney Wars?

Imagine my surprise when I read the headline “Disney to Acquire Star Wars for $4.04 Billion.” I then started to see the mash-ups of Star Wars and various Disney icons.  My first thought? Lucas must be close to death. Or maybe he’s gone mad. Or just about to retire.   Why else would he sell the baby that he has nursed since 1977? Lucas all but invented the “Movie Franchise” that ties in toys, food, clothing, and anything else you can slap a license onto. A sprawling franchise that encompasses Movies, TV, radio, toys, books, and comics, just to name a few. The list goes on. And on. And on.

My second thought was “Oh great, Disney is going to drive the final nail into Star Wars coffin. They will run past Jar Jar Binks and have Darth Goofus and Luke Skymouse.” They will turn it into a childrens property and try to erase anything that has been done before. That thought did not sit well with me.

I have been a fan of Star Wars since before there was Episode IV, when I first saw the Rebel Blockade Runner shoot past followed by the Imperial Star Destroyer.  I could not honestly count how many times I have seen the original trilogy. Or how many action figures I have owned.  I have most of the EU novels up to Vector Prime.  I ran, for a number of years, a West End Games Star Wars campaign when I lived in California.  You might say I am a bit familiar with the franchise.

I did not panic and run screaming to the interwebs declaring Armageddon. I sat back and thought about it and then I reviewed some of the Mouse’s other acquisitions. Pixar and  Marvel Comics are two of the most recent.   This brought me to my third thought.  Disney may have purchased these properties but so far it has let them continue, more or less, as they were.  The Thor, Captain America, and the Avengers films all came out under the Mouse’s watch. And I enjoyed all of them. I loved the Avengers. Pixar has put out some very good properties.  This has given me hope.

My hope is that even with Lucas as a “creative consultant” they will be able to get a team of writers.  Let me repeat that. A team of writers.  A team of writers that won’t have a bunch of brown nosing Yes people saying “Of course, Mr. Lucas, Jar Jar is a great character who will be beloved for generations.” Or “This is some of the most romantic writing I have ever seen. “ Or “I can totally see how Anakin would fall to the Dark Side from a series of dreams.”

I can only hope Star Wars will get some fresh writers, fresh ideas, and grow into something bigger.  A galaxy is a big place and there is a lot going on in it. I want to see it. I want to experience it. Despite that backlash and negative things I did enjoy the prequels over all.  I don’t feel that they raped my childhood or any such drama.  There were some very good elements, visually they were stunning.  But they are what they are.

What will happen to my beloved Star Wars Franchise?  At this time I am going to remain optimistic.  With the franchise no longer being held in the Force Grip of Lucas I can hope that there will be new stories, new characters, and fresh excitement A Long time ago in a Galaxy Far, far away . . .

Austin ComicCon 2012

If Toys R Us is where a kid can be a kid then ComicCon is where a Geek can be a Geek.  Men, women, boys, girls, nerds, and geeks come out of the proverbial basement and can be themselves. This is where dressing up as an Anime or your favorite Sci-Fi character is not only acceptable but also encouraged.

This was my second year going to the Austin ComicCon and it has grown from the first outing. More costumes, more vendors, more celebrities. We went this year because the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation (minus Denise Crosby) were going to attend.

The Austin ComicCon is held at the Austin Convention Center.  It's a freaking huge building and in the middle of downtown.  That right there is when the Robot starts flailing its arms and bleating "Danger! Will Robinson, Danger!" Unless you get there early, have a compact car, or ride public transportation you can expect a hike.

With the advent of the internet we didn't have to stand in line to purchase tickets. From the website all we had to do was tap  in the digits from a credit card and a little magic with our printer and our 1 day tickets were purchased and printed. With a sheet of paper we walked to the counter, got our wrist bands, and in we go. Then the spectacle began.

I saw Steampunk, Star Trek, and Star Wars costumes immediately. If you are normally shy you can be someone else and no one will know the difference. Some were really well done, some not so much. It doesn’t matter. It’s freaking ComicCon. There were vendors selling comic books, trinkets, action figures, T-shirts, toys, posters, paintings. If it is geeky and you can put a price tag on it then it was probably there.

Camera flashes kept going off as people were taking pictures. I snapped quite a few myself.

I was afraid that we had missed seeing the cast of TNG.  Luckily we just had to wait a little while longer. Levarr Burton was the first we saw. Then booths for the other cast members began to open up, lines began to queue, and slowly the rest of the cast showed up.  We thought about shaking hands with various cast members but being flat broke could not afford the $25 to $120 it would take.  All the cast was full of smiles and genuinely seemed to enjoy the adoration given by the fans. Or maybe they are that good of actors and put their best face forward. Poor Will Wheaton apparently picked up a bug and was late to show up but he looked pleasant and happy. That also might have been whatever meds he had slammed before heading on stage.

There were other celebrities there. Dean Cane of The Adventures of Lois and Superman fame. Eliza Dushku of Buffy infamy. There was even a schmuk from Jersey Shore there.

We got to see the 501^st Legion, a Star Wars group that dress up in movie replica costumes and help with charity.  Walker was able to get some pictures taken with them. They were very friendly and eager to have their pictures taken. I saw Members of SG1, Ghostbusters, and various homemade undead and horror costumes.

While I enjoyed seeing the celebrities the real stars of ComicCon are the fans. Those folks who buy or make their costumes and put it all out there for everyone to see. I saw Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. I saw Federation officers from several different eras. I saw Inspector Gadget with the helicopter hat. We passed a family of Klingons. I saw girls dressed as scantily clad warrioresses, plenty of steampunk costumes (which I plan steal – I mean borrow – for next time). There were poor children dressed up as their parents favorite things and had no idea what was going on. Rarely did I see a frown and plenty of smiles to go around.

We did not plan this ComicCon very well. Next time we are going to plan out different panels to go to and maybe even try to meet a celebrity or two.  Finding a parking spot was a bitch and a half, so we’ll either take the light rail or get there earlier. Despite these things I had a blast and it was good to see so many people who I grew up watching.

Once I figure out how to post pictures here I will. Enjoy!

My inaugural post.

I have had a website for most of my adult life.  My old websites were blogs, before blogging became popular.  This is the next chapter in that journey. Here I will post my feelings, ideas, rants, rumblings, and other things.  Enjoy the ride. Or go home.

I will not be politically correct so if you don’t like what you read please review the First Amendment.  It provides protections for free speech, it does not provide protection from being offended.