This week, character actor and comedian Dom DeLuise died at the age of 75. For anyone around my age, he was one of those recurring personalities that turned up frequently in so many childhood TV shows and movies until he became a comforting presence, a welcome dose of good humor in everything from Mel Brooks movies like Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie to Burt Reynolds vehicles like Smokey and the Bandit Part II and Cannonball Run. He was an old-school comic actor, often incorporating the fact of his weight into his character in a way that was never self-conscious but good-natured. And in DeLuise, stars like Reynolds found the perfect “best friend” foil. For me, nothing quiet captured the charm of DeLuise than those memorable outtakes that would appear at the end of his movies with Burt. Their mistakes during production revealed a warm friendship and easy professional collaboration that perfectly matched the shy, heartfelt character DeLuise usually portrayed.

Farewell, Captain Chaos. Dun-dun-DAH!

ITEM #2: I’m going to see Star Trek in an IMAX showing on Thursday evening and will hopefully be bringing you my review shortly after that. But as someone who spent most of his life as a dedicated Trekkie – until Voyager came along, I’m interested to see what I will think and feel when those end credits roll. Stay tuned…

ITEM #3: GEM Coffee with the Curator: Reinventing Star Trek: Boldly Going Where We’ve Been Before

Wednesday, May 20 6-7:30pm

GEM relaunches its lecture series with a more casual, conversational mood that invites collectors to join us on the third Wednesday every month at 6pm for coffee and pop culture chat with Curator Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg. This month, we talk about the relaunch ofStar Trek, with a look at the new movie as well as the 40+ year history that brought us to this bold new vision of Gene Roddenberry’s “Wagon Train to the Stars.”

In the months ahead, “Coffee with the Curator” will cover the reimagining of the Star Trek universe, the world of L. Frank Baum’s Oz, the magical saga of Harry Potter in books and films, and the many incarnations of G.I. Joe.

GEM “Coffee with the Curator”

GEM relaunches its lecture series with a more casual, conversational mood that invites collectors to join us on the third Wednesday every month at 6pm for coffee and pop culture chat with Curator Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg. In the months ahead, “Coffee with the Curator” will cover the reimagining of the Star Trek universe, the world of L. Frank Baum’s Oz, the magical saga of Harry Potter in books and films, and the many incarnations of G.I. Joe.

All of these meetings will take place on Wednesday evenings at 6-7:30pm.

April 15 – Rebirth, Regeneration and Renewal in Pop Culture: The concept of rebirth, so intrinsic a part of many religious faiths, is also an ingrained part of our shared pop culture heritage. Why are we so fascinated by the “hero reborn” myth in the form of Superman, Batman, the Doctor of Doctor Who, and so many more? What aspects of this phenomenon speak to us on such a primal level? As we enter a refreshing new season, take a look at pop culture characters that have also returned again and again.

May 13 – Reinventing Star Trek: Boldly Going Where We’ve Been Before

June 17 – The Long and Winding Yellow Brick Road: More Than a Century of Oz

July 15 – Cinematic Wizardry: A Look at the Harry Potter Films

August 12 – Real American Heroes: The Changing Faces of G.I. Joe

We’ll have more info on the later meetings as we go along. Hope to see you there!

The original plan for this presentation was to discuss the many ways in which our stronger focus on ecological concerns, renewable energy (Dr. Manhattan, anyone?) and the decline of physical print in favor of digital media might affect our cherished world of comic character collectibles. But there is also another issue worth bringing to light, and that’s something called the CPSIA, or Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.

Basically this new law, which went into effect in February, changes things for all those that sell any products intended for children, including books, comics, toys – the lifeblood of the collecting world. Due to the stringent requirements now in place, all pre-1985 children’s books for example are presumed to have potentially hazardous levels of lead or other threatening materials and must be tested at the expense of the seller or taken off the shelves. Some stipulations have been made about the degree to which areas of the law will be enforced, and the regulations will apparently allow people to sell these now-questionable items as “collectibles” (ironically enough) as long as they’re sold to adults, but what constitutes a “collectible” in the eyes of this law is undefined. How exactly do you determine with absolute certitude that the local comic shop is selling that pre-1985 Star Wars book to an adult while the current issue is sold to a child?

I can’t stress things any better than comic creator Evan Dorkin did on his own blog:

“It’s not just comics, but as far as our little field goes, it will potentially affect everyone, whether they make kids’ toys or comics or action figures or models or whatever. And you know how most folks think all comics are for kids, so there’s people who would classify superhero statues and [stuff] made for adult collectors as kid stuff. And old comic strip collections…Nightmare scenario, someone complains…and you’re in trouble for selling Disney Comics or Toon Books to a kid. Back issues. Old, not-so-old, loose or packaged Star Wars or Spider-Man figures. Video game toys. Can Graphitti afford to test their shirts? And will DC Direct be able to afford to test every…thing they make, pay extra for accessories to action figures, and pay again for repaints and variants, because they are considered different finished products under the unit testing conditions of the act? And everything at a con is technically violating the law (not that anyone goes after them, but still, who knows, and who needs this craziness?).”

It’s a story that should be followed closely in the months to come, because at stake is – just possibly – the future of collecting.

Now there’s a new site on the block (Ha, ‘cause you see, “block”…never mind). Neoclassicspace.com is the work of several well-known adult LEGO builders and fans, and it’s a glorious tribute to the first, best era of the classic LEGO Space theme from 1979-1987. This was a time when LEGO spaceships were blue with transparent gold canopies, when grey (real grey, not the fake “bley” the company issues now) rockets propelled cobalt ships through space, leaving streaks of alternating yellow and black as their distinctively marked wings whizzed and whooshed by. Little LEGO spacemen in red and white and yellow and blue suits and helmets would traverse the grey (again, real grey) cratered and pipped surface of the Moon, launch white and black rockets, roll along in grey (you’re with me?) buggies and transports, and sit in control bases with big printed display screens under golden roofs.

Before Blacktron, before Space Police, long before Mars Mission (ugh), there was just Classic Space. And even though we didn’t call it that at the time, we knew it somehow anyway. It was Classic Space. It would always be Classic Space.

The theme is now celebrating its 30th anniversary – 1979, how did you get so far away – and at Neoclassicspace.com you can see daily models built by some of the best and brightest in the LEGO fan community, all paying homage to the ships and bases that were such a big part of our childhood. I marvel at these new additions to the Classic Space legacy, and I urge anyone that remembers afternoons spent building blue ships and sending them out into the stars to visit the site and travel back in time, if only for a few minutes.

It was an almost unqualified triumph when you consider that for so many years, the graphic novel was deemed “unfilmable.” It was genuinely moving, whether through the ongoing acknowledgment that the film makers cared about the source material through the use of every specific line of dialogue or distinctive visual, or just through the many sensitive portrayals of the relationships in the story (the Jon/Janey thread in particular made me shed a tear in a way the book never did).

Sure, there are things that are different. But all of my disappointment – which was very minor – was really only centered on a few cosmetic changes in the last five minutes. Most of the big changes, including the oft-discussed climax, are so well thought out they actually make the story more thematically and/or emotionally resonant than without them. One minor dialogue shift toward the end gives Jon a more satisfying departure that underlines his rediscovered appreciation for human life. I would argue that in many places, the book had an intellectual impact, but the movie provides more heart. Yes, I think the movie improves on Moore’s original story, that’s what I said. Moore isn’t God…although the jury is still out on Dr. Manhattan.

The entire cast does a great job, even the frequently maligned Malin Akerman. I thought she was equal parts sweet, sexy and a bit disturbing, as Laurie should be. I liked Billy Crudup’s soft-spoken, quiet Jon/Dr. Manhattan (aided of course by plenty of well-done CGI). To me he nails the character in a way I might never have thought of myself – seemingly cold and detached, but sounding like a young boy lost in a world he doesn’t understand. And Jeffrey Dean Morgan, well, how can you grow to care so much about the reprehensible Comedian? Another great characterization. Even a small appearance by the always reliable Matt Frewer as Moloch is pitch perfect. But if I had to pick just one, Jackie Earle Haley walks away with the movie as Rorschach and should get an Oscar nomination. His performance made it possible for me to care about him so much that in his final scene, when he had tears in his eyes, I did too.

Ultimately this story is about identity. There are those that have embraced the fact that their true self is an external mask – Rorschach – some who struggle with trying to leave that behind – Dan – and some that refuse to accept that the mask/suit was their better self – Laurie. And it all comes through.

If I had one major complaint, it’s that the movie could definitely stand to be even longer. Almost three hours? Not enough time to get into the world of these people (even with that superb, emotional opening title sequence), and I’m very glad to know an extended cut is coming. Some of the things I wish were included might turn up there (one omitted scene with Hollis Mason I know for certain is in that cut), which would only mean I’d have even less of the little disappointment I felt. But they did the book proud and made a movie that is both a spectacle and a moving experience.

The one thing I can’t speak to, however, is what a non-fan or non-reader of the book will get out of this film, because I did feel at every turn that much of the movie only functioned for those who would know what’s coming next, so that every homage or nod or visual would have weight. But for those that come to this cold? Hopefully it will still have an impact, but I don’t know if it would be as profound or satisfying. I hope so.

UPDATED: Since writing this for my column appearing this past Friday, the movie has dropped over 70% at the box office in its second weekend, which says to me – and I usually hate making these kinds of blanket statements – that the mainstream movie-going audience doesnt know what to make of Watchmen. They’re going to see another Spider-Man or even Dark Knight, and instead they’re getting a very emotionally heavy, violent, sexually charged, thought-provoking look at identity and humanity that doesn’t fit their preconceptions of what a comic book movie should be.

I saw it again this past Saturday in IMAX – which I highly recommend, as this movie was made for that epic presentation – and I have an even higher opinion of it than before. It’s a brilliant piece of work, not just a beautiful tribute to the source material but a movie that stands on its own as a dark and moving rumination on where our hearts might lead us. I’ll be watching this movie for the rest of my life; I hope it finds a more appreciative audience in the years ahead via DVD and other formats.

GEM Monthly Speaker Series: Goin’ Green with Pop Culture
March 18, 2009 7:00pm-8:30pm
St. Patrick’s Day is just the right time to think about “goin’ green,” but not by wearing a sweater with a shamrock or donning a derby. In today’s world, finding new and more environmentally sound ways to live with and on Earth have become not just more popular in our culture but necessary. Join us for a discussion about ecological entertainment, from movies that make a point to comics on recycled paper.

And I’m sure I’ll manage to work in references to everyone from the Green Lama and the Green Hornet to countless Green Lanterns and a certain Incredible Hulk. We’re goin’ green all over, so come by and take part in the conversation!

ITEM #2: For all our Canadian friends, GEM will be featured on the CBC Sunday “current affairs” news program (permanent link) this weekend! I’ll be talking about the impact of Barbie on our culture, and you’ll probably catch a glimpse or two of our special exhibit celebrating 50 years of a certain fashionable doll. Check it out!

ITEM #3: One of the most momentous events in the annals of comic-to-film adaptations takes place this weekend as the oft-declared “unfilmable” graphic novel, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, comes to the big screen after all. I’ll be trying to get a look at the final results as soon as possible and offer my take. Having taught the book for ten years in my comic book literature course at UMBC, I’m both apprehensive and excited about the prospect of seeing it come alive in a movie theater. However, I’m also concerned that starting with my next class in the fall, I’ll be teaching a class full of kids for whom Watchmen will most likely be a movie first, a book second. It’s a sobering thought.

But now that I’m semi-back again, I can at least offer some thoughts on one of the annual epicenters of pop culture excess – the Academy Awards. Advertised as a recession-friendly back-to-basics ceremony, the 81st annual Oscar show had its share of improvements, not least the canny choice of putting Hugh Jackman in the role of host. Jackman, a consummate showman with skills far beyond those most of us have seen in any of the X-Men movies, did an admirable job as a song-and-dance man ushering the often languorous special through its self-congratulatory paces. His musical medley was a highlight (although his opening number was not), but there were other nice touches this year.

The new set, with the orchestra removed from the pit and placed at the back of the stage in order to bring the audience even closer, did conjure exactly the kind of retro glamour recalling the Oscars of old that the designers intended. The somewhat awkward approach of bringing five former award winners out to personally speak to each of the nominees in the four top acting categories wasn’t a total success but it did offer some of the evening’s biggest laughs and touching moments (but then, these are actors we’re talking about).

Yes, I have to admit it – even when there’s nothing up for an award that I particularly care about, I still usually wind up watching the Oscars. It’s just one of those nights when the old Hollywood mystique returns with a vengeance and the idea of watching multimillionaires pat each other on the back for playing pretend isn’t completely revolting. Well, for some it’s still pretty annoying, but there it is – I still enjoy the Oscars, I can’t help it.

Pop culture is often about escapism, and now more than ever, with television viewing and movie-going on the rise, people are seeking ways to revel in fantasy, whether it’s a sci-fi action adventure on the big screen, or pretty people in luxurious clothing handing each other golden statues on the small screen. Don’t ask me why, but there’s something almost comforting about it.

So first, I’d like to thank the Academy…

Love makes the world go ‘round. It also fuels entertainment in all of its forms, from romantic dramas and comedies in film and television to the more fanciful relationships that anchor the strangest of superheroes. Pop culture is filled with couples, and this Valentine’s Day (or as near as) is a good time to look back briefly at the history of love and romance in American media.

In 2002, the feature film adaptation of Spider-Man made a half billion dollars worldwide and far surpassed the expectations of many that felt a superhero/comic book-themed movie would never appeal to such a wide audience. But why did it work out that way? The key was in the opening narration: “This story, like any story worth telling, is about a girl.”

In 1997, James Cameron used the same approach as Spider-Man when crafting his epic re-enactment of the tragic Titanic sinking – focus the story on specific characters, a couple finding each other in the midst of great adversity and discovering that love conquers all, and audiences will return again and again. Flashy special effects, high adventure, enormous spectacle – all of that certainly keeps their eyes glued to the screen, but keep the core of the story anchored in love and romance, and you capture their hearts as well.

Although love and romance permeates every corner of pop culture, cinema is where we have solidified so many of the familiar themes we share in our common cultural lexicon. From the first experiments in film, when Thomas Edison committed fifteen seconds of The Kiss to celluloid in 1896, to the reinvention of a formerly loathsome monster into a teen romantic icon in Twilight, love and romance has always been a part of film. The romantic comedy genre alone, whether it stars Cary Grant or Hugh Grant (with whomever they happen to be wooing that week), accounts for much of the movie material on the subject. As The Princess Bride so perfectly put it, true love is the most important thing, transcending all other forces including death itself.

Speaking of fairy tale romances, Disney produced a plethora of animated feature films entirely about (chaste) romance and the power of true love. From Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty all the way up to their own rendition of one of the great enduring (and unusual) romances of all time – Beauty and the Beast – and beyond, Disney has helped to show audiences of all ages exactly how love can save the day, transform the world, and allow people to live happily ever after.

From cartoons to comics…Comics? For me, that would take forever. Suffice to say that even in a medium dominated (in the US anyway) by the relatively male-skewed superhero genre, there is plenty of romance to go around. Every hero has his or her significant other, and if things work out, they even get married and live happily ever after…barring the monthly grudge matches with old enemies and death-defying escapes from lethal traps (usually set by the enemies, not each other). For a love story that transcends all media, look no further than DC Comics’ Superman and Lois Lane – it only took them fifty years to tie the knot. Over at Marvel there have been lots of couples, from Peter Parker and Mary Jane (well, until recently) to Reed and Sue Richards. For the darker and more convoluted side of the equation, you can examine the complexity of the much-praised graphic novel Watchmen, or just go see the movie when it comes out in March.

Comics are illustrated literature, but what about good old-fashioned prose? If film is the modern wellspring of love-related clichés, then most of them came from or were adapted from some of the great literary classics. It begins and ends with one name – Shakespeare (yes, he’s a playwright, but let’s not quibble). From the tragic lows of Romeo and Juliet to the comedic highs of Much Ado about Nothing, to the misunderstandings of Twelfth Night and Merry Wives of Windsor that would make even Three’s Company fans confused, Shakespeare told every story that could be told about the many pleasures and pitfalls of love. And although we could list about ten thousand other literary love-fests, it’s worth noting that Jane Austen’s beloved Pride & Prejudice is one of the most adapted and cherished novels about the joining of two hearts ever published.

We’re nearing the end and we haven’t even addressed television and music. With Valentine’s Day just passed, I should at least note that the regularity of TV broadcasting made the notion of producing special, romantically-themed episodes of ongoing series a tradition on the small screen. Tension between couples destined to be together drives many shows, while married couples and family – the result of all those “happily ever afters” – are the focus of many others. Even Charlie Brown has had a brush or two with affairs of the heart, although perhaps not as successfully.

As for music – try to find a dozen or so popular songs that aren’t about love in one form or another.

In the 1979 vampire comedy movie, Love at First Bite, George Hamilton’s Dracula observes that in a world without romance, it is better to be dead. Fortunately for those of us that romanticize comics, toys, books, movies and television, and for all lovers of entertainment, we will never really have to live without love and romance in pop culture.

Last week, GEM Registrar Andy Hershberger and I trudged up to New York to attend the NY Comic Con. Short story – it was a great con, well attended, with lots of people stopping by the GEM booth to discuss the museum, sign up for the chance to win free tickets, or even just to tell us they’d been there before and were planning to come back! That’s what we love to hear, so it was a good time for all.

One of our show highlights was the opportunity to take part in some actual panel programming. On Saturday evening, Andy and I were joined by Gemstone Publishing’s Executive Editor/Associate Publisher J.C. Vaughn, authors Charlie Huston and Cailtin Kittredge, and Minions of Ka creators Michael Furno and Dave Wilbur for the “Vampire, Werewolf, and Zombie Round Table.” The room was filled nearly to capacity, and although we had only an hour, we took a lot of questions, discussed the intricacies of shape-shifting detectives and shambling corpses, and had lots of fun before it was time to leave the hall.

I’d also like to thank everyone that stopped by, from designer Chip Kidd and Archie Comics’ Fred Mauser and Mike Pellerito, to Tom DeFalco, Joe Wos of the ToonSeum, Jenny Robb from the fine archives at the Ohio State University Cartoon Library, and many more whose names I’m already forgetting so you’ll have to forgive me. Special thanks also must go to all the great people working the booths of our sister companies, Diamond and Diamond Select Toys. They were always there when we needed them for vital support and it made the weekend a real team effort. A personal thanks to Gene Smith of Alien Entertainment and a gentleman by the name of Colin Baker.

This weekend I’m appearing at Gallifrey One, the largest North American Doctor Who convention. This is their 20th anniversary and it looks like it’ll be the biggest and most spectacular Gally ever! With guests like former Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson, Sixth Doctor Colin Baker (where have I heard that name before?), Nicola “Peri” Bryant, Torchwood star Gareth “Ianto” David-Lloyd, and even me, there will be fun aplenty at panels, presentations and general pandemonium.

For more information on the New York Comic Con (coming back in October 2010!), visit www.nycomiccon.com. For more on Gallifrey One, visit www.gallifreyone.com/gallifrey.php. And for more on me and pop culture, just check back next week!

In addition, I’ll be moderating the “Vampire, Werewolf, and Zombie Round Table” featuring GEM Registrar Andy Hershberger (my Zombiemania co-author), Gemstone Publishing’s J.C. Vaughn, and creators Charlie Huston, Ben Templesmith, Michael Furno, and Caitlin Kittredge on the current vogue in vampire, werewolf, and (of course) zombie entertainment. That’s Saturday at 6:30pm in Room 1A21 so don’t miss it!

A week later, I’ll be heading to the other side of the country for my annual appearance at Gallifrey One, the largest North American Doctor Who convention. This is their 20th anniversary and it looks like it’ll be the biggest and most spectacular Gally ever! With guests like former Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson, Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, Nicola “Peri” Bryant, Torchwood star Gareth “Ianto” David-Lloyd, and even me, there will be fun aplenty at panels, presentations and general pandemonium.

For more information on the New York Comic Con, visit www.nycomiccon.com. For more on Gallifrey One, visit www.gallifreyone.com/gallifrey.php. And for more on me and pop culture, just check back next week!