Palladium Books Facing BK

Palladium Books is one of the biggest independent RPG companies around, and one of the oldest. I've always respected them because they're basically a one-man show: Kevin Seimbeda has lovingly nurtured his world of RIFTS for over fifteen years, and his company for over 20!

As much as I love the phenomenal support offered by WOTC for DND 3.5 and Modern, the fact is that there's something special about Palladium: they're the little publisher that could.

Anyway, check this out here, and read Sembeida's personal appeal. I think a $50 minimum may be a bit ambitious for some, so maybe we should try to collaborate?

Hopefully we can help keep a good company from going under!

Flash Gordon -- Planet of Peril

On January 7, 1934 Alex Raymond forever changed the "comic world" when he created a new comic strip character to compete with the extremely popular Buck Rogers comic strip. Flash Gordon offered all the excitement of the typical Buck Rogers adventure, but with two significant improvements. Raymond's art was far superior to that of the Rogers title and was better able to transate the excitement of "cliffhanging adventure." Second, the Flash Gordon universe was more fantastic that scientific.

Buck Rogers as a title has always demanded a modicum of scientific plausibility. The adventures of Buck Rogers (the comic strip) told of a future America where World War had changed governmental structures and a future China had come to rule the world.
Flash Gordon has never had limitations restricting it to the plausible. Flash was truly the adventures of the mind. Buck Rogers is a character who one could imagine Isaac Asimov writing a story about in adventures filled with political struggles as well as physical. If one were to imagine any classic science fiction author drafting tales of Flash Gordon, the first name to leap to the tongue would have to be Edgar Rice Burroughs. The adventures are too fantastic, too scientifically implausible, to wild, and too swashbuckling for any other author. Flash Gordon shares as much with modern tales of Fantasy as he does with science fiction.

Flash, Dale, and Zarkov inhabit a universe where there are self propelling planets, swordfights, and magic powers and, not surprisingly, Raymond's influence has extended into modern movies as well. A Gordon comic fan cannot help but see honest homage to Raymond's creation when he watches the Star Wars films. Both contain the aforementioned "moving planets" (Mongo vs. the Death Star), evil emperors (Ming vs. Palpatine), and magic powers (the Force and Ming's Magic). Both also contain princesses (Aura vs. Leia), anthropomorphic animistic friends (Thun the Lion Man vs. Chewbacca the Wookie), and roguish allies (Prince Barin vs. Han Solo). The list of comparisons above is far from exhaustive and is not meant to detract from Star Wars in any way. Star Wars easily deserves its place beside Raymond's creation, but the influence of Flash Gordon on a young Lucas is almost undeniable. One of the reasons for the enduring legacy of Raymond's creation was his attitude toward the medium itself:

I decided honestly that comic art is an art form in itself. It reflects the life and times more accurately and actually is more artistic than magazine illustration -- since it is entirely creative. An illustrator works with camera and models; a comic artist begins with a white sheet of paper and dreams up his own business -- he is playwright, director, editor, and artist at once.

It is wonderful that Checker Book Publishing is releasing the strips in a series of collected editions . So far there are five volumes in the series.

As you can see be the illustrations below the artistic quality is higher than one would expect from a 1930s newspaper strip. I think the art speaks for itself today and deserves a place in art history as well as in the history of popular culture.

Flash Gordon quickly leapt from the newspaper page and onto the big screen. In 1936, Alex Raymond's eponymous Polo player/Savior of the Planet Flash Gordon, played by the charismatic Buster Crabbe, first entered the sparkler powered rocket to the planet Mongo. Once there Flash would face numerous dangers and begin his battles against the evil emperor Ming, battles which would last for many years.


Thanks to You Tube, you can watch the first episode "Planet of Peril." Two warnings. First, the file is big so if you want to watch it, you had better have a high speed connection. Second, if you like it, rather than hunting down all the episodes as streaming video, do yourself (and the IP owners) a favor and buy the Space Soldiers DVD box set. I know, why buy when you can download? Well...you might just prompt someone to make a quality film that is a true adaptation of the material. We Flash Gordon fans are in dire need of a good adaptation, I can only watch Sam Jones so many times. Though I can sing the Queen song all day...Flash! Ahhhhhhhh!

Inter-Web-O-Net-O-Sphere Woes

While there are times that I love the interwebonetosphere, there are times when the massive collection of ones and zeroes really gets on my nerves. Take right now for instance. My professional email provider, the one I use for work and official stuff, is experiencing some kind of major meltdown making it all but impossible for me to communicate with anyone for work. Let me tell you, it is more than a little lame to tell someone that you will be emailing them with your IMJayGatz or SwinginTrojan email address. Sure IMJayGatz isn't too bad, if they've read the book, but unless they know you well enough to know that you are a baseball and USC fanatic the SwinginTrojan email might raise some eyebrows.

So... for those of you out there who I work with let me say the following. The reason I am not responding to your very important, and in need of immediate response, email isn't that I am avoiding you or hate you. Though both of those statements might be true depending on who you are. Rather it is because it takes 50 minutes for me to get any email that happens to be in my inbox. If you were diverted into my Spam folder, fahgetaboutit! That has been "hidden" to realocate resources so that email works at all. Bah!

Add to that Blogger will have a scheduled outage at 4pm PST and you can see my frustrations.

Some people ask me why I still have my AOL account, that I've had for over a decade. Well...they have NEVER given me this kind of problem. Of course neither has gmail, but since I am on a couple of media/political newslists on that address the likelihood of me reading your email there approaches zero.

Double Bah!

I Can't Believe I Missed This!

Every year Hasbro has updated their D&D website on April 1st to reflect some April Fool's Day joke. Since it was on a Saturday this year, and I was busy with my wife and friends partying in the streets of Glendale, I never visited the Hasbro site. Figures that this year would be the best April Fool's Day joke ever, at least for humor if not effectiveness.

They announced the release of the most exciting roleplaying game ever!!!

That's right...My Little Pony the Rpg!!! I can't wait for the Massively Multiplayer Online version.



Now, I have only to create a Savage Worlds version of the rules for my own campaign.

Brisco County Jr. Coming to DVD this July

On July 18th, Warner Home Video will release the Complete Brisco County Jr. television series.

From the box:

The world's favorite western/sci-fi/comedy/action cult hit rides again! Here on 8 discs is the complete series about Brisco (Bruce Campbell), a tough-as-rawhide cowpoke, debonair ladies' man and Harvard-educated smarty-britches who roams from Frisco to Jalisco in pursuit of outlaws who killed his father...and in search of a mysterious orb possessing out-of-this world powers. Hot lead and cool anachronisms await Brisco as he and his sidekicks - including Comet, the intellectual equine who doesn't know he's a horse - fight for justice in the way, way, way-out West. Put your boots in your stirrups, your tongue in your cheek and join the fun. Let's play cowboys and aliens.

Brisco was a show released in the early 90s and was one of the first shows which captured the "leftover" stew tastes of the Generation X audience. The invasiveness of popular culture, and genre combination, in the conversation/culture of Generation X gave rise to many shows that combined anachronistic retellings of old pop-culture. Shows like Hercules, Xena, and even more recently Firefly have displayed this distinctive formula. Take an established genre, in this case the Western cowboy show, add humor, metacognitivity (self-awareness), and tropes from other genres to create a show to satisfy an audience that loves popular culture old and new. Brisco was a show made in heaven for those who grew up watching The Lone Ranger, Star Trek, and Batman on UHF.

Hurry up and pre-order the show.

While you are at it, you might want to watch American Gothic while you are waiting. Sean Cassidy's supernatural drama was ahead of its time.

A Rarity in the World...An Original Meme

The interweb-o-net-o-sphere being what it is, it is filled with multiple "memes." Most of them are bland, what are your favorite book/favorite movie type affairs and not so much a viral idea that spreads across the world from one mind to another. I should know, I have attempted to ask such things of our LARGE body of readers (yes, that was sarcasm) in an attempt to measure my ability to infect the minds of the world. This is, naturally, step one of my plan to rule the world.

But questionaire type memes aside, I can think of a couple of events on the interweb-o-net-o-sphere that live up to Professor Dawkin's idea:

1) The Dancing Baby that appeared on Ally McBeal.

2) South Park. Come On! You remember the X-mas special on the internet.

3) The spread of Dungeons and Dragons when it was an obscure box set.

Actually, I can think of a lot more, but most of them aren't of the "chain letter" sort. Though chain letters are in and of themselves a kind of meme.

Needless to say, while reading the blog of an employee of Green Ronin Publications (a wonderful gaming company) I came across the following "blog post meme." By blog post meme, I mean an idea that should be included as a post on each and every blog out there. What is this blog post meme? The Birthday Meme. Thanks to Nikchick for the introduction to the idea.

Go to Wikipedia and look up your birth day (excluding the year). List three events, three births, three deaths, and up to three observances or holidays on your birthday in your journal.

I know it's not my birthday today, but you can figure out what my birthday is by the following:

Events
1877 - Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle with the United States Cavalry (Montana).
1815 - War of 1812: In the Battle of New Orleans Andrew Jackson leads American forces in victory over the British.
2006 - A magnitude 6.9 earthquake epicentered just off the Greek island of Kythira hits much of the country and is felt throughout the entire eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Births
1824 - Wilkie Collins, British novelist (d. 1889)
1935 - Elvis Presley, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977)
1944 - Terry Brooks American writer

Deaths
1324 - Marco Polo, Italian explorer (b. 1254)
1825 - Eli Whitney, American inventor (b. 1765)
1642 - Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer and physicist (b. 1564)
(Since I included Galileo's death, I ought mention it is 1942 - Stephen Hawking, English physicist and author's birthday as well).

Observances
Commonwealth Day is celebrated in Northern Mariana Islands.

Where are the UMDs?

That's right everyone- it's your favorite Uncle J.C. Loophole guesting again here at the phenom known as Cinerati. No - not the "dirty old man" Uncle, but the "fun" Uncle who loves to bring Tootsie Pops when he comes for a visit. As you know Wolf Flywheel and I usually sit at the helm of the USS Shelf 1, and recently we have been reviewing and talking about Easter themed films and animated specials. In going through my DVD for the review, I came across my UMD copy of Spider-Man 2. I took it out for a brief spin and remembered how unique and enjoyable it was to watch the movie on the go.

UMD- what is a UMD? I'm sure the regulars know- but for the benefit of anyone who is unawares- UMD stands for Universal Media Discs. If you own a PSP, you know all about those UMDs. In fact, you may have received Spider-Man 2 in your PSP package if you purchased it when it debuted in March of 2005. The UMDs are use for game content, as well as for movies and music. I have actually purchased several in the past when they were affordable. I actually like the portability and the PSP actually packs a good movie experience with the headphones on.
So what's all the fuss about the UMD? Well, it seems as if several studios, such as Warner Brothers and Paramount, are either scaling back their UMD releases or ending them altogether. PC Magazine reports:

"Disappointing sales have slowed the flow of movies on the proprietary Universal Media Disc to a mere trickle. At least two major studios have completely stopped releasing movies on UMD, while others are either toying with the idea or drastically cutting back.
And retailers also are cutting the amount of shelf space they've been devoting to UMD movies, amid talk that Wal-Mart is about to dump the category entirely."

Disappointing sales? Yeah, I'd say so. Just asking several local retailers gives the picture that not only do the things sit and rot on the shelf, but they can't push the PSP as the all-in-one media device that Sony intended it to be. Most people view it as a just a portable gaming device. Even among gamers and local gaming stores, where PSPs are purchased with more frequency, the disc that gets slapped on the counter with it is a game. I myself have several games- and the PSP is a great portable gaming console. I also think it is sold short as the all-in-one media device; the movies and music - and the fact that it also features memory stick that can store said media- and the fact that it can store digit pictures and browse the web make it an attractive gadget. So what has happened?

Further in the report, one of the studio's Home Entertain president states flatly that no one is watching movies on the PSP- "It's a game player, period." That's the attitude of most retailers and industry watchers -but I don't believe that is the real reason. The real reason perhaps lies within the device itself. Remember when I mentioned the memory stick? Well, a lot of people are using software to copy movies from their PC to the memory stick and then watching the movie on the go on their PSP. Think about it- UMDs are generally more expensive than a DVD. In fact it was cheaper to buy the fully loaded Hellboy special edition than it was to buy the UMD version. Couple that with the fact that it would be possible to copy the film to a Memory stick & that the UMD has smaller disc space (which means little or no extra features) -makes choosing the DVD over the UMD a no-brainer. The problem for the studios and retailers is that no one is purchasing the product, but that doesn't translate to "No one is watching movies on the PSP." The real problem revolves around 4 things- 1. Price 2. Accessibility and 3. Variety 4. Image

1.Price: I think I pretty well illustrated the problem of price in the Hellboy example. To further complicate things, it is a new format- and new formats are always more expensive before they hit market saturation and expansion.

2. Accessibility: The UMD movie can only be watched on a PSP. It is a narrow market product. DVD's spent a couple of years building up market base before DVD players became as cheap or cheaper than VCRs- but DVDs also are playable on home PCs and portable DVD players. Who knows? In time and given market base UMD slots might have appeared on DVD players or on your media card section of your PC. It seems rather unlikely, but it appears that Sony is exploring their options in an effort to revive the format. Next-gen application seems to be on the way to allow for UMD playback on televisions. Is it a little too late? If studios are scaling back or eliminating their new release UMDs- will they bring them back if the TV playback feature becomes reality? It will be depend on market saturation and the consumer's willingness to adapt to the format independently of the PSP. Time will tell. With the studios getting set for the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray format war coming soon- it will be an interesting turn of events.

3. Variety: If you looked at the movies available for UMD- the list looks like its geared toward the 18-35 yr old male demographic. It is intentional skewed that way, because that was key demographic that the PSP was advertised to and the main demographic that owns them . Therefore lots of action, horror, comedy and some anime. Few (OK as far as I can tell, none) classics, romantic movies, older animation, etc, etc, etc. The major studios jumped on the bandwagon like ants at a picnic- because this was the demographic that raked it in for them, or so they thought. But realistically, when you've plunked down around $200 for the PSP and another $40-50 for at least one game, what 18-35 year old male or female has the cash flow to shell out $20 to $30 for a bare bones movie disc, that some already have purchased on DVD. The lack of variety plus the fact that the studios did too much, too soon is a devastating blow to the format.

4. Here is another problem. Sony intended the device to be a media onestop- but when it released it in the US, it was pushed as a portable gaming console that could also play movies. It was a way for Sony to enter into the handheld gaming market, of which they seek to own a sizable chunk, with the flexibility to option into other areas later. It's a great handheld gaming device and the games that have been released have pushed the envelope for handheld gaming. Sony has failed to transition and expand the image of the PSP as a "portable media entertainment" device. Even in Japan, Sony's HQ and the most likely place for the transition to be more accepted by consumers, the PSP is falling behind the more popular Nintendo DS and DS Lite. Besides- here in the United States the iPod is the dominant force in portable music and video content, and it seems unlikely that the PSP will be able to overtake them anytime soon.

So, is this the end of the UMD? Who knows? We all can recall tech relics of the past, the 5" Floppy disc, the Beta tape, and even more recently the 3.5" Floppy; but the fact is that some formats that find a niche die hard, until support for it dies or something equitable comes along. Laser Disc anyone? I hate to see any innovation fail, but I suppose that if we can build upon failures it will not be in vain. Either way, I'm not quite ready to sound the death knell for the UMD, and it seems that Sony is trying everything it can to save the format in some way. I have enjoyed watch movies on the device and I suspect that PSP owners in general have found other ways to enjoy movies on their own. And you can bet that if the retailers start marking down the UMD movies, that I'll be there to snatch some up. And I have enjoyed the PSP as a music player and web browser. I like it and will continue to use it.

However I think that the future of media and entertain lies no longer in the confines of formats. While we may see the format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD play out soon, I believe I am with George Lucas is thinking that the true future in media entertainment lies in the server and media storage. We are really too tied into our physical objects. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Believe me, I'd much rather sit and read a book in it's physical form than try and read on online or on my Pocket PC. But at the same time, it makes it difficult for us to accept all-in-one devices or anything else that seems to do so many things. Heck, I still don't like a TV with a built in DVD player because my mind thinks, "If one or the other break, what will I do with the one that works?" Well, use it I guess or get it fixed- or buy another. My brain has been conditioned and hardwired in such a way that the idea of streamlining etc. is a quagmire rife with difficulty.

It shouldn't be that way. Signs already indicate that we are heading to a home that will have centralized servers that will download everything from movies to specials at the grocery store to the latest sports results, and all in one box. Can anyone guess what this is called? Why yes, Timmy- you are right. The internet. The future is here, folks. And things like TiVO, iPods, Blackberrys, etc demonstrate that the road lies more in how much we can push and get out of our devices and not necessarily how much we can get out of our chips, discs, cards, and cartridges. While there is still uncertainty - will the system crash, will I loose everything I've downloaded, I still want to backup stuff in case I buy a new device- future technology can provide answers and solutions if the marketplace is allowed the freedom to push the envelope. Besides, haven't we all wished we could be like the Jetsons when we were kids?

Thanks to Christian and crew here at Cinerati for allowing me to be a guest blogger. I have vacuumed the floor, put away my trash, and have not eaten all the chips and Easter candy. The Dr. Pepper is another story, but put it on my tab. As always come visit us over at The Shelf. Until next time, have a great weekend!

The views expressed by J.C. Loophole in this post are not necessarily those of the management. In fact, he probably didn't even run them by the management ahead of time, therefore resulting in a 90% probability that he will receive a tongue lashing later. After which he leave work early, stating he has a "cold", and will go by the store, pick up more Dr. Pepper and Peeps and drown his sorrows while watching a season set of "South Park" until he feels better. He will then work the sugar rush off during the weekend and end up getting into work late on Monday morning, thereby starting the whole process over again. We apologize in advance for any distress that this may cause, but let us be honest: we've all been there. So, go get your own Easter candy.