When we were kids, my brother and I were addicted to Elfquest comics. We didn't really know much about comics in general, but at a time when the WaldenBooks and B. Dalton stores in our local mall didn't have comic book sections, they had a handful of graphic novels including the first few Elfquest books. And after reading the first one, we were hooked.
Now, the thing about comic books is that many of them never seem to end. Every month or so the authors will put out another short opus. But if you're waiting for the next graphic novel, you might have to wait for a year or longer. And since we didn't realize that there were monthly installments, we only bugged our parents when the latest graphic novel was released.
Looking back, I'm amazed my impatience didn't kill me. After finishing my month of Buffy watching a few weeks ago I decided to order the first graphic novel of Buffy Season 8. You see, a few years after the show ended, BTVS creator Joss Whedon decided to continue telling the story in comic book form. And while I didn't rush out to get the first issue, my curiosity finally got the better of me. So I ordered The Long Way Home, the graphic novel containing the first 5 issues of the new series.
It arrived yesterday and I remember one of the biggest problems with comic books: You can read them very, very quickly. I was through the book in about an hour and when I wandered over to my computer to order the next installment, No Future for You, I realized that it won't be released until June. This graphic novel will cover issues 5-10, which are all available already. And so now I have to decide whether to spend $2.99 per issue for those comics plus #11 and #12, or whether to wait a few months.
I'm going to try to wait, because as much as I want to know how the story turns out, I can't imagine how agonizing it would be to have to read just one issue at a time. They're just so... short.
As for The Long Way Home, it was really quite well done. I loved the end of the TV series. It just left the door open to so many possibilities that I wasn't sure I wanted to know what happened afterward. But the writing in the comic book is strong, and you can almost hear the actor's voices when reading the lines.
Maybe I'll go and read some Elfquest comes while waiting for June to come.
About a month ago I decided to weather the writer's strike by pulling out my collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs. I have the full set, with all 7 seasons on DVD. I bought them one at a time although I've now discovered that you can buy a 40 disc box set with all 7 season and one bonus disc (affilliate link).
At first I figured I'd just watch Seasons 2 or 3, but 30 days and change later I've watched every episode from S2e1 through the series finale. And I have to say I find myself kind of uninterested in watching anything currently on TV, even after we start to see new episodes again. I mean, I'm sure the feeling will pass, but it's just sad to think that there's nothing on the air right now that seems to have the character depth and interesting plot lines that Buffy had. I mean sure, I'm looking forward to new episodes of BattleStar Galactica whenever that comes back. But it's just not as much fun to watch.
So I pulled out a book for the first time in a while today. When I was a kid I used to read a lot. Like a book every two days, a lot. They weren't particularly dense material. I'm talking about Piers Anthony, not Fyodor Doestoevsky. But some time around college when I found that I had to read things because people told me to and not because I wanted to, I kind of got out of the habit of reading regularly. And as much as I love some good TV or cinematic content, there's nothing like a good book to spark the imagination.
When I was a kid I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to craft the sort of Sci Fi stories that I enjoyed reading so much. The kind that were as much about people making difficult decisions under difficult situation as they were about completely unrealistic situations like individuals flying across the galaxy or living forever. After a while I guess I decided that I didn't necessarily have those stories in me, but I'm constantly amazed to realize that I do actually make my living today by writing and telling stories. They just happen to be true stories instead of fiction with an aspect of the truth in them.
But it's been a while since I feel like I've really challenged myself as a writer. Watching Buffy reminded me of what really good writing looks like, even if it was in a televised format. Sure, it's been my favorite show for the better part of a decade. But it's been years since I actually sat down and watched an episode. And once I started watching, I couldn't stop.
I don't plan on writing a screenplay anytime soon. But I'm starting to feel like it's been a while since I've truly challenged myself as a writer. I really hope I have it in me to craft the sort of story that once you start, you can't stop. In the meantime, I think I've found some temporary inspiration to start reading again, seeking out good stories and good storytelling. And that can come in many forms, from the big or small screens, to radio, to books. But in a way, I feel like watching Buffy again after all these years was a good reminder that I still have a lot to learn as a storyteller.
I feel I should warn you that there's a good chance this blog post will self destruct at some point. OK, the blog post will be here until the end of time, or until I forget to pay my domain registration bill. But if we've learned anything by trying to embed YouTube videos of Viacom content, it's that nothing embedded lasts forever.
And so while NBC and FOX have launched a private beta of their new online video service Hulu, there's no guaranty that the video clips I can embed today will still be available tomorrow. That said, here's the complete movie Sideways. It's ad-supported, although I won't make any money from those ads. And while you can watch it in full screen from Hulu.com, there's no way to make make the video full screen from this site.
I haven't actually seen Sideways yet, but I was impressed to see that there are a few feature length films in the Hulu library. You can also watch a bunch of current TV shows like Bones, House, Prison Break, Heroes, 30 Rock, and Bionic Woman. And as if that wasn't cool enough, there's retro shows like Doogie Houser M.D., Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Airwolf. No seriously.
On the down side, while it should be easy for Hulu to post every episode ever made of each series, you typically only have access to a few episodes. For example, Buffy season one, and just the last few episodes of currently running shows. It's not yet clear what happens if you embed a show or a clip from a show on your website. Will that clip disappear when Hulu pulls the video down from its site, or will it remain? I guess we'll find out when Hulu decides to replace Sideways with something a bit fresher.
Now, before you ask, I don't have any invitations to give away. Hulu is in a private, invitation-only beta. But unlike Gmail, Joost, and other startups that built buzz by staying in private beta a bit too long, current users do not get to invite their friends.
But here's a little tip. If you signed up for an invitation a few weeks ago when you first heard about Hulu, you may already be in. Just go to Hulu.com, and click "forgot password?" Enter your email address, and there's a good chance Hulu will send you a new password that will let you login to the site. If that doesn't work, have fun playing with the menu button in the embedded clip above. It should let you access all sorts of Hulu content.