The Time is Right for an SNL Network
NOTE: Dan Brown’s column will now be appearing twice a week on the website of L.A. Mood Comics & Games; on Tuesdays, he’ll write about graphic novels, and on Thursdays he will cover other pop-culture topics. The Time is Right for an SNL NetworkBy Dan Brown How much SNL is too much SNL? I know I can’t be the only one who was wondering that a few weeks ago. You may have noticed in February how, over the span of a few days, the U.S. network NBC pulled out all the stops to mark Saturday Night Live’s 50th season on the air. And I mean all the stops. The celebrations included:*A re-broadcast of the comedy show’s first episode from 1975.*A four-hour live anniversary special.*A three-hour concert special featuring former musical guests from SNL history*A three-hour documentary directed by Questlove on SNL’s musical impact*A four-part docu-series called Beyond Saturday Night focused on the show’s cast of comedy performers. The only thing missing was a documentary about all the comedy catchphrases the show has generated, from “You look mahvelous!” to “Isn’t that special?” to “Party on!” I kid. You would have to be an SNL fan of the highest order to make the time to watch all of that programming. I’m not, although I did make it through the re-airing of the inaugural episode, as well as the overlong anniversary broadcast. That’s enough SNL for me. Created by Canada’s own Lorne Michaels, who still serves as executive producer, SNL is as close as it comes to an institution on television – even if the truth is there have been more sketches that were misfires than hits over the last five decades. If SNL was a pro baseball player, it would have a handful of home runs yet a surprisingly low batting average. Legend has it Michaels was turned down by the CBC before he took his idea for a late-night variety show to New York all those years ago. NBC may have gone over the top last month because of the threat now posed by streaming services like Netflix to its bottom line. The hours and hours of content NBC commissioned will also be used to draw eyeballs to Peacock, its own streamer. But instead of feeding the streaming beast, why not just create an old-fashioned specialty network out of all that old content? Yes, I know SNL has a YouTube channel, but it’s mostly there to generate viral videos from current episodes. And I realize I’m not a very subtle thinker, but hear me out. Think of it: The SNL Channel. There are 50 years of programming to draw monologues, comedy sketches and musical interludes from. That’s more than 900 episodes, with each running 90 minutes. There’s 24 hours a day of programming right there. Nor does it take much brain power to imagine how they could supplement all those episodes with other comedic content. For starters, an SNL Channel could also run movies starring characters that were invented on Saturday Night Live. That’s everything from the Blues Brothers to the Wayne’s World movies to Coneheads. You could bolster those with other movies starring SNL cast members playing non-SNL characters – for example, Dan Aykroyd alum did a memorable turn in Driving Miss Daisy that was nominated for an Academy Award.. Or extend the concept to all the other projects Lorne Michaels has also served as executive producer on, which opens up episodes of shows like Kids in the Hall and Late Night With Conan O’Brien. The new network could likewise feature movies starring famous hosts, like 16-timer Steve Martin and 10-time host Tom Hanks. Heck, you could also include last year’s Saturday Night, the Jason Reitman comedy/drama about how the first episode was put together. And that’s not even taking into account new programming that could feature former SNL cast members. There’s enough comedic infrastructure that’s been built up around SNL over the last 50 years to support new productions, and I’m sure there are folks like Kate MacKinnon, Kyle Mooney and Vanessa Bayer who would have ideas for interesting shows. Admit it: This isn’t the worst pitch for a new channel you’ve ever heard! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
GNG Discusses the Morality of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees
By Dan Brown SPOILER WARNING: This column contains plot details about Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, so if you value surprise, stop reading now. Here’s the rundown on the latest meeting of the L.A. Mood Graphic-Novel Group, which took place on Saturday, March 8. The book: Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, which publishing house IDW describes as Dexter meets Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town. It’s set in Woodbrook, a community of anthropomorphic animals who do all the things humans do, including serial killing. The main character is Sam, a bear who runs a hardware store and is hiding a dark secret about what she does on visits to a nearby big city. Her double life is threatened when one of Woodbrook’s residents meets a grisly end. The discussion: Most members of the group liked the book, although some had reservations about its morality. I was heartened that Beneath the Trees does not portray Sam as a genius because I’m sick of the “charming serial killer with a high IQ” trope that happens in so much pop culture when the reality is many of them are of average intelligence. Hannibal Lecter is not your typical serial slayer, yet that idea is pervasive. Some of the members of GNG were unsettled with the juxtaposition of cute animals doing human things while also being savage to their fellow creatures. This is definitely not a story for kids! The cuddly animals are tool users, with some of those tools being instruments of bloody death. One of the main points of our discussion was how Horvath has animal characters who are like humans, but additional animal characters who are animalistic animals. For example, near the climax of the story Sam, who walks on two legs and wears clothes, meets two “wild” bears in a forest who are fighting over a deer. She attempts to communicate with one of them. Is Horvath saying human beings are nothing more than animals? Is he saying some people Mccan use their reasoning faculty, but not others? We pondered those questions.In another part of the graphic novel, a pig character peers into a butcher-shop window, where a pig’s head is displayed. On a subway, an upright dog holds another dog on all fours on a leash Horvath inserts these images but leaves the reader to interpret their meaning.We also discussed the degree to which order, or rules, can be placed on savagery. The wartime treaty the Geneva Convention came up – is there a point to putting a moral structure on war, when the whole goal is to impose cruelty on the enemy until they submit? One thing we didn’t spend much time on was the difference between the rural and urban settings in Beneath the Trees. The ending of Beneath the Trees is also challenging because the reader sees that order is restored to Woodbrook. But is that a good thing? Is it really a storybook “happy ending,” or does the conclusion promote a nihilistic view of morality? We agreed the book was a good pick for GNG. Further reading; If you’re interested in reading a graphic novel about a real serial killer, GNG covered the Jeff Jensen and Jonathan Case book Green River Killer: A True Detective Story a number of years ago. It’s about Gary Ridgway, a man of average IQ who has the most confirmed murders of any real-life serial killer. L.A. Mood’s Graphic-Novel Group meets the second Saturday of each month. Next month’s book is the graphic-novel adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel The Road, with illustrations by Manu Larcenet. We’ll be meeting April 12 at the gaming tables in the store at 11 a.m. At 11:30 a.m., Byron graphic novelist Derek Laufman will be coming for a visit to talk about his new project, Crimson Fall. All are welcome to join the discussion! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor Makes Me Despair for the New Fantastic Four Movie
My purpose here isn’t to praise Gene Hackman’s acting skills, which were superlative, it’s to explain why his turn as Superman’s nemesis makes me itchy about the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. You likely heard Hackman had died. Since the news broke last week that his body had been discovered, there has been much discussion online about his greatest performance. Some argue he was at his peak in Hoosiers. Others say his most impressive turn came in The French Connection or Unforgiven or The Royal Tenenbaums. There’s so much to choose from. But for comic fans of a certain vintage, Gene Hackman will always be Lex Luthor.Starting in 1978, he played the crafty villain in three of the Superman movies that featured Christopher Reeves in the title role. Hackman brought a special blend of arrogance and charm to his version of the criminal mastermind, chewing scenery in a way that communicated to us young nerds that he was having a ton of fun inhabiting the bald bad guy. Wait, I just told you a lie. Yes, Lex Luthor is bald. But not when Hackman played him. And even though I wasn’t the biggest DC fan in the world, I understood enough of the Superman mythos to know that in the comics, Luthor had no hair. Heck, in some continuities Lex hates Supes because he blames the Kryptonian immigrant for his lack of locks. Hackman may have been an Oscar-calibre actor, but 10-year-old me just could not get past the hair. For whatever reason – perhaps the Superman producers wouldn’t pay him enough to shave his entire head – Hackman kept his own hair in those films. My educated guess is he didn’t want to go hairless, and since he was a big star his wishes were accommodated. What does this have to do with The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is slated to land in theatres on July 25? Well, Hackman isn’t the only one with the requisite star power to avoid the barber’s blade. You can draw a line directly from Hackman to Pedro Pascal, who plays Mister Fantastic in the FF film. In the trailers and publicity photos we’ve seen so far, Pascal appears with his moustache intact. I fear the folks at Marvel Studios are humouring the Chilean-born actor by not demanding he shave. Granted, it’s a great moustache. For Pascal the celebrity. Not for Reed Richards the cerebral hero. As any fan of the Fantastic Four comics know, the FF leader is clean-shaven – with flecks of grey in the hair above his ears. That’s been his look, more or less, since the Marvel Age was launched with the publication of Fantastic Four No. 1 in 1961. It’s true in a handful of stories Reed is pictured with a beard. He has never, however, been one to rock a 1970s-style stache, no matter which artist is drawing him. Reed is a serious guy, not given to vanity, which is why in all the big-screen adaptations to date, he is free of facial hair. So you can see the problem: Hackman set a precedent that Pascal is following, and it’s got me worried I won’t be able to see past the whiskers when July rolls around. I agree bringing Pascal into the Marvel fold was a good idea. And who knows, there’s so much we don’t know about the FF movie. Maybe the stache disappears at some point in the film. Or perhaps this is a Sonic the Hedgehog situation and the production team will remove the facial hair using CGI before First Steps is released because fans like me are upset. If the producers want a really cool way to get rid of it, have Reed’s brother-in-law, the Human Torch, laser off the moustache the same way he gave the Submariner a shave and haircut way back in Fantastic Four No. 4. Or have Galactus blast it off. Or maybe it comes off when the FF joins the main Marvel Cinematic Universe, as is rumoured. There’s no question both Gene Hackman and Pedro Pascal ooze charm on the big screen. But just as I could not accept a Lex Luthor with a full head of hair back then, I won’t accept a Mister Fantastic with a bushy moustache this summer. No matter how much the Marvel brain trust needs for the FF movie to be a winner at the box office. Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
New Comic Back Issue Collection Available Starting Saturday, March 8
A new back issue collection available starting Saturday, March 8 at 10 AM. Eight plus boxes of new back issues! Highlights include CGC graded and ungraded early Amazing Spider-Man, a near complete run of TMNT (Mirage) and more! This collection will be available in store and the following week select comics will be added online. Visit early for best selection! Watch for future emails and Facebook posts for more reveals. See below for a sneak peak! See the collection in person. Collection drops Saturday, March 8, 10 AM. L.A. Mood Comics and Games100 Kellogg Lane, Suite 5, London ON N5W0B4
New Star Wars Comic for Fans Only
By Dan Brown Although it’s well-made, Star Wars: A New Legacy No. 1 will likely appeal mostly to diehard fans of the interstellar epic. If you’re a devotee of characters like Valance, Black Krrsantan and Doctor Aphra, this is the comic for you. The presence of heroes from the movies – Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo – is felt here, but those old favourites aren’t actually part of the action. Instead, this comic contains a trio of tales which were created as vehicles for minor players in Marvel’s Star Wars universe. As Marvel begins a new phase of its Star Wars offerings, they’ve been promoted. Some members of this introductory issue’s cast have a long history. Valance, for instance, originated way back in 1978 in Star Wars No. 16. He was introduced as a self-loathing cyborg, which seemed to be a Marvel specialty back then – the publisher also had Deathlok on its roster in those days. This was years before Star Wars fans got a peek under Darth Vader’s helmet in The Empire Strikes Back. However, there’s no sign of Jaxxon, the giant green alien rabbit, who has gone from being a bad joke to beloved by fans. Hey, if people today can openly express their love for Jar-Jar Binks, then anything’s possible. Marvel got the rights to print Star Wars comics when the original movie debuted in 1977. It was an astute move, as some observers credit that title alone for keeping the company solvent in a financially precarious era. It’s hard to believe now, but over the decades the space fantasy’s appeal faded, so Dark Horse Comics eventually became the official headquarters for Star Wars comics. When Disney brought Marvel under its corporate umbrella, the licence soon reverted back to the House of Ideas. In the first section of A New Legacy, Valance appears on the trail of Doctor Aphra.For years, I wanted to see a Disney+ series featuring Aphra, but my prediction that the gonk droid would get a show before the rogue archeologist seems less and less like hyperbole as Aphra continues to go unloved by the Star Wars brain trust. Even one of her sidekicks, the wookiee called Black Krrsantan, made the leap to the small screen in the Book of Boba Fett without Aphra. She also appears in the back-of-the-book section in a story that inverts the old saying about letting the wookiee win at holographic chess. It turns out that advice doesn’t apply when one of the big, shaggy aliens is playing against a murder robot: “Let the droid win.” Sandwiched between those two stories is a narrative about the Empire’s Scar Squadron, who are also known as Task Force 99. This tale has a slight flavour of the Wild Bunch in that these stormtroopers are men out of time – they embody everything Imperial at a moment when the Rebellion is on the rise. They can’t understand why the crowds that used to cheer them want to rise up at the urging of rebel scum they consider terrorists. “We bring order, while all they have to offer this galaxy is chaos,” their sergeant laments in his inner monologue. This means the white-armoured soldiers – who operate on the outer rim of the outer rim – are on their way to becoming like the U.S. commander in Vietnam who famously said, “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.” These grunts are on their way to setting fire to the universe so they can preserve it.Every Star Wars buff has their own favourite obscure characters from the vast universe created by George Lucas. If the one’s I’ve mentioned here are among yours, then you’ll enjoy A New Legacy. If not, you’ll want to give it a miss. Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
New Volume Of Public Domain Deepens, Enriches Tale Of Competing Creators
By Dan Brown Out this month, the second volume of Chip Zdarsky’s Public Domain graphic novel is a rare thing. It’s a sophomore collection that enriches the storyline of an ongoing comic series, putting the characters in new and surprising situations. Subtitled Build Something New, it grabbed my attention, then left me wanting more.If you haven’t checked it out, Public Domain tells the story of two aging comic creators.One, the writer, is lionized by fans of pop culture who adore him at comic conventions. The other, the artist, is held in high regard by comic purists but got shafted after helping to create an enduring character that has spawned a multimedia empire, including big-screen adaptations. If that sounds like Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to you, that’s because it’s supposed to. Here the Lee figure is the crusty Jerry Jasper and the Kirby equivalent is Syd Dallas. The launching point for the first volume, collecting the initial four issues of Public Domain, was something like, “What if Jack Kirby had got legal control of the characters he drew for Marvel Comics in the 1960s?” Like Lee, Jasper’s talents as a scribe are questionable and his true talent is self-promotion. Like Kirby, Dallas was an influential artist but doesn’t get enough props for the pioneering work he did back in the day. A superhero named the Domain is the duo’s most famous creation. When the series begins, the Domain is the centrepiece of the Singular Comics empire, which includes any number of slick, special-effects driven motion pictures. The face of the actor who plays him is plastered on billboards, buses, you name it. The fact Dallas is forgotten except by the most diehard fans doesn’t sit well with his two sons. After a legal knife fight, Dallas gets the rights to produce Domain comics back, and having missed most of their childhood because he was metaphorically chained to the drawing table, Dallas wants to make the return of his Domain to the printed page a family affair. This leads to a situation that would have delighted many real-life comic fans: Both creators can publish their own versions of the character. In Build Something New, the reader sees the beginnings of a fresh battle, as the former partners prepare to go head-to-head. The second volume goes way beyond the initial premise. The story deepens, broadens, and gets even richer. As in the first Public Domain anthology, there are many twists, almost every one unanticipated by me – which I love. Zdarksy, a Canadian artist/writer, is firing on all cylinders here. His art is economical. His dialogue is lively. The established characters are well on their way to being fully fleshed out, so he introduces interesting new ones. Part of this volume takes place in the 1980s, and those segments had a melancholy-yet-energetic feel that, for whatever reason, reminded me of the flashbacks in the landmark DC series, Watchmen. And even though Public Domain was inspired by actual comics history, Zdarsky keeps the industry in-jokes to a minimum. If you’re at all interested in stories about the people behind the superheroes you love, you should read this new graphic novel. In fact, do yourself a favour: Get BOTH volumes of this engrossing series – the one just published and the previous collection as well. You’ll thank me. Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
