And I get my wish

Today I got in the mail Superman For All Seasons and Superman Birthright.  It's a tough call which to read first, but I think For All Seasons wins out there.  A bit more light hearted of a story, at least in appearances so far.  On top of that, I just got my copy of Superman Batman Public Enemies on Blu ray.  I supported HDDVD when it was around and have quite the collection (which came cheap as everything HDDVD went on sale for like 3 bucks after they decided to stop making them), but since blu ray won out, I will move forward with the HD revolution and find new ways to spend even more money.

So now I own everything, including a busted xbox which is on it's way back to Microsoft for a little TLC and hopefully a quick return.  Perhaps it is a blessin, it has given me time to read comics, study Superman and focus on my script, even though I am dying to pick up my Guitar controller and rock out to one of the dozen games that have come out in the past few years.  I don't have them all, but I have most of the Guitar Hero and Rockband games.  I think my last count was 9 different games and maybe another one on the way, once I get my Xbox back.  I just wish there was a way to throw all the songs into one big list and play. 

So I just finished Superman For All Seasons, this blog took a short distraction in the middle to finish up the comic.  It's an interesting storyline, some great elements that I hope to use in my own story.  Maybe I'm too in tune with moviedom, but the comic just seemed to focus on the wrong part of the story for a lot of it.  I was actually kinda depressed and felt a little mopey along with the Man of Steel.  Guess it's not too far off from some elements I've seen before, stuff that will be brought into my version as well, but it seems a little overboard.

So here's a twist, bedtime, an hour and a half earlier than normal!  Maybe I'll be able to stay awake through work tomorow. 

More more more

I'm getting antsy, I need to get my hands on the comics that I ordered.  I remember now the joy and frustration of getting my hands on that latest new comic that you've been waiting for for an entire month!  So far it's all about Superman, but there are hundreds, THOUSANDS of other storylines out there.  So what is good?  What is worth taking the time and money to get the monthly subscription?

As goofy as the older Supeman comics were, I am in no way sick of reading it.  I laugh a lot about them, but it's all in good fun.  The new stuff is amazing. The artwork, the serious turn in the storylines, I love it!  I need more of it! 

Though at some point, I need to stop reading and continue my outline, finish my script.  I should probably set a deadline.  So I need to have my Outline finished by the end of October?  That gives me 2 months to write the script.  Perhaps a month for a first draft, and another month to polish the script to the right length.  I remember my first abysmal draft of the Death of Superman script I wrote years ago ended up being something like 35 pages.  I jumped through a lot of stuff and paid most of my attention on the fighting scene.  I've learned a few things since then, so I expect this version to be a bit more well rounded. 

More comics, then bed.  I wish I had more time to devote to the reading, but sadly I have a day job, ask me about it sometime. 

Superman: Secret Origin

It's been a long time since I've collected comics.  Probably looking close to 15 years now that I think about it.  I think I might get hooked into it again though.  The last series I really collected was the Marvel 2099 series and I loved them.  I stopped collecting after a while, as at the time I didn't really have much of an income.  I eventually collected all of the Spiderman 2099 comics, but I didn't get the rest of them.  I would still like to get the rest, but we'll see how that goes.  For now I have higher priorities...Superman

I just found a copy of Superman: Secret Origins #1 today.  I didn't think I was going to be able to find it.  I checked with 5 different places before I finally found a place that had ONE.  Well, technically they had two, but the other was the alternate cover edition which was a bit more than I would want to spend right now, think I'll have to see if I can find it online somewhere. 

So I sat in the parking lot and read through half the comic before I had to head home as dinner was ready and waiting.  I still ended up reading through the comic before eating my slightly room temperature dinner, but it was worth it.  It truely is a great comic, looking like they pulled from many different origins to build a new beginning.  Now, if I could only get ahold of the rest of my comics, but they haven't come yet.  Maybe tomorrow. 

Slow start

I had a lot of plans this weekend to get some work done on the outline.  I'm not sure what my timeline is going to be just yet.  I've given myself til the end of the year to finish this script, but at what point do I need to say, my outline is perfect time to start the script? 

I didn't get as much done this weekend as I would have liked, as a matter of fact, I didn't get anything done on the outline.  I did however get through some great comics, some realling interesting stories that line up very well with what I have down on paper as it is.  I really wish I could incorporate certain elements of the history, but as I've said before, certain elements of the story just have to be adapted for film. 

So what DID I do this weekend?  Well, I went to the Dixon Apple Orchard and bought some amazing apples.  I made apple fritters for breakfast, which were awesome, if not a little too salty.  Read some comics and did some research.  So now its' time for bed, and more comics. 

New Season of Smallville

So I am sitting here watching the season 9 premiere of Smallville and wonder, what the hell is going on?  As far as I was conserned, it could have ended last season, they could have written a storyline involving doomsday that finished the series.  Allow Clark Kent to become Superman by the end of the season and head into movie territory. 

Don't get me wrong, I am very interested to see what turns they take with the show.  It has been changing and this seasons has taken a dramatic turn in the look of the show.  This episode also seems to take a dramatic change in the storytelling.  I'm all about complex involved storylines, but this is getting a bit excessive.  The episode seemed very short, I think because there are so many different things happening.  Come on people, the great thing about TV is you have nearly 16 hours to tell your story, you don't have to introduce them all in the first episode. 

Most good shows out there move forward in such a way that you can't really jump into the middle of the show, but some find a way to strike a balance at the turn of each season.  I guess as I think about it, usually the season ends in a cliffhanger, then the second episode starts up fresh and is a good jumping in point.  We'll see how this one turns out, but so far, you might as well not have had any break as it picks up almost exactly where last season left off. 

Most of the people I know who watch the show feel done with it after last season.  I hope it picks up and brings them and me back around.  I look forward to seeing Superman finally in costume, the arrival of Clark Kent as the secret identity.  Cause right now, it's all a jumble. 

Bad Movie Night

My friend's and I have a ritual, we get together at each other's house (rotating through each person's home) have dinner, put on a bad movie and prepare ourselves for a night of painful hilarity.  It's a great learning experience for a writer.  They always say you learn from your mistakes, so why not learn from other's mistakes. 

Tonight's was a doozy, "Tequila Body Shots" staring Joseph Lawrence.  I think it was supposed to be a horror film, but 30 minutes into it, still no sign of horror, or plot.  I'm not sure how long it was before we hit the "15 minute point" the point of no return where the lead character is sent on his quest with new purpose.  I honestly think that point hit about 15 minutes before the end of the film. 

So what did I learn from tonights events?  Don't make a bad movie. 

What the hell goofy crap is that?

Comic books have ridiculous storylines.  Especially older comics.  I guess if you have one alien, you can have several, but that doesn't work so well in movies.  I've been reading a lot of the older comics and it's amazing the difference between comics from the 30's and 40's and current comics. 

Though there are some elements that I wonder why they were abandoned.  Originally Superman could mold his face using his superiour muscle control to look different.  So when he was Clark Kent he looked different than when he was Superman, it wasn't just a matter of putting on a pair of glasses and combing his hair differently.  Seems like that is one of the main points of contention for people who are not fans of Superman. 

It's been over 60 years since that was a viable power, so I don't think modern audiences would buy it.  Nice thought though. 

Who is this guy?

So who am I?  What gives me the gall to think I could write a script about Superman? And on top of that 4 scripts?!  Am I the worlds biggest Superman fan?  Have I devoted my life to the study of Superman?  Do I know everything about all the comics, can I resite dates and all of the goofs over the years?

Well, the answer to most of those is No.  Some of them No doesn't really fit as an answer, "Who am I?" "No"  See, just doesn't quite seem to fit. 

I am just a guy, someone who watched the movie so many years ago and fell in love with the idea presented before me.  I came across comics later in life, probably when most people do, I don't have an exact date, but I believe it was 1991, or within a few years prior.  I wasn't a big fan at that point, but I did love comics.  I love the artistry and the ridiculousness of the storylines.  There was nothing like it I had come across before.  Movies, TV, novels, there is nothing quite like a comic book. 

I really got into comics around the time the Death of Superman comics came out, which is also around the same time the Spiderman 2099 series came out.  I was hooked on the 2099 comics and I would still love to finish my collection.  I have all the Spiderman 2099 comics, but not many of the rest of the series.  It was not exactly easy for a 13 year old to make enough money to support a comic habit as my parents were never real big on giving an allowance and didn't think much of comics. 

I admit to getting very angry at writers who write stories based on something that they are completely unfamiliar with.  I've seen it happen a lot and I will not mention names or scripts.  There was a movie that I saw fairly recently that seemed very much like that.  It seemed the writer interviewed a group of fans, they bounced all over the place, telling the main story, but throwing in the little extras that only a true fan would know.  Then the writer goes off with his notes and puts together a script based on what he heard, all of these not quite right inside jokes.

I've also seen movies that stay so true to the story that they shoot themselves in the foot, it just doesn't make sense or is so far out there that you lose all but the true fanboys. 

Back to my original point though, I am a fan, not the biggest, but I know enough to hopefully do this project justice.  I continue my research to show respect, but as a movie lover, I must find the story to tell in movie format.  This is my passion, not to just write the movie that I want to see, but the movie that I need to see. 

Information Overload

I need to find a way to organize my thoughts.  There are 7 decades of information  on Superman.  All the different mediums, the different stories, there is so much out there.  How do you organize all those thoughts down to a few short movies. 

Superman is an alien from another planet, a planet that, before it exploded, was also full of aliens.  In the comics, there are many other beings from many other planets floating around.  There are hundreds of other Superheroes running around.  So what if you take a movie and fill it with aliens, other Superheroes, beings from other dimensions, how much would that detract from the movie.  It's something you can easily get away with in comics, that never have a set end. You can even throw that stuff into a TV series, 21 episodes a season, 45 minutes per episode, that's a good investment in time that you can allow to other ideas. 

In a movie you have 2 hours, 3 at the tops to tell an entire story.  You can get away with a Trilogy, so you can up that to a wopping 6 hours, or even 9 hours in the ultimate extreme cases.  So you really have to pay attention to every detail that you put in a script.  You see it in movies all the time, extra bits that are thrown in because they are funny, cute, interesting, kinda random and really having nothing to do with the storyline. 

So this is my task, the task I given to me by myself, make everything fit within a tightly wrapped bundle. 

Origin stories

There seem to be as many origin stories as there are people that have worked on Superman.  In case you aren't familiar with the many writers and artists who have added their name to the list, its a lot.  And to add another to the Mix, Superman: Secret Origin, a series I'm looking forward to reading.  I wish I had done a little more research into the origin stories before I went to the comic shop today.  I realized the series I decided not to buy in favor of many older series of comics, was actually another origin story. 

I am familiar with many of the origin stories, but I want more, I want to find out what has happened through the years, who influenced the Superman, what stories developed and how people have touched the character over the years.  So begins a new level of research, it's not just about the story, but about the journey, about the changes, the history, how to show the respect to everyone involved, not only to the writers, painters, drawers, film makers, voices, everyone connected with creating a legend, but with the readers, the fans and everyone who had the symbol flash through their head for more than half a second. 

Forceful beginnings

I had always been a fan of Superman from when I was very young. I watched Superman with Christopher Reeve and believe a man could fly. Seeing a man run faster than a train, stop a bullet, lift into the sky and catch a falling helicopter all while rescuing the damsel in distress. It was not to be believed, but there it was, right on the screen, they caught it on film!

Then in 1992, this superhero who had been drawn on the pages of comics since 1938, died. A creature of such ferocity, filled with nothing but hate, with rage and Superman fought him to the bitter in. In Lois's arms he dies while trying to stand up to check on Doomsday, to check to see if the foe like he's never known, the one creature he wasn't sure he would be able to stop.

Several years later I worked with a friend of mine on a class project, to make a movie based on a book. Nothing fancy, but hilarious and fun, so then began my interest in movies. I always loved movies, but the idea I could write a script and actually make my own movie! Wouldn't it be awesome if I actually wrote a script based on those comics, I could do a trilogy!

So we started, probably 15 years ago, worked on script after script. Still to this day, it is not finished. The idea would come up from time to time, but fall to the side when life gets too busy or other ideas crop up and decide to interrupt the process of trying to figure out problems.

One of the main problems was how to tell the story. You can't just jump straight to the middle, you can't just jump straight to the death of a hero. So the story needs to start earlier, it needs a prequel. So our Trilogy became a Quadrilogy. It begins with a reboot to the Superman franchise. A twist on the story to make it fit to a more modern crowd. Nothing too radical like the script JJ Abrams was writing.

I am a fan of Superman and I want to keep within the tradition of the stories, just made for a movie. I respect all the work of what was done, some amazing storylines, such brilliance needs to be shown respect. But I want to make it my own, make it something I want to see.

So here begins my journey again, and here is a way to keep me on track. I will blog about my journey from beginning to end. I want to set a deadline, but that will have to wait for another time.