April 2009 Archives

Transformers first arrived on planet Earth back in 1984. Yep, for twenty-five years the Autobots and the Decepticons have been battling it out on Terra on Saturday morning TV and in the pages of comic books. Throughout that time the universe of the Transformers, though staying loyal to the original premise, has been expanded and branched and has undergone a couple of reboots.

The most recent major comic reboot was in 2006 when IDW Publications picked up the bouncing Transformer ball. Throughout the recent years of Transformers comics the main storyteller was Simon Furman. But in the shadow of the quite independent Transformers movie and forthcoming sequel someone else is having a go.

Shane McCarthy first came to prominence with his work on Batman that included a reinvention of the Riddler. The positive response to this and other works meant Shane would naturally be given another universe to play in. So now Shane, with the help of artist Guido Guidi, is giving Transformers a fresh coat of paint.

All Hail Megatron is a 12 issue series that allows a comfortable entry by newcomers into the long running saga, but more than that, throws light on new angles allowing past readers to refresh their approach, which is always a good thing.

With Volume One of All Hail Megatron collection (first six issues) published in March and the second volume coming out round early October I asked Shane about writing in the Transformer universe and what he has envisioned for the dudes of Cybertron.

I'm guessing that getting a gig like writing Transformers wouldn't normally go to someone who isn't already a fan of the big metal guys. How was it to become a new voice for the Transformers universe and how much did you need to get up to speed with the ongoing sagas between Autobots and Deceptacons?

Well, having been a fan of the cartoon since I was a little kid it was a real pleasure to be able to work on the series and add some of my own ideas to the characters.  There's a lot to work with and a real depth to the characters and the world if you want to look for it.  I was eager to keep them true to the characters we knew but to also reach in and find a side to each of them that perhaps we hadn't seen yet.

As for getting up to speed.  Well, my knowledge is pretty good to begin with (not as good as some of the guys out there though) so I set about reading everything IDW had published and familiarizing myself with their version of the Transformer universe.  Not to shabby a job when you get to sit about doing that.

All Hail Megatron is meant to be a place where someone can get into the universe without requiring the complex background knowledge of past stories. Should this saga be considered a reboot of the universe? How much does the past play on the story you are telling?

The past plays a big part but the appeal of the series is that you don't need to have read it to understand what's going on.  We billed this series as a 'soft reboot' in that we're turning our attention away from some aspects of what went before to give new readers a jumping on point without all the complex background.  If you have read what went before then you receive a bigger reward for your effort.

Clearly you are putting your own stamp on Transformers. What directions are you venturing to take the story and characters? Do you have long-term designs on how this new saga will pan out?

What I wanted to do was to show the real effects of war on these characters and show some of the ramifications of the choices they've made along the way.  You can't fight for as long as they have and still have the lines between good and evil being so clearly drawn.  I wanted to put each side, Autobot and Decepticon, in the worst situation they could be in and see what happened.

All Hail Megatron was always going to be a 12 issue story, start to finish, but I did drop in some clues and hints as to where things might go that I expect the next writers will pick up on.

I've heard that your fresh take was received with positive response by critics and by the buying public. You must be happy with that.

Oh very happy.  The bulk of the response has been overwhelmingly positive.  I mean, not everyone's going to love it when you play around with things like I have but most of the fans have been extremely positive.  I've received some of the best reviews of my career on this book.

I really liked the Transformers animated movie from '86, but I didn't care for the Michael Bay movie. Several of my friends don't argue with me over the flaws in story and character, but they still love the movie (and are excited about the next one) cause they all just flipped out on CGI Transformers doing their thing. As one respected friend said to me, "It has big robots beating the shit out of each other, what else do you need?" But you do need something else. What do you think that "else" is?

Story and character.

Not to put down the chaps that made Transformers too much but special effects don't make a good movie.  What they can do with CGI these days is impressive but if you want me give a damn about it when it's on the big screen then give me something to care about.  An explosion is pointless with nothing to back it up, it might as well be a mobile phone ad.

If you're going to make a film then subject matter is irrelevant, regardless of what it's about you need to tell a convincing story and show me interesting characters I can care about.  Whether it's about the war, a couple in love, a time traveling teenager in a Delorean, a whip cracking archeologist, the mob or giant transforming robots you still need to tell a good story.  And preferably one that makes sense.

It's hard to create a story and script that wins oscars, it's not hard to create a story and script that doesn't insult the audience.  I think most of these big budget movies should be trying harder and showing more respect to the people that pay for the tickets.

I'm assuming you would be happy doing Transformers for some time to come, but even if you did the adventures of Optimus Prime and Co. forever, do you have other things you want to do and what else is on the cards for Shane McCarthy?

I'm starting work on my next Transformer series which is going to be a hell of a lot of fun to write.  I'm in the research stage at the moment but it's seriously going to be a fun ride once I sit down to work.  Down the track I'll be working on a creator owned book with one of my best friends in the world who also happens to be one of the most talented artists in the industry.  I'm seriously a lucky guy.

Was J G Ballard one of the most important writers of the late Twentieth Century? For my vote, yes.

Was he the leading light of the British New Wave? Certainly, yes.

Was he one of the foremost authors of dystopian ficiton? Forever will he be.

James Graham Ballard was a master of the short story as well as the novel, and with Empire of the Sun, author of one of the most honoured post-war memoirs. He was such a unique voice in the realm of literature that not just his individual novels, like The Drowned World, High Rise, Concrete Island and The Crystal World which all successfully stand alone as treatises of the manifestation of the human condition, but with his short stories, Ballard's work achieved its own definition of philosophy and style.

From the Collins English Dictionary:

Ballardian: (adj) 1. of James Graham Ballard (born 1930), the British novelist, or his works (2) resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in Ballard's novels and stories, esp dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments.

He courted controversy with his novels Atrocity Exhibition and Crash, both becoming works of inspiration for artists, philosophers and a lot of writers.

And with his skills as a restrained but finely styled wordsmith, he depicted the neurotic psychology of ourselves in past, present and especially, future. And these past, the presents and futures were all our now, but morphed and distorted into environments that expressed our human condition in all its magnificent mundanity.

And one final note, Mr Ballard wrote Day of Creation, which is one of my very, very favourite novels. And so, his passing at the age of of 78 is a sad event for me. He gave us so much extraordinary work, but this world could still have done with a little bit more.

J G Ballard    15 November 1930 - 19 April 2009 

Mad Max is 30

It is thirty years since Mad Max first appearred on screen and become Australia's best known cinematic work (Crocodile Dundee is a close second). What it did for Mel Gibson needs little mention. But, to quote from a past blog:

One of the most important films to come out of the colony; it established the Australian Car Mythos and then exported it to the world. Hard to believe such a well made film came from so small a budget. Again, audiences reacted to the brutality but it revamped the hero myth and made its indelible mark. Its sequels pushed it into the popular consciousness.

Here's the first ten minutes, just for the hell of it.

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Goodbye Marilyn

Marilyn Chambers first appeared on the box of a leading washing powder pretending to be a blonde housewife lovelingly holding her smiling baby. A year later that image became famous not for increasing the sales of Ivory Snow but for that wholesome looking lady being a lead in one of the most celebrated porn films of all time. Indeed, Behind the Green Door (1972) is considered a classic transcendent of its sordid roots (well, a bit) and was the first hardcore film to get a nation wide release in America. Plus, her performance in this film caused Marilyn Chambers to be regarded as a pioneer of interacial sex in cinema (for reasons I'm sure you can guess). Of interest, the events of the early part of her career, particularly Behind the Green Door are depicted in the film X-Rated as directed by Emelio Estervez.

Throughout her career she made adult and mainstream films, but her most significant role, outside of Green Door, was as the lead in David Croneberg's breakthrough zombie movie Rabid (1977). Chambers also had a hit disco single in 1976 and ran twice in presidential elections. She recieved a Lifetime Achievement at the FOXE Fans of X-Rated Entertainment awards in 2005.

Marilyn Chambers died on April 12th at the age of 56. Her passing has been acknowledged by pop culturalists,  counterculturlists, independent, adult and horror movie fans, and even the hip hop community.

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David Gemmell Award

The shortlist has been announced for the inaugeral David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy. This award is given to the best fantasy novel written in the "spirit" of the herioc adventure writings of David Gemmell.

Gemmell passed away in July of 2006 at the age of 57 but not before writing over thirty novels, most of them best sellers, and building a remarkable fan base internationally. Much of his work features charsmatic or enigmatic heroes and their daring-do in dark fantasy worlds. I read a handful of his earlier novels and though I felt they were becoming repetative they were slick, easy, fast and darkly fun reads. I will always have a personal fondness for his first novel Legend. And what I liked most about that book was the central character of Druss. Indeed, as much as an action adventure, Legend was a character study of heroism and all it entails, both good and bad. And this set up the central theme of much of his entertaining literature.

Gemmell was well regarded in the publishing industry, not just as a success, but as a committed professional and honourable, likeable fellow. It is in this spirit that the award was established by friends and professional collegues to celebrate David Gemmell's professional and personal legacy.

The shortlist is selected by popular vote (on the Award website) from a longlist submitted by the editors of the various publishing houses who feel the work is in the spirit or tradition of Gemmell's.

David Gemmell Legend Award for Fantasy shortlist:

The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz)

Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Mariller (Tor UK)

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Tor US)

Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski (Gollancz)

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (Orbit)

In June the winner will be selected by a panel of genre experts and announced at a special ceremony in London.