STUFF & THINGS

By Richard J. Early

UP

This past week, I had a discussion with a very nice customer of mine who told me that Pixar movies are nothing but ‘kid’ movies. I understand the thought process. The movies are animated which means they aren’t to be taken seriously. But anyone who’s seen Pixar films knows that this type of pigeon-holing is completely unfair to these films. Movies like “Toy Story” and “Wall-E” certainly appeal to children with their humor and charm, but they also offer deep themes about love, relationships, and other social concerns. “Up”, the newest offering, is no different. This is a brilliant film about growing up and growing old. An old man and a young boy must both confront personal loneliness and loss. Both characters are stunted emotionally as the movie opens but eventually discover a relationship neither expected. Dug the Dog steals the show. One of Pixar’s more memorable characters, Dug is equipped with a special collar that allows him to speak English. However, he still thinks like a dog. If you’ve ever had one of those super-friendly, kind of dumb, pets, you will identify with this spot-on interpretation. The attention given to Dug is more thoughtful and clever than most human characters in this summer’s movies. To date, “Up” is 2009’s best movie – sorry, “Star Trek” fans – and a must see for all, not just kids. I think I heard that it had the 3^rd highest box office opening of any animated film, trailing only the Shrek sequels, I assume.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1

Is there anything Grant Morrison can’t do? He can do sci-fi. He can do company crossover. He can do magic. This guy has written such diversity as Invisibles, X-Men, Sea Guy, JLA, and now is the featured writer on DC’s new Batman flagship, Batman and Robin. Fitting that he should have to deal with his own mess since he’s the one who aced Batman in Final Crisis and RIP. Re-teamed with superstar Frank Quitely, the team from New X-Men and All Star Superman, Morrison switches gears from the cerebral Final Crisis to a summer blockbuster style. This is a technique the team has employed before, specifically on New X-Men, and one Morrison used with Howard Porter on JLA. I’ve felt the best definition of Morrison’s Batman is to refer to him as a super-hero James Bond. It’s just got that perfect great Bond movie kind of feeling. It’s a different take on the character. He’s not Frank Miller brutal and he’s no Denny O’Neil investigator. He’s a brilliant strategist always one step ahead of his enemies. At least he was, until Darksied zapped him. That was Bruce Wayne. But what’s next? A brand new dynamic for this classic duo. Dick Grayson has stepped up to the plate and taken on the mantle of Batman, which he refers to as a shroud in this issue. His Robin? Damian, Bruce’s maniacal son fathered with Talia, the daughter of the Demon – Ra’s Al Ghul. Damian is convinced he is ready to be Batman and makes it very clear. Dick finds himself in an obvious role reversal, now being forced to mentor a parentless Robin. This situation seems perfect. There is room for terrific character conflict and I have a sneaky suspicion Damian won’t behave himself. Could there be a showdown between these two? Morrison provides some cool, crazy new villains in the Circus of the Strange. Interesting that Dick Grayson Batman faces a circus in his debut when Dick/Robin lost his parents at the circus – I’m sure it’s just a coincidence. Throw in a flying car, a new HQ, and one nasty villain, and this series hits the ground running. I know customers are a little fried on relaunches and characters dying only to obviously be brought back later, but this title isn’t worried about all that heavy handed background stuff. If you’re going to Terminator Salvation and Transformers 2 for the spectacle, add this book to your list.

WHAT’S UP AT PARADOX?

Well, #1, we’ve finally got a new blog. Yes I know it’s been since X-mas that I did this, but I’m making a personal commitment starting today. I’m going to post a new blog every Friday from here on out. I’m going to focus on anything I want. Oh, that doesn’t sound like a focus. Well, I’m going to feature comics, movies, TV, sports, games, or whatever is on my mind this week. Expect lots of Lost come next February. But I’m also going to keep you up to date of the goings on at Dox from my perspective. I don’t really want this to turn into an advertisement. Obviously, I can’t entirely avoid that, but I want to take a more nuts and bolts approach to the decision making side of things. I want to talk to you about retailing and decision making. I’m going to try to be honest and open, without giving away all my secrets. I’m working on a book project about running Paradox for the past sixteen years and this blog is going to be a part of that project. So it’ll take a little while to develop a style I’m happy with, and a readership. I’m not doing this to hear myself type, after all. I also want feedback. Please comment on these blogs. Spark some conversation. Let me know what you think about the things I blog about and let me know what you think of the blog. Hopefully it will turn into a great experience for all.

SIXTEEN YEARS

Holy crap, really? As many of you know, we’ve been advertising our sixteenth anniversary. It’s coming up on June 13^th and we’re hosting events and running sales and, my favorite, giving away free birthday cake. In the past, I’ve skipped anniversary events because the date is in June and I’ve made the mistake of thinking that nobody would be around because it’s summer. But last year I started to change. We held a gaming event in October to commemorate our 15^th year, but that left the comic guys out in the cold. So I wanted to fix two things: create an event for everyone and move it to the proper timeframe. I think we’ve hit it on the nose. Brian and I spent several hours pitching ideas back and forth until we came up with a great plan. That’s a big part of making things work. Come up with a goal and then work backwards. My dear friend Jamie Woodward taught me that. I’m also a believer that you’ve got to promote the event at least six weeks in advance. We failed at that one. But life goes on. Anyway, think of this as a little taste of what I’ve got planned for this blog. I’ve given you a little insight into my thought process.

NEXT WEEK

I’ll be back next Friday, I swear.