- First up!It's not my first appearance of the year chronologically, but it's the first one to be announced!
In June, I'll be down in the gulf coast of the Sunshine State -- Fort Myers, Florida -- for Space Con! Should be a fun time for geeks of all stripes. Here's where you can dig up some info on that:
- Second off, some non-spoilery talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi.Holy cow.
I haven't seen so much fan divisiveness (of a critically praised movie) in a loooooong time. There's plenty to unpack with that, but in all honesty... I loved it.
I loved that it wasn't quite the A-B-C of a hero's journey. I loved that it didn't give is all the same things, simply packaged in a different way.
And I loved the voice Rian Johnson brought to it. I loved the humor, and I loved (this could be me being an Indiana Jones fan over and above a Star Wars fan) that there was so much more about how the characters -- hero and villain -- coped with failures.
Some of these failures were big, some small (not limited to death, indignity, misunderstandings, insults, failure to act on an impulse, and perhaps largest of all, for many of the characters, failure to be what you expect of yourself.)
That resonated with me. In fact, I can't overstate how much I connect with that.
I do expect enough was left vague for JJ Abrams to pivot the story back to grand high mythology, but if I'm being honest, this is a Star Wars movie I connected to in ways I didn't expect. I know Mark Hamill was disappointed in Luke's storyline. I know fans are mad because it didn't follow the feel of TFA.
And without a doubt, I would've done things differently.
But -- even with the longer running time -- I loved this flick. - Okay, last but not least...
It's the end of the year, and 2017 has been one tough cookie in so many, so VERY many ways. Political incompetence and infighting, natural disasters, conspiracies, illness, and darkness in the human spirit on display.
I'm kind of cynical, but I still believe there is better coming, and that's because I fundamentally believe, despite my grousing, that there is better in us.
So here at the end of 2017, I want to wish all of you a 2018 that is so great, we're not ready for it to be over twelve months from now. I wish you health and happiness. I hope to see some of you at conventions or signings or elsewhere, and to laugh about the good we've seen recently.
And of course, I hope my work will continue to entertain some of you when the good is otherwise hard to spot.
Thanks for being here, there, and everywhere.
And Happy Holidays!
--Erik