I was listening to an interview with Tommy Yune on Space Station Liberty and Tommy stated that his decisions to keep many story elements vague, i.e. alien vs. Zentraedi and alien drink vs. Tirolian Ale called Zirepa, was so the viewer wouldn't be confused by the description and wonder what the characters were talking about. Huh?

Hate to say it but this is a ridiculous reason. A viewer will not get so confused by this that they turn the DVD off or run for the hills. This type of description actually sets your story above the rest. Sorry to break this to Tommy and Harmony Gold but this sequel was not the bring-in-the-new-viewer platform movie. This was a sequel that fans wanted to see. And on the chance there are new viewers to Robotech, why be scared to give them details on the original 85 episodes. If they like what they see they will seek out those older episodes and watch them or even buy the DVDs.

When Alex says to Scott, "try this new alien drink." I find the fault of this bad dialog on the writer. Not placing an origin on the drink is either due to no creativity or you're dumbing it down for your audience. As for the "I'm half alien" dialog, this is also either an avoidance of the name Zentraedi due to legal issues with Big West or again the writer is dumbing it down for the audience. Either way, I find it poor writing and story telling. There's no reason to dumb it down nor avoid giving descriptions that tie back to the original series.

Tommy stated that he didn't want to mention anything (object or race) that wasn't directly involved or taking place in the Shadow Chronicles. He felt it would only confuse and mislead the viewers. Yet there's a great example of this working in Empire Strikes Back. When Han tells Leia, "Well, the bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind." We never see this bounty hunter or even know where Ord Mantell is. Yet, this dialog gave the movie depth. These characters are real and have lives outside the here and now of the big screen. Perhaps a first time viewer of ESB might have wondered if he missed something from the first movie or just got lost in the bigger story.

As a writer and story teller myself, descriptions are the best thing going for one's story. They build a back bone to the universe being created. Don't be afraid to show the audience the best picture of that world. Even if it confuses them at first; they will treasure it later. So shame on Tommy Yune for not calling that drink a Tirolian Ale. And I'm sorry Maia is not half-alien but half-Zentraedi!

REVIEW: Bushi Tales #1 of 3 $3.95

After hearing good things about this comic on Comic Geek Speak and seeing some good promo material, I was really looking forward to this book. I went on a Comic Road Trip (kinda like toy runs in toy collecting) this weekend here in Denver and picked this up at a LCS on Wadsworth Blvd. This store bags all their monthlies so I wasn't able to browse the pages. Yet, from what I had heard and seen, I really didn't care...

...until I got home. Now I won't say it was bad. I actually liked it, but I wasn't blown away. I will give it the next couple of issues to pull it through. Yet, after only one book and knowing there's only two more, I'm worried on how this story will ramp up and then close. At first impression, it started in the manner of a title that is either an ongoing series or at least set for 6+ issues.

The art by David Betty and Lin Workman was very well done. Yet the presentation in the book was slightly poor. Lin Workman gets credits as a colorist yet the book is in black and white. It basically looks like this comic was fully colored then copied on a xerox machine in b&w. So basically some of the panels are dark and the tones don't give much contrast to the art which would be awesome in color. I found myself looking hard at the panels to see all of the detail. The last panel on page 5 confused me and I couldn't really figure it out until I saw further panels on page 9. I don't mind a b&w book but I want the tones to be done in consideration of such. Otherwise, the panel progression and pacing worked very well.

Like I sorta touched on, the story starts out a bit slow. Its premise is about a Bushido type clan set in the far future although it appears to be the past. It begins with two guards, Kitaro and Hagino, being attacked by a large wolf. Kitaro gets mauled and Hagino runs to ring the signal bell. As the other guards arrive, the wolf retreats. As the situation calms, they find Hagino is missing and Kitaro clings to life. The story then introduces a young woman named Akiyo and she swears vengeance on the giant wolves. A hunting party departs and quickly finds the trail of the wolves only to find them led by a giant. A battle ensues...

With only 19 pages of story, I left wanting more. The writing was good yet it seemed a bit simple and not much filler. Dialog told me a horse was named Strider which I wasn't too fond of. Sorry but I guess Lord of the Rings ruined the uniqueness of Strider as a name for man...or horse. Also, the story makes notations as what some terms mean, such as katanas, misogi and meijin. After the core story, the issue also includes a "who's who" style character break down on Akiyo. Also included is a 3 page prose story called "The Monster" by David Beaty and some nicely detailed illustrations. And the 32 page book ends with a "behind the scenes" sketch book and character design gallery. There is also a page of cool Bushi Tales swag and stuff you can buy from www.BushiTales.com.

Final Thoughts: Besides being a bit irritated by the contrast tones and wishing for a bit better presentation of the panel art, I did enjoy the character designs and art. The story has yet to truly grab me but I will stay with it until the 3rd issue. For the price, $3.95 an issue, I might suggest some to wait for a trade or all-in-one type publication. If you like bushido and fantasy stories, then I would recommend you pick this up and judge for yourself. Although being a bit harsh on the first issue, this could very well be the next Mouse Guard and these first printed issues will only go up in value and become more desired issues. ***