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[This is part TWO of FIVE of Volume 1, Issue 6 of CYBERSPACE VANGUARD:
News and Views of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Universe.  If your site
did not receive all five parts, or if you would like the entire thing
sent to you in one large chunk, write to [e-mail].

CV is registered with the United States Copyright Office.  Permission is
granted to repost the issue IN IT'S ENTIRETY.  For other reposting, contact
the above address.]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

--!1!--  Ramblings of a Deranged Editor (& a few deranged readers ...)
--!2!--  Within the Realm of Extreme Possibility:  Creator CHRIS CARTER
                                                             on the X-FILES
--!3!--  The Highlander's Heart:  An Interview with ADRIAN PAUL

                End of PART ONE

--!4!--  The Art and Science of Leaping Tall Buildings
--!5!--  A Writer's Guide to STAR TREK:  THE NEXT GENERATION
--!6!--  Reviews by EVELYN  C. LEEPER
--!7!--  THE OLD COMIC CURMUDGEON: R-E-S-P-E-C-T ...

                End of PART TWO

--!8!--  The Infamous Reply Cards and What You Said
--!9!--  SF Calendar: What's Coming Up in the Near Future
--!10!--  All The News That's Fit To Transmit

                End of PART THREE is in the middle of --!10!--

                PART FOUR is the rest of the news

--!11!--  Spoilers Ahoy!  Including TWILIGHT ZONE Episode Guide
--!12!--  Contests and Awards
--!13!--  Conventions and Readings
--!14!--  Publications, Lists and the like
--!15!--  Administrivia
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--!4!--  The Art and Science of Leaping Tall Buildings
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                          by John McGervey

     Mary Poppins can fly.  So can Superman.  The difference between the
two is the difference between fantasy and science fiction.  Fantasy does
not attempt to explain why the known laws of nature are being violated, but
science fiction often includes some scientific rationale for the action,
which may add to the appeal of the yarn.
     A popular explanation of superstrength, for example, is that the hero
(or villain) has somehow acquired the "proportionate strength" of an insect
or a spider.  Horror movies get great effects by showing giant-sized bugs,
which somehow are more terrifying than, say, giant pandas.  But many giant
creatures have walked the Earth, and none of them resembled bugs.  Why not?
     Suppose you take a bug and multiply each of its dimensions by 100.
Its weight would go up in proportion to its volume, so the weight would be
multiplied by a factor of 100 by each dimension.  The cube of 100 is one
million; a one-gram bug would become a one-ton monster.  But your superbug
wouldn't be able to stand up!  The strength of its spindly legs is not
proportional to their VOLUME, but to their cross-sectional AREA, which
would be multiplied by the square of 100, or a mere 10,000.  If it's
original legs could support five times its weight -- say five grams -- its
new legs could only support 50 kilograms, or 1/20th of its new weight.  An
elephant doesn't have those heavy legs for nothing.
     In the early Superman comics, on the other hand, the writers seemed
to sense a danger in making their hero a purely magical or fantasy
figure; they invented many explanations, some of them plausible, for his
feats.  Let us examine some of his superpowers (and his one weakness) to
see how we can "dream things that never were and ask 'Why not?'"
     Superman's superstrength was explained by his origin on the planet
Krypton, where gravity was so strong that the inhabitants needed
superstrength just to stand up.  Thus it seems reasonable that someone who
could jump to ordinary heights on Krypton (say about one meter) could "leap
tall buildings in a single bound" on Earth.  There is a germ of real
physics in that concept; you need only accept the premise that human-like
creatures could develop on a planet whose gravity is several hundred
times the gravity of Earth.
     One early leap by Superman was described as covering an eighth of a
mile.  If this was a single leap (following a ballistic trajectory, like a
cannonball), a simple physics calculation shows that Superman had to leave
the ground with a speed of more than 100 miles per hour.  That is indeed
"faster than a streamline train," to quote an early Superman description.
     But as Superman matured, the descriptions blossomed.  Soon he became
"faster than a speeding bullet" (about 1,000 miles per hour).  The speed
corresponds to an energy of about ten million joules for a man of normal
weight.  Superstrength doesn't exempt you from the law of conservation of
energy, and to gain that energy from food requires more than 2,000 food
calories -- just to reach that speed once.  The conclusion:  Clark Kent
must eat like a pig.
     Besides the energy requirement, there are also force and acceleration
to consider.  How much force must Superman's legs exert to reach 1,000 miles
per hour -- and thus leap a tall building in "a single bound?"  If he is
pushing off against the ground, as people do when they leap, he has to get
up to this speed before his feet leave the ground.  A high-school physics
student can compute the acceleration that takes you from zero to 1,000
miles per hour in a distance of, say, two feet; it is 20,000 times the
acceleration of gravity.  This means that Superman's legs have to exert a
force that is 20,000 times Superman's weight, or about 2,000 tons
(coincidentally, just about enough to stop a speeding locomotive in a
fraction of a second).
     But as his greater speed was introduced and Superman's leaps became
higher and higher, it became clear that they were not "leaps" at all.  We
could see Superman changing direction in mid-air or even circling the Earth
like a satellite.  At this point all traces of science had disappeared; the
feat had entered the realm of pure magic or fantasy.  Nevertheless, it's
fun to try to apply the basic laws of physics to these flights.
     With a speed of 1,000 m.p.h. at "liftoff," and no air resistance,
Superman could reach an altitude of three miles and cover 12 miles in one
leap.  But even Superman can't turn off air resistance.  Any object thrown
through the air at great speed will be slowed down by air resistance and
eventally fall earthward at a constant speed, called the terminal speed.
For a body of human size, shape, and weight, the terminal speed is about
120 miles per hour.  So even if you could survive a blast that started you
off at 1,000 miles per hour, you would quickly slow down, and you would
complete your flight by falling toward Earth at a mere 120 miles per hour.
     Some skiers do a little better than that; they achieve a speed of 150
miles per hour by streamlining themselves with skintight suits and special
headgear.  Superman needs none of that.  Defying the laws of physics, he
even trails a cape behind him on his supersonic flights!
     To reconcile Superman's flights with the laws of physics, several
possibilities come to mind.  For example:
     1.  His superstrength might permit him to propel himself as he flies,
as an airplane does.  Superman's early flights sometimes displayed a
vigorous thrashing of his legs, as if he were swimming through the air.
This calls to mind the problem of pushing on the end of a rope.  No matter
how strong you are, you cannot push off something unless that thing pushes
back.  Action must equal reaction, and your souped-up car goes nowhere if
its wheels have no traction.  Pushing hard enough on thin air to sustain
these flights would create super-hurricane winds.  People near Superman's
launch point would be knocked flat, or worse.
     2.  Perhaps Superman has some means of jet or rocket propulsion.  If
that is the case, no evidence of it ever appears.  In the comics he often
moves as if he were simply running on the air; the running motion would be
superfluous if he were rocket propelled.
     3.  He might weigh a lot more than the ordinary mortal.  Then his
initial speed would not be reduced so quickly by air resistance for the
same reason that you can throw a golf ball farther than you can throw a
ping-pong ball.  This view is consistent with an early episode in which an
enemy found Superman impossible to lift, and another one in which Superman
cracked the sidewalk when he landed.  (Notice that Superman is a bit of a
showoff -- he lands on one foot, not even bending a knee to minimize the
shock!  In later sorties, Superman apparently has the magical ability to
slow down and make a soft landing -- no more cracked sidewalks.)
     What about flying through outer space, as Superman has done almost
from the beginning?  One of Superman's more mindboggling feats of flying
occurred when he was a boy; he carried his earthling father to the moon.
He took care to outfit the father with a space helmet, but not a
spacesuit.  You can imagine what problems that would pose for an ordinary
mortal.  Even if the father's clothing didn't burn up from air friction
during the liftoff, it would not provide any pressurization to keep poor
dad's blood from boiling in the vacuum of outer space.  (Superman often
carries people through the air or catches them as they are falling.  In
real life, poor Lois Lane would go "splat" all over the Man of Steel after
a typical catch; the impact on his "steely" body would be just like an
impact on the concrete below.)
     Although Superman himself has no worries about air pressure (or
breathing, in space or underwater), flying in outer space has to create
problems for him.  In space there is nothing, not even air, to push
against.  No matter how strong he is, Superman cannot violate the law of
convervation of momentum in one direction unless he gives an opposite
momentum to something else.  In empty space, this means he must use rocket
propulsion any time he wants to speed up, slow down or change direction.
Thus, when Superman is circling the globe like a satellite, he will be
there for a very long time unless he can eject something in the forward
direction to slow himself down.
    One possible source for his rocket braking would be his superbreath.
He might blow his superbreath out in front of him and thereby be pushed
backward, just as a rifle recoils when it ejects a bullet.  If he is
already moving forward, this recoil would slow him down and let him come
down from orbit.
     Another way for Superman to slow down would be by using his X-ray
vision.  It is well known that X-rays, like all forms of radiation, carry
momentum; thus Superman would recoil backward as the rays went forward, and
you can imagine his slowing down sufficiently to descend into the
atmosphere, where atmospheric drag could bring him down.  (Of course, those
X-rays would have to be superstrong.)
     Superman's orbital flights pose yet another physics problem when
superspeed is involved.  When Superman is circling the globe seven times
per second, his speed approaches the speed of light.  Even if he had such
prodigious energy, how could he avoid flying off into interstellar space?
There has to be a force keeping him in orbit.  Gravitational force keeps a
body in a low earth orbit only if the orbital period is about 90 minutes.
     Could Superman send out Superbreath or X-rays to keep himself in
orbit?  If he did, how much force would these rays have to exert?  And how
does that force compare with the force needed to stop a locomotive in, say,
one tenth of a second, from a speed of 60 miles per hour?
     The force needed to keep Superman in this superspeed orbit is close
to a billion tons, even if Superman's body only has the mass of a human.
This clearly means that Superman is far "more powerful than a locomotive";
the force needed to stop the locomotive is a few thousand tons -- about 30
times the locomotive's weight, according to a high-school physics
calculation.  (If his breath is that powerful, Superman could stop the
locomotive just by blowing on it -- carefully, of course, so he doesn't
launch it into outer space.)
     The whole concept of motion in outer space is an interesting one.
Superboy was once shown disposing of a dangerous object by throwing it
directly toward the sun, saying "There it goes, right into the sun."  But
because of the Earth's motion around the sun, the object still has the
angular momentum that it had before he threw it, and it will be in an orbit
that whips around the sun like a comet.  To hit the sun in an orbit like
that, he would have to throw the object at a speed of about ten million
miles per hour.  This object appeared to have a mass of at least 100 tons.
That would make the required energy more than three quintillion joules --
ten times the energy of the largest H-bomb ever made.
     A much easier way to hit the sun would have been to throw the object
in a way that just cancels out his motion with the Earth around the sun.
That is, throw it toward the east at midday (in the direction that the sun
appears to move past the distant stars).  Then if its speed leaving Earth
is equal to the speed of the Earth's orbital motion (a mere 60,000 miles per
hour), the object will be momentarily at rest relative to the sun, and it
will then fall straight into the sun.  If Superboy had thrown the object
that way, only 100 trillion joules (equal to a 25-kiloton bomb) would have
been required.
     Actions involving the Earth's curvature as well as its motion are
sometimes presented in Superman's adventures without regard to the physics
involved.  A good illustration appears in a episode in which Superman became
a substitute teacher.  To show how exciting a classroom could be, Superman
ground a plate-glass window (with his hands) to make it into a "super-
telescopic lens."  Through this lens students could see a tropical jungle!
But a lens can only help you to see the light that strikes the lens.  The
light rays from that jungle would have to pass through many miles of earth
to reach the lens.  If teachers other than Superman wanted to show their
classes a tropical jungle, they'd have to fly them there.
      Superman often displays an astounding ability to manipulate
materials.  A favorite trick is to make huge diamonds from coal.  This feat
depends on the fact that diamonds are a form of carbon that is produced
when sufficiently high pressure is applied.  Superman is shown pressing on
the coal with one flat palm on each side.  A human doing that to a real
lump of coal with a strong vise would have to watch out for flying
fragments when the coal shattered, long before it could be turned into a
diamond.
     The numbers quoted here make it obvious that Superman can't get his
prodigious energy from food.  His ability to generate X-rays suggests that
he might use nuclear energy -- he might be a walking nuclear power plant!
But that seems unlikely; if he were, the people of Metropolis would have
been fried long ago.  This, and the fact that his head has a fairly normal
shape, makes us wonder how he produces those X-rays.  Or are they really X-
rays?
     Superman's X-rays have only one characteristic in common with the real
rays; they are stopped by lead.  Real X-rays are stopped, with varying
degrees of effectiveness, by many different materials; that is the only
reason why you can use them to see anything.  If the rays went through
everything, then they would be useless for vision; they have to be reflected
or absorbed to show us anything.  Real X-rays are even stopped by air; at
sea level they can't penetrate from one end of a football field to the
other.  We now know that some X-rays come from outer space, but to detect
them we have to fly a detector above 99 percent of the atmosphere (on a
satellite or a balloon.)
      Superman's X-rays, on the other hand, are magical.  They are
reflected in a  convenient fashion; they will go through the wall of a
building, then bounce off a newspaper so Superman can read it!  They are
also absorbed, but only when Superman wants to use their energy for some
special purpose, such as starting a fire or melting something.  At other
times Superman can see for an enormous distance with the rays.  When he
wishes to do so, he can even send the rays through miles of earth, as when
he said, "I'll send an X-ray beam to my Fortress of Solitude hidden in the
Arctic."
     Giving Superman powers that are more than superhuman -- that are not
even limited by the laws of nature -- created the potential for something
really dull.  Where is the suspense in the adventures of a creature who has
no limitations?  As a student once wrote, "Achilles was dipped in the River
Stynx [sic] and he became intolerable."  To make Superman tolerable, the
authors had to give him a weakness, so they invented kryptonite, the
celestial debris left over from the explosion of his natal planet, Krypton,
which occasionally falls to Earth in meteorites -- and invariably, into
the hands of evil persons.
     The original kryptonite simply made Superman weak, without affecting
anybody else in the slightest.  There is a vaguely "scientific" basis for
this effect.  Just as a tuning fork resonates at one frequency and no other,
the alien molecules in Superman's body could resonate to (and be damaged
by) the radiation from kryptonite, while our molecules are unaffected.  But
the weakness theme could only be worked so many times before it became
tiresome, so other forms of kryptonite were conjured up.
     The spookiest of these is "red kruptonite," whose effects add spice to
the proceedings by being "unpredictable."  One consequence of this is to
threaten the exposure of Superman's secret identity, by producing physical
changes that show up in Superman and Clark Kent at the same time.  For
example, Superman suddenly grew a beard and ridiculously long fingernails
after one encounter with this material.  How, you ask, could that be a
problem?  Answer:  He couldn't cut them; they were superstrong.  The nails
were even too strong to cut with his X-ray vision.  How did the writers get
Superman out of this jam?  When all else fails, try luck.  By an amazing
stroke of it, the nails yielded to the combined X-ray vision of Superman,
Superdog, and Supergirl!
     So we see that a little imagination lets us relate some of Superman's
feats to the laws of nature.  Many of them, though, remain in the realm of
magic or fantasy.

[Permission to reprint "The Art and Science if Leaping Tall Buildings"
granted to Cyberspace Vanguard by Octavia Press, Copyright 1987.  Hardcover
copies of SUPERMAN AT FIFTY, in which this article first appeared, can be
purchased at half price from Octavia Press, 12127 Sperry Road, Chesterland,
OH, 44026, USA.  A check for $10.50 (US) (includes shipping and sales tax)
must be enclosed with each order.]
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--!5!--  A Writer's Guide to STAR TREK:  THE NEXT GENERATION
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                           by Kris Voelker

    "To boldly go where no one has gone before."  What should I write?  These
words invade my consciousness as I sit and write my spec script.  Where am I
going with my characters?  What conflicts should I introduce? What story lines
will keep my audience's attention?  What are the producers of STAR TREK: THE
NEXT GENERATION looking for?
     My endless frustration with these questions led me to Dearborn, Michigan.
Each year, several writers' workshops are held to help aspiring writers learn
the craft of writing and submitting a spec script for ST:TNG.  I wasn't
waiting any longer. I was willing to drive 162 miles to spend a day with the
"pros". This was my chance to ask the writers, in person, how to write for
STTNG.  I was bound and determined to get some answers and this is what I got.
     The three main speakers were: Ronald D. Moore, Co-Producer; Brannon
Braga, Script Editor; and Lolita Fatjo, Script Coordinator. As I entered the
workshop room, Ms Fatjo was standing at the doorway. She was tearing off
ticket stubs and spitting out directions.  I followed the line, picked up the
workshop folder, and ran to my seat.  I was ready.
     She began the workshop with an introduction and a brief synopsis of the
guidelines for use when submitting a script. [You do not need to attend a
workshop to receive these.  Anyone who is interested can obtain them by
calling [phone].]  When your script is completed, send it to Ms Fatjo
along with a Paramount release form. Upon submission a member of the story
analyst union will read and summarize your story.  The following is a list of
qualities that the readers are looking for:

     Do you know the characters?
     What is the cost to produce the script?
     How many characters are involved?
     Is it a bottle show? (see explanation below)
     Is it a simple idea?
     Does it have a sci-fi angle that tells a universal theme?
     Does it tell a story that can only be told on Star Trek?


     Commit these ideas to memory and keep them in mind when creating your
story.  This is your first step in the door.  If you're fortunate, it will be
passed on to the show's Executive Producer, Michael Piller.  THE ONLY WAY YOU
CAN GET INVITED TO PITCH IS IF THEY LIKE YOUR SPEC SCRIPT AND HAVE SOME
INDICATION THAT YOU KNOW THE CHARACTERS AND THE SHOW.
     This whole process can take anywhere from 6-9 months to complete.  You
may then get a call inviting you to pitch your story; or the dreaded rejection
letter.
     During the workshop, Mr. Moore and Mr. Braga simulated a pitch session.
A volunteer from the audience came up and pitched a story that had already
been seen on STTNG.  Mr. Moore and Mr. Braga extended their hello's and
cracked a few jokes.  They seemed to be aware that most people are filled with
apprehension when they come, so you can expect them to try their best to help
you "feel at home."  After the volunteer finished, they passed on the
following tidbits.
     Come prepared to pitch three to five brand new ideas. If you need to,
type out your oral presentations and read them.  The length of each pitch
should be 1 1/2 pages typed (double spaced).  Your pitch should include a
beginning, middle, and end.  Avoid going into excessive detail; sometimes that
makes a story difficult to follow.  Mr. Moore referred to the term "broad
strokes" when describing the format and contents of a pitch session.  In
addition, Mr. Braga suggested starting your pitch with a line similar to a
television listing.
     Take the time to follow these guidelines.  It can only increase your
chances of being successful.  The most valuable handout they gave out was
probably the following list of DOS and DONT'S for a pitch session.

          DON'T DO
     Stories with lots of planet based scenes
     Stories with lots of exterior scenes
     Stories that rely heavily on action and/or special effects
     Cannibalistic stories
     Stories that depend on a prior relationship   (ie, A former professor of
              Dr. Crusher's...)
     Stories about guest stars
     Stories which could be seen on any other television series set in
              contemporary times
     Stories which lack an intimate, personal aspect
     Stories about supernatural, fantasies, swords, and sorcery
     Stories which echo the original series
     Stories which are high on the hoke scale

          DO
     Stories that are character driven, personal stories about one or more of
              the regular characters
     Stories centered around a nifty sci-fi element
     Stories that combine an emotional story with an action/jeopardy
              substructure
     Bottle shows (shows that take place exclusively on the Enterprise)
     Shows about Q and Mrs. Troi (but be careful not to focus exclusively on
              them)

     One in 25 stories that are pitched get picked up and possibly produced.
     After discussing the pitch process, Mr. Braga and Mr. Moore talked about
writing the teleplay. This is where the most creative process of writing
begins. First create a "beat sheet" to work off of and construct your
teleplay. A beat sheet is a story outline that depicts the sets, characters,
and action of each act. If you've constructed your story line carefully, you
will see a visual representation of how each scene leads to the next.  It's
much easier to make revisions off this sheet than, say, page 36 of your spec
script.
     After revising and rewriting your beat sheet, its time to put your ideas
into script format.  The importance of standard script format cannot be
overemphasized.  If it's not typed in the right format, it will be rejected
immediately.  (Consider purchasing a computer script program.  I have used
SuperScript Pro for Wordperfect 5.1.  This program allows me to concentrate on
writing rather than formatting.   You'll save a enormous amount of time.  You
can get these from the Writers Computer Store in West Los Angeles.  To order a
catalog call 1-800-277TWCS.  -- Editor's Note:  Neither the writer nor the
magazine are involved with the program or the store.)
     Finally they advised you to WRITE, REWRITE and REWRITE some more.  Once a
script is written it goes through the process of revision.  Don't be afraid to
let other people read and critique your work.  It can only make your script
better.
     At the end there was a little bit of time left for questions and answers.
Most participants were eager to pick the brains of these three professionals,
and the questions varied. One of the participants had submitted his script and
had received a rejection letter.  He expressed his frustration in not knowing
which component led to the ultimate rejection of his script. Ms Fatjo was
quick to point out that it's impossible to comment individually on every spec
script submitted.  The best advice she could offer was to pay careful
attention to what was being said at today's workshop.  Another member of the
audience expressed his satisfaction with the open submission policy.  He
received a call from a member of the writing staff and was invited to pitch
over the phone. I came away convinced that if you followed these guidelines
and wrote a decent script, you'd get a shot.
     I highly recommend this workshop.  If you are interested in writing for
ST:TNG or ST:DSN, there is a wealth of information to be found at these
workshops.  I also want to emphasize that the producers of ST:TNG and ST:DSN
are really interested in finding good stories.  Mr. Braga said that freelance
writers have a captive audience and that now would be an opportune time to
write and submit a script.  STAR TREK is the only place in Hollywood where an
"outsider" can gain some experience. Take advantage of the open submission
policy. It may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

[Upcoming workshops are in Valley Forge, PA on Oct 23-24 and in Manhattan, NY
on Nov. 26-28.]
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--!6!--  Reviews by EVELYN  C. LEEPER
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                      THE BROKEN LAND by Ian McDonald
                     A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
                      Copyright 1993 Evelyn C. Leeper

     THE BROKEN LAND is a well-written book, but the parallels between the
land of the book and modern Ireland are SO obvious that I found myself
groaning more often than being enlightened.  The Confessors/Proclaimers
parallel to the Catholics/Protestants was bad enough, but when the
Confessors gain independence for the land except for the "nine northern
prefectures," I came very close to hurling the book at the wall.
Frequently I felt that the parallels were closer to puns in some literary
sense than to a way to look at an old situation from fresh eyes.  This
might work in a humorous novel, but THE BROKEN LAND is not humorous.  It is
an accurate story of what happens in a land torn apart by religious (or
racial, or ethnic) strife.  This subject is certainly topical (alas), but
the precise parallels of the problem to Ireland make the book lose the
universal quality that it could have had.  It is not surprising that
McDonald writes about Ireland, and writes well, as his earlier KING OF
MORNING, QUEEN OF DAY proves, but he can also write very well in a multi-
ethnic, non-specific milieu (see his SPEAKING IN TONGUES collection and his
DESOLATION ROAD), and this makes this book particularly disappointing.  For
someone who knew nothing of Ireland, this would be an excellent book, but
as it stands, its total obviousness and specificity makes this the first
Ian McDonald book of the four I've read that I can't recommend.

%T      The Broken Land               %I      Bantam Spectra
%A      Ian McDonald                  %O      trade paperback, US$10
%C      New York                      %G      ISBN 0-553-37054-5
%D      October 1992                  %P      322pp

                       HARM'S WAY by Colin Greenland
                     A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
                      Copyright 1993 Evelyn C. Leeper

     As WINTER'S DAUGHTER by Charles Whitmore was science fiction written
in the style of a Norse saga, so is HARM'S WAY written in the style of a
Victorian novel (though I would call it science fantasy rather than science
fiction).  We have the poor, semi-orphaned girl who leaves home, has
adventures, meets all sorts of people, and eventually discovers her true
identity.  HARM'S WAY is set on what is apparently an alternate Victorian-
era Earth, an alternate in which at some point between Defoe and Victoria,
space flight was developed (using what appear to be typical large sailing
ships of that era in our time in their appointments), and all sorts of
alien races inhabiting the solar system were discovered.  (I place the
"change-point" after Defoe, because in a world of space flight, the sense
of isolated parts of the earth that Defoe depended on in ROBINSON CRUSOE
would no longer have been there.)  How any of this happened is never
discussed, and with the exception of space flight and weaponry the society
is technologically at the Victorian level.  The result is extremely
disorienting -- we never know what to expect from the society because it is
SO inconsistent.  HARM'S WAY is an interesting stylistic experiment, but
not one I can actually recommend.

%T      Harm's Way                    %I      AvoNova
%A      Colin Greenland               %O      paperback, US$4.99
%C      New York                      %G      ISBN 0-380-76883-6
%D      August 1993                   %P      310pp
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--!7!--  THE OLD COMIC CURMUDGEON: R-E-S-P-E-C-T ...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       Column by Bill Henley

     In the short history of this column, I've hardly had anything good to
say about anything.  And even I get tired of complaining sometimes.  So, at
the risk of losing my curmudgeon certificate, let me now offer praise for
the way certain classic comic-book characters are being handled lately.
     BATMAN has been really brilliant for the past year, combining the best
elements of the "Golden Age" Caped Crusader and the '70s "creature of the
night."
     SUPERMAN has suddenly become a real delight, with some of the best
characterization I've ever seen on the Man of Steel and his Daily Planet
cohorts.
     Even the X-MEN, who I once loved but gave up on years ago, have come
out with some decent stories lately.
     And a while back there were some very entertaining tales of the FLASH
and SUPERBOY.
     There's just one slight hitch to all this, from the viewpoint of the
comic-book fan.  None of this good stuff I'm referring to was in comic
books.  All of it appeared on the TV screen.
     It's BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES on Fox TV that has captured the
essence of Batman, while the comics seem determined to lose it, with a
crippled Bruce Wayne and a psychotic pseudo-Batman.  I'm having fun with
ABC-TV's new LOIS AND CLARK, not with the overhyped comics featuring Supes'
death, resurrection and neverending bad hair day.  The X-MEN cartoon show,
though not outstanding like BATMAN, is watchable, whereas the X-comics I've
seen lately have been unreadable.  And CBS-TV's late lamented FLASH show,
and the underrated SUPERBOY syndicated series, outpaced any recent comics
featuring those characters.
     This is not the way it used to be.  In years past, TV versions of
comic book superheroes were usually rather disappointing.  The original TV
SUPERMAN with George Reeves had its charm, but even as a kid I noticed the
cheap production and wondered about the absence of neat concepts like
Kandor or the Phantom Zone.  The BATMAN show was a camp disaster for anyone
inclined to take the character at all seriously.  And shows like WONDER
WOMAN, INCREDIBLE HULK and the short-lived SPIDER-MAN show were pretty
flat and dull compared to the best of the comics.
     Why have Hollywood TV producers and writers found the knack of
handling the great comic heroes, while most of the comic-book producers
themselves seem to have lost it?  Is it that the TV folks are better paid
and more talented than those who work for comics?  Probably not, since TV
writers have always made more money, but until recently comics writers
handled comics characters better.
     Perhaps it's that the TV people working on shows like BATMAN: THE
ANIMATED SERIES and LOIS & CLARK grew up knowing and loving these characters,
but, unlike the comics writers, haven't been associated with them so long as
to be jaded and bored.  The TV people seem content to stay within and explore
the basic, established "legend" of each character.  On the other hand, the
comics writers and editors working on the same characters are either too bored
or too untalented to find new things to say about the old characters.  The
only thing they can think of to do is to twist the characters brutally out
of shape for shock value.
     Also, the producers of TV shows are forced to seek a wide audience,
including adults, teenagers and younger kids.  The comic books years ago
gave up any attempt to attract a "mass audience"; they seem content to
subsist on a relatively small readership of teenage hobbyists, some of whom
are more impressed by fancy foil covers than good stories and art, while
others are even more jaded and obsessed by violence, brutality and
psychosis than the people producing the comics.
     I wish that the producers of the comics would try to imitate the
virtues of these TV shows.  That doesn't mean producing "kiddie versions"
of their comics which slavishly imitate the TV shows.   It means respecting
the characters and their histories; trying to create an atmosphere of fun
and excitement rather than despair and nihilism; and trying to appeal to a
broader audience than the very narrow group on which comics depend for
their survival today.

A NOTE OF PANIC:  Those who are enjoying the new LOIS & CLARK show should
note that its ratings in the first three episodes have been disappointing.
Though no word of cancellation has been heard yet, it may not be too soon
to write letters to ABC-TV in support of the show.  The address I have for
ABC is:  ABC Audience Information
         77 West 66th St. 9th Floor
         New York NY 10023-6298

COMICS TRIVIA NOTE: "Jurassic Park" fans may be interested to note that the
premise of the biggest movie of the year was anticipated, though briefly,
by a comic book over 25 years ago.  In a story in THUNDER AGENTS #4, April
1966, by Wally Wood, the superhero Dynamo battles a horde of dinosaurs
brought to life by the villain Dr. Sparta.  In the last panel, after the
dinos have been subdued, is this dialogue:
     Alice (Dynamo's girlfriend): "Guess what?  They're turning Dr.
Sparta's tropic island into a sort of park... a wildlife preserve..."
     Dynamo: "Oh no!  A dinosaur zoo!"
     (As far as I know, though, there was never a sequel story where the
dinosaurs get loose and start eating tourists.)
--
CYBERSPACE VANGUARD MAGAZINE      Editor: TJ Goldstein, [e-mail]
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