RIP: Edward Woodward

In my earlier post about location filming, I should've mentioned THE EQUALIZER, a great 80s show about ex-spy Robert McCall, which was filmed entirely in Manhattan.

I bring this up because The Hollywood Reporter that Edward Woodward, the actor who played McCall, has passed away.

Bang For Your Buck

And now, a rant.

DYNAMO 5 #25 came out a couple weeks ago. It's our 25th issue, and the finale to a storyline that's been playing out for 6 months or more. It also sets up the next story arc, and changes the characters in a pretty substantial way. As a way to do something extra for the fans, and to go into more detail addressing said changes, we beefed up the issue to include five 5-page stories, each spotlighting a different member of the cast. This more than doubles the size of the book, with all-new, original content. It's not filler. It's not reprints. All the stories were written by me, and are in continuity. Because of the extra page count, we raised the price for this issue to $4.99, which is $1.49 more than our standard $3.50 cover price. That's more than 100% more content for only 42% more dollars.

And yet, there seems to be a disconnect whenever the book was discussed online, on message boards, on blogs, or on podcasts. I'd read/hear people talk about the higher cover price, and then they're shrug it off, like, "Well, it's the 25th issue," or something. The folks making these statements were always very complimentary about the book. Don't get me wrong -- they're fans. And they were talking it up, trying to get other people interested in the book. And I just think that would be much easier if they had said, "This issue is twice as big as a normal issue, and it only costs you $1.49 more."

I love our fans, and I love that people are talking up the book online. And we'll be counting on them to help spread the word when we return from hiatus. I just wish there wasn't that odd disconnect. But it's no big deal. Like I said ... a rant.

RIP: Dollhouse

So news broke this afternoon that Fox has cancelled DOLLHOUSE, which surprised pretty much no one. I know people are quick to blame Fox (or any network) when this happens, but I think Fox gave the show a fair shake. Frankly, I'm surprised  it got picked up for a second season. I say "surprised" not because the show was bad (it wasn't), but because it didn't do that great in the ratings in its first season. But Fox did the right thing, and gave it another shot. But at the end of the day, not enough people watched. The sad truth is that smart, complex, original shows are pretty much always going to only appeal to a small segment of the national audience. Most people want their TV entertainment to be easy to understand, fun ... stuff that doesn't challenge them.

It's hard to talk about this without sounding like I think the people who don't like DOLLHOUSE (or other complex, cult shows like THE WIRE or BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, etc.) are dumb. They're not, and I don't think that. They just want different things from their entertainment than I do. To me, something that's challenging and even unsettling is entertaining. To a lot of people, it feels like a homework assignment. They don't want to have to think too hard when watching TV. They just want to sit back and be entertained. And there's nothing wrong with that. We (I say "we" because chances are if you're reading this blog, you like at least some of the same stuff I do) just have to accept that we're always going to be in the minority, and we can't expect TV networks to keep shows on the air just because they're good. The networks exist to make money, after all.

In the meantime, I'll try to console myself with the fact that DOLLHOUSE will finish out its season and we'll get a deliberate ending. And I'll occupy myself by catching up on SONS OF ANARCHY, another complex, challenging show that I was slow to discover. But boy am I glad I did!

Location, Location, Location

I'm still thinking about how much I liked STUMPTOWN, and one of the reasons is the very distinct Portland setting. I'm a sucker for a story with a strong sense of place, whether we're talking about prose, comics, or TV/film.

The first mystery novels I ever really got into were Robert B. Parker's SPENSER books, which were set in Boston. I actually got into the books after being exposed to the TV show, SPENSER: FOR HIRE. This was in the late 80s, at a time when pretty much everything on network TV was filmed in sunny California. But SPENSER: FOR HIRE was different. It was filmed entirely on location in Boston, and it looked like nothing else on TV. The producers went out of their way to highlight the city, with lots of aerial shots, and scenes set in distinct locations. I grew up in Pennsylvania, where we saw a decent amount of snow each winter. So watching SPENSER: FOR HIRE, with its cold, snowy landscapes, really caught my eye. MIAMI VICE was another early pioneer of filming somewhere other than Hollywood, but while it was different, it was still trading one sunny locale for another.

In the late 1980s, Stephen J. Cannell was looking for a way to cut costs on his shows, so he started filming them in Vancouver, BC. His reasoning was that they saved money thanks to tax breaks and the strong American dollar, and Vancouver was just a 2-hour plane ride from Los Angeles, and was in the same time zone. A lot of Cannell's Vancouver-based shows simply took place in unnamed cities (like 21 JUMP STREET) or fake cities (like THE COMMISH). WISEGUY was also filmed in Vancouver, but its setting changed with each arc.

Then there was MacGYVER. It wasn't a Cannell show, but after two years in LA, it made the jump to Vancouver -- while the stories still took place in Los Angeles. In the summer, it's not that hard to make Vancouver pass for LA, at least to the casual observer. In the winter, it's a different story. Vancouver gets a ton more rain than LA, and sometimes, even snow. I remember one episode very clearly where "Los Angeles" was covered in a foot of snow. Funnily enough, they didn't even throw in a line of dialogue about the "freak snowstorm" or anything. It was never even acknowledged.

I've watched so many shows that were filmed in Vancouver that I can know pick out a Vancouver production simply by the actors involved. Vancouver productions are legally bound to include a certain percentage of local actors, so the same people keep showing up over and over.

A few years ago, I discovered a Canadian crime drama called DA VINCI'S INQUEST, which has since become one of my favorite shows of all time. And not only is it filmed in Vancouver, it's actually set in Vancouver. The city is basically a character in the show, much like Baltimore is a character in HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET and THE WIRE. In addition to giving the show a distinct visual look, filming on location sometimes has other benefits as well. I remember reading in more than one interview that the HOMICIDE producers felt like they got more creative freedom by being located so far from Hollywood. They were, almost literally, off the network's radar.

As much as filming on location can help a show, not filming on location can give the show a disadvantage (to me, at least). I realize it's cheaper and easier to film in Hollywood on a studio backlot, but NYPD BLUE, despite all its stock footage of New York City, never really felt "real" to me. Sure, they flew the actors out to NYC once or twice a year for location shoots, but most of those exterior scenes were on a studio backlot and it was always glaringly obvious to me. Another favorite show of mine, PICKET FENCES, was set in the small town of Rome, Wisconsin, but it was filmed entirely in LA and again, it showed -- especially when they'd do their annual Christmas episode, and have to make fake snow.

I always had a hard time getting into the Tim Burton BATMAN movies because Gotham City always felt so ... designed. I could never shake the knowledge that this wasn't a real city, it was an elaborate sound stage. I realize it's a silly hang-up to have when we're talking about a guy dressed up like a bat. But contrast that to BATMAN BEGINS, where Gotham City was basically just Chicago. But it felt like a real city.

With my mystery comic, DODGE'S BULLETS, I used a real city -- Seattle. And I went to great lengths to get everything right. I supplied James Francis, the artist, with tons of photo reference for each scene in the story.

I toyed with setting NOBLE CAUSES and DYNAMO 5 in real cities too, but I opted for creating my own fictional cities, much like DC does. This is probably because if I was going to use a real city, I'd get bogged down in making things as accurate as possible ... and then my books would be even later!

Stumping for Stumptown

Sometimes I really hate Greg Rucka.

I just read STUMPTOWN #1, and this is definitely one of those times.

I hate him because this book is just so damned good. It's note-perfect, and he's working with Matthew Southworth, who did a fantastic job.

STUMPTOWN is about Dex, a private eye working in Portland, OR. That's it. No high concept, no mixing of genres. Dex doesn't see ghosts, she's not from the future, and her partner's not a cyborg. It's a straight private eye story told by a pair of creators with absolute confidence in their abilities and an obvious love of the genre.

I've known Greg for years, and while aren't good pals, it's always a pleasure to run into him at cons, and our brief conversations are always fun. He and I share a love of private eye stuff -- both novels and old 80s TV shows, and he's (proudly) wearing his influences on his sleeve with this book. I've been waiting for its release ever since it was announced quite awhile ago, and it actually lives up to my expectations (which is kind of rare, these days).

If you're a fan of Ed Brubaker's CRIMINAL, or the mystery/crime genre in general, do yourself a favor and buy STUMPTOWN. After all, the more successful crime books we have out there, the more likely I am to do one myself!

Thank God it's Friday (Night Lights)

Well, so much for posting every day, huh? What can I say? Sometimes life gets in the way.

I was delighted this week to watch the second episode of the new season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. As a writer, I'm probably not the most fun person to watch TV or movies with. I sometimes have a hard time turning off my brain, and I tend to over-analyze everything.

First, there are the shows that are just terrible. The shows I can't even watch because they're so dumbed down in an effort to appeal to the widest possible audience. And, interestinly, a lot of times these shows are big hits. Go figure.

Then there are the shows that are very close to being good, and this is really frustrating. These are the kinds of shows where I just know that if I'd been able to take a pass at the script, it could've been so much better. Modest, I know.

Then there are the shows that I think are really good, where I marvel at the dialogue and the structure and the plotting and the editing.

Then there are shows like FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS. Shows which are so good that I forget I'm even watching something that was constructed. I'm just able to get sucked into the reality that's been created, and just totally enjoy spending time with these characters. Maybe it's because the show is heavily ad-libbed and the actors' movements aren't blocked. Or maybe it's just that it's really, really good. I don't know. All I know is I don't want to analyze it.

And that's my favorite thing about it.

Big Things Come in Small Packages

Here's a glimpse at Soldier Ant, a new character who will be making his debut in the pages of DYNAMO 5 this Spring.

This design sketch is by Mahmud Asrar, based on my ideas. Mahmud and I had been working together for over 3 years by the time he whipped up this design, and I guess we're at the point where we're almost perfectly in synch, because when I first saw his take on Soldier Ant, it was as if he'd reached into brain and pulled the design out. I mean, it was exactly what I wanted.

The same could be said for his design for the big villain in the next story arc, but you'll have to wait awhile before you see his design.