Tag: star trek

You’re the Goofa Man Now, Dog

I’ve been lucky enough to know Mike Fisher since I was a teenager in Augusta GA. I’ve blogged about him before, how cool it was when I saw Chris Gore on Attack of the Show pumping the Goofman Productions DVD collection of his CGI animated films. I’m enough of a spaz to have jumped up and said “Hey, I know that guy!”

Mike recently emailed me to let me know about some of his recent animations up on YouTube. He’s possibly the most committed fan of Star Trek: The Original Series I’ve ever met, and I spend a lot of time with SF fans of all stripes. Even back when we all lived in Augusta, he did a lot of cartoons about Kirk and Spock for Starlog.

I’ve always been a fan of Mike’s 3-D Pete character. There was a stretch of time in the 1980’s where he did topical strips about the comic industry every week for The Comics Buyer’s Guide. At a one day con in Columbia SC I got Keith Giffen to pencil a sketch of 3-D Pete and Ambush Bug together, and Mike inked it. Fun times and he could say he inked Giffen. Win-win!

It was an exciting time back then in Augusta comic book fandom. I worked in the comic book shop, local artist Tom Lyle was just beginning to work regularly at pro gigs and Mike was doing 3-D Pete in the comic industry’s weekly paper of record.

I see from his web page that he was at Dragon*Con last year. That makes it an even greater bummer that I couldn’t make it. I think the last time I saw him in person was in maybe 1991 or 1992 when I stayed with him and his wife Margi outside of Charlotte and we went to HeroesCon together for that weekend. Good gravy time flies.

Mike has been doing computer graphics for just about as long as I’ve known him. He did both eras of the computer generated logo for Reality Break, the radio version and also the updated podcast era logo. If you want graphics or animation done, check him out. He’s a great cartoonist and a great animator.

Memories of the Futurecast

A few weeks ago I surprisingly got caught up on my podcast queue, after two years ranging from one to six weeks behind at all times. I celebrated, of course, by subscribing to more podcasts. First was Tweet Me Harder about which I’ve already talked. Last week I subscribed to Memories of the Futurecast. from Wil Wheaton.

This show was an unusual choice for me. It is Wil Wheaton reading excerpts from his book of reactions to re-watching Star Trek: The Next Generation’s first season. I’ll lay it on the line – I’ve got nothing against the cat but I I’m not particularly a Wheaton fan. If we’re both at next year’s Dragon*Con and in the elevator together, I’m not going to squee. I don’t read his blog or particularly follow what he does. I’m worse than disinterested about ST:TNG. I’ve seen half a dozen episodes and hated five of those six. When it was on the air, my friend Mike Fisher kept urging me to watching it and after six months I’d relent and watch one, which would be the most god awful thing I’d ever seen. Six months later I’d do it again, same reaction. So, I have no fondness for ST:TNG . I haven’t seen these episodes Wil makes fun of, other than being predisposed to agree with him when he points out what sucks.

I’m enjoying the show more than seems to make sense on face value, considering my apathy towards the subject matter. I like the show despite the cutesy-ism. Wil’s style seems to have a lot of the hyper-irony that frequently rubs me so wrong with Joss Whedon. You get exactly one play of the “Oh wait, no, it was the opposite” card before I get really tired of that and Wil has done it a few times in four episodes. The playing of a wrong sound effect has also gotten really tired, although the fact that I’m listening to these episodes one a day instead of spaced out a week probably overweights that as a concern.

Episode four also was a prime example of why in my own show I try not to apologize for any time period between shows. He spent a minute or two explaining why the show went up on a Tuesday instead of a Monday. This was September and I’m listening in November. I just don’t care, get to the festivities dude.

All that snark on the table, having said that I’m having a good time listening to these episodes. I do like him taking shots at ST:TNG – although Wil is doing it from love and I’m enjoying it from hate. We meet in the middle. Mostly I like the concept of the show. He has this work he’s doing and he can publish his own book of it, available in paperback or as a PDF (no MOBI for the Kindle?) and also support all that with an audio scaffold. (Shame points to Lulu.com for selling an ebook without any mention of what format it actually is in. I need more details than “Download” people!)

So overall, I’d recommend the show. If you are a fan of Wheaton or of Star Trek, it’s a no brainer. Just go do it. Even if you aren’t, it’s a fun enough listen. Dave says check it out.