The Adventures of Sherlock Hound

This week, I had the chance to grab a DVD of the first season of “The Adventures of Sherlock Hound” (as is the English reference), an animated series made by Mr. Hayao ‘Spirited Away and other great Animes’ Miyazaki in the 1980s. The title Sherlock Hound is fitting, because all sentient beings in this series are dogs (well, Moriarty looks more like a wolf to me, but still…).

The series takes its freedom with the stories written by Doyle (like “The Blue Carbuncle” or “The Speckled Band”) and almost overuses Moriarty and his two henchmen (they’re essentially guilty of every crime in the series), but apart from that, it’s a highly enjoyable series which has aged well - something which can’t be said for all animated series made in the 1980s. It also has the most badass Mrs. Hudson I’ve ever seen in a Sherlock Holmes series. Honestly, the episode “The White Cliffs of Dover” has her spring across a garden wall with an axe to save a crashed aerialist and later on chase a plane in two cars (jumping from one into the other at full speed when the first car runs out of gas) with Watson holding on for his dear life. Before she lost her husband and became a landlady, she was piloting herself, too. She is a good deal younger than you usually see her portrayed, too, and capable of actually charming Moriarty when he has her kidnapped.

Even though the series was produced for children, it also doesn’t omit the dangerous parts. There are several episodes where bullets start to fly and usually the main characters survive through a mixture of agility and luck. Yet, the series also keeps a light tone and is enjoyable even if you watch it from episode 1 to episode 13 in one day as I did. The cases are logical and can be solved with the information you are given, so there’s never a feeling of being kept in the dark, either.

I’m also still amazed at how well the feelings of the characters are shown, since putting human emotions on dog faces isn’t all that easy. Yet there’s never a doubt as to what the characters feel.

From today’s point of view, the series also has a great Steampunk style to it, from Sherlock’s car over the regular use of steamboats and trains to Moriarty’s flying contraption and his steam tank (there is no better way to describe this monster of a ride). There are zeppelins, balloons, and dirigibles, interesting machinery, and a lot of fun situations that arise because of them. It also has a great intro music and a nice casting.

All in all, it’s a great series to watch, no matter whether you’re a kid with interest in Sherlock Holmes or an adult looking for something to fill a relaxing half an hour (or day).

Please don't tell my parents ... again

A while ago - okay, a long while ago - I wrote post about the first two novels about Penelope Akk, “Please don’t tell my parents I’m a supervillain” and “Please don’t tell my parents I blew up the moon.”  Yesterday, I bought and read the third one, “Please don’t tell my parents I’ve got henchmen.”

After successfully - if not willingly - establishing herself as a villain and blowing up a Jupiter moon to save mankind (without mankind actually knowing), Penny Akk could take it more slowly, but she still wants to be a hero. Her first try at that, however, ends in a very strict sentence from her parents: she is not allowed to fight anyone who might challenge her, unless she wants her allowance to be withheld for a week and no computer or phone access for the rest of the day. Little do Barbara and Brian Akk know, of course, that her daughter has thousands of dollars in a secret bank account (villainy does pay, it seems) - which she can’t spend in her civilian life.

Around Penny, a lot of other children of heroes and villains are fed up with pretending to be normal. And the club Penny originally only founded so she and her friends could use the old lab beneath their school as their lair is a way out. Suddenly, it grows and Penny becomes the reluctant club leader. While Penny Akk can’t take part in fights now, Bad Penny and her team have to find a new lair - which happens to be across the street. Things get difficult around Penny, as puberty doesn’t only set in for her, but also for a lot of the other children. But Penny also proves herself a very good leader of the club in times of crisis, may it be to save a few of the group from Mourning Dove or provide guidance during a sudden rise of zombie robots. And all without fighting as Penny Akk, even though Bad Penny has to do some of that.

The third instalment of the series has made me curious again. I didn’t like the second one as much as the first and thought the series might run itself dry, but “Please don’t tell my parents I’ve got henchmen” is a nice sequel to the first two books. Things change, that is a major plot point in the book.

Ray, who started the team on the villainous path when he tried to trash the science fair and who always liked the crimes most, is weaning off them.

Marcia, who always set herself up as the righteous hero, is going for villainy all in a sudden. Or rather, she’s going for fights, testing her new ability to heal from everything to the limits.

Claire wants to turn into a cat-burglar, which would afford her a single career.

Claudia, whose strength and near indestructibility made her a dangerous adversary for the Inscrutable Machine, gets closer to her father again and starts to realize she doesn’t have to save everyone, if she doesn’t want to.

Penny has to deal with a lot of changes throughout the school year, starting the moment she decides to show off her powers when a football player decides to show off his at a game.

The school itself changes as well, when the children with superpowers stop hiding them. Because of the early intervention of Barbara Akk and some colleagues from the hero side, though, the worst excesses get curbed even before they could become a problem.

With Bull, just retired supervillain, overlooking the club meetings and sparring matches, nothing too serious happens. It also affords him time to spend with his daughter Claudia. Yet the students can hone their powers, even those who don’t want to fight (but, in the cases of Jacky and Barbara [not Mrs. Akk], make excellent healers).

The balance in school changes dramatically with Marcia no longer being the popular cheerleader, changing her style completely to fit with her new outlook on life. After all, she puts her own father into hospital during her first rebellious act.

By the end of the year, Penny has changed as much as everyone else, to a certain degree merging the confidence of Bad Penny with the uncertainty of Penny Akk. And she finds a strange offer thrust at her - to become Spider’s apprentice once she turns eighteen.

Again, the book is meant for teenagers and young adults, but it’s a very entertaining read for other people as well … if you love superheroes and supervillains.

This should be paid advertising...

…and it would be, if it didn’t mean paying myself for writing these words. Two days ago, I published my first novel for real. On Amazon. Where it can be bought. I’m still not completely over it. Anyhow, I already posted the details on my Writer’s Blog, but I guess some more advertising can’t hurt.

“We are the thin red line which separates order from chaos.”

For a thousand years, the Knight Agency has secretly kept watch, protecting mankind and society from innumerable threats. For five of those, Agent Jane Browne has already played her part in this game as well. But now, a threat is aimed at herself and the few she cares about. The mysterious ‘M’ might find out it’s not a good idea to tease a Knight Agent in general - and much less of a good idea to tease Agent Browne in person.

The book is available as e-book from Amazon (worldwide), nook (Barnes & Noble), kobo, Inktera, and Scribd. In addition, it’s also available on iBooks and Tolino, but I can’t link to their stores from here.

The Knight Agency series is developed quite a bit further than that, between late September 2015 and February 2016, I wrote a total of four novels (the first novels I’ve ever written, I never made it past 35,000 words for a story before). All deal with Jane Browne (who was Jane Bond for thirty minutes of her existence) and her ever-growing cast of acquaintances, friends, and foes. My idea of writing a parody of James Bond turned into a series of adventure stories centring around a badass female agent and her adventures in the modern world. Honestly, Jane’s best weapon is her phone (and her gun, but that’s to be expected).

I’ve grown fond of them, too. They have developed into personalities, not just Jane, but also Steven, Brock, Grand, Frank, Liam, Cynthia, Myra, Stacy, and all the others. The stories have surprised even me while I wrote them. Sometimes, they took a turn even I couldn’t foresee. And while I write these lines, I’m working on a fifth novel, which is set in an alternate universe in which Jane is a criminal, not an agent, and I have the first few ideas for another novel set in the regular universe. I will edit and publish the other novels (the ones written already as well as those I will still write). I hope I will find some readers who enjoy Jane’s adventures as much as I do. Yes, I had a lot of fun writing the stories. I hope, that means readers will also have fun while reading them.

Jane is out in the world now and I hope she’ll make her way. As long as she has Steven by her side, though, I’m not too worried about her.

Problem with Prequels

No, this is not just about the Star Wars prequels (even though they will play a role). It’s a general post about the problem with making prequels to movies, TV series, or other stories. I might do another post on an idea for better Star Wars prequels, too, but this one is a general ‘why prequels rarely are a good idea’ post.

The main problem with prequels is, obviously, that the audience knows what will happen afterwards. We’ve already seen the X-Men movies before the Wolverine one. We know who must survive (because they turn up later). We’ve already seen the original trilogy years before “The Phantom Menace” came out. We know what will happen to Anakin Skywalker in the end. One of the most interesting parts of a movie - who will make it to the end - just isn’t there in a prequel. We know who needs to survive the Wolverine origin movie. We know who will survive the rise of the Empire in the Star Wars prequels - and who will not, like basically all Jedi who are not Yoda or Obi-Wan.

You can still make prequels, of course, but you must realize what problems you will be facing. You have to make sure you don’t make things too straightforward (or invent stupid new stuff for no apparent reason). You have to make sure not to bore or annoy people with ‘how it all happened.’

Let’s turn to Star Wars for a moment, shall we? There is no question that the prequels failed in a lot of ways. As a such, the question how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader and the question how the Emperor gained absolute power are interesting. They promise a new story in a universe the audience is already familiar with. Where the prequels failed was not the premise. Where they failed was the actual execution. Where they failed were new characters and parts of the story. I’ll do a post with a possible alternative story for the prequels later, so I won’t go in depth here.

They failed in making us care about Anakin. They failed in drawing a succinct picture of the Jedi Order or the Republic. They failed in keeping characters the way we know them to be later in life. They introduced too many new characters at once. They tried to do too much (such as introducing the whole political level). They got a little too carried away with things nobody needed (like the pod race, seriously). They failed to make Jar Jar Binks disappear after the first movie. Is a little accident too much to ask for?

Instead, they took out a bad character good for at least three movies in the first one. Darth Maul should never have died in “The Phantom Menace.” He was too interesting a character to start with. And, no, his latter resurrection in the “Clone Wars” series doesn’t count.

Then there’s the long gap between “The Phantom Menace” and “Attack of the Clones.” Yes, a few years for Anakin to learn the ropes of the whole Jedi business are perfectly fine, but if you feel you must introduce the love interest in the first movie, don’t put that much time between them. Padmé is a good deal older than her boyfriend/eventual husband. Less time would have been better. If you’re going for a trilogy, don’t try to introduce all and everyone in the first movie, either.

If you look at the Wolverine origin movie, you can also see quite some little things. They might not be as glaring as with Star Wars (although naked Hugh Jackman jumping into a waterfall might have clouded my thoughts here), but they still are there. A walking Professor X wasn’t all that necessary. The extra-heavy bones Wolverine has because of the metal are only a topic once or twice. Either make them relevant for the story or forget about them - and since they’re not relevant later, just leave them out.

What I liked, however, was how they twisted expectations for the end of the movie. From the beginning, you expect the final fight to be between Wolverine and Sabretooth, between the half-brothers who, let’s be honest, can’t really kill each other, because they’re both healing so damn fast. It would have been a great fight, too, but having them both going up against Proto-Deadpool instead was better. Still, the final villain was a little bit pulled out of the hat at the last moment.

“Enterprise” failed to convey the feeling of the original “Star Trek” series. Each of the sequels were different, too, but they stayed within what the fans knew and liked, adding zeitgeist to the formula. “Enterprise” did not.

Sure, making a sequel is a lot easier than making a prequel, because you actually have free reign. Yes, you have established characters, but who says you need to use them? And even if you do, can’t they develop some new sides?

You can’t give a prequel character abilities which they didn’t have in the original story, unless you can give a damn good reason for them losing that ability later. You can’t make them stronger in the prequels than they were in the original story, unless you  have a good reason for their declining strength (like old age or a sickness).

Then why make prequels? Perhaps because you feel you need to give the characters more background. Perhaps because you can’t go forward. After seeing the first trailer for “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them,” I’m pretty sure the movie will enhance the Harry Potter Universe. But then, it’s not about what an established character did before, it’s about a guy who wrote a book used as textbook at Hogwarts. Much easier to do.

You should think very carefully about whether or not you want to make a prequel. You should think twice before writing the script and three more times before starting to film it. Then you have a chance to make a good prequel.