Derrick
Ferguson: Who is Lucas Garrett?
Lucas Garrett: I am a thirty-three year old African
American, a former United States Marine, and a concierge security officer with
over fourteen years of experience in the security industry. I am the second
oldest of seven children (five sons and two daughters). In addition, I write
unpublished fan fiction, and I am a fan of various forms of literature,
television, films, and video games. In particular, those forms of media that
focus on crossovers.
DF:
Where do you live and what do you do to keep the bill collectors away?
LG: For a year and a half, I have lived in a suburban
subdivision in Lawrenceville, Georgia. I work for Allied Barton Security
Services as a concierge security officer at a high-rise office complex near the
CNN Center, in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
DF:
You are a major Science Fiction/Comic Book/Movie/Classic Pulp/New Pulp/Wold
Newton Universe fan. Where did all this begin for you?
LG: That’s a loaded question. My love for science
fiction, comic books, movies, classic pulp, new pulp, and the Wold Newton
Family/Universe comes from my Dad. He was a voracious reader, mostly of classic
literature, history, anthropology, archaeology and linguistic studies. It is
because of him that I have a strong love for reading.
When he was younger, my Dad was a fan of the
short-lived television series, “The Green Hornet”, starring Van Williams and
Bruce Lee. In fact, one of the first comic books my father bought for me, when
I was a kid, was Now Comics’ The Green Hornet #2, written by Ron Fortier. The
Green Hornet, and later The Phantom, were characters who intrigued me because
the mantle of The Green Hornet and The Phantom were passed down from generation
to generation. In the case of The Green Hornet, the mantle is transferred from uncle
to nephew, whereas for The Phantom, the mantle is transferred from father to
son. I loved the family dynamic. And even though The Green Hornet and The
Phantom were not Pulp heroes per se (The Green Hornet originated from Old Time
Radio, and The Phantom began as a comic strip character), I see Pulp literary
elements in the characters and their world.
DF:
What are some of your favorite Science Fiction TV shows and Movies?
LG: Science fiction is the final frontier of the mind
for me. Therefore, I gravitated to it very early on with movies such as the
original Star Wars trilogy, the Star Trek films, Enemy Mine, The Brother From
Another Planet, The Final Countdown, The Philadelphia Experiment, Tron, the
Terminator films, and the Predator films. Action adventure films such as the
Raiders of the Lost Ark trilogy, the James Bond films starring Sean Connery,
the John Carpenter films (Escape From New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in
Little China, in particular), Highlander, The Rocketeer, The Shadow, and The
Phantom prepared me for my early foray into pulp literature. And, of course,
when I was younger, television shows like Star Trek: The Original Series and
Star Trek: The Next Generation were big in my home. Although, of the various
Star Trek series, including Star Trek: Voyager, I gravitated more towards Star
Trek: Deep Space Nine. Captain Benjamin Sisko, portrayed by Avery Brooks, is my
favorite character from the series.
In fact, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and J. Michael
Straczynski’s Babylon 5 were the two television science fiction series I
routinely watched in the 1990’s. Moreover, I am a fan of old television series
like Automan, Voyagers!, Misfits of Science, the A-Team, Magnum P.I., Simon
& Simon, Miami Vice, MacGyver, Mission: Impossible, Airwolf, M.A.N.T.I.S.,
Kindred: The Embrace, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., Jack of All Trades,
Hercules, Xena: The Warrior Princess, Angel, etc. Currently, on the SyFy
Channel, I watch Eureka, Warehouse 13, Sanctuary, Lost Girl, and Alphas. On
CBS, I watch NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. On Cinemax, I watch Strike Back.
Furthermore, I am a big fan of Doctor Who, and J.J. Abrams’ Alias, and I watch
them on DVD whenever I get the chance.
DF:
Do you think Science Fiction in print has lost some of the fun and sense of
wonder that it used to be known for? And if so, why?
LG: I think it has since we live in a
technologically-advanced period in human history. We are literally one-step
away from Star Trek. All we need now are faster-than-light space vessels, and
teleportation. We pretty much have everything else that Gene Roddenberry
envisioned. Those who read science fiction, in the past, were trying to make it
possible in real-life. I don’t see much of that drive these days. Scientists
and engineers have become so successful in giving the public new technological
tools and toys, that we have become complacent. Despite the recent launching of
the Mars Rover, Curiosity, being a success for the scientific and academic
world, very few outside those circles cared. Furthermore, literary works of
fantasy, such as the Harry Potter and Twilight series, are usurping literary
works based on hardcore science fiction, or science fiction based on scientific
fact and logical speculation. The primary reason why books like Harry Potter
and Twilight are doing so well is that there is little explanation needed to
understand them, if and when, they become feature films.
The K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) approach is being
used to make money off literary science fiction and fantasy properties; because
the aim of the publishers is to get enough buzz about a book series, so that it
is optioned as a series of feature length films. That’s my take on it. Comic
books are in the same boat too. Literary works are now source material for big
or small screen adaptations. The literary property is a vehicle to launch a
multimedia enterprise that not only markets the books, but also other connected
merchandising properties. Very few people write books for the sake of having
books published. The Internet and other multimedia enterprises have changed the
nature of the game forever.
DF:
Who are your favorite Science Fiction writers?
LG: Philip Jose’ Farmer, Win Scott Eckert, Christopher
Paul Carey, Rick Lai, Arthur “Art” Sippo, Ron Fortier, Derrick Ferguson, Howard
Hopkins, Charles Saunders, Milton Davis, Barry Reese, Jason Jack Miller, Heidi
Ruby Miller, William Patrick Maynard, Will Murray, Lester Dent, Walter Gibson,
Norvell Page, Philip Wylie, E.E. “Doc” Smith, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov,
Ray Bradbury, Frank Herbert, Michael Crichton, Howard V. Hendrix, Caleb Carr,
Leslie Silbert, and J. Gregory Keyes. A lot, I know.
DF:
What were the last five movies you saw and how’d you like ‘em?
LG: THE AVENGERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER,
THOR, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, and BATTLE: LOS ANGELES. I loved them. In particular,
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES, since I’m a former U.S. Marine, and I enjoyed seeing what
type of battle plan the Marine Corps would have in the advent of an
extraterrestrial incursion into our known space and planet Earth. Aaron Eckert
was superb in his role as a Staff Sergeant, who had planned on leaving the
Corps, but due to circumstances beyond his control, winds up leading a platoon
of Marines, and other service members, in launching a counterattack against the
alien invaders. I went away thinking that this would be a great prequel to
Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers novel. That’s how my mind works. I see
crossover potential in almost any media.
THE AVENGERS was fantastic. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST
AVENGER was outstanding. Initially, I wasn’t a fan of Chris Evans taking on the
role of Steve Rogers. Specifically, because Evans had played Johnny Storm in
The Fantastic Four films. However, and surprisingly, Evans won me over. Any
actor willing to put in the time, and energy, to play an iconic character on
film, as Evans did, deserves my respect. And director, Joe Johnston,
masterfully told a great story about the first true Avenger in Marvel Comics
history, and the world in which he fought. I couldn’t have asked for anything
else.
THOR was also very good. Better than I expected, actually.
I especially, loved the way the writers showed that advanced technology and
science would be perceived by lesser civilizations as being magical in nature.
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS was perhaps the best X-Men film I have
seen since X2: X-MEN UNITED. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were
outstanding as the younger versions of Charles Francis Xavier (Professor X) and
Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto.) And the actor
to watch, in my opinion, is Fassbender. If a Hollywood studio ever decides to
make a feature film about the pulp vigilante, The Spider, then Fassbender is
the man you need to play the title role. I can see Fassbender portraying
Richard Wentworth, alongside Lena Headey, as Nita Van Sloan. Of course, what
won me over about Fassbender was his range in the film, as well as the
intentional references to the Sean Connery James Bond films. Fassbender looks
like he could be Connery’s son, or grandson. Overall, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS shines
because of how logical the evolution of the X-Men, from a top-secret CIA assault
team during the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the personal strike team of the Xavier
School for the Gifted seemed. It makes complete sense that the X-Men would cut
their teeth during one of the most tumultuous times in human history. The
Children of the Atom would save the world from nuclear holocaust. It was pure
genius, on the part of the scriptwriters, to bring that remarkable idea to the
silver screen.
DF:
What three Classic Pulp characters would you like to see adapted to movies?
LG: The Spider, Operator #5, and The Avenger.
DF:
How long have you been reading comic books and what are your favorites?
LG: I rarely read comics anymore. The last comics I
read were Moonstone’s The Spider #1, The Spider #2, and The Spider vs. The
Werewolf. The last comic book series I read was Warren Ellis and John
Cassaday’s Planetary series. That was two years ago. Since then, I haven’t read
any other comics. When I was ten years old, my Dad bought me Classic X-Men #44,
Batman #441, and Now Comics’ Green Hornet #2. Therefore, from September 1990
until March 2010, I collected and read comics books of various genres. Mostly
superhero comics. Now, unless it comes from Moonstone, or Airship 27, I don’t
even bother. Even Alan Moore has disappointed me with his last series about the
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
DF:
What's the biggest difference you've seen in comic books between when you first
started reading them and now?
LG: How complicated they have become. There is too much
serialization and tie-ins needed to understand most of the comics out today.
There are very few standalone stories in superhero comics being printed these
days. And, of course, way too much political pandering, and agendas, in today’s
comics that I don’t particularly think need to be in a comic book geared toward
preteens and adolescents. When I was coming up, the comics I read the most were
Uncanny X-Men and X-Men. Now, there are numerous X-Men, or X-related, titles to
look at, and they’re all interconnected. If I had been a ten-year old coming up
today, I doubt very highly that my Dad would purchase these comics.
First of all the prices for comics have gone way up.
When I was younger, comics ranged from $0.50 to $1.25. Now you have comics that
cost four to five dollars, at the minimum. Secondly, in order to follow the
story arc for most Marvel and DC comics, you have to purchase tie-in comics.
Thirdly, there are too many monumental events happening every three, or four,
years. And finally, the characters are not allowed to grow up, grow old, get
married, have children, and have a life. It’s idiotic, in my opinion, to have
the original X-Men not age, and have lives, and families of their own. Cyclops
should not look like a thirty-five year old man. A superhero can be all he or
she can be, and still be a normal human being. The problem that I see from the
two “big houses” is that they have run out of ideas. It’s easier to invest your
attentions in an established character, or world, as opposed to expanding it
through time, or creating a brand new one of your own. When I realized that
unfortunate fact, I lost all interest in superhero comics.
DF:
We're seeing an awful lot of Classic Pulp heroes being adapted into comics
these days. What are your thoughts on that?
LG: I am happy if it is done right. When it is not done
right, it affects the properties greatly. A great example of it not being done
properly is the recent fiasco infamously known as “DC: First Wave.” The writers
cannot take characters like Doc Savage and his Amazing Five, The Avenger, and
his team, Justice, Inc., and expect them to function properly in a modern day
setting.
These characters were tailor-made for the world in
which they operated: The Depression era. It was easier in those days to yearn
for the ‘Superman.’ Now such a person would be ostracized, and viewed with
suspicion, by many people. Because that person would be perceived as being a
threat to societal mores, and the wellbeing of the public, and could
potentially, inadvertently, or intentionally, change the cultural and political
climate of society. Back then, people were on the lookout for the “Great Man”
who would save them, and take care of their problems. It was in the cultural
psyche. And the pulps gave the readers what they wanted. To modern readers,
they would seem antiquated. Obsolete. But they are not. Pulp heroes and
villains who are set in their natural settings can still be used to tell great
stories. But you cannot change the nature of the character, and their world,
and expect longtime fans of these characters to come along. It’s not going to
happen.
Derrick Ferguson: When did you first discover Classic
Pulp?
Lucas Garrett: It happened around the fall of 1999. At
around this time, I was reading Warren Ellis and John Cassaday’s Planetary
comic book series for WildStorm Productions, the now defunct imprint of DC
Comics. Issues #’s 1 and 5 drew me to the Pulp Hero archetypes that were clear
homages to characters such as Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, Tarzan, G-8,
Operator #5, Tom Swift, Shiwan Khan, and Fu Manchu. I had remembered The Shadow
from the 1994 film starring Alec Baldwin. It was a decent film. The main
intrigue for me was The Shadow himself. How could he affect people’s minds?
Furthermore, around this time, I became aware of the pulp historian and
annotation expert, Jess Nevins, through his Wold Newton website, and his
annotation works on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One. It was
the perfect situation for me because I had had enough of superhero comics. I
wanted to read something rooted in reality. The introduction of Planetary, The
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, the Wold Newton Family, and Universe, and
the classic pulps, helped to direct my reading habits as I began to wean myself
away from superhero comics. I would occasionally read Mark Millar and Bryan
Hitch’s The Ultimates, Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men, and Chris Claremont’s
run on X-Treme X-Men. But that was about it. It was primarily Planetary and The
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volumes 1 and 2.
Stay
tuned for Part Two as I continue to Kick The Willy Bobo with Lucas Garrett and
we talk about Classic Pulp, New Pulp and The Wold Newton Universe
