Category: But I Digress…

Originally published May 2, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1224

Note from PAD: This is a somewhat unusual entry. Covering the cancellation of Space Cases, my original draft was somewhat more scathing over the opportunities lost thanks to short-sightedness from Nickelodeon. But at the time it didn’t seem politic since we still had hopes of placing the series elsewhere and needed Nick’s cooperation to do so. So the version that saw print was somewhat toned down and more optimistic. Corey, who oversees these reprints, asked which one I wanted to be immortalized online, and I’ve decided to combine the two for the interest and edification of Space Cases fans everywhere.

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I knew Space Cases was in trouble when we went head-to-head with the Super Bowl.

Continue Reading “Spaced Out” →

Originally published April 25, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1223

And now, for no discernable reason whatsoever, a list of things that drive me nuts. In no particular order, they are:

Continue Reading “Things that drive Peter nuts, 1997 edition” →

Originally published April 18, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1222

(Editor’s note: Last week, Peter shared his online run-in with Flash Gordon and Wonder Girl, their online names changed to protect them from further embarrassment. This week: More online anecdotes.)

I was on America Online late one night. It has been a bit easier to get on recently, perhaps because so many people have given up on the service that it’s made some more room.

Continue Reading “Online Identities, Part 2” →

Originally published April 11, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1221

Once upon a time, one had to be face to face in order to have social intercourse. (Remember, kids, be careful when having social intercourse: When you talk to a person, it’s as if you’re talking to everyone that person ever spoke to.) Now, however, you have the solitude of computer terminals, and are able to hide behind fake names and even fake locations.

And yet the anonymity can have curious and fascinating spin-offs. Herewith an intriguing anecdote of the new age of Isolinear Isolation. However I have changed the names of those involved, either to protect them from further public embarrassment, or else because they’re so obnoxious that I don’t want to give them more of the notoriety that their conduct clearly indicates they crave.

Continue Reading “Online Identities, Part 1” →

Originally published March 21, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1218

[Editor’s note: Last week, Peter David, writer of stuff, pointed out that there’s a plot concept missing in Star Wars that, as he wrote, “didn’t even exist when the film came out two decades ago.”]

Consider, if you will, the universe of Star Wars.

They have spaceships.

They have faster-than-light drive.

They have blasters.

They have lightsabers.

They have satellites capable of reducing an entire planet to rubble instantly.

They have land speeders. They have All-Terrain Armored Transports (AT-ATs). They have robots in a variety of shapes and sizes, capable of independent thought and action—basically, artificial intelligence. They have laser crossbows. They have cities in the clouds. They have suspended animation capability wherein they can put you to sleep inside carbonite, thaw you out, and you’re none the worse for wear except for the shakes and blurred vision. They have force fields, holographic chess, and high-speed air bikes.

What haven’t they got?

Continue Reading “Star Wars plot holes” →

Originally published March 14, 1997, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1217

“Don’t do it, Luke!”

That was the sound of Ariel, my five-year-old, as she watched The Empire Strikes Back, safe and snug in the confines of her home—as opposed to, say, in a movie theater.

Continue Reading “Movie review: Star Wars Episode IV Special Edition” →