Moonstone Forums

Even though only the first two issues are out, I thought I'd comment on what I thought so far.

The Good:
This is definitely a Mac 'n' Rick production. The dialog and story are every bit as clever and quirky as the original film. My worst fear when I first read about the miniseries was that it would be written by some unknown flunky who'd never seen the movie. Mac Rauch and Rick Richter are the only ones who should ever attempt a Banzai story.

The Bad:
I hate to nitpick, but the story feels way too busy so far. Characters run around like chickens without heads. The story is sometimes so busy getting to the next scene, that logic goes out the window. For example, when the heroes find the potato ray gun, no one seems curious about it.
Also, we're two thirds of the way through the story and we still don't really know how Lizardo is going to threaten the world. Imagine what Star Wars would have been like if no one mentioned the Death Star until the last 20 minutes of the film.

Suggestions:
I think one of the problems with the miniseries is the fact that it's only three issues long. My favorite Banzai incarnation will always be the original novelization which gave the story ample time to explain what was going on and what everyone's motivation was, plus fascinating side-stories. How about a 6 (or more) issue series?
Also, Buckaroo is a pretty post-modern guy, so why does he have to be drawn to look like Peter Weller? Why does he have to look like any one person at all? Nobody knows what the "real" Buckaroo looks like, so why not let each artist draw their own concept of him. Buckaroo could be like James Bond with completely different actors each doing their own interpretation of him.
For that matter, why do the Banzai stories have to be drawn in a single style at all? Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore use different artists in their series to create different moods. An issue set in a haunted house could be drawn in the old "Tales from the Crypt" EC Comics style, while one set in Japan could be drawn by a Manga artist.

Just some random thoughts...

P.S.-The new Dorman poster is SWANK!!!

I would love to see a Buckaroo manga.
Give Perfect Tommy really spikey hair, like the kid in Yu-gi-oh!

I kind of like the chaotic, busy feel of the mini myself.
The movie had that and I think it suits Buckaroo's world. The instutue has a lot going on (I'm still waiting for somebody to explain the watermelon) and it's not an orgainization with a single mission, like UNIT or even Doc Savages crew.


I'm all for the next mini being longer. Heck, I really want an ongoing, but after waiting over a decade for this mini, I'm not going to be overly demanding.
A yearly mini would be cool.

and the next mini should be Lectroid free.
I want to see some of the other foes and adventures the guys have had.

It probably makes more sense to write this sometime next week after the final issue comes out, but what the hell.

The Good:
The fact that the mini launches from the pages of a script by Mac written in consultation with Rick is key. Like joeyramone says above, the result is a story that walks and talks like a Buckaroo Banzai adventure should in all of the best possible ways. Part of that flavor is in the "business" of the story as joey calls it, which has always been both a strength and a liability of the Banzai experience, depending on who you ask. There has also been a lot of strong art both on and in between the mini’s covers to date.

The Bad:
If there is a weakness to the series thus far, it is the second issue. The story gets bogged down with a lot of exposition, and the result is that we get some "telling" where there might have been a way to do more "showing" instead. Issue #2 also feels a little like it was on the hot-seat during production--as though it was one editorial pass away from being 100%, only time ran out.

It's hard to beat the issue up on the "exposition" charge, though. The middle installment of a three-part story usually gets saddled with the most exposition for whatever reason. There's also the problem of judging the flow of the story without having all three issues in front of one's nose to digest in one sitting.

Suggestions:
My only suggestion would be (if possible) to use the forthcoming TPB as an opportunity to press out some of the wrinkles that popped up during the initial production of the mini. That's really easy to say, but perhaps not so easy (or plausible) to do.

Ultimately, I think the mini has succeeded. Not only is Buckaroo Banzai back, the adventure is one that leaves us begging for more. Hard to say better than that.

Dan

My only problem with this Mini was that I had no idea what was going on as I had not watched the movie!!!:sad02: Apart from that, it was pretty chaotic [chaotic is good] The art was pretty decent as well.

I was really disappointed... my thoughts:

The lamest frame in the series has the following exchange between Tommy and Hikita:

PT: What’s going on, Professor Hikita?
PH: Nothing ’til now. How many cows had to die so ou can wear them breeches?
PT: They’re leatherette, pops. Get some help.

The characters in the film certainly had no problem wearing leather, but in the 23 years since the film was released, creator and writer Mac Rauch now feels the need to apologize for some of the un-PC aspects of the world he created? The exchange from the aforementioned frame has nothing to do with the plot of the second issue and stands alone as… an appeal to PETA fanboys?

Felix Frankfurter, is an orthodox, goth-looking cowboy? Being a Jewish cowboy works. Jeff Goldblum does a great job as New Jersey in the original film. But a pale complexioned, long haired teenager who wears full length black trench coats? Not the kind of person I’d see joining a crew who blend Eastern philosophy with an Old West sense of right and wrong. The Hong Kong Cavaliers are too concrete for a kid who takes his style from a movement without any real definition.

Lizzardo now spouts stuff like, “You da man!”? Coming from either a post-World War II Italian scientist, or an alien that has been on Earth since the 1950s, what gives? Perhaps my unfamiliarity with comics betrays me here. Maybe it’s common to have characters update their manner of speech as time goes on?

The success of the film being that style was equally as important as substance, I’m really surprised that Rauch was involved. Seems like the comic is slowly but surely loosing touch with the feel of the original.

Interesting and understandable concerns and thoughts Kyle.
I'm not as critical of the new work, but I too have expressed my concerns in other forums. IMO the bottom line is this;
There is naturally going to be a progression of the way B. Banzai and the HCK's adventures are told, like it or not. I would rather tip my hat at anyone willing to do something with Team Banzai just as long as they do not badly misrepresent it. So, the question becomes, has Moonstone misrepresented? Since Rick and Mac were very much involved in the process, the answer must be, no, it was not misrepresented.
The next natural questions might be then; is it a misrepresentation from the individual's perspective? How about the majority's perspective?
I will not try to answer that.
Again, I'm happy something is being done with the Banzai property. This can only lead to more.
You can't please all of the people all of the time. But with a healthy dose of skill, understanding and a bit of luck, you can please most of the people.