Captain Quail 12 - Fusion (Sept. 5, 2013)

There are some stories and worlds that are well-springs of creativity. You dive into them, and you swim through grottoes full of magic, barely believing what you're seeing. Eventually you surface, and you try desperately to remember all you've taken in while you mentally prepare yourself for the next dive. You know that your creativity and imagination has been kicked up a notch just by exposure to these universes, of which there are few. Neil Gaiman's Sandman is one. I would argue the Bioshock series is another. It would be tempting to add Tolkien's work, but that is a universe which has been heavily mined by popular culture.

Then, there's Brian K. Vaughn, and Saga. I tend to read comic series in trade paperback or graphic novel form, even when the original material first came out in single issues, so I have just finished the second Saga trade paperback. The first one blew my mind in terms of discussing social justice and civil rights in a new and novel way. The second book went off the chain, and its not going to come back any time soon.

This well-spring effect often manifests itself in me as a series of questions, usually uttered in my head in an awed tone of voice. (Yes, my inner voice has tones. I did theater as a child.) Their ship is a what? Magic works by knowing secrets? The planet is actually WHAT? Really? That's a ROBOT? Holy crap, THAT'S HIS EX? I hope you pick up the books, and that you too find yourself struck by some of the same questions I had.

A lot of times, I think creators create by trying to well-spring in reverse; namely, they throw a bunch of things together and see what sticks. This is a perfectly valid way of creating, and is often the best way to try things when you're starting out. Sometimes, though, you get bad fusions. Like Andy Warhol and Stephany Meyer. Garth Brooks and 50 Cent. Japanese-Mexican-Italian. I'm pretty sure only that last one is real, or at least that last one is the only one I've heard about. And, if you particularly hate yourself, you can find that restaurant in the Bay Area, where Allison and I live and work. Maybe its a Quail delicacy.

Thanks,

Philip