Where have all my heroes gone?

It's no secret that I was a big fan of comic books when I was a kid. Truth be told, I'm still a fan of comic books. Ask my wife. I get positively giddy every time a super hero movie opens. I peed my pants, (just a little, I didn't soak them or anything) when Batman Begins hit the theaters. After that movie exploded it seemed like every summer a new hero of my youth made their way on to celluloid. But something had changed. It seemed like these heroes were just a short hair away from their villain counterparts. The line between good and evil was no longer defined. There were gray areas. Now I know some people would say, "have you read a comic book in the last twenty years?" I must admit I have - but they weren't mainstream comics. I've been following Indie stuff, small publishers. So, I picked up a Batman comic book and I have to say I couldn't believe its contents. Here was the proof - in those all too familiar small boxes. This was the format that I remember from my youth - but not the substance. What happened? The mayhem, the brutal psychopathic violence- what were they doing in a medium for kids? What were they doing in comic books? I can just hear those goth teens at the San Diego Comic Con hissing at me and saying "They're not comic books. They're graphic novels!" OK, so maybe I'm just a fuddy-duddy showing my full forty years - but I believe there is a term called "appropriate medium." If there isn't , there should be. Comics are for kids. Aren't they? Shouldn't they be? For me comics were where I learned right from wrong. I may not have been able to fly or lift a car, but I sure knew that using your talents to help mankind was better than using your talents to harm humanity. There were no gray areas. No inner demons to battle. There was only Peter Parker who learned "that with great power comes great responsibility." And there was Superman: An alien from another planet - who disguised as mild mannered Clark Kent, a reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper, fought a never ending battle for truth, justice and the American way. I remember so vividly running around the house with a bath towel pinned around my neck and a masking tape "S" on my chest. I recently found out that since Superman Returns did so poorly at the box office - the Studio thinks a reboot of the franchise is in order. They want to make him a brooding and conflicted Man of Steel... "More like Batman." I cried when I heard that news, (not like Niagara Falls, but I did get misty). It's a sad moment when a literary hero - with all his Christlike light is reduced to a creature of depressed depravity. That's right - Superman is a metaphor for Jesus - deal with it. His father sends him to earth to be a beacon of light, "with powers beyond normal men." Need more proof? "They can be a great people, Kal El, they only lack the light to show them the way. For this reason I have sent them you." But I digress. Now, because of the "success" of The Dark Knight Returns - the studios think that Batman is the new prototype for all heroes. Conflicted, flawed super heroes = box office gold. Bleech! I'm sure that people could make the argument that society creates the demand. As a people we need our characters to have inner conflict, because how can we identify with heroes who don't? After all, we're all hooked on Prozac and need our therapists to soothe our conflicted natures, don't we? Here's a thought, maybe heroes should be above that. Maybe our spandex clad heroes are who our children should aspire to be. Not used as a proof that their angst is acceptable. Our super heroes are meant to soar above the clouds. Not sit in the gutters. Give comic books and their heroes back to kids. They need them.

"Well, we didn't get all dressed up for nothin'..."

So I turned down a job. Huh? I can hear you saying (some of you are screaming), "are you out of your mind?" After your screams have faded you'll say, "so, you turned it down because the money wasn't very good." Nope. The money was very good. In fact, they kept adding money after I told them I wasn't sure. They were ready to give me a signing bonus, a yearly bonus, relocation package and 3 months temporary housing. After you've stopped screaming at me, we'll talk. Done? Good. Pour yourself some sweet tea, or whatever you have in the house, and listen. Yes, it was a good pay check. And yes the people were nice. But here's the thing, it wouldn't have challenged me. Ever since I left my job in Austin, Texas six months ago, I've been on a quest. I'll admit, the word "quest" seems a little too Dungeons and Dragons (or World of Warcraft for those of you born after 1990). But, it truly is a quest. Why? A quest is fueled by lofty goals and nobility. There is a feeling of what one does on a quest will change, strengthen and in some cases save the soul of the adventurer. So, it's not a label that should just be affixed to any task. But, make no mistake about it...I'm on a quest. So, cue the John Williams music and watch me gird my loins, (Uh, don't actually watch me gird my loins - I'm shy). So, now that we're back from our trip to metaphor point, let me tell you why I turned down a good paying job after six months of unemployment in this wretched economy. I'm only interested in work that resonates with people. Work that inspires and has a purpose beyond commerce. I can hear you saying, "Steve, you work in advertising and advertising is commerce." I would argue that the best advertising has a purpose beyond just commerce. I look at the stuff that moves me - the brands that really motivate and inspire - and it sure isn't dictated by price point. The BMW "Joy" stuff is brilliant and inspiring. I've watched that campaign unfold and after about a year I couldn't tell you how much a BMW costs- but man, do I want one. This is the kind of work that I want to be a part of. And I want to help other brands find a voice with purpose. The job that I interviewed for doesn't see that as important. It would be exactly that - a job. A paycheck. So, I turned it down - much to my wife's amazement. But after talking with her and explaining my quest, she understands. This, like most quests will be bloody. But, when the dust settles, we'll both understand why we girded our loins (can women gird their loins?) and pushed foreword. If I may quote the modern day philosopher Rocky Balboa, "Life isn't about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward...that's how winning is done." So, we move forward...

In mourning for Saturdays...

I spent last Saturday morning watching TV with my kids. The thought of doing so put a smile on my face. After all, I remember vividly my boyhood Saturdays. I would get up at 6:00 am and start watching "Rocket Robin Hood". Then I would switch channels and catch something called "The Hilarious House of Frankenstein" with Vincent Price - who clearly needed some cash in a bad way. Then after grabbing a bowl of cereal I'd settle in for the "A list" cartoons. The major networks at the time ABC, NBC and CBS would have Saturday morning blocks of cartoons and live action kids stuff. I was mesmerized by Johnny Quest, Scooby Doo, The Herculoids, Space Ghost and Hong Kong Fooey just to name a few. Then there was the live action stuff, The Shazam/Isis Hour one of my favorites. Throw in some classic WB hilarity from Bugs, Daffy and the crew and I was thrilled. These shows opened up different worlds and inspired me to create, write and draw my own new worlds. But, perhaps more importantly - they made me laugh. Ok, so the reason I bring all this up is to make a couple of points. 1. What the heck happened to Saturday mornings????? I watched some of the worst cartoons on Cartoon Network, Nick and YTV. And when I clicked over to the major networks to see the "A list" cartoons - there were news programs? HUH? Saturday mornings used to be for kids. Now they donate even more time to news. And not the Edward R. Murrow news either. That TMZ, what to wear, who's sleeping with who, who hates who gossip stuff. Seriously, Saturday mornings used to be a break from "reality". If you wanted reality you got it every other day of the week. But, I guess the argument is that now we have 24 hour cartoon channels and we don't need to turn the major networks over to the kids. Have you watched the stuff on these cartoon networks? This brings me to point number 2. When did the decision get made that cartoons had to play to the stupidest kids? Listen to the dialog in the WB cartoons. Sure, they weren't Shakespeare, (actually, I'm pretty sure they used some Shakespearean dialog in a few cartoons) but the writers assumed that you could understand both dry and slapstick humor. They played with language. And if they didn't have the best writers - at least you could be sure that your kids would be safe watching them. Be silly, but not stupid. Now it seems that every thing is coated in boogers, belches and barf. (Nice alliteration, eh?) I'm not a censorship guy. In fact, I believe very strongly in the power of changing the channel. But what do I change it to? I know there are other "channels" to find my beloved cartoons like DVD's and youtube, but I feel like we should take Saturday mornings back. No more news on Saturday mornings. There's enough out there. More cartoons about adventure and fun. Bring back the live action stuff. Make 'em campy. Or don't. Take pride in the writing. Expect some intelligence from your audience - it's there, trust me. Give Saturday mornings back to kids...they deserve it. It's a rest from the grind that we inflict on them. If anything change it back to the way it was for slackers like me. If you keep me happy and sedated then I won't start my own network and bury you...

Excuse me while I Gag-a lot...

Read something that just about made the right side of my brain implode. It seems that a certain performance artist - "Lady" Gaga, has been made Creative Director of Polaroid. Not spokesperson, Creative Director. Let's look at her credentials shall we? Accepted to Julliard (for music) - but didn't go. Dropped out of another college. Then signed to So Def Records at 17 and now, she's the flavor of the month. She plays on SNL, dabbles in "fashon", plays with the (giggle) Back Street Boys and makes Rolling Stone's top 100 list and cover. That's "Lady" Gaga's resume. And now she can add CD to the list. Like advertising and everyone working in the industry doesn't have enough problems with credibility right now. I've known guys - heck, I'm one of them, who got our college degrees in non-creative schools. Then put our lives on hold for two years to attend ad school. By the way, if you're looking for a stellar ad school check out thecreativecircus.com. We learned our craft. We started as juniors and worked our way up. We did all the junk no one else wanted to do. We worked until 2 am. We worked over holidays - put our families second and all the time clawed and grasped at that CD title. And now I have to take a look at this bleach blond street walker...er, performance artist that gets to put Creative Director on her resume that I'm pretty sure is written in crayon. Evidently, I've been going about this all wrong. To get my next job I need to stop working so hard and just show up to the next Toronto Addy dinner wearing nothing but bubbles...pfft.

You can't go home again...but you need to plant some roots.

This has been a very interesting time for me as you can see from the previous blogs. I'm trying to figure some things out as I make the turn into my 40th lap. Last night I had a bit of an ipifany. I think a lot of the anst I feel boils down to one thing It isn't a job that will make me feel happy or whole. It's about a sense of belonging - a feeling that you really love where you are. And at about 4:35 this morning it dawned on me that perhaps one of my biggest problems is that I haven't really put down roots anywhere. My early teens set into motion a nomadic existence. I left Don Mills, Ontario and went off to a boarding school in Saint Louis. And while I did make friends in the city I spent 12 years of my life in - they too were nomadic. They came to the boarding school from Texas, North Carolina, California and so on. So when we broke for vacation they fled like migratory birds, (spawning salmon is a better metaphor). Since then I've lived in Atlanta, Conneticut, Texas and now here in Dundas. Each stop led to friendships that were inevitably fractured by moves, lay-offs and in some cases divorces (not mine, but Lord knows we came close a few times). I think there's a lesson to be learned in this hobo-like existance. Find a town you love and go from there. Don't move for family, cause it tends to bring up old wounds. Don't move because of friends - they tend to move away. Don't move for a job - they tend to down size and leave you out in the cold. Find a town that loves you and love it back. Find a community that FEELS right to YOU. All this thinking got me looking around, and I found a site that was helpful - findyourspot.com. You enter a bunch of likes and dislikes and it gives you a list of cities or towns that match your ideals. First one for me was a surprise, Greenville, South Carolina. So I'm looking at this town with a population of 56,000 and I'm eyeing it. But believe me I'm looking at number two with some longing, Olympia Washington. It's nestled on a magnificant paninsula in South Puget Sound and sounds lovely. Raleigh, Lynchburg, Tacoma - hey, even Saint Louis made the list. I know you can't go home again - but if you never had a home to begin with, can't you create one?

New Year's disappointment...

I felt like Superman. Now I feel like George Reeves.
Some people ring in the New Year with champagne and laughter. Some ring in the New Year with family and friends. I rang in the New Year with hope. I really felt that 2010 was off to a good start. I was in talks for a good job. Not a great job, but definitely a step up in pay and position. The HR people loved me. They thought I was a shoe in. Their offices were going to be closed for the holidays but they would be talking to me in the New Year and get the ball rolling. I let out a sigh of relief and allowed myself to enjoy the holidays. I actually let go off the stress I'd been carrying for the past 2 months. I just found out today that they "decided to go another way." Huh? What's wrong with the way we were going? I thought it was lovely. The sky was blue. The road was smooth. Why not go my way? So, 2010 starts pretty much the same way the last part of 2009 did, uncertain and more than a little scary. But I started to think about this whole "not my way" thing. Maybe there's something I can do to make my way even more attractive. So, I'm revamping my site in the next few days. I'm going to start being more aggressive in my writing and drawing. Who knows, this whole thing may just be a pivotal moment in my development. Maybe it's time I started asking different questions. Maybe "my way" isn't within the world of advertising after all. Maybe, I'm about to move away from what I think I should be doing - towards what I was made to do. Hopefully I'll have this figured out and I'll be ringing in 2011 with family, friends and laughter. You can have the champagne - I never trust anything the French invented.