Of CHiPs and the future

There's something about '70s TV that they don't get anymore. At least, I was reminded of this when I opened up the most unexpected Christmas present this year: season one of CHiPs, the show that made a heartthrob out of Erik Estrada and made cops cool.

But first, a little personal background. I was born in '77, so I caught the tail end of the great '70s shows like The Incredible Hulk (more on that later), Welcome Back, Kotter, and CHiPs. I still, to this day, have very little in common with my older brothers except for a love of two things, CHiPs and Dukes of Hazzard, both shows we watched religiously as kids. 

Know how, often times, we go back and watch our favorite shows, hoping to relive the same fascination we had as kids, and it falls flat? That's not the case with CHiPs; it gets better with time, a lot of the humor that was lost on my four year-old mind now hitting me like a ten car pile-up in the San Fernando Valley. Ponch's  antics a helluva lot funnier to me now that I no longer think of girls as icky things.

Sure, there's goofiness and the obligatory car blow-ups, but that was lessened in the first season. Even though you knew that Baker would survive having his front wheel loosened by a pack of hoodlums, it still keeps you on the edge of your seat. Good, fun, stuff that doesn't take itself too seriously unless it needs to.

Oh, and The Incredible Hulk? I've slowly been working through season four, and the final scene where the aimless David Banner defeatedly walks away to his next adventure, sad piano theme playing, still brings tears to my eyes.

In the narcissist department, I think 2009 is going to be a big year for me. Why? A few reasons: 

God willing, Watchmen is coming out to theatres and will hopefully prove to the unitiated that superheroes are smart (even moreso than the excellent The Dark Knight did).

Digital comics are finally going to have their day. With Marvel's amping up original digital content. And, with the cover prices of monthlies going up, I see it being very soon that many monthly customers will switch to online counterparts, waiting until a published hardcover comes out. This is something I've been anxious to see finally happen. 

Neil Gaiman is writing the "final" Batman tale. This is something I'm very, very excited about. Toting it as a booken to Alan Moore's final Superman tale in the '80s is hyperbolic, but I'm sure Gaiman can live up to it.

Coraline comes out in theaters. The scariest, and best, of Neil's novels is coming to life ala stop-motion. I enjoyed the preview for this more than all of The Spirit.

Something big is happening with Graphic NYC. Watch this space, and Seth's blog. We have something big popping soon.

My next book, From Four Color to Silver Screen, is out by this summer. Relieved to finally have the final draft turned in, I'm finding myself geared up to do the panel at San Diego and hold my first full-color book in my hands.

I met an amazing girl who happens to read comics. Nuff' said.