#Michael Reaves

[deadthehype]

LeBron James & Stephen Curry embrace after USA beats France 98-87 to win the Gold medal. Photographed by Michael Reaves & Gregory Shamus.

[forcesung]

Barriss rose to her feet-just how, Jos could not have said. She seemed to levitate-one moment she was sprawled on the ground, and the next she stood upright. Impressive as that was, however, it was nothing compared to her next action. As Jos watched in astonishment, the Padawan leapt across the bota field, covering a distance of at least ten meters in a single bound. As she arced through the air toward the droid, Jos saw another flash of light. At first he thought the droid had fired again, but then he realized the glow came from Barriss’s hand. She had drawn her lightsaber. Jos had seen images and holos of the Jedi weapon in use, but he had never before seen one in real life. Barriss’s energy blade was an azure streak about a meter in length. It made a sound like a nest of angry wing-stingers, and, even over the noisome stenches borne on the breeze from the nearby swamp, he could smell the acrid scent of ozone it produced. He watched, openmouthed, as Barriss landed next to the battle droid. Before it could fire again, she struck a single blow with the energy weapon that sheared halfway through the droid’s torso. Sparks erupted, and the droid collapsed.

—Medstar I: Battle Surgeons, Michael Reaves

[90smovies]

[legends-expo]

We’re thinking of the late Michael Reaves’ contributions to the Star Wars galaxy on his birthday today. We have him to thank for the MedStar and Coruscant Nights series, several stand-alone novels, as well as penning episodes on the original Droids and Ewoks animated shows.

[vertigoartgore]

1994's Gargoyles pilot episode turns 30 today. Feel old yet ?

[tunamuffiin]

[tara-of-helium]

The Black Hole of Carcosa by John Shirley, 1988. Cover art by Bob Larkin.

[book0ftheday]

Dragonworld: An Epic Fantasy by Byron Preiss and Michael J. Reaves, illustrated by Joseph Zucker, published 1979.

[haveyoureadthisscifibook]

vote yes if you have finished the entire book.

vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

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[dndhistory]

327. Michael Reaves - Dungeons & Dragons, Episode 15: The Treasure of Tardos  (September 15, 1984)

A fun and important episode of the animated series, The Treasure of Tardos actually gives us the first hint to a more complex plot underlying the story we've been following for the last 15 episodes, and hints at a more involved storyline to come. But that comes right at the end of the episode, so let's look at how it starts first.

There is a danger to the world and Dungeon Master asks the heroes to go fight a monster called the Demodragon, a new monster which D&D fans might recognize as a kind of mix between the Demogorgon and Tiamat, with the lower body of an animal, tentacles and two heads like Demogorgon (although it has hooves); but two heads which are dragon-like, a red one which spits fire and a blue one which spits ice. This monster is being controlled by Venger and aims both to attack the city of Tardos and retrieve the party's magical weapons.

When the Demodragon captures the party's magical weapons the control that Venger had over it is dissipated and the monster goes rogue. This leads to a temporary alliance between the party and Venger to defeat the Demodragon. After all is done we get the revelation right at the end of the episode from a teary eyed Dungeon Master speaking to the screen that Venger's downfall into evil is actually the DMs fault. Fade to black, episode end. Talk about a cliffhanger! 

[mikyapixie]

30 years ago today Gargoyles premiered in syndication!!!

🤩🤩🤩A PERFECT CLASSIC!!!🤩🤩🤩

[adamwatchesmovies]

Gargoyles the Movie: Heroes Awaken (1994)

Back in 1995, I distinctly remember seeing a VHS of Gargoyles: The Movie at the video rental store. I picked it as my movie of the week and was disappointed when I realized it was only the 5-part series premiere edited together. This means we’re not really talking about a movie here, but we sort of are as well. Let's consider it a made-for-TV movie for this review's sake. As that, how does this fare?

In 994 A.D., Scotland, Castle Wyvern repels any invaders thanks to its stone gargoyles, which come to life at nighttime. Despite his frightening appearance, their leader, Goliath (voiced by Keith David) desires only cooperation between his clan and the humans who defend them while they are petrified during the day. Following a betrayal from within the castle walls, most of the gargoyles are destroyed and the few survivors are frozen in stone until the castle they defend rises above the clouds. A thousand years later, in Manhattan, billionaire David Xanatos (Jonathan Frakes) has moved the castle above his headquarters. Awoken in an unfamiliar world, they find a friend in Elisa Maza (Salli Richardson), an open-minded police detective.

Don’t expect the visuals to rival a theatrical production or even something like Nickelodeon’s The Last Airbender. While the characters are consistently on-model, I spotted at least one coloring error in the second half of the picture and there is more than one instance of the stone gargoyles looking pretty different from their awakened state - the "statues" are painted as static background elements so the stone texture and the angles of their muscles/limbs are much more detailed than anything in the moving foreground. Finally, this is a pilot so while it is self-contained, many threads will only pay off in later seasons, such as the gargoyle eggs Goliath leaves with Princess Katharine (Kath Soucie) and her wizard (Jeff Bennett) (not sure why he did that, in hindsight). That said, this is a strong debut.

There are many characters in this story and the gargoyles other than Goliath - they name themselves Lexington (Thom Adcox Hernandez), Hudson (Ed Asner), Brooklyn (Jeff Bennett again), Broadway (Bill Fagerbakke), and Bronx (Frank Welker) - are more established than given character arcs. This makes Goliath the protagonist and the others supporting characters. I’ve found that in most children’s television series, the leader turns out to be the least interesting member of a team but that’s not the case here. Goliath is at once trusting of humans and wary of opening up. He can be calm and collected but is also prone to fits of rage and frequently talks of vengeance against those who’ve wronged him. He adapts well to his new setting but shows no affinity for modern-day tech like some of his comrades. He's many things at once, which keeps you watching and wondering what's next. There are no obvious character arcs within him.

Gargoyles rather elegantly uses the limitations imposed upon it as a boy’s property to its advantage. All of the gargoyles in Manhattan are male, guaranteeing there won’t be any weird “should we start repopulating?” discussions. It also adds an extra level of tragedy to the story by making them the last of their kind. Conveniently, this makes Elisa the lone female hero of the show/film without making her a token. If there’s a secondary protagonist, it’s her (which gives you a bit of a Beauty and the Beast vibe) and unlike other shows, her status as a colored woman does not make her feel like a quota. It should also be noted that Xanatos is a person of color as well, making this a show with more POC than Caucasians. It may be because most of the cast are non-humans but that’s still something I feel is worth noting.

The story features plenty of varied action. There are battles set in 994 and others in the present as well - some of which don’t include the gargoyles at all and allow the human characters to shine. There are twists and turns as allies become enemies and new partnerships are formed. The general tone is tragic and adventurous with a few bits of comedy thrown in here and there. Best of all, this is a wholly original property. The show was conceived as an answer to Batman: The Animated Series but rather than dig up some available superhero property (this was years before Disney acquired Marvel), it's is something new.

My favorite scene of the film is an interaction between Goliath and his mate, Demona (Marina Sirtis), who managed to survive the thousand-year slumber. During a mission for Xanatos, she prepares to throw an unconscious guard out of an airlock to his death but is stopped by Goliath. “The centuries have made you weak, Goliath,” she says. The thing is, very little time has actually passed for the winged warrior. He’s been frozen in stone. He HASN’T changed but that one sentence shows how much she HAS. It’s a nice subtle exchange.

I am coming into this review biased. Though I haven’t seen the show in years, I remember it well and certainly, remember how it made me feel in 1994. It played right into my fascination with mythology & monsters and I attribute my affection for Shakespeare (the series draws inspiration from Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, among others) to the show. It had a lasting impression on me and I believe it has the power to enchant young audiences once more. (July 28, 2022)

[forcesung]

Back in the Temple, she had once listened to Mace Windu tell a group of students that killing somebody was easy-you could do it with a single swipe of your lightsaber. But living with the knowledge that you had killed somebody would change you for-ever. The Jedi Master had been right-it had certainly changed her. Killing was not a thing you did lightly, not if you had any kind of compassion, or even minimally decent moral and ethical codes. Sometimes, to protect the innocent, or one’s own life, justice and survival demanded a Jedi strike with enough power to lay an attacker low. But the fact that it was necessary did not absolve you from seeing the faces in your dreams, or hearing the anguished cries of the fallen late in the silent night. [...] The Force allowed you to be a powerful fighter, but it also leavened your impulse to do violence. When you knew what you could do with your lightsaber, knew how deadly you were, it gave you pause. Because you could do a thing did not mean that you should... She shook her head.

—Medstar I: Battle Surgeons, Michael Reaves

[90smovies]

[azazel-dreams]

Star Wars: Darth Maul Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[theladyfromplanetx]

Michael Reaves 1950-2023