CSotD: Yes, sir, here comes good old George Lucas.

Mike Peterson Published: February 24, 2012 1 minute 5 comments

Arctic

Arctic Circle, for the benefit of those who aren't familiar with it, is designed to drive a certain type of reader mad because the main characters are penguins and, yes, I know and Alex Hallatt knows and constant readers know that these penguins purposely moved from their home in the Antarctic to the Arctic so they could interact with polar bears and drive a certain type of reader mad.

They also do igloo gags. Get used to it, though it's hard to "get used to" a strip where half the gags are set on an ice floe or some featureless expanse of snow and the others are set in stores and restaurants, which I suppose makes sense. That is, if the penguins can find their way from one end of the globe to the other, it's only logical that they could pop into town whenever they like.

Penguins and polar bears in the same setting. Yeah. And entertainingly so.

What struck me about today's strip was how George Lucas, who should be an untouchable icon for those 40 and under, has managed to make himself into the sort of media-creator equivalent of an ex-lover.

I mean, Michael Jackson was a musical icon for at least a greatly-overlapping if not identical demographic, and his personal life turned him into a recurring punchline.

But his fans managed to keep his music separate from that, so that, when he died, there was an outpouring of grief for the musician that pretty much overwhelmed any comments about the creepy wierd personal element.

But what Lucas has done is central to why he has been so revered, and the hostility that lets cartoonists mock him is directed at his creative output and not his personal life.

I think only the most intense fans know much of anything about his personal life, but they sure know that he is screwing up an important part of their childhood. This sort of thing has potential to really mess with a guy's legacy.

It's quite a gift to be able to get people this pissed off at you without sleeping with them.

Hallatt isn't the only cartoonist to take a shot at him, and it's interesting to see the level of vitriol he inspires and the age of the cartoonists involved.

For instance, Darrin Bell, of "Candorville" and "Rudy Park," is a noted sci-fi geek and has gotten off some solid shots at the demise of the Star Wars franchise.

And Francesco Marciuliano has made "The Star Wars Holiday Special" — which rivals "Plan 9 From Outer Space" for sheer lousiness but without the sincerity that makes "Plan 9" so delightful — part of the Christmas festivities at "Sally Forth's" house.

Michael Jantze, who is not only a noted sci-fi geek but has worked in film, is slightly older and "The Norm" called Lucas's bullshit before Jar-Jar Binks hit the big screen.

Norm

I'm older even than Jantze(!), and remember the rumble and roar of the opening of the first movie and how it changed what I expected from a film. Like the (real) moon landing, it's not a moment you can recapture for those who were not there, because its impact was based on lifelong expectations and experience, not simple events.

But the fact that I wasn't a kid completely alters my relationship with the trilogy. I saw it as a fan, sure, but as a parent of two genuine fans.

When "Empire" came out, I did kind of ask myself what practical purpose an At-At would really serve, given that they had the technology to build huge things that skimmed through the air rather than having to make them stomp over the snow. And I knew the answer, but I surrendered to the movie and enjoyed it anyway.

But then we went to "Return of the Jedi" and, as an adult sitting in a theater with two small boys, I said to myself, "This is a freaking two-hour toy commercial." And, yes, we had to buy the damn Ewok Village.

That link notes that it's hard for collectors to get an intact Ewok Village because of all the small parts that are apt to be missing. Tell me about it.

There were Ewok Village parts from one end of our house to the other, starting about December 27, most of which fell into the "what the hell is this?" category of small brown plastic objects.

Anyway, it's not George Lucas's fault that "American Graffiti" morphed into an episode of "Love American Style" which was the pilot for "Happy Days" which then fell into such a wretched state of entropy that it inspired the term "jump the shark."

But his legacy for the Star Wars generation? That he has done entirely to himself.

May the Force have mercy on his soul.

Speaking of moments for which you had to be there:

Jimmy Johnson, a noted old guy, has planted quite an earworm this morning, which I needed to scratch.

Ah, Jimmy, but wasn't it a lovely thought at the time? (Especially tweaking a completely unacceptable expression into something that would get past the censor!)

Comments ⁵

Mark Jackson

“Penguins and polar bears in the same setting.” Gary Larson shot first.
And there’s a very old Joe Martin cartoon depicting a butcher shop with a sign behind the counter:
“Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse.” – Veal

Brian Fies

Yes, that opening shot of the *actual* first “Star Wars” movie is iconic, and so parodied, stolen and homaged since that someone who wasn’t sitting in a theater in 1977 doesn’t get it at all. I’ve tried to explain to my girls–what a leap in visual effects it was, how a single shot sets up the entire “plucky resistance vs. implacable empire” storyline–and they just look at me as if I’m growing antlers. Lucas had me from the first frame and took me on an unforgettable ride.
I think I like “Return of the Jedi” better than most fans. It’s a satisfying conclusion to Luke’s arc and I knew one of the actors who played an Ewok, so I was very favorably disposed toward them as well. She told good stories. Maybe I’m perceiving things wrong, but my impression is that over the years fans’ esteem has risen for “Empire” and fallen for “Jedi.” Interesting how that happens.
George, George, George. Long past the point where anyone could tell him “No,” and tragically afflicted with Roddenberry Disease: The misguided belief that your clever and beloved popcorn entertainment actually has Very Important Things to Say. As far as I’m concerned he could tinker all he wants if he’d just make the original versions of his films available; but he hasn’t, and I think that fuels the ire. He actually seems to think he’s *improving* them. Amazing.
Your comparison to Michael Jackson is apt. When MJ died, people who loved his music still loved his music and sales of his old albums spiked. When Mr. Lucas one day leaves us, I imagine the first thought of many fans will be, “NOW can we have the real ‘Star Wars’ back?”

Sherwood Harrington

I can still conjure up goosebumps thinking about that opening, but the aspect of that first episode that I was thinking about when leaving the theater was that the spaceships actually looked USED. Up until then, all sci-fi spaceships I could recall in film or tv were polished and shiny, but these were kind of grungy and sometimes didn’t even work right. What a concept!
As far as Lucas taking himself too seriously is concerned — that was probably absolutely inevitable, given that Joseph Campbell was on board from the get-go.
[Complete aside: if I’ve counted right from a couple of weeks ago, this is the 749th installment of CSOTD. It’s also the first installment that I can remember in which I’ve spotted a spelling error. Wow.]

Woodrowfan

Keith Knight has taken some potshots at the last 3 SW movies as well.
My wife gave away many of our old videotapes. Too late I realized that it included old version of the first Star Wars movie! argh! Han shot first!

Mike Peterson

We’re all getting older. Now the excuse is “my wife threw it out.” Well, Mom’s off the hook, anyway.
I gave away a videotape of “Guerre des Etoiles” to my son’s French teacher. Even only getting 40% of the dialogue, it would be better than the currently available versions.

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