Writersbox Comics: Alan Kennedy’s “They Came From Space” Part 2
Sellout Superheroes
by John Chidley-Hill
Booster Gold: 52 Pick Up is a refreshing change of pace that breaks from the malaise of today’s mainstream superhero comics that tell the same story over and over again.
It tells a fun, action packed story that is, above all else, original.
The last Alternavox issue discussed the problems of serialized narratives; how difficult it is to keep stories fresh for the audience.
Writers and artists of ongoing series can’t stray too far from a successful formula, but they still need to stay innovative to maintain reader interest in their work. In practice, this means that there have been very few truly original characters in mainstream comic books in nearly three decades.
Booster Gold is one of the few characters that have stayed crisp since his creation. He’s not an “Ultimate” version of another character. He’s not a grown up sidekick, a clone, a she-hero or a grim’n’gritty re-imagining. He’s not from 2009 and he’s definitely not a mutant. What he is, is an imaginative character.
Dream and Let Dream
By Yasmeen Finjan
Matter does not matter
In a world within your head
Silence all that is holding you back
Recreate dreams you thought were dead
A figment of your imagination can become reality
If you just look inside your heart
and believe all that you see
Publisher-Creator Mikhail Saavedra began life down by the deepest tip of southern Latin America. He started life with a deep curiosity for all things, with music and books being at the forefront, a curious child by all accounts. As he grew and opened his eyes to the world, he developed a sense of justice and dignity in part as a reaction to growing up in a military dictatorship. Alas, this did not fill him with fear or cynicism but a more rebellious spirit, which led him to being incredibly popular at the principal’s office and the local riot police department….
Then came Canada and it was here that he was able to formulate his deep desire to learn about the world, with Toronto being the kind of multicultural soup that could engage his need to know and embrace. It started with writing, then moved on to what became Toronto’s first Latin Alternative radio show, followed by an all-English show in the same vein. It was this desire to find the true “crossover” among people, which led him to the concept of “Alternavox”
He is a lover of wine, good food, Neruda, Eduardo Galeano, rebel music, revolutionaries, dancing, family and beautiful people. Believes that kindness in this much too cynical world is revolutionary, that you are a better person when able to give a little without asking for the change and that on the same token you should laugh at yourself and the madness surrounding you as often as possible as you set out to change the world bit by bit. 