American Gods

Overrated might be the wrong word (I have to admit I haven't checked out Sandman), I just think people (and I'm speaking generally here, not about you guys in particular) play him up as some kind of amazing visionary figure of modern fantasy while totally ignoring the fact that his writing often has significant flaws.

That's not a big deal, all authors have flaws, but for some reason it seems when it comes to Gaiman people would rather just put the guy on a pedestal than consider the issue. The image he projects of the soft spoken, thoughtful, romantic british writer is probably a contributing factor - he comes across not only as a great guy, but like he should be a perfect fantasy author.

As for the blank slate thing - imo it's not so much that he's playing the "straight man" role as that he just doesn't seem fleshed out enough in terms of background, and particular in terms of emotional landscape and internal dialogue, to feel like a real person. It's a lot like that scene in the Red Letter Media review of Phantom Menace where Plinkett asks a bunch of people to define the characters without referring to their appearance or actions, and they're left stumped. Some fictional characters feel like real people, someone you could bump into and recognize walking down the street, even outside of the settings they're written into. Shadow (and the protagonist of Neverwhere, and to a lesser extent Stardust) doesn't.


I still think AG is a great book, and that this series looks like it has potential, but it's always seemed glaringly obvious to me that Gaiman just can't nail down a realistic protagonist, and I've never figured out whether it's just me or whether people just don't like criticizing the guy.

He's definitely got a distinctive voice and that particular tick of Shadow's is a good example. I'm a big fan but I get the skepticism that the "genre media" and critics tend to over-lionize him.

But he'll always be a favorite for his adaptation of the Princess Mononoke script for the English Language dub. Hayao Miyazaki himself requested that he pitch an adaptation for future Ghibli dubs.

Vulcan, God of Guns.

Void said:

I hope this is better than the book. I know I'm in the minority on this, but man this was one of the most boring books I've ever read.

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Yeah, I was reading the thread thinking someone has to also have been disappointed with the book. Glad to see I'm not alone.

I absolutely loved the concept of the book, but the execution was lacking. I didn't dig the writing style, which is purely opinion, but I also thought Gaimon failed to deliver with the story(especially considering how much potential it had).

Here's the thing though-- I liked most of the characters, including the protagonist, and (like I said), there was a lot of potential in the book. As odd as this seems, I can see this being a better show than it was a book.

The fact that it has McShane as Wednesday alone makes me want to watch it.

Sunday, April 30, 2017.

I havent been this excited for a show since GoT. Please dont disappoint

As a Wisconsinite I've been to The Rock many a time (I had Floridian relatives that dragged us along everytime they came up, probably because it was the only thing in the whIole state that qualifies as bugnuts), and can confirm it is trashy as hell, a recent revamp has made it waaay too respectable, and that it sure would be a shooting location you won't see anywhere else.

That said, you don't lose a ton moving it to some namelss tourist trap, plus I doubt WI is planning out their "America's home for mythological child serial killers" ad campaign.

Oblio said:

I am pretty excited for this as well. I enjoyed the book, it wasn't the best book I ever read but it was very clever. I feel like the world Gaiman created just opens up so many possibilities.

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Gaiman isn't the world's best author, but he is my favorite writer. Something about his style just clicks with me, and the crazy esoteric subjects he takes on. Seems like he would be well suited to screen adaptation, weshall see.

I've always felt that Gaiman creates incredible settings, but then forces us to watch them through the eyes of the most stale, 2-dimensional protagonists possible. I think a large part of the success or failure of this adaption will come down to whether they manage to turn Shadow into an actual, believable, relateable human being or not.

Not sure who cares about Gaimen work but
Neil Gaiman Signs Multi-Year First Look TV Deal with American Gods Producers

"FMNA and Gaiman are already working together to identify a full slate of projects," the press release reads. "It’s expected that upcoming ventures will encompass both original content, as well as existing Gaiman properties, many of them bringing in acclaimed creators from additional fields, with Cat Mihos continuing to serve as the director of development for Gaiman’s The Blank Corporation."

Gaiman is excited about the new first-look deal, and is confident it will mean more of his ideas coming to TV soon.

"Working with my friends at FremantleMedia on shepherding American Gods to the screen has been exciting and delightful way to spend the last three years. I've learned to trust them, and to harness their talents and enthusiasm, as they've learned to harness mine," he says in the release. "They don't mind that I love creating a ridiculously wide variety of things, and I am glad that even the strangest projects of mine will have a home with them. American Gods is TV nobody has seen before and I can't wait to announce the specifics behind what we have coming up next."

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Homsar said:

Not sure who cares about Gaimen work but
Neil Gaiman Signs Multi-Year First Look TV Deal with American Gods Producers

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This could be good. If any of you guys have read his collections of short stories, they are really good, he could do an excellent anthology series I would think. Of course I would think the obvious thing is that they will do the other books in the American Gods universe. I actually liked Anansi Boys better than American Gods, so that would be cool.

Would be nice if this was successful and he was somehow able to turn this deal into a cable series for Sandman, since the (ill advised, imo) movie idea keeps failing. That's probably too much of a long shot though, since Warner Bros would have to be down.

American Gods: Exclusive First Look at Mr. Nancy as Orlando Jones Talks Anansi Boys Spin-Off

End of next month!!!