I’m a big Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland fan. I bought the nice, hardcover copy at Barnes and Noble on Sunset Point, and I quote it whenever I can.

So, as you might expect, I saw the 2010 CGI movie by Tim Burton. And... I liked it well enough. It was interesting to see various aspects of Wonderland (oh, I’m sorry: Underland) in Tim Burton’s usual style.

Over time, though, I forgot about the film. It faded from my mind. Like a lot of middle of the road movies do.

But, six years later, it’s back again. With the title of the second book.

I haven’t seen the new movie, by the way. So I don’t know how accurate it all is.

But I do know that despite all the panning from the critics for the last one, Alice has always been a big draw for people. For some proof of that, simply go to the Hot Topic in Countryside Mall.

And it tells you a lot about the marketing power of this property. It really is a classic, legendary book. And people wanting to make spin-offs is understandable.

In fact, no one ever stopped. Before people were bemoaning the avalanche of remakes and reboots and other “re” words, Alice had as many versions as perhaps even A Christmas Carol.  

It’s just that powerful. And in an uncharacteristic act on my part--I am here to tell you that even if the film isn’t all that good: Alice Through the Looking Glass is not a movie to point at and accuse of being part of the problem.

It’s always being remade. And I look forward to seeing what a new person will do with it once Burton’s done.

Who knows? Maybe Disney will do another live action adaptation of it, this time closer to the book?

I won’t hazard a guess, but whatever comes next will be curiouser and curiouser, and completely mad.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com.

You want to be a superhero. You want to be Iron Man flying through the sky. You want to be Captain America beating up bad guys. You want to manipulate objects with the twist of your hand like Scarlet Witch.

You’ll notice these are not questions. Because it’s true of most people, I think. Those characters are power fantasies. It’s one reason people like superhero movies.

And after watching Captain America: Civil War at Countryside Mall, I thought about something. And that is that some actors really do get to be—in a way--a superhero. Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. I can’t even consider someone else in the role anymore.

It’s just him. His image is now tied to the marketing machine of Marvel. He has become Iron Man, in our hearts and minds.

Which is fascinating. Sure, other actors are well-known for being one specific role in film history, but this is different.

Once you sign up as a Marvel person - you’re Marvel. For a long time. Claimed by the canon. And with the constant crossovers of actors and storylines like the one in Civil War, you could show up anywhere. You exist in many movies and are expected to stay your character.

Imagine if anyone else was Black Widow but Scarlett Johansson? You’d reject it!

And I wonder if the actors are okay with that? With being part of the marketing for years to come? To only be able to leave the Marvel world by having their characters killed.

And in the world of comics, even sometimes that isn’t enough to leave your story.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com.

What if we just eliminate a harmful species on purpose? Is that ethical? Is it right? What a world could we have...or rather: make?

While the technological singularity is a hot button topic right now and something we all need to think about before it happens, the other side of the pond is also getting interesting.

And by that I mean, the biology side. Because mosquitoes are a growing problem to our species with the dangerous diseases they deliver. And for a long time, especially in smaller countries, causing a death toll--children included.

So the question is...what if we didn’t have those kinds of mosquitoes anymore? What if we could remove them, all of them? In short order?

An extinction of a subspecies.

Science is getting faster at solving problems and emerging methods allow altering a species’ DNA. And the capacity to make things stronger, or extinct, becomes a possibility.

Sounds like science fiction, but it won’t be for long. And with the occurrence of mosquito-borne diseases even happening in Florida, all of us need to consider what we are willing to do here.

Because it sets a precedent. If we can alter one species, why not another? Why not humans? The idea of making people stronger, faster, and yes: mutants, is one that marketing for is easy, but we do have to keep in mind if it’s right to do.

Because it’s not going to be a switch easily un-flipped. And the consequences of humans messing in the affairs of the natural world are also something well-explored by science fiction. And it doesn’t usually go well.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com.

Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch fully released yesterday: May 24 (May 23^rd for us living in Clearwater). And though I am writing this article before it went live, I can predict its success. Because when you add up the “numbers” of what they’ve done to ensure popularity—the answer is obvious even in foresight.

Let’s go done the list shall we? Let’s examine the winning strategies employed by this one game company for its newest release.

·         Beta Gameplay

Many ways exist to improve the marketing of a product. But temporarily making it free is an effective one. The Beta released and years’ worth of gameplay time went into it from players already. Not only does this strategy allow for much more in-depth reviews to come out of the critic community before launch, but also for players to form an attachment early and guarantee sales.

·         Promo Videos

On a par with a short film, Blizzard released a slew of shorts with top quality animation. I haven’t watched all of them, but the few I’ve seen have impressive fights and decent stories. These are not merely ads or a marketing creation for the product. They are entertaining pieces of art.

·         Foresight

I covered this in a previous article on the site, but before the game went live, Blizzard announced no cheaters on Overwatch, clearing away a potential problem down the line regarding sales.

·         Good Art Direction

I’m not an animator. But I have listened to enough of them describe the craft to know that when it comes to animated characters one of the most important things is that the characters be visually striking even as a silhouette. It’s one of the reasons the Simpsons family is so recognizable at a glance. And a lot, and I mean a lot of work must have gone into making sure these characters popped to the eye the second you saw them.

And that only covers a fraction of what they did right for the release of this game. I expect it to make money hand over fist. Which, clearly, they earned.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com.

Here’s the situation: you bought a new computer to game on at Best Buy by Highway 19. You stopped for a burger to-go at Five Guys in Clearwater Mall for a legendary night and dinner.

And after the meal, you fire up the game and prepare to lay waste to the new, inexperienced players around you. A power fantasy for the ages.

Then, five minutes later, someone glitches through a wall and shoots you in the back with computer-assisted aim.

Yeah, Blizzard is not going to let that last part happen anymore. Not on its watch.

In a marketing move to reassure, Blizzard Entertainment proclaimed that the new intellectual property they are releasing called Overwatch will have a zero tolerance policy regarding anyone found cheating.

The penalty is a permanent ban for the account - a total block out of usage for that person.

And though this may sound extreme, cheating of this kind is commonplace in many shooters. Older Call of Duty games definitely have this as a problem. And it can be a deal-breaker for players to know that no matter how good they are, a cheater can ruin their day and game.

So it’s sound marketing. Reassuring the audience that this new product is going to be free of the old problem.

Which is important, because the game market is so saturated, that the smallest annoyance can send a consumer skittering to a new product.

And with the sheer size of promotional ads, beta gameplay, and other marketing going into getting people playing Overwatch when it releases on May 24, Blizzard is not going to let something as basic as a random cheater get in the way of its success.

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If you liked this article, you can read more of Brandon Scott’s work over at The Hive, or on his website: www.coolerbs.com.