Welcome to the Art of Kusama

A couple weeks ago, I went to the Hirschhorn Smithsonian to see the special exhibit of Yayoi Kusama’s infinity rooms. These rooms are covered in mirrors and are filled with Kusama’s soft statues. In addition to the infinity mirror rooms, there was a giant pumpkin covered in polka dots.

If you are unfamiliar with Yayoi Kusama, she is a Japanese artist who spent almost 20 years in the United States creating psychedelia art work and performance art. Some of her most famous work includes her signature polka dots, infinity mirror rooms, soft statures, and naked Vietnam war protests (most of these were going on in the 1960s). She was a contemporary of Warhol (who might have stolen some of her ideas) and is still creating unique works of art at the age of 94 (she was born March 22, 1929).

Currently, Kusama lives in Japan and has been a resident of a mental health facility since her return in the 1970s. She has been open about her struggles with metal health and how it has influenced her work. She has had some recent controversy following her collaboration with Louis Vuitton.

The Hirschhorn has several of Kusama's pieces in their collection - including her very first (and recently updated) infinity mirror room: Phalli’s Field (Floor Show) (1965/2017). The overall experience/collection is called: One with Eternity. In addition to Phalli's Field, there's also the aforementioned Pumpkin (2016), Flowers—Overcoat (1964), and another infinity mirror room with glowing multicolored fabric balls in otherwise complete darkness. 

I'm not sure if Pumpkin or that last mirror room was my favorite.

I can confirm that looking at it all was trippy as all get out, especially Phalli’s Field. They are supposed to be soft canvas representations of male anatomy, but I thought they looked like mushrooms - which I guess are also similar looking...

No matter. 

The collection was visually and sensory stimulating. Phalli’s Field was probably the most disorienting, as you are shut into a room with an infinity number of versions of you looking at infinity versions of the phalli, all white with red polka dots. When you actually take a change to look into the mirrors, it can be off putting and I nearly lost my balance gazing into the endless reflected space. There's a reason they only let you in for a short amount of time (about 60 seconds) even when there isn't a line behind you.

I did pick up a couple of things at the gift shop (I rarely do this at museums as they are usually overpriced), but I really wanted to read more about Yayoi Kusama and have an enamel pin of Pumpkin. The book I picked up was a biographical graphic novel by Elisa Marcellari simply titled "Kusama: The Graphic Novel". It's a nice introductory history to Kusama's life and work. 

I wish I could have gotten the "Alice in Wonderland" edition illustrated by Yayoi Kusama, but it was a little out of my budget. I'll have to find a copy of it elsewhere. 

This exhibit has set my creativity alight. Inspiration came a knocking this weekend and I ended up completing a melted crayon painting of my own based on Phalli’s Field. I call it Yayoi's Phalli Room and it's the first melted crayon painting I've done in a while.

The exhibit is active until June 16th. If you are in the DC area, I recommend trying to see it before it closes. Tickets are free (as is the Hirschhorn), but you have to get them at 12:00PM ET the day before you go to the museum. Same day tickets are available, though limited and have a timed entry.

I hope you guys have found some inspiration this week.

Until the next.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to the Cabaret

This weekend has been an exploration of the arts for me. And while I’d love to go into details about all that I was up to, I think this topic deserves its own blog post.

Leave a comment if you’ve seen the movie or play Cabaret. The musical has many influences, but the main one is the book “Goodbye to Berlin” by Christopher Isherwood. The book is semi-autobiographical and takes place during the Weimar Republic in Berlin Germany.

And to add fuel to this fire, here's a controversial statement: I think students should be taught Cabaret. Not in college, but in high school...no younger than 12th grade. It's a tale of tragedy, accommodation, and the sinister way terrible ideas become mainstream that would make for a fascinating study in media literacy. The conservatives may clutch their pearls over the overt sexuality, gender fluidity, queerness, and other touchy subjects that are covered in this story. It's basically the book banner's worst nightmare - which might be why its so important to teach and discuss.

Cabaret is a fantastic glimpse into a very interesting point in history. One that should not be forgotten. And one that isn't discussed enough.

I haven’t read the book or seen the 1972 movie. Though I admit I know a bit about them from YouTube videos discussing queer history.

My first full exposure to the show was Friday at my local community center.

That’s right. I may have been spoiled by Broadway and the shows just off its street when I lived in New Jersey, but that won’t stop me enjoying local community theater productions either. And this production of Cabaret was very good.

The version I saw has been updated in the years since it first premiered in 1966. The story is also a little different from the 1972 movie. However, the songs are all there. 

I loved it!

The Emcee was great. I loved who they got to play Sally Bowels. The stage was well designed with deep reds and art deco browns. A soft smoke hung sinisterly in the upper rafters of the stage through most of the show. Always ominously looming over the characters.

Because despite the upbeat and happy performances of the member aid the Kit Kat Klub and the assurances that there are no troubles in its halls - evil is slowly pulling them into a death spiral. It’s 1929/1930s Germany guys - things are about to get really bad for a lot of people, particularly these characters.

Something y’all might not know about 1920s Germany - Berlin specifically - was that it was famous for its Cabarets, art, and queer scene. The world's first Transgender clinic with the largest research and resources on the LGBTQIA+ community was the The Institute for Sexual Research and was located in Berlin. I say "was" because like anything labeled "degenerate" by the ruling political party in the 1930s, it was destroyed. 

Nearly all of the art scene from the Weimar Republic's Berlin was destroyed. All that remains of it are written records of their existences and a few photos that survived into modern times. These are poor substitutes for the thriving art community was the cut short far too soon. We'll never know what these artists might have accomplished. 

"Goodbye to Berlin" is a record of the Berlin cabaret culture. This record has been morphed and transformed into the current Cabaret show. A show that is hilarious, sexually charged, queer, and sinister. 

It is at this point in my blog post that I will be writing about a story that was written over 50 years ago. If you are unfamiliar with Cabaret or how it ends and you chose to proceed, don't say I didn't warn you.

At first it's slow. The protagonist, Clifford Bradshaw meets a man named Ernst on the train. At the boarder Ernst hides one of his bags - claiming the contents are perfume and other knick-knacks that go over the legal customs limit. Ernst directs Clifford to a boarding house run by Fräulein Schneider, who tends to let the rules slide if it means that she still gets the rent at the end of the month. She is in love with a fruit seller, Herr Schultz, who is also Jewish. Ernst also tells Clifford to check out The Kit Kat Klub where he meets the flighty, yet lovable Sally Bowles and reconnects with an old flame...named Bobby.

So far, the story is full of people living a carefree life, celebrating the promises of a new year (Clifford arrives on New Year's Eve). The main conflicts are Fräulein Schneider and one of her tenets who brings home sailors every night, Sally breaking up with her boyfriend (who is also the club owner - and gets a fantastic break up song in the form of "Mein Herr"), and Clifford trying to figure out how to pay the rent. 

Ernst seems to be a friendly enough character. Not only does he get Cliff a cheap lodging, but eventually he becomes Cliff's first English student and then starts to recommend Cliff as a teacher to his friends. He knows Sally and frequents he Kit Kat Klub.

And then the end of the first act approaches. 

Everything seems fine. Everyone is having fun. Then Ernst takes off his jacket and we see his armband. 

Yeah - Ernst is a follower of a certain art school reject (and that's the closest I'm going to name that person). 

This is the point of no return for everyone in this story.

As the second act begins, we're treated to a chorus line of girls (plus the Emcee dressed as one of the girls) in a kick line and preforming some acrobatics. Close to the end of the number they start counting in German (makes sense, they are in Berlin). And then they make a very specific gesture that is related to a certain fascist political party.

This isn't the first time in the show that the certain political party was mentioned. Sally, intrigued by the fact that Clifford is a writer, picks up a book he is reading and assumes he wrote it. She then exclaims "Why it's in German!" 

Clifford is reading the certain art school reject's manifesto to "learn about the current politics". Sally is dismissive. After all "it's all just politics. What does that have to do with us?"

At the same time the adorable romance between Fräulein Schneider and Herr Schultz comes to a screeching halt because of what Ernst did at their engagement party (yeah - I didn't mention that part). Fräulein Schneider is a practical woman - she has a whole song about this personality trait in Act 1 called "So What?" - she's seeing the extent a certain political party has grown and how many of her friends and neighbors have joined. Herr Schultz, however, is optimistic. He believes ("as a German" himself) that everything will be fine. 

But a brick through Herr Schultz's fruit shop window frightens Fräulein Schneider to the point that she calls off their engagement. She knows that it's not just "mischievous school children" doing these things.

The Kit Kat Klub's show cuts in again with what appears to be a comedic performance of the Emcee with a person in a gorilla suit called "If You Could See Her". However, the last line is chilling and suddenly all the humor, all the laughter you've participated in is no longer funny at all. In fact, you might start to feel a bit uncomfortable, maybe even disgusted with yourself. 

There are quite a number of points in the show like this. The most famous song - also called "Cabaret" - is the second to last in the play. If you hear it on it's own, the song sounds like a fun up beat about enjoying life. However, just before Sally goes on, there's another scene that's a point of no return moment for these characters. 

Clifford, horrified that he's become friends with and working for a certain political party decides to leave and wants Sally to come with him back to Pennsylvania (she's actually from England). She's pregnant and has been living in a fantasy that it's Cliff's (it's not clear whose baby it is, but it's unlikely to be Cliff's). Sally doesn't want to leave Berlin - she loves it - and she's been invited back to preform at The Kit Kat Klub. Cliff doesn't want her to perform, he wants to marry her and start living like responsible adults. 

In many ways, Cliff is just as naïve as the other characters denying what's going on around them. Whereas he is politically knowledgeable, he isn't very good at understanding the people around him. Sally understands the world of performance and doesn't believe that anything else can touch her. It's just as much a fairytale as Cliff's vision of a long term relationship with her. He can't force Sally into a role she neither wants nor can thrive in. She wants to live life to the fullest, but not the longest.

That's the message of the song "Cabaret".

Cliff leaves Berlin alone, but with the barebones start of the novel that will make him famous. As he leaves, he starts to sing for the first time and is eventually overtaken by the Emcee. The Emcee reminds the audience that "Life is beautiful. The girls are beautiful. Even the orchestra is beautiful." The Emcee sings a similar song that he sang at the opening of the production, welcoming us in. However, this time the music is off. It more sinister sounding. 

The Emcee in the production I saw had his makeup smeared more and more as the Second Act went on. By the finally, it looks like he's been crying. Everyone came on stage. Three doors were opened. Herr Schultz stood in one. A gay couple in another. In the center was a lesbian couple fearfully holding each other. The background turned brilliantly white as the drumroll melded with a mysterious crackling sound. The smoke that had been hovering in the rafters now wafts on stage. The Emcee takes off his jacket and he's wearing a shirt with a pink triangle and a Star of David. He enters the center door with the lesbians. Three characters, a man dressed in a navy uniform, the owner of The Kit Kat Klub, and Ernst begin closing the doors while the other characters look away. Before his door is closed, the Emcee looks around as though begging someone for help.

The final door slams shut and the lights cut to black.

Cabaret is a tragedy. One that most people should realize going in. It takes place in Germany between two World Wars. Anyone who has taken a modern World History class knows what's about to happen to the majority of these characters. Cliff even asks Herr Schultz why he doesn't go to America with everything is going on - he has family there. But Herr Schultz wants to stay in Germany because it is his home and he is German. He is also Jewish. 

The Kit Kat Klub was lively, counter culture, and perverse, but it also accommodated and catered to people who hated them. In the end, it was destroyed. The fairytale turned into a nightmare.

Fräulein Schneider asks the audience several times during the production "what would you do?" She's asking for the audience to put themselves in her shoes, to empathizes with her.

We live in interesting times and if they don't seem all that interesting, then maybe you're not paying that much attention to what is going on around you. If you've ever asked yourself what you might do during a certain historic event such as the Civil Rights Movement or the Vietnam War protests, what you might have done during the Salem Witch Trials or the aftermath of 9/11 (this one is for the Z generation). 

I've asked myself that many times - mostly when I was still in school. 

Some recent current events have provided me with some answers. I can't say that I'm happy 100% with the ones I've found.

There are so many reasons Cabaret is a fantastic work of art. It's dark and tragic, but also fun and lively. You know what the ending is for these characters, but that doesn't stop you from hoping that this time - this show - they'll get a happy ever after.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Assateague Island - A National Seashore

Last weekend, I took a drive out to the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. There's a long barrier island, just south of Ocean City, Maryland, that's famous for it's wild ponies - technically horses. This island is technically in Maryland. However, the southern tip of the island is closely linked to another island on the Virginia side of the Eastern Shore. 

This is Assateague Island. 

Assateague Island was originally slated to become an island community in the 1960s - similar to Ocean City, Maryland - but a hurricane put an end to those plans. There are a few remaining bits of evidence of this planned community in the northern part of the island with huge chunks of asphalt and an old ferry landing.

After the hurricane, Assateague Island became a designated National Seashore. There's also a Maryland State Park and a Wildlife Refuge. Each section has hiking trails, beach access, and plenty of wildlife. 

Which brings me the most famous part of Assateague Island - the wild ponies.

 

There are many theories as to how the Assateague and Chincoteague Island ponies came to be on the island. The most popular legend is that a Spanish Galleon wrecked off the Eastern Shore coast and the horses on the ship swam to shore, became wild, and adapted to living on the island. However, the actual origins to the wild horses has been lost to history.

I first learned of Assateague Island and the amazing wildlife there by reading the book Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry in grade school. I was never really into horses as a kid (it was my cousin's thing, so it couldn't be my thing), but the story always stood out to me. It's loosely based on true events and includes the famous pony swim between Assateague and Chincoteague - complete with saltwater cowboys - and explains some of the history behind the famous annual event.

In the 1920s, two fires swept through Chincoteague's tiny town's main street, devastating the area. Chincoteague's fire department were the ones to propose a charity event where they would round up the horses on the southern tip of the island, have them swim between the two islands, parade them to town, and then action some of them off for charity. The event raised enough money to help the town rebuild. To this day, the Chincoteague Fire Department still technically owns the horses on the southern (or Virginia) side of the island of Assateague. These horses are kept in fenced off areas with around 40 in a smaller paddock closer to where people can see them and a larger paddock further north with around 100 horses which is a bit of a hike to get to.

The horses in the north (or Maryland) side of the island have a very different living situation. The wild horses are allowed to roam free, often enjoy prancing on the beach, and occasionally sleep near someone's camp site (the northern part of the island is the only area you are allowed to camp and bring your pets). Though you don't want to get too close to the horses (you'll want to keep about a school bus or 40 feet or 10 meters away from the wildlife), they can come up close and personal to you if you aren't paying attention. 

The only warning my parents kept reminding me before I went to Assateague was that the horses will bite and/or kick if they don't want you near them. In fact, if a horse is seen as being "too aggressive" the horse will be retired to a sanctuary elsewhere in the United States. These are wild animals and should be treated as such.

The two sides of the island are only connected via a hiking trail. You cannot drive between the north and the south. Pets and camping are also not allowed on the southern side of the island as it's a wildlife refuge, while in the north there's a lot of camp sites - including the opportunity to camp on the beach and backwoods camping that can only be accessed by kayak or canoe. There are a lot more hiking trails in the southern area and a really cool Civil War lighthouse that is still maintained by the Coast Guard.

However, both sides are worth a visit. I stayed in Chincoteague, but could have easily camped or stayed in Ocean City as an alternative. 

Assateague Island National Seashore and the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge are both part of the National Park system. If you have a park pass, you're visit is free! However, you will need to purchase additional permits for camping, off road vehicles on the beach, fishing, and clamming. There are opportunities to rent bicycles, paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes. Beaches do have lifeguards, but they only seem to be available during the typical summer months (Memorial Day to Labor Day).

Wild horses are not native to the United States, however they are common throughout the country. Many western states have wild horse populations such as Arizona and California that were reintroduced to North America via the European colonialization period (mainly Spaniard) - horses had been native to North America, but died out some 10,000 years ago. You can even see wild horses in the western areas of Virginia mountains and the Outer Banks barrier islands.

Assateague and Chincoteague Islands are beautiful and the horses are amazing to see. The Chincoteague Island Ponies (which are really horses) have recently become the state mammal of Virginia. If you're curious about the famous horses, I recommend starting with the fictional story Misty of Chincoteague or one of the documentaries released by the National Parks Service. 

The islands are well worth a visit.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Welcome to Creativity in Multiple Mediums

 One might say too many mediums.

Yesterday, I was given an hour to talk about my creative projects. My many, many, many creative projects in multiple mediums. I was asked by the leader of the Writer’s Group which I joined in New Jersey and have been able to stay in contact with (after moving several states away) due to Zoom. 

Naturally, I put together a presentation in PowerPoint that I breezed through in 30 minutes. This included my reasons for why I try so many different creative outlets (it boils down to boredom) and some examples of my work. I had a short diatribe on where I post and share my work (i.e. Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Comic Fury, etc.). I even included a slide on transmedia storytelling (the technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple platforms and formats using current digital technologies.) - something I have dabbled in, but found overwhelming to do on my own - to show how knowledge in multiple mediums allows flexibility and a layer of interactivity in creativity.

Somewhat coincidently, I went to a meeting of my Art Club earlier in the day. 

Normally, the Art Club I go to is a free time for creative expression. Everyone brings in their work in progress (as long as it’s not too messy, we do meet in libraries) and spends a few hours chatting while being creative. Drawing, watercolor painting, and digital art are some of the more popular artistic choices. However, we have our fair share of knitters, cross stitchers, and collage makers.

Typically, I work on my digital blackout poetry project - turning every page in Jane Austin’s Northanger Abby into a blackout poem (see example not from the collection below).

I'm pretty sure this is an example from the novel Phantom of the Opera

This week, we had a theme. For two hours we took turns posing and being models for figure drawings. The shortest poses were held for 5 minutes, while the longest were held for 20 minutes. I held a seated pose for 10 minutes. Sketch books were out. Some people only used pencils, while others had charcoal, pastels or watercolors. Three of us (myself included) were working digitally - two tablets, one computer.

I still work with physical mediums like canvas and paper. I love turning my pictures into paintings with watercolors and acrylic. However, I’ve also been using digital mediums for a while now. 

Technically, the majority of my written works (including this blog) are in a digital space. I may still outline on pen and paper, but my final short stories and blog posts are created on my laptop or tablet (rarely, but still possible, on my phone). My webcomic started as me drawing in pencil and pen on paper and then scanning onto my laptop to post, but is now 100% done on my tablet.

I'm just not as good at drawing on my tablet, like I am in one of my sketchbooks.

At the beginning of my presentation for my Writer's Group, I stated I wasn't sure why I was given a whole hour to talk - that seemed like too much time. I ran through my slides in 20 minutes and reiterated my thoughts. 

And then the questions and requests came in.

The wonderful people listening and watching my presentation had loads of questions and wanted me to drop links to my social media pages. I showed them my webcomic (The Mighty Detective Mortimer & Lou actually does come up first in my Google search), my food blog (Cooking with Spirits), and my art/poetry Facebook Page (AJ's Corner of Cyberspace).

Needless to say, I filled that hour up.

I also have my cross stitch, knitting, and crochet projects (some of which I need to finish sooner rather than later). 

I admit, having all of these projects is a lot. And difficult to juggle. 

As I've gotten older and busier, I've found that balancing all of the projects is getting tougher and tougher. At some point, I will need to let some of these projects go - especially the long term ones that I've been working on for nearly 10 years (see this blog). It'll be hard and emotional to say good bye to them.

But if I want to keep evolving as an artist and writer, I have to be willing to move on to the next project.

I know I mostly discussed my art today, but I am also an avid writer (see my two blogs - you're reading one of them) and have published several short stories and poems in different literary magazines, zines, and anthologies. I'm not stopping writing any time soon, which adds another level to my creative balancing act.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

P.S. You may have noticed that I didn't mention anything about video production or music. I have actually worked in the visual medium space and have zero desire to turn it into a hobby (even vlogging sounds like too much work). Music is fun and I can (kind of) play two instruments (my family may disagree) and was in a music sorority in college, however, it is also an expensive hobby that I can't return to for a while.

Welcome to Scary Blossom

 I am a local to the Washington DC area. I spent my formative years within reach of the heart of the city center. I know this city, it’s seasons and it’s moods. 

This past week was the start of our tourist season. Bus loads of sightseers and out of town visitors are swarming the city. Traffic is worse than usual and everyone is driving five miles under the speed limit.

It’s Cherry Blossom time y’all.

Otherwise known as “Scary Blossom”, the DC cherry blossoms at peak bloom are truly beautiful. However, the tourists make navigating the city nearly impossible - even worse than the forth of July and protest season. (Okay the 4th of July might be a bit of an exaggeration because the tourists are also insane, but Cherry Blossom is when the chaos begins).

No more is Washing DC for the locals to the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia tri-state area). Now, we’ll have bus loads of school children visiting our world famous (and mostly free) museums, monuments, and government buildings. Protests will kick up activity in about a month - though they are easier to navigate. No one will know where they’re going (not just the tourists, but the new construction will create new,  longer routes to get to work).

For an event that lasts about a week (depending on weather, wind, and temperature), the Cherry Blossoms are an important part of DC culture. The original Sakura trees were planted along the Tidal Bain in 1912. These trees were a gift of friendship from the People of Japan to the People of the United States because of a correspondence between First Lady Helen “Nellie” Taft and the then Mayor of Tokyo. The original 3,000+ trees are over 110 years old and one of the icons of the city.

We put these flowers on everything DC related - along with the Washington Monument and Capital Building. Coffee mugs, pins, patches, chocolate bars, and more have pink blossoms and white buildings on a blue sky background.

One of my paintings of the event.

And yes, they are beautiful.

Sakura or Cherry Blossoms are incredibly pretty. When their petals fall, it looks like pink snow swirling through the air. They are the unofficial signal spring has begun and that warmer weather is around the corner. 

And they let the residents of the Washington DC area know that tourists are coming.

It is worth it to see the DC Cherry Blossoms once in your life. The Tidal Basin is a lovely area and the trees frame the backdrop of many of the monuments. My favorite area to see them is around the FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) memorial all the way up to Jefferson. I haven’t done that walk in years, but it is beautiful on a clear day.

Another of my paintings of the Cherry Blossoms

However, I can’t stand the traffic and clusters of tourists standing in the middle of roads and pathways while they decide where to go. Parking is a nightmare and the metro is overcrowded at all times, not just peak rush hour.

I love DC. I love the Cherry Blossoms.

I don’t love the tourists.

But that’s part of the life being a resident of Washington DC.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome to Scooby Doo Meets Batman

 Guys, I have fallen down a rabbit hole and I do not want to dig myself out. I recently learned that DC has been writing comic books and mid-grade level books featuring the Scooby Doo meeting Batman and helping him solve crimes.

These are everything my inner child needs right now.

Cross overs are nothing new, in fact Scooby Doo first met Batman and Robin in the 1972 episode “The Dynamic Scooby Affair” from the show “The New Scooby Doo Movies”. This Scooby Doo series was nothing but crossover episodes with some of my favorite guests being the Addams Family and the Harlem Globetrotters. There were two Batman crossover episodes, but the first one (Dynamic) was the one most often replayed. 

Scooby Doo and Batman are nostalgic for me. Scooby Doo was a popular rerun block on the newish Cartoon Network in the 90s before getting a reboot run in the early 2000s. “What’s New Scooby Doo” was my jam in the 2000s and it coincided with the live action movies that came out in 2002 and 2004 respectively. I’ve somewhat kept up with the more recent Scooby Doo series - “Mystery Inc.” being the standout - and enjoyed watching the characters evolve over time. 

Batman was also an animated series in the early to mid 90s that shaped my understanding of the character. It was released shortly after the 1989 Batman movie. “Batman the Animated Series” along with a few other animated DC superhero (known by fans as the DCAU or DC Animated Universe) shows eventually became “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited” (or JLU). The DCAU also had a few cross over episode with my favorites being anytime Static Shock showed up - another standout early 2000s show.

However, Scooby Doo never made it to the DCAU. Though Warner Brothers owned both franchises by the 2000s, it wasn’t until a “Batman Brave and the Bold” movie that Scooby and the gang meet Batman and his friends again. A crossover movie that was released in 2018. That’s almost 50 years of them not interacting.

You may be thinking, but does Scooby Doo fit into the Batman and DC universe. The latest portrayals of the Dark Knight have been dark and edgy - way different from the more lighthearted Scooby Doo universe. Brave and the Bold doesn’t count because that series was for little kids, while The Animated Series and JLU were a lot darker with older teens in mind.

To which I counter: have y’all seen “Zombie Island” or “Witch’s Curse”? Those Scooby Doo movies have a very similar aesthetic as The Animated Series. Yes, Scooby Doo tends to err on the lighter side, but they are still dealing with criminals who dress up in costumes to do crime. Kind of like how super villains dress up in ridiculous costumes and do crimes in the DC universe.

In fact , I would argue that Scooby Doo’s villains fit in well with the villains running around in spandex of the DC universe (particularly the Flash’s Rogue Gallery, but that is neither here nor there). Why wouldn’t greedy land developers try to scare people away in silly costumes, if really bad guys are already terrorizing the general public in silly costumes.

Therefore, Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang are a logical addition to the DC universe. 

The Scooby gang just doesn’t need to dress up because they don’t have the same tragic backstory Batman does.

Anyway, I bought both volumes of the recently released Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries along with a mid grade novel that is very easy to solve if you are even fair-weather fan of Batman. They’re a lot of fun and feature a lot of the Batfamily, including Red Hood, Spoiler, Bluewing, Nightwing, Batwoman, and Ace the Batdog. 

However, the timeline is a little confusing. I’m not certain which Robin is in most of the stories. If there’s pants on the Robin it’s Tim or Damian, no pants and it’s either Dick or Jason. I’m pretty sure Jason is the Robin at one point, but it’s hard to tell. Also, there’s a fun “Pup Named Scooby Doo” issue that establishes that the Scooby gang is about five years younger than Batman (even Red Herring gets a mention), but this timeline is tossed out the window because I totally spotted Duke in the Batfamily reunion. Bruce is around 40 when Duke shows up in the current DC timeline, which would make Scooby one really old dog (maybe he too took a dip in the Lazarus Pits or he learned the secret of immortality from Alfred). 

Maybe it doesn’t really matter. Scooby was already an old dog in “Zombie Island”, so I can’t really complain. He’s also a talking dog - magic has got to be involved somehow.

The crossover comic series is a lot of fun and I can’t help but hear Adam West’s voice (despite my preference for Kevin Conroy) in Batman. The latest TV crossover did happen on the Scooby Doo series “Guess Who” in the episode: “What a Night for a Dark Knight” which was the final time Kevin Conroy would play my favorite version of Batman opposite my favorite Joker, Mark Hamel. Sadly, Mr. Conroy passed away in November 2022.

It was Mr. Conroy’s death that prompted me to return to the DC universe. Scoobytopia may have bought my attention to the latest Scooby Doo and Batman crossovers with his YouTube video “When Scooby Doo! Met Batman”, but it was Matt Baume’s video “The Gay Actor Who Bought Batman to Life: Remembering Kevin Conroy” that brought me back to Batman. 

For an entire generation of kids, myself included, Kevin Conroy was Batman. I still have a hard time accepting a different voice actor. We lost him too soon.

Scooby Doo and Batman are a part of American culture. Each decade seems to have a new series on TV or direct to consumer movies to watch. Both have their graphic novel universes and their live action movies. I’m happy that these s characters continue to grow and evolve for the next generation.

And most importantly, that a talking dog is still alive solving mysteries well past the point any dog should still be alive.

Until next week.

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Welcome to Game Night Out

When I was a kid, once a week was family game night. One that designated night, the family would order out, pick a board game, and have fun for a few hours. This lasted until I was in middle school - a time when life got busier and more complicated.

Never the less, I found that I really enjoyed playing games with people and found that it was a good way to bond with friends and family. 

During the height of the Pandemic, some of my friends and I started to have virtual game nights. We used Zoom to connect and play Dungeons and Dragons or JackBox instead of the traditional board games. It was a way to stay connected and have some semi balance of normalcy during a very uncertain time.

Now that the world has opened back up and people are out and about, game nights have once again become infrequent. Though, I've still managed to find friend groups to play games like Uno or Exploding Kittens, most of my friends want to go out instead of have a night in.

And that's not a bad thing.

However, a third space has started popping up on my radar that combines the need to go out with the fun of a board game night.

These are known as bar-cades. 

I first came to know the term bar-cade in the mid-2010s. These were bars with arcade games, especially catered to people over the age of 21. These are not Dave And Busters. These are bars that allowed you to play skee-ball or Pac-Man while you get tipsy. These places were typically loud with low light, but a ton of club-like dancing energy (most had some kind of dance floor). I primarily went to these places in D.C. and New Jersey. 

The bar-cades I'm going to now are a little different. They still allow you to order alcoholic beverages, but they might also offer an array of board games for you and your friends to play. I spent a hilarious evening teaching one group of friends how to play Clue while enjoying a more traditional bar like atmosphere - no dance floors in sight. 

Praise to whomever designed this box art.

Most recently, I went to a place that was more of a café rather than a traditional bar-cade (even ones with just board games). This place was in Manassas, Virginia and offered an array of snakes, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), and games to play. Some of the games are for sale, but there is an entire backwall dedicated to games people can play for an evening and then put back. 

The atmosphere was the most relaxed I'd been to and it was a lot more family and teen friendly than other "bar-cades" that I'd been to. It felt like a safe place for kids looking for a little independence as well as a fun nostalgic hangout for grownups (like me) who don't really like the bar scene. And though the 21+ drink list was comprehensive, there was also a fairly big mocktail menu. Snakes could be small shareables to full blown meals and there was a tiny dessert menu.

This was a fantastic space for a game night.

While I occasionally still want to go to the louder bar-cades with flashy arcade games and dancing, I'm really happy that these quieter spaces are popping up. It's especially nice that some are making an effort to include teenagers and families. I could have easily seen my high school (heck even college) friend groups going to a place like the one in Manassas to have a bit of independence from our parents or other adults. 

Game nights are still a lot of fun and I'm glad that I don't have to stay at home or invite people over to have them. Bar-cades are varied and can range from 21+ spaces to family friendly. I hope that more of these places (especially of the family friendly variety) keep popping up.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.