Voltron

Editor’s Note: Voltron – Defender of the Universe was a Japanese animated Television series which aired in syndication from September 10, 1984 to November 18, 1985.  Following is the second of a planned three excerpts from the unfinished novelization of Voltron being written by me. 

No one on the street see the lions first — they hear the explosions from the space ship.  It is loud and it reverbrates throughout the city.  And if they did see a lion, it would have been red.

Lance was the first to release his lion from its sleep, blasting its way through the volcano’s vent and erupting from the earth like lava.  The red lion blasts through the UFO, puncturing a hole into it like the size of a well developed tornado. 

Further away, the middle of Lake Texcoco spits out Sven and the blue lion like the whale did Jonah.  It too smashes through the space ship on its ascent.  The hole it causes allows the sun shine completely through, the light beaming onto the earth like a spotlight.

In the low mountains, a dirt cloud is seen growing larger with each passing moment.  A rumble is accompanied with the cloud as the green lion runs across the land like a newly-freed animal.  With its metallic tail taunt behind it, its four metallic legs churning away on the landscape.  After covering a few miles it pauses, its head looks up as …

The black lion dives through the space ship and lands beside it.

“Have anyone heard from Hunk?” Keith asks over the lions’ communication system.

“No,” Sven answers as the blue lion touches down next to the black lion.

“Me neither,” replies Lance as another hole explodes from the ship as the red lion lands with a little trot.

“Pidge go find Hunk.  Us three will begin work on the UFO,” commands Keith.

“Roger that,” answers Pidge.

The green lion begins running again, moving like the king of beasts after its prey.  The other three lions crouch down and leap upward, flying right through the space ship.

Voltron (the novel)

Editor’s Note: Voltron – Defender of the Universe was a Japanese animated Television series which aired in syndication from September 10, 1984 to November 18, 1985.  Atlas Entertainment recently announced that they will be soon moving forward with a Voltron live-action film.  Following is the first of a planned three excerpts from the unfinished novelization of Voltron being written by me. 

-On the cusp of an alien invasion of earth, five Air Force pilots stumble upon an ancient mystery within the Aztec language about five lions that if combined, would form a giant creature — Voltron.  It becomes a race against time to unlock the mystery of Voltron and save earth from impending doom.

“This can very well be the apocalypse,” says Hunk.

All of them are so transfixed on the space ship hovering above them that they did not notice that Pidge’s attention had shifted elsewhere and that he had gone back into the house.  They didn’t know he had gone back in until he calls for Allura.  They all go back into the house.

Pidge is in his usual place — the study — sitting behind the desk.  There is a book open in front of him.

“Allura read this for me.  I can kinda understand the pictographs, but the writing is in Na’huatl.”

Allura looks over Pidge’s shoulder while Keith, Lance, Hunk and Sven stand around behind them in a circle.

“It reads that lions are the guardians of the horizons…”

Keith interrupts.  “Lions?  Isn’t that more of an Egyptian culture?”

“It’s not unusual to see different cultures and civilizations blend,” answers Pidge.  “The United States is a prime example of that.  Since you all are the melting pot of the world.”

Allura looks back and forth at Pidge and Keith.  She clears her throat to return the attention back to her.

“Continuing on.  It also talks about a mythic being, a creature created by combing five lion guardians that are powered by earth’s elements — wind, water, fire earth and lightening.  This being is believed to be the supreme defender of the Universe — a being called Voltron.”

No one says anything for a few minutes.  Lance breaks the silence.

“This is just a legend right?  Like the Greek Gods, like Zeus.  I mean there are stories like these in all ancient cultures; what is so special about this one?”

“There is a map,” Pidge says pointing down to the page.  “I’m pretty sure that this is a map showing the locations of the five lions.  Do you agree Allura?”

Allura examines the drawing and reads to herself the words around it.

“Yes Pidge it is a map.”

“Let’s go find them,” suggests Pidge.

No AFL plus MLB equals more WNBA viewing

It isn’t called the dog days of summer for nothing.

From the middle of May until around the third week of August, there is absolutely nothing for sports fans to watch on TV or attend.  For baseball fans, summers are great — for everyone else summers mean hot days and thunderstorms.

I’m not a baseball fan but I enjoyed Arena football.  The Arena Football League (AFL) began in 1987 and was played during the months following the Super Bowl and right up until the NFL’s training camp.  However, the league cancelled its season this year which really have me football starved and channel surfing.

So besides the few track and field meets that are shown throughout the summer, the only other option I have left is the WNBA — which actually isn’t a bad option at all.

I will be the first to admit that I am a fan of the WNBA — not quite an avid viewer but a fan.  This comes from following certain players — and on occassion teams — while they are on the collegiate level.  Those four years that Chamique Holdsclaw was at Tennessee were probably one of the greatest four years of any collegian basketball player has ever had.

Because of her career at Tennessee, Chamique Holdsclaw was named as one of the 25 greatest college players of the past 25 years in 2006. (Photo courtsey of espn.com/Associated Press)

Holdsclaw finished with 3,025 points, was tw0-time Player of the Year and won three national championships.  It was believed that she was the second coming of Cheryl Miller but Holdsclaw hasn’t quite panned out in the WNBA — going AWOL during her fourth season while playing with the Washington Mystics that resulted in a brief retirement.  This season, she is with the Atlanta Dream — her third team in nine years.

The WNBA boast players such as stalwarts like Lisa Leslie and Swin Cash and former Pistons ‘Bad Boy’ Bill Laimbeer who coached the Detroit Shock to three WNBA titles before retiring this season.  Great collegians like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi has led their teams to titles and now four-time All American Courtney Paris (Sacramento Monarchs) and all-everything Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks) who is suppose to change the league like LeBron is for the NBA.

But the issue is that no one cares about the WNBA.  Teams have entered the league and folded just as fast as a poker player with a bad hand.  It’s sad when three-time champion Houston Comets had to pack their bags and roll out of the league.  The league — which is full of women — doesn’t even get any support from women.  How can the WNBA survive if it doesn’t get support from the one’s it caters too?

The gripe I hear is that it isn’t as good as the men.  Basketball is basketball no matter if it’s men or women playing.  Is a women’s photo finish race not as good as the men’s over the same distance?

It will be ashamed to see the WNBA go down the toliet.  It will be ashamed to see the best in women college basketball take their games overseas instead of staying home.  Show the ladies some love, watch the WNBA — they have now.