Beau was the only regular star in action, otherwise all rookies or sophomores. Whenever CLAW's in the mix, there's hot guys, but I'm leaning towards Lee being my favorite guy this month. Just something about the base model's demeanor in pics screams wrestling bad boy.
The Cave Unleashed 10: Beau vs. 'Lethal' Lee Evans
Beau = Steven Webb (Bodybuilder/Model)
Lee Evans = Andrew Holztrager (Model)
Dusty = Andreas von Tempelhoff (Model)
CLAW 7: Xander vs. Wyatt
Xander/X = Sergi Constance (Model)
Wyatt = Eric Tenbrink (Model)
So, any favorites? Does Lee need to travel or should he stay out of sight in Arizona? And Wyatt's trying to get out of CLAW, but should he stick around?
Alex
Ohhh, aim liking those tempting questions at the end!!!
ReplyDeleteFavorites? Lee absolutely. That was one cool story, character and match. In a second place would be Mateo. Why? I think his narration was excellent. He guided Xander through a tough victory all while being still thinking that Xander was an idiot and while admiring Wyatt while being a young punk. It can’t be easy lol. His narration was perfect. Another character that has a voice!
Well, for sure Lee is a great addition. But, if he stays in Arizona, does that mean we won’t see much of him? I think I’d like to see him in Arizona a couple of times more. Then like that we also see more of Dusty. And Wyatt? Hmm staying in CLAW would be great. Get to know him a little more!
Maybe these types of questions are what’s been missing from my casting posts.
DeleteThanks for commenting on Mateo. He didn’t wrestle but he is definitely important to CLAW.
As for Lee, he can wrestle anywhere, but he’s more likely to see action if he’s willing to travel, let’s say.
Maybe you are on to something! Those questions were provoking and tempting! So Lee should travel to see more action. Ok. I guess he should travel then! HA! And I suspect he will do well in The Cave. Just a hunch. I thought he was pretty darn good, not withstanding that Beau wasn't in top shape. I think Lee didn't show near close to his full potential.
DeleteWherever the road finds him we definitely need more Lee. He has some intriguing possibilities. And Wyatt needs to stay in CLAW. Maybe a story line where contractually he's stuck, grows resentful, tries to be the bad guy but winds up everyone's whipping boy, intensifying the resentment. I wouldn't mind seeing more of Xander coming in to his own, too. Maybe underneath that slow facade there are deep waters. And a real heel attitude, ready to be unleashed now that he's had a taste of blood.
ReplyDeleteI think Xander’s waters are pretty shallow, but it’s not like he needs to be doing calculus to come into his own and be a dominant heel. Some characters have an uncanny knack to be as smart as they need to be.
DeleteI don’t think Ben would ever hold Wyatt back contractually, but pro wrestling is a tough business. Look at all the indie guys who are really good but never get that one big break.
Wow, Alex – those are really good questions! While I always love crossover events, I believe there’s something to be said for continuity in establishing the foundation of an ongoing series. I think we owe the success of “The Cave” series to Cody’s many matchups there in the beginning, and I feel that a “Dusty’s Inn” series has tremendous potential, with Dusty’s wizened observations of Lee defending his home turf against any and all comers – including guest appearances by characters from other series and possibly some lucha libre action being so close to the Mexican border. I’d also like to see Wyatt stay in CLAW and suffer setback after setback in his quest to move on and see how that impacts his character. Will he take the high road and overcome adversity or let his resentments, jealousies, and grudges get the better of him? (And, of course, we need that Hair vs Hair match between him and Hawk!) I believe the consistency of Lee and Wyatt in their respective series will function in a manner similar to how Cody made “The Cave” your longest running and most popular series.
ReplyDeleteBut I think the real question is what works best for YOU, my friend? You know I’m a huge fan of your work, but from my personal observations, it seems like certain series present more of a challenge for you because they limit you creatively. Series like “Camp Grapple”, “Model Roommates”, “Tarzan and James” – the one thing they have in common is they’ve sort of locked you into a certain narrative. (I had high hopes for “Camp Grapple”!) Even the “Big Beast”, “CLAW”, and “Rival Pro Wrestling” series only have a few chapters to them thus far despite being around for a couple years now, and I think it might be because they limit the fantasy aspect of your storytelling, whereas “The Cave” series, for example, let’s your imagination roam free with the superhero/supervillain analogs.
Also, if you compare these others series to the “Route 69” series – which was some of your finest work, in my opinion – you’ll notice something else: The “Route 69” series presented a different city, a different opponent, and a different adventure with every story. It gave you almost total freedom to do something new and different each time while maintaining an overall narrative, and each chapter was amazing. None of your other series have the freedom that this approach gave you as a writer.
With the exception of “The Cave” series and its comic book elements and the “Route 69” series and its fresh-start approach with every chapter, your other series limit you to a particular location and make the character development much more challenging. It’s easy to assign the personality traits of a superhero or supervillain to a particular character, but it’s a lot harder as a writer to come up with all-new characters – especially when they’re stuck in the same federation and have no established gimmick to go on. We’ve seen glimpses of gimmicks in the “Rival Pro Wrestling” series with the Country Boys, the O’Sheas, and the evil Russian, but I’m sure it’s not as simple as making them like comic book characters as in “The Cave” series. Not that you aren’t up to the task, though, because you’re doing an EXCELLENT job with guys like Steve from “Big Beast”, Xander from “CLAW”, and even Slim Jim from “Rival Pro Wrestling”, but I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for you to create all these new and original characters in your head. No wonder there have only been a few chapters of these other series so far! They’re all great ideas that I’d love to see developed further.
I hope these observations help you decide which approach suits you best, Alex. I’ve found that much of life is about balance – about establishing a foundation but also branching out. At the rate you keep creating all these awesome new characters, soon we’ll have an entire PLANET of Alex Miller originals interacting with each other! :)
-JS
Also, can I make a quick comment about Beau? I mean, just look at that guy! How could a stud like that ever be dominated?! Even the smaller version of his pictures on the blog summary page immediately draw the eye. I find myself more firmly entrenched on the side of Dominant Beau every time I see him! :)
Delete-JS
Thanks! The Cave is definitely the foundation of everything. Even for other series. The best performing Route 69 and Rival stories are the ones where Cody makes a guest appearance (LA and RPW2). So I know where the bread is buttered.
DeleteWhat I have realized with new series is that they need a Batman-Bane launch. Something big and dramatic to set the tone. When I created The Cave, it was intended to be a trilogy and done. If I had to do it over again, I would start these other series with the same mindset ... short-term, kick off with something shocking, more drama and more work to really establish one or two foundational characters. Then if it works, build a world around that. If it doesn’t, move on.
I will say that I’m really happy with where CLAW is headed and if guys give the next RPW story a chance (posting 5/15), it could be a relaunch. It’s just taken me a few stories to figure out how they work best.
Encounters and Heroes are always intended to be limited, so they’re different animals.
As for Beau, physically, he’s unbeatable. It’s the mental game that’s tripping him up right now. Will that change? Time will tell ...