Bloggers, lurkers, members of 4chan, my fellow Americans. From time to time it is incumbent upon us to stop and take stock of the state of our action/horror/fantasy/superhero/sci-fi union, as is mandated by that most revered of tomes, the Necronomicon-stitution. It is an important function that has been performed over and over again since time immemorial (or at least since we all graduated from dial-up). It has been performed in periods of feast and famine – from Battlefield Earth to Battlestar Galactica. From Y2K to Y: The Last Man. From Dungeon Master to Master Chief. It is our job, as the custodians of imagination and technology to protect and preserve the very ideals and ideas that make our culture “pop”.

However, while we do dwell in the realm of make-believe, let us never forget that our culture is all about the people. I’ve met some of these people in my time. People like Charlie, who waited three days in the freezing rain to be among the first to watch The Phantom Menace, only to head back home afterwards and burn his C3PO Underoos in effigy. People like Jason, who was unable to play Uncharted 2 for Twenty. Four. Hours. On a Monday. How else is he supposed to decompress from the strain of facing the bulk of the work week ahead? He’s already lost employee of the month, now he’s lost his “Proficient Treasure Hunter” trophy. When one of us suffers, so do we all.

Now let me be perfectly clear. At the moment, we are in the throes of a creative recession. But we did not cause it, we are merely the victims. Heroes has all but left the building, and Lost, while showing brief moments of excitement, still has the air of spinning wheels and the potential to ultimately confuse and disappoint. Seriously, that temple looks like a rejected design from Epcot Mexico.

Our movie theaters lie desolate and desperate. When Hollywood is left unchecked without strict regulations, George Lucas is allowed to conceive an idea for Indiana Jones 5, which will undoubtedly involve magic pixie unicorns from the Moon. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t care to live in a world where Valentine’s Day wins its weekend. I don’t care to live in a world where The Rock himself, Dwayne Johnson, has to pay the bills with syrupy derivative pablum like The Tooth Fairy. But take heart, my friends. There is hope. There is nothing wrong with Dwayne Johnson that cannot be fixed by what is right with Dwayne Johnson. Netflix The Rundown, you’ll see what I mean.

My friends, I see great things on the horizon. I see that Avatar, Up, and the excellent District 9 are all in contention for Best Picture Oscars. Yes, they had to add a few extra chairs at the table to include them, but the fact remains they are there. It is nothing less than a new era of legitimacy for science fiction and animation. ..or it’s more of an opportunity to make some extra cash for the films. Tomato, tomahto.

I look to the future and see Clash of the Titans and Kick-Ass coming next month. I see a summer filled with promise. A summer of Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, Macgruber, Prince of Persia, The A-Team, The Karate Kid, Jonah Hex, Toy Story 3, The Last Airbender, Inception, and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which is being called, in early rough cut screenings, the geekiest movie ever made. It’s a moniker that is already being challenged months before it even hits the screen. Tim Burton and Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov have announced they are interested in producing an adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the latest book from monster mash-up author Seth Grahame-Smith. The confluence of those two visually creative and original directors with what is already a wickedly cool concept could quite possibly result in an artistic Hadron Collider that sucks all other ideas out of existence into a geek black hole.

In our homes, I see God of War III, Split Second, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: Other M, Final Fantasy XIII, Alan Wake, and Super-Mega-Ultra-Hyper Street Fighter IV ready to cramp our fingers and bust our controllers with monumentally entertaining time mis-management.

On our TV screens, perhaps Flashforward and V will suck a little less. Perhaps Caprica will up the stakes. Of course, A Game of Thrones is now coming. The adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s book series represents HBO’s first venture into fantasy since the underrated Carnivale. In other words, the network that redefined television drama is now entering adult sword-and-sorcery territory. Now who can’t get behind that?

And so, my fellow ninjas, I sit here today to type to you that the state of our union is awesome. Wherever there are men and women of vision, wherever there are monsters, or robots, or heroes and villains, wherever the spark of creativity shines bright in the face of adversity, we will be there. And yes, there will be munchies.

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

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• Shattered Union From Game to Movie
• It’s All Geek To Me — Geek Smash Puny Casting Rumors!
• Game Over — The Current State of the Console War
• It’s All Geek To Me — TV Heroes After Heroes, Part 2: The Loebening