--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a kid growing up in the '80s…" description: "\"When I was a kid growing up in the '80s, the BBC showed those old Buster Crabbe serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. So instead of ponderous sci-..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mark-millar-4714_80s_when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-t_2861450.jpg" --- # When I was a kid growing up in the '80s, the BBC showed… ![“When I was a kid growing up in the '80s, the BBC showed those old Buster Crabbe serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. So instead of ponderous sci-fi or depressing sci-fi or dystopian sci-fi and all the things we're kind of used to, where it's always raining and it's always dark, I thought…” quote by Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mark-millar-4714_80s_when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-t_2861450.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mark-millar-4714_80s_when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-t_2861450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mark-millar-4714_80s_when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-t_2861450.jpg) > “When I was a kid growing up in the '80s, the BBC showed those old Buster Crabbe serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. So instead of ponderous sci-fi or depressing sci-fi or dystopian sci-fi and all the things we're kind of used to, where it's always raining and it's always dark, I thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to do something that was just fun and absolutely nonstop?" Like, I love writing action, and this thing is that. It's all action.” [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author prefers fun, nonstop action over dark, dystopian sci‑fi, emphasizing pure entertainment. **In simple terms:** Choose fun, nonstop action over dark. Key Takeaway Prioritize fun, relentless action. Themes creativity entertainment genre Mood enthusiastic playful Type creative inspirational When to use this quote - Writing comics - designing games - creating media content Key Concepts Comic books nostalgia action storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance fun with substance? - What risks arise from relentless action? A Different Perspective May neglect depth or meaningful themes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [80s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-80s-1090/) [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Action Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action-thing-328423/) [Being nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-nice/) [Buck rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buck-rogers/) [Bucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bucks/) [Busters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busters/) [Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comic/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Dystopian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dystopian/) [Flash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flash/) [Flash gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flash-gordon/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kids growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-growing-up/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Like Flash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-flash-680199/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rain/) [Roger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roger/) [Sci fi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sci-fi/) [Serials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serials/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-action-1343515/) ## Related quotes > [As a youngster, I read of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. As a student, I wrote English reports on science fiction. And as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/as-a-youngster-i-read-of-buck-rogers-and-flash-gordon-as-a-student-i/) [Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/) > [Star Wars' was derivative of 'Buck Rogers' and 'Flash Gordon,' wasn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/star-wars-was-derivative-of-buck-rogers-and-flash-gordon-wasn-t-it/) [Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/) > [When I was a young writer if you went to a party and told somebody you were a science-fiction writer you would be insulted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/when-i-was-a-young-writer-if-you-went-to-a-party-and-told-somebody/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Writing is the action of thinking, just as drawing is the action of seeing and composing music is the action of hearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/writing-is-the-action-of-thinking-just-as-drawing-is-the-action-of/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [If you want to change things in the USA it's best not to spend all your time writing but to take action against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-klein/if-you-want-to-change-things-in-the-usa-it-s-best-not-to-spend-all/) [Lee Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-klein/) > [I wrote this script in 2003, when I was a humble college student, sitting in my boxers and writing in my dorm room. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-daugherty/i-wrote-this-script-in-2003-when-i-was-a-humble-college-student/) [Evan Daugherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-daugherty/) > [By about the sixth romance I knew I wasn't in exactly the right place. I liked writing action. And I wanted to write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/by-about-the-sixth-romance-i-knew-i-wasn-t-in-exactly-the-right-place/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [You get so caught up in what you're writing - action sequences tend to do that more than anything else because you're living it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/you-get-so-caught-up-in-what-you-re-writing-action-sequences-tend-to/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [I wanted to do an action-y thing, purely because I'm the least fit, healthy person in the world. I wanted to prove to myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaya-scodelario/i-wanted-to-do-an-action-y-thing-purely-because-i-m-the-least-fit/) [Kaya Scodelario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaya-scodelario/) > [“Hope combined with action is the only thing that will bring you contentment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/hope-combined-with-action-is-the-only-thing-that-will-bring-you/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I am not an action hero. That is not the only thing I did in my career. Many people know me because of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-banderas/i-am-not-an-action-hero-that-is-not-the-only-thing-i-did-in-my-career/) [Antonio Banderas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-banderas/) > [The movies I like to make are very rich and full of passion. Some people see me as an action director, but action is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-woo/the-movies-i-like-to-make-are-very-rich-and-full-of-passion-some/) [John Woo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-woo/) > [When I do an action thing, it speaks louder than the things that I've done that are dramatic and comedy. Actually, if you look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/when-i-do-an-action-thing-it-speaks-louder-than-the-things-that-i-ve/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [It really wasn't my thing. It still isn't my thing, the whole science-fiction action thing. I prefer simpler, character-based movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/it-really-wasn-t-my-thing-it-still-isn-t-my-thing-the-whole-science/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [Words mean nothing. Action is the only thing. Doing. That's the only thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/words-mean-nothing-action-is-the-only-thing-doing-that-s-the-only/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) ## More by Mark Millar > [The past is an anchor with suffering written on the rope. I don't live there now. I am cutting myself free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/the-past-is-an-anchor-with-suffering-written-on-the-rope-i-don-t-live/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [For years I've wanted to work with this guy, so to actually write at the top of my scripts "Empress, Script by Mark Millar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/for-years-i-ve-wanted-to-work-with-this-guy-so-to-actually-write-at/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I spent as much time writing proposals in '98 and '99 as I did writing scripts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-spent-as-much-time-writing-proposals-in-98-and-99-as-i-did-writing/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I was desperate to work with Stuart Immonen, who I have talked with for several years about doing a project together. So just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-was-desperate-to-work-with-stuart-immonen-who-i-have-talked-with/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [ He \[Stuart Immonen\] and I have known each other over email for 18, 19 years or something, so to finally work with him is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/he-stuart-immonen-and-i-have-known-each-other-over-email-for-18-19/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [Guess that's thirty-one pieces of silver you've got now, huh? Sleep well, Judas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/guess-that-s-thirty-one-pieces-of-silver-you-ve-got-now-huh-sleep/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [ I think exactly the same qualities as men \[women role model needs\], exactly the same, which is kindness, courage and intelligence. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-think-exactly-the-same-qualities-as-men-women-role-model-needs/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I'm honestly as happy writing Superman Adventures as I am writing Wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-m-honestly-as-happy-writing-superman-adventures-as-i-am-writing/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [There's almost a universe as big as the Marvel Universe with X-Men. I mean, Deadpool is something I think everybody was taken surprise by,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/there-s-almost-a-universe-as-big-as-the-marvel-universe-with-x-men-i/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I wanted to portray very, very dark subject matter and a deceptively complex story in the brightest colours and simplest lines possible to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-wanted-to-portray-very-very-dark-subject-matter-and-a-deceptively/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [In the U.S., Superman or Batman or something, the law-enforcement people, are the most famous comic characters. Americans have a respect, I think, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/in-the-u-s-superman-or-batman-or-something-the-law-enforcement-people/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [The books are all very, very different so the publishers really had to be different too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/the-books-are-all-very-very-different-so-the-publishers-really-had-to/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I've done so many superhero comics, and I've actually just been really excited about sci-fi, and Chrononauts and Starlight were both sci-fi, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-ve-done-so-many-superhero-comics-and-i-ve-actually-just-been-really/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [Anytime something becomes a success in this way you always get imitators. I'm an imitator of the guys I love. I imitate people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/anytime-something-becomes-a-success-in-this-way-you-always-get/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [“I know that ostensibly I’ve been teaching you in our period together, but on the other hand I genuinely believe that you’ve been teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-know-that-ostensibly-i-ve-been-teaching-you-in-our-period-together/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) [Explore all 102 Mark Millar quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) ## More 80s quotes > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [As an actor I kind of do. I started out doing voice overs in the mid 80s when I was in grad school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/as-an-actor-i-kind-of-do-i-started-out-doing-voice-overs-in-the-mid/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [It's nice to have been around long enough to be a part of people's lives. A lot of people who come to my show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-easton/it-s-nice-to-have-been-around-long-enough-to-be-a-part-of-people-s/) [Sheena Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-easton/) > [ It was a very economically depressed time \[the 80s\] and because of that, there was a lot of space. Everything was relatively dilapidated, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-smith/it-was-a-very-economically-depressed-time-the-80s-and-because-of-that/) [Kiki Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-smith/) > [If for no other reason than it's just fun to watch people age, and it's fun to watch what happened to '80s hairdos and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-borstein/if-for-no-other-reason-than-it-s-just-fun-to-watch-people-age-and-it/) [Alex Borstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-borstein/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-kohncke/since-i-was-gay-and-loved-disco-music-it-was-kinda-pre-programmed/) [Justus Kohncke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-kohncke/) > [We are upsetting the atmosphere upon which all life depends. In the late 80s when I began to take climate change seriously, we referred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/we-are-upsetting-the-atmosphere-upon-which-all-life-depends-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [When I was coming up in the '80s television, if you were on television that meant either you were a young actor just coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/when-i-was-coming-up-in-the-80s-television-if-you-were-on-television/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [My fashion was not the best in the '80s. I looked crazy as hell. I used to wear my pants tucked into my socks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-cole/my-fashion-was-not-the-best-in-the-80s-i-looked-crazy-as-hell-i-used/) [Deon Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-cole/) > [Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-cook/bin-laden-was-though-a-product-of-a-monumental-miscalculation-by/) [Robin Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-cook/) > [When someone asks if you're a god, you say YES!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/when-someone-asks-if-you-re-a-god-you-say-yes/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) [Lou Lumenick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-lumenick/) > [I have this obsession with the '80s because I missed all of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-have-this-obsession-with-the-80s-because-i-missed-all-of-it/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [It was the case in the 70s and 80s that people believed music could change the world. But now people aren't making music because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/it-was-the-case-in-the-70s-and-80s-that-people-believed-music-could/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) [Browse all 488 80s quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-80s-1090/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was a kid growing up in the '80s, the BBC showed those old Buster Crabbe serials like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. So instead of ponderous sci-fi or depressing sci-fi or dystopian sci-fi and all the things we're kind of used to, where it's always raining and it's always dark, I thought, \"Wouldn't it be nice to do something that was just fun and absolutely nonstop?\" Like, I love writing action, and this thing is that. It's all action.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Millar" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-the-bbc-showed-those-old/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "80s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-the-bbc-showed-those-old/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mark-millar-4714_80s_when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-t_2861450.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mark-millar-4714_80s_when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-t_2861450.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e98/mark-millar-4714_80s_when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-t_2861450.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was a kid growing up in the '80s, the BBC showed those old Buster Crabbe serials like Flash Gordon…” — Mark Millar", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Millar", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was a kid growing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-the-bbc-showed-those-old/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/when-i-was-a-kid-growing-up-in-the-80s-the-bbc-showed-those-old/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```