Beware Of Geek

Conan The Barbarian

2011-08-21T17:58:00.000-04:00

Conan of Cimmeria was created in December of 1932 by pulp writer Robert E. Howard. He rose to some prominence in 1966 when L. Sprague de Camp & Lin Carter edited a series of paperbacks containing edited versions of the original stories (and some of their own material) with covers by the great Frank Frazetta. He also appeared in comics published by Marvel, starting in 1970 and continuing for over 20 years.

But for many people, their image of Conan was shaped by the 1982 film, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. One common thread of all the advance press for this movie is that it is not a remake of the Arnie film, but is instead is based on the original books.

Sadly, this is not the case.

Pop quiz. What film am I talking about?

Conan is raised by his father, a blacksmith, who teaches him about steel. One day, his village is attacked by a warlord (with the assistance of some savage wildmen) who destroys his village, slays his father, and takes his father's sword. Conan grows up, and spends all his time seeking the identity of his father's killer. In the end, he slays the warlord in the hour of his final triumph.

Admittedly, the fine details are quite different (for one, young Conan is a complete badass), but the fact that the outline is so close is quite galling, particularly since with the exception of Conan's father's profession, none of those details are in the original stories.

And that's one of the three major problems I have with the film... it's a by-the-numbers revenge plot/origin story. When I think of all the great stories they could have adapted (one of which, Tower of the Elephant, is actually referenced in the film) however loosely, I can't help but wonder why they chose such a cliched storyline.

Another problem is also plot-related. The villain of the piece, Khalar Zym (who is an invader, but not an Invader) spends over 20 years searching for a way to empower an evil artifact called the "Mask of Acheron". When he finally succeeds… it's a funny hat. What little power it has is at best a minor plot twist, and at worst a complete anti-climax. A little more flash would have gone a long way.

The third problem is the style of camerawork for many of the fight scenes. A lot of quick-cuts and shifting cameras, which make it nigh-impossible to tell what happened. One fight, against some sand warriors, is interrupted for some odd reaction shots by whichever villain happens to be on the sideline at the time. Bizarre.

That being said, the original stories weren't the greatest plots either, so this is hardly a deal-breaker. What made the stories great was Howard's characters, and it's the acting that carries that in a film.

Jason Momoa does a good job as Conan with what he's given by the script. While he's forced to spend much of the film in growly obsessed vengeance-seeker mode (and no, the voice isn't as bad as Bale's Batman), he does get a few chances to show humor, introspection, and a fairly nasty imagination. He's also a LOT more cunning than you'd might expect. If this movie warrants a sequel, I hope he gets a chance to show off a bit more.

Tamara, as played by Rachel Nichols, has an unfortunate dichotomy in her role in the film. For much of it, she's a fairly strong character, who not only stands up for herself but has a certain amount of combat skill. But at the end of the movie, she's reduced to screaming for Conan to save her. (Spoiler alert: he does). While some of it does serve a plot point (calling back to an earlier scene in the film) it lessens the character considerably.

Stephen Lang's Khalar Zym was interesting. Some scenes suggest he was also motivated by revenge, but others have him sliding into Evil Overlord mode. Personally, I found the former scenes much more interesting, but in the end, the latter won out, unfortunately.

The fourth main character was Zym's daughter Marique, played by Rose McGowan in an unfortunate hairpiece that makes her look like a femal Larry Fine/Londo Mollari. Her job was pretty much to be strange, and show off her finger claw rings. That being said, she was probably the most fun to watch, as she nibbled the scenery.

Most of the remaining cast are forgettable, and serve to either deliver exposition, give Conan someone to talk to/rescue, or give Conan someone to kill in an amusing fashion (including, at one point, with a ballista). There are three major exceptions, all at the beginning of the film.

The first is Morgan Freeman, who narrates the beginning & end of the prologue. His voice was a pleasant surprise.

The second is Ron Perlman as Conan's father, Corin. While buried under some heavy makeup (a situation the actor should be quite familiar with) his portrayal is very strong, showing courage, wisdom, exasperation, and surprising tenderness.

And the last is Leo Howard, who portrays young Conan as almost as big a badass as his adult counterpart. Perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised, as a previous role was as the young Snake Eyes in G.I. JOE. Quite honestly, I could watch a movie with just those two actors (and Freeman can narrate :) ).

In the end, the biggest weakness in this movie isn't the acting, but the script. And that's a real disappointment. Hopefully, if there is a sequel, the script will be more up to the task. But I can't say I feel confident about that.

(Note: This movie is rated R, and rightly so. The violence is fairly graphic, and there are brief scenes of nudity, including a somewhat gratuitous love scene)

Cowboys & Aliens

2011-08-06T19:23:00.000-04:00

This is a tough film to review. Not because it's a particularly bad film. It isn't.

It's because it's neither bad nor good. It just sort of exists, in a nebulous realm of average film-making.

It's hard to point at a single detail and say "This is mediocre." The plot hits a lot of the classic western tropes, from the cruel cattle baron to the bright-eyed kid, with stops at mysterious stranger and stoic Indian chief. But you get the feeling that was the point. While the movie is called Cowboys & Aliens it's really a classic western with aliens thrown in. So certain character types are expected (only one I missed was "Town Drunk").

As such, it flows pretty well, only stumbling a bit in the final battle (which drags on a tad longer than it absolutely should. at least in my opinion). While there are few surprise twists, it's basically a classc plot, told fairly well.

And I have no complaints about the acting. Daniel Craig plays the reluctant hero very well, and the hints we get to his background help lift him out of the trap of becoming an Eastwood pastiche.

Harrison Ford, playing against type as the ostensible villain of the piece, has the strongest character arc of any of the main players. His turn toward redemption is only a little forced.

As for Olivia Wilde… she has little to work with, except in one scene where she bares all (emotionally and otherwise). But she's not really a major player, but the bridge between the leads and the supporting cast.

And it's a good cast. A nearly unrecognizable Clancy Brown channels his inner Jeff Bridges as the local preacher. Sam Rockwell plays the local barman/doctor? as someone out of his depth, but strongly motivated to help. And Paul Dano (a new name to me) does a great job as the eminently punchable Percy Dolarhyde (Ford's son). We even get Keith Carradine as the sheriff.

The weakest performance among the humans is probably Noah Ringer as the token kid. It's not that he does a BAD job, but that his role is so cliched as to give him no real way to shine. Then again... it's his second film ever. A little woodenness is understandable.

Then there's the aliens. Despite a fairly unique motivation for their invasion, their design is another bio-mechanical ooze-dripping monstrosity inspired by Giger. And their reason or kidnapping humans (ostensibly, to find our weaknesses) falls apart a bit when one realizes that they can pretty much kill humans at will.

This isn't the deal breaker either, though. After all, the aliens are less character than plot device. They could almost as easily been mythical creatures, demons, or monsters. The real focus is on the journeys the humans take. One to maturity (the boy), another to redemption (Ford). And the third...

Honestly, Craig's character does really change. He starts out a cipher, gains his memory back, saves the day... and then just leaves. He doesn't get the girl (or the OTHER girl). He doesn't find peace. He doesn't even get to keep the alien bling (pictured above). He just wanders out of the story, possibly heading toward a sequel.

Maybe that's it. Craig is the first character we see. Most of the film follows him, and a good chunk of the plot centers on who he is and what he can do. And at the end, there's no payoff. He doesn't get a happy ending, or a sad ending. He just gets an ending.

Ah well... it's still a decent western. If that's enough for you, you might want to rent this someday.

Final thought: Harrison Ford + Native Tribespeople > Alien Army. I half expected the Apaches to break out into cries of "Yub Nub!" at the end. :)

Thundercats: Omens

2011-07-29T21:11:00.000-04:00

I'll admit it. Even though the various trailers & clips showed promise, part of me was always leery of the idea of a Thundercats revamp. There were plenty of ways that things could have gone wrong.

They didn't. Tonight's premiere episode (well, technically 2 eps) showed that the new Thundercats series has many of the elements that made the original series fun, married to a story of surprising depth & complexity. Thundera, for all it's strength, was far from utopic, and Lion-O was not the only character with lessons to learn.

Despite the limited length (1 hour, including commercials) every character had a chance to shine, from proud Claudus to a surprisingly not-annoying Snarf. There was even a cameo by Lynx-O (one of the later additions to the original series).

Of course, being the sort of geek I am, seeing Mumm-Ra blown through a wall was quite cathartic. *grin*

I'll be watching next week for sure. After all, we still need to meet Panthro.

Captain America

2011-07-23T18:41:00.001-04:00

To my recollection, Captain America has been portrayed in live action by three actors before this film.

The first version, a 1940's serial starring Dick Purcell, was a truly hideous adaptation, with a different backstory, motivation, and identity. He didn't even have a shield.

The second, a pair of 1979 TV movies with Reb Brown, weren't MUCH better, although they at least got his name right.

And the last was the 1990 Matt Salinger pic, an utterly forgettable piece best known for the costume's rubber ears.

I believe I can say, without fear of contradiction, that this film blows them all out of the water.

The plot is familiar to anyone with semi-decent knowledge of the character. Scrawny loser volunteers for a test, gets turned into a Super Soldier, fights Germans, and helps to save the day. The basic outline is the same, and while there are some twists (including a rather nifty take on Bucky Barnes), there are no real surprises.

This isn't a drawback, although it may sound like one. The broad strokes serve a very useful purpose, in that they allow the story to move. With the exception of one drawn-out sequence involving the USO (which, I suspect, drags on purpose) the plot keeps moving forward, sweeping the viewer along until the final confrontation.

It's not a breakneck pace, mind you. There's breathing room, but they flow organically from what proceeds to what follows. There's little padding in the script, and much to enjoy. I will admit that it stumbles at the very end, lacking a final punch to close the movie off (unless you count the stinger/teaser at the very end of the credits), but not enough to spoil the film.

The real strength of the film, however, are the characters. Naturally, Steve Rogers is the heart of the film (in more ways than one) and Chris Evans' performance will amaze a lot of folks who only know him as Johnny Storm or one of The Losers. The wisecracks he's best known for do not make an appearance, and are replaced instead by an earnest desire to do one's part to defend the world. It's very easy to forget who he was in other films, when who he is in this one rings so true.

His polar opposite, of course, is Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull. I found his performance surprisingly low-key, considering the character is truly mad. Perhaps it is because his is the insanity of the fanatic, not the lunatic. He truly sees himself as the bearer of a great destiny, and (as one character put it) he has the power to actually achieve it. And that makes him truly scary.

Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter serves an interesting role as the love interest. It's not quite the same role as Green Lantern's Carol Ferris, or Thor's Jane Foster, as their closeness grows during the story, instead of taking place mostly offscreen. It's fascinating how their scenes together fit so well into the storyline, without feeling like an interruption.

Most of the other characters, like Stanley Tucci's Professor Erskine, or Tommy Lee Jones' General Phillips, are given little to do, but feel real in their brief moments to shine. Jones especially gets a few great lines in (including a lovely callback to the Hydra oath that seems so obvious in retrospect I'm amazed it's never shown up in the comics). Another character that was a pleasant surprise was Howard Stark (Tony's father, and apparent role model). Dominic Cooper channels just enough Robert Downey Jr. to make the relationship clear without turning into parody or pastiche. And, in his own way, he's as much a hero as his son.

That being said, one character I found a bit one-note was Sebastian Stan's "Bucky" Barnes, here recast as Steve's best friend from Brooklyn (and an unofficial replacement for the WW2 era Nick Fury). He was believable as "the hero's buddy", but I'm hard pressed to remember anything distinctive about him. He could have easily been another one of the Howlers.

(Yes, they are in the film. Yes, they kick butt. And yes, Dum-Dum Dugan shouts "WA-HOO!" at one point.)

But that still doesn't detract from the strength of the film, an old-fashioned adventure film that hearkens back to the director's The Rocketeer, which coincidentally reached its 20th anniversary this year. In fact, I'm half-certain that Rogers wears that hero's distinctive leather jacket at one point, although I may be wrong.

There are, however, little details that I know are in the film, including a lovely Easter egg in the form of a red-suited "synthezoid" in a tube at the 1943 World's Fair. The chronology may be off, but the cameo is perfect.

If one desired, one could quibble about some clunky dialogue, cliched characters, or logical leaps in the plot, but in the end, it really doesn't matter.

Captain America is a fun movie. And worth watching.

Super 8

2011-06-26T18:37:00.002-04:00

Super 8 was not on The List of movies I planned to watch this much. I'm not a big fan of horror movies, and even less of a fan of the school of "hint, not show" film-making. So, I'd originally planned to give it a miss.

This was a mistake.

Super 8 is a love letter to a certain kind of adventure movie, movies like Stand By Me & The Goonies. It's a movie about friendship and growing up, and is worth a watch.

The film set in 1979, and (with only a few anachronistic moments) embraces the realities of that era while neatly sidestepping some of the more outre elements. It starts out in a surprisingly Hitchcockian manner, taking it's time to introduce us to our juvenile leads… well, half of them, anyway. The other three are given only minimal characterization.

However, soon enough, the train wreck of the trailers (a loud, pyrotechnic affair with Abrams' patented lens flares) introduces the central mystery of the piece, and the plot goes from Hitchcock to Stephen King, as the plucky kids investigate the mystery of the crash. Naturally, complications arise, Joe's dad "takes a level in badass", and it all gets wrapped up in a Spielberg ending (which fits, as he was the producer).

But Abrams never forgets the heart of the film, which is young Joe Lamb's relationships with his father, his friends, and, just perhaps, his first love. It's that heart that lifts the film above the cliches. You never really care what the McGuffin is, or even what it looks like (we never get a really good look). But you do care about Joe, and you want him to do well.

The acting is believable (well, except when it's supposed to be purposefully bad), although, as I mentioned above, only three are given much characterization, the others being "kid who likes to blow things up", "kid who occasionally throws up", and "the other one".

Joe Lamb, played by newcomer Joel Courtney, carries the heaviest burden of the film, as it's really his story. His character is realistic, well-rounded, and believably geeky (I'm a child of that era... I knew kids like him).

Elle Fanning (sister of Dakota) plays Alice, who goes from being standoffish, to intrigued, to empathic, showing the most growth over the film. That being said, one scene with a video projector goes a bit heavy on the schmaltz.

The third "lead" (really, more of a major supporting role) is Charles, Joe's best friend, played by Riley Griffiths, another newcomer. He's given the voice of reason role and drives most of the plot. He does well, although one scene which is meant to add tension comes out of nowhere and vanishes almost as quickly.

The other kids... are there. None really serve a major role in the plot. Indeed, when one was left behind at one point, I didn't even notice he was missing. The adults (in particular Joe & Alice's fathers) have their spotlight scenes and arcs to complete, but they are at best secondary.

I have to give credit to an unrecognizable David Gallagher (who some may remember from 7th Heaven) for a bravura performance as a stoner who runs the local film store, and comes dangerously close to stealing the film in his scenes (including one where he's unconscious). He also inspires one of the most quotable lines in the film:

"Oh, drugs are so bad"

(It's worth hearing it in context. Trust me).

Is Super 8 destined to become a classic? No, probably not, as it does meander quite a bit, and could probably use some trimming. But it is a good film, and worth catching.

BTW: Stick through the credits to see Charles' cinematic zombie masterpiece, The Case. It's fun.

Green Lantern

2011-06-18T15:32:00.004-04:00

Green Lantern, as a film, had several strikes going against it, before it even hit the movie screens.

First, GL is not one of the better known characters in the public eye, at least among those who don't watch cartoons (and probably half of those think he's supposed to be black). He isn't a Superman, a Batman, a Wonder Woman, or even an Aquaman. There's little chance that your average film-goer has been waiting all his life to see "Green Lantern done right".

Secondly, the lead actor, Ryan Reynolds, is best known for (and excels at) playing somewhat goofy wise-crackers. And the percentage of the audience that DOES know the character thinks of him as more of a straight-arrow type. When the first trailer hit, and Reynolds seemed to be using his default film persona ("I know, right?") I'm sure several fans gave up on the film then and there.

Finally, it's an origin story. And that means a chunk of the movie must be devoted to showing the main character's growth from ordinary guy to hero. Done poorly, that can be tremendously dull.

Given that, did Green Lantern overcome it's handicaps, and rise to the occasion?

Honestly… no.

Don't get me wrong, it's not a BAD film. But it's not a particularly good one either.

The human characters, with the exception of Reynolds himself, are basically window dressing. There's Carol Ferris, played by Blake Lively, who is supposed to be the love of his life, but has zero chemistry with Jordan.

There's his best friend Tom, played by newcomer Taikia "I'm not Ted Raimi" Waititi, who does best-friendish things, and looks amazed on cue.

There's secondary villain Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) who does an adequate job of filling time while we wait for Jordan to discover his inner heroism.

And a bunch of other characters (including Angela Basset's surprisingly svelte Amanda Waller, and Hal's here-and-gone again family), all of whom cash in their plot coupons and disappear from the film, often by being killed off.

As for the aliens, the only ones with anything remotely resembling a personality are Mark Strong's Sinestro and Michael Clarke Duncan's Kilowog. And those are right out of central casting: Sinestro is the proud commander, and Kilowog the tough drill sergeant.

The central plot line is by-the-book. Ordinary guy is recruited to defend the universe against an all-encompassing evil. At first, he fails, and gives up, but in the end he rises to the occasion and wins the day. While there's some attempt to give the character depth (by introducing some tragedy into his backstory, courtesy of a Geoff Johns-penned comic) it comes across as flat. Hal's supposedly traumatized by his fear, but we don't really SEE it. We're simply TOLD he feels it.

There are a few subplots, particularly Hammond's, but they feel more like padding than anything else. And, in what I consider the biggest disappointment of the film, about 90% of the scenes on Oa appear in either the trailers or in publicity clips online. I haven't added them up, but I'd estimate the scenes there, showing off the vast panoramas of the world and multitudinous species of the Corps take up about 20 minutes of the film... and about half of that is Jordan being shown up by other Lanterns.

Finally, though, Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of sector 2184, confronts the evil menace of ~~Sauron~~ Parallax. And defeats him in one of the more anti-climactic battles I've seen in a while. (Spoiler: Apparently, cosmic menaces that can cross galaxies in mere moments can't handle the gravity of a star. Go figure.) If Parallax was that weak, why did so many other veteran Lanterns have so much trouble with him?

There are a few other minor plot holes that stuck in my mind:

We're told the ring has a database that Hal can access subconsciously, hence his complete knowledge of sector 2813's astrography and population. But immediately thereafter, he's asking basic questions about the Corps, info you'd expect would be the first thing implanted.
Why did it take so long for the ring to take him to Oa? Is there a bylaw in the GL charter that says "A prospective Lantern must first be beaten up in a parking lot before he can be inducted"?
The inconsistent treatment of the uniform's mask. At first, we're told that it only appears when it's necessary to hide his identity. And at first, that seems to be the case. But even when he's alone with people who know his ID (the worst kept secret in the movie) the mask stays on.
Why did Sinestro & the others wait until Parallax was gone to rescue Hal? Why didn't they HELP?

Oh yes. There's a stinger in the credits, one that fans of the comic character will not be surprised by. But it exists only to set up a possible sequel, and actually contradicts a major character's state of mind at the end of the film. It happens because the writer wants it to happen, not because it makes sense.

The movie isn't all bad, however. With the exception of one flying scene, the CGI is quite good, and the constructs and costume look much better in context. And the music is appropriately heroic (I swear I heard some motifs from the Williams Superman score).

But, ultimately, this movie is ruined by wasted potential. The most interesting scenes are actually the ones explaining the background of Hal's predecessor, Abin Sur, which hinted at a great space opera adventure. THAT is the movie I wanted to see, not another "heroic journey" tale. With the entirety of the universe to play in, Green Lantern is, literally, too mundane.

Could have been worse, though. It could have been Jack Black.

X-Men: First Class

2011-06-11T16:09:00.001-04:00

Or… "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Maggy".

For make no mistake, this film belongs to Professor X & Magneto. And really, that's at the heart of First Class's problems, It's not with the plot, really, which while a bit thin, is perfectly workable. And the effects are quite good, particularly when Magneto cuts loose.

It's with the characters, specifically the X-Men & "evil mutants". None of the proto-X-men (with the possible exception of Mystique) get anything remotely resembling a backstory, and very little personality. And that makes their various spotlight scenes feel rather thin. Without an emotional connection to a character, it's difficult to feel any reaction at their triumphs, betrayals, or even deaths. The character who dies seems to have been created to die, as he really did little else in the film, and even the way he died felt forced, if not an outright continuity error.

Shaw's minions are even worse, as one of them is never actually named, another is basically a palette-swapped Nightcrawler, and the third (Emma Frost, one of the more entertaining characters in the comics) comes across very flat. She could have used an infusion of dry wit, if not outright cattiness.

A word about Mystique: her character arc wandered all over the map, from sisterly concern, to a desire to conform, to a desire to rebel, all within the space of a couple of weeks. Looking at it from the outside, it felt like she never really had motivations of her own, instead latching on the nearest strong male presence and following his lead. The subtext is rather troubling.

For his part, Shaw comes across as your classic 1960's Bond villain, complete with undersea base and mirrored sanctum (what IS it with villains and mirrored rooms?). His motivations are so basic as to be almost ridiculous, based on a cartoonish idea of science that would have been easier to swallow if the rest of the film hadn't tried so hard to be plausible.

(I do have a theory that he could come back as Mister Sinister, though. They even provided a nifty explanation for his forehead diamond.)

That leaves the two main characters (and they ARE the main characters, no matter what the posters imply). Charles Xavier, as portrayed by James McAvoy, has the roots of peaceful mediator of the future, but the story makes him come across as a bit naive, particularly in the final confrontation with Shaw (during which he simultaneously screams at Erik to stop while not doing anything to stop him). Still, his gee-whiz charm (when he's sober, anyway) makes him an engaging character.

As for Michael Fassbender's Magneto. Wow. Even though his friendship with Xavier is a bit abrupt, he's by far the most interesting (and tragic) character in the film. I'd say that his performance, by itself, lifts the movie from merely average to quite good. Indeed, I could have easily watched a film about his hunt for fugitive Nazis, and had it end with him meeting Xavier for the first time. I vaguely recall hearing that this movie includes elements of the abortive X-Men Origins:Magneto project, which explains quite a lot.

And yes, there's a cameo (two, actually) tying it to the other films, but a picky fan could spot other cameos and plot points that indicate this can't be a prequel to those films. Doesn't make the movie any better or worse.

Is it a great film? Honestly, no. I've only hinted at some of the plot holes, but they are there, and the characterization shortcomings among the supporting cast are notable. But it is an interesting one, particularly when Fassbender is on the screen. And sometimes, that's enough.

Thor

2011-05-22T20:56:00.001-04:00

Saw Thor today (I wanted to see it earlier, but was felled by a nasty bout of bronchitis), and I wanted to get my thoughts down while they are fresh.

One thing I will NOT do this time around is review it as an adaptation. Because, while there were several shout-outs to (and a welcome cameo of) Walter Simonson, no film could match the sheer quality of his run. Hence, it would be unfair to judge it by that standard.

So, as a thing unto itself, how did it do? Not bad, not bad at all. I think it's best to judge it on 3 levels: The Plot, The Characters, and The Effects.

The Plot

At first, it seemed like there would be few surprises. Thor does something stupid, gets banished, and has to reclaim his hammer to save Asgard. You could tell that much from the trailer. But along the way, the movie fed us several surprises.

First, his "arrogant" act was actually quite justifiable, given his upbringing and approach. He was reared as a warrior, with a warrior's approach. Indeed, in a way, Thor & Loki made the same mistake, treating worthiness as something to be earned via strength of arms, not character.

I also thought that having Thor find his hammer BEFORE he became worthy gave the character some badly needed pathos. He thought it would be easy, when instead it was a challenge greater than any of us expected.

Finally, it was refreshing to see Loki do something unexpected. Rather than go through all this merely to seize the throne, he had much more personal motives in mind. His plan led o Thor defending the one realm I never expected.

However, the plot definitely had drawbacks. The sections on Midgard were both too long, and too short. Too long because we spent a lot of time trying to make Jane Foster an interesting character, and too short because Thor's character arc seemed to come out of nowhere. There seemed little REASON for him to suddenly make the choice he did, except the story demanded it. Perhaps if Jane had still been a medical professional, and he'd seen her work to save lives, his growth would have made more sense.

The Characters

I liked Hemsworth as Thor. While not the somewhat melodramatic character of the comics, he was relatable without being mundane. Cocky, without being an ass about it. And when he grew into his power (as mentioned above) it sorta worked, even if some of the emotional underpinnings were missing.

Anthony Hopkins made for a regal and paternal Odin. And while Rene Russo had less to do as Frigga, she still managed to hold her own.

Loki was fantastic. Mischievous, emotional, but never actually evil. He reminded me of Edmund, from King Lear, which is perhaps not surprising, given Branagh's background. And Hiddleston looks fabulous in a suit.

The real surprise for me was Idris Elba's Heimdall. Despite the controversy surrounding his casting, I soon forgot it completely, as he handily stole almost every scene he was in. I particularly liked his scene with Sif & the Warriors Three.

Sif, with what she was given, did well. She played the warrior goddess well, without losing her femininity or uniqueness. I can't say the same for the Warriors Three, unfortunately. Volstagg was the only member of the trio to have any scenes that gave him (the barest) characterization, while Hogun & Fandral were basically window dressing. I felt like they were added as a sop to the comics fans, and the story would have worked equally well with Sif alone.

On the human side, things did not go as well. For a character who was supposed to be a maverick scientist, Portman's Jane Foster was rather whiny, indecisive, and babbling. Stellan Skarsgard's Selvig went from being the resident skeptic to the comic relief, and the best thing I can say about Darcy is that when she vanished from the plot for a period, it didn't suffer from her absence.

Agent Coulson (from Iron Man 1 & 2) lacked some of the snarkiness I'd seen in his earlier appearances, and as for the cameo of a certain archer... it happened. That's basically all I can say about it.

The Effects

Asgard looked a LOT better than the trailer made me fear. It was less "Academy Award set", and more "Norse version of Stargate". The Destroyer was scarier than any comics portrayal I've ever read, and Bifrost, while drastically unlike any depiction I'd seen in the past, practically thrummed with power. The Jotun basically worked, and I have few complaints about the costuming (except it looked like Odin's eyepatch changed color at some point, from gold to black).

I think they could have worked a little harder on the CGI for Thor's powers, though. When he confronted the Destroyer the second time, I could barely make out what was going on. The initial flying scenes seemed awkward as well (although they improved dramatically once he returned to Asgard).

There were also several scenes (particularly in Jotunheim) where things were a bit too dark. While I saw the film in 2D, I suspect they would have been worse when shaded by 3D glasses.

All in all, while not a perfect Thor film (particulalry on Midgard), it was a lot better than I feared. I will probably watch it again.

Oh yes, and Walt got his cameo. He fit in great among the Gods. :)

(For those looking, he's in the banquet at the end. You see him sitting next to Sif after Volstagg finishes his boast.)

The Aquaman Predicament: A Geek's Solution

2011-04-02T10:34:00.001-04:00

Poor Aquaman. Despite being one of the few superheroes who were published continuously through the Golden & Silver Ages, he's often dismissed as "swims fast, talks to fish" (and yet, no one ever dismisses Flash as "runs fast", or Green Arrow as "shoots arrows"). He's remembered more for his portrayal on the Super Friends over 30 years ago, than for the decades of stories before or since.

And now, Geoff Johns has announced he's relaunching the character with a new series, post-Flashpoint. And before he reveals his take, I thought I'd take a shot at my version. Why? Because I'm a geek, that's why. :)

The Hero

Various authors (most famously, Peter David in 1994) have attempted to break Aquaman free of his TV-derived image by making the character darker, and more "cool". But here's the thing:

Aquaman doesn't NEED to be cool.

He needs to be FUN.

At his heart, Aquaman is an oceanic adventurer, exploring one of the last great frontiers. In my opinion, he needs to get back to that. I see him as someone who has been through a tremendously transformative experience, and has rethought his priorities. He wants to live life, and not just swim from day to day.

So what does he do? He sets things up so Atlantis can take care of itself, and that his friends on the surface can get the aid they need (see below), packs his trident, and goes exploring with his wife. And our story begins.

(As a side note, while I enjoy his Batman: The Brave and the Bold portrayal, I think it best to turn it down a few notches. Aquaman needs to be taken seriously, even if he's not particularly solemn)

The Costume

As much as we'd like to think otherwise, appearances matter in comics, and a costume design can make (or break) a book. And while Aquaman has tried other looks in the past, he always goes back to the orange & green.

So let's think about this. He's part of an undersea culture. They wouldn't bother with loose, flowing garments (except, perhaps, for artistic reasons), and if they bothered to wear clothes at all, it would be for protection from the elements and predators.

So what if the shirt wasn't orange cloth... but a form of armor, specifically the ancient alloy orichalcum (believed to be a combination of gold &; copper). It's a very fine mesh, not only to save weight, but to protect against punctures. Orin also has the "Sword of Atlantis" armor, for ceremonial occasions (the plates are actually a variety of abalone, not metal).

I also see nothing wrong with the traditional short hair and cleanshaven look. Long hair simply gets in the way, underwater, and he doesn't need to look like Conan anymore.

Certainly, the outfit can be tweaked a bit. Over at Project Rooftop, there was a recent Aquaman redesign contest, and there are a few nice outfits among the winners. I particularly like these:

But those are really just minor details.

The Powers

Superpowers are the joy and the bane of any comicbook character. A sizeable portion of the fandom is less interested in messy details like plot & characterization, so long as the character kicks tail regularly. And Aquaman, in all his incarnations, has had a tougher time than most.

The way I figure it, all Atlanteans are capable of breathing underwater (but not in air) and projective telepathy (i.e. they can send thoughts, but not read them). It's a necessity for an aquatic species. Furthermore, because of the whole "ocean depths" thing, they are all stronger, faster, and have better night vision than surface dwellers. Some have learned to use their ability to "call" animals, but it requires a bit of effort, especially with larger creatures.

Orin, as Atlan's son, is stronger than the average Atlantean, allowing him to not only summon them, but even influence them. As king, he wields the trident of Poseidon, a mystical artifact which allows him to tap into the Clear (a subset of the field Animal Man uses) allowing true communication with (and dominion over) all that live in the ocean. He's also physically stronger, and purely amphibous.

For the stories I would want to tell, that's really all he needs. He doesn't need the water hand (while it was an intriguing idea, and I liked the Arthurian mythology, it was never strongly defined, and ended up a deus ex manus), and he certainly doesn't need a harpoon. Oh, I could see him using the "sword" from the Busiek/Williams era, but not as a usual thing.

The Setting

Aquaman, for much of his history, has been intimately linked with Atlantis (aka Poseidonis, but that's a minor issue). While various writers have tried more modern settings (New Venice, Sub Diego) they never seem to last long.

So if we want to use Aquaman, we have to address the setting. First, though, we have to throw away some misconceptions.

1. There's NOTHING WRONG with limiting our stories to underwater, any more than limiting Batman to Gotham City or Blue Beetle to El Paso. Those settings work because they are not merely backdrops. The cities have a character all to themselves. The same can be done to Atlantis.

2. A city doesn't have to be modern to be interesting. While there may be a criminal element, it won't be the Mafia, and we won't need stories about drug dealers or street gangs. Especially without streets.

Another problem with Atlantis is the aforementioned instability. If it's not being destroyed from without, it's suffering coups d'etat. While I can certainly empathize with a desire for drama, things can be made much more interesting if you toss in some Byzantine politics.

But how can you do adventure stories while having Orin deal with court intrigue? At first, I thought of having Aquaman stay on the throne and have someone else have the adventures, but I recently had a much better idea.

Why not turn Atlantis into a federal constitutional monarchy? In that form of government, the king is the head of state with specific powers (such as commander-in-chief of the military), but actual governing is handled by a parliament (the Chamber of Speakers) and the First Speaker/Prime Minister (probably Vulko, unless he's still a ghost).

There's still plenty of room for intrigue, as the Chamber can have a subset composed of noble houses from all over the ocean, some loyal to the house of Atlan, some not so. Amusingly, perhaps the best model for what I'm thinking of would actually be the "Landsraad", from Frank Herbert's Dune.

As for Atlantis itself, I think making things too magical can turn people off. But the idea that they've invented/rediscovered organic technology has potential, so long as it isn't the veiny bulbous tech we've seen so many times before. I'd like to see biotech with an art noveau flair, sort of a cross between Rivendell and Davies-era Doctor Who

Of course, the ocean is HUGE. While Vulko deals with court intrigue, Orin & Mera can be having all sorts of underwater adventures. Most of the cities that have already been named (Poseidonis, Tritonis, Thierna Na Oge, Basilia, Shayeris) are all in the Atlantic. Who's to say that deep in the Pacific, where the pressures warp life into strange forms, there isn't another culture? An older one? Maybe even an Elder one?

The Supporting Cast

Aquaman has always had supporting cast members, but some writers have had difficulty finding things for them all to do. Here are a few thoughts.

Mera: I see her and Orin as having a "Scott Free & Big Barda" relationship. Aquaman, due to his powers and nature, tends to approach challenges more thoughtfully, while Mera prefers the direct approach. Not that Aquaman isn't capable of slugging it out himself, but more that with Mera, that's often plan A.

Vulko: If he's not still dead, I see him as playing the political role. If he is, we'd need to find someone else to play that part (Garth would have been choice, but he's dead too. Perhaps Nuada Silverarm?)

Lorena & Kaldur’ahm: While they can certainly join with the couple on occasion, I see them as representing Atlantis on the surface, both as goodwill ambassadors and heroes (probably Titans). It amuses me to give them a more adversarial "Hepburn & Tracy" relationship.

There's plenty of room for new characters, both in Atlantis and elsewhere in the ocean. For example:

The House of Danu, a Celtic-derived undersea realm that wants to return to a more mystical society.
Chang Lung, the dragon protector of China.
The TRUE Dweller in the Depths.

You get the idea. Two characters I refuse to use are Manta & Ocean Master. Overused, the both of them.

The Wrap-Up

The key to Aquaman's success, in my opinion, is that he has to move FORWARD. The more stories re-writing his origin, or revisiting old foes, the less likely he is to succeed. But that's my approach... let's see how Johns does it.

Sucker Punch

2011-03-27T18:22:00.001-04:00

I saw Sucker Punch, the next movie on The LIST today, accompanied by my usual partner in crime Margaret, a.k.a. The Cerebus Fangirl. I have to admit, this is not the movie I was expecting, given the trailers and clips released online.

True, the action scenes were kinetic, explosive, and not a little fan-servicing, but they really weren't the focus of the film. If anything, they were just the icing on a much deeper cake. But I really can't explain why without going into spoilers.

The movie operates on three levels of reality, although it spends most of it's time on only one. The primary level of reality, as hinted in the trailers, is of Emily Browning's character, who is only called by the nickname "Baby Doll" being committed to an insane asylum after a series of tragic (and criminal) events. She is ordered to be lobotomized (illegally) in 5 days, and we actually see the procedure begin.

And then, in a sudden shift, we enter the secondary reality, where Baby Doll is instead sent to a burlesque club/bordello, and the 5-day threat is to her virtue, not her cerebral cortex. This is the reality we spend most of the time in, and (to be honest) it's a bit dull. While it's clear that Zack Snyder (the director) wanted to make the characters sympathetic, we get so little back-story on most of the other girls that they seem like ciphers. Really, the only thing allows us to tell Amber and Blondie apart is Amber's race. Otherwise, we have no idea who they are, why they are prostitutes, or what makes them different from the multitude of other "danncers". We get slightly more information about Sweet Pea and Rocket, but not much. And that's only because they are sisters.

In any case, Baby Doll is made to dance, and that catapults her into the tertiary reality. which is the one where all the over-the-top action takes place. Apparently, she only exists at this level so long as she dances, for as soon as she completes her first mission, the dance concludes in level 2.

(This is actually one of the niftier bits of the movie. We never see her actually dance, but only the impact of it on other characters. a daring conceit, and executed well.)

The film dances between the secondary and tertiary level, as Baby Doll's plan to escape is reflected in her adventures in various alternate worlds (or partly the other way around. Things get fluid after a while). At first, she and the others do very well, winning their missions and gaining the proper McGuffin for their escape plan.

The rest of this review are BIG spoilers, so turn back now if you don't want to know more.

Soon enough, things fall apart on both levels, and there are deaths.The secondary level ends with Baby Doll sacrificing herself so that Sweet Pea, the only other survivor can escape and return to her family. Baby Doll explains that it was really Sweet Pea's story, all along, as she was the only character strong enough to survive on the outside.

But then, we are catapulted back into the primary level, where the lobotomy completes. But things are not that clear cut, as we learn, through dialogue, that many of the events of the secondary level ALSO happened during the five-day gap, and indeed one of the patients escaped.

The orderly (who was the club owner in the secondary level) gets his comeuppance, and we see Sweet Pea manage to get on a bus to go home. Except... the bus driver is the Wise Man, a mentor figure we only ever saw on the tertiary level, who lies for her so she can board. The movie ends with a voice-over, referencing some earlier dialogue about self-reliance.

(Also, apparently, a musical number, but I didn't stay for the credits.)

The ending is the real "sucker punch" of the film, and reminds me of the "bad" ending to Terry Gilliam's Brazil, although we do get somewhat more of a happy ending in this version. Actually, much of this film reminds me of that work, what with the oppressive real world twinned with an idealized reality. There are also elements of Alice In Wonderland, and (surprisingly) Grant Morrison's recently completed Joe the Barbarian (if Joe was a young blond woman with a penchant for schoolgirl outfits). Actually, the fluidity of reality in this work is very Morrisonian, particularly as the second and third levels begin to meld.

Would I recommend the film? I'm not sure, really. The action scenes are very well done, and Snyder doesn't overuse his favorite "slow motion action" trope too much. But they really aren't the focus of the film, and only take up maybe a half hour of screen time. We are meant to focus on the secondary level plot, instead, but the lack of emotional connection to many of the characters harms it, and turns in into an ambitious, yet ultimately flawed, experiment.

Still, it's a tremendously VISUAL film. I've seen it described as a video game as film, and I can see where that comes from, despite being a non-gamer. The cinematography and fight choreography take things to another level, and there's no artificiality, despite the presence of steampunk German zombies and giant samurai with miniguns.

I'd say that it's a decent popcorn film, and worth seeing in IMAX for the visuals alone. A bigger screen means you get more of the subtle touches.

Oh, and one more thing: Am I the only one who wondered if Scott Glenn's Wise Man character was originally written for David Carradine? He certainly had that vibe....

Geekstory: Birth of a Geek

2011-03-15T19:34:00.000-04:00

When you get down to it. it's really all my sister's fault.

I learned how to read very early. The way it was told to me was that my sister taught me how to read sometime during my toddler years as a way to keep me out of her hair. It must have worked, because I have also heard tales of me sitting in the back of kindergarten with a big book on my lap.

But in those days, I wasn't a geek. Not yet. For the most part, I read the usual picture books (Richard Scarry was big in my house), and while I was a fan of superheroes, I really didn't read comics. I had TV for that (Wonder Woman, Superfriends, Six Million Dollar Man).

Then I had my tonsils out. And, to keep me entertained during my recovery, my folks bought me a bunch of books:

# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume One: Batman
# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume Two: Wonder Woman
# The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Volume Three: Superman

And, on the other side:

# Origins of Marvel Comics
# Son of Origins of Marvel Comics

I read the HELL out of those books. But I still didn't buy more than the occasional newstand comic. And, in time, they ended up in a box somewhere, forgotten and eventually tossed out. I moved on to Encyclopedia Brown, Danny Dunn, & the Hardy Boys (among others)

Interestingly, this accidentally led to one of my other obsessions. My dad knew I liked books about superheroes, so when an itinerant bookseller visited his store, and he saw a book called The Wonder Book, he assumed it was about Wonder Woman. Turned out, it was a very different book:

And my lifelong fondness for mythology began.

Time passed. While I was socially introverted, poor at sports, and academically adept, I wasn't yet a geek. Then my sister came back into the picture…

One day, while at the mall with some friends, she picked up a couple of paperbacks for me on a whim. And these are the books she brought home:

And a geek was born.

I haven't looked back since. :)

Tweaking the Focus

2011-03-15T18:49:00.000-04:00

Looking over the last several posts on this blog, I see a lot of videos and images, but not a lot of original content. And since most of my readers are also on my personal Facebook page, that's a little redundant (particularly since I can share vids faster there than on here).

So I'm going to change things up a bit. The "stuff I found" posts will be on Facebook (if you aren't a friend there, drop me a line), while I'll save the longer posts, including List reviews, for here. It means I won't be updating as often, but when I do, it'll be all me.

I already know what the next post will be. A semi-biographical take on my evolution as a geek, and who can be blamed for what I became. :)

Look for it in a short while.

There's Always Room for Pi

2011-03-14T13:59:00.000-04:00

Happy PI Day!

Posted on 3/14 @ 1:59:26PM Eastern. :)

Kick. Splode. Repeat.

2011-02-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

RIP Dwayne McDuffie

2011-02-22T15:15:00.000-05:00

It has been reported that Dwayne McDuffie, who wrote the All Star Superman cartoon, and was a tireless campaigner for people of color in comics, has passed away.

My condolences to his wife & family. He will be missed.

All-Star Animation

2011-02-22T12:45:00.000-05:00

Well, the time has finally come. The All Star Superman animated movie hits the stores today. Does it hold up? Or does it miss the mark?

Like any adaptation, All Star should be judged on two levels. First, as a standalone movie, and secondly as an adaptation. I have to confess that the first is a bit tricky for me, because I am so familiar with the source material. So let's do this backwards, and talk about the adaptation first.but I'll do my best.

The movie starts out strong, replacing the four-panel origin with a voice-over, interposed with Quintum's mission to the sun. And the first issue is more or less panel-for-panel a retelling of the first issue, with only some minor changes, primarily involving Jimmy Olsen & Dr. Quintum.

Indeed, those are the two characters who lost the most with this adaptation, as many of their scenes were removed or changed, but the reason for that is fairly clear, in retrospect. The movie is really about three people: Superman, Lois, and Lex Luthor. Many of the subplots that do not feed into that through line are gone.

So what was kept? Pretty much all of issues 1-3, issue 5, issue 9, and issues 11-12 were translated with some fidelity to the screen. However, the Bizarro arc, the flashback to Smallville, and the Jimmy Olsen spotlight are completely gone, as well as most of issue #10's "day in the life".

And yes, that means the "Regan" scene is gone, unfortunately. While the fan in me misses it, I can understand why it was cut. Indeed, I was able to ask Dwayne McDuffie (who wrote the adaptation) about it on facebook, and he had this to say:

"I can't argue with them (the fans complaining about the missing scene), I'd have loved to put the suicide scene in, but it just didn't work for the adaptation."

And if you look at the through line, you have to agree with him. While it is a brilliant scene on paper, it does not move the Luthor storyline forward any further. Of course, you could say the same about Bar-El and Lilo, but that at least had some action.

There were some minor changes here and there (including a fairly hilarious Jimmy Olsen bit replacing his jetpack arrival in his first scene), but there are two changes to the ending that have sparked some discussion.

The first, and perhaps more controversial, is the change in Superman's last line to Solaris:

"You'll live." becomes "I don’t think I have any (mercy) left."

I honestly don't understand why this change was made. It doesn't improve the story in any way, and makes Superman sound just a bit vindictive.

The second change, on the other hand, is brilliant. Rather than having Superman deliver the secret to cloning Kryptonians to Dr. Quintum, we have Lex Luthor on death row, giving the secret to Dr. Quintum, revealing, along the way, that it was his voiceover at the beginning of the film.

This works great. Rather than hinting at Lex's change of heart, the movie shows it, as he performs a selfless act in response to Superman's final words to him: "If it had mattered to you, Luthor, you could have saved the world
years ago."

Is it enough to balance out the bad taste of the Solaris line? yeah, I think so, even if it does put paid to the Leo Quintum=Future Lex Luthor theory. But I never liked it anyway. :)

So, how is it as a movie?

I have no problems with the acting, animation, or music. It all seemed fine to me. While the story is a bit choppy (you could almost split it up into three TV episodes) the storyline is solid, with only the Bar-El plotline feeling extraneous.

And, most of all, Superman kicks butt, and saves the world. Nothing better than that. If you are a fan of Superman (or even if you aren't) I say give it a shot.

Hammer Time, Again!

2011-02-17T20:45:00.004-05:00

This, I like. If it had been the first trailer, I would have been much more excited.

Urge to watch... rising

What happened to my horizon?

2011-02-17T20:21:00.004-05:00

It's funny, really. Despite having done panels and articles about steampunk for a good five years now, I never really sat down and thought about exactly what attracted me to the genre.

Was it the aesthetic? No, not really, although I do enjoy dressing up in a suit on occasion.

Was it the period? Again, no. While I'm a fan of many of the writers of the Victorian era, there's little about the time that makes it stand out from any other.

I never really worked it out, until just recently:

It's the adventure.

Ever since I was a little protogeek, I've loved adventure stories. Exploring strange lands, discovering lost civilizations. Risking life and limb to go over the next mountain, not for conquest, or glory, but simply to see what's there.

Unfortunately, adventure stories, particularly in the visual media of movies, TV, and comics, are harder and harder to find. More often than not, what we get are action stories, by which I mean stories where the hero goes out to defeat the bad guy, because the bad guy needs to be defeated.

If we are lucky, the hero actually wins. In many stories, particularly in comics, the victories are Pyrrhic at best, and tend to be more about how flawed & unhappy being a hero makes a person. Or, even worse, how unheroic the protagonist is.

Indeed, that's one of the sad things about the comic medium. If you go back in time, adventure stories were a big part of the Silver Age, if not older. Possibly the best example would be the Fantastic Four, who were explorers more than heroes, and visited strange locales like Wakanda, Attilan, and the Negative Zone.

Somewhere, however, mainstream (i.e. superhero) comics lost their way. Adventurers were replaced by crime-fighters, who in turn became merely vigilantes. Exploring the unknown fell by the wayside, so long as there were villains to defeat.

(Not to say that there aren't adversaries in adventure stories. But they are merely part of the story, not the sole reason for its existence).

Because of this, I've basically given up on most comic books, including the entire output of the "Big Two". While there are some indie titles I still enjoy (like Gold Digger and Atomic Robo), these are the exceptions, not the rule.

Not that movies are much better. Even the films that homage the classic movie serials (like the Indy movies or Sky Captain) seem forced to include a big villain. Adventure isn't enough.

I suppose I could find the adventure I seek in books, but even there things are hard to find. Lots of books about zombies & vampires (sparkly or otherwise), lots of reheated Tolkien, and (in the sci-fi section) a lot of stories about soldiers and war.

Even Star Trek, with its credo to "explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before", has turned into something unrecognizable, as the books are focusing on politics and diplomacy, after a particularly devastating war.

(As for Star Wars.... *sigh* No happy endings, ever.)

What's a geek to do?

Keep looking. Keep hoping. And hope that somewhere, somehow, I'll find a way to...

"Bring me that horizon."

Tracking the Wild Geek

2011-02-17T20:20:00.001-05:00

Beware of Geek can be viewed the following ways.

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There is also a Twitter feed, at http://twitter.com/#!/BewareOfGeek but I only use it on occasion, and posts are not echoed there.

Join one, join all!

A Real Heartbreaker

2011-02-14T16:10:00.000-05:00

Thundercats, Huh?

2011-02-12T16:27:00.000-05:00

Apparently, there's a CGI movie coming out, independent of the new cartoon, and Bleeding Cool has some footage:

It doesn't grab me as well as the art for the toon did, possibly because the lighting makes it hard to figure out exactly what is going on. That, and my allergy to goofy schtick. :)

But it's not THAT bad, I guess. And I doubt I'm the target audience, anyway.

Speaking of the '60's

2011-02-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

The official trailer for X-MEN: FIRST CLASS:

I can't recall if I posted this before...

2011-02-08T22:31:00.001-05:00

A show about the swinging 60's.

The 2260's, that is.

http://www.sleepydog.co.uk/slingers/ has more details.

#1 Super Guy?

2011-02-08T14:48:00.000-05:00

Because, sometimes, you just have to...

2011-02-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

Superman Classic

2011-02-07T22:47:00.000-05:00

Just watch it.

I'm Gonna get THIS Sucker...

2011-02-07T22:35:00.000-05:00

Punch, that is.

Beware of Gleek?

2011-02-07T22:13:00.001-05:00

The mashup from the post-SB episode:

Needs more Vincent Price. :)

Post Adocalyptic Thoughts

2011-02-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

So, after the Super Bowl ads, have my plans changed?

No, not really. I'm a bit more interested in Captain America, a bit less in Thor. nd not at all interested in Transformers 3. So, for now, The List remains unchanged.

But I can't call myself a Geek, and not bring up the commercial of the night:

And it turns out the kid in the ad has a heartwwarming story:

Way to go, kid.

Out From Smallville?

2011-02-05T09:34:00.002-05:00

This is happy-making news, from Jeff Smith:

Here’s sketch of the Man of Steel I’m working on. It’s for an upcoming project for DC.

Smith's SHAZAM & THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL is my favorite take on the Big Red Cheese, so seeing him on Superman can only be a Good Thing

RIP John Barry

2011-01-31T20:55:00.000-05:00

Thunder of a different sort...

2011-01-26T15:47:00.000-05:00

Most of my readers know my love for the Simonson Thor run (I have the omnibus on pre-order).

Not as many know of the story Walt would have done, if he'd stayed on the book, a story known by only a single pic from a Marvel Age Annual. A pic that's been recolored for the Omnibus:

(Thanks to Walt for letting me share this)

More Thunder, slightly less Cat

2011-01-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

Via the twitter of Thundercats writer Todd Casey (and Bleeding Cool):

Raijin. Raijin! Raijineko! HO!!!!!

2011-01-25T19:46:00.000-05:00

According to news reports, these are the designs for a new ThunderCats series.

Looking at Cheetara, I suspect there's little chance of the "they never wore clothes before" bit from the original, but at least Lion-O lost the belly shirt this time. :)

Two Slingers Revealed...

2011-01-19T19:11:00.000-05:00

That being a shield-slinger and a web-slinger. While I am still catching up with what I missed during the con, I did want to speak on the published Captain America and Spider-Man costumes.

I'll admit, looking at these Cap pics, I'm not really impressed:

Maybe it's the muted palette, or the fact that I can't tell if it's supposed to be WW2 or modern day, but the outfit doesn't really look like something a person would actually wear, either in combat, or for morale building. The right hand pic looks particularly off.

Then, there's the Spider-Man reboot. I'm going to put it behind a cut, because I'm using a larger pic.

Not drastically different from the Raimi-era suit. It's not as shiny (the webs are inset, not raised) and the spider emblem seems needlessly dramatic, but there are hints of mechanical web-shooters, and while the belt appears to be missing, the lines of the suit work without it.

(Some folks think the belt ws torn off somehow. I'm not too sure)

It feels right, though. I can't quite put my finger on why. Maybe, because it looks like something a gymnast might choose to wear, as opposed to the needlessly complex Cap suit? I'm not sure. Must ponder further

So one plus, one minus. Thus, as they say, is equilibrium maintained. :)

Arisia '11: Geeks on Ice

2011-01-19T18:43:00.000-05:00

As my regular reader knows, I attended (for the 21st year in a row) the Arisia convention in Boston last weekend. Despite occasional claims to the contrary, this was not my ride:

That being said, quite a lot did happen, so let's dive into it, shall we?

First things first. Yes, the lobby and Dealer's Room were quite cold the first day or so, but it's not the con's fault. They were informed that the hotel kept things warmer than average, and contracted to have the heat set to 60º F. This would have been fine... if the outside temperature had not plummeted to 18ºF. But after the crowds built, it was passable.

As you can tell by the picture above, I went dressy this year. Unfortunately, without the sweater, I found myself mistaken for a hotel employee, more than once. Not precisely the look I was going for. :)

Panels were the focus of this trip, and, on average, went pretty well, with the exception of my "Igor, Throw The Switch!" panel (one of two I moderated) which was somewhat marred by the fact that I wasn't as alert as I could have been. In my defense, it was 11PM at night, and I'd already been on 4 panels that day. On the balance, however, I had fun, particularly since 3 separate panels turned into singalongs of Tom Lehrer's "Werner Von Braun" :D

I only attended one panel that I wasn't a panelist for, on Metropolis, but between my knowledge of "memetic archaelogy" and mad Google skillz, the moderator said I should have been. Maybe next time?

I'm pretty sure I'm going to stay away from late-night panels next year, anyway. I missed a couple of late movies I wanted to see (including the silent film Der Golem) due to scheduling collision. I did see one film on Sunday, though... a fabulous French import called Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec:

Loads of fun... it's based on a French comic, but gives you everything you need to enjoy it.

Some cool costumes this year, as seen on my feed. My second favorite poster is also on that page.

However, this was my favorite, and guarantees that I will be there again next year:

Pardon me while I happydance.

All in all, a great con (and Arisia's largest, with around 3000 attendees). I had a blast, and can hardly wait until next year's.

Look what I found!

2011-01-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

The Future... Bites

2011-01-11T18:39:00.001-05:00

Feed the Geek @ Arisia

2011-01-07T12:32:00.000-05:00

In one week, I'll be attending Arisia 2011 in Boston, during which I'll be on various panels:

Fri 6:30pm Introduction to Arisia
Fri 11:00pm Mad Science—Is it Worth the Risk?
Sat 9:30am Cotton-Gin Punk
Sat 12:30pm Comedy and Mad Science
Sat 5:00pm Back in MY Day… Anime
Sat 8:00pm Things Man is Not Meant to Know
Sat 11:00pm IGOR! Throw the SWITCH!!!
Mon 9:30am Mad Scientists
Mon 11:00am Nikolai Tesla: The Man and the Myth

Since I will not have a computer with me, I've set up a Twitter feed, where I'll be posting pics and text from the convention. I've also added it to the sidebar.

Falling Skies TV Trailer

2010-12-27T17:56:00.000-05:00

This could be interesting...

This is the first I've heard of this Spielberg project, but it already looks better than the V remake.

Merry BRAAAAIIINNNSSS!!!

2010-12-22T12:40:00.000-05:00

TRON LEGACY: The Flynn Abides

2010-12-19T21:27:00.003-05:00

Let's get the basics out of the way, first.

Yes, the plot is a bit thin (and can mostly be discerned from the trailer). And yes, the flashback exposition scenes are occasionally obtrusive. And the CGI isn't perfect.

But Tron Legacy has some surprising depth. It occured to me, as I thought about the review, that the title is aptly chosen, as the driving force behind the plot is Kevin Flynn's legacy to his son, and to the world. But more about that in a bit, as I really can't get into it without spoilers.

I have to confess that the eye candy is quite choice, as I found myself saying "Oooh, I want one of those", more than once. The visuals are stunning (I hope to catch it on IMAX after the holidays), although there's an annoying cinematography trick in many scenes where the foreground character is the only thing in focus that drove me a bit nuts at times. And Daft Punk's soundtrack is excellent.

As for the story... It's not perfect.

The movie starts out as you'd expect, with Sam as a boy and his father. It rapidly leaps ahead to Sam as a troubled adult. One surprise is that the scenes at Encom are not just about the mysterious page, but actually include a subplot about how, well, Microsofty the company has become since Kevin vanished, and Sam's unwillingness to take control (despite being majority shareholder) of his father's legacy.

Well, one of them.

The rest is pretty obvious. Sam gets zapped into the grid, fights his way free of the games, finds his father, and has to escape back to the real world. The basic elemnts are very similar to the first film (and there are several callbacks), but the approach is very different.

First, there are some interesting side characters, like Michael Sheen's scene-devouring Castor, who was channeling both Sydney Greenstreet in Casablanca and Joel Grey in Cabaret (although I swear I heard a bit of "Serge" from Beverly Hills Cop at one point), and Clu's sycophantic major domo, Jarvis.

Rinzler, the Boba Fett of the film, says little, but his words (and actions) carry a lot of weight, particularly at the end (when he regains his memory as Tron). Even Quorra, who I suppose could be called Sam's adopted sister (love interest is stretching it) is played with a mix of naivete and strength.

The heart of the film, of course, are the Flynns: Sam, Kevin, and Clu.

Sam, to be honest, is the weakest character, and while he eventually accepts responsibility for both Encom and Quorra (his father's OTHER legacy), it's hard to imagine him any good at it.

Clu is not as great a villain as you might think, despite the traditional Triumph Of The Will speech to his army. He's a tragic figure, not only as the neglected son, but also because his entire personality is based around what he was created to do... build a perfect system. Perfection, as Kevin himself notes in a critical scene, is not a viable goal.

Kevin...

It's hard to draw a bead on him. Despite being a geek from the 80's, for much of the film he's more like one of Bridges' earlier roles, The Dude from The Big Lebowski, complete with lines like "you're harshing my zen dude."

Later, he busts out a cool hooded black robe, and goes into what I call "Obi-wan Flynn-obi' mode, where he basically remains for the rest of the film, with some backsliding to groovy hipster. And, at the end, he's...

How can I put this...

He's The Creator of The Grid. And what he brought into the world... he can take out.

The ending is somewhat of an anti-climax. For a Disney film, it's also not quite what I expected, given that Kevin sacrifices himself to allow Sam to return to the real world. While there are some sequel hooks, there's also a sense of letting go of the past and becoming a man (which, given that Sam is supposed to be 27, is probably overdue).

Still, while it may not be a great movie, it is a fun one. And sometimes, that is enough.

Dropping the Hammer

2010-12-10T20:24:00.003-05:00

The official poster

And yes, there's a trailer too

Look to the right, then look back

2010-11-24T13:11:00.000-05:00

That's The LIST, the semi-official collection of movies I plan on seeing in the next 13 months.

If I post reviews, I'll edit The LIST with links.

"Somewhere..."

2010-11-23T18:10:00.001-05:00

Happy Drokksgiving!

2010-11-19T19:34:00.003-05:00

The Net is abuzz today with the first pic of Karl Urban as Judge Dredd:

Not the best shot. But a poster named bluemeanie on the 2000ad forums ran it through photoshop, and with a little cleanup:

Much better. And no gold codpiece. :)

It's got a certain ring to it...

2010-11-16T22:22:00.000-05:00

OK, this is just... wrong

2010-11-15T12:29:00.001-05:00

TRON: LEGACY Official Trailer # 3

2010-11-09T12:58:00.001-05:00

This is the good crack. :)

Oooh... Punchy

2010-11-05T07:42:00.000-04:00

Wish it wasn't QUITE so teal & orange, though....

The Game is Afoot... Tonight!

2010-10-24T15:21:00.000-04:00

Here Come The Drumms!

2010-10-21T20:27:00.001-04:00

Various folks on the Sanctum Sanctorum and Strange Occasions blogs have shown an interest, so...

Ah, Brother Voodoo. A product of the 70's, long relegated to guest appearances and Fred Hembeck cartoons, the character recently catapulted to the big leagues when he was given the title of Sorcerer Supreme in the comic New Avengers. Renamed Doctor Voodoo, he seemed destined for greatness, having been given his own ~~ongoing~~ miniseries by Rick Remender and Jefte Palo. And that's what we'll be talking about today.

Here Be Spoilers

It's fitting that a book about two heroes sharing one body has a fair number of dualities. And my review will also incorporate a duality, as I will be looking at each issue as not only a standalone story, but also as part of the larger Marvel Universe.

Issue 1

The first issue, and the first duality, as the opening scene (released both as a preview and a digital comic) really has little to do with the rest of the issue, or indeed the series. Our hero, Jericho Drumm, beards the Dread Dormammu in his lair, trapping him there.

While this is an exciting scene, we immediately come up against some problems. The first is the Staff of Legba, specifically those stupid shrunken heads, which have about as much to do with real Voodoo (or even Marvel's take on the religion) as Live And Let Die did.

When they started speaking the "Language of Null" (apparently, also the language of Mars Attacks), it kicked be right out of the story. That being said, the "Gunner of God" bit (a phrase from real voodoo) and "barrier crows" were intriguing.

Unfortunately, after a strong start, things go downhill very quickly. After a brief tour of Drumm's new Sanctum (accompanied by a particularly Teutonic Stephen Strange) we accompany Jericho on his rounds at his clinic, where we discover he's missed rent payments for 5 months and was apparently somewhat rude to his girlfriend/nurse at one point.

This leads to his second battle, against the loa Marinette Bwa Chech. The battle is brief, as Jericho is blindsided by Doctor Doom. Because of this, we really don't get a feel for the new villainess, although I personally hear her dialogue in the voice of Naomie "Tia Dalma" Harris.

Jericho and Doom battle, and it's clear that our hero is outmatched. And the issue ends with Doom winning his prize (and rejecting it), while a broke Doctor Voodoo lies semi-conscious in another mystical plane.

And that's my biggest problem with the issue. While Remender throws a lot of concepts at us, rife with potential, we barely get a feel for the supporting cast, and after a strong opening, the lead character comes off a bit less than competent.

Continuity-wise, it's a bit of a mess, as Dormammu is felled due to the destruction of artifacts we've never seen before, and barely raises a finger to defend himself, and Remender uses terms like "Everdimensions" as if we should know what they mean. He does use a few names from Marvel canon (in new ways) but they seem more like flavor text than integral parts of the story.

The art is sketchy, but has the right mood, and Palo slipped in some neat cameos in the Scrying Stones scene and the fall through dimensions.

This issue had some backup material, all of which was reprinted from elsewhere. I was amused to see that "Dr. Voodoo" was the character's original name, though.

Issue #2

Jericho tries to fight his way back home, while having flashbacks to his tragic childhood. He barely succeeds, losing half of his Staff in the process, only to be betrayed by an ally who was under the control of Nightmare.

Seriously. That's all that happens. The first third of the book is Jericho recovering from his beating, the second is a long flashback, and the third sets up the temporary victory of the villain. And again, the issue ends with Jericho defeated.

The confident hero of the preview has been replaced by a dithering failure who cannot resist "the Unreal". He barely makes it home, after losing his MacGuffin. As a chapter of a book, it wouldn't be bad, but as a standalone, it feels a lot like filler.

I'm not crazy about the way Remender retconned a "curse" into Jericho's back story. It simply wasn't necessary, and felt tacked on for added Angst! potential. Especially since the flashback took the form of an illusion, and Jericho had the Eye of Agamotto (which canonically reveals truth) RIGHT THERE.

But the real retcon comes with Nightmare, who suddenly is immune to magic, and has gone through all of this effort to gain access to the Earth dimension... except for the minor fact that he was not only in another book (Avengers: Initiative) at the exact same time, but actually had his own miniseries at one point where he opened a nightclub called "Club Fear".

The visuals of his dimension were, admittedly, quite neat. His haircut... not so much.

The backup was a reprint of an earlier backup retelling Jericho's origin.

Issue #3

Doctor Voodoo battles Nightmare (and his possessed minions). Nightmare wins.

OK, a bit more than that happens, including a flashback to a previous Sorcerer Supreme, accompanied by either a loa or a Houngan (the scene is a bit vague) battling an evil god. We get scenes with the Hood, Hellstrom, and two Ghost Riders, but the bottom line is that Jericho loses. All of his plans either failed, or were secretly inspired by Nightmare to further his aims.

As you can guess, my opinion of the book started to fall apart at this point. It's written more like "Doctor Doom: Badass (guest starring Doctor Voodoo)", and really makes for odd pacing. The flashback was quite nice, actually, although it does lead to problems, like "How'd the Eye and Staff make it to their successors if they were turned into statues?"

And Remender's choice of dark god (Ogoun) was perhaps poorly timed, as the backup of the very same issue introduced the Vodu, gods of Voodoo, and Ogoun is depicted s rather heroic-looking (particularly in comparison to Sagbata, the creator of zombies)

No other real continuity problems, otherwise. I'dve been happier if Remender had used one of the Sorcerers Supreme from Marvel Tarot, but that's just me. As I mentioned above, the backup is another reprint, showing the creation of zombies by Sagbata and Chthon.

Issue #4

Daniel Drumm, possessing Hellstrom, vs his brother for the fate of the world. Wherever will he find help?

(Hint: Starts with "D", ends with "oom")

We get another flashback, this time to Jericho's origin, with added "curse". And Jericho FINALLY uses the Eye to purge his own possession. Now he'll really kick butt, yes?

Well, no. Instead, he goes running off to Bondyé, the Vodu heaven, opening the same gate closed in the previous issue's flashback. There, he discovers... it's empty. After all the talk and build-up, only one goddess remains, and she basically tells them that they can't win, and they should let the energies of Bondyé do all the work. Then Jericho closes the gate (which took the lives of two masters to seal the first time) all by himself.

So they go off to visit Doctor Doom, who is the only person on Earth who was able to resist Nightmare. Cuz he's so cool and smart and crafty and perfect.

Meanwhile, in a scene I'm sure both Remender & Palo loved doing, Nightmare tortures various heroes with their worst fears. Lots of neat stuff in the background here. I'll admit I liked these bits. And we end with a dramatic splash of our heroes, weakened somewhat by the fact that the shrunken heads on Jericho's staff look like they are using pacifiers.

The backup completes the tale from the previous issue, showing the origin of the first Brother Voodoo. Ogoun is shown again, taking the side of humanity against Sagbata. But given that I'm pretty sure these backups were his only appearances, it's not really worth losing sleep over.

And then we come to the climax.

Issue #5

Doom and the Brothers Voodoo are killing possessed heroes right & left. While Jericho succumbs to the Penance Stare, Doom takes down Ghost Rider solo. And Doom speaks this line to the title character of the entire book:

"Cease your sniveling."

Eventually, they win, thanks to Doom's science, and Doom predictably betrays them, absorbing Nightmare's power. And FINALLY, Jericho does something right, as it turns out he had Daniel secretly possess Doom.

(line of the series, by Daniel: "Doom's thoughts. Wow. Lots of crazy Gypsy swearing going on")

Nightmare is sent to Bondyé, and fades away. Doom tries to seek vengeance, but after Jericho punches him in the face, he gives up and goes away.

That's right. Victor Von Doom, who was hyped up all series, gives up after a straight jab. Not even a particularly strong one. Despite the fact that he wears a metal mask, and that should have broken Jericho's hand (he didn't even have Daniel's strength added).

And, as Jericho goes back to his ordinary life, we discover that this was all a plot by the dark god Ogoun, and the goddess they thought was supporting them was Marinette in disguise.

No backup this time, so we can focus on the main story. Once again, Doom looks cooler than the hero, who whines more than he fights. Once again, a gate which was supposed to be a major deal was sealed with a simple spell. And once again, a victory turned out to be exactly what the bad guy wanted all along.

In the end, I was really disappointed. Rather than give us a heroic character who was taking on bigger responsibilities, Remender chose to focus on his insecurities. Rather than explore the new cosmology he'd set up, Remender chose to spend most of the miniseries battling a single foe, who was only defeated by science (in a book about sorcery). And there was FAR to much Doom love, even if he was ultimately defeated.

Now, Remender may have written this with the idea that Jericho would be more effective in his second arc, but to be blunt, I wouldn't have picked up issue #6 even if there had been one. He did not succeed, in my opinion, in making his characters worth following.

As for the cliffhanger, given that Nightmare was last seen back in his realm in Chaos War, it all seems to be a moot point. The only followup we ever got was a Remender short where Jericho and his nurse go out on a date, but wacky hijinks ensue.

Supreme? Not so much. And that's the biggest disappointment of the series, to me. Remender, in various interviews, implied great potential in the ideas he wanted to bring to the book.

But in the end, little of that potential made it to the page.

Thor: Reloaded

2010-10-11T12:59:00.001-04:00

From The Official Walter Simonson Page:

Steve Oliff is now my second favorite colorist, ever.

All-Star Superman: In Motion

2010-09-23T19:43:00.000-04:00

From Splashpage

KRAKA-THOOM!

2010-09-22T06:30:00.001-04:00

There were rumors before, but now it's official:

THOR BY WALTER SIMONSON OMNIBUS HC

Written by WALTER SIMONSON
Penciled by WALTER SIMONSON with SAL BUSCEMA
Covers by WALTER SIMONSON
Considered by many to be the greatest run on Thor ever, Walt Simonson’s classic tales of the God of Thunder are collected here—completely remastered from the original artwork and newly colored by Steve Oliff! And there are too many timeless tales to count: The Casket of Ancient Winters! The death of Odin! The origins of Asgard! The sacrifice of the Executioner! Thor as a frog! The Mutant Massacre! The curse of Hela! The debut of Thor’s body armor! Guest-starring Beta Ray Bill, Nick Fury and the Avengers! Featuring the threats of Fafnir the dragon, Loki, Lorelei, Malekith the Dark Elf, Surtur, Hela, the Titanium Man, Kurse, Zaniac, the Marauders, the Absorbing Man, Fin Fang Foom, the Destroyer and the Midgard Serpent! Collecting THOR #337-355, #357-369 & #371-382 and BALDER THE BRAVE #1-4.
1192 PGS./Rated A …$125.00
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4633-9
Trim size: oversized
THOR BY WALTER SIMONSON OMNIBUS HC CLASSIC COVER (DM ONLY)
1192 PGS./Rated A …$125.00
ISBN: 978-0-7851-4634-6

Info from Comic Book Resources

It's also available for pre-order at Amazon for $85

A touch of All Star Superman (animated)

2010-09-19T22:19:00.000-04:00

From Heatvision @ The Hollywood Reporter

Orange Socks?

2010-08-30T18:28:00.000-04:00

Because some characters are too good to fade into obscurity:

For those curious, that is indeed the voice of Jeffrey Reanimator Combs.

Retro Meets Future

2010-08-26T12:41:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, the finest geekery comes in the form of fan films. Low in budget, but high in quality, they show what can be possible when you trust the material.

Here are three fan productions that I've been keeping an eye on (and one larger scale film that just looks like fun).

Buck Rogers:

Green Hornet (not the Rogen film):

Judge Minty (a Judge Dredd fan film):

And finally, a piece of retro pulp called Iron Sky:

Scott Pilgrim vs... The Geek.

2010-08-14T19:10:00.000-04:00

That was fun.

While one could quibble about the pacing, or the fact that some characters barely have personalities, that's not really the point.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World is an unabashedly fun movie, filled with laugh-enducing moments (often inspired by Zombieland-style captions) over-the-top action, and just enough heart to make the movie interesting without being sappy.

Michael Cera does a decent job as the title character, seamlessly transitioning from hapless loser to video-game warrior without difficulty, and Mary Elizabeth Winsted is suitably sexy and mysterious as his new beau, Ramona Flowers.

The high point of the cast, however, is Kieran Culkin as Wallace, Scott's cool gay roommate, who acts as a particulalry snarky Greek Chorus in many scenes, as well as demonstrating the fine art of sleeptexting. He comes scarily close to stealing the movie.

The fight scenes, while shown in the trailers, start off with a scene that, by appearing sans foreshadowing, serve to show off the oddness of the situation without kicking you out of the film. Of course, the gratuitous Bollywood number helps. :)

Is this movie destined to be the next blockbuster? Probably not, as it lacks star power. But I could see it gaining cult status, quite easily. And it's certainly worth the price of a ticket.

It's just that fun.

Batman: The Yellow Oval Returns

2010-08-10T13:19:00.000-04:00

So, Grant Morrison revealed just a little bit more about his Batman, Inc. project, in an interview with the LA Times. And while there're are no real spoilers, we do get a taste of David Finch's new costume for Bruce Wayne:

I like it. It reminds me of several similar designs from the past, like the classic New Look Batman, the all-black outfit he wore after the Prodigal arc, and even this little bit of designwork by Neal Adams:

Could be cool.

Thunder strikes again

2010-08-08T08:18:00.003-04:00

Marvel's newest bit of hype is somewhat promising:

Mainly, because Tom DeFalco (who has already been revealed as the writer of a Thunderstrike revival, actually understands what the word "Heroic" means. Of course, it's likely that the only reason he was given this book was to milk the Thor movie for all it is worth (I expect a Beta Ray Bill mini any day now) but if it leads to a good story, I can deal.

The picture suggests a teenager acquires the mace, and given DeFalco's involvement, he's almost certainly Kevin Masterson, son of the original. It's unclear if he'll absorb the powers of the mace like his MC2 counterpart, but I hope not... I always liked the mace's design.

Speaking of the movie, I saw an interview late last week on Collider where the screenwriters reveal that they are using the old "Asgardians aren't real gods, but aliens" chestnut in the movie. I guess that's why they lost the "period piece" feel. It's not a deal breaker, but I'm a little disappointed.

By Rao, YES!

2010-07-26T06:43:00.003-04:00

From Dwayne McDuffie's site, via the V:

"Warner Home Video revealed the title of my next project, so I can finally talk about it. It's a feature-length animated adaptation of one of the greatest stories in comic book history. And it will be out next spring:

Morrison and Quitely's All Star Superman."

This is what gives me nerdglee. Sure some of it will need to be trimmed (the Jimmy spotlight, Bar-El, maybe the time-travel bit) but it's not only All-Star Superman, it's McDuffie. I trust him.

Now I have to wait... *sigh*

Pros and (Comic-)Cons

2010-07-25T19:21:00.007-04:00

Well, another SDCC has come and gone, and while I wasn't there this year (too much money, not enough time) I do have some brief thoughts about various revelations.

DC:

It's difficult to feel very optimistic about DC's announcements, since they seem to have been making an effort to show how edgy they are, mostly by killing off fun characters (RIP, M'Gann). Even creators of the YJ cartoon are talking about how "not everyone will survive".

I'll probably check out Morrison's Batman, Inc., out of curiousity more than anything else, but if it starts to meander as Batman & Robin did, I'm gone. Personally, though, I'm more interested in the Absolute WE3 collection, and the possibility of a Flex Mentallo trade.

Marvel:

Loki.
Ultimate Thor.
Iron Man/Thor
Captain America and the Korvac Saga
Captain America: Hail Hydra
Captain America: Fighting Avenger
Captain America: Man Out of Time

Gee, you'd think there was a movie coming out, or something. *grin*

I don't recall any real major X-news, and just more hints that a member of the FF is going to die ("Again? That trick NEVER works"). There's a decent amount of buzz for Rocket Raccoon & Groot, but with DnA losing the freedom to play in the cosmic side of Marvel, it's bittersweet.

And then there was today's Spider-Man news. New costumes (including one almost certainly inspired by the new Tron film), new publishing schedule... same old editors. I'll leave more detailed rants to my old comrade K-Box.

Film:

Lots of Thor reveals, including looks at some helmets, Odin's throne(which looks much better in close-up, I must admit), and the Destroyer. Call me cautiously optimistic, although I'd be happier if the sets were more Rohan, less Broadway.

The new Red trailer looks cool, but winner of the show has to be Tron. I want it to be December now, and don't even like cold weather:

A Measure of SALT

2010-07-25T18:22:00.005-04:00

Saw this today, and was pleasantly surprised at how the plot twisted and turned, never telegraphing the twists. It was almost Hitchcockesque, and the last film that did that to me was Usual Suspects.

Three minor quibbles, somewhat vague to avoid spoilers (you really want to see this movie cold):

There are a handful of scenes where security procedures seem unnecessarily slow and complicated, to give other characters a chance to circumvent them.
Another character witnesses a shift in loyalty, but it's never mentioned.
And finally, the movie doesn't so much end as stop. That's a particularly annoying trope for me (it's why I don't read Neal Stephenson anymore).

If you like movies like Day of the Jackal or The Fugitive, go see Salt.

It's a KIND of Magic...

2010-07-23T21:56:00.005-04:00

I like mystical comic book characters, including such notables as Zatanna, Hellstorm, and (of course) the Doctors Fate & Strange.

The problem is, too few writers actually have a feel for magic. They either go overboard, using magic as a "Get out of plot free" card, or go the other way, and turn the mage into just another energy manipulator, with hard-light blasts & shields.

DC has a (slightly) easier time of it, as many of their magical characters emigrated to Vertigo, and lost their superheroic trappings. But even they've had missteps (primarily due to an over-reliance on things like the Lords of Order & Chaos).

Tonight, though, I'd like to talk about Marvel. Specifically, the Sorcerors Supreme, Stephen Strange and Jericho Drumm. Many years ago, an uncredited writer (probably Peter Sanderson or the legendary Mark Gruenwald) came up with a rather nifty description of the three kinds of magic:

Personal Energies (astral projection, mindreading)
Universal Energies (bolts, shields)
Extradimensional Energies (i.e. spells)

with a side note about black magic. And, while it was never stated in a comic, it worked as a general framework. Over time, however, it was either expanded or ignored, with the creation of things like the Gaian aura and "coincidence magic". And somewhere along the way, it was almost forgotten.

In 2007, as part of his Mystic Arcana event, writer and Tarot designer David Sexton dusted off the four kinds of magic (including black), and added a whole bunch of correspondences (and gave the Vishanti some intriguing backstory). It was coherent, realistic... and completely ignored.

Then came Brian Michael Bendis, who cast Strange in his New Avengers, and spent most of his time downplaying Strange's abilities, culminating in the Eye of Agamotto choosing to leave Strange, and somehow taking the title of Sorceror Supreme with it.

Now, I've gone on record as disliking this, more than once, because it takes the complex structure of magic laid down by Sexton and others, and replaces it with what I call "Gadget Magic". The power isn't in people, but things. If you get the things, you get the power.

But the story was written, for good or ill, and the mantle esoteric passed to Jericho Drumm, a.k.a. Brother (now Doctor) Voodoo. Unlike many fans, I saw this as a positive step, as Voodoo is a fascinating form of mysticism, and I've read several stories (ranging from Count Zero to Turok/Shadowman) where it was used to great effect.

In the hands of Rick Remender, however, Jericho also fell prey to the gadget school, being given a more superheroic costume, and having all his skill and ability tied to the newly-created Staff of Legba. For 6 issues he was beaten up and consumed with self-doubt. Finally, mercifully, the mini ended.

(Meanwhile, Strange seemed as powerful and effective as ever, except in his own mini. Go figure)

And now, both characters are back in BMB's tender hands, in New Avengers v2. And while he has added a rather nifty bit of flavor to magic (replacing glossalia with bibliographical spellbook references) the characters themselves are still being ill-served, having to flee mystical menaces so that the Avengers can punch them. The Eye is once again the McGuffin of choice, a mystical hot potato that, when taken from Earth, dooms reality. Because you have to have a gadget to master magic...

Normally, I would consider this just another bad story... but Mr. Bendis has stated that he is defining magic for the Heroic Age. And his kind of magic does not lend itself to good storytelling.

Ah well, there's always Triumph & Torment.

You have been in Afghanistan, I percieve

2010-07-17T13:59:00.003-04:00

Now... this intrigues me.

Pity I won't be able to watch it here in the US.

Geeking out, Anime Style

2010-07-17T11:24:00.006-04:00

Four trailers, all for adaptations of anime I enjoyed in the 70's (although I didn't know it was anime yet) and 80's.

In no particular order:

Space Battleship Yamato (a.k.a. Star Blazers)

Captain Harlock

Gaiking

And most recently, Gatchaman (a.k.a. Battle of the Planets)

The Geek is happy

Hold the Spandex!

2010-07-15T13:05:00.007-04:00

Two big movie costumes have been revealed recently.

First, Odin, Loki, and Thor:

I understand that they are going for a high-tech Asgard (not unlike the concept for Matt Fraction's delayed run), but these outfits look like plastic,not something anyone would actually wear. And I wonder how Odin keeps that patch on... I doubt it's bolted on like General Chang's in Star Trek VI.

Then again, I think the Simonson run was the character's zenith, and it's been downhill ever since, so what do I know?

Secondly, Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern:

Gahh... where do I begin? The mask is painted on, and has very weird lines (especially the upper edge). The costume looks like one of those photomanipulations of nude models as superheroes, except the striations make it look like his skin is missing. And the chest logo looks like an afterthought. It might look better in motion, though.

I guess neither of these are really deal breakers. At least none of these heroes traded in their classic costumes for a bolero jacket and MMA gloves. *grin*

Fun VS Cool

2010-07-15T09:57:00.003-04:00

I came across this the other day, and it really made me think.

Fun VS Cool | A. Lee Martinez - Author of Divine Misfortune, Monster & more!

The critical bit:

"I think it's all about FUN VS COOL. These two qualities are not necessarily opposed to each other, but I feel that they don't always get along well. While it's absurd (and arbitrary) for me to attempt to define these qualities, this is my blog, so I'm allowed to try.
FUN is lithe and enjoyable and carefree. Fun is allowed to laugh, to smile, to feel joy. Fun is a child blowing bubbles without being self-conscious about it.
COOL is distant. Cool wants you to think it doesn't care, but it does. Cool wants you to like it very badly, it just doesn't want to admit it. Cool is a guy in a leather jacket, sitting on a motorcycle, revving his engine to tell you how much he doesn't care about what you think about him, and he'll prove it by making as much noise as possible until you notice him not caring.
FUN draws you in. Fun is inclusive. Everyone can have fun if they go in with the right attitude.
COOL pushes you away. Cool doesn't want you to be part of the club because if too many people are in the club, then it's not cool anymore. Not everyone can be cool. In fact, most nobody can."

These days, I'm looking for Fun, but only finding Cool...

And We're Walking....

2010-07-15T06:58:00.005-04:00

Followup to the last post about Superman #701:

No. Just, no.

It's Superstockboy! No, it's Superman helping a guy with heart trouble by surprising him suddenly and telling him to see a doctor!

It's Super-Thoreau, performing an act of civil disobedience by not actually disobeying anything!

The only "heroic" thing Supes did all issue is talk down a jumper. Of course, Morrison did it better in All-Star #10:

but I guess that was too heroic for Messr. Straczynski....

Look! Out on the Road!

2010-07-14T11:59:00.003-04:00

So, J. Michael Straczynski's first issue of Superman comes out today, and DC has a preview.

Now, I've gone on record elsewhere describing my problems with his recent output (to put it briefly, he is too enamored with the "Seeing superheroes through the eyes of the common man" trope to actually write them being heroic), but that's not what caught my eye.

This did. Page 6, panel 3: "They'll lose interest, you'll see".

Now, call me a cynic, but if even Superman himself thinks his trip will be so dull, the press will get bored, why would anyone want to read it?

The whole thing seems a bit silly. Superman is going to walk across the country, without using his powers actively... unless someone argues with him, or something important comes up. That's a real sacrifice there, Clark.

Jeez, why not take some time off, go back to Smallville, and talk to people there, without making a big deal of it? Or just hang out at Bibbo's Ace of Clubs for an afternoon.

Oh well, if the usual pattern applies, he'll get bored or irritated, and leave the book early. I can wait. I have my All-Star Superman back issues. :)

Old School

2010-07-13T21:13:00.002-04:00

I've been reading sci-fi, fantasy, & comics for over 35 years.

I've seen the highs,

I've seen the lows.

I've felt joy.

I've felt rage.

And I have opinions about it all. *grin*

Welcome to "Beware Of Geek". Hope you survive the experience.