An Orson Scott Card Review

As I had intended, and mentioned in a recent post, I read Orson Scott Card's newest novel The Lost Gate.

I had very high hopes. Not only was it the first time I was seeking one of OSC's "new" books in a store (my entire experience with his work being already-published paperbacks that sat on shelves right next to their follow-ups) but the way he described it in interviews.

Apparently, the ideas behind the magic and the world of The Lost Gate have been in Card's head since he was in college, growing, taking form, being tweaked; never quite ready for the full novel treatment. And then suddenly, decades later, it all came together and sprang fully formed and long-loved into existence.

This backstory he provided before the book even came out hit a soft spot for me. As a ridiculously amateurish wannabe writer, I have a couple ideas of my own, some rooted in fantasy, that I have already cherished for years. One in particular, conceived during a round table discussion in college, though completely unrelated to the class, has stuck with me ever since. It has received much thought and crappy first attempts and, honest-to-God, multiple notebooks full of notes (I've always wanted to say that without lying.)

Thus OSC's explanation of The Lost Gate's origins felt to me not only like a validation ('As long as you grow old enough, Captain Elias, your idea will become a book. Probably on its own. Without any true, painful, sweaty-type effort. So basically just eat healthier.') but a guarantee that here was a foolproof new piece of fiction that I was definitely going to love.

Unfortunately it sucked. Truly. There were some good pages every now and then, even a compelling chapter, but it was very hard to believe this was written by Card. His highly anticipated Magic, with its theories and rules and origins, was simple and unoriginal. The magic in the Maker series had similar principles but was infinitely more interesting.

Again, as is his 'specialty', his main character is a young boy (Danny North) dealing with adversity, on top of that whole adolescence thing. Only this time, it is entirely impossible to like the protagonist. In fact, not only is it difficult to connect with the character, pretty quickly you find yourself actively disliking him. He is petty, jealous, rude, and after a few hours alone becomes a thief and then a full-on burglar. Sure, he resorts to such things to clothe himself, but then he does it repeatedly in the vain hope of making his partner-thief a true friend, which he's never had before. Not just because his family wants to kill him for being uber-powerful, but because he is selfish, arrogant, devoid of manners, and entirely convinced that the world owes him something.

Plot and characters aside, the writing itself was weak. Dialogue, where I had once known Card to shine, was clunky and unnatural. The pacing and descriptions felt as if he had actually handed in to his editor pages from his college notebook. Perhaps Card was short on money, and took the old idea that he had never really made work, and spit it out at last to fulfill a deadline. I obviously don't know, but its an awful feeling to suspect you're reading a cop-out, like when I eagerly went to the TV Tuesday night at 8pm to see the latest Buffy and slowly discovered it was a filler episode that no one really cared about.

Now don't misunderstand me. Yes, I hated the book so much I returned it (though, to be fair, that was in part due to my extreme poverty) but I love Orson Scott Card, hence my disappointment and confusion. I devoured the Ender series, and the Bean series as well, loving them even when they veered away from sci/fi adventure into multi-species/timeywimey philosophy. The Alvin Makers were astoundingly good, and I have a google alert email me anytime someone mentions the final, as-yet-unwritten book. I even read the Homecoming Saga, and while I didn't love them that was more due to the density of retelling the Books of Mormon than it had to do with his writing, which has, for years, been superb, incisive, and natural.

In fact, The Lost Gate was so poor that I needed to read OSC immediately after and get the bad taste out of my head. I was about to reread an Ender when I realized I had a standalone OSC that I had never gotten around to. Songmaster. I had found it online in one of those unfortunately-not-rare amazon weaknesses. It was unlike anything Card had written in the sense that it had an issue, and character(s), who were homosexual. Naturally there doesn't exist a sci/fi/fantasy book dealing with homos written by a Mormon that I won't eventually find, and while I expected that, like most remotely gay stories with or without a religious perspective, it would end tragically (except for Maurice, thanks E.M. Forster) it seemed like the perfect time to read it.




And it was fantastic. The best Card novel I have ever read. It was modern and ancient, exciting and philosophical, and beautiful throughout. There was a type of magic, but it was more human than mystical, a power of music and song described in a way to make you utterly believe. The requisite young boy character was raw but changing, with joy and pain and regret and hope. A genuine person striving for perfection.

Often it read as a historical narrative, and there are few things I love more than historical fantasy fiction (fictional historical fantasy?) It was elegant, detailed, fast-paced, beautiful, and yes, sometimes tragic. It eliminated any bad Lost Gate-related feelings within a few pages. I highly recommend it.

Wanting to recreate the emotions that Songmaster brought out in me, I searched for similar books (as I often do when I finish one I love.) Specifically fantastical historical fiction. However, because of that whole poverty thing, I stuck to what was hiding in piles on my bookshelf.

Thus I took myself back to C.S. Lewis' incredible Till We Have Faces.



Not enough.

I dug out my stash of Mary Renault novels, perhaps my favorite historical fiction writer of all time, except, of course, Patrick O'Brian. I reread Fire from Heaven, and was consumed with Alexander & Hephaestion.


Not enough.

I had to continue, and reread The Persian Boy, despite having worn down pages going through it so often. Suddenly I couldn't remember how intensely I envied and pitied and desired Hephaestion, it was only Bagoas' love that mattered.



Still not enough, but it's a comforting sort of insatiability. If anyone has similar recommendations, I would love to hear about them.

The important part? I hardly remember the details, and certainly not the sensations, of The Lost Gate. And that is a very fortunate thing.




Note: Naturally I bear no ill-will to Mr. Card, and hold him in high esteem, despite this stumble. Regardless, life and health have nothing to do with literary criticism. So I'd just like to say that while he is recovering from the stroke he had on New Year's Day, I wish him and his family all the very best luck, and a speedy, complete recovery. God bless.

Suggested Reading & Viewing Material

For some reason I had never read, or even know of, Warren Ellis' Freakangels. I had heard the name, and seen some of the art on Comic Con advertisements, but I never sought it out. However, a Comics Alliance post about it made me finally find it.



And Man is it good.

Freakangels is a free webcomic that Ellis has been doing for a couple of years now. It's about a group of 12 kids, born on the same day, with pale skin and purple eyes, who all have the same mysterious powers of telepathy and telekinesis. As teenagers their powers are revealed and, naturally, the government starts hunting them down. They make a stand, using their powers in unison to drive their enemies back, but instead they push too hard, causing an apocalyptic backlash. England gets flooded. Time gets altered. The world changes.

The story begins years after this event, with the group, who call themselves Freakangels, having created a settlement in Whitechapel, taking in refugees, and using their brilliance and natural abilities to enhance the lives of the people they protect. It's fantastic.



Considering how many main characters Ellis has, it's remarkable how fleshed out each of them are, how unique and interesting each one is. It's at times hilarious and dark and always compelling. And the art is gorgeous. Exactly the type of art and pacing I love in a comic.


I read the whole thing from the beginning online in just a couple of hours, but they've been collected into trades which I will be picking up as well. It's so good I want to support it with money, though it has already become a weekly tradition for me to check the site on Friday, when a new installment is posted. www.freakangels.com Check it out.


As for something to watch, I discovered Slings & Arrows during my college years, watching it on my computer in the library when I should have been writing papers.




It's a Canadian show, set in the fictional town of New Burbage whose claim to fame is a famous theatre festival that showcases the best Canadian acting talent doing Shakespeare.

Each season, and they only made three, focuses on the genesis, rehearsal, and performance of one Shakespeare play. (Hamlet first, then Macbeth, and finally King Lear.)




It is staggeringly well-written, with humor and intelligence, and full of layered and engrossing characters. Obviously one should start at the beginning, and as an added incentive the first season showcases Rachel McAdams' debut. However the entire run is wonderful. Watch it.

Doctor Doom Knows Who I Am

Glossing over reasons for any extended period of time in which nothing was posted, let me reassure my vocal, massive public that I still love comics and good TV and that Saturday mornings with coffee are a good time to blog.

Let's get right to it shall we?

Comics:

I'll start with Buffy, as one might expect of a devoted, lifelong fan (my college application listed my email address as VSlayer8 at aol.) Season 8 wrapped up this week after about a century of increasingly bad storylines. I know I've given Whedon a lot of flak in recent years (Dollhouse, Doc Horrible, nepotism) as any true fan has a right to, and I'd love to stop. But Joss obviously wants more negativity, or else he would not have written "Last Gleaming."


He killed Giles. Rupert Giles. I was kinda pissed during the whole Angel-is-Twilight reveal (Ben is Glory?) but this is just plain, nonsensical murder. I actually didn't feel much rage, to be honest. There was a moment of shock, surprisingly brief, and then something clicked in my head. Immediately I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the entire 39 issues of this comic were not canon. Had never been canon. Will never be canon. Buffy ended with that hopeful smile at the edge of a Sunnydale crater. This comic experiment is just crazy fanfic that brain-addled creators of the original authorized. And yes, I'll probably buy Season 9, because it's much like Victoria Beckham not buying a purse in a fancy purse shop, but there is zero belief that what they show Buffy to be up to in life is actually where she is. (Still in Italy, definitely.) Whedon has wounded me, but hope remains for The Avengers, as well as whenever Cabin in the Woods sees daylight.

In general, my main complaint with the comic writing world is the obsession with 6-issue story arcs. I love a good story, a nice epic this-will-change-everything-but-not-enough-to-stop-you-from-buying crossover, guest stars, resurrections, etc. But when it takes six months to unfold and in the end makes you sorely lament the 25 bucks you shelled out (Shadowland) it's a big old failure. Half the time I can't remember what occurred in the last issue when I start reading the next. Not a good sign for the writing.

We need comics that can do one-offs. Old school X-Men had big storylines all the time, but plenty of individual issues where Storm was doing something awesome, or they used Longshot's powers to return stolen treasure to people on Christmas, or Jubilee went rollerskating with a temporarily mobile Professor X.

You know who's good at that? Bryan Q. Miller. Batgirl is by far one of the best comics out there. Even issues that are part of a 4-issue arc feel like standalones. Fun, funny, exciting, fresh but still with continuity goodness, he's made me realize why I used to kinda like Stephanie Brown (other than that Tim Drake liked her.) Even more important, he made me realize why Batman made her Robin for awhile; he saw potential. And dear God is she living up to hers now. Buy it.




The other exception to the pain and frustration of a long, muddling story arc is Avengers: Children's Crusade. The Young Avengers are awesome, Jim Cheung is awesome, Scarlet Witch is awesome. These things were known. But somehow, despite having one chapter every 2 months or so, I know exactly what happened in the last installment, and it is consistently enjoyable and monumental. I mean, they found the Scarlet Witch! She's talking on page to the greatest gay Jew geek superhero ever created! (See blog post title.) She took years of negative retconning but she's back on her feet, and hopefully not going anywhere. Now Iron Lad's back too! Sure, some of the others don't get a lot of lines, like Cassie, but she was in a main Avengers book for awhile, and what with her stature (hyukhyuk) she gets a lot of solid face time in any Avengers Assemblage splash pages. Buy it, read it, reread it, squeal when the next part comes out.




Bendis' driving of the Avengers helm, post mini reboot, has been pretty good as well. Seems it would be better to read them all in trades, but at least they don't often disappoint. Also, bringing the Infinity Gauntlet back, outing the Illuminati, and giving Jessica Jones a lot of pages are welcome developments. The Oral History is maybe not so much. I am a voracious reader (yes, of prose. New weekly comics only last about an hour, max) but for some reason, after all the pretty pictures and superheroes and dialogue bubbles, turning the page to find a lot of long Bendis rambling is oppressive. I rarely read the whole thing, telling myself I'll come back to it. Never do. If you have any willpower when it comes to spending money, wait for Trades. Also, teach me how to have that.

Notable mentions: Red Robin (cause, Duh, it's Tim Drake.) X-Factor (Peter David is fantastic.) Anything DnA write (excited for the Annihilators, but I miss all the Guardian characters who are not represented--what are they up to now? Jack Flag, Mantis, Gamora, Bug, etc.?) Brightest Day has a nice vintage feel to it (who knew I liked Dove and Deadman so much?) X-Men Legacy (best Xbook out there. Can't wait for Fraction to leave Uncanny. And Age of X is looking pretty incredible.)




As for TV, well, there ain't nothing on that's better than Fringe. (I can say that because new Doctor Who season hasn't begun.) Anna Torv deserves an emmy for her Bolivia(Fauxlivia?) acting extravaganza. I even love Joshua Jackson suddenly. Also, naming their first Friday episode "Firefly" is like being handsome and talking to me about naval history. (Read: I am in love with you.)

I have not, as of yet, seen the first new episode. It was on last night, and I fully intended to support the immediate DVR-playback numbers, but there was a thing with whiskey and a best friend, and it just didn't happen. Can't wait to see the ratings though.



The big thing to look forward to, Fringe aside, would be new Doctor Who. The Doctor and Amy (and Rory) in America! River Song stands revealed! (Is she a Timelord?) The Silence Will Fall! (Sounds like Davros!) Cybermen! (Parentheses!)




All-in-all, it's not a bad time to be a sci/fi/fantasy/superhero geek. And in terms of literature, while I wait with a finely honed google alert for the final books in Alvin Maker and Ender/Bean series, Orson Scott Card has begun a new series that looks fairly wonderful. Once the next paycheck clears, I plan on finding The Lost Gate at my nearest almost-bankrupt huge bookstore. Until then, read the first two chapters for free here.



Also, if you haven't read C.S. Lewis' Space trilogy, find a wormhole to your nearest Used Book store and buy it.

Cheers.

There's Knowhere Like Home

Thanks to everyone who commented on my Angel/Twilight post, though I admit the story itself prompted attention more than my own meagre critique. However, despite the occasional tone of belligerence, many good points were made. Enough, at least, that I honestly don't know where I stand at the moment.

The Buffy Series 7 comic has that unfortunate trait of several monthlies wherein every time a new one comes out, I struggle to remember what exactly happened in the previous issue. (This happens for me lately with Bendis' New Avengers and anything Tony Daniel ever writes.) I never thought I'd associate that lack of memorability with anything Buffy related, but there it is. And while I enjoy the 5 to 10 minutes it takes me to blow through an issue (yeah, I'm still used to my Buffy doses coming in 42 minutes) I honestly don't think about it very often until a new solicit pops up on whedonesque.com, or the next chapter is on the shelves.

In short, I've adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards Meltzer's whole arc. Obviously, I would never just give up on something considered Buffy canon, but sadly I can't manufacture excitement. Hell, TNT's reruns of Angel Season 4 has been getting me more excited than the comic, and I've seen them a few times before. (And yes, I said Season 4. Urgh.)


Moving on, I thought I'd do another little pop/culture round-up, since I've become so reprehensibly infrequent in my blog postings. Just 'cause I don't write anything, doesn't mean I'm not blowing all my money on comics, or counting down the days (with a Buffy like mix of joy and confusion) till the new Doctor Who premieres. So let's get to it.


COMICS


Marvel Cosmic Universe:

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY!! Flarkin' fantastic. Completely my favorite comic being made right now. Went back and read Annihilation, Annihilation: Conquest, then all GOTGs and Novas. Loved everything. Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are my new heroes, and I'm reading everything I can find by them (Realm of Kings). Never used to be into the cosmic stuff at all, but I've now read all the Thanos/Warlock Infinity stories, even all the Avengers space battles (Kree/Shi'ar War, Korvac Saga, Galactic Storm, etc.) Thanos Imperative looks pretty sweet, though I'm not entirely sure what it'll consist of (twisted versions of heroes from The Fault versus Nova, Star-Lord, and Thanos? Must be a lot more to it than that, and I can't wait to find out.)

Hard even to pick a favorite character. Never knew I liked Richard Rider so much, or that his dorky annoying younger brother could turn out so cool (smacking down Strontian? Sweet.) Peter Quill? Goldmine. Phyla-Vell? Remarkably useful for a 'failure'. Mantis? Incredibly cool to read Avengers: Celestial Madonna and then go back to her and Moondragon hanging out on Knowhere. Vance Astro? New Warrior and Avenger in Space!! (Here's hoping Nova jogs his missing future-timeline memory.) Rocket Racoon, Groot and Cosmo? Possibly the three greatest comic book characters ever. Can't get enough. Hell I even like Jack Flag now, and look forward to a possible Bullseye reunion one day. Many thanks to www.richlovatt.com for recommending the work of DnA highly, not to mention being a staple of my internet browsing--er, 9-5 serious work hours on a daily basis.


Siege:

Very pretty. Cap's Back. Love seeing Young Avengers side by side with the A-listers. Story's okay, but it seems its entirely about The Sentry, who it seems will be dead in a month or two, based on solicits.

Also, I'm currently rereading the classic Marvel Knights' Inhumans' miniseries by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee and am a bit surprised by the similarities. An ancient, apparently-impenetrable city of God-like humanoid creatures who live in isolation from Earth under the protection of a noble strong King, come under siege by twisted human forces who have been manipulated and aided by the King's own mad, power-hungry, jealous brother.

Hmm...

I'm sure I'm not the first one to make the connection between Loki, God of Mischief and Maximus the Mad but, thought Bendis was a bit more original. Kinda feels like a vehicle to get us to Heroic Age. And I think I'm all right with that. Optimism in comics? @*&! yeah.


Blackest Night:

Still going on? Oh.
Only one more issue to go? No way.
Sinestro as Great White Light? Meh.
Geoff Johns? Turn gay and go out with me.


X-Men:

1. Second Coming. Not looking forward to this 14 chapter plodding, sprawling epic. Even Messiah Complex wasn't that long, but goddamn it felt like it. Hope's got the Phoenix powers. A bunch of X-Men are gonna die (my money's on a couple students, Nightcrawler, and then Rogue closer to the end of the series. Kinda want to be wrong about Rogue though) Don't like the paint-y covers so far, but it's not as if I'm not gonna buy them all. Just hope it's better than the last few X-crossovers. (Speaking of which, isn't Necrosha still going on? These monthly comics are all about the cliffhangers, and yet they space them out so much that it becomes completely anticlimactic. I MISS ONE-SHOT COMIC BOOK STORIES. Used to be, you pick up an issue of Uncanny X-Men and you had a full story, that fit into continuity, but gave you something different and independent.)

2. X-Men Legacy. Best X-comic out there right now, by a long shot. Rogue as the star? Perfect. Love having her powers under control, her personality as an intelligent, compassionate leader in full use, and even her new costume. Again, hope she doesn't die, but Carey pretty much gave it away when Destiny said goodbye to her an issue or two ago.

3. Utopia. Second Coming better end with them getting the hell off that stupid, cult-like, commie experiment island. And while they're ditching the whole socialist society thing, might as well get out of California as fast as possible.

4. KITTY PRYDE IS RETURNING!!!!!!! Fraction hasn't won me over with his work on the X-Folks, but this pretty much makes up for any Sisterhood/whatever-group-that-other-group-was crap storylines he's done. Course he could write her horribly, or Colossus, or the whole story, but she's back! And no one can get rid of her for awhile! That's all that matters.


Red Robin:

Best DC book for me by far (Batgirl's pretty close, actually.) Yost has done a crazy good job with Tim Drake, my favorite superhero character. I'm increasingly impressed with his writing skills, and think he's becoming one of the absolute best. Even felt sad when I heard Fabien Nicieza was taking over. Mostly cause, while I love all that Nicieza has done over the decades (Robin, Batman, X-Force, New Warriors, etc. etc. etc.) and the man's kind of a living legend, he still feels a bit stuck in the old style of comics while trying to be modern. Worried he'll make it a boring, standard super book, with some lame Gotham crime and a few brand-new, uninteresting villains trying to get into Tim's rogues gallery. Also, how does Brightest Day impact Tim? Just Bruce returning? Or maybe he can cut the cowl a bit, let his lovely hair blow in the Gotham breeze?


Upcoming:

Young Allies? Not sure 'bout this. Don't like the art. Not crazy about Nomad, or most of the characters really. Except, of course, Firestar. (Re-read old early New Warriors recently, and really really want to find the back issues of all their interactions with Emma Frost, Hellions and New Mutants.)

Avengers family: New Avengers looks like it's the same book so far, the main Avengers looks pretty cool (especially when Captain Britain and MI:13 come to visit!), Secret Avengers I dunno what to make of yet, though I'll give it a shot (especially if Beast is an Avenger again) and Avengers Academy I will not buy...unless they really have Nova as one of the teachers.

Return of Bruce Wayne: Screw Grant Morrison. Hasn't he spat on Batman enough? Can't believe they gave him this story too. Not gonna like it. Still gonna buy it. MOSTLY CAUSE TIM DRAKE WAS RIGHT WHILE EVERY OTHER SUPERHERO WAS WRONG. That can't be emphasized enough, in my opinion.



TELEVISION



Best New Show: ARCHER. Hilarious.

Most Underrated: Parks and Rec.

Most Anticipated: DOCTOR WHO.

Pretty happy it's time again for more new Doctor stories. I'll admit, I'm nervous about Matt Smith and Steven Moffat and the entire new production team. Even little nervous that the red-headed companion will be lame, despite being pretty. But I still squealed when I saw the new extended trailer. Despite the whole 'no past characters' thing, which I hate (I mean, Rose and the DonnaDoctor are living out a nice life on alternate earth, and all our fave peeps are still on our Earth) they have Cyberman showing up, Daleks, River Song, Weeping Angels....I guess Moffat means 'no past RUSSEL T. DAVIES characters'. Fair enough.


Alright, I'm fairly sure there's a whole lot more to discuss, but the phone's are off the hook and as the lowest member of this particular hierarchy, I must be available for random callers to yell at me. But don't feel too bad--I've got an hour long lunch break, and Jenkin's Inhumans waiting for me. And then post-5 I'm thinking pizza, beer, and DVR-ed Angel and Castle. Not too shabby.

Angel is Twilight

This shit is ridiculous.

I know Joss loves shocking his fans/viewers/readers, I know he loves an unexpected cliffhanger, an unpredictable reveal, but this doesn't work for me.

Sure, I didn't expect or predict that Angel was the masked villain acting as Buffy's "Big Bad" for the past four years, but that's because...it's stupid and doesn't make sense.

Let's count the ways this is retarded:

1. In his own series, and then his own canonical comic book continuation of his series, Angel and the city he protects, LA, went to Hell. Or became Hell. Or just became more blatantly evil, with demons fighting over territory, dead allies returning, old friends turned into vampires, and Angel himself turned into a human; the one thing he always fantasized about most, at the worst time possible. Somehow, with his son and warrior friends, he reversed the whole Hell thing Wolfram & Hart unleashed, and set up shop in his old HQ, that Hyperion Hotel from the mid-to-late seasons of the show (halcyon days, except for the disastrous Season 4.) The point is he's been pretty damn busy. Dying, living, saving, fighting, moralizing, avenging, etc. etc. Far too busy to assemble an army of sexist American military men looking to kill young superpowered women. Far too busy to recruit old personal enemies of the woman he loves and sic them on her and her allies. Far too busy to use her other ex-boyfriend as a spy slash weapon. In short, where the hell did he find the time to be Twilight?

2. Angel isn't evil. Sure, that isn't a blanket statement that applies to him at all times, historically, but for the overwhelming majority of the time Angel is as noble and moral and committed to the protection of innocents as Buffy...perhaps more so, as he has a guilty conscience and years of horrors he constantly tries to make amends for. And I can imagine Scott Allie and Joss' arguments here; who said Twilight was evil? "His aims are the same as Buffy. He seeks to protect humanity from the dangers of magic and the hellmouth." Albeit by eradicating magic, which he himself, far after parting ways with the Scooby Gang, used on a weekly basis to fight his own battles, and protect his city as well as his own people. Even as Twilight he uses magic to track the slayers, and his involvement leads to the deaths of at least dozens of young girls and army soldiers alike. He. Has. Killed. People. That is not Angel. That's Angelus, and either they wrote him sloppily or they're retarded, cause Angelus is a character you'd recognize, whether or not it was in comic form.

3. Buffy didn't recognize him. She fought him. He beat the crap out of her (something Angel would never do, unless he had been turned evil or they were training, of course. But he wouldn't. He loves her.) And he also talked a hell of a lot. Said some nasty things, but the point is, they conversed heavily. Judging by Angel's briefly heard Irish accent, he's not very good at changing his voice. And this is the guy Buffy lost her V-card too, killed and sent to hell despite loving him more than anything, resurrected him with her love (unwittingly), dated him again, broke up, and then saved each others' lives a few times, laying the groundwork for a potential reunion years in the future. So now he puts on a mask and displays some new powers, and she can't recognize his voice? His build? His hints? ("I know that move" - because he saw her slice Caleb in half with it.)



4. He can fly. Buffy's got some thin plot twists to justify her new superpowers. But Angel, who has been magically multitasking between Los Angeles and Scotland, never could, and shouldn't be able to sans magic, which he is trying to end forever.


So, to be honest, I don't really believe it yet. They've officially confirmed the news, they've released cover pictures and Trade Paperback solicitations that show Angel, someone even changed Twilight's entire wikipedia page. But I don't buy it. Maybe Angel comes in as a character, which was never ruled out, just as Spike was never ruled out. Doesn't mean he's Twilight. His past with Buffy and place in her story is more than enough to merit him cover treatment and even the main story of an arc or two. Doesn't prove he's the villain of the piece.

And neither does the editors and writers and artists saying publicly and officially that he is Twilight...at least not for me.

Why must Joss cause me so much pain these days? Back when he wrote Buffy I felt pain, sure, whenever tragedy struck. But it was never for tragedy's sake. There was always a story, and I always felt it in equal parts with love for the show and characters. The comic has been flimsy, despite no one wanting it more than me. It has fumbled in the past year, and dragged on, saying little and stretching out a legacy and world that gave Joss all the attention and adoration he now enjoys, more for entertainment purposes it seems than the need to tell an actual meaningful story. Why did he have to stab that slayer in the chest? Why did he re-open the long dead romantic tension with Xander and Buffy? Why make Faith so boring and Buffy sexually experimental? Why build up a villain for so long, keeping it secret, and leaving so many plot holes and characteristics that make no sense and violate continuity? It sounds a lot like running out of ideas, but refusing to let go.

Sure the comics are pretty. And it's all Buffy. So of course I'm gonna keep buying it and reading it. But if Angel really is Twilight? If he's not even evil or manipulated, and its all some shades-of-grey saving-the-world-a-different-way rationalization? Then I might stop buying and reading. Well, no that's a total lie. But my own respect and adoration for Joss' and his work will most certainly continue its' steady and continuous descent.

The End of Time Part 2, or How Being Human Gets You Killed

It is official. David Tennant is no longer the Doctor. On New Year's Day, at the end of his final story, the Tenth Doctor regenerated into the Eleventh, played by Matt Smith.



Aside from the intense mourning and inevitable goodbye to Tennant that characterized this episode, it seems Russel T. Davies' main aim was to redefine the regeneration process in itself. All the considerable emotion of this game-changing episode was built around the fact that when he regenerates, the Doctor doesn't just change his body like a change of clothes--he dies. His character, his mannerisms, his personal connections, his idiosyncrasies, even his vocabulary, dies and is replaced in some new, unpredictable permutation.

To imbue this process that has allowed the series of Doctor Who to last as long as it has, and to continue indefinitely, Davies' wrote a two-parter for Tennant which finds the Doctor to be more human than we have ever seen before. His fear is palpable in the first part, reserved and bordering on the edge of desperation, which breaks free in the second as on a couple different occasions he rages against his fate. He cries, and breaks things, and screams. He reminisces about the people he's loved and the places he's seen. He laments the things he has yet to do and see. He fails to understand how all the good he achieved and all the friendships he built cannot change the inevitable brevity of this life--a four year stint in this body for a 906-year-old soul, which makes his life all the shorter and The Doctor all the more reluctant to let it go.

Tennant is truly and unbelievably good in his final episode. From the powerful, unbeatable, action hero Doctor, to the mortal, emotional, conflicted Doctor, Tennant takes a character we have all loved and grown attached to and shows us why we love him. He makes him more accessible even than during his love story with Rose Tyler, still commonly considered the most poignant successful storylines of the new series (think Buffy Season 2 and her doomed love with Angel.)

This episode, perhaps more than any other, was about the acting rather than the special effects or the Big Bad, as proven by the climactic battle between the Doctor, the Master and the returning TimeLords occurring only about 2/3rds of the way through the episode. We see The Master, the Doctor's only contemporary and the other, often opposite, half of his own character. We see him twisted and desperate as he too faces his end, and the contrast between his raging-against-fate and The Doctor's shows us not only, once again, that the Doctor is hugely human and noble, but just how incredible and unprecedented it is that a TimeLord, ancient and wise and brilliant and powerful, has managed to cling to these painful and formative emotions.

This is enhanced even more with the return of the TimeLord's, led by an insane Timothy Dalton, who manages to break free from the Timelocked Timewar (with TimeWarner Cable?) and emerge on Earth with the intention of destroying...well everything. Including Time of course. We learn more clearly what the TimeWar consisted of---what the Doctor saw that the Master missed--how the leaders of the TimeLords grew twisted and violent and megalomaniacal, and why the Doctor ended his own kind as well as their enemies the Daleks.

But again it's as if Davies took the standard formula for a Doctor episode: running around, exponential dangers and enemies, explosions, threats from his past, etc. and turned into a foil for the Doctor's character. By providing the corrupted comparisons of every being left in his species, we are shown why the Doctor has embraced Earth and the human race.

In the previous episode he told Wilf that humans look like giants to him, perhaps in the amount they do, in their courage and creativity, despite such short life spans. Wilf himself, Tennant's final companion, plays no direct part in the final battle between the Doctor, the Master and the Lord President of the TimeLords. Instead, as the battle begins, without even thinking or hesitation, Wilf rescues an anonymous lab technician from a radiation chamber, locking himself in instead.



As it turns out, that IS really the final battle for the Doctor. Once all the other TimeLords disappear into some convenient and unexplained white void, the Doctor briefly believes his death sentence was averted, until the oft-prophesied knocking turns out to be Wilf in the radiation chamber. Cue rage and total heartbreak.

Originally, I was actually a bit pissed off. Had he not vented his feelings to Wilf at that Chiswick cafe, and then returned for him, taking him along for his final adventure, he would have faced one of his greatest and most personal significant challenges, and still survived! But as I thought more, aside from the fact that the anonymous white lab coat guy would still be locked in the chamber, the more fitting the end became.

As opposed to a final blaze of glory, or being murdered by the master, or saving the world, the Doctor, in the end, must sacrifice himself for one human. Not just because it's Wilf, whom he loves ("I would be proud, if you were my father" made me cry) who is the father of Donna, whom he loves, but because Wilf is a human being. And, as Davros showed the Doctor (and us) in last season's finale, throughout this brief live dozens of humans, in different times and places, and even a few aliens, have sacrificed themselves to save the Doctor, and to let his story continue. Davies' desire to bring things full circle creates poignancy here, and while the Doctor rages, he does it briefly, and steps into the radiation chamber because it's simply his duty and ultimately his fate.



Now for the epilogue, which was really the main part of the show. Honestly, I could have skipped all the Master stuff, all the TimeLords returning drama and end of the human species, and just watched the Doctor visiting his old companions. Let's take it one by one.

Martha Jones (& Mickey): Unfortunately, Martha didn't get a line with the Doctor, but she had a
cool action sequence and the revelation that she married Mickey (what ever happened to her Doctor fiance who she had met when she was saving the world against the Master third season?) was a surprise and a surprisingly possible match the more I think of it. It was also interesting to see she really has become the consummate soldier, but by far the best part was when the Doctor leaves and they hug each other, obviously knowing he appeared to say goodbye. I hold out hope that they will both appear in Torchwood when it is restored.



Sarah Jane Smith: The rescue of Sarah Jane's son Luke seemed a bit forced (he has a near death experience at the same time that the Doctor is dying and the events of Christmas just happened?) until I watched Doctor Who Confidential and it turns out Davies was making a joke about the way the child actors of The Sarah Jane Adventures never look both ways when they cross the street. That somewhat explains the anger on Tennant's face after he saves Luke, perhaps an admonishment for not being careful, but still one of the expressions in the episode I found out of place. And when he says, or rather waves, goodbye to Sarah Jane, her big smile was confusing to me as well, though it could very well have been a sad farewell smile, or an I-know-you'll-be-back-but-I've-known-you-in-different-bodies-and-I'll-probably-know-the-next-one. And, depending on the success of Matt Smith's Doctor (I have no doubt that the ratings will remain enormous) I predict he will be on Sarah Jane Adventures, especially after the Doctor's last crossover in The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, which was awesome.



Verity Newman: The most unexpected of his farewells, the Doctor visits a descendant of the woman he loved, Joan Redfern, when he was in hiding as a human in the third series. He shows up at her book signing, as she has uncovered her Grandmother's journals and put her and the Doctor's stories into a book. The actress is the same as the one who loved John Smith (the Doctor's human identity), Jessica Hynes, and she is spectacular in the brief 30 seconds she is given.



Captain Jack Harkness: Of course the Doctor finds Captain Jack at an intergalactic, inter-species bar, drowning his sorrows after his own heartbreak at the end of Children of Earth where he lost his friends, his headquarters, did morally questionable things, and his lover, Ianto Jones, died. Again, the Doctor doesn't exchange words, but in an act of forgiveness he reaches out in a war that he knows matters to Captain Jack--he sends him a note telling him the name of the cute sailor human who just sat next to him at the bar. 'His name is Alonso' - and it's none other than Russel Torvey, Mr. Midshipman Alonso Frame, from the Voyage of The Damned (one of the weakest specials, second only to Planet of the Dead). It's wonderful as always to see Captain Jack, and Alonso was a treat, and I sincerely sincerely hope they get together and he brings Alonso into Torchwood.


Donna Noble and Wilf: Donna's storyline in this final two-parter was the biggest disappointment by far for me. The shockwave thing that emanated out of her when she was surrounded by Master-humans, incapacitating them, is only ever explained as a "defense mechanism" that the Doctor put in her. She begins to remember everything the Doctor made her forget, and then wakes up like normal, without the memories at the surface anymore. I wanted more! I wanted her to at least SEE him, and if she has to go back to not-remembering, that she at least has a moment of clarity. However, he does come to say goodbye, in effect, by observing Donna's wedding. Again, Russel tries the full-circle thing, as the first time we met her she was on her way to get married, and that never worked out. But it didn't mean that much to me (except that Donna obviously loves black men.) The lottery ticket was cool, and seeing Sylvia Noble cry with emotion and finally feel love for the Doctor was nice, but I have to think, wouldn't the Doctor know that Donna, before she met him or rather with her memory stripped clean, was rather shallow and vapid? Consequently, wouldn't becoming a millionaire not be the best thing for her? Still, it's a lovely gesture and an attempt to keep her life secure and happy. His goodbye to Wilf, again, seemed rather angry. When Wilf saluted, he just turned and walked away. Of course, he hates the whole saluting thing, and Wilf is pretty much directly responsible for his impending death, but still, a half smile would have been acceptable I think.


Rose Tyler: I was really really hoping we'd get to see Rose in her parallel universe, with her halfDoctor, halfHuman Tennant Clone, leading a happy life, and at least letting them know what was happening, in case they ever try to find him again. (Funny that the halfhuman Doctor, in his mortal body, will actually outlive the authentic Tennant Doctor.) However, when it's revealed that he's visited her mere months before Rose will ever meet the Doctor (Eccleston) there is absolutely a sense of completion as well as the comfort that the past and present and future are all happening at once, that endings can be beginnings, that Rose and the Doctor will be together forever, somewhen in time. And the return of Billie was fantastic, and her outfit, and her housing complex, and her accent were pitch perfect and her huge grin was beautiful. Of course it was far, far too brief, but I pray that Steven Moffat, in a year or two, or someday, will have Matt Smith's Doctor have to go to the alternate universe and find Rose and the half-human Doctor. Which means Tennant can return, at least for a little while! And he can be a true foil to Smith, not just his predecessor, but his predecessor genetically combined with Donna Noble! Would be brilliant.


So the Doctor says goodbye to everyone that he loves, and its beautiful and appropriate the way the series finale of Six Feet Under was. Then we get Tennant's final scene, as he stumbles to the TARDIS (didn't really need Ood Sigma to gross us out again, but I suppose 'singing him to his sleep' was kind) and begins to regenerate. His last word's ever? "I don't want to go." His face, his delivery, makes it probably the most human and heart-wrenching and scary moment of Tennant's entire run.

I, for one, will heartily miss him, and will rewatch his many episodes with glee for the rest of his life, because he is MY Doctor, and probably always will be. I intend to find his lauded Hamlet and watch that, and even to follow Tennant's attempt at mainstream US television in his upcoming lawyer show on NBC.

Still, the final 30 seconds of the special, the first 30 seconds of the eleventh Doctor, were fitting and rather exciting. Matt Smith's hair is a bit messy, but his initially crazy assessment of his new body is spot-on and believable, and his excitement at crashing in the TARDIS nearly overshadows Tennant's farewell with expectation for the future. Confidential showed a clip of Smith walking from his trailer to the set to film his first scene, and we see him go up and speak to Russel T. Davies (for the first time! They never met before!) with the expression and excitement of a true fan, and even a smile at the Confidential camera that shows this guy is a performer and pretty damn stoked about his new, huge opportunity.

The only remaining point-of-interest is the Woman, credited as the Prophetess, who visits Wilf throughout the two-parter, advising him, and then appears in the council of TimeLords at the end that the Doctor faces off against. When she lowers her hands and the Doctor sees her, he is overcome, and then she shows him with her eyes the way to end the standoff he is stuck in. But the question remains who is she? To affect the Doctor so? To be so connected to his final days and his well being? Can it really be his Mother? And if so, why not elaborate? Why just throw something so huge into the mix without explaining? To make him more human in his final moments? More sentimental? Or perhaps it's a Moffat-imbued set-up for a future big story? Either way I'd like some confirmation on her identity.

So, God Bless You David Tennant and your Doctor. A big thank you to you and Russel T. Davies, the both of whom, despite the occasional tepid or formulaic story, made a huge great series even huger and greater, and, more importantly, special and accessible to my generation (and the one or two behind me already.)

Now let's take a look at the preview for Matt Smith's series, which will begin sometime in Spring (arghh!). We've got Alex Kingston back as River Song! We've got a Dalek or two! We've got the freaky statues from Don't Blink! or whatever that critically acclaimed Moffat episode was called! We've got the new redhead companion, who is beautiful, and has lovely hair, and is hopefully more plucky and stronger than she looks! And we have the Doctor, new and old, shaggier and perhaps even more impulsive, with an apparently less strict abhorrence of violence and guns. He also wears a bow tie and his new catch phrase (replacing Allons-y!) is "Geronimo!" I'm all for American slang replacing French, and can't wait to see if it'll work. Enjoy! And get psyched. But not too psyched, cause you have to wait till end of March/beginning of April for more Doctor stories.

The New Logo:

'The End of Time Itself'

Russell T. Davies is obviously given to hyperbole on occasion--especially when he is writing dialogue for the Ood (how do they articulate so well when their mouths are a bag o' wormy veins? Oh right, with that telepathic speaking ball. Handy.) So when we are warned that the danger the Doctor is facing in this 2 part final special means the final act of Time as well, it doesn't really hit home. I mean, the Doctor has saved the past, the present, the future, Earth, the universe, and reversed horrific events...well, time and time again. Plus we know that Matt Smith is the Doctor next year so obviously Time doesn't truly end (unless Matt Smith is some kind of younger Doctor, as in, the Doctor's exploits pre-Christopher Eccleston and Rose Tyler).

But when the Doctor sits at a cafe with Wilf, and explains why someone who is technically immortal, who can regenerate and be young again every time he is mortally wounded, actually feels terror and intense grief at the prophesy of his death, it's something completely new in this series. It's an earnestness, a simple statement of personal facts, that the Doctor does not often divulge. He explains that the regeneration is not always guaranteed, and then the doozie: that even when he does regenerate, it feels like death. Every. Single. Time. Some new man just walks away with his memories and skills and life. He, That Particular Incarnation of the Doctor, is gone forever.

In the face of Tennant's imminent departure, the poignancy of these admissions is for once backed up by the fact that we know this Doctor really will die soon. (Though I do predict a return of the half-human, half-Doctor Tennant clone who is hanging out in a parallel Earth with Rose Tyler in, say, a year and a half? maybe two? Once that NBC lawyer show Tennant is filming doesn't get picked up for its' back-nine episodes.) And who better to spill his guts to than Wilf? The father of the one companion who was actually an equal, a friend? The man who seems inextricably tied to his own personal timeline? An old man, with various lives of his own, experiences as a soldier and someone unique in the universe?

A man who might very well be a Timelord himself. Honestly, when Wilf went to his old private memento box, and unwrapped that ancient gun, I was positive it was gonna be that fob watch that hides a Timelord's persona within a human. I still feel that he IS a timelord in hiding (not knowing it himself obviously) which would explain the Doctor's comfort (and momentary suspicion) with him, his reemergence in the Doctor's life and ability to locate him so swiftly, his love of the sky and stars, his encouragement of Donna's adventures, and even Donna's own participation in the Doctor's life.

Think about it. If Wilf is a Timelord, that means Donna is part Timelord, part Human, which is exactly what she became in last series' finale. The Doctor thought that was the first time that has ever existed, and that it wasn't physically possible, hence his decision to wipe her memories. But what if that's what she already was! What if that was WHY the timelines bent to activate her as the DoctorDonna? What if she IS capable of sustaining the mind of a Timelord in the body of a human? That would mean she could come back. The DoctorDonna can return, and exist...at least as far as Part Two of The End of Time is concerned.

This episode was unlike any other Davies' Doctor Who episode I have seen, especially in the last two years. Like in The Waters of Mars, the Doctor was essentially alone throughout. I suppose Wilf became his companion by the end, but it seems more circumstance and fate than choice. More importantly, the Doctor seemed terrified throughout. Often he'd get scared, or see the danger in situations, the impossibility of evil machinations, but this time, alone, faced with his own 'inevitable' demise, he seemed thinner and more breakable. It was acted beautifully. I mean, Tennant brought this 900 year old, nigh omnipotent alien and Lord of Time, to the brink of tears at a Chiswick cafe, and it was entirely believable.

Not only was the Doctor more different than ever, but the Master, resurrected and somehow imbued with superpowers was a shock. Perhaps any Timelord could access that kind of temporary flight, lightning bolt wielding, human eating abilities, but it seems to cost whatever lifeforce he has in that particular body. And then it turns out the Master and the Doctor are not the only Timelords anymore. The episode opens with narration, and continues with it until about 2/3rds in, when we see the face of...a character/actor I probably should know if I was an old school Doctor Who fan who watched the (kinda cheesy and dated) series in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. But I'm not, I'm a 2005 series fan, and not ashamed of it. Still, it felt like seeing Leonard Nimoy in the Star Trek Movie, and I have some feeling (read it somewhere?) that the narrator is a Timelord named the Professor (seems appropriate). Suffice to say that he tells us today is the day that the Timelords return.

So somehow the Timwar get's un-time-locked, or the Master (or the Doctor) goes back in time and saves them and the entire planet of Gallifrey, or changes the universe, or something equally big. (The narrator said the Master was to have a time of enormous glory in the near future; guess that could be good or bad but I feel it hints at some redemption for the Master.) Definitely feels like the New Year's Day one will be a game changer.

Other highlights include: seeing the Master's old human wife Lucy from Season 3, and her defiance to his return. The producers somehow managing to make a trash dump into a scary, mountainous immortal warrior arena. The shot of the council of Timelords of Gallifrey. The TARDIS locking with a car alarm sound, and then the Doctor hiding the TARDIS a second out of sync (just like the Dalek's hid the Earth and the other 27 planets they stole last season--pretty cool to see how the Doctor learns and adapts as continues to grow older and see more and face more--and to sort of be a part of it, having seen and learned with him.)

As for disappointments, I'll just say that there was far far too little screen time for Donna for me. I understand that Wilf is the companion right now, and I definitely see how that works for the tenor of the show and Tennant's exit, but I hope to God that Part Two has a really heavy Donna storyline, where she remembers, and evolves and returns, at least for a little while, to her previous glory and personality. The other storyline I didn't love was every human on Earth turning into the Master (creepy) BUT I see it as the foil for the exact plot development I want; namely, both Wilf and Donna do not change. They are the only humans to stay the same.

Means they're Timelords, or half-Timelords, or at least very important and integral to the Tennant-Doctor's final story.

All in all, was one of the best Doctor Who episodes I've seen in a long time, and certainly one of the most different. Very glad Davies took some risks and changed things up for his final story, and I cannot wait for next week's continuation/conclusion.

If you've never seen the show...well, then you probably didn't read this post, or at least didn't get to the end. However, I highly recommend it, but start with the 2005 season. Christopher Eccleston is quite different from Tennant, but I still fell in love with the show immediately, and also you should get to know Rose before you meet Tennant, and Martha Jones, and then Donna. Watch it as they made it. (It goes faster than you'd like.)

Happy day after Christmas! Long Live the Doctor.

Total Recall

I take back everything bad I said about the British, and their television programmers specifically. Turns out Doctor Who DID air today, and is currently materializing bit by kilobyte onto my very own USS Macbook!

No matter that everywhere I look online says it's airing December 25th. In approximately an hour I will be watching brand new David Tennant adventures, his final story, and the return (possibly demise according to internet speculation?) of Donna Noble.

Pretty good Christmas present for a Jew.

Russell T. Davies---despite some dips, you made a great thing here. Interested to see what Steven Moffat can do, but here's hoping you end your run on a high note. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to it.

Merry Christmas

While this Captain was born a Jew, he is often confused for a gentile.

And he's alright with that. Christ set a lot of good things in motion. So, yknow, thanks Baby J. And Happy Birthday.


This fine Friday work-less morning I am pleasantly surprised to find a number of Brooklyn businesses open. Currently I'm nursing a hot chocolate at a Connecticut Muffin and stealing their wireless to download things without a trace of shame. The typical Jew Christmas, apparently, involves Chinese Food and a movie. I have yet to find the best Chinese place in my new neighborhood, but I've got the watching things down to an art form.

Which brings me to my disappointment this morning when I realized the Doctor Who Christmas special 'The End Of Time" wasn't airing until tomorrow. What bollocks! If that's the way it's gonna be, call it a friggin Day-After-Christmas special. Here I thought the Brits were all anti-torture. But this was a cruel blow. I was already setting my clock to London time so as to anticipate the availability of the torrent.

But, hey, it's just another 24 hours, and waiting for Doctor Who to air is usually a matter of months. I'll get through it with my new British series--Misfits. A group of dysfunctional British teens who are all stuck doing court-mandated community service get stuck in a freak lightning storm and develop superpowers. The powers are fairly unoriginal--telepathy, time control, invisibility, pheromone control--but the characters are fresh and it's pretty well made so far (only seen the first two, but eager for the rest.)

I'm also revisiting a little Dollhouse, namely the unaired eps: Epitaph One and the original pilot (which I've never seen) in honor of its impending demise. I have to admit its really stepped up the quality, and as long as they don't have Eliza Dushku miming a head-ache ever ever ever ever ever again (watch The Alphabet Killer for a great example of her inability to act head pain) I think the last couple episodes will be fantastic (especially if Amy Acker comes back, as Epitaph One pretty much promised).

Regardless, the lack of new tv this past week or two is a bit annoying when you suddenly have a three day weekend and want to do a whole lot of nothing, but I've been rather good at wasting time in the past, so I just need to tap into those old habits.

Hope everyone has a beautiful and safe and fun holiday. Talk to you later this weekend about Doctor Who. :-)

The Captain Is Back On Deck

My apologies, gentle geeky conservative faithful readers. It has been many months since my last post, and it turns out some of you still are clicking on whatever link brings you to this site on a daily basis. I am flattered and touched and moved and deeply perplexed (how many times can one read a fairly simple review of the comic where Stephanie Brown takes up the mantle of Batgirl?) Regardless I have felt the call back to STB this fine snow-covered Sunday morning.

I have moved to the city (Brooklyn) and got an actual job (Manhattan) and all of a sudden find myself to be, at least on the surface, a fully functioning, society-contributing, money-making cog in the machine (but a cool machine, like a ginormous Swatch or the Ghostbusters' ghost-trap-box thing.) Alright, explanation portion done, lets do a minimalist round-up of some of the pop/culture I've missed.


Star Trek: Finally saw the J.J.Abrams movie last night. Was never a Trekkie, wasn't even super interested in the movie, but heard good things so I checked it out. Not entirely sure whether it was amazingly well-written or if my biochemistry was somehow inexplicably altered for those couple hours, but I experienced about 8 intense, 10 minute long sobbing sessions throughout the movie. No joke. Was crying before the titles flashed across the scene, and by the time the end credits showed up I was just a red faced, dehydrated, human-shaped mound of snot sitting on a couch. Loved it. Haven't felt so much emotion since that whole birth thing.

Inglorious Basterds: Also saw yesterday. Am disappointed I was more effected by Star Trek, but I thought it was great nonetheless. Perfect amount of humor, gore wasn't nearly as ubiquitous or disquieting (or satisfying) as I anticipated, and even Brad Pitt grew on me after his first scene (though he definitely doesn't deserve first billing on this film.) The women were the best characters, and the "JewHunter" was amazing actor as well, though plotwise, the final third's developments still mystify me a bit. Solid though, and really well done. Would be ok with Quentin getting some awards for it.

Dollhouse: Ending. Shocker. Quality has absolutely improved though, I can't deny that. Summer Glau had a very strong two-part guest starrage (though, yet a-fucking-gain, she was an eccentric brilliant socially-inept hard-to-understand genius) and obviously Alan Tudyk is still solid. Unfortunately, Eliza has remained wooden and incapable of actual acting, and the writers still rest the majority of the story on her shoulders. This show should be about Victor instead! Enver Gojak (?-dont feel like looking it up) is unbelievable. Everyone else is flat and fairly uninteresting.



Blackest Night: Solid, and expectedly brutal. Dragging out waaay too long, also as expected. The next big crossover series are already being solicited, and me and my wallet are both getting rather tired. Do love having those promotional rings though ha.

Doctor Who: Waters of Mars was pretty solid. Far far better than The Next Doctor and the one with the Bionic Woman actress (who is basically Britain's Eliza Dushku.) However, could not be more excited for the Xmas day special, followed by the New Years final David Tennant episode. Catherine Tate returns!! My favorite companion. Hope she gets some real screen time, and that the DoctorDonna comes back to the Universe. Not as excited for Matt Smith but definitely interested (especially for whichever episode Alex Kingston shows up in.)



Bat-books: Kinda boring at the moment, to be honest. Love that Red Robin has his own title, identity and mission (Tim Drake's my favorite hero, if you've never read this blog before) but Yost has been trying too hard to make the stories as intricate and batman-detective-y as possible. I want some more emotion, some more personal stuff. Also the occasional closure would be lovely. As for the other titles, you'd think Dick Grayson as Batman and Damien Psycho Wayne as Robin would be full of writing opportunities, such a major (and temporary) shake up of the most established title in comic books, and yet they seem to be doing the same crap; gang wars, super-villain blowing up Arkham Asylum and using all lesser villains as an army against Batman & Gotham (Tony Daniel is very overrated) and freaky Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely collaborations (Red Hood and Scarlet blew, R.I.P. and Final Crisis blew and were seriously disturbing, and yet they've given him the "Return of Bruce Wayne" storyline. Rather pissed about it.)

(500) Days of Summer: Lovely. Thought it would be boring/formulaic. Wasn't. Very glad Joseph Gordon-Levitt was main character. Love him. he always picks great stuff (BrickBrickBrickBrickBrick) and is about time he got some awards. Also I'm rather sick to death of the whole I'm-A-Deschanel-Look-How-Cute-And-Eccentric-I-Am.

30 Rock: Not what it used to be. Tina Fey is overexposed and has like zero warmth. Actually like Parks and Recreation more. (Hunting episode was great.)

X-Men: Still not sure about all this Utopia/Nation X thing. Matt Fraction is completely great on Iron Man and then nearly intolerable at times on X-Men. X-Necrosha, completely by surprise, is far more satisfying so far. But one things true in all X-titles: I miss Storm. They've got every mutant every written, basically, at their disposal, living on the same island, and they just use the same characters over and over. Know you can't squeeze every one in, but pick some new shit. I mean, Dazzler? Really? X-Factor's pretty solid, and outside that whole San-Fran shiny world, but unfortunately still feels a bit slow. The forced noir thing drags it down, but i'll admit, I've waited many years to see Rictor and Shatterstar get together (even tracked down the couple old issues of X-Force years ago where a writer occasionally described them as "more than just friends") so I could do with some more storyline for them (plus isn't Shattybuns the son of Longshot and Dazzler? That would be a nice loose end to confront.) Also Jubilee is coming back! Huzzah!


Merlin: Though frustratingly formulaic, I really like this show, and it's somehow gotten better. Absolutely ready for a change in the status quo, but there's something very comforting about this weekly British myth-bastardizing show...and it's not just watching Giles with a crown.



Obama: Kind of checked out of the whole following-politics-closely thing in past months. (Not just cause I can't listen to Rush during work hours, but cause it was painful to read Drudge Report every day.) However, I am getting back into it, because it is a whole lotta fun to watch Obama stepping on his toes and deteriorating. (Im talking pre-empting Charlie Brown Xmas, predicting bankrupt govt if Obamacare doesn't pass, expensive date nights, bowing to every dictator/king he finds, angry unpopular speech at Copenhagen while Chavez gets standing O...funny shit.)

Dexter: Pretty fucking disturbed by the finale. Not as crazy about this season as everyone else--thought the Lithgow thing was drawn out, not so interesting, though definitely creepy, and ending was just horrible. Don't think it was necessary to the evolution of the show, don't think it was fair/cool to the audience (or Julie Benz) and actually makes Dexter look like a huge chump (all he did this season was fuck things up every week.) Obviously not a feel-good family drama, but does it absolutely have to be so brutal? Actually made me have trouble going to sleep, which is a first.

Can't think of anything else at the moment, except for the last book I read which was completely fantastic. Called To Rule The Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World by Arthur Hermann. Highly recommend it. Learned so much cool information, great stories, incredibly well written. Going back to fiction now, but still navy/nautical Napoleonic times; a series in fact recommended by Herman at the back of the book for people who have already read Patrick O'Brian and CS Forester at least twice each (guilty) by Richard Woodman. Will let you know.

Hopefully I'll be back soon. But either way, thanks for typing me into your url bar for all those weeks of nothing. Have a lovely Sunday.

-Captain Elias

The Batgirl Makeover

Here I thought Stephanie, after getting a firm tongue-lashing (get your mind out of the gutter) from Oracle, would take up the traditional role and don the thigh high yellow high-heels, the yellow Bat sign, and the yellow gloves. But this promo looks much more hardcore.


The thing with the showing the hair always seems to me to be an identity reveal, but have it your way superheroes. Point of interest: looks like she's beating on those Mutant punks from The Dark Knight Returns. Maybe this is just a future panel? Either way those dudes deserve the punishment. "Slice and dice, man"? Ugh. Gave me chills.

Also recently heard that Geoff Johns and his new good right arm Francis Manapul are leaving Adventure Comics after 6 issues. Pretty pissed off. The whole beauty of Connor returning and reuniting and fighting was centered on the fact that Johns was running the show and you could trust him. Now he's going to be doing more Flash stories instead, and slowly killing the Rogues. Flash Rebirth has quite honestly had more of a Morrison stink to it than Johns' crisp plots, so I say, save it for the big screen movie script Geoff, and stick to Superboy. (Plus 6 issues is nothing.)

If only he called me before he made these decisions. Also Dan Didio needs to be deposed already.