What I'm Watching: Doctor Who, Repo

Okay, so thanks to the prodding of reader "teatime brutality," I am fully on the "Doctor Who" bandwagon. After sampling a few episodes on BBC America, I now have the first four "series" sets in front of me, and I've been tearing through "The Complete First Series" all week.

Unintended side effect: my son has now become a HUGE Doctor Who fan. He's a kid who's really into "Spongebob Squarepants," "Pokemon," "Total Drama Island," and anything for the Nintento DS, so I assumed he wouldn't have much interest in a British sci-fi show, but he watched one episode with me and he was completely hooked. He loves that the Doctor solves problems with his brain and a sonic screwdriver. He loves that the show can be funny and sad and exciting. He wants a Dalek action figure.

So we've finished all of the First Series, and we'll be launching into Series Two any day now. And, by the way, at least two episodes that I've watched so far involve a defeated creature (or creatures) falling through time. So any Doctor Who fan must have read "Final Crisis" and thought, "oh, that old gimmick." Morrison, by the way, is a devoted Whovian.

I also watched "Repo! The Genetic Opera," definitely NOT with my son around. My wife wasn't interested in watching that one either, and I think that was probably for the best as she would have loved 70% of it but hated the other 30% so much that she would have, I don't know, punched the tv. Or hopped on a plane to track down director Darren Lynn Bousman and then taunted him about how much of a tasteless hack he can be.

Even though it can be schlocky and disgusting at times, "Repo" is a mostly great-looking movie, and the songs are good, and most of the performances are good. Anthony Stewart Head is fantastic. Even Paris Hilton is kinda good, and I never thought I would say that. She's perfect for the role, which involves not a little bit of self-parody. It's a gruesome, horrific rock opera, with spines ripped out of people who can no longer afford to pay for them, and old-fashioned "injury to the eye motif" action. It's sickening, and while (apparent B-grade horror icon, but still TERRIBLE actor) Bill Moseley gives the worst performance I've seen in anything that cost this much money to make, it's mostly a slick, original production.

I have no patience for senseless gore or cheap thrill horror, but "Repo" has an incredible sense of humor about itself and it looks like nothing else that came out last year. It may be trying too hard to attain a cult status, and it will probably succeed, but at least it's got some catchy tunes.

What are YOU watching?

in media res

I was teaching a bit of epic poetry this week, and, tonight, I put my kids to bed with a dramatic reading of "Batman: Brave and the Bold" #1 (the new Johnny DC title). That issue ends with a very brief and shallow interview with producer James Tucker, but in the brief and shallow interview, Tucker mentions how each episode just starts with Batman in the middle of an adventure and the audience catches up from there.

It's not an innovative technique by any means (as anyone who was paying attention in my English class should be able to confirm), but its so damned refreshing to see it used again. Nobody cares how Batman ended up fighting Signal Man with the help of Airwave. All that matters is: what's going to happen next?

It got me thinking about the loud anti-Final Crisis voices and the generally flat and slowly shambling storytelling of so many comics today. Comics could benefit from more "in media res" and less slow build up. Comics could learn from James Tucker. Please.

Fantastic Four #563 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Fantastic Four #563, about which I write the following sentences: "We know that can't possibly last. Ben Grimm has a track record with heartbreak and misery. And his fiancée seems so lovely and innocent that we can only imagine the horrors Mark Millar has in store for her. She doesn't even seem to understand how much her life will change -- has changed -- alongside the Thing. She doesn't realize how soon she'll be playing the role of the typical comic book love interest: eternal victim."

Read the entire review HERE.

When Words Collide: Final Crisis -- Here is Knowledge

Thus, an era of comics-I-am-
eagerly-anticipating comes to a close. Now that "Final Crisis" is done, comic book shopping on Wednesdays seems to have lost its luster. The world is a little dimmer now, isn't it?

This week's "When Words Collide" was delayed because I wanted to tackle "Final Crisis" in its entirety, #7 included, and so I could hit my usual deadline of 5:00 PM on Tuesday night, unless Darkseid himself dropped off a copy of the last issue on his way back through time (clearly, he had other things to worry about, and I don't hold it against him). Then the snowstorm hit New England this morning, and that delayed my purchase of the issue even more. But I read it like crazy and ignored my family tonight, and submitted my column, "Final Crisis: Here is Knowledge" just in time to make Wednesday's CBR.

Actually, the CBR folks had to work a little overtime to get it posted, and that's just another example of how awesome they are.

So read my column, then come back here and tell me how wrong I am, and I will destroy you with the power of song.

For the Record: Final Crisis #7

My WWC column on "Final Crisis" was submitted a few minutes ago, and I don't know if it will make it to the CBR main page today or not, but here's something I wrote in an e-mail to Chad Nevett yesterday:

Captain Adam's "No dualities. Only symmetries" line seems to be the key to the whole thing. Hence Libra for Balance, and hence all the apparent dualities throughout the FC series itself.

I think FC #7 will end with darkness fusing with light, perhaps Darkseid's energy form literally fusing with that of, say, a Flash(?) and bringing forth the Fifth World more completely.

Or something completely different.

But symmetrical.

And it will end with Anthro.

I was right about some of it, at least.

Punisher War Zone #6 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Punisher War Zone #6, about which I write the following sentences: "Ennis also wraps up the Ma Gnucci/Elite plotline with a vicious climax, but rather than give away those particular grisly details, I'd just like to commend Steve Dillon for another job well done. A cursory glance at his work might not allow you to fully appreciate the depths of his talent, and it may even seem like he's drawing comics the same was he has for the past couple of decades. But his work in recent years has gained a greater sense of dimensionality, moving beyond the flat planes he emphasized for so long, and giving his comic book worlds a visual depth. He also tells a story with perfect clarity and grace, and his art on this comic -- as bloody as the subject matter can be -- is a wonderful cure for the chaotic muddiness that taints so many mainstream comics these days."

Read the entire review HERE.

Northlanders Interview Action

I interviewed Brian Wood recently for CBR, and talked with him about how "The Viking Prince" led to "Northlanders" and what he has planned for the rest of this year, Viking-wise.

I didn't talk about his collaboration with Canadian rock-god Bryan Adams, but as this promo demonstrates, there's something brewing between Vikings, Brian Wood, and the power ballads of Adams.

I'm also just trying to see how many sentences I can write in which I use the word "viking."

Vikings!

Batman: The Strange Deaths of Batman Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1, about which I write the following sentences: "Some might call a collection like 'Batman: The Strange Deaths of Batman' a 'cash-grab' or a 'cynical attempt to make money off Batman's "death" in "Final Crisis."' But it really does make sense to provide some context for the current death of Batman, and a trade paperback reprinting some of Batman's greatest 'deaths' seems like a good idea. It's a fun way to trace the development of storytelling styles over the decades, all handily tied together under one thematic umbrella. Unfortunately, this collection is wildly uneven, and at $19.99, I don't see enough quality here to fully justify that price. Some of the stories are good -- one, in particular, is a work of deranged genius -- but the rest are bottom-of-the-barrel darknight detective episodes, with the most recent stories tending to be the worst."

Read the entire review HERE.

What I'm Reading: Dororo, Beowulf, Jason Aaron

I'm not quite finished with it yet, but I've read 90% of "Dororo," Volume 1 (with Volumes 2 and 3 sitting in the pile next to my bed).

I have never been the world's biggest Osamu Tezuka fan -- and I know that's another example of my blasphemous thinking -- but his characters have never appealed to me at all. I have a few of his works on my "To Read" pile, and I'm sure my opinion will change the deeper I immerse myself in his world, but "Dororo" has already gone a long way to break down my prejudice toward his work.

"Dororo" is INSANE. Babies with no arms, legs, eyes, ears, or mouths that learn to become kick-ass martial artists and must defeat demons to gain body parts? That is pretty much what I want from my Manga, and Tezuka gives it to me here. I love it.

I also just read all three "Scalped" trades, "The Other Side," "Wolverine: Get Mystique," and "Ghost Rider: Hell Bent and Heaven Bound" in preparation for an extensive overview of Jason Aaron's career/retrospective interview series that I'm working on. Look for the fruits of that labor later this month (or maybe in mid-February -- I might hold off on the publication until after the NYCC madness dies down). For the record: Jason Aaron's work is great. In case you didn't know. Even his lesser Marvel work is better than most of the stuff you're already buying.

I'm also rereading Seamus Heaney's translation of "Beowulf" because this week begins some Brit Lit action in my classroom, and "Beowulf" has 99% more Grendel-arm-ripping-off-action than any other English language poem you'd care to mention (even if it is Old English, which, let's face it, is not recognizable as English to the man on the street).

What are YOU reading?

Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1, about which I write the following sentences: "Nothing in this comic makes any kind of logical sense, not even using the kind of DC comic book logic that allows Batman to shoot gods with space bullets or Superman to live in the heart of the sun. (And it's way less interesting than either of those things. It's less interesting than reading the Wikipedia entries of those things.)"

Read the entire review HERE.

Superman Beyond #2 Hits THE SPLASH PAGE

This week's "Splash Page" discussion begins on Chad Nevett's blog. Read that part first, then come back here for PART TWO:

Chad Nevett: How do you think this little tangent story works in relation to All-Star Superman? It seems to have some relationship, but where that book fell flat for me, this one really worked. Is there any relationship beyond the same writer and character?

Tim Callahan: There's certainly a parallel between All-Star and Superman Beyond, most emphatically on the final page of each series. In All-Star we get the promise that Superman will continue via Quintum's technology -- "Superman 2," which we know will lead to a future strain of Supermen, as seen in the appearance of the Superman Squad in issue #6 -- while in Superman Beyond we get the ultimate Superman epitaph: "To Be Continued." It all ties in to Morrison's constant articulation of the existence of Superman above and beyond our own mortal existence. The whole "Superman is realer than us" idea.

Plus, both series feature that moment of transcendent awareness where Superman realizes how everything fits together, but, ironically, in All-Star, the moment is one in which he realizes that "we are all there is" and there is no higher power or meaning above the deeds of humanity/superhumanity. In Superman Beyond, he not only recognizes the existence of a higher realm in the Bleed, but he senses the reader as well, as he feels our breath as we "cradle" the comic book in our hands. I think the difference between those two moments speak to the differences between the two series. All-Star is a sealed-system look at the Superman mythos and our universe exists inside that one -- we are the pocket universe inside Superman's Fortress. Superman is the ultimate example of goodness upon which our sense of right and wrong is based, or something along those lines. Superman Beyond is the DCU as a creation of our universe, and like Buddy Baker, Superman can only look up at us from inside his comic book reality, but he is always trapped within it. Of course, if we take Morrison's cosmology to its logical extreme, the DCU is a layer nestled inside our reality, and our reality is a layer nestled inside the DCU -- it's a physically impossible situation to be in, or it seems to be, but maybe that's because we lack the fifth-dimensional vision to see it properly.

Why do you think Superman Beyond works so well for you, but All-Star didn't do a thing for you?

CN: I hate to go to my old stand-by, but Superman Beyond 3D just seemed to have more "energy." It's more a frantic, high-speed charge through an insane adventure, while All-Star Superman was more... purposeful, more planned, a bit too static for my tastes. Superman Beyond 3D is told in the same fashion as my favorite Morrison stories where everything happens too fast and you need to go through it a few times to really pick up on everything. It reads like a six-issue arc compressed into these two issues, which is a style that I love. And while it shows off Morrison's love of the character, this story seems to be more about demonstrating how great Superman is without spending an equal amount of time telling us that he's great, which All-Star did quite a bit through secondary characters. It was more show than tell, I guess. Plus, it's in 3D and who doesn't love 3D?

TC: I'm pretty sure most people don't love 3D -- or at least 3D comics. Didn't you complain about the 3D last time? I know I did.

But the 3D is FAR more important in this issue. It's a great use of the effect to break the fourth wall, and while it's not an absolutely essential part of the story, it does provide a new spin on an old Morrisonian cliche as Superman reaches out toward us. I read this issue differently than the first one, too. I read the whole thing without those damned glasses, then I went back and re-read the 3D stuff with the glasses on. I just have a hard time reading the words.

CN: Yeah, the 3D wasn't that great in the first issue, but worked really well here. I do think the 3D ended a page too early since there's a non-3D page that takes place in that "higher Monitor reality" and I don't know why it's not in 3D. If you look at the story as a whole, I'm not sure the 3D works, particularly in the first issue where it's like you need 3D glasses to comprehend one level of reality, but that wears off and then you need 3D glasses to comprehend another level of reality. It's kind of odd and arbitrary in many ways. But, if you take this issue alone with the 3D, it works for the most part, I think.

TC: What a bold defense, my friend! I guess we should probably wrap this up, and get our brains ready for whatever is in store for us next week with Final Crisis #7. Do you think the Monitors will play a role in the finale at all? Will Mandrakk reappear in the end? Or will this 3D detour remain just a thematic parallel to the main event, and someone else (Judd Winick? Gail Simone?) will pick up on the space vampire Monitors and use them as villains in the future?

CN: Actually, Mandrakk's introduction here reminds me of the way Morrison brought Solaris into Superman's world in DC One Million. I could see either Morrison or someone else picking up on the character and his followers, especially vampire Ultraman. I think Morrison began something here that will have to be addressed at some point. As for the Monitors in the finale... I don't expect much beyond Nix Uotan, but maybe he'll have a nice reunion scene with his long lost love... or maybe he'll initiate some sort of "upgrade" with the other Monitors, making them the new gods... who knows?

[Next Week's Splash Page: Final Crisis #7! And don't forget to reflect on the past with "The Final Crisis Dialogues."]

The Final Crisis Dialogues

Chad Nevett and I have discussed every issue of "Final Crisis" since the beginning, and we've chatted about the Morrison-penned spin-offs as well. The discussions used to be available at Sequart.org, as part of our "Splash Page" column.

Sadly, Sequart.org is temporarily inactive, and it looks to stay that way for another month or so.

But in anticipation of the grand finale of "Final Crisis," Chad and I have made our previous discussions available for your reading pleasure. Check it all out over at "The Final Crisis Dialogues."

What I'm Watching: Oz, Lost, Bad CW Shows

I didn't get a chance to watch much this week -- no movies of any sort, and very little TV. I'm working on a project that requires a lot of research for what will end up being little reward, but that's what has taken up most of my time over the past few days.

Anyway, one new thing I did start watching this week was "Oz: Season One." I'm only one episode into it so far, but I have to ask: does it get any better? I have seen one of the later episodes -- probably from Season Two or Three -- when it originally aired (I was in a hotel room, staying overnight to play in the Magic: The Gathering Regional Championship, because I that's how I used to roll), and I liked it okay. And I liked Episode One okay, too, but it was really, annoyingly, on-the-nose with the narration. Everyone's dialogue was pretty on-the-nose too, now that I think about it, and maybe I'm used to better writing from well-regarded HBO shows, but I wasn't super impressed like I expected to be.

Maybe it gets better written in later episodes?

I also watched last week's "Smallville" Legion of Super-Heroes episode finally, and, yeah, I really don't like "Smallville." It was cool to see and hear some of the Legion allusions, and at least the overall storyline has moved beyond the sappy Lana/Clark teen dullness, but it's still an ultra-cheesy CW show, and for every fun/engaging/interesting moment there were a dozen embarrassing bits. I can't imagine how adults can watch this stuff.

But I read superhero comic books, so what do I know?

"Lost" returned this week, and I watched that. All I have to say is Thank God for Jeremy Davies. He made the two-hour return more than just watchable. It's a good show, and I'm glad it's back, but the super-ponderous mysteries are really not all that super or ponderous. Obviously Locke has faked his death using that poison that led to the buried-alive incident of that eurotrash guy and the annoying "movie star." I really can't be bothered to look up their names.

And in addition to reading the Narnia books, Lindelof and Cuse must know their Billy Pilgrim. Unstuck in time, indeed.

There's no way the Grand Unified Theory of Lost, whenever it's revealed, will take into account all the silliness that went on with the child-stealing, fake-beard-wearing "Others" and all the other red herrings that have been thrown at viewers over the years. But it's still a compelling show.

So "Lost" is fine, it's good. I like it. But it's still not up there with "The Office."

What are YOU watching?

Justice League of America #29 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Justice League of America #29, about which I write the following sentences: "Like the 'Final Crisis Secret Files' comic from a couple of weeks ago, this is basically an old-fashioned story with new art, and it's kind of an interesting experiment. The dialogue seems ripped from an earlier era -- and maybe it is literally taken verbatim from an older story, for all I know -- which gives this comic a joyous silliness that makes it quite a bit of fun at times. And Aquaman (old-school Aquaman, not the dude with a harpoon-hand or beard or the one who's an underwater swashbuckler) punches out the bad guy in the end."

Read the entire review HERE.

X-Men: Kingbreaker #2 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: X-Men: Kingbreaker #2, about which I write the following sentences: "Yost fills the book with inane dialogue like 'I am not here to surrender.' 'You should not have come here, Empress! You know what I must now do!' And it's endless. These characters prattle on and on about their desperate situations without the story ever rising to meet them. They are blank, space-hero mannequins given lines to recite, and none of it amounts to anything."

Read the entire review HERE.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #2 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Uncanny X-Men Annual #2, about which I write the following sentences: "Fraction uses all of that history to great effect here. This is Emma Frost, unleashed, but with a depth of character that we rarely see in her. And even though this comic is ostensibly a 'Dark Reign,' tie-in, it's more about how she handles the new status quo than the status quo itself. It's about her strangely affecting relationship with Namor, and her history with Sebastian Shaw. It's about who Emma Frost is now, and who she was as a member of the Hellfire Club. And it's surprising and alive and full of robot attacks and bedroom intrigue. It's very good."

Read the entire review HERE.

Comic Book Lesson #1: Why Ghost Rider is Good

From this week's Ghost Rider #31, written by Jason Aaron, with art by Roland Boschi and Tan Eng Huat:


And a close-up, for emphasis:


Marvel Legends Undersea Ghost Rider w/Great White Shark, coming to a Wal-Mart near you.

When Words Collide: Final Crisis -- Past is Prologue

Prepping for next week's release of "Final Crisis" #7 (we all hope), I reread all the "Final Crisis" issues, all the tie-ins, and a few of the unofficial prequel series.

All of that reading made the "Final Crisis" experience even more satisfying (and if you've been reading this blog, you know that I've been enjoying FC since the beginning) so I decided that I should spend the next two weeks of "When Words Collide" columns talking about "Final Crisis," past, present, and future.

This week, in "Past is Prologue," I explore the "Zenith," "Rock of Ages," "Mister Miracle" connection, and next week I'll take a look at "Final Crisis" at its conclusion -- what it all means and how it means it.

"Final Crisis" is far from perfect, but it's a jagged epic monstrosity of pure comic book thrills.

Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil #1 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil #1, about which I write the following sentences: "Spider-Man's most dangerous villains (well, excluding Venom, and Carnage, and all the other ones with big, pointy teeth) are buffoonish clods throughout most of this issue, with only Mysterio using his powers to any great effect. The heroes they face, namely Iron Man and Dr. Strange, may play it a little more straight, yet they don't come across as all that competent either. It's only Doctor Doom who maintains his dignity here, and Tobin's version of the Marvel Adventures Universe is one filled with lighthearted violence and witty dialogue."

Read the entire review HERE.

X-Men/Spider-Man #3 Review

Recently reviewed by me at CBR: X-Men/Spider-Man #3, about which I write the following sentences: "Describing it this way makes it sound ridiculous, sure, but it embraces its ridiculousness and blankets it in the luxuriant artistic stylings of Mario Alberti. And for all of the inherent absurdity of the Jim Lee-era X-Men trying their best to be tough and cool, and the clone of Spider-Man not really getting what he's supposed to be getting, Gage doesn't resort to cynical mockery. This is a loving tribute to these characters, maybe not as majestic as 'All-Star Superman,' but in the same vein. And if anyone is going to be spoken of in the same sentence as Frank Quitely, it should probably be Mario Alberti."

Read the entire review HERE.