Apr 25th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 9:05 PM

DC's summer event kicked off this week. Slightly less ambitious than your average Crisis, but still promising a planet-spanning cast, tall women in iron breastplates and really impractical skirts are running amok in Washington DC. No, it's not as fun as it sounds. But first...

Action Comics 848

Fill-in issue number 2 comes down, and, unlike the previous one, has nothing to do with the now “abortive” Zod storyline. Since they've probably got the next six or eight issues in the can, the decision to scrap efforts to immediately complete the Zod story are probably for the best. Sure, I'd like to know how it turns out, and we will, in some annual, at some point in the future.

Hey, maybe DC can put Alan Heinberg and Adam Kubert on a comic together. Is there a term for something that comes out once every decade?

What is probably most surprising of all is this and the last fill-in on Action have been very good. Fill-ins are certainly not something known for fostering a great deal of artistic merit, but I enjoyed the rather personal story from 847, and Fabian Niciezia turns in an amazing effort dealing with one of the 2 things one doesn't discuss around the dinner table.

The DCU is not without its connections to Christian mythology, best known amongst them is The Spectre, who has figured significantly in many DC events. Enter Redemption, a missionary hero whose power appears to be fueled by the beliefs of those to whom he ministers in the name of the First Church of Redemption. Problem is, he has a little trouble controlling those powers, and in an attempt to defend his fellow missionaries from local militias, everyone ends up dead.

Investigative reporter Clark Kent first heard of Redemption on year previously, when investigative reporter Clark Kent wasn't anything more than that. One month prior to the current Zod storyline, even though he's feeling like his old self, he heads out to investigate the incident as a reporter. This book is a classic example that, however well known it may be, the “bumbling” Kent from the films is not the “real” Clark Kent.

Niciezia's story is anything but black and white. Clark finds the man otherwise known as Redemption broken down, weeping about what he'd done. He also finds the congregation's leader is a driven man whose beliefs could be pushing the boy beyond his limits. Unsure of how to resolve the issue, he leaves. Unresolved, history repeats itself, and the confrontation Clark hoped to avoid by visiting as a reporter finishes the book out.

The reader is left to read into the story however much they wish. Is Redemption an allegory for Christianity as a whole? Should metas promote religious agendas in the first place? Unspoken, at least for now, are any allusions to the messianic attributions heaped on Clark himself, though I sense they won't be unspoken by the close of next issue.

Art is fine, nothing spectacular, nothing bad. All in an all, an excellent issue for something forever destined to be labeled “fill-in.”

Wonder Woman 8

I haven't been doing Picoult's run on ye ole Amazon, and was probably planning on doing a wrap-up when it finished. Then “events” reminded me it was a tie-in with the big DCU summer event, Amazons Attack. Events like this issue leading right into it, even “spoiling” the “big secret” of who is leading the aforementioned Amazon attack. It's not that it was bad, it was just the plan to do 2 issues monthly meant that Wonder Woman might have turned into a bit of a monopoly in terms of column space.

Our story thus far... Picoult's run pretty much started from the same place Heinberg's did. Diana Prince is Wonder Woman's new secret identity, and she's trying to fit into human society. Whereas Heinberg pretty much kicked things into full-on superhero action from the first few pages, Picoult actually took some time to explore how Diana attempts to acclimate to “the man's world.” Amazon princesses aren't sculpted from clay knowing how to pump gas, for instance.

She's partnered with Nemesis, in a kind of boy-girl buddy flick relationship where Diana plays the uptight, by-the-book one and Tom Tresser is the plays-by-his-own-rules, charmingly sexist one. After rescuing Nemesis from Circe, who's been getting around lately, Wonder Woman turns herself in to the very department for which Diana Prince works, and is promptly tossed in to what, one assumes, is a pretty secure holding cell. The pretense of arresting her for Max Lord's death suddenly took a backseat to Sarge Steel's newfound desire to learn about... oh dear lord... this again?

You know, if there was one thing I thought I'd never hear about again from Infinite Crisis, it was the Purple Death Ray...

Ahem... Yes, thankfully even that thread doesn't last, as other doings are afoot. Namely Circe, who has been using her powers to do some resurrecting, and not so Diana can enjoy a very special episode of “This is Your Life.”

Nemesis, going by those “plays-by-his-own-rules” instincts, decides he doesn't really agree with the whole incarcerate Wonder Woman agenda after all, and effects a daring rescue. He breaks her out just in time to crawl out a hole in the DC sewers and into a full scale Amazon invasion.

Picoult's shifting gears with this issue, going from explorations of how Diana is fairing with integrating into bigger issues of whether she should or not in the first place. A conversation with Circe before her recuse illuminates Diana's personal identity crisis, one that will become intensely more personal very shortly. There are sides to be chosen. Though it's hardly in doubt which one she'll come down on, it's all about the journey.

The Dodsons prove they weren't the hold up during Heinberg's run, turning in more excellent artwork here. All in all this has been an enjoyable run. Gail Simone might actually be able to pick up the character on a strong note when she assumes the reigns. That's something I really wouldn't have been expecting a few months ago.

Amazons Attack 1

As stated before Wonder Woman 8 leads directly into this, but it's not an essential prerequisite if you're not a regular Wonder Woman reader. The only major disjunction is the characterization of Circe, who appears to have a slightly more playful, sarcastic spin under Picoult than on Amazons Attack scribe Will Pfeifer, where she becomes a slightly flatter, stock villain.

Why is there an Amazon attack? Well, much like the “slavery” explanation of the Civil War that got you through those early grades before some haggard teacher sighs and starts explaining about “states rights” and, well other stuff I forget at the moment, there is more than just a single reason for this attack. The Amazons were regularly ill-at-ease with the rest of the world, and the recent capture of Diana was a tipping point. Circe's voice in the ear of the Amazon leader didn't hurt much either.

The opening issue sets the attack in motion with all due haste, and bloodshed. This is an all out war being waged on the streets of Washington DC, which are soon in flames. Art by Pete Woods, who did most of the OYL “Up, Up, and Away” arc in the Superman titles, illustrates spectacularly the Amazon war “machine”, which is less machine and more flesh. With large beasts hauling siege weapons and healthy amounts of chainmail, the Amazons bring to mind the armies of Mordor... if the armies of Mordor were total hotties.

The response is orchestrated by the Department of Metahuman Affairs and leader Sarge Steel who gets in touch with a tactician of some renown to lead the heroic response. Like I said in the Justice League of America 7 review, Black Canary may be JLA chairwoman, but you don't ignore Batman's advice when it comes to planning a winning strategy. Sarge seems quite keen on getting the heroes in there to solve the problem, referring to the “really big guns.”

For an opening event issue, it hits all the right notes. Action, guest stars, and the first few twists combine to make for a strong debut. Pfeifer's script is fairly average, which is fine. He's not got quite the same gift for dialog that a Gail Simone would bring, but the story is compelling enough to stand on its own merits without too much flashy crosstalk. Wood's art is great, illustrating everything from “curvy” breastplates to F-16s with aplmob. Pfeifer could brush up on his fighter pilot lingo, but that's really, really nitpicky.

I wasn't really keen on seeing the Amazon's come back when I first heard about this. From picking up trades from the last Wonder Woman run with Rucka, I found the elements that mixed in the Greek gods and the Amazons in general to be tedious. Too many characters with a whole set of pointless politics among deities that no one even worshiped. This has been handled well so far, and no sign of the annoying deity parade so far. Besides, after the events of the opening issue, I doubt the Amazon's will be hanging around long after this is over.

"All Our Yesterdays" ("Star Trek: Remastered" edition)

posted by Tygrrius @ 11:08 PM

Star Trek (Remastered): "All Our Yesterdays"
Remastered Episode #27 (4/21/2007)
Original Episode #78 (3/14/1969)

Though it is essentially an inferior remake of "The City on the Edge of Forever," there's something oddly compelling about "All Our Yesterdays," which was the second-to-last episode to air of the original Star Trek. It certainly would have made a better season/series finale than "Turnabout Intruder."

Maybe it's the librarian with the perfect name, Mr. Atoz (Ian Wolfe). Or perhaps it's Zarabeth (Mariette Hartley), a political prisoner exiled into an Ice Age solitary 5,000 years in the past by an apparently blind evil dictator. There's also a strong performance by Leonard Nimoy, in perhaps his most convincing display of emotions as Spock. (There's no crying in Star Trek!)

Okay, it's Zarabeth. Without her, this episode's probably a five. Six at best.

Arriving just before a planet's sun is about to explode, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy find that most of the inhabitants are missing. The only ones left are Mr. Atoz and several duplicates of him. When Kirk hears a woman screaming for help, he naturally runs off to assist and accidentally steps through a time portal. Don't you hate when that happens?

Seeing their captain vanish, Spock and McCoy of course run after him and vanish, too. Fortunately for them, it wasn't a vaporizer ray. Anyway, Kirk arrives just in time to save an annoying woman in the past. She soon accuses him of being a witch, since he keeps talking to an unseen voice named Bones. The Captain is imprisoned as such and, worse, so is the annoying woman.

Spock and McCoy arrive in a different time period, much farther back, during the planet's Ice Age. McCoy nearly freezes to death and tells Spock to leave him behind. The Vulcan refuses, but soon a mysterious person dressed head to toe in fur appears and takes them to safety in a nearby cave.

The mysterious person turns out to be Zarabeth. She heats up the cave so much that she has to strip out of most of her fur garments. Back in 1969, the NBC censors, in their infinite wisdom, went after "All Our Yesterdays" because Hartley's costume was originally too revealing. They demanded that shocking and disturbing imagery of Hartley's bare . . . belly button not be shown.

I suppose the thinking was that the sight of 28-year-old Hartley's private part would just be too much to handle for whatever audience was left watching Star Trek near the end of its run.

The rest of the actresses' body remained relatively unclothed through most of "All Our Yesterdays," though. Who says that Star Trek lost the vision of Gene Roddenberry in the third season?

Hartley later appeared in Genesis II, a failed Roddenberry TV pilot in the early 1970's. In that show, she exposed two belly buttons. Get it? An extra one to make up for the one they had to cover in 1969. The Great Bird was a clever guy.

As Zarabeth, Hartley heats up the cave, the screen, and Spock. "It is agreeably warm here," he tells her. He uses that line on all the women. Zarabeth's belly button is kept safely hidden, though, so it's okay for the kids to watch this one.

I was going to get into speculation on how the inhabitants of the planet would have been "prepared" for this time travel, essentially escaping to the past to avoid the future. It would seem that sterilization and possibly even memory wipes might be necessary. But then, I remembered those words of wisdom: It's just a show.

CBS Digital makes the most out of an episode that has nearly no effects at all. The Enterprise looks great, they've really got her down. Usually, the ship leaving the planet sequence at the end is a bit of a throway, but this one actually has content. There's an incredible shot of the planet's sun exploding, somewhat reminiscent of Star Trek Generations.

The Star Trek: Remastered version of "All Our Yesterdays" is worth watching, just for those few seconds.

And for Zarabeth, of course, who needs no enhancements.

Dramatic Content: 8 (out of 10)
Effects Upgrades: 8
Overall Experience: 8

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“Infinite Crisis” Novelization

posted by JediSheltie @ 5:50 PM

As I alluded to in my “semi” regular "Round Up" column, I recently had cause to be on modest sized be-winged transportation devices sometimes known as “airplanes” recently. Mostly this one, to be specific. The Sunday before I left I found myself at the local Barnes and Noble, seeking something to keep me company whilst aloft, and whilst stuck in 3 hour layovers.

It was with some trepidation I picked up the Infinite Crisis novelization. After all, I'm generally the “move forward” type, and I already knew the story. Perhaps, I thought, this might (as most film novelizations do) provide some deeper insight into the actions seen in the comic. So I grabbed it and latest Spenser novel and off I went to the ole homeland.

After the first few chapters, my hopes of additional insight were pretty much put to rest. I have to admit, author Greg Cox had an unenviable and most likely impossible task of novelizing a seven page comic whose roots ran throughout the entire DC Universe and through most of its last 20 years and beyond. Even with the book running 371 pages in a prestige paperback format, what was delivered was little more than a description of the comic pages you probably read a year ago.

If you didn't, then prepare for headaches. Hell, even if you did, you'll still probably be hitting the Wiki hard.

The action picks up from the last few frames of JLA 120 with the destruction of the Watchtower and then flips into a virtually frame-by-frame rendition of Infinite Crisis 1-7. With a few bare exceptions wherein some ancillary material is used, the pages follow along exactly with the comic. Events are described in a straightforward manner, usually preceded by a 2 or 3 sentence “expository” paragraph that does a poor job of preparing the uninformed reader about why what's about to happen is of any importance at all.

Don't know who the Freedom Fighters are? Have no clue what Rann and Thanagar are, much less why they're fighting each other? Wondering why Wonder Woman apparently offed some guy named Max Lord? What's Earth-Prime and why am I on it? Wait, there was more than one “crisis”? All these questions and more are covered in the barest of fashions, unable to communicate the gravity of the events they precede or are about to precipitate.

That's why I feel sorry for Greg Cox, who was given an impossible job. To cover everything, the “novelization” of Infinite Crisis probably should have been at least 10 400-page prestige format novels, not just one. Only then could we be given the opportunity to care about anything that happens in this event to characters we've never heard of and won't ever hear about again.

Essentially this novel was written for no one. If you've already read the comics, then there's nothing here you haven't seen before, in color with little word balloons, in fact. If you haven't read Infinite Crisis, then you're in for a mind boggling experience of characters and events that mean very little to you and won't be able to understand. Basically, if you're a DC Universe historian who missed out on the comics, then maybe this book is for you. Then again, picking up the trade is probably the best bet in that case.

What could have been done better? Where I given the same unenviable task as Mr. Cox, then I would have attempted to cut the story down to only people with S's, Bats, and abstract W's on their chests and their immediate associates. There is a compelling story to tell in terms of the 2 Supermen, Superboy Prime, Luthors, and the rest. One that still might span more than one 400 page novel. Attempting to tell the whole story, in such a small space, meant only that the story was poorly told.

The only really worthwhile part of the book is the forward by Mark Waid, who explains, in part, why the comic event happened. He focus more on the character aspect, instead of the “cleaning up continuity messes” aspect. The character aspect being the stranglehold Frank Miller and all his disciples held over the superhero comic industry for the past 20 years. Bravo for that, of course.

So, basically, if you see it on the shelf of your local Barnes and Noble, then read the forward and just walk away, you've gotten everything it has to give you.

Apr 18th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 10:30 PM

Well, World War 3 happens when I'm out of town? Such bad timing.

Yes, picked up the books a day late as I was out on “the coast”, the East one, the less balmy of the 2. Spent some quality time with some Rifftrax and a dog named Daisy, who, though she is not a Shetland sheepdog, is okay in my book. Someone else was there, too, but I'm foggy on the rest...

World War III 1-4

Why not roll it all into one review, especially since most of the changes that are addressed in this mini-event-within-an-event occur to characters I'm not following. Yes, the anxiously awaited questions about what happened to Firestorm, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Batgirl, the Teen Titans, Nightwing, and a few others whose books I don't read are here. Split into 4 parts, the series examines in a bit more depth what happens in and around the events of Week 50 in 52.

The first 2 parts, A Call to Arms and The Valiant are written by Keith Champange, while the second 2 parts, Hell is For Heroes and United We Stand, are from John Ostrander. The framing device for the story is Martian Manhunter's travels through the DCU after an initial attempt to stop Black Adam after he destroys the entire country of Bialya. Adam uses Manhunter's mental powers against him, filling him with the death throes of the millions of dead innocents. J'onn J'onzz takes this harder than Vulcan Jedi, and ends up questioning his mission and place as a defender of humanity.

As J'onn watches, heroes undergo their transformations. The DC Nation section in the comics this week is the mea culpa of sorts by Dan Dido about why World War III exists, namely to show these transformations in absence of their original place in 52. While changes happen, Black Adam is off around the world, meeting new people and killing them. Various heroes and teams try to stop him in a piecemeal fashion, but all meet with failure, some disastrous, before the the final showdown in China.

Going through the changes is pointless. If someone you're following is in here, then I suppose you could pick this up. Supergirl's return is touched on very briefly in The Valiant, but little light is shed over than “she appeared and made a crater when she landed.” She flies through Martian Manhunter while he mediates in space before she reenters the atmosphere. Whether anything will be made of that remains to be seen in light of the recent issues. Carried off, unconscious, by Power Girl, she's not seen for the rest of the story, not even at the end when the heroes band together to stop Black Adam.

Having a fully charged Kryptonian around might have been useful.

As to the rest, sooner or later they'll either give the backstory in the individual monthlys, or you can probably just read Wikipeida at this point. You could probably have done that Wednesday afternoon, actually.

Taken a whole, the entire series is written reasonably well, and the art, though handled by 4 different teams, is actually fairly consistent throughout. If I had to make a call, I'd say the weakest was the first team, but that complaint is really a non-starter. The series ends with a teaser of more dire events to come by the current foreshadowing standbys, the new Monitors.

Have to “countdown” to something, after all.

Justice League of America 8

Okay, new day, new arc, big crosser. Even bigger, if you count the recent revelation the Legion of Superheroes will be involved in character, if not comic.

It is the appearance of these future characters that kicks our story off, as the JLA and JSA are enjoying a relaxing afternoon of shared training and games, Batman and Black Lightning deal with the appearance of the Karate Kid, who was so named long before Ralph Machio vied for the title.

In the early pages we have more of the little character moments of which Meltzer is so fond. Here it's less tiring than in the initial arc, only because I'm far more confident it won't overtake the story with Johns on the other end. Some quick doses of action from the new “it's not the Danger Room, really” training facility keep the story moving along a better clip.

The characters are meshing a bit more smoothly and I'm a bit more comfortable with the banter. Good banter can be nice icing on a team book, not necessary for success, but a pleasant addition. On the other hand, bad banter can drag an otherwise good effort down.

Shane Davis takes over art duties on this issue, and his detailed style complements Ed Benes' work on previous issues. It didn't immediately strike me it was a different art team when I first picked the book up. I've always liked the art on this book, and this issue doesn't disappoint in that department.

By the end, the teams are assembled and ready to do the standard, “let's split up” maneuver to find the missing Legion members who are in the past. Since these aren't horny teenagers in a slasher film (despite what the outfits of the 2 team leaders might lead one to believe), it's probably not such a bad idea.

I am definitely getting a sense of better things to come. I've never been a fan of the back story part of a superhero film (don't tell me the Smallville scenes in Superman didn't drag), so the first 6 issues pretty much dragged for me. Now we're past that, and the JLA should be saving the world full time now.

Birds of Prey 105

After the big reveal last issue, the story doesn't exactly catapult very far forward here. Ice has yet to get a line, and we discover she's the object of worship of some backward Russian peasants. The last member of the Secret Six shows up in all her red, white, and black acrobatic glory. The Birds little leadership tiff comes to a head a bad time, right about when the Six track them down. The rouge Russian general decides the Six aren't worth what he paid for them, so he sends his own merc army to wipe out everyone, Birds, Six, and the Ice-worshiping peasants.

I sense there will be an “alliance of convenience” on the horizon.

Heh, but only after Barda and Knockout beat the living crap out of one another. That alone is worth the price of admission on 106.

Of course, the real story here is Simone is abandoning the Birds for “projects unknown.” Oh, wait, ask Tygrrius, I friggin called it. I didn't post about it, so you won't believe me, of course, but it seemed like such an obvious choice.

Still... couldn't she have dropped All New Atom instead?

Well, best of luck Gail, I look forward to you taking over the Amazon. You've written Barda and Knockout, afterall. You've now reached the pinnacle of the “statuesque babe” food chain.

Oh, and this McKeever guy better not forget about Ice.

"And The Children Shall Lead" ("Star Trek: Remastered" edition)

posted by Tygrrius @ 10:54 PM

Star Trek (Remastered): "And The Children Shall Lead"
Remastered Episode #26 (4/14/2007)
Original Episode #60 (10/11/1968)

"And The Children Shall Lead" is a horrible episode of the original Star Trek. At least, that's what I've read online over the last week or two. And if it's online, obviously, it must be true.

Why the hatred among the normally mild and gentle online population of Trek critics? For one thing, it's a third season episode. Third season automatically equals bad.

And the episode includes, shockingly enough, children. And children just aren't cool. And us Star Trek fans are all cool right? We don't want Annie Skywalker characters to ruin our franchise. We're better than that.

Wesley Crusher.

Now that I've brought you all back to reality, I'm going to go out on a Star Trek limb here and say "And The Children Shall Lead" is not a horrible episode. And the third season does not suck.

There are some horrible episodes of classic Star Trek. I don't watch every episode through rose-colored glasses (of the future!), after all. I can think of four right now, without even trying very hard.

But "And The Children Shall Lead" is not on that list.

The problem with "And The Children Shall Lead" is that there are so many great episodes of the original Star Trek that average, mediocre episodes like this one look worse by comparison.

In many ways, the Remastered effort thus far has been a "best of" collection. Since all 79 episodes will eventually be presented, though, episodes like "And The Children Shall Lead" (and even the truly horrible ones) have to be tackled at some point.

After two effects-heavy episodes in a row, this one offers a bit of a breather to the Remastered team. What's here looks nice, and there are the usual small, polishing touches.

There is one thing that continues to bother me about Star Trek: Remastered, though. I've tried not to harp on it too much but I'll mention it here as it annoys me every single week - especially in third season episodes.

Remastered team, you're doing great and I've tried to support you as much as possible on this little site, but you really need to do something about that opening theme song. I'm not sure why it was necessary to re-record it in the first place. The rest of the music on the episodes has not been re-recorded, so why re-record this?

The new version of the theme sounds horrible. The female vocalist is way too high in the mix. I even compared it against the original version this week, just to see if I was crazy. Still no verdict on my sanity, but the original does not feature the operatic vocals so loudly. I'd prefer to hear the original theme, but at least try turning the female vocals down a bit if you insist on the new version.

All right, that's the last time I'll mention it - unless, of course, it is fixed in the future. And now on with the episode.

The Enterprise arrives at a Federation colony to find all of the adults dead, apparently due to mass suicide. The only survivors are children, none of whom are overly concerned over the loss of their parents.

They are beamed aboard the starship and soon plot to take it over. The children have been empowered with a form of mind control by an evil entity known as Gorgan. Gorgan wants to use the Enterprise to spread his "wisdom" to other planets.

As you might expect, Captain Kirk objects at this point. The children overtake the bridge crew by capitalizing on their deepest, darkest fears ("the beast that will consume them").

Uhura sees her own death, an agonizingly slow one where she looks like an outtake from "The Deadly Years." Contrary to a lot of people's beliefs, Uhura's death apparently does not begin with a fan dance while she sings "The Moon is a Window to Heaven" in the nude.

Kirk's worst fears, of course, are of losing command, losing the Enterprise, and being alone.

As for Sulu, he's apparently afraid of runaway daggars flying backwards through space that would inexplicably destroy the well-shielded Enterprise. His other fears are that people will forget to address him as "Captain Sulu" and that Chekov will get all of the good bit-part lines.

Had they been executed just a bit better and expanded for more of the running time, the "beast within" images of fear may well have nudged this episode up a notch or two. They almost work, creating a sort of Twilight Zone feel. Sci Fi purists will hate it, but they hate most everything (including, alas, the term "Sci Fi").

Is this a heart-pounding episode that will blow you away? No, but it's definitely one that's worth watching. Especially if you're not busy...busy...busy.

Dramatic Content: 5 (out of 10)
Effects Upgrades: 7
Overall Experience: 5

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"Action Comics" #847

posted by Tygrrius @ 10:18 PM

Action Comics #847 (DC Comics, April 2007 cover date)
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Art (including cover): Renato Guedes

While Adam Kubert is busy trying to finish the art for part four of the Richard Donner/Geoff Johns "Last Son" storyline, DC takes the opportunity to deliver a self-contained storyline in this issue of Action. Is the issue worthwhile or just filler?

The first thing that strikes me is the cover. It has a lot of wow factor, featuring Superman in a classic pose. After three gray covers from Kubert in a row, it's nice to see a full color cover with Renato Guedes' art. The interior art is also terrific. Lots of bold color and realism.

I think there's something to be said for comic book stories that can be read in a single issue. I wouldn't want all of them to be like that, but it makes for a nice change of pace every now and then. And that's exactly what "Intermezzo" offers, a breather of sorts from the fantastic but intense "Last Son."

Months before the events of "Last Son," Clark indulges a childhood fantasy of Jonathan Kent and takes him into space aboard a small starship from the Fortress of Solitude. Jonathan looks more and more like John Schneider, while the Fortress looks more and more like the one seen in the Superman films (smart moves on both counts, I'd say, to help draw in Superman fans from other mediums).

During their trip, several star systems are attacked by a "sun eater." If you can't figure out what a sun eater does, then I can't help you. And guess whose job it is to stop it?

It's a simple story, but well told given the space constraints. What could have very easily been a wasted issue instead becomes a worthy addition to the legend, assuming any of it ever actually happened that is. Was this Jonathan's 21st century equivalent of a "fish story"?

I'm reminded of a line from "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow," one of my favorite Superman tales of all time: "This is an imaginary story. Aren't they all?"

Story/Writing: 8 (out of 10)
Art: 8
Cover Art: 9
Overall Experience: 8

"The Immunity Syndrome" ("Star Trek: Remastered" edition)

posted by Tygrrius @ 7:32 PM

Star Trek (Remastered): "The Immunity Syndrome"
Remastered Episode #25 (4/7/2007)
Original Episode #48 (1/19/1968)

"The Immunity Syndrome" is a terrific but often overlooked episode of the original Star Trek. It first aired during the second season, just three months after the similarly-themed "The Doomsday Machine."

While "The Doomsday Machine" featured a planet killer constructed by a warring civilization, "The Immunity Syndrome" features a naturally-occurring living organism that presents as much, if not more, of a threat. The gigantic "space amoeba" of this episode can reproduce, resulting in enough offspring to destroy the entire galaxy.

When the USS Intrepid goes missing, the Enterprise is diverted from shore leave to find out what happened. The Intrepid is manned by a crew of over 400 Vulcans and Spock instinctively knows they are all dead. Since the Enterprise is populated by over 400 humans with a lone Vulcan science officer, I've always wondered if the Vulcan-heavy Intrepid had a lone human aboard. Doubtful as a science officer, but maybe a janitor or something.

Fearful of facing the same fate as the doomed Intrepid, some suggest fleeing the area. "Our orders do not say 'stay alive' or 'retreat.' Our mission is to investigate," Kirk admonishes them.

En route, the Enterprise encounters a "negative energy field" and is quickly drawn into it. The area is completely devoid of stars. CBS Digital comes through in full force with the effects upgrades here with wonderful scenes of a darkened Enterprise lit only with internal sources rather than the normal, starlit version.

They soon discover they are being drawn towards the space amoeba. McCoy, Spock, and Kirk argue with each other over which of them gets to take on the suicide mission of investigating further with a shuttlecraft. The Remastered team took the right approach on the look of the amoeba itself. It stays true to the original, which was actually a pretty good effect in its own right.

The episode includes some classic McCoy vs. Spock moments, and the Vulcan seems quite pleased when Kirk picks him over McCoy for the mission. Spock points out that it is not the first time that superior capability has won out over higher credentials.

After another nice shuttle launch scene, Spock flies into the amoeba. It's a bumpy ride and Spock notes, "Oh, and Dr. McCoy, you would not have survived it."

"Wanna bet?" Bones answers.

There are some mostly beautiful shots of the Enterprise approaching the amoeba. A few seconds appear rushed or of lesser quality compared to the others, leaving me to wonder if they were perhaps under a more severe time crunch than normal on this effects-heavy episode.

The Enterprise punching through the wall of the amoeba is extremely well executed. Some of the best Remastered work so far.

When the Enterprise takes the shuttle in a tractor beam (against Scott's wishes, I might add, for the chief engineer appeared perfectly content to leave Spock behind), Spock complains that they should release the shuttlecraft rather than risk the starship to save him. "Shut up, Spock, we're rescuing you," McCoy tells him.

Sounding almost amused, Spock actually gives in, "Why thank you, Captain McCoy."

The Remastered team may have restricted themselves a bit too much at times, though. It would have been nice if they cut away from the bridge action for a second or two to show the Enterprise firing a probe into the amoeba or the Enterprise towing the shuttlecraft.

But that's just the Trekkie in me, always wanting more. This episode is one of the finest presented on Star Trek: Remastered so far, right up there with "The Doomsday Machine." It's a lot of fun seeing modern effects applied to my favorite Star Trek series.

Dramatic Content: 9 (out of 10)
Effects Upgrades: 9
Overall Experience: 9

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Apr 4th Comic RoundUp

posted by JediSheltie @ 1:10 PM

Yeah, I'm easily distracted, so what? MMO's are life stealing bastards. Kids, avoid them at all costs.

Supergirl #16

I'm going to be chartable and wait until the dust settles here. At this point in time it seems unwise to try and dissect what they're trying to accomplish without having the whole picture. If you're thinking, “Hey, sounds like you're suddenly not so gung-ho about this series you've been regularly defending”. No, I'm saying I'll reserve judgment until what's going on here is more fully formed.

There's some vaguely philosophically interesting points being briefly touched upon regarding the Phantom Zone, but the touch is very light, at best. The realigning of Kara's relationship with her father is... something I'll hold off on analysis, as well as the implications in Krypton's back story. Much of this seems, at first glance, quite unnecessary, I'll admit, but that's why I'm waiting.

I'm willing to give bonus points if this somehow ties into the current Action storyline, but with all the delays, I seriously doubt this will be anything more than an also-ran.

Justice League of America #7

Hey, the first issue, cool.

Okay, I read the Newsarama interviews (1, 2), and I don't, in any way shape, or form, disagree with Meltzer using the first 6 episodes to establish the team, and the “lesser known” members” prior to the big “public” debut. It's a great idea, one I support. Here's the problem. He could have done it better.

I hate to come back to the comparisons between JLA and Johns' JSA, but both writers did basically the same thing in their original arcs. They presented stories that involved the team formations, giving us the background on members who were brand new or about whom most readers would be unfamiliar.

Johns presented it in a way that included regular doses of great action that kept the story moving at a brisk pace. Meltzer continually left me asking when anyone is going to actually throw a punch. I said the JLA story will read a lot better in trade format, and I stand by that. The pacing issues will be a little less apparent when you read the story in one sitting.

In any case, issue 7 is actually the issue where the JLA “forms,” invitations are sent out and accepted. All that “Big 3 pick the members” stuff from the first issue is swept aside in favor of the convenience of “we who fought Amazo” being tapped for the job.

Headquarters are built, and yes, you know I'm an old Superfriends fan when I say I'm very “pro” on the new “Hall of Justice.” You other people get the bonus satellite, too, so you can be happy as well. Black Canary, chairwoman of the JLA? Sure, no problem there. I know, you're thinking “You're totally fanboy for that boring Kryptonian, how can you say that?” Easy, I really don't mind.

If you read most any JLA story, there's really never much weight put on a single “leadership” position. They fight as a team, and generally make decisions as a team. Saying Clark is the “leader” doesn't mean much. It means just as much as Dinah being the leader. You're probably not going to just ignore Bruce's tactical advice, or tell Clark not to keep the 50 foot tall atomic robot busy while the rest of the team captures the mad scientist.

Besides, maybe the chair just has to hang around the hall and give tours, you never know.

Superman Batman #33

This is the “we're buddies again” arc? Damn, what a waste. In fact, it's the only reason I even bothered mentioning this arc again in the column.

Yes, Bruce and Clark reaffirm their true friendship in the end here. Not wary or convenient allies, or merely persons of mutual respect, Bruce and Clark are friends, and years of John Byrne and Frank Miller peeing all over that might just be over.

Just kind of annoying it had to end here, in what was not a particularly spectacular arc that involved a laundry list of all bad cross-over cliches.

Yes, Despero was the final bad guy, and, you're not gonna believe this, but after both Superman, then Batman turn evil, they shake it off, and combine forces to defeat him. Seriously, never saw that coming. No, Mr. Verheiden, tossing in all other alien superheroes turning evil at the same time doesn't a hint of a vaguely original idea make.