Batman-less Batman Show, Not So Bad

A new DC superhero (sort of) show aired Monday night on Fox.

"Gotham" tells the story of, well, Gotham, the home of Batman.

But, this takes place when Batman is less the Dark Knight and more the teenage boy.

I have said before how I'm over watching origin moments, especially the death of Martha and Thomas Wayne.

Well, Monday night we had to watch it again.

Fortunately, there were some nice differences with this version.

First, the scream by 13-year-old David Mazouz playing young Bruce Wayne was amazing.

Secondly, the scene ended and we weren't automatically transported 20 years into the future to see fully aged Batman terrorizing thugs.

No, we stayed right in the midst of the story to watch Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock investigating the murder.

Finally, according to the new show, the Wayne double homicide apparently had another witness: a young Selina Kyle.

Kyle, played wonderfully by Carmen Bicondova, looks the part of a miniature Catwoman.

In fact, all of the easter egg nods to Batman's supporting cast were amazing.

We get to see Edward Nygma (Riddler) working for the GCPD, Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin) working for organized crime and an unnamed comedian who might have been the Joker.

I will admit, I had a problem with a young girl introduced as Ivy playing with plants.

My wife immediately thought this must be Poison Ivy, but in the comics Ivy's real name is Pamela Isley.

The story itself is well done.

I also enjoyed the comic book-like color of the show which wasn't too bright like Dick Tracy, but also not too dark.

And, let's not forget the city of Gotham itself.

The flyover pans of a place which doesn't exist were very nicely done.

Overall, I guess I'll keep watching "Gotham".

However, seeing as how it's airing on Fox, we'll be lucky to get more than 11 episodes.

So, what did you think of "Gotham", Let me know in the comments...

"Listen" Gets It Right (A mostly spoiler free review)

The latest excursion with the Doctor and Clara sets a fantastic tone for the rest of the season.

Showrunner Stephen Moffat takes up the pen to write an amazing piece which takes us to new times and places.

The last time Moffat wrote an episode was the season opener, "Deep Breath".

I wasn't too fond of that one.

But, I think part of the problem with "Deep Breath" was Moffat had too much he wanted to stuff into Peter Capaldi's first outing as the Doctor.

"Listen" brings back the Steven Moffat of old.

Finally, we are treated to award winning episodes like "The Empty Child", "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "Blink".

All of them showcased Moffat at his storytelling best.

The latest adventture also gives a little more insight into Danny Pink who is rumored to become an eventual companion.

Capaldi once again proves why he belongs as the pilot of the TARDIS.

Jenna Coleman shines as Clara and continues to grow into an "incredible" companion.

I don't want to give away anymore, because some of the surprises will knock your socks off.

I will simply say, it's the first episode of the season which must not be missed.

Now, sadly, one episode does not a streak make, so it might be too soon to say whether the season is heading in the right direction.

Fortunately, the trailer for this week's "Time Heist" looks pretty good, especially with the possible return of Missy from episode one.

So what did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments...

"The Quest" Must Continue

Thursday night, ABC aired the finale for a massive experiment in reality television, The Quest.

The story began a few weeks ago when eleven normal people were chosen to visit the fantasy land of Everealm as paladins.

During each episode of the "reality" show, the paladins passed through trials to become the one true hero.

The show progressed with some wonderful effects and makeup.

We were treated to awesome spectacles like a fire-breathing dragon, a banshee whose cry sent chills up my spine and Verlox the Darkness who could have been pulled from any fantasy novel as the Big Bad.

There were also amazing moments from the contestants/paladins themselves.

Halfway through the show, one of them, Bonnie, sang a beautiful song she had written just about Everealm.

Near the end, Shondo gave an impassioned plea as to why he should be the one true hero to save the land.

The Quest also has a strong fan following already with the twitter hashtag #TheQuestArmy.

If you haven't seen it, you can watch the episodes on Hulu.

If you don't want to sit through the whole thing, just catch the last 30 minutes of the finale.

It is EPIC!!!

It even ended with a teaser at the end for a possible second season.

Sadly, while truly unique, the show has experienced low ratings even for a summer program.

If ABC doesn't choose to pick it up, someone must.

This show would do well on SYFY, but I would be willing to watch it on any channel chosen to renew it.

Whatever its fate The Quest must continue!

Did you watch the show? What did you think? Let me know in the comments...

What Happened to Who?

Doctor Who just finished airing its third episode in the strangely misnamed "Robot of Sherwood".

I have to admit, I am not thrilled with the direction this show is going this season.

First off, Peter Capaldi is still wonderful in the role of our title character.

We also have the same people involved with the show as we have for the past eight seasons.

But, something just seems off somehow.

Saturday's show was more of a fun-filled romp to visit Robin Hood.

I certainly don't have a problem with the fun episodes, and there were moments I enjoyed, but overall it just didn't work.

First off, the title gives the impression that Robin Hood is going to be a robot, but he's not.

Instead there appear to be many "Robots" of Sherwood rather than the one.

Purposeful misdirection aside, writer Mark Gatiss showed us a Robin Hood which was exactly like the legend including the stereotypical Merry Men.

The doctor admits to Robin Hood that he is forgotten in history and relegated to myth or legend.

Which isn't true.

Apparently the legend is spot on to the historical facts.

Robin Hood is Robert of Loxley who along with Little John, Will Scarlett and Friar Tuck robs from the rich and gives to the poor because of the oppression of the Sheriff of Nottingham,.

In fact, the whole thing was so unbelievable, the Doctor spent more than half the episode trying to disprove it.

Then there was the horrible ending which had the Doctor, Robin Hood and Clara teaming up to stop the robots taking their ship to "The Promised Land".

I think Gatiss and showrunner Steven Moffat failed to take advantage of an incredible opportunity.

In 1963, when Doctor Who was created as a children's show, the time machine was a plot device.

The TARDIS traveled back in time to teach kids about events in the past.

What was eventually dubbed "True Historicals" had the Doctor and his companions traveling to the French Revolution or ancient Rome or the OK Chorral.

These shows had no robots, aliens or spaceships, they just told the story of what historians believe happened.

Eventually the science fiction elements got added starting with the Meddling Monk in 1965.

The last True Historical of Doctor Who in my recollection was 1982's Black Orchid, a two part episode with the fifth doctor and companions traveling to the 1920s.

Gatiss and Moffat had an opportunity to do the same here.

If we suppose that Robin Hood, his Merry Men and the Sheriff were really this way, why add the robots and the spaceship.

All the elements were there, and the adventure could have ended with Robin Hood defeating the Sheriff like he did in Saturday's show.

Also, we could have done without that absolutely horrid ending with the gold arrow.

Overall I feel like Doctor Who is in a slump as everyone tries to figure out where the Doctor is headed.

I will continue to watch and have high hopes for this weekend's fourth episode: "Listen"

So what do you think of the season so far? Let me know in the comments...

Goodbye to Dark Horse Comics

The other day at the Comic Book store I picked up my selected titles including Star Wars Legacy #18.

I felt a touch of sorrow as I realized this was the final Star Wars title published under Dark Horse Comics.

The ending was inevitable when Disney announced it was purchasing Star Wars.

A few years earlier Disney had also purchased Marvel Comics, so there was no way Dark Horse was going to be able to keep any of the series.

The collaboration between Dark Horse and Star Wars began around 1990.

It was a dark time for fans of the galaxy far, far away.

George Lucas hadn't touched the series for several years, and for all we knew we weren't getting anything new from Lucas Film ever again.

Most novels, graphic or otherwise, kept story lines within the original series.

Then came The Thrawn Trilogy.

The series written by Timothy Zahn dared to take fanboys and girls into the future of our trio of adventurers.

Suddenly, writers understood they didn't just have to stay in the four year period between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi.

Dark Horse took this idea and ran with it.

Tales of the Jedi took readers back 5,000 years before Luke Skywalker was born when brave adventurers were still mapping the hyperspace lanes that Han Solo took for granted.

It told of the first meetings between the Jedi and Sith which of course led to disaster and war.

But it wasn't just the past.

The Legacy series told the story of the descendants of Luke, Leia and Han more than 125 years in the future.

In the past few years, Dark Horse went even further with the Dawn of the Jedi which takes place somewhere between 25,000 to 36,000 years before Anakin's fall to the dark side.

These stories told of the Je'daii living in a remote star system and straddling the balance of the light and dark sides of the force.

All of these stories now fall under the category of "Legends" with Lucas Film hoping to have a stronger hold on the peripheral stories of Star Wars.

All is not lost in the graphic novel realm as the first comic books from Marvel are coming out this January.

And, Marvel is reprinting Dark Horse comics under its Legends Collection.

Still, for years I have read the Dark Horse comics and loved so many of them, it is a bitter sweet parting of the ways for so many fans of the company.

Do you have a favorite series from Dark Horse? Are you looking forward to something from Marvel? Let me know in the comments...

New Doctor Who? Meh?

I am writing this less than an hour after watching the premiere of "Deep Breath" the first show in Season 8 of Doctor Who.

I wanted to get this down before getting tainted by other people's opinions other than the few I saw the show with tonight.

Also, I admit, I am not very good at giving reviews, because I tend to think most things I watch are pretty much awesome.

But, I am not as overwhelmed as I feel I should be about "Deep Breath".

In my mind, I am trying to compare this episode with the first episode of any new Doctor.

"Eleventh Hour", the first Matt Smith episode, made me excited about him, especially the moment when he walked through the holographic representations of his past selves.

"Rose" and "Christmas Invasion" which kicked off the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant eras respectively were wonderful adventure stories.

Again, by the end of both episodes I was thrilled to join the new Doctor in the TARDIS.

I can't necessarily say that about this Doctor.

Now, to start, I am not judging Peter Capaldi himself.

I think he could make an excellent Doctor, but the first episode wasn't that exciting.

In many ways I have to go back to classic Who in comparison.

I hate to admit it, but my initial similarity when looking at a first Doctor episode is "The Twin Dilemma", Colin Baker's first episode.

That's not good.

"The Twin Dilemma" is typically ranked down near the worst episodes of the past 50 years.

Colin Baker's take on the doctor didn't sit well with audiences then or now as he seemed a little crazy and at one point even tried to kill his companion.

Some people argue that Colin Baker's doctor was the beginning of the end as the series was canceled just five years later.

I think I now understand why BBC sent Capaldi and Jenna Coleman on a world wide tour to get fans excited about the new season.

This episode left me feeling rather bland about what's coming.

Will I still be watching? Sure.

I will likely keep watching "Doctor Who" until it is taken off the air again.

The concern is not for the die hard fans, but for the ones who were just watching for the young Tennant and Smith portrayals of the Doctor.

I think it's the reason for a surprise phone call near the end of the episode.

It wasn't a call for "Clara", but for those fans who might stop watching now.

Certainly Moffatt might be playing the long game here and hoping to wow us by the end of the season.

I certainly hope that's true otherwise I have to say I am worried about this series.

So, what were your thoughts on the show? Let me know in the comments...

Ready for New Who!

I must admit I have desperately missed Doctor Who.

I feel like in the words of the Beatles "It's been a long, cold, lonely winter."

Of course this being Oklahoma it's been more like a long, hot, earthquakey winiter/spring/summer.

For eight months, fans of Doctor Who have been without the Timelord.

The last time the Doctor regenerated was in 2009/2010 when we went from David Tennant to Matt Smith.

If I remember correctly, the last episode of Tennant was in December of 2009 and the first episode of Matt Smith's was April of 2010.

So that was only a wait of four months.

Now, admittedly eight months is nothing compared to the near decade and a half I had to wait for new Doctor Who.

Of course there was the TV movie in 1996, but that felt more like a tease, and only seemed to add the final nail in the Doctor's coffin.

But, this time seems even worse.

First, we have known Peter Capaldi would be playing the Doctor for more than a year.

We even got a peak at him in the 50th Anniversary special Day of the Doctor.

We also got a brief moment with Capaldi at the death of Matt Smith's Doctor in the Christmas special.

All we gleaned from that is the TARDIS is again crashing following a regeneration, and, for some reason, Capaldi's not overly fond of his kidneys.

Soon after the Christmas special, we get word that IDW Comics lost the rights to release Doctor Who comics but instead would be created by Titan Publishing.

Unfortunately, the new titles would be on hold until July.

So, now finally I am ready to see the new stories and exciting adventures of Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor.

Long Live Doctor Who!

Are you excited about the new season of Doctor Who? Let me know in the comments...