Archive for November, 2007




So while I’m pleased that BSG has finally added an out gay couple to its diverse lineup. I’m horrified by the brief recap/advertisement in between segments:

“It’s been revealed! Helena Cain and Gina are lovers!

“Brought to you by Quiznos.”

Oh. My. God.

Ooooooo. Such much Heroes goodness last night. It was exactly the kind of visceral storytelling I enjoy.

There were big foreshadowy reveals:

Parkman can not only hear thoughts but he can force people to submit to his.

Mama Petrelli rightly says that if he explores this power he will be exactly like his father. Matt may think he’s doing it for a good cause, but as Kaito Nakamura pointed out to Hiro,

“We have the power of Gods. That does not mean we can play God.”

Again, it raises questions of where to draw the line. Should Parkman read Angela’s thoughts in order to protect someone? Or should he respect her privacy and the sacrifices her generation made? What about using Claire’s blood to heal others? Could healing be considered an act of God?

There Were Smaller, Expected but Satisfying Reveals

Elle is indeed Bob’s daughter. Bob may be thinking more globally about “specials” than HRG, but he has clearly failed as a father.

I had been worried that Kristen Bell was having trouble playing conflicted evil, femme fatale, spoiled daughter and damaged woman. When we first saw her she came off as a combination of spacey & pouty. But Girlfriend’s got it down, and the writers of this episode gave her some great lines:

“Overprotective, much?” –A shout out to Slayer Slang

and to Mohinder a saucy, “What’s your superpower? Punching bag?”

(Also gotta love Mohinder’s “Have you killed many people?”)

There was the funny…

Bob was the regional sales manager at Primatech Paper!

And HRG’s “Did you pack Mr. Muggle’s doggy bath?” was delivered with a perfect combination of calculation and humor.


There was the touching & sad…

Love child Hiro saying “I’m Takezo Kensei,” and grown-up Hiro smiling and saying, “Yes, you are.”

(And I wonder, does Nakamura Sr. know that Adam once claimed to be Kensei? I didn’t get the impression he did considering his pleased reaction to Hiro’s time travel to 17th Century Japan.)

I was very glad we got to see more George Takei. It’s so easy to only think of him as Sulu, and he’s quite a talented actor. I love that Hiro got to say goodbye to his father, and that we get to see his continuous evolution from child to man, from man to hero. He’s experimental and reflective, and right now seems to be the only hero concerned with going out into the world with these gifts in a responsible manner.

Other Thoughts

-Claire spelling out “I’m sorry” in rocks under West’s flight path was heartbreaking. She did nothing wrong. She’s confused, in love* and scared. It wasn’t the brave Claire of last season, but it was an honest moment, and certainly something a teenage girl might do.

-It’s nice to see more of Mrs. Bennet’s personality, which last season was suppressed as the result of numerous brain wipes. But now we can clearly see she’s a tough woman–the kind of woman Noah would be attracted to, and exactly the kind of woman he would need to keep away from his shady Company business.

-Mohinder shot Noah!!! But of course he’ll live. It’s just a question of who saved him, and what he might be expected to do to return the favor.

-A Random Idea I’m playing with . . . It’s not fully formed, but it was something that I thought of while reading the Heroes graphic novel collection last night.

There was a story told about how Claude and a rookie Noah Bennet came to find baby Claire, and how Noah was so taken with the helpless child that he swore to always protect her, to always keep her safe. I got to thinking that while the characters on this series have a lot of Daddy Issues–and that’s certainly a component of Claire’s relationship with Noah–he is very much a lioness. He’s a Sarah Connor, or a Ripley. He’s singularly focused on saving his child rather than the world. He protects instead of avenges. Like I said, just an observation and an argument not fully formed, but something I’ll be thinking about for the book.

–Finally, why is it that when women exert their power, I mean, really exert it, they get a nose bleed? I don’t think I’ve ever seen this happen to a heroic male character but last night it happened to Angela. It happened to Willow Rosenberg on BTVS several times, and it happened to Sue Storm in the Fantastic Four movie (and to countless other female characters I can’t recall right now, but you can see I’m compiling a list). It bothers me because it gives the impression that women can’t physically handle tremendous power.


*(with a questionable guy, but I think the writers might be fixing that. West was much less creepy last night)

“Mr. Moore, will you sign my DVD of Watchmen Babies?”

Brilliant.

(But where is Baby Silk Spectre?)

Here’s another one from Fox

I just love hearing Summer Glau say that iconic line:

“Come with me if you want to live.”

I saw this advertisement on Fox the other day and just about peed myself with excitement.

I’ve been looking forward to Sarah Connor Chronicles since seeing the pilot in San Diego. It was 70 minutes that completely reworked my ideas for my chapter on mothers.

Let’s hope that the WGA gets the props they work so hard to deserve soon so that we will be able to continue enjoying these kick-ass women debuting in January.

The news was spread several months ago that the enigmatic Alan Moore graciously agreed to guest star on the Simpsons–apparently he is a fan of the series (although I’ve read that he and Melinda don’t own a TV. hmmm….) Regardless, the whole episode should have revolved around the hip new comic book store “Coolsville” that put The Android’s Dungeon out of business. Owned by Milo (voiced by Jack Black) the store honors fan opinion over old school fanboy encyclopedic knowledge of continuity. Milo stocks Tin Tin comics. They’re out on shelves to be enjoyed.

While Milo hands out Japanese hard candy and sings along to Tom Jones’ “What’s New Pussycat?” our old friend Comic Book Guy soothes his insecure ego with obscure knowledge and mylar casing.

The brilliance of all can be summed up in this scene:

Go League of Extraordinary Freelancers Go!

Dave Letterman rocks

(Found via The Beat)

From Project: Rooftop

Contest Announcement: Wonder Woman Wardrobe War!
Break out your golden lassos, kids! Project: Rooftop is teaming up with Zeus Comics of Dallas, TX for a drawing contest event in honor of fan-favorite creator Gail Simone’s upcoming run writing for the world’s greatest and most recognizable superheroine, Wonder Woman! Starting today, we are accepting entries for the Wonder Woman Wardrobe War, with Zeus Comics providing cool prizes for the top redesigns!

Grand Prize (1) – This classic Lynda Carter Wonder Woman statue, a signed WonderWoman issue from Gail Simone, a DC Direct Wonder Woman action figure, and $25 gift certificate good at the Zeus Comics Online Store!

First Prize (2) – A signed Wonder Woman issue from Gail Simone, a DC Direct WonderWoman action figure, and a $15 gift certificate good at the Zeus Comics Online Store!

Second Prize (3) – A signed Wonder Woman issue from Gail Simone and a DC Direct Wonder Woman action figure!

Additional Prizes – P:R and ZC may provide a few extra goodies for the other striking entries, if we see something that really knocks our socks off!

Send in your Wonder Woman redesigns to editors@projectrooftop.com, with the subject line, “Wonder Woman Wardrobe War!” Please include your full name, age, website, and mailing address for prize shipment. All the usual P:R Guidelinesapply!
All entries must be recieved by November 20th, 2007!

Hello All,

I’m currently researching Lois Lane for my book and am hoping that someone can provide or suggest resources. I’ve found a few well done blog & personal website related explorations, but am also hoping to find some more formally written texts. Even though she is one of the most iconic and lasting characters in popular culture there seems to be little written about her, and much of that is only a tangential mention in a work about Supes.

I’m also hoping to find articles on women reporters in the 1940s & 50s.

Any help regarding the character in any incarnation would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Jen

Heroes creator Tim Kring called Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly discuss fan reaction to Season Two.

EW has titled the piece “Heroes Creator Apologizes to Fans” although nowhere in the piece is there an actual apology–and I, for one, believe it’s not necessary. Kring acknowledges some of the narrative choices made during this arc aren’t quite working:

-Claire’s creepy boyfriend
-Taking too long to get to the “big-picture story”
-Keeping Hiro in the past for so long
-And the slow introduction of new characters

While I prefer the faster-paced reveals, I’ve really enjoyed this season so far. I think people have forgotten just how slow much of last season was, often tediously slow, and the story didn’t ramp up until mid-season.