LOST season 6 countdown

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thursday, November 12, 2009

REVIEW: Star Trek: Mission's End


This was a mini series that I've had my eye on since I first heard of it, and I finally got the chance to pick up the trade paperback collection yesterday. (Yes, I wait for the trades). I am very much an Original Series fan, and this looked to be a good adventure in that vein. The last adventure, as a matter of fact. The hook is that this is the final mission of the Enterprise crew under Kirk's command. Five years goes by fast (especially when you get canceled after three).
The book begins with a flashback to Kirk's first mission as Captain, and features characters we only saw in the series' second pilot like Gary Mitchell and the blonde dude he eventually force chokes (who surprisingly had a name). They have been spying on an alien race of insect beings for a while decide the time has come to make first contact with them. It's an event Trek fans here about but seldom get to see, made all the more interesting by the world the aliens live on and in. Their entire planet is actually a massive space station built by giants (complete with huge stairs and seats) that was abandoned millions of years ago. Since then insects and lower life forms evolved to intelligence, developed a culture, warp drive, etc. From the first contact we flash forward five years. The alien's are being inducted into the Federation, and Kirk is there to see it happen. A perfect bookend to this crew's career, but everything is not as it seems...

It is an interesting story and feels very much in line with TOS. The scope of this story is large and not something we ever really got to see on the show, but I am sure we would have had Roddenberry and team had the resources. All of the characters get their moment in the sun, though I wish Spock had been given more to do, and they all sound like themselves. One of the purposes of the book was to show why the band broke up, so to speak. When they all reunite in The Motion Picture Bones has retired to the old country disco and Spock is shrooming on Vulcan. Bones' decision to leave Starfleet makes sense based on what happens in this story. Spock's, on the other hand, seems really sudden and a bit drastic. I found myself rereading the last few pages a couple times going "Wait, WTF?".
The art is good, but not great. The creature designs are good the alien culture seems well thought out. I wasn't blown away but I was never let down. Often times with books based on Film and TV properties every frame seems DOA because the artist is just tracing stills of the actors. For the most part that wasn't happening here. The characters look like the actors, but not photos of the actors. The line art is well supported by the coloring. It's bright and loud, just like you would expect from a show who's color palette was designed to sell then new Color TVs.
I really enjoyed Mission's End despite wanting a little more substance from Spock. It's a fun adventure and a fitting final episode to a great show that never got one. Another good Trek book from IDW.

Mission's End was written by Ty Templeton and drawn by Steve Molnar.

Friday, November 6, 2009

New Wolfman Poster

AICN just posted the new 1 sheet for the upcoming Wolfman movie starring Dr. Gonzo. The movie looks cool and the poster is not bad, but... take a look.
Harry says it is very film noir, but for some reason it reminds me a little of this.

Maybe its just me.



Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Battlecock Galactiballs: The stupid Plan.

Me and Feyonce recently finished up the entire series of Battlestar Galactica. I am actually proud of the fact that I got her to watch it at all. Lets face it, a title like Battlestar Galactica doesn't inspire a lot of interest from a potential audience. Before long I was overhearing her say "I love BSG" to her friends and family, with no provocation on my part. She even cried at the finale! A lot of people hated the ending but I thought it was great, though not perfect (is anything?). All in all, a solid program that is infinitely superior to the original (anyone who disagrees probably like Voyager). I was both sad and glad to see it end.

And then there was 'The Plan'.

'The Plan' was a follow up movie that was supposed to show the first two seasons of the show from the perspective of the Cylons. OMG! I was so there!

I never thought the Cylon's plan would be so boring.

Adama himself promised it would show the entire series in a new light, prompting you to reevaluate what you thought you knew. Apparently this meant showing Cylons switching wigs and hiding in closets to confuse silly humans. Wow. What a revelation. Although its nice to have some plot holes finally filled it felt like I had selected 'play all' on a DVD of webisodes. Probably the worst part of the movie was the pointless inclusion of nudity. Don't get me wrong, I love the nudes, but putting in a bunch of naked extras out of focus in the background, at this point in a nudity free series, seems like a shameless cry for attention. And it's not just naked ladies. There is some penis in here to. A quick zoom in on an anonymous penis in a co-ed restroom. Why the frak is there a penis on a show called Battlestar Galactica?

The whole thing seems pointless. And aside from an incredibly awesome opening showing the Cylons destroying humanity it's not really worth watching. But lets hope it does well so we can get a Final Five movie out of the deal. That's what this should have been.

Lame.