Scifi 411: The Blog

Marx Madness Is Here!

2008-12-28T21:48:00.000-08:00

Hello world,

My new entertainment blog over at NEWS 25 is now live. You'll find all sorts of news including science fiction and fantasy news. I will still post here from time to time, but most of my posting will now be there.

Here is the link, please check out the blog: http://marxmadness.news25.us

Until next time... Marx out.

Casting Call: 'Stargate Universe'

2008-10-04T00:27:00.000-07:00

The official call sheets for the upcoming Stargate Universe series is being passed around on the web.

Casting calls are those breakdowns given to casting agencies to entice actors to come in for auditions. They also give us a nice sneak peak to what the main characters will be like.

Stargate Universe will premiere on the Sci Fi Channel in summer 2009. Shooting begins February 4, 2009. Sadly it will be replacing Stargate Atlantis, which will be transitioning to TV movies.

Colonel Everett Young: 40’s handsome, capable, former SG team leader. Like the Jack O’Neill of ten years ago, but Young’s edges have tended to sharpen over time. He requested permission to serve the remainder of his commission on Earth upon marrying his wife, Hailey, two years ago, but for now he’s temporary commander of a secret off world base. The loss of two members of his team several years ago has taught him never to take anything for granted, and be prepared for anything. He stays on top of his team so they stay alive. STAR NAMES ONLY. SERIES REGULAR

Tamara Jon: 20-25, all ethnicities (Asian Preferably). SGC Field medic, Captain grade. Off world experience. Beautiful, tough, smart, capable. Paramedic level training. Able to triage serious injury. Modest background. Dreamed of being a doctor but couldn’t afford medical school and the Air Force was her best option. She ends up being the most medically inclined person on the ship but is overwhelmed by the lack of knowledge and experience treating seriously wounded and ill patients. She also lacks the medicine and supplies and has to make do. SERIES REGULAR

Chloe Carpenter: 20ish. Stunning and sexy. Daughter of a U.S. Senator. Silver spoon upbringing and a little spoiled but not stupid either. Politically and socially savvy. Dreams of following in her father’s footsteps but for now she’s a bit of a party girl in her first year at an Ivy League school. Her father’s tragic death and the dire circumstances of being trapped on a spaceship seriously tests her character. SERIES REGULAR

Eli Hitchcock: 20-25. Total slacker. Utter genius. Mathematics, computers, anything he puts his mind to. Acerbic sense of humor. A social outcast. Comes from a broken home. Lacks confidence because his true intelligence has never really been recognized like Matt Damon’s character from Good Will Hunting with a little Jack Black thrown in. SERIES REGULAR

Lt. Jared Nash: 20-25. Junior SGC team member. Officer material but green and rough around the edges. Every teenage girl’s fantasy. Like a college quarterback thrown into his first pro game, he is thrust into the role of leader well before he’s ready for the responsibility and must learn to take command, earn respect through action, and manage the diverse personalities on the ship to keep everyone alive. Like Jason Bourne, he is skilled and well-trained however he is mentally unprepared for the urgency of the situation. SERIES REGULAR

Ron “Psycho” Stasiak: 20, all ethnicities. Marine. Big, strong, silent. You want him on your side. You don’t want him mad at you. Lacks control over his temper in non combat situations. His past is a mystery but it’s clear something dark formed the hard shell around him. Yet, there must also be some moral center because otherwise he’d kill everyone around him. Think Eric Bana’s character “Hoot” in Blackhawk Down. SERIES REGULAR.

AMC Journeys to 'Red Mars'

2008-10-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

Cable network AMC is going scifi on us, with a new series based on Kim Stanley Robinson's 1992 novel, Red Mars.

Writer/executive producer Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon) wants to bring the first book of Robinson's Mars Trilogy to TV. The book chronicles the first colonial voyage to Mars with the crew of the "First Hundred" colonist.

"This fits in with our bigger vision of wanting series that feel like cinematic one-hour movies," Christina Wayne, senior VP original series and miniseries at AMC, told The Hollywood Reporter. "We're always looking for big genres but to do them in slightly different ways so they feel fresh and new,"

Hensleigh will executive produce with Michael Jaffe and Howard Braunstein of Jaffe Braunstein Entertainment and Vince Gerardis, Ralph Vicinanza and Eli Kirschner of Created By.

AMC is also developing a miniseries remake of the 1960s sci-fi series The Prisoner, starring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen.

An Actors Strike Inches Closer To Reality

2008-10-02T00:02:00.000-07:00

Remember the Writer's Strike that caused many of your favorite TV shows to air short seasons, be delayed, interrupted or postponed last year? Well, another strike may be about to happen in Hollywood. This time it's the actor's turn.

The Screen Actors Guild negotiating committee has called for its board to support a strike authorization vote. They are saying it "is necessary to overcome the employers' intransigence."

Contract talks have been going nowhere since the last contract expired on June 30th. Currently actors are working under the terms of the old deal.

A strike authorization vote needs the approval of 75 percent of the guild's approximately 120,000 members.

Most of us learned what the WGA were striking over, but what is SAG threatening to strike over?

Similar to the WGA strike, the big issue is how royalties from sales through new media methods are being handled. But it isn't just royalties from online distribution services like iTunes, but also DVD sales. None of these are currently written into actors' contracts.

I don't think I need to tell you how a strike would affect the film industry. The 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike lasted four months and cost the Los Angeles economy somewhere between $380 million to as high as $2.1 billion (depending upon which report you read).

Lets hope that things get worked out before another strike happens.

Holy 'Graysons' CW!

2008-10-01T23:39:00.000-07:00

I don't think anyone would be surprised if this turns out to be the last season of Smallville. Nothing confirmed mind you, but I've been hearing for over a year now that many of the people that work on the show are growing more and more tired of it.

So, that leaves one to wonder if The CW will try to spin the series off (like the once rumored Supergirl series or the fan demanded Justice League series) or perhaps find something else with a similar tone to keep that audience. Well, it looks like they may now have a plan and it has been revealed.

Variety reports that The CW has committed to a pilot for a series called The Graysons. Yes, you Batman fans can probably already guess what I'm talking about, but for those of you puzzled I'll explain further.

Dick "DJ" Grayson was the first young man to become Batman's sidekick known as Robin. In the comic books Grayson was a young acrobat, a member of his family's act called The Flying Graysons. Sadly, he became an orphan when a mafia boss kill his parents. Bruce Wayne takes him in as his ward and costumed sidekick. Eventually Grayson goes solo as Nightwing and leads the Teen Titans. He forever leaves behind the role of Robin, which is filled in over the years by other teenagers.

This proposed series, similar to Smallville, would follow Grayson before his eventual destiny of becoming Robin.

Smallville executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson, as well as Supernatural executive producer McG are developing the project.

After the success of Smallville, with 8.4 million viewers for the pilot, Warner Brothers has tried to duplicate that achievement. But, they have yet to accomplish that goal. The short lived Birds of Prey was cancelled after 13 episodes and 2006's Aquaman never made it past the unaired pilot.

If this concept was "The Waynes" I think they would have gold, but I'm a little skeptical that a pre-Robin series would work. But maybe they will surprise me.

Kenneth Branagh May Direct 'Thor'

2008-09-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

Marvel Studios has an aggressive schedule of film releases planned for their Marvel Universe characters. Besides the various Spider-Man and X-Men related films they have a number of films in the works (that they have greater creative control over) that are all linked together in the same continuity, a first for the big screen superhero genre. Although it sounds like DC & Warner Bros may have now been inspired to do the same thing.

Marvel already released Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk this year. They plan on releasing The First Avenger: Captain America in May 6, 2011 and team-up a number of Marvel characters together with The Avengers in July 2011. In the middle of all that we will get Iron Man 2 (April 2010), possibly an Ant-Man film and yes, everyone's favorite Norse god turned superhero...Thor.

And now it looks like Thor may have a director.

According to Variety, Emmy Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated director and actor Kenneth Branagh is in talks to helm the big screen adaptation of Thor.

Don't know who Branagh is? Well, his directorial debut was Henry V. The last film he directed was Sleuth starring Jude Law and Michael Caine, which grossed $703,000 worldwide. Some other films he has worked on include The Magic Flute, As You Like It, Hamlet (1996), Frankenstein (1994), Dead Again and Much Ado About Nothing.

Not exactly the first guy that jumps to your mind for a superhero film, but remember Marvel did say they wanted it to be less superhero and more fantasy. I am a little worried though that he hasn't directed an action film for 19 years. But Marvel usually makes good director choices, so I'm hopeful that it will be a good match.

The script is written by Mark Protosevich (The Cell). It is about a disabled medical student named Donald Blake, who can change into the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor. The arrogant thunder god Thor is forced to learn humility by his father Odin by sharing the body of Blake.

Thor is scheduled for a June 4, 2010 release.

'Sanctuary' Talk From Amanda Tapping

2008-09-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

Amanda Tapping recently talked about Sanctuary at a digital press event in Colorado courtesy of the Sci Fi Channel. Don't forget, this web series turned TV series will air on the Sci Fi Channel this Friday, October 3rd.

Thanks to Cinema Blend for providing these embed video clips of the event.

Sci Fi Channel Gets Real With 'RelicQuest,' 'Estate of Panic' & 'Cha$e'

2008-09-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

Love it or hate it, the SCI FI Channel is adding more Reality TV to its programming.

Today it was announced that three new reality shows were given the green light.

First up is a search around the world for famous historical relics and artifacts. The working title is RelicQuest and it sounds a little like Destination Truth.

Here's SCI FI's description:

“RelicQuest is an action and adventure series that travels the globe in search of some of history's greatest relics and artifacts. British filmmaker Bruce Burgess guides the viewer in a first-hand exploration down mysterious roads to uncover objects fabled to hold hidden powers and mystical significance for both ancient and modern cultures."

Documentary filmmaker Bruce Burgess will host and six episodes have been given the green light. Burgess will investigate stories about Moses and the rumored healing powers of the Holy Grail of the Cathars.

From the production company that gave you Fear Factor comes Estate of Panic. The show has actor Steve Valentine (Crossing Jordan) as the host. It has also been given a six-episode order.

In each episode, huge amounts of cash are hidden in an immense estate and seven strangers are tasked to find the money. The contestants will be challenged to overcome their terrors throughout the mansion. After each challenge, two are eliminated and their winnings get added to the prize pot. The last contestant left standing faces the final challenge in the Vault Room.

From our friends in Japan comes a new Americanized Japanese game show called Cha$e. It's sort of like a video game in the real world. Contestants, called runners, are given equipment (a backpack, an iPhone, a compass, a flashlight, and other necessary items) as they get power-ups and try to stay away from the hunters all in the attempt to stay "alive" long enough to win the 50 thousand dollar grand prize. The show is hosted by Trey Farley and also has a six episode order.

Uh oh, that makes three orders of six episodes each. I've been watching Supernatural, I know the end times are coming. This is a sign of what many have suspected for a long time... that Reality TV will bring the Apocalypse! ;-)

Cha$e premieres Tuesday, November 11 at 10pm EST. Estate of Panic will premiere Wednesday, November 12 at 10PM ET/PT. You can expect RelicQuest to premiere in early 2009.

A Look Inside 'Pushing Daisies'

2008-09-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

ABC was kind enough to offer us a video that gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Pushing Daisies, with interviews from the cast. Season 2 of Pushing Daisies premieres on ABC October 1st. Enjoy!

Related Stories:

And The Winner Is... Pushing Daisies!

Mark Millar's 'War Heroes' Gets Picked Up By Sony

2008-09-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

Even if you don't read comic books you may already know Mark Millar's work. His comic book Wanted was adapted by Universal into a popular film this past summer. It grossed $293 million worldwide so it should be no surprise that there is already a sequel in the works.

But now Sony hopes to bring to life another of Millar's comic book creations. According to Variety, Sony's Columbia Pictures has picked up the Image comic book series War Heroes.

The books, created by Mark Millar and Tony Harris, are about "an experimental military program that gives ordinary soldiers superpowers. When a small group of recruits break off to use these powers for a criminal enterprise, a hero rises from their ranks to prevent catastrophic results."

Apparently a number of studios were "at war" over the rights. Millar and Harris are executive producing with Zach Schiff-Abrams (Domino)

Millar's Icon comic series Kick-Ass is another of his books that has already been picked up. It just began filming with director Matthew Vaughn and stars Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

And The Winner Is... Pushing Daisies!

2008-09-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

Pushing Daisies was sadly the only 2007-2008 Creative Arts Prime-Time Emmys that took place a week earlier. Including, Pushing Daisies winning two technical awards: outstanding picture editing for a comedy and outstanding music composition for a series.

Other SF winners include:

Battlestar Galactica: Winner for outstanding special visual effects for a series ("He That Believeth in Me") and for outstanding special class--short-format live-action entertainment programs (Razor).
Tin Man: Winner for outstanding makeup for a miniseries or a movie (non-prosthetic).
Lost: Winner for outstanding sound mixing for a comedy or drama series (one- hour).
Chuck: Winner for outstanding stunt coordination.
Smallville: Winner for outstanding sound editing for a series.

Congratulations to all the winners!

I hope that next year the prime-time Emmys will consider more science fiction/fantasy programs. I mean, they are more than just a pretty face (aka - special effect, makeup, stunts, editing, etc), they also have a brain (aka - excellent writing, acting and directing).

The 'Supernatural' Boys Go Back To School

2008-09-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

WARNING: Spoiler Time!

The Ausiello Files over on EW had a small spoiler on an upcoming Supernatural episode called 'Afterschool Special.'

"Coming up in the middle of the season, there's an episode titled 'Afterschool Special' in which the boys investigate a haunting at one of the high schools they attended as kids," exec producer Eric Kripke tells [Ausiello]. "As they investigate, we'll see flashbacks to what high school was like for Sam and Dean." Sounds fun, right? It won't be. Adds Kripke: "It wasn't pretty."

Meanwhile Ausiello gave out a few more tidbits on some scifi shows...

Fringe is adding to their cast with "an as-yet-unchosen actor to play the recurring role of Ian Spencer, a twenty-to-thirtysomething hipster whose forensics expertise comes in handy on tough cases."

Smallville's episode 10 of season 8 will have the return of Lana and well-known comic-book writer Geoff Johns will be writing episode 11 .

The struggling Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles will have Stephanie Jacobsen (Kendra Shaw of BSG: Razor) joining the cast as a love interest for Derek (Brian Austin Green).

OK, this is old news but I somehow missed it... Jim is going to die on Ghost Whisperer! Wow, first her best friend and now her husband. That girl is cursed.

SCI FI Channel Will Open 'Warehouse 13' To Viewing Audience

2008-09-19T23:54:00.000-07:00

SCI FI Channel has been working slowly on a number of pilots. One such pilot, Warehouse 13, was given the green light last year.

Apparently The Powers That Be liked what they saw from the two-hour pilot, because SCI FI has ordered 11 more episodes of the dramedy that has been described as part X-Files, part Raiders of the Lost Ark and part Moonlighting.

Warehouse 13 stars Eddie McClintock (Bones), Joanne Kelly (Vanished) and Saul Rubinek.

Two Secret Service agents find themselves suddenly "promoted" after saving the life of the U.S. president. They are transferred to Warehouse 13: a massive top-secret storage facility that houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government.

The caretaker, Artie (Rubinek), charges rule-bender Pete (McClintock) and by-the-book Myka (Kelly) to search the country for several missing objects while monitoring for reports of supernatural and paranormal activity that could indicate the presence of other objects they must retrieve.

Production will begin in February in Toronto for a July 2009 premiere.

Super Ratings For 'Supernatural'

2008-09-19T23:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of The CW's Supernatural and I loved the season four premiere. Apparently I wasn't the only one. The ratings for that September 18th episode were the best ratings that the show has had since 2006, with an impressive (especially for The CW) 4 million viewers.

The season four premiere is called Lazarus Rising. It picks up three months after Dean's death and descent into hell. But hey, in this genre nobody stays dead. Dean returns, but the big questions are how and what else may have hitched a ride out?

ABC Plans To 'Flash Forward'

2008-09-18T22:43:00.002-07:00

was first published in 1999. The book
The creative team first met on the CBS series Threshold. This time around, Goyer will direct the pilot and executive-produce with Braga, Jessika Borsiczky Goyer, Vince Gerardis and Ralph M. Vicinanza.

Pilot Season 2008 Winners Announced!

2008-09-18T22:43:00.001-07:00

The two winners of Top Cow Production's 2008 Pilot Season have been officially announced!

Congratulations to the creative teams of Twilight Guardian (writer Troy Hickman and artist Reza) and Genius (writers Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman and artist Afua Richardson).

Fans voted for their favorite 2008 Pilot Season one-shots. This is the second year for the annual event. Last year's winners were Cyblade and Velocity. Both of which will debut with new series later this year. 2008’s winners will debut with their new series sometime in 2009.

The winners beat out Urban Myths (by Jay Faerber and Jorge Molina), The Core (by Jonathan Hickman and Kenneth Rocafort), Alibi (by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Jeremy Haun) and Lady Pendragon (by Matt Hawkins and Eru).

I actually reviewed the two winning titles back when they first hit stores. Click here to read my review of Twilight Guardian and here for Genius.

Welcome to the new blog!

2008-09-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

Hello world!

Welcome to the relaunch of the Scifi 411 blog. This is the first step in what will hopefully be a face lift for the larger Scifi 411 website.

You can find my personal blog, Ramblings of Marx (much of which has been archived on this site), over here: http://ramblingsofmarx.blogspot.com/

The new Scifi 411 blog will have news & reviews from the Scifi 411 writing staff.

Enjoy!

Marx Pyle

Gotham Underground #8

2008-05-19T00:19:00.000-07:00

I have a new review up at Comics Bulletin.

Gotham Underground #8 (3 out of 5)

It's Batman versus Vigilante while Gotham City is falling apart from gang war. Johnny Stitches pulls the rug under Penguin by chopping people up, threatening to chop up family and getting a reluctant ally to leave Penguin's side. Things aren't looking good for Penguin or Gotham, but Batman is finally back and I'm left wondering...where the crap did Spoiler go??? [more]

Until next time... Marx out.

Survivor: The Sci-fi/Fantasy TV Series Edition

2008-04-08T00:14:00.000-07:00

Update (April 20, 2008): Fox has renewed Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles!

It is that time of the year again when we find out which of our favorite shows are getting a new season and which are getting the axe.

It gets a little tough to do this since networks and cable channels handle their shows differently, but here is where we stand so far.

I've included my "weather" prediction of those shows whose fates are yet unknown.

Returning
Ashes To Ashes (BBC), Chuck, Doctor Who, Ghost Whisperer, Eureka, Heroes, Lost, Medium, Pushing Daisies, Smallville, Stargate Atlantis, Supernatural, Torchwood

Canceled
The 4400, Battlestar Galactica (currently airing the last season), Bionic Woman, The Dead Zone, Flash Gordon, Jericho, Journeyman

Status Not Officially Known (With my percentage chance of returning.)
Moonlight (75%), New Amsterdam (85%), Reaper (60%), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (90%)

Possible New Shows (...but don't be surprised if that changes.)
99 Stories (in development; AMC), Caprica (SciFi Channel), Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas (pilot order; ABC), Children of Men, Cupid (pilot order; ABC), Dollhouse (Fox), Eleventh Hour (pilot order; CBS), Fear Itself (NBC), Fringe (pilot order; Fox), Gods Behaving Badly (in development), Inseparable (in development; Fox), Johnny Dynamite (pilot ordered), Knight Rider (NBC), Life on Mars (in development; ABC), The Listener (CTV), The Meant To Be’s (pilot order; CBS), The Oaks (pilot order; Fox), Merlin (NBC), Middleman (ABC Family), Miracle Man (pilot order; ABC), My Own Worst Enemy (NBC), Mythological X (pilot order; CBS), Patient 2344 (pilot order; HBO), Preacher (no news since the WGA strike; HBO), Revolution (pilot order; SciFi Channel), Ripper (rumored; BBC), Rockville 2020 (in development; ABC), Sanctuary (13 episodes; SciFi Channel), Section 8 (6 episodes; ABC), Stargate: Universe (in development; SciFi Channel), Star Wars, Them (pilot finished; Fox), True Blood (HBO), Virtuality (two-hour backdoor pilot; Fox), Wizard's First Rule (syndication)

So, what do you think? Which of the possible new shows sounds best? Check out the details on these at: http://scifi411.com/upcomingtv.html, which is currently being updated.

Which canceled show will you miss the most…or the least?

Like this post? Then please... Digg It!

Smallville “Reckoning” 100th Episode

2006-02-01T00:17:00.000-08:00

Or…I reckon this one was 50% good.

Do not read further if you don’t want to be spoiled by moi, ok.

First off, I want to say that this has been the best season of Smallville so far. I’ve always watched this series off and on through the years, but usually only found the season premieres, season finales, and a handful of episodes in-between to be anything special. This season, we have seen Clark and his friends head off to college, battle Brainiac, and Lex show his true colors.

Oh yeah, and Clark got laid.

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. This 100th episode (that I was actually looking forward to) greatly disappointed me.

Sniff, sniff. Not just because I’m sorry to see Jonathan Kent die. But, I must endure more of the Lana/Clark/Lex triangle. Grr, Argh. Make it stop!

I was nearly blown away during the first half hour (get it?…”I reckon it was 50% good”). We had Lana learning the truth (Finally! How dense is she anyway?), Clark proposing (Unexpected – well except one of the commercials showed it, but it led me to believe they might actually have the hazelnuts to kill her off.), and then Lana’s death (booyah!). This blew me away…I thought, “Wow, they actually went against canon. They completely surprised everyone. Did Joss Whedon write this episode?” Then I thought, “Wow, until this moment I didn’t realize how perfect it would be if Lana died. Clark would never want to tell his secret to someone else he cared about. No more Clark angst about Lana, someone who is starting to look really stupid for not figuring this secret out yet. And now a perfect reason for Clark to hate Lex and a tragedy that would drive Lex completely to the darkside.”

Ah, but who knew that the writers would pull a page from Star Trek or Witchblade. Clark whines to Jor-El about how unfair it is that Lana is dead (this is when I started to get worried). I thought, “No, don’t you dare.” Then Jor-El does the whole, “gee there is this crystal that can turn back time” thing. You see, he has been saving it for a special occasion. Saving his people from his homeworld BLOWING UP didn’t really count, but I guess saving Clark’s girlfriend would be the right time. Frak! What can’t Jor-El (aka Mr. Deus Ex Machina) not do? He can take Clark’s power away. He can give Clark’s powers back. He can give powers to other people. Oh, and he can turn back time…I don’t buy it.

So, then time reboots. Lana is saved, but breaks up with Clark because he won’t tell her his secret. Clark’s dad dies from that pesky heart damage. The only way, this episode’s Tru Calling moment could have worked was if Lana died in the end anyway. Man, that would have been shocking and would have made this episode the best of the whole series. Instead, I feel that Jonathan’s death is trivialized because of the time restart gimmick.

So, on one hand the writers made me care enough about this season that I truly got angry by this episode (kudos), but if they don’t shape up and either get rid of Lana or have her learn the secret, I don’t think I will stick with the series next season. Hey, why don’t they hook Clark up with the mermaid chick that was his college sweetheart in the comics? I’m just so tired of this Lana/Clark mess. Could you tell?

2006 Predictions: Part IV (Kill Switch / Midnighters / Pretty Little Liars / Pen and the Sword / Warehouse 13 / Skrull Kill Krew / Torchwood)

2006-01-09T22:43:00.000-08:00

Kill Switch

The unlikely duo of Mark Cherry (Desperate Houswives) and Don Mancini (Child's Play - yes I said Child’s Play) are creating this pilot for ABC. No, the series won’t be about Desperate Killer Dolls living on Elm Street. Cherry describes the one-hour SF drama, Kill Switch, as Touched by an Angel meets Quantum Leap. An odd writing combo, with an odd example series amalgam, indeed. I would have personally stayed away from the Touched by an Angel example. I wonder if Tru Calling meets Quantum Leap would work? That is what I think of when I read this description: The series centers on a woman who is executed for killing her daughter's murderer and then enters a type of purgatory. Every episode she finds herself in the body of someone about to be killed. She must figure out who the murderer will be and prevent it from happening.

"Instead of a whodunit, it's a who-will-do-it," Cherry said. The series supposedly will have a tone similar to Desperate Housewives. "The tone isn't exactly like Desperate Housewives" he said. "But it has humor and wit in it. [It] seemed like something in his wheelhouse." I’m not sure how to take this one. This could be really, really campy or interestingly different. I would normally give this a low chance of making it, but Desperate Housewives is big - like Godzilla standing on King Kong’s shoulders big - so ABC will probably take a chance on it. Hmmm…lets give it a 75% chance of being picked up.

Midnighters / Pretty Little Liars

The WB is so pleased with Supernatural’s performance that two new one-hour supernatural dramas are in the works. The WB has ordered scripts for both of them. Pretty Little Liars revolves around four 16-year-old girls whose fifth best friend went missing two years ago. The girls then become haunted by messages that start appearing from her. Midnighters revolves around teens who were born at the stroke of midnight who have gained access to a 25th hour of the day. Both series are being adapted from their Alloy book series published by HarperCollins.

To early to give a prediction on either one of these yet, but I’ll keep my eye on them.

Pen and the Sword / Warehouse 13

Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica) is developing these two series for NBC and the Scifi Channel. Pen and the Sword, being developed for NBC, is about a young man working in a building that is a portal to a medieval alternate universe. Warehouse 13, being developed for the Scifi Channel, centers on a pair of government officials that are banished to a storage facility in North Dakota in which every item has a supernatural or fantastical backstory.

It is waaaay to early too tell if these will make it, but with Ronald Moore’s success with Battlestar Galactica, I would be surprised if we don’t see one of these soon. I predict a 50% chance.

Skrull Kill Krew

There is little detail on this live action TV project at this time, except that Marvel mentioned it was in the works. I’m not sure who thought about this one. Of all things to pick, this wouldn’t have been my first choice. But, perhaps with a good showrunner, this project could be successful, or at least fun to watch. It could be sort of a funny version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Hmmm..I don’t know about this one.

But for those of you (which are probably many) who have never heard of Skrull Kill Krew here is a run-down on the comic. Skrull Kill Krew was a short lived 1996 Marvel comic book series. The comic book was created by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, and Steve Yeowall. This comic book focused on a team of humans with the viral affliction Skrullovoria Induced Skrullophobia (SIS). The characters were infected with this virus after eating beef from Skrull alien shape shifters that had been trapped in cow form. Now, they have varying degrees of shape shifting powers and can recognize a Skrull no matter what form it takes. Unfortunately, the virus also damages their brains causing progressive episodes of neurological disease. The Skrull Kill Krew would travel across America, killing any Skrull shapeshifters they find in an attempt to stop them from taking over the Earth. Members include: Ryder (leader of the Krew with the ability to animate his dreadlocks and teleport), Catwalk (Kimberly Dee - a former supermodel with the power to take the form of a feline-human hybrid), Dice (Rob Fortune - surfer dude from LA with the power to transform his hands into various types of weapons), Moonstomp (a skinhead white supremacist from the UK whose skin is turning black), and Riot (Heidi Sladkin - a punk-rock chick that can turn into a giant insectoid creature).

It is still in the very early stages, but for now I have to predict a cloudy 30% chance of making it to TV.

Torchwood

The BBC has ordered 13 episodes for a spinoff series of its new Doctor Who series that will air on the BBC Three network. The new series, from Russell T. Davies, is called Torchwood—an anagram of "Doctor Who"—and will feature the character of Captain Jack (John Barrowman), a swashbuckling spacefarer who was introduced last season on Doctor Who. The series is set in modern-day Cardiff. Torchwood will launch in the Christmas special and second season of Doctor Who. The series will center on Torchwood, a renegade group of investigators. No stories will cross over between Torchwood and Doctor Who, the BBC said. "Torchwood is a British sci-fi paranoid thriller, a cop show with a sense of humor," Davies said in a statement. "It's dark, wild and sexy. It's The X-Files meets This Life. It's a stand-alone series for adult audiences, which will have its own unique identity. I have just begun working on the scripts with a team of writers and cannot wait to see the results."

I, like so many of my American friends, have not seen much of the new Doctor Who yet. Darn you DVD Regions! I’m eager to see it and hope to pick up the DVD in February. Sigh, but until then, what can I say? British SF is apparently taking an upturn with the success of Doctor Who, now this spin-off, and the recently announced The Prisoner remake. I look forward to hearing more about Torchwood, though, and chances are good it will do well. But I doubt it will ever make it to America’s (sometimes nationally egotistical) airwaves.

Hmmm…perhaps the British could remake Blake’s 7. Imagine that airing back to back with Battlestar Galactica.

The End...

That's all of my 2006 predictions for now. How many of these shows do you think will actually make it? Goodbye, paalom, hasta la vista, lehit, bai bai, tchau...later.

2006 Predictions: Part III (Eureka / Dresden Files)

2006-01-06T22:43:00.000-08:00

Eureka

"...federal marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) wrecks his car in the town of Eureka while transporting a teenage fugitive. Stranded, Carter quickly discovers that Eureka is not all it appears when a child vanishes in the catastrophic aftermath of an accident caused by a creation of one of the town's eccentric residents. Instinctively, he inserts himself into the investigation, working alongside the town's sheriff (Maury Chaykin) and an agent from the Department of Defense (Richardson-Whitfield). As the case unfolds, Carter is let in on one of the country's best-kept government secrets: Eureka is a haven created for the world's greatest minds to live, work and create. But, unknown to most, mystery, conspiracy and long-simmering secrets lurk just beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic town." (The description given by the SciFi Channel on 9/28/05.)

SCI FI Channel has given a green light for the production of 13 episodes for a summer 2006 premiere. This series will be executive-produced by Andrew Cosby (Haunted) and co-executive-produced by Jamie Paglia.

I don’t know what to think about this one. When I first heard this I pictured a half campy SF show like Invisible Man (which I really enjoyed) or the even more campy Tremors: The Series (which I didn’t like so much). But as more info comes out, the more unsure I am about what kind of series this will be. For SCI FI Channel to give it a green for 13 episodes means someone thinks it has potential. SCI FI has become notoriously gun shy on new series. I wish they had been that way when someone green lighted Black Scorpion…yikes. Hopefully, this will usher in the return of more SF series on SCI FI Channel. Believe it or not, in Fall 2005 ABC was airing more new SF drama series than SCI FI (Lost, Alias, Night Stalker, and Invasion). SCI FI just has Scifi Friday, but perhaps I should count Tripping the Rift…maybe. Either way it is far from the high point, which was 2000-2001 I believe, when SCI FI was airing Black Scorpion, The Chronicle, Farscape, First Wave, Good vs. Evil, The Invisible Man, Lexx, and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne. Not that all of those series were great, mind you, but it is nice to have choices. By the way, my favorites were The Chronicle (canceled far too quickly and seemed to reach a wider audience than the typical SCI FI Channel series), Farscape (classic, need I say more?), and The Invisible Man (season two’s writing was weaker, but the series had a great cast and a uniquely fun feel to it).

But we are now seeing advertisements for Eureka. It isn’t enough to get a real good gauge on it, but it is peaking my interest. This is an obvious 100% chance of being aired. The real question now is if it is good enough for a second season.

Dresden Files

This two-hour back-door pilot is scheduled to air summer 2006 on SCI FI Channel.

"Based on the best-selling 'Dresden Files' novels by Jim Butcher, this 2-hour backdoor pilot film will be executive produced by Academy Award(R) winner Nicolas Cage and Norm Golightly of Saturn Films. Erik Dresden is a detective with extraordinary powers, the kind that could belong only to the descendant of a long line of wizards. Where others see the typical crimes of assault, kidnapping and serial killings, Erik sees otherworldly forces at work -- which only he knows how to combat. Whether consulting for the police on inexplicable crimes or following his own cases, Erik has a unique outlook on the world, and wields a wry sense of humor as one of his most potent weapons. The project is produced by Lions Gate Television and Cage's Saturn Films (The Life of David Gale, Shadow of the Vampire), with Morgan Gendel (Law & Order, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation) writing; Gendel and Anthony Peckham (Don't Say a Word, 5 Days to Midnight) are executive producers." (The description given by the SciFi Channel.)

Another book series adapted for television. In the past these haven’t fared well (at least in the eyes of the PTB), like Scifi Channel’s Anonymous Rex or Riverworld. But I feel good about this one (70%-80% chance of series pick-up). I can easily see this making it. In many adaptations for novels the author isn’t pleased, but at least it appears that the Dresden Files is the exception.

"I saw the clips [of the movie] and thought my jaw was going to fall off my skull," Butcher said. "I'm very pleased with how well [screenwriters] Robert [Hewitt Wolfe] and Hans [Beimler] get the whole wizard detective concept, and I liked the movie script very much."

Butcher added, "I am in regular contact with Robert Wolfe, the show's producer, who has been great about letting me suggest things here and there and about asking for my thoughts on things."

Paul Blackthorne (24) has been cast as Harry Dresden and Valerie Cruz (Nip/Tuck) “…will play a hard-nosed Chicago police detective who handles violent crimes and works side by side with Dresden."

2006 Predictions: Part II (Blade)

2006-01-05T22:43:00.000-08:00

Spike TV has ordered a two-hour movie that will act as a pilot for a series based on the Blade movies. David S. Goyer is producing and co-writing the pilot with Geoff Johns.

“Tenacious vampire slayer Blade forms an odd alliance with Christa Starr, a woman who wants revenge upon the vampires' House of Chthon, and the powerful Marcus, for slaying her fraternal twin brother. But while Blade battles the vampires from the outside, Christa battles them from within -- after being changed into a vampire herself...”

It is believed that the pilot picks up where Blade Trinity left off. But don’t expect to see Abigail Whistler and Hannibal King; new supporting character will be introduced. Shen (played by Nelson Lee) will be making Blade his wicked vamp slaying weapons, while Christa will be working from inside Marcus Van Sciver’s vampire House of Chthon.

I’m eager to see what this series is going to look like. With David S. Goyer at the helm, it has potential. Although it won’t be as gory as the films, supposedly Goyer’s crew are going to try their best to get as close as they can. I don’t really care about the gore, I just want the martial art moves and overall action to still be there.

Wesley Snipes will not return as Blade, so success could hinge on his replacement. It has to be someone who looks and acts similar to Snipes’ Blade, but can add new layers to the character and make him his own. But hey, if James Bond can go blonde, then anything is possible. Recently, the actor/rapper Kirk Jones, aka Sticky Fingaz was chosen to be everyone’s favorite daywalker. Jones was last seen on television as a soldier in F/X's Over There, which I haven’t seen. What saye you? Is Jones a good pick? Other castmembers for the pilot include Jill Wagner, Neil Jackson, Jessica Gower and Nelson Lee.

I’m sorry to see them not use Abigail Whistler and Hannibal King. Even if they couldn’t get the actors back, it would have been nice to have continued developing these established characters.

So, will Blade slay the competition or be slayed? I’m forecasting 75% chance of the television movie being picked up as a series and clear skies tomorrow (somewhere in the world)...

2006 Predictions: Part I (Aquaman)

2006-01-03T22:43:00.000-08:00

In previous postings (“Six and Counting” & “The Lucky Seven”) I spoke about the new SF series and the other ongoing SF series on TV. Fall 2005 introduced 6 new SF series. What is the count now? Two down (Night Stalker and Threshold), one in danger (Surface), and three likely to survive for the sequel (Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Invasion). But, except for possibly Supernatural, I am not sure how many seasons they have in them. And, except possibly for Supernatural, none of them have franchise potential like Star Trek or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So, what will next season bring us? I have gathered together some of the most buzzed projects. I’ll even give them my “forecast” for success, just like a weatherman or psychic…same thing really.

To keep updated on the latest news on them or other possible future SF shows, I would suggest checking out my Upcoming TV Shows page on Scifi 411.

“Aquaville” aka Untitled Al Gough and Miles Millar

The WB has made a pilot commitment and casting has begun. Who knew that Aquaman’s guest apearance on Smallville would lead to his own spin-off? But spin it has. No title yet, but the word “Aquaman” will never be uttered in the series. (It is rumored that the Producers will cut off the hand of any character who dares speak this cursed word). Producers Al Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville, Spider-Man 2) are creating and executive-producing this action drama series about a twenty something Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman. Greg Beeman (Smallville) will be directing the pilot. Alan Ritchson, the actor who played Curry on Smallville, will not play the role for the series. Which is probably for the best. I thought he did find, but I couldn’t see him being the lead for a series. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one.

"He did a wonderful job on the show, but this is going to be a different version of the 'Aquaman' legend," Gough told Variety . The pilot "will be different than what you saw on Smallville. That was our out-of-town trial version."

The casting call is: "Arthur Curry (aka Aquaman): 18-24 years old. Blond or light brown hair, drop dead handsome with an incredible swimmer's body...SERIES REGULAR" Curry will be able to breath underwater and have super-strength underwater, but he is only just beginning to understand his powers. Millar also told Variety that they hope to create "a grounded version of the Aquaman mythology," focusing on an Arthur Curry, who "knows what he wants to do with his life, which is protect the oceans."

Gough and Millar had actually been considering a Lois Lane series. But "this was the first idea where we really thought we had a franchise, where we could see 100 episodes.” Probably for the best, really. I like Erica Durance as Lois Lane, but I just don’t see how a Lois Lane series would work. Lois Lane without Superman, is like Superman without Lex Luthor.

But Clark has krypto freaks to fight every week. What the heck is Aquadude going to fight?

"There's a mystery surrounding the disappearance of (Curry's) mother and the Bermuda Triangle," Gough told Variety. He added that other weird occurrences related to the Triangle will provide many of the plotlines and Curry will be living with his adopted father.

Oh. Well that sounds kind of interesting. Since I recently saw Scifi Channel’s The Triangle mini-series (which was pretty good by the way), the Triangle spin actually sounds interesting.

Anyway, here is the casting call (who would you pick for these roles?):

[RACHEL STARLING - SERIES REGULAR] 18-24 years old. Rachel is a natural beauty with a radiant face and the perfectly toned body of an athlete. She has a sharp mind and a killer sense of humor. But if you look beyond her warm smile, you'll find something haunted about her. A drowning accident as a teenager has scarred her. While enjoying a "Semester at Sea", the boat capsized and she was stuck below deck. Although she blacked out, that last thing she remembers is being pulled free by a mysterious young boy wearing a seahorse necklace. Rachel comes from a well-heeled New York family. Her father was a successful newspaper editor, but he died when she was 14. She took his death very hard and decided to embark on the "Semester at Sea" as a way of getting over her grief. Her relationship with her mother, an award winning Broadway playwright, has remained strained. Her mother is an ultra liberal and doesn't approve of her joining the military. When she was selected to train at the Liberty Key West Naval Air Station, she achieved her dream of becoming a Top Gun, but she also has to face the fear of returning to the same area as her boating accident. Although there is a mutual attraction between Rachel and A.C., their relationship is complicated by the fact that Rachel is secretly engaged to another naval trainee, JESSE HICKS. Rachel finds herself torn between the safety and security that Jesse offers and the danger and mystery that seem to define A.C.

[JESSE HICKS - SERIES REGULAR] 18-24 years old. He's an incredibly good-looking, Top Gun hot shot. Jesse grew up in suburban Texas and was a high school football star. His father is a decorated three star General who is currently serving in Iraq. Jesse never considered any other career; he always knew he was destined to fight for his country. He fell in love with Rachel the very first time he saw her. Defying the rules, they embarked on a passionate affair. Jesse proposed a few weeks before the pilot episode and Rachel accepted his offer. They have to keep their relationship secret or face possible expulsion from the Top Gun program. Highly ambitious and competitive, Jesse is the kind of guy who wins at any cost. He is also reckless and sometimes dangerously aggressive.

[EVA TORRES - SERIES REGULAR] 18-24 years old. A fiery Cuban beauty. Eva hasn't exactly had an easy life. When she was six she fled Cuba with her family on a raft, which sank a hundred miles off the Florida coast in a devastating storm. She was the sole survivor. Although she was rescued, she has struggled to make a life for herself in America and was bounced from foster family to foster family. It was only when she finally turned 18 that she finally felt free. She came down to the Keys for a short break and never left. She manages a local dive shop, "The Old Man and The Sea" and counts A.C. as one of her best friends. Although they are from wildly different backgrounds they both felt an instant connection. Independent, sarcastic, strong-willed, Eva isn't afraid to express her opinion, even when no one's asking for it.

[MCCAFFERY - SERIES REGULAR] Star Name preferred. It's difficult to say how old McCaffery is. If you were to look at him, you'd probably guess 60ish. But you'd be way off. That's because McCaffery is from Atlantis. Since coming to the surface world, McCaffery has led a largely reclusive life as the lighthouse keeper at Atlas Point. He has watched A.C. grow up from afar, but always knew that one day their lives would intersect. This encounter leads to a long lasting friendship. McCaffery takes A.C. under his wing and explains not only his true origin but also his destiny. He is Obi Wan to A.C.'s Luke Skywalker. He is the voice of wisdom and experience who acts as a guide and mentor to the often hotheaded A.C. McCaffery is always bailing A.C. out of trouble and is someone A.C. can turn to when it comes to all things nautical. Having grown up underwater, McCaffery knows all the myths and legends of the ocean. He's also familiar with the creatures, both known and unknown to man, that inhabit the ocean's dark waters. Highly intelligent and fiercely loyal, McCaffery possesses an acerbic wit and doesn't suffer fools lightly.

[TOM CURRY - SERIES REGULAR] Late 30s to early 40s, A.C.'s stepfather. He was born and raised in Chicago but fell in love with Keys while he was a student at the University of Miami. He was an outstanding athlete and was a member of the gold medal winning US Water Polo team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He joined the Coast Guard in 1986 and has made a good career out of it, rising to the rank of Captain. While he was still a rookie Coast Guard his life took a dramatic turn. While out on a routine night patrol he came across three people bobbing in shark-infested waters -- a woman, a baby and an old man. There was no sign of a boat or plane and the water was mirror still. When he got them back to land he discovered they had no ID and nowhere to go. Taking pity on them, Tom took them home. Tom quickly became enchanted with the beautiful woman, ATLANNA, and her baby son ORIN. Within a year Tom and Atlanna were married and Tom adopted her baby son as his own. They renamed the boy ARTHUR. The old man, McCAFFERY, took a job as the Atlas Point Lighthouse keeper, a position he still holds to this day. As Arthur grew up, Atlanna made Tom promise not to tell him about her connection to McCaffery. He reluctantly agreed.

I give this a 90% chance of being picked up. Reason: Smallville is doing great on the WB this season and “Aquaville” could be an excellent companion series. Plus, there is growing positive buzz about this project. Personally I would have gone with a Flash series, but I’ll give the fish whisperer a try.

The Lucky Seven… (Part II)

2005-11-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

Battlestar Galactica
(Marx gives it an A)
Battlestar Galactica Episode Guide

Dude, this is so not your father’s Battlestar Galactica. Whether that is a good thing or not matters if you like your Battlestar Galactica with light action/adventure, mostly just heroic guys, and shallow robotic aliens that hate humans, or if you like your Battlestar Galactica with dark gritty action/adventure, more women heroes, and complex religiously fanatical robots that hate humans.

This series has some of the best writing, acting, directing, and special effects ever seen on a television SF series. It may be just too dark or too different from the original for some, but I am really enjoying this series. I waver back and forth on whether the characters are too flawed. But they do seem real or at least highly developed, don’t they? They are much more complex than your general heroic SF character. With the mid-season finale, “Pegasus,” I just can’t wait to see how they conclude that story arc. Few other shows make me feel that way anymore. (Lost is one of the few.)

This series will have many more seasons to go and I can’t wait to see them. I just hope they are sure to balance the feel of the series, so it doesn’t get to depressing.

Lost
(Marx gives it an A)
Lost Episode Guide

Wow, last season was great, especially the last few episodes. This season, the first three episodes blew me away. Now we know something about this island they are on. But there are still so many more secrets to learn. What is that creature? Who are the Others? What will happen to Walt? What happens if they don’t push the button? How does Eko know all of this stuff?

I have only one big gripe this season. Dude, the flashbacks are starting to get weak. I don’t mind some important, revealing ones dealing with Jack, Locke, Kate, Walt, or Sawyer. But the rest just don’t have anything new to tell (unless they have an unsuspecting secret…hmmm). Sure, seeing how Michael fought legally for Walt or how Sun and Jin first met is touching, but is it important enough to eat up a huge chuck of an episode? Let’s cut back on the flashbacks or stick to really important ones, like Jack’s from “Man of Science, Man of Faith.” I would really like to see flashbacks for some of the new characters, too. Like Eko or Ana-Lucia. These new characters have secrets to tell, so let us see them. The flashbacks worked great on so many levels last season, but they just seem like formula filling this season. Hmmm…perhaps I’m being to judgy or just nit-picking so I can find something wrong with this excellent series. A few more episodes of flashbacks should give us a better idea whether are not they have any new master plans for this season’s flashbacks. Actually, I’ve recently seen some rumors of things to come, which lead me to believe that these flashbacks may start to improve.

With that said, this is still, in my humble opinion, one of the best shows on television. Unless they totally jump the shark this season, Lost is destined to become an iconic series in SF history, like Star Trek and X-Files.

Medium
(Marx gives it an A)
Medium Episode Guide

Medium has grown into a very, very strong show. Yes, the Force is strong with this one. The acting is fantastic (even the kids do a great job) and the writing is twisted (in a plot twist sort of way, although some of the twists are dark indeed). Medium is a strange, but highly addicting mix of family life with psychic investigations into terrible violent crimes. I’ve also heard about an upcoming 3D episode…

Stargate SG-1
(Marx gives it a B)
Stargate SG-1 Episode Guide

I love Stargate. I so love this franchise. This truly is the new Star Trek for my generation. This season is in hiatus until January (darn you Scifi Channel!), but half of the 9th season (can you believe it has been nine years?) has aired thus far. We are introduced to a new threat (about time), the Ori. “Hallowed Are the Ori” I thought I should throw that out in case they are real. Please don’t kill me, Ori! These guys are scary cool and still very mysterious. What kind of ships will they use to invade? How can the Stargate dudes & dudettes hope to defeat them? Will the Jaffa ever get over their dependency issues?

First off, I loved Claudia Black as Vala. Her character really added something. I will admit that she was a little overused. I kid you not, I told my significant other that I thought she was getting so much air time because the writers wanted us to like her before they killed her. I was unfortunately right. Darn you Marx for your genius! It’s rough I tell ya. But it looks like the writers liked her too much and will bring her back. I really cringed, though, when I saw how they saved her. A little too Deus Ex Machina for me. But I really hope that they bring her back and make her part of the team. What rule is there that SG-1 can only have one woman? The humor she adds and the synergy she has with Daniel Jackson is just too good to let go. When she “died” it really took the oomph out of this season.

I also like the new general, Henry "Hank" Landry, played by Beau Bridges. The new doc played by Lexa Doig is good too. Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, played by Ben Browder, is excellent. But, except for the first episode of the season, “Avalon,” Mitchell has been way underused. That is until “Babylon.” But, then back to underuse. I think the writers just haven’t figured out yet what they are going to do with him, but having him learn those Jaffa martial art moves was a real good step.

This season has breathed a new life in this long-running show. So much, that the writers almost changed the title of the series to Stargate Command. But, I can tell that the sense of adventure isn’t there as strongly as in the past. (Something to be expected with such a long running series.) But if they can pull off this new team and new threat, then I feel good about another season (or more) of SG-1.

Oh, and if you haven’t heard yet, SG-1 and Atlantis have been renewed for another season. This new direction is still a little rough around the edges, but there are so many new possibilities for stories with the introduction of these new characters, the aftermath of the fall of the Goa'uld, and the introduction of the Ori. Let’s hope that the writers figure out how best to use them.

Stargate Atlantis
(Marx gives it an B+)
Stargate Atlantis Episode Guide

Stargate Atlantis is doing anything but sinking. Although the Wraith are starting to get a little old, overall the season is much stronger than the first. Who knew that not only Ford vehicles could be turned into death machines, but so could Atlantis’s Ford? This turning Ford into a Wraith juice (yuck) addicted super Ford is an ultra cool twist for his character, and far better than the typical useless death of many a SF hero (Yar got killed by an oil goo monster, Fraiser didn’t duck, don’t get me started on the Lone Gunmen, and Anya got skewered – don’t worry Anya…it isn’t that Xander didn’t cry because he did not love you, he didn’t cry because he only has one eye for crying and…well…you know what happened to it).

The new character Ronon Dex (aka their Wolverine) is an excellent addition to the cast. Shepard is becoming a stronger character. So is McKay, but the writers do sometimes get a little carried away with him. Teyla is now the only weak link in the cast. Not necessarily because of the actress, but because the character is written just to perfect. She is a diplomat and a warrior. She is calm, patient, attractive, etc. The only thing wrong with her? She has inherited abilities giving to her from Wraith experimentation on her ancestors, but that wasn’t her fault. Some of the Stargate people don’t trust her. Yet again, not her fault. Lets see, Shepard doesn’t always follow orders, Ronon has a temper, and McKay is McKay (cowardly, egotistic, and a bit of a geek). Let’s see some depth to Teyla.

But otherwise, this season is shaping up nicely. It currently, to me at least, is beating out its older brother Stargate SG-1. There is just more action, adventure, and freshness. I have no doubt that we will see two or more seasons before this series ends.

The Lucky Seven… (Part I)

2005-10-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

In a previous post, “Six and Counting,” I spoke about how the six new SF series (the ‘Sinister Six’ if you will) were doing. Today I’m going to touch on how the returning SF series (‘The Lucky Seven’ if you will) are doing. The 4400 and Dead Zone had their seasons during the summer, so I won’t discuss them right now. I also won’t talk about Alias because I haven’t seen this season yet. I save this series for DVD. Hey, I can’t watch everything on TV. I do have a life you know…I think.

Smallville
(Marx gives it a B)
Smallville Episode Guide

I have enjoyed this series off and on over the years, but was always frustrated with the lack of story development. When are Lana and Chloe going to figure out Clark’s secret? When will Lex finally start going to the dark side, instead of this constant walking the line? When will Clark actually fight a real super villain instead, of these “freaks of the week” nonsense? I know that the writers can only do so much with the storyline of Clark before he became Superman, but the little reboots have been starting to get a little silly.

Well, this season may finally be a move forward. They are going to college. Lana and Clark are finally together (many times, if you know what I mean), but Lana still doesn’t know Clarks secret. Grr, Argh…tell her already. I can’t believe Lana doesn’t already know and it is really starting to make her look stupid. I already think Clark should get over this crush and go for Chloe. Chloe would be a much better catch. She’s smart, resourceful, funny, and she can handle the truth (Lana, you can’t handle the Truth!). I don’t know what Clark is worried about, anyway. What room does Lana have to judge...

“Lana I’m an alien”
“Yuck, that’s gross”
“Hey, what are you talking about? You were a witch.”
“What did you call me!?”
“What?”
“That’s it; I’m breaking up with you again and dating another guy to obsess over me until he wants to kill me. Now I must go and cry for the 100th time.”
“What?”

Ok…where was I?

Although I have been frustrated in the past, this season is shaping up to be the strongest yet. Lex is getting darker, James Marsters is playing a real super villain (hopefully the writers will know how to use him), Chloe is in on the super secret, Lana & Clark are sitting in a tree with no freak love interest getting in the way, more guest star heroes (Aquaman, possibly the Flash again, and maybe more later), and we get to see the characters go to college. Hopefully Clark will graduate, unlike Buffy…poor, poor Buffy. So, this season may be really great if the writers can keep the momentum up, which they unfortunately don’t always have a good track record of doing.

Charmed
(Marx gives it a C-)
Charmed Episode Guide

Charmed (in case you don’t know) is about three sisters who are witches. Not only that, but they are the “Charmed Ones,” given great powers to fight those pesky demons. They must balance saving the world while keeping a love life and making sure the world doesn’t find out, which isn’t easy. Look at poor Buffy, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Dating truly is tough enough without secret identities and a destiny to save the world thrown into the mix.

I once enjoyed this series. Honest. But I feel that it started going downhill after Prue’s death. Even further after they killed Cole. That is after making him switch between evil and good so fast it would even make dual-personality-super-villain Two-Face confused.

This season has continued the slow spiral to series finale. I’m getting so tired of the “why can’t we have normal lives” moaning. Guess what, girls? Apparently, the whole world is defenseless without the Charmed Ones, so get over it. Ever hear of balance? What is more frustrating is that they have learned this lesson over, and over, and over again. Make it stop please! Plus, you’ve got a kid with super powers who could change the balance of power. Guess what; no matter what you do the demons aren’t going to leave him alone. Period.

After faking their deaths and magically taking on new lives, the sisters are trying their best to avoid magic and fighting those mean demons. But a new Buffy…I mean witch… is in town. She has become their protégé. Do I smell spin-off? First off, what was up with her clothes in the first few episodes? Could they get any campier? This show is almost as much comedy as fantasy, which was nice at first, but the campy factor is growing to Godzilla proportions this season.

I also dislike how man-hating this show is. You heard me, people, I said it. Silly man, Charmed is for women. Some people thought Buffy the Vampire Slayer was man-hating? Yeah, right. This show either kills, turns evil, turns stupid, or neuters…err…I mean de-powers every man that is on this show. I know, girl power. But at least Buffy had Angel, then Riley, and then Spike. Not that Leo hasn’t been helpful, but he is (especially now sans powers) generally just being saved or giving advice.

Last season had some high points. I found the Avatars’ plot line rather interesting. Maybe the writers will prove me wrong, but it just seems like the characters are stuck in a loop. Over and over again with evil boyfriends, demons after their kid, the Source, the sisters wanting a normal life (what is “normal” anyway, especially in a world like theirs?), and the government wanting to butt in. It is all starting to get a little old. Sorry, but this series is just no longer charming.

Review: Blood and Brains

2005-10-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

Zombies, the other dead meat. Not only are they one of the few supernatural creatures in folklore that start with the letter Z, but they also are really, really big in movies and games right now. Don’t believe me? Look at the recent movies: Land of the Dead, Resident Evil 2, 28 Days Later, Undead, etc. Look at games like the uber-popular video game series Resident Evil (and its many wannabe clones). And there are even entire RPGs that focus only on those smelly, shuffling brain eaters.

If you play RPGs of the D20 Modern flavor and you want to add the Zombie genre into your game, then you really need Blood and Brains: The Zombie Hunter’s Guide. This 56 page PDF book is written by Michael Tresca (Blood and Blades, etc) and published by RPG Objects. This book covers everything (and more) that you have ever seen in movies, television, and games that dealt with the Zombie persuasion.

The book starts out with background info on what exactly a Zombie is. Then, we are given new occupation choices: Boy Scout, Cheerleader, Jock, Mental Patient, NCRPC (National Center for Reanimation Prevention and Control) Employee, Nerd, Prep, Scream Queen, Stoner, and Y-Mart Employee. By the way, you can find classes of these occupations in Blood and Blades. Advanced classes: Bokor (a spellcaster that creates and controls zombies), Mad Scientist, Necromancer, Psychokinetic (bend that spoon), and Zombie Hunter.

There are also many excellent Zombie genre hack & slash feats like Backhand Slash (handy when those pesky Zombies sneak up behind you), Bring It On (you’re too crazy to worry about madness ratings), Chainsaw Impale (sweet, need I say more?), Cool (pressure, what pressure?), First Impression (shotgun go boom, scare weak creatures), Hardware (you knew that your hardware department experience would help you someday), Improvised Implements (tools, I don’t need no stinking tools), Improvised Weapons (anything around is a deadly weapon), Improvised Weapon Damage (now the pen is truly mightier than the sword), Over The Shoulder (who wouldn’t want to shoot a shotgun over their shoulder and hit that zombie behind them), Rifle Spin (remember that lever-action rifle spin reload trick in Terminator 2? Now you can do it too.), Slapstick (when you fight hand to hand you fight dirty), Stud (handy with the opposite sex), Suck On This (a classic zombie-killing shotgun technique), Virgin (very useful in horror movies-but that’s about it), and Whatever (you don’t frighten easily).

Chapter 2 deals with the fine art of Zombie Hunting, with new weapons, including chainsaws and gatling guns. Sometimes you survive, but not without losing a chunk to those nasty zombies. Hence, the section on prosthetics. And there are new options for fighting with guns and a small section on madness rules. You can find a more detailed version of these madness rules in Blood and Blades, by the way. Chapter 3 deals with new powers and spells. Two of my favorite spells are Possess Zombie and Zombie Belch.

Then, Chapter 4, the chapter with every kind of Zombie-like creature you can think of. There are even a few not so Zombie-like creatures that you wouldn’t expect, like the Hsing-Sing (a Bigfoot like race from the Himalayas), Creep (alien parasites that turn their victims, including the Hsing-Sing, into zombies), and the Trillian (weird 50’s looking aliens that kill people with gas and turn them into zombies). There are also 21 variations of zombies, including Atomic, Nazi, Radiation, Toxic, Ultrasonic, and Radiation Zombies. Ah, then let us not forget one of the best sections in the whole book…the Zombie template, which has a chart full of abilities that can be randomly assigned. One of my favorites is the TV travel under the movement section, which allows zombies to travel through TV sets.

I give this book a B+. It would have been an A, but I would have liked to have seen some of the earlier chapters fleshed out more (pun intended). More information on the National Center for Reanimation Prevention and Control would have been nice too. Also, more on the madness rules would have been good (which you can find more info on in Tresca’s Blood and Blades). But overall an excellent book with some great fiction sprinkled throughout. If you combine this with Tresca’s Blood and Blades and Blood and Spooks, you can cover just about anything found in horror films.

So, if you are serious about adding Zombies into your game, then this is the book for you. Your players will never know what kind of Zombie they will run into next. Trust me, after your players run into a Video Zombie, they will never feel safe watching TV again.

Interview: K. Scott Agnew of Morrigan Press

2005-10-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to switch gears from my usual reviews and rambling on about SF stuff. Today I'm going to post an interview I recently did with K. Scott Agnew of Morrigan Press. Morrigan Press is a Pen & Paper Role Playing Game company located in Canada. Don't know what a Role Playing Game is? Then click on over to http://www.roleplay.org/ for more info.

Name: K. Scott Agnew
Hometown: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
Favorite Food: fettucine alfredo
Favorite TV Shows: Jeremiah, Firefly, Lost, Over There, Out of Order
Favorite Movies: Fight Club, Rules of Attraction, Waking Life

Marx Pyle: Please explain how you first became involved with role playing games, both as a player and as a game designer.

K. Scott Agnew: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... Well not really another galaxy but it was a long time ago. I started roleplaying with a buddy of mine back in 1979 at the tender age of 10. My friend received the old D&D boxed sets for xmas (the basic and expert sets with the Erol Otis covers) and we went from there. After surviving the perils of the Keep on the Borderland and exploring the Isle of Dread we moved onto AD&D and probably played every published adventure between 1980 and 1987 along with tons of our own design. We were there when TSR released the Forgotten Realms (having read about Ed Greenwood's world in Dragon magazine for years) and revelled in Dragonlance (I played Tas through all DL modules). We also played a lot of Gamma World and Star Frontiers with a smattering of Top Secret thrown in for good measure. Non-TSR games of interest also included Traveller, Twilight 2000, Talislanta, Jorune, and later the original WHFRPG.

From late high school onwards, I turned more and more to my own creations and less on published material. University saw a slew of world building on my part. After Uni, things took a downturn when it came to RPGs for me. The day to day struggle of finding a job not to mention marriage and children meant little to no time for playing games. That said, the world building continued throughout the 90's even though playing RPGs had pretty much ceased. For me, world building is a hobby unto its self. I credit my fantasy worlds and sci-fi galaxies with keeping me sane in an otherwise hectic and tumultuous period of my life. It was my sole creative outlet at the time the corporate world was trying its hardest to suck my soul dry. When D&D 3.0 was released, I, like many lapsed gamers, got back into the hobby again. This also coincided with a point in my life that saw stability return. I was working in a good job with excellent income, my wife had graduated law school a few years earlier and the kids were growing and content. While still not playing nearly as much as I had in my youth, RPGs were back for me.

How I got into the industry is a bit of a weird story. I was sitting watching TV one night when I stumbled upon a show called Jeremiah (on The Movie Network here in Canada. It's a Showtime series in the US). It intrigued me and in the coming weeks I found myself anxiously awaiting the next episode. One day in late 2003 I was watching Jeremiah and thought to myself: "myself, this would make an awesome RPG setting." so I walked 20 feet to my computer and did a quick Google search. I found that the Jeremiah intellectual property was owned by Platinum Studios (the guys behind Men in Black) and shot an email to the head of the company and the executive producer of the TV show. Long story short, within a week I was on the phone with Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and began negotiating for the RPG rights to Jeremiah. Now keep in mind, I don't have a company at this point nor do I know the first thing about publishing. Anyway, I got the rights but rather than make a piss-poor attempt at creating and publishing an RPG, I opted to find a publishing partner which is where Mongoose Publishing comes in. Since Mongoose already had Babylon 5 and Jeremiah was created by the same person who created B5, they agreed to publish the Jeremiah RPG. While designing Jeremiah I also began exploring and doing research into publishing and by the time the Jeremiah game was nearing completion, took the big step of creating Morrigan Press.

Marx Pyle: Why did you create your own role playing game company? Also, why was it named Morrigan Press?

K. Scott Agnew: While working on Jeremiah was fun and educational, I quickly discovered that working as freelance game designer was NOT going to pay the bills. By this time I had given up on the Dilbert lifestyle of the IT industry and wanted to do something on my own. I've always had a strong independent streak and so starting my own business was very appealing. So, I did the research, wrote a 40+ page business plan, secured both private financing and bank loans and started up Morrigan. I named the company Morrigan Press after the Celtic goddess of battle and death. Being of Scottish descent, I've always had an affinity for things Celtic and this goddess seemed an appropriate name for an RPG company. Since then we've grown to have several fulltime employees and an army of regular freelancers.

Marx Pyle: How did your company come up with the idea of creating the Omni System rule mechanics? Also, why did Morrigan Press decide to go this route instead of using d20?

K. Scott Agnew: I knew new game companies come and go on a regular basis and had no desire to become one of these statistics. I also started this company as a full-time job and not a hobby I do on the side. With this in mind, I knew we needed to find an anchor in the form of a license so gamers who might not have heard of Morrigan Press would still be familiar with our products. I was a fan of Talislanta "back in the day" and immediately sought out this property. It seems my timing was perfect because the previous publisher of Talislanta had run into trouble because of the Wizard's Attic fiasco. Again, long story short, I basicaly bought them out and secured the license to Talislanta from the game's creator, Stephan Michael Sechi.

We rebuilt Talislanta and quickly released several new books after fans had only had 2 releases in the previous 10 years. While I had always been a fan of the setting, I quickly learned that the new 4th Edition rules for Tal were incredibly elegant and easy to use. The magic system in particular is a masterpiece IMHO. Why Talislanta is not a blockbuster RPG is a result of what I consider one of its strengths. The world is weird and alien to most gamers. There are no elves, dwarves or halflings to be found but yet there are over 40 playable races. Gamers either love this or hate it. The alien-ess of Tal meant that many gamers would not try it. They wanted to Toliken-fantasy staples.

So, with that in mind, I decided the system itself was masterfull and so we went to work redesigning and adding to it to divorce it from the setting of Talislanta. The result was Omni. While the core mechanics are based on the TaL4 system, we made many changes to make the system generic instead of tied to a specific setting or even genre of game.

As to d20, we explored that route. Our first book was actually a d20 edition of Talislanta. It sold extremely well but we knew the d20 system was not the perfect fit for Tal so we opted to maintain the Tal4 system as well and have dual-statted adventures and sourcebooks for both systems. Over the past 2 years, we have witnessed the steady decline in d20 sales and opted instead to take something we already had (the Tal system) and turn it into a competitor to d20 rather than try and carve out a decreasing slice of the d20 pie for ourselves.

Marx Pyle: Has it been hard for Omni System products to compete in this d20/OGL dominated marketplace?

K. Scott Agnew: Not even close. While still in the early days of the system, Omni has been selling very well, surpassing our initial expectations by a considerable amount. With the decline of d20, gamers seem to be exploring other systems again and Omni is about as elegant as the come. For those who like the roleplaying aspect of these games, Omni is perfect. It's rules light and there is no need for a stack of 20 books to play a game. In fact, once a player has memorized a 5 line table, there is no need to open a book during play. On top of this, we have also listened to gamers over the past couple of years complaining about the rising price of game books. Do you need a hardcover, glossy color pages and Todd Lockwood or Ron Spencer art in every book to enjoy a game? We think not and so opted to produce Omni books with excellent production values but without all the bells and whistles that other companies are currently using. This keeps our expenses a bit lower and we can in turn sell books at $20 instead of $40.

Marx Pyle: What do you think of d20 and the OGL? Do you think it has been a good thing for role playing games?

K. Scott Agnew: Absolutely! It re-energized the industry in a big way. The OGL in particular is an excellent idea and I've always liked the idea of publishers coopertaing to make better games and the OGL is one way that is possible. While our games are not intended for the d20 market, we still use the OGL and have been able to adapt d20 Open Content for some of our games like High Medieval.

Marx Pyle: Does the Omni System use the OGL?

K. Scott Agnew: Yes and no. We do publish Omni under the OGL but the core mechanics are deemed Product Identity and therefore closed. Our skills, talents and equipment sections are normally released as Open Content though. Creature stats on the new Atlantis Bestiary are also being released as Opne Content as well. We do license the core Omni mechanics to interested publishers but we have no intention of putting the entire system out there under the OGL. The Open sections of Omni books allow publishers to use a common set of skills, talents, creatures, etc while keeping the core of the system under our control through a separate license.

Marx Pyle: What do you believe are some of Omni System's strengths, as compared to other d20 games, including d20 "spin-offs" like True20, Spycraft 2.0, and Anime d20?

K. Scott Agnew: Omni is not a d20 spin-off. That's said, the Omni System requires only a single d20 to play and I think that is why some people confuse Omni with d20. Unlike d20, Omni is a rule-lite game.

Marx Pyle: What do you believe are some of Omni Systems strengths, as compared to other non-d20 games, such as GURPS, Unisystem, or the Action! System?

K. Scott Agnew: Elegance. Omni is a rules-lite system that let's players simply have fun playing the game without the need for searches through multiple tomes of rules. The whole system fits into one 160 page book. That's all you need to play really (assuming you are using a homebrew setting). There is one single mechanic used for all task resolution be that skill use, combat or spell casting. There are no classes or levels and players actually construct their own "class" as part of character creation. It can also be used in any genre with little to no modification required. We have books currently in production for the horror, sci-fi, super hero, japanese, steampunk and modern genres with others coming behind those.

Marx Pyle: Will Morrigan Press be creating any other d20/OGL products, or will all future books be made with the Omni System?

K. Scott Agnew: At this point I think we'll be sticking with Omni for the forseeable future. I believe the d20 bubble has burst and while I have nothing against the d20 system, I don't believe it is the be-all and end-all of gaming systems. It works great for D&D and Sprcraft and Star Wars but that doesn't mean all games need to be d20. Vive le difference! Talislanta products will continue to be dual-statted for d20 and the recently released Talislanta Menagerie contains over 300 Talislanta creatures complete with d20 stats for each. We've actually found that we are selling more of these to d20 players looking for new monsters than we are to Tal fans.

Marx Pyle: Currently, what are some of your strongest products, and what does Morrigan Press have planned for the future?

K. Scott Agnew: The core Omni System and Atlantis: The Second Age are our two strongest products right now. Talislanta continues to have a strong and loyal fanbase but the new Omni genre sourcebooks and Atlantis are currently our growth lines. Atlantis is about as deep a setting as you'll ever find and it actually covers the entire globe (our own globe in a bygone age). We had a limited release at GenCon and nearly sold out but this print run was flawed with some binding issues and so we are now waiting for the second print run to return from printing so we can get the game into general distribution.

Marx Pyle: Thanks again for agreeing to the interview.

K. Scott Agnew: Thank you for listening to me ramble (or read me ramble I guess).

The Infinite (Comic Book) Crisis?

2005-10-20T22:43:00.001-07:00

Recently John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Film/TV blog posted about the fate of Marvel Comics and comic books in general. This was all started by the fool who wrote the article "Will Licensing Doom Marvel?" by Nathan Alderman which was posted on September 19, 2005, at Fool.com. Get it, fool, Fool.com, yeeeaaahhh – smell that corn. Anyway, Mr. Muir posted "Whither Marvel Comics?". In which I commented on my basic feelings about this.

Basic no more! I shall now talk more in-depth about this subject, which is close to my heart. I’ve been a fan of comics since I was a little itty bitty tiny witty child. Although I don’t buy them nearly as much anymore (more on that later), I’m still a big fan of the medium.

As that foolish article stated: “…Marvel's publishing arm tallied $20.9 million in net sales, comparing respectably with its licensing ($43.9 million) and toy ($23.4 million) ventures. But remove that mask and look at the operating income: While licensing brought in $28.2 million and toys commanded $13.2 million, publishing brought in only $7.89 million -- down more than 12% year over year.”

Ack, so are comics doomed? Yes, no, maybe. Seriously…yes, if publishers don’t wake up and change with the times.

The reality is that increasing technology has made DVDs and video games more powerful and cheaper than they once were. I know that I’m digging the cheaper prices and the increasing extras that DVDs have.

But, not all is lost. Manga (the Japanese equivalent to our American comics) are increasing in sells in the USA. As the article confirms: “manga is eating the mainstream publishers' lunch. According to the Nielsen BookScan ratings of bookstore sales, in early August 45 of the top 50 sellers in the graphic-novel category were manga. In the first half of 2005, DC's graphic-novel sales grew by 13%, and Marvel's increased by 9%, while manga publisher Tokyopop notched 40% sales growth, including 81% growth in the first quarter.” This tells us that Americans are at least still willing to read comic book-like products. So what is it that manga has that American comics don’t? I personally don’t read much of the manga, but I can tell from watching anime versus American animation that the Japanese do take a different approach to storytelling.

So, enough doom and gloom. What can American comic book publishers do to save themselves? Here are my suggestions. Some are not completely serious (but did you really expect them to be?):

Publish Online - Take advantage of the software and publish titles online to supplement print sales. This has been done fairly successfully with role-playing games to help boost sales (RPGs are the only SF niche that is hurting worse than comics). This will also help cut down on sale loss from BitTorrent (darn you BitTorrent!). It will also make it cheaper for fans to catch up with titles, which really is needed due to the inflating continuities of many multi-title ‘universes’. Don’t get me started on the pre-Crisis vs. post-Crisis Superman discussion. And I always get a headache when I think about Magneto. How many times has he died or switched sides, anyway?

Experiment With New Formats - Sorry, but the typical monthly is not working anymore, in my humble opinion. Perhaps publishers should experiment with manga format books or graphic novel only products. Just as the ‘dime novel’ evolved into the novel, perhaps many of the monthlies should become graphic novels.

Scheduling - Lets get scheduling under control. Nothing loses interest faster than waiting an additional week or month (or more) for the next issue. Writer and artist contracts with heavy financial penalties for late work might help things a bit. It blows my mind how often titles are late. Could you imagine a television network allowing their television crews to do that? It would kill a series. As if the networks’ own re-scheduling doesn’t already hurt a series (remember when FOX aired the Firefly pilot last?), but continuous delays by writers would destroy a television series. Guess what, it isn’t helping comic books out either. This is one of the biggest gripes I hear from my friends, and it is probably my numero uno gripe too. Most comic books now (especially Marvel) do 4-6 issue arcs. If, for example, we compare one arc to one episode of a television series, we would have to wait 4-6 months to see one complete episode. Man, I love Lost and Stargate, but if I had to watch each episode only one act or less at a time, I would completely lose interest.

Enough With ‘Comic’ Books - Change the name! I get so embarrassed when I tell someone I read ‘comic books.’ These books aren’t the same funny books of old. Can everyone agree on a new name? Lets just all call them graphic novels, graphic shorts, graphic episodes, graphic-sodes, commie books (just kidding), graphic serials, or something. Anything but “comic book.”

Geek: The Next Generation - Publishers should try harder to court the new generation of readers (the ‘Ultimate’ line is a cool idea – but not the most kid friendly). You can’t beat out video games and movies, but ‘graphic serials’ are not just a cool alternative. They are also a helpful tool in developing reading skills, and that is something that video games and non-subtitled movies can’t do.

We Are Creators, Hear Us Roar - Publishers need to do more to encourage creators to make new characters that can become the icons for new generations. Sorry, but right now a good creator will shy away from "giving away" a character to Marvel or DC, and I don't blame them. How? One way is through creator-owned companies like the awesome Image Comics. Or, at least contracts that give partial rights to creators. For example, creators should get a percentage for use of the character in comics or in other media. Creators should get a voice when a character is being optioned for a movie or TV series. More rights could go a long way in encouraging creators to create new, and future iconic, characters. Perhaps something along the lines of Crossgen’s Code 6 program. Crossgen never had a chance to do much with it, but imagine if DC or Marvel did this. Not only could they have more PI (that’s Product Identity, not Private Investigator) for future movies and TV, but they could use the same method for new characters in their shared universe. It sucks that the creators would only have 1/3 ownership, but it would help prevent a painful crash, like the one that Image suffered in its shared superhero universe when Rob Liefeild got kicked out and when Jim Lee left. 100% ownership just doesn’t work in the long run for a shared universe. The Imageverse has never really recovered. Please note that I’m talking about the shared superhero universe, not Image Comics overall. Image overall is a godsend for creators to create and fully own their creations.

BUT - I do feel that many of tomorrow’s icons are out there right now. They are just in independent books, rarely seen. Until they hit it big in another medium, they will remain in obscurity. How many people heard of Men In Black, Hellboy, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles until they hit movies and television?

Why do I care so much about these ‘funny’ books. Because they are really the first medium of story telling that I used to entertain myself. They are addicting and can tell stories in a way that no other medium can. I have three reasons why I don’t want to see comics die: I’m a fan, I want to introduce my future munchkins to them, and I want to actually write a few before they are gone.

To conclude this rambling, comics aren’t doomed (knock on wood)…they just need to make some changes. In the long run though, I don’t think comic books will ever sell the same as they once did. But, there will always be television (live action or animation), movies, and video games for future heroic icons. That is, until Virtual Reality gets big…and then someone makes a Holodeck…then we ascend into energy beings and amuse ourselves by watching the ‘lower’ life forms live life. Evolution…a harsh mistress indeed.

The Infinite (Comic Book) Crisis?

2005-10-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

Six And Counting...

2005-10-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

So, how are you enjoying the TV schedule of Fall 2005? Me, I’m going blind from the eye strain of watching so many shows.

My SF watching: Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Smallville, Justice League (a cartoon, but a very cool cartoon indeed), Supernatural, Invasion, Threshold, Ghost Whisperer, Night Stalker, and Surface. I save Alias for DVD sets.

My non-SF watching: Prison Break (a must see), Veronica Mars (awesome), Bones (highly entertaining), Nip/Tuck (this season may be getting a bit too weird, even for me), Desperate Housewives (blame my significant other), Gilmore Girls (ditto), Grey’s Anatomy (a guilty pleasure), Boston Legal (when I can catch it), and The Daily Show (love it).

Yes, I watch to much TV. Something has got to give…

Which leads me to this post. For Fall 2005 we have six new SF series. Not only that, but they are all on networks…sweet. Now that the crap, known by some as “Reality TV,” has lost the interest of many a coach potato, we have the networks (except for FOX) jumping on the SF bandwagon.

Kudos for ABC. They are doing great this season because last season they didn’t leap almost 100% into Reality TV (unlike FOX), but instead took the amazing idea of airing new dramas. Ooh, aah. ABC now has big hits (Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, Boston Legal) returning, adding to the success of many other new dramas. And, of course, the mega-hit known as “Lost”, but known by the citizens of the little known country GrrArghKablahKree as “The Island of Flashbacks and Monsters Which We Can Not Get Enough Of.” Now many of the other networks hope to duplicate the success of this truly cool show. Have they succeeded? No, but good try.

Without further ado, let’s break these down:

Supernatural
(Marx gives it an A)
Supernatural Episode Guide
Concept: The show revolves around brothers Sam & Dean, played by Jared Padalecki (House of Wax, Gilmore Girls) and Jensen Ackles (Smallville), who travel around the country investigating, hunting and fighting mysterious phenomena. They are driven by the search for their father, who is on a quest to find the reason behind their mother's bizarre death.

This is, without a doubt, my favorite new SF show this Fall. Supernatural has the creepiness of X-Files mixed with the action and humor of Angel. Who knew that two brothers driving around America taking out supernatural creatures could be so much fun? This series truly is (as creator Eric Kripke said in an interview) “…Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo cruising the country and killing monsters, and what's not to love about that?" What indeed.

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are great in this series. This is definitely a better role for Ackles than the one he had previously on Smallville and Dean is a really a fun character. Every week, these two brothers battle a new creature based on mostly North American folklore and urban legends. Plus, we have the mystery subplot of their mother’s death, Sam’s girlfriend’s death, and their father’s disappearance. This series has feet my friends, and I can see it lasting for a number of seasons.

Bravo WB for stopping the hatin’ of SF series. Now if they could just give us a Spike television movie and/or a Buffyverse spin-off series. Hmmm, perhaps give Global Frequency another chance, too.

Invasion
(Marx gives it an B+)
Invasion Episode Guide
Concept: “When a hurricane threatens Florida, temporarily cutting off a small town at the edge of the Everglades, U.S. Park Ranger Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian) takes heroic measures to keep both the town's citizens and his family safe. In the middle of the violent storm, his young daughter is the only one to see small lights floating towards the water, seemingly unaffected by the vicious winds. At the time, he thinks nothing of her claim, but begins to suspect that something may indeed be amiss when his missing ex-wife is found naked, with no memory of what happened during the storm.” (Official Description)

This series doesn’t come close to Lost, but with that said…I’m digging this series. I’m not sure where they are going with it or how they can make it last for multiple seasons, but it continues to entertain. The cast is great (especially Eddie Cibrian, Lisa Sheridan, Tyler Labine, and William Fichtner) and the conflict between these modern families with the whole alien invasion concept is working for me…for now.

I can see this series coming back for a season 2, but I am concerned with how long they can keep the story interesting. I’m also concerned with Shaun Cassidy’s apparent hatred of sheriffs. This one is an alien, and the one in Cassidy’s American Gothic was a demon. Hmm, perhaps he knows something I don’t.

Ghost Whisperer
(Marx gives it an B)
Ghost Whisperer Episode Guide
Concept: Ghost Whisperer is inspired by the cases of famed psychic James Van Praagh and Mary Ann Winkowski. This series focuses on Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) a young newlywed with the unique ability to communicate with the earthbound spirits of people who have died. Melinda has spent her entire life coping with this extraordinary psychic gift, but also yearns to lead an ordinary life. Melinda uses her gift to relay important information to the living, which allows the dead to pass on to the other side.

First off, Jennifer Love Hewitt (Party of Five) and David Conrad do a great job in this series. Actually seeing Hewitt switch from her character now and her character as a young teen in the episode “Ghost, Interrupted”, was both fantastic acting and a tad bit creepy.

I do question their sets and clothing though. It is an awfully big house for newlyweds, especially with the husband starting a new job and Melinda starting up a new business! And what is up with all the candles? Melinda’s clothing also seems to be out of place at times, too. Oh, and some of the dialog from the pilot was overly dramatic, but luckily they have toned that down since. I was just waiting for the “That reminds me of when Plato said, (fill in with quote)” type of dialog that plagued Andromeda for the last few seasons. Oh, and not exactly the best name for a series either.

With that said, from what I have heard from actual psychics, this series is pretty close to reality, or (for you Scullys out there) at least what psychics claim to be real. My only problem is that this series runs the risk of getting old. There is no conflict between Melinda Gordon and her husband. Nor with Melinda and her best friend. They all just seem cool with it. Which is great for the character, but a missed opportunity for added drama. I like the tension between Allison and Joe on Medium, even though Joe does get a little carried away sometimes. Plus, if Melinda fails, someone doesn’t get a message from a passed on loved one. Sad, but not exactly as nail biting as the possible outcome if Allison Dubois fails a case on Medium.

So, Ghost Whisperer is a good psychic show with some very touching stories and with its current ratings, I would be surprised if it doesn’t return next season. But this show runs the risk of audience ADD if the writers aren’t careful. A similar fate that befell Joan of Arcadia could happen to this series if they aren’t careful.

By the way CBS has committed to a full season run of 22 episodes.

Threshold
(Marx gives it an B)
Threshold Episode Guide
Concept: “In the middle of the ocean, a cargo freighter makes a chilling discovery: an extraterrestrial craft has landed on earth. Enter Molly Anne Caffrey, recruited to await the planet's first contact, along with a carefully assembled team made up of a brilliant physicist with strong religious beliefs, a language and communications expert and a highly trained covert operative. Together they implement the long-gestating Operation: Threshold, charged with finding out the purpose of the landing and the fate of the ship's crew, and preparing for the worst-case scenario of an alien invasion.” (Official Description)

The pilot for this series was my second favorite out of these six series, but I think they may have given away too much info too soon. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want the X-Files or Twin Peaks version of a mystery (The Truth is Out There, but don’t worry you’ll never find it), but I like the Lost version of a mystery (We do have the answer, we promise, but we will tease you along the way). The Threshold writers decided to just give nearly all of it away with the pilot. This makes a strong pilot but potentially a weak series. For example, First Wave had a strong pilot, but the rest of the series was just the main character trying to foil the aliens’ plans, which got boring after awhile. Hmmm, Star Trek’s Braga is in charge of this and heaven knows that Star Trek: Enterprise rarely had any good plot twists or mysteries…could the B&B curse (short one B) hit Threshold too?

I hope not, because I really like this cast. Carla Gugino, as Molly Anne Caffrey, is great in this. So is Peter Dinklage, Robert Patrick Benedict, and the great Brent Spiner. Kudos on the creators on making a strong female character, but where are the other women? The cast just seems a little too male, especially with the egos from Arthur Ramsey and Nigel Fenway, and J.T. Baylock’s constant yelling (chill dude). Maybe they should throw in another woman. Perhaps Lucas’s finacee.

Oh and the thing that the cops did in the episode “Shock” was cheesy. What did she think she was accomplishing hiding the criminal from (what she thought was) Homeland security? How was she planning on hiding him when he went to trial? And how did she convice the other cops to go along? That could fly if this was an alien planet on Star Trek, but rings false in modern America.

So far the ratings have been good, but not great. CBS wants to look at some more scripts before committing. So, it’s 50/50 on whether we’ll see a season 2. Hey producers of Threshold! Add some more mystery, at least one more female character, some additional subplots, a big plot twist, and tighten the overall arc, and this series could get some feet on it. Oh, and CBS should think about moving it to different night. Sorry, but Scifi Friday rules the action/adventure SF niche for Fridays. Look how bad Star Trek: Enterprise faired on Fridays. Ghost Whisperer skews a different audience, but Threshold would appeal to many of the same people who love Stargate (alien threat and a modern day covert team fighting against it). But if they have to choose, you can bet they will stick with the 9th season of Stargate SG-1 and 2nd season of Stargate Atlantis. Please CBS, don’t make us choose. Be a uniter, not a divider.

Night Stalker
(Marx gives it an B)
Night Stalker Episode Guide
Concept: Crime reporter Carl Kolchak, determined to find out the truth behind his wife's mysterious murder, investigates other crimes that seem to have some kind of supernatural component. With sidekick Perri Reed, a skeptical reporter in tow, Kolchak will go to any lengths to answer his questions.

I’m a fan of the original show, but this reimagining is very, very different. Ok, not as different as the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica, but different nontheless. Stuart Townsend is great as Carl Kolchak, but I’m afraid the writers may have made him a little too cool. This Kolchak is younger, doesn’t have the funny hat, has a wicked car, and a very expensive house of glass for a home (what is up with that?). Ok, he is suspected of murdering his wife and no one wants to listen to what really happens on his investigations, but he does have a wicked car. As for Townsend’s co-star Gabrielle Union, she was a little weak in the pilot, but is starting to grow into her character.

The good: A talented cast, excellent directing, and good writing.

The bad: Too much like X-Files. The show hasn’t found its own unique voice. It just seems like this is Mulder and Scully as reporters instead of FBI agents. Oh, except they no longer have guns, the resources of the FBI, or the Lone Gunmen. But, they do have their own Jimmy Olsen.

This series has great potential, but needs to find its own identity. Only time will tell how this series pans out, but I have high hopes that they will pull it off.

Surface
(Marx gives it an B-)
Surface Episode Guide
Concept: Surface is an action-adventure drama from writers-directors Josh and Jonas Pate. The pilot was described as being in the vein of James Cameron's The Abyss and revolves around mysterious creatures deep in the ocean. The series centers on the discovery of a new form of sea life. Lake Bell (Boston Legal, Miss Match) plays the female lead, a marine biologist who discovers the creatures

Snore. I’m sorry, was I doing a review? This is how I feel when I watch this series. I’m sorry, are they trying to entertain us? The first episode of this series was one of the most boring pilots I have ever seen for an SF series. Part II was slightly better, perhaps NBC should have aired them together. The series has been getting better, but it still lacks something. Oh, and I hate series that do not give names to their episodes. I can see it now, “this reminds of episode 34 of Surface or was that episode 23…hmmm.” Yeah, give them names already! Ok, maybe I’m the only one who cares about that, but darn it, it annoys me.

I’m afraid that series is falling into the potential flaw of a series that doesn’t take the episodic approach. Lost and Battlestar Galactica have done this approach well, but look at how Point Pleasant flopped last year. The difference is, even though Lost and Battlestar Galactica have many ongoing plot lines, they always have a beginning and end of at least one of those story threads every episode. So, I can say “remember that episode of Battlestar Galactica where Starbuck got stuck on that planet or on Lost when we found out Locke’s big secret.” But series like Point Pleasant and Surface just seem to keep going and going. Stuff happens every episode, but it is hard to remember exactly what. I can handle that to a point, but the general American audience won’t stick with it.

Anyway, Surface’s cast just isn’t interesting enough for me, and the story of these underwater creatures just seems to be dragging. But, the scenes where ships are eaten or when people get sucked into whirlpools are cool, I’ll give them that. This series has been getting slightly better with every episode, so maybe it will surprise. But for now I have to say that this series is sunk, and I would be surprised if it makes it back for a round 2.

Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Bad Script & Terrible Special Effects

2005-10-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

I saw the new D&D movie, Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Dragon God, on the Scifi Channel over the weekend. It suffered from a very low Charisma score that could not keep me entertained. As a fan of D&D and other role-playing games (see http://www.roleplay.org/ if you don’t know what a role-playing game is), I was actually looking forward to this film. Unfortunately, the dream was better than the reality.

The Good:

Kudos for the references to D&D rule mechanics (the barbarian with the rage problem, the teleportation limitation, spell slots, and having a D&D style cleric). Even more Kudos for the clever introduction of the barbarian and the terrible, but yet slightly humorous, fate of the wizard’s familiar. Triple Kudos for the excellent acting skills of Mark Dymond as Berek and Clemency Burton-Hill as Melora who both somehow managed to pull off some terrible dialog, and somehow added depth to otherwise depthless characters. Ditto for Bruce Payne as Damodar. Damodar wasn’t written as badly as Profion from the first movie, but Damodar was nowhere near as cool as he was in the first film (although that wasn’t apparently the same character…now I’m confused).

The Bad:

The script for this sequel is poor. I actually liked the first film, in a sort of that’s campy but worth watching on DVD "kind of way." I would probably give the first film a C.

But this second film was less campy, but more booorriiinnnggg. I’ll take campy any day over a 2.5 hour television movie that moves at a snail's pace. Ok, I’m going to sound like a cliché, but where was the bad guy’s “motivation.” Damodar comes back to life and the first thing he wants to do is destroy everything and rule over its ashes? OK. And that darn Lich. A – it was cool that they added a major creature from D&D (plus they also had a Magmin), but B – I don’t understand why he did anything he did. The “I’m evil” excuse just really isn’t good enough.

I’m also confused by the script. It almost appears that the film was originally going to be tied directly into the first film, but then it got hacked to pieces. For example, Damodar (who has the same name and is played by the same actor as the character in the first film) apparently isn’t the Damodar from the first film. At first Damodar says he was turned into an undead due to a curse by his master which activated when Damodar died. That doesn’t conflict with the first film, but then we find out that this Damodar died by accidentally teleporting into a wall. So…apparently not Damodar from the first film. Not to mention, this Damodar fought like a wussy Halfling, so he is definitely not the same kick ass Damodar from the first film.

I also thought, at first, that the two main characters (Berek and Melora) were the two main characters from the first film years later. Not so, but they sure seem similar… Perhaps that had been the original plan.

It may be just me, but this whole film seemed like a game session converted into a script. It even had a random encounter...those pesky bandits. Although having a game session turned into a movie is cool in a fanboy sort of way, it doesn't really make for a very good movie.

The setting for this film is generic (why not use Krynn, Faerûn, or Eberron), the characters have no depth (unlike characters from many of the Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, or Ravenloft books), and the story is also generic. Why reinvent the wheel, when there are already so many great D&D stories and settings to draw from?

The Ugly:

The special effects weren’t very special. I’ve actually seen TV series with better special effects, so I’m not surprised that this film didn’t make it to the big screen. Plus the make up was so-so. The goblin looked terrible. The Lich wasn’t as bad, but it didn’t look anything like how a Lich usually is depicted in art from the books. They also did some funky graphics in the beginning that just didn’t come out quite right.

I give this film a D+. Fitting for a film named D&D I suppose. Sorry, D&D fans, but a D&D film should be, dare I say deserves to be, better than this.