Ps238 Volume 9, a bunch of TV, and what the Who are they doing?
Ps238 Vol #9 is finally here! Its a collection that spans issue #46 through #49, and includes what would have been issues #50 and #51. It also mistakenly says it starts at issue #45 on the cover, and rest assured that the person responsible feels very, very bad about that and is kicking himself daily over that. Along with at least one in-comic typo (that a spellchecker wouldn't catch, darnit). But other than that, it's the exciting story of what happens when an ultra-powerful Victor Von Fogg tries to conquer an alternate Earth, beginning with Omaha, Nebraska (and why not? The zoo is one of the best there is, and it's got quite the arts & music scene, among other things). Apologies to the mayor if he in any way feels offense at his portrayal. Rest assured, he's put back to rights, eventually, and the one in the comic may not even be our universe's mayor, so... yay for sci-fi loopholes? It's now in the store, ready for shipping.
In a similar vein, Offworld Designs would like everyone to know they've got a Black Friday coupon special going on: You can use code BLKFRI2011 (case sensitive) when ordering to receive 20% off of your order from now through December 6th. And by the by, in case anyone wonders, the new design I did about Death Note isn't me casting aspersions on the passing of Mr. Jobs. It just occurred that the death-demons like apples and thought perhaps they might modernize the notebook to run on a modern consumer appliance, and went with it.
While working away on the computer, I did a little TV catch-up:
- Terra Nova: It continues to improve. There's still a lot of "cute" in this show, but we've finally seen Taylor's son, we learn he's connected to the Sixers, and we've seen a big ol' Wikipedia machine suspended in water that you can use as a kind of virtual-reality history book. Given that this show is about time travel, what's the point spread on something in this record being "wrong" or "changed," eventually?
- Supernatural: While entertaining, the previous two episodes were kind of callbacks to previous concepts. The first was the ol' bait-n-switch haunting, when the ghost you busted might not have been the one you were looking for. The second saw the return of their uber fangirl, Becky, and some shenanigans involving demons but with a nice explanation for why the black-eyed bad guys haven't been seen in a while.
- The Walking Dead: Shane continues to live on borrowed time (from the comic book version, anyway) and makes at least one character briefly wish they'd stuck with the original story. They also just hit on a major plot point from the comic regarding Shane's past deeds, though it's yet to be revealed, and readers of the comic have been waiting for someone to find a certain barn on the farm where the cast has been given safe haven. The dramatics are unobtrusive-to-good, and there's been enough on-screen zombie action to keep undead-heads happy. They've replaced the camera filters with what appear to be the actors standing in front of green screens with pastoral landscapes projected on them. If I'm wrong and that's real, it must be my cynical eye. If I'm right, I'm torn between it being a distraction and it kind of invoking the old westerns where cowboys would stare off into sunsets painted on canvas.
But the big nerd-news is the upcoming "Doctor Who" movie. It's directed by this Yates guy who directed the last four Harry Potter films. That's not the part that stinks, it's the part about how it's not going to have anything to do with the main Whoniverse. If that sounds familiar, it should. A cameo by Christopher Lee searching for his lost friend, Mr. Cushing, would be funny, but kind of another reminder that the film, no matter how good or bad, will have to be reconciled in one way or another:
- It didn't happen in this timeline. This is a regeneration of the Doctor that's been somehow erased.
- It's a completely different universe, both in terms of continuity and in how it's being presented. Much like how the Arnie version of "Total Recall" and the "Total Recall 2070" TV show had nothing to do with each other, so will the Who-movie and Who-series be forever separate.
- It's part of [Insert Doctor Selection from Whovian High Fan Council Here]'s timeline, but with different actors. Many actors have played the Doctor, just as many actors have played Romeo, Scrooge, Don Quixote, and Spider-Man (with the scars to prove it). It's still the Doctor, it's part of his story, kind of, it's just someone kind of like [Above Selection] taking on the role for a quick jaunt in the theater.
This all begs the question: Why? The cast, both near-past and present, are still making the TV program(me). The sets are already built. There are costumes. There's at least one blue police box available. What would a new cast offer that the current one couldn't? Heck, even if it's just Matt Smith, David Tennant, Paul McGann, etc. in the title role and nobody else we've ever seen before filling out the rest of the cast, what makes that a bad thing? It's not like Who-continuity is set in stone. Even if the movie bombs, as long as the TV show continues, I don't think any viewers would be lost. Any new fans would have to deal with the whole "why is the Doctor I liked a different guy on TV" thing, even beyond having to explain what regeneration is, not to mention any other changes they make. I'd also ask why not just give us a full 24-episode season rather than a movie, especially if it's going to be not-exactly-Who. It just seems a really odd strategy for film making from a TV show. With the talk of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" trying to create a movie and TV series that work in tandem, the current plan is one that I'd expect if "Doctor Who" had remained canceled. One might see parallels with the revival of "Star Trek," but the difference is that Abrams' movie does tie in to the earlier continuity (which continues on; 'Trek has no problem with parallel universes and timelines) and currently there's no other major official media productions other than the films. One guy at at i09 dissents, thinking New-Who is a great idea, to which I'd point him to how Star Trek transitioned to the big screen in the first place; not only was the original Kirk made Captain of the Enterprise, they temporarily demoted the previous captain and then macguffined him out of the series by the end credits.
Whew. That was almost a rant. Potentially sparking other rants is this trailer for "The Iron Lady," where Meryl Streep plays Margaret Thatcher. My question is, after her work in Julie & Julia, why isn't Streep doing some kind of multi-character show on Broadway with Carol Burnett? Also, using "Our House" for the trailer music quickly put me in mind of this version of the song, where Thatcher was portrayed by someone's hand surrounded by latex rubber.
And just because I mentioned Britain, this week's Q.I. preview clip covers the prolonged hug. I notice that a lot of what embarrasses the "proper Englishman" does the same to "guys" over here. If they cover the "sideways hug" in the rest of the show, I think our cultures have more in common than previously thought. Though I have noted one difference (if the Independent and Manchester Evening News are typical of this phenomenon): Crossword puzzles are less forgiving. American crosswords often have several opportunities to get words based on intersecting with others, sometimes for the entire length of the word you're trying to guess. The ones I've played from the UK expect more of you, often giving you, at most, half of the letters you need (assuming you get all of the intersecting clues correct). If you still don't know a four-letter word for "bludgeon" and all you'll ever have to go on is the starting "C" and the ending "H" (it's "cosh," I later found out), then apparently one has only one's educational background to blame... :)
I've not been on the interwebs to post replies much since returning from my convention over the weekend. Josh just got his first ear infection, so I've been up soothing him most nights until he drops back to sleep, which makes for groggy days that kind of blur after a while. Coffee helps, but the kid not passing along his plague would help more. I was not encouraged by a father at the con who told me that told me, thanks to his own offspring, he'd had strep throat twice along with pinkeye in the past 12 months. Since we can't afford good health insurance, I'm wondering if they sell used hazmat suits on eBay. And no, I've not decided if kid or adult size is appropriate... yet.
At least there's hot tea, along with stuff like this:
- I don't play fighting video games, and really don't care for them, but I'm morally obligated to pass along the fact that one pre-order bonuses for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is Elvis MODOK from "Nextwave."
- In one of two waterproof items, here's Canada's new polymer-based currency.
- The other water-resistant item is this stuff that appears to make materials as welcoming to moisture as car wax concocted by Professor Snape. It may not be the miraculous stuff it appears (it's still not available to consumers), but if it is, I'd fear more uses in practical jokes than in keeping shoes dry.
- Flaming Zombooka 3: Carnival is a return to the aim-power-fire puzzle mechanics of the previous two installments. This time, some levels require the rescue of carnies that can help you with their own zombie-pestering weapons.
- If it appeals to you, you can support the motion for custom Lego sets based on Minecraft.
- You're in the navy, on an aircraft carrier, when suddenly your vessel of 5,000 souls has a shipwide toilet outage.
- Should the local rivers get way out of hand, I might want to keep these Thai flood hacks handy. I didn't know they made freezer bags for cars...
- I found another "Skyrim" bug clip on YouTube, but this one really should be part of the game, don't you think? Who doesn't love the idea of a Dracolich?
- Some notes on this next link: It goes to an LJ comment on a list that mentions "kink" in the description. It also contains a few borderline words/concepts that the younguns (and some offices) might not appreciate. With that said, here's a list of things you're not allowed to do to other Avengers. The one about getting the Hulk drunk should probably be on there twice.
- Even if you own all of the Power Rangers/Super Sentai action figures made, you'll probably have a hard time re-creating this fight scene.
- So anyone up for animating a Firefly cartoon? The initial character concept art is ready...
- In case you haven't seen it, the first theatrical trailer for "The Hunger Games" has been released.
- It's been a while since we've had one of those launching-games, so here's Chuck the Sheep. Get out there and chuck Chuck, gaining XP to upgrade his aircraft.
- Let's end with some mindless shootin' in Paper Wars. Shoot your enemies by using the mouse to move your hero from one side of the open notebook to the other; whichever side you're on determines which direction you'll fire.