What better way to bring up the royal wedding of Will & Kate than talking about other subject matter piquing american interest - Doctor Who. Or at least, comments I haven't read anywhere else about it.
I was introduced to Who in 2006. Public Telelvision was airing the episodes with Christopher Eccleston and from there I worked backwards into the old series and became a Tom Baker fan. I still don't have BBC America, but when all the current episodes became available to rent, I watched them.
I became a fan of David Tennant's 10th doctor and was shocked to see him leave - did he really need to follow the casting rules of the old show? Did he leave to host Masterpiece Contemporary on PBS? His performance as the Doctor followed an old rule: if the audience likes you, they will continue to watch you - even if the material is mediocre. At worst, the show attempts a kind of wholesomeness that rings false. At best, it's a fun romp. Matt Smith, the new guy at the helm, is not bad, but seems to be playing a part that's locked into formula and is competing with other derivative slumming franchises: Merlin, Twilight, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries. I think the new show has probably run it's course and might have one more year left. Then we'll all have to find something else to watch beyond cop and medical doctor shows.
At the very least, the show breathed new life into Doctor Who Magazine, which was at risk of becoming increasing inbred and amateurish - same goes for the tie-in merchandise - novels, comics, and those overpriced audio play cd's. :)
Take care.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Marvelous Triple Action with Comic Book Rehab
I decided to just keep issues 1,5, and 6 of Batman Odyssey. Those issues have stuff I like, whereas the others...well, if the payoff to this is impressive, I'll consider picking up the trade. The story concerns Ra's Al Ghul playing maestro with Batman's career as a superhero, supposedly using the classic rogues gallery as his puppets in a drawn-out plan to make Batman the big piece in his global chess game. Maybe... That's where the bad reviews go - "If only Neal Adams had someone scripting his plots.." Well, maybe things would be clearer, but things are happening on a level too simple to demand it.
So, the book is a big turducken, but I find it no different than the hyped-up stuff that Grant Morrison has been doing with Batman in the last 5 years. Both projects are dwelling on the past, and both seem insubstantial enough for the next team to come along to try and ignore it for their own sake.
I thought Morrison spoiled his run off the bat by introducing Damien, Bruce's son from Mike W. Barr's so-so Son Of The Demon Graphic Novel, as an uber-spoiled tween - Jason Todd's worst moments redux. Then Morrison indulged in revisiting 50's Batman continuity, making mountains of half-baked concepts. I like Bat-Mite, but there's a diffrence between liking a character/status quo/design scheme and liking a story - those stories weren't really great.
Then what happens after the rock stars drop the mike and take off? We go back to Batman fighting ninjas, drug dealers, serial killers, and police stories and season-spanning crossovers. One good thing I can say about Odyssey is that it's just one book to follow - one source of whackiness to dip in.
Take care, everyone. I'll be back.
So, the book is a big turducken, but I find it no different than the hyped-up stuff that Grant Morrison has been doing with Batman in the last 5 years. Both projects are dwelling on the past, and both seem insubstantial enough for the next team to come along to try and ignore it for their own sake.
I thought Morrison spoiled his run off the bat by introducing Damien, Bruce's son from Mike W. Barr's so-so Son Of The Demon Graphic Novel, as an uber-spoiled tween - Jason Todd's worst moments redux. Then Morrison indulged in revisiting 50's Batman continuity, making mountains of half-baked concepts. I like Bat-Mite, but there's a diffrence between liking a character/status quo/design scheme and liking a story - those stories weren't really great.
Then what happens after the rock stars drop the mike and take off? We go back to Batman fighting ninjas, drug dealers, serial killers, and police stories and season-spanning crossovers. One good thing I can say about Odyssey is that it's just one book to follow - one source of whackiness to dip in.
Take care, everyone. I'll be back.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Marvelous Two-in-One with Comic Book Rehab!
What's all this? What's all this? What's all this?
Well, if Twitter is the main feature, and the Facebook page is the DVD-Rom content that I can't access because I'm watching on an average player, then this blog is the Bonus section!
I started to notice things....
Feeling old but not quite grownup?
Notice how the crowd in the comic shop is gettin' older, but not neccessarily wiser?
Notice how the comic book publishers are back to making waves about their price point? "We're STILL at $2.99!" In the late 70's/early 80's it was "Still 25 cents!"
yeah...
So I couldn't help but imagine Frederic Wertham still around, perhaps as a brain in a tank, looming large, and an audience that, like myself , may notice how the players in the field are becoming more popular, but the actual books are not socially acceptable. Nobody wants to give up the ghost , yet could anyone have dreamed of still being into comics past their 20's?
With those thoughts established and out of the way, I'll be back soon...
Well, if Twitter is the main feature, and the Facebook page is the DVD-Rom content that I can't access because I'm watching on an average player, then this blog is the Bonus section!
I started to notice things....
Feeling old but not quite grownup?
Notice how the crowd in the comic shop is gettin' older, but not neccessarily wiser?
Notice how the comic book publishers are back to making waves about their price point? "We're STILL at $2.99!" In the late 70's/early 80's it was "Still 25 cents!"
yeah...
So I couldn't help but imagine Frederic Wertham still around, perhaps as a brain in a tank, looming large, and an audience that, like myself , may notice how the players in the field are becoming more popular, but the actual books are not socially acceptable. Nobody wants to give up the ghost , yet could anyone have dreamed of still being into comics past their 20's?
With those thoughts established and out of the way, I'll be back soon...
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Amazing Comic Book Rehab!
I'm Joseph Adorno. This is the commentary to my Comic Book Rehab Twitter page. If you have not seen my Twitter page yet, I reccomend you jump over to http://www.twitter.com/comicbookrehab and have a look. I'll be using this blog to explain myself often. If you're like me and jump to the commentary anyway, well, I'll be back with lots of posts shortly. Keep checking on me! 
