Brotherly Love

So I wound up watching the season finale's of both Supernatural and Heroes on the same night, which made for an excellent two hours of television viewing, but was also a bit emotional for me. It struck me that both season finales were about familial bonds and specifically those between brothers. Nathan Petrelli and Dean Winchester both made huge sacrificed themselves for their brothers, and while that wasn't really an unexpected gesture from Dean, Nathan's loyalties had been in question. More than anything in the whole Heroes finale, and possibly more than anything I had seen on television all year, I rooted for Nathan to do the right thing, so while some people might have found the season ender a bit of a let down, I was thoroughly moved. There may have even been an audible cheer.

There was plenty of other stuff to cheer about on Heroes too. Claire continued to be awesome, standing up to everyone and just generally being...awesome. I probably cheered a bit when she jumped out that window to get away from Nathan and Mama Petrelli too. Niki was also amazing. All season long I had been a bit frustrated with where they were going with that character. Her arc had its ups and downs, but she came into her own in the finale. I loved seeing this woman who was so fractured become whole and own her powers was incredibly gratifying. I'm really excited to see what they do with her next season. I hope she gets to kick some ass. What I loved most though was that everyone became the hero they were meant to be in this episode. They all contributed and proved their mettle.

They also set up a villain for nest season, and Hiro traveled back in time. How cool is that? I just don't know how I feel about the potential of losing both Petrelli brothers next season. The cast will be significantly less pretty without them. I do feel fairly certain that Peter will be back. With his healing factor, he's hard to kill, but all Nathan can do is fly. How are they going to explain it if he doesn't die? But I really don't want him to be dead. Adrian Pasdar is the best. He doesn't deserve to be killed off now that he finally has a successful show. And did Sylar get away down the sewer, or did someone, or some thing, take his body? I was thinking that maybe it had something to do with the new villain. The thing is, Heroes has proved it has the balls to kill off characters, but it's also based on comic books, a medium in which death is only a temporary setback. Basically, they can do anything, which is what is so unbelievably cool. Also, did I mention Hiro going back in time?

Anyway, tons of love for the Heroes finale. Slightly less, but not by much, love for the Supernatural finale. The thing about that finale was that there was no way they could live up to last year's finale. Last year they rammed a truck into the Metallicar. That's hardcore. This season finale was obviously trying to simultaneously wrap things up in case the show wasn't renewed and set up next season in case it was. That lead to the ending being a bit anticlimactic, but the relationship between the Winchester brothers is even more powerful than the Petrellis'. Dean never fails to break my heart. Between his love for Sammy, his lack of self-worth, and the fact that he's been brought back from the dead at the cost of someone else twice now, what he did was no surprise. I just have no idea what they are going to do to get out of it. There is no way he's going to risk Sam possibly dying. Also, what's the deal with Sam? Did he come back a little bit wrong, because he seemed to take a lot more pleasure in shooting that guy than I would have expected? The one thing I did think was really strange was that didn't even have a line. That was weird, right? It was pretty clear how proud he was of his boys and how much he loved them though.

All and all, I liked how both shows focused on the familial bonds that have beeb so key to everything throughout the season, whether it was Nathan Petrelli protecting his brother and newly found daughter from having to do things that they would never be able to live with, Niki finally realizing that she was the one with the power to protect her family, or Dean refusing to let Sam go, they all touched on the emotional threads that had been building all season. It might have been nice if there was a bit more action in both finales. There was plenty of potential for that in both, but considering how much these shows actually made me feel something for the characters, which is more of a rarity than one would think, I can overlook that.

Scout Attacks! week 10: More Than the Usual Amount of Ninjas

This week we have Whedon, Whedon, and more Whedon, plus some other stuff...

52 Week 52: So it's finally over, and this issue had little to nothing to do with the rest of the series. Well, that's not true. The end has multiple codas with the various characters from the series, so that obviously relates. My favorite bits are the panel of the man in Kahndaq, clearly Black Adam, walking with a close up on his alligator boots ("Oh, Sobek!"), and Ralph and Sue Dibney as ghostly detectives. I think that is adorable, and I am so happy for them that they are together. What comic book universe couldn't use a ghostly detective couple anyway? The main plot of the issue though is Rip Hunter, Booster Gold and Supernova (but not the one that's actually Booster) trying to stop Mr. Mind from destroying the Multiverse. There are apparently 52 earths now, and it's very convoluted, but fairly enjoyable. I just don't understand why the earths are exact duplicates of New Earth, but then when Mr. Mind does his thing, they become different. It's confusing. The issue ends on the least interesting relationship that this series has presented - Rene Montoya and Batwoman. I'm bitter because when this series started, we had two really cool characters working together - Rene Montoya and Charlie (Vic Sage/The Question). They were awesome together. Now we have Rene Montoya as the new Question being dragged down by an underdeveloped romance with the the bland Batwoman. It sucks. Total downgrade. On the other hand, we have a cute ghostly detective couple. Overall, this series was kind of hit or miss. I'm not sure it was ultimately worth the investment, but there were some really stellar moments. Also, the J.G. Jones covers could not be beat. This last wrap around one wasn't the best of them, but it was still beautiful.

Detective Comics #832: Another fill in writer, which kind of sucks, but it's not a bad little mystery. It's not that great either, though. Had I known it was a fill in writer, I wouldn't have bought it, and I don't think I would have missed out on anything. Also, there were sharks. I hate sharks.

Superman #662: We're back to the storyline that about the apocalyptic future, and Busiek does a great job of getting into Supes' head and showing his thought process about the various mysteries he's dealing with. It's nice to see him investigating. Sometimes it seems like writers forget he's supposed to be smart too. I just really think Busiek is doing a great job with this character, and while some of the stand alone issues weren't the best, this is an interesting story that I'm genuinely interested in seeing how it turns out. Pacheco is also back with this issue and that's a welcome return, except for the fact that Lois still has that unfortunate haircut and Zatanna's outfit is...well...does she really entertain company in that? I realize that her normal costume isn't the most modest garment, but that's underwear. Put on a robe, lady. He's a married man. Oh, and Chris is there, which I'm guessing means he will be sticking around after the Donner/Johns Action Comics storyline ends. I figured that would happen. The issue ends with the New Gods showing up. I have no idea who they are.

Supernatural Origins #1: I'll be honest. This wasn't great. I'm not really sure what it was, but it just fell flat. I'm invested enough in the show (it's one of my favorites) to want to keep reading though. It's a story I really want to find out more about, and I think there's a good chance that when things actually start happening it will get good.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home, Part III: There are so many good individual moments in this issue, and I know the threesome dream moment is the thing everyone is talking about, but I find the presence of the viking/cupid things more noteworthy. They're just weird. There's also a pretty cool witches' battle between Willow and Amy, which concludes with Giant Dawn going all stompy. The Scooby Gang reunion is very sweet, and probably my favorite part of the issue. My one real gripe is that there was this whole big zombie attack happening and we didn't get to see any of it. Also, and this isn't an issue for me, but presumable is for someone out there, this issue would be completely inaccessible to anyone who didn't watch the show. That said, it's another great issue, with a very surprising, and very cool, reveal at the end. And it's still only the second best Whedon comic and surprise ending of the week.

Astonishing X-Men #21: I hate Emma Frost. She just pisses me off, and the more Whedon tries to make me like her by trying to make her understandable, the more I hate her. It's really starting to interfere with my enjoyment of this series. It's also kind of making me dislike Cyclops, which saddens me most of all. What pisses me off is that, a while back, Whedon gave an interview about all the characters and he said that Scott's story has always been dominated by Jean Grey, and that that relationship wasn't really beneficial for the character, but Whedon is essentially doing the same thing with Scott and Emma, and frankly, Emma just is not a good person and it's hard to have the respect for Scott in his relationship with Emma that one had for him in his relationship with Jean. Jean was worthy of that level of forgiveness and devotion. Emma isn't even repentant, whatever her guilt level might be. Also, Jean had earned her place on the X-Men. She was one of the original members of the team, and had always been the most powerful, even before the Phoenix Force. Emma got her position as leader and headmistress why? Because she's sleeping with Scott? Scott just seems pussy whipped. Also, Scott is continuing to act like Mal, who I like, but who is nothing like Scott should be. At least there's still Kitty and Colossus, though not much actual development happens this issue. Ultimately, the most significant thing in this issue is naked Kitty. Kudos to Cassaday, who is always wonderful, for not making it seem exploitative at all. Still, I don't know that I really needed to see that. Also, Kitty is acting kind of erratically with regard to Peter, so I would really like those two to have a conversation soon.

Loners #2: This issue focuses mostly on Ricochet, and it's another good read. This series isn't going to be for everyone, but I'm enjoying it. I like the focus on lesser known characters. I like the teen angst qualities, and that everyone is dealing with issues of identity. I like the art. I like that Penance shows up at the end of this issue. Oh, and I like that Chris and Mickey got together, because that was set up back in the Runaways arc, so it's nice to see that it actually went somewhere.

Runaways #26: This was by far the comic of the week, and it had the line of the century with "Punisher' war journal: Hhhhhhh...." The absence of Vaughn and Alphona isn't as sorely felt this month, and it makes it so much easier to just sit back and enjoy this story and these characters. Whedon's voice may not be exactly like Vaughn's, but he does write the Runaways so well. I am still amazed by how much I am loving Xavin. The turnaround on that character in the last three of four issues is just so great to see, because it's not that Xavin's different, it's just that it's finally clicked for me what he's all about. Molly is still the best thing ever though, with Chase coming in a close second. I'm really intrigued by the old lady and her guardian angel guy. What's his deal? And if she's the Kingpin's client, why do they seem to be working at cross purposes? At least now we know Kingpin doesn't have glands, he just really likes chocolate. Also, there are ninjas. What's up with all the ninjas and zombies lately? Clearly those two concepts need to meet. Ninja zombies would own. The issue ends with time travel, and I am psyched. The cover for the next issue is gorgeous. And that my friends, is Whedon's best last page reveal of the week.

I got Hellboy: Destiny Calls also, but I generally buy those series up and read all the issues at once, so I probably won't be doing a review on it, at least not for a while. Also, seeing as how it's Spider-Man Month and that one was absolutely amazing and one had a huge WTF?! moment and both left me feeling just a hint of dread, I'm going to be doing separate posts on Sensational Spider-Man Annual #1 and the FCBD Amazing Spider-Man. My thoughts on Spider-Man III should be up tomorrow night, and I've got stuff to say about TV also, so hopefully I will get those all done soon.

All the World Is Waiting for Her

So for all the problems the Wonder Woman title - Heinberg and his many delays, the fill-in story for issue #5, the dubious talents of Jodi Picoult - all is not lost. There is good news too. Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told came out today, finally righting that long injustice, and it's been confirmed that Gail Simone is going to be taking over the title with issue #13. Apparently, the fans have spoken and DC has finally listened. It's almost enough to make me stop bitching about how much editors suck, at least at DC. (Marvel editors haven't done anything to redeem themselves yet.)

Newsarama posted this interview with Simone on Friday, and she just put things in perspective. This, particularly, gets me excited about the character:

The book is about the best goddamned warrior planet Earth has ever known, and she happens to carry a mystical arsenal around just for the hell of it.

If a writer can’t make that interesting and fun, they really shouldn’t be writing superheroes.

There are layers upon layers of the character, and we’ll get to them all. But let’s just make it very clear that Diana is the premiere asskicker in the DCU, period. Batman and Superman have other things that make them special. Diana is the one who occasionally carries an axe if someone gives her lip.

This is actually in my first issue, but the quote is, “When a giant robot attacks Metropolis, send Superman. An alien attack? Get Green Lantern. When a car is hijacked by an escaped loony, turn on the bat signal, by all means. But if an ARMY shows up on your doorstep, that’s when you call in Wonder Woman.

Simple.

This part isn't bad either:

This is a great question. First, I hate the supposed ‘dichotomy,’ that she preaches peace while fighting. This is not contradictory at all. It’s not ‘a’ or ‘b,’ it’s ‘a’ AND ‘b.’ It’s like saying a cop is a hypocrite when they say they want to keep the peace, just because they might have to wrestle a perp to the ground on occasion. Diana’s both. She loves the light, but she’s right at home in the dark, too. She can do dark.

Actually, I have to say that this was the thing about Wonder Woman that got me a while back, the fact that, as Simone says, "She loves the light, but she's right at home in the dark, too." I think it's that ability to be both that sets her apart from Batman and Superman as more than just the girl. When I realized that, and I can't even say how and why I realized it (but I'm sure it was probably while I was watching the Justice League cartoon, since the work of Bruce Timm is pretty much the source of all my DCU love), it's when I started to really get the character, and love her. Sure, I still think it makes absolutely no sense that an Amazon is a great symbol of peace, since the Amazons raped, plundered and pillaged with the best of them (which is why they were cool), or that the Greek gods would care about sending an ambassador of peace to humanity, since they were all about messing with and screwing over the humans, but once you let go of all that, there isn't any reason why a person can't preach peace and be a warrior. It's not like she's out there committing random acts of violence.

Anyway, all that character stuff is great, but this is what really made me think Gail Simone was writing specifically for me: "Of course, since she’s punching a monkey off a waterfall on page three, maybe that’s not the best example." Let's just take a closer look at those words: "punching a monkey off a waterfall." MONKEY!

So, in honor of that bit of awesomeness, and, of course, in honor of Gail, I give you:

And if that fills you with joy, like it does for me, you are going to want to watch Smallville this Thursday (4/19). I know that watching that show isn't normally conducive to the bringing of joy, but this week it has Lynda Carter! For her, I would watch even if I wasn't a complete masochist who watches the show every week even without something as awesome as Wonder Woman herself to look forward to. She's still gorgeous too. It looks like it might be a halfway decent episode too.

Supernatural is going to be new as well, so that you definitely don't want to miss.

Reason #153 Why Supernatural Rocks

Last season there was an episode of Supernatural called "Skin", in which a shapeshifter kills a bunch of people, narrowly escapes police capture after one murder attempt, and is killed by the Winchester boys. The police are left to believe that the perpetrator of the murders is dead, which is true. The problem is that the shapeshiter looks exactly like dean when he is seen by the police and when he is eventually dispatched by our heroes. At the time I thought it was a great episode (evil or not, I am never going to argue with getting twice the Jensen Ackles), and thought it would be awesome if Dean's apparent death, as well as the belief that he was a murderer, had consequences later on. However, I did not expect there to be any consequences, and was not upset by that. Shows like Supernatural never go back to deal with these things. Even Joss Whedon shows let stuff like that slide on occassion, and Whedonverse shows have some of the best continuity in the history of television. Maybe Veronica Mars, a show where almost everything that happens has significance later, would bring this development up again, but there was little chance that would happen on Supernatural, a show that is basically about pretty boys with guns and demons.

Color me surprised when Dean's status as deceased murder suspect got name-checked later in the first season. I was even more surprised this season when everything from the petty crimes they commit on a regular basis to Dean's supposed murders (and the fact that he is not dead) got Sam and Dean arrested. This last episode, "Night Shifter", blew me away though. Not only was it typically good, but we learned that the brothers Winchester now have the feds on their tail, which makes complete sense, since not only are they wanted for all sorts of things like impersonating federal agents and murder, but they also have now escaped police custody and crossed state lines. Not only are the Feds after them, but they know all sorts of stuff about their family history, and think John Winchester was some sort of militant nut, which, and I probably don't even have to say this, also makes perfect sense.

You'll pardon me if I seem overly excited about all this, but I watch a lot of genre shows, and I watch a lot of shows on the CW, and logic so rarely enters into how the world reacts to the actions of the characters on the show. Take Smallville for example, a show where the good guys are regularly breaking into buildings, engaging in some mighty illegal hacking, blowing up buildings, and just generally using their superpowers in front of random people and no one ever notices and none of the characters ever get in trouble. That's why consequences is reason #153 why Supernatural rocks. If you are curious about the other 152 reasonse, I'll just tell you that they include such things as the Impala, the classic rock soundtrack, Robert Johnson, all the very cool pop culture references, and various details about Jensen Ackles and Jared Padelecki's overrall prettines.