Catching up: San Diego Comic-Con 2012 reflections

Superheroes and villains have been in the news a lot lately. My heart goes out to the families of the victims of this past weekend’s shooting tragedy in Colorado. Let’s look back for a moment to happier times.

San Diego Comic-Con 2012 included the usual movie and television previews, toys and games, large numbers of brave fans in costume (also known as cosplay), and even some comic book announcements. Although I missed Spike TV’s coverage a few weeks ago, I caught much of G4’s programming, including its three-hour block on Saturday, 14 July 2012.

The CW’s upcoming “Arrow” TV series

Movies

Of the movies previewed, I’ve become more interested in the science fiction remakes Total Recall and Dredd, as well as animated comedies ParaNorman, Hotel Transylvania, and Rise of the Guardians. A few other flicks caught my eye, including Django Unchained, Looper, Elysium, and Pacific Rim.

Of course, there are the obligatory prequels and sequels, including James Bond in Skyfall, comic book superheroes Iron Man 3 and Thor 2, Star Trek 2, and last but not least The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.

Live-action TV

With the recent genre TV season ended, it was bittersweet to look back at departed or soon-to-end series such as Awake, Fringe, and Spartacus. Fortunately, there are lots of new shows to look forward to this fall, including supernatural melodrama 666 Park Ave. and postapocalyptic Revolution.

I’m a longtime fan of DC Comics’ Green Arrow, so I’ll definitely try the CW’s Arrow, which gives Oliver Queen the Batman Begins/Smallville treatment. I hope that it can focus more on Ollie’s awakening as a champion of social justice and archery prowess and less on the soap opera aspects, but the trailers are a mixed bag.

Of course, there’s lots to watch in the meantime, like midsummer cable shows such as Leverage, Warehouse 13, Alphas, and White Collar. As a longtime “Whovian,” it’s nice to see the cast of Doctor Who (and Torchwood) treated as returning heroes. We’ll see whether CBS’s Elementary will be a worthy companion to the BBC and PBS’s Sherlock and Masterpiece: Mystery.

Beyond the speculative fiction of Fringe, other procedurals with twists that I recommend include Castle (fanboy shippers), Person of Interest (domestic espionage), and Grimm (modernized fairy tales).

Cartoons

I’m disappointed that Batman and the Brave and the Bold and Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are being replaced so soon, but at least Young Justice and Green Lantern: the Animated Series will be joined by new lighthearted Teen Titans Go! episodes. As I’ve mentioned before, Star Wars: the Clone Wars is carrying the torch for space opera on TV and continuing to expand George Lucas’ universe.

I’ve enjoyed the worldbuilding of Avatar: the Legend of Korra and the underrated Tron: Legacy. I suspect that the next animated Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles will be better than the live-action revision would have been.

Comic books

In comic books discussed around Comic-Con, I’m amused that Marvel is also doing a “soft reboot” with its “Marvel Now” after the much-criticized “DCnU” of the past year. I’ll be sorry to see Ed Brubaker leave Captain America, which he presented as a technothriller, and I hope that Marvel can rein in its proliferating Avengers and X-Men titles.

I’m still sifting through various “Batfamily” issues, but I’ve enjoyed some of DC Comics’ series after its continuity revision. Superman and Wonder Woman have benefited most from de-aging and new creative teams, and (some) Green Lantern and the Flash have changed the least. DC’s treatment of its female characters and younger teams still leaves something to be desired, however.

Of the comics from publishers other than the “big two,” I’ve enjoyed the Star Trek: the Next Generation/Doctor Who — Assimilation crossover, the similarly retro Steed and Mrs. Peel, and Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan’s atmospheric adaptation of Conan the Barbarian: Queen of the Black Coast.

I’ve been busy with work, games, and summer activities, but I hope to post my belated reviews of The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises soon!

Movie review: Disney/Pixar’s Brave

On Sunday, 24 June 2012, Janice and I met Thomas K.Y. & Kai-Yin H. and Sara F. at the Showcase Cinema de Lux at Legacy Place in Dedham, Massachusetts, for an early matinee of Brave. We enjoyed the Disney/Pixar computer-animated fantasy.

Unlike many of its predecessors, Brave isn’t a retelling of a classic fairy tale or an adaptation of a popular children’s novel. The movie follows Princess Merida, a headstrong Scottish lass, as she struggles to find her destiny in a rugged land of colorful warriors and hidden magic.

While Brave is not historically accurate, I’m glad that actual Scottish and British actors were used for its voice cast. Kelli Macdonald (Gosford Park, No Country For Old Men) is an appealing Merida, and comedian Billy Connolly is her boisterous father King Fergus. Emma Thompson plays the controlling Queen Elinor, and Julie Walters is an old witch who grants Merida an ill-advised wish.

Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, and Craig Ferguson are other Scots in Brave‘s cast, and of course, Cheers and Pixar alumnus John Ratzenberger is also aurally present. Brave‘s character designs are cartoonish but manage not to be too jarring against the realistic landscapes. As an archery fan, I enjoyed the tournament scene, even if most of it had already been shown in commercials and trailers.

The script and plot are a bit more straightforward than other Disney flicks, but I appreciated the fact that the movie is somewhat less sentimental — or emotionally manipulative — than other Pixar films (see Up). Some reviews focus on Merida as a stronger young woman than past Disney princesses, but what about Mulan?

Others have noted that most of Pixar’s pics have been more boy-oriented, such as Toy Story and Cars, but Brave actually has more in common with recent movies from Dreamworks, such as How To Train Your Dragon or Kung-Fu Panda. Brave also bears a strong resemblance to Dragon Hunters and Brother Bear, but isn’t as tragic in tone as Sintel. In addition, Brave‘s Celtic knotwork and mythic medieval setting reminded me of the delightful Secret of Kells.

I was pleased to see Brave tackle mother-daughter relationships, since much folklore and more recent movies tend to focus on father-son or father-daughter ones. Merida‘s suitors and three younger brothers are also a source of some amusement.

Overall, I’d give Brave, which is rated PG for some violent scenes, three out of five stars, an 8 out of 10, or a B+. Brave might not go down as a classic, but it’s still solid family entertainment. The next movie I’ll probably see in the theater is The Amazing Spider-Man.

Speaking of animated fantasy, while I’ve recently blogged about Avatar: the Legend of Korra, I have to note that I was pleased with the action-packed first season finale to this sequel to Nickelodeon’s Avatar: the Last Airbender. The dieselpunk/fantasy setting, escalating plot, and adolescent characters all came together, and I look forward to seeing what happens next.

The superheroes of spring 2012

I’ve fallen behind in blogging again, but here’s the first in what I hope will be a series of posts to catch up on what I’ve been up to as spring slides into summer. Now that the genre television season has wound down, let’s look back at some shows that I liked.

As I’ve mentioned before, there has been a lot of good animation to enjoy this past year. Avatar: the Legend of Korra is my favorite of the recent batch of cartoons. Nickelodeon’s sequel to its successful Avatar: the Last Airbender continues that show’s Asian-style artwork, inspiring world-building, and escalating intrigues. (Note: some of the enclosed links have “spoilers.”)

Korra wallpaper — Nickelodeon's new Avatar TV series

As fellow blogger Thomas K.Y. has noted, Korra‘s adolescent characters are a bit harder to sympathize with than Avatar‘s wandering children. However, the setting and story more than make up for that to me. Republic City resembles a dieselpunk/fantasy China of the early 20th century, and the conflict between people who can “bend” or control the elements (air, earth, wind, and fire) and those who can’t has led to some tense moments.

I’ve also been impressed with the first episode of Disney’s Tron: Uprising, which may join the Cartoon Network’s Star Wars: Clone Wars in using computer animation to flesh out a cinematic sequel that initially underwhelmed critics. In contrast, Kung-Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, Transformers: Prime, and G.I. Joe: Renegades are entertaining, but they’re not as memorable as additions to their respective franchises.

Cartoon’s Green Lantern: the Animated Series started out slowly with simplistic designs based on Bruce Timm’s, but it has steadily incorporated elements of recent comic book storylines, including the proliferation of cosmic factions based on different colors and emotions. How to Train Your Dragon: the Series will joining a competitive field.

In more traditional animation, the Cartoon Networks’ Thundercats revival has also mixed retro nostalgia with more modern animation and world-building to good effect. It’s friendlier to younger audiences than Korra or Tron, but I’ve enjoyed the reboot so far. I hope that the next Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles can do the same.

I wasn’t sure about the five-year jump within the Cartoon Network’s Young Justice, but seeing the pre-“52” reboot “Batman family” and returning favorites such as Beast Boy and Wonder Girl has won me over. On a related note, I enjoyed the direct-to-video Justice League: Doom, which had favorite voice actors and lots of fights between superheroes and supervillains, if not a plot accessible to non-fans. Superman vs. the Elite comes out next week, to be followed by the long-awaited Batman: the Dark Knight Returns. I also look forward to next year’s Beware the Batman.

Disney XD’s Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes has also incorporated bits and pieces of classic and recent plots, from Loki’s treachery (also seen in the live-action Avengers movie, which is still doing well with critics, fans, and the box office) to the infiltration by the shapeshifting Skrulls (“Secret Invasion”). The animation and writing aren’t quite as tight as for Young Justice.

Avengers‘ companion, Ultimate Spider-Man, has several snarky nods to the movie continuity, but I still miss the four-color Spectacular Spider-Man and am not thrilled by the silly humor or de-aging of characters such as the Heroes for Hire.

Cartoon Network’s “DC Nation” animation block of programming on Saturday mornings — Green Lantern and Young Justice (followed by Korra on Nickelodeon) — includes very funny shorts with “Super Best Friends Forever” and Aardman stop motion, as well as glimpses of past favorites such as the Teen Titans Go!

Disney Channel’s “Marvel Universe” block on Sundays (Avengers and Spidey) does give some nice glimpses into the art and characters of its shows, plus how real-world athletes can approach comic book moves. I don’t particularly like the “Marvel Mash-ups,” which dub modern jokes over weakly animated scenes from the 1960s through early 1980s. I may be in the minority of people who prefer the gags of The Looney Tunes Show or Metalocalypse on weeknights to most of Fox’s Sunday night programs.

Coming soon: Police procedurals, supernatural series, and movie reviews!

Spring 2012 genre TV listings

I’ve participated in conversations on EnWorld.org and elsewhere about what television shows we’re currently watching. Before I discuss this season’s best programs, here’s an overview of the schedule.

Note that in some cases, shows that are in the same time slot may not be on during the same months because of cable station counterprogramming. Still, my DVR keeps busy!

One of TV's latest animated superhero shows — Young Justice

Sunday

-11:00 a.m., Disney XD: Ultimate Spider-Man (animated superhero; new) ***

-11:30 a.m., Disney XD: The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (animated superheroes; canceled?) ***

-8:00 to 11:00 p.m.: Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” (heroic fantasy teleconferencing game)

And Josh C.’s Spelljammer: “the Show Must Go On” (space fantasy miniseries, using Skype/Google+, an online dice roller, and FATE 3e Legends of Anglerre)

-9:00 p.m., PBS: Masterpiece: Mystery/Sherlock (Holmes) ***

–Dropped: Once Upon a Time (supernatural drama, **), The Borgias (historical melodrama, **)

–Coming soon: Tron Uprising (computer-animated cyberpunk)

Monday

-6:00 to 10:30 p.m.: FATE 3e “Vortex” (space opera campaign)

-And Jason E.R.‘s “Glassworks” (superhero miniseries, using Cortex: Marvel Heroic Roleplaying)

-9:00 p.m., SyFy: Warehouse 13 (supernatural conspiracy) **

-10:00 p.m., SyFy: Alphas (metahuman procedural) **

-10:00 p.m.: ABC: Castle (comedic mystery) ***

–Canceled/dropped: Heroes, The Cape, Lost Girl (metahuman melodramas, **), Terra Nova (time travel, **)

Tuesday

-8:00 p.m., Cartoon: The Looney Tunes Show (animated comedy) ***

-9:00 p.m., USA: White Collar (sleuth/caper) ***

-10:00 p.m., History: Top Shot (marksmanship) **

–Canceled/dropped: No Ordinary Family (metahuman melodrama, **), V (alien conspiracy reboot, **), Memphis Beat (sleuth, ***), Homeland (thriller, ***), Kung-Fu Panda: the Series (animated martial arts comedy, ***)

Wednesday

-7:30 to 8:30 p.m. (not including travel): historical weapons classes at Guard Up!

-9:00 p.m., TNT: Leverage (do-gooder capers) ***

-10:00 p.m., USA: Psych (comedic sleuths) ***

-10:00 p.m., Science Channel: Ridley Scott’s Prophets of Science Fiction (genre biographies) ***

-10:00 p.m., Food: Man vs. Food Nation **, Cooking: Bitchin’ Kitchen ***

–Canceled/dropped: Reaper (supernatural slacker comedy, **), Eastwick (supernatural soap, **), Flash Forward (conspiracy drama, **), Undercovers (espionage/action; **), Human Target (action; ****), American Horror Story (horror, **), Transformers: Prime/G.I. Joe: Renegades (animated action, **)

Thursday

-9:00 p.m., CBS: Person of Interest (technothriller) ***

-10:00 p.m., NBC: Awake (parapsychology drama; new) ***

–Dropped/canceled: Nikita, Charlie’s Angels (espionage/action) **

Friday

-8:00 p.m., Cartoon: Star Wars: Clone Wars (computer-animated space opera) ****

-9:00 p.m., Fox: Fringe (speculative conspiracy) ****

-9:00 p.m., NBC: Grimm (supernatural procedural) ***

-10:00 p.m., SyFy: Sanctuary (cryptozoology drama) **

-10:00 p.m., Starz:, Spartacus: Vengeance (sword-and-sandals) ***

–Canceled/dropped: Chuck (espionage comedy ***), Batman and the Brave and the Bold (***), Fantastic Four, Wolverine and the X-Men, and Iron Man: Armored Adventures (animated superheroes, *), Stargate Universe (space opera, **), Merlin/Camelot (Arthurian, **), Smallville (metahuman melodrama; ***), Pillars of the Earth (historical miniseries; ***), Sym-Bionic Titan (animated kaiju; ***), Torchwood (speculative conspiracy **), A Gifted Man (supernatural drama), Magic City (Miami noir **)

Saturday

-9:30 a.m., Cartoon: Thundercats (animated) ****

-10:00 a.m., Cartoon: Green Lantern (animated superhero) **

-10:30 a.m., Cartoon: Young Justice (animated superheroes) ***

-10:30 a.m., CW: Phantom Gourmet/NECN: TV Diner (local food) ***

-11:00 a.m., Nickelodeon: Avatar: the Legend of Korra (animated fantasy; new) ***

-9:00 p.m., BBC America: Doctor Who (time travel) ****

-10:00 p.m., BBC America: The Graham Norton Show (talk) **

-11:00 p.m., VH1 Classic: That Metal Show (talk) ***

–Canceled/dropped: Legend of the Seeker (syndicated fantasy, **), Robin Hood (historical action, **), The Super Hero Squad Show (Marvel heroes, **), Being Human (BBC/NBC supernatural melodrama ***)

–Coming soon: Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles, How to Train Your Dragon: the Series

Catching up — sheep and pirates

I’m still catching up on work, unpacking, and game notes after the fun reunion with friends from high school and college a few weeks ago. I’ve started writing blog posts about the Boston Comic Con, the current season of genre television, and more, but in the meantime, here’s a quick report on this past weekend.

On Saturday, 28 April 2012, Janice and I went to Gore Place in Waltham, Massachusetts, for the 25th annual Sheepshearing Festival. I was impressed by the size of the event and the number of attendees. We enjoyed the herding dog demonstration, fair food, craft tents, and bluegrass music. Janice and I also took a brief tour of the early 19th century home of one of Massachusetts’ governors.

The next day, we met Thomas K.Y. & Kai-Yin H. for lunch on Waltham’s Moody Street. We ate at Kabab & Tandoor, which is downstairs from an Indian grocer and part of an appetizing food court. We enjoyed the buffet of savory, spicy, and sweet items before going to the Landmark Embassy Cinemas nearby.

We caught a matinee of The Pirates! A Band of Misfits, the latest comedy from Aardman Animation, the studio responsible for Wallace & Gromit, among other things. We enjoyed the movie, which follows a hapless pirate captain (named “Pirate Captain” and voiced by Hugh Grant) in his quest to win the “Pirate of the Year Award.”

Aardman Animation's latest comedy — The Pirates!

Along the way, Pirate Captain and his eccentric crew — even for pirates — meet Charles Darwin (voiced by Martin Freeman, also known as Arthur Dent, Dr. Watson, and Bilbo Baggins) and an entirely unamused Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton). Also important to the plot are a dodo, a dirigible, and Darwin’s monkey butler.

If this sounds delightfully chaotic, it is. The Pirates! has a lively Anglo-American voice cast, sight gags too numerous to catch in a single viewing, and good use of modern music (the Clash’s “London Calling” is most memorable). The movie, which combines stop-motion and computer animation, also alludes to real-world literature and science of the 19th century.

I enjoyed The Pirates! more than the past few Pirates of the Caribbean flicks, and I recommend the movie to anyone who likes animation, comedy, or swashbuckling and steampunk. The Pirates! is rated PG for some crude humor and slapstick violence, but most of the adult jokes will sail right over children’s heads. I’d give The Pirates! A Band of Misfits an 8.5 out of 10, a B+/A-, or four stars. This coming weekend is the opening of the much-anticipated Avengers live-action movie….