Superheroes fly off of TV

Season 6 cast of Smallville — Smallville's cast as of Season 6

Genre television has experienced a virtual bloodbath in the past few weeks, with numerous shows getting canceled. Granted, many were doing poorly in the ratings, but that’s partly because broadcast and cable TV haven’t caught up to the increasing use of DVRs and Netflix for time-displaced viewing. It’s also a tricky niche.

Of the shows that are ending, I’ll miss The Cape and No Ordinary Family, which tried to capitalize on the popularity of superhero movies. Like Heroes, they had difficulty balancing the perspectives of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances with showing more and more metahumans (and exhausting limited special effects budgets).

Unlike the surprisingly successful Smallville, most of this recent batch of superpowered shows got bogged down with increasingly complicated and implausible scenarios. Of course, comic books often have the same problem of mistaking melodrama for character development. I’d contrast this with the retro, campy, and episodic fun of the also-ended Spectacular Spider-Man and Batman and the Brave and the Bold.

Speaking of Smallville, it’s hard to believe that what many critics originally dismissed as “Superboy meets Dawson’s Creek” became the longest-running live-action superhero show on U.S. TV. As David I.S. and I have discussed, Smallville wisely made the transition from “kryptonite monster of the week” to the larger DC universe as its characters and audience matured.

The show was far from perfect, with erratic villains, dropped storylines, and much-loathed bans on “flights and tights” and cameos by Batman and Wonder Woman (because of movie rights). I know that some fans will be disappointed by Superman’s rare computer-generated appearances in flash-forwards, but the Kirk Alyn serials from the 1940s also used animation for the tricky flying sequences.

On the other hand, Smallville (even up to its finale) provided new insights into the self-doubting young Clark Kent (played by Tom Welling), his nurturing human parents (played by John Schneider and Annette O’Toole), and his friends and foes.

I thought the supporting performances of Alison Mack as Clark’s pal Chloe Sullivan, Justin Hartley as colleague Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, and Erica Durance as rival/love interest Lois Lane were all strong, despite inconsistent writing, often silly costumes, and slow individual arcs. Michael Rosenbaum was one of the best Lex Luthors ever, with able assistance from John Glover as his domineering father Lionel and Cassidy Freeman half-sister Tess Mercer.

Numerous other DC Comics characters eventually appeared, including the Justice Society, Legion of Superheroes, Legion of Doom, and a mix of Teen Titans and a proto-Justice League. Like the first appearance of Jimmy Olsen in the radio show, aspects of Smallville eventually influenced comics in return.

In addition, the show paid homage to its predecessors with cameos by Chris Reeve, Margot Kidder, Terence Stamp, Helen Slater, Dean Cain, and Teri Hatcher. Like Stargate SG1, many young actors like Amy Adams got their start thanks to Smallville. I’ve been fortunate to meet several cast members at various conventions over the years.

Although I’m more of a fan of most Batman incarnations than of Superman, I think Smallville deserves to be considered alongside the George Reeves, Dean Cain, and Bruce Timm-animated versions. Let’s hope that Zach Snyder’s attempt to reboot the first true modern superhero on the big screen is successful!

Coming soon: More SFTV turnover and how I would revive Wonder Woman!

All-Star Superman review

Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's Superman — All-Star Superman

Just over a week ago, Janice and I watched All-Star Superman, the latest in DC Comics/Warner Brothers’ direct-to-DVD animation line. It’s based on a well-received story by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly, who respectively also wrote and illustrated runs of the X-Men, Justice League, Doom Patrol, and Batman.

The cartoon adaptation is fairly faithful to the source material, including its concise retelling of Superman’s origin and allusions to the character’s science fiction adventures of the 1950s and 1960s. While I’ve found some of Morrison’s writing to be too densely self-referential, the 12-issue All-Star Superman is much more successful as a timeless tale of our would-be savior than Frank Miller’s over-the-top and incomplete All-Star Batman.

The animation captures some of Quietly’s style, especially in farmboy/reporter Clark Kent’s slouch or Lex Luthor’s egotistical posturing. The action scenes are well-choreographed, and like in Young Justice, the urban landscape of Metropolis is ironically more realistic than its current Marvel animated counterparts.

As usual, Andrea Romano has assembled a strong voice cast, including James Denton as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman, Christina Hendricks as Lois Lane, and Ed Asner in the role he was born to play, Daily Planet editor Perry White. Anthony LaPaglia doesn’t have the menacing gravel of Clancy Brown, but he’s a decent Lex Luthor.

I’d give All-Star Superman three stars, a B+, or an 8 out of 10. It’s rated PG for some violence. I like Justice League: the New Frontier, Batman: Gotham Knight, and the Green Arrow short that was packaged with Superman/Batman: Apocalypse more.

I’m also looking forward to Green Lantern: Emerald Knights and Batman: Year One. Miller’s oft-praised Dark Knight Returns would be better as an animated feature than a live-action movie, even though his vision of Gotterdammerung has influenced many Batman depictions in the past 25 years.

Coming soon: Belated Megamind review and Rango!

17 December 2009: Holiday rush and animation

Although I’ve recently posted my roundups of genre entertainment, I had intended to write “Best of 2009” blog posts before year’s end. As usual, however, I’ve fallen behind with holiday correspondence, so I may have to combine them with my looks at the year ahead.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been busy with work, attending local industry events, tackling budgeting, and trying to get ahead with editing assignments. I’ve also been dealing with conflicts in local and remote social/gaming groups. Janice and I easily completed our Christmas shopping and decorating, and we look forward to seeing her folks in Upstate New York next week.

We’ve also been watching various animated specials on television, including old favorites such as A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Claymation Christmas Celebration. Although some recent computer-animated shows such as Shrek the Halls and Flight Before Christmas were mediocre, I was favorably impressed with a few newer specials, like the whimsical Yes, Virginia, the clever Prep and Landing, and the quirky Olive, the Other Reindeer.

The Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa successfully recaptured some of the humane spirit of the late, great Jim Henson. I have yet to catch Gotta Catch Santa Claus or How the Toys Saved Christmas, but even with ABC Family’s help, there are more specials to watch than time to see them.

Speaking of animation, last weekend, I screened The Princess and the Frog, Disney’s first hand-drawn feature in several years. I liked the New Orleans setting and gender reversals, even as many other reviewers have focused on the fact that this is Disney’s first movie featuring an African-American heroine.

Although the plot, soundtrack, and characters weren’t particularly original (female lead, singing animals, romantic plot), I’m glad that John Lassiter recognizes the value of preserving multiple types of animation in addition to the currently popular CGI. (On a related note, I may try to catch James Cameron’s derivative but apparently spectacular Avatar.)

For example, stop-motion had a bit of a resurgence this year, with the well-received Coraline, 9, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I’d give the all-ages Princess and the Frog three out of five stars, 8/10, or a “B” grade, and I hope it’s successful in reviving interest in 2-D
animation in the U.S.

Monday, 31 August 2009: Work, food, and Ponyo

On Tuesday, 18 August 2009, I received a minor promotion from assistant site editor to associate site editor at TT. In addition to my existing duties at the technology journalism company, I’m helping to coordinate coverage of this week’s VMworld conference in San Francisco and taking on more Web page management responsibilities.

On the bright side, I’ve already been treated out to sushi lunches at Fuji in Needham,
Massachusetts, twice by current and future managers! I’m flattered that they’ve had such confidence in my organizational abilities after only three months, and I hope to earn their trust.

On Monday, Aug. 24, Janice and I met with former CW co-workers Michele D. and Bob R. for a pleasant dinner at the Watch City Brewery on Moody Street in Waltham, Mass. I still hope to get together with other former colleagues, including Monica S., Donna S., and Brian F.

On Saturday, Aug. 29, I met Ken G. for lunch at Rawbert’s Vegan Café before going to an exhibit on comic book history at the Wenham Museum. The big news in the world of superheroes is that Disney is buying Marvel. I don’t expect any immediate changes in the comics or movies, but the move puts more pressure on DC Comics and Warner Brothers to try to catch up.

On Sunday, Janice and I had brunch at the ’50s Diner in Dedham, Mass., and went to the Dedham Community Theater to screen Ponyo. A few months ago, I saw and liked the subtitled version of the latest Miyazaki anime, and I found the English-dubbed
version to be better paced. I’d still give this PG-rated variation on The Little Mermaid an 8 out of 10, or a B+.

Although I’ve had to cancel this coming week’s games, I did catch the first-season finale of BBC America’s supernatural melodrama Being Human, which may not have the popularity of True Bloodor Twilight, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. The regular autumn genre television season begins in the next few weeks, but first, I’ve got lots of work to do!

Wednesday, 29 July 2009: SFTV and Comic-Con

As my last blog post noted, comic books have inspired several successful movies in the past several years, so it’s no surprise that Hollywood had a major presence at the 40th annual San Diego Comic-Con last week. “Beautiful downtown Burbank,” or the television industry, was also well-represented, with actors rubbing shoulders with costumed fans.

I’ve been a fan of slacker comedies such as Reaper, partly because popular directors such as Kevin Smith and Judd Apatow represent my generation (if not necessarily its work ethic or supposed lack thereof). Espionage spoof Chuck and sleuth homage Psych have been consistently entertaining, but I think The Middleman has the best mix of fanboy allusions, witty writing, and empathetic acting. I would have liked to have been at the live reading of the “lost script,” which will eventually come out in comic book form, completing Middleman‘s life cycle.

As with their graphical origins, TV metahuman melodramas have continued, despite mixed reviews. I think Heroes has room for improvement, but many disillusioned viewers may forget that most genre programs have their ups and downs in terms of story and quality. We’ll also see whether Smallville‘s slow approach to the Superman mythos, including a Justice Society episode, will help it overcome its dependence on tired tropes. The latest version of Human Target has a narrow premise, but I like its cast.

G4 had extensive coverage of the Star Wars panel at Comic-Con, marred somewhat by the forced hijinks of usually appealing hosts Kevin Perreira and Olivia Munn. Many of my friends stopped following George Lucas’ space opera franchise after realizing that the prequel films were aimed at a younger audience than us, but I’m looking forward to Season 2 of the computer-animated Star Wars: Clone Wars on the Cartoon Network. I may also try to get tickets to the upcoming musical concert tour if it comes to Boston.

Speaking of cartoons, Batman and the Brave and the Bold, like Spectacular Spider–Man, revels in Silver Age goofiness rather than Bronze Age funk. A musical episode, classic voice casting (including a bombastic Aquaman), and clever use of obscure characters from across the DC universe make Brave and the Bold worth watching.

Marvel Comics has been more successful in print and movies than DC, but it’s only now catching up to the latest wave in animation. Wolverine and the X-Men and Iron
Man have been decent, but Marvel Superhero Squad (premiering 19 September 2009) might capture more of the old-school, child-friendly humor and action of comics’ Silver Age. The anime-style Iron Man and Wolverine might also be good.

More serious is the just-released direct-to-DVD Green Lantern: First Flight, continuing DC/Warner Brothers’ strong lineup of Justice League: New Frontier, Batman: Gotham Knight, Wonder Woman, and the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Andrea Romano is a voice-casting genius, and I’ll review Green Lantern‘s first cosmic foray (and other recent DVD acquisitions) separately.

Speaking of interstellar adventures, but back to live action, the Doctor Who panel didn’t reveal many new tidbits about David Tennant‘s final outings (for now) as the Gallifreyan Time Lord, but I wish his successor Matt Smith luck in taking on a role inhabited by 10 predecessors. I don’t think a remake of alien invasion series “V” is necessary, but it does sport decent production values and casting.

I’m among those who have criticized the rebranding of the SciFi Channel as “SyFy,” but I’ll keep watching what few genre shows it has left rather than wrestling, schlock horror, or so-called reality programming. Cryptozoology series Sanctuary has room to grow, but the promotion of Stargate: Universe as being more like the revisionist Battlestar Galactica or even Joss Whedon’s prematurely canceled Firefly/Serenity than the solid Stargate SG1 is a turnoff to me.

Admittedly, I have lower standards for Smallville or the syndicated fantasy Legend of the Seeker, but I’ve already spent a few years following them instead of other popular arc-driven shows such as Lost. Sword-and-sandals fans may also enjoy Spartacus, which may not match the adult content of HBO’s Rome, but it won’t be Xena: Warrior Princess, either (for better or for worse), despite Lucy Lawless’ participation.

AMC‘s upcoming miniseries remake of Patrick McGoohan‘s paranoid Prisoner has a combination of the things I like about genre television: nostalgia with a modern twist,
solid casting and production value, and (I hope) good writing. I’ve also just started watching Being Human, a drama about a vampire, a ghost, and a werewolf as roommates, on BBC America.

Coming soon: Last but not least, comic books and games!