LEGION OF SUPERHEROES + SMALLVILLE

Mention it and suddenly it’s all over the web. Blog post with spoilers and pictures of the Legion Smallville style(and the visiting future villian reveal). But we have to wait ’til January…

WARNING: IF YOU HAVEN’T EVER READ THE LEGION OF SUPERHEROES THIS WILL MAKE NO SENSE SO CHECK OUT THE MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM CARTOON AND SKIP TO ANOTHER POST — poetry, Shakespeare, movies, weather, Disney, books, art — I’m sure you can find something.

The Legion Omnicon Blog with some comment and links and an i09 blog Legion roundup of “is there a future for the Legion and will it contain Geoff Johns(writing Smallville episode) or Keith Giffen or Paul Levitz.” I vote for Giffen or Levitz or whoever they vote for. They had some of the strongest runs on the Legion ever.

So maybe I can stop working on the blog entry nobly offering to put the rest of the things I do on hold(after Shakespeare this summer, of course) and revive the Legion. Jim Shooter’s version has been too over the top with sex and traumatic violence — tangent: did anyone see this Sunday’s Mother Goose and Grim; they do the groaner pun better than anyone else on the funny pages); plus Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl are the foundation of the Legion, along with Cosmic Boy, who has been too absent.

So while we’re on the Legion thing and since I will be shelving my why I’m such a comic geek and should get the reboot job post(and yes, I bought a Flight Ring and thought they should have offered a 10k gold version), here are my Legion thoughts and memories in no particular order…

The Great Darkness Saga is the reason I started collecting comics — I had to buy my brother’s copies because he wanted to keep them in the bag and I wanted to read them…do something of that caliber, with that level of echoing consequence without resorting to the easy and obvious. Giffen’s reboot five years into the Legion’s future was exquisite, entertaining, crudely drawn, sometimes brutal but great. Levitz’s run was phenomenal; Light Lass’s return to her lightning powers is a fantastic story. My favorite Legion characters/couples — and yes, if you’re not a Legion fan, you won’t realize everyone has a favorite couple: Dawnstar and Wildfire — Wildfire was missing from the current incarnation; it’s the future, have a character made of disembodied energy, it’s cool and a very interesting dramatic problem; Lightning Lass and Shrinking Violet, they earned their relationship the hard way, they really work together, just go with it; Brainiac and Supergirl — Brainy and DreamGirl started out ok but is way off the rails now, besides Nura and StarBoy worked and didn’t work excellently; Matter Eater Lad is essential as is the young Clark Kent — although Supergirl and the Legion combined well. As I said Cos is essential; I hadn’t really been missing Timber Wolf, but he fit with the Projectra storyline, Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl always rocked…

And enough nostalgia. The Legion starts out with three strong characters, goes from there and if you’re going to reboot, do it with good writers not just blasts from the pasts. Be brave, daring and visionary. Blow up Earth again if you must and make it a personal story, make it matter. Too often the Legion is just an army up against a stronger, differently limbed army. Do those three things and then I can be excited about the Legion again. I miss that. It came back, but started to slip away before Shooter’s return and now the thrill’s gone. I’m frankly glad not to see what else Shooter was going to have the villains paw.

I am looking forward to Smallville. And seeing what develops from there. And I’ll go back and reread Johns’ Legion of Three Worlds issues. I gave them a quick skim and liked more than dissed.

LOIS, CUFFLINKS AND CARLY(PLUS MIDDLENEWS)

Right, quick insomniac stream of conciousness TV and multi media notes:

SMALLVILLE: still not great Lois writing, but some great Lois and Clark moments in the Doomsday meets Chloe wedding disaster. Great use of limited special effects, much heightening of drama. Erica Durance and Tom Welling do good work and fit in well together at the farm, there’s a nice feel. The return of Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang got me in trouble — if you’re going to come back, come back in style — and she did. Wow. And with the “Did the Archer believe you?” message, the intrigue vibe came with her. Some beautiful moments — excellent visuals by the director — and the last sequence was breathtaking and beautiful and actually made me want to watch the next episode (but no joy there ’til Jan. 15th); don’t take any kryptonite cookies and avoid Kristin Kreuk in black leather or anything resembling it, that’s my advice.

iCarly — downloaded iWin a Date, which is another of my favorite episodes…Gibby’s great fun. Also watched iWon’t Tell (I think that’s the title) and realized that Miranda Cosgrove is a master of the comic meltdown rant, a core iCarly concept. Between iCarly’s “Random Dancing” segments and True Jackson’s “Dance Party” have decided I need an actual stereo with speakers I can control remotely from any room downstairs. More dancing always good. True Jackson continues funny, but they keep throwing in these “I’m only a teen in way over my head moments” and I just don’t like them.

Disney: Bolt’s getting good and neutral tweets on Twitter; the “Harper Knows” Wizards of Waverly Place(Flash does not approve of Wizards; for her Selena Gomez is always the villanous Mikayla, we think) episode was actually fun — between that show and the Big Bang Theory there will be so much embrace your inner and outer geek going on that I dread to see what shows filter out of the next iteration of inspiration based on that premise.

Anything else? Hmmm, have Spirited Away on loan, must watch sometime this week and see if anime love lingers post Howl’s Moving Castle.

All right, I’m done and too tired to link. Google, Ask or Yahoo…you’ll find it. Good night all. Enjoy your Monday(yes, even if it requires large amounts of lasagna).

Oh, A Middleman update(I’ll link for fellow Middleman lovers) — apparently Natalie Morales has been signed for a pilot of something scifi Star trek spoofy and here’s a blog containing interviews about the future (or not) of the Middleman. Kevin Sorbo’s in there too –oddly, I just iPwatched the episode he appeared in…tomorrow, maybe episode 11????? The DVD set should come with a bonus CD of the show’s music to soothe the no season 2 heartbreak.

iHATCH LIZARD SPOCKS WITH KRYPTONITE

Well, watched the iPie episode of iCarly again and it wasn’t as funny as it was in my cream and custard flinging dreams. But it was bundled together with iHatch Chicks and iPromote Techfoots, two of my favorite episodes (I came upstairs to blog during iLike Him — close to my least favorite episode so far)…chick names are great: Shelly, Heuvo, Benedict, Omelet, Yoko and Poachy; good Freddy lines — “Sam ate them” for example — well, I guess it’s better if you watch the episode. The Freddie’s baby cousin storyline was one of the funnier things in the pie episode; Freddie’s mom is so funny with the deadpan “she does hate you.” Anyway, I could quote iCarly for awhile longer but that would make me hungry for “blubbery” muffins. If you’re not watching it yet and you can stand screaming and mania and running around and actors who can both physical and verbal comedy, well, why aren’t you watching it? The iGo Japan ratings were very respectable, highest for a Nick movie, so maybe they’ll make an iGo London soon.

What else? Big Bang Theory survived fairly funny without direct Sheldon-Penny confrontation so points for that. Rotate the talent a little. Mix up your pitches. It’s the way to make it to the big game. Liked the Mars Rover in a ditch bit, especially the call AA exchange. Nice to see Leonard and Penny as friends; glad there’s no lingering dating awkwardness; the Spock thing went on a bit too long but Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock is one of those phrases that gets funnier every time you say it.

Did I mention I was looking forward to Lana’s appearance on Smallville. That’s very strange for me and an indication that things are not well in the Superverse. More fun, more banter, more Lois, more heroics, a more cheerful and more often seen Green Arrow, and less of the moody lip pursing paramedic/supervillian in training. Kind of sad to see Kara go off, but she doesn’t really fit into to the Metropolis centric storyline. I would like to see Maggie Sawyer back, though.

Oh, for any fans of Flash, she’s off the new Hannah theme song but seems to like The Suite Life on Deck; no comment on iCarly. Patton likes watching basketball with Gayle. Pongo’s solid on Smallville, sports talk in the morning and Home Improvement — he likes guys; my little brother was his best friend when Beau and Pongo were growing up.

PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The iCarly next episode blurb involves “pie” which causes me to think, gee there should be pie on all of the shows I watch (and in my icebox). Pies that then develop into that beloved standard of comedy, the pie fight. And yes, The Great Race hard to beat, but wouldn’t it be fun to see Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco and the science gang try over at The Big Bang Theory or mix a little red kryptonite into the whipped cream on Smallville or — let’s go for a stretch here — well, wizard sized walking pies on Waverly Place or pies plus Muppets plus Cheetah Girls on Studio DC Almost Live or the pie episode of Ace of Cakes — they’ve done cupcakes and cookies, why not — or RayLo versus Kordell and Jamal(their tailors would weep) on the First Take First Annual Super Pie Bowl. And why don’t food fights factor in the Bond films — haven’t they seen Tom Jones?

Pick your flavor, turn your back, take ten paces and…

PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m packing butterscotch.

NETWORK ROUND UP

Well, the Big Bang Theory has given up on anything but Sheldon vs. Penny and it’s working — very very funny. Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons have great chemistry and both have legendary comic timing. I loved when Penny did the 3 part knock on Sheldon’s door; Raj and Howard on the supermodel trail a good sidenote and Johhny Galecki seems to be sliding quite nicely into the whisper of reason role.

Still watching The Middleman on my iPod and lamenting its lack of a future. Have decided I need to upgrade my rating on the Tuba and Puppet episodes; Lacey and The Middleman do such a delicate and nuanced dance of attraction that it is actually delightful to watch. And how could a show with someone as exuberantly joyful and sexy as Brit Morgan’s Lacey(and I usually skew brunette) get cancelled. Come on people. Gayle at least wants it out on DVD. I want a second season. I’ve been remembering scenes and not remembering which episode they’re from — I think next on the Middle agenda is watching the Kevin Sorbo one, although maybe I should watch a Roger Moore James Bond or In Like Flint just to get in the mood.

Anything else while I’m on the TV track — Smallville. Nice to see so much of Erica Durance, but have faith in your actors and get better darn writers. Having the villian of the week telling Lois and Clark (pick a different one each week) they have feelings for each other is a cheap excuse for a relationship. Show it, don’t tell it — isn’t that even in the basic scriptwriting books so EVEN if you substituted formula for talent or effort, the Smallville scribes should still be doing it right. But they aren’t. No one’s actively keeping secrets from anyone and that’s so not Smallville. I never thought I’d miss Lana, but I do. Kristin Kreuk’s Lana was actually allowed to be amused by things, even while withholding information. I miss that. But don’t mistake that for an I miss Clark and Lana. I don’t. I miss storylines that are driven by things that matter to the characters and I think a Smallville driven by the Jimmy-Chloe-Doomsday triangle is a Smallville that doesn’t work.

REVIEW MOOD

Or rather out of a review mood — the Middle streak has been broken.  I curled up with my iPod tonight to catch the Accidental Occidental and once again felt the rush of middle joy, but alas no news yet on more Middle content — or the delivery of my two toned Middlemobile — I’m thinking more of a Middle mini Cooper.  So how did the episode do?  Roxy’s great, Lacey’s great, Noser’s great, Ida’s great; Fashionmouse excelled, especially at the opening of the underworld.  So was there anything not great?  Not that immediately pops to mind so + for Roxy, + for Lacey, + for Middleman and Wendy working out the ground rules of work and the other parts of life, + for the kid, + for Mr. Terra Cotta, – for underworld bureacracy, – for lighting, maybe.  Sum total 5.5+ on the EM Scale of +6 to -6.

 

Eureka — well, the Eureka mid season finale was kind of a whole minus.  Somehow, they completely forgot how to do dramatic tension, everyone’s in trouble, but no everyone’s safe and we never believed they were in trouble anyway oh but Carter has to lose his job so you’ll come back and watch.  Boo.  I’ll give ‘em points for Carter and Alison getting back to their old snap and Jo FINALLY kicking some butt.  But really, Zane’s just doing what Henry used to do with less panache and doesn’t anybody else miss taggart?  So, I’ll let them eke out a 3, maybe…2.75.  And way to end the mid season without a buzz.

 

Smallville started and seems to be doing all right, although I think the Lois/Clark relationship is a bit off…and Clark Kent isn’t actually a goofball straight off the farm.  No way he shows up in flannel on the first day of the job.  But TV shows are all about making scenes work — ooh, let’s have Lois get Clark out of his clothes — and not about keeping a line on characters as they’ve actually developed.  Liking the new Lexcorp villian though.  Smallville wins the prize(over several years) for season openings that have the least to do with the overwrought cliffhangers of the previous season’s finale.  

 

I think that’s enough grumping.

IN NEED OF LUNCH

Internet still a time sucking engine of chaos — sometimes chaos good; sometimes chaos bad. For a great read about the chaotic effects of butterflies, bellwethers and Barbies, read Connie Willis’s Bellwether. I myself am having a read P.G. Wodhouse urge thanks to the blurb on the cover of the FT Weekend Home and Garden section about Dahlia’s — I keep getting a mangled quote in my head about Bertie’s Aunt Dahlia vs. Aunt Agatha, the one who eats broken glass, small children and howls at the moon — I did say mangled, right.

I think I’ll give up attempts to be obsessively productive this week; finish (actually start) the Roller Derby story due next Tuesday and try again next week. I did get pastelling done and bought cool props for the new Gullible and Twitchy I’m going to shoot as soon as I have another movie night scheduled. I need to do something active like have fun with puppets. Try it yourself. It’s fun. Or at least check out Gullible and Twitchy.

Smallville season premiere tonight — Justice League, Antartica and can we hope Lois. Well, I always do. Cheers.