Old Man Logan

Ah, dystopia. The Dark Knight Returns style future looks at Marvel icons continue (also see Kaare Andrews homage-ized Spider-Man: Reign) in June with Mark Millar and Steve McNiven bringing the story, "Old Man Logan," to the character's eponymous comic, Wolverine, with #66. Millar's teases in interviews have me interested and cringing a little at the same time. Seeing a world where the villains won and discovering what made Wolverine give up the super hero life and simply be Logan both sound intriguing. From there, the descriptions provided by Millar (especially his hints about the Hulk) go downhill. Fortunately, Steve McNiven is the big draw with preview art of older Wolverine that sells me even though his Civil War, 4, and Amazing Spider-Man work already had me planning on a buy.

Does your job have an off-season?

Today I saw a story on Reelz Channel about the summer film season filling with so many movies all wanting an opening weekend of their own that now the first of the big money movies regularly hits in early May. These stories always make me think about why these release seasons get established. Most people have to work year round, so wouldn't they be looking to enjoy entertainment offerings on the same schedule? Even families with children off for the summer probably end up waiting for an adult to take the kids to the theater on the weekend just as they'd have to during the school year.

Summer blockbusters have crept into theaters when nature's still in spring without difficulty apparently. Would audiences really mind if they were spread over the rest of the calendar? The same goes for the so-called awards candidate films mostly debuting in the fall and early winter.

My Wallet Has Deja Vu (The Double Dip)

Most of the time buying another version of something you already own is a no-no, but everybody must break this rule once in a while, right? Comics are the easiest vice with trade paperbacks and hardcovers being much more attractive in the long run for rereading than pulling out single issues from a long box. If you don't support smaller titles (non-Marvel or DC super hero books) along the way, you may not even get a trade to wait for, so double buying happens by support of the regular issues followed by picking up the collected edition if the story was good enough. Then there's the case of oversized hardcovers and DC's Absolute editions. You thought that comic looked gorgeous enough in regular format until you see a huge, pretty book and owning another copy of the story you've read makes sense. Doubling up on comics is something I try to do sparingly, but it still happens when I know I can't wait for the trade without being spoiled but also know going in that I'll want the ultimate version of the tale. Waiting for movies and games is one thing, but doing the same for comics when you can have a weekly fix...I only manage it for a few titles hit with sporadic release issues anyway.

The issue is a little murkier than it used to be for films. Used to be you could tell a sans extras DVD was a pass until a better edition came along and you set in for an increasingly shorter wait. Now Blu-ray adds the improved picture quality factor and in some cases, extras that aren't on the DVD version. Recently, I decided to hold off on No Country for Old Men until I get a Blu-ray player to avoid the temptation to rebuy and have been thinking maybe I should've done the same for 3:10 To Yuma. The price of Blu-ray discs is a pretty strong deterrent still with only all-time favorite films even being considered. I don't even want to think about how much Critertion Collection films will cost (rebuy or not) taking into account how much they already run on DVD.

Video games are the one safe medium...well, not today. Multiple versions of the same game are close to absent from my shelves except for the Metal Gear Solid series which got me again today with the MGS: The Essential Collection giving me the chance to pick up the trilogy again but most notably, the Substance version of MGS 2. I know the fourth game is only a few months away, but still I go back for more of the PS2 era.

All you can do is keep the, "I've bought this before," moments to a minimum. For me that means, Batman Begins on Blu-ray will be the last time for a while. Gotta keep looking for something new.

Captain America: White

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale will be doing another "color" book for Marvel entitled, Captain America: White. I haven't tried Daredevil: Yellow or Hulk: Gray, but I do have the hardcover of Spider-Man: Blue. It's a nice look back at the time where Peter/Spider-Man was dealing with both Gwen and Mary Jane in his life. The current direction of the Amazing Spider-Man stories left me feeling as though we lost Mary Jane just as past readers lost Gwen (okay, MJ didn't die, but the book is close to over for me now), so Blue is a chance to see them both again if you haven't read it.

The Loeb/Sale team shines in these slice of the past tales along with their projects together on DC's Batman (Haunted Knight, The Long Halloween and Dark Victory) and Superman (For All Seasons). Captain America is different than any of the other solo characters the two have worked on as he's not a vigilante hero in the vein of Bats, Spider-Man or DD and obviously not in the Hulk's monster style. There are some parallels between Cap and Superman since both are the inspirational hero of their two universes, but the war background separates Steve Rogers from Clark Kent. Plus, Tim Sale's art is unlike anyone else's and Jeph Loeb gives him plenty to draw, so the visuals always make the pairing something to be excited about. I plan on picking this up in trade or hardcover, because their stories are worth rereading.

No Maps For These Roads

I've been thinking lately about the types of characters and stories I seem to seek out on purpose or subconsciously. As someone in his twenties and currently looking for work, I noticed the recurring themes once I stopped to take a look. I tend to relate to characters who seek their place in life while keeping a small circle of people around them. Not that those traits are all that I'm interested in, but they do seem to be parts of the major players in my movie and comics collections as well as my TV choices. I do enjoy seeing characters not sure about their future as they figure out who they'll be.

I certainly was fascinated to watch more of the Connors dealing with their destiny in the Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series this season. The idea of going back in time and messing with a historic figure's mind by telling him exactly what he'll be someday continues to fascinate me. John Connor is told at school age that he'll be the military leader who leads mankind against the machines. That's like telling a young George Washington that he'll win the Revolutionary War and turn a group of colonies into a superpower. Well, nuclear war and terminators are a bigger specter than British soldiers, but I'm comparing sci-fi and history here. The hook is having that uncertainty removed and seeing how people deal with filling the gap between what they are and what they'll be now that they know. That time of discovering your role in life is sped up at least for Sarah and John. They both study military strategy, weapons, tactics, enemy behavior, technology etc. and put themselves on track for what looms as best they can.

On the less grim end of the spectrum is NBC's series, Chuck, about a Buy More (pseudo-Best Buy) employee finding himself living a double life working for the CIA. The show does have dramatic touches but is meant to be on the lighter side. Still, I find myself identifying all too well with the idea of the lead character dissatisfied with his current situation and wanting to be more. The first season was fun and accomplished a lot considering the writers strike's impact, and it'll be welcome to see Chuck again next season.

The spy genre also produces Sydney Bristow (Alias) and Jason Bourne on the more dramatic side. Both are highly skilled at what they do with the problem being that they want no part of the job anymore. Being burdened by what they are as they battle for personal freedom to change is another recurring type of characterization that can really work when done well.

Moving from spies to comics, characters like Bruce Wayne/Batman and Peter Parker/Spider-Man are constants in the super hero genre. Peter Parker doesn't seem to be necessarily using his college degree thanks to Spider-Man's distraction. Writers have had him go from photographer to various science-related jobs to teacher and back to the Daily Bugle again. He is always in the process of figuring his life out.

Then there's Bruce Wayne defined by his role as Gotham's central figure and is seemingly different than the other characters mentioned so far. He fascinates as someone who's found their calling so completely, but the road to that point is still an amazing backstory that hasn't been explored in-depth. There are bits and pieces about Bruce's training years, but the epics still seem to start with his first year as the Bat and onward. When he set out at the beginning, he wasn't certain about exactly what he'd become, so there had to be a struggle which is hinted at in the comics as well as the film, Batman Begins.

I suppose part of the appeal of the characters discussed so far is seeing people become what they're supposed to be and reminding myself that there's still so much time to go. I do wince a little when I watch a character like Max (Jamie Foxx) in Collateral who starts the film seeming to have let his goals slip by. Those scenes in Walk the Line where Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) struggles as a salesman until getting his record deal resonate as well. It's just nice to see how others have found their way as I wonder how I'll get there too.

No Fate - Sarah Connor finishes Season One (of many, I hope)

The best thing for viewers to come out of the TV content shortage from the writer's strike has to be that it caused so many of us to give Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles a chance. The series finished its short 9 episode first season last night and at least for me, would be at the top of the list of shows to watch next fall and stands as a Heroes-killer if it keeps the Monday timeslot and goes up against that series. I have no idea what the hold-up is on Fox's end, but this show deserves to be renewed.

Quality performances from the entire cast, excellent writing, and deft handling of Terminators on a TV scale were sustained throughout the first year. I haven't been this interested by a show's early goings since Alias broke out of the gate.

SPOILERS for Vick's Chip/What He Beheld

The final two episodes ended the season with several pitch-perfect moments that only helped seal the deal as something to pick up on DVD. Vick's Chip started the night off more subdued compared to the second episode of the evening but was still an excellent exploration of the Terminator tech and provided key characterization notes. Skynet wanting access to the city's traffic camera system was another fitting way to attempt subtle infiltration. The scene of John removing Cameron's chip recalls the deleted scene from Terminator 2 and displayed more of that tension over how close to get to her.

What He Beheld provides the strongest moment of connection yet between John and his uncle when Derek takes John to watch young Derek and Kyle playing baseball. It's a pretty powerful sense of contact for John with his father and also included a very well played revelation by Derek that he knew John's lineage by family resemblance.

I enjoy the show's score very much but was blown away to hear Johnny Cash's "The Man Comes Around" as the FBI team tragically tries to raid Cromartie's room only to get dismantled by something they aren't ready for. At first when the agents' bodies start raining down into the hotel pool, I assumed they weren't killed to lighten the blow for television (as I'm guessing the show creators meant to play with expectations). Then we get a look at all the blood mixing with the water, and the impact is realized with the devastated Ellison as the spared survivor, only alive because Cromartie left the scene to resume his mission.

All of the above was plenty and then they go ahead and have a car bombing on top of it. Sure, plenty of other shows have had that, but to see it happen to Cameron, a terminator, certainly piques interest. We know she's not dead, but what kind of shape is she in? It'll be tough passing for human for a while at least.

Season 2 should be something special and I can't wait!

Bourne One More Time

Quietly it was recently announced that the Jason Bourne movie franchise would be getting another installment from Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass. The existing films comprise one of the few complete trilogies, meaning no weak installment(s) that become forgotten or blocked out by fans. A fourth film is certainly something to look forward to even after plenty of us picked up the slick box set of the first three movies.

The second film, The Bourne Supremacy, stands as my favorite for several reasons, but particularly for the ending. The conversation between Bourne and the daughter left orphaned by his past actions followed by the shot of him walking away from her apartment building in the snow is haunting in the way I love films to be. The Bourne trilogy has the rarest blend of quality characters, story, and action all with a good dramatic weight to it. When the tv series, Alias, ended, I moved to getting my spy fix from Jason Bourne and am glad not to have to look for the next series just yet.

Living in Gotham

As I think about what I'm looking forward to in entertainment for 2008, much of it is about Batman in various media. Bruce Wayne has always been a favorite character of mine in all of fiction, but I can't believe how many different ways you can get your fix this year. At the top of the list (even above almost all the comics themselves) are The Dark Knight film and Batman: Gotham Knight. The latter being a rare mix of a great American property with some of the best studios in anime to create an anthology telling the stories between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The release of Begins on Blu-ray alongside Gotham Knight are how I plan to begin my hi-def collection this summer as I finally pick up a PS3.

Taste for the Theatrical

The Batman property is on its way to potentially having the best-executed super hero adaptation franchise going because of its complete restart with Batman Begins. Gone are the days of making a Bat film seemingly without opening a comic. Pre-Begins, Spider-Man seemed to have the crown with the second film still containing the best fight scene in the genre. However, seeing the pieces of a great adaptation fit together better in Begins changed plenty of minds about who had the best film. Strangely both Spider-Man 2 and Begins had train fights and the somewhat annoying plot device of a villain trying to destroy the city, but the story and casting were stronger for Bats. This combined with odd choices in Spider-Man 3 (excessive crying and dance sequences should set off a spider-sense) to make me go back and realize that the Spider-films have had their solid moments, but there's still so much more to be done and perfected. Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and company upped the expectations for the entire genre with Begins. Comics are still the place where these characters shine brightest, but filmmakers are understanding more of what's being offered to adapt.

On Leather Wings

The Bat has a history of changing my expectations going back to the start of the legendary Batman: The Animated Series. The series was the first time I was shown as a kid that animation would still be interesting as I got older. Not only was it different than any other U.S. offering, but unknowingly it was a bit of an introduction to anime with Japanese visual elements coming from the overseas animators who worked with Bruce Timm and company. At the time, I only knew it looked cool and wasn't written like a long action figure commercial. Having gone back and picked up all the DVD box sets last year, I can say it still holds up as one of the few American works I enjoy as much as the best anime series I've gone on to watch since. With more mature animated takes on super heroes being doled out as the occasional direct-to-DVD movie these days, Batman: TAS stands as a singular moment and has me hoping for quite a lot from the Gotham Knight anime effort.

Bat Signals

A stack of trade paperbacks and hardcovers bought over the last several months sits on my table (book and DVD storage being at a premium currently), and half of them are Bat books. The stories range from black and white short stories to long, full-color epics with the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne working well in more writing and art styles than possibly any other in the medium. Much is always made of the main books, Batman and Detective Comics, but the project I'm most anticipating is the Joker story by Brian Azzarello and my favorite artist, Lee Bermejo, planned as a graphic novel to be released sometime this year. Bermejo's art and costume designs look better than cinematic, and Azzarello works well with him. Previously, they've been in Gotham for a Batman and Deathblow (Wildstorm character) story, but the pair absolutely nailed their take on Bruce Wayne/Batman in Lex Luthor: Man of Steel #3. That issue showed us Bruce through the eyes of Superman's greatest foe, but now the creative team will finally get a chance to show us their view of Batman's enemies with the Joker tale also featuring plenty of other Dark Knight foes.

Year One - Year ???

Bruce Wayne and his world continue to fascinate with a mix of so many favorite genres that I just never get bored. Creators from all media can switch and combine styles and elements from detective stories, martial arts, noir, super heroes, psychological exploration, horror, and more. Storytellers who normally don't go near mainstream comics characters still seem to have at least one Batman tale in them. Something about the character simply works and has continued to do so since 1939. It's at least one franchise that won't have to be explained to future generations someday. They'll still have him.