Friday, July 29, 2011

Fishy Friday

 
Andromeda

Strength: 6
Toughness: 7
Special Powers: 3
Status: 2

Andromeda Attumasen is the daughter of Attuma, a nemesis of Namor. Inspired by Namor, she joined the (New) Defenders and fought against her father. Together with Tamara Rahn, Stingray, Triton, Tiger Shark and Namor himself, she was one of the Deep Six - a team of underwater characters.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Game Of Thrones

Still jetting off the Glasgow each week but, due to a generous work colleague who also shares these trips, I've now watched the first series of Game of Thrones. And it was excellent!

Sure, things sort of meandered a little in the middle, but episode 7 turned things around and from then on it was a wonderful sprint to the finish. In fact, I was somewhat surprised I'd reached the last episode (I hadn't realised there were only 10 episodes) and so felt a bit 'robbed' when the end came. I want more!

Like the books, I think the first half of this season suffered a little from having lots and lots of different characters split across a variety of locations. It took a while to get a hang of who was who and where events were happening. But, as mentioned, by about two-thirds of the way through things started to click into place.

And, like the books, no character is safe from the chop!

All the actors are great in their roles and none let the side down (although, perhaps, Lena Headey's Cersei does not come across as well as the others). The locations look wonderfully lavish and there's a real sense of suspense and intrigue.

Let's hope the second season arrives sooner rather than later.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Winsome Wasp's Wardrobe #27

art by George Perez and Dan Green (from Avengers #200 1980)

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Torchwood: Miracle Day - Rendition

This second episode wasn't quite as explosively entertaining as the first episode but was reasonable enough, I guess. Most of the action took place on board a plane with Gwen and Jack taken prisoner by the CIA. I guess it served as a way to show the viewers and Rex that there are some shady people in his organisation who are out to kill, rather than question, Torchwood. Otherwise though, it felt a little like padding. At times I couldn't tell whether the artificially-frantic treatment of Jack's poisoning was supposed to be amusing or serious or both. It just seemed a little silly.

Again, I felt that the acting from a number of the actors was, well, okay I suppose. I like Rex and Jack is always fun to watch. But even Gwen seemed a little off this time. Esther still doesn't convince though.

I guess this episode was setting a few things into motion - Rex's and Esther's split from the corrupt CIA, Oswald's rise to fame (and eventual cult status), Jack's mortality, the introduction of PhiCorp - whilst continuing to ask how the world would cope.

And who is Jilly Kitzinger? She appears to be touting herself differently to different people - first as a PR guru to Oswald then as an employee of PhiCorp. Red seems to be her colour - she's not supposed to be some sort of devil figure, is she?

So, not a bad episode and I'll continue to watch Torchwood until the end, but nothing incredibly exciting either. And although the mini-series format seems to suit Torchwood, I do sometimes mourn the loss of standalone episodes.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Friday, July 22, 2011

Fishy Friday

 
Tamara Rahn

Strength: 6
Toughness: 5
Special Powers: 2
Status: 2

Marvel's funky red-skinned Tamara Rahn is an alien of the water-breathing extraterrestrial Banari race from the planet Laab. As with many comic book meetings, she originally fought Namor the Sub-Mariner but then turned to the side of good (although she was involved with Tiger Shark for a while). She has the usual run-of-the-mill aquatic powers.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Winsome Wasp's Wardrobe #26

art by George Perez and Josef Rubinstein (from Avengers #194 1980)

Monday, July 18, 2011

Torchwood: Miracle Day - Episode #1

Well, you can tell it's now American.

The first half of this new episode of Torchwood seemed a bit like a tacky, CSI-like thriller. The pace and cutting was faster than before and there were a fair number of explosions. And, again, annoying zoom shoots of the mouths of multiple newsreaders were used near the beginning to highlight the shock of 'Miracle Day'. So thank goodness for the earmuff-wearing baby as Gwen shot at a helicopter outside her window after being reintroduced to Captain Jack!

It was at the point about half way through when Rex, the injured CIA agent, travelled across to Wales when things picked up for me. In fact, if it wasn't for Rex's tough, gruff, get-stuck-in attitude together with his dry wit then all of the American newcomers would've been somewhat bland and forgettable.

By the end of the episode though, I found I was quite enjoying the show. I have no idea how they'll run with the same mystery for another 9 episodes (mind you, other US shows have extended single mysteries over longer seasons in the past) but I reckon it'll be pretty entertaining. And I'll be interested in discovering why Jack is now vulnerable whilst everyone else is unkillable, why he came back to Earth after leaving at the end of the last series, who sent the Torchwood email that seemed to start this thing off and why some group is sending helicopters and suicide bombers to kill Jack and Gwen. Plus, it looks like we'll get to see more of Bill Pullman's creepy character Oswald the child killer.

Let's hope they stop using the "456" designation for almost everything though.

Monster Monday

Eek! Almost forgot...


(though not as good as Heropress' "I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters" post on Sunday)

Friday, July 15, 2011

Fishy Friday

 
Undersea Agent

Strength: 3
Toughness: 4
Special Powers: 4
Status: 1

An agent of U.N.D.E.R.S.E.A - standing for the United Nations Department of Experiment and Research Systems Established at Atlantis - Davy Jones (!) was a government operative with the usual minor aquatic powers (heightened strength, endurance, etc) but also had access to a number of high-tech weapons. Later on, he became a member of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents but other than his dubious name, he's pretty forgettable.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Winsome Wasp's Wardrobe #25

art by John Byrne and Klaus Janson (from Avengers #183 1979)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Aviator #6: "Who Knows What Evil Lurks?"


The chilling wind whistled past Aviator as he hurtled through the air. The words and images from Bag Lady's newspaper still tumbled around his head, their shock still stinging within him. How could Kath be a villain...?

His trajectory took him straight to his apartment in Devil Heights and, as he neared, he slowed his flight. The window to his bedroom was still open and so he quickly darted inside. Even before his feet had touched down on the floor inside, he noticed that Kathleen was also in the room with an almost-full suitcase near her on the table in the corner.

"Kath, what...?" Rob began, looking from the woman to the things strewn across his bed.

Kathleen did not seem surprised, but turned in a graceful movement, shutting the suitcase as she did.

"Ah, the flying boy has returned", Kath purred, a slight smile playing on her lips. "And a little earlier than expected. A pity. I'd hoped to have been gone before you came back, to save any goodbyes".

She lifted up the case and began to make her way towards the door. Rob moved to the side to intercept her.

"Kath, I know who you are. That you're Fallen Angel. What are you doing? Where are you going?"

He was confused and a little angry, both with himself and the woman before him. Kath stopped and glanced up at Rob, her eyes blazing with harsh red light.

"So, Aviator", she said, stressing her knowledge of her companion's identity, "you've finally woken up and seen the news. Took you long enough. As to where I'm going, I would've thought it was obvious. I am leaving this place and rejoining my... other companions".

She took a step closer to the door but Rob stood his ground, blocking her. They were now no more than a foot from one another, each facing the other.

"You're Fallen Angel. You broke out of Dunwich. You're a goddamned supervillain, Kath!"

Kath tutted and waved a pale finger in the air.

"Kathleen Pendergast hasn't been around these parts for some time, my poor lovesick Robbie. Whereas my existence is eternal. Yes, I escaped from that confining dungeon you call Dunwich and away from that disgusting wretch of a man Dr Liefhouse. Just like I escaped an eternity before from Him above and his restrictive Commandments".

"But how can you be evil? Why did you do the things you've done? You were so lovely back at University. And I love you Ka..."

Kathleen's eyes blazed again as what appeared to be anger - or perhaps some other veiled emotion - boiled inside her.

"No, am I not evil. I am freedom and power. But Dr Liefhouse told me I was just Kathleen Pendergast. He said I was just some sort of mutant with meta-genetic abilities pretending to be what I was, deluding myself. He said I had psychological problems and that he could help me. But he was the deluded one. He restrained me, isolated me and tried to hurt me to get me to utter his petty lies. He was wrong. For I am one of the Fallen, using this woman's essence and form, here to free you mortals from the Almighty's unholy dictatorship".

"What are you on about?" Rob pleaded. What she was saying seemed like madness but all Rob wanted to do was hold and comfort her.

"You are controlled by the One above, Rob. You have no more freedom than an actor in one of your movies, following a preordained script. That is what you call ‘goodness’. And now Kathleen Pendergast is free from those chains. Instead, this body is mine. Being here was a pleasant distraction, my dear, but now darkness is coming and it is time for me to leave".

She took another small step closer to the doorway, now only inches from Rob, but Rob just held up his hand.

"I know that's you in there, Kath. You can't leave me. And you're wanted by the police. I won't let you leave. You need help".

He reached across to put his reassuring hand on her gentle shoulder. Just as he was about to touch her, Kathleen's eyes again glowed red as eternal fires flashed deep within them. A corona of suffocating, painful heat suddenly surrounded the woman. Rob quickly withdrew his hand.

"You are as bad as him. Get out of my way!" she sneered.

And, absently, she backhanded Rob across his surprised face.

If an express train had slammed into Rob, it would have hurt less. The slap hit Rob with so much force that he flew sidewards and smashed into the large refrigerator in the nearby kitchen area. With a groan, he tried to get up but his head was ringing and his body didn't seem to want to respond. Through blurred vision, he watched as Kathleen opened the door and began to head outside.

With what little strength he had, Rob stood up and called out weakly. "Kath...!", was all he could utter before the woman turned to face him.

"Goodbye Rob" she replied in return, her glowing eyes gazing deep into his soul.

Shapes seemed to spring up from the corners of his blurry vision - monstrous entities of darkness and fire. He tried to breathe, tried to move, but his mind felt separated from the rest of his body, which was held in some sort of stasis. His feeble heart inside the chest he could no longer feel flickered and then stopped.

For that long moment, all Rob could do was stare into those red, inhuman eyes. And as he gazed, he was sure he could see flaming wings grow behind his ex-lover's back and a fiery halo materialise above her head.

Then he blinked and she was gone.

Rob’s chilled blood began to beat again around his returned body. Crippling pain resurfaced, surging like an unstoppable tidal wave across the ocean of his fragile nervous system. Finally, the darkness that hovered around his sight's periphery took him as his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor unconscious.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Fishy Friday


Nia Noble

Strength: 5
Toughness: 4
Special Powers: 6
Status: 1

Member of the New Invaders, Nia Noble was actually married to the Fin. She has the usual underwater powers of strength and swimming but also has some cool telepathic powers too. Other than that, I've never heard of her - probably because she was in the New Invaders.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Winsome Wasp's Wardrobe #24

art by Jim Mooney and Al Gordon (from Avengers #179 1979)

Monday, July 04, 2011

Friday, July 01, 2011

Fishy Friday


The Duck

Strength: 2
Toughness: 3
Special Powers: 6
Status: 2

Not exactly the best name for a superhero, eh? This is one of Stan Lee's NHL-based superheroes in his Guardian Project. Rich and highly intelligent, he apparently makes all the high-tech gear for the Guardians. And has a surf board. And looks a bit daffy.