TV this week:
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "The Mask of Matches Malone!" - We managed to land a copy of the unedited (uncensored?) version of this episode. Fun stuff, with a great premise and one of the best team-ups in cartoon history. Loved it.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "The Reign of Emperor Joker!" - Great teaser with the rainbow Batman. The appearance of Bat-Mite wasn't the first sign that this was going to be an incredibly silly episode, but it was also deeper and more poignant than I expected. Eh, it was ok.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold: "The Criss Cross Conspiracy" - Aquaman is a total goof in the teaser. Batman's disapproval of Batwoman was based on her reckless endangerment of bystanders... but the Riddler unmasking her was a low point. Faust's last line was a spit-take moment.
- Sarah Jane Adventures: "The Vault of Secrets" - I'm not fond of Androvax, but he definitely allows the cast to really ham it up when they play themselves possessed by him. B.U.R.P.S.S. is insane, I love it. And the reference to Pyramids of Mars was great, as well. A fun little story.
- Sarah Jane Adventures: "Death of the Doctor" - JO!!!! I never realized just how much fun she is as a character. I loved all the references, and man, the whole thing was just a romp into the Doctor's past. Clyde got to shine in this one, and I think it's safe to say he's become the main character to a large degree.
- Sarah Jane Adventures: "The Empty Planet" - What Clyde and Rani find a nightmare is one of my sweetest dreams. So, we're reminded that Clyde and Rani were grounded by the Judoon, but Clyde went to another planet thanks to the Doctor in the previous story. Whoops. I hope the Judoon don't find out.
- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: "The Shrieking Madness" - Cthulu on campus! The break up of the gang in the previous episode led to a powerful little moment at the beginning of this one, but they just can't stay apart forever. I did like seeing what they all would do at a college campus.
- Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: "When the Cicada Calls" - *shudder* Bug attack. Wild little story, but not a lot of movement in the overall plot, unless you count Daphne's acceptance of Freddy's quirks.
- Battlestar Galactica: "The Oath" - Finally back to watching this, and we've come back on a wild note with a big old mutiny taking place. Wow. This series never fails to surprise me.
This week's movie was Home on the Range from 2004. One of those rare Disney movie that I didn't want to watch at all. And my opinion was fairly justified. The one voice actress that I can't stand was just as bad as I expected. Everyone else was fine, but my least favorite actress in the world annoyed me every time she spoke (*snark* though her role seemed unnaturally fitting */snark*). This is a mess of a movie with a handful of good jokes. Barely worthy of being called a Disney movie.
- Brightest Day #12 - Needs more Aquaman. And not zombie Aquaman or memory Aquaman.
- Green Lantern Corps #53 - Trying to be interested, not really finding myself that thrilled. Art is good, but the story... just not into cosmic stuff.
- Justice League of America #53 - When will we get the real Justice League back?
- Power Girl #17 - Not very fun anymore. I'm struggling to like this book.
- Batman Beyond #5 - Oh, I get it now. Makes a lot more sense now that the whole thing has been revealed in detail.
- DCU Halloween Special 2010 - Best story by far was the Teen Titans/Klarion one, and the best line was "uttered" by Teekl.
- DC Universe Legacies #6 - Poor Detroit League. I personally think the current league is much less impressive than them, but no, it's the Detroit League everyone makes fun of. The back-up story made me giggle.
- Tiny Titans #33 - Needs more Aqualad and Aqua-Ohs.
- DMZ #58 - Wow. I just realized this was part of an arc, and I finally figured out what that arc is about. I suppose that makes me slow.
- Doctor Who Ongoing #16 - It's over, which means we can get something else in there that makes more sense maybe.
- Stan Lee's Soldier Zero - Hm. Not a bad start, but it's just a start. I've seen tons of stories that start out much like this, and you never know if they will be good or not.
- Action Comics #894 - Luthor and Death have a little chat. Heh. I like Death, and I loved trying to read the undercurrents in this conversation. It feels like there was more there than it's possible to pick up on a single read.
- Justice Society of America #44 - I have no idea whatsoever what is happening in this issue. I'm not sure I care enough to find out.
- Zatanna #6 - I like Zach. I didn't at first, but he's growing on me.
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold #22 - Oh yeah, Aquaman! Ok, I don't really like buffoon Aquaman, but everyone else does so I'll just go with the flow. Still, it's fun to see him in action.
- Incredibles #15 - Now I feel like I have to go back and read that earlier discussion about Everseer.
- Torchwood #4 - Two stories end, and one continues. It's ok. Nothing special. I'm enjoying the Sarah Jane Adventures tv series more than this.
- Beasts of Burden/Hellboy - Love this. I mean, I just love it. I want more Beasts of Burden. Lots more. I want a monthly, even though I'm well aware it's not possible (as mentioned in the letter column). I will buy any Beasts of Burden book I can afford. And next time I see Jill I'm going to see if she'll sketch me a pug.
- Animal Control Special Creatures Unit Preview - This new book is set in a world in which "breakthroughs in transgenetic science have made patchwork, designer animals commonplace." It's Animal Cops on the designer creature beat. I liked it a LOT and would like to see much more of it. Check out Panda Dog Press for information on how to get this for yourself.
- Usagi Yojimbo #132 - Awesome set up for another story. I generally save this book for my reading dessert, because I know I'll love it every time. And this time was no exception. Looking forward to the rest of the tale.
My book this week was Invictus by John Carlin. Nelson Mandela uses the game of rugby in a bid to unite South Africa. My sister loved this book, and the movie based on it, and wanted me to read it. So she loaned it to me when I visited, and I started on it immediately. And wow. It's not the best written book, as the author sometimes goes on annoying tangents right about the time you really want to know what happens next, but the story is compelling enough to overcome any flaws. I love how the entire situation is set up for anyone not familiar with the story of apartheid, rugby, or Mandela's life tale. The result is a book that my sister was reading on the bus, and trying very very hard not to cry. I was at home and allowed myself the tears. Now we've got to see the movie.
Fortean Times #266 (October 2010). Unimpressive cover for once, nice and calm. The cover story is about the strange death of Gary Devore. The circumstances certainly seem eerie by the facts presented in the article, but I've learned never to make any assumptions about a case based on the facts presented by a single article. And, while it is interesting, I'm afraid I'm not intrigued enough to go digging myself. But this sure looks like a story someone could run with if they wanted to.
Other fun stuff: the Strangedays picture page has the Utah TARDIS image. I will note that the series is going to Utah to film. Coincidence? Other news: Chaplin cult in India. Paul the Octopus (pre-deceased). Musical ghosts. Lights that bite people. Mass hysteria. The orag-pendek. All good, and not even half of what's in the magazine.
The reviews are great, as usual, with a couple of books I may put on my list to try to find and read. There are also the wonderful slapdowns of shoddy works, again, as usual. The letter column had a bit of a morbid note to is, as one of the letters had an editorial comment immediately after it mentioning that the writer of the letter had died and an obituary would appear in a future issue of the magazine. Still, a good issue of a great magazine.
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