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matt_zimmerReposted for Chris. Also reviews for Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace and The Storyteller: The Definitive Collection and comic book reviews of Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Eight.
Upcoming reviews on this journal include Batman: Year One, ThunderCats Season One: Book One, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class, The Lion King, V: The Complete Second Season, Smallville Season Four, Smallville Season Five, Smallville Season Six, The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Volume Two: The Wars Years and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume Three: The Years of Change. The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Gaunlet Volumes 1 and 2 has been postponed. I might not write it until January.
Spoilers below the cut. The ones for Buffy are MAJOR. No joke.
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
I was skeptical when I heard the new Green Lantern was going to be given the Gotham Knight treatment. Six interlocking stories didn't work for that turd so I wasn't looking forward to this. It's not that bad though. In fact parts of it were pretty great. I loved the segment Mogo Doesn't Socialize and though it was one of the very best things ever put out but the DC Universe Animated Original Movie franchise. The rest of the stories weren't as good but the movie gets a good grade just because of that one.
I really wanted to hear the tale of Hal Jordan and the squirrel.
Decent movie. ***1/2.
The First Lantern: I liked this segment because it was part of the mythology I had never heard of before. Pretty cool. ***1/2.
Kilowog: That instructor guy really got on my nerves. Kilowog was cute though. **1/2.
Laira: The weakest of the segments. Overlong and boring. Any good things? The fight between Laira and her father had neat camera moves. It reminded me of something directed by Jouquim Dos Santos. *1/2.
Mogo Doesn't Socialize: A gem. I had heard of Mogo because of Batman: The Brave And The Bold but this story of a Green Lantern who is a living planet actually does the concept justice. A pleasure to watch and one of my faves. *****.
Abin Sur: If I'm to take this movie correctly, Sinestro will not become the villain in the Green Lantern movie and they'll save that for the sequel. Not a great idea in my book. A bigger mistake than saving Mandarin for at least the third Iron Man movie. ***.
Emerald Knights: The framing story is pretty good. The climax is exciting (Mogo!) and the animation is pretty sweet. Still, it's hard to get excited for a story that has so many slow points that the Lanterns have time to tell Arisia a whopping five stories. ****.
DVD Menu: Still. *.
Superman/Shazam!: The Return Of Black Adam
A collection of DC Showcase shorts featuring slightly extended cuts of The Spectre, Jonah Hex and Green Arrow along with a new half-hour short starring Superman and Captain Marvel. Both George Newbern and Jerry O'Connell reprise their Justice League Unlimited roles even though the short is clearly not DCAU. And it's pretty fabulous. The "extended" shorts do little for me (Green Arrow is still good and my negative opinions of The Spectre and Jonah Hex still stand) but I have to give Bruce Timm credit for including Batman: The Brave And The Bold's "Chill Of The Night!" episode since there wasn't a DC Animated Universe episode with The Spectre in b.t.'s continuity. It's one of Brave and the Bold's best episodes and bumps up the grade of the entire disc half a star. DVD Overall: ****.
Superman/Shazam!: The Return Of Black Adam:
This short is pretty great and fun to watch. What I liked best about it, was despite the fact that it had some adult themes in it, it was rare for one of the recent DC projects in that it remembered to be fun and campy. The ending was a little dark but Captain Marvel did the right thing so I can forgive it. It was great to see Captain Marvel's origin told so well as well as surprising appearances from some of his cast. I laughed when Billy Batson accidentally said "Shazam!" mid-air and fell like a rock. Something tells me that gag has been done before but I still found it funny. ****1/2.
The Spectre:
Extended Version. Time and distance have not warmed me to this short. If anything I think it's worse. The pretty animation no longer impresses and I'm just left with the same sour feeling I had when I first saw it. And Mark Hamill is a hundred times The Spectre that Gary Cole is. *.
Green Arrow:
Extended Version. This was the first DC Showcase short I enjoyed and it was cool to see it again. Neil MacDonough is a fabulous Green Arrow and this was fast and even funny in places. Good stuff. ****.
Jonah Hex:
Extended Version. I still don't care for this much but unlike The Spectre short I WILL concede that there is some merit to this one. The atmosphere is moody and the voice cast is top-notch. How top-notch? Jason Marsden has two roles and is completely unrecognizable in both. **1/2.
Bruce Timm's Top Picks:
Jonah Hex - Showdown (From Batman: The Animated Series): One of my favorite episodes EVER. I love the Western feel and Jonah Hex as a cowboy is MUCH cooler, creepier and funnier here than in JLU's Once and Future Thing. GREAT old-fashioned dialogue throughout the episode and the revelation at the end is just great especially because Batman actually agrees to a truce with Ra's for once. Fantastic. *****.
The Spectre - The Chill Of The Night! (From Batman: The Brave And The Bold): Quite possibly the greatest Brave and the Bold episode of all time this instant classic written by Paul Dini is the first serious episode of the show to make me sit up and take notice. This could have EASILY been a Batman: The Animated Series episode from the way it was structured but the amount of stuff it was able to get away with is something Fox standards and practices wouldn't have touched with a ten foot poll. This episode was great because it had voice roles for Adam West and Julie Newmar (As Thomas and Martha Wayne) as well as Kevin Conroy (as the Phantom Stranger) and Mark Hamill (as The Spectre). To make the geek cred even more complete Richard Moll makes an appearance and I'm pretty sure he actually did Two-Face's voice as well! Add in Zatanna in the teaser and you have the best episode ever! *****.
Green Arrow - Initiation (From Justice League Unlimited): Good introduction even though I have never been crazy about Green Arrow. I LOOOOVEEE Supergirl though so that made the episode worth watching. I also loved Batman's brief scenes at the beginning and the end. ***1/2.
Shazam! - Clash (From Justice League Unlimited): I love the fact that even though Captain Marvel DID do the right thing, that he was wrong, wrong, wrong. Nice and ambiguous. I love the paranoid vibe the entire season gave us. One quibble: Wouldn't Lex's reformation have been easier for the audience to believe if the animators hadn't given him such a smarmy look and demeaner throughout the episode? ****.
Batman: The Brave And The Bold Trailer: As bad as Warner Home Video trailers of DVD releases usually are this one misses the boat completely. It's dark tone is SO not in the spirit of the light-hearted show. It feels like amateur hour at WHV. *.
DVD Menu: Love the music. ***1/2.
Jim Henson's The Storyteller: The Definitive Collection
Dark Crystal, Shmark Crystal. The Jim Henson project I'd REALLY like an update on is The Storyteller. Awesome show even if it's sequel series Greek Myths wasn't.
I had never seen Greek Myths before and I almost wish I hadn't. The original nine episode Storyteller series was so beloved by me and Jim Henson fans that watching these boring and depressing stories really made me realize I'd have to knock my grade for the set down a bit. The biggest problem with Greek Myths is that it is a total bummer, with a complete lack of light or fanciful moments. I love Micheal Gambon as much as the next guy but unlike John Hurt he plays his Storyteller completely straight and entirely without quirks or fun wordplay. He still has a great voice and an ability to captivate the audience but after John Hurt I expect more. The more traditional cinematic nature of the stories also stood out for me and not in a good way.
But the original nine episodes are a blast. The special effects are VERY dated but they look cool visually just the same because of their storybook and fairytale nature. They also used MANY more puppets than Greek Myths did and John Hurt is VERY captivating as The Storyteller. He has a completely fun way with words that would give Dr. Seuss a run for his money. The cynical dog (played by Brian Henson) is also quite funny and a great connection to the audience.
I enjoyed this "Definitive Collection" even if Greek Myths brought the score down a bit. The Storyteller: *****. The Storyteller: Greek Myths: **. Collection Overall: ****.
Jim Henson's The Storyteller:
Best episodes of the series are the funny and freaky The Soldier And Death, the riveting The Luck Child, the one with the lion (The True Bride) and the story of The Storyteller and his wife (A Story Short). The only one in the series I don't really care for is Sapsorrow but it still has many things in it to recommend.
Hans My Hedgehog: Once this got to the twisted romance I started loving this. Hans' early life was... odd but the saga of him and his new bride took hold of my imagination. ****.
Fearnot: This was fun and I liked the actor playing Fearnot. His fear was predictable but I had a blast getting there. The Tinker is a great sidekick too. ****1/2.
A Story Short: I love this episode. It was SO great to see the Storyteller tell an entire story about himself (he had a minor role in Hans My Hedgehog) and I wish it happened more. Fabulous. *****.
The Luck Child: Cool, fantasy concept and epic execution. GREAT story. *****.
The Soldier And Death: Those devils were absolutely hilarious (VERY Gremlins) and the Soldier was owning everybody the entire way through. I'm bummed he got a sad ending but reality will somehow catch up to someone THAT fortunate, I guess. Probably my favorite episode of the series. *****.
The True Bride: Another epic tale that is also very humorous and has great puppetry and effects. Look for Jane Horracks (Absolutely Fabulous) as Anja and Sean Bean (The Lord Of The Rings) as Anja's True Love. *****.
The Three Ravens: I heart Miranda Richardson (Blackadder) and have since The Crying Game. She not only does evil scary, she makes evil HOT. Hubba Hubba. ****1/2.
Sapsorrow: It's really unfortunate how the dark themes of this episode are addressed and how Sapsorrow wound up with the abusive Prince (he kicked her while she was kneeling on the floor) was treated as a happy ending. And I was VERY surprised that they tackled some incestuous themes which kind of squicked me out. Good things? Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French as the Badsisters. I love that their actual name is Badsister and they come from a place called Faraway. **1/2.
The Heartless Giant: I wasn't as broken up about the Giant's death as The Dog was. For all we know he HADN'T changed and was merely trying to save his own life. The Giant puppet was absolutely amazing. ****.
Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Greek Myths
There are no episodes of this series I like. Consider the Worst Episode list a four-way tie.
Daedelus And Icarus: Extremely dark and depressing story but then they all are. This one was particularly gruesome because it involved the death of TWO children. Whoever at Henson decided that using the tragic Greek Myths as a template for a family series needed their head examined. Look for Derek Jacobi as Icarus. *1/2.
Orpheus And Eurydice: Another bummer, this time with beautiful special effects. I feel SO bad for The Dog who has to listen to these downer stories. **.
Perseus And The Gorgan: This SORT of has a happy ending, although it's VERY dark at the same time so I don't consider it one. The puppet effects on Medusa were great and Polydectes is probably the most loathesome villain the franchise has ever done. **1/2.
Theseus And The Minotaur: Theseus is SUCH a repellant character (see him ducking out on his bride the morning after his wedding night) that you don't feel the least bit sorry for him for his tragedy. David Morrisey and Lindsay Duncan from the Doctor Who specials play Theseus and Madea respectively. *.
The Dark Crystal Trailer: Excellent. ****1/2.
Dark Crystal Trailer: For the 25th Anniversary Collector's Set. Almost identical to the first one. ****1/2.
Labyrinth Trailer: VERY cool and fun. ****1/2.
MirrorMask Trailer: Awesomeness. Just like the movie. *****.
DVD Menus Discs 1 and 2: Frozen and silent. *.
Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace
This was adorable and hilarious. SO many funny gags. And unlike Family Guy's Blue Harvest they were all G Rated.
The plot is about a young Han Solo (here cleverly disguised as "Ian") stowing away on a young Jedi field trip and getting into all sorts of mischief. There were a LOT of great jokes including the death of Jar-Jar Binks, C-3PO channeling Scarface ("Say hello to my metal friends!"), R2-D2 gleefully fighting Threepio to the death, Artoo wearing sunglasses in the Cantina band, Anakin and General Grievous stopping their light saber battle to say hi to the kids and pose for a picture, and the hilarious running gag of George Lucas having to repeatedly tell Darth Vader he wasn't in this scene. "Can someone get Darth a donut?" Genius. I especially loved the joke of Palpatine lowering and raising his hood to confuse the Galactic Senate that he was Senator Palpatine and then a Sith Lord. Peek-a-boo!
Other great jokes include "Keeping Up With The Calrissians" and the Lego instructions being impossible to follow due to the lack of words. It's funny because it's true.
Honestly, this was the best new Star Wars project I've seen since Genndy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars. It makes light fun of the franchise while still being true to it. There are a lot of Easter Eggs and shout-outs for the fans too so this isn't strictly a kiddie affair. The animation was also gorgeous. I cannot say enough good things about this. *****.
The Quest For R2-D2: This short wasn't as good as Padawan Menace, probably due to a lack of dialogue (mostly). However there were some cute things in it like cameos from the Ewoks and Indiana Jones (!) that I enjoyed. Pretty good. ***1/2.
Bombad Bounty: The best Star Wars project EVER that had Jar-Jar Binks in a starring role. This short imagines what would happen if Darth Vader took out a hit on the Gungan. It starts with Darth Vader breaking his arm and leg (and being in two signed leg and arm casts for the remainder of the short) and ends with Jar-Jar accidentally destroying the Death Star. Funniest gag was at the very end with Vader and Boba Fett fighting over the TV remote in the hospital room. Freeze frame the opening titles to read an ad for Nass Cleaners. Hilarious. ****.
The Clone Wars Animated Comics: These were pretty funny. I liked the Clones playing cards with the Battle Droids and one of the Jedi (Boku) having their own trading card. Also funny was the idea of the disassembled spaceship being a Lego kit. ****.
Star Wars In 2 Minutes (Part 1): This was a stop-motion Lego short detailing the original trilogy. ***1/2.
Star Wars In 2 Minutes (Part 2): Recap of the prequels that was pretty much impossible to follow. Which I think was the joke. ***1/2.
Blu-Ray and DVD Menus: Nice to hear the extended Star Wars Theme. ****.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 20"
"After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!"
Simply awful and the worst story the comic has ever done. Jeph Loeb has NO idea how to write these characters and the fact is that the fantasy world of the animated series contrasts TOO sharply with later seasons to be enjoyed with a Buffy who has actually been through all of the things she's been through. Terrible. *.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 21"
"Harmonic Divergence"
Clem working for Harmony just doesn't feel right and I'm having a problem with vampires being "outed" in the Buffyverse (Even though Angel: After the Fall probably made that inevitable). That said the very last page was great because the public IS really stupid enough to mistake the bad guys for good guys. ***1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 22"
"Swell"
Evil plushies! I had been really leery of the whole idea of making vampires public knowledge but they've kind of turned the whole thing into an interesting scenario. Good to see Satsu again and I'm glad Kennedy helped her realize Buffy was straight.
Those evil stuffed cats were freaky especially because they jumped down people's throats to mind-control them. Scary.
I liked the issue. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 23"
"Predators And Prey"
A Buffy / Andrew team-up! First one since "Showtime". I like how Andrew's grown as a character (although him using very recent pop-culture references boggles timeline continuity) and it's cool that he's a Watcher like Xander. Yeah, they set that up already but this was the first issue they out and out confirmed it.
As for Simone, I REALLY think she is going to be trouble. Potentially a bigger headache than all of Buffy's Big Bads combined. Because she's human and Buffy, being Buffy just cannot outright slay her. Keep in mind that Willow remains the ONLY Big Bad of the series that Buffy herself was unable to defeat. Her compassion could be her Achilles heel and Simone could do a LOT of damage (an evil slayer with guns!) before somebody inevitably takes her out.
Oh, and the issue itself? Excellent. ****1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 24"
"Safe"
I really enjoyed this story. It was great to finally see Faith and Giles working together and the idea of a Slayer haven was awesome. The whole idea of thousands of Slayers at the end of Chosen certainly gave us a lot of unforseen story complications, didn't it? The monster was icky and I liked the Watcher first begging Giles for help by apologizing, realizing what that meant and then apologizing to the demon. Sickly amusing. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 25"
"Living Doll"
It's taken 25 issues to pay off Kenny the Thricewise and I guess they did it competently here. I kind of wish there had more more to it than this, but I liked it for what it was. Andrew had some hilarious scenes too and the soulless dolls and dollmaker were creepy as well. ***.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 26"
"Retreat: Part One"
Geez, Louise, I hated this story arc but it sure as heck started off promising. It's about time everyone was finally together again. And even though the cover spoiled Oz's reappearance I still laughed out loud at his reaction to the sub: "Huh". ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 27"
"Retreat: Part Two"
I like that Oz has a wife and baby now but I don't think the idea of the Slayers supressing magic is a good one. I think this may be bit of a long term thing though so I'm going to have to get used to it. ***1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 28"
"Retreat: Part Three"
Xander and Dawn's kiss was just SO wrong especially since they had finally been teasing Xander and Buffy. I'm really not liking this particular story arc. Andrew had some good moments (it's about time they got him filming again) but I didn't like much else Willow is being quite unlikable. **.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 29"
"Retreat: Part Four"
I had pretty much figured out Riley was a spy for Buffy a long time ago but it's good to get a confirmation, especially considering how much damage the army he was a part of did to the Slayers. They better not kill off Oz's wife. **1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 30"
"Retreat: Part Five"
Least. Satisfying. Wrap-up. EVER. I know Joss is a fan of unhappy endings but if you're going to conclude an arc you need a better ending than THAT. **.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 31"
"Turbulence"
Classic Buffy to fall in love with Xander right when he starts dating Dawn. Her selfishness knows no bounds. And classic Xander for calling her on it. I'm not sure how I feel about Buffy with Superpowers but it IS interesting. Good set-up issue. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 32"
"Twilight: Chapter One - Buffy Has F***ing Superpowers"
Some really funny stuff between Xander and Buffy and the subplot with Giles, Faith and Andrew is intruiging. I love how Andrew knew every inch of Warren's hideout because he helped design it. I also think it's interesting that Buffy's power supposedly comes from dead Slayers. Cool cliffhanger too. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 33"
"Twilight: Chapter Two - The Master Plan"
Twilight being Angel wasn't too surprising but I like the extent to which the revelation will make rereading the comics fun. For instance it's obvious now that Twilight KNEW Riley was secretly working for Buffy all along. I also was very interested in where Angel and Buffy's 'ship may go now. Good issue. ****1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 34"
"Twilight: Chapter Three - Them F***ing (Plus The True History Of The Universe)"
Hot comic. I would have loved to have seen this in live action. Hubba hubba. Giles explanations for what was happening didn't make much sense. And it never did. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 35"
"Twilight: Chapter Four - The Power Of Love"
The issue itself was only okay (Buffy and Angel created a universe through sex? Whaaa?) but the reappearance of Spike at the end was boss. I have been waiting the entire season for him to pop up. ***.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 36"
"Last Gleaming: Part One"
It was fun having Spike back. I really enjoyed the issue, especially the return of the Master at the end. Good issue. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 37"
"Last Gleaming: Part Two"
A MacGuffin? Really? Sigh. This comic is really starting to disappoint. I also am not crazy about the team-up of the Master and the Scoobies. And Angel possessed? Lame. **1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 38"
"Last Gleaming: Part Three"
I hate seeing Angel with his mind taken over. There is just too much stuff going on in this comic. Very confusing, and frankly sucky. **1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 39"
"Last Gleaming: Part Four"
Okay, now I just out and out hate the comic. I can get with the idea of Giles dying. I don't like it but he's been woefully underused in the comic and Joss is mean-spirited like that. But to have Angel kill him while possessed and then have Angel go crazy? That's just stupid.
And how are we supposed to reconcile the timelines between Season Eight and Angel: After The Fall? Are we supposed to believe Angel was out playing dress up as Twilight while he was human in LA? I haven't read all of After the Fall yet and hopefully they'll have it make sense but Joss really needs to get his ducks in a row.
Good idea to kill off The Master and Warren though. They need to go back to creating new Big Bads for each season. **.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 40"
"Last Gleaming: Part Five"
Worst. Buffy Season Finale. EVER. Buffy had one rule and they NEVER broke it while on the air: no matter how sucky overall the season was, the season finale was ALWAYS awesome. No exceptions. Even Restless, which was NOT a typical Buffy/Big Bad smackdown had enough cool things going for it to be addicting. Here this is just an epilogue to a climax that was already all kinds of stupid. Only thing I liked about it was the fact that it hinted that Spike and Buffy are going to renew their partnership of Slaying vampires together in season nine.
Willow breaking up with Kennedy was stupid. I wanted that for a long time but I was hoping they'd take a cool angle on it and not be Buffy/Riley redux.
I DID however believe Giles bequeathing everything to Faith. I didn't necessarily LIKE that but it made sense considering how horribly Buffy has treated him for the last two seasons.
And who was the Scooby who was going to betray everyone? Are they implying it's Buffy or is that still going to happen in season nine?
If Angel is now crazy over what's happened does that mean he's going to be a permanent fixture in season nine? What about the rest of the Fang Gang? I really need to finish Angel: After The Fall. I'm glad they are combining both series but I really hope they don't just give us only Angel and Spike. I want to see Illyria, Lorne, Gunn, and ESPECIALLY Wesley too.
Really weak and disappointing issue. The comic was a disappointment from the get-go but it just got worse and worse by the end. *1/2.
Upcoming reviews on this journal include Batman: Year One, ThunderCats Season One: Book One, Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class, The Lion King, V: The Complete Second Season, Smallville Season Four, Smallville Season Five, Smallville Season Six, The Adventures Of Young Indiana Jones Volume Two: The Wars Years and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume Three: The Years of Change. The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Gaunlet Volumes 1 and 2 has been postponed. I might not write it until January.
Spoilers below the cut. The ones for Buffy are MAJOR. No joke.
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
I was skeptical when I heard the new Green Lantern was going to be given the Gotham Knight treatment. Six interlocking stories didn't work for that turd so I wasn't looking forward to this. It's not that bad though. In fact parts of it were pretty great. I loved the segment Mogo Doesn't Socialize and though it was one of the very best things ever put out but the DC Universe Animated Original Movie franchise. The rest of the stories weren't as good but the movie gets a good grade just because of that one.
I really wanted to hear the tale of Hal Jordan and the squirrel.
Decent movie. ***1/2.
The First Lantern: I liked this segment because it was part of the mythology I had never heard of before. Pretty cool. ***1/2.
Kilowog: That instructor guy really got on my nerves. Kilowog was cute though. **1/2.
Laira: The weakest of the segments. Overlong and boring. Any good things? The fight between Laira and her father had neat camera moves. It reminded me of something directed by Jouquim Dos Santos. *1/2.
Mogo Doesn't Socialize: A gem. I had heard of Mogo because of Batman: The Brave And The Bold but this story of a Green Lantern who is a living planet actually does the concept justice. A pleasure to watch and one of my faves. *****.
Abin Sur: If I'm to take this movie correctly, Sinestro will not become the villain in the Green Lantern movie and they'll save that for the sequel. Not a great idea in my book. A bigger mistake than saving Mandarin for at least the third Iron Man movie. ***.
Emerald Knights: The framing story is pretty good. The climax is exciting (Mogo!) and the animation is pretty sweet. Still, it's hard to get excited for a story that has so many slow points that the Lanterns have time to tell Arisia a whopping five stories. ****.
DVD Menu: Still. *.
Superman/Shazam!: The Return Of Black Adam
A collection of DC Showcase shorts featuring slightly extended cuts of The Spectre, Jonah Hex and Green Arrow along with a new half-hour short starring Superman and Captain Marvel. Both George Newbern and Jerry O'Connell reprise their Justice League Unlimited roles even though the short is clearly not DCAU. And it's pretty fabulous. The "extended" shorts do little for me (Green Arrow is still good and my negative opinions of The Spectre and Jonah Hex still stand) but I have to give Bruce Timm credit for including Batman: The Brave And The Bold's "Chill Of The Night!" episode since there wasn't a DC Animated Universe episode with The Spectre in b.t.'s continuity. It's one of Brave and the Bold's best episodes and bumps up the grade of the entire disc half a star. DVD Overall: ****.
Superman/Shazam!: The Return Of Black Adam:
This short is pretty great and fun to watch. What I liked best about it, was despite the fact that it had some adult themes in it, it was rare for one of the recent DC projects in that it remembered to be fun and campy. The ending was a little dark but Captain Marvel did the right thing so I can forgive it. It was great to see Captain Marvel's origin told so well as well as surprising appearances from some of his cast. I laughed when Billy Batson accidentally said "Shazam!" mid-air and fell like a rock. Something tells me that gag has been done before but I still found it funny. ****1/2.
The Spectre:
Extended Version. Time and distance have not warmed me to this short. If anything I think it's worse. The pretty animation no longer impresses and I'm just left with the same sour feeling I had when I first saw it. And Mark Hamill is a hundred times The Spectre that Gary Cole is. *.
Green Arrow:
Extended Version. This was the first DC Showcase short I enjoyed and it was cool to see it again. Neil MacDonough is a fabulous Green Arrow and this was fast and even funny in places. Good stuff. ****.
Jonah Hex:
Extended Version. I still don't care for this much but unlike The Spectre short I WILL concede that there is some merit to this one. The atmosphere is moody and the voice cast is top-notch. How top-notch? Jason Marsden has two roles and is completely unrecognizable in both. **1/2.
Bruce Timm's Top Picks:
Jonah Hex - Showdown (From Batman: The Animated Series): One of my favorite episodes EVER. I love the Western feel and Jonah Hex as a cowboy is MUCH cooler, creepier and funnier here than in JLU's Once and Future Thing. GREAT old-fashioned dialogue throughout the episode and the revelation at the end is just great especially because Batman actually agrees to a truce with Ra's for once. Fantastic. *****.
The Spectre - The Chill Of The Night! (From Batman: The Brave And The Bold): Quite possibly the greatest Brave and the Bold episode of all time this instant classic written by Paul Dini is the first serious episode of the show to make me sit up and take notice. This could have EASILY been a Batman: The Animated Series episode from the way it was structured but the amount of stuff it was able to get away with is something Fox standards and practices wouldn't have touched with a ten foot poll. This episode was great because it had voice roles for Adam West and Julie Newmar (As Thomas and Martha Wayne) as well as Kevin Conroy (as the Phantom Stranger) and Mark Hamill (as The Spectre). To make the geek cred even more complete Richard Moll makes an appearance and I'm pretty sure he actually did Two-Face's voice as well! Add in Zatanna in the teaser and you have the best episode ever! *****.
Green Arrow - Initiation (From Justice League Unlimited): Good introduction even though I have never been crazy about Green Arrow. I LOOOOVEEE Supergirl though so that made the episode worth watching. I also loved Batman's brief scenes at the beginning and the end. ***1/2.
Shazam! - Clash (From Justice League Unlimited): I love the fact that even though Captain Marvel DID do the right thing, that he was wrong, wrong, wrong. Nice and ambiguous. I love the paranoid vibe the entire season gave us. One quibble: Wouldn't Lex's reformation have been easier for the audience to believe if the animators hadn't given him such a smarmy look and demeaner throughout the episode? ****.
Batman: The Brave And The Bold Trailer: As bad as Warner Home Video trailers of DVD releases usually are this one misses the boat completely. It's dark tone is SO not in the spirit of the light-hearted show. It feels like amateur hour at WHV. *.
DVD Menu: Love the music. ***1/2.
Jim Henson's The Storyteller: The Definitive Collection
Dark Crystal, Shmark Crystal. The Jim Henson project I'd REALLY like an update on is The Storyteller. Awesome show even if it's sequel series Greek Myths wasn't.
I had never seen Greek Myths before and I almost wish I hadn't. The original nine episode Storyteller series was so beloved by me and Jim Henson fans that watching these boring and depressing stories really made me realize I'd have to knock my grade for the set down a bit. The biggest problem with Greek Myths is that it is a total bummer, with a complete lack of light or fanciful moments. I love Micheal Gambon as much as the next guy but unlike John Hurt he plays his Storyteller completely straight and entirely without quirks or fun wordplay. He still has a great voice and an ability to captivate the audience but after John Hurt I expect more. The more traditional cinematic nature of the stories also stood out for me and not in a good way.
But the original nine episodes are a blast. The special effects are VERY dated but they look cool visually just the same because of their storybook and fairytale nature. They also used MANY more puppets than Greek Myths did and John Hurt is VERY captivating as The Storyteller. He has a completely fun way with words that would give Dr. Seuss a run for his money. The cynical dog (played by Brian Henson) is also quite funny and a great connection to the audience.
I enjoyed this "Definitive Collection" even if Greek Myths brought the score down a bit. The Storyteller: *****. The Storyteller: Greek Myths: **. Collection Overall: ****.
Jim Henson's The Storyteller:
Best episodes of the series are the funny and freaky The Soldier And Death, the riveting The Luck Child, the one with the lion (The True Bride) and the story of The Storyteller and his wife (A Story Short). The only one in the series I don't really care for is Sapsorrow but it still has many things in it to recommend.
Hans My Hedgehog: Once this got to the twisted romance I started loving this. Hans' early life was... odd but the saga of him and his new bride took hold of my imagination. ****.
Fearnot: This was fun and I liked the actor playing Fearnot. His fear was predictable but I had a blast getting there. The Tinker is a great sidekick too. ****1/2.
A Story Short: I love this episode. It was SO great to see the Storyteller tell an entire story about himself (he had a minor role in Hans My Hedgehog) and I wish it happened more. Fabulous. *****.
The Luck Child: Cool, fantasy concept and epic execution. GREAT story. *****.
The Soldier And Death: Those devils were absolutely hilarious (VERY Gremlins) and the Soldier was owning everybody the entire way through. I'm bummed he got a sad ending but reality will somehow catch up to someone THAT fortunate, I guess. Probably my favorite episode of the series. *****.
The True Bride: Another epic tale that is also very humorous and has great puppetry and effects. Look for Jane Horracks (Absolutely Fabulous) as Anja and Sean Bean (The Lord Of The Rings) as Anja's True Love. *****.
The Three Ravens: I heart Miranda Richardson (Blackadder) and have since The Crying Game. She not only does evil scary, she makes evil HOT. Hubba Hubba. ****1/2.
Sapsorrow: It's really unfortunate how the dark themes of this episode are addressed and how Sapsorrow wound up with the abusive Prince (he kicked her while she was kneeling on the floor) was treated as a happy ending. And I was VERY surprised that they tackled some incestuous themes which kind of squicked me out. Good things? Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French as the Badsisters. I love that their actual name is Badsister and they come from a place called Faraway. **1/2.
The Heartless Giant: I wasn't as broken up about the Giant's death as The Dog was. For all we know he HADN'T changed and was merely trying to save his own life. The Giant puppet was absolutely amazing. ****.
Jim Henson's The Storyteller: Greek Myths
There are no episodes of this series I like. Consider the Worst Episode list a four-way tie.
Daedelus And Icarus: Extremely dark and depressing story but then they all are. This one was particularly gruesome because it involved the death of TWO children. Whoever at Henson decided that using the tragic Greek Myths as a template for a family series needed their head examined. Look for Derek Jacobi as Icarus. *1/2.
Orpheus And Eurydice: Another bummer, this time with beautiful special effects. I feel SO bad for The Dog who has to listen to these downer stories. **.
Perseus And The Gorgan: This SORT of has a happy ending, although it's VERY dark at the same time so I don't consider it one. The puppet effects on Medusa were great and Polydectes is probably the most loathesome villain the franchise has ever done. **1/2.
Theseus And The Minotaur: Theseus is SUCH a repellant character (see him ducking out on his bride the morning after his wedding night) that you don't feel the least bit sorry for him for his tragedy. David Morrisey and Lindsay Duncan from the Doctor Who specials play Theseus and Madea respectively. *.
The Dark Crystal Trailer: Excellent. ****1/2.
Dark Crystal Trailer: For the 25th Anniversary Collector's Set. Almost identical to the first one. ****1/2.
Labyrinth Trailer: VERY cool and fun. ****1/2.
MirrorMask Trailer: Awesomeness. Just like the movie. *****.
DVD Menus Discs 1 and 2: Frozen and silent. *.
Lego Star Wars: The Padawan Menace
This was adorable and hilarious. SO many funny gags. And unlike Family Guy's Blue Harvest they were all G Rated.
The plot is about a young Han Solo (here cleverly disguised as "Ian") stowing away on a young Jedi field trip and getting into all sorts of mischief. There were a LOT of great jokes including the death of Jar-Jar Binks, C-3PO channeling Scarface ("Say hello to my metal friends!"), R2-D2 gleefully fighting Threepio to the death, Artoo wearing sunglasses in the Cantina band, Anakin and General Grievous stopping their light saber battle to say hi to the kids and pose for a picture, and the hilarious running gag of George Lucas having to repeatedly tell Darth Vader he wasn't in this scene. "Can someone get Darth a donut?" Genius. I especially loved the joke of Palpatine lowering and raising his hood to confuse the Galactic Senate that he was Senator Palpatine and then a Sith Lord. Peek-a-boo!
Other great jokes include "Keeping Up With The Calrissians" and the Lego instructions being impossible to follow due to the lack of words. It's funny because it's true.
Honestly, this was the best new Star Wars project I've seen since Genndy Tartakovsky's Star Wars: Clone Wars. It makes light fun of the franchise while still being true to it. There are a lot of Easter Eggs and shout-outs for the fans too so this isn't strictly a kiddie affair. The animation was also gorgeous. I cannot say enough good things about this. *****.
The Quest For R2-D2: This short wasn't as good as Padawan Menace, probably due to a lack of dialogue (mostly). However there were some cute things in it like cameos from the Ewoks and Indiana Jones (!) that I enjoyed. Pretty good. ***1/2.
Bombad Bounty: The best Star Wars project EVER that had Jar-Jar Binks in a starring role. This short imagines what would happen if Darth Vader took out a hit on the Gungan. It starts with Darth Vader breaking his arm and leg (and being in two signed leg and arm casts for the remainder of the short) and ends with Jar-Jar accidentally destroying the Death Star. Funniest gag was at the very end with Vader and Boba Fett fighting over the TV remote in the hospital room. Freeze frame the opening titles to read an ad for Nass Cleaners. Hilarious. ****.
The Clone Wars Animated Comics: These were pretty funny. I liked the Clones playing cards with the Battle Droids and one of the Jedi (Boku) having their own trading card. Also funny was the idea of the disassembled spaceship being a Lego kit. ****.
Star Wars In 2 Minutes (Part 1): This was a stop-motion Lego short detailing the original trilogy. ***1/2.
Star Wars In 2 Minutes (Part 2): Recap of the prequels that was pretty much impossible to follow. Which I think was the joke. ***1/2.
Blu-Ray and DVD Menus: Nice to hear the extended Star Wars Theme. ****.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 20"
"After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!"
Simply awful and the worst story the comic has ever done. Jeph Loeb has NO idea how to write these characters and the fact is that the fantasy world of the animated series contrasts TOO sharply with later seasons to be enjoyed with a Buffy who has actually been through all of the things she's been through. Terrible. *.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 21"
"Harmonic Divergence"
Clem working for Harmony just doesn't feel right and I'm having a problem with vampires being "outed" in the Buffyverse (Even though Angel: After the Fall probably made that inevitable). That said the very last page was great because the public IS really stupid enough to mistake the bad guys for good guys. ***1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 22"
"Swell"
Evil plushies! I had been really leery of the whole idea of making vampires public knowledge but they've kind of turned the whole thing into an interesting scenario. Good to see Satsu again and I'm glad Kennedy helped her realize Buffy was straight.
Those evil stuffed cats were freaky especially because they jumped down people's throats to mind-control them. Scary.
I liked the issue. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 23"
"Predators And Prey"
A Buffy / Andrew team-up! First one since "Showtime". I like how Andrew's grown as a character (although him using very recent pop-culture references boggles timeline continuity) and it's cool that he's a Watcher like Xander. Yeah, they set that up already but this was the first issue they out and out confirmed it.
As for Simone, I REALLY think she is going to be trouble. Potentially a bigger headache than all of Buffy's Big Bads combined. Because she's human and Buffy, being Buffy just cannot outright slay her. Keep in mind that Willow remains the ONLY Big Bad of the series that Buffy herself was unable to defeat. Her compassion could be her Achilles heel and Simone could do a LOT of damage (an evil slayer with guns!) before somebody inevitably takes her out.
Oh, and the issue itself? Excellent. ****1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 24"
"Safe"
I really enjoyed this story. It was great to finally see Faith and Giles working together and the idea of a Slayer haven was awesome. The whole idea of thousands of Slayers at the end of Chosen certainly gave us a lot of unforseen story complications, didn't it? The monster was icky and I liked the Watcher first begging Giles for help by apologizing, realizing what that meant and then apologizing to the demon. Sickly amusing. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 25"
"Living Doll"
It's taken 25 issues to pay off Kenny the Thricewise and I guess they did it competently here. I kind of wish there had more more to it than this, but I liked it for what it was. Andrew had some hilarious scenes too and the soulless dolls and dollmaker were creepy as well. ***.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 26"
"Retreat: Part One"
Geez, Louise, I hated this story arc but it sure as heck started off promising. It's about time everyone was finally together again. And even though the cover spoiled Oz's reappearance I still laughed out loud at his reaction to the sub: "Huh". ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 27"
"Retreat: Part Two"
I like that Oz has a wife and baby now but I don't think the idea of the Slayers supressing magic is a good one. I think this may be bit of a long term thing though so I'm going to have to get used to it. ***1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 28"
"Retreat: Part Three"
Xander and Dawn's kiss was just SO wrong especially since they had finally been teasing Xander and Buffy. I'm really not liking this particular story arc. Andrew had some good moments (it's about time they got him filming again) but I didn't like much else Willow is being quite unlikable. **.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 29"
"Retreat: Part Four"
I had pretty much figured out Riley was a spy for Buffy a long time ago but it's good to get a confirmation, especially considering how much damage the army he was a part of did to the Slayers. They better not kill off Oz's wife. **1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 30"
"Retreat: Part Five"
Least. Satisfying. Wrap-up. EVER. I know Joss is a fan of unhappy endings but if you're going to conclude an arc you need a better ending than THAT. **.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 31"
"Turbulence"
Classic Buffy to fall in love with Xander right when he starts dating Dawn. Her selfishness knows no bounds. And classic Xander for calling her on it. I'm not sure how I feel about Buffy with Superpowers but it IS interesting. Good set-up issue. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 32"
"Twilight: Chapter One - Buffy Has F***ing Superpowers"
Some really funny stuff between Xander and Buffy and the subplot with Giles, Faith and Andrew is intruiging. I love how Andrew knew every inch of Warren's hideout because he helped design it. I also think it's interesting that Buffy's power supposedly comes from dead Slayers. Cool cliffhanger too. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 33"
"Twilight: Chapter Two - The Master Plan"
Twilight being Angel wasn't too surprising but I like the extent to which the revelation will make rereading the comics fun. For instance it's obvious now that Twilight KNEW Riley was secretly working for Buffy all along. I also was very interested in where Angel and Buffy's 'ship may go now. Good issue. ****1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 34"
"Twilight: Chapter Three - Them F***ing (Plus The True History Of The Universe)"
Hot comic. I would have loved to have seen this in live action. Hubba hubba. Giles explanations for what was happening didn't make much sense. And it never did. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 35"
"Twilight: Chapter Four - The Power Of Love"
The issue itself was only okay (Buffy and Angel created a universe through sex? Whaaa?) but the reappearance of Spike at the end was boss. I have been waiting the entire season for him to pop up. ***.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 36"
"Last Gleaming: Part One"
It was fun having Spike back. I really enjoyed the issue, especially the return of the Master at the end. Good issue. ****.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 37"
"Last Gleaming: Part Two"
A MacGuffin? Really? Sigh. This comic is really starting to disappoint. I also am not crazy about the team-up of the Master and the Scoobies. And Angel possessed? Lame. **1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 38"
"Last Gleaming: Part Three"
I hate seeing Angel with his mind taken over. There is just too much stuff going on in this comic. Very confusing, and frankly sucky. **1/2.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 39"
"Last Gleaming: Part Four"
Okay, now I just out and out hate the comic. I can get with the idea of Giles dying. I don't like it but he's been woefully underused in the comic and Joss is mean-spirited like that. But to have Angel kill him while possessed and then have Angel go crazy? That's just stupid.
And how are we supposed to reconcile the timelines between Season Eight and Angel: After The Fall? Are we supposed to believe Angel was out playing dress up as Twilight while he was human in LA? I haven't read all of After the Fall yet and hopefully they'll have it make sense but Joss really needs to get his ducks in a row.
Good idea to kill off The Master and Warren though. They need to go back to creating new Big Bads for each season. **.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer "Season Eight, Number 40"
"Last Gleaming: Part Five"
Worst. Buffy Season Finale. EVER. Buffy had one rule and they NEVER broke it while on the air: no matter how sucky overall the season was, the season finale was ALWAYS awesome. No exceptions. Even Restless, which was NOT a typical Buffy/Big Bad smackdown had enough cool things going for it to be addicting. Here this is just an epilogue to a climax that was already all kinds of stupid. Only thing I liked about it was the fact that it hinted that Spike and Buffy are going to renew their partnership of Slaying vampires together in season nine.
Willow breaking up with Kennedy was stupid. I wanted that for a long time but I was hoping they'd take a cool angle on it and not be Buffy/Riley redux.
I DID however believe Giles bequeathing everything to Faith. I didn't necessarily LIKE that but it made sense considering how horribly Buffy has treated him for the last two seasons.
And who was the Scooby who was going to betray everyone? Are they implying it's Buffy or is that still going to happen in season nine?
If Angel is now crazy over what's happened does that mean he's going to be a permanent fixture in season nine? What about the rest of the Fang Gang? I really need to finish Angel: After The Fall. I'm glad they are combining both series but I really hope they don't just give us only Angel and Spike. I want to see Illyria, Lorne, Gunn, and ESPECIALLY Wesley too.
Really weak and disappointing issue. The comic was a disappointment from the get-go but it just got worse and worse by the end. *1/2.
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Date: 2011-10-21 06:46 am (UTC)Superman/Shazam!: I like your assessment of the short. It was fun yet still for more mature audiences.
Buffy (and Angel) comics: You know, I'm still debating about reading this stuff. But after I looked at some previews of the Angel & Faith one, I'd like to. But I have to hunt down a list of the all comics and trade paperbacks that are out.
My faith in Loeb has dwindled the past couple of years.
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Date: 2011-10-21 02:27 pm (UTC)Buffy: Have you seen the motion comics on DVD? I'd get that first to judge as to whether or not they're your cup of tea. Be forewarned about the DVD: every single role has been recast.
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Date: 2011-10-23 06:35 am (UTC)Loeb started to lose me when he stopped doing the color books (like Spider-Man: Blue, which I absolutely love) and around the time of Superman/Batman, but by the time he did Ultimatum and Red Hulk, he became one of my least favorite writers of all time.
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Date: 2011-10-23 01:26 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2011-10-27 11:05 am (UTC)I think it's ironic that for a show that was canceled so prematurely Dollhouse had a more satisfying and definitive wrap-up that either Buffy, Angel or Firefly/Serenity did.
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Date: 2011-10-28 08:01 am (UTC)Wait, didn't Dollhouse have more episodes than Firefly?
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Date: 2011-10-30 11:50 am (UTC)You need to see the show and put it in your queue as soon as possible. There are only 26 episodes so you should get through it fairly quickly regardless.
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Date: 2011-10-22 03:31 am (UTC)Superman/Shazam!: The Return Of Black Adam - I liked the fun and camp as well, still hoping for that Captain Marvel animated series. Billy's transforming was funny, but I think Freddy is the funniest (in general) because he can't even say his own NAME without transforming!
Jim Henson's The Storyteller: The Definitive Collection - I haven't seen any of this, perhaps it warrants investigation.
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Date: 2011-10-22 12:56 pm (UTC)Superman/Shazam: I would like a Captain Marvel cartoon show too.
The Jim Henson Hour: Stick with Netflix or Blockbuster because I'm pretty sure this is out of print and mega expensive (it was a near miracle I found this for 32 dollars).
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Date: 2011-10-23 06:54 am (UTC)Jim Henson: I'll probably do that. Heck, I still haven't bought Labyrinth, and I love that movie!
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Date: 2011-10-23 01:27 pm (UTC)Jim Henson: Cool!
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Date: 2011-10-22 03:57 am (UTC)"Predators And Prey" - Yeah, the pop culture references don't work, you just have to apply the same sliding timescale to them as superhero stuff. Buffy couldn't defeat Glory, either, it took Giles to kill Ben.
"Living Doll" - I feel like if this were the show, we could've seen Dawn and Kenny's relationship build rather than a one-shot thing.
"Retreat" - I kind of liked the arc because of how it kicked things into high gear, and yeah, I liked what they did with Oz. But both Willow and the conclusion were quite odd.
"Turbulence" - Xander makes much more sense with Dawn considering how the characters have grown. Him and Buffy wouldn't work.
"Twilight" - I didn't expect Twilight to be Angel just because I didn't think they had the rights, and I stopped reading After the Fall around issue #25. Otherwise, he would've been at the top of my list (and not Hank). Good surprise, as was the return of Spike. Wish the new universe idea was developed more.
"Last Gleaming" - Once again, things weren't developed enough. The MacGuffin, the Master returning, and Angel possessed. I guess Giles' death was meant to mirror Jenny Calendar's, but I wasn't digging it. The last issue shouldn't have been a part 5 since it's more of a bridge between this and season 9. Maybe a special or an annual. I guess Angel's recovery will happen over in his title with Faith while Buffy can try to find her place in this new and disturbing world.
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Date: 2011-10-22 01:03 pm (UTC)Living Doll: I didn't really care because I didn't care about Kenny.
Turbulence: It's just kind of gross considering that he knew her when she was a little kid and he was a teenager.
Twilight: I'm pretty sure Joss had final say, rights-wise. Who is Hank?
Last Gleaming: I hated this arc and it made me wish they had never brought the series back in comic book form. If this was live-action and something I considered canon I would have been furious.
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Date: 2011-10-23 07:00 am (UTC)Living Doll: I wanted to care about Kenny. It was almost like Kit and Carlos all over again!
Turbulence: Maybe it doesn't gross me out because we never saw Dawn as a kid, although Xander's memories would've been altered so he thinks he met her when she was 10 or so. Her as 14 and him as 20 in season 5 isn't that bad since it took them years to get together. In comparison to Buffy/Angel, it doesn't seem that bad.
Twilight: You're probably right. Hank Summers, Buffy's dad.
Last Gleaming: I just disliked the arc because it was disjointed and messy. If I ever get around to rereading all 40 issues, I might like it better. I wouldn't have liked it in live action, either.
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Date: 2011-10-23 01:32 pm (UTC)Living Doll: Who are Kit and Carlos?
Turbulence: It still squicks me out a little because they seem almost like family. I don't think any members of the Big Three (Buffy, Xander and Willow) should be getting involved with each other or members of their families. Buffy and Xander don't really gross me out as much but as you said it probably wouldn't work.
Last Gleaming: I probably WON'T like it better since I've reread most of the issues a couple of times. I was so infuriated with the ending that I didn't bother reading the second half of the series again.
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Date: 2011-10-24 06:21 am (UTC)Turbulence: Fair enough! But it does make sense on Dawn's part since she's always had a thing for Xander, less so on Xander's part who did see Dawn as a little sister.
Last Gleaming: At the very least, I think it'd be fun to read knowing Twilight's identity.
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Date: 2011-10-24 07:09 am (UTC)Last Gleaming: Possibly. I'm not in a hurry to reread that dreck to verify that theory however. :P
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Date: 2011-10-27 04:14 am (UTC)Last Gleaming: I'm not more interested in the Angel tie-ins.
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Date: 2011-10-29 01:15 am (UTC)I need to finish this.
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