Having complained oh-so-much about Infinite Crisis and its related comics, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to say something positive about comics. So here’s what new stuff I’m ordering from the current Previews catalog:

CONAN AND THE DEMONS OF KHITAI TP
I’m enjoying Dark Horse’s monthly Conan series so much it’s scary. But the miniseries, I’m waiting until they’re collected, instead of buying the individual issues. (Just don’t need the comics piling up around the house, and I don’t want to wait a quarter of a year for a self-contained story that will take me less than an hour to read...)

CONCRETE VOL 6 STRANGER ARMOR TP
This may be the final (to date) collection of Paul Chadwick’s excellent Concrete series. Definitely one that holds up to rereading, and one I’d rather have on the bookshelf than stuffed away in some comics box somewhere.

BPRD THE BLACK FLAME TP
I had been reading the BPRD series as they came out, just like I do Hellboy (the book that spawned it), but they weren’t really sticking to my brain the way I would have liked. The Black Flame is the first one I decided to hold off on buying until it was collected, and I expect it’ll be a lot more enjoyable for me in one sitting...

ASTRO CITY SAMARITAN SPECIAL
Kurt Busiek does such a fantastic job telling Astro City stories in both multi-issue arcs and single issues. So do I mind an extra-sized special issue while the current ongoing story is on a break? No, I do not.

CLAW THE UNCONQUERED #1
I mentioned above my enjoyment of the Conan comic, which has extended almost equally to the Red Sonja comics. So I bought the Red Sonja/Claw miniseries (or at least the one issue out so far), and liked that just fine. Andy Smith’s art was great, and he’s going to be drawing this revival of Claw’s solo series. And it’s going to be written by Chuck Dixon, whose work I love--on the right character or book--and who wrote the first Conan comic story I can remember buying. So I’m going to give this a try.

CASANOVA #1
It’s a spy book with all the right influences (Steranko’s SHIELD, Diabolik, stuff like that), and it’s only $1.99. And the art looks nice. Worth trying at that price... (There's an interview with writer Matt Fraction about it here.)

GARGOYLES #1
While I drifted away from the cartoons after a while, I really enjoyed this show when it premiered, and am enjoying it all over again on DVD. If it wasn’t being written by the series creator, I probably wouldn’t be buying the comic. But it is, so I am. So there.

FLIGHT VOL 3 GN
The first two Flight books were great. No reason to expect anything less from this third one.

BLACK PLAGUE ONE SHOT
I’m buying this one for Joe Casey, who rarely disappoints with his own creations. We’ll see... (It’s only a one-shot, so not a big risk.)

CHIPS WILDE THE WILD ONE GN
It’s a graphic novel set in a period that interests me (the West in the ‘20s), by a veteran Western comics artist. I think it’s worth checking out.

RED SONJA MONSTER ISLAND ONE SHOT
I’ll admit, they probably had me at Red Sonja. But this one is written by classic Conan writer (and creator of the comics version of Red Sonja) Roy Thomas. Thomas was one of the key comics creators from my childhood, and it’s hard to pass up anything with his name on it these days. (It’s almost as hard to find anything with his name on it, for that matter...)

ADVENTURES OF RED SONJA VOL 2 SHE DEVIL WITH A SWORD TP
Roy Thomas again, this time joined by Frank Thorne as artist, in these reprints of Sonja’s 70s Marvel series. I enjoyed the stories in the first book just fine, although I would have enjoyed them better if they had been reproduced better. I’m taking a chance that this will show some improvement.

PHANTOM LAW OF THE JUNGLE GN
I’m not sure what this will turn out looking like (it’s made up of panels spread out across two pages, with the dialogue and captions printed in the margins, I think). But I like the Phantom, and with art by Paul Guinan in a style similar to his recent Heartbreakers book, it’ll be really pretty.

LOVE THE WAY YOU LOVE #1
I finally read Jamie Rich’s first novel, Cut My Hair, and enjoyed it much more than I expected. This new series deals with some of the peripheral characters from that novel, so I’m looking forward to seeing them again. Plus, it’s in my new favorite format, Oni’s little digest format. You get the thrill of a serialized story, but in pieces bigger and more substantial than the average comic book.

STRUGGLERS GN
A last minute addition. I’m getting it because I’ve heard great things about creator Tim Fish, it sounds like the sort of slice-of-life story I really enjoy, and the price isn’t too bad for what you get.

JUDGE DREDD COMPLETE CASE FILES VOL 4 TP
And these, I’ll just keep getting until they stop making them. Because I Judge Dredd.

Oh, and almost making the cut would have been Paul Jenkins and Chris Moreno's Sidekick from Image Comics, a humorous superhero book. Only when push came to shove, I I decided it wasn't really lighting my fire the way I want a Paul Jenkins comic to excite me. He says it's going to deconstruct the superhero genre by throwing pies at it. And, at this point, what's clever about a comic book pointing out how silly superhero stories can be?

I'm a fan of the CD revivals of childhood favorite TV shows from Big Finish. I'm not a huge Dark Shadows fan, but I like the idea. I really liked the short-lived prime time revival series in the 90s, but find the original series a bit too slow and dull to actually sit and watch. But the idea of supernatural soap opera really appeals. (This is why I enjoyed NBC's Passions so much until I became too busy to watch it every day.) So this news is certainly of interest...

Dark Shadows audios? - Outpost Gallifrey: "Big Finish will indeed be releasing a series of Dark Shadows audio dramas on CD. These are officialy licensed from Dan Curtis Productions and will star members of the original series cast. An official announcement from Big Finish will be released shortly.

For those of you unfamiliar with Dark Shadows, it is a gothic drama TV series that was broadcast in the US from the mid-Sixties to early Seventies. It is the closest equivalent to an American Doctor Who in the sense that it attracted a dedicated pre-teen following on its original broadcast that has grown in to a massive, and very enthusiastic, cult following. The series has spawned many fanzines, newsletters, websites and conventions and it seems only natural that Big Finish should step in and continue the rich legacy on audio as it has with the likes of Doctor Who, The Tomorrow People and Sapphire and Steel. We feel certain that Dark Shadows fans and newcomers alike will enjoy this latest addition to the range of audio dramas available from Big Finish. "

BBC America seems to currently be in the midst of trying to appeal to viewers with pulses. In addition to the shows in the article I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, they have some new stuff coming next week that I’m interested in.

First, in their “Mystery Monday” slot, they’re showing the third series of Sea of Souls, just a few weeks after its conclusion in the UK. Having seen the first two series on DVD, this has become a favorite of mine--doesn’t hurt that, starting with the second series, the cast featured Dawn Steele--and it’s nice to know I’ll get to see the third series right away. This series departs from the earlier format of three two-part stories over the six-episode series, instead telling six single-episode stories. I’ve read reviews that say the quality almost as good as the second series, so I’m excited.

It’s followed by something called Murder Prevention Unit, about which I know nothing, but I’ll check it out.

And on Tuesday, there’s the premiere of Rocket Man, a drama starring Robson Green. Again, read about this on the BBC UK site and it sounded like something I wanted to check out (been a fan of Green’s since Touching Evil). Now I can, without having to buy the DVDs.

BBC America - Sea Of Souls: "Driving on a curvy road, you suddenly know what is around the bend -- and there it is, exactly as predicted. The phone rings and you know who is calling. Coincidence? A fluke? Or are these glimpses of powers beyond our knowledge? One man's truth is another man's hocus-pocus, and that is where Dr. Douglas Monaghan (Bill Paterson, Lie With Me) and his two researchers Justine McManus (Dawn Steele) and Craig Stevenson (Iain Robertson) come in. They make up the fictional Parapsychology Unit at Clyde University that is at the heart of the gripping drama Sea of Souls.

Over six individual one-hour stories, the Edgar-nominated Sea of Souls confronts dark, unanswered questions of the supernatural. What others find terrifying -- deathly seances, powerful premonitions, vivid night terrors, sinister hauntings, demonic forces, and macabre black magic-- the Sea of Souls team finds mesmerizing."

And because Heist has been canceled, I've stopped watching it immediately. I liked the first two episodes I saw just fine, but I don't need to watch it until the bitter end, particularly if it's not going to tell its complete story.

Goodbye Heist - TV Squad: "Heist, the stylish NBC robbery drama, has already been axed by the network, Michael
Ausiello is reporting at his site ..."

A little bit of home on my parents mantle.

Hospitals do indeed suck. But @ least this one has a nice view.

See the plane @ the end of the jetway? That means ill b flying 2day after all!

It’s midseason, and the networks are springing new shows on us like there’s no tomorrow. These, of course, would be the shows that weren’t considered strong enough to handle fall competition, but enough money was spent that they get an airing anyway.

There’s two shows about thieves, Heist and Thief. Heist is pretty much the TV series version of Michael Mann’s Heat. If it was better, it would be Hustle, but it’s watchable. Thief, starring Andre Braugher on FX, is serious as a heart attack. But it’s only six episodes, so I’ll try to stick it out.

Also decided to sample a couple of new comedies. NBC has Teachers, which looked pretty atrocious in the commercials, but stars Sarah Alexander from Coupling, Green Wing, and Worst Week of My Life. And, indeed, it was atrocious, and did star Sarah Alexander, acting comedic circles around her costars. But between here and one scene that did make me laugh, it gets a second chance from me this Tuesday.

And last night, I recorded VH1’s So NoTORIous, Tori Spelling’s new sitcom about herself. And it’s not fantastic, but it was funny, particularly the second episode. So I’ll probably keep watching it.

(Really, all I ask from a sitcom is it makes me laugh. That’s all it takes, and so few still manage to do it.)

So I’m trying to hire someone to trim my two trees (pine tree in front; palm in back) and clean up my very neglected back yard. So far, I’ve had two companies out to give me estimates. One estimated higher for the trees, the other would charge less for the trees, and more for the cleanup and weeding of the back. So, six of one, half a dozen of the other. The third company is supposed to come out tomorrow. It may come down to who has complaints filed against them with the license board, if any, or it may come down to me just picking a name out of the hat.

We’ll see.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Robin Hood returns to British TV: "Legendary folk hero Robin Hood and his Merrie Men will return this autumn in an BBC One series, with newcomer Jonas Armstrong in the title role."

Really looking forward to this. It's already been announced that it'll be coming to BBC America, and if that channel is indeed contributing financing to the show, hopefully it won't be too long a wait.

I watched last week’s episode of Smallville last night. It’s felt like a while since we’ve gotten new episodes, but frankly, I hadn’t really minded not having to watch it. Part of it is the fact that, after five years, nothing seems to have really changed or evolved on the show. (How many other shows could kill off a supposedly major character without a single ripple?) But part of it is just an increasing dissatisfaction with another aspect of the show.

A few episodes ago, we got a story dealing with Lois and Chloe being menaced by the spirit of a murdered girl out for revenge. It was a truly pedestrian episode, and could have come from almost any supernatural TV series: Buffy, Angel, Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer... Take your pick. But in talking to a friend about it, I realized that it really brought to the front a problem that, sadly, I had only been registering subconsciously.

So here’s the problem I currently have with Smallville, and I don’t know if it’s a problem that’s always exisited and I--shamefully--didn’t notice before, or if it’s been something that’s been growing over the past few seasons. But every woman on the show is either a victim or evil. And I recognize that, it being a show about Superman, almost every story is going to involve characters needing to be rescued by Clark Kent. I get that. But it’s not constantly ending up tied next to explosives that makes Lana a weak victiim character--although it certainly helps--it’s the fact that her character isn’t strong enough to tell Clark that she isn’t putting up with his crap any more and walking away. Chloe exists to pass on information to Clark and get tied up. Lois exists to tease about the future, and to get tied up and beaten.

And then I read in last month’s issue of SFX that Erica Durrance, who plays Lois, has a phobia of water. And last season, she was put in a death trap that involved a slowly flooding room gradually covering her with water and threatening to drown her. And this season, she fell in love with Aquaman, a storyline that required the actress to spend lots of time in the water.

And I read this, and I’m thinking the producers had to know of her phobia. And there was no particular reason for her to be the one Aquaman falls for and not, say, Chloe, since the characters are completely interchangeable. And this is complete conjecture on my part, but it almost sounds like the producers made he decision to put the actress in an uncomfortable position. And if that’s the case, and you combine it with what appears to be a mysogynist streak running through the storytelling, and it just leaves an increasingly bad taste in my mouth.

And I’m not quite to the point where I don’t want to watch the show, but it’s bothering me more now than it should.

Woke up this morning, got out of bed, and discovered that it apparently took me an hour to get from the bedroom to the computer.

I hate Daylight Savings Time.

BBC - Doctor Who (David Tennant and Billie Piper) - News

New trailer for the second series of Doctor Who!

BBC America targets younger viewers with new shows - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A high school drama from
the creators of the U.K. hit 'Footballers Wives' and fresh
takes on Robin Hood and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde are among the new
dramas set to air on BBC America in the next year, the cable
channel said Wednesday.

BBC America general manager Kathryn Mitchell said the
offshoot of the venerable British broadcaster wants to broaden
its appeal to a slightly younger audience, 'but we don't want
to lose those loyal viewers.'"

You gonna eat all that chicken?

Found this on a random blog today, under the title "Showtime's made a huge mistake." Now I was never a big fan of Arrested Development, so I don't much care if it's gone for good or not, but is it really fair to blame Showtime when the article says:

R.I.P., 'Arrested Development' -- critics' fave not given room to grow: "A source close to the negotiations said that creator Mitch Hurwitz had
decided after a lengthy period of debating an offer from Showtime that
'Arrested Development reached its end, creatively, as a series.'"

Sci Fi Wire -- The News Service of the Sci Fi Channel: "David E. Kelley is writing Life on Mars, a time-travel crime drama pilot for ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show, targeted for fall 2007, is based on the BBC's 2006 drama, which stars John Simm as a 21st-century detective who, following a car crash, mysteriously finds himself working as a cop in the 1970s."

Young Adult Fiction: Wild Things - New York Times: "The 'Gossip Girl,' 'A-List' and 'Clique' series-- the most successful in a crowded field of Au Pairs, It Girls and other copycat series -- represent a new kind of young adult fiction, and feature a different kind of heroine. In these novels, which have dominated the field of popular girls' fiction in recent years, Carol Gilligan's question about whether girls can have 'a different voice' has been answered -- in a scary way."