directed by Greg Nicotero
written by Channing Powell
This episode, Alexandria is introduced in earnest as Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the other survivors are welcomed into Aaron's community. Of course, given the succession of hellish experiences Rick's group has endured since the governor destroyed the prison back in season 4, it's perfectly understandable that they have trouble assimilating into a new community, but they all know they need this, and it is this underlying knowledge, helped along by the patient prodding of community leader and former Congresswoman Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh), that spurs them to give it the old college try.
Monroe has thought of everything for them; housing, "stress debriefing" in the form of taped interviews, and jobs. Carl (Chandler Rigg) meets kids his own age, and tries to be a "normal kid" again. Carol (Melissa McBride), during her interview, keeps quiet about her violent, warrior-woman life and packages herself more as a den mother, which results in her getting a job as a caregiver for old people. Glenn (Steven Yeun) gets recruited to go on supply runs by Monroe's son, Aiden (Daniel Bonjour), and Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are offered jobs as the community's police officers. Rick even finally shaves himself and gets a haircut from a comely resident named Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge), who, it is disclosed later in the episode, happens to be married.
Daryl (Norman Reedus) remains aloof and on edge.
Settling down proves difficult, however. Carl is restless, and voices concern to his father than living there could make them weak. Glenn's supply run with Aiden sours quite quickly when Aiden's "pre-game" ritual, which involves chaining up walkers and tormenting them, nearly costs Tara (Alanna Masterson)her life and which ends with Glenn getting into a brief scuffle with Aiden, ultimately getting the better of him, and with Daryl getting involved in the fight as well against Aiden's lieutenant. Rick breaks it all up, though.
Out of caution, the entire group sleeps in the same house despite being offered two very large houses to sleep in. In the end, though Monroe respects Rick's decisions, but that doesn't make him any less wary of what could happen.
What impressed me about the writing of this show was how efficiently writer Channing Powell sets up what is certain to be a hell of a season finale, it strikes me that not a single minute here is wasted on the extended conversations that have irked enough people over the years to earn this show the nickname "The Talking Dead." Every conversation leads to something. Every moment of silence is pregnant with possibility. The show's writers have laid their cards on the table, and are clearly setting up a doozy of a season finale. It strikes me that there is no "bait and switch" here like there was in Season 4, when the beacon of hope that was Terminus turned out to be another nightmare; it's fairly clear that the crap is going to hit the fan, and soon.
What I particularly liked about this season was how it focused on the "core group" or the Season 1 vets and Michonne. The more obvious indicator of this is that it's only the season 1 veterans (and Michonne) whose video interviews are played throughout the episode, though one presumes they all went through the process. It also hews fairly closely to the comic book version of this story, though Deanna Monroe was originally Douglas, and a couple of characters were a little different (and Andrea, unlike her televised counterpart, was still alive). It's indicative of how important that story was to the group that the people behind the show endeavored to reproduce those scenes as faithfully as possible.
Of course, Daryl Dixon remains the wildcard here, not having been part of that story at all. I've already said my piece on how important I think Daryl Dixon's death could be to this series, but if the show runners are ready to pull (or have already pulled) that particular trigger, they aren't letting anything on right now.
I don't know what's coming in the last few episodes of this season, but to my mind "Remember" does a hell of a job setting us up for a wham bang finale.
8.8/10
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Friday, March 6, 2015
A Late Review of "The Distance" or Episode 11 of "The Walking Dead" Season 5
directed by Larysa Kondracki
written by Seth Hoffman
As I write this, I have already seen Episode 13 of "The Walking Dead," but I was so pleased with what I saw that I feel I have to weigh in before moving on to the next episode, or to just do a "two for one" review.
Following the survivors' harrowing experience of wandering for days without transportation, food or water, they again find themselves facing hope once more as the mysterious Aaron (Ross Marquand) comes to them, offering them sanctuary in a community that he swears is safe and sustainable. Having been burned by one unfortunate experience after another with fellow human beings, however, Rick and his group exercise utmost caution, with Rick himself knocking Aaron out while he's making his initial pitch for the group to join his community, and then having Aaron tied up while his group checks out Aaron's claims of having a vehicle big enough for all of them. Later the group tries driving to the camp, using a road other than the one Aaron claims is cleared of walkers, and things go disastrously wrong.
After being bitterly disappointed with the mid-season premiere, I was glad to see an episode as well-written as this one, which is focused primarily on Rick and which draws on all of the years of his character's experience to inform his decisions and his extremely cautious approach to a new situation . My irritation with the episode that turned out to be Tyreese's swansong was how his death was basically brought about by uncharacteristic, badly-written carelessness. Here, Rick is in full-on paranoid mode, which is somewhat understandable considering that it was not too long ago that a place he and his group believed to be friendly and welcoming turned out to be a den of cannibals.
The effectiveness of the writing, though, is down to how well Aaron is presented, helped along by a very sympathetic performance by Marquand. As a viewer, I wanted to believe he was telling the truth, and wanted to hate Rick for his antagonistic attitude...but I couldn't. That was the triumph of this episode; everything Rick's people did was informed by their harsh experience, and it was therefore impossible to blame them for thinking the way they did. At the same time, while a less effective script or performance would have made it easy to dismiss Aaron's promises as yet another too-good-to-be-true utopia, this script, ably realized by Marquand's well-nuanced performance, really sold his pitch effectively.
Time will tell if Aaron's community is the haven he says it is, and if the comics are any basis things will get a whole lot worse before they get better, but whatever happens I am grateful for this episode, which set up the introduction of Alexandria quite effectively.
8/10
written by Seth Hoffman
As I write this, I have already seen Episode 13 of "The Walking Dead," but I was so pleased with what I saw that I feel I have to weigh in before moving on to the next episode, or to just do a "two for one" review.
Following the survivors' harrowing experience of wandering for days without transportation, food or water, they again find themselves facing hope once more as the mysterious Aaron (Ross Marquand) comes to them, offering them sanctuary in a community that he swears is safe and sustainable. Having been burned by one unfortunate experience after another with fellow human beings, however, Rick and his group exercise utmost caution, with Rick himself knocking Aaron out while he's making his initial pitch for the group to join his community, and then having Aaron tied up while his group checks out Aaron's claims of having a vehicle big enough for all of them. Later the group tries driving to the camp, using a road other than the one Aaron claims is cleared of walkers, and things go disastrously wrong.
After being bitterly disappointed with the mid-season premiere, I was glad to see an episode as well-written as this one, which is focused primarily on Rick and which draws on all of the years of his character's experience to inform his decisions and his extremely cautious approach to a new situation . My irritation with the episode that turned out to be Tyreese's swansong was how his death was basically brought about by uncharacteristic, badly-written carelessness. Here, Rick is in full-on paranoid mode, which is somewhat understandable considering that it was not too long ago that a place he and his group believed to be friendly and welcoming turned out to be a den of cannibals.
The effectiveness of the writing, though, is down to how well Aaron is presented, helped along by a very sympathetic performance by Marquand. As a viewer, I wanted to believe he was telling the truth, and wanted to hate Rick for his antagonistic attitude...but I couldn't. That was the triumph of this episode; everything Rick's people did was informed by their harsh experience, and it was therefore impossible to blame them for thinking the way they did. At the same time, while a less effective script or performance would have made it easy to dismiss Aaron's promises as yet another too-good-to-be-true utopia, this script, ably realized by Marquand's well-nuanced performance, really sold his pitch effectively.
Time will tell if Aaron's community is the haven he says it is, and if the comics are any basis things will get a whole lot worse before they get better, but whatever happens I am grateful for this episode, which set up the introduction of Alexandria quite effectively.
8/10
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
A Review of The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 10: "Them" (Mild Spoilers)
written by Heather Bellson
directed by Julius Ramsay
After last week's infuriating mid-season debut, last night's episode of the top-rating zombie apocalypse series The Walking Dead slowed things down a bit with an episode that, for the first time in a long time, had the group dealing with issues like hunger, thirst and lack of shelter, as they are forced to walk after their vehicles break down. Still reeling from a succession of shocking deaths, namely those of Bob (Laurence Gilliard Jr.), Beth (Emily Kinney) and Tyreese (Chad Coleman), the group of survivors, in particular Tyreese's sister and Bob's girlfriend Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), Beth's sister Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) who spent much of season four wandering around with Beth, begin to feel the emotional burden of their collective physical and emotional ordeal, and the ties that bind them become increasingly strained. Suddenly, they are no longer just threatened by walkers or rival humans but by the lack of basic needs for survival, and later, by the elements.
I made no secret of how I felt about last week's episode, which, for all its artsy-fartsy trappings, was basically a sloppily-written kill-off episode. While this new episode is far from my favorite work from the series' creators, for me it improves over the last one in terms of writing, by pitting the characters against the elements and lack of supplies for the first time since, well, possibly, ever. Rick and his group have always been able to find supplies, shelter and provisions with relative ease, even in the tumultuous post-prison episodes that saw the group scattered. Even the late Gareth (Andrew J. West), of the Terminus cannibals, pointedly said to Rick, just before the latter hacked him to death, that he looked like he had never been hungry. Well, this episode changes that, although the writers bail the characters out at the last minute.
There are quite a few "talking dead" moments throughout the narrative, which threaten the overall pacing of the episode at some points, but the good news is that the episode is still chock-full of walkers, especially since the crew spends most of their time out in the open. It was fun to hear Andrew Lincoln's Rick finally say the title of the show after five long years.
All told, however, while the episode does have a few things to say about grief, optimism and the ties that bind (and what can weaken them), I couldn't shake the feeling that it was basically a placeholder of sorts, something to keep the characters busy while the writers set up the next big story arc which, as far as I can tell, officially begins at the very end of the episode.
After the nail-biting cliffhanger of Season 4 led to a season that, to me, has been one disappointment after another, I truly hope this bodes well for my favorite crew of apocalypse survivors.
7/10
Monday, February 9, 2015
A Review of "What Happened and What's Going On" Episode 9 of "The Walking Dead" Season 5 (SPOILER ALERT)
written by Scott Gimple
directed by Greg Nicotero
How do you follow one truly pointless, gratuitous character killing? With another one, only this time, target the most predictable target for extinction, a narrative cliche so old it was a running joke in movies and television years even before they invented the internet meme.
Rick Grimes's (Andrew Lincoln) crew splits up with Rick, Tyreese, Michonne (Danai Gurira), and Glenn (Steven Yeun) taking Noah (Tyler James Williams), the nurse whom the late Beth (Emily Kinney) saved from captivity in the Atlanta hospital before her death, back to his community, which, they hope, could be a safe haven for them as well. Unfortunately, it has been overrun, apparently by other humans, who have left a trail of death and destruction in their wake, leaving Noah despondent. Rick, Michonne and Glenn begin to forage for supplies, while Tyreese attempts to console Noah, who then runs to his house to see what has become of his family. Predictably, they find nothing but death. Curiously, Tyreese, after seeing the shadow of a walker in the house, suddenly and rather inexplicably finds himself transfixed by pictures of Noah's twin brothers, one of whom is lying dead and eviscerated on the bed.
(Spoiler alert)
He then gets bitten by the other twin, just before Noah destroys what was once his brother. Tyreese gets sick, has visions/hallucinations of the ghosts of past characters, then dies.
Yup. They went and killed the black guy.
To be more accurate, they killed off the show's longest running black guy, and the second one this season, after Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) died earlier this season. I'd be offended if I wasn't so amused. It feels particularly insulting that they killed them almost right after they introduced two new black characters, namely the aforementioned Noah, and an Episcopalian priest named Fr. Gabriel (Seth Gilliam)...almost as if they were replaced. It's like some guy wrote on Twitter: lose a n***a, gain a n***a.
Tyreese was at the heart of some very interesting story threads in this show. His arc, in which he forgave Carol (Melissa McBride) for having killed his girlfriend in the prison back in season 3, was incredibly moving, and the moment he forgave her was the lone bright spot of the unrelentingly dark episode "The Grove" back in season 4. For me, "The Grove" will go down as one of the series' best-written episodes ever, and while Tyreese's death does nothing to change that, I really feel that a character who participated in an episode that important deserved a far better sendoff than this poor excuse for an episode. It would have made more sense had he been killed in a melee with a rival group of humans, especially considering that he wasn't willing to kill any.
Instead, in defiance of all character logic, he allows himself to be distracted in a house where he's ALREADY spotted a walker's shadow, and as a result gets bitten. This is a veteran of two and a half seasons; such carelessness on his part is unforgivably sloppy by the writers. The idiocy of his carelessness is highlighted by the fact that he tells Noah that he will enter the house first, and exercises utmost caution. He lets his guard down for...what? A picture of two kids he's never even met? Was it because they were black? Could this episode have been written any worse?
Considering my last post was about the only death that would really matter to this show, I find myself highly disappointed that the show's writers went for one of the easiest, most obvious targets imaginable, namely the black guy who refused to kill people (humans, that is, not walkers).
I don't care how many dead characters made cameo appearances to "welcome" Tyreese into the afterlife. In fact, I'm even pissed that the writers didn't even think of bringing back Tyreese's dead girlfriend Karen (Melissa Ponzio) for this gratuitous cameo sequence. I don't care if the governor (David Morrissey) showed up again. I don't care if Tyreese's ticket was long overdue for punching. This episode still felt like some shockingly lazy, perfunctory writing, and conjures up images of white guys in suits making the creative decisions.
(End spoiler alert)
There's nice, artsy shot selection and some pleasant, wistful, rustic music playing throughout the episode, which gives it a bittersweet tone. The actors involved pretty much give this episode everything they've got. There are generous helpings of walkers.
I normally appreciate little touches like this. However, this time, none of these things could prevent this episode from leaving a truly terrible taste in my mouth.
4/10
directed by Greg Nicotero
How do you follow one truly pointless, gratuitous character killing? With another one, only this time, target the most predictable target for extinction, a narrative cliche so old it was a running joke in movies and television years even before they invented the internet meme.
Rick Grimes's (Andrew Lincoln) crew splits up with Rick, Tyreese, Michonne (Danai Gurira), and Glenn (Steven Yeun) taking Noah (Tyler James Williams), the nurse whom the late Beth (Emily Kinney) saved from captivity in the Atlanta hospital before her death, back to his community, which, they hope, could be a safe haven for them as well. Unfortunately, it has been overrun, apparently by other humans, who have left a trail of death and destruction in their wake, leaving Noah despondent. Rick, Michonne and Glenn begin to forage for supplies, while Tyreese attempts to console Noah, who then runs to his house to see what has become of his family. Predictably, they find nothing but death. Curiously, Tyreese, after seeing the shadow of a walker in the house, suddenly and rather inexplicably finds himself transfixed by pictures of Noah's twin brothers, one of whom is lying dead and eviscerated on the bed.
(Spoiler alert)
He then gets bitten by the other twin, just before Noah destroys what was once his brother. Tyreese gets sick, has visions/hallucinations of the ghosts of past characters, then dies.
Yup. They went and killed the black guy.
To be more accurate, they killed off the show's longest running black guy, and the second one this season, after Bob (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) died earlier this season. I'd be offended if I wasn't so amused. It feels particularly insulting that they killed them almost right after they introduced two new black characters, namely the aforementioned Noah, and an Episcopalian priest named Fr. Gabriel (Seth Gilliam)...almost as if they were replaced. It's like some guy wrote on Twitter: lose a n***a, gain a n***a.
Tyreese was at the heart of some very interesting story threads in this show. His arc, in which he forgave Carol (Melissa McBride) for having killed his girlfriend in the prison back in season 3, was incredibly moving, and the moment he forgave her was the lone bright spot of the unrelentingly dark episode "The Grove" back in season 4. For me, "The Grove" will go down as one of the series' best-written episodes ever, and while Tyreese's death does nothing to change that, I really feel that a character who participated in an episode that important deserved a far better sendoff than this poor excuse for an episode. It would have made more sense had he been killed in a melee with a rival group of humans, especially considering that he wasn't willing to kill any.
Instead, in defiance of all character logic, he allows himself to be distracted in a house where he's ALREADY spotted a walker's shadow, and as a result gets bitten. This is a veteran of two and a half seasons; such carelessness on his part is unforgivably sloppy by the writers. The idiocy of his carelessness is highlighted by the fact that he tells Noah that he will enter the house first, and exercises utmost caution. He lets his guard down for...what? A picture of two kids he's never even met? Was it because they were black? Could this episode have been written any worse?
Considering my last post was about the only death that would really matter to this show, I find myself highly disappointed that the show's writers went for one of the easiest, most obvious targets imaginable, namely the black guy who refused to kill people (humans, that is, not walkers).
I don't care how many dead characters made cameo appearances to "welcome" Tyreese into the afterlife. In fact, I'm even pissed that the writers didn't even think of bringing back Tyreese's dead girlfriend Karen (Melissa Ponzio) for this gratuitous cameo sequence. I don't care if the governor (David Morrissey) showed up again. I don't care if Tyreese's ticket was long overdue for punching. This episode still felt like some shockingly lazy, perfunctory writing, and conjures up images of white guys in suits making the creative decisions.
(End spoiler alert)
There's nice, artsy shot selection and some pleasant, wistful, rustic music playing throughout the episode, which gives it a bittersweet tone. The actors involved pretty much give this episode everything they've got. There are generous helpings of walkers.
I normally appreciate little touches like this. However, this time, none of these things could prevent this episode from leaving a truly terrible taste in my mouth.
4/10
Two-For-One: A Review of Daredevil #11 and #12
written by Mark Waid
drawn by Chris Samnee
My favorite creative team working in comics today does it again.
After tangling with a more "classic" villain in the last story arc, Daredevil finds himself dealing with a somewhat different threat in this two-issue story: a motorcycle-riding showboat named Stuntmaster. The problem arises when the original Stuntmaster, George Smith, approaches Matt Murdock and asks him to sue the man currently wearing the costume, who has the backing of a wealthy pharmaceutical company. The problem is that George has no cause of action, given that he sold the rights to the Stuntmaster character several years before. Matt has no choice but to tell George the truth, until he hears that George has killed himself. Matt, as Daredevil, then decides to take the fight to Stuntmaster, who has called him out to perform a very dangerous stunt on the Golden Gate bridge. Things, however, are not quite what they seem...
These two issues weren't quite the home-run for me that the Purple Man storyline was, but they still hit the spot. The first issue is mainly spent setting up the big confrontation for the second, but the payoff is pretty handsome as we get to see Daredevil engaging in quite a few feats of derring-do, like jumping off a bridge and even driving a convertible with his billy clubs while standing up. I think it was Chris Samnee who made a cameo as the driver of the Dodge Charger convertible that DD commandeers.
The story also feels like a bit of filler, given that Waid's already set up a pretty big storyline involving longtime DD villain the Owl, but it's a welcome break from what, if the promotional materials are any indication, looks to be yet another major shakeup for the character. Something to cleanse the palate, so to speak.
I confess, I'm a little worried about this whole impending "Marvel reboot" business because of the implications it might have for this title. Still, Waid and Samnee have had a good, long run on this book even prior to the renumbering, so if they decide to move on, I'm grateful for the exceptional stories they've given for the last three years.
I look forward with bated breath to DD's climactic confrontation with the now supercharged Owl!
8.1/10
drawn by Chris Samnee
My favorite creative team working in comics today does it again.
After tangling with a more "classic" villain in the last story arc, Daredevil finds himself dealing with a somewhat different threat in this two-issue story: a motorcycle-riding showboat named Stuntmaster. The problem arises when the original Stuntmaster, George Smith, approaches Matt Murdock and asks him to sue the man currently wearing the costume, who has the backing of a wealthy pharmaceutical company. The problem is that George has no cause of action, given that he sold the rights to the Stuntmaster character several years before. Matt has no choice but to tell George the truth, until he hears that George has killed himself. Matt, as Daredevil, then decides to take the fight to Stuntmaster, who has called him out to perform a very dangerous stunt on the Golden Gate bridge. Things, however, are not quite what they seem...
These two issues weren't quite the home-run for me that the Purple Man storyline was, but they still hit the spot. The first issue is mainly spent setting up the big confrontation for the second, but the payoff is pretty handsome as we get to see Daredevil engaging in quite a few feats of derring-do, like jumping off a bridge and even driving a convertible with his billy clubs while standing up. I think it was Chris Samnee who made a cameo as the driver of the Dodge Charger convertible that DD commandeers.
The story also feels like a bit of filler, given that Waid's already set up a pretty big storyline involving longtime DD villain the Owl, but it's a welcome break from what, if the promotional materials are any indication, looks to be yet another major shakeup for the character. Something to cleanse the palate, so to speak.
I confess, I'm a little worried about this whole impending "Marvel reboot" business because of the implications it might have for this title. Still, Waid and Samnee have had a good, long run on this book even prior to the renumbering, so if they decide to move on, I'm grateful for the exceptional stories they've given for the last three years.
I look forward with bated breath to DD's climactic confrontation with the now supercharged Owl!
8.1/10
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Late to the Party: Spider-Verse is like "Coming Home" on Steroids
Spider-Verse (The Amazing Spider-Man #s 7 to 11, Superior Spider Man #32 and 33)
(writer) Dan Slott
(artists) Olivier Coipel, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Humberto Ramos, Adam Kubert (with various inkers)
(colorist) various
The biggest Spider-Man event of 2014 (next to Peter Parker's return, of course), kicked off in earnest last month, and unfortunately, I wasn't around for it, unfortunately, but I have since caught up, and boy, am I glad I did. This won't really be a proper review, given the sheer number of issues involved, but I would like to share some impressions on what is shaping up to be a pretty big milestone for Spidey.
Writer Dan Slott, this time joined by the magnificent Olivier Coipel, having brought Peter Parker back from the dead, now pits him against a foe that has actually almost killed him twice, the energy vampire Morlun. To ramp up the stakes, Slott introduces a whole family of "Morluns," a family of centuries old energy vampires known as the Inheritors. The good news, though, is that Peter won't be facing them alone; he'll have help from Spider-Men from universes all over the multiverse. The question is, will even their combined strength and brains be enough to conquer a foe that lives solely to consume them?
The thing about Morlun, as a character, is that there really wasn't all that much to him in terms of back story in both the times that he fought Spider-Man. He was, most likely by design, shrouded in mystery, and Slott has seen this as an opportunity to build a whole world around him. Of course, a lot of these narrative innovations could very well create retroactive plot holes in Morlun's previous appearances, but I will give Slott high marks for his sense of scope. He really is turning out to be quite the Ringmaster of the Spidey circus; since he took over solo writing duties back in 2010 he's churned out quite a "event" storylines like "Spider-Island," "The Ends of the Earth," and, of course "Superior Spider-Man," probably the story for which he will be best remembered.
The best part of this new story arc, however, is far and away artist Olivier Coipel, who brings a dynamic look this book hasn't enjoyed since Stefano Caselli left the Spider-books some years ago.With due respect to series regulars Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli, who also turn in some work here, Coipel brings his "A" game to these pages, and elevates the entire story in the process. His take on Spider-man, from his size, to his body language, to the ever present web swinging, proves that Coipel is a natural fit for this title, which makes it all the more regrettable that Camuncoli will be alternating on art duties for at least two issues. Coipel is a true superstar, and I hope he comes back to the book after this story wraps up early next year.
Welcome to Spider-Verse Peter Parker and friends! Hope you survive the experience!
(writer) Dan Slott
(artists) Olivier Coipel, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Humberto Ramos, Adam Kubert (with various inkers)
(colorist) various
The biggest Spider-Man event of 2014 (next to Peter Parker's return, of course), kicked off in earnest last month, and unfortunately, I wasn't around for it, unfortunately, but I have since caught up, and boy, am I glad I did. This won't really be a proper review, given the sheer number of issues involved, but I would like to share some impressions on what is shaping up to be a pretty big milestone for Spidey.
Writer Dan Slott, this time joined by the magnificent Olivier Coipel, having brought Peter Parker back from the dead, now pits him against a foe that has actually almost killed him twice, the energy vampire Morlun. To ramp up the stakes, Slott introduces a whole family of "Morluns," a family of centuries old energy vampires known as the Inheritors. The good news, though, is that Peter won't be facing them alone; he'll have help from Spider-Men from universes all over the multiverse. The question is, will even their combined strength and brains be enough to conquer a foe that lives solely to consume them?
The thing about Morlun, as a character, is that there really wasn't all that much to him in terms of back story in both the times that he fought Spider-Man. He was, most likely by design, shrouded in mystery, and Slott has seen this as an opportunity to build a whole world around him. Of course, a lot of these narrative innovations could very well create retroactive plot holes in Morlun's previous appearances, but I will give Slott high marks for his sense of scope. He really is turning out to be quite the Ringmaster of the Spidey circus; since he took over solo writing duties back in 2010 he's churned out quite a "event" storylines like "Spider-Island," "The Ends of the Earth," and, of course "Superior Spider-Man," probably the story for which he will be best remembered.
The best part of this new story arc, however, is far and away artist Olivier Coipel, who brings a dynamic look this book hasn't enjoyed since Stefano Caselli left the Spider-books some years ago.With due respect to series regulars Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli, who also turn in some work here, Coipel brings his "A" game to these pages, and elevates the entire story in the process. His take on Spider-man, from his size, to his body language, to the ever present web swinging, proves that Coipel is a natural fit for this title, which makes it all the more regrettable that Camuncoli will be alternating on art duties for at least two issues. Coipel is a true superstar, and I hope he comes back to the book after this story wraps up early next year.
Welcome to Spider-Verse Peter Parker and friends! Hope you survive the experience!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Why Daryl Dixon Must Die (Mild Spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 5)
As much as I wanted to follow season 5 of AMC's insanely popular ongoing series The Walking Dead from the very first episode, I was out of town and without any access to cable television for the two weeks during which the first two episodes aired. As a result, I missed the two episodes in which Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his crew escaped the clutches of the cannibals from Terminus, who had them in a bit of a bind at the end of Season 4. I did make it back in time, however, to see team Rick dispatch the Terminus cannibals in a decidedly...final fashion.
With the Terminus crew dealt with, the group splits in two and the focus of the story is primarily about finding Beth (Emily Kinney).
It's eight episodes packed with murder, mayhem, cannibalism, and, of course zombies, all of which comes to a head in a mid-season finale that, while still a shocker in some ways, no longer delivers the same impact that the older episodes, especially the ones involving character deaths, used to do.
There's no point in reviewing the first half of the season, which has been over and done with for a couple of weeks now, but I feel I have to weigh in on a trend I'm observing, especially with two character deaths over the course of eight episodes. The thing about both of the characters who kicked the proverbial bucket was that they basically had "will die eventually" written all over them. Two more characters have joined the group, but the cynic in me says it's only a matter of time before they bite the big one as well (or, as is often the case with this show, get bitten).
The simple reality is that characters will come and characters will go; such is the nature of this show, and in a show about a zombie apocalypse death is basically a constant companion for supposedly everyone.
After five seasons and some real humdingers for episodes, however, the show has finally started falling into a rut of sorts, with one of the two character deaths coming across as downright predictable and the other one, coming across as ill-conceived, almost as if it was done purely so that the show's writers could meet their shock and awe quota.
Worse still, it seems to have become fairly clear that the whole "anyone can die" wisdom does not quite apply to everyone.
While there are still five characters alive from the show's very first season, most of them may yet get their ticket punched. To my mind, however, there is one character the showrunners have no intention of killing at all.
Glenn, the Korean American played by Steven Yuen, has already been somewhat brutally killed in the comics, so his character is at risk.
Michonne, the katana-wielding badass played by Danai Gurira who joined the show in season 3, is arguably the most popular character from both the comics and the movies, but at the end of the day, she is both black and a woman, two demographics which generally have not had the best record of longevity in this series. Also, while killing her would have genuine and profound shock value, the death of Glenn in the comics has pretty much established her as fair game.
Carl Grimes (Chandler Rigg) the son of the lead character Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is a character whose death would arguably be the most tragic of all, given that he and his sister Judith represent the future of that bleak world, but considering how many kids have been offed I can definitely see it happening, whether or not the producers ever decide to pull the trigger on him.
Rick may be the lead character of both the television and comic book series, but at the beginning of season 4 the writers teased the possibility that he had turned into a walker, specifically in that episode when he and Carl were holed up in am abandoned house following the governor's destruction of the prison. It may not happen soon, if it happens at all, but the people behind the show have already hinted at what Rick's demise would be like.
Which brings us to Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), a TV-exclusive character who, I will venture to say, is easily the most popular.
Daryl has had his share of close calls during his five-season tenure. There was the possibility that he might die in Woodbury episodes, or when walkers overran the funeral home where he and Beth briefly holed up, or at the hands of the Terminus cannibals, to name but a few.
As a result of all these near misses, I have come to believe that the show's bosses have no intention of killing Daryl off, at least not while his popularity is so high. He is a fantastic character, really, and Reedus plays him with incredible charisma. The problem, is thought, that the notion of a character who remains impervious to any lasting harm feels like an antithesis to one of the show's central themes, which is the fragility and fleeting nature of life. It is for this reason that, sooner or later, Daryl has to die.
Sure, fans would go absolutely insane, but Daryl's death would truly slam home the point that anyone in the show is potential zombie food, or cannon fodder. All bets would be off, and each and every episode would be terrifying for fans because no one would ever feel safe again.
THAT'S the kind of thrill this show needs to really bring back the sense of urgency and utter peril of those first season episodes.
With the Terminus crew dealt with, the group splits in two and the focus of the story is primarily about finding Beth (Emily Kinney).
It's eight episodes packed with murder, mayhem, cannibalism, and, of course zombies, all of which comes to a head in a mid-season finale that, while still a shocker in some ways, no longer delivers the same impact that the older episodes, especially the ones involving character deaths, used to do.
There's no point in reviewing the first half of the season, which has been over and done with for a couple of weeks now, but I feel I have to weigh in on a trend I'm observing, especially with two character deaths over the course of eight episodes. The thing about both of the characters who kicked the proverbial bucket was that they basically had "will die eventually" written all over them. Two more characters have joined the group, but the cynic in me says it's only a matter of time before they bite the big one as well (or, as is often the case with this show, get bitten).
The simple reality is that characters will come and characters will go; such is the nature of this show, and in a show about a zombie apocalypse death is basically a constant companion for supposedly everyone.
After five seasons and some real humdingers for episodes, however, the show has finally started falling into a rut of sorts, with one of the two character deaths coming across as downright predictable and the other one, coming across as ill-conceived, almost as if it was done purely so that the show's writers could meet their shock and awe quota.
Worse still, it seems to have become fairly clear that the whole "anyone can die" wisdom does not quite apply to everyone.
While there are still five characters alive from the show's very first season, most of them may yet get their ticket punched. To my mind, however, there is one character the showrunners have no intention of killing at all.
Glenn, the Korean American played by Steven Yuen, has already been somewhat brutally killed in the comics, so his character is at risk.
Michonne, the katana-wielding badass played by Danai Gurira who joined the show in season 3, is arguably the most popular character from both the comics and the movies, but at the end of the day, she is both black and a woman, two demographics which generally have not had the best record of longevity in this series. Also, while killing her would have genuine and profound shock value, the death of Glenn in the comics has pretty much established her as fair game.
Carl Grimes (Chandler Rigg) the son of the lead character Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is a character whose death would arguably be the most tragic of all, given that he and his sister Judith represent the future of that bleak world, but considering how many kids have been offed I can definitely see it happening, whether or not the producers ever decide to pull the trigger on him.
Rick may be the lead character of both the television and comic book series, but at the beginning of season 4 the writers teased the possibility that he had turned into a walker, specifically in that episode when he and Carl were holed up in am abandoned house following the governor's destruction of the prison. It may not happen soon, if it happens at all, but the people behind the show have already hinted at what Rick's demise would be like.
Which brings us to Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), a TV-exclusive character who, I will venture to say, is easily the most popular.
Daryl has had his share of close calls during his five-season tenure. There was the possibility that he might die in Woodbury episodes, or when walkers overran the funeral home where he and Beth briefly holed up, or at the hands of the Terminus cannibals, to name but a few.
As a result of all these near misses, I have come to believe that the show's bosses have no intention of killing Daryl off, at least not while his popularity is so high. He is a fantastic character, really, and Reedus plays him with incredible charisma. The problem, is thought, that the notion of a character who remains impervious to any lasting harm feels like an antithesis to one of the show's central themes, which is the fragility and fleeting nature of life. It is for this reason that, sooner or later, Daryl has to die.
Sure, fans would go absolutely insane, but Daryl's death would truly slam home the point that anyone in the show is potential zombie food, or cannon fodder. All bets would be off, and each and every episode would be terrifying for fans because no one would ever feel safe again.
THAT'S the kind of thrill this show needs to really bring back the sense of urgency and utter peril of those first season episodes.
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