Review of "Shadowhawks of Legend," graphic novel conceived by Jim Valentino and Kurt Busiek

 Review of

Shadowhawks of Legend, graphic novel conceived by Jim Valentino and Kurt Busiek

Five out of five stars

Vengeance and payback against evil

 There are four short stories in this graphic novel. Each is based on the principle of the innocent being attacked and killed or threatened with death by a governing authority. However, before the event reaches the conclusion, a mysterious figure arrives and thwarts the evildoers.

In the first, a gang of outlaws attacks an isolated ranch in New Mexico. The owner is tied to a fence and beaten by the gang leader in an attempt to get him to give over the ranch. When the gang leader kills the man and then his wife he grabs the daughter and takes her inside with rape on his mind. He orders his gang members to stand guard outside. Before he can complete his nefarious deed, a masked avenger arrives and deals with the gang.

 The setting for the second is in Japan during the reign of the Shoguns. An innocent man is being forced to commit Seppuku (ceremonial suicide) for his supposed crimes. The man responsible for the crimes has framed him. In this case, the avenger is a master swordsman Samurai, and he seeks vengeance against the framer and all that serve him.

 The third is set in France in the year 1627, during the time when Cardinal Richelieu was the real power in the country. A man is to be put to death on the orders of the Cardinal and this time a masked swordsman arrives on a horse and frees the man and escapes. He is aided by a hawk that gouges out the executioner’s eyes.

 The fourth is set in two time frames, a more modern one in 1904 where a clay tablet has been discovered containing very old hieroglyphics. It is delivered to a man capable of translating it and he described an even that took place thousands of years earlier. A shaman consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms and had a vision of communicating with star travelers. The priests consider him a danger to the power of their order in society, so they kill him when he is in a vulnerable trance. There is no avenging force in this story.

 These stories are very much within the genre of a great wrong being set right by a powerful and deadly hero capable of overpowering overwhelming numbers of others. They are entertaining and the premises of outlaws, corrupt Japanese lords and a threat to the ruling power being put to death are all common in human history. I recommend this simple graphic novel.

Review of "JLA 17: Prometheus Unbound!," comic written by Grant Morrison

 Review of

JLA 17: Prometheus Unbound!, comic written by Grant Morrison

Five out of five stars

A powerful villain that exploits JLA inherent weaknesses

 This story opens with Prometheus having taken control of the JLA Watchtower on the Moon. In addition to the JLA members present, there are one hundred members of the media there and the oxygen supply is burning off into space. Green Lantern, Steel, Flash and Batman are incapacitated, and Prometheus is bragging about how the detailed dossier’s that he has on the JLA members has allowed him to exploit their weaknesses.

 Superman and Wonder Woman are still standing up against Prometheus and he brags about how there is only one way off the Watchtower, and he knows of and controls it. With death of all except Superman and Prometheus imminent, Prometheus states that he will let them all go if Superman vows to kill himself. That way, Prometheus will be known as the one who ultimately bested the Man of Steel.

 The solution to this apparently unavoidable death trap is worthy of the locked room logic puzzles. It is one that requires each JLA member to recognize and overcome their exploited weakness. Order in the Watchtower is eventually restored and the JLA is ready to take on the next challenge. This is a story based on brains and brawn, a characteristic of the best stories in the comics.

Review of "Ultimate Six Issue 4," comic written by Brian Michael Bendis

Review of

Ultimate Six Issue 4, comic written by Brian Michael Bendis

Five out of five stars

Powerful opening and captivating ending

 The opening of this story grabs your attention in a snapping turtle-like grip. The President of the United States is giving Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.D. a royal chewing out. He is furious over receiving a phone call from Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin, one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes. Along with Dr. Octopus, Sandman, Electro and Kraven the Hunter, Osborn was held in a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment facility illegally and all have recently escaped. Osborn is demanding $100 million and amnesty for him and his compatriots.

 In response, S.H.I.E.L.D., in alliance with the Avengers counterattack, against of all things a television studio where Kraven was the star of a reality TV show. This action is extremely heavy-handed, they treat the production staff as if they are part of the criminal conspiracy.

 The recently freed super villains plot a strategy against the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. that involves an electronic infiltration. Both sides demonstrate a ruthlessness that leaves the reader questioning if S.H.I.E.L.D. is still a force for good. There is a cliffhanger at the end that imparts an urge to immediately acquire the next issue.

Review of "Through The Time Barrier," Season three episode one of The Adventures of Superman Television Show

 Review of

Through The Time Barrier: Season three episode one of The Adventures of Superman Television Show

Four out of five stars

Noel Neill challenges Raquel Welch as hot in cave attire

 It seems to be a fundamental principle of fiction that when you are struggling to come up with plots, you somehow incorporate the concept of time travel. That is what is used here, a bumbling professor arrives at the Daily Planet office of Perry White with a time machine. In this case, it is in a small box rather than the massive props used in other contexts.

 At the time he arrives a notorious gangster is in Perry’s office about to sign a confession and turn himself in. The gangster trusts Clark Kent to be fair with him in his dealings with the law. When the group of Clark, Perry, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and the gangster get in the elevator, the professor is there and activates his machine, sending them all back to 50,000 BC. In a puff of smoke and a bang, the entire group is sent back in time.

 There is misfortune on two counts, the first is that the professor does not know how to send them forward in time. The second is that the gangster has a gun and takes power over the group, forcing them into a cave and dressing in animal skins. Clark is exempted because the locals could not find an outfit his size. Of course, a way is found to reverse the process and every member of the group is returned to the proper time.

 The story is about as simplistic as the fifties episodes of Superman ever got. Jimmy shows a little more backbone than his usual “Golly” uttering self and Lois stands up a bit as well. The professor is a babbler and a bumbler, the type that can only appear in fiction. As a former professor, I have never met one this inept, they all have their research memorized.

 What makes this episode different from some of the others is the animal skin outfit that Noel Neill wears. I was astonished that it managed to get past the censors of the 1950’s. In a scene where all succumb to cave gas, the viewer is treated to an (upskirt?) image when Lois is laying head directed away from the camera. Much has been said about the outfit Raquel Welch wore in  “One Million Years B. C.,” but that movie was made almost ten years later. Neill is just as hot, although she doesn’t perform the same moves.

Review of "Zorro Rides Again Volume 1 Chapters 1-6 Classic Movie Serials" DVD

 Review of

Zorro Rides Again Volume 1 Chapters 1-6 Classic Movie Serials DVD

Five out of five stars

Good old-time fun with chapter ending cliffhangers

 Watching the first six chapters of this classic serial that came out in 1937, I was reminded of how much the creators of fictional heroes borrow (steal) from each other. The original Zorro character first appeared in 1919 and he was a wealthy man that lived on a large estate. Under that estate there was a cave that was Zorro’s secret base. The cave was known as the “Fox Den.” Zorro wore a mask and kept his real identity secret by pretending to be a coward. Since Batman first appeared in 1939, it is clear that the creators of Batman, Bob Kane and Bill Finger were liberal in their copying from others. It demonstrates that there are few really original ideas in entertainment.

 In my youth, some of the serials appeared on television in the odd hours when the local stations needed cheap filler that would entertain. Watching the end of chapter cliffhangers where it seemed like there was no escape brought back many memories of having to wait an entire week before you could find out how the hero escapes.

 The story itself is long and drawn out and generally repetitive. The gang of villains seem to always have an unavoidable point of failure while Zorro and his friends use their wiles to dodge the bullets and all else the villains come up with. Yet, if you can put your mind into a much earlier frame where you were dazzled by the situation where it seemed impossible to escape, then you can sit back and enjoy the ultimate in escapist entertainment.

Review of "Wildguard Fire Power #1," comic written by Todd Nauck

 Review of

Wildguard Fire Power #1, comic written by Todd Nauck

Four out of five stars

An odd superhero tale intertwined with a reality TV show

 While the group of superheroes “borrows” a lot of features from other heroes, they do have a unique feature. In terms of sameness, Snapback has a body that stretches, Ignacia is capable of generating heat and flame, Freezerburn can generate both fire and ice, Lily Hammer is a hammer wielding maiden and Dandelion has super strength and endurance. However, the group has something completely different, Cordelia Hardman is the producer and media coordinator.

Wildguard is in fact a television show and their first battle is with the technologically enhanced Sophie Derringer, now called Gauntlette after her career change from a soap star. At first she wanted to be a superhero, but the purchasing of all her augmentations put her deep into debt, so she turned to crime in an attempt to pay it off. Gauntlette’s first statement when she faces the heroes is to say, “I’m on Wildguard? Great, where are the cameras.”

 The heroes have their own base and when they are not playing to the cameras, there is an unusual love interest. A super villain unexpectedly attacks, and the heroes respond, of course they win the battle, but in an unusual way. Despite, or maybe because of, the odd background scenario, the comic is interesting. If the heroes had powers that were a little more unique, I would have given it five stars.

Review of "Dragnet: The Big Grifter, season 7 episode 38" of the original series

 Review of

Dragnet: The Big Grifter, season 7 episode 38 of the original series

Four out of five stars

The original police drama that was rather lowkey

 It was always fun to mock the statement, “The story that you are about to see is true, the names have been changed to protect the innocent.” Yet, that was one of the charming attractions of the original “Dragnet” series, the basic idea that it was a true story. In most cases the crimes were so routine that the viewer needed no persuasion as to the basis in truth. Signature characteristics were the deadpan dialog, delivery and background music. There was also very little in the way of actual violence and the crimes were generally solved by routine police work combined with perseverance.

 This episode has a simple premise for the scam being played on the victims. The scammers read of deaths and then go to the survivors and claim that the deceased had ordered some gifts for them but had never paid. It is a simple scam, but the crooks are just too greedy, passing off merchandise that is total junk. For example, the watches have no internal mechanism.

 Officers Friday and Smith follow some basic leads until they catch one gang member. After some obvious and simplistic hardball tactics, the man confesses and tells them about the other gang members. From there, it is a straightforward act of playing one against the other before Friday and Smith encounter the leader of the con artists. In an act of going off the norm for the time, the boss of the crime syndicate is some distance from the stereotype crime boss.

 Like all “Dragnet” episodes of the fifties, this story is not mentally challenging or has anything in the area of modern police action. Webb keeps it all deadpan and even when he gets “excited” you have to put it in quotes. This and all other episodes of the original “Dragnet” are a lesson in the very early years of television when people were making the principles up as they went along.