Terra Nova: My Impressions

My most anticipated media event of 2011 has finally arrived! Terra Nova hit US television last night with a "two hour" (i.e. an hour and a half) opening episode.

So what did I think?

The overarching themes are a bit tired.

1) Future humans found new colony. Earth 2, Outcasts etc have all been there before. This shows going to need to be top quality going forward to overcome the rather tired premise.
2) The same old family format. Estranged father. Check. Rebellious teen boy. Check. Relationship struggling after a long separation. Check. Teen girl going all doe-y eyed over an older guy in uniform. Check. Rebellious teen boy following hot girl into dangerous situation against father's advice then needing to be rescued by said father. Check. I could write this stuff myself!
3) Paradise having a dark side. Please God, we've done this one since Genesis! (which is the name of this opening two parter).

So yes, the show has a lot of baggage to get past long term. As an episode, this was enjoyable. Relatively well-paced, and if you ignore the clichéd themes there was some decent writing. The character of Skye seems a bit more layered than the usual rogue girl  leading leading character astray stereotype. I'm interested in what the rebellious off-shoot group the Sixers are up to and just what the actual reason for Terra Nova's existence is. However, the CGI could've been done better. I've seen better in Primeval. The brachiosaurs looked good, the carnotaurs were okay, but the main dino-villians the Slashers were extremely poorly done. In the end there were dinosaurs so that's a huge plus point in my book. 


If they can break free of the clichés and bring a fresh take to the story, the family relationships and the paradise lost motif it might just be an excellent show. But if the writers just play the same old tired tunes, I won't be keeping up with it. It's 2011. I want more than just by-the-numbers sci-fi drama. 

And This Week In Comics....

Batman #1 

Awesome. I'm not a Batfan. I get my dark, stern crime-fighter fix from Judge Dredd. But I must admit that this New 52 opening issue really hit the ground running. Excellent art, and brilliant cliff-hanger. I remain pleasantly surprised by the quality and freshness of these new DC books. Definitely my pick of the week (against my better judgement...)

Supergirl #1 

I plan to becoming a Superfan. I really like the ethos of the Superbooks, and I have a secret soft spot for Supergirl as I am that one person who has fond memories of the movie. Don't hate me. This was a good opening issue but not sure about bringing Superman into the story at the end. Thought it would've been better to let Kara established her own story before bringing them together. But I'll stick with this.

Ultimate Comics: X-Men #1

Wow. If Batman hadn't ended the way it had ended, this would be my pick of the week. Absolutely excellent. Last week's Ultimate Comics: Spiderman #1 was my first ever furore into the Ultimate universe, and this X-Men book makes me glad I've left it to now. Wonderful opening book, with a fantastic cliffhanger. I cannot wait for the next issue!

Catwoman #1

I wasn't going to read this book, I just didn't have the urge. But the controversy that has been spawned sort of forced me to get it. It was okay. And sure Catwoman was full on sexy throughout the issue, and yes she had sex with Batman, but I think the whole controversy has been over done. But I won't be likely to get #2.

Nightwing #1 

Bizarrely Nightwing is my one Batverse guilty pleasure. I've had a crush on Nightwing since I first discovered him. And this comic was really enjoyable, a great entry point for new readers with Dick Grayson's return to the circus where his parents died and an excellent ending with both a "hero in peril" cliffhanger and a question over just what his assailant meant when he said Dick was "the fiercest killer in all of Gotham". Linked into that Batman cliffhanger perhaps?

Green Lantern Corps #1 

I've always regarded Green Lantern comics as for real DC geeks. And this issue hasn't changed my opinions. I thought the characterisation was good, but the overall story? Dull, unaffecting, and considering the story is genocide I have to say that's pretty poor. This is on my "On probation" pull list.

Wonder Woman #1


I have never read anything with Wonder Woman in it. Of all of DC's characters, I know the least about her. My only experience of Wonder Woman is the classic TV series, which I guess hardly does her justice. I was pleasantly surprised with this issue which might have made pick of the week status if it wasn't for some of the godawful, pointless internal monologues. I'll stick with it though as the story is interesting, the art divine and the overall feel was fresh and new.

Birds of Prey #1 

Given I'm not a Batverse fan, this is yet another Batbook. Perhaps I doth protest too much. An average book this one, but okay enough to make me buy #2.

Captain Atom #1 

Given the freshness of most of DC's New 52 (well those I've read) this felt like a totally by the numbers 1980s superhero comic. A volcano. In New York. Whilst his powers are possibly failing. Oh no! The peril. Probably won't be picking this one up again...

I still have Beyond The Fringe, Star Trek #1 and Orbit (about Stephen King) to read but am pretty much all comic'd out. All I will say is DC's New 52 has been remarkable enough to get me 1) back into comics and 2) off my Marvel obsession. Well done DC!

A Marvel Boy's Look At DC's New 52

My name's Jae and I'm a Marvelholic. I've been one since the age of 11 when I discovered the X-Men and I've never looked back. I've flirted with harder stuff, Dark Horse and Image, and with lighter stuff like IDW and had full-blown affairs with 2000AD but Marvel comics have always formed the centre of my comic obsession. DC, of all the big comic publishers, has rarely featured at all. Sure I own the hardcover Killing Joke, the collected 52 and some other Batman stuff. But ultimately the complexity of the DC universe and it's unfamiliar characters has kept me at arms length.

All that appears to have changed with the New 52, DC's latest reboot. I decided to give DC a fair go... and I'm liking what I'm seeing. Here's some reviews of the stuff I've read: 

Justice League #1

Whilst Justice League is completely alien to me, Batman, Green Lantern and Superman are at least characters I know and thus I found myself enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. Green Lantern is young and impulsive, Batman is intelligent and experienced and Superman... well he just seems pissed off (and hot!). The art is excellent and I'm definitely going to be picking up issue #2 next month. This just felt so accessible that I thought... let's try some more!

Action Comics #1

I really enjoyed this introduction to Superman, still learning of the true extent of his powers and a little too cocky. The ending definitely has me wanting more but... the art was middling. This is meant to be a young, immature Superman but sometimes he looked like he might be in his forties. I just didn't feel the art complimented the story at all. Alas... I'll still be getting #2. 

Stormwatch #1 

Intriguing. This is the first book populated by characters I don't know. This did make me feel slightly disconnected from it but I want to know more... who is the Midnighter? What is the giant eye in the Moon? I'll get #2 but I think this is my first book on temporary probation whilst I try to get a proper feel for it. 

Batwoman #1

I know her, she was in 52! And she was my favourite character from that collection too... The art. Well, what can you say? It was exquisite. Beautiful. Mmmm... And the story was just vague enough to make me feel like buying #2 to find out a little more. 

Demon Knights #1

I have no idea of the history of any of these characters, nor of the time period it's set in. But I know one thing... I bloody loved this. Dragons that look like dinosaurs. Characters will a bit of verve. A story that took shape pretty quickly. LOVED. 

Superboy #1

Excellent modern feeling art, complimented by a totally new beginning for a character even a Marvelboy has heard of. I was absolutely besotted by this one. Yet another one for the pull list. This is tiring... 

Legion Lost #1

The art got better as the story went along. That's the best I can say. And the story... was alright. There were too many panels with too much text and I felt it was all a bit of a mess. I might give it the benefit of the doubt (I'm a forgiving completist when it comes to comics) but probably won't be pursuing this one.

Overall... I've been very impressed. 6 out of 7 comics were excellent and definitely grabbed me. Marvel's comic output is becoming a bit of a mess right now, and I think with this new relaunch DC stand a good chance of grabbing a good deal of my attention for the foreseeable future. Very, very good stuff indeed. 

My Eurovision Top Ten

Today's the day! And after a 7 hour round trip to Gatwick I'm looking forward to settling down with my favourite television show. Below you'll find my top 10 picks from the final, but in no particular order. I would be happy if any one of these won for all sorts of different reasons. Sweden because Eric Saade is HOT. Estonia and Iceland because the songs get stuck in my head. Blue because they're doing it for the UK! And of course Germany's Lena because her song is absolutely awesome.

I can't wait

Romania



Sweden



United Kingdom



Germany



Estonia



Denmark



Finland



Austria



Hungary



Iceland

Eurovision 2011: The Second Semi Final! #esc

It's another semi final tonight! I love that we get semi finals now, it really gives us a chance to come to know the songs better. In my opinion, this will be a far more entertaining semi final than Tuesday's, with far better quality songs. Here are my top 5.

Denmark

Denmark's entry sounds fresh, is sung well and looks good. A Friend In London - New Tomorrow



Estonia

Rockefeller Street, sung by Getter Jaani, is pure Eurovision. It's poptastic, awesome hook and chorus. Whilst it's not my absolute favour song in the contest, I think it may well win. And it'd be a well-deserved win at that.



Sweden

Well you know Eric Saade is "Popular" around these parts. Very popular. I will state I don't think this song is even half as good as last year's Melodifestivalen entry "Manboy", but I still think it's awesome.



Romania

Hotel FM's "Change" is rather catchy, in my opinion. Love it.



Slovakia

A bit slow, but I like it. Twins are the antidote to those other doppelgangers on tonight... Jedward. Embrace them and "I'm Still Alive" instead...

Eurovision 2011: The First Semi Final! #esc

So tonight is the night... Eurovision begins! I can't contain my excitement *looks over list of songs for first semi-final* Ok, excitement contained. All the middling to awful songs in one semi-final! What a terrifying prospect...

I thought I'd select my top 5 songs for tonight... a difficult task given I'm not thrilled by any on the list but here goes:

Albania

I've been scathing about Albania's entries in the past. Too many silly hats and traditional dances. But they've done alright this year, with a poor man's Sertab song. Aurela Gaçe does okay with Feel The Passion



Hungary

Hungary's entry deserves to top the winners for tonight. A modern, fast tempo'd song with good vocals. Kati Wolf rocks What about my dreams



Iceland

A touching, well sung song with a good tune. And the story behind it is, of course, heartbreaking. Sjonni's Friends and the awesome Coming Home....



Malta

Not the best song ever. Not the best vocals either. But I love it... Glen Vella and One Life



Finland

Love this song. Paradise Oskar - Da Da Dam



I expect Hungary to walk it tonight. It'll be interesting to see what actually happens...

Eurovision Countdown: Coming Home

Sjonni's Friends entry for Iceland is a very touching tribute song and rather sweet. I don't think it'll stand a chance of winning but this is yet another song highlighting the rather amazing high standard for this year's competition.