BEACON

Just before Christmas, The CW Network website opened up to Smallville fans to film and submit webcam testomonials in support of Superheroes and... The Red/Blue Blur.. This was for an upcoming episode called Beacon.

I took part in this and after 15 or so takes I had my final sent in (Thanks to Jephael for the help on that one).

I won't be getting my hopes up, but if I end up on the said Smallville episode even for a fraction of a second, it would make my year. I am already excited for the other people who entered and that Smallville is bigging up for a big finale.

I am really glad I gave it a go, and if my entry isn't used I will post it in full elsewhere online.

The Smallville episode Beacon will air this coming Friday February 11th.

CRUSADER

There’s one animated series that has impressed me a lot recently, and that is – Batman: The Brave and The Bold.

This show is based on an old DC comic book serial of the same name. The concept this serial features Batman teaming up with a guest hero to take on the guest villain of the story. The caped crusader has different chemistry with each of his temporary teammates as Batman and the guest hero will either: get along, argue, or have a competitive clash.

Batman will either join forces with the likes of The Blue Beetle, The Red Tornado, The Green Arrow and so forth. Those less Batman literate like me get to learn a little more about these characters in the DC Universe through watching the episodes. The featured villains themselves are not the regular occurrences of The Penguin, The Riddler, The Joker etc we are used to in previous televised Batman adventures. I must admit, I didn’t hear much about villains such as The Black Manta, Gentleman Ghost, and Funhouse until I started watching Brave and the Bold.


Another unique execution from The Brave and the Bold is that you never see Batman as Bruce Wayne. There is no Wayne Manor, No Batcave, No Alfred, No Aunt Agatha, or anything like that. It is just straight in the action with Batman as Batman from a perspective of how an everyday citizen would probably see him.

However, Bruce has been in the show a couple of times, but only as part of a flashback sequence or two. Yet these were compromised by one sequence depicted in black and white featuring Bruce as a boy and the other showing Bruce training at a temple with his face hidden by a mask.

The art style itself is a fusion of old school comics rounded off with modern day pointy edges. The design is solid enough to animate well and be made bright and attractive enough to younger spectators. This has probably got to be the most colourful Batman cartoon yet!
Each episode starts off with a minute and a half mini adventure before the beginning title, featuring Batman sometimes with a partner getting themselves out of a situation. The main story after the title sequence is the bulk of the show and a stand-alone episode, meaning these don’t have to be watched in order.

So what we have here is a Batman cartoon that daringly dodges a lot of clichés and is a great product as a result. This is a fresher take on the ‘dark knight’ in animated form that should be enjoyed by all if not most Batman and comics fans.

A show that is both Brave and Bold in its own right.

DESTROYER

SPOILER WARNING: This is a little feedback from a Smallville episode which aired last night in the US on the CW Network. Anyone following this show on Channel 4/E4 on UK shores may want to be warned as the airing of episodes is obviously behind with the states. However it is always customary to put a spoiler warning on for principle sake, so yeah, you’ve been warned =). This isn’t a review as such, just me sharing my thoughts on something I enjoy and support

So this morning, I’m still voiceless (see the entry MUTE) and working on some stuff for an upcoming film I am shooting a 3 minute pilot for (more on this soon). I had just remembered that the anticipated Smallville episode BRIDE aired last night in the states, so I acquired it to take a break out and enjoy.

I enjoyed the episode from start, middle and end.


Of course the main attraction of this episode was the appearance of Doomsday aside from the Jimmy/Chloe wedding, but there was a lot more packed into the 40+ minutes of this mid-season finale.

Lana is back and once again keeping a secret from Clark, A world-wide chase with new leads for Lex has begun with The Green Arrow hot on the trail, plus Clark and Lois grow even closer.

The best part of BRIDE was the reception scene as the wedding itself was already established in a Cloverfield type homage before the credits. This main scene build up is shown after the opening credits and is set 8 hours beforehand with wedding planner comedy from Lois. I felt sorry for the camera kid as he spent his scenes trying to make a good home video, and as if Lois slapping him around wasn’t bad enough he also gets a slap from Doomsday too. Still, this minor characters point of view sets the episode in motion really well. I think he may have been one of Jimmy’s relatives…

Doomsday’s reception crash as expected left a lot of mess and destruction. Clark and Jimmy both end up getting floored too as Doomday grabs Chloe and heads off for the now Brainiac corrupted Fortress of Solitude. Oddly enough Chloe strikes a questionable smile towards her captor in the Fortress, possibly meaning she is still manifested by Brainiac or another reason altogether. The smile is pretty creepy to say the least.



I think the writers are going for an Eddie Brock / Venom approach with this rendition of Doomsday. There obviously was a fair amount of Davis Bloom’s emotion that fuelled the attack on the wedding from his desire for Chloe’s hand, much in a similar way Brock’s emotion is driving force behind Venom in Spiderman canon.

Smallville’s interpretation of Doomsday himself looks like a cross between Michael Bay’s Megatron and the 80’s My Pet Monster toy but… with crystal bones as expected. Yes! Crystal Bones I say. Most of the camera shots of Doomsday are shown in the shade or distanced which help make him look a little less surreal.

Another delightful thing about the recent episode was the return of a soundtrack of sorts. Smallville’s soundtrack was one of the epic elements of the show but has been sadly absent for a while. The song Don’t Take Your Love Away by Vast plays during the final scenes and sets the mood for the ending really well.

One of the key parts of this episode being the last one of 2008 is the final shot at the end. This final shot is something totally different from the other recent events (although it acknowledges them) but is something likely to set conversation off. In the meantime, new Smallville episodes won’t be back until mid-January 2009 when Lighting Lad, Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy from The Legion of Superheroes are all scheduled to appear at the kidnap/wedding crash aftermath.

All in all things are really picking up big with Smallville again after a few losses in cast and downsized settings. This show has survived knock after knock and continues to stay strong.

So what if the show is leaning more towards Metropolis? so long as Smallville continues to be Lois Lane’s pet name for Clark that is the what the title of the show will stay as.