Those of you who left [[[Heroes]]] after the debauchery that was season two may want to make a return to the show for this season, because if the first two episodes were any indicator, this season is going to be exactly what comic book and TV fans alike have been waiting for.

Where we left off

The virus from the second season was contained by the heroes. Adam (the immortal man) was taken away by Hiro, while Nathan, Peter, and Matt decided that it’s time to tell the world exactly who they are. Right before Nathan’s big “outing”, he was shot by a mysterious man and presumed dead. Sylar escaped the clutches of Elle and the company, only to realize that his powers were coming back. Nikki went on a quest to save her cousin Monica from evil drug dealers when she was trapped in a building when it exploded. Finally reaching Suresh, Maya, the girl with the power to kill people when she cries, begs him to help her get rid of her powers. All this while Noah (HRG) is captured and put into custody by the Company, and Claire is safe in Texas, for now.

What’s changed

Between the backlash that the show received online from the fans, and the untimely writers’ strike, this show went through quite a few last minute changes, cutting the season in half with only 11 episodes. Originally, the plan was to have Sylar off the series for a while, while actor Zachary Quinto worked on J.J. Abrams’ [[[Star Trek]]], but due to the episode cut, they were able to work around his schedule, and have Sylar back in full swing for this season. Many other things were changed due to the negative response the show runners got from the fans.  One big change for this season was a lack of superfluous characters. The “Spanish wonder twins”  —   Maya and her dead brother — were a big problem for the online community, and Maya’s role will take a whole new — and far less whiney —  turn this season. Also, Nikki’s cousin Monica, who had the ability to mimic any action she saw on TV (much like any 11 year old boy) will be completely gone this year, and whether she’s even mentioned in dialogue or not is still unknown (ie. “Boy, things have been quiet here ever since Monica left to fight crime in Ireland”). Along with those changes came new character arcs, which may or may not fall in line with the consistency of the show. For instance; the “my two dads” storyline in which Suresh and Parkman took care of the child Molly, will be abolished. In fact, Suresh goes through a whole new metamorphosis this season, both physically and emotionally.

Finally, the biggest change in the show, and the best element of the two-part premiere; the pacing and revelation of the plot. A major problem with the series in the past was that it took six episodes for anything noteworthy to actually happen. In the first two hours, we get more questions answered and action-packed moments than you could ask for. Of course there will still be bigger questions to be revealed at a later episode, but you can thank the formula of modern hour-dramas for that.

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There was once a time when Mel Brooks was considered a pioneer of comedy, a trendsetter in satire,  even a spoof master, but if the debut of [[[G4’s Spaceballs: The Animated Series]]], that time has long passed. This was a perfect example of how NOT to reinvent a franchise. It was bound to happen with films being made of Broadway shows and Broadway shows being made of his films that Mel Brooks (who is not only attached as Executive Producer, but also reprises his roles as Scrube and Yogurt) would try to reinvent the [[[Spaceballs]]] film with a poorly produced animated series, but whether it was a lack of his own creativity, or the network’s inane intention to hit a demographic, this show was terrible.

The series is supposed to follow the events of the film, provided that the ending never happened, and Lonestar and his band of heroes gets in wacky misadventures every week to foil the plans of Dark Helmet and President Scrube. There are various minor pop culture and [[[Star Wars]]] references, but it’s hard enough to get through the “jokes” as it is.

It’s unknown what legal issues went on during the production, but this show was originally slated to be released sometime in 2007, and then, without mention, disappeared until recently. The series has the feel of a flash-made web series, and is even edited for release on the G4 network. This only hurts the show more because instead of getting the vulgar visual humor, we get cut-and-paste images and voices that were changed in postproduction for the G4 demographic of boys under the age of 17.

The show could actually work, if they didn’t trade in the impeccable timing and vaudevillian dialogue of the movie with boob jokes and outdated Star Wars Episodes 1-3 references. The voicework falls in line with the poor production, as Brooks comes back to voice his characters President Scrube and Yogurt, while Daphne Zuniga comes back for Princess Vespa. The show, as a whole, is just awful and probably won’t last very long. If one day they decide to drop the censor bars and release the series on DVD or the web, it may be worth a watch, but until then; it should probably be avoided. RATING: 0/10

Those familiar of Mickey Mouse would usually classify the character as friendly, cheerful, and even funny at times. Well, did you know that he’s also a Soldier of Satan? It also seems that Mickey isn’t held in too-high regard around Saudi Arabia. In a recent interview with Saudi Arabian cleric/diplomat Sheikh Muhammad Munajid he stated that Mickey needs to die. (AP)

A sheik from Saudi Arabia, a former diplomat posted in Washington, has put out a fatwa on Mickey Mouse, calling him the new enemy of Islam. "Mickey Mouse is a soldier of Satan, and everything he touches becomes impure," said Sheik Muhammad al-Munajid.

"Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases. According to sharia law, the mouse is a repugnant and corrupting animal," he said during a show broadcast by Al-Majd television.

It should be mentioned that this has been translated from it’s original language, and "awesome" probably doesn’t have the same meaning we would give it. Munajjid went on to say that under Islamic law, rats and mice are considered "repulsive" and as "soldiers of Satan" which totally explains the adage "give a mouse a cookie, and he’ll want a glass of milk." Now, those of you who aren’t caught up on your Islamic terminology, a "fatwa" is a ruling on a point of Islamic law that is given by a recognized authority. This essentially means that the religion is calling for the head of Mickey Mouse. Last month Mr Munajid also condemned the Beijing Olympics as the "bikini Olympics", claiming that nothing made Satan happier than seeing females athletes dressed in skimpy outfits. You can only imagine his reaction if he saw this image: