The Mix : What are people talking about today?

Was ‘Doctor Who’ Right About Time?

I’m not going to even pretend to understand 80 percent of the Scientific American article I was recently sent with the title "Does Time Run Backward in Other Universes?" The 20 percent I can make sense of, however, seems to fall right in line with the subject line that accompanied it: "Maybe Doctor Who Was Right"

To the best of my summation, the article describes physicists’ investigation of the potential "timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly" nature of the fourth dimension, and the likelihood that time might not always be a one-way street. Of course, this is all old hat to fans of the relaunched BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who, who were told something similar by The Doctor in last season’s award-winning (and terrifying) episode titled "Blink."

According to SciAm:

If the observable universe were all that existed, it would be nearly impossible to account for the arrow of time in a natural way. But if the universe around us is a tiny piece of a much larger picture, new possibilities present themselves. We can conceive of our bit of universe as just one piece of the puzzle, part of the tendency of the larger system to increase its entropy without limit in the very far past and the very far future. To paraphrase physicist Edward Tryon, the big bang is easier to understand if it is not the beginning of everything but just one of those things that happens from time to time.

While I’m always interested in the ways life (or science, in this case) matches up with my favorite television series, I’m not so keen on the idea of stone statues attacking me whenever I turn my back (the other element of "Blink" worth noting). Even if you’re not a fan of Doctor Who, the SciAm article provides science-fiction fans some food for thought… and who knows, it might be just the impetus you need to brush up on your theoretical physics.

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Battlestar Galactica Interview: Mark Verheiden on Adama’s Motives and Cylon Babies

Welcome to the latest installment of Battlestar Galactica Weekly, our recurring Q&A with Mark Verheiden, co-executive producer of the hit Sci-Fi Channel series Battlestar Galactica. Each week, we’ll interview Verheiden about the events of the week’s episode, what those events might mean for both the season and the series, and hopefully unearth some clues about what to expect as the final season of Battlestar Galactica nears its conclusion.

Along with posing our own questions to Verheiden, we’re also taking questions from fans — so be sure to send your questions to me, your official BSG Weekly interviewer, after each episode airs at chris [at] comicmix dot com. New episodes of Battlestar Galactica can be seen every Friday at 10 PM EST on Sci-Fi Channel. You can read previous interviews via our BSG Weekly Archive or the links at the end of this article.

After a week off, this week Verheiden answers questions about Episode #8 of Season Four, “Sine Qua Non,” which aired May 30, 2008. Note: These answers may contain spoilers, so read at your own risk.

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First, before we get to the questions, here’s a personal message from Mark about the recent fire that destroyed a large part of the Universal Studios backlot.

Readers may have seen the news story about the big fire at NBC/Universal Studios over the weekend.  The fire was actually across the lot from the Galactica offices, and we’re all grateful for that.  But we’re even more grateful to the police and firefighters who did such a heroic job putting down the blaze. So say we all!

And now, on with the questions.

COMIC MIX (from reader Tom): Where did Jake the dog come from? What happened to his previous owners?

MARK VERHEIDEN: Jake was obviously rescued from New Caprica.  As far as his previous owners, truth is we never really discussed Jake’s ownership lineage.  Because I don’t want to believe Lee would steal the pooch from someone (uh oh, I smell a Boxey story!), I assume the dog was being housed somewhere in the fleet sans real owners.

CMix (from reader Trish): Who killed Romo’s cat and why was he carrying around the dead cat for weeks? He never seemed that crazy before. Or was he?

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Indiana Jones and the Godless Commies, by Dennis O’Neil

Now we know. That Indiana Jones still swings a mean whip.

I liked the new Indy flick better than the critics I read, all of whom said something like, well, okay, it was all right but not up to the earlier entries in the series. Which makes me wonder: what would they have thought if this had been the first Indy flick, instead of the fourth. It’s like those clichés in Hamlet – they weren’t clichés to the greasy-chinned groundlings at the first (or fourteenth, or eighty-third) performance of Shakespeare’s story of a screwed-up kid with severe mama issues. Way back in 1981, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and a platoon of talented collaborators took elements from Saturday afternoon serials, silent comedies and maybe a few other sources and combined them in the right proportions to create entertainment that was not only right for the time, but provided a template for a lot of entertainment that followed.

Was the fourth as good as the first (or second, or third?)? That’s me, scratching my head and muttering, I dunno…And, frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.

Years and years ago, a brilliant science fiction writer told me that Goethe’s criterion for judging art was found in two questions. To wit: What was the artist trying to do and did he succeed in doing it? I’ve never found a good reason to argue with Herr Goethe and by his criteria; Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a success. We entered the multiplex hoping to be amused, hoping to forget Bush’s ongoing follies and the Democrat’s internecine dogfights and – voila! We were amused and we, temporarily, forgot. Value received. Money well spent.

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Review: ‘The New York Four’ by Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly

ny4-5124195[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a series of reviews of the five books coming out from DC’s Minx imprint this year. Previously, Van Jensen reviewed Rebecca Donner’s Burnout and Cecil Castellucci’s Janes in Love. -RM]

Brian Wood is a very good writer. Ryan Kelly is a very good artist.  That makes the failure of the duo’s new book from Minx, The New York Four ($9.99) all the more disappointing.

Wood, who has shown a masterful understanding of NYC in his series [[[DMZ]]], shifts his focus here to NYU and a quartet of freshmen, each with their quota of baggage. At the center is Riley, who had a sheltered childhood and finally experiences some freedom.

Not a bad premise, but Wood doesn’t really do much with it. The girls sort of bounce off each other in one low-key scene after another, and their problems are never substantial or interesting enough to invest in the plot.

The characters come alive (one triumph of the talented creators), but even they seem underwhelmed by the mundanity of their lives.

There’s also an air of forced hip-ness to the book, which tosses in little elements like character bio-boxes, New York factoids and half-baked Real World-style confessional moments. And the lesson, as always, is that you can’t fake the funk.

Van Jensen is a former crime reporter turned comic book journalist. Every Wednesday, he braves Atlanta traffic to visit Oxford Comics, where he reads a whole mess of books for his weekly reviews. Van’s blog can be found at graphicfiction.wordpress.com.

Publishers who would like their books to be reviewed at ComicMix should contact ComicMix through the usual channels or email Van Jensen directly at van (dot) jensen (at) gmail (dot) com.

Demons of Sherwood: Out With A Fight!

Today’s episode of Demons of Sherwood is the finale.  Robert Tinnell and Bo Hampton wrap up their tale of Robin Hood and his Merry Men with a final showdown over the Holy Grail.

They fight demons — and not just metaphorically.  Will Robin and Marian live long enough to realize they were meant to be together?

Credits: Bo Hampton (Artist), Bo Hampton (Colorist), Bo Hampton (Letterer), Bo Hampton (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)

More: Demons of Sherwood

 

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Review: Hellboy Franchise Hits #8 With ‘Darkness Calls’ and ‘Killing Ground’

  • Uncategorized
  • June 2, 2008

In the last few weeks, both of Mike Mignola’s related series for Dark Horse have hit their eighth collected volumes. So, while the second movie – prominently advertised on both covers – is still forthcoming, let’s see what’s going on with the Hellboy of the printed world.

hellboy81-1385524Hellboy, Vol. 8: Darkness Calls
Written by Mike Mignola; art by Duncan Fegredo
Dark Horse, May 2008, $19.95

Hellboy has been wandering alone for about six years now — as one character remarks helpfully, late in this volume — since he walked away from the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. He’s hasn’t particularly been looking for trouble, unlike his [[[B.P.R.D.]]] days, but trouble and [[[Hellboy]]] are never that far from each other.

After some adventures and a shipwreck on the coast of Africa — in the last volume, [[[The Troll Witch and Others]]] — Hellboy has turned up at the home of his old friend Harry Middleton, who was part of the old B.P.R.D. team of the ’50s with Hellboy and Professor Bruttenholm. Hellboy is hoping to rest, but how likely is that?

Meanwhile, a minor villain named Igor Bromhead attempts to harness the power of the witch-goddess Hecate — who Hellboy beat up, but didn’t completely destroy, several books ago — and the witches of the world plot their own revenge against Hellboy. These two separate sub-plots are more connected than they first appear to be, of course…

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Happy Birthday: Scott Rosema

  • Uncategorized
  • June 2, 2008

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Born in 1958, Scott Rosema started scribbling when he was only four years old. By his teens he knew he wanted to get into comic books and set himself to developing his art skills.

He began freelancing in 1979, right after graduating from the Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, and worked in commercial art for the first few years.

In 1982 Rosema started working for various newspapers, including a seven-year stint at The Muskegon Chronicle. Since then he has worked for Warner Bros. (Tiny Toons and Looney Tunes), Archie Comics (Space Ghost), Marvel (X-Men), Arrow Comics (August), Golden Books (Batman), Valiant Comics (Solar, Man of the Atom), Dragon Magazine, and many others.

Rosema and his wife own and operate Temujin Studios.

‘White Viper’ Starts June 3 on ComicMix!

 A baby, abandoned.  Surrounded by dead bodies, she is found by a poor monk.  He takes her back to his home for safety, and the company of his brother monks.

Happily ever after?  Think again.

In White Viper, the new series written by Erin Holroyd, with art by the legendary Dick Giordano and Frank McLaughlin, nothing — and no one — is what it seems.  There is blood and death in the countryside, but at the same time, there is love.   A holy man can teach you how to kill.

And sometimes, no one can be trusted.  And sometimes, you must trust a stranger with your very life.

Frank McLaughlin, providing inks and story, said, "I’ve been working in comics for more than 40 years, and this is the story I’ve always wanted to tell.  It’s a joy to work with my old friend, the great storyteller Dick Giordano.  Inking his work was one of my first jobs, and it’s great to be collaborating on something that means so much to both of us.  We’re very excited that Erin has taken some time off from the Stratford Bard to work with us."

ComicMix Editor-in-Chief Mike Gold said, "I’ve known Dick and Frank since I worked at DC Comics, and I’m delighted to be working with them both again.  This series is the best work they’ve ever done."

White Viper runs every Tuesday on ComicMIx, free and in full color.

Doctor Who in Review: Season Four, Episode #5 – The Poison Sky

The hit BBC series Doctor Who is now in its fourth season on the Sci-Fi Channel, and since we’re all big fans here at ComicMix, we’ve decided to kick off an episode-by-episode analysis of the reinvigorated science-fiction classic.

Every week, we’ll have our best Who-philes go through the most recent episode with a fine-tooth comb (or whatever the "sonic screwdriver" equivalent might be) and call out all of the continuity checks, names dropped and storyline hints we can find to keep in mind for future episodes. We’ll post our analysis each Monday, so you have ample time to check out the episode once it airs each Friday at 9 PM EST on Sci-Fi Channel before reading our review.

Missed a week? Check out our "Doctor Who in Review" archive or check out any of the past editions of this column via the links at the end of this article.

Keep in mind, we’re going to assume readers have already watched the episode when we put fingers to keyboard and come up with our roundup of important plot points. In other words, SPOILER ALERT!

Let’s begin now, shall we?

Season Four, Episode #5: "The Poison Sky" (more…)

Interview: Darick Robertson on ‘The Boys’

  • Uncategorized
  • June 2, 2008

boys-vol1-tpb-cover-200-3384215Artist Darick Robertson is one of my favorite contradictions in the comics industry.

On one side, he’s one of the friendliest creators I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with and remains one of the nicest of the industry’s "nice guys." But a quick peek at some of the projects he’s best known for, specifically his famous collaborations with writers such as Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan) and Garth Ennis (The Punisher: Born, The Boys), reveals a side of the artist’s imagination that doesn’t seem very, well… nice.

Whether it’s images of a human head being crushed like an overripe tomato or acts of depravity that would make Ron Jeremy blush, Robertson has shown a knack for creating amazing art that pushes the boundaries of comics — even those already aimed at mature readers.

Of course, that’s not to say his all-ages fare isn’t equally impressive. In addition to critically praised runs on series such as Justice League, Wolverine and New Warriors, Robertson remains a go-to guy for publishers like DC, who currently has him under contract as a regular artist.

In 2006, Robertson and Ennis kicked off a new, creator-owned series titled The Boys, about a group of superpowered, clandestine operatives for the U.S. government who investigate the questionable activities of other superpowered individuals and, when necessary, reign them in by any means necessary. After the controversial series was abruptly cancelled by DC/Wildstorm after six issues, it landed at Dynamite Entertainment, where it has been published ever since and remains one of the publisher’s most popular ongoing titles. Earlier this year, Columbia Pictures picked up the rights to make a film based on the series.

I spoke with Robertson while he was hard at work in his studio, and discussed his busy schedule, what’s coming up for The Boys and his inspiration for its characters. We also talked movies, bounced around some thoughts on potential casting choices for the film version of The Boys and compared the power of graphic imagery with that of scenes that show very little, but say quite a lot. 

COMICMIX: It’s been a while since we spoke last, Darick. How are things going these days with The Boys and Dynamite?

DARICK ROBERTSON: Everything’s great. It’s all coming along, everything’s going well and everyone’s been very professional.

CMix: You’ve also been doing some work for DC since you moved The Boys over to Dynamite. What’s the pace like for you these days?

DR: It’s been hard on the schedule, because I have to balance it all out with DC. When I took The Boys on, I was working for DC, but they generously kept me under contract when I went over to Dynamite. So now I have to balance those two schedules out. All in all, it’s been okay, though.

CMix: In the most recent story, The Boys ended up in Russia and, as usual, they tangled with a lot of questionable characters in capes. From the artist’s side, how do you feel about having to design so many new costumes and super-types in each story? Is it fun to design completely new sets of costumes and characters for every story or do you look forward to issues in which you only have to worry about working on the regular cast?

DR: I have the most fun when I’m drawing new things. In the case, I really enjoyed the scene where I had to draw everybody in the warehouse, and I got to free-form with my ideas. They weren’t any specific characters and I didn’t have to worry about them reappearing in the continuity, since they all exploded at the end of that arc. I could just do whatever I wanted. That’s where I get to have the most fun, because it’s very low-pressure.

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