Pseudo Comic Review: X-Files Issue #0

Much like the new movie, the new X-Files comic book was released with little fanfare. Issue Zero came out in July, and if it’s any indication, I’m not terribly excited for what’s to come.

Comic Book adaptations of TV shows are pretty hit and miss. If the comic is being published while the show is on the air, you know nothing too earth shattering is going to happen in the comic. Dark Horse comics have had great success with their Buffy the Vampire Slayer series because Buffy isn’t on the air any more and the comic is viewed as an official continuation of the show. Series creator Joss Whedon has been very hands on with comic, acting as the “show runner” and writing several issues. It’s even dubbed Season 8.

I was hoping Wildstorm’s new X-Files comic would have taken Dark Horse’s lead and been written as a brand new season (Season 10). Issue Zero could have served as a prequel to the new movie, recapping what had happened in the X-Files universe since the show went off the air and lead in to the movie. Issue #1 would have begun after the events of the movie and we’d go from there. Series creator Chris Carter would have had to have taken an active role to give this “season 10″ some legitimacy. And then maybe I’d win the lottery and marry Jessica Alba. Unfortunately, none of that tuned out the way I’d wanted.

X-Files #0 is basically a monster of the week episode that takes place sometime in the past (during season 1-3 I think). The story isn’t terrible, nor is it terribly original (a killer that can posses body after body). The art is serviceable (you can tell who’s Scully and who’s Mulder) but it’s basically a throw away tale that reads like X-Files lite. I have no idea if Carter has anything to so with the book other than a generic interview that’s included.

Perhaps they didn’t want to do anything too radical with the comic because they wanted to make more films. X-Files: I Want to Believe underperformed at the box-office, so that’s probably put the kabosh to that idea. Maybe there’s still hope the new series can tell X-Files stories that are a little more substantial. Chris Carter can use the comic book medium to make X-Files: Season 10 and not have to worry about budget restraints or network interference. Until then, X-Philes are better off watching their old DVD’s then investing in this comic series.

Related: Read my pseudo review of X-Filed: I Want To Belueve here:

http://pacinofan.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/pseudo-review-x-files-i-want-to-believe/

Pseudo Review: Spaced – The Complete Series

Would-be Comic book Artist Tim Bisley (Simon Pegg) and aspiring writer Daisy Steiner (Jessica Hynes) are two friends pretending to be in a romance in order to rent a “couples only” London Flat. They and their wacky group of friends must do battle with bad relationships, money problems, dead end jobs, and dog-nappers in the British Comedy series, Spaced.

If you’d never seen Spaced, the above description may lead you to believe the show was a generic network sitcom. If you have seen it, you’d know the show was anything but. Spaced rose above its clichéd premise to become one of the most original TV shows in recent memory. To get an idea of what this British comedy is even comparable to, picture a hot threesome between Seinfeld, The Office and The Simpsons with Arrested Development peeping in the window. Take all the love juices from the encounter, mix ‘em up, inject it in to San Diego Comic Con, and you start to get the idea.

Like The Simpsons, homage’s come fast and furious on Spaced. Star Wars references dominated, but you also got The X-files, Pulp Fiction, Evil Dead and all other manner of geek scripture (Tim even prays at the alter of Buffy). It’s not a Sci-Fi or fantasy show per se, but it’s about people that know and understand the genre. I can easily relate to the characters in Spaced since I know people like them. Hell, I am people like them! It’s obvious why the show was a hit among fandom across the world; it spoke the universal language of Geek.

What really made the show work are the relationships between the main characters. They all have their flaws and ecentricies, but as the show goes on and you get to know them, you’ll also get to like them. Spaced proves that a comedy doesn’t need to be mean spirited to be witty, funny, and original.

It goes with out saying that if you loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, your gong to want to check out the show that launched the careers of Director Edgar Wright and star/writer Simon Pegg (you also get some early Nick Frost action). Even non-geeks can enjoy the show. I made my decidedly non-nerd girl friend sit down to watch an episode and she ended up watching the entire series with me.

Spaced was only on the air for 2 seasons, but it left an indelible mark on all geeks that saw it. The region 1 DVD set is a tad pricey considering you’re only getting 14 episodes, but bonus features are plentiful and the commentary tracks feature such geek icons as Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino and Diablo Cody. Listening to Tarantino do commentary on an episode featuring a Pulp Fiction homage is almost worth the price right there.

Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO Director’s Cut? I didn’t know there was one!

This is really interesting:

http://www.videowatchdog.blogspot.com/

If true, an uncut version of PSYCHO would be an awesome addition to the upcoming 2 disc Special Edition DVD.  I’m just having a hard time believing 100% such a thing even exists. 

Hopefully we’ll learn more soon.

“Stuck” DVD news

Today is a civic holiday for most of Canada. In my neck of the woods, we’re celebrating New Brunswick Day! 

In honor of my home Province’s special day, I present to you some DVD news concerning Stuart Gordon’s New Brunswick lensed Thriller Stuck. 

http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/stuck.html

Pseudo Book Review: Off Season by Jack Ketchum

A group of City folk vacationing in the back woods of Maine runs afoul of some cave dwelling cannibals in Jack Ketchum’s Off Season. Blood, guts, and a recipe for human sausages (swear to God) ensue!

How I only recently discovered a book about cannibalistic savages written by Jack Ketchum will forever be an unsolved mystery (hopefully like Ashton Kutcher’s murder). However, thanks to the miracle of mega book stores, I found this gritty little tale and was glad I did.

The book certainly doesn’t break new ground; especially if you’re an avid viewer of 70’s survivalist horror flicks like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. Stories of City Dwellers trekking too deep in the woods and running across its unfriendly inhabitants have been seen before. Still, even with the familiarity, there are several particularly vicious moments in the book that had this grizzled horror veteran squirming ever so slightly.

As is the norm in the Survivalist Horror sub-genre, the so called “civilized” characters resort to decidedly un-civilized behavior to survive. There is a scene during the novel’s climax in particular that hammers this point home. The book definitely doesn’t have a Steven Spielberg type ending, that’s for sure.

Unlike my first experience with Uncle Lou, my first experience with Jack Ketchum was a good one. It’s got Violence, suspense and Cannibals all written in a style that never had me wanting to put the damn thing down. If you can’t read, learn how and pick up Off Season.

FYI: The version of the book I read was sort of a “Director’s cut.” It includes several scenes not included before and a completely different ending. Ketchum was forced to make several cuts to the book by the original publishers. If you’ve read Off Season before, you may want to check out this un-cut version.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Animated Series (clip)

Ahhh, what could have been…

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37773