Science Fiction

Samurai Jack #11

/ / Comics

Samurai Jack #11Beginning a new arc, Samurai Jack #11 leads Samurai Jack to Soule the Seer who believes the samurai’s enchanted blade holds the key to finally sending the time-displaced warrior home. When Soule’s incantations go wrong, however, Jack is left without his trustworthy blade and the one weapon in all of creation which Aku fears.

In the comic’s rotating stable of artists, Andy Suriano provides some of the series best panels with his work in Samurai Jack #11. I particularly enjoyed the Luke and Yoda style trekking as Jack carries Soule on his back to what his mistakenly believes is magical spot which will lead him home.

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Doctor Who – Deep Breath

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Doctor Who – Deep Breath
  • wiki: link

“Nothing is more important than my egomania!”

 

Doctor Who - Deep Breath

Post-regeneration episodes are tricky. By and large the first episodes of the new actor as The Doctor focus either on an exhausted and confused Doctor trying to discover his himself for the first time (“Time and the Rani“) or resting and being out of action for much of the episode (“Castrovalva,” “The Christmas Invasion“). My main takeaway from “Deep Breath,” other than the fact that the jury is still out on just what kind of man the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) will be, is reminding me how well-constructed an episode “The Eleventh Hour” was. The Fifth Series premiere works as a strong story apart from the novelty of introducing a new actor into the series’ starring role. By contrast, while “Deep Breath” isn’t awful, it’s a far cry from the strides Matt Smith took in his first episode as the Eleventh Doctor.

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Star Wars #20

/ / Comics

Star Wars #20Dark Horse Comics’ classic Star Wars series comes to a close here wrapping up the final arc as Han, Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca race to rescue Leia’s childhood friend who has been working for years as a Rebel spy inside the Empire. Rescuing Seren from the determined robotic bounty hunter IG-88 is easier said than done, but by the end of the issue the core group is safe, the mission is successful, and Luke shows off a little foreshadowing of the Jedi Master he is destined to one day become.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m disappointed to see the work writer Brian Wood and artist Stéphane Créty have done on this title come to an end. Their 20 issue run is some of the best comics Dark Horse put out in the Star Wars Universe and I wonder what else we might have see had their run been able to continue.

Star Wars #20 works as a final issue giving each of the core members their own moments to shine while teasing us on adventures we sadly won’t be able to see continue as the rights return to Marvel Comics (who, after what we’ve seen here, have some big shoes to fill). Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $2.99]

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Star Trek – The Menagerie

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Star Trek – The Menagerie
  • wiki: link
  • wiki: link

Star Trek - The Menagerie

Offering the show the opportunity to use footage from the unaired pilot episode, the First Season’s only two-part episode featured rebellious Spock (Leonard Nimoy) standing trial for stealing the Enterprise and taking it to the forbidden planet of Talos IV and the return of the show’s first captain Christopher Pike (Sean Kenney/Jeffrey Hunter). “The Menagerie” is possibly the best example from the original series of the human side of the Vulcan science officer getting the best of him where his loyalty to his ship and captain comes into conflict with actions that, at least on the surface, are highly illogical.

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Divergent

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Divergent
  • IMDb: link

DivergentBased on the young adult novel by Veronica Roth, Divergent cashes in on several of the same themes that made The Hunger Games a box office success. Casting Shailene Woodley as Tris, the plucky young heroine in a dystopian future, the movie follows a similar formula of class warfare and child warriors.

In a world where people are grouped into five castes, each centered around a specific ideal, Tris reaches the age of choosing in which she decides to forgo a life of servitude to become a warrior. Her choice is heavily influenced by the fact that Tris, unlike the vast majority of the population, has a genetic code that doesn’t fit neatly into any one of the particular factions.

Hiding her divergence from both friends and enemies, Tris trains to become a member of Dauntless, but to succeed in becoming a full member of the faction she’ll have face the truth about herself and keep anyone else from learning her secret.

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