CITY OF EMBER: A Film That Should Have Had the Lights Turned OFF On It

Fantasy films have been on the rise since the success of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and studios have been buying up popular fantasy novels left and right so there is little wonder the Jeanne Duprau’s novel “The City of Ember” would be next up in line. What is surprising is the film adaptation of the novel CITY OF EMBER is such an uninspired, paint-by-numbers drab film with little heart and even less imagination. This is surprising considering that the screenplay is by Caroline Thompson, who helped bring to life EDWARD SCISORHANDS (1990), THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1991), THE SECRET GARDEN (1993), and THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993). Those films were fantastic fantasy films whereas this one is a muddled mess.

The film concerns the city of Ember, which was built underground 200 years prior in order to save humanity from the devastation from the world above. The original Builders of Ember set a timer on the city so that after 200 years the generations that knew nothing of the world above would have a blueprint on how to escape Ember when the time came, only the instructions which were passed down from mayor to mayor have been lost and the people of Ember know nothing of the world above.

Now the city of Ember is crumbling under old age and the fact that no one to fix anything that was built 200 years prior escapes them. As Ember falls apart under the threat of loosing the power that keeps the city’s light on draws near it is up to Doon and Lina (Harry Treadway and Saoirse Ronan, respectfully) to escape Ember using the instructions of the city’s original Builders in order to save the people they love.
At a production budget of approximately $38 million the film looks even cheaper then that with the bad CGI. The film has good production design as the city of Ember is crafted with great care and a distinctive look but besides the weak screenplay the great supporting cast is given little to nothing to do in the film, which includes Tim Robbins, Bill Murray, Toby Jones, and Martin Landau. The leads Treadway and Ronan actually do a good job in the mediocre film and will help younger audiences enjoy the film but this still won’t erase the fact that CITY OF EMBER just isn’t all that good of a film.

MAX PAYNE, A Forgetable Video Game Adaptation

Films based on video games are generally not very good and this is no exception with the new Mark Wahlberg film MAX PAYNE. The film is about a detective Max Payne (Wahlberg) who after witnessing his wife and child’s death buries himself in the cold case files where he becomes a pariah to all the other officers on the force. When the becomes dragged into the investigation of a death woman who stole his wallet he becomes entangled with gangsters and the existence of a drug that makes people invincible, while some suffer horrible delusions and visions of a world inhabited by demons.

If you think I’m giving something away by revealing any of this, trust me, the film is very transparent with its story and you’ll see everything coming long before they decide to reveal it. It’s sad that films based on video games have been so bad (i.e. DOOM, SUPER MARIO BROS., or STREETFIGHTER) through the years and even with a big name like Wahlberg attached this film couldn’t have been elevated other then mediocre film that it is. Also on hand is Beau Bridges, Chris O’Donnell, and Ludacris (who is the only one that you don’t laugh at during the entire film).

The action is fast & furious and the special visual effects are top notch (which are the only things saving this film from becoming complete trash). I do have to admit that the ending was very well done especially considering how much I hated the rest of the film and how long it took to a point in the film was wasn’t completely ludicrous (forgive the pun). As much hype as they gave to the film you’d think that something more interesting would have come out at the end but maybe we’ll just have to wait for the next video game adaptation.

QUARANTINE: One of the Scariest Films of the Year!

With only four major horror films being released this October (the others being SAW V, THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY, and SPLINTER), QUARANTINE, the America remake of the Spanish film REC, is one of the highlights of the Halloween season and one of the best remakes to come out in quite some time. Although the original REC has yet to be released here in the states (due to the fact that the studios don’t want people’s expectations of QUANTANTINE to be judged by the original film), QUARANTINE comes off as a suspenseful and altogether terrifying experience.

Angela Vidal and her cameraman Scott (Jennifer Carpenter and Steve Harris, respectfully) are doing an expose on firefighters particularly Jake and George (Jay Hernandez & Johnathon Schaech, respectfully), who reveal that most of the calls that they take are mostly as EMTs. As Jack and George reveal their seemingly uneventful lives on the job, a late night call comes in to the firehouse giving Angela and Scott the opportunity to catch the boys in action on the job. They soon arrive at an apartment complex in which several tenants have been hearing a woman screaming in her apartment. With the help of some police officers, Jack and George break in with Angela not far behind. When they try to help the screaming woman she attacks them injuring one of the cops. This attack leads to the revelation that something isn’t quite right and their fears are soon realized when they are unable to leave the building due to the fact that the police have the building quarantined off and they won’t tell the trapped inhabitants why.

One by one each of the inhabitants of the apartment complex become infected with what appears to be some sort of fast acting killer virus and emotions become even more escalated when they can’t leave and the building becomes infested with more of the infected. As time runs out and hope is no-existent, Angela and Scott must find a way to survive until help comes…if it ever does.

Like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, CLOVERFIELD, and DIARY OF THE DEAD, this film is told completely from the perspective of Scott’s camera, which at times is very impressive considering how much the camera is always on the move. These types of films have been on the rise as of late and don’t seem to be waning in the slightest. Written by John and Drew Dowdle (based on the REC screenplay by Jaume Balaguero, Luis Bardejo, and Paco Plaza) and directed by John Erick Dowdle QUARANTINE is one of the best remakes in quite some time and one of the best genre films of the year mainly because it never forgets to create suspense and terror while also telling a compelling story. With so many genre films seemly going for the shock-gore moment it’s great to see a film that actually is suspenseful and terrifying. Definitely, one not to be missed.

Graphic Novel Review: MARVEL ZOMBIES 2

I’m not one for reading anything that the comic book company Marvel has put out in almost a little over a decade but when I heard that writer Robert Kirkman had his hands in the original graphic novel I couldn’t help myself. This was the man who brought horror back to comics with his phenomenal ongoing series THE WALKING DEAD, so, if he was behind the series it couldn’t be all that bad. Point of fact is that the first MARVEL ZOMBIES series was an unquestionable success, so, who am I to be the one to say that there was no need for a second series.

MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 opens years after the first series ended in which all the superheroes of the Marvel universe became infected with a zombie plague turning them all into flesh eating zombies who practically devoured everything on Earth. After eating the Silver Surfer and Galactus, the surviving zombie-superheroes flee Earth in search of more food. In this new series the zombie-superheroes have eaten everything that they can and now set their sights on returning to Earth in order to find Reed Richards dimensional machine that will allow them passage to another world so that they can find a new world to feast upon.

When the zombie-superheroes return to Earth they have a surprise in store for them as an aged Black Panther and Forge had assembled the last of humanity in a settlement that they refuse to let go to the menace of the zombies. Things get even more complicated as a zombie-Wasp has taken up refuge with the survivors and has learned how to live in peace without letting the “hunger” of being a zombie get to her. Now it’s a fight for survival as humans battle zombies, zombies battle zombies, and everything is fair game.

Kirkman presents a compelling story where there are no easy answers or solutions to what lies next for humanity. This is a theme he’s put to great use in his THE WALKING DEAD series and works on a much bigger canvas then that series. Sean Phillips’ artwork compliments Kirkman’s story perfectly. The story is filled with great references from Marvel’s history and will be a favorite with comic book fans.

Like the first series this series steps far beyond anything that most readers of Marvel’s comics is accustomed to which makes the series that much better and now that the creators realize that they have a hit on their hands this series is left open for the impending third story in the series. I recommend this to both fans of Marvel comics and those readers who just want to read a very good story. I may not read anything else that Marvel puts out but I’ll continue to read this series as long as they continue putting them out.

Larry Fessenden's Exceptional THE LAST WINTER!

Writer/director Larry Fessenden surprised audiences with his two previous films HABIT (1997) and WENDIGO (2001), yet he has truly outdone himself with his recent film THE LAST WINTER, which like this year’s earlier film THE HAPPENING, was a cautionary tale about global warming and nature striking back against the inhumane ways in which humans have treated the Earth.

In this film the KIC Corporation is trying to build an ice route in the northern reaches of the world only the ice is not freezing hard enough due to impending climate changes or that is what environmentalist James Hoffman (James LeGros) believes. In returns Ed Pollack (Ron Perlman) whose job it is, is to get the ice route built at whatever the cost or it will be all the people’s jobs that work for the corporation. When the body of one of the members of the team in found out in the open coldness of death in the nude, Hoffman begins to believe that the environmental changes in the Earth have opened up a hole from which dangerous and possibly hallucinogenic dangers have made themselves known. When more of the team disappear in the same manner the team finds themselves isolated and trapped as the dangers escalate and Hoffman believes that something more supernatural may be a work.

Like WENDIGO, you’re never quite sure whether there really is a supernatural threat or that the characters have just simply gone insane due to the circumstances that have driven them into their situation. It’s masterfully suspenseful with an even more capable cast then he had in WENDIGO (which is no small feat considering how great that film turned out).
THE LAST WINTER is a much more subtle film then THE HAPPENING which is one of the beauties of the film. It’s a slow burning horror film as only a few directors are capable of. The film’s themes hit home more so then THE HAPPENING making it one of the truly interesting films to come along in quite some time.

Retrospect: Jacob's Ladder

I was 14 years old when I first saw the film JACOB’S LADDER on the weekend that it was released to the box office. I was a huge horror film fan even at that age and the trailers for the film made it appear like a film I definitely couldn’t miss. Well, at 14 years of age I had no clue of what the hell was going on in the film and walked out at the end completely enraged. I remember this well as this was the first time me and my family (I had parents that supported my love of horror films) ever walked out of a film wanting our money back. None of us knew just what we were watching and what a gem this film truly was.

As I grew older I actually learned what the Vietnam war was as well as how it affected our nation. I didn’t watch the film until years later after hearing great praise for the film and I wanted to know what the fuss was about considering it was a film up until then that I had thought was horrible.

Boy, I’m glad I changed my mind about this film as it has truly become one of my favorites over the years. Written by Bruce Joel Rubin JACOB’S LADDER is a drug infused trip down horror lane as Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a Vietnam vet suffering from visions of demons everywhere. It seems that the government were doing experiments during the war and the after effects are just now starting to kick into over drive which means bad things for Jacob and the remaining soldiers of his unit. The film is about Jacob’s inability to move on from both the events that were the war and from the death of his son and how the guilt can eat away at a person’s psyche.

The film has strong performances from Robbins as well and Elizabeth Pena (as his girlfriend) and Danny Aiello as his physical therapist and “angel” (who steels every scene he is in). Director Adrian Lyne crafted another great psychological drama like his other films NINE ½ WEEKS, FATAL ATTRACTION, and UNFAITHFUL.

Retrospect: MANIAC (1980)

Having missed director William Lustig’s now cult classic MANIAC upon its original release in 1980 it’s been one of a few oddities of cult horror cinema that I’ve actually avoided until now. Due to the video box cover art of the lower half of a man holding a knife in one hand and a woman’s scalp in the other I was always too afraid to rent this movie when I had no problem watching FRIDAY THE 13th or THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, among others.

For the longest time this film was just a blip on my radar until I became familiar with Lustig’s other films such as the MANIAC COP trilogy, RELENTLESS (1989), and UNCLE SAM (1997), which were all relentless horror films now cult classics in their own way. I return my attention now back to MANIAC, which I’ve finally been able to acquire courtesy of Blue Underground’s superb digital transfer.

The film is a relentless portrait of a serial killer Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) who kills innocent woman and collects their scalps in order to give his at home mannequins a bizarre sense of life. As his psyche crumbles and reality merges with fantasy Frank’s life spirals out of control and things get more complicated when he finds himself developing a relationship with his next potential victim, a photographer (played by Caroline Munro) that he becomes smitten with.

I must admit that I enjoyed the film more then I thought I would since much of what came out of the ‘80s was mindless slasher drival. This film is like an early version of HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986), in which both films focus on the serial killer rather than the victims creating a psychological profile unlike anything else. The shock value of the film is also present courtesy of special make up effects artist Tom Savini who outdoes himself whenever he gets the chance. His work still outshines many of his contemporaries.

Great praise goes to Spinell who not only stars in the film but also wrote the screenplay as well (this being his only one) and it shows that he has a great connection with the material. Being a gore-drenched ‘80s film, MANIAC is definitely not for everyone but it is one of the best the ‘80s had to offer and still holds up well today.

Film Review: FUR, AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANA ARBUS

I was not familiar with the name Diana Arbus before watching this film and I’m still not familiar with her being that the film FUR, AN IMAGINARY PORTRAIT OF DIANA ARBUS does little in the way of telling a complete story of the female photographer. Instead, the film tries to tell the story of the events that inspired Arbus to become the photographer she is known as.

This “imaginary portrait” tells the story of housewife Diana (Nicole Kidman) who suddenly becomes smitten with her new and mysterious neighbor Lionel Sweeney (Robert Downey, Jr.). Through this extraordinary affair Diana will learn the true meaning of passion and beauty, which has been missing from her life with her husband and children. What separates Diana from taking full advantage of her relationship with Lionel is the fact that Lionel suffers from a rare disease that causes his hair to grow all over his body at an alarming rate thus rendering him looking like a “dog-faced freak” which he used to do in the halcyon days of old. Now Lionel hides away from the world in masks only coming out when in the company of other people like himself who also possess questionable sexual desires.

Directed by Steven Shainberg (who directed the exceptional SECRETARY), FUR is an erotic film in desire in the most peculiar way (just like that of SECRETARY). The film works so well because of the chemistry between Kidman and Downey who ignite the screen and this coming from Downey who is in make up for almost the entire film. Their relationship is so strong that it overcomes the shortcomings of the script.

Although not a perfect film, FUR is a very revealing portrait of a society ruled by sexual taboos which makes for interesting viewing regardless of who stars in it.

Film Review: RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR

Brad and Lexi (Rory Cochrane and Mary McCormack, respectfully) are a happy couple who have just moved into their new home when a dirty bomb goes off in the middle of Los Angeles bringing with is a deadly air born toxin of unknown origin and magnitude. This is the premise behind the film RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR, which is a serious look at a real world possibility.

Due to the real world attacks on the World Trade Center and the events in its aftermath, RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR hits home like very few films do. Brad is stuck at home when he learns the news that his wife Lexi was in Los Angeles when the dirty bomb went off. When he tries to enter the city in search of her he is stopped by a military presence claiming that a lethal toxin was released when the bomb went off and that the best thing he could do was to go hold and secure himself in his house. Refusing to leave his wife out in the open he attempts to disobey the military orders but soon has second thoughts when he sees a survivor of the blast who was exposed to the toxins get gunned down in the streets.

Forced back home he attempts to blockade himself within his own home with the help of the neighborhood lawns keeper who is trapped as well unable to get back home to his own family. Once secure, Brad comes to the horrible realization that Lexi survived the initial blast in Los Angeles and made her way home. Unable to let her into the house in fear of exposing them to the deadly toxin, Brad’s commitment to his wife will be stressed to a breaking point as fear of death and contamination looms ever so closer.

The film is a tense and suspenseful film from start to finish as courtesy writer/director Chris Gorak. Both Cockrane and McCormack bring their characters to glorious life as a normal couple faced with an extraordinary situation especially when the terror or the military looms around every corner. The film is never predictable and continues to grab you from start to finish especially in the closing moments of the film when everything is turned on its head.

RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR is one of the best indie films to come along in a long time and it is definitely not one to be missed.

Indie Film with Kick - BAGHEAD (2008)

There are indie films and then there are “indie” films…and then there is BAGHEAD, the new indie film from writer/director partners Jay & Mark Duplass. This film tells the story of Matt, Chad, Michelle, and Catherine (Ross Partidge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig, and Elise Muller, respectfully) who are all aspiring actors who just can’t seem to get a big break into the industry. While at the premiere of a local filmmaker’s “art film” the four are inspired into their own adventure.

When they learn that the director of the said “art film” had almost no budget and that he filmed his actors sometimes without them even knowing it, the four decide to finally take their own destinies into their hands and craft a screenplay in which they will all star. This is easier said then done as the four go out to Chad’s family cabin to be isolated in order to come up with a screenplay. Finding very little inspiration the four go to bed that first night with no ideas on what direction their story will take.

That night Michelle inadvertently thinks she sees someone in the woods wearing a bag over his head and thus the inspiration for their film is born. Matt has decided that their film will be a horror film about four people who are terrorized by a man with a paper bag of his head. As Matt’s inspiration gets the better of him emotions and the isolation in the middle of nowhere starts to get to everyone and several of them start to think that they really do see a man with a bag over his head in the woods. As there situation that’s an ever more serious turn the four must learn to work with one another in order to live through the night in order to escape the person after them.
If I reveal any more I will be giving away half the fun that is the movie. The film is a very clever twist on not only horror films but comedy as well since there is a lot of revealing comedy in the film. There are many twists and turns and the film cleverly goes from one genre to the next effortlessly. It is a true testament to the “indie” spirit from which it is trying to evoke. The Duplass brothers have banded together a great cast that work well together and deliver a great film in the tradition of low budget indie filmmaking.

Retrospect: The Dead Pit (1989)

Having not seen this film since it was first released in 1989 I had forgotten a lot of what director Brett Leonard’s first film THE DEAD PIT was really about. Having really enjoyed Leonard’s most prestigious films THE LAWNMOWER MAN (1992) and VIRTUOSITY (1995), I decided to take a look back at memory lane at this first film of his. I probably was better off forgetting about it.

THE DEAD PIT is a straight to video horror film about a woman who has lost her memory and is sent to an insane asylum. There, she unwillingly unleashes a dead doctor from hell (his death and cover up explained in a brief prologue) who wants nothing more to kill more of his patients and unleash hell upon the earth by resurrecting all the patients he had killed when he was alive. There are subplots about how this woman, referred in the film as Jane Doe (Cheryl Lawson), lost her memory as well as other aspects of why the insane doctor was killed in the first place. All this makes for a heavily dated late ‘80s horror escapade that’s better left forgotten. There are few imaginative deaths (even for ‘80s standards) and the cinematography leaves a lot to be desired. This does look like a film from a first time filmmaker.

There is little recognition of Leonard’s talents in this film that show themselves in his subsequent films as his wrote & directed THE LAWNMOWER MAN just three years later followed by HIDEAWAY (1995), VIRTUOSITY, and the IMAX film T-REX: BACK TO THE CRETACEOUS (1998). For several years he disappeared before returning in 2005 with both the Marvel Comics adaptation of MAN-THING and the under-rated indie film FEED. Most recently he had released the latest in the ever expanding Highlander franchise – HIGHLANDER: THE SOURCE (2007).

THE DEAD PIT may have been an “indie” production but it lead to bigger productions and remains a favorite to many horror film fans. I’m just not one of them.

Anticipating SAW V

Being one of the most successful horror film franchises the SAW franchise has defined the way mainstream audiences view horror films. They are smart, entertaining, and relentlessly violent, a far cry from the days of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, FRIDAY THE 13th, and CHILD’S PLAY (which all became caricatures of themselves relying more on humor then anything else).

When SAW (2004) was first unleashed upon audiences it was a smart and intelligent thriller with suspenseful moments of horror that changed audiences expectations before the last frame of film had been unveiled. It had an ending no one was expecting and generated a buzz of worthy approval that drew out audiences of all different age groups and genders and races. It was a box office hit. The film grossed $103 million world wide on a $1.2 million budget. A sequel was guaranteed. The only problem was that the film was a pretty self-contained horror film with a serial killer-boogie man that just couldn’t be stopped. The only solution was to create a bigger film on a larger canvas from which to allow the exploits of the Jigsaw killer (played immortally by Tobin Bell) to continue while still trying to stay true to what the first film had achieved. Thus was born SAW II (2005).

In SAW II the filmmakers decided to do what no other horror franchise had done before which is start the film off with the capture of the Jigsaw Killer. This was the spark of genius that audiences were looking for. The new film brought in more people in which to layer more elaborate traps and deaths. Although suspenseful, the gore content was stressed in the new film as well as the “ticking clock” aspect of the story, which made everything the characters did in the film more immediate. Audiences were also exposed to more details about the Jigsaw killer that were largely left unclear and unanswered from the previous film. Although flawed at times, SAW II is a rollercoaster ride worth taking and was just a sign of things to come in SAW III (2006). SAW II grossed $147 million worldwide.

The makers of SAW III had a lot going for them as they knew that there would be a SAW IV and possible V coming soon after so they layered a lot of story elements within the mythology of the series for future films. This was a great device in that the franchise not only spent a portion of time on defining the lead character of Jigsaw (aka John Crammer) but also of the main individual that the story is following as s/he is forced to go through Jigsaw’s ordeal. With SAW III there were no more then four separate storylines being interwoven in the complex suspense horror film making for one of the best entries in the series. Grossing over $164 million worldwide this became the most popular entry in the franchise. This film would only open up more doors for SAW IV (2007), which were left just slightly ajar in the previous film.

SAW IV was a departure for the franchise as the main villain Jigsaw had been killed in the previous film and the filmmakers needed a way to bring back the notorious killer. Thus the franchise began to rely more on flashbacks then they ever had before to tell the story of how and why John Crammer became the Jigsaw killer. Although very revealing and interesting this would bring the film’s overall appeal down a notch from the success of the previous film. Although flawed, SAW IV still delivers the goods that all SAW fans had become accustomed but due to the fact that the distribution company Lions Gate has decided to release a SAW film every Halloween the series is beginning to drag. This film grossed $139 million worldwide (with only $63 million being domestic, just $10 million more then the first film), most of it in the International markets.

Being the least well received of the four films, SAW IV is not a terrible film. In fact, it’s one of the better horror films of 2007 which was plagued with THE REAPING, HOSTEL PART 2, THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2, and a plethora of low performing films (such as GRINDHOUSE, THE MIST, ZODIAC, and 30 DAYS OF NIGHT).

When speaking about the upcoming SAW V we must first take into consideration upon whether or not audiences even want another film and whether or not the franchise still has any life left in it. Rumored to be the final film in the series, the new SAW film has a lot to answer given how the previous film ended and just what direction the new film will take. John Crammer’s former wife Jill Tuck (Betsy Russell) will play an even more extensive part in the world of Jigsaw. Also returning is Costas Mandylor as Hoffman, the police office-turned-Jigsaw’s Protégé and newcomer to the franchise Julie Benz (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel as well as the new Sylvester Stallone film RAMBO) will be the lead female character. And you can’t have a SAW film without Tobin Bell and I’m sure the filmmakers have found another clever way to bring back the dead serial killer. There is great anticipation for the new film as it define how the entire franchise will be perceived for years to come.

All box office figures were provided by Box Office Mojo (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/).

Graphic Novel Review: SPIKE: SHADOW PUPPETS

Everyone’s favorite villains from Season Five of Joss Whedon’s ANGEL are back and better then ever! I’m talking about the vampire-with-a-soul Spike who crossed over from the television show BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER to it’s spin-off ANGEL and who has now gone solo in several IDW series in particular this one SPIKE: SHADOW PUPPETS which pits Spike against the puppet demons of the kids television show Smile Time (also villains from the fifth season of ANGEL).

If you remember from that episode of ANGEL (self titled “Smile Time”) Angel went up against the soul stealing demon puppets and was himself turned into a puppet by a giant egg-like, soul-stealing thing. After being destroyed by Team-Angel in that episode the demons of Smile Time return to menace the children of Japan. Lorne has enlisted the aid of Spike to help him bring down Smile Time once and for all before the demons are able to send all the children of the world into mindless and comatose children.

Spike and Lorne get into more trouble then they bargain for when the demons of Smile Time release a horde of evil mini-Ninja puppets with only one desire, which is to kill Spike at all costs. If you’ve been following the Spike series then you’ll recognize many of the supporting characters that come to Spike and Lorne’s aid but not in time to prevent them from being turned into puppets themselves. Great fun and hilarity is had at the expense of seeing Spike & Lorne turned into puppets. More fun is had when, in order to defeat puppet-Spike, the demons of Smile Time create puppet versions of all Team-Angel including the infamous Angelus (one of the greatest moments in any of Spike’s solo series).

Writer Brian Lynch has the Spike & Lorne characters down flawlessly and even if it’s hard to believe at first that Spike & Lorne would go off on their own adventure, you just end up going with the flow as this is one of the best adventures Spike has hard out on his own. Artist Franco Urru is the perfect artist to bring the world of Joss Whedon to life and translates the world of Smile Time to the comic book medium effortlessly. This is by far one of the best graphic novels for both fans of the Whedon universe and fans of the comic book medium in general.

As an added bonus you also get a “Writer’s Commentary” at the end of the book detailing the inside jokes and references (if you failed to pick up on them the first time around). Also, many of the original covers are presented here for those (like me) who only buy the books in graphic novel form rather than as single issues.

Graphic Novel Review: ANGEL: OLD FRIENDS

Before IDW publishing tackled the “After the Fall” ANGEL comic book series currently running which asks the question of “What happened after Season Five Ended?” of the series they tackled this story “ANGEL: OLD FRIENDS” which reunited Angel with all the characters of the hit television series for the first time in comics. Being a spin-off of the hugely popular BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (both television show and comic) IDW’s Angel put Angel mostly on adventures by himself never explaining what happened after Season Five of the show ended (presumably because creator Joss Whedon had plans to produced television movies of some of the characters).

After some time had passed and it didn’t seem like the television movies were going to come to fruition IDW got the go ahead to use all the characters of the Angel-verse and thus “Old Friends” was born with writer Jeff Mariotte and artist David Messina at the helm. “Old Friends” finds a one-eyed Gunn seeking out the help of loner Angel when he believes that Spike may be responsible for several murders in the city. Believing that Spike may have gone evil Angel and Gunn team-up to bring the rogue vampire-with-a-soul down. When they finally encounter Spike he is more powerful then before and almost bests both Angel and Gunn until “the real” Spike shows up to dust the doppelganger-Spike.

After this encounter Spike joins Angel and Gunn as they soon realize that someone is using doppelgangers of them to try and kill them, which leads them to a chance encounter with Illyria (in which they all battle doppelganger-Wesley and doppelganger- Fred) and with Lorne (who has his own doppelganger that they have to deal with). Before the culprit it unveiled everyone in Team-Angel will be re-united and need to overcome their personal demons before an old enemy from their pasts reveals himself.

Although not a great story, “Old Friends” is not without it’s moments. It’s great to see all the gang back together again however brief (Illyria’s appearance being nothing more really then a cameo) and everyone gets a fair share at causing damage especially Gunn (who was unceremoniously left to the sidelines many times in the television series). It’s also nice to see that as the characters battle a villain from their past they finally come together…again, as a team. This is a good warm up for the real story going on in the current ongoing IDW series ANGEL: AFTER THE FALL.

Graphic Novel Review: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: BEYOND BARROW

It has been several years since Barrow, Alaska was plagued by vampires into the original graphic novel 30 DAYS OF NIGHT by Steve Niles & Ben Templesmith. Now Niles returns to Barrow, almost, in the new graphic novel 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: BEYOND BARROW (the ninth graphic novel in the ongoing series). Although Templesmith is missing in action on this adventure celebrated artist Bill Sienkiewicz is on duty to bring new life to the vampire menace.

Niles and company have decided to take the mythology of the series into a whole new arena by presenting a menace that is even more deadly then the original vampires of the first series. In this new story a group of tourists manage to barter their way just outside Barrow during the infamous 30 days of night on the hunt to capture a picture and evidence of the existence of vampires that they have heard about from the newspapers and books. To bad for them that a gang of vampires seeking to stop over in Barrow for a quick snack are themselves killed off by something that seems to hide in the snow and strike out when least expected.

Survivor John Ikos, from the very first attack on Barrow, soon finds his hands full facing a new menace that’s older and more dangerous then anything ever encountered before and he will have to travel outside the safety of Barrow’s secure gates in order to save the tourists and hopefully survive one more time.

Much like the very first 30 DAYS OF NIGHT series, BEYOND BARROW was originally a three-issue limited series that was fast and furious with more mood and horror then character and story and the just like that series it works well again here. I’ve only read a handful of Niles’ best known stories (as he writes more then just about any other comic book writer working today), so, I’m not totally numb on his storytelling style yet. My only problem with this story is that I actually didn’t care whether any of the tourists lived or died and had more fun seeing Sienkiewicz kill them off in great artistic ways. This is definitely a “colder” experience (if it can get any colder) and not as dynamic as some of the previous stories in the series.

Regardless, Niles thinks there is more life in this series and as long as people keep reading, there will be more stories to tell.

Graphic Novel Review: HEROES Volume 1

This first volume of the Wildstorm/DC/NBC produced graphic novel based off the hit television series collects the first 34 “issues” of the on-line comic book in one gorgeous looking book. Whether purchasing the hardcover or paperback edition no true fan of the hit NBC television show should go without this collection of stories that help not only flesh out the main characters of the show but also many of the secondary characters as well.

Originally designed to co-inside with the weekly broadcast of episodes many of the stories contained within mirror many of the episodes in the show. Some of them work well such as issue #2, which focuses of Hiro, and issue #4, which focuses of Claire. Others don’t work quite as well, such as issue #7 (with Officer Parkman – the only issue that focuses on him) or issue #12 (with Peter Petrelli). Where the book really works is the multi-part stories spread throughout the book, the best being the ones featuring Hana Gitelman, who in the series played a small role but here in the comic book medium takes center stage. In the television series her character and back story is left mostly unexplored but in this first volume of the graphic novel series you get a huge look into how she became the woman that she is and what drives her to do the things that she does that leads to the last third of the events depicted in the actual television show itself. The book is worth getting on that note alone.

All the characters of the series both major and minor get at least one issue dedicated to them and with a plethora of writing and artistic talent on staff the book never gets boring or repetitive making for one very fast read. One of the highlights are the mock-covers of each issue which adds to the enjoyment and the presentation of the graphic novel.

This graphic novel is a hit and I hope they put as much care into volume two as they did into this one.