The Doctor Who Anime Project is Complete!

I've been following the piecemeal postings of Paul "OtaKing" Johnson on YouTube for some time now and I'm glad to report that he's finally finished his Japanese anime style Doctor Who trailer that has taken him over two years to complete.

Johnson's love for Doctor Who shines through this whole 12-minute animated video, which cut and pastes various audio and sound effect clips from the series' history into a new story starring Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor.  Throughout the trailer, you can see the Daleks, the Cybermen, both the Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley Masters, Davros, Brigadier Alastair Gordon-Lethbridge Stewart, and even Sutekh!

You can check out the video below and think about how much work Johnson must have put into this incredible project.  Oh, and be sure to stay past the closing credits...

The Future of Comics is Futury Futuristic

It's been a pretty eventful week for comics, with publisher DC Comics announcing their reboot/relaunch/reset/rewind/restart/reload of the DC Universe and making these titles available digitally the same day they arrive in comic shops.  This, of course, has sent readers and retailers into an understandable tizzy, as everyone struggles to figure out what's changed and whether they can live with it or not.

So being the dutiful Doctor Who obsessed fan that I am, I left a timey-wimey note for my future self to let me know how things are going to turn out and if the future of my beloved hobby is indeed assured.  Thanks to a handy-dandy crack in the fabric of time and space, I just received a response from my 2021 self and here's what he (or is that I?) had to say...

Hello, Charles!  Greetings and salutations from Future Me in the year 2021!

Having remembered you sending me your note, I was more than glad to know that you hadn't somehow forgotten to write it and somehow affected the course of my history/your future/whatever.  So I take it that you're quite concerned about the future of comics.  Perfectly understandable, considering everything that happens in 2011, but I'll try to give you some idea of what you have to look forward to in the years ahead...

First of all, DC and Marvel still print some comics on paper, if you can believe it.  Oh, it's nothing like it was in your day, but they're still around here and there.  They've become something of a niche market for certain collectors, kind of like those people who preferred vinyl records over CDs in your time.  They like to think they're offbeat and hip, while most of us realize they just want to be different for the sake of being different.

Of course, this means that some comic shops are still around as well.  In an economic form of natural selection, the really good ones survive to become quaint shops for those "too cool for the room" paper comics collectors.  The rest, especially those dingy hole-in-the-wall stores staffed by fat thirty-year-olds with no grasp of underarm deodorant technology, gradually blink out of existence.  Losing them was a bit sad, in a way, almost like seeing old drive-in movie theaters slowly fade into history.

Comic book conventions also take a considerable hit.  With digital comics becoming the norm, there's little need to go to convention centers or hotel ballrooms to buy something you can just download.  As a result, conventions have shifted their focus to creator appearances and Cosplay, along with DC and Marvel giving presentations about upcoming movie and TV projects.  You sometimes find the occasional dealer that actually sells paper comics, though, and yes, Adam West, Burt Ward and Lou Ferrigno are still signing autographs.  Seriously.

Oh, and watch out for ComiXology.  As demand for digital comics increases, their servers have a hard time keeping up and...well...what ultimately happens isn't pretty.  This triggers a huge debate about digital comics storage, but the good news is that it eventually results in comics you can store in your own collection instead of accessing them from a company's website.  Some prefer cloud storage, some prefer portable storage devices, but at least there's a sense of collecting comics once again and that's definitely a good thing.

See?  Not the end of the world, after all.  This whole digital comics thing is still pretty new to you, so there'll be some bumps along the way as adjustments are made and technology advances.  You're going to love your iPad 4 and especially the--Ah, but that would be telling.  Just enjoy the ride, okay?

Oh, and because I know you're already wondering about this, yes, Doctor Who is still on and still the greatest show in the galaxy.  The Fourteenth Doctor is brilliant!

Be seeing you...eventually,

Charles

The Post-FLASHPOINT DC Universe is the New Post-CRISIS DC Universe

Annnnnnd BOOM goes the dynamite.

For those who don't already know, DC Comics pushed the shiny, candy-like reboot button on their entire comic book universe today in an article for USA Today.  Starting on August 31st with Flashpoint #5 and another Justice League #1, the DC Universe will be rebooted once again with a total of 52 comics launching or relaunching with #1 issues, making this the biggest creative revamp since Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 back in 1986.

As one might expect, comics creators and readers are all over the place on this news, with a sampling of reactions on Twitter either excited and geeked out by this rather ballsy roll of the dice on DC's part or ready to jump off DC Comics entirely after being provided such a nice and tidy place to stop collecting:

"REALLY EXCITED about #dccomics #reboot!!! @jimlee00 @GeoffJohns0 Can't wait to see the work these two amazingly talented gents put together!"

"@jimlee00: It's official. (...) #dccomics http://t.co/bXomRzJ” Early, but looks like New Coke is back, and I'm gonna save lots of money :( "

"If I'm pissed off about #dccomics decision, imagine how my comic dealer is going to feel when I tell him the dreaded news!"

"Call me crazy, but DC's announcement sounds amazing. It's what the industry needs, and who doesn't want to see young Batman? #DCcomics"

I told my wife Lori the news this evening and she promptly gave me one of her patented eye-rolls followed with an exasperated "Oh, God..."  You see, Lori and I both went through this before back in 1986 with Crisis on Infinite Earths and what became known simply as the Post-Crisis DCU.  As things happened, she grew up a huge DC Comics fan as I did, especially concerning the original Helena Wayne version of the Huntress, who was the daughter of the Earth-2 Batman and Catwoman.  When the Huntress was erased and summarily replaced by the Post-Crisis Huntress named Helena Bertinelli, daughter of Gotham Mafia crime couple Guido and Carmela Bertinelli, Lori was very bothered by the change, to the point where various DC Universe continuity changes gradually caused her to lose interest in the DCU and comics in general.

On the other hand, I was encouraged by John Byrne's revamp of Superman and George Perez's take on Wonder Woman that I still consider to be definitive to this day.  I got to experience an adult Wally West taking over as the Flash for his deceased uncle and mentor Barry Allen, then later began reading Green Lantern for the first time in years when Kyle Rayner took over as the lead character.  And yes, I also noticed that several concepts ultimately returned to their Pre-Crisis roots because, quite frankly, they worked better than their attempts at turning them into something they weren't.

So now here we are again...one era of DC Comics ending, another about to begin.  With the decision to start or restart all titles at new #1 issues, even such long-running institutions as Action Comics and Detective Comics, it seems there's an obvious attempt to give potential DC Comics readers a clean, fresh slate and hope they enjoy what they read to want to stick around for the long haul.  There's no way of knowing if all this is going to work or not, but now that the reset button is being pressed once again for the Third Age of DC Comics, the Post-Flashpoint era, I certainly hope it does. 

I'd love to see a new generation of readers jump aboard instead of continuing to rely on the same 100,000 readers we've had for years.  I want DC Comics to be there in another 26 years from now when they push the reset button for the third time.  However, in order to make this work, there needs to be two very important things -- truly creative and innovative storytelling that challenges readers and makes them want to come back month after month, and most importantly, readers with open minds that don't cling so harshly to the past that they become unable to try something a little different from what they've known.

So I guess we'll see what happens next, won't we?  Time will tell...It always does.

Davison and Tennant to Time Crash DOCTOR WHO Series 6 Finale?

Okay, so if respeculating my speculation over Paul McGann returning as the Eighth Doctor wasn't bad enough, along comes this interesting little thing.

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) currently has a cast listing for Episode 13 of Doctor Who Series 6 that includes two very familiar actors -- Peter Davison and David Tennant, also known as the Fifth and Tenth Doctors, respectively.  And yes, they're both listed as playing "The Doctor" in the episode.

Other returning names of note include Alex Kingston as River Song (No surprise there), Ian McNiece as Winston Churchill, and Richard Hope as Malohkeh.  The return of Churchill and Malohkeh was previously confirmed in Today show host Meredith Vieira's piece on her Doctor Who filming experience.

Now, I know that IMDb gets their information wrong from time to time, so I'm a tiny bit guarded about this, but you have to admit that bringing two previous Doctors back would be a hell of a finale...or perhaps a cliffhanger for the 2011 Christmas special?  I don't suppose Doctors Five, Ten and Eleven could team-up to rescue Eight from being marooned on whatever "rock-like planet" he's possibly stranded on?  "The Four Doctors"...Say, that's catchy...

Ah, well.  I guess we'll find out more later this year, won't we?  Two minutes to Belgium!

DAMN Good Comic of the Week -- DETECTIVE COMICS #877

I understand that DC Comics' Flashpoint mini-series is supposed to be the catalyst for relaunching the DC Universe in September, but one title I really don't want messed with has to be Detective Comics.

Like many fans, I was a bit concerned about this book after Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III's stellar Batwoman feature ended, but the current creative team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Jock have quietly crafted this series into one of DC's best books at the moment.  Starting with Jock's stunning front cover that looks like a frame from the opening credits of a James Bond film (try and ignore the annoying Green Lantern movie ad at the top), we open with the other Batman, Dick Grayson, thinking his way out of a car crusher deathtrap.

From there, we're treated to scenes like Other Batman crunching the cybernetically-enhanced legs of the new criminal Roadrunner, Batman confronting the daughter of the man who killed his parents, and Red Robin teasing Batman about being attracted to said daughter.  Snyder spreads these little gems across the entire issue, distinguishing Dick Grayson from a mere Bruce Wayne replacement and developing him as his own Batman even if he's now just another member of Bruce's growing army of Batmen in Batman, Incorporated.

Meanwhile, Jock complements Snyder's script nicely, providing iconic images of Batman rocketing out of the car crusher, swooping in from a moonlight sky to take out the Roadrunner's henchmen, and sailing across Gotham Harbor in a stylish Batboat.  I had a small issue with his decision to show Batman diving deep into the harbor water with his impractical long cape still attached, but you have to admit that it just plain looks cooler with it on.  This is as Batman as Batman gets, so let's just savor this goodness while we have it.

Oh, and did I mention that this is only Part 2 of the three-part "Hungry City" storyline?  The real Big Bad behind this mystery is apparently someone called Tiger Shark that Batfans may have met before way, way back in another age of comics.  That's right, there's actually an obscure Batman villain that Grant Morrison hasn't resurrected yet.  Who knew?  But hey, if Part 3 turns out as good as the first two, Snyder can bring back the Signalman for all I care...

Why is Barbara Gordon Still in a Wheelchair?

An incredible twenty-three years ago now, writer Alan Moore had Barbara Gordon, the former Batgirl, lose the use of her legs after being shot by The Joker in the landmark one-shot Batman: The Killing Joke.  This major game-changer for the Batman universe ultimately resulted in Barbara taking on the new identity of Oracle, becoming a major resource of intelligence and computer hacking for various DC Comics superheroes.

Appearing in such titles as Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey and various Batman books, Barbara has obviously grown as a character with considerable depth since her paralysis.  However, in a fictional universe populated with aliens, magicians and technological super-scientists, it seems increasingly awkward that she should be forced to remain that way.

It feels even more awkward when her fellow superheroes rarely address the subject of restoring Barbara's ability to walk, even if such a feat inexplicably continues to be beyond even their considerable powers.  I mean, these are people that risk their lives battling the nastiest, most impossible threats the entire DC Universe has to offer and you tell me that none of them can spare a single day or two to even attempt finding a paralysis cure for one of their own?  I'm turning the Peter Parker brand "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" Spotlight of Guilt on these heroes in particular...

• Batman -- Of all people, you would think Batman would do something about this.  Apart from failing to prevent the Joker from shooting Barbara, he's actually had his own back broken but was healed by special powers from his former physiotherapist, Shondra Kinsolving.  Even if Shondra wouldn't be able to heal Barbara herself, doesn't it seem highly unlikely that she's the only person in the DCU with such abilities? 
• Superman -- All those things he can do, all these powers, and he can't work in some time to travel out in space, another dimension or to the future to find a cure for paralysis?  Not just for Barbara, mind you, but for everyone else on DCU Earth?  What would Christopher Reeve do, Superman?
• Wonder Woman -- Two words:  Purple Ray.
• Steel -- Some time ago, Marvel's Iron Man was paralyzed from the waist down after being critically wounded by a bullet near his spine and built himself special "telepresence armor" that allowed him to walk.  Presuming John Henry Irons, DC's version of Iron Man, is even remotely in the ballpark as Tony Stark, you would think he'd at least build a prototype and let Barbara decide if she wanted to use it.
• Zatanna -- Two magic words:  Riaper enips.
• Nightwing -- Barbara's former boyfriend has had a number of run-ins with the megalomaniacal villain Ra's al Ghul over the years, so would it be too much to ask for him to track down one of Ra's restorative Lazarus Pits?
• Cyborg -- Almost the same reasoning as Steel, only Victor Stone has experience with cybernetic prosthetics replacing his mutilated limbs.  Think of what these two could accomplish together if they actually tried.
• Doctor Mid-Nite -- If anyone could pull this together, it's probably Dr. Pieter Cross.  As the main physician for the Justice Society and the Justice League, you have to imagine this is somewhere on his "To Do" list.

The TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY Trailer Debuts

Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams are about to return in the STARZ series Torchwood: Miracle Day and Access Hollywood has provided the first trailer with the predictable amount of annoying voiceover.  The series is scheduled to begin on July 8th and as you might expect, is already receiving criticism for being "Americanized."  You can check out the footage here..



Looks pretty promising as far as I'm concerned.  And you just have to be at least mildly intrigued in a series that features Lone Starr from Spaceballs, Jubal Early from Firefly, Kira Nerys from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Winston Zeddemore from Ghostbusters.  Okay, maybe not as those specific characters, but still...