Movie Review: Guardians Of The Galaxy

I've never been a big fan of the cosmic portion of Marvel Comics' universe.  In fact, I'd sooner chew off my own arm than endure your average Jim Starlin story.  That's not to say that Starlin is a bad writer but I don't enjoy the sort of stories he writes, which are big on back-story and heavy details about various worlds and alien races that it is automatically assumed the reader is familiar with.

There was one scene early on which made me particularly nervous.  In it, we are introduced to our villains as they discuss peace treaties and vows of revenge against this world for what another world did and I immediately began having Star Wars prequel flashbacks (Jar Jar Binks!  The horror.... the horror...)  For a fleeting minute I was worried that the film's comedic trailers were a feint - a ruse to lure me into the theater for two hours of Thanos and his minions mumbling about Death and Eternity and other broad concepts that are made literal in Marvel's cosmology.


Thankfully, Guardians of the Galaxy is not that kind of film.  And the script by Nicole Perlman and director James Gunn is firmly focused upon the characters rather than the cosmic.  The same can be said of Gunn's direction, which treats the film as a buddy comedy rather than a traditional science-fiction epic.  This proves to be to the film's benefit as Gunn's decision to explore the humanity of various alien beings and cultures ironically highlights their differences compared to Earthlings and Earth culture, making the worlds we see truly alien.

The plot is fairly standard stuff for a space opera.  The big bad guy wants a cosmic McGuffin and sends his minions out to get it.  One of them, the assassin Gamora, decides to turn traitor and steal the item from Peter Quill - a.k.a. Star Lord - the thief who stole the mysterious orb, cheating his own gang to do so.  A run-in with two bounty hunters - the mobile tree Groot and the enhanced cybernetic being known as Rocket - leads to them all being thrown in jail, where they make an unlikely alliance with a murderous man known as Drax The Destroyer in order to escape.  Hilarity ensues as the group find out exactly what the orb is and the crew of self-interested rogues must become unlikely heroes in order to save the galaxy.

This would be pretty dry stuff were it not for James Gunn's direction and the charisma of the cast.  It's impossible to single any one actor out for praise as they all do such a fine job of playing their parts.  I can't speak to the accuracy of the characters compared to the books (I heard one Marvel fanboy complain that Drax has been changed completely) but the characters placed upon the screen are interesting and unique beings with their own personal tics.  And I can't think of any movie that has better utilized its soundtrack.

Do I have anything bad to say about this movie?  Relatively little.  I think the movie could have benefited by developing Gamora a little more - perhaps by giving a flashback of her traumatic childhood as we see Quill's?  Something more could have been done to develop her beyond a one sentence explanation of why she chooses to betray Thanos, much less why she chose to betray him at this particular moment.  And Karen Gillan is criminally wasted as Nebula, who is similarly undeveloped.  Hopefully the two of them will get more exploration in the upcoming sequel.

Bottom Line: Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most original science-fiction works I've seen in a good long while.  It's not your usual summer movie but that's okay - it isn't meant to be.

My further thoughts on the film can be found on Kabooooom Hangout: Guardians of the Galaxy.

Red Sonja #0 - A Review

Most of the time, when a comic receives a #0 issue, it is to tell an origin story in the wake of a reboot.  Despite having undergone a major revision of sorts when Gail Simone took over the title, Red Sonja #0 is not an origin story.  Instead we are treated to the tale of Red Malak - a robust fellow who claims to be the widower of Red Sonja, whom he describes in terms befitting an angel rather than the hard-drinking, foul-smelling harridan we know and love.


Naturally, regular readers of this series will quickly realize that something is not right and soon the real Red Sonja starts unraveling the mystery of her grieving husband.  Simone's story is full of humor, though it seems somewhat unbelievable that Red Malak should find so many willing to believe his stories.  Methinks Malak missed his calling as a bard if he is that adept at spinning tales.


The artwork by Noah Salonga serves the story well.  There are clever contrasts between different pages, as we see the story as Red Malak tells it contrasted with Sonja's memory of the same event.  There is not much action but what little exists is well displayed.

On the whole, I'd still recommend those who are new to the world of The She-Devil of Hyrkania begin with the Queen of Plagues trade-paperback rather than make this book their first exposure to the world of Red Sonja.  You'll get a better feel for the setting and a lot more action besides!  Still, this issue isn't a bad read and will please all of Sonja's fans.

The Sandman: Overture #3 - A Review

Reviewing The Sandman: Overture is quickly becoming a difficult task.  Not because I have any difficulty articulating my feelings about the book but because it is impossible for me to find good images I may use to showcase the artwork of J.H. Williams III.  Most of the artwork in this volume is spread across two glorious pages and the layout of my blog does not lend itself well towards such dimensions.  Thankfully, there are some pages with an even break between panels, so I can share some of this excellent work with you as I speak on how great it is.


This particular volume offers much that will please long-time fans of the series.  The Three Graces (or Fates or Furies or whichever mask they wear at this moment) make an appearance and a few references are made to other aspects of the series lore.  Perhaps the most exciting of these involves us discovering the origins - or at least one version of the origins - of Dream's sometimes=seen but rarely mentioned lost-love Alianora.


The only reason one might have for not reading this series is having not already read Neil Gaiman's Sandman before now.  If that is the case, you would do well to travel to your closest library or bookstore and make arrangements to get a copy as soon as possible.  Then, once you are all caught up and have ceased thy wailing about how foolish you have been to have lived so much of your life without experiencing such bliss, you can read this series.

King Conan: The Conqueror #6 - A Review

Until this final chapter, Tim Truman seemed content to avoid any major changes to the story in his adaptation of Robert E. Howard's The Hour Of The Dragon.  Indeed, the entire text had remained untouched, as far as my expert eye could tell.  And Truman's only addition to the tale was a frame story, depicting an aged Conan as he related the events of his adventures to a scribe recording the history of his reign.


The script here replaces what was originally a nameless virgin primed for a sacrificial altar with Zenobia - the slave-girl who saved Conan's life and won his heart several chapters earlier.  Truman's change is a minor, but understandable one.  The final chapter of Howard's original tale was chiefly concerned with epic battles between thousands of soldiers and Conan's direct role in the action was rather limited.  This change not only allows Conan to play the hero but also enables Zenobia to be directly involved in the story's conclusion, when originally she disappeared from the narrative completely after saving Conan's life.



While Howard purists may argue about the changes in the script, all will agree that Tomas Giorello and Jose Villarrubia do a fine job of depicting the action.  These two artists set the gold-standard for Conan artwork with their run on the series several years ago and I shall be sad to see them gone.  Hopefully there will be another collaboration between them and Tim Truman shortly.

Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos - A Book Review

Wilfred Mott is having a good week.  His beloved granddaughter Donna Noble has returned home from her travels with The Doctor for a quick visit.  More, the amateur astronomer has discovered a new star and is being honored with a dinner at the Royal Planetary Society, where the star will be officially named after him!  It almost makes the fights that are sure to spring up between Donna and his daughter Sylvia worth it.

The Doctor doesn't "do domestic" but he's all too eager to attend the dinner as Wilf's guest - if only to get away from Sylvia (who does NOT approve of her daughter running around with this Doctor fellow) for a few hours.  But The Doctor soon discovers that Wilf's new star is but one of several new stars suddenly lightning up the skies of Earth.  And what this means is that an old enemy has returned - an ancient force from The Dark Times who seeks revenge against The Doctor and all of humanity!


There is little I can say about how wonderful Beautiful Chaos is that is not already said in the book's introduction.  Actor Bernard Cribbins - who played Wilfred Mott and read the audiobook - is said to have thought the novel to have been written by Russel T. Davies under a pen-name because it did such a grand job of capturing the characters from the show.  High praise indeed!

Russell T. Davies himself said he found the story of Beautiful Chaos so touching it moved him to tears.  Writer Gary Russell may doubt RTD's sincerity on that point but what nobody can deny is that Davies apparently liked Wilfred Mott's lady-friend Henrietta "Netty" Goodheart enough to give her a mention in the final Tenth Doctor story The End Of Time - an honor I don't believe has ever been accorded to any character introduced in the Doctor Who novels!

It is Wilfred's relationship with Netty that is the core of this book.  Netty has Alzheimer's Disease and her bad days are beginning to outnumber the good ones, though Wilfred enjoys her company enough to muddle through things.  Theirs is a muted romance, with neither of them truly willing to push for a stronger commitment given the tragic ending they both know is coming.

Their relationship adds a welcome note of humanity to the tale, which would be a perfectly serviceable Doctor Who story without it.  Fans of the classic series will likely figure out the identity of the villain long before The Doctor thanks to Russell's masterful foreshadowing.  Fan of the new series will be glad to see The Doctor, Donna and Wilf captured in all their glory and the whole story acts as a welcome coda to Wilfred Mott's story in The End of Time.

Bottom Line: This book is a must read for all Whovians, great and small, classic and new, young and old.