Yearly Archives: 2011
TV Review: ‘The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe’
The great thing about the Steven Moffat-era Doctor Who Christmas specials is that they actually have something to do with Christmas. The earlier Russell T. Davies episodes only kind of took place on or near Christmas. Sure there were murderous Santa robots and Donna’s wedding reception was decorated for Christmas, but they lacked that special Christmas magic that Moffat captures so well as the show-runner. Not to mention the obvious homages to Christmas stories past. I already picked Moffat’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ episode as one of the best Christmas episodes ever on TV.
So it’s no surprise that the follow-up, ‘The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe’ is just as good!’
TV Rating: 4/5: Good!
What's in the box? Come and find out!
This episode contains a lot of the best parts of the Moffat and Smith-era Doctor Who. It’s whimsical, emotional and has some downright fantastic one-liners from the witty and banterish Doctor. It doesn’t reach the heights of the very best episodes, lacking in true character depth and badassery, but it’s still a very good episode. We even get a wonderful epilogue that ties the episode back into the regular series instead of just being a stand-alone Christmas episode. Paying homage to not just Narnia, but a lot of mystical, fictional realms, this episode has an adventure that is a lot like typical Doctor Who episodes. We’ve got a strange alien world, a ‘villain’ who isn’t what they initially seem and a death-defying race through time!
Plus the family element really grounds the episode and forms its emotional core. This wouldn’t be Doctor Who if we didn’t have one of those.
Follow me after the jump for a synopsis and more review of one very awesome Christmas special. And of course: Spoilers!
No seriously, full spoilers.
Christmas with Henchmen 21 and 24
The best Henchmen in the whole world, #s 21 and 24 from The Venture Bros. sing a joyous Christmas song! It seems old, but it’s still pretty awesome. If you’re a fan of The Venture Bros, this is a real treat. Plus it’s both Christmas and henchman themed, which is perfect for my blog today! So yay!
More Batgirl and Supergirl Adorableness
Artist Mike Maihack has done it again, giving us a third chapter in his adorable Batgirl and Supergirl comic strip. This one is Christmas-themed, so it’s perfect for my rush of Christmasy stuff I’ve been posting. So read, enjoy and visit his site. I’m sure he’d like that. You can read his earlier comics here.
Click to enlarge
A Very Batman Christmas
Just an awesome Batman picture I found online somewhere. I don’t know who drew it, so if you know, please tell me in the comments. Otherwise, everyone can just enjoy this fantastic piece of art. Be sure to zoom in to catch all the little details.
- Click to enlarge
Comment poster Robert has told me that the artist is Ulises Farinas! You can check out Farinas’ artistic blog here. Check it out and give a good artist some more traffic.
Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #5
Now this is more like it! We get some awesome Spider-Man action as Miles Morales finally, officially becomes the new Spider-Man. He’s got to pass through Spider-Woman, Nick Fury and Electro to do it, but Miles kicks ass with flying colors. And he’s funny, too! That’s almost a prerequisite for both Spider-Man and writer Brian Michael Bendis, but here it’s delightful. Miles isn’t Peter Parker, but it’s great to see that Spider-Man will still be witty.
Ultimate Spider-Man #5
If only the Ultimate Universe wasn’t such a crappy place these days.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
If Marvel sticks with the tradition of having 6-issue story arcs, then this was the penultimate chapter of Miles Morales’ origin story. Which means we’ve got one more issue to go to wrap this thing up in a bow. I wonder what’s going to happen. Is Miles going to get his own super-villain? Maybe we’ll finally see his parents again. Or maybe he’ll hang out with Aunt May for some reason. Either way, this was a good issue, it’s good to see Miles in his own costume and I’m definitely ready to see this young man spread his webs and fly.
Though I’d probably still make the better Spider-Man. Spoilers after the jump.
Henchman-4-Hire 