Oh Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., You Try, You Really Do
I mostly enjoy Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It’s a fine enough show, providing a bit of entertainment throughout my week. But oh man is it trying so hard. Right, Honest Trailers?
They got zinged hard! The Screen Junkies are usually always on point. I’m probably gonna keep watching though. Gotta hold out hope for that Ant-Man cameo…
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The Flintstones by Amanda Conner
DC Comics has announced a huge new wave of Hanna-Barbera comics coming out later this year. But unlike the regular, old licensed comics that I’m always surprised are still being sold, DC is reimagining these classic comics with new, potentially interesting twists. There’s Scooby Apocalypse, which is self explanatory, and Wacky Race Land, which looks like it’s going to put the Wacky Races into a Mad Max-style wasteland. Entertainment Weekly has all the details.
Honestly, these sound just insane enough to maybe be interesting. Mostly, though, I wanted to show off this awesome picture of the Flintstones by one of my favorite comic book artists, Amanda Conner.
It just looks so totally perfect
It’s just so…totally Conner. It’s gorgeous. I’m not about to read a comic about the Flintstones, but that picture was too great not to share.
This whole idea is kind of neat, but also kind of insane. Who buys Scooby Doo comics? I know that DC makes Scooby Doo comics, but who buys them? Are they the same type of people who will now buy a Scooby Doo reimagining set in the Apocalypse? Or is DC banking on some kind of super nostalgia to drive new readers to Scooby Doo comics?
I have no idea, but I applaud creativity nonetheless.
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Review: Teen Titans #16
When writer Will Pfeifer joined Teen Titans, DC Comics felt so strongly about it that they restarted the series with a new #1 issue. It was supposed to be a new beginning, but somehow, inexplicably, Pfeifer seemed to drown himself in the exact same problems that buried Scott Lobdell’s tenure on the book. Rather than breath new life into the series, Pfeifer simply continued all of the worse traits of the Teen Titans in the New 52. But it’s over now…maybe. New writer Greg Pak takes over with the next issue. Will he be cursed with the same problems? Or will Pak, who has been writing a very excellent Action Comics recently, somehow find a way to make this series good? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
Teen Titans #16
As for Pfeifer’s final issue, apparently he got the memo that he needed to clean as much house as humanly possible. He cleans out Teen Titans so quickly that you’d think he’d thrown a party while his parents were on vacation, only to find out they were coming home early.
Comics Rating: 3/10 – Bad.
Based on the solicitations for upcoming issues, it looks like Pak is going to keep the team relatively the same, and try to find new stories with them. I’m fine with that. I like the lineup just fine. The characters have potential. It’s the stories and the premise that need to be worked on. It remains a marvel to me that DC has kept Teen Titans the way it is, despite all outside influences in comics these days. When books like the new Batgirl or Ms. Marvel are getting so much attention, when the DC animated shows focus so heavily on vastly different versions of the team, why then is the comic book Teen Titans still a team of random characters fighting random supervillains with little to no continuity or consistency?
Teen Titans Go! has better consistency and character development.
This final issue is no different. Once again, the Titans go up against completely random bad guys for an issue full of gratuitous fighting. Once again, this comic is just a bunch of action figures being smashed together. The writing is pretty wretched as well, with Pfeifer embodying the worst superhero comic traits when it comes to the characters explaining what they’re doing on the page. It’s like Chris Claremont’s worst X-Men habits. And on top of that, someone at DC told Pfeifer to clear the slate a bit for Pak, so he finds several quick and dirty ways to shuffle characters out of the book. And considering how he brought those characters in, this has to be painful for him as a creator.
Teen Titans #16 reads like DC told Pfeifer not to let the door hit him on the way out, but they didn’t really mean it.
Paul Rudd vs. Stephen Hawking in the Ultimate Game of Quantum Chess
The title says it all. If you’ve got 10 minutes to spare, you need to watch this video of the greatest quantum chess match of all time!
That’s just good stuff. The video was part of a quantum physics thingy at Caltech, who have apparently learned how to use the Internet for power and fame. I don’t know much about quantum mechanics, but I know good Internet comedy. Also, this was totally directed by Alex Winter, who played Bill of Bill & Ted fame. So now you know what he’s been up to.
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6 TV Shows I Want to See Revived
The new X-Files revival kicked off this past weekend to mild reviews, and the two episodes were OK. The Heroes revival has come and gone, and won’t be getting a second season. Fuller House continues to loom on the horizon, an implied threat to everything we hold dear. Suffice to say, revivals of recent, popular TV shows with all or some of their original casts are all the rage these days.
What old, memorable shows would I like to see revived?
Strap in, friends
I love TV. I’ve been watching it since I was a little boy. I devoured all the glorious 1980s cartoons/glorified toy commercials, I watched TGIF with my family every Friday night, I grew up on the Golden Age of The Simpsons, and I graduated to smarter, better fare in college. I avoided reality TV like the plague, and now I’m enjoying all the great prestige TV that has erupted this decade.
But there are definitely shows out there I’d love to see come back. Join me after the jump for my ideas!
