(no subject)

[teddywolf]

No politics this time, I promise. It's alllll TV - but I can't vouch for the political content of the TV.


First up was a one-shot that showed on Cartoon Network this past Saturday. Justice League: The New Frontier takes the Justice League - and its origins - back to 1950s USA. The Justice Society of America has disbanded in the wake of McCarthy's lawless reign of rage and innuendos. The Batman is a fugitive. Wonder Woman wields a sword instead of a lasso. Barry Allen is The Flash. Superman's shield has the black background and the original stylized S. The art style, aside from the intro, hearkens back to the origins of the characters in the 30s-50s. So do the origins, for that matter, as well as the power levels. This is not stuff for small children - bones break in fights, blood spurts, and people die. Brave men and women, from regular soldiers to elite squads to superheroes, must come together to fight the menace of The Center. The voice cast looks more like a marquee at a theatre instead of, well, your standard voice cast. I know mabfan and other die-hard DC Comics geeks (khaosworks?) will see plenty more than I did, and I saw a couple of squadrons that haven't been seen since the 60s. If it shows again, which is a question, I highly recommend you watch. This goes back to the pulps and its not always pretty, but it is powerful. Plus, you get a bonus shot of Bugs Bunny (I am not making this up!).

Next up is slightly lighter fare. The Secret Saturdays is an action cartoon that also hearkens back to the pulps but with some modern sensibilities. Doc, Drew and Zak Saturday are a family that travels the world in a giant airship around the world, looking for cryptids - think strange and unusual beasts. Zak is the son, Doc and Drew are husband and wife, and they have a few cryptid friends of their own who travel with them. The updated sensibilities? Well, Drew can kick ass and take names just like her husband and son; Doc is black while Drew is white (a non-issue for me except to note and approve the more modern mores); and the language is contemporary. The show reminds me of early Johnny Quest shows so far, but better than those in terms of pacing and such. Check Cartoon Network on Friday nights or Saturday mornings.

New seasons of NUMB3RS (CBS), 60 Minutes (CBS), The Daily Show with John Stewart (Comedy Central) and The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) are all running strong.

Oh, if you like America's Test Kitchen on PBS you would probably like Cooks Country, also on PBS, by the same people. More recipes, more equipment testing, more food tasting, occasional shots of live audiences and more well-placed verbal shots at Christopher Kimball. The recipes focus more on US dishes, like Southern-style fried chicken and potato salad, and they keep the recipes on their website. They routinely impress me and that's all I have to say about that.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your TiVos! :P

Comments

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I borrowed the New Frontier DVD from a friend when it first came out to watch it, after having read the book. I know a lot of people liked it, and I appreciated what they were trying to do, but the story just wasn't my thing.

That said, there were definitely a lot of heroes getting cameos whom you don't often see in animated DC stories.

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

I frankly would have preferred a miniseries story arc on my TV screen for New Frontiers, in that I'm getting tired of shows that have Unstoppable Menace be the Introduction - more because, if that's the intro and the heroes win, where do they go from there?

I know, a story where it starts with saving the world and then progresses downward until the heroes are fighting to save one person - how have the mighty fallen!