Stargate SG-1: Emancipation

 "What is an Oprah?"

A fairly straightforward episode, this, as the gang enter a stargate and find a human civilisation once deposited there by Go'auld, leading to an adventure with a clear social subtext- in this case the societal oppression of women which has existed to extreme degrees in certain society and which, alas, is still with us to a degree in the West in 2026. 

Is this going to be a typical example of the format, or at least one of the formats, I wonder? I note that difficulties in translation English to a language similar to mediaeval Mongolian have been quietly handwaved away. And, although "demons" (Gou'ald, I assume?) were presumably responsible for bringing these people to this world, they are now long gone. And these Mongols were seemingly removed from Earth a mere thousand years ago, long after the Egyptians seen previously?

So the team meet a tribe who make women wear veils, practse polygamy, and generally fail to be anywhere near to gender equality (cue some very '90s "humour" amongst the team) but at least their chief (played by the late, great, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), is trying to improve things. Sadly, Sam Carter ends up sold as a slave to the truly evil chief of a much more misogynistic tribe.

All is neatly resolved at the end, perhaps too conveniently, but this was an interesting insight into what the format is going to be, despite being a decent but fairly ho-hum episode. 

Dexter: There's Something About Harry

 "Amazing how easy it is to hide your true self from people, huh?"

Before I get into this episode, yet another roller coaster of extraordinary shocks and surprises which feels like the second instalment of a four part season finale, I'll reiterate this: Dexter is the protagonist, and we see everything from his point of view, thus sympathising with him via letting us see his internal monologue. Doakes, on the other hand, is the chief antagonist. We're not privy to his inner thoughts, and we see him through Dexter's eyes.

Yet, if we remove the biases which the show cleverly gives us by doing these things... Dexter is a monster, a villain, a bad man. And Doakes is good, noble, right about everything and, yes, the hero. A flawed one (the shootings), but his flaws are born of moral outrage. But it's clever of the show to play such interesting games around the concept of who is the hero and who the villain.

The scenes between Dexter and Doakes, as they duel verbally, are exquisite here. Dexter may have him in a cage, but Doakes has the upper hand in other ways. Now that he knows, he understands Dexter. He has the upper hand in the ethical debates. He's positively gleeful when he realises that Dexter's code means that he can't kill him.

It's clever how the script misdirects us, seemingly giving Dexter reasons to kill Doakes... but he just can't. Framing him, though? Is that really consistent with the code of Harry?

Then there's Lila's horrifying acts with the naive Angel. The rohypnol... she's not going to frame him for that, is she? She's a truly deadly woman. A real contrast with LaGuerta, who is really pulling out he stops to exonerate Doakes. Yet Lundy can't accept her evidence because her earlier behaviour means she can't be seen as credible... and it's a nice touch that he's angry at her precisely because he may be right. Curious. Is all this perhaps an elaborate ruse to get Dexter after all?

And yet what lingers in the mind, even after all that, is Harry's hushed up secret, and why he took his own life- after training Dexter up to be what he is, he sees the reality and can no longer live with hmself. Oh my. That's dark. And Dexter now knows. 

Superlative telly, obviously. 

Tales to Astonish #40

 "Mister, even when that guy fails, he wins."

I'm writing this having just read and blogged Tales to Astonish #44. It seems I unwittingly skipped this one. Oops! Remedying that now, having just gone back and read it. 

Fortunately, it's just a ho-hum Ant-Man story with a one-off villain and that repeats some of his tropes. Very ordinary criminal giving himself a supervillain name and costume for some reason? Yep. Said supervillain turning out to have been the person who needed help in the first place? Yep. Blatant use of Chekhov's gun, with both the gas mask Pym is working on and the Inca statues being very relevant indeed to the plot? Yep.

This issue feels very perfunctory and phoned in, and is as skippable as they come. Ant-Man gets a bit of unnecessary harsh criticism when he develops his obviously feigned appendicitis, mind- if you happen to become ill, you haven't "failed"! And that gas mask looks scarily like a translucent plastic bag to me- don't try this at home, kids. 

Tales to Astonish #44

 "Go to the ants, thou sluggard!"

A new writer, a new beginning, a bit of a retcon.. and a new sidekick-cum-love interest- could Ant-Man finally be worth reading? Early signs are good. By early '60s comic book standards, in fact, very good.

 This new writer has a very different style. Henry Pym's friends are described, in splendidly sesquipedalian fashion, as his "hymenoptera colleagues" and his "hexapoda friends". They now can and routinely do talk. Although, happily, Ant-Man is still firing hmself from his miniature cannon and landing on a makeshift ant hill. Some things must never change.

And Henry Pym suddenly has a tragic backstory, giving this previously very bland character a bit of depth. He was once married to Maria Trovava, a refugee from communist Hungary with a not very Hungarian name, who was tragically kidnapped and murdered during the newlyweds' honeymoon in the perhaps not overly wise location of Hungary. Pym is now heartbroken, bitter, motivated to fight injustice and yearning to one day to find a partner... a wish which will, by an incredible coincidence, be fulfilled in this issue.

We meet Dr Vernon Van Dyne and his daughter Janet who is described, rather ickily in light of what's going to happen, as "not much more than a child", and there follows the most textbook superhero sidekick origin story imaginable. Janet's beloved father is brutally murdered by an evil, green, alien criminal! She's filled with grief and a deep desire to fight crime ("I wish I could track down all the criminals") and... Pym very suddenly reveals his secret identity to Janet, offers to give her powers (wings and antennae when shrunk), immediately does so, and... gives her an already existing superhero costume, which apparently fits perfectly. Well then. In no way is there any undue haste or dodginess surrounding this grieving teenage girl...!

Of course, Janet declares her love for him but, in typical Marvel fashion, Ant-Man is too damaged to face the prospect of love again, however blatantly he may subconsciously yearn for it. We end with the baddie beaten, and Pym gently chiding Janet for her emotional reaction... but she sees right through him. 

Ant-Man, up until now the weakest of the whole stable of superheroes, feels much more Marvel, with  angst and a potential love interest. Will this soft reboot do any good overall?

Strange Tales #109

 "Are you mad, Sorcerer? The box is only a Greek myth!"

It's amusingly ironic to see Johnny Storm muse about quitting school here, as he gave a speech to the students of Peter Parker's school in Amazing Spider-Man #3, the last issue in the order, to stay in school and never give up. It's only a small inconsistency, but perhaps it can also be seen as a sign of how inferior this issue is to that one.

There's no need to say much about this issue's one-off, one note villain, the Sorcerer, who lives in a mansion and so surely must have wealth, yet is basically treated by a tramp by all and sundry. He finds Pandora's Box, and uses this legendary artifact to... rob banks. Is that all? Let us move swiftly on.

Still, this issue, skippable though it is, raises a few interesting points. For one, do I misremember or is this the first time the Torch says "flame off"? For another, five hours of homework at night? Really?!!! Oh, and "Holy heatwaves"? The Torch is using the adjective "holy" like this a lot, three years before the advent of a certain television programme relating to the Distinguished Competition.

Then we have Johnny ruefully describing himself as "Mr. Bookworm 1963" which opens the can of worms that is "Marvel Time"- these characters will persist for decades without aging, yet Marvel titles are tied to the early '60s, whether by explicit references to the year, Mr. Fantastic and the Thing being stated flat out to be veterans of the Second World War, or Thor fighting in the Sino-Indian War of 1962. The Torch will be in his 80s in 2026, the other characters older, in the case of Reed surely well over one hundred years old...

Then we have the first explicit reference to Greek mythology being true in the proto-Marvel Universe, beyond a brief reference to Medusa. And "Circe"... is this later to turn out to be Sersi, the Eternal...? And Pandora's Box, I note, is lying at the bottom of the sea, a dangling plot thread...

The story may be forgettable. But there's stuff here for the enquiring/nerdy mind. 

A Question of Attribution

 "If something is not what it claims to be, what is it?"

This is a 1991 television adaptation of Alan Bennett's stage play from 1988, when Spycatcher had recently been all the rage and there was a great deal of interest in Philby, Maclean, Burgess and all that. Not that the whole affair is any less fascinating today, of course, but it must be borne in mind that Blunt had been dead for a mere five years at the time of the stage play, whereas Philby's drab, dreary Muscovite existence drew to a melancholy close that same year. This was hardly ancient history.

Given the writer, the director and the cast, this is obviously superb. It could hardly fail to be, although it's a bit of a slow burner. It's very Alan Bennett- silences, talking around the subject, the things that are not said, and those that are said are said obliquely or in a nice, safe little metaphor. It isn't the parallel that's drawn between attribution of an artist and the attribution of a spy that's clever, as it's a fairly straightforward conceit- it's the wit, elegance and artistry of how it's done. A lesser writer could easily have hit upon the idea, but it takes an Alan Bennett to execute it this well.

The cast is superb. Prunella Scales, of course, steals the show as the Queen, in a deliciously nuanced and masterly written scene which absolutely nails the themes at play here. Yet James Fox is utterly sublime as Anthony Blunt, a highly cultured man, a snob, and a man who has not yet fully come to terms with the enormity of his reason. It's hard not to see a link between his callous snobbery towards Arthur Chubb and the callousness with which he betrayed those who died because of his youthful treason, sins for which his refusal to name the "Fifth Man" shows he has not fully repented. Yes, he can be kind when he wishes to be, taking young Colin under his wing, but his downfall is utterly deserved.

The twist involving Geoffrey Palmer's character may be a little dated now that we know who the Fifth Man was (John Cairncross), but it's nicely done. Overall, this is vintage, exquisite Bennett. It's philosophical, very English, in the way of that generation- emotions are understated to the point of near-invisibility but far from absent. Beneath the stiff upper lip lies deep emotion, and few show that the way Bennett does.

The Amazing Spider-Man #3

 "Is this the end of Spider-Man?"

Once again we see why The Amazing Spider-Man is absolutely the flagship title in these early years. It's got fun, it's got action- but, with Peter Parker's youthful angst, this issue is a proper character study and that gives it a level of depth that, as of Spring 1963, no other Marvel title quite has.

It's only issue #3 and, as such, it's fun to see a few firsts. We have the first use of what will become known as the Spidey Signal. We have the first use of the title "Daily Bugle", with J. Jonah Jameson still said to be "publisher". And, of course, we have the introduction of Doctor Octopus, or Otto Octavius, who is both an absolutely top tier Spidey baddie and Marvel's foremost example of nominative determinism.

It's the early '60s, so Doc Ock's origin story absolutely has to involve exposure to large amounts of radiation, which is very much in fashion for origin stories at this point, and probably not exactly a good thing for Doc Ock's health a couple of decades down the line.

We never really learn exactly what Doc Ock plans to do with the atomic plant that he seizes, but that isn't the point here- the point is the self-confidence of our talented but very young hero, whose crisis of confidence after his initial defeat to Doc Ock is extremely well handled. It's perfect how it should be a school pep talk by an unwitting Human Torch (who responds to Peter's enthusiastic thanks with a casual "Huh? Oh, sure, sure! Glad you enjoyed it, fella!") that galvanises Spider-Man to defeat Doc Ock with a combination of both the cleverness and the perseverance that we will come to know him for... and, incidentally, Steve Ditko is really good at showing his determined persistence.

Another thing again worth mentioning is that, so far, we've had no real strong sense that this is all occurring in a shared universe. So far it's been like DC of the time- crossovers happen, yes, but there isn't really a rigorously maintained continuity. But it's still very early, and there's no need to define things yet. But I'll note that, after the appearance of the Fantastic Four in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 and the use of the Hulk in Fantastic Four #12, Johnny Storm's cameo appearance here gives us a hat trick of crossovers.

That digression aside, though, this is as good as it gets for early '60s Marvel. 

Children of the Stones- Narrowing Circle

 "And then there were six..."

The halfway point and the mystery, and the mood, continue to deepen. Theories are made about how people, household by household, become "happy". There's speculation that Dai may be immune from living in the "Sanctuary" and that the ever-creepy Hendricks may be so because he lives right at the centre of the ley lines.

Yet it feels as though the net is tightening. We feel the tension for Adam, Margaret, Matthew and Sandra... especially after Matt's weird experiences with Dr Lyle's gloves, as he sees the good doctor try and fail to drive out of the village due to some kind of force... after which he's "happy". It's all quite engrossing, especially as young Kevin is got at, seemingly at the same time, leading to poor Dai's death, and to a deeply impressive, creepy performance from a child actor.

Then there's the subtle flirting between Adam and Margaret. It's understated, because '70s telly could do understatement, but it's there. And then there's the two of them stopping to talk to the increasingly sinister Hendricks, who insists that he can't possibly take part in all the dancing as he has to "maintain his position". There's more than a hint of a subtext here, of the stifling conformity of life in a small village.

But it's all about slowly removing each layer from the onion as gripping mysteries unravel, as the mood remains unsettling and we have another excellent cliffhanger...

Journey into Mystery #93

 "The penalty for failure is death! Am I understood?"

This issue is, I supposed, best known for introducing Radioactive Man, a so-so recurring villain, although not really one who will remain particularly associated with Thor. But my impression upon reading is that it perfectly encapsulates why these early Thor stories feel so misjudged. 

Thor is the god of thunder, with awesome levels of power, and from the fantastical (and, already, trippy) place that is the Asgard of Norse myth. And yet the comic has him used either fighting Earthbound crime or- as here- fighting in the Cold War. The text at the very beginning describes him as "Mighty Thor, protector of democracy" and has him literally fighting for India versus Red China in the very real Sino-Indian War of October-November 1962, which must have been raging when the script was being written. This is... how they're choosing to use Thor? And lets not get into how Indians are described as "the Hindus" and the depiction of Chinese people is sprinkled with more than a little racism.

We see Mao himself obsessed with destroying Thor. Scientists must find a way, or die. Fortunately for him, one such scientist, Chen Lu, has an idea. Which is... to bombard himself with radioactivity, which definitely gives him enormous power and in no way kills him horribly... er, don't try this at home, kids. As for immunising yourself for months against radioactivity... yeah, don't try that either. Ah, communism and radioactivity... you can tell it's the early '60s.

And so to New York, and an amusing little confrontation between Thor and a seemingly invulnerable Lu, in which both of them basically have whatever powers the script wants them to have at any given time. At one point, interestingly, Thor is hypnotised and told to throw away his hammer... and when, after sixty seconds, he's Don Blake again, he's no longer under Lu's power, as it was Thor who was mesmerised, not Blake. Evidence that the two of them are separate individuals with a timeshare in existence, as opposed to one person with two identities? This continues to be a fascinating question. And I like the sheer peril of Don Blake having to do a death-defying river dive in order to retrieve the hammer... yeah, let's just handwave away the existence of the bends, shall we?

And then, after Thor seemed helpless against Lu earlier, we get a literal deus ex machina ending... in which, er, Thor literally nukes China. I have no words. This issue is utterly, utterly glorious in its bonkersness. 

Gen V: Hell Week

 "It may be time for a very big sacrifice...."

Before I turn to any of the many bombshells in this extraordinarily gripping and eventful penultimate episode, let us briefly turn to that scene, and yes, you know which one I mean. America, just bleeding well lower your drinking age, instal bars in all your university campuses so people can drink without joining weird cults... and then just ban this freaky "Greek life" nonsense, m'kay?

Brilliant effect, mind. Poor Hemple, though. His last few hours on Earth are like that.

Anyway, this episode does a superb job of getting everyone in place for the big finale, and building up the excitement. Some nice character moments, though- after not impressing me last episode, Annabeth impressed me here with her concern for her sister, which is good writing- the reconciliation between her and Marie has to feel earned. And having seen her parents' death in advance? Ouch!

Marie means well, to be the big hero- however counter-productively, as we'll see- but her morals are very "ends justify the means" here. Understandably she's reluctant to heal Cate, given what her power is, but is, in her desperation, willing to do so if Cate will tell the others to keep away. In refusing, because of her promise never to control her friends, Cate arguably shows more moral integrity in that moment.

Then there's her curing of a newly assertive Polarity- who comes across here as newly confident, wise and self-aware. His understanding and forgiveness of Cate over Andre's death is a powerful moment. 

But (SPOILERS!) that ending packs a punch. There never was a Cipher, just Godolkin using a poor randomer's body while keeping his own elderly body in his basement. The perfect twist to a perfect episode... 

 

Tales of Suspense #41

 "Above all else I crave my daughter's love and affection! I must make up for all the years I've neglected her while I devoted myself to a fantastic life of crime!"

As soon as I read the above quote I obviously knew exactly what thus week's antagonist's Achilles' heel would turn out to be. Basically, though, said baddie is basically an over-the-top Bond villain type or, rather, a Dr. Evil type in how over the top he is, with his desire to take over the world, amusedly hanging out under a force field with his fellow evil geniuses as the nations of the world uselessly hurl loads of atom bombs at it. Ah, wasn't the atomic age lovely?

This is, of course, the first appearance of Doctor Strange... but not that one. Rather, it's the name of this rather hilarious, bonkers new baddie, whose failure to return is likely due to the fact that his name will soon be hijacked by a certain character whom, I suspect, we'll be meeting very soon indeed. 

Still, this is a fun little story, and it's fun seeing all those little Iron Man tropes and so forth develop in these early stories. Here, for example, we get the first mention of Stark Industries, and the first time Stark uses an attache case to carry his armour around. There's also, yet again, a bit of exposition at the start to explain the basis premise, in which it's really emphasised that Tony is not merely a scientific genius but a scientific polymath across various fields.

And... yeah, he also goes to absurdly extreme and expensive lengths to entertain sick kids. But I suppose Tony must be able to afford it. This issue may not try to be big or clever, but it certainly is enormous fun. 

Stargate SG-1: The Enemy Within

 "That's right, Dorothy. It was all a dream."

This may, perhaps, have been a bit of a breather, an episode to slow down a bit after the eventful and no doubt expensive pilot... indeed, this is almost a bottle episode as, unlike the pilot, it takes place wholly on the existing sets, with no location filming at all. And the premise- Major Kawalski is infected by a Go'auld that seeks to destroy the team from within, and the ensuing ethical dilemma of how to deal with him- is an intrinsically good one.

Yet the execution (SPOILERS) is even better. There's lots of tension. Colonel Kennedy is used as an antagonist so that none of the regulars have to show disloyalty to their friend. The operation seemingly going well offers hope, of course, for the team's missing friends. But the final twist- the Go'auld remained in Kawalski's brain even after the op- is a deeply effective shock, as is the very early death of what seemed set to be a series regular, reminding me of Jesse from Buffy.

Again, the use of Colonel Kennedy also allows the episode to deal with the question of how teal.c is to be treated, going from prisoner and potential lab rat to trusted team member. I notice also that he's an ever-convenient source of exposition, but he's also beginning to learn more about his ancestral homeworld.

A bottle episode, then, but one that has some massive twists and is vitally important for setting up our initial staus quo. I'm still very much enjoying this. 

Teal'c also as exposition. 

Tales to Astonish #43

 "Old-timers like yourself no longer fit the bill! Your ideas are unimaginative and out-dated!"

This issue is, like all the others, utterly bonkers... but there is, in fact, a rather touching little moral to it. Our "baddie" is a scientist who is fired for no reason other than being over sixty-five years of age, thus showing the poor workers' rights laws in whatever part of the United States this is (again, we're told it's "Center City", which feels very DC) in 1963. Naturally, he wants revenge.

Splendidly, this revenge takes the form of a ray that can age people... and, fortunately, reverse the process. The story doesn't address the obvious implications of this, though- can he permanently rejuvenate people and thus conquer aging for good? We simply don't go there.

This is a rather enjoyable little tale, beginning with the diminutive Ant-Man attracting an admiring crowd before his faithful ants alert him of the problem so he can get straight to action... via his normal method of, er, firing himself from a miniature cannon and landing on an impromptu ant hill. And that's literally only so he can confer with the police.

Our antagonist proceeds, his blackmail having been refused, to make Ant-Man an old man and then fire his ageing ray into the crowd... cue dialogue like "Oh no! I'm growing older!" as though you'd in some way know what was happening to you in the moment,

But all is redeemed by the ending, in which our antagonist is let off, a reformed character, and his erstwhile employer regrets his appalling ageism. This gives me a warm glow, so this is one Ant-Man tale that I'll actually praise.

Just this once... 

Dexter: Resistance Is Futile

 "Nice, my subconscious isn't even bothering with symbolism..."

Wow. This is a truly impressive piece of television, a real masterclass of tension. The net seems to be closing in on Dexter, his downfall seemingly inevitable. And then... we have the perfectly earned yet surprising twist. And another shocking twist at the end.  

Lila is out of Dexter's life, or so he thinks- although, of course, without a "sponsor", he's back to his "addiction". Or, at least, to the extent he can do so, what with all this FBI surveillance. Yet she's volatile, dangerous, and the games she plays here- hanging out with Dexter's colleagues and flirting with Angel- seem to be a harbinger of something bigger. She's going to do something big, dramatic and awful, I know. And she sees right through him, in everything except the huge elephant in the room.

Oh, and that call between Dexter and Rita, as they make baby steps towards getting back together and plan to meet the following night? I'm full of foreboding. So much can happen before then. 

More than anything, though, this is all about Dexter's near-certainty that his comeuppance is at hand. The direction, the acting, the mood of paranoia, that flashback to his youth, it's all building up to the moment where he's taken to Lundy... 

And then the bombshell: Doakes is the suspect, not Dexter. And it makes perfect sense. The FBI found the slides in Doakes' car, his recent behaviour has indeed been odd... the last few episodes have been so masterfully building up to this. And, irony of ironies, Dexter has been put in charge of examining the slides. And yet... the code of Harry. Don't harm the innocent. But don't get caught.

Others, of course, have their own agendas. Maria LaGuerta remains loyal to Doakes, and we know the lengths she'll go to. But, in urging Deb to urge her influence, she unwittingly causes Deb to let slip her rather icky secret.

But then, the end, the altercation with Doakes, the dilemma, three episodes to go, which I'm sure will be high drama...

Wow. Just wow. This is masterful telly. 

Fantastic Four #14

 "Why don't you go get a job as a food tester in a poison factory!"

Another strong issue here, and fascinating in many ways. But the sexual politics? Ouch, the 1960s were certainly another time... 

The opening is cool- the FF literally became the first to land on the Moon last issue, that should be a big deal, and so it is, with huge, adoring crowds and lots of publicity. It's a fun little scene, complete with what can only be described as Reed-mania, a full year before the Beatles, already establishing themselves in the UK as Macmillan's premiership is fading away, arrive in the USA.

After an amusingly hi-tech exit, though, it's back to the Baxter building, where they all relax... except Sue, who does some cleaning, because, er, naturally no one questions that it's women's work. And, after a moment where we're reminded of how Sue is torn between Reed and the Sub-Mariner, she types up Reed's notes for him!!! 

We now turn to the actual threat, as the Puppet Master decides to control Namor, who is still searching for his people, to indirectly seek revenge against the Fantastic Four. Of course, it would be far easier to just control the FF directly, but no, apparently not, because "my revenge will be all the sweeter". Ok then.

So what's the plan? He gets Namor to lure Sue to him, alone, and then uses her, the only female, as a peril monkey. Oh dear. So the FF take the bait... alongside Alicia, whom the Thing decides to bring along, ostensibly to stop her crying (sexual politics again with the hysterical woman trope!), but in reality because the plot will later require to suggest her father may be controlling Namor. Naturally, no one objects to putting a blind young woman in danger, because, er, all hail the almighty plot. 

After the Thing conducts some petty vandalism in the car park it's down into the depths of the ocean, where the FF seem to find the Sub-Mariner rather easily. We end, after some enjoyable and creative combat scenes, with the FF suspecting the truth, following Alicia's inevitable prompt, as the Puppet Master is undone by- and I can't believe I'm tying this- Chekhov's octopus.

Bonkers. Utterly bonkers. And magnificent. 

 

Journey into Mystery #92

 "Dr. Blake is very experienced in using a mallet!"

Another uneven Thor story here. The cover, for one thing, is misleading- the main threat is on Asgard where the sixty second rule apparently doesn't apply. We're told that Loki wants to force Thor to fight on Asgard, his territory, rather than Earth, which is more known to Thor- but surely it makes sense to exploit the sixty second rule?

We're introduced to two new Asgardian characters. One is Thor's mother, "Fricka" (er, interesting way of spelling "Frigga" there...) and Neri, her handmaiden. But then it's back to Earth for a recent plot point to be reused- yet again, a criminal forces Don Blake to operate and save his life. The crooks want to off him, but Blake effectively says "oh look, a squirrel" then becomes Thor and overpowers them. He then proceeds to tie them all to the operating table, which he literally throws to the police station....

This is probably not great post-op procedure, to put it mildly. And neither this sort of thing, nor the silliness with Thor helping with special effects for a B movie, are right for this title. Thor's world is too big for this sort of thing, which takes up far too much of the story.

Then Loki seems to rather easily summon Thor's hammer to smash his bonds, something he could have done at any time. We then rush to a rather perfunctory battle between them, livened only by the rather arresting sight of a giant Odin picking Thor up. There's no sixty second rule... but for some reason Thor still wants to make new hammers out of wood, rock and the like, which makes sense because, er...

This story is uneven in pace, concept, everything. Thor has a lot of promise, but we urgently need a change of direction and an injection of seriousness. 

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

 "A toast. To us, to our last summer of immature, adolescent decadence.

I hadn't seen this film since uni, until now, and that's twenty years and change ago. Having seen it today, though... it's quite good. And much maligned, I think, by people unfairly expecting it to be something that it's not. Because, well... this is a script by Kevin Williamson and, while there's certainly wit in the script, it's a straight-up slasher and certainly no Scream.

But we need to appreciate how this came about- after Scream was a massive hit, an older script from Williamson, adapting a novel, was finally acted upon and we have this film to show for it. And, well, it works. There's lots of suspense and scares, which matters. There isn't a huge amount of gore, but why is that a problem? Horror films should be suspenseful, above all, and a focus on the gore of the violence itself will always detract from that. The film's restraint and, yes, the relatively limited number of killings, is no bad thing.

Then there are the four main central members of the cast. Sarah Michelle Gellar stands out, but all four of them are excellent. We're kept very much engaged throughout in terms of both suspense and character.

Perhaps the resolution isn't as good as it could be, as we don't learn about Egan's dead girlfriend until a fair way in the film, about her father until later, but it works. I'm a little confused as to why the killer should murder extra victims who didn't try to kill him last summer, admittedly, but we can handwave that. I tend to suspect this film is unfairly dismissed for not being a postmodern riff on the genre, something it isn't trying to be. Overall, this is a decent if workmanlike slasher movie.

Tales of Suspense #40

 "Any girl who'd stand you up, darling, would have to be stark raving ma-a-ad!"

Only the second outing for Iron Man here, and second outings are always interesting. We've had the origin, so now we must solidify and settle on the title's status quo. Hence spending quite a bit of time on exposition at the start, clarifying who Tony Stark (who still doesn't quite look as he will) is and how he lives.

So we're reminded that he's a scientific genius, but very much on the cold warrior side, the Cuban Missile Crisis being mere weeks ago at this point. Hence the, er, 60mph roller skates for the US military.

We reminded that he's a millionaire playboy... but also that he must wear his iron breast plate 24/7. Yeah... I have some questions here. How does he wash his torso? We see him ducking out of swimming with one of his many ladies, as he can't ever be seen bare chested. This is... not great for his sex life, surely? I mean, his girlfriend Marion hugs him at the end, apparently without feeling the whopping great big iron breastplate.

Swiftly handwaving all that away, we have a nice little set piece with Iron Man dealing with some leopards and other big cats that have escaped from a circus... yeah, 1963. It was definitely another time. But he realises here that his drab iron suit will look scary to the public. Fortunately, Marion suggests a makeover- a gold paint job so that he looks like "a modern knight in shining armour". This is bonkers, but fun.

And then... yeah. A town that's built a wall around itself, predicting Dementia Donnie half a century early! A robot neanderthal with powers of mind control! Cartoon little green aliens in a flying saucer being behind it, because it's bound to be either them or communists! Said aliens conveniently resolving never to return! It's all such fun, and I love it. If this tone continues, it'll be fine by me.

Children of the Stones, Part 3- Serpent in the Circle

 "I feel things..."

The intrigue very much continues here. It's 1977, times were different then, and I very much like how no big deal is made on the part of Adam as to what Matt was up to the previous night- these days, so much drama would be made of that, getting hugely in the way of things. Fortunately, we get only token friction here before the fascinating plot takes centre stage, as it should. Oh, and I probably ought to once again prose the atmospheric location, direction and music, lest I forgot.

So we left the villagers all singing, except a small and decreasing number of families who are not "happy"- I love the bond between the three kids determined not to be "happy", as it does rather seem a somewhat miserable existence. There's some nice hints about Dai and the "Sanctuary", with a few cryptic statements about things he "feels", both danger and knowledge... and a brass rubbing of an artifact with a serpent. Oh, and summat to do with the alignment of the magnetic field means there must have been a recent influx of energy.

Then Adam gets a telegram(!) in the pub... ah, the year of my birth seems so long ago. It seems that the area the central stone is pointing to is a black hole, remnant of a supernova observed a few hundreds of years BC... and Mr Hendricks, his drinking companion, played (as ever) with deliciously sinister joviality by Iain Cuthbertson, happens to know, and seemingly believe, a few legends about it.

Cue the true existential horror that is Morris dancing.... and the revelation that more and more villagers are becoming "happy". This is gripping stuff that draws you further in with each layer of the metaphorical onion.

Tales to Astonish #42

 "We don't even have a dog, but we can eat it ourselves!"

For an Ant-Man tale, despite the odd bit of silliness... this one was actually ok. Ant-Man is still supposedly based in the very DC-style "Center City" though. Not New York, or at least a real city of some sort, as is usual with Marvel? I suppose that tradition hasn't quite solidified yet.

So Jason Cragg (who will reappear in a couple of decades as "The Voice") is an interesting villain, prefiguring the Purple Man with his power being that of a voice which must be obeyed. So we start with Cragg turning people against our diminutive protagonist before we briefly flash back to his origin which involves- you guessed it- radioactivity. And, naturally, Cragg just hates Ant-Man and wants to destroy him because... reasons.

It's fun to see Ant-Man on the run, not least because,  as superheroes go, Henry Pym is not exactly the most prepossessing and so he seems to suit the role of underdog. But for Cragg to order him to jump into the river, and make no attempt to swim or otherwise save himself... that's dark.

The ending is nicely done, though... infect him with laryngitis. And, highly conveniently, for some reason the chances are "a million to one" that his powers will return. All right then. Still, for Ant-Man, this was decently entertaining for a change. 

Gen V: Cooking Lessons

 "They tell me Mark Zuckerberg has a lesser version..."

Wow. Where to start with this rather eventful bit of telly? Probably by admitting that Cipher was never, in fact, secretly a well-meaning rival to Homelander with ends-justify-the-means methods but sound aims. Far from it. As Stan Edgar puts it, he's a supe supremacist- "Vought uber alles", indeed. And this plan of his, related to Polarity, to cull the God U student population by 75% as some crazed Darwinian exercise? Yeah...

As the gang struggle with being on the run, we have so much character stuff. There's Emma and Sam sort of starting to reconnect, now that Sam has started to heal, take his meds properly and get sorted out. But, as the episode reminds us, there's a potential triangle with Greg. But the big focus is on Marie adjusting to the enormity of what she's capable of- literally resurrecting her sister! Annabeth is not easy to like here, with her attitude to Marie who, after all, cannot fairly be blamed for their parents' death, an event over which she had no meaningful level of control. I'll be honest: we know and like Marie, and Annabeth doesn't come across as at all likeable here. But her reactions are nonetheless realistic, and there are possible tentative signs towards reconciliation.

And then, catastrophe: Cipher discovers their locations through, among other things, controlling and thus violating Polarity... cue Vikor's arrival and seemingly no hope. So it's something of a surprise when the late Victoria Neuman's daughter turns up to behead him with splendid gruesomeness. Cue Stan Edgar, the mother of all nuclear war bunkers, a scene with Stan cooking that (deliberately?) echoes another of Giancarlo Esposito's roles from Better Call Saul, and the best type of exposition: the long-awaited kind.

So the Odessa program wasn't started by Cipher but by Thomas Godolphin, way back when- Cipher only brought it back again after it had been seen to fail, with so many deaths. It was intended to create truly godlike supes, and only two subjects survived, namely Homelander... and Marie. This is, to put it mildly, quite the bombshell. I like Marie's horror at the comparison here. But, as Edgar rightly states, Homelander is a "gaping abyss of deep need and sociopathy", whereas Marie is a decent human being. 

One wonders what the full extent of Edgar's intentions are here. He means to take back control of Vought, to get rid of Homelander... what else? But there's one further spanner in the works: that old man that Cipher has, could it be Godolkin?

We end with Polarity, from a hopeless position, seemingly succeeding in killing Cipher. And in Marie walking away. Wow. The tail end of this season is one thing after another, and I'm loving it. 

Update with focus on Batman: The Animated Series

 I had to stop watching and blogging Batman: The Animated Series as it left Netflix... but I've just realised it's now on Amazon! I'll carry on with it as soon as I finish Children of the Stones (four episodes to go) as I always like to have one continuing drama with short episode durations on the go. Meanwhile, Gen V, Stargate SG:1 and Dexter will continue.

Dexter leaves Netflix soon but I'll find a solution. 

Fantastic Four #13

 "Stop tryin' to worry us, you blasted animated rubber band!"

The premise of this issue seems to contain a large quantity of bonkersness- a Communist scientist, not content with trying to beat the USA to the Moon as part of the space race, also wants to get bombarded with cosmic rays and get powers greater than those of the Fantastic Four. So far, so sensible. But his three companions on this journey are not three fellow Soviet citizens... but a gorilla, a baboon and an orang-utan. Er, why? Still, bonkers it may be... but this issue really, really works. And we seem to be in a real sense of transition into the FF being explorers more than crime fighters.

As we begin, Reed has invented a new kind of meteorite-based rocket fuel which will enable him (not NASA!) to get to the Moon, six years before 1969 and just two years since President Kennedy (still alive at this point) had pledged to put a man on the Moon, and bring him safely home, by the end of the decade. Well, job done. 

Naturally, this is done to "keep up with the reds" and... what's this? Our simian-obsessed Soviet scientist, similarly independent of his nation's space agency, launches a rocket of his own at the exact same instant as Reed and, at their firm insistence, Sue, Ben and Johnny? 

This is cool, though. Said scientist becomes Red Ghost, to be a moderately successful villain with the ability to phase through objects and, um, the less said about the other primates the better. But then the comic takes a turn for the awesome- the blue area of the Moon, with air and the ruins of a mysterious lost civilisation! And, while hi-jinks with the Red Ghost continue, we meet the Watcher, unnamed at this point. On the one hand, he's as we expect- like all of his kinds, pledged definitely never, ever, to interfere. Well, except this one time, but this is a one off, and we'll certainly never find him doing anything of the sort ever again. Interestingly, though, he's shown as extraordinarily powerful here, almost omnipotent.

We conclude, after a captive Sue had earlier compared the apes to the "communist masses, innocently enslaved by their evil leaders", with the unsubtle and inevitable sight of the apes revolting against the Red Ghost which is... yeah. still, this is possibly the best Fantastic Four issue so far with its hints of a more cosmic perspective.

Hedda Gabler (BBC TV Play, 1972)

 "Do it... beautifully."

This is my first experience of this particular Ibsen play, certainly one of his most admired, in any medium. And, whenever I'm blogging an adaptation of a play I've not previously seen, there's always going to be a certain ambiguity as to whether I'm blogging the play itself or this particular production. So be it.

Indeed, I suspect the fact that I was blown away by this subtle, nuanced tragedy, filled with so many deliciously subtle pieces of dialogue (especially that between the eponymous Hedda and Judge Brack), owes not only to Ibsen's sublime writing, which combines real psychological depth with a proto-modernist sensibility, but also to the cast and to Waris Hussein's restrained yet creative direction, never letting the play look so obviously cinematic as to take away from the play but using that restricted palette so very well.

But... well, I now begin to see why Hedda, as a part, can be seen as the female equivalent of Hamlet. On the one hand, she's an intelligent, capable woman trapped in the upper middle class society of 1890s Norway, where women have little agency of their own and have little opportunity to make their mark. On the other, she really is a monster- cynical, manipulative, hiding what looks to be something like narcissism beneath a pretty, feminine exterior. The last few scenes of the play pack quite a punch.

Janet Suzman is, of course, extraordinary here. Yet so are a very young Ian McKellen as George, the absent-minded academic husband, and especially Brendan Barry as the similarly monstrous Judge Brack. This production will linger in my mind for quite some time.

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 10

 Me? A stranger? Can you imagine me as a stranger, Miss Brown?"

Ah, I love the way all these little Easter eggs in the dialogue keep coming- the choice of quote was no choice at all. Although he Fourth Doctor's parting shot to the Sixth ("I can't hear you over the coat!") was certainly in the running.

So this finale really is a coda, and a kind of character piece... but that's exactly what was needed. We have all these characters together in the Eye of Orion, waiting for the "new flow of history" to catch up, so let's enjoy them. It's a definite positive that, the Meddling Monk's suggestion to Ten about preventing the Time War because Damon's murder by the Valeyard makes it a kind of paradox so therefore sort of ok to break the rules a bit aside (ahem; that's quite the clause there), we need not worry about plot.

So we get a succession of both fun and poignant moments. I'm not sure Benton's lines about the used car salesman story being, well, a cover story, just like the Brig as a teacher, quite fits with the events of Mawdryn Undead, but no matter. Adric, Katarina and Sara Kingdom all get a nice little mention... although (very topical to mention The Daleks' Master Plan this week!) I've never understood why fandom tends to treat Sara as a companion but not Bret Vyon. Here we have Six meeting Maxil... I suppose it would be asking too much for Bret to meet the Brig!

Doctor 2.5 is an interesting loose end, as is the Valeyard's "familiar" regeneration which never does get explained. But there's no need to spoon feed us everything, and the plotting (yes, I've seen the extra stuff, and the flowchart) remains magnificent throughout.

The partings at the end are all perfect. Ten acknowledges that Five was "a good me", Eight realises he has an impossible decision ahead of him- and Nine can't bear to say goodbye to him. But life goes on... in this case right on to Smith and Jones. 

Absolutely brilliant stuff. 

Dexter: Morning Comes

 "Trust me, when you meet the monster, you'll know..."

I was going to blog this last night, but, well, the title... 

Anyway, it's all kicking off now. So much happened this episode and it doesn't look as though it's going to slow down soon. For a start, Lundy, Deb and co are getting closer to nabbing Dexter. His rather unwise "manifesto" has got Lundy to realise the killer works in law enforcement, and now Deb (it would be her) has, courtesy of an absolute busybody, proved that the killer works in the Miami police department. And, if that isn't enough, Lundy seems suspicious and is asking difficult questions.... and Doakes (blowing off a serious job offer arranged by Laguerta, who still very much seems to carry a flame for him, given the body language) not only searches Dexter's apartment but seems to find the jackpot.

But there's more. Rita lays down the law and insists on no contact with her or the kids... but Dexter's house isn't the only one being searched. Lila truly is obsessive. Dexter begins to suspect the truth about the fire, deliberately set by her as a way to keep him, and he's distancing himself a bit... causing some truly red flag behaviour from Lila, deliberately arranding for his mother's murderer to be able to attempt to kill him, all in an attempt to rekindle the flame. Which is... yeah.

And so it's the end for their relationship. And, therefore, for Dexter's "recovery", as his mother's killer is given a rather unfortunate appointment with a chainsaw. Without Lila, he's killing again. And, on top of this, the net is closing in, Lila is still around and blatantly dangerous... and the season has a full four episodes to go. It's promising to be quite the ride, rather like Lila and Dexter's rather vigorous former sex life... 

Oh, and I very much fear for Deb. This relationship with Lundy, literally her boss, is a big conflict of interest and is, on his part, unethical. Could it be that he suspects Dexter and is using her...? 

The Amazing Spider-Man #2

 "Take a bonus and go out and buy yourself some twist records!"

While not as exceptionally good, or as groundbreaking, as its predecessor, this second issue is nevertheless impressive (despite the silly science- "anti-magnetic inverter" indeed!). It rather helps that, unlike second string villains like the Chameleon (or indeed the Tinkerer!), there's something quite compelling about the Vulture, our first proper Spidey villain, right from the start.

Most interesting, though, is how this issue continues to set and shape the status quo, with Peter earning money through selling photos to J. Jonah Jameson. Interesting, though, is that there is as yet no mention of the Daily Bugle, although Now Magazine is introduced. And Jonah seems to be not so much an editor but the owner of "Jameson Publications", with editors working under him and a massive building with his name on it. It's also fun to see Peter adjusting his costume now that it's to be used for superheroics rather than for entertainment.

The Tinkerer story is a little odd- generic alien invasions really don't feel right with this title- but it's decent enough. More than the stories themselves, though, there's already a feeling that Spider-Man's environment is very grounded and well thought through. 

Strange Tales #108

 "Before I'm through crime, not justice, will prevail on Earth... and I'll be the king of crime!"

This is Saturday morning cartoon stuff even by the usual low standards of the Human Torch stories in Strange Tales, from a writer unknown to me who is, on the evidence of this, even worse than Larry Lieber. And those are strong words.

We begin with a sort of montage of the Torch thwarting various crimes, often involving property damage on his part, despite which he seems to be very pally with the police. He even reminisces with a cop over the truly rubbish baddies he's recently face.

Cue a very silly villain with an absurd origin (this careless painter can tell from the "style" that some alien underground pictures are a million years old, and happens to be able to read hieroglyphics...!) who has some magic paint that allows his speed paintings to come to life. Yes, really. Come back, Paste Pot Pete, all is forgiven.

And this baddie actually has a few repeat appearances...

The whole thing is awful, with this ridiculously overpowered baddie ending up defeated because of his own carelessness. This is... wow. Just how many of these Torch stories are there to go...? 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 9

 "Blinovitch had nothing on these guys!"

Wow. I was wondering where on Earth the story was going to go next, with two instalments to go following what looked awfully like a climax. But no!

The scenes of the various Doctor freeing Ten from Dalekdom are not, in the end, any more than a few pages. It's all so very well done, though- we get dialogue from the pasts of each Doctor, the Third Doctor's words being from a certain bit of Shatner-esque "singing" from the early '70s!

And so we proceed to what seems to be a coda of sorts, again with nice touches- Maxil, of all Time Lords, planning to steal a TARDIS and run away...? 

But then it happens. The Doctors all head off... and Ten encounters the Black and White Guardians (now both young, female and no longer quite keen on the "bird on the forehead" look) and we get some rather exciting exposition. That stuff about Davros being a champion of time is because he's the champion of the White Guardian, just as the Doctor has been for the Black Guardian. It's all about Order vs. Chaos, not Good vs. Evil... but not so much in a Michael Moorcock sort of way but its opposite. The universe can't be balanced if it is to survive, a binary choice between Absolute Order and Absolute Chaos must be made- and it's up to the Doctor.

Cue the Ninth Doctor... several of them(!), to assist Ten in asserting that the universe must remain balanced even if that means it will one day end. Appropriately, it's Nine who is asserting that "everything has its time and everything dies."

Cue Reapers, the Death Zone, and lots of timey-wimeyness. I've no idea what the finale will have in store. This is bonkers and brilliant. 

Stargate SG-1: Children of the Gods

 "Many have said that. But you are the first I believe could do it."

Yes, I know. After a few months of not blogging much, then of not blogging much telly, I'm back, so much so that I'm starting another show. And why not? After all, I enjoyed the film and recently found out that my wonderful partner has seen this. So here goes.

First impressions are how very '90s television sci-fi this is, from the cinematography to the orchestral theme to the amusing fact that both Colonel Jack O'Neil and Daniel are now played by much cheaper actors. There's a new scientist character, Captain Samantha Carter, so cue some very '90s battle-of-the-sexes dialogue. It all looks cheaper than the film, as you'd expect, although it's impressive for '90s telly. And, from the evidence of this pilot, at least, we're looking at a slow, unfolding story arc rather than the story of the weewk format one might expect in 1997.

Oh, and the new general is Major Briggs from Twin Peaks! I'm minded to refer to him as General Major Briggs from now on. 

This pilot was double length and establishes lots of further lore in order to justify a long running series. Hence we have a huge map of potential stargate locations, and we discover that Ra is just one of many Go'auld, who are nasty creepy crawly things that burrow into the intestines of human servants called Jaffa, which is... uuuurgh, especially if one happens to have had surgery for umbilical and inguinal surgery in recent weeks...!

Yes, we as viewers damn well know that the gang were always going to get through the stargate in the very nick of time at the end, as that trope is always compulsory. But this is a strong pilot in terms of cast, world building and big, big ideas. Let's see where this goes...

Journey into Mystery #91

 "That brainless mortal!"

And so, alas, we come to another early Journey into Mystery from the pen of Larry "nepotism" Lieber. This is a fairly ho-hum example, but at least the plot is passable. Thor, up to this point, is hardly one of the stars in Marvel's firmament however.

Loki's back for a third time. Odin too, still not quite appearing in the form that will become familiar, either facially or in the fact that he's sporting- yes indeed- a horned helmet. And there are some nice emerging bits of lore- we have valkyries, Odin's personal magic item delivery service, although at this stage they look nothing like what they will eventually become. And, of course, from the pages of the Eddas, we have Thor's belt of strength.

And, yeah... the first couple of panels amused me, using said belt of strength as the most blatant example of the Chekhov's Gun trope in comic book history. Thor needing the macguffin to get out of a tight spot was bound to happen. As for the story overall, it's silly but fun. I liked how Loki's proxy carnival show villain was defeated because he mentally "short circuited" after fruitless attempts to magically wield Thor's Uru hammer. 

By the standards of Thor, this is one of the good ones. But we're still so very, very early.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1

 "Everything I do as Spider-Man seems to turn out wrong!"

Wow. The contrast from the last issue in the Order is as huge as it could possibly be. Yes, it's still melodrama. And yes, up to a point (Steve Ditko being Steve Ditko) there's certainly a whiff of Ayn Rand's dodgy "philosophy". But this is sheer quality, an absolute triumph, easily the best thing Marvel have done up to this point. 

This is Marvel really doubling down on the "superhero with problems" thing- right from the start the issue really emphasises Peter Parker's angst. He's mourning Uncle Ben, but without Ben's salary he and his Aunt May are facing serious problems in paying the bills... and the sheer sense of angst and despair is superbly shown in Ditko's exceptional rendering of a desperate, frustrated Peter.

He's is an impossible moral dilemma- he needs to look after his Aunt May, dismisses the very thought of crime, and resolves to perform again... but in a delicious touch, one can't cash a cheque without a real identity!

Things get worse as journalist (not yet explicitly an editor) J. Jonah Jameson turns the public against him. And, just to twist the knife even further, Jameson doubles down on this as Spider-Man saves his (not yet vulpine!) hero astronaut son. The unfairness just gets worse and worse. And continues into the next story, where his desperate financial situation again takes centre stage. He angrily abandons plans to join the Fantastic Four when he learns that there's no salary on offer... which, as we've previously discussed. Even new generic villain the Chameleon (to become a minor part of his rogues gallery) knows of and exploits his poverty.

All this, of course, is very Ditko, with his hard right and wrong, Mr. A, Objectivist obsessiveness. But here, with the ideology not overt. it really works. This is a truly winning formula- a superhero with real, substantive angst.

And it feels, at this point, that we really do have a shared audience. Not just because of the FF's cameo, but because of Peter's rueful comment that other superheroes, like the FF and Ant-Man, don't seem to have problems like he does!

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 8

 "You're going to have to invest in a whole lot of nappies."

This feels a lot like a finale for the eighth chapter of ten... next episode presumably sees all ten and a half doctors healing the Tenth Doctor. But then...? I'm sure it'll all work out splendidly, the plotting in particular has been a triumph so far, and I'm sure there will be other plot threads. Such as what was the Valeyard's "familiar" regenerated form? 

This is epic stuff, though, a massive battle against the "Time Daleks" involving everyone, with 8 finally reunited with all his other selves and some nice character stuff, particularly with 9, a Doctor who has suffered things the others can barely imagine. Captain Jack is killed, but that's his party trick. And the dark turn of events with Leela's children is sort of undone... but if you're rejuvenated, and your children de-aged to become innocent babies again, a la Margaret Slitheen, the people they had been are, in a sense, surely worse than dead, as they never existed? But I'm overthinking things; it's an elegant solution that works on an immediate emotional level. 

It all looks great, with a big splash page and massive numbers of characters. The art here is a tour de force. And there are, I think, clues as to where all this is going- a plan to change 8's timeline? Regardless, I'm enjoying the start of the denouement. 

Tales to Astonish #41

 "I can hardly wait to turn them on those liberty-loving fools who attack my fortress.

Another Ant-Man story in Tales to Astonish. Oh dear. Let's just try and embrace the bonkersness and hang on for dear life. 

So, we begin with Henry Pym, who has now decided that all his clothes should be made of unstable molecules, an entirely practical thing to do on a scientist's salary, I'm sure. We follow him as he investigates a locked room mystery, a scientist friend of his having vanished. He then spends a few days investigating a spate of missing scientists while smoking his pipe as the reader ponders, as we often do with Ant-Man, the enormous number of editor's notes in this and every issue. 

The kidnapper is, of course, an alien scientist who needs to invent a death ray to deal with a rebellion and, naturally, turns to scientist from Earth, a planet explicitly said to be much less advanced in technology than his own.

And, yeah, hi-jinks ensue, and all that. It's Ant-Man. What can I say? All we can do is embrace the bonkersness and hope that there aren't too many of these left, 

Children of the Stones, Part 2- Circle of Fear

 "Don't meddle with the stones!"

Another episode suffused with atmosphere, as we (and Adam, Matt and Margaret) dig further into the mysteries of the stones... and the villagers. It rather helps that we have a very scientifically clever father/son combo as leads, with Margaret there for the history, folklore and superstition.

One has to smile at the innocence of those days, though- Matt just expected to be off on his bike for much of the day, and absolutely no concerns at the very intriguing Dai (the textbook example of the "rural and superstitious person" trope that all programmes like this absolutely require) simply inviting himself round when Matt is alone in the cottage.

But the mysteries of the stones deepen. Ley lines stopping at the circle's edge, with Hendricks' house in the centre? All the stones at a perfect ninety degree angle? The clues are given to us, bit by bit, at a perfect pace. and then... the suggestion that the stones are "a primitive Jodrell Bank" pointing at something out there in the stars, but the space is empty...

The last few minutes are atmospheric and perfect, as the camera has us look again at the painting and then Matt, in evocatively shot outdoor footage, sees the whole village singing at the stones... and this time it's for him to touch the stone and collapse...

Slow burn, addictive and brilliant. 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 7

 "Well, well, well, so four of me made it. I wonder what happened to the other six?"

I had to go with the above quote... but I almost went with "The Ultimate Adventure, you might say" from the Sixth Doctor to the Third. ah, nostalgia. I saw Jon Pertwee in that play at the Belgrave Theatre in Coventry in April 1989, the only time I ever clapped eyes on the great man for real, as an early twelfth birthday present. The play, and the associated merchandise, was my first encounter with the world of fandom, I suppose. But it was all so long ago...

Anyway, I shan't repeat myself at length about the impressive plotting on show here, how the complex plot is somehow both easy to follow and feels natural, or indeed the skill with which Rich Morris handles what should surely be an impossible number of protagonists. Especially, as in this episode, as the number of plot threads is starting to reduce and so Doctors interact more often.

There are so many lovely moments here. 6 being annoyed that 4 is alive, because that means he was wrong. The Brigadier's touching speech to 1, surrounded by so many who have been touched by the Doctor's life. Glitz and Mel reunited. The Second Doctor defeating the Toymaker... although I do wince at calling said immortal "Cellie". Still, it's very likely that Rich Morris, like many people, isn't aware of the unfortunate etymology of the word "celestial". And I love that explosion.

And yet... the Dalek invasion of Gallifrey, with all its Cronenberg-esque body horror, feels unstoppable. And what's about Davros being a "champion of time"...? 

Tales of Suspense #39

 "Have you never seen an Iron Man before?"

At last we get Iron Man- it really does feel as though it's been forever. Now we just need the X-Men, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, and the Silver Age debut of Captain America, and the main initial Marvel cast will be more or less assembled. 

It's basically the well-known origin story here, but interesting to read this story on its own terms as opposed to the origin of a well-established character. Tony Stark's face is not quite yet recognisable. And the character... it's a brave move to make Stark a glamorous playboy, a "millionaire bachelor", and an inventor of weaponry for the US government- hardly an underdog. But this, of course, is why he must be cursed with the shrapnel close to his heart, forcing him to wear an iron breastplate in order to stay alive. 

It's all very of its time, though- South Vietnam, in the years before the draft. The art is, at times, well, more than verging on racist caricature. And it feels at times as though every other word is "transistor". But this, as an origin, is simple yet solid, and it's already clear that this is an idea with potential.

There's a later short story about Vikings on a desert island, part of the Order only because of references to Odin, that is entertaining enough for what it is. But I'm curious to see the first steps of Iron Man as a character now we've established the origin... 

Gen V: The Kids Are Not All Right

 "I saw my first vagina here."

"Ok. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome."

Wow. This episode took several unexpected turns. Yet it has us asking so many questions about Cipher. What does he want? Why does Marie's potential mean so much to him? Is Jordan right that he's in so much pain? What's going on with his dad, and all the hardcore carer stuff he does? He's sleeping with Sage, but what are he and his genius lover planning? He certainly doesn't seem to have Homelander's welfare in mind.

It's likely he manipulates everything for Marie, Jordan and Emma, sending Cate to Elmira as scapegoat as a blatant trap for the three of them, who are obviously going to spring them. It feels inevitable that they're all going to end up in that hellhole, and so it comes to pass. But there are so many nuances here. There's the shock of how Cate is treated when she arrived, her wig and fake forearm being removed. There's her genuine surprise and appreciation at what the others did for.

But... what Cipher pulls with Annabeth to manipulate Marie? Wow. And did Marie resurrect her? 

The scenes with Sam and his parents are nicely done too. At first it seems as though he's going to inevitably end up lashing out and killing them- but that gets subverted, and instead he learns a truth about who he is: his instability isn't Compound V, it's just genes.

This episode is... mad. This season feels as though anything can happen. The fact that we're kept guessing about Cipher just makes everything feel charged and exciting. And Hamish Linklater is literally acting his face off. 

The Incredible Hulk #6

 "I hate havin' to become that weakling Banner all the time!"

This is the final issue of The Incredible Hulk... for now. It's one of the better issues- not least because the art is by Steve Ditko rather than an increasingly overworked Jack Kirby. But it's also illustrative of how the title, which apparently wasn't selling well, could fail. 

The villain, who will only have a handful of future appearances. is yet another generic all-powerful alien conqueror. He isn't very interesting, and nor is the trite manner of his defeat- although it's interesting to see Rick Jones establish the Teen Brigade, a bunch of teenage radio hams!

But the interest lies elsewhere, as Stan and Steve experiment a lot with the format, trying to make it work- as it clearly doesn't. The gamma machine, as a gimmick to change Bruce to the Hulk and vice versa, doesn't really work narratively- why shouldn't Bruce just stay as himself? Surely any peril sufficient as to involve the Hulk should be rare? It's suspicious how many threats emerge in his vicinity, conveniently giving Bruce a reason to become the Hulk. After all, why should the Metal Master, who wants to conquer all of Earth, start by attacking this particular military base in New Mexico?

So this issue has the gamma machine be unreliable, perhaps an unacceptable risk, along with such silliness as the Hulk having Bruce's head and having to wear a mask! Interestingly, we seem to end with Bruce deciding to remain as himself, and distrusting the machine. It'll be interesting to see how this develops.

Also, to what extent are Bruce and the Hulk different people sharing a body or variations on the same psyche? Rick tells us at one point that Bruce is "not always responsible for what the Hulk does or says". Yet the Hulk- who has been fairly verbally eloquent right throughout, far from the "Hulk smash!" persona of later pop culture- apparently remembers most of Bruce's science knowledge.

Fortunately, we know with hindsight that The Incredible Hulk will eventually be tweaked and will ultimately succeed. But it certainly needs a break and a rethink at this point. 

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 6

 "Doctor! That thing is my son!"

This is a somewhat darker instalment as we learn more of what is going on. There are a few introductions here (Rutans, Movellans, the Brig) but we're more than half way through now, so it's a case of developing and interweaving already established plot threads rather than starting new ones... but still with that same masterful plotting which seems effortless- and, if something seems effortless, it is certainly no such thing.

There real darkness here, though- the Valeyard is turning Time Lords into a new race of Daleks... and poor Leela, an old lady whose family means everything to her, realises that her husband and children have all become Daleks. That's bleak. So is the fact that the Tenth Doctor is undergoing conversion- and the process seems somehow to have started for Eight.

The Valeyard's new face after regeneration is described as "vaguely familiar", mind- but not to me. something's clearly going over my head at this point!

That aside, though, it's a wonder, and a credit to Rich Morris, how easy this is to follow with so much going on, and how each character gets their amount of time in the spotlight. No character dominates, no character is neglected. Thus far, The Ten Doctors hasn't put so much as a foot wrong. 

Dexter: That Night, a Forest Grew

 "Pardon my tits!"

Oh me. back to Dexter again (recovering well from my op) and what an episode.

Where to start? Well, there's the manifesto from the "Bay Harbour Butcher". Dexter thinks he's being clever by writing it, putting the FBI off the scent with distracting nonsense. But he's too clever be half, perhaps? Because Lundy sees clearly what the manifesto's purpose happens to be, and accurately concludes that the killer is linked to law enforcement. Meanwhile,his manipulation of Doakes gets his rival suspended. Again, though, too clever by half? Doakes won't be giving up, and he sort of has this habit of never actually being wrong about anything.

Worrying that he's going after that nice Camilla lady, mind. Her line about being scheduled to retire next year feels worryingly like a kind of dialogue Chekhov's Gun- if she was fated to retire, surely that line wouldn't be there?

Ultimately, this episode is all about relationships and change. Rita finally sees how controlling and abusive her mother is (perhaps explaining her choices of men?) and banishes her. Deb banishes her sexy but ordinary boyfriend and comes on to the urbane, cultured, wise and much older Agent Lundy... and it seems to go well. But is she thinking straight? She's very upset at Dexter leaving Rita and shacking up with the obviously dangerous Lila.

And... ah yes. Dexter and Lila's relationship blooms, on the surface. Really good sex. Excitement. Yet... as we see Dexter supporting Cody at his school assembly thing, Lila sets fire to her valuable artwork, the one she's actually sold, in order to manipulate Dexter into staying with her and away from Rita. Which is... deeply creepy and controlling. She's a paradox: genuinely the cause of keeping him away from his "addiction" to killing, but oh so very dangerous...

Dexter has just got even better. 

Carry On Up the Jungle (1970)

 "Game?"

"Any time, if you are."

This is... well, there are some good one liners, the cast is good as ever (although Kenneth Williams is glaringly absent)... but, well, it's hardly the best of the series.

Why? Well, there are the moments that make one wince- Bernard Bresslaw in blackface, the jokes about the "natives"- but this is a Carry On film from 1970 set in deepest Africa: such things are priced in.

Then there's the obvious cheapness. This is set in Africa yet clearly shot on a set in Hertfordshire, so much so that it feels almost claustrophobic at times. There are various lions, elephants and giraffes... all of them very obviously stock footage. If all of this were made into a joke, it would work... but breaking the fourth wall is not the Carry On style. Also, Terry Scott as Tarzan is... a courageous bit of casting, to put it mildly.

Perhaps I'm being a little harsh here? After all, the Carry Ons are coming off a run of very strong films, but might that be the problem? Is Carry On Up the Khyber going to prove impossible to top? I suppose the script and performances are as good as ever here, and it's certainly good to have Frankie Howerd again after all this time. But this film just feels... well, cheap.

Journey into Mystery #90

 "Arrest that costumed pest!"

This... may be the most inconsequential comic yet, more skippable Larry Lieber stuff, this time without even the art of Jack Kirby, even if on these stories he phones it in a bit, to make it better. Basically, it's neither good nor particularly interesting, and the Xartans (another alien race) will be making only token, novelty future appearances. In short... Thor, at this point, is not very good.

There's more of the tiresome love stand-off between Donald Blake and Jane, each afraid to declare their love to the other... although, this time, Odin officially orders Blake not to reveal his identity, which is unhelpful.

The baddies are, well, a precursor to the Zygons in Doctor Who in that their plan for world conquest involves an ability to impersonate people, as long as they hold the original person as prisoner. Their plan is bonkers, though- impersonate those in power, implement ridiculous laws, and they invade with their battle fleet in confusion!

This issue has the most bonkers ending yet. Thor throws the alien warlord into the sky, right into space so the battle fleet turns around and goes after him. As for the Xartans on Earth, it's the old Skrull cow trick again, getting them to turn into trees and, as trees, lose their sentience forever. Blimey, that's dark. 

But yeah, moving swiftly on... 

Crimes of the Future (2022)

 "Surgery is the new sex."

From looking at the iMDb rating, this film isn't rated very highly. I'll come straight to it: I think it's brilliant. Those who dislike it, I suspect, were looking for something else. David Cronenberg doing body horror again after all these decades, after all, creates certain expectations. People will expect this to be like his body horror of the '70s and '80s. And, yes, there's some of that. Yet, like all Cronenberg's films of the last decade or two, this is entirely a film of ideas.

It's a future set in a pleasingly low budget society, claustrophobic, studio bound, beautifully and artistically shot with precious little nature to stop Cronenberg being in total control of his artistic environment. Only the first, shocking sequence, with its plastic bin eating and its graphic scene of filicide, takes place anywhere near nature.

No: this is a world in which both pain and infection are things of the past, and surgery is therefore a light matter, while the human body is evolving fast (let us briefly handwave away that this isn't how natural selection works, just as Saul handwaves away the impossibility of traits arising from surgery being inherited) in order to survive in a plastic, polluted environment.

Only in this world can exist a couple like Captice and Saul, using the routine surgery of the removal of his emerging mutant body organs as performance art. This despite the scepticism of the Detective to whom Saul is reporting, who scoffs at random emerging organs being “Picasso, Deschamps, Francis Bacon, perhaps?

Yet there is also a blatant subtext of surgery as sex, as fetish. This is, of course, not the first time Cronenberg has explored such themes, and one may certainly raise an eyebrow at this. 

Body horror abounds- tattooed organs, a zipped abdomen- but the ideas just keep coming in this thoughtful, disturbing dystopia. Cronenberg has most certainly still got it

Fantastic Four #12

 "Miss Storm, a pretty young lady can always be of help- just by keeping the men's morale up."

Ah, General Thunderbolt Ross. Such a feminist paragon. So is Reed, who replies "That's just the way we feel about Sue, General!"...

Anyway... ladies and gentlemen, with this crossover, between what are, as of the beginning of 1963, Marvel's biggest properties, we can sort of say that this is a shared universe. A caveat, though: the existence of crossovers, nothing new in comics in 1963, does not a fully formed shared continuity make. Yet. But it'll be fun to see that emerge, develop and evolve.

Anyway, we start with some fun little moments. Ben and Alicia have been to see a performance of Beethoven's Fifth, although Ben prefers New Orleans jazz. And, when Thunderbolt Ross hires the FF to get the Hulk, blamed for a naughty bit of sabotage, Reed comments, after seeing some footage, that the Hulk seems to exist, implying that this had been in doubt. Er... pot, kettle, Reed? 

Johnny, teenage auto whiz that he is, has redesigned the Fantasti-car, by fan demand(!) with a very impressed General Ross as its first passenger. And the FF meeting Bruce Banner and Rick Jones is a big moment.

Of course, the Hulk is innocent, the true culprit is- you guessed it- a communist spy, caught by the Torch after, er, leaving a membership card in his wallet. If only today’s Russian spies were this rubbish.

The fight between Hulk and the FF (and especially the Thing!) is both enormous fun and no longer than it needs to be. All is satisfactorily resolved- and it’s left nicely ambiguous whether Reed suspects Bruce of being the Hulk.

Excellent stuff, and a real watershed.

The Ten Doctors: Chapter 5

 "Who's this bloke, Professor? And why's he sound like he's from the south?"

Five instalments in and, well, let's just take for granted that all the praise I lavished on the previous four apply equally here, shall we? Charm, glorious art (I particularly love the yellow splash of deep colour on the Cyber tombs or whatever they are), incredibly complex storyline which somehow works, fanwank in the best possible way, characterisation... you know the drill. 

There's a twist here- the Sontarans want to take over everything, including the Federation, both Dalek factions and the Time Lords, working with the Master whom, of course, they in no way blatantly intend to double cross, much as the Master in no way so blatantly wishes to betray the War Chief that it's literally a given. Glad that's settled. 

I love the older Leela's firmness with the Eighth Doctor: this is her family and her life, and she won't be fobbed off by (ahem) the "old one". But not as much as I love the fact that the Sixth Doctor and Maxil actually meet, to considerable Renegade Dalek confusion. It would have been a terrible missed opportunity were this not to happen.

Lots of other delights here, of course, such as the Sixth Doctor getting to say "spack off", but Nyssa getting her bloodthirsty revenge on the Master for what he did to Tremas and Traken is deliciously cathartic... and, of course, she handwaves it away to her Doctor with an"I'll explain later"! We even get a cheeky appearance from the Devious Doctor.

Ha;f way through, and I'm very much loving this.