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Review: The Avengers Kree/Skrull War

With my recent interest in the Marvel cosmic line of comic books, and discovering how much I actually really enjoyed Secret Invasion – I decided to check out the book that in many ways is the origin for that tale, the original story showing how Earth came to be involved in the Kree/Skrull War. And while this is a beloved tale by many, I’m afraid that for me (even having grown up with comics of the 80s which are of a much different style than today) this story seemed badly dated. I didn’t get the kind of enjoyment I’ll get out of a classic Star Wars comic for instance, but instead found many things of that era to be distracting and ultimately detrimental to the telling of the story.

But perhaps it’s important to mention, this was not a miniseries or an “event” the way the comic companies do nowadays. This story was told in the regular pages of the comic, and in fact just started out as a series of regular issues with a small interconnection that slowly came together in the form of an overall arc. This is very similar to the way in which the Dark Phoenix saga would be told years later, bringing the reader into the story as it’s already in progress (from the last issue). The Avengers at this point are made up of while certainly some of the more well known members (such as Scarlet Witch, Vision, Quicksliver, Giant Man and Wasp) they’re also not the greatest members (Iron Man, Captain America and Thor) and the book suffers until those three rejoin the team very close to the end. Until then we’ve got the B Team chasing Captain Mar-vell, who’s seen as a threat to national security because he’s actually an alien Kree posing as a human on Earth. But Captain Marvel is on the run from his own people, in the form of Ronan the Accuser, who has come to Earth to put the good Captain on trial for choosing to defend the people of Earth instead of fighting for the interests of the Kree. But that’s all swept aside when they receive word from the Kree military that the Skrulls – a shape changing people who’ve fought the Fantastic Four (and the Avengers) before have launched a full scale invasion of Kree space. Because of its location, Earth has become a hotspot in this war – the perfect staging ground for the invasion – and the Inhumans join in the fight with the Avengers to rid the planet of both menaces.

It all sounds very exciting, doesn’t it? Here’s the problem, very little action takes place “on screen”. There’s a whole lot of talking, and then some more talking, and then we’ve got angst, and the soap opera travails… and the lame Rick Jones upon whom apparently the fate of the entire story rests. It’s like making Jimmy Olsen the most important person in War of the Supermen. Rick Jones somehow shares his body with Captain Marvel, but only one of them can be present in our universe at a time – meaning the other is in the Negative Zone the rest of the time (which does lead to a neat cameo by Annihilus, which I might have been more impressed with if it wasn’t Rick Jones facing him). We’ve also got the Scarlet Witch and the Vision in full-on angst mode over how and why they should not love each other. I liked that Carol Danvers shows up here (perhaps in her first appearance) – but this is well before she’s become Ms Marvel, which was also a disappointment.

And as I said, the action component, just wasn’t there – there’s a lot of misdirection (Skrulls posing as the big three Avengers) and misunderstandings (the heroes fighting each other before working together), and then the end just sort of happens and everything gets wrapped up quickly. I’ve heard that Galactic Storm is similar, with the Avengers trying to keep Earth out of a galactic war, and in the process not really getting involved in the action – but I had hoped for more from this story. I’m sorry to say there just wasn’t enough for me to recommend this book to a more casual fan of the genre, I’ve got only a limited experience with the Avengers (and no real interest in most of the characters this book focused on for the majority of the story) and it was enough of a slog for me to get through it. It’s a little too dated for me, but if you like your comics a little more along the classic lines of a few decades ago, and the new series of Avengers tales put you off – perhaps this is story you. For me, I’m mostly going to be sticking to the newer stuff – though I will be doing a similar review for Avengers: The Korvac Saga, from about a decade later than this story, just to see if things have improved any. You can expect that review soon.

Giveaway! "Shades of Milk and Honey" by Mary Robinette Kowal

Thanks to the wonderful people over at Tor Books I have a copy of "Shades of Milk and Honey" by Mary Robinette Kowal up for grabs on my giveaway page. Be sure to CHECK IT OUT.

DVD Review: "Surrogates"

Futuristic technology and its moral considerations have always been great foils for science fiction. Whether it's a classic novel written by Robert Heinlein, or a movie like "The Terminator," the theme is usually whether or not humanity has suffered for our quest for knowledge and a more comfortable life-- and Bruce Willis' latest thriller, "Surrogates," is no different.

"Surrogates" is set in a near, but strange, future in which human beings rarely interact with each other in their real bodies; instead relying on android bodies, known as surrogates, that people can plug their conscious minds into.  Surrogates offer both physical safety and perfection and humanity has gotten to the point where it is considered strange to actually leave home and risk injury by interacting with the real world. Humans who rebel against the surrogate technology have been segregated into "Dread" reservations where they live in squalor and are lead by a man known as The Prophet (Ving Rhames).

When the son of the inventor of the surrogates, Dr. Lionel Cantor (James Cromwell,) is killed using a new technology that bypasses the failsafe built into the surrogates, FBI agents Tom Greer (Bruce Willis) and Jennifer Peters (Radha Mitchell) are called in to investigate.

"Surrogates" is a movie that tries hard to be more than a boilerplate thriller by showing us the antiseptic world in which humanity now lives. Crime is at an all-time low and homicide is virtually unheard of thanks to the practically indestructible nature of the surrogates; but people are now reduced to experiencing life from their recliners as they plug into a machines that go to 'standby' mode whenever they are confronted by uncomfortable emotions. Everyone is too-beautiful for words, yet stiff and unemotional, and so far removed from their own natural bodies that people who do not use surrogates are referred to as "meat sacks."

In a way the movie almost succeeds too well in showing us how unappealing it is to take away our basic frailties as it's very hard to connect with any of the characters in the early part of the film. Willis' character is almost comically distracting because we are supposed to believe that an idealized Bruce Willis would have Ken-doll hair and a bland, sarcasm-free mien; but when the real Tom Greer finally shows us, he's infinitely more interesting than the surrogate version. And while that is, no doubt, one point the movie is trying to make, it highlights the viewer's awareness that we haven't really been that invested in the well-being of the character throughout much of the film.

"Surrogates" is also one of those movies that tries to reach for something but doesn't quite succeed going beyond tepidly thoughtful. Bruce Willis does what he can for the film, but it's clear he's too good for the material and seems to be slumming it Sean Connery-style and Ving Rhames is completely wasted on this film. From a narrative standpoint there are some flaws as well. We're given a small demonstration of what the surrogates can do, as they are vastly superior to human beings physically, but we're led to believe that people interact with each other as if they are made of glass-- I happen to think the opposite would be the natural outcome. The anti-surrogate population are also shown in extreme poverty, to the point that they live in absolute filth, but no reason other than their choice to live surrogate-free is offered as an explanation.

"Surrogates" isn't a horrible movie, and frankly I've seen worse movies (like "Transformers 2" and "G.I. Joe") fare better at the movie theater. But it never really rises above a B-movie feel as it settles on the same old clichés that show up in movies of this kind. It'll make you think a little-- but not too much.

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The Skiffy and Fanty Show: A New-ish Podcast

I'm not one to hijack other people's blogs to advertise my own things, but SQT gave me permission. So that's exactly what I'm going to do.

A few months ago, I started a weekly science fiction and fantasy podcast with a friend called The Skiffy and Fanty Show (those are the nicknames for science fiction and fantasy, in case you didn't know that already). The podcast is about anything and everything related to those two genres: books, movies, television, random cool science stuff, author interviews, and just about anything else we can find that somehow connects to SF/F. Plus, each episode features a new question for our listeners.

Thus far we've talked about the rise of fantasy, Inception and our favorite science fiction movies, the Never Again anthology fiasco, libraries, whales with laser beams on their heads, the next big thing in YA, fantasy, and science fiction, the definition of science fiction, magical realism, and dozens of things happening in SF/F film, television, and literature! We've also interviewed the guys behind Universal Dead (a webseries), which recently got optioned for a full length film. All in all, there are twelve episodes of our show, with a thirteenth coming at the end of the week (new episodes are released every Sunday, unless I temporarily die or a meteor lands in my living room--there's a good chance at least one of those will happen before I turn 100).

So, if you're interested in a commentary-based science fiction and fantasy podcast, feel free to check us out here. We're also on iTunes (although for some odd reason iTunes only shows nine episodes, so you might have to get the first three from the website if you want to listen to them)! And if you like the show, send us an email (skiffyandfanty[at]gmail[dot]com), leave a comment on our Wordpress page, or leave us a voicemail (206-203-1686)! We're always excited to hear from listeners (hatemail is always appreciated). Oh, and enjoy the show!

There! That wasn't so painful, now was it?

P.S.: We're starting a new segment where we review the bad and the ugly of science fiction and fantasy films. So if you have any suggestions for films that are not too obscure and also not all that great, then let us know! We want you to torture us!

The "Rolling Stone" two giant wheels vehicle

The futuristic technology used in electric vehicles still has the development and research by continuously. There is concept that replaces engine with electric batteries and motors uplift the face to personal transportation, and giant wheels vehicle is one concept

The "Rolling Stone," is new concept of electric vehicle that have features LED screens on both sides to display navigation tools and other information with a touch of your finger. The concept car also features a number of cameras on its body that captures images and video of the surroundings to display on the LED screen.

The Rolling Stone has two giant wheels at the base that supports the main wheels for a stable as well as safe drive. Removing the steering wheel for a joystick for better controls, and can move by powered by electric motors that include onboard rechargeable batteries to fuel the vehicle.

Designer: Vitaly Kononov

If you liked this vehicle, you would also be interested in:
www.ecofriend.org

Book Review: "Grave Witch" by Kalayna Price

Alex Craft is a Grave Witch; someone who can not only speak to the dead, but who has the power to raise a 'shade' and allow them to speak with the living. Alex straddles the world of the living and the dead and has been friends with Death (the actual jeans and t-shirt wearing version) since she was a child and has made her living, meager as it is, by working as a police consultant and investigator.

A high-profile case involving the Governor, and Alex's politically powerful father, thrusts her in the middle of a situation full of dark magic and ritualistic murder involving other young witches with powers very similar to Alex's. Complicating matters are a mysterious new detective determined to keep her far away from the case and a ghost that decides to follow her home from the morgue.

"Grave Witch" follows a fairly standard pattern for paranormal fiction. The female lead is the plucky sort with unusual powers that either relate to witchcraft or shape-shifting (in this case the former). She has at least one very good looking man as the love interest who is over-protective, secretive and sexy in jeans (this one even says so on the back cover of the book). And she rushes head-long into dangerous situations with no regard to personal safety. Okay, we have that established.

The Good: Even though "Grave Witch" is pretty stereotypical of the genre, it still has some definite strengths. The overall system of magic isn't fully spelled-out in the book, but Alex's powers as a grave witch are pretty well developed. Alex's vision frequently shifts between the corporeal world and that of the dead as she views things through her 'grave-sight.' What I appreciated about Alex's powers as a grave-witch was the toll it takes on her physically as the grave-sight slowly deteriorates her ability to see in the real world. She's also a likable character who has her share of sarcasm but never falls off a cliff into full-on snarkiness which is a balance I like when reading paranormal fiction as the characters can be so similar across the genre.

Needs Work: "Grave Witch" is the first book to really drive me to divide my review into two categories that really spell out the good and bad in the book because, though I liked the book overall, I couldn't skip over some obvious critiques.  The first half of the book sets up Alex's character really well-- her home life, history, magical abilities and friendships. But as you get further into the book it becomes clear that there are still parts of the story that  feel as if they never made it out of the outline stage. The character of Death is intriguing, but I didn't quite understood what he was meant to be-- it just never really made sense.  The other secondary characters are also only sketchily defined and we only learn the barest details about the love interest in the last few pages. But if I had to pick one thing to really point out it would be that some of the non-magical elements really stretch the credibility of the story. For example, are we supposed to believe that someone can just walk into a morgue to visit their friend, the medical examiner-- who happens to be in the middle of performing an autopsy? Somehow I doubt it.

If there is anything that holds "Grave Witch" together it's the character of Alex Craft. Basically, I just liked her and was willing to read through some of the more unrealistic sequences to see what happened to her. I do hope to see some more depth in future installments, both in character development and world building, but I'd still say that "Grave Witch" was a fun book and I'll give the sequel a chance. But future books will have to fill in the credibility gaps if the series is to really succeed.
3 1/2 out of 5