A while later I saw Uncharted 2 on sale, I was never planning on buying this given my experience with the first game but I heard this was better so I figured why not? And after playing it I had the exact same opinion I had with the first game. The characters were incredible, all of them just as good as before if not better, the graphics and environments were second to none, all of them gorgeous from the snowy mountains to the wet sewers. The increased cinematic scope did make me like this game a lot more than the first, the sheer scale of everything going on around me managed to wow me at certain moments and believe I was in my own action film. But then we come to the 2 foot thorn in the otherwise delicious apple. The combat was ridiculous, I got swamped by enemies a stupid amount of times, there were times where I got killed trying to get to cover, the guns were still spraying in god knows what direction. It just made for a frustrating and annoying game.

Despite this problems, I enjoyed Uncharted 2 enough to check out the third and so far final entry, Uncharted 3. Having just finished the game in the past twenty minutes I can tell you my thoughts on the game straightaway.

I’ll give you three guesses what I thought.

Yep, gorgeous but difficult. Like a Victoria Secret Model who’s stubborn as a mule, Uncharted 3 was a game I admired and hated in equal measure. Like the last game the cinematic scope took my breath away, there were times where I could felt the heat of the desert sun I was so engrossed in the game. And that heat turned to boiling rage whenever I got surrounded by enemies, everyone of them with perfect aim, shooting the hell out of me and me running around like a headless chicken. I yelled out my despise for this game more than once during my play through.

I want to make it clear, I don’t actually hate these games, I think they are well-made, I think they are gorgeous to look at, I think the characters are some of the best written and performed of all-time. But hat stupid combat control ruins all three games for me, so much so that I don’t know how long it’ll be before I pick these games up again.

And that’s a damn shame because playing all of them there are moments of brilliance in each one, using the third one as an example there were scenes in this that even the best action blockbuster wished they could have, the sinking ship and the crashing plane were two highlights that I loved immensely. But in order for me to get to those moments again I need to drag my way through the terrible combat, I hate making such a big deal out of this but the combat is over half the gameplay and while the scope and graphics can make up for a lot they don’t make the game as enjoyable as it should be.

If you like the game, I won’t try to convince you otherwise, but to me I do not understand why these games are as popular as they are, they’re good games and at times they can be fun but no way do they deserve all those perfect scores, pretty graphics are good but the enjoyment runs out quickly to be replaced with an anger level so high it’s off the charts.

Full Circle

Romana is upset when her and the Doctor receive a summons from the Time Lords to report back to Gallifrey. She knows that this means an end to her journey with the Doctor and the TARDIS, and she’s developed a taste for adventure over continued studies. This summons, however, becomes the least of their troubles when the TARDIS passes through a rift and find themselves in the alternative universe called E-Space. They land on a forest planet and the action shifts to the local humanoid population.

The small group of humans who sustain a civilisation on the planet are from a different planet, and arrived on a giant starship that has remained grounded for generations. Soon the periodic ‘mistfall’ is expected to arrive and threaten the peoples ability to survive in the open, forcing them into the ship where they will continue their repairs and eventually take off. There’s a small group of youths who deny the ‘Deciders’ warnings that danger is imminent and make their way stealing goods. Among this group is Adric, a young boy who is a mathematical protégé.

When the deadly mistfall does arrive the youths manage to steal the TARDIS in their attempts to survive the appearance of giant spiders and Marshmen. The Doctor, meanwhile, has found his way onto the spaceship and suspects that there’s something being hidden from the general population. Most suspicious is that the Marshmen share DNA with the humanoids of the settlement.

Quite a good introduction to the longer ‘E-Space Trilogy’, which serves to conclude Romana and K9’s time with the Doctor. The DNA link between the people and the creatures that stalk them is an interesting one and makes for a good reveal. A large portion of the episode is given over the to introduction of Adric, the new companion. Such a young character is a change of pace from who the Doctor had been travelling with over the past few seasons, but a character of such mathematic ability is always going to keep pace with the Doctor.

State of Decay

The Doctor, Romana and K9 continue to search for an escape from E-Space, unwittingly carrying Adric as a stowaway, with they land on what appears to be a feudal period planet. A small group of villagers live under the thrall of Zargo, Camilla and Aukon, the three lords who dwell in the tower above the village. What confuses the Time Lords is the discovery of highly advanced technologies that have been abandoned. On a more sinister note they discover an annual ‘selection’ ritual where young villagers are chosen to disappear into the tower.

As Adric is exploring the village (with the Doctor and Romana still oblivious to his presence) he is taken by Lord Aukon and deemed suitable of becoming a chosen one. As the mystery unravels they discover drained corpses and come under attack from bats and it becomes clear that they are dealing with vampires. In a departure from the standard mythology it is found that tower was once a spaceship and the vampire are mutations of the original crew, who have taken to feeding off the colonists who live below.

Although there is some rich imagination at the backbone of the episode it doesn’t stand out as especially unique. The colony starting ark evolving into something more sinister and unusual provides food for thought, and the classic vampire tone are both good, but they don’t quite mesh as well as you’d want it to.  It also feels strange with Adric operating independently from the rest of the crew as he’s still being introduced yet isn’t given room to get established. State of Decay is, in-part, thought provoking but remains filler.

Warriors’ Gate

When the TARDIS crew find way to escape from E-Space and return to N-Space they wind up trapped in a white void between the universes. At the same time another spaceship, piloted by Commander Rorvik, becomes trapped in the same realm. Their navigator, an inhuman prisoner named Biroc, escapes from the ship and warns the Doctor that Rorvik cannot be trusted. While exploring the void the Doctor finds a stone gateway occupied by decaying robots who were built by slaves to start a revolt.

Whilst the Doctor is occupied the crew of the Rorvik require another time sensitive being to navigate their ship. They kidnap Romana from the TARDIS and force her into this role. While the empty void begins shrinking, Adric sets out to rescue Romana and the Doctor learns the truth behind Biroc’s people and how they came to be slaves to the humanoid time travellers.

This is a big episode. Although the void itself doesn’t use up much of the set budget the human ship, built from dense dwarf star alloy, is a very well designed piece that genuinely looks like a working class ship. The mirror world that exists through the stone gateway is also a good concept and is worked well into the script.

Like the previous episode the opportunity for Adric to develop a banter with the Doctor is skipped over while the youngster adventures about on his own. To be fair this is more Romana’s story, as at the end of the episodes she chooses to remain behind and assist the time sensitive Tharils to liberate the rest of their people. She’ll certainly be missed, having a brilliant energy with the Doctor (Lalla Ward and Tom Baker would later be briefly married) and stood apart as a more independent character than most companions.

The First Wizarding War: Throughout Harry Potter’s personal journey in the books he found guidance and wisdom from those who battled the Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War. This is a chapter in magic history that begs to be explored. A possible book series could follow Voldemort’s rise to power and Dumbledore assembling his own army in the Order of the Phoenix in order to fight back. Fans already love the characters who would be involved; Lupin, the Weasley’s, Bellatrix Lestrange, and many others.  A chance to see them in their prime would be something to jump at in a story that would range from intimate character moments to sprawling battles. An added bonus would be to see a different perspective on key moments in Potterverse history like; Snape’s struggle with his conscience, Regulus Black and Peter Pettigrew betraying their respective leaders, and the dramatic trial for the Death Eater’s which followed once the war ended.

The Founding of Hogwarts: For centuries young practitioners of magic have learned their skills at the Hogwarts School of Wizadry and Witchcraft. In the north of Scotland four people with clashing personalities established a school to teach future generations the skills they would need. A book series based on the origins of this institute could follow the lead of the hit film X-Men: First Class and tell the story of how; Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw, established the school and chose their first class of students. As the series progressed we could watch as the four founders decided who would be in their respective tutorship and see as Salazar Slytherin begins his feud with Godric Gryffindor, which would become a key event for the school.

Sirius Black: Fugitive: Harry’s shapeshifting godfather, Sirius Black, was the only person to ever successfully escape the prison of Azkaban in order to try to clear his name and protect Harry. After the events of The Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius went into hiding from the Dementors and Aurors. A tale about this particular wizard on the run from the authorities while on dangerous missions from Dumbledore has the potential to be a magic themed crime drama like none else.

Aurors: An elite group of wizards chosen after a rigorous and dangerous training process, Aurors are revered for their willingness to endure danger and death in order to protect the wizarding world from the most evil of magic users. This demands to be a gritty crime drama aimed at older Potterheads, in the same vein as shows such as Spooks (or MI5 depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on) or Wallander. 

Snape: If Buffy’s Spike or Star Wars’ Boba Fett has taught us anything is that, fans love a morally ambiguous antihero. As the mean-spirited expert of potions, Snape was the bane of Harry Potter’s existence until the end of the series when he learned the secrets Snape had been holding all along. Why not do a book series from Severus Snape’s point of view as a double agent constantly in danger during the battle between good and evil, this could read like a cool fantasy take on an Ed Brubaker comics.

Directed by: Craig Zisk

Starring: Julianne Moore, Michael Angarano, and Greg Kinnear

Plot: An English teacher has an affair with a former student turned failed playwright

Review:

This movie is kind of all over the place.

For the most part, the second act is basically about Julianne Moore’s usually careful/neurotic/geeky English teacher breaking out of her shell when a spontaneous sexual encounter with a former student (played by Michael Angarano) presents itself. They had reconnected because he failed as a playwright and returned home. She enjoyed his play so much, she pushed for the school to perform it. This put them in close quarters leading up to the tryst, and then in awkward situations afterward when the playwright started catching the eyes of the female performers and changes were being made to the script. It’s all pretty by-the-book and fairly pleasant lighthearted comedy, I suppose. At the very least, Moore gives a good comic performance trying to elevate the material with her introverted English teacher character.

The first and third acts were just weird though. There was a strange female narrator who reminded me of Emma Thompson in Stranger Than Fiction. Also every time Moore would go on a date, you would see these notes in red cursive about their faults and a circled letter grade, as if she was grading essays, pop up like she was imagining it. These 2 things would pop up sporadically in the 2nd Act but were mostly confined to the 1st and 3rd. It was almost like they were introducing and resolving a different movie: one where Moore went on a series of hopeless dates until she found the right guy under her nose. I think its a pretty good hook for a rom-com to stand out from the other uninspired crap, but the 2nd act just doesn’t line up.

High school leading lady, Lynn Collins, get close to failed playwright, Michael Angarano

Instead they take this detour about rewriting endings. They line up Moore breaking out of her shell with having to rewrite a graphic, morbid ending to the high school play. It is more than heavy-handed and definitely a stretch. I think I would rather watch the rom-com about an over critical bibliophile. At least the movie wouldn’t feel like 2 different movies spliced together.

Rating: 4/10

What Else to Watch: I already mentioned Stranger Than Fiction, which is a really great dramedy with a surprising performance from Will Ferrell, about an introverted boring man who suddenly hears a voice narrating his life and making mention of his on-coming demise. It is a much better lighthearted comedy about trying to change our ending or accepting our fate.

Michael Fassbender: This British thespian is the actor I originally pegged to take on the role of the Dark Knight for the next stage in the Batman film series. In his brief but memorable turn in Inglorious Basterds he shows he holds the charm and charisma needed to be an effective Bruce Wayne when dealing with the Gotham public. But more importantly he has the ability to not only throw a few punches but also play a character who is driven by his obsession, for proof of this just check out his portrayal of Magneto in X-Men: First Class. With an acting range that is to be envied, Fassbender is an ideal choice to put on the cape and cowl.

Dan Stevens: Fans of Downton Abbey will surely recognize the man who was promised to save the family from losing everything. First and foremost this young actor has the dashing good looks required for the Bruce Wayne aspect of the role, and he even has experience playing a young man trying to manage a vast business empire. He also has a great deal of experience on the stage so handling the grandiose and melodramatic aspects of Batman’s character should come easily to him.

Karl Urban: I’m sure just about everyone had the same thought when they saw the trailer for Dredd, “He’s using a Batman voice”. Over the years Karl Urban had become a fanboy favorite thanks to his action heavy turns in films like; Red, Star Trek, and The Lord of Rings Trilogy. Given this resume Urban could easily take on the challenge of being the Caped Crusader.

Jim Caviezel: Not every reboot of the Batman franchise will require a retelling of Batman’s origin, it is a story that everybody knows by now so it would not be a bad idea to start off a new Batman saga with the Caped Crusader already in his prime. Currently starring in the hit series, Person of Interest Caviezel is showing that he still has the physicality to take on anybody who crosses paths with him. This combined with his good looks and air of mystery makes Caviezel a fantastic choice for the role.

Zachary Quinto: Anyone who stuck it through with Heroes for a while knows that the best character on the show was the ruthless villain, Sylar. Quinto, like Urban is known for a slew of fan favorite projects, showing a wide range of talent which proves he would have no problem portraying the Dark Knight. From the ruthless tactics of Sylar to the cold detachment of Spock, Zachary Quinto would be quite memorable as cinema’s next Batman.

Richard Armitage: Dwarves in fantasy films used to be thought of as jokes, but that was before Thorin Oakenshield. Richard Armitage’s dwarf warrior of The Hobbit did not let physical limitations prevent him from going toe to toe with anyone who got in his way. He proved that he had the chops to be an action hero on the big screen, but TV fans know that beneath the make-up needed to make him into a dwarf is a man with no shortage of good looks. With a career already on the rise, becoming the next Batman would solidify Armitage as a Hollywood superstar.

If you have your own picks as to who could be the next Batman feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section below.

Batgirl #20

By: Gail Simone, Fernando Pasarin, Eddy Barrows

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $2.99

The Lowdown: I don’t think I have see the Ventriloquist since the new 52 happened. Before then new 52, he was murdered, and Scarface got passed on to a sexy female Ventriloquist. Now, Batgirl is going to face him. From the looks of the cover, it isn’t the sexy version, but it might be a female version. Also the solicit calls the Ventriloquist one of Batman’s “most violent” foes. News to me. I guess we’ll just have to check it out for ourselves. 

Wonder Woman #20

By: Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $2.99

The Lowdown: It’s a slow week, and there is nothing that really sticks out about this Wonder Woman issue. Some DC solicits have not been very forthcoming. But this is easily one of the most consistent awesome books DC is putting out so it pretty much gets a mention no matter what.

Dream Merchant #1 (of 6)

By: Nathan Edmondson, Konstantin Novosadov

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.50

The Lowdown: This is a double-sized issue for a new sci-fi series from Image Comics. It is about a young man who’s recurring dreams are actually memories that the entire human race was forced to forget. As such, this young man is both protected and hunted by strange forces.

Age Of Ultron #8 (of 10)

By: Brian Michael Bendis, Brandon Peterson

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Price: $3.99

The Lowdown: Invisible Woman and Wolverine go to into the past to stop Ultron from ever being created and thus unable to take over the world. But the world that Wolvie and Sue return to may not be that much better. Duh! Time travel fucks everything up. Always!

Nova #4

By:  Jeph Loeb, Ed McGuinness

Publisher: Marvel Comic

Price: $3.99

The Lowdown: I haven’t been that crazy about this version of Nova. I am not a fan of Sam Alexander. I miss Rich Ryder. I mean if Peter Quill is capable of clawing his ways out of the Cancerverse, why can’t Rich. Anyway, the reason why I am mentioning now is because the Avengers-version of the Chitauri, not to be confused with the shape-shifting aliens mucking u WWII in the Ultimate Marvel comics, makes their 616 debut.

Has any name in pop culture created such a diverse spectrum of love or hate in the last 20 years other than that one? Being that it was his birthday yesterday and the internet was once again reignited with the flames of passionate debate I felt that as a lifelong fan of his work I would offer my own opinion on the matter.  The fan’s relationship with George Lucas is a well chronicled one that was fleshed out even further in the excellent documentary  The People vs. George Lucas” (which I advise seeing if you haven’t btw). You have the fans that feel he destroyed their childhood with a prequel trilogy that focused on effects and action over characters and a reliance on personal drama. You have the fans who think he’s nothing more than a commercialized businessman that shamelessly sold the Star Wars brand to the point of selfish overabundance, and then you have the fans who love everything he’s given to them.

Where do I stand?

Well to be honest I have a love for him that’ll never actually go away. You might say “But Paul you’re always talking about how awful the prequels are and how much you hate Indy 4! You’re not making any goddamn sense!”… and I’d have to direct you into the waiting room before I sat down and discussed George Lucas with you for a solid two and a half hours. Are there things that I can’t stand about George Lucas? Well, of course there are. For one I hate what he did with the Red Tails campaign which essentially came down to the fact that he had a terrible expensive, awful movie that no studio wanted to pick up. So what did he do? He went onto Oprah and told her that studios “didn’t want to pick up a movie with an all black cast” and that this is why he had a hard time selling the picture. I can’t even begin to go into the reasons about why that’s not only horrifically wrong but racially insensitive and reveals all you need to know about who this guy has become, so I’ll let you formulate your own opinions on that matter. I think he’s pretty hypocritical in the way that he spoke out against changes of films and the use of effects as “a means to tell the story instead of telling the story itself” and then going completely against those sentiments, but there’s more on that later. Here’s the quote:

Also yes I’m in the camp that finds the prequels lazy, poorly written and at times derived from extending the brand and selling action figures rather than bringing fans a truly inspired story (the fact that George Lucas finished these scripts in one draft without much of anyone to offer any creative insight or deflections speaks to where it went wrong as well). Do I think he purposely set out to do these things and to lose the essence of human emotion that was lacking throughout those movies? Absolutely not, and I don’t fault George Lucas for that. This is a guy who’s surrounded by hundreds upon hundreds of “yes men” that bow to his every wish and wouldn’t dare raise their voice or offer a differing opinion. Hell the “making of” documentaries for Episode I have a short sequence where Spielberg comes to visit and even the legendary Steven Spielberg is nodding and silently agreeing with everything Lucas has to say. It’s shocking to see the kind of power this man encompasses around almost anyone and it’s this kind of power that wrongfully guided him into a different direction. Gone are the days where he had to fight through adversity and come up with creative changes on his own. Gone are the days where a tiny shoot for a movie called “Star Wars” ballooned into months upon months of tribulation and struggles that forced Lucas and his team to think on their feet. Those days are replaced by an infinite budget and a green screen that can do absolutely anything he wants it to do… and I think he lost his spirit and drive along the way.

There’s a part of me that really feels bad for him, honestly there is. I can’t even imagine the kind of pressure he was on after years and years of people begging for a new Star Wars movie when time after time he would drop little hints to the fans. How can you top a movie that isn’t just a movie anymore but a culture, a cinematic milestone and a brand? You can’t.. it’s impossible.. it can’t be done. Yet George stood up and took the challenge head on anyway, and I admire him for that. I think he’s seen enough bitterness and anger from fans to last a normal person an entire lifetime and I don’t think he deserves any of it. However I will say that there’s one aspect of George Lucas that I just don’t understand and can never get behind, and that’s the fact that he refuses to release the original prints of the Star Wars trilogy. That is something I find truly despicable and to be a tragedy for not only fans but cultural importance. I can’t find any reasoning behind this other than the fact that George believes his special editions to be the definitive versions of his movies that are the films he always envisioned while writing and directing the stories. That’s perfectly fine and I can understand that but Peter Jackson thinks the Extended Edition of The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the definitive version and he’s not pulling the theatricals off of the shelves anytime soon… so why not give the fans what they want? Is it out of spite? Is he playing the “God complex” card? Is he mercifully sticking to his guns for something he said years ago, or is he merely just that out of the loop when it comes to his fans? These movies aren’t just George Lucas’s movies anymore, they’re ours.. they’re a part of history and a part of our culture and they need to be released for families to show their kids and those kids to grow up and show their families and so on and so on. It’s this subject where I really draw the line with George Lucas. I can dislike things that he’s done and dislike most of his recent movies and I can completely accept them as parts of the universe and as an ever existing landscape but I just can’t rationalize this decision.

When you couple those thoughts with the fact that this man gave birth to something so strong in my life and to movies that literally shaped my childhood and I.. I just can’t ever turn against him. Star Wars and Indiana Jones are the two most important pieces of my early childhood and George Lucas had a hand in both of those (albeit a much larger say in the Star Wars trilogy). So at this point I basically see the man who used to be and the man that he’s become as an old soul that lost his way. He’s like that really awesome Uncle who was the guy you looked up to and loved as a kid but eventually got fatter, older and more delusional and now he’s trying to convince you of impractical ideas that make no logical sense but you kind of go along with it because you loved him so much. I don’t think he gets enough credit for selling the rights to Star Wars and handing over the reigns to more accomplished filmmakers, artists, writers and visionaries that will take his property, his baby into a new generation for years and years to come. People don’t realize how difficult of a decision that was for him and how hard it was for a controlling man like that to not only sell his biggest asset but sell everything he’s known for. It’s a brave decision, a bold decision.. and it’s proof to me that the creator I loved is still inside the man he’s become. That’s one small step for George Lucas and one giant leap for fans across the world.

So with that my 5 year old self, my 13 year old self and my 26 year old self all just wanna say one thing… Thank you George

#10 – The Monk

The Doctor and The Master are currently the only two Timelords who appear on the show with any regularity. Early on in The Doctor’s adventures who also had a couple of run-ins with The Monk. Like the Doctor the Monk had stolen a Class IV TARDIS from Gallifrey after growing tired with the Timelord’s ideology of non-involvement. In fact, the Doctor inspired the Monk’s crime having stolen a TARDIS some fifty years prior. Whilst the Doctor only wanted to see the universe the Monk would meddle in time for his own amusement and to set history onto what he considered the best path.

Bringing the Monk back would do more than simply give the Doctor another Timelord to interact with (although that would be awesome) but someone with the same abilities but a different outlook. The possibilities of a time-travel battle to change history filmed in the modern era is outright fantastic, especially with a writer like Gaiman or Moffat at the helm. The Monk made two appearances during the First Doctor’s run, once solo and again working with the Daleks.

#9 – Sea Devils

The Silurians were introduced during the Third Doctor’s adventures on Earth and have been a regular feature since. Long before man walked the Earth the dominant species were Homo Reptilia, humanoid reptiles who put their entire population into stasis to protect them from the coming cataclysm that destroyed the dinosaurs, expecting to emerge and reclaim the planet far into their future. Whilst the Silurians roamed the land their ‘cousins’, the Sea Devils, controlled the seas. Appearing only as an amphibious variant on the Silurians they were not as accomplished a species, but were more savage.

With Madame Vastra the Silurians are a common sight in modern Doctor Who. Whilst the Silurians are a complex foe whose motivation is an empathetic one the Sea Devils could be played as a more terrifying enemy. Put the heroes or a group of survivors in a stranded-at-sea scenario with the Sea Devils trying to claw their way inside and we have a nightmare scenario.

#8 – Fendahl

Occasionally we get a creature who has been a part of human history with the Doctor Who only becoming aware of them when they make their play. This can be a rather disconcerting notion, that something can be lurking beneath or surface (literally in the case of the Silurians) biding their time, and never is this quite as disturbing when it came to the Fendahl. Millions of years in the past the Sol system had an unnamed planet between Mars and Jupiter on which evolution took a bad turn and produced the Fendahl. For every Fendahl Core there existed a dozen Fendahleen who would feast on the life energy of anything around them. They were so dangerous that they wiped out all life on their own planet and began feeding on each other before the Timelords stepped in and destroyed them, along with their planet and all memory of their existence.

The skull of one Fendahl Core escaped destruction and found it’s way to Earth. It resembled a human skull with a pentagram on the forehead and would be resurrected when scanned with a sonic time scan. With the Fendahleen once more draining the souls out of people it was revealed that they have manipulated the evolution of humankind to make them ideal nourishment for the alien race. Now that is an unsettling thought.

#7 – Krynoid

Whilst it’s common for the Doctor to be matched up against foes who challenge him intellectually or ethically it would be a change of pace for him to fight something that is outright relentless. When you want relentless the best option is the Krynoid – who is an intergalactic weed. Taking the form of carnivorous plants that can quickly eradicate a global population, they are all but impervious to most forms of attack. After wrecking havoc on a planet the Krynoid propel pods into the dark void of space that eventually find themselves another planet to invade. The pods can survive in any climate for thousands of years before attacking a new population.

Krynoid’s grow incredibly quick and when another creature comes within reach their would take them as a host to grow further. They have demonstrated the ability to mimic the language and movements of their hosts, and their simple psychic ability allows them control nearby plants and animals. Without the ability to reason or emphasise the Krynoid would be a change of pace for the modern Doctor.

#6 – The Celestial Toymaker

Not many Whovians have had the chance to see this foe of the First Doctor as the first three episodes of the four-part serial have been missing for several decades. Still, it sounds like the perfect character for Neil Gaiman to craft an episode around. The Celestial Toymaker is an immensely powerful and eternal creature who captures worthy opponents and sets them traps and puzzles for his own amusement. Although he only appears in one Doctor Who serial it is implied that the two have tangled with each other on more than one occasion in the past.

Although Michael Gough (best known to geeks as Alfred Pennyworth in Tim Burton’s Batman) was set to reprise the character during the Sixth Doctor’s run the episode never got pit into production. Sadly the actor has now passed on (at the age of 94 in 2011) but that doesn’t mean we can’t reprise the character. As said he would be a perfect character for Neil Gaiman to work worth.

#5 – Axos

When the Axons arrived on Earth is a rather dramatic fashion during the time of the Third Doctor they caused quite a stir. Appearing as beautiful golden humanoids they offered to exchange energy from their ship for Axonite, an element with the ability to replicate matter and solve world hunger and energy shortages. Naturally this turns out to be a ruse, and the golden creatures merely drones controlled by the true Axos: the ship itself. The Axos grow from a single celled organism into an intergalactic scavenger who seeks to drain energy from the planets it arrives on in order to continue it’s growth and quest to learn time travel.

The key here would be increasing the scale of the beast. Previously seen as only one small vessel the concept was plenty imaginative, with claws growing out of the walls of the ship to capture intruders. Using modern special effects this base could be build on to produce a haunted spaceship quite unlike any other. The Doctor and his companions would be trapped in a giant biological menace in the coldness of space, forced to compete against an environment that can change at will.

#4 – The Dæmons

It’s a strange coincidence that so many cultures around the world have similar depictions of evil. The idea of a horned, twisted ‘demon’ turns up again and again…so naturally the Doctor has an explanation. When the Master starts digging up strange artefacts from the Bronze Age it is revealed by the Third Doctor that he is trying to summon the Dæmons, an ancient, almost extinct race of aliens who were once immensely powerful and took an interest in the human race. Whenever possible they return to Earth in order to guide human evolution along a set path (with so many alien races doing this you’d wonder why they have fought amongst themselves yet – potential episode?). Whenever one of their evolutionary experiments fails they destroy it, including Atlantis.

The Dæmons never destroy people out of anger or evil. Rather they are cold and logical, acting simply out of scientific curiosity or out of the best interest of the species. By the time the Master has summoned them there is only one member of the race remaining, but he is still powerful enough to eradicate the human race. There immense level of technology is seen as humans to be magic, and their frequent visits to Earth lead to them becoming a key part of human mythology.

#3 – The Black Guardian

During the time of the Fourth Doctor the Timelord found himself summoned before the White Guardian, the anthropomorphic representation of light and goodness. The Guardian tasked him with finding and assembling the six pieces of to the Key of Time, but when the Doctor completed this quest it was revealed that he had been duped by the Black Guardian. Sometimes referred to as the Guardian of Darkness and Chaos, he is the personification of evil. After the Doctor prevented him from obtaining the Key to Time the Guardian sought revenge.

Years after their initial encounter the Guardian returned and tried to destroy the Doctor by manipulating his companions against him. He is always an extremely dangerous foe, having existed beyond the realm of time and taken a hand in creating vampires, trapping Kronos and destroyed Prometheus. His powers far excede the Doctor’s and it is only through cunning that the Doctor can keep ahead of the Guardian of Darkness. When the writers have had their fill of Daleks, Cybermen and the Master this could be the Doctor’s greatest challenge.

#2 – The Mara

Whilst most mosters in the Doctor Who universe are alien in origin the Mara lurks in the subconscious. Once it takes hold of a victim it creates nightmares during their sleep in order to feed on their fear. Suffering and madness is needed by the Mara to sustain itself, and after it delves into a persons minds and invades a culture it drives them to war in order to build it’s strength. As it grows stronger the Mara can take people over more directly, with a snake appearing on their arm. 

The few appearances made by the Mara in the past have been very popular, so it’s surprising that it hasn’t been brought back yet. The unusual approach of the villain makes it a very different type of foe for the Doctor, especially the ease with which it can turn people against each other. With the new technologies available exploring a characters subconscious could take on a very different look, plus they’ve never shown what could happen if the Mara gets itself into the Doctor’s head.

#1 – Omega

Since the reboot there hasn’t been much time spent with the Timelords or the planet Gallifrey. This is in part due to the Timelords being wiped out during the Time War. If there’s one enemy they should bring back it’s the one Time Lord who’s crazier than the Doctor and the Master combined: Omega. This character was an ancient Time Lord who unravelled the mystery of time travel, propelling the Gallifreyans into becoming the powerful race they became known as. Omega’s ambition didn’t stop there, as he investigated a method of increasing the Time Lord power by exploding stars. With the universe at risk the Time Lords turned against Omega and tried to kill him by exposing him to a black hole.

Omega survived and travelled through the black hole to the anti-matter universe on the other side, which he came to rule. Although the Time Lords grew up revering the legend of Omega, the lost genius grew bitter and angry with them. Whilst he could manipulate the anti-matter universe through the power of will the radiation ate away at his physical form so he eventually became an empty shell of armour. He has grown obsessed with returning to the real universe to exact his revenge on the Time Lords. During his first attack it took the combined efforts of the First, Second and Third Doctor’s to prevent him from wiping out their entire race. How is Steven Moffat not itching to write a character like this into the show again?

For as long as there have been comic books, there has been the feud between DC and Marvel. Both are heavy-hitting comic companies that continue to gain legions of fans every year. The purpose of this column is to take one DC persona and one Marvel persona of equal measure and popularity and pit them against each other to see who would come out on top and who is a better character overall.

Background:

Zatanna first appeared in 1964. Her father was the famous magician Zatara and her mother was a member of a mystical race called the Homo Magi. With magic in her blood she became a successful stage illusionist and soon discovered her own powers exploring both of her parent’s magical heritage throughout her life. Zatanna got involved with Batman while investigating the disappearance of her father and later joined the rest of the Justice League. She’s used her mind wipe powers to erase or alter memories of others on multiple occasions, including Dr. Light and Selina Kyle. Zatanna remained close friends with Bruce Wayne and went on to continue to stage career and join the Sentinels of Magic. Despite her ups and downs with her powers, Zatanna worked as a reserve member of the Justice League and a regular guardian against mystical threats. In the New 52 reboot Zatanna works with the Justice League Dark.

Emma Frost first showed up in Uncanny X-Men in 1980. Emma grew up in Boston as the daughter of wealthy merchants. Emma and her two sisters discovered that they were mutants with telepathic abilities that became apparent as they got older. Emma made her money by becoming a stockholder of a multi-billion dollar company which she became chair of. After becoming a dancer for the Hellfire Club Emma joined up with Sebastian Shaw as he planned to achieve world domination. She became the White Queen after taking control of the Council of the Chosen (renamed The Inner Circle). She recruited members to her mutant super-team, the Hellions, which eventually teamed up with the X-Men. Emma’s story has consistently been in the grey zone: she runs a academy to teach mutant children but also shot and killed her sister for her inheritance. She is known for being a character that walks the line between good and evil. While Zatanna has been around longer Emma has had many more interesting and complex storylines.

Point: Emma Frost

Skills:  

Zatanna possesses powerful magic due to her unique genetic structure and her affinity for learning new skills. She casts spells by speaking backwards and can do any number of things including: aerokinesis, chronokinesis, deflection, energy blast, and create force fields. She can also heal herself and others from injury  control the elements, change her size, read minds, erase memories, teleport, transform, and even fly. While a member of the Justice League Zatanna learned to advance hand-to-hand combat. Despite her seemingly endless list of abilities Zatanna’s power has come and gone over the years and she has a vulnerability to certain enchantments and must be able to speak or read to focus her spells.

Emma Frost is one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe. She is known for her telepathic powers which allow her to read and control minds. She can also alter someone memories, induce paralysis and cast illusions. Emma can activate or boost a mutant’s powers by accessing their neurological pathways and communicate mentally across long distances. However, if her enemies use mental scramblers they can prevent her from accessing their minds. As far as defensive powers, Emma can also transform her body into an organic diamond which makes her near invulnerable and ridiculously strong. Both women are insanely powerful but Emma’s widespread telepathic abilities and diamond form give her the edge over Zatanna.

Point: Emma Frost

Affiliations:

Zatanna was born a member of the Homo Magi race which gives her natural magic abilities. When her father went missing she joined up with Batman, Atom, and Elongated man to find him and later assisted the Justice League of America on some of their cases. She eventually received full membership to the JLA, departed, and rejoined as a reserve member. Zatanna has also been a member of the Sentinels of Magic. In the New 52 reboot Zatanna is a member of The Justice League Dark.

Emma Frost is famous for being a member of the X-Men. She has been a leader in the group as well as at the academy. Emma has also been affiliated with other groups, including the Hellfire Club and The Inner Circle. Despite being known for being an X-Men, Emma’s loyalty is always questionable which makes her seemingly strong affiliations not strong enough to beat Zatanna’s bond with The Justice League.

Point:  Tie

Apparel/Weapons:

Zatanna wears a distinctive costume that includes a  tuxedo with fishnets instead of pants and a top hat. In the reboot her outfit is less cartoony and is made up of black pants and boots, a white corset top, and a black jacket with fishnet sleeves. She often carries a magic wand, even though she doesn’t need it to cast spells. Zatanna doesn’t have a large arsenal but she doesn’t need one and her costume is one of the most distinctive in the DC universe.

Emma Frost also has a well-known costume. She is mostly decked out in some variation of white lingerie (or a costume that may as well be). Emma herself considers wearing little clothing another way for her to have power over others and comic book readers definitely took note. Emma doesn’t have any weapons to speak of, since her powers come from her mind.

Both women suffer from tacky revealing costumes but Zatanna’s look is a lot more memorable and unique.

Point: Zatanna

Social Relevance:

Zatanna is considered to be DC’s “greatest minor hero”.  In 1993 she has her own four-issue series and a 16 issue series from 2010 to 2011. Zatanna ranked fourth in Comics Buyer’s Guide’s “100 Sexiest Women in Comics” list. She has shown up in many different animated television shows including Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Young Justice. Zatanna as portrayed by Serinda Swan was a reoccurring character in the final three seasons of Smallville. Zatanna is also a playable character in the videogames Justice League Heroes and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes.

Emma Frost is a staple in most X-Men productions and is well-known by Marvel fans. Emma came in as #30 (Marvel’s highest ranking female) on Empire’s Top 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters in 2008 and took 69th place on Wizard’s 200 Greatest Characters of All Time List in 2008. She was also named 5^th Sexiest Woman in Comics by Comic Buyer’s Guide. She has appeared in many animated television shows including X-Men and Wolverine and the X-Men as well as the 12 episode X-Men anime. Finola Hughes played Emma in the 1996 made-for-tv movie Generation X. In 2011’s X-Men: First Class January Jones plays Emma Frost as the secondary antagonist. There is no word yet on whether or not Emma will be appearing in the  upcoming sequel. Emma has also been in multiple video games including The Uncanny X-Men, X-Men Legends, and Marvel Super Hero Squad Online.

Both Zatanna and Emma Frost are staples in their respective universes, showing up as team players in famous groups. While any DC comic fan knows who Zatanna is, Emma Frost has a reputation that extends beyond just readers. With her recent appearance in X-Men: First Class Emma has become even more famous. Zatanna is definitely powerful but almost always plays second-fiddle to the male characters around her. Emma, on the other hand, is considered to be one of the most powerful Marvel characters on her own right and is a great example of a strong woman in comics, which is why she wins this round.

Point: Emma Frost.

Both Zatanna and Emma are mega-powerful comic book characters that can hold their own in a fight. Both have distinctive powers and costumes and are pretty well known to comic book readers. But Emma’s extra popularity, extra power, and extra awesome representation of a strong female comic book character gives her the win in this battle of DC vs. Marvel.

WINNER:  Emma Frost!

Directed by: Rob Zombie

Starring: Sheri Moon Zombie, Jeff Daniel Phillips, and Bruce Davidson

Plot:  A rock DJ gets caught up in a ritual to resurrect a coven of witches.

Review:

Worlds colliding! Rock music and horror movies. His whole career has been marked by one bleeding into the other at some point. It’s Rob Zombie’s bread and butter, especially when Rob Zombie gets to riff on the old adage, “the devil’s music.”

Heidi (played by Zombie’s wifey Sheri Moon) is a local DJ with a history of drug abuse. One day, she gets a package in the mail. It is a record from a band called “The Lords of Salem.” It plays some creepy repetitive tune (if you can call it that) that makes Heidi and a few of the other local women feel a little loopy. This record starts a series of weird incidents. Heidi starts having nightmares and stalked by a strange presence, a presence only we can see apparently. It is creepy and atmospheric and reminds me of the movie, The Sentinel. Heidi starts getting drug cravings again because of the visions, and it hurts things with her friends, especially Whitey (played by Jeff Daniel Phillips). It is unclear how romantic Phillips and Sheri are, but they have really great chemistry, the kind that blurs the line of romance and friendship that they could have gone either way. They also give some pretty natural and depressed performances. Checking out other reviews though, it seems I am the only one who thought so.

Also part of the cast is Bruce Davidson. He plays a local historian who starts off as a guest on Heidi’s radio show. He pretty much runs around the whole time doing research on the Salem, MA witch mythology, which comes with weird visuals and dense exposition. Davidson does a damn good job of making it entertaining and less like info dumping.

Zombie had me by the collar for so much of the movie. It was steady and atmospheric with a collection of disturbing and graphic imagery to shock you every once in awhile. It is exactly what you want from a horror movie. As the movie progresses though, the balance gets thrown off. The movie becomes much more surreal and abstract, especially in its closing minutes. It seems more like a music video than the climax to such an understated supernatural thriller.

Zombie says this is his last horror movie, at least for now, and that is probably a good thing. He shows a lot of potential as a filmmaker, but for some reason he seems to be having trouble with this particular genre. The Devil’s Rejects was an instant classic as far as I am concerned, but everything else has been either too bland to make waves or so experimental that it falls apart. Nevertheless, I still look forward to what Zombie can do. 

Rating: 7/10

What Else to Watch: The Sentinel, not the Michael Douglas thriller but the horror movie about an aspiring model who takes an apartment that turns out to be built over the door to Hell.