"Have you ever been with a warrior woman?"

A while back I came across an article saying that Gina Torres will be guest starring on an upcoming episode of CASTLE, thus re-uniting her with Nathan Fillion and all the browncoats rejoiced.  Huzzah.  Well, except for one guy who did not much care for her role on FIREFLY.

I really appreciate Gina Torres as an actor... but I couldn't stand Zoe. She had no definition of her own; she was defined by Mal and Wash (and mostly Mal at that). Yes, if the series hadn't been cut off so soon she probably would have grown, but a bit more thinking about her beforehand could have made her a much better character.

Which baffled me to no end.  He continued.

 She had almost no personality beyond following Mal around and doing anything he told her to do. There were rare flashes in her relationship with Wash, but they were far too few, buried under her trailing Mal around like a lost dog. Again, I realize that if she'd had time to grow she would have most likely become a much more interesting character, but I would have prefered a bit more care taken with her from the get-go. Everyone else on the ship stood out in some way. Zoe stood out by not standing out at all.

I then asked him exactly which show he was referring to.  It was as if I had slipped into a parallel dimension where there was a show much like FIREFLY, and yet different in that Zoe was boring.  There was a brief exchange about opinions and can't we all just get along.

No.  No we can't.

Let's get one thing clear: that whole notion of 'everyone's opinion matters' is garbage.  Some things are not subjective.  Now, if he had stuck with he couldn't stand Zoe, then that's fine.  But saying she had no difinition of her own was just completely untrue.

Now, if you have no idea what I'm talking about because you haven't seen the show, FIREFLY was a TV show that ran for 14 episodes and then for reasons beyond anyone's understanding was cancelled, only to have a movie made of it years later.  All the episodes and the movie, SERENITY, are available for instant viewing on Netflix.  Have at it.  Its really a brilliant show.

Now, onto the matter of Zoe.  Saying she has no definition is false, but how could someone come to the conclusion that she doesn't?  This brings us to a lot of interesting points to consider.  Zoe does not have any character development on the show.  She's a constant.  She's the rock.  The Zoe we meet in the beginning of the series is the same one we have the entire time.  And its easy to miss her character at times.  She doesn't have funny lines like Wash and Jayne.  There's no budding romance for her like with Simon and Kaylee.  There's no sexual tension with her as with Mal and Inara.  There's no mystery to her as with Book.  She's the opposite of River in that River is completely unpredictable as we can barely fathom what's going on in her head , but Zoe is always rock solid.

So you have to look to see what she's all about.  That can be hard with a rather large and diverse cast.  So let's look.

1. SERENITY: We meet the cast and get our first look at Zoe.  We know she's a vetern soldier.  We see she's very loyal to Mal.  She's deeply in love with her husband, Wash.  We also see her act as the counterpoint to Mal.  She does not follow blindly, but offers valuable insight into plans.  If there's something that could possibly go wrong, she's the one who brings it up.  We also see that she has a sense of humor as she sahres a good hard laugh due to the prank on Simon.

2. THE TRAIN JOB: Here we get Zoe and Mal on a job and she gives him a bit of grief, teasing him that if he gets caught she wants his share of the loot.  You see this with people who have worked together for a long time.  She places along quite well during their little escpare from the local authorities.  We also see her morality in that there's no question that the loot needs to be returned once its discovered what it is.

3. BUSHWACKED: The interrogation scene stands out here.  She doesn't want to say squat to the Alliance officer.  The war may be over, but she's not happy with the outcome.

4. SHINDIG: When Mal gets out of line, Zoe lets him know.  "See you back on the ship, Captain."  Seems a bland enough line, but not the way she said it.

5. SAFE: We see Zoe in the sick bay tending to an injured Book.  Another glance at her protective nature.

6. OUR MRS. REYNOLDS: When someone trails behind another person 'like a lost dog', they don't go giving that person the grief she gives Mal here.  Mal's the butt of the joke, and she's quite eager to let the entire crew in on it.  We also see a slight jealous streak possibly, as she not a fan of Saffron after the scene in the kitchen.

7. JAYNESTOWN: Zoe's pretty much part of the gag about Book's hair here, but she's great.  Not to mention having a laugh at Jayne's fame.

8. OUT OF GAS: Now here's the neat thing in regards to this topic.  We know pretty much everything we need to in regards to Zoe.  This is about all the other characters and how they came onboard.  We do see her questioning Mal's dicision to buy the ship.  We also see they she doesn't like moustaches.

9. ARIEL: There's actually nothing here that doesn't just show us more of what we already know.  The story is pretty tight around Simon, River, and Jayne.

10. WAR STORIES: Here we go.  Zoe's allegiance to Mal and her love for Wash are dead center here.  The thing is, the story is more about Wash coming to grips with his wife's loyalty to the captain and him understanding her better.  Zoe is, as always, decisive.  What would seem to be a difficult choice as to who to save is made before she even walks through the door.

11. TRASH: Ah, playing the part.  No insights here as what seems like a big moment is likely part of a cunning plot.

12. THE MESSAGE: This was a really heavy episode.  There was a lot for the characters to deal with emotionally.  How does Zoe deal with the death of a former compatriot?  She she's what she has to as to what to do the the body and honoring his final wishes.  Then she has a good hard drink and laughs about the great memories she had with him.  We also see which way her loyalties lay if between old war buddies and her current crew.  She sticks by her crew without question.

13. HEART OF GOLD: A seemingly losing battle with horrible odds?  When the cause is right she doesn't hesitate to jump right in with defending the Heart of Gold.  We also get the revelation that she wants to have a child with Wash.  With her protective nature he'd make one hell of a mother.

14. OBJECTS IN SPACE: The finale of the series centers much on River Tam.  We do see Zoe and Wash making out on the bridge and River's reaction to their passion shakes her a bit.

Then we have the movie.  We do see her reaction to what happens to Wash and it seemed that so much joy went right out of her.  There's a part of me that hopes that her and Wash had a passionate night somewhere in there and product of that night brings her the joy that she'd been hoping to meet.

So what do we have in Zoe as a character?  A fierce soldier with a very protective nature.  She loves her husband with passion.  She very loyal, not just to her captain, but the whole crew.  Her intelligence has pulled the team out of stuff spots, and she's a firm counter to Mal's occasional recklessness with her calm rationality.  She's also funny as hell.

Yes.  I'd say she's a pretty defined character.

Its Whedon's Universe, we just geek out in it....

Gobble gobble. Its Wednesday, November 24, 2010, tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and this is The Side.

So what am I thankful for?

I'm thankful to be working steadily. I'm thankful to have a roof over my head and food in my family's bellies. I'm thankful for my family and friends. I'm thankful to all my followers on here. There's ten times more of you now than last year. Some of you are still strangers to me, others are friends, a few of you I see as family, and you know who you are.

So to everyone, enjoy the holiday with your loved ones, and travel safe.

SCIENCE!!

So, I'm thinking about the origin of the Universe, and how it relates to Batman, which typically would be insane, but this times its not (HA!) because Greg Rucka was the one who posted the link.



A universe that existed before our own? Nonsense, you say? PIFFLE! Because we all know Galactus survived the Big Bang so something had to be there, right? And let's not even start on the thingie with CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, or ZERO HOUR since as it stands a fairly mundane superhero caused the Big Band. Sorry to all the Damage fans out there. All eight of you.

Seriously, a lot of the comics I've read put forth a lot of fun stuff about time. Recently Batman was at the end of time in which the last outpost was being destroyed by the heat death of the universe. The Flash once outran death by running forward in time and looping back to the beginning of time and finally making it back to the present. The big bang has also been shown in comics to have an opposite number "The Big Crunch", which I'm fairly certain Wolverine has survived.

Here's the theory, the Big Bang happened and the universe has been expanding since. But at some point, that expansion will stop and everything will begin to be drawn back into a single point, at which time things will get very crowded. There's also a thought that this cycle is like a loop so on some insane-o cosmic time table this could all have happened before and will happen again.

But that's how the universe is, and that's why I love it so. There's always stuff blowing up, or something getting sucked into something. And there's the weird crap that no one's quite sure what the hell is going on with. And we find thing out there, that might contain or be suitable for sustaining life. Then there's our gas giant planets with cool rings and spots running interference for us with their insane gravity wells to prevent space crap from smashing into us more than it does.

Oh, and Pluto might be a planet again, which is awesome because it'll always be a planet to me. I love Pluto.

And sometimes I worry that in the center of the Milky Way Galaxy there is a mother of a black hole sucking everything in and we're circling the drain at an insane speed, but its all so big that we don't notice it. I don't know why I worry about that.

But I do think its cool, because its reality. Reality is everything that exists in space and the events that occur in time. While reality TV mostly sucks, reality itself can be pretty damned epic.

It also makes for excellent fodder for writing comics.

YOUTUBERY!!

Chad, Matt, and Rob have been at it again. Go have some fun, but remember, its not shampoo, it's fuel.

BIZARRO BUFFY!!

As I discussed before, there is a new BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER MOVIE in the works, and it has nothing to do with Joss Whedon who created the character. This came as upseting news to many long time fans. But what does Whedon himself really think? Well, someone asked him, and he answered. So for those wailing and gnashing their teeth about the matter, take a cue from your Lord and Master, Whedon: just laugh at it. It's not the first time Hollywood has sought to cash in on something with an existing fanbase and screwed the pooch. That's why there's a pretty cool looking Kung-Fu movie out now on DVD called "THE KARATE KID".

Still, our sympathy goes out to Joss, that poor guy, as he deals with what's being done with his creation while still soldiering on to work on THE AVENGERS movie. Hopefully that movie will be enough to keep a little food on his table. Its hard being a struggling writer in these tough economic times.

MUSIC!!

Because Thanksgiving is all about family, being thankful, eating turkey and an old hippie with a guitar.




OK, that's it. I'm getting in my car and heading to the mountain in about an hour or so. You have the weekend off from my insanity, but I expect you all back here next Wednesday sharpish. See ya, then.

The Joker, The Preacher, and my Stepmom.

It's Friday, November 4, 2010, yesterday was my stepmother's birthday, and this is The Side. I, of course, am a horrible stepson because I thought her birthday was today, and when I realized that it was about ten of the clock at night and a bit too late to call. Shame upon me.

Bonnie Nozz married my father years ago, and was a welcome addition to the family. I seriously have the best stepmother ever. She's always got the best desserts around stashed in the refrigerator. Her favorite comics are HITMAN and PLANETARY. She'll even watch the horrendously violent movies me and my dad love. The pair of them made me stop SNATCH when I was watching it at their place on DVD, not because of the horrible language and violence, but because they wanted popcorn and didn't want to miss anything.

At the same time, she's a kind and caring woman, devout in her faith, and an utter joy to be around. A lot of people were very disappointed when her and my father moved to West Virginia from here, because even though she only lived here for a few years she was a part of the family and community.

I also think its insanely funny when she occasionally curses.

I love you, Bonnie!

COMIX!!

I hate being wrong. At the end of the last issue I was willing to bet money that it was Alfred impersonating Bruce Wayne as Batman at the end of the issue. There had been such a theme of theatricality and roll playing throughout this storyline, and by storyline I mean all the way back to BATMAN AND SON, that it made perfect sense. So when it turned out to actually be Bruce Wayne in BATMAN AND ROBIN #16 I was somewhat disappointed. I'm also disappointed that this issue comes out before THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #6. The whole shipping schedule debacle just has fail written all over it. All that aside, this issue was fabulous. The father of house was returned to see his children doing the best they possibly can in a bad situation. We get the pieces concerning any lingering questions about Doctor Hurt filled in. We have a fitting bit with Bruce, Dick, and Damien battling the forces of Hurt. Hurt wants to play the Devil, and looking at numerological biblical representations the number for the devil is two. So was needed a three, a trinity, to come into play. Making it interesting that we have the father (Bruce), the son (Damien), and the spirit (Dick). And while Bruce is back and handing out the beatings like a force of nature this is still the (As Richard put it) "Decent Bloke" Batman. He's looking out for his family, and in the middle of the siege with the city still on the line he turns to his youngest son.

"You made the right choices. I'm proud of you."

And then there's the Joker. Cue Frazer Irving's art for a scene that's absolutely brilliant one so many levels. The Devil (hurt) leaves his Heaven (the Batcave) and immediately falls. And of course the casket is marked with a six, the trinity in opposition. Outstanding.

Also this week we had SERENITY: THE SHEPHERD'S TALE, which I'm sure had many a Browncoat squealing with joy. The TV show FIREFLY got unceremoniously canceled before it really got a chance by the network that just didn't understand what they were seeing. The show received new life thanks to the internet and word of mouth. The DVD sales were incredible. The canceled show spawned a feature film. Through it all many fans, myself included have had a burning question that was never answered: "What is up with Shepherd Book?"

Book was an enigmatic preacher and missionary who in addition to being a devout man also was a skilled marksman, tough fighter, and had connection and knowledge of things most preachers wouldn't. He obviously had a dark past, but we only got the barest hints at it. We see the man he had become, kind, true, and clever. But how did he get there. We've seen the man's end in the movie SERENITY, and now, finally, we see is beginning.

The book is based on an outline of the characters life who the show's creator Joss Whedon and is written by his brother Zack Whedon. I was a little meh about that when I saw it since I was hoping that Joss himself had penned it. Zack Whedon has done his finest work in comics to date. He completely blew me away. This book is thoughtful and at points completely beautiful. Adding to Zack Whedon's stellar script is Chris Samnee completely and utterly knocking it right out of the park on this project. The story pulls a bit of a MOMENTO sarting at the end and bouncing backwards years at a time to show important parts of Book's life. Samnee (who I can't call Chris for fear he might hypothetically punch me in the face again)absolutely nails it in depicting Book younger and younger and younger.

Whether you're a hardcore Browncoat, or just somebody looking for a cool read, buy this book.

MUSIC!!

My stepmother loves Elvis, and I love my stepmother, so here we go.



Alright, people. I think you've had enough internets for today. Off with you, and we'll see y'all on Sunday.

Whedon on The Avengers: sounds good on paper

The nerd community is buzzing about the possibility of Joss Whedon directing The Avengers movie. And after reading this sentence there are probably a few people absolutely giddy at the prospect. Settle down, kids. As of this flurry of pecks on my keyboard no deal had been met. And I'm a bit thankful for thank.

No, not because I want to do it. I couldn't direct traffic, much less a film.

I posted previously about how its pretty scary that Christopher Nolan plans of taking on Superman after he's done with his Batman trilogy. Now, it would be a good thing for him to grow as a director in handling such a different character. However, it is a very different character and the same things Nolan did to make the current batman franchise a success would not work with Superman. The tone of the entire concept is different and while the two characters are often used complimentary to each other its the differences that make the dynamic work and it is those differences that Nolan must understand if he's going to make Superman work for him on screen.

Back over to Whedon. I love his work. I'm really a huge fan of the guy, but I'm not too sure about him handling The Avengers. I could see him doing an X-Men movie. I could see him directing the Spider-man franchise relaunch. They're planning on doing a Runaways movie and that's definitely in Whedon's wheelhouse.

But The Avengers?

Whedon definitely has the love of the characters. I'm sure he knows a lot about the team and its history. However, this movie is going to be the culmination of a lot of build up and hype. The Thor and Captain America movies that are in production seem to only exist to get The Avengers on the silver screen. This movie won't be about clever dialogue, melodrama or intense interpersonal relationships. Its going to be, and should be, completely unbelievable, stuff blowing up, saving the world from an impossible threat kind of movie. Otherwise what's the point of having them all there? This thing needs to be able to blow the doors off of everything else out there.

Can Whedon do it?

The answer is a potential 'yes', but he's really going to have to go in with a clear vision of where this project needs to head and what it has to accomplish. He'll have to push further than any project he's done before. Also, there's a good chance that he'll be handling a script from someone else. This may not be the big 'YAY!' everyone thinks it is.

Well, I'm not overly excited for this movie to begin with. I'm barely caring about Ironman 2 at this point. So let's try to stay calm. They'll be enough fanboys screaming that our ears will hurt, even if this movie is a bomb.

New Buffy movie. Run for your lives, kids!

Yeas it looks like there are plans for a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. Joss Whedon has nothing to do with it at this point. The people that directed and produced the fairly lame Kristie Swanson flick are behind this one. Seems they still have the movie rights.

OK, for those Buffy fans out there wailing and gnashing your teeth, tone it down to just a big eye roll. They haven't approached Whedon as of yet so you never can tell. He might get on board. Also, that's how these things work. It's not easy to hang on to your creator rights when you're an unknown, which Whedon pretty much was when the movie came out.

Now, if you want some more Buffy stories with Whedon's touch on it, Dark Horse Comics is currently publishing BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: SEASON 8 which follows the TV series and is being helmed by Whedon. I highly recommend it.