Angelina Jolie As Maleficent

Narrative Theory: Perspective Flips

Narrative Theory: Normal People in Fantasy and Science Fiction Settings

When you're in a setting that has fantastically empowered people, be it with magic, robotic suits, psychic powers or just the good old fashioned Superman Default Selection of Superpowers, it can be tempting to have the characters just bulldoze through everything in their path. Solving any problem in a matter of moments, with no bad guy too tough or situation too large for them to deal with. Heck, this was considered to be one of the possible inspirations for Superman, creating a character that Siegel and Schuster could use to solve the problems that they weren't equipped to deal with as teenagers in 1930s America, be they slumlords, gangsters, war profiteers, mad scientists etc. etc.

But really, where is the line that you draw between getting your character be an awesome and extrahuman person who can be used well in stories, or them becoming that most dreaded and overused of terms that now haunts all discussion of fiction today: A Mary Sue.

Legend of Korra - Episode 3 Review and Recap!

Revelation

The Legend Of Korra:Korra & Mako Attacked by Chi-Blocker Warriors! HD!

Top Six Doctor Who Villain Speeches

It's not really that much of a secret that I'm a Doctor Who fan, and one of the many things I love about the show are the villains. But what makes a good villain? Well one thing that definitely sticks with me over the years is whether they get a good villain speech, something that explains who are they are, what they're doing and what their plan is. And in the near fifty years that the show has been on tv, albeit in different incarnations, there have been a LOT of villain speeches. But, I have decided to chose out five of the speeches that I've personally enjoyed the most from the episodes that I've seen.

Peter Serafinowicz - Dalek Relaxation Tape (from the Peter Serafinowicz ...

The Legend of Korra - Season Preview.

With more of the main villain, Steve Blum's Amon!

Darth Maul Returns

The only cool part of the Phantom Menace is back!

A clip from the Danny Boyle version of Frankenstein

Similar, Yet Different: The Three Moriartys

With the recent Guy Richie Sherlock Holmes sequel, 'a Game of Shadows', and last Sunday's conclusion of Stephen Moffat's second series of 'Sherlock', I was struck by a number of things I thought were interesting. Namely, the ways that they portrayed Sherlock Holmes' archenemy: James Moriarty.

Now, the original one from the books was interesting in his own right: a celebrated mathematician and author of an early book on astrophysics who, at the same time, controlled all crime within the city of London. Every pickpocket, burglar, blackmailer or armed robber in town made sure that they gave the Professor a cut of their loot, in exchange for support setting up their capers as well as money for additional expenses if required.

Now both big and small screen incarnations of the character bear similarities to both each other, and their original source material, but how much so?

Here I cover the similarities and differences between the characters, and see whether sticking to source material effects the portrayal in a postive or negative manner. Is being original better than being being faithful to the books.

Now this contains spoilers for both Guy Richie movies as well as seasons one and two of Sherlock, so beware all ye who enter here. And, just to say, this is kind of my opinion, but if you have a different one, please let me know. Discussions are interesting.

Awesome Azula Cosplayer!

Pride of the Fire Nation by *agentsakur9 on deviantART

Arkham City: Mr Freeze Trailer

A bit of the old fanart - 11.08.11

Here are some more pieces of art by amateur and professional folk that I thought deserved to get a shoutout. :)

First Look At DKR's Bane's Costume

From here

The Shade Finally Gets His Mini Series

THE SHADE #1

Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by CULLY HAMNER
Cover by TONY HARRIS
1:10 Variant cover by CULLY HAMNER
On sale OCTOBER 12 * 1 of 12, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US * RATED T+
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. See the Previews order form for more information.
James Robinson returns to the world of his acclaimed STARMAN series with a new 12-issue series starring the antihero known as The Shade! An attack at the Starman museum kicks off a globe-hopping, centuries spanning quest that will irrevocably change The Shade's life, and ultimately shed light on his true origin! Artist extraordinaire Cully Hamner (RED) kicks off the series, and upcoming issues will feature art by such luminaries as Darwyn Cooke, Javier Pulido, Jill Thompson, Frazer Irving and Gene Ha!

Dear God, I've been waiting for this comic for literally YEARS.

The Shade is a Golden Age Flash supervillain who has control over shadow, manipulating them like a be-tophatted negative Green Lantern. He was given an extensive revision by James Robinson during his excellent Starman series, in which the Shade went from being a kind flat, old fashioned supercriminal to being an ally and friend of the lead character, Jack Knight, and eventually becoming the main hero in their town, Opal City.

He's appeared a couple of times since, in Green Arrow and in the woeful Cry for Justice series, for example, but him being written by the guy who brought him to the fore without the distractions of other people's stories getting in the way is really something I've been looking forward to.

Can't wait.

When Stage Shows Go Wrong!: Star Wars

Little girl shows which is the cooler side in Star Wars,

the Dark Knight Rises gains another Cast Member

Josh Pence, one of the guys in the Social Network, has been confirmed as playing a young Ra's al Ghul in flashbacks within the movie. Whether this means that Liam Neeson's Ra's will be reappearing in the movie, as well as his daughter Talia. I guess that makes sense if Neeson was to come back, though personally I think that it might just be flashbacks to Talia's childhood.

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/08/ras-al-ghul-josh-pence-the-dark-knight-rises/
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=30668