It’s easy to forget how groundbreaking “24” was when it premiered in November 2001 in the wake of 9/11. I need to rewatch that first season (I see that Amazon Prime has it) to get back in the headspace of its turn-of-the-century ingenuity. Although the terrorist-themed plots were fairly fresh for a TV drama, the […]
We knew Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were the same person since 1980, but it wasn’t until after “Revenge of the Sith” came out that we learned how Anakin feels being Vader. For that reason, “Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader” (2005) was one of the most anticipated Expanded Universe novels, and — along with his […]
First episode impressions (TV review): “Powerless” finds the funny side of living in a superhero world.
“Jedi Trial” (2004) isn’t on anyone’s list of the great EU novels, and indeed, I did put off my re-read for a while, recalling it to be a slog. However, it was a pretty easy read this time. Written by one-time-only “Star Wars” scribes David Sherman and Dan Cragg, it lacks the smooth prose and deep […]
“Riverdale’s” (9 p.m. Eastern, Thursdays, The CW) broad strokes will be familiar to anyone who’s seen a high school drama TV series or movie before, but it has a few elements that might make it worth keeping it on your DVR schedule awhile. It’s loosely based on the current, mature run of the “Archie” comic book […]
‘Batman’ flashback (Comic book review): This classic one-shot issue toys around with various origins for the Joker.
‘Batman’ flashback (Comic book review): Miller takes the Dark Knight back to his formative superhero years.
‘Batman’ flashback (Comic book review): Miller’s “What if” story examines Batman’s and Superman’s roles in a country with corrupt governance.
‘Star Wars’ flashback (Book review): James Luceno takes us right up to “Revenge of the Sith” in this thrilling prequel that tells Grievous’ backstory.
Inevitability doesn’t make for great TV. That’s what fans of “The Walking Dead” are finding out in this seventh season (which will resume Feb. 12). It began with a masterful (if utterly harrowing) episode: Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) viciously kills Glenn and Abraham. It was a carefully executed – no pun intended – episode that has informed […]