Geek out - The Cult of Timm

(more Speak Out With Your Geek Out)

In Hollywood chat among 'geeks', Joss Whedon fans have been referred to as "cult of Whedon" and some t-shirts are emblazoned "Whedon is God."

Now, I am not here to slam Whedon or compare, at all.  I just use this example to illustrate those who love everything he touches.

Personally, I'd like to start a "Cult of (Bruce) Timm."  Because, I thoroughly enjoy any animation project he does that involves the DC Comics universe.

I didn't get into comics until I was well into adulthood.  Oh, I had the occasional horror comic, or old Conan comic, (Later, I would acquire graphic novels, collections and issues when Dark Horse revived the Conan line.)  But, I never really appreciated the superhero vein.

Then I watched Cartoon Network's Justice League, produced by Bruce Timm.

I was hooked.  I still am.  I have all the series he produced, Batman: the Animated Series, Superman: the Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League.  I went back and caught up.  I also have a shelf full of the action figures in my home office.

Since 2007, Timm & company have been producing DC Universe Animated Original Movies.  These feature a rotating cast and crew and even changing animation styles.  They don't need to have continuity, each stands alone, and I enjoy the mix up.  All the movies have been from good to excellent.

I've delved into the occasional comic title, or graphic novel of DC superheroes now.  Either because they were directly adapted or because I was curious to learn more.  I will continue to do so.  I've even picked some issues of the New 52 reboot.  I know DC are probably losing some longtime fans, but for me - still a relative newbie - it's exciting to get in the ground floor.  As a writer and fan, it will be interesting to see how the line is revamped - and what works, and what doesn't.

In short, I'm excited about superheroes and I don't think I would be saying that without Bruce Timm's work.

I don't know if this is a full geek out because I am not an expert on the history of the DC line, and I don't know minutiae about Bruce Timm.  But, he opened the world of superheroes for me like no one had before.

If you haven't seen any of his DC Animated work, do yourself a favor.  Pick an episode or a movie, any one should do.  If you want a starting point, my favorite of the movies so far was Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

Geek Out - Daleks

I don't have the ambition to post every day this week on geek subjects, but I figured I'd try to get one in, at least.

With Doctor Who, there are many facets to discuss - various Doctors (he regenerates, you see, becomes a new person & personality with the memories and core values he's always carried), various eras, so many aliens and villains.

I figured I would focus on one aspect that still captivates me to this day, the Doctor's oldest enemies, the Daleks.

Recently, Grognardia asked what was your favorite non-humanoid aliens, and my answer was still the Daleks.  In fact, I think that very question highlights one reason I enjoy the Daleks.  When you consider all the television scifi from the early days, almost every alien seemed to be either a ball of light (scratched onto the film) or aliens that looked an awful lot like humans in foam rubber masks and gloves, or - my favorite - aliens that take human form for convenience of plot and budget.

The Daleks look nothing like that.  For all the FX short comings of the original Doctor Who, the Daleks were an original look.  Machines without legs, and yet - they aren't machines either.  They aren't robots.  They are humanoid, but they were so mutated by nuclear war (and genetic experimenting) they became blobbish, tentacled balls of hatred and malice, and withdrew into "travel machines" to survive.  Later, these self-contained life supports systems became weapons in their own right, each cyborg Dalek becoming its own self-contained tank of death & destruction.

Yes, I own a bit of Dalek and Doctor Who merchandise; episode novelizations (which, are great because some of the earliest episodes' tapes were recycled by the BBC and are lost forever), original novels, VHS tapes, DVD upgrades of VHS as they become available, audio dramas.  And yes, some of the toys, too.

One thing I have not yet tried are the Dalek Empire audioplays.  These dramas feature stories about people battling the Daleks, without the Doctor's involvement.  I am not sure I am interested in the Daleks without the Doctor.  But, I guess I should give one a listen sometime.

Recently, the Daleks underwent a fairly big redesign.  They are now more colorful and physically larger - I guess to be more threatening.  (Cynic in me says they were revamped to make the online game more colourful [British spelling intentional.])  I kind of like the new design, but many long time fans are unhappy.  Not surprising.  Perhaps a balance of old-design Daleks with new-design would have been better than a wholesale swap out.

However they look, I hope they stay around, and are put to good use in strong stories. (Truth be told, the story in which they were revamped was really weak, which is why I have a cynical view that it was rushed to tie-in to the video game.)

The Daleks have changed before, they can change again.  Ain't time travel great?