Quickie Book Review - "Doctor Who: The Eight Doctors"

Written by Terrance Dicks and first published in June 1997, The Eight Doctors takes place immediately after the events in Doctor Who: The Movie (1996).

A trap left by his nemesis, the Master, on board the TARDIS leaves the Doctor's memories locked away and he must travel through time and meet each of his previous incarnations in order to unlock them.

Defiance: SyFy Loves Their Sheriffs

Mostly due to the fact that we don't have cable television in our house, and my habit of ignoring advertisements for anything, I was unaware of SyFy's new series Defiance until my dad told me about it earlier today - apparently, the pilot episode aired last night. So, I immediately looked it up on Hulu and saw that - sure enough - the pilot episode was available, albeit as "Web Only" content, which is annoying but something I can get over.

It is also being released alongside an MMO video game that ties into the series itself. A pretty cool idea but unlikely to have long-term success, though I would like to see it succeed. Only time will tell.

My opinion, from a single viewing of the pilot episode, is that while the series is not an entirely new idea, it looks like it has some real potential. I'm looking forward to episode #2 and recommend you check it out. Also, if you play the game, let me know what you think.

On the Boston Explosions

As the dust settles and we wait for answers to our questions, I would just like to take a moment to say that my thoughts are with all those affected by this tragedy.

"Humanity is good. Some people are terrible and broken, but humanity is good. I believe that." -Hank Green

New Comics Day 2013 #15

It's New Comics Day once again! What's coming out today that I'm looking forward to?

David Tennant Returns to Doctor Who

Previous Doctor, David Tennant (left) and current Doctor, Matt Smith (right) [Source]

The sideburns are back! David Tennant and Billie Piper are returning to Doctor Who for the 50th anniversary special of the long-running science fiction series.

Doctor Who first aired on November 23, 1963, starring William Hartnell as the now-iconic, mysterious alien Time Lord known only as "The Doctor". Since he debuted, the Doctor, now over 1,000 years old, has travelled throughout time and space in his T.A.R.D.I.S., seen a number of companions come and go, and himself died ten times, regenerating into a new body at each death. The series itself has built up a huge fanbase with the role of the Doctor being taken up by ten other actors: Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and, currently, Matt Smith.

Even after it's 16-year hiatus from 1989-2005, during which only one made-for-TV movie was released, Doctor Who holds the world records for longest-running and most successful science fiction series to date.

So, what does the future hold for Doctor Who? Even the Doctor doesn't know; he just works there.

New Star Wars Nostalgia

"Star Wars" #6 cover art by Rodolfo Migliari [Source]

It's been a long time since I've found something that gives me the warm fuzzies like the original Star Wars trilogy, before ol' George decided to rape it.

Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars, written by Brian Wood, does just that. The first issue got off to a rough start, missing the mark of Palpatine's and Vader's personalities by a wide margin, but issues #2 and #3 more than made up for that discrepancy.

So what's this comic series about?

After destroying the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin, the Rebel Alliance is looking for a new base - but there's a spy among them and Princess Leia Organa is tasked with uncovering who it is. Recruiting the cocky young Luke Skywalker and several other skilled pilots, Leia sets about her top secret mission. Meanwhile, Han Solo and Chewbacca travel to Coruscant, the heart of the Empire, to meet with the Alliance's own inside men, but do their loyalties really lie with the Alliance, or are they double agents on the side of the Empire?

That synopsis pretty much covers issues #1-3. As of this writing, issue #4 is scheduled for release on Wednesday, April 10th, 2013. For updates on release schedules of this series, plus all others that I'm following, subscribe to my Google Calendar or check out the Comic Book Releases page.