Blood Oath

Blood Oath involves a plot by G'Kar to fake his own death in order to evade assassins. The other B5 characters receiving significant attention are Garibaldi and Ivanova. The story, while mildly interesting, is not as fast-moving as the first two B5 novels. There is an interesting look at the Narn Homeworld, so G'Kar fans should pick this one up.

[an old review from Amazon before I had a blog--Jhaeman's Detritus believes in recycling!]

Clark's Law

Clark's Law continues the high standard of Babylon 5 novels. Should Captain Sheridan and the rest of the crew accede to a politically-motivated execution? A vivid portrayal of the opposing sides in the moral, religiously, and political debate over capital punishment give some real depth to a novel that holds several surprises and is well-worth reading.

[an old review from Amazon before I had a blog--Jhaeman's Detritus believes in recycling!]

The Touch of Your Shadow, the Whisper of Your Name

Although I enjoyed the first four Babylon 5 novels, I found this one rather disappointing. The plot is hackneyed and the sort of thing that has happened to the U.S.S. Enterprise about a dozen times. The conclusion is of the "ambiguous" type that doesn't indicate complexity so much as a writer apparently too lazy to give answers. Unless you're a B5 completist, avoid this one.

[an old review from Amazon before I had a blog--Jhaeman's Detritus believes in recycling!]

Torchwood Magazine Cancelled

According to a letter from the company I subscribe with, Torchwood Magazine has been cancelled. Skimming online, it looks like a # 24 and a # 25 has been released and are probably the last issues. I guess it's not SUPER surprising since it's been a while since the show aired, the book line has been cancelled, etc. On the other hand, a comic book series was just launched and the new season is coming soon so one would assume interest would start building again. Perhaps they'll relaunch the magazine if the American season is successful?

Torchwood Magazine # 23

Captain Jack gets the cover to Torchwood Magazine # 23, with the Stars n' Stripes in the background to herald the show's new season on a U.S. network. Here's the interesting bits from this issue:

* A SPOILERY discussion of four new characters for the upcoming season of Torchwood on the Starz network. I'm doing my best to avoid spoilers from here on out, but this is what's already been released: (1) Rex Matheson is a CIA agent in his late 20s, described "fast, sharp, smart, clever, and when the situation demands it, ruthless". Sounds like Jack actually, except for that late 20s part. (2) Esther Katusi, a CIA analyst in her early 20s who is an "optimist" who is "essentially good-hearted" and "in love with Rex Matheson, though she'd never tell him"; (3) Oswald Jones, a "convicted murderer and paedophile" in his late 40s--this is the most original and potentially interesting character of the lot (Starz recently signed Bill Pullman to this role, an unusual choice if you ask me); and (4) Dr. Vera Juarez who (according to Russell Davies in a later article in the magazine) is "a vital character who gets involved in the big, worldwide story that grips everyone together" and who will probably be "a mid-30s Latina".

* The aforementioned interview with Russell Davies (Torchwood's executive producer) about the new series. Some interesting bits and with the caveat that plenty could change, he mentions the somewhat SPOILERY nugget that the season will be 10 episodes long, one big story, and will see visits to at least Wales and the U.S.

* A short story by Sarah Pinborough titled "Mend Me." Each member of the Torchwood team is visited by a stranger who repeats only "mend me." It's a fairly standard aliens-stranded-on-Earth story, and I'd give it a C+ were I forced to grade such things.

* A ten-page guide to the all of the locations in which Children of Earth was filmed. Unless you live in or near Cardiff, this will be pretty damned boring.

* "Everything's True" by Guy Adams, a short story with an interesting point of view: it's told through transcripts of a psyche doctor after disturbing events at a sanitarium. Bonus points for creativity and good artwork.

* A comic strip titled "Somebody Else's Problem." The artwork is much improved over previous strips, but the story involving alien drug dealers is a bit "meh".

* A good feature on Torchwood novels, including brief plot breakdowns and notes for each. Do I own each of the books discussed? Yes I do. Does that make me the most awesome person on the planet? I'm too modest to say so, but you can feel free.

* A short story titled "The Secret of Crow Island" that has a really interesting setting: a remote island monastery. I think the virtue of short stories and books is that they can break outside the mold of the show and put the characters in new and interesting situations (a virtue rarely taken advantage of). Although it comes to a rushed ending, this one at least has some good ideas.

* A "Beyond the Hub" feature on real-life "ghost" photography. I always like these features, as they're well-researched but readable.

Torchwood: "To the Last Man" (S2, E3)

"What am I fighting for?"

"For the future. For me."

To the Last Man (Season Two, Episode Three)

("Toshiko falls for a handsome soldier, trapped out of his time, who unwittingly holds the key to saving the world.")

WHAT I LIKED

* Gerald & Harriet, World War I Torchwood. Seeing operatives from different eras in the organization's history is always interesting.

* The concept: a man frozen in the vaults, woken for one day every year and maintained for some mysterious purpose? Good stuff! I would read a novel told from Tommy's point of view, as each day for him starts with a year having passed for everyone else . . .

* Tosh. She has a pretty sad love life when you think about it--waiting all year for one day with a guy who actually seems to like her (because Owen is such a doofus).

* The foreshadowing, as Ianto and Gwen talk about how Torchwood operatives almost always die young.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

* The way out of left field idea that Tosh can astrally project to the past by injecting her (?) with samples of Tommy's blood. Technobabble is technobabble, but still!

WHAT I'M NOT SURE ABOUT

* Jack mentions having been present for the worst carnage of World War I--we know he was an operative for Torchwood at this time, so what would he have been doing on the battlefield?

COMMENTARY/DELETED SCENES

None

TORCHWOOD DECLASSIFIED

* Interviews with various folks about the decision to do a Tosh story, and make it a romance with a sad ending. John Barrowman has the funny (but probably not true) line that "Out of all the characters on Torchwood, Tosh is the one that gets laid the most."

* A short and rather quite boring feature on how the director handled the extras (a.k.a., "background artists") in the hospital scenes.

Last Issue Special # 19: Codename: Knockout [Comics]

SERIES: Codename: Knockout

DATE: 2003

CATEGORY: ACCEPTANCE

Codename: Knockout was a fun, very silly series that lasted 23 issues (plus a "# 0") in the early 2000s. It's nominally an action/espionage series, starring Angela St. Grace and the flamboyant gay pretty boy Go-Go Fiasco as secret agents for an organization named "G.O.O.D." in the fight against the rival "E.V.I.L.". Mostly though, it's a mixture of dumb jokes, over-the-top violence, and a surprising dedication to cheesecake nudity for a comic from DC Comics (the series was released under the Vertigo banner, though it's quite different than what most expect from that imprint).

The final issue features the final defeat of E.V.I.L., all sorts of backstory revelations about Angela's parents, and Go-Go getting shot (don't worry--he's okay!). Angela reaffirms her commitment to fight bad guys all over the world and in a final half-nude pin-up says "That's all! Thanks for reading, everybody! We love you!". Isn't that heartwarming?