I stumbled upon a very interesting, quick article written by none other then Frank Miller, you can find it here. It stands on the border of being perfectly written as far as length and content, I feel it is a bit too brief but there is really nothing more I can think I would want to hear, so I consider it at the point of balance. The article is about Miller’s views (past and present) on Patriotism, and I find it of particular interest considering he grew up not too far away. While his history in comic artwork is practically god-like, his reputation in writing has become less then favorable, nonetheless this article is worth the quick read. I found it via the Dynamist Blog, which covers a very interesting range of material from comic books to kidney transplants.
This brings me to this week’s inquisition: Will Heroes suck? (or, posthumously: Did Heroes Suck?)
If you don’t know what Heroes is, that’s okay, it is a series premiering on NBC tonight at 9pm and it features a seemingly stereotypical group of people who somehow have (again, seemingly stereotypical) super powers. You can look at the official, flash-heavy and intentionally mysterious website to find out all about your favorite character, ie – hot girl. (link) Or you can just watch it tonight and see for yourself. If you do watch it, please share your thoughts with us, did it suck? Does it have any potential or lasting power in today’s television offering? The Washington Post seems to think not. I don’t trust their reviews typically, so I will be watching tonight. Rest assured, if there are no polar bears or mysterious mechanical dinosaurs in the first 10 minutes I may just switch over to the Lost DVD’s, but I’m giving it a shot.
Internet opinions and first impressions of the show seem to echo similar sentiments, that it is simply too cliche for its own good, and not dramatically or comedically interesting enough to hold its weight. Its a shame if these are all true, as I had originally heard that someone at the level of Jeph Loeb or Joss Whedon had something to do with the show, but IMDB will not divulge any such mysteries. If you’re not into experimenting with your television habits, then there will hopefully be enough feedback from this post for you to judge accordingly.
Jeph Loeb is one of the writers.
CBR backs it up in their review of it:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=8414
I’ll be TiVoing it, and hoping for the best! (i.e. not just another attempt to rip off Lost’s concept, and will actually be a good Superhero show)
Answer: Yes. Yes it did suck. Its only redeeming quality was the lead-in to Studio 60.
Why did it suck? It took elements that had been succesful in other hits and overdid them – yes, the characters on LOST are all seemingly connected, but this is a revelation that slowly trickles out, in the form of some character or another passing by in a flashback. It was made painfully obvious in ‘Heroes’ that all of the characters were tied together.
Most of the character’s powers were been there, done that (to the point where I groaned when they referenced an X-men comic in the show) The writing was sub-par at best. Perhaps most annoyingly, the only character that seemed happy throughout the entire show was ‘Hiro’, the japanese teleporter. That’s one out of at least half a dozen. And they saved the best for last, we get to meet MORE angst-ridden folk with superpowers next week! (Supreme Power, anyone??)
Ok, so they have powers. The question I asked all episode was, so what?
Studio 60 was fantastic, which I’m both surprised and happy about. I agree with basically everything Sucilaria said, except for bashing Supreme Power. Heroes just seemed low-budget, even commercials for shows like CSI, a show that tries to be gritty and raw, looked 30x more polished then any part of heroes.
I enjoyed the show on a few levels, but the writing was just sub-par and I definitely won’t be watching an hour of that a week. Maybe 20 minutes, then watch food network until Studio 60 comes on again. Oh yea, or the Lost DVDs!
Plus Jeph Loeb seems to have kept his name almost entirely removed from this project of his, I wonder why?
I liked Heroes, but Studio 60 was better.
Danny just hates all TV. Stop raining my TV parade!
I don’t think the Jeph Loeb thing is a conspiracy, I just think he didn’t write the episode. His name will probably be on future episodes.
And you guys are missing the best two best parts!
The cheerleader is abducted by the government, only to have her skeleton wrapped in titanium, which only she can survive the process thanks to her ability. Episode title: Weapon C.
Who is the man, who comes out of a coma for his brother man? SHAFT! We can dig it.
Your rampant fanboy-ness burns.