"Let's see if this old timer can still weave a good yarn." The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television review

Back in the 1990s when my family had the Sci Fi Channel, whenever the channel would run marathons of the original Twilight Zone I tried to tune in and catch as many as I could. I certainly didn't love them all equally -- "The Howling Man" mesmerized me; "From Agnes - with Love" was tiresome; and I was flummoxed as to why "The Lateness of the Hour" was shot on video. All in all, I understood why the television series was so highly regarded. Thirty years after their original broadcast, those shows still stood up. I eventually bought the complete series on DVD.

Recently Humanoids published an interesting graphic novel titled The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television by Koren Shadmi. I had never previously seen Shadmi's work and I'm quite impressed by his style. The art has very clean lines and the pacing is quite relaxed. Somehow Shadmi found a means to tell Serling's life story in less than 170 pages without meandering or rushing through his life; indeed, Shadmi has some very creative ideas about how to approach Serling's life, framing it through scenes of Serling aboard an airplane narrating his biography to another passenger. Shadmi makes the story feel like an authentic account of Serling's life, but the weirdness of the Twilight Zone creeps into Serling's account.

The book is also told in black & white, the format one immediately thinks of when thinking of the Twilight Zone. Scenes set aboard the airplane (the framing device) are cast in deep grey shades, setting them off from the rest of the book. Shadmi spends a fair bit of time on Serling's life before becoming a writer, depicting his actions as a paratrooper in World War II. His wartime exploits aren't explicitly connected to his later career, but these details were very interesting to me. I knew a number of anecdotes about Serling's life and I was pleased to see many of them replicated here - Shadmi recreates Serling's notorioius interview with Mike Wallace and he visits Serling's falling out with Ray Bradbury. I'm a little disappointed that Serling's put-down on Night Gallery as "Mannix in a graveyard" didn't make it in, but the book certainly gets across what a dispiriting experience Night Gallery was for Serling.

I enjoyed learning more about Serling's television career prior to Twilight Zone. I knew of of his productions (and I've seen the film adaptation of Patterns) but this filled in a lot of information about how Serling became a television playwright. For all the acclaim Serling won, it's a little startling to see just how brief that span of his career lasted. The Twilight Zone really secured him a place in television history.

If you're a Twilight Zone fan you'll want to read this; if you're interested in the history of television, you'll find much of interest; if you just want a great biography, check it out.

"This is why people love basketball." Dragon Hoops review

When I was a boy, one summer I went to a summer camp which had a basketball net set up. I played around with the basketball, usually alone. A counselor who must have surmised that I had low self-esteem tried to encourage me in the sport and I got to think that I was okay at it -- but once I saw how much better my classmates at school were at basketball, I keep away from it. In retrospect, I should have asked my parents for a basketball and played it on my own time just for fun. I regret that I've never been very good at any competitive sports.

Which brings me to Gene Luen Yang's new graphic novel Dragon Hoops. I heard the book was nominated for some awards so I signed out a copy from my library knowing nothing about it other than the author and title. But then, Yang is an author I already enjoyed. Years earlier I bought his American Born Chinese based on good word-of-mouth. A few years later when I audited a university course on graphic novels, American Born Chinese was one of the textbooks and the professors brought to light a lot of elements from the novel which I hadn't noticed on my own. (Yang's The Shadow Hero was a fun read too; I reviewed it here)

Hoop Dragons is something of a memoir book with Yang as the lead character. He depicts his own unathleticism (which I empathize with) but, while searching for a topic for his next graphic novel, Yang becomes interested in the basketball team at the Catholic high school where he teaches. This 400+ page tome features Yang's investigation of the sport, taking the time to explain the history of basketball while Yang tries to better understand the members of the Dragons and follows them through the year until they enter the state championship game. At the same time, Yang recounts how DC Comics were courting him to write Superman, but he wasn't certain he should take the assignment after hearing DC's editors gleefully describe how 'Superman isn't Superman' anymore.

Even with my lack of athleticism, I've enjoyed plenty of films about sports -- the triumph of the underdog is always a strong subject, whether it's Rocky, Creed, Remember the Titans or Mean Machine. It's amazing how often these 'underdog stories' play out in real life. Perhaps it's a matter of perspective -- the Dragons' lineup includes the single strongest ranked high school player in the nation -- but the book frequently shows the team's failures. Even some of their victories are tarnished as spectators opine the Dragons lack teamwork. But Yang had no idea when he began the book that he would be following them to their eventual victory.

As someone who gave up a career in comics because I thought my permanent position in a school was a much more secure future, I couldn't believe Yang gave up his teaching job to toil in comics. I understand that he felt he had to follow his passions and go 'all in', but man, in comics you have to fight for every paycheque and there is an infinite number of wannabes who want your job. However much teaching pays in the USA, it still has to be better than becoming another disposable DC Comics writer.

Yang's questionable career goals aside, I highly recommend this book! It will probably be best enjoyed by teenagers but you don't have to like basketball in order to fall under the book's spell.

"You can say it as loud as you like, Ollie. No one cares." The Stringbags review

I recently read The Stringbags by Garth Ennis and P. J. Holden, published by Dead Reckoning earlier this year. This graphic novel brought me a sudden realization: I have not been reading enough Garth Ennis war comics!

It seems virtually every publisher has published at least one of Ennis' war comics: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Aftershock, Rebellion, TKO, Avatar, Dynamite, First Second, Titan... one can only wonder when Boom! or IDW will take the plunge. Dead Reckoning is a fairly new comics publisher working as an imprint for the Naval Institute Press. Many of their publication are centered around naval histories, but they branch out into almost anything in the military. The Stringbags is drawn from the history of the British Navy in World War II.

I had never heard of 'stringbags' before reading this book. As is helpfully explained (and demonstrated), the 'stringbags' were biplanes outfitted with torpedoes to combat enemy battleships. The Stringbags is divided into three chapters, each featuring a three-man 'stringbag' crew consisting of Archie, Ollie and Pops. They're fairly broad characters, but the stories aren't character-driven. I was surprised by how educational this book was -- Ennis frequently indulged in lengthy explanations of the actual battles and what their implications were. In the first chapter he depicts the battle of Taranto (previously unknown to me) and how it demonstrated aircraft carriers were superior to battleships. The second chapter depicts the legendary battle of the Bismarck while the third chapter depicts Operation Fuller, an unsuccessful British naval battle (but Ennis explains how the German victory was ultimately insubtantial).

I wasn't familiar with artist P. J. Holden prior to this book either. Even though I'm not well-versed in the details of military equipment, any artist tackling a realistic war comic has to be. Holden's art is full of details but it isn't mechanical -- the details don't interfere with the plot. It's really fine work, as beautiful as a war comic can be.

Whatever my word may be worth, I do highly recommend The Stringbags and I intend to read more of the Ennis war comics that I've missed.

History of Black Panther is up at Sequart!

My new essay about Christopher Priest's Black Panther is up at Sequart; this one is more informational than most as it details the Black Panther's publishing history prior to Priest's arrival in 1998. Check it out and tell me what you think!

My Other 10 Favourite Moments from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

As I stated yesterday, my favourite moment in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. -- the moment which made me a fan of the program -- was in the season 1 finale, when Fitz confessed his feelings for Simmons at the bottom of the ocean. So here are 10 other moments which I really enjoyed during my marathon sessions of all seven seasons, presented in chronological order:

1. Coulson explains how S.H.I.E.L.D. must function as vigilantes from the shadows (2x1: "Shadows")
2. Bobbi takes a bullet for Lance (2x22: "S.O.S.")
3. Simmons recounts her experiences on the planet Maveth (3x5: "4,772 Hours")
4. Bobbi and Lance receive "a spy's goodbye" (3x13: "Parting Shot")
5. Daisy wakes up in the Framework and thinks she's about to be reunited with her boyfriend Lincoln -- but it's Grant Ward (4x15: "Self Control")
6. Lance Hunter breaks Fitz out of jail (5x5: "Rewind")
7. Fitz and Simmons are married (5x12: "The Real Deal")
8. Coulson spends his last days with May (5x22: "The End")
9. Daisy and Simmons get high on alien drugs while looking for Fitz (6x3: "Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Kitson")
10. Fitz and Simmons confront all of the issues and trauma in their relationship (6x6: "Inescapable")

"We are not agents of nothing, we are agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and that still carries weight!" Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. rundown

I came in late to the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television series. At the time the program began in 2013 I had quit Marvel and was boycotting all Marvel-related products. I relaxed the boycott a few years later, but during that time I heard a few things about the program. Much of what I heard was negative. The early part of season 1 was roundly criticized as an inept 'sci-fi cop show'. I heard good buzz about the ways in which the show tied in to the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but after that I seldom heard anything about the program.

After I lifted my boycott I started watching the Marvel Netflix shows. Although they started off rather well, at some point (opinions differ as to whether it was Daredevil season 2 or Iron Fist season 1) the line of shows went off the rails. Each season of those programs played like a 13-hour movie, running just one long continuous storyline. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but all too often the shows simply spun their wheels -- hero confronts villain, villain somehow skates off, resolution deferred; supporting character has a very slow subplot that doesn't go anywhere but pays the actors' bills. It also did not feel like the showrunners particularly cared about the super hero genre (unbelieveably, confirmed by Iron Fist's showrunner).

I considered watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. from time to time simply as a means of crossing it off a list. I don't enjoy Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool movies, but I've watched them just for the sake of keeping up on Marvel. 7 seasons of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. sounded like a lot of tedium. Last month I started watching the series.

I went through those 7 seasons awfully fast; truly, I was hooked. It took a while to really get me -- the Captain America: The Winter Soldier tie-in definitely helped -- but the 1st season came to a very satisfying conclusion. My opinion of the show wavered from time to time -- mostly around mid-season when the plots seemed to be spinning their wheels -- but the performances were always solid and the series rewarded the time I invested in it; every plot came out pretty well. Well, okay, maybe not the Izel plot in season 6, that was pretty much a turkey, but that season's B-plot was pretty good.

I can actually point to a single moment which made me invested in the show -- it's from the season 1 finale, "Beginning of the End." The scientist characters Fitz and Simmons are trapped in a capsule on the bottom of the ocean with little hope of rescue. They fashion a means to escape the capsule but only have enough oxygen in a tank for one of them to reach the surface. As Fitz has broken his arm, he insists Simmons should take the oxygen and save herself. When Simmons protests, Fitz admits that's he in love with her and forces her to use the tank. It leads to an intense scene of Simmons in the ocean, trying to keep an unconscious Fitz's head above water, crying out for help -- when suddenly a helicopter lowers down and Nick Fury reaches out to take her hand. Nothing else in those 7 years landed as hard as that!

As a comics fan, there were some bits I really enjoyed seeing adapted -- their Ghost Rider was astonishingly faithful to the comics; they kept Mr. Hyde as Daisy's father; their Absorbing Man looked great; Glenn Talbot was recurring character; and they had a great 'rogue LMD' plot. Many of the elements from the comics were in-name-only. Like, their Al MacKenzie shares just his name and occupation with the character Bob Harras & Paul Neary created. But it matters very little, since the character they developed was immensely likeable.

Tomorrow I'm going to share a list of my favourite moments from the series. I'm glad I finally checked out this show -- I would now rank it as the best television adaptation of a Marvel Comics property.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (season 7) Creator Credits

A couple of weeks ago Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. completed its seventh and final season, so I have compiled another list of the comic book creators who innovtated characters and ideas demonstrated on the show. I found the season a little uneven but it hit some great highs and ended the show in a satisfying way.

My full list of Marvel Cinematic Universe creator credits can be found right here.

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of the Inhumans, a sub-species of humanity who possess superhuman abilities (Fantastic Four #45, 1965); of the Inhumans based in a hidden city in the Himalayan mountains (Fantastic Four #47, 1966); of the Kree, an extraterrestrial race (Fantastic Four #64, 1967); of Bruce Banner, a famous scientist (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of Nick Fury, a capable soldier; of Gabe Jones, one of the Howling Commandos (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of Eric Koenig, an ally of Nick Fury (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #27, 1966); of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency; of Life Model Decoys, S.H.I.E.L.D. androids designed to mimic human behaviour; of Hydra, a terrorist organization which battles S.H.I.E.L.D.; of Nick Fury as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.; of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, a massive flying aircraft carrier; of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying cars with hover technology built into their wheels (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents dressed in blue jumpsuits (Strange Tales #139, 1965); of the Hydra logo, a skull atop octopus arms (Strange Tales #151, 1966); of Peggy Carter, Captain America's wartime love interest (Tales of Suspense #75, 1966); of Glenn Talbot, an officer in the US Air Force who battles rogue superhumans (Tales to Astonish #61, 1964); of extraterrestrial robots being sent to observe events on Earth (Thor #132, 1966); of the Terrigen Mist, superhuman crystals which grant the Inhumans their abilities (Thor #146, 1967)

Jack Kirby: co-creator of the Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of the Red Skull, a Nazi criminal; of Abraham Erskine, inventor of the Super-Solder Serum (Captain America Comics #1, 1941); of the Inhumans, a sub-species of humanity who possess superhuman abilities (Fantastic Four #45, 1965); of the Inhumans based in a hidden city in the Himalayan mountains (Fantastic Four #47, 1966); of the Kree, an extraterrestrial race (Fantastic Four #64, 1967); of Bruce Banner, a famous scientist (Incredible Hulk #1, 1962); of Nick Fury, a capable soldier; of Gabe Jones, one of the Howling Commandos (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency; of Life Model Decoys, S.H.I.E.L.D. androids designed to mimic human behaviour; of Hydra, a terrorist organization which battles S.H.I.E.L.D.; of Nick Fury as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.; of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, a massive flying aircraft carrier; of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying cars with hover technology built into their wheels (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents dressed in blue jumpsuits (Strange Tales #139, 1965); of the Hydra logo, a skull atop octopus arms (Strange Tales #151, 1966); of Peggy Carter, Captain America's wartime love interest (Tales of Suspense #75, 1966); of extraterrestrial robots being sent to observe events on Earth (Thor #132, 1966); of the Terrigen Mist, superhuman crystals which grant the Inhumans their abilities (Thor #146, 1967)

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of Victoria Hand, a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer with red highlights in her hair (Dark Avengers #1, 2009); of Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez, a superhuman ally of Daisy who has superhuman speed (Mighty Avengers #13, 2008); of Quake, Daisy JOhnson's codename (New Avengers #20, 2006); of Daisy Johnson, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with the superhuman power to control seismic energy; of Daisy's gloves used to help control her powers (Secret War #2, 2005)

Jonathan Hickman: co-creator of Hive, a parasite-like creature, infecting various people (Secret Warriors #2, 2009); of Yo-Yo Rodriguez having both of her hands cut off by agents of Hydra (Secret Warriors #3, 2009); of Yo-Yo Rodriguez using prosthetic hands (Secret Warriors #8, 2009); of Daniel Whitehall, an agent of Hydra (Secret Warriors #11, 2010); of Conrad Murphy, an ally of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Secret Warriors #24, 2011)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of Quinjets, the personal aircraft of the Avengers (Avengers #61, 1969); of the Ghost Rider, a supernatural hero (Marvel Spotlight #5, 1972); of Jim Morita, a World War II Nisei soldier who fought alongside the Howling Commandos (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #38, 1967); of the round eagle logo used by S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strange Tales #154, 1967)

Dick Ayers: co-creator of Eric Koenig, an ally of Nick Fury (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #27, 1966); of Jim Morita, a World War II Nisei soldier who fought alongside the Howling Commandos (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #38, 1967); of Peggy Carter, Captain America's wartime love interest (Tales of Suspense #75, 1966)

Bob Harras: co-creator of Al MacKenzie as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, 1989); of Hydra taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. from within (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, 1988); of Aphonse "Al" MacKenzie, a spy affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3, 1988)

Stefano Caselli: co-creator of Hive, a parasite-like creature, infecting various people (Secret Warriors #2, 2009); of Yo-Yo Rodriguez having both of her hands cut off by agents of Hydra (Secret Warriors #3, 2009); of Daniel Whitehall, an agent of Hydra (Secret Warriors #11, 2010)

Paul Neary: co-creator of the Red Skull's name Johann Shmidt (Captain America #298, 1984); of Hydra taking over S.H.I.E.L.D. from within (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1, 1988); of Aphonse "Al" MacKenzie, a spy affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3, 1988)

Jim Steranko: creator of blue S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms with white belts and holsters (Strange Tales #167, 1968); co-creator of the Hydra logo, a skull atop octopus arms (Strange Tales #151, 1966); of the round eagle logo used by S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strange Tales #154, 1967)

Sal Buscema: co-creator of Peggy Carter's name (Captain America #162, 1973); of Peggy Carter as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Captain America #169, 1974); of Hugh Jones, a corrupt businessman (Captain America #180, 1974)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of Peggy Carter's name (Captain America #162, 1973); of Peggy Carter as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Captain America #169, 1974); of Hugh Jones, a corrupt businessman (Captain America #180, 1974)

Gabriele Dell'Otto: co-creator of Daisy Johnson, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with the superhuman power to control seismic energy; of Daisy's gloves used to help control her powers (Secret War #2, 2005)

Mike Friedrich: co-creator of Peggy Carter as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Captain America #169, 1974); of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy where agents are trained for the organization (Marvel Super Action #1, 1976)

Frank Miller: co-creator of John Garrett, a cybernetic agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Elektra: Assassin #2, 1986); of Chastity McBride, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Elektra: Assassin #5, 1986)

Bill Sienkiewicz: co-creator of John Garrett, a cybernetic agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Elektra: Assassin #2, 1986); of Chastity McBride, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Elektra: Assassin #5, 1986)

John Buscema: co-creator of Quinjets, the personal aircraft of the Avengers (Avengers #61, 1969); of the Xandarians, an extraterrestrial race (Nova #1, 1976)

Alessandro Vitti: co-creator of Yo-Yo Rodriguez using prosthetic hands (Secret Warriors #8, 2009); of Conrad Murphy, an ally of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Secret Warriors #24, 2011)

Joe Simon: co-creator of the Red Skull, a Nazi criminal; of Abraham Erskine, inventor of the Super-Solder Serum (Captain America Comics #1, 1941)

Steve Ditko: co-creator of Glenn Talbot, an officer in the US Air Force who battles rogue superhumans (Tales to Astonish #61, 1964)

George Evans: co-creator of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy where agents are trained for the organization (Marvel Super Action #1, 1976)

Mike Deodato Jr.: co-creator of Victoria Hand, a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer with red highlights in her hair (Dark Avengers #1, 2009)

Charles Soule: co-creator of Flint, a young Inhuman with the power to control rocks (Inhuman #3, 2014)

Joe Madureira: co-creator of Flint, a young Inhuman with the power to control rocks (Inhuman #3, 2014)

M. C. Wyman: co-creator of Rick Stoner, the original director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Fury #1, 1994)

Barry Dutter: co-creator of Rick Stoner, the original director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Fury #1, 1994)

Don Heck: co-creator of Howard Stark, an inventive genius (Iron Man #28, 1970)

Archie Goodwin: co-creator of Howard Stark, an inventive genius (Iron Man #28, 1970)

Mark Millar: co-creator of the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters (Ultimates #1, 2002)

Bryan Hitch: co-creator of the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters (Ultimates #1, 2002)

Doug Murray: co-creator of Michael Phillips, a soldier (The 'Nam #17, 1988)

Wayne Van Sant: co-creator of Michael Phillips, a soldier (The 'Nam #17, 1988)

Mike Ploog: co-creator of the Ghost Rider, a supernatural hero (Marvel Spotlight #5, 1972)

Gary Friedrich: co-creator of the Ghost Rider, a supernatural hero (Marvel Spotlight #5, 1972)

John Byrne: creator of Roger Dooley, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (Marvel Graphic Novel #18, 1985)

Jim McCann: co-creator of Susan Morse, Bobbi Morse's mother (Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1, 2010)

David Lopez: co-creator of Susan Morse, Bobbi Morse's mother (Hawkeye & Mockingbird #1, 2010)

Marv Wolfman: co-creator of the Xandarians, an extraterrestrial race (Nova #1, 1976)

J. M. DeMatteis: co-creator of the Red Skull's name Johann Shmidt (Captain America #298, 1984)