Watchmen (Spoiler-Free)

 Zack Synder gets it. He really gets it. For me Snyder's take on the Watchmen hit the nail on the head. To start, I am not what you would say a disciple of either Alan Moore or the Watchmen. I read the book when it originally came out, issue-by-issue, month-by-month. I remembered most of it. I liked it. At the time I probably did not appreciate or realize the true impact the story were to have on all future comics.

That being said, it was with anticipation that I awaited the release of the big screen version of Watchmen. I was a little nervous, remembering the severe miss of League of Extraordinary Gentleman and the not so close job that V for Vendetta was. But the trailers for Watchmen intrigued me. At the end, Watchmen was the closest adaptation of what Moore intended than anything that has come before on the big screen, and that is a compliment to Snyder and the suits at Warner Brothers for allowing Synder to make the movie his way.

As far as other compliments, the movie is also a perfect companion for the book. There is so much that looked as if it were lifted directly from the page, and panel. There were some omissions, but the movie was two hours and 40 minutes long. They could not include everything (although a director's cut DVD is already scheduled for July and will add another 40 minutes to the film).

I was talking to a few people after seeing it, and the more we discussed it, the more I liked it. It was a really good movie. Stepping away from the source material, Watchmen is a good-old fashion murder mystery. It's just the victim was a super-hero (sort of). It's an epic tale that has a real edge (please note the "R" rating for violence, gore, nudity and sex - staying true to the book).

Snyder's inclusion of the pop soundtrack worked for me, with many of the songs also being pulled from the book. He also put his mark on the film with some of its slow motion action scenes that were done in a way that we really have not seen before, making the movie even more unique. I for one like it when they slow down those scenes because I can actually see what is going on. It does not always have to be a Jackie Chan, wham-bam, thank you ma'am fight.

And the visuals and CGI work were stunning. Dr. Manhattan looked good in all his glowy-blueness. And the Mars scene pays off for fans the way the first fight between the Alien and Predator paid off in Aliens vs Predator.

Here's the thing, even if you have never read the book or like super-hero movies, Watchmen is still a very well done movie with an interesting story that should keep all viewers waiting for what will happen next. Now you will have to excuse me, I want to go read Watchmen again.

Brave New Worlds Second Look on Cable

It has been 19 years since Cable made his first appearance in New Mutants #87 and over 20 since we first learned of the birth of Nathan Summers to Scott Summers and Madeline Pryor. Cable has called the Merc with a mouth a partner and has jumped back and forth thru the timelime. But it was not until Duane Swierczynski got a hold of him that I was really ever interested in a Cable story.

Last year saw the Cable/Deadpool series come to an end at the same time as Messiah Complex. A new solo series loomed on the horizon and I was so not feeling it, and then it happened on one of the last panels of Messiah Complex. Cyclops handed the entire premise of the crossover event to his son and told him to protect the future of all mutants. Cable jumped away, Bishop followed and I was intrigued.

But even though I was going to read the first issue, there were no guarantees I would come back for issue two or three. Well Swierczynski’s story hooked me almost immediately as Nathan Summers, with baby in hand, valiantly attempts to avoid detection from the obsessed Lucas Bishop.

The first couple of issues moved slowly, a pace which I liked because it allowed the story to build without any outside distractions. Swierczynski, with masterful art provided by Ariel Olivetti, was like a chef putting together a five-course meal over a three-month period. He painstakingly built the momentum to this series issue-by-issue.

It has been phenomenal and I liken the current run to that of another Marvel series, Thor. Each issue moves at a nice pace as the story takes its time to cook. And while Cable protects the baby at all costs (and just who is the baby? My money is on Rachel Summers), Bishop fanatically attempts to corner them somewhere in time.

I can’t wait to find out who the baby is and what will happen when Bishop and Cable meet again. I do know one thing, in Swierczynski’s hands it will be interesting and entertaining.