Easy To Avoid, Heroes Volume 2 Graphic Novel Poorly Fills In The Blanks!

The Good: One or two mildly amusing vignettes/panels of artwork
The Bad: Generally poor artwork, Does not significantly advance any meaningful storylines, Expensive.
The Basics: A poor outing for any franchise, the Heroes Volume 2 "graphic novel" awkwardly collects a bunch of pointless stories that (inadequately) flesh out secondary characters from Heroes.


It might seem odd that someone like myself who reviews a whole bunch of action figures and trading cards that tie into major science fiction franchises might sit and complain about anything being over-merchandised. And yet, I have found that the longer the television Heroes has gone on, the less I enjoy it and that the more merchandising the series generates, the poorer quality it becomes. So, as the source material has become more mediocre, the secondary products have similarly become more blase. It is little surprise then, given my reaction to the first Heroes graphic novel volume (click here for that review!), that when I sat down and read the Heroes Volume 2 graphic novel that I would be not only utterly unimpressed, but actually disgusted by the obvious cashgrab and poor quality of the work.

This "graphic novel" is a collection of forty-six "stories," some of which are simply a page or two, so it is more like forty-six "chapters." Continuing the same format as Volume 1, Volume 2 is an odd attempt to fill in the blanks in the Heroes universe by answering questions viewers might have and flesh out the primary - and more often than that, secondary - characters who appeared in the second season of Heroes (click here for my review of that!). The problem with Heroes Volume Two is that the stories are less cohesive and less vital to the series and therefore much of the book seems more like useless fluff . . . and bad filler at that. The backstories of the Haitian and Candice have mild interest to fans, but given that their stories are either predictable or just plain bad, coupled with some of the worst artwork to ever be printed in the pages of a "graphic novel," Heroes Volume 2 is easy to pass by, even for die-hard fans of the show.

Heroes Volume 2 is an awkward collection of stories like "It Takes A Village" where a kid kills his father who is cursed with strange powers and then is rescued by the Company. That kid, as it turns out, is the Haitian from the television series who has the ability to nullify the powers of other "mutants." In "Betty," there is an overweight Goth girl stumbling through high school being picked on by her classmates. That girl turns the tables on her tormentors and becomes one herself using her powers. She is taken in by the Company where she becomes Candice, the woman used to keep the wounded Sylar in check at the outset of the second season. If this makes little sense to you, you stumble upon one of the serious problems with Heroes Volume 2 much the way I experienced it; this book is designed for the die-hard fans who live, breathe and know Heroes inside and out. As a result, the book is often esoteric and relies on very small details slipped in the show to flesh out several pages worth of stories. So, in the case of "Betty," the entire story is based upon a shot of the dead "Candice" seen face-down looking nothing like the thin chick who had been in every other scene.

There is a very short story involving Claude's (the invisible man) first partner with the Company and "Heroism Is Found In The Heart" effectively bridges Ando's story between seasons one and two. In that, Ando has the chance to be a hero by protecting Hiro's sister after Hiro disappears into the past. As well, Suresh is featured in a story where he comes to believe his blood may cure those who have "abilities," long in advance of his realization of it in the television show. There is a story of Maya and Alejandro as children which simply fleshes out exactly what they said happened to them in the show when their powers developed as kids and she wiped out their entire village.

Other stories tend to be similarly focused on second season characters from Heroes, though most of them are shorter or less interesting than the ones from Volume One. Molly has a very cool nightmare in "Molly's Dream" and "Elle's First Assignment" sets up an animosity between Elle and Claire. But these are offset by stories like "The End Of Hana And Drucker" where graphic novel-exclusive characters are killed off and a "Takezo Kensei" (Hiro in the past) adventure that is just plain terrible. It adds nothing to the mythos, looks ridiculous and even contradicts elements established in the television series.

The big black mark against the "graphic novel" (I keep putting that in quotes because it is such a haphazard collection of pages that barely add up to a story, much less a cohesive novel) is the artwork. Tom Grummet does terrible artwork in "The End Of Hana And Drucker" that looks sloppy, is poorly detailed and barely resembles the characters that are supposed to be recognizable. Equally as bad is the artwork of Michael Gaydes who is fairly prolific in this volume. In "Petrified Lightning," his artwork is very cartoonish and some characters, like Claude, where there are plenty of references from the television series to go on are unrecognizable. Similarly, the "Trial Of The Black Bear" is very much a cartoon strip that does not fit in with the rest of the artwork where some of the pages try to have very detailed artwork of the characters from the series.

But the problem here is that vital characters that most readers are likely to care about were kept out of action in the months between Seasons one and two of Heroes. The result is that they cannot have stories presented in the Volume 2 graphic novel and they do not. Wildly popular characters like Sylar, Peter and Nathan are all omitted for the most part because their stories are filled in entirely in episodes in Season two and therefore there is nothing to flesh out in the spaces between that this book wants to fill in.

Also bad is the dialogue. Characters like Claire, who is presented in Volume 2 trying to fit in at her new school with a new name in "Elle's First Assignment" are written saying things unlike anything they say on the television series. While there is some value to creativity in expanding the characters from the franchise, here it becomes problematic because the main characters are seldom recognizable either in the artwork or the way they speak. That is a huge liability when one has a medium like comics where the actor's performance is unable to "sell" key lines.

That, though, makes Heroes Volume 2 very easy to pass by. At $22.99 for a 270 page comic book, this is too tough a sell, so I say use your super powers to avoid it!

For other Heroes related reviews of mine, please check out:
Heroes Season Three on DVD
Heroes: Saving Charlie
Heroes Season Four on DVD

1/10

For other graphic novel reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2009, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.




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The Fourth Season Of Heroes Wanders And Concludes, With Little To Draw In The Audience.

The Good: Moments of character, DVD bonus features
The Bad: Nothing spectacular on the acting front, Repetitive plot elements, New villain is nothing special.
The Basics: Heroes Season Four ends on such a low note that it is little surprise NBC did not pick it up for a fifth season.


I can always tell how much I truly like a franchise by how eagerly I return to it after any hiatus it might have. In the case of Heroes, the fact that it took me until now – when the fourth season DVD set has been out for months – to take in the fourth season, I think it is becoming clearer to me that I’m not so much enjoying the show as seeing through what I feel is a commitment. Heroes had two serious problems going into the fourth season: the first was a lack of willingness to permanently kill any of the principle characters, which undermined a lot of the suspense with the plot direction and character aspects of the series. The second problem was based much on where the third season (click here for my review) left off. Unfortunately, there is no way to honestly discuss the fourth season without referencing the finale to the third season.

The fourth season of Heroes is entitled “Redemption” and it follows on the heels of the “specials” being hunted by government agents. Unfortunately, coming into the season, viewers who might have been shocked by the climactic events of the third season are disappointed by how conventional the show becomes whatwith the fallen villain appearing in the opening credits. After all, Heroes is arguably banked on three (maybe four) performers and the idea that one of them was leaving was somewhat ludicrous to seasoned viewers. So, those hoping to be surprised with the fourth season are set up for almost immediate disappointment. Why? Heroes maintains its unwillingness to make real casualties and the new guy on the scene is, of course, the new villain for the season.

At the outset of “Redemption,” the lives of the specials have all radically changed. Claire has enrolled in college while her father struggles with separation from his wife and being unemployed for the first time in twenty years. Meanwhile, in Washington, Nathan Petrelli struggles with feelings that his memories are not his own and he flees, alarming his mother, who knows his big secret. While Matt Parkman struggles to not use his powers, even to benefit himself in his work as a cop, he becomes tormented by Sylar, who seems to exist in his mind and has the ability to take over his body at will. While Parkman begins to unravel, Hiro wrestles with the knowledge that he is going to die from all of his time traveling (specifically from a brain problem that has developed as a side effect of his ability).

But while the familiar heroes struggle to lay low or get quiet revenge – as Tracy Strauss attempts to do – Peter uses his powers to aid his work as a paramedic by speeding around saving lives. And outside the mainstream, a carnival led by Samuel Sullivan pops up offering a haven to specials. But his agenda is more than just rights for equality for all and he begins to manipulate familiar heroes for his own gain.

Heroes Season Four is hampered by spending too much time trying to resolve the resolution to the third season – namely, rectifying the death of Nathan and the insertion of his mind into Sylar – and a villain who is less than compelling. The viewer feels like they have seen pretty much everything they are going to from Heroes and it does not take long before we realize we are right. The season is almost entirely derivative of prior outings. In fact, the only thing that truly works on the plot front is the limp attempt to resolve the Hiro and Charlie storyline and they manage to do that better than was done in the novel Saving Charlie (reviewed here!).

Instead, Heroes Season Four seems like a fan exercise more than a legitimate season of the show. Claire’s budding romance with her new roommate “reads” like fanfic and the only mildly clever aspect of Noah Bennet’s arc is that it is rare viewers actually see characters struggling with being out of work. But the show seems to have a real lack of commitment to itself. Sylar can’t truly be overrun by Nathan (on a character level because Nathan was such a milquetoast, but on a practical level) because Zachary Quinto is integral to the franchise. So, as we wait for Nathan to be finally killed off once and for all and get back to Sylar being a baddie, the viewer feels like they are wasting time. Part of that time is wasted on Emma, a deaf woman who sees sounds. It’s mildly interesting, but her ability to summon specials with a cello comes in far later than most viewers will care to sit through.

For a better understanding of the fourth season of Heroes, it helps to know who the characters are. In the fourth season, the principles are:

Noah Bennet – At odds with his wife, he recalls the time he almost had an affair with Lauren, a coworker at Primatech. Unemployed, he works to stay in Claire’s life, protect her and make up for some of his past dealings with specials. This leads him to see Samuel for what he is early on and his attempts to protect Claire once again put him in harm’s way,

Matt Parkman – Having reconciled with his wife, he tries to raise their son without using his powers. However, he finds himself tormented by fragments of Sylar’s mind still within his own consciousness. He prepares to make the final sacrifice to stop Sylar, but is thwarted in the most inconvenient way possible,

Claire Bennet – Her attempt to live normal in college is almost instantly thwarted by a fellow student , Gretchen, outing her from her past in Texas. Claire begins to develop feelings for Gretchen and when she meets Samuel, she finds his philosophy liberating,

Peter Petrelli – Using his super speed, he becomes the ultimate paramedic, but Samuel soon uses that against him, by claiming he was hurt by Peter. When that is reconciled, he learns the truth about what happened to Nathan and becomes a willing co-conspirator with Sylar in the attempt to stop Samuel,

Hiro Nakamura – His ability to move through time and space now killing him, Hiro is manipulated by Samuel to try to right the wrongs of his past meddling. He rescues Suresh from Samuel, unwittingly giving Samuel the tools of his own rage. He finally has his chance to save Charlie, but like so many of his adventures that, too, goes awry,

Ando Masahashi – After a brief, annoying stint as a hero for hire with Hiro, he falls in love with Hiro’s sister as part of the temporal manipulations. Otherwise, he’s pretty much back to just being a sidekick,

Mohinder Suresh – Absent most the season, his attempt to get his life back in order puts him at the carnival and gives Samuel his motivation for his attempts to ruin the world,

Nathan Petrelli – The junior Senator is behaving erratically because he is literally not himself. But when Peter and Angela expose the truth, he refuses to believe until it is too late,

Sylar – Wrestling with the Nathan persona, he encounters Samuel and believes he might have found his purpose. But when his mind and body are reconciled, he is given the chance for real change and he attempts to make the changes necessary to become an actual hero,

Tracey Strauss – Having adapted to being able to turn herself completely into water, Tracey plans to get revenge on Danko, until Noah helps her through her rage. After that, she returns to politics,

Angela Petrelli – Her manipulations are fully exposed and her love for her son Nathan causes Peter to feel isolated and used. She becomes less important after Nathan is put to rest,

And Samuel Sullivan – The leader of his own carnival, he becomes more powerful the more specials are around him. He has the ability to manipulate the earth itself and it is his rage over the truth of his powers being kept from him by his now-deceased brother that motivates him to champion the rights of specials . . . while it serves his purpose.

Heroes Season Four actually gives Greg Grunberg a more juicy role than in recent years and he makes the struggle Matt goes through with Sylar in his head seem very reasonable and fresh. While it is always a treat to see Robert Knepper, his performances as Samuel are well within what viewers would expect given his previous roles. Sadly, the rest of the players act in entirely familiar ways and Season Four is not a great set for the performances.

On DVD, Heroes comes loaded in the fourth season. This DVD boxed set is packed with commentary tracks, special effects features and featurettes on the way the story has been developing. This makes it a value for those who still care about the characters and the storyline, but are not enough to sway those for whom Heroes has become stale.

For other science fiction works, please check out my reviews of:
Star Trek
V: Season 1
Invasion

4/10

For other television program reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.





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Heroes Season Three – More Of The Same, But Enjoyable.

The Good: Some actual character development, A few interesting story elements, DVD bonus features
The Bad: Nothing spectacular on the acting front, Story continues toward the familiar.
The Basics: A decent DVD set, the split stories of Heroes Season Three might progress, but they ultimately end up in familiar territory.


I tend to have mixed feelings about Heroes. I think I would have enjoyed the whole series more if the show hadn’t followed on the heels of The 4400 and actually carried several similar plotlines of that cable show. As it stands, the producers of Heroes have been remarkably successful in that I have watched and reviewed both Season 1 and Season 2, as well as reading several of the literary outings for the series. For some reason, I fell away in the third season of the show and it took me until just last week to get back to the series. But the last week, I have had a Heroes-packed week.

The third season of Heroes was split into two sections, “Villains” and “Fugitives,” which splits the DVD boxed set into two very different storylines. That said, the fundamental problem with the third season of the show is too much of it seems too familiar, that is that the reversals become more predictable and the acting is much more in line with what has come before than with shaking up the tried and true formula. That said, the series is enjoyable and truth-be-told, I enjoyed watching it on DVD a lot more than I expected I would. Something about only having a week to get the twenty-five episodes watched made the season seem more vital.

In the “Villains” episodes, a rival Company to Primatech emerges. After a breakout of prisoners at Primatech’s infamous Level 5, Peter finds himself imperiled and soon Peter and Nathan discover their dead father is very much alive. Arthur Petrelli is, in fact, alive and running Pinehearst, an evil company looking to make an army of people with superhuman abilities. To that end, they require a formula, which Hiro loses to a super-fast thief named Daphne. With Sylar being used by Angela Petrelli in the quest to get villains back into Level 5, Claire finds herself trying to make a difference as a freelance agent on her own and Mohinder Suresh discovers the horrible consequences that come with having powers when he artificially gives himself abilities which begin to transform him.

Following an eclipse which temporarily robs those with abilities of their powers, Nathan Petrelli raises his status as the junior Senator from New York by beginning a covert government organization that hunts down those with abilities. Teamed with the brutal Emile Danko, Nathan begins hunting down those with abilities. Even as he tries to keep Claire off the radar of his workers at Building 26, Noah conspires with Angela to rebuild Primatech and finds himself compelled to work for the new organization. And as Sylar searches for his father, Peter tries to defend his family and learn how everything got so screwed up in the first place.

Too much of Heroes Season three is familiar to those who have watched the earlier seasons or just love science fiction, fantasy and super hero stories. So, for example, when Sylar finds the Holy Grail power of shapeshifting, the series tries too often to make reversals which suddenly reveal that Sylar is someone else who is on the screen. And, ultimately, the season heads in a direction that suddenly feels familiar as the story goes in the direction alluded to in the first season.

For a better understanding of the third season of Heroes, it helps to know who the characters are. In the fourth season, the principles are:

Noah Bennet – A government agent who has worked to save lives by keeping those with superhuman abilities contained. When Level Five suffers a security breach, he is paired with Sylar to get them back, a mission he embarks on only to try to discover how to kill Sylar. When Building 28 is established, he attempts to keep Claire safe by joining the shadow organization, despite some fundamental differences with Danko,

Matt Parkman – Struggling as a detective, he has the ability to both read minds and influence the thoughts of others. He has lost almost everything and when he encounters Peter from the future and is pushed into a walkabout in the African desert, he discovers he might have a future with Daphne,

Claire Bennet – An indestructible girl, she has a terrifying encounter with Sylar and is wounded such that she worries she may never feel pain again. After reuniting with her biological mother and saving her adoptive mother from a monster who acts as a puppetmaster, she tries to learn survival techniques. When those with abilities are hunted, she uses her unique status on the outside to try to form an underground railroad,

Peter Petrelli – Having been thrown around by a future version of himself and locked in the body of a Level 5 escapee, he works to save lives, only to be put repeatedly in danger. Robbed of his powers by his malicious father, he struggles to reconcile all of the wrongs his family has done. When Nathan sets up his government initiative, Peter quickly becomes his greatest opponent,

Hiro Nakamura – A master of time and space, he has the ability to stop time and teleport, an ability which Arthur takes away from him to try to destroy the future. Robbed of his powers, he is forced to watch as Ando develops as a hero in his own right,

Ando Masahashi – Artificially given powers in an attempt to get Hiro back his powers, the sidekick becomes the master. Ando soon learns he can super-charge the powers of others and that Hiro’s fear of him – having seen him in the future – may be reasonable,

Mohinder Suresh – Following in his father’s footsteps as a scientist, Mohinder tries to save Lydia from her terrible demon inside and in the process gives himself super-strength and spider-like abilities. But his transformation is inorganic and he soon begins to suffer mercilessly, taking refuge at Pinehearst to try to cure himself as well as Lydia. When Nathan turns against those with abilities, he finds himself hunted as well,

Nathan Petrelli – Bumped into the role of junior Senator by New York’s governor, he soon finds himself in danger from his dead father. Having survived the attempt on his life through the aid of others with powers, he quickly becomes two-faced and works to stop those like him, rounding them up without any trials for the protection of the general populace. When he is exposed by Danko, he, too, is forced to flee,

Sylar – Told by Angela that he is her son, he is captured but she attempts to rehabilitate him. The effort works for a time, until the hunger for new powers overwhelms him and he returns to his killing-spree ways. When Nathan turns on those with abilities, Sylar goes in search of his biological father and forms an unlikely alliance with Danko to hunt down a shapeshifter,

Tracey Strauss – The latest incarnation of the powerful blonde played by Ali Larter, she has the ability to freeze anything with her touch. She allies with Nathan until he turns on their kind and she is captured. The beneficiary of the mysterious Rebel’s attention, she exhibits a strong desire to stay alive and fight the good fight,

Angela Petrelli – After attempting to keep Sylar in check, she finds herself a fugitive from Nathan’s initiatives. Working closely with Noah, she explores the roots of the artificial gifts after working to defeat her previously dead husband,

Sandra Bennet – She tries to keep her family together with a superhuman daughter and a husband who lies to her,

And Daphne – A super-fast young lady, she is a thief working for Pinehearst until she meets Matt and he shows her another possible way. Unfortunately, Building 28’s operatives have something worse planned for her and she is struck down in their first assault on those with abilities.

Heroes Season Three is not a wealth of new and different acting, mostly because most of the characters have been with the show for so long that there is little direction they can go in. Brea Grant is good as Daphne and she is a fun, perky comedic actress who plays well off Masi Oka and James Kyson-Lee. She also has a decent ability to make some of Greg Grunberg’s scenes for high drama work better than he has with some other combinations of performers. Outside her adding a nice twist, only Sendhil Ramamurthy has a chance to shake up his performance. As Suresh, Ramamurthy becomes much more physical this season and he makes it seem truly painful to get abilities, which gives him more range.

But these are the exceptions to the acting rule in this season of Heroes. Instead, most of the performances are familiar. Jack Coleman is wonderfully cool as Noah, Hayden Panettiere is perky and a little stiff as Claire and Zachary Quinto is cold and deadly as Sylar. But we’ve seen this before. Even Ali Larter seems familiar as her supposedly new character.

On DVD, Heroes comes loaded in the third season. This DVD boxed set is packed with commentary tracks, special effects features and featurettes on the way the story has been developing. This makes it worth getting on DVD, despite the way the stories tend to repeat a lot of information – including entire scenes from prior episodes – in new episodes.

Those who like science fiction and super hero stories will find a lot to enjoy with Heroes Season Three, even if it is not truly new material they are witnessing.

For other science fiction works, please check out my reviews of:
Star Trek: The Next Generation
V: The Television Series
Carnivale

6.5/10

For other television program reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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Vignettes In Pointlessness: Heroes Volume 1 Graphic Novel Disappoints.

The Good: Moments of interesting storytelling, A few frames of artwork
The Bad: Fragmented, Not a cohesive story, Artwork is wildly variable (most of it poor)
The Basics: Poor artwork compounds the very specific nature of the stories told in this graphic novel, which fail to come together to make a cohesive book.


Because of the power of graphic novels in today's cinema, I have begun picking up a few different graphic novels. Appropriately enough, most of them so far have been based upon television shows, I have enjoyed like the graphic novel Serenity: Those Left Behind which bridged the television series with the movie Serenity. And I eagerly read Angel: After The Fall to see what happened to my favorite characters from the television show Angel ended. But largely, I have been unimpressed with what I've found, at least I was when I read Heroes Volume 1.

Unfortunately, Heroes Volume 1 does not change my feeling that most graphic novels are not the supposedly great literature they are touted as. Moreover, as someone who once used to read a number of comic books (albeit Star Trek), the pages of Heroes Volume 1 are hardly even noteworthy.

Heroes Volume 1 is the first physically published form of the Heroes on-line comics. Instead of collecting together a number of previously printed comics, the way the Knightfall graphic novels did, Heroes Volume 1 collected the stories that were previously only printed on the world wide web. The strength, I suppose, of being an on-line comic, is that there are very few costs associated with it and the demands of a publishing industry might not enter into it. Unfortunately, in this instance, this is used as an excuse to create something that is sloppy and pretty terrible.

Set during the first season of the television show Heroes (click here for my review!), Heroes Volume 1 fills in the blanks of elements of many of the characters' lives. So, for example, we are treated to Mohinder's arrival in New York City and how he gets hired with the Chelsea Cab Company, Hiro folding paper cranes to honor his dead grandfather, Nathan Petrelli flying up to rescue a woman trapped in a burning building and Claire climbing out of the car she crashed to menace her would-be rapist. The comics illustrate D.L. escaping from prison, Matt utilizing his mind-reading talent to take down a speeding criminal, and Isaac's first encounter with someone he painted a horrible end for.

It all reads like a series of deleted scenes from Heroes, and that makes it both a fast read and one that is incredibly insubstantial as a book. At best, the graphic novel fills in the past of Eden, who was killed by Sylar after manipulating Mohinder for most of the season, and tells a much more complete story of Hana Gitelman. Who is Hana Gitelman? Die-hard fans of Heroes might remember her for her two appearances in the first season wherein she manipulates Ted Sprague (the exploding man) to try to expose the Company. She essentially appeared with the somewhat pointless and ridiculous talent of being able to act like computer with a wireless modem. Okay, it's not entirely a lame talent, but essentially she was a woman who could send e-mails, text messages and the like with only her mind and similarly decrypt things like that.

Hana Gitelman pops up in the latter half of the book and her story (finally!) begins to dominate the graphic novel. In those chapters, which include how she was found by the Company and how she escaped them. She investigates the company and in those chapters, the Linderman/Petrelli connection is made explicit and she is killed off as well. Given that the graphic novel's contents were made under the direction of NBC, it's fairly easy to consider these stories cannon.

As such, we might feel fortunate that we were not subjected to some of the more inane ones. Micah takes on a bully, Mr. Bennet avenges Eden to her abusive father, and an especially witless dream of Peter when he was in the coma is presented. Many of these add up to little or nothing and they do not so much enhance what was shown in the first season as make explicit things that were mentioned.

Indeed, the best possible chance for the graphic novel to answer one of the questions from the first season is annoyingly sidestepped. The future Hiro Nakamura, the one who returned to the past to tell Peter Petrelli to "save the cheerleader, save the world" finds himself baffled that when Peter succeeds, his world is not altered. In the television series, this makes no real sense because if Sylar never stole Claire's powers, he could not have resisted Hiro's deadly attack. But even more problematic, Sylar was credited with destroying New York City, which means that he was the exploding man; in the future Sylar exhibits no trace of Ted Sprague's powers and he blames Peter for exploding. All of this, then, makes those who actually think about this sort of thing ask, "Are we truly meant to believe that if Ted Sprague did not get killed by Sylar, he would have managed to lay low and not explode for five years?!" Because unless Ted escaped and simply blew himself up in the Nevada desert, one has to figure that either he blew up New York City (in which case, it makes no sense that Peter would be blamed by Sylar) or a second city got blown up by Ted. Because, let's face it, fans of the television series will pretty much universally acknowledge that Ted Sprague was not the most stable guy in the world!

If this seems like a whole lot of mulling about things that only have tangential relation to Heroes Volume 1, you're missing the point I am attempting to make; Heroes Volume One is a series of vignettes with tangential relation to Heroes Season One. In other words, this graphic novel truly operates only as a supplement to the television series, much the way deleted scenes do. Without the context, this is a collection of vague allusions to events not presented in the actual book.

Even more problematic than the stories that are told, save the Hana Gitelman chronicles, is the artwork. The artwork ranges from looking like something from the Sunday comics (like Micah's story about the bully) to a ridiculously few panels that look almost like paintings (some of those pop up in the future with Hiro Nakamura of the future and they are very cool). But by and large, the animation is sloppy and it's hard to get excited about shelling out $15 - $30 (depending on whether one gets it in trade paperback or hardcover) for animation that looks like it was done in such a hurry. Several of the characters are utterly unrecognizable and that severely diminishes the stories being told about them. Audrey, for example, the normal human detective who has been hunting Sylar pops up for a five page story ("Turning Point") wherein she chases Sylar and is duped by him. Audrey is drawn like an anime character (as Hana, rather tragically, is at times) and looks like she's a twelve year-old wielding a pistol.

As well, it becomes clear in the earliest pages that the graphic novel was written, at some points, preceding events that occurred on the show. So, for example, Mohinder's father is shown and it is using artwork from the pilot episode, before Eric Avari was cast in the role. I understand the television show being unable to reshoot such things after the show started airing, but that could easily have been fixed for this graphic novel, especially considering the first printing long followed Avari's casting. Similarly, the brief appearance of a younger Linderman is bothersome because he does not look anything like a younger Malcolm McDonald. Fixing that would have taken a lot of work, but it would have illustrated a care on the part of the producers that proved they wanted to get this book right.

It's a shame when something that has an inherent quality to it is bastardized for commercial purposes, but outside the Hana Gitelman stories (only about a third of the book), these bits seem like attempts to capitalize on the success of Heroes without putting any actual effort or creative thought into it. And as interesting as the Gitelman stories might be, it's not enough to justify purchasing this graphic novel.

Seriously, the best analogy is that this is like reading a book of deleted scenes.

For other Heroes related reviews and graphic novel tie-in reviews, please check out:
Heroes: Saving Charlie
The A-Team: War Stories
Legion: Prophets

2.5/10

For other graphic novel reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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Half A Season Makes For A Hard Sell: Heroes Season 2 On DVD

The Good: Interesting concept, Some good direction, Some of the acting, DVD EXTRAS!
The Bad: Very derivative, Most of the characters are "types," a lot of mediocre acting
The Basics: With only eleven episodes, Heroes Season Two underwhelms on DVD, despite having generally good bonus features.


After living through another writer's strike and spending a lot of time watching DVDs as a result, it is hard not to argue just how repetitive Heroes truly is. Having had to get a Heroes fix from the "Season 1" DVD set (click here for that review! ) while waiting for new episodes and reading and rereading the Heroes novel Saving Charlie (click here for that review!), one quickly gets tired of it. I'm not saying it is not a good, fun, sometimes even phenomenal television show, but because it is heavily serialized and assumes people are tuning in for the first time with each new episode, there is a great deal of replay. Entire scenes unfold identically in multiple episodes and, frankly, for the DVD buying audience, this gets very boring, very quickly.

Fortunately for us, Heroes Season 2 has arrived on DVD! And it's about time, now we at least have a whole bunch of new episodes where scenes are replayed over and over again! Truth be told, I am a little down on Heroes right now, and not just because of the repetition or the writer's strike-truncated Season Two. More than any show since Star Trek, Heroes seems to have a real problem with killing off its main stars. I'm saying that up front because in order to discuss the second season of Heroes, it is virtually impossible not to mention how the first ended. So, that's the warning.

Heroes Season Two, now that I have reviewed it on DVD, looks good, but it is essentially eleven episodes that set Season Three up to be another Season One. Allow me to explain.

Four months after the events that climaxed in Kirby Plaza, Mohinder Suresh and Matt Parkman have taken legal custody of Molly and they are working (quietly) to find others with extraordinary abilities. Mohinder is also working with Noah Bennet to try to destroy the Company that has long been manipulating events in regards to the various extraordinary people who are sprouting up in the world. The remnants of Linderman's organization are not the only problems, though, as Sylar both survived the Kirby Plaza incident, but has taken company with a young woman who carries a plague within her. As well, Mohinder is approached by Bob, a man from the Company who has an interest in a viral plague.

All of this is well and good for those who are involved in the conspiracies of the world; Claire Bennet is compelled to lay low and in the process, she meets a classmate who is able to fly. As well, Micah discovers that he is not the only one in his family with an extraordinary talent when Niki/Jessica leaves him with his grandmother and cousins. And poor Peter Petreli; having survived the potential destruction of New York, he wakes up in a crate with no memory.

As Peter searches for clues to his identity by taking up with a band of Irish thieves, Hiro Nakamura finds himself in 17th Century Japan where he meets up with his hero, Takezo Kensei, who is both less than he thought and far greater. As Hiro struggles to regain use and control of his time-traveling abilities, events in the present conspire to put most of the major players on course for a viral outbreak which will decimate the world's population.

The introduction of the viral element continues to make "Heroes" seem like a vastly more popular knockoff of The 4400 and X-Men. But more than that, the new "heroes" suffer from the same fate as Niki/Jessica: they are boring. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see Ali Larter on television, but her character is possibly the least inspired superhero since . . . I don't know . . . Plasticman? As a result, one has the feeling that the writers and producers are at a bit of a loss as to what to do with some of the characters and we wait with baited breath for season three, in part, to see if the fates of some of the protagonists actually stick.

But from the new crop of genetically altered individuals, the imagination seems particularly stretched. Elle Bishop is essentially a female version of Ted Sprague with electricity instead of radiation being zapped from her. She also seems like her whole purpose is to illustrate what Noah was trying to avoid as a life for Claire. The thing is, we (the viewers) got it. The Company is full of not nice people. We get it, this example seems redundant to our imagination. Other new heroes include: a girl who can mimic anything she sees on television and a young woman who carries a plague that she can let out whenever she's upset and reabsorb when done. As well, a significant new mutant/enhanced person pops up, one whose power may be one of the greatest yet.

As well, there is a new menace from the Company, in the form of Bob, but frankly, he's no Linderman. And as Bob hunts for mutants, using his daughter, the story winds through the eleven episodes more aimlessly than the first season, making the viewer wonder what the point truly is. It's entertaining, but it's not as engaging or focused as the first season, despite the fact that someone is hunting down the founding members of the Company!

Still, it's worth it to see who the show is about because some of the characters are neat and the plot (it is heavily serialized, which I like quite a bit) is interesting enough to entertain. Here is how the second season finds the primary characters:

Mohinder Suresh - Struggling with his father's research and his adopted ward's illness, Mohinder's quiet quest to eliminate the Company is complicated when he is paired with Jessica. Soon, he finds his work increasingly dangerous and discovers that the Company might not want to help the enhanced as much as he does,

Claire Bennet - After desperately attempting to lay low in a new school, she discovers a classmate who can fly and begins to develop a relationship with him. That quickly becomes complicated when it appears that he will kill her father,

West Rosen - A young man who has learned he can fly, he recognizes Noah Bennet and begins to recall that he was experimented upon when Bennet worked for the Company. He soon sets his sights on revenge,

Hiro Nakamura - Trapped in 17th Century Japan, Hiro tries to make a hero out of Kensei, but discovers himself falling in love with the woman Kensei is supposed to marry. When he finally is able to return to the future, he is dismayed to discover his father has been killed . . . and who the killer is,

Ando - Hiro's best friend, he returns to his banal job with Hiro's Kensei sword, in which he discovers notes Hiro wrote in the past for him,

Mr. Noah Bennet - A menacing man and father to Claire who works exceptionally hard to keep her safe. Quietly trying to take down the Company, he soon finds he has to watch his back more when Elle comes hunting and West tries to make a move as well,

Elle Bishop - Daughter of a powerful member of the Company, she is hired out with her brutal ability to throw electric charges,

Nathan Petrelli - Having nearly died after saving the world, he is mostly a drunk now. He senses that Peter is still alive, but does not know where to find him,

Peter Petrelli - Having lost his memory, he awakens in Ireland where he is hired by thieves. As his powers begin to manifest, he finds his way toward the right side of the law and his family,

Niki/Jessica Sanders - A split personality whose power seems to be that she is a split personality. Niki is submerged to a more aggressive Jessica personality who works to protect her son, Micah. Niki sought to be "cured" from her multiple personality nature, but Jessica soon began working for the Company,

Micah Sanders - A child, son of Niki, he is sent to stay with his grandmother and cousin, whom he begins to impress with his abilities to manipulate electronic devices,

Matt Parkman - The police officer who can read minds is now protecting Molly, who has fallen ill. His marriage over, he quietly works to bring down the Company,

Molly Walker - A very young girl who has been adopted by Mohinder and Matt, she continues to sense an evil who she fears is coming for her. This causes her to fall in and out of comas,

Maya - The bearer of a plague, she and her brother flee South America in search of scientists who can help her, leaving a long trail of dead bodies en route,

and Sylar - Having been captured by the Company following his actions in Kirby Plaza, he soon dispatches his guard and flees, finding himself rescuing Maya as he searches for his identity.

Part of what makes Heroes remarkably average is the characters are very much "types" instead of actualized characters with their own genuinely distinct personalities. The other problem is that because the cast is so large, there are several characters that have very little airtime and a lot of the acting is shaky at best. Most of the performers have ability, to be sure. For example, Milo Ventimiglia is clearly playing a very different character than, say, his role on Gilmore Girls. Indeed, as a Peter without memory, Ventimiglia is given a chance to show that he can act and he plays confusion and hurt very well. He is given the opportunity to stretch in virtually every scene he is in on this DVD set and he lives up to that potential by giving performances that are consistently compelling.

Sadly, that ability to act is not present in all of the players on Heroes. Kristen Bell, who wowed me on Veronica Mars is terribly bland as Elle. Similarly, Adrian Pasdar continues to appear on Heroes as a poor-man's Scott Bakula. Pasdar might be a fine actor, but he's playing Nathan like Scott Bakula playing Nathan Petrelli.

The DVD bonus features are good, the highlight of which is an alternate ending to Season Two. This projects a very different direction the series could go in for Season Three, but . . . given that it didn't happen that way, there is an additional feature which previews the new season. There are featurettes of webcasts from NBC.com as well as commentary tracks on key episodes. The commentary tracks are insightful and fun, which is a nice change from several of the commentary tracks I have endured lately.

And in the end, there is enough for superhero or science fiction fans to enjoy. But for the masses . . . there's just not enough this season to rush right out to own this DVD set.

For other seasons during the strike, please check out my reviews of:
Lost – Season 4
30 Rock – Season 3
The Big Bang Theory – Season 2

5.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Forget The Cheerleader, Save Your Money! Saving Charlie Flops!

The Good: Moments of intrigue, Have the characters pretty well down
The Bad: Ridiculously simple diction, Story does not ultimately add anything, Moments of voice
The Basics: With fairly flat characters and a simplistic writing style, Saving Charlie is bound to disappoint fans of Heroes or romantic time-travel adventures.


I tend not to read novels that are tie-ins to current television shows. As an avowed Star Trek fan, I have – naturally – read many Star Trek novels. It’s part of the culture and it’s part of the culture I enjoy celebrating. Every now and then, I make an exception to this general rule, like when I read the Lost tie-in Bad Twin (click here for that review!). I decided to make another exception when I learned of Saving Charlie, the new novel that ties in with the hit television series Heroes. Now I am finding I wish I had not made a second exception!

This novel focuses on Hiro Nakamura, the time-traveling, time-freezing hero whose mission to “save the cheerleader, save the world,” dominated the early chapters of the Heroes storyline. Unfortunately for Hiro, the message given to him, that simple catchphrase is a bit vague and Hiro chooses the cheerleader, Charlie, to try to save, determined that this will save the world from Sylar, the brain-extracting, power absorbing villain plaguing the community of newfound superheroes.

Hiro Nakamura has learned that in order to use the power he has only recently discovered he has, he must return to the past to save a cheerleader in a small Texas city. He arrives and finds Charlie, a shy, kind cheerleader and Hiro is delighted at the prospect that she might be the one he might have to save and by extension the world will be saved from the evils of the Brain Man. Hiro’s quest is only complicated by two things: first he has arrived six months before her date of death, meaning he has to wait around six months in Texas before he can rise up to save her, and second, he believes that he loves Charlie.

Over the course of six months, Hiro begins to work with Charlie and fall more and more in love with her. What seems like a youthful smitten crush soon blooms into a complicated romance as Hiro has a tendency to translate in time and space at awkward moments, usually when his relationship with Charlie is taking a leap. So, for example, when he finally shares a kiss with her, he ends up back in Japan, only to return to Texas at a point even further off (1976!). As Hiro waits the clock out while negotiating a complicated love, an abusive coworker and trying to understand the unique powers he possesses and the threat of the Brain Man, he finds himself wrestling with the idea that he may not be as heroic as he needs to be.

Saving Charlie is a problematic book and it starts with the fundamental, problematic concept of time-travelers and time traveling. There are two novels that I believe are both perfect novels and deal with time traveling. Last year, I enthusiastically reviewed and recommended Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time-Traveler’s Wife (click here for that review!). As well, ironically – because Hiro Nakamura loves Star Trek and because it is also (though more loosely) a tie-in novel, Peter David’s epic romance Imzadi (click here for that review!) succeeds in virtually every way that Saving Charlie fails.

First, in terms of the story, Saving Charlie is, at best, dull. Hiro and Charlie develop as a couple through a sense of inertia and the idea that they are destined for one another. They are not bound or destined by any common love or common law, just the sense that because they were together in the television show, they are together in this book. Yes, the book is their supposed love story, but the problem is, it never blossoms into a true and real feeling love. Instead, Hiro pines for Charlie, does her favors occasionally and works with her. It seems much more of the novel is spent with him fretting over the impending events as opposed to actually enjoying the time he has with her.

The novel is distracted from its own purpose by the sense of where it must end up. The novel, written by Aury Wallington, is advertised as filling in a vital lost chapter in Heroes history, finally telling the story of the love Hiro and Charlie had that went largely unseen on the television show. Unlike Imzadi, which was highly anticipated after years of allusions on Star Trek: The Next Generation to the Riker/Troi relationship, Heroes never truly hyped the Hiro/Charlie relationship. When she is killed on the television episode, it does not break Hiro.

The characters in the show are about as plastic in Saving Charlie as they are on television. Ando, for example, is Hiro’s fairly generic sidekick and his appearances in this book read very true to the character we see on television because he is a supporting role with very little of his own genuine character to him. The problem with Saving Charlie is that the two characters that are supposed to make us care about the story, Hiro and Charlie, are not fleshed out in any meaningful way. There is nothing particularly special about either one – aside from his falling through time whenever things get hot or his ability to clean up his place for her by stopping time moments before she enters the room.

Saving Charlie also fails on a plot level from using the conceits of the time traveler. Hiro Nakamura has the ability to move through time and to stop it, though at this point in his development, he lacks precision with his jumps, which is a nice character defect. The problem with having both of these abilities is the same problem with allowing the Borg to time travel in Star Trek: First Contact. If at first you don’t succeed, try try again certainly applies. So, if Hiro cannot save Charlie this time, if he truly loves her, why doesn’t he try again? Through a series of trial and error, one can go back and try a different way the next time (like the Borg, if they failed in the mid-21rst Century, why didn’t they go back to the 1960s and assimilate everyone?!). Hiro’s unique gifts make this plot somewhat ridiculous. Sylar, the “Brain Man” cannot hurt him once he learns when and where Charlie will be killed by him. All he has to do is stop time right when he grabs her, then grab Charlie and teleport her to a different time and place.

But no, it didn’t happen that way in the television episode, therefore, the reader is not allowed the correction of the oversights in this novel.

Aury Wellington presents Saving Charlie as a fairly simplistic work that is almost insulting to those who might enjoy what sophistication and violence comes in the television series. Wellington’s chapters are seldom more then four pages long and the writing does not use diction more complicated than a fourth grade reading level. For the price of a hardcover, this is a serious disappointment.

In a book that could have truly fleshed out the world of Heroes and create a great love to make a genuine tragedy, we get a waiting game novel that puts Hiro Nakamura into a more pointless journey than we might have already suspected.

For more information on Heroes, especially the episodes this book pertains to, it is worth checking out Heroes – Season One on DVD, which is reviewed here! Thanks!

For other science fiction novels, please check out my reviews of:
Star Trek: The Motion Picture - Gene Roddenberry
Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith - Matthew Stover
Neuromancer - William Gibson

3/10

For other book reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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Fantastic DVD Extras Knock Heroes - Season 1 Up A Notch (Barely!)

The Good: Interesting concept, Some good direction, Some of the acting, DVD EXTRAS!
The Bad: Very derivative, Most of the characters are "types," a lot of mediocre acting
The Basics: In a rare occasion, the DVD bonuses push a solidly average television series into a worthwhile buy for the DVD connoisseur.


It always amuses me what becomes a "phenomenon" on television and on DVD. I recall when the first season of Alias was the big thing and genre pundits were convinced it could go on indefinitely. By the fifth season, the episode orders were being continually cut back such that the show went out with so little fanfare as to be virtually unnoticed. Ally McBeal was at the top of the public imagination for a time and when it fell, it fell hard and FAST. For a while the public imagination of genre viewers was focused on a little breakout show called Heroes, which seems to have a following at least as large as that of Lost (click here for my review of that!). With its release on DVD, I found myself doing another Heroes marathon (my first one was before the season finale when one of the cable networks ran the entire first season back to back) and I was forced to conclude what I did after the first marathon.

Heroes is good, but it's not extraordinary television. It's not terribly original, it's not increasingly clever, and it's (sadly) obvious in the way it executes most of its storytelling. In fact, the only reason I can conceive for its popularity is that Heroes is tapping into an audience who has not done a lot of perusing of science fiction/fantasy/super hero genre programming. I mention this because Heroes is ludicrously derivative of the USA original series The 4400. USA and NBC are owned by the same parent company so while some celebrate Tim Kring's originality, I see it as frustratingly incestuous and unoriginal.

Why, then, do I rate this series so high? It's all about the DVDs. And we'll get to that in a moment. First, if you've never heard of or seen Heroes, here is what you may expect from Heroes Season 1 on DVD:

Mohinder Suresh, scientist and student, is dismayed when his father, philosopher and geneticist Chandra Suresh is murdered in New York City. Mohinder soon realizes that the murder is related to Chandra's theory that extraordinary abilities are manifesting in seemingly ordinary people around the world and his father was searching for those people. And Chandra was correct, pinpointing the locations of several individuals who do have superhuman abilities. They include a teenager who can regenerate from virtually any wound, a man who can fly, a cop who can read the thoughts of others, and a young man who can time travel and teleport. But in addition to those figuring out how to use their powers in vague, general terms they can cope with, there are others who are exploiting their powers for nefarious purposes.

Soon, there comes an ominous prophecy about New York City being virtually destroyed by an explosion only months away. The warning comes from Hiro Nakamura, or at least a future version of him, and is soon confirmed by works of a prophetic artist who seems to be able to paint the future. The race then becomes to save the regenerating cheerleader, find the individuals with the superpowers and ultimately to save New York City (and the world) from the destructive forces represented by those villainous enough to use their powers for evil!

The problem is, we've seen this before. Anyone who has seen X-Men understands the concept of mutants with powers and television audiences who were captivated by The 4400 have an even more recent example. This is The 4400 recast such that there is some excitement and intrigue in finding out who has the powers and what they are. But ultimately, at the end of the day, many of the powers possessed by the Heroes are even strikingly similar to those possessed by people on The 4400.

Part of the problem is that the show starts with the novelty of the heroes, but then soon becomes increasingly plot intensive. The last seven episodes (from "Company Man" on) sacrifice almost any sense of character advance the convoluted plot and bring the various heroes from around the world together. The plot serves to advance the convergence of the plot lines and the heroes who become more embodiments of their super power than actually . . . actualized characters.

Still, it's worth it to see who the show is about because some of the characters are neat and the plot (it is heavily serialized, which I like quite a bit) is engaging, if not original. In the first season, the characters presented and explored in depth are:

Mohinder Suresh - A scholarly detective of sorts who is investigating his father's murder, legacy and work and soon discovers that his father was accurately assessing the locations and identities of individuals who had superhuman abilities,

Claire Bennet - The cheerleader who is a normal enough girl, yet is severely depressed. Her suicide attempts yield the understanding that she is virtually indestructible, possessing an ability to regenerate wounds to her body with extreme speed. Daughter of the mysterious Mr. Bennet, she comes to understand her ability is a gift but that she is a potential target to those who would exploit or harm her,

Hiro Nakamura - A young Japanese man who discovers that his geeky obsession with time travel has practical applications when he learns to focus and manipulate time and his position in space. Hiro soon translates himself to the United States where he seeks to fulfill a prophecy to save the cheerleader and the world,

Ando - Hiro's best friend, a sobering influence who has no superhuman powers save to put up with Hiro,

Mr. Bennet - A menacing man and father to Claire who works exceptionally hard to keep her safe. While Claire hides her abilities from him, Bennet works for a secret institution that is responsible for hunting down those with the abilities, an organization whose goals may not be entirely beneficial to humanity or the heroes,

Nathan Petrelli - Congressional candidate from New York City whose sudden ability to fly is kept a closely guarded secret. Working to win an election takes its toll on him, especially when it becomes clear that his part in the designs of the organization Bennet works for might lead to disaster for everyone,

Peter Petrelli - Disturbed by dreams that he can fly, Peter's control of his brother's campaign begins to slip until he comes to term with his own unique ability; he absorbs the powers of superhumans in his vicinity,

Niki/Jessica Sanders - A split personality whose power seems to be that she is a split personality (I know of several people who find this to be a mental illness, but here it's trumpeted as a great superhuman ability). Niki is submerged to a more aggressive Jessica personality who works to protect her son, Micah,

Micah Sanders - A child, son of Niki, who has the ability to manipulate electrical fields, notably computers and whose skills as a result bring him to the attention of people who would use his powers for their own gain,

Matt Parkman - A police officer who suddenly discovers he has the ability to read the thoughts of others, his problems with his wife and his dyslexia soon become sublimated to his problems with an organization that his hunting him and those like him,

Isaac Mendez - A talented artist who has disturbing incidents that result in his ability to paint future events whether he wants to or not,

D.L. Hawkins - Micah's father, a man who can pass through solid objects, he returns to Micah's life determined to keep Jessica from harming him,

and Sylar - A student of Chandra's work who believed he was touched by the same gift as others Chandra predicted. Unfortunately, his mental instability combined well with his ability to steal the superhuman abilities of others by killing them and removing their brains, making him a powerful villain, one set on a collision course with destiny in New York City.

It does not take long before it becomes clear that Sylar is the Alpha villain (at least for the first season), though there are others who arise and have a presence or agenda that is not beneficial either for the world or the lives of the individuals blessed (or cursed, depending on one's position) with the superhuman powers. Matt, Mr. Bennet and Peter all become interested in the existence of Sylar and obsessed with how to stop him. Indeed, one of the few true character journeys of the first season comes in the form of Hiro, who is led to the conclusion that Sylar is indisputably evil and must be stopped at any cost, even if it means killing him, something which the young man never considered himself capable of before.

Part of what makes Heroes remarkably average is the characters are very much "types" instead of actualized characters with their own genuinely distinct personalities. The other problem is that because the cast is so large, there are several characters that have very little airtime (I expected the series to feature Greg Grunberg as Matt quite a bit more than it does) and a lot of the acting is shaky at best. It is strangely easy for guest cast members like George Takei and Malcolm McDowell to sweep in and overwhelm the show even when they have limited screentime. Some of the actors who have the most time on screen like Hayden Panettiere (Claire) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder) become overwhelmed by the end of the season by actors whose early performances clearly gave the creative staff more to work with, like Jack Coleman (Mr. Bennet).

What pushes the series up on DVD some, then, are the DVD bonus features. The DVD set features extensive commentaries from many members of the cast. Some of the episode are more engaging with the commentaries on! As well the boxed set features an extensive featurette on the first season which is informative and entertaining. There are fifty deleted scenes which flesh out the episodes nicely and the original cut of the pilot that frankly makes more of an event out of the beginning than the slightly more lackluster one that aired.

The bonus features are enough to push the average show up into an above-average DVD release that is bound to satisfy fans of science fiction and super hero stories, if not so much fans of drama in general.

For other first seasons of science fiction shows, please check out my reviews of:
V - The First Season
Invasion
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 1

7/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



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A Wandering Series That Started High And Floundered Fast: Heroes Ends Up Average!

The Good: DVD Bonus features, Sense of story, Some acting, Moments of character
The Bad: Very plot-driven, Problematic plots, Sense of repetition.
The Good: Despite having a first season that starts pretty incredibly, Heroes quickly went off-course by repeating too many of its own ideas and taking too much from The 4400.


Sometimes, there is a television series that I encounter after the hype and I have the chance to view it more objectively than when it initially aired. That was not the case with Heroes, the NBC series which lasted for four seasons and is now available in a complete series bundle pack which allows viewers to get the entire experience in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, even as the show aired, I saw fundamental problems with the show and watching the entire series all over again, I was struck by how many problems the show had and when it bowed out, how little interest I still had in the show. From the very beginning, I saw that Heroes was using a number of plot and character elements from the Universal/NBC program The 4400 which had a short run on cable and I DID come to after it was over.

That said, Heroes is a television program that seeks to mimic comic books in the sense of serialization and style for presenting episodes in chapters and the seasons, mostly, as volumes. There is narration (which is particularly annoying) but what the show has that few programs manage to do well is present a story with a true sense of world scope. The characters in Heroes are from all over the world and in the course of the show, characters do more than simply sit around the United States Of America solving problems. Unfortunately, because the show is so insular with the American characters, there are scope issues that are unfortunately minimized.

Heroes The Complete Series is a bundle pack which has all 24 of the original discs of Heroes repackaged in slimmer, newer, packaging. Even so, this is essentially what one would find in:
Heroes Season 1 - "Genesis"
Heroes Season 2 - "Generations"
Heroes Season 3 – “Villains” and “Fugitives”
Heroes Season 4 – “Redemption” with no new bonus features.

Heroes is basically the story of several characters around the world who awaken after an eclipse to realize they have tremendous superpowers.

In "Genesis," Mohinder Suresh, scientist and student, is dismayed when his father, philosopher and geneticist Chandra Suresh is murdered in New York City. Mohinder soon realizes that the murder is related to Chandra's theory that extraordinary abilities are manifesting in seemingly ordinary people around the world and his father was searching for those people. And Chandra was correct, pinpointing the locations of several individuals who do have superhuman abilities. They include a teenager who can regenerate from virtually any wound, a man who can fly, a cop who can read the thoughts of others, and a young man who can time travel and teleport. But in addition to those figuring out how to use their powers in vague, general terms they can cope with, there are others who are exploiting their powers for nefarious purposes.

Soon, there comes an ominous prophecy about New York City being virtually destroyed by an explosion only months away. The warning comes from Hiro Nakamura, or at least a future version of him, and is soon confirmed by works of a prophetic artist who seems to be able to paint the future. The race then becomes to save the regenerating cheerleader, find the individuals with the superpowers and ultimately to save New York City (and the world) from the destructive forces represented by those villainous enough to use their powers for evil!

Four months after the events that climaxed in Kirby Plaza, “Generations“ begins with Mohinder Suresh and Matt Parkman having taken legal custody of Molly as they work (quietly) to find others with extraordinary abilities. Mohinder is also working with Noah Bennet to try to destroy the Company that has long been manipulating events in regards to the various extraordinary people who are sprouting up in the world. The remnants of Linderman's organization are not the only problems, though, as Sylar both survived the Kirby Plaza incident, but has taken company with a young woman who carries a plague within her. As well, Mohinder is approached by Bob, a man from the Company who has an interest in a viral plague.

All of this is well and good for those who are involved in the conspiracies of the world; Claire Bennet is compelled to lay low and in the process, she meets a classmate who is able to fly. As well, Micah discovers that he is not the only one in his family with an extraordinary talent when Niki/Jessica leaves him with his grandmother and cousins. And poor Peter Petreli; having survived the potential destruction of New York, he wakes up in a crate with no memory.

As Peter searches for clues to his identity by taking up with a band of Irish thieves, Hiro Nakamura finds himself in 17th Century Japan where he meets up with his hero, Takezo Kensei, who is both less than he thought and far greater. As Hiro struggles to regain use and control of his time-traveling abilities, events in the present conspire to put most of the major players on course for a viral outbreak which will decimate the world's population.

In “Villains,” a rival Company to Primatech emerges. After a breakout of prisoners at Primatech’s infamous Level 5, Peter finds himself imperiled and soon Peter and Nathan discover their dead father is very much alive. Arthur Petrelli is, in fact, alive and running Pinehearst, an evil company looking to make an army of people with superhuman abilities. To that end, they require a formula, which Hiro loses to a super-fast thief named Daphne. With Sylar being used by Angela Petrelli in the quest to get villains back into Level 5, Claire finds herself trying to make a difference as a freelance agent on her own and Mohinder Suresh discovers the horrible consequences that come with having powers when he artificially gives himself abilities which begin to transform him.

Following an eclipse which temporarily robs those with abilities of their powers, Nathan Petrelli raises his status as the junior Senator from New York by beginning a covert government organization that hunts down those with abilities, which is where “Fugitives” starts. Teamed with the brutal Emile Danko, Nathan begins hunting down those with abilities. Even as he tries to keep Claire off the radar of his workers at Building 26, Noah conspires with Angela to rebuild Primatech and finds himself compelled to work for the new organization. And as Sylar searches for his father, Peter tries to defend his family and learn how everything got so screwed up in the first place.

The series winds down with “Redemption,” which finds Nathan struggling with his identity and most of the rest of the specials just happy the government is no longer hunting them. While Claire goes off to college, Hiro learns his talent is killing him and he prepares to die. Even as Noah tries to reconcile a past relationship and keep Claire safe, he struggles to find his place in live now that he is not hunting individuals with special abilities. But Noah’s retirement is short-lived as Tracy resurfaces with a grudge and she learns about Samuel, a special who lives with others in a travelling carnival. As Samuel approaches others, Sylar resurfaces and the manipulations of the two adversaries soon threaten the world once again.

The problem is, we've seen this before. Anyone who has seen X-Men or has read a comic book understands the concept of mutants with powers and television audiences who were captivated by The 4400 have an even more recent example. This is The 4400 recast such that there is some excitement and intrigue in finding out who has the powers and what they are. But ultimately, at the end of the day, many of the powers possessed by the "Heroes" are even strikingly similar to those possessed by people on The 4400.

Part of the problem is that the show starts with the novelty of the heroes, but then soon becomes increasingly plot intensive. The last seven episodes (from "Company Man" on) sacrifice almost any sense of character to advance the convoluted plot and bring the various heroes from around the world together. The plot serves to advance the convergence of the plot lines and the heroes who become more embodiments of their super power than actually . . . actualized characters.

Still, it's worth it to see who the show is about because some of the characters are neat and the plot (it is heavily serialized, which I like quite a bit) is engaging, if not original. For the bulk of the series, the characters presented and explored in depth are:

Mohinder Suresh - A scholarly detective of sorts who is investigating his father's murder, legacy and work and soon discovers that his father was accurately assessing the locations and identities of individuals who had superhuman abilities,

Claire Bennet - The cheerleader who is a normal enough girl, yet is severely depressed. Her suicide attempts yield the understanding that she is virtually indestructible, possessing an ability to regenerate wounds to her body with extreme speed. Daughter of the mysterious Mr. Bennet, she comes to understand her ability is a gift but that she is a potential target to those who would exploit or harm her,

Hiro Nakamura - A young Japanese man who discovers that his geeky obsession with time travel has practical applications when he learns to focus and manipulate time and his position in space. Hiro soon translates himself to the United States where he seeks to fulfill a prophecy to save the cheerleader and the world,

Ando - Hiro's best friend, a sobering influence who has no superhuman powers save to put up with Hiro. But the more their adventures go on, the more he begins to covet and be guarded about powers,

Mr. Bennet - A menacing man and father to Claire who works exceptionally hard to keep her safe. While Claire hides her abilities from him, Bennet works for a secret institution that is responsible for hunting down those with the abilities, an organization whose goals may not be entirely beneficial to humanity or the heroes,

Nathan Petrelli - Congressional candidate from New York City whose sudden ability to fly is kept a closely guarded secret. Working to win an election takes its toll on him, especially when it becomes clear that his part in the designs of the organization Bennet works for might lead to disaster for everyone,

Peter Petrelli - Disturbed by dreams that he can fly, Peter's control of his brother's campaign begins to slip until he comes to term with his own unique ability; he absorbs the powers of superhumans in his vicinity,

Niki/Jessica Sanders - A split personality whose power seems to be that she is a split personality (I know of several people who find this to be a mental illness, but here it's trumpeted as a great superhuman ability). Niki is submerged to a more aggressive Jessica personality who works to protect her son, Micah,

Micah Sanders - A child, son of Niki, who has the ability to manipulate electrical fields, notably computers and whose skills as a result bring him to the attention of people who would use his powers for their own gain,

Matt Parkman - A police officer who suddenly discovers he has the ability to read the thoughts of others, his problems with his wife and his dyslexia soon become sublimated to his problems with an organization that his hunting him and those like him,

Isaac Mendez - A talented artist who has disturbing incidents that result in his ability to paint future events whether he wants to or not,

D.L. Hawkins - Micah's father, a man who can pass through solid objects, he returns to Micah's life determined to keep Jessica from harming him,

and Sylar - A student of Chandra's work who believed he was touched by the same gift as others Chandra predicted. Unfortunately, his mental instability combined well with his ability to steal the superhuman abilities of others by killing them and removing their brains, making him a powerful villain, one set on a collision course with destiny in New York City and beyond.

It does not take long before it becomes clear that Sylar is the Alpha villain, though there are others who arise and have a presence or agenda that is not beneficial either for the world or the lives of the individuals blessed (or cursed, depending on one's position) with the superhuman powers. Matt, Mr. Bennet and Peter all become interested in the existence of Sylar and obsessed with how to stop him. Indeed, one of the few true character journeys of the series comes in the form of Hiro, who is led to the conclusion that Sylar is indisputably evil and must be stopped at any cost, even if it means killing him, something which the young man never considered himself capable of before. And as his health is put in jeopardy by the use of his abilities, Hiro is the one who has the greatest consequences for his success or failure!

Part of what makes Heroes remarkably average is the characters are very much "types" instead of actualized characters with their own genuinely distinct personalities. The other problem is that because the cast is so large, there are several characters that have very little airtime (I expected the series to feature Greg Grunberg as Matt quite a bit more than it does) and a lot of the acting is shaky at best. It is strangely easy for guest cast members like George Takei and Malcolm McDowell to sweep in and overwhelm the show even when they have limited screentime. Some of the actors who have the most time on screen like Hayden Panettiere (Claire) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder) become overwhelmed by the end of the first season by actors whose early performances clearly gave the creative staff more to work with, like Jack Coleman (Mr. Bennet).

What pushes the series up on DVD are the DVD bonus features. The DVD sets feature extensive commentaries from many members of the cast. Some of the episode are more engaging with the commentaries on! As well the boxed set features an extensive featurette on each of the seasons which is informative and entertaining. There are hundreds of deleted scenes which flesh out the episodes nicely and the original cut of the pilot that frankly makes more of an event out of the beginning than the slightly more lackluster one that aired.

But ultimately, Heroes is average and I had the “you’ve seen it once, you’ve got it” problem with the series. In other words, once I saw the show, I felt I gained nothing by rewatching episodes and at the end of the day, that makes it impossible for me to recommend the series, even if component parts of it are above average and the DVD bonus features are phenomenal.

For other science fiction television, please check out my reviews of:
Lost
V- Season 1
Carnivale

5/10

For other television reviews, click here to visit my index page!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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