Star Wars: The Clone Wars - A BG Review

by Betsy

My three-and-a-half year old son, Jack, is a huge Star Wars fan. This weekend, he was able to experience the joy that many of us remember from our childhoods - that is, seeing a brand new movie from our favorite francise for the very first time on a big screen.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I felt much of the same excitement. As a long-time Star Wars fan myself, I love the moment when that John Williams score first kicks in. But unlike Jack, I was feeling some trepidation about this movie. I have felt that initial geeky excitement, only to be burned three times by disappointing prequels.

So, what would two fans - one three and a half, one thirty-tree and a half - think of Star Wars: The Clone Wars? Click on the link, genious.


The movie takes place between Episode II and Episode III of the non-animated movies. Anakin is introduced to a new apprentice, a young girl named Ahsoka. The two of them are charged with rescuing the kidnapped son of Jabba the Hutt, in the hope of improving relations between the Jedi and the Hutts as an advantage in the ongoing Clone Wars.

Where the prequels spent an enormous amount of time explaining the politics behind the Clone Wars, this movie pretty much goes from one battle scene to the next, which is a vast improvement. Jack was really into it, cheering, "Get him, Anakin! Go, Ahsoka!" I was less impressed by it - although the action scenes were a lot of fun, there was no real feeling of innovation. Episode II had its faults, but it did allow us to see a huge group of Jedi, lightsabers drawn, in the midst of a gigantic fight. The Cartoon Network's Clone Wars shorts were even better, particularly a battle between Anakin and Ventress that could have come from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The action scenes in Clone Wars lacked that creative spark.

I really didn't like the style of animation that was used in the movie. Considering the technology available today, in which Finding Nemo looks practically real, having such artifical looking characters was a strange choice. I felt like I was watching a video game the entire time.

Only a few of the cast of the live movies were used in this one, to mixed effect. James Arnold Taylor played Obi-Wan like an imitation of Ewan McGreggor, but Matt Lanter was a vast improvement over Hayden Christensen as Anakin. His chemistry with apprentice Ahsoka (voiced by Ashley Drane) was a million times more believable than that between Christensen and Natalie Portman in any scenes the two of them had together. I also liked the fact that female characters played a larger role in this movie, and that one of the clone troopers, Captain Rex, actually had a bit of a personality. Jack obviously agreed, as he told me that he wanted action figures of Captain Rex and Ventress.

Clone Wars was written by Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, and Scott Murphy - in other words, not by George Lucas. As a result, the dialogue - while not exactly Shakespeare - was considerably better. Attempts to break the tension with humor, particularly with the hapless droid army, were considerably more effective than C-3PO being dragged behind R2-D2 and saying, "what a drag."

Critics are slamming this new movie, and I can honestly say that Jack and I enjoyed it a lot more than they did. Jack declared that it was a "nice, nice movie," and "really cool, Mommy," and "We should buy this when it comes out on DVD." He actually got out of his seat and danced to the music that played over the credits. I am less enthusiastic. It's a far cry from the original trilogy, better than the prequels, but not nearly as good as the Cartoon Network cartoons. Jack would give it an A, but I'll settle for a C+
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Comics for Kids: Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends

by Betsy

As part of my ongoing effort to entertain my superhero-crazed three-year-old son, I've started investigating some cartoons. After all, anything involving superheroes can't possibly be as annoying as Dora the Explorer... can it?

Jack and I checked out Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series, and I quickly learned that they are bad choices for him. I suspect they'd be fine for an older kid, maybe 7 or so, but they made Jack into a crazy, rammy nutbar who is incapable of not hurling himself off of the couch, getting boo-boos, crying, and repeat into infinity.

Then, I came up with a genious idea: a bootleg of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends. I loved the show as a kid - would Jack agree? And would I like it for any reasons other than nostalgia?

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends now airs on the Disney Channel's Jetix, but if you're crazy internet saavy like me, and have access to little-known sites like "Google," then you too can obtain a bootleg of questionable quality.

If you are not a child of the '80s and aren't familiar with the show, the premise is pretty simple. Spider-Man is a student at Empire State, along with his friends Iceman and Firestar - a character who was created solely for the show. Firestar not only provides powers that contrast with Iceman's, but also serves as a token female. The three of them live with Aunt May and her puppy, Ms. Lion, and fight crime when they're not in class. Plus, as a bonus, the whole thing is narrated by Stan Lee.

Jack absolutely loves this show. He geeks out at the frequent guest appearances - from Captain America to the X-Men, and all kinds of characters in between. He finds the action scenes exciting, but not scary. The bad guys in this cartoon are really not that bad - they are pretty much as evil as the gang that tried to steal gas from Steve Martin's character in The Jerk. Everything resolves neatly in half-hour installments, and there are jokes that only a kid could love.

As an adult, I find that there is considerably less to love about this show. I do enjoy watching it with Jack and explaining who Namor is, and I like that I can leave him alone to watch the show without worrying about his seeing anything age-inappropriate. But the plots are thin, the storylines are often lame, and the humor is cringe-worthy. And be warned: the music (all two instrumental pieces repeated on a constant loop) will get stuck in your head. I wouldn't watch it myself, but with a little kid, it's a lot of fun.

Jack's rating: A
My rating: C+
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Comics For Kids: Marvel Age Hulk

by Betsy

Did you hear? There’s a new comic book movie coming out this week – The Incredible Hulk. Since the movie is PG-13, I won’t be taking my three-year-old to see it.

The Incredible Hulk might not be for kids, but Marvel certainly has an interest in introducing kids to the Hulk himself. In Entertainment Weekly Marvel's president of production Kevin Feige pointed out, next to Spider-Man, the Hulk is probably Marvel’s most universally known character. "It's Spidey and Hulk standing atop Mount Marvel." Younger kids can get their Hulk fix with toys (like the Hulk Hands modeled here by Jack) or by reading the Marvel Age Hulk comics. Are these comics a good introduction to the big green guy?

Jack and I read Marvel Age Hulk #1: Cowboys and Robots, by Mike Raicht and Patrick Scherberger. The story begins with Bruce Banner wandering through the Southwest, trying to escape his own inner Hulky demons, as he has done so many times before. He runs into an old high-school classmate and her son, whose car has broken down. The kid thinks that he and his mom are looking for his father, who ran out on them, but we quickly learn that actually, the mom is running away from him. It turns out that he has been involved in some kind of experiment that has bonded him to a killer robot, and the guy is intent on continuing his experiment on his family – including his little boy. Naturally, the killer robot dad and his killer robot buddies track them down, Banner Hulks out, and after the fight is over, the killer robot dad sees the error of his ways and begins to reunite with his family.

How on earth is this story appropriate for kids? I will grant that my son is younger than what the target demographic might be. However, a story in which a kid is hunted by his psychotic father who intends to conduct dangerous experiments on him is the stuff nightmares are made of. If you are writing a book that is intended to be for all ages, I think it’s a reasonable expectation that the story be free of murderous parents.

If you read the story as an adult, with no need to shield an impressionable young mind, it is no better. Raicht relies too heavily on coincidence – Banner just happens to run into someone he knows. The kid conveniently falls asleep – in the middle of the day – to allow his mom to explain the situation to Banner. And of course, the father is able to find them in the first place. The resolution is unrealistic; that mother is awfully forgiving considering the danger he was willing to put her child in.

The weak story was not even improved by a good old fashioned bout of HULK SMASH action. It was unclear what was happening in the fight scenes, and the match between the killer robot guys and the Hulk was uneven from the beginning. I reviewed another Marvel all-ages book with art by Scherberger here and found he did a much better job with the action scenes. The fact that things are so muddy in this book makes me wonder if he had poorer script direction.

If Marvel Age Hulk #1 represents Marvel’s best attempt to turn young kids into Hulk fans, then Abomination is the least of Hulk’s troubles. This book rates an F: Freakin’ Crap in a Hat. Read more!

The Spectacular Spider-Man - A Review

by Chris

I grew up watching Spider-Man cartoons. I have vivid memories of watching reruns of the 1967 cartoon and of eagerly awaiting new installments of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends on Saturday mornings. Unfortunately, I didn't catch any of the series that aired on MTV a few years ago, but now have a Tivo set to record The Spectacular Spider-Man, which airs on WB Kids on Saturday mornings. My four year old daughter and I have been watching it for a couple of months now. Does it live up to the excitement of Spidey's other animated series?


My daughter Cassie and I have watched the first ten episodes so far, and the creators are not wasting any time introducing characters. As far as villains go, we've seen The Enforcers, Hammerhead, Lizard, Vulture, Dr. Octopus, Electro, Shocker, Sandman, Rhino, Tombstone, Green Goblin, Quentin Beck (who is not yet Mysterio), and Chameleon. Plus we've heard from John Jameson, who is on his way to becoming Man-Wolf, and Eddie Brock, a friend of Peter's. He's not anywhere close to becoming Venom yet, but we have seen the symbiote/black costume. Black Cat has made an appearance and was excellently played by Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica fame.

Luckily for Spider-Man, the other characters aren't all villains. They nailed Mary Jane's first appearance, and I was grinning like an idiot fanboy when we were treated to that famous phrase when Peter opened the door. The expected supporting cast is there as well: Aunt May, Gwen and George Stacy, Harry and Norman Osborn, Flash Thompson, Glory Grant, Liz Allan, J. Jonah Jameson, Robbie Robertson, and Betty Brant. Jean DeWolff has even made an appearance.

There's also an investigative reporter named Ned Lee, who may just be an Asian version of Ned Leeds, but we'll see where they take him. Could he become the Hobgoblin?

The voice acting is very good all around, with each actor adding personality to the characters. The dialogue is well written, so the character interactions all ring true. The stories are interesting and the action scenes are, with a very few exceptions, well done and exciting. There's also an excellent sub-plot with Peter struggling to use his photography gig to pay the bills, balancing that with the need to be responsible to those who depend on him in other ways (he was let go from an internship at Dr. Connors' lab because he disappeared and took pictures of a fight with the Lizard, for example).

I do have a few complaints, though. Spidey's origin has not been told. In fact, when I was watching the first episode, it felt like the second. When we first see Peter Parker, he's been Spider-Man for an entire summer. I suppose the writers chose to skip over this since the show is kind of geared towards younger children and it might be too dark for them, but as an avid Spider-Man fan, I was disappointed. My other complaint is the changing of the villains' origins. Some of them have been a pretty drastic and the people involved were never there in the comics, but that's just me being nitpicky.

My daughter loves the show. "Daddy, who's that?" "Why is he fighting Spider-Man?" "Is Black Cat a good guy or a bad guy?" It's awesome! I think I'm enjoying the show more just because she likes it so much.

My two minor complaints above aside, I think the show is really well done. The animation style doesn't really do much for me, but it's starting to grow on me. As a long-time reader of the comic (though no longer due to the travesty that was Brand New Day), I look forward each week to see what new characters and storylines they introduce. I'm also curious to see if they add any significant stories to the mythos that haven't been covered in the comics. And I love spending the time with my daughter, indoctrinating her in the mythos of my favorite superhero.

Grade: A
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Comics For Kids: Marvel Adventures Spider-Man

by Betsy

My three-year-old son Jack has started to display a genetically inevitable passion for superheroes. Because I'd like for him to know these characters come from books, not just movies and TV shows, I was thrilled to discover a well-stocked section of Juvenile Graphic Novels at our local library.

It's great that there are comic books that are geared to kids, but since I am going to be the one reading these things aloud - often many times - the mere fact that a book has Spidey in it isn't good enough for me to give it a thumbs up. For all kid entertainment, I really prefer for Jack to watch something that is appealing to kids, but also enjoyable to adults. On one end of the spectrum is Barney - a hero to little kids everywhere, repellant to parents. And on the other end, the gold standard, is The Muppet Show, something that people of all ages can enjoy.

Our first book was Marvel Adventures Spider-Man. Is it Barney or the Muppets?

Jack and I read Marvel Adventures Spider-Man in a digest that compiled issues 5-8. It's written by Sean McKeever (full disclosure: a friend of mine), with pencils by Patrick Scherberger. We got it at the library, but you can pick it up for $6.99, which is not a bad deal at all for four issues of a comic in a durable, portable form.

The four stories were all self-contained, each with a different villain or two. Spidey meets Electro, Sandman, Kraven and the Vulture, and finally the Scorpion. Each story begins with a splash page, featuring Spidey in the midst of an action scene, then takes the reader back to how he got into that position. I found that method of storytelling to be effective for a young reader, as it got him more immediately excited than, say, Peter chatting with Aunt May over breakfast.

I really appreciated just how age-appropriate the stories were. Violence was limited to fist-fighting and webbing. The bad guys were not all that bad. Kraven wanted to steal a tribal mask from a museum to return it to the tribe, while Sandman stole a painting not to sell it and get rich, but just because he loved the art and found it calming. There are many instances of Spidey facing a minor moral dilemna (save Sandman or the painting?) and deciding to do the right thing. And at the end, he always beat the bad guys and turned them in to the police.

Patrick Scherberger does an excellent job of breaking down the action scenes into their simplest elements. There are plenty of cool shots of Spider-Man shooting his webs, and enough detail to hold the interest of an adult, but he also succeeds in making it clear exactly what is happening. He also does an outstanding job of giving Spider-Man some facial expressions, even with the mask.

Sean McKeever's writing actually reminds me a lot of Stan Lee's. He has Peter Parker narrate the actions, with lots of "What have I gotten myself into" moments that, again, make it clear exactly what's happening and what everyone's motives are. Spider-Man is full of the jokes and banter that make him so appealing to kids. What makes reading this story better than picking up, say, a Masterworks of Stan Lee's writing is that the dialogue and humor read as a lot more natural than some of the forced jokes that Stan would write. Spidey made jokes that made Jack laugh out loud and didn't make me cringe, which is not an easy feat.

McKeever and Scherberger's Marvel Adventures Spider-Man is an all-ages book that truly is appealing for all ages. My son thought Spider-Man was funny, loved the action scenes, was excited about the villains, didn't find any of it scary or confusing, and geeked out in a big way when Spidey made some Star Wars jokes. I enjoyed the humor, the clear and appealing art, and the chance to read an old-school Spider-Man that didn't feel dated. In the Barney-Muppets Scale, this book was Muppets.

Grade: A, Astonishing, Truly Bad Genious



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