If you don’t care about Doctor Fate… indulge me.  It’s my birthday today.

While there are some fantastic Doctor Fate stories out there, there are very few collections.  Most of the items on this list would require you to pick up individual issues.  Check your local comic shops or order from an online retailers offering back issues.  Today I’m just listing the comics worth reading.  Another day we’ll talk about the character of Doctor Fate and all the various incarnations.  If you need clarification in the meantime, check out the Wikipedia entry on Doctor Fate.

SHAG’S DOCTOR FATE ESSENTIAL READING LIST:

1) My top pick for Doctor Fate is a three-issue mini-series from 1985 entitled, THE IMMORTAL DOCTOR FATE.  These issues reprint older Doctor Fate stories, including “The Mummy that Time Forgot” by Martin Pasko and Walt Simonson from 1st Issue Special #9 (December 1975).  That single story revamped the original Doctor Fate for the Bronze Age and beyond; it was the beginning of the most iconic version of Doctor Fate.  Also included in these reprints are the Doctor Fate back-up stories (1981) from the FLASH.  Reprints featured in this mini-series are by Martin Pasko, Walt Simonson, Paul Levitz, Keith Giffen, Steve Gerber, Joe Staton, Gardner Fox, and others.  Great stuff!

2) Next up are two stories featuring the fourth incarnation of Doctor Fate (Hector Hall).  Start with JSA: ALL STARS #3 (September 2003) by Geoff Johns, David Goyer, Barry Kitson, and Darwyn Cooke.  Then continue to the DOCTOR FATE five issue mini-series (October 2003 – February 2004) by Christopher Golden, Don Kramer, and Prentis Rollins.  Hector Hall made an awesome Doctor Fate and he really shines in these stories!

3) You can check out the first appearance of the current Doctor Fate in the trade paperback DR. FATE: COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY (November 2007 – July 2008).  This is one of the few items on the list that has been collected.  This mini-series was written by Steve Gerber and drawn by Justiniano.  Sadly, Mr. Gerber passed away before the series could be completed.  Four other writers worked together to complete this mini-series.

Those are the three most critical Doctor Fate works.  Beyond that there are some others I’d recommend:

If you are interested in following the current incarnation of Doctor Fate, he appeared in the REIGN IN HELL mini-series and has recently joined the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA.  You can find him in these trades:

• Reign in Hell
• Justice Society of America: Bad Seed
• Justice Society of America: Axis of Evil

Another series I’d recommend is the DR. FATE four-issue mini-series from 1987.  In the story, the original Doctor Fate is destroyed and the second incarnation of Doctor Fate begins.  The mini-series featured the writing of J.M. DeMatteis and the pencils of Keith Giffen.  This Doctor Fate version is very different from the current one, but it’s still very entertaining.

If you dig the mini-series referenced above, then be sure to continue on with the DR. FATE ongoing series from 1988.  The first 24 issues were written by J.M. DeMatteis and featured artwork by Shawn McManus.  In my opinion, this is McManus’ best work of his career!  Those first two dozen issues are definitely worth your time.

Finally, I would be criminally negligent if I didn’t recommend the various CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS trade paperbacks.  These collections feature pre-Crisis crossovers between Earth-1 and Earth-2, primary from the annual JLA/JSA meetings.  Doctor Fate appears in several of these stories, but not necessarily as the lead character.

If you’ve read any of these issues or decide to pick them up, please drop me a line in the comment section.  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

The question on everybody’s lips was, “What did you see?”  I’ll tell you what I saw… I saw an awesome television series!

FlashForward: The Complete Series was released on DVD just over a week ago.  I missed it when it originally aired on ABC, but I’d heard good things.  It was one of those shows I always imagined watching in re-runs and getting caught up.  Well, life gets in the way and I never got around to watching it.  I’m really glad I tried it on DVD.  What a great show!

THE PREMISE

The pilot episode starts off with a mysterious flash that causes everyone in the world to lose consciousness for two minutes and seventeen seconds.  Each person sees a glimpse of his or her life six months into the future.  For some the future appears to be joyous and hopeful; for others, shockingly unexpected; and for a few, it simply doesn’t seem to exist. Knowing their fate alters each person’s life in one way or another and poses the question: can destiny be changed? During the black-out, the world kept moving.  Many of the unconscious people driving cars or flying planes didn’t survive the black-out.  Something like 20 million people were killed worldwide during the mysterious event.  Everyone is left wondering if the black-out was an act of nature, something man‐made gone wrong, or something even more sinister.  Several of the main characters are part of an elite FBI unit trying to solve the mystery before it’s too late.  The biggest concern on everyone’s mind… will it happen again?

THE CAST

The series follows a number of people from different backgrounds: FBI agents, surgeons, physicists, a recovering alcoholic, a college student, a cancer patient, a lawyer, and more.  As the viewer, you can’t help but get wrapped up in what each person saw in their FlashForward and how it all fits together.

• Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) as FBI Agent Mark Benford
• Sonya Walger (Lost) as Dr. Olivia Benford
• John Cho (Star Trek) as FBI Agent Demetri Noh
• Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean) as Lloyd Simcoe
• Christine Woods as FBI Agent Janis Hawk
• Dominic Monaghan (Lost) as Dr. Simon Campos
• Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) as FBI Chief Stanford Wedeck
• Zachary Knighton as Dr. Bryce Varley
• Peyton List (Mad Men) as Nicole Kirby
• Brían F. O’Byrne as Aaron Stark

SHAG’S THOUGHTFUL SPOT

My wife and I don’t watch a lot of TV together.  She likes a few shows and I like a few shows; rarely do our interests intersect.  For whatever reason, she agreed to try FlashForward with me.  We put the kids to bed and sat down to watch the pilot episode.  We both agreed we’d watch a single episode and then turn in for the evening.  Yeah, that didn’t turn out like we expected.  The first episode absolutely grabbed us and wouldn’t let us go!  We watched the first four episodes back-to-back in one sitting.  The only reason we stopped that evening was because it was 1 a.m. and we had work the next morning.

What a compelling show!  It’s got action, mystery, romance, a little science fiction, and amazing cliffhangers!  The show is full of twists and turns.  Several times I thought I knew what direction the show was going.  Boy was I mistaken!  I discovered that the only thing you can be sure of is that whatever you believe is wrong.  The show continually throws surprises at the viewer and makes you really think.  The cliffhangers often reveal game-changing facts about the characters.  There were some characters I was sure we were supposed to dislike as viewers, but by the end I was feeling sympathetic towards them.  Meanwhile the reverse was true as well; some likable characters turn out to be nasty pieces of work.

SPECIAL FEATURES

The DVD contains over 100 minutes of special features.  While the special features on this collection are good, I wouldn’t rate them as outstanding.  They are definitely worth watching, but I think the value in buying this collection comes from the episodes themselves, rather than the special features.

Architects of Destiny – A 20 minute behind‐the‐scenes feature following the filming of the pilot episode through the season premiere and production of the entire first season, taking an in-depth look at each of the characters.

Blooper Reel ‐ A three minute reel, highlighting some scenes that didn’t quite go as planned

Deleted Scenes – 10 deleted scenes

Meet Yûko ‐ In this six minute feature, one of Japan’s biggest stars Yûko Takeuchi travels from Tokyo to LA to play Keiko, the love interest Zach sees in his FlashForward. Yûko gets a taste of Hollywood with a tour of the Walt Disney Studios where FlashForward is filmed and her first meeting with the series’ cast and crew.

FlashForward on Set ‐ An 18 minute inside look on set of FlashForward with the cast and crew.

• Tempting Fate ‐ An Inside Look At The Blue Hand Club
• A Day In The Park ‐ On location at MacArthur Park
• When Nature Calls ‐ Courtney Vance’s Bathroom Scene
• Crash Forward ‐ Car Chase from Course Correction
• Emergency Operations ‐ Make‐up and Special Effects at the hospital

Kangaroo? ‐ What’s up with the Kangaroo? Find out in this two minute humorous piece.

Interviews from the Mosaic Collective – Seven minutes worth of interviews from people in Tokyo, London, England, Cocoa Beach, and Los Angeles.

Creating a Catastrophe: The Effects of a Global Blackout – A 20 minute feature that goes behind‐the‐scenes of the pilot, to discover what went in to creating FlashForward’s most iconic scene, the freeway disaster. Includes interviews with David S. Goyer and his on‐set production team how destruction is developed and explosions are executed.

Audio Commentary – Actor, Dominic Monaghan and Executive Producer, Jessika Borsiczky comment on the two-part “Revelation Zero” episode that kicked off the second part of the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was a great show!  I highly recommend this DVD collection to anyone that likes suspenseful television. The fascinating premise, game-changing cliffhangers, and cool action scenes make this well worth picking up.

Some people out there weren’t wowed by this show like I was.  To them I suggest that perhaps this series is better viewed all together in a DVD collection, as opposed to watching one episode per week.  This show came out during the final season of Lost.  There is no denying that ABC was hoping to attract Lost viewers with the mysterious premise and suspenseful drama of FlashForward.  While there are some similarities to Lost, this show most definitely stands on its own two feet.

The series makes you think about your own future. Where will I be in six months? What if I could see my future? Whether I’m alive or dead?  Can you really change your future by altering one thing? We all like to think we could change our future. What if I went to a different college or dated someone different or pursued a dream of writing a novel… what would life be like then?  I enjoy a show that makes me wonder.

.

.

My thanks to Buena Vista for sending me a copy of this DVD collection to review.

It’s definitely a different take on the legend. There is much more humor than one would normally associate with Sherlock Holmes, but I’m sure it will be good.

More importantly, this trailer has reminded me of one of my favorite board games growing up – 221B Baker Street.  This is a game Ravenface and I used to take very seriously during our youth.   Here is the description from AreYouGame.com.

221B Baker Street – The Master Detective Game
A favorite for nearly 25 years, this game is a mystery classic. Enjoy 20 original Sherlock Holmes adventures, written especially for this game by mystery writers. In this game, each player dons the symbolic hat and pipe to assume the identity of the famous detective and see whose deductive powers are the best. Travel the streets of London on the gameboard, picking up clues as you go. Once you’ve cracked the case, return to Sherlock’ Holmes’ home address and reveal the mystery. It’s elementary! Includes gameboard, instructions, die, tokens, Scotland Yard cards, skeleton key cards, clue booklet and answer booklet, checklist pad and 20 original cases. For 2 to 6 players.

A truly fun and inspiring game.  The clues were clever and the mysteries kept you guessing. I’ve still got our original copy along with an updated (yet inferior) version of the game.  I’ll have to dig this game up and start playing with my 9 year old step-son.  However, I’ll be sure to teach him more ethical playing practices than I used to follow (… Hey pal, who wrote “War of the Worlds”?…  Why do you ask?… No reason… ).