Robot Ninja

Greetings readers. It is the day before Halloween and seeing costumes will be cropping up shortly, imagine it is time for a superhero flick! Not just any flick either, no. It combines 80s love of ninjas and robots and...well doesn't really deliver on either, left me a little sad, bitter and a tad crazy. So clearly I need to subject you all to it as well.

From the pages of J.R. Bookwalter (The Dead Next Door, Zombie Cop, Kingdom of the Vampire, Horrorvision, Witchhouse 3: Demon Fire and Mega Scorpions) comes the tale of a meek and mild comic book artist turned vigilante. This is Robot Ninja.

Winter Mullet...

Yup if that title wasn't as goofy as Robovampire, I think you all have a greater threshold than I.

Now having sat through The Dead Next Door I can almost sense there will be characters, lesser soldiers named after other famous directors, Well we got cops this time so we have a Cameron so that is either for Aliens, The Terminator James Cameron or Bookwalter is a huge Kirk Cameron fan after he saved Christmas from the heathens.   There's a DePalma after Scarface's Brian DePalma, a O' Bannon after Return of the Living Dead Dan O' Bannon or he just feels the Irish can only be cops, crooks and firefighters. Let these people be, Hollywood! A Spinell after Maniac writer/actor Joe Spinell, a Hickox after Waxwork and Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat Anthony Hickox and hell we have scream queen Linnea Quigley, writer/director Scott Speigel and writer/director David DeCoteau starring in this.

Alright now to the nuts and bolts of it.   HAHA! Robot! Things! Stuff!   Moving right along, the aforementioned comic book artist Leonard Miller (Michael Todd of The Dead Next Door, Puppet Master II, Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge, and Lurking Fear) is afraid of losing his Robot Ninja creation, the single greatest superhero since Batman...yup. Uh-huh. One night he witnesses a rape and double homicide when he's had enough of crime in his town. Naturally delivers his eyewitness account to the cops but feels they have too many rules. So it's time to give back to the community and whip some ass...this guy with bad hair, not really that well built and has never attempted martial arts in his life.

Hockey hair, protect me!

To give him an edge he goes to his buddy, Dr. Goodknight (Bogdan Pecic of The Dead Next Door, Zombie Cop, Maximum Impact and Chickboxer), probably related to Dr. Goodhead of Moonraker as Leonard makes demands of a super suit, one that would enhance him and make him as mighty as his very comic book creation. Goodknight points out it would be very costly and well as they say, Money is no issue. Um his suit is spandex giving him tank like armor durability. Cripes at least Prey of the Jaguar made an effort to armor up Maxwell Caulfield not to mention gave him a military and special forces background. This dude draws and inks.

By the by, readers this isn't Intergang or the Hand. It is petty criminals. Send in Frank Castle chop chop.

So Spandex Boy is on the case, tootling around the town in full costume and his late 80s battered Camaro with YES his license plates on it. Maybe some mud or duct tape or hey here's a nutty idea, a car that isn't yours personally!!!

The gang kinda is alot for him to handle as there is...five of them. Again elaborate fancy pants, it's called a shotgun. Relatively inexpensive and tend to make heads pop off rather nicely.

I will give credit where credit is due. The gore effects are fair, camera work isn't bad and for untrained stunts they are decent enough. Loads of Sci-Fi, comic book and horror movie references. Hell at one point I swear I saw The Monster Squad movie poster on a wall. Looks like they raided every video store they could for these.    Oh sorry Millennials, see before the convenience of Red Box, we had primitive stores allowing customers to select titles of films that may not even be current! Gasp! There was customer service, snacks and even a random film suggested by a real live human being.

Yeah, miss video stores. So yes if you need this...film for your entertaining pleasure, good luck. I was fortunate enough to find it on streaming. Apparently executive producer on this was a Puppet Master and 1313 master himself, David DeCoteau. Well he did diversify his money that year.

Fruit Gusher Gangbanger.

Comic Flicks of 2016: Captain America: Civil War

So back again, non-sports fans and here we are for Day 3 of Comic Films of 2016. With a substantial $250 million to cover practical effects, training, martial arts, FX explosions, CGI and the odds and ends, you figure this film better take off or that was a huge waste of funds. Coming in after the wake of Age of Ultron and the destruction of the country Sokovia, Earth's Mightiest Heroes soldier on and do their level best to be the men and women the planet need to put down any known or unknown threat to the world but does the world agree? With a brainwashed Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan of Red Doors, The Covenant, Hot Tub Time Machine, Black Swan, Captain America: The First Avenger, Gone, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Ant-Man) still on the loose, Cap's attention is divided from the gig of saving lives and re-patching old friendships. This is Captain America: Civil War.

Seriously?  This is Poster one!?! How many more!?!

While the initial concept hails from the Marvel multiple title crossover in 2006, this Civil War having less players on the field has left audiences divided for Team Cap or Team Stark. Guess Twilight was easier to pick sides. Oh yes, I just did that. A quick flashback to Bucky's forced Hydra days that in 1991, he was to off the subjects and acquire the prize of a galvanized briefcase full of the super-soldier serum. Whether it followed Dr. Erskine's original formula or if it was reverse engineered from Rogers' blood...hell I don't know. Watch the flick for details like that.

One year after the very brief Age of Ultron, a team of Avengers in plain clothes led by Cap (Chris Evans of Not Another Teen Movie, The Perfect Score, Fantastic Four, The Losers, Scott Pilgrim vs.the World, The Avengers, The Iceman, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron) are in Lagos, Portugal tailing potential threats with a bio weapon of which of former SHIELD and Hydra agents. Assigned this is Falcon (Anthony Mackie of 8 Mile, The Manchurian Candidate, She Hate Me, Million Dollar Baby, Eagle Eye, The Hurt Locker, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson of North, The Horse Whisperer, Lost in Translation, The Island, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Lucy and Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson of The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley: The Case of the U.S. Space Camp Mission, Silent House, Red Lights, Liberal Arts, Kill Your Darlings, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Drunk History).

Copywrit and all that jazz

So two talented normals, a super-soldier and a mutant (Yeah Marvel, I said Mutant so SUCK IT!) seems like a real lackluster support staff for what could end up a serious fire fight. Was Vision off learning how to make proper scones? War Machine or Iron Man off on a booty call? Hey howzabout Thor for cryin' out loud!?! So the crisis is more or less averted except Witch's hex power accidentally forced an explosive blast at a nearby building killed humanitarian aid workers hailing from Wakanda (A fictional nation in East Africa, North of Tanzania. Thank you goofy memory. Now remember your girlfriend's birthday EVERY YEAR!!!). With nations of the world seeing this on CNN coverage, this seems to be the breaking point for the world as they have endured mutants, gamma radiated green guys and the Asgardians and heck why not throw in the Chitaurai as well.

The U.N. Demands heroes to be held accountable for everything that comes down the pike creating the Sokovia Accords that will reveal the identities of powered beings, their power levels and basically tag them so they are overseen and controlled to the preference of the world...and all that entitles. This is where it gets sticky. Tony is all in favor of the accords given the horrible SNAFU that was Ultron while Cap feels remaining autonomous and not relying on red tape and second guessing means their response time to crises would mean they could get in there quicker and do the job easier. The team feels divided on this issue as they are not a military team to be regulated but they should be held accountable for all outcomes regardless of good intentions.

With the continuous search for Bucky who is still on the lam, Cap and Falcon track him down to bring him to anyone that could help him just try to get his life back together are operating AGAINST these precious accords that have NOT EVEN been ratified yet. Yeah Marvel, you know how slow the UN operates at. Curdled milk beats it every time! A bombing in Vienna occurs during the signing of the Sovokia Accords and Bucky has been conveniently named the bomber. Among the fallen is the King of Wakanda T'Chaka (John Kani of The Wild Geese, An African Dream, A Dry White Season, Othello, Endgame, White Lion and Jail Caesar) causing the crown prince, T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman of Lincoln Heights, Persons Unknown, The Kill Hole, 42, Get on Up, Gods of Egypt and Message from the King) to lead his nation and put aside his thoughts of revenge as best as he can but the Black Panther does not have to wait idly by.

Dark Bucky...

With Captain America flagrantly ignoring the rules, the saber rattlers are getting annoyed and may actually send people out to deal with Cap and Falcon so he assembles a team that is in the same mindset as he is. With that, Tony does the same giving the unrealized damaging effects hero vs hero could cause. Will this be all out war? Can Cap and Iron Man ever salvage their friendship?

A few comments to make here. As an avid comic book reader, no this did not have quite the same impact as the comic version did and that is understandable. More characters and more craziness attached to it. This is the first appearance of Tom Holland donning the red and blue webs as he is now the third person to play Spider-Man in film. Still not sure what Andrew Garfield did to lose the role or why Parker is NEVER allowed to age!?! Marvel, there is a slew of stories well past his high school years that would make awesome films. Hell, how about the Secret Wars!?! And can we get Fox's grubby mitts off the X-Men and maybe toss the Fantastic Four to a competent writer and director? Okay off topic there. Sorry about that.

 Comprehensively, the story has good moments, shows a lot of heart and loss typical of the latter Marvel story arc and gives mixed feelings for everyone watching. Most don't want to pick a side because they were friends and comrades dammit but yeah sorry Stark I am still Team Cap.

How cool is the Panther?  Ice!

Obscure Superhero Movie Week: The Pumaman

Hello there and sorry for abandoning you last week. Impacted tooth that will be tended to shortly and I am back on the case. Now this week is at the behest of my Rotten Ramblin' On co-host Shawn, who suggested an obscure superhero week. What does this mean for you and me? Well for me, it will no doubt be pain to rival that of my tooth and for you the reader, you may have to endure some bile and venom spewed at what I am reviewing. So if dredging through TV movies and failed movie potential sequels sounds horrific, then it is time to move on for the week. Those of you that are stout of heart and courage, I salute you all for the pain or humor you will be subjected to.

Today's film is brought to us by Italian director Alberto De Martino (The Invincible Gladiator, Perseus Against the Monsters, The Secret Seven, Hecules vs. The Giant Warriors, Operation Kid Brother, Crime Boss, Holocaust 2000 and Miami Golem) who shares two films on the MST3K roster of with Operation Double 007 starring Sean Connery's brother Neil and this day's film. This is The Pumaman.

I went tinkles now let me back in the damn house!

Paleontologist Professor Tony Farms (Walter George Alton of The Users, 10, The Pumaman and Heavenly Bodies) has been feeling a sense of dread while working in the British Natural History Museum and it is no wonder. The papers keep exclaiming fit brunette white guys are getting chucked out of windows high up in the air and murdered. Being a fit, brunette white guy naturally he feels on edge until he is stalked by an enormous Aztec named Vadinho (not the onion, Miguel Angel Fuentes of Fitzcarraldo, Herod's Law, Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell, The Knife, Gunmen, Blow and Texas Rising) speaks of Tony's father, the space alien gods that have brought the destiny that is written in the stars, a magic disco belt er um Aztec medallion belt to give Tony his birthright, powers and just about everything else that could get you locked away in a rubber room.

A mystical Christmas ornament!?!

But wait, should our would-be hero not have a villain to combat? Look no further as towering 5'6" balding, blue eyed voice that all Carpenter's Halloween fans know and love, Kobras (Donald Pleasence of The Great Escape, Night Creature, Halloween, Dracula 1979, Escape from New York, Halloween II, Phenomena, Warrior Queen, Prince of Darkness, Django Strikes Again, The House of Usher and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers) proceeds to use an ancient Aztec gold mask to... take over the minds of political officials in England. Yeah that is something I had to write. Kobras and his cronies must dispatch the only thing standing in their way to total worldwide rule is the Puma Man of which Pleasence pronounces it Pewma. Gave me a little smile.

Sir, my sweatsuit is making its own gravy.

Perhaps where pummelings and gun-play failed we throw Pumaman a sultry dame instead? So enter the girl, Miss Jane Dobson (Sydne Rome of What?, Creezy, Just a Gigolo, The Pumaman, In the Heat of the Night, Tierra de canones, Pope John XXIII and Don Matteo) who if she and Tony were to mate would provide some pretty but dopey babies. With England and soon the world to be in Kobras' pocket, the Pumaman must embrace his powers, tacky costume and fly...like a puma to do battle and save the world.

Okay due to this being a TV movie made in 1980 with ADM Film Department, it did not hit the states via CBS until 1985 so shucks I missed it. The flying scenes will make you belt out laughing due to the blue screen shots transition from day to night in a matter of a few moments, so either Pewmaman can travel through time zones like the frickin Flash with his butt in the air (harness gag wasn't set right or they had him flailing in a static pose) or they might have goofed on the screenshots. My favorite part is when Onion, I mean Vadinho tells us his people are Aztecs from the Andes plateau (WRONG!!!! That would be the Incas!!! The Aztecs hailed from Mexico, the southern regions. Look at a history book, writer!) The Casio goofy synthesizer music which is his theme song is...charming and whimsical.  Not the sound I am looking for in my superhero flick but it beats hearing that damn power chord in EVERYTHING Christopher Nolan and Zach Synder direct these days.  So honestly this is good for a chuckle as they are clearly trying to treat this film seriously in spite of the writing and lack of budget. Do yourself a favor though, watch the MST3K or Mystery Science Theater 3000 version instead. Good riffing to be had.

Oh sure, just drape me like eye candy.  Gonna slap my agent.

The Flash Season 1

Hey there folks! Welcome back to my rambling...oh wait that is the podcast. Be that as it may, are you superhero fans? Do you like the idea for live action incorporation of the characters on film and TV? Let's face it, since Blade and X-Men we have been living the superhero craziness and overall they have been enjoyable. Yes there is more than a handful we could all grump, bitch and complain about but the general vibe is superheroes are still cool. That being said, you have to give the love to DC comics bringing Green Arrow from Arrow, Supergirl from Supergirl and even Gotham some props that they deserve. The biggest draw thus far has been the Scarlet Speedster himself the Flash. This is The Flash Season 1.

Yes my outfit looks a little silly.

We catch back with Barry Allen (Grant Gustin of CSI: Miami, 90210, Glee, Vixen and Arrow) almost a year after STAR labs particle accelerator accident caused a massive surge of engeries across Central City and rendered Barry unconscious from it. Nine months after the accident, Barry wakes up to find the city is pretty much the same, his job still being there and his adopted family has been concerned for him. His impromptu dad, Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin of Ally McBeal, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Joyful Noise, Puncture and Smash) has a new partner Eddie (Rick Cosnett of The Trojan Horse, The Vampire Diaries, Quantico and Skybound) who happens to be dating Barry's best friend, surrogate sister and love of his life Iris (Candice Patton of The Young and the Restless, Sorority Forever, Entourage, The Game and The Flash).

So why can't I be hot and nerdy like you, Bethany?

Barry starts seeing things happen quicker, moving faster than he ever has and in general is disturbed by it. Going back to STAR labs he meets the team of scientists that have been watching over him since the accident. Biochemist Dr. Bethany Snow (Danielle Panabaker of Sky High, Home of the Giants, Shark, The Crazies, The Ward, Friday the 13^th, Bones and Necessary Roughness), electronics engineer Cisco Ramone (Carlos Valdes of Arrow, Vixen and The Flash) and founder of STAR Labs Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavangh of Bang Bang You're Dead, Ed, Love Monkey, Two Weeks, Eli Stone and Scrubs). With a bit of testing and work up they find out that Barry has developed superhuman speed and accelerated healing from such.

After having a heart to heart with the Arrow, Barry decides to become a hero to thwart crime in a way that being a CSI never allowed him to. Take care of fires, bank heists and overall bad men and women in a flash. But with every hero must be a cadre of villains. A rogues' gallery if you will and boy I never thought you could make Captain Cold cool. Wentworth Miller of Prison Break manages this well as well as his co-star Dominic Purcell of Blade Trinity and Prison Break as the pyromaniac Heatwave.

Can the Flash speed through whatever is thrown at him or will be come in dead last?

Okay fan boys and girls, yes a few things have been altered to fit a soap opera format... get over it. You nitpick about all the show isn't and you will not enjoy a thing of it. Gustin delivers with a warm, trusting heart and still bops the baddies. Hell Ollie is darker than the comic character is and this is also an fun show. We even have some reprises from the original 1990 series as John Wesley Shipp plays Barry's dad wrongfully accused of being his wife's murderer. He played Barry/Flash in the day. We get a visit of The Trickster via Mark Hamil who looks bonkers and even Amanda Pays who played Dr. Tina McGee in the 1990 series so there is fun to be had and a new generation of heroes to be seen and heard.

Those aren't Betty Davis eyes!

Serial Week: The Batman

Hello all and a fine greetings to Day 1 of Serial Week. To start off this concept, we go to Columbia Pictures were they have reeled in a couple of characters that hail from the DC comics universe. A couple of caped crusaders hell bent on keeping the streets clean of crime. Yes I am talking of Batman and Robin. In 1943, 5 years after the release of the comic book series Detective Comics, these characters were believed to be hot property and an immediate calling for a serial was on the way. This is The Batman.

Commissioner Gordon? Do you have Prince Albert in a can?

Based on the Bob Kane creation, Batman operated a little differently than he did in the comics. At the height of World War II, some alterations were made as Batman operated as a secrete government agent rather than the vigilante as he was. This was mostly due to the censors not wanting the hero to be seen taking the law into his own hands. Yet they have no problem of a young boy in tights running head long into danger. Film censors are screwy.

Like most material of the time in American fiction it is very anti-German and heavily anti-Japanese as our villain of this piece Dr. Daka (J. Carrol Naish of Sahara, Annie Get Your Gun, Rio Grande and The New Adventures of Charlie Chan) a brilliant scientist and agent for Emperor Hirohito (or Emperor Akihito) has developed a device capable of taking over the minds of men and women leaving them in a zombie (a mindless automon controlled by a powerful drug, not the Romero flesh eaters) state of mind to do Daka's bidding.

Charlie Chan: Master Criminal.

Batman (Lewis Wilson of The Batman, There's Something About a Soldier, Once Upon a Time, Wild Women of Wongo and Craig Kennedy, Criminologist) along side his faithful sidekick Robin (Douglas Croft of The Pride of the Yankees, Kings Row, Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Batman and River Gang) work tirelessly to thwart this threat and the growing crime rate as most of Gotham's menfolk are over seas... yet that lay about, good for nothing Bruce Wayne gets to stay home. Why, I'd give him some chin music I tells ya. Devoted manservant Alfred (William Austin of It, The Gay Divorcee, The Private Life of Henry VIII and Alice in Wonderland) keeps our heroes' secret and even fends off Bruce's lady friend Linda (Shirley Patterson of The Batman, World Without End, The Land Unknown, It! The Terror from Beyond Space and Frontier Doctor) so the boys can go biffing bad guys in their tights.

There were of course some complications with the character in the scope of a budget. An established shot of the manor on Hill Road in L.A. Most of the film location was around Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth... surprisingly enough there were no 8 foot high fences like several homes in Chatsworth now for more risque filming these days.   Several of the Bat Cave shots are found in my favorite place of Western and Sci-fi but Bronson Canyon in Griffith Park.  

These are also the days when actors did their own stunts for the serials and brother there are plenty of break away chairs and tables hurled at people and out windows. No budget for both a car and a Bat-mobile, a black Cadillac served as both and Alfred was chauffeuring them in both their duel identities. Hope Alfred smeared mud on the license plates. 

Dick, go play your PS4 and stop fidgeting.  Criminy.

Robert Evans Week: The Phantom

Well hello my readers and welcome to Day 5 of Robert Evans Week.  Well we have seen some great successes by Evans, a less than stellar musical according to some critics and by God we need to end this week on a good old fashioned pulp strip hero.  Yes, when you have the director of Operation Dumbo Drop, Free Will and Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles at the command, you know you are in good hands.  Ladies, be honest.  A well built man clad in purple tights, sporting mighty pecs and twin holstered Colt 45s is really a deep seeded fantasy, isn't it?      Perhaps not.  This is The Phantom.

Nobody move, see?!

The Phantom: I've wore it all my life.  For protection.  I never really understood what that meant until right now.
Drax: Ha! What a cheap jungle spoiler!




From 1936 to 1999, Lee Falk created a costumed crimefighter that hailed from the far reaches of Africa as a myth or legend known only as the Phantom or the Ghost Who Walks.  With control from director Simon Wincer (Homicide, D.A.R.Y.L., Lonesome Dove, Quigley Down Under, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man and  Free Willy) and scribbled by writer Jeffery Boam (The Lost Boys, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) starts the tale of heroism from his ancestor 400 years prior whose ship was attacked by pirates.  Washed ashore on a remote African island Bengalla, the tribesmen taught the boy the ways of the jungle and to stand up again piracy and wrong doings.

Must be the sequel to Bound.

Where he got the fabrics and synthetics for his outfit?  Eh, not relevant.  1938, Kit Walker/Phantom (Billy Zane of Back to the Future, Critters, Back to the Future II, Sniper, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight,  Titanic and Vlad) sees strangers in his adopted lands searching for an ancient power, One of the legendary Skulls of Touganda  that will create a force that man is not wise enough to harness with proper intent.

 Meanwhile in New York, Investigative reporter Diana Palmer (Kristy Swanson of Hot Shots!, Highway to Hell, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Chase, Silence and Living Death) on assignment for her uncle Dave Palmer (Bill Smitrovich of Bodily Harm, Nick of Time, Independence Day, Ghosts of Mississippi, Millennium, Air Force One and Futuresport) owner of the Tribune Newspaper is looking into a local "robber baron" businessman Xander Drax (Treat Williams of The Eagle Has Landed, Dead Heat, Good Advice, Deep Rising, The Devil's Own, Venomous and The Circle) and his supposed links to a piracy organization called the Sengh Brotherhood.  

Travelling away on a Pan Am clipper, Diana's flight is interrupted by a sultry squadron of... well... bi-plane pirates lead by femme fatale Sala (Catherine Zeta-Jones of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Blue Juice, Catherine the Great, The Mask of Zorro, Entrapment, Traffic, Chicago, The Terminal, Rock of Ages and RED 2).  Within a moment's notice our hero listening in on the radio rushes to save his former girlfriend Diana (Yeah, I know the cliche') and brings her back to the Ghost's Lair, discovers they are on the same case and dismisses her due to her sex and frailty and blah blah blah misogynistic tendencies.

Can the Phantom stop Drax from taking over the world with his elite cadre of bumbling buffoons and mystic skulls?  Will he admit his feelings for Diana?  Does he have to sublet his lair if he moves to New York permanently?

Now just a few bits of trivia for you.  The "Palmer Mansion" during the cocktail party of movers and shakers scene was in fact Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion.  Prior to Wincer, Both Joe Dante and Joel Schumacher were considered for the directing job.   Most of the interior shots clearly have the look of a sound stage and the cameras caught the edges in a few of the shots.  The motorcycle cops are riding around on Indians made in the 40's while the film takes place in the 30's. I noticed the clipper had an a/c unit in it and that would be historically inaccurate but it sure beats roasting your cast in Thailand.

A rock 'em, sock 'em action film that is fast paced, blue screened in parts and decent enough story arc overall.  Still an enjoyable movie in spite of some of the cheesy dialogue but hell you adapted it from a comic strip from the 30's.

 Bruce Campbell and Dolph Lundgren were also considered for the part of the Phantom and frankly "Gimme some sugar, baby" or "I will break you." coming out of that purple costume just... not instilling fear in the hearts of the cowardly or superstitious.  I know this for a fact.  I asked Batman.

Your soul.. is mine!

Grab Bag Week Returns: Arrow

Hello and how do my readers.  Day 3 of Grab Bag Week starts us off with a current CW program and stop frowning everyone.   I am not reviewing the Vampire Diaries, mostly due to no requests for it but also I am not an adolesent girl that thinks moody, pasty boys are the end all.  No, instead we will shed a bit of light on a complicated character for DC Comics created by Silver Age writer Mort Weisinger (comic book editor for Superman and co-creator of Aquaman, Green Arrow and Johnny Quick) and was also main story editor for the Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves.  Created in More Fun Comics #73 November 1941 our hero was devised from Robin Hood and the movie serial The Green Archer based on the Edgar Wallace novel of same title.  Retooled and given the vigilante theme by comic artist George Papp (Legion of Super-Heroes,Showcase Presents: Green Arrow, Superboy, Superman vs. Lex Luthor and The Seven Soldiers of Victory) our hero was born.    But what if his origin story of saving a total stranger whilst trapped on a deserted island wasn't grabbing enough for you?   What if this spoiled silver spoon was trapped in wave after wave of insanity and the fight to survive would mean even taking another's life?   This is Arrow.

Beats taking up golf, I guess.

Oliver Queen: My name is Oliver Queen.  For five years I was stranded on an island with only one goal. - survive,  Now I will fulfill my father's dying spoiler-  to use the list of names he left me and bring down those who are poisoning my city.  To do this, I must become someone else. I must become something else.

As the second foray into live action for Green Arrow after added to the roster of Smallville and portrayed by actor Justin Hartley (Passions, Aquaman, Red Canyon, MegaFault, Smallville and Revenge), writers Greg Berlanti (Everwood, Jack & Bobby and No Ordinary Family), comic book writer/colorist Marc Guggenheim (Aquaman, Wolverine, The Punisher and Blade) as well as TV writer Andrew Kreisberg (Justice League, The Simpsons, Hope & Faith, Boston Legal and Warehouse 13) decided Ollie needed a makeover with a new face and a darker premise.  Our young Oliver (Stephen Amell of Beautiful People, Closing the Ring, NCIS: Los Angeles, Private Practice and Injustice: Gods Among Us) is sailing on his father's yahyt when a freak typhoon crashes the boot whisking Ollie's girlfriend's sister Sarah away (Caity Lotz of Mad Men, Death Valley, The Pact and The Machine) and crashing his rescue boat where he is marooned on a desert island for 5 years of his life.

This just in: Billionaire Bruce Wayne says COPYCAT!!!

Rescued by a ship and brought back to his hometown his mother and sister meet a different man than the one they knew before.  A quiet, methodical and driven man that seems almost at ill ease seeing these loved ones again.    In his possession is a strength compound bow, a hood, rare herbs and a book that tells him a list- a list of men and women doing harm to his Starling City and getting fat off of the misery they have caused others.  No more will this be allowed.

Okay, let's get down to the nit and grit of the show now.  From the pyrotechnics, wire work, body doubles, rigging and car scenes, this show has to be as action packed as a superhero movie and makes the grade all the way across.  With a complex story arc taking us back and forth with flashbacks from the island and how they relate to each episode, our impressive dialogue and clever signatures on each character; this show can feel a bit too much like a soap opera.   Often you will find with the dying and resurrecting characters making their way to and fro from either medium, there really is little difference.    What this show does is take all that over the top comic book standing and slow it down to a television pace, providing heroes, villains and the people in the middle and elevates what most viewers deem a lesser DC Comics character to a new light.

Well, at least Ryan Reynolds isn't my partner.