It shouldn't be that hard to create an action show with heroes. Yes, anti-trust laws be damned, MARVEL and DC are both now under DISNEY which means optioning a number of properties is more difficult than it once was.
But there are may comics out that which are neither MARVEL nor DC. Terry Moore's ECHO is a strong comic
that have been noted at this site. This site's comic surveys have noted Rashida Jones' FRENEMY OF THE STATE several times including
noting the cinematic feel to the comic and that it was due to be turned into a film. That was 2012. Seven years later no film. Maybe it's time to think in terms of a TV series?
IMAGINE COMICS has many titles that could make strong TV shows including ALPHA GIRL, BLACKLIGHT, BOMB QUEEN (who could be the next Catwoman), THE TENTH MUSE, ELEPHANT MEN, SUPREME, KID SUPREME, FREEDOM FORCE (which is also a successful game), MADMAN, CYBERNARY, INVINCIBLE, BESERKER, DART and YOUNGBLOOD. Or what about AC COMIC's FEMFORCE? Or Jazmin Truesdale's THE KEEPERS? Or Jack Kirby's SILVER STAR?
Believe it or not, there's a whole world of comics outside of DC or MARVEL.
And you don't need comic books for action shows with heroes. Why isn't UNIVERSAL rebooting THE BIONIC WOMAN and THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN? It's not hard to reboot them -- though NBC screwed it up with BIONIC WOMAN. Jamie is intelligent, don't make her a dummy or a little girl. THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN tried to make another series with Vince Van Patten but don't make him a little boy -- also done in JAKE 2.0. Lee Majors wasn't a little boy. His Steve Austin was not as smart as Lindsay Wagner's Jamie. But that was part of the reason he was memorable. He was a good hearted man who stumbled a lot and, when he was in danger, the juxtaposition of someone manly in a position of weakness grabbed the audience. Think of his kidnapping in "Run, Steve, Run" or his longing for Jamie in "The Return of the Bionic Woman Part 1." Or, for the ultimate visual of this aspect of the show, think of the defining image of "The Secret of Big Foot" (a two-parter) where Stefanie Power's Shalon stand over his body laid out on an examining table with a weakened Steve Austin wearing nothing but body hair and a strategically placed small washcloth.
AQUAMAN's success in movie theaters should have probably led someone to try to revive 1977's MAN FROM ATLANTIS. No comic book was required to create it or THE BIONIC WOMAN or THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN or THE GREAT AMERICAN SUPERHERO. And, of course, the most complex and biggest cast belonged to Tim Kring's HEROES -- and no comic book was required to create that show.
If LIFETIME can offer up VICTORIA GOTTI: MY FATHER'S DAUGHTER, it shouldn't be that hard to create an action series featuring heroes.
It shouldn't be.
But then you discover NETFLIX's THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY and realize no one knows what they're doing. The basic premise -- babies are born after mysterious creations apparently not involving sex. A mad scientist buys up as many as he can -- seven. He raises them to be superheroes -- not, as Vanya will note later in her adult life in a best selling tell-all, via love and encouragement but via what can only be termed abuse. That may account for their stunted growth but what accounts for the stunted scripts where every thought and every plot point is spoken aloud.
The acting's nothing to brag about but how much it results from the script, who knows?
Ellen Page is the worst. Not just in this role, but in any role. She was wrongly nominated for an Academy Award for JUNO. She didn't create a performance but people thought she did because they were unfamiliar with her work. They thought she was being ironic and that the detached pose was a character she created. It wasn't. And she's no longer a child actor -- where does she get off not learning her craft? Every 'performance' is the same. She lives in her head, not in her body which makes for one dimensional, stick figures, not actual characters. Like Alyssa Milano, she seems to think that learning lines and reciting them with some semblance of emotion counts as good acting. She never creates a character, she never inhabits one. She had the role of a lifetime in Kitty Pride -- one of the most celebrated female characters in comics -- but she did nothing with it. She never does. She's unable to work up a character. She can't even provide different externals. She's wooden and she's a hideous actress.
Movie goers woke up to that reality long ago which is why, since 2009, she hasn't had a lead role in a big budget film and has instead been moved over to supporting roles. And even those dried up from the big studios. She's not a draw. Audiences don't like her. She may be big on YOUTUBE when she's trashing someone (and she's always trashing someone) but she's not big in film. And her whiny and difficult manner on sets has made her studio poison -- no one wants to work with her and all her drama and bitchery. Life is just too damn short.
Which is how Ellen ends up on TV. But the big networks know not to touch her so that just leaves the streaming services and basic cable. Hence her arrival to NETFLIX.
She supposedly mopes. Her character Vanaya doesn't have superhero powers. SPOILER: Of course, she does. She'll remind you of HEROES' Emma Coolidge in terms of her powers. With or withouut powers, there's not much difference in Ellen's performance. She hits her marks, she recites her lines in that little, detached voice that screams for a vocal coach. If she had any sense, she'd have an onset acting coach and be enrolled with a serious acting teacher.
But she thinks she's acting. That's what's really, really sad. Because, around the age of 20, she was wrongly nominated for an Academy Award (twelve years later and it never happened again, nor will it), she thinks she's an 'actress.' Now Lily Tomlin, an actual, gifted actress works constantly on her characters and will work with acting coaches. But Ellen Page thinks she's achieved greatness and has nothing left to learn because, again, she's got the basic mechanics down (hit your marks, recite your lines). She's not an actress and that's something THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY makes very clear.
No one in the main cast really is. Mary J. Blige, in a small role that's little more than a Greek chorus, registers as does Ashley Madekwe also in a small role. A series built around Blige and Madekwe would be worth watching. THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY? Not so much. In fact, this is the most disappointing action series NETFLIX has offered. They should have kept the amazing SENSE8 instead of filming this crap.
Over on SYFY, they're trying their own new action series based on a comic book -- DEADLY CLASS. The series doesn't seem well thought out, to be honest. Moments that should have been built to just suddenly appear as though no one's working from a bible. Foreshadowing is a dramatic concept that the writers should learn. Take a page from Alfred Hitchcock and learn that you can create tension by letting the audience in on some secrets.
What the show lacks in episode writing, it makes up for in movement, direction and acting -- not to mention unique visuals that don't often pop up on TV programs.
Boasting one of the most winnable casts on TV, DEADLY CLASS zips along at a fast pace with characters you enjoy. Master Lin is expertly created by Benedict Wong as so much more than an adult leader. Henry Rollins in a small part delivers as well as do leads Benjamin Wadsworth, Lana Condor, Luke Tennie, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Michael Duval, Taylor Hickson and Liam James. And let's not forget Tom Stevens who plays the creepy Chester to perfection.
After the high-profile that was season one of KRYPTON, it's good to see that SYFY can still create a series worth watching. Sadly, the same cannot be said about THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY.
