The Great 'Which Universe Would I Rather Inhabit' Tournament Sem-Final 2

The Great 'Which Universe Would I Rather Inhabit' Tournament Semi-Final 2 

And so, onto the second semi final.

Star Trek vs DC

Universe of space exploration, the holodeck and Kingons vs universe of superheroes, space police and costumes.

So, this is a much closer match in genre than Buffy vs The Elder Scrolls. How to decide when so many superlatives have already been thrown at each? I had to use a mini tournament for the Marvel vs DC battle, and I don't think I can do that again here. The major problem I have is that, as I've mentioned before, I like to think that I'd be an explorer and discoverer of new worlds and civilisations if I lived in one of these universes, and both the Star Trek universe and the DC universe feature new worlds and civilisations. Perhaps what tilts it into Star Trek's favour at this point is that I'd have a realistic chance of visiting one of these worlds in the Star Trek universe, whereas for ordinary folk it still remains a pipe dream in the DC universe, although I would get to live in the knowledge that superheroes and aliens are real, and get to see them on TV.

What flips it back a bit in favour of DC is that knowing all these superheroes exist for real fulfils the desire to know that something other-worldly does exist on our planet. I've mentioned before that I prefer a fantasy world filled with fantastical elements to our world filled with fantastical elements, but as the Star Trek universe isn't a fantasy world, DC wins on this count. It's a difficult choice to make. On the one hand, visiting different planets and space exploration. On the other hand, superheroes are real...

Well, I know which one I'm going for.

Advance to the final, Star Trek! It's the explorer in me. The chance to go off to explore the galaxy, and the knowledge that we've helped bring ourselves to that point with all it's futuristic technology trumps the chance to see superheroes I'm afraid. Plus, you know, the holodeck. Plus it's a utopian society, so there's no money and therefore no money worries. Plus the holodeck.

Winner: Star Trek

Red Dwarf	Heroes	Buffy	Elder Scrolls
Heroes
Buffy	Buffy
Battlestar Galactica
Star Wars	Star Wars	Elder Scrolls
Aliens
Elder Scrolls	Elder Scrolls
Terminator
Narnia	Ultima	Star Trek	Star Trek
Ultima
Star Trek	Star Trek
Middle Earth
Firefly	Marvel	DC
Marvel
DC	DC
Doctor Who

Doctor Who Series 8 - A Wishlist

Doctor Who Series 8 - A Wishlist 

I find this almost impossible to believe, but there were parts of Series 7 of Doctor Who that I was unhappy about. There, I said it. It's out in the open now. We can all try to move on. Or can we? Everytime there's a new series or a new Doctor in particular, people want to see the things they love remain, and the bits they're dissatisfied with disappear, so here are my hopes and wishes for Series 8 of Doctor Who, just to help tide over the next few months until the 50th Anniversary special and beyond.

No mid-season break

Out of all the changes that have occurred over the last few years, I cannot think of a single one that I hate as much as the mid-season break. To me, it completely disrupts the flow of the season, and instead of thinking 'great, I get more Doctor Who sooner than otherwise', I think 'I only get 6 or 7 episodes at a time, italics great'. I can sort of see how you can put a cliffhanger in there and make it exciting, but you can do that with a two part episode - look at one of the two greatest cliffhangers the show has produced, with The Doctor on the verge of regenerating, which occurred in the penultimate episode of Series 4. Speaking of two part episodes...

Some two part episodes 

I understand that the plan was to make each episode a standalone blockbuster in Series 7, but some of the greatest episodes since Series 1 have been two parters. Look at The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, Human Nature/Family of Blood and so on. There's at least one classic two- or even three-parter in every series. A two parter gives so much extra scope for telling a story, and feels like the series is more connected as a whole, although admittedly the resolution of the cliffhanger hasn't always been received as well as the cliffhanger itself (looking at you, regenerating Doctor using his hand to stop it). At the end of Series 3, we had three episodes running which tied directly into each other, as The Master was revealed, regenerated and elected Prime Minister. Which brings me onto...

Series-wide arc

In Series 6, we had a season long mystery of who killed The Doctor in the opening twenty minutes, which left us scratching our heads for the entire season, and gave it a focal point. In Series 7, whilst you could argue that Amy and Rory leaving was the storyline of the opening half, and the mystery of Clara the storyline for the second half, particularly in the case of Amy and Rory this just wasn't strong enough to count as a full arc. Part of the problem with the Clara mystery was that, although we knew there was a mystery with her, we weren't teased with any answers until the very end, which brings us nicely to my next wish...

Teasing answers throughout the series

I felt growing frustration with the Clara storyline that we were just as clueless as The Doctor all the way through about who Clara really was. In Series 6, we had jaw dropping moments like the little girl regenerating to give us extra mysteries and clues about who was behind The Doctor's death. In Series 3 we had teasers about 'Vote Saxon!' and the last three episodes bringing the end of the story to a nice close. In Series 4 we saw glimpses of Rose and heard about various things (bees, planets) disappearing all the way up until the final two-parter. When I think back to my favourite memories from the last seven series, a lot of them involve involve these answers being teased to us over whole series.

Knowing I've got 13 episodes to luck forward to in one go delights me more than being disappointed about the fact 6 episodes will be over and done with very quickly. Knowing that I'll get to see a fantastic story spread over two weeks with 7 days of feverish discussion in between fills me with excitement. And knowing that I'll spend the entire series puzzling over a central mystery, with little clues being revealed along the way, is my favourite type of season, whether it's a blatant mystery like The Doctor being shot, or little mysteries cropping up everywhere like 'Vote Saxon!' or Rose's face appearing on a TV behind The Doctor.

I enjoyed Series 7, I really did. It had a hell of a tear-jerking ending to our time with Amy and Rory, it gave us a great new companion in Clara, and it was funny, exciting and emotional all the way through. And it had THAT ending. That incredible, exciting, out of the blue (if you ignore any media outlet) ending that had us debating furiously. It almost makes me forget the problems I had with Series 7.

ALMOST.

I've had a couple of months to calm down now and think about it in more detail. Imagine if we could have a series with a central mystery, that teases us with little clues and reveals every few episodes, where all episodes tie into the mystery, with a couple of two-parters in there, particularly at the finale. How amazing would that be?

The Great 'Which Universe Would I Rather Inhabit Tournament' Semi-Final 1

The Great 'Which Universe Would I Rather Inhabit Tournament' Semi-Final 1

We've reached the final four here - some strong contenders are already out (Star Wars being perhaps the biggest upset), but there's no doubting the pedigree of the semi-finalists.

Before we begin, I was meant to say which time period I would have preferred to live in for each of the losers in the last round, which I promptly forgot to do (except for Heroes), so for completion's sake:

Star Wars - Right after the fall of the Empire in Return of the Jedi, just so I could help build a new future and join Luke Skywalker in training Jedi at the Jedi Academy that he would undoubtedly found (well, he did in the Expanded Universe of course, but will he in the films?).

Ultima - It would have to be during the Age of Armageddon, with the rise of the Guardian, as I know that period best through the Ultima Underworld games, and Ultima VII.

Marvel - Just the good old present. Nothing more to say.

Anyway. That's over and done with.

Let battle commence.

Buffy vs The Elder Scrolls

Universe of slayers, vampires and magic vs Universe of heroic adventurers, dragons and magic.

As I've already made arguments for why these two universes are awesome twice now, it's hard to think of new reasons, although it's good to have a new opponent to play off against. It's really a case of deciding do I want to live in a fantasy world set in our universe or a fantasy world set in a made up universe. Let's analyse that for a minute, just to help us along, because that's the key issue that will decide the winner here.

There's something that has always appealed to me about discovering that magic and demons exist in our universe, right from when I was a child. When I played with my friends and we pretended to be wizards and other fantasy creations, it would always be set in our reality, rather than making up our own fantasy land (although many computer games that I loved were set in fantasy lands). Getting very deep and philosophical here, I've always thought that one of the main reasons I love fantasy so much is that I have absolutely no spiritual or religious belief in anything out of the ordinary, so a fantasy world is my way of imagining something other-worldly in the same way that a religious person believes there is more to this world than we can physically see. So, to believe that our world contains these fantasy elements but I just haven't discovered them yet contains great appeal - to be part of the part to stop them, even greater so.

On the flip side, going off to a fantasy land completely different to our own takes that imagination to the next level, and the explorer/adventurer in me has always loved this part of gaming, television and film. Yes, you can encounter fantastical beasts in our world if it takes on a fantasy element, but think of the look of a fantasy land, particularly it's cities and environments - we have some stunning places to visit on Earth, many that feel other-worldly, but a fantasy world takes these to the next level. For example, take the floating mountains in the film Avatar - they're inspired by the Chinese Zhangjiajie Mountain range, which are an absolutely stunning set of mountain peaks, shooting up into the sky like vertical columns, but Avatar takes that to the next level by having them float in the air. A fantasy world takes the best of our world and cranks it up a notch. Even if a fantastical place suddenly appeared in the real world on a show like Buffy, it wouldn't really be our world any more - it would have become a place of fantasy. To me, it's not so much those fantasy creatures that make it a fantasy world - it's all about the setting.

So, where does that take us to? Well, at heart, even though experience has taught me that the slightest fright tends to have me curling up in a ball whilst still standing, I like to think I'm an explorer/adventurer. In my imagination at least. I like to travel to a new world, knowing that I'm lost in an adventure in a world I could never hope to visit, and for this reason, I'm going to have to send The Elder Scrolls through to the final. Any time Buffy loses out is a sad occasion, but an Elder Scrolls victory means that the joy outweighs the sadness. I just can't shake the feeling that I'd prefer to be exploring the lands of Tamriel and undertaking quests than I would stopping vampires and demons in our world. Hell, I'd be guaranteed to come across all these fantasy elements in Tamriel; there's no guarantee I'd ever even discover a vampire in this universe. Especially if Buffy is doing her job properly.

Winner: The Elder Scrolls

Red Dwarf	Heroes	Buffy	Elder Scrolls
Heroes
Buffy	Buffy
Battlestar Galactica
Star Wars	Star Wars	Elder Scrolls
Aliens
Elder Scrolls	Elder Scrolls
Terminator
Narnia	Ultima	Star Trek
Ultima
Star Trek	Star Trek
Middle Earth
Firefly	Marvel	DC
Marvel
DC	DC
Doctor Who

Tapestry Review - The Bayeux Tapesty

Tapestry Review - The Bayeux Tapestry

As requested by a friend, I'm reviewing the famous Norman Tapestry/Graphic Novel, 'The Bayeux Tapestry'. I've had the pleasure of seeing this bad boy in person, and I must say, it's bloody marvellous. A true treasure in the history of literature, its Norman Romanesque style is so easily identifiable, and is in fact actually an embroidered cloth rather than a tapestry. It can be viewed at the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux in Bayeux, Normandy.

It depicts the history of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, when William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Starting slightly earlier in 1064, it tells the build up to these events and the battle itself. There are some fascinating historical events depicted, such as the scene that shows Halley's Comet flying through the sky, and of course we see someone who is most likely Harold killed with an arrow through the eye, surely its most famous scene. It's all thoroughly exciting, and the mysteries hidden within only enhance its appeal: is it really Harold taking an arrow in the eye? Why is a priest striking a woman in the face? Why is a man squatting beneath the priest with his willy out?

Of course, as this was commissioned by the House of Normandy, it's authenticity can be called into question as a biased piece of propaganda. Having said that, it's depiction of Harold as being brave along with his soldiers suggests that the Normans wanted to paint their opponents in a good light - was this genuine admiration, or did they want to make their victory seem all the greater, having triumphed over such worthy opponents? Although it surely isn't too hard to triumph over someone with their willy out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It was fascinating seeing the piece in real life, and although I couldn't read more than a handful of words, usually 'Harold', the pictures made it easy to decipher the story - 'Look, here's Halley's Comet'; 'Look, Harold's been shot through the eye with an arrow, probably'; 'Look, some drunk guy's got his willy out'.

A true masterpiece of historical literature.

10/10

The Great Which Universe Would I Rather Inhabit Tournament Round 2 Match 4

The Great ‘Which Universe Would I Rather Inhabit’ Tournament Round 2 Match 4

DC vs Marvel

Universe of Superman, Batman and Green Lantern vs Universe of Spider-Man, Iron Man and Thor

Well, talk about your heavyweights. Trying to condense an age-old (well…since the Golden age-old) debate into a short blog post isn’t easy. Although I know where this is going, and my friends know where this is going, and the second the post is made I’m expecting a retaliation of biblical proportions from one particular person (yeah, YOU! YOU THERE! I’M TALKING TO YOU!).

Or is it that clear cut? Just because I favour one comic publisher to read, does it mean I’ll prefer living in that universe?

We’re about to find out…

Let’s address one issue straight away – each of these universes is fraught with danger, from alien invasions, to mutants gone wild, to supervillains who’ll destroy the world (and regularly try) if it’ll further there goals. There are superheroes who will come to the rescue in both universes, and there are multiverses with universes that will bring heroes together into one big gathering, that will occasionally get so complicated the entire universe has to be reset.

So, whichever universe I lived in would have the same dangers, and pretty much the same physical laws (and they both have magic so I can’t use that to distinguish).

Therefore, I suppose, being universes with comic book superheroes and all, I’ll have to judge it on which ones I’d rather fight along/save me when I'm squealing with fright in a corner. Apologies to the die-hard fans of either franchise who want to inflict d20 damage on me for shortening this down to such a small post but I've done a very small tournament, featuring who I feel are the 5 best superheroes from each universe – yep, that’s very subjective indeed, and I'm breaking up teams to do this, which is a problem as you could argue that the Fantastic Four should remain together – but then what about the Justice League? Much better known for being individuals.So I went with individuals, because it’s my blog.

The contestants:

DC	Marvel
Batman	Spider-man
Superman	Iron Man
Green Lantern	Wolverine
The Flash	Thor
Wonder Woman	The Hulk

Yeah, I picked the Justice League for DC, didn’t I? Well, the point behind the Justice League IS that they’re the best of the best, teaming up to fight evil, crime and Dubstep. Oh, they don’t fight Dubstep? Well, they should. And there’s no Black Canary, because even though it’s my wife’s choice of cosplay(I think she’s aware of this fact, but I couldn’t guarantee), she’s not really going to beat Wonder Woman, is she?

The Marvel group is much more subjective, and there’s no Captain America, which might be a shock, but I think of these 5 first (minus the Fantastic Four) when Marvel come into my head.

So, onto the matches – with a little summary of why the winner was victorious. Winners in bold.

On we go…

Match 1

Batman	Spider-man
Superman	Iron Man
Green Lantern	Wolverine
The Flash	Thor
Wonder Woman	The Hulk

Result: ​​DC 3 Marvel 2

The first match sees DC edging into the lead – Batman’s wits outfox Spider-man, Superman’s strength defeats everything Iron Man can throw at him, and Green Lantern can just about hold Wolverine and his Adamantium claws in a will-powered cell. Thor uses his strength as a god to wield Mjolnir and stop The Flash in his tracks, and The Hulk’s strength pounds Wonder Woman the same as he did Loki in The Avengers before she can lasso him.

Standings: ​DC 3 Marvel 2

Match 2

Batman	The Hulk
Superman	Spider-man
Green Lantern	Iron Man
The Flash	Wolverine
Wonder Woman	Thor

Result: ​​DC 2 Marvel 3

Marvel fights back straight away, with The Hulk proving too strong for Batman, Wolverine’s Adamantium claws taking out The Flash before he can resonate his way out, and the goddessvs god battle heading Thor’s way for the simple fact he has an awesome hammer and she has some rope. Green Lantern still manages to use his will power to get inside Iron Man’s suit and stuff up the electrics with green stuff, and Superman’s strength is no match for Spider-man.

Standings: ​DC 5 Marvel 5

Match 3

Batman	Thor
Superman	The Hulk
Green Lantern	Spider-Man
The Flash	Iron Man
Wonder Woman	Wolverine

Result: ​​DC 3 Marvel 2

DC again nudge in front, with the ‘Battle of the Big Strong People’ being won by Superman (although it’s a close thing, and his hair gets all messed up), Green Lantern’s ring spinning a stronger web than Spider-Man, and Wonder Woman’s unbreakable lasso keeping Wolverine’s claws locked in place, Adamantium or not. Iron Man takes down The Flash, and Thor’s strength is too much even for Batman’s intellect to find a way past.

Standings: ​DC 8 Marvel 7

Match 4

Batman	Wolverine
Superman	Thor
Green Lantern	The Hulk
The Flash	Spider-man
Wonder Woman	Iron Man

Result: ​​DC 3 Marvel 2

Another DC victory takes them closer to the prize, Batman luring Wolverine into a trap after playing off his emotions and making him so angry that he drops his guard, Superman taking down Thor after lifting him into space (thus knocking Thor unconscious due to lack of oxygen) and flicking Mjolniroff towards the sun (it’s weightless in space, after all), and Wonder Woman lassos Iron Man’s hands together leaving him unable to operate fully. The Hulk wins the ‘Battle of the Green’ after grabbing a cocky Hal Jordan and knocking him out, and Spider-man takes a first win again The Flash (who is yet to get one) after the author of this blog can’t decide which of them should win, and forces them to place chess in his mind, which Peter Parker wins as he’s always seemed more intelligent than Barry Allen. This leaves Marvel needing to win at least 4 in the next round to take the title.

Standings: ​DC 11 Marvel 9

Match 5

Batman	Iron Man
Superman	Wolverine
Green Lantern	Thor
The Flash	The Hulk
Wonder Woman	Spider-man

Result: ​​DC 3 Marvel 2

The title is all DC’s, as Batman beats Iron Man by using his computer skills to hack into the Iron Man suit, Superman beats Wolverine (and thus emerging victorious in all 5 bouts to win this tournament’s Most Valuable Player award – as if you’d expect anything less, because he’s Superman) by flinging Wolverine into the sun until he’s learnt to play nicely with other people, and Wonder Woman proves that he she has a stickier web than Spider-man by lassoing the hell out of that boy, forcing Spider-man to admit the truth that he’d happily be caught in her web anyday. Thor takes down Green Lantern after Hal Jordan gets cocky once more knowing DC have to mess up big time not to win here today, and The Hulk smashes The Flash to hand poor Barry Allen the wooden spoon, but it's all in vain.

Standings: DC 14 Marvel 11

Well, that was all a very fun way to decide, wasn't it?

Advance, DC!

Winner: DC

Red Dwarf	Heroes	Buffy
Heroes
Buffy	Buffy
Battlestar Galactica
Star Wars	Star Wars	Elder Scrolls
Aliens
Elder Scrolls	Elder Scrolls
Terminator
Narnia	Ultima	Star Trek
Ultima
Star Trek	Star Trek
Middle Earth
Firefly	Marvel	DC
Marvel
DC	DC
Doctor Who