Best of 2014: TV – Best New Series

Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised  us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.

Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage.

Best New TV Series

• Constantine (NBC)
• The Flash (The CW)
• Gotham (Fox)
• How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)
• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)

WINNER – Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver has done one thing for Americans who subscribe to (or steal) HBO: made them feel down right stupid.  Me included.  But you know what is so great about that?  John Oliver gets to educate us on our own country, and many other countries, too!  Being British makes him sound automatically smarter than us young Yanks, but there is a lot of research to back up his exposés.  Thanks to John Oliver, I now know about FIFA, mass incarceration, payday loans, beauty pageants, and of course the Russian Space Sex Geckos.  It could be construed as a comedy, but John Oliver and crew are masters at educating through humor, and sometimes, even doing something about the issues they have talked about. – Adrian

Second Place – The Flash (CW)

DC and Marvel have been duking it out on the big screen for years now, but this year DC has declared an early victory in the battle of the small screen. Jumping off the success of Arrow, the CW’s newest superhero show, The Flash, made its debut in November. Since then, the series has introduced a butt-load of DC characters – and hinted at even more to come. I love this show because it has BALLS.The Flash is still susceptible to the “that’s so C-Dub” tropes, but it has an enjoyable cast, impressive special effects, and more Easter Eggs than we know what to do with at times. After only two months, The Flash can already keep pace alongside Arrow. – Sherif

Third Place – Constantine (NBC)

John Constantine is one bad man, and it’s about damn time we get a television show that shows us that. The best way I can describe the show Constantine is that it’s the guy version of Charmed, but much more terrifying. Or a way better version of the 2005 Keanu Reeves movie. The show itself has even dug itself out of an early grave, as it was handed the time slot most associated with shows sentenced to death – Friday nights. Anybody with a social life or without a DVR was almost guaranteed not to be able to catch Constantine, so the fate of the series rested on the hardcore fans of the demon hunter. In spectacular fashion, the voices of the fans (and a surprising amount of casual viewers, as well) convinced NBC, the same jerks that canceled Community, to move the show to a more feasible time slot. So there’s one demon down; now they just have to get renewed for a second season. – Sherif

RUNNER UP – How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)

Well, I’m not surprised us at Hush felt that How to Get Away with Murder was one of the year’s best shows. For me personally I was hooked by the first episode, and since I don’t have a television, I found every which way possible to watch it as soon as it was available. I never hit fast forward and always found myself hovering at the edge of my seat holding my breath. I was riveted by the storyline, the characters and the nature in which everything unfolded. And I was honestly and genuinely surprised by the mid-season finale. What I find most intriguing about the show is how it articulates its reality and the ways different characters deal with murder. The emotion is raw and intense and at times hard to stomach, not to mention the sexy-time is wonderful. If it’s not a show on your watch list it should be. Binge it right away so you’re ready for when it comes back. Because we are all wondering what is to come next for all of these dynamic characters. – Jené

RUNNER UP – Gotham (Fox)

I’m not going to lie… new TV this year was pretty bad, but somewhere near the top of this pile of suck is Gotham, a show all about the humble, murderous roots of Batman’s hometown.  Joy!  Kinda.  As my brother so aptly put, “it’s a show about Batman without any Batman.”  That’s not completely true.  Adolescent Bruce Wayne is a part of this show, but this series focuses primarily on Jim Gordon pre-Commissioner title and his police partner Harvey Bullock.  The show had its moments – mostly anytime Robin Lord Taylor (Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin) was on screen.  Strung together by a series of fairly unrelated events and peppered with B-list (maybe even D-list: Balloon Man?) villains, Gotham provided mild relief from the boredom plaguing Monday night primetime.  It wasn’t a bad show.  It wasn’t a great show.  But for trying something new and delving into the DC universe, Fox and Gotham get props and for at least an earnest attempt at creating something special. – Taylor

Next Category: Best TV Series

Graphic Novel Review – Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty

Collecting: Gotham Central #1-10 (Gotham Central Volume 1 collects three inter-connected stories)

Original Release Date: 2002-2003

Publisher: DC Comics

Character: Marcus Driver, Renee Montoya, Crispus Allen, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, Batman

Writer: Ed Brubaker (Captain America: Winter Soldier, Catwoman, Batman: The Man Who Laughs, X-Men: The Messiah Complex, Fatale & Velvet)

Art: Michael Lark (Daredevil, Batman: Nine Lives, The Best of Ray Bradbury: Graphic Novel Edition)

SCORECARD (each category ranked on a 10-point scale):

Storyline – 7

Art – 8

Captivity and Length – 8

Identity – 10

Use of Medium – 6

Depth – 7

Fluidity – 7

Intrigue/Originality – 8

The Little Things – 9

Overall awesomeness – 8

 

With all the attention that The Dark Knight receives in Gotham, you would swear that he’s the only character worth mentioning. Much like Superman has his cohorts at The Daily Planet, Batman has a small team of detectives that he trusts in the GCPD. Through the generations of progression in Batman lore, Batman’s relationship with Gotham City’s finest has been instrumental to his growth as a hero and ability to be plugged into the city. He and newcomer James Gordon forged a relationship that has been the focal point of multiple story arcs, movies, and especially in Batman: The Animated Series, and that relationship is extended to more than just the would-be commissioner.

Ed Brubaker’s Gotham Central takes place after a time where James Gordon has stepped down as Police Commissioner. The GCPD has been cleaned up for the most part, and the city is no longer owned by the corrupt and the mob – although, that does not mean it is not still a point of concern. Just over a ten years ago, there were over a dozen titles that were about Batman or his constituents, so when writer Ed Brubaker pitched a title centered around the police that practically play second fiddle to a masked vigilante who wears his undies over his pants, you can imagine the concern.

The fear that a series of this nature would get tangled up too much with Batman – that it was essentially impossible to separate the Bat, and his infamous cast of villains, from making a good cop story. While Batman is an undeniable presence throughout the book, it is truly the boys (and ladies) in blue that make this series what it is, which, when you get to the bare bones of it, is a great cop drama with a Batman theme to it. From the lingo the cops use to the casual dialogue in the Bullpen, there is a very noir detective air about Gotham Central. Even the art by Michael Lark is loudly reminiscent of the old-timey Detective Comics that the publisher took their name from. This isn’t Lark’s first go-around with noir-style Batman; check out Batman: Nine Lives for a very pulp detective story.

While Gotham Central didn’t impress sales-wise, it was critically lauded as a breath of fresh air in a Bat-heavy time period. Success of sales in trade paperback convinced the publishers at DC enough to give the series the green light for 40 issues – and I’m sure winning an Eisner Award in 2004 for Best Serialized Story didn’t hurt, either. The book is laid out a lot like an episode of Law & Order, but with a Batman twist. The cops find the crime scene, and while it ends up being the deed of one of Gotham’s freaks, there is still a lot of police legwork in order to catch the perp. In addition to the entertaining detective work, Gotham Central gives its readers plenty of insight into not only how life in the police department works, but how the lives of these officers are affected by the life they lead in Gotham. We get a good hard look at what it’s like to live in the shadow of The Bat, and what drives them; it’s a refreshing take on an entire group of people we had only known as a single entity.

That being said, aside from a few good apples (namely Marcus Driver, Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen), the detective work at GCPD. There are so many poor decisions made on the detectives’ part. For years, I thought it was just bad writing to make them inept in order to make Batman look good, but Brubaker’s decision to make them that green makes this series flow so much better. The good part of it is at least the GCPD cares, and trying is half the battle. They are making desperate efforts to try to prove to themselves, and Batman, that they can protect the city without his help. While the detective work is a major aspect of the stories’ development, it’s the focus on social issues like police corruption, and more noticeably, how sexual orientation is treated in a male-dominated workforce.

Over a decade ago, before acceptance became the topic of conversation for mainstream media across the country, Detective Renee Montoya was very much still in the closet. Prior to Montoya, openly gay characters in DC’s staple were not viewed positively (their first openly gay character, Extraño, means “Strange” in Spanish), and even since, portrayal of a gay character in comic books has not been done with as much class and accuracy as here in Gotham Central. Montoya struggles with keeping herself an honest cop, keep her girlfriend and that life closeted, as well as balance the strict Catholic lifestyle that her family abides by. Montoya’s struggle is very real, and her double life – hence the name of the mini-arc, Half a Life – parallels the relationship, however creepy and awkward, that Two-Face has with her. Montoya instantly becomes the best character in the book due to her raw honesty about the situation.

The story got a bit convoluted with several different storylines converging on each other, but for the most part, Gotham Central did a great job at stepping back from the capes and putting the Detective back in Detective Comics… Comics. Volume One may get a little off-track, or corny, but it’s unlike any Batman book you’ve read before. As a reader, you are thrown right in the thick of things, and while that may be overwhelming for somebody not keen on the GCPD history, it is quite enveloping in the way that you get the complete “cop working in Batman’s city” experience.

All media credited to DC Comics

Gotham Review – “The Mask” S1E8

After Oswalt Cobblepot took center stage in last week’s “The Penguin’s Umbrella,” this week’s “The Mask” continues to impress with Black Mask being our villain of the week. Black Mask is another one of those ideal Gotham City villains that exist just on the right side of supernatural themed bad guys that operate through fear, force and numbers. While Black Mask does get a sizable amount of attention in this episode, the comic book lore spills over several different scenes in the episode that excite us for future events.

“The Mask” starts out with a Fight Club meets Hunger Games office brawl – and why shouldn’t it? If you’ve worked for a corporation, then you know that this is just another day in the life of somebody looking for a promotion. The scene is extremely brutal, and the crime scene that it results in demonstrates that quite well. It’s not every day you find a dismembered thumb in some dead guy’s mouth. There isn’t a lot of detective work that goes into finding the person responsible for the office brawls. I mean – black ink, ski-masks, SUSPENDERS?? It had to be Black Mask. The mystery surrounding Richard Sionis is enough to make the episode engaging. Obsessed with the warrior spirit and encouraging his employees to literally kill each other for promotions, this is as much social commentary as it is good writing; none of these selfish a-holes are forced to into “applying” for this high risk job.

The elements of this episode that we really enjoyed were the side stories. When judging the success of the show, it all comes down to show & tell. Gotham is doing an exponentially better job of showing the growth of James Gordon, Harvey Bullock and the eventually come-around of the GCPD. Harvey’s speech early on in the episode to Essex about how ashamed the rest of the police department is of Gordon’s heroics really resonated with us, and humanized the police department that we had been resenting this whole season. Harvey Bullock is a much more lovable person when he’s the jerk that’s on the right side of the argument.

Fish Mooney, on the other hand, continues to become the worst part of the show, and I am counting down the days before Penguin pushes her off the end of the pier. Her plan to put an impressionable sheep of a mole in bed with Falcone is completely dumb, and will undoubtedly backfire right in her face. And what was up with that old lady on stage? And why is nobody ever at Fish Mooney’s club? Fish isn’t the only annoying character in this episode. After quite possibly the worst attempt at “saving” her man (which led to her being kidnapped and ruining any leverage Gordon had on Falcone), Barbara has finally decided that Jim not answering his phone was the final straw. Barbara’s character could have been so much more, but was really reduced to a bi-sexual token and pretty face. We’ll see how this plays out – if she’s gone for good, or just long enough for Gordon to find another love interest.

Speaking of love interest, thank goodness we get to dive deeper into the infinitely creepy relationship between Oswalt and his mother. It could be the most disturbing element of Gotham, and that’s saying a lot if guys like Victor Zsasz are carving tally marks into their arm for each kill. Mommy issues aside, Penguin is shaping up to be quite the crime boss. His precise strikes and power moves are very clever, and it’s only a matter of time before he arises from the rubble of the Falcone-Maroni feud in control of the underworld.

The outliers were have in Gotham so far are Edward Nygma and Bruce Wayne (weird, huh?). Nygma is struggling to find himself a meaningful member of the Crime Scene Unit, and although his methods are grating, he has proven time again that he is the smartest person in the room, especially when the other people in the room are corpses. Word to GCPD, they better give him something more productive to do before he decides to entertain himself. Bruce Wayne, on the other hand, is trying to move on after the murder of his parents, but is having issues with cruel kids picking on him for it. Alfred handles the situation like any parent figure would; he will teach Bruce to beat the snot out of everybody, which is strongly reminiscent of Batman: Earth One. Who is Bruce’s first victim? Tommy Elliott, none other than Bruce’s close childhood friend turned arch nemesis Hush. Yes! HUSH! We don’t know if Tommy will show up again or become friends with Bruce after Bruce tried to “kill” him (wuss), but it’s anybody’s guess.

A couple of subtle things I’ve noticed:

• While the black mask that Black Mask wears is definitely more of a skeleton in the comics, the one the show uses is decidedly more Japanese-influenced. In fact, it looks a lot like the Mask of Tengu from Knightfall that Bruce Wayne used while training with Lady Shiva.
• Bruce was quoted as saying to Alfred things like “I enjoyed hurting him” and “I’m so angry all the time.” It looks like this might be a recurring theme for somebody destined to beat the crap out of bad guys for years to come.

Hush Comics gives “The Mask” a B+ for finally giving us the portrayal of Gotham City that we wanted. We’re finally on the police’s side, and while we know they are still a bunch of cowards, at least they know it, too. The Bruce Wayne story is continuing to build from what began as a weak attempt to draw in familiarity. And while Fish Mooney continues to disappoint, there are no hard laughs made at her expense like there were at the beginning of the season. It looks like Gotham has been realigned itself with our original expectations. All it needed was a swashbuckling session with a paper cutter.

All pictures belong to FOX and DC Entertainment.  They are credited to Jessica Miglio.

Gotham Review – “Penguin’s Umbrella” S1E7

Finally!  Jim Gordon grew some balls, The Penguin is worth something as a character, and it looks like Fish Mooney may die.  It’s taken six weeks to get somewhere with Gotham, but I think “Penguin’s Umbrella” started to take a turn in the right direction of storytelling.

The cat was let out of the bag last week when Cobblepot made his return to Gotham public. The very annoying plot line of Jim Gordon trying to hide the fact that he did not kill Cobblepot was finally “resolved” this week, and while Jim will probably be dealing with the repercussions of this via the Falcones, the Maronis, and Fish Mooney, at least the “woah is me” act is over, and maybe Barbara and Jim’s relationship will be less irritating.

There are so many pictures of me drawing my gun… but this one means something!

The majority of the episode revolved around the three crime lords looking for Jim Gordon, and two of the three looking for Cobblepot.  The order was to kill them both.  But for once, it felt like the two characters who were underused in the first part of the season proved their worth – not only to the crime families Cobblepot and Gordon are trying to undermine (albeit in much different ways) but to their audience as well.  Not ten minutes in and we get to see Gordon take control of his situation, which has been a rarity, particularly with Harvey Bullock aka Worst Cop Ever as his partner.  Gordon enters his own apartment, where Barbara has been taken hostage, and shoots a guy in the abdomen, no questions asked.  While the legalities of that move are up for debate, it was great to see Gordon finally unleash what we all knew was hiding.

In the meantime, Fish Mooney continued to be utterly ridiculous and overacted.  She demands Cobblepot and Gordon, waving her arms about the whole time.  Her portrayal is laughable, particularly when she does finally meet up with Cobblepot.  Her use of the word “bitch” made me spit out my drink.  It was not frightening in the least.  But because of the revelation at the end of the episode (spoilers on that to come in the review), it seems likely that Mooney will meet her demise at some point in the show.  I will be waiting for that moment, and hoping that the severe acting will die along with her.

If my acting didn’t prove I am absurd, my crop top made of crow’s feathers sure does.

The introduction of the newest rogue, Victor Zsasz, was very well executed.  In the comics, Zsasz is a man of wealth whose parents die in an accident.  After spiraling into depression and gambling much of his money, he decides to commit suicide, but is stopped by homeless man begging for money. Zsasz thinks the man, and pretty much everyone, leads a useless life and takes it upon himself to liberate them from this existence.  The Zsasz in the comics also uses a creepy tally system to keep track of the ones he has “liberated.” In this episode, he works for Falcone, and is recruited to find Jim Gordon.  While this changes his origin, Anthony Carrigan’s (also The Mist in The Flash) is downright creepy.  He used a little bit of humor and a lot of insanity to get his point across: Zsasz is a terrifying nemesis to have because he has absolutely no regard for human life.

I’m bald and scary.

The defining moment of the episode was The Penguin’s revelation, and finally some sort of sense of what “Penguin’s Umbrella” meant.  Even more lethal that the actual weapon that Cobblepot will more than likely acquire (I mean he does already have the umbrella, just not the pointy thing to go with it) is Cobblepot’s ability to play both sides.

This is where the SPOILERS come in.  Cobblepot apparently met Falcone in an off camera scene in the first episode where they struck a deal  Cobblepot convinced Falcone to make Gordon “kill” him, knowing full well that Gordon would never do that.  He could come back, fake his identity and work for Falcone to bring down Maroni.  In addition, he tells Falcone that Fish has been sleeping with Nikolai and has plans to take Falcone down.  Then Cobblepot tells Falcone that when the plan goes through, he will be Falcone’s “snitch” forever.  For-eva-eva.

It is now becoming clear that Mooney is on her way out of the scene, with her lover being dead and her cover blown to her boss.  She still does have her “weapon”, but I don’t see that plot going very far.  In addition, Cobblepot is a smart guy.  He is playing both the Maroni and Falcone crime families against each other, putting Cobblepot in line to be the ruler of the underworld in Gotham.  If that is the case, bravo writers.  Well played.

And this:

• Maroni’s guys used the oldest bomb in history to blow up Nikolai’s headquarters.  Was that a prop from the 60’s Batman series?
• Maroni tells Falcone “There’s nothing more dangerous than an honest man.”  It’s an odd statement because it’s not true…
• What the hell is up with the chickens?
• Alfred is finally showing his badass side… but on the MCU???
• Is Barbara supposed to be a strong female character?  I’m confused about what the message regarding her is.  Either way, I don’t like her, which shouldn’t be the case.
• Jim Gordon just pawned off the Wayne murders on the MCU.  Lol.
• Cobblepot walked up to a door and turned dramatically to his cronies saying “this way” to the campiest music ever.  Yeah, I’m pretty sure they figured they were heading through the door once the came to it.
• Is there a tally on how many times they said “snitch” this episode?

Hush Comics gives “Penguin’s Umbrella” a B+ for finally showing this story is going somewhere, giving Jim Gordon balls, and using Zsasz as a tease rather than a plot point.

All pictures belong to FOX and DC Entertainment.  They are credited to Jessica Miglio.

Weekend Wrap-Up… February 9, 2014

Ubisoft is re-releasing the original Far Cry on the PlayStation and X-Box Live networks this week.  If you are the girlfriend of a gamer, you should plan on not seeing them over Valentine’s.  Just a tip.

Yoshi’s Island and the 3DS are being sold as a bundle.  Slurp!

Flappy Birds ended as quickly as it began.  So long people who won’t talk to you because they are too busy tapping their phones like madmen.

Sonic is going to be a television show on Cartoon Network.  It will be fully CGI and they kinda look weird.  Honest opinion.  Check out more here.

Batman is back.  More than likely, there will be a new Arkham game released.

Kotobukyia is pretty much the best in figures right now.  So it only makes sense that they are releasing new Arkham figures.

The Age of Ultron will feature MIss Marvel.  They also cast The Vision.  Assemble!!!

Will Smith declined to star in the Independence Day sequel.  Now how will we survive the alien invasion?!

The novel Redshirts is being adapted into a mini-series on FX.  Sci-fi nerds will have to wait for this one though, because it looks like the series still needs a writer.

A little late, but Huey Freeman will be gracing your screen again.  Season 4 of The Boondocks premieres April 21st.

The new series Gotham cast its Jim Gordon.  Ladies will definitely approve.

Zombeavers is destined to be the film of our generation.  And the tagline is truly amazing, “You’ll all be dammed!”

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are developing a show for AMC based off the comic series Preacher.

The Olympics are happening.  And its super controversial.  But take the time to watch this.

Oh, and The Walking Dead premieres tonight.  Read our predictions here.

written by Adrian Puryear and Sherif Elkhatib