DC Comics' "52" Preview

Maybe you were one of the confused fans, over the past few weeks, who picked up a new DC comic, say Teen Titans, and asked “One year later?...but Infinite Crisis hasn’t even wrapped up yet!” Or maybe you’re a newbie to the comic world, and haven’t even bothered to pick up a new DC comic because of the many cross-overs and tie-ins going on lately.

If you haven’t picked up the IC series yet, then the rest of this article doesn’t apply—go to your nearest comic shop and catch up on the events. IC came to an exciting close last week, and trust me you don’t want any spoilers. If you’re really confused, the official DC website has some nice character bios and Crisis info for a crash course tutorial (dccomics.com).

But, if you’ve just finished IC and have been exploring the One Year Later books, then you’re ready for 52 which launches Wednesday, 5/10. 52 is a year long series chronicling the missing year in the DC universe. Think of the series as a cross between the popular TV shows Lost and 24—each issue is essentially a flashback explaining how our favorite characters arrived at their current situations, and the series is told in weekly real time for exactly one year. Hey, why not steal narrative techniques from hit TV shows if the formula works?

52 highlights the “lesser” characters in the DCU, while the big three (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman) are away for a year rediscovering themselves. Can the second string hold down the fort (or world, as the case may be) while the mighty icons are on vacation? The series will explore the value of every hero, whether he/she is the Man of Steel or simply a Plastic Man. Every character, no matter how small (an Atom, perhaps?), plays a role in establishing justice and peace in the ravaged universe. Sort or reminds me of the Body of Christ, in that ALL parts of the Body must contribute in order for the Body to function properly. There is no such thing as a lone hero in the Body; each believer is important, contributing to a unified Church.

What better way to illustrate the importance of unity than the recent events of Identity Crisis? The story leading into 52 is indeed a morality tale which reveals how suspicion, factions, and isolation can destroy harmony and lead to chaos. The Justice League’s undoing was due in part to the distance and mistrust between the lesser-known characters (Blue Beetle, for example, RIP) and the A-List Team (Batman, for example). Now, with the non-existent Justice League and a fractured universe, every character has to work together in order to establish justice. Teams must be re-created, friendships restored, and villains punished. Most importantly, the heroes have to rebuild their unity. There is no longer room in the universe for the lone hero.

Should be an exciting 52 weeks, comic fans…

The Sentinel Review

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Michael Douglas)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

As a fan of the ultra-addictive show 24, I was excited to see Kiefer Sutherland making a trip to the big screen, playing a role similar to his hard-edged Jack Bauer character. Would the duo of Michael Douglas and Sutherland, with a mix of sexy Eva Longoria thrown in for good measure, capture the expert pacing and energy of the best special agent show on TV? Would this be the first step in Sutherland’s return to big screen glory?

In a word, no.

The Sentinel, directed by Clark Johnson, fails to raise Sutherland’s movie career from the dead let alone any excitement level for the viewer. At best, the film is an average thriller, and is better suited for Sunday night TV movie-of-the-week fodder. Forget it paralleling the brilliance that is 24; in fact, lower your expectation and take 24 out of your head entirely. What we have is a plodding, predictable narrative that fails to engage. Blame the poor editing, blame the stale characterization, and definitely blame the writing—all of these elements are guilty of helping to sink this cinematic ship.

The story introduces us to Pete Garrison (Douglas), who begins to self-destruct his respectable career as a secret service agent by carrying on with the First Lady (Kim Basinger). Garrison is also wrongfully tied up in a plot to assassinate the president, and the movie quickly descends into a lesser version of the much superior The Fugitive. David Breckinridge (Sutherland) is an old colleague of Garrison’s, and is handed the task of hunting down the MIA Garrison. Sutherland brings a much needed spark to his scenes, but he and Douglas fail to produce much chemistry. Jill Marin (Longoria), tags along as Breckinridge’s intern, but quickly becomes nothing more than eye candy—the producers obviously are trying to catch the bus of her success on Desperate Housewives. The whole ho-hum affair (no pun intended) ends with a loud, poorly edited shoot-out in a setting we’ve never seen before: a *gasp* stairwell.

Overall, the movie treats its subject matter a little too lightly, never respecting the depths of the characters’ lives and choices. For instance, when Breckinridge finally discovers that Garrison didn’t sleep with Mrs. Breckinridge but instead has been, ahem, “protecting” the First Lady, all is instantly forgiven between them.

“You thought you could get away with this?” Breckinridge asks Garrison incredulously. They chuckle about it like college buddies discussing their first female conquests. It seems as long as Breckinridge’s wife is in the clear, then good ol’ Garrison can cheat with any woman he wants.

But be sure your sins will find you out…early on, photos of the affair surface and push Garrison down shady roads in order to cover his sexual misdeeds. He winds up in places he shouldn’t be, and soon his career is destroyed. Thank the writers for at least not rewarding Garrison’s behavior in the end—he is eventually fired when it all hits the fan.

Oh the irony…protecting the president’s life for years, and yet stabbing him in the back in the end. The movie stops before we can see the lasting ramifications of the affair—the president’s ruined political career, his broken marriage, and the years of pain to follow.

But the consequence for 24 fans is a good one, because this lackluster film will keep Jack Bauer in TV land for at least one more season.

— Overview

The Aviator: From the Heights to the Depths

Howard Hughes’ journey through light and darkness is fascinating—his ascension to the heights is thrilling, and his plunge into flames is heart-wrenching. Metaphorically, the film captures the journey of all humans wrestling through the heights and depths of existence. We’ve all felt the elevation, the wind in our hair, as we experience the best of our humanity. We’ve also all faced the terror of hiding in the guilty shadow of sin.

The power and freedom of flight is the perfect metaphor for Hughes’ visionary achievements. He was The Aviator. At his best, Hughes advanced flight technology and pushed the boundaries of aviation in his day. He was afraid of no one; he never backed down from a new challenge. He soared to wonderful heights with his God-given gifts and utilized every aspect of his intellectual ability. The scenes of Hughes as a test pilot reveal him at his best—a man at the top of his game both literally and metaphorically.

In the midst of his joy, Hughes was also continually hounded by his darkness. He was tortured by obsessive-compulsive personality disorder; anxiety and stress pushed him into intense bouts of isolation and compulsive behavior. He was also a womanizer, a man who bought women off the rack like his suits at J.C. Penney. His personality as a controlling workaholic, and his lust, kept him from experiencing true intimacy in his life. His personality disorder was a chain around his ankle, always pulling him back down to the ground. As high as Howard Hughes might fly, his demons kept him anchored to a life of torment.

Tragically, the darkness never let go of Hughes. In striking imagery, he violently crashes after a test flight over Beverly Hills. He is a bloody mess of a man, barely able to crawl away from the flaming wreckage. In this moment of near destruction, we see him mutter the boast that propelled him throughout his life: “I’m Howard Hughes.” Like the collapsed stature of Ozymandias, Hughes whispers his greatness from the smoking remains of an empire: “Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!” The pride of man refuses to release its grip even in the midst of annihilation.

The battle of light and darkness continues throughout the film. Hughes spends weeks in solitary insanity only to reemerge as the conquering hero of the congressional hearings. He raises the mighty Hercules into the air only to descend into the frightening world of hallucinations. The film ends with a withered, scarred, yet ever proud Hughes escaping into a fantasy about his childhood. Even in his most innocent years, we’re told, he was assaulted with the horrific realities of human disease.

Darkness and light indeed battled for the genius known as Howard Hughes. But isn’t this the nature of life? Aren’t all geniuses tormented by gnawing afflictions of the mind and soul? In fact, I’d be hard pressed to find any great thinker, artist, or entrepreneur who didn’t balance their greatness with destruction. It’s almost like a deal God makes with those who are blessed with brilliance: you can leave a definite stamp on humanity—but your soul will suffer. The god of Hades will hound you as you attempt to climb Mt. Olympia. Maybe it’s a cosmic check and balance system for the hubris of mankind; never again will a human build the Tower of Babel without damaging his own precious psyche.

Genius or not, all accomplishments of humanity are stained by temporality, sin and destruction. Our greatness always contains an asterisk beside it: Death. We live under the curse—dust to dust, ashes to ashes. The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that even the most handsome, the most rich, the most talented, will ultimately blow away in the wind.

We all have a bit of Howard Hughes in us, a part that reflects the glory of God in our discoveries, our creativity, and our intelligence. And like him we also live in shadows, plagued by our own diseases, disorders, and sin. In the midst of our own light and dark, the image of God fractured by human sin, our only hope is to humble ourselves before the Creator. In Him we are promised resurrection and life. Human achievement then has meaning and hope: “Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for. God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret” (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14; TEV)

The Simpsons

Welcome to The Simpsons Season 16 Episode Commentary. Each week I’ll present some thoughts on the ever-growing world of The Simpsons. Woven into each episode’s mix of random humor, satire and quick one-liners is insight into human nature, ethics, philosophy and spirituality. This episode commentary is designed to highlight and remark on some of the themes and ideas that surface in Springfield.

EPISODE 1: Treehouse of Horror XV

(Nov 7, 2004)

What more can I say about an episode that ends with Homer living, full size, inside Mr. Burns body? Seeing the two of them dance together was one of the most bizarre bits of animation I think I’ve ever seen.

The “Treehouse of Horror” episodes are always violent (definitely not for children) and they lovingly tip their hat to classic horror/sci-fi stories from the past. For a thorough discussion of the horror genre from a Christian perspective, check out the recent roundtable discussion here at HJ.

EPISODE 2: All’s Fair in Oven War

(Nov 14, 2004)

Bart and Milhouse find some Playdude magazines in the trash can (Marge already cut the pictures out) and begin to mimic the Playdude lifestyle, while Marge enters a baking contest where her ethics are put to the test.

After Homer gives Bart a quick explanation of the birds and the bees, Bart soon decides that the playdude lifestyle isn’t for him. Funny how a good dose of reality can peel away the fantasies of sexual culture. The free-love movement hit a major roadblock in the 80s with the rise of STDs and HIV, and today the risks are even higher. Bart and Milhouse’s brief dally in the “Playdude” lifestyle is innocently funny, but it points to the larger reality of how we allow magazines and the media in general to shape our practices and lifestyle. And many times, when reality is whispered in our ear, we have the same reaction as Bart when we realize how ridiculous our pretend life really is.

And let’s not forget Marge and Lisa in this episode. Marge eventually cracks under the stress of the contest and (gasp) cheats. In many ways, life is like a giant Ovenfresh Baking Contest in that people are constantly trying to beat us down and force us to lose. In the midst of this we are bombarded by the message to win and achieve at all costs. How do we respond to ethical choices within this pressure cooker? In Marge’s case, she finally confesses her sins after some gentle prodding by Lisa. If only we all had the conscience of young Lisa, with the conviction and moral integrity to stand up for what’s right.

EPISODE 3: Sleeping With the Enemy

(Nov 21, 2004)

Lisa becomes self-conscious of her image (specifically her posterior region), and Nelson moves in with the Simpsons after Marge “adopts” him. Nelson’s mother has neglected him and run away to become an actress. AND this episode marks the return of Nelson’s father.

After Lisa is teased about the size of her backside, she tries desperately to change her image. Her experience reflects the dilemma faced by many young girls in our society today. Girls are presented with unreal expectations about their bodies and are prodded, teased, and ridiculed about their weight. They then starve themselves to look stick thin (Lisa, after eating a carrot: “Now I can’t have toothpaste tonight”). This sick state of affairs is beginning at a younger and younger age (Lisa shops in the “Saks Fifth Grade”). Thus, our girls are programmed before they even have a chance to fight it. The episode doesn’t end with a neat resolution to Lisa’s problem, which is refreshing for a sitcom. And you know, there really isn’t an easy answer to this problem. The church needs to begin to reformulate the American mind about this image issue instead of ignoring it—or fostering it along with everyone else.

And then there’s Nelson . . . Marge (feeling ignored by her own family) decides to spend quality time with him and—what do you know?—Nelson responds positively! Bart doesn’t quite understand his mother’s involvement with the school bully (Bart’s reaction upon seeing Nelson and Marge in the front yard: “My mother, my bully, my god!”) but Marge nonetheless continues to reach out to Nelson. Ever wonder why school bullies are school bullies? We get a glimpse into Nelson’s reason—his dad left him, his mother’s an alcoholic, and he’s neglected. By treating Nelson with respect, as a true child of God, Marge is able to encourage his life. How often do we simply label the outcasts, cast them aside, and leave them alone? I’m sure you have a Nelson in your neighborhood, school, or job. Hopefully, you also have a Marge who will give him the time of day.