Did you catch the opening episode of NBC’s new show Heroes? If not, you’re in luck. The premiere episode is being show again on Tuesday night on NBC and over the weekend on Sci Fi and you can even watch it online at the show’s website. Why am I telling you this? Because the first episode was chillingly good. I had goosebumps by the end. Fun comic book references, interesting characters, just the right amount of set-up and a great ending makes for a perfect pilot episode. A plus for all the comic book geeks out there are the brief glimpses of artwork from phenomenal artist Tim Sale.
Interestingly enough there is an online graphic novel that provides back story for one of the characters and another character has his own blog to post thoughts on each week. It is rare that I find a first episode so compelling. It did not feel like the actors were trying to get their bearings. They were obviously all very well versed in the story and their performances showed the preparation. This show, with its fantastic opening episode, has the chance to be something very special…or will be a show that goes bust and breaks geek hearts in the process. I hope it turns out to be something special.
I finished my 4th book from the R.I.P. Challenge tonight, The Haunted Looking Glass. This is a collection of 12 classic ghost stories hand chosen and illustrated by Edward Gorey.
First things first, the Gorey illustrations prior to each story are excellent and fit the gothic mood of this book perfectly. Secondly, Edward Gorey had very good taste. While not quite as good a book as the similarly themed Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories(scroll down for review), The Haunted Looking Glass contains some very fine stories in the ghostly, atmospheric vein just perfect for cool autumn night reading.
Contained within are stories by well known authors such as Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker and Wilkie Collins as well as lesser known authors whose tales are meant to send a thrill up the spine and a chill through the bones. By and large the stories succeed. There were a few that were just okay but I really enjoyed most of them. Other than the Bram Stoker story and W.W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw, I had not read any of the other stories previously.
What fascinated me about the book is that it seemed to pick up steam as it when along with most stories being even better than the one before. Wilkie Collins’ The Dream Woman and M.R. James’ Casting the Runes were excellent choices to close out the book. Moody, creepy, eerie things-that-go-bump-in-the-night storytelling is what you’ll get with this volume and I give it high marks for being just the sort of book to read for the R.I.P. Challenge.
Heroes looks interesting. Wonder if it’ll arrive over here at any time soon.
We really enjoyed Heroes! We’d been looking forward to it for quite some time and it
didn’t disappoint. I can’t wait for the next episode!!!!
James respectfully turned his head during that one scene. It kinda surprised me.
Network TV has changed some!
Thankfully that part of her ‘career’ appears to be over. If that hadn’t ended soon then Tori would’nt have been able to watch it.
It was fun, I’m looking forward to next week as well.
I have Heroes TiVo’d since I didn’t get to see it. I hope I can watch it this weekend. I think my hubby really liked it. And I have the Gorey out from the library, I just need to find the time to get to it. Your review makes me want to read it even more.
Thanks for the hint on Heroes. I don’t watch much TV, but it sounds interesting. I have been DVR-ing Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, so maybe I’ll add Heroes to the mix.
As for my RIP Challenge books…well, I’ve finished two, and the other three may be pre-empted by the need to re-read the 1243 page Count of Monte Cristo…so unless that counts *hint, hint*, I may be slogging behind for some time.
Great post, as always.
was definitely impressed with Heroes.. even tho I had high expectations! i’m really excited to see where they take the show.
I TiVo’d it but haven’t yet watched it (4 AM comes early so it was on after my bedtime).
When it was over, I was so pleased that I’d have a show to look forward to on Monday nights!
How fun for Tori! I am so glad this is a show she’ll be able to watch!
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I watched Heroes and found it pretty intriguing myself. I’d be happy to see how they build on the story.
I really enjoyed Hereos, but I can see that NetFlix has spoiled me. As soon as the episode was over, I found myself looking around for the DVD with the next episode.
I look forward to the show next week!
I’m my own hero, I don’t have to watch wannabees.
Classic me.
Hey I think and correct me if I’m wrong, but I have thought that the guy who stands 4th from the right looks like me. He wasin the movie “Hollow Man” and was the pilot of the airplane in “lost”. You only get to see him in the first episode.
notice that besides Hiro, the Japanese guy, and Grunberg, the cop, they all look like models.
I think that guy (the fourth from the right) was also in Alias, as well as Lost. I didn’t see Hollow Man, though, so I’ll have to take your word for it Tom.
I didn’t watch or record it, but I’ll add it to the list and check it out. Thanks for the heads-up Carl!
Cool, so good to hear about Heroes. I’m definitely torrenting this baby!
Oh, I tivoed this. Sounds like a great thing to return home to tonight after the day I’ve had.
I think all of you who haven’t seen it will enjoy it.
And you’re my hero as well Tom. 😉
I watched it, and was a bit underwhelmed by it, but to be fair, I missed the first 15 minutes and couldn’t really catch up. It’s on again tonight and I think Sci Fi is going to be airing it on Fridays also. I might just be used to the networks showing all the action first and then catching up on the backstory in dribs and drabs.
You need to watch it in its entirety. Obviously its just my opinion but I didn’t find it underwhelming at all. I was actually pretty impressed with how good a first episode it was. Watching the whole show is vital to getting the whole mood of the thing though. And of course it might just not be your thing Carrie. These kind of genre shows usually don’t appeal to everyone.
Damn, I LOVE the Monkey Paw. One of the best ghost stories ever. Haven’t seen Heroes. Have to check it out.
Keri and I also enjoyed Heroes a lot. I loved all the comic and Star Trek references. I’m with you Mary. I want to see the next episode now.
wow! I’m glad I read this, and so ended up watching it! Awesome show, and I got to listen to Japanese!
So glad you enjoyed it Janet. It is very fun so far.
I should have prefaced my statement with the fact that Tom is the only true hero at least when it comes to MRIs.
MRI??? Is that Male Rectal Inspection?
I watched it yesterday and quite enjoyed it. Reminds me in some ways of the 4400. Great cliffhanger.
Glad you enjoyed it Suzanne. You’ll have to go to the site and read the online comic as well so you can stay totally immersed in the geekiness of it all!