Things I have just discovered...

[Dingo]

Some things that I have just discovered that I should have found years ago...


Steve Gerber.
It's embarrassing to say, but in spite of the fact I had known for years that Steve Gerber was supposed to be great, it took his death for me to find his work. Absolutely incredible stuff it is too. It's so thoughtful, and thought provoking. No disrespect is intended to Steven Grant (who's work I generally enjoy) but I really wish that those Defenders issues were never written... Omega was so great as it was.

Doctor Who.(2005 on)
Seriously, how the hell did I miss this boat? It is such a great story engine and so well executed. Now I have to go back and find some older Doctor Who to see how it holds up. And don't let anyone tell you Daleks are silly, they are damned scary!

Peanuts.
The Peanuts that I was first exposed to was the contemporary newspaper strip, which lacks any humour or charm. I had just figured that it was some sort of a social commentary that you only got if you were American. So goodness only knows why I picked up The Complete Peanuts first volume, but I am so glad I did. This is back in the day that Schultz had something to say about the world, and he was using kids to say it. This was Calvin and Hobbes decades before there was Calvin and Hobbes. I am up to the second volume, which is just as good (or even better), and whilst I am sure there will be a fair few volumes of great stuff yet, I know at some point this great strip is going to degenerate into the insipid and uninspired Peanuts I first knew, but until then I love it. Hell it is even making me wonder if Garfield was ever good.

So what do you guys think of those?
What have you guys found lately that you wish you had found years ago?

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

Yes, the Omega finale in Defenders was horrible but I gather they felt they made a promise and had to hold to it. Their hearts were in the right place but I wish it hadn't been.

Doctor Who will hold up for the most part so long as you understand that the small special effects budget in the original series was part of the charm, not a cross to bear.

Peanuts? Read them and was less impressed. Still thought Schulz was awesome just preferred the pap, I guess.

[Dan Slott]

A quick chime in:

Yes! Gerber is awesome! My favorite work from his vast library will always be HOWARD THE DUCK. I greatly enjoyed some of his recent work (and sadly some of his final work) on a book he created for DC called HARD TIME. Check out the 2004 TPB.

Can't beat classic PEANUTS!

And, as a super die hard Doctor Who fan, let me tell you...
The recent series with the last two Doctors, Rose, and Martha-- while they may not be the all time best-- they are the most polished, have the best effects, a wonderful cast, and-- and this is IMPORTANT-- the BEST PACE.

These last 3 seasons really move along at a nice clip! The one hour show format-- with the occasional 2 parter-- really is the way to go. Previous DOCTOR WHO adventures were done as half hour "serials" that did seem to take their sweet time wrapping up. A lot of times, huge chunks of the episodes would seemed padded out with the characters running and running and running-- back and forth-- to get from one place to the other. If you're going to take a trip into Doctor Who's past-- you'll enjoy it more if you go in PREPARED for this.

That said, almost every era of DOCTOR WHO has its own unique charm. Except for the 6th Doctor (Colin Baker-- not to be confused with the 4th Doctor, Tom Baker), that run was... let's just be polite and say, "Not good."

I had seen some of the episodes with Tom Baker as a wee lad visiting my Grandmother over various summers. They aired them on PBS in her part of the country.
Later, in junior high and high school, I moved to England where I caught the end of Baker's run and almost all of Peter Davison's tenure. So for me, those were always "my" Doctors. And I really loved those episodes. Having gone back and watched some with "adult eyes"... There are a lot of moments where they don't hold up too well. But I don't mind. It's a great series.

[Dingo]

Yes, the Omega finale in Defenders was horrible but I gather they felt they made a promise and had to hold to it. Their hearts were in the right place but I wish it hadn't been.

Yeah that is a pretty good description of how I feel too. I know that they had to do it, I just wish they hadn't.

Doctor Who will hold up for the most part so long as you understand that the small special effects budget in the original series was part of the charm, not a cross to bear.

Hell, I already love some of the cheesiness of the SFX in the new series. I'm sure I will be ok with the older stuff. :)

Peanuts? Read them and was less impressed. Still thought Schulz was awesome just preferred the pap, I guess.
Fair enough. Each to their own.

A quick chime in:

Yes! Gerber is awesome! My favorite work from his vast library will always be HOWARD THE DUCK. I greatly enjoyed some of his recent work (and sadly some of his final work) on a book he created for DC called HARD TIME. Check out the 2004 TPB.

Thanks for the tip, I'm trying to find all the Gerber I can at the moment.

Can't beat classic PEANUTS!

Nope. Except for the story telling stylings of a certain writer nicknamed 'the fan' or 'the walking longbox'. They beat classic peanuts. ;)

And, as a super die hard Doctor Who fan, let me tell you...
The recent series with the last two Doctors, Rose, and Martha-- while they may not be the all time best-- they are the most polished, have the best effects, a wonderful cast, and-- and this is IMPORTANT-- the BEST PACE.

These last 3 seasons really move along at a nice clip! The one hour show format-- with the occasional 2 parter-- really is the way to go. Previous DOCTOR WHO adventures were done as half hour "serials" that did seem to take their sweet time wrapping up. A lot of times, huge chunks of the episodes would seemed padded out with the characters running and running and running-- back and forth-- to get from one place to the other. If you're going to take a trip into Doctor Who's past-- you'll enjoy it more if you go in PREPARED for this.

Thanks for the tip, nobody has made me aware of that before.

That said, almost every era of DOCTOR WHO has its own unique charm. Except for the 6th Doctor (Colin Baker-- not to be confused with the 4th Doctor, Tom Baker), that run was... let's just be polite and say, "Not good."

I had seen some of the episodes with Tom Baker as a wee lad visiting my Grandmother over various summers. They aired them on PBS in her part of the country.
Later, in junior high and high school, I moved to England where I caught the end of Baker's run and almost all of Peter Davison's tenure. So for me, those were always "my" Doctors. And I really loved those episodes. Having gone back and watched some with "adult eyes"... There are a lot of moments where they don't hold up too well. But I don't mind. It's a great series.

Cool, thanks for the tips there. My wife's Doctor was Tom Baker too so that was going to be my first port of call :)

[Cardinal Braxiatel]

In defense of the old Doctor Who serials, they did have in the final part, whether it was part four or six, something you miss in a one and done and even the occasional two parter: The Shit Hits The Fan Episode. I loved that in the episodes leading up to it that things would get just as bad as they possibly could get and the concluding chapter would just be Our Heroes racing against time to Save The Day.

[Dan Lombardo]

i wish i had gotten into Twin Peaks sooner.

picked up the Definitive Gold Box edition for Christmas and was
BLOOWWWWNN AWWWAAYYYY

sat in front of the tv for the holidays. incredible stuff.