First Impressions - Torchwood Miracle Day

AUTHORS NOTE: This review contains SPOILERS.

Also, whilst I do try and give my first impressions of a show the day after it premiers in the UK, I deliberately waited a couple of days before doing this review as I was so pissed off that I decided to wait a couple of days because I wanted to make sure this review was more constructive and less like a rant. Let’s hope I tried.

Anyway, here is my first impressions of...

Torchwood was created as a spin off series to the latest Doctor Who series. It was first mentioned in the second series (that is the first series to include David Tenant), started by Queen Victoria to help counter alien threats. It was the recurring theme of the series and Doctor Who would eventually meet up with Torchwood at the end of the series – which would systematically be destroyed in a battle with the Cybermen and the Daleks (a battle that no doubt made all the fanboys and girls wet themselves). It would then go onto to be it’s own standalone series, with Captain Jack Harkness (a loveable time travelling rogue also introduced in the new series – now immortal due to events at the end of first series), set in the Cardiff base of Torchwood.

To be honest, Torchwood was very hit and miss at the start. The first series, to be honest, had more bad episodes than good as it couldn’t really make up its mind whether it wanted to be a really dark drama, or a teen romance. Also many of the characters, I thought, were quite unlikeable – even Jack Harkness himself was a bit of a prick! However, even the bad episodes had some entertaining value to them. By the second series the episodes became tighter and the characters a lot more likeable; and it had a real cool feel to it that made it stand out amongst most series. As for the third (mini) series... all I can say is DAMN! I have never seen a series that was so bleak and dark, but so well written. It pretty much ended with Torchwood being destroyed and all but a few of the main characters being killed off.

So anyway, after a brief hiatus, Torchwood is back. Cause for excitement? Well, the first thing we’ve noticed is that this series of Torchwood is produced by Starz entertainment, who gave us Spartacus Blood and Sand and Camelot (and I think you guys know from my previous reviews what I thought of that show). Also, they seemed to have moved the location from Wales to America. Ok, alarm bells starting to ring here. But, we have Russell T Davies involved with the project, who originally created the series. And if he can transpose series like Queer as Folk over to the USA than maybe this may not be so bad. Ok, I’ll give this show a chance.

Set a few months after the events of Torchwood series 3, Torchwood survivor Gwen Cooper (one of my favourite characters) and her husband Reese are living in hiding out in Wales, with their baby daughter Anwen. Reese trying to get Gwen to move on so that they can live their family life, but Gwen has trouble adapting to her new life. Captain Jack, though, is missing.

In America, Oswald Dane, a paedophile rapist (played, surprisingly, by Hollywood heartthrob Bill Pullman), is about to be executed for – well, being a paedophile rapist. The execution happens and... he doesn’t die. But that’s just the start. Around the world, no one dies. People are shot, stabbed, poisoned, etc. But no one dies. Everyone has become immortal! How has this happened? No one knows. So this is a good thing, right? Well, not really. If no one dies, then they work out that the world will be overpopulated in just a matter of months, potentially throwing the world into chaos.

Meanwhile, the CIA are investigating files into the mysterious Torchwood, which has seemed to have been erased from all computer systems. During this, Captain Jack returns. The CIA eventually are able to bring Gwen and Reese over to USA, and so begins the new series of Torchwood, Miracle Day.

And, that’s about it. Seriously, that’s all that happens in this episode. It’s just people talking about Torchwood and Miracle Day and that’s it. It’s one of the slowest opening episodes I’ve seen in a while. I know they have to establish the problem for the series, but if you remember back to the first episode of Doctor Who in 2005, that was full of action and thrust you right into the problem. It meant that they could work in the backstory of the character, but still have enough action to be entertaining. Here, it’s just exposition, exposition, exposition. It makes the episode very slow and honestly, I found myself getting bored halfway through.

Now, we move onto another problem I have, the overall style of the show. Clearly, this series was remade for the American audience and as such they’ve changed a lot of the aspects to make it look American. Now, I have no problem with that, however, here’s my point – Torchwood was already popular in the states (well, it had a fan following), why would you need to change it? Honestly, this episode feels more like an establishing episode for a completely new series rather than a continuation. Also, in the process, I think Torchwood has lot of lot of the things that made it a stand out show before. For all its faults, Torchwood had its own distinct style to it, it was dark, humourous, sexy, cool and entertaining. Also, it dealt with some very adult themes and moral issues that most other sci-fi shows don’t really go into. All this added together to make Torchwood unique and stand out above most “cookie-cutter” sci-fi shows. But now, it feels more like a generic science fiction show.

But I think the biggest complaint I have about the show is the overall theme of the series. The concept of no one on Earth being able to die is a great idea – for one episode, two at the most. But a whole series? I honestly think this was a big mistake and I can see this plot getting old very quickly – with maybe a few plot holes starting to open.

One final thing I have to mention, and this is more a nitpick but I’ll say it anyway – WHEN DID GWEN COOPER BECOME FRIGGIN’ RAMBO??? Like I said, she was one of my favourite characters in Torchwood and possibly one of the strongest female leads in TV. But, I’m sorry, when you see her shooting down a helicopter with a handgun, and then a bazooka – that totally takes away from the believability of her character. Yes, I know she’s a cop and she has knowledge in firearms – but she ain’t Segal! Clearly this was added in to appeal to the fans of Alias and Nikita – great shows in their own right, but this really doesn’t fit in with this show.

However, there is one good thing that I will say about this show. Bill Pullman is excellent as Oswald Dane. It’s a completely different part to the usual “hunky man” roles that he’s used to playing and he plays it with such chilling conviction, playing a sneaky, creepy man that knows how to manipulate the system. It’s always hard to play characters that are so evil and unlikeable and still make them interesting – but Pullman does it justice. Hopefully it will carry on like that.

SUMMARY:

For all the build up, I was ultimately left dry and disappointed. Making the show for the American audience was a move that was unnecessary as it was already familiar with American audiences in the first place. This has caused Torchwood to lose a lot of its coolness and made it more like a standard, by the numbers sci-fi series. I’m not saying it’s terrible, it’s not as good as it could be. And with Russell T Davies on the creative team, you wonder how it could have turned out this way. I'm guessing that he doesn't have as much creative control as I really doubt that such a talented writer could create something this generic.

Some diehard fans of Torchwood may get some enjoyment out of it, as will newcomers who have never seen it before. But for me, the story just doesn’t feel like it could last a whole series (and based on some later episode teasers, it doesn’t fill me with hope) and I fear this will just turn into a series that has a lot of explosions and no substance. To miss-quote a famous phrase, ‘it’s Torchwood Jim, but not as we know it.’

Agree? Disagree? Did I miss anything out? Let me know by leaving me a comment or sending me a mail.

Disclaimer: All material mentioned in this article is for review purposes only and copyright of their respective owners. No infringement is intended or infered.

The next Pandragon novel - YOU choose!

Hi guys, this is a very special blog today as I thought I'd go for a little audience participation here.

A question I get asked by my readers (yep, both of them, haha) is when will my next book come out? Well, I'm pleased to let you guys know that a sequel to Trapped on Draconica is in the works and we are looking for a release date of around September 2012. In the meantime, I was looking through my list of old novels that I used to write and came across two particular stories that I was thinking of re-writing. However, reading through both of them, I wasn't too sure which one to go for.

This is where YOU come in. I decided to throw this open to the internet to see which of these two stories they feel would work best as a novel. Both of them have a fairly religious theme to them (something which I was always interested in tackling), but both are completely conflicting genres. Details of the two stories below:

To Hell and Heaven and Back (Divine Romantic Comedy)

Running your own business can be hell - in Lucifers case it is meant literarly! Kicked out of Heaven since her fall out with her hubby, Lucifer runs Hell pretty much all by herself, rehabiltating the souls of the damned so that they can rejoin the world above. When David, a suicide victim comes to Hell, Lucifer welcomes him in to enjoy his stay - but then David realises that his girlfriend can't go on with her life since his death, so he makes plans to get back to Earth. Unfortunately, only God himself can decide who goes back or not. So David makes a daring plan to try and get back to Earth - getting Lucifer and God back together!

Jobe (working title)

For most of his life, Jobe had powers and abilties that no one else had, even Jobe himself didn't realise his potential. When he moves into a new flat, with two rather attractive ladies, he thinks he hit the jackpot. Little does he realise that these two ladies are actually agathodaemons (or to the humans, angels) sent to watch over Jobe. Jobe is in fact a nephalim, a cross between man and demon, and it is his job to spread the word of religion to gather more followers for the agathodemons, who are in a losing battle with their enemies, the cacodaemons. Thrust into a supernatural battle through no fault of his own, Jobe must decide whether to follow his destiny - or show the humans another way of life, a world without religion!


So guys, which one of those would you most like to read about? Let me know! Please post your comments below saying which one you would like to hear about. Or message me via email, Facebook, Twitter whatever, just let me know! I'll do this for about a week and then let you know the outcome next Sunday.

So what are you waiting for? Get voting!

Kindest

Pandragon

An interview with Alexis M Centeno

In a very special blog, I managed to catch up with Alexis M Centeno, the artist of Trapped on Draconica with a quick Q&A session. For those who wondered how me and Alexis got involved, please read on!

If it’s not too much of a problem, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am an artist who has free-lanced for a few years. It’s a great way to build up your artistic skills; you never know what people are going to ask you to draw. After a year into freelancing, I decided I needed a new challenge and entered college. I am majoring in Computer Animation and it’s been fun exploring new ways to express myself artistically.

What inspired you to get into drawing?

Animation. I grew up on Disney and all I ever wanted to do was draw characters and tell a story with them. Capturing the right gesture and emotion of characters are kind of an obsession of mine.

Any particular reason you choose this style of artwork?

Not really. When I was a kid, I was heavily influenced by Disney and later Marvel comics in how I drew, but once I saw Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, I knew what style of art suited me best. I do not know why, but this is the style that characters appear in my head; I draw them like I imagine them.

What tools do you use?

For the first few illustrations of the novel, I used traditional methods of drawing in pencil and inking them with technical pens. By the sixth illustration however, I went entirely digital. From then on, my tools became the Intuos, Photoshop, and Corel Painter.

How did you first get involved with Trapped on Draconica?

I answered an ad posted on the Zuda message boards; you never know who you are going to be working with when you answer ads; some people are really cool and fun to work with; others are not. In Trapped on Draconica’s case, I got lucky and learned a lot; I know I have become a better artist because of it.

Was there anything particular that attracted you to the project?

I am a sucker for fantasy; especially if there is a medieval twist. When I responded to the ad for this project, no one else was posting projects like this at the time, and it stood out in a sea of “super-hero” projects.

Prior to this, had you been involved in any other projects before?

I did a few side projects with other writers, but they did not go very far. I did however have the pleasure of working with John Zakour. He hired me for a submission package for Zuda. It got rejected, but it was a fun project to illustrate.

The work I have done for Trapped on Draconica has opened new doors for me professionally and academically. Some of the images of the book are in my portfolio and it got me into college. For this I am very grateful.

What was it like working on something like this? Is it different doing artwork for novels than it is comics?

At first, doing artwork for novels was very different. I had only done comic art before this and it took me a little while to get my head wrapped around making one picture to get multiple ideas across. Now, I love it; in some ways a single illustration can make a bolder statement.

How did you go about choosing which scene to draw? Was it something that you discussed with the author?

Sometimes he would give me suggestions of scenes he would like to see illustrated and sometimes I would give suggestions of my own. All in all, I would say it was a joint effort.

What were your inspirations for the character designs? Where they all your own idea?

I have many sources of inspiration. Of course I love anime, manga, and RPGs, but I try not to lean on these too much; I do not want to make characters that look clichéd.  Fashion and animals are my biggest influences; I grab styles from different cultures and time periods to mix and match the right character. Each character has their own personality and I try to let my initial thoughts about Dan’s character descriptions guide me to what their design should be.

He has his own ideas of how he wants characters to be and gives me visual references. He gives me the freedom to use these references or not, but some of the references really help in pointing me in the right direction. The names he gives the characters help alot too.

Do you find it easier drawing male or female characters?

Neither is easier than the other. When I was younger, females were much easier to draw, but after years of studying anatomy, I can enjoy drawing both.

Do you have any favourite characters that you like drawing?

Yes! I came into this project with the full intent of being impartial, but there are some characters that are especially fun to draw out. Taurok, Mordak, Rana, and Zarracka are my favourites.

Any reason for your choices?

I usually gravitate towards villains. I am not sure if this is intentional, but villains are often written stronger than their heroic counterparts. Rana and Taurok are not exactly villains, but they are still strong.

In your opinion, which would you say is your favourite picture in the book?

This is a tough one; I do not want to give any story details away, but there is a Taurok picture and an important scene between Daniar and Erowin that stick out for me. The first pictures of Mordak are also special.

Supposing you could be any of the characters from this story, which one would it be?

Mordak. Sure, he’s a bad guy, but he comes and goes; you never know when he’s going to strike. He wears a mask; you never know what he’s thinking and he does not speak; he’s a real enigma.

One of the important character of the book is the Dragonkin – each with their own dragon power. Who, in your opinion, would you say has the best powers out of all of them?

It’s a draw between Zarracka and Rana; if I absolutely had to choose one, I would have to go with Zarracka.

Hypothetically speaking, supposing you were given a chance to have a dragon power from the characters in the story – which one would you most like and why?

I guess it would have to be Erowin; healing can come in handy.

Will you be doing anymore novels of this sort in the future?

Why not? As long as the story is well written and the characters are interesting I would love to.

One final question... What’s Dan (the author of Trapped on Draconica) like to work with?

Working with Dan has been great. I wish every writer was as respectful and passionate about his projects as him. A lot of writers think they have something special, but they do not have the drive to see their project through. It also helped that I liked the story, not as an artist, but as a reader. I wanted to do the story justice. (Thanks Alexis, I'll pay you your bribe later! lol) 

Alexis is an American based artist that is available for commission and other work. To see a list of her other works (as well as some sample artwork for future novels) then visit her deviant art page.

Deviant Art 

Thanks for Alexis for her time, I am honoured to have worked with such an amazing artist.

Have a great weekend people.

Kindest

Pandragon

Trapped on Draconica now available as a paperback!

Hi guys. Some great news for Pandragon Publishing! Their breakthrough novel, Trapped on Draconica is now available as a paperback novel!

After trail runs with other print companies, we have now printed Trapped on Draconica in a brilliant paperback novel - complete with shiny cover! Those of you who were unable to download the book on Kindle can now have your very own copy.

Currently available through Createspace store, but will appear on Amazon shortly Please see the link below and purchase your copy:

Createspace Store

Speaking of downloads, you can also view the latest chapter of the free ebook series The Quellers, whereby their story takes a dark turn.

The Quellers - Chapter 2

More updates to follow. Exciting times ahead!

Don't forget to check out the Pandragon website for all the info on the other projects currently going on.

Pandragon Publishing Website

Thanks

Pandragon

Pandragon Publishing Announces it's brand new set of short stories

For those of you who have purchased or downloaded a copy of Trapped on Draconica, thank you very much. And to those who have reviewed it, thank you as well.

Today, Pandragon Publishing announces a new title within the Draconica world - The Quellers. Available now through Smashwords.

The Quellers tells the story of two sibling warriors turned bounty hunters, Dylan and Alix. Formerly of the supernatural society called The Quellers, this story follows both brother and sister as they struggle to make do with their new lives. Alix is happy with her new life, but Dylan is unable to cope with the fact that he now works as a petty hunter. And he can't let go of the pain that he once felt.

Little do they realise that both of them will soon be called up for a mission that could have an effect on the whole of Draconica.

This is the first episode in a series of short story chapters, designed to show a little more of the world of Draconica. It's currently available through Smashwords as an ebook and will be updated almost weekly. Best thing about this is the cost... absolutely free!

That's right, each chapter you read will be free to download and read at your leisure (you lucky people!). Each story ends with an exciting cliffhanger that will make you want to come back to the next chapter.

For full details, check out the first chapter of The Quellers. Link below:

The Quellers Chapter 1

And hey, while you're there, why not check out Trapped on Draconica, also available through Smashwords.

Trapped on Draconica

Keep watching the blog for future updates.

All the best

Pandragon

Pandragon Publishing First Impressions - Dexter Season 5

WARNING: For those of you who haven’t seen Seasons 1-4 of this excellent series please be aware, this review will contain MAJOR SPOILERS. If you don’t want to ruin the surprise, please see those seasons first before reading this review.

On that note, let’s dive right into Season 5 of...

Dexter has been a show I’ve been following closely since its first viewing in the UK. As a character, Dexter is one of the most interesting anti-heroes in TV culture. For one thing, he’s a serial killer – but he only kills villains, living by a strict moral code. Another, he claims to be a monster, devoid of emotions – but as the series progresses, he realises that he DOES have emotions and he CAN live amongst society if he tries hard enough – or can he?

And that’s the moral dilemma with Dexter, despite the rather cruel and wicked ways he brutally murders people, he’s played with so much vulnerability that you actually come to like him as a character. I want him to settle down and have a normal life – but as we’ve seen in previous instalments, Dexter’s dark path always comes back to bite him in the ass and stick the middle finger in his attempts at normality.

Before I get into the opening episode (which I recently caught up with on FX), let’s recap what happened. Dexter was married to Rita and they had a baby called Harrison. Dexter was struggling with family life, while at the same time keeping his dark secret to those whom he loves. The target of this series was a serial killer called the Trinity Killer – who, in my opinion, was one of the greatest TV villains ever and played amazingly by John Lithgow (who in turn won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy). To explain why I think he was so great would take far too long – just watch the series and decide for yourself.

Anyway, during the run of the series, Dexter sees the Trinity Killer (real name Arthur Mitchell) as a kind of role model as he also has a family and is a killer – but manages to keep both sides of his personality away from the people he loves. Naturally, as the series progresses, things go a bit Pete Tong and Dexter realises what a monster he is. So, come the final series, Dexter kills Trinity and he returns home to his wife Rita... only to find that she’s brutally murdered and left in a pool of her own blood!

Seriously, this is one of the most shocking moments in TV history and it still chills me to the bone. The way I describe it doesn’t do it justice – watch the series finale and you’ll realise how shocking it is!

Series 5 picks up where this left off, with Dexter now distraught over his wife’s death. After series 4 ended, I figured that Dexter would now be infuriated at his loss, thus leading him on a self-destructive path where he embraces his dark side.

Amazingly though, this is not how the show goes. Dexter is emotionally distant from everyone, a combination of inner guilt, combined with his lack of basic human emotion, makes him an empty shell of a man – unable to truly grieve for Rita. There’s even a really heartwrenching scene where he has to tell Aster and Cody (Rita’s kids) that their mother is dead and all he can say is “sorry for your loss”, which is what he picked up from when he visits the undertaker (no, not the wrestler!) and he is impressed that the undertaker can say this and show emotion, yet not really give a toss.

It’s this strange turmoil in Dexter that really is the focus of the show. The fact that he has so many conflicting feelings, but is unable to show them, is a testament to Michael C Hall’s brilliant acting ability and the skill to make such a dark character sympathetic. Soon, Dexter realises that if he stays his poison will affect everyone he loves... even his son. Therefore, he makes the choice to run away and leave his life behind. Does he stay gone for good? Without giving too much away, it wouldn’t be much of a series if the main character left in the first episode.

What’s really good about this episode is that we are intercut with scenes of when he first meets Rita on their first date, whilst at the same time hunting a new criminal. It’s quite sad to know that, even back then, his line of work conflicted with his relationship with Rita and he begins to realise how much of an impact his line of work has affected those he loves without him trying to. And for, once, Harry isn’t on hand to help him out, leaving Dexter to face his demons alone.

Overall, this was a very sombre episode, dealing with Dexter’s grief and making choices that would ultimately affect those he cares for. Unlike usual season openers, it didn’t introduce the new villain or even have any murders other than Rita, but that wasn’t what this show was about. It was a tribute to a character that was a very important figure in his life. She showed him a human side that Dexter didn’t realise he had – and paid the price for it. Now she’s gone, we are left wondering, how will this affect Dexter? Will he go on a murderous rampage, or try and maintain the last few pieces of humanity he still has?

Well, judging by trailers for the next episode, Dexter will be tested. With the FBI on his trail, having found new evidence that he was at Arthur Mitchell’s house, and Quinn now on Dexter’s case, his world could be about to unravel. Is this foreshadowing the end of Dexter?

SUMMARY

For those new to Dexter, I recommend you watch a few series first to get an idea of what’s going on (or at the very least Season 4 so that you get an idea what’s going on). This episode does really depend on you watching the previous ones so you get an idea of what’s going on. However if, like me, you have been watching Dexter from the word go, you will find this both a sad – but intriguing start to the season. It’s not about who the villain is this time, but rather where Dexter is going to go from here now that the love of his life is gone; and whether he can stop the monster inside him from poisoning anyone else in his life. I, for one, will be watching this series to see what happens very closely.

Regards

Pandragon

Trapped on Draconica Now Availlable through Whatever Comics

Exciting news indeed! Canterbury based comic company Whatever Comics is now stocking paperback copies of Trapped on Draconica for a limited period. Those of you based in the Kent area will now have a chance to own your very own copy of Trapped on Draconica in paperback form.

For more information about Whatever Comics, or to enquire about available copies please visit their website on:

Whatever Comics Website


Or their Facebook:

Whatever Comics Facebook

Have a good weekend guys

Pandragon