Retrospective 2011 - Part 1

Although 2011 may have started slow, by the end of February things were starting to heat up as one of the most action packed superhero summers was just on the horizon.

The Cape 

From January until March the glorious failure of a show, The Cape displayed the adventures of the caped hero and his circus friends as they took on the villainous Chess. I will go on record and say this show was not all bad. Though it was most definitely bad, and ridiculously over the top, there were some moments of entertainment. In particular, the episode Dice with a precognitive master of probabilities was a lot of fun. On the other hand, a villain with a split personality would have been just cliche, except in this show both personalities were evil. That's just odd as was the interaction between the shows hero and his son whom he stalked. In the end, the show aired just 9 episodes on TV with the finale only getting aired on the Internet. In fact, the entire series is available online and as long as you know what you are getting into its worth checking out.

Green Hornet 

Green Hornet hoped to reinvent the aging hero for hip young crowds and though there was some decent action, the style over substance film failed to win over the masses falling just short of the $100 million domestic mark. The Hornet's lackluster performance set the stage for other green clad heroes to fall short in their quests to bring home the green.

All Star Superman 

Oozing reverence for the Man of Steel, February's All Star Superman was one of the year's highlights even edging out Batman: Year One as DC's best animated movie of the year. Although some fan favorite scenes from the graphic novel didn't make the cut, but what did make it into this film was the novel's ability to give Superman humanity. Its not just what Superman can do, but what he inspires in others that places him at the top of the pantheon of heroes. And in the end, even Lex Luthor learned that lesson. All Star Superman is the quintessential Superman story, and the best Superman show in at least 30 years.