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.

No More Capeless Heroes on NBC

Its official, NBC has canceled Heroes. There is still a chance that Volume 6: Brave New World may get made as a special event movie. Anyways, out with the old and in with the new. NBC will instead be showing a series titled The Cape. Here is the series description:

"The Cape" is a one-hour drama series starring David Lyons ("ER") as Vince Faraday, an honest cop on a corrupt police force, who finds himself framed for a series of murders and presumed dead. He is forced into hiding, leaving behind his wife, Dana (Jennifer Ferrin, "Life on Mars") and son, Trip (Ryan Wynott, "Flash Forward"). Fueled by a desire to reunite with his family and to battle the criminal forces that have overtaken Palm City, Faraday becomes "The Cape" his son's favorite comic book superhero -- and takes the law into his own hands. Rounding out the cast are James Frain ("The Tudors") as billionaire Peter Fleming -- The Cape's nemesis -- who moonlights as the twisted killer: Chess; Keith David ("Death at a Funeral") as Max Malini, the ringleader of a circus gang of bank robbers who mentors Vince Faraday and trains him to be The Cape, Summer Glau ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles") as Orwell, an investigative blogger who wages war on crime and corruption in Palm City; and Dorian Missick ("Six Degrees") as Marty Voyt, a former police detective and friend to Faraday. "The Cape" is a Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun production from executive producer/creator Thomas Wheeler ("Empire"), executive producer/director Simon West ("Con Air"), the executive producing team of Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun (NBC's "Mercy), and executive producer Gene Stein ("Accidentally on Purpose").

And some clips:

Is this a worthy replacement? All I know is that by the end, even though I somewhat enjoyed heroes, I was watching it more out of habit than because it was good. I am kind of relieved to have an hour of my life back each week. I will reserve judgment for this until I see a bit more, but I will say the show looks less cheesy than the title sounds, but it still looks in the territory of Smallville.