Last week, DC and Marvel sort of went head-to-head releasing two very different shows, but with some interesting similarities. Meanwhile, Jamie was scrolling my Amazon account, and Amazon (correctly) alerted me that the 1976 Krofft Superstars show, ElectraWoman and DynaGirl is fully available - and in excellent condition.
DC's take was to put out a very adult-oriented mob-show about what seems to be the rise of Oswald Cobb(lepott), better known as The Penguin in Bat-circles. It's the spin-off from the successful The Batman movie, in which famed handsome-man Colin Farrell put on 40 pounds of latex and a fatsuit to play a character very, very well, that some critics (Paul) have called out for being a role any character actor in LA could have nailed. And maybe he's not wrong.
It's a show that's a wild take that has nothing to do with the source material, uses the name of the character with only minimal care for the comics, and is doing it's own thing while using the DC label. I do not expect Dr. Fate to show up and help out.
Marvel's take was to put out a semi adult-oriented witch-show about what seems to be the return of Agatha Harkness, better known as "that one character they made sexy for no reason in the comics" in Marvel circles. Agatha All Along is the spin-off from the successful WandaVision show, in which we saw Elizabeth Olsen kill it as a lead in poignant superhero fare in a well-made, well received show (by most people). Folks liked the gimmicks and ingenuity, plus heart. And it had a reason to exist after Endgame. Maybe the rest of Marvel since 2020 could have learned from that.
It's a show that's a wild take that has nothing to do with the source material, uses the name of the character with only minimal care for the comics, and is doing it's own thing while using the Marvel label. I do not expect Dr. Strange to show up and help out.
In general, I liked the Penguin pilot far, far more than I expected to. The pilot is good mob TV whether it's Batman, it's own thing not-tied to DC at all, or whatever. It's a reminder that there's a world in comics that isn't people in crazy costumes talking to each other and only each other - and better for it (ahem, DC comic book publisher arm). Aside from Oswald, it's an adaptation of newer characters derived from what I consider more recent comics (they came out while I was an adult, which means 30 years old at this point). And while they mostly just use those names and not what's on the page - it's fine. No, Sofia is not 6'7" as I'd hoped, but I am not complaining that Cristin Milioti is in something and gets to play it to the hilt. And, yes, it's super weird what Colin Ferrell has chosen to do is cover himself to look like guys you see at the post-office to land a role, but... I won't argue with the results. He's acting his wee Irish heart out.
After three hours of Agatha All Along, and generally thinking Kathryn Hahn is at the top of a "Pro" column for anything I watch... I have no idea why this show exists. And it's increasingly less good as it goes along. They've assembled a good cast, I suppose - but... the Dirty Dozen approach to assembling the team tells us nothing about who anyone is or why we should care. And they're all... pretty similar? A witch down on their luck. But this one is Patti LuPone for some reason. That one is Sasheer Zamata looking fabulous. And Debra Jo Rupp is here, because she was in WandaVision, but not enough.
But it's three hours in, and I feel like I'm watching a power point presentation rather than a show. It's beats from other things, plus magic just happening from no explained source... which is inherently uninteresting. Because if anything can happen, nothing matters.
Per characters - "We all generically want witchy magic" is not a motivation I care about because I don't know anything about what it means to be a Marvel witch. And I know there's plenty more to come where we learn more - but we're 2.5 hours in, and I could not tell you what anyone's deal is, including Agatha - which feels off-putting. I do not want to keep doing this. Hoping there's a surprise in episode 5 or 7 is a lousy experience and I feel held hostage. Sure, I can see the breadcrumbs. Well, breadcrumbs do not make a pie, mi amigos.
I've simply seen similar and better stuff in the go-go 1990's Vertigo comics boom, and this ain't that. This is messy and unfun.
And, honestly, this all feels a little like fan fiction for a show I've never seen before. Like, everyone is two dimensional, but the show sure seems in love with the characters and I cannot imagine why.
So... I'm dropping it. Which is sad. It is also true my favorite flavor of Marvel is Wakanda and Captain America, so. I may not be the audience. Have fun, witch nerds.
Meanwhile, ElectraWoman and DynaGirl, the 1976-produced fever dream of cartoon producers Ruby/ Spears and Syd and Marty Krofft- no doubt an attempt to make a Batman '66-style campy superhero show that works for kids. - has appeared on Amazon.
It's an odd show - and one that is openly hostile to physics, logic and general good sense, which makes it fun. Who is ElectraWoman? She is Lori - a reporter, because superhero. Does it matter? Not really.
But Deidre Hall is playing her in this amazing, understated, earnest way without an ounce of camp, while dressed in blaringly bright tights and a goofy cape. I can't tell if she can't be bothered or totally understands the assignment, but I lean toward the latter. I would be remiss if I didn't mention her hair, which is... amazing. It's gorgeous and the most expensive looking thing on the show. As DynaGirl, Judy Strangis is basically written as a coked-out Robin with twin ponytails (I think PJ Soles perfected this somewhere), and her energy against Hall is manic and great.
This show is dumb and perfect for kids living betweem 1976 and 1982. Today, it is perfect for watching with slack-jawed wonder that such a thing occurred as ElectraWoman flies in her open-cockpit jet and uses a gigantic box on her wrist to do whatever the @#$% she wants. Make mine Electra.
So, yeah, superhero-wise, it's a weird, mixed bag. I'm glad DC and Marvel are *trying* things, but I think.. Marvel is genuinely struggling, creatively, and this show is another example of not really having a reason a thing should exist. It's weird that DC has taken a wacky villain who does bird crimes and is famous for novelty umbrellas and is doing... serious-crime-drama, but... sure. Why not? They made the Joker into one kind of Martin Scorsese movie, why not this kind?
And I'm pleased that, knowing I am getting my vax for Covid this weekend and I will be feeling poorly for 36 hours, I have ElectraWoman and DynaGirl to get me through.
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