Comic Cuts - 29 November 2019

I've spent the week almost wholly concentrating on a pitch for a project that I can't really talk about. I will say that it has been fun to work on as I've been looking at a couple of creators that I've never written up before.

Hopefully there will be some interesting news to follow. In the meantime, here's a review of
Stargate Atlantis. There are spoilers, so if you don't like that kind of thing, jump to the end of the column.

Quite some time ago, I spotted a couple of box sets of Stargate Atlantis going cheap and, as I knew Mel had watched and enjoyed the show, I thought I'd grab them for some future date when I would have time to watch them. Well, that time is now. I'm rather enjoying watching a few undemanding older shows (NCIS, Zoo) while Mel and I are trying to catch up on a bunch of shows, including the latest series of Spiral, and the newly adapted His Dark Materials, War of the Worlds, Vienna Blood... and then there were three new Trek Shorts and we're watching a kid's animated show called Hilda (which is delightful) and the comedy Motherland and trying to keep up with Have I Got News For You and QIXL and Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week and that new Dave Gorman show Terms and Conditions Apply... we're trying to cram in way too much tv into not enough time at the moment.

I never really followed the Stargate franchise even tho' I thoroughly enjoyed the original movie. When Stargate SG-1 started, I was editing Model & Collectors Mart, writing for SFX, Crime Time, Fortean Times, Making Money, Total Film,  compiling a news column for Illuminations (local comic shop mag.) and writing and editing a paperback fanzine PBO. I was younger (mid-thirties), fitter and full of enthusiasm. I wrote nearly half a million words that year and that didn't leave much time for watching television.

Stargate Atlantis arrived in 2004. I was no longer editing, but still contributing to Model Mart, writing obituaries for The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, and working on The Trigan Empire and Storm reprints. That was the year The Trials of Hank Janson appeared. The old Odeon, which I visited regularly on Wednesday afternoons because you could get in for £2.20, had closed down two years earlier. I could have started watching it at that time, but I had too many other shows that I was enjoying. I'd not long discovered 24 and Spooks was still brilliant, and I was watching all of the CSI and Law and Order franchise shows.

Happy days!

Oh, yes, Stargate Atlantis. I still can't speak for SG-1, but Atlantis is a perfectly entertaining show that doesn't require you to know the mythology of the Stargate Universe. The premise is the discovery of a Stargate—a means of interstellar travel—built by a race known as the Ancients. An exploratory team discover that they have travelled to another galaxy and find themselves in the mythical city of Atlantis, built by the Ancients. However as the city powers up, it depletes the energy supply to the point that a return to Earth is impossible.

A team led by Colonel Sumner (Robert Patrick) use the Stargate to visit closer worlds in search of a power source known as a Zero Point Module (ZPM). They discover that populations on these worlds have been decimated by raids from creatures called the Wraith who harvest the life force from whole races. The mind-reading Wraith learn about Earth after Sumner is captured, the populous planet making it an inviting feeding ground.

A rescue mission to find Sumner is led by Major John Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) and Lieut. Aiden Ford (Rainbow Sun Francks) who had led natives of the planet led by Teyla Emmagan (Rachel Luttrell) back through the Stargate. In attempting to rescue Sumner, Sheppard kills a wraith called The Keeper who reveals that their presence has awakened all of the Wraith from their hibernation.

Thus the situation is set up for the first season of stories, a mixture of exploration of nearby planets, discovering new races and reacting to the threat of the Wraith. Atlantis is commanded by Elizabeth Weir (Torri Higginson) who sends out teams of soldiers and scientists (the latter including Dr. Rodney McKay (David Hewlett)) in search of a ZPM that will give them the ability to protect Atlantis and make it back to Earth.

The first season of 20 episodes was enjoyable with a few stand out episodes: 'Childhood's End' sees the team meet a race that sacrifice themselves when they reach the age of 25 in order to keep their numbers below a level they will attract the Wraith; and the 2-part 'The Storm' / 'The Eye' sees the city invaded and captured as a monster storm threatens to destroy everything.

The season ended with Atlantis under attack from the Wraith and I'm looking forward to seeing how that story ends. I get a feeling that, with 100 episodes in total, the show may slip into something of a routine, visiting a planet, something happens, they have to get back to the spaceship/stargate; or the Wraith are coming and the team is racing against time to track down an energy source/weapon; or something has gotten into Atlantis and soldiers with guns at the ready search corridors. However much fun a show might be, custom can definitely stale it.