Heroes: Slow Burn

OK, this is it - the end of an era, the final set of Heroes webisodes.

Part 6


Part 7


Part 8


Part 9


Part 10


That's all folks!

Heroes: Slow Burn

I'm going to finish off the content from Heroes if you'll indulge me with a final set of webisodes from the show. 'Slow Burn' follows the lives of the members of the Carnival a group of people all bearing abilities who mask their powers by performing tricks that seem like magic to viewers, but who also have an agenda of their own.

The webisodes centre around Lydia who follows Samuel the leader, but also knows the danger of his ambitions. She tries to keep her daughter from the group for this reason, but she is increasingly unable to control her dangerous power. So she joins the group and well...you'll see. This set provided interesting info that fed into the show as it went along.

There are ten episodes, which is a bit much for a post so I'll post five now and the rest soon.














OK, like I said I'll finish off the episodes soon and that'll likely be the end of Heroes content on the blog, but I'm sure there'll be more TV bonus content for me to post up before long.

Heroes: Nowhere Man

Well Heroes appears to be cancelled so no mystery return on the BBC it would seem this time. While it certainly had lost it's steam after the glorious first series I had really hoped that the potential for change left by the end of series 4 (with Claire revealing her powers) would kick start the show into something new.

Well I guess that means Heroes- based content will stop on the blog, I think 'Power Trip' has had it's day among other things, but if you'll indulge me I'd like to wrap up something I did earlier in posting up the Heroes 'Webisodes' - this series 'Nowhere Man' showed Doyle trying to live a normal life before he eventually wound up at the carnival.

YouTube isn't doing it's thing but heroestheseries.com seems to have working videos so thanks to them.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

There's one more webisode to pop up, but who knows maybe this'll stir up some Heroes interest and maybe they'll get to finish the show off properly.

Heroes: Hard Knox

Well Volume 5 'Redemption' has just finished here in the UK and what a rollercoaster ride it was. It dipped at certain points and I think there could've been more character development (and I don't quite buy Sylar's 'redemption' just yet) but it was a great watch, with a fantastic ending - with the heroes in the open Volume Six has the potential to be something 'special'.

Well it's some more Webisode action for you now. 'Hard Knox' is actually a series of deleted scenes detailing the origins of the character Knox and his fear-based power. It takes place before Volume 1 with Matt Parkman as an ordinary cop trying to reach out to gang member Knox.














And that's it! There's a bit more Heroes content out there so I'll pop up a few vids maybe to fill the void till next series.

Power Trip 8 - Persuasion

It's been a long time since I did one of these, but I think I'll finally get on with another post and see if 'Power Trip' still has any juice. For those of you who don't know or have forgotten (most of you I'd imagine!) Power Trip is my brief look at superpowers, which characters have them, where they come from and what they say about us. I start with character who appear in Heroes, look at their abilities and go from there.

It's quite interesting how the bank of superpowers have pretty much all been 'done' - I try on occasion to come up with my own super-team, and it's very difficult to create abilities that don't already belong to a decades-old Marvel character, I wonder what that tells us, do I have the answer - heck no!

Anyhow - this ability was shown in Eden McCain a character in Series 1 who had the ability to get people to do just about anything she wanted just by speaking to them. Her ability was used by the company to cover up their secrets and get people to do work for them. She used it effectively until Sylar went after her power and she killed herself to stop him getting it.

Few other characters have this power, only 'Kelly' - a character from the 'iStories' has a similar ability. I guess this is because it has been superseded by the advancement of Matt's telepathy, though Eden's power was different from this as (in a comic) she killed her mother simply by saying 'die' - which seems beyond a telepath, also she couldn't read minds as far as we can tell.









There has been a long-standing interest in mind-control and powers of persuasion among humankind. Hypnosis, drugs and myriad other techniques are employed or dreamed about as a way of persuading our fellow man to do what we want. The ability manifested in this character is merely a natural extension, someone who can just do it by speaking while the rest of us fiddle about with LSD and fobwatches.

I guess it's just a basic desire for power here - there are various situations when our fellow man just gets in our way and we could do with control over them. Eden herself uses the ability to avoid the police and distract unwanted visitors.










Not many characters have this specific ability, with most going down the 'advanced telepath' route to achieve the same goal. One character who does is Silver Fox a member of the Weapon X team and lover of Wolverine (shown above in her movie appearance) she can make anyone do whatever she wants as long as she touches them, a restriction like this seems to be common, Eden has to speak specifically for control, maybe we still want limits to our powers.

I enjoyed that - I might do some more.

Heroes: The Recruit

The current series has finished in America, but it's still mid-run over here in t' U.K. so some Heroes content is inevitable. There are still ongoing comics on the official website, though other content seems to have died down a bit with the finale. I'd still recommend getting into the comics and iStories, but this post is to get you caught up on the 'webisodes'

If you're not sure webisodes are short episodes released on the web that give extra content about a TV show. This third series is entitles 'The Recruit' and is the first to feature a major character from the show, namely Angela Petrelli. It follows shortly after the creation of the power giving serum in Volume 3: Villains and what happens to Rachel Mills a recruit ready to test the serum.

I can't embed so I'll just have to give you web links. This was kind of a bridge between volumes but it's still worth a look I'd say.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 (this link only works in the US so I've included a link to the wiki summary for UK users HERE)

Part 5








And that's it, but there are a few more webisodes I can share with you so stay tuned and all that.

Heroes is back on the BBC...honestly!!!

They've done it AGAIN!!! You'd think with a high profile show like Heroes the Beeb would do some promotion, but no as always Heroes returns to the screen in the UK with no fanfare and not so much as a quiet 'by the way' followed by a subtle couch.

Which meant I missed the two parter opening and had to watch it on iplayer...which is a good service to be fair, but to only find out two days later as someone mentions that they saw something called 'Hero or something' on the weekend ain't good enough!!!


On another note - Heroes yay!!!

Heroes: You saw them here first!

This post is essentially here to promote the Heroes online comics available at the Heroes website.

I feel slightly stupid doing this as I haven't read any of the comics due to the Beeb's unexplained and annoying decision not to air Heroes in the UK - GRRRRRRR!!

Nonetheless if you live in the land of the free and unrestricted TV you may well watch the show. But you may not follow the wealth of material available online. I've pointed you towards the webisodes, but I've not said too much about the comics. They are a great way to flesh out the story of Heroes and have introduced us to a number of characters who crossed over into the main show. I guess if maybe I can show you the influence the comics have had maybe you'll read them - bit of a problem though, I haven't read them in ages due to the aforementioned issue so I'm struggling to remember who's who!

Maya









This character and her brother were introduced in a comic entitles 'Maya y Alejandro' giving fans a heads up as to their abilities and fugitive status prior to their appearance in Volume 2.

Daphne








This speedy hero and love interest of Matt was introduced in a two part story 'Our Blessed Lady of Acceleration' again we knew her power and her background as a proffesional thief. I really remember this from when I saw her in the show and thinking 'hey, that's Daphne!' Reading the comics does give you that sense of 'I got there first' and does make the show more interesting and valuable I feel.

Rachel










You might have spotted this character as one of the marines in Pinehearst or an agent for Building 26, but you only know the real story if you go online. Rachel is a teleporter who tried to hide her ability, even joining the army hunting the 'specials' but REBEL 9who also first appeared in comics) has other plans for her. You get quick glimpses of her in the show, payoffs for the full story you find online.

Gael and Bianca










You only got one glimpse of these two as Sylar killed them off, and they got a brief name mention. But these two were featured extensively in a series of comics exploring the inner workings of the company along with a number of other fully developed characters. Seeing these two was a minor thing for casual viewers but a reward for nerds!!

OK, I'll leave it there 'cause I think you get idea - there's tons of stuff online and it's all free so if you want more out of your viewing experience then I recommend the Heroes website - have fun!

Heroes: Destiny

A while back I posted up the Heroes webseries (or 'webisodes') which told the story of new hero Echo de Mille and his clash with the company. Since then there have been a number of other webisodes introducing characters and giving backstory on others.

This series was based on a 'choose your hero' interactive game on the main website where users could design and create a new hero, giving them a name, look power etc. Then they could vote on which they thought was best and the winner, Santiago, is the hero of this online video series.

There are a number of fun things on the website that you can access, giving you an insight into the wider world of the heroes. You can look at secret files on the Primatech site, look at personal websites for Claire, Hiro, Nikki and Mohinder and catch up on an ARG lead by Hana Gittleman who had a cameo in the first series.

There's plenty ongoing at the site - regular free online comics which give a far greater story to what's going on, currently going into more of how REBEL was founded and the action Micah and his group took against Building 26. There are also iStories, featuring main and side characters and giving you the choice of where to take the action. And most recently Survival, a game where you keep your own hero alive, join a faction and if you're lucky you might even feature in the storyline!!

Anyway, back to the webisodes - i couldn't find a combined video so I'll give it to you in it's four parts.

1. Let Us Pray



2. Intervention



3.Capture

Heroes Destiny chapter 3 @ Yahoo! Video

4. Escape




I think I've said enough so I'll leave it at that, do check out the wider world of Heroes online.

Power Trip 7 - Flight

Well now that we've had a look at Mimic I feel satisfied in cranking out another Power Trip, looking at superpowers as they appear in Heroes and looking at where the ideas for these abilities come from, whether they are borrowed from other superheroes or an original creation of the show.

Well, no points for knowing that flight is a well established power within the superhero fratenity as it is a fascinating and clear way of showing that a person is 'something more'. When the show took us to a future where abilities where the norm, the quickest way of demoing this was by showing a bunch of people flying off.

The first character in the show to demonstrate this power is Nathan Petrelli, brother to Peter, discussed in the last power trip. Initially he vehemently denies his power, but is forced to expose it when his brother jumps of a rooftop convinced that he himself can fly. Nathan's power progresses over the series, showing that he can fly at near supersonic speeds, carry people over long distances and his landings improve also.

Flight powers tend to split into two categories: natural and self-propelled. Natural flight (my term) applies to flyers who have sprouted wings or other appendages, such as Angel from the X-Men. Another category I suppose is heroes who have built flying devices or suits, like Iron Man. Self-propelled is a more common category. The hero can, by an unseen force, simply lift themselves off the ground and fly away.









There is an iconic mythical reference to flight in the form of Icarus, who constructed wings for himself and could fly, his only flaw being in flying too high and melting his wings, ending his maiden voyage with a decisive crash back to Earth. Of course, at the time many of the Gods had domain over the air and had the power of flight as well as the superpowers of other legends.

The wish for flight is simple and powerful because it's one we've felt I think, who has looked at the birds and not once felt envy or never dreamed of soaring above the clouds. Men dreamed and put incredible energy into achieving the dream of flying machines that now take thousands of customers all across the world. It is a simple expression that really sums up all of the superpowers - the desire to be more than we are, to be able to do more than we can do. This is something of a selfish desire, ignoring the many great things humanity can already do and the accomplishments our race has made. Yet, perhaps it is right, to acknowledge that we could be much more - however I don't think the problem is a lack of wings...

As I said flight is common in the superhero world, with self-propelled flight becoming the norm and any number of heroes, old and new, possess the ability. I could mention some of the more famous names, but i think that would be insluting your intelligence so I'll just leave a picture if this guy, assume you were already thinking of him and leave it as 'nuff said.




















Heroes has continued to exploit the flight power as mentioned and a few other heroes have exhibited the power, most notably West Rosen, a rather wooden character in my opinion, whose main reason for existence seems to be to fill the gap needed in each series of 'guy for Claire to snog' - he did come in to his own by the end of series 2 and they are making good use of the character in the comics at the moment. Peter frequently borrows the ability from his brother and 'Angie' a REBEL member (in the comics) also could fly away when needed.
















It seems flight (self-propelled or not) will continue to be a common sight wherever superheroes are present. I think that's enough from me - a belated movie post coming soon, any high flyers we should know about Sam?

Heroes: Going Postal

Well I do keep mentioning online content and extra features and ARGs to people, not so much here I admit, but I do keep trying, generally in vain, to persuade people of the wealth of extra enjoyment available to those fans who are willing to give their precious time to geek out on the internet. So I have decided that, instead of promoting these things and hoping in vain that people will take interest, I shall instead bring them to you.

Heroes has a very good set of online stuff with weekly free online comics and a range of websites related to companies and characters in the show. Their "Alternate Reality Game" (ARG) type content is not as good as some other shows - I still think the Lost series 2 ARG was the best, but the variety of the content available and the consistent updates make it quite possibly the best show for online content, some of which I will share with you. The show bridged the gap between volumes 2 and 3 by releasing "Webisodes" - three short online episodes introducing a new character with a special ability - I could say more, but I'll let the episodes speak for themselves, they are available at the NBC Heroes website, but the content is restricted to non-US residents, something that boils the very blood in my veins, so we rely on trusty YouTube, where some kind fellow has cut the three episodes into one video, with a slight loss in quality - enjoy!



Want to know how Echo ended up in Level 5? Well when there are gaps to be refilled the Heroes "Graphic Novels" step in. You can read Echo's story HERE and see how Primatech used their wiles to capture the loudmouth postie.

I didn't know what happened next until I read his page on the Heroes Wiki, which reveals that in true Series 3 fashion they brought him back and killed him off. I don't know if he got out during the breakout, but at the end of series 3 he is in Level 5 and Noah Bennet releases him and the other inmates, promising freedom if he can take down Sylar. Later Noah comes across him with his throat cut in one of the cells.

Power Trip 6 - Empathy/ Ability Acquisition

Woah, it's been a while since I did one of these...again! Well series 3 is trundling along nicely so I think I'll take another peak at some of the characters in the show and the powers they possess. The third series has really stepped up and made things very interesting for our heroes and none more so than Peter Petrelli, who'se ability has made him a closely watched subject by more than just the viewers.

Peter has an ability known simply as empathy, he is able to take on the abilities of others simply by spending time with them and then 'unlocking' that ability in himself. Initially he only had abilities in the presence of others or for a short duration after meeting them, but in the thrilling episodes of series 1 he discovered that he could call up any ability he'd encountered at will, though his control was a problem for much of the early series - especially when he got the power of nuclear explosion! Peter has since learned much greater control over the multitude of powers he has 'absorbed' but things don't get any easier for him!

I'm struggling to find any 'classical' references to empaths of the kind that Peter is, though my searches are admittedly a lot more cursory than the in depth academic exercizes I once envisioned. I guess it's because people with 'powers' weren't as prolific in classical writing as they are in contemporary fiction. People with abilities generally were Gods or blessed by the Gods for something, and someone who could nick their gifts wouldn't fit well into the story I guess. Empaths of another kind have been around for a while, these are generally seen as people who heal by empathising with, and even absorbing, another's pain or sickness. A contemporary example would be Sean Farrell of The 4400.

Now there aren't many empaths in the Bible, but I will slip in a few references if I may. The 'powers' that occur in the Bible, primarily in the Old Testament, such as superhuman strength and speed come through God the Holy Spirit and abilities always come at the direction of God when he appoints it. This might not be particularly relevant, but when we tie it into to Peter's intense sense of destiny it is quite intriguing. Peter feels he is meant for something greater and is satisfied when he gains his abilities, though a great destiny isn't all it's cracked up to be. The Bible teaches that God is in control of man's destiny and it is at His discretion when gifts are given. The gifts He gives and the purpose of our lives might not be as dramatic, but the Bible teaches that all people are of extreme value to God and to those He has saved He gives gifts and blessings that don't involve flight or telikenisis, but are enough for them to depend on and to fulfil His purpose for them. That might not be clear enough, if so let me know.















The most famous character with the same ability is Rogue of the X-Men. She also has the ability to take the powers of others, though it affects her in a different way to Peter. When Rogue touches someone she absorbs their knowledge, skills and, if they are a mutant, special abilities. However when Rogue does this it drains the person she touches to the point of unconsciousness or death, making physical contact or relationships impossible for her. I find Rogue to be one of the most real of the X-Men as her ability does grant her power, but it does have an enormous cost on her life rather than just having something that's handy in a fight.
















Well I said that Series 3 was making things interesting for Peter and when longtime villain Sylar has found out that he is in fact Peter's brother things get even more so. When they both confront Peter's father Peter himself loses all his abilities, but Sylar is trying to find redemption and has learned to take abilities through empathy and satisfy his 'hunger' without his usual method of removing the skull, making him much more like Peter, who now has to struggle to find out what his purpose is without any abilities - but then again with the Eclipse in this week's episode, he might not be the only one to ask that!

Any other empaths we should know about Sam?

SF on TV

I only do this intermittently but as there's a fe decent Sci-Fi shows on TV I thought I'd quickly share with you what's on, especially as one show is premiering tonight! Not that these are shows that are in the UK and I only have freeview so it doesn't reflect what may be on other networks, but there's no point me teling you what I don't know is there?!!

OK on with the show(s)...

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Series 2 (BBC 1, Mon 4:30)

The better of the two Doctor Who spinoffs in my opinion, this series follows former Doctor's companion Sarah Jane Smith and her Earthbound friends as they combat alien menaces drawn to their part of the world. This series starts off with Sarah being much closer to her adopted son Luke and that is a definite settled state now that series 1 has been resolved, but Maria has moved away leaving Luke distraught and possible a space on the young team. Episode five airs monday, but you should be able to catch up on iPlayer - expect a "new species" post soon.

Heroes - Series 3 (BBC2, Wed 9pm)

Heroes quietly snuck back onto the BBC, I found out only hours before the broadcast! While series 2 floundered a little, due in no small part to the writer's strike, it was still one of the best things on television. The third series is already far better with new villains, great actions and more questions about what it means to have powers, specifically examining where powers come from and what would happen if everyone had them. I'm pleased to see that they are including characters from the comics too, which makes reading them a more exciting experience. There have already been several shockers and twists so I'd reccomend you get iPlayer, catch up quick and get on board while you can.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Series 2 (Virgin1, Thurs 9pm)

PREMIERING TONIGHT!!! The exciting show that delves into the world of the iconic films is back and on freeview screens in just under two hours from this post. The show was clever in that it took a slower pace than the films, allowing you more time to grasp the character's emotions (or lack of the in terminator Cameron's case) and see the backstory that leads them to where they are. The story caused some confusion as it seems to jar with T3, but it's still very compelling and with a fourth film on the horizon there's a lot of potential, and apparently it references them both so we'll have to see what's coming, but it's sure to be a heck of a ride!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Series 1 (Sky Movies coming soon)

The new CG series set in the battles between episodes 2 and 3 of the prequel trilogy. Kicked off with the film that was released a few months back this film explores the effects of prolonged war on the Jedi and their clone allies. A common theme seems to be that the Jedi teach the clones that their lives are of value to them, even though they are grown life forms. I caught a few episodes dealing with a trap for Yoda and a Seperatist superweapon. Unfortunately the Cartoon Network site seems to have decided to block UK viewers so you can no longer watch episodes on the site, but I've included it as a link just in case. The series comes to the UK soon for people willing to pay for Sky Movies.

Well that's it, I've got stuff to do - I might add pictures if I've got time, but for now enjoy!!

Power Trip 5 - Rapid Cellular Regeneration

One of the key Heroes in the show is Claire Bennet. From early on in season one her magnificent and gross stunts made her popular as well as the catchphrase "save the cheerleader, save the world" which became synonymous with the show. Even after she was saved she is still a key character and her relationship with her "normal" family and the friends around her have been of much interest. But Claire's ability, while a protection, also makes her a target for those who want to possess such a great gift.

Claire's ability is rapid cellular regeneration, that is the ability to rapidly regrow and repair any part of her body when injured. This extraordinary gift means she can survive even the most grievous injury. She has been seen surviving falls, burns, bone breakages and even a car crash. Claire has had some of the most gripping scenes in the show, such as when she wakes up with her chest cut open for surgery, recovers from a nuclear fire or in series 2 when she successfully cuts off and regrows her toe. She has pushed her ability to the limits, and yet she may be capable of much more...


















Part of the genius of series 2 was to introduce some character who had the same abilities as others as well as new powers. This gave the series a more grounded feel, like it wasn't just a crazy diversifying bunch of wild traits, but that there was some kind of regularity to the so called "evolution" of humanity. The introduction of Adam Monroe, alias Takezo Kensei, ads a new dimension to the ability. He is centuries old, meaning that 'powers' aren't necessarily a new phase in humanity and also that his ability (and quite possibly Claire's) means that he doesn't age and can live healthily for a long time. Another development showed that his and Claire's blood could be used to heal the injuries of others, which has much potential for the future. But then Adam carried out his cliched plan to end the world and got himself locked in a box forever (which totally doesn't work - he'd just suffocate, you can't "regenerate" air!!!) and Claire has recovered her father, but at a price.

Well let's have a look at where this power comes from. It almost undoubtedly has it's roots in nature where animals such as certain lizards, starfish and other creatures are able to regrow limbs when needed. However the creatures are usually limited to limb regrowth and don't have the complete death defying self-repair ability that most regenerators in comics do. While mythological character may have been able to access healing, it has always been through some form of magic, and often with a cost. Creatures such as the hydra has rapis regenearation, probably inspired by the aforementioned creatures.

I like to quickly make a bible reference here, but off the top of my head I can't think of anyone who healed themselves, there are certainly many healings, but they all come from God, demonstrating that we cannot fix our own sickness, the great sickness of sin, but we need to rely on God for he alone can heal us. The only character who definitely could have healed himself, Jesus, was the one person who actively chose to suffer as one of us, identifying with the human race in all it's aspects. And when the ultimate suffering came on the cross, even though he sweat blood with fear at the prospect, he still chose to face it to save undeserving sinners. There's been a lot of talk about the maturity and development of heroes recenlty - if you want to find the ultimate hero you need look no further than the heroic sacrifice on the cross. This is something I want to develop more, but I'll leave it for now and move on to popular fiction.
















The power of regeneration or self healing is by no means new, though it is explored well in the show. There are a number of character whop posess the same ability to come back healed from the most dangerous as it is quite a useful gift when fighting other superpowered enemies. The most popular and dynamic of these is undoubtedly Wolverine a popularity renforced by dramatic demonstrations of his abilities in the X-Men movie trilogy. Wolverine's longevity and origins are also a mystery and his metallic claws (only convievable with a healer) make him an iconic figure. Wolverine was part of a Weapon X program which features other healer such as Sabretooth, Deadpool and Lady Deathstrike. There are also characters who can heal in adition to other powers such as the Hulk. I trust Sam to bring more of these to light - I know he's a Deadpool fan so surely he can't resist!

So there's a rooted tradition behind Claire's ability, coming from nature, comic books and a desire to be invincible hidden within us all. We know how fragile the human body is how potentially weak it can be and how the slightest accident can cause injury or death to any one of us. Is it any wondee then that we create characters who can bounce back from all this and fight another day, is it any wonder we want to be like these heroes?

Heroes returns...again!!

OK folks Heroes has just clocked off here in the UK, but after a somewhat longer break in America Heroes returns in a web based miniseries dubbed "Going Postal" is going live on Monday the 14th of July. I can't say much about it, but a dose of Heroes so soon after the season finale can't be a bad thing right? The trailer is currently online at the official Heroes site HERE.

The series seems to be centering around the life of a postman (hence the title, clever huh?) who develops a power, something to do with manipulating soundwaves to a potentially lethal extent. There are some other characters seen, but not much is shown. One's his wife/girlfriend, there are at least two suit wearing government (company?) agent types and one unusually pale looking fella, who'se probably a power too. And just to hook you in Angela Petrelli appears at the very end, though how connected to the story she is remains unclear. All in all, enough to get you excited yet enough left unrevealed so I at least will certainly be watching.

With it being a US broadcast there's a possibility that it may not work for UK/other folks but I'd hope they'd put it up globally and the trailer and other media work fine so let's hope eh?

Power Trip 4 - Technopathy

Oops! Missed out a power then, easy to do as little Micah's abilities don't manifest until late in the series but nonetheless he is there in episode one with his mother and thus deserves a mention. A bit like Hiro, Micah is also keen on comic books and superheroes and while taking a different slant on it to Hiro he does see a purpose and a place for his gifts and the gifts of his family, wanting to become a hero like those he's read about, though he quickly discovers things aren't so simple.

Micah is a technopath, which means he can "talk" to all forms of technology and get them to do what he wants, from getting cable TV simply by touching the set, getting money from an ATM without hacking or entering a card and even rigging an election. He has a command ofver all sorts of electronic devices and can interact with even analog devices such as streetlamps as opposed to hacking through wireless and internet signals, which is another power altogether.

As a natural power it is, in one sense, useless. Had it manifested a century or two ago it would have had no effect whatsoever and the "hero" would have been as common as you or I. I don't mind it being in the show, but such abilities manifesting through "evolution" make little sense, it pretty much needs design to give a power that specific. Another example would be Peter Pettreli's power, which seems to anticipate the arrival of other superheroes, but I'll get onto that later. I guess this is filling in for my usual God slot as there are no technopaths in the Bible, but powers such as these seem to require a designing hand which Heroes has tried to fill in with it's somewhat confused concept of destiny.
















Micah is not the first technopath in popular fiction however and there are others who get the power from other, perhaps more believable sources. My personal favourite is The Great Machine, from the comic series Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan. In that series contact with an alien artifact has left Mitchell Hundred deformed and with the ability to speak to any piece of technology, from aeroplanes to air-conditioners. However in the comic book he has left that life behind and has revealed his identity to the world and cunningly bagged himself the job of Mayor of New York, where he feels he could do far more good than he did as a hero. but being mayor isn't easy, especially when you have a past that worries people and is also keen on coming back to haunt you. I'd definitely recommend this series to older teens and above - it has a share of gore and language so I wouldn't pass it on to younger folks. And with that nice little plug over, back to the post!

And that's pretty much it actually, technopathy is a fairly new, but not entirely original power, but I think the Heroes team have executed it well and chosen wisely in giving it to the kid as opposed to a combat power.

Sam if you know of other Heroes do share - I hope this colour scheme suits ya

Power Trip 3 - Space/time manipulation

Most viewer's favourite character Hiro Nakamura has a greta ability - the ability to manipulate the spac-time continuum to do many incredible feats - including freezing time and traveeling through it and teleporting to different locations. Part of the genius of the show is to hand to such a powerful ability to one of the most harmless characters. Hiro is loveable, shy, a little bumbling and veyr honourable and kindhearted and while awed at his part in the order of superheroes he is also reverent and respectful of the duty given by said power and never uses it for slefish or unjust causes. But Hiro is more than just the "good guy" he is the fun guy who is still trying to figure out his gift.

Hiro's ability to change the continuum means he can move about and change things in both time and space. Most superheroes are restricted to one or the other, able to time travel or teleport, but Hiro can change location and time as shown at the end of series 1 when he teleports form modern New York to ancient Japan. He also has the ability to freeze time, this is used well when the creators show him having to use his normal strength to move objects around while time is frozen. These, so far, have been the key manifestations of Hiro's power I'll examine them individually.

Time manipulation most commonly appears as time "freezing" ansd that's how it's most commonly used in the show. There have been other examples - Hiro "slows" time at one point and at the beginning of the show he sents time back by one second so he could presumable reverse the flow of time if he wanted though this has not happened so far that I've seen. Characters who can freeze time are common, such as classic Kids TV show "Bernard's Watch" where a stopwatch given to a boy had the ability to freeze time. Some characters do seem to possess it inherently, such as Professor X in X-Men 2, but the ability is most commonly granted by a gizmo or by magic.


















The same is true of time travel. From it's earliest conception in H.G.Wells' The Time Machine - there are earlier stories where some one goes back in time, but Wells' book is the first to employ a gizmo and develop time travel proper. Since then a number of heroes have used various devices, both magical and technological to travel through time. One of the most popular is the Doctor, who can use his TARDIS to travel about in time, and also space, making him one step closer to Hiro. The Doctor also has teleportation technology so aside from freezing time, and let's face it he'll probably find a way, he does (through technology) possess much of the same maniulation capabilities and laos the benevolent nature Hiro. Time travel is almost always created by a device of some kind, but there are a few characters, such as Waverider, that posess the ability inherently or through mutation.














Teleports are common devices in science fiction tales and a popular subject such as in The Fly the popular tale of a man who teleports and gets crossed genetically with a fly stuck in the teleport device. It is also a common trait amongst superheroes, such as Nightcrawler from X-Men who possesses the ability to jump anywhere he can see. The novel and film "Jumper" are based around individuals who can jump to anywhere in the world. So in this ability Hiro has a long superhero heritage.

Individuals who possess more than one of these abilities are few and far between, which makes the innocent Hiro all the better for possessing them. Characters who do ahve such abilities are most often "Gods" or godlike characters such as Dr Manhattan of Watchmen who could interact with people in past and future at the same time and teleport himself to Mars at will.

I usually try to chuck in a Bible reference so I will do that here only to say that the desire for this ability is partly a reflection of God's complete perception over all time and control over destiny. We like the idea that we might be able to change time, see what will happen next and maybe change it. After his resurrection Jesus appears to his disciples despite the doors being locked - possible teleportation powers? Mere speculation on my part though!!!

Till sometime soon.

P.S. Sam if you want to do another follow on thingy you are more than welcome, the last one was pretty cool and I like finding out about more superheroes.

Power Trip 2 - Split personas/Superhuman Strength

Ok, so I'm finally getting back into this, let's see if it lasts longer than just one article per series this time!!If you're interested what I'm doing is looking at the different superpowers affecting the characters in the show, how it works in the TV series and where the powers they posess come from in comic book and older sources. By the way, most of my references will come from series 1 unless something especially relevant comes up as I watch series 2.


Niki/Jessica is in terms of superpower, my favourite character in the show. While Hiro is the funny one and other characters have more powerful abilities hers is quite intriguing and done in an original way. Niki is initially plagued by a reflection in the mirror that acts independently and whispers to her. She later discovers that it is another personality "Jessica" who at times posesses her body and has the ability to do amazing things. After being threatened she wakes up to find her attackers brutally murdered. Throughout the series she battles with and strugles to accept Jessica who semingly has the personality of her long dead twin sister. Jessica is protective of her 'sister' but lashes out in brutal attacks and acts wild ways, even dominating Niki's personality for a while. But at the end of the series the two reconcile and it is revealed that Niki also posesses great strength adding another twist to this duo.

Tales of great strength are as old as time itself. I will cite two examples, the first being the Biblical story of Sampson whom God gave great strength to defeat their enemies while he kept to his vow not to drink or cut his hair. The temptress Delilah eventually got him to reveal his secret, but eventualy he sought God's forgiveness and regained his strength to deal one final blow to God's enemies. Another ancient example would by the mythical tale of the half-god Hercules who was equipped with great strength which he used to complete the tasks set for him.

Superheroes with above average strength are as common as can be, with two obvious names being Superman and Captain America, but I'll focus now on ones with a dual personality also. I will simply cite the two most famous examples, though there are a few more than you might think. The idea would seem to have it's origin in the famous tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The scientist consumes a concoction that unleashes a creature of rage and desire and has to battle the monster within. The Hulk brought the concept up to the modern day when a scientist is affected and turned into a giant green monster of rage. The comic book changed things and made Hulk a hero character, though certainly one with a dark side and the battle to maintain sanity and order made it even better. Other examples would include Dr Connors in Spiderman who transforms into villain The Lizard who is out of his control.

So the whole thing isn't exactly new, but Heroes has made it fresh and I certainly find the character fascinating. First of all the lack of physical transformation makes it visually more intriguing and more challenging for the actress to play. Secondly the reveal at the end that Niki also has powers makes the dual personailty more interesting. Jessica certainly seems to be more than a side effect of a mental disorder, but is she part of her 'power' or just something that's happening along side her unatural strength - I guess we'll have to keep watching won't we?

Heroes returns!

You could be excused for no knowing that big hit US drama series Heroes had returned to BBC2 on Thursday. It was only a chance look at a magazine that alerted me to the fact that the series would be returning that same night! The story follows the characters four months on from the events of the finale of series 1 - with the exception of Hiro who has found himself transported to feudal Japan.

There's probably a chance to catch up so I won't say more, this uis just to alert any readers to the fact that Heroes is back, though this has reminded me of my Power Trip idea which is collecting dust at the moment.

Enjoy the show, I'll get back to you soon folks!

Power Trip Conflict : Round One

This is my attempt to add a bit of original prose to this blog to motivate myself to write and to hopefully make my blog a more interesting read. This is a tie in to my Heroes based Power Trip articles and features a conflict between two Heroes who remain the same each time, but the power of the good guy changes dependant on the power most recently discussed, as for the power of the bad guy well...you'll see! It's not Shakespeare, but I hope you enjoy.

He looks different in real life. The skin’s a little lighter and he’s not as big, but I the future’s not interested in details, just facts. For example he is standing on the edge of the roof with feet wide apart; he is wearing a bizarre red coat and the sword he appears to be holding is in fact floating just behind his hand – that’s the stuff that matters. An artist knows what symbols his work conveys and so I know what he is trying to tell me. The feet wide apart, edge of the rooftop stance shows his belief that he is a fearsome warrior. The coat is a taunt, you could follow it anywhere, but he does not fear the Police or the army or any of their metallic weapons so he is content for them to know where he is and tremble. The sword is to give a fool’s hope, that maybe he is just a man with a blade, and you don’t see the power holding his weapon until it’s too late.

Like I say, it’s all in the details. You’ve got to really study a picture to know what it’s about. You see the glint of the sun off a billboard, the angle of a crane, the position of birds in the sky. You have to take it all in to understand what the painting tells you. I see it all now, in more beautiful colour than I could ever paint, in motion that my easel could never capture. I see it all, and know to duck just in time.

My study rewards me, the blade flies over my head but, as I knew it would, flies round and returns to its owner. Twice more the blade flies out, but I’ve already seen how and where it’s going to come. It’s very tempting to just watch, to see my work flow out in real motion, but if I stood and got my head cut off then it wouldn’t be what I’d painted would it?

The painting said I’m unarmed and so I am, standing here trying to face down a monster with nothing but my fists. Thing is, I figured out quite quickly that he has control over metal, can make it do what he wants. Just as I think it he rips up a metal railing with a gesture as if to prove me right. This time I run, alarmed at the speed with which he can move such a heavy object. It crashes down just behind me, but I’ve gotten close enough to land the punch I knew I would. It’s even more satisfying than I thought it would be, knocking him to the floor with blood spattering from his mouth.

It leaves me distracted long enough for the next picture to be fulfilled. Paintings only convey things through sight, they don’t prepare you (to take an example) for the pain of a sword penetrating your body. I knew I couldn’t escape it, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t hurt this much. Well I guess this is what they call facing your destiny. I fall back, making those horrible gurgling sounds you hear in films. But I know this happened for a reason, people will know of my gift and it will save them.

A red coat is easy to follow, especially when you can see the future. I’ve painted it, the whole chase, where he tries to hide, the way he tries to fight back, and the plastic cased chemical weapons they use to bring him down. I donated my paintings to the police yesterday so they will know what to do. I can’t hold my head up any longer, but I can see the helicopter catching the sunlight, just like the picture.

Minor Note: The Voyage of the Damned aliens will be discussed when series four starts as there weren't many species in the special, however the articles will resume when Torchwood starts in January