Character Spotlight: Nite Owl (I)

Every character deserves a Spotlight. A moment of appreciation, reflection, discussion…and in some cases rejection.

NITE OWL (I)

The first Nite Owl is a fantastic character, both within the grand Watchmen story and in his own right.

Alan Moore was given newly bought Charlton Comics character Blue Beetle to introduce into the DC Universe, but his rough draft was deemed too intense for DC to use outright, so DC gave him essentially a pocket universe to tell his story. As a result, Moore had to change everything about Blue Beetle and come up with a new character with a different name and appearance. When Moore was faced with this challenge, Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons told him of a character Gibbons created when he was fourteen named “Night Owl”, along with his drawing of the character. Moore loved it, and came up with the name Hollis Mason.

Moore’s use of Mason in Watchmen was to introduce superheroes in this world to readers in a relatable and realistic manner. Sure, Moore’s story took place in 1985, but costumed heroics began almost fifty years earlier – during Mason’s time. We learned why Mason got dressed up in the first place, where the name “Nite Owl” came from, and how the passage of time affected public opinion regarding his actions and those of his comrades.

And Moore did this through the use of excerpts from Mason’s autobiographical novel, which was never revealed in full.

The first time I read Mason’s words, I kept hearing Adam West’s voice in my head, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone. Hollis had that sense of nostalgic appreciation to heroics of the past that come up every time I saw a Batman re-run. Keep in mind Watchmen came out in 1986, and I first read it in 1988 - when there was talk of a new Batman movie being made - and West’s name kept popping up. He was first considered for the lead, then for a cameo as Thomas Wayne, and for the longest time fans and West himself felt that he should be somewhere in the movie because of his long-standing association with the character. It never happened, but there was a definite similarity between West and Mason – two older men retiring in obscurity, being replaced by the next generation of ‘hero’.

I read the first seven issues and thought it was a great story, but when I reached the last few pages of #8 I was furious. Mason’s death, in that manner, really drove home Moore’s intended message of expanding the potential of comic book storytelling to me. I was crushed. I was heart-broken. I almost gave up reading the rest of the story. My eyes were opened…and I hated it. Looking back, I realized it had to be done.

It just sucked balls.

Malcolm Reynolds Part 3: “Bushwhacked” – Firefly, Episode 1:3 (September 27, 2002)

Mal has a run-in with The Alliance and Reavers (well, sort of).

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

Serenity comes upon a ship (and a dead body) adrift in space and Mal decides to investigate. The ship was a converted cargo vessel, and according to the logs was transporting 16 families of settlers to a new world, but when Mal and the others board it, there’s no one there.

The crew split up looking for various things they could salvage, and Mal takes Zoe to the cargo hold where they find settlers supplies, which are worth a fortune. As he prepares the goods for transport to Serenity, he finds River standing in the doorway…looking up. He follows her eyes and finds the people, suspended from the ceiling, dead. He calls for everyone to meet back on Serenity but Jayne (who was sent to the derelict’s mess hall for food) doesn’t answer, and all Mal hears is a gunshot. Mal rushes there to find a spooked Jayne as well as a scared survivor. Mal knocks the stranger out and drags him back to Serenity.

Mal’s in sickbay with Simon as he treats the survivor, who goes on about how the “others were weak”. Clearly spooked, Mal has Simon dope his patient, gets the crew together and tells them the ship was hit by Reavers. He’s convinced it would have been better to kill their guest than bring him aboard, but locks the sickbay door and tells everyone to stay out.

Mal left the cargo behind at first but plans to return to the ship to get it, and against his better judgement decides to let Simon and Book go there in order to take care of the dead and hold a service. Mal confesses he doesn’t personally believe it would do any good, but accepts that it might mean something to the settlers. Jayne, meanwhile, will go over to get the goods. As they get ready to head over, Mal admits to Zoe that this is to keep them distracted while he looks into something else – a booby trap hooked into Serenity that Mal felt was there, knowing Reavers sometimes leave them for rescue ships.

Mal shares this info with Wash, Kaylee and Zoe (of course).Kaylee surprises him with her knowledge of how it probably works and how it may be disabled. Mal asks her directly if she thinks she can do it, and to his (pleasant) surprise, she says yes. Mal helps prep Kaylee to do her thing, and decides to keep Jayne and the others in the dark even after Kaylee succeeds in disabling the trap. With the cargo aboard, Serenity leaves and the proximity alarm goes off again. Mal orders Jayne, Simon and Book to hide the goods while he heads to the bridge to see what’s up, and it turns out to be an Alliance ship sitting right in their path telling them to prepare to be boarded.

Because of the incoming Alliance troops, Mal orders for the goods to be taken out again because he doesn’t want to look like he’s keeping secrets. He then tells Simon to get River. Simon refuses, believing Mal will turn them over, and Book intervenes before it gets physical. Mal’s front and center when the Alliance troops arrive, with the goods they’ve just salvaged in plain sight. He’s told that the goods appear to be illegally gotten Alliance goods, and Mal shrugs it off. Then he’s asked about two known fugitives last seen leaving Persephone in a Firefly-class ship and Mal calmly replies he has no passengers aboard. Mal then lets him know about the survivor they have in the infirmary. Everyone is taken into custody for questioning while the Alliance checks every nook and cranny of Serenity for the fugitives. Mal knows the Alliance well enough to expect that, so he has Simon and River hide outside the ship.

During his interrogation, Mal warns the officer not to tow the wreckage but is ignored. The officer brings up the war, Mal’s war record, and mentions that for some the war will never be over. Mal tries to convince him that Reavers attacked the ship, and things are going to get worse before it’s over. The officer doesn’t believe him and is convinced that Mal attacked the ship in revenge for losing to the Alliance. He tells Mal that he’s under arrest and that Serenity will be auctioned off when news comes in that the survivor has escaped from the Alliance sickbay. Mal knows where he’s going and convinces the officer to take him back to Serenity.

Mal leads them into the kitchen area when the survivor attacks, killing one trooper and pinning the officer on the floor. Mal gets behind the newly born Reaver and manages to snap his neck, saving the officer’s life. As a thank you, the officer releases Mal, his crew and Serenity, but keeps the cargo.

Notes of Interest:
1) Apparently, Mal plays basketball.

2) The Alliance must really leave a bad taste in his mouth. When Book suggests Mal contact the Alliance when they first find the derelict, he chooses not to, thinking they’re too busy doing Alliance stuff to check on some lowly ship adrift in space.

3) While Mal’s main purpose for boarding the vessel is for salvage, he obviously has enough heart to also look for survivors.

4) Mal’s not the kind of captain to stay behind while others explore new places. He’s right there getting suited up as part of the “away team”.

5) While he doesn’t believe in God or Heaven, Mal does believe in ghosts enough not to cross them.

6) Kaylee impresses the hell out of him, disengaging the Reaver trap like that.

7) Mal has no issue pushing Alliance officer’s buttons, another example of having fun at Alliance expense we first saw in “The Train Job”. And again, Mal has an opportunity to turn Simon and River over to the feds, but doesn’t do it. Is it out of concern, or is it another childish plan to keep something they want?

8) The interrogation scene reveals quite a bit: the Battle of Serenity Valley where we first see Mal took place on the planet Hara; according to his military record, Mal has a “tendency to inspire loyalty”; and while he admits to being on the losing side of the war…Mal’s still not convinced it was the wrong side.

9) Mal describes the affects of surviving a Reaver attack as if he’s seen it before.

WTF? Moment: I would have loved to have seen the conversation where the officer lets Mal go. Can you imagine the look on Mal’s face when he learns they’re keeping the cargo?

Malcolm Reynolds Part 2: “The Train Job” – Firefly, Episode 1:2 (September 20, 2002)

We see how Mal feels about the Alliance and his fellow thieves in this episode, as well as how strong his conscience can be.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

It’s Unification Day, and Mal celebrates it the same way he has for the last six years…picking a fight at an Alliance-friendly bar. He also manages to make contact with someone who has a job for them. A man named Adelai Niska needs two crates taken off a train. Mal knows of Niska’s dangerous reputation, and witnesses it, but takes the job because prospects are scarce. Niska ensures that Mal understands: failure isn’t an option.

The job itself goes fine but Mal and Zoe are stuck on the train until the next stop, which is Paradiso, a mining town. Since the train was robbed, the sheriff questions everyone onboard. Mal tells Zoe they should pose as a newlywed couple looking for work, and as they’re questioned, Mal learns that the townsfolk suffer from Bowden’s Malady, a degenerative affliction of bone and muscle caused when the ore in the mines mixes with air. The condition is treatable with Pescaline, which was stolen from the train.

The sheriff finds Mal’s newlywed story odd, and plans to keep them for a while, when Inara arrives and slaps Mal across the face. She tells the sheriff that Mal is an indentured servant of hers with three years left on his debt and that he stole her money and ran off with Zoe – who’s married to another man. Since Inara’s status as a Companion is impeccable, the sheriff releases Mal and Zoe.

Mal returns to Serenity with the others to find Jayne passed out on the stairs and tells the crew they’re giving back the cargo, knowing that Niska’s gonna be mad. Before they can do anything else, Niska’s men show up since Mal never reached the rendezvous point. Mal calls off the deal and offers to give the money back, but Niska’s men disagree and Mal gets a blade in the shoulder. During the ensuing fight, Mal takes on Crow, Niska’s head mercenary. The fight goes poorly for Mal, and Jayne wakes up in time to shoot Crow…saving Mal’s life.

Mal takes the medicine back to the edge of town with Zoe and are about to leave it behind when the sheriff and his men come out of the shadows. Seems the sheriff had a hunch that whoever took the medicine had a hard choice to make. Mal says there isn’t one – the goods go the where they’re needed, nowhere else.

Back at the ship, Mal offers Crow the money Niska gave upfront to be returned, calling off the deal. They’re thieves, but they’re not robbing him of his money. Mal also promises to stay clear of Niska and all his dealings in the future. Crow tells him that he will hunt Mal down and kill him, and Mal kicks him into Serenity’s intake valve. Then he gets another of Niska’s men and starts making the same deal. This one agrees to take the money back.

Mal ends up on Simon’s table getting his shoulder sewn up. Mal tells him that doping up Jayne was the right thing to do, and feels confident that Simon can handle Jayne if need be.

Notes of Interest:
1) Mal knows how to play Chinese checkers – albeit badly.

2) Early in the episode, Mal enters sickbay to wash a wound he got in the bar fight. Simon offers to help, but Mal declines needing it. This makes the ending more interesting, as it shows that Mal sometimes needs help despite what he thinks he needs. Plus, Mal is gaining some respect for Simon – especially after his dealing with Jayne – and Mal shows some genuine concern for River.

3) Mal continues to treat Kaylee like a younger sister here. She rearranges things in the engine room not to Mal’s liking and he basically tells her to clean her room. Mal would never tell anyone how to keep their own personal space, but Mal sees the engine room as part of his ship and therefore puts him in the right to have her keep it the way he likes it.

4) Book asks Mal why he decided to keep Simon and River onboard. Mal says it’s for the money and is the right thing to do, but we’re not sure he’s speaking the truth. It could be just to piss off the Alliance, having something they want.

5) Niska has heard of Mal’s reputation for “getting the job done” which is why he wants Mal for the job.

6) Mal has strong feelings against religion, but not religious folk as he tells Book he’s not looking to be converted, and God isn’t welcome on his ship.

7) There’s more info about his relationship with Inara as he teases her about her profession, and confesses that he’s distracted by her presence, but warns her not to leave Serenity while docked at Niska’s skyplex.

8) Mal loves upsetting the Alliance, even if it includes robbing a train full of Alliance troops.

9) The scene where Inara hits him shows Mal’s willingness to go with the flow, even when it pisses him off.

WTF? Moment: Mal must have quite a rolodex if he can get contact for a job through a belly dancer at an Alliance-friendly bar.

Malcolm Reynolds Part 1: "Serenity" – Firefly, Episode 1:1 (December 20, 2002)

Malcolm Reynolds is one of many fantastic characters Joss Whedon's created over the years. Played extremely well by Nathan Fillion, Serenity’s captain leads his crew throughout the ‘verse looking for jobs that keep him flying.

I have this episode in the Firefly 4-Disc DVD set.

We meet Mal as a Sergeant fighting for independence against the Alliance. He and his second-in-command Zoe are in the middle of a battle in Serenity Valley, and Mal is clearly in charge. He’s giving orders on his feet while dodging bullets on his way to shoot down a skiff that’s picking off his men like flies. Mal reaches the gun and successfully brings the skiff down. But when he returns to camp anticipating air support, orders come over the radio to lay down arms. Mal looks out to see Alliance ships – lots of them – landing nearby. The battle is lost, and Mal is speechless.

We next see him six years later as Captain Reynolds of the ship Serenity, a Firefly-class vessel. He’s with Zoe and Jayne on a job – breaking into a derelict ship to steal its cargo. During the raid, an Alliance ship gets too close for comfort and Mal orders crew members Wash and Kaylee to shut down power. Mal and the others get the three crates of goods onboard Serenity and leave…but not without being noticed.

Mal checks the cargo and notices that it’s marked, but decides to continue on to Persephone where he can turn it over to Badger (who hired Mal to get the goods), take on some passengers and head to Boros for some much needed R & R. Once on Persephone, he brings Zoe and Jayne with him to Badger’s to finalize the deal and hits another snag; Badger mentions that an Alliance bulletin went out saying a Firefly-class vessel was seen pulling illegal salvage off a derelict transport. Mal explains that Serenity wasn’t mentioned by name, but Badger tells him that marked cargo is worthless and calls off the deal.

On the way back to the ship, Mal decides to take the goods to Patience, an old acquaintance currently living on Whitefall. Zoe reminds him that Patience once shot him, but Mal doesn’t hold any grudges and believes that Patience was in the right to shoot him at the time. Mal returns to Serenity and meets Dr. Simon Tam, one of his paying passengers. After take off, Mal lays down the ground rules while aboard his ship, and greets the other two new faces: Mr. Dobson and Book, a shepherd.

En route to Whitefall, Mal is told that a signal went out from his ship telling the Alliance their location. Convinced Simon is the mole, and catching him unescorted in the cargo hold, Mal hits him, and then draws his gun on the young doctor when Book tells Mal he’s got the wrong man. It turns out Mr. Dobson sent the signal and has the drop on Mal while he arrests Simon. Mal is relieved that this has nothing to do with the cargo he’s carrying, but Dobson tells him that since he was transporting a wanted man, the Alliance will be holding the whole crew for questioning. Mal tries to cooperate, but there’s confusion, and Kaylee is shot by accident as the Alliance cruiser approaches. Simon forces Mal to decide - run from the Alliance and let Simon operate, or dump him for the feds…and Kaylee die. They run, and Mal assists Simon with the operation.

Once Kaylee is stable, Mal opens the crate Simon was sneaking into the cargo area to check on and finds it contains a young woman, Simon’s sister River. After learning how the two of them wound up on Persephone, Mal explains that with the Alliance on their tail, a fed tied up and everyone onboard most likely I.D.’d, the best thing to do is finish the job – get to Whitefall, make the deal with Patience, and keep flying. As for Simon and River, he’s ready to leave them on Whitefall if Kaylee survives. If not, he’ll throw them out before then. He also leaves it to Jayne to interrogate Dobson to find out exactly what was sent in the message.

Mal’s problems get worse when a Reaver ship crosses their path. The good news is that the ship passes by, and things start looking better when Kaylee wakes up. Mal tells her that she’ll be fine and the ship can’t run without her. She tells him not to blame the doctor for what happened, and then passes out. Mal tells Simon that Kaylee’s dead, a consequence of his actions, but it turns out to be a lie, and Mal gets a good laugh out of it.

Patience calls to set up the deal, and Mal confesses that the goods are stamped with Alliance markings. She agrees anyway, and Mal thinks she plans to shoot him again. Left with little choice, he has the ship reach Whitefall ahead of schedule in order to bury the cargo and plan a strategy to walk away from the exchange. His plan is for Jayne to keep radio contact while he knocks out any of Patience’s snipers in order to cover Mal and Zoe as the drop is made.

Patience arrives as planned, with several armed guards, and Mal gives the location of the buried goods. As proof of the cargo’s existence, he hands over one of the pieces, which turns out to be food, and gets 200 platinum pieces for it. Things go wrong again when Patience asks for the money back. Considering the number of men Patience brought with her, Mal reluctantly agrees, and just before she can get the upper hand, has Jayne open fire. Mal’s hit during the firefight, but only slightly as the bullet grazes his left arm, and he manages to pin Patience under her own horse…by shooting it. He then takes the money he and his crew so richly deserve, but his happiness is short-lived. Wash calls over the comm that the Reaver ship they passed earlier has found them, and is coming…

Mal, Zoe and Jayne reach Serenity in time, but as Mal walks onto the deck, he sees Dobson holding a gun on River. Not wasting any time, Mal shoots Dobson, and together with Jayne throw him off the ship. They take off, and Mal tells Inara to take the civilians (Book, Simon, River and herself) into her shuttle and get away if they’re boarded. After some fancy flying to stay just out of Reaver range, Mal orders Wash to pull a Crazy Ivan. The plan works and they’re free.
Mal takes over flying the ship, and Jayne tells him that Dobson said the Alliance will keep coming after them for River. Mal asks if Dobson offered a deal, and when Jayne doesn’t answer, he asks why Jayne didn’t turn on him. Jayne replies that the money wasn’t good enough. Smiling, Mal then asks what would happen when Jayne finally is offered enough, and both men agree that that would be an interesting day.

As Jayne leaves, Simon enters, and first asks about tending to Mal’s injury, then about Mal’s plans for him and his sister. Mal tells him that it might be best for them to stay on board for the time being, especially since he’d need a medic from time to time. Simon doesn’t trust him, and wonders how he’d know Mal doesn’t kill him in his sleep. Mal replies that if he were to kill Simon, the doctor would be awake, facing Mal…and armed.

Simon leaves, and Mal calls this a good day, because as long as he’s still flying, it's a good day.

Notes of Interest:
1) I find it interesting that despite all the areas Mal won’t let his passengers near while aboard Serenity, the kitchen is open 24/7, and that the crew has proper sit-down meals regularly. Guess Serenity will run out of fuel before running out of food.

2) Mal has some resentment to the methods used for terra-forming planets.

3) During the scene in infirmary, Mal shows no problem being around medical equipment - having seen plenty of blood during the war no doubt - and knows how to sedate a patient.

4) Mal has a special spot for Kaylee, staying with her during the surgery, and protecting her honor at the dinner table.

5) There’s some obvious tension between Mal and Inara.

6) Mal suffers from a crisis of faith. At Serenity Valley, he says a silent prayer and kisses the gold cross around his neck before storming the gun. Six years later he goes out of his way to make Book uncomfortable once Mal learns he’s a shepherd.

7) Kaylee mentions that they could use a compression coil, but Mal dismisses it as not important enough.

8) Mal respects other peoples’ beliefs, shown here when he lets Book pray at the table.

9) Mal’s used to having the odds against him – another byproduct of the war – and seems quite comfortable when it happens.

10) Mal, like many others in this series, speaks Mandarin.

11) While he hired Wash as his ship’s pilot, Mal is capable of flying when necessary.

WTF? Moment: The one problem I have with this character in this episode is in the scene where he, Zoe and Jayne are on their way back to Serenity after being dissed by Badger. Jayne talks about not getting paid lately and Mal says the last few jobs they had were “weak tea”. Mal doesn’t strike me as someone who would say that. He would have said something in Chinese - like “sewer water” or “scrotum sweat”.

Casting Call: Ava Lord – A Dame to Kill For

I recently finished my first reading of Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and knew going in that Rodriguez and Miller were planning to put it in the second Sin City movie. There’s been a lot of speculation about who would play the title character - Ava. Angelina Jolie’s name was kicked around for a while, but as far as I know casting hasn’t been made official yet. So here at Adorkification, I give you another name to throw into the hat:

I know what some people might say, but let’s look at this character for a minute. Ava’s a beautiful, manipulative beyotch who uses her looks to drive men to commit adultery, murder and suicide. This isn’t a dig about Megan’s personality; all I’m saying is that Ava Lord is definitely within Megan’s acting range based on what she’s been in so far.

Ava’s not the brightest crayon in the box, and uses what she has to great effect. Whomever they do cast for this role wouldn’t have to quote Shakespeare, and based on the way Rodriguez works would have to stare in awe of things that weren’t there.


In fact, since Rodriguez uses Miller’s visual style for storyboarding, she wouldn’t need to imagine anything. She could just look at the story and go from there.

The main obstacle this role has is nudity. Jessica Alba was able to get away with not exposing herself as Nancy Callahan – a very popular stripper by the way - but Ava’s character is built on her body…which is seen…a lot. The actress that plays her would have to go the same route as Carla Gugino and Jaime King, which admittedly would draw a lot of people to theaters.

So we’ll see. This is a great story, and she is a great character, and I can’t wait to see it on the screen.

My Thoughts On Captain America...The Movie

Okay. So a while back I explained my opinions on the Thor movie and how it would connect to the Marvel Movie Universe. I’ve thought it through, and figured how to do the same thing with Captain America:

First the plot – the first act would be about Steve Rogers, growing up in New York in the thirties, enlisting in the army, getting selected for the ‘Super-Soldier’ program (that is mentioned in Incredible Hulk) and ends with Steve completing the process and getting the new body. Act 2 would be about his army days, sneaking around, being an inspirational leader on the battlefield, meeting Bucky and having him learn Steve’s secret identity, and would end with Cap being defeated and/or captured by the Red Skull. The final act would be Steve’s victory against the Red Skull, defeating whatever Nazi plans he had, and the movie would end with Cap (and Bucky) continuing the never-ending battle for victory in WWII.

So basically, it’s the plot of the 4-part The Adventures of Captain America mini by Fabian Nicieza and Kevin Maguire from 1991/1992.


But the major difference is in the post credits…

There’s a shot of a newspaper headline dated at least a year after the movie takes place, but still during World War II, that reads: CAPTAIN AMERICA MISSING!!! Then we see darkness, but obviously underwater. Lights are shining from around and behind the camera into the water in front of us. Then we see an iceberg, with a familiar shield encased in it, and an arm, and the rest of Cap’s body. Coming into frame, on either side, we see the sources of the lights – Iron Man’s glove, and Thor’s hammer…

That’s it. That’s all you need. The movie itself connects to The Incredible Hulk, and the post credits connect to Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Thor.

Done deal.

Nite Owl (I) Part 6: Watchmen #8 (April, 1987)

Hollis faces his end...

I have this issue in the Watchmen trade.

Hollis gets back in touch with Sally. They talk about the events of the night before and how Nite Owl and Silk Spectre have returned to the spotlight. Later, as Hollis prepares for Halloween trick-or-treaters, local gang-bangers learn about the second Nite Owl’s involvement in Rorschach’s escape from prison. They mistakenly blame Hollis for Dan’s actions, and decide to teach him a lesson…by killing him.

Notes of Interest:
1) Based on his conversation with Sally, this is the first they’ve spoken to each other since the reunion at Sally’s in 1962.

2) I must have missed something. There’s obviously a moment when Sally mentions making a decision between extra analysis or aerobics that affects Hollis in some way, but I don’t understand how. A dig about his book maybe?

3) Another part I don’t get is where Hollis is carving the pumpkin. I assume when he says “Like Rodin, huh?” he’s referring to the sculptor, and the jack-o-lantern is the masterpiece, but beyond that I have no idea.

4) Talk about classic Moore storytelling…First, Moore had the gang confuse Nite Owl with Nite Owl II, even though their costumes were completely different and Hollis was significantly older - a depiction of mobs distorting facts in order to justify their actions. There’s the panel where the gang’s knocking at the door, and we see Hollis getting up from a chair facing a fireplace. Above the fireplace are the various pictures of himself with the Minutemen and other framed moments from his past - a testament to all the good deeds done over a lifetime. There’s the panel showing Nite Owl in his prime, fighting what looks like a gang of thugs, and smiling. Immediately on the next page is the panel showing Hollis in the present, bloody and battered fighting a gang of thugs, with the silhouette of his statue forming a mask over his face – a death mask. There’s the statue itself (given to him at his retirement party in gratitude of his career) being used as the murder weapon – showing how perceptions of heroism change. Finally, there’s the last panel, with the three children finding the body – innocence lost.

WTF? Moment: When I first read this issue in 1988 (I borrowed the trade from a friend), I wanted to scream at the page. Heroes shouldn’t die this way. It made me so mad I wanted to throw it away (which would have angered my friend) and never read the rest. But of course I had to read the rest, and eventually bought my own copy. Over time, and with many re-readings, I have learned to accept how and why Hollis had to die, but MAN does it suck.