SJimbrowski here with another webseries report gathered from the sights and sounds of the 2011 San Diego Comic Con. Here are the final two panel reports from AdultSwim’s CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL and NTSF:SD:SVU, followed by a review of the hot new webseries THE MERCURY MEN! Enjoy!
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Panel
I was lucky enough to nab a seat to see the panel featuring AdultSwim’s CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL featuring the cast and creators of the show. Rob Corddry was spot on, comedically. I would recommend trying to watch the panel on YouTube if anyone posts it. The entire cast was playful with the audience and the joy in the work showed through. If you don’t watch the show, you should; it is side-splittingly funny. Ask yourself a simple question: do you hate GREY’S ANATOMY and PRIVATE PRACTICE? If you answered yes to either, watch this show--you will not regret it. Plus the cast is awesome and you will find yourself saying “how did they get her in this episode? It’s AdultSwim!”NTSF:SD:SVU Panel
Next up is NTSF:SD:SVU. It does for police procedurals what CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL does for hospital dramas. Paul Scheer actually filmed part of a scene for an upcoming episode at the SDCC panel. The panel was brief, but showed an episode and it was quite hilarious, making fun of the CSI and other cop dramas. The intro to the show has Scheer changing sunglasses no less than 4 times! Is that a sign of quality or what? David Caruso only puts on his sunglasses once, so NTSF:SD:SVU is obviously 4 times better than “CSI: Miami”!Watch the first episode here!
THE MERCURY MEN Review!
THE MERCURY MEN webseries is a whole bunch of retro 50s serial goodness. It is shot in black and white, which entirely serves the story and the mood that it wants to set. In short, it works. This series is about a hapless office worker, Edward Borman (Mike Tierno), who is pulled into a world much larger than his office drone existence and thrust into events that are world changing. I thought Tierno did an excellent job, as a lost hapless soul is necessary to move the series forward. Early on, he encounters Jack Yeager (Curt Wootton), one of the members of the League, an organization dedicated to the protection of Earth under the leadership of Dr. Tomorrow. Wootton highlights the cool engineering efficiency of a man with a mission who must do what he can to save us all. As viewers we are quickly thrust into the apocalyptic problems that all good heroes must face.
THE MERCURY MEN is set in a 1975 office building in Pittsburgh around closing time. Our resident bureaucrat Edward Borman refuses to stamp some document for a poor woman whose only crime it to arrive at the end of the work day. He leaves when she isn’t looking, but karma quickly catches up as he becomes witness to the invasion of the Mercury Men and their nefarious plot to destroy the Earth. The series does a wonderful job of ratcheting up the action and suspense in such a delicious old-time serial way. You are compelled to watch just one more episode. The clueless and mostly unwilling Borman must team up with Yeager to stop the in invasion of The Mercury Men. The music sets a great suspenseful mood and is just one of the aspects that make this series so worthwhile, portraying suspense without overwhelming the action. This wonderful retro sci-fi romp even has the kind of tech that so well fits into the world created by Chris Preksta, the creator of the series. The object used by the Mercury Men to bring about our destruction is the gravity engine, which Borman and Yeager must stop to prevent apocalypse.
The series is fast moving and, to I think most people’s surprise, was produced on an extremely modest budget of $7000. The key is that it does not look like it was produced on such a shoestring. The heart and soul of the webseries is to create amazing content on limited budgets with vision and creativity that humbles more traditional broadcast mediums. This series is a testament to that concept. The quality of the series exists not only in the special effects, story, or other specific aspects, but in the overall quality of what is delivered to the audience by writer/director/producer/editor/art director/music director (and probably something else uncredited) creator Chris Preksta. He is so painstaking in the creation of this world that the experience becomes completely immersive. One moment later in the series that I appreciated was the Dr. Tomorrow appearance. It was done in such a spot-on genre way that I can't but help complement the ingenuity of the writing.I loved this series and think someone should keep their eye on Mr. Preksta. I think we will all see great things from him in the future. My sincere hope is that someone in Hollywood is smart enough to give him some funds so he can keep on creating. Check out THE MERCURY MEN on SyFy, Hulu, iTunes and THE MERCURY MEN website!
Proofs, co-edits & common sense: Sleazy G
Check out Bug’s panel Horror on the Paneled Page in its entirety from the con!!!
Ambush Bug announces his new werewolf comic LUNA on FAMOUS MONSTERS panel!!!
SJimbrowski brings back a ton of webseries news from Comic Con—Felicia Day’s DRAGON AGE REDEMPTION! MORTAL KOMBAT! & Bryan Singer’s H+ THE DIGITAL SERIES!
Bug sits for a lengthy chat with Marvel CCO Joe Quesada!
SJimbrowski reports from Felicia Day’s THE GUILD and Joss Whedon’s panels!
Bug talks with DC top brass Dan Didio & Jim Lee!
Bug talks with Fear.net’s TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL star Jason Mewes!
Bug talks with Zenescope’s Ralph Tedesco & Raven Gregory!
Bug talks with writer/artist Menton3 about his new IDW series MONOCYTE!
Bug has his annual chat with Radical Publisher Barry Levine!
Bug talks with Writer of Stuff, Peter David!
Bug talks with the only Caped Crusader that matters, Adam West!
Part one of Bug talks turtles with TNMT creator Kevin Eastman!
Part two of Bug talks turtles with TNMT writer Tom Waltz!
Keep an eye out for more interviews and special reports from SDCC 2011!
