Last week we got a reveal and some footage description.  First, the pic that you  see is from a report that went up at Super Hero Hype.   The picture is apparently from a toy catalog or preview showcasing the upcoming toy line from THE INCREDIBLE HULK.   Of interest, was the Abomination figure.  Let the griping begin.  I’ve already read a few places where the expected criticisms have begun.  “Why doesn’t he have the head fins?  What about the ridges on his skin?  THEY RUINED THE ABOMINATION!!!!” 

I don’t have a problem with this version of The Ambomination.  He looks hideous, he looks huge, and it looks as though once he makes the transformation, the movie goer will be able to tell who he once was.   I think that’s the key.  The studio is paying Tim Roth to play the part of Emil Blonsky/Abomination, and they want his face to be present as long as possible.  

Also, unless I hear that the artists and film makers didn’t even attempt the look from the comics, I am willing to bet that this looks better on film.   Ultimately, film makers have to bring as much realism as possible to the fantastic premises of these super hero movies.   It is much easier for the casual fan to suspend disbelief if they aren’t yanked out of reality at every design or plot point.

So, until we see the Abomination on screen, let’s reserve judgment.

Also, last week in Germany was the Nuremberg Toy Fair.  Ain’t It Cool was able to snag a report on some footage that was shown.

The first Incredible Hulk footage that the public has seen was on display, and I want to see this footage. Of particular interest to your’s truly is this quote from the report, “The ‘trailer’ ends
with Abomination walking towards Hulk. Remember the end of Rocky III? Apollo Creed wants to hit Rocky in their friendly duel? That’s exactly the way the trailer ends. Abomination wants to hit Hulk. Hulk wants to hit Abomination,but before it actually happens the trailer is over. Abomination looks like a Hulk with the Voldemort face from the first Harry Potter movie. A really
mean motha. He sure is a great opponent. I thought the shown footage was awesome.”

Combine this report with the two pictures that have been released from Universal, and color me one happy Hulk fan. UNIVERSAL…GET THAT TRAILER OUT!!!!

Ugh.  I hate being sick.  It doesn’t happen very often, but it did this past weekend and into this week.  I have felt like doing absolutely nothing.   I’ve missed work and was barely able to get through recording the latest episode of The Skynext Podcast with Derek from Starkville’s House of El.

Then, as I was going over some stuff about tonight’s new episode of Smallville, I realized that, in the middle of playing catch up at work and trying to get real life things done, I forgot to post a review of last week’s episode “Persona.”  So here we go.

 I hate to be repetitive when it comes to my reactions to Smallville episodes, but HOLY MONKEY SPIT WHAT AN EPISODE!!!

Roughly six weeks after we found out that Clark was basically being held captive in the Fortress by Jor-El and BIZARRO had taken over his identity and life, we finally get some closure that only serves to open up yet more proverbial cans of the proverbial worms for our rising hero.  Not only that, but Julian revealed himself to Lionel only to be shot and die in Lionel’s arms…at LEX’S COMMAND!!!!  Lana found out that she had been shacked up with Bizarro Clark…there’s no way she’s gonna be ok after this.   Bizarro sought out Brainiac to get help with undoing his weakness to sunlight.  Brainiac turned him onto a Kryptonian named Dax Ur who had been hidden on Earth for over 100 years.   To find him though, Bizarro needed the SOS shield that Kara found in the time capsule back in the third episode of the season.  Well, of course Bizarro didn’t know anything about the shield, and in trying to track it down he makes two critical mistakes.  One, he asks Chloe, who immediately suspects something’s up, and two he goes to the Fortress to look for it.   This alerts Jor-El who frees Clark to clean up the town.  Clark goes to Lionel (Brainiac in disguise) and learns about Dax Ur.  In a cool moment, Chloe reveals that she took the shield and hid it when Clark started acting wierd.  He goes to Dax Ur, gets blue kryptonite, and unwittingly lets on to Brainiac where Dax Ur is.  In the end, Lana destroys Bizarro, Clark and Lana continue in what is now an even uneasier relationship, and Brainiac returns himself to full power by killing Dax Ur and getting the information he needs to completely reconstitute himself. 

AND….if we’re ever going to get THE moment when Lex turns evil, we got it in Persona.

This was a great way to be able to come back to Smallville after the show being gone for a month and a half.  Everything was flawlessly executed.  

Marc McClure had less screen time than I would have liked, but in his few moments on screen I didn’t see Jimmy Olsen, Marty McFly’s older brother, or one of the Houston guys from Apollo 13.   I saw Dax Ur.  A man who is paying his own personal penence for creating what he hoped would be Krypton’s salvation and instead he realized it would be it’s doom.   He’s also a man who loves so passionately that he’s given up any abilities to have a family on Earth.  I liked him.  I hated that he had to die. 

However, his death will give us another appearance by a fully charged Brainiac played by James Marsters.  Marsters was just as captivating in Persona as he was in all of his season 5 appearances.   The idea of Brainiac manipulating Bizarro for his own purposes is a classic villain team up move. 

We got some new shots in the Fortress, a great showdown between Bizarro, Clark, and Lana, and Lex putting the hit out on his own cloned brother.   WONDERFUL.

I think that Lex having Julian killed is what really made this episode come together completely though.   As Julian is shot and the shooter sends the “Job Done” text to Lex.  We see Lex step outside and completely give in to and rage against his inner demons all at once.   The key is this now…if Lex will kill his own brother…who won’t he kill?

This was another solid 5 out whatever I give 5 of episode.  I don’t think the same will be able to be said for tonight’s offering, Siren, but we’ll see.   Overall, though, this season hasn’t disappointed.  In a year that should have been the stumbling block for the series things really got cranked up and rollling.  Too bad it’s ending early. 

So, I’m going to take the blog in a direction that it probably shouldn’t go at all. 

However, one of the things I geek out about with friends sometimes is politics, so I figured take this time prior to Super Tuesday to let my opinion be heard.

You’re free to voice your opinion as well, right here on Geek Out Online.  Leave comments or e-mail me at geekoutonline@gmail.com.

I was really kind of bummed coming into 2008 because there didn’t seem to be a candidate that resonated with me at all.  They were all towing party lines, or a little too far out there to take seriously.  Then, Mike Huckabee came along with some new ideas.  Ideas I’ve never heard another Presidential candidate bring to the table.   He was talking about putting the IRS out of business.  He was talking about border security.  He was talking about Health Care that focuses on prevention instead of crises.  Most importantly though, he was talking about America. 

I know we have several readers from other countries.  I appreciate your readership and your listenership very much.   In fact, some of the countries I’ve heard from since starting this blog/podcast thing are countries with which I am fascinated and hope to be able to visit someday.   But, I love my country.  I have ever since we had a president named Ronald Regan who believed that the United States was a “shining city on a hill.”   He made me believe too.

 I hear Mike Huckabee talking about things like this and it makes me feel like, here’s a guy who gets it.  Here’s a guy who’s not working for a political party or for his own power base.  Here’s a guy who truly thinks this country is a great place.  He looks at our problems with immigration and says, “Thank God we live in a country that people are trying to break into rather than break out of.”

He looks at our tax code and says, it’s crazy…so here’s a crazy idea. 

He’s not scared of new ideas.  He’s not scared of innovation.  He’s not scared to be something new and different and fresh in Washington. 

So, the website endorses Mike Huckabee. 

I won’t be going political like this again…hopefully, but I just had to get my opinion out there.  Let the debate begin.  It’s okay.  That’s what the United States is all about.  The free flow of ideas and thoughts without fear of persecution or prosecution. 

Before I wrap it up though, you should know that the main reason I endorsed Gov. Huckabee is….well…just watch the video….

CHUCK APPROVED!!!