Retro-View: Werewolf By Night #20 (Marvel Comics)

Werewolf By Night #20 (Aug. 1974) has one of my favorite covers from the entire run of that classic series, but like so many Marvel Comics books from way back when, the scene depicted on the cover doesn't actually occur inside the book. You'll just have to appreciate the lovely Gil Kane/John Romita cover on its own merits.

"Eye of the Wolf!" picks up story elements from Giant-Size Creatures #1, with the Werewolf (Jack Russell) encountering an acquaintance named Raymond Coker, who also suffers from lycanthropy, in a city park. The pair are unaware that they are being watched by yet another werewolf, but this one somehow manages to retain his mental faculties through use of an enigmatic ring.

It is revealed that Russell's sister, Lissa has recently been captured by the villains, Baron Thunder and Ma Mayhem. Later at his apartment, Jack is visited by police Lt. Lou Hackett who posits his theory that Coker is the werewolf who has been preying on the city. Russell is forced into agreeing to help nail his friend, and then glumly heads out for a consoling dinner with his lady friend, Clary Winter. Soon a gentleman calling himself Geraldo Kabal eyes the beauteous Clary, going so far as to offer her a ring; but this rings presence powerfully affects Jack, who instantly makes a grab for it and slips it onto his own finger.

Information gleaned from Kabal sends Jack frantically dashing off to rescue Lissa from an eerie mountaintop manor, and once he arrives Russell wishes that he had the werewolf's strength, if only he could retain his senses. With no preamble, and no full moon in effect, Jack instantly transforms into his furry alter ego, and for the first time he remains aware of who he is - the result of the mysterious rings influence.

The werewolf bursts into the cryptic mansion and is attacked by the combined forces of May Mayhem and Baron Thunder. Without benefit of his bestial nature, the Russell-controlled Werewolf is nearly bested by the Baron, but in the end he hurls the larger man into a towering control panel which topples over upon him, sparking an electrical fire that not only consumes the entire building, but also sets off a series of explosions that decimate the mountainside. Lissa and Jack barely manage to escape the conflagration, but in leaping clear, Jack's newfangled ring is torn from his hand and lost in the fire. Shucks!

This issue is entertainingly written by Doug Moench, who crafts a tense, exciting reading experience from start to finish, and the visuals by Don Perlin and Vince Colletta are really, really enjoyable. There isn't anything like a '70's Marvel horror comic out there these days. All too often, as these horror characters are utilized, modern day editors and creators feel the need to revamp them as more mature, more adult or more graphic-oriented than they were first presented. The simple charm inherent in the 1970's versions are usually cast aside to the detriment of the better, old-school-style originals.

Hit the back issue bins (or eBay) and pick up a few Werewolf By Night issues, and then revel in the days when this type of Marvel monster was simply an unabashedly good comic book.

At the Movies: 2012

Oh look, a final sci-fi week bonus: I saw the new Roland Emmerich film 2012 last night, entering with a sense of trepidation due to my having first read a couple of disparaging reviews over at Ain't It Cool News, before purchasing a ticket. Harry and some of his regulars really ought to remember that they are geeks and nerds and stop getting so "highbrow" over big budget popcorn flicks.

2012 delivered for me, and here's a nod to Capone at AICN, the lone guy over there who doesn't have his head lodged up his crack over this movie. Talk about being way off base! The cadre of AICN critics who dissed 2012 - other than unilaterally favorable praise over the films awesome special effects from each of them - felt like there were too many extraneous characters present and that this brought down the narrative flow of the film, and in fact detracted from the simple plot line, of a divorced family man who upon learning of the unfolding worldwide catastrophe, literally goes through hell in order to save his family against increasingly impossible odds. [The image above is taken from my favorite sequence in the movie, following the destruction of Yellowstone, with John Cusack dashing for safety as Amanda Peet reaches out to him.]

With respect to the hoity-toity nerds who have apparently watched way too many disposable genre flicks, I respectfully disagree. I thought that 2012 was a thoroughly entertaining, edge of your seat experience. The effects WERE incredible and despite having to seriously suspend my disbelief as lead actor John Cusack escaped one apocalyptic deathtrap after another, I enjoyed director Emmerich's latest ride quite a bit. Early shows at the Hollywood 20 were sold out, and a chunk of the later viewings also quickly sold out just as we were arriving, so I didn't leave the theater until almost 2:00 am.

As I said above, this film IS a big budget popcorn movie. This echoes Capone's own AICN statements to a certain extent, but audiences are well-versed in these types of movies and keep coming back for more. 2012 at least touches on the ideas raised by prophetic mythologies ranging from the Mayan calendar, to the Hopi Indians oral tradition, to the Holy Bible itself, but this movie doesn't dwell on any of them; this tale is all about showing how that might look in actuality and it is here where 2012 will likely win big with audiences.

I also felt like the film stepped up in showing how baser aspects of human nature would rise to the occasion, even as the story elevated nobler aspects of our human spirit. Racism too was touched upon, and when your story is about the ending of the world and the entirety of human history being washed away, that ain't too bad. In addition to Cusack and Peet, the excellent cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, Thandie Newton and Woody Harrelson.

Give this one a try folks. After all, we're all probably going to live to see if they got this one right, but remember to keep in mind how far off base the "experts" were on the whole Y2K thing a decade ago.

"Gal" Friday! Asdis Ran

Today I'm closing out my second week Sci-Fi (not "Syfy") oriented posts. It would be easy to continue in that vein too, since science-fiction and comic books have a relationship that goes all the way back to Superman's arrival on planet Earth. Like the fictional Man of Steel, the luscious lady above is totally out of this world!

Asdis Ran, the incredibly lovely lass that I've selected for today's "Gal" Friday post is known in Iceland as "The Icequeen", and that really stumps me; since looking at her photos doesn't leave me chilled at all. They make me want to melt!

Thanks to photographer Arnold Bjornsson for permission to use his photograph of Asdis Ran. I encourage you to visit his website for even more examples of his stunning photography. I envy Arnold his day job. It must be nice to snap pictures of one Nordic beauty after another, and while they aren't all blond goddesses like Asdis, heck, why quibble over such petty details. Let's just admit that the guy chose the right line of work and applaud his talent.

Asdis Ran is an Icelandic model, model agency owner, TV star, producer and PR/event manager. She has enjoyed a ten year reign as Iceland's most famous celebrity model. Just take a look at that amazing photo (click on it for a bigger version) and tell me that blonds aren't simply the best. As I mentioned last week, I'm in the market for a hot blond, but sadly I must report that Asdis is married to one fortunate soccer player.

She's still totally awesome in my book!

Retro-View: Alien Worlds (1988 Special)

I thought that it would be fun to squeeze in a neat little science-fiction retro-view of the comic book anthology series, Alien Worlds, before posting my out of this world “Gal” Friday selection. Since its Friday the 13th, the twists and turns included in these oddball tales will fit right in with the usual eeriness that folks attribute to today’s foreboding calendar ensign.

The great Bruce Jones wrote all six of the short stories that are featured in this standalone issue, part of the Eclipse graphic album series, which was originally published in May 1988, underneath a super-spiffy Bill Stout cover.

“Phony Express”, drawn by Tom Yeates & Mark Johnson, with breakdowns by Thom Enriquez, is a take-off on the early American Pony Express. Set in a backwater town along the edge of a swamp, on a hopeless backwater world, this story presents the travails of a forlorn loser named Rick. Struggling to feed himself and his sexy wife (who appears nude throughout the entire story), with no available work to be had, and where everyone is trying to eke out the same miserable existence, Rick catches a seemingly lucky break when the local mail-rider quits his job. Rick immediately steps in to fill his shoes and quickly learns that having a job doesn’t necessarily mean that things will be any easier for him. There are token elements featured in this simple crime noir story that try giving it a visual sci-fi flavor, but while this aspect mostly fails, at least the artwork is pleasing to look at.

“Looking for Louie”, lovingly drawn by Ralph Reese, features two spacesuit clad astronauts named Carmine & Louie who are debating the relative merits of Earth girls over more exotic, alien chicks. It seems that lovelorn Louie has it in his head to seek out and find himself a new bride somewhere in the galaxy. Thus begins a series of near-miss encounters as Carmine and Louie narrowly avoid being killed by a horde of sexy centaurs on one planet, before being nearly eaten for dinner by another horde of sexy (and topless) cannibals on another world, only to discover the sexiest woman in the universe; who the pair discover marooned on a planetoid. The only problem is, she’s a robot, and she just doesn’t hold up to Louie’s amorous snuggling, in fact, she really falls apart. The story ends with the two returning to their Bronx spaceport and a rendezvous with Louie’s stale ladylove, but once the guys remove their helmets, the reader finally discovers that all three are just highly-evolved cockroaches. Yuck!

“Boots and Jackets”, drawn by Eric Shanower, tells the story of Scott, a retired former federation tracker; one of the legendary men who opened the frontiers of space for human development. Now there are no more jungles, no more exotic creatures, and no more adventures to be found. Worlds have been paved over and everything is suitably comfortable for the masses, and now Scott laments his old life, daydreaming about past glories. However a call to return to duty for one last ride, pits him against an old rival, and offers him a way out of the humdrum existence that he has become mired in, come hell or high water.

“In the Meadow”, drawn by Mike Dringenberg, begins with a cute blond chick going skinny-dipping while her collie, Ranger, frolics throughout the nearby woods, encountering all manner of mundane wildlife. Unbeknownst to the pair, a couple of aliens are hunting trophies, but one of them is actually dying and simply wishes to get this rite of passage over with. Choosing the girl as his victim, the green Norphite draws a bead on the lovely lass, but is immediately set upon by Ranger, returning from this own adventure in he forest. Moving to defend his mistress. Ranger is slain by the alien, but not before seriously biting the alien Norphite. The story's twist is revealed at the end, when the alien is surprisingly cured by the dog bite; which had been laced with rabies (the result of Ranger's day in the woods).

Two additional stories, “Jupiter Rising” drawn by Bill Wray and “Worlds Apart” drawn by Bob Fingerman round out this nice one-shot special. The first channels the sci-fi classic short story, ‘A Sound of Thunder’ written by Ray Bradbury and the last tale is actually one of the better art jobs in this issue, in a Metal Hurlant sort of way. Seek this one out in the cheap back issue boxes for a fun 1980’s reading experience. You can score it one eBay for just a few bucks (or less).

1980's Flashback: Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld was a young girl named Amy Winston who discovered on her 13th birthday that she was in fact a princess from a magical world. Amy also learned that her real parents were dead, and that a dark figure from Gemworld was out to destroy her. Amy then traveled to Gemworld, becoming older throughout her voyage, in order to fight against the evil that was attacking her.

Amethyst first appeared in a teaser story in Legion of Super-Heroes #298 (Apr. 1983). Her origin was subsequently detailed in a twelve-issue, DC Comics limited series Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld, written and created by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn with art by Ernie Colon. Years before the start of the series, Amethyst's eventual nemesis and arranged-marriage husband, the evil Dark Opal, ruler of the House of Opal, had murdered her true parents the King and Queen of the House of Amethyst (which was the rightful ruling House at the time) and set himself up as permanent ruler. However, the infant Princess Amethyst was taken to Earth by Citrina, to be raised there by others. Thirteen years later, Amethyst returned to lead a rebellion that killed Dark Opal and thus restored freedom to Gemworld.

The Amethyst family members were the most powerful magic users in all of Gemworld. Amethyst, while appearing to be a fully grown woman, still had the mind of a 13-year-old girl. During the war between Order and Chaos, the Lords of Chaos decided to reclaim Gemworld, and sent the Lord of Chaos called "The Child" to do so. Amethyst was only able to stop him by merging with him, and then merging both of them with the Gemworld itself, effectively trapping them both.

Veterans Day Salute!

Please join me in thanking the thousands upon thousands of currently serving American soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who are deployed across the nation and the globe for providing a living shield that protects us all.

These men and women are standing in harms way, and they are comprised of an all-volunteer force!

Let's also pause to remember all of those who went before, whether they made the ultimate sacrifice in serving their country, or just did their jobs and simply came home often bearing an all-too heavy burden.

Up top you'll see a few comic book and genre inspired characters or images that have become part of the action-adventure lexicon and are offered by the Catacombs with respect and affection, but going into battle (or just being available if needed) is never something to be taken for granted. [Above, top to bottom: amazing computer-generated image of DC Comics character, Sgt. Rock by Vamak, actor Lee Marvin from the 1967 film,The Dirty Dozen, the late Dave Cockrum's terrific cover to Blackhawk #261 (Aug. 1983) and Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commando's by the great Dick Ayers.]

Here's a salute to all of our military veterans with much appreciation.

Sgt. Edwin R. "Chuck" Wells, Jr.

U.S. Air Force (1980-1986)

"World-Beater and Unggh Vs. Mars" (Prize Comics; 1944)

After yesterdays Strange New World post, I decided to continue the sci-fi-theme for another week here in the Catacombs. I had inadvertently delayed completing the review of those 1970's Roddenberry television trilogy pilots, so without further ado here is another gonzo adventure of World-Beater and Unggh from Prize Comics #47 (November 1944), also published by Prize.

This eight pager pits the conceited man from the future, his trusty caveman pal and their other frequent ally (I kid you not named, Jo-Blo; a fuzzy Martian chap) against a rampaging horde of .... flowers? Yeah! The story is once again written by Fred Morgan but this time with art duties provided by August Froehlich, and the tale is set on a very pedestrian-looking Mars, and is just too weird to describe any further, therefore let's get on with the show. The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

From the Dust Bin: Strange New World (TV)

After failing to go to series twice before, a third and final attempt was mounted in 1975 to craft a new sci-fi television franchise from Gene Roddenberry's leftovers and this time out even he wasn't involved. In the near future, a trio of scientists onboard an orbiting space station are conducting experiments in suspended animation, when PAX discovers that Earth is about to be struck by a large swarm of meteors. In a desperate effort to survive the imminent holocaust, the PAX space station is placed into an elliptical orbit around the sun which will return the station to its planetary orbit in 180 years. Meanwhile, several hundred PAX members on Earth seek refuge in underground suspended animation chambers located in the southwestern United States. Planet Earth is devastated by the meteor storm, and forever changed. This is all detailed in a convenient introductory monologue, and the action really only starts after the characters are awakened from hibernation and make their return to an apocalyptic Earth.

Strange New World once again stars John Saxon, in a new role, as Capt. Anthony Vico, with Kathleen Miller as Dr. Allison Crowley and Keene Curtis as Dr. William Scott. Broken into two segments in order to show what the series would eventually look like, Strange New World begins with the team split up by warring tribes of primitive humans on an old game preserve where one group is governed by the descendants of a park ranger, who rules according to the "Code of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service." Capt. Vico and his friends help the two groups learn to understand that they need to coexist in order to survive. In the second half of the aborted pilot, the trio is taken captive by a culture who has discovered the secret of immortality by producing clones for use as spare body parts. However, the "originals" have begun growing weaker, and becoming less able to fight off disease with each succeeding generation of clones. The PAX Team was captured for the purpose of using their blood to revitalize the DNA of the citizens of Eterna. Too bad that the Pax team prefers to stay alive and in the process of escaping, the cloning equipment is destroyed and the population of Eterna dies.

This telefilm has several recognizable 1970's-era guest stars including James Olsen as Surgeon, Martine Beswick as Tana, Reb Brown as Sprang, Catherine Bach as Lara, Cynthia Wood (1974 Playboy Playmate of the Year) as Araba, Ford Rainey as Sirus, Gerrit Graham as Daniel, Richard Farnsworth as Elder and Bill McKinney as Badger.

The film is fairly action-packed and interesting in execution, but in weird little ways it appears to be nothing more than a simple remake of Genesis II. Saxon is his usual manly self, and it's neat to see Daisy Duke (Bach) and a few of the other guest actors who are featured. I tried to find more information online about Kathleen Miller. I was familiar enough with Saxon and Keene Curtis, but after a handful of roles in film and on television, she dropped off of the map. I didn't even find so much as a decent photo of her, and that's unfortunate since she was really cute & sexy in a 70's sort of way. [Thanks again to Jim Shelley for providing this film on AVI disk.]

"Gal" Friday! Laura Vandervoort

Folks, today I got up at the crack of dawn to go hiking in the mountains of nearby North Carolina. It was a beautiful fall day, the sky so clear and blue that you could see for fifty miles from the ridge tops, and just cool enough to tamp down the sweat from climbing up and down rugged mountain trails. The Blue Ridge Parkway had sparse traffic all day long, and it was just an awesome, mentally relaxing day. I just thought that I would mention that, before I made the last post of the week. You see, I'm pretty tired!

"Gal" Friday closes out my impromptu sci-fi week. Canadian actor, Laura Vandervoort is racking up an impressive genre resume with television appearances on Mutant X, The Dresden Files, Smallville (where she was featured for two seasons as Supergirl), the current reimagining of V (and the role which has earned her a spot in the Catacombs) and she is filming the upcoming Syfy channel mini-series, Riverworld.

Another reason why I selected her is that she is a smoking hot blond, and I really need a blond in my life right now, in fact I'm going to feature blond goddesses throughout the entire month of November. It's been ages since I dated a blond, and despite the fact that I've usually gone brunette in my romances, I believe that a hot blond is just what the doctor ordered to get the blood pumping in the veins.

World-Beater & Unggh in "The Invisibility Paint" (Prize; 1944)

After my Halloween-centric posts ran all throughout October, it was not my intention to launch into anything like another theme-oriented series this week, but with my Space Ace comic review, my critique of the ABC television series debut of "V" (which scored very well in the Nielsen ratings, after all), my scoop of a profile on Axel Medellin yesterday and his upcoming 50-Girls-50 scif-fi action series for Image Comics - it seems that I've inadvertently done just that - so I guess I might as well stick with it for the time being.

Today's golden age classic comic story is taken from Prize Comics #39 (Feb. 1944), published by a company called Prize. World-Beater and Unggh are a quirky pair of adventurers, World-Beater is a little guy from the far future who believes that his advanced knowledge will make him and his pal, Unggh (a caveman from primordial days), rich beyond the dreams of avarice. These two oddballs get into one unfortunate and silly fix after another, and they always seem to come out with the short end of the stick in a string of humorous back-up features that are really obscure. I doubt that very many people remember these characters.

The writer/artist on this eight pager is identified as Fred Morgan in the Grand Comic Database, and I found virtually nothing about the guy online. A different artist, August Froehlich, works on other World-Beater tales that I will eventually be posting here in the Catacombs. 'The Invisibility Paint' apparently picks up from an earlier story where World-Beater and Unggh were each rendered half invisible and, well, read this for yourselves and see if you can make heads or tails out of it. This one is a doozy, but at least the ending is quite hilarious!

The Catacombs is grateful to Don "Zu-Gogo" Falkos for providing the scans for this story. Note: The copyright for this issue, its contents and artwork belong to the original publisher and/or the creators and is reproduced here solely for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy!

Profile Antics (& interview): Axel Medellin, artist on 50-Girls-50

Boys & girls, here is a genuine, spiffy, hot-off-the-presses kind of interview with the just announced winner of Image Comics "50-Girls-50" talent search, Axel Medellin.

I emailed this interview request immediately upon reading the announcement on Newsarama and am just tickled pink to have received such a speedy reply. I would like to thank Axel publicly and once again, extend my congratulations to him for being selected out of a very tough field of potential candidates for this plum assignment working with Frank Cho & Doug Murray.

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Hi, Axel! I saw your winning tryout pages for 50-Girls-50 on Newsarama this morning and they looked terrific. I buy few new comics series these days, preferring to focus on back issues from decades past, but I must admit that your artwork intrigued me enough to say that I will be buying your Image series.

I maintain a comics blog called "The Comic Book Catacombs" and would love to do a quick profile on you, similar to ones that I've done in the past on artists Colleen Doran, Stephanie Gladden, Michael T. Gilbert, Guy Davis, and others. If you can take a moment to answer a few questions, I would appreciate it.

Q) How does it feel to be declared the winner of such an obviously high profile comics project?

It's overwhelming, to tell the truth... before this year I hadn't won a single contest, ever, not even second round or anything. In March, I was part of the team winner of the Zuda competition (Earthbuilders, updated at Zuda.com each Tuesday, shameless plug), and now comes this contest which I absolutely devoted myself to... I doubt there's been a time in my life that I wanted to win something so badly... and to be sincere, it feels great! Also, it's a bit daunting, of course... I mean, you saw the art at the competition, any one of the finalists was a good choice for the book. I really appreciate the confidence set upon my shoulders, now I have to live up to it.

Q) What are your thoughts on working so closely with Frank Cho?

Man, Frank Cho! If you could see my library, you'd find every one of Frank Cho's books in an honored place. He's been one of my heroes since I discovered Liberty Meadows. So, I'm trying really hard to not get all fanboy-ish here... but seriously, this idea of Frank and Doug, the contest and the comic book was amazing. I'm so honored, and I hope to deliver work worthy of the project. And, honestly, 50 gorgeous girls, aliens, monsters, spaceships... these are just the lyrics of "my favourite things"!

Q) Do you follow any other Image Comics series? or What are your favorite "reads" at the moment?

I love Elephantmen, and Chew fascinates me in a morbid way. I'm patiently waiting for the next Fell and Casanova. Even if I don't get 7 out of 10 references, the art in Phonogram just blew me away. Other than that, I'm a strict devotee of all things Hellboy-related.

Q) What type of tools do you prefer to use to create your artwork?

I'm old-fashioned when it comes to pencils and inks... good old paper, mechanical pencil and India ink, with technical pens, brushes or crow quills (and everything from cotton balls to toothbrush), depending on the subject. When I do my coloring it's all in the computer. I'm just recently learning to ink digitally, maybe it will speed up things in the future...

Q) If 50-Girls-50 is a success, what would your next goals be within the industry?

Well... I honestly hope it will be! At least, I'll try to deliver damn good art... and if it succeeds, I hope it will be a right step to a solid career. Make creator-owned stuff as well as some regular gig to pay the bills in the meantime. Who can say, I've been more than ten years trying to get into the business, and publishing regularly for the past two... I hope it will go up from here. Fingers crossed.

Q) Do you have any particular artists whose work inspired you to draw?

Oh, yes. John Buscema was my first role model. Meeting him at his last Con was a defining moment for me. Frank Frazetta. Mike Mignola. Kevin Nowlan. Travis Charest. Juan Gimenez. Dean Yeagle. Syd Mead. And Frank, of course. I could go on and on with the list, I'm a child in a candy store when it comes to favourite artists.

Q) I look forward to picking up 50-Girls-50, so again, congratulations on being selected and best of luck on the book. Thanks for allowing me to do this mini-interview, and if you have a link to a web page where you post artwork, please include it.

Here's my art page: [here]. And our weekly web comic Earthbuilders, written by RG Llarena and Abraham Martinez, drawn by yours truly, colored and lettered by Felipe Sobreiro [here].

Thanks so much!

"V" on tv, again!

Last night the ABC network began airing its troubled reimagining of the classic 1983 television mini-series "V", with a mere four episode run during the crucial November sweeps period. Reports that the planned 13 episode initial order had been dramatically scaled back may have fueled the mindset that this effort was doomed from the outset. Paired against hit shows "NCIS" and "The Biggest Loser", "V" already had its work cut out for it, even before original showrunner Scott Peters was replaced by Scott Rosenbaum ("Chuck").

Based on the original alien invasion drama, and with current cast members including performers from several other popular sci-fi genre series; Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), Morena Baccarin (Firefly/Serenity), Joel Gretsch (The 4400), Alan Tudyk (Firefly/Serenity, I Robot), Laura Vandervoort (Supergirl on Smallville), plus Scott Wolf & Morris Chestnut in key roles, "V" manages to hit many of the same beats as the first version, albeit with better visual effects.

ABC ceased production on "V" after its fourth episode, however if post-pilot ratings are not disastrous, the network intends to put it back into production and air new episodes beginning in March 2010.

I enjoyed the premiere and thought that Mitchell and Tudyk had great chemistry together as fellow FBI agents. Baccarin was a nice replacement for Jane Badler in the role of the enigmatic, yet totally hot Visitor commander, and Gretsch's confused parish-priest coming to grips with the motherships arrival and how that event has impacted his faith was subtly well-played, while nicely setting up things to come. Some other cast members were left a little back-burnered by the opening script and I have to say that the originals premise of a teen girls sexual infatuation with one of the aliens is transferred to a young male this time around.

In my opinion, "V" presented enough pleasing entertainment for me to hope that it succeeds in rounding up an audience, but in the very tough world of the Nielsen ratings - we will just have to wait and see.