Flash Show Turns Dark

I'm watching the fourth Flash season now, along with the fifth Arrow season. I don't bother with Supergirl or Legends of Tomorrow. I've never been a DC fan. But I have to say the Flash show taking a dark turn makes it an intriguing show to watch.

What I appreciate mostly is that The Flash show not a goofy show like the Marvel movies have become. The Marvel movies and their characters are worse for that goofiness. But the DC shows have not followed suit, to their credit. Flash, particularly, has evolved into quite the dark show. Meaning the events are grim and even scary. It reminds me of the darker Twilight Zone episodes or Outer Limits episodes of some years ago.

It's not really new either. From the beginning the Flash TV show has had some dark episodes. From the Reverse Flash villain, to the Doom villain, to the Savitar villain. The fact that all of these villains were speedsters like the Flash was redundant, and lacked imagination, but the story lines were dark, and not goofy. Which was refreshing. Facing speedsters all the time is along the lines of the kind of villain a hero like Flash should fight. But season after season, especially the first three seasons, made for some questionable storytelling.

In season four we don't see another speedster except for a brief reappearance of Reverse Flash in the crossovers of episode eight. Which is a good thing. And speaking of that crossover thing, fighting Nazis? Sheesh... Talk about recurring villains. We've seen Nazis and Neo-Nazis as villains more times than I can count over the history of Hollywood. But at least the shows weren't goofy. Well, wait a minute. The fact that all the Nazis were shooting blanks from their machineguns was goofy. It was downright comedic. The Nazis were shooting literally thousands of rounds over the four episode crossover and only once did they hit a target....an old man...and it was comical.

But I digress. We see an even darker villain emerge in season four of Flash. A professor with an artificially enhanced IQ. But he also has ALS. Because he's becoming paralyzed, he takes over a younger dude's body. Meaning he transfers his mind into the body of a much younger and healthier man. Which all in all was pretty scary. I'm not into horror, but the darker stories are preferable to the goofy slapstick comedies Marvel's been putting out recently.

My only complaint is why is this "professor" guy so evil? I mean when you wish ill will on others for no reason, that's an evil thing. And this guy is doing that. Killing innocents for no reason? I mean, where is the guy going with this? What are his reasons? He's supposed to be a teacher. And his mind is supposed to be so smart with his enhanced IQ. Whatever. I suppose the show will answer all the questions when it pans out. I'm only on episode nine, so we'll see. I hope.

My point is serious drama beats dumb comedies any day. That's not to say all comedies are dumb. Inspector Clouseau was great. But superheroes, as Inspector Clouseaus, are not great. They're only dumb. And to me, at least, dumb is not funny. And far from great.

Ruined Shows Patched Up

A week ago I was not feeling good about a couple of my favorite shows. A week later it seems that the two shows made a comeback. Particularly the one show. Which I won't name. It took a turn for the better this weekend, and oh heck, I'll just name it. Black Sails. My two favorite pirate captains ended up teaming up. They had been uneasy allies in the past, then they became mortal enemies, and now they are fighting side by side and are allies again.

The two actors who play them, Toby Stephens as Captain Flint and Zach McGowan as Captain Vane, really do look like great pirate captains. Toby Stephens looks just like what a former British naval commander turned pirate captain should look like, and Zach McGowan looks just like what a former slave turned pirate captain should look like. (In case you are not familiar with Black Sails, Captain Vane is not black even though he's a former slave. There were some flashbacks to when he was a slave, but it seemed that his slavery days were when he was a young boy.)

Just how Vane overcame all of that is still not clear, but he's a pirate captain now, and it suits him. Just like Captain Flint. And even though the second season just ended, there seems to be a lot to look forward to, meaning another favorite actor of mine, Ray Stevenson will be coming to the show. From what I saw in the preview for next season, it looks like Stevenson will be playing the part of Blackbeard the pirate. At least he looked like Blackbeard, with a black beard and all.

As for the other show, The Walking Dead, it made a comeback for me, at least somewhat. Rick is back form acting weird, and the show explained, or rather he explained that he was right in everything he said, (if not what he did,) and the show made it so that everyone else could see he was right. So everyone seems to be on the same page as Rick now, except for the reappearance of Morgan, a guy who lets cold blooded killers live, even after they attempted to kill him, and then of course the cold blooded killers go on to kill someone else.

It seems that Morgan needs a lesson from my own character, Trent Smith in Killer of Killers. You kill the killers so they won't go on killing other innocent people. Or he could learn the same lesson from the guy in the same show. Rick. He believes, as does Trent Smith, that you gotta get rid of the bad guys. They'll only keep on being bad. And no one is the better for having bad guys living amongst them. You know what? That's true in real life too. How about that.

TV Series - Banshee - Wow

I've been catching up on some of these Premium Channel TV Series, and the one I'm watching right now is Banshee. It's on Cinemax, and like the other Cinemax show, Strike Back, which I just finished watching through season three, it's full of action. But I like Banshee better. In fact, I'm thinking that I like Banshee better than any other TV show I've ever watched. It's that good.

What I like about these Premium Channel shows is that they don't have to worry about Network TV censorship. Foul language, nudity, sex, and over the top violence is all allowed. And how. It really makes a show better. A lot better. And I'm on season three of Banshee right now. Last night I just saw episode three of season three, and all I've got to say is "Wow."
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Well, I can say more than that. Episode three of season three was one of the best episodes of any TV show I've ever seen. Ever. It was up there with my favorite movies even. Like the Transporter movies, or Jason Bourne. It was that good. After it finished, I was like..."Wow." I'm sold on Banshee. I have no problem with saying it's one of my all time favorite TV shows.

Since, "Rome" a few years ago on HBO, I was sold on these Premium channel series. I talked about Spartacus a lot, because I liked that one too, although I did have some problems with the writing. Some I didn't watch but I heard about them, like Sopranos and The Wire, but I've caught up on them now. I thought they were both good, but they don't match Banshee in original premise, writing and directing.

When I watch these shows, one of the things that goes through my mind is which actors might have a role in my Killer of Killers story. Dustin Clare was from Spartacus, and he's still the leading candidate for my main character Trent Smith in KOK. Antony Starr from Banshee might be a good option for Trent Smith, too. He's still a distant second, though. Dustin Clare remains number one in regards to what I've envisioned Trent Smith to look like.

No show can be good without good writing. And the writing on Banshee has been top notch. The characters are great, the villains are great, and subplots are great. Each episode is contained, although they do have a story arc flowing through the entire season, even throughout the entire series. That's instrumental in keeping a viewer interested. And I am.

What really sets Banshee apart is the directing. Again, wow. Some of the best directing I've ever seen anywhere. And the fight scenes? They're so good they even rival the best of Corey Yuen. In fact, the fight scene I just saw last night was one of the best fight scenes of all time, imo. And it was between a man and a woman! I've already made my opinion known about "tough chicks" but heck, I must say it was simply one of the best ever!

Yeah, Banshee wins on all fronts. It's one of the best shows ever made.

Ming Sang-Okay who plays her?

I talk somewhat about actors and actresses playing the roles of the characters in my books. Well, Killer Eyes isn't even out yet, but I've been talking a lot about Ming Sang, the Chinese woman who heads the infamous Killers Guild. Not only is Ming Sang deadly, she's also very beautiful. Of course, she is. If you're going to have a Chinese woman as the antagonist in a martial arts story, she darn well better be drop dead gorgeous, and Ming Sang is that.

But there's also an evil look to her. In fact, where do you think the title of the book comes from? Killer Eyes? That would be her, of course. Her eyes, that is. So if Killer Eyes were to be made into a movie, which actress would be perfect for the part of Ming Sang?

Lucy Liu

The first actress who comes to mind is Lucy Liu. She was very convincing as an evil martial arts expert in the Kill Bill movies. But there's only one problem. Killer Eyes or even Killer of Killers won't be made into a movie anytime soon, and Lucy Liu is already in her late forties. That doesn't bode well. She may already be too old. Even it the movie were to be made today.

Gong Li

So who else is there? Well, I saw another beautiful Chinese actress who could pull it off. Gong Li. And this picture here is a great shot of how well she can play a villain. No, Ming Sang doesn't smoke cigarettes, but there's no questioning the devious look in those eyes in this picture. She would be great for the part of Ming Sang. But wait, there's the same problem with her that there is with Lucy Liu. And that's her age. She's even older than Lucy Liu! Gong Li will be fifty years old next year! Again, that doesn't bode well for being cast in a movie some years from now. So that means I better keep looking.






Searching through the Internet for beautiful Chinese actresses isn't as easy as it sounds. Well, there's no problem when it comes to finding beautiful actresses, but the problem is they look too innocent, too sweet, too dainty or too nice. Remember Ming Sang exudes evil. She's not very nice at all. But at the same time, she is very beautiful. Her beauty is almost mesmerizing, even, and the evil in her eyes is not something that is hidden, or something that is only evident in certain situations. No. The evil in her eyes is up front. It's obvious, and it's something that is noticed right away.

Chen Shu

So for that reason, finding a Chinese actress to play the part of Ming Sang is not an easy feat. I did find this actress. Her name is Chen Shu. And she might be able to play an evil type. Her age is another problem, though. She's already 38. And the years go by fast. She'll be in her forties before you know it. An actress for the role of Ming Sang should be no older than what Chen Shu is right now. So there you go. The search goes on.

Sun Li

Which brings me to Sun Li. She's 31 right now. And again, the actress who plays Ming Sang shouldn't be much older than that. But at least that gives her some more time than the girls above. And her eyes? They could be made into Killer Eyes all right. See for yourself. I would have no problem with Sun Li being cast for the part of Ming Sang. Nope. None at all.

Zhang Yuqi

But you know what? Search and you will find. I think Zhang Yuqi might just be the Amber Heard of Chinese actresses. Meaning Zhang Yuqi just might be perfect for the part of Ming Sang. Not that any of the above actresses weren't. But there's that age thing. Zhang is 27 right now. Which means of all the above actresses she has the most time to be right for the part before age becomes a factor. And according to this picture, she is certainly beautiful, and even though the smile here is a pleasant one, I think she can turn that smile into one that is very evil. I think they all can. That's their job, after all. Acting. And if any of these actresses are as good as I think they are, any of them will do. But my first choice at this point is Zhang Yuqi. Again, I would be happy with any of them. But let's start with Zhang, and then work our way backwards. That would be my order of preference. Thank you. Here's to Killer of Killers and Killer Eyes being made into movies. If only Corey Yuen were reading this. Yeah.

Killer Eyes-Chinese Female Villain from Nanking

Since when has a villain in a story ever been a Chinese woman? Mostly they are men. Mostly white men. (But that's okay, since mostly the heroes are white men, too.) Increasingly white women are becoming the heroes, (or at least the protagonists) in stories. That's probably because women are doing a lot of writing lately. But even though these women writers often make their protagonists women, I ask how often do they make the antagonist a woman? My guess is not as often.

It's becoming more common of late that non-white men are being written as villains. And I've even seen a few white women represented as villains. Or at least as antagonists. But off the top of my head I can't think of a single non-white woman who's ever been a villain. I do remember the Vin Diesel movie called The Pacifier, where a middle aged Chinese couple were the antagonists. But that was a light movie, a Disney movie, at that, and not serious. And it wasn't just a single Chinese woman, it was a married couple from China who were on a mission as spies.

But I can say that Ming Sang, a young Chinese woman makes a very good villain. In Killer Eyes, the sequel to Killer of Killers, Ming Sang is the leader of the Killers Guild. And she is a killer. She has beautiful eyes. They are mysterious, but they exude an evil, too. How? Well, you'd have to see them. It could be the way she carries herself, her demeanor, and it gets expressed in her eyes. It's the complete package. An evil package. And she is also a martial arts expert.

But so is Trent Smith. Trent Smith is regarded by his peers as the greatest martial artist in the world. And Ming Sang's ego wants that person as her own. She wants Trent Smith by her side or failing that objective, she wants him dead. Which will it be? Oh, to be sure there is a whole lot more going on with Ming Sang than just her infatuation with Trent Smith.

For one thing, there's NANKING. It's where she was born, and it's where her parents were born. You see, Nanking, China is her home town, and if you don't know what happened there during World War II, I would suggest you Google it. Most people are familiar with the Holocaust that took place in Europe during WWII, but they don't know about the Holocaust that took place in Nanking. It could be what influenced Ming Sang and her evil ways.

Look for Killer Eyes soon. You just might learn a lot about real history. Like Nanking.

Spider-man 2 is a Good Movie, but...

I saw Spider-man 2 last weekend, and I liked it. It was long, and that's OK when I like a movie. But, this time, it really was too long. One thing about comic book/superhero movies I think is worth criticizing is when they combine multiple stories into one movie. I"m not talking about subplots. I'm talking about using one movie to feature multiple villains. The Batman movies, I think, started this trend, and the Spider-man movies are continuing it.

I think one super villain per movie is sufficient. But when you have two, and sometimes even three, the story gets diluted and unfocused. In the third Sam Raimi Spider-man, we had three villains at once: Sandman, Venom, and Harry Osbourne/Green Goblin. Now, in the new Spider-man reboot, we have Electro and Harry Ozbourne/Green Goblin, combined with some kind of new twist for the Rhino villain thrown in for whatever reason.

On top of that, they seemed to go overboard with the Gwen Stacy story line. And it was too much. I believe they should have made the Gwen Stacy/Green Goblin story a complete movie unto itself. Mixing it in with the Electro character made Electro almost a nonfactor. But Electro should not have been so unimportant. He is a good enough character to be a featured super-villain.

But after saying that, I must point out that the special effects were nothing short of fantastic. Truly the technology of today is well-suited for the superhero genre. I just hope the writing can be on a par with it. We'll see how that goes. But keep it to one villain per movie. That's all.

KOK Not a Halloween Book

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and it's a week away. The cover of my book, Killer of Killers, makes it look like a Halloween type of book, but it's really not. A martial arts thriller may or may not qualify as a Halloween book, but it's not a scary book, meaning its genre is not horror.

It's an action/thriller, and there are no costumed characters in there. Unless you consider the black suits costumes. We've seen black suits before, in movies, anyway. Men in Black and The Matrix come to mind off the top of my head, but there are likely more. No, Trent Smith, the main character does not wear a black suit. He's a blue jeans type of guy. The black suits are worn by the "Eternals" as they're called in the book. Also known as "Soriah Specials," these guys are like immortal supermen, and they would be the "villains" of the story.

But some of them, the elite ones, wear gray sports coats. Those are the guys within Soriah's inner circle. And Trent is at odds with the lot of them. You'll have to read the story to see for yourself. You'll be glad you did. There are no boring moments, I can promise you that.

Great Villains-KOK has its share

Great heroes make for great stories, but so do great villains. And Killer of Killers has a great hero in Trent Smith, but it also has its share of great villains. And actually, it has a lot of them. Yeah, there's the main antagonist, Abraham Soriah, but there are really many more. Almost everyone Trent runs into can be labeled an antagonist of some sort. Many of them are quite villainous, and most of them are killers. And, as the title of the book suggests, he is their reckoning. It makes for a great story. Talk about never a dull moment. That's the kind of book KOK is. Check it out. It's a killer of a  story, all right.

Villains Better be Worth the Trouble

When it comes to bad guys, (or girls), I think there is a distinction between the bad guys who are just plain bad, and the bad guys who are bad for a good reason.

In Killer of Killers, the main plot follows the MC, Trent Smith, who goes up against two main "villains." Neither one of them start out bad. It's the turn of events that define their "badness." Sure there are some mad dogs in there, but their parts play out in subplots.

In Killer Eyes, Trent meets a new antagonist - Ming Sang, and she is something to behold. She's an expert in Martial Arts, like Trent, drop dead gorgeous, and the leader of the Killers Guild. But who are the Killers Guild? Do they kill for the heck of it? Are they just hired assassins? Were they always like that? Who formed them and why? The answers to these questions create a three dimensional antagonist.

The bottom line is that your antagonist(s) better be worth reading about. What makes them bad? Are they evil just for evil's sake? If so, that's kind of shallow, imo. Something should drive them to evil.

It's best to remember, that your hero is defined by his enemies. A weak enemy makes for a weak hero. It may not necessarily be true in real life, but in a book or story, it's almost always true.

But even in real life, the heroes we remember most went up against impossible odds. I can think of two off the top of my head.

King David and King Leonidas.

It would have been no big deal if David slew a guy the same size as himself.

And who would have cared if King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans went up against an army that also numbered 300?

The villain(s) better be impressive, or your story won't be.

Female Villains??

I was just thinking about the heavies in stories. It seems that with all the stories out there, most villains have been male. The villains in both of my prior books were male. Sure, there's the fairy tale villains from Snow White, Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella who were female. But unless it's a wicked witch or evil stepmother, the villain is usually male.

In Killer Eyes, I make it clear from the start, the main antagonist is female. Chinese, too. Off hand, I can't think of any story where the main villain is a Chinese woman. But I haven't read every book or seen every movie, so I'm sure my story is not the first. But she is an impressive woman. Not only is she extremely beautiful, but she's very deadly, both in hand to hand combat, and with a bevy of special tricks, including fingernails, each dipped in a different kind of poison. So one scratch from one fingernail might not kill you, but in combination with scratches from other fingernails, her scratches can kill you, or render you unconscious, or paralyzed, or put you in a daze, or put you under her control.

So watch out for strange women. She has already taken advantage of Trent in this way. But now he knows what to watch out for. This book is a lot of fun. Yep, Trent Smith is my all time favorite character. Not just because he's the world's greatest martial artist and a master of the world's deadliest art, but because he is unrelenting in his pursuit of justice. And the road he takes to achieve it is filled with people like Ming Sang. You can't judge a book by its cover. Or can you? Maybe sometimes.