HERO OF THE WEEK: BRAINIAC (DC)Real Name: Vril Dox
First Appearance: Action Comics #242 (July, 1958)
Fight Club Ranking: #846
Featured Fights:
- vs SUPERMAN: Adventures of Superman #519 (Jan 1995)
Almost everything about the SyFy produced series Krypton is wrong.
Nobody really needs to know the ancient history of fictional forefathers. Superman is the special one in the family - and there are plenty of contemporary branches to tell other stories with. At best, shows like Smallville or Gotham eventually wake up to the flawed tedium of their core concept, and start mangling comic book references into a hodgepodge of inconsistent colour and timelines. It shouldn't really satisfy anyone. Who the hell wants Batman villains without Batman?! Live in the now!!
With SyFy's reputation for second-rate genre television, I was more than ready to live my life without a second-thought for Krypton, but I failed to consider one crucial thought: What if they actually did something good? That seems to be the unique case of TV's Brainiac, who made his broadcast debut last week! See USA Today's February first-look for a striking image, and CBR for an episode recap:
I usually look to Supergirl for a more savvy, colourful comic book television show, but this is one of the times they've come off second-best! They pitched a weak Legion with a pretty ugly Brainiac 5 who lacks the vivid greens and purple of his Krypton counterpart!
Admittedly, I still won't be going out of my way to seek out episodes of Krypton. The central premise is something I'm just fundamentally not interested in. They don't seem to be applying the same design integrity to appropriated characters like Adam Strange, either. Always disappointing.
I'll sure as hell praise the merits of Krypton's vision of Brainiac, though! It isn't just close to recent comic book designs -- it's vivid, weird, unusual, and downright exciting! Superheroes should have a strong aesthetic and offer something new. Making them more like everything stinks. So good job, Krypton. You're the well earned Hero of the Week! I hope after your inevitable cancellation this version of Brainiac can show up in some other show. Probably Supergirl! Weeee!
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