BONUS Ace of Live Events: Batman Live!

When I was a kid, I remember the idea of the arena show. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or the Power Rangers, or any one of the hundreds of amazing kids shows that blew up during the nineties would inevitably have a stage show that toured the country, where kids got to see their heroes up close and personal - or at least as up close and personal as you can in a 60,000 seat arena. I always loved the concept. Anything you can do to bring something that kids love closer to reality in their eyes, so they can say "I met Michelangelo!" to the envy of all of their friends, is a win in my books. And as a kid, I always begged my parents to pay the exorbitant prices to go to one of these things, alas, to no avail.

So, imagine my inner-child's excitement when I first heard about Batman Live.

It didn't actually go like this, but let's pretend it did.

Batman Live is a touring arena show produced by DC Comics and Warner Bros, and produced by a whole host of people who have a lot of experience creating touring shows. One of the guys behind it is, according to their website, responsible for the touring production of Mama Mia that your mothers all went to see. With a script written by DC Comics writer Allan Heinberg, a Batmobile designed by Formula One racing designer Dr. Gordon Murray, and Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's stamps of approval, the show HAD to be fantastic, right?

Well-

Let's start with a simple breakdown of what Batman Live is and what it isn't. The show follows the well known but seldom told story of Dick Grayson becoming Robin for the first time. Because of that plotline, the show is a mixture of traditional Batman storytelling and Cirque Du Soleil style arena-circus acrobatics.  For something like Batman, that should work very well. Unfortunately, instead of the perfect marriage that brings the story to new heights, we get a very well told Batman story, and a very sub par circus.

A lot of credit needs to go to Allan Heinberg and the cast of performers that brings the story piece of the show to life. The characterization for every one of the iconic members of the Bat Family and Rogues Gallery is spot on. Harley Quinn and the Joker do their best to ape their animated series counterparts, and it thankfully works brilliantly. Alfred has a dry wit that is actually laugh out loud funny, Dick is wide eyed and full of wonder, and Catwoman slinks about the stage purrrfectly.

I can't resist puns. I'm so sorry.

From a design standpoint, the show is ingenius. The set consists of several smaller pieces that can be disguised as rooftops, tables, or circus props, and a giant bat symbol shaped screen. The combination of the two leads to a very immersive experience, where a minimalist set is combined with a three dimensional backdrop to give the impression of any space the production needs. The costumes are based on Jim Lee's designs from his popular run on Hush, and they translate very well to the stage, save one or two examples.

These are not those costumes. Silly Google Image Search.

With the incredible set and costume design, and the great script, you have a top notch Batman stage play. Hell, I would have paid just to watch these characters talk to each other for two hours. But, this is a Batman show, and that means we've got to get to the action eventually. The show has four or five huge action sequences in it, all involving the circus performers getting to show off their skills. Add that to the Flying Graysons showing off their trapeze artistry and the Penguin's personal aerialist entertaining the villains in the Iceberg Lounge, and you have a lot of time in the show where the acrobats get to take center stage.

I only wish they were worthy of it. I admit, I've probably been spoiled a little bit by the Cirque du Soleil shows that I've seen. Living this close to Las Vegas means I can get down there and see a high quality circus show for cheap pretty much whenever I want, and those performances are in a permanent space, not a tour. But as I watched the aerialist wrap herself up with her hands while the Penguin desperately tried to distract us so she could do the big fall that comes at the end of every one of those routines, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. I've seen aerialists in Ren Faires and small restaurant performances who've done far more impressive routines with far less resources and far smaller audiences. The same rang true for the trapeze artists and the stage acrobats.

The costume designs aren't helping the action either. Based on designs by Jim Lee, the suits for the villains and regular cast members are spot on and beautiful. Unfortunately, someone decided to take poor Batman and Robin and put them into Joel Schumaker level "can't raise your arms" armored suits.

Bruce...I can't move.

This leads to awkward fight sequences where Batman flails wildly at nothing while acrobats do backflips around him. It makes the Caped Crusader look awkward and uncoordinated. I understand the need for a cool looking Batsuit, and aping Jim Lee's designs so closely is a cool idea, but I would think a troupe of circus performers with a resident fight choreographer could come up with something a tiny bit more manueverable.

I would be remiss, too, if I didn't mention the brief show stoppage for technical difficulties as the Batmobile came out for the first time, but honestly, at this point that feels like nitpicking.

All of that said, even with sub-par circus acts, technical difficulties that stopped the show, and bulky suits, this was still a live Batman show, and you couldn't have knocked the smile off my face with a thousand hammers. That smile only widened as the show went on, because even though my spoiled adult self saw all the problems with Batman Live, the eight year olds all around me ate up every word and every minute. The point of an arena show, to me, is to keep the magic alive - to take the fantasy world that our children love and make it just a little more real to them. And in that, Batman Live succeeded on all counts. I wouldn't recommend going in expecting something life changing, but for your inner eight year old still clutching his Batman: The Animated Series DVDs, you can't go wrong.

Batman Live is currently touring the country. Get showtimes and tickets at batmanlive.com. 

Episode 49: Angel Wizard Style!

The Ace of Geeks delves into the world of the supernatural, and the super-manly this week! First, we fill you in on all the latest news to come out of Marvel's television and film efforts. Then we give you the run down on The Dresden Files in a new Essential Briefings, and Jarys goes nuts about Slenderman. Finally, we enter the Man Cave to review The Expendables 2, and we give out an all new, all different Ace of Geeks!

Episode 49!

Episode 48: The Secret World of Mass Effect!

The Ace of Geeks Podcast is back! Jarys and Mike return after a long vacation brought on by Jarys going on a trip and Mike having too much damn work to edit this podcast. :) IN THIS EPISODE! We give our impressions on The Secret World! We review Mass Effect 3! We answer two, count them, TWO fan letters! All this and more!

Episode 48!

Episode 47: We Went to Comic-con!

Mike and Mae Linh have returned from the ultimate, greatest of conventions, San Diego Comic-con! They'll regail you with stories, while Jarys cries in a corner. ALSO ON THIS PODCAST! We hand out a political Deuce of Geeks, discuss internet witchhunts, and review The Dark Knight Rises and Ready Player One!

Episode 47!

The Ballad of Team Lazy But Talented

One of the great things about San Diego Comic Con is how much there is to do. One minute you're checking out fantastic art on the floor, the next, you're hearing about all the new story lines in one of your favorite comic books. As the con encompasses more and more of geek culture, there's even opportunities to try out the latest video games. And so, when Mae Linh and I wandered into the non-descript white tent outside the San Diego Hilton Bayfront, we got to enter an epic story of hope, loss, and near-rage quitting. This is the Ballad of Team Lazy But Talented. Inside the air-conditioned tent, ten chairs were set up facing each other, five versus five. Each had their own monitor, and a giant screen loomed over them, flipping from screen to screen, showing a blinding display of fast paced action. The walls were covered with stylized depictions of Legolas, Gandalf, The Witch King, and even Gollum looking ready to kick ass. Two announcers sat in front of the screen, giving our commentary and advice to the teams. As we walked in, the tiny blond girl in the pink shirt told us we were looking at a new game called Guardians of Middle Earth. Did we want to play? Guardians of Middle Earth, it turns out, is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, or MOBA. Started by Defense of the Ancients and recently popularized by League of Legends, MOBAs are a relatively new type of strategy game. Players take the role of a powerful hero, commanding legions of minions in an attempt to destroy the enemy's base. There are three paths on every map, each guarded by multiple defensive towers. We watched the gameplay on the screen as we lined up to play, and I tried to impart what little knowledge I had on to my wife. "Don't chase the enemy," I would say. "If they run away it's always a trap. "Let the minions take the damage from the towers, they'll kill you in seconds." "Never take on another Guardian one on one unless you have minions or a tower." I'm not an expert, but neither was anyone else there. After a brief wait, we found ourselves paired up with three guys our own age. We were randomly assigned to Team Good, and we sat down at the computers reserved for Legolas (myself) and Gandalf (Mae Linh). We barely had time to say hello to the rest of the team before the announcers called out that the match was beginning. I'm an aggressive dude when I play video games, so Legolas charged down the bottom path. I found my minions, and started leading them up the path. Then, I glanced at the mini-map, and my heart sank. Gandalf was all alone on the top path. Advancing on him was Urglauk (an Uruk-Hai), The Witch King, and Sauron himself. I've spent the last eight years helping my beautiful wife move from the eight-bit games of her childhood to the modern games of today. MOBAs are not a walk in the park. They're tough, strategy intensive games that frustrate the most hardcore gamer. I'd just thrown her into the lion's den, and she was about to be eaten. I rushed north toward the top lane watching the game's updates in horror. Soon, it would tell me of the triple team kill, and my wife would be crushed. The updates began. "Gandalf has killed Urglauk." "Gandalf has killed The Witch King." "Gandalf has killed Sauron." The room erupted. She was a natural. I dropped my controlled and jumped up and cheered. Then Gollum attacked, and I dove back into the game. The rest of the game went as well as could be expected. We assaulted the enemy's towers, drove them back to their base, and laid waste to their home. Team Good was victorious. We exited the stage, exhilarated. We were good at this. I had plans to head back to the main hall for my interview with the Power Rangers, but the rest of our team stopped us. There was a tournament later. They had signed up, and wanted to know if we would fill out their team. We were flattered. People thought we were good enough to be on their team. We happily accepted, and Team Lazy But Talented was born. I have no idea where the name came from, it was on the scoreboard when we came back. I ran to my interview and back, just in time. The first game was intense, a nail biter that went to more than six hundred points on each side. We were randomly flailing, but we held them at a strong tie in points. For every one of us they killed, we killed one of them. For every tower they dropped, we dropped one of theirs. Then, everything changed. They got a two tower (no pun intended) lead on us. Things looked grim. They were advancing towards our base in numbers. As Gandalf, Galadriel and our tricksy Hobbit defended our base with their lives, the Dwarf and I had the same idea. I pushed up the top lane, and he pushed down the bottom, resistance free. We dropped two towers in seconds, and then I blew up a minion spawner, giving us a commanding lead. As the last thirty seconds ticked down, they chose to waste it running home to stop us. Game over, victory for Team Lazy But Talented. We watched the other qualifying match with interest, and developed our tactics. We would spend the beginning of the game leveling our characters by killing minions, and then Gandalf and Legolas would play defense while the rest of the team pushed forward. The plan was set, and we put it into action. As defenders, we were like a subtle knife. We darted in and out of cover, escaping at the right time and luring our opponents into traps. Legolas racked up twelve kills, and the other team fell before us in minutes. The semi-finals are over, and we were in the finals. Other than us, no other team had a name. They were all "Team F" or "Team B", random teams throw together by fate. Our final opponents, however, had a name. They were team Noble Press. I should have seen the signs. We sat down for the finals, and decided to run the same strategy. We would be the Knife, cutting our enemies like butter. If we were the Knife, Team Noble Press was the Hammer. In the early going, everything was quiet. I captured a shrine with no resistance, giving our party a great defense buff. And then, it happened. Gollum ran out of a bush, saw me and took off. I gave chase. The entire enemy team calmly stepped out of the trees and murdered me. I heard swears on all sides as they picked us off, one by one. They didn't care about the towers, they just wanted our blood. Five minutes in, they were level 10, just from the XP they got from picking us off. The announcers, normally so full of advice, began to talk about the game as if it were over. Noble Press waited until they were far too powerful to stop, then took a stroll into our base and finished the job. They were class acts, of course. They shook our hands, told us we made a good effort, and then went and took their prizes. I asked them if they'd played together before. "Oh yeah, we play Dota together sometimes," they said. And with that, the Cinderella story of Team Lazy But Talented was over. We shook hands with our teammates and parted ways, most likely to never see each other again. The dream was over. It turns out, we may not be MOBA wunderkinds. If a team that plays "sometimes" could massacre us that easily, maybe we had just gotten lucky. But that moment in the sun, that time of almost winning an honest to god gaming tournament, that will stay with us forever. Team Lazy But Talented will live on in our hearts.

Episode 46: With Great Power Comes CROTCH!

Our 46th podcast is as full of great content as a web shooter is full of web-fluid, true believers. HEAR Jarys fail to surprise Mike with Assassin's Creed news. LISTEN to Mae Linh explain the Higgs- Boson. PERCEIVE two fascinating reviews of Death Drip and  The Amazing Spider-Man. HEARKEN to our super star Ace of Geeks of the Week. 
Also, check out our twitter feed this week for live updates from Comic con.


Episode 46: With Great Power Comes CROTCH!

Episode 45: Breaking Hotwheels News!

The Ace of Geeks comes back this week with news and reviews! First, we discuss Once Upon a Time, Mass Effect 3, Terry Pratchett's new novel The Long Earth, and the Finale of The Legend of Korra. Then we jump straight into some reviews of Brave and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter! PLUS - for the first time ever, the podcast is interrupted with honest to god, breaking news!

Episode 45!