Comments on: Thoughts on The Middle Man

By: red-Ricky

red-Ricky — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:43:45 +0000

Are you sure about this Constitution thingie? ‘Cause you know what would really protect your freedoms? A MIDDLEMAN LAPEL PIN!!!

By: RAB

RAB — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:08:45 +0000

Hey, I grew up watching the Avengers, the Electric Company, and the Adam West Batman — watching them in America, might I add, a land that I love from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam — and it was precisely because so many people who like exactly the same things I do recommended it that I was so eager to see The Middleman. I have no clue why my reaction to this was so different. But that’s what makes America great, isn’t it? I have one opinion, the majority has another, but the Constitution protects the freedom of the majority to be completely and utterly wrong.

By: red-Ricky

red-Ricky — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:45:08 +0000

Rab spells America with a “K”.

Okay, with all seriousness… it’s not the Tick, but it’s still “campy good fun”. I mean, the series wears its influences on its sleves.

If you grew up watching the Avengers, the Electric Company, Adam West’s Batman, Kroft’s Wonderbug and the original Ghostbusters (with the Monkey and the self destruct messages); then Middleman is for you.

If you take your comics too seriously, then it probably isn’t.

But you got to like a series that manages to incorporate the phrase “Robin the boy Hostage”.

By: Greg Burgas

Greg Burgas — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:02:07 +0000

Why do you hate America, RAB?

By: RAB

RAB — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:44:33 +0000

I went into watching the first episode with glowing recommendations from, like, three different bloggers whose opinions I respect highly, so I really wanted to like it and genuinely expected to like it. And I couldn’t get through the first ten minutes. It wasn’t a case of “this isn’t quite as good as I’d expected from the rave reviews, my expectations are too high” but “wow, this is really bad.” I found none of the characters appealing, they reacted to one another in unbelieveable and unrealistic ways, and they all seemed to be talking way too fast in an effort to get through the densely overwritten, overly self-conscious banter that was crammed into their mouths.

Since it aired, I’ve seen a dozen rave reviews and two negative reviews — I’m clearly in a minorioty here, but at least I’m not the ONLY person who took a dislike to it. Ah well, you folks are welcome to enjoy future episodes with my blessings.

By: red-Ricky

red-Ricky — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:18:10 +0000

The next episode has the team going to the underworld. And on June 30th, Sensei Ping shows up just in time to get abducted by a bunch of Mexican wrestlers seeking revenge.

By: Lucion

Lucion — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:24:54 +0000

I was very pleased with the show. I read the TPB’s based on a reccomendation (from Greg Burgas?) I saw here. I was surprised how well it followed the first comic. Not that they did, but because they kept a lot of the little things that could have easily been written out. Things such as Noser’ s quotes that add a little charm.

They mentioned Sensei Ping in the show. I hope he shows up in the future!

Jerry, from what I recall of the teaser at the end of the first, the next episode is about a terra cotta warrior come to life. Something like that.

By: Jason B.

Jason B. — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:27:02 +0000

You know, I thought the same thing, yesterday, when I noticed that the ads referred to it as an “ABC Family Original Series”.

Which I suppose is technically true, but it’s still a bit misleading.

By: Jerry Stellis

Jerry Stellis — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:27:58 +0000

I liked it too, I watched it during the premiere and its turned me on to the series. I’ve always been a sci-fi fan and I enjoyed Javier’s comedic spin on the script. It was well written and I thought the cast did an excellent part in executing.

I’ve never read the comics but I heard they’re on par with the show, anyone know what the next episode is going to be about?

By: Greg Burgas

Greg Burgas — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:46:22 +0000

Yeah, I liked it, except for the monster at the beginning, because the special effects were really bad. Either that’s their budget or they deliberately made it cheesy, but it didn’t work. Other than that, I thought it worked really well.

The “Omnibus” edition is coming out soon, Greg. See if you can find it, because it’s definitely worth it.

By: Greg Hatcher

Greg Hatcher — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:04:18 +0000

We enjoyed it, too. I sort of knew it had been a comic but had never seen the book, so this was all brand-new to us.

By: TimCallahan

TimCallahan — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:02:32 +0000

By the way, I watched the Middle Man and I thought it was pretty great. It was corny and goofy and smart and fun, and it could easily become a cult hit. Is there such a thing as a “cult hit”?

By: Mecha-Shiva

Mecha-Shiva — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:06:28 +0000

Either it’s a corporate thing, where Disney won’t plug a product that’s not theirs, or they figured it’d be easier to re-use the posters I keep seeing in movie theaters, where a “based on the comic book!” wouldn’t accomplish much.