Kolchak: the real Night Stalker

I felt nostalgic as I recently viewed the entire Kolchak the Night Stalker series of 1974. It starred the much regretted Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, a journalist for a Chicago newspaper called the INS (Independent News Service). Darren’s brilliant talent for acting made this too short-lived TV series one of the best of its kind. The two movies made before the series contributed also to the popularity of the show.

In each episode, we follow Kolchak on one of is assignment where mysterious and fantastic events are just too much for the police to handle. Using his open mind and his uncanny instinct for finding clues no one dares to believe possible, Kolchak puts slowly the puzzles together to unmask the non-human criminals.

I dare to say, the show was cancelled without truly getting the respect it deserved. It really influenced a lot of people and changed the TV shows we watch today. It’s no wonder Chris Carter conceived the X-Files with the same spirit, he himself admitted to be a big fan as a kid. The show also had special guesses like Tom Skerrit, Julie Adams and Kathie Browne (McGavin real life wife). Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) also co-wrote one of the episodes.

I won’t comment too much the special effect. After all, the show was made in 1974. No computer imagery was affordable at that time or much used for that matter. The monsters shown on the set are pretty B-movie looking due to the low budget. And it still put a smile on my face when I see the crocodile-man. But no matter how strange or funny these monsters were, Kolchak’s serious and scared attitude remained very convincing.

After 20 episodes, the series was cancelled due to poor rating. McGavin also tired from the long hours of shooting was glad to move on to other projects and Kolchak was forgotten for a while. His character never got the chance to open itself to us. His personal life remained a mystery more profoundly buried than the monsters he fought. We never saw his apartment, his interest besides baseball (like Mulder in the X-Files). He had no relationship with anybody that we know of except with his colleagues (in the TV show) and no girlfriend. The last episode was presenting a certain female police Lieutenant to whom he could have been interested in (which was played by his real wife), if there would have been a second season. But it all stopped there.

Darren McGavin would reappear on two occasions on the X-Files as Arthur Dales, but his third appearance was cancelled due to health problems and another actor was cast to play his brother instead.

Frank Spotnitz (of the X-Files again) did try to revive the show in 2006, calling it simply Night Stalker and starring Stuart Townsend as Kolchak. Unfortunately, after poor rating, ABC condemned the show after only 6 episodes broadcasted. However, the series is now available on DVD and provides us with 10 episodes (four never aired before). The story is darker and the conspiracy theory that made the X-Files so popular just doesn’t seem to interest the auditors anymore. What made the first Kolchak so attractable was his clumsy way of dealing with people and things. The most dangerous situations always attracted the worst blunders. That was the edge of the show. The Carl Kolchak in the new Night Stalker doesn’t have that in him. Something got lost along the way, something unforgettable.

I hope they’ll try again to make a TV show again in the future or at least makes some sort of come back. Even if it’s in the comic book form, I’ll take it! It would be ashamed if we were to lose this classic forever.

I dedicated this blog to Darren McGavin born William Lyle Richardson (1922-2006).

Comic Gem of the month : Batman Hush (Trade paperback)

This Batman comic compilation is not new; it actually contains Batman 608 to 619 from 2002-2003. I was looking for something completely different at the bookstore when my eyes fell on the cover of this trade paperback edition. That's when my brain went on red alert. The artist was none other than Jim Lee (X-men, WildC.A.T.s). Wow! Batman drawn by Jim Lee, I must in heaven. I bought it, got back home, made supper and after that, I comfortably spend the evening devouring each panels of the book in my sofa.

The story was not too bad. The writer Jeph Loeb (Heroes) did an interesting melting pot of villains. He carefully webbed the suspense until the final chapter. But still, I would have liked a story with new super-villains instead. They always manage to bring back the same old-ugly-dressed-evil-badass over and over again. After almost 700 issues, the Joker, the Scarecrow and the Riddler tend to be a bit boring. No offense. Like I said, This detective story was captivating. I guess I am just craving for something more original when it comes to characters.

What really surprised me in that book was the beginning of a romance between Batman and Catwoman. We always knew they were made for each other, but in this Hush story, we got to see a bit more why. Batman is showing his feelings for a change. A little bit of love, a lot of action and a mystery made this book a quite enjoyable one. The Selina/Bruce love didn’t go anywhere and that’s a shame. But who knows: maybe in some not too distant future they’ll bring Bruce Wayne back from the grave and they’ll really get a chance (Yes, at the moment Bruce Wayne is dead. There is a new Batman in Gotham City but I won’t tell you who… You have to read Batman number 690. A must have it issue if you are a fan or a comic book collector).

Artistically, the colors of Alex Sinclair are also adding a lot of drama to each scene. There are perfectly harmonizing themselves with the drawing of Jim Lee and the inking of Scott Williams. The result is splendid.

I recommend this book if you like Batman story or if you are a Jim Lee fan. You don’t have to have read the 600 issues before this one to understand the story. You’ll catch up easily and spend a very relaxing evening in your sofa. I guarantee.

Sanctuary for all Canadians

Recently I purchased a TV series called Sanctuary at Best Buy. From the start, I wasn’t expecting much. The actors were not super known. The production was Canadian not American. That meant a lower budget, which meant I was dealing with something B. So why did I buy it… Welllll, it was on sale and the concept looked interesting. You see, I am still post X-files nostalgic. I was searching for something to blow my mind with original ideas and interesting fantastic creatures. The result was more than good, it came to me as a surprise. Sanctuary felt fresh and solid. I also loved the fact that you cannot actually guess what kind of monsters they are dealing with, so much that the plots of each episode got me on the edge of my seat. It was hard to guess what was coming next and that blew my mind away.

The special effects were okay. The scenes are almost shot entirely on a green screen. So the computer rendering is sometime good, sometime sloppy. For example the background with the building, the caves, the dark medieval passage are very well rendered; the illusion is close to perfection. However when it comes to animated monster and other wonders, the trill just isn’t there. It’s very difficult to animate a creature and make them real. I believe Sanctuary could use a bit more latex and less computer imagery for mermaid and snake-men in order to make us believe more in what we see. One proof of that is that all the best monsters of that shows were all humans with small monster features, like the mutant kid in the first episode, the witches in the second and of course my all time favorite vampires.


Speaking of vampires, I was trill of the acting of Jonathon Young. His sense of humor, his charming manors and his great acting skill made his character Nikola Tesla a very refreshing attaching bad ass vampire. Truly this is the first time in a long time that I come to appreciate a vampire in a TV show. The tendency for producers to embark in stories with similar Buffy/Angel romance got me nauseous over the years. Sanctuary is good in a way that it keeps itself away from that.

In fact the poor soul of the show is actually Jack the Ripper a. k. a. Christopher Heyerdahl, played by actor John Druitt. His love for the main female character of the show Helen Magnus played by Amanda Tapping is cute. A bit boring, but cute. I just think that Jack the Ripper needs to be a bit more sick and less of a human/father figure. After all, we are dealing with one of the most notorious killer of the 1900 century.


The other casts of the show includes Robin Dunne (who plays dr. Will Zimmerman), Emilie Ullerup (Ashley Magnus), Ryan Robbins (Henry Foss) and Big Foot. Personally the character Henry is my favorite, but still, I would love to hear more about the giant hairy guy, his character his mysterious and imposing, he should deserve an episode to explore his story and where he is going. What’s his goal in all this, what does he expect in return for working with doctor Magnus.

Season 2 is on TV and I can’t wait to buy the second season box set when it comes out on DVD. I hope the show lasts a bit more and gets the chance to improve. It has good potential and for once, I think Canada might be on to something here…

Comic Gem of the month: North 40

With all those comic books on the market, it's often hard to keep up with the good and the bad stuff. Why is Peter Parker not with Mary Jane anymore? Is Bruce Wayne really dead or will he make a special comeback?

Recently I discovered a nice 6 part mini-series called North 40 from WildStorm. The artwork of Fiona Staples is very good and smooth. The story of Aaron Williams is somewhat resembling a H.P. Lovecraft Chtulu tale. The whole concept is fresh and new. So you don’t need to have read the 600 previous comics to be up-to-date with what’s going on. Your local comic book shop might still have a number one on its shelves. If you like weird monsters, end-of-the-world conspiracy plot and black magic intrigue, you will want to dig your teeth on this one! Number 5 of 6 is coming out this November, don’t miss it!