It seems that this week the theme around Semantink blogs has been Robin Hood, and who am I to buck the trend? Now, I could talk about Robin Hood’s brief foray into the world of comics, but he really hasn’t been a big figure on the funny book scene (though it was cool to see him pop up in FABLES). I could talk about Robins and Hoods, but that would be a stretch. However, since Robin of Loxely is well known for his mad archery skills, I thought I would take a look at some of the comic book archers out there and see how they stack up against the prince of Thieves.

Hawkeye (Marvel Comics): Like Robin Hood, Hawkeye was once an outlaw. Unlike Mr. Hood, Hawkeye used to be a carney and changes costumes on an annual basis.

Better Archer?: Gotta go with Robin Hood Here, Hawkeye hasn’t been Hawkeye in a while (though that should be changing soon) so he is probably a little rusty with the bow and arrow.

Green Arrow (DC): Oliver Queen wears green, fights social injustice, and has a bad ass mustache, just like Robin Hood. Well, ok, it’s just like Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, but you get the idea.

Better Archer?: I might have to go with GA on this one, he has got a few more years of experience under his belt then Robin Hood.

Roy Harper (Speedy, Arsenal, Red Arrow)(DC): Trained by the Green Arrow, Roy Harper has been slinging arrows since he was a wee lad. However, is not very Robin Hood-esque in any other aspects.

Better Archer?: Again, I have to go with Mr. Hood. Arsenal is a good shot, but he relies too much on trick arrows and other weapons.

Shaft (Image): Shaft leads a team of people just like Robin Hood. Unlike Robin Hood, Shaft works for the man. Boo to you Shaft!

Better Archer?: Robin Hood. All that armor probably doesn’t help Shaft’s accuracy.

Arwyn (Crossgen): Just like Robin, Arwyn uses her mad archer skills to try and bring an evil despot to justice. Arwyn, though is much prettier than Robin Hood.

Better Archer?: Toss up.

Turok (Valiant): Turok the dinosaur hunter doesn’t really care about social inequality, chasing down maids or hanging out with a posse of bandits. Why? Because he is constantly being chased by big mean dinosaurs that want to eat him.

Better Archer?: Turok, hands down. The dude hunts dinosaurs!

Shi: This is kind of a cheat. Yes, Shi does use a bow and arrow, and she is very good with them, but her signature weapon is the nagatina. Really though, any excuse to bring Shi into a post is a good one.

Better Archer?: Robin Hood, though in a nagatina contest, Shi would rock his world.

Rainbow archer (DC): The only bad guy to make the list, I wanted to share this one with you so you could see that having a bow and arrow doesn’t always mean that you are cool.

Better Archer?: It has to be Robin Hood. No one would be able to stand the shame of losing to the Rainbow Archer.

That’s it for today folks. THanks for stopping in, and come on back tomorrow for another heaping helping of Dr. Cellus. Oh, and while you are waiting for tomorrow to come, feel free to pre-order your copy of the MYTHOI Birth TPB now on sale in our store. It’s discounted right now for those who pre-order, so get it while you can!

You may remember a time when the movie of a legend meant something more than cliched war scenes and epic battles.

I am epic. Look in my eyes.

When Braveheart graced global eyes, we swooned at the rhetoric of the main character and at the love story that we all, as men and women, wish to obtain. When Gladiator appeared, we gave it a hearty clap and went on our merry way, knowing that Maximus could save our day.

With Ridley Scott’s rendition of Robin Hood, we cock our heads to the side and wonder: who the hell is this sword-toting warrior, and why am I watching him?

(*Minor spoilers ahead*)

Robin Hood gives us a Middle Ages wartime take on a beloved character, and spends almost every minute of screen time building up the great leader only to tear away his leadership in the resolution, and subsequent “sequel setup” comprising of a few last minutes on the screen so we can finally utter, in two words of realization, “Oh, yeah.”

(*End minor spoilers*)

The problem with a movie like Robin Hood is that, as a movie, it’s not all that bad. The acting is pretty on the ball, the fight scenes are expertly shot and the comedic moments are, for the most part, timed properly. The violence isn’t brutal (though the pG-13 rating is a bit light), and the villains are properly built with motivation (OK, Godfrey’s reasoning isn’t exactly explained, though Mark Strong’s cockeyed tooth kind of makes up for it).

The problem lies in the filmmaker’s assumption that we’re automatically familiar with the story that will happen…later. It’s esoteric, it’s for anyone familiar with the Robin Hood legend already.

Except that it’s not. And therein lies the problem. The film doesn’t know if it should be the type of “expositional epic” that will explain something in “part II,” or if it should be a stand alone story about a guy happened to be named Robin, who can shoot a mean arrow.

Click here to view the embedded video.

At the start, I just wanted to get to Robin Hood and the familiar man/myth I’ve come to know and love through fox re-enactment and Disney. By the middle, I was anxious to see how the outlaw would be born. Not once did I think that this movie would stand on its’ own without the legend in the back of my mind. I don’t think there is a way to enjoy the movie without knowing about Robin Hood to begin with.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Some might say that Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, that stellar Kevin Costner adventure film from the early 90s — is also a prequel for the Robin Hood legend. It is, except that it explores the characters and villains we know — Sheriff of Nottingham, for one — and also takes us deep into the life of Robin Hood, starting with the Crusades and ending with him in the midst of his thievery.

A man becomes an outlaw because the king has declared it so. But the outlaw becomes a hero when the people declare his bounty unjust, and his actions just. Walking into a classic story meeting our character already an outlaw, it’s easy to find him endearing, and easy to root for him. We invent his backstory, we invent where he came from and what brought him to make these decisions, and we see the outcome.

Prequels rarely work. See: Phantom Menace. See: Red Dragon (film). See: X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Upcoming, we’re going to have the prequel to Planet of the Apes (NOT a reboot, which Tim Burton already destroyed years ago).  Caesar:Rise of the Apes will be directed by Rupert Wyatt, and the apes will be mostly CGI, with many story and name nods to the original film.

We’re also seeing the Alien prequel, to be directed by Ridley Scott — who also recently stated that there will actually be TWO films, the storyline leading up to his original Alien. Again, we’re faced with possibly zero characters (ahem, Ripley) who would have appeared in later films, but we’ll get a sense of the first people to actually meet the alien species, and possibly get a nod to the ships that we eventually meet in the original films. But we’re also not going to have to bother with a “Lt. Ripley origin story,” something that might’ve just ruined her as a character.

We may, though, get a version of the chest-popper scene more similar to this one:

Click here to view the embedded video.

When I think of ruining the mythology of a series, I also think of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.  Terminator: Salvation just added insult to injury. Keep in mind, though, that these two films aren’t necessarily terrible on their own, it’s just that they take the world of their respective stories too far. Terminator 2: Judgment Day expanded upon the already set universe in a unique way, advancing present day technology and proving the point that the first film tried to make. T3 and TS took the mythology set up and squeezed every last ounce of imaginative juices out of it all, ruining any hope we had of creating that future for ourselves. One thing we love about movies and all stories, as humans, is the exercise of our own imaginations.

See, movies, unlike books, have a start and a definite end — or are supposed to — and leave the rest of the characters’ lives to our imaginations. It’s the only time, while experiencing movies, that we really get to stretch our creative muscles and imagine. You read a book, you see it all in your head. You read a comic, you can imagine the voices, the tone, the ambient noise. You watch a movie, everything is on the screen, within the frame. But when the frames stop rolling, you can only imagine what will happen next.

This happens with television shows, too — jumping from season to season, or when a show ends too soon, you hope for the best for your characters — or the worst, depending on your view.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Back to Robin Hood. I know the myth and legend of Robin, I know about the Sheriff, and King John, and Maid Marion, Little John, etc. What I didn’t know was how he came to be the outlaw hero. And now that I’ve seen it…it’s too much history. The mystique gives his aura an invincibility that only helps tell his story. Mystery is good. It’s time to stop explaining everything and leave a little mystery.

May you remain mysteriously at ease, soldiers.

Sgt. Angle.

For those that haven’t heard, MYTHOI Births: WIGLAF was just released (you can read it here) and it rocks. Jed and James really kicked @$$ on this one. I was so impressed with the awesomeness of the book, that I went back and read Beowulf. And the Bible. All of it. Furthermore, my list today is ten of my favorite historical epics in honor of Wiglaf. This is a cross-media list, so film, books, video games, and anything else are fair game. If the story is epic, and the time period is.… well, historical, it could be on this list. Enjoy!

1) BRAVEHEART: Oh man, BRAVEHEART is intense. The story is gripping, the battles are fierce, and the kilts are plentiful. Oh, and if you don’t cry at the end of the film, you might be heartless.

2) ASSASSIN’S CREED: The only video game on the list, Assassin’s creed takes the game player back to the time of the crusades to go and kill people (as assassins are wont to do). This one might be a bit of a cheat, but man this game is pretty.

3) MONGOL: A great historical piece about the rise of Genghis Khan, the baddest mamma-jamma this side of Sho-nuff.

4) 300: The movie was a ton of fun, but the comic, about 300 Spartans showing the Persians what’s what, was Frank Miller at his best.

5) LAST OF THE MOHICANS: The Cooper book left me a little cold, but I loved the movie.

6) GLADIATOR: This movie had Russell Crowe at his very best, and Ridley Scott was no slouch either behind the camera. What really gets me every time I watch this movie though, is Joaquin Phoenix just going bat-s#!t crazy as Emperor Commodus.

7) THE MISTS OF AVALON: I’m a big fan Aurthurian legend, and THE MISTS OF AVALON was a  very different and interesting take on the story. I know Mr. Wolff will make fun, but I still liked it.

CLASH OF THE TITANS: The movie that anyone born in the 1980’s saw a thousand times while in school, CLASH is awesome. They are remaking this movie, and it looks pretty awesome, but I don’t know if anything can stack up to the original.

9) THE ILIAD: The ancient Greek poem about the ten year Trojan War. And a great cautionary tail about what can happen when you chase tail. The movie TROY was good, but was only the reader’s digest version of this epic.

10) ROBIN HOOD: Bandits, politics, corruption, sex, the crusades, ROBIN HOOD has it all. There are many versions of this story, but in my opinion, the best one is the animated Disney version. Oo-da-lolly!

Thanks for tuning in folks, and don’t forget to go check out MYTHOI Births: WIGLAF!