OLD FAVORITES

Last night I cranked up the old "On Demand" and watching the first episode of the fifth and final season of The Wire. For those of you who haven't been paying attention, The Wire is one of the best TV shows that has ever been. Ever. And for those of you who have been paying attention, you know just what I'm talking about.

Things are not going well in Baltimore as we start the season; of course, things are never going very well. Carcetti has not come through with his promises to the police department - officers are getting light paychecks and morale doesn't exist. The unit has been trailing Mario Stanfield for a year with very little result. McNulty is drinking again, back to his old ways.

We're also introduced to some new characters who work at the Baltimore Sun. It's a series stuffed with characters but the addition of more is never a problem. You feel like you get to know people, which is a tribute to both the writing and the acting. Yes, The Wire has a brilliant cast. Brilliant.

I'm so happy we get one more season of this show. It's amazing that it has gotten five of them. Kudos to HBO for sticking with it. Now when is the next episode going to be available?

Speaking of all-time great shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has returned for an 8th season...in comic book format. It is executive produced by Joss Whedon and he also wrote the first five issues, which were collected in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Volume 1: The Long Way Home. I read the first two issues as they came out last summer (and wrote about them a bit, as I recall) but I have now read the collection. I am happy.

You want the banter and pop culture references? Check. You want action? Check. You want the return of familiar characters? Check. You want a new "big bad?" Check. You want some great art by Georges Jeanty and Paul Lee? You got it. The first four issues makes up the opening storyline with all of the above included and the fifth issue is a one-off that tells the tale of a Buffy doppleganger who was working underground. Literally.

I've never been a big fan of comics adaptations of TV shows but this is the real deal. An eighth season of Buffy, done in a way that could never have been done on TV. It makes me want to go back and watch the whole series...though I still don't have it all on DVD. I'd go out and get it but I wouldn't have time to watch it now anyway. Some day. Anyway, if you're a Buffy fan you need to get this. If you're not, you need to start. Now.

Oh, and I let myself get distracted yesterday and accidently erased all my comics data from last year - what I read and when. Sigh.