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The one big difference is that the level of violence and carnage is a little higher and more explicit than the TV show (but I guess that's what you get for having the show on ABC Family). The third however, goes in a darker direction than the TV show, which remained light throughout it's short run.
#Middleman tv show series
The first two limited series were remade almost directly as episodes of the TV show. This collection contains three limited series and several stand alone issues. It's a bit like the X-Files, but with the emphasis on the corny and fun, rather than the serious and creepy. The TV series was goofy and fun, about an employee for a secret organization and his sidekick who are called in to investigate aliens, the supernatural and anything else out of the ordinary. I picked this up because I had seen the TV series and was a big fan. Take care and remember our motto: fighting evil, so you don't have to" This was pretty awesome and totally worth reading if you enjoy the TV show. And a roughly alternate-universe Middleman-looking Wendy from "the Palindrome Reversal Palindrome." Also, a small section at the end has Ida tell us about Middlemen of the past, which was kinda swell (and vaguely familiar.). It's exactly the kind of ending readers want when the story ends and leaves you craving more. It would have been amazing.įinally, there's an additional ending that was added after publication that expands on the story in volume three. There's also a twist surprise ending that the show unfortunately did not survive long enough to get to.
#Middleman tv show plus
The rest is a smattering people and organizations that appear throughout the series (a great deal shows up in the "Obsolescent Cryogenic Meltdown"), plus an interesting storyline regarding the Middleman's nemesis. Volume three introduces us to Manservant Neville who is damn near identical to Mark Sheppard (casting applauded). It also includes my favorite aspect of that episode: the time being told in different time zones, real or fictional. Volume two is pretty much "The Sino-Mexican Revelation", introducing the lovely and amazing Sensei Ping. And since that was a great starter episode for a series, it was also a fun read. There's nothing I can say in a review to elucidate that point. Volume one is literally verbatim the first episode, "The Pilot Episode Sanction." Like, it's the script set to comics. If you enjoyed that show, dig into the comic that started it all. They're very amusing, and I think they're basically AU since they break continuity and they're too ridiculous (yes, even for this comic) to be true.ĭubby, if you're reading this, you probably have either seen or heard of the painfully short-lived and amazing Middleman TV show. It features, um, well.I won't tell you what it features because it must be seen to be believed.įinally, you get Legends of the Middleman, which is a few stories-drawn by different artists-featuring the adventures of Middlemen past. You even get "The Alternate Ending Paradoxicality!" Which is.what it sounds like. It's a good comic overall, actually, as it doesn't adhere to any one panel structure, simply using the medium however is best to tell the story. Obviously, reading the third volume may spoil you for the show, but it's a good story. The third volume ( The Third Volume Inescapability), however, is where it's at, as it's a story we haven't yet seen on the show (although one line/moment did appear in modified form last week), and I'm anxiously awaiting the integration of some of the elements of that storyline into the show, if it lasts. Unsurprisingly, the show is very much in the spirit of its source material, given that Javi is behind both. It's pretty neat to see the episodes in comic form (their original form!), as it gives you even more appreciation for the people bringing them to life on TV. But other than that, the first volume ( The Trade Paperback Imperative) is almost word-for-word, shot-for-shot the pilot, and the second volume ( The Second Volume Inevitability) is almost identical to "The Sino-Mexican Revelation." There are still some great lines and moments that didn't make it into the show, however (at least one because the show is quite clearly-and endearingly-low-budget).
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Wendy is Caucasian with red hair rather than Cuban with black hair, the Middleman is blond, and Noser is white. There are some minor differences that may cause a little cognitive dissonance, but nothing huge. The Collected Series Indispensability contains all three volumes of The Middleman so far, and it's definitely worth checking out.
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