A Week of Capes and Spandex

It has been an odd week for geeks and, by extension, for The Middle Room. It has been a week of changes and surprises, some good, some bad.

No one, we think, has had a worse week than Batman. As we reported a few days ago, Bruce Wayne has gone the way of many masked heroes before him and died in the line of duty. Our grief is diminished, however, by our knowledge that there is life after death, or there is in comics, anyway: we certainly don't expect Batman to stay dead long.

But death is merely the beginning of The Caped Crusader's problems. The Academy, it seems, has kicked him while he's down: they have withheld a "Best Picture" nomination for The Dark Knight.

It was our sincere hope that The Dark Knight or Wall-E might receive such an honor, but neither recognized. We take some solace in the knowledge that Heath Ledger's (iD&Di: .45) final performance was at least acknowledged. He is in good company, it seems, as Robert Downey, Jr. (iD&Di: .42) was similarly nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his recursive role(s) in Tropic Thunder. Between the two, it's our belief the award should be given Ledger, whose portrayal of The Joker was truly inspired.

This week was not merely a time for grief, but for celebration, as well. The ten year anniversary of The Powerpuff Girls was this week, and, to mark the occasion, the series was released as a single boxed set.

The Powerpuff Girls, of course, are among the most important superheroines created in the past twenty years. The series balances superheroics and mundane problems with stunning precision. Many of the best superhero creations of the past decade, from The Incredibles to Sky High, seem to have been inspired by Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.

Every episode of The Powerpuff Girls, including the original pilot, "The Whoopass Girls" and the ten-year anniversary episode, "The Powerpuff Girls Rule!", are contained in this set, which is being offered on Amazon for $43. Note that this means you will pay approximately $7 per season, a bargain if we've ever seen one.

We have recently received our copy in the mail, and are most impressed with how well it holds up.

While we're on the subject of 10 year anniversaries, recent archival footage has surfaced celebrating ten years of Dr. Manhattan. We discovered this story on Ain't It Cool News, so it seems only fair we refer you there for details.