Geek Talk

I watch the 4400 on usa, it’s a TV show I like. I like it because it reminds me of this comic called Rising Stars. That’s never really bothered me before, but last nights season premier was just a blatant ripoff.

I suppose I should give a little background on this so here goes.

• Rising Stars basic story: A “flash” hits a small town in middle America that grants all fetuses in utero with amazing powers when they start to grow.
• 4400 basic story: 4400 people were taken at different times over the last 50 years. And they were all returned in a ball of light at once. All of them are the same age as they were when they disappeared. And all came back changed somewhat. Most were granted abilities that the average person couldn’t do (like heal or move things with their mind or see the future).

Now I’ve always called it “Rising Stars the tv show”, it just reminded me so much of the comic. Thats not a bad thing, I was excited to hear about the movie deal way back when. Both deal with a “real world” view of people with powers in my opinion. We’re a racist people, anything different we just don’t like. I’m talking a majority, not everyone. Now imagine if there was a possibility that the bad guys (who ever they are) had someone who was strong like the hulk. How would people react? With fear and wanting some assurance that we (powerless people) could control it.

In the comic there was a side story that didn’t really do much to move the story along except show the world what the Specials were able to do. Basically there was one woman (blanking on the name) who could move things with her mind, but only tiny things. Seems somewhat worthless, but the US government snached her up to be an assassin. Why? Because there is a small vein our head that if pinched could instantly kill us. She was trained to do that. So after years of killing she felt bad and wanted to do something to help the world. She had conversations with Poet (the main character) and he sort of convinced her to stop killing and help out the Specials to police the world. So then she goes to the middle east (or maybe they were already there). And she knows that there is furtile soil beneath the sand and slowly starts to move that soil up top. And gives that region, plantable soil for the first time in a long time. In the process however she ends up killing herself, much to the regret of Poet who was trying to stop her.

Then the 4400 basically does the same thing. Everyone is in fear of this date October 19th because this terrorist 4400 group says they’re planning on doing something. Lots of panic and looking for ways to stop them. They eneded up just making wheat grow in the middle east. Seem familiar?

That being said I’ll still watch the show, it just bothers me they seem to be taking it DIRECTLY from the comic with no mention of JMS (the comic writer) at all. Now maybe I missed his name in the credits and if I did… then never mind. Move along, nothing to see.