wizard insider! 13 CHARACTER TO WATCH: 14 NOMAD an invasion of Earth by aliens promising prosperity and global assistance while charming and engendering devotion in humanity as a curious few discover their true intention of harvesting man- kind’s resources. “When you look at our current times, with the economy, wars The venerable and social strife, it’s a perfect time for a ‘V’ force like this to come along,” Producer '80s sci-fi TV classic Jeffery Bell says of the seemingly be- gets a facelift nevolent aliens to Variety. n 1983, two nights of the mini- SERIAL KILLERS his September, high-tech series “V” scored 40 million view- Producers have been quoted as saying science crosses with high ers for creator Kenneth Johnson’s that there’s a “beginning, middle and school shenanigans to parable about social tolerance. The end” already mapped out to “V,” with T establish Rikki “formerly I underwhelming “V: The Final Battle” four seasons of 13-22 episodes each. If known as the girl Bucky” Barnes in the and “V: The Series” followed, but sur- that sounds overly optimistic, consider mainstream Marvel Universe. viving those ill-advised follow-ups is that early pilot screenings have drawn In Nomad, a four-issue miniseries by about to pay off. ABC is resurrecting the raves: E! Online dubbed it “the best pilot writer Sean McKeever and artist David concept as a weekly TV series, set for a we’ve seen in, well, forever.” Baldeon, the heroine best know as part winter 2010 debut. Here’s how: of Marvel's '90s “Heroes Reborn” sets out SHOT FOR SHOT to find her family after being stranded CREATIVE CREATURES “V” gleefully displayed some of the in a world that's not her own. Searching Though Johnson (“The Incredible Hulk”) most eerily memorable imagery in sci- for what McKeever jokingly called her wrote V: The Second Generation, a novel fi TV history. The lizard-aliens ate live brother's doppelganger on her new published in 2008 that acts as a linear mice, one human teenager’s sexy alien world, Nomad travels from her home of sequel to the original, Warner Bros. opt- evening resulted in a slimy lizard-baby Philadelphia to NYC—establishing herself ed to start the television remake with- and the reveal—ripping away faux-flesh as a high school student and crashing out his participation. Johnson still holds showed the scaly invaders’ hides—is all into some marquee heroes along the way. motion picture rights to the franchise. worthy of a revisit. Creature effects have Most importantly, Nomad ties into Cap come a long way since the '80s, so ex- history by featuring the villainous Secret C as TI N G S C IE nc E pect the lizards to look less clumsy and Empire as the series' antagonists. In the “V” is chock-full of familiar faces more National Geographic. 1970s, a Richard Nixon-esque politician from genre TV. Elizabeth Mitchell (the was revealed as the Empire's head, which possibly-deceased Juliet on “Lost”), BAD AND BADLER will find echo across McKeever's series. “4400” star Joel Gretsch, Laura Vander- In the original and remake, the Visitors’ “That killed Captain America's faith in voort (Supergirl/Kara on “Smallville”) bid for human trust is figure-headed by our government, and that's why he first and “Firefly” veterans Alan Tudyk and a really hot chick. Actress Jane Badler’s became Nomad. You'll see a couple Morena Baccarin all co-star, with Mor- Diana in the ’83 original was the con- members of the classic Secret Empire, ris Chestnut and Scott Wolf (“Party of niving, conspiratorial template. In the including Mad-Dog, who's a strange Five”) rounding out the cast. 2010 version, it’s Baccarin’s Anna who little character we're giving a bit of an seduces TV reporter Scott Wolf and upgrade. I do like the idea of the almost PANIC IN THE SKY convinces him to spin some propaganda Machiavellian organization behind the V: V: ABC Like the original, “V” will revolve around in the aliens’ favor. JAKE ROSSEN scenes pulling the strings.” KIEL PHEGLEY wizarduniverse.com 216 .