Matthew Kresal
Bio
Matthew Kresal was born and raised in North Alabama though he never developed a Southern accent. His essays have been featured in numerous books and his first novel Our Man on the Hill was published by Sea Lion Press in 2021.
Stories (99)
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Batman: Resurrection Review
The release of Tim Burton’s film Batman in 1989 unleashed a pop culture phenomenon. Indeed, alongside Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie more than a decade earlier, it’s the film that launched superhero cinema. It’s no wonder there’s been numerous sequels and attempts to capitalize on the world Burton, his cast including Michael Keaton’s Batman and Jack Nicholson’s Joker, and crew created for that film. Something which has extended from Burton’s own 1992 film Batman Returns to the more recent Batman ‘89 comic from the film’s co-writer Sam Hamm. Now, thirty-five years after the film’s release, comes a literary sequel in the form of John Jackson Miller’s Batman: Resurrection.
By Matthew Kresalabout a year ago in Geeks
'Doctor Who': "The Great Beyond" Review
Doctor Who’s 1982 season was one of transition. One that saw not only Peter Davison taking over from Tom Baker after the latter’s seven year run as the Time Lord, but also with a young cast of companions, and a back to basics approach for the series. It was a ratings success and one that has retained a loyal following in the Doctor Who fan community ever since. Big Finish, those prolific producers of Doctor Who audio drama, have also been tapping into that season in a number of their releases reuniting the cast decades later. The Great Beyond, released in September 2024, takes them even farther.
By Matthew Kresalabout a year ago in Geeks
'Doctor Who': "Audacity" Review
If there’s a Doctor that’s benefited from the myriad of spin-off media that’s grown up around Doctor Who, it’s Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor. Comics, novels, and especially the Big Finish audio dramas have given the one time self-described “George Lazenby of Doctor Who” a chance to be far more than a once and done incarnation. Something that has seen McGann grow and find new facets to his performances over the last two decades. Which makes it fitting that the eighth Doctor has returned to his Big Finish roots a bit for his latest set of adventures, Audacity.
By Matthew Kresal2 years ago in Geeks
Survivors: A 70s Apocalypse
A virus emerges in Asia and, thanks to modern air travel, makes its way across the globe in a matter of weeks. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and governments struggle to react. Then people start dying, and those left unaffected or recovering begin dealing with the aftermath.
By Matthew Kresal4 years ago in Futurism
'Doctor Who': "The Secrets of Det-Sen" Review
In the 1967 Doctor Who serial "The Abominable Snowmen" (soon to be the latest wiped serial to be animated), the plot of that story and Patrick Troughton's Doctor encountering the robotic Yeti around a Tibetan monastery was set in motion by a previous visit. Except, as was already becoming the case for the series less than five years into its run, we never actually saw it happen. It's perhaps surprising that in the plethora of spin-off novels and audio dramas that have arisen in the last three decades, that visit has never received much attention. Or, at least, until August 2021 when Big Finish presented it in their audio drama The Secrets of Det-Sen.
By Matthew Kresal4 years ago in Geeks
'Red Son' Takes Flight
If one were to create a list of the best Superman stories ever written, chances are one would find 2003's Red Son upon it. Written by Mark Millar and published as part of DC Comics' Elseworlds line, it told the tale of a Man of Steel who landed not in Kansas but the Soviet Union of the Cold War era. It's no surprise then that, after the success of the animated adaptation of Gotham By Gaslight, that Red Son would receive such a treatment. Now out on streaming and physical media, how does this Red Son hold up as both an adaptation and as the latest entry in the long-running DC Universe Animated Original Movies series?
By Matthew Kresal6 years ago in Geeks
'Doctor Who': "It Takes You Away" Review
Warning: Potential spoilers for the episode ahead. Since its on-screen regeneration in 2005, Doctor Who in the 21st-century has had many things that separate it from its 20th-century incarnation. One of the biggest, introduced by Russell T Davies nearly 15 years ago, was wrapping the series' science fiction plots inside more substantial emotional stories. Even with him vacating the showrunner chair in 2010, it's something that the series hasn't quite shaken off, much to its credit at times. One such recent example came with the penultimate episode of Series 11.
By Matthew Kresal6 years ago in Futurism
'Doctor Who': "The Witchfinders" Review
Warning: Potential spoilers for the episode ahead. The word "quintessential" is a fun one. Behind is the idea of something that is most representative of something. If, as a Doctor Who fan, I looked at Series 11 and was to pick the episode from it that represented the series, there's a strong possibility that I would pluck for its eighth episode, "The Witchfinders."
By Matthew Kresal6 years ago in Futurism
'Doctor Who': "Kerblam!" Review
Heading into the back half of Series 11, Doctor Who's new cast and crew seemed to be finding their feet rather nicely. The cast gelling together more with every passing episode, while the writers seemed to be getting more confident in writing for a new, more crowded, Team TARDIS. The seventh episode, Pete McTighe's "Kerblam!" offers up a prime example of the new format, telling a story very much in keeping with the series.
By Matthew Kresal6 years ago in Futurism
'Doctor Who': "Demons of the Punjab" Review
Warning: Potential spoilers for the episode ahead. Six episodes into its run, Series 11 of Doctor Who saw it taking its second dip into history. The first, "Rosa", had aired three weeks previously, becoming the first home run episode of this latest era of the more than half-century-old program. How would this trip to the past fare, particularly in light of the less than well-received sci-fi adventure that aired the previous week?
By Matthew Kresal7 years ago in Futurism
'The Lives of Captain Jack: Volume 2' Review
For fans of 21st-century Doctor Who, few characters have left an impact the way Captain Jack Harkness has. Played by the incomparable John Barrowman and introduced in 2005's "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances," he's gone on to be a sizable presence through numerous appearances, a spin-off series in the form of Torchwood, and even a mention in the 50th-anniversary special. He's also found a home on audio, with Barrowman reprising the role for Big Finish Productions since their Torchwood range kicked off in 2015. Even so, there are parts of this immortal wanderer's life left unaccounted for still, opening up new storytelling avenues. The Lives of Captain Jack offers up just such opportunities, and the second set, released in June 2019, also gives Jack a chance to do something he'd never get to do on-screen: interact with one of the Doctors from classic Who.
By Matthew Kresal7 years ago in Futurism
