On The Air: Krypton (2018)

David Goyer has had two previous TV series based on comic books. Suffice it to say, while his track record in movies has been, well, exemplary, television has been just the opposite.

Blade followed the Wesley Snipes film trilogy, but with rapper Kirk "Sticky Fingaz" Jones replacing Snipes in the title role. It lasted 1 season on Spike. On the heels of the success of "Man of Steel" on the big screen, on which Goyer was a producer, Constantine was a critical darling, but a victim of NBC programmers' indifference, and was also cut after 1 season, despite a viewer write-in campaign. Constantine, at least, lives on, airing in reruns on CW Seed, and the character himself (Matt Ryan) now appears on Legends of Tomorrow.

So, what to make of Goyer's latest, Krypton?

Posited as a prequel to the Superman mythos, Krypton, which bowed Wednesday, is built around Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), the Man of Steel's grandfather, and the underdog story of restoring his family's honor while rebelling against tyrannical rule.

Tyranny? On Krypton? I don't think Joe Shuster & Jerry Siegel ever thought of it.

Syfy intends for Krypton to refresh the Superman story, unlike how Fox's Gotham has written its own warped variation on Batman's backstory. Jax-Ur, whom you may remember as a Phantom Zone villain in pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Comics history, has been gender-flipped into a woman, just because. However, Brainiac has been plugged in as DC's answer to, say, Galactus, no longer a mere android with super intelligence. They started messing with Brainiac back in the 80's at DC.

Then, factor in Adam Strange, a sci-fi hero of the Silver Age, reposited as a 20-something time traveler who goes to Krypton to warn Seg of 1) its impending doom and 2) his future grandson, among other things. If they're going to use Strange as a time traveler, he's on the wrong show.

Goyer co-wrote the opener, so it's on him. That it required two directors doesn't make much sense at the moment.

Right now, scope this trailer from Syfy's YouTube channel:



Ok, so Seg is headstrong, gets into fights he doesn't need to, and, in a nod to Gotham, he not only loses his grandfather in the opener, but his parents, too.

I don't know how Goyer was able to sell this to Syfy, much less WB, but I'm not feeling this at all.

Rating: C-.