Geek And Sundry's Caper The Web Series - Even Superheroes Have To Pay The Rent

A Tale Of Four Super-Friends

Caper the web series is the latest project from Geek and Sundry, the popular online channel founded by Felicia Day.

Written by Amy Berg and Mike Sizemore, Caper has a premise that had me instantly hooked: four young housemates with superpowers valiantly protect the fictional city of Los Angles from  super-villains.  

However these super-friends have one huge problem - they are flat broke!

Bills, Bills, Bills

Sure it's fun to follow the exploits of billionaire playboys whose alter-egos heroically save the day.

It's pure escapism at its best.

But being a comic book geek, I love the fact despite their fantastic powers, these characters must grapple with real world problems - like finding employment and paying the rent.  

It is these struggles that make them far more relatable.

"Super" Stars In The Making

In the premiere episode, we meet the four protagonists who are sly subversions of the most iconic superhero archetypes:

• Dagr (Hartley Sawyer) - an immortal royal Viking scion who is 12th in line for the throne

• Alexia (Beth Riesgraf) - a hotheaded amazon princess recently returned from a walk on the dark side

• Luke (Harry Shum, Jr.) - the idealistic superman of the group

• Penny (Abby Miller) - a penniless (pun intended) genius who had to steal back her high-tech armor from her sleazy billionaire ex

The main cast has great chemistry together, which is one of the hallmarks of the series.   

Caper also features a great script filled with wry, self-referential jabs. 

A prime example is one scene in which Penny damages the group's only television set, frustrated over her ex receiving credit for her heroic deeds.

Looking at the cracked screen,  another character quips "Nobody watches television anymore anyway. All the good stuff is online."

Thrilling Heroics

The show also features  excellent cinematography, including an ingenious device for including action sequences.

Superhero battles scenes would be cost prohibitive to produce on a web series budget.

To overcome this challenge, whenever an episode calls for depictions of thrilling super-heroics, the visuals transition to vibrant graphic illustrations.

The gorgeous graphic art gives Caper a unique visual style that also pays homage to its comic book roots.

Also very exciting is the slew of  cameos by many fan favorite actors.  Sorry I can't say more due to spoilers, but definitely  have an eagle's eye when watching!

Take a look inside the world of Caper by watching the official trailer:

You can watch all the episodes of the series on its official page on YouTube: Geek And Sundry Caper

Caper is Geek and Sundry's first scripted series.  It shows much promise, and I'm definitely onboard for the ride.

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Dragon Age: Redemption Ft. Felicia Day - A Review

Dragon Age: Redemption (DAR) is the 2011 fantasy web series written and co-produced by geek queen Felicia Day, and based on the popular RPG video game by Bioware.

Admittedly, I was vaguely aware of DAR, but since video games aren't a big passion of mine, the entire project flew under my radar. 

After stumbling upon the project, I decided to give the series a watch - and I'm glad I did.

In the world of DAR, being a magic user sucks. 

All magic is powered by an alternate, demonic dimension called the Fade. Unfortunately, magic users become vulnerable to demonic possession each time they use their powers.

Because of this, mages are oppressed by the state religion known as “The Chantry” and their holy warriors called Templars.

The Chantry is in constant conflict with another religious sect called the “Qunari,” whose inhuman followers forcibly convert humans, dwarves and elves to their strict dogma, the "Qun."  

Disobedience to the Qun is the ultimate sin. 

The unfortunate mystics of both cultures usually find themselves used as unwilling tools in the endless war between the Chantry and the Qunari. 

Against this turbulent backdrop, you are introduced to Tallis (Felicia Day), a disgraced elven Qunari assassin.  

She has been given one final chance to redeem herself - track down the rogue mage Saarebas (Doug Jones), who is intent on creating global chaos.  

Joining Tallis on her quest is: Cairn (Adam Rayner) a Chantry templar with a secret agenda of his own,  the young elven wizard Josmael (Masam Holden), and the berserker mercenary Nyree (Marcia Battise). 

The entire web series is comprised of six episodes that altogether run for approximately an hour. 

In all, DAR is an enjoyable romp fans of fantasy in general can enjoy.

There is one caveat: viewers (like me) unfamiliar with the video game can find certain aspects of this world a little confusing.

Fortunately, the producers wisely include a brief prologue explaining pertinent plot points at the beginning of each episode.

The story is fairly straightforward and doesn't break any new ground, but it doesn't really need to. It entertains well enough as a standard fantasy adventure.

The cast, led by the charismatic Ms. Day, give convincing performances. Also, the overall production value is very good - which is as it should be since Bioware is a producer. 

While other reviews have been critical of this project citing subpar plotting, aesthetics and dialogue, I have to disagree.

While the series does its faults including: some very cheesy bits of dialogue; Ms. Day's elfen ears look surprisingly fake; and the relationship between Tallis and Cairn seems forced, DAR still manages to create a compelling narrative - something many big-budget genre movies fail to do. 

Watch the official trailer below to get a feel for the series:

You may watch the entire series on YouTube: Dragon Age Redemption.

If you are looking for a fun, well-executed fantasy-adventure, Dragon Age: Redemption will certainly fit the bill.

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