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I have never been a comic book kind of girl. Aside from a brief and probably unnecessary stint with anime during middle school, I skipped over the graphic novel phase entirely. And though comic book-based movies are certainly entertaining—far be it from me to object to sitting through two hours of the athletic adventures of guys willingly wearing tights—I still always end up pestering my fellow moviegoers with totally moronic questions like “Why does it seem that there are no evil villains until Peter Parker actually turns into Spiderman?” and “How many different ways can directors choose to explain how Batman began?” and “I thought that the Justice League show was pretty good. Can we just watch that? At least then I could go to the bathroom during commercial breaks.”

Well, I’ve decided that if I could have all comic books presented the same way as The Intergalactic Nemesis, I’d be a comic convert for sure. The Intergalactic Nemesis combines the big-screen projection of a classic comic book with narration by three talented voice actors, a special effects expert, and a pianist. This multimedia experience effectively achieved a real-time representation of the adventure that usually just happens in your head when reading a comic book, complete with rapidly advancing images, dramatic character voices and booming-zooming sound effects, and theme music to match each heroic/blundering/dastardly character and situation.

The Intergalactic Nemesis is based on an original idea by Ray Patrick Colgan. Set in 1933, it follows the adventures of Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Molly Sloan and her assistant Timmy Mendez, as they travel the world (and space) with time-traveler/hero Ben Wilcott, who is on a mission to stop an evil race of aliens from taking over Earth. The show is the offspring of a radio drama; the radio version was adapted for the stage by Jason Neulander, who went on to write, direct, and produce the live-action graphic novel interpretation that was presented at KU’s Lied Center. KU was the fourth stop on this unique show’s first-ever tour, which originated in Austin, TX, but the show was so polished that it almost seemed as though a) live-action graphic novels were actually a standard style of performance, and b) Neulander and company had perfected it. Each frame of the comic book (with original illustrations by Tim Doyle) advanced in perfect synchronicity with the actors’ lines and sound effects, and the underlying piano score unified the action so precisely that it sometimes felt as though we were watching a movie instead.

The three voice actors, Danu Uribe, David Higgins, and Christopher Lee Gibson were incredible, playing almost thirty characters (by my count) between the three of them, running the gamut from sassy Molly Sloan, to the timid yet telekinetic Timmy, to the evil alien Zygonians, to the strange Frenchman Desperois, and many others in between. The cast were able to change characters on a dime, often having witty repartee or angry arguments with themselves, and between the three of them and the added sound effects, they were able to achieve the busy volume needed for the climactic high-action scenes.

Keyboardist Kenneth Redding, Jr., playing a score written by Graham Reynolds, evoked a feeling of a silent movie house, lending the story a mood of campy melodrama. Sound effects performer Buzz Moran stole the show for me, pulling off every possible crash, bang, ding, slam, shuffle, and thunderclap with his extensive array of toys—er, tools, including cinder blocks, shoes, a miniature door, and much more. His contribution helped make the performance that much more entertaining and exciting. The interplay between the sound effects, dialogue, and music, was as sensitively balanced as it would be in a film.

The Intergalactic Nemesis may just have made a comic book believer out of me, and if they find their way to a city near you on their 2011–12 tour, make some time for this overwhelmingly cool experience.

REVIEW:
Lied Center of Kansas
The Intergalactic Nemesis
Lied Center of Kansas, University of Kansas
1600 Stewart Dr, Lawrence, KS
For more information, visit http://lied.ku.edu.

Top Photo: Production still of Intergalactic Nemesis

By Karen Hauge

Classical Contributor, Senior Editor

A native of New Jersey, Karen Hauge relocated to Kansas City in 2010 to attend UMKC in pursuit of her M.M. in flute performance. Since moving to Kansas City, Karen has been active as a performer within the Conservatory and as a music educator in the community, working with the Conservatory’s Community Academy of Music and Dance.

Karen earned a B.M. from the University of Delaware, where she studied music education with Suzanne Burton and Robert Streckfuss. During her time at Delaware, Karen was awarded several grants to fund an independent research project over the course of two years. The project and subsequent thesis, entitled “What Does It Mean To Be Musical?,” explored the ways in which people naturally interact with music in their everyday lives, and earned her a degree with distinction upon graduation. Karen has been active as a solo and chamber performer in Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. She has performed for world-renowned flute pedagogues such as Jeanne Baxtresser and Jeffrey Khaner, and has received honors for outstanding performance through her career at both the university and professional level. Her primary flute teachers have been Mardee Reed-Ulmer, Eileen Grycky, and Mary Posses.