M.A.N.T.I.S.

Sam Hamm and Sam Raimi are super heroes of Hollywood, propagating ideals of tolerance and hope through the super hero genre in prime time TV. This show isn't extra sexy like Gossip Girl, or extra morbid like CSI, or drowning in its larger than life production values like Smallville (which may or may not be sponsored by Highlighter markers, ease off on the lighting gels guys!) It's an understated super hero drama that definitely paved the way for a more realistic approach to heroes, like we see now in Iron Man and The Dark Knight. The ep, "Gloves Off," is a real turning point for the Mantis and one worth checking out on Hulu, if you've never seen one. I'd love to see this show revisited, now that we see that shows like Buffy, Smallville, and Fringe can be incredibly popular. Plus, CG has come a long way since then. Thanks guys and thanks for making it available on Hulu. Much love, from a viewer who was left changed for the better.

After watching the first ep of Black Lightning on the CW I checked out it IMDB page and it lead me to this show that I never heard of. I tracked it down and watched it and who for a show so old it blow Black Lightning out of the water, this is the hero we need on the CW. This show was so much stronger, the actors were better and even for a cheesy superhero show from the 90's made some of the newer shows look like crap. If you like Black Lightning you will love this, and if you don't you still might as the show is put together so much better.

Yes, it was a poor series. So poor, in fact, that I could tell you the entire plot of the episode within about two minutes of its start. Sam Raimi produced this nightmare I believe and boy was I surprised. I really thought it would turn out OK. It went on right before the X-files, a spot which became legendary for its cancelled shows. The acting was poor, not due to the talent of the actors I believe, it is just hard for people to buy into this stuff into the first place.

I can't remember much about the plots of the shows since its been almost ten years, however there was this one where this buff guy turned out to be a robot. The writing was so lame. In comic books a decent writer can make a super hero come to life and comic fans (like me) buy into it, here I just gasped at how uninteresting it was. I only watched because I wanted to watch a show about superheros.

On a positive note I was flipping around the channels when I saw the unaired final episode of Mantis on the Sci-Fi channel. And god bless Raimi's heart, the main character mercifuly dies at the hand at of an invisible Tyrannasaurus Rex, his main squeeze by his side. Quite lame, Quite appropriate.

Scientist Dr. Miles Hawkins is shot in the spine by a police sniper during a riot and dedicates himself to vigilante vengeance by creating and donning an exoskeleton suit that not only allows him to walk again, but fight crime. Created by the duo Sam Raimi and Sam Hamm, this was one of Raimi's first superhero flick (unless you count the unreleased Darkman) long before Spider-man and Dr. Strange got their turns. An absolutely terrible (read "terrific"?) series, M. A. N. T. I. S. starts with a feature length pilot film with an attempt at a very grounded, gritty, realistic super hero serial but over the course of its only 22 episodes quickly divulges into Raimi and Hamm's means to spin their own takes on super hero / sci-fi tropes of the time: time travel, other dimensions, the men-in-black, x-men, aliens, etc. The episodes get more and more bizarre of its run (and frankly more enjoyable to watch), but in the end its really a mess of a show that makes total sense why it was cancelled so quickly. Unfortunately this is a series hard to come by, both physically and online, which isn't an issue for most, but I would recommend as an ideal candidate for a fun drinking game or thing to watch while very not sober. I laughed more during this than most comedies, and for that alone I would recommend.

"A paralyzed African-American scientist builds a powerful exo-skeleton in order to walk again, and uses his new abilities to fight crime." OK, for starters; this intro rocks!

I loved that dreamy concept. Can you see the brilliant metaphor here? That paralyzed man is just you and me in front of many ugly crimes in our worlds. And now, this show just gives him, and us, the opportunity to get up, leave the chair, and be the hero who saves the city from its evils.

It managed to be peculiar. From the main character as paralyzed, to being an African-American, all wasn't familiar. For a disabled superhero, I can't remember but (Dare Devil). And for a black superhero, in the American TV, I can't remember any!

Further, unlike other shows, and naturally after the generation's hit; (The X-Files), this show was stylish and dark. It differs than many of the action shows where usual is all the style you can get. And it had such a dark sense that lead actor (Carl Lumbly)'s sullen performance got matched with perfectly.

(Lumbly), as Dr. (Miles Hawkins), owned the screen. He was charismatic and unforgettable. I thought he saw the character as someone who has great pain and bitterness, yet conceals that whenever he's the staid Dr. (Hawkins), but when he gets to be the hero, that inner suppressed rage comes out. So sorry that he couldn't be a lead of an action show again, just a supporting role in (Alias) years later.

I won't forget the moment in which the title character answers the question of "Who are you?" for the first time. He said in the most macho, cool and serious way ever: "You can call me.. The Mantis." WAW. It's real inspiring, because when I wrote my own superhero comic series, back in 2012; I put in the very first episode a similar line, but it went like this: "You can call me.. Bakir 1.".

At one of the 1990s years, I don't remember which, I used to watch it everyday at 8: PM, on the second channel of our national TV. Then one day, it vanished from the screen, and I didn't get to watch it again. Well, sure it got canceled pretty early. I don't know the reason yet (they didn't like its title?!). But I do feel rage when, at the same year, another show begin to never stop.. entitled (Friends). You can guess who were the persons that I wished for the mantis to destroy for years and years later!

Anyhow, you have to love (M.A.N.T.I.S.), and be sad for it too. It is one of 1994 most ambitious, entertaining, and unfortunate TV shows.