Book and Movie Reports by Ed

TV report: The Cape (NBC) “The Cape” is a new superhero action TV show that has some interesting aspects, but also some goofy and wrongheaded parts that must be straightened out to achieve success. [SPOILER ALERT!] In this show, The Cape is a superhero along the lines of Batman, namely, that he doesn’t have any super powers, but relies on special prowess, equipment, and inner drive to overcome enemies. The background is that Vince Faraday is an honest cop who is framed for a murder by a local billionaire-slash-criminal-mastermind named Chess. Faraday is believed dead, which makes his wife and young son safe from Chess. Faraday decides to stay undercover to keep his family safe while he tries to take down Chess in vigilante style. It’s almost the reverse of Batman’s origin: Batman’s family was killed, and he dedicated his life to justice. In “The Cape”, Faraday is actually the one believed dead. I like the part where a local circus takes Faraday into the fold and teaches him all