Tights in Toronto

When I got wind of the website Team Epic, featuring an original forty minute episodic series shot in Toronto about six "super-powered individuals that unite to defend Canada from the powers of evil," I was really excited.

When I started writing a post about it, I realized not everyone will share in my enjoyment. Comic books and comic heros are not for everyone. Sure, movies like Spiderman and Iron Man are doing well at the box office, but they have very much abandoned their comic bookiness and replaced it with big budget adventure and romance.

Not Team Epic. It's the real thing, and so much more. With a limited budget, cheesy dialog and unembarrassingly Canadian humor, the series somehow pulls together a genuine embrace of a genre that is quite fun to watch. But again, it's not for everyone.

As much as I enjoy knowing that the movie industry likes to film in our city, it is disconcerting that very few are actually based in Toronto. We might catch a glimpse of a street corner we recognize, like Roncesvalles and Dundas West for a big dance number in Hairspray, but too often even if we know a movie was filmed in Toronto, we can't find anything Toronto in it.

That's part of the charm of Team Epic. It's set in Toronto, has Toronto landmarks and constantly references Canada/Canadianisms.

To date, Team Epic has released three complete episodes and is one chapter away from completing it's fourth. The quality wavers from scene to scene, the lighting is inconsistent and I must repeat, the dialog is more often than not, sketchy. It's a comedy which sometimes leads to cringes, but despite that, I have really enjoyed watching it. I especially love the use of comic book techniques and flashbacks. It doesn't take itself too seriously but does everything it can to be entertaining.

This isn't the first super-hero team based in Canada. None but the great comic aficionados will remember Alpha Flight with maple leaf uniforms and names such as Northstar, Puck and Sasquatch.

Comic book fans will most likely enjoy it. The huge crew and cast explore relationships between super-humans, their daily lives and adventures. It's a fun spin on the genre.

My only disappointment, and maybe it's just my internet, but I don't like waiting so long for the video stream.

To wet your appetite, check out this description of the first episode:
"After the death of Canada's greatest Superhero 'The Canadian Shield', heroes from near and far make their way to Toronto to pay their respects. Among these heroes is Captain Epic, an old ally of the Shield and a hero in his own right. During the course of the funeral, Captain Epic and his side-kick Little Epic rekindle old friendships and generate new ones.... this new found group of comrades decide to unite together to defend the city of Toronto from the oncoming forces of evil."

Get your tights ready, I'm joining the fight!