When I heard that Stan "The Man" Lee was behind some new direct to DVD animated projects the inner comic book geek in me perked up. Sure I had a bad taste lingering in my mouth from Striperella but everybody comes up with a few duds in their lifetime so I can forgive that escapade. I sat down to watch the first of these direct to DVD endeavors with Mosaic and walked away with a so-so impression. Does The Condor fare any better?

In a brief introduction to the DVD Stan describes how the world is ready for a Latino superhero and how he wanted The Condor to be a teenager because everyone loves a teen. I'll agree that there really are no Latin comic characters out there. Sure a few have appeared here and there but their roles have been nothing major. In retrospect though do we really need another teenage character? How many hormonal heroes do we need running around the city with superpowers anyway?

One of The Condor's first scenes takes place in a skateboard park where Tony Valdez is starring in a competition. I suppose it should be no surprise that his name would be Tony and he's a skateboarder. Someone probably saw Tony "Hawk" and thought to themselves that Tony "Condor" would make a great hero. Weak.

The funny part is that this Tony is not worth hero worship or idolizing by youngsters at all. He has dropped out of college, forsaken the family business, shags some hot chick that he just meets, and does nothing but what he wants to. Not the kind of things you want your child to aspire to be or do. Because of these personality traits Tony not only alienates some of his friends with his behavior but the audience as well. I could not empathize with the character at all because there's something about a self-centered, spoiled brat that you just can't root for.

Once the skating event is over Tony's father discovers something disturbing at his robotics company. Someone has been using their developmental nanotechnology to test as a weapon on humans. Once injected with the nanobots the victim becomes a mindless automaton that responds to a remote control and has improved abilities. It sounds well and good but considering prolonged high exposure to the nanobots causes death it's obviously not ready for official use. Enter the predictable villains, the partner of the firm and his mysterious accomplice.

Tony's parents bite the big one in a car accident though really they were forced off the road by some remote controlled skateboarding nanobot thugs. It's kind of funny how the police don't investigate the scene of the "accident" though Tony believes they were murdered because his "father is a good driver". It's a weak way to move the plot forward but still sets up Tony being bludgeoned into paralysis by the dynamic duo of skateboarders. The doctors say that he'll never walk again but with his fortune cookie advice giving physical therapist and support from his friends he just might. Of course in the meantime he's just going to be a miserable bitch; which again does nothing for his character.

One of his friends, Sammi, uses her brain to create a pair of braces that utilize the same nanotechnology that his father was working to create. They are more compatible with his DNA than anyone else so naturally it only seems right that he gets to use them. With these bracers he's able to walk again but things get better once Sammi makes him a futuristic skateboard and helmet. With no rhyme or reason why the next time we see Tony he's flying around the city fighting crime. He has a costume and everything but there's no introduction to how he came to the decision to do this. It's a completely random thing.

As a superhero Tony is actually pretty lame. I mean his only power is that he can skateboard really fast. I suppose Batman had little more than his utility belt and fighting skills but at least he had martial arts training. Tony skates around and punches people without finesse. The plot becomes even more convoluted as his father's partner plans to sell the nanotechnology to terrorists and that babe he was shagging turns out to be a bad guy (sooo predictable). In nearly every fashion The Condor's concept and plot falls flat and never sticks a landing.

Another thing that doesn't help The Condor is the voice acting. Everybody of Latin decent is handed a stereotyped dialect that is borderline insulting. I kept expecting one of the characters to stand up and say "Yo quiero Taco Bell". There is no range of emotion from any of the voice actors though I suppose the weak dialogue doesn't help matters.

As it stands Mosaic was much better than The Condor though that's not saying very much. Both projects left something to be desired but at least Mosaic had a fair amount of wit and a somewhat likable lead character. Tony is a terrible persona and the manner with which The Condor promotes this Latino superhero doesn't do any justice to folks with Latin heritage. Comic fans shouldn't bother with this one.

Like Mosaic, The Condor is a decent looking show. There is little grain in the picture and hardly any compression to speak of. One of the only flaws is the aliasing that pops up from time to time which can be annoying but not fatal to the program. If anything holds the show back it's the cheap animation and lackluster presentation. Mosaic at least had some interesting character design and contrast but The Condor has very little of both. This is a mediocre looking show with a decent transfer.

The Condor comes with tracks for English and Spanish though only the former gets the 5.1 surround treatment. The sense of immersion is not as great as one would hope and for the most part the rear channel seems to be there to pick up the occasional sound effect and snippets of music. I didn't encounter any problems with volume pitch or distortion while listening to the show so technically speaking the presentation is acceptable. English subtitles are included as well.

On The Condor you'll find a few bonus features to check out once you've sat through the program. A handful of trailers, character art gallery, and crappy DVD game await you. The introduction by Stan Lee at the start of the show is available through the extras menu as well. The only other feature that you'll find on the disc is a discussion about The Condor with Stan Lee talking in length with a few others chiming in. I liked how Stan quips about how Wilmer Valderrama was picked over him to voice Tony but apart from that this inclusion was rather dry. It's a little too self congratulatory for my own taste.

Stan may talk on the disc at length about how great The Condor is and how wonderful Tony is as a lead star. Sorry Stan, I just don't see it. In just about every way The Condor fails to entertain. The voice acting is stereotypical and lacks emotion, the plot is held together by weak threads, and Tony is a terrible main character for so many reasons. I had little in the way of expectations coming into this show after watching Mosaic and I can honestly say that I was not impressed in the least. Don't bother with this one.

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