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6 episodes with jefferson pierce
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This Week on Earth Station DCU! Drew Leiter and Cletus Jacobs visit the new JLU Watchtower. Jefferson Pierce's new mission to help metahumans before they become a danger to themselves or others. However, his daughter, Anissa (Thunder), comes to him for help as she struggles with her dangerous new powers. Meanwhile, the Masters of Disaster threaten the fragile coexistence between humans and metahumans in Black Lighting #1, 2, and 3. A grisly murder shakes the Watchtower and the DC Trinity tasks The Question Renee Montoya to investigate in The Question: All Along the Watchtower #1, 2, & 3. The Justice League expands its ranks following Darkseid's death and Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman unite to prevent chaos while Ray Palmer's Atom Project sparks a race between heroes and villains in Justice League Unlimited #1, 2, & 3. All this plus, DC News, Shout Outs, and much, much more! ------------------------ Table of Contents 0:00:00 Show Open 0:01:00 DC News 0:05:08 Black Lightning #1, 2, 3 0:09:52 The Question: All Along the Watchtower #1, 2, 3 0:17:10 Justice League Unlimited #1, 2, 3 0:23:08 Superman & Lois S4 Ep5 – Break the Cycle 0:38:48 Show Close Links Black Lightning #1 Black Lightning #2 Black Lightning #3 The Question: All Along the Watchtower #1 The Question: All Along The Watchtower #2 The Question: All Along the Watchtower #3 Justice League Unlimited #1 Justice League Unlimited #2 Justice League Unlimited #3 Batman #475 (Cletus's Read More Comics Pick) 52 Week #48 (Cletus's Read More Comics Pick) Earth Station DCU Website The ESO Network If you would like to leave feedback, comment on the show, or would like us to give you a shout out, please call the ESDCU feedback line at (317) 455-8411 or feel free to email us @ earthstationdcu@gmail.com
This Week on Earth Station DCU! Drew Leiter and Cletus Jacobs visit the new JLU Watchtower. Jefferson Pierce's new mission to help metahumans before they become a danger to themselves or others. However, his daughter, Anissa (Thunder), comes to him for help as she struggles with her dangerous new powers. Meanwhile, the Masters of Disaster […] The post The Earth Station DCU Episode 412 – Break the Cycle appeared first on The ESO Network.
Jace and Rocky talk about an absolutely incredible week of DC Comics titles for November 13, 1024. Every title is awesome and the guys had a tough time picking their Books of the Week because everything was so good! Absolute Batman picks up right where #1 left off with tons of action and a reminder to leep movign forward it the face of adversity. Over in Black Lightning we get some of the aftermath of Absolute Power and it appears the Jefferson Pierce will be helping those with newfound or changed abilities and the person who needs his helps most may be much closer than he might hope. Gotham By Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age ends on a fantastic cliffhanger. we are just sad we will have to wait until next year to pick up the next part of the story. Batman: Dark Age comes to a conclusion in a surprising way which suits this very different take on Batman perfectly, while the character dynamic between Bruce and Damian is also explored in a different way in the pages of Batman and Robin. Superman continues to fight to get back to the present while being trapped in Krypton's past, but at least he is gaining a new perspective on his parents. In World War V, it feels more than ever like the world is winding down and if the remaining members of the human race and the vampired don't stop fighting soon, there may be nothing left to fight over. Finally, epic action, tons of characters and gorgeous artwork in Green Lantern continue to build to what feels like an immensely impactful cosmic story.
It's time for the Comic Talk Headlines with Generally Nerdy!Mushroomhead LAWSUITHi-Fi Rush LIVESWe now know EXACTLY who Giancarlo Esposito is playing in the MCU!And so much more...Plus, don't forget to subscribe for more fresh content. MusicFollow-ups/CorrectionsMushroomhead - Jeffrey Hatrix is at it again. This time he is suing former bandmate, Steve “Skinny” Felton over unpaid royalties. It seems that Skinny has been pulling royalties shenanigans for sometime, adding himself multiple times on the copyright registrations to get higher and higher royalties percentages, and now the lawsuit is inferring that he is the ONLY one receiving Mechanical Royalties at all, for at least a large chunk of the MRH catalog. Nothing was paid a $1200 stipend per week while performing, and little else, the suit goes on to claim, and now he is seeking his fair cut.https://blabbermouth.net/news/founding-mushroomhead-singer-jeffrey-hatrix-sues-steve-skinny-felton-over-unpaid-royalties New Music/VideoDead Icarus - Unconquerable https://youtu.be/LYJcdZaYWsM DAMN!! THIS is what I want. Yes please. Vocal mix is less than desirable though. Still no release details for the record.Blackbraid - Warriors (Abbath cover0 https://youtu.be/iBUinuMfU88 some great bass work for black metal.Kanonenfieber - Der Maulwurf https://youtu.be/7f8N0UQAZF0 the mole. A new face for Black Metal… not doing great things for the nazi association, but really REALLY dynamic. All about wwI German troupes… I dig how the video never properly shows the vocalist's face.High Parasite - Wasn't Human https://youtu.be/d_2gFuY_R-k Erin Stanthorpe of My Dying Bride new project. New record Forever We Burn out Sept 27. Good and gothy!Tours/FestivalsDead Icarus - Enterprise Earth and Nekrogoblikon. Sept 11 in Midvale UT, through Oct 2 in Nashville. https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15525729-dead-icarus Pop Evil and Bad Wolves - The Animal Instinct Tour with Sierra Pilot and Oni. Nov 6 in Cincinnati, through Nov 30 in Lexington KY. Tickets on sale Aug 23. https://www.bandsintown.com/a/16090-pop-evil Coal Chamber - Dez Fafara hurt himself, now the tour that the band was gearing up for has been pushed back to March. If you already have a ticket, they will be honored at the new dates. Dates now run Mar 5 in Denver, through Apr 18 in Maplewood MN.Drowning Pool - Support from A KILLER'S CONFESSION, ABOVE SNAKES and THE FAILSAFE. Sept 27 in Shreveport LA through Oct 19 in Hochatown OK. https://drowningpool.live/tour/ Reg ‘ol NewsJack Russell - passed at 63. The cause was Lewy Body Dementia, the same affliction that Robin Williams had.Mastodon - Crack the Skye is now 15 years old, and as of Oct 4 the band is reissuing it with remastered audio, as well as instrumental versions of each song, along with 3 videos going through the material in different ways.https://blabbermouth.net/news/mastodon-announces-15th-anniversary-expanded-reissue-of-crack-the-skye Dimmu Borgir - Guitarist Galder has left the band. The guitarist is now reviving his other, long inactive, band Old Man's Child. https://blabbermouth.net/news/longtime-dimmu-borgir-guitarist-galder-announces-his-departure-from-the-band Marilyn Manson - Reba Meyers is playing guitar with him live?!!?https://loudwire.com/code-orange-reba-meyers-first-statement-playing-marilyn-manson/ The Sex Pistols - Reunion show Aug 13th without Johnnie Rotten. Instead they had former Gallows vocalist Frank Carter on the mic.https://youtu.be/vxHHGlPlMTo SuggestsPrimus - Holy Diver featuring Puddles Pity Party… WOW!!!Rob Scallon - Psychosis Feat Alex Rudinger https://youtu.be/sE5QldFkRhE one of the OG music YTers.Gaming/TechFollow-ups/CorrectionsHi-Fi Rush - The franchise is NOT dead! Krafton has acquired Tango Gameworks after Microsoft shut it down months ago. Krafton publishes PUBG and Callisto Protocol.https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/08/13/krafton-revives-and-acquires-tango-gameworks-plans-future-projects-for-hi-fi-rush/ TrailersAssassin's Creed Shadows - https://youtu.be/sLOfTQzwezg playstyles.Funko Fusion - https://youtu.be/siURR3s9OdQ Mega man reveal. Demo available now on Steam. Funko Fusion releases September 13 on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Wishlist us and preorder today!PS4 and Switch versions coming November 15.Final Fantasy 16 - https://youtu.be/PC3oQe1EtYY PC announcement.Silent Hill 2 - https://youtu.be/CMvrMTmuJuA Story trailer. Release october 8thDying Light: the Beast - https://youtu.be/c50gFkG91jc Kyle Crane RETURNS.Dune Awakening - https://youtu.be/Ud3EW5aAUZ8 Gamescom gives us a taste of the alternate universe video game version of this franchise. PC early 2025, no PS5 or Xbox date yet.Street Fighter 6 - Terry https://youtu.be/M4bcHV04Css Reg ‘ol NewsGamescom - Starts Tuesday the 20th.SuggestsXdefiant - I played it. Not what I was hoping for, but still fun!Comic Books/BooksFollow-ups/CorrectionsHellverine - The character that was created for the Ghost Rider crossover book, Weapons of Vengeance, is now getting his own on-going book. https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-hellverine-wolverine-daken-son-ongoing-series-announcement/ Reg ‘ol NewsBlack Lightning - DC announced new series for Jefferson Pierce. Number 1 will hit shelves nov 13th. writer Brandon Thomas and artist Fico Ossio. https://comicbook.com/comics/news/new-black-lightning-series-announced-dc/ Batgirl - Cassandra Cain Batgirl is getting a new ongoing series. written by Tate Brombal (Green Lantern Dark, House of Slaughter) with art by Takeshi Miyazawa (Ms. Marvel, Mech Cadet Yu). First in 12 years. On shelves Nov 6th.https://comicbook.com/comics/news/batgirl-dc-new-cassandra-cain-solo-series/ Batman - Santa Clause: Silent Knight Returns - Sequel to last year's book of a similar name. written by Jeff Parker, with art by Lukas Ketner. On shelves weekly starting Nov 27 through December 25.Just Beyond the Light - Randy Blythe is putting out his second book on Feb 18 of 25. https://blabbermouth.net/news/lamb-of-gods-randy-blythe-on-his-upcoming-just-beyond-the-light-book-theres-a-whole-chapter-about-my-grandmother SuggestsSteel Beach - a sharp and satirical science fiction novel set in a futuristic lunar society where humanity, having been driven off Earth, now lives under the care of a benevolent AI that meets all their needs. The story follows Hildy Johnson, a disillusioned journalist grappling with an existential crisis in a world that has seemingly solved all of humanity's problems but left its people struggling to find meaning. The novel explores themes of identity, freedom, and the human condition, questioning whether a utopia governed by technology can truly satisfy the complexities of human desires. With its vivid world-building and dark humor, Steel Beach is a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be human in a post-scarcity society.TV ShowsFollow-ups/CorrectionsFrom - the suggestion from 2 weeks ago said there are 3 seasons… there are only 2. Season three comes out soon.What If - Season 3 will be the end. https://www.murphysmultiverse.com/d23-what-if-to-end-with-season-3/ One Piece - Season 2 production has begun. New cast is, Ilia Isorelys Paulino's Alvida, Michael Dorman as Gold Roger, and Jeff Ward as Buggy https://www.murphysmultiverse.com/one-piece-season-2-starts-production-as-cast-grows/ The Acolyte - Not returning for a second season.The Last of Us - Season 2 completes principal photography. https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/the-last-of-us-season-2-hbo-filming-wraps/ TrailersFrom - Season 3 https://youtu.be/5fjdCu25Ac0 Sept 22Secret Level - New anthology series on Prime https://youtu.be/gLihxsmI_OU gaming inspired with a list of direct inspo games. Though NOT actually from those games. Dec 10th. From some of the minds behind Love Death and Robots, but not David Fincher.Reg ‘ol NewsParamount - TV studios shutting down. Paramount's move to merge with Skydance, seems to also be slimming down production output apparently.https://bleedingfool.com/news/paramount-tv-shutting-down-and-laying-off-thousands/#google_vignette The Madison - New sequel to Yellowstone, just cast Patrick J Adams (suits) along side Michelle Pfiffer. The series will tell the story of a New York family that gets relocated to Montana. Taylor Sheridan has teased that there will be some familiar faces here as well, presumably from the OG series.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/patrick-j-adams-michelle-pfeiffer-the-madison-yellowstone-cast-1235979080/ Pacific Rim - a prequel series that will explain where the Kaiju come from and how the conflict began.https://cosmicbook.news/pacific-rim-origin-series-legendary SuggestsChannel Zero: Candle Cove - a deeply unsettling horror series that follows a child psychologist as he returns to his hometown to unravel the mystery of his twin brother's disappearance, which may be linked to a disturbing children's TV show from the 1980s. The show blends surreal visuals with psychological horror, creating a haunting atmosphere where the line between reality and nightmare blurs. It explores themes of childhood trauma, memory, and the sinister ways that innocence can be corrupted. Perfect for fans of slow-burn horror, Candle Cove offers a chilling experience that lingers long after the credits roll.STREAMING ON: SHUDDERMoviesFollow-ups/CorrectionsAlien: Romulus - 108M opening weekend worldwide. Not the biggest opening ever, but enough to show promise on an 80M budget.Deadpool Wolverine - Now passed Joker. Now the 9th highest grossing MCU film.Masters of the Universe - Camila Mendes, Riverdale's Veronica, has been cast as Teela for the new live-action movie. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/masters-of-the-universe-camila-mendes-1235974699/ TrailersScared Shitless - https://youtu.be/qhAZ7I_36p8 Looks like PURE Joe Bob fodder… also NSFWY2k - https://youtu.be/P4f9gCTLhYs?si=SlFxyz0DHRDhL6F9 Fred Durst cameo??? Written by Kyle Mooney, produced by A24.Frankie Freako - https://youtu.be/DWIyVleAQL0 from the studio that brought us Psycho Goreman… need I say more?Reg ‘ol NewsGarth Ennis - Crossed is the next live-action adaptation of a Garth Ennis property. At least it has been optioned by Six Studios.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/crossed-movie-in-the-works-garth-ennis-1235976318/ Madden - John Madden is getting a biopic movie. AND NICOLAS CAGE WAS JUST CAST. Not a regular biopic either, more of a history of the Madden NFL games than the man himself.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/nicolas-cage-to-play-john-madden-1235976155/ Brian Cox - The original William StrykerJr in X2, and the original HAnnibal Lecter (Succesion), made some comments last week about the demise of cinema because Marvel and DC are “party time.” if you read the full quote he talks about how he “created” Wolverine, and that a part of him is in “all those movie” but they don't pay him for it… OK bud…https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/brian-cox-cinema-deadpool-wolverine-succession-eiff-marvel-1235977671/ SuggestsSession 9 - a chilling psychological horror film that follows an asbestos abatement crew working in an abandoned mental asylum, where the eerie setting and unsettling discoveries begin to unravel their sanity. Set in the real-life Danvers State Hospital, the film creates a claustrophobic atmosphere filled with dread, as the characters confront both the dark history of the asylum and their own inner demons. With themes of guilt, mental illness, and repressed trauma, Session 9 is a slow-burn descent into madness that lingers long after the final scene, perfect for fans of atmospheric, psychological horror.STREAMING ON: PRIME for about $4 to rent.Rumor MillConfirmations/RefutationsREFUTATION: Giancarlo Esposito - Playing Sidewinder, Seth Voelker, The King of the Serpent Society. NOT Bushman, as previously rumored.New SourcesTaron Egerton - Not looking to play Cyclops, now they say he will be wolverine.New RumorsFantastic Four - Now RDJ is from the “same” universe as the F4… but what does that mean? Their adoptive universe? Or their “home” universe? Or is this totally ignoring the other rumor from the same source?Spider-Man 4 - Sydney Sweeney rumored for Black Cat? With her in Madam Web… is this even possible?Deadpool 4 - Ryan Reynolds not coming back for a 4th round? Rumor is that Reynolds is so tired of the work it takes to make a Full Blown Deadpool movie, that he is fine, for now, to just do cameos and smaller parts.Bully - Rockstar is set to re-release the fan favorite game. No indication if it will be a simple port or a proper remaster.Pantera - On Aug 15 Phil and the boys played a club show in Minneapolis. Word is that this was for the purposes of recording a live record. Mostly because the opening act, comedian Craig Gass, explicitly said as much.You can support this show by visiting our merch store, or by leaving us an Apple Podcasts review.
It's time for the Comic Talk Headlines with Generally Nerdy!Mushroomhead LAWSUITHi-Fi Rush LIVESWe now know EXACTLY who Giancarlo Esposito is playing in the MCU!And so much more...Plus, don't forget to subscribe for more fresh content. MusicFollow-ups/CorrectionsMushroomhead - Jeffrey Hatrix is at it again. This time he is suing former bandmate, Steve “Skinny” Felton over unpaid royalties. It seems that Skinny has been pulling royalties shenanigans for sometime, adding himself multiple times on the copyright registrations to get higher and higher royalties percentages, and now the lawsuit is inferring that he is the ONLY one receiving Mechanical Royalties at all, for at least a large chunk of the MRH catalog. Nothing was paid a $1200 stipend per week while performing, and little else, the suit goes on to claim, and now he is seeking his fair cut.https://blabbermouth.net/news/founding-mushroomhead-singer-jeffrey-hatrix-sues-steve-skinny-felton-over-unpaid-royalties New Music/VideoDead Icarus - Unconquerable https://youtu.be/LYJcdZaYWsM DAMN!! THIS is what I want. Yes please. Vocal mix is less than desirable though. Still no release details for the record.Blackbraid - Warriors (Abbath cover0 https://youtu.be/iBUinuMfU88 some great bass work for black metal.Kanonenfieber - Der Maulwurf https://youtu.be/7f8N0UQAZF0 the mole. A new face for Black Metal… not doing great things for the nazi association, but really REALLY dynamic. All about wwI German troupes… I dig how the video never properly shows the vocalist's face.High Parasite - Wasn't Human https://youtu.be/d_2gFuY_R-k Erin Stanthorpe of My Dying Bride new project. New record Forever We Burn out Sept 27. Good and gothy!Tours/FestivalsDead Icarus - Enterprise Earth and Nekrogoblikon. Sept 11 in Midvale UT, through Oct 2 in Nashville. https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15525729-dead-icarus Pop Evil and Bad Wolves - The Animal Instinct Tour with Sierra Pilot and Oni. Nov 6 in Cincinnati, through Nov 30 in Lexington KY. Tickets on sale Aug 23. https://www.bandsintown.com/a/16090-pop-evil Coal Chamber - Dez Fafara hurt himself, now the tour that the band was gearing up for has been pushed back to March. If you already have a ticket, they will be honored at the new dates. Dates now run Mar 5 in Denver, through Apr 18 in Maplewood MN.Drowning Pool - Support from A KILLER'S CONFESSION, ABOVE SNAKES and THE FAILSAFE. Sept 27 in Shreveport LA through Oct 19 in Hochatown OK. https://drowningpool.live/tour/ Reg ‘ol NewsJack Russell - passed at 63. The cause was Lewy Body Dementia, the same affliction that Robin Williams had.Mastodon - Crack the Skye is now 15 years old, and as of Oct 4 the band is reissuing it with remastered audio, as well as instrumental versions of each song, along with 3 videos going through the material in different ways.https://blabbermouth.net/news/mastodon-announces-15th-anniversary-expanded-reissue-of-crack-the-skye Dimmu Borgir - Guitarist Galder has left the band. The guitarist is now reviving his other, long inactive, band Old Man's Child. https://blabbermouth.net/news/longtime-dimmu-borgir-guitarist-galder-announces-his-departure-from-the-band Marilyn Manson - Reba Meyers is playing guitar with him live?!!?https://loudwire.com/code-orange-reba-meyers-first-statement-playing-marilyn-manson/ The Sex Pistols - Reunion show Aug 13th without Johnnie Rotten. Instead they had former Gallows vocalist Frank Carter on the mic.https://youtu.be/vxHHGlPlMTo SuggestsPrimus - Holy Diver featuring Puddles Pity Party… WOW!!!Rob Scallon - Psychosis Feat Alex Rudinger https://youtu.be/sE5QldFkRhE one of the OG music YTers.Gaming/TechFollow-ups/CorrectionsHi-Fi Rush - The franchise is NOT dead! Krafton has acquired Tango Gameworks after Microsoft shut it down months ago. Krafton publishes PUBG and Callisto Protocol.https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/08/13/krafton-revives-and-acquires-tango-gameworks-plans-future-projects-for-hi-fi-rush/ TrailersAssassin's Creed Shadows - https://youtu.be/sLOfTQzwezg playstyles.Funko Fusion - https://youtu.be/siURR3s9OdQ Mega man reveal. Demo available now on Steam. Funko Fusion releases September 13 on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Wishlist us and preorder today!PS4 and Switch versions coming November 15.Final Fantasy 16 - https://youtu.be/PC3oQe1EtYY PC announcement.Silent Hill 2 - https://youtu.be/CMvrMTmuJuA Story trailer. Release october 8thDying Light: the Beast - https://youtu.be/c50gFkG91jc Kyle Crane RETURNS.Dune Awakening - https://youtu.be/Ud3EW5aAUZ8 Gamescom gives us a taste of the alternate universe video game version of this franchise. PC early 2025, no PS5 or Xbox date yet.Street Fighter 6 - Terry https://youtu.be/M4bcHV04Css Reg ‘ol NewsGamescom - Starts Tuesday the 20th.SuggestsXdefiant - I played it. Not what I was hoping for, but still fun!Comic Books/BooksFollow-ups/CorrectionsHellverine - The character that was created for the Ghost Rider crossover book, Weapons of Vengeance, is now getting his own on-going book. https://comicbook.com/comics/news/marvel-hellverine-wolverine-daken-son-ongoing-series-announcement/ Reg ‘ol NewsBlack Lightning - DC announced new series for Jefferson Pierce. Number 1 will hit shelves nov 13th. writer Brandon Thomas and artist Fico Ossio. https://comicbook.com/comics/news/new-black-lightning-series-announced-dc/ Batgirl - Cassandra Cain Batgirl is getting a new ongoing series. written by Tate Brombal (Green Lantern Dark, House of Slaughter) with art by Takeshi Miyazawa (Ms. Marvel, Mech Cadet Yu). First in 12 years. On shelves Nov 6th.https://comicbook.com/comics/news/batgirl-dc-new-cassandra-cain-solo-series/ Batman - Santa Clause: Silent Knight Returns - Sequel to last year's book of a similar name. written by Jeff Parker, with art by Lukas Ketner. On shelves weekly starting Nov 27 through December 25.Just Beyond the Light - Randy Blythe is putting out his second book on Feb 18 of 25. https://blabbermouth.net/news/lamb-of-gods-randy-blythe-on-his-upcoming-just-beyond-the-light-book-theres-a-whole-chapter-about-my-grandmother SuggestsSteel Beach - a sharp and satirical science fiction novel set in a futuristic lunar society where humanity, having been driven off Earth, now lives under the care of a benevolent AI that meets all their needs. The story follows Hildy Johnson, a disillusioned journalist grappling with an existential crisis in a world that has seemingly solved all of humanity's problems but left its people struggling to find meaning. The novel explores themes of identity, freedom, and the human condition, questioning whether a utopia governed by technology can truly satisfy the complexities of human desires. With its vivid world-building and dark humor, Steel Beach is a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be human in a post-scarcity society.TV ShowsFollow-ups/CorrectionsFrom - the suggestion from 2 weeks ago said there are 3 seasons… there are only 2. Season three comes out soon.What If - Season 3 will be the end. https://www.murphysmultiverse.com/d23-what-if-to-end-with-season-3/ One Piece - Season 2 production has begun. New cast is, Ilia Isorelys Paulino's Alvida, Michael Dorman as Gold Roger, and Jeff Ward as Buggy https://www.murphysmultiverse.com/one-piece-season-2-starts-production-as-cast-grows/ The Acolyte - Not returning for a second season.The Last of Us - Season 2 completes principal photography. https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/the-last-of-us-season-2-hbo-filming-wraps/ TrailersFrom - Season 3 https://youtu.be/5fjdCu25Ac0 Sept 22Secret Level - New anthology series on Prime https://youtu.be/gLihxsmI_OU gaming inspired with a list of direct inspo games. Though NOT actually from those games. Dec 10th. From some of the minds behind Love Death and Robots, but not David Fincher.Reg ‘ol NewsParamount - TV studios shutting down. Paramount's move to merge with Skydance, seems to also be slimming down production output apparently.https://bleedingfool.com/news/paramount-tv-shutting-down-and-laying-off-thousands/#google_vignette The Madison - New sequel to Yellowstone, just cast Patrick J Adams (suits) along side Michelle Pfiffer. The series will tell the story of a New York family that gets relocated to Montana. Taylor Sheridan has teased that there will be some familiar faces here as well, presumably from the OG series.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/patrick-j-adams-michelle-pfeiffer-the-madison-yellowstone-cast-1235979080/ Pacific Rim - a prequel series that will explain where the Kaiju come from and how the conflict began.https://cosmicbook.news/pacific-rim-origin-series-legendary SuggestsChannel Zero: Candle Cove - a deeply unsettling horror series that follows a child psychologist as he returns to his hometown to unravel the mystery of his twin brother's disappearance, which may be linked to a disturbing children's TV show from the 1980s. The show blends surreal visuals with psychological horror, creating a haunting atmosphere where the line between reality and nightmare blurs. It explores themes of childhood trauma, memory, and the sinister ways that innocence can be corrupted. Perfect for fans of slow-burn horror, Candle Cove offers a chilling experience that lingers long after the credits roll.STREAMING ON: SHUDDERMoviesFollow-ups/CorrectionsAlien: Romulus - 108M opening weekend worldwide. Not the biggest opening ever, but enough to show promise on an 80M budget.Deadpool Wolverine - Now passed Joker. Now the 9th highest grossing MCU film.Masters of the Universe - Camila Mendes, Riverdale's Veronica, has been cast as Teela for the new live-action movie. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/masters-of-the-universe-camila-mendes-1235974699/ TrailersScared Shitless - https://youtu.be/qhAZ7I_36p8 Looks like PURE Joe Bob fodder… also NSFWY2k - https://youtu.be/P4f9gCTLhYs?si=SlFxyz0DHRDhL6F9 Fred Durst cameo??? Written by Kyle Mooney, produced by A24.Frankie Freako - https://youtu.be/DWIyVleAQL0 from the studio that brought us Psycho Goreman… need I say more?Reg ‘ol NewsGarth Ennis - Crossed is the next live-action adaptation of a Garth Ennis property. At least it has been optioned by Six Studios.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/crossed-movie-in-the-works-garth-ennis-1235976318/ Madden - John Madden is getting a biopic movie. AND NICOLAS CAGE WAS JUST CAST. Not a regular biopic either, more of a history of the Madden NFL games than the man himself.https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/nicolas-cage-to-play-john-madden-1235976155/ Brian Cox - The original William StrykerJr in X2, and the original HAnnibal Lecter (Succesion), made some comments last week about the demise of cinema because Marvel and DC are “party time.” if you read the full quote he talks about how he “created” Wolverine, and that a part of him is in “all those movie” but they don't pay him for it… OK bud…https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/brian-cox-cinema-deadpool-wolverine-succession-eiff-marvel-1235977671/ SuggestsSession 9 - a chilling psychological horror film that follows an asbestos abatement crew working in an abandoned mental asylum, where the eerie setting and unsettling discoveries begin to unravel their sanity. Set in the real-life Danvers State Hospital, the film creates a claustrophobic atmosphere filled with dread, as the characters confront both the dark history of the asylum and their own inner demons. With themes of guilt, mental illness, and repressed trauma, Session 9 is a slow-burn descent into madness that lingers long after the final scene, perfect for fans of atmospheric, psychological horror.STREAMING ON: PRIME for about $4 to rent.Rumor MillConfirmations/RefutationsREFUTATION: Giancarlo Esposito - Playing Sidewinder, Seth Voelker, The King of the Serpent Society. NOT Bushman, as previously rumored.New SourcesTaron Egerton - Not looking to play Cyclops, now they say he will be wolverine.New RumorsFantastic Four - Now RDJ is from the “same” universe as the F4… but what does that mean? Their adoptive universe? Or their “home” universe? Or is this totally ignoring the other rumor from the same source?Spider-Man 4 - Sydney Sweeney rumored for Black Cat? With her in Madam Web… is this even possible?Deadpool 4 - Ryan Reynolds not coming back for a 4th round? Rumor is that Reynolds is so tired of the work it takes to make a Full Blown Deadpool movie, that he is fine, for now, to just do cameos and smaller parts.Bully - Rockstar is set to re-release the fan favorite game. No indication if it will be a simple port or a proper remaster.Pantera - On Aug 15 Phil and the boys played a club show in Minneapolis. Word is that this was for the purposes of recording a live record. Mostly because the opening act, comedian Craig Gass, explicitly said as much.You can support this show by visiting our merch store, or by leaving us an Apple Podcasts review.
This week on the podcast, we're starting to understand how Jefferson Pierce must have felt-- because we're watching the Power Rangers Dino Thunder episode "White Thunder, Part II"! How many cameras does Tommy have set up around Reefside? (It's more than you think!) How many lines does this bizarre ADR'd child have in this episode? (It's more than you think!) How much juice are the writers going to get out of having an evil Ranger and a former evil Ranger in the same episode? (It's much, much less than you think!)
Today we talk about Jefferson Pierce, also known as Black Lightning, who teaches children by day, and fights crime with electricity powers by night, and sometimes he's on the Outsiders, and these all seem like full-time jobs to us. Today's mentioned & relevant media: -Black Lightning (1977) -Detective Comics (1937) #490-491, 494-495 -World's Finest Comics (1941) #256-261 -Justice League of America (1960) #173 -DC Comics Presents (1978) #16 -Batman and the Outsiders (1983) -The Outsiders (1985) -Adventures of the Outsiders (1986) #33-45 -Black Lightning (1995) -Superman (1986) #166 -Green Arrow (2001) #52-59 -Justice League of America (2006) -Amazons Attack (2007) -Final Crisis (2008) reading order -Trinity (2008) -The Outsiders (2009) #15-39 -Black Lightning: Year One (2009) -DC Universe Presents (2011) #13-16 -Convergence: Batman and the Outsiders (2015) #1-2 -Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands (2017) -Detective Comics (2016) #983-987 -Batman and the Outsiders (2019) -The Other History of the DC Universe (2020) #1 -Batman: Urban Legends (2021) #1-3, 8-9, 18-19 -Black Lightning tv show -DC'S Harley Quinn Romances (2023) #1 -Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville announcement Thanks to Victoria Watkins for our icon! Support Capes and Japes by: Checking out our Patreon or donating to the Tip jar Find out more on the Capes and Japes website.
Five years later... somebody else covers Legion, because DC Bloodlines is back to Black with coverage of African-American & Latin heroes as part of a multitudinous podcasting crossover event! Julia Raul joins Diabolu Frank for an exhaustive discussion of Jefferson Pierce, A.K.A. Black Lightning, with an emphasis on his 1995 solo series (collected as Brick City Blues) and live action television show of 2018-21. Then they move on to Virgil Hawkins, of the 1993 Milestone Comics series Static (with a brisk overview of its first year) and the 2000-2004 animated show Static Shock. Finally, the two heroes team-up for 2009's "Last Time I Saw Paris" by Matt Wayne & Howard Porter from The Brave and the Bold #24.JLMay 2023 will cover the third volume of DC Comics' The Brave and the Bold (2007-2010), which ran 35 issues. There's only 31 days in the month, so we'll run a list of all the issues with links to the podcasts intent on covering them until the actual shows turn up, individual or in groups... This episode's non-paying advertisers: #JLMay2023 Tweet host Diabolu Frank directly, tag #DCBloodlines, or probe @rolledspine as a group. Email Diabolu Rolled Spine Podcasts Facebook, which Frank hates and has nothing to do with. If the main DC Bloodlines blog isn't your thing, try the umbrella Rolled Spine Podcasts. Spill Some Blood!!!**across social media only. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diabolu-frank/message
Episode 168!? This week we are giving our thoughts on "Dark Knights of Steel Vol. 1", as well as going over some nerd news! Swords! Sorcery! Superheroes! A brand-new DC Universe is born from writer Tom Taylor (DCeased, Neverlanders, Nightwing) and artist Yasmine Putri. An entire medieval world will be forever changed when a spaceship crash-lands from a doomed planet. Years later the El Kingdom reins and Jefferson Pierce, the head of the Kingdom of Storms sees their family as a threat and gathers allies to challenge them. Monarchs will die, kingdoms will rise, and what seemed like the end of the world for many...was only the beginning! An epic high-fantasy story set in a DC Universe where nothing is what it seems... Join our discord and help us build the community! https://discord.gg/EUtHXHjJWF Support The Wednesday Pull List! https://www.patreon.com/wednesdaypull Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Episode 145 - Character Review - Hal Jordan, Jesse Custer, Black Lightning & She-Hulk We're using IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes list and choosing characters to talk about at random. This episode focuses on Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Jesse Custer (Preacher), Black Lightning & She-Hulk. Discuss the episode over at the Facebook group: The Reel Comic Heroes League of Citizens Our next movie review - The Lost World: Jurassic Park Twitter | Instagram | Website Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Prelude and Action" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Deep Haze" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Intro/Outro by Matthew S Mendoza
As part of the DC / CW project entitled the “Arrowverse,” the series “Black Lightning” aired for four seasons from 2018-to 2021. It starred Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce, who recently appeared in the CW crossover “Armegeddon” which took place on the Flash. Lamont Magee served as a story editor on Black Lightning and was part of the writer's room. He joined the podcast to discuss his role on the show, and its unique voice amidst a cluster of related shows. Magee is also working on the new “Green Lantern” show for HBO Max, although there is not much he could say. Other topics included network shows vs. streaming services, an in-depth behind-the-scenes discussion of 2019's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, and the comradery among DC CW shows. Follow Lamont on social media @LamontMagee.
The Flash, season 8, episode 3. Armageddon part 3 brings the best crossover guest so far: Jefferson Pierce aka Black Lightning. He gives Barry some much needed advice. Cecile gets in touch with her emotions and powers while Iris investigates does some long overdue investigating. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/one-more/message
"Armageddon part 3" finds Barry hiding out in the Hall of Justice with Jefferson Pierce. He believes it's time to enact the Injustice protocol. The League set it up in case any of our heroes went rogue and became a danger to the world. Black Lightning is the only one that can help sever Flash from the Speed Force, but he's not entirely convinced that it's the right decision. Meanwhile, Cecile is determined to find Barry but doesn't want to hear Iris's theory that Joe isn't really dead. Instead the determined attorney calls upon the help of the Top to combine their psychic abilities to track down their missing teammate. And Iris works with Allegra to discover something shocking about Joe's fateful day. The only option left to solve all of this chaos is for Barry to travel to the future and find out what's really going on. But what he finds may push him to the brink. Jay and Josh try to remove each other's powers only to discover they don't have any on this week's episode of Scarlet Velocity: A Flash Podcast!
Despero informs Barry that he will lose himself to madness. The next day, Barry investigates an insane security guard, but Kramer forces him to turn in his badge due to a federal investigation suggesting that he was a CCPD mole for Joseph Carver. Later, S.T.A.R. Labs is raided and shut down after a radiation spike, so Barry has Gideon erase everything (including herself) while Chester and Allegra move their tech. Meanwhile, Alex Danvers helps Team Flash research Despero's home planet of Kalanor and his power source, the Flame of Py'tar. Allegra learns that Frost asked Chester to build a weapon to harm Despero despite his pacifism. Later, Barry goes after psychic meta-criminal Xotar, but she causes him to go insane and attack Team Flash, though he is able to place the power-dampening cuffs on her during a jewelry heist. Barry suggests they celebrate with Joe West, but Team Flash informs him that he died six months prior. News footage shows Barry attacking residents of Central City after Xotar had been depowered, but Barry does not remember this or Joe's death. Despero arrives to kill Barry, but Team Flash allows him to escape to the Hall of Justice, where he meets with Jefferson Pierce and asks him for help.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
This week, Mike is joined by Carlos from the Latinx delegation to discuss nerd news, the first week of the Racial Draft FCL scoring competition, and the Supplemental Draft, including the controversial Black Lightening selection. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/racial-draft-podcast/support
Wes is joined by award-winning comic book editor Joe Corallo and life-long reader Eric Breen to discuss a DC Comics game changer, Black Lightning. Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden (only 17 years old at the time) orchestrate one of the best comic book origin stories of the Bronze Age in Black Lightning. Jefferson Pierce was unlike any superhero DC Comics readers had seen at the time. A proud black teacher who proudly represented his neighborhood and race who could fight the battles even Superman couldn't handle. Black Lightning #1-8 is an action-packed origin unlike any other with cameos from DC heavy hitters like Superman, Jimmy Olsen and Talia Al Ghul. With more twists and turns than you can count and some of the best cliffhangers in comic history. Join Wes, Eric and Joe as the review an instant classic of its time, Tony Isabella's Black Lightning. YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/ThinkingCritical Don't forget to subscribe to the channel and like the video! Thinking Critical Comic Book Podcast is live on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, TuneIn + Alexa, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM and Listen Notes. Link: thinkingcriticalcomicbooks.podbean.com Support Thinking Critical at Ko-fi. Monthly subscriptions receive bonus content and early access to some channel content. Ko-fi.com/thinkingcritical Thank you for supporting the channel!
Let's bookend this tale as we take a look at The Other History of the DC Universe #5 from DC Comics. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure Dueling Reviews continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) [caption id="attachment_635375" align="alignright" width="273"] You can purchase this issue via the comiXology affiliate link[/caption] The Other History of the DC Universe #5 story by: John Ridley art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi cover by: Giuseppe Camuncoli and Marco Mastrazzo variant cover by Jamal Campbell ON SALE: 7/27/21 AGES 17+ | 5 of 5 $6.99 US | 48 PAGES | FC | DC BLACK LABEL Prestige Plus 8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″ Being a superhero runs in Anissa Pierce's family. It's been a part of her life in one way or another since her father, Jefferson Pierce, first started to fight crime as Black Lightning. Despite what her parents tell her, despite what the world tells her, Anissa knows that she has the same calling as her father. But as Anissa takes on the mantle of Thunder, she must grapple with a very different world than the one that her father first patrolled. The critically acclaimed creative team of Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Let It Fall) and artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi bring The Other History of the DC Universe to a close.
Let's bookend this tale as we take a look at The Other History of the DC Universe #5 from DC Comics. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure Dueling Reviews continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) [caption id="attachment_635375" align="alignright" width="273"] You can purchase this issue via the comiXology affiliate link[/caption] The Other History of the DC Universe #5 story by: John Ridley art by: Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi cover by: Giuseppe Camuncoli and Marco Mastrazzo variant cover by Jamal Campbell ON SALE: 7/27/21 AGES 17+ | 5 of 5 $6.99 US | 48 PAGES | FC | DC BLACK LABEL Prestige Plus 8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″ Being a superhero runs in Anissa Pierce's family. It's been a part of her life in one way or another since her father, Jefferson Pierce, first started to fight crime as Black Lightning. Despite what her parents tell her, despite what the world tells her, Anissa knows that she has the same calling as her father. But as Anissa takes on the mantle of Thunder, she must grapple with a very different world than the one that her father first patrolled. The critically acclaimed creative team of Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Let It Fall) and artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi bring The Other History of the DC Universe to a close.
Jace and Rocky from Comic Boom! talk about 9 of the 18 titles DC is putting out for the week of July 27, 2021. That's right 18 titles! So many books they had to break this week up into two episodes. This is part two, so if you want the whole week's worth of books start with part 1! Icon and Rocket Season One #1 - We get an updated origin for Icon and Rocket but they stay very faithful to the original iterations of the characters. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Despite not changing anything dramatically the comic and characters still manages to feel very fresh with relevant ideas of the social issues Icon may have been fighting thirty years ago, which are sadly still relevant today. Writer - Reginald Hudlin, Penciller - Doug Braithwaite, Inkers - Scott Hanna & Andrew Currie, Color Artist - Brad Anderson, Letterer - Andworld Design Static Season One #2 - Pushed to his limit Virgil is forced to use his powers in front of his parents to prevent his house from burning down. Gravely concerned about the welfare of their son, a disagreement on how best to deal with the situation has Virgil striking out on his own, ditching school and taking matters into his own hands to try and control his powers. He reaches out to Curtis Metcalf, the hero known as Hardware for help, but ultimately that help may be more trouble than it's worth. Writer - Vita Ayala, Layouts - Chriscross, Finishes and Colors - Nikolas Draper-Ivey, Letterer - Andworld Design Infinite Frontier #3 - All the plot thread from this epic, universe spanning story continue to move forward, but are they moving in the same direction? Rocky seems to think so but Jace has his doubts. It's definitely time for this story to start to come together as one narrative to give readers some idea of where the DC Universe is heading, The individual storylines are effective so far though, as we can't help but wonder what allows Roy Harper to wield a Black Lantern ring, we get a glimpse of where Darkseid has imprisoned Barry Allen while Alan Scott and Obsidian continue to look for Jade. Writer - Joshua Williamson, Pencillers - Paul Pelletier, Jesus Merino, Tom Derenick & Xermanico, Inkers - Norm Rapmund, Raul Fernandez, Tom Derenick & Xermanico, Color Artist - Romulo Fajardo Jr, Letterer - Tom Napolitano Teen Titans Academy #5 - Have you ever wondered how the Bat Pack ended up at Teen Titans Academy? Well wonder no longer, we get the full story in their own words. In fact, we learnt hey are telling the story to Red X who in turn for this show of trust reveals his identity to the three young heroes although it remains a mystery to us. Whether or not the Bat Pack buys into what Red X is telling them about trusting the other adult heroes of the Academy remains to be seen. Writer - Tim Sheridan, Artist - Steve Lieber, Color Artist - Dave Stewart, Letterer - Rob Leigh Strange Adventures #11 - More revelations in this issue as we learn if Adam Strange was truly behind the deal that was made with the Pykkts that resulted in Aleea being imprisoned. The fall out for this may shatter the relationship of Adam and Alanna beyond repair, but was the price they paid worth it? When billions of lives are at stake does that outweigh the love of a parent? Big questions in this one leading to a big finale. Writer - Tom King, Artists - Mitch Gerards & Doc Shaner, Letterer - Clayton Cowles Wonder Woman #776 - Wonder Woman's quest to find Janus and stop her murderous rampage across the realm of the gods continues in the fairie land of Elfhame. Enchanted, magical and mystical it is just one more adventure for Diana as she attempts to continue on her ultimate quest to return to our earth. Writers - Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad & Jordie Bellaire, Artists - Jill Thompson, Becky Cloonan & Paulina Ganucheau, Color Artists - Jordie Bellaire & Kendall Goode, Letterer - Pat Brosseau & Becca Carey The Other History of the DC Universe #5 - The incredible series which started out with a spotlight on Jefferson Pierce comes full circle with the story of his eldest daughter Anissa Pierce. Equally, emotional, powerful and poignant, the story itself is a perfect encapsulation of Anissa herself. Despite her living herself striving to not become her father, without her even seeing it herself, the similarities are far too many to be merely coincidence. The "other history" of the DC Universe in many ways is the history of the Pierce family themselves. Writer - John Ridley, Artists - Giuseppe Camuncoli & Andrea Cucchi, Color Artist - Jose Villarubia, Letterer - Steve Wands Wonder Woman Black & Gold #2 - We get some very interesting tales of Diana from a very, very diverse cross section of creators. Many of the stories focus on Wonder Woman's relationship to gods and that leaves Rocky wondering if gods are more important than mortals to Diana, It's a valid questions and one that has a clear answer based on these stories. Writers - Mariko Tamaki, Che Grayson, Tillie Walden, Stephanie Williams & Rachel Smythe, Artists - Jamie McKelvie, Corin Howell, Tillie Walden, Ashley A. Woods & Rachel Smythe, Color Artist - Jordie Bellaire, Letterers - Simon Bowland, Wes Abbott & Becca Carey Superman: Son of Kal-El - Jon Kent is on his own, but what does that truly mean? Who is he when he is not Superman's son? Does he even have an identity and how can he figure out how to fill his father's shoes when he doesn't even know who he is as a person or a hero? There are more questions than answers for Jon in this one, but that still doesn't excuse him asking Damian for advice! Writer - Tom Taylor, Artist - John Timms, Color Artist - Gabe Eltaeb, Letterer - Becca Carey
There can be only one, but Highlander's had a surprising number of media adaptations and spin-offs over the years. We take a look at all of them and even get some behind-the-scenes gossip about the infamous comic book tie-in: Highlander 3030. ----more---- Episode Transcript Episode 05 [00:00:00] Mike: It's fine. It's fine. I'm not bitter. Mike: Welcome to Tencent Takes, the podcast where we make comics trivia rain like dollar bills on Magic Mike night. My name is Mike Thompson and I am joined by my cohost, the mistress of mayhem herself, Jessika Frazer. Jessika: Muahahaha! It is I hello, Mike. Mike: Hello. If you're new to the podcast, we like to look at comic books in ways that are both fun and informative. We want to check out their coolest, weirdest and silliest moments, as well as examine how they've been woven into the larger fabric of pop culture and history. Today, we are traveling through time and talking about the 35 year legacy of one of the strongest cult franchises around, Highlander. But [00:01:00] before we do that, Jessika, what is one cool thing that you've watched or read lately? Jessika: My brother has some copies of classic Peanuts Comics, and it's so much fun. It's good, wholesome, fun. And Snoopy- related media always makes me nostalgic. And Mike you've mentioned before that we're in California in the San Francisco Bay area, but fun fact, I live right near Santa Rosa, which is the home of the Peanuts creator Charles Schultz when he was alive. So there's a museum there and an ice skating rink. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: Which is super awesome And Snoopy on ice was huge when I was a kid. And that is definitely the place I also learned to ice skate. By the way, they throw a mean birthday party, just saying, not right this second. Not this second. [00:02:00] We should do it is what I'm saying. Mike: We should do it for ourselves. Jessika: No, that's what I'm saying. Oh, I don't have children. Mike: But we do. Jessika: Yes, they can come with us, like they're invited. Mike: I mean, are they? Jessika: Look at you hesitating. Mike: We took the kids to the Peanuts museum right before the lockdowns happened. that really Jessika: That's really lovely that's nice got to do that. Mike: There’s a lot of cool stuff to do. It's really interactive. It's also just a really fascinating experience because there's so much about the Peanuts during their, what 50 year run give or take. It may not have been that long. It may have been 30 or 40, but it was a long time, and I really dug it, like there was a lot of cool stuff, so yeah . And also the cool thing about Santa Rosa is they've also got all those Snoopy statues all over town too. Jessika: They do. Yeah. All the [00:03:00] Peanuts characters actually. Cause they, the Charlie Browns and the Lucy's now and the Woodstocks. Yeah they're all over the place. But that used to be something fun we could do as a scavenger hunt, and actually that's something you guys could still do even with the lockdown. Cause most of them are outside is just find that list of where all the Snoopy's or whatever character is and go find them all. Cause we did that at one point, like as an adult, obviously. Well, what about you, Mike? Mike: The complete opposite of something wholesome. Jessika: Perfect. Mike: We didn't actually have the kids for a few days. They were with their dad and we couldn't find anything new to watch. So, we wound up bingeing the entire series of Harley Quinn on HBO Max. Jessika: Oh, you’re ahead of me then. Damn you. Mike: This is my third time going through the series. We've just gotten to the point where we turned it on when we want to watch something that's kind of soothing in a way, even though it is not a soothing TV show. But I still am [00:04:00] having these full on belly laughs where I'm breathless at the end and it's just, it's so smart and funny and absolutely filthy with the violence. And then there are these moments of sweetness or genuine reflection, and it's just so damn refreshing. I was never much of a Harley fan, but this show and then the Birds of Prey movie really made me fall in love with that character. Also side note, Michael Ironside who played General Katana and Highlander II. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: He shows up in Harley Quinn doing the voice of Darkseid, which is a character he's been voicing since the nineties when he first started doing it for the Superman animated series. Jessika: Oh, damn. Mike: So, just a little bit of symmetry there. Mike: All right. So before we begin, I have to say that this episode wound up being a rabbit hole full of other rabbit holes that I kept going down. So, I want to give a little credit where it's due for a ton of my research. I really wound up leaning on two books: John Mosby's Fearful Symmetry [00:05:00]; and A Kind of Magic: The Making of Highlander by Jonathan Melville. Likewise, there's a YouTube series called Highlander heart hosted by Grant Kempster and Joe Dilworthand, and an associated Facebook community with the same name that were just invaluable for my crash course. And finally, I want to give special, thanks to Clinton Rawls, who runs Comics Royale, and Matt Kelly for taking the time to chat with me because they didn't have to, and they provided me with some really useful information for this episode. Jessika: Yeah, I'm super excited about what lies in store. What's really funny is I've actually, I feel like a kid before it test. Mike: Right? Jessika: like I'm a little nervous because I've been cramming so hard for this Mike: We both have. Jessika: No, you, especially you, especially like you should be much more nervous than me, Mike. No, I’m just kidding, please don't take that on. Oh, but yeah, no I'm super excited and really ready to talk about all of this stuff and learn more because I've just been consuming the media and the [00:06:00] comic books. But, you’re going to give me some back knowledge that's gonna blow my brain and I'm excited. Mike: Oh, well, I'll try to live up to that high expectation. Let's assume that you didn't know what the topic of this episode was. And if someone asked you what cult property from the 1980s. Spawned five movies, two TV series, a Saturday morning cartoon, an anime film, several video games, multiple tabletop games, audio plays, roughly a dozen novels, and four okay, technically six different comic books. What would your first answer be? Jessika: Oh, goodness. What's funny is probably not Highlander. I'd probably I would say like Batman, honestly, Mike: Yeah I would've gone with something along the lines of G.I. Joe. Jessika: Oh, yeah. Mike: Or some weird Saturday morning cartoon, something like that. I never would have guessed Highlander. I never would have assumed that. but it's just, it's really surprising to see how [00:07:00] much has been generated out of this initial movie. Were you fan of the movies or the show before we started bingeing everything for this episode? Jessika: So I was actually a fan of the show via my dad who had it on hadn't watched the films before, because I was born in 1986 fun fact. Mike: Right. Jessika: I was born when this thing was sent into the world. We both were at the same time, apparently. I didn't have that exact experience of growing up watching it, but he definitely had the TV show on in the nineties Mike: Okay. Jessika: So that was what I was familiar with and I loved it and I would run around chopping things; I'd be at work, I was actually like when I got older I'd be like, there can only be one, and I’d like have to like swipe at someone. Mike: It’s such an iconic line. Jessika: iIt is! it transcends. Absolutely. Mike: Yeah. I was pretty young when the movie came out and the show was how I became aware of it. And then when the show was airing, I was in high school. And then I became [00:08:00] aware that there was a movie that had inspired it. And so I was able to rent that when I was old enough to be trusted, to go rent movies on my own by my parents. Back when we couldn’t stream everything. Jessika: Oh my gosh. Mike: And there were rewind fees, Jessika: Oh, my gosh. Be kind rewind. Mike: Speaking of things from the eighties: it’s funny we'll talk about it later on, but the show really brought in, I think a lot of people that otherwise wouldn't have been fans. Before we start talking about the comic books, I really want to take a few minutes to talk about all the media and content that spun out of Highlander because it's a lot. And it was honestly in a couple of cases, really surprising. I didn't know about half of this stuff before I began researching for the episode, and then. Like I said, it was just constant rabbit holes that kept on leading me down more and more research paths. And it was really fun. But I want to talk about all this now. Jessika: Perfect. This is exactly what we're here for, and I think that people want to hear it too. [00:09:00] Mike: I hope so. Okay. So why don't you summarize Highlander? If you had to give an elevator pitch, Jessika: The film follows the past and present of Connor MacLeod, an immortal who is just one of many vying to be the sole victor in an age old battle, where in the end, there can only be one. Like very simply a lot more to it, but like how much of an elevator pitch. Mike: I think that's pretty simple. It's about an immortal who basically keeps on fighting his way through history and there's these really wonderful catch phrases that get us hooked. The movies got actually a really interesting origin story of its own. It was written by this guy named Gregory Widen when he was in his early twenties. That was when he wrote the initial screenplay. But he had already had a really interesting life up until then. He was one of the youngest paramedics in Laguna Beach at that point in [00:10:00] time. And then he went on to become a firefighter while he was still a teenager. By 1981, he'd also worked as a DJ and a broadcast engineer. And then he signed up for a screenwriting course at UCLA and he wrote this feature length script called Shadow Clan. And it would go through a number of changes before it became Highlander. But the core theme of an immortal warrior named Connor MacLeod wandering across the centuries is there. He wound up getting introduced to producers Bill Panzer, and Peter Davis who decided to option the film. And then they hired the screenwriters, Larry Ferguson and Peter Bellwood to rework the script into what we eventually had wind up in theaters. And once the movie was green-lit, they brought in Russell Mulcahey to direct it. And I vaguely knew that Mulcahey had been doing music videos before this, for the most part, he had one other cult movie ahead of time. It was a horror movie, I think, called Razorback. But I didn't realize which music videos he'd been making until I started doing all [00:11:00] this research. So I'm going to give you a small sampling and you're going to tell me if you've heard of these. Jessika: Okay. Sure sure sure. Mike: Okay. The Vapors “Turning Japanese”. Jessika: Uh, yeah. Mike: Yeah, okay. The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star”. Jessika: Wow. Yes. Mike: Duran Duran Duran’s “Rio”. Jessika: Wow. Mike: And Elton John's “I'm Still Standing”. Jessika: Yeahwow. That's actually a variety of characters. Mike: Right? But also those all really iconic music videos. Like not only songs, but music, videos cause those were all in the very early days. And the dude's entire portfolio is just iconic. If you think about the music videos that really defined the genre Jessika: Yeah, sometimes you just got it, I guess. Huh? Mike: He has a lot of those music video elements. A lot of times in the movie, it feels like a music video, like when Brenda's being chased down the hall by the Kurgan and it's got all that dramatic lighting, or that opening shot where they're in the [00:12:00] wrestling match and you see the camera flying through everything. Jessika: Yes! Mike: That was wild. That was really unusual to see camera work like that back then. The movie was distributed by 20th century Fox. And I think at this point, We'd be more surprised of 20th century Fox did a good job of marketing weird and cool, because they really botched it. They wound up forcing cuts to the movie that created really weird plot holes because they didn't feel that audiences needed it or what would understand it, and they wanted to make it simpler, but it really made things more confusing. European audiences on the other hand, really embraced the film because they got a much better version. So case in point, I'm going to show you the two main posters for it. This is the American poster for the movie. Jessika: Mmhmm. Oh, wow, he’s scary. Wow wow wow, okay. Before I even say any of the words, what you first see is Connor [00:13:00] MacLeod, but it's this awful grainy picture of him. He looks like there's something wrong with his face, which he shouldn't necessarily. And he looks like he's about to murder someone. He's like glaring off into the distance. And at the top it says, Oh, it's in black and white, by the way. at the top it says, He fought his first battle on the Scottish Highlands in 1536, he will fight his greatest battle on the streets of New York city in 1986. His name is Connor MacLeod. He is immortal Highlander! Credits at the bottom, rated R, absolutely rated R. Mike: Also, I feel like featuring original songs by Queen does not get the billing that it should. Jessika: I agree. I jammed my way through that film and this just the whole series, [00:14:00] actually the whole franchise I jammed my way through. Mike: Yeah. And if you listen to the kind of Magic album that is basically the unofficial soundtrack to the movie, and it's so good I don't know how they got those perpetual rights to Princes of the Universe, did. Every time I hear that song, I get a little thrill up my spine. All right. So here's the poster though for the European release. Jessika: All right. So, Ooh, this is totally different. This is Whoa. This is way more exciting. Okay. First of all, it's full Color, my friends, right in the middle in red it says Highlander right under it “There can only be one” in yellow. Oh it's amazing. There's a little sticker at the bottom that says featuring original songs by queen. Look it, trying to sell it, I love it. And then there's Connor MacLeod in the center of the screen [00:15:00] dramatically head back eyes closed screaming his sword thrusts forward and behind him is the Kurgan, oh my gosh so good. It's so - Oh, and a backdrop of New York city. All in lights. It's beautiful. Mike: Yeah. It’s one of those things where basically, that documentary that we watched seduced by Argentina, they talk about that where they're just like 20th century Fox fucked us. Jessika: And I didn't realize how much until, because I did watch that as well. And I'm like how bad could it be? But I that's pretty bad. It's a pretty big difference. It's like watching, that'd be like going, expecting to see like psycho or something. Mike: Honestly, I keep on thinking of Firefly and Fox and how they just totally botched the marketing for that show and then the release, and issues with Joss Wheden aside. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: It’s one of those [00:16:00] things where again, it's a really beloved cult property with a really devoted fan base, even, 5 years after it was released, shit, almost 20. Jessika: And I do love Firefly, again, Whedon aside. Mike: I do too. Jessika: And it makes me a little sad think about it because it had so much potential. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: Oh, it's so rough. It's rough to see. Mike: Yeah. What were your overall thoughts on the movie now that you've seen it because you hadn't seen it before this, correct? Jessika: No. I had only seen the TV show and probably rightfully so, because that was much less violent. I mean, much less graphically violent. They were still beheading motherfucker every episode, but, versus the film, which is like blood and like half a head and wow, there, it goes the head. But I actually really liked the movie. It was adventurous, it was thrilling and told a fairly cohesive and interesting storyline which unfortunately had an ending. But it still took us on an emotional journey. [00:17:00] Mike: Yeah, and I feel the same way. Jessika:: And how all the camp that I love from the 1980s and the special effects are just chefs, kiss love it. Mike: There is something so wonderful about the special effects from the 1980s, because they're so earnest all the time. And at the same time they look so cheesy by comparison now. Jessika: But you can tell they were trying so hard. It's almost like a little kid who's just learning to finger paint and they walk up and they're like, I did this thing. It's so good. You're like, it is really good. It's really good for where you're at. Mike: Yeah, exactly. Highlander is very much a quintessential eighties film to me, and there's both that nostalgia factor, but also it's a pretty tight little film. It doesn't really try to do anything too grandiose or too world-building because I don't think they expected to really make the sequels that they wound up doing. Which speaking of which we should discuss the sequels. [00:18:00] Mike: Like, I feel like you can’t discussion without talking about the sequels. And honestly the first time I ever heard of Highlander as a brand really was when I was visiting family in Texas And we were watching a Siskel & Ebert episode where they were thrashing Highlander II. Jessika: Dude, Siskel and Ebert I'm sure hated this. This does not surprise me in the least. Mike: I don't remember much about it, I just remember being like, oh Sean Connery's in a movie, well that's cool. Because my parents had raised me on all of the Sean Connery James Bond movies. Jessika: Yeah casting, come on. Why? Why? They had a French dude playing a Scottish guy and a Scottish guy playing a Spanish Egyptian guy. It's. Mike: I believe label was a Hispaniola Egyptian. They kinda darkened up Sean Connery a little bit too. I'm not sure. Jessika: It felt that way. I was just hoping he had just been under the tanning beds, but no, I think you're right. [00:19:00] Mike: Highlander II was definitely the most infamous of the sequels. And I mean a huge part of that is because it had such a batshit production and there’d been so many different versions of it. It was so bad that Russell Mulcahey reportedly walked out of the film premiere after only 15 minutes. There's this great documentary that you and I both watched on YouTube, it's split up into a bunch parts, but it was a documentary they made for the special edition of Highlander II. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: It was the third release of the movie that they put out because the first one was basically the bonding company for the films. Investors took over the production and assembly of the movie due to the fact that Argentina, where they were filming. And they had gone to Argentina because a, it was gorgeous, but B because it was supposedly going to be a third of the cost Jessika: Yeah. Mike: To make a movie there than it would elsewhere. Argentina’s economy collapsed and went through hyperinflation. And as a result, everything just went haywire. But they went back years later and they not only recut the [00:20:00] movie, but they refilled or added in certain scenes I think four or five years later. And then on top of that, they did the special edition a few years after that, where they redid the special effects. And I don't know it's kind of funny because it's not a bad movie now. It's not terrible. I feel it's an enjoyable film in its own way. But it's also funny where you watch that documentary and they're talking about the stuff that they're so proud of. Russell Mulcahey was talking about how proud he was of that love scene. I'm using this in quotes, love scene between Virginia Madsen and and Christopher Lambert where they just decided to do it up against the wall of an alley? Jessika: That’s always an interesting choice to me. Like you really cannot wait. Mike: Yeah. And then he was like, I thought that was a really hot scene. And I got to sit there and I'm like, I don't, I can't view this through the lens of, a 20 something guy in the 1990s. I don't know what my interpretation of it would have been then, [00:21:00] but watching it now watching it for the first time when I was in my twenties and the, in the early aughts, I just was like, this is weird and sorta dumb. And also they don't really have a lot of chemistry, but okay. Jessika: Yeah, it just kind of happens. They're just like, Oh, here you are. Mike: Yeah Right I don't know. At the same time it was cool to see they did all those really practical, special effects where they actually had them whipping around on the wires on like the weird flying skateboards and stuff. I thought that was cool. Jessika: I thought that was neat too. And how he was like, yeah, I actually got on top of the elevator and he was excited. Now he got on top of the elevator. Mike: And then they basically just dropped it down, like that's wild. So how about Highlander three? Jessika: Ahhh… Mike: Yeah, that’s kinda where I am Jessika: It’s very forgettable in my book. Mike: I feel like you could wipe it from the timeline and no one would care. Really, it felt like a retread of the first movie, but with the shittier villain in a way less interesting love story. honestly, it was a bummer because Mario [00:22:00] Van Peebles, the guy who plays that the illusionist I can't even remember his name. It was that forgettable. Jessika: Yeah, no, I can't either. Mike: Mario van Peebles is a really good actor and he's done a lot of really cool stuff. And it just, it felt like he was the NutraSweet version of the Kurgan Jessika: I like that. Yes. Yes. Mike: All of the mustache twirling, none of the substance. Jessika: It leaves a little bit of a weird taste in your mouth. Mike: Right. Splenda Kurgan! Moving on Highlander, Endgame. Jessika: What I do like about this film is that in both the TV series, as well as the film, there is the actual crossover. Connor shows up in Duncan's world and Duncan shows up in Connor's world and there is that continuity, which is good. And I do appreciate that because, before I got into this, I assumed that the character was interchangeable and we were just seeing different actors James [00:23:00] Bond situation. And when I went back and realized like, Oh no, he's his own character, they're blah, you know. Mike: I dunno I saw this in theaters I love the show and I appreciated that it felt like an attempt to merge the movies in the series and of the movies, I feel like this actually has the strongest action scenes. There's that bit where Adrian Paul faces off against Donnie Yen. And I was like, that's gotta be really cool to be able to sit there and show your kids much later in life: hey, I got to do a martial arts scene with Donnie Yen and he didn't kill me in the movie. that's pretty dope. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: Again, it felt underwhelming. It just wasn't all that interesting. And also I spent years being mad at that movie because the trailer brought me into the theater expecting something way different than what we were going to get Jessika: Okay. And I don't know that I saw the trailer. Mike: It has, it has a bunch of scenes with Magic where Connor and Duncan jumped through a portal [00:24:00]. Jessika: What? Mike: And a sword gets thrown at Jacob Kell and he catches it midair. And then he does something else where he's holding a sphere where you see Connor's face screaming and then it shatters. Jessika: What’s with all this weird, extra scene stuff in these trailers. I don't understand. Mike: Yeah, it turns out that this hasn't, this has never really been officially confirmed, but reading between the lines yeah, it’s been confirmed. They basically filmed extra scenes just to make it more appealing for people. So they would show up to the theaters. Like they filmed scenes, effectively they filmed scenes just for the trailer the director when he was asked about it in Fearful Symmetry. He basically said, yeah, I know there was some stuff that they filmed for marketing afterwards, and I wasn't involved with that. And then I think it was Peter Davis that was asked about this for the book. And he basically said, Oh, this is a really standard practice. People, or accompanies [00:25:00] film stuff for for marketing purposes all the time. And that's where he left it. Jessika: Oh, okay. to know. Mike: I was really grumpy about that, but that said I've softened a little since then. Do we even want to talk about the Source? Cause I feel like that's something that we shouldn't talk about in polite company. Jessika: No pass. Mike: Okay. Jessika: It happened? Mike: It happened, it was a thing that happened that was going to be a trilogy. They were planning to make that into a trilogy of movies. Jessika: Ohh rough times. Mike: Oh it's real bad. I don't think you were able to watch this, but Highlander, the search for vengeance. It's the anime. Jessika: No, I couldn't find it. Mike: Yeah. It's not available for streaming and it really it's really a bummer because it's actually pretty good. I'm not quite sure how to qualify it because it's not a live action movie and it doesn't star Duncan or Connor, but it's a full length anime. It's a full length movie in its own right. It focuses on Colin MacLeod who he’s [00:26:00] an immortal, who's technically part of the MacLeod clan. He's born as a Roman Britain and then he's adopted into the MacLeod clan after he fights alongside them later on. They keep on doing this. They keep on going back to dystopian SciFutures, which I kinda like, Jessika: I love, bless their little hearts. Mike: Yeah. A lot of the story actually takes place in this post-apocalyptic 22nd century, New York. And I haven't seen this in about a decade because it's not available on streaming. I don't have the DVD anymore. I really should pick it up before it goes out of print. But the movie fucking slaps. It was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, he was really big in the nineties. He did Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust. He's known for really cool looking movies that are also really violent at the same time. Like you look at his characters and you're like, Oh yeah, no, they all look interchangeable because they're also similar one movie to another, Jessika: Oh, I see. Mike: But they're really cool. And the movie was written by David Abramowitz, who was the head writer [00:27:00] for the TV show. So it felt like a pretty legit Highlander story. Honestly, if we had to talk about this and ask which of these movies or the sequels were our favorites, I would probably say the Search for Vengeance. Because I loved it so much, but since that wasn't a theatrical release, we'll exclude that and you didn't get to watch it. Of the sequels, which did you enjoy most? Jessika: Mike, why don’t you go first. Mike: Okay. I'm a little torn, I guess I enjoyed Endgame mainly because it feels like part of he in quotes, real Highlander story, I guess it's the least terrible of the sequels. And it brought in my favorite characters. The final version of Highlander II, is I don't know. I don't hate it. It honestly feels like a cool dystopian cyberpunk story with some bizarre Highlander lore shoehorned in, but at the same time, it's not the worst thing I've ever watched. How about you? Jessika: Funny [00:28:00] enough, I was going to say Highlander II, but maybe just a bit more so if it were its own standalone movie and not try to be a part of the Highlander franchise. The idea of the shield is super interesting and I think they could have elaborated more on the lead-up and the resolution of that issue rather than having to also make it about the Immortals in their forever game. Mike: Yeah, I agree. How do you feel about moving onto the TV series? Jessika: Oh, I am pro. Mike: Okay. I personally feel like this is the property that sucks all the air out of the room when you're talking about Highlander. Jessika: Oh no. Mike: Yeah, I mentioned that this is how I really got introduced to the brand. I started watching it in high school, around season three, which was when it was really starting to get good. The first two seasons I feel were kind of when they were ironing out all the rough spots. But I wound up watching it through the end. So if you're listening to this podcast and you have never seen the [00:29:00] show Highlander, the series ran for six seasons, which is a good length of time for any TV show. And it followed the adventures of Duncan, who was another member of the MacLeod clan. He was a distant cousin of Connor. And the show bounced between Seacouver, which is a fictionalized version of Vancouver in Paris. And it basically retcon things so that the original movie didn't end with The Quickening, but that the battle between the Kurgan and Connor was it's implied, it was the start of The Gathering. That's my interpretation of it. Jessika: That was what I got too. Mike: Yeah. And Christopher Lambert, he shows up in the pilot to help set things up and get them moving. But I think that's the only time we ever really seen him on the show. Jessika: Correct. He's really just an intro. He's in that first episode only. Mike: You have rewatched it as a have I . We haven't watched the entire series all the way through, but we've watched a lot of episodes. Jessika: Correct. Mike: How do you feel [00:30:00] it measures up today? compared to that nostalgic view that we had before, Jessika: I had a lot of fun watching it, actually. definitely super cheesy. I don't love all of the characters I watched a lot of the first season, then I bounced around I think I did the top, like 25 on a list that you sent me. But Duncan’s just so codependent sometimes with his characters and it's like the one time the Tessa goes on a hike by herself, she gets kidnapped by an, a mortal and it’s like, oh my God, she can't even go on a fucking hike, are you joking me? And the one time he goes to the store by himself, he gets kidnapped and it's like, oh, come the fuck on you guys. Mike: Yeah, I feel like it generally holds up pretty well. It's a little uneven, but when it hits , it really hits. And it's a lot of fun. And considering that it was a relatively low budget show on basic cable in the early to mid-nineties, there's a lot of stuff that has aged way worse. [00:31:00] Jessika:: Absolutely. It exceeded my expectations on the rewatch, for sure. Mike: Yeah, and I have to say that one really cool thing about Highlander is it's got a really large female fan base. And I suspect that the show is really responsible for that. Jessika: I would agree. There's a few reasons. Mike: Are six of those reasons. Duncan's abs? Jessika: Like 10 of those reasons are all the times he gets surprised in a bathtub. I know I messaged you while I was watching them, because I was like Duncan got surprised in a bathtub again. Mike: I don't remember which episode it was, but there's one where he is surprised while he's in a bathrobe and he's got, it's not even tighty whities, it’s like a bikini brief, and watching that, I was just sitting there going, thank you for this gift. Thank you. Thank you for this visual treat that you have given us in the middle of my very boring work day. Jessika: It’s [00:32:00] also that there are such a wide variety of female characters. I would say, Iit’s not just the other female person he seeing or whatever, the love interest, there are other female Immortals and they a lot more frequently than they do in the films. I can't recall if they have any female immortals in the films. Mike: They do in Endgame. Jessika: Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I thought there was, there were some in there, but that’s tailing into, I mean yeah. Mike: Yeah. And the Source had them too, but meh. Jessika: Oh yeah. Mike: I will say that the show was pretty good about writing pretty strong female characters, I felt. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: And we'll talk about Amanda in a little bit, but I have to say that I really liked how she was written and how Elizabeth Grayson played her through the original series and then her own afterwards. I dunno. I, what do you think is the sexiest thing about Duncan MacLeod? I'm curious. Jessika: He seems [00:33:00] really like trustworthy, but like and sexy trustworthy. It's like, he'd be the dude. I called if some guys were fucking with me. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: I kept on thinking about how there's this Tumblr post that's been going around the internet, regularly, and it's this discussion about which Disney men women find the sexiest guys always thinks it's Gaston. Jessika: Oh lord, why? Mike: It’s that male power fantasy thing where they're just like, oh no, like he's like really charming. And he's really muscly. And the counterargument from women is usually A no Gaston sucks and B we all like Roger from 101 Dalmatians. Jessika: Oh yeah. Roger. Mike: Which, Roger is very much my personal role model. The dude's a talented musician, he loves animals and he's got that great, a snark where he literally is trolling the villain when she comes to his house with a motherfucking trombone from upstairs [00:34:00]. And I think Duncan's a little like that. Like he's cultured and he's worldly and he's got this wicked sense of humor. And he's also the type of dude who has no problem reciting poetry in public or making his partner breakfast in bed. Jessika: Yeah, absolutely. Mike: So it just it was something that came to mind while I was rewatching all this stuff. Jessika: Yeah. just as like a wholesome guy. Mike: Right? Jessika: He always has good intentions. So that's actually what it feels like. He's always coming at things with good intentions. Mike: Yeah, and he's not perfect, but he's always trying to do the right thing, which I really appreciate. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: What was your favorite episode? Jessika: I went back and forth. I really like the Homeland episode, and like I said, I've really only watched a good chunk of most of season what I would say, and then so kind of bounced around, but season four, episode one. It was really sweet to see [00:35:00] Duncan take the obligatory trip back to his Homeland to pay respects. And it also had a good lesson in not judging a book by its cover as the main character assumes that Duncan is just an ancestry tourist, which was super interesting. She was super hating on it but I was like this is interesting instead of visiting what once was literally his home during formative years. So it was just such a wild thing to see her be like, what are you doing near those graves? And he can't really be like, they were my parents because you cannot even read them. They are so old. Mike: The funny thing is I didn't rewatch that episode during our refresher, but I remember watching that episode when I was about 15 or so. Because it's stuck out to me. Jessika: It’s really good. And of course, Duncan, he always has a good intention. The whole reason he went back was because he figured out that somebody had been [00:36:00] pilfering graves Mike: Yeah. Jessika: And he had to return what was in this grave. Mike: I know he's making the rest of us look bad. So mine is, it's unusual suspects. It's from season six, which I feel is actually pretty weak season overall. And it's this really silly one-off episode, starring Roger Daltry of the Who fame. He plays Hugh Fitzcairn, which is a character that he shows up in plays a couple of times throughout the series. And at this point in time in the story, he was dead, but it's a flashback to the 19 teens or 1920s. 1920s, because it ends with the stock market crash, but it's a take on the British country, house murder, mystery genre, and it's really fun. And it was just this really refreshing moment of levity after what I felt our run of really heavy, and in my opinion, not very good episodes. The end of season five and the beginning of season [00:37:00] six are all about Duncan confronting this demon named Aramon and it's weird and it's not very good. And I really don't enjoy it. This is all my opinion. I'm sure that I'm insulting some Highlander fan who absolutely loves this, but it's a fun episode in its own. And then it's a good moment after one that I didn't really enjoy. And so it's got that extra refreshing bonus. I just, I want to note, it's really funny to me how intertwined Highlander has always been with rock and roll and music in general, because they had Mulcahey who do it, doing all these music videos and stuff. And then they kept on having musicians show up as guest stars. I think it was there's a character named Xavier St. Cloud, I think who was played by one of the guys from, again, I think, Fine Young Cannibals? Jessika: Yeah, I think I actually watched that episode. Mike: I think he was using nerve gas to kill people. Jessika: Yes I did watch that episode. That was a wild one. Yeah. Mike: Yeah, and I think he shows up later on too. [00:38:00] I can't remember but anyway, I really appreciate that they gave Roger Daltry of all people, this character, and he just really had fun with it and they kept bringing him back. Jessika: Yeah. He was a good character every episode he was in my other favorites was the one where they had Mary Shelley and he was in that one too. I believe. Mike: I think so. Yeah. No, it was, the series was really fun, and I liked that we can sit there and pull all these episodes just from memory that we really liked. Jessika: Absolutely. Mike: So season six , they were trying to find a new actress who could carry her own Highlander show. And so they tested out a bunch of different actresses in season six and gave them either really strong guest appearances, or they were basically the main character for episodes. But they wound up not going with any of them. They went with Elizabeth Grayson and gave her the Raven where she reprised her roles Amanda. Did you watch any of that? Did you get a chance to? Jessika: I watched the [00:39:00] first and the last episode of season one, I can only find the first season. Is there only one? Mike: There’s only one season, it didn’t get picked up again. Jessika: Oh then there you go. Then I could have only, I know I was scratching my head. Worried about where else do I find this? Mike: Well, and it ends on a cliff-hanger. Jessika: Yeah, exactly. That's where I was like, let's go. Mike: It ends with Nick becoming immortal. Jessika: Oh, see, I didn't quite finish it. Cause I was hurriedly setting it up in the background. Mike: Yeah it was fine. I thought Elizabeth Grayson is really charming in that role, but at the same time, there wasn't a lot of chemistry initially between Amanda and Nick, I felt at the very beginning. Jessika: I agree, not in the first episode. Mike: By the end of the season, it was there, and I think they were also, as is the case with most shows first seasons, they were trying really hard to figure out what they wanted to do. And so originally it was a cop show with an immortal, which there are certainly worse pitches that I've heard. Jessika: Yeah. No, I agree. Mike: But yeah. sad that it didn't get to go further [00:40:00] Jessika: I'm tempted to go back and watch all of these things. I may have to do a pallet cleanse of something different. I may have to go back to my Marvel watching. Mike: On top of this, there was a Saturday morning cartoon called Highlander, the series or Highlander, the animated series, and it was set in the future. It's in a weird alternate timeline. It stars another MacLeod. It's fine It's a Saturday morning cartoon. I didn't even care enough to really go back and watch it because being that great. They did some interesting stuff. Like they brought Ramirez back if I remember, right. And then they also had a thing where instead of beheading other Immortals, the main character had an ability where he could be voluntarily given their power. Jessika: Oh. Mike: So he had all of their knowledge and power. And again, it’s again in a dystopian future where another immortal has taken over the world. Jessika: Wow. They just love their dystopian future. Mike: They really do. But yeah, it's fine. I think it's streaming on Amazon prime. I was just so focused on everything else that I didn't get a chance to go and [00:41:00] rewatch it. Jessika: Huh, good to know. Mike: We're going to go over all the other various pieces of media real quick. and then we've got one side tangent and then we're going to go through comic books, but. Jessika: I'm so excited. Mike: Books, Highlander wound up having a pretty substantial literary footprint. The original movie had the official novelization. There wasn't really anything after that until the show came out and then the show had 10 novels and an anthology and an official behind the scenes kind of book called the Watchers Guide and it's full of essays and interviews and photos. And since then, there've been a couple of non-fiction books, like Fearful Symmetry, which is about everything Highlander related. And it's almost like a textbook, but it's pretty good. And then there's also A Kind of Magic, which is more focused on making of the original movie. And those are both actually really good. I liked them a lot. They were really easy to read. [00:42:00] There were audio plays, which I keep on forgetting audio plays are a thing at this point, but it's by this company called Big Finish in the UK. They do tie-in audio dramas for television properties. Most famously they do Dr Who. They wound up doing two seasons of audio plays. The first had Adrian Paul reprise his role as Duncan and they take place after the series ended. And then also after the events of Endgame, you can't really find them anymore. Because they just, the license expired so they aren't selling them as far as I'm aware. Jessika: That's super interesting though. Dang. Mike: Yeah. And then the second season focuses on the four horsemen Immortals, remember Jessika: Okay. Mike: Do you remember them? Jessika: I sure do. Mike: Because we were talking about this a little bit, but it was all about Methos and the other guys that he hung out with when he was effectively, a comic book villain who would've if he’d had a mustache to twirl, he would have done it. Jessika: So quickly. Yes. Mike: I thought that was really interesting. There were a couple of people in the Highlander Heart [00:43:00] group who talked about it and they seem to really like them. I can't comment, but it was really neat. Games, this is the one that's really interesting. Highlander actually has been turned into a number of games over the years. There's a couple of tabletop games we're going to breeze through. So there was two different card games in a board game. One of the card games was released back in the nineties, it was a collectible card game. And this was right when Magic: The Gathering was really hot and everybody was trying to get in on that action. And then recently there's a new one called Highlander: The Duel. And it's a deck-building game where you play as Connor or the Kurgan going up against each other. And just a couple of years ago, there was a board game that got kick-started, it was in 2018 and it's this fast paced game for two to six players. The reviews across the web were pretty positive. And again, it's one of those things where it's Immortals battling for that mysterious prize. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: But it's cool. Jessika: Nice. Mike: I’m actually pretty surprised [00:44:00] we never got like a tabletop RPG because they are not precious about applying the license for Highlander to stuff. I'm amazed that nobody went to them and said, Hey, we can make this cool historical RPG where we sorta start having players wake up and then they have flashbacks or whatever. And Jessika: Yeah Oh that would have been cool Yeah Mike: Right? But yeah we never got anything like that which I was really I actually that was the one thing I expected and was surprised to see that we never got. Okay. So we're going to go into mini tangent with video games even though they aren't technically related to comics. The first game for Highlander was a 1986 tie-in release for home computers. It was a really simple fighting title. It wasn't well received. It was apparently pretty bad. So after that the animated series had a tie in called Highlander: Last of the MacLeods. It was released on the Atari Jaguar CD console. If you remember that. Do you remember the Atari Jaguar? Jessika: Oh my god, no. I don't. [00:45:00] Mike: It kinda got lost in the shuffle in the early to mid nineties of all the different consoles that were coming out. But you can find footage of this on YouTube and it's one of those early 3d games. And so it got a lot of praise for his exploration elements and animated video sequences, but it also got a lot of criticism for its controls in combat. After that there was actually going to be an MMO called Highlander, The Gathering. And it was in development by a French studio called Kalisto entertainment, which was honestly weird because Kalisto's catalog up until now were mostly middling single-player games. They'd gotten famous for a series called Nightmare Creatures, but they also did a Fifth Element racing game on PS2 that I had and was actually pretty fun. Anyway, Kalisto went bankrupt before the MMO could come out. Jessika: Oh! Mike: And none of the folks who, yeah, that's video games. Jessika: Fair enough. Mike: So they went bankrupt. The MMO hadn't come out yet. And the folks who wound up with the rights afterwards just decided to kill the project. There's [00:46:00] one other game. That's become the source of a lot of speculation. And it's only known as Highlander: The Game it basically came about because Davis Panzer productions that's, the guys who own the rights to Highlander, and SCI, which was this holding company that owned a bunch of video game groups. They decided to ink a deal, to make a Highlander game. They announced that they basically had done a partnership back in like 2004, 2005. And at the time SCI owned Eidos who was the publisher that gave us Tomb Raider. So they were a pretty big name. The game itself was formally announced by Eidos in 2008 and the development was being handled by another French developer called Widescreen Games. It was going to be an action role-playing game. It would star a new Immortal named Owen MacLeod. The story was going to be written again by David Abramowitz and that added some [00:47:00] serious legitimacy to the project for fans. Actually, why don’t you read the summary. Jessika: Would love to my pleasure. Summary: Owen is captured and enslaved by Romans who force him to compete as a gladiator. During this time, Owen dies only to come back to life. Methos, the oldest living immortal approaches Owen to be his mentor. He teaches Owen about the game and how he and other Immortals can only be slain by beheading. As with other immortal MacLeods Owen is pursued throughout his life by a nemesis. This enemy proves to be extremely powerful. One that Owen is unable to defeat Owen learns of a magical stone, fragments of which are scattered all over the world. Throughout the game, Owen embarks upon a quest to recover these fragments and restore the stone in an attempt to gain the power to overcome his foe. [00:48:00] So dramatic. I love it. Mike: What's Highlander without any drama? But that sounds rad right? Jessika: Oh, it sounds amazing. Mike: The game was announced with a trailer in 2008 that really only showed some of the environments from different eras and then it ended with an image of Owen, but it looked promising. And then there wasn't much else after a couple of years of pretty much nothing but radio silence, Eidos wound up canceling the game and that's where a lot of the speculation has started. There's not a lot of information on Highlander: The Game. I keep waiting for one of those gaming history YouTubers to get ahold of an old dev kit and then do a video with a build, but that hasn't happened yet. So really it's all kind of speculation and wishful thinking about what could have been. And it also seems like some of the details are getting muddied as time goes on. Like Fearful Symmetry talks about the game of it but they [00:49:00] have the segment. And again I want you to read this. Jessika: Sure sure. The gam was so far along in its development stages that segments including backdrops and some of the gameplay options were presented at a Highlander Worldwide event in Los Angeles 2006 and got a very positive reaction. The beautifully rendered backdrops were almost movie quality and included the likes of Pompei, a dark forest in the Highlands, New York, and Japan as gameplay locations and introduced us to another MacLeod, Owen, the same surname but a much earlier vintage. Mike: Yeah, so, I think Mosby is a little overly enthusiastic about all of this, and this is because I think Mosby doesn't have much familiarity with how game development works. It sounds like they had concept art on display and were discussing gameplay [00:50:00] rather than showcasing a build of the game. Concept art and design discussions are things that happen very early in game development. But if you're an outsider, looking in this stuff could easily be interpreted as things being much further along than they were. Jessika: Ah. Mike: Yeah. Now that said, I did work in video games for almost a decade, and a few of my coworkers were actually involved with Highlander the game. Jessika: What? Mike: Every one of them over the years has told me the cancellation was a mercy killing. And again, this is from multiple sources, so I'm not going to name or identify because, I don't want to make things awkward for them. But basically the game was garbage . It's not really surprising to hear cause widescreen never really made a good game, the best reception that any of their titles got was just kinda mixed. But earlier this week, I actually called one of my friends. Who'd been [00:51:00] attached to the project because I wanted to get more information about this game before we recorded. Jessika: We need to get you a new shovel, you dug so deep for this. Mike: With both hands. But, they confirmed what I've been hearing from other people the gameplay itself wasn't just bad. It was boring. The biggest problem was it didn't know what kind of a game it wanted to be. Basically, it was trying to do everything all at once. There were a bunch of traversal elements, which didn't really make a lot of sense. Like why would you climb a Manhattan skyscraper when you're a roided out dude with a sword? Couldn't you just take the elevator? Or I don't know the stairs? There was going to be a bunch of Magic elements in the gameplay, which, isn't really, that's not really a thing in Highlander. There's that fantasy element because we're talking about Immortals who can't die unless you cut off their heads, but generally Magic isn't a part of the accepted Canon. And then the combat, what they were aiming to do something like [00:52:00] God of war, which was really big at the time. But, it wasn't great. My friend also pointed out that Owen looked like a bodybuilder, but his fashion sense was from that industrial metal scene of the late nineties, which neither of those things really fits with the Highlander aesthetic because Adrian Paul was arguably the most in shape of the Highlander actors. But even that was, he was a dude who was like, yeah, I could achieve that if I was really good about my diet and then just worked out aggressively but not like Hugh Jackman does for his Wolverine roles. Jessika: Yeah, yeah. Mike: So I'm going to send you a screenshot of what Owen looked like in the key art the initial title it does. Jessika: What? It looks like Criss Angel. Mike: Right. And they're trying to recreate that iconic pose of The Quickening from the first movie that Connor does at the very end where he's getting raised up and, by the rails of Lightning, or the wires [00:53:00] of lightning. Jessika: Yeah, I get what they were trying to do. Mike: Yeah,I wanna know, what the fuck is up with those weird straps with rings that are going down his legs. Jessika: I don't really know, I was trying to figure that out myself. So just so that everyone can really get the picture that we're getting here and you'll, you might understand why it's taken me so long to describe it. I had to take it all in first. Mike: Yeah, it’s a ride. Jessika: It’s all very monochromatic. And the background is of course, a cut of the statue of Liberty, the backdrop of parts of New York that I'm sure aren't even next to each other, which is always funny. And then what is this? Is this the new guy, or is this supposed to be Duncan? Mike: Yeah, this is the new guy, Jessika: It’s Owen. Mike: Yeah. It's Owen. And then Connor and Duncan were supposed to appear, supposedly. I know Peter Wingfield was recording his lines for Methos. Jessika: Well, if they haven't killed off Methos that makes sense. And I don't know in the series if they have, and maybe Duncan makes [00:54:00] sense if he hasn't died yet, but. Mike: Yeah they can't kill off Methos, Methos was my first gay crush. Jessika: Yeah. He's. Slightly problematic in a couple episodes, but he's a great character overall. But he's very Chriss Angel, he's wearing like a trench coat and that has to be some sort of a lace undershirt or something. Mike: lAnd he’s got like a weird really, like baggy leather pants. Jessika: Yes. Which cannot be comfortable. It's doing this weird pooching thing in the front. Mike: Yeah, and then I think I saw another screenshot where it looks like he's wearing skater shoes tennis shoes as well. Jessika: Oh, Vans Off the Wall, man. Mike: Just once I want to see a MacLeod in the movies with a good fashion sense. Jessika: Yeah, I mentioned that I wanted to cosplay as Duncan, which overall would be a great idea. But then I was looking through his outfits and I'm like, what do I wear? Do I wear this weird white tank top with these like acid wash jeans [00:55:00] and a belt? Or is this the one where I'm wearing like five shirts and a long jacket? Is it that day? Mike: You know who he looks like that guy, Canus. Jessika: Yes! Yes, does. He has the lace shirt and everything. Mike: And the dog collar. Jessika: Oh my god, it was so funny. I told you, I think it was trying to be edgy. Mike: Yeah, and instead it comes off as really queer-coded. Jessika: It really does though. I know, my little queer brain was like bling. Mike: Yeah, It feels like they weren't really getting the essence of what Highlander actually was and who these guys were, because usually the Highlander characters are a little bit more believable and ordinary because that's the whole idea is that they're walking among us and we have no idea unless they tell us. Okay. On top of all this. So remember how I mentioned that trailer was just showcasing environments for the [00:56:00] game. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: There was a reason for that. The reason was that they couldn’t get the character models to work. Jessika: Oh! Mike: So the shot of Owen at the end it's actually just animated key art it's the same it's the same art that you just saw. It's that image. It was just slightly animated. And then they released a couple of screenshots for the game, but apparently they were really heavily photo-shopped well, beyond industry standards. So, it was one of those things where, this was a turd and it needed to be flushed. And it finally did. But Widescreen went under about a year after the game was formally announced. They were working on another big project and apparently that got taken away, and as a result, it just caused the studio to implode. By this point in time Square Enix the guys do all the final fantasy games had bought Eidos and they formally canceled it. We're not sure why exactly, my guess is that it was probably, they just looked at cost it would take to finish this game and then the [00:57:00] amount that it would need to sell in order to be profitable or to meet their sales expectations for it and they just thought it wasn't worth it. But yeah, my friend actually said they were embarrassed to work on it and they would have been fine even if it had been an average game, but it was just bad. Even one of those kind of middling average games, I think that would have been fine, that would have lived up to the Highlander bar. Finally, there's that Highlander game that spark unlimited was working on. I never even heard a whisper about this until. We watched that episode of Highlander Heart focusing on video games, and they brought Craig Allen on to talk about the project. Based on what we know now, I think this might be why Square Enix was holding onto the rights for another year after they shut down Highlander, the game, just because they had this other title, theoretically in development or very early development. Based on the footage that they have, it looks like they had at least done enough development work to put together a vertical slice that they could show for pitch [00:58:00] purposes and at conventions. But I thought it was really promising looking overall. What did you think? Jessika: I thought it did look really interesting the game play itself I did like the idea of having a female Highlander. That being said, they had this whole concept about what Craig Allen was calling beautiful damage. Mike: Yeah. Jessika: And it was this whole thing about, oh it was the first female Highlander and her looks go when she gets damaged, and that's her whole motivation is to stay pretty. And I just, that gave me a huge headache, and it of course was super male-gazey I mean, the game itself seemed that way. Mike: It was weird because I would love to see women and Highlander being built a little bit more like warriors, like a little bit more muscly, which would be in keeping with people who battle across the centuries. [00:59:00] They don't need to be super jacked like the Amazons in Wonder Woman, but making them look like stick thin suicide girl, punk rock chick from the late aughts. Didn't quite gel with me. I understood what he was talking about though, because that was the thing where they were starting to do permanent cosmetic damage in video games. That was something that was really big in the Batman Arkham games. Every time that you got knocked out, you'd come back and you'd have a little bit more of your outfit chipped apart. So, after a while Batman's looking pretty ragged and you realize maybe I'm not as good at this game as I think I am. Jessika: Yeah And the concept itself is really interesting It just I guess was the way it was phrased by this person. And it very much was he was so proud of the fact that it was the first Highlander female in a video game. And then everything was just like so incredibly sexist. I was excited that I wasn't Mike: We're also viewing it, with the lens of 2021 at this point. At that time, [01:00:00] that was before they had relaunched Tomb Raider, in 2013, 2014, where they made her much more realistic. She was still very fit, but she wasn't the Lara Croft that had generated a lot of criticism. I think possibly, I don't know, but I hope that it would have been marketed a bit differently if it had been done today. That said we also don't know exactly what it would look like as a final product. Jessika: Oh absolutely, yeah. Mike: It’s, I agree. It's a little bit problematic viewed through the current lens. At the same time, like a lot of the Highlander properties when it was being done, I think it was kind of just par for the course. Jessika: Yeah, fair enough. But, I did like the idea of having a female Highlander and having her have a whole story regardless of whether it's the first one to be completely [01:01:00] tragedy laden which was the other comment like her experience a ton of loss because she's female and experiences empathy unlike the male characters. Mike: I really didn't like that. Actually. I thought that was. I mean the, the whole thing where they were saying we wanted to focus on lifetimes of tragedy as opposed to enjoying multiple lives. And I'm like, that's the whole purpose of Highlander. That's what I really like is when you sit there and you watch them having fun and doing all this interesting stuff. Jessika: Women aren't allowed to have fun, Mike. Mike: Apparently. Jessika: We just have to have lives full of tragedy and pining for people that we've lost in our lives. Mike: Well, yeah. And we all know that the dudes don't have feelings, so we just, you know, go on and enjoy things. Jessika: That does suck that Hugh they don't give men the ability to have that capacity or give them the the credit to have that capacity. Mike: I will say, I am sorry that this one didn't get further along the development [01:02:00] stages, because it certainly seemed like it had a lot more promise than the title that was canceled right before it. Jessika: Yes, the gameplay itself looked more interesting, it looks more complex, it easier to navigate. What they were showing us was really intense. Mike: I really liked that whole idea of being able to view the environments in two different eras. It reminded me a lot of another Eidos game called legacy of Cain soul river, where there was a spiritual world and then a physical world. And you could flip back and forth between them, which was kind of cool. Jessika: Oh, that’s neat Mike: Yeah. I dug that. I liked the idea of exploring the same environment in two different areas. I thought that was really neat. Jessika: Yeah. Mike: Let's move on to Comics. Jessika: Sounds great. Mike: Okay, so, I’m curious. When do you think that Highlander got big enough to get a comic book? Jessika: I don't know maybe late nineties Mike: 2006. Jessika: Wow [01:03:00] That's later than I had expected. Mike: Yeah. There wasn't a comic adaptation of the movie when it came out, which is weird, there wasn't one here in the States. Highlander Heart, in their YouTube podcast, noted there was a series of five newspaper comic strips that were published as part marketing promotion. The hosts weren't entirely certain if they're exclusive to Europe or not. I don't know. I haven't been able to really find much reference to it. After the movie came out, though there was a two-part comic adaptation in Argentina. It was published through El Tony Todo Color and El Tony Supercolor they were sibling comic anthology magazines, and here's the weird twist. It looks like this was an unlicensed adaptation. Jessika: Mmhm, interesting. Mike: So now we're going to take another side tangent. The important thing that you need to know is that Argentina had just come out of a brutal military dictatorship that came about as part of Operation Condor, which is this horrific program the United States was involved in. And it isn't really taught about in high school history, at least it [01:04:00] wasn't when I was going through high school and I went to a pretty good one. did you ever learn about that? I'm curious. Jessika: No, I did not. Mike: Okay I'm giving you an extremely TLDR read of this, but basically this was a program in the seventies and eighties when the US backed military dictatorships across South America. So our country helped these groups, kidnap, torture, rape murder, thousands of political opponents, like Argentina was especially brutal. There were literally death squads, hunting down political distance across the country. It was a really horrific time. I want you to read this summary of what was going on during that time, actually. Jessika: Give me the really fun stuff I see. Mike: Sorry. Jessika: No you're good. It is estimated that between - 9,000 and 30,000 that's a huge span. Mike: I know, it’s such a margin of error I don't understand. Jessika: Lack of record taking will get you there quick, I think. I'm going to start over, but we’ll leave that in. It is estimated that between [01:05:00] 9,000 and 30,000 people were killed or disappeared, many of whom were impossible to formally report due to the nature of state terrorism. The primary target, like in many other South American countries participating in Operation Condor, were communist guerrillas and sympathizers, but the target of Operation Condor also included students, militants trade, unionists, writers, journalists, I don't love this, artists, and any other citizens suspected of being left-wing activists - well take me the goddamn way away. Mike: Right. Jessika: Including Peronist guerillas. I don't love that. Mike: No it's really awful. And based on that list of targets, it's not surprising that there was a lot of media suppression during this time. Democracy returned to the country in ’83, and there was this explosion of art across the mediums. Argentine Comics [01:06:00] saw this Renaissance period. A lot of them though, weren't really licensed and let's be honest. It's not like there's an internet where IP owners could monitor stuff like this and shut it down when they learned about it. There was also this drastic comics increase in the area due to create or publishing Zines because the eighties was the decade where personal computers suddenly became commonplace and all of a sudden pe
Jefferson Pierce is back with his whole family as backup. We have mad scientists galore, cell regeneration roadkill, poison knives, and godly health clinics. Not to mention a dash of white supremacy. Black Lightning does it all. Join us as we discuss Black Lightning season 2. Season 2 Breakdown: The Book of Consequences The Book of Blood The Book of Rebellion The Book of Secrets The Book of the Apocalypse https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-religious-health-care-restrictions-often-take-patients-by-surprise/ https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/religious-freedom-rule-could-cause-significant-damage-lgbtq-health-care-n1001996
New episodes on the 2nd and 22nd of every month, with interstitial episodes released on the 12th.If you would like to contact us or recommend a series for us to watch/listen/play/otherwise interact with and review you can email us at CopilotsReview@gmail.com or reach us on Twitter at @copilotsreview, or join the Discord or find all of these options at copilotsreview.simplecast.com. Thanks again!Also, even though the social media hype has died down, protests have lessened in frequency and it's no longer "trending"; discrimination based on race is still an issue in our country. THIS is still one of the best places to start if you are trying to get involved and make a positive change.Lastly we want to thank Jessica Kuczynski! She designed our awesome podcast art. You can find her other work, her shop or commission her for original art at her website jessicakuczynski.com or at her twitter.
This Week on Earth Station DCU! Drew Leiter and Cletus Jacobs discuss the Watchmen Season Finale! Lois Lane is questioned by the FBI in Action Comics #1027. The Batfamily tries to hold off a riot instigated by the mirror in Detective Comics #1031. It is the final battle against the Upside-down Man in Justice League Dark #28. Mordru attacks in Legion of Super-Heroes #11. Dr. Alchemy strikes in The Flash #766. Diana must stop Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman #767. Harley Quinn confronts the Neo-Joker in Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn #2. Jefferson Pierce gives us a history lesson in The Other History of the DC Universe #1. All this plus, DC News, Cletus's pick of the week, Watchmen, and much, much more! ------------------------ Table of Contents 0:00:00 Show Open 0:01:50 DC News 0:18:51 Action Comics #1027 0:22:21 Detective Comics #1031 0:25:28 Justice League Dark #28 0:30:16 Legion of Super-Heroes #11 0:35:00 The Flash #766 0:37:55 Wonder Woman #767 0:42:03 Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1 0:45:22 Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn #2 0:51:29 The Other History of the DC Universe #1 1:01:25 Watchmen S1 Ep9 – See How They Fly 1:10:06 Show Close Links Action Comics #1027 Detective Comics #1031 Justice League Dark #28 Legion of Super-Heroes #11 The Flash #766 Wonder Woman #767 Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1 Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn #2 The Other History of the DC Universe #1 Black Lightning (1977-1978) #7 (Cletus's Read More Comics Pick) Earth Station One Tales of the Station Earth Station One Tales of the Station Vol. 2 The Chameleon Chronicles: Colors of Fate The Chameleon Chronicles: Sisters of the Thorn Want to Donate to the Show or Sponsor our Comics Talk for this week? No problem! Just click on the donate button below! If you would like to leave feedback, comment on the show, or would like us to give you a shout out, please call the ESDCU feedback line at (317) 564-9133 (remember long distance charges may apply) or feel free to email us @ earthstationdcu@gmail.com
Daily Spinner Rack focuses on a random old comic book for a few minutes every day. Call it nostalgia, call it getting old, but fans of a certain age miss the feeling of going into a drug store or supermarket and picking a comic off of a spinner rack... In this episode of Daily Spinner Rack, Dan goes back to 1978 to read BLACK LIGHTNING #9! SUPPORT CBP: Join our Patreon: patreon.com/comicbookpitt Donate: https://ko-fi.com/comicbookpitt Get some gear: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/comic-book-pitt Leave a review: It just takes a moment and a 5 star rating goes a long way in helping other people discover the show. You can do it right from your phone in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. We really appreciate your ratings and reviews, it's how the show grows. WHERE TO FIND US: Comic Book Pitt is part of the SORGATRON MEDIA NETWORK EPISODES: You can listen to us on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, and Spotify! EMAIL: comicbookpitt@gmail.com SOCIAL MEDIA: FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM
We live in the sunlight in a world we believe to be real. But... there is another story to be told in The Other History of the DC Universe. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure Dueling Reviews continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) [caption id="attachment_581067" align="alignright" width="276"] You can purchase this issue via the comiXology affiliate link[/caption] THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #1 written by JOHN RIDLEY art by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and ANDREA CUCCHI cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and MARCO MASTRAZZO 1:25 variant cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL PRESTIGE PLUS FORMAT RESOLICIT | ON SALE 11/24/20 $6.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 5 | FC 8.5″ x 10.875″ | BIMONTHLY | NO ADS DC BLACK LABEL | AGES 17+ Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Let It Fall) examines the mythology of the DC Universe in this compelling new miniseries that reframes iconic moments of DC history and charts a previously unexplored sociopolitical thread as seen through the prism of DC Super Heroes who come from traditionally disenfranchised groups. This unique new series presents its story as prose by Ridley married with beautifully realized illustrations by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi. Issue #1 follows the story of Jefferson Pierce, the man who will one day become Black Lightning, as he makes his way from being a young track star to a teacher and, ultimately, to his role as a hero. Future issues focus on characters such as Karen and Mal Duncan, Tatsu Yamashiro, and Renee Montoya. Extensively researched and masterfully executed, The Other History of the DC Universe promises to be an experience unlike any other. You may think you know the history of the DC Universe…but the truth is far more complex. The Other History of the DC Universe isn’t about saving the world—it’s about having the strength to simply be who you are.
We live in the sunlight in a world we believe to be real. But... there is another story to be told in The Other History of the DC Universe. Show your thanks to Major Spoilers for this episode by becoming a Major Spoilers Patron at patreon.com/MajorSpoilers. It will help ensure Dueling Reviews continues far into the future! Join our Discord server and chat with fellow Spoilerites! (https://discord.gg/jWF9BbF) [caption id="attachment_581067" align="alignright" width="276"] You can purchase this issue via the comiXology affiliate link[/caption] THE OTHER HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #1 written by JOHN RIDLEY art by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and ANDREA CUCCHI cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and MARCO MASTRAZZO 1:25 variant cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL PRESTIGE PLUS FORMAT RESOLICIT | ON SALE 11/24/20 $6.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 5 | FC 8.5″ x 10.875″ | BIMONTHLY | NO ADS DC BLACK LABEL | AGES 17+ Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave, Let It Fall) examines the mythology of the DC Universe in this compelling new miniseries that reframes iconic moments of DC history and charts a previously unexplored sociopolitical thread as seen through the prism of DC Super Heroes who come from traditionally disenfranchised groups. This unique new series presents its story as prose by Ridley married with beautifully realized illustrations by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi. Issue #1 follows the story of Jefferson Pierce, the man who will one day become Black Lightning, as he makes his way from being a young track star to a teacher and, ultimately, to his role as a hero. Future issues focus on characters such as Karen and Mal Duncan, Tatsu Yamashiro, and Renee Montoya. Extensively researched and masterfully executed, The Other History of the DC Universe promises to be an experience unlike any other. You may think you know the history of the DC Universe…but the truth is far more complex. The Other History of the DC Universe isn’t about saving the world—it’s about having the strength to simply be who you are.
In this week's episode we talk all about athlete, educator, and superhero Jefferson Pierce, aka Black Lightning! That's right, he finally gets his own episode, and we discuss his adventures, powers, adversaries, and more! Intro Music by Aaron Barry Find more great podcasts like this on Brain Freeze To ask questions for the next episode, or to continue the conversation online visit us here: On Twitter On Facebook On Instagram On our Website Or check out our new store for merch And our Patreon!
On this week's Stack podcast: The Other History of the DC Universe #1 DC Comics Story by John Ridley Layouts by Giuseppe Camuncoli Finishes by Andrea Cucchi Monstress: Talk Stories #1 Image Comics Written by Marjorie Liu Illustrated by Sina Takeda Power Pack #1 Marvel Written by Ryan North Art by Nico Leon The Department of Truth #3 Image Comics Written by James Tynion IV Art by Martin Simmonds Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1 DC Comics Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Patton Oswalt, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, Saladin Ahmed, and Brandon Thomas Art by Juan Gedeon, Chad Hardin, Scot Eaton, and Thomas Mandrake Nailbiter Returns #7 Image Comics Written By Joshua Williamson Art by Mike Henderson Daredevil #24 Marvel Written by Chip Zdarsky Pencils by Mike Hawthorne Undiscovered Country #10 Image Comics Written by Scott Snyder & Charles Soule Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli & Leonardo Marcello Grassi An Unkindness of Ravens #3 BOOM! Studios Written by Dan Panosian Illustrated by Marianna Ignazzi The Last God #10 DC Comics Created and written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson Art by Riccardo Federici Chu #5 Image Comics Written by John Layman Art by Dan Boultwood X-Men #15 Marvel Written by Jonathan Hickman Art by Mahmud Asrar Excalibur #15 Marvel Written by Tini Howard Art by Mahmud Asrar and Stefano Caselli X of Swords: Destruction #1 Marvel Written by Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard Art by Pepe Larraz The Scumbag #2 Image Comics Written by Rick Remender Art by Andrew Robinson SUBSCRIBE ON RSS, ITUNES, ANDROID, SPOTIFY, STITCHER OR THE APP OF YOUR CHOICE. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER, AND FACEBOOK. SUPPORT OUR SHOWS ON PATREON. This week's show is sponsored by the Just Been Revoked podcast. Full Episode Transcript: Alex: What is up, everybody? Welcome to The Stack. I'm Alex. Justin: I'm Justin. Pete: I'm Pete. Alex: And at The Staff we talk about a bunch of comics that came out this week, and we're going to kick it off with a big one, The Other History Of The DC Universe #1 from DC Comics. Story by John Ridley, layouts by Giuseppe Cammuncoli, finishes by Andrea Cucchi. You could probably figure it out by the title here as well as the cover, but this is obviously an alternate look at the DC Universe mostly through the eyes of Black Lightning, at least in this first issue. We'll see where it goes in subsequent issues. Alex: As he slowly works through his career, sees himself and other characters of color kind of pushed to the side of the DC Universe in favor of other characters like Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, learn something about himself, learn something about history. And mostly it's told through the images of course, but also told through prowess. Alex: I don't think there's really any dialogue whatsoever in this issue other than the what's told in the narration boxes. I thought this was pretty stunning, and almost across, this is probably too reductive, but across between a new frontier and the truth in a certain way. Justin: Oh yeah. Alex: What did you guys think about this book? Pete: I thought it was really touching, very powerful, moving, which was great. I really love the little Halloween thing, that was beautiful. Yeah, I was really happy to see this comic. I'm glad that this comic was made. It's a long time coming and I hope we get to see more of this. This is just great storytelling. Justin: Yeah. I mean, just the format, the art is so nice. It feels like such a statement. It feels like such a … It sort of has this silver age vibe to it, which I think gives it this historical precedent. It just feels so like something that will be on the shelf and in the conversation for a long time. Justin: And then like the otherness of it, like the way that Black Lightning story keeps getting told with the Justice League and the Glacier Heroes as a counterpoint, I think is really interesting. And like you said, Alex, the fact that he and just all the other black superheroes and black characters in this book get shoved to the side throughout, you really feel it throughout and feel that drive for what makes Black Lightning, Black Lightning. Alex: I cannot even imagine what it is like to read this book as a comic fan of color necessarily, obviously because I am white. But speaking as a white comic book reader, it is very hard to read from the perspective of Black Lightning looking at the other characters. And I don't know if you have this feeling, but I'm reading this and I'm like, “But Superman is not like that. That's not what Superman is like. That's not Batman.” I felt these walls kind of building in me of- Pete: Whoa. Look at you, you felt attacked. Alex: … Well, not attacked. Attacked is absolutely the wrong word, but this feeling of trying to wrap your brain around how somebody else feels about these sort of things is hard to do, and that's I think part of the point of the book. Because by the end you do get Jefferson Pierce starting to understand a little bit more of the wider world, bring down some of those walls himself and accept these things while still understanding that his experience is ultimately going to be intrinsically different from a lot of other characters in this universe. Alex: So it really brings you in, in that way as well. And like you said, Pete, there are multiple times I got choked up, just almost hitched, like is the best word for it, when something just snuck up on you in the book, these moments of strong emotion throughout, which I was very surprised about. And then the other thing you were mentioning about the art, Justin, it feels almost Neal Adams-like to me without being exaggerated, which I thought was kind of neat. Justin: Yeah, totally agree. It's a great book. And there I think there are what, four more issues? And this is coming up bimonthly, I want to say? Pete: We can't wait. Alex: Yeah, I'm very curious. I haven't read ahead about it, but I'm very curious to see whether it follows Black Lightning story throughout, which would make sense. And it's essentially a Black Lightning book, or if it's going to switch perspectives in nature too. Justin: I think it jumps around a little bit and touches on different characters. Another thing about this, the amount of continuity that is touched on here, and really owning it when it's like some of it is ridiculous, but really making it a part of this very real story I think is great. There's this Reagan pin with the Watchmen blood splatter on it, which I thought was very cool. Pete: Yeah. Alex: Great book. Definitely pick this one up. Next up, Monstress: Talk Stories #1 from Image Comics, written by Marjorie Liu, illustrated by Sana Takeda. I'd admit I have not read Monstress in a while, even though I really enjoy this book. The art is consistently gorgeous. Plus it takes place at in a fantasy world with some half personas, I guess I would call them. Pete: Yeah, nice. Alex: Yeah, absolutely. Pete: Great use of that word, that just came up. That was really organic and natural. Alex: Thank you so much, Pete. I really appreciate it. Justin: Tip of the tongue. Alex: In this book, we find a backstory on one of the characters. It's sweet, it's sad, it's harry. The character designs are great. I like this book quite a bit. What did you guys think? Justin: I agree, I like this a lot. There's some fun cooking. The cooking is really used as a great moment in this story. And this reminded me, I mean, it's such a … When I was a kid, first, the sort of furry ears on a human head was in Super Mario Brothers 3. That was the first time I encountered that. And to know that, that's such a thing, I was like, “What an interesting thing.” And to know that such a thing in Manga and everything was a revelation. Alex: And now here we are, three guys sitting in our own Tanooki Suits recording a podcast. Pete: Wow. Justin: 100%. Pete: Yeah. Justin: Metaphor. Pete: Well, they bring up an interesting question. What's your favorite meal you've ever had? I mean, I think that's a great question to kind of put out there. And also I- Justin: Yeah, I guess what garbage plate do you like the most? Pete: … Also the art and the storytelling is really superb. It is very- Justin: Art is great. Pete: … complicated, kind of cool story that we're kind of thrown into here, and it's really cool. Alex: Let's move on and talk about Power Pack #1 from Marvel- Pete: Okay, yeah. Very good. Alex: … written by Ryan North. Pete: You can ignore my question, that's cool. Alex: Oh, you were asking about- Justin: Favorite meal? Alex: … best meal we ever had? Pete: Favorite meal you've ever had. Yeah. Alex: Favorite meal? Did you offer up your favorite meal or did Justin just say garbage plate and you're like, “Yeah, fuck you.”? Pete: No, Justin just made a joke about garbage plates, but nobody's answered it yet. Alex: Oh, okay. Justin: Do you want me to go? Alex: No, I can go. On my honeymoon, we went to- Justin: Woohoo. Alex: … Yeah, on my honeymoon. We went to London and Paris. And particularly in Paris, we were like, “We're not going to look at any guidebooks, we're going to wing it. We're just going to like … We're not going to make any reservations, we're just going to wander around, we're going to find places.” And we consistently made the worst choices in terms of restaurants, just like absolutely … Just the tourist trap and just not good spots, and it was obvious- Pete: The [inaudible 00:07:42] of Paris. Alex: … as soon as we sat there, we were like, “Oh, no, this is bad.” One of the last days- Justin: I heard Paris TGI Friday's is actually one of the best ones. Alex: Yeah, they actually call it TGI Friday's. Justin: Yeah, wow. Alex: I couldn't think of any other French words. Pete: In other words, he wouldn't have done that. Alex: [inaudible 00:08:00] Friday's. Justin: Yeah. Alex: Anyway, so yeah, we were having a great time, but eating not great food, which you would expect in Paris. And one of the last days, one of the things that we really liked to do was just get some lunch and sit down at the Lourve in the park outside, which is this beautiful park and just eat the lunch. And we stumbled across this place called Maison de la Truffe, which is a ridiculously expensive black truffle restaurant. Alex: And everything in there, insanely expensive. We could not afford to sit down and eat, but they had a to go thing outside. And the cheapest thing that they had was a baguette with some truffle butter and sausage on it, and then a tiny little thing of champagne, just like this big. Alex: And there was a sack of things which we called basically fancy combos, because they were essentially just little wafers with cheese inside. And we took those and sat at the Louvre, and had this meal, and it was the best meal I had in Paris hands down. But also one of the best meals I've ever had. Just everything was ridiculously delicious. There you go. Justin: That's a great answer. I'm going to- Pete: And you're still married to this day? Alex: No, we got divorced. That was my first wife. Pete: Aw, my bad. Justin: The French woman he married for lunch. Alex: Hey, people married for all sorts of reasons. Justin: It's true. Alex: Lunch is- Justin: Lunch is a good one. Alex: … Yeah. Justin: Yeah. Your eyes are bigger than your stomach maritally. I'm going to give it up for my mom's taco dip. Very good. But just as- Alex: I'm also going to give it up for your mom's taco dip. Pete: Oh my God, what just happened? Justin: … Wow. Pete: Oh my God. Justin: But I'll go international as well as Alex. I was in Japan. I was traveling by myself, and I was hiking. I got off the Shinkansen bullet train right near Mount Fuji and just wandered around. It was January, it was very cold. I was not dressed appropriately. There was a guy who was selling some sort of soup at a stand, just like on this side road. Got that soup, ate it sitting on a rock, great meal. Alex: Nice. Pete: Wow. Nice. Alex: Pete. Pete: I'll share too a travel one, the regulation one. Justin: Regulation. Pete: There is this seafood place outside of Pawleys Island in South Carolina, and it's called Frank's. I don't think it's there any longer. And they named it Frank's because three chefs went in to create this restaurant, and one of the chefs name was Frank. And when it was time to sign the deal, this guy Frank completely disappeared and left them, but they started the restaurant anyway. Pete: And they had this amazing blackened mahi mahi. And in the kind of bar area, where we were hanging out as a family, I played my dad for my dinner in this little ring game, it's like a giant ring attached to a fish line. And I won the game and I got to order anything I wanted off the menu. So it was pretty cool, and it was really delicious. I don't know if it was extra good because I won, but it was really quite good. Justin: Yeah, I think the meal you had that day was victory. Pete: Yes. But in Costa Rica, I had gone through a lot of crazy events where I was dating this person, or I wasn't dating, we were kind of there together on this trip. And then she got robbed, and then I went to go meet up with my other friends and we went on this kind of tour of the sanctuary, and these monkeys robbed this couple that I was with, and I had to … They were going to kind of pay for me for a little bit, because I was low on funds, I'd spent a lot of money early drinking. You know what that's like, Justin? Justin: Yeah. Get the all inclusive. Pete: Yeah. And so I was kind of just I had nothing to do, so I was just kind of walking around Costa Rica, and I stumbled across this place called the Sunset Hotel. And I walked around the corner, and there as the sun is setting is this Italian dude, and I was like … I walked around the corner and this guy goes, “Hey, how you doing?” and he made me a fresh pizza and it was phenomenal. Alex: Man, there were so many different places that story could have gone. I was not predicting the end of it. Justin: Costa Rican pizza. Alex: There was a point where I thought maybe your thing was going to be you ate the monkeys for vengeance. Pete: Oh, wow. Justin: Yeah. Pete: I'm not [crosstalk 00:12:53] Justin: The meal you had that day was vengeance. Pete: Yes. Alex: I think that reviews that comic book. Pete: Yeah. Justin: Definitely. Alex: Next step, Power Pack #1 from Marvel, written by Ryan North, art by Nico Leon. This is how you get to the much bladed outlawed event where all the teen heroes in the Marvel Universe are not allowed to practice superheroism. But it's also bring back together Power Pack for the first time in a while, in their new iterations. Alex: I do think very smartly they age them down quite a bit in this book. They've been aged up to be like, “We're cool teens, and some of us are adults and it's a little unclear.” Bring them back to basics while not ignoring the continuity is very smart. And this Ryan North is very funny, it's fun, it feels like a old Power Pack. It's better and winky throughout. I enjoy this book quite a bit, but I'm also definitely in the tank for it. What was your guys' takes? Pete: My favorite part is, “We interrupt this broadcast of jazz for middle-class dinner parties to bring you breaking news.” That was really funny. Justin: Ryan North is a funny writer, it's great to see him on this book. I put him in the same bucket as Mark Russell. As like anytime you see them on the book, it's consistently funny, which is hard. Alex: Yeah. Yes. Justin: Sorry I interrupted you, Pete. You can finish your view. Alex: No, that was the only positive thing Pete wanted to say. Justin, what did you think about this one? Justin: No, I loved it. It was great, super fun. Power Pack kids are fun, especially with the comedic angle. The art is very good. I'm curious how this outline event is going to play out. It does feel super disjointed. And it's sort of the same thing over and over again where these teen heroes suddenly are arrested, so I feel like this will be a fun version of it. Alex: Yes, I agree. Next step, The Department of Truth #3 from Image Comics, written by James Tynion IV, art by Martin Simmonds. This issue we're continuing to follow our conspiracy fighters, is I guess what we can call them. Basically conspiracy theories aren't real, but if you believe hard enough, they will become real. In this one, they're tackling gun control and crisis actors, and false flags and things like that. And man, it's very well done, very hard to read at points. But just like the main characters find it themselves, there's a lot of conflicting emotions that go on here, I think. Justin: I love this book so much. I agree with you completely, Alex. And this issue especially, there's so much reality in this comic. And the hard part is I don't know how many people who read this know about all these conspiracy theories, and the insanity that is spun around them. This one I happen to know a lot about, because I worked on a show called The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, which was about this … Justin: Jordan was playing this conspiracy-driven host, and so we dealt a lot in this world. And Alex Jones who this book is, this issue is sort of like drawing upon, who's like a very bad grifter person. We had to do so much paying attention to him as he descended into this madness. So this was especially, I was like reliving all of the actual news stories that were happening back like three, four years ago. Pete: Yeah, this is really cool. It's very interesting. Artistically, it's really, really impressive what they're doing here with the different art styles meshing. It is a little tough to kind of understand what is happening a little bit. But I didn't appreciate the kind of like, “Oh, I took improv classes, so I'm good at lying,” I thought that was a little heartbreaking, but- Alex: Just to clarify what's happening is, probably as far as we can tell in real life, this woman's son was killed in a school shooting. Then this organization, Black Hat, which we don't know why, but it's a tease that we're going to find out a lot more next issue, is trying to make conspiracy theories come to life. Alex: They drop off a film that whether it's a fabricated or it's real or whatever it is that seems to convince this woman that not only is her son alive, but she may actually be an actor who was an improv actor, so the entire thing was faked, and it starts to change the reality around her. She doesn't know what's real and she doesn't know what's fake. And what I think it does really nicely emotionally, particularly through the art, as you mentioned, is it plays on this idea of this fractured psyche that I imagine you're going through when you deal with unimaginable tragedy like the death of a child. Pete: Yeah. Justin: Yeah. And the fact that the premise of the book that this group is able to manifest these conspiracy theories when she gets this flash drive with these facts, these alternative facts on them. This book is so smart, it's so current, it's just one of my favorites on the stands right now. Alex: What happens when a robotic overlord in prisons a rant god and a humble narcissist, you get this week sponsor of comic book club, The Just Been Revoked Podcast. Join Chris G., Tom legacy and Mr. Rhace, as they discuss the origins, the ends and everything in between of all things film. Episodes are released weekly on Apple, Spotify, and all other major podcast platforms. Alex: Looking for a film podcast that has fun and doesn't take things too seriously, then check them out at justbeenrevoked.com. Let's move on and talk about Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Multiverse Who Laughs #1 from DC Comics, written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Patton Oswalt, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, Saladin Ahmed and Brandon Thomas. Art by Juan Gedeon, Chad Hardin, Scott Eaton and Thomas Mandrake. Alex: This is anthology that Robin King is telling, basically saying, “Blah, blah, blah. You've heard all of these dark versions of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman before. How about a couple of other dark multiverses? What would you think about that?” So we get to see three of them in this book. What did you think about this comic? Pete: Well, it's a collection of stories. Some of them are a little better than others, but it's fun. It's like The Coming King and all that kind of stuff. I thought that it's interesting enough. It's definitely turning it up, like the Dark Metal stuff has been doing, so Death Metal stuff has been doing. I thought this was kind of a cool a book to put out as far as like, “Hey, we're going to kind of let some other writers do some stuff on this,” and yeah. Justin: Yeah, it's a good mix. I really liked the first bit, the Scott Snyder sort of just bucket of random worlds where bad things happen to our favorite heroes. And the Patton Oswalt story I thought was great. Fun sort of Mr. Zsasz, right, is he villain here? And what it's like for him trying to be the cool villain in Arkham, and the consequences of that was. It was cool. Alex: This is definitely in my mind one of the lesser books in this event, everything else feels so necessary and interconnected. I love the idea of having else worlds that follow not the big three, that follow just more side stories, and I'd love to see more of that. But overall, I thought this comic book was fine. I think to your point, I liked the Robin King stuff. I thought Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner of course put together a fun story. But just so you know- Pete: They usually do. Alex: What? They usually do. Pete: They usually do. Alex: But it does not feel like something you'd necessarily need to read to understand the main act. Justin: It's a little bit of the lighter side. Pete: Yeah, it's just a fun- Alex: Yes, exactly. Pete: … Yeah, it's a fun collection of ideas and stories- Justin: It's like a little Dave Barry novel. Alex: Great. That's what I'd say as well. Nailbiter Returns #7 from Image Comics, written by Joshua Williamson, art by Mike Henderson. Here were literally getting into the beat of the issue as they delve further into Buckaroo, into this game that's being played by the new Buckaroo Butchers. And we get a bunch of psychedelic stuff, a trip to the past, some revelations, some promise of future revelations. I'm really enjoying what they did with this series, and it feels entirely different from what they did with the previous one. Justin: Yeah. Pete: Yeah, I agree. I think it's really creative, the art's fantastic. They do such a good job of pulling you into this world and kind of like with their storytelling, and I just was really impressed with this. It does a good enough job or moving the story enough where you know a little bit about what's happening to kind of follow along and not feel like, “I don't get it.” It walks that kind of crazy line really well. But man, just the art and the characters are just insane in all the right ways. The use of blood rain and then that skull who's just like puking blood on the pyramid is just insane. Justin: Yeah, I love the sort of dream sequence aspect of this book, it feels so deliberate to become right now, sort of seeding out a bunch of wild ideas that then they can call upon going forward. The art's so good. I've been a huge fan of Birthright also by Joshua Williamson, and this feels like if you read that and haven't read Nailbiter, it's definitely worth getting in on Nailbiter. Pete: Ah man, that's what I should've said for that lock and key question. Alex: On the live show? Pete: Birthright would have been great. Yeah. Alex: Messed up, man. Messed up. Next step, this is what I put on the stack to make Pete feel a little bit better. Daredevil #24 from Marvel, written by Chip Zdarsky, pencils by Mike Hawthorne. Pete, you're not in your head. No. Do you not feel better after this comic book? Pete: Well, this is a rough issue, man. I was so excited that we got Daredevil in our stack, but then of course it's a sad issue and I was like, “Oh, well, this is why his album put this in.” Alex: No, 100% not. Pete: Foggy is fighting and- Alex: Foggy is bad at his job. What's different about the usual? It feels like pretty status quo for our man, Mr … Pete: No, this is not status quo. Also there's too many people look like Daredevil. I don't know what the fuck- Alex: It's only one other than his twin. Pete: … is going on. Alex: Sure. Daredevil is on trial for murder, something that he is willingly doing. We also get, which I thought was interesting and I want to get your beat on, a Kingpin shower scene in this issue. How did you feel about that? That's something fans have been asking for, for a long time. Pete: A long time. Justin: You got to truly see the Kingpin here. Pete: Oh boy. I mean, they always do that in the comics with the well-placed steam or fog- Justin: It's a little fancy. Alex: I do that in my shower. Pete: … or whatever. I don't see any of the- Justin: Yeah, in my shower, Foggy Nelson is standing in front of my genitals all the time. Pete: That's smart. Alex: I thought this was really good and I loved where this ended up. Justin? Justin: I agree. Chip Zdarsky is really bringing all of the Daredevil characters that sort of have the most emotional stakes here together. You've got your Typhoid Mary, your Kingpin. We don't see many other of Daredevil's love interests, but only because they're dead. But his current love interest, we see Elektra here, Foggy his, I guess, friend, frenemy in a lot of ways. Pete: Fuck you. That's his friend [inaudible 00:24:52] Alex: I'm excited to see where this goes going forward, because it has the potential to really redefine the Marvel Universe. Justin: How do you feel about Daredevil wearing a suit and his costume? Alex: That's pretty weird, right? Pete: Yeah, that was weird, right? Alex: Just like when Nightwing wears a mask over his mask, and I'm like, “Choose one, buddy. It's fine.” Justin: Unnecessary for both. The suit over the suit feels, in a very serious issue, it feels goofy. Pete: Mm-hmm (affirmative). It does. Alex: Also, how much is he sweating? He's got to stink real bad. Pete: Wow. Justin: Yes. Pete: Yeah. Well, I wonder if it's like a fake turtleneck situation where he doesn't have the full suit underneath. Justin: Keep the suit, just that top part. Alex: I thought that, I thought he was just wearing the mask, but he's wearing the gloves as well. Pete: Oh, wow. Alex: It's the full suit, man. Pete: Yeah. Justin: It's the full suit. Alex: Yeah, double suit. Pete: Double suit is a lot. Justin: Slow down on the suits. Alex: Undiscovered Country- Pete: No double suit. Alex: … #10 from Image Comics, written by Scott Snyder and Charles Soule, art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Leonardo Marcello Grassi. In this issue, we find out a whole lot more about UNITY, the second zone of America, as well as what happened to the past as things rapidly start to fall apart there. It was a pretty horrific reveal at the end of the issue. It makes a lot of sense. This is great. And I think we've been saying this a lot about this arc, but I finally feel kind of like I understand what's going out of this book and that makes me feel a lot better. Justin: And it's interesting because I don't quite know … The story is just as complex. There's even more happening because our characters have split up a little bit. But what I think makes more sense is this arc is using more of like a metaphor in describing America. So I feel like that gives us a baseline to really understand how the different aspects are coming together. Alex: No, I mean, you're absolutely right. I didn't really think about it until you said it like that, but thinking about it was like, “What does Destiny, the first zone mean to me?” Well, join other men, ride on sharks. Versus here, the idea that everybody is joining together, finding unity through the shared belief in science. Yes, that works a lot better. It's a lot easier to hook into even if it's- Pete: Yeah, but there's also giant whale sharks in here too. Alex: There's still giant whale sharks. Justin: Yeah. That's what I'm saying, there's just as many crazy specifics- Alex: And also- Justin: … but it's all under this one narrative line I feel like, it's a little cleaner. Pete: Yeah, under one nation. I love the man-at-arms shout-out, a little He-Man love in there. That was just great. It was fun to see. Yeah, I do. With each issue, I become a little less confused, which is great. The art and the character designs are just phenomenal, great kind of like last page reveal. This continues to be a very interesting, very well done book. I'm just happy now that we're kind of getting a little bit more of a grasp on what's actually happening. Alex: I don't want to call you out, Pete, but I feel like you've been confused about every issue that we've talked about in The Stack this week. Was there any we talked about that you were not confused about? Pete: Huh. Justin: We should say you got hit on the head with an anvil right before you read The Stack, right? Alex: Right. Pete: Oh, that's true. You think that affects? Justin: You think that affects? Pete: I wasn't affected by Chew. I was confused by Chew. Alex: Oh, okay. All right. Well, we'll get to that one in a moment then, that's good. An Unkindness of Ravens #3 from Boom! Studios, written by Dan Panosian and illustrated by Marianna Ignazzi. This is another one we're getting to kind of the meat of everything that's going on. We have a new kid- Pete: You're really hungry. Alex: What? Pete: You're really hungry. You keep talking about meat. Alex: Sweet, delicious, savory meat. Yeah. No, we're getting to the heart of the issue. How about that? Is that better? Justin: I love eating hearts. Alex: There we go. Where we're finding out more [crosstalk 00:28:44] about this town that our main character has moved to, the warring factions, what's going on behind the scenes. I continue to really like this book. Justin: I agree. I said this on the live show this week, but this feels like such a … If you're a fan of the Sabrina TV series on Netflix, which is not coming back for a little bit and you want something to fill the gap, this book is great. It also feels like a good, if you're a fan of Lock and Key, which we talk about a lot, this feels like a nice spiritual successor to that book. Justin: It's just the characters are really fun, the art is great. There's this sense of dread hovering over everything. And I don't really know … It's hard to predict where their story's going. It's witchy in the right ways and sort of arty in the right ways as well. Pete: Yeah. Art's great. It's really fun. It's kind of nice that we're getting into this world and what's going on. I think in a cool way that doesn't make me frustrated or confused about what's happening. But I think it's very cool with hinting at what happens and then the kind of reveal. The whole part where we're seeing these crows and then one is shot, and then we kind of get to see that. Really impressed with that. I think this is a very cool story. I'm excited to see how this is going to unfold, and whether or not it's going to be like a really great comic that will hold up, stands the test of time. Alex: Well see. Next up, Last God #10 from DC Comics, written and created, written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, art by Ricardo Federici. This issue, we find out some big revelations about what happened back in the day at the Black Stair. We find out more about what's happening in the present. And it looks like the bad things are coming for our heroes or maybe are already there. What did you think? Pete: Yeah. I mean, this really starts off amazing. We got some great actions, some cool ass dragon shit. Justin: Cool ass dragon shit. Pete: And then there's a lot of talking, and then feelings and then stuff. But it starts off really good. I'm excited to see where this goes. I think this is a very creative cool book. Justin: I like this book a lot. The art is so lush and just beautifully done. It feels like a classic fantasy story. You'd get like one little drawing on the cover or something. This feels like it's that full art and that same style for the whole story, which is great. And what I love about it it was really placed with the tropes of legacy and fantasy books where it's like the great heroes from the past, and now it's this generation's turn to fight. And this says, oh, maybe what if the first generation wasn't great, how does that influence everything? And it's just a smart take and a beautiful book. Alex: I agree. Next step, the books that did not confuse Pete. Chew #5 from Image Comics, written by John Layman and art by Dan Boultwood. This is the end of the first arc here as the two Chews are facing down, all of Saffron's crimes have been revealed. And things do not go necessarily how you might expect. Yes, Pete. Pete: What's great is they picked up right where they left off last issue. This is not the worst than when you kind of build up to the standoff and then you cut away from it to have backstory or some shit. So this was really great- Alex: Was that you, Pete? Are the continuity police coming for you? Justin: Yeah. Pete: Yeah. Alex: Oh, shit. Book it. Justin: Get out of [inaudible 00:32:20]. They're going to have a good questions that I think he might be confused about answering. Let me be honest. Alex: Oh, boy. Pete: Yeah, I like this. This is great kind of standoff, brother, sister stuff. This is really cool. Art is fantastic. And it's nice because it still feels like in the two world- Alex: The Chew-universe. Pete: … and it also feels a little different. Justin: The Chew-universe. Good. Pete: Yeah, the Chew-universe. Also, did you guys see the … It looked like a country monkey riding a smoking lizard walking by when she got out of jail? Alex: No, I missed that. Justin: I think that was actually in your apartment beyond the edge of the comic book. Pete: No, it's there. I had to double-check it. And also it looks like Sonic the Hedgehog was just shot outside the prison. It's really cool if you look at the background stuff. Justin: RIP. Alex: Huh. Wow. Justin: I like this book a lot. I was not a Chew reader of the original series, and this is … I'm not a Chewer. Pete: Yeah, you weren't a Chew head. Justin: I really like this though. It makes me want to go back and maybe read Chew, because this is very good, very fun. And I really like the character Saffron. The way that this story sort of positions the next move going forward, I think is great. Alex: I agree. Next up, we're going to get into it here. We're going to talk about our final X of Swords block as this big event. 22 part event is wrapped up here with three issues. Pete: Can we … Alex: What Pete? Pete: Can we just finish off this stack before we get into this giant argument here? Alex: Sure, we can jump ahead. I put the scumbag up last to space out the image comics, but let's talk about the Scumbag #2 by Image Comics, written by Rick Remender- Pete: Okay, my bad. Alex: … art by Andrew Robinson. This is about the worst man of the world. He's the only one who could save the world. We find out more about him and his powers. He injected himself with some stuff so he can save the world here. This is very much positioning that there is no right way to go as we have a terrible guy, who needs to stop some potentially more terrible guys from doing some terrible stuff. It's just a fun book stuff. Just a fun book. Doing some light political commentary here. Justin: Yes. Pete: Yeah. Justin: So good. Rick Remender- Pete: Oh, go ahead. Justin: … writes people who fuck up better than anybody. This feels like a great successor to Fear Agent, one of Rick's first books that we loved way back in the day. And the art by Andrew Robinson is so good, it's so sort of 1970s animated, influenced, it feels like to me. And I think it's just a fun book that has some real, like a lot of Remender's book, has some real commentary underneath, a bunch of jokes and characters just screwing up. Pete: Yeah. It's a lot of fun. The art is like gross, but also light. It's really interesting the way they kind of walk this line of like you hate this guy, but you're also rooting for him. Yeah, I think it's very well done, very creative. Rick Remender does a fun balance of tripped out, but also not too tripped out, where you kind of feel like that's all it's doing. I'm just really impressed with … There's a lot going on in this comic. There's a lot being kind of dealt with, and it does it seamlessly in a way that's fun and moving the story forward, and it doesn't feel rushed. Yeah, I mean, I'm impressed with this book. I'm excited to see how Rick Remender is going to break our hearts with some of these characters, because he always does. And yeah, it will be fun to talk to him about this next week. Justin: Yes. Alex: Yeah, there you go. All right. For real now, we're going to wrap up with our X of Swords block. X-Men #15 from Marvel, written by Jonathan Hickman and art by Mahmud Asrar. Excalibur #15 written by Tini Howard, art by Mahmud Asrar and Stefano Caselli. And finally, X of Swords or 10 of swords: Destruction #10, written by Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard, art by Pepe Larraz. Alex: Now, before we talk about this, we should really talk about how hard everybody worked and how we never want to put down the amount of work that people put into it. They drew this, they wrote this, there were editors who we really like who worked on this, assistant editors, people who printed it, the staples were very nice in the book and somebody had to put them in there. Pete: Yeah, this came together fast, and they got it all done on time. There wasn't any delays. It's pretty impressive what they put together. Alex: There you go. And that's our review of X of Swords. I like this event. I thought it was fun and good, and I love where it turned up. We talked about this before, but a lot of this was Saturnyne in the background, manipulating the situation to get into a place where she got almost everything that she wanted as we find out about the end. Alex: And the one thing that hitches me up a little bit is I don't care about Otherworld that much, just as comics continuity and comic book fan. So having everything pivot on that, brought it down emotionally for me a little bit versus having a pivot on the X-Men themselves. Alex: But I do like the moves they made here. I like where Apocalypse ended up. I thought the big battles were good. The art was phenomenal, just like huge, big battle scenes, enormous monsters. The scale of it was great, and just individual characterizations. Both Tini Howard and Jonathan Hickman write a great Ariana. I don't know who specifically was scripting her dialogue, but just super fun throughout this entire event. Just a really good event for her. And it's good stuff. Alex: I know Pete's going to disagree with this, but really good Cyclops stuff towards the end here. And I love the idea of holding Cyclops and Marvel Girl in reserve until the end and then be like, “No, fuck you. We're getting there. We're going to solve this problem.” And it really positions them in the place they should be at the lead of the X-Men. I enjoy this quite a bit. I don't think it was a perfect event by any means, but I had a lot of fun. I had a blast reading it. Justin, what did you think about it? Pete, we can get your haterade later in a second. Let's get adjusted first, a little more positive. Justin: The hater goes later is what we've always said. I agree, I do like this event. Art across the board is great. But yeah, I mean, it's a weird event. It's so weird as the first big event to have it be so fantastical, have it be so sort of like goofy at points. I agree with you, the Cyclops and Jean Grey stuff, it really felt like their ascension at the end of this event is what's important here. Justin: And to see them sort of outside of just the bureaucracy of the Quiet Council and maybe they can actually make some moves is exciting. Really establishing them as a family with Young Cable I think is very cool. Ariana also stepped up a lot. The Apocalypse fight, I don't know. I thought it was going to be a little bit more about Apocalypse and it felt like just a fight. Alex: Yeah, it was like, “What was that?” Justin: I mean, we talked about this, we sort of predicted this, that, excuse me, Arakko would be coming through to Krakoa. And with it hundreds of mutans, I believe, from around- Alex: Millions, I think. Justin: Millions? Alex: Millions. Justin: Oh, wow. Alex: Yeah. Justin: That's a lot of people hanging out on earth, which I think I'm curious how that will affect the continuity. It feels like a lot to add. A continuity that's already pretty wild. Alex: Well, I think the thing that, that adds, and maybe I'm wrong because who knows what is going on with the X-Men stuff? They can set up that Arakko is coming through and then not deal with it for 30 issues or something. But to me it feels like suddenly millions of mutants show up, you suddenly have a destabilized world situation that is already on the edge because of Krakoa. Alex: When you bring the mutant population up to potentially pre-Genosha levels, what does that do? What nations does that put on alert? And that puts the mutant state in a really, really bad place. As for Apocalypse, the thing that I did like is it ultimately got to this place, even though I feel like we didn't get enough fleshed out about the annihilation helmet, the idea that ultimately Apocalypse; A, is fundamentally changed by Krakoa enough that he can surrender, but also that it is Apocalypse's will that manages to win the day felt like a smart decision. Even if it wasn't maybe an action-wise satisfying decision. Pete, I know you're a champion of the bid here. Go ahead. Pete: Okay. Yeah, please. All right. Explain this to me, okay? They had, “You got to get your sword, you got to get to the fight.” Okay? So then we learned that none of that matters because it's about this helmet that speaks to you and makes you annihilate everything. But once Apocalypse puts on the helmet, he realizes that he's not going to let a helmet control him, so he'll take a knee and then that solves everything. And then, oh, Apocalypse you won, and okay, I'm going to banish a whole Island of people. Great. Pete: And then Scott Summers and Marvel Girl, who started this kind of whole thing with a bunch of weird meetings through time, decided this whole island that they helped create doesn't matter and fuck all you all because I got to go save my son, which I understand, that's cool, but they had like a whole Quiet Council meeting and it didn't matter. So it was kind of like this- Justin: But- Pete: … whole thing that we're trying to do, they threw it all- Justin: If- Pete: … out the window. Hey, I'm trying to finish here. Justin: If Wolverine did that you would have loved, and just because it's Scott, you don't like it. Pete: That's a bullshit thing to thing. Justin: It's 100% true. Pete: No, it's not. Justin: Wolverine does that every time. Pete: I'm trying to wrap my head around this whole detour of the X-Men world that we just took and why we did it, and the only thing I can come up with is giant alligators and dragons are cool, and fighting with swords would have been cool, but it didn't happen. We got drinking games and playing softball. And people will say that they will get married at the drop of a hat in the X-Men world. Alex: The Cyclops thing I do think a lot of this is about … A lot of this story so far has been about the X-Men … And we're not supposed to call them the X-Men, the mutants. They specifically state that in the book. They're like, “The mutants-“ Justin: There's a whole big paragraph. Alex: There's several of that. I know. Pete: Yeah, I don't read the paragraphs. Alex: You should read the paragraphs, they're kind of important. The mutants have made this big move to become one mutant state. And from the writing perspective, I think what they've done is how much stress can we put on that? How many things can we do to fracture that? And Saturnyne says by the end, “Two people have left the Quiet Council. They're going to have to replace it, it's going to be the non-ideal picks.” Alex: And now, not just Scott Summers is leaving with a small team to go save everybody, but everybody comes with him, which means, yes, it's the mutants united, but it also means as it states in those paragraphs, which I do think are really important. They've tried to ditch the X-Men name because it's something that's pre-Krakoa. It's an idea of like, it's a moniker taken by Charles Xavier. It's not an example of- Pete: The Lollipop Man. Alex: Yes, Lollipop Man. It's not an example of the United Krarkoa State, but the fact that Scott Summers is reclaiming this and then everybody's like, “Yes, we're X-Men. Let's go. It's go time,” creates this friction there that's only going to get bigger. Once you suddenly have billions of mutants who have been slaves up to this point, who we've never met before suddenly showing up, so it means bad things for the outside world. It also means bad things for Krakoa and Arakko. And dramatically, that's a really good place to be putting everybody. Justin: Yeah, I agree with that. This crossover feels a lot like Chris Claremont-esque. Like mid-Chris- Alex: I mean- Justin: … Claremont run, where it's like epic stuff that involves things that are sort of far flung from actual X-Men and mutant world stuff. Like getting with Lilandra and all that stuff, where it's like continuity heavy, where it's like, “Wait, what was that about that?” I feel like this will hold a similar place to a lot of that Claremont stuff, especially the other worldness of it, which I agree with you, I don't love all that. Justin: And this whole like captain … I know Excalibur was the second to last issue so that they'll have an outsize effect on it. But the Captain Britain Corp and all that, I was like, “I don't … ” This feels like such a side quest that so much of this event landing on that felt like, “Oh, I don't know about that.” Pete: It was just a lot just so Cyclops could have a Jerry Maguire moment of like, “Who's coming with me? Who's coming with me?” Alex: What did you think about the part where Cyclops said, “Show me the money,” though? That was pretty cool. Pete: Yeah, that was touching. It was sort of touching. Alex: Yeah. Justin: And what about Wolverine played by Jonathan Lipnicki? I know. Pete: Too tall. Justin: He's too tall? He's very short. Pete: I don't know about Jonathan Lipnicki so- Justin: He's tiny. Alex: You just referenced Jerry Maguire. Justin: He's the kid. Alex: He's the little kid that said, “Did you know the human head weighs eight pounds?” Pete: Oh, he's the kids with the spiked hair? Alex: Yeah. Pete: Oh, that's great. Yeah, he's a great [inaudible 00:46:41] Alex: Okay. What would you think about Renee Zellweger playing Jonathan Lipnicki, is what it was? Justin: Renee playing Jonathan Lipnicki? Alex: Yeah. Justin: Oh, interesting. Alex: Playing Wolverine. Justin: Oh, wow. That's great. Alex: With the little lemon face. Justin: Ooh yeah, just a pursed lip. Alex: She got the little lip. Suck on a lemon. Justin: I'm the best there is at what I do, and what I do is this little face. She's a good actress. Yeah. Pete: I don't know what you guys are doing. Alex: All right, that is it for The Stack. If you'd like to support the show and other shows we do at patreon.coms- Pete: Wait. Alex: … What? Pete: Do you guys think this whole thing was worth it for that ending? You guys didn't feel let down at all by the fact of like this fight wasn't a fight, it was just a, “Can we make Apocalypse kneel? And then having Cyclops just ditch everyone because he wanted to go somewhere else.”? Justin: I liked it. Alex: Yeah, I liked it too. I think there were enough big moments particularly in these last couple of issues that I really just enjoyed from an artistic, from a big action perspective, literally using the S.W.O.R.D. Space Station as a sword to pierce a wormhole and attack these evil armies. Just the huge armies attacking everybody, the X-Men jumping through directly at the screen, the fairy soldiers or whatever it was jumping through. Justin: The screen? Alex: Good stuff. Just a lot of people coming from the sky and heading straight towards camera was a lot of fun. Justin: Yes, and it's surprising. A lot of Hickman big storytelling, you can't predict it. It's sometimes a little weird and wooly, but it's like in the end, it's really well thought out and smart, and very difficult to predict, which I like in storytelling in general, especially comic book storytelling. Alex: It's also something that relatively speaking felt like a complete story, which I don't think we've gotten in a really long time with events. It's usually by the latter half, it's all about setting up what's next. And certainly we get a fair amount of setup, but this started with the story of Otherworld, ended with the story of Otherworld, and that's what it was in between. It went on a bunch of side trips, but ultimately it all came together that way, and that is pleasing to me from a story perspective. Justin: It was pleasing, we say. Alex: It was pleasing to be … If you'd like to support the show at patreon.com/comicbookclub. We also do a live show every Tuesday night at 7:00 PM. Podcast ahead on YouTube. We would love to talk to you about X of Swords, that's going to be our big topic of conversation. Over the next I would say- Pete: It's 10 of swords, but there's going to be no fighting. Oh, you're going to love it. It's going to be smart. Alex: … There is a bunch of fighting. Pete: There's going to be a lady who- Alex: Wolverine cutting a man's arm off. Really? Pete: … you get confused with the ice queen the whole time. But then it's not her, even though it looks exactly like her, but ah, it's going to be great. Alex: Oh, I'm sorry. Are you being racist towards white, blonde women, Pete? Pete: Yes, Karen. I am. Justin: This took an odd turn at the end, just like the X of Swords. Alex: There you go. iTunes, Android, Spotify, Stitcher, or the app of your choice to subscribe and listen to the show. @comicbooklive on Twitter, comicbookclublive.com for this podcast and many more. Until next time, checkout my mom's taco dip. The post The Stack: The Other History Of The DC Universe And More appeared first on Comic Book Club. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/comicbookclub See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A star of CW's Arrowverse series of television programs Black Lightning has made a huge impact on the world of superheroes on the small screen. Academic by day, urban avenger by night, Jefferson Pierce has fought all levels of crime and corruption as a solo hero, a Justice Leaguer, and an Outsider. Join André as we journey through Jefferson's graphic history from the 70's all the way to modern day!
On Episode 58 of the Mutant Blitz Podcast, Josh Hennig reviews Season 3 of The CW's Black Lightning show, discusses the show's viewership, gives praise to Cress Williams who plays Jefferson Pierce, and elaborates on his frustrations with how the network is handling the show. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
A couple weeks ago there was a source saying that WB is struggling to figure out what to do with Superman in their movies because they're struggling to make a "relatable story". Meanwhile, over at WB TV and the Arrowverse, they just gave us 3 Superman (and one Supergirl), all that are super relatable and embody what Superman is all about. Crisis on Infinite Earths, this years big Arrowverse crossover has been one big lovefest for the fans of the characters. The first 3 parts have shown just how ridiculous the problems WB apparently has had bringing DC characters to the big screen are. There's so much to love in these first three parts and that doesn't even include all the cameos they've had. Here are some of the things we talk about on our review: How does WB plan on selling an Ezra Miller Flash movie when Grant Gustin is clearly the definitive Barry Allen? Between the conversation Barry has with Iris and the one he has with Jefferson Pierce, this is it. This is Barry Allen. Miller's interpretation is never going to come close so why even try? Speaking of Flash's, even John Wesley Shipp's fate as Barry Allen from Earth-90 was so good and another solid understanding of the character that the movies have yet to realize Not one. Not two. But THREE Supermen in various stages that all nailed the Man of Steel. Bryan Singer had Brandon Routh as Superman and squandered it. Kevin Conroy showing how to do a Bruce Wayne that lost hope and went dark better than any "Snydercut" ever could Oliver Queen becoming the Spectre? Oh you beautiful bastards keep having surprises up your sleeves Ruby Rose still can't act but pairing her up with Melissa Benoist is clearly the winning combination and is a great spin on the Batman/Superman relationship All the cameos and more Sit back and listen as the Super Tuesday crew discuss the first 3 parts of this big crossover and we will see you back for the finale in January! Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: Mailbag@MTRNetwork.Net Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Dpalm66 @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork Our shirts are now on TeePublic: https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!
A couple weeks ago there was a source saying that WB is struggling to figure out what to do with Superman in their movies because they're struggling to make a "relatable story". Meanwhile, over at WB TV and the Arrowverse, they just gave us 3 Superman (and one Supergirl), all that are super relatable and embody what Superman is all about. Crisis on Infinite Earths, this years big Arrowverse crossover has been one big lovefest for the fans of the characters. The first 3 parts have shown just how ridiculous the problems WB apparently has had bringing DC characters to the big screen are. There's so much to love in these first three parts and that doesn't even include all the cameos they've had. Here are some of the things we talk about on our review: How does WB plan on selling an Ezra Miller Flash movie when Grant Gustin is clearly the definitive Barry Allen? Between the conversation Barry has with Iris and the one he has with Jefferson Pierce, this is it. This is Barry Allen. Miller's interpretation is never going to come close so why even try? Speaking of Flash's, even John Wesley Shipp's fate as Barry Allen from Earth-90 was so good and another solid understanding of the character that the movies have yet to realize Not one. Not two. But THREE Supermen in various stages that all nailed the Man of Steel. Bryan Singer had Brandon Routh as Superman and squandered it. Kevin Conroy showing how to do a Bruce Wayne that lost hope and went dark better than any "Snydercut" ever could Oliver Queen becoming the Spectre? Oh you beautiful bastards keep having surprises up your sleeves Ruby Rose still can't act but pairing her up with Melissa Benoist is clearly the winning combination and is a great spin on the Batman/Superman relationship All the cameos and more Sit back and listen as the Super Tuesday crew discuss the first 3 parts of this big crossover and we will see you back for the finale in January! Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: Mailbag@MTRNetwork.Net Like what you hear? Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Follow us on Twitter: @Dpalm66 @InsanityReport @TheMTRNetwork Our shirts are now on TeePublic: https://teepublic.com/stores/mtr-network Want more podcast greatness? Sign up for a MTR Premium Account!
Hosts Porchia Carter and Zuri Chellece discuss the parallel universe experience Jennifer had for the mid season finale. The Earth Crisis is officially taking over Freeland and the team is not here for it. Tune in for more. CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
In part 4 of this 8-part series, we tell you what you need to watch and know about Black Lightning going into this year's massive crossover. Stay tuned for the other Crisis episodes in which we'll talk about Smallville, Arrow, Birds of Prey, and more! *Spoilers ahead!* Shop FanDummies Merch: http://bit.ly/2XkMdau Join our Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/2MNzuJt Check out our TeePublic Curated Store: http://bit.ly/tpubStore 00:00:44 What is Crisis on Infinite Earths? 00:01:16 Who is Black Lightning? 00:05:33 Recommendations 00:06:06 Black Lightning's role in Crisis on Infinite Earths 00:12:35 Kevin Smith is hosting an aftershow on the CW called Crisis Aftermath Read the Crisis on Infinite Earths comics: https://amzn.to/2wqAFJw You can watch the most recent episodes of Black Lightning on the CW app or here: https://amzn.to/2wzYb7q As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Annissa gets her powers back, Jeff joins the resistance, and we find out who's making Lynn LIT! Tune in to the Black Lightning aftershow with Zuri Chellece (@zurichelle) and Lanisha Fisher (@Lanisha914) along with Tweets and our OMBL segment. CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Lynn is on edge, Kahlil still has his memory, and Black Lightening saves the day again! Tune into @zurichellece and @lanisha914 on the Black Lightening After Show! CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
What a rollercoaster?! Gambi finds out the truth about Khalil, Anissa nearly meets her maker, and greenlight is destroying the Pierce family. Tune into the Black Lightening After Show! CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
What a rollercoaster?! Gambi finds out the truth about Khalil, Anissa nearly meets her maker, and greenlight is distroying the Pierce family. Tune into the Black Lightening After Show! CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join us to discuss episode 5 of Black Lightning! CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Join us to discuss episode 5 of Black Lightning! CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Discussing episode 4! CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Discussing episode 4! CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Tonight the love ladies Drew Jones, Lanisha Fisher, Zuri Chellece, and Porchia Carter talk about Khalil's body, Tobias' burns, and painful death they wish on Agent Odell. Join us for some excitment and laughs. CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Tonight the love ladies Drew Jones, Lanisha Fisher, Zuri Chellece, and Porchia Carter talk about Khalil's body, Tobias' burns, and painful death they wish on Agent Odell. Join us for some excitment and laughs. CW and Greg Berlanti expand the footprint of their DC Comics universe with this exploration of the intersection between family life and being a superhero. As a younger man, Jefferson Pierce donned the suit of a vigilante and protected the streets of his city, but he believed he'd left those days in the past. He learns that life doesn't always work out as planned when his daughter, Jennifer -- a star student who is determined to achieve justice at any cost -- gets recruited by a street gang. In order to protect his family, Jefferson sees no choice but to once again become Black Lightning. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Jefferson Pierce is in the hands of the ASA with his wife, as Agent Odell tightens his grip on the Pierce family; Anissa secretly defies Odell in her alter ego as Blackbird with the tactical and technical support of Gambi.
0:37- Black Superheroes 0:57- Looking at Luke Cage and Black Lightning 1:28- Black Renaissance 1:38- Insecure 3:45- 50 Cent multiplying 5:07- Other black TV shows 6:24- Black representation 7:28- Who we identify with 8:04- How black people are portrayed globally 11:27- X-Men 13:06- Bola's Story- “The Sponge” 14:47- Lost Girl 16:52- Back to X-Men + Heroes 19:27- Why we love superheroes 28:55- Dearth of Black Superheroes 30:50- Luke Cage 31:51- Message to the black man 33:28- Black Lightning 35:28- We need uniforms 37:36- Jefferson Pierce from Black Lightning parallels to Elsa from Frozen 38:66- Cress Williams 39:50- Black Lightning's wife 41:06- How do both shows depict Blackness 51:09- Underbelly of crime- black villainess 55:30- Real life parallels 1:00:00- Are Luke Cage and Black Lightning reluctant heroes 01:02:33- We need representation 1:05:18- Anissa- the empowered young black hero 1:10:23- Had They Been Black: Alexa laughing https://www.fastcodesign.com/90163588/why-alexas-laughter-creeps-us-out?utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Co.Design%20Daily&position=1&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=03092018 Intro and Outro music is “Twilight” by Capshun Find him on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/capshun Show Notes by Bola Hanson Audio engineering by Whitney Booker Show Contact Info: Email: blerdtalkbw@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blerdtalkbw/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlerdTalkBW Bola's contact info: Twitter: https://twitter.com/bolastorybee Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bolastorybee/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSOXQ6Tc_i81DlWSqCC78Ig/featured Whitney's company contact info: Email: whit@lumenavi.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/lumenavistudios --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/blerdtalk-with-bola-and-whitney/message
On the heels of Luke Cage, DC Comics hired writer Tony Isabella to create an African American hero and Black Lightening was born! Join us as we discuss the character's history, season one of the CW series, and compare him to other heroes currently in theaters or on the small screen. This episode is hosted by Clarence Brown and Kyle Jones
A look at Jan Van Meter's 21st Century updated take on Black Lightning's origin story.Affiliate link included.Transcript:"Justice like lightning should ever appear, to some men hope, to other men fear." We're taking a look at Black Lightning, Year One, coming up next.Black Lightning was created by Tony Isabella in 1977. Black Lightning, Year One was published in 2009 and is a modern updating of Black Lightning's origin stories. The reason this was done is that he was introduced prior to Crisis on Infinite Earth where the DC Universe could be rebooted, and its continuity simplified so that that would never happen again. And about twenty-five years later they had to do it again.The original origin story from the 1970s really worked pretty well for the most part. The story was that Jefferson Pierce, a gold medal Olympian, returned to his old high school – Garfield High in a suicide slum in Metropolis – to serve as a high school teacher; and the murder of one of his students leads him to become Black Lightning and to take on the 100, the evil gang that dominates his city. 2009 Update changes some things. First, rather than coming in as a teacher he arrives as the principal. In some ways I think this is kind of a nod to Lean on Me where Morgan Freeman plays Joe Clarke, a principal who comes to restore order to a troubled school. In the original story Pierce was divorced and his ex-wife showed up working at the same school he was at, and she is in the school and frequently ignored until finally they become friends and happily divorced as was the big trend in the 1970s, the cultural push for people to become divorced, be good friends and have it all be very socially acceptable. This not really being a thing in 2009 he is actually still married to his wife Lynn and they have one child and another child's quickly on the way. But Jeff's decision to become Black Lightning creates a lot of friction in his marriage, ending up with her leaving him though not getting divorced. She doesn't come off particularly well in the exchange but there's actually a reason for it, and it's probably the book's most clever innovation. And what makes a good retelling of an origin story stand out from one that is a bit weak, a good retelling will take a look at some element of the story that wasn't explained or fleshed out and flesh it out and provide a remarkable twist that fills in a hole that a writer in a previous age hadn't thought of. And writer Jen Van Meter really does that here. When you think about it a key problem with the original story of Suicide Slum called Southside here in Year One is the idea that there is a portion of Metropolis that is overrun with crime, and that Superman doesn't do anything about it. When you think about it the idea then is that Superman is not addressing the problems with crime in this neighborhood unlike crime in other parts of Metropolis, because he doesn't really care about black people. I'm sure that is not what Tony Isabella was going for. He was used to dealing with Marvel characters, and Marvel characters do not generally have as much power or scope as Superman. There's a reason Spider-Man doesn't fight crime in Harlem as a practice, because his main area is Manhattan and Queens, and he cannot fly everywhere in the city. Superman is different and the original take on this leaves the impression that there's a portion of Metropolis that Superman is ignoring even as he flies all over the world and universe to fight crime elsewhere. And Van Meter does something clever and introduces an evil mystical force into the equation as the key cause behind this. And as most people know, Superman does not have powers against magic; and in the books it's referenced that Superman is weakened inside the Suicide Slum....
In this episode of The Island: A Comics Scifi Fantasy Pop Culture Podcast, co-hosts Dan Bochicchio and Matthew Lisy discuss: Black Lightning: S1 E1 The Resurrection After 9 years of retirement and a major threat to his family, vigilante-superhero Jefferson Pierce returns as Black Lighting. After a stunning series opener, the hosts turn on the mics, talk Black Lightning, and ask the big question, is this show worth watching? Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/525174371009290/ LIKE us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/islandpodcast/ Our Website: http://theislandpodcast2016.libsyn.com/podcast Add us on Apple Podcast: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/island-comics-scifi-fantasy/id1164627029 Add us on Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, Google Play Music, Castro, and Castbox Share your comments, thoughts, reviews, questions, and predictions with the show by emailing us at theislandpodcast2016@gmail.com Remember, to follow our spoilerful and spoiler free disclaimer. Music provided by The Professors of Sweet Sweet Music: thepossm.com
The Starling Tribune: An Unofficial Arrow TV Show Fan Podcast
Starling Tribune - Season 4.5 Special Edition – Legends Of Tomorrow River Of Time (A CW Network Arrow Television Show Fan Podcast) The Official Arrow Podcast of the Gonna Geek Network Episode: Season 1, Episode 14 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow - “River of Time” Air Date: April 28, 2016 on the CW television network, and on CTV up here in Canada Transcript: http://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=557&t=27027 IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4952748/?ref_=tt_ep_nx Director: Alice Troughton This is the first time we're seen Alice's name pop up in the director's chair, but fans of Galifrey Public Radio may know her from BBC series like Doctor Who, Torchwood, Atlantis and others genre shows on the other side of the pond! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1488618/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1 Berlantiverse: 1x Director LoT “River of Time” | 1x Director Flash “Flashback” Other Director Credits: 2x Doctor Who | 2x Torchwood | 9x Sarah Jane adventures | 5x Atlantis | 3x The Living and the Dead | 13x The Adventures of Merlin ...and many others Writers: Cortney Norris The last time Cortney wrote an episode was in Night of the Hawk, but she's a no stranger to a script - aside from only two writing credits, which include Legends and the Flash, she has a ton of script coordinator credits http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5099297/?ref_=ttfc_fc_wr5 Berlantiverse: Writer credits - 2x LoT | 1x Flash Script Coordinator credits: 1x Flash | 13x Tomorrow People | 13x Finder | 13x Mad Men and others Anderson Mackenzie We've seen Anderson on one other episode this season, and she's another great example of relative newcomers to writing getting a chance to break into the industry http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6406162/?ref_=ttfc_fc_wr6 Legends of Tomorrow: 2x writer credits “Marooned” and “River of Time” Other credits: 19x Scorpion as assistant to executive producer Nicholas Wootton, whose credits include 45ep as EP of Scorpion, 22ep EP of Chuck, 21ep Producer on Prison Break, 62ep as EP of NYPD Blue and others… Anderson has definitely had the opportunity to work with a powerhouse in the industry. Weekly Ratings Rating: Episode 14 - 1.63 (May 5th, 2016) - down from 1.86 the preceding week! May 2016 Monday 2 May 2016 Supergirl No episode Season 1 ended April 18th Tuesday 3 May 2016 The Flash Ep 2.20 Rating 3.34 "Rupture" With Barry powerless the team rigs a hologram of the Flash to stop crime. Wednesday 4 May 2016 Arrow Ep 4.20 Rating 2.07 "Genesis" Darhk returns to H.I.V.E. Oliver meets an immortal shaman, Fortuna & learns magic. Thursday 5 May 2016 Legends Ep 1.14 Rating 1.63 "River of Time" Rip decides to take the captured Savage to the Time Masters Friday 6 May 2016 Constantine No episode Season 1 ended February 13th Links for Other Shows Arrow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arrow_episodes#Season_4_.282015.E2.80.9316.29 Flash: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Flash_episodes#Season_2_.282015.E2.80.9316.29 Supergirl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergirl_(TV_series)#Episodes Episode # Episode Title Episode Air Date Rating 1 Pilot, Part 1 21-Jan-16 3.21 2 Pilot, Part 2 28-Jan-16 2.89 3 Blood Ties 4-Feb-16 2.32 4 White Knights 7-Feb-16 2.39 5 Fail-Safe 18-Feb-16 2.25 6 Star City 2046 25-Feb-16 2.47 7 Marooned 3-Mar-16 2.28 8 Night of the Hawk 10-Mar-16 2.01 9 Left Behind 31-Mar-16 1.97 10 Progeny 7-Apr-16 1.88 11 The Magnificent Eight 12-Apr-16 1.98 12 Last Refuge 21-Apr-16 1.78 13 Leviathan 28-Apr-16 1.86 14 River of Time 5-May-16 1.63 15 Destiny 12-May-16 1.89 16 Legendary 19-May-16 1.85 What was the overall theme for this episode / What was the link to the ep. name “River of Time” They are stuck in the time stream Characters flashbacks Recurring theme of Time still wanting to happen Fight scenes & Stunts: Share your thoughts Ray and Savage fight Savage and Carter against Kendra, Ray, Snart, and Mick Time Travel: Share your thoughts Stuck in the time stream Character flashbacks No actual time travel - just going to the Vanishing Point Jackson is sent back to 2016 on jumpship, but we don't see him arrive Rip Hunter Sent Jax on a Suicide mission to fix ship Rate on scale of 1 to 10 Needs Sara and Stein's help to navigate the ship so he can sit in the chair and push that lever Vandal Savage Savage thinks he's saving the world “I have held dozens of my children” quote “You may be a time master, but I'm a master of time…” “How's your sister Lauren” - Savage is the master manipulator The Atom - Ray Palmer Identified future tech - allowing the time masters to undo Savage's damage Heart to heart with Savage - happy in the past with Kendra - kinda creepy White Canary - Sara Lance We've thrown in with Captain who cares more about himself than about his crew Learns how to navigate and pilot a complex time ship on the fly Hawkgirl - Kendra Saunders Picture of Aldus, their son - don't you think that's weird. Drama with Ray Kicks Savage's butt after Carter is stabbed (again!) Hawkman - Carter Hall Still a douche when brainwashed when in cuffs. Gets memory back when Kendra is choked Gets stabbed again, but lives Captain Cold - Leonard Snart Doesn't like Savage on board; plan was to kill him Wants to leave with Mick on the jumpship Tell Sara they need to hide Heatwave - Mick Rory Love going through all the future snacks Wants to leave with Snart Not fazed when getting arrested again Firestorm - Professor Martin Stein Learns how to navigate a complex time ship on the fly Asks Savage for help for Jackson Sends Jackson back to 2016 on jumpship to save his life w/o telling anyone Firestorm - Jefferson Jackson Blast of chronometric energy Rip has a lot of faith that Jax can fix a complex time drive on the fly Ages rapidly so has to be sent back to 2016 Waverider/Gideon Rip runs her too hard; she tried to warn him Has an upset tone - No, I can't save Jackson, Rip, you dumb dumb EPISODE DC EASTER EGGS: Season 1 Episode 14 “River of Time” (Date: 05 May 2016) Article:http://comicbook.com/dc/2016/05/06/dcs-legends-of-tomorrow-things-you-might-have-missed-in-river-of/ Rob Roy Reference: Rob Roy Macgregor, who provided Rip with some 17th Century Scotch, is a well known historical figure...and he was also played by Liam Neeson, who played Ra's al Ghul in the Dark Knight Trilogy. You showed a caveman fire: Savage explains that once he figured out time travel existed, he knew he had to master it. Funny, becuase in the comics vandal savage was a caveman. Jitters Reference: Jitters, of course, is the name of the coffee house in Central City where characters like Iris West and Kendra Saunders used to work. Temporal Radiation: The effects of being bombarded with chronal/temporal energy being rapid aging isn't unprecedented. In fact, in the comics it recently happened to Rip Hunter's father, Booster Gold. Hot Wheels reference: We talked about this one during the Arrow season. Ray calls Felicity Hot Wheels right before he leaves on the mission. General Order 52: Hey, a “52” reference… whaddayaknow? WWII novelty pen: Unrevealed, but the producers have teased Sgt. Rock, a popular DC comics soldier character Jax is roofied: Jax has a habit of getting roofied... ARROW NEWS: Arrow: David Meunier Cast As Ishmael Gregor in Season 5 (Date: 30 Aug 2016) * Meunier will play Ishmael Gregor, the slick and intimidating Pakhan (“Godfather”) of the Bratva. * In the comics, Gregor was a Russian crime boss who craved the magical abilities of the demon Sabbac; however, Arrow will explore his more earthly ambitions. * Meunier is best known for his role as Johnny Crowder on FX's Justified Link:http://deadline.com/2016/08/arrow-david-meunier-cast-ishmael-gregor-season-5-the-cw-1201810579/ Arrow: Thea makes date plans in exclusive season 4 deleted scene (Date: 30 Aug 2016) In the clip from the episode “Blood Debts,” Thea is hounded by the press, but she is pulled away by Alex [aka Intern Booty Call - our addition] Link: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/30/arrow-season-4-deleted-scene-thea Arrow unveils new villain Prometheus in season 5 photos (Date: 30 Aug 2016) * Photos have been released of the mysterious new baddie Prometheus (his face is covered, he's wearing black leather, and he carries a bow), of Thea in her Speedy attire, and of Ollie facing off against more bad guys * Does not look like the purple clad villain from the comics Link: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/30/arrow-season-5-photos Video: Arrow: Wendy Mericle expands on Ollie's role in Season 5 (Date: 31 Aug 2016) * In a recent interview for TVLine Wendy Mericle expanded on what we already knew about Season 5 re: recruiting and training a new team * “He appreciates more the significance of being a teacher and what that means. In terms of this universe of martial arts and fighting and training people and what that means, he's learning there's value in being a mentor.” Link:http://www.cbr.com/oliver-learns-the-value-of-mentoring-in-arrow-s5/ DC TV NEWS Legends: Legends of Tomorrow Promo: Sara Beds a Queen, Albert Einstein Kidnapped (Date: 1 Sept 2016) CW promo for season 2 shows Sara telling Rip that a queen seduced her, the team plots to kidnap Einstein (Mick calls him a “pig”), and Rip notes that no one listens to him. The show premieres Oct. 13th Link:http://tvline.com/2016/09/01/legends-of-tomorrow-season-2-promo-video-sara-seduces-queen/ Link2:http://www.superherohype.com/news/381029-dcs-legends-of-tomorrow-tv-spot-features-stargirl-and-reverse-flash Flash: Flash cast collaborate on short film: the Letter Carrier (Date: 27 Aug 2016) * The film was funded by kickstarter (raised $79K - $29K over the initial goal of $50K) * The film was written, co-directed and with songs by Jesse L. Martin who plays Detective Joe West on the Flash. * The co-director is Rick Cosnett who played Eddie Thawne, * The musical arrangements were done by Carlos Valdez who plays Cisco Ramon * All three were producers along with Patrick Sabongui who plays Captain David Singh. Link:http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/08/29/the-flash-cast-join-together-to-make-the-letter-carrier/ Video: https://youtu.be/zC5n0eCcF38 Flash: Take a deep dive into the Flashpoint universe with new pics from Flash Season 3 (Date: 31 Aug 2016) CW has released a lot of pics from Season 3. Included are pictures of Barry as the Flash with Kid Flash, Barry's parents alive and happy, and a bearded Eobard Thawne in a cell Link: http://www.blastr.com/2016-8-31/take-deep-dive-flashpoint-universe-new-pics-flash-season-3?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=57c8508204d30141b79d56a1&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook Video: Flash: Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Flash, Once, Nashville, Bates Motel, Supernatural, Bones, Stranger Things, and More (Date: 31 Aug 2016) When asked if certain characters can come back to The Flash because of Flashpoint, co-showrunner Todd Helbing, said, “There are different characters that you will see, some [that have] passed.” He also added that there is “a lot of Easter egg stuff that's a lot of fun” Link:http://tvline.com/2016/08/31/nashville-connie-britton-season-5-rayna-dies-spoilers/ Video: Flash: Draco Malfoy Has A Love/Hate Relationship w/ Barry (Date: 31 Aug 2016) *Tom Felton's Julian Dorn Has A Love/Hate Relationship With Barry Allen *We know very little about Tom Felton's (Harry Potter) role on The Flash, but the actor has now provided a little more background on his CSI, Julian Dorn, and his relationship with Barry Link:http://www.comicbookmovie.com/the_flash/the-flash-tom-feltons-julian-dorn-has-a-love-hate-relationship-with-a144915 Video: Supergirl: Supergirl casts Superman villain Metallo (Date: 30 Aug 2016) Frederick Schmidt will play Metallo, one of Superman's oldest foes. When international assassin John Corben is badly injured after fighting Supergirl and Superman, he is reborn by a shadow organization into the Kryptonite-powered supervillain Metallo Link:http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/30/supergirl-metallo-season-2 Video: Supergirl: American Ninja Warrior: See Jessie Graff's epic Stage 1 finish (Date: 30 Aug 2016) Jessie Graff, a stuntwoman on Supergirl, became the first woman to ever complete the punishing Stage 1 course in Las Vegas. In fact, she finished in fourth place overall. The Ninja Warrior finals continue next week. Link:http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/30/ninja-warrior-jessie-graffs-stage-1-video Video: Report: Black Lightning DC superhero series in works from Greg Berlanti, Mara Brock, and Salim Akil (Date: 1 Sept 2016) It seems Berlanti has partnered with The Game and Being Mary Jane creator Mara Brock and her husband Salim Akil for Black Lightning, a drama series based on the DC character created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden. Black Lightning centers on Jefferson Pierce, who hung up his secret identity, but with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he'll be pulled back into the fight Link:http://deadline.com/2016/09/black-lightning-dc-superhero-series-greg-berlanti-mara-brock-akil-salim-akil-1201811892/ GREEN ARROW COMICS & TOY NEWS DC reports 12 million Rebirth issues ‘shipped' this summer (Date: 31 Aug 2016) DC's Rebirth did very well this summer. Nearly 12 million comic books shipped this summer. A total of 11 issues exceeded 200,000 units shipped, and additional 60-plus issues shipped more than 100,000 copies each, and 21 issues have gone back to print multiple times. The flagship book, Geoff Johns' DC Universe: Rebirth Special, recently went back to press a fifth time and has sold nearly 350,000 copies. Link:http://www.newsarama.com/30846-dc-reports-12-million-rebirth-issues-sold-this-summer.html Video: DC signs Green Arrow artist to exclusive contract (Date: 31 Aug 2016) * DC Entertainment has just signed international artists Robson Rocha and Otto Schmidt to exclusive deals * Siberian-born Otto Schmidt now resides on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus and is currently doing all cover and interior work — including pencils, inks and colors — on “Green Arrow,” written by Benjamin Percy. * Rotated off the book after Issue #2 and Juan Ferrera took over, but it looks like he's coming back! Link:http://www.cbr.com/dc-signs-robson-rocha-and-otto-schmidt-to-exclusive-deals/ FEEDBACK NEXT EPISODE Promo for Next Week: Legends Of Tomorrow - “Destiny” Article:http://www.comicbookmovie.com/dc_tv/legends_of_tomorrow/legends-of-tomorrow-season-1-episode-15-promo-destiny-a141351 Video: https://youtu.be/OzYh4SkPnFo Episode: “Destiny” [Season 1 Episode 15] Air Date: Thursday, May 12th, 2016 Summary: Being in the vicinity of the Time Masters leaves Rip and Rory incredibly disturbed for very different reasons. Meanwhile, Sara takes over the Waverider, Kendra is reunited with Carter and Snart decides he might be a hero after all. Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1069989/?ref_=tt_ov_dr Writers: No “writer” credit Story by: Marc Guggenheim Teleplay by: Phil Klemmer & Chris Fedak IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4952748/?ref_=tt_ep_nx Join The Starling Tribune each week as we stream live on Thursday nights at 9:00 PM eastern or 8:00 PM Central at www.geeks.live. Join the fun chatroom and interact with the hosts live. Contact us: @StarlingTribune - starlingtribune@gmail.com - www.starlingtribune.com - www.facebook.com/starlingtribune - 612-888-CAVE or 612-888-2283. Starling Tribune is proud to be a member of the GonnaGeek network found at GonnaGeek.com. For more geeky podcast visit GonnaGeek.com. You can find us on iTunes under ''Starling Tribune." We are very thankful for all of our positive iTunes reviews. You can find all our contact information here on the Network page of GonnaGeek.com Our complete archive is always available at www.starlingtribune.com This podcast was recorded September 1st, 2016. Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoyed the show! Audio Production by Stargate Pioneer of GonnaGeek.com.
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