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raging-violets · 5 years

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Fictober 2019 // Day 30 // By: Rhuben

Prompt Number: #30, “I’m with you, you know that.” Fandom: The Flash (DC TV) Rating: E Warning: None A/N: This will kind of, sort of, be a series based on the friendship around Eddie Thawne and my OC, Averey Moore. If I like some parts enough, I might even re-work them into my fics.

"I think next time," Averey said, using a wet napkin to wipe flour off of her shirt, "we should just buy our own cupcakes."

Eddie laughed, licking a glob of icing from his finger before burying it into a napkin. "I mastered making cupcakes a long time ago," he said, lowering himself onto the stool behind the island in his kitchen. He snorted. "My bathroom scale could tell you that."

"Yeah, add half a kilo for each bloody cookie," Averey replied. She used a breath of air to blow her hair out of her face, smiling in amusement. She glanced up at him over the top of the frames of her glasses, her smile widening when he rolled his eyes.

"I'd laugh," Eddie said flatly, shaking his head, "but it's true." Averey's lips twitched. He used the sleeve of his shirt to scratch at his nose. "Doughnuts, too. There were too many bakeries on my way to school." Sighing, he used his pinky nail to scratch at his eyebrow. "And, they don't talk back, so…"

"Comfort foods, hey," Averey said, reaching for a cooling cupcake. Setting it down in front of her, she grabbed the container of frosting closest to her, scraping a glob of frosting out with the knife sticking out of it.

"That," Eddie agreed, "and you work up an appetite running away from a beat down." He leaned forward on the stool, pressing his elbows onto the countertop. "Between that and kickboxing, it was no wonder I slimmed down."

"Well, you have my permission to pig out tonight, yeah?" Averey said, taking a large bite out of the cupcake she had just finished frosting. Chewing, she lifted it into the air. "Cheers, yeah? Here's to another year of being mates."

"And here's to another year of premature gray hair," Eddie said and Averey gave a mock bow, "thanks to you."

"I'll cheers to that," Averey laughed, tapping her cupcake against his. She took another bite, using her free hand to wipe the frosting off the tip of her nose. "I make your life more exciting, admit it."

Eddie closed his eyes as he took the bite of his cupcake. The rush of sugar to his system instantly made his jaw tighten in a good way. He licked the frosting from his lips and let the tang of cream cheese in the frosting increase the work of his salivary glands. It was just the right amount of tanginess that cut through the sweetness. His bite of cupcake crumbled in his mouth, sending the taste and smell of vanilla over his tongue and up his nose, the creaminess of the frosting mixing perfectly with the crumbling cake.

For the longest time, it was the only comfort he could find during the day. Coming home to a big, empty house may have sounded like a dream many kids, but not for him. Nor for many of the children living in Keystone City. Being the son of a senator, it wasn't surprising for Eddie to find his parents out late at events and emergency meetings. For his classmates, late nights for parents at the factories weren't out of the ordinary. At least until they were shut down by his father.

Then for Eddie, a quick escape after school through a side door, never taking the same route home twice, was a normal occurrence for him. Ducking into the nearest shop was his only reprieve, getting enough time to catch his breath and plot another route home. Owners of the stores would attempt to cheer him up with some baked goods, which did always work, but couldn't fill that hole of loneliness inside of him.

If he were being honest, that hole was still there as he grew older. Friends weren't easy for him to come by. Keeping them was something he hadn't exactly mastered even at the age he was at now. He still couldn't even believe he had become engaged to someone as great as Iris West. A girl like her would never have given him a second look if they had gone through school together. The fat kid never got the popular girl. And, yes, while he still didn't end up with a girl like her, it had made that hole inside him a tad bit smaller.

Being around her had opened himself up to lots of different people. He had Joe as his partner, and arguably one of the closest people to him in his life. He still had Iris, and through her, he met Barry. While some friction between them was there, they had great respect for each other as a member of the police department, and as the hero Central City needed. Through the Flash he met Cisco and Caitlin who did so much more work for the city without any credit for it.

And then there was Averey. He never thought an arrest would up with him meeting the best friend he ever had. While she could get under his skin with her rash decisions and laid back attitude, she was also the one who knew the most about him to get him to open up about what was bothering him, and knew how to pull a laugh out of him even in the most frustrating of times. Being an ocular metahuman, she could pinpoint a change in him faster than even he could notice the change in himself. While it could be unnerving, it was also nice to know that someone knew him that well.

"You keep things interesting," he finally managed, blinking open his eyes. He met a lot of different people through his line of work but could say for 100% that he hadn't met anyone like her.

"Right," Averey said, waving her hand in the air, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," Eddie agreed. "God knows life would be different without you."

"Reckon the word you're looking for is 'boring', yeah?" Averey grinned. Eddie rolled her eyes. "Chasing down gang members, getting the call for the next meta encounter you have to investigate."

"Still don't understand how you've managed to drag me into all of that," Eddie said with a shake of his head, "but I have to admit, I don't think I'd be able to handle all of this without you."

"Feeling's mutual, mate," Averey said, peeling off a chunk of the cupcake, sticking it on her tongue. She twisted her mouth to the side. "You've had to put up a lot with me when you didn't have to."

"Of course I did," Eddie corrected her. "I'm with you, you know that."

"Always, mate." Averey lifted her hand, reaching across the table. Eddie slapped her palm with a forward swing of his hand, hitting the back of her hand on the back swing, and then they bumped fists. "Cheers."

"So, think you'll stick with me long enough to help clean up?"

Averey scoffed. "No way." Eddie's eyes went half-lidded as he gave her a pointed look. She widened hers in return, looking even bigger behind her glasses. "It's your apartment, mate."

"You wanted cupcakes."

"I don't even have the cash to pay for bloody gum right now." A challenging look came to her face as she looked over all the baked goods. "Bet I can eat more. Loser has to clean up."

Eddie pulled his mouth to the side. "You're really underestimating me."

"I've got speedster's metabolism, hey." She made a face. "Kind of." One blood transfusion and her healing factor had been upped. Even her appetite had increased, but it was nowhere near as fast as Barry's.

"All right, you're on." He pointed across the room with both hands. "Dish soap is over there, and I expect the dishes to be sparkling."

#fictober19 #fd: the flash #eddie thawne #oc: averey moore #brotp: criminal law #prompt #authored by: rhuben

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eddycurrents · 5 years

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For the week of 5 May 2019

Quick Bits:

Age of Conan: Bêlit #3 throws a few road bumps in the way of Bêlit’s plans as the Kushites renege of their deal and her drunken “Captain” continues being a jerk. I’m really liking this exploration of Bêlit’s early days from Tini Howard, Kate Niemczyk, Scott Hanna, Jason Keith, and Travis Lanham.

| Published by Marvel

Archie #704 throws some roadblocks in the way of Archie and Sabrina’s relationship through the form of a “Bachelor”-like charity programme set up by Cheryl. I love the even more stylized pastel colour palette from Matt Herms.

| Published by Archie Comics

Batman & The Outsiders #1 is an entertaining debut from Bryan Hill, Dexter Soy, Veronica Gandini, Clayton Cowles. I’ve not read the arc in Detective Comics that feeds into this, but this first issue provides enough information for new readers now to be lost and gives good incentive to check out what’s come before. Great art from Soy and Gandini, with an interesting look inside a team and a compelling start to a mystery about the last survivor from a metahuman generating factory.

| Published by DC Comics

Bettie Page #4 concludes the QE2 aliens caper. Love the art from Julius Ohta, Ellie Wright, and Sheelagh D.

| Published by Dynamite

Bronze Age Boogie #2 continues the strangest Doom Patrol story as the Martian invasion angle has taken hold in the future and a motley crew of heroes bands together to try to stop them. Stuart Moore, Alberto Ponticelli, Giulia Brusco, and Rob Steen are playing with some interesting cross-media influences to tell a highly entertaining tale. It’s rounded out with the usual goodies in the form of prose, letters, and what’s probably my favourite of the back-up strips so far, Major Ursa, from Tyrone Finch, Mauricet, Lee Loughridge, and Rob Steen.

| Published by Ahoy

Conan the Barbarian #6 sees Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar, Matthew Wilson, and Travis Lanham tell a story of Conan’s frustrations as a mercenary in the skirmishes between Turan and Stygia. People constantly underestimating Conan is always a fun story.

| Published by Marvel

Deadly Class #38 sees Marcus and Maria return to King’s Dominion. It’s kind of messed up seeing the new status quo, but at the same time the tension that Rick Remender, Wes Craig, Jordan Boyd, and Rus Wooton build here between to old Legacy kids and Marcus & Maria feels like it’s going to explode, suggesting something even worse for the characters is coming soon. It’s very captivating.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Detective Comics #1003 reveals the identity of the Arkham Knight. It’s not really anyone you could have possibly guessed, but an interesting addition to Batman’s rogues gallery. Also the cult surrounding the Arkham Knight is certifiably insane. Gorgeous artwork again from Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, and Nathan Fairbairn.

| Published by Marvel

The Empty Man #7 goes full Clive Barker as we get an explanation for what the Empty Man really is and how he continues to manifest himself upon reality. I know I keep saying it, but the body horror brought about in the art from Jesús Hervás and Niko Guardia just can’t be stressed enough. Every issue they seem to outdo themselves with creepy and intriguing designs.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Eve Stranger #1 looks to be another winner for Black Crown. This first issue sets up the titular character as a secret agent who seems to need to reboot her memory every week. Why, exactly, is left unknown, but that’s part of the fun. David Barnett, Philip Bond, Eva de la Cruz, and Jane Heir do a wonderful job here with the action and intrigue. Also it’s great to see Bond doing more espionage tinged action, his art always looks so great telling these kinds of stories.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Excellence #1 is a thoroughly excellent debut from Brandon Thomas, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, and Deron Bennett. The world and character building in this first issue is impeccable and the art from Randolph and Lopez will just blow you away. Incredible development of a magic-based society and the class structure therein.

| Published by Image / Skybound

The Flash #70 begins “Year One” promising new insight and occurrences during Barry’s origin story. Given that the last time this happened his mother was murdered, changing the timeline and resulting down the line in Barry trying to fix it with Flashpoint, anything’s possible. The real draw, though, is the stunning artwork from Howard Porter and Hi-Fi. Porter is really giving this his all and it shines through wonderfully.

| Published by DC Comics

Hawkman #12 brings Bryan Hitch’s tenure on the series to an end with the conclusion to “Cataclysm”. This is an excellent, action-packed final confrontation between the legion of Hawkmen and the Deathbringers, setting up a whole Hawkman for possibly the first time and hints as to worse things waiting on the horizon.

| Published by DC Comics

Infinite Dark #6 amplifies the terror and chaos as the dead-ish things exposed to the void start spreading fear and panic throughout the station. Ryan Cady, Andrea Mutti, K. Michael Russell, and Troy Peteri ratchet up the horror here.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Invaders #5 raises more questions after we thought some things were coming into focus in the previous issue, as Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice, Alex Guimarães, and Travis Lanham continue “War Ghosts”. The tension here on the brink of all out war between the US and Atlantis is incredible, and there are more interesting twists that suggest something far more sinister occurring.

| Published by Marvel

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Sirens #2 features a gorgeous adaptation of the story of Chinese mother goddess, Nuwa, by Chan Chau with letters by Jim Campbell. The artwork is amazingly beautiful supporting a very sweet tale.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / Archaia

Justice League Odyssey #9 opens up an interesting thread that Starfire, Cyborg, and Azrael may be unduly under the influence of Darkseid. Dan Abnett is setting up some simmering conflict between Jessica Cruz and the rest of the team here, along with quite a few occult catchphrases thrown in to help amplify the mood.

| Published by DC Comics

Lodger #5 is the end to this excellent crime drama from the Laphams and it is all kinds of messed up. We learn what really happened to Ricky’s family and...yeah. This has been a strange, at times disturbing, ride and they stuck the landing.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

Murder Falcon #8 is the epic conclusion to this series as Jake and Murf take on Magnum Khaos. Between this series and Extremity, Daniel Warren Johnson has proven himself time and again as a master storyteller and it shines through with the heartrending end to this story. This one goes up to eleven.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica #1 is an interesting mash-up of the three properties from Amy Chu, Maria Sanapo, Vinicius Andrade, and Taylor Esposito. Some nice fish out of water humour as Sonja and Vampirella acclimate to Riverdale.

| Published by Dynamite

Savage Sword of Conan #5 concludes “The Cult of Koga Thun” from Gerry Duggan, Ron Garney, Richard Isanove, and Travis Lanham. Some interesting twists in this finale of what has been a highly entertaining adventure.

| Published by Marvel

She Could Fly: The Lost Pilot #2 sees Martín Morazzo cut loose again with some of the designs and presentation for Luna’s dreams and schizophrenic episodes.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Boba Fett #1 features some incredibly rich artwork from Marc Laming and Neeraj Menon. Great detail throughout this story spotlighting Boba Fett’s cold, silent amorality.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #32 begins “Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon” as Aphra and her young protege steal the titular MacGuffin. There’s some interesting flashbacks to Aphra’s youth and it’s great to see Caspar Wijngaard doing more Star Wars art, even if just the flashbacks.

| Published by Marvel

These Savage Shores #4 is a sumptuous feast. Ram V, Sumit Kumar, Vittorio Astone, and Aditya Bidikar are elevating the artform of comics which each subsequent issue. The epistolary narrative, the horror and mythological themes, the plays upon the nine-panel grid, the shadowy character designs, the lush and spooky colours, the overlap with historical events, the unique approach and detail in each character’s missive...just one of these elements would result in an entertaining tale, this comic mixes all of them into a superlative package. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not reading this series.

| Published by Vault

The Unstoppable Wasp #7 throws Nadia a birthday party, wherein she learns of her relations to what seems like half of the Marvel universe. Also, issues a death threat to Tony Stark. It’s cute, from Jeremy Whitley, Alti Firmansyah, Espen Grundetjern, and Joe Caramagna.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1 sets up the conflict in the Pacific with Sindr while introducing a swath of new international characters to the Marvel universe. Also, Amadeus Cho continues to be a massive idiot, even at his shrunken size. Great art from Gang Hyuk Lim and Federico Blee.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Twins #4 sets up the twins with a pair of dates, allowing for some hilarious misadventures. Also, Polly seems to have a weird obsession with testicular cancer. Mark Russell, Stephen Byrne, and Dave Sharpe continue the fun, even though this one kind of takes us away from all ages material.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Wyrd #3 opens up the messy can of worms of Wyrd’s past further as a figure out of the past he can’t remember emerges for a “meet”. Great tone and atmosphere for this story from Curt Pires, Antonio Fuso, Stefano Simeone, and Micah Myers.

| Published by Dark Horse

X-Force #7 begins “The Counterfeit King” from Ed Brisson, Dylan Burnett, Damian Couceiro, Jesus Aburtov, and Joe Caramagna as past and present threaten to collide. Some nice character development for the team as they wait for Deathlok to do his thing.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Accell #20, Age of X-Man: Apocalypse & The X-Tracts #3, Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command #3, Betty & Veronica #5, Black Hammer: Age of Doom #10, By Night #11, Captain America #10, Captain Marvel #5, Catwoman #11, Curse Words #21, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #6, Gunning for Hits #5, Hack/Slash vs. Chaos #5, Hit Girl: Season Two #4, House of Whispers #9, Ice Cream Man #12, James Bond: Origin #9, The Last Space Race #4, The Long Con #9, Marvels Annotated #3, Oberon #4, Ronin Island #3, Section Zero #2, Shadow Roads #7, Six Days, Spider-Man/Deadpool #50, Star Wars Adventures #21, Supergirl #30, Symbiote Spider-Man #2, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #44, Unnatural #9, Vindication #4, War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #2, Wasted Space #9, Waves, Wonder Woman #70

Recommended Collections: Accell - Volume 4: Slipstream Dream, Beyonders - Volume 1, Blackbird - Volume 1, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor - Volume 1, The Freeze - Volume 1, Justice League - Volume 2: Graveyard of the Gods, Pearl - Volume 1, Quantum & Woody! - Volume 2: Separation Anxiety, Red Sonja/Tarzan, Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider - Volume 1: Spider-Geddon, Star Wars: Age of Republic - Villains, Thor by Jason Aaron: Complete Collection - Volume 1, The Woods: Yearbook Edition - Volume 1

d. emerson eddy feels like a frappuccino.

#This Week in Comics

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couchmonkey · 4 years

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PILOT season!!

When I was young, Brandon Tartikoff was a hero of mine. I always fancied myself a closet programmer, so I love pilot season. THR published a list of the projects moving forward and as I was procrastinating, some are already on the air.

Let’s start with Stumptown. Inspired by the Oni Press graphic novels, Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders), a strong, assertive and unapologetically sharp-witted (but, let’s face it, hot mess) Army veteran working as a P.I. in Portland. Michael Ealy plays the cop because there must always be one. His boss is Camryn Manheim (yes!!), and the whole reason I heard about the show is Tantoo Cardinal, a powerful local Native American tied to Dex’s past. Oops, almost forgot the best friend, JakeJohnson of New Girl. His past is a little messy, too. He now owns a bar and employs Dex’s brother Ansel (Cole Sibus). It’s a tight cast, and Dex really is a hot mess nut she gets things done.

All Rise, it looks like, was originally pitched as Courthouse, good thing they changed the name! Simone Missick is a former DA who just became a judge and is encircled by Ruthie Ann Mills as her assistant, Lindsay Mendez as her stenographer, J. Alex Brinson as the deputy in her courtroom, and Marg Helgenberger as her mentor. I was not familiar with the first three when I started the show but they are a strong team. The 2 main lawyers are Wilson Bethel, a DA and old friend of Missick’s judge, and Jessica Camacho, a VERY determined public defender. I like the dynamics of the show, it’s very seldom a case of the week situation (even though there is one). Viewers get little snippets of most of the characters’ lives organically so, in my opinion, you enjoyed the show more the more you watch.

Evil is one of the most unique shows on the air this season. It pits science and religion, Katja Herbers plays a skeptical clinical psychologist who joins a priest-in-training (Mike Colter) and a blue-collar contractor ( Aasif Mandvi) to investigate supposed miracles, demonic possessions and other extraordinary occurrences to see if there's a scientific explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work.The give and take between science and religion is truly engaging and Michael Emerson is truly creepy and possibly playing for the other side in this battle.

Bob Hearts Abishola follows Bob (Billy Gardell) who, after having a heart attack, falls in love with his Nigerian nurse (Folake Olowofoyeku). I think I saw the pilot, the rest of the episodes are on my DVR at the moment and thanks to some of the promos and Christine Ebersole, I do plan to get to them. ETA: I’ve watched a couple. Folake Olowofoyeku is really great but because this whole thing seems to involve the progress of their relationship, it runs a little slow for me.

Carol's Second Act is also piling up on my DVR. I’ve been on bedrest because of an injury and have been mostly streaming. But, like Bob, I do plan to get to it. I do like that Patricia Heaton is the lead, a med student of all things. I have to think it’s also still on the air because it also has a strong male lead, Kyle MacLachlan, although I’ve never personally seen him do comedy. Cedric Yarbrough is a strong motivator for me as well as I saw every episode of Speechless. ETA: Well, plans change. I erased them all. I thought if I hadn’t gotten to them by now, watching them would be a chore.

The Unicorn is a sitcom I actually have been watching. I didn’t want to at first because, although I’d heard of Walton Goggins, I had never actually seen him in anything. But it’s kind of like Seinfeld in that there is such an impressively strong group playing the couples who are his friends. Omar Benson Miller (yes!!) and Maya Lynne Robinson are a couple with 4 kids and essentially a no nonsense approach and Rob Corddry and comedy goddess Michaela Watkins are the white color kid with a single kid who is well on her way to nerdhood. These four a Goggins’ lifeline after his wife passes and he becomes a single father. The whole widower thing is handled well. His wife is mentioned or remembered in a completely organic way and allows the show to stay away from a trajectory that could have become maudlin.

Prodigal Son is another fairly unique concept for this season. Tom Payne plays Malcolm Bright, the son of a notorious serial killer called The Surgeon (Michael Sheen) who understands how killers think. The criminal psychologist uses his skills to help an NYPD unit led by Lou Diamond Phillips, a cop he’s known since his youth. What is interesting for me so far is that Bright’s mom, Bellamy Young, is her own kind of nuts, and Malcolm, who started off as a little nutty (I mean consider his past), is well on his way to possibly off his rocker.

Bluff City Law is a case of the week legal drama set in Memphis. The viewer is getting smidges of the character’s private lives each week but character development seems a little slow. I like Caitlin McGee’s performance but I’d never heard of her before watching this. The anchor for the show and the law firm in it is Jimmy Smits. The supporting cast, especially Barry Sloane who’s mostly navigated a single case for the first part of the season, is just starting to get noticed. It’s not something I race to watch but I like it. ETA: It has gotten cancelled. Poor Barry Sloane.

Emergence was a show I was waiting for as it marked the return of Allison Tolman. She plays a sheriff who takes in a young child that she finds near the site of a mysterious accident who has no memory of what has happened. The investigation so far has been weird and sometimes violent and definitely is affecting her family, including father Clancy Brown and ex-husband Donald Faison. But, bless her, she is nowhere near ready to give up. The cliffhanger before Christmas break was very illuminating.

I have watched a couple of episodes of Perfect Harmony (the rest are on my DVR). I love that Bradley Whitford is doing outright comedy although his character, an Ivy League music professor, is quite cranky. But I’m not in a rush to get back to it because it doesn’t seem like there’s enough material for it to run for multiple seasons. ETA: Like Carol’s Second Act, these got dumped off my DVR.

While we’re talking about enough material, Sunnyside was one of the first casualties of the season and, I have to say, I saw it coming. The pilot was well done, Kal Penn played Garrett Shah, a disgraced former New York city councilman who finds his calling when faced with immigrants in need of his help and in search of the American Dream. I know the immigration and nationalization process in the US is a lengthy process but it just didn’t seem like there was enough to keep people coming back despite the presence of talent like Diana Maria Riva.

Almost Family revolves around Julia Beckley (Brittany Snow) having her life turned upside down when it's revealed that her father, a pioneering Nobel Prize-winning fertility doctor, used his own sperm to conceive dozens of children over the course of his career. She connects with two “sisters” in particular and I think that’s what they’ve built the show on but I had a hard time believing any of the negative effects of all this coming from Snow and chose to stop watching. I do have the Australian show it’s based on as part of my Netflix list, I think I will probably end up watching that first.

I did start watching Batwoman before my injury, it being female led and all. Ruby Rose does inspire a bit of monotony in the voiceovers that populate the show but I get it, she’s tired, she’s working hard and only making minimal progress, I understand she’s not full of pep. It is kind of weird to watch her slip into the suit and try to make it work for her and watch Camrus Johnson, the steward of the life Bruce Wayne abandoned, do his best to both avoid and become her Alfred. ETA: That got dumped off the DVR, too. There’s SOOOO much TV.

FBI: Most Wanted is a spinoff of FBI (somebody may have to stop Dick Wolf) featuring  Julian McMahon of Nip/Tuck as the head of team tasked with hunting down fugitives. Sadly, it’s been pretty run of the mill so far except for McMahon’s in-laws, which include Nathanial Arcand as his brother-in-law and a member of his squad.

The CW did reboot Nancy Drew and while I did not hate the concept, I’m still loyal to Pamela Sue Martin and chose not to watch it.

These are the shows that are on the air. Some mid-season shows are still ready to roll out. Some are already being bolstered by promos like Deputy. I am looking forward to that one and watching Stephen Dorff unexpectedly be made the sheriff of LA County. I think and really hope Yara Martinez, last seen and underutilized on Bull, will get to be a meaty part of this drama. ETA: Yara has gotten some featured episodes and done well but she’s essentially in the same boat as David Conrad on the Ghost Whisperer and Jake Weber on Medium.

Tommy is another cop show but thankfully Tommy is Abigail Thomas’ nickname and Edie Falco is front and centre as the first female chief of police for Los Angeles. She got the position as part of a court mandate after some ugliness in the department and often has to deal with the mayor, Tom Sadowski. Tommy’s assembled a pretty tight circle so far and, of course, does things her own way, so I’ve been trying to watch this live.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist is SOOOOOO good. I’ve missed Jane Levy so much and this has not only a lovely story but singing and dancing (with choreography by Mandy Moore). After an accident in an MRI machine, Levy’s character can hear people expressing their feelings through song. Her supporting cast is top notch. Alex Newell of Glee plays her neighbor who is trying to help Zoey figure this out, Skylar Astin of Pitch Perfect and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is her BFF, Lauren Graham is her boss, and Mary Steenburgen and Peter Gallagher are her parents. Some of the most touching scenes (and songs) have involved Levy and Gallagher, who has lost many functions, including speech and a lot of movement. Thanks to Zoey’s condition, he is able to express himself to her through song and Gallagher’s voice is so sweet.

Geniuses has become Outmatched and features Maggie Lawson and Jason Biggs as parents of 4 children, 3 of whom are geniuses. I’ve seen 3 episodes so far. Everyone except the “normal” child seems to be waiting for a rimshot. I did enjoy Tony Danza as Jason Bigg’s dad but I am not going to be busting my butt to watch it.

Uninsured has become Indebted. Adam Pally and Abby Elliott end up having to take care of Dave's parents (Fran Drescher and Steven Weber), who have mismanaged their finances and need help paying down a sizable debt. Sadly, like Outmatched, everyone seems to be waiting for a rimshot and the jokes seem really repetitive. Weber’s character, for example, is constantly talking about spending extravagant amounts of money even though he is deep in debt and I doubt they’re going after a dementia storyline with him. When the name Dan Levy popped up on the credits I did a lightning fast search on IMDB to make sure it was not, in my mind, THE Dan Levy of Schitt’s Creek, and thankfully, there are 2 of them.

Lincoln Rhyme, who was played on the big screen by Denzel Washington, is now Russell Hornsby from Grimm and Fox’s failed Proven Innocent. There’s still an Amelia Sachs, there’s still a Bone Collector, and Michael Imperioli is always a strong utility player but I’m finding it collecting on the DVR because of the plethora of good stuff available on Thursday and my need to get through that because sampling Friday’s mostly guilty pleasures.

Katy Keene has made it air. It’s a Riverdale spinoff on the CW and they are spending a lot on advertising but not enough to rope me in. Not that I think it’s not a good show, I’m just not the target audience.

Of the rest of the list, I know the planned reboots of New York Undercover and NYPD blue did not make it out of the gate.

I’m never going to get this post finished if I included all of the pilots on the list I still haven’t talked about, so I’ll go with bullet points about the ones that stood out to me:

Nana: Katey Sagal playing a grandmother. Yeah.

An untitled comedy pairing Leslie Odom Jr. and Kelly Jenrette: GREAT team, well matched I think.

The Republic of Sarah: Sarah Drew of Grey's Anatomy goes from mayor to president. So much story potential there.

Broke: Jaime Camil and Natasha Leggero plus Pauley Perrette - uh, yes please. Sounds like a very strong team to me.

Next is a vehicle for Jon Slattery of Mad Men, who I adore, but I don’t recognize much of the supporting cast, which could be a problem if none of them are able to rise to his level.

Filthy Rich features Kim Cattrall and Gerald McRaney, a very strong base but I’m wondering how the religious community will respond to a story about how imperfect true believers can be. Another plus for me, it’s supposed to be filmed in New Orleans.

Richard Lovely is a vehicle for the uber talented Thomas Lennon, who plays the disgruntled author of the best-selling children's book series, Mr. Mouse. It looks like he’ll have Wendie Malick as a frequent scene partner and I believe that to be an ideal pairing.

Council of Dads is getting a lot of advertising but will involve death. If they handle it as well as The Unicorn has, I think it might have a chance.

That’s all I’ve got. I wish I’d finished this sooner. My DVR is 63% full. I’m going to match more TV.

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papermoonloveslucy · 7 years

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LUCY GOES TO THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY: PART 2

S2;E2 ~ September 29, 1969

Directed by George Marshall ~ Written by Gene Thompson

Synopsis

Visiting the U.S. Air Force Academy, Lucy takes a tour and mistakes the General in charge for a janitor!

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter), Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Carter)

Guest Cast

Roy Roberts (Superintendent) was born Roy Barnes Jones in Tampa, Florida in 1906. His early career was on the Broadway stage, gracing such plays as Old Man Murphy (1931), Twentieth Century (1932), The Body Beautiful (1935) and My Sister Eileen (1942). In Hollywood, the veteran character actor clocked over 900 screen performances in his 40 year career, most of which were authority figures. He and Lucille Ball appeared together in Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949). On “The Lucy Show” he first appeared as a Navy Admiral in “Lucy and the Submarine” (S5;E2) before creating the role of Mr. Cheever, a recurring character he played through the end of the series. This is the first of his 5 episodes of “Here’s Lucy.” Roberts died in 1975 at age 69.

Roy Roberts played the same character in “Lucy Goes to the Air Force Academy: Part 1” (S2;E1).

Mel Blanc (Red Squad Radio voice / Woodward voice, uncredited) is best known as the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers characters, but had acted with Lucille Ball on radio and in the 1950 film The Fuller Brush Girl.

I'd be curious to know how Lucy convinced her old friend Mel Blanc to come to the ADR (automated dialogue replacement) session and do these two voices. Possibly he was in the studio that day anyway. It would also be interesting to learn how the uncredited actor/cadet playing Woodward reacted to being dubbed by the great Mel Blanc!

Beverley Garland (Secretary, uncredited) is best remembered as Barbara, Fred MacMurray's new wife on “My Three Sons.” Roy Roberts (Superintendent) played a dentist on a 1970 episode of the show. This is her only appearance with Lucille Ball. She died in 2008.

Antonio Garcia Tony (Kid on Field Trip, uncredited) makes his screen debut with this episode. He continued to play uncredited background characters and also became a casting director.

John Erwin (Narrator, uncredited) was a voice-over artist primarily known for voicing Reggie on the “Archie” cartoons. Erwin's voice over comes at the start of the episode to tell the audience what happened in part 1.

Actual Air Force Academy students and staff play themselves.

This episode is the second of a four-part on-location story arc created with the cooperation of the Air Force and the state of Colorado. At the Academy, filming was done right in the dormitories and administrative buildings. The Air Force viewed this as a sort of TV commercial at a time when the public was very down on the military due to its involvement in the Vietnam War.

Unlike studio filming, only one camera was used on location, although Lucille Ball insisted on her studio lighting instruments, despite their great weight and bulk.

The US Air Force Academy was founded in 1954. The buildings were designed in a modernist style and make extensive use of aluminum on building exteriors, suggesting the outer skin of aircraft or spacecraft. The most controversial aspect of the design was the Cadet Chapel, designed by architect Walter Netsch. It is currently the most visited man-made tourist attraction in Colorado. It features 17 spires that shoot 150 feet into the sky. On the tour, Lucy understandably mistakes the Chapel for a large aircraft. This scene is underscored by the Air Force Academy choir singing a hymn.

Harry mistakes the domed planetarium building for a UFO. The site used to be open to the public, but is now used exclusively for cadet training. The choir switches to “Air Force Blue” an unofficial Air Force song composed during 1956 by Marilyn Scott and Keith Textor.

They look through the windows at Mitchell Hall, the cadet dining hall, which is named in honor of Brigadier General William Mitchell. This three and a half story structure sits on 1.7 acres and has the capability of serving the entire Cadet Wing (more than 4,000 people) simultaneously in less than 30 minutes. During this scene the choir sings a song based on the poem “The Coming American” by Samuel Walter Foss.

They next see Vandenburg Hall, a quarter mile long dormitory. Vandenberg Hall is the second-largest university dormitory in the country, after the United States Naval Academy’s Mitchell Hall. The dorms are named after General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, the second Air Force chief of staff. The main buildings in the Cadet Area surround a large pavilion known as The Terrazzo, designed by landscape architect Dan Kiley. The name comes from the walkway’s terrazzo tiles that are set among a checkerboard of marble strips.

The scene where Lucy is dragged by a floor polisher through the hallways of one of the buildings is accomplished by Lucille herself without a stunt double. A special dolly is placed under her body to glide her along, and the film was sped up so she appears to be moving much faster than she actually was.

When Lucy and the Carters are guests at the grand parade, Lucille Ball wears the prescription sunglasses she wore in real life. Lucy Carter never wore glasses on the series, so it momentarily reminds us that these cadets are all parading for the real-life celebrity Lucille Ball.

As the parade of cadets passes, the show takes a surreal turn when Lucy, with Craig standing beside her watching the men march by, sees the face of her son in the formation. The camera irises in and focuses on Craig in full military inform. The march is accompanied by “El Capitan” (1896) by John Philip Sousa.

The episode ends with a helicopter shot of the parade and the Academy campus to the strains of “Off We Go, Into the Wild Blue Yonder” (aka “The U.S. Air Force Song” written in 1938 by Robert MacArthur Crawford).

In addition to Beverly Garland and Roy Roberts, Lucy shows and “My Three Sons” have a lot of actors in common. First and foremost William Frawley (Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy”) who played Uncle Charlie. Star Fred MacMurray played himself on a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” In early episodes of “The Lucy Show” Barry Livingston (Ernie, youngest of the three sons) played Mr. Mooney's son Arnold on two episodes. Don Grady (Robbie, eldest of the three sons) also did an episode of “The Lucy Show” as one of Lucy's daughter's friends. Candy Moore and Jimmy Garrett, who played Lucy Carmichael's children on “The Lucy Show,” each did one episode. Doris Singleton, who played Caroline Appleby on “I Love Lucy” and characters on each of Lucy's shows, also played two characters on eight episodes of “My Three Sons.”

Other shared character actors include Maurice Marsac (Tropicana Maitre D'), Reta Shaw, Jerry Hausner (Jerry the Agent), Maxine Semon, Lou Krugman, Ted Eccles (who also played Arnold Mooney), Richard Reeves, Ed Begley, Gail Bonney, Jay North (Wendell Mooney), Rolfe Sedan, Tyler McVey, Sandra Gould, Richard Deacon, Eve Arden, Mabel Albertson, Joan Blondell (Joan Brennan), Elvia Allman, Herb Vigran, Dayton Lummis, Mary Wickes, Lurene Tuttle, Dick Patterson, Jamie Farr, Tol Avery, Robert Carson, Amzie Strickland, Barbara Morrison, Louis Nicoletti, Eddie Quillan, Barbara Pepper, Dub Taylor, Kathleen Freeman, Ray Kellogg, Stafford Repp, Jay Novello, William Meader, Arthur Tovey, Bess Flowers (”Queen of the Extras”), Ed Haskett, Hans Moebus, Bert Stevens, James Gonzales, Steve Carruthers, Norman Stevans, and George DeNormand.

During the saluting scene, cars disappear and reappear; They're present in the long shots and gone in the close-ups. Same for the snow (small circle); there is snow on the grass in the long shots and none in the close-ups.

Lucy mistakes the Superintendent (Roy Roberts) for a janitor despite the fact that he's wearing a military hat!

The wire pulling the runaway floor polisher down the hallway can be clearly seen in one shot, although it is difficult to see in the still photos.

In another shot you can see the dolly underneath Lucy.

“Lucy Goes to the Air Force Academy: Part 2” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

These two episodes feel more complete if viewed as one. Lucy's display of physical comedy is truly memorable. The tour of the Academy is basically a recruitment video for cadets. The military pageantry of the ending, combined with Lucy's hallucination of Craig in uniform, is a bit odd.

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mulliganisms · 4 years

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Himself Alone 1970

In the thin air of the Azteca Stadium in the 1970 World Cup Final Pele hovers majestically over his Italian prey - Himself is similarly airborne as his ten year old derriere has been launched towards a Western Irish sky by a bolting horse.

In the next few moments gravity will work on both and Himself will attempt to match the cacophony of 107,412 and will come pretty close. Life is flashing before him, At ten his life is as watchable as a reality TV spin off on a cable channel - thin content which Himself tries to stretch out by endless previously ons recaps and in next week’s show...He had recently sat through Love Story - will he die before his own has ever tasted love? Never to skate in Central Park? Never having to say sorry - and not even the drawn out death where Ali Mcgraw looks more glamorous as the end nears but an instant hit of body on Connemara marble. At least he would die with as clean a conscience as Bobby Moore post diamond necklace scandal.

The nag that had inched forward like a non league crowd following a triumphant cup tie vs higher placed opposition who wanted to savour the relative luxury of the away ground now moves with energy and purpose as speedily and unexpectedly as the appearance of the roundel insignia on Japanese fighter planes over the Pearl Harbour skies. Not like in the Michael Bay travesty but as in the epic war fillum he's just seen at the ABC Essex Rd: Tora Tora Tora - surprise surprise surprise - like all 70s boys he was multilingual - provided there was a war on. feuer achtung Banzai hande hoch. And this is war: man vs horse - all about personal survival.

Fortunately Himself had bronze, silver and gold badges acquired thro many hours of perspiration starting with Mum’s dexterous use of a safety pin when she somehow retrieved the elastic swimming trunk cord - as much a wonder to Himself as the third of the working class consistently voting against their own interests or the touting of £100k Peter Marinello as the next George Best. The swimming lessons in the Tibberton Rd Public baths - always busy as very few folk had bathrooms at home relying on the Saturday night tin bath. That would be followed by climbing into the blue and white cotton pyjamas warmed in front of the coal fire in readiness for the Andy Williams Xmas snowbound belatedly screened in April.

Finally the inflating and tying off of said blue and white cotton sleepwear and the desperate drying of them with dressing room hairdryer which had been recently installed owing to demand from men growing their hair longer. This had resulted in the wolf whistling of certain players at football grounds- obviously only visiting or especially former heroes especially Jimmy Robertson at the Lanewhen he scored for Arsenal. The skills these medals acknowledged were of no use on land. If only his bolting mount had been a giant sea horse...

Himself has never ridden before but he has seen the Grand National on the telly so The pose is pure Pat Taafe - Mum’s fave Irish jockey who won the grand national that year resulting in her annual bet paying off with jubblies all round.The horse is no Arkle the champion horse much less Champion the Wonder Horse star of Saturday Morning Pictures - a communal cinema going experience where the largely junior crowd heckled the Government Information films watched rapt at key moments in Z for Zorro and cheered at Flash Gordon - all behaviours far more endurable than the Vue/Cineworld going adult munching supersize tacos swimming in collagenous red , loudly predicting plot outcomes and turning their phone screens up just in case they miss an update from their co-worshippers of WKD, Lynx and cuffed sweatpants who style themselves as the whatsapp group lethal banter squad

The horse is one of a team too - some of his mates bearing Aulfella and da brudders others pulling a trap navigated by Mam with dasisters. They have names tho none as resonant as

Tostao, Gerson, Jairzinho - Brazil 1970 the greatest team ever - and the highlight of their play wasn’t even a goal but an outrageous dummy and miss vs Uruguay by the totemic Pele. Pele’s opening goal and Carlos Alberto’s clinching fourth meant Brazil won Jules Rimet three times and got to keep the trophy. Perhaps that’s what drives Mark Francois and Rees Mogg towards urging constant war on Germany - a hat trick of victories would give them world domination in perpetuity - the natural order of things.

The rarity of sightings of these yellow and green shirts enhanced their allure. They were only glimpsed every four years and the white clad Germans and Orange dutch every two. Contrast that with the attention mega trawler supernet net of todays’ neverending news - transfer deadline day is more exciting than most games. No such problem in 1970 midweek - we got Sportsnight with Coleman - which did feature football but only after you had sat through all sorts of things boxing, figure skating but the one most pertinent to the crisis - showjumping

Following exposure on the telly kids would head to the park to attempt to copy their newfound Gods - the Willie Carr flick, the Best robbing of Banks at wembley - scandalously ruled out for ungentlemanly conduct, The Denis Law sleeve grab (does anyone still make long sleeve shirts?).

Rosemary Gardens cinder pitch was their Highbury, their Lords (with matting rolled out and stumps on springs) even their Wimbledon when anyone cared to play (two weeks in June) but it was never our Hickstead- our Wembley stadium never the Empire Pool Wembley

The only pools that mattered were the centrepiece of early Saturday night ritual. The football results delivered to kitchens steaming with anticipation of life changing news and perfectly cooked potato flesh - invariably just like the clocks that year of nothing in our lives and others changed. However, one of Aulfella’s friends, Old Docherty, actually won the pools and grew beardier, scroogier and unhappier with each occasional visit -never once bringing anything with him. For Irish kids the visitors from Home - and most of them were in the same boat as us, ie a barely afloat dinghy - were always good for a few bob. It was considered good luck to give the kid some silver. Yet this man whom fortune had shone on never once shelled out to us. In fact he spent one whole day complaining that the imminent decimalisation of the currency meant penny for the guy was now prone to hyper inflation and nothing but a profiteering shameful scam perpetrated on the unknowing and donors should be handing over 0.471new pence. God knows what he did during bob a job week. Bob a job week was where uniformed kids washed cars, cleaned windows, ran errands - known collectively as odd jobs. They ain’t odd tho are they? Night time Czar is an odd job as is innovation sherpa at Microsoft and eBay curator - here is a Crying Boy print in cracked frame contrasted with a chipped babycham glass tight against the cracked soda stream bottle - and they all earn more than a few bob.

Being Catholics Himself and crowd were always a bit self conscious during bonfire night possibly cos of the burning of effigies. Anyway he had All Souls day - Halloween - then to Church all souls - Old Docherty cme one year and the highlight was his reaction to the collection plate: a dummy worthy of Pele followed by a Barry John pass or if the row was very empty - he demonstrated real potential in the new sport of Frisby.

Always happier as player than spectator, Himself enjoyed the privilege of altar serving which often yielded significant coinage. The tariff was clearly signposted - weddings, baptisms - then the biggest payers: mourners. We used to pray for for a big funeral not the old miser Docherty of course - even tho he had promised Aulfella he’d get his newish telly in the will

Telly was the talk of the summer for the cinder pitch in the park was also the scene of filming the TV show Budgie. This starred Adam Faith who was an actor/ pop star and managed his own career as well as other artists. It’s not easy doing that - only Louis CK really handles himself and look where that’s got him. When the show was aired one local geezer was rechristened as Budgie because of his feathered cut - the Rachel of its time. Until the 90s such references were pretty universal but the market led fragmentation of broadcasting reflected the times of greater social inequality especially in broadcasting. Food banks remain a shock to us children of the 1970s - then we had Adam Faith, Bob Hope but no Charity - too much Charley Pride. Thanks to the proliferation of channels TV has lost its role as cultural glue. Back then Cultural glue was, well, glue - sniffed from a crisp packet. Now football is the cultural glue though it seems far more one way than in the past

Old stadiums are demolished to be replaced by what look like PFI prisons - do you think real supporters care about their new stadia? If they did you’d hear new songs - we have a craft beer concession in our stand/ we followed carbon neutral building practices/ four figure sums our tickets cost four figure sums.

He pines for the old Highbury, the Lane , the Den. There used to be alphabetically ordered boards on the side of the pitch with a key to the code supplied in the programme intended for half time scores - Himself’s crowd always bet upon the initial of which of the neighbours teen sons would be turfed out. In their flared wrangler belt loop they wore their red and white wool scarf knitted by loving aunties (no doubt she’d be sued for copyright by the club now). The offender would be escorted out by a hopefully helmet free copper- if there’d been a pitch invasion - their perp walk taking them past a raucously cheering Northbank to a warholian fifteen minutes - of fame not that is not the wait for VAR.

As football grew into the monolith it is today other sports were forced into the shadows - after all you can recreate the epic Celtic vs Leeds European Cup Semi -Final the two legged Battle of Britain - see it wasn’t just kids who were obsessed by war tho even the ten year olds knew the actual Battle did not feature Scottish pilots in Mescherschmidts. You could even recreate speedway in the bombed out church with some soil at the corner and the bike - the Ivan Mauger skiddy turn at corner. But showjumping ?

Its rural and/ or upper class credentials meant it never really caught on in London as a participation sport - how could it? The horses in the area were totter or rag and bone man and the coal carthorse. Undeterred Himself devised a game where he would jump over paving stones which hosted street furniture - lamp posts, beacons - obviously any failure to clear the slab would deduct faults. In truth this was the steeplechase a la Alf Tupper in the Victor whose every win would see his thought bubble read “I’ve run him” sparking huge moral panics about comics ruining kids English -

So as his mount charges towards a Dry stone wall Himself searches for showjumping knowledge that might help - Princess Anne who went on to winning medal in 1976 - only athlete not required to undergo a sex test - typical class privilege; David Broome; Lucinda Prior Palmer - just one person - the only double barrelled name Himself knew was Ian Storey Moore- who kept winning at Badminton -now he’s really getting lost...Himself suddenly knew he could be saved and weirdly his Gordon Banks turned out to be Hughie Greene.

In those days beer was delivered by horse - called dray carts On Opportunity Knocks that year the Dray King for Thwaites Star brewery had been declared Britain's champion beer drinker. Using the technique he’d seen Tonto use Himself directs the horse towards the stream. It stops to drink and he dismounts and does the full Harvey Smith - futile but made me feel better - gesture politics they call that now. Himself recreates the Central Park scene from Love Story there is no snow but sweet connemara rain turning the earth into mud…(falling up/ snow angels / eating snow build snowman)

No horses were harmed in the making of this story...

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gokinjeespot · 5 years

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off the rack #1291

Monday, December 9, 2019

Thank Thor for Santa's little helper. We're about as ready for Christmas as I'll ever be. Penny is leaving soon for her annual drive up north to visit family and friends while I make sure all the lights I strung don't burn down the house. I finally got around to watching the animated feature "Big Hero 6" last night and was delighted by it.

Superman Up In The Sky #6 - Tom King (writer) Andy Kubert (pencils) Sandra Hope (inks) Brad Anderson (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Oh man, this story has the most inept villain ever. We find out why Alice was kidnapped by an alien. I liked the trip back to Earth. Kids say the darnedest things.

Daredevil #14 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Marco Checchetto & Francesco Mobili (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Detective Cole North is conflicted after talking about the law over coffee with Matt. Meanwhile the Police Commissioner has ordered his cops not to go into Hell's Kitchen, leading to rampant crime. It's time for the return of Daredevil and Elektra is going to be tagging along. This is going to be good.

Young Justice #11 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) John Timms (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). The team is back in their home dimension and they meet Naomi for the first time. Great time for a sleepover eh. Things go south when Superboy gets punked by the S.T.A.R. Labs lady. I can't wait to see what Brian Bendis does with Mike Grell's Warlord.

Archie #709 - Nick Spencer & Mariko Tamaki (writers) Sandy Jarrell (artist) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). The 5-part story of Archie's romance with Sabrina comes to an end. I am happy with the outcome.

Savage Avengers #8 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Patch Zircher (art) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I love the clash of egos in this issue. Conan dines with Doom and Stephen crashes dinner. The three then go off looking for Kulan Gath. Hey, how else is the bad guy supposed to get his all powerful amulet back? I'm guessing it's another Doombot that runs afoul of the ancient wizard because heaven forbid they kill Doctor Doom again. Don't forget Doom died outside the UN in NYC and got shot dead by Taskmaster.

Ironheart #12 - Eve L. Ewing (writer) Luciano Vecchio (art) Geoffo (layouts) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). The good guys beat the bad guys and Wakanda is saved. The End. I've followed Riri Williams since she was first created by Brian Michael Bendis and I am sad that she will no longer have her own book on the racks. The crew that put out these twelve issues did Brian proud.

Web of the Black Widow #4 - Jody Houser (writer) Stephen Mooney (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's a wounded Widow that opens this issue and we find out how that happens. Clint/Hawkeye the hothead acts before he has all the facts and Natasha pays the price. She winds up dead to rights and possibly dead period. I know she'll save herself and I want to see how she does it.

Batman #84 - Tom King (writer) Jorge Fornes (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). There are a mind boggling number of flashbacks this issue trying to explain what the ding dong heck is going on. It all leads to the confrontation of father and son with Thomas and Bruce Wayne fighting for the fate of Batman. I don't think everything is going to change after Tom King leaves this book but man, is he ever stirring the pot.

The Amazing Spider-Man #35 - Nick Spencer (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) Steve Firchow (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This is the story where Doctor Doom was assassinated in front of the UN. Now the real Doctor Doom is pissed and has shut down New York City until the assassin is brought to him. Spider-Man finds the culprit with the help of his sister Theresa. They try to trick Victor in the end but he doesn't fall for it. It's a classic cliffhanger ending.

Doctor Doom #3 - Christopher Cantwell (writer) Salvador Larroca (art) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). So this Doc Doom is different from the one in The Amazing Spider-Man #35 even though they were both shot to start a war between Latveria and Symkaria. This is the real one. I really liked how Victor makes Mephisto his whipping boy. The surprise ending made me groan. And that's not to mention the inconsistency between panels 2 and 4 on page one. Very bad editing.

Marauders #3 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Michele Bandini (pencils) Michele Bandini & Elisabetta D'Amico (inks) Federico Blee (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This X-book is for fans of political intrigue. The Black King, Sebastian Shaw inducts his resurrected son Shinobi into the Hellfire Club. Consider this X-Men: Game of Thrones. This is a lot more interesting than watching Kitty sail around rescuing other mutants.

Lois Lane #6 - Greg Rucka (writer) Mike Perkins (art) Gabe Eltaeb (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). Wow if the funeral for (spoiler alert) Alfred is as well done as this funeral for Lois's father it will be well worth the read. Lois has come a long way since she first appeared in comic books.

Annihilation - Scourge Fantastic Four #1 - Christos Gage (writer) Diego Olortegui (pencils) Juan Vlasco, Cam Smith & Scott Hanna (inks) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). The team goes to the Negative Zone to help fight the scourge from the Cancerverse and encounter the Ftaghn Four, infected versions of themselves. I knew it was a ftaghn bad idea to read these one shots. The art was nice though.

20XX #1 - Jonathan Luna & Lauren Keely (writers) Jonathan Luna (art & letters). This new black & white book takes place in a future where a deadly virus either kills you or gives you special mind control powers if you survive. Survivors are designated Syms and are monitored by the government like sex offenders. It is illegal to use your powers so Syms have to be careful. Meria Bree Moore is a recent Sym and this is her story. I have yet to be disappointed by anything Jonathan Luna has done and this is no exception. Rest assured that I will want to read the rest of this story.

Black Cat #7 - Jed MacKay (writer) Travel Foreman (art) Brian Reber (colours) Ferran Delgado (letters). This is an excellent issue where Felicia rescues the Fox from the clutches of Odessa. Unfortunately the inconsistent art was very distracting. They should have found an inker to render Travel's pencils.

Batman Universe #6 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Nick Derington (art) Dave Stewart (colours) A Larger World's Troy Peteri (letters). I liked how Batman used deductive reasoning to get out of his white prison. It could have been an uh-oh situation when Vandal Savage gets his hands on the White Power Ring but he was set up to fail quite cleverly. I've noticed that there's always an "AGH" in every comic book that Brian writes and when Bruce Wayne asks the Riddler where Vandal Savage, AKA Vandar Adg is I had to say "har".

Conan Serpent War #1 - Jim Zub (writer) Scot Eaton (pencils) Scott Hanna (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) Vanesa R. Del Rey (art: James Allison sequence) Jean-Francois Beaulieu (colours: James Allison sequence) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Conan must face the serpent god Set but this time he's going to be teamed up with other heroes. There's Moon Knight, Solomon Kane and Dark Agnes (because another company has the rights to Red Sonja I'm sure). Jim writes in a style similar to Robert E. Howard so this was an enjoyable read. The art isn't bad and I liked the homage to Barry Smith with Conan's horned helmet and necklace. Let's see how many times the Cimmerian exclaims "by Crom" in this story.

Thor: The Worthy #1 - This one-shot would be right at home on the racks in the nineteen seventies. There are three tales of others who have been deemed worthy of wielding the hammer.

"Beyond the Field We Know…" by Walt Simonson (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Sal Buscema (inks) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) & John Workman (letters) has Beta Ray Bill teamed up with the Lady Sif to fight a rock troll. I forgot that those two were romantically linked in the past.

"Hearts of Stone, Feet of Clay" by Tom DeFalco (writer) Ron Frenz (plot & pencils) Keith Williams (inks) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) & VC's Clayton Cowles (letters) features Eric Masterson as Thunderstrike versus the Grey Gargoyle. This tale was cheesy with the inclusion of the police strike force Code: Blue. They tried to give it a modern twist by having a lesbian couple in the story.

And finally "Rules of Reflection" by Kathryn Immonen (writer) Tom Reilly (art) Chris O'Halloran (colours) & VC's Clayton Cowles (letters) sees the Lady Sif figuring out that the new female Thor is really Jane Foster. It's in the last words Sif says to Thor in the last panel of the second to last page. Har.

X-Men #3 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) Leinil Francis Yu (pencils) Gerry Alanguilan & Leinil Francis Yu (inks) Sunny Gho & Rain Beredo (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). I've been waiting for new super villains to show up to challenge the X-Men and this issue delivers. Meet the not so helpless little old ladies of Hordeculture, average age 71. Agrochemist Augusta Bromes, bioengineer Opal Vetiver, geneticist Lily Leymus and botanical engineer Edith Scutch. They want to return planet earth to it's pristine Garden of Eden condition by eliminating most of humanity. I like them.

Annihilation - Scourge Nova #1 - Matthew Rosenberg (writer) Ibraim Roberson (art) Carlos Lopez (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). This was better than the FF one-shot that hit the racks at the same time. I got a few chuckles catching up with Richard Rider. You don't even have to know anything about this cosmic super hero because the first three pages explain his entire existence up to this point. My enjoyment of this made me want to check out the Silver Surfer and Beta Ray Bill one-shots that will hit the racks December 11.

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thegloober · 6 years

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Exclusive: Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry in Talks to Star in ‘Child’s Play’ Reboot

MGM’s Child’s Play reboot has found its leads on FX, apparently, as Aubrey Plaza (Legion) and Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) are in negotiations to star in the killer doll movie, Collider has exclusively learned.

Lars Klevberg, who directed the as-yet-unreleased horror movie Polaroid, is set to direct from a script by Tyler Burton Smith (Kung Fury 2). It producers David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith will produce via their KatzSmith Productions banner, while Aaron Schmidt will serve as an executive producer. Production will start soon in Vancouver.

The contemporary reboot is believed to follow a group of kids (a la It and Stranger Things), and a technologically-advanced doll that enters their world. The original 1988 movie followed a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray who casts a spell that traps his soul inside the body of a Good Guy doll named Chucky, which is then given to a young boy.

Image via FX

There are seven films in the Child’s Play franchise, which introduced more and more comedic one-liners as the series went along. It’s unclear whether this reboot will embrace that sense of humor, or return to the darker roots of the original film. Tom Holland directed that horror classic, which starred Alex Vincent as young Andy Barclay, Catherine Hicks as his mother, and Chris Sarandon as a detective.

This time around, sources say Plaza will play the mother, while Henry is likely playing the detective, though the latter’s role remains unconfirmed at this time. The new Child’s Play movie is an interesting choice for both actors, whose casting should be considered a coup for the project.

Plaza is coming off the acclaimed indie movie Ingrid Goes West, and she has also earned rave reviews for her turn as Lenny opposite Dan Stevens on Legion. The Parks and Recreation alum’s other feature credits include Safety Not Guaranteed, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and the under-seen indie gem Mystery Team, led by Plaza’s NYU classmate and Henry’s Atlanta co-star Donald Glover.

Meanwhile, Henry is a two-time Emmy nominee who, in the span of just a few years, has become one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, with four solid feature credits to his name in 2018 alone. Not only does he have supporting roles in Steve McQueen‘s Widows and Barry Jenkins‘ If Beale Street Could Talk, but he recently appeared in Drew Pearce‘s Hotel Artemis and can currently be seen in Yann Demange‘s White Boy Rick. You’ll also hear him voice Miles Morales’ father in the upcoming animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In addition to all that, he spent the summer filming Superintelligence with Melissa McCarthy, and he plays another detective in Joe Wright‘s The Woman in the Window, which pairs him with an all-star cast including Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman and Anthony Mackie.

Both Plaza and Henry are represented by CAA, where they share the same agent. Plaza is also repped by MGMT Entertainment and Schreck Rose, while Henry is also repped by JWS Entertainment and attorney Darren M. Trattner.

The post Exclusive: Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry in Talks to Star in ‘Child’s Play’ Reboot was shared from BlogHyped.com.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/exclusive-aubrey-plaza-brian-tyree-henry-in-talks-to-star-in-childs-play-reboot/

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mrmichaelchadler · 6 years

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The 20 Most Exciting World Premieres of TIFF 2018

For a few years now, there’s been a creeping sense that the Toronto International Film Festival was losing a bit of its luster due to major films premiering the week before in Venice and Telluride. For example, last year’s Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” started their award-caliber momentum not in Canada but in Italy. Sure, there are always some major films that bypass Europe and Colorado to start in Toronto (“I, Tonya” did last year, for example), but could TIFF regain some of that power this year? It looks like that might be the case. Yes, there are films doing the earlier fests that will matter this year including “A Star is Born” and “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” (and we will hit those from multiple festivals) but the slate of World Premieres at TIFF 2018 is the best in the five years that I’ve been going. Alphabetically, the 20 films we’re most excited to cover for you, and come back for full-length reviews, dispatches, interviews and more by yours truly, Monica Castillo, Tomris Laffly, and Vikram Murthi.

“Beautiful Boy”

Fans of Timothee Chalamet’s Oscar-nominated breakthrough in “Call Me By Your Name” hope he builds on that with this year’s “Beautiful Boy,” based on a true story. Chalamet co-stars with Steve Carell, an actor clearly hoping for a big, possibly Oscar-inclusive Fall, with this entry and “Welcome to Marwen.” There are rumors in the ether that this was turned down by Venice—not a good sign—but let’s hope they just got this one wrong.

“Ben is Back”

Speaking of hot young actors who appeared in “Lady Bird,” Lucas Hedges is not even remotely close to letting the opportunities afforded him by his “Manchester by the Sea” Oscar nod pass him by. Hedges appeared in that Best Picture nominee in 2016 and landed two more in 2017 (Gerwig’s film and “Billboards”). Could he make it a hat trick in 2018? He appears in three TIFF films, one of which is actually premiering at Telluride (“Boy Erased”) and arguably looks the most promising of the three, and he’s in Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, “Mid90s,” which you’ll find further down this list. “Ben is Back” has a mysterious plot summary that’s really right there in the title. Hedges’ son Ben returns to Julia Roberts’ mother Holly after an extended absence. Watch for our review and we’ll offer some more hints on what happens next.

“The Death and Life of John F. Donovan”

Cannes golden boy Xavier Dolan couldn’t hold his latest until next year’s festival, choosing instead to World Premiere his English-language debut at his home country’s #1 festival. Love or hate the Quebecois enfant terrible of the cinema scene, you can’t deny the cast he’s assembled here, which includes Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Bella Thorne, Thandie Newton, Sarah Gadon, Kit Harrington, and Susan Sarandon. We’ll be there day one.

“Fahrenheit 11/9”

Anyone else surprised that it took Michael Moore almost two whole years to release his first film explicitly about the 2018 election and the unrest it unearthed in this country and around the world? One of Roger’s favorite documentarians, Moore is unapologetically releasing this Trump takedown in time to influence the mid-term elections in November. I’ve been a little cold on his last few works, but this project feels like it could bring back the heat of his best projects, films like “Roger & Me” and “Bowling For Columbine.”

“Gloria Bell”

Sebastian Lelio made waves last year with two films at TIFF 2018, the acclaimed “Disobedience” and the future Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, “A Fantastic Woman.” A late announcement to this year’s line-up he returns with what could easily be another Oscar vehicle for star Julianne Moore in this remake of Lelio’s own 2013 film, which starred Paulina Garcia (and you really should see if you haven’t yet). A Moore star vehicle is always worth a look—after all, “Still Alice” premiered here in 2014 and earned one of the best living actresses her first Academy Award.

“Green Book”

Peter Farrelly, the auteur behind “Dumb & Dumber” and “Hall Pass,” may not seem like an obvious choice for a TIFF dramatic premiere, but here we are. The filmmaker helms this true story about a white bouncer driving a black pianist on a tour in the 1960s in the South. Hopefully, this is not mere manipulation but a film with something to say about race 50 years ago and today. The most promising thing about it? The two leads are played by Oscar winner Mahershala Ali and shoulda-been-an-Oscar-winner-by-now Viggo Mortensen.

“Greta”

He may not get the attention he did in the years after “The Crying Game,” but we’re here to tell you that a Neil Jordan movie is always something to which cinema fans should pay attention. Even some of his recent, less-seen films like “Ondine” have been interesting. And this thriller pairs the filmmaker with the timeless Isabelle Huppert, who plays a widow who befriends a younger woman, played by Chloe Grace Moretz. That’s about all we know and that’s all we want to know. A Neil Jordan thriller starring Isabelle Huppert? Sign us up.

“Halloween”

Is it really time for another remake of arguably the best horror film of all time? It hasn’t really been that long since the two Rob Zombie movies, has it? And what more could really be added to the original saga? Wait, you say Jamie Lee Curtis is returning? And David Gordon Green is directing? And Danny McBride is co-writing?!?! What the HECK is this going to look like? Even if it’s a failure, it’s almost certain to be an interesting one. Yeah, we can’t wait either.

“Her Smell”

Alex Ross Perry reunites with the star of his best film, “Queen of Earth,” Elisabeth Moss, for this mysterious project that casts the “Handmaid's Tale” Emmy winner as a “self-destructive punk rocker” (there are really no other kinds of rockers in movies). Perry found a different angle of Moss’ repertoire in their previous collaboration, and we’re hoping he does the same here.

“High Life”

Just as Xavier Dolan is doing with “Donovan,” Claire Denis, the recipient of this year’s Ebert Tribute, bypassed the European festivals for Toronto as the place to launch her English-language debut, which has one of the most intriguing plot summaries we’ve ever read: “A father and his daughter struggle to survive in deep space where they live in isolation.” The father? Robert Pattinson. The cast also includes Juliette Binoche, Andre Benjamin, and Mia Goth, but it’s the potential that it feels like Denis could tap in Pattinson that makes this one of the most exciting projects of TIFF 2018.

“Hold the Dark”

Jeremy Saulnier made waves with his previous two thrillers, “Blue Ruin” and “Green Room,” and he’s back with another adventure to the dark side in this adaptation of William Giraldi’s book by regular Saulnier collaborator Macon Blair. The star this time around is the phenomenal Jeffrey Wright, joined by Alexander Skarsgard, Riley Keough, James Badge Dale, and Blair in this thriller set in in the icy elements of the Alaskan wilderness. We can’t wait. (Note: Dale is also in another TIFF World Premiere called “The Standoff at Sparrow Creek,” which we’ll be covering. Nice to see him doing so well.)

“If Beale Street Could Talk”

How do you follow up the best Best Picture winner in years? What could Barry Jenkins possibly do after “Moonlight”? We’ll find out early next week when this adaptation of the James Baldwin novel hits Toronto for this highly-coveted World Premiere. It’s hard to put into words how excited most cinephiles are for this flick, so we’ll just the trailer do the talking for us:

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“In Fabric”

Peter Strickland’s “The Duke of Burgundy” made waves at TIFF back in 2014, and it’s taken four years for him to return with a just-as-kinky follow-up, this one about a cursed dress. There are echoes of Argento and Hammer in what promises to be one of the most divisive and truly strange World Premieres of TIFF 2018. It feels like one of the films this year that people will be talking about, love it or hate it.

“Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy”

Justin Kelly’s recent output has been a little mediocre (sorry, “I Am Michael” and “King Cobra” fans) and I wasn’t a big fan of the documentary “Author: The JT Leroy Story” about the fascinating story of JT Leroy, but there’s something about this that feels like the perfect blend of filmmaker and subject matter that has us intrigued. Of course, that intrigue is enhanced greatly by the participation of Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart in the lead roles. Like most logical people on Earth, we love both of them.

“The Land of Steady Habits”

Speaking of women we love, it’s been too long since Nicole Holofcener had a new movie, but her latest drops on Netflix before TIFF is even over, landing on the service on 9/14. The writer/director of “Enough Said” and “Please Give” directs Ben Mendelsohn, Edie Falco, Bill Camp, Elizabeth Marvel, and Connie Britton—an ensemble that could be called Actors We Love. We’ll have a full review and an interview with Holofcener right after the World Premiere.

“Loro”

Hiding in the Masters program is the latest dramedy from the writer/director of the Oscar-winning masterpiece “The Great Beauty.” Paolo Sorrentino’s latest reunites him with star Tony Servillo, the man who anchored his best films, “Beauty” and “Il Divo.” His last film, 2015’s “Youth,” was something of a disappointment, but this feels like an obvious bounceback flick, especially since it’s about Silvio Berlusconi, and Sorrentino excels at capturing insecure men in positions of extreme power.

“Mid90s”

Jonah Hill’s directorial debut is what sounds like a personal project in that it’s about a 13-year-old kid in L.A. in the titular decade when, well, Hill would have been a 13-year-old kid in L.A. Hill wisely avoids the likely draw of casting his celebrity buddies for an ensemble of largely fresh faces, allowing his involvement to be the major draw. Can he transition from being in front of the screen to becoming a major player behind it? We’ll know soon.

“Outlaw King”

The Opening Night film has been a movie that could most politely be described as “meh” over the last few years. Think “The Judge,” “The Magnificent Seven,” and last year’s “Borg vs. McEnroe.” But this year’s entry holds more promise than any of those because it’s directed by a Scotsman who has yet to make a bad film, David Mackenzie, the director of “Hell or High Water” and “Starred Up.” Reuniting Mackenzie with “Hell” star Chris Pine, this is a period piece about Robert the Bruce defeating the English army. Could this be Pine and Mackenzie’s “Braveheart”? Or will it fall victim to the TIFF Opening Night curse?

“Skin”

There are a few films at this year that seem to be speaking to the moment of race relations in 2018, including the aforementioned "Green Book," the adaptation of “The Hate U Give” and this drama about a skinhead (Jamie Bell) who decides to leave his life of hateful violence behind. Co-starring Danielle Macdonald, Bill Camp, and Mike Colter, and produced by the always-interesting Oren Moverman (“The Messenger”), this is one of those projects that feels like it could easily sneak up on people in Toronto.

“Widows”

There will be no sneaking for Steve McQueen’s long-anticipated follow-up to “12 Years a Slave.” Again, much like we did with Jenkins’ film above, it feels like the trailer can do all the hyping we possibly could in words. This movie looks incredible. Let’s hope it lives up to the 2:24 below:

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totesmccoats · 7 years

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Doomsday Clock #1

We open in Watchmen’s New York, on November 22nd, 1992; which is 25 years to the day before this comic’s release, and also the week that Superman #75 – the Death of Superman – was released. A mob gathers outside the business headquarters of Adrian Veidt, the world’s smartest, and now most wanted man, for his orchestration of the “alien” attack on New York City that resulted in over three million dead and thousands more physically injured.

The hoax revealed, the fragile peace it ushered in rapidly collapses as Russia begins an invasion of an ununited Europe; North Korea expands their nuclear capabilities to match the rearmament of other nuclear states; and the President of the United States, Robert Redford, is too busy golfing to properly respond. Dozens of media voices in the US are replaced by one Schutzstaffel logoed National News Network that prepares people for a righteous nuclear war.

Amid this chaos, Rorschach breaks out two criminals, Marionette and her partner, Mime, from prison to bring them to his new partner – Ozymandias, who again tries to cure the world, this time by bringing back its Superman.

And, in a distant land, a Superman wakes up from a nightmare.

Whether or not you think this story is a good idea, you have to admit that this issue makes a strong argument for itself. The issue echos Watchmen in the same ways Watchmen echos, well, itself; presented it’s separate threads as thematic and visual reflections of each-other. Rorschach unlocks a prisoner’s cage, releasing them; just as soldiers key into a nuclear console, unleashing armageddon.

Geoff Johns may be the only person capable of picking up Watchmen, given that his personal superpower as a writer has been his reverence of old comic stories, and ability to weave their threads into new patterns and expand them into larger universes. He’s basically doing to Watchmen’s character what he’d previously done with Barry Allen and Hal Jordan. And while Johns is an incredible talent in his own right, he’s aided by his ability to match Alan Moore’s style of dialogue; particularly in his writing of Rorschach, who switches between gorey purple-prose in his narration, and article-less laconism in his speech.

Gary Frank is a perfect artist for matching Dave Gibbons’ detail heavy illustrations, giving the book a texture and shadow-heavy tone that conveys the anxiety and dread of its world. Where the resemblance breaks is with Brad Anderson’s colors, which are more realistic and understated than John Higgins’ brightly saturated pop-art aesthetic.

Doomsday Clock’s biggest achievement so far is that, against all expectations, it fits. Johns wrote a story that, so far, makes sense as a sequel to Watchmen, and manages to infuse it with the same political resonance and thematic weight to today as the original had in the 80s.

Batgirl #17

Then: Batgirl and Robin close in on the Mad Hatter, and rescue Ainsley from his control; and Dick keeps Barbara from crossing a line.

Now: Batgirl and Nightwing close in on the Red Queen, who has a few more tricks up her sleeve, including giant nanobots, and bringing Nightwing under her control.

I really enjoyed this entire Dick/Babs story, and this issue gives both timelines a really strong ending. The “then” timeline gives the two a solid shared experience for their relationship to start from; a time where they both needed to rely on the other to get through something incredibly taxing, physically, and mentally, but mostly emotionally. And in the present, the two work on a case recalls all those same emotions and have to rely on each-other in many of the same ways. As George Lucas might say, “it rhymes.” And Wildgoose’s art perfectly captures both the couple’s intimacy, and their emotional distance, in the two’s body language. If you’re a fan of Dick/Babs, this is a story that should be in your collection.

Wonder Woman #35

Wonder Woman’s brother – Jason! Who he is, and how he came to be!

Glaucus begins the tale of raising Jason, Diana’s secret brother; from the day that he discovered his powers until the day Jason wouldn’t need him anymore. And from that point, Jason takes over, telling of how, even though he kept his powers a secret from the world and the mythic figures who would look for him, they found him anyway.

The most interesting part of this otherwise typical origin story is how it riffs on the familiar stories of Superman discovering and training his powers – particularly the version told in Man of Steel. Like Clark in that movie, Jason is told by his adoptive father to keep his powers hidden so that he wouldn’t be hunted for them. But, hewing a bit closer to Wonder Woman’s own origin, Glaucus does ask Hercules to train Jason, realizing that if his powers are only going to grow, he should learn how to use them, even if he shouldn’t.

Once Jason takes over narration, he tells of how hiding his powers created a hole in his life that he couldn’t quite identify until he saw how his sister – Wonder Woman – was using her powers to help people.

Unfortunately, Jason’s story ends on a cliffhanger, which means that we’re dedicating at least two issues of Wonder Woman completely to the history of this completely new, and relatively unimportant dude. Superhero comics really doesn’t need any more riffs on this origin story. We’ve seen it all, in almost every possible permutation – and we especially don’t need it taking up room in a Wonder Woman book. Also, who are Glaucus and Jason even talking to? They’re supposedly in completely different places, so…how is this even supposed to work? And if they aren’t “talking” to anyone, then why is Glaucus’ narration written phonetically?

The Flash #35

Meena steals the Negative-Speedforce from Flash, and explains that she’s loyal to Black Hole because they’re the ones who saved her when Godspeed pulled her into the Speedforce when Barry had already written her off as dead. Then she escapes back to Black Hole’s labs, where she meets with Black Hole’s true leader – Raijin, God of Lightning.

Meanwhile, Barry and Wally finish off the rest of the Black Hole troops at the demolition derby, agreeing to work better in tandem to explore the real potential of the Speedforce to better combat Meena and Black Hole.

Kristen continues her investigation into Central City’s new crimelord at Iron Heights when she’s interrupted…

After Flash drops Wally off at home, where Wally comforts Iris; he gets a call from Warden Wolfe – there’s been a murder at Iron Heights.

This issue is an improvement over the last one, which mainly rehashed a bunch of information we already knew; but is still very exposition heavy, and does more work in introducing new plot questions than it does in making progress along already set-up plot threads. The issue’s biggest development is a return to status-quo, Barry’s got his usual powers back. Everything else is pretty much the same: Iris still needs her space from Barry; Barry and Wally are still repairing their relationship; Black Hole and the new Central City crimelord are still at large.

Nightwing: The New Order #4

Kate Kane and the Crusade discover that Jake isn’t just immune to the power-neutralizer, his biology actively fights against it, making him that much more of a threat to the current world order.

Dick wakes up in the Titan’s secret headquarters, surrounded by Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, (Kid) Flash, and Lois Lane(?), who is a Blue Lantern now. It’s not the sweetest of reunions, with there still being a lot of bad blood between Dick and the Titans, who are outlaws under the new system Dick ushered in. But, even if nothing else, they can agree on rescuing Jake – especially after their man on the inside reveals that Jake can possibly reverse everything.

And here’s where this story goes full X-Men. We got the ad-hoc family with interpersonal conflicts, the one mutant who can cure everything, the government oppressors; the whole shebang, really. Honestly, I never got into the X-Men, nor the Titans, but a good template’s a good template; and this story’s pulling it off, even if it’s really dropped the ball on some of the more resonant themes of systemic persecution in favor of more of a rescue the POW vibe.

Black Panther #167

Shuri retrieves Dr. Franklin from a maximum security prison, legally, and brings him to Wakanda to continue their investigation into Klaw’s return. While he’s busy with that, Shuri leads T’Challa into the Djalia to learn more about Wakanda’s mythic history and the Originators. What he learns disturbs him. The Wakandans were not the native people of their land, and they did not take it peacefully.

Oofa-Doofa. This may be the heaviest reveal of Coates run so far, but one that plays directly to his strengths. Wakanda was built on genocide, their gods made as literal weapons against the native Originators. And now T’Challa, who has already recently made so many decisions to make his country – the most powerful in the world – more democratic; has to decide what to do after confronting his country’s original sin.

Basically, if you haven’t read Coates’ Case for Reparations, I suggest you do before the next issue.

Snotgirl #8

It’s the boy’s issue!

Sunny wakes up from a weird dream where Charlene gives birth to a green puppy, and goes to meet Ashley at the sports club before he marries Meg. While the two attempt to bond over Squash, Ash tells Sunny that he’d like to bang Lottie before he marries Meg, which really gets under Sunny’s skin.

After Squash, Virgil, who’s up to something accidently walks in on the two in the locker room and gets all hot and bothered.

Ash and Sunny continue to the showers, and Ash will not shut up about sex and girls and how much he wants to bang Lottie. It’s really gross, and even Sunny wonders if he can keep up this hang-out much longer.

Meanwhile, Lottie is bored and alone, and makes it worse by texting her friends randomly; and when she runs out of those, she texts Detective John Cho – who instantly responds because he’s also thirsty for Lottie.

Later, John happens to join Sunny and Ash in the sauna, where he reveals that he’s been friends with Sunny since they were kids. Ash asks everyone about their kinks, because he’s gross as heck, and John reveals he also has a thing for girls with green hair. At this, Sunny finally loses his cool and gets into a short fight with Ash, at least until their towels fall off and it gets too weird.

Getting home, Sunny finally checks his texts.

This issue is just as meandering as usual, but the change in perspective is nice. We’re finally in the head of someone sane as opposed to Lottie’s addled narcissism. The issue is also a great look into the phenomena of “locker room talk,” in that it frames that sort of behavior as just as bad and gross even in a locker room. And to his credit, Sunny eventually does stand up for his girls instead of letting boys be boys.

AND OH BOY IS THIS ISSUE HOMO AF. Just…all the sweaty muscle boys talking about their “zords”!

Comic Reviews 11/22/17 Doomsday Clock #1 We open in Watchmen’s New York, on November 22nd, 1992; which is 25 years to the day before this comic’s release, and also the week that Superman #75 - the Death of Superman - was released.

#batgirl #black panther #dc comics #doomsday clock #nightwing #rorschach #snotgirl #the flash #the new order #watchmen #wonder woman

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recentanimenews · 7 years

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Funimation Updates English Dub Cast Listings For "JUNI TAISEN, Black Clover," "Kino's Journey," "GARO" and More

You know... anime doesn't always introduce everyone in the first episode. Or, sometimes, they're there, but they don't speak yet. Or, there are noteworthy one-off characters in later episodes. Many of Funimation's fall 2017 anime SimulDub announcements didn't announce all the voices with the initial reveals. So, they're gone back and added more of who's who.

See our updated cast lists for our Fall SimulDub season on our blog including JUNI TAISEN, Black Clover, Kino's Journey, GARO, and more! https://t.co/areW3HedNw http://pic.twitter.com/3ntRRG3jyH

— Funimation (@FUNimation) November 15, 2017

Black Clover Watch new episodes on Sundays at 3:00pm CT

From the studio that brought you Yu Yu Hakusho, Tokyo Ghoul, Naruto, and more!

Asta and Yuno are two orphans who want the same thing: to become the Wizard King. Locked in a friendly rivalry, they work hard towards their goal. While Yuno excels at magic, Asta has a problem uncommon in this world: he has no powers! But, on the day they receive their grimoires, they surprise everyone. To reach their goal, they’ll each find their own path to greatness—with or without magic.

CHARACTER CAST Asta Dallas Reid Yuno Micah Solusod Episode 1 High Priest Brian Mathis Sister Lily Dawn M. Bennett Arlu Sara Ragsdale Rekka Megan Shipman Revchi Daman Mills Tower Master Bill Jenkins Episode 2 Father Brian Mathis Man David Matranga Episode 3 Nash Morgan Berry Horo Kristi Rothrock Narrator Cris George Episode 4 Sekke Garret Storms William Josh Grelle Yami Christopher R. Sabat Finral Brandon McInnis Nozel Ricco Fajardo Fuegoleon J. Michael Tatum Charlotte Colleen Clinkenbeard Gordon Mike McFarland Noelle Jill Harris Koza Matt Shipman Gayaya Chris Thurman Bumoda Dalton Tindall Tanon Anthony Bowling Lounie Skyler McIntosh Amy Dani Chambers Shinana Coby Lewin CREW ADR Director Cris George ADR Engineer Zachary Davis Scripts Bonny Clinkenbeard Mixing Engineer Nathanael Harrison

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Watch new episodes on Mondays at 3:00pm CT

The award-winning manga comes to life with a highly anticipated anime series! Suffering a tragic childhood and sold at an auction, Chise Hatori has little hope for a better life. But when a mysterious sorcerer named Elias takes interest in her aptitude for magic, he decides to make her his apprentice—and his bride.

CHARACTER CAST Chise Hatori Dani Chambers Elias Ainsworth Brian Mathis Episode 1 Seth Noel Garret Storms Silver Lady Rachel Glass Jade Tia Ballard Episode 2 Althea Varley Lara Woodhull Angelica Varley Janelle Lutz Hugo Alex Moore Simon Callum Tyler Carson Episode 3 Lindel Todd Haberkorn Nevin Jason Douglas Beana Leah Clark Gwee Mikaela Krantz Uil Terri Doty Episode 4 Mikhail Renfred Jarrod Greene Alice Jennifer Green Barney Tyler Walker Jasper Robert McCollum Matthew John Burgmeier Mina Jennifer Alyx Molly Melanie Mason CREW ADR Director Kyle Phillips ADR Engineer Jeremy Woods Scripts Bonny Clinkenbeard Jamie Marchi Mixing Engineer Nathanael Harrison

Dies irae Watch it on Tuesdays at 3:00pm CT

At the end of World War II, sorcerers use the lives lost in battle as a ritual sacrifice in an attempt to resurrect a group of supermen whose coming would signify the world’s end. Yet when the war finally ends, no one knows whether the ritual was a success. Decades pass, and it’s all forgotten until present-day Japan when Ren Fuji has a disturbing dream of black-clothed knights.

CHARACTER CAST Episode 00 (Prologue) Reinhard Heydrich Dave Trosko Karl Krafft Brandon McInnis Beatrice von Kircheisen Alexis Tipton Eleonore von Wittenberg Alex Moore Riza Brenner Caitlin Glass Wilhelm Ehrenburg Aaron Roberts Wolfgang Schreiber Mikeala Krantz Rusalka Schwägerin (Anna) Jeannie Tirado Valeria Trifa Ian Sinclair Rot Spinne Marcus Stimac Episode 1 Ren Brandon McInnis Kasumi Madeleine Morris Kei Brittany Lauda Marie Jad Saxton Rea Trina Nishimura Shirou Austin Tindle Episode 2 Kei Brittany Lauda Marie Jad Saxton Rea Trina Nishimura Shirou Austin Tindle CREW ADR Director Tyler Walker ADR Engineer Domonique French Scripts Tyson Rinehart Mixing Engineer Andrew Tipps

Kino’s Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series Watch new episodes on Thursdays at 3:00pm CT

In an imperfect world, the stories make it beautiful. Meet Kino, a traveler exploring beyond the boundaries into unknown mystical places! With only her guns and talking motorcycle, Hermes, by her side, she learns about unique people and their customs through the fascinating stories they weave. But to see everything, she can only spare three days in each land before moving on to the next adventure.

CHARACTER CAST Kino Lindsay Seidel Hermes Derick Snow Episode 1 Man Ian Sinclair Regel Garrett Schenck Episode 2 Riku Christopher R. Sabat Shizu Jeff Johnson Episode 3 Diplomat Larry Brantley President Wendy Powell Teacher Megan Shipman General Mark Stoddard Episode 4 Elder Barry Yandell Tower Clan Chief Bill Jenkins CREW ADR Director Kyle Phillips Assistant ADR Director Tabitha Ray ADR Engineer Jeremy Woods Scripts Aaron Dismuke Mixing Engineer Gino Palencia

JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR Watch it on Wednesdays at 3:00pm CT

For one wish, they’ll risk it all. The time has come for the Twelve Tournament—held every twelve years. Twelve proud warriors, each baring a name from the Chinese zodiac, will prepare to fight in the bloody battle royale. The victor is granted a single wish, and they’ll do whatever it takes to earn it. Blood and tears will flow on this battlefield—who will be the lone survivor?

CHARACTER CAST Duodecuple Mark Stoddard Eiji (Ox) Ian Sinclair Kiyoko Jād Saxton Michio (Dog) Chuck Hüber Misaki (Monkey) Caitlin Glass Nagayuki (Dragon) Clifford Chapin Ryoka (Rooster) Monica Rial Sumihiko (Ram) Kenny Green Toshiko (Boar) Stephanie Young Tsugiyoshi (Rat) Daman Mills Usagi (Rabbit) Jerry Jewell Yoshimi (Horse) Randy E. Aguebor Episode 5 Kanae (Tiger) Colleen Clinkenbeard Take (Serpent) Matt Shipman Sumi (Sheep) Kenny Green Ryoka (Bird) Monica Rial Duo (Host) Mark Stoddard CREW ADR Director Vic Mignogna Lead ADR Engineer Rickey Watkins Scripts Alex Muniz Joel Bergen Mixing Engineer Neal Malley

URAHARA Catch this show on Tuesdays at 3:00pm CT

Japan’s fashion hotspot, Harajuku, is known for having some unusual visitors—but culture-thieving aliens from outer space? Well that’s just crossing the line! Banding together, three kawaii high school girls aren’t about to let anyone take away the beloved district where PARK, their new pop-up shop, has just opened for business! CHARACTER CAST Kotoko Sarah Wiedenheft Rito Julie Shields Mari Alexis Tipton Ebifurya Anthony Bowling Misa Monica Rial Ebi Chris Wehkamp Episode 3 Sayumi Tia Ballard CREW ADR Director Jeremy Inman ADR Engineer Matt Grounds Writer Emily Neves Mixing Engineer Adrian Cook

Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ See this SimulDub on Wednesdays at 3:00pm CT

Cardia has spent her life locked away in solitude, hidden from others due to a deadly poison that lies within her. But everything changes when she’s suddenly abducted by the royal guards! Before she can despair, she’s rescued and swept away by Arsène Lupin, a dashing and chivalrous thief. Together, they’ll travel to London to find her father and answers about her mysterious condition.

CHARACTER CAST Cardia Beckford Jill Harris Lupin Arsene J. Michael Tatum Impey Barbicane Chris Guerrero Victor Frankenstein Micah Solusod Count Saint-Germain Brandon McInnis Abraham Van Helsing Ian Sinclair Episode 1 Finis Justin Briner Rempart Leonhardt David Wald Isaac Beckford Greg Dulcie Sisi Apphia Yu Episode 2 Finis Justin Briner Victoria Stephanie Young Sisi Apphia Yu Episode 3 Delacroix Trina Nishimura Sisi Apphia Yu CREW ADR Director Jerry Jewell Assistant Director Apphia Yu ADR Engineer William Dewell Writer Samuel Wooley Mixing Engineer

Gino Palencia

King’s Game Watch it on Saturdays at 3:00pm CT

One night, all 32 members of a high school class receive a text message on their cell phone. It welcomes them to a game where they are given specific tasks to carry out in a 24-hour period. The tasks seem simple at first, but soon the tasks go beyond what the kids are comfortable with. Furthermore, they learn that the cost of failure is death. Will they be able to find a way out before more die?

CHARACTER CAST Nobuaki Coby Lewin Natsuko Bryn Apprill Chiemi Alexis Tipton Episode 1 Aimi Lindsay Seidel Yuuichi Jarrod Greene Masatoshi Kyle Phillips Rina Heather Walker Matsuoka Jeannie Tirado Takuya Clifford Chapin Nanami Skyler McIntosh Mizuki Brittany Lauda Teruaki Matt Shipman Toshifumi Orion Pitts Tatsuya Anthony Bowling Daiki Chris Thurman Kenta Garrett Storms Riona Tabitha Ray Ryou Justin Briner Yuuna Megan Shipman Haruka Jessica Peterson Makoto Tyler Walker Tsubasa Stephen Sanders Asuka Ariel Graham Hanako Rachel Glass Hayato Drew Breedlove Kuramoto Amber Lee Connors Megumi Kasi Hollowell Misa Lynsey Hale Shin Drew Bramlett Shou Stephen Fu Male Teacher 1a Brian Mathis Female Student 1a Kristin Sutton Tsubasa’s Father Mike McFarland Tsubasa’s Mother Alex Moore Episode 2 Daisuke Dallas Reid Shouta Austin Tindle Misaki Jad Saxton Abe Brian Olvera Akemi Jennifer Alyx Akira Brad Smeaton Chia Natalie Hoover Emi Emily Fajardo Fujioka Jean-Luc Hester Hideki Ricco Fajardo Hirofumi Brandon McInnis Hiroko Kristen McGuire Kana Megan Emerick Kaori Genna Ford Kawakami Daman Mills Keita John Wesley Go Maki Amanda Gish Male Teacher 2A David Wald Mami Felicia Angelle Masami Sara Ragsdale Minako Sarah Wiedenheft Mizuuchi Travis Mullenix Motoki Ethan Gallardo Nami Jill Harris Naoya Howard Wang Ria Mikaela Krantz Satomi Dawn M. Bennett Shingo Dalton Tindall Yoshifumi Elijah Muller Yousuke Alejandro Saab CREW ADR Director Tyler Walker Assistant ADR Director Tabitha Ray Lead ADR Engineer Domonique French Assistant ADR Engineers Jamal Roberson Nick Hernandez Xavier Earl Scripts Jeramey Kraatz Mixing Engineer Neal Malley

Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond Watch it on Saturdays at 3:00pm CT

After a breach between Earth and the netherworld opens up over New York, humans and creatures from other dimensions become trapped in an impenetrable bubble that surrounds the city. Forced to coexist in a new city known as Salem’s Lot, the shaky peace between humanity and the netherworld creatures is protected by an underground group of super humans known as Libra.

When a case of mistaken identity brings not-so-ordinary delivery boy Leonardo Watch face-to-face with this group, he joins their ranks hoping to help prevent the destruction of the world by a group of monsters and madmen lead by a powerful being known as the King of Despair.

CHARACTER CAST Leonardo Watch Aaron Dimsuke Zapp Renfro Ian Sinclair Klaus Von Reinhertz Phil Parsons Gilbert Alstein Francis Henry Steven Starphase J Michael Tatum Femt Josh Grelle Deldro Brody Mike McFarland Dog Hummer Orion Pitts Patrick Ray Hurd Sonic Monica Rial K.K. Stephanie Young Aligura Tia Balard Chain Sumeragi Trina Nishimura Zed O’Brien Christopher Wehkamp Nej Alison Viktorin Neyka Alexis Tipton Franz Ackerman Bruce DuBose Episode 2 Hospital Director Mark Oristano Dr. Gunther Bill Jenkins Luciana Estevez Jeannie Tirado Zamedle Damon Mills Zamedle’s Dog Ian Mead Moore Episode 3 Ellen Elizabeth Maxwell Larry Bryan Massey Tall Male Punk Chris Rager Short Male Punk Chris Thurman Sharon Janelle Lutz Tracy Brittany Lauda Vedid Terri Doty Episode 3 Delimid Brian Mathis Emilina Morgan Berry Gähnen John Swasey Janet Amber Lee Connors Mi-Yeon Katelyn Barr Ogamu Steve Powell Olga Alex Moore Velved Rachael Messer CREW ADR Director Mike McFarland ADR Engineer Brandon Peters Mixing Engineer Adrian Cook

GARO -VANISHING LINE- Watch it on Thursdays at 3:00pm CT

An omen awakens in a city that never sleeps. Caught in the resulting shadow war, two lives cross paths. While Sword seeks to expose this darkness, Sophie searches for her missing brother. Something more mysterious than fate has brought them together as they chase after their only clue, two words—El Dorado.

CHARACTER CAST Sword T. Axelrod Sophie Madeleine Morris Luke David Matranga Zaruba Barry Yandell Episode 1 Chiaki Felecia Angelle Ricardo Garret Storms Ricardo Horror Garret Storms Chris Guerrero Episode 2 Hardy Christopher Dontrell Piper Enith Alle Mims Episode 3 Sword T. Axelrod Gina Trina Nishimura Damian J. Michael Tatum Nero Matt Holmes Mafia Elder Ben Phillips Clemenza Charlie Campbell Mia Natalie Hoover Episode 5 Waitress Felecia Angelle Viola Wendy Powell CREW ADR Director Caitlin Glass ADR Engineer Manuel Aragón Scripts J. Michael Tatum Mixing Engineer Neal Malley

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aion-rsa · 7 years

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Where to Watch the Watchmen: A Rebirth Guide

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for various DC Comics Rebirth titles.

The final issue of “Watchmen” may have debuted nearly 30 years ago, but as Doctor Manhattan observed so famously, “nothing ever ends.” Indeed, Doctor M himself looks to be making a comeback as part of DC Comics’ Rebirth initiative.

RELATED: “Batman”/”Flash” Crossover Set to Explore DC’s “Watchmen”/Rebirth Mystery

It started with May’s “DC Universe: Rebirth” special and continues to roll out in bits and pieces as part of the publisher’s superhero line. Because Co-Publisher Dan DiDio and President and Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns have each teased more “Watchmen” involvement in 2017, we’re taking stock of where the landmark miniseries’ characters might already have appeared, and what it all could mean going forward.

Down Time

Doctor Manhattan’s departure, from “Watchmen” #12 by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Of course, mixing “Watchmen” characters with the main-line DC super-folk is a bit like Garth Brooks adding tortellini to all his recipes: It sounds preposterous, it shouldn’t really work, and you don’t want to try it because either you’ll get sick or you’ll hate yourself for liking it. Indeed, both “Watchmen’s” in-story and real-world timing suggested very strongly that it wasn’t to be considered part of the DC superhero cosmos.

Nevertheless, here we are; so let’s see where the end of “Watchmen” left its players. On the most basic level, “Watchmen” — written by Alan Moore, drawn by Dave Gibbons and colored by John Higgins — is the story of Adrian “Ozymandias” Veidt’s plot to save the world from nuclear holocaust in 1985 by teleporting a giant telepathic squid-bomb into the middle of New York City. Because that involves killing an awful lot of people, it produces a giant conspiracy, an attendant cover-up, and a lot of death along the way.

RELATED: Geoff Johns Hints He’ll Write “Watchmen”-Focused Comic

Among the dead is The Comedian, aka Eddie Blake, who’s been a masked vigilante (and, later, government-sponsored assassin) since the late 1930s. Blake knew too much, so Veidt killed him. The vigilante who investigated Blake’s murder, Walter “Rorschach” Kovacs, also ended up knowing too much and wanting to die because of it. At the end of “Watchmen” he asked Doctor Manhattan to kill him, and the latter obliged.

Veidt’s plan succeeded despite the efforts of two other vigilantes, Nite Owl (Dan Dreiberg) and Silk Spectre (Laurie Juspeczyk). Both are still around at the end of “Watchmen,” having assumed the new identities of Sam and Sandra Hollis. Although they’re apparently on the run from the law (thanks to breaking Rorschach out of jail in Issue 7), both are also apparently interested in continuing their costumed careers, with Silk Spectre hinting at a more Comedian-like approach.

Finally, there’s Doctor Manhattan, once a scientist named Jon Osterman, whose omnipotence was held in check only by his indifference, and ultimately his logic. He leaves Earth at the end of “Watchmen,” thereby depriving the planet of the single greatest influence on its late 20th-century development. (Speaking of planets, he also leaves behind a smashed crystalline castle on Mars.) We’ve speculated previously that while Doctor M talks about creating some new lifeforms, perhaps the “Watchmen” universe itself is Earth-Q, created artificially by the Superman of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s “All Star Superman.”

As for the Earth itself, the final pages of “Watchmen” indicate that Veidt’s plan worked. The Cold War is over, the Soviet Union and the United States are working together in the wake of the apparent extraterrestrial attack, and Robert Redford may even run for president in 1988. The one thing that might upset the optimistic mood is Rorschach’s journal, delivered to a right-wing newspaper just before his death.

Watchmaker, Wizard and Watcher

Abra Kadabra’s “Watchmen” allusions from “Titans” #3, by Dan Abnett and Brett Booth

Accordingly, if the Rebirthed comics pick up after the events of “Watchmen,” four of its main cast are still “at large”: Doctor Manhattan, Ozymandias, Nite Owl and Silk Spectre. The “DCU: Rebirth” special, written by Geoff Johns and drawn by various artists, also connected to “Watchmen” through a couple of artifacts, Wally West’s watch (repaired telekinetically on Mars) and the Comedian’s blood-stained button.

In 2011, in the main DC Universe, the “Flashpoint” event ended with the Barry Allen Flash — guided by the mysterious immortal Pandora — reordering the timeline to facilitate the New 52 reboot/relaunch. The New 52 eliminated Barry’s successor Wally West, but the “DC Universe: Rebirth” special brought him back, with the awareness that a new and powerful force had taken away 10 years’ worth of history. The Rebirth process also switched out the late New 52 Superman for his pre-“Flashpoint” predecessor.

A number of “Rebirth” events seem to indicate Doctor Manhattan’s work within the DC Universe. Perhaps the most obvious is Pandora’s murder, portrayed in the “Rebirth” one-shot as a fairly close parallel to Rorschach’s death. Johns and penciler Gary Frank’s combined efforts made that explicit, with Pandora’s anger and atomization matching Rorschach’s. In hindsight, we can also suppose that whoever killed Pandora had previously dispatched Owlman and Metron (who were fighting over the Mobius Chair at the end of “Justice League” vol. 2 #50), because they died in much the same way.

Pandora’s “DC Universe: Rebirth” death mirrors Rorschach’s in “Watchmen” #12

Doctor Manhattan also appears to be behind Wally’s allegations about the timestream, although “Watchmen” itself never depicted him changing the past. Indeed, Doctor Manhattan regarded time as immutable, asking in Issue 4, “Who makes the world? Perhaps the world is not made. Perhaps nothing is made. Perhaps it simply is, has been, will always be there … a clock without a craftsman.” At the end of Issue 9, Manhattan tells Laurie he values life — “rarer than a quark and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg” — but that’s not necessarily an opening to mess around with time itself. Just before his departure in Issue 12 he tells Ozymandias “[h]uman affairs cannot be my concern,” which suggests he would need at least a compelling reason to do anything so drastic.

For that matter, “Watchmen” doesn’t say whether Doctor Manhattan can even affect the timestream. He may have a unique perspective on time, but he travels through it at the same rate everyone else does. Granted, it’s not something we would have seen, because his philosophy probably wouldn’t have allowed him to try and change the past. After all, someone who experiences past and present as he does would probably go insane if any of it were altered.

RELATED: DiDio & Lee Say DC Will Take the Time to Do “Watchmen”/Rebirth Story “Right”

Additionally, Doctor Manhattan does have trouble seeing the future when faster-than-light tachyon particles are involved. As part of his plan, Ozymandias generated tachyons artificially to confuse Manhattan so he wouldn’t be able to stop the squid-creature. Literally in the midst of the destruction, Doctor M finds this appealing: “I’d almost forgotten the excitement of not knowing, the delights of uncertainty …”

Therefore, when Doctor M leaves Earth he doesn’t know where he’ll end up, maybe because there are a lot of exotic tachyon-style particles. Naturally this reminds us of the Speed Force, where everything goes faster than light, and where he could have encountered the lost Wally West. However, Doctor M’s “uncertainty” about his future could also be merely an act, and he knows what he’ll be doing but wants to pretend it’s all a surprise.

Abra Kadabra erases Kid Flash and himself from history, from “Titans” #6 by Dan Abnett and Brett Booth

Speaking of the future, though, the first arc of the Rebirthed “Titans” involved the classic Flash foe Abra Kadabra. A magician from the 64th century, the applause-craving Abra used advanced technology to perform “magical” feats. At the end of 1999-2000’s “Dark Flash” storyline by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn and Paul Pelletier (“Flash” vol. 2 issues 156-58, January-March 2000), Abra kidnapped Wally’s wife Linda Park with the aim of erasing her from history; and in the recInt “Titans” arc he hatched a similar scheme. This time, however, Abra claimed to have removed Wally from history (and, as revealed in Issue 5, himself too).

In “Titans” #3, Kadabra also talked about wanting to avoid a “soulless, clockwork future.” That could either be a reference to Doctor Manhattan conquering Earth for all time, or a more “Watchmen”-esque way of talking about the 64th century’s various monotonies and repressions. Wally had visited Abra’s future in August-September 1992’s “Flash” #67-68, and found it to be oppressive for everyone, not just for Abra. Omen confirmed this when she tapped into Abra’s mind in “Titans” #6, describing his future not just as “clockwork,” but as “cold and joyless. Like a laboratory experiment.”

Abra also expressed a more personal vision of the future in “Titans” #4: “I know that one day, Wally West will stop me for good. He will finally beat me so comprehensively, I will be destroyed. That’s unacceptable. But the lovely thing about the future is it’s so bendy. I’ve come back to change it … and stop Wally West before he stops me.” Thus, a blood-splattered pocket watch in “Titans” #3 may keep readers in a “Watchmen”-minded mood, but Abra sees himself acting alone. To be sure, Abra is aware of someone else with the power to alter time. In Issue 3, he notes that “time has been knocked askew. History is muddled. This is not West’s doing. It’s … his handiwork. It can only be.” Put together with Lilith’s finding the word “Manhattan” in Abra’s memories, and it points directly to “Watchmen.”

Mr. Oz visits the pre-“Flashpoint” Superman, from the “DC Universe: Rebirth” special

Still, it may not point to Doctor Manhattan himself. So far, readers have yet to see “Watchmen’s” only superhuman in the blue flesh. Instead, they’ve been getting a lot of Mr. Oz, a character who first appeared in Issue 32 (August 2014) of the New 52 “Superman” series. Created by Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr., Mr. Oz spent a lot of time observing both the New 52 and pre-“Flashpoint” Supermen, and indicated that he helped train the New 52 version when the latter was younger. Following the New 52 Superman’s death, Mr. Oz then tells the pre-“Flashpoint” Man of Steel that “you and your family are not what you believe you are[,] and neither was the fallen Superman.” Mr. Oz also talks to unseen guests, who may be the prisoners he’s collected for some as-yet-unknown purpose. We know these prisoners include a pre-“Flashpoint” version of Doomsday and Red Robin (Tim Drake), teleported away from (respectively) the Phantom Zone in October 2016’s “Action Comics” #962 and from certain death in November 2016’s “Detective Comics” #940.

Mr. Oz and assistant Janet send the New 52 Superman a present, from “Superman” #39 by Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr.

Mr. Oz wears a green hooded robe, carries a crescent-topped staff, and employs an assistant named Janet whose tattoo looks a bit like the logo for the Veidt company’s perfume Nostalgia. (She delivers to the New 52 Clark Kent a blank S-shield notebook — shades of Rorschach’s journal? — and Mr. Oz observes “The future is unwritten, Clark. But you and your friends will see it soon enough.”) His bank of monitors is further reminiscent of the dozens of TV screens in Ozymandias’ Antarctic home. While these details tend to suggest “Watchmen’s” Ozymandias collectively, they’re not conclusive and could simply be coincidental.

In fact, “Oz” arguably makes just as much sense as a nickname for “Osterman.” Doctor Manhattan was susceptible to emotional outbursts but (for lack of a better term) prided himself on his restraint; and as discussed above doesn’t seem like the kind of being to interfere in the timeline on a whim. By contrast, Adrian Veidt didn’t get overly emotional and dealt heavily in large-scale manipulation, using whatever methods were available to him. We would not be surprised if Veidt found a way to duplicate the accident which led to Doctor Manhattan — he did take Doctor M apart in “Watchmen” #12, albeit temporarily — and gave himself time- and space-spanning powers. Alternatively, if somehow that made Doctor Manhattan human again, the identity of “Mr. Oz” wouldn’t be much of a stretch. (Of course, “Dr. Oz” would be too confusing.) We’re still at a loss about the robe and staff, though.

Worth a Second Glance

Quoting William Blake and mentioning “watchmen” in “The Hellblazer” #2

Janet’s “Nostalgia” tattoo is just one of several elements in DC’s superhero line that remind us, intentionally or otherwise, of “Watchmen.” In “The Hellblazer” #2, John Constantine finishes a quote: “The morning comes, the night decays, the watchmen leave their stations.” It’s from William Blake’s “America: A Prophecy,” spoken by a libertine character during the Apocalypse. Blake also wrote “Tyger, Tyger,” quoted in “Watchmen” #5. The “Hellblazer” quote (courtesy of writer Simon Oliver and artist Moritat) is probably just a gentle jab at “Rebirth”; but we feel compelled to note it regardless.

The same goes for Tweedledum and Tweedledee quoting their signature nursery rhyme in “Batman” vol. 3 #9: “Just then flew down a monstrous crow, as black as a tar barrel; which frightened both the heroes so they quite forgot their quarrel.” Naturally, in the context of “Watchmen,” the quote recalls Ozymandias’ hope that an external threat would force the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to be “so frightened” that they’d “forget their quarrel.”

Also in recent issues of “Batman” is the Psycho-Pirate, famously one of the few characters to remember the infinite Multiverse which existed prior to “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” It doesn’t connect him directly to “Watchmen” — which, remember, is decidedly post-“Crisis” — but if anyone knows anything about the Multiverse, he would.

Of course, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) and Captain Atom are themselves the inspirations, however distant, for Nite Owl and Doctor Manhattan. (Others included Nightshade/Silk Spectre, Peter Cannon/Ozymandias, and Peacemaker/Comedian.) That connects them to “Watchmen” on a metatextual level, and each has returned to DC’s superhero lineup after an extended absence, although so far neither has been involved in the current cosmic mystery. As it happens, during “Forever Evil” a few years ago DC seemed to have big things in store for The Question, who of course was Rorschach’s inspiration. The Question was also part of the Trinity of Sin alongside the Phantom Stranger and the late Pandora, which may make Pandora’s Rorschach-mirroring death just a little more noteworthy.

“Watchmen’s” electric-car recharger and Wally West’s Flash symbol

Perhaps one of the biggest coincidences is the similarity between two unrelated symbols. Both the electric-car recharge stations in “Watchmen” and the Wally West Flash share a stylized lightning-bolt symbol that is more streamlined than the other Flash emblems. Wally’s symbol came to the comics from a slight redesign done for the “Superman” animated series (and seen later in “Justice League”); and the electric-car recharge is such a minor detail that it has to be a coincidence. Nevertheless, an enterprising writer could probably make it into a bit more.

The name “Wally West” is also superficially similar to “Wally Weaver,” the Jimmy Olsen-like character who was Doctor Manhattan’s buddy in the early days. Weaver was diagnosed years later with cancer, allegedly (and falsely) attributed to his association with Doctor Manhattan. It’s a stretch as well, but if Doctor M became lost in the Speed Force and heard the name “Wally,” it probably would have caught his attention.

As for the Comedian’s button, Nite Owl had it cleaned up by the end of Issue 1. (He’s got it on the last page during his and Laurie’s after-dinner chat.) Therefore, it must come from some other place along the “Watchmen” timeline — which doesn’t have to be the beginning of the miniseries, because it also got blood-splattered when Blake received his scar in Vietnam. The point is that it seems mostly symbolic of the new connection between the two universes, and not a major plot element. It will, however, be the subject of an April crossover, as described below.

Finally, we expect Wally West to get his uncle’s watch back (and in good working order) sometime before “Rebirth’s” resolution plays out. That does seem like it could be a plot point.

Minute Details

Superman and son fight a tentacled creature, from “Superman” #2 by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason

Certain other elements of current series may have further resonance with the “Watchmen” portions of “Rebirth.” For example, the villain of “Justice League Vs. Suicide Squad” is Maxwell Lord, who completed his turn to the dark side by killing Blue Beetle. Like Ozymandias, Max started out as a wealthy do-gooder who eventually orchestrated a vast conspiracy and (in 2005’s “Countdown to Infinite Crisis” special, co-written by Geoff Johns) murdered one of his old associates who had discovered it. That plot didn’t originate with “Watchmen,” but these days the similarities are hard to ignore.

Superman’s Rebirth experiences also include some “Watchmen”-esque elements. He fights giant tentacled monsters in both the “Justice League: Rebirth” special and in “Superman” #2; and in “Superman” #1 and “Superman Annual” #1, he leaves glowing-blue handprints in the ground. Admittedly, not every tentacled monster comes from Adrian Veidt. However, the “Annual” seemed to explain that these handprints — one of which turned Swamp Thing temporarily into a glowing-blue, Kryptonese-speaking creature — were a byproduct of Superman not being attuned correctly to this Earth’s natural frequencies. Swamp Thing seems to have helped “re-tune” Superman, so the handprints might not reappear. Still, until further notice it seems that anything blue which glows needs a bit more scrutiny.

Finally, Ray “Atom” Palmer’s visit to the Microverse (discussed both in the “DC Universe: Rebirth” and “Justice League of America: Atom Rebirth” specials) could be connected to Mr. Oz’s prison, but all we know so far is that he’s there and its gatekeeper can’t be trusted.

The Clock is Ticking

The New 52’s Clark gets a blank notebook from Mr. Oz, in “Superman” #39 by Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr.

The expanding intersection between the world of “Watchmen” and the DC Universe has given readers a lot to examine. While there are a number of direct connections, there are probably even more red herrings and blind alleys. (No doubt some of those blind alleys will have “Who Watches…” graffiti.) We haven’t even brought up the “Three Jokers” subplot, mentioned in May’s “Justice League” #50 and the “DC Universe: Rebirth” special and then pushed onto a back burner, because it doesn’t seem to have much “Watchmen” relevance. Granted, Doctor Manhattan could duplicate himself without any apparent limit, but that doesn’t make him the Joker.

As the “Watchmen” characters don’t have home-field advantage, this will probably play out according to standard superhero-serial tropes; and that most likely means a Big Event miniseries in the not-too-distant future. Until then, expect more teases, surprises, and perhaps even a cameo or two. Mr. Oz will be in the spotlight fairly soon, specifically when one of his prisoners escapes as part of March’s “Superman Reborn” event; and in April Batman and the Flash will tackle the mystery behind “the button.” If it’s not resolved until May 2018, that’s a lot of anticipation and buildup. With everything the two universes have to reconcile, here’s hoping all of “Watchmen” and “Rebirth’s” gears end up meshing together smoothly. We’ll be watching for more hints, and we’ll keep you posted as they come in.

Which “Watchmen” elements have you seen in DC’s superhero comics? Let us know in the comments!

The post Where to Watch the Watchmen: A Rebirth Guide appeared first on CBR.com.

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