Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc. #1


The 50th anniversary of Scooby Snacks offers the gang a chance to tour the Scooby Snacks factory. It also delivers a mystery when key ingredients to making Scooby Snacks begin being stolen.

Doom Patrol - Jane Patrol / Hair Patrol


"Jane Patrol" and "Hair Patrol" offer two stories that take place simultaneously following the tumultuous events of Karen being temporarily in control of Jane (Diane Guerrero) as Jane retreats far into herself. "Jane Patrol" focuses on the Negative Spirit putting Cliff (Brendan Fraser) inside Jane's mind where we finally see the Underground fully realized. While he doesn't belong, he wants to help. While being Cliff, he screws it up (at least for awhile). As an added bonus, the mental version of Cliff is still human (at least until he needs to call on his robot nature to help save his friend). At the same time their teammates are busy, "Hair Patrol" focuses on events in the manor where the bizarre Beard Hunter (Tommy Snider) arrives in search of the missing Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton).

Monday, June 29, 2020

Stargirl - Shiv (Part One)


The first half of Stargirl's first two-part episode offers a closer look at the life of mean girl Cindy Burman (Meg DeLacy), the daughter of the Dragon King (Nelson Lee). Revealed to be even more of a terror than the previous episodes had foreshadowed, "Shiv Part One" introduces us to the first super-villain of the younger generation. While different in a number of other ways, the episode exposes one common similarity between both Cindy and Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) in their impatience at being asked to slow down and wait by their father figures. An order both ignore, leading Stargirl to discover the hidden pathways within the school and have a run-in with a villain her own age for a change.

Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular


The latest DC 80th anniversary issue celebrates various Green Lantern characters including Alan Scott (the Golden Age Green Lantern who isn't part of the Green Lantern Corps) but there are some notable absences of fan favorites as well such as Ch'p, Arisia Rrab, Katma Tui, Tomar-Re, G'nort, or Sojourner Mullein (who is at least included in a one-page art insert).

Bloodshot

Based on the comic of the same name, Bloodshot is a sci-fi action flick starring Vin Diesel as United States Marine Ray Garrison resurrected using nanite technology which can repair his body making him an ideal candidate to join the team of enhanced soldiers (Eiza González, Sam Heughan, and Alex Hernandez). Haunted by fragments of memory, Garrison leaves Rising Spirit Tech to kill the man (Toby Kebbell) responsible for his wife's (Talulah Riley) death... or so he thinks.

The character seems tailor-made for Diesel with simple motivations (honor, family revenge) and a desire to kick-ass. The basic set-up works fine for an action flick, even if the value of the other soldiers is questionable. Then there's the twist of the CEO (Guy Pearce) reprogramming and sending the half-cocked Garrison after targets by fabricating memories that never existed. The problem, of course, is once the truth is revealed the movie doesn't really have anywhere interesting to go as it devolves into a basic shoot 'em up with hacking and science-driven subplots that get increasingly ridiculous as the film slogs its way to the finish line.

Super Dinosaur - Go to Town


"Go to Town," also known as "Jurassic Golf," involves Super Dinosaur (Mac Heywood) using his new stealth suit to sneak along with Derek (Valin Shinyei) and the Kingstons for a round at a dino-themed miniature golf park. Along with the golf course itself, which provides opportunities for SD to show himself but be mistaken for a park attraction, the episode is notable for Tricerachops' (Kathleen Barr) attempt to lure SD away from the humans and join the rest of the Dino-Men. She makes a pretty good pitch, and had Max Maximus (Marco Soriano) not shown up to start a fight with SD it's possible Earthcore's greatest asset may not have returned (though life under the thumb of Maximus would never be the T-Rex's preferred vacations spot).

Friday, June 26, 2020

Once and Future #8


Once and Future #8 confirms both the identity of the old wizard we saw in the last issue steal the Beowulf manuscript as Merlin and explain why he has been working in the shadows to bring Bewoulf back into the world. Despite Bridgette's assertion that Beowulf is nothing more than a poem, the now flesh-and-blood legendary warrior strolls both into Zombie Camelot and later finds his way onto the top of Duncan's car (as Rose's warning comes seconds too late).

That Harley Quinn Birds of Prey Movie


I had much the same reaction to Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn as to Suicide Squad. There's low-rent fun to be had here in this crass tale of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) striking out on her own after leaving the Joker. Robbie reprises her role from Suicide Squad, but is forced to carry much more of the story this time around. The script makes Harley the film's narrator, often telling events out of order or forgetting key points. The idea is fun for a few minutes, but this isn't Rashomon or Memento. It's a B-movie with delusions of grandeur.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Batman: The Adventures Continue #6


On orders from Lex Luthor, Deathstroke finally shows his true colors while luring Batman into his trap by promising the Dark Knight Detective a chance to take down Firefly (who, like Deathstroke, isn't what "he" appears to be).

The Invisible Man

There have been several versions of The Invisible Man over the years. The latest, from writer/director Leigh Whannell puts the focus on the victim of the title character rather than the Invisible Man himself offering a thriller about an abusive husband using advanced technology to gaslight the wife who has left him. Elisabeth Moss stars here as the terrified woman who even those closest to her believe is going insane.

When the film stays grounded (as grounded as a film about an invisible man driving his wife mad can be) it succeeds, leaving both Moss and the audience to question where the Invisible Man is in every scene (or if he's even there at all). I think The Invisible Man would have made an excellent short film. As a feature, Whannell struggles to keep the suspense in place as the film gets increasingly goofy when our antagonist ups his game. The film's unimaginative boilerplate ending also left me cold.

Young Justice #15


Since the beginning of the series characters of been bouncing around the Multiverse, but with Young Justice #15 Superboy and the rest of the expanded Young Justice cast are finally back together on Earth. After quickly wrapping up the lingering plot thread of Dr. Glory (who Conner isn't above toying with before turning her over to the FBI), the comic moves to the larger issue of Conner's place in the world by Bart explaining the idea of Crisis while Superboy was on Gemworld and how this Earth was reshaped in his absence.

Injustice Supergirl by Whoanerdalert


Whoanerdalert is a California cosplayer and model. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Photos by Kryptic Frames.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Matt Damon wishes Jimmy Kimmel a Happy Summer

Lady Zorro #1


The new one-shot from American Mythology reintroduces the character of Lady Zorro roaming through the countryside following in the wake of a path of destruction caused by a secret cabal of Spanish soldiers. Although the name Zorro is known in some parts, Lady Zorro is not, but that is about to change.

Wednesday with Alexa Bliss

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Katsucon 2020 Cosplay Highlights

Doom Patrol - Puppet Patrol


Ah, the episode with the Nazi puppets! Seriously, you can keep reading, but it that sentence wasn't enough to get you to watch then I honestly don't know what to tell you. The search for the missing Chief (Timothy Dalton), who disappeared after a donkey farted and a giant sinkhole swallowed up an entire town, leads the Doom Patrol and Cyborg (Joivan Wade) on a road trip to Paraguay where Cliff (Brendan Fraser), Jane (Diane Guerrero), and Larry (Matt Bomer) find the former Nazi scientist who provided Morden (Alan Tudyk) with his powers. Thanks to a little puppet show detailing the history of Heinrich Von Fuchs, we get some insight into the animosity between Chief and Morden and the villain's recent kidnapping of the Doom Patrol's mentor.

Ghost-Spider #10


Another volume of Ghost-Spider comes to a close as the final issue in the series leaves fans with a cliffhanger and uncertain future for our heroine. Johnny Storm and Sue Storm finally show their true colors in Ghost-Spider #10 by attacking Gwen and threatening not only her life but that of her father if she doesn't leave New York to its newest heroes.

Stargirl - The Justice Society


While the road is a bit rocky, by the end of "The Justice Society" Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) and Pat (Luke Wilson) come to an understanding about her attempt to recreate the Justice Society with her friends from school. Pat is less than pleased to discover his step-daughter is putting together her own crew, a crew that doesn't have any interest in walking away from what Courtney has given them when Pat demands the return of the artifacts. Perhaps the best aspect of the latest episode of Stargirl is how the show presents the mystical and scientific gadgets which Courtney has given her friends as not toys or weapons but a piece of themselves that each was missing. In the goggles Beth Chapel (Anjelika Washington) finds understanding and connection, in Wildcat's cowl Yolanda's (Yvette Monreal) rediscovers a sense of purpose and belief in herself, and in the hourglass Rick (Cameron Gellman) makes a connection to his father and is given an outlet for his rage.

Monday, June 22, 2020

Super Dinosaur - Battle Shock


Earthcore's plans on reopening the gate to Inner Earth doesn't go as planned thanks to General Casey's (Dean Redman) prankster son Elliot (Tevon Herbert) who sneaks aboard the Dynamo Dome to wreak havoc, not realizing that he's putting everyone in serious danger. In the kind of coincidence you are likely to find in a 20-minute cartoon, Super Dinosaur's (Mac Heywood) fear of spiders is introduced and then immediately expanded on when the creature from Inner Earth that sneaks inside the Dome turns out to be a giant spider. The episode does give both Erin (Shannon Chan-Kent) and Erica (Shannon Chan-Kent) larger roles as Erica helps the team keep safe from the security drones Elliot (AKA Battle Shock) unleashes on them, and Erin's knowledge of spider's helps get their unwanted guest home without resorting to violence against the scared creature. As for Inner Earth, thanks to Battle Shock's pranks, any exploration will have to wait.

Batman & the Outsiders #13


The fight against Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins continues in Batman & the Outsiders #13 with a guest-appearance by the Martian Manhunter (helping explain the alien technology that Ra's has under his control and how he plans to use it to bend the world to his will) and a new artist in Gleb Melnikov. Melnikov's art is terrific here, particularly the scenes featuring the Dark Knight Detective who is going to need the Outsiders to up their game if they have any chance against the League.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Out of the Past


With the team now in the 1950s, "Out of the Past" takes advantage of damage to Coulson's (Clark Gregg) LMD systems to offer a film noir episode. Damage to his optics renders nearly the entire episode in black and white while damage to other systems meas his thoughts will continue to echo around his skull providing narration for the events which follow. As with the other episodes of the season, the mission remains the same: keep history on the right path. This week that means helping Agent Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) deliver vital technology to S.H.I.E.L.D. before it falls in to the hands of either Hydra or the Chronicoms. As to the fate of Sousa, who history says dies at the end of his successful mission, whether or not to meddle with his fate offers a much harder choice.

Thursday, June 18, 2020

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #272


Throwdown (who Cobra still mistakenly believe is the original Snake Eyes) makes his escape attempt as the Joes continue to mobilize by air, land, and space. Putting pieces in place for the final three issues of the "Snake Hunt" arc, G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #272 features Joes in buses, planes, and deploying a satellite in space. Zartan and Destro's teams also rendezvous with the the Joe caravan and the Arashikage arrive in Springfield as well.

Vasiliel's Anastasia Cosplay


Vasiliel is a Russian cosplayer, artist, and photographer. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, deviantART, and Twitter.

Black Cat #11


The comic's opening arc continues as Black Cat has managed to steal all the pieces for the Randall Gate. Now all that's missing for Black Fox's planned heist of the Thieves Guild is the key to turning the thing on. In a comic that has featured Felicia breaking in to the who's who of the Marvel Universe, could there be anywhere else to retrieve it but Stark Unlimited?

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Harley Quinn #73


Harley and Booster sitting in a tree... Sure there's plenty of other stuff happening in this issue, including Harley Quinn pushed through an emotional meat grinder, but the stand-out panel for me was the comic continuing down the road of possibly of seeing Goldie Quinn become a thing with the hero from the future turning down a quick roll in the hay with an emotionally vulnerable Harley and admitting to deeper feelings for the Joker's ex.

Fantasy Island

I'll give some credit to Blumhouse's Fantasy Island which kept me engaged longer than I expected. The film adapts the 70s television series of the same name into a modern horror film. Like on the show, guests are invited to the island to experience their deepest fantasies, only on this island there's something far darker lurking under the surface.

The guests who Mr. Roarke (Michael Peña) invites to the island include a woman (Lucy Hale) craving revenge on a childhood bully (Portia Doubleday), a pair of step-brothers (Ryan Hansen and Jimmy O. Yang) looking to live the rich life, a cop (Austin Stowell) who wants to be a soldier, and Maggie Q as a woman looking to rectify her biggest regret.

While far from great, the first-two thirds of the film in which the guests arrive, begin their fantasies, and then see them take dark turns, kept my interest. Then comes the film's first big twist which awkwardly reestablishes the guests' connection to each other causing events to start spiraling out of control.

SHAZAM! #12


SHAZAM! #12 is a throwback to the kind of one-off stories that used to be commonplace before writers and artists started almost exclusively creating arcs for graphic novel collections. After beating Crocodile Man and getting some shit from Freddy about the quality of his rogues gallery, our hero heads to Gotham for a team-up with Batman (who he's thrilled to learn also has a crocodile-themed villain).

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Tuesday with Hendo Art


Hendo Art is a cosplayer from California. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram (and here for more spicy pics), Vero, and Twitter. Check out her official store as well. You can also support her on Patreon.

Cloudistrict - Life is Short


Here's Cloudistrict with the video for "Life is Short" featuring Canadian model and cosplayer Zombae.

Batman #92


"Their Dark Designs" continues as Batman schleps around the captive Deathstroke all over Gotham City in the issue while dealing with lingering threats including the Riddler who takes the city hostage by placing it within a giant crossword puzzle, forcing Batman to find each word through a riddle. Batman? Not too worried.

Jumanji: The Next Level

Jumanji: The Next Level brings back the cast of 2017's Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle for another trip into the video game version of Jumanji as Spencer's (Alex Wolff) friends follow when the isolated college Freshman goes looking for something familiar. This time around, however, the players are all in different avatars and two of the players have been replaced by Spencer's grandfather (Danny DeVito) and his former business partner (Danny Glover).

I wasn't all that impressed with the 2017 film which was fun at times but also lazy and largely forgettable, and The Next Level offers more of the same: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson smoldering, characters hashing out their issues while running for their lives, and Karen Gillan running around the jungle in short-shorts. The addition of the older players does offer some new dynamics (along with quite a few easy old people don't understand technology jokes), and having none of the players in the avatars they expected is one of the sequel's best choices.

Monday, June 15, 2020

Stargirl - Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite


On Halloween, Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) gets two more recruits in "Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite" as Beth Chapel (Anjelika Washington) sneaks into Courtney's room and gets Dr. Mid-Nite's goggles to work and Courtney learns that the son of an original member of the JSA lives in town. Beth discovering Courtney and Yolanda's (Yvette Monreal) secret last week is immediately followed-up here. While Beth wasn't chosen by Courtney, she proves her worth by identifying the brooding Rick (Cameron Gellman) as the son of Rex Tyler who we see murdered at the beginning of the episode in a flashback after stashing his son with a no-account brother. Pat (Luke Wilson) also sees a connection between the angry young man and the original Hourman leading him to discover just what Courtney has been up to the past two weeks.

Action Comics #1022


Clark Kent, meet Conner Kent. Action Comics #1022 centers around Superman getting his head around the idea that there is another Superboy from an alternate timeline of Earth. Calling in as many experts as possible to confirm Conner is who he thinks, it's a more familial connection that cements Conner is indeed finally back home on the right Earth.

Young Justice - Nightmare Monkeys


"Nightmare Monkeys" offers several revelations to the Young Justice team. The first comes at the end of the episode's main story where Beast Boy (Greg Cipes) becomes lost in a pair of Goode VR Goggles designed to take over the minds of those it identifies as possessing a meta-human gene. Taking place within Garfield's mind, the show's writers have fun by inserting him into both the Hello, Megan! television show and version of Doom Patrol that was obviously styled after Teen Titans Go! (and even uses the show's cast to voice the Doom Patrol characters rendered in Go's style). In another sequence, the episode also brings back Garfield's pet monkey as either a Monkey God who prevented his mind from completely shutting down or some part of the character's subconscious that recognized the danger and created false realities giving his friends time to save him.

Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular

Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular is the latest DC over-sized one-shot to bring in several artists and writers to feature a character in a series of short tales. It's on par with the Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular fans of Catwoman may wish to pick up, but there's nothing here that's a must-see.

My three favorite stories of the collection are the extremely meta "Conventional Wisdom" in which Selina finds herself signing autographs at BatCon while being confused with the various costumed fans (all of which is caused by Dr. Destiny), "Art of Picking a Lock" which features narration of story from Selina's past while she is currently saving Slam Bradley from Joker henchmen, and "Helena" which features an unprepared Catwoman dealing with pregnancy (in a bit of a throwback to Earth-2's Huntress origins).

While the collection doesn’t feature a Batman: The Animated Series story, the collection of art does feature an entry by Ty Templeton featuring my favorite version of Catwoman’s costume along with looks at her various costumes over the years.

Friday, June 12, 2020

Long Gone Summer

Director AJ Schnack's examination of the historic home-run chase during 1998 Major League Baseball season is a solid documentary in covering the bases of what occurred, even if it fails for too much of its running time to fully capture the magic of the moment or find a way to better frame events following the exposure of rampant steroid use in baseball (which it saves for a lengthy epilogue).

Scheduled to air Sunday night as part of ESPN's 30 for 30, the film includes interviews with both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa along with plenty of video from 1998 season and interviews from the likes of Bob Costas, Tony La Russa, Kerry Wood, and others. It also, oddly, spends quite a bit of time on Ken Griffey, Jr., who ended the year well off the pace McGwire and Sosa set, while barely mentioning Barry Bonds breaking the record again just a few years later.

Long Gone Summer is informative at times, especially in delving into the friendship born of rivalry between the two players. However, nothing presented here is likely to change your opinion one way or the other about the legitimacy of current baseball records.

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew #1


The premise for Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Death of Nancy Drew #1 is simple. After taking down a mysterious criminal organization known as the Syndicate, Nancy Drew has died in an apparent car accident. Months of investigation haven't lead to single piece of evidence that there was foul play. Most people have moved on. Most people, except Joe Hardy.

Rick and Morty - The Vat of Acid Episode


Not that fans of the show need any further confirmation, but "The Vat of Acid Episode" certainly highlights was a ginormous prick Rick Sanchez (Justin Roiland) is. The entire episode centers around Rick inventing a device Morty (Roiland) has been constantly bugging him about, not as a favor to his grandson but as revenge for Morty slamming Rick's (rather lame) plan in the episode's opening that involves the pair hiding in a vat of fake acid from intergalactic gangsters to make it appear they have died. Along with Rick's legendary dickishness, the other theme the episode plays on is introducing an in-depth, soul-crushing, plot thread for Morty that the show may or may not ever return to. For an episode based on a simple bit, this one really does have it all as events come full circle to reinforce Morty's understanding of just what a bastard his grandfather truly is.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Every Generation


Similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chosen Ones, the new one-shot anthology Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Every Generation features a trio of stories on Slayers throughout history. "Where All Paths Lead" offers an alternative series of event to those of "Hellmouth, Part Five." In this version Buffy enters the Hellmouth alone to face the Hellmother. As a result, events turn out less well for Buffy and the world.

Anime Impulse 2020 Cosplay Music Video (Part 2)

Batman: The Adventures Continue #5


Jason Todd continues to hide in the shadows, although not entirely unnoticed, while Deathstroke plays the role of crime-fighter to win over the Bat-Family. Much of the issue centers around Robin teaming-up with Gotham's new "hero" to take down Firefly (to the displeasure of Batman).

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Tuesday with Summer


Summer Soderstrom is a Los Angeles model. You can follow her on Instagram and YouTube. You can also support her on Patreon and Onlyfans.

Birds of Prey


Originally conceived as the start of a new series for DC's Black Label, this giant single-issue from writer Brian Azzarello and artist Emanuela Lupacchino features Harley Quinn's return to Gotham City where she quickly becomes involved in the Huntress stalking a brutal crime syndicate and a trio of assassins. Of course, Harley sees circumstances as fate pushing her in a new direction.

Monday, June 8, 2020

Stargirl - Wildcat


Courtney Whitmore's (Brec Bassinger) search for allies begins in "Wildcat" which is also the first episode of the series to devote a large section of the story to someone other than Courtney or Pat's (Luke Wilson) point of view by filling in the recent past of Yolanda Montez (Yvette Monreal) teased earlier in the series. A flashback offers us a look at more confident and happy Yolanda whose decision to send a sexy selfie to her boyfriend (Jake Austin Walker) has disastrous consequences both at school and home. Exposed and slut-shamed by both family and friends, it becomes obvious fairly quickly why the Yolanda walking the halls today bares little resemblance to the one Courtney finds in the school yearbook. The episode handles the subject matter well, especially in showing the stark difference to Yolanda's family life as well as her reputation and standing at school.

Super Dinosaur - Rise of the Shark Men


"Rise of the Shark Men" centers around the growing pains of the Kingstons moving into the Dynamo Dome and an attack on an Earthcore station in the Arctic. We get even more petulant Derek (Valin Shinyei), although, to be fair, neither Erin (Shannon Chan-Kent) nor Erica (Shannon Chan-Kent) are considerate of how their actions affect the status quo their introduction has disrupted. The tension culminates in a tense dinner party with neither side looking to comprise (although the burping contest Derek starts to show off does end up paying dividends later on). The other storyline introduces Squidious (Brian Drummond) and his Shark Men who have mistaken the platform as another act of pollution by those who live on the land. Given the Kingston's help with defeating the Shark Men, and the entire family making a more concerted effort to fit in to their new surroundings after dinner, here's hoping we'll be seeing less of Derek's petulant side in the episodes to come.

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #271


At it's best G.I. JOE offers a mix of action and goofy over-the-top storytelling. G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #271 offers both as "Snake Hunt" continues with the Joes planning Throwdown's (who Cobra still mistakenly believe is the original Snake Eyes) rescue, the captive making a move of his own, and Destro explaining to the Baroness why he has chosen to ally himself with Zartan rather than Cobra Commander.

Friday, June 5, 2020

Be Water


Premiering Sunday as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, the documentary from director Bao Nguyen examines the life, philosophy, and legacy of Bruce Lee. Filled with interviews from family and friends who knew him best, Be Water also features an amazing amount of photographs and video from the Lee's life. The director's take on his subject is a deeply personal one as the son of Vietnamese refugees who saw Bruce Lee as a strong and vibrant Asian man far different from the usual depictions of Hollywood at the time. Over five years Bao Nguyen would trace the journey of Lee's life culminating in the super-stardom which was only halted by his premature death.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Far Sector #6


Far Sector #6 offers a quiet, contemplative issue before its final pages set-up the series' next big action sequence. In the wake of the riots, and the government's brutal response to them (something all too topical considering what is happening now), the City Enduring's referendum on the Emotion Exploit is less than a week away.

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Danger Zone: X-Wing Tribute


I feel the need, the need for speed... always.

Rick and Morty - Promortyus


Remember that episode where Rick (Justin Roiland) and Morty (Roiland) made out and shat on the carpet? "Promortyus" opens with both characters controlled by facehugger aliens before breaking free, pretending to be still under the thrall of the collective (not all that convincingly), and blasting their way out doing as much guilt-free carnage as possible to the planet's civilization as possible (except for choosing not to go 9/11 on them). On after returning home to the pair realize they left Summer (Spencer Grammer) back on the Glorzos homeworld.

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Anime Impulse 2020 Cosplay Music Video (Part 1)

Justice League #45


Jim Corrigan has been separated from the Spectre and locked himself away in Tartarus. DC's untethered Spirit of Vengeance is less than happy about the new arrangement as his thirst for vengeance infects the members of the Justice League pitting them against each other by inflaming old arguments and grudges.

Monday, June 1, 2020

Stargirl - Icicle


"Icicle" brings back the deadliest member of the Injustice Society of America to Blue Valley, Nebraska while continuing to hint at his larger plans for a "New America." And neither friend nor foe appears to be safe from his icy wrath. Along with Stargirl's (Brec Bassinger) first encounter with the ice villain (who publicly calls out the new hero by putting a large icy star in the middle of Courtney's walk home), the episode also delivers her first trip to the Justice Society of America's headquarters where Pat's (Luke Wilson) plan to talk Courtney out of super-heroing backfires setting up the next several episodes with Courtney recruiting a new society to take down Icicle and company.

Harley Quinn - A Seat At The Table


When the Gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers. In "A Seat At The Table" Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) has achieved everything she thinks she's ever wanted. She's a card-carrying member of the Legion of Doom who listen to her opinions. And even the Joker (Alan Tudyk) is treating her like an equal for the first time in their life. However, things are not all that the seem. First, her crew is given a less cordial reception. While Harley earns a big office, they are sent down with the goons and henchmen to be rented out to any member of the league. Second, her attempts to learn more about how to get things done within the group by spending time with the Joker neglects both the crew and Ivy (Lake Bell) who Harley had agreed to help with an environmental attack (only to show up kissing Joker on the news instead).

Suicide Squad #5


Suicide Squad #5 opens in mid-battle in Australia with the Squad kicking the shit out of Captain Boomerang who some want to recruit and some want dead. Returning to base with Boomerang doesn't clear things up as, after being ordered to execute the same target they just risked their lives to retrieve, Deadshot leads a mutiny beginning with ending Lok's short run with a bullet to the face.