Gabbing Geek 61: Geek Recommendations

Gabbing Geek 61: Geek Recommendations

Blab had a little technical issues towards the end but we managed to get out our latest blabcast as both an audio-only podcast (which you can listen to here or on any of your favorite downloadable sources) or as a video where you can see all of our fun facial expressions!  In this episode we discuss the new Dr Strange trailer, FOUR new Avatar movies, and then provide some geek recommendations for TV (The Magicians), comic books (all things Star Wars), and books (The Rook, Discworld). Check it out now or head after the break for the full video.

Spider-Man Complete Chronology Update 10 (Spider-Man v Superman Edition)

In an era where Marvel and DC are spending most of their time and resources duking it out for supremacy at the box office, it may be hard to believe that it wasn’t that long ago the Big Two had quite a run of crossovers between their respective super hero universes.

The 90’s gave rise to crossovers such as Batman/Daredevil, Batman/Punisher, Batman/Captain America, Batman/Spider-Man…hmm…I guess they should more accurately be called Marvel and Batman crossovers.

Prior to that 90’s boom however, the crossing over of characters between the two companies was few and far between.  After the break we’ll look at two of those starring the two companies biggest hitters (apologies to Batman): Superman and Spider-Man.

As usual, spoilers follow from here on out if you’ve missed out on the last 50 years of Spider-Man and are just getting started.

Gabbing Geek 60: Spring Into Movies!

Gabbing Geek 60: Spring Into Movies!

Our second ever blabcast is now available as an audio-only podcast (which you can listen to here or on any of your favorite downloadable sources) or as a video where you can see all of our fun facial expressions!  This time the gang talks about Marvel Netflix news, the Rogue One trailer, and upcoming May movie releases.  Check it out now or head after the break for the full video.

Defending The Grade: Batsoup

70%? That’s a passing grade, right?

Yesterday, the last of the Gabbing Geek crew, Ryan, finally saw Batman Vs. Superman Vs. All Common Sense.  He didn’t like it and left a long, often amusing, ever-expanding when he remembers something else list of the film’s flaws.  For my part, I thought it would be fun to write a tongue-in-cheek reply listing everything that was “right” about the movie.  That was rough because I wanted the same number of points as Ryan’s original post, and he has since added a few more.  There may be more by the time I finish typing this and more still when it goes live.  Check in often and make sure.

However, Ryan made note of the fact that the others ’round these parts, either on post or podcast, rated the movie above a five out of ten.  My own grade was a seven out of ten.  I stand by that.  So, in the interest of filling up space, allow me to explain my reasoning a bit.

SPOILERS for the movie after the cut.

Slightly Misplaced Comic Book Heroes Case File #57: Icon

Not everyone call pull off green and red combos when it isn’t Christmas.

In 1993, DC Comics tried an experiment.  They created a line of comics dedicated to giving minority writers and artists a chance to create their own superheroes.  Dubbed “Milestone,” the initial comics had some success, the most noteworthy being Static, a teenage boy with electro-magnetic powers that managed to gain his own animated TV series and has been popping up around the DC Universe ever since.

A little less well known was a guy called Icon.

DC’s Rebirth: In Your Best Arnold Voice, “It’s Not A Reboot!”

DC gets a lot of flack from some for their various reboots of continuity.  Some of which is justified, like the mess that the New 52 left DC continuity in.  Marvel claims to have never rebooted their continuity.  Not on a grand scale like DC’s Crisis anyway.  But what do you call something like One More Day Marvel?  Besides a slap in the face to fans.  (IMO).

While Marvel seems to get a free pass on the whole “reboot” thing, they are constantly relaunching their line and doing soft reboots along the way.  How many of your favorite Marvel books have had new #1’s in the past couple of years?  I think Spider-Gwen which debuted in 2014 has already had 9 #1 issues!  (That’s possibly an exaggeration.)  The point is, Marvel is just as guilty in their own way.

And DC is hoping that by following the “Marvel model” with #1’s, a soft reboot and not a Crisis/Flashpoint/New 52 style reboot, fans will cut them some slack as well.

More on DC Rebirth’s “it’s not a reboot” after the cut.

Jim Lee Bringing Us The Scooby-Doo Reboot We Never Knew We Always Wanted

Shut up and take my money!

Entertainment Weekly reports that DC is re-launching and modernizing a number of Hanna Barbera titles starting this May.  While the  article includes pictures of rebooted Johnny Quest, Space Ghost, Flintstones (how do you modernize the Flintstones, by the way?), and Wacky Race Land, all of our energy should be focused on that picture above.  That’s Jim Lee taking on the Scooby Gang in the most awesome thing you’ve seen today.  May can’t come soon enough!

“The Bat Is Dead. Bury It.” Ugh, Batsoup Looks Worse And Worse

Over the weekend Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice released a new poster and a couple of new TV spots.  You can check out the TV spots after the break.  One of which contains the line I used in the title of this post.  It’s only 30 seconds, but is cringe worthy.  I know I may be the last of the converted, but I’m starting to have real concerns about this movie the more I see of it.  (In fairness, the Bat-centered ad is not too bad.)

As for the poster, I think it points out another failure on the part of Warner Bros/DC.  #whowillwin?  Really?  No one cares, and since this last trailer, I’d argue you could even change the title of the movie and remove the “v”.  Hey, I know that two heroes meeting for the first time and fighting and eventually joining forces against some evil is one of the biggest tropes in comic books.  And of course that’s what we all expected with this movie.  But with the last trailer revealing said team-up (and adding Wonder Woman) to fight Doomsday, why even bother with the pretense anymore.  The trailer even gives us the “conclusion” of their fight.  Let it go WB/DC.  #whowillwin?  Not moviegoers by the looks of things.  (I hope I’m wrong.)

In “some light at the end of the tunnel” news, Walking Dead alum Lauren Cohan has confirmed that she will play Martha Wayne in the film.  I’m gonna guess it is a small, bullet hole filled flashback, but at least that is something to look forward to.

Freddie Mercury Presents: The First Official Suicide Squad Trailer

More than likely you’ve seen the Comic Con footage that leaked and was eventually released to the public last year.  Well now, after the cut, feast your eyes on the first official trailer for one of this years most anticipated movies.  Let us know what you think.

Sorry Watson, No Titans TV Show For You

Not the reported line up.

It looks like Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Starfire, Raven, Hawk and Dove won’t be coming to a small screen near you. TNT has announced that the show has been shelved because of the clutter of comic properties already on TV, and development wasn’t taking them in a direction that they wanted to go.  Production on the show was expected to begin this summer.

I had a feeling this show was in trouble when for some unknown reason TNT was (rumored to be) changing the name of the show to Blackbirds.  Looks like you’ll have to check out Batman: Bad Blood next month for the only Dick Grayson fix you’ll get anytime soon.