Geek Review: Batman V Superman

Like many people, I saw Batman V Superman:  Dawn Is A Dish Detergent over the weekend.  I actually went with a small group and got a small range of opinions.  My group included:

• Me.  Duh.
• My thirteen-year old niece.  She’s a sucker for the Marvel movies, and since I was going home for Easter, I asked her if she wanted to see the movie.  She said yes.
• My brother.  Another geek, mostly.  I had initially asked him if he wanted to come along with our niece and myself and bring his oldest son (age 9) too.  My brother wanted to see the movie first before he took his son.  Understandable.  Then he asked me to get another ticket when I bought them.
• The open seat.  Here’s where everything got complicated.  The original person I got this for was my sister-in-law, who is not a geek.  At all.  But, she got sick Saturday.  My brother asked his son.  The kid wanted to go at first, then changed his mind for some reason no one understood.  The last ticket was eventually used by my brother’s father-in-law, of little geek persuasion.

So, tickets in hand, this motely group went to see the movie.  Review and SPOILERS after the cut.

[A note from Jimmy: I’ve hijacked this post and put my thoughts at the end.  They are spoiler free, but since you have to read through Tom’s excellent review to get there…I guess it matters little.]

Tom Recommends: Young Justice (Animated Series)

Animator Greg Wiseman has had a long string of animated series that have pleased fans but have always seemed to be cut short due to other factors.  He was forced off Disney’s Gargoyles and saw his Spectacular Spider-Man cut short due to the Spider-rights going to Disney.

Then there was Young Justice, an animated series set in the DC universe about a team of superhero sidekicks going on covert missions for the Justice League.

Slightly Misplaced Comic Book Heroes Case File #55: The Sea Devils

There once was a time when various comics companies would just toss random characters out there and see what stuck.  While the Silver Age version of characters like the Flash and Green Lantern first appeared in DC Comics’ Showcase, that particular comic was initially intended as an anthology to introduce new characters.  In point of fact, the first character to be featured in Showcase was a firefighter named Fireman Farrell.  He got three short stories in that issue and as near as I can make out was never seen again.

As a digression, Farrell’s last story featured a national news TV crew following Farrell and his company around as they fought a fire, but that was to cover a story about a local (and apparently unpopular) ballot initiative to give the firemen a raise so they could do stuff like send their kids to camp (that was treated as a tragedy).  One woman interviewed said the teachers deserved a raise first, and a home viewer decried that woman as “stupid”.  I sure would like to know why wanting a raise for a nation’s educators is stupid.  Or why a local ballot initiative was national news.  I guess the point is I don’t miss Fireman Farrell.

But that “let’s see what works” approach is my best explanation for the Sea Devils.

Review: Legends Of Tomorrow

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow premiered last night after months of anticipation.  Could it deliver on the solid foundation that Flash has brought us for the last year and a half?  Could a team show work in an hour-long format?  Will Mr Freeze actually be a good guy?  Jump after the break for a full review.

[WARNING: SPOILERS AFTER THE BREAK]

Slightly Misplaced Comic Book Heroes Case File #45: Faith

I think she got the power of heart to form Captain Planet.

A common theme to many a Misplaced Hero is that many times there’s only a single creator who’s really enamored with the character.  Oh, other writers and artists may have a decent run with the character, but often once the original creator moves on, the character is quickly relegated to the background or written out of the book entirely.  That is more or less what happened to Snapper Carr.  Creators showing favorites is nothing new, such as how Geoff Johns dealt with Black Adam, or Brian Michael Bendis’ clear love for Luke Cage.  But sometimes the creator love goes to a new character that doesn’t always stick around long.

One such example there is Faith.

The Troubling Morality Of Flash Season Two

Let’s be honest, Arrow’s ethical choices are starting to rub off on the Flash.

The first season of Flash was one of the most unexpected and fantastic surprises of the past year.  It was an amazing show with action, intrigue, fun characters, a fantastic story arc, and an overall optimistic worldview that was lacking in other superhero movies or TV shows.  It was so good I waived my typical rule of not letting my boys watch a primetime superhero show (Arrow, SHIELD) and allowed them to watch Flash–they loved it as well and we still watch some of the older episodes.  The first season finale is one of the best episodes of superhero TV ever.

But now the second season is two episodes in and while the storyline continues to build there are a couple of troubling morality implications.  I’m not condemning them…yet…but I am concerned.  Head after the break to find out what has me troubled.

[SPOILER ALERT: THIS POST CONTAINS FLASH SEASON TWO SPOILERS FROM THE FIRST TWO EPISODES]

Gabbing Geek 55: Not A Fangirl

Gabbing Geek 55: Not A Fangirl

Gabbing Geek episode 55 is not what you’d expect–if you were expecting the promised Geek Book Club about Fangirl.  That has been unexpectedly delayed to episode 56 and you’ll find out exactly why.  We also talk about Lego Dimensions, Gotham, the Martian (movie version!), and play an alien trivia game.  Give the episode a listen right now or jump after the break to find out more!

The Reason Jenny Does Our Cosplay Articles Instead of Watson

When Jenny does her wonderful cosplay feature every day, we get amazing images like the one above.  What would get if Watson took over the column?  Click to find out…

Gabbing Geek 51: Battle Lines

Gabbing Geek 51: Battle Lines

Gabbing Geek 51, Battle Lines, is so contentious you’ll think it was a presidential debate where every single candidate is Donald Trump.  We talk about corporate wars at Marvel, the latest salvo in the battle of the video streaming giants, our epic Geek Book Club discussion of Armada, and our latest game: Battle Royale.  You can start listening to this amazing, ferocious episode right now or jump after the break to find out more!

The Reason Jenny Does Our Cosplay Articles Instead of Watson

When Jenny does her wonderful cosplay feature every day, we get amazing images like the one above.  What would get if Watson took over the column?  Click to find out…