Cape and cowls week 3 2016 (Spoilers ahead…)

So with the back half of the DC TV imperium kicking off and welcoming the new kid to the sandbox we are dropped right in to the action.

Supergirl: The show opens up with old man Schott approving his own early release by the way of a Yo-yo. As fun as that might sound this introduction to the character of Toyman is downright creepy, as it should be when you are dealing with a murderous inventor with a stone to grind and no real regard for human life. Now some of you might say… Schott... That sounds a tiny bit familiar. Turns out this is the estranged father doing time to Winn Schott Jr Catco´s resident it support and all around tech wizard. So the episode mostly deals with Winn having to confront his own fears about becoming like his father and his feelings for Kara. It goes about as good as one can expect. But Toyman gets tucked away and while Winn finally admits how he feels to Kara it only serves to further complicate their relationship. In the other main plotline we see D.E.O (they smell so nice…) chief Hank break in to Lord Industries in order to find out what he is hiding there. Turns out it is a sort of comatose girl that looks very much like Kara. Now it has pretty much been confirmed who this is, and it is a take on the classic Superman villain Bizzaro. I did at first think they were going to do the Powergirl character but that might be saved for later seasons. So for those who do not know who that little rascal Bizzaro is… The character is usually a zombie-esq mirror image of superman that sometimes hails from a universe where everything is opposite. So love is hate and happy is sad… Other times it is a scientific experiment, more in line with the story I assume they will go with here. Any way it will in essence replace the kryptonians as the “strong enough to pose a threat” for a while. The episode ends on a real cliffhanger as we see Max Lord spying on Kara and Alex by way of a bug he planted on Alex bag while she was out on the town with him (as a distraction to get him to leave Lord industries) and I can´t but help that the writers got a tiiiiny bit lazy here. After all I find it hard to believe that a trained agent of D.E.O would not go through her clothes and other things to check for this sort of stuff. But as it stands he now know… well… Everything (or as much as the plot needs him to know). This series is picking up steam and sort of finding its stride. It has more work to do but all in all it is turning out for the better. Going to be very interesting to see the direction they take this half of the season.

The Flash: In this episode we find out if slow and steady really do win the race as we meet the Turtle. A man so slow he cannot be caught. Beyond that this is a very classic “everything is falling apart” episode with several shifts in relationships. But the main plot revolves around a metahuman who can, for a lack of a better word drain the kinetic energy from his surroundings. In essence slowing everything down. It turns out that Cisco have been on the case of this guy and several other metahumans unbeknown to Barry. Now in order to stop him Barry have to overpower the slow-power of the Turtle, this tying in to him further developing his powers in order to be able to beat Zoom. Beyond this we had a literal smorgasbord of emotional fuckups. Jay is dying from plot… Wells is slowly going insane, Patty is leaving town to pursue an education as a CSI (the fact that she was kidnapped did not exactly help either.) Joe and Wally have a breakdown and a sort of understanding and Barry... Well… He just keep on being Barry.

To add some extra WTF to this episode we see Eobard Thawn aka Dr Zoom/Reverse flash pop up again… So all in all this episode was a lot of setup and very little payoff. But the series itself keep doing much right and very little wrong.

Arrow: Dark dark dark angry angry angst and some amazingly poor decisions making… That pretty much sums up this episode. We see Anarchy popping up again and in what can only be described as an astonishingly shortsighted move goes for the throat of Damien Darkh by taking on his family, or what the girl and the woman he has been seen with are. Oliver on the other hand is dealing with Felicity being shot and paralyzed. He does this with the grace and deft touch of a wrecking ball... As usual. So after murderifying a few of Damiens ghost soldiers and both setting Anarchy on the loose and then promptly losing track of him it is up to team Arrow to one again pull his arse out of the fire. Fortunately the rest of the team is on the ball and team Arrow can manages to stop Anarchy from killing Darkhs family and not get killed by an enraged Dark in the process. Again this episode was a lot of setup for things to come. Arrow as a series has this problem with Oliver being about as stubborn and boneheaded as mule, now this is very true to his character in the comics, as a very dear friend pointed out “he is no Batman”. But the constant shifting from one extreme to another does get a bit annoying at times. Now we have a lot of interesting things coming up and I still enjoy the series but I I am not all that sure they will be able to keep the steam up for the entire season.

Legends of Tomorrow: The new kids on the block can be summed up as follows. Time jumping arsehat steals time machine and then lie his arse off to gather a team of historically insignificant persons under the pretenses that they are destined to become legends. All this to save his family. Hilarity ensues… Actually it is far from that bad. I do like that the setup we had shown to us just was a rouse and that Hunter is in fact about as damaged as the rest of the team. Anyway… Timetraveler Rip Hunter gathers the Atom, Firestorm, former black now White Canary, the Hawks and the oh so shippable pair of Heatwave and Captain Cold. The goal is to go back in time and take out Vandal Savage. (yeah… his back… Not really like he was going to stay dead now anyway.) In essence we have a Taskforce X in time and space. The team go back to the 70´s to talk to the only Vandal Savage expert in the world. Turns out he is a child of the Hawks from an earlier life. We then get a very effective demonstration of “thou shalt not try to fuck with time for your own personal gain” and poor dr Boardman dies and the team is forced to flee as a time jumping bounty hunter almost take them out. This is part 1 of a two part “pilot”.

Now while this show is about as surprising as vanilla ice cream. The writing for especially Heatwave and Captain Cold is really funny and both actors do a stellar job delivering what is in short comedy gold. They end up carrying a lot of the show in this episode. Now that is not to say the rest of the characters are not well written. In fact this series does not really seem to take it self all that seriously, in a good way. For an example we have the scene were dr Stein is trying to convince Jax that they both need to go. Jax refuse and dr Stein simply choose to drug and kidnap him. This will not be a series of boy scouts and honor students.

So with the end of these seasons on the move things are looking bright but not entirely unproblematic. We will see were we land by the end of it. But I am sure it will be an entertaining ride to that point. 

Taking the Suicide squad to the task.

So in this day and age news move with a speed that would have the Flash lagging behind. Since I do not run a daily blog it sometimes feel like I am the last on the puck so to speak. That is why most of my postings are fluff or opinions. But it also leaves me somewhat frustrated once in a while.

Today I am going to talk about a pair of news items that are not really new anymore.

First up we have the casting of the next movie in the DC cinematic universe that started with Man of steel and will be followed by the Batman/Superman movie. Coming up is the movie based on Taskforce X, better known as the suicide squad. If you have kept tabs on CW´s Arrow you will be familiar with some of the name. It is the clandestine government black-ops unit that use convicts with special skills to do that what ordinary forces cannot.

In most incarnations of the task force the people who “volunteer” is told that each mission take some time of the sentence (and seeing as a lot of them serve several life sentences… ) but they are also fitted with a micro explosive attached to their spine at the base of the neck. Should one of the operatives get out of line… tick, tick, boom. The Suicide squad is usually a good way in the comics to retire minor or less popular villains should the need arise. Mortality rates are very high, hence the nickname. But you usually find some high profile names rotating in and out of the squad such as Deadshot and Harley Quinn. So who are in the squad this time around.?

Let us kick it of at the top with

Amanda Waller: It is unclear exactly what role Waller will play (or who will play her) but she is the typical tough as nails director. The kind that would stare the Joker in to submission and call Batman a pansy richboy.  There are in essence two versions of her. The classic and in my mind best version is a middle-aged heavyset woman. Built like a brick in a suite she is both a harsh taskmaster but also one to have a motherly side to the nutcases she “care” for. The other is a “vitalized” version of her, 30-ish and a much more fit and active player who are not afraid to get hands on when the situation need it. This version is seen in the Arrow show and DC´s new 52 universe reboot. Rumors have it that WB is looking for a slightly older woman to play the role but nothing is confirmed as of yet. But there cannot be a Taskforce X without Amanda Waller.

The Joker (played by Jared Leto): The clownprince of crime should not need much of a introduction and is this films odd man out seeing as he is not a Taskforce X regular due to being… Well.. Fucking nuts … More so then most other psychopaths in TF:X. What role he will have in the movie… I´d guess he will be “the brain” and make the plans, seeing as he is a brilliant strategist and highly intelligent. As for Jared Leto, I had not seen him in much I could remember so I had to turn to google and I have to say he has the looks for a younger more energetic Joker. Perhaps along the lines of Bruce TImms Joker from Batman TAS and Justice League TAS(voiced brilliantly by Mark Hamill). I am very intrigued to see how he will tackle the role.

Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie): The Jokers constant shadow/lover/partner/enemy who originated in the Batmna Animated series by Bruce Timm.  Harley Quinnsel was an Arkham Asylum psychiatrist who tried to do a Clarice Starling but was played and pushed over the edge by the manipulative and charismatic Joker. Once she snapped she fully embraced the insanity. At first glance Harley Quinn look like nothing more than eye candy for the Joker, but is a competent psychiatrist and well versed in psychoanalysis. She is also a fairly competent fighter. The actor playing her is Margot Robbie and just like the Joker this girl as a blank for me. But having seen her in a few YouTube clips I think she can nail the seductive and dominant but also bat shit crazy Harley Quinn. Perhaps not my top pick but I think it will work out well.

Boomerang (played by Jai Courtney(: Better known as Captain Boomerang this Flash villain and all-round unpleasant fellow is an assassin for hire that uses different trick-boomerangs… Yes… He is also Australian… Who would have thought?  He is also a reoccurring TF:X member even if his main association is the villain group “ the rogues” from the Flash comics and the CW TV series. A fairly competent fighter with a good eye for angles and thinking three steps ahead. In the comics there have been two or three different villains carrying the name of Boomerang and it is a bit unclear what version this will be based on. He is going to be played by Jai Courtney and form what I have seen from him he will be a good fit in the looks department and while Boomerang tends to be the somewhat surly and even a bit whiney in the comics I have no doubt that Jai can pull that off if they go that way. I personally hope they make him a bit more towards the angry and suspicious side of things.

Deadshot (Played by Will Smith): Probably the biggest casting WTF for me. Deadshot is a TF:X mainstay that have been in most of the versions I have come across. The world’s deadliest assassin and rumored to never miss a target (unless it is wearing bright spandex and has its own comic book title) Deadshot is a broken man, suicidal and homicidal he is often portrayed as having very little care for the life of others, this goes double for his team. But he live by a strict code of conduct that stipulates that every job should be completed. He is usually portrayed as a fairly smart and competent leader. A above average strategist and a master of ballistic weapons…. All of them… But especially a pair of wrist mounted guns linked to a HUD. He is played by Will Smith, whom I have a hard time seeing as the gruff and downright unlikeable Deadshot. He did show a little bit of that in among other Hancock… I have my doubts about this but he is at least a seasoned actor. Perhaps a bit to seasoned as I fear they will tweak the character to fit Will rather than the other way around.

Rick Flagg (played by Tom Hardy): A fairly unknown name outside of comic’s geeks. Flagg is the no nonsense leader of Taskforce X and Amanda’s representative once the team leaves the “nest” so to speak. A fanatical patriot Flagg is the sort of man that think that the ends always justifies the means.  He does not have much personality or motivation beyond that most of the time. He will be played by Tom Hardy who we last time saw as Bane in the third Nolan Batman movie… .. . The less we say about that one the better. While I hated the take on Bane he did I have no problem seeing him playing a stern and no bullshit military man that put his mission before his “men”.

Enchantress (played by Cara Delevigne): The only person with real superpowers in this lineup as she is a spell-caster and wilder of magic. I know very little about this character beyond that she have at times flip-flop between hero and villain due to her magic corrupting her from time to time. No clue if they will stick with the magic angle or explain it some other way. The same goes for the actor playing her. A utter unknown but she at least has the look.

There is also a rumor that Lex Luthor will be involved and played by Jesse Eisenberg. I think that will be good.

Now this lineup to me sounds pretty solid apart from two things, both tied to the same problem. Both the character of the Joker and Will Smith as an actor feel a lot to me like “poster names” to pull in the “normal” person on the street who will be unfamiliar with who both the characters and the actors are. But I hope I am wrong and that they both fill a purpose beyond the obvious name recognition.

Now I am not dissing this movie and I was one of the people who did not outright hate Man of Steel, I think it was an interesting take on the mythos that had some small but important flaws… And the solution to Zod was not one of them. But the thing is that DC have not had a good solid run with their movies and the choice to split the movie and TV universe is understandable but sad as this is one of the things I really like with Marvel´s cinematic universe, it is all connected more or less. Dc not doing this is something I think will come back and bite them in the arse later. Also beyond the stuff that CW is doing their live action TV stuff have been less than a smash hit for me. Time will tell I guess but no matter what there has never been a time like now to be a comic´s geek.

So leaving that I just like to give my reaction to the rumour that Occulus acquired hand reading sensor tech in development.

My reactions is… .. . SQUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII….

More on this as it develops. Literally =P

That was that... Cheers =)

So much to see, so little time.

Way to much TV....

I was at first intending to cover the super-hero/comics related TV shows coming out this fall/winter but to be honest there are simply too many. I do unfortunately not master in super-hero TV adaptations. But that will not stop me from bringing the subject up every now and then. It is of course a very pleasant problem to have but at the same time my inner content junkie feels like it would be good to get it out there. I did bring up Gotham and I will give a similar once over on Constantine and Flash.

Beyond them we do have the return of Agents of SHIELD and Arrow. Arrow is setting up for ehat I think to be the best season ever but that is mostly due to the inclusion of Ra's al Ghul. Primarily a Batman villain he is a master assassin and would be conqueror that aims to rid the world form sin, one head at a time. He is also immortal thanks to something called the Lazarus pit, a mysterious well that grants the person who steps in to it rejuvenation and healing. To the modern audience he is mostly known for having been played by Liam Neeson in the Nolan-verse Batman movies. His combination of sharp wits and extreme combat proves will make for a very interesting adversary to Oliver.

While Arrow in my mind will start with a solid gold platter, AoS have a tough fight ahead of them. The series was slow as come heck at the start and it was not until the tail end of the season that things really kicked off. Now this was of course natural seeing as it tied to closely in to Captain America 2 but that does not excuse the pacing and at times ham-fisted plot. So with the very good season finish and a very interesting setup for this one AoS will still have to work hard to regain the interest of the TV audience. Especially with DC´s strong lineup and a truckload of good non-superhero shows starting or continuing.

Elsewise things are slow right now. I am trying to get on phase with the DC and Marvel comics universes but it is going slow and with marvel in essence having reduced their heroes to a long string of events catching up is even worse. With DC I simply decided to pick up week one of NEW52 and work forward so it is a tad bit better. But I am simply not gripped by them as I used to be. Perhaps it is my degrading mind slowly consumed by age or they are just not as good as I remember… But then again when I was young I really liked Knight Rider… .. . So I am not sure how much value that opinion holds. Also my master thesis is eating up a lot of time that used to be spent on stuff like this. But while my geek-cred is weakening I am not really worried yet and while my free time shrinks I still intend to keep this blog up and I am looking in to being able to do VLogs and similar media content. This mostly as a safety valve to give myself a way to be creative that does not interfere with my studies.  My first entry in to that will most likely be next LootCrate unboxing… Yeah... unlike the other 5000 people doing it but it is a good place to work out the wrinkles and give me a chance to try some other funny stuff.

So that was pretty much my thoughts about that, sorry but nothing more interesting today. I will miss out on this week´s Dr Who episode review but I will do some restructuring with those, chif difference will be that they will not be delayed by a week but rather be a review of the current episode. So.. More spoiler warnings I guess. So look for a bunch of Dr Who realted stuff early next week.

Also i´d like to put a small puff for my friend and fellow blog producer Anton over at http://antontycker.blogspot.se/ who is dipping his toes in to writing in English and I really think you should stop by and give him some encouragement and he will give you some gaming insights and general nerd stuff