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GEEK OUT! JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE DARKSEID WAR – SUPERMAN #1 & FLASH #1

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Well you know when it comes to big superhero comics crossover, it’s easy to be cynical & look at them as nothing more than cash-grabs i.e. a gimmick to lure completist fans to buy every comic ‘associated’ with the main event storyline.

Well, strictly speaking, the issues focusing on Batman, Superman and the Flash do not occur within the current continuity of the regular titles so, one might argue that these one-shots do not qualify as cynical cash-grabs but a genuine attempt to explore the implications of Darkseid’s death.

Maybe.

Continue reading “GEEK OUT! JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE DARKSEID WAR – SUPERMAN #1 & FLASH #1”

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GEEK OUT! SUPERHERO TV IN THE GROOVE

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Supergirl is the latest superhero TV series and joined the likes of The Flash (2nd Season), Arrow (4th) & Agents of SHIELD (3rd) in an ever-increasing costumed tights buffet. I don’t count Gotham as a superhero TV series as it is just a (boring) police procedural set in the Batman universe & worse still, a prequel (I hate prequels).

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Ironically, despite the fact that the pilot was leaked online months ago, Supergirl’s premiere episode did very well out of the blocks. Presumably, the female lead and Superman associations put the new series in good stead. Apparently this series is based on the Christopher Reeve Superman continuity and thus adopts a more light-hearted tone. And thus has nothing to do with current DC comics continuity (which is messed up) or the DC movie universe as established by Man of Steel (very very dark) – which makes sense.

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However, because of this, there is less Geek Out value to Supergirl compared to the other series above-mentioned & will probably appeal more to the Gotham crowd than hardcore comic book geeks. The Flash and Arrow still have an edge over Agents of SHIELD, due to the CW writers and producers being more faithful to the source material than even Marvel itself, surprisingly.

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Oliver Queen’s running for Mayor of Star City (Arrow) and the appearance of King Shark (!!!) in The Flash (not to mention the new Firestorm) in the latest episodes gives us geeks exactly what we want in a superhero TV series – nods to original material, over the top heroics & of course, ridiculous villains! Awesome fun!

Watch now!

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GEEK OUT! FLASH OF TWO WORLDS

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Well, it may have taken 54 years but better late than never! Finally, the concept of the DC multiverse first mooted in The Flash #123 (1961) makes its way into mainstream pop culture.

The second episode of CW’s The Flash Season 2 sets up this premise as the core storyline for the series with the introduction of Jay Garrick (the Flash of Earth-2). Kudos to the writers and producers of the show for diving boldly into this challenging scifi-superhero concept. That last bit teasing the Earth-2 Harrison Wells was brilliant as well – could Wells be Zoom? Can’t wait to see how The Flash develops this in the episodes to come!

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GEEK OUT! OLD FRIENDS & NEW ACQUAINTANCES

This week brought along the return of The Flash and the third episodes of Limitless and Agents of SHIELD (Season 3).

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Bit of a curveball as we started Season 2 of The Flash with the disappearance of Ronnie Raymond (yeah, we know he isn’t dead – Firestorm is part of DC: Legends of Tomorrow) and Barry Allen isolating himself from his loved ones in the six months following. Well, along comes the really lame super-villain Atom Smasher, whose only purpose is to introduce the villain of the season (Zoom) and the family all coming together as one. If you are wondering, Jay Garrett (the ‘Golden Age Flash’) appears at the end. But slow moving – c’mon this is The Flash – but next episode promises more…

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Agents of SHIELD is finally a fully-fledged superhero TV show with Daisy (formerly Skye) demonstrating her Inhuman powers. However, the team is fragmented with May hiding out with her father & Simmons on some desolated planet. But not for too long as Ward reforms HYDRA and the Agents get together again to face the emerging threat.

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Was rather skeptical about this TV adaptation of the Limitless movie but this episode demonstrated that the over-arching story concerning the plans that Senator Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) has for our protaganist Brian, has legs and the introduction of the diabolical Mr Sands (Colin Salmon, Walter Steele from Arrow) into Brian’s life is a masterstroke. Looking forward to see how the show develops this. Oh and Jennifer Carpenter is a pure gem as always!

… still there’s more … 

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GEEK OUT! DC LEGENDS OF TOMORROW HERO EVOLUTION TRAILER

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CW is on a roll with its superhero TV series and the new trailer for new series DC Legends of Tomorrow tries to ensure that you do not forget this fact!

So… we are ‘treated’ to a recap of the origins of Arrow and The Flash – for the newbies probably – before being introduced to the Legends team one more time.

Rather inconsequential all told but keeping expectations in holding mode till 2016.

See what you think.

… still there’s more … 

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GEEK OUT! PERFECT FLASH FINALE COMPLETES THE BEST EVER SUPERHERO TV SERIES SO FAR

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The last two years have been amazing for superhero comic book geeks. In the wake of the mega-success of The Avengers, superheroes have gone from strength to strength with Arrow and Agents of SHIELD setting the pace for superhero TV as well. But it is with The Flash, that geeks can truly see the potential of TV series that are faithful to the core values of the original comic book. From the very beginning, the folks behind The Flash have been committed to the tone of DC Comics’ Silver Age – superheroes created by science, tongue-in-cheek reference points without sacrificing the crucial human element – by getting the casting right (Grant Gustin must be the find of the season!), ensuring quality writing on the episodes and giving something back to the diehard geeks on a consistent basis (Mark Hamill saying the line “I am your father” for one!).

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Could the much anticipated finale live up to the hype? Yes it could and how! The pacing of the finale kept keen watchers on tenterhooks for most of the duration as Barry Allen tried to resolve the conundrum – should he change the past and lose his present? The emotional resonance was kept to a reasonable degree but that didn’t stop me from crying buckets at different points. Along the way, the writers also offered glimpses of things to come in Season 2, even as The Flash made his critical decision to pursue justice instead of mere sentimentality. Still that did not prepare me for the shock twist at the end! A brilliantly conceived denouement that brought about a catastrophe that left Season 1 on a cliffhanger.

And so, we are left hanging and looking forward to DC’s Legends of Tomorrow before The Flash Season 2 speeds into our lives! Can’t hardly wait!