Superhero movies are driving people to pick up comics again, some for the first time since childhood, others for the first time ever! Tons of fans look to the source material in order to prepare for an upcoming flick, but with decades worth of content, where is the best starting place? No worries; we got you covered. Here is the essential reading for Logan!
Donald Pierce’s Reavers look to be the main antagonists in Logan, and – unless you’re a hardcore X-Fan – there’s a good chance you have no idea what that means. Simply put, the Reavers are a group of cyborgs hell-bent on destroying the X-Men.
There have been several iterations of the Reavers, but Donald Pierce’s team first saw life around the time of Uncanny X-Men #247. This story arc probably won’t have anything to do with what Logan is about, but if you’re just looking for a primer on the villains, look no further.
This series will be a brief, semi-comedic review of the CW superhero shows. You can check out last week’s review post here, or see the tally of winners below. The only shows discussed will be ‘Arrow’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Supergirl’. There WILL be some spoilers discussed, so only look at the reviews you’re up to date on!
Supergirl, “The Martian Chronicles” (Feb 6)
“Okay, watch out for the hoodwink or this Martian will make us think we’re looking at Aquaman”
Supergirl spun the somewhat silly story from last week into something more exciting. While the M’gann brain-death story felt odd, it was a good transition into “The Martian Chronicles.” The Kara/Alex conflict has been done a lot, but was contextualized well by Kara’s Bat Mitzvah. It’s a bummer to see Ms Martian go, but for the purposes of her storyline, it makes sense.Winn’s motivations are all over the place, and M’gann being married seems like an easy twist. But how can you hate an episode with Barenaked Ladies references?
SCORE: 7.5/10 Lab Campfires
The Flash, “Untouchable” (Feb 7)
“You know that torture scene in Snowpiercer? Can you do that to my girlfriend?”
This episode is, for better or worse, return to form for the CW Speedster. Not that it returned to overall quality, but returned to basic structure and storytelling. Lying to Joe about Iris’ death feels pointless, considering how many secrets they’ve all shared. With everything that’s happened, especially with the bleak future, rehashing Flashpoint feels unexciting. But none of the rehash is all that problematic. What TRULY annoys me is what the show has done, ONCE AGAIN, with Caitlin Snow.
CAITLIN SNOW RANT COMMENCING:
Why would you pair up Caitlin and Julian? It’s the exact thing you did with Jay Garrick last season! Caitlin has been a female scientist with dead boyfriends for most of her existence. This season saw her evolve beyond that, and you throw her back into it? Because let’s be honest, there’s no way Julian survives until Season 4. In fact, now it seems clear how Cisco’s vision of fighting Killer Frost will come to pass. Savitar will come back, and turn Julian back into Alchemy. Flash will have to kill Alchemy, making Caitlin so mad she becomes Killer Frost. But her character will regress to what she’s been in the past, and that is severely disappointing.
SCORE: 6/10 Ice Casts
Arrow, “Bratva” (Feb 8)
“You wanna rehash how I got these scars?”
It’s about time that Arrow fully tied up Oliver’s Bratva past. This episode provided a fitting ending to Oliver’s ties to the Russian mafia. “Bratva” also provided a great way to put the focus on the main three characters again. It also brings back how Oliver’s current girlfriend MIGHT be blackmailing him soon? Her exact motivations have gotten confusing as of late. Additionally, Felicity becoming an evil hacker again isn’t super interesting, just because it still seems motivated only by her fangirl. If she’s really gonna become CW’s Mrs. Robot, there should be a better reason. Ragman leaving is somewhat of a bummer, as he was a cool character. But especially now that a new Black Canary is emerging, the team could use some whittling down.
SCORE: 7.5/10 Sister Cities
WEEKLY WIN TALLY:
Arrow: 5 Weeks
Supergirl: 3.5 Weeks
The Flash: 3.5 Week
What show did you think won the week? Does Legends of Tomorrow take your vote? Do you think A.o.S. or Gotham outshines all the CW shows? Let us know in the comments below!
I’ve reviewed three other brews from Great Lakes Brewery, so I won’t say much about the Etobicoke brewery here. If you want to read more about the brewery, checkmyprevious GLB reviews for some information. Although Great Lakes Brewery has won several awards, both for its brews and the brewery itself, the beer I’m reviewing today, their Pompous Ass English Pale Ale, has been ignored at both the provincial and national craft beer award level.
As its name suggests, this beer is in the style of an English pale ale. I’ll be enjoying mine cold, but this is a beer you may want to enjoy warm in order to get the full English ale experience. Now, tell your butler to get your pint glass ready: “It’s time for the tasting, Jeeves.”
Great Lakes Brewery: Pompous Ass English Pale Ale – First Sip
Pompous Ass English Ale pours a cloudy amber colour with a thin layer of foam that sticks around at the top of my glass. I smell citrus mixed with a tea-like acridness as I take my first sip. This beer has a well-balanced sweet to bitter ratio that favours bitterness on the finish. With its low carbonation level, just enough to keep it bubbly, Pompous Ass offers a very smooth mouthfeel, creating a base for its balanced flavour.
Great Lakes Brewery: Pompous Ass English Pale Ale – Last Sip
This brew has a lot of flavour, so keep it away from your lager-only friends. Unlike other beers that have this much flavour, Pompous Ass has a surprisingly low 4.2% ABV rating. This is a light beer in disguise.
I left the final third of my beer to go warm. I found that its predominantly bitter flavour became slightly more pronounced. Aside from that, the flavour didn’t change much. Best to drink this beer from a glass so that you can fully appreciate its aroma and flavour.
Marvel Entertainment has released a brand new 30-second TV spot from the highly anticipated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Watch it below.
Though the spot is considered new, it’s essentially a condensed version of the trailer we got a couple months back. That said, however, it’s still a fantatic piece of marketing for those who haven’t got a chance to check out the full trailer.
What are your thoughts on the TV spot? Are you looking forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2? Comment below!
“Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.”
Guardians Vol. 2 stars Chriss Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket Raccoon, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Kurt Russel as Ego The Living Planet, Karen Gillian as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, and Sylvester Stallone in a currently unknown role. The film is directed by James Gunn.
No one is closer to Caitlin Snow than Cisco Valdez.
The Flash
Carlos Valdés had a chance to sit down with EW for ‘Spoiler Room’, revealing tidbits about his Team-Flash mate.
“Caitlin has some secrets of her own that are going to come to light and are going to change not just the dynamic of the team, but also her own feelings about her dynamic within the team,” Valdes shared. “It all comes to a head.”
This season, Caitlin (played by the amazing Danielle Panabaker) has done nothing but try to contain her Killer Frost tendencies.
Thanks to Flashpoint (Way to go Barry) Caitlin has an earth two version of herself that has a chilly side. Killer Frost, the cold hearted killer lost all of her humanity, thanks to the new timeline.
We have seen her powers start to take over, which lead her to her unsympathetic mother. She now uses the cuffs for constraint, but how long can that last?
Thanks for my source, here is the synopsis for this week!
When Jesse Quick (guest star Violett Beane) informs the team that her father (Tom Cavanagh) has been abducted, Barry (Grant Gustin), Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker), Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Julian (Tom Felton) voyage to Earth-2 on a rescue mission to save Harry from Gorilla City. As they trek through the forest, Barry and the team are immediately captured and brought to Grodd (voiced by David Sobolov).
Grodd tells them he needs their help to stop Solovar (voiced by Keith David), the leader of Gorilla City, as Solovar wants to invade Earth-1. Meanwhile, back on Earth-1, Jesse and Kid Flash (Keiynan Lonsdale) hit the streets to stop a metahuman that can control gravity, with H.R. and Joe (Jesse L. Martin) guiding them from S.T.A.R. Labs.
‘The Flash’ airs Tuesday nights at 8/7c on the CW.
The official Power Rangers Movie Facebook page has released the international poster from the upcoming film.
Although the marketing started with a bleak tone, it has since lightened up and gotten many people’s attention.
“Saban’s Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.”
What are your thoughts on the poster? Are you looking forward to Power Rangers? Comment below!
Felicity Smoak is in a bad place. Will Oliver come to her rescue?
This season has been a struggle for Felicity. She lost her love, Detective Billy Malone (Tyler Ritter), and has understandably been pushed and shoved into every direction. She is bending her moral compass, most noteworthy Oliver has absolutely no idea.
Stephen Amell, ‘Arrow’ himself sat down with EW and gave a few words on what he feels is going on. According to my source;
“He knows that she’s into something, and he knows that she doesn’t want to tell him about it, so he’s dealing with that in his own way,” Stephen Amell told EW. “For Felicity, it’s not something that she and Oliver discuss until they have what is actually an adult conversation about it in [a future episode].”
Must be hard for Felicity to be around so many attractive men that care for her..Here’s looking at you Curtis.
Understanding her actions are hard at this point, though. The flash drive from Kojo Sledgehammer, using it to free Diggle, started the questionable behavior for Ms. Smoak. She has only gotten into deeper and darker things. Including lying to Rory and Curtis, having them dress-up as Bratva enforcers, and blackmailing like it was her job.
Are we gonna get the normal bad ass chick back, or is she going to take a permanent turn to the dark side?
This weeks episode:
WILD DOG’S HISTORY IS REVEALED — A traumatic attack on City Hall triggers painful memories for Rene (Rick Gonzalez) about his family. Flashbacks reveal how Rene went from simple family man to a hero named Wild Dog.
Meanwhile, Oliver (Stephen Amell) must deal with the perpetrator behind the attack and realizes the best way to do so is as Mayor Queen instead of the Green Arrow. Tensions run high in the Arrow bunker.
A new promo for Marvel’s upcoming Iron Fist has been released via We Got This Covered on Youtube. Watch it below.
The promo offers a glimpse into who the character of Danny Rand really is. “The Last Defender” will surely light up the big screen to the same level as his partners Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.
Plot synopsis:“Fifteen years after being presumed dead in a plane crash, Danny Rand mysteriously returns to New York City determined to reclaim his birthright and family company. However, when a long-destined enemy rises in New York, this living weapon is forced to choose between his family’s legacy and his duties as the Iron Fist.”
Iron Fist stars Finn Jones as the title character, Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple, Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing, David Wenham as Harold Meachum, Jessica Stroup as Joy Meachum, Tom Pelphrey as Ward Meachum and Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri Hogarth.
The show’s full first season hits Netflix on Friday, March 17.
In Rotation, a listicle for music lovers, and seekers of new and different things to listen to. So, if you’re looking for new music, something different, or maybe music to suit your mood this week, here is the place to get a diverse offering each week.
In Rotation this week, we have a Horror Rock/Punk/Metal/Prog. Rock operatic group, a Japanese shamisen/Surf Rock/’50s-’60s Rock Instrumental artist, an Indie Rock/Grunge group, a Psychobilly/Horrorbilly band, a popular ’80s/Rock N’ Roll/ Rock N’ Roll Revival group among soundtracks of the decade, a Horror Surf Rock/’50s-’60s Rock Instrumental group, an Experimental/Grunge/Indie Rock/Jazz band, and lastly, a Japanese Jazz artist.
You’re in for one mixed bag of treats, so get the insulin ready, and lets dig in!
1)
Artist: Schoolyard Heroes Album: Abominations
Horror rock music is nothing new, but a band that has occasionally been called the female lead version of My Chemical Romance proves to be something different entirely. Schoolyard Heroes started off in a mixed genre style, lyrically and instrumentally, but on this final album, they truly came into their own. Between the uber talented, operatic Ryann Donnelly that ranges from vibratos, screaming, and screeching, Steve Bonnell’s punk/Metal/Prog. Rock playing, and Jonah Bergman’s screaming coalesce into the unique sound that, sadly, only once was the band Schoolyard Heroes.
This album really shines as a Horror Rock Opera, but their past albums had more Hardcore, Riot Girl, and even some Fusion elements. Their whole catalog is recommended, but this one is this writer’s favorite. Take it for a spin.
To those who think of Surf Rock/’50s-’60s Rock Instrumental, and even if they have managed to overstep the narrow-minded view that The Beach Boys are emblematic of the genre, they still would never see Takeshi Kerauchi coming a mile away.
All the usual elements are in the mix within his music, but it is the Shamisen guitar playing and other traditional Japanese influences that really make this artist and his band much more than your average Surf Rock/’50s-’60s Rock Instrumental group. If you like, love, or even have a passing fancy about Surf Rock/’50s-’60s Rock Instrumental, you must listen to this album.
3)
Artist: Neutral Milk Hotel
Album: On Avery Island
Neutral Milk Hotel, a band that exists in obscurity at this point, other than to be covered and/or mentioned by the more popular band Brand New, kicks things off with On Avery Island. Whereas Grunge does not always bring you on an emotional ride like Emotive music does, Neutral Milk Hotel does with both musical genre styles. Distorted Acoustic guitars, trumpets, and shakers all add to this strong debut that too few people have heard. Look it up. Listen to it. Listen to it now.
4)
Artist: Koffin Kats Album: Self-Titled
Psychobilly has become a catch-all genre identity these days, and very few new things have come out that do not sound like their predecessors. Koffin Kats’ debut self-titled album is an eight track kick-off with horrifying lyrics and that Rockabilly, leather-clad, motorcycle driving attitude that gets a Punk Rock enhancement, and is pure bliss for anyone that loves anything in the -Billy suffix genre. Spin it immediately.
5)
Artist: Huey Lewis and the News Album: Greatest Hits
Huey Lewis & The News were never an acquired taste, but if VH1 is to be believed, they are now. Succinctly put, you can describe them as ” Rock N’ Roll,” but there is there is something “revival” about them that some Rockabilly Revival groups carried with them in their genre, and ultimately pulled them out of their overarching genre classification.
They owe their enduring R n’ R charm to films such as Back to the Future and American Psycho, due to the front and center exploitation of the band and their popular tunes. This album is a great starter and encompasses their best songs. This is likely why it is called their “Greatest Hits” album. Ignore VH1, give it a spin!
6)
Artist: The Terrorsaurs Album: Zillasaur
The Terrosaurs’ music is certainly in keeping with the traditional Surf Rock/’50s-’60s Rock Instrumental sound, but it deviates into the Metal and Horror realm often enough to give the band their own twist on the classic genre. They even managed to throw in the trumpet that is so often in a lot of early ’60s Rock music.
If you are a long time listener of Surf Rock and love anything Horror, then this album should already be playing in your CD Player, Record player, or digital music medium of choice. So, go forth and listen-eth.
7)
Artist: Menomena Album: I am the fun blame monster!
Menomena is an obscure, hard to genre identify or categorize band from the Pacific Northwest. Experimental/Grunge/Indie Rock/Jazz/Piano Rock all can, to some extent, explain this bizarre spin into the unknown. Menomena is actually on the same label as Say Hi, another band mentioned in this column in the past, and also Death Cab For Cutie. The Pacific Northwest appears to be home to some interesting music.
I am the Fun Blame Monster is a unique, eclectic entry into In Rotation, but it deserves to be listened to. At least once. So go listen to it. This writer can promise you that, at the very least, it is not boring.
8)
Artist: Ryo Fukui Album: Mellow Dream
If you did not know that Japanese artists played Surf Rock, then you might also not know that there are also Jazz musicians on the other side of the pond… that isn’t England. Some of Ryo Fukui is somewhat common, stereotypical, smooth Jazz music, but this particular album kicks it up a notch, and has the most going for it.
Well, of the two albums in his repertoire that this writer has listened to. Jazz fans should take it for a spin, but also those looking for something new should as well.
This concludes this week’s In Rotation music listing, and come back next week for another eclectic helping of the new, the old, and the weird in music.
[Images Courtesy Of The Respective Bands In This List]
After the devastating events of season 3, fans were left speculating about the fate of team RWBY. The team had broken up. Ruby decided to set out with what remained of team JNPR, Weiss returned home, Blake couldn’t face anyone, and Yang was left crippled after a battle with White Fang member Adam Taurus. The group was at a low point and it would take a lot to help them to rebuild themselves, Does this season help them to come back together?
No, not really. Instead, the entire season seems more focused on building the world around them more than it does on evolving the the main characters. There is development in these characters and they do change and grow. Still, this seems to take a back seat in order to expand the world and other events happening in the world of Remnant.
Story
As stated previously, the team is divided and are on their own missions. Ruby wants to make it to Mistral, hoping to find a way to warn against those who manipulated the conspiracy which brought down Beacon Academy. Her view hopes to showcase the damage the creatures of Grimm inflict on remote villages who didn’t have strong hunters to protect the residents. She also eventually runs into her uncle Qrow and the history of the Maidens is finally explained to them. Otherwise, not much actual growth other than Ruby simply being Ruby.
Fearing for her safety, Weiss’ family insists she returns home. There she serves more to help illustrate the ignorance of the the rich and powerful of Atlas. She fought at The Fall of Beacon and knows the pain and suffering everyone went through. She’s noticeable angry others don’t understand or even seem to care about the plight of others. This of course leads to a rift between her and her family. This doesn’t really come as a surprise though. Her father cut her off from the family fortune in the previous season and doesn’t little to give her a warm welcome back home. Its empowering to see the choices she makes in reaction to the ignorance of others but it was fairly obvious this was the course she would take.
Blake, overridden by guilt from Yang getting mortally injured protecting her returns home to the island nation of Menagerie. There she meets her mother and father as Sun Wukong tags along. Though there is a bit of character insight with watching her reconnect with her family and apologize for leaving, the main function of her story line is to focus on the White Fang and how they are viewed in the Faunus community. Again, she’s less a character and more serving as a way to explore the world.
The only character who truly gets the proper attention to character development from the main four is Yang. Given where she was left after the events of the third season she didn’t really have many options except making her story about growing. Left traumatized after the battle with Taurus, she spends the season growing stronger as a character and finding a new path. It is interesting to watch recover from such an intense battle but it took most of the season for her to recover her former skills.
Art
The entire production seemed to have gotten an upgrade this season. Whether it is from different creation software or simply taking more time to improve details, the proof is in the pudding. Small attributes like the hair on characters heads, objects in the background, and the scenery in general seem more appealing than they did in previous seasons. On top of this all the main characters get new outfits in an effort to illustrate things are much different than they were previously. All of these alterations come off as improvements and help to make the season more visually appealing.
Music
The music of the season is just as moving as ever. The opening theme, “Let’s Just Live” seems to recap the events of the previous season and how things are not as simple as good guys win and bad guys lose. Also, it helps to echo the message everyone needs to carry on despite their hardships and work towards surviving and growing stronger. Even if it only is one day at a time. A good lesson for not only this season but life in general.
Overall
It seems like a lot of harsh criticism is being weighed against this season but it should be noted it was a very entertaining installment to the RWBY series. The different side characters of the show including Jaune, Nora, and Ren all have a chance to shine and more about who they are and where they came from is explored. It’s just incredibly obvious how the shift this season was from the main team to working towards opening up the world they living in. Still, shift in tone aside, this series was worth following week after week and leaves off with a less brutal cliffhanger than the previous season did.
