DC Entertainment and Archie Comics are proud to present the adventure of a lifetime with HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA. Their hijinks are brought to you by the real-life team-up of Paul Dini (HARLEY QUINN) and Marc Andreyko (WONDER WOMAN ’77), with art by Laura Braga (DC BOMBSHELLS). It all starts this October as these teams of best gal pals cross paths between Gotham and Riverdale!
Paul Dini stated:
It’s the sort of offer you scream out ‘YES!’ to before your eyes reach the middle of the email. I’ve always wanted the chance to play in Riverdale, and to help Harley and Ivy invade it is a dream come true. Marc’s a great talent and a good friend. Writing this series with him has been like sitting on the lawn during summer vacation and reading a big pile of DC and Archie comics. Except we have to stay indoors and type a lot.
Laura Braga added:
It’s going to be a blast to bring these amazing ladies together in this once-in-a-lifetime crossover. Each character is different and special. While Harley is one of my favorite characters ever, Betty and Veronica are giving her a run for her money! I love all these ladies, and this book is going to be non-stop fun.
Marc Andreyko chimed in:
When I got the call for this, I was in disbelief! Getting to co-write with Paul on a series bringing four of the most iconic ladies in comics together under one roof for the first time? This must be what winning the lottery feels like! I cannot wait for readers to see what mischief Paul, Laura and I have dreamed up!
HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA starts with a plan for free college tuition for all Riverdale residents. The town just needs to build a new campus by draining the wetlands that lie between Riverdale and Gotham City.
The only snag? A certain botany-obsessed super-villain.
When Poison Ivy enlists her bestie Harley to kidnap both Veronica Lodge, daughter of Riverdale’s most important citizen, and her friend Betty, she’s counting on some assistance—and mayhem. Are these two teams of BFF’s headed for disaster?
Archie Comics Publisher/CEO Jon Goldwater said:
Betty and Veronica are the most iconic friends in comic book history, and now, thanks in no small part to the success of the Riverdale TV show, in pop culture. It made tons of sense to have them crossover with DC’s own female powerhouses, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. What you’ll get is a fun story that honors the history of both pairs and adds to it – which is what all great crossovers do. We’re excited by this partnership and we can’t wait for the fans to see what Paul, Marc and Laura cook up.
DC Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras added:
Two of comics’ coolest villains paired with two of comics’ hottest icons are what cross-publisher team-ups were made for.
What do you guys think? Pretty much every Archie crossover I have read has been at least fun, clever, and a testament to the versatility of the property. Let us know by commenting and discussing below.
HARLEY AND IVY MEET BETTY AND VERONICA #1 is on sale October 4, 2017. Cover by Amanda Conner (shown above) and variant cover will be by Adam Hughes.
After rumors began swirling that Samuel L. Jackson would be reprising his Nick Fury role in Captain Marvel, Deadline has confirmed the speculative talk as true.
No details regarding Jackson’s role in Captain Marvel were released by the news outlet, but it looks like the Marvel cinematic universe’s shared storyline will be boasted in Carol Danvers’ solo film.
Brie Larson will be playing Captain Marvel, with directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck helming the flick.
Captain Marvel will hit theaters on March 8, 2019.
Gerard Butler has finally, officially, found his place in Hollywood, and it’s starring in ludicrous, half-witted, bargain-basement CGI masterpieces with little regard for intelligence or logic. Case in point: Geostorm.
This new Butler action flick is part destruction porn, part (Insert Location) Has Fallen entry, part Armageddon, all kickass. Check this thing out:
When the network of satellites designed to control the global climate start to attack Earth, it’s a race against the clock to uncover the real threat before a worldwide geostorm wipes out everything and everyone.
This movie looks amazing on an entirely different level. It’s the sort of film that bridges the gap between big-budget blockbusters and SyFy original movies. And everyone is obviously having a blast here. Butler tried his hand at serious work for some time and he just wasn’t working in it. Here, however, playing the straight man to an entire film of absurdity is definitely his jam.
Geostorm is brought to us by mega destruction-porn producer Dean Devlin, who brought us Independence Day (the good one and the bad one), Godzilla (just the bad one) and a whole slew of big monsters big destruction movies. Joining Butler is Andy Garcia, Abbie Cornish, Ed Harris (WHAT?!), Jim Sturgiss, and a handful of other actors you will recognize and not be able to name. It opens October 20, and will probably be available for purchase in time for Christmas.
The best films of 2017 so far… a list episode, ugh! But the reason you listen to us is that we take the road less traveled and keep you entertained. Enjoy an episode where it’s a good thing we record in two separate locations. EJ is going to cut someone over Baby Driver!
Strap yourself in buckaroos! Episode 129 of the MOVIE SHOW by Monkeys Fighting Robots is here.
Episode Breakdown:
EJ’s List
Surprise: Wonder Woman
Power Rangers
Raw
Must-See In Theaters: The Beguiled
Get Out
Logan
Wild Card: The Girl with All the Gifts
Okja
It Comes At Night
Matt’s list:
Surprise Split
Get Out
Must-See in theater Kong: Skull Island
Wonder Woman
Logan
Wild Card T2 Trainspotting
Baby Driver
Thank you for listening!
Do you want to be our SUPER-FAN of the week? All you have to do is comment on this podcast to be eligible.
Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show? Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.
About the Monkeys Fighting Robots Podcast:
A Gen Xer and a Millennial debate the latest topics in pop culture. One guy is a filmmaker and the other is a journalist, but both are nerds. We make your slowest days at work better. Hosts, Matthew Sardo and EJ Moreno.
Never heard of Matt Sardo? For starters, he made the Kessel Run in less than 11 parsecs. Prior to that, he gave Doc Brown the idea for the flux capacitor and led the Resistance to victory over SkyNet – all while sipping a finely crafted IPA. As a radio host, he’s interviewed celebrities, athletes and everyone in between. He’s covered everything from the Super Bowl to Comic-Con.
Who’s EJ Moreno? Is he a trained physician? No. Is he a former Miss Universe contestant? Possibly. But what we know for sure is he’s a writer, filmmaker, and pop culture enthusiast. Since film school, EJ has written & directed several short films. He’s used his passion of filmmaking to become a movie critic for MonkeysFightingRobots.com.
Robert Downey Jr. confirms he’ll step down as Iron Man, according to reports. However, this won’t happen until after Infinity War. For now, he’s promoting his next film, Spider-Man: Homecoming.
In an interview, the Iron Man actor reveals he has an idea of when he’ll leave the role. While he won’t go into specifics, he does have a good rationale for choosing to step down.
“I just keep thinking it’s about when your 16-year-old says, ‘Well I have a license now I can drive,’ and you want to put a tracker in their car and you want to be able to deactivate it,” he says.
“For those who are familiar with him and love Spider-Man, he really does kind of rise to the occasion,” Downey says. “Through a series of mishaps and trials he does wind up doing some extraordinary stuff.”
Downey states he wants to leave Tony Stark on a high note. Just as important, he wants the MCU to be in good hands when he’s gone.
“It’s like with a team if you’re going to hang up your jersey, you want to make sure the team is in good shape and they can still compete at a high level,” he says. “Because ultimately that’s what made the whole thing worth doing anyways.”
Downey explains he “genuinely had a blast” while making the movie. The actor praises Tom Holland’s performance, and he cites Spider-Man as a character whom he admires.
“I just love Spider-Man, so to me being able to participate in reintroducing Spider-Man to a new generation or giving kind of a really back to,” he says. “That’s why it’s called homecoming.”
What Iron Man’s future will be is not yet known. After Downey leaves, Marvel has the options of retiring or recasting the role.
Since Warner Bros. announced back in February that Matt Reeves would be the director stepping in to replace Ben Affleck in helming DC’s still untitled Batman movie, fans have been craving any bit of news about the direction in which he plans to take the Caped Crusader. However, as Reeves was still finishing up War for the Planet of the Apes, which opens in theaters next week, news has been pretty dry. Luckily, now that the director is doing publicity for that film, we’ve at long last been getting some information about the Dark Knight’s upcoming feature.
The latest details come via an interview that Reeves did with Fandango, in which the director confirms that he not only has an idea for one Batman film, but an entire trilogy!
When asked about whether or not he viewed Affleck’s upcoming solo Batman movie as the start of a new trilogy, Matt Reeves replied:
“I have ideas about an arc, but really, the important thing is just to start… you have to start with one. You know, you have to start with a story that begins something. And I would be lying if I could tell you that the arcs of Apes was already planned out, because it simply wasn’t; it’s one of those things where that character was so potent, and the possibility was embedded from the beginning, but exactly how you’ve got from A to Z is not something that existed.”
While fans will be delighted to hear that he has ideas for an overarching story that could span multiple films, it’s comforting to know that Reeves understands the importance of nailing down a solid first movie before getting too far ahead of himself. Indeed, he goes on to say:
“In fact, when I came in on Dawn, the story that I wanted to tell was different from the story that they had even presented me. And so, there are these broad ideas, I think, that sort of came to mind as Rise was created, of how that story could be told, but they weren’t explicitly laid-out. And when Mark and I began Dawn, we knew what our goals were, but we didn’t know how we were gonna get there, and I would say that that more relates to the way that I see a Batman story, is a kind of ambition for a series of stories, but really the most important thing is gonna be to tell a vital first story.”
With Matt Reeves finally having finished War for the Planet of the Apes, he’s finally free to dive headfirst into Ben Affleck’s solo outing as the Batman, and we can expect to hear story details and which characters are likely to be included over the coming weeks. In fact, with San Diego Comic Con just over two weeks away, we might get more information on the movie sooner rather than later, especially as Warner Bros. and DC are sure to have a huge presence in Hall H.
In the meantime, you can get your Matt Reeves fix when War for the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters on July 14th.
Are you excited about the possibility of a Matt Reeves Batman trilogy? What villains would you like to see him tackle over the course of the three movies? Are there specific stories you’d like to see him adapt over the course of the three movies? Let me know in the comments below!
Preacher Feature is a weekly analysis of the AMC show Preacher based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. In this column, we will give a breakdown of the events from the previous night’s show, including how they relate to the comics, and speculate as to what’s going on and what might be coming up. This is to say that there will be spoilers, both actual and potential. If you have not yet watched the episode in question or are watching the show without reading the comics and don’t want to have any foreknowledge of what might happen to Jesse and company, then you would do well to stop reading this now.
Afterschool Special
The episode starts with the real story of Eugene’s transformation into Arseface. If you’re like me, you probably had a feeling that the story Jesse was told (that Eugene took a shotgun to Tracy Loach after she spurned his affections) was not entirely true. Instead, in the darkly funny style that Preacher is known for, we find out that Tracy, distraught over her boyfriend cheating on her, tries to kill herself. Eugene thinks he has convinced her to keep living, but when he tries to kiss her, she decides to go throw with it after all, though as we’ve seen she was less than 100% successful. After she blows out most of her frontal lobe, her mom comes home and Eugene, panicking, tries to shoot himself with the other barrel of the shotgun. When it misfires, he does an eye-check on the barrel (not recommended, from what I understand) and Arseface is born.
A face even a mother would have a hard time loving
14 Best Songs No One’s Ever Heard Of
I’m sure I’m not the only one excited to hear the return of the opening theme by Dave Porter. The trio are back on the road, though the tone is a bit more somber (A Walk to the Peak < Come On Eileen). When they get to New Orleans, we finally find out what’s going on with that dog/man from the trailer. Tulip is once again pursued, this time by standard issue black SUVs with tinted windows, so she decides to split and Cassidy walks her to his mate Denis’s place, where they’ll be staying.
Denis seems less than happy to see him, but like Cassidy and Tulip, I don’t speak French, so maybe his greeting was warmer than it sounded. By the way, Denis is watching The Three Stooges, one of the few shows to utilize violence in as hilarious a manner as Preacher.
Emotions Aplenty
This episode is by far the most emotional of the series so far. Tulip is stressed out, with things between her and Jesse being tense (as things are wont to be when a wedding is proposed, nearly enacted, and then cancelled all in a couple of hours) and now being on the home turf of Victor, the mysterious man from her past that is hunting her down. Cassidy is tired of being treated like an “idiot Irish sidekick”. Jesse is getting worn down by the lack of success so far in the search for God.
After a classic “neon signs to denote the various bars he’s visited” montage, Jesse is told by a friendly bartender (they have all the answers) to talk to Lara, the singer at Le Chamonix. When she tries to evade Jesse she is abducted by a vanful of agents of The Grail, only to be then saved by Jesse. “What’s The Grail?” you may ask, assuming you’ve not read the comics. Well, I think the singer put it best herself when she calls it “a super-secret crypto-religious fascist organization with designs on total world domination”.
After getting Lara safely in a taxi to the airport, he sees a poster telling him to Come See Angelville and the normally unflappable Jesse is very much flapped (more on this in the Easter Eggs section below).
An awkward cell phone non-conversation between Tulip and Jesse follows, after which Tulip goes to “get smokes”. What Big Tobacco won’t tell you is that buying cigarettes from a vending machine is one of the leading causes of gangs of menacing thugs cornering you in a laundromat. Those things can be deadly.
All Hell Breaks Loose
After a fault in the security system in Hell causes all the cells in Eugene’s block to open, we see that among his neighbors is a mousy little dark haired man with a mustache (If you’re not a student of history, relax, I don’t think it’s the beloved star of Modern Times.
Jesse, still unclear about why A Walk to the Peak holds such interest for God is enlightened by a friendly Jazzbo “Now you’re diggin’ it, Daddy-O. End of the world.” Of course “the end of the world” takes on multiple meanings for Jesse. It could be quite literal, given that God is missing, but “Until the End of the World” is also the phrase him and Tulip have used to signify that they will always be there for each other.
We also see that what we thought were a friendly bartender (Malcolm Barrett) and a singer in need of a rescue (Julie Ann Emery) are actually agents of The Grail gathering intel on Jesse. Furthermore, some will recognize them as Featherstone and Hoover, two of the funniest characters from the comics. Their report on Jesse ends up on the desk of the one-eyed Herr Starr, arguably the main antagonist from the comics.
Easter Eggs/Connections to the Comics
The “You Are Now Leaving Texas” road sign with the graffitied “Your Loss, Dipshit” is straight out of issue #7 of the comics.
The eagle-eyed of you may remember The Skull and Lone Star logo in the poster is the same as the tattoo between Jesse’s shoulder blades from the pilot and from the wrist of the man who shoots Jesse’s father in a flashback. Fans of the comics will also recognize it as the symbol of Angelville, the home of Jesse’s sadistic “family”, the L’Angells.
Questions and Theories
What causes the systems issues in Hell? My guess would be the fact that Eugene isn’t actually dead, but was ordered to “Go to Hell” by Jesse/Genesis and not through the more traditional route of committing sins and then dying without absolution.
We all saw what short work The Saint of Killers made of the bar in Ratwater back in the 1800s. Will anything be left of The Big Easy after he gets there?
So, what easter eggs did I miss? There were plenty of posters in the backgrounds of bars, and I’m sure at least one of them had a reference that went over my head. Let me know in the comments.
Welcome to the third episode of the Comic Show by Monkeys Fighting Robots! Anthony and Matt have a lot to discuss with you today: Batman #26 with depressed Joker, Unholy Grail #1 by Cullen Bunn, Dad Superman with beat writer Nick Enquist, our must read Sacred Creatures #1 by Image Comics, and Howard Chaykin’s latest controversy.
01:27 Batman #26 review
Matt – 3 out of 5 Robots
Anthony – 3 out of 5 Monkeys
14:49 Unholy Grail #1
Matt – 3 out of 5 Robots
Anthony – 3.75 of 5 Monkeys
23:26 Beat Reporter Nick Enquist – Superman #26
36:34 Sacred Creatures #1
Matt – 3.75 out of 5 Robots
Anthony – 4 of 5 Monkeys
51:44 Howard Chaykin vs the Industry
Thank you for listening!
Do you want to be our FAN of the week? All you have to do is comment on this podcast to be eligible.
Do you have a question that you would like answered during the show? Email your questions to matt@popaxiom.com.
About the Comic Show Podcast: A comic journalist in the twilight of his career still grasping for his first Eisner runs into a young buck that mildly reminds him of his youth. Their warped enthusiasm for the comic book industry unites them to spread the good word to the inter-web. Realistically, we are two nerds that love comic books and want to entertain you with quality recommendations, creator interviews, and reports from your favorite publisher. For diehard fans and comic newbs; all are welcome to the Comics Show on Monkeys Fighting Robots! Hosts, Matthew Sardo and Anthony Composto.
Sam Wilson is returning to his roots, putting down his Captain America shield and becoming the Falcon once more. His brand new series Falcon will spin out of the Marvel Legacy one-shot, and is being written by Peabody and AFI Award winning writer/producer Rodney Barnes.
Barnes has served as producer and writer on shows such as My Wife and Kids, Everybody Hates Chris, and The Boondocks (on which he was the head writer). He is also a co-executive producer and writer on Marvel’s Runaways, hitting Hulu in 2018.
Falcon will be drawn by Joshua Cassara, and focuses on Sam as he deals with the aftermath of Secret Empire. Barnes spoke with Comicbook.com about the series.
“At the moment, Sam is in a state of transition,” Barnes says. “He feels guilty about his relationship with Steve Rogers and wonders if he didn’t pick up clues as to what team Steve was really playing for what else has he missed? So he’s backing away from the limelight for a spell and taking a more grass roots approach to making the world a better place.”
Readers can already see the seeds of this idea planted in Secret Empire, where Sam is first seen isolating himself and wallowing. Barnes sees this as a time for “resetting the table,” and hopes that his series will help Sam re-find his place in the world:
“By the end of my run, my hope is that Sam will be clear minded and focused as to his place in the Marvel Universe. He’s worn a lot of hats over the last few years and that’s sort of disrupted his sense of self. The plan is to restore that. I’d say the tone is more personal and intimate. Often times superheroes become so connected to the missions at hand that they forget there’s a real person under the costume.”
Barnes also talked briefly about Sam’s new sidekick in the series, the Patriot:
“The Patriot helps Falcon connect with the Millennial mindset of today’s world,” he says. “Sam typically deals with his own peer group who sees the world much like he does. Shaun is an optimist and this helps to balance the sense of self-doubt Sam’s going through. There are some similarities in Sam’s relationship with Rayshaun to the one he had with Joaquin Torres, but Sam was in a different place then. Much more the typical authoritarian. Here he’s second guessing himself and Shaun isn’t afraid to point that out.”
Falcon will start things off by introducing dark magic into Sam’s world, pitting the hero against Blackheart, son of Mephisto (Marvel’s Satan).
“Genre wise there’s a blending of urban street sensibilities with dark magic. Sam’s never been to the place we’re taking him and it’s going to take more than muscle to overcome the obstacles in his path,” Barnes says. “My hope is that taking Sam out of his typical environment will cause him to use wits of a different sort. The fight now is from the inside out. And since he’s soul searching it felt kind of cool to put him in the spiritual realm. Blackheart was a character I’ve appreciated for a long time. I felt his frustration at being a second stringer on the demon totem pole so why wouldn’t he take his shot at shaking up the world? If a bad kid won’t listen to his parents surely a Demon son wouldn’t take well to conformity either.”
Check out the full solicitation for Falcon #1 here:
FALCON #1 Written by RODNEY BARNES
Penciled by JOSHUA CASSARA
Cover by JESUS SAIZ
TAKE FLIGHT! Continuing directly out of the pages of MARVEL LEGACY #1!
Sam Wilson – winged warrior, avian Avenger and one-time sentinel of liberty – takes to the skies again, reborn and recommitted as the fighter for freedom, THE FALCON!
Engaged in an all-new assignment while training his new partner THE PATRIOT, Sam Wilson soars high and sees all. But Sam’s new mission finds him on a collision course with an enemy way out of his weight class—the demonic BLACKHEART! From the stratosphere to the streets, the Marvel Universe now has a high-flying hero circling above them ready to strike!
Seven To Eternity has quickly been established as one of the most unique and engaging comic book experiences available currently. Image Comics’ science fiction fantasy by the dream team of Rick Remender & Jerome Opeña releases its seventh installment this week.
Adam Osidis has seemingly betrayed his allies and left Jevalia to die in order to save the Mud King. His daughter has joined the group he’s left behind to pursue his agenda with the “God Of Whispers”. The group finds refuge in a strange village in order to save Jevalia from being lost to the swamp.
Tensions are high for our characters as they stray from their already crumbling scheme to compensate for the latest betrayal. The series began with its focus on the worth of a man and his word. As the story progresses we see that put to the test every week in some form.
Who do you trust? Seven To Eternity‘s beautiful cast of characters has gotten smaller, the stakes are always high as the series keeps us constantly on the edge of whatever we read comics on. Readers are forced to go back and forth each book on Adam Osidis and company.
The analysis of character motivation and action between issues rivals the most thought provoking television dramas. All within a heavy science fiction landscape, filled to the brim with life.
Seven issues into this monumental series, readers have so much to digest and analyze. Remender and Opeña have built a massive world on the fly, introducing us to unique concepts, creatures, and rules. What could easily be overwhelming in other books is executed so flawlessly that readers don’t miss a beat.
Remender has a remarkable skill in creating these vast sci-fi thunderdomes. He fills them with so many details and layers of character that readers want to be apart of them. To subscribe to a Rick Remender series is to immerse yourself into the greatest reality escape comic books can provide each month.
Another reason Remender’s comics always matter so much is because of who he chooses to do them with. He always partners with the perfect collaborator on every title, it becomes a very personal experience in an industry that can’t keep a single creative team together for a full run.
Unfortunately, with Seven To Eternity #7, that worked against them. Jerome Opeña was absent this issue, with James Harren stepping in on pencils. Harren does a fine job illustrating a new landscape and tons of new creatures. It’s just that this book belongs to Opeña and his chemistry with Rick is what sunk its hooks into us in the first place.
Personally, I don’t want anyone else on the book, leave the creative carousel to Marvel and DC. That being said, James Harren took one of these insane scripts and drew the hell out of it and that absolutely deserves major praise.
Seven To Eternity is a book like no other, even if you read Remender’s other titles. It’s still young, despite all that it’s already accomplished creatively. If you’re not reading this book, get on board.
