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Geekscape 505: Ashley Robinson Immigrates Into Our Hearts!

by JonathanMarch 11, 2019

Ashley Robinson returns to Geekscape with her brand new comic book project ‘Aurora and The Eagle!’ Based on Ashley’s quest to immigrate to the United States, this book is worth backing! Along the way, we talk ‘Captain Marvel’, which X-Men team member other than Wolverine we would want to protect a young girl and the status of the CW’s DC Universe shows now that ‘Arrow’ is coming to an end! Why should you be watching ‘Black Lightning’? Ashley gives a pretty convincing argument! Ashley’s always been a solid guest on the podcast and a fantastic creator so be sure to support her Kickstarter (and journey to ‘Murica) and enjoy the episode!

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Geekscape Interviews: We Chat With DC / CW Composer Blake Neely!

by jake108June 27, 2016

Recently, I was able to get in touch with Blake Neely, composer of all of your favorite DCTV shows running on the CW. From Arrow to DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Blake Neely has scored it all. By now, you’ve heard your favorite musical numbers on Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. Now, here’s what Neely has to say on shaping the iconic sound behind the DC Universe.

How were you approached to take on your first DCTV series? Were there any apprehensions?

I’ve worked with Greg Berlanti for 14 years, from his first show Everwood. In 2012, he handed me a script to Arrow and said, “This year, we are doing something a bit different.” I had no idea this would be the beginning of an onslaught of superhero shows in the DC Universe of iconic characters. My only apprehensions were to do the Green Arrow character justice, since the responsibility of musically representing such a decades-old character was a bit intimidating for a composer.

How well versed were you in the Green Arrow lore when you signed up Arrow? Did your previous knowledge of the character change your approach to the project in way that was different from a show like The Mentalist?

I was always a DC Comics appreciator. Aquaman was the first comic I bought as a child, and for some reason the DC characters always resonated with me the most. Whether it was Aquaman, Batman, Superman, The Flash or any number of others, I always gravitated toward DC. However, while I knew of the Green Arrow, I hadn’t followed him. Greg’s script was my introduction, and I was forever hooked. My approach was very different than approaching any other show. This was a character steeped in mythology and fan-base, not just a new character (like Patrick Jane of The Mentalist). But as a composer, my approach wasn’t different, in so much as I like to write something appropriate for any character and hopefully make it stick to the visual. The only difference in approach was that this had quite a bit of fan expectancy to it.

Could you briefly walk me through the process of scoring an episode for any of the DCTV shows you work on?

I generally get a week from receiving the final cut of an episode to its final mix (which is about 2 days before it airs on TV). My process on a first (pilot) episode is to go into a dark room, surround myself with images of the character, and attempt to capture that image musically. I write a suite of ideas, sounds, and themes and then hope it sticks to the image once the show is filmed. But on a weekly basis, I watch the episode and approach each scene dramatically with music that fits the scene. My goal is always to enhance the story-telling and support the action (whether emotional or brutal or cerebral) with the music, while trying to somehow stay in the background so that the audience only subliminally appreciates the music, and not bring music to the forefront. Otherwise, they are taken out of the story.

The Flash has a very unique sound to it. What influenced the music behind some of Barry’s most emotional scenes?

Barry Allen is a very different character from Oliver Queen. He is a scientist, a bit awkward, brilliant, and later superhuman. What I wanted to achieve musically was multiple layers. Whereas Oliver Queen is more dark, brooding and immediate, Barry is more complex. The layering and subtext in the music helps in his emotionality. I still use similar orchestration with these characters, whether it be simple piano or orchestra, but there are more layers to Barry. In my mind, as heroes, Arrow gets a more upfront sound with aggression and realism, while The Flash has a forward-momentum and almost fragile heroic sound. I come to this from the idea that Arrow always knows he will win, while The Flash is much more vulnerable when he is called to action. It’s extremely esoteric, because it’s just a bunch of music notes flying around, but this is always the approach.

The Flash also pays homage to a number of DC Comics villains, some of which aren’t known to mainstream audiences. How do you go about composing a character theme for a reoccurring villain, like Wentworth Miller’s Captain Cold?

Greg gave me excellent direction on Captain Cold. He said, “This is a great love affair. Cold and Flash will always be chasing each other.” For whatever reason this made me develop a long arch sort of theme for Cold. The harmonies are never resolved. The melody is always reaching and expanding. Never reaching full consummation. With each new villain that is introduced on The Flash or Arrow, I like to sit back and think about the mythology, research their importance, talk with the producers about their desires for the character, and then attempt to make an appropriate theme. Some can sustain a simple sound “theme,” while others (like Cold or Ra’s al Guhl or Vandal Savage) require a full-blown theme and sound world to do their evil business in.

Legends of Tomorrow season one was unique in that we essentially saw a different time period with every episode. Did you ever have to adjust your approach or musical cues depending on what time period the heroes were in?

I did this a few times in the season. The most apparent were Russia and the Wild West. But for the most part, I felt like music should be the glue to the show we were in. Yes, we were in 1975 or 2147 or the 50s, but we were still watching LEGENDS. I felt it important to only provide a flavor or the time but let the audience rely on costumes and sets for the actual time period. This is a band of “time pirates,” as I early on began referring to them, so we need to musically stay with the team.

Has the cast and/or crew for any one of the DCTV shows you’ve worked on sat in on a scoring session? If so, what was the experience like?

I’ve never had the cast at the scoring or even my studio. However, I have done the opposite: I’ve visited the sets and even gone to dinner with the cast to get to know them. It’s not helpful to the writing of the episodes, but it’s helpful to the collaborative nature of these shows. We are all building a huge universe together. Why not know your counterparts? This has even led to a possible collaboration with Stephen Amell on a side project. I would love for the cast to come to a scoring session someday, but with shooting 8 days a week, I have doubts that they can possibly ever bear the time.

For anyone who’s looking at you as having their dream job, what advice would you give them?

Never give up. I grew up in Paris, Texas without the Internet or any possible connection to Hollywood. And I made it. I’m doing exactly what I dreamed of! Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.

What persuades you to keep scoring DC television shows? What are the unique benefits to working in TV?

DC and Greg Berlanti have been incredibly loyal, incredibly supportive and wildly appreciative of my work. Why would I ever deny a chance to work on a new character or project with them? The benefits of working in TV, to me, are the ability to work again and again with these characters. If I begin an idea in Episode 1, I can continue and evolve it through to Episode 23 and beyond. It’s a never-ending sequel. With film, you get one, maybe two, chances to evolve your ideas. With TV, you get episodes and seasons upon seasons to continue your ideas. It moves way too quickly, and you have to be very prolific, but it’s very fulfilling to have the time with these storylines.

One of my favorite musical cues/themes are your Nanda Parbat themes that pop up every now and then on Arrow. How did go about crafting a score that fits that very unique setting?

Those were a lot of fun. I absolutely loved the arrival of Ra’s al Guhl. It sent me into an Eastern style of music harmonies and scales and instrumentation. This caused an evolution and exploration of sound that might capture the modern yet other-worldly feeling of Nanda Parbat, Nyssa, Ra’s and the ninjas. One of my favorite musicians in the world, Chris Bleth, brought me a wealth of treasures in duduks, dizis, neys, and other instruments, which we incorporated into the score. This was enhanced further by the haunting vocals of my friend, Sherri Chung, who was introduced during Oliver’s “death scene” with Ra’s in Ep 308 “The Climb.” It just grew from there with ethnic percussion, thick soundscapes and orchestration that hopefully made the audience feel like they were in another world far from Starling City.

Have any actors commented on their individual themes?

Yes. Stephen Amell was very vocal in his appreciation of what I do. And there was an amazing Tweet from Grant Gustin about my score to one of the episodes. Oh, and Jimmy Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) said some incredibly nice things about the Supergirl score. But my best “theme” moment was when my son was playing Lego Batman. He said “Dad, come up and see this.” I went to his room, and he had just opened a new level. He played and Lego Batman walked into a door and we saw Lego Green Arrow, and all of a sudden my Arrow theme started playing. That was a moment when I realized that what I was doing was creating a small iconic stamp on these characters.

Some of the most iconic musical scores are from television. Do you have any peers whose music you enjoy immensely?

It’s a really enjoyable thing to say that my peers and a few of my heroes are also my friends. We are appreciative of what each other are doing, but it’s nice when it remains non-competitive. Do I have favorites? Of course. Will I divulge? Absolutely not!

How does it feel to be setting the tone for the DCTV television landscape?

It feels amazing, but it feels incredibly heavy. I would never say that it’s a burden, because that is a negative term. But it feels like carrying a torch that will be handed off again in the future to another runner. For now, I need to carry the torch as high as it has ever been raised and hope it doesn’t get blown out by the wind. The success of these shows, the fanbase of these shows, and the expectancy of these shows is immense. Far bigger than myself. I must do all that I can to uphold the legacy, protect the mythology, and never denegrate the importance of this world that was created way before I was. I’m up for the challenge every day, but it never escapes me how important it can be.

Is there any DC character you’d like to see appear on any of the DCTV shows?

Aquaman. Please. First comic I bought. For whatever reason, a lifetime favorite.

What’s the best story you have regarding anything DCTV-related in your years working with the respective shows?

My favorite story goes back to the beginning. Greg Berlanti and I had long discussions about what he envisioned for the sound of ARROW. I went away for a few weeks and wrote and wrote and wrote ideas. I developed themes for the show and then brought him to my studio and nervously played the “Oliver Queen Suite.” After hearing it, he stood up and said “Great. Perfect. I love it.” And as he left my studio and the door was closing behind him, I heard him whistling the theme. I thought to myself, “Success.”

SDCC ’16: Warner Bros. Television Announces Their Panels and Times!

by jake108June 27, 2016

Some of the most fantastic panels have taken place inside of Hall H on Saturday night’s these past few years. However, we’re in for a change as it seems DCTV is doing away with our Hall H after dark parties. Instead, Warner Bros. Television has opted for owning Ballroom 20 for what seems to be the majority of Saturday. While this sounds great too, it’s also worth mentioning that Ballroom 20 does not sit nearly as many people has Hall H does. This may spell trouble for anyone looking to attend any one of DCTV’s panels, including Gotham and in addition to iZombie.

What’s also troubling here is that DCTV panels seem to be going on during the daytime on Saturday. This means DC fans may have to choose between a potential Justice League panel and their favorite DCTV show.

That being said, WBTV seems to have spreads its wings this year, even hosting a panels on Sunday! Check these listings and let us know where you’re heading this SDCC!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20

“6:00-10:00 p.m. Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly continue our annual Preview Night tradition, with exclusive world premiere screenings of the pilot episodes of five of the most highly anticipated series of the 2016-17 television season — Riverdale, Powerless, People of Earth, Frequency and Time After Time — as well as a brand new episode of Teen Titans Go! and the debut of Justice League Action. Ballroom 20”

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THURSDAY, JULY 21

“10:15-11:15 a.m. Teen Titans Go! Video Presentation and Q&A — When there’s trouble, you know who to call…Teen Titans! When you want an awesome time at Comic-Con, you also know who to call…Teen Titans!!! Join a Titan-sized panel featuring producers Aaron Horvath (MAD) and Pete Michail (Space Racers) along with voice cast members Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton and Tara Strong for a screening and Q&A covering your favorite animated series. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters from DC, Teen Titans Go! airs Thursdays at 6/5c on Cartoon Network. Teen Titans Go!: Season 3 Part 2 will be released on DVD on August 23. Become a fan of the show on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TeenTitansGo, and follow Cartoon Network on Twitter at @CartoonNetwork. Room 6DE

12:00-1:00 p.m. Justice League Action Video Presentation and Q&A — The world’s greatest Super Heroes return to television in Justice League Action, an all-new quarter-hour animated series. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman lead the DC Super Heroes against their most infamous foes in adventures packed with relentless thrills, fun and action. No need to wait for the good stuff to start; each 11-minute episode jumps in with lightning-paced action and heroics. Whether defending the Earth, facing invaders from space, or battling the bizarre forces of magic, the always-rotating team of Justice League heroes, are up to any challenge. Join producers Butch Lukic (Justice League), Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series) and voice cast members Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) and Diedrich Bader (Batman: The Brave and The Bold) for a Q&A and exclusive sneak peek at this highly anticipated new series. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters from DC, Justice League Action is coming soon to Cartoon Network. Follow Cartoon Network on Twitter at @CartoonNetwork. Room 25ABC”

FRIDAY, JULY 22

“10:00-11:00 a.m. Inside The Big Bang Theory Writers’ Room — Join The Big Bang Theory writers as they return to San Diego to take you inside the biggest moments of season nine and behind-the-scenes of TVs #1 comedy! From the wedding to the baby news to Shamy’s big night, find out what goes into making the hit series each week, and how the writers keep things fresh after more than 200 episodes! Join the show’s executive producers and writers as they take you inside the writers’ room for a lively discussion and special video presentation. From Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television, The Big Bang Theory returns for season 10 on September 19, airing Mondays at 8/7c on CBS. The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Ninth Season will be released on Blu-ray™ and DVD on September 13. Become a fan of the show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheBigBangTheory and follow the show on Twitter @BigBangTheory. Ballroom 20‪

12:30-1:30 p.m. The 100 Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Following the climatic events of the season finale, join The 100 as the critically acclaimed series returns to San Diego for its annual appearance at Comic-Con. ALIE has been defeated, and The City of Light destroyed, but The 100’s victory is bittersweet as a new threat comes into focus. With the clock ticking and Earth’s radiation levels rising, our heroes must put aside their differences to save what remains of humanity. Will The 100 go quietly into that good night, or will they find hope and faith in each other, as they face their darkest chapter yet? Be among the first to find out what’s in store for season four. Join us for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A with series stars and producers. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television, The 100 returns midseason with all-new episodes on The CW. The 100: The Complete Third Season will be available on DVD on July 19. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWThe100, and follow the show on Twitter at @CWThe100. Ballroom 20

2:00-2:30 p.m. People of Earth Pilot Screening and Q&A — From Emmy® winners Conan O’Brien (Conan) and Greg Daniels (The Office), and creator David Jenkins comes People of Earth, a half-hour single-camera comedy series about a support group for alien abductees. Join series star Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show), co-executive producer David Jenkins and executive producer Greg Daniels for a screening of the pilot episode followed by a Q&A. People of Earth centers on skeptical journalist Ozzie Graham (Cenac) who investigates a support group to write about its members’ supposed alien encounters. The more he digs into their oddball claims, however, the more he realizes a semblance of truth to their stories and, possibly, even signs that point to his own alien abduction. The onetime outsider now finds himself a part of this eclectic group of misfits, all the while struggling with the idea of knowing that life could exist beyond our world. Produced by Conaco in association with Warner Horizon Television, People of Earth is coming this fall to TBS. Room 6BCF

2:30-3:00 p.m. Powerless Pilot Screening and Q&A — It’s a Super Hero’s world. We just live in it. Join cast members Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Danny Pudi (Community), Alan Tudyk (Suburgatory) along with executive producer Ben Queen (A to Z) and executive producer/director Michael Patrick Jann (Reno 911) for a screening of the pilot episode and Q&A covering the first comedy series set in the DC universe. Powerless is the story of Emily (Hudgens), a young insurance adjuster specializing in regular-people coverage against damage caused when Super Heroes and Super Villains treat the city like their own personal battleground. Taking care of insurance needs one by one, Emily and her team of co-workers might not have any superpowers but they are out to make a difference in people’s lives and prove that you don’t need to have powers to be powerful! From Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from DC, Powerless premieres midseason on NBC. Become a fan of Powerless on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NBCPowerless, and follow the show on Twitter at @NBCPowerless. Room 6BCF

5:30-6:30 p.m. iZOMBIE Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Television’s only Zom-Com-Rom-Dram, returns to San Diego for their third appearance at Comic-Con. After experiencing the heart-pounding season two finale, be among the first to get the scoop on what’s in store for season three! Now that Clive is in the know about zombies, how will his dynamic with Liv change? With Ravi’s cure robbing Blaine of his memories, what will Major decide to do with his borrowed time? Will Peyton continue her efforts to take down crime lord, Mr. Boss? And will Vivian Stoll, new owner of Max Rager, succeed in making Seattle its zombie headquarters? Join us for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A with series stars as well as executive producers Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) and Diane Ruggiero-Wright (Veronica Mars). From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Spondoolie Productions and Warner Bros. Television and based upon characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred for Vertigo from DC Entertainment, iZOMBIE returns midseason with all-new episodes on The CW. iZOMBIE: The Complete Second Season will be released on Blu-ray™ and DVD on July 12. Become a fan of iZombie on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cwizombie and follow the show on Twitter at @CWiZombie. Ballroom 20″

SATURDAY, JULY 23

“‪11:00-11:45 a.m. The Vampire Diaries Special Video Presentation and Q&A — The cast and creative team behind The Vampire Diaries return to San Diego, for an exciting eighth appearance at Comic-Con! Series stars will join executive producers on stage for a video screening and Q&A session. From Bonanza Productions Inc., Outerbanks Entertainment and Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, The Vampire Diaries returns Friday, October 21, at 8/7c on The CW, and The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season will be released on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and DIGITAL HD on August 16. Become a fan of The Vampire Diaries on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thevampirediaries, and follow the show on Twitter at @cwtvd. Ballroom 20

‪12:00-12:45 p.m. Blindspot Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Following the shocking first season finale, join Blindspot as the # 1 new series on broadcast TV from the 2015-16 season returns to San Diego for its second appearance at Comic-Con! Sullivan Stapleton and Jaimie Alexander star in this one-hour action thriller from Berlanti Productions and Quinn’s House, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television. Stapleton stars as hardened FBI agent Kurt Weller, who is drawn into a complex conspiracy when a mysterious woman, with no memories of her past, is found in Times Square, her body completely covered in intricate cryptic tattoos. As Weller and his teammates at the FBI — Edgar Reade (Rob Brown), Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza) and the tech-savvy Patterson (Ashley Johnson) — begin to investigate the veritable road map of Jane Doe’s tattoos, they are drawn into a high-stakes underworld that twists and turns through a labyrinth of secrets and revelations — with the information exposing a larger conspiracy of crime, while bringing her closer to discovering the truth about her identity. Join us for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A with series stars Sullivan Stapleton, Jaimie Alexander, Rob Brown, Audrey Esparza, Ashley Johnson and writer/executive producer Martin Gero. Blindspot returns to NBC for its second season on September 14 at 10/9c, before moving to its regular time period of Wednesdays at 8/7c the following week. Blindspot: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray™ on August 2. Become a fan of Blindspot on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NBCBlindspot and follow the show on Twitter @NBCBlindspot. Indigo Ballroom

‪‪12:50-1:25 p.m.‪ The Originals Special Video Presentation and Q&A — The Originals returns for a fourth season with more supernatural intrigue, romance and bloodshed in The Big Easy. Join executive producers and series stars for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with My So-Called Company, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, The Originals will air midseason on The CW. The Originals: The Complete Third Season will be released on Blu-ray™ and DVD on September 20. Become a fan of The Originals on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cworiginals and follow the show on Twitter at @cworiginals. Indigo Ballroom

1:30-2:05 p.m. Lucifer Special Video Presentation and Q&A — All Hell will break loose when Lucifer returns to heat things up in San Diego. Indulge your deepest desires and be among the first to get the scoop on what’s sure to be a devilishly fun second season! Join us for a sizzling sneak peek at season two, followed by a Q&A with series stars as well as executive producers Joe Henderson (White Collar) and Ildy Modrovich (CSI: Miami). From Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television and based upon characters created by Neal Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for Vertigo from DC Entertainment, Lucifer returns September 19, airing Mondays 9/8c on FOX. Lucifer: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD on August 23. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LuciferonFOX, and follow the show on Twitter at @LuciferonFOX. Indigo Ballroom

2:10-3:00 p.m. Gotham Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Gotham’s origin story continues to unfold, and as the show enters its third season, the stakes will be higher than ever! Super Villains are continuing to push Gotham City toward the brink, and while Jim Gordon remains at the forefront of the fight against crime in this dangerously corrupt city, how far will he go to save Gotham? Throughout season two, Gordon’s moral compass wavered more than ever, creating both personal and professional dilemmas in his life as villains emerged from the city’s darkest places, including Arkham Asylum’s secret experimental lab, Indian Hill. Bruce Wayne also began to unravel some of Gotham City’s — and his family’s — deepest secrets, leading him to discover that Wayne Enterprises could be behind some very dangerous schemes poised to tear the city apart. Be among the first to see what’s in store for season three as Gotham returns to Comic-Con with a special video presentation, followed by a Q&A with series stars and producers. From Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from DC, Gotham returns September 19 with all-new episodes airing Mondays at 8/7c on FOX. Gotham: The Complete Second Season will be available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on August 16. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GOTHAMonFOX, and follow the show on Twitter at @Gotham. Indigo Ballroom

3:30-4:15 p.m. Supergirl Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Supergirl will be returning for more supercharged adventures in the show’s new home on The CW this fall! Wondering who’s in that pod, or what will be bringing Superman to National City? Join the series’ cast and creative team for a special video presentation, followed by a Q&A where they’ll discuss these season two hot topics and more! From Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from DC, Supergirl’s second season will premiere Monday, October 10, at 8/7c on The CW. Supergirl: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray™ on August 9. Follow the show on Twitter at @TheCWSupergirl. Ballroom 20

4:15-5:00 p.m. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Special Video Presentation and Q&A — After saving the world — and all of time — from the immortal madman Vandal Savage, then bidding farewell to two of their fellow comrades, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, the Legends received an unexpected visit from a mysterious new ally, Rex Tyler, who tasked the team with a brand new mission. What that mission is, how the Justice Society of America will factor in and who will be aboard the Waverider when The CW’s Super Hero team-up series returns for its second season are questions that the cast and creative team will seek to answer when they descend upon San Diego for their second visit to Comic-Con. From Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from DC, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns Thursday, October 13, at 8/7c on The CW. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete First Season will be released on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and Digital HD on August 23. Become a fan of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWLegendsofTomorrow and follow the show on Twitter at @TheCW_Legends. Ballroom 20

5:00-5:45 p.m. The Flash Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Parallel universes…and doppelgangers…and man-sharks, oh my! The second season of The CW’s highest-rated series had more than its fair share of twists and turns, but none compared to Barry Allen’s jaw-dropping decision to go back in time and save his mother from his arch-nemesis, Reverse-Flash, a decision that called the entire timeline into question. But fear not, fans, you won’t have to wait until the fall to start getting answers to some of your most pressing questions, as the cast and creative team behind the show make their annual appearance at Comic-Con to begin giving fans insight into the show’s highly anticipated third season. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, and based on characters from DC, The Flash returns Tuesday, October 4, at 8/7c on The CW. The Flash: The Complete Second Season will be released on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and Digital HD on September 6. Become a fan of The Flash on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWTheFlash and follow the show on Twitter at @CW_TheFlash. Ballroom 20

5:45-6:30 p.m. Arrow Special Video Presentation and Q&A — In the face of worldwide nuclear destruction at the hands of the maniacal mystic known as Damien Darhk, Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) united Star City with a message of hope that allowed him to vanquish the season four Big Bad once and for all. However, our heroes’ triumph came at a cost, and the future of Team Arrow was left hanging in the balance. Now, as the show takes aim on season five, Oliver will set out to save his city from a new threat — one which he personally created — as both the newly appointed Mayor of Star City and as the Green Arrow. Returning to San Diego Comic-Con for the fifth consecutive year, the cast and creators of the hit CW series will be on-hand for a lively conversation surrounding the upcoming season. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, and based on characters from DC, Arrow returns Wednesday, October 5, at 8/7c on The CW. Arrow: The Complete Fourth Season will be released on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and Digital HD on August 30. Become a fan of Arrow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWArrow and follow the show on Twitter at @CW_Arrow. Ballroom 20

6:30 p.m.-7:20 p.m. Riverdale Pilot Screening and Q&A — Things aren’t always what you expect in Riverdale. Based on the iconic characters from Archie Comics and produced by Berlanti Productions (The Flash, Supergirl, Blindspot, Everwood), this one-hour drama is a bold, subversive take on the surreality of small-town life. As a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom — and nothing feels the same. Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen, but the summer’s events made him realize that he wants to pursue a career in music — and not follow in his dad’s footsteps — despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale’s young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel). Which means Archie doesn’t have anyone who will mentor him — certainly not singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), who is only focused on her band, the soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It’s all weighing heavily on Archie’s mind — as is his fractured friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse). Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all summer, but she’s not quite ready to reveal her true feelings to him. And Betty’s nerves — which are hardly soothed by her overbearing mother, Alice (Mädchen Amick) — aren’t the only thing holding her back. When a new student, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols), there’s an undeniable spark between she and Archie, even though Veronica doesn’t want to risk her new friendship with Betty by making a play for Archie. And then there’s Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch)… Riverdale’s Queen Bee is happy to stir up trouble amongst Archie, Betty, and Veronica, but Cheryl is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother, Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but there are dangers in the shadows. Riverdale makes its Comic-Con debut with a screening of the complete pilot episode, followed by a Q&A with series stars and executive producers. Riverdale is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Blindspot), Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Supergirl, Glee), Sarah Schechter (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Blindspot) and Jon Goldwater (Archie Comics). Riverdale premieres midseason on The CW. Become a fan of Riverdale on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CWRiverdale, and follow the show on Twitter at @CW_Riverdale. Room 6BCF

7:25-8:15 p.m. Frequency Pilot Screening and Q&A — Based on the New Line feature film, Frequency is the story of a father and daughter who are supernaturally reunited two decades after his suspicious and untimely death. New York detective Raimy Sullivan was only 7 when her father, Frank Sullivan, an undercover cop, abandoned his family in pursuit of a case that led not only to his family’s breakup, but also his eventual death undercover. Always believing her dad died in disgrace as a corrupt cop, Raimy set forth to surpass him in law enforcement, rising through the ranks to detective. But everything she knows changes when somehow Raimy and Frank connect — across two decades — over Frank’s vintage ham radio in the garage. Where once Frank was lost in the shadows of his undercover work in 1996, he has now miraculously been found by his now-grown daughter in 2016. As they forge a new relationship while working together in two time periods to close an unsolved serial murder investigation, their emotional connection transcends time to not only repair the broken bonds of their family, but also defy fate and change the course of destiny. Frequency makes its Comic-Con debut with a screening of the complete pilot episode, followed by a Q&A with series stars Peyton List (The Tomorrow People, The Flash), Riley Smith (Nashville, The Messengers) and Mekhi Phifer (Torchwood, ER), along with executive producers Jeremy Carver (Supernatural, U.S. version of Being Human) and Jennifer Gwartz (Lethal Weapon, Veronica Mars). From Lin Pictures in association with Warner Bros. Television, Frequency premieres Wednesday, October 5, at 9/8c on The CW. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWFrequency and follow the show on Twitter at @CWFrequency. Room 6BCF

8:20-9:15 p.m. Time After Time Pilot Screening and Q&A — Using the 1979 novel and movie as a launching point, Time After Time chronicles the epic adventures of a young H.G. Wells. At the age of 28, the 19th century scholar has yet to publish any of his landmark science fiction novels, but his idealistic thinking and radical ideas have led him to actually create a time machine. When his longtime friend — the charismatic (and secretly psychopathic) Dr. John Stevenson, aka Jack the Ripper — finds himself cornered by the authorities at Wells’ London home, he escapes to present-day New York City using the time machine. Naturally, Wells follows, but instead of the Utopian society he imagined would be in the future, he finds a world more aligned to Stevenson’s temperament. Fortunately, Wells meets up with Jane Walker, an assistant curator at a museum staging an exhibition on H.G. Wells, the Father of Science Fiction. As Wells and Jane come together, they will not only play a dangerous endgame with Stevenson, but also find themselves involved with the incredible characters and scenarios that inspired Wells’ War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau and more. An epic love story charged with danger and adventure, Time After Time gives an unpredictable spin on the mythology of H.G. Wells by looking at the world of today through the eyes of yesterday. Time After Time makes its Comic-Con debut with a screening of the complete pilot episode, followed by a Q&A with executive producers Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries, Dawson’s Creek, The Following, Scream movies) and Marcos Siega (Blindspot, The Following, The Vampire Diaries, Dexter, Cold Case, Veronica Mars) and series stars Freddie Stroma (Harry Potter films, Pitch Perfect, Game of Thrones, 13 Hours, UnREAL) and Genesis Rodriguez (Identity Thief, Man on a Ledge, Entourage, Big Hero 6). Based on the novel written by Karl Alexander and produced by Outerbanks Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television, Time After Time premieres midseason on ABC. Become a fan of Time After Time on Facebook at facebook.com/TimeAfterTimeABC and follow the show on Twitter at @TimeAfterABC. Room 6BCF”

SUNDAY, JULY 24

“11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Supernatural Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Join series stars Jared Padalecki (Friday the 13th [2009]), Jensen Ackles (My Bloody Valentine 3D), Misha Collins (Ringer) and Mark A. Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica), along with executive producers Robert Singer (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Andrew Dabb (Supernatural) in Hall H to answer questions from the audience about what’s in store for the 12th season of this exciting series! Fans will also be treated to an exclusive video presentation featuring series highlights, as well as a portion of the special features from the upcoming Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season DVD and Blu-ray™ release on September 6. The 12th season of Supernatural will premiere October 13 in its new Thursday time period at 9/8c on The CW. The series is produced by Kripke Enterprises Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television. Become a fan of the show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Supernatural and follow the show on Twitter at @cw_spn. Hall H

3:00-4:15 p.m. Animaniacs Live! — It’s time for Animaniacs…LIVE! Join the voice cast of the iconic animated series Animaniacs — Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille and Jess Harnell — along with series songwriter Randy Rogel for a zany, animany and totally insaney afternoon as they perform songs from the beloved cartoon. Animaniacs Live! will be coming to a city near you.”

Lynda Carter Cast in CW’s ‘Supergirl’

by jake108June 22, 2016

It’s been no secret that the CW’s casting for their DCTV shows have been phenomenal. The trend continues with the announcement that Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman herself, has been cast for a role in the upcoming season of Supergirl.

Supergirl, as you know, has moved to the CW and will premier its second season this October. In an effort to ramp up the buzz, Lynda Carter has been cast as the president of the United States. Not much is known beyond that. However, we can now assume that Supergirl will have some form of communication with the president, be it for better or worse. In any case, we’re pretty excited!

Supergirl returns Monday, October 10th!

Vixen Joins ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow!

by jake108June 7, 2016

Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Vixen, who has had a couple of tie-ins with The Flash and most recently Arrow, is set to join Rip Hunter’s crew aboard the Waverider.

Unfortunately, Megalyn Echikunwoke, the actress who portrays and voices Vixen, has her schedule booked up. Instead of recasting her, Rip Hunter will instead be looking for help from another Vixen. This new Vixen may or may not have ties to the McCabe family. The folks at CW are in the process of casting for the role. Megalyn Echikunwoke will still be voicing the role of Vixen in any upcoming animated shorts. On top of that, the door has been left open so that Megalyn Echikunwoke can return to the role of Vixen. The possibility of two Vixens working side-by-side sounds exciting in itself.

SDCC can’t come soon enough!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Destiny

by jake108May 12, 2016

What an episode! I was beginning to wonder what Legends of Tomorrow had in store for the three remaining episodes a couple of weeks ago. Now that it has been revealed who the real villains are, the stakes couldn’t be higher. On top of that, we got word of a possible, and perhaps, eventual future. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Time Masters

The Time Masters have always been a sort of villain since the start of the show. However, up until now, we’ve thought that the Time Masters only wanted to apprehend Rip Hunter for messing with the timeline. Tonight, we found out that answer was only a half true.

As it turns out, the Time Masters wanted Rip and his crew to visit all of these time periods and aid Vandal Savage in assuming power over the world. Everything from the United States winning the Cold War, to killing Rip’s family was carefully planned out, thus taking away any free well the Legends crew thought they had.

In an attempt to change destiny, the crew decides to engage the time masters at the Vanishing Point, which is in another dimension. Doing so, they’ve managed to destroy a device that allows the Time Masters to peer into the future, thus taking their power over the timeline away.

Captain Cold

Is he gone? I doubt it. What we know is that Rip saw Palmer dissolve, but that doesn’t mean he necessarily died. Another possibility is that, since it wasn’t Ray Palmer, perhaps the event was changed so that no one dissolves. We’ll have to find out what happens to Cold in next week’s episode, but something tells me he’s due for a major role next episode.

Thanagarian Invasion

The Thanagarian Invasion was a popular story arc in the Justice League Animated Series in episodes 50-52. In what spanned over three episodes, we saw Thanagarians invading Earth in droves so that they could destroy the planet altogether. All of this was a ploy to provide a straight path to another alien race they were warring with. The event was also the root cause in deciding the open up Justice League membership to many others. In any case, should this invasion ever to come pass, it’s going to take everyone to fight back. Who knows, maybe that’s what Legends season two is going to take on.

‘Supergirl’ Moves to the CW!

by jake108May 12, 2016

Rumors have been swirling for a while now, and today, it was made official. What’s worrying here for Supergirl fans is the show’s production budget. It’s reported that each episode took about three million dollars to produce. However, since the show is jumping to the CW, it’s likely the production will also move to Vancouver, where the rest the DC shows on the CW are filmed.

With any luck, we won’t see any decrease in production value and Supergirl may end up a better series because of the jump. In any case, we can expect to see some major crossover action planned for season five of Arrow, season three of The Flash, and the season two of Legends of Tomorrow.

Geekscape Recaps: “Legends of Tomorrow” – Star City 2046

by jake108February 25, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

We all knew at some point, the Legends would have to go to the future at some point this season. Luckily for us, Star City was the setting for their first trip into the future. So, along with setting the stage for the next episode, the show introduced a new character fans have been clamoring for, along with an older Oliver Queen. So, without further ado, let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Grant Wilson

The promos released last week teased an appearance by Deathstroke, however, we didn’t expect that it would be Deathstroke’s son, Grant, behind the mask. In the comics, Grant Wilson has a complicated relationship with his father. While idolizing him in some instances, Grant was trained by Slade himself. However, Grant was often belittled and scolded for not living up to the Wilson name.

Eventually, Grant killed his father and thus lived up to the name. In this particular universe, it can be assumed that Grant was responsible for Slade’s outing. Slade is never really addressed beyond the likeness of Grant’s armor. However, we do know that some years prior to 2046, Slade returned with an army and took Star City by storm. Oliver tried raising an army himself, but he ended up failing the city.

Felicity got out of the city and Team Arrow was killed in the war for Star City. Fans of Arrow may find this “Uprising” familiar as it follows a similar event in the show’s second season. Looks like Slade is destined to try his hand again at taking Star City. That action can’t come soon enough.

Connor Hawke

Connor Hawke’s name has been swirling the internet ever since we all found out Oliver had a son. Of course, many of us thought it would be William who would grow up to take up the mantle of the Green Arrow. Instead, John Diggle Jr. grows up and takes up the mantle in protecting Star City. It’s important to note that Connor Hawke wasn’t trained by Oliver, or at least it didn’t seem like it. Diggle appears to have died when Connor was young. It can only be assumed that Lyla and Sara Diggle got out of the city or will also killed during the Uprising. I still find it quite frightening that neither A.R.G.U.S., The Flash, or any other militaristic force could have stopped Slade’s Uprising.

By the end of the episode, Connor and Oliver reconcile and agree to start up shop again. Connor will presumably be trained by Oliver going forward, but by the end of the episode, should everything work out, Star City 2046 will look a lot different with White Canary and The Atom present to stop Slade and his army. Did I mention how I hope this happens sometime soon in Arrow?

Heat Wave and Captain Cold

The relationship between Captain Cold and Heat Wave came to a boiling point by the end of this episode. Essentially, Snart reasserted his dominance over the “partnership” him and Mick have going on. This reassertion did go over so well with Mick as he was perfectly happy living a crime-ridden Star City 2046. While it was the perfect playground for Mick to thrive in, Snart once again displayed he has a heart, albeit a cold one.

To be fair, Snart tried to reason with Mick by playing the notoriety card, should they defeat Savage. Snart also commented on the fact that he has had to lie to Mick a few times before and during past jobs that they’ve done together. Mick took this as an act of betrayal and the two are not on great terms now. It would seem Mick is just one step away from turning on Snart, which would be bad for everyone. I could only imagine how hard it would be to eliminate Mick as a problem, short of killing him of course.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Taken

by jake108February 24, 2016

Note: Catch our recaps of last week’s Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and last night’s episode of The Flash!

Luckily for us, we were once again treated to a solid episode of Arrow and will now have to wait until next month to see what will become of H.I.V.E., Olicity, Merlyn, and Star City. This entire season, it seems that the show has been afraid of doing something to change the formula up, or something irreversible for that matter. Tonight, Arrow took a step in the right direction.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Vixen

We got our first live-action appearance of another beloved DC hero in Vixen. In the comics, Vixen is a respected businesswoman, a model, and a warrior. Thanks to the Tantu Totem, she is able to wield the power of pretty much the entire animal kingdom. The history of the totem derives from legend, mainly being that the totem was created with the purpose of protecting the innocent. In regards to Arrow‘s continuity, it would seem that Darhk has had some experience with the totem in the past and knows full well of its capabilities. In this episode, Darhk made reference to seeing it before. As we know Darhk has had an usual long life, which was evidenced in an earlier episode of Legends of Tomorrow. Through history, the totem was then passed down through generations until it reached the McCabe’s, and then Mari McCabe herself.

Vixen has also been affiliated with the Justice League, the Suicide Squad, and the Birds of Prey. As far as the Arrow‘s continuity goes, Vixen has appeared in an animated series that is cannon with both Arrow and The Flash. You can find these episodes here.

Magical Artifacts

Finally, we found out the source of Darhk’s power. We first got a glimpse of how Darhk was fueling his magic in the first episode of the season. With the help of Vixen, the artifact that was powering Darhk was destroyed, rendering him extremely vulnerable. Oliver took him down and Darhk is now behind bars.

However, it is foolish for anyone to think Darhk doesn’t have some kind back up totem stored away. I’m not saying he’ll come back with the same powers, but it’s unlike Darhk not to have any contingencies.

Constantine

It’s always nice to hear what Constantine has been up to since his appearance on Arrow earlier this season. When Team Arrow was looking to Oliver for external help, Constantine’s name was brought up. Oliver responded by saying Constantine was in Hell. Sounds about right.

Since then, Constantine’s presence on the show has had a ripple effect in the present, and in Oliver’s flashbacks. In this episode, the tattoo Constantine gave Oliver on his abdomen glowed when Reiter opened up an entrance to a cave. After spooky-scary Conklin showed up, Oliver was granted passage into whatever that cave leads to.

Merlyn

At the end of the episode, it was revealed that Malcolm Merlyn abducted William at a play to get on Darhk’s good side. While this action appears to be so on the surface, under-the-surface, it would appear as if Merlyn may be making a play at a bigger role.

Since the League of Assassin’s has been disbanded, Merlyn hasn’t been quite ready for retirement. Instead, I think Merlyn is going to make a strong push to assume Darhk’s reign as a sort of General in the ranks of H.I.V.E. We do know that Darhk wasn’t the sole authority in H.I.V.E., but rather answered to a committee of sorts. It doesn’t matter if the committee was afraid of Darhk, now that he’s behind bars and all, so what better opportunity for Merlyn to jump at the chance at playing the committee to allow him assume control of H.I.V.E.? I mean, he already has Ra’s Al Ghul on his resumé. In the coming weeks, I think we can expect Merlyn going full villain again, which may lead to showdown between Darhk, Oliver, and H.I.V.E. entirely. Sprinkle in a little Deathstroke in there, and it may look like we’re in for an adventure within the next 7 episodes.

Felicity

Well, that didn’t last too long. The end of Oliver and Felicity’s relationship came to an end with this episode, and for good reason. Oliver has lied a lot over the last four seasons and Felicity has had enough? Will they get back together? Probably. Will it happen soon? Probably not. I can see awkwardness between Felicity and Oliver for the remainder of the season, up until we find out who’s in the grave.

Who’s in the Grave?!

I haven’t changed my stance on exactly who’s in the grave. I firmly believe is Donna, Felicity’s mom. However, I would like to propose a new theory as to who’s responsible for whoever is in the grave. This whole season, we’ve been building up to who’s in the grave assuming Damien Darhk is the one who committed the murder. Should Merlyn make the push and assume leadership of H.I.V.E., I believe it will be Merlyn who is responsible for who’s in the grave.

Think about it. Aside from whoever is six feet under, what’s making Oliver even more distraught could be the person responsible. Oliver remarks at the gravesite his intention to kill again and how dark everything has become. A couple of episodes back, Oliver and Merlyn saw eye-to-eye when it came to helping Thea. That relationship fell apart when Oliver bested Merlyn in combat and took the League of Assassins leadership away from him. Merlyn did not hide the fact that he is incredibly angry with Oliver and made his feelings clear. Not only that, but his relationship with Thea also fell apart at the end of this episode. With his ties severed, we now have a enraged nothing-to-live-for Malcolm Merlyn hellbent on destroying Oliver Queen and everything he stands for. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the showdown.

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – King Shark

by jake108February 24, 2016

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

What you see above is one of the many interactions between The Flash and Hunter Zolomon, otherwise known as Zoom. Tonight, we were dealt with a very good episode in having the return of King Shark and the reveal of Zoom’s identity. However, just when you think you have it all nailed down, one tug and your entire theory becomes unraveled. But don’t worry, this is a place where we can all come together and just try and figure out what the hell is going on in this show.

King Shark

King Shark made a return this week, and with the help of Diggle and Lyla, Flash was able to bring him down for good. Lyla, who I should mention had a formal introduction as the head of A.R.G.U.S. this episode, was not as harsh as Waller would have been.

It should also be noted that under Lyla’s leadership, we’re starting to learn some of A.R.G.U.S.’ secrets. For instance, Lyla let slip that A.R.G.U.S. had been tracking meta-humans since the particle accelerator explosion. This isn’t surprising, considering Waller created the Suicide Squad we became accustomed to in Arrow. Had the Squad lived on, we could only expect that Waller would have much preferred to have Meta’s on the team. In the comics, King Shark is a vital member of the Suicide Squad.

Aside from having super-strength and being an excellent swimmer, King Shark is villainous in nature. He has been a part of a few groups, namely the Society of Super Villains and the Suicide Squad, but King Shark usually keeps to himself. Will we seem him again? Initially, I said “No.” This time, I’m going with yes.

Caitlin

Caitlin has had arguably the strongest development this season. Since the show’s beginning, Caitlin has had a roller-coaster of emotions. And now, having been bamboozled by Zoom (more on that in a bit), Caitlin is now put into a place where she can have a huge impact later this season, and in the show.

It was also brought up again that Caitlin does not have the Meta-Human gene, and thus cannot gain any Meta powers. Does this mean she’ll never become Killer Frost in Earth 1? Honestly, I wouldn’t count that out just yet.

Breaches

They’re done. They’re closed forever. This is what we were told at the start of the episode. This may remain true for the rest of the season, but the fact of the matter remains that Barry WILL go back to Earth 2, and he WILL meet Zoom again. Now, it’s just a matter of how.

Looking at the facts, we know Barry is due to have a run in with Supergirl in the crossover event, “World’s Finest.” When Barry and co travled to Earth-2, we saw that Supergirl was indeed on another Earth. We also know there are an infinite amount of Earths. It’s entirely possible here that Team Flash develops a way to travel different Earths, but it’s not a sure bet. In this case, Barry accidentally travels to Supergirl’s Earth, which would be Earth-3 or 4…

All we really need to know is that when it comes to Team Flash, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Zoom

Well, Zoom is Hunter Zolomon disguised as Earth-2 Jay Garrick. According to Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg, Zoom was able to embed himself as a member of Team Flash from the beginning.

For Barry and the others, as much as they were stung by Wells/Thawne’s betrayal, he had been their mentor and friend and they all felt that vacuum when he was gone. Jay had been watching them and knew that so he was able to masterfully step into the role each of them needed. He became a friend and mentor to Barry. A love interest to the heartbroken Caitlin. He skillfully played them all.

In my first recap, I pointed out how odd it was seeing Jay Garrick taking pictures of Barry.

For all we know, Jay Garrick is Professor Zoom in disguise. The pictures could have been used to show Atom Smasher who The Flash was. After all, Atom Smasher did say he had been dealt a curveball when Barry appeared at his hideout, claiming, “I thought I was going to have to come looking for you.”

I have since brought up my suspicions through the last few weeks and it has all culminated to tonight’s reveal. Still, I am extremely confident that there’s more to this than meets the eye. Now, we’re going to transition into a number of theories as to how this is all possible, who the man in the mask is, and how it’s all connected. I cannot guarantee your sanity by end of this article.

First, let’s look at the facts. Hunter Zolomon is indeed Zoom. The Jay Garrick that was a part of Team Flash on Earth-1 needed the speedforce to stay alive. Zoom was after Barry’s speed as well. According to Fake-Garrick, his grandfather fought in the War of the Americas on Earth-2. The Masked Man used a POW tap code to communicate. Now, onto the theories…

Twin Theory – This theory is straight out of a telenovela. It goes a little something like this: On Earth-1, there are a set of Jay Garrick twins. One, of course, is Jay Garrick, and the other is Hunter Zolomon. These set of twins also exist on Earth-2. Bear with me, but this theory suggests that Earth-2 Hunter Zolomon is Zoom. Earth-2 Jay Garrick is currently the man in the mask. Earth-1 Jay Garrick is the one seen on the bench seen a couple of weeks back and Earth-1 Zolomon is MIA.

All of this coincides with the fact that Earth-2 Zolomon has been parading around as Earth-2 Jay Garrick to trick Team Flash on Earth-1.

Shape-Shifting Tech – Last season, we witnessed Eobard Thawne use a piece of technology on Earth-1 Harrison Wells that allowed him to steal his appearance in order to speed up the creation of the particle accelerator. Is it possible that Zolomon used this piece of tech on Earth-2 Jay Garrick in order to trick Team Flash into trusting him? In this theory, the real Jay Garrick is still the one in the mask.

Clones – A common motif in cloning stories is that the clone itself suffers from some sort of degenerative ailment. The Jay Garrick we thought we knew was dying. He needed speed to stay alive. Is it possible Zolomon cloned Jay Garrick, making the clone version of Garrick incompetent in the process? Cloning is not out of the realm of DC and in Arrow, we did see a clue to Cadmus’ existence. As a mentor, Garrick didn’t do much for Barry. He also conveniently lost his speed. Zoom rushed to phase his arm through the breach, hoping to kill either Wells or Barry, but instead killed Garrick. This was obviously not Zoom’s plan.

Rival – Still with me? Great. Rival’s alias is Edward Clariss. In the comics, Clariss was obsessed with Garrick and his speed. When he believed he recreated the formula that gave Garrick his speed, he was rejected by everyone around him. Clariss fell to a dark place and became a criminal with the help of his formula.

This formula granted Clariss speedster-like powers, but only for a time. Sound familiar?

Infinite Earths – For the simple minded, the events can be explained as so: Hunter Zolomon is on Earth-1 and has no powers. Jay Garrick is The Flash of Earth-2. Hunter Zolomon is Zoom, and Garrick of Earth-3. The Masked Man is Jay Garrick of Earth-4. Yes, it’s a bit of stretch, but so have most of the theories that have been published here.

The Masked Man

We have to wait a full three weeks before The Flash returns. I briefly mentioned this above, but I wanted to expand on it a bit more before leaving you all. If Zolomon has been parading around as Garrick in Earth-1, then he would have to earn the trust of Team Flash. One such way, aside from filling in the mentor role for Barry and love-interest for Caitlin, is to fill in backstory with details. These details can range from the important ones, such as the story he told Team Flash of when he fought Zoom just before arriving on Earth-1, to minute details like the origins of his helmet.

If you remember way back, what we presume to be Fake-Garrick mentioned that his helmet belonged to his grandfather who fought in The War of the Americas. I am convinced that The War of the Americas was a real event on Earth-2, however, I don’t think Garrick’s grandfather fought in it. In the comics, Garrick is often portrayed as an older, more experienced Flash. I believe we haven’t seen the real Jay Garrick’s face yet because it’s behind the mask. If Garrick fought in the war, then it makes total sense that the Masked Man used a POW tap code in an effort to communicate with Barry and Jesse. It also makes sense that the code was used to spell out “Jay Garrick.” When Barry reacted by telling him that he had been working with Jay Garrick all along, the Masked Man looked extremely distraught and angered. I think this is because the Masked Man was trying to tell Barry his name, and not the name of Zoom.

https://youtu.be/ZXamlee0H1I

Overall, I strongly believe we’re due to see the real Jay Garrick soon. It’s going to be fun seeing just how they explain this in the coming episodes.

Did I miss anything? Have something to add? Don’t be afraid to comment! See you in three weeks!

Catch our recaps of last week’s episodes of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Fail Safe

by jake108February 19, 2016

Note: Check our recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

It seems with every week, this show ramps up the action, special effects, drama. ‘Fail Safe’ did not disappoint. It what was touted to be the second biggest prison break for both Captain Cold and Heat Wave, we were also treated the reconciliation between Jackson and Stein which will most definitely lead to a stronger bond between the two. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Team Building in a Gulag

Palmer finally got through to Mick, even if Mick didn’t react to Palmer’s good deeds until the tail end of the episode. While this episode was a continuation of last week’s adventure, a number of steps were taken by all team members in developing as characters. Palmer, however, developed the least, but had the most impact on changing the way Heat Wave thinks regarding the rest of the team. Cold has showed he has a heart and cares for others, aside from Mick, but Mick was the last one that had limited his caring to his gun and Cold. Palmer took a couple of beatings, one for Mick, and this lead to us seeing another side of Mick we had not yet seen.

Jackson and Stein came to a mutual understanding this episode. We also saw Stein overpower Valentina and stop her from using Firestorm powers on Jackson. This was mostly surprising because we’re just coming off a couple of weeks in Earth-2 in which Cisco encountered Deathstorm in The Flash. Cisco asks about Stein, and Ronnie remarks that he hasn’t heard Stein’s voice in a long time. Turns out, all Stein really needed was some words of encouragement.

Sara Lance

Sara was asked to kill Stien, if rescuing him became impossible. Cold repeatedly tried to convince her that she did not have to rush and pull the trigger on Stien. The resolution came when Cold told Sara that she “wasn’t that person anymore.” Sara is on a path to discovering herself yet again. Throughout her life, she has been subjected to what others have been telling her in regards to her purpose. In the first part of her life, she was Laurel’s little sister, and Oliver’s secret lover. Having had the experience on Lian-Yu, she was then brought into the League of Assassin’s by Nyssa Al Ghul.

After spending years as a killer, and an assassin on the run, Sara died. Her being brought back to life via the Lazarus Pit had its setbacks, namely the bloodlust, but the resurrection was more about her physical self living again. Now, while traveling through time, Sara is resurrecting who she is on the inside and coming into her own. Doing this is allowing her to combat her bloodlust through sheer will. Time will tell if she grows ill eventually like Thea did in the last couple of weeks of Arrow.

Star City 2046

With something this big, it’s hard not to look ahead. The rubble that is Star City appears to be caused by Savage and his forces, should the Legends fail. It’s likely that the Arrow we saw at the end of the episode was either Oliver’s son, Connor Hawke, or yet another sidekick that has yet to be seen.

As we know, Oliver has one son right now, William, but William doesn’t fit the description of the Connor Hawke found in the comics.

Another thing worth pointing out is the “Smoak” building, which seems to suggest Felicity had a rewarding career in taking over Palmer tech and Queen Consolidated. It could also mean that Felicity stepped away from Team Arrow and formed her own company.

Next week is shaping up to be a fan-favorite episode. I know I’m looking forward to it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEgd6_92etw

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Code of Silence

by jake108February 18, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of The Flash and last week’s Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

Arrow continues its upswing this week with another solid episode in “Code of Silence.” The show is shaping up to have a pretty large payoff between Damien Darhk and Oliver Queen in the battle for Star City. While the show’s producers and the general public have formed a concusses that this season will be a little lighter than previous ones, I’m thinking it may be one of the darhkest. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Lance

An attempt was made on Captain Lance’s life at the start of the episode by a new team employed by Darhk himself. This Demolition Team’s sole purpose is to go around Star City, strategically place timed bombs, and trap targets inside a crumbling building. It’s a little excessive, sure, but they did give Team Arrow a run for their money and maybe a collapsed lung or two when Diggle took that sledgehammer to the chest.

After the first attempt, Lance went into hiding in Team Arrow’s lair, fearing for his life. In an effort to secure Donna’s (Felicity’s Mom) safety, he hid the truth from her and put some distance between himself and her. By the end of the episode, they had reconciled and everything was okay again once Lance told her the whole truth. And with that, Donna has taken yet another step into this dangerous world of Darhk vs. Queen.

Demolition Team

The team had a brief stint in the comics as hired villains. Nothing is really known about how the team got together or their individual histories, but one thing is for certain: Most of them were killed by OMAC’s (Cyborgs created by Brainiac that take over human bodies) during the Infinite Crisis.

In the show, it looks like they’ll be spending lots of time in Iron Heights.

Diggle and Lyla

Is it me, or has Diggle been a little mean lately? He’s probably not getting enough sleep due to baby duty, oh and because Lyla is now the head of A.R.G.U.S. With Waller’s death, Lyla has stepped up in what will most definitely be a reoccurring asset to Team Arrow and Flash.

While I am still bummed about the death of Waller, I hope Lyla is written well enough to show a different A.R.G.U.S. under her leadership.

Damien Darhk

At the start of the episode, Darhk and the committee that he sorta(?) answers to is about to begin Phase 4. What’s important to recognize here is that Merlyn has dropped by to join Darhk’s campaign. Last week, I was overjoyed at the notion of Merlyn becoming full-time villain again. Looks like we didn’t have to wait long.

After Darhk’s wife loss the debate by a landslide, the office is likely going to go to Oliver Queen. However, my first thought at the notion of a debate was that Darhk’s wife would suddenly bring up William, Oliver’s son. Looks like Darhk is playing this one close to the chest as it is revealed that he already has William in his possession. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if William is used publicly as leverage, but Darhk has the potential to be even more sinister.

As of right now, the only people that know about William are Barry, Thea, Darhk, and Merlyn. It’s easy to jump to conclusions as to who’s in the grave, but I maintain the theory I’ve had for more than a few weeks.

Who’s in the Grave?!

William seems like the likely candidate. The second most-likely candidate is William’s mom, Samantha. We don’t know exactly what happened to her when Darhk obtained William, but it probably wasn’t good. Leaving her alive would leave yet another loose end open, but Darhk has struggling to kill Lance for a couple of months now, so she might actually be fine. I think William’s identity will be revealed to the whole team. Felicity will be hurt, at first, because Oliver did so much to hide it. Felicity’s mom, Donna, will probably react the same way because of her history with Felicity’s father. However, now that she see’s the side of lying for your own protection, she may come to terms with it rather quickly as well, and love William as her own grandson.

This love, as it has been displayed numerous times this season and season’s past, has the potential to put herself in danger if it means saving the loved one. This was foreshadowed in this week’s episode when Donna was ready to head back into the building to help Oliver clear it of innocent civilians during the bomb scare. With that, I maintain that Donna sacrifices her life, possibly for William, and ends up in the grave by the end of the season. William, whether her mom is alive or not, will probably have to go under a different alias from here on out. That name will probably be Connor Hawke.

Aside from all that, Mr. Terrific developed a piece of technology that can be implanted into Felicity’s spine, enabling her to walk again. This also follows the notion that the show is afraid of making drastic changes to its main cast, meaning Team Arrow is essentially safe and won’t be in any real danger this season. We already saw this with Thea, Felicity, and the rest of Team Arrow as they were trapped in the gas chamber earlier this season. In order to figure out who’s in the grave, we’ll have to really hone in on minor characters, such as Donna and William.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxPY40aFqgc

Geekscape Recaps: “The Flash” – Escape From Earth-2

by jake108February 17, 2016

Note: Catch our recaps of last week’s episodes of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

Last night, we got the second part of a two-part event revolving around a trip to Earth-2. While this episode didn’t have nearly as many easter eggs as last week, we got unbearably close to learning Zoom’s identity. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Earth-2

After Barry was captured and put in a cell near Jesse Quick and the masked man, efforts on behalf of Wells, Iris, and Cisco began immediately. With the help of Earth-2 Barry, the gang was able to locate Killer Frost and sorta convinced her to lead them to Zoom’s lair. I say “sorta” because later on, it was revealed that Frost had intended to bring Wells and co to Zoom’s lair all along. However, she double-crossed Zoom and froze him long enough for the group to get back to Star Labs and travel across the last breach.

Before the breach was fully closed, Zoom’s arm came out, phasing through Jay Garrick’s chest and taking the body back into Earth-2. We can assume that Killer Frost eventually ran out of juice and is now dead. We can also assume that Garrick is now also dead. That leaves Wells and Jesse Quick having to start new lives on Earth 1.

As for Earth-2 Barry and Iris, they plan on joining Barry’s parents in Atlantis in an effort to hide from Zoom. While Iris is probably the most competent officer in Earth-2’s CCPD, having lost her father and surviving multiple encounters with Zoom himself, she deserves some time off. If anywhere on Earth-2 is safe, it’s probably Atlantis. This is especially true if we are to assume Atlantis is under Aquaman’s protection.

In any case, it’s unfortunate that the Justice Society of America, which would be Earth-2’s version of the Justice League, has not formed yet. And if they have, I’m sure they won’t be too happy with the death of Jay Garrick.

Velocity-9 and Jesse Quick

For a while now, we’ve been constantly getting teased with the eventual appearance of Jesse Quick. It is with great hope that we also see her father, Johnny Quick, suit up as a speedster too. In the show, obviously Johnny Quick would come in the form of Wells. I’m still holding out for a Johnny and Jesse Quick, Flash, and Kid Flash vs Zoom showdown.

Velocity-9 and the next iterations may be the key for the Quick family getting their speedster-like powers. Only time will tell.

Zoom

Now we get to the most important aspect of last night’s episode: Who is Zoom? We have multiple candidates, and quite honestly, this show has me guessing still. When it’s all said and done, I’ll look back at this season fondly having known that the creative team behind this show did a great job keeping Zoom’s identity under wraps. Let’s go through the list:

Jay Garrick was my very first suspect in trying to guess Zoom’s identity. However, I think it makes more sense if we’ve actually been watching Hunter Zolomon parading around as Garrick this whole time. Last season, The Reverse-Flash introduced the notion of a speed mirage in which a speedster was able to appear in two places at the same time. Since Zoom is undeniably faster, an advanced speed mirage could be the answer as to why Jay Garrick interacted with Team Flash even while Zoom was on the playing field.

Garrick’s supposed death could also have easily been the product of a speed mirage as well. Pretty easy to disguise after pulling the body back in through the breach.

Eddie Thawne is another suspect as to who Zoom could be. We haven’t seen Eddie alive since the season one finale in which Eddie shot himself to prevent the Reverse-Flash from ever being born. His body was then sucked up into the singularity caused by Eddie’s action. It’s important to note that the singularity was blue, like Zoom, and was then lost. Zoom’s hatred for heroes falls in line with Eddie’s frame of mind. After shooting himself, Eddie told Iris something along the lines of wanting to be a hero in her eyes. After being mentally tortured by the Reverse-Flash, his relationship with Barry grew sour, knowing that he could never match Barry’s heroism because he didn’t have powers.

Now, having obtained powers similar to Barry’s, it’s possible Eddie wants to do away with Flash for good. Zoom constant uses phrases like “Heroes die” and “I am the fastest man alive.” The latter is something Barry is known for on Earth 1 and is even referred to as such by a number of people.

Henry Allen is another suspect among fans. While I don’t think Earth-1 Henry Allen has a shot at being Zoom, I do believe Earth-2 Henry Allen should be up for consideration. We haven’t seen him in Earth-2 yet, but are lead to believe that he is currently vacationing with Barry’s mom in Atlantis.

The Masked Man

There are many guesses as to who is trapped in the cell. From the looks of the hair though, I would have to guess it’s either Eddie Thawne or the real Jay Garrick. From last night’s episode, we gathered that the prisoner spelled out the name “JAY” using a complex POW pattern system. This is interesting because none of the character’s have been affiliated with any type of war. However, Jay Garrick knowing this pattern makes the most sense.

Early on in the season, Garrick made an off-handed comment about his helmet having once belonged to his grandfather as he served in the War of the Americas. If Zolomon was posing as Garrick, it would make sense that Zolomon would drop this little tidbit in an effort to provide backstory to his own persona in an effort to get Team Flash to trust him.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – White Knights

by jake108February 11, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of this week’s episodes of The Flash, Arrow, and last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

Legends of Tomorrow continues to ramp up the action and adventure with another episode this week. Along with some great one-liners, we were also treated to the return of Chronos, an appearance by a time master, and a very charming Captain Cold. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

The episode begins with the team traveling to Washington in 1986 to steal some documents detailing the whereabouts of Vandal Savage. After a mission inside the Pentagon, the team was able to acquire said documents, which then lead them to Soviet Russia.

After ingesting translators, the team was able to go down to the USSR and go incognito long enough to steal a key card that would lead to a secret Soviet lab. In that lab, Stein found that Savage, using the USSR, was trying to create their own version of a Firestorm.

The team is eventually split up in yet another mismanaged mission spearheaded by Rip Hunter. Next week, however, we’re getting an episode in which Captain Cold and company must rescue his friend, Mick, from a impenetrable Russian Gulag. Truly, this will be the ultimate prison break.

Kendra and Sara

Early on in the episode, Kendra kinda lost her cool at the Pentagon. She went into a full berserk mode and started clawing eyes out left and right. It took Firestorm to subdue her by flying her out of the mission area. After that episode, Rip tasked Sara to try and coach her up on controlling her rage.

Their first practice didn’t go as planned and Sara’s bloodlust started to show. This spooked Sara, which caused Kendra to speak to Rip about the ordeal. Rip then suggested that his original idea was for them to help each other with their inner-demons. It makes sense, and by the end of this season, it would be nice if Sara was able to have a handle on her bloodlust enough to be able to let it out at her will, instead of it taking over entirely. While we know there is a cure for her bloodlust, something we found out last night on Arrow, I can see Sara not wanting to change anything about herself when it’s all said and done.

Chronos

The time-traveling bounty hunter was at it again this episode. Rip was able to dodge Chronos’ first attempt at capturing Rip and his team. After being shot down by Russian jets, Chronos probably crash landed in a forest not too far from where Rip made his crash landing. It can be assumed that Chronos’ ship was heavily damaged and called for aid.

The back up showed up in the from of a Time Master, who journeyed from the Vanishing Point. They offered Rip a way out, but ultimately they planned to betray him all along. This instance solidifies that the Time Masters will not listen to Rip’s reasoning and solely care about keeping the timeline intact.

Firestorm

The Firestorm drama showed up in a big way tonight. Along with coming to terms with being kidnapped and forced to embark on this mission, Jax made it evident that he was angry with Stein, which lead to numerous instances in which Jax would not take Stein’s advice. After their heavy argument, Stein confessed to Ray Palmer that he could not bear to lose another Firestorm partner.

Ronnie Raymond, the first Firestorm, died last season in The Flash when he scarified himself to close a vortex, saving Central City and the world. After that, Stein realized that it was his partners who were continually putting themsleves in harms way. In an effort to keep them safe, Stein does the only thing he knows how to do and lectures Jax before, during, and after missions. However, this time was different in that Stein was purposely mean to Jax in order to get a point across.

All of this culminated in Stein sacrificing himself to complete the mission in the USSR secret lab. Upon discovering that the Soviets planned on creating their own Firestorm, Stein risked his life scuttling the Soviet’s tools. His effort resulted in getting captured, along with Heat Wave and Ray Palmer.

Before we leave on this, it’s entirely possible we will see the Soviet’s version of Firestorm in the form of Svarozhich. Svarozhich was a character in the comics, one that fought Firestorm briefly before being absorbed by him entirely. Svarozhich was a soulless clone created by the USSR to wreak havoc on their foes. Eventually, Svarozhich would cease to exist, but his powers were used for good.

USSR 1986

Take this with a grain of salt, but one of the tie-in’s between the show and our history comes in the form of an event that actually happened in January 1986. Dubbed “Height 611 UFO Incident,” this event came in the form of UFO crash in near some mountains. Sound familiar?

That’s all for this week! Did I miss something? Don’t be afraid to comment! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – Welcome to Earth-2

by jake108February 9, 2016

Note: Check out last week’s recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

Wow. I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, but I’ll have to revise any past statement made regarding the best episode of this series because tonight’s episode is definitely the best this show has ever seen. There is so much here to unpack, and we’ll get though all of it together. I promise. Hold me…

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

We all knew Earth-2 would be arriving this week, but what we didn’t know is that we would have an introduction to the infinite earths. I joke about it a lot, and up until now, we’ve only had two earths confirmed. After tonight, it’s safe to say DC’s Infinite Earth’s has shown up in a big way. First, let’s take a look at what Garrick described as “Everything.”

Green Arrow

There’s a chance we’ll never see this version of the Green Arrow, but I doubt that. With the way DCTV is going, I’m sure we’ll see this Green Arrow someway or somehow. However, there are some important things to recognize here. First, that doesn’t look a whole like Oliver. I’ve previously written about Oliver’s son, Connor Hawke, taking up the mantle of the Green Arrow. Here, that looks to be the case.

The metallic looking arm also looks a tad bit interesting. For all we know, this could be Oliver Queen, just at a future date.

Earth _ Flash

Back in the 90’s, DC had another Flash tv show that had good run. I’ve also previously written about this show before and it tying into The Flash we know today. Up until now, the only thing linking the two shows was the Trickster.

What’s key here is the fact that in the 90’s television show, The Flash was played by the same actor playing Barry’s dad now in The Flash. Could we see his dad suit up one more time from another Earth to take on Zoom? We can dream.

Supergirl

It was recently announced that The Flash and Supergirl would have a crossover next month, leaving many to speculate just how they would connect the two shows. Well, it looks like we have our answer.

Supergirl is indeed taking place on another Earth, but is still connected to the Infinite Earths in the DC Universe. That just makes the crossover that much more exciting.

Grodd

Grodd is currently being groomed to become an extremely formidable foe in the future. Here, it looks like Grodd has come into his own, and has embraced his position in Gorilla City.

Jonah Hex

Legends of Tomorrow will be heading to the wild west at some point this season. Hex’s ‘Wanted’ poster hangs in Rip Hunter’s ship as well. Before we see any of that though, it appears we’ve been treated to a glimpse at what’s to come.

The Legion of Super Heroes

This was perhaps the biggest reveal this episode. Previous to this, there has been no mention of the Legion of Super Heroes. For those unfamiliar with them, the Legion of Super Heroes is comprised of young adults aiming to fight injustice and criminal activity on a galactic scale. Each member is given a ring that allows the wearer to fly, fly though an atmosphere, and fly in outer-space.

Currently, the only non-member that uses the ring is, of course, Booster Gold. In the comics, Rip Hunter’s father is also Booster Gold. There has been no announcement of an appearance to be made by Gold, but may be one is incoming. After all, the Legends of Tomorrow can very well visit the 30th century, which is where the Legion of Super Heroes reside.

Infinite Earths

Lastly, I wanted to point out the bubbles seen while Barry, Cisco, and Harry are traveling to Earth 2. First off, those aren’t bubbles; They’re all individual Earths.

You should also notice that each Earth is connected, meaning that everything and everyone in this universe is also connected.

Earth 2

When the gang shows up to Earth 2, they immediately notice the differences between the two Earths. Everything from people’s clothes, the cars they drive, the architecture, and even professions belonging to Earth 1 dopplegangers are wildly different. For example, Floyd Lawton, who previously died on Arrow as Deadshot, made an appearance in Earth 2 as Detective Iris West’s partner. We found this out while the criminal David Singh, who is the police captain in Earth 1, was being processed at CCPD. Another significant change was Joe West’s profession as a Jazz musician, something that suits him a little too well.

However, if there’s one thing I’m really excited about, it’s Mayor Snart. I know I have no place to ask more of this show, but I would be eternally grateful if we could see Mayor Leonard Snart standing toe-to-toe with Zoom.

Barry and Iris eventually go to their Earth 2 home, where Barry gets a good look at where his doppleganger resides. In an emotional twist, Iris informs Barry that his mother called. Barry heads to the phone and we also get a look at some of most dialed numbers in the Allen residence.

While those are indeed Leaguers, it’s impossible to say for certain that each of them live up to their alter-egos. And while we’re on that subject, did anyone notice that the Not-Justice-League mural was missing from the Earth 2 Central City Police Station?

Through Barry’s conversation with his mother, we also learned that civilian travel to Atlantis is indeed a thing. We’ve known about Atlantis for a while now because Jay Garrick already dropped that bomb a few episodes back, referencing that he has a bestie from Atlantis.

Deathstorm and Killer Frost

Ronnie Raymond returned, only not in a good way. Deathstorm, from Earth 2, aides Killer Frost in trying to find the “breacher” in Earth 2. After a couple of bouts with Barry, we quickly learn that Deathstorm is just as powerful as his Firestorm counterpart. What’s even more troubling is that we also learned the whereabouts of Martin Stein. According to Deathstorm, he hasn’t heard Stein’s voice in quite some time. This could mean that either Ronnie has learned to suppress Stein’s control entirely, or Stein died while trapped in Ronnie’s body. Either way, Earth 2 Ronnie wasn’t a nice guy.

Killer Frost was the only villain not to be killed by Zoom in Earth 2. While she did play a good villain, Frost is extremely afraid of Zoom. She eventually escaped after Zoom left with Barry. Since Zoom was quick to kill Deathstorm, it’s entirely possible Iris and Harry convince Frost to tell them the whereabouts of Zoom and his prisoners.

Reverb and Vibe

Cisco met his doppleganger in Earth 2, and had some surprising results. Aside from Reverb being able to harness more power, Cisco was able to see what he could become.

During the meeting, Reverb displayed some powers I’m sure Cisco wouldn’t mind using. Unfortunately, Reverb tried to take control from Zoom and paid the price in doing so.

Earth 2 Prison

The episode ends with Barry being trapped in Zoom’s prison. Barry wakes up to the sound of tapping on glass. This is coming from the adjacent cell next to Barry. It’s clear that whoever that is, their tapping is in morse code.

If you’re wondering what this mysterious figure is saying, I’ll save you the trouble. The tapping translates to “Zoom is – ” The messenger is of course cut of by the arrival of Zoom. However, next week, this prisoner will will have a key role in revealing more about who or what Zoom is. It’s also entirely possible that this prisoner is a speedster himself. It would make sense that any other speedsters Zoom catches would be imprisoned here for a time while Zoom drains them of the speedforce. The mask is also very peculiar. We’re just going to have to wait and see, but if I had to guess, it’s someone we know under that mask.

Earth 1

Back on Earth 1, Adam Fells, a meta-human that has the ability to cause earthquakes, demands to fight The Flash. With Barry gone, Garrick must fill the void and become The Flash on Earth 1. The only problem is, Garrick doesn’t have his speed. Garrick finally levels with Caitlin and basically confesses that he became a velocity 6 addict on his Earth. Now, this is interesting because Garrick has maintained the story that Zoom stole his speed where in fact it was velocity 6 the whole time. On top of that, the effects of velocity 6 have been slowly killing Garrick as well. This change in story is a little suspicious, considering the possibility Garrick can be Zoom.

Regardless, Garrick decides to hit the velocity serum again and fights Geomancer. The speedforce effects wear off, leaving Garrick vulnerable. Joe ends up saving him and Geomancer runs off to fight another day.

That’s all for this week! Did I miss something? Don’t be afraid to comment below! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Blood Ties

by jake108February 4, 2016

Note: Catch our recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

Another week, another Legends of Tomorrow adventure. With every episode, we’re starting to see more and more just how much potential this show has within the DC TV lore. Perhaps what’s most surprising is that we’re seeing some resolutions to to storylines that were started in each character’s respective show. Of course, I’m talking about Atom, Captain Cold, and White Canary. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

White Canary

Much like what we’re seeing in Arrow, Sara Lance is really feeling the effects from being healed by the Lazarus Pit. While some may feel this story arc is a bit recycled, I’d argue that we’re getting another side to the problem altogether. For example, Thea doesn’t want to kill to feed the bloodlust. This stance is supported by Oliver, but not by Merlyn.

Here in Legends, Sara is feeding her bloodlust, but is struggling to get it under control. This becomes concerning to Rip Hunter, who personally witnesses it. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes as Sara and Rip look for some sort of cure while traveling through time, all while Oliver and Team Arrow try to find solutions that involve Darhk.

Atom

Ray Palmer had some confidence issues this week and was aided by Martin Stein. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve kept hearing this banter between Stein and Palmer regarding Palmer’s tenure at Ivy College (I assume). While Stein always seems to come off arrogant, he does always find the right time to step in and say the right things. This was the case again, causing Palmer to realize his potential and save Kendra’s life.

Palmer’s confidence issues stemmed from losing his fiancé, something we first learned about in Arrow during Deathstroke’s terrifying siege of Starling City. It’s pretty awesome to see all these different arcs coming together in one show.

Captain Cold

Snart tried to rewrite history this week, and failed. This was a key component to loosely establish a set of rules for the timeline. In this episode, Snart stole an emerald and gave it to his father in an effort to prevent his father from ever going to prison and becoming a bad father.

What Snart learned was that time always has a way of course-correcting itself. While the timeline is indeed fragile, minimal attempts to change the timeline may end up having the same result in the long run. In Snart’s case, even though his father wasn’t arrested for trying to steal the emerald, he was eventually arrested for trying to sell it to an undercover cop. The end result remained the same: Snart’s father went to prison for five years.

Rip Hunter

One of the big reveals this episode was the fact that Hunter made an attempt at Savage’s life while he was still in Egypt. Hunter’s failure, due to hesitation, was telling of his character. Hunter personally feels guilty for not taking Savage’s life so long ago, even though it wouldn’t have made a difference. And with that, we have a more complete answer as to why he’s surrounded himself with people to help him kill Savage.

Another reveal that is gaining traction was one of the lines spoken by Hunter. In it, he claims he’s seen “Men of Steel die and Dark Knight’s fall.” This is an obvious reference to both Batman and Superman, though he doesn’t clearly state that Savage was responsible for both of their deaths. However, we’ve seen the state of the world from where Rip Hunter comes from, and it doesn’t look like there’s any Batman or Superman left defending the Earth.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading! See you all next week!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Unchained

by jake108February 3, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of The Flash, and last week’s Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow!

Well, it looks like we’re in for a roller coaster of a season. Last week, I wasn’t shy by expressing my disappointment in where the show was going and how the show’s characters were being treated. This week, however, we were treated to a pretty good episode. We had multiple appearances by prominent DC characters and yet another candidate for our “Who’s in the grave?!” segment. So let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

This episode moved steadily along. While I felt the flashback scenes were a little dull and frankly tiresome, the plot and subplots happening in the present day was welcomed with open arms. First, we’ll start with Felicity’s dad.

The Calculator

We knew it was coming. Even if you caught on right before Felicity muttered, “Dad,” the reveal was still pretty great. In the comics, Calculator is pretty evil. In his first go at being a super-villain, he would travel the country, fighting any hero he came across. Whenever he lost, he would have his suit analyze whatever hero was fighting him and would then return to engage in another fight. This time, because of his suit, he was able to win. In doing so, he was able to take down the likes of Atom, Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Elongated Man. Eventually, he was caught and was forced to serve nine life sentences. However, he didn’t stay behind bars for long.

Calculator eventually caught on to the fact that heroes were talking into an earpiece whenever they were out on the field. After investigating, he found that these heroes were talking to Oracle. This inspired Calculator to become an “Oracle” of sorts, only for super-villains instead. In this sense, he became Oracle’s greatest enemy. With his genius-level intellect, Calculator was able to recruit, hire, and even work with a variety of super-villains. This lead to a membership in The Society of Super-Villains, where he also recruited the likes of Mr. Freeze.

Calculator is very much a Gotham villain, but it’s not the first time we’ve seen a case like this on Arrow. Also in the comics, Calculator does indeed have a daughter. Wendy is a graduate of MIT. Afterward, she got a job working at Titans Tower. There, she helped rebuild Cyborg. After an attack by Wonderdog, Wendy was sent into a coma. She eventually recovered, but was paralyzed from the waist down. Currently, Wendy works under the name Proxy. In this sense, Proxy closely resembles Felicity.

Cadmus

During Calculator’s attack, the “internet nuke” was planted physically on a console. Before Roy destroyed it, we got a good look at some of the parts labeling.

It’s unclear if one of these parts was stolen from Cadmus, or if Cadmus is working with the Calculator in some way. In any case, an appearance by Cadmus is huge. In the comics and various DC storylines, Cadmus is responsible for genetic cloning, most notably Superman. Cadmus is directly responsible in creating Superboy and Golden Guardian, while also being responsible for the death of Ted Kord, aka Blue Beetle. In the Justice League cartoons, it was also revealed that Terry McGinnis, aka Batman Beyond, was also in part created by Cadmus to ensure that Batman would live on past Bruce Wayne. It’s also important to note that Amanda Waller has been involved with Cadmus in some sense. With any luck, maybe it was Waller’s clone that was killed last week. Wishful thinking, I suppose. Still, the fact that Cadmus exists in the Arrowverse is really exciting. I would expect to hear from them in the future.

Lotus

One of the subplots this episode involved Nyssa running around looking for something called the Lotus. By the end of the episode, we found out that Lotus is in fact a counter-agent to the Lazarus Pit, developed by the League’s enemies. These enemies, I presume, currently back Nyssa. After all, she informed her colleauge that should she not retrieve the Lotus, to “tell the others that the war is over.” It was also really cool to see Katana guarding what we presume to be Lotus in Japan. I honestly thought Katana was gonna go the way of Waller and get unnecessarily killed off to make room for her theatrical counterpart. Luckily, that wasn’t the case.

Nyssa claims that it can cure Thea, who is slowly dying, but only if Ollie kills Merlyn. Once again, Oliver is faced with a difficult decision. If only Sara Lance could take a break from time traveling and let Nyssa know she’s been demon free since 2015.

Mr. Terrific T-Sphere

It was awesome to see Curtis attempt to hold his own against Arsenal. In the fight, he threw his prototype T-Sphere. While it did backfire, the fact that it works to some extent is reason to be excited. Here’s to hoping he has a more stable sphere by the end of this season!

Oliver’s Son

During this episode, we heard Oliver remark on how going back and forth between Star City and Central City has been one of the many distractions causing him to lose focus on Thea. While this could just be a remark on the crossover event a few weeks ago, I took it as Oliver making reference to his trips visiting his secret son. This was a nice shout-out, and it’s one that will eventually have a large payoff.

Who’s in the Grave?!

Well, add Thea Queen to the list of candidates. Thea is slowly dying because she’s not killing anyone. This week, Oliver set up a meeting with Darhk in hopes of offering a trade to save Thea’s life. It’s hard to gauge exactly what Oliver was willing to trade. I highly doubt he would offer himself has a trade, because that didn’t really work out last time. Instead, I think Oliver was and is willing to give up in the mayoral race for Star City, thus relinquishing his control of the city as Oliver Queen to Darhk’s wife. It’s a risky trade, but one I know Oliver would take.

While Thea is in a coma, I still find it hard to believe that she’s the one in the grave. For now, I’m sticking by the theory that the person in the grave is Felicity’s mom.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – Fast Lane

by jake108February 2, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

We’re back with another week of The Flash! The last two weeks, this episode included, have been steadily building up to something big. Tonight, we finally learned exactly what that is. Let’s get started!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

Tar Pit

For the first time this season, we got an episode that starts with the particle accelerator blowing up. This week, we saw the birth of Tar Pit. Tar Pit is just as much of a menace in this show as he is in the comics, although, the same can’t be said about their origins.

In the comics, Tar Pit is a career criminal in Keystone City. After ending up in Iron Heights, Joey Monteleone decides to do some meditating to get a handle on his anger. This lead to the discovery of Joey’s mutant ability. Yes, mutant. Through meditation, Monteleone was able to astral project himself and cause havoc in Iron Heights. One day, his projection got stuck in a vat of tar, thus, Tar Pit was born.

Monteleone’s normal body went into coma while Tar Pit went forth throughout the world, continuing his criminal activity. In the show, he briefly took his comic book form, before being iced by Barry. While this episode didn’t focus too heavily on Tar Pit’s past, we do know he had a criminal history. It’s also safe to say we haven’t seen the last of him.

Harry Wells

Wow. Wells went on a pretty heavy guilt trip for most of tonight. After doing Zoom’s bidding and syphoning Barry’s Speedforce, Wells continued to show more and more that he had a heart. This was evidenced throughout the episode, and especially when Wells confessed that one day he would betray Barry. Well, after successfully syphoning Barry’s speed, and being inadvertently responsible for Iris’ hospital stay, Wells confessed to what he was up to.

At first, the team didn’t take it well. The confession lead to a solid hook to Wells’ face. However, after deliberation, the team forgave Wells and are now primed to do some awesome things next week. But before we get into that, I would like to point out that Wells’ method of obtaining the speedforce worked out perfectly. Is it possible that his methods will lead to another Velocity – 9 drug that he developed earlier this season? I would think this has to be some sort of breakthrough. In any case, I am confident we’ll see Wells in speedster form this season.

West Family

After more than a few weeks, the West family drama seems to have been resolved. Wally is in the family fold and I think we can expect to see a lot more of Wally either this season or the next.

I’m honestly not quite sure how I feel about Wally becoming a speedster. I’m fine with Garrick and the Quick family simply because they’ll eventually return to Earth 2, but it feels a little too soon for a Kid Flash. Still, seeing Barry and Wally interacting, especially with Barry saving Wally’s life for the first time, was a welcomed sight. There’s no doubt that Wally’s curiosity in the Flash will continue to build.

Next week, some of Team Flash journeys to Earth 2 in attempt to close the breaches and take the fight to Zoom. Without getting too heavy into spoilers, it’s safe to say we’ll run into some of the team’s dopplegangers in process. Check out the promo below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q4bpOhp-oQ

As always, thanks for reading! See you tomorrow!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Blood Debts

by jake108January 20, 2016

Along with a ton of other DC related releases, we are finally back from hiatus with Arrow and it feels great. Fans have been wondering whether or not Felicity would be the one in the grave just a few months from today. Other than that, we got the return of a villain and a honorable meeting with Damien Darhk. So let’s get started!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Who’s in the Grave?!

The episode opened with the graveyard. Barry and Oliver were once again seen talking. This opening hinted at Felicity being in the grave, but as we found out by the end of the episode, she is alive and…well she’s not okay, but she’s alive. Now, we’ve had months to speculate about this and now at least one key candidate is out of the running. That leaves Diggle, Laurel, Thea, Captain Lance, and Felicity’s mom. Over the last few weeks, I have been heavily leaning toward the answer being Felicity’s mom simply because I don’t think the show will kill off a major character.

In some ways, Felicity’s mom has been the catalyst to unite the Queen and Lance family again. After what seems to be a year of Lance and Oliver not playing nice with each other, Felicity’s mom shows up and things are starting to smooth over. Oliver has forgiven Lance for his transgressions and Lance is no longer standing in the way of Oliver “dropping bodies.” The status quo has been set, and will continue to be set within these next few episodes. Once Darhk takes out Felicity’s mom, be it accidental or not, the one figure holding the two families together will be taken away.

Lance may blame Oliver for it, Felicity may have trouble coming to terms with it herself. In any case, the death of Felicity’s mom will send Team Arrow into disarray, especially since the death will have struck so close to home. In all, I think Felicity’s mom is in the grave.

Oracle..or not?

Those familiar with Batman lore will know that the Oracle is the name adopted by Barbara Gordon after she is shot and left for dead by the Joker. The bullet paralyzed Gordon, but instead of giving up crime-fighting, she instead used her abilities to become more tech-savy and proved to be a major asset to Batman time and time again.

While Felicity’s fate is uncertain, we can agree that Oracle seems to be the direction the showrunners are taking us. Unfortunately, (or fortunately?), Executive Producer Wendy Mericle shot down the theory by saying,

“That’s something we definitely talked about [doing] with Felicity in the beginning…. But yeah, it will not be Oracle, sadly. People have to tune in to see what happens.”

So with Oracle off the table, will Felicity get back on her feet soon? Maybe if Ray Palmer wasn’t time traveling, he could probably lend her some nano tech…

Anarky

Anarky was back this week and was even more impressive than the last time we saw him. Previously a Batman villain, Anarky is known to be up to no good, but his desires sometimes fall in line with our heroes too.

In this case, Anarky wanted to personally kill Darhk. The temptation was too strong and Oliver cut him loose on the world hoping that Anarky would do the deed.

For me, this is probably the most desperate thing Oliver has done on the show. It was stupid and it was reckless, but regardless, Anarky was stopped before he could harm what we thought were innocent people.

Darhk Family

We got our first look at Darhk’s family in the midseason finale. Tonight, we got an even better look at them. As it turns out, Darhk’s wife is on whatever Darhk has been scheming.

What’s even more troubling is that Darhk’s wife wanted to end Team Arrow right then and there. Darhk, looking honorable for once, decided to instead declare a cease-fire, at least for a little while. I suppose it’s possible Darhk’s wife is the one pulling the strings. If that’s the case, Team Arrow is going to be in for quite a surprise.

Diggle Bros.

Diggle got some words of wisdom from his wife and decided to approach his brother a different way. Diggle had come to wits end and decided to punch his brother until his knuckles bled. After that didn’t work, Diggle decided to play the bro card and ended up playing a card game to end the night.

There’s hope yet that Diggle’s brother comes around and helps out in the long run. I can see him riding off into the sunset in an attempt to find himself at the end of this season.

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – Potential Energy

by jake108January 19, 2016

The Flash is back tonight with familiar faces and a new villain! This episode felt like it stumbled out of the hiatus, but in all, we got a solid episode with an excellent stinger. More after the jump!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

The West family drama was present in some of this episode. By the end of the episode, Wally is starting to come around and Joe isn’t trying to be an “instant-dad” anymore. Going by this, we can assume Wally will be sticking around for a bit and maybe both Joe and Iris will be a positive influence on some of Wally’s other activities.

Still, Wally will probably have some more trouble adapting into this new family dynamic. If anything, Wally will most likely butt heads with Barry once the two start communicating more. If the relationship between Patty and Barry continues to deteriorate, we can also assume most interactions with Barry will be somewhat negative.

Harry seems to be adapting to his situation in Earth 1. At the end of the midseason finale, we saw Harry agree to Zoom’s demands by helping Barry get faster only to have Zoom feast on Barry’s speed in the near future. It seems Harry has been inspired by Cisco and has now shifted his allegiance to…good? It’s hard to say, with killing Turtle and everything, but we can at least assume Harry is on board with killing Zoom in the long run.

Midway City

Midway City was briefly mentioned a couple of times this episode by Patty. It’s a city located in Michigan that plays host to various heroes and villains. Surprising, right? Midway City is most prominently inhabited by both Hawkman and Hawkgirl. There’s even an area in the city dubbed “Hawk Valley” where Hawkman likes to brood. It sounds like a place we could find our Hawkman and Hawkgirl, you know, if they weren’t traveling through time and such.

Jay Garrick

Garrick is ill, and potentially dying at an accelerated rate. A reasonably upset Caitlin Snow found this information out by secretly taking Garrick’s DNA sample. They both came to the realization that Garrick will be cured of whatever’s wrong with him should his speed come back. Of course, the only way to do that is to stop Zoom.

Wells

Yeah, so he may have killed Turtle. But as Harry said, he’d do anything to get his daughter back. Hopefully Harry has what he needs to get his speedforce formula working because it’s about time we see Johnny Quick enter the battle.

Turtle

Turtle isn’t new to the Flash universe. In fact, Turtle is Jay Garrick’s villain. Of course, there are a couple of Turtle’s in the comics, but the first and most prominent is the one belonging to the Secret Society of Super-Villains. In the comics, Turtle usually operates out of Keystone City. Like his TV counterpart, Turtle has the ability to take the speed out of objects, and especially the Flash.

Turtle’s character was created in 1945 by Gardner Fox and Martin Naydel. If the later name sounds familiar, you’re probably remembering it from a call-out in tonight’s episode. In the episode, Turtle’s lair was in the Naydel Library.

Reverse-Flash

The Reverse-Flash made his appearance in the stinger of tonight’s episode. It’s hard to say how much of an impact the Reverse-Flash will have on the ongoing events of Earth 1. The street looked eerily similar to that of Barry’s childhood home, however, I think it’s safe to assume that the Reverse-Flash has found himself in present day Earth 1. What’s better is that we finally had a Gideon sighting.

Since the last time we saw Thawne, one would assume that this Reverse-Flash is from another Earth. However, the suit Thawne is wearing looks to be the same we’re accustomed to seeing. Whether or not Thawne survived the events of last season or if this Thawne is entirely different remains to be seen.

Next week can’t come soon enough! Until then, I’ll see you right back here tomorrow night for Arrow!

You’ve Got ‘One Chance’ To Watch The Newest Trailer For ‘Legends Of Tomorrow’!

by Derek KraneveldtDecember 28, 2015

Briefly: Following that exciting-as-hell first trailer late last month, the stylish key art from a few weeks back, and the most recent character posters, the CW has just debuted a brand new trailer for next month’s Legends of Tomorrow.

When heroes alone are not enough… the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat — one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known?

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow stars Victor Garber (The Flash, Alias); Brandon Routh (Arrow, Superman Returns); Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who); Caity Lotz (Arrow); Ciarra Renee (Pippin); Franz Drameh (Edge of Tomorrow); with Dominic Purcell (The Flash, Prison Break); and Wentworth Miller (The Flash, Prison Break).

Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know how excited you are for the January 21st premiere!

https://youtu.be/OUjRiwrdUzQ

Here’s A Batch Of New Character Images For ‘Legends Of Tomorrow’!

by Derek KraneveldtDecember 16, 2015

Briefly: Following that exciting-as-hell first trailer late last month, and the stylish key art from a few weeks back, the CW has just unveiled a batch of character posters for next year’s Legends Of Tomorrow.

Take a look at the images below, rewatch the first trailer here, and let us know how excited you are for the January 21st premiere!

Source: Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Tonight, Variety, IGN, TVLine, Access Hollywood

Here’s The Key Art For The CW’s ‘Legends Of Tomorrow’!

by Derek KraneveldtDecember 4, 2015

Briefly: Following that exciting-as-hell first trailer late last month, the CW has just unveiled some official key art for next year’s Legends Of Tomorrow.

Take a look at the poster below, rewatch the first trailer here, and let us know how excited you are for the January 21st premiere!

The First Trailer For ‘DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow’ Is Here And It Brings The Hype!

by Shane O'HareNovember 23, 2015

I need this show in my life, and I didn’t even know it until now! The first trailer for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow just hit the internet, and it has this geek hyping out HARD. I’m getting pumped for something I didn’t even know I wanted! Check it out below!

https://youtu.be/c7LlmaFg0lw

Legends of Tomorrow is poised to do for for TV what Marvel did with their movies. Create a giant expansive universe where all these amazing characters can interact with. We’ve already seen The Flash and Arrow crossing over constantly, and with Constantine making that badass appearance a few weeks ago, we know the creative teams working on these properties are going to utilize the characters fantastically.

The whole shebang starts off December 1st with an Arrow X The Flash event. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow hit’s the airwaves early 2016!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – Family of Rogues

by jake108October 20, 2015

Note: Catch last week’s recap right here!

The Flash returned this week with an episode that delves into two families: The West family, and the Snart family. Obviously ‘Family of Rouges’ is in direct reference into Snart’s family, but it was interesting to see Joe in a different light this episode. We constantly see the good side of Joe, the side that acts as a moral compass for Barry. This time, it was Barry who acted as a moral compass for Joe when he needed help dealing with a mistake from his past. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Unfortunately, this episode felt like a filler episode. However, while that’s usually said in a negative connotation, I must admit that in no way was this episode bad. Despite the filler attributes, ‘Family of Rouges’ did not disappoint in giving fans things they didn’t even know they wanted.

First, how awesome was Michael Ironside? I mean, it’s hard not to like him. While everyone has their first Ironside encounters from multiple mediums, I found it to be a nice, maybe unintentional, shout out to the Splinter Cell franchise. Fans of the video game series know that Ironside voiced Sam Fisher up until the latest Splinter Cell installment. In this episode, when Barry went undercover, he introduced himself as “Sam.” Other than that, unfortunately, I couldn’t find any more easter eggs. However, should any surface after publication, I’ll be sure to update the article.

Captain Cold

Snart’s relationship seemed to be spot on. We all know Wentworth Miller’s fantastic portrayal of Captain Cold, and this week, we got an explanation of what made Snart, well, cold. In the comics, Snart’s father was just the same; abusive, drunk, and dangerous. It would seem now, a few decades later, Snart got his revenge on his father by killing him.

Later in the episode, Snart talked with Barry at Iron Heights. During the conversation, Snart alluded that he wouldn’t be locked up for long. Of course, we all know Snart will be getting out one way or another due to his Legends of Tomorrow obligation. This means either Heat Wave will break him out or Rip Hunter will request Snart to be removed from the Meta-Human wing at Iron Heights.

Firestorm

While the Stein collapse didn’t get resolved this episode, as I had hoped, the plot did advance…a little. Right before collapsing for a second time, Stein began to seize and even erupted into a blue flame. Barry and company don’t know what’s going on with him, but I suspect his body may be going through withdrawals from not fusing with Ronnie for a few months.

In any case, it’s looking like we’ll definitely find out more on Firestorm next week.

Harrison Wells

We have another Wells sighting, this time, even creepier than the last. Previously, we saw a glimpse of Earth 2 along with Earth 2 Harrison Wells. Last week, we also heard Wells referenced as the “savior of Central City” in Earth 2.

In what I regard as a foolish mistake, Jay Garrick and the scientific minds of STAR Labs decided to leave a portal to Earth 2 open. While no one was around, in comes Harrison Wells from Earth 2. Wells was dressed in plainclothes, which leads me to believe he knows exactly what he’s doing by entering Earth 1 through the portal. Does he have any relation to Earth 1 Wells? IS he Earth 1 Wells? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Crazy Zoom Theory of the Week

Alright, alright. I know two weeks ago I said Jay Garrick could be Zoom. But maybe I was wrong. Now, in the event that I’m wrong, I’d like to throw my support into another popular theory that’s going around.

As the series is advancing, Barry is sorting out who can and cannot trust. Last season, Barry was betrayed by his idol, and someone who he sometimes had more trust in than anyone else. Early on, in this season, by way of Jay Garrick and Atom Smasher, we learned that doppelgangers could exist on other Earths. Well, to me, it’s looking like Earth 2 Barry is Zoom.

Of course, there has to be some similarities between doppelgangers. These similarities could be fears, emotions, and small personality traits. If Barry would to see his doppelganger be capable of such evil, then Barry would be faced with the most difficult question yet: Can he trust himself? Like with all good things, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens!

Did I miss something? Have a crazy theory of your own? Don’t be afraid to comment! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: Arrow – ‘The Candidate’

by jake108October 15, 2015

Season four of Arrow is rolling right along with a slightly new identity and the same level of action. As I mentioned last week, we were all wondering how the humor and intensity would blend together. So far, it seems to blend well. This episode shifted away from most of Team Arrow and focused on Felicity’s dynamic with Mister Terrific. ‘The Candidate’ was also heavy on Thea’ development and we got some misdirection as to who the candidate really is. So without further ado…

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

So far, we haven’t head from Ray Palmer. Judging by the Legends of Tomorrow Promo, we know he’s still alive…somewhere. In that same promo, Palmer alludes that he was never gone, he was just really small. I assume we’ll find out eventually when Ray gets to be his normal size again.

We also had a couple of scenes with Darhk this week, one of which was with Captain Lance. Lance keeps visiting Darhk to voice his displeasure for HIVE’s tactics. It’s a discussion he always loses. Still, it’s interesting to see just how far Lance will go with Darhk out of a mixture of pride and fear.

Second, we got our Anarky origin story. His origin fell a little flat for me, but it was worked well into the story. It’s also pretty cool that despite burning alive, he was able to escape custody and leave a wrecked ambulance on foot. His resurgence will hopefully be more akin to Anarky’s typical way of doing things.

Anarky

Anarky got his start in 1989, Detective Comics #608. In the comics, Anarky had schemes where he meant well, but he was always over the line.

In his debut, he attacked the owner of a factory plant that was polluting Gotham’s water. In another scheme, Anarky stole money from large corporations and would channel it to third world countries. Schemes like these are what lead to many disagreements with Batman.

Arrow’s Anarky differs in that it seems like all he cares about is creating chaos and violence without any real intent to take on the status quo.

Mister Terrific

We first got word that Mister Terrific would be making an appearance this season back at Comic-Con. His introduction this episode went smoothly and he’s a great fit to be working alongside Felicity. In the comics, Mister Terrific is known to have genius-level intellect and specialize in chemistry, psychology, and science. Terrific even served as chairman of JSA at one point.

While I don’t suspect we’ll see Holt in costume anytime soon, his induction to Team Arrow will happen at some point this season, even if he doesn’t know it.

Lazarus Pit

It looks like we’re going back to Nanda Parbat next week in an effort to find out more about Thea’s condition and, by Laurel’s request, dump Sara into the Lazarus Pit as well. It’s week two and we’re already seeing what the pit can do to a person.

Thea is starting to lose control and she’s she’s realizing it. While going to Merlyn for help may not be the best option, Thea and Laurel believe it’s their only option. Besides, I doubt Laurel can keep their trip from Oliver for long. I suspect he’ll be there for Sara’s resurrection Keep in mind that every episode is just one closer to adding Constantine in the mix. Will we see him at Nanda Parbat?

That’s all for this week! Think I missed something? Don’t be afraid to comment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAj9b190vbw

Geekscape Recaps: The Flash – ‘Flash of Two Worlds’

by jake108October 14, 2015

Barry Allen is back again, and this time, with friends! We all knew Garrick was coming, and we finally got to see him in action. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

At the start of this second episode, viewers were schooled on the relationship between Earth 1 and Earth 2. Avid comic readers will have extensive knowledge on the differences and similarities that exist between the two Earths, and more, but I felt we got a pretty good introduction to the multiverse for non-comic readers. Along with the mutiverse, we also got introductions to Patty Spivot, a young officer who eventually convinces Joe West to be on the meta-human task force, and Iris’ mother. It’s strange Iris’ mother would come around now after all these years, but we’ll probably get a dose of family drama for at least a few weeks. Furthermore, we also got some more clarity around Zoom and what his intentions are. According to Garrick, Zoom is an evil speedster who won’t stop until he’s the only speedster existing in the multiverse.

In Garrick’s flashback, Zoom had Garrick beat and was about to kill him when the singularity opened up and pulled Jay in. Zoom, however, made no attempt to cross into the singularity which tells us either he has his own way to travel inter-dimensionally, or he eventually found his own way after the singularity event. In this episode, we also found out there are a total of 52 “breaches” around Central City. I suspect one or more of these episodes will deal with these breaches. However, we must remember the largest breach in Central City happens to be at STAR Labs. After that reveal, Professor Stein collapsed, which is what episode 3 will probably open on. Overall, this episode treated the fans while building on new reveals. Now, let’s hit on a few things you may have missed.

Swamp Thing

Yes, that Swamp Thing. In the greenhouse Sand Demon was using as a hideout, Cisco was able to use his vibe-powers to peer inside. While there, he got a look at a name that would eventually lead him to pinpoint Sand Demon’s location. The name? Woodrue, as in Jason Woodrue.

While Woodrue isn’t necessarily the Swamp Thing, he has played both savior and adversary of Alec Holland, aka the Swamp Thing. Woodrue’s known aliases are Plant Master, Seeder, Floro, and Floronic Man. He uses his plant powers for good and evil and has also been in the Secret Society of Super-Villains. It’s also worthy to note that during his time as Plant Master, he often played villain against the Atom, who already exists in this universe.

Vibe

Over the last two episodes, we’ve seen Vibe get more of a hold on his powers. According to Cisco, the “vibes” went away after the singularity event, but resurfaced six months later when Flash battled Atom Smasher. In this episode, Cisco was able to go back to his lab and use his power intentionally by touching some of Sand Demon’s evidence.

It would seem he’s on a path to control and would be a great asset to the Flash team. For right now, Stein is the only present person that knows of Cisco’s powers. This is due to Cisco’s belief that his powers were gifted to him with evil intentions by Wells before the end of season one. I’m not sure how I feel about a costume for Cisco, but some Vibe glasses would be pretty cool every now and then.

Blackgate Penitentiary

Blackgate was mentioned in last night’s episode sort of offhandedly when Detective West was interrogating Sand Demon’s doppelgänger. Blackgate isn’t in Central City, or even Star City. Blackgate is located on a small island in Gotham Bay, Gotham. This marks the second reference to Gotham in The Flash, with the first reference being tucked away in the newspaper from the year 2024.

Zoom and Jay Garrick

Last night, we got our first good look at Zoom, both in action and as still as he could have been. Before seeing him, all we knew was that Zoom was to be voiced by Tony Todd. Last week, we were told Zoom was behind Atom Smasher’s attempt at Barry’s life. This week, we actually saw Zoom give Sand Demon the same assignment. It would appear as if Zoom offered Sand Demon the same reward for killing Flash, which was a ticket home back to Earth 2. Whether or not Zoom is prepared to make good on that promise is undetermined. It is strange that Zoom doesn’t just come after the Flash himself. Could it be he’s suffering from a bit of power drainage too? Garrick completely lost his while other meta-humans are able to retain their powers.

The loss of speed, and connection to the speedforce, has happened quite a few times in comics. However, Garrick’s situation brought up one particular arc that began in Flash Vol. 2 #165 in which Wally West, who was Flash at the time, loses his connection to the speedforce entirely when he crossed over into a parallel dimension. We’ll just have to wait and see if Garrick can re-establish his connection to the speedforce somewhere down the line.

Earth 2

In both Jay Garrick’s flashback and the stinger at the end of the episode, we were able to get a good look at what Earth 2 looks like. The art style, clothes, and architecture are noticeably different. It would also seem that their technology is a bit behind ours, even though we’re both in the year 2015.

The tour guide inside STAR Labs stated that the company was created in 1991 by the “savior” of Central City, Harrison Wells. It’s hard to trust Wells’ smirk at the end of the episode and almost seems to suggest that this is the same Wells that left last season. As to how he saved Central City is a mystery. It’s possible that Wells is the one who closed the singularity on Earth 2’s end while Firestorm and Flash were responsible for closing it on Earth 1.

Who knows, maybe this Wells isn’t all bad. In fact, it would be awesome to see Wells and Barry working together again. In any case, we’ll have to wait and see.

Did I miss anything? Confused about something? Don’t be afraid to comment! See you next week and thanks for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9CE18UvvsU

Geekscape Recaps: Arrow – ‘Green Arrow’

by jake108October 7, 2015

Note: Catch our recap of The Flash Season 2 premiere!

After a wild Comic-Con appearance, the Green Arrow was on full display in Arrow’s season four premiere. Along with the new suit, we got a formal introduction as to who Damien Darhk is. So let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Over the offseason, fans were repeatedly told we’d be getting a lot more humor and that the Arrow would be more like the Green Arrow from the comics. Well, this happy-go-lucky Oliver Queen made his debut within the first few minutes of the premiere and stuck around for the remainder of the episode. Though, the transition from a more docile life to being back in the thick of danger seemed fairly easy after Felicity confessed to missing everything that made her cry last season.

This episode also had a lot of characters putting blame on Oliver for everything bad that has ever happened to Star City, formally Starling City. However, it would seem that Lance is the main reason why everything bad is happening to Star City this season. Still, as we all know, Lance is pretty hotheaded when it comes to making decisions for the good of the city. It’s quite possible he was fooled into making a deal with the devil.

As this season goes on, we can expect Oliver trying to adjust to a Diggle-led team while constantly looking out for his sister, Speedy. Lance’s betrayal will also be played out which will ultimately lead to Lance being okay with Oliver dressing up as the Green Arrow. Now, let’s get to the most important notes for this episode.

Damien Darhk

Darhk gave us a couple of surprises in the season premiere. First, the partnership with Lance is looking more one-sided than Lance initially thought. Second, and more importantly, Darhk displayed his mythical powers.

Oliver made a point in saying Darhk’s powers weren’t akin to meta-humans, like we see in The Flash, but was more akin to sorcery. We saw at least three “powers” Dahrk has, which looked to be the ability to suck the life out of people, telekinesis, and super-strength. We also got a glimpse as to how Darhk might maintain his powers:

Darhk’s mysticism will most definitely tie into Oliver’s flashbacks in one way or another this season, which is interesting considering Oliver is back on Lian Yu. However, I doubt he stays on Lian Yu for long. Although we do know he ends up back on the island for a considerable amount of time until he is rescued, as seen in the first episode of the series.

Constantine

Back in August, we got word that Constantine would be making his way to Star City. But what if that’s not the only location Constantine visits this season? If Oliver has encountered mysticism before coming back to Starling City in season one, it could mean we’ll be seeing Constantine in Oliver’s flashbacks as well.

This makes the flashbacks this season more exciting, considering the possibility we’ll be seeing Slade as well.

Speedy

When Thea was resurrected using the Lazarus Pit last season, one of the warnings was that Thea’s soul would be lost in the process. We saw that Thea was overly aggressive when beating one of Darhk’s men this episode. It was enough to spook Oliver into asking Diggle if he had noticed Thea’s increased aggression. This may also play into Constantine coming back.

Hal Jordan

Those who paid close attention to one of Oliver’s flashbacks this episode will have noticed Hal Jordan standing in a bar where Oliver was meeting Amanda Waller.

This flashback is placed at around five years ago in show time. Six months ago, in show time, we saw The Flash visit an abandoned Ferris Air in an attempt to fly Flash’s villains to Lian Yu in the episode Rouge Air. All this evidence seems to suggest that the Green Lantern is around and exists in this universe!

Tombstone

This will certainly be the topic to much discussion for much of the season. While it’s easy to suggest Felicity may be the victim, it would be silly to settle on that theory. That tombstone can belong to anyone. What we definitely know is that someone close to Oliver will die six months from now, in show time.

The death had such an impact that even Barry came out to give his condolences. What was also important here is that Oliver knew of Zoom, The Flash‘s big baddie this season. It would also seem that business with their respective villains, Zoom and Darhk, is also unresolved, meaning the death will take place during the season, rather than at the very end.

That’s all for this week! Questions? Don’t be afraid to comment! Thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: The Flash – ‘The Man Who Saved Central City’

by jake108October 6, 2015

It’s been a long summer without The Flash, but it’s back now, and it got off to a great start. Season one of The Flash steadily built mystery and intrigue that lead to the creation of a singularity, which seemed to be impossible to stop. After watching the episode tonight, I can safely say the excitement around season one’s finale definitely carried over.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

The first episode of the second season takes place six months after the singularity event. Since then, a few things have changed. For one, Barry has since worked by himself after feeling responsible for Ronnie’s death. Before we go deeper into this, it’s important to note that the death of Ronnie is not the death of Firestorm. Firestorm, as we all know, will appear in the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow series. Still, Ronnie’s death has had a considerable impact. The singularity experience prompted a dream sequence that opened the episode with all of Barry’s friends around him, and ultimately vanishing.

Through the episode, the group copes with Ronnie’s death and Barry eventually lets everyone back in to STAR Labs, which belongs to him now. The ownership of STAR Labs was left to Barry in the form of a living will. The message was delivered via Harrison Wells’ lawyer, who handed Barry a USB drive containing a video message. The video message also contained Wells’ confession of Nora Allen’s murder, which lead to Barry’s dad, Henry, being released.

Henry Allen

Having just been released from prison after fourteen years, it’s understandable if Henry has a hard time adjusting to normal life again. Henry tries, I guess, for approximately one evening before telling Barry he has to leave the city.

It’s a little strange, and frankly, a little lazy if Henry has to disappear from the show just because he has to readjust for a time. It almost felt like a cop out. Almost. If there’s one constant about The Flash, it’s to never take things at face value. It’s quite possible Henry has an agenda that requires his presence elsewhere. Before leaving, he did tell Barry that he would be back if he ever needed him. With Zoom coming, that time may be soon.

Atom Smasher

Our first Meta-Human encounter became Atom Smasher. This was an interesting choice for our first villain of season two, mostly because of Atom Smasher’s history. In the comics, Atom Smasher is of Earth 2 origin and often finds himself hanging around JLA members. That’s right; for those of you non-comic readers, Atom Smasher’s allegiance is with the good guys. So why was he a villain in this Flash universe?

We know one of the first crimes Atom Smasher committed was killing, well, himself – or a version of himself. It’s quite possible that the villain Atom Smasher is not of this current Flash universe and is instead from another universe where his intentions aren’t so good.

We also know Zoom, the big baddie for this season, is the one who presumably brought him to this universe and most definitely promised to take him home. Having Atom Smasher kill his counterpart of his universe could have been Zoom’s sick way of having Smasher prove himself. Whatever the case may be, it’s confirmed Zoom is here and is putting out hits on Barry.

Jay Garrick

Well, that didn’t take long. We got our first glimpse of Jay Garrick early in the episode snapping some pics of Barry at a crime scene. It’s easy to guess as to why Garrick was following Barry around, but why the pics? We see that Garrick was able to walk right into STAR Labs at the end of the episode, but it was just him. Also, if Garrick had been following Barry around, he would have presumably been at the Flash Day event. Why not help him out then?

Back in the season one finale, we’ve seen evidence that a portal to different universes had been created and may have been open long enough for things to pass through. We’ve even peered into this multiverse when Barry was running around the particle accelerator. In that same episode, we saw Garrick’s helmet fly out of the portal when Barry was gone. Snapping the pics leads me to believe Garrick isn’t alone and, for right now, puts him in an untrustworthy light. Maybe Garrick has no idea what’s going on in this current universe and is researching everything about The Flash, or maybe not. For all we know, Jay Garrick is Professor Zoom in disguise. The pictures could have been used to show Atom Smasher who The Flash was. After all, Atom Smasher did say he had been dealt a curveball when Barry appeared at his hideout, claiming, “I thought I was going to have to come looking for you.”

Assorted Musings

Flash Signal

“I think I saw it in a comic book somewhere.”

White Emblem

This development is interesting. Over the summer, my friend and I were debating on whether the emblem change would come naturally or because the future would influence the change. Tonight, we got our answer. It’ll be interesting to see what else the group, especially Barry, takes into account having the extra knowledge.

Questions? Comments? Fire away! As always, thanks for reading!

Voice of Professor Zoom Cast in ‘The Flash’ Season 2!

by jake108August 31, 2015

Here’s an interesting bit of news:

Tony Todd, of Candyman fame, has been cast as the voice for Professor Zoom in The Flash‘s second season. Showrunners have also confirmed that Zoom will in fact show up in the second episode of the season, Flash of Two Worlds. It would also appear as if Todd’s voice will be used for the remainder of the season, regardless of who is cast as Zoom for later episodes of the season.

For those avid DC fans out there, Todd’s name should sound familiar as he has lent his voicing talents to both Young Justice and Batman The Brave and the Bold. Since there’s no casting to represent Zoom in his physical form, we can expect that his face be obscured in some way.

Let the speculation begin!