Tag: Green Arrow

Extended Preview For ‘Arrow’ Episode 01×11 “Trust But Verify”

by Shawn Madden

New week Ben Browder (Farscape) comes to The CW’s Arrow as DC Comics character Ted Gaynor. The episode will see Oliver out to take down a member of the Blackhawk Squadron, but this particular target has ties to someone very close to Oliver. Will Oliver stand by his decision or will we see him go head to head with Diggle? We’ll find out next Wednesday!

 

 

TOMMY AND MALCOLM HAVE A HEART-TO-HEART TALK AND OLIVER AND DIGGLE ARE AT ODDS WITH EACH OTHER — The next person on Arrow’s (Stephen Amell) list is Diggle’s (David Ramsey) commanding officer and mentor from Afghanistan, Ted Gaynor (guest star Ben Browder). Oliver suspects Ted is responsible for recent armoured truck robberies, but Diggle defends Ted and takes a job at Ted’s security company to keep an eye on him. Oliver decides to make a move on Ted, which puts him at odds with Diggle. Meanwhile, Thea (Willa Holland) suspects that Moira (Susanna Thompson) is having an affair with Malcolm (guest star John Barrowman). Tommy (Colin Donnell) and Laurel (Katie Cassidy) have an awkward dinner with Malcolm. Nick Copus directed the episode written by Gabrielle Stanton (#111).

‘Arrow’ Returns January 16th, Check Out A New Poster!

by Derek Kraneveldt

We’re just a few days away from the anticipated return of The CW’s Arrow (along with our weekly column, The Mark), and the network has just treated us to a sexy new poster.

 

Everyone digs scars right? They fall front and center on Stephen Amell’s ripped, ripped chest in the shows latest advertisement.

 

Are you currently watching Arrow? Does Amell’s body make as many appearances as you’d like it to? How is the rest of the show? Again, Arrow returns on Wednesday, January 16th at 8pm.

 

ArrowReturns

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be – flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle – while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel’s father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver’s own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on – and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.

New ‘Arrow’ Stills From “Burned” Give A First Look At Firefly

by Shawn Madden

This are going to be heating up when Arrow returns on January 16th. “Burned”, the first episode of Arrow  in 2013, will see Oliver Queen go head to head against DC Comics villain Firefly (played by Andrew Dunbar). This version of Firefly is a former firefighter who becomes embittered after being injured in the line of duty.  Check out some stills below giving a first look at Dunbar as Garfield Lynns aka Firefly.

Arrow returns to The CW on January 16th!

Source: Examiner

The Mark: The Four Essential Green Arrow Storylines

by Shawn Madden

Arrow won’t be back until mid-January, which means you have plenty of time for some good ol’ fashioned comic reading. So, we’re going to share the four essential Green Arrow comic book story lines to hold you over until Oliver Queen returns to your small screen.

4. Quiver

Quiver from writer Kevin Smith and artist Phil Hester tells the tale of the return of the original Green Arrow after being thought dead for a number of years. Many want to know just how he survived the plane crash thought to have killed him and just where he has been. Quite possibly one of the most convincing resurrection stories for a superhero.

3. Hard Travelling Heroes Vol. 2

Hard Travelling Heroes Vol.2 by writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams, the team-up between Green Lantern and Green Arrow, also includes one of the most well known of Oliver Queen’s stories “Snowbirds Don’t Fly”. In this we see Roy Harper aka as Speedy, Green Arrow’s sidekick, become a junkie. While the story is somewhat of a cheese filled 70’s tale it definitely did tackle an issue not commonly touched in comics. What made these stories stand out was that rather than focus on action they dealt more with character, something uncommon with the comics of this era.

2. The Longbow Hunters

One of Oliver Queen’s more interesting stories, The Longbow Hunters by writer and artist Mike Grell, sees Oliver and girlfriend Black Canary move to Seattle. The series established Green Arrow as more of a vigilante than a superhero and was pretty damn violent. Grell really downplays the superhero aspect quite a bit and sees Oliver Queen realizing that in some ways he’s lost his way and moving away from his trick arrow and back to the longbow and arrows. Definitely one of the defining story lines for the character.

1. Year One

Arrow takes quite a bit from Year One by writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock. This story told an updated and thrilling re-imagining of Oliver Queen’s beginnings as Green Arrow that kept the essence of the original while updating it very strongly. If you’re a fan of Arrow, this is probably at the top of your “must read” list. Actually, even if you’re not a fan of the show you should read this one.

New ‘Arrow’ Promo For “Burned” Teases First Look At Firefly

by Shawn Madden

The CW’s Arrow will return on January 16th and things are about to “heat up” in Starling City. In this episode we will see  Oliver Queen taking on Garfield Lynn aka Firefly and learn even more about “the list” and just who is really behind it. If you missed it, check out our look at the mid-season finale with The Mark.

The Mark: ‘Arrow’ Season 01 Episode 09 “Year’s End’

by Shawn Madden

This week “marked” the mid-season finale of The CW’s Arrow, don’t worry it will only be off the air for a month, and we saw quite arguably the most interesting episode of the series yet. Oliver Queen finds himself confronted by a Dark Archer taking some quite deadly measures to get the attention of the character while The Queens hold a Christmas party and we see Moira try to push Walter off his investigation into “the list”.

This is a return to form for the series after a few not-so-great episodes. We get a return to the flashbacks that were missing over the past two episodes and learn more about what really happened on the island. Oh, and does that included more Deathstroke? Oh yes, indeed it does. Did you the Yao Fei versus Deathstroke fight leave you wanting more? Well, you’re getting it! The episode has plenty of action to keep you  happy after the last few episodes seemed to really lack in that department.

“Year’s End” brought about some interesting new questions and contained plenty of fantastic action sequences that helped make this one of the best episodes of the series. The implication that the Dark Archer may actually be a family tradition is a pretty interesting reveal. And while it wasn’t a major surprise who was behind that mask, it was still a great reveal learning the true identity of the “Dark Archer”. Well, mostly because of the last name that has implied this character since the first episode. As well as the revelation that there may indeed be someone worse out there that is the true mastermind behind this all. Maxwell Lord? One could only hope!

Minus a few stumbles here and there, the series continues putting together an exciting and intelligent re-imagining of our favorite DC characters. Definitely looking forward to what the rest of the season brings, especially after the reveal that Roy Harper would be joining the cast of the series. “The Mark” will be back in January!

The easter eggs and comic references you may have missed:

– “To see who’s the better archer.”: In the comics Merlyn challenges Green Arrow to a public archery contest and defeats him. Later on Green Arrow and Merlyn meet again and at the end of the confrontation Merlyn tells Green Arrow that he’s become “the better archer.”

– The dinner conversation discussing giving “The Hood” a better name. Not quite an easter egg nor comic reference, but definitely a nod to Christopher Nolan’s Bat-films. There was a quite similar scene involving Bruce Wayne and “the vigilante” featured. The scene where he calls Diggle after being injured is also quite similar to a scene seen in Batman Begins.

‘Spartacus’ Star Manu Bennett Cast As Deathstroke In The CW’s ‘Arrow’

by Shawn Madden

We’ve seen him in flashbacks to the island but now Deathstroke is coming to Starling City in The CW’s Arrow! In the flashbacks Deathstroke was played by stuntman Jeffrey C. Robinson but we’ve now learned that Spartacus fan favorite Manu Bennett has been cast as the popular DC assassin. He has yet to remove the mask but we will see that change when the character returns in episode 9.

Bennett, best known as Crixus on Spartacus and who will also be appearing in The Hobbit: An Expected Journey, has signed on to appear in multiple episodes. Can we expect him to become one of Oliver’s recurring enemies? One can only hope.

Source: EW

The Mark: ‘Arrow’ Season 01 Episode 07 “Muse Of Fire”

by Shawn Madden

Did you miss last night’s episode of Arrow? Well, you shouldn’t have. This episode “marked” the start (Bad pun…I know) of the second real story arc and was definitely was one of the more significant episodes of the series. In the episode we saw a change from the typical formula of hunting down a name off the list in order to introduce new characters into the series and it’s ever thickening plot.

The plot was fairly simple for the episode but was full of some big revelations. We’re introduced to Frank Bertinelli and his daughter Helena, who will go on to become The Huntress. In the start of the episode we see Helena (in disguise) take a shot at one of her father’s lieutenants, who conviniently happens to be meeting with Moira Queen at the time. Ollive goes on to learn that several of Bertinelli’s gang have been killed, and while investigating, ends up on a date with Helena when Frank Bertinelli is called away to deal with other business. The other business? Meeting with the Chinese triad including China White. Oh, what a tangled web Arrow is weaving.

The episode had plenty of action and plenty of twists and turns to get us back to the pace that seemed to slow during the last episode. We’re also given one of the biggest surprises when we learn who John Barrowman’s character actually is. No, it’s not Maxwell Lord but let’s just say his last name is going to prove him to be one of Oliver’s greatest enemies or the reason that someone else becomes that enemy. Not a big enough hint for you? Well, take a look at the image below and you may piece it together because I’m not giving it away. So many events with serious repercussions were packed into this episode that definitely set Arrow up for some intriguing episodes to come. With the season finale quickly approaching, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us.

The comic references and easter eggs you might have missed:

– Michael Staton: Helena’s dead fiance shares a last name with Joe Stanton. Stanton helped create both the original and rebooted versions of the Huntress.

– Tahmoh Penikett as Nick Salvati: Not exactly an easter egg, but Salvati was played by Tahmoh Penikett. Penikett has appeared twice on Smallville and will also be appearing in Man Of Steel. He will play Henry Ackerdson, an alias once used by the villain Metallo.

The Mark: ‘Arrow’ Season 01 Episode 06 “Legacies”

by Shawn Madden

This week’s episode of Arrow may not have been the strongest of the series but it wasn’t horrible. The episode showed us what passed for quieter times in Oliver’s life and allowed the show to focus a bit more on some of the supporting characters.

The central focus of the episode centered around Oliver expanding his mission out to help anyone who needs his help, and not just solely focus on his list of targets. We’re introduced to the series incarnation of The Royal Flush Gang, this time around a group of bank robbers rather than cyborgs. Really…you were expecting the cyborgs? This change in Oliver’s mission statement came through the influence of Diggle, who continues to be endlessly useful in his role as Ollie’s partner. On the side we saw the romance sub-plot between Tommy Merlyn and Laurel Lance but it really wasn’t that interesting. Come on, we all want to see Ollie and Laurel together.

The main problem with this episode was that the villains really lacked any development.  The encounter between Olliver and the father in the bar was well done, but other than that the rest of the gang wasn’t really fleshed out much. The whole concept of a working class family just suddenly into becoming professional bank robbers just came off a bit weird. Overall the episode just felt like a filler episode but it did broaden Oliver’s range from just the list to every criminal which is very important. John Barrowman aka “The well dressed man” was nowhere to be seen this time around but hopefully he’s back next week so we can get one step closer to finding out just who the hell he is. Here’s to hoping that next week gets us back on track with the great start the series had.

The comic references and easter eggs you might have missed:

 stepping up as a hero rather than a ma

– A lost donor to Laurels legal aid foundation named Stagg: Simon Stagg is a fictional DC Comics businessman. Stagg is the unscrupulous owner and CEO of Stagg Enterprises and the father of Sapphire Stagg.

– The Royal Flush Gang holding up a bank in Keystone City: Keystone City is a fictional city in the DC Comics Universe. Specifically, it is the home of both the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and the third Flash, Wally West.

– Coast City: Coast City, was a city located in California. This made it one of the few fictional cities in the DC Universe to have a specifically given location from the start. The city is primarily the home to Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern.

Count Vertigo Is The Next DC Villain Coming To The CW’s ‘Arrow’

by Shawn Madden

It has been revealed that DC Comics villain Count Vertigo is set to make his small screen debut in Arrow early next year. This incarnation of the character is set to be very different than the comic book version of the character. Sources are indicating that the CW series will be giving him both a new name and appearance. In the episode we will see “the deadly new drug that becomes all the rage in Starling City in the Big Bad’s introductory episode will be called Vertigo!”

However, while they are making changes it is thought that his powers will remain intact. The character is being described as “truly scary and nightmarish,” and is “Oliver’s deadliest adversary to date.” Now the big question is…who is going to be playing the character?

Source: TV Line

Geekscape Comics: New Creative Team Taking Over On ‘Green Arrow’! DC Announces Two New Titles!

by Shawn Madden

Earlier today DC announced that starting with issue #17 Green Arrow will be getting a new creative team. Jeff Lemire (Animal Man) and Andrea Sorrentino (I, Vampire) will be taking over on the title.

DC also revealed today that they will be launching two new titles very soon. The first title will be Vibe (yes, really) from Andrew Kreisberg (the writer behind Fringe and Arrow) and artist Pete Woods (X-Men: Deadly Genesis). The second new series will be Katana from Ann Nocenti (Green Arrow) and Alex Sanchez (30 Days of Night: Spreading The Disease). I’m definitely interested in Lemire on Green Arrow. The others? Not so much.

Source: MTV Geek

 

The Mark: ‘Arrow’ Season 01 Episode 04 “An Innocent Man”

by Shawn Madden

We pick up this week’s episode where we left off. Oliver has revealed the truth about how he spends his nights to Diggle and it’s not very welcomed knowledge. So, how was the fourth episode of Arrow? Is the show still “hitting the mark”? I can definitely say that it is. This series is becoming more interesting with each episode and this week the character development definitely went up a notch.

The main plot focuses on Peter Declan, whom the episode is named after, a man on death row convicted of killing his wife in his daughter’s bedroom. His execution is imminent. And just like in reality, executions these days get a lot of press. While watching television Oliver Queen hears that Peter’s wife Camille worked for a certain Jason Brodeur. Why is that significant? Well, Mr. Brodeur’s name is on the list of course.

But there’s plenty of sub-plots as well in this episode as well that’s really giving it that comic book feel. They do an excellent job this episode jumping between the numerous sub-plots without getting us lost or confused. This episode was quite possibly the best for the series. We saw it develop the romance sub-plot, develop some of the supporting characters, contain plenty of action as well as ending with one hell of a cliffhanger. We also got some of the best flashbacks to the island as we learned even more about what really happened on that island. Or do we have no idea at all yet? Guess we’re going to have wait until next week to find out.

Something I particularly enjoyed about “An Innocent Man” is that the episode had a feeling of the 1970’s Green Arrow where his stories often centered on social issues instead of supervillains. In this era we saw Oliver Queen fighting crime to aid the people who needed it. He would come to the aid of the poor, the disenfranchised, and ethnic minorities. I’m glad that the team behind this show is really looking to bring in elements from each era of Oliver Queen.

Another thing that I am glad is that we weren’t given another DC villain in this episode. Rather than over saturate us and constantly remind us that this is a DC Comics show we are allowed to focus on the central and core plot of the series, the list. This “case of the week” format fits just right for this episode and offers up plenty of plot twists along the way.

With the introduction, and no we still don’t know who he is, John Barrowman’s character (we’re all hoping it’s Maxwell Lord) as well as promo at the end showing Deathstroke…we should definitely expect next week to kick things up a notch.

The comic book references &  easter eggs that you may have missed:

– “The 10:15 to Blüdhaven.”: Blüdhaven is a fictional city that served as a backdrop for the first Nightwing series. The city is both south of and located close to or adjacent to Gotham City, home to Batman.

– Iron Heights: Iron Heights Penitentiary is a maximum-security prison which houses the many Flash rogues and superhuman criminals of Keystone City and Central City when captured. Iron Heights first appeared in Flash: Iron Heights (2001).

 

Stephen Amell Wears A Shirt In A New ‘Arrow’ Poster!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Sweeps period is upon us (Neilson ratings lingo), and networks are beginning to ramp up promos for their upcoming episodes!

The CW today released a new poster for their hugely popular Arrow, and surprisingly enough, this one features star Stephen Amell in a shirt. You’d think that would be detrimental to ratings!

In any case, check out the poster below! Shawn has also started a great weekly Arrow column with The Mark, where he tells you about each weekly episode, and let you know of any easter eggs you may have missed!

Mark (haha) your calendars! You can watch Arrow at 8PM, Wednesdays on The CW.

The Mark: A Weekly Look At ‘Arrow’

by Shawn Madden

The third episode of Arrow lets off another shot and it continues down the path that this show has been on. The show has been getting progressively better with each episode with the action seeming to get stepped up a notch and the character development becoming more interesting.  In “Lone Gunmen”,  we see Oliver Queen finding himself tasked with taking down a deadly assassin known as Deadshot (played excellently by Michael Rowe), while dealing with personal crises unresolved from his time on the island.

This week’s episode brings in yet another popular DC character very smoothly and in a fashion that is acceptable to both fans as well as the general audience. I’m not quite sure if it’s the stars or the tone of the drama with this series, but with only three episodes down that are full of rich plot developments as well as perfect amounts of action, this show is becoming one of our favorites (well, some of us) of the new season.

The performances in this episode were the strongest of the three, especially for star Stephen Arnell. And while he only had a few lines (keep in mind that Deadshot doesn’t really say much in the comics) I think Michael Rowe’s performance as Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, was fantastic and I would hope for more of it. Well, that is if he survived that final showdown… We’re hoping he did and comes back with a vengeance. Or is that too comic cliché? Overall, the action and the performances in this episode were the best of the three so far.

One thing I feel I have to comment on, while I loved Nolan’s Bat-films, is that Arrow is doing a much better job of the detective angle. I’m really impressed by how much detail they are paying to this and I did feel it was one thing that the Bat-films lacked.

The episode ended with plenty of cliffhangers and questions that left you wanting more, including a pretty big revelation for one of the main characters.

And of course, there are the comic book references &  easter eggs that you may have missed:

– The “New 52” reference: Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot is staying in room 52 at the hotel.

– Black Canary foreshadowing: In the club scene we are introduced to Dinah Lance being proficient in hand to hand combat which could foreshadow the chance of seeing her become her DC Comics alter-ego, Black Canary.

– Felicity Smoak: This character isn’t actually a Green Arrow character. Felicity Smoak is a character who was introduced in Firestorm during the 80’s. The character was the manager of a computer software firm in New York City.

Did we miss anything this week? Let us know! And check back next week when we take a look at the next episode: “An Innocent Man”.

The CW Orders Full Season Of ‘Arrow’

by Shawn Madden

With ratings that hit the mark for the network, it looks like The CW’s Arrow will be sticking around for awhile. After just two episodes the CW has made the decision to pick up the series for a full 22-episode run.

Being that the series premiere became the network’s most watched episode of a TV show in over three years, this isn’t really all that surprising at all. Honestly, I don’t think anyone would be surprised if we get a second season as well. Are you guys ready for more Arrow?

Source: TV Line

Stephen Amell Addresses ‘Arrow’ Criticisms!

by Derek Kraneveldt

The CW’s new superhero show Arrow premiered just two weeks ago to rather impressive numbers. We’ve now seen two episodes of Teen Dream Oliver Queen, and the man himself, Stephen Amell recently had a few words to say regarding some of the ciriticisms the show is receiving.

Many people are hailing Arrow as simply a Nolanized version of Green Arrow, or that the show is simply Batman starring a different millionaire. While you can definitely (definitely) see these themes in the show, Amell wanted to let you know just why in a recent interview with The Vancouver Sun:

Arrow’s aesthetic has been compared to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight films.

The idea was to make it real…

As real as one can make a superhero show.

As real as you can make it. Now, I understand it’s TV and fantastical things are going to happen but as real as possible and that naturally takes you into the Chris Nolan universe.  If you want to be snarky about it you can say, ‘Well, they’re copying Batman.’  Batman works!

Nolan took his cues from the comic books, which were made to be a darker version of Batman.

And we’re basing large parts of Arrow on Green Arrow: Year One. In Green Arrow: Year One there are tons of people on the island, he gets hooked on heroin, people leave him for dead, really awful things happen to him and I think people want to see a superhero that can be injured. People want to see a super hero, I think, who is emotionally fragile; that had to make real sacrifices.

What he says definitely makes sense: Arrow is simply trying to take a more realistic approach to the Green Arrow story. In a post Batman Begins world, what realistic take on a superhero won’t be compared to Nolan’s work?

Whether you believe it or not, it’s certainly an interesting point, and an interesting interview!

Have you been enjoying Arrow? What are you most looking forward to seeing in the show?

Source: The Vancouver Sun

Arrow: “Honor Thy Father” Review

by Shawn Madden

So, after a very successful pilot episode, did the second episode of Arrow improve from the pilot or struggle to keep up? Well, it definitely did not struggle. I really liked the pilot but within the first ten minutes of this episode, it was pretty much solidified that I would definitely, at the least, be watching the entire first season of Arrow.

The episode kicks off with a great action packed sequence which was very fluid and smooth. Honestly, it was a really strong opening for a TV episode and got you hooked and excited. The action in this episode was great and very well handled. Never too slow. Never too fast. I do feel that the fight with China White (Kelly Hu) felt a little inconclusive but I am glad they left the character around and hope they continue in this fashion to allow him to establish a sort-of rogues gallery with the villains that will be appearing in the series.

Stephen Arnell’s performance continues to be fantastic on the show and i’ll just leave it at that. In the episode we also get to see more of Laurel Lance’s life as an attorney, which wasn’t touched on too much in the pilot, and it definitely shows off that Katie Cassidy is going to be a great part of the show. If you haven’t seen the episode by now I’m not going to ruin it for you, but there’s an easter egg lying in the name of the person she is representing in this episode. One clue: it’s a current DC Comics writer. Another improvement in this episode is that we got to see a bit more of John Diggle in action. We can probably expect this character to end up being a fan-favorite.

Many fans had griped about Oliver’s mother being alive on the show but with each episode her character becomes much more interesting and leaves you hooked with these cliffhangers. Definitely looking forward to finding out what her and John Barrowman’s characters relationship will be all about.

The only complaint I probably had with the episode was how short the flashbacks to the island were. But, other than that I thought this episode was really good and has got me interested and wanting more Arrow. Well, especially after seeing that clip for next week’s episode. Deadshot!

CW Releases New ‘Arrow’ Poster, Unsurprisingly Features Shirtless Oliver Queen

by Derek Kraneveldt

CW’s Arrow has been in the headlines quite frequently recently. The show premiered last Wednesday to rather impressive numbers, and showed off a cool sizzle reel at last weekend’s New York Comic Con.

CW has to be aiming for the ladies with this latest ad (well, and most of the other ones). The new poster features a scantily clad Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) staring deeply into the camera. Dreamy right?

What were your thoughts on Arrow? Geekscape was rather mixed on the pilot: Molly felt as though the show missed the mark, while Shawn felt it wasn’t a bullseye, but wasn’t too far off. My thoughts fell somewhere in the middle. The show was intriguing enough for me to keep watching, but not strong enough for me to care (at this point anyways).

Check out the new poster below, and let us know your thoughts!

You can watch Arrow Wednesdays at 8 on The CW.

‘Arrow’ Shows Off A Sizzle Reel At NYCC

by Derek Kraneveldt

The final day of New York Comic Con 2012 is well underway, and CW had some highlights to show off from its hottest new show. Arrow premiered this past Wednesday to HUGE numbers: as we reported earlier this week, the pilot was CW’s most watch show in three years.

All is not perfect in Starling City however, due to their drastically different feelings on the pilot, we posted two separate reviews: Molly thought the show missed the mark, while Shawn felt as though it wasn’t far from it.

Whether you liked it or not, the teaser shows off some cool moments to come from Arrow‘s first season, albeit with a very CW feel. Check it out below, and let us know what you think!

Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8pm on The CW.

First Look At Deathstroke On The CW’s ‘Arrow’

by Shawn Madden

In the series premiere of The CW’s Arrow this week, us fans got something that got us very excited. We saw a quick shot of a very well known DC Comics assassin’s mask and word has been out for awhile that Deathstroke would be appearing on the show.

In the upcoming episodes “Damages”, which also will see the debut of John Barrowman’s character, Deathstroke is coming to Starling City. Let’s just say we can expect things to get ugly. Arrow is definitely basing their version of the character on his comic book version when it comes to the look…and hopefully he comes with the skills to match. Honestly, I think we’re all excited for this one.

Source: IGN

First Look At John Barrowman On The CW’s ‘Arrow’

by Shawn Madden

The first look at John Barrowman’s character in Arrow have been revealed and we also know what episode he will make his debut in. Do we know what his role is yet? Nope. We still have no clue who Barrowman will be playing in the series. The Hollywood Reporter reveals that we will first see Barrowman appear in episode five titled “Damaged”.

His character code name at the moment is still “The Well-Dressed Man” who “is as mysterious as he is wealthy” as well as “an acquaintance of the Queen family and a prominent figure in Starling City”. In the second image you can see him talking to Oliver’s mother, could he have something to do with the big reveal at the end of the episode?

If you missed the series premiere of Arrow you can catch it at 8 pm tonight on The CW.

‘Arrow’ Was CW’s Most Watched Show In Three Years

by Derek Kraneveldt

Geekscape may be mixed on the show (check out Molly’s review here, and one from Shawn here), but it looks like ratings wise, The CW has a winner on their hands with Batman Arrow. Last nights pilot was their most watched show in three years.

From the press release:

Last night’s premiere of ARROW was right on target with the network’s goal of broadening out and bringing new viewers to the network – it drew 4.02 million viewers, the most watched telecast on the network of any show, on any night, in three years (11/12/2009).

ARROW was the most watched premiere on the network since THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (9/10/2009).

This was the most watched show in the Wednesday 8PM time period in more than three years (5/13/2009)

Versus last year’s premiere of H8R in the time period, it more than doubled its audience (4M vs. 1.3M) and was up 57% in A18-34 (1.1/4), and 117% in A18-49 (1.3/4)

The ARROW premiere also gave SUPERNATURAL a boost last night, it was SUPERNATURAL’s most watched episode (2.6M) since 10/15/10, and was its best A18-34 rating since 3/4/11 (1.0/3)

Last night was The CW’s best Wednesday night in total viewers (3.3M) in more than two years (5/12/10) and in two years in A18-34 (1.0/3, 12/10/10) and in A18-49 (1.2/10, 10/13/10)

ARROW tied NBC’s original comedies in the 8-9PM hour in total viewers (4M) and in A18-34 and A18-49.

Over four million viewers tuned in the see the birth of a CW-ized Oliver Queen. It will be interesting to see who sticks with it!

Missed the premiere but interested in checking it out? If you’re in the US, CW has made it available to watch online.

What did you think of the premiere? Planning to keep watching?

The CW’s ‘Arrow’: Not Quite A Bulls Eye, But Not Far From The Mark

by Shawn Madden

Not too long ago we posted a review of the pilot for CW’s Arrow. The review wasn’t too positive but regardless I decided to give the show a “shot” tonight. Upon actually watching I definitely disagree with the review. The show definitely isn’t a bulls eye but I don’t think it’s far from the mark and has potential. The thing that some comic fans may miss is that we aren’t the only demographic out there. So, how exactly do you strike a balance between bringing in television audiences that have most likely never even heard of Green Arrow while also attracting fans of the source material? It’s a hard feat to accomplish at times especially with TV budgets.

And sure the pilot does lean at bringing in some new viewers for the show by giving it a CW feel to it. Keep in mind however that the CW feel isn’t too strong that it overpowers the vibe of the show. There are plenty of nods to get fans excited throughout the entire episode as well. The subtle touches that the series seems like it will have will keep the every day audience interested in the story and comic fans interested to see where they go with these characters and interpritations. They appear to be making an effort to keep both audiences happy while not overwhelming or underserving either group.

The series premiere does a great job at grabbing new viewers by introducing them to Oliver Queen’s backstory while not boring them and moving forward with the story at the same time. They did a great job of making quick work of the basics of the story, Oliver Queen is a billionaire playboy who was stranded on an island for five years and presumed dead, and now he’s back in Starling City (Yes, we know it’s not the same city name. Get over it.), and then allowed to establish him as the vigilante hero of the city. They did a pretty neat job of an origin in one episode without actually making it feel too rushed.

Under his new alias, Oliver is hunting down folks from a list of names supplied by his father, which apparently took place before commiting suicide before him, a point that even I got a tad lost on. But moving on…these people are all the people who have screwed up Starling City in one way or another, with the implied aid of the Queen family fortune.

So, let us get this one out in the open. They are definitely trying to Nolan this. And why wouldn’t you? DC has had some of their best success under the work of the man. The thing is they do this and many fans may cry foul but I guess you guys really don’t know the back story on Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow. When Oliver Queen appeared in 1941, he was basically just Batman in a Robin Hood get up. Queen was a billionaire playboy who fought crime as a hobby after surviving on desert island. He had a ward, who was also his sidekick, sound familiar? The only really difference was that that he didn’t have the dead parents to give him that spark. Well, that’s one difference they changed in the show.

Stephen Arnell succeeds at bringing Oliver Queen to life. He definitely does a great job in the role and there’s small things that you notice that make it even better.For example, if you pay really close attention you will notice that Oliver moves quite differently pre and post island. It’s a nice touch. Another thing to note is that there is this distinct lack of comfort to Amell’s performance that really helps ground the character. The rest of the cast is pretty good but nothing amazing. Katie Cassidy as Laurel has the most potential of the rest of the cast but we haven’t seen it yet to be honest. Another thing worth noting is that the premier heavily benefits from David Nutter’s directing. He seemed to make sure that the scenes were visually striking regardless of how much or how little action was taking place in them.

Of course the show had it’s share of bad things in it. Don’t get me wrong. The CGI was just awful in general. You would expect Warner Bros. to put a little more into a property like this as far as that goes. It is really bad. And I definitely was not a fan of the voiceovers in the series. But when it comes down to it, Arrow is definitely a show with potential to appeal to both fans of the comics as well as people who have zero clue who Green Arrow is. I sat down and watched the pilot with my mom who even agreed that she could see herself watching the show again. And in all honesty, I know I am sticking around at least until the episode where Deathstroke makes his appearance.

Green Arrow Announced For ‘Injustice: Gods Among Us’

by Shawn Madden

After the revelation of the game and some announcements at San Diego Comic-Con, the news regarding  Injustice: Gods Among Us has been a tad slow. Well, minus revealing that there is going to be a collectors edition of the game. But there has been plenty of characters yet to be announced for the game still.

Entertainment Weekly has now revealed the latest addition to the game, the emerald archer himself, Green Arrow.

Injustice: Gods Among Us hits shelves next April.

Geekscape Comics: We Will See A New ‘Justice League Of America’ In 2013

by Shawn Madden

DC just announced at Fan Expo in that they will be  a brand new version of the Justice League Of America in 2013. Geoff Johns will write, with pencils by David Finch featuring a team that consists of Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Catwoman, Bash (the newest Green Lantern), Vibe, Stargirl, and Katana. But don’t worry, this does not mean they are cancelling Justice League. Apparently JLA will run alongside Justice League.

Geoff Johns on the new series:

The idea of why the JLA forms, and what it is, and what it’s in reaction to… It kind of spins out of Justice League #12; what happens in that, and then subsequent issues, because JLA comes out next year some time. But the book itself is a group of heroes that aren’t necessarily coming together because they want to be together… They’ve been selected specifically. They all want, or need something that Steve Trevor, and the other person behind the scenes that’s in charge of this team can provide.

The first arc is going to deal with something they learn is called The Secret Society of Super-Villains.

Johns discussing the team selected:

The characters that are selected like Stargirl, and Vibe, and Green Arrow, they have a lot of personality. If you remember the first couple of issues of Justice League, with their larger than life personalities, and the development… This takes it to the fifteenth degree, because we’re dealing with characters that are… Like, you don’t know where Vibe is coming from. He’s recruited to the JLA by his older brother, and he says, “Why would they want me? I’m just this kid from Detroit. I’ve stopped three liquor store robberies, and one was by mistake.” His brother looks at him and says, “Maybe they see potential in you that you and I don’t see.” And he’s like, “Thanks a lot.”

So you get these weird characters that are unexpected, and they’re thrust into the forefront of Justice League of America… You’ll see why they’re selected, and why this team is going to give the real Justice League a run for its money; because the relationships in this team are going to be incredibly significant. There’s going to be a real learning curve with all the teams, but has the benefit of a true leader in Steve Trevor. Steve Trevor has a heart and soul that’s going to bring these characters that, on first glance, might not ever gel – what does Stargirl ever have in common with Catwoman? How’s that going to work?

I love characters that are more obscure. On Justice League, Shazam will be joining, and the team dynamics will be changing quite a bit on that team, but this is going to be such a great opportunity to work on characters like Katana, who I think is such a great asset, and getting deeper into characters like Vibe… Reintroducing Stargirl… Seeing the new Green Lantern with Green Arrow, and revisiting that relationship with Green Arrow and Hawkman, because we think we know it, we think they’re always at odds… And we want to turn it on its head a little bit, and delve into it more, and see what makes those two characters tick, to find out there’s something in common they both have despite their differences.

So creating dynamics between these characters, and really making it a character driven, intense, intriguing book… One of the words I have on the outline for the series is intrigue. What I mean by that is I always want you to wonder why. Why is this happening, what is their motivation, what are they after, what do they need, what do they want? I just look forward to writing a book that harkens to some of my favorite team books, and mystery books… And hopefully its something that you won’t know what to expect, and when you get it you’ll think it’s what it should be, but you never could have imagined it.

Source: MTV Geek

Could We See Batman Appear In CW’s ‘Arrow’?

by Shawn Madden

We already know that some DC villains would be showing up in Arrow but when producer Marc Guggenheim was asked if fans should expect to see some familiar heroic faces turn up as well. Unfortunately, his answer is pretty vauge on it.

“I would say, ‘Probably.’ One of the things we want to do is roll the show out at the right pace. For the most part, I think we’ve taken the philosophy that things are happening sooner rather than later. I always feel like every time we get the note from the network, ‘Is this happening too soon?,’ I feel like we’re on the right track. I know as a viewer myself, I’m impatient. I want to see stuff. We’re not going to make the audience wait to see characters, plot twists, revelations. I think running out of great characters and great moments is a quality problem to have, and I just want to have them.”

On to topic of the possibility of whether Batman will be one of the allies that this iteration of Oliver Queen meets up with, Guggenheim remains optimistic that the team behind Arrow will be able to use him in the series. Smallville producers wanted to do this for years but the execs at Warner Bros. wouldn’t allow it. Now that Nolan’s films are done could we see Bruce Wayne on the small screen?

“Oh, my hope is that we can use him at some point. I think that plagued the Smallville showrunners more than it plagues us because, obviously, the Dark Knight Trilogy is over. They’re not available to us yet. My hope is that they’ll be available to us at some point. That would be awesome. No question, that would be absolutely awesome. But I don’t know. That’s above my pay grade.”

So, would you like to see Batman make an appearance and team up with the emerald archer on Arrow?

Source: IGN

SDCC Panel Round Up Part 2: Green Arrow, Joss Whedon, Breaking Bad, He-Man & More

by Eric Diaz

Being a veteran of twelve consecutive Comic Cons now, I know the drill when it comes to the big rooms, those being Hall H and Ballroom 20. The two panels I wanted to see the most that Friday were Joss Whedon and Breaking Bad, both which were back to back in Ballroom 20. So like a well trained Comic Con geek, I got in line for that room a good two and half hours early.Turns out, I didn’t need to. I walked in Ballroom 20 literally two hours early and sat through two panels I had no intention of sitting through, but were ultimately worth watching. The first being the CW’s presentation of the pilot for Green Arrow.

Green Arrow, Pilot Presentation 

So even though I’m a hard core DC Comics freak, I gotta admit I’ve never really followed Green Arrow much, although I know enough of him through reading years and years of Justice League comics. So while I’m no Oliver Queen expert, I’ll say that I know more than the average bear. And while I gotta admit I wasn’t blown away by anything in the Arrow pilot that I saw, I didn’t really hate it either. I guess I saw enough to warrant setting my DVR for at least the first handful of episodes come Fall, and then we’ll see if I give up entirely or not, like I did with Smallville.

The pilot is your basic origin story, where we see spoiled rich Oliver Queen end up on a mysterious island for five years after a ship wreck, during which time he learns to be a bad ass archer, not to mention also learns humility. It all seems only marginally better than other CW shows, but unlike say, the un aired Wonder Woman pilot, this feels like Green Arrow more or less done right. So while there is lots of room for improvement, It can improve. I have to say though, obvious uber hotness aside, I was less than impressed with our new Green Arrow Stephen Amell. He just kind of had than bland delivery that left me cold; it seemed to me the guy was cast for his face and his abs and that’s about it. Apparently, he was the first person to audition for the producers, and when they saw him, they just said “we have our guy” Uh, yeah, I really think they needed to audition more people. Just sayin’.

Also on the panel was Katie Cassidy, formerly of Supernatural and Melrose Place 2.0, who plays Laurel Lance. Now, comics fans like me know that in the comics, Green Arrow’s girlfriend is none other than Black Canary, AKA Dinah Laurel Lance. Was the omission of her first name supposed to make us think they cast Katie Cassidy to be anyone other than Black Canary in the future? Really guys? I actually liked her in the pilot, and think she’d make for a decent Black Canary, just not sure it would be in this particular project. The producers teased that other DC characters would be appearing (we already know that Deathstroke will, at some point) but they wouldn’t say who. Like I said, I’ll DVR this show for a bit, but it’ll have to be better than what I saw here for me to keep doing so long term.

Entertainment Weekly Presents Women Who Kick Ass

As a geek and a feminist, this is a panel I’m glad I attended, even if I only ended up there due to wanting to make sure I had a seat for the next two panels in Ballroom 20. Entertainment Weekly brought together some of geekdom’s current reigning women in genre television and movies, and it was quite an assemblage. The  panel featured Kristin Kreuk (Beauty and the Beast, Smallville), Nikki Reed (Twilight), Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead), Anna Torv (Fringe), Kristin Bauer van Straten (True Blood), and surprise guest, Xena herself Lucy Lawless.

True Blood’s Pam, Kristin Bauer van Straten (possibly the series’ best character, or at least the most fun)  came out in her wrecked canary yellow Wal Mart sweat suit (fans of the show will get this little in-joke) to much applause.The Walking Dead’s Sarah Wayne Callies was asked about her future on the show, considering that (SPOILERS) in the comic book version of Walking Dead, her character Lori meets a grisly fate. She answered “You don’t walk into this show thinking ’25 years and a pension!’ Someone then asked what is the most important issue concerning women today, which frankly left most of the panel like they were put on the spot, realizing no matter what they said, they’d change their minds about it later. Lucy Lawless stole the show though, as she retold the story of how she was arrested in February after she and other activists protested aboard an oil-drilling ship in New Zealand, and she then told the audience that she’s not sure what will happen to her during sentencing on Sept. 12, but admitted, “I am guilty — of trying to save the environment!”  Warrior Princess indeeed.

Fringe’s Anna Torv and True Blood’s Kristin Bauer van Straten at the Women Who Kick Ass panel.

Dark Horse Presents: Joss Whedon

Now this is the panel I was actually waiting for while sitting through the other two. I’ve been a hardcore Whedonite for well over a decade, since Buffy and Angel were fighting their weekly battles on the WB Network (RIP) And, of course, I also loved Firefly/Serenity. But add to that Joss Whedon’s run on Astonoshing X-Men, Fray, Dr.Horrible’s Sing- A- Along Blog and even to a ceratin extent Dollhouse, just based on all that alone I’d worship forever at the geek altar of one Joss Whedon. There is simply no one else out there in the pop culture landscape who knows how to combine pathos with sly wit, drama with real stakes and off the cuff humor like Whedon. Others try, and most fail.

And 2012 alone has been a banner year for Joss. Let’s be honest, he’ll probably never have another one like it, between the critical success of Cabin in the Woods and the enormous global success of Avengers. He also just finished filming a low budget version of Much Ado About Nothing, fulfilling one of his dream projects. In short, It is good to be Joss Whedon right now. As a fanboy going back now almost (gulp) fifteen years, it has made me thrilled to see him finally achieve mainstream success.

Before Joss took to the stage, Dark Horse editor Scott Allie took to the podium to promote Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9, which Joss Whedon is the executive producer and occasional writer of, and also the Angel and Faith series which falls under the Buffy Season 9 banner. To the happiness of much of the crowd in Ballroom 20, Allie announced the return of Firefly to comics, in the first official continuation for those characters since Serenity came out in 2005. Joss Whedon will be co-writing this one with his brother Zed Whedon.

Joss Whedon holds court at Ballroom 20, wearing a Much Ado About Nothing shirt.

Then the man himself came out to thunderous applause, and deadpanned “Well it’s been an interesting year” He mentioned that he had just finished post production on Much Ado, and for the first time, had also written the score for it. “It’s a very important project to me and I can’t wait to show it to you, though I’m not sure yet how that’s going to be. If no studio picks it up, check iTunes!” I’m pretty sure he was only half joking there. He then announced his next project, which was greeted with pretty thunderous applause, the long awaited Dr. Horrible 2. After the cheering died down for this one, he talked about how he’s been working on it for about two years, and already has “a bunch of songs…we know exactly where we’re going, I can’t wait to tell you more about it.“The last major announcement at the panel was about his upcoming web series Wastelanders, with comic book writer Warren Ellis “I’m also going directly from Comic-Con to London to talk to Warren Ellis about Wastelanders; I’m very excited about what we’re doing and the way we’re distributing it ourself because it means we can put it out our way… and in order” (this being a jab at Fox and how they aired both Firefly and Dollhouse out of their correct order)

During the Q&A, he answered questions in his usual off the cuff witty style, some of them actually good questions, like now with the success of Avengers behind him, what old projects would he return to? (answer: “I’m not actually a big “go-back” guy. Even if it’s unrealized, It’s happened, that relationship has run its course. I kind of tend to look forward. So I think the next thing I create will be something I haven’t created yet. I have some ideas, I have some thoughts” This got lots of applause “I got applause for being able to think. This is the best crowd ever. Watch, I can also walk!” Even more applause. Oh, fanboys.

Lots of silly questions were then asked by fans, some even about the Zombie Apocalypse and what not, but a fan finally asked “What has stood out to you the most personally that you’ve worked on? to which Joss responded “Hopefully something I haven’t written yet! But I think “The Body” is the best episode of television I ever wrote” (Writer’s aside: I concur. Buffy episode The Body is the best thing he’s ever written.) Of course, at any panel Joss does, someone asks him about his love for strong female protaganists, and if they’re still perceived differently in the entertainment industry. The answer was something of a femenist mini-rant from Whedon; “When Buffy had been on for three years, we started pitching the animated series that never went anywhere and literally got “well she has to have a male counterpart who’s just as cool as her or we won’t do it” (They never did do it) “Until recently the industry said that about movies too, but then you get The Hunger Games. The industry will never change it’s mind until the public makes them.

When asked if he ever wanted to make a Broadway musical, after the success of the Buffy musical episode and Dr.Horrible’s Sing A Long Blog, Whedon answered “Here’s the thing… of COURSE I do. But I have too many plans….The question is do I have the time to commit to one of the largest and most difficult projects I could ever encounter.The last question of the panel came from long time Geekscapist Ashton Lauren, who asked “You’ve given so many geek moments, what was YOUR biggest geek moment?” To which Whedon answered “My biggest geek moment? Um… My life is one endless geek moment!” Amen to that sir.

AMC’s Breaking Bad

I’m a bit late to the Breaking Bad party, I have to admit (like four years late) But after hearing rave review after rave review for the series, I finally gave in and watched the entire show over the course of the past month or so. And OH EM GEE, is this show amazing. So a special thank you to every single human who’s been telling me I need to be watching this show for the past several years, because you were so right. For those reading this who are as uninitiated as I was, Breaking Bad is writer/producer Vince Gilligan’s show about a suburban high school chemistry teacher from Albuquerque New Mexico who, upon finding he has terminal cancer and no money to leave for his family, hooks up with a burn out former student of his and begins cooking crystal meth. Telling you anything else would ruin what is an amazing roller coaster ride over four seasons of television. So Netflix this puppy already, then come back and read this, because SPOILERS for the series abound in this report.

Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston and “baby Holly” make their Comic Con entrance.

This was Breaking Bad’s first appearance at Comic Con, and Ballroom 20 was packed with howling fans who probably were wondering what took them so long to get here (I mean, if Glee is at SDCC, where has Breaking Bad been?) Almost the entire main cast showed up, including Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, R. J. Mitte, Jonathan Banks and finally showing up on stage in their meth cook Hazmat suits (along with a baby doll in a Hazmat suit) Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. That alone was worth waiting for this panel. When asked about the upcoming fifth and final season, Gilligan mentioned that it was hard proceeding without the character of Gus Fring, and how hard it was for the writers to let go of a character as great as he was, but Gilligan has rebounded: “In season five, we’ve got a new king. King Heisenberg.” This, as one can imagine, got a lot of reaction from the crowd.

When someone asked about breaking the stories in the writers room, Gilligan responded that “is a very organic, living process to come up with these stories.” He then gave the example of how Jesse was supposed to die at the end of season one, but that obviously changed. (I can’t imagine the show without Jesse Pinkman) The role of Hitman Mike also expanded well beyond what Gilligan planned before casting Banks, as he was only cast because Bob Odenkirk, who plays Saul Goodman, was not available for that episode and they needed someone to fill his role of clean up guy after a crime. They loved the actor so much, Hitman Mike is now a permanent fixture on the show.

Other bullet points for season five brought up during the panel; expect to hear a lot more German than Spanish this season (remember, drug kingpin Gus Fring was bankrolled by some mysterious Germans) and that the teaser at the start of season five, episode one is their most revealing teaser yet. When asked what his season was really all about, Gilligan answered “winning, what it means to stay on top.” Gilligan then spoke of Alexander the Great, and how once Alexander conquered the known world, he wept.  Cranston asks if the series will simply end on him crying. I’ll wager “probably not.”

Toy Masters and the 25th Anniversary of Masters of the Universe

After four consecutive panels, I wasn’t sure if I was up for one more…but a documentary on thirty years of Masters of the Universe was too tempting to pass up for me. When I was a little kid, between the ages of seven and twelve, I lived and breathed He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I had every toy (and I mean every toy) and my for awhile there my sheets, pillows, and curtains were all He-Man centric. My bedroom was Eternia itself. So, even though as an adult I realize there really was nothing more to He-Man that Mattel’s efforts to sell me shit, I have a soft spot in my heart for the franchise that gave us so many beloved characters like Buzz-Off (he’s a bee, get it?) and Stinkor (he smells. Brilliant!) He-Man is forever in my DNA, as mostly stupid as it all is.

The upcoming documentary Toy Masters chronicles how this weird mish-mash of Conan the Barbarian with Star Wars became one of the biggest selling action figure lines of all time, leading into a hugely successful cartoon show, spin off series (She-Ra, Princess of Power) live action stage show (The Power Tour) and finally, at the tail end of the whole phenomena, a live action movie. A trailer for the documentary was presented at the panel, and it is clear that at the heart of this movie is the ongoing King of Kong style battle between two old guys and former Mattel employees, Mark Taylor and Roger Sweet, both who claim to have created He-Man. One calls the other’s claim at creating the franchise “unadulterated, absolute barbarian fiction” -hence, the movie’s tagline.

The panel, once again moderated by Free Enterprise’s Robert Meyer Burnett, featured people like Roger Lay, Jr. (director/producer) a He-Man kid like me growing up, Gary Goddard (director of the 1987 film) and Jack and Leslie Wadsworth (live-action He Man and She Ra from the Masters of the Universe: Power Tour), Jack and Leslie, two body buiders/stunt people who met at the Universal Studios Conan/Red Sonja show in the early 80’s and got married, were He-Man and She-Ra for the nation wide Power Tour (I never got to go this; this panel brought back memories of being an angry 11 year old)  Both happily married still, they seem happy about their time in Eternia, and even kept their prop swords, which they brought to the panel (awww) The Power Tour still apparently has the house record for the most consecutive sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall, nineteen performances. Crazy. But that’s how big He-Man was for about five years or so.

Most fascinating were the stories of making the 1987 live action He-Man movie, which is celebrating its 25th Anniversarry this year. Director Gary Goddard was on hand, and he talked about how both Cannon Films and Mattel desperatley needed this movie to be a hit; Cannon had sunk every last dime the company had on the movie, and were on the verge of bankruptcy. Meanwhile, in 1987 the toy sales for the line plummeted, and Mattel needed the movie to be a hit to justify continuing the line (the fact that the cartoon had ended making new episodes didn’t seem to occur to anyone for the toy line’s decline baffled me) Gary Goddard, a highly successful creator of theme park attractions going back to EPCOT and as recently as Spider-Man at Universal Florida, was brought in to direct what would be his only big screen feature film. What he ended up with was a movie with the largest Hollywood sound stage in forty years (Castle Greyskull) and then the rest shot in downtown Whittier, CA. on the cheap. According to Goddard, eveyone in Hollywood wanted to see the massive Greyskull set, including Michael Jackson, who asked if he could walk on the Grayskull throne room.

The movie ended up being a giant clusterfuck, Cannon folded and Mattel cancelled the line all together. Twenty five years later though, the Masters brand still strikes a chord in Generation X kids like me, and judging from how well the retro style Masters of the Universe Classics line is selling for Mattel to twenty and thirty somethings, I fully expect to see the line come back one day for real. In the meantime, Toy Masters is making its premiere at the Montreal Film Fest next month, and I can only hope real distribution comes soon, as this panel made me dying to see the final product even more.

Ok, come back tomorrow for my final panel report from SDCC 2012. All I can say is, next time, it’ll be shorter.

Geekscape Comics: First Look At ‘Justice League #11’

by Shawn Madden

•”The Villain’s Journey” part three!
• Batman, Cyborg and Aquaman battle Element Woman!
• Continuing the origin of SHAZAM!

JUSTICE LEAGUE #11
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils & Cover by Jim Lee
Backup Pencils by Gary Frank

Missing the Mark: The ‘Arrow’ TV Pilot Review

by Molly Mahan

Recently, I had an opportunity to watch the new CW pilot Arrow, based on DC Comics character Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. Now, I know many of you probably weren’t interested in this show anyway (Lord knows I wasn’t), but since this baby is set to premiere at San Diego Comic Con, I thought I should give a little bit of advice to those of you who are planning to attend the pilot screening: Do something else. Anything else. Please. You’ll be saving yourself from mental distress and you’ll almost certainly be doing something more valuable and productive with your time if you go to a different panel, head to the convention floor, or go out, get drunk, and get run over by a pedicab. I know the latter is true because I have officially experienced both of these things and can say the rickshaw incident is a hell of a better story than the one the creators of Arrow are going to try and tell you.

Why is Arrow so terrible? Well, it’s not because there is no relation between the show and the comic (though there isn’t). It’s unwatchable because it is one of the most derivative, boring pilots I have ever sat down to watch. It’s predictable, cliched, and not even the actors seem all that invested in trying to sell it as realistic, even within their universe. Chocked full of melodramatic over-acting and uninspired dialogue. Which, I hear, is typical for a CW show, so if that’s the audience it’s trying to reach, then cool, I guess. It’s still derivative schlock with nothing interesting to add. If it’s trying to reach a larger audience comic audience? Good luck with that, since, as I’ve already mentioned, it has nothing to do with the comic.

What’s that? You want more specific reasons? Oh, all right. Henceforth, Spoilers abound!

Attractive grouping, too bad they all miss the target

Let’s begin with the fact that its wasting the brand. Now, I am  a huge fan of alternative histories and revamping mythology, but there are bigger and better stories to be told with the Emerald Archer than this one; and this could have very easily just been a show called “Hood” about a modern Robin Hood (which, yes, Oliver Queen is), and would have likely pissed less people off. But they didn’t go that route. So, instead, we have a show about a 20-something year old playboy (which I know he is now, and I admit I much preferred midlife crisis, crotchety Queen) who, after a three hour booze cruise turned into a five year desert island adventure, decides to change his ways and become a green hooded vigilante. Every other character is new or just a cute reference to the comic.

For example, we have “Laurel” Lance (as in Dinah Laurel Lance) who is a lawyer (not a florist and/or  vigilante in her own right) and Queen’s ex-girlfriend before he accidentally got her sister killed because he was cheating on Laurel with her (but she is totally willing to give him a second chance, ’cause that’s like her purpose in this show). The one thing that they get right about Laurel is that her dad is a cop. Next, is Tommy Merlyn, Ollie’s best friend, who is apparently seeing Laurel on the sly (though she totally want to break it off. Seriously). If you read Green Arrow, you’ll know that Merlyn is Oliver’s archnemesis. You may also remember that they did the exact same thing in Smallville, where Clark and Lex were depicted BFFs. Third, there is no Roy Harper, rather we have Oliver’s sister Thea, who Ollie calls “Speedy” because she used to chase him around as a kid, also she’s a drug user, so she and Roy have that in common, too (poor Roy will never live that one issue down). Last we have John Diggle, a character who has no basis in the comics, but is likely named after the writer of Green Arrow: Year One, Andy Diggle.

 Also, Queen’s mother, Moira, is still alive and kicking and she’s probably evil, or in some way his nemesis. Because it’s a show geared towards tweens, you see, and tweens only understand conflict if it’s parental conflict or between your best friend who will eventually turn into your frenemy before they eventually decide they want you dead. Or something. I don’t know, I didn’t understand 11-15 year olds when I was one, let alone now.

Nevertheless, they all live in Starling City (Yes, Starling. I don’t understand the change either), which is apparently a small metropolis where absolutely no one reads the newspaper. At least not the corrupt CEOs who own half the town, as they seemingly have no idea who Oliver Queen is. You know, the richest kid in town, who was probably mentioned in the papers every day he was alive, every week he was missing, and without a doubt front page news when he returned. This is perhaps a bad idea, as his return aligned perfectly with the appearance of Starling’s new hero: The Guy in The Green Hood.

Aptly named!

Another thing I didn’t quite understand about the show is why it isn’t a spin-off of Smallville. Although I never really watched the show, I do recall there being episodes with Green Arrow (and even Black Canary!). I think at one point, Ollie may have even been a mainstay on the show. I’m certainly curious as to why the network didn’t do a proper spin-off when the character already has some familiarity with their audience.

I realize that it very well may not have been the direction in which the creators of the show wanted to go. But if that’s the case, again I ask why use Green Arrow? His fan base isn’t so substantial, nor is he all that familiar to those outside of comics and the DCAU. Additionally, if you’re going to call the show Arrow rather than naming it after the branded character you’ve already put stake in (presumably because of some kind of superstition towards the audience’s distaste for “green” comic book characters, e.g., Green Lantern, Green Hornet), then, again, a retooled telling of Robin Hood would have been better. There’s a lot less baggage using Robin Hood, since the myth has been put through the recycle bin enough times that it doesn’t matter how close it resembles any of the older tales, so long as there’s a dude named Robin (or Robby, for the CW crowd), who has a couple of buddies with names like Will and John, and a hot chick named Marian (or any name beginning with the letter “M”).

And you could still have a hot guy shooting arrows and wearing green!

 Now, I will give the show one thing: Stephen Amell actually looks like he knows what he’s doing with that bow, unlike some live action comicbook archers (I’m looking at you, Renner). However, the distinct lack of trick arrows (aside from one hacker arrow that was nifty) did not go unnoticed. Trick arrows are GA’s thing. They’re his gimmick. They are what make him fun. Using standard arrows and actually having him kill bad guys is (1) very un-DC Comics and (2) not really his thing. Sure, Oliver has killed people in the past, but the circumstances are never so tenuous as Grunt #51 is blocking my path. But, hey, if TV wants to be more hardcore than comics, why not? Oh, because it’s not the same character. Right.

It was the longest 42 minutes I’ve spent watching television this year. Every fade out that signaled where commercials will be placed, I not so secretly hoped would lead to the credits, but alas. When the credits did roll, it was too late, because I had already wasted the better part of an hour on the tripe.

I suppose there is more that could be said about this show, but I feel at nearly 1500 words, you all get my point. The characters are paper thin tween-age archetypes typical of the CW, with little to no resemblance to their comic book counter parts. The drama is superficial, rehashed storylines from soap operas that don’t seem to have any baring on how the characters interact with each other. We all know what’s going to happen, and it’s just painful to watch the actors try to act surprised when the obvious twists and turns are “revealed” to them.

So please, ladies and gentlemen, learn from my mistake and find something better to do with your time. To ensure you don’t go, I’ll even give you the frame of the one thing that actually brought a small smile to my lips:

But if you don’t get it, maybe you should watch the show … nah.

Why A ‘Justice League’ Movie Won’t Work Right Now

by Shawn Madden

By now i’m sure everyone has heard that DC realized that Marvel did something genius with ‘The Avengers’ and have tried to get into the ring by pushing forward with a Justice League movie. Great idea right? I mean fans have been wanting this for years. But… can it work? I mean ‘The Avengers’ worked so why can’t this? Well, i’m here to burst your bubble (I apologize in advance) with the five main reasons at this point it will not work.

5. No back story for the main characters.

So lets say The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Superman, Green Lantern and Batman are the team they pick for this. Because lets be honest The Atom, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter are going to get left out. Tell me why they’re only pushing forward on a Justice League and Wonder Woman movie before fleshing out the others? I mean… some people complained that Hawkeye had no development in ‘The Avengers’ (I disagree by the way) but just throwing someone like The Flash in there? Aquaman? Okay… I won’t go see Aquaman. You have me there DC! Hawkman? Maybe. That’s fail part one DC.

4. Picking an established writer who knows how to handle something of this scale.

Look… Will Beall could be great. He could be the next big thing for all I know. But what has he done? What makes DC so sure of his guy that we should have faith in him? We were all supposed to trust Brett Ratner with ‘X3’ and we all saw how that turned out. Strike two.

3. Actors. Actors. Actors.

One of the big draw points of seeing ‘The Avengers’ (I keep referring to this because we all know this is what made DC push this project forward) was that we not only trusted the director but we trusted the actors. Minus Mark Ruffalo (who excelled as Bruce Banner) we knew these actors could pull this off and we couldn’t wait to see them together. Minus maybe one or two actors we will know nothing about this casts ability to pull off these roles. And i’ll elaborate more on this when I get to number one.

2. DC’s horrible track record and lack of attempting to establish any form of continuity.

And you would think that Warner Bros. would be making the best of these types of films yet have been disappointing to date. Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder have been DC’s saviors with the ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’, ‘Watchmen’ and hopefully ‘Man Of Steel’. But other than that? ‘Steel’? ‘Catwoman’? ‘Green Lantern’ aka the biggest let down in a comic movie in years? I’m not saying ‘Green Lantern’ was horrible. Not at all. I’m saying the script was horrible. Ryan Reynolds and Mark Strongs performances made the movie watchable. The OA scenes were fantastic. Having Amanda Waller make an appearance? Great idea. Establish Checkmate. Please. Because Geoff Johns already said he wanted a ‘Suicide Squad’ movie. This should be the jumping off for the DC universe because you can establish Checkmate like Marvel did with Nick Fury/S.H.I.E.L.D and go from there. Will DC do this? Unlikely.

And now it’s time for the number one reason:

1. You can’t have Batman in it! Nope. You can’t!

I’m pretty sure Bale said he wouldn’t do it. And we still have NO idea how ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ ends. But even then… you throw in another actor as Batman with a background that has nothing to do with Nolans trilogy. This results in fans sitting around in a very “WTF?!” feeling. There is no way you can put Batman in here that wont either result in pissed off fans or very confused fans. And what about Superman? Will ‘Man Of Steel’ fit into a ‘Justice League’? Knowing Snyder and Nolan probably not. So lets actually take BOTH characters out. Oh wow…we’re getting the b-squad or even maybe a ‘Justice League: International”. Great. Is the average movie goer who has a kid that wear Batman tightie whities going to go see this? Eh. Maybe six days after it comes out when he has to watch the kids.

So now that i’ve come to the end I must establish that in no way am I hating on DC here. My main problem with DC has been their lack of to just establish some form of solid continuity (I mean… i’m still scared theres going to be a Flashpoint Crisis On New 52 coming) and even in their movies it is what is majorly lacking. I personally believe they should step back, take a breath and follow Marvels footsteps. Establish your characters and build a non-comic reading fanbase.

You want to push out some movies? Go after some of your dark stuff. I’d love a Swamp Thing reboot. ‘Constantine’ was great to me (Haters gon’ hate)… and there has been talk of a sequel last year. Y: The Last man? You know you want to do it.

All in all I just wish DC would just not rush things. It took us four years to get to ‘The Avengers’ and no one was mad about what it took to get us to one of the greatest comic movies of all time. Just sayin’ DC.