DC WEEK - ARROW!

Day 3 of the massive CW Crossover Invasion! It's exciting for two reasons tonight, we're seeing more super team ups AND it's the 100th episode of my favorite TV show - Arrow!! I had previously discussed why Arrow was so important to me in my personal life. If you don't mind I'd like to elaborate on that a little bit.

During New York Comic Con 2012, Arrow premiered on the CW. My sister and I had missed it due to our vacation plans in NYC. While we were making our plans for the week at Comic Con we came across an interesting thing - There was going to be a signing with the Arrow cast on Sunday as well as a panel previewing the new series. We decided to download the pilot and watch it before making a decision if we wanted to go to these events. We watched it. We fell IN LOVE with it. It's very rare for a pilot episode to be so gripping and exciting. I felt like I was watching a new DC movie series come to life. The Dark Knight parallels were obvious but didn't overpower the show. While this was clearly inspired by Christopher Nolan's trilogy, it was a different beast.

That Sunday we got in line to get bracelets for the signing. Then we jumped in line for the panel. The whole room was full! If you've never been to the Javits Center in New York, I'll tell you it was their biggest screening room and it was filled with people excited to see more of Arrow. Geoff Johns (my man) moderated the panel which featured Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, Stephen Amell, and producer Marc Guggenheim. I was lucky enough to be in line to ask a question during the panel. Actually I was the last one allowed to ask a question. THAT was a big deal to me. I've never been in that position. They showed us footage of the upcoming season. If the pilot blew me away, then I'm not sure how to describe that footage. It was amazing. Deathstroke? The Royal Flush Gang? Deadshot? Arrow kicking ass?? Hells yes!

As a side note - my question was "Will writers of the comics ever guest write? Like Kevin Smith or Judd Winick?" The answer was that some Green Arrow people were scheduled to help out like Geoff Johns writing an episode or two and Mike Grell submitting the famous "Hood Guy Sketch" from the pilot.

I thanked them and told them that the footage was incredible. "I felt like I was watching The Dark Knight," I told them. Guggenheim said, "That's the best compliment I've ever gotten!" That made me very happy.

Next, we went upstairs for the signing. In line, a woman was selling 8x10 prints from the pilot. Granted, they were signing a free poster at the table, but we couldn't resist the image she was offering.

It was so cool looking and we felt like it was a little bit better looking than the poster they had so we each bought one. We got up to see them and we both gushed and geeked out at the actors and producer. I told Amell, "Dude this show blew me away! I can't wait for more!" He thanked me and I asked if he could sign the 8x10 as well as the poster. One of the DC volunteers tried to stop us and said, "Um he's only signing the poster!" But Amell and I disagreed. I said, "Well, he said yes and he's signing it!" Amell laughed and said, "I mean you're already in line! What are they gonna do?" At that moment I knew this guy was awesome not just on screen but in real life. I met Holland and told her she was adorable. She blushed and thanked me. I told Cassidy that I think she looked better as a brunette. She also blushed and thanked me. When I got to Guggenheim I told him that I was the one that said the show looked like The Dark Knight. He said, "Ah yes! You were my favorite question at the panel!" We talked a little bit about the Green Lantern film and he agreed to sign not just the Arrow poster but the free Arrow comic DC had produced over the summer to promote the series. My sister and I walked away feeling like we had had a great experience that day.

Ever since that day, Arrow has been a regular fixture in my life. When my ex-fiancee left me, Arrow was a constant comfort during a very difficult time. When I moved away from my home in North Carolina, Arrow season 3 was there. I could watch it in real life with my sister, as opposed to just texting about it later. I could watch the Flash v Arrow episode with my nephew and he was excited to see the two heroes on screen together. Granted, he wasn't as excited as me but he was close ;)

When I left Pittsburgh and came back to my home of Erie, Arrow was still there. Now season four may not have had the best episodes that seasons 1 and 2 had, but it still got me excited every week. And now we're in season 5. So far this season has been superb and the crossover looks to be the type of episodes I was secretly hoping for back during season 1 when it was a "grounded, vigilante, street justice show."

I don't know if Stephen Amell, Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Katie Cassidy, or whoever else will ever read this but I just wanted to offer a very sincere thank you. Arrow is one of my all time favorite TV shows and one that I will defend to the death every day of my life. I've met Stephen Amell twice at different Comic Cons and I'm hoping to see more of the cast during other Comic Cons. I'm confident that we'll see more Arrow during the next few years whether it's during guest spots on The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, or heck even Supergirl. And I can't freaking wait!

What a terrible picture of me . . . But Amell and my sister look great!


Till Next Time!


JJ - the Comic Junkie!

DC WEEK - THE FLASH!

Tonight . . . They arrive! Officially, the massive DC CW Crossover Invasion! begins with The Flash. In this episode we'll see the Flash recruit not only Team Arrow and the Legends of Tomorrow in the fight against the Dominators, but Supergirl as well! Basically, this is going to be the best thing since sliced bread!

Holy Product Placement, Batman!

This opens up a whole new era of storytelling for The Flash. Previously, we've seen metahuman fights, time travel, humans with some kind of super powered weapon, and of course the usual family and romantic drama that the CW does so well. Well now we can see aliens on The Flash. It's one thing to team up with Supergirl, it's quite another to have a full on alien invasion that the heroes have to team up to stop. So this got me thinking . . . if we get to see the Dominators come and try to take over our world, shouldn't there be some sort of police force out there that can stop them? 

Oh that's right . . . There IS an intergalactic police force! So where the hell are they at? I've previously said why I think Green Lantern and the Corps should be the CW's next superhero show. I gave ten reasons for it actually! So I'm not going to repeat myself. I am, however, going to give a couple more reasons why the Green Lanterns should appear specifically relating to the Flash . . . 

GREEN LANTERN AND THE FLASH ARE BEST FRIENDS

In the comic books, specifically Flash: Rebirth and Blackest Night, it was well established that Hal Jordan and Barry Allen were best friends. They may not have gotten along at first but they worked well together and liked pairing up. They were both cops (of sorts) and could agree that justice needed to be preserved whether it was on Earth or across the galaxy. Hal might be more a "hit first, ask questions later" kind of cop, but the Flash was always there to back him up. Plus it would probably do Team Flash some good to have a more brash and impulsive character on deck to make Barry's terrible decisions look good in comparison. Cuz let's face it, Barry's kind of fucked up big time this year. Like seriously . . . it's bad. 

APPARENTLY WE ARE ALLOWED TO SHARE

So . . . seriously . . . what's the hold up? The Flash, specifically Barry Allen, and Superman, specifically Clark Kent, are all on TV and starring in major motion pictures all at the same time and no one seems confused. So let's get Green Lantern into the show! Hal Jordan has specifically been hinted at during season one of The Flash and the emotional spectrum was also teased. Also, Jordan kind of made a cameo in the season four premiere of Arrow (although that could have been his father). So why not bring him along? Just last year it would have been unheard of to actually show Superman during an episode, let alone two, of Supergirl and have him played by a different actor other than Henry Cavill. Then Tyler Hoechlin came along and gave a great performance. And, although so far his appearances have been brief, Ezra Miller has been regarded as a really great choice as the Flash. 

Plus, the rumors are fairly inconsistent as to whether or not one or more Green Lanterns will appear in Justice League next fall. So let's pick and choose because there are a ton of Green Lanterns to pick! The current Green Lanterns comic has Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz kicking ass on Earth while Hal Jordan and the rest of the Corps are in outer space doing God knows what! (I'm not reading that one as of right now.) So there's really no excuse. Supergirl has proven on a weekly basis that a flying hero and her mostly CGI enemies can appear and look pretty damn good for a cable TV show. No excuse! 

NO BREACH, NO HOPE

Let's think about this for a second. As of right now, Barry and Cisco's relationship is strained due to Barry being a colossal fuck up and creating Flashpoint and accidentally killing Cisco's brother. So what happens if things become so bad for Barry and Cisco that he can't reach him the next time a bunch of aliens decide to invade Earth? What if Barry can't get a hold of the Legends or Team Arrow? He's going to need quick back up and there's no better authority on alien menaces than Green Lantern!

Plus, it's probably not a good idea for Barry and his team to keep opening up space/time continuums. I mean, who knows what else could go wrong! And haven't you done enough, Barry? Haven't you?? 

Seriously though, it would be beneficial to all the heroes in the Arrowverse to have their own superpowered force of good on Earth in the event that Supergirl and her team can't be reached. The Flash would be the perfect place to introduce these characters as well because their stories are very comic booky to begin with. 

I've said it many times and frankly, I don't think I'll stop saying it but to me it's very important that Green Lantern become a regular fixture on the CWverse. This is now 13 legitimate reasons I've given as to why the GLC practically belongs on television. If this massive crossover works, then let's just say the sky is the limit . . . 

Till Next Time!

JJ - the Comic Junkie!  

DC WEEK - SUPERGIRL!

Well it's finally here! After months of speculation and anticipation the CW's big ass Invasion crossover officially (ish) begins tonight with Supergirl. Although, if reports are to be believed, the crossover starts at the tail end of the episode as Barry and Cisco recruit Kara in their efforts to fight off the Dominators. Either way, it's pretty exciting that we're getting such a massive crossover to include all the heroes of the CWverse.

Well . . . not all of them . . . Who's missing? Quite a few as it turns out. But that's ok! Maybe we'll see them in a future crossover? Cuz that needs to happen!

SUPERMAN

Unfortunately, we will not be seeing Kara's slightly more famous cousin make the giant leap to the Arrowverse. While this is understandable, it's kind of a damn shame because Grant Gustin (the Flash) is a self professed huge Superman fan and I think that enthusiasm would carry over to seeing a real life Superman. 

Tyler Hoechlin's performance has been praised as the best Superman/Clark Kent seen on film in many years. I personally thought he was brilliant and brought a different touch to the table in comparison to Henry Cavill, who in my opinion has been great so far. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of him on Supergirl and I hope that the next time we see him Barry and/or Oliver will come to their Earth and meet him. If for no other reason than I think Oliver meeting another super-powered alien would be a hilarious scene. Plus it would make way for another great Batman reference. Clark could say something as simple as, "You remind me of a friend in Gotham." I mean right???

MARTIAN MANHUNTER

While Hank/J'Onn did make a brief, and awesome, appearance in the "Fight Club" video that the CW released a few months ago, that appears to be all we're gonna get in terms of Martian Manhunter crossing over with the other DC heroes. Which is a shame because J'Onn, in the comics, is a great friend and ally to Green Arrow and the Flash. Granted with the already huge budget these few episodes are getting it would be tough to justify one more CGI heavy character in the mix but come on! How great would it be to see J'Onn flying next to Firestorm, the Atom, and Supergirl (again)? Plus with his powerset the fight would be over in like 10 seconds. He's supposed to be just as powerful, if not moreso, than Superman and Supergirl, so not recruit him too? Oh well . . . maybe he'll pop in next time . . . 

MISS MARTIAN

Ok so technically, she hasn't really done anything yet. And the M'Gann that we met on Supergirl isn't quite the "adorkable" girl we all knew and loved on Young Justice (yet). But she's still a heavy hitter and would be a great asset in the fight against the Dominators. But since Barry hasn't met her yet and J'Onn kind of hates her, for being a white Martian, it makes sense she would be excluded from the crossover. Hopefully, she, J'Onn, and Supergirl will become allies and team up and meet up with the other heroes soon enough. 

Then again, there's always the hope that the CW will make their own Young Justice show with Kid Flash, Miss Martian, and Arsenal or Speedy. Hey! Ya never know . . . 

GUARDIAN

Again, he's another long shot considering that Kara, as of this writing, does not know that James is the Guardian but let's say she did for argument's sake. Wouldn't it be beneficial in the fight against aliens to bring someone that has had a lot of experience fighting aliens? Granted, Guardian is new to the scene, but one can assume the years as Superman's pal taught James a thing or two about fighting bad aliens and trusting the good ones. Now that he's got his own costume and code name, he's a perfect fit to bring along in the fight. Plus he would have a lot in common with Diggle. They both started off as the sidekick then graduated up to full fledged hero. Cisco is kind of there . . . I mean he's working on it. He's just gotta stop wearing those pop culture T-shirts when he wears his Vibe gauntlets and goggles!

As a side note, I'm personally loving James' story arc this year. Having him be a hero trying to help National City is so much better than the "will they, won't they" from last year. Although to be honest I think that was handled well. I do hope that he and Kara work things out because I think they would make a great couple, but for now I'm excited to see what he does as Guardian.

BATMAN

Ok of all the characters on this list this is obviously the longest of long shots I could ever hope for. HOWEVER, Batman has been hinted at TWICE this season on Supergirl. The first time was when a man claimed, "That's it! I'm moving back to Gotham!" and the second was when Guardian debuted and Kara talked about her cousin working with a vigilante that had a lot of gadgets and demons. While we may not ever see Batman or any of his allies on Supergirl, which would be a shame, it's fun to speculate on the fact that this particular version of Superman has met Batman. Therefore, who would be better to bring in a huge team up fight? Odds are Batman and Superman clashed at one point during their team ups and Batman has a way to fight off alien invaders. Sooo . . . why not bring him along, Barry? Huh? Is Oliver the only one allowed to be a brooding vigilante on your team? HUH? HUH? 

Ahem . . . in any event, I suppose it would be better to bring Batman onto one of the many shows before we throw him into a team up. And they should . . . 

\

Now just to be clear, I know why all of these characters are not in the crossover but it does bum me out that we won't get a few more Justice League members joining the Invasion fun. However, since all (except one) of these characters have been introduced, it's definitely possible that we'll see them pop up in each of their shows eventually. I mean, who doesn't wanna see Superman race the Flash or J'Onn freak out Diggle with his alien side or M'Gann and Jax make out? . . . What? . . . Was that weird? 

Till Next Time!

JJ - the Comic Junkie