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Crisis on Infinite Earths – Parts IV & V

I’m going to combine my post on the last two parts of Crisis into one super post, since both episodes aired back-to-back. As always, there will be spoilers ahead for the entire crossover and speculations on the future of some of the shows. Read at your own risk.

We start with Arrow, as we also take our beginning steps towards saying goodbye to the series that started it all. (More on that later). It begins with an introduction to the Monitor and how he caused the eventual crisis through his time travel experiments. We then show how our heroes at Vanishing Point are doing as well as Oliver, who is now Spectre and still in Purgatory. There’s a moment where the group says that Flash is missing, which briefly calls back to the headline and dread that it has still come true, but he has only been gone for moments (to him) looking for the Speed Force. To the rest of the group it has been months, and with that we know some time has passed since we last saw our heroes a month ago in real time. Spectre joins them at Vanishing Point and gives them instructions how to fix the universe.

At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about killing Oliver and turning him into Spectre as the end of his story, but the moment he asks the group, “Do you trust me?” before the big battle, and Barry responds, “With every cell in my body” I knew this was the only way to give him a proper ending. He has been saving his city for 8 seasons, and now he gets to go out by saving the whole universe. They even let him use the signature line one last time, but with a twist, “You have failed this universe”.

I’m glad Oliver’s last heroic act and final moments were actually on Arrow. I’m glad he gets to be with Barry and Sara when it happens. I’m sorry Felicity and the rest of his team don’t get a good final moment with him, but it’s a comic book show with two episodes left. I suspect they’ll find a way to close that open wound before they take their final bows. I’m going to try to keep up the blogging and give Arrow a final farewell on there. It started a whole universe of television programming that I have dedicated a lot of time towards watching, so I think it deserves it’s due.

Quick side note before moving on to part 5 – loved the Flash cameo we got from the DC movies. Always fun when Barry meets a new version of himself.

With that we come to the final chapter of this year’s crossover event – Legends of Tomorrow. Can I just say for starters how perfect this show is tone-wise to not only follow up the sad goodbye to Oliver in the previous hour, but also introduce us to our new universe in a fun and quirky way. Also, I love how self-referential and third-wall-breaking Legends is with the crossovers they’ve participated in.

We start with Supergirl waking up to a new world… one where Lex Luthor is getting the Nobel Peace Prize and is apparently one of the best humans ever. I look forward to seeing the progression of that story as Supergirl continues it’s season.

The rest of the episode is about the Anti-Monitor coming back to kill the Paragons and his eventual downfall (almost literally, as he shrinks into nothingness). The day is saved, and as I wonder what they could possibly set up as the next crossover, they give me the perfect finale I didn’t know I wanted until it happened.

The eulogy for Oliver given by the president to the people of her country felt like it was really from the network to us, the viewers. From the moment she calls him “the first of our heroes” my heart stopped. That and the moment of silence was a nice note added at the end, as was letting Oliver do the voiceover telling the story of how the new universe was formed and created a new multiverse over time as we see flashes of many other heroes, including some from the DC Universe streaming service.
As the group says their final goodbye and memorializes Green Arrow, with the lighting of the flame and reveal of the table, the moment of realization that this was the beginning of the formation of the Justice League gave me my answer as to what comes next. With that there are infinite stories they can tell, and they don’t even need to be earth shattering events now that it’s established it’s more common these heroes all work together. Every once in awhile something will be just big enough to ask a friend for help. They may even do some smaller crossover events, like just Flash and Supergirl working together. As a note, I’m assuming we’re doing Justice League but the shot of the cage at the end that says “Gleek” might mean Super Friends instead, as that’s the show he’s associated with. Does this mean we’re also getting the Wonder Twins in the next crossover? Guess we’ll have to wait to find out.

Thus concludes the giant CW crossover event for this season. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m pretty pleased with how everything went down. Barry survived, Oliver got a heroes death, and we have a Justice League/Super Friends team-up to look forward to. Plus I might finally have been inspired to give Black Lightning a try now that everyone is all part of one universe, and he’s probably going to be making future appearances. But that’s just one humble bloggers opinion. What were your likes and dislikes for this event? Did you guess all the twists and turns, or were there a few surprises as well? Leave a comment and keep the convo going.

Crisis on Infinite Earth – Part 3

Yada yada yada, there continue to be spoilers in all of my Crisis posts. Read at your own risk.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover continues with part 3 on The Flash. Things that were told come to pass, but not in the way you expected. Also, more cameos! Including the very beginning where we get the Birds of Prey cameo we were promised, although it is far too short in my opinion. Poor Huntress gets dusted almost immediately, along with her entire Earth. Still, it’s been nice using this multiverse story to do these short little cameos.

The other big cameo we got was Lucifer, who helps Constantine and Co get to purgatory in their quest to save Oliver Queen. This was one cameo I figured would be a background appearance that ended up having a short but major part to play. I don’t watch Lucifer, but the few moments we got with him were delicious. I especially loved seeing him trade words with Constantine.

As for the fate of our Green Arrow, things take an unexpected turn, but one that makes total sense when you think about it. Just as the group is about to take Oliver out of Purgatory they are visited by The Spectre, who tells Oliver he must become the new host for him. I know, comics get confusing. The Spectre is supposed to be a Spectre of Vengeance, but I think Oliver will transform into more of a Spectre of Justice, just as he’s made that transformation himself throughout the entire Arrow series. He himself might’ve wanted vengeance at first, but now fights for justice. I’m interested to see what happens next in his story, which I assume happens during Arrow.

The major storyline that finally came to its conclusion was the fate of Flash. We’ve spent the entire season and then some worrying about our Barry Allen dying to save his friends. We finally got to see that a Barry Allen sacrificed themself to save the world, but not our version. I was very satisfied with the way they got themselves out of killing the main character of one of the anchors of the Arrowverse, and I was especially pleased we actually concluded this part of the story on The Flash. Past crossovers have had major deaths happen outside of that characters show, and it always feels a little wrong. It was nice for Flash fans to get a satisfying end to one of their deepest worries of the series.

Of course now ironically Flash is one of the only people in the multiverse, while Iris and most of his friends have, at least for now, vanished from existence. The Paragons are stranded at Vanishing Point after Harbinger betrays them all and Pariah saves a few key members in the last moments. We’ll have to wait a month to see how they fix this mess, and I’m sure not everyone will survive in the end. Obviously they have to at least undo some of it though, unless they’re scrapping the entire Arrowverse (which we’ve already had two new shows announced so doubtful). The wait is going to be long, but I’m sure it will be worth it.

Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part 2

It should go without saying, but there continue to be spoilers for the CW crossover event in this and all my Crisis posts. Read at your own risk!

Part 2 of Crisis jumps between finding the versions of Superman and Batman who are supposed to be Paragons to aid in the Crisis, while Flash, Mia, Sara, and Constantine try to bring Ollie back and Lex tries to kill every Superman in the multiverse. That’s a lot to pack into an hour of television! We also got a couple more fun guest appearances peppered in.

We start the adventure introducing the idea of the Paragons. My favorite line in the episode happens here, when Kate Kane asks everyone, “Who wants to meet Batman?” I promptly shouted at my tv, “I do! I do!”

A lot of this episode held the theme “things aren’t what they seem”. For one, the Batman reveal was not what I expected in a lot of ways. Broken in body and spirit, this version of Bruce has become the opposite of what Batman stood for when he started his journey. I’m also kinda disappointed that he was just a means of helping Kate on her journey to being a Paragon, as it would’ve been cool to see them fight together at least once. Even still, it was nice getting to see Kevin Conroy play Batman in a live action thing, after years of voicing the character in cartoons and video games.

The other thing that didn’t go as I expected was Lex Luthor’s role in everything. I was very surprised to see the Monitor bring him back for the Crisis, but assumed we needed him for his superior intellect. There was always a part of me, however, that wondered why Lena couldn’t fill that role. Now we see that Lex’s job was to be his usual, evil self. In his mission to kill every Superman in existence, he inadvertently helps our Superman and Louis find the version of Superman they need to be the Paragon of Truth. It also gave us a cool Superman vs Superman fight. (Side note: I love that they actual make jokes about how this version of Superman looks just like Ray Palmer, since they are played by the same actor.)

Some other fun surprises in this episode were the guest appearances. We knew Tom Welling would be appearing at some point, but I was surprised to see that he was living a quiet life on a farm with his Louis and had given up his powers to have a family with her. Again, disappointed we didn’t use his and Kevin Conroy’s guest appearances for more than the one episode, but it’s still cool to see them at all.

The other guest appearance which I don’t think we saw coming was Jonah Hex. It only lasted a few moments, but it was a fun surprise. Always good to see him and Sara on screen together, even for a short time.

We end the episode with Harbinger getting transported to Anti-Monitor’s location. It looks like he has plans for her, similar to the comics. We’ll have to wait till the next chapter to see that part of the story unfold.

With everything that has happened so far, I’m wondering if Ollie’s storyline changing means Flash doesn’t have to die after all. The Monitor has said multiple times that things are not unfolding as predicted. I feel like sacrifices have to be made, but maybe we’ve been totally mislead as to who that will be. Guess we’ll just have to keep watching to find out…

Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part 1

In case it’s not very obvious from the title, this article will contain many spoilers for last night’s episode of Supergirl. Read at your own risk.

Part 1 of the CW’s crossover for this season aired last night, and boy did they start off with a bang. There is no slowly introducing the problem and gathering the group. We’ve been doing that all season during Flash & Arrow. From minute one the Monitor gives us the background we need to set-up the rest of the story, and then it’s game on. I love that they didn’t waste any time in throwing our heroes into the fire. The rushed pacing gives us a sense of the danger they are in.

I had a lot of theories going in as to the role of certain characters and what would happen to some of our stars, but after part 1 I already have to rework all my preconceived notions. First off, I figure this version of Harrison Wells we’ve been seeing in Flash recently was working for or somehow connected to the Anti-Monitor. I guess I was partially right, but it never occurred to me he would be playing the part of Pariah. That reveal had my jaw drop. I’m excited to see what they do with his character.

The other thing I was surprised about is that they seem to have killed Oliver Queen at the end of the first episode. I figured if he was dying in a series other than his own it would be on Flash. The two shows have always been tied more closely together than the others, plus it makes for a great cliffhanger just before the break. Ollie dies, everyone looks shocked, cut to credits and we wait a month to see his team’s reactions. Who knows, maybe future Ollie whom we saw while they rescued baby Jonathan will have a role to play in everything. Only time will tell.

I’m going to try to keep posting these updates the day after each episode airs, so stay tuned tomorrow when I give my thoughts on Batwoman and Wednesday for my review of Flash (plus speculation on what will happen when we return in January for the thrilling conclusion).

This Crisis has been six years in the making, by my count. Ever since we first saw headlines about how the Flash would disappear during Crisis they have been planting the seeds to what looks to be their best crossover yet. I am simultaneously very prepared and not at all ready for what comes next.

Let’s Get Elfed Up

Two blog posts in one week?!? The universe might not be able to handle me posting on a regular schedule, but it’s happening! Got a quick one for you about the Christmas EP that Backyard Superheroes is putting out this Friday the 13th: Let’s Get Elfed Up.

First of all, I love the album title! It’s clever and fun, as is the album art. There’s two tracks on it that are both upbeat and catchy, which makes it perfect for a quick run to the store to buy some eggnog and cinnamon (or whatever else gets you in the holiday spirit). Plus all proceeds are going to Toys for Tots, so you get to listen to great music while also spreading some joy this season. That’s a win all around, in my book.

“So where do I go to purchase this festive music?” you ask… The EP will be available on Bandcamp, as well as Apple Music and Spotify. Personally I love Bandcamp and even use it myself for Lonely Atom Records.

I know you’re tired of the same old Christmas Classics, so don’t snooze on some new holiday tunes to add to your playlists this year.

Dragon Age Day 2019

If you frequent Twitter, you may have noticed #DragonAgeDay has been trending. That is because today is the unofficial holiday fans of the video game series celebrate their love for it and what it means to them. I tweeted a little something myself and have been sharing other people’s posts, but I actually need way more characters to express my love for this series than Twitter will allow me. Which brings me to the rare and mystical blog post you never expect from me anymore. I always say I’m going to try to be better at posting and never do, so I’m not going to do that this time. I’m just going to talk enthusiastically about a video game for a few minutes then say see you again in a few months, probably when the new season of Doctor Who starts.

My Dragon Age story happens a little out of order. My partner and I were looking for games to play together, but a lot of multiplayer games we are into are online and not split screen, and since we live together and share a tv and console that doesn’t really work. He knows I’m super into fantasy (seeing how my other obsession is Critical Role), so he wanted to introduce me to Dragon Age. In an effort to still be able to play together, we have a system where he does the fighting but we make choices together. He started me on DA2 and I immediately fell in love with every single companion I met. The story is great, the banter and dialogue is fun, and the world completely sucks you in. I romanced Merrill and struggled with every choice I made involving her story (I’m going to try to keep this as spoiler free as possible just in case someone hasn’t played the games but I make no promises about my comments section). I’m currently on my second play-through and romancing my pirate queen Isabella this time. No matter what my main story will always be the same – pro-mage until the day I die.

My play-through of DA2 the partner had already played the game, so he knew what happens and just didn’t tell me. Inquisition we both played for the first time together. We experienced every up and down not knowing what would happen. He chose a Qunari because it was the first time Bioware made it a playable race. I’m currently starting my second go round and playing an elf mage. Planning to romance the heck out of Dorian, but the first time I didn’t really romance anyone. Dorian was the only character I super loved, and he only likes dudes, even if my female Qunari was super buff and could kick most guys collective asses.

There’s so much to do in Inquisition it’s hard to focus on anything other than what the collective fandom is obsessing over – that ending and what it means for DA4.

While we all patiently wait for the new game to arrive, I’m just grateful that not only did the series give me something to share with my partner, I was also able to pass that joy up the latter to my dad. I grew up playing games on the computer with him when I was a little girl. He recently started getting into everything Steam has to offer and asked me for suggestions. I immediately told him to go download Origins (which I skipped over, but I promise I went back and played it eventually and yes of course romanced Zevran). This Thanksgiving, while visiting my parents, I asked Dad how the game was coming. He’s still working out some of the fighting mechanics and was stuck on the fight when the Crows ambush you. I gave him a few pointers and helped him pick the best equipment and party possible and he finally made it through. Enjoy hanging out with my virtual boyfriend!

This very long post was mostly to say thank you to everyone at Bioware who made this game that I get to enjoy with my family. Thank you to DA twitter for sharing your art and enthusiasm with me. And thank you, dear reader, for letting me ramble about one of my favorite things for a few minutes. I promise I’ll update you when DA4 finally comes out and tell you who I romanced.

Anxiety + Strangers

*Heads up: I talk fairly frankly about anxiety and a death in the family. I promise this is a very hopeful/happy post but you have to fight your way through some clouds to see the sun sometimes.

Anxiety is a tricky thing.

It makes it so, for people like me, it’s very hard to talk to strangers without feeling like you’re making a complete ass out of yourself when really you’re being perfectly charming and wonderful, if maybe a bit weird. This is what I need you to keep in mind as I tell you about my day yesterday.

It all started with a series of dreams that I do not remember but had me wake up with a knot in my chest and a general sense of unease. Since my grandfather passed away a week ago I have had a couple mild episodes, so it didn’t feel all that odd but also very much did, if that makes sense.

I start my day every morning by hopping on twitter to see a mix of the latest news and what’s new with my favorite online entities. I haven’t been online for several days being too busy with family and such, but something had me jump on yesterday. This is how I found Victoria Schwab promoting an event she was participating in at my local bookstore. I immediately looked up their events calendar, and after reading a description of the book that Sarah Gailey was launching (and doing a conversation with one of my favorite authors) I knew I had to check this out. I am so very glad that I did. Normally going to events by myself makes me extra anxious (I’m an awkward human at the best of times), but everyone was super friendly. I met a fellow critter and got complemented on my D&D Pride shirt by 3 or 4 people. I walked away feeling rather proud of myself as I talked to both Sarah and Victoria (and they both seem like lovely humans).

HOWEVER

I also feel like while I had a perfectly lovely chat with Victoria, I also had a million more things I wanted to say but didn’t want to be the weirdo coming on too strong at an event that wasn’t even for them in the first place. So, in the interest of getting my brain to chill out and stop screaming “missed opportunities,” here’s a little story about my discovery of Victoria Schwab and her series “A Darker Shade of Magic” (ADSoM).

I at this point can’t remember how I found ADSoM, but it was definitely recommended to me online somehow. Either a “if you like this, you’ll also like” type thing or someone I follow on Twitter mentioned it. Whatever the story, I had been reading a lot of nonfiction, some about the long ago past and others about our current President, and thought it sounded like a nice change of pace. I reserved the first book in the series from my local library, and by the end of the novel I had ordered the box set on Barnes & Noble’s website. I had not immediately fallen in love with a fictional world this quickly since 11-year-old me had first discovered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. I devoured this series, and it wasn’t until I started thinking about why that I realized the nonfictional world I had been residing in had probably starved out the imaginative and hopeful parts of my brain. We live in scary times, my friends, and sometimes we forget how nice it is to escape for even a few brief hours.

I had certainly forgotten.

ADSoM was like medicine for my weary soul. It was like treating my brain to dark chocolate after a bad brain day. (True facts, dark chocolate is a good mood booster if you’re having a mildly depressive episode. Try it sometime.) ((Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, but some problems not even chocolate can solve. If this feels true for you, maybe try therapy.))

*ahem* back to my point. Schwab’s books mean the world to me. Not only did they get me through some troubling times, but they also introduced me to a new human who I follow on Twitter and see parts of myself in frequently. We seem to have some of the same triggers and fears and quirks. It makes me feel so much more *normal* to know I’m not the only weirdo who likes wearing cat ears but also finds speaking in front of crowds exhausting. I wish I could’ve found a way to say all that, but it was also nice to just say “thanks for helping me be here today” and leaving it at that. Which, listening to Sarah speak made me feel like I maybe found another author to love and respect and who knows what else. I’ll just have to read the book and see what comes of it.

*Sarah Gailey’s book “Magic For Liars” came out today. They read the first chapter at the event and it sounds like an interesting read. Pick your copy up today at your Friendly Local Bookstore, and maybe I’ll write a review here 6 months from now when I finally have time to read it.

Doctor Who S11Ep1 – The Woman Who Fell to Earth

Warning: there will be spoilers abound in all my Doctor Who reviews. Continue at your own risk.

After what seemed like forever, we finally got to meet the new Doctor this past Sunday, and… I have no words other than BRILLIANT. I mean, just look at her running around in Capaldi’s old close, looking a bit mad.

That’s her making a new sonic out of scraps she finds on Earth because she’s brilliant and can do anything.

In case you can’t tell, I really loved our Lady Doctor and the episode she gets introduced in. Throughout the extended season premiere we get to meet who will become the new companions as they get sucked into a mystery involving what else but aliens and the Doctor. I think my favorite of all of them was Grace, who unfortunately does not make it to the end of the episode. As Ryan points out in his ending video to his YouTube followers, she died the way she lived – helping people.

The companions we are left with are nothing to sneeze at, however. I love how Ryan is curious and unafraid from the start, but feels bad when he realizes his curiosity maybe got people hurt. I hope he keeps being curious while maybe being a little smarter about it in the future.

Then there’s Yasmin (Yas to her friends), the rookie police officer who wants something more exciting than parking disputes and gets a little more than she bargained for. She’s another one who is prime companion material – looking for a challenge and a way to make a difference.

Finally there’s Graham, who reluctantly goes along with everything even though he doesn’t even believe in aliens at first, and if they do exist they certainly aren’t in Sheffield. I love his skepticism, and I love his faith that the bus drivers will know if anything weird is going on (which he’s not wrong), and I love the fact he goes along with things no matter how doubtful or scared he is of this very unfamiliar situation. I look forward to him going waaaaay outside his comfort zone while he travels across the stars.

I could keep going, but there is not a single moment of this episode I did not wholeheartedly love. I think Jodie Whittaker is perfect as the Doctor so far, and I think she has the perfect companions for her version of the Doctor. I love that she’s just as confused by her situation as we are. She wants to know who she is and where her TARDIS went just as much as we do. I love that rush of adrenaline as she’s facing the Big Bad that finally jolts her memory. I love the speech that is both classic and unique where she reveals “I’m the Doctor” before defending the Earth yet again from an alien threat. I love everything about what I watched Sunday, and cannot wait to get to know her better. She is my Doctor, and I will follow her to the edges of time and space for as long as she asks me to.

Backyard Superheroes – Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Editor’s note: This review should have gone up sooner but thanks to technical issues (and other life stuff) it has been held till now. Better late than never, am I right?

The following ares my stream of conscious thoughts (with mild edits) while listening to Backyard Superhores’ latest album, Never Give Up, Never Surrender. Now available on Spotify, iTunes, and Bandcamp (personally I like Bandcamp best for my music-buying needs).

This album doesn’t grab me up front in the same way their previous record did, but it definitely gets me immediately curious. “Where is this going?” I think as two songs later we jump into an upbeat, fast-paced jam that I am all in for. I don’t listen to music at home much, but when I do I’m looking for something I can workout to or that inspires me to get stuff done. While NGU doesn’t immediately start that way, it certainly gets there by track 3 and does a good job of bringing the energy up and down throughout the rest of the album in a way that feels right.

I think my favorite song on the album is “The Weekend”. Not only is it a really catchy ear worm of a tune, but I love the little bit of video game music at the end. The song after it, “Tangerine Drive” isn’t bad either. It’s got a short but sweet horn riff I enjoy that gets repeated a couple times. I also love the way it breaks down towards the end then picks back up again before closing and jumping into the next song. Then there’s “What if,” which asks “what if life were like the comics?” something I ask myself All. The. Time.

Another thing worth noting with NGU is how very ska the horns and rhythm are, but without hitting you over the head with it. I love how they find that balance of being THE MOST SKA but not at the same time. Some bands get classified as ska when they’re really just rock bands with horns. Backyard Superheroes are a ska band, and very much ok with that.

Overall I would say I prefer their previous album, Let’s Get Dangerous, but definitely enjoyed this one and can see myself getting more attached with repeated play-throughs. Listen for yourself, and see what you think. And while you’re at it, think about what your life would be like as a comic book, and leave a comment with what your super power would be. I definitely would want some telekinesis so I could move things from across the room that are too far away from me. Also, the possibility of being able to levitate myself is pretty cool.

Sleeping With Ghosts – The Hotel Avira Haunting #2

The following is a review of chapter 2 (!) of The Hotel Avira Haunting, which is available for public consumption as of today. You can find my review of chapter 1 here. I think I did a pretty good job of staying vague and spoiler-free, but if you’re worried just skip to the end where I say I love it and you should go throw these people your money for the awesome thing they created. And with that, gentle reader, let’s dive in…

First, a recap (spoilers for chapter 1): When last we left our hero, he was looking to debunk the infamous Hotel Avira only to find that the ghosts were very real and very active. Sebastian was warned not to interact with the spirits, but of course he didn’t listen. Now his spirit is trapped in the hotel circa 1970. And that’s where we pick up with…

Chapter 2: Claire

Sebastian handles being in ghost mode about as well as you expect a person who until today didn’t even believe in them. While floating around the hotel and adjusting to his current situation he finds Claire, but as a live person, not the ghost he meets in chapter 1. This leads to lots of stuff happening that I don’t want to spoil for you. The story is great though, as is the art. It ends on a nice, juicy cliffhanger, which we’ll pick up on in the third and final issue. I look forward to seeing where the story takes us as ghost Sebastian has some big stuff to deal with and not a lot of time to do the things that need doing.

That’s my short and sweet review of this beauty. I could squee about some of the details I breezed over, but I want to leave a few things for you to discover on your own. I’ll simply end this with some shout outs to

Damian Simankowicz – the creator and writer of this series;

Marcelo Salaza – the artist;

and Mike Stefan – colorist.

The story and art are both wonderful and make for an enjoyable reading experience. You can pick your copy up TODAY on Amazon. For other platforms, stay tuned for release dates on the Facebook page.