So here we are,  the second part of my year-end spectacular column which gives out phony, non-existent awards to comics and comic related stuff that I myself, as a lifelong lover of such things, deems worthy. It’s The Bleedie Awards! Read more...

For the first time, it is my honor to walk you through DC’s Legends of Tomorrow each week like I did for Flash, Arrow and Supergirl last season. However, as I watched the two-part season premiere for examination and exploration here I was immediately struck by how different this series is structurally from the rest of the Arrowverse.   Read more...

Legacy in comics is important. Legacy in all epic fictional sagas is VERY important. Just look at the response of Star Wars: The Force Awakens compared to let’s say...the new Ghostbusters remake so far. Force Awakens was all about continuing the story we all grew up with, at the same time as adding an excellent cast of new and exciting 2nd generation characters that will keep the adventures in a galaxy far, far away going strong. Ghostbusters is a whole new reboot of a story that many feel is a cheap remake of a movie that still to this day holds up for many of us. If they were to make this movie with the all-female cast of new characters that are the daughters or protégées of the original Ghostbusters, well, I bet more fans would enjoy that. Read more...

The last entry in our episodic journey into Arrow was two weeks ago. As with Flash this week I withheld my review last week in order to do a thematic side by side comparison with this week’s episode. All season long, dear readers, you have helped me explore the tropes, themes, devices and narrative of not only Arrow but Supergirl and Flash as well. All season we have focused on these things rather than the content or the wish list of every fan of the show. I have intentionally avoided the whole “too much Olicity” cries of the internet because I felt that all season it was important to look underneath the whimsy of details, (after all, what is preference but whim?) and take what the creatives gave us. Besides, how can you critique for content until all the content is given? Read more...

Barreling into the darkness at a rapid pace is never wholly comfortable, even if you are just a witness to it. With each installment of season 4 the creative team at Arrow seems to be doubling down on Ollie’s commitment to the light and with each installment the narrative demands that life kick mud all over the team – what is left of it.  We have explored in detail the thematic balancing act the show has maintained between the scripted and intentional narrative and the implications that serve as undertones for the thematic heart of the show. Read more...

It is never easy when a loved one dies, even if they are fictional. For Arrow the death has been far less permanent and far more fluid than we can hope for in real life. Yet grief fascinates us as a culture because it is so powerful in us. When grief over takes a human being it changes the filter and scope of all we do for a time until the cycle has passed and scars have formed over the once too painful wounds of loss. Read more...

There is a time in every series where the rules change and a show becomes something completely different then what it was. But there is also a time in every season where the creators want you to think the fundamental change has arrived in order to swerve the viewer for the sake of entertaining them. The problem I am now faced with as your weekly guide through Arrow season 4 is that with show it happens a few times each season and frankly, it is easy to be cynical and still get swerved. Read more...

For the second time this week I have the pleasure of reviewing the initial episode of a second story arc for the season in an episodic DC/WB show on the CW. If you missed my Flash review, feel free to read it here on site as well. So far Season 4 of Arrow has made a point to rectify its tone from last season, that was more Batman than Green Arrow as far as characterization and in tone far darker than most Green Arrow has ever been. This year began with Oliver and Felicity in coupled bliss and has intentionally labored to get lighter and more like its comic counterpart. Read more...