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New Vixen Cartoon to Join the Arrow-Verse!
The Arrow-Verse just keeps getting bigger, it seems! Not only has The Flash debuted to strong ratings, and not only are both Supergirl and Teen Titans rumored to be joining, but a new cartoon series starring Vixen has been confirmed for the Fall! The show will air online only, it seems, but both Arrow and Flash will make guest appearances.
They all actually look pretty neat animated
Vixen was announced at the Television Critic’s Association press tour over the weekend, alongside renewals for new seasons of Arrow and The Flash. The cartoon will be about Mari McCabe, the hero with the power to copy the abilities of animals. Vixen can jump like a frog, run like a cheetah or swim like a fish.
Sounds like a solid idea for a new show to me!
So does having the abilities of a bird somehow turn her arms into wings capable of flight?
There are also rumors that The CW might add a new live action TV show starring The Atom. Brandon Routh has been a major guest-star on Arrow this season as Ray Palmer, and he’s going to don his shrinking superhero guise sometime in the latter half of Season 3. Would that make him spin-off worthy? You bet’cha!
My only concern is that the white male is in consideration for a live action TV show, while the black woman is getting relegated to an online cartoon show. What’s the matter, CW? Can only white men star in your live action superhero universe?
Hopefully, at the very least, they hire a real actress so Vixen can guest star on Arrow and The Flash at some point. They definitely need more female members of the off-kilter Justice League they’re building.
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This Has Got to Be Some Kind of Trick…
I’m actually a little speechless about this casting news. Not only are we living in a world where both Green Arrow and the Flash have amazing live action TV shows, but we also live in a world that reaches back 20 years and recasts Mark Hamill as the Trickster!
For those who don’t know, Hamill played the supervillain Trickster in the original live action Flash TV show in the early 90s. Don’t believe me? Here’s Youtube!
Actual physical proof that this was a thing in the early 90s!
Well now the forces of the universe have come together to bring Hamill back to play the Trickster again on the new Flash live action TV show on The CW! This is all according to Hitflix.
This is probably the most insane casting news I’ve ever written about for this blog. It defies all expectations of how the universe is supposed to work. We’re not supposed to get nice things! The world isn’t supposed to make such perfect sense!
According to Hitflix, Hamill will play an older Trickster who was locked up in prison a long time ago as a terrorist. He’ll be a Hannibal Lecter-type villain, advising the Flash from inside a prison cell, while a new, younger Trickster tries to play copycat. This actually lines up with the comics, since there really is an older Trickster and a younger Trickster who tried to steal his identity.
Whatever happens, this casting is some amazing news. This is a good day.
The Official List of Upcoming DC Comics Movies!
Batman v. Superman. Suicide Squad. Wonder Woman. Flash. Cyborg. Aquaman. Green Lantern. Shazam. Two Justice Leagues.
DC Comics and Warner Bros. have some major plans!
At a Warner Bros. shareholders meeting today, the company unveiled its upcoming film slate. Along with LEGO Movie sequels and that Harry Potter spin-off, DC has superhero movies planned through 2020!
That list is both insane and awesome! Sounds like a pretty solid plan for movies, though I’m surprised that DC isn’t going to try to do a new solo Batman film or even a proper Man of Steel sequel sometime in the next 5-6 years. They’re risking a lot by hoping that audiences like the less marquee heroes like Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman.
But hey, as a comic book fan, I’m excited! Some people out there might not like the onslaught of comic book movies we’re getting these days, but I’m in love! Bring’em on, good or bad!
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Review: The Flash: “City of Heroes”
I first saw the pilot episode of The Flash over the summer, when it was leaked early on the Internet. At the time, I thought the episode was incredibly hokey. It was stuffed with forced exposition and more ‘running’ and ‘fast’ comments than my simple mind could handle. I was prepared to continue to dislike the show when the episode finally aired on TV this week…but I’m kind of happy to say that something definitely improved on a rewatch! I don’t know if anything was changed, or if perhaps I had inflated the level of hokiness in my mind, but the first episode of the new live action Flash show is actually a solid start. I’m definitely more excited for the series after watching it on TV.
This first episode of The Flash isn’t perfect, and it’s still kind of hokey. But now that it’s finally here, for real, I’m ready to become a fan.
TV Rating: 7/10 – Good.
When I first saw this episode, I couldn’t stop rolling my eyes. From the very first scene, they start hitting you over the head with their lack of subtlety. A young Barry Allen is telling his mother how he wants to be a hero, because he tried to intervene and stop some bullies, only to get beaten up himself. His mother replies that sometimes it’s “better to have a good heart than fast legs”. Come on! That’s Gotham levels of obvious. And it doesn’t stop there. Barry Allen has a reputation of being late at his job for no good reason, and everybody is commenting on things being ‘fast’ or that Barry should ‘run’. It’s stifling.
But when I rewatched the pilot, I didn’t notice it as much. I don’t know if it’s due to editing or what, but the show is smoother this time around. Maybe watching Gotham has blown my subtlety circuits. But I still don’t think Barry needs to have a reputation of being late to things just to reinforce his super speed. That’s just dumb.
Fortunately, the pilot as a whole isn’t as dumb as I’d feared. Hokey sensibilities out of the way, the episode actually works quite well, with a solid cast and spectacular special effects. They set up all of the major characters and plots, though that isn’t without a few stumbling blocks too. In the span of a single episode, Barry gets his powers, learns about his powers, becomes the Flash and defeats his first super-villain. It’s a bit rushed. And using shortcut exposition doesn’t help matters. Every time Barry encounters a new character, whether it’s his painfully obvious love interest Iris West or his painfully obvious rival Eddie Thawne, someone somewhere delivers a few paragraphs of exposition. It’s wince-inducing.
But weaknesses aside, this is a strong start to the new show. I’m glad I rewatched the first episode because it definitely got better the second time around. I’m really excited to see The Flash take off running.
Join me after the jump for the full review.
My Initial Thoughts on The Flash TV Show
The first episode of the new live action Flash TV show debuts tonight, but like any good Interneteer, I watched the pilot over the summer when it got leaked online. But I’m going to watch the episode on TV tonight and get up a full review before the week is out. I’m hoping they’ve improved upon the show somehow…because I just don’t care for the first episode.
Here’s the last trailer for your viewing pleasure.
I’m going to save most of my thoughts and concerns for my full review, but for right now, I figured I could drop a few comments.
First of all, the show is so hokey. I don’t know what I was expecting, probably something along the lines of Arrow, but The Flash is just one hokey show. I don’t remember all the details from the pilot, but everybody always complains about Barry being late to things. And then there’s that whole “Lightning gave me abs” thing that I just don’t like. Lightning didn’t give you abs, TV executives demanding a hot bodied star gave you abs. There’s no conceivable reason for lightning to give him abs.
On top of that…I dunno. I can’t really remember everything. I just know that the pilot felt so forced and hokey. Even Green Arrow’s cameo was really awkward. But reading reviews on the web, I seem to be in the minority. And if I’m going to keep watching Gotham and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you better believe I’m going to keep watching The Flash!
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