THE FANDOM ZONE 094: "Self Control" is Up!

"Prove to me that you're not a frickin' robot.  Because it looks like you're malfunctioning."
– Daisy "Quake" Johnson to Jemma Simmons, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: "Self Control"

You guessed it, Karen Lindsay and I are back with another HUGE episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  So huge, in fact, we're splitting it into two parts!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 7x10: "New Best Friends"

Supergirl 2x13: "Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk"

The Flash 3x13: "Attack on Gorilla City"

Legends of Tomorrow 2x12: "Camelot/3000"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4x15: "Self Control"

Arrow 5x14: "The Sin-Eater"

Legion 1x03: "Chapter 3"

This time, we talk about things like our inactive Dangerous Habits podcast still getting likes on Facebook, the AC/DC song "Thunderstruck", wondering where The Fandom Zone TV show is, wanting Walking Dead communities that actually speak normally, Jadis the Vulcan, Rosita the big ball of hurt, Daryl lying to Carol, Morgan wanting his stick bad, The Walking Dead becoming the world of Mad Max, Karen not being able to pronounce "Mxyzptlk", Sterling Gates' Supergirl comics, Q and Trelane being ripoffs of Mr. Mxyzptlk, Mon-El as "Moan-El", Maggie ruining Alex's Valentine's Day, Twitter not spelling Jesse Quick correctly, Alchemy Jones and the Kingdom of the Gorilla Skull, Keith David as Spawn, wanting to see Grodd vs. King Shark, Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland's Camelot 3000 maxi-series, Damien Darhk as the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Legends of Tomorrow borrowing Mr. Clever from Doctor Who, FitzSimmons shippers crying out in terror, the return (sort of) of Grant Ward, wondering if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 will happen, the Bads of Prey, wondering who feeds Deathstroke on Lian Yu, Melanie Byrd and her coffee maker, David's false memories, more of the Devil with Yellow Eyes being the Shadow King, Karen's childhood trauma with Grover from Sesame Street, some feedback from Justina, the Rick Tyler Hourman, and more!

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And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as Karen and I review new episodes of The Walking Dead, Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legion, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

MARVEL'S INHUMANS Casts Ken Leung as Karnak

I don't see a flaw with this casting.

Marvel has revealed that the upcoming ABC television series Marvel's Inhumans has cast Ken Leung as the Inhumans' martial arts master, Karnak.  The 8-episode series will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of the Inhuman royal family.  Leung joins Anson Mount (Black Bolt), Serinda Swan (Medusa) and Iwan Rheon (Maximus the Mad) in the series.

Karnak is described in the announcement as "Black Bolt’s cousin and closest advisor.  His gift is an ability to see the fault in all things – people, plans, structures, everything.  He’s Black Bolt’s most ardent supporter and strategist and is often seen as the royal family’s planner and philosopher."

Leung, 47, is best known as Miles Straume on the ABC series LOST and recently appeared as Admiral Statura in the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  His other film appearances include X-Men: The Last Stand (as Kid Omega), Red Dragon, Saw, Saw V, Vanilla Sky, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and Rush Hour.  He's also appeared on episodes of The Night Shift, Zero Hour, Person of Interest, The Good Wife, The Sopranos, Oz, and Law & Order.

Executive Producer Jeph Loeb remarked, "Ken brings both a wisdom and a power to the role that no one else could match.  His Karnak will be awesome."

Executive Producer and showrunner Scott Buck added, "Ken Leung has a great natural intelligence that reads clearly and will add depth and complexity to the very complicated character of Karnak."

Created in 1965 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Karnak first appeared in Fantastic Four (vol.1) #45 as Karnak Mander-Azur, the brother of Triton and the cousin of Black Bolt, who was never exposed to the mutagenic Terrigen Mists so he never developed additional powers. Triton's Terrigenesis was so extreme that his parents, Mander and Azur, begged that Karnak not have to endure the procedure.  Instead, he was sent to a monastery, where he became a martial artist who can find the weakness in anything and then use his training and strength to exploit it.

In his comics debut, Karnak first appeared as a member of the Inhumans when he attempted to retrieve his cousin and queen, Medusa from the outside world and take her back to Attilan.  This led him into conflict with the Fantastic Four, the first humans he met, who were harboring Medusa after rescuing her from the villainous Frightful Four.  Karnak battled Maximus alongside the Inhuman Royal Family, and became trapped in Maximus' "negative zone" barrier around the Great Refuge.  He was freed from the "negative zone" barrier along with the rest of the Inhumans by the Fantastic Four and left the Great Refuge with the Royal Family to visit the outside world.  He teamed with the Thing, Human Torch, and Black Panther against the Psycho-Man, and aided the Inhuman Royal Family in defeating Maximus' next attempt to overthrow the Great Refuge.

Following Attilan's destruction during the Infinity storyline, Karnak went on a rampage in New York at the start of the Inhumanity storyline, and was stopped and imprisoned by the Avengers.  After warning Medusa to forget what she knew in order to prepare for a coming cataclysm, Karnak commited suicide by leaping out of one of the windows in Avengers Tower.  Karnak wound up in a strange afterlife that he believed to be Hell, but he and an ally he met there successfully found a door out while holding off strange creatures.  Karnak used his ability to see the weakness in things to open the door, and found himself bursting out of the NuHuman Lineage's chest in the real world, killing Lineage in the process.  He realized that what he thought was Hell was inside Lineage, as Karnak is one of his ancestors. Karnak told Medusa he knew that she has been an outstanding queen in his absence and rejoined her council.

This will be the first time the character will appear in live-action, although he has been in several animated projects, including Fantastic Four (1978, voiced by John Stephenson), Fantastic Four (1994, voiced by Clyde Kusatsu), Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (voiced by Fred Tatasciore), Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble and Guardians of the Galaxy.

The first two episodes of Inhumans will first debut in IMAX theaters on September 4, 2017, followed by the ABC television series two weeks later.

GOTHAM Casts Alexander Siddig as Ra's al Ghul

Hey, if Arrow can do it...

Variety has word that the Fox series Gotham has cast Alexander Siddig as DC Comics supervillain Ra's al Ghul, who will appear later in the show's third season after it returns in April.

According to the article, Ra's al Ghul is described as "As Bruce (David Mazouz) pulls the veil off the Court of Owls, he learns the man pulling the strings is in fact Ra’s al Ghul.  A man shrouded in mystery — and the leader of the international criminal organization the League of Shadows — Ra’s al Ghul uses his cunning and deception to lay waste to his enemies, and will prove to be Bruce’s most dangerous adversary yet."

Siddig, 51, is an English-Sudanese actor best known as Dr. Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and as Prince Doran Martell on the HBO series Game of Thrones.  His film roles include Clash of the Titans (2010) as Hermes, The Fifth Estate, Kingdom of Heaven, and Reign of Fire.  He has also appeared in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Peaky Blinders, Atlantis, Primeval, Waking the Dead, Merlin, 24, and Spooks.

Created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams in 1971's Batman (vol.1) #232, Ra's al Ghul first appeared as an international criminal mastermind whose ultimate goal is a world in perfect balance.  He believes that the best way to achieve this balance is to eliminate most of humanity, usually assaulting the world's human populace with a biological weapon, such as a genetically-engineered virus.  His lifespan has been extended several centuries by the Lazarus Pits, reservoirs of rejuvenating chemicals that restore the dead and dying to life.

Ra's considers Batman his worthiest opponent, addressing him as "Detective" out of respect for his intellectual brilliance, and has frequently sought to make the Dark Knight his successor.  He is also one of the few criminals in Batman's rogues gallery to have deduced his secret identity as Bruce Wayne, and keeps silent on the matter due to the same sense of respect for Batman and his daughter, Talia, with whom the two share a son, Damian Wayne.

Siddig will be the third actor to portray the character in live action, after Liam Neeson in the films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, and Matt Nable on the television series Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.  The character has also appeared in various animated projects, including Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series and Batman Beyond (voiced by David Warner), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (voiced by Peter Woodward), Young Justice (voiced by Oded Fehr), Beware the Batman (voiced by Lance Reddick), Batman: Under the Red Hood (voiced by Jason Isaacs), Son of Batman (voiced by Giancarlo Esposito), and Justice League vs. Teen Titans (voiced by Terrence C. Carson).

Gotham returns to Fox on Monday, April 24th at 8:00 p.m. EST.

MARVEL'S INHUMANS Casts Serinda Swan as Medusa

Long live the Queen.

Entertainment Weekly has just revealed that the upcoming ABC television series Marvel's Inhumans has cast Serinda Swan as the Inhumans' queen, Medusa.  The 8-episode series will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of the Inhuman royal family.  Swan joins Anson Mount (Black Bolt) and Iwan Rheon (Maximus the Mad) in the series.

Medusa is described in the article as "Black Bolt’s most trusted advisor, a fiercely resilient warrior who has the ability to move and control her hair the way most people use their hands and fingers."

Swan, 32, is a Canadian actress probably best known as the DC Comics superhero Zatanna on the WB/CW series Smallville.  She also appeared as Siren #2 in the film Tron: Legacy and as Aphrodite in the movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Her other television appearances include episodes of The Tomorrow People, Chicago Fire, Graceland, Hawaii Five-O, Breakout Kings, Supernatural, Psych, and Exes and Ohs.

Marvel TV head and executive producer Jeph Loeb remarked, "Serinda empowers Medusa’s regal glory and still maintains a relatability that synced perfectly with the character.  She is nothing short of wonderful."

Showrunner Scott Buck added, "Serinda Swan brings a regal elegance, as well as a sense of great inner strength and fierce determination, to the role of Medusa.  I couldn’t be happier to have her as our Queen of Attilan."

Created in 1965 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Black Bolt first appeared in Fantastic Four (vol.1) #36 as Medusalith Amaquelin Boltagon, the older sister of Crystal (who later became the wife of the Avenger Quicksilver).  Considered a member of Attilan's Royal Family, Medusa's parents chose to expose her to the Terrigen Mists when she was a child, giving her control of her long red hair as if it were countless thin appendages growing from her head. During her adolescent years, Medusa would often visit her distant cousin Black Bolt during his confinement, and she learned to communicate with him through body language. During the course of these visits, the two fell in love and became engaged.  She attended Black Bolt's release from his isolation cell at the age of eighteen, and witnessed the first confrontation between Black Bolt and his insane brother Maximus the Mad.  Maximus also claimed to be in love with Medusa, and has made frequent attempts to usurp both the throne of Attilan as well as his brother's bride-to-be.  It was in Maximus' first successful attempt to take the throne that Medusa was knocked off a sky-sled by the Trikon and afflicted with amnesia.  She left Attilan, and wandered Europe as a thief.

While wandering through Europe, she came to the attention of The Wizard, who was seeking a worthy female to become the fourth member of his new quartet, the Frightful Four, who became nemeses of the Fantastic Four.  The red-haired villainess performed superbly in the Frightful Four's first battle with the Fantastic Four and after a few more encounters, she was pursued by Gorgon on behalf of Maximus.  It was some time before the disastrous effects of worldly pollution on the Inhumans was known, but eventually Medusa regained her senses and joined forces with the Fantastic Four.  She was reunited with Black Bolt, who had been searching for her, and returned to Attilan.  However, she became trapped in Atillan by the "negative zone" barrier created by Maximus.  She was eventually freed from the barrier by Black Bolt, and left the Great Refuge to visit the outside world as an adventurer.  The Fantastic Four became friends and allies and aided the Inhumans on several occasions, such as during the frequent power struggles between Black Bolt and the deranged Maximus.

Medusa has joined the Fantastic Four as a team member for brief periods of time.  She became a temporary replacement for Susan Richards, known as the Invisible Girl at the time, while she was on leave caring for her comatose son Franklin Richards.  Through her relations with the Fantastic Four, Medusa and Black Bolt have sought to achieve an understanding and peace between the races of Earth and Attilan.  Nevertheless, the Inhumans have been forced to relocate their home of Attilan several times due to unwarranted human hostility.

Medusa and Black Bolt were married and Medusa was made queen, becoming both royal consort and royal interpreter.  When Medusa became pregnant, Attilan's Genetics Council argued that the pregnancy should be terminated due to the possibility of the child inheriting Maximus' insanity coupled with Black Bolt's immense and destructive power.  Medusa defied the Council and fled to Earth to avoid the compulsory abortion and live anonymously in the desert until the child was born, a son named Ahura.  Black Bolt reconciled with Medusa and the pair returned to Attilan and turned their infant son over to the Genetics Council.  Following these events, Ahura was not mentioned or seen in the Marvel Universe for several years.  

During the Realm of Kings storyline, Medusa ended up taking control of the Inhumans following Black Bolt's death.  She took her husband's place in the Illuminati when Iron Man reassembled the team in response to the Hood's attempts to acquire the Infinity Gems, although in the end, Steve Rogers took custody of Black Bolt's gem at the conclusion of the crisis.  Recently, during the Civil War II storyline, Medusa and Crystal introduced the Inhuman Ulysses to Captain Marvel, War Machine, and Black Panther.  Medusa later caught Iron Man infiltrating New Attilan to claim Ulysses and failed to reason with him. After Iron Man defeated Medusa, Crystal, and Karnak and made off with Ulysses, Medusa led some Inhumans to Stark Tower to confront Iron Man, which led the Avengers, the Ultimates, S.H.I.E.L.D., and other superheroes to intervene.  Medusa was present when Ulysses projected his latest vision of a rampaging Hulk standing over the corpses of the superheroes.

This will be the first time the character will appear in live-action, although she has been in several animated projects, including Fantastic Four (1978), Spider-Man (1981, voiced by B.J. Ward), Fantastic Four (1994, voiced by Iona Morris), Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Ultimate Spider-Man (voiced by Mary Faber and Rose McGowan), and Avengers Assemble and Guardians of the Galaxy (voiced by Catherine Taber).

The first two episodes of Inhumans will first debut in IMAX theaters on September 4, 2017, followed by the ABC television series two weeks later.

MARVEL'S INHUMANS Casts Anson Mount as Black Bolt

Mount, as you might expect, was silent on the announcement.

Marvel has revealed that the upcoming ABC television series Marvel's Inhumans has cast Anson Mount as the Inhumans' king, Black Bolt.  The 8-episode series will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of the Inhuman royal family.  Mount joins Iwan Rheon (Maximus the Mad) in the series.

Black Bolt is described in the article as "the enigmatic, commanding King of the Inhumans, with a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city."

Mount, 44, is best known as Cullen Bohannon on the AMC series Hell on Wheels.  His film work includes the movies Visions, Supremacy, Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden, Straw Dogs, The Battle of Shaker Heights, Crossroads, and Urban Legends: Final Cut.  He has also appeared on episodes of LOST, Dollhouse, Smallville, Red Widow, Law & Order, Conviction, CSI: Miami, Sex and the City, and Ally McBeal.

"Anson loves the challenge of playing a character who will only communicate silently," said Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television and Executive Producer.  "His enthusiasm mixed with his imposing almost regal persona made it easy to see why he is our Black Bolt."

Executive producer and showrunner Scott Buck added, "Black Bolt is a character whose deep complexity must be conveyed without uttering a single word, and I’m very excited to have Anson on board to bring him to life."

Created in 1965 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Black Bolt first appeared in Fantastic Four (vol.1) #45 as Blackagar Boltagon, the son of two preeminent Inhumans.  Black Bolt was exposed to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist while still an embryo, and eventually demonstrated a destructive hypersonic voice. To protect the Inhuman community from his voice, Black Bolt was placed inside a soundproof chamber and was tutored in the use of his powers.  Reentering Inhuman society as a young man, having vowed never to speak, he was attacked by his younger brother Maximus, who attempted, unsuccessfully, to goad him into speaking.

Black Bolt later discovered his brother had secretly allied himself with the alien Kree, the race whose genetic experiments first created the Inhumans, and in trying to stop an escaping Kree vessel, he overextended his sonic powers and caused the vessel to crash.  Several members of the Council of Genetics, including his parents, were killed by the crash, and Maximus was driven insane by his proximity to Black Bolt's use of his voice.  Black Bolt assumed the title of King and married his cousin Medusa, but was haunted by the consequences of his actions.

In recent years, during the Secret Wars storyline, Black Bolt took part in the incursion between Earth-616 and Earth-1610.  Afterwards, Medusa sent the Inhumans Nur and Auran to find Black Bolt, who was forced by Maximus to use his voice against them, killing Auran. Black Bolt and Medusa ended up separating over his prolonged absence from Attilan, but teamed up to battle Kang the Conqueror for their son Ahura (Black Bolt had earlier given Ahura over to Kang for safe-keeping during the incursions).  Unwelcome in Attilan, Black Bolt currently runs "The Quiet Room", a night club that functions as a neutral zone for metahumans.

This will be the first time the character will appear in live-action, although he has been in several animated projects, including Fantastic Four (1978), Fantastic Four (1994), Planet Hulk, Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (voiced by Clancy Brown), Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers: Ultron Revolution (voiced by Fred Tatasciore), and Guardians of the Galaxy (voiced by Trevor Devall).

The first two episodes of Inhumans will first debut in IMAX theaters on September 4, 2017, followed by the ABC television series two weeks later.

Fox's X-Men Universe Pilot Casts Stephen Moyer in Lead Role

Sadly, we probably won't get to hear him say "Sookie..."

The Hollywood Reporter revealed late yesterday that Fox's upcoming X-Men universe drama pilot from writer Matt Nix and X-Men movie director Bryan Singer has cast Stephen Moyer in the lead role of Reed.  Moyer joins Jamie Chung as Marvel mutant superhero Blink and Blair Redford as an unnamed character.

The still-untitled drama focuses on two ordinary parents who discover their children possess mutant powers.  Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive.

According to the article, Reed is described as "an ambitious attorney trying to balance the demands of his job at the DA's office with his responsibilities to his family."

Moyer, 47, is an English actor best known as the vampire Bill Compton on the HBO series True Blood, and has appeared in the films Concussion, Detour, Devil's Knot, 88 Minutes, and Prince Valiant. He's also appeared in episodes of The Bastard Executioner, The Sound of Music Live, Phineas and Ferb, Casualty, Waking the Dead, Princess of Thieves, Highlander: The Raven, Ultraviolet, and Conjugal Rites.

Nix wrote the pilot, which Singer will direct.  The two will executive produce with Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory.  20th Century Fox Television will produce in association with Marvel Television.

BLACK LIGHTNING Pilot Casts Cress Williams as...Black Lightning

The CW's Arrowverse has an electrifying new hero.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that the Black Lightning pilot for The CW has cast Cress Williams as lead character Jefferson Pierce, better known to DC Comics fans as the superhero Black Lightning.

Williams, 46, is probably best known as the hitman Wyatt on Prison Break and as Mayor Lavon Hayes on Hart of Dixie.  In addition, he's appeared as Baron Sunday on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and on episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Friday Night Lights, Grey's Anatomy, Close to Home, The West Wing, Veronica Mars, House, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Providence, Nash Bridges, Sports Night, JAG, NYPD Blue, Living Single, and Beverly Hills, 90210.

Black Lightning is being developed by Greg Berlanti (famous for the four DC Comics series currently on The CW), Mara Brock Akil and her husband Salim Akil (The Game, Being Mary Jane).  The project is from Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions.  Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil will serve as executive producers with Berlanti Productions' Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter.

According to the article, Black Lightning "centers on Jefferson Pierce.  He made his choice: he hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he’ll be pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante and DC legend Black Lightning."

Created in 1977 by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden, Black Lightning first appeared in Black Lightning #1 as Jefferson Pierce, a gold medal-winning Olympic decathlete who returned to his old neighborhood in the Southside (Suicide Slum) section of the city of Metropolis, with his wife Lynn Stewart and his daughter Anissa to become the principal of Garfield High School.  Southside was where his father, renowned journalist Alvin Pierce, had been murdered.  Guilt over this event was a factor in Jefferson's decision to leave the city of Metropolis.  Suicide Slum was being torn apart by a local organized criminal gang called the 100, shady corporations, and crooked local politicians like Tobias Whale.

Peter Gambi, a family friend and tailor, had taught a much younger Jefferson how to suppress his inborn metahuman ability to generate and magnify externally-localized electro-magnetic phenomena, by manipulating intense bio-electric fields generated from his body, so that he would not accidentally hurt any of the people he cared about.  Upon his return, Gambi suggested to Jefferson that he should use his powers to help the neighborhood.  Appalled by the public murder of Earl Clifford, one of his more promising students, Pierce tried to intervene on behalf of the schoolchildren, but quickly learned that the 100 objected violently to any interference.  He soon adopted the identity of Black Lightning.

As Black Lightning, Pierce developed a strong reputation as a crimefighter and was invited to join the Justice League of America, but turned them down.  He did, however, end up joining the Outsiders and remained with them until their eventual breakup.  After moving to Brick City, Black Lightning continued fighting crime, while his daughter Anissa joined a new incarnation of the Outsiders as the superhero Thunder, and his sixteen-year-old, younger daughter, Jennifer Pierce, was recruited by the Justice Society of America under the code name Lightning.  Black Lightning eventually joined another incarnation of the Justice League of America, who needed help fighting the android Amazo.

The character has appeared in a number of animated projects, including Batman: Brave and the Bold (voiced by Bumper Robinson), a "Thunder and Lightning" DC Nation Short (voiced by Blair Underwood), Young Justice: Invasion (voiced by Khary Payton), and Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (voiced by LeVar Burton).  His only live-action appearance was in a 1992 Saturday Night Live sketch that parodied "The Death of Superman" storyline in DC Comics (played by Sinbad).

Chris McKay in Negotiations to Direct NIGHTWING Movie

Wingnuts, your time has finally come at last.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Chris McKay, director of The Lego Batman Movie, is in negotiations to direct a movie based on DC Comics superhero Nightwing.  Bill Dubuque (The Accountant) is reportedly writing the script.

Nightwing is the latest in Warner Bros.' plan to grow the DC Extended Universe, including Gotham City Sirens starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, a sequel to Suicide Squad, The Batman starring Ben Affleck, Shazam starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson,The Flash starring Ezra Miller, and Cyborg starring Ray Fisher.

In addition to The Lego Batman Movie, McKay has directed the animated TV film Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III, along with various episodes of the animated TV series Robot Chicken, Titan Maximum, and Moral Orel.

Created in 1984 by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Nightwing first debuted in Tales of the Teen Titans #44 as Richard "Dick" Grayson, a member of the New Teen Titans who gave up his previous superhero identity as Robin and his partnership with Batman.  When the supervillains Deathstroke and Terra kidnapped his fellow Titans, Grayson adopted his new identity of Nightwing after being inspired by Superman telling him the legend of Kryptonian heroes Nightwing and Flamebird.

As Nightwing, Grayson became the protector of Gotham City's neighboring municipality of Blüdhaven, relocating there to investigate a series of murders.  He remained the city's guardian for some time, facing foes such as Blockbuster and new villains such as Torque, dividing his duties between Bludhaven and Gotham after a devastating earthquake and the subsequent decision to declare Gotham a No Man's Land until the city was fully rebuilt.

In the current New 52 continuity, after briefly acting as an agent of the Spyral organization, Grayson has resumed his identity of Nightwing and associated with a vigilante named Raptor in a plan to bring down the Court of Owls from the inside.  Though Raptor seemed willing to play by Grayson's rules of not killing, he tricked Grayson into agreeing to a plan that resulted in the deaths of all of the Parliament of Owls in Sydney.  After defeating Raptor, Nightwing has once again become the protector of Blüdhaven.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 075: "The Androids of Tara" is Up!

"Hear that, K-9?  Wedding bells or a funeral knell?  Do hurry up, a hamster with a blunt penknife would do it quicker."
"You ordered me to make no noise, master."
"Just get on with it."

– The Fourth Doctor and K-9, Doctor Who: "The Androids of Tara"

That's right, my partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back once again with a special 75th episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  In this episode, we're joined by special guest companion Karen Lindsay from The Fandom Zone Podcast and review "The Androids of Tara", the fourth serial from Season 16, a.k.a. "The Key to Time" season, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Mary Tamm as the First Romana, and John Leeson as the voice of K-9!

This time, Jesse, Karen and I discuss things like my two podcast worlds colliding, Karen's love of the Tom Baker era, K-9 being thrown to the wolves by the Fourth Doctor, The Prisoner of Zenda, The Princess Bride, the original humanoid Jabba the Hutt, Robert A. Heinlein's Double Star, the Fourth Doctor going fishing, K-9 beating the Doctor at chess, everyone underestimating the Fourth Doctor, Mary Tamm carrying the entire story on her shoulders, Count Grendel's crazy yet historically proven plan to become king, Neil Patrick Harris in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Jesse and Karen debating the greatness of K-9, Twiki from Buck Rogers and the Robot from Lost in Space, the branding of K-9, my Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment fail, and more!

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Be sure to come back soon as Jesse and I review "The Power of Kroll", the infamous fifth serial from Season 16, a.k.a. "The Key to Time" season, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Mary Tamm as the First Romana, and John Leeson as the voice of K-9!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Sticher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

THE FANDOM ZONE 093: "Rock in the Road" is Up!

"And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children -- black men and white men, jews and gentiles, protestants and catholics -- will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual -- Free at last!  Free at last!  Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
– King Ezekiel (after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) , The Walking Dead: "Rock in the Road"

You guessed it, Karen Lindsay and I are back with another big episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 7x09: "Rock in the Road"  (Midseason Premiere)

Supergirl 2x12: "Luthors"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4x14: "The Man Behind the Shield"

Arrow 5x13: "Spectre of the Gun"

Legion 1x02: "Chapter 2"

This time, we talk about things like the Justice League Dark animated movie, wanting Sandman and Doom Patrol Funko figures, Sgt. Hulka from Stripes, Gregory the useless bureaucrat, Rosita's anger issues, King Ezekiel wanting Morgan's opinion, Rick and Michonne's awesome zombie decapitation stunt, everybody wanting to think that Lena is evil, Lillian's appreciation for Lena's chess skills, Coulson and May's almost relationship, that awkward moment when your secret organization is infiltrated by evil android duplicates, the classic Star Trek episode "Spectre of the Gun", Team Arrow getting up on their soapboxes about guns, Mayor Queen's magical solution to solve the gun debate in an hour, the bird being the word, speculating on X-Men villain the Shadow King, wondering if David's memories of his dad are completely false, Karen's MRI machine fantasy, some feedback from Justina, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Google Play Music -- HERE 

iTunes -- HERE

Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as Karen and I review new episodes of The Walking Dead, Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Legion, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

MARVEL'S INHUMANS Casts Iwan Rheon as Maximus

Maximus might want to stay away from Lockjaw's kennel.

Marvel has revealed that the upcoming ABC television series Marvel's Inhumans has cast Iwan Rheon as the Inhuman supervillain genius Maximus the Mad.  The 8-episode series will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of Black Bolt and the Inhuman royal family.

Maximus is described in the article as "a clever and charming Inhuman that is fiercely devoted to the people of Attilan, especially his brother, the King – although he harbors an intense desire to wear the crown himself."

Rheon, 31, is best known as the psychopath Ramsay Bolton on the HBO series Game of Thrones.  He has also appeared as Simon Bellamy on the British series Misfits and has appeared in episodes of Residue, Our Girl, Vicious, and Secret Diary of a Call Girl.  In addition, he's appeared in the films Libertador, Wild Bill and Resistance.

"Iwan’s ability to be charming, roguish, and still completely unexpectedly dangerous were all the different sides we needed to bring the character to life," said Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television and Executive Producer.  "We’re thrilled to have him on board."


Scott Buck, executive producer and showrunner, added, "Maximus is a complex character. Likable, charming, tragic and villainous all in the same moment, and I’m very excited to have someone of Iwan’s considerable talent."

Created in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Maximus the Mad first appeared in Fantastic Four (vol.1) #47 as Maximus Boltagon, the second son of two of Attilan's top geneticists, Agon, the head of the ruling Council of Geneticists, and Rynda, director of the Prenatal Care Center.  Subjected to the DNA-altering Terrigen Mist when he was an infant, Maximus peculiarly showed no outward sign of any mutagenic change.  As he matured, he hid his developing psionic powers from the community, but was less successful at disguising his antisocial tendencies.  When he was about sixteen, his elder brother Black Bolt was released from the protective chamber in which he had been confined since birth due to the destructive nature of his Terrigen mutation. One of Maximus's first responses to his brother's freedom was an unsuccessful attempt to make him release his power and prove Black Bolt could not control his sonic powers, and thus lose his freedom.

A month later, Black Bolt witnessed Maximus making a treacherous pact with an emissary of the Kree, the alien race responsible for genetically accelerating the Inhumans eons before.  In an attempt to stop the fleeing emissary so that he could be questioned by the ruling council, Black Bolt used his forbidden power of the quasi-sonic scream and blasted the alien ship out of the sky.  When the ship crashed to earth, it landed on the parliament building, killing several key members of the Genetics Council, including his parents.  The reverberations of Black Bolt's voice also affected Maximus, who was standing nearby, affecting his sanity and suppressing his nascent mental powers.  When Black Bolt assumed the throne shortly thereafter, Maximus vowed to oppose his brother and eventually usurp his rule.

Maximus staged his first successful coup a few years later.  By performing an illegal experiment on the Alpha Primitives, the subhuman worker clones that once served the Inhumans, Maximus created the Trikon, three bodiless energy beings of great destructive power.  While the Trikon wreaked havoc in Attilan, Maximus was able to drive the Royal Family of the Inhumans out of the city.  Feeling secure in his position, Maximus bade his servant, the Seeker, to locate the Royal Family and bring them back to Attilan.  Immediately upon doing so, Black Bolt seized the crown back, to Maximus' dismay.  Maximus also encountered the Fantastic Four for the first time.  Maximus, hoping to win back the public's affection, activated the Atmo-Gun device he had been working on, a machine he believed would kill the human race and leave all other living beings intact. Maximus miscalculated, however, and the device had no effect.  Out of spite, Maximus used the device to erect a barrier that encased Attilan in a dark force sphere, imprisoning the entire race inside.  Black Bolt liberated his people by using his quasi-sonic voice to destroy the barrier, at the price of devastating Attilan's ancient architecture.

This will be the first time the character has appeared in live action, although he has been in several animated projects, including the 1994 Fantastic Four animated series (voiced by Mark Hamill), Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. and Ultimate Spider-Man (voiced by Nolan North), Guardians of the Galaxy (voiced by Diedrich Bader), and Avengers: Ultron Revolution (voiced by Keith Silverstein).

The first two episodes of Inhumans will first debut in IMAX theaters on September 4, 2017, followed by the ABC television series two weeks later.

THE FANDOM ZONE 092: "Chapter 1" is Up!

"Stop looking at me like that, man.  I know, I'm dead, you killed me.  And I gotta say, not cool, man."
"I didn't."
"Yeah, you did.  Don't blame her, don't blame her.  She was just a passenger, riding around in your body.  Don't give a newbie a bazooka and then be surprised when she blows shit up."
– Lenny Busker and David Haller, Legion: "Chapter 1"

That's right, Karen Lindsay and I are back with another HUGE episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Supergirl 2x11: "The Martian Chronicles"

The Flash 3x12: "Untouchable"

Legends of Tomorrow 2x11: "Turncoat"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4x13: "BOOM"

Arrow 5x12: "Bratva"

Legion 1x01: "Chapter 1"  (Series Premiere)

This time, we talk about things like the first appearance of Legion, Karen meeting the late Ray Bradbury, the Heat Wave opening to Legends of Tomorrow, the Hyperclan from Grant Morrison's first four issues of JLA, Karen giving Alex cancer with multiple uses of her X-Ray Vision, Mon-El entering the Super Friendzone, Karen's Sean Connery impression fail, Joe c-blocking Wally, the death of Iris West in the comics, obscure Flash villain Clive Yorkin, the Flash's awesome train rescue, Heat Wave inspiring George Washington on how to be an American, Citizen Steel and Vixen having Revolutionary sex, that awkward moment when you try to turn someone into an Inhuman and turn yourself into an Inhuman instead, the Captain America movies being the best superhero trilogy, Karen's proof that she was on the Dark Web, wondering how Ragman can stop a nuclear blast with his rags and not leave radioactive fallout, the origin of Legion from the comics, the career of Bill Irwin, David being instantly smitten with Syd, wondering if the devil with yellow eyes is X-Men villain Mojo or the Shadow King, some feedback from Justina, Karen's upcoming appearance on Next Stop Everywhere 075, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Google Play Music -- HERE 

iTunes -- HERE

Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week, as Karen and I review the midseason premiere of The Walking Dead, along with new episodes of Supergirl, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Legion, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!