TITANTALK 005: "Spotlight on Starfire" is Up!

Starfire: "Hi, Robin.  You know you're really cute?"
Kid Flash: "Huh?  She talks?  But -- how --?"
Starfire: "Physical contact, Kid Flash.  I simply absorbed your language!"
Robin: "Y-You had to kiss me to do that?"
Starfire: "Not really.  But it was certainly more enjoyable this way."

-- The New Teen Titans (vol.1) #2: "Today...The Terminator!"

That's right, my fellow TitanTalker Jesse Jackson and I are back with another new episode of TitanTalk: The Titans Podcast!  

TITANS TOGETHER!

In this fifth episode, Jesse and I discuss human and alien romances, Starfire's rivalry with her sister Blackfire, the dichotomy of Koriand'r being an alien beauty and a fierce warrior, Starfire's willingness to kill her enemies, Starfire learning English by kissing Robin, Kory being forced to marry Karras to stop a civil war on Tamaran, Starfire and Blackfire being experiment upon by the Psions, Nightwing and Starfire's wedding fail, Starfire and Cyborg becoming mentors to the Geoff Johns era Teen Titans, Starfire teaming up with Red Hood and Arsenal in the Outlaws, Kory getting her own series and setting up in Key West, Starfire leading the DC Rebirth era Teen Titans, Starfire being featured in the upcoming Justice League Odyssey series by Scott Snyder, the controversial Titans location filming photos showing Anna Diop as Starfire and Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, Anna Diop's classy response on Instagram to the social media hate speech she's received, the recent casting of Conor Leslie as Wonder Girl/Donna Troy, the passing of our friend and old school TitanTalker Lindy Whitmore, and more!

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Be sure to come back next month for Episode 006 as Jesse and I discuss more news from the upcoming DC Universe series Titans!  Look for more of TitanTalk: The Titans Podcast on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

DC Universe Service Developing SWAMP THING Drama Series

Do not bring your evil here, I warn you.  Beware the wrath of...Swamp Thing!

Deadline has word that the upcoming DC Universe digital service has given a script-to-series order for the drama series Swamp Thing, based on the DC Comics swamp monster and plant elemental.

The series is the fifth DC Comics adaptation in development for DC Universe, after the animated series Harley Quinn and Young Justice: Outsiders, and the live-action series Titans and Metropolis. 

According to the article, Swamp Thing "centers on CDC researcher Abby Arcane.  When she returns to her childhood home of Houma, Louisiana, in order to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, she develops a surprising bond with scientist Alec Holland — only to have him tragically taken from her.  But as powerful forces descend on Houma, intent on exploiting the swamp’s mysterious properties for their own purposes, Abby will discover that the swamp holds mystical secrets, both horrifying and wondrous — and the potential love of her life may not be dead after all."

Swamp Thing will be written by Mark Verheiden (Ash vs. Evil Dead) and It co-writer Gary Dauberman.  They will serve as executive producers with Atomic Monster’s James Wan and Michael Clear, while Rob Hackett serves as co-producer.

Created in 1971 by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, Swamp Thing first appeared in House of Secrets #92 as Alex Olsen, a scientist in the early 20th century who was caught in a lab explosion caused by his co-worker, Damian Ridge, who intended to kill him to gain the hand of Olsen's wife, Linda.  Olsen was physically altered by chemicals and the forces within the swamp.  He was transformed into a monstrous creature who killed Ridge before he could murder Linda, who started to suspect Ridge of murdering Alex.  Unable to speak and with his monstrous appearance, he was unable to make Linda realize his true identity, and he returned to the swamp.

In 1972's Swamp Thing (vol.1) #1, Wein and Wrightson updated the time frame to the 1970s and featured a new version of the character -- Alec Holland, a scientist working in the Louisiana swamps on a secret bio-restorative formula "that can make forests out of deserts."  Holland was killed by a bomb planted by agents of the mysterious Mr. E (Nathan Ellery), who wanted the formula.  Splashed with burning chemicals in the massive fire, Holland ran from the lab and fell into the muck-filled swamp, after which a creature resembling a humanoid plant appeared.

In 1984, writer Alan Moore reworked Swamp Thing's origin to make him a true monster as opposed to a human transformed into a monster.  The Sunderland Corporation hunted Swamp Thing and "killed" him in a hail of bullets.  The subsequent investigation revealed that Swamp Thing was not Alec Holland transformed into a plant, but actually a form of plant life that had absorbed Holland's body and created a "copy" of his form and consciousness after exposure to his serum, with Swamp Thing's appearance being the plants' attempt to duplicate Holland's human form.  This resulted in Swamp Thing suffering a temporary mental breakdown and identity crisis, but he eventually reasserted himself in time to stop the latest scheme of the Floronic Man.  Later, Moore revealed that there had been dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Swamp Things since the dawn of humanity, and that all versions of the creature were designated defenders of the Parliament of Trees, an elemental community also known as "the Green" that connects all plant life on Earth.

This will be the second live-action Swamp Thing television series, after the first series that aired from 1990 to 1993 on USA Network starring Dick Durock as Swamp Thing.

Swamp Thing is expected to debut on DC Universe sometime in 2019.

TITANS Casts Conor Leslie as Wonder Girl

Who is Donna Troy?  Well, as it happens...

Heroic Hollywood is reporting that the upcoming DC Comics digital service series Titans has cast Conor Leslie as Donna Troy, better known to Titans fans as the superhero Wonder Girl.  Leslie joins Brenton Thwaits as Nightwing, Teagan Croft as Raven, Anna Diop as Starfire, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, and Alan Ritchson and Minka Kelly as Hawk and Dove.

A previous casting description for a "Ruth Gibbs", believed to be a false name for Donna Troy, stated the Titans character is "Confident and kick ass" and "Educated."  "Ruth Gibbs" was also to be a "recurring guest star this season with an option for series regular next season."

Leslie, 27, is probably best known as Sarah Ellis in the Fox drama Shots Fired, and has appeared in episodes of Elementary, The Man in the High Castle, The Blacklist, Other Space, Hawaii Five-O (2014), Revenge, Rizzoli & Isles, No Ordinary Family, 90210, Law & Order, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.  In addition, she's appeared in the movies Parts per Billion, Chained, and Beware the Gonzo.

Created in 1965 by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, Donna Troy first appeared as Wonder Girl in The Brave and the Bold (vol.1) #60.  She was introduced as Wonder Woman's younger sister, who leaves Paradise Island to become a member of the Teen Titans, consisting of Robin (Dick Grayson), Kid Flash (Wally West), and Aqualad (Garth).

In 1969, writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gil Kane created an origin for Wonder Girl in Teen Titans (vol.1) #22, which introduced the character's new costume.  This story established Wonder Girl's origin as a non-Amazon orphan, rescued by Wonder Woman from an apartment building fire.  Unable to find any parents or family, Wonder Woman brought the child to Paradise Island, where she eventually was given Amazon powers by Paula Von Gunther's Purple Ray.  Donning the new costume, Wonder Girl adopted the secret identity of Donna Troy.

After joining a new incarnation of the Teen Titans, Donna's origin was expanded in the 1984' story "Who is Donna Troy?" featured in The New Teen Titans (vol.1) #38.  In the story by Wolfman and George Pérez, Robin investigated the events surrounding the fire from which his old friend had been rescued as a toddler, discovering that Donna's birth mother was Dorothy Hinckley, a dying unwed teen who had placed her for adoption.  After Donna's adoptive father Carl Stacey had been killed in a work-related accident, her adoptive mother Fay Stacey placed her for adoption again, unable to raise the toddler because of mounting expenses.  However, Donna became victim to a child selling racket, which ended with the racketeers dying in a fire.  With Robin's help, Donna was reunited with Fay, who had married Hank Evans and given birth to two additional children, Cindy and Jerry.

Over the years, Donna's origin was revamped a number of times, primarily to sever the character's ties to the Amazons.  In one version, Donna remembered being rescued from a fire by the goddess Rhea who, being one of the mythological Titans, brought her to New Cronus and raised her as one of twelve Titan Seeds, orphans from various planets who would have died if Rhea had not saved them.  Each one was given the name of a place that worshiped the Titans, and Donna was given the last name of Troy in homage to the ancient city.  She was returned to Earth at age thirteen, where her memories of New Cronus were erased until such a time that she would return and take her place among the Seeds as gods.  In another, she was created to be a playmate for the young Wonder Woman by the sorceress Magala, who used a magical mirror to create a duplicate of Diana, though with her own personality.  She was abducted by Dark Angel who mistook her for the real Diana, and cursed her to experience a cycle of countless tragic lives, given the name Donna Troy as a cruel joke to her origins.  

In a third recent version, she was an Amazon created by a sorcerer, Derinoe, as an attempt to usurp Diana's place as queen, replacing her with a new ruler.  However, in the current DC Rebirth continuity, the two accounts of Donna's history — recent magical creation or longtime ally of Wonder Woman — were reconciled, revealing that Donna was created out of clay to destroy Wonder Woman, but the Amazons later gave her false memories of being an orphan rescued by Wonder Woman.  This allowed Donna to be more than a living weapon, and to establish a stable life.  She has become a member of the current incarnation of the Titans, reunited with her longtime friends from the original Teen Titans.

Leslie will be the second woman to portray Wonder Girl in live action, after Debra Winger in the '70s Wonder Woman television series, although the character was named Drusilla instead of Donna.  The character has also appeared in the animated projects The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure (voiced by Julie Bennett) and Super Best Friends Forever (voiced by Grey DeLisle)

Titans is expected to debut on the DC Universe digital service sometime in 2018.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 110: "Cold Vengeance" is Up!

"I’m the Doctor.  Me and the Ice Warriors, we’ve got previous."
"Doc-torrrr…Lord Hasskor—"
"Yeah, Lord Hasskor will decide.  Yeah, I get that, I get that.  Don’t you ever get frustrated?  Don’t you ever think ‘How do I climb the ladder, get to wear the cloak and the nice hat?  When do I get to make the big decisions?’  You know, ice cream or sorbet for tea."
-- The Tenth Doctor and Slarn, Doctor Who: "Cold Vengeance"

You guessed it, my partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  This time, we review "Cold Vengeance", the third and final Tenth Doctor Adventures Vol. 2 audio adventure from Big Finish Productions, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, and featuring the return of the Ice Warriors!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like the Tenth Doctor and Rose facing the Ice Warriors for the first time, the Ice Warriors being underused, Rose as a Social Justice Warrior, the high price of caviar in outer space, Brona and Callum's respective sacrifices, how to distinguish between Bellona and Enyo, Ice Lord Hasskor being a sympathetic villain, Hasskor having one last trick up his armored sleeve after his death, Lorna finally speaking up for Doctor Who characters that get ignored, military officers who hide behind their soldiers in war, my Reverse the Polarity segment, new feedback from Paul from Australia, our upcoming Chris Chibnall Torchwood retrospective, Jesse's Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, and more!

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Be sure to come back in just two weeks as Jesse and I review "Day One", the second episode of the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood, starring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, and written by incoming Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

GHOSTWOOD 032: "Blue Velvet" is Up!

"See that clock on the wall?  In five minutes, you're not going to believe what I've told you."
-- Jeffrey Beaumont, Blue Velvet

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we continue exploring the roots of Twin Peaks and review David Lynch's 1986 neo-noir mystery film classic, Blue Velvet, starring Kyle MacLachlan, Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini, and Dennis Hopper! 

LET'S ROCK!

In our latest episode, Xan and I discuss things like Blue Velvet being the prototype for Twin Peaks, '60s counterculture icon Dennis Hopper, Priscilla Pointer on the 1990 The Flash TV series, Julee Cruise's "Mysteries of Love", David Lynch loving to explore the darkness in small lumber towns, the Yellow Man being Deputy Chad's dad, that awkward moment when you get busted hiding out in a woman's closet after watching her undress, the Frank Booth f-bomb drinking game, why Frank Booth wouldn't be nearly as menacing if he was inhaling helium instead of nitrous oxide, Dorothy wanting Jeffrey to hit her, suave Dean Stockwell lip-synching Roy Orbison's "In Dreams", Pabst Blue Ribbon being a hipster beer, Xan being weirded out by Roy Orbison, Ben's really bizarre party guests, that awkward moment when the woman you've been investigating shows up naked on your front steps and tells your would-be girlfriend you've had sex with her, the Yellow Man being dead and still standing, David Lynch using a naked woman he saw walking down the street as inspiration for Dorothy, exploring issues of voyeurism and sadomasochism, following up on last episode's question about Sissy Spacek's connection to David Lynch, some listener Twitter feedback, The Twin Peaks Shitposting Group, why Xan should do a Simpsons podcast, and more!

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Be sure to come back in two weeks as Xan and I discuss the 2010 Psych episode "Dual Spires", which pays homage to Twin Peaks and features several Twin Peaks cast members!  Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

New VENOM Trailer Remembers to Include Venom This Time

Hey, how about that?  A Venom trailer that actually has Venom in it!

Sony Pictures has released a new trailer for Venom, based on the Marvel Comics antihero and starring Tom Hardy as Venom/Eddie Brock and Michelle Williams as Ann Weying.

The 2-minute, 30-second trailer opens with a downed alien spacecraft, presumably what brings the alien symbiote to Earth.  "Thank you for bringing us collectively to this moment," begins a voiceover from Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), the founder and CEO of a powerful company known as the Life Foundation.  

We see a cylindrical container containing a symbiote being recovered from the spacecraft and brought to the Life Foundation, where it is kept with a second cylinder housing another symbiote.  "It is a moment that so many have...dreamed of claiming," continues Drake.  "History starts today."

Next, we see Eddie Brock sitting with Ann Weying in a booth inside some sort of nightclub.  "The guy you work for is an evil person," Eddie remarks to her.

"I don't work for him," replies Ann.  "My firm works for him."  Then, she asks Eddie, "Are you gonna behave yourself tomorrow?"

"I told you, I'm gonna do my job."

We then see Eddie is in San Francisco, arriving to meet with Drake.  "I'm a reporter," he says in a voiceover.  "I follow people who do not want to be followed."

In a different scene, Eddie is shown being filmed on camera with Drake and asks him, "What about the allegations that you recruit the most vulnerable for tests that end up killing people?"

Drake gestures for the interview to be cut and Eddie is quickly escorted away by security.  During the brief scuffle, Eddie exclaims, "Was that a threat?!"

"You have to learn how to hide in plain sight," he says as he enters a mini market and confronts a young woman in glasses (Jenny Slate) who is following him.  "I'm pretty good at it, but you, you suck...whoever you are."

"I work at the Life Foundation," explains the woman, "and I need your help.  We found something -- We call them symbiotes.  Carlton Drake believes that the link between human and symbiote is the key to our evolution."

We see a couple of people being experimented upon, with another woman kept in a cell, who suddenly attacks Eddie as alarms flash and sound.  Eddie makes a break for it, returns to his apartment and downs several pills.

"I'm feeling really sick," he tells someone over the phone as we see his eyes become blackened.  "I'm hearing a voice..."

The dark voice of the symbiote says "Eddie...", which sends him flying back into his bathroom tub.  Eddie tries to drown out the voice, clutching his ears and saying, "You're not real, you're just in my head."

Suddenly, some of Drake's hired goons barge into the apartment and one remarks, "I'm gonna need Mr. Drake's property back."  Eddie reflexively unleashes a black tendril, which sends one goon out through the nearest window.  Eddie appears confused and doesn't know what just happened, until more tendrils extend from his arm and back that take out the other two goons.

"Why would we do that?" Eddie asks, now speaking as two beings sharing one body.

After fleeing on his motorcycle, Eddie is shown walking down the street and having a conversaon with the symbiote inside him.  "If you're gonna stay, you will only hurt bad people.  

"The way I see it," replies the symbiote as we see Eddie in a different scene being thrown against a brick wall by the symbiote controlling his body, "we can do whatever we want. Do we have a deal?"

Various fleeting images of Eddie fighting off attackers on his motorcycle and crashing through fallen trees in the forest follow as Drake speaks in a voiceover.  "Are you willing to sacrifice the one thing you hold most dear?"

We then see Eddie outside an MRI machine, who begins screaming and convulsing in agony as the black symbiote crawls across his neck and face.  "You should be extremely afraid," Eddie tells Drake.

One of Drake's goons confronts Eddie in the street and asks him, "What the hell are you?"

"We..." begins Eddie as he grabs the goon by the throat and we finally get to see Venom in his full symbiotic glory with sharp teeth and a lashing tongue, "...are Venom!"  The goon screams and we fade to black.

If you'd like to check out the new trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official Sony Pictures Entertainment account on YouTube...



Venom is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 5, 2018.

Amazon Developing Image Comics' EAST OF WEST as TV Series

I would tell you to pray, but it wouldn't do any good.  You have earned what is coming to you.

Deadline is reporting that Amazon Studios has is developing Image Comics' science fiction Western series East of West as an hourlong genre drama series.  

According to the article, East of West will be created and executive produced by series creators Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta, along with The Walking Dead‘s Robert Kirkman, who will executive produce the series through his company Skybound Entertainment’s first-look deal at Amazon Studios.  Hickman will also serve as writer for the series, and J.M. Ringuet, Hickman's creative partner on the series Transhuman, will also serve as a producer.

"Nick, J.M. and I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Skybound and Amazon," said Hickman.  "We feel very strongly about each project and couldn’t be more appreciative of how far both companies have gone to make us feel welcome.  We look forward to doing the work and hopefully doing it well."

Created in 2013 by Hickman and Dragotta, East of West is set in a dystopian future of the present-day United States. In this timeline, the Civil War never ended and there was almost eternal strife between the Union, the Confederacy, an African-American kingdom, a Native American technocracy, Chinese exiles, and Texan separatists.  This strife came to a sudden halt when a comet hit Kansas on November 9, 1908.  The six warring parties met at Armistice, the location of the comet's impact, and made a truce, thereby forming "the Seven Nations of America" comprised of Armistice, The Union, The Confederacy, the Kingdom, the Endless Nation, the Republic of Texas, and the People's Republic of America (PRA).

On the same day as the comet's impact and the signing of the treaty, there were two simultaneous, yet independent prophecies.  First, Elijah Longstreet was a soldier in the Confederate Army under Stonewall Jackson who wrote his part of the prophecy down and then collapsed and died.  Second, Red Cloud had become the chief of chiefs to the Endless Indian Nation by defeating the many Indian chiefs and uniting all of the Indian tribes under himself.  He transmitted his portion of the prophecy orally and then he also collapsed and died.  For fifty years, these prophecies, referred to by believers as "the Message", remained incomplete.  In 1958, Chairman Mao Zedong of the PRA wrote an addendum to his Little Red Book.  This addendum was the third piece of the prophecy and completed the Message.  It now became clear that The Message was a prophecy of the End of Times.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Death, War, Famine, and Conquest) sought to fulfill the prophecy by following the Message.  Believers in the Message make a pilgrimage to the site of the comet's impact, but are always killed by the Four Horsemen.  One year, Conquest sparef the infant child of one of the pilgrims and took him as her own.  She named him Ezra Orion and raised him to be the carrier of the Message.  The Horsemen built a structure over Armistice to prevent any further pilgrimages and they trained Ezra to become "what the Message demands."  Ezra was the first member of "the Chosen" and his job was to be the Keeper of the Message.  The Horsemen gathered six other members for the Chosen, each Chosen being a high-ranking member of one of the respective nations.  The Chosen were tasked with the goal of bringing about the Apocalypse.

With a path to the Apocalypse, the Horsemen's plan was derailed when Death fell in love with Xiaolian, one of the two daughters of Mao V.  She and Death had a son together and Death lost interest in the mission of the Horsemen.  Death and Xiaolian left their previous lives to go live together and raise their son.  However, this coupling was foretold by the prophecy and Ezra interpreted their offspring to be "the Beast" that will bring about the apocalypse.  Xiaolian's sister, Hu, was a believer in the Message and a member of the Chosen.  She betrayed her sister to the three remaining Horsemen, who took away Xiaolian's son.  Xia was taken prisoner by her own father, who agreed to cut a deal with the three Horsemen.  Mao would keep Xiaolian's continued existence a secret from Death, and in exchange, Mao could maintain control of the PRA, and Xiaolian could keep her life. Xiaolian was told that her son was killed, but Ezra began raising him to become the Beast.

After Xiaolian was imprisoned and her son was taken from her, something happened that killed the Horsemen, with the series still unclear about what exactly happened.  During this event, Death was also presumed to have been killed, but he survived due to two witches of the Endless Nation, Crow and Wolf.  Ten years later, War, Famine, and Conquest were resurrected at Armistice as 10-year-old children; but they realized that Death was not resurrected as a child because he was not killed when they were.  They felt abandoned by Death, and were determined to accomplish the mission without their fourth member.  Death, meanwhile, sought revenge for the presumed murders of his wife and son, leading into the events of the series' first issue.

Steven Spielberg to Produce & Possibly Direct DC Film BLACKHAWK

Start practicing your "Hawk-a-a-a!" battle cry.

Deadline is reporting that legendary director and producer Steven Spielberg is producing a film adaptation of the DC Comics series Blackhawk for Warner Bros. and may possibly direct as well.  

Spielberg has been interested in Blackhawk as a possible film project since 1982, which encouraged DC Comics to resume publication of the series.  Spielberg’s next two movies are the fifth installment of the Indiana Jones series and a remake of West Side Story.

According to the article, the screenplay is being written by David Koepp, who collaborated with Spielberg as a screenwriter on Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Spielberg will produce the film with Kristie Macosko Krieger, under Amblin Entertainment, while Sue Kroll will serve as executive producer.

Spielberg remarked, "It was wonderful working with the team at Warner Bros. to bring Ready Player One to the screen.  They bring a blend of passion and professionalism to everything they do and have a tremendous history in this genre.  I am excited to reunite with them on Blackhawk."

Warner Bros. Pictures Group Chairman Toby Emmerich, who made the announcement, said, "We are so proud to be the studio behind Steven Spielberg’s latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure.  We can’t wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing Blackhawk to movie audiences worldwide."

Created in 1941 by Chuck Cuidera, Bob Powell, and Will Eisner, Blackhawk first appeared in Military Comics #1, published by Quality Comics until the company's acquisition in 1956 by DC Comics.  Led by a mysterious man known as Blackhawk, the Blackhawks (or more formally, the Blackhawk Squadron) are a small team of World War II-era ace pilots of varied nationalities, each typically known under a single name, either their given name or their surname.  Though the membership roster has undergone changes over the years, the team has been portrayed most consistently as having seven core members

In their most well-known incarnation, the Blackhawks operate from a hidden base known only as Blackhawk Island, fly Grumman XF5F Skyrocket planes, and shout their battle cry of "Hawk-a-a-a!" as they descend from the skies to fight tyranny and oppression.  Clad in matching blue and black uniforms (with Blackhawk himself boasting a hawk insignia on his chest), early stories pitted the team against the Axis powers, but they would also come to battle recurring foes such as King Condor and Killer Shark, as well as encounter an array of gorgeous and deadly femme fatales.  They also frequently squared off against fantastical war machines ranging from amphibious "shark planes" and flying tanks, to the aptly named War Wheel, a gigantic rolling behemoth adorned with spikes and machine guns.

In 1988, the Blackhawks were revamped with a new continuity, following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths.  The members included:

• Major Janos Prohaska (Blackhawk) – Reestablished as being born and raised in Poland, Prohaska is portrayed as the consummate leader, but also as a brash, hard-drinking womanizer.  He is also revealed to have been a member of the Communist Party, expelled by Joseph Stalin after opposing the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a 1939 treaty of non-aggression between the Soviets and Nazi Germany.
  
• Captain Stanislaus Drozdowski – Longtime friend of Blackhawk's who fights alongside him in the Polish Air Force before becoming one of the earliest members of the Blackhawks—and one of the team's first casualties.
  
• Captain André Blanc-Dumont – An excellent but slightly reckless pilot, the Frenchman is second-in-command of the team, as well as Prohaska's closest confidant and frequent co-pilot.
  
• Captain Olaf Friedriksen – Danish in this version, athletic Olaf is a savant with languages and skilled at radio operations.
  
• Captain Ritter Hendricksen – The Dutch marksmen and demolitions expert, as well as the oldest member of the team.
  
• Captain Carlo "Chuck" Sirianni – An Italian-American from New Jersey who served with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services before joining the team and becoming their chief navigation officer. Chuck is also a dabbler in electronics and aeronautic technology.
  
• Lieutenant Weng Chan (Chop-Chop) – Chinese and said to be just 17 when he first joins the team, Weng is a skilled pilot, flight mechanic, and cook.
  
• Captain Natalie Reed (Lady Blackhawk) – Brilliant Russian-American flight engineer who redesigns the Blackhawks' aircraft and fights alongside them. She gives birth to a son in 1945, the product of a brief affair with Hendricksen.

This will be the second live-action adaptation of the series, after the 1952 Blackhawk film serial that ran for 15 parts and starred Kirk Alyn as Blackhawk.  The team also appeared in the animated film Justice League: The New Frontier, and the animated series Justice League (featuring Robert Picardo as Janos Prohaska) and Justice League Unlimited featuring Seymour Cassel as Chuck Sirianni).

Cathy Yan to Direct BIRDS OF PREY Film with Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn

The Birds of Prey are facing off against Harley Quinn once again...This time, on the big screen.

Deadline is reporting that Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have selected Cathy Yan to be the director of an untitled DC Comics "girl gang movie," based on DC's Birds of Prey series.  The film is expected to feature the return of Margot Robbie as her Suicide Squad movie character Harley Quinn, and was known to be in development back in May 2016.

According to the article, the deal isn't completed, but Yan is expected to become the second DC Extended Universe filmmaker after Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins, and the first female Asian director to direct a superhero film.  Yan reportedly got the job over numerous male directors, after an "exceptional" presentation for Birds of Prey.  Robbie also expressed her desire for the film to be directed by a woman.

The film is expected to start production by the end of 2018 or early next year, with a script by Christina Hodson, who was just brought in to write the Batgirl movie, and also wrote the Transformers spinoff Bumblebee.  Other Harley Quinn films are reportedly still in development, including the Suicide Squad sequel to be directed by Gavin O’Connor.  Two others, Harley Quinn vs The Joker and Gotham City Sirens with Suicide Squad director David Ayer, appeared to be less of a priority at the moment.

Yan was born in China, and raised in Hong Kong and Washington, D.C.  She has directed a number of short films and the movie Dead Pigs, starring Deadpool's Zazie Beetz.  In addition, she was write and co-executive producer of the TV series UnChartered.

Created in 1992 by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Harley Quinn first appeared in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor," voiced by Arleen Sorkin.  Initially intended as a female sidekick for The Joker, Harley quickly became popular with fans and the character was developed further.  In the 1994 DC Comics graphic novel The Batman Adventures: Mad Love, Quinn received her origin story, revealing her as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who fell in love with the Joker and turned to a life of crime in order to be with him.

The Birds of Prey were created in 1995 by Chuck Dixon, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, and Gary Frank, and first appeared in Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1 as a crimefighting partnership between Black Canary and Oracle, who previously was the superhero Batgirl until she was paralyzed by The Joker.  

The pairing soon expanded to include other DC heroes, primarily female, including The Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Power Girl, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Big Barda, Gypsy, Hawkgirl, Misfit, Hawk and Dove, Black Alice, Vixen, Katana, Manhunter (Kate Spencer), Judomaster (Sonia Sato), Starling, and Strix.

In 2002, The WB adapted Birds of Prey for television, starring Dina Meyer as Oracle, Ashley Scott as Huntress, and Rachel Skarsten as Dinah Redmond, the daughter of Black Canary.  Set in a Gotham City abandoned by Batman, the Birds of Prey faced off against Harley Quinn (Mia Sara) and other DC supervillains such as Lady Shiva and Clayface.

THE FANDOM ZONE 135: "Chapter 9" is Up!

"So, I’m supposed to find the Shadow King from inside a daiquiri?"

-- David Haller to Cary Loudermilk, Legion: "Chapter 9" 

You guessed it, Karen and I are back with another episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Legends of Tomorrow 3x17: "Guest Starring John Noble"

Black Lightning 1x11: "Black Jesus: The Book of Crucifixion"

Legion 2x01: "Chapter 9"

Krypton 1x03: "The Rankless Initiative" 

Gotham 4x17: "Mandatory Brunch Meeting"

In this episode, Karen and I talk about things like Legion needing better episode titles, the Legends meeting a young Barack Obama, more of Karen's issues with shrinking people, Damien Darhk's inevitable betrayal, Heat Wave being a Lord of the Rings fan, John Noble as Denethor, the shady and thirsty vice principal Kara Fowdy, Jefferson Pierce being framed and getting a body cavity search, Thunder running down main street with a Black Lightning hologram, Legion being weird just for the sake of being weird, the organizational structure of Division 3, the Catalyst chattering teeth virus, the tale of the philosopher Zhuangzi who dreamt he was a butterfly, the mustached women known as the Vermillion, David and the waffle boats, Adam Strange becoming a shoplifter, the debut of Brainiac, Star Trek: The Next Generation not clicking until the third season, Eddie Murphy as Gumby, the Riddler being unable to tell Lee Thompkins he's in love with her, Jerome Valeska's twin brother Jeremiah, some new feedback from Justina, Arrow finally frustrating diehard fan Justina, offering my services as a writer to Arrow, Karen dealing with noisy trains, 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 Season 3 finale of The CW's Legends of Tomorrow, and new episodes of The CW's Black Lightning, FX's Legion, and Fox's Gotham, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 109: "The Sword of the Chevalier" is Up!

"She’s very nice, just a bit, you know..."
"Unable to talk about anyone but herself?  I swear she’s making half of it up – She can’t possibly have met all the people she claims to."
"Hmmm…People like that…Pain, aren’t they?"
"I know.  Name droppers...awful.  My old pal Oscar Wilde’s just the same."
-- Rose Tyler and The Tenth Doctor, Doctor Who: "The Sword of the Chevalier"

You guessed it, my partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  This time, we review "The Sword of the Chevalier", the second Tenth Doctor Adventures Vol. 2 audio adventure from Big Finish Productions, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like Jesse enjoying going through Doctor Who's history in the off-season, liking the new Jodie Whittaker era Doctor Who logo, Jesse's story about the new generation of Doctor Who fans, the Tenth Doctor dragging Rose to see William Herschel's 40-foot telescope, the Doctor not knowing what the other person sees when he flashes them the Psychic Paper, the Doctor's fondness for harlequin costumes, the Doctor being more interesting and resourceful when he can't rely on the Sonic Screwdriver, learning about the androgynous and gender-fluid Chevalier D'Eon, Basil Rathbone teaching the Doctor how to swordfight, the tri-sentient being Joxer and Hempel, the Consortium of the Obsidian Asp, my Reverse the Polarity segment, some Facebook feedback from Stephanie Marie Freiny, new feedback from Paul from Australia, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

Google Play Music -- RIGHT HERE

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Stitcher -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn --  RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

And hey, if you'd like to pick up the officially official Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in just two weeks as Jesse and I review "Cold Vengeance", the third and final Tenth Doctor Adventures Vol. 2 audio adventure from Big Finish Productions, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, and featuring the return of the Ice Warriors!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

THE FANDOM ZONE 134: "The Thanatos Guild" is Up!

"But he's the Green Arrow."

"Yeah, before he was the Green Arrow, he actually used to be really afraid of the dark, and he needed a nightlight in his bedroom until he was...what, six, sixteen?"

"It was not a nightlight.  I was...It was not a nightlight.  I couldn't sleep with it being pitch black."

-- William Clayton, Thea Queen and Oliver Queen, Arrow: "The Thanatos Guild" 

Good news, everyone!  Karen's back for another episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Lucifer 3x19: "Orange is the New Maze"

Black Lightning 1x10: "Sins of the Father: The Book of Redemption"

Krypton 1x02: "House of El" 

Arrow 6x16: "The Thanatos Guild"

In this episode, Karen and I talk about things like the return of Karen, Karen's 50th birthday, Phil Perich being the Diggle of The Fandom Zone, Karen loving Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Lucifer being the cat and Pierce being willing to get rid of the cat, Mazikeen feeling betrayed by Dr. Linda, Amenadiel and Dr. Linda being bad poker players, Amenadiel and Lucifer letting Charlotte in on everything, Mazikeen burning all her bridges, Annisa being the Robin to her father's Batman, Jennifer freaking out about her new powers, Black Lightning being on Supergirl's Earth-38, the importance of not making Gambi totally evil, Lala's awkward hallucinations of his victims, raining microwave ovens, the awkwardness of having your potential newborn being named Bubba-El, Seg-El turning down Daron-Vex's offering of joining the House of Vex, my tweet getting some love from Nyssa-Vex herself, Lyta-Zod challenging her commanding officer Quex-Ul, wondering if Val-El is still alive, possibly saying goodbye to Karen's Thea impression, the creepiness of Willy Wonka, Thea jinxing her first attempt to leave Star City, the Fibonacci sequence, Diggle being pissy that Oliver won't give up being Green Arrow, some new feedback from Justina, learning more about Brainiac being the "Collector of Worlds," Thea and Bane's ship name, 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 tomorrow as Karen and I review the Season 2 premiere of FX's Legion, and new episodes of Syfy's Krypton, The CW's Legends of Tomorrow and Black Lightning, and Fox's Gotham, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!