Young Justice Season Four: Second Half Spoilers

The second half of Young Justice season four is finally done, and if you want a recap of my review for the first half, it’s right here. If the title still doesn’t give you an idea that there’ll be spoilers, then I’m telling you here: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. Having said that, let’s see what I thought about the second part of season four.

Lar-Zod with Darkseid and His Minions

Let me begin by talking about some of my predictions for the second part in my previous review. Firstly, I mentioned that I thought the big baddie for this series was going to be Mordru from the 31st Century. I was DEAD WRONG. Turns out that the threat from the 21st Century is General Zod. This is quite appropriate considering, as predicted, Superboy wasn’t dead, but was actually trapped in the Phantom Zone due to his rescue by Phantom Girl. It was in the Phantom Zone that Superboy encounters General Zod. Back in standard reality, we find out that it was General Zod’s son, Lor-Zod, is responsible for the ‘death’ of Superboy after stealing a time sphere from the 31st Century.

Next, I also predicted two other story elements. One (the long shot) was the return of Wally West who might show up to save Superboy. That didn’t happen. Sigh. I’m still hoping he gets to return from the Speed Force bringing the A Team back to full power. I also predicted that we’ll see more Legionnaires show up in Young Justice. With the apperance of Brainiac 5 who travels back in time to retrieve the stranded Saturn Girl, Chameleon Boy, and Phantom Girl. I got my wish. So, I’m at fifty percent for these predictions. Yey for me.

Lagoon Boy, and the Aquamen

As to the story sequence, I also said that the last three arcs would focus on Aquaman, Nightwing, and Rocket. I was on the money on that one with Nightwing’s arc appropriately ending season four. It was fitting to have Kaldur’ahm aka Aquaman/Aqualad begin the second part of season four. It was a continuation of the mystical story arc that ended in part one with Zatanna. Here we get to find Vandal Savage up to his nefarious schemes again by trying to take control of the Kingdoms of Atlantis. Fortunately, Kaldur and company were able to thwart this plan which secured the safety of Earth for the moment.

Rocket aka Racquel

The next story arc focused on Rocket. With Rocket, the plot was about creating a pact between New Genesis, and the Green Lantern Corps vs. the power of Apokolips. She visited New Genesis to establish a treaty among the two aliend organizations, and Earth. Additionally, Rocket’s story arc focused on her relationship with her son, Amistad, who is autistic. Young Justice knocks it out of the ballpark again with this interpersonal story hook. We already have an overarching element in Beast Boy’s bout with depression. Now Young Justice adds to the mix the challenges of having a child with autism. This is just another example of what makes this series such a beautiful investment to view. Oh, also Rocket was able to broker an alliance with New Genesis, and the Green Lantern Corps.

From Left: Rocket, Miss Martian, Nightwing, Superboy, and Zatanna

Appropriately, the final arc for season four was headlined by the return of Nightwing to the team. I keep saying this, but I’ll say it again. Nightwing/Dick Grayson is a better team leader than Batman. This goes all the way back to his comic book roots even as Robin. We get to see that here in full display in this final arc. With Nightwing at the lead, the A Team was able to bring back Conner Kent from the Phantom Zone, and prevent the destructive fate of the universe under the crushing heels of the Zods. With that settled, Miss Martian, and Superboy could finally get married, albeit on Earth instead of Mars. Another happy ending for all…or is it?

From Left: The Foragers, Orion, Rocket, Jay Garrick Flash, and Lightray

Though the season ended with a happy wedding for our heroes, there are more challenges to face. Zod, and his forces were rescued from the Phantom Zone once again by Apokolips. Add to that the defection of Mary Marvel, AND Supergirl (Kara); and you have a more powerful force to face. I’m wondering if Supergirl’s appearance in Apokolips will follow the path of a familiar Batman/Superman comic story arc. Furthermore, Dru-Zod with the power of the Emerald Eye of Ekron retreats to Daxam…you know that planet of beings with powers similar to Kryptonians. It gets better. Dru-Zod is pregnant with General Zod’s child, and appears to want to raise this child on Daxam. Finally, Ma’alefa’ak who is Miss Martian’s brother, and enemy of Earth was gifted Durla by Darkseid as a reward for his services. For those of you unfamiliar with Durla, this is the planet of shapeshifters from which Chameleon Boy was born. Does this mean that Ma’alefa’ak is the ancestor of the Durlan shapeshifters like Chameleon Boy? Curiouser, and Curiouser. We’ll have to wait for season five (crossing fingers) to find out how these new story arcs pan out.

The A Team From Left: Zatanna, Superboy, Miss Martian, Aquaman, Tigress, Nightwing, and Rocket

Young Justice season four continues the excellent visuals, and storytelling that previous seasons have provided. The series not only centers on superheroics, but also delves deep into the interpersonal relationships among the main characters. Season four adds not only action, and intrigue, but also real life emotional problems such as dealing with depression, and autism. To my mind, this is the best western superhero series out there whether animated or live action. Young Justice is now streaming on HBO Max.

‘Peacemaker’ Made Good Use of Its Ef@@@g Chance

There were people who saw the ‘Peacemaker’ series as a laughable concept when news of it first came out. I suppose there are fewer people laughing now as the HBO Max series has become a certified hit, and used its ef@@@g chance quite well. Already renewed for season two , let’s take a look back at what made ‘Peacemaker’ one of the best series of this young year. Warning THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS. If that bothers you, why don’t you take out Judo Master for some chips?

Peacemaker and Adabayo Opening Dance Sequence

There’s no question now that the opening dance sequence for ‘Peacemaker’ is a major draw to the series. It’s quirky, hilarious, and downright in-your-face. It makes me giddy in aticipation to what James Gunn has planned for season two. Note that being part of the opening credits doesn’t assure you’ll survive season one. In fact, A LOT of the characters in that dance sequence die by season’s end. Though, that opening musical scene is partly what makes ‘Peacemaker’ entertaining from beginning to end credtis.

(From top left moving right, and down) Harcourt, Eagly, Economos, Vigilante, Murn, and Adebayo

Part of what makes ‘Peacemaker’ so special is the solid supporting cast from Vigilante to Eagly. Each has their own unique personality quirks that make them very relatable. If we’re talking about flaws, these characters wear them on their sleeves like badges of honor. All these mundane imperfections create a very rich core of character background, and development. Too bad that Murn bites the dust in this season. As for the other characters in Christopher Smith’s team, I expect to see more character development moving on to season two.

Peacemaker’s Father: The White Dragon

One of the more well-written,and most important characters in ‘Peacemaker’ is his father: Auggie Smith aka the White Dragon. Yes, he’s dead by the end of season one, but that doesn’t mean that the character will leave the show. He appears to be haunting Christopher Smith’s mind much like what is done in the comics. The comic books show that Peacemaker regularly converses with his dead father, and it looks like James Gunn is incorporating this in his story moving forward. This just solidifies Peacemaker as full-blown crazy with daddy issues. This is bad for Chris, but good for ‘Peacemaker’ in general since it just provides more layers of storytelling.

Christopher Smith with ‘microphone’ half-naked

Chris’s relationship with his father goes to the core as to why ‘Peacemaker’ is so appealing : Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker is the underdog we can empathize. His morals are questionable, but his intentions are pure. But aren’t we all like that sometimes? Wanting to do the right thing by doing the wrong thing, or worse ending up doing the wrong thing? Chris also brings super heroes from DC lore down to earth with all of his supposed inside information, some of which are proven actually true (like that Aquaman snipe). Granted, these slights mask his insecurties. Then again, that just makes Peacemaker more relatable, and lovable. People love rooting for the underdog especially when they see themselves in the character. In this case, Chris is relatable on so many levels to so many people.

Vigilante and Peacemaker Having a Chat in Peacemaker’s Home

The story flow of ‘Peacemaker’ itself is a great balance of action, violence, sex, comedy, and emotional storytelling. The comedy reflects on the characters themselves, and is balanced out by the emotional beats that each main character is given in the story. Yes, even Emilia Harcourt has her soft, and mushy side too. The effect is that ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t fall into the trap of being one long overextended comedy skit, and balances excellent storytelling with character development. ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t get tied down by DC lore like another HBO Max show I love. Instead, it adds to the lore, and uses existing lore to its advantage. In particular, there’s this little bit of DC Cinematic Universe lore that it uses quite well.

Peacemaker meets the Justice League

With the last episode, ‘Peacemaker’ has established that it exists in the same DC Universe as the Justice League, with particular cameos of both Aquaman, and the Flash. More importantly, the Justice League’s appearance late in the story solidifies the importance of Peacemaker in this common universe. The Justice League can’t always be around, and someone has to do the dirty work. This helps in establishing Chris’s place in the super hero order now that the Suicide Squad, and its operations have been outed to world at large.

Adebayo and Peacemaker Avoid an Explosion

All in all, ‘Peacemaker’ is a breath of fresh air in a live action genre that has become formulaic for the most part. What ‘Peacemaker’ provides is an alternative storytelling pattern that caters to a much different audience than what has been established by many. The series is not for children, and that’s a good thing. ‘Peacemaker’ can be crass, and offensive to the socio-culturally sensitive. That too is a good thing. In spite of all these, ‘Peacemaker’ expands the boundary on what CAN BE DONE with super hero adaptations. The series dances to its own beat right from the onset, and it works to the benefit of the comic book genre as a whole.

Peacemaker outsid of his trailer park home

So, if you’re willing to give ‘Peacemaker’ a chance, you’ll be feasting on a storytelling style that is fresh in its damaged goods. ‘Peacemaker’ is now streaming on HBO Max.

Wonder Woman 1984: A Spoilerless Review

There are no shortcuts to success. That is the message that the film conveys at the onset, and it permeates throughout the film. Though this sequel proceeds, albeit a few decades in time after its predecessor, Wonder Woman 1984 has its own voice, and it takes Diana on a voyage of self-reconciliation amidst the backdrop of man’s world that she is now completely immersed. Joining Gal Gadot in her journey as Wonder Woman are actors Pedro Pascal who plays Maxwell Lord, a self-professed businessman on the cusp of greatness, and Kristen Wiig who portrays Barbara Minerva, and later Cheetah. Both Maxwell Lord and Cheetah are well-known characters in DC comic book lore. Maxwell Lord and Cheetah, though they play the parts of antagonists to Wonder Woman, help Diana reconcile some inner pains experienced in the first Wonder Woman movie. Reprising his role as Steve Trevor, Chris Pine provides ample fuel to the outcome of Diana’s self-reconciliation. However, Steve’s ‘resurrection’ comes in a manner not even hinted on in the promotional trailers.

If you are a DC comic book reader, you might get surprised with the film’s depiction of Maxwell Lord and Cheetah. The story of Wonder Woman 1984 takes liberties to both characters’ origins and even with their powers to come up with a unique pair of antagonists for Diana in this movie. The names might be the same, but the story of the characters are quite different from what fans are familiar with in the comic books. As to Steve Trevor’s return, there is a bit of wishful thinking involved here which lies at the core of Maxwell Lord’s, and even Barbara Minerva’s motivations. This leads to a most unanticipated twist in the story that creates the mayhem, and at the same time the crux for the movie’s resolution.

As the story progresses, we get to see Diana get what she wants to resolve her relationship with Steve. Similarly, we get to see Maxwell Lord and Barbara get their heart’s desire as well in the film. Or do they? This goes back to the very beginning of the story when Diana is made to understand that there are no shortcuts to success…which also includes her own happiness. Diana realizes this painfully, as she comes to a decision on how to resolve the return of Steve Trevor, and her love for him. Fortunately, Diana gets back to form in due time to vanquish the threat of Maxwell Lord, and Cheetah in a most unexpected way.

In the end, even with Diana’s resolute drive to once again save humanity from the pitfalls it has created, she cannot do it alone, and it is humanity itself who saves itself in its hour of need with Wonder Woman’s urging. The result is a realization by humanity that they can be the solution to the problems that they themselves created. It took a Wonder Woman for people to realize that, and follow Diana’s own sacrifice to save the day.

All in all, Wonder Woman 1984 is unlike the first film in form and substance. Viewers will appreciate it more if they focus what it provides rather than what it does not. Wonder Woman 1984 gives us a timely reminder that there are no shortcuts to success, and that we can be our own heroes in our own lives if we are willing to make the right choice.

Swamp Thing: Loose Ends

This is the last episode of the current season, and we don’t know if we’ll have more. There are a lot of threads for future stories, so let’s get down to what ‘Loose Ends’ has to offer for SWAMP THING, shall we?

Image is not mine, and used for review purposes under the conditions of free use.

Last episode, we saw Swamp Thing discover Alec Holland’s body. This episode it is confirmed with finality that Alec is indeed dead, and his memories are kept within the plant-like husk that is Swamp Thing. Unlike Alec, Caroline Woodrue and Matt Cable are very much alive. Caroline is suffering from ‘locked-in’ syndrome which allows her to perceive, but not move. Matt on the other hand survived the car crash and is recovering in the hospital.

Aside from these life and death scenarios, there are a lot of other plot lines progressing in the story. Daniel Cassidy admits to Liz that he is the Blue Devil, and he is now able to leave Marais without getting burned. Ellery cuts off Avery from the Swamp Thing discovery which doesn’t go well with Avery. However, everything goes south for Ellery when he leads a full on assault on the swamp and gets a thorough thrashing from Swamp Thing. Avery kills Lucilia Cable after an offer of reconciliation is denied. Maria Sunderland goes full wacko in the asylum as a way of escaping the dark that is engulfing her courtesy of Madame Xanadu who visits her. Jason tries to cure his wife Caroline with the plant organs he got last episode from Swamp Thing, but is stopped by Abby. Later, Jason gets arrested, but not before he ingests part of the organs he harvested. He feels ‘The Green’ and we’ll talk more about that later. The episode seemingly ends with the romance between Swamp Thing and Abby hitting ‘Beauty and the Beast’ levels with both of them promising to fight back the dark that is infesting the swamps of Marais. Then there’s more…

Image is not mine and used for review purposes under the conditions of free use.

….Back to Jason Woodrue in a end credit scene. We see the results of his eating the plant organs. He is transformed now in the police station to a figure that is familiar to Swamp Thing comic book fans. As I mentioned way back, Dr. Woodrue’s could herald the appearance of the Floronic Man, a staple of Swamp Thing mythos, some time later. That time has come sooner, and we get a glimpse of the Floronic Man albeit in the darkness of the police station. So now, we have an established supernatural persona to serve as a counter-balance to Swamp Thing. How will this all pan out? We’ll have to see if this ever happens since SWAMP THING is cancelled…for now.

‘Loose Ends’ does what it foreshadows to the SWAMP THING series. There are a lot of plot points that have ended, but others that have branched out. Though SWAMP THING is a show with heavy environmental advocacies, it is also a budding love story, and this comes into full display here. As the series ends its first season, one wonders if any of the continuing plot points will ever see the light of day. The mixture of macabre horror, science fiction and environmental awareness should be enough for SWAMP THING to branch out into something more in the future.

Swamp Thing: Long Walk Home

Last episode, we saw Avery Sunderland survive the attempt on his life. Here we see him make his way out of the swamp with the help of Alec Holland. In the process, Avery hallucinates with images of Lucilia Cable (who tries to kill him again), and what appears to be the death of his father courtesy of a living tree in the swamp. Ultimately, Alec Holland rescues him from the swamp and reveals to him that he is the Swamp Thing creature. In thanks, Avery offers to find a way to cure Alec, and return him to his human form.

Image is not mine and used for review purposes under the conditions of free use.

While this is all happening, Abby makes her way home to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) main office in Atlanta. So we have two homecomings in this episode. One by Avery who makes it out of the swamp, and the other by Abby who returns to the CDC. Unlike Avery, Abby’s return is not quite the happy homecoming she’d expect. Her absence is questioned with her lack of communication of her whereabouts. Ultimately, she opens up to her friend Dr. Harlan Edwards. She reveals to him the reason why she has been staying at Marais longer than required. Abby tells her friend Harlan about Alec and Swamp Thing.

Image is not mine and used for review purposes under the conditions of free use.

Sadly, everything continues to spiral downward with Abby’s return to Atlanta. Harlan is kidnapped without Abby’s knowledge. And she is proposed by Ellery (a member of the Conclave) an offer to capture Swamp Thing. Of course, she declines the offer, and returns to Marais to warn Alec. She arrives too late though.

Image is not mine and used for review purposes under the conditions of free use.

Back in Marais, Avery makes his way to Dr. Jason Woodrue’s home. He shares that he escaped the swamp, and discovered that Alec is the Swamp Thing creature they’ve all been hunting. Initially, he asks Dr. Woodrue to help restore Alec’s humanity. Jason explains to Avery that Alec is more valuable in his current form. Without it, the regenerative formula that Dr. Woodrue devised would be useless. So, instead of meeting Alec in the swamp to cure him, Avery and Jason initiate his capture using Nitrogen to freeze his body. Upon Abby’s return to the swamps of Marais, all she finds are the shotgun rounds that were used to capture Alec, and the markings of Alec’s crystallized form on the ground.

In Swamp Thing comic book lore, Swamp Thing has been able to transfer his essence into another plant body. So, I don’t think will remain in that body they captured. That of course depends on whether Alec has developed that power already. Or is he truly captured in the nitrogen? We’ll just have to wait for next episode.

‘Long Walk Home’ deals with a very real problem when it comes to our natural resources: exploitation. SWAMP THING shows us how the greed of acclaim and profit drives people to take advantage of our environment at whatever cost. Fortunately, SWAMP THING also shows us that there are people who help fight these invaders to protect the environment. Additionally, the environment learns to fight back on its own, and the exploiters learns that nature will not take the abuse lying down. It’s a beautiful message, and SWAMP THING continues to show us how we can thrive together with the environment in harmony.

Viewing Review: Doom Patrol Episode 11

This post contains spoilers from ”Frances Patrol’, episode 11 of DOOM PATROL. Keep your eyes away for those who are as emo as the opening credits.

‘Frances Patrol’ takes its name from an alligator in the story. That’s right. An alligator. The alligator ate and killed Bump Weathers, the guy who adopted Cliff’s daughter (Clara) and also had an affair with his wife. Now if you’ve been following DOOM PATROL religiously, you know that Cliff has been wanting to meet with his daughter for some time now. Bump’s death gives him the opportunity to do so. So, he goads Jane to allow Flit to transport him to a place called Salty Bump’s in Florida, and Rita tags along. After Flit transports the two to Florida, she returns back to Doom Manor.

Back at the manor, Vic is having an existential crisis. He learns from Grid after transporting his software consciousness in a desktop computer, that he is becoming more machine than man. After cutting his arm to verify the truth of this revelation, he naturally freaks out when he discovers Grid is not lying. At this time, Jane finds out that the character Flex Mentallo from a comic book (given by Danny the Street) has a wife named Dolores, and has decided to meet with them. Why is this so important? Because, this is their only lead to find The Chief, Niles Caulder.

Also in the episode, we are shown Larry’s reconciliation with his past. It turns out that the negative energy form was trying to help Larry make amends with John Bowers, Larry’s lover when he was still in the Air Force. All the scenes in previous episodes that show Larry in his dreams hooking up with John was actually the negative energy’s way of reconnecting them together in the present. Meaning, this wasn’t all just in Larry’s head. He was actually meeting with John’s psyche (soul?) in his dreams. All this time the negative energy was providing a way for Larry to come to terms with who he was with the person he loved the most. It’s really touching. And, by the end of the episode, Larry gets to meet John in person. With the personal visit and talk, it appears that Larry has gotten the closure he needed with that stage of his life. He also has a better appreciation of his negative energy counterpart. We are looking at a more focused Larry who has not only come to terms with his past, but also has begun to understand now that the negative energy form is not such a bad being after all. Hooray for Larry.

Though the same positive outlook cannot be said for Cliff and Vic. In Cliff’s case, he realizes that the only way to win Clara’s affection is to recover a watch that Bump had on him when he was eaten by Frances the alligator. He believes that by recovering the watch in the swamp, he can win Clara’s heart. After coming from the swamp with Rita, and recovering the watch from Frances(who I assume he kills), he heads on over to Salty Bump’s to return the watch to Clara. He chickens out, and just leaves the watch at the establishment for Clara to find without even talking to her.

In Vic’s case, when he goes with Crazy Jane to meet Dolores, he actually gets captured by some unknown individuals instead. He and Crazy Jane are separated leaving Jane trying to figure out how to find Vic. Later we find out that Vic was captured by minions of Darren Jones from the Bureau of Normalcy. Things are not looking good for Vic. No Dolores. No Flex Mentallo. Just a whole lot of trouble.

From this episode, Vic, Larry and Cliff are challenged with facing realities of their present by reconciling with their past. Of the three, Larry appears to be the lucky one with a more or less fixed resolution. Cliff still is a bit iffy with his relationship with his daughter. I’m not sure if that story line will get resolved anytime soon. As for Vic, I’m sure his situation will carry over to the next episodes. Crazy Jane will surely try to find Vic, and most probably enlist the other members of the the Doom Patrol. This will be easy for Crazy Jane considering she can easily move from place to place with Flit’s teleportation. Her and Rita appear to be the glue of the team at this point in time. There’s a scary thought. The schizophrenic and the prima donna are holding the team together. Just as well, since the men in the group are having some serious emotional challenges. This is just another aspect of the series that is quite appealing. You can pull anyone’s story as an anchor for the episode and it will still work. It has worked thus far. The inclusivity doesn’t allow for any one character to dominate the narrative. Though with Mr. Nobody in an episode, he most surely will dominate the narration.

‘Frances Patrol’ just highlights further that DOOM PATROL is a character driven series with an underlying plot. There is an end goal, but that doesn’t stop the characters from dealing with their internal challenges. These challenges allow for better character growth, and promote the overall narrative of DOOM PATROL. Pay attention to the details, they have proven to be invaluable in appreciating this groundbreaking series.

Viewing Review: SHAZAM!

Thank you to my sponsors, Garry Rayala and Magic 89,9 for the advanced screening. I hope this will be many more opportunities to come.

‘Just say the word’ is the catch phrase of this latest installment of DC super hero films. The phrase is in reference to the wizard, Shazam, who grants magical powers to those entrusted with the power of his name. In particular, a person is granted the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. The film focuses on fourteen year old orphan, Billy Batson who was chosen by Shazam himself to have his powers.

The story is the ultimate form of wish fulfillment you can get. Imagine a child being granted the powers of a super hero. How would he react to it? What would he do with his powers? How would he relate to other people? These are just some of the questions explored in this movie.

Unlike recent DC movie installments, SHAZAM! wears its quirkiness on its sleeve. Then again, what do you expect from a young boy granted superpowers? Billy Batson learns the responsibility of having these powers, and the price that comes with it. Though he is an orphan, he lives with his foster family which he really has little in common. He continues to search for something in spite of his new roots. It is the realization that what he is looking for is right in front of him that drives the story to its conclusion.

There are a lot of nods to the comic book and cartoon here if you are eagle-eyed enough to notice. It helps that Geoff Johns is one of the producers as he wrote and writes Shazam in the comics while being familiar with his history. The movie portrays the character as he should be, and that is in part SHAZAM!s greatest charm. Billy Batson is no Superman, and neither is he Batman, or Aquaman for that matter. But, he brings to the table something those other two comic book icons do not. And, that is put under full display in this film.

Make no mistake, Shazam is not your normal super hero if there ever was a normal one. The dynamic of a child’s mind in an adult body reveals itself as the ultimate challenge more than the existing protagonist, Dr. Sivana. When Billy Batson matures on screen and realizes how to properly handle Shazam’s powers, he gets the upper hand on his adversary and creates an unexpected twist that is not hinted on in promotional trailers. It is at this point that we see how power used wisely is power that is not absolute.

This is a fun family film that you would love to bring your children, nephews, nieces and grandchildren to watch. It has enough thrills and laughs to keep you going while highlighting the importance of family in our everyday lives. Indeed, Billy Batson would not have found his true calling here if not for his foster family. That theme in itself is enough to bring your family around to watch SHAZAM!.

SHAZAM! opens in theaters. Just say his name and your wish shall be granted.