Comics and Comic Book Characters
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At long last, the first trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home has hit the interwebs. Check it out below, and check out our analysis of the trailer by clicking on the podcast link above.
Is this before or after Infinity War? There are a few clues within. Let us know what you think!
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It’s a double whammy return to the airwave for Geekville Radio. Join Seth “Zandrax” Zillmann and “Crazy Train” Jonathan Bolick as they talk about the two giant stories in the comic superhero world.
Whammy #1 – The world is still buzzing over the first Avengers Endgame Trailer. What can we expect from some of the nuggets dropped in that teaser? How can Tony get saved? Could we see Rescue? Adam Warlock perhaps? And what about that reveal of Hawkeye as Ronin?
Whammy #2 – The CW did their annual “Arrowverse” crossover Elseworlds. While it was only three parts instead of the usual four, it did finally bring Lois Lane into the show, as well as introduced the CW viewers to Gotham City and Batwoman. With all the hints dropped at famous Batman villains, could we finally be seeing The Caped Crusader on CW Programming?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APl1IX34X50
All this and more in another fun-filled Geekville Radio
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Thanksgiving may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t stop Geekville Radio from talking some fun news about the news.
Several shows have been announced for the Disney streaming service. In the Star Wars corner, Pedro Pascal (Oberyn Martell in Game Of Thrones) has been cast as one of the main characters in Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian. Former MMA star Gina Carano (Deadpool and Deadpool 2) has also been cast, presumably as another Mandalorian.
Diego Luna will reprise the role of Cassian Andor in a yet untitled Rogue One prequel series. It is unclear how long before the Rogue One movie the series will take place in, or whether any of the other members of the film’s cast will be part of the show.
This is in addition to a seventh season of the fan favorite Clone Wars series, which will presumably depict the fates of several characters. Disney has already teased a reunion between Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker. Fans of the series may recall Ahsoka leaving the Jedi order in the final episode of Season Five.
On the Marvel front, a series starring Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier and Anthony Mackie as Falcon has been greenlit according to Slashfilm. This is in addition to a Scarlet Witch show with Elizabeth Olsen, and (perhaps the most anticipated) a Loki series with non other than Tom Hiddleston.
It is worth mentioning that all of these series look to be limited series, and not full seasons. So expect something more along the lines of a 4-8 episode season you might see on Netflix than the usual 22-26 episodes you might see on TV.
Marvel head Kevin Fiege will be directly involved in the series, which is not the case for Agents Of SHIELD on ABC. Coincidentally, Agents Of SHIELD has been renewed for a 7th season. Yes, you read that correctly. a SEVENTH season when the sixth hasn’t even aired yet.
Over in the DC side of things, James Gunn has officially been hired by Warner Bros. in a move that shouldn’t surprise many who have been following the story. Gunn will likely write and possibly direct Suicide Squad 2. Coincidentally, Disney will still be using Gunn’s script for Guardians Of The Galaxy 3.
The title of the long rumored Harley Quinn/Birds Of Prey film has been announced. The current official title is Birds Of Prey: And The Totally Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn.
Ewan McGregor has been cast as Black Mask, who will likely be the film’s central villain. Birds Of Prey has been a title over the years for a street-level female team. The team usually consists of some mixture of Huntress, Black Canary, Batgirl, an Catwoman. Poison Ivy and Harley have been in the series at different times.
In other Harley Quinn news, Alan Tudyk will be voicing The Joker in the animated Harley Quinn series for the DC streaming service. Kaley Cuoco will be Harley, and Diedrich Bader will reprise the role of Batman. He previously voiced Batman in Cartoon Network’s Brave And The Bold series.
In the final segment, Crazy Train reviews Red Dead Redemption 2. The long anticipated title has set a record for its opening weekend. With $725 million, the Western title beats out Avengers: Infinity War in opening weekend grossing.
This review may contain opinions that might not be the norm when talking about this massively popular game. In fact, the amount of realism of the game can be a deterrent at times. Take this headline
https://www.unilad.co.uk/gaming/red-dead-redemption-2-will-have-realistic-horse-testicle-physics/
Realistic? Yes. Fun? Maybe not so much…
All this and more in another fun-filled Geekville Radio!
As always we are on iTunes, Stitcher, and many of your favorite podcasts devices. Let us know what you think. Let us know what you want to hear! Give us a review if you can.
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Sometimes one tribute just isn’t enough, True Believers! Geekville Radio is back with a second tribute to the late great Stan “The Man” Lee. This time, Crazy Train joins to share his thoughts on meeting Stan in the 1970s.
In addition, Seth and Train talk about the creation of the Comics Code in the 1950s, and how that shaped the image of comic books for several years. Then, with the resurgence of superheroes, how Stan was able to both abide by and challenge the Code with some of his stories. Including an anti-drug story that still couldn’t be printed under the Comics Code due to it depicting drug use.
Train also talks the VHS Video series from the early 90s where Stan Lee talked to some of the all time greats, as well as then newcomers like Todd McFarlane.
Seth gives a musical analogy, placing Stan on the level of a Chuck Berry or Carl Perkins, where people practicing guitar today may be playing their riffs without even realizing it. Similar to how a lot of tropes in comic books that are taken for granted now were established by Stan in the first place. The flawed hero, the “shared universe”, and the social commentary are all things Stan brought to the table.
And of course, Stan loved his native New York City. While Train lets Hank Williams Jr. explain a Southerner’s take on New York City.
This will probably be the only podcast you hear this week that makes a McDade’s Catalog reference…
The second part of the show is in tribute to Roy Clark, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 85. Roy had been a fixture on TV for almost 30 years as a regular on the musical comedy show Hee Haw. He also had appearances on top TV shows, and had a few hit records in “Thank God And Greyhound” and “Yesterday When I Was Young”.
Train also shares a story of seeing Roy play with BJ Thomas and Sylvia in the 1970s, which gives a unique appreciation for Roy’s amazing ability to entertain on the spot.
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The importance of Stan Lee to the history of comic books and superheroes cannot be overstated. Lee was so influential, writers to this day may be borrowing from his storytelling style without even knowing it.
This special tribute edition of Geekville Radio is devoted to the life and career of The Generalissimo himself, Stan “The Man” Lee, who passed away earlier this week at the ripe young age of 95.
Seth is joined by Ken Rose and Kylan Toles of Geek Watch One, and Vernon McWain-Moore of DC SuperPowers, to pay tribute to the man who was the creative force behind Marvel Comics for so many years.
Some of the topics discussed include how, instead of the mega-hero like Superman, Stan Lee gave the world the “flawed hero”. He also was able to provide social commentary on the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s through The X-Men comics. And, of course, Stan popularized the “shared universe” where what happens in one title might affect characters in another title. All of these things are so commonplace in comics and movies today that people may not even realize that the very basis of The Marvel Cinematic Universe was brought to us by Stan Lee in the Silver Age of Marvel.
Here is the image of Stan from the 1970s that is discussed in the show
This is a day that will weigh heavily on the hearts of many comic book and superhero fans. Stan Lee, a creative pioneer who developed countless characters and stories for Marvel Comics, passed away today at the age of 95.
Born Stanley Lieber in New York City, Lee began his lifelong association with the comic book industry as a teenager when he started working at Timely Comics in 1939. There he quickly found himself as an editor, where he would soon become a creative force for decades to come. This also got Lee acquainted with other future creative legends, such as Captain America creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. In fact, many of the characters who debuted under the Timely banner would go on to prominence years later as Marvel Comics properties.
After a stint in the Army during World War II, Lee returned to comic books and writing for Timely. By the 1950s, Timely had been rebranded into Atlas Comics. During this time, Stan continued to work as a writer and editor. As a whole, Atlas did not publish superhero stories. The focus was put on grittier, more human oriented stories such as Westerns or straight science fiction stories.
It wasn’t until rival publisher DC Comics re-introduced the genre in the late 1950s that superheroes found a renewed audience. Soon after, Lee and Kirby were creating new characters like Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four from scratch, presenting them alongside updated versions of Timely characters such as Captain America. By this time, Atlas had again rebranded into the company that would become a household name for generations: Marvel Comics.
Characters created during the 1960s by Lee, Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, and others would soon become fixtures in the superhero market. Names like The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, The X-Men, Thor, and more captured the minds of readers nationwide. On top of all this, Lee went the extra mile in creativity, and used the concept of a “shared universe”. If something monumental happened in an issue of The Fantastic Four, it might have ramifications on Iron Man in his title.
Lee also preferred using the archetype of the “flawed hero”. Spider-Man had superhuman strength and agility, but had trouble paying his rent on time. Tony Stark was a brilliant inventor, but was an alcoholic. Ben Grimm gained enormous strength as The Thing, but his rocky skin made life difficult, and romance nearly impossible. These types of characteristics were the staples of a Stan Lee superhero. Not only that, Stan would regularly utilize issues such as civil rights or drug use as elements in his storytelling. This lead to occasional clashes with the Comics Code of the time.
Lee served as Editor In Chief for Marvel Comics until 1972, when he moved on to the role of Publisher. There he remained for decades, and became somewhat the face of the company. Terms like “Excelsior!”, “True Believers”, and “‘Nuff Said!” were commonplace when recapping adventures. And of course, Stan would spend much of his available time appearing at comic conventions where he met thousands of fans across the country.
Perhaps his most widely recognized contributions to modern fans were his trademark onscreen cameos in Marvel properties. In nearly every movie or TV show involving a Marvel property, Stan Lee had a cameo in some capacity. This began in 1989 with the TV Movie “Trial Of The Incredible Hulk”, where Stan appeared as a member of a jury. These cameos would continue throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Paramount and Disney, as well as the titles licensed to Fox and Sony such as Spider-Man and X-Men.
It may sound cliched to say it, but there will never be another Stan Lee. Multitudes of readers and writers had their world affected in some way by Stan Lee since the 1930s. We here at Geekville Radio extend our deepest condolences, thoughts, and prayers to the family and friends of Stan Lee.
One last time: EXCELSIOR!
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This episode of Geekville Radio is dedicated to the memory of Gary Kurtz. Who, with the exception of George Lucas himself, may be the man most responsible for Star Wars getting made.
RIP Gary Kurtz
He will obviously best known for Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back, but he did have other titles to his credit. He also produced George’s first big hit, 1973’s American Graffiti, along with 1989’s Slipstream starring Mark Hamill and the late great Bill Paxton.
RIP Scott Wilson
Scott Wilson is probably best known to the current generation as Hershel in The Walking Dead. He was a regular series cast member in the first couple seasons. He also voiced Hershel for video game releases, and Robot Chicken. Hs career dates back to the mid 1960’s, and his first credited role according to IMDB is the original In The Heat Of The Night
Both Iron Fist and Luke Cage have been canceled by Netlfix
While it may not be surprising just for Iron Fist, fans were a little shocked at the cancellation of both Iron Fist and Luke Cage by Netflix. Both shows were well received, with Iron Fist almost universally praised as being a huge improvement over the first season. Especially when it comes to Finn Jones and fight choreography.
The big question is “Why both shows?”. Seth and Train can really only speculate, but there are a few possible reasons. Could this mean a Heroes For Hire show? Or even a Daughters Of The Dragon? And if so would it be for Netflix or Disney? Is it in either Netflix’s or Disney’s best interests to keep shows on Netflix, and not move them to Disney’s streaming service? And if they are Disney bound, than theoretically they could cross over with Agents Of SHIELD, another show that is rumored to move to Disney either next year or the year after.
On a side note, Seth and Train point out how Luke Cage can be considered the ‘White Meat Babyface” of the Netflix Marvel programming.
Kathleen Kennedy’s contract with LucasFilm has been renewed
Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Kathleen Kennedy will remain the president of Lucasfilm for at least three more years. There were rumors on other podcasts that she was on the chopping block and Disney was scrambling to find a replacement. That looks to not have been the case.
The only Star Wars movie currently in production is Episode IX. It will be the final “Episode”, and it will be marketed as such. There will be the aforementioned films by Game Of Thrones creators. Plus the Rian Johnson trilogy is still in development. So there will be no shortage of Star Wars on the big screen, despite the reported dialing back on films
One title that is absent from this list is the rumored Obi-Wan Kenobi film. We had reported a few months back that the film was set to begin filming in Ireland after Episode IX had wrapped. Just because that movie wasn’t mentioned, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is dead in the water.
When you look at the past films under her watch, several films did have some bumps along the way.
It seems the only movies that DIDN’T have troubles were with Abrams and Johnson.
Jon Favreau’s Series
In other Star Wars news, Jon Favreau’s series The Mandalorian has begun filming. It of course will be one of the flagship shows on Disney’s upcoming streaming service, now called Disney Play.
While no cast or characters have been announced, the premise will be a few years after Return of The Jedi, but well before The Force Awakens. There will be no First Order as of yet.
Budget for the first season is rumored to be at $100 million dollars. However, no specific number of episodes have been confirmed. But for what it’s worth there is a picture confirming George Lucas himself visiting the set.
Kevin Feige will oversee X-Men movies
On the subject of Disney, Hollywood Reporter has also stated Kevin Feige will be overseeing future X-Men movies with the Disney purchase of Fox. Disney’s Bob Iger gave some key answers to questions about Fox-owned properties in the MCU
I think it only makes sense,” Iger said. “I want to be careful here because of what’s been communicated to the Fox folks, but I think they know. It only makes sense for Marvel to be supervised by one entity. There shouldn’t be two Marvels.
When asked about talent
Very good question. We’re going to take the best people from both companies and that’s who’s gonna basically be on the playing field for us. Meaning, talent will prevail. Fox Searchlight is a great example. You look at FX, NatGeo. Yeah, you’re buying libraries and brands, but you’re also buying the people. I’m not gonna talk about specific people right now except to say that I’ve met with virtually the entire senior management team at Fox and I’m not only fully engaged with them on what the possibilities for them might be but I’m excited about the prospects.
It would stand to reason that many of the characters may get re-cast. As much as fans may want it, they probably shouldn’t hold their breath for an onscreen meeting between Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool.
The Next Spider-Man villain will be Mysterio
Jake Gyllenhaall was officially announced in the cast for Spider-Man Far From Home. He will be portraying Quentin Black, aka Mysterio. This will be the live-action film debut for the longtime Spider-Man villain. It’s also confirmed that Michael Keaton will be reprising the role of Adrian Toombs/Vulture. A leaked set photo shows Gyllenhaal in costume. Sadly, no “Fish Bowl Look”. At least not yet.
WB Crossover will be Elseworlds.
The annual CW “Flarrowverse” crossover will be titled Elseworlds. Entertainment Weekly reports that it will be a three part crossover, not the previous four part.
The Flash will kick it off on Sunday, which will be followed up by Arrow on Monday, and wrapped up with Supergirl on Tuesday. This breaks the previous pattern of Supergirl having the first part in the last two years.
It's OFFICIAL! This year's #DCTV crossover event will be titled "Elseworlds," coming to @CW_TheFlash, @CW_Arrow and @TheCWSupergirl this December! #Elseworlds pic.twitter.com/t31wimGska
— DC (@DCOfficial) September 26, 2018
While there will be no regular involvement with the Legends Of Tomorrow cast, it has been revealed that Superman will join in, and Lois Lane will make her debut.
In an unexpected turn, an official internet poster showed Stephen Amell in the Flash costume, and Grant Gustin in the Green Arrow threads.
Also notable is the name Nora Fries in the cast of characters. Nora is of course the ill-fated wife of Victor Fries, aka Mr. Freeze. When you factor that this will also serve as the introduction to Batwoman, it may be an indicator to the premise of the Batwoman series.
Supergirl made a regular habit of taking lesser known villains from Superman lore, and adapting classic Superman stories to fit The Girl Of Steel. Could this mean we’ll see some Batman villains on the small screen for Batwoman? Time will tell.
Finally, Train talks the major news surrounding the release of the long anticipated Read Dead Redemption 2. IGN gave the game a perfect 10 score. An act that is incredibly rare.
Are you in the Halloween spirit yet? If you need anything to scratch your Halloween itch, check out the latest episode of Examining The Dead. Train reviews the movie Train To Busan, and talk the outcome of the Friday The 13th lawsuit. And of course, Dan Wilson talks his new horror themed production company One Good Scare.
Crazy Train’s Halloween playlist is available on Spotify
Have any thoughts on these subjects? sound off below!
There’s a new man Without Fear in town! At long last, Netflix has released a full trailer for the much anticipated third season of Daredevil.
When we last saw Matt Murdock, he was believed to have died with Elektra in the climactic finish of The Defenders. However, he was shown to be very much alive and in hiding in the final scene.
This season sees the main antagonist role return to Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, played by Vincent D’Onofrio. Matt again dons the homemade black costume, and continues his vigilante ways. Why he has not reached out to his friends Foggy and Karen will probably have to wait until the season drops on October 19th.
As to who this imposter Daredevil is, Netflix may have spilled the beans. Actor Wilson Bethel has been confirmed to play Benjamin Poindexter, aka Bullseye. Smart money would seem to point to Bullseye making his Netflix debut impersonating The Man Without Fear. Colin Farrell had previously played Bullseye in the 2003 feature film that starred current Batman Ben Affleck in the title role.
What did you think of the trailer? Are you excited to see another take on Daredevil vs. Bullseye?
A few photos have leaked from the set of the yet to be titled fourth Avengers film. The movie will of course be released in 2019 as a direct follow up to Avengers: Infinity War. If you’ve seen that film (and if you haven’t, why are you reading this?) you know that half the universe’s population is willed out of existence by Thanos.
Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and many of the other major players made the survive list, while Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Nick Fury weren’t so fortunate.
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There are only two main subject in this episode of Geekville Radio, but they are real doozies. Seth and Crazy Train are joined by fellow Superman and Burt Reynolds fan David McKinney of South Atlanta Wrestling. The three talk the recent news about the potential departure of Henry Cavill from the DC Movie Universe as Superman, and the recent passing of Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds.
CAVILL NO LONGER SUPERMAN?
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Henry Cavill may indeed be leaving the role of Superman. Reports indicate that the hold up stems from negotiations to cameo in Shazam. Cavill had recently signed to appear in the Netflix series The Witcher, and sources told THR that scheduling would not permit Cavill from making an appearance in the film.
Another source, according to the report, stated the fallout may have happened due to a change in direction by Warner Bros.
“That’s because the studio has shifted its focus to a Supergirl movie, which will be an origin story featuring a teen superheroine. This effectively removes an actor of Cavill’s age from the storyline’s equation given that Superman, aka Kal-El, would be an infant, according to DC lore.”
Warner Bros. released a statement
“We have a great relationship and great respect for Henry Cavill that continues to remain unchanged. Additionally we have made no current decisions regarding any upcoming Superman films.”
Cavill has only responded with a video clip released to social media where he holds a Superman action figure.
All three panelists hold out hope that Cavill will appear in at least one more film before leaving, if he’s leaving at all.
BURT REYNOLDS (1936-2018)
Burt Reynolds passed away last week at the age of 82. Contrary to earlier claims, Reynolds was actually born in Michigan, not Waycross Georgia. Which means the icon of so many Southern flavored movies wasn’t actually Southern.
Seth, Train, and David all pay tribute and share memories from their favorite Burt Reynolds movies. Deliverance was a breakthrough leading man role, but it was his light-hearted car chase action comedies (Smokey & The Bandit, Cannonball Run) that became his signature genre in the 1970s. In the 80s he made more mature dramas and thrillers, such as Sharky’s Machine and Stick.
David talks about a story involving a young Reynolds and Clint Eastwood leaving their respective TV Western roles (Gunsmoke and Rawhide). Seth mentions a movie originally written for Reynolds that wound up going to Eastwood.
So, at the end of this episode, the panelists officially induct Burt Reynolds into Geekville Radio’s Honorary Southerners
