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Overall this season of the Flash has had its ups and downs. But it's important to remember that this was also a shortened season affected by Covid. That said, this episode before the 2-part finale does a lot but that's not necessarily bad. We didn't like what they did with Ultraviolet this episode. Felt like they fridged her right after an episode where they saved her. We're hoping this isn't the case. But outside of that, everything else worked really well. It was nice seeing Diggle and the continued drive towards him being a Green Lantern. We hear them saying its not happening but then we see this episode and well...it better being happening. We also see them trying to tie everything back to the forces with Deon showing up. It was feeling a bit awkward not seeing Iris the last two episodes but they cleaned it up a bit with the reveal this episode. There's just A LOT going on in this episode and while most of it is good...its still a lot. Part of that again feels like an aftereffect of Covid shootings, schedules and having to wrap up the last season at the beginning of this season.

We definitely have a feeling that Thawne is behind Godspeed which would be fitting.  August Heart definitely has a "The Return of Barry Allen" feel to to him but we'll see. Also we finally get the kids showing up, XS and Bart. And the suit looks better in motion than it did in the screenshots. So bravo. 

We're going to cover the two part finale on episode so we'll be back in two weeks to wrap up season 7 of the Flash.

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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We're back with a new Mailbag episode. We're reading listener emails from May and June this episode since we took a little break. We're also covering some of the big news items that have come out over the last two months.  Including:

* WarnerMedia and Discovery forming a new company...guess that HBOMax gamble didn't pay off...or diid it

* Just give James Gunn the keys to the DC Universe, we're all onboard for the Suicide Squad movie

* Gail Simone gets New 52 trending and creators reveal some of the good and bad that came from New 52

* Marvel Studios is all the way back and its just not fair

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected].

 

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The Flash has been doing great the last few episodes. This episode (despite the awkward Iris absence) brings Barry back into focus and does a pretty good job. This is the Barry we like. The Barry that is confident and tries to protect his family and friends. It's also good to see Godspeed back and where they could be going with this. Dpalm has a theory about that.

This episode was good that we didn't even hate the Frost/Chillblaine stuff this week. 

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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And we're back. Black Widow's release was delayed due to the pandemic and since then there were questions about when Marvel Studios would drop the film and why they delayed. There was even doubt that maybe it wouldn't be good. Maybe Marvel was finally loosing it's step. Maybe the Disney+ series were where they were really hitting their stride and where they should focus.

Well let's answer the second part first: Yes Black Widow is good. Of course it is. It's a Marvel Studios film. This is a studio that hasn't really missed and the few times they have (which are debatable), they always come back strong. 

So why now? This is a question that was asked even when the film was announced. Made even more curious from the fact that Natasha Romanoff died in Endgame. Well there's a few reasons. First, Natasha is one of the few original Avengers/Avengers associates that have played a major role in the MCU yet we know little about. She's joined by Nick Fury and Clint Barton in that category. Fury's background came to us in Captain Marvel and he's going to be popping up a few more times in the future. Barton has a whole Disney+ series coming (which might have some ties to this current film). So it's about time to give some background on Natasha and give her her own dues even if the character is gone in the present. Especially since the one time they tried to give her more depth, it didn't go so well (Age of Ultron). And you know what? It's about time that we learned more about Romanoff's past and the Red Room, her training and even how she got out. 

What makes this film work is what makes most Marvel films work. A great cast, great action and a story that, even if it's not groundbreaking, serves its purpose. We've seen films like this before. Some good (Atomic Blonde), some not so good (Red Sparrow). What this film does is take the spycraft and the concepts and throws them into the MCU world we know and love. We get some great action scenes that really will have you wondering how the hell Wonder Woman 1984 didn't do better.

Even if you're not a Scarlet Johansson fan, this film bolsters the cast with enough names that you definitely will want to see. Florence Pugh as Yelena is perfect. Her character works really well to contrast against the Avenger we know Black Widow to be. Add in David Harbour and Rachel Weisz and you have a really intriguing dysfunctional "family". On the villain side, this version of Taskmaster works well for the story that's being told and really serves almost as a silent-Terminator like character and threat. 

Overall this is another welcomed addition to the MCU. It will be interesting to see what Marvel does next with some of the characters introduced in this film. With Hawkeye coming to Disney+ later this year and some of the other things we've seen on the horizon, the future is clearly bright for the MCU.

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Now the fun begins. Secret Warriors gave us a taste of what was in that crazy brain of Hickman. S.H.I.E.L.D. is where we really start to see things form. This is the series that will have readers going back to issue 25 of Secret Warriors to start piecing things together. It's also where the foundations for what Hickman does in his Fantastic Four run gets set. 

We not only get the foundation of SHIELD starting way back in ancient Egypt by Imhotep (with a young Apocalypse and Moon Knight) but establishing it as a secret brotherhood whose purpose was/is to stop the premature destruction of mankind. And this highlights what makes Hickman's runs so good. In a way he's a history professor whose main focus is finding the obscure in the Marvel Universe and making it not only relevant, but expanding the universe. Sure, at its core we're getting a fundamental power struggle between Leonardo DaVinci and Sir Isaac Newton about whether man should continue to fight or survival or accept its fate. But outside of that, we're also given a young Howard Stark and Nathaniel Richards as agents of SHIELD. And what happens with both of them is then seen later in how their sons turn out. We see why "our" Reed Richards is so important and different from others. We see why Tony , despite all his flaws, can be one of the most prolific and accomplished (and focused) builders in the universe. 

This is the beginning of the theme of fathers and sons and what they owe each other. It's something we're going to continue to see throughout Hickman's runs (especially with Fantastic Four). But we also get the themes of Expansion vs. Contraction, Life vs. Death, Infinite Human Existence vs Inevitability.

Issues:

* S.H.I.E.L.D #1 The Unholy Resurrection of Leonardo da Vinci

* S.H.I.E.L.D #2 Newton's Theory of Eternal Life

* S.H.I.E.L.D # 3 The Theory of Eternal Life

* S.H.I.E.L.D #4 The Madness, the Star Child, and the Celestial Madonna

* S.H.I.E.L.D #5 The Forgotten Machines of Nikola Tesla

* S.H.I.E.L.D # 6 The Master's Hand

* S.H.I.E.L.D Volume 2 #1 Terribilita

* S.H.I.E.L.D Volume 2 #2 Fire

* S.H.I.E.L.D Volume 2 # 3 The Fall

* S.H.I.E.L.D Volume 2 #4 All Together Now

* S.H.I.E.L.D Volume 2 #5 Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

* S.H.I.E.L.D Volume 2 # 6 I Am the Sun

* S.H.I.E.L.D Infinity

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It feels like this Season of The Flash is getting back on track after a pretty horrible run in the middle. One of the interesting reasons for this is, the less Barry & Iris we get, the better the show has been. Now that's not to say that Barry & Iris are the problem and are terrible and need to go. No, the problem has been the writing for both characters. This show struggles when it makes Barry and Iris regress into making really bad decisions. But when they have them as the elder statespeople of the team. Last week it was Barry helping Cecile and Iris helping Chester. This week, the show takes them completely off the board and we get Allegra learning the hard lessons Barry learned about being too naive. And you know what? It worked. It also helped that we get Sue aka Jamie Bond as well as Joe leaning into what makes him Joe. 

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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Gotta love how Legends of Tomorrow mixes the serious with the ridiculous. We get the crew coming up with the most ridiculous plan to save Sara (which turns out to be how she got kidnapped to begin with) while also getting very real moments tied to the theme of "What makes us who we are?". Past Sara gives some really solid advice to Spooner and then her future self gets that same type of advice from Mick. This is what makes Legends such a great show. If you've been following the story of Sara Lance since Arrow, this all fits perfectly with her development as a character. Her constant battle with her identity has been etched into this character since she showed up as still alive having not died on the Queen's Gambit. Seeing her once again return from death and having the question of "Am I really me?" being asked never gets old because it's not only a defining part of her character but is done differently each time. 

Also, this seems to set up perfectly for John needing to get the source of alien magic so he can perform a magical alien exorcism to get the alien part out of Sara. Or at least try. 

Oh and bring back ConstaNate. We're onboard.

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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Overall, Luca is a fine film. It has mostly what one would expect from a Pixar film. The animation looks as sharp as ever. There's a message that's aimed at kids trying to navigate the world in front of them. And there is the classic Pixar humor. But even with all that, Luca just feels boring and predictable. 

Luca is a film that feels like it's on cruise control for 90 minutes. It does what it's supposed to do but at the same time leaves a lot of gaps that should have been filled in the story. Even worse, there are story choices with the characters, particularly Giulia that will leave anyone over the age of 10 scratching their heads. It's 2021, sacrificing the story and growth of a female character for that of two young male characters is really unforgivable at this point. Especially when it's unnecessary. 

There are a lot of story choice in Luca that just don't make sense. Yes, this film is aimed at children. But there's a level of expectation and quality that we've come to expect from Pixar that includes tackling tough issues in a manner that's digestible by children but also relatable to adults. There are times in this film where it feels that the story just decides to "not go there" and the result is a story that just falls flat. It's funny. Disney & Pixar have no problem killing off parents but somehow find explaining that a father just abandoned his child with no backtory, in an info dump is all they needed to do here. It's very odd and unfulfilling. 

Maya Rudolph and Jim Gaffigan work well as part of the voice cast here but even they can't save this film. Hopefully the next Pixar film will get us back on track.

 

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So two episodes back from the break and it really feels like The Flash is getting back to the show we want. This episode, Chester officially takes over as the new man in the chair and with that comes the predictable stumbles. But this is also the show we expect. With Barry helping Cecile face her demons and Iris helping Chester realize that he is a valued member of the team and he doesn't have to overcompensate. This is the Barry & Iris we want to see. The "elders" of the team/family, stepping up and helping the other members grow. We don't need any set backs for Barry & Iris to do it either.

Also...it was great to see Sue again. 

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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Ok let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. One, this episode feels like it probably should have been at least 2 episodes. The pace is all over the place and it's overstuff with different story elements. Also, we're still not feeling Spooner. It feels like each episode they're workshopping the character to see what will work. To be fair though, this isn't the first time a character on Legends has taken a while for us to warm up to, so if there's any show that can pull, it's this one.

So with that all out of the way, we're starting to see how things are going to come together. Constantine is keeping his lack of powers from the team and so we know he's going to have to seek that alien magical source to get his back. Also, the theme of this season is clearly "what makes us, us". We're seeing it with Bishop and Sara (Sara is now a clone). Spooner trying to figure out what she is. Both Astra & John dealing with their new situation. Even Gary being an alien. It's always fun watching Legends start off feeling like it's just silliness with no real connections only to watch as the writers start pulling it all together.

Kriss and Dpalm record the Mailbag at the end of every month. If you want to send in your own questions and thoughts, email us: [email protected]

 

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