January 29, 2014 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E7: “State v. Queen”

The episode begins with a flashback, where we see how the Earthquake in the Glades takes apart the Iron Heights Penitentiary. I’d like to see a map of the Arrowverse. Because we know that Iron Heights is in Keystone City. We know the Glades is in Starling City. I really wonder how this earthquake worked. Because not all of Starling City is decimated but the quake made its way to Keystone City. How far apart are these cities? In any case we get to see how the Dollmaker and now Count Vertigo make their escape from the Penitentiary. Through an Arrow shaped hole.

Flash further back to the island. Oliver as been taken to Slade and Shado’s camp by Ivo and his men. Ollie yells to warn them. This buys them time to escape Ivo without him knowing they were there. Though Slade is looking rough. Oliver then takes Ivo to the World War II Japanese bodies. Ivo is looking for the “Hosen” arrowhead that should be with the bodies but cannot find it. He is about to have his men kill Ollie when Slade and Shado rescue him. Once in a safe place Shado reveals the Hosen.

Oliver leads Ivo and his men to the WWII Japanese bodies. Ivo searches everywhere but cannot find “The Hosen,” a special arrowhead that was supposed to be with the bodies. Ivo’s men are about to shoot Oliver when Shado and Slade get the drop on all of them.

Another scene on the island. Slade and Shado rescue Oliver. He grabs Sara as they all flee Ivo’s men. Shado uses one of Ivo’s detonators to cover their escape.

One final island flashback. Shado pulls out the Hosen. She doesn’t know why Ivo wants it. There is a Buddhist inscription on one side and the numbers 30, 30, 175, and 12 on the back. It’s very Lost like and obviously coordinates. They are for the Japanese sub. The sub can apparently save the human race. Ollie wants to find it to save Slade who is getting worse.

Jump back to the present we are finally getting to Moira Queen’s Trial. This is my least favorite story arc of this season so it feels like it has been dragging on forever. A.D.A. Adam Donner who has a “Trump Card” yet to be revealed and Laurel, who should not be allowed to prosecute Moira, are in the courtroom. The trial’s opening arguments try make the case that Moira and her family were threatened by Malcolm Merlyn.

Then we switch to Diggle who is feeling weird since he got a flu-shot. He eventually collapsing from his illness. Then we jump back and Adam Donner is collapsing in the courtroom from seemingly the same thing. Hmmm, I wonder who did this? Adam gets rushed into an ambulance hijacked by Vertigo. Then D.A. Kate Spencer, Alderman Blood, and Laurel are discussing his case and Laurel finds Adam’s “Trump Card.” Laurel goes to the prison where Moira is held and explains this is why Moira can’t take the stand. Because of this Moira is forced to reveal to Thea and Ollie that she had an affair with Malcolm Merlyn. Laurel does a weird cross-examination type thing that makes a terrible case against Moira. How did Laurel get this job? The next day we get the verdict. NOT GUILTY! WTF?!?!?!

Oh yeah and somewhere in here Team Arrow takes down Count Vertigo. Oh, I mean literally. Three arrows in the chest out the window down a few stories on to a cab and I am sure this makes Count Vertigo ripe for a return from the dead. Speaking of which, Moira’s driver takes her from the courtroom to an abandoned parking lot . He steps out of the car and gets shot in the chest by a black Arrow… Malcolm Merlyn is back. He bribed the jury, knows how to escape death, and is Thea’s Dad!

Oh one more scene to mention. Alderman Blood is getting really creepy. He reveals he is the reason for Count Vertigo terrorizing the city. We see he is experimenting on people who now won’t die. One is Brother Cyrus (See more below). I think we’re going to see all these people not dying and the drugs from the island, Slade, and Sebastian Blood all start to connect.

NOTES:

Count Vertigo: Werner Vertigo, also known as Count Vertigo was created by Gerry Conway and Trevor von Eeden and first appeared in World’s Finest #251 in 1978. In most of his incarnations he is a ruler of a fiction country Vlatava. He uses his “Vertigo Effect” to disrupt his enemies’ balance. The TV show does a nice job of switching that to a drug. When he eventually comes back from the dead I think we will see him with a weapon to give people Vertigo he is fighting. Outside of his history as a Green Arrow and Black Canary villain, he has been a part of the Suicide Squad, Checkmate, and the Injustice Society. For a good Count Vertigo story check out the Green Arrow #23.1 by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino.

Malcolm Merlyn: The comic book character of Merlyn first appeared in Justice League of America #94 in 1971. He was created by created by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin, and Neal Adams to be an archenemy of Green Arrow. In the comic books Meryln is a stage name and the supervillain name of Arthur King. Oliver Queen is inspired to take up archery after seeing Merlyn perform. As an adult Green Arrow meets Merlyn when Merlyn challenges the hero to a public archery contest. Ollie bests Merlyn. Merlyn disappears from the public eye and joins the League of Assassins. When Green Arrow next meets Merlyn, Ollie is with Batman and is able to deflect one of Merlyn’s arrows with an arrow of his own, saving Batman’s life. Andrew Kreisberg, one of the writers on Arrow wrote a story featuring Merlyn in Green Arrow/Black Canary: Enemies List.

Brother Cyrus: Brother Cyrus most likely refers to Cyrus Gold who becomes the zombie-like character Solomon Grundy. He first appeared in All-American Comics #61 in 1944 and was created by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman. His name was taken from the 19th Century nursery rhyme. Solomon Grundy’s story starts when Cyrus Gold , a wealthy merchant, was murdered and his body disposed of in Slaughter Swamp. He was supernaturally resurrected fifty years later, partially being composed of material from the swamp. He is named Solomon Grundy in the hobo camp near the Swamp because his only memory is of being born on a Monday. Pretty mindless, he eventually turns to a life a crime and destruction which puts him into battle with the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott. He is eventually killed, but this is not the end because he is trapped in a constant state of reincarnation. Each time he dies he is resurrected in the Slaughter Swamp with slightly different levels of strength, intelligence, and personality. His most notable story involving Oliver is Green Arrow: The Archer’s Quest written by Brad Meltzer (from History Channel’s Brad Meltzer’s Decoded) and Phil Hester. Obviously in the TV show we are seeing Cyrus being constructed by drugs. However it is worth noting that the forever resurrecting Solomon Grundy goes along with this season’s theme of not dying (Ra’s al Ghul and the Lazurus Pit, Professor Anthony Ivo, Mirakuru, etc.).

Kate Spencer: D.A. Kate Spencer has appeared previously in the season 1 episode “Damaged.” She lead the prosecution that charged Oliver Queen with the crimes the Hood committed. Her comic book counterpart is a federal prosecutor who grows tired of seeing guilty super-criminals evade punishment. She takes matters into her own hands, stealing equipment and weapons from an evidence room becoming the vigilante Manhunter. She was created by Marc Andreyko and Jesus Saiz for the wonderful series appropriately titled Manhunter.

Jean Loring: She has been a player in the trial storyline this season. She is a defense attorney and an old friend of Moira Queen’s. She was created by Gardner Fox and Gil Kane in Showcase #34 in 1961 as a love interest for Ray Palmer, The Atom. Her comic book counterpart is also a lawyer. She eventually married and divorced Ray Palmer and displayed in various stories some mental instability. She is featured in Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales.

Markovia: This is a small country in Europe, ruled by the Markov family and first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #200 in 1983. Prince Brion Markov is also known as the superhero Geo-Force. He can manipulate the Earth’s gravitational field to make an object heavier or lighter, manipulate the earth, turn organic matter into stone, and project “lava blasts.” A Dr. Brion Markov appeared last season in “Darkness at the Edge of Town” where he created a device for Malcolm Merlyn to create the earthquake. Malcolm killed Dr. Markov once the device was complete. Comic book Brion had a half sister Tara Markov who was the sometimes hero and somes villain named Terra who had the ability to control earth much like her brother. She was mentally unstable and had a professional and personal relationship with Slade Wilson. She is introduced in the story “Terra Incognito” in the New Teen Titans. Brion and Ollie were on a team called The Outsiders together.

January 27, 2014 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E6: “Keep Your Enemies Closer” Recap

In this episode we see more of Oliver having a hard time balancing his “Arrow” life and his business life. It starts when Diggle gets grabbed by A.R.G.U.S. agents and Amanda Waller shows up to let him know that Lyla Michaels has been captured in Russia tracking down Deadshot. She was tracking Deadshot for Diggle. Waller also lets him know that she knows what Diggle and Ollie are up to at night and basically blackmails Digg into rescuing her. I don’t know how much blackmailing Diggle really needed. This sets Team Arrow on the go to Russia. And worlds start colliding when Isabel Rochev decides she needs to accompany them on this suspicious trip.

John and Ollie ditch Isabel with Smoak to go meet up with Olie’s former Amazo boat cellmate, Antoli Knyazev, who sets up a break into Gulag to rescue Lyla. John and Ollie argue who will go in for her. The decision is made that John will go in. The thought of Arrow going in the prison reminded me of a film by David Goyer that never was made, Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max. The premise is that Green Arrow gets framed for murder and he is stuck in a jail with a bunch of super villains he put there. He needs to escape. Anyway, they set up John to get arrested so he can get in the prison. In the prison, he is chained in a tortuously cold room with Flyod Lawton a.k.a. Deadshot. Digg and Flyod both break free separately and Flyod tells him he knows where Lyla is and he will tell Diggle if Diggle gets him out.

Meanwhile, Ollie and Isabel hook up. Felicity comes calling to help Diggle get free. She realizes that Isabel and Ollie slept together and is visibly upset. On the other hand we also see that Isabel is not phased one bit by their hook-up. We also find out that she, like her comic book counterpart, is Russian. The theme of everlasting life/rebirth and the presence of Russian characters are two things that are very prominent this season. I don’t think it’s too far of a jump to find that Isabel is mixed up with the League of Assassins. She was really giving me a Talia al Ghul vibe this episode. Maybe it was the one night stand.

Nevertheless Ollie, Smoak, and Antoli rescue Diggle who has rescued both Floyd and Lyla. On the way out they release Floyd. Diggle lets him go because of Floyd helped him escape. In return Floyd tells Diggle that it was not a mistake that he killed his brother but the contract was for his brother by a group named H.I.V.E.

Flashback time. Ollie is meeting with Sara and Ivo on the Amazo. Ivo starts explaining the Japanese sub and how during World War II the Japanese created a serum called Mirakulu that enhanced strength, rapid cell regeneration to create an army of super-soldiers. And we wend with Sara tricking Ollie into giving up Slade and Shado.

NOTES:

Task Force X: This is a government task force also know as the Suicide Squad. This version of the squad first appeared in Legends #3 in 1987. The Squad is a team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-risk black ops missions in exchange for shortened prison sentences. The squad is lead by Amanda Waller and at times the Bronze Tiger. Both Deadshot and Count Vertigo are members of this team in the comic books. The current Suicide Squad book is s decent read but the book by John Ostrander in the late ’80s is what defined what the team is.

Amanda Waller: She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein and John Byrne. Nick named “The Wall,” she is a cunning strategist and is the Director of A.R.G.U.S. and the Suicide Squad.

Mockingbird: This is the code name for whoever is in charge of the Secret Six. Many people have been in charge of the Secret Six over many years, one of them being Amanda Waller. The team that she secretly ran consisted mainly of villains who undertook missions of dubious moral quality and often resulting in a high body count. This version of the Secret Six was thematically similar to John Ostrander’s run on the Suicide Squad. It’s definitely a good read by Gail Simone.

Deadshot: Floyd Lawton first appeared way back in Batman #59 in 1950 and was created by by Bob Kane, David Vern Reed and Lew Schwartz. Deadshot is a hired assassin who is a member of both the Secret Six and the Suicide Squad. It was recently revealed in Suicide Squad that Waller has found a way to bring him back to life no matter how many times he dies. It makes his death wish pretty hard to accomplish. He had a great miniseries back in 2005 by Christos Gage and Steven Cummings that featured Green Arrow. Deadshot: Beginnings collects the miniseries John Ostrander wrote in the 1980s as well as some Batman stories.

Flashwatch: The TV showed a “No S.T.A.R. Labs” sign and the voice over said. “…any scientific gain that might come from it. The people need to understand how dangerous technology like this is and the very real possibility of a cataclysmic event.”

Mirakulu: The description and the sound of this drug sound very much like Miraclo. Miraclo is a drug that scientist Rex Tyler, created that gave him superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability for an hour before returning to human levels. He became the superhero known as

Hourman. The CW currently have a Hourman show in development. I wonder if there will be a link to Arrow. Some good Hourman reading I would point to Sandman Mystery Theatre: the Hourman and Starman #11.

H.I.V.E.: The original H.I.V.E. which stands for Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Extermination was a mysterious organization that specialized in high-level contract assassinations and mercenary acts of terrorism. They first appeared in Superman Family #203 in 1980 and were created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.

Slade Wilson: He is also known as Deathstroke the Terminator but is mostly called Deathstroke in order not to be confused with the Arnold Schwarzenegger killing machine. He first appeared in New Teen Titans vol. 1 #2 in 1980 as a bounty hunter. DC Comics recently gave him his own series. I’d suggest reading issues #1-8 by Kyle Higgins.

Shado: She first appeared in Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters in 1987. She is the daughter of a Yakuza agent sent to America with a large cache of gold, prior to World War II, in order to establish Yakuza operations in America. Shado tends to be both an antagonist of Green Arrow and a love interest.

November 26, 2013 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E5: “League of Assassins”

So the show opens up with a re-shot scene from season 1 set in the past. Sara and Ollie sneaking away on the boat, the Queen’s Gambit, before the island except this scene adds more to Sara’s character. It shows her very flirty with Ollie and deceiving her Dad. I wonder how this scene holds up next to the one that was in the pilot. It seems like it is chock full of inconsistencies. But basically the same thing happens: boat sinks. But the next time we see Sara she is waking up half naked (HELLS YEAH CW) in the ocean looking at a yellow canary floating on driftwood. That seems like a pretty crappy place for a canary. I think that bird doesn’t have long to live. I mean I get it. The Black Seagull would be a worse name for a superhero. Sound more like a plague. But then the ship named Amazo appears in the distance (remember this is the ship we last left Ollie in flashbacks where he is being tortured with his cellmate the KGBeast). Looks like she is in for a rough time until Doctor Anthony Ivo saves her. He is a scientist and he is using all the people held captive. His objective is to save the human race.

Okay then we switch over to Moira’s pre-trial meeting in Iron Heights. Not really sure what those things are called. I haven’t been keeping up with my Law & Order: CSIVU. I haven’t really been paying too much attention to this in my comments because it seems slightly boring. But this scene is pretty amazing and not in a good way. Laurel, who is now working for the D.A.’s office is on the prosecution team on Moira Queen’s case. Hold the fucking phone. She is prosecuting her ex-boyfriends mom who she has a pretty great relationship with? How corrupt is Starling City’s court system that this can happen? Oh, and not to mention that she gives them a sweetheart deal that Moira’s one would expect expensive lawyer scoffs at and also says that this is conflict of interest having Laurel on the case. Laurel is the best thing you’ve got going here. AND Ollie is pissed too? Come on she helped kill over 500 people! COME ON CW?!?!?! Then by the end of the episode they decide to reject the offer?!??!? WHAT?

In the present we find out that Sara is living at Queen Manor. Conveniently Thea is staying with Roy most nights. They say a lot of CW relationshipy stuff to each other and then BAM, a dude dressed like Malcom Merlyn in his Dark Archer costume breaks in the fucking window in the middle of the fucking day! He’s obviously trying to kill Sara. This prompts Ollie to take her to the Arrowcave to see Diggle and Smoak. Sara confesses it is Al Owal, who is a member of the League of Assassins who rescued her after the shipwreck and took her to Nanda Parabat (hey Malcom has been there) and she joined their ranks after being rescued. Al Owal tells her the child of Ra’s al Ghul awaits her return. She left because one mission went to far and she quit but you can only leave the League of Assassins by death. Ollie and Sara escape alive but the League is will kill the whole Lance family if Sara doesn’t go back with them. This puts team Arrow into action and Sara into contact with her dad. He figures out she is the Canary. Then they end up back at the Watchtower where Arrow, Canary, and Quentin fight off Al Owal. HOLD the phone. Former DETECTIVE Lance sees Arrow and his daughter, the Canary, fight together. He also knows they both were shipwrecked on the same island. HOW DOES HE NOT KNOW OLLIE IS ARROW?!?!??!

This was a great episode. Lots of secrets uncovered. Great action. Bad acting. Silly relationship stuff. And it ends with Ollie telling Dig that the whole five years he was gone he was not only on the Island. It’s revealed that he found out Sara was alive way back when he was a prisoner on the Amazo! Can’t wait for the next episode. But until then check the out my theories and notes below.

Theories:
So Al Owal, which is Arabic for the first, comes and attacks Canary. He has trained her and Merlyn. He is pretty high up there in the League of Assassins. Now let’s remember the first of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies, which Arrow takes a lot of cues from. Liam Neeson’s character trains Bruce Wayne the whole movie to become part of the League of Shadows. The writers changed the name of League of Assassins in the comic books to League of Shadows for the movie. It is then revealed at the end that Ra’s al Ghul was not the bald headed silent man but actually Neeson’s character. With a heavy handed hint like the guy’s name being “The First” really points to Al Owal actually being Ra’s al Ghul.

An aspect of Ra’s al Ghul’s character that is not used in Batman Begins is that he has found a fountain of youth he calls the Lazarus Pit. It makes him pretty much eternal and heals most wounds. There is more than one of these pits scattered around the globe that he uses. Now let’s think about all the people who should have died on the island, Lian Yu. I wonder if the island holds a Lazurus Pit that Ra’s is using or trying to find and the waters around the island have special healing powers.

Notes:

The Child of Ra’s al Ghul: Ra’s al Ghul has three known children in the comic books. He has a son Dusan al Ghul, also known as the White Ghost. He was reject by Ra’s because he was born albino. There is Talia al Ghul, who is the most well known of his children. She has had romantic entanglements with batman and was featured in The Dark Knight Rises. The last is Nyssa Raatko. She is an illegitimate child Ra’s had when he was traveling through Russia. She tracks him down later in life and impresses him enough to gain a high ranking position in the League of Assassins. If I had to guess which one it would be, I would go with Nyssa since Talia was just used in the last Batman movie and Ollie is currently sharing a cell with the Russian KGBeast. He also says something in Russian before he drinks vodka with Dig at the end of the episode and tells him he wasn’t always on the island.

Doctor Anthony Ivo: Doctor Ivo is a mad scientist obsessed with escaping death, who first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #30 back in 1960 where he created an android Amazo (that’s the name of the boat Ollie, Sara, and Ivo are on) who fought the Justice League. I think we will see a connection made between Ra’s al Ghul’s history with the Lazarus pit and Ivo wanting to never die. In addition to Amazo, Ivo created the androids Composite Superman, Kid Amazo, Red Volcano, and Tomorrow Woman. The Tomorrow Woman story is a great one. It was a single issue story in JLA #5 back in 1997 by Grant Morrison.

Lian Yu: This is the island Ollie is shipwrecked on and where he learns his archery and fighting skills. It is first named in the television show. Lian Yu means purgatory. This looks like a nod to Lost where it seems to be where they got there flashback inspiration from. Lian is the first name of Roy Harper’s daughter who he had with the international criminal Cheshire.

Nanda Parbat: This place has been mentioned before in the television show. We know Malcolm Merlyn spent some time there. It first appeared in the comic books in October 1967 in Strange Adventures #205. Time passes in the city differently than the outside world. Many who enter the city retain their youth for a longer time. It is a hidden city in the mountains of Tibet. It is a place of healing and enlightenment watched over by the goddess Rama Kushna and the monks who worship her. The city is most associated with the hero Deadman who received his powers from Rama Kushna. Other characters closely associated with the city are Judomaster, Crimson Avenger, The Question, and Richard Dragon. Deadman had a nicely updated origin by Paul Jenkins in 2011 in DC Universe Presents.

Iron Heights: Is the prison that Moira is held in. It is a fictional penitentiary that first appeared in Flash: Iron Heights by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver. Johns is going to be penning the episode that introduces Barry Allen, the Flash. Iron Heights Penitentiary is known for its vicious and brutal treatment of its prisoners. It houses many of the Flash’s super villains.

November 25, 2013 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E4: “Crucible”

This week’s Arrow was simple but really pushed the story along. A throw away villain, Xavier Reed, The Mayor, is bringing illegal military grade guns and wreaking havoc in the Glades. Oliver reacts with Sebastian Blood (who is getting creepy this episode) to create a cash for guns benefit in the Glades which is attacked. The benefit also shows Oliver struggle in his new role professionally having to answer to Isabel Rochev for his fiscal actions. It shows Thea what a hero Roy is and lets them interact with Sin. They should create a Junior Arrow club.

Meanwhile Diggle meets up with his old colleague Lyla Michaels to flirt and try to get info on tracking down Deadshot. AND back on the island Oliver gets a neighbor on the boat and is getting tortured. This really reminds me of the scenes in The Dark Knight Rises where Bruce is trying to fix his back and get out of the hole.

The Bigger story this episode is the Canary. With Felicity’s help Oliver finds the Canary unmasks her and she is revealed to be… SPOILERS… the long thought dead Sara Lance. Man this is trouble for Oliver. Obviously he wants her to reveal herself to her family but she can’t for some reason. Maybe because they’re all drunks. Well at least Laurel is this episode. Quinten has been recovering for some time now. Anyway, the last time the viewers saw Sara, was way back in the first season when she joined Ollie on his boat, the Queen’s Gambit. During their trip, the ship was sabotaged and sank, along with Sara. Her remains were never recovered so her family buried a empty casket, after she was declared legally dead. But get this, Oliver then reveals to John and Felicity that he thought she drowned on the Queen’s Gambit, but met her a year after being shipwrecked, however he thought she had died since he last saw her. So apparently somewhere in between she joined up with the League of Assassins.

However, the best part of all of this is when Arrow and Canary, excuse me I mean GREEN Arrow and BLACK Canary, team up to take down The Mayor.

All in all a great episode.

Notes/Easter Eggs/ SPOILERS:

The Mayor: Also known as Xavier Reed, The Mayor shares names with two Marvel superheroes, Professor Charles Xavier and Reed Richards. The place where he is stealing he weapons from is Camp Kirby. This is a nod to Jack Kirby, who co-created both Charles Xavier and Reed Richards. Jack Kirby is best known for creating almost half the Marvel Universe of super-heroes in the 1960s. At DC he is best known for his work on Superman and creation of New Gods characters in the 1970s. But way back in the 1950s, he did a stint writing and drawing Green Arrow in Adventure Comics and World’s Finest Comics. The Mayor also reminds me of the characters Steel fought in his book back after Superman returned from the dead.

Lyla Michaels: Lyla is an old colleague of John Diggle. She works for the U.S. government organization A.R.G.U.S. which stands for Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans. In the comic books they act as support and liaison to the Justice Leauge by supplying them with resources and cleaning up after battles. Argus was an all-seeing giant in Greek mythology with a hundred eyes. Lyla Michaels has a history of all-seeing in DC Comic books. She was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez. She first appeared in New Teen Titans vol. 1, Annual #2 in 1983. She became the hero known as Harbinger in Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 in 1985, where it is revealed she has the power of splitting into various selves and can send those copies of herself through various points in time, space, and parallel universes. I’m not sure if this character will ever develop those powers. If you do want to read up on her, Crisis on Infinite Earths is a pretty historic, being the first company wide DC Comics cross-over. Basically every title in the company tied into this year long series at least one point during the year.

Anatoli Knyazev: This is the guy in the prison cell next to Oliver on the Amazo ship. Anatoli is a lesser known Batman villain known as the KGBeast who was created by Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo in Batman #417 in 1988. In the comic books Anatoli is a K.G.B. trained assassin code-named “The Beast” (very Arrowish naming convention), however he is known to the C.I.A as the KGBeast. In addition to being the master of several martial arts he is cybernetically enhanced with a prosthetic gun arm. KGBeast played a big role in Robin III: Cry of the Huntress. I haven’t read it since high school but remember it being pretty good.

The Flash Watch: A channel 52 news report mentioned protests over a particle accelerator currently under construction.

November 21, 2013 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E3: “Broken Dolls”

We left Arrow last week with Oliver in his Hood getup surrounded by police officers in Laurel’s apartment. This was a trap set by Laurel, who now is blaming Tommy Merlyn’s death on the Hood. At the last second, the mysterious Black Canary, ahem, I mean Canary, shows up uses some kind of sonic blast and escapes with Ollie.

While he puts Roy on the case of tracking down this lady, Quentin Lance finds out that a serial killer from an old case has escaped from Iron Heights as a result of the quake. This serial killer, Barton Mathis, also known as The Dollmaker, kidnaps women and kills them by pouring a flexible polymer into their throats. This fires up Quentin to track him down, but he is warned by the police department to stay back. So, Quentin and the Team Arrow find a way to track this guy down and eventually use Felicity as sexy bait.

Alright, let me pause here. Felicity is a very attractive woman who could jump from this show onto any other CW drama if she wanted to. However, she plays the nerd on this show and it just comes across as, “Hey, I wear glasses. I’m a nerd.” Is it how she is written? Maybe. Is it how she looks? Maybe. It is one reason I think we will never see her character jump to the comic book page like Diggle’s. Currently there is a nerdy tech geek helping out Oliver in the Green Arrow books. And she is more believable as an actual nerd than the character played by a person. Ok back to it.

As a result of this, Felicity is put in danger, and both Laurel and Quentin end up being kidnapped by the Dollmaker. Arrow saves them in time and then the Black Canary in return saves him, kills the Dollmaker and runs off. However, Roy finds the Canary and tells Arrow the location of the watchtower where Arrow finds her and her friend Sin. We see a character who looks like the Dark Archer (but is not) and he name drops Ra’s al Ghul!?!?!

In the past, we see Slade and Oliver run around on the island. They see a Japanese boat shooting bombs towards Shado’s location. They run to her, but are ambushed and end up in a prison on a boat called Amazo.

All in all it was a pretty straight forward episode with a bunch of hints dropped….well lets get to it:

Notes/Easter Eggs/ SPOILERS:

Dollmaker: Barton Mathis, the third iteration of the character first appeared in Detective Comics, vol. 2 #1 as a Batman villain. He was created by writer and artist Tony S. Daniel. In this episode Barton’s lawyer is named Tony Daniel as a nod to his creator. The full Dollmaker story is collect in Batman: Detective Comics: Faces of Death.

Metamorpho: This is the name of the factory that the Dollmaker is using. Rex Mason, also known as Metamorpho, the Element Man, is a superhero with the ability to transmutate into a wide variety of elemental compounds. He is mostly associated with Batman and the Outsiders. He first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #57. Rex was an adventurer who was hired by business man Simon Stagg to find a rare Egypian artifact, the Orb of Ra. As a consequence of this adventure Rex obtained his powers from the Orb of Ra. I suppose if he were to be “Arrowized” his origin could possibly start in a chemical factory. If you can track it down there was a pretty good modernization of his origin in the mini-series Metamorpho: Year One.

Quentin Larry Lance: Much like his daughter, his middle name gives a nod to the comic book character he is based on. Detective Larry Lance was created back in 1948 in Flash Comics #92. He was a police officer who would help the Golden Age Black Canary on her cases. The two would fall in love and have a daughter who had the superpower of a sonic scream. She would also take the name Black Canary. Hmmm…..

Amazo: This is the name of the ship that we see Oliver held captive on in the past. Amazo is a super-villain android who first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #30. He was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson as a villain for the Justice League of America. His fictional creator, Professor Ivo, created him to have the power to duplicate superheroes’ abilities. Could this boat be filled with people who have the same abilities as Oliver? A great Amazo story to read would be JLA #27 by Mark Millar (Kick Ass, Wanted).

The Clock Tower: This is the location of a team of mostly female heroes called the Birds of Prey. The team mainly consists of Black Canary, Batgirl/Oracle/Barbra Gordon, and sometimes the Huntress. This is the hiding spot for Black Canary and Sin which is a nod to the Birds of Prey comics. The team also had a short lived TV show on the CW when Smallville was in its second season.

Sin: Is a girl rescued by Black Canary from becoming a martial arts weapon. She first appears in Birds of Prey #92. She was created by Gail Simone.

Ra’s al Ghul: His name is Arabic for “The Demon Head.” He was created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams in Batman #232 (June 1971). He is almost immortal, gaining long life from a fountain of youth called the Lazarus Pit. He has genius-level intelligence, and is skilled in martial arts. Ra’s al Ghul was the main villain in Batman Begins. I wonder how his portrayal will differ here. It is interesting that his soldiers wear a uniform very similar to the Dark Archer uniform worn by Malcom Merlyn. Could Ra’s al Ghul be behind the plan to wipe out the Glades? It would fit his M.O. His ultimate goal is a world in perfect balance. He believes that the best way to achieve this balance is to eliminate most of humanity. A great Ra’s al Ghul story that doesn’t involve just Batman is JLA: Tower of Babel by Mark Waid and Howard Porter.

Written by Dave Tomko. Check out Dave’s blog, New Earth 2.

November 2, 2013 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E2: “Identity”

I shall call myself Arrow.

We left off last episode with Oliver pondering a new identify while staring at an Arrow (CW, you’re so good at being deep). And this episode follows up with the title “Identity.”

Ok before we go on here I kind of want to take note of DC Entertainment’s super-hero naming conventions in media other than comics. In Smallville they did everything the could to not call Clark Kent Superman or Superboy. He was called the Blur or the Red Blue Blur. The Red Blue Blur? Really? That sounds cooler that Superboy? Selina Kyle was never called Catwoman in the Dark Knight Rises. Oliver Queen stars in a show called Arrow where he called the Hood. There was even a joke how dumb the name Green Arrow would be in the first season of the show. Now it looks like he will take the name Arrow. To me it feels like DC is slightly embarrassed by the names of their heroes. This Amazon show that is now on hold will feature Wonder Woman as the protagonist probably won’t call her Wonder Woman. She’ll probably be called the Amazon. Anyway, I hope Oliver takes the name Green Arrow before the last episode of the show.

This episode revolves mostly around FEMA trucks not being able to get supplies to hospitals in the Glades after the quake because they are being hijacked. This places Roy as the scene first. It doesn’t go to well for him. This provides the spark for more tension between him and Thea, and for Ollie and his crew to get involved.

Now that Oliver is all about being more proactive, not killing, his trick arrows, and figuring out what his new heroic identify will be he decides to reorganize “Team Arrow.” Felicity Smoak who was created for the television show and plays the tech support character gets “promoted” to Ollie’s personal secretary. This helps them stay in close personal contact but pisses Felicity off. Not too great for the resume but great for humor. Case in point, this leads to one of the two best lines in the show, both by John Diggle. In response to Felicity’s freak out, “It could be worse. My secret identity is ‘his black driver.” Boom. Hands down this guy is one of the best parts of the show. He follows with another great line later in the episode in response to one of Ollie’s “deep” statements talking about his two different identities, “You know I’ve been meaning to tell you it really weirds me out to no end the way you refer to yourself in the third person like that.” Could he be the Han Solo of the Arrow series? It is no wonder this made-for-TV character is jumping to the comic book pages.

Once Team Arrow sets up an operation to intercept the people stopping FEMA, shit hits the fan. They find out that last season’s villain China White and a new character from DC Comics the Bronze Tiger are behind it. Ahem, I mean we can’t use the name from the comic books. I mean Tiger. Hey does Tiger look familiar to anyone? That’s Michael Jai White who played Gambol, the thug that was not to happy with the Joker in The Dark Knight. In any case we find out that Tiger took the job just to challenge the Hood. They fight the fight is broken up. They’ll fight again later and hint, hint… Arrow wins.

Michael Jai White apparently loves sharp objects and DC Comics.

Things aren’t so neatly wrapped up. A new player is introduced as an advocate for the Glades, Alderman Sebastian Blood. He is an activist for the victims of the quake and being set up for as an antagonist for Oliver. He has comic book connections (see below). In the island flashbacks Oliver copes with his first kill with Shado and Slade. They find a cave containing World War II Japanese soliders. Here Oliver finds a stone that he gives to Thea when he comes home. She gives it to Roy when she breaks up with him and asks him to get his life on track. Speaking of which the Hood tracks down Roy and convinces him to stop fighting in the Glades, but instead become his “eyes and ears” in the Glades. The episode leaves off with Laurel setting a trap to catch the Hood. We leave with Oliver surrounded by Police.

SPOILERS/NOTES/COMIC BOOK CONNECTIONS

Below I’m going to go into some source material things so SPOILERS ahead.

From left to right: Green Arrow: Year One writer Andy Diggle, and actor David Ramsey who plays John Diggle, with Jeff Lemire who is bringing John Diggle from the TV screen to comic book panels.

From left to right: Green Arrow: Year One writer Andy Diggle, actor David Ramsey (who plays John Diggle) with Jeff Lemire who is bringing John Diggle from the TV screen to comic book panels.

John Diggle. He was created for the TV sereis. His last name is a nod to Andy Diggle, who wrote my favorite Green Arrow story, Green Arrow: Year One. It gorgeous stylized art from the artist known as Jock. Diggle’s character has entered DC Comics this past month in Green Arrow #24 written by Jeff Lemire.

China White: She first appeared as the main villain in Green Arrow: Year One (so good) by Andy Diggle.

Bronze Tiger: Ben Turner is is a character that first appeared in a prose novel called Dragon’s Fists, written by Dennis O’Neil and Jim Berry. He first appeared in comic books in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #1. Turner started out as an anti-hero and became brainwashed and forced to commit criminal. Later in his career he is deprogrammed more of a straight on hero. I hope to see him take more of a hero role in future issues.

Alderman Sebastian Blood: He is a character in DC Comics known as Brother Blood. He was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez and first appeared in New Teen Titans vol. 1 #21 – 22. He is currently appearing in Animal Man written by current Green Arrow scribe Jeff Lemire.

Roy Harper: Roy Harper’s first appeared at the same time as Oliver Queen the Green Arrow did, in More Fun Comics #73 way back in 1941. After Roy’s father, a park ranger, died in a fire, he was raised by Brave Bow, a Navajo medicine chief. During this time Roy became a remarkable archer. After Brave Bow’s death, Roy was adopted by Oliver Queen and became his sidekick Speedy. Roy went on to join the a group of sidekicks called the Teen Titans lead by Batman’s sidekick Robin. During the 1970s he went down a troubled path when he became addicted to heroin in Green Lantern #85 – 86. He had an affair with a super-villain Cheshire, which resulted in him becoming a single father at a young age. He eventually changes his code name to Arsenal and eventually Red Arrow and then back again to Arsenal. Don’t ask. He seems to have as much trouble with names as DC Entertainment. If you’re looking for some good Roy Harper reading I would suggest the one-shot Batman plus Arsenal #1 and the 1998 mini-series Arsenal. Both are written by Devin Grayson and take place during a time where Oliver Queen is dead. Currently Roy is appearing in Red Hood and the Outlaws.

Written by Dave Tomko. Check out Dave’s site, newearth2.com.

October 30, 2013 by Dave Tomko

Arrow S2E1: “City of Heroes” – REVIEW

The last season of Arrow finished with a bang or more like a quake. Part of a devious plan, “The Undertaking” put into place by Malcolm Merlyn/The Dark Archer and a group of businessmen to level the Glades section of Starling City. The plan was partially successful despite Oliver Queen/The Hood/Arrow, Felicity Smoak, Detective Quentin Lance, and John Diggle’s efforts. It left Moira Queen incarcerated, the Glades in shambles, and Malcolm and his son Tommy dead along with over 500 civilians.

Within the first couple minutes we find out that Oliver Queen has blamed himself for not saving his best friend Tommy or the 500 other some odd dead people in the glades. And so like any emo 14 year-old who just broke up with his girlfriend or full grown super-hero, he exiles himself to his room to listen to Morrissey. Or in this case the island where he originally found himself spiritually and emotionally, Lian-Yu. And like any best friend or sidekick would, Felicity and Diggle venture to the island to shake him out of his funk. They’re all like dude everything sux now without you around. And they’re right. But Ollie is all like, hey I’m coming back but only as Oliver Queen guys not the Hood!

So non-Hood-Ollie returns to Starling City to find the Glades a mess. A new player, Isabel Rochev has purchased 40% of Queen Consolidated and is looking to purchase the last 10% to gain control of the company. A group called the Hoods co-opted Oliver’s look and are running around killing rich people. His mother, Moira is locked up in Iron Heights. Laurel Lance has taken a job at the DAs office and she has a new . Her father Quentin Lance has been demoted to a beat cop. Oliver’s sister Thea has been running his nightclub with Roy Harper which is above his “Arrow Cave” unbeknownst to them. Also, Roy is running around playing Hood Jr. in the Glades, which doesn’t make Thea very happy.

So Ollie comes back and takes care of all this stuff and by becoming the Hood again. The one difference is he won’t kill anymore. The show highlights this theme nicely with the fashbacks to the island that lead up to the first time he takes a life. The Hoods aptly illustrate how his mission can be skewed and taken off course. He decides he needs a new identiy and he stares at the Arrow.

It’s an okay jumping on point for new viewers. Definitely a strong start to the new season.

SPOILERS/NOTES/EASTER EGGS/COMIC CONNECTIONS

Below are notes and Easter eggs that will provide insight and connections to the comics that may spoil some future twists if you are not a comic book reader.

The news story on the TV screen when Ollie returns to Starling City gives us a hint of the character who will be coming to Arrow. The line, “In Central City, S.T.A.R. Labs’s particle accelerator will be finished by Christmas, ” is a nice way to set the stage for The Flash. S.T.A.R. Labs is a research facility that first appeared in Superman vol. 1 #246 (December 1971). It stands for Scientific and Technological Advanced Research. Barry Allen (The Flash) is a forensic scientist from Central City that gets struck by lighting while being dowsed in chemicals. This accident gives him the the power of super-speed. It think changing the chemicals to a particle accelerator is a good way to update the origin of Barry Allen. Barry first appeared in Showcase #4 (Oct. 1956),

It’s also funny that Channel 52 where the news stories are being played is the name of the two page teaser comic in the back of DC Comics teasing what is to come in their new books.

Isabel Rochev played by the sexy Summer Glau comes straight from Green Arrow comic books. She was created by J.T. Krul and Diogenes Neves and first appears in Green Arrow vol. 4 #1 (August 2010). She is an adversary to Ollie’s that goes by the name of Queen. Born in Siberia, she lived a life of servitude in a diamond mine. When Oliver Queen’s father came to her village, she was inspired by the man, who she saw as a symbol of one’s inner power. She found him a great source of inspiration and vowed to make something of herself and rise from her humble status as a slave girl. She achieved this goal years later by purchasing stocks of Queen Industries and taking control of the company. This should be interesting.

In the last scene of the episode, Roy is fighting some street thugs in the Glades. He says he just ate a Big Belly Burger. This is a fast food restaurant in DC Comics that first Adventures of Superman#441 (June, 1988). He is helped out by a surprise vigilante. She is supposed to be the Black Canary. This is a big twist. The only Black Canary characters in the comic are Laurel and her mother. This must be a new take on the character. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her.