#I’m already working out how to billy Netflix into making this crossover happen

[nothingbuttheawesome]

So excited for Emily in Paris season 4 at eurovision when we get the crossover event we deserve

[jbuffyangel]

Stolen Identity: Arrow 7x10 Review (My Name Is Emiko Queen)

Arrow kicks off their mid season with a slumpy snoozer of an episode, but there are a few golden nuggets to chat about.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity

Oliver is beginning his new career as a legal vigilante by working with SCPD as a consultant. I wonder how much that pays. Hmmm. 

Anyway, Dinah is a little know-it-all about the crime scene when she tells Oliver, “Try not to screw it up.” 

Source:  smoakmonster

By screw it up do you mean solve all the cases the SCPD can’t? Because that’s what Oliver has been doing the last six years. He was casing crime scenes while you were in cleaning toilets in the police academy, Dinah. Actually, I don’t know if that’s true. Oliver and Dinah are pretty close in age, but I’m feeling punchy today so I’m standing by my analogy.

The forensics officer is feeling punchy about Oliver too. Apparently, not everyone is thrilled the Green Arrow is working with the police now. God only knows why. It’s not like he hasn’t saved the city from annihilation several times. OH WAIT HE HAS. Ungrateful twats.  Respect your elders!

Can we have a side bar about the SCPD? 

They are throwing shade at Oliver and instructing him to not screw up a crime scene, but if they did their jobs in the first place the city wouldn’t need the Green Arrow. Are we really blown away by the SCPD’s accomplishments over the last seven years? They can’t arrest anyone unless Oliver delivers them with a bow. We are given the token “good” cop every season:

Quentin Lance: great detective, but ended up working with the Green Arrow because crimes actually were solved then

McKenna Hall: shot and left the city

Billy Malone: shot and killed

Dinah Drake: became a vigilante

Curtis’ boyfriend: also shot and I can’t even remember his name

They were incapable of handling Malcolm Merlyn, Slade Wilson and Ra’s Al Ghul’s attacks. The citizens of Star City fought back with Oliver against Damien Darhk. Oh and the entire police department was corrupted by Diaz. Not to mention crime is back on the rise and the citizens are bemoaning the lack of Green Arrow assistance. Not exactly a stunning endorsement of the SCPD, so cool it with the uppity comments. You’d be dead ten times over if it weren’t for Oliver Queen.

Oliver offers to speed things up by using his “resources” do analyze the blood on a piece of broken window. 

Source:  smoakmonster

Meet Oliver’s resources:

Felicity has a new security system which can read DNA. 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Uhhh that’s amazing. I want one. 

Source:  feilcityqueen

My babies are all made up and back to being a united team with adorable they’re-so-married banter punctuated by smush face smooches. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE FANDOM! 

These two fell in love over a bullet ridden computer, so analyzing DNA is their idea of Netflix and chill. 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Look how happy Felicity is! Has a cuter cupcake ever existed? The correct answer is, “No except for your daughter Jen.” Why thank you. I quite agree.

We all know Felicity has Oliver’s DNA sequencing memorized. 

Source:  olicitygifs

Yes, I know the memories of the Season 4 crossover are still traumatic. If you are triggered watch the Olicity wedding to ward off the flashes and nightmares. 

Oliver is a little too surprised the archer is a woman. 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Hey! We have hands and eyes too big fella. Men aren’t the only ones who can point an arrow. Hang on. That sounded dirty. 

My point (HA!) is GIRL POWER.

I love how Felicity asks Oliver to sit down and he does his patented side eye thing and asks why. Hilarious. I never tire of that reaction from Oliver. 

Felicity is remarkably calm which, let’s be honest, is probably because she’s relieved Emiko is just Oliver’s sister and not another spawn from a one night stand. No offense William. Mama Jen loves you pumpkin.

Oliver, however, is shocked. Is it really a big surprise your father was a little slutty back in the day, Oliver? Apple meet tree. 

Robert keeps enormous secrets and expects Oliver to fix all his “wrongs” post mortem. That’s it. That’s the show. 

And yet I still love Robert Queen and so does Oliver. If Robert was alive right now Oliver would probably punch his dad, then hug him, and ask all the questions he wants. Scratch that. Oliver would hug his dad first and then punch him. Unfortunately, Robert is dead and there’s no one to really answer why. There’s no where Oliver can channel his hurt, anger and confusion. The same goes for Emiko. Or is there? Hunting bad guys with a bow and arrow is therapy in this family.

Source: olicitygifs 

Felicity continues to win the award for Supportive Wife of the Year. Oliver is floundering in unknown yet familiar waters and Felicity is his life raft. She handles all of this like a pro. She’s probably used to Queen family shenanigans by now. Noah’s criminal record and Donna’s penchant for five inch heels really pales in comparison to the crap Oliver’s parents pulled.

Oliver wants whatever answers he can find before he introduces himself to new little sister. As Felicity said, Robert Queen did love a good paper trail. It seems he handed those books out as stocking stuffers. Is it the same book? Or maybe Emiko made her own book and this is some truly bizarre Queen genetic characteristic.

Oliver doesn’t have it all together and he’s spiraling a bit. Oh how far we’ve come my friends. A few years ago Oliver would have shut down and buried his head inside that hood.

And now he’s allowing himself to feel. Oliver is hurt, angry, confused, ashamed and deeply sad. He’s grieving the relationship he was cheated of having with Emiko for all these years. Yet again, Robert and Moira have acted in their family’s self interests and without much concern who they destroyed in the process. 

The reason why Oliver is falling to pieces is because he knows Felicity will be there to pick them up. Oliver doesn’t need to be on top of things because Felicity is, and even better, he is letting her take care of him. Oliver no longer chooses to go it alone. We’ve come light years with Oliver Queen.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Oliver’s love and pride in his wife bubbles to the surface even when grappling with another earth shattering secret being exposed. This soft smile is pure you-are-my-genius-and-I’m-so-thankful-I-wife’d-you-so-hard. You can feel the relief Oliver feels over being home with Felicity, out of prison and in his own damn body. He can face anything as long as she’s by his side. Slabside didn’t cause any kind of regression. In fact, Oliver came home ready to double down on everything he’s learned over the last six years. He is holding onto his wife even tighter now. It’s beautiful to see.

Does anyone else find it hard to believe it took seven years for Oliver to discover a secret storage unit given how shady both his parents were?

At least it gives us more adorable Olicity. Felicity looking at Baby Oliver’s drawings is everything I didn’t know I needed.

Source: oliverxfelicity

This Thea mention isn’t accidental. It took time for Oliver to love Thea. I am fairly certain my sisters are still adjusting to my arrival and I’m 37. Oliver was just a little boy reacting like how many older children react to the news a sibling is on the way. However, it’s slightly applicable to what is happening with Emiko and Oliver. They will grow on each other. It will just take time.  

Of course, there’s a letter from Robert Queen to Walter Steele in like the third box, sitting right on top, which explains exactly who Emiko is. This is major plot contrivance even by Arrow standards, but whatever.

Robert admits he loved Kazumi Hadachi and the daughter they had together, but abandoned them both. They were supposed to be cared for in the event of Robert’s death (translation: write a check Walter), but that never happened because of Moira. 

Who didn’t see that one coming? 

This has Moira “I Hide Babies And Lie About DNA” Queen’s sticky fingers all over it. If you are losing track allow me to refresh your memory: 

Moira paid Samantha off and let Oliver believe she miscarried

She lied about Thea’s biological father

Kept Robert Queen’s love child hidden and in abject poverty for her entire life. (allegedly)

I love Moira and she has her good points, but man she was a piece of work sometimes. 

The question of course is why? Moira knew Robert had affairs. It’s the reason she had an affair with Malcolm – a little tit for tat. Emiko is older than Thea though, so one of two things happened: 

1) Walter showed Moira the letter and she found out about Emiko after Robert’s death. She refused to follow his wishes and locked up the secret in a never-to-be-found storage unit. 

2) Moira knew about Emiko and Kazumi, but forced Robert to give them up. He left the letter to Walter in hopes he would circumvent Moira. It seems Walter did not do as Robert asked or he tried and Moira stopped him.

Oliver: How can I believe that he ever loved anybody but himself? How could he abandon them in the first place?

Felicity: I don’t’ think Moira gave him much of a choice.

Felicity has danced this paternity dance before with Moira Queen. So, she’s leaning towards Option 2 and I agree.

Oliver already answered the why. Kazumi and Emiko were Robert’s second family. There was another woman and child Robert deeply loved. We can multiply whatever hurt Oliver is feeling by this betrayal ten times over for Moira. Cheating is one of the worst things you can do to your partner.

I sympathize with the pain Moira must have felt after discovering Emiko and Kazumi, but it doesn't excuse what she did. Robert should have acknowledged his child and cared for both, but that would be unacceptable to Moira for a few reasons. 

She would never allow Robert to make a public mockery of her. Moira would be humiliated if Starling City knew Robert cheated on her and had a second family. Furthermore, the scandal would be enormous and could damage the Queen family name – i.e. their company, which means the bottom dollar.

Moira always did whatever she believed necessary to protect her children. Thea wasn’t born yet, but I’m sure Moira viewed Oliver as the rightful heir to the kingdom. She wouldn’t want a child not of her blood threatening to take it all away or force Oliver to share it.

It’s not just that Robert cheated either. It’s about who he cheated with. The Queen family was like royalty to Starling City. Robert cheating on Moira Queen with a poor woman from the Glades. This would be another level of humiliation to Moira. Nope. She ain’t having that. 

Moira was absolutely classest enough about the Glades to look down on someone like Kazumi. Hell, she was working with Merlyn to blow up the Glades at one point. Moira looking down on someone like Kazumi isn’t a stretch. 

There could be a level of revenge to this. Robert hurt Moira deeply and chances are she wanted to punish Robert. He had to make a choice and he better damn well choose Oliver and her.  

Not that I’m putting this all at Moira’s feet. These are Robert’s choices too. Moira can demand all she wants, but it was Robert who ultimately made the call. He walked away from Kazumi and Emiko. He abandoned them.

Obviously, it’s wonderful Robert raised Thea as his own. However, Emiko does bring another layer to the decision. Robert was denied a relationship with his biological daughter, so of course Thea gave him an avenue to a father/daughter relationship again. Perhaps, Robert’s forgiveness and acceptance was atonement too. He acknowledged his actions were no better than Moira’s.  

However, if Moira refused to let Emiko be part of their lives then Robert refused to do the same to Thea. It is forgiveness Moira did not show him. She could have welcomed Emiko into her life just like Felicity welcomed William. Robert loving Thea was a constant reminder to Moira that she did not give Emiko the same love. That could be viewed as extremely passive aggressive behavior. Their marriage was so fucked up. Yikes.

Oliver: I worked so long and hard to redeem my family’s name after the terrible things they’ve done, but abandoning someone and a little girl? It’s unforgivable.

Yeah that line is no accident either. I’m quietly whistling and taking a long hard look at the flash forwards and Blackstar.  If William and Roy do not know her, and she is Oliver and Felicity’s daughter, then they must have been forced to separate from or hide her. It won’t be anywhere near the same situation as Robert and Emiko, but there could be some kind of parallel drawn.

The first five years of Oliver’s story was about a son righting his father’s wrongs. Oliver is still dealing with the consequences of Robert Queen’s sins, but they’ve added another layer to his character. Now Oliver is the father. He’s had to sacrifice his family to do noble things, but that doesn’t make the pain of those sacrifices any easier.  

I’m sure Oliver and Felicity will have a good reason for all of their decisions in the future, but it doesn’t make it any less painful for their children. It’s not an apples to apples comparison by any means, but Oliver may come to understand or even sympathize more with the choices his father made.

That said, it’s hard to imagine Oliver and Felicity “abandoning” their children for any reason given how strongly Oliver has reacted to what Robert did and how hard they both fought to bring their family back together. Also, this is Oliver and Felicity we’er talking about here. Oliver would loathe himself to repeat the same behavior. So, if this isn’t all a ruse, I’m expecting some seriously major extenuating circumstances.

I also want to add we may be dealing with a very broad definition of abandonment at least when it comes to William. Based on Beth Schwartz’s remarks from her latest interviews, the abandonment William is referencing in the future may very well be Oliver and Felicity sending him to board school.

Uhh... that’s not abandonment kiddo. But it’s also entirely possible another separation is coming too.

However, Oliver is exactly who Robert Queen asked him to be – a better man. Whatever mistakes Robert made with his life and children, Oliver will either avoid or fix it. Oliver is the hero and father Robert never could be. The only real  certainty we have is Oliver’s love, honor, selflessness and constant striving to be better can heal whatever pain is caused. That’s just who Oliver is. It’s why we love him.

Source:  olicitygifs

This is exactly what Felicity tells Oliver on their balcony, complete with shoulder nuzzle. 

Source:  olicitygifs

Robert committed a great wrong by abandoning his own child. Oliver can’t fix everything for Emiko, but he can offer to be something no Queen ever has- her family.

Emiko and Rene

It’s very important to the Arrow writers that we understand Emiko is just like Oliver. She chases bad guys in dark alleys, hangs them upside down and puts the fear of God into them until they talk. She has her very own book with names to cross off. (Seriously how many copies did Robert Queen hand out?) Emiko works in a super secret dilapidated lair with perfectly lit soft glow lights.

Not green though! Emiko is back lit in purple because she’s a girl.  Honestly, at times it looks a little red too. Do what you will with that information, but no green lights should be your immediate tip off that Emiko won’t become the new Green Arrow. Is Arrow really that obvious? Yes, my sweet summer children. They are.

Emiko even has her own voice over talking about injustice, the broken system and how someone must stand up to stop it. The similarities to Oliver don’t end there! Emiko is also a stubborn, extreme loner with severe anger issues. I may have wiki’d Bereavement Disorder too. But darn it, Emiko has a good heart and is a hero too!

If you’ve sensed some sarcasm coming from me you’d be right. I know the Arrow writers love a good parallel. It’s their crack cocaine, but pulling major beats from Oliver’s storyline and making Emiko Oliver 2.0 felt like lazy writing to me. It’s a quick way to imbed Emiko in the story without doing seven years of character building. Oliver did all the heavy lifting and Emiko is cashing in.

She even gets shot and has to turn to her beautiful, genius, funny and IT – wait. No. Emiko goes to Rene. Not Felicity. I suppose it’s nice our couple is so iconic the writers are stealing storylines from them, but get your own damn shipper moments! I draw the line at Rene being the Felicity in any situation. Nope. No sir. Unacceptable.

I’m hopeful we’ll get more individualism from her character as she develops. I know I am typically a fan of the super obvious parallel, but it felt like a short cut this time around. The great thing about all these similarities to Oliver is they will be like two cats fighting. They’ll drive each other nuts. Or at least Oliver will drive Emiko nuts. Oliver will be more focused on apologizing for their douche bag dad and begging for a chance to get to know her.

After Rene blows one of Emiko’s ambushes she warns the next time it happens she’ll put an arrow in him. There. We found a difference! Oliver would have shot Rene now. 

But Emiko wants to know why Rene is helping her.

“You said your mission is personal. So is mine. I watched as my wife got shot to death by a drug dealer from these streets. And for a long time, all I saw was red. Then I met Oliver Queen and the team and they helped me channel my anger into a fight for a better life. I just want to pay that forward.”

It’s a good speech except Rene leaves out how he turned states evidence on Oliver, but that’s just details. There’s another nod to red. Someone on Twitter told me Emiko will become Red Arrow, so maybe that’s going to happen. Or it could mean nothing. Time will tell. Rene does get Emiko to trust him and she finally fills us all in on her back story.

A fire began in Emiko and Kazumi’s apartment building, but the fire department never came because it was in the Glades. The building burned down and her mother died. However, Kazumi wasn’t killed by the fire. Emiko believes she was shot in the head by Glen Morgan. Emiko is hell bent on getting justice for her mother���s death.

Unfortunately, Glen Morgan swears he didn’t kill Emiko’s mother. He was out of the country for the last two years. He’s being set up. This means Emiko is no closer to finding her mother’s killer. I have a feeling Kazumi’s murder will lead back to A.R.G.U.S. and Deputy Director Bell. 

Emiko needs Oliver’s help, but they’ll have plenty of issues to work through. No shortage of drama there! 

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Felicity: I mean I’m no therapist but I’m pretty sure the technical term for that is cry for help.

Felicity is right. Becoming Green Arrow 2.0 isn’t exactly a subtle way of signaling a connection to Oliver. 

Emiko put on the hood after Oliver admitted who he was and went to prison. She had to know either Oliver or Team Arrow would be curious about her identity. Perhaps Emiko thought it would be impossible to discover her identity because Oliver was in prison, she’s not in the system, and there are no birth records. Emiko Queen doesn’t exist according to the world.

Source: @smoaktechs

Hence her anger. She was abandoned by her father and then again by the Queen family after he died. Robert’s reasons don’t really matter to me. The bottom line is he chose Oliver and Thea over Emiko. At least that’s how it looks, regardless of Robert’s intentions, and I’m fairly certain this is how Emiko feels about it too.

So, it’s not all that surprising she chose to put on the hood after Oliver’s incarceration. The hood serves as a great vehicle for Emiko to find justice and she knows her identity will be fairly well protected. It signals a connection to Oliver, but also frustratingly denies him the answer to what the connection is. It is Emiko’s way of saying, “I know who you are, but you don’t know who I am,” while giving Oliver the middle finger.

However, the real reason Emiko became the Green Arrow was to steal a part of Oliver’s identity. She wanted to take something precious from Oliver’s life just like he took something precious from hers. Emiko wanted Oliver to see someone else living the identity that was rightfully his. She wants Oliver to sit in jail and watch, absolutely powerless to stop it. Just like Emiko was powerless to stop being denied a Queen.

@callistawolf mentioned this in our 7x10 podcast but it is so bang on I have to mention it here. Emiko is like Will Scarlet from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. 

Robin lost his mother at a young age and his father found comfort in the arms of another woman for a time. Robin felt Lord Locksley was betraying his mother’s memory, so his father gave the woman up. Will Scarlet was the product of their affair. Instead of living in comfort, with a father who loved him, Will and his mother were forced to live in poverty. Will was denied the name and life that was rightfully his because their father chose Robin.

Will: It’s not a lie! You ruined my life! I have more reason to hate you than anyone, but I found myself daring to believe in you. What I want to know brother is will you stay with us and finish what you started?

Robin: I have a brother? I have a brother. I will make my stand with you. Side by side.  Until the end.

It’s a great scene. I get choked up every time I watch it. No it doesn’t matter Kevin Costner could never master an English accent. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is the shit. Don’t @ me.

To be fair, Robin didn’t know about Will Scarlet so directing all the blame at him isn’t entirely fair. The same goes for Oliver. He didn’t know about Emiko so whatever anger is being directed at him isn’t entirely fair either. However, Will could only direct his anger at Robin because their father was dead. Sound familiar? We’ve even got the damn bow and arrows kids.

It’s not about what Oliver did for Emiko. It’s about what he represents. But as Emiko embraces a darker path with Rene, it is clear her big brother is exactly who she needs right now.

Flash Forwards

We finally see the inside of the Glades in the flash forwards and it looks exactly like the Capitol from The Hunger Games. 

Everything is bright, shiny and everyone feels evil. As we predicted, Rene is a mayor. 

He has spectacularly awful hair and needs to lay off the spray tan. 

It’s bad friends. It’s real bad.

A man who looks exactly like Seneca Crane hails Rene as the person who single handedly cleaned up the Glades. Uhhhh okay? 

Zoe is Chief of Staff, but she doesn’t seem to really care. She tries to tell Rene about the plan to blow up Star City, but Rene doesn’t  seem to really care. Well, great. Good talk guys.

Rene: When the Glades needed help no one came to our rescue.

Listen up, Mr. Mayor. Oliver Queen’s mission was never about saving part of the city. The mission was to save ALL of Star City. What’s happening to the citizens outside the Glades in the flash forwards is not any better than what’s happening to the citizens inside the Glades during present day. The location of the problem is just flipped, but it’s still the same problem. Rene is no savior and he’s definitely no Oliver Queen.

Zoe wants access to something called the Archer program. It’s the security system that wiped out crime and keeps the citizens of the Glades safe. It also sounds exactly like something Felicity Smoak would invent and then name after her husband. I STAN ONE COUPLE. 

In fact, Felicity is working on a new security system in present day which registers DNA (thanks to Delaney @Lane1812 for pointing that out!). That is probably the first genesis of the Archer program.

At some point this security program falls into the wrong hands - Deputy Director Bell perhaps or maybe the Ghost Protocol goes terribly wrong. According to Rene, they “barely recovered.” I’m assuming he’s talking about the Glades. It’s been a couple years since the Glades were attacked and it would make a great parallel to Star City being under attack in the flash forwards.

Rene refuses to give Zoe the codes to the Archer program and she pretty much gives him my speech (re: see above) about the days he used to give a crap about the entire city. You’re doing great, sweetie.

Dinah arranges a clandestine meeting by night with Rene and by that I mean she sneaks up on him. He refuses to hand over the codes until Dinah threatens to beat the crap out of him. Dinah would totally win. The accuracy is real.

She did try to appeal to Rene’s conscience first. Dinah tells him Felicity is dead and he seems genuinely shocked by the news. Dinah reminds Rene he is part of the Mark of Four and they owe it to Felicity to stop whatever is going to happen to Star City.

Dinah: We made a promise to always keep fighting, to be there for each other no matter what – all of us. You, me, Roy, Diggle, Oliver and Felicity.

Now we officially know the Mark of Four members. You know what name I didn’t hear? CURTIS HOLT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

We have a shot in hell now of Curtis being kicked off this show at some point. 

I expressed my joy about this on Twitter and I got a couple “this person isn’t on it either” as if it is meaningless Curtis isn’t included.  So I’m going to head these names off at the pass.

1) Barry – there is no way the writers would include a main character from another DC show (the lead no less) to be part of a major Arrow storyline, which the Mark of Four is. Thank you. Next.

2) Bl*ck Siren/L*urel – these characters are all Team Arrow members and BS has never been part of Team Arrow. I don’t think she ever will be. At best, she’ll fill a consultant like role. The Spike to Arrow’s Scooby Gang. For whatever reason she’s not part of the Mark of Four, which isn’t surprising, but in no way compares to Curtis. He is the only Team Arrow member left off the list.

3) Thea – Willa Holland is not on the show anymore. They would not include a character that is no longer on the show.

If you are wondering why Roy is part of the Mark of Four I would buckle up and prepare for some bad Thea news. Either Roy and Thea broke up or she’s dead. Personally, I prefer dead. I don’t want the reason Theroy not getting their happy ending is because they couldn’t make it work. Upside is we’ll get to see Roy in present day and hopefully soon.

Anyway, Curtis being left of the list is significant and nobody can tell me otherwise. I KNOW MY TRUTH. I shall celebrate with glee and keep a watchful eye for a potential exit storyline. 

If Diaz kills Curtis I might have to like him and that scares me.

Rene meets with Flash Forward Seneca Crane to tell him Dinah has “the plans.” So, Flash Forward Seneca Crane is the one planning to blow up Star City. Rene agreed to build up the Glades, but never planned to wipe out the city. Flash Forward Seneca Crane explains Star City is a “cancer which must be cut out.”

Finally, Rene asks about Felicity’s murder. Seneca Crane explains she was becoming a “liability.” It would seem we’ve met Felicity’s “murderer” or at least the person behind her murder. Where’s a bow and arrow when you need one?

If you’re wondering who the hell is Seneca Crane allow me to explain.

Seneca Crane is the head game maker in The Hunger Games, but Katniss Everdeen outsmarts him in the end. There is no way this half baked version of Seneca Crane outsmarted Felicity Smoak. She’s our Katniss Everdeen. Hell, she’s better than Katniss Everdeen. Felicity is alive and working undercover to stop the destruction of Star City. 

I don’t believe Rene is evil either, despite acting like he has zero problem with killing Felicity Smoak. It’s either one of two things. A) He’s been working undercover with Felicity the whole time or B) Rene was unaware of what was truly going on, but now that he does he will work with William & team to stop it.

I’m going with B for now.

Dyla

Back on the other show called “The Stupid Thing Diggle Did This Week,” John offers Diaz his freedom if he hands over the terrorist financier Dante. WHAAAAAAAT?

When Deputy Director Bell asks WTF is going on (dude same) Diggle explains he and Lyla are reinstating the Ghost Protocol, which is basically a poor man’s version of Suicide Squad. Lyla is pissed because Diggle cooked up this plan without discussing it with her and then, by telling Bell, made it impossible not to back it. Lyla shut down the Ghost Initiative and swore never to reopen it. Diggle knew that. He insists it’s the perfect cover for their operation and everything will be fine, which automatically means this will be a disaster.

Lyla: And here I thought I was the one in danger of becoming Amanda Waller.

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN. You want some ice on that burn Diggle?

Diggle needs to go back to Oliver and Felicity. He’s a mess without them.

Stray Thoughts

Hey! Who gave Emiko her mask? *side eyeing Barry Allen*

At some point they will need to tell us who makes the suits. This is like waiting for the identity of Gossip Girl.

Sara gave Emiko a leather jacket too. Uh oh. Don’t tell L*urel. ;)

I’d also like to know where Emiko learned to fight and shoot. Just details. No biggie.

I wish Emiko had money. I miss billionaire Oliver. 

Well I said Emiko’s mother is either China White or a random character. They went with rando.

The aging makeup is extremely bad in high definition. Has anyone Arrow actually met a 50 year old? They don’t look like Rene and Dinah. Moira Queen was 50 when she died. Robert Queen was almost 50 when he died. Did they look like they’ve been left out baking in the sun for twenty years? No. Do they not have hair dye in the future? This is ridiculous. People are living until their eighties and nineties. Fifty is not that old. Get a grip makeup department.

“One of the canaries.” OMG are there more in the future? Canary, LL Bl*ck Canary, White Canary, Bl*ck Siren, DD  Bl*ck Canary, ZR Bl*ck Canary. That’s at least six, but sure Jan she’s an original character.

Rene saying, “We need a person in the chair" proves my exact point about Curtis. The writers are constantly making the genius of Felicity Smoak sound replaceable and it fucking bugs the shit out of me.

Smeh. No matter how much they say they aren't doing a replacement Thea storyline that's exactly what it looks like. There was nothing in this episode that dissuaded my opinion on that matter. It sounds disingenuous to say otherwise.

Arrow is getting into a bad habit of killing mothers. This isn’t a Disney movie. Find a new theme.

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[furederiko]

September 1st!!! And it's the first (of hopefully more) Random-News-Digest of the month...

Quick update before I start! Nope, my situation hasn't really improved since last time. Things are still going haywire and uncertain on my part. Which means I'm still not too sure if I will be able to post more frequently this month as well. But this is a NEW month, and I always want to start anything with a fresh and optimistic mind. So at the very least, I'm going to TRY to post more. Here's hoping... Also, expect this R-N-D to be more... 'Digest' than usual. After all, I actually decided to do this on a whimsy when I woke up this morning. You can expect things to be more shorter and compact this time around. So without further ado, let's start!!!

DC Films

The news in this category has been quite a shocker lately. Martin Scorsese wants to make a stand-alone "Joker" origin story without Jared Leto? And then there's that Leto and Margot Robbie's "Joker and Harley Quinn" movie, that is being fast-tracked to come following "Suicide Squad 2"? It's a new title that was first rumored to replace David Ayer's "Gotham City Sirens", though recent report suggests that all-female movie is STILL in development as well. To complicate matters, "Suicide Squad 2" already lost a potential director, and with Will Smith's busy schedule, it won't start production until late next year. Ouch!

Oh yeah, eventhough the movie won't arrive until April 5th, 2019, director David F. Sandberg teased that the most lighthearted DC Film movie "Shazam" will start production very soon. Yet we don't even know who's going to play Billy Batson, nor his grown-up version. While Matt Reeves is going back and forth his version of "The Batman", saying it's not part of the DCEU, and then it IS. Please make up your mind! Jon Spaihts was rumored to be re-writing "Justice League Dark", though said rumor has been cleared out by The Wrap. The irony in that, is because he was among the writer of "Doctor Strange" for Marvel Studios!!! First Joss Whedon took over Zack Snyder for "Justice League", and has officially been given a writer credit (his involvement is 33% of the movie!!!). And don't forget how Patty Jenkins used to be attached to the first Thor sequel. So Spaihts's name being thrown into the rumor zone didn't feel as 'strange'. What I'm trying to say is, I won't be surprised if more people related to Marvel Studios will end up doing DC movies for Warner Bros in the future.

Clearly, this proves that WB STILL doesn't have a plan nor idea of what they are going to do with their DC Films. A concerning truth, but is definitely far from being a surprise nowadays. I guess since the current DCEU doesn't really have a clear future (despite the success of "Wonder Woman"), WB is already thinking about creating another Universe to complement it. Perhaps, if this one works better, then they can simply erase the one that Snyder started. That's the point of "Flashpoint", right? We'll see. Yes, we'll see...

X-Men Universe

Can't believe it took this long for some people to realize that... as long as Simon Kinberg is still in charge (in ANY capacity), fans probably won't be getting the 'true' X-Men movie they have always wanted. People seems to forget that he was the writer of the disappointing "X-Men: The Last Stand", and supervised the dreaded "Fant4stic Four". Now his upcoming directorial debut, "X-Men: Dark Phoenix", which he also wrote... is already put into a giant question mark, thanks to Kinberg's recent comment.

I admit, I've grown to DESPISE the term 'grounded' in recent years, because it is (ab)used as an excuse to make shitty underwhelming products. But seriously, what good will a "Dark Phoenix" storyline get by making it... grounded? That arc is meant to be a galactic interstellar adventure, involving alien entities and otherworldly stuffs. "X3" was already its grounded version, and it did NOT work. So why bother going the same route? Is this movie 'doomed to fail' then? It's unclear. But I certainly won't be surprised if that turns out to be the case. Just remember how that grounded take on "X-Men: Apocalypse" performed...

Marvel Studios

Marvel is celebrating the late Jack Kirby's 100th birthday this week. Studio's president Kevin Feige revealed on Twitter that the upcoming "Thor: Ragnarok" is produced as a love-letter to Kirby's work. Not unlike last year's "Doctor Strange", that served as a clear tribute to Steve Ditko. Actress Evangeline Lilly also celebrated the occassion, by sharing the first official image of her character Hope van Dyne, wearing the updated Wasp suit from "Ant-Man and the Wasp".

About that last one... I totally DIG her hair-style, because Lilly always looks much better with a long hairdo instead of the one she had in the first "Ant-Man". The suit on the other hand? I'm a bit mixed. I don't know why. Perhaps because I was expecting more... yellow/gold in the color scheme? Then again, Peyton Reed and Marvel Studios might be going with Wasp's red-black scheme once again, because it's the one designed by Kirby. Especially with Janet van Dyne being in the movie (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), and the report that Michael Douglas' Hank Pym will be suiting up himself in the classic white-red costume.

The writers of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" are set to be back for the sequel! Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are also involved in "Ant-Man and the Wasp", so there's a possibility they might end up becoming the next Markus-McFeely of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Assuming all the stars are aligned, they will reunite with director Jon Watts (who was already in talks to return) to work on the first Marvel Studios after "Avengers 4" ends the current Phase 3. Here's hoping this team will keep deliver something better, without losing that irresistible youthful and innocent charm that the first movie exuded.

Marvel TV

When this post goes up, Marvel's "The Inhumans" should be arriving in IMAX theatres everywhere. Not sure if it will be available in my country, but it's surely a definite for the US region, because ABC will begin broadcasting the series on Friday, September 29th, 2017.

According to recent report, the response to its premiere was... much positive. In fact, it's a far cry to the supposed 'disaster' that occured at the Television Critics Association Panel. Is this surprising? Well... not quite. I mean, one man's trash can end up becoming another's treasure, right? So I predict that the overall review, when it officially hits, will be mixed at best. Remember, this is still Jeph Loeb's and Scott Buck's work. Each or both have ruined a show (or two, if we count that much-anticipated crossover that came out last month... or more if we put into account their past forays) before, so there's no assurance that they won't strike again. But I'm honestly glad to hear some people actually enjoying it. Hey, there's one for everyone, right?

As for me, as I said before, I personally won't be seeing this on the theatres. Based on the lackluster trailers and underwhelming clips released so far, I'll have to give it a hard pass. Beside, considering my current financial issue, wasting money for uncertain things can be considered 'suicide' anyway. I'll probably going to hold back on watching the series as well, until the reviews for all episodes are out. Thanks to my doozy experience with the recent Netflix 'crossover mini-series', I'm going to be extra cautious with Marvel TV now. Because really, spending 8 hours for a boring and/or disappointing show felt like a tremendous waste of time. Doing so isn't going to do me any good.

QUICK UPDATE: Embargo for the full reviews hasn't been lifted when I wrote and upped this essay into queue. Those reviews have been made available NOW on various sites, and well... turns out it's as BAD as many initially said. Since I'm too lazy to modify the entire category (although it's only 3 short paragraphs LOL), this note will do just fine as a follow up. My original writing sounded more 'positive' anyways. LOL.

Meanwhile, things are looking A LOT better for Marvel's "Runaways". It seems response for the first episodes was more than great. It is currently being praised as very faithful to the source material, despite its various 'tweaks' (for example, one character was a mutant in the comic, but the copyrights prevent that to exist in live action adaptation). Not that it should be a surprise anyway. When the writer of the comic is directly in charge as consultant, we know that at least things are going to be close to the comics. Might this be the Marvel show to wait for this year? Probably, but I digress. I'm still going to be approaching this one with extra caution. If recent Marvel TV shows are any indications, then we can't really expect it to be... evenly balanced. Some of them had okay to good run in the first half, only to falter into a massive dud in the later half. Yes, even "LEGION", and the 4th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.". They started out strong, but ended rather... disappointingly. Considering the same people behind them are also supervising this, said similar treatment can also apply to "Runaways"...

Netflix

It's already September, and I haven't finished Marvel's "The Defenders" yet. How come? The mini-series surprisingly BORED the hell out of me! A full review for it was meant to go up as my first post of September (yes, this R-N-D is its last minute replacement). That's the initial plan anyway, because I still haven't seen the last two episodes. Seriously though, when you've already lost any single urge to do it, there's nothing else you can do right?

Thanks to that, the internet had already spoiled me about what's going to happen to Simone Missick's Misty Knight. I don't even need to READ the whole article to figure out what will become of her... right hand. Yes, the headline already gave it away, and my minor knowledge of the character in the comics was more than enough to lead me to said conclusion. And then the image spreading on social media solidified it. Mind you, I still don't know how or what caused her to lose that body part. My quick and easy guess? Likely by Bakuto, considering up to episode 6, Misty had only spoken with one particular supporting character from the other series: Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing. And it's also about her... KATANA, as if it's not obvious enough. Expect Misty to be armed with a prosthetic arm in the 3rd Season Marvel's "Luke Cage".

Yep, if you're like me, hoping for a "Heroes for Hire" show that includes the Daughters of Dragon... then we might as well swallow that wishful thinking. Why? It probably won't happen until the 2nd Season of Marvel's "Iron Fist" is out. Going by math alone, that means we have to wait another 26 episodes, and at least another two years. New season for "Luke Cage" will likely arrive in 2018, while the one for "Iron Fist" might probably land in 2019. Yeah, two years indeed. This is why you can't really expect much when it comes to Marvel TV... *sigh*

"Stranger Things" released a set of character posters for its 2nd Season. They cover the returning cast, as well as the new additions. What's interesting about these posters, is the strong nod to Steven Spielberg! And being a series set in the 80s, that folded-magazine style is also pretty neat. I hope this 2nd season will be as great as the 1st, and unlike most other Netflix shows.

One more thing! It's a rather old news, but worth bringing up. Netflix is currently collaborating with TOEI Animation, to remake the popular shounen-series "Saint Seiya". Titled "Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya", the new series will be created in full CG style. If you're curious on how that might look, think of it like several parts of TOEI's "Precure Dream Star!" movie that was done completely in CG, or their recent "Sekaisuru KADO" series. The latter in particular, already has a character design that's looking VERY Saint Seiya-ish (could it be intended as the warm-up to this one, then? probably). First season will be 12 episodes of 30 minutes, and will cover the "Galaxy War" to the "Silver Saint" Arcs. Yoshiharu Ashino is directing the new series, Eugene Son is the story editor and head writer, Terumi Nishii will be handling the character design, while Takashi Okazaki is doing the armors.

This news is intriguing, because it can end up heading towards into two different territory: actually good, or downright Bad. The latest "Sailor Moon" reboot that immediately divide old and new fans, is a great example of said situation. "Saint Seiya" is among the beloved titles to those growing up in the late 80s, so you can imagine their negative reactions if this remake doesn't suit their taste. The series doesn't have a fixed release date for now, but I believe we can expect it to arrive on Spring 2018. My only hope is that it retains Shingo Araki's anime style compared to Masami Kurumada's manga ones, because it has been pretty much the 'signature' of the series for the fans.

Disney XD Series

I saw the one-hour premiere of the "DuckTales" reboot not long after it aired, and great goodness... I'm LOVING it. I used to have a minor issue with the voices of the nephews before, but that concern quickly faded away when the story started rolling. It's just so engaging and fun to watch! My only complaint, is that it takes too long for the next episodes to start airing. But we're now in September, so September 23rd is just around 20 days away. Shall we start counting down for more Scrooge McDuck's adventure, then? I wonder if Disney XD will debut the first episode of "Big Hero 6 the Series" in advance too? Hmmm....

Pocket Monsters

"Pokemon GO" has been greeted by Legendary Birds Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, and Lugia last month. Starting yesterday, August 31st, 2017, Niantic has continued the streak with the Legendary Dogs Entei, Raikou, and Suicine. Unlike the Birds, these ones are going to show up as region-based for a particular duration. Entei will be in the Europe and Africa region, Raikou in the America, and Suicine in Asia-Pacific. They will then switch places on September 30th, 2017.

This is great news, right? NOT exactly. While I DID feel overjoyed when the Legendaries were first announced, what came next was nothing more than disappointments. The fact that Niantic is focusing too much on Raid Battles to debut these special Pokemon, had caused inconveniences to some (if not MANY) of its players. Sad to say, yours truly is included in this cluster.

Here's the deal. In order to capture ONE Legendary, it first needs to be defeated in a Raid Battle. Unlike normal Raids, it's a group effort that requires around 15-20 players to be on the spot at the same time, working together to take one down. So what happens when you're a player... living in an area, that does NOT have the privilege of having at least the minimum number of players? You can only bite your nails while grunting and sighing with disappointments, because there's really NOTHING you can do. I've lost count how many 'futile attempts' I've done, singlehandedly (seriously, because there's NOBODY around) trying to defeat one. I've now arrived to the point where I simply couldn't care less about any of them anymore. Which is sad, because I was sort of hoping "Pokemon GO" would be there to help me go through my current situation. I mean, when that role has been surprisingly taken over by a repetitive, kid-oriented game called "Magikarp, Jump!"... That's saying much, right?

Of course, this shouldn't be an issue if "Pokemon GO" is still enjoyable as a single-player experience. Players who can't capture a Legendary, could still focus on doing anything else. Problem is, there's NOTHING much to do beside that. Niantic is too focused on the multiplayer 'Team Gameplay' aspect of this game, that it neglects those who play individually (whether by choice, or who are simply forced by circumstances... like yours truly). The new 'Gym System' was nice, but lately I've noticed a concerning trend: the turnaround has gradually becoming very slow. Many Gyms in my area, have Pokemon with ZERO motivations. Worse, they are stranded there for days (I can personally attest to this, because mine are among them!). That means many players no longer visit the Gyms. To put it simply, this game is just not... FUN anymore for everyone. Only for the 'privileged'.

Niantic can actually fix this, by start releasing Generation III as soon as possible. Adding a horde of new Pokemon, even if not all of them (honestly, releasing 10 new species per month would be a fun options), will give these 'unfortunate players' a renewed 'purpose' to go out and play the game. Otherwise, it's really a dry boring-ish land. IMHO, Niantic could and should've tried another method with the Legendary Dogs by... I don't know... letting them in the wild, like what happened in the core "Pokemon Gold, Silver & Crystal" games. Then again, it's probably too much to ask for. I mean, Niantic doesn't even allow something as simple as having these Legendaries added as silhouettes to the Pokedex after encountering them. And that's the only thing I've been hoping for... *sigh*. For now, unless Niantic shakes things up big time, my days with the App is numbered. And I'm going to be just another entry to the long list of players who have already walked out due to disappointments...

One more thing for "Pokemon". A quick detour to the TV side! Kanto Gym Leaders and Satoshi's former travel companions Kasumi and Takeshi (or Misty and Brock in the US version)... are coming to Alola this month!!! Many fans are obviously pleased to hear this! After they have been unceremoniously snubbed in the 20th Anniversary movie "Eiga Pocket Monster, Kimi ni Kimeta!", they are set to show up in the series instead. Takeshi in particular, is the character I've been waiting for. After all, his VA Yuuji Ueda is still a crucial part in the series as the voice of Sonansu/Wobbuffet, so he could actually show up a lot more! This pair will be making their Alolan guest appearances on the September 14th and 21st episodes. Which got me thinking: How awesome will it be if Satoshi's other travel friends show up at the same time too, right?

Street Fighter

"Street Fighter V" has welcomed its 5th DLC character for Season 2. As speculated and rumored before, it's indeed Menat, the Eyes of the Future. She is also confirmed to be the apprentice of Rose, by the way. This makes her the first completely NEW character to the franchise, because Kolin, Ed, and Abigail have all showed up before in other games. Judging from her quick and... arguably pointless appearance in Ed's Story Mode, Menat has a fantastic Egyptian-themed design. The mummy queen alternate costume however? Yeeesh. You can check out her reveal trailer online, or you can just get her right away because she's already available since early this week.

Menat's arrival after Abigail, pretty much confirms the identity of the 6th and final DLC character: Guy's teacher, Zeku. His name was already leaked before by Event Hubs' Flowtron, and his report has been proven to be on point until now. So I guess all we need to wait is CAPCOM's official announcement, right? Seeing the release pattern (Ed on May 30th, Abigail on July 25th, Menat on August 29th), we can probably expect this last Season 2 character to arrive later this month, if not late October. So tell me, are you excited about Zeku?

[aion-rsa]

Two Worlds Morph into Action in Justice League/Power Rangers

This year is going to be a big one for the Justice League and the Power Rangers, as both franchises are headlining Hollywood movies with big name talent attached. But what if you wanted to see Ben Affleck’s Batman face off against Elizabeth Banks’ Rita Repulsa? Or Bryan Cranston’s Zordon mentoring Ezra Miller’s Flash? Well, we’re sorry, but that’s not going to happen.

However, thanks to DC Comics and BOOM! Studios, readers will get a comic book series featuring both super-powered teams as “Justice League/Power Rangers” #1 is unleashed this week. The six-issue limited series is written by Tom Taylor and illustrated by Stephen Byrne.

RELATED: DC Unveils Justice League/Power Rangers #1 Variant Covers

CBR connected with the creative team to discuss the first-ever team-up between DC Comics’ flagship title and Saban’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Taylor shared his passion for mashing too seemingly dissimilar universes while Byrne cautioned that the Justice League (and readers) should never underestimate the might (and morphability) of giant flying dinosaur robots.

CBR: I have to be honest — I thought “Star Trek/Green Lantern” was literally where no man has gone before. But “Justice League/Power Rangers”? I did no see that coming. [Laughs]

“Justice League/Power Rangers” #1 cover art by Karl Kerschl

Tom Taylor: I love all of the crossovers. When I heard about “Star Trek/Green Lantern,” I thought it was a great idea. I was the same about “Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” I was incredibly jealous of James Tynion getting to write that. I was like, “Ah! That should have been me.” [Laughs] So as soon as DC contacted me about this one, I leapt at the chance. I think it’s a bit of a no-brainer – the greatest heroes from two different worlds and two different universes combining. And I have to say that once I heard that Stephen was on the book, I was incredibly happy about it.

Stephen Byrne: I was similarly envious of those other books and people getting to work on them, and seeing how much fun someone can have putting Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles together. So when I was asked about this, I was like, “Oh, my God! I could not have come up with a better project for myself than if I tried.” I have been a huge, long-time fan of the Power Rangers since I was a kid. It just seemed like a great idea and I am really happy to be a part of it.

The Justice League has faced off against incredible threats over the years like Starro, Darkseid and, Tom, when you-re writing them – against themselves. [Laughs] I realize that this is more of a team-up book than Justice League versus the Power Rangers but do “five teenagers with attitude” from Angel Grove, California really belong standing alongside the world’s greatest superheroes: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and Cyborg?

Taylor: Well, the Power Rangers are the world’s greatest heroes, as well. But they’re the greatest heroes from another world. What they do on their world and how they protect their world and honestly, the powers that they have and the powers that they have that grow and grow and grow as they grow in size means that they can stand alongside the Justice League. Maybe they can’t go one-on-one against Superman but once they form the Megazord, I’m not putting my money on either one of them.

Stephen, what about drawing these characters? You have two very different types of heroes here. The Justice League features fully developed men and women, while the Power Rangers are a tad more lean and mean. Did you aim for a deliberate delineation?

Byrne: That’s true. There is definitely a difference in the physicality of the two teams. I would say that the Power Rangers are small — they are incredibly fit examples of humanity, while the Justice League are like gods. So yes, I do put a little more definition into the musculature of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman characters, but I think the Power Rangers certainly hold their own. And like Tom said, when you put them one-on-one, you know that Superman is going to win that fight but everyone always forgets about the giant dinosaur robots which helps to even the score a little bit. [Laughs]

Art from “Justice League/Power Rangers” #1

Taylor: How can you forget about the giant dinosaur robots? That’s a fool’s game. [Laughs]

That’s right. In fact, The Flash even makes a joke about what they’re up against in the first issue when he informs Cyborg: “And… um… I’m not quite sure how to say this … Batman’s been taken by a flying pink dinosaur robot.” But he won’t be laughing for long, will he?

Taylor: Yeah, absolutely. They are totally foreign to each other so they are going to be surprised by each other. And if you’ve ever read anything that I’ve written, [you know] I like to poke fun at everything so the Justice League and the Power Rangers – they’re on the table too now for me. Yes, there is going to be a bit of mockery. Yes, there is going to be some things that seem a little bit absurd, but that uncertainty turns into a strength every time. You talk about giant flying dinosaur robots, and you know they are going to save the day at some point. That’s when they are no longer a joke. The Power Rangers are absolute superheroes.

When you’re writing or drawing a team book, there’s never enough space or ‘screen time’ for everybody. That’s double trouble when you have the Justice League and the Power Rangers. Is there one member of each side that gets a little more play than the others, or one at least that you’ve at least enjoyed working with a little bit more?

Taylor: We’re trying to give everybody their moment in the sun, which is hard when you are writing essentially 12 main characters, plus villains and peripheral characters, but our entry point into the series is Zack. I found when I was watching the show that he was always shunted a little bit to the side. Tommy always got big stories and so did Jason and Kimberly and I just thought Zack needed a bit more voice. And I know the actor [Walter Emanuel Jones] who played him so already knew how he talked, which also makes life easier for me. And having him be the first Power Ranger to meet Batman was fun too because he’s a bit more jokey so that seemed exactly right to me too.

Byrne: When I read the script for the first issue, I felt like there were so many individual character moments where a character has a bad ass action moment or a big introduction or gets a moment to shine and that continues throughout the series as more characters come into play. I feel like over the course of the story that everybody is going to get his or her piece of the action.

Taylor: That’s absolutely true. Characters like Cyborg and Billy get really nice moments later on, too. I am really conscious that I want everybody to get at least one piece of the story where the reader can really get to know the character.

You mentioned villains and peripheral characters. Can you give a tease of which other characters we might see? I am hoping for some more Alpha 5. [Laughs]

Taylor: You’ll be very happy to know that I have just written a fairly big Alpha 5 scene. I won’t spoil it too much, but Alpha 5’s role in this story is quite, quite, quite big.

Art from “Justice League/Power Rangers” #1

I am thinking an “Alpha 5/Cyborg” spinoff series would really work?

Taylor: Absolutely.

Byrne: “So, you like binary?” [Laughs]

In 2017, we’re getting big screen versions of the Justice League and the Power Rangers. While I don’t foresee a big screen team-up happening anytime soon does this kind of comic book crossover event allow for fans – and creators like yourselves – to play out some sandbox fantasies that they are not going to see anywhere else?

Taylor: When you’re a creator and you’ve had a chance to tell stories with them and be in their heads for a little while, all of the media around them becomes a little bit more personal. You feel a little bit of an ownership, even though you know that you don’t have any ownership of these characters whatsoever. [Laughs] I have my own TV series and my own characters and it’s absurd to think that kids play as these characters all of the time and make up stories with them. And that’s all I’m doing and I just get paid for it. [Laughs]

Byrne: I’ve been very enthusiastic about the Power Rangers my whole life, especially when was very young. I used to draw my own Power Ranger comic books and I have certainly kept my eye on the various iterations over the years. And I am a big DC Comics fan too. The great thing about all of these characters is that they all have their own stories, their own back stories, their own powers and their own personalities so it’s always exciting to see new iterations of them. And putting the Justice League and the Power Rangers together in any medium opens a world of possibilities. And for me as a fan, yes, there is definitely a thrill when you can see two things that you couldn’t have imagined together facing each other and the consequences of that.

Tom, you mentioned your own TV series and your own characters and that’s “The Deep,” which is great show that my children watch here in Canada on Netflix about a family of supercool underwater explorers. With Aquaman being a member of the Justice League, my guess is that we would see a Justice League/Nektons crossover before the Power Rangers showed up on the Aronnax.

Taylor: You’re right. It would definitely be Aquaman. [Laughs] That’s a no-brainer. I can’t say whether or not it has happened, but it’s possible that they have already crossed over. I can’t tell you for sure.

“Justice League/Power Rangers” #1 arrives Wednesday, January 11.

Art from “Justice League/Power Rangers” #1

The post Two Worlds Morph into Action in Justice League/Power Rangers appeared first on CBR.com.

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