The Raw Exposé: The Original Big Dog vs. The New Big Dog - A WrestleMania Story (3-6-2017)

By: Keila Cash 

Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The Raw Exposé. Tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw emanated from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The fallout from the Fastlane PPV would reach a fevered pitch because the Windy City is notorious for having raucous fans who have no shame in unleashing their fury if they smell bullshit coming from a mile away. With Fastlane being riddled with iffy booking decisions, Raw was ripe for a hijacking. Did Goldberg quell the noise or was he public enemy number one after defeating Kevin Owens in 21 seconds to become the new Universal Champion? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s episode of Raw in no particular order.

·        Chris Jericho will face Kevin Owens for the United States Championship at WrestleMania. This news was expected as Owens and Jericho kicked off the show.

·        Jericho wanted to know why Owens betrayed him and proceeded to call KO out.

·        Owens made his way onto the main stage and explained that he needed a tool to do his dirty work after he won the Universal Championship last August. Jericho was gullible enough to get the job done. However, his usefulness ran its course when he booked Owens in a Universal Title match against Goldberg at Fastlane. This led to the Festival of Friendship debacle a couple of weeks later which ended their business relationship.

·        Owens allowed Jericho to walk away because he was a good man. Jericho changed all that by costing him the Universal Title last night. Therefore, he vowed to take Jericho’s United States Title at WrestleMania. Y2J agreed and invited Owens to the ring. Owens accepted and the brawl was on.

·        Samoa Joe attacked Jericho from behind which made things a 2-on-1 situation. Sami Zayn ran down to the ring with a steel chair to even the odds. Joe and Owens double teamed Zayn for a bit until Jericho made the save as the opening segment came to an end.

·        This was a hot way to start the show. Jericho was entertaining on the mic while Owens showed his true colors by telling Jericho that he was never his best friend. Their match at Mania for the US Title should be very good with their promos setting the stage for an epic showdown.

·        Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn had a solid match, but it was short on time. Zayn had a few hope spots including an awesome flip dive which saw him sail over the referee and onto Owens onto the outside.

·        Owens recovered and dropped Zayn with the Popup Powerbomb. He added insult to injury by drilling Zayn with a Pumphandle Neck Breaker before winning the match with a second Popup Powerbomb.

·        This was more about getting heat on Owens than having a competitive back and forth match against Zayn. It makes sense, but Zayn deserves better than being a setup man for other high profile matches on the Mania card.

·        Neville and Rich Swann had a very good match for the Cruiserweight Championship despite dealing with CM Punk chants early on. The action was fast paced and hard hitting throughout. Swann landed some sick kicks and almost had the match won, but got a little overzealous when he tried to hit Neville with the Phoenix Splash. Neville moved out of the way and made Swann tap out to the Rings of Saturn moments later.

·        After the match was over, Austin Aries interviewed Neville in the ring. The King of the Cruiserweights did his usual spiel while the fans chanted for Aries. Aries asked if there was another Cruiserweight that could go toe-to-toe with Neville. Neville assumed that Aries was talking about himself and proceeded to shout him down while spraying spit in his face.

·        Aries had one more question to ask Neville but decided to make a statement instead when he clocked Neville with a couple of stiff elbow shots to the face as the crowd erupted. Aries is now a major player in the Cruiserweight Division. His personality screams heel, but he is a cool face that fans are ready to get behind. Aries could be a breakout star on Raw and 205 Live if he’s booked properly. His presumed WrestleMania against Neville for the Cruiserweight Title should be great if both men are given enough time to shine.

·        Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar were the perfect equalizers to neutralize the CM Punk chants that rained down on Goldberg during the onset of his promo. It was very hostile until Heyman came out with Lesnar in tow.

·        Heyman stated that Lesnar wanted to shake Goldberg’s hand for winning the Universal Championship at Fastlane last night. From one beast to another, he wanted to show his respect. From one conqueror to another, he wanted to show his admiration for a job well done.

·        However, these pleasantries would come to an end at WrestleMania when both men face off for the Universal Championship. Heyman provided a spoiler that Lesnar would walk away as the new Universal Champion. To cap things off, Lesnar would prove to the world that Goldberg was his bitch.

·        Goldberg took offense to that, but his reaction time was a little off as Lesnar dropped him with an F5. It was a great moment that caught everyone off guard as the segment came to an end.

·        For the first time since Goldberg’s return in October, he was staring up at the lights instead of standing tall. Lesnar made quite the statement while Heyman did a great job laying the sticks for the big surprise at the end. WWE was smart to keep things short and sweet. The Chicago fans smelled blood in the water, but the company did enough to salvage the situation. All in all, everything went according to plan.

·        Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson retained the Raw Tag Team Championship thanks to Cesaro attacking Anderson which led to the automatic disqualification. Gallows and Anderson vs. Enzo and Big Cass was fine, but the outcome was never in doubt after Cesaro and Sheamus appeared at ringside before the commercial break.

·        After Enzo laid out Gallows with a Tope, Enzo got a little overexcited and accidently bumped into Cesaro which caused him to spill his coffee all over Sheamus. Cesaro chased Enzo back in the ring which led to the DQ finish.

·        All three teams got into a brief scuffle which ended with Sheamus nailing Enzo with a Brogue Kick while he was draped over Cesaro’s shoulder.

·        Mick Foley announced that Cesaro and Sheamus will face Enzo and Big Cass next week with the winners going to face Gallows and Anderson for the Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania.

·        Akira Tozawa and Ariya Daivari had a solid match that featured a fun exchange of knife-edged chops until Tozawa eventually picked up the win with a Snap German Suplex.

·        After the match was over, Tozawa called out The Brian Kendrick after Kendrick’s series of attacks over the past few weeks. Kendrick vowed to answer his challenge tomorrow night on 205 Live. It was short and to the point.

·        The New Day made quick work of The Shining Stars when Big E and Kofi Kingston defeated Primo with The Midnight Hour. The match was fine while it lasted.

·        Stephanie McMahon laid down the law and announced that Charlotte would get another shot at the Raw Women’s Championship when she goes one-on-one with Bayley at WrestleMania. Sasha Banks threw her name in the hat and Mick Foley was about to make things official until Charlotte interrupted.

·        Stephanie came out to read Foley the Riot Act moments later. Foley tried to explain that Banks shouldn’t be left off the biggest show of the year. Therefore, he decided to book Banks in a match against Charlotte next week with the winner going on to face Bayley for the Women’s Title at WM.

·        Stephanie appreciated Foley’s passion but decided to flip the script by booking Banks against Bayley. If Banks won, the Women’s Title match would become a Triple Threat affair.

·        This was a nice way to set up the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. Stephanie got the biggest heat of the night so far as she was showered with CM Punk chants. She tried to shut them down by calling the fans losers, but it didn’t work. She mustered enough gusto to power through the segment, though.

·        Bayley feeling conflicted about retaining the title under a cloud of controversy makes sense, but Sasha Banks continues to justify her actions which will probably come into play via a heel turn in the very near future. It needs to happen soon because Bayley’s Goody Two-Shoes character has taken a hit due to questionable booking as of late.

·        Sasha Banks punched her ticket to WrestleMania by making Bayley tap out to the Bank Statement. Charlotte and Dana Brooke interfered, but it was to no avail as The Boss turned the one-on-one Women’s Championship match into a Triple Threat.

·        Sasha and Bayley had a decent match, but it was very methodical in nature. The crowd could have easily turned on them, but they remained on their best behavior by being lukewarm at best. The face vs. face dynamic is always a killer because the fans are forced to choose a side. Tonight was no different as they were muted for most of the match.

·        Charlotte nailed Sasha and Bayley with a pair of big boots and raised the Women’s Title in the air to signal that she was 27 days away from becoming a five-time champion.

·        Samoa Joe defeated Chris Jericho via count-out when he put Jericho to sleep with the Coquina Clutch outside the ring.

·        Joe tried to do more damage to Jericho, but Y2J nailed him with a Codebreaker which kept The Destroyer at bay.

·        The match was decent while it lasted, but it was slotted during the 10:30 p.m. Lull Period of Death which is known to kill segments dead prior to the main event.

·        Who knew Braun Strowman was a crowd panderer?

·        Strowman is a smart man. Respect your elders and take your leave. That was a classy move on his part.

·        Roman Reigns learned a valuable lesson tonight. Never a claim a yard that isn’t yours because the previous owner might have something to say about that. The Undertaker glanced at the WrestleMania sign and choke slammed Reigns in the middle of the ring. It appears that Reigns vs. Undertaker is set for Mania.

·        Raw went off the air with Taker standing tall while Reigns was shaking away the proverbial cobwebs in the ring.

·        This was a hot way to end the show. The crowd erupted when Taker’s gong hit. It was an amazing prolonged pop that was breathtaking to witness at home, but it had to be unreal watching it in-person.

·        Reigns was booed out of the building and got schooled by The Dead Man leading up to their match at WM.

·        It’s an interesting match that might become another passing of the torch moment for Reigns if he beats Taker at the biggest show of the year. It’s a tricky balancing act because Reigns is the de facto heel in this feud which might finally give people a taste of what it would be like if he truly went rogue. If Taker’s health holds up, they could have a very good match. It’s been a few years since The Phenom has had a show-stealing match at Mania. Will he reverse that trend this year by having a classic battle against Reigns? We shall find out soon enough.

·        Overall, I thought tonight’s episode of Raw was decent at best. The main event segment made the show feel newsworthy, but it appeared that WWE was in damage control by trying to keep the Chicago crowd in check throughout the night. The Goldberg-Brock Lesnar confrontation was ripe for a hijacking, but Paul Heyman saved the day by delivering a great promo that set up Lesnar hitting Goldberg with the F5. Things might get dicey as the Road to WrestleMania makes pit stops in Brooklyn and Philadelphia on March 20^th and 27^th. If the creative team plays it smart, Heyman should be able to keep the boo-birds at bay.

·        The rest of the broadcast was inoffensive, but it didn’t feel like a hot post-PPV show until Taker’s appearance at the end. Over the next three weeks, Raw needs to feel like a must-see show. The groundwork has been laid, now it’s time to put the wheels in motion.

·        Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho for the US Title writes itself. The Tag Team Championship situation will be resolved next week. The Women’s Division is in a quagmire due to problematic booking decisions as of late. Bayley, Charlotte, and Sasha Banks are capable of rising above the noise to deliver a good match at WrestleMania with the Women’s Title at stake. Nia Jax is still a wild card, but we shall see where she fits in the Mania picture soon enough.

·        WWE tried their best to right the ship after the Fastlane fallout. They have a few more weeks to make the Raw side of the WM card feel special. It’s touch and go at the moment, but there’s still time to get it together. Fingers crossed!

On that note, this wraps up another edition of The Raw Exposé. I hope you enjoyed it and I will back tomorrow night with a brand new installment of The SmackDown Files. See you later, boys and girls! 

Review: Nightwing #16

Review: Nightwing #16
Submitted by: Theresa Stier, Comic News Writer
5 March 2017

"Nightwing Must Die: Part One," by Tim Seeley and artist Javier Fernandez, is a comic that I have enjoyed more than the rest these past few weeks. Being that I am a fan of Nightwing, it does make me a bit biased, but I think others will agree with me that it is a great comic. Even though I get a bad vibe from Shawn, it is always nice to see the hero with someone that makes him or her happy. One of my favorite parts is Robin looking at his Twitter feed about Nightwing and himself. I wasn't expecting Robin to be a main part of this comic, but it was a good surprise. He didn't come off as that kid that Dick thinks he is. When he comes to find Dick, he wants to help and thinks that he can help.

One thing that makes me really like a comic is a cliffhanger. The ending that this comic has is going to lead to another great comic. There are a lot of unanswered questions that come from this comic, which I hope to get answered in the next one (when it comes to a new comic I'm not the most patient person). I'm sure that even if the next comic gives us the answers to these questions, there will be more questions that need answers in the next one.

The Verdict: I did enjoy this comic and would recommend it to anyone that likes Nightwing and or is looking for a new comic to read. There are questions that need to be answered and I am looking forward to finding out those answers (even if those answers might lead to a death of a character).

Be sure to follow Theresa on Twitter @Smallville0628 and @Geektified for the latest comic reviews!

Comic Book Review: Astro City #100

By: Jerry Montgomery
February 28, 2017

Astro City #100

“The Sky’s the Limit”


Created by: Kurt Busiek

Written by: Brent Anderson

Artwork by: Pete Pantazis

For those of you unfamiliar with Astro City, you’ve been missing something really great. For those of you who are, bear with me. Named for the city it’s based on, the comic has always focused on the superheroes and regular everyday people who live in and around it. The stories have been told by the everyday average citizen and the city’s villains as well as the superheroes themselves. The brain-child of creator/wtiter, Kurt Busiek , this title has been around since the mid nineties when published by Image Comics. It has been put out over the years by several other publishers until landing at DC Comics Vertigo Imprint in 2013. Vertigo is a more mature lineup of comics. Think of it as the R-rated imprint of comics with mature themes and stories. Under Vertigo,  its issue 41 but 100 overall,  throughout all past publishers.

Issue #100 is a big double-size to commemorate this milestone. Many titles never reach their 100th issue, so it says a lot about Astro City way before you even crack open the book. The story here is told by city councilman, Joseph Greenwald , beginning in 1936, when Astro City was known as Romeyn Falls. The city is gripped in the midst of the Great Depression and war is looming in Europe.  Crime is on the rise especially with the absence of Air Ace, the city’s most famous crime fighter. Now, the city’s  leaders are looking for answers but not in the form of costumed heroes...but of more police. The remaining vigilante heroes are not looked on fondly. Joe Greenwald is optimistic however that these “super” heroes could be the key to saving Romeyn Falls from the increasing problem of crime. Enter eccentric millionaire entrepreneur, Roy Virgil.

Roy Virgil is a millionaire, ladies man and engineering whiz, best described as a cross between Tony Stark and real life millionaire entrepreneur,  Howard Hughes, but pre-keep my pee in Mason jars, Howard Hughes.  Owner of Virgil Air Systems, maker of airplanes and aviation parts in a growing industry,  also moonlights occasionally as a costumed wearing, turbine riding crimefighter dubbed the “Astro-naut” by the newspapers. Joe Greenwald, seeing an opportunity for himself, Roy and the city, approaches Roy with a proposition – become a full-time super hero, help the city and in return, Councilman Joe will help Roy build his business through city permits and whatever he needs…plus all the publicity he can handle. Newspapers, magazines, newsreels, toys and even a movie. How can Roy say no, especially when his motto is, “The Sky’s the Limit !”


The story isn’t as simple as saving the city from it’s criminals. As Roy Virgil/The Astro-naut  takes on his new responsibilty, his technology increases and new dangers arise…not just from Hitler and the Third Reich…but one than threatens the entire world. Thus, the burden of knowledge falls on Joseph Greenwald when Roy is criticized for not using his tech to help defeat Hitler. Joe, a rising politician is then torn between betraying his friend and assisting the government he has worked for so hard.  These are the types of stories that really immerse us into the story…ones that the reader can relate to. What will Joe do?

The Verdict: What can I say? This is just a great comic all around. The stories are always fresh due to the different points of storytelling and can really examine the human condition when effected by super powered beings and the triumphs and hazards that come with it.  It’s way more than Mary Jane fretting over how will she run Stark Industries while managing her supermodel career (Sorry for the dis!). Issue 100 is worth the read, even if you’re not familiar with this title since it takes you back to how the city derived it’s name. If you’ve  enjoyed titles such as DC’s The Golden Age, The Watchmen or even Howard Chaykin’s Satellite Sam, you won’t be disappointed. If you want mature storylines and mature themes, give Astro City a try.

Rebels Recap: Star Wars Rebels “Through Imperial Eyes”

Were secrets revealed with the Empire learning Fulcrum’s identity on last week episode of Star Wars Rebels “Through Imperial Eyes.” This recap will follow events and details in the episode and bring viewers up to speed before tonight’s new episode. This episode which was initially supposed to be seen and viewed like a first-person shooter game and that person be Agent Kallus did not happen. They scrapped the idea, and they kept the first-person perspective only for the beginning shot in the episode. So, without further a due SPOLIERT ALERT is in effect and from this moment on and for the remainder of this recap.

This episode does start off from the perspective of Agent Kallus who is woken by alarms alerted to a ship being captured escaping from Lothal. We see Agent Kallus waking up and putting water on his face getting ready to see who was caught. The perceptive ends and we meet Lieutenant Lyste who is excited to have captured someone who he believes is a low-level rebel. But when the prisoner is helmet is removed we see that is Ezra Bridger whose identity is not known to all in the Empire. Ezra starts off screaming at Agent Kallus who is confused by his capture and arrival on his ship.

The vessel also has AP-5 and Chopper aboard who are freely roaming the ship by telling them they are witnesses to the rebel’s crimes.  Things just get worse from that point on because Grand Admiral Thrawn is making an appearance and wants to see Agent Kallus and Lieutenant Lyste at once.  The two are now standing outside his quarters and must give identification before entering. The walk in and are stunned by seeing Grand Admiral Thrawn sparring with assassin droids and winning. He calls out a name which is sort of like a safe word and the droids turn off and they are motion into another room where they meet a familiar face to them and the viewers.

Colonel Yularen who is an old mentor to Agent Kallus and a character from the clone wars series and he served under General Skywalker. He has been brought in by Grand Admiral Thrawn to uncover the rebel spy in the midst, who they believe could be a high-ranking officer.  Once they are dismissed Agent Kallus starts to think of a way to get ahead of the situation and uses Lieutenant Lyste in a brilliant plan. He tells Lieutenant Lyste to keep an eye on Governor Pryce who was late to the meeting because she might be the spy and Lieutenant Lyste believes him and follows her around the ship.  Before Lieutenant Lyste leaves Agent Kallus grabs his identification to use it to frame him as the rebel spy.

 

 

 

The next scene shows Agent Kallus freeing Ezra and asking him why he came here in the first place. Ezra responds that they believe Agent Kallus is in danger of being found out due to some transmissions being picked up by the Empire.  Agent Kallus also reviles that the Empire is getting close to finding Chopper base, so he wants Ezra to tell him the location of the base. Not actually trusting each other they decide to go together to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s quarters to get codes to escape and to remove the location of Chopper base off Grand Admiral Thrawn’s map.  They find some clothing for Ezra that is like Lieutenant Lyste uniform and head to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s quarters.

Once they reach the Grand Admiral Thrawn’s quarters, Ezra uses Jedi mind tricks on the Stormtrooper to see him as Lieutenant Lyste, and they hand him Lieutenant Lyste identification.  They enter and receive the codes to give to Kanan and Rex who are on route in Stormtrooper disguise to rescue Ezra and Agent Kallus. Ezra views Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Map and removes Chopper base and replaces it with another planet. Meanwhile, Grand Admiral Thrawn is heading to prisoner cells to meet the rebel that was captured only to see that the security cameras are down and the rebel is gone. The Officer who identification turned it off was Lieutenant Lyste, and Grand Admiral Thrawn then returns to his quarters. AP-5 warns Ezra and Agent Kallus who must come up with a distraction escape without being seen by Grand Admiral Thrawn.

 

 

 

Ezra hides behind a painting, and Agent Kallus leaves the room. Grand Admiral Thrawn enters and is meet by his assassin droids who are not responding to his shut off command.  Ezra escapes with Agent Kallus as they run to meet up with Kanan and Rex. Grand Admiral Thrawn fights off the assassin droids and tries to chase after the rebel and Lieutenant Lyste who they believe is the spy.  Once Kanan and Rex land they are meet be Governor Pryce who tries to capture them and is stunned by Lieutenant Lyste who thinks she was trying to escape with the rebels. At the same moment, Colonel Yularen sees him shoot Governor Pryce.

 

 

 

This allows Ezra to escape, but Agent Kallus decides to stay behind saying that he is more useful as a spy to remain with the Empire.  They Escape, and Agent Kallus puts Lieutenant Lyste under arrest for assisting the rebels in the escape and as the rebel spy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All viewers could have believed that the problem was solved, and that the rebels got away with another close victory securing Fulcrums identity, but that would be entirely wrong. The episode ends with Grand Admiral Thrawn and Colonel Yularen not believing Lieutenant Lyste to be the rebel spy but Agent Kallus. The knowledge will be used for their benefit by using Agent Kallus against the rebels in upcoming battles.  This episode speaks a lot toward Grand Admiral Thrawn as a real adversary for our rebels. He is not deceived by their disguises and usually tricks.  He knew the rebel that was captured was Ezra just by looking at the helmet and he takes down assassin droids with his bare hands, he is truly their greatest opponent thus far. Stay tuned for another great episode tonight at 8:30 on Disney XD, Star Wars Rebels “Secret Cargo.”

 

Photo Credit: Star Wars.com, Fansided.com, Disney, Lucasfilm

Created by: Jasmine Yard

Here’s a preview for tonight’s episode of Star Wars Rebels: #Geektified #StarWarsRebels #StarWars #Rebels #Empire #Force #Jedi #Sith #DisneyXD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Geekcap Roundup

Supergirl "Homecoming"

The DEO tracks Cadmus vehicles moving in the area, forcing Kara and J’onn to go after them. In one of the trucks, they find Jeremiah Danvers and return him home. After losing the use of his hand, he reveals that Cadmus is planning to set off a nuclear bomb using a residue from Kara’s heat vision. With the threat drawing closer, Jeremiah offers to rejoin the DEO to help the search. However, Mon-El has some reservations about Jeremiah, questioning his knowledge of a nuclear bomb. Kara initially rejects his concerns but begins questioning Jeremiah’s motives when Jeremiah begins searching through the electronic files of the agency. Nevertheless, Alex refuses to believe the worst of her father and lashes out at Kara for supposedly defending her new boyfriend.

When Kara, Alex, and Mon-El search for the bomb, Jeremiah then turns on J’onn to steal electronic files of the DEO for Cadmus. Though J’onn puts up a fight, Jeremiah reveals a cybernetic enhancement in his arm that wounds even the Martian Manhunter. He escapes with the information and rejoins with Hank Henshaw and Lillian outside the city. Kara and Alex arrive to stop him, but Henshaw detonates a bomb that destroys a train track, forcing Kara to rescue civilians. Alex corners Jeremiah but finds that she can’t shoot her father, letting him escape with the others. With Jeremiah loose and working for Cadmus, Kara and Alex both retreat to the comfort of Maggie and Mon-El respectively. Unfortunately, Winn informs the rest of the team that Jeremiah has stolen the National Alien Registry, giving them access to innocent alien civilians. Meanwhile, Lillian shows Jeremiah the latest step in their plan: a large spaceship.

Notes

• Jeremiah also hints that Mon-El is not who he says he is.
• Jeremiah receives a cybernetic implant, making him similar to the Cyborg Superman Hank Henshaw. This could be a reference to Dean Cain’s original role as Superman himself.
• Kara rescues a train the same way Clark rescued a train in Superman.

Photo Credit: DC/CW

The Flash "Attack on Central City"

While celebrating Valentine’s Day, Gypsy invades STAR Labs and begins attacking Barry. After the team captures her, she informs them that Grodd had taken control of her while searching for a breacher in Earth-2 and has forced her to bring him and an army of gorillas to Central City. Using Cisco’s powers, the team tries to determine Grodd’s next move in the future, but it only leads to Grodd, taking brief control of Joe, warning Barry of his threat to the city. With Joe as a connector, the group soon discovers Grodd’s plan to use a nuclear weapon to destroy the city. At the last instant, Barry just barely prevents the nuclear launch, but Grodd continues to lead an assault to the city. Meanwhile, Wally and Jesse inform Harry on Jesse’s move to Earth-1, though Harry informs Wally that he may not have much time left to warn him off.

Barry, Wally, and Jesse attempt to take on the army on their own, but they are quickly overwhelmed. Fortunately, with Gypsy’s help, Cisco brings Solovar to Earth-1 where he successfully takes down Grodd and regains control of the gorilla army. Though Solovar is determined to kill Grodd, Barry convinces him to let Grodd live in custody in ARGUS as the rest return to Gorilla City in Earth-2. With Grodd contained, Harry takes his own leave to Earth-2, finally giving his blessing to Wally and agreeing to let Jesse live on Earth-1. In celebration of the victory, Gypsy kisses Cisco before returning to her own world, and Barry proposes to Iris at their apartment. Afterwards, as Wally runs through the city, he has a vision of Savitar running past him.

Notes

• HR references “the guy in green in Star City” when hanging up Cupid’s bow, a small reference to the Green Arrow.
• Gypsy refers to Cisco “Luke Starkilling” her, a reference to Luke Skywalker’s original name in Star Wars.
• There is a quick cameo by the Accelerated Man in Earth-19.

Photo Credit: DC/CW

Arrow "Fighting Fire With Fire"

With the upcoming impeachment trial, Oliver relies on Chase to represent him in a hearing with the city council. While witnesses continue to testify against Oliver and Chase, Vigilante attacks the group, ultimately threatening Oliver’s life. Since Oliver is now personally targeted, the team begins a manhunt for Vigilante using part of his visor that Dinah found on the scene. Unknown to any of them, however, Prometheus fights against Vigilante and reveals that Prometheus is actually Chase. In the meantime, Felicity uses Pandora to find a way to persuade a potential councilperson, and Curtis works to enhance his T-spheres for the field while also trying to meet with Paul. Five years ago in Russia, Anatoli invokes a Bratva rule to briefly save himself and Oliver, giving Oliver time to find evidence on Kovar’s deal with Gregor.

Under the pressure of resignation, Oliver is convinced by Chase to ultimately denounce the Green Arrow as a murderer to save face with the council. The rest of the team successfully stops Vigilante with the help of the new T-spheres when he begins an attack during a press conference. After the conference, Oliver is cleared from resignation by the council, but Thea resigns her own position fearing diving too deep into politics. Unfortunately, for her use of Pandora, Felicity agrees to join a hacker group known as Helix, and Curtis’s meeting with Paul reveals Paul’s plans for a divorce. Back in Russia, Oliver finds proof of Gregor accepting a bribe from Kovar which turns the Bratva against Gregor. However, Kovar betrays Anatoli and open fires at the group. Back at Star City, Chase confronts a newly-hired Susan with a “life or death exclusive” and kidnaps her.

Notes

• Adrian Chase is revealed to be Prometheus, though his comic-book counterpart was actually Vigilante. 

Photo Credit: DC/CW

Geektified's review of the final Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 trailer

 

By Jim Scroggs

JHScroggs on Twitter and Instagram

March 3, 2017

Stop me if you’ve heard this. Marvel Studio puts out a trailer to one of their films that you haven’t seen yet and you already know that it could be one of the most beautiful things you will put your eyes on this year. The newest and last Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 trailer has hit the interwebs and nobody is shocked at how amazing it looks. So let’s dive into what Peter, Gamora and the rest of the crew has in store.

It opens with the another clip of the giant alien squid creature fight with Peter playing with a device that turns out to be Mattel’s Classic Football Handheld game. Gamora pulls out a rifle and Peter is a little surprised by it, thinking that he was the guns guy. Pratt plays it off pretty well for a nice moment of comedy. After a shot of Drax and Rocket, we see Baby Groot hook up Peter’s Walkman as the bass line from Break the Chain sets the tempo for this trailer. Our first real look at Ayesha is her addressing the team along with quick shots of the ravagers possibly capturing Rocket and Gamora seeing Nebula for maybe the first time since the first film. The action picks up with Peter flying a ship and yelling for Groot to put his seat belt on. Yes, the image of this tiny plant eating what looks to be candy is just as adorable as I’m describing it. I really think the use of slow motion could be a big part of the effects in this film because of the huge amount of darts, I think set by Rocket, flying at some really unlucky guys. There’s the typical roll call of the team but Groot’s is awesome because he is so tiny and waving at Gamora while she’s clearly fighting the giant alien squid. Nebula accuses the team of not being friends since they fight all the time and Drax turns into a philosopher and corrects her by saying, “No, we’re family”.  He continues on by suggesting at Nebula “except maybe her.” But the biggest reveal, which is really just confirmation, is that Kurt Russell is Peter’s Father.

I don’t need to see anything else from this movie and in fact, I'm really glad that this is the last trailer. What Doctor Strange showed us was an entire new look to these films but I think this could be just as colorful as the Sorcerer Supreme's solo movie.People will show up to see this movie regardless of when it’s released and I feel like Marvel has another home run on their hands.

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017

Tabletop Tips: Learn to Improvise

By Patrick Hawes-DeFrias

Today we're going back to basics with one of the cornerstones of being a Dungeon Master- making stuff up on the fly. As stated before, it's important to make sure every character is active in the story, a big part of which comes from characters getting to use their specific skills, equipment, spells, and so forth. So, it's important to have an idea of what each character can do (that goes for players as well- DON'T FORGET what your character has on them, you never know when it'll be helpful). Some DM's will even keep copies of everyone's character sheet. If you need that reference to be prepared, go for it, just make sure to update it when characters level up or get any significant items.

Now, an obvious issue with this is that you don't want the situations where characters get to strut their stuff to be too contrived, it's important to weave them into the story as naturally as possible. Perhaps every once in awhile, set up scenarios that are geared toward a specific character, such as when the party is heading toward a particular character's goal. But, even in these scenarios, keep the other players in mind as well, for one very specific reason. Most games are based on, at least to some degree, random chance. So, just because the party's monk has 15 points in balance, doesn't necessarily mean they'll succeed in crossing narrow passages every time. Thus, it's best to think outside the box. Construct situations where more than one character has the capacity to resolve the conflict. If the party needs to get into a building, it might make the most sense to construct the scene around the rogue sneaking around and picking the lock, but make sure there's alternative options in case something goes wrong or the party doesn't see your solution right away. Have someone around to talk to so the bard might be able to talk their way in. If someone has a grappling hook on them, perhaps note how high the building is to subtly suggest that they could potentially climb to the roof. Characters with spells have a huge amount of problem-solving tools, so if everyone's stumped, perhaps say something like "anyone have magic they could use?". With time and thought, a wizard can come up with some zany way to finagle their spells into something useful.

And speaking of which, if the party comes up with a different solution, be ready to roll with it. Remember- cooperative storytelling is the key. If the party comes up with some goofy way to get into the building, let them as long as it makes sense. Heck, even if it doesn't, let it work anyway if you think the game could use a good laugh. And, if all their attempts truly fail then you might need to just hand-wave the situation with a little "hand of God". Maybe a guard hears the commotion caused by the party's multiple failed attempts to get inside, opens the door to see what's up, and BAM we've got a fight. The world shouldn't be doomed to be under the evil king's tyrannical rule for all time just because the party's bad luck kept them from opening a door.