Tag: DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

D23 Expo 2022!!! Trailers! Announcements! & More!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

The annual D23 Expo was held over the weekend. With major presentations from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm showcasing high profile projects coming down the pipeline over the next few years. Many fans speculated big reveals for upcoming projects like Fantastic Four or X-Men, like finally revealing the cast for FF or ANY information about Mutants in The MCU and when we can expect the first X-Men related project from Marvel Studios. While major X-Men and Fantastic Four revelations would have certainly been cool, this year‘s Expo did manage to deliver some solid material to get excited about. So sit back and relax because, as usual, World’s Best Media’s here to give you the highlights.

Marvel Studios

MCU Announcements Overview

Secret Invasion

Out of all the footage of upcoming projects that Marvel released to the public, this trailer got me most exciting. I love Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, so I’m very excited to see a MCU project where he takes center stage. It’s Nick Fury’s very own Miniseries. We see Don Cheadle return as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Martin Freeman as Everett Ross, Colbie Smulders as Maria Hill, and a bunch of other new characters. It looks like a really intense, paranoid thriller and it’s definitely one of my most anticipated projects for 2023. Another interesting tidbit, was the reveal that Secret Invasion leads right into Rhodey’s miniseries Armor Wars, which begins filming soon. So it’ll be really cool to see what the MCU looks like softer Secret Invasion and how that affects Armor Wars.

Werewolf by Night

Marvel’s first Halloween Special, Werewolf By Night, based on the horror comic of the same name is coming to Disney+ this October. It actually look genuinely scary and a little gooey at time, which I love. Anyone else spot Man-Thing in this trailer? That’s a hell a deep cut, but an exciting one!

Echo

Honestly, I have little to no interest in this series. While I thought the character of Maya Lopez/Echo worked fine in Hawkeye, I certainly didn’t think there was anything about the character special or memorable enough to warrant her own Disney+ series . So I was a little surprised that Marvel still intended to move forward with this project. The only aspects of Echo, that make me want to tune in, are Vincent D’Onofrio reprising his role as Wilson Fisk in the series and the heavily rumored, but unconfirmed appearance of Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. Plus, I like the idea of the show focusing on Native American culture in The MCU. It’s something we haven’t seen in The MCU yet.

Disney’s official synopsis “The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.”

The audience was shown some footage from the upcoming series, which hasn’t made its way on line yet. However, those in attendance to see the footage I have reported a few interesting little moments included in the brief sneak peek shown at D 23. With one shot in particular Pekin street from the comics. Last time we saw Wilson Fisk in Maya Lopez together was in the Hawkeye Season (Series?) Finale, where Maya seemingly shot her former mentor, when it was revealed that The Kingpin had been responsible for the death of Maya’s father. A similar confrontation plays out in the comic books, with the injuries Fisk sustained from Maya’s attempted murder leaving him blind. It looks as if Echo will adapt this part of Wilson Fisk’s story. According to people who saw the footage, the show even goes out of its way to directly replicate this memorable image from comics.

Thunderbolts

The line up for Marvel’s upcoming Thunderbolts movie was revealed, as you can see below…

LUCASFILM (Star Wars & Indiana Jones)

The Mandalorian (Season 3)

Andor

Tales of The Jedi

Besides The Mandalorian Season 3, this is the upcoming Star Wars project I’m most excited for. I love the idea of a Star Wars animated anthology like this. Especially featuring, stories before The Phantom Menace, like Count Dooku before he went to The Dark Side, along with his young padawan Qui Gon-Jin. Even Yaddle makes an appearance. I’m really psyched for this one!

Indiana Jones 5

It’s great to see the famously grumpy and curmudgeonly Harrison Ford show some emotion and excitement. I think this bodes well for those of us hoping for a kick ass Indiana Jones 5! Plus, they have the perfect director to tell an excellent story about an aging iconic hero with James Mangold, whose last film was Logan. This guy knows how to make an action movie about an older hero who’s past his prime and still tell a thrilling, exciting, action-packed, adventure story.

Also, you gotta love the reunion of Indy and Short Round. As great as it would be for Short Round to make an appearance in Indy 5, Ke Huy Quan (whose enjoying a well deserved career renaissance) has joined the cast of Loki for Season 2, which is awesome, and attended the expo to promote the show with his cast mates. But he still had the time to snap this amazing reunion picture with his former costar from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews for the podcast, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

PODCAST: Best Of Summer 2022 (Honestly I Couldn’t Think Of A Better Title, This One’s All Over The Place)!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

Images from Green Lantern: Beware My Power, one of the movies I recommend in this week’s episode.

On this episode of The World’s Best Podcast, I attempt to discuss my favorite content from Summer 2022, but as usual, things quickly go off the rails. We may jump the tracks a few times, but it’s still a hell of a ride! Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/51098106

Or… iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000577967379

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ZolY3k4VToSoVti3r1gUZ?si=4JuzrH_XQDigOskPNnln-A

Stitcher: https://listen.stitcher.com/yvap/?c=sharelink&af_dp=stitcher://episode/206309471&af_web_dp=https://www.stitcher.com/episode/206309471&deep_link_value=stitcher://episode/206309471

As you’ll hear in this episode, one of my favorite things to talk about is Tom Cruise and the INSANE stunts he does in his films. Above is a picture from the zero-gravity, plane crush stunt from 2017’s The Mummy, that I mentioned in the podcast. Tom Cruise has done a lot of bat-shit crazy stunts over the years, so I thought it would be cool to post this video, showcasing some of his most impressive stunts performed throughout his illustrious career…

Thanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews for the podcast, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

THE FLASH: It’s Time For WALLY WEST To Take Center Stage In THE DCU Again!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

The many looks of Wally West

If you watch any of the DCEU films, the DC Animated Movies, or The Flash TV series, the man behind The Scarlet Speedster’s mask is Barry Allen. However, that hasn’t always been the case. Multiple heroes have carried the mantle of The Fastest Man Alive over the years. In fact for an entire generation of fans, their definitive Flash is another character entirely. A character who blows Barry Allen out of the water, as the greatest hero in DC history to call themselves The Flash: Wally West. The time has come for DC Entertainment, from the comics to the movies, to put Barry Allen aside and put the spotlight back where it belongs, on Wally West.

Barry Allen AKA The Flash II

Let’s backtrack a little. While the first costumed hero to call himself The Flash was technically Jay Garrick, Barry Allen was really the first incarnation of The Flash as we recognize him today. Both characters have super-speed, but that’s more or less where the similarities end. This new version of The Flash, Barry Allen, was rooted in Silver Age science fiction. This was a Flash for The Space Race age.

Left to Right: Barry Allen, Wally West (still a sidekick, going by Kid Flash), Jay Garrick (The 1st Flash)

DC has always loved sidekicks. Marvel has a lot of young heroes like Spider-Man, but they have relatively few sidekicks when compared to DC. Which makes sense, because DC may not have created the idea of superhero sidekicks, but they certainly perfected it. Robin is the archetypal superhero sidekick. Every kid sidekick in DC Comics is variation of Robin (at least when they were first created). Green Arrow had Speedy, Wonder Woman had Wonder Girl, Aquaman had Aqualad, Superman had Superboy, Supergirl, Krypto, and The Flash had Kid Flash. With a popular comic book series like The Flash, it was only a matter of time until he got his very own young boy to dress up in spandex, and put in mortal danger on a near constant basis (it was a different time, folks). This is where Wally West comes in. Wally West was the young nephew of Barry Allen’s wife, Iris West. In a ridiculous coincidence (or is it?), Wally experiences the same freak accident that gave The Flash his powers. The teenager gains super speed by tapping into The Speed Force, just like his mentor Barry Allen. Wally uses his abilities to fight crime alongside The Flash as his sidekick, Kid Flash.

In 1985 DC Comics published the seminal story, Crisis On Infinite Earths, This was the mother of all “Event Comics”. A multiverse spanning epic with consequences that still reverberate through the DC Universe to this day. In Crisis On Infinite Earth #8, Barry Allen heroically sacrifices his life to save The Multiverse. In the wake of his death, Wally graduates from sidekick to full blown hero, taking up the mantle of his fallen mentor and becoming The Flash.

The Death of Barry Allen

Death is revolving door in superhero comics. Major and minor characters routinely die, only to be resurrected through a convoluted set of circumstances shortly thereafter. Barry Allen was the exception to this rule. He was one of the few characters to be killed and actually stay dead for nearly 30 years. In that time, several generations of readers and superhero fans came to know Wally West as their Flash. The best and one, true Flash.

Wally West follows in his mentor’s footsteps and becomes THE FLASH!

When Wally West took over as The Flash, talented creators like Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, and Mark Millar all did excellent work with the character. However it was two projects in particular that cemented Wally West as the undisputed, modern incarnation of The Flash for a generation: Geoff Johns’ 5 year run on The Flash comic book series for DC and Justice League: The Animated Series and it’s sequel series Justice League Unlimited.

For many fans, when they think of The Flash, they think of Justice League: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited, which both aired on Cartoon Network. The character was an immediate fan favorite and this was where a lot of us fell in love with The Flash. This was before DC brought back Barry Allen, so The Flash of Justice League: The Animated Series and JLU was Wally West. The Flash became one of the breakout stars of these now classic superhero shows. Hypothetically, if you watched Ezra Miller’s live action take on the character and you’re only familiar with The Flash through Justice League: The Animated Series or Justice League Unlimited, I’d argue that most people would assume that he’s playing Wally West.

Then there’s Geoff Johns’ character defining work on The Flash Beginning in 2000, Johns’ 5 year run on The Flash is arguably the definitive work on the character. This run was the bedrock on which all future Flash stories were built. This comic book series along with Justice League: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited shape The Fastest Man Alive for a generation. This run was were Johns explored Wally’s blue collar roots and over the course of the story Wally evolves from a cocky smart-ass to a responsible hero and family man.

Impressively, during his time on the book, Johns’ took The Flash’s goofy villains and turned them into a rouges gallery rivaling Batman’s. He even gave Wally his own archenemy. Barry Allen had Reverse-Flash and Wally West had the deadly and terrifying Zoom.

If you’ve never had a chance to read this classic run, it’s a MUST READ for any comic book fan!

Theses were the gateways were fans discovered the Wally West they know and love. He likes to joke around. He’s quick with a quip and doesn’t take the hero gig quite as seriously as some of his peers, like Batman. He can be cocky and overconfident, which could get him in trouble sometimes. Where Barry Allen was a scientist, Wally West is a mechanic. He’s a blue-collar, working class guy. The peoples hero of Keystone City. He fights for the city and the people he loves. While he’s viewed as the guy who likes to slack off, by his peers in The Justice League, he’s just as heroic and selfless as his teammates. No matter how grim things became, he never lost his greatest asset: compassion. These were the things that made Wally unique and inherently more interesting than his bland predecessor.

For whatever reason, DC decided it was time for a resurrection. In the pages of 2008’s Final Crisis, written by Grant Morrison with art by J.G. Jones (a killer duo), Barry Allen returned to the land of the living and jumped i into the fray as one Earth’s protectors once again.

Darkseid

In Final Crisis, Darkseid finally finds The Anti-Life Equation and uses it to conquer and enslave Earth. Those who aren’t affected by The Anti-Life Equation, or are able fight off it’s influence, are hunted by monsters and Darkseid’s cunning, vicious, and terrifying lieutenants. What’s left of Earth’s heroes and even some villains, come together in attempt to free their world from Darkseid.

The Return of Barry Allen, out running Death itself. (Final Crisis #2)

When Barry Allen made his return, It wasn’t something fans were clamoring for, in fact, the exact opposite. The problem with Barry Allen is… Dammit, I honestly can’t think of a modern term that describes the character better than, he’s a “Square”. He’s a goody two shoes, with a stick permanently up his ass. The kind of guy who would stand up in front of the whole class at school and remind the teacher that she forgot to assign homework. At the time Wally West was still a beloved hero among comic book fans Who were reluctant to get behind DC’s to focus on Barry Allen in the future.

The Flash: Rebirth

A massive amount of DC fans were and still are upset at the way DC has used his character in recent years. Wally West has always a character that people had been invested. They can’t just say “We know love Wally West, but he’s glowing on the backs builder for awhile. Here’s Barry Allen. Like him now.”. It doesn’t work that way. For a long time Wally had been cast aside. There was even a significant period of time where he was completely absent from The DCU. When he finally returned, he was treated like a second fiddle.

With all of the controversy surrounding Ezra Miller, it’s guaranteed that the character will be re-cast after (and if) The Flash is released. Personally, I really hope we get to see it. Despite Ezra Miller’s personal problems, word is that the movie is pretty damn good. They have a great director with Andy Muschietti and the film features Michael Keaton’s return as Batman. Instead of casting a new Barry Allen, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce Wally West into The DCEU and make him The Flash of their cinematic universe movie forward.

Wally hasn’t been The Flash at the center of the DC universe in some time. So let’s put Barry Allen off to the side for awhile and put Wally West at the center of The DCU where he belongs.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews for the podcast, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

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PODCAST: COMIC-CON 2020, Black Panther, Life Philosophy, & More

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

On this episode, Mike Cole returns to The World’s Best Podcast as we discuss the biggest news to come out of COMIC-CON 2022! Among the many topics touched upon in this episode, Mike and I pick out our favorite trailers and chat about some of the other major announcements made at COMIC-CON. Along the way, we have an in depth discussion about Black Panther and the legacy of Chadwick Boseman. We offer up several different view points and give our conclusions regarding the question: Should Marvel have re-cast the role of T’Challa after Boseman’s tragic death? Plus, we ponder some the greatest and most profound of life’s philosophical questions! All this and so much more on The World’s Best Podcast!

We also want to recommend Mike Cole’s new podcast, Talking About The Big Stuff with Michael Cole! Available on all of the apps where you listen to your podcasts including iTunes and Spotify, to name a few. I’ll be making a a guest appearance on the show in the coming weeks, sos start tuned! Thanks for listening and enjoy!

Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/50754612 Or…

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000571645076

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3n9xCzxTHoew6cHMK6ZPS1?si=1bST5eM-SqetphcZBQj9Ng

Stitcher: https://listen.stitcher.com/yvap/?c=sharelink&af_dp=stitcher://episode/205316335&af_web_dp=https://www.stitcher.com/episode/205316335&deep_link_value=stitcher://episode/205316335

We’d love to hear your feedback about anything discussed on the show! What had you most excited from this year’s COMIC-CON? Do you think Marvel should have re-cast Black Panther or not? Let us know in the comments below!

Thanks for listening! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews for the podcast, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

UPDATED! New Posters & New Clip For THE BATMAN!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

The Batman is by far my most anticipated film of the year. based on comments made by the filmmakers, it seems that we’re finally going to see Batman “The Worlds Greatest Detective” on the big screen. We haven’t really seen that side of the character in any of the live action movies. Batman is Sherlock Holmes in a keep in Cowell and some of his best stories are mysteries. I always thought a great idea for a Batman movie would be to do something along the lines of, just takin a film like Se7en, but swap out detectives Mills and Somerset . Batman’s real superpower is his mind, his will, and his intelligence. He’s the ultimate strategist, it’s incredibly exciting to see all of these vital pieces of the character finally come into play in a Batman film.

Warner Bros and DC release’d a clip from the upcoming movie, it’s about 3 minutes or so long, with NO SPOILERS (Unless you literally want to go into the film having seen absolutely nothing). The scene got me even more enthusiastic about this project. Even with just a few minutes, a fairly simple scene, did a fantastic job buil.ding up tension and establishing the the tone. Check it out right here:

Check this sick new poster for The Batman, hitting theaters March 4th!

An awesome, new set of character posters for The Batman were recently released as we get closer to the movie’s opening on 3/4/22. Take a look in the gallery below:

Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

BATMAN DAY: The Best Modern Day Batman Stories!

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Hey Everyone.

Paul here…

One of humanities greatest holiday’s, Batman Day, is upon us once again. In honor of this joyous occasion, it’s officially Batman Week here at World’s Best Media! It’s that special time of year when we can all take the time to reflect on the greatness of The Dark Knight Detectve. Like Superman, people will still be telling stories about The Batman, in one form or another, hundreds of years from now (unless of course, mankind doesn’t wipe itself from the face of the Earth in the near future). Characters like Batman and Superman are our modern day gods. Like Achilles or Beowulf, these heroes resonate with people because they’re such primal archetypes.

Even more so than Superman, the tragic tale of a boy who witnesses the brutal murder of his parents, is a fear we can all relate to. The boy made a vow to rid his city of the evil that took their lives, and turned himself into a monster to do it. The tragedy of Batman is that his war can never be won and he knows it. That’s deep, primal stuff. The brillliant simplicity of Batman allows for endless stories and reinventions.

Batman isn’t only my favorite comics book character, he’s by far my favorite character in all of literature. The complex psychology of Bruce Wayne, the greatest group of villains ever assembled, the sprawling urban nightmare that is Gotham City, and a phenomenal supporting cast… it all comes together to form the unforgettable tapestry of The Batman mythology. So in honor of Batman Day, I decided to put together a list of my favorite modern Batman stories. This was harder than you might think, because there are literally hundreds of classic Batman tales. I left out the obvious ones like “The Big 3”: The Dark Knight Returns, Batman: Year One, and The Killing Joke. Including those 3 classics on my list, seemed redundant and obvious, so I decided to focus on some great modern Batman stories. I was able to narrow it down to these amazing tales, that I encourage all of you to check out. Let’s dive in…

Batman: The Black Mirror

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Jock & Francesco Francavilla

DC has a long history of “legacy heroes”. “Legacy heroes” are characters who take up the mantle of an iconic, classic superhero, when the original cannot or will not continue on. “Legacy heroes” are almost always characters who are close to the original incarnation of the superhero in question, usually a sidekick or a partner. For example, when the original Flash, Barry Allen, died in Crisis On Infinite Earths, his sidekick, Wally West AKA Kid Flash, inherited the role of The Scarlet Speedster. In fact, many fans believe Wally West surpassed his mentor to be the best version of The Flash in the history of DC Comics. Another good example, is when the entire Green Lantern Corp were wiped out (including Hal Jordan), artist Kyle Rayner was chosen to become the only living in Green Lantern in the universe. Eventually, he was instrumental in rebuilding the Corp. We tend tp not think of Batman as a character that ”passes on the mantle”. However, there has been some notable exceptions, like Dick Grayson, that were excellent and unique versions of The Dark Knight.

The Black Mirror took place at a time when, for reasons that are too complicated to get into, Bruce Wayne was MIA as Batman. Dick Grayson a.k.a. the original Robin a.k.a. Nightwing, reluctantly donned the Cape and Cowl to become the new Batman.

Like so many other excellent Batman tales, the story is just as much about Jim Gordon as it is Batman. The veteran Gotham police officer and the rookie Batman, must solve a grisly mystery that hits far too close to home for both men. With amazing art by Jock and Francesco Francavilla, it seems as if Gotham City itself is alive. A dark and hungry thing, ready to devour those that walk it’s streets. This was the breakout story that launched Scott Snyder’s career as one of the biggest creators in the industry. This isn’t the only time you’ll see Snyder’s name pop up on this list, because The Black Mirror was his first step on his journey to becoming one of the greatest Batman writers of all time.

Batman: R.I.P.

Written by Grant Morrison

Art by Tony Daniel

Grant Morrison is not only a personal favorite of mine, he’s also one of the best and most celebrated comic writers in the history of the medium. All-Star Superman, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On A Serious Earth, JLA, if you’ve ever read Morrison‘s work, it will come as no surprise that this is one hell of a weird, fucking Batman story. However, in this instance that’s a really good thing. Batman R.I.P. marks the end of ACT I of Morrison‘s epic Batman run. When I was reading this nightmarish and disturbing story for the first time, it genuinely felt like anything could happen, which is rare when you’re dealing with such a well-known character like Batman. The brilliance of Morrison‘s run, is how he mines some of the most ridiculous and wacked out Batman stories from the late-50’s, 60’s, and early 70’s, (that any other writer would just as soon forget) to tell a truly unique Batman tale. Some fantastic new villains, like demonic Dr. Hurt, and new spins on old dynamics, make this an unforgettable story about madness, evil, and the indomitable will of The Dark Knight.

Batman & Robin: Reborn

Written by Grant Morrison

Art by Frank Quietly

Another fantastic story taking place during Dick Grayson’s tenure as The Caped Crusader. Grant Morrison’s ambitious, and entertaining Batman run, consisted of a broad, 3 Act structure. If Batman RIP was the end of Act I of Morrison‘s epic, then Batman and Robin: Reborn is the beginning of Act II. This story follows Dick as he struggles to fit into his new role as Batman. One The most compelling parts of the story, is the relationship between Dick and the new Robin, Damian Wayne, Bruce’s son. Reborn puts a fun new spin on the Batman and Robin dynamic. Normally, Batman is the dark, brooding one, with Robin as the bright, quipping, colorful, and lighthearted side of The Dynamic Duo. This story completely flips that dynamic on its head. This Batman smiles, tells jokes, and has fun. Damian’s Robin is arrogant, violent, and brutal. Basically the kid is a real pain in the ass

Regardless, he is, after all, Bruce Wayne‘s biological son. To Dick and Alfred, Bruce was family, so they both feel a responsibility to keep Damian on the right path. Both men know that Bruce would want them to watch over Damian, a task that certainly isn’t easy given Damian’s violent upbringing before he came to live with his father. But Dick and Alfred would never give up on the boy because of their love for Bruce. After all, Damian was raised in The League of Assassins, under the tutelage of Tallia and Ra’s Al Ghul. He could kill grown men by the time he was four years old. With Damian, The House’s of Wayne and Al Ghul would finally be united. Talia and Ra’s were grooming him to stride across the world as a modern-day Alexander The Great. Fortunately, Damian had more of his father in him than his mother and grandfather thought. Inspired by his father, Damian chose his own path, even if that meant being branded as an adversary to The House of Al Ghul.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Dick, Damian, and Alfred in this story. One of my favorite subplots that evolves as the story goes on, is how Damien, who has nothing but disdain for Dick and Alfred, gradually comes to love and respect them both, arguably even more than he loves his father. Add in some gorgeous art by the legendary Frank Quietly (who’s one of my favorite comic book artists), the introduction of one of my favorite and most disturbing modern day Batman villains: the grotesque Professor Pyg, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a Batman comic book. This story is a new era for Batman and it all comes together to make this a must read.

Batman: The Court of Owls

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Greg Capullo

The Court of Owls marks the beginning of what would become, one of the greatest writer/artist teams in modern comics. Together, writer Scott Snyder and veteran artist Greg Capullo, would go on to create one of the best Batman runs in the long history of the character.

Gotham City is synonymous with The Dark Knight. He knows it’s broken streets and dark alleyways, as well as he knows his own reflection in the mirror. Gotham belongs to The Batman and he knows all it’s secrets. Or does he? After a series of bizarre murders, Batman is blindsided by the realization that a cunning and dangerous enemy has existed and operated right under his nose. This powerful adversary has had its claws in Gotham for hundreds of years, going all the way back to the founding of the city. Bruce Wayne might be the worlds greatest detective and the legendary Batman, but in his hubris, he forgot one of the most important lessons he learned in his years protecting the city: The second you think you know Gotham, is the moment it swallows you into the darkness.

What are your favorite Batman stories? Please let us know in the comments below or on social media!

Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

FIRST LOOK: Stargirl Season 2!

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Hey Everyone

Paul here…

Stargirl was a pleasant surprise when it premiered on DC Universe Streaming and The CW last year. Good villains, a likable cast, above average VFX, and a healthy dose of DC Comics mythology, made Stargirl one of my favorite shows of 2020. So I’m happy to say that everything I’ve heard about Season 2, premiering August 10th on The CW, sounds very cool. After defeating the Injustice Society last season, Courtney, Pat, and rest of their newly formed JSA members, will have not one, but two Big Bads on their hands in Season 2! Both of whichwere teased in the Season 1 finale. But first, take a look at the new trailer for Stargirl Season 2 and then we can get into some other cool surprises to expect in the show’s upcoming sophomore year

Looks awesome to me! It looks like Season 2 will add JSA members like Jade, the new Green Lantern ,and Jakeem Thunder, that weird, purple living energy-thing.

Jay Garrick, The Flash of The JSA, who first appeared on The CW series The Flash will also be making an appearance this season.

With that in mind, here are a few important things to know bet] thatWithin the mythology of DC Comics, decades before The Justice League, The JSA or Justice Society of America, were the original superhero team. Gettineag their start decades before the modern day Justice League. The JSA are the elder statesmen (and women) of The DCU. The classic team roster usually consists of the original Green Lantern Alan Scott, Jay “The Flash” Garrick, Wildcat, Hourman, BlackCanary, Dr. Mid-Nite, The Sandman (Not the Neil Gaiman version, Hawkman & Hawkgirl, and Starman. The team first formed around WWII in the comics and each member age at a much slower rate then normal. As a result, almost all of th e JSA appear to be in their 50’s for early 60’s and while they’re all well past their prime, they can still operate at peak condition or beyond while in the field.

On the show things play out a little differently. First of all, though there are certain recognizable heroes and villains from DC Comics, a Justice League seems to have never taken form on this Earth. The JSA appear to be the only major superhero team to have formed in this universe. Though the series is technically apart of The Arrrowverse, Stargirl takes place on a different Earth than Arrrow, The Flash, and Supergirl. On Stargirl, The JSA and other heroes and villains have been active for decades. About 15 years in the past, most of The JSA were killed by the Injustice Society, a group of dangerous villains. In the present day, with the help of her step father and former JSA memberPat (Luke Wilson), Courtney Whitmore becomes Stargirl and begins to reform The JSA with a new generation of heroes.

From what we see in the trailer, it looks like the next generation of The JSA will only be expanding their roster. They’ll need all the help they can get while dealing with multiple major threats on the horizon. Both were teased in the final moments of the Season 1 finale.

First, as shown in the trailer, is the classic DC villain The Shade. He’s immortal and he can control living shadow. What makes The Shade interesting is that while he’s a serious threat, who you fuck with at your own peril, he has honor. He lives by a code.

He’s definitely a villain, but he’s not a monster. On one or two rare occasions, he even made alliances with heroes. So it should be compelling to see how the show handles the only member of the Injustice Society, that was present the night the original JSA were slaughtered, who we haven’t met on screen yet.

A brief glimpse at The Shade from the Season 1 Finale.

The second villain the show will be introducing this year is Eclipso. This guy is no joke. He’s easily a Justice League level threat. Eclipso is an ancient alien entity who, as we saw in the Season 1 finale been trapped inside a small diamond stone (as is often the case with evil, eldritch monsters).

Eclipso feeds on the negative psychic energy of mankind. Grief, hate, anger, and sadness sustain him, so he tries to create as much suffering and chaos as possible.

Unfortunately for this young incarnation of The JSA, Eclipso is WAY out of their league, so it’ll be cool to see how they handle him on the show. So this new season of Stargirl looks like it’s shaping up to be pretty interesting, so I definitely recommend checking out Seaon 1, which you can find On Demand and Streaming.

Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter @PJWrightWBM, Instagram @worldsbestmedia2017, and our Facebook Page, Worlds Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

The 15th Anniversary Of Constantine: An Underrated Cult Classic

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

Normally, this is the time of year when we’d be right in the middle of the San Diego Comic-Con. Some of the year’s biggest announcements about our favorite movies, TV shows, and comic books are made at this event. Unfortunately, due to the continued threat of the COVID-19 outbreak, the mega-convention couldn’t be held this year and I can’t say I blame them. Imagine it, thousands of sweaty, nerdy fans, decked out in their cosplay, in 90+ degree heat with 80% humidity, as they all walk around hacking and coughing a deadly virus on each other. Half of the attendees would be in the hospital by the end of the week. Not a pretty picture. 

     However, we weren’t completely left empty-handed, the folks behind the long running annual fan event, came up with  Comic-Con@Home, multiple panels were live streamed online for folks to enjoy a little bit of Comic-Con from the comfort and safety of their own home. Nothing beats the real Comic-Con experience, but they still put together some very interesting panels. One of the highlights, for me at least, was the Constantine 15th Anniversary Panel. Star Keanu Reeves, producer Akiva Goldman, and director Francis Lawrence discussed the 2005 film with one of writers from Collider. 

Constantine takes a trip to Hell

    I want to take a minute and to give the film some context. John Constantine is easily among my top 10 favorite comic book characters. He was created by legendary comic book writer Alan Moore during his Swamp Thing run for DC and the physical inspiration for Constantine was world famous musician, Sting. The character was enough of a standout to warrant his own series from DC under their mature readers imprint, Vertigo, called Hellblazer. Constantine was sort of a con-man mage based out of London. Writers like Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Brian Azzerello, and Warren Ellis have all done memorable work with the character, in fact Hellblazer was the longest running books in Vertigo’s history. 

A look at John Constantine from the comics

Constantine is a little more high profile these days, appearing in both live-action and animated TV shows and films. Most notably, actor Matt Ryan has portrayed John Constantine in pretty much every appearance the character has made over the last 6 years. We first saw Ryan’s interpretation of the role in the short-lived (but cancelled too soon) Constantine TV series (2014-2015). Unlike Keanu Reeves, the British and blonde haired Matt Ryan is much more in line with the traditional depiction of John Constantine. But you can’t keep a good warlock down, and Matt Ryan reprised the role of John Constantine on Arrow and eventually became a series regular on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (these appearances retroactively made the Constantine TV series part of The Arrowverse). Ryan has also voiced the character in multiple animated films, like Justice League Dark and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, as well as an animated miniseries. Much like Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker, Matt Ryan has become the unofficial, definitive version of John Constantine in the eyes of many fans.

Matt Ryan as John Constantine

   Having said all that, I think 2005’s Constantine is an extremely underrated movie that deserves more credit than it gets. On paper this movie should not work. First of all, John Constantine is one of the best comic book characters ever created and holds a lot of reverence with fans. Does Keanu Reeves sound anything the character I described above? A British, street sorcerer that looks like Sting? At the time, casting Keanu Reeves in the title role seemed like a weird and misguided choice for the movie. That’s strike one. Producer, Alkiva Goldman, has had his name attached to some truly dog shit projects over the years, including Joel Schumacher’s infamous Batman & Robin. Strike two. Finally, this beloved character was in the hands of a first time film director, who predominantly directed music videos before this movie. Strike three! But goddammit if they don’t manage to pull it off. Not only did the movie work, it was pretty damn great.

Lucifer pays John a visit. The only Soul he’d come to personally collect himself.

   Despite the changes to the source material, especially the casting of Keanu Reeves and the film taking place in LA instead of London, the movie did a phenomenal job at capturing the essence of John Constantine and his world. Keanu was so good in the role that the superficial changes didn’t matter as much as you’d think. The spirit of the character was there. Reeves did a better job of inhabiting John Constantine than a lot of other actors in comic book films that seem perfectly cast from the jump. There are so many great, little moments throughout the film that show how Keanu Reeves and the filmmakers really get exactly who this guy is and what makes him tick. 

   The look of the film, the supporting cast, Peter Stormare as Lucifer, are just a few examples of what makes this movie an underrated gem. I definitely recommend checking out the full panel, which you can watch right here:

It sounds like Keanu is up for a sequel, which would be pretty cool. So what do you guys think? Is Constantine an underrated classic? Or am I nuts and it’s a piece of shit? Let me know in the comments below.

Constantine, Papa Midnite (Djimon Hounsou), and Chas (Shia LaBeouf)

Thanks for reading! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again! Stay healthy and stay safe!

-Paul

PODCAST: Paul’s ARROW Tribute!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

After 8 seasons and launching multiple fantastic spin-offs, like The Flash and Supergirl, The CW’s hit series ARROW has come to an end. “The Arrowverse” introduced fans to an entire universe of classic DC characters, many of which saw their live action debut on one of the “Arrowverse” series. However, let’s not forget that ARROW was the show that start it all! Over its 8 Season run, ARROW remained a consistently excellent superhero action-drama. With it’s incredible action and fight sequences, badass and compelling villains, and beloved characters, ARROW will be looked back on fondly as the series that changed superhero TV forever. On this episode of “The World’s Best Podcast”, we pay tribute and says goodby to one of my favorite shows.

I really like these sizzle reel videos that pop up on YouTube. Basically people take some of the coolest scenes and moments from beloved movies and TV shows and turn them into bad ass music videos. The MCU and the arrow verse in particular have quite a few. The video below is by far the best video tribute to Arrow that I have seen so far. It’s extremely well edited and the content is well chosen. If you’re a fan of Arrow or The Arrowverse, DO NOT miss this excellent tribute video:

https://youtu.be/D_k3gpQQAGg
This video was created by The Rusty Lion. For more great videos like this, look up The Rusty Lion on YouTube.

Who knows? After the awesome teaser in the final episode, where we see Diggle find a certain glowing green object that has crash landed from space in front of him, perhaps will be seeing him pop up in The Flash, Supergirl, or the upcoming Superman TV series? This might be a longshot but maybe even the upcoming Green Lantern Corps series that’s coming toHBO? It would be pretty cool. After all, they did finally reveal his real name is Jon Stewart…

Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/22984514  Or subscribe on Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000466159268

Stitcher:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000466159268

Thanks for reading and listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again!

-Paul

PODCAST: DC’s Crisis Finale & Star Wars:The Clone Wars!

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Hey Everyone,

Paul here…

On this episode of The World’s Best Podcast, i talks about the upcoming final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, premiering on Disney+ next month. Since Disney bought Lucasfilm, the TV content like Star Wars: Rebels and The Mandalorian, as well as in continuity comic books have been a much better at telling amazing Star Wars tales than the films of late. Let’s be honest; when I say the movies have dropped the ball, I’m really talking about The Rise Of Skywalker. I love The Force Awakens and I really like The Last Jedi. Hell, despite all of my complaining before it was released, I ended up really digging Solo: A Star Wars Story. 

    Still, Lucasfilm and Disney have been putting out some spectacular Star Wars story content, like the aforementioned TV shows, the comics, books, and video games. Marvel Comics (also owned by Disney) doesn’t get enough credit for the consistently excellent Star Wars graphic novels they’ve been publishing over the last several years. Whether you loved or hated The Rise of Skywalker (I lean towards the latter, personally), in my opinion it’s still a pretty great time to be a Star Wars fan. As I mentioned a moment ago, Marvel has been consistently cranking out fantastic Star Wars comics, Jedi Fallen Order on PS4 (or Xbox, pick your poison) was a total blast, and The Mandalorian, which was one of 2019’s best series did, one hell of a job bringing us our first live-action Star Wars TV show. Which brings me to one of the subjects I’ll be covering on this episode of The World’s Best Podcast. The all new, final season of the beloved animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, will premiere on Disney+ next month. In this episode, I discuss the previous seasons of the show and what we should expect going into homestretch of this highly anticipated final season.

  After covering The Clone Wars, we do a deep dive into the second part of The CW’s DC Crossover Event: Crisis On Infinite Earths! The first 3 installments of the 5-Part crossover aired in December and, after the holiday hiatus, returned for the EPIC 2-Part finale last week! The final 2 hours of Crisis did not disappoint and had massive ramifications for The Arrowverse and it’s characters moving forward! On this episode I give my take on the biggest moments from Crisis, how the Crossover Event fundamentally changed The Arrowverse forever, and I speculate about the possible future directions The Arrowverse could take. In many ways, the slate has been wiped clean for all of The CW‘s DC shows. So this is the perfect jumping on point for new viewers or lapsed fans looking to return to the franchise. With Arrow having just aired it’s Series Finale earlier this week (Don’t worry. I’ll get to that in another article very soon), I think Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow have become my favorite Arrowverse shows. Either series would be a good place to jump back into The Arrowverse.      

Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/22115044 Or subscribe on Stitcher, Spreaker, iHeartRadio, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox, Podcast Addict, Google Podcasts, & Apple Podcasts/ITunes…

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worlds-best-podcast/id1246038441?i=1000463773072

Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=64371445&autoplay=1

Thanks for reading and listening! Follow me on Twitter @PJWrightWBM or type Worlds Best Media into the search bar, you can also like and follow us on our Facebook page; World’s Best Media. Those likes and follows, as well as iTunes reviews, go a long way to supporting World’s Best Media. We really appreciate the loyalty and support shown to us by our fans, so thanks again!

-Paul