COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Once again, Professor Mike here, welcome you back to another edition of Comic Book of the Week.  We're on a theme right now, and our focus is on the Fastest Man Alive - The Flash.  It's been 80 years since the speedster made his debut on the comic pages, and joined one of the core members of the old guard of the superhero set, with the likes of Superman and Batman.  Jay Garrick was our hero for the wartime, and was a founding member (and Chairman), of the Justice Society of America.  But after 1949, Jay Garrick all but disappeared from the comics pages.  The Golden Age of Comics had come to an end, and the world didn't need superheroes anymore....then came 1956.  And the Silver Age of Comics began...and it all started with the revival of a certain speedster.

SHOWCASE #4

 

COVER: Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert

WRITER: Robert Khaniger

ARTIST: Carmine Infantino

INKS: Joe Kubert

LETTERS: Gasper Saladino

COLORS: N/A

EDITOR: Julius Schwartz

COVER DATE: October 1956

PUBLISHER: DC Comics

STORY TITLE: "Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt", "The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier"

TAGLINE:  Presenting THE FLASH!  Whirlwind Adventures of The Fastest Man Alive!

Showcase #4 was an edition of a book that was, well, a showcase for not only new characters, but new talent as well.  The series ran all the way into the 70's, and gave a chance for DC comics to seek out new talent and ideas to bring to their audience.  In 1956, Julius Schwartz was the editor/publisher of the company at the time, and was VERY interested in reviving their superhero line.  With this particular issue of the series, Schwartz assigned writer Robert Khaniger and artists Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert to come up with an idea to revive the genre'....and they took a classic character in The Flash, and gave him a sleek new look, a new origin, and created the character of Barry Allen.  This new Flash proved to be such a success with his first issue, he appeared in 3 other issues of the series, before being assigned his own book in 1959.  This series also gave us such iconic characters such as Green Lantern (we'll get to him a little down the road), Challengers of the Unknown, and Adam Strange.  The series died out in 1970, but revived in 1977, but died out again in 1978.  The title was then revived yet again in the 80's as New Talent Showcase.  But this issue is iconic as being the spark that gave us the Silver Age of Comics---perhaps the greatest era of the business in its history.

THE STORY: "Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt" gives us the story of Central City police scientist Barry Allen, who is struck by lighting, while having a cabinet of chemicals douse him at the same time.  The combination of the two grant Allen the ability to move at superhuman speed, and, based off his comic book hero Jay Garrick, became a new version of the Monarch of Motion - The Flash!

"The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier" is about The Flash tracking a criminal from the future, who's supposed to be serving his sentence in the 50th Century, only to have broke free, and has travelled to the past.  The Flash battles him, and travels through time in order to defeat the thief, and get him back to prison to serve his sentence.

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This issue was a great start to the career of the Scarlet Speedster.  Khaniger didn't spend too much time on exposition in regards to Barry Allen's origin, and both stories move at a steady pace.  Carmine Infantino begins his historic run on this character, and defines the art of moving at super speed.  And while I think Joe Kubert is a fine artist and inker, his inks don't really work with Infantino's art.  Thankfully, Murphy Anderson began inking Infantino later on, and the marriage of the two was more pleasant.  Khaniger didn't stay with the character long, and John Broome became the writer of the Fastest Man Alive for a good chunk of his series' run.  But this is a great intro into the new Flash, and the spark that lit the fuse of the Silver Age of Comics.

Next week:  A brand new speedster....a brand new series.

STARGIRL - SEASON 1.4

REVIEW:  STARGIRL - SEASON 1.4:  "Wildcat"

The Icicle has made his presence VERY much known.  After finding out about the Cosmic Staff having a new owner, Stargirl, he's determined to put an end to her before she gets bold enough to stop him.  He scored the first victory against her by killing off a young man she befriended after their battle.  It also turns out, it was a two-fer:  the young boy was the son of one of his teammates, The Wizard, who had not done his part to help Brainwave in stopping Stargirl.  To drive his point home even moreso, he ended up killing his own teammate, when the Wizard discovered that he did it on purpose.  Meanwhile, Pat showed Courtney the HQ of the Justice Society of America, talking to her about how they died, and that he and her cannot stop the Injustice Society on their own, and that it's time to call it a day.  Courtney, however, is undeterred, and heists the equipment of the JSA, and goes to recruit a new JSA...

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We're finally getting the new JSA together!  Courtney recruits her new teammate on this episode, as Yolanda Montez becomes the new Wildcat.  This episode also dove deep into Yolanda's backstory, giving us the reason she's been ostracized by not only those at school, but by her own family as well.  That's a painful thing for me--seeing a child cast out or treated terribly by their own parents because said child has brought "shame" to them.  The lack of support for Yolanda by her own parents is just a sore spot for me, because I personally feel that NO child should EVER be "cast out" by their own family...regardless of transgression.  But I guess in HER family, honor matters more than love.  But, it's now become a driving force to not only recieve redemption in HER eyes, but to do some good in the world.

The episode began with a little background on Yolanda, as we see that she WAS, at one time, one of the nicest, smartest, and well over gal with the kids in school.  She was running for Class President, and was making the rounds, getting compliments from teachers, and from fellow students, and was dating Henry King, Jr, which raised the ire of the school mean girl:  Cindy Burman.  We later on see Yolanda at home texting Henry, who wants her to send a naughty pic of herself, which she does.  We see the next day that Henry's showing off the pic to his buddies, and then Cindy comes up, snatches his phone, sees the pic, and he snatches it back before she can do anything with it.  Later on, we have the class debates, and Cindy, in her act of cruelty, sends the picture of Yolanda shirtless and in her bra out to the student body, which causes her to leave the gym, but also become osctrasized by her family and the school itself.

We next head to the Dugan household, where Pat's working breakfast, and Barbara leaves for work.  Courtney's still discouraged from Pat ending their heroic ventures to assemble a new JSA.  She had been overlooking her booty from JSA HQ earlier, and she still pressures Pat into looking for the other members of the ISA, but he says he's working on it, and she doesn't want to be kept out of the loop.

Courtney sees Henry bump into Yolanda, who tells him to watch it, and he glares at her as he passes by.  Cindy, now Henry's girlfriend, goes up to Yolanda to start trouble and bully her, and Courtney comes to her defense.  Cindy then threatens Courtney, and she takes off.  Yolanda wants Courtney to stop trying to make friends with her, but Courtney is persistent.  She then sees Yolanda working the punching bag in the gym...as she's adept at boxing it seems.  Courtney convinces her to come to her house, and she wants to show her something.  Yolanda reluctantly agrees, and  Courtney gives her the address to her house, since Yolanda can have no phone.  Yolanda never shows up because she's forbidden to and permanently grounded by her parents.  She's upset, as is her brother, who is bothered by the fact that she's shut down by her parents. 

Pat is at his garage, when Denise Zarick shows up, needing some work on her vehicle.  Pat give his condolences to her for the loss of her son and husband.  She said she's leaving town, as he notices her black cat in the car, as well as  a magician's hat.  She leaves her car there for him to work on, while she conducts some final business.  It raises Pat's suspicions.

Jordan Mahkent heds into ISA headquarters and meets up with Dr. Ito, the Dragon King.  They discuss happenings, and the Dragon King discusses how he's working with his daughter , as she wants to follow in his footsteps.  Jordan discusses that he's working on his new project:  New America, and he wants Ito's help.  Ito volunteers, and also wants the Wizard's body, so that he can conduct his sick experiments on.  They also discuss the growing situation with Stargirl in town, and looking to take down the ISA.  

Eventually, Yolanda and Courtney meet up, and after Yolanda tells her story, Courtney says she needs her help in taking down the ISA.  Yolanda has no idea what she's talking about, and thinks that Court is crazy.  Courtney tells her that she blew up Henry's car, and will show her how.  Later on, Courtney tells her about the Cosmic Staff, and shows her the Wildcat outfit and mask.  Yolanda reluctantly tries it on, and at first it doesn't fit, until she puts on the cowl, and then it transforms and it fits her.  They have Yolanda try out the suit, but she feels she's not ready for this kind of thing.  They then notice Henry out late, and Courtney tells her that his father is the villain Brainwave.  They then surmise that he's going to the hospital to see his dad.  So, they follow, and get to the hospital.  Courtney goes to create a distraction, while Wildcat scales the building and into Dr. King's room.  She sees Henry there, upset that his father is hurt.  Yolanda wants to slice him to bits, but then she doesn't.  She then stays in hiding as he leaves.  Her and Stargirl stay in communication, and need to find out who else has been to see him.  The Staff manages to help Courtney make a distraction to draw the nurse away from the nurse's station, and Yolanda checks the visitor's log.  She then sneaks back into the room, and that's when Prinicpal Bowin shows up.  She whips out her violin, and plays a little bit to see if it would wake Brainwave up, but it doesn't.  She then packs in it and leaves, and Wildcat escapes out the window where Stargirl is, and they take off.  Unbeknownst to them, Beth Chapel, who'd been there to visit her mom (and has no other real friends), noticed Stargirl and Wildcat taking off from the hospital.

They head back to Courtney's, and they wonder WHY Principal Bowin didn't log into the visitior's log.  Courtney wants to follow up, but Yolanda says she can't.  She's not ready for this kind of thing, and she gives the suit back to Courtney.  She feels needs to work on herself  before she can go forward with anything else, and that means standing up to her parents.

Yolanda heads home, and she asks her parents for forgiveness, and feels she's been punished enough.  But neither of her parents relent, and she is told that she brought shame to her family, and that was that.  She goes upstairs, followed by her brother, STILL visibly upset over the treatment of his sister.  She then sits up in her room, and notices the Wildcat suit, with a note from Courtney that says "I can't do this WITHOUT you!"  We later see Courtney in her room, when there's a tap at her bedroom window.  It's Yolanda in her Wildcat gear, smiling and ready to go.

We see that Denise had returned to collect her vehicle earlier, and warned Pat to get out of Blue Valley, and trust NO ONE.  She KNOWS that her husband didn't die of a heart attack, and she's getting out before more trouble happens.  She lost everything, and thus no reason to stay.  It makes Pat VERY curious.  Later on, as he goes to the junkyard to get some parts, he stumbles upon Denise's cat, and then her vehicle, which had been involved in a wreck...with the magician's hat in the front seat.  Pat is now aware that something bad has happened to Denise.  

This was a good episode that provides the backstory for Yolanda Montez, and how we got to her point in her life where she's now an outsider at school, and we find out that her family has all but disowned her, except her brother.  She has NO ONE to lean on all this time...until she met Courtney.  Courtney hasn't been swayed by Yolanda's past, and therefore, understands what it's like to be an outsider, considering she's one herself.  We discover that Yolanda is VERY good with boxing, and the Wildcat suit enchances any abilities she has, which will make her formidable down the road once she's gotten training.  But I am liking that we're getting backstory on all our new heroes and villains.  And we now have the first "new" recruit for Stargirl's new JSA.  I like how she has at least ONE ally in her family...her brother.  Because, honestly, I wanna slap the crap outta her parents for being that cruel.  THEIR name and THEIR reputation is more important than their daughter's mental and emotional well being.  It bugs me to no end.  

We also get some tiny Beth Chapel backstory, as we see that she doesn't have any friends (outside of Courtney...IF that!), and it's concerning to her mother, who WANTS her to make friends.  But we also get a glimpse into one of Beth's extrordinary abilities, as she's able to see Wildcat and Stargirl leaving the scene of the hospital, after they had been snooping around in Dr. King's room.

We see that Dragon King as made his presence known, and is ensuring that his daughter is following in his footsteps.  And we also notice that Principal Bowin has ties to the ISA, as she came into Brainwave's room unannounced, and played for him.  It's apparent that she's The Fiddler, and a member of the ISA herself.  

Pat, who had said to Courtney that he IS handling the ISA situation...was going to ensure that whatever evidence he got on them, he'd pass along to the autorities.  But, his suspicions got raised when Denise informed him that no one in Blue Valley is to be trusted, and she KNOWS that her husband wasn't killed by a heart attack.  Pat discovering her cat, and wrecked car in the junkyard gives him notice that she had been killed to keep her silenced.  I believe this will spun Pat on to not only jump back into the hero game, but help Courtney assemble the new JSA.  Because we all KNOW he wasn't in the junkyard looking for simple car parts....he's refining S.T.R.I.P.E. for better combat.  

Is it okay to say that I HATE Cindy Burman?  I can't stand bullies.  But trust me...there's more to her than meets the eye---and it's WORSE than we can possibly realize.  Remember...A LOT of the kids at that school are the sons and daughters of the Injustice Society.  We already knew about THREE of them:  Cameron Mahkent, Henry King, Jr., and our late Joey Zarick.  Cindy is an offspring too...and you'll find out soon enough.

Lots of backstory in this episode, and it continues to keep setting up for the future.  I like that Yolanda's story is told, and now we can see her become a hero, and get some self esteem and self respect back.  I also like how she WANTED to slash Henry for what he and Cindy did to him...but she held back---especially once she noticed how broken up he was about his father being comatose.  For her enemy, she showed compassion.  And with Stargirl, it seems that the Staff has a mind of its own, seeing as how it's directed Courtney in certain situations to help her out.  Still needs to work on the communication though.

Overall...quality episode.  I'm thoroughly enjoying this series, and I am invested in the characters.  I look forward to how this story plays out.

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Alrighty, kids.  That does it for this installment!  Please subscribe and leave a comment, and lemme know YOUR thoughts on this episode.

Until then...Keep an Eye on the Stars!

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Hello there, yet again!  Professor Mike here, going through the historic tomes of comic book past to pull out this edition of the comic book of the week.  And after much digging, I've decided to do something special over the next few editions:  focus on ONE particular character.  And not just ANY character...one who's celebrating 80 years of publication history, and one of the greatest superheroes of all time...and MY personal favorite:  The Flash.

The Flash is the major superhero created by Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert.  Flash was published by All-American Comics at the time (which later merged with National Publications, and eventually became DC Comics), and hit the newsstands back in January of 1940.  This year is his 80th anniversary, and the Fastest Man Alive has been around in many incarnations.  But this week...we'll focus on the first guy who raced around at super speed saving people and battling the bad guys:  Jason Peter Garrick.

FLASH COMICS #1 

COVER:  Sheldon Moldoff

WRITER: Gardner Fox

ARTIST: Harry Lampert

INKS: Harry Lampert

LETTERS: Harry Lampert

COLORS: N/A

EDITOR: M.C. Gaines

COVER DATE: January 1940

PUBLISHER: All-American Comics (later merged with National Publications, which became DC Comics)

STORY TITLE:  "Origin of the Flash" 

Cliff Cornwall:  "The Disappearing Plane"

Hawkman:  "The Origin of Hawkman"

Johnny Thunder:  "The Kidnapping of Johnny Thunder"

The Flash Picture Novelette:  "The Demon Dummy, Part 1"

The Whip:  "Origin of the Whip"

TAGLINES:  Lightning Fast Action, Mystery, and Adventure!  Introducing THE FLASH...Fastest Man Alive!

Flash Comics #1 was released in January of 1940, and was the beginning of the adventures of the Fastest Man Alive.  However, it also became the debut of several other new heroes:  FBI Agent Cliff Cornwall, Hawkman, Johnny Thunder (both of whom, along with the Flash, became founding members of the Justice Society of America), and the Whip.  While the title character of the book made his appearances, the book ended up becoming more of an anthology title along the lines of Action Comics and Detective Comics, both of which were huge selling books featuring Superman and Batman at the time.  Flash would end up getting his own solo book at one point:  All-Flash Quarterly, which was published as such, and then shortened to just All-Flash until the tail end of the 1940's, post World War II, as superheroes were becoming less popular with readers.  Flash was one of the many characters created by All-American Comics along with the Atom, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman.  The editor over at All-American, M.C. Gaines, would later go on to form EC Comics, which was responsible for a lot of the horror-themed titles of the period such as Tales From the Crypt, and he was also responsible for the creation of MAD Magazine.  All-American Comics would later merge with National Publications, which was responsible for Action Comics, Detective Comics, Batman, and Superman.  With the merger, Flash and the aforementioned characters merged into what became known as the early DC Universe, and set off the Golden Age of Comics.  Flash Comics would run for 9 years, eventually ending its race with issue 104 in 1949.  Jay Garrick would continue to appear off and on in All-Star Comics periodically over the next 7 years, and we wouldn't see a new Flash series until Julis Schwartz came onto the scene in 1956.

THE STORY:  The main story is that of Jay Garrick, a college student at Midwestern University, who breathes in a experiment of "hard water" and becomes comatose.  After recovering, he finds out that he has attained the power to run at superhuman speed.  When his girlfriend, Joan Williams, informs him that her father was kidnapped by criminal scientists, Jay goes into action as The Flash, and defeats them.  Thus, a new hero is born

Cliff Cornwall's is an FBI Agent who is sent in by the U.S. Army to find a fleet of bombers that disappeared somewhere in Alaska.  

Hawkman's story is that of his origin:  Carter Hall, a museum curator who receives an Egyptian dagger from a friend.  Once he touches it, he discovers that he is the reincarnated version of Prince Khufu of Egypt, along with his wife, Shiera.  He finds his modern day love, who also has these visions, and is running from an electrical storm.  They go to a Doctor Hastor, who happens to be the reincarnation of their longtime enemy, Hath-Set, who had murdered them both back in ancient Egypt.  Carter fashions a battlesuit, and goes into action as Hawkman to defeat him.

Johnny Thunder was born on July 7, 1917 at 7 am, and was said that on his 7th birthday, he'd receive great powers.  He is kidnapped to a foreign nation, but escapes.  The cult looking for him won't find him again until he is 23 years old.  When he speaks the word "Cei-U", a mystical thunderbolt appears to grant his wishes, and it manages to save him from the cult.

The Demon Dummy is the story of ventriloquist Harry Dunstan, who is wrongly framed for murder by a corrupt cop, who wanted Harry's girlfriend Madge as his own.  While there, he had his dummy Red with him, but the dummy ended up taking on a mind of its own.  Once released, Harry was able to clear his name, but Madge had died in childbirth after marrying the corrupt cop. 

Bored and wealthy, Rodney Gaynor--along with his assistant Wing, travel to the American Southwest, and meet Marissa Dillon, daughter of a newspaper publisher, who informs him of the poor laborers in the area being abused by the law.  Inspired by a local legend, Gaynor becomes The Whip, who takes on those who prey upon the laborers.

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You got A LOT of story for 86 pages back in 1940.  This book gives us the origins of three of the founding members of the Justice Society of America, and two characters that would be a part of DC Comics lore as well.  These "80 Page Giants" would become part of the norm for DC Comics when they decided to release special editions, or, just randomly have one in one of the characters' series' run.  You can find these stories in various collections around the DC Comics' library.  If you're a historian of comics, seek it out!

Next week:  The Silver Age Begins...quickly!

DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - SEASON 5.14

REVIEW:  DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - SEASON 5.14:  "Swan Thong"

Here we are, ladies and gents!  It's the Season 5 finale of Legends of Tomorrow, and when we last left our time travellers, they had been trapped in television land, courtesy of Charlie, who had made a deal with her sisters to save them, for her helping them reshape the world they way they originally saw fit.  However, thanks to original Zari, with the help of Gary and Mona, to escape the realm.  Charlie, however, offered to keep them there to keep them safe, but they said they'd take their chances with her sisters.  And now, the final battle will begin, as Charlie cannot help nor stop the conflict between her sisters and her teammates.  Let's see how this all goes down...

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Wow!  That certainly was a pretty interesting way to end a season!  We got some beats of drama, some cute humorous moments, and a surprise ending that had me going "WTF?!" at the end of it.  Season 5 took us on quite a ride, and we'll reflect back on it, but before we do, here was some of the hits of the season finale that we got this week:

The finale starts off with the new world order of the Fates as Charlie has witnesses some rebellion amongst the public, knowing that the team is now free, and looking to stop her sisters once and for all.  Charlie is flustered, and not sure what to do.  Meanwhile, Gary and Mona hook back up with the team, having gotten their memories back (well, Mona it seems, anyway).  The team is plotting to get the Loom back, and fix things.  But they also need to find the Waverider first.  So, Mona directs them to the landfill, considering her job in this reality is the historical sanitation writer.  The team splits up for two tasks:  Ava, Mick, Nate, Zari #1, and Gary all try to find the Waverider, while Sara, Astra, John, Zari #2, and Behrad infiltrate the church to find the Loom.  Ava's team manages to find the Waverider, but discover that Gideon has been taken from the ship.  Zari can only do so many repairs to get it up and running.  Meanwhile, Mick takes off to go find Lita, who's off somewhere in the city.  

Sara's team gets past security, and the find the Loom, and has John and Astra use their magic to destroy it.  John has Astra focus on her mother Natalie, and draw from her mother for her power.  It seems to be working a bit, but then Astra's memories get replaced by that of Lechesis, and the task fails.  She can't concentrate, because she feels like betrayed her own mother by listening to Lechesis.  John tries to sway her, but Astra cannot refocus.

At the church, Charlie feigns to her sisters that all is okay, and they start listening to the wishes of the people.  One of them wants their TV shows back on, and discusses a "crossover".  It's here that Lechesis wonders what's going on, and Charlie tries to explain, but she sees people in the crowd dressed as the Legends.  Before invading the temple, the team had switched clothes with fans of the show in order to sneak it.  The ruse all gone, Lechesis blames Charlie, and sends Atropose to deal with the problem.  Atropose takes on Sara's team, and she and Sara fight, with Sara still having her powers.  They battle until Sara manages to pull on Atropose's thread, and send her into the Loom itself, with the help of Bherad and Zari's wind blast.  She ends up getting consumed by the Loom and is gone.  A little chaos breaks out, and the team beats a hasty retreat, hopping on the Waverider, and jumping time with it.  

The team returns to the city, only to find out it's 4 months later...and while Sara's powers are gone, she got her sight back.  And even though they thought they destroyed the Loom, everyone is walking around with watches that make their decisions for them.  Turns out, that Lechesis had set up Gideon as the new source of the Loom, and has everyone wearing the watches in order to keep them docile.  Mick and Lita return to the ship, with Mick upset that they had left him for a few months.  Gary and Mona also return, and they have to come up with a plan to get Gideon back by shutting her down.  They also need to rescue Charlie, who was put into their Museum of Villains and Bad Ideas for her transgression against her sister.  They enter there, and manage to get Charlie out.  But Charlie's beat beaten into submission mentally and emotionally.  She feels that all the chaos is her fault, and had she not split the Loom, none of this would be happening.  The team does their best to try and convince her that there is some good that has come out of the chaos and disorder, but she's defeated, and walks off dejected.  John also tries to give Astra a boost up, but Astra still can't reconcile that she allowed Lechesis to control her, and make her forget her mother.  The team DOES manage to come up with a plan to stop Lechesis, and that's by having both Zaris find Gideon and shut her down, meanwhile, the rest of the team will deal with Lechesis.  

Back at the museum, Lechesis is giving a tour, showing off all the bad ideas (like games, machines, etc..), and the Villains (which includes Charles Manson and guest star Courtney Ford reprising her role as Marie Antoinette).  She talks about how horrible the Legends are, and he sister.  But when the spotlight is on her sister, it turns out to be Astra, who dares a shocked Lechesis to stop her, as she tells the public that everything Lechesis is saying is wrong.  Lechesis then uses the coins of the encores, and revives them, sending them after the Legends.  Meanwhile, on board the Waverider, Lita talks to Charlie, and tells her about how her life is a result of chaos, and that no matter how much bad there is, there's some good as well.  It seems to help, because Charlie meets up with the team, as they try to stop the encores, but can't kill them.  Charlie shows up with demon killing weapons, and the team finishes them off, with Marie getting decapitated again.  While they're taking care of the encores, Charlie tracks her sister down to finish her off, but instead, her sister is defeated, because she says that she was a God...and now she's mortal, and nothing.  Charlie explains to her sister that yes, she is mortal, but it's what you DO with your life that matters....hence why it's worth living.  Charlie says she won't kill her sister, because she used to be afraid of her...but she forgives her.  Now, the rest is up to Lechesis as to what she does with her life.

One of the things I hadn't brought up was the issue with Behrad this episode.  During the course of their plan to shut down Lechesis, Behrad began having chest pains, and memories of his alternate future, where he sacrificed himself for Zari.  She had brought that up to him, and later on, the attack happened again, but he managed to hold it off until after the battle was over.  On board the ship, it happened a third time, and this time, his version of Zari was worried.  It was then that Zari #1 realized that there's a flux in the time stream, and it's effecting him.  She is the problem, and she can't stay.  Only one Zari is to remain, but he doesn't want to lose her.  She says she needs to do this for him, and she's got to go back into the totem.  Nate and her spend one final moment in time with each other, professing their love, and Nate happy that he got his memories back of her.  He knows where she'll be, and he has no regrets.  They both make that promise, and, the totem calls, and our original Zari is gone.  With the team in need of some down time, Charlie knows just a place.  

The team is back in England, as Charlies' punk band plays, and she's singing her heart out.  The team is decked out for the occasion, and enjoying themselves.  Astra and John talk about her next move, and she's thinking she'll stay at his house in London.  She also gives him his lifecoin, and they celebrate.  As the team decides they need a vacation, Charlie says she's gonna stick around and lay some roots down, so she's leaving the team.  The team is sad to see her go, but she knows she can always come back.  The team then gets ready to go their separate ways for time off, when they head back to the Waverider, Sara is suddenly caught in a beam, and lifted away, without the  team being any wiser as the episode ends.

Well...a few things to unpack from this season finale:

 - We had to say goodbye to our original Zari again.  As we witnessed in Batwoman, this new universe has rules that apply:  namely, two of the same person cannot occupy the same place in space.  Interestingly enough though, NEITHER Zari was effected, but it was Behrad.  He was the anomaly that tied both Zari's together,and Nate's Zari made the sacrifice to go back into the totem, to not only save HIM, but to make sure her counterpart got to keep her brother.  It was obviously noble on Zari's part, but I'll always prefer HER to her counterpart, who...while making strides this season to be more of a help to the team...still is a pain in the ass.  Also...not digging her and John together.  But, it is what it is.  I just feel for Nate.  All season long, trying to find HIS Zari...get her back...only to lose her again.  I had honestly thought that we'd lose Behrad this season, because he really wasn't supposed to be there, and we'd have this kind of amalgamation of Zari...but that's not the case.  So...John gets the girl, and Nate comes up empty handed.  I guess that he'll have to take Ray's place next season, and he'll be womanless from here on out.  Unless they find somebody on the level of Zari...she's going to be the ONLY one for Nate.  And if that's the case...i'd rather he fly solo.

- Charlie finally stood her ground with her sister, and proved her worth this season as a true Legend.  She grew from the opening of the season until the finale, and I think that if she makes any guest appearances, she'll be more badass than ever.  Charlie had many fears coming into this season, and we finally got to hear HER story---it was pretty much about her the entire time.  So, to see her face down her sister, and not kill her, but leave her sister to her own fate, shows tremendous character development.  Sadly, with Maisie Richardson-Sellars leaving the show to pursue other projects, we have to bid Charlie farewell for now.  

 - Astra and John.  Quite a bit of growth from Constantine this season as well.  He kept his promise to Astra---sort of.  He made a deal that he'd get her mother back, but in the end---he didn't.  Not really.  Admittedly, Charlie was a help to Astra in that department, but Astra came to realize that her mother was inside her and with her all along.  She just had to remember the memories.  And her mother's powers, which John explained to her, flows through her.  And because of what time Astra got with Natalie...it was enough to allow Astra to come to terms with her mother gone, and make peace with it.  Also with John.  As for John, we saw him about as noble as he can be, while being stuck in situations that were way out of his element...including lung cancer.  But, he managed to gain some redemption along the way, and got a new girlfriend in the process...Zari.  This will be something to watch next season, as their relationship progresses.  

 - Gary was....Gary this season.  While it's done some good for him to learn under John's tutelage, he's also still annoying.  Thankfully, he wasn't overused this season.  Mona, while we only got her in patches this season as well, was refreshing everytime she hit the screen.  I miss Mona, and with Charlie gone, will she rejoin the group, or will she continue to pump out books as Rebecca Silver?  

 - Mick.  What can we say about Mick?  He's got a KID!  And she is every bit like him...but that's what makes the father/daughter dynamic work.  And it was cool that she eventually came around, and saw that...despite the bad apple that he has made every effort to come off as...he's a loving father...and a softie.  

 - Ava & Sara.  Ava herself went on her own journey this season, having joined the team on board the ship, and effectively being a co-captain.  She was so unsure in her role, and uneasy about taking over for Sara, she did an admirable job.  She's still working her way through her own personal issues with sill being a clone, but her and Sara are still rock solid.  But Ava also showed that she's a geeky goofball like the rest of the team.  

Sara had the roughest road this season.  She was a part of CRISIS, she had to watch her best friend Oliver Queen die---twice.  She had to take time off to reconcile with that, almost took a job in Star City with Mayor Rene Ramirez.  She also got nailed by one of Charlie's sisters, inherited powers, and was blind for a short period of time.  But through is all, Sara Lance did what she always did---tough it out and lead.  And now?  With this kidnapping of sorts...where in the hell did she go?!!  We're in for a LOOOOONG wait before we find out what happens.  

Overall, it was a very good episode, that tied up some loose storylines, and set up a cliffhanger for next season.  As a whole, it was another fun season...one we could expect from this ragtag crew.  We said farewell to Ray and Nora Palmer (though it was AWESOME to have Courtney Ford back for the finale...even though it was a short bit as Marie Antoinette, which she was HILARIOUS in), and also farewell to our original Zari (yet again), and Charlie, as she's going to stay behind and start a life.  The team's core is still intact, and not sure whether or not Astra will join them, and whether or not Mona will return.  Gary is hanging on the fringes, so he'll be back.  But change is yet again the theme of the show, and it's going to be fun to see how it shapes up next season.

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Well, kiddies...that's it for Seaon 5 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow!  Thanks for hanging in for this run, and look forward to havin' you all back for Season 6.  It's gonna be awhile, but make sure you subscribe to the page anyway, because we still have our ongoing Stargirl review, plus other stuff that you will see featured here.  Plus...leave some comments...I wanna know what YOU thought of this season.

STARGIRL - SEASON 1.3

REVIEW:  STARGIRL - SEASON 1.3:  "Icicle"

Things are heating up in Blue Valley!  

In the wake of the Justice Society of America's downfall, Pat Dugan - Starman's former sidekick Stripsey - takes his new family from California to Nebraska to set up shop and start anew...so we thought.  Turns out, he was just picking up the trail of the late Dr. Mid-Nite of the Injustice Society, led by the sinister Icicle.  But before he can track them, he finds out that the Cosmic Staff that he's kept as a request to Starman, until the worthy successor comes along, the Staff awakes and finds that successor - his stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore...a high school Sophomore, who's having to adjust to her new life in Blue Valley.  She runs afoul of not only the star of the football team, Henry King, Jr., but his father, Henry King, Sr., as well.  Turns out that King is one of the Injustice Society - Brainwave. And as much as Pat discourages Courtney from using the Staff...she does.  She faces off with Brainwave, and gets an assist from Pat in his robot.  With Brainwave down, the Icicle has come to Blue Valley, looking to take down the new wielder of the Staff.  

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As I had stated in the last review, we've gotten this show off to a good start, what with not only giving us Courtney's origin to becoming Stargirl, but also background on what happened to the original JSA, as well as Pat's reason for moving the family to Blue Valley...namely, chasing the Injustice Society...of which the members now operate in Blue Valley in secret, as part of the community.  We also meet some of their offspring as well.  This episode, we get to see more of the offspring, but also Icicle's determination to initiate his new plan for the country, as well as stopping Stargirl at every cost.  

We opened up 8 years ago in Blue Valley, diving into Icicle's past, as we see his wife dying, and his son Cameron, who drew her a picture of the flowers in their garden, give it to her.  She then dies due to some disease, but not before telling Jordan tells her that he's going to make everyone that did this to his wife pay.  She tells him to make the world better, and to destroy anyone that gets in his way.  

Pat and Courtney talk about stopping the Injustice Society, and he wants her to lay low, and just keep a low profile.  He has no idea how many more are out there, and just wants her to go to school and be a normal kid.  She tells him that if he finds out anything, to let her know. We then see Hank King, Jr. keeping vigil by his dad's side, as Brainwave is still in a coma, after the battle with Stargirl.  He notices the coffee cup move, and then sees Jordan Mahkent looking in on him.  Jordan then calls William Zarick, but Zarick is ignoring his calls.  Zarick , who is secretly the ISA member The Wizard, gives magic tips to his son, Joey, before sending him off to school.  He again avoids another call from Jordan. 

Courtney's at school, when she runs into Joey, who performs his magic card trick on her.  While he doesn't get it right, she plays along anyway, and he says he's going to the talent show out of town.  She wishes him luck.  He's a sweet kid.  She then sees Yolanda, and the word SLUT spray painted on her locker.  Courtney goes to her, and wants to help, but Yolanda leaves, and doesn't want a part of it.  Courtney is then in class, when she notices a boy drawing flowers.  She introduces herself, and it's here that she meets Cameron Mahkent for the first time.  They hit it off well.  She then leaves class, and bumps into Rick Tyler in town, and they pass, but make minimal eye contact.  He's the aloof boy we meet in episode one.  

Pat heads to the hospital to check in on Brainwave, and asks Dr. Chapel how he was found, and she said he was found in front of the hospital in his hospital coat.  He tells her he's an "old friend" of Dr. King's.  He then realizes that there's more of the ISA here, and it's not good.  Zarick arrives home, and Jordan is there, and they talk about what happened with Brainwave and Stargirl.  Jordan is upset that William didn't help him, and he said Brainwave insisted on going solo, and wasn't much of a team player, but he cleaned the mess up.  Icicle says that William needs to step up, and not just put on a magic show...trading in one costume for another, and if he cares about his son, he'll make sure to help him out down the road---he's in charge.  

Jordan is at his company, talking about all the progress the town has made, and his plans for the future, including more revitalization.  However, Barbara, Courtney's mom, speaks up about the theater she once went to as a kid.  Jordan's brother says that the theater was operating at a loss, but Jordan decides that she's bold enough to stick up for it, let's see if they can save it.  Meanwhile, back at school, Courtney sees Yolanda getting picked on again, and decides to confront Hank's girlfriend over it.  After the mean girls take off after threatening Courtney, Yolanda tells her to stay out of it, otherwise she'll make it worse.  

On the way home, Courtney strolls through the park, and it gets cold, and the ground gets icy.  She sees a star symbol form, and she takes off, telling Pat what she saw.  They suit up and check it out.  It's here that the Icicle attacks by freezing S.T.R.I.P.E., immobilizing him.  Stargirl fends him off bfriefly, before he zaps the Staff, and it isn't working briefly.  Icicle is about to kill Stargirl, when S.T.R.I.P.E.'s fist comes barrelling in, hitting Icicle, and knocking him away to save Stargirl.  He then uses his powers to freeze the bridge, and the road on it.  Just at that time, the bus with the kids coming back from the talent show slide and crash.  Icicle takes off.  Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E. manage to save the bus, and while Pat is worried about Joey seeing him save them, Stargirl uses the staff to blind them enough to ensure they're secret is safe.  

Just when they thought everything was okay, Joey, who had gotten off the bus with the rest of the kids, had one of his trick cards escape, and he goes across the road to get it, as Icicle had blown it away, and as Joey chased it, an oncoming truck hit the ice, and couldn't stop.  Joey is killed, and Stargirl is in shock.  Later on, as Courtney explains to Pat what a great kid Joey was, and that they need to find the Icicle and stop him, Pat takes her on a journey to the JSA's headquarters (I was mistaken, thinking that it had been destroyed in their last battle 10 years ago), and he shows her all the weapons left behind:  Flash's helmet, Hourman's hourglass necklace, Johnny Thunder's pen, Green Lantern's lantern, Wildcat's mask, and Dr. Mid-Nite's owl---who's been waiting for him to return, but hasn't.  Pat tells her the hero business is rough, and it's a hard life.  They shouldn't be doing it, and they can't take on the ISA alone.  She says what if they get help.  He's adamant that there's no one TO help, and it would take time to train new recruits.  

She feels it is their duty to stop the Icicle, and anyone else in the ISA still hanging around.  Pat said that a kid died because they played hero, and they're not cut out for it.  Courtney says that is EXACTLY why they should be heroes...it's their destiny.  But Pat says that they're done, and there will be no more Stargirl and S.T.R.I.P.E., and they leave.

We see William Zarick return home to his wife, and inform her of Joey's death.  William is outraged, and he goes to his secret safe, and grabs his Wizard wand, and goes straight to Jordan's house to confront him.  He wants the truth from Jordan, and goes to destroy him, but Jordan freezes his wand, and him...killing him.  Jordan's parents see what happened, and they tell him they'll clean it up...he has work to do.  Operation:  New America is the goal to make the country better..as per his plans he promised his wife, Christine.  We later find out that Zarick had died of a "heart attack", and that the refurbished theater will be renamed in his honor.  We then see Barbara a part of Jordan's new development team, and she's working late, while Pat, Courtney, and Mike sit down to have a quite dinner.

Later on, we're back at JSA headquarters, when we see a pair of hands making off with the various weapons of the JSA---it's Courtney, and she looks to the owl, and asks him if he's ready to find new recruits for the new JSA.

This series has gotten off to a VERY fast start, and it's put things in a nice gear.  We learned more about the Icicle, and his motives, and I have no doubt that in the coming weeks, we'll learn more about what Operation:  New America is, but it CAN'T be good.  And within the first three episodes, we've seen Brainwave taken down by Stargirl, and Icicle kill off The Wizard.  That's two members of the Injustice Society already down, and we know there are a few more out there, but I wonder if Icicle will be recruiting?  We FINALLY got to see the JSA HQ, and it looked cool!  I see that, outside of Wildcat and Starman's pictures up on the walls, it looks like all the other photos were just illustrations from Alex Ross.  It loooked that way, anyway.  We also saw the artifacts of the JSA - GL's lantern, Flash's helmet, Hourman's hourglass necklace, Johnny Thunder's pen, Wildcat's mask, and so on (though I did NOT see Dr. Fate's helmet nor Sandman's mask).  But we got the big table with the name on it, so we know where the new team will be set up at some juncture.  Courtney pilfering the items will also set up her getting the new team together, with the currrent crop of misfits we've met.

As for Courtney...we can account for youthful energy and enthusiasm for her wanting to go out and be a hero---but it's more.  She's a natural leader.  She's already been giving Pat orders, and he's the step-parent.  I know Pat will be Courtney's sense of reason, but he also cannot deny she has the tangibles to be a great hero.  He's still reluctant to do it, hence WHY the Staff did NOT choose HIM, and Sylvester knew why.  She's also still trying to navigate high school, and try to help Yolanda, who doesn't appear to want help, Tyler, who's just distant, but I expect Beth to be eager to help.  

Having the child of one of the villains get killed off is the harshest thing we've endured on this show.  Not something we were really expecting, but--in turn--makes the Icicle an even MORE dangerous villain.  It also raises the stakes for Courtney and the new JSA to stop him.  While we have gotten some fairly heavy drama, the show isn't MIRED in it, like the other Arrowverse shows have tended to be at times, thus dragging them down a bit.  It's keeping a nice balance, and I like that they're giving a mixture of old school music, and modern music to keep the show lively and fresh.  

Overall, I'm liking what they've done so far.  Enjoying the story, invested in the characters, and can't wait until the next episode.  

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Okay, gang!  That does it for this week!  Subscribe, leave a comment, and lemme know what YOU think so far of this show!

Until next time...Keep looking to the Stars!