May 21, 2020

A Little Sandman in Your Ears

A Little Sandman in Your Ears

On the comic book edition,  Greg Berlanti gives us more CW shows,Swamp Thing is saved? Mark Waid and Neal Adams together again for the first time and we remember writer Martin Pasko. All that and more on this edition of Multiverse Tonight!

https://multiversetonight.wordpress.com

http://mtpodcast.com

Support the show (https://ko-fi.com/multiverse)

 Multiverse Tonight is a production of Half-Baked Genre Productions. Copyright 2022  All Rights Reserved

Transcript

Tonight! Swamp Thing rises again, Mark Waid and Neal Adams join their powers for the first time and we take a moment to remember Martin Pasko, all that and more on the comic book edition of Multiverse Tonight!


Hello and welcome to episode 77 of Multiverse Tonight! So how’s the past couple of weeks been. For me, it’s been interesting, I bought myself the newest car I’ve ever had a 2014 Ford Focus Hatchback, my health is well and I hope yours is too. Comic books are slowly coming back. Stores are starting to slowly reopen. Things are okay for now. Are things great? No, but I think people are adjusting.



DC

Are you ready for Batman to get...darker? According to one of the stars of The Batman Andy Serkis, get ready for darker. Speaking with LADbible, Serkis said that the movie will be more intense than previous DCU movies and that his Alfred Pennyworth and Bruce Wayne will have a real emotional connection at the center of the script. He also said that his Alfred will be a very different take from previous versions. Saying quote "He [Caine] was fantastic. His Alfred was legendary, I couldn't even begin to go there, really. You find it for yourself. It's like playing these iconic roles in Shakespeare, you go back, you revisit them and you have to make it your own, and see what it is about the character that connects with you and your personal venn diagram," unquote Andy also revealed that they were only halfway finished when production halted due to the pandemic and a restart has not been set yet.  You know, I don’t want a darker Batman, I want a detective Batman. Can we see that instead? Please?


Swamp Thing has always been able to rise from the swamps..now he’s arisen from cancelation as the CW has picked up the series from DCUniverse. No details have been given as to new production on new episodes.


Season Two of Doom Patrol will be coming to both DC Universe and HBO Max on June twenty fifth. The first episode of the season sees quote "DC’s strangest group of heroes — Cliff Steele aka Robotman (Brendan Fraser), Larry Trainor aka Negative Man (Matt Bomer), Rita Farr aka Elasti-Woman (April Bowlby), Jane aka Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero), and Victor Stone aka Cyborg (Joivan Wade) — are back again to save the world. That is, if they can find a way to grow up…both figuratively and literally. Following the defeat of Mr. Nobody, the members of the Doom Patrol now find themselves mini-sized and stranded on Cliff’s toy race car track. Here they begin to deal with their feelings of betrayal by Niles Caulder aka The Chief (Timothy Dalton), while confronting their own personal baggage. And as each member faces the challenge of growing beyond their own past traumatic experiences, they must come together to embrace and protect the newest member of the family: Dorothy Spinner (Abigail Shapiro), Niles’ daughter, whose powers remain a mysterious but real threat to bringing on the end of the world."


Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is coming to Audible and it’s a bit of an all star cast. James McAvoy will provide the voice of Morpheus, also known as Dream of the Endless. Dream's sister, Death, is played by Kat Dennings. Taron Egerton takes on the role of John Constantine. Andy Serkis is Matthew the Raven. Michael Sheen plays Lucifer. Bebe Neuwirth is the Siamese Cat. Riz Ahmed plays the nightmare called the Corinthian. Gaiman will serve as the narrator. Supporting cast includes Justin Vivian Bond as Desire, Arthur Darvill as William Shakespeare, William Hope as Doctor Destiny, Matthew Horne as Hob Gadling, Reginald D. Hunter as J'onn J'onzz, Sue Johnston as Unity Kinkaid, Paterson Joseph as the Demon Chronzon, Josie Lawrence as Mad Hettie, Anton Lesser as Doctor John Hathaway, Joanna Lumley as Lady Johanna Constantine, and Miriam Margoyles as Despair. The cast will be adapting the first three Sandman graphic novels with Dirk Maggs directing the adaptation. Here’s the blurb quote "When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus—the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination—is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three "tools'' that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence. As the multi-threaded story unspools, The Sandman descends into Hell to confront Lucifer (Michael Sheen), chases rogue nightmares who have escaped his realm, and crosses paths with an array of characters from DC comic books, ancient myths, and real-world history, including: Inmates of Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, Doctor Destiny, the muse Calliope, the three Fates, William Shakespeare (Arthur Darvill), and many more.``


The Sandman audio drama debuts on Audible on July 15th.


Some sad news, The Flash actor Logan Williams, who died at the of sixteen last month, died of an overdose of the opioid fentanyl. His mother revealed to the New York post that her son had been battling addiction for three years. She told the outlet quote “His death is not going to be in vain,” “He’s going to help a lot of people down the road.” unquote If you or someone you love is addicted to opiods, get help.INthe united states call 1800 662 Help


THE CW’S FOURTH QUARTER 2020 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

MONDAY

8-8:30 PM —  Whose Line Is It Anyway?

8:30-9 PM —  Whose Line Is It Anyway?

9-10 PM — Penn & Teller: Fool Us

TUESDAY

8-9 PM —  Swamp Thing

9-10 PM — Tell Me A Story

WEDNESDAY

8-8:30 PM — Two Sentence Horror Stories

8:30-9 PM — Dead Pixels

9-10 PM — Coroner

THURSDAY

8-9 PM — Supernatural

9-10 PM — The Outpost

FRIDAY

8-8:30 PM — World’s Funniest Animals

NEW SERIES

 

SUPERMAN & LOISIn SUPERMAN & LOIS, after years of facing megalomaniacal supervillains, monsters wreaking havoc on Metropolis, and alien invaders intent on wiping out the human race, the world’s most famous superhero, The Man of Steel aka Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin, “Teen Wolf”) and comic books’ most famous journalist, Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch, “Grimm”), come face to face with one of their greatest challenges ever – dealing with all the stress, pressures and complexities that come with being working parents in today’s society. Complicating the already daunting job of raising two boys, Clark and Lois must also concern themselves with whether or not their sons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass, “Little Fires Everywhere”) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin, “The Peanuts Movie”) could inherit their father’s Kryptonian superpowers as they grow older. Returning to Smallville to handle some Kent family business, Clark and Lois are reacquainted with Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui, “Entourage”), a local loan officer who also happens to be Clark’s first love, and her Fire Chief husband Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez, “Graceland”). The adults aren’t the only ones rediscovering old friendships in Smallville as the Kent sons are reacquainted with Lana and Kyle’s rebellious daughter, Sarah (Inde Navarrette, “Wander Darkly”). Of course, there’s never a dull moment in the life of a superhero, especially with Lois’ father, General Samuel Lane (Dylan Walsh, “Nip/Tuck”) looking for Superman to vanquish a villain or save the day at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, Superman and Lois’ return to idyllic Smallville is set to be upended when a mysterious stranger (Wolé Parks, “All American”) enters their lives. Based on the characters from DC created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, SUPERMAN & LOIS is written and executive produced by Todd Helbing (“The Flash”) and executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns. The series is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

WALKER — a reimagining of the long-running series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” stars Jared Padalecki (“Supernatural”) as Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two with his own moral code, who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years, only to discover there’s harder work to be done at home. He’ll attempt to reconnect with his creative and thoughtful son (Kale Culley, “Me, Myself and I”) and his headstrong, somewhat rebellious teenage daughter (Violet Brinson, “Sharp Objects”) and navigate clashes with his family – an ADA brother (Keegan Allen, “Pretty Little Liars”) who stepped in during Walker’s absence, his perceptive mother (Molly Hagen, “Herman’s Head”) and his traditional rancher father (Mitch Pileggi, “The X-Files”). Walker’s former colleague is now his Ranger Captain, (Coby Bell, “The Game''). Walker finds unexpected common ground with his new partner (one of the first women in Texas Rangers’ history) played by Lindsey Morgan (“The 100”), while growing increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death. The show also stars Jeff Pierre as Trey Barnett. WALKER is written and executive produced by Anna Fricke (“Being Human,” “Valor”), and executive produced by Dan Lin and Lindsay Liberatore and Jared Padalecki. WALKER is from CBS Television Studios in association with Rideback.

MIDSEASON

KUNG FU — A quarter-life crisis causes a young Chinese-American woman, Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang), to drop out of college and go on a life-changing journey to an isolated monastery in China. But when she returns to San Francisco, she finds her hometown is overrun with crime and corruption and her own parents (Tzi Ma and Kheng Hua Tan) are at the mercy of a powerful Triad. Nicky will rely on her tech-savvy sister (Shannon Dang), pre-med brother (Jon Prasida), Assistant District Attorney and ex-boyfriend (Gavin Stenhouse), and new love interest (Eddie Liu) as well as her martial arts skills and Shaolin values to protect her community and bring criminals to justice … all while searching for the ruthless assassin (Gwendoline Yeo) who killed her Shaolin mentor and is now targeting her. Inspired by the original series created by Ed Spielman, KUNG FU is from Warner Bros. Television in association with Quinn’s House and Berlanti Productions, with writer/executive producer Christina M. Kim (“Blindspot,” “Lost”) and executive producers Martin Gero (“Blindspot,” “LA Complex”), Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Riverdale”) and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Riverdale”).

THE REPUBLIC OF SARAH — The bucolic tranquility of Greylock, New Hampshire is upended when a massive vein of coltan – an incredibly valuable mineral used in tech – is discovered under the town. State-backed mining company Lydon Industries swoops in with plans to extract the mineral … plans that include wiping Greylock off the map. With her friends and family in danger of losing their homes, rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper (Stella Baker) vows to stop Lydon’s bulldozers. It won’t be easy. Leading Lydon’s efforts is Sarah’s estranged brother, Danny Cooper (Luke Mitchell). After enduring a difficult childhood at the hands of his mother, former state senator Ellen Cooper (Megan Follows), Danny is eager to exact his revenge on a community he feels abandoned him. Sarah enlists her friends – fellow teacher Corinne Dearborn (Hope Lauren), police officer Amy “AJ” Johnson (Nia Holloway), and diner manager Grover Simms (Ian Duff) – in the fight against Danny, but there seems to be no way to stop the town’s impending demise … Until Sarah proposes an oddly intriguing solution: Greylock could declare independence. Citing various historical maps, she explains that the land on which Greylock sits was never properly claimed by the United States. If Sarah and her friends can convince the town to vote for independence, Greylock would gain international sovereignty and could protect its land for good. With the help of a group of supporters that includes three of her teenage students – LA transplant Maya Jimenez (Izabella Alvarez), introspective outsider Tyler Easterbrook (Forrest Goodluck), and preppy “popular girl” Bella Whitmore (Landry Bender) – Sarah and her friends win the vote. And after a federal judge agrees that Greylock isn’t – and never was – part of the United States, the town becomes a new nation. Now, Sarah and her allies must confront an even more daunting task: building a country from scratch. Executive Produced by Jeffrey Paul King (“Elementary”), Marc Webb (“Why Women Kill), Mark Martin (“Rendition”), Jeff Grosvenor and Leo Pearlman, THE REPUBLIC OF SARAH is a production of CBS Television Studios in association with Fulwell 73 and Black Lamb.



THE CW’S NEW SEASON PRIMETIME SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2021

(New Programs in UPPER CASE)


MONDAY

8-9 PM — All American

9-10 PM — Black Lightning


TUESDAY

8-9 PM — The Flash

9-10 PM — SUPERMAN & LOIS


WEDNESDAY

8-9 PM — Riverdale

9-10 PM — Nancy Drew


THURSDAY

8-9 PM — WALKER

9-10 PM — Legacies


FRIDAY

8-9 PM — Penn & Teller: Fool Us (New Night)

9-9:30 PM — Whose Line Is It Anyway? (New Night)

9:30-10 PM — Whose Line Is It Anyway? (New Night)


SUNDAY

8-9 PM — Batwoman

9-10 PM — Charmed (New Night)



Marvel

Rob Liefeld Creator of Deadpool and lots of other things, is someone who likes to freely share his opinions. Speaking with Comicbooks doe coms Talking Shop. It’s been two years since Deadpool 3, so what’s the hold up on the third one? Rob puts the blame on Marvel, quote "I blame Marvel...blame Marvel that that hasn't happened yet," Liefeld says. "They are the reason it isn't happening. Whatever conundrum or it didn't fit into your master plan, just commission it. Okay, commission it. You know if Frank Frazetta was still around, you would say, 'Frank paint for me.'"  

"If Ryan(Reyonlads) is making Deadpool 3 right now, that's because Marvel hasn't allowed it to be yet and that's all I'm saying," he adds. "So, do I have a lot of faith in that system? Dude, I have no idea. So this is where I'm not that, I'm not giving you the answers you want. I'm like yeah, yeah. Look if it happens, terrific."


Liefeld also thinks that Hugh Jackman will return to the cim=nematic X-Men franchise. When asked if he could see another actor in the role he said in an interview with Inverse quote "I'm stuck on Hugh Jackman," "Having met Hugh, having loved Hugh, there is only Deadpool because of Wolverine… I was doing Deadpool [in the comics] to get to Wolverine. Wolverine was always the goal." unquote, what would your choice as a new Wolverine be?


Fox’s final X-Men production, The New Mutants has been given a theatrical release date of August 28th in the year 2020 ...or will it? This movie has been in the can for more than 2 years now. First slated for release in april of 2018, then getting pushed to February of last year, then to August of 2019. Then Fox was sold to Disney and it was moved to April 3rd of 2020...and then the pandemic. Yep, it’s been a long strange trip...maybe Disney should just put it out on Disney Plus and digital? Do they really think this will be a great money maker?


Marvel Entertainment is shuttering it’s digital comics shop. The publisher in an email to subscribers announced that digital comics purchased on the site will will automatically be available under your account in the Marvel Comics app. The company is also integrating a function where you can sync up the Marvel mobile app with your comiXology account so that your purchases are available both mobile and on a computer, without having to double-dip. This is an interesting move considering that Marvel and DC have been pushing digital  hard during the pandemic.


Speaking of comics, Marvel Comics have announced a new series teaming up writer Mark Waid with artist Neal Adams for the first time ever. The series titled Fantastic Four Antithesis will introduce a new villain as well as giving Adams a  crack at the Silver Surfer. Mark in a statement said quote "Working with Neal Adams has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. To share the page with a man of his talent is an honor," Waid said in a statement provided by the publisher. "The story begins with the Fantastic Four struggling to prevent an extinction event on Earth and just goes more cosmic from there. We all know of Galactus, but until now, no one has met his Antithesis." Adams added quote "I have always had the sense of missing the chance to draw the Fantastic Four," Adams added. "It was a quiet sense, since I've had every opportunity to do my favorites. More, I felt Kirby and Buscema had done it all, hadn't they…? When Marvel's Tom Brevoort asked if I'd like to do the Fantastic Four, I knew I had to ask for Galactus and the Silver Surfer as well. I am humbled and thankful to Tom for the opportunity." Here’s the official synopsis quote The soaring sentinel of the space-ways may have finally met his match in the all-new series FANTASTIC FOUR: ANTITHESIS – the first full-length Fantastic Four story ever illustrated by industry legend Neal Adams! Adams is joined by Eisner Award-winning writer Mark Waid (Daredevil, Captain America, Fantastic Four), who jam-packs this tale with a fan-favorite roster of Fantastic Four heroes and villains! Together, this celebrated creative team created a new nemesis for the Fantastic Four guaranteed to send shockwaves throughout all of fandom. Who or what is the Antithesis, and will the combined might of the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer, and Galactus himself be enough to defeat it? Find out more when FANTASTIC FOUR: ANTITHESIS #1 hits comic shops in August! Unquote 


Geek

Disney Plus’ new short form improvisational comedy series, Muppets Now has finally been given a time frame for it’s premiere on the streamer, Buried in a press release for the Disney Family Sing Along Volume 2 was mentioned quote "fans of The Muppets can also see more of Kermit, Miss Piggy and friends in the upcoming Disney+ series, Muppets Now, premiering this summer." unquote Well I guess that’s better than the nebulous soon.


Now an update on the Spawn Kickstarter. If you;ll remember in a past episode I talked about how Todd McFarlane was raising money on Kickstarter to make a new Spawn Action Figure. Well that kickstarter finished with 3.4 million dollars. Congratulations Todd and all those who backed him.


A new Smurfs video game is in the works from game publisher Microids and developer OSome Studio. The game will be a 3D action adventure game with a brand new story inspired by the comics of The Smurfs creator Peyo. In a statement Microids Vice President Elliot Grassiano said quote "We are delighted for concluding this new partnership with IMPS! Thanks to this trans-generational license and the talent of OSome Studio, a long time Microids partner studio which worked on several family games, we are confident in bringing together all gamers in the wonderful world of the Smurfs," Elliot Grassiano, Vice-president of Microids, said as part of the announcement. "The worldwide success met by the Smurfs will also allow us to increase our brand awareness overseas and position Microids as a major player internationally." unquote 


The Mallrats Sequel Twilight of the Mallrats has a new actor as Kevin Smith tweeted that actress Aparna Brielle will star in the movie Smith tweeted quote "Aparna will play Brodie Bruce's daughter Banner Bruce in the movie I hope to shoot next - TWILIGHT OF THE MALLRATS." unquote Smith also confirmed that Shannen Doherty will be back to play Rene, earlier this year Shannen revealed that she has Stage four cancer. 




Tonight we remember Comic and tv Writer Martin Pasko, who passed away on May tenth.He was born in Quebec in 1954. He started his comic writing career in 1972 writing for Superman, DC Comics Presents, Superman Family, Justice League of America, Wonder Woman and Saga of Swamp  Thing. He also wrote for Disney Comics’ Roger Rabbit comic, and Marvel’s Gargoyles and Star Trek. His tv work began in the 80’s writing for shows like Max Headroom, Buck rogers in the 25th century, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Gi Joe and others, in the 90’s he worked on Batman the Animated Series as well as the movie Batman Mask of the Phantasm. He won a Daytime Emmy for his work on Batman. In a facebook post former DC president Paul Levitz wrote, “[T]he odds are you've read his work, credited or not, or enjoyed a comic or cartoon or tv show or even a theme park event he made better, even as he relentlessly complained about the difficulties of making it as good as it 'should' be. Marty didn't have a genius for making anything easy (especially for him), but he had a real genius for making creative magic.” Martin Pasko was 65.


And that brings us to the end of the comic book news. *Show Ender*

Now be sure to check us out on social media, we’re at Twitter @multiverseTom also on Facebook and Instagram as well. 

*Ko-Fi button*

And If you’d like to contribute some money, please visit mtpodcast.com to go to our Ko-fi, Patreon  and now Glow.fm as well just go to MultiverseTonight and hit the Support Me link at the top of the page and be sure to visit Multiverse Tonight dot com and check out our affiliate marketplace links, the link to our TeePublic store show notes, and so much more.

*Show Ender*

If you’re a subscriber, be sure to share us with your friends and if you’re brand new to the show, please be sure to subscribe. And leave us some feedback and let us know how we’re doing.

Special thanks to Shane Ivers for our intro music and Lobo Loco for our outro music theme music.

Thanks for watching the comic book edition of Multiverse Tonight,  we will be back in two weeks with the scifi edition. Now please exit the universe in an orderly fashion. Good Night!  Multiverse Tonight is a production of Half-Baked Genre Productions. Copyright 2020  All Rights Reserved.