Last week’s Geek of the Week

Last week’s Geek of the Week

I am Brandon Hunter, a programmer, geek, father and a Marvel/Star Wars/Horror fanatic. I don't have a favorite fandom as I have a few hahaha. You can't just have one these days as there are so many fandoms and fandoms to like.

Last weeks Geek of the Week!

Last weeks Geek of the Week!

Hi there! I'm Megan Humphreys, an Afri-Pora hybrid that grew up on a unstable cocktail of books, anime, cartoons, video games and comics. Favorites of those are Warhammer 40K, Cowboy Bebop, Adventure Time, Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, and Fables. By day, I program for...

Riverdale season 3 episode 12 review: Bizarrodale

Riverdale season 3 episode 12 review: Bizarrodale


Chris Cummins

Feb 7, 2019

Both silly and frustrating, this expermential episode has Riverdale’s secondary characters taking centre stage. Spoilers ahead…

This review contains spoilers.

3.12 Bizzarodale

“Riverdale is like Bizarrotown, where murder, mystery, and candy drugs aren’t the exception, they’re the norm…”

Thus begins tonight’s narrative experiment in which Riverdale does its best impression of a What If? comic by illustrating what the series would be like if the secondary characters were its focus instead of Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica.

Well sort of. The problem is that the show so frequently sidelines its supporting characters – as well as ostenible lead K.J. Apa – that it is difficult to not think of this particular instalment as anything more than an opportunity to give its underused actors and actresses a time to shine. And to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with that as more Kevin and Josie is always a welcome thing. But throughout this episode, I found myself wondering if the original intention was to create a flavourful character piece like The Simpsons‘ heralded 22 Short Stories About Springfield. If such was the case, then Bizarrodale missed the mark like a Cheryl-fired arrow gone uncharacteristically off-target.

Speaking of the red-headed chaos-causer, are viewers really meant to think of her as anything other than a lead? Having been reviewing Riverdale since its premiere, I definitely see her as a far more essential character than, say, Archie. And Veronica gets a lot of screen time this week too, so what gives? To really carry out on its intended premise, we should have seen ciphers like Pop Tate, Waldo Weatherbee, and Evelyn Evernever front and centre in a piece that could have been part Rosencratz And Guildenstern Are Dead/part Mazes & Monsters.

These frustrating conceptual nitpicks aside – which, like all criticisms of this show, can now be brushed aside by quoting Veronica’s new mantra of “forget it Jughead, it’s Riverdale” – there was a welcome amount of character development to be found here. First and foremost is Kevin. Three seasons in and we know little more about Kevin than the fact that he is popular and gay. The show has dabbled in his storyline before, with his quickly aborted Joaquin romance and a regrettable subplot about him cruising Fox Forest for sex, but Kevin hasn’t been afforded the opportunity to feel really three-dimensional before. So it’s fantastic that we get to see Casey Cott shine by showing the heartache and complicated emotions that Kevin’s relationship with a closeted Moose stir up.

Riverdale‘s gonna Riverdale though, so the couple’s consummation of their relationship is immediately besmirched by the Gargoyle King, who, this week anyway, is Moose’s deeply closeted father. Major Mason had a crush on Tom Keller during his youth and was subsequently sent off to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy for conversion therapy that resulted in years of denying who he truly was, feelings that came back to the surface in this episode. For a show that is such an ally to the LGBTQ community, having a gay villain like Major Keller show up this week treads disquietly into Buffalo Bob/Silence Of The Lambs territory. And while the Bury Your Gays tropes fortunately doesn’t rear its unwelcome head, Moose being ushered off to Glendale at episode’s end is disappointing.

Tonight the show missed a huge opportunity to use its popularity to tell a realistic gay love story between Kevin and Moose, one that would balance the other LBGT relationship on the show (the increasingly cartoonish Cheryl and Toni) nicely. Granted this is a show that tends to only deal with real world issues on a surface level in order to focus on things like, bless ’em, maple syrup blood feuds, but again, this is the third season. Would it break the show to bring some reality into the proceedings? I actually think that it just might. But as a member of the LGBT community myself, it is disappointing to see yet another love interest for a gay character getting tossed aside.

Over the course of its 47 episodes to date, the series’ characters have done a lot of stupid things. Reggie deciding to rob his dad’s dealership is easily in the top five. Veronica, Riverdale‘s most inconsistent character, is happy to go along with this idea. Playing Bonnie to Reggie’s Clyde even after poo-pooing the idea. Reggie must rival Archie in the intelligence department, as he brings along his own car, clearly bought at the very dealership he is knocking off, as his getaway vehicle. Yet the dimness of this sequence and its lead in to the reveal that the Lodge’s big foe is none other than Gladys Jones (a scenery-devouring Gina Gershon) was a delight, and wonderfully Riverdaleian.

Then there’s Cheryl. Oh Cheryl. Yes, she is the show’s Queen Bee who is expected to be as outrageous as possible. First she outs Moose without any concern for the impact that could have on his life, then she blackmails her mother into actions that will deny opportunity for schooling to many merely because she feels entitlement and demands her privilege be recognised. While Toni rightfully blasts her on the former, she has no problem overlooking the latter because she will be able to attend Highsmith College with her beloved.

Finally, Josie didn’t get into Julliard, and now Archie is all about singing again. Huh? The news that Ashleigh Murray will be part of the Katy Keene cast is encouraging as the Josie character might finally get some development. As for Archie himself? Forget it readers, it’s Riverdale.

Read Chris’ review of the previous episode, The Black Dahlia, here.

Talent TV series ordered at Fox

Talent TV series ordered at Fox


Alec Bojalad

Feb 6, 2019

Fox has ordered a one hour drama based on the Boom! Studios comic Talent, to be produced by The Americans’ Graham Yost.

Emboldened by the success of Gotham and other comic properties, Fox is going back to the comic well again, albeit a smaller well.

The network has ordered Talent, a series based off a limited run 2006 comic of the same name. Graham Yost of The Americans and Justified will write the pilot and produce alongside Neal Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Toby Jaffe, Stephen Christy and Ross Richie. Fox is describing the deal as including a pilot script with a significant penalty if its not picked up to series. In other words, it’s highly likely that this will see the light of day.

“I am very excited to be adapting this wonderful graphic novel,” Graham Yost said in a statement. “I think this could be a thrilling, emotional and, if I don’t blow it, thought-provoking show. It’s great to be working with Charlie Collier, Michael Thorn and the team at Fox.”

The initial concept for Talent sounds a bit like M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable before branching off into uncharted supernatural waters. Written by Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski and drawn by Paul Azteca, the comic follows Nicholas Dane, the only survivor of a plane crash who discovers that he now possesses the various talents of all the other passengers and crew who died during the crash. Dane finds himself pursued by members of a shadowy conspiracy that he must evade. 

The Talent TV series will feature the similarly named Nicole Dane who also survives a tragic accident that claims the lives of 148 people and imbues her with their respective talents. Nicole must use those talents to investigate the nature of the accident and help bring closure to the loved ones of those who perished in it. Fox’s logline describes the show as a “visceral, yet emotional, mystery about redemption and human connection.” Somebody wanted themselves a Manifest.

“When I first read Talent, I was immediately hooked, as it took me on an incredible journey I’ll never forget,” Fox President of Entertainment Michael Thorn said. “This project accomplishes two professional goals of mine: work again with Graham Yost, one of the finest creators in the business; and transition Talent from feature development into the world to television.”

As Thorn’s statement implies, Talent did take a bit of a winding route to television. A Talent film adaptation was announced two years ago to be produced by Fast and Furious producer Neal Moritz. Boom! Studios has a first-look deal with Fox Entertainment but Moritz operated under the Sony banner. Now everyone is one big happy family as Moritz and Sony Pictures Television will be producing the show to air on Fox. 

Mortal Kombat 11: Kabal revealed as new character

Mortal Kombat 11: Kabal revealed as new character


Gavin Jasper

Feb 6, 2019

The helmet-wearing enigma returns to Mortal Kombat in this brand new trailer and let’s just say losing to him is a drag.

In two and a half months, Mortal Kombat 11 will hit the scene. Normally, NetherRealm Studios gives us about nine months to a year before the next big release, but with only four months between the announcement and launch, the studio has picked up the pace with the reveals.

Originally, NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat 11 Kombat Kast live stream was supposed to happen last week, but due to weather, it was delayed. Now we’re all caught up and the inaugural episode has introduced one of the big returning characters: Kabal

Kabal was a bit overpowered in Mortal Kombat 9, so to hold him back a little bit, the developers have replaced his gas mask blast attack with a poison gas that weakens the opponent if they walk into the cloud. He also has a jetpack that allows air-dashes.

Let’s check out Kabal, the hook sword-wielding speedster:

Video of Mortal Kombat 11 – Official Kabal Reveal Trailer

Introduced in 1995’s Mortal Kombat 3, Kabal was a member of the Black Dragon syndicate who turned his back on crime and chose to fight it as a police officer. He and his partner, Kurtis Stryker, were overwhelmed by Shao Kahn’s invasion and Kabal ran afoul of a fire-breathing Kintaro. Burned beyond recognition, Kabal was rescued by Kano, who used Shang Tsung’s sorcery and makeshift Black Dragon technology to keep Kabal alive in hopes that he would return to the fold and fight under Shao Kahn’s banner. Kabal refused.

In the original timeline, Kabal became a vigilante until facing near-death at the hands of Mavado. Saved by Havik, Kabal chose to return to the criminal underworld and restarted the Black Dragon as its new leader. He and his new recruits eventually died during the Battle of Armageddon along with nearly all of the Mortal Kombat cast.

In the rebooted timeline, Kabal didn’t last so long. Shortly after joining the heroes, Kabal was one of many murdered by Queen Sindel. He was resurrected as a revenant, controlled by the whims of Quan Chi. Now, Quan Chi is dead, meaning Kabal’s fate is up in the air.

Due to the new game’s approach to time travel and timelines, you’re able to play as Kabal from before he was horribly scarred and fight without his trademark mask. It was also announced that D’vorah from Mortal Kombat X will be returning, though without any actual footage to go with that.

Mortal Kombat 11 will be released on April 23 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows.

Star Wars: Disney is happy with EA games

Star Wars: Disney is happy with EA games


Matthew Byrd

Feb 6, 2019

Against all odds, Disney says it’s satisfied with EA’s recent Star Wars games.

In what will certainly come across as a surprising statement to many, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that he’s actually happy with Disney’s partnership with EA. Why? Well, it seems to have something to do with his feelings that Disney has never really been that good at video games.

“We’re good at making movies and television shows and theme parks and cruise ships and the like, we’ve just never managed to demonstrate much skill on the publishing side of games,” said Iger during a recent earnings call. “We’ve had good relationships with some of those we’re licensing to, notably EA and the relationship on the Star Wars properties, and we’re probably going to stay on that side of the business and put our capital elsewhere.”

In the minds of gamers everywhere, this statement probably doesn’t make much sense. Even if you put aside the subjective feeling that EA’s recent Star Wars games are horrible compared to the Star Wars games of old (they are), there’s still the business-side of the relationship. EA hasn’t actually developed that many Star Wars games in recent years and one of their biggest games (Star Wars: Battlefront 2) featured such a controversial microtransaction system that Disney’s Bob Iger reportedly had to call EA and request a change. On top of that, EA has killed off some high-profile (and potentially incredible) Star Wars projects. 

Still, the sad truth of the matter is that Iger’s statement does make sense from Disney’s point of view. In the minds of Disney, the best thing about EA is that they’re a huge company that Disney can just offer a license to and (mostly) forget about it. If Disney isn’t really that concerned with the overall creative quality of the games that utilise their properties, it just significantly cheaper and easier to license them out to the biggest company that will have them. This point was driven home by the company stating that they expect to lose quite a bit of money on the Disney+ streaming service simply because they will lose the licensing fees they have with Netflix and other content providers.

That will probably offer no comfort to the legion of Star Wars gaming fans who are left to wonder whether or not we’ll ever get games like KOTOR 3. There was some hope that the success of Marvel’s Spider-Man for PS4 would inspire Disney to shop the Star Wars license, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. 

We suppose there’s always the hope that Jedi: Fallen Order turns out to be a worthwhile game. 

The best jokey ideas for the Star Wars: Episode IX title

The best jokey ideas for the Star Wars: Episode IX title


Rob Leane

Feb 6, 2019

Raise a wry smile at these mildly amusing ideas for the Star Wars: Episode IX title…

Despite the rumour mill strongly suggesting that it was going to land in our laps today, we still don’t know what the Star Wars: Episode IX title will be. Instead, what we got was some people taking to social media with their own amusing ideas about what the upcoming trilogy-closer should be called. 

Following on from Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, this upcoming ninth instalment in the space opera’s main numbered storyline is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a script by Abrams, Chris Terrio, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly. This as-yet-untitled movie is one of our most anticipated upcoming flicks and we are, at this stage, chomping at the bit like rabid mutts, desperate for extra info or even – imagine it! – an actual trailer.  

For now, while we have no clue about the title and not even the slightest whiff of a promo vid, we’ve compiled some of our favourite jokey title ideas from the internet at large. Prepare to raise a wry smile, or perhaps even break into a light chuckle…

YEAH!!! pic.twitter.com/4XOGLvHZR7

— Gerard Baer (@gerardbaer) February 6, 2019

Obviously the Episode 9 title is really Star Wars: The Battle of Rancor Av Kolos

— Alex King (@Doctavarium42) February 6, 2019

Star Wars Episode 9 Title Leaked! pic.twitter.com/XrenadTBYD

— Andrew Haidon (@Potaatosalad) February 6, 2019

you: speculating on the star wars 9 title

me, an intellectual: pic.twitter.com/VGSCq9hjXg

— Ryan Matsunaga (@RyanMatsu) February 5, 2019

Can’t believe they leaked the Star Wars: Episode IX title. pic.twitter.com/mlR9o8RVGx

— Roger (@iamtherog) February 6, 2019

Clearly the title of Star Wars IX is The Porg Ascendency. https://t.co/hkpPiWItpS

— Emily, The Bartz (@Phusaza) February 6, 2019

One of the best jokes, which even Mark Hamill got involved with, harks back to a background gag from an episode of Futurama

Guys. Futurama already revealed the title for Star Wars Episode IX. pic.twitter.com/ED0nXDj8OV

— Lowell Skywalker (@KyLowRen80) February 5, 2019

Disappointed there was no #StarWars trailer shown during the #SuperBowl? Agonizing over how long you’ll have to wait until they drop the title? RELAX nerds! #Futurama predicted it years ago & we all know: Cartoons. Never. Lie. EXCLUSIVE BREAKING “NEWS”: #EpIXYodasBarMitzvah pic.twitter.com/oR12BYfNPK

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) February 4, 2019

And, as for Balance Of The Force, which sounded like the most likely rumour at one stage, it looks like that idea has been quashed…

No Episode IX title on the Disney investor call, but would just like to point out that the latest rumour, “Balance of the Force” (acquired via html code sleuthing on Star Wars dot com) is the name of an online pinball game.

— Siddhant Adlakha (@SidizenKane) February 5, 2019

When we do eventually find out the title for Star Wars: Episode IX, we’ll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, what’s your guess? Let us know in the comments below…