Super Baby Vegeta Revealed For Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

Bandai Namco have released a brand new trailer for the next Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 character pack, focusing on the new fighter, Super Baby Vegeta.

The Dragon Ball GT villain who took possession of the hero Vegeta, the character was one of the first major threats in the third Dragon Ball series.

The upcoming DLC will also include Kefla, the fused form of the two new female Saiyan fighters that premiered in Dragon Ball Super. There is currently no confirmed release date.


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Transgender Teen Win Legal Battle Against School

17-year-old transgender student Drew Adams has won his legal battle against his local school board in order to be granted access to the correct bathroom facilities.

A student at Allan D. Nease High School, Adams transitioned to his male gender during the eighth grade in 2015, and was using the male restroom facilities since then. However, in June 2017 he was pulled out of class and told by the school guidance counsellor that he would have to use either the girls bathroom, or a unisex restroom in the school office, following an anonymous complaint.

Adams said that he found the schools decision to be 'insulting', and said that if he were made to use the unisex facilities in the school office he would miss valuable education as the facility is far away from where he has his lessons.

Adams and his family decided to take legal action against the school district for what they felt was a discriminatory decision.

On Thursday July 26th, Judge Timothy J Corrigan of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida ruled that the school board had engaged in unlawful discrimination. Corrigan said that, 'Everyone agrees that boys should use the boys’ restroom at Nease and that girls should use the girls’ restroom. The parties disagree over whether Drew Adams is a boy. I can only answer that question with the evidence given to me at trial.

'Drew Adams says he is a boy and has undergone extensive surgery to conform his body to his gender identity; medical science says he is a boy; the State of Florida says so; and the Florida High School Athletic Association says so. Other than at his school, Adams uses the mens’ bathroom wherever he goes, including in this federal courthouse during trial. Even the St. Johns County School Board regards Adams as a boy in every way, except for which bathroom he can use.

Nease High principal Lisa Kunze said at the trial when
asked if she considers Adams a boy, 'I do not'.

'When confronted with something affecting our children that is new, outside of our experience, and contrary to gender norms we thought we understood, it is natural that parents want to protect their children. But the evidence is that Drew Adams poses no threat to the privacy or safety of any of his fellow students.

'Rather, Drew Adams is just like every other student at Nease High School, a teenager coming of age in a complicated, uncertain and changing world. When it comes to his use of the bathroom, the law requires that he be treated like any other boy. As a boy, Adams must be permitted to use the boys’ restroom at school.'

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, the attorney for the Adams family, said Thursday’s ruling sets the stage for other transgender cases. 'I think it will show to other school districts across Florida and across the country that they better watch out, and they can’t discriminate against transgender students. Otherwise they will be subject to lawsuits because they will be violating the Constitution and federal civil rights law.'

Erica Adams Kesper, Drew's mother said after the case, 'I am still heartbroken to know that the place my child spends more time than at home with me was discriminating against him for being transgender, but I am so relieved that the court has put a stop to this humiliating restroom policy. If there's something you don't know, do the research, look it up, learn the science. Learn what's going on in the world and be open-minded. I just trust Drew to be who he is, and it's the best support any parent can give.'

Adams, who is both an honour student who plans on attending medical school to become a psychologist, and a volunteer at the Mayo Centre, was also awarded $1,000 in compensation for damages caused by the school.

'I am so grateful that I can just focus on being a regular kid at school.' He told the press. 'I have so many other things on my mind, like getting into my top college choice, so I don’t want to have to worry about whether I can use the boys’ restroom. It was upsetting to think my school didn’t want me because I am transgender, and I hope no one else has to feel like that.'

According to court documents, when Allan D. Nease High School principal Lisa Kunze was asked whether she considered Adams to be a boy, she replied, ‘I do not.'


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Sources:
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Alaska Airlines Makes Gay Couple Move For Straight Couple

Alaska Airlines has faced criticism after news emerged that it recently forced a gay couple to leave their flight so that a straight couple could sit together.

Well known American business man David Cooley, owner of both The Abbey Food & Bar restaurant and nightclub The Chapel, has revealed through his Facebook account that he and his partner were removed from an Alaska Airlines flight after refusing to move to allow a heterosexual couple to have their seats.

Cooley and his partner had been seated in their assigned seats on board flight #1407 from JFK to LAX when they were approached by a member of the flight crew, who told them that Cooley's partner would have to move so that a couple could sit together. Not only was he told that he had to give us his seat, but that he would be moved from his Premium seat to Coach.

Cooley told the flight attendant that they were a couple and wished to remain together, but was instructed that if they did not give up their seat for the straight couple they would have to leave the aircraft.

'I have never been so discriminated against while travelling before. I was removed from an Alaska Airlines flight # 1407 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to LAX to give preferential treatment to a straight couple. After my travelling companion and I had been seated in our assigned seats for a while, we were approached by the flight attendant and my companion was asked to move from his premium seat to coach, so a couple could sit together.' Cooley wrote on Facebook. 'I explained that we were a couple and wanted to sit together. He was given a choice to either give up the premium seat and move to coach or get off the plane. We could not bear the feeling of humiliation for an entire cross-country flight and left the plane.

'I cannot believe that an airline in this day and age would give a straight couple preferential treatment over a gay couple and go so far as to ask us to leave. We will never be flying Alaska Airlines or their recently purchased Virgin Airlines Group ever again. Thank you to Delta Air Lines for getting us home safe. If you are an #LGBT person, please spend your travel dollars with an LGBT friendly airline like Delta.'

When approached by Gay Star News for a statement, Alaska Airlines responded to confirm that the incident did indeed take place, and is currently under investigation.

'When boarding flight 1407 from JFK to LAX, a couple was mistakenly assigned the same seats as another couple in Premium Class. We reseated one of the guests from Premium Class in the Main Cabin.

‘We are deeply sorry for the situation, and are investigating the details while communicating directly with the guests involved to try and make this right. Alaska Airlines has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind, and our employees value inclusion for our guests and each other.'



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Sources:
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Green Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Coming To Build-A-Bear

Build-A-Bear has announced a brand new addition to their plush toy catalogue to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the Green Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Bear.

The 16 inch tall plush toy is currently available via the Build-A-Bear website for £21.50, with the option to add the characters iconic Dragon Dagger weapon, and the option to include a speaker that plays the series theme tune.

'It’s Morphin Time! With its awesome built-in bodysuit, Power Rangers Green Ranger Bear is an exclusive furry friend that blasts in just in time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Power Rangers! Add morphinominal accessories like a plush Green Ranger Sword to your furry friend!'

The new bear is in the same style as the Red and Pink Ranger bears that were released in 2017, but no news has been announced yet as to if more rangers will be released in the future.


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Throwback 30: Die Hard

Originally published on Set The Tape

For a film that is often cited as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, it is a little surprising that Die Hard actually came out in mid-July in the US (although it was released in early February here in the UK). I was mildly surprised to learn this given that I regularly watch it around the weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays. The idea of watching it in the summer strikes me as a little off. When it comes to Die Hard, however, it doesn’t actually matter when it was released, or when you go and watch it, because it doesn’t rely on the setting of a Christmas party to make it one of the greatest action films ever made.

The story begins as a very personal tale of New York City cop Jon McClane (Bruce Willis) as he travels across America to be with his estranged family at Christmas. Separated from his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) who moved to Los Angeles in order to chase a successful career, McClane wants desperately to have his family back and still loves his wife dearly. The personal drama stems from their inability to make their marriage work with their careers, even though an easy fix would be for John to move to LA to become a cop there.

Unfortunately their marriage woes are interrupted by one of the best movie villains of all time, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), and his group of German terrorists as they take control of the building in order to seal the $640million in the vault.

Die Hard was the feature film debut for Rickman – and the first action movie role for Willis – and would go on to make both of its lead actors into household names. While you can argue that each actor received accolades for this movie based solely on their own merits, I can’t help but feel that the way they are designed against each other plays a big factor to their success. Willis is the streetwise hero, wearing a vest and covered in dirt and grime, whereas Rickman is his opposite; he’s cultured, wears an expensive suit and likes to maintain his composure. They are a Yin and Yang pair who complement each other wonderfully, which is a big reason for their success.

Previously in action films, villains were portrayed as madmen or thugs, but Rickman brings so much more to the role and flips the expected characteristics of the hero and villain.

What makes Die Hard truly entertaining is Willis as the battered and near broken hero. Stripped down to only a pistol (and no shoes) he has to take on over a dozen bad guys armed with machine guns and explosives in a location that he’s unfamiliar with, in a city that isn’t even his own. He’s a fish out of water, doing whatever he can not only to survive, but to stop the bad guys.

Compared to later films in the series, especially the fourth and fifth films, this is McClane at his most human and vulnerable. He isn’t performing over the top feats like driving a car into a helicopter, he’s not even able to find a pair of shoes to steal. He gets beat up, his feet get sliced, and by the end he’s stumbling around because he can barely walk. It is this humanity, this frailty, that makes John McClane so popular and relatable.

It is strange to think that at the time it was made, Die Hard was a gamble for the studio, but with a script that was changing even during production, an actor who had never acted on film in the villain role, and a hero whose film career had stalled, it was a huge risk for them. Thankfully, they took that risk. Without Die Hard we would have lost out on one of the greatest action films (and Christmas movies) ever, and would probably not have had the careers of both Bruce Willis or Alan Rickman. Die Hard is more than just a simple action movie, and with this being the 30th anniversary of its release that should be celebrated.


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TV Rewind… Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×06 – ‘FZZT’

Originally published on Set The Tape

The sixth episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finally takes some time to look at two of the most underdeveloped characters within the main cast, Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). Whilst we’ve not had huge amounts of characterisation beyond Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Skye (Chloe Bennet) we at least have a feel for each of the team; but Fitz and Simmons have only really been there to perform science tasks and explain tech stuff to the audience. ‘FZZT’, however, not only gives them a chance to shine, but also gives an early indication that Fitz may actually be the best character on the show with the most talented actor.

When a number of firefighters that were present during the Battle of New York (the events of the final act of Avengers) start dying in mysterious circumstances, Coulson and his team are brought in to investigate. These deaths begin to show the differences between Fitz and Simmons. Simmons is thoroughly fascinated by case and is more than willing to get in close to the bodies to investigate, whilst Fitz is repulsed by them and freaks out about what a corpse is doing to the cleanliness of his lab.

For two characters that have been very interchangeable up to this point it’s nice to see them differ of something, especially something that has to do with science. These scenes are also played relatively fun, with a much more fluid and natural approach rather than the quip heavy humour the show has had to this point (seriously, it’s like you have to take comedy improv classes at the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy to become an agent or something).

When it’s discovered that a Chitauri helmet is responsible for the deaths, containing an alien virus, I was a little disappointing as it felt like the series was once again relying on a connection to the films in order to tell its stories. Thankfully, there’s little focus on the events of Avengers and things take on a much smaller, personal story.

The moment when the team find a firefighter that has been infected and is moments away from death is a really interesting scene. In most shows this would be something that would take place in the final act, and the infected person would end up saved. But here it happens midway through the episode and there’s nothing that can be done. The moment where Coulson sits with the infected man and talks to him about his own experience with dying, preparing him for what is to come, is very sweet and sad, and gives us some insight into how Coulson has processed his own experience. It’s a brave choice of a scene for a show that seems to have prided itself on its sense of humour, but the level of maturity and darkness it brings to the show is incredibly welcome.

Unfortunately for the team, Simmons has also been exposed to the virus and will soon be killed by the virus too, though the explosive electrical blast that comes with her death is also set to destroy their plane mid-flight, killing the rest of the team. This is when Fitz and Simmons are given the focus of the episode, working against the clock to try and save Simmons’ life.

The scene where Simmons has all but given up on finding a cure, but then Fitz willingly exposes himself to the virus in order to help her is a great one, and begins to really show how good De Caestecker is as an actor as he refuses to let his best friend die. The drama with Fitz and Simmons feels so real, so full of fear and sadness, that its some of the best scenes the show has given us yet.

When Simmons believes that there is no cure she jumps out of the plane in order to spare the rest of the team, only for Fitz to realise there is a cure and to try and follow her out. Whilst it’s sad that he doesn’t get to be the one to jump out after her, that honour falling to Ward (Brett Dalton), he was still putting on the parachute, still willing to leap from a moving plane for her; that willingness to possibly die to save her speaks volumes to his character.

Fitz and Simmons are easily some of my favourite characters as the show goes on, and Ian De Caestecker is an amazing actor, and this episode is really the beginning of a lot of why I love the two of them. It has action, drama, emotion, and huge moments, but all of them are focused on these two characters; the weird scientists who work in the back of the bus. ‘FZZT’ may not have big spectacle or action but it’s a wonderfully told personal story.


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Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch #2 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The Warhammer 40,000 universe is huge, it’s filled with dozens of races, hundreds of characters, and thousands of hours of books, games, and comics. Despite this massive amount of lore it seems to be a rare occurrence when it ventures into the medium of comics, which is crazy given how visually striking the designs of Warhammer 40,000 are.

Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch focuses on a small group of Imperial Space Marines that make up a part of the Deathwatch, a specially trained and uniquely equipped section of the Order Xenos, who are charged with the destruction of all alien races the Imperium comes into contact with. Made up of exemplary Space Marines from every chapter, they draw upon the best of the best to make the ultimate fighting force.

Centring the book on the Deathwatch is a great choice, and a really clever creative move. It enables the writer to focus on a handful of characters, rather than squads or even a whole army, and it means that they can include characters with vastly different personalities, experience, and gear that reflect aspects of their original chapters.

The five Space Marines that make up the heroes of the book are Dienekas Agathon of the Imperial Fists, Izrafel of the Flesh Tearers, Kaelar of the Celestial Lions, Rurik Warsong of the Space Wolves, and Tiberius of the Ultramarines. Sent to the mining colony of Sidra to eliminate an infestation of the vicious Ur-Ghul’s, their mission goes horribly wrong when an army of Orks arrives on the planet, trapping the five marines.

This second issue follows the Marines as they make their way through the ruined streets and buildings of Sidra, ascertaining the sheer volume of the Ork invasion they face, and trying to find a way to escape the planet. Despite the Deathwatch being some of the best Marines in the whole galaxy, we see over the course of the issue that they’re massively outnumbered as they’re hunted by thousands of Orks. It’s a nice change of pace to see the normally super-human Space Marines being the side against overwhelming odds, where their lives are in danger, as it would be very easy to fall into the trap of making them close to unstoppable.

The danger faced by the Marines is highlighted when Agathon has to fight an Ur-Ghul alone, a fight that results in his armour broken, and the loss of one of his arms. Having previously seen Agathon easily dispatch an Ork in single combat, it’s definitely a surprise when he’s so harshly beaten.

The five heroes of Warhammer 40,000: Deathwatch face dire odds, with no apparent way of escaping the horrors of Sidra, and their leader heavily wounded. This being the Warhammer 40,000 universe, where everything is grim and full of horror, there’s no guarantee that things will work out for them in the coming issues.


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Doctor Who: A Confusion of Angels – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

‘When the Doctor and his companions are drawn to a seemingly empty transport vessel in deep space, they’re pulled into an impossible conflict – between the robotic Heavenly Host… and the Weeping Angels!’

Doctor Who has a huge history to draw upon, with hundreds of hours of adventures on screen, dozens of books and comics, all spanning more than 50 years. As such, whenever a story utilises characters or monsters from the past things can feel special, especially when it combines elements from multiple stories. ‘A Confusion of Angels’ does this with the new series history, mixing together Weeping Angels, Heavenly Host, Judoon, Slitheen, and Missy into one huge adventure.

The premise for the story is simple enough, the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole have recently left Earth to gather supplies to fix the vault containing Missy, but get sidetracked on their way back when they discover a cargo ship adrift in space. The trio soon discover that something terrible has happened on the ship: the power is being drained, communications are off-line, and members of the crew have gone missing.

The story manages to keep a sense of mystery going for quite a while in these early pages, and even performs some sleight-of-hand trickery for those who aren’t aware that the story features Weeping Angels. With Bill sneaking through the bowels of the cargo ship alone we see glimpses of a creepy-looking angel-like figure stalking her. Knowing Doctor Who and its monsters you immediately think Weeping Angel, but are then surprised to discover Heavenly Host instead. You’re led to believe that not only are these angelic robots the culprits, but are what we saw stalking Bill. When the Weeping Angels do finally appear it’s a shock because the book bluffed the reader into believing that they weren’t there.

It’s a clever little trick to pull, and shows that writer Richard Dinnick shouldn’t be trusted to play fair; something that becomes more apparent when you discover that the mysterious stowaway in the creepy clown mask is another version of the Doctor. Dinnick messes with the reader more than once, and it makes the story more enjoyable and complex than it could have been in another writer’s hands.

‘A Confusion of Angels’ brings back other story elements though, as the ship’s distress call gets answered by a squad of Judoon, led by a special investigator, Margaret Slitheen. Picking up a loose thread left over from Eccleston’s series, we finally get to see what happened to Margaret after she was regressed to an egg and allowed to live her life over with a good family. I think that Dinnick wanted to convey some kind of possibility that she may have still been untrustworthy, as it is brought up more than once, but she never really does anything that would be considered questionable.

The book’s two artists, Francesco Manna and Pasquale Qualano, complement each other wonderfully, and fit the story well. They both manage to capture the likenesses of all of the characters well, which means that returning characters like Margaret are instantly recognisable without need of an explanation of who they’re supposed to be. They also bring some great new designs of their own to the story, with the crew of the cargo ship being unique and wonderful creations.

Mixing together elements from previous stories, bringing back the new series’ most iconic new monster, and adding more depth and background to the Series 10 plot of Missy’s reformation, ‘A Confusion of Angels’ throws a lot at the readers, but doesn’t slow down in its pacing to let you catch your breath. It’s a fast paced fight for survival against a terrifying enemy that is sure to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.


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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Volume 7 – Book Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

‘A new age begins for the turtles as the epic events of the past have created new opportunities for the future, but new dangers as well. While they continue to get used to a world leading the Foot Clan post-Shredder, they return to the Technodrome to monitor the revival of the Utroms on Burnow Island and are surprised to meet a new mutant – Leatherhead! But will the mysterious mutant be friend or foe? Plus, Kitsune still poses a threat, and a new group, the Street Phantoms, enters the fray!’

The saga of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues in the latest bumper volume from IDW, bringing together 14 issues in one beautiful 300 page book. Following the defeat, and death, of their enemy The Shredder at the hands of Splinter, the Turtles and their friends find themselves a part of the Foot Clan when Splinter takes over as their leader. Much of this volume centres on this massive change to the lives of the Turtles as they come to terms with their new place amongst their former enemies, and the effect that this change has had on their father.

The death of Shredder could have been a conclusion to the Turtles’ story, or an opportunity to introduce a new villain to the universe; instead, the team behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made the much wiser choice of having conflict come from within the family unit. Whilst the book does feature the appearance of a new tech-savvy street gang and their crime boss leader Darius Dunn, they’re not a huge threat or a central focus.

What the book focuses on instead is the slow descent of Splinter to becoming the kind of morally corrupt leader that the Turtles previously fought against, and how this affects their family unit. At the beginning of the book Michelangelo has already made his feelings on the matter clear and has left his family, disagreeing with Splinter’s choices, and throughout the story the characters make moves to bring him back into the fold, before pulling the rug out from beneath the readers in the final issue and having the rest of the Turtles turn their backs on Splinter too.

The interpersonal drama is well paced, and feels very real. You can understand why Splinter is making the decisions that he is, and can even agree with them to a certain point. At the same time, however, it’s easy to side with the Turtles too. There’s no clear black and white, no good or bad, just differing opinions on what is the best way to proceed with their new circumstances. For a book that’s essentially about mutant animals fighting aliens and ninjas, it’s able to do interpersonal drama better than many DC and Marvel books.

The book also packs in a lot of action throughout, with a number of smaller intertwining stories. There’s a huge confrontation with the Street Phantoms and Darius Dunn at the end of the book, but we also have several skirmishes before this, as well as a battle with the supernatural entity Kitsune: a fight that has huge consequences for the Turtles’ ally Alopex.

Whilst the book is mainly about the Foot Clan and how the Turtles have been picking up the pieces following the death of Shredder, there’s also a section of the book that moves the Utrom story forward, with the Turtles assisting Professor Honeycutt in awakening a number of the aliens from their hibernation. A distraction from the main plot, this small side-story is actually very entertaining, and manages to introduce the mutant crocodile Leatherhead into the re-imagined universe.

This volume also introduces readers to several new mutants in the form of the Mutanimals: a rag-tag group of crime-fighters that includes Man Ray, Herman the Hermit Crab, and Mondo Gecko. A really fun mix of characters that gives Mickey the spotlight early on, they make for a great expansion to the universe.

Volume 7 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles packs a lot of action and interpersonal drama into its pages, crafting a hugely enjoyable and well-told story that is sure to satisfy long-term fans and new readers alike.


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Star Trek Discovery Season 2 Trailer

The trailer for the upcoming second season of the hit series Star Trek Discovery premiered this weekend at San Diego Comic Con.

Following on from the surprise arrival of the USS Enterprise at the end of season one, the trailer shows Captain Pike taking command of the Discovery in order to investigate 'red bursts' that are happening across 30,000 light  years of space.

The trailer shows something of a lighter tone for the series than the first season, uniforms that are closer to those of the original series, new cast members, and hints that the central mystery is somehow connected to Spock.

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Aquaman Trailer Released

The new Aquaman trailer has been revealed at this years San Diego Comic Con. Described as more of a fantasy sci-fi film than a superhero movie, Aquaman will follow Arthur Curry, the half-Atlantean half-human heir to the throne of an undersea kingdom as he learns about his past and embraces his role as king of the oceans.

Featuring the super-heroine Mera, villains Black Manta and Ocean Master, as well as the first look at his mother Queen Atlanna, Aquaman is set to be a bold new direction for the DCEU.

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Shazam! Trailer Released

DC and Warner Bros. have revealed the first trailer for the upcoming superhero film Shazam! at San Diego Comic Con. Based on the comic book hero Shazam (formerly Captain Marvel), the movie will follow the story of Billy Batson, a boy in the foster care system who is chosen by a mystical wizard to become his champion.

Transforming into a super powered adult whenever he shouts the word Shazam, Billy gains a whole slew of abilities, including super strength, flight, and lightning powers.

The new trailer gives audiences a look at Billy towards the beginning of his journey to becoming a hero, still trying to figure out his powers and abilities; as well as a quick glimpse of Mark Strong as the movies villain Dr Sivana.

Shazam! is set for release on 5th April 2019.


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The Flash Season 5 Trailer

The trailer for season 5 of The Flash has been released at Sand Diego Comic Con. Set to continue on from the shocking finale of season 4, Barry and Iris must process the surprise news that their daughter Nora has travelled back in time, changed history, and is now stuck in their era. The trailer also gives us the first look at season 5's big villain, Cicada.

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Supergirl Season 4 Trailer

The trailer for season 4 of Supergirl has been released at Sand Diego Comic Con. Set to continue on from the shocking finale of season 3, the trailer gives audiences their first look at Sam Witwer as Agent Liberty, Alex as the new leader of the DEO, and the exciting new costume for Supergirl.

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Legends of Tomorrow Season 4 Trailer

The trailer for season 4 of Legends of Tomorrow has been released at Sand Diego Comic Con. Set to continue on from the shocking finale of season 3, the new season will follow Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, Mick Rory, and the rest of the team as they work with magician John Constantine to repair the damage they caused in releasing Mallus.

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Arrow Season 7 Trailer

The trailer for season 7 of Arrow has been released at Sand Diego Comic Con. Set to continue on from the shocking finale of season 6, the new season will follow Oliver Queen in prison, whilst his friends and allies try to protect their city from the return of villain Ricardo Diaz.

Season 7 of Arrow will premier on Monday 15th October.


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Nicole Maines Joins Supergirl As TV's First Transgender Superhero

During the Warner Bros. Television Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic Com yesterday (21st July) it was announced that 'Supergirl' would be making television history with the casting of transgender activist and actress Nicole Maines in the role of Nia Nal, the superhero Dreamer.

A member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the comics, Dreamer is an alien from the planet Naltor, with the ability to see the future through her dreams. It's unknown if Maines will be playing an alien or not, but her character has been described as 'a soulful young transgender woman with a fierce drive to protect others'.

Whilst her characters name does differ slightly from the comic book version, and it would appear that she is not from the future like the other members of the Legion that have already been introduced, it has been confirmed that she will become the Dreamer that readers know and love, and that she will work at CatCo. whilst discovering her destiny as a hero; closely mirroring Kara's journey in season one.

Nicole Maines made headlines in 2013 when a Maine Supreme Court ruled that her rights had been violated under the Human Rights Act when she was denied use of the correct bathroom facilities. This became a landmark victory, one that set a precedent to allow trans people the right to use the bathroom of their choice.

She was also featured in the HBO documentary 'The Trans List', and was the subject of the book 'Becoming Nicole', written by Amy Ellis Nutt.

Speaking to Variety magazine following the announcement, Maines said, 'I haven’t really wrapped my head around it. It feels fitting to say with great power, comes great responsibility. I’m nervous because I want to do it right.'


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Sources:
Variety BBC Hollywood Reporter

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Trailer Released

Warner Bros. has revealed the first full trailer for the new instalment in the Legendary Pictures Godzilla universe, Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Billed as the ultimate battle between the monstrous Kaiju, the film will star Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe, Zhang Ziyi, Charles Dance, and Kyle Chandler.

The trailer shows the return of the titular Godzilla, as well as the first looks at the giant Pteradon Rodan, the benevolent ally to humanity Mothra, and Godzilla's ultimate adversary, the three headed dragon King Ghidora.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is released 31st May 2019.


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Star Wars: The Clone Wars Returns For New Season

During the 10th anniversary panel at San Diego Comic Con, the creator of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels Dave Filoni made a surprise announcement that The Clone Wars would be returning to the small screen for a final season.

Originally running from 2008 to 2013, the series was cancelled mid way through its final season when Disney acquired Star Wars. Several of the unmade episodes were eventually adapted in other forms, including comics and novels, yet fans remained disappointed that they never got to see the planned end of the show.

The new season, consisting of 12 episodes will be airing on the new Disney streaming service expected to launch in 2019. No details of what the new season will contain have been released, but thanks to certain footage in the trailers it looks pretty certain that the season will contain the Siege of Mandalore, the conflict that depicts the final battle of the Clone Wars, where Ahsoka Tano and Maul would meet in combat for the first time.

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Star Trek New Visions #22 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Whilst I’ve struggled to enjoy Star Trek New Visions in the past, often pulled out of the book due to the art-style melding together original series footage and new digital artwork, the latest story was very engaging and entertaining throughout.

A sequel to the original series episode ‘The City on the Edge of Forever’, one of the more popular episodes of the show, the crew of the Enterprise find themselves returning to the planet that houses the Guardian of Forever to assist the Federation science team stationed there.

When the Guardian of Forever informs the Enterprise away team that there has been a change in the timeline Kirk and Spock decide to pass through the portal into the past, hoping to rectify the changes that have taken place.

Arriving in the early twenty-first century, a time that has been devastated by nuclear war in the Star Trek universe, they find a perfectly normal town, one that wouldn’t look out of place today. When the two of them come across Gary Seven, a time-traveller who previously appeared in the episode ‘Assignment: Earth’, the three of them must work together to discover what has happened to change history.

The story is less dramatic than previous issues, relying more on the drama and mystery around the changes to reality to create tension rather than action and fights. It makes this issue feel more grown-up, more sophisticated. It’s a good example of how entertaining a writer John Byrne can be, and how well he can craft an original story out of existing imagery.

‘An Unexpected Yesterday’ feels like a more successful attempt at making a photo-comic than previous issues, most likely because it doesn’t rely on action. Previous stories have had characters fight aliens, crawl through battleships, and get into firefights, and they’ve never really worked visually because of the medium being used, and the reliance on newly created imagery. This story, by contrast, builds drama through mystery, and as such doesn’t need new art being mixed in with the original series visuals.

Yes, there are some original aliens featured in the story, but these don’t seem hugely out of place for the most part, and look like something that could have appeared in the original show. There are a couple of panels that don’t exactly look right, one where a uniform doesn’t match colours with the rest of the book, and one where a new creature is featured in closeup and looks too fake; but other than that the book is well put together.

Star Trek New Visions may not be to everyone’s tastes (and I have struggled with it in the past), but the latest issue proves that not only does the concept work, but can tell interesting and layered stories.


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TV Rewind… Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×05 – ‘The Girl in the Flower Dress’

Originally published on Set The Tape

After a few episodes of ‘adventure of the week’, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to the plot of the pilot episode as the mysterious Centipede becomes the main focus, whilst also introducing a new villain for the series to follow.

Having seen in the very first episode of the season, the Centipede serum – a super soldier drug that uses some elements from Iron Man 3‘s Extremis – has a nasty tendency to cause those who use it to blow apart. Thankfully for the mysterious organisation, they have discovered the existence of Chan Ho Yin (Louis Changchien), a street magician with the ability to generate and manipulate fire.

It is not clear how Chan received his powers. There is a mention of him developing them after a fire at a nuclear power plant (though knowing where the series will go in future seasons I suspect he may somehow be InHuman), but his abilities are the key that Centipede needs in order to make their super-soldier programme work. As such, they send Rayna (Ruth Negga) to bring him in. A beautiful young woman (in a flower dress) with a passion for people with powers and the ability to sweet-talk Chan around, it becomes apparent throughout the course of the episode that Rayna is a character that has much more life than a single episode and will be a character that the audience will need to keep an eye on.

Negga’s performance is very subtle throughout and you never know whether you should be trusting her or not. She appears to mix truths in with lies, tells people what they want to hear and gets Chan to make choices to push him into decisions that she wants. She’s a manipulator.

Elsewhere, we finally discover exactly what Skye (Chloe Bennet) is up to with S.H.I.E.L.D.. Despite the past episodes doing their best to make it appear that she was working against the team as a double agent for The Rising Tide, things are actually much more personal. It’s revealed that whilst she’s been in contact with an outside party, it’s not some evil group, but her old boyfriend Miles (Austin Nichols).

Whilst this initially feels like something of a let down, the surprise turn is that she’s infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to find information about her parents, information contained within a redacted S.H.I.E.L.D. file; and it actually makes things better than her just being a spy. It gives Skye more to drive towards for the rest of the season as she hunts for answers about her past, searching desperately for the parents that she knows nothing about.

The drama with Skye also gives the other members of the team a chance to voice some of the concerns that they’ve had about the character since the first episode. Whilst these moments are good not just for further character development – especially between Coulson (Clark Gregg) and May (Ming-Na Wen) – but they also shine a light on the fact that it was a little ridiculous that Coulson would invite a dubious hacker to join their team (a criticism that a lot of viewers were quick to level at the series).

‘The Girl in the Flower Dress’ packs a lot of story into its run time, bringing back plot elements from the pilot, setting up new mysteries and introducing new characters. Because of this, the pacing isn’t the best. It doesn’t quite feel as fun and slick as the previous two episodes but it is one of the most important at this early stage.


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Crowhurst – Film Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

Based upon the tragic true life story of Donald Crowhurst and his attempt to sale around the world Crowhurst tells a story about the mental breakdown of a man in over his head.

Donald Crowhurst (Justin Salinger) is an average family man struggling to make money after investing all of his savings into his navigational aid for sailors, the Navicator, which wasn’t selling. Instead of listening to his wife and getting a regular job, he chooses to enter the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, a single-handed circumnavigation of the world. Designing his own boat, he enters the race but soon realises that he has no hope of winning. Instead of quitting the race he falsifies his progress, hoping to cheat and come last, but find himself in an impossible situation when he becomes the likely winner.

Despite having been beaten to release by The Mercy, the Colin Firth starred telling of the Donald Crowhurst story, Crowhurst was actually filmed first, and takes a very different approach to telling it’s tale. Whilst Mercy was a glossy big budget affair, Crowhurst feels a lot smaller in scale, focusing on the mind of the man rather than his journey.

The film feels very low-tech, filmed with a fuzzy 60’s vibe and shot in tight, confining sets I actually had to check that it wasn’t a re-release of a much older film. It’s made to look very much of the time it’s set, with an older style of shooting not just in quality, but in the way shots are frames and the camera lingers for long pauses. In a lot of ways, the film comes across more like a television drama than a feature film.

What surprised most about Crowhurst, however, is how strange the film decided to be. We know from the real life log books found on board the Teingmouth Electron that Donalds mental health went seriously downhill during his voyage, and most likely led to his suicide, but I wasn’t prepared for how the film would portray this loss of sanity.

Director Simon Rumley, better known for his work in horror, makes the film feel more like an experimental movie. Characters spend time screaming at the camera, scenes are inter-cut with strange and bizarre cutaways, shots linger for no reason, and you’re assaulted by loud noises.

I understand that they’re trying to depict a man losing his mind, but these moments often feel too over the top and bizarre to actually be entertaining, and drew me out of the film on several occasions.

Despite Salinger’s good performance throughout, which is no easy feat given he’s in every single scene and has to show a descent into madness, the film often feels quite dull. It’s no fault of the filmmakers, there’s only so entertaining one man in a boat can be, but often the stylistic choices from the director harm the overall quality of the product.

Crowhurst is a tale of tragedy, of a man who got in over his head and ultimately lost his life. It should be heartbreaking and sad, but by the time the end credits rolled I was relieved that the film was over.


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TV Rewind… Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1×04 – ‘Eye Spy’

Originally published on Set The Tape

‘Eye Spy’ proves once again that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are really good at doing cool, intriguing opening sequences. Following the previous episode’s truck flipping gravity tech, this episode takes on a much less showy, but equally stand out, approach, with dozens of red masked suited men making their way through the streets of Stockholm. It instantly stands out, it’s slightly creepy, and the moment when one of them is killed in a dark subway, their hand ripped off, is genuinely shocking. It’s easy to see why this was one of the scenes that Marvel decided to show off at Comic Con before the series aired as it’s bold and different.

It also introduces the best mystery we’ve had on the show so far as the team have to track down Akela Amador (Pascale Armand), a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and protege of Coulson (Clark Gregg).

With Skye’s (Chloe Bennet) initial suggestion that Amador could have psychic powers pretty much laughed at (something which definitely wouldn’t happen in later seasons) we slowly learn that her seemingly supernatural abilities actually comes from technology, more specifically, a mechanical eye that allows her to have x-ray vision. Despite this being a universe where we’ve already experienced super soldiers and aliens, and will eventually meet super powered Inhumans, having Amador’s powers rooted in tech is a good choice.

It makes the extrarordinary feel more grounded, plus, it gives Skye, Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), and Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) the opportunity to get involved and actually do some stuff this week; which is good as Fitz and Simmons have felt much more like background characters up to now. The scenes with the tree of them in the ‘short bus’ (a silly name but it genuinely made me laugh at the rest of the team’s reaction to it) are all fun and very charming, although the moment Skye fails to use her gun right may have been a little too far.

The episode also gives Ward (Brett Dalton) a good opportunity to do something other than grumble. Sent in undercover posing as Amador for her handler is a really good story thread, and it shows how good an agent he can be, even if he is dodging reflective surfaces and avoiding looking at his hands the whole time. He feels more like the pilot episode Ward, the confident field agent that can go in on his own and get the mission done. That being said, the moment when he’s instructed to flirt with a guard right after vowing he’d do ‘whatever it takes’ just a moment before is ridiculous, yet works so well.

The combination of action, intrigue, and banter are pretty much perfect in this episode, and it appears that many of the slight missteps that the series has taken up to this point have finally been resolved.

By the conclusion of the episode every character has had the opportunity to show off what they can do, even the criminally underused agent May (Ming-Na Wen) who gets to have a brilliant fight scene this episode; as well as having set up an hugely intriguing ongoing mystery for the rest of the season. Who was controlling the man who was controlling Amador? What what that mysterious writing Ward found? What did Amador see in Coulson to ask ‘what’s been done to him’? The show has already left a few threads open so far with The Rising Tide and Centipede, but this feels like the most intriguing one, the one with the most potential.

I said that the previous episode, ‘The Asset’, was a good spy story, ‘Eye Spy’ in comparison is a great spy story. I struggle to think of anything in the episode that doesn’t work or fails to meet it’s mark, other than maybe one joke that it could have done without. If the first half of this season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. maintained this quality I think a lot more people would have stuck with it, unfortunately, due to some less than stellar writing over the next few episodes this is definitely the high point until the series lines up with Captain America: The Winter Soldier.


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Dungeons and Dragons: Evil At Baldur’s Gate #2 – Comic Review

Originally published on Set The Tape

The second issue of the Dungeons and Dragons: Evil At Baldur’s Gate comic takes a big step up in quality this month as the focus shifts from the somewhat dull Minsc the Mighty to the duo of thieves/rogues Krydle and Shandie.

Having returned to Baldur’s Gate after adventuring in Ravenloft and the frozen north, Krydle is faced with some ghosts from his past as he discovers that his former friend turned enemy Burgust is back in the city, having reformed the gang of killer thieves, The Blades.

Whilst the first issue was a fairly shallow tale that didn’t delve into character, this story takes a look into the past of Krydle, giving an insight into his previous time in Baldur’s Gate. The story reveals that he was part of a quartet of thieves called the Outcasts. Having become successful Burgust wanted to form a guild, which the others did not. When one of the group was killed and another captured, Krydle fled the city; though Burgust murdered his mother as punishment.

With Burgust back in the city this gives Krydle a reason to go after him, not only to atone for his past, but to gain justice for his mother. It’s a surprisingly emotional story, one that shows how damaged and troubled by his past Krydle is. Luckily for him, Shandie is there not only to watch his back, but offer him the emotional support that he needs.

The main bulk of the action of the book takes place during Burgust’s assault on The Parliament of Peers, a meeting of the people who run the city. The attack has two aims, to plunge the city into chaos, and to kill Krydle’s father. The sequence is not only entertaining due to the twists and turns that the fighting takes, but also because of the emotion of Krydle fighting to save his father, and the baggage of his lost mother.

With the first issue of the mini-series being something of a disappointment, issue two is a huge improvement and very impressive. Maybe it’s the change over to new characters to focus on (perhaps Minsc isn’t that deep a character to do a story on) but it feels like a completely different book. It’s deeper and more personal, the characters feel like real people, with flaws and motivations that make more sense.

Steve Cummings’ art is good throughout, but looks the best in the scenes where’s there’s some kind of weather or atmosphere look the best. The scene where Shandie comforts a crying Krydle in the rain is particularly stand out, and the fight at the end of the book where the meeting hall is filled with smoke looks great.

With Dungeons and Dragons: Evil At Baldur’s Gate focusing on different characters each issue there’s bound to be changes in quality; it’s not always going to be possible to produce satisfying oneshots each issue. However, this issue is a good indication that quality can improve over that of the first issue.


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