Legends of Tomorrow - First Look and Villain Announced! UPDATE: Now with Trailer!

Excitement has been building for the newest spinoff in the Arrow/Flash universe ever since it was first announced. And now that the team-up show, Legends of Tomorrow, has gotten a mid-season premiere set, DC and the CW are starting to tease us even more. Above, you can see the first full photo of the cast, which reveals some interesting details. And today, we got our first confirmation on what villain the team would be facing. Hit the jump for all the details.

iZombie Episode 8: Dead Air

iZombie fans rejoice! If you haven't heard by now, the series has been picked up for a second season! It's not known yet when it will premiere or how many episodes were ordered. The first season had a mid-season debut and 10 episodes were ordered for it, so let's all cross our fingers and hope we get a full 23 episodes out of it - or at the very least, a half season of 13 episodes. Now that the good news has been announced, let's get on with the rest of the good stuff!

Last week Liv turned into Zombiemom after eating the brain of a pregnant girl, and she gained an appreciation for her own mother. She and Lowell got to know each other better. We saw lieutenant Suzuki in action as Zombiecop, and Major got more than he bargained for when he found the Candyman. Ravi conducted a clinical study on some rats with Utopium and MaxRager drinks, with an interesting - if gross - outcome. And one of the rats gets lost again.

This week, things heated up for Liv and Lowell. Major got beat up and released from jail, and Ravi saw Payton in a different light. A radio host was murdered live on the air. Liv found the lost rat, and Ravi believes for a moment that he's created a monster. I need to say how much I am loving the prop and make-up department on this production! Major's bashed up face... the delivery boy's flayed open head on Jackie's counter from episode 6... the dead rats... They can come decorate my house and do my make-up for Halloween - or anything - whenever they want!

Another of the things I am loving about this series is the continuity. While the general theme of the show is "crime of the week," there's more going on than that. It looks like Lieutenant Suzuki's story is about to expand and mingle with the storyline between Major and Blaine - did I mention there's a twist this week? Oh - and there's a really huge OMG, too.

There's been a lot of speculation about whether or not Suzuki is in Blaine's pocket or not, and this week we find out what team he bats for. And it looks like next week's episode will be a rev-up for the season finale, judging by the way this week's episode wound up at the end. My guess (and fervent hope) is that the last episode of the season will go off with one hell of a bang!

So far, the Livwell ship is still afloat. But is it me, or does Lowell seem really insightful about what's going on with Liv? I mean, he comes to the exact, correct conclusions about her behavior every damn time - even before she does. And I'm not so sure yet that bringing Ravi and Payton together is a good thing.

I really wanted to kick Liv's ass for how she treated Ravi about the whole issue, and I think I fell in love with Rahul Kohli's performances even more. That particular scene was an emotional moment that was very well played. I felt Ravi's pain. Hopefully all this shipping doesn't take the focus off the whole premise of the show - crime solving and zombie research with our new Scoobie Gang.

What do you think - too much shipping going on?  Should they just stick to the storytelling, crime scene action, and brain eating? Hit the jump for the recap, and tell us what you think in the comments below!

iZombie Ep 4 "Liv and Let Clive"

This week's episode had some interesting stuff going on... Rose McIver brought her Yellow Ranger moves! Blaine's building a mob empire, and we see a little bit more back story on Clive. Ravi puts the obvious in front of Liv's face, and that makes Liv think about her relationship with Major - into which Ravi has somehow been drawn. We think we know what happened to Eddie. (And when Eddie said he didn't like his teddy, you knew he was a no-good kid... No? Oh, fine.)

My two favorite things about iZombie are the writing and casting. The writing is great! There are little clues dropped in each episode that are relevant to to either the previous or upcoming episodes, which helps preserve the continuity and storyline sequence. The dialogue is both witty and cheesy at times (my favorite things!), but it's also starting to look familiar. That in itself isn't a bad thing necessarily, although I'd really like to see this show stand on it's own rather than lean on comparisons to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

We're already building the Scoobies, we've got the Big Bad. We have the love-interest-at-a-distance (granted, he's not a vampire). We've got the younger sibling who so far hasn't caused any trouble, but wait - is it Tuesday yet? Don't get me wrong. I loved "Buffy," but I love iZombie too - probably for all the same reasons, which is why I really want to see it become something more than another "Buffy" clone.

The casting of major characters is really great, and some of these folks have been around the genre before:

• Rose McIver (recurring roles in the Herculese/Xena franchises, Tinkerbelle in "Once Upon a Time," "Power Rangers RPM" as Summer Landsdown/Yellow Bear RPM Ranger) is really owning the role of Liv Moore, and she is already my favorite alabaster badass living dead girl. 
• Rahul Kholi as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti delivers dialogue to great effect, and I would love to see him become more than comic relief - I would love to see more back story on him. So far, all we really know is that he was fired from the CDC because they thought he was a whackjob. Yeah. Bet they regret that now, huh? And if Ravi finds a cure, you can bet your ass they will be calling him back to Atlanta and Rick Grimes will be all over that! 
• Malcolm Goodwin (guest appearances on "True Blood," "Bones," Elementary," and a regular on "Breakout Kings") as Det. Clive Babineaux is a little more laid back than what I'm used to seeing from other TV show cops, and it's pretty refreshing. To me, he comes off as a a real, normal human guy who happens to be a cop instead of the cop with the attitude. He's not Horacio Kane, and that's a good thing.
• Robert Buckley is Major Lilywhite, Liv's ex-fiance. Yes. That is his name. Why? I don't know. But I'm sure there is a joke from the writer's room in there somewhere, and I'd love to hear it! I'd also like to see Major become a bigger part of the team, 
• David Anders  ("Once Upon a Time," "Vampire Diaries," "The Revenant")  is well-cast as Blaine DeBeers (and I'm sure that there's a writer's room joke somewhere in there about this name, too). Hopefully he's not just a single season bad guy. Blaine is already being compared to Spike, which I don't think is really fair. I mean, granted - both Blaine and Spike are undead, and they are both blondes. But that's where the resemblance ends, in my book. Blaine is already so much more than Spike... he's becoming a crime boss, with plans to take over the city - Spike was never so ambitious. I can't wait to see what happens next with Blaine!
• Aly Michalka (Aly & AJ, "Phil of the Future," "Grown-Ups 2," "Hellcats") is Liv's best friend and roommate Peyton Charles. I really would like to see more back story on her, and how it fits in with Liv's story. They're best friends - Peyton seems to know Liv's family and Major really well. And having someone who works for the DA's office could come in handy for this team.
• Nick Purcha ("Spooksville," "R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour") is Liv's little brother Evan. So far, he's just a recurring character who doesn't seem to really have a purpose yet. I'm sure that there will be ways for him to get into trouble though. Liv won't be able to hide the fact that she's dead from him very much longer. 

Check out the recap after the jump, and tell us what you think in the comments!

iZombie episode 2 Recap: "Brother, Can You Spare A Brain?"

Last week's episode brought the funny and a little bit of ass-kicking. This week's episode worked, but was not as exciting and a little too much of Captain Obvious for me. An artist dies, and the cop figures out who did it right away. Buuuut they have to follow due process anyway and investigate. Along the way, Liv comes face-to-face with her nightmare vision from last week's episode, and she also goes somewhere she shouldn't have - and, of course, it ended in tears.

There is one thing that bugs me - the voice-over narratives. In last week's episode, it seemed like half the story line was recited in a narrative. This week, there isn't as much of it, but it's still annoying as hell. It doesn't do anything really to tie anything together; it just seems to serve as a segue point or unnecessary epilogue. It's not very useful otherwise. The information divulged in the voice-overs are easily deduced from the scenes preceding, under, or just after it. I hope that it is going away, and not becoming a regular thing.

There are also some things that I am really, really liking a lot. The Chief Medical Examiner Ravi Chakrabarti seems to take extreme pleasure in the fact that there are actual zombies in existence. Rahul Kohli brings a great sense of morbid humor and joy to the role. I wish that he had a bigger part. I also enjoy the dialogue a lot! It's a bit too much in some spots, but can be very witty and appropriate in others.

There does also appear to be a secondary story developing fairly quickly. There really isn't a whole lot of time being spent yet on the characters' back-stories yet. Last week, it was pretty much "Here's our zombie girl. This is how she got that way. And here's the good cop, here's the bad cop who also happens to be the bad guy, and here's the zombie girl's NPC's. Have at it." This week, it's "Here's the crime victim, here are the potential suspects, and here's the jerkwad from from episode 1 building his own story. Let's see what happens."

So... shall we? Hit the jump for the recap, and let us know what you think in the comments!

iZombie Raises our TV Hopes from the Dead

I'm not a big fan of Veronica Mars. I watched the first few minutes of it once and was like, "bored now..." But it took off, and that's what I'm hoping will happen with iZombie - it hits all the right notes with current pop culture trends: 80's nostalgia, zombies, drama, zombies, whodunnits... did I mention zombies? 

All the elements are there:

• The plucky zombie protagonist coming to terms with her situation and making the most of it
• Her boss - the Chief Medical Examiner, the enabler who covers for her as she helps herself to dead brains that she takes (after the examinations and notes are made, of course - she may be dead but dammit she still has her ethics)
• The detective who benefits from her work as a medical examiner in the morgue
• The dysfunctional family and social situation - her family and friends don't know she's a zombie, and can't understand why she left her fiance

Check out the recap after the jump and tell us what you think in the comments! 

Supergirl Reveals Benoist's Costume, Casts Faran Tahir

We have our first look at Melissa Benoist's outfit in the new Supergirl series, and costume designer Colleen Atwood has really outdone herself!

As noted here by The Mary Sue, the costume is very cute and works perfectly with the adorable Benoist without being oversexualized or unnecessarily skimpy. Hit the jump to see the full outfit.

DC Eyeing Teamup Series at the CW

Deadline is reporting that the CW and Warner Bros. Television are in development of another spinoff in the Arrow and Flash universe. The idea behind the project seems to be a superhero team-up show in the vein of The Brave and the Bold (the comics version, not the awesome-but-silly Batman cartoon). Announced to star were series veterans Brandon Routh (The Atom), Victor Garber (Firestorm) Wentworth Miller (Captain Cold), and Caity Lotz (Black Canary).

Some thoughts, with major Arrow and Flash spoilers in them, after the jump.

First look at the Firestorm Costume on the Flash!

Firestorm has already shown up on the Flash, playing a pivotal role in the last few episodes of this season. But the only look we've seen for the character is the much derided "fire-hobo." Now, the CW has shown their first look at the costume Firestorm will be wearing later this season on The Flash. Hit the jump to see it.

Constantine, Flash, & Gotham...OH MY! By Brian J. Patterson

Comic Con Special by TV Guide Editors - Featuring Constantine

I have been attending San Diego Comic Con for approximately 15 years...I just needed to make that known right away, thank you. When I first started going to ‘the Con’ as we would call it, the convention center was barely 1/2 in use for this event. SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) did indeed grow as the years went on. How could it not with the comics and sci fi community as its supporters? We are known to be one of the most loyal fan bases ever. SuperHeroes are our idols and we run to worship at their alters. We tithe as much as we can to their causes, and are known to have: spent our last dollars, wait in lines overnight, and travel great distances to support their cause….on MULTIPLE occasions! It is not surprising that the Hollywood community would want to come and exploit..er, I meant to say take full advantage of that type of loyal fan base, by making films geared toward this audience. Frankly, it’s a win win situation. Because when you think about it:

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE (in a Flash) FOR THE CW NETWORK by Brian J. Patterson

I’m sure that all of you comic book and DCU fans have been completely frazzled trying to get your hands on that online copy of the CW’s FLASH pilot. Because, unless you've been living under a rock with no wifi, then you are aware it leaked online (at your local neighborhood torrent sites everywhere).

Well, I’m a little bit more than stoked to make as many of my friends “jelly.” Because while there are those of you not able to get a sneak peak at the CW’s pilot, I’m happy to report that I’m NOT in that minority. In the immortal words of Daffy Duck, “No, not this little black duck!”

Let me begin by saying that it is rare for television to see a more complete and satisfying superhero origin story. Its filled with Action, Comedy, Cameos, Drama, Effects, One liners, a solid Origin Story, References for Comic Book fans (but not too overpowering so that the general audience won’t get the material), and even juicy spoiler nuggets that make you want more. All in all, it was a gorgeous unfolding of the classic tale of Barry Allen and did it great justice. In my opinion, it is one of the quintessential Hero’s Journeys telling.

The Action is just enough (unlike Man Of Steel). The comedy is put in just the right places (one liners are my favorite here). The cameos (while some might think can get gratuitous) are of people who fit into the world. The drama is hit spot on where it appears, and even though they operate on a tight budget, the effects are pretty kick ass. 

As an actor, I’m really impressed by this cast. Especially Grant Gustin's Barry Allen. As a comic book fan my favorite part of the entire show are the comic book references; mostly because of their accessibility. You see, when distributing productions rich with historic detail only known to fans, there is a delicate balance that one must strike in order to appeal to the general public and not just the locked in demographic of fans. Flash does that successfully, with great ease, and still satisfies the locked in comic book fans with rich Flash mythology references. Kudos to writers Greg Berlanti, Gardner Fox, Geoff Johns, Andrew Kreisberg, and Harry Lampert! Oh, and who could miss the spoilers?!? Can you say, Gorilla Grodd, Professor Zoom, Justice League, & Infinite Crisis? 

 The Casting Call leaked in December..Buzz creator. The script leaked in January...Buzz creator. The actual show leaked in June...BUZZ CREATOR! So, has interest halted? Hell, no! Fans are interested more than ever and are in even MORE of an uproar than ever. The news is spreading around the globe faster than Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West, and Bart Allen can carry it! Even new hashtags like #BringItOnCW have emerged. Personally, I think that the leak was deliberate. People, and when I say 'people,' I mean production companies, are learning that in this age of technology, more honesty and transparency helps to spread the word and popularity faster than you can say "speedforce." With a built in audience to give you guidance and feedback early in it's inception so that you can change anything necessary (and quick before it airs), it's the opposite of a leak. At that point it's a strategic and powerfully navigated man made river.

The CW already has tons of practice putting together strong comic book television series’ with Smallville, and most recently Arrow. They are finally beginning to understand what they have in the iconic brand of DC Comics’ cast of characters, for what these characters stand, how to represent them, and most importantly how to tell their story. In addition, they are finally talking to each other (something they learned from Marvel/Universal). So the marriage is slowly becoming seamless and symbiotic. The future is looking really bright for the CW’s FLASH. While pilots are often great to raise interest in a show, entice, and build excitement, I truly believe that FLASH is nothing but a firm foundation upon which many future building blocks (episodes) of gorgeousness will be placed. Thank you, CW. You have truly proven that lightning can strike twice for you. ;)

Promotional poster from the CW Network

Brian J. Patterson is an actor and producer who splits his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco. He's a lifelong DC comics fan, who plasters his apartment with every picture of Wonder Woman imaginable.

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