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Hello, comic fans! Kelly here for a jam-packed edition of Superhero Sundays. We've got so many heroes and villains this week that they almost can't fit all on one page. A gender-swapped Firefly in Gotham! The worst dad ever in The Flash! And we got our first full-length trailer for Jessica Jones on Netflix! Here's the hero haps for this week:
Small Screen Supes
Speedy Synopses
Gotham 2x05: Rise of the Villains: Scarification
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Captain Barnes, Jim, Harvey, and the rest of Team GCPD Strike Force continue their quest to bring Penguin down, while Penguin continues to be blackmailed into doing Galavan's dirty work. This week, said dirty work involves arson, so Penguin sends Butch to get Selina—seriously, there are SO MANY characters in this show—to visit an old friend, Bridgit, who happens to be "family" with the Firebugs, Gotham's finest, well, firebugs. Before they can do the job, however, the youngest gets killed in a raid at the local weapons mart, and Bridgit is conscripted into the gang. She takes an unexpected liking to the job, but is still pretty green, and so accidentally kills one of the Strike Force as she runs from the cops. (We'll be seeing those consequences next week, for sure.)
Meanwhile, because Penguin is chafing at the bit, he does some digging into why Galavan is so set on taking down Gotham. He finds out that Galavan's ancestors were actually a ruling family in Gotham's early days, but were run out of the city and their good name destroyed after one of them besmirched a Wayne's honor. Ergo: Galavan's out to destroy all that the Waynes have built since then, and kill Bruce, too. Oh, and Jim and Leslie double date with Nygma and Ms. Kringle, and it is kind of the cutest thing to ever happen on this show. (Mandy C.)
The Flash 2x03: Family of Rogues
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Let’s get this out of the way first: that cold open was BANANAS. It was so lovely to see Barry and Iris interact like this, reminding us of how deep a connection the two of them share, and how much love they have for each other.
Team Flash sees the return of Lisa “Golden Glider” Snart, and her chemistry with Cisco is as full of sparks as the Fourth of JU-LY. (And let’s not get started on the freaking adorableness that IS Patty Spivot and Barry Allen when they’re around each other.) Lisa needs their help, believing her brother Leonard (Captain Cold) to have been kidnapped. The Snarts’ characters are given a new depth with the arrival of their abusive, hateful father, Lewis, who has implanted a bomb in his own daughter’s brain in order to get Leonard to help him pull off a major heist. WHAT AN ASS.
On the other end of the parenting spectrum, we have Joe West. Joe may not always make the right decisions (although I would argue that in this case, he did) but they are ALWAYS a direct result of his immense love for Iris. After agreeing to meet Francine West, and telling her that the best thing she can do for Iris is to stay gone, he divulges his heavy secret to Barry. Barry assures him that Iris will find her way to forgiving him, and that he needs to tell her the truth about her mother. Joe breaks down and tells Iris, and while she’s suitably shocked, her concern, love, and immediate forgiveness of her father speaks volumes about their relationship. I CRIED ALL OF THE TEARS.
Team Flash manage to help the Snart siblings; Barry going undercover as part of the crime ring, and Cisco and Co. removing the bomb from Lisa’s brain. Leonard kills his father, but who can really blame him? The team is still trying to figure out how to make use of the wormhole in order to help Dr. Stein’s Firestorm meltdowns, but they’re still at a loss. You know who isn’t at a loss? EARTH-2’s HARRISON WELLS. BOOM. (Amanda R.)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 3x04: Devils You Know
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S.H.I.E.L.D. continues their search for Inhumans ... and continues to be thwarted by Lash and confounded by the ATCU. When trying to recruit a couple who knew they were Inhuman before it was cool before the Terrigen spread, Lash beat them to it. But the massacre does bring them one new bit of information, an email housing a computer virus sent by another Inhuman who believes that Lash is on a mission of importance. (Um, NO.) While taking Mr. Delusional back to ATCU headquarters, however, Lash stops the truck, kills the guy, but—for some reason unbeknownst to everyone—leaves Daisy alone. And, lets her see his shadow as he apparently shifts back into a much more human form.
Hunter and May's quest to find Ward gets a little too close to comfort, and the two come face to face(ish) with their enemy. Unfortunately, the faceoff leads to what certainly seems like Andrew's death. And back at HQ, Simmons continues to search for a way to return to the planet across the universe. We'll get to learn why next episode, which I am VERY excited about. (Mandy C.)
Arrow 4x03: Restoration
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In Nanda Parbat, Thea asks Merlyn for help with her aggression problem. His advice? Go on a killing spree every few weeks to ease the Resurrection Pit bloodlust. Thea is all, “thanks but no thanks, psycho.” Merlyn responds by tricking her into killing several of his own men. In an effort to appease Thea’s righteous fury at being deceived, Merlyn grants Laurel’s petition to put Sarah in the Resurrection Pit over Nyssa’s strong objection. Sarah emerges, alive but crazed and immediately tries to kill everyone. In retaliation, Nyssa destroys the Resurrection Pit and vows revenge on Merlyn.
In Star City, Oliver fights Damien Darhk’s newest henchman, a meta-human called “Double Down,” who brings his tattoos of playing cards to life and then throws them like shuriken. I know what you’re thinking, darlings, but this is totally different from Gambit, because… reasons. Anyway, while Felicity battles Not-Gambit with a machine gun, Diggle discovers the meta-human’s handler is the same HIVE agent who put the hit out on his brother. He gives Ollie a chance to win his trust back, asking for help tracking her. But before they find her, Darhk executes her for insolence. They do, however, manage to capture Double Down. (Amanda K.)
Hero of the Week: Felicity Smoak, Arrow
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Not only does Felicity lay down an EPIC smackdown on Oliver and Diggle to make them work out their differences, she stands and fights a metahuman to save herself and Curtis Holt. Not to mention she's an integral part of Team Arrow and the head of Palmer Technologies. Felicity is a bad-ass, and she knows it.
Honorable Mention: Leonard Snart, The Flash
Villain of the Week: Lewis Snart, The Flash
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Villains don't get much nastier or more unlikable than Lewis Snart, father of Leonard "Captain Cold" and Lisa "Golden Glider" Snart. Daddy Snart is cruel, heartless, and a contender for WORST DAD EVER. But on the bright side, Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller) stares delicious daggers at him throughout the episode.
Honorable mention: Grant Ward, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Biff! Bam! Pow!
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Coulson is finally back in action, and he's got his sassypants on again!
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Pull List
Top Titles
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Captain America: Sam Wilson #1 by Nick Spencer, art by Daniel Acuna
Sam Wilson is starring in a new solo Captain America series, and this time he's flying solo without an Avengers team behind him. That's not to say he's completely on his own, though: the amazing Misty Knight has Cap's back. Sam finds himself in a political and media controversy that sadly echoes real life. (Kelly)
Secret Six #7 by Gail Simone, art by Dale Eaglesham and Tom Derenick
Simone's newest arc with the Secret Six has been pretty great so far, blending dark humor with the real emotions felt by a pack of outsiders. Black Alice is comatose and in the hospital; coincidentally the world is being drained of its magic and all the Head Wizards in Charge are trying to figure out why. The rest of the Six have no idea how to help Alice, so to take their minds off of it Catman decides to teach them how to play basketball. It goes about as well as you'd think. (Strix is the BEST, you guys.) (Amanda R.)
Lumberjanes #19 by Shannon Watters and Kat Leyh, art by Carolyn Nowak
It's no secret how much FYA loves the 'Janes, but this issue has MERMAIDS. (Excuse me, MerWOMYN.) You haven't known true joy until you've seen a colony of butch/femme/queer/non-binary mermaids, OR how much April fangirls all over them. (April is ALL of us in this issue.) She's determined to help mend broken mer-friendships, but in her attempt to become besties with the mermaids she forgets her friendships above the surface. This issue is full of the usual hilarity (the Mermaid Lemonade Stand series being a loving homage to The Babysitters Club), heart, and smarts with a side of feminist badass-ery. (Amanda R.)
Additional Picks: Black Canary #5 by Brenden Fletcher, The New Avengers #1 by Al Ewing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer 10x20 by Christos Gage
Pick of the Week: Gotham Academy #11 by Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher, art by Karl Kerschl
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Maps is in charge in this week's new Gotham Academy, so you know there's an adventure in store for the Pizza Club. They're off to the city under the pretense of cheering for Kyle in a tennis tournament, but Olive is using the chance to sneak away to find out more about her mother. Tim Drake, AKA Red Robin, runs into the team, and his interaction with Maps is both informational and so dang CUTE that I want to pinch their little cheeks. (Kelly)
As Seen in the Daily Planet
News
-Michigan State's marching band gave a spiritied salute to the Marvel cinematic universe for their halftime show.
-Fox News unleashed criticism of Captain America: Sam Wilson #1 this week, calling to keep politics out of comic books.
-Trevor Noah and The Daily Show fired back at Fox News and Jeb Bush for their comments on superheroes.
-Vin Diesel really wants to be Black Bolt in the 2019 Inhumans movie, but said the script has to be right for him to suit up.
-The Sandman film has a new writer and may go into production in 2016.
-Legends of Tomorrow will introduce Oliver Queen's son, Connor Hawke (sort of).
-The Mary Sue interviewed the creative team behind DC Super Hero Girls.
-Robbie Amell endorsed the new Firestorm, Franz Darmeh, and hinted at Ronnie Raymond's return (huzzah!).
-Echo Kellum talked about his new role as the soon-to-be Mr. Terrific on Arrow.
-Chris Hemsworth has joined Instagram. Let the heavens rejoice.
-Ant-Man director Peyton Reed is in talks to return for Ant-Man and The Wasp.
Trailers
The first full-length trailer for Jessica Jones, premiering November 20 on Netflix:
The new Firestorm makes his debut on The Flash next week:
Isn't David Tennant dreamy even when he's being shadowy and creepy in the Jessica Jones trailer? (Yes.) How excited are you to see Supergirl take to the skies on Monday? And is this the best time to be a superhero fan or what?