Jump to Pull List | As Seen in the Daily Planet
How many superheroes can your TV handle? Now that all of our favorite superpowered shows are in full swing, it just might explode from the awesomeness! Let's find out what happened this week.
Small Screen Supes
Speedy Synopses
Supergirl 2x03: Welcome to Earth
The mysterious alien hottie wakes up in a panic, attacking Kara before throwing a few more DEO agents around and leaping to the streets below. He escapes into the night.
Meanwhile, the DEO is getting ready for the President’s arrival. President Marsdin is signing a new amnesty act into law, granting all extraterrestrials the right to be citizens of the United States. When she’s attacked upon arriving in National City, the DEO suspects the alien escapee.
While investigating, Alex Danvers crosses paths with Maggie Sawyer, who’s looking into the attack on the President on behalf of the police. Maggie shows Alex a bar, a safe haven for aliens, where they get a lead on the missing alien.
They realize he’s from Daxam, a neighboring planet to Krypton, which explains his similar powers to Kara. Kara captures him and reveals her prejudice for his species, looking down on him and assuming that he’s behind the attacks. President Marsdin is attacked again, however, and a fire-powered alien is the real culprit behind it. Supergirl defeats her with a tornado move The Flash would be proud of.
The act is signed into law, Kara apologizes to the alien, named Mon-El, and we see that President Marsdin is an alien herself. Oh, AND we meet Miss Martian. How much can you pack into the last five minutes, Supergirl?!
Gotham 3x06: Mad City: Follow the White Rabbit
Jervis Tetch kidnaps a couple from their wedding and sends a strange, very white gentleman to tell Jim that he has to play or people will die. Tetch hypnotizes both the couple and a little boy, then puts them in harm's way and forces Jim to choose who lives. Jim saves the little boy, and watches as the happy couple jumps to their (squishy) deaths. Of course, Tetch isn't content with that little demonstration, and kidnaps Valerie Vale and Lee.
At Tetch's direction, Jim heads to Gotham's water plant and finds a TV anchor and a doctor in electric chairs. When Jim declines saving either, Tetch kills both. A magically healed (and strangely Hulk-y) Captain Barnes and Harvey show up, and the three head back to GCPD. Jim questions the strange white man from earlier, and the man tells him to go to Lee's house. There, Tetch forces him, Valerie and Lee into a tea party ... while Mario skulks in through the basement. Mario fails, however, and Jim tells Tetch to shoot Lee. But Tetch shoots Valerie instead, thinking that she's the one Jim loves (but I'm not sold). Lee calls an ambulance, and Valerie's taken into surgery.
Meanwhile, new Mayor Cobblepot admits to himself (and his housekeeper) that he has feelings for Ed. (I'm immediately nervous for him.) Penguin tries to tell Ed but panics the first time; he later invites Ed over for dinner. But before Ed can join Penguin, he runs into a Kristin Kringle doppelganger—who likes riddles?—at the wine shop. (Mandy)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 4x05: Lockup
In a flashback, Ghost Lady Lucy and her husband Jack McPhee find the Darkhold. In the present, Jack dies, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team decides that they need to pay another visit to Robbie Reyes' uncle Eli. Looks like Lucy's been there first, however, and tainted the warden and guards. The team goes looking for Lucy and Eli, but Lucy opens the doors to all of the cells ... which just so happen to be filled with prisoners who are also Watchdogs.
While Mac and Robbie hunt Lucy and the rest of the Peanuts crew (good one, Coulson) and spring Eli, Daisy battles the inmates. Robbie also finds out that the accident that took his brother's ability to walk was a hit, but while Robbie is doing his Ghost Rider thing, Lucy captures Eli. She takes him back to Momentum Labs and asks for his help. Eli is immediately intrigued by the Darkhold.
In the middle of her polygraph, Director Mace forcefully tells Simmons to join him. She's frightened, because she's definitely hiding things, but he actually only wants her to help him through a TV debate against Senator Nadeer. During the interview, Mace reveals that he's a Inhuman. Afterward, when Mace asks Simmons to retake her polygraph, Simmons calls him on his questionable hero background and finds herself exempt from further testing. Later, Mace meets in person with Nadeer, and Nadeer blackmails him with footage of S.H.I.E.L.D. working with Robbie. (Mandy)
The Flash 3x04: The New Rogues
I can't decide if the show-runners are cruel or benevolent in bringing us back a bit of our beloved Leonard Snart, but I was so happy/sad to see him again!
Way back when the particle accelerator blew up, one of Snart's lackeys got himself stuck in a mirror while his girlfriend developed the ability to give people vertigo. (Lucille 2 would NOT approve.) Said lackey, later dubbed "Mirror Master", manages to pull himself out by yanking some poor sod in, and he's off to find Snart.
...except that Snart left with the other Legends months ago. (I mean, is it possible he didn't die know because of Flashpoint? I'm horrible at keeping track of multiple worlds/timelines.) Mirror Master and Top (terrible name, Cisco) decide to fill the criminal-shaped hole that Snart left behind, Bonnie and Clyde-style.
Jesse Quick is still being mentored by Barry, and it's going well for the most part. (Her suit is FIERCE, y'all. I hope to see ALL the young kids cosplaying her!) When he's not teaching Jesse the ways of the speedforce, he's trying to keep things moving with Iris. UNDERSTANDABLY, he feels awkward about Joe seeing them horizontal on his living room couch, and Iris feels some kind of way about it. She makes Barry talk to Joe about it, and Barry finally realizes that HE is the one who feels awkward; not because Iris is Joe's dad and Joe is Barry's stepdad, but because he's afraid of losing people so close to him with this new dynamic between the three of them. Barry does the most obvious thing - he decides to get his own apartment.
Barry and Jesse try to stop a bank robbery in progress, and Barry gets himself thrown into a mirror while trying to save Jesse from falling. Jesse feels terrible, Wally gives her the most adorable pep talk, and he finally realizes that he needs to take the plunge with this girl he's crazy about, even if she is about to return to Earth-2. IT IS SO CUTE YOU GUYS.
Cisco and Harry work on getting Barry out of the mirror, but it's Caitlyn's secret frosty powers that save the day. (Girl, you need to tell your team what's going on with your new abilities! You can't keep cutting chunks of white out of your hair, and I'm pretty sure that your new blue lips are going to be hard to cover up with lipstick.) Team Flash uses a hologram of Snart to lure out Mirror Master and Top, and that's two more evil metas in Iron Heights.
Harry and Jesse return to Earth-2, but not before Harry finds ANOTHER Harrison Wells (this time from Earth-19) to add to Team Flash. Tom Cavanagh surely had a blast playing Old Timey Wild West Wells, Steampunk Brit Wells, and French Mime Wells. The parting is bittersweet, but I'm sure this isn't the last we'll see of our Earth-2 friends! (Amanda R.)
Arrow 5x04: Penance
Oliver takes the new recruits out on a small mission. It doesn’t go smoothly, because they’re new at this, and Oliver is kind of an impatient jerk. Later, Rory comes to tell Oliver that he’s off the team. He claims to understand the position Felicity was in, but he’s not able to work with her. D.A. Chase doesn’t like vigilantes, and still reads shady as hell to me. But, I gotta give him props for being willing to work with Lance, without acting like he’s damaged goods.
Lyla and Oliver fill Felicity in on their plan to break Diggle out of prison. She is not on board since she doesn’t want to go against Diggle’s wishes. They argue about it, but Oliver thinks he gets to make other people’s decisions for them, when he doesn’t agree with the ones they’ve made. Same, Ollie, same. The new recruits try to stop Oliver from leaving on his crazy jailbreak plan, and get their asses handed to them for their trouble. As this week’s Russian gang flashbacks showed us, Oliver learned very odd ideas about what it means to be “family”.
Tobias Church tries to blow up the SCPD evidence building, with Lance and Chase in it, and they barely survive, and are besieged by Church’s gang. Felicity has the team tracking Church in Oliver’s absence, and luckily, Rory decides to come back to the team just in time. Felicity reluctantly makes the difficult call to send them in to rescue everyone. They do, but Curtis gets shot, and Rene gets captured by Church, and I REALLY don’t understand how Rory’s raggedy powers work. Evelyn and Rory want to go back to rescue Rene, but Lance urges them to get Curtis to safety.
Oliver and Lyla commence terrible military prison break. Oliver manages to get into Diggle’s cell fairly easily, and convinces Diggle to do his penance if he must, but do it as Spartan. Then he uses an absurd compound to get them out of the cell, and headed for the exit. There’s a dramatic shootout, and just when you think they won’t make it, Lyla airlifts them out in a ludicrous getaway. While on the run, Diggle and Lyla will be hiding out in some very well-furnished HIVE bunker. (Kandis)
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow 2x03: Shogun
If there’s one lesson to be learned in this week’s Legends, it’s don’t mess with Vixen. Unless you’re made of steel, as Nate learned upon waking up - “I got super powers now and it’s AWESOME.” Before long, Ray puts Citizen Steel’s powers to test, causing a breach and the two tumble through space to feudal Japan. The samurai are less than welcoming, stringing up Ray and driving a sword through the middle of Nate, who hadn’t figured out how to trigger his powers.
Ray’s Atom suit lands in the hands of Shogun, a samurai with a reputation of killing his wives. In an effort to retrieve it, Sara and Vixen show off their ninja skills, Ray uses the suit’s weaknesses to his advantage, and Nate becomes a real (steel) boy just in time to demolish the Atom suit, and Shogun, who was wearing it. Oh, and did you catch that Katana reference?
Meanwhile, Jax repairs the ship and learns that Rip created secret hatch full of heavy duty weapons and a message of doom (?) from 2056’s Barry Allen. Jax and Martin are keeping their lips zipped, which we know won’t end well.
P.S. Ray took out a whole crew of Samurai sans Atom suit…Who says he isn’t a real superhero? (Christy)
Luke Cage 1×06: Suckas Need Bodyguards
Crooked cop Scarfe meets up with Cottonmouth to let him know that he has the guns he took from the evidence locker. But when Scarfe tries to squeeze him for more money, Cottonmouth shoots him with his own gun in a rage.
Not knowing where else to go, Scarfe ends up in Pop’s barber shop, where a recently reunited Luke Cage and Claire Temple find him. (Can Claire get her own series next?) Despite wanting to have nothing to do with him, Scarfe convinces Cage that he has evidence to put away Cottonmouth if they help him. Cage goes to Scarfe’s apartment to retrieve his files on Cottonmouth’s operations.
Cottonmouth is determined to finish the job, so the three flee to One Police Plaza to get Scarfe to safety. Misty Knight is also on the hunt for Scarfe. She still believes in him and defends him because he supported her when no one else did. She tracks down Cage, Claire, and Scarfe, but her partner dies in her arms.
Knight has enough evidence to arrest Cottonmouth, and Mariah’s career begins to crumble.
Hero of the Week: Supergirl, Supergirl
Beating up bad guys is one thing, but the power to look within herself and realize she's been wrong or unfair is one of Supergirl's greatest strengths. She admitted her bias in her reporting and allowed herself another point of view, and called herself out for making a snap judgement about Mon-El just because he was from Daxam. Oh, and she saved the President's life.
Honorable mention: Caitlin Snow, The Flash
Villain of the Week: Shogun, Legends of Tomorrow
Not just a tyrant who takes whatever he wants (including Ray's Atom suit), but a tyrant who's known for killing all of his wives is more than enough to earn this week's title. (Amanda R.)
Honorable mention: Captain Cold, The Flash
Comic Relief
Biff! Bam! Pow!
PULL LIST
Top Titles
Teen Titans #1 by Benjamin Percy & Jonboy Meyers, with art by Jim Charalampidis
Oh, Damian, how I’ve missed you. Robin: Son of Batman was one of my favorite New52 comics and I’ve been waiting for his smart-aleck face to return in Rebirth. It’s Damian’s 13th birthday and, as all new teenagers do, he’s ready for be in charge. And by in charge, I mean he kidnaps Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Kid Flash in an effort to blackmail them into (re)forming the Teen Titans. Yeah, he’s no Red Robin but we always knew the torch was going to passed some day. The story and art are fantastic and this book has a wider appeal to the youth audience! (Christy)
Another Castle #5 by Andrew Wheeler and art by Paulina Ganucheau
The insidious Badlug has given Misty just a few minutes to return to him, or else he'll destroy everything in his path. Misty must decide her own destiny, even if it means becoming the villain's bride. But she's not alone: her friends and the people of Grimoire are behind her. Will it be enough to give her story a happy ending? The gorgeous art and colors, paired with the princess who saves herself, make this all-ages series one to remember.
Spell on Wheels #1, by Kate Leth, with art by Megan Levens
A new series about three witches who have to go in search of their stolen magical artifacts? And it's written by Kate Leth (Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat, Vampirella)? Was I ever NOT going to read this comic?
Jolene, Claire, and Andy are a coven. Jolene is a technopath skilled in emotional manipulation, Claire reads cards and has psychic abilities, and Andy takes care of spells, charms, and potions. While working the local carnival circuit their house is invaded by an embittered ex-boyfriend of Claire's (ugh) who's working for a bigger bad at play here, one who's endgame could be that they want to stop new witches from ever coming into their own power. The girls need to track down their things (some are irreplaceable and super powerful) and so they hop into a sexy muscle car and hit the road. (Amanda R.)
Pick of the Week
Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special, various writers and artists
This year we celebrate 75 amazing years of Wonder Woman! DC Comics released a special issue this week with an incredible lineup of writers and artists, filled with stories and artwork of the one-of-a-kind Amazon princess.
Current Wonder Woman writer Greg Rucka contributed an interview between Lois Lane and Wonder Woman; in it, Lois mentions that one day she’ll put all of their conversations in a book. (Can we have that NOW? I’d read that cover to cover!) Other notable writers like Gail Simone, Hope Larson, Jill Thompson and more all add their own tales of the Themiscyran, each an intriguing read. If you’re a fan of Wonder Woman (and who isn’t?), this oversized special issue is worth the steep cover price.
AS SEEN IN THE DAILY PLANET
News
- There's a huge CW crossover event coming next month -- here's what we know about it so far.
- The first black woman comic book store owner will be featured on the cover of a Marvel comic.
- 90s X-Men are getting the full Funko treatment.
- Members of the Supernatural cast made a video to support Adam Glass (former Supernatural writer and executive producer) and Rough Riders. (Seriously, SPNFamily forever).
- Look at this adorable Jesse Quick DC Bombhsells statue that's coming out in April 2017!
- Green Lantern won't be heading to Arrow any time soon. Or ever.
- The Defenders finds a director (yay!) but will only run for 8 episodes (boo!).
- Mockingbird is an Amazon bestseller after its writer Chelsea Cain was harrassed off Twitter this week. #StandWithMockingbird
- Chris Hemsworth shares his stance against the Dakota Access Pipeline -- and his new Thor: Ragnarok costume.
- Catch the third episode of the new season of Vixen now.
Trailers
Here's a glimpse of the upcoming Suicide Squad extended cut:
Are you bummed that The Defenders is only eight episodes, or do you think that it can be a good thing? And are you as nervous for Caitlin Snow as I am? Let's chat!
