Fanboys Anonymous

Want to know what happened the past few days in nerd culture? WEEK IN GEEK is your quick fix to catch up with the rest of the fanboys out there.
MOVIES

Deadpool Finally Happening!

My take: Even with a PG-13 rating, this movie could be as fun as Guardians of the Galaxy is. Though, a director's cut (pun intended) would be a great BluRay option down the road. If Fox is smart, they'll stay as true to the comic book as possible and avoid any iteration connected with X-Men Origins: Wolverine version. With the current state of the X-Men franchise, anything is possible right now and they should jump on it.

Retcon: Aquaman Saved Superman in Man of Steel?

My take: I call shenanigans on this. If Aquaman was there, why didn't he help with the oil rig disaster? Did he cause the oil rig disaster? They did mention Batman in the movie, so I'm fine with foreshadowing where intended but this seems to be be getting shoe horned into continuity.

Rumor: William Shatner to Appear in Star Trek 3.

My take: Ugh. Can we have a Star Trek movie that doesn't feature a member of the original cast anymore? I know there have been a few but aside from Star Trek: First Contact, they don't seem to know what to do with themselves. If you reboot a franchise, go full tilt. Though I appreciated what they did with the first one, timeline-wise, from a fanboy perspective, but it's poison long-term.

TELEVISION

Gotham Polarizes Fans on All Sides.

My take: For a pilot episode, I have to give the premiere of Gotham a pass, for now. Yes, it was a little over the top at times. Yes, everyone was introduced by name almost immediately after first appearing on screen. Yes, the villains are more likeable than the "good guys". Wait…where was I going with this? Oh, right, give it a season to see what they do. Fox has a bad history with keeping any floundering shows, so this will either disappear forever, or continue on Netflix (who already has the exclusive rights to the series).

Supergirl TV Show Greenlit?

My take: CBS's commitment to a Supergirl series is inspiring in a world that's lacking female-driven shows. It's when they don't know if they should call the show Super or Girl that makes me crunch my eyebrows and think "…just call it Supergirl, you dummies!"

Powers Showing Exclusive Footage at NYCC.

My take: If one series has a chance to sink or swim, Powers could be it. I love the original comic books series by Brian Michael Bendis, although I've lost track of it over the years. I can specifically recall thinking, about six issues in, that this would make a really great TV show. The super heroics are often seen off-panel, or done quickly enough that a budget could be reasonable. The plot, based around a hero who no longer has powers, is just screaming for a live action series. I'm definitely giving this a go when it comes out, it's crude, it's quirky and it rarely holds anything back. If they keep a similar format to the original series, it could easily step up the expectations game for superheroic fare.

COMIC BOOKS

DC's Multiverse Waaaay More Complicated Than You Thought.

My take: SPOILER ALERT If you're behind on DC and The New 52 and want to keep some mystery, don't read this paragraph. Also, don't look at the picture I have blatantly posted below. Okay, if you're still here, wow, DC needs to $#it or get off the pot! After successfully rendering a beautiful, cohesive universe from 1987 - 2011, known as the "post-Crisis" era, DC seems completely unsure of itself since rebooting again just a few years ago. Sure, stories like Zero Hour and Armageddon 2001 changed a few minor bits here and there but DC looks like it might be opening every playbook available, soon. I'm all for cleaning up some minor glitches from 2011's The New 52 launch that was loaded with inconsistencies across multiple books. However, now DC has revealed that every reality, every "Elseworld", every timeline, exists (and is seemingly accessible) in their new "Multiverse" format. The relaunch that was intended to attract new readers, and apparently failed, is now reverting to trying to make everyone happy, giving us access to whatever version of any character we want. How this will play out, and how much I'm over-reacting, is yet to be seen. The insinuation I'm blowing up about was revealed in the final pages of Superman Doomed #2 and Booster Gold: Futures End #1 this week.

Deathstroke Gets a Second Chance This October.

My take: A few months ago, DC apologized to retailers for pumping up Deathstroke in their animated features, as well as on Arrow, without having any cross-promotion items to sell. No toys. No books. Hence, this October he returns in a new series by Tony Daniel. I find him beneficial when played strictly as a mercenary, not so much as an anti-hero. I gave the first series a try and it was way too Punisher-like. He was always great as an enemy to the Teen Titans but now seems to get overused as the go-to villain when stakes need to be raised. Hopefully we see a spin that gives him new status as the badass he should be.

Death of Wolverine Begins.

My take: If you're going to get this book for anything, get it for Steve McNiven's art. I think this guy is amazing and will help make this series memorable. I don't follow the X-books too well, so I'm not sure how or when Wolverine lost his healing factor, but I like that he's concerned this time around. His death needs to be brutal because we've seen him beaten pretty bad in the past. Heck, just after Civil War he got blown up and burned clear down to his skeleton (it was just a flesh wound, of course). The scenes with him and Mr. Fantastic show that even his "friends" have their reservations about him, even helping him when he's down. I'm curious if they will be relieved he is gone or if they'll play up how "necessary" his tactics are (leading up to his inevitable return).

TECHNOLOGY

India's Mangalyaan Reaches Mars.

My take: At $75 million, India's satellite reached Mars and cost less than 1/5 of the recent Destiny video game's $500 million budget. As a fanboy, I'm all for home entertainment but I'm even more interested in studying the solar system.

The iPhone 6 is Bendable.

My take: The iPhone 6 has had some bad press this week and now it appears customers are learning what aluminum is. It's a malleable, lightweight material and the phones are bending in people's pockets. It could lead to a potential recall but, for now, just be careful!