TITANS Casts Anna Diop as Starfire

The Titans are coming together.

Deadline has word that the upcoming DC Comics digital series Titans has cast Anna Diop as Koriand'r, better known to DC Comics fans as the alien superhero Starfire.

According to the article, Starfire is described as "an alien princess from a warrior planet who seeks asylum on Earth. A no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners stranger on our world, she has the ability to shoot energy bolts and fly. Searching for her place on Earth, she’ll come into contact with the Titans."

Diop is probably best known as Nicole Carter on the Fox series 24: Legacy. Her other television appearances include episodes of Quantico, Greenleaf, Southland, Whitney, and Everybody Hates Chris.

Written by Akiva Goldsman, DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns and Greg Berlanti, Titans follows a group of young soon-to-be superheroes recruited from every corner of the DC Universe. In the action-adventure series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes that includes Starfire, Raven and others.

Created in 1980 by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Starfire first appeared in DC Comics Presents #26 as Koriand'r, a princess of the planet Tamaran in the Vegan system, and was in line to rule the planet as Queen. Komand'r, also known as Blackfire, her older sister, developed a bitter rivalry with her after suffering a disease in infancy that robbed her of the ability to harness solar energy to allow her to fly, and by extension, her right to the throne. Their rivalry continued and intensified when the siblings were sent for warrior training with the Warlords of Okaara. Things came to a head during a sparring exercise in which Komand'r attempted to kill her sister. As a result, Komand'r was expelled and she swore vengeance.

That revenge came in a plot where Komand'r betrayed her planet by supplying detailed information about Tamaran's defenses to their enemies, the Citadel. They conquered Tamaran with ease, and the surrender conditions included the enslavement of Koriand'r, who was never permitted to return, since that would mean the Citadel would devastate the planet for abrogating the treaty. To her horror, Koriand'r learned that Komand'r was her master, and she made the most of her sibling's years of horrific servitude. When Koriand'r killed one of her captors, Komand'r decided to execute her as punishment, but the sisters were attacked and captured by the Psions, a group of sadistic alien scientists. While performing deadly experiments on the sisters, the Psion were attacked by Komand'r's forces. Koriand'r broke free using her newly developed starbolts, destructive blasts of ultraviolet energy which were a result of the experiment. She freed Komand'r, who was still absorbing more amounts of ultraviolet energy. Far from grateful, Komand'r struck her sister with the same, but more intense, power and had her restrained for later execution.

Koriand'r escaped by stealing a spacecraft to flee to the nearest planet, Earth, where she met the first Robin and other teen superheroes, soon joining them in forming the Teen Titans.  She became a charter member of this team and remained a member for years, finding work as a professional model using the name Kory Anders.

Titans will presumably debut on DC's digital service sometime in 2018.

THE FANDOM ZONE 113: "The H Word" is Up!

"You know what your problem is?"
"Sentences that start like that."
"You're not comfortable with what you've become.  Jessica, you are now a full-blown superhe--"
"Do not say the H-word."

– Patsy "Trish" Walker and Jessica Jones, The Defenders: "The H Word"

Wake the kids and phone the neighbors, Karen and I are finally back with a BIG episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Preacher 2x08: "Holes"

Preacher 2x09: "Puzzle Piece"

Wynonna Earp 2x09: "Forever Mine Nevermind"

Wynonna Earp 2x10: "I See a Darkness"

The Defenders 1x01: "The H Word"  (Series Premiere)

The Defenders 1x02: "Mean Right Hook"

In this episode, Karen and I talk about things like how Karen gots to get paid yo, my new Flash from Justice League Funko figure, the Widows wanting Doc's ring, Rosita inviting Waverly to a spa instead of Doc, Wynonna's worst lunch ever, Doc being afraid of losing his immortality, Waverly making a really bad deal to save Officer Haught, Tulip's PTSD from having her control taken away by the Saint of Killers, Tulip becoming gal pals with Featherstone, Arseface being thrown in The Hole, the origin of Cassidy's son Denis, Denis as a baby vampire, Jesse's effective use of mind-controlled cops, Herr Starr not wanting Featherstone for his rape fantasy, Herr Starr's awkward encounter with The Professionals, Daredevil being Matt Murdock's addiction, Madame Gao being reduced to a subordinate role, wondering how White Privilege Alexandra got in charge of an Asian ninja cult, Claire as the Phil Coulson of the Marvel Netflix shows, Jessica Jones vs. Elektra, two new Wynonna Earp feedbacks from Justina, and more!

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Be sure to come back in three weeks as Karen and I review Episodes 3 & 4 of The Defenders, two new episodes of Preacher, and a new episode of Wynonna Earp, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 093: "Castrovalva" is Up!

"That's the problem with regeneration -- You never quite know what you're going to get."
-- The Fifth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Castrovalva"

That's right, my partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  In this episode, Jesse and I review "Castrovalva", the first serial of Season 19 from the original series of Doctor Who in 1982, starring Peter Davison in his debut story as the Fifth Doctor, Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Anthony Ainley as the Third Master!

This time, Jesse and I discuss things like Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, The Master loving his disguises, Peter Davison's debut as the Fifth Doctor, post-regenerative amnesia, the great metaphor of the Fourth Doctor's scarf being unraveled, Davison's bright optimism after Tom Baker's final season, my reaction at seeing the Fifth Doctor back in the day, the debut of the brainy specs, Tegan and Nyssa vs. Event One and the Zero Cabinet, Tegan's impractical wardrobe, the recursive world of Castrovalva, Jesse's Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new feedback from Holly from Wisconsin and Paul from Australia, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

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And hey, if you'd like to pick up the officially official Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in three weeks as Jesse and I review the 1984 classic "The Caves of Androzani", Peter Davison's final story as the Fifth Doctor, co-starring Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

GHOSTWOOD 017: "The Return, Part 14" is Up!

"Sure is a mystery, hunh?"

-- Sarah Palmer to "Truck You" Guy, Twin Peaks: "The Return, Part 14"

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back once again with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we review "The Return, Part 14" from the Showtime revival of Twin Peaks!

LET'S ROCK!

In our latest episode, Xan and I discuss things like getting close to the new series finale, wanting to write a Twin Peaks comic, Gordon Cole talking to Lucy Brennan, the first Blue Rose case, Marge Simpson's blue roses, the deal with tulpas, David Bowie as Phillip Jeffries, Gordon Cole's Monica Bellucci dream, wondering if Twin Peaks lives inside a dream, Showtime really wanting Twin Peaks Season 4, Chad finally getting arrested, the return of Naido, Andy Brennan meeting the Fireman, Freddie's piledriver gardening glove, The Beatles' "A Day in the Life", Sarah Palmer's holy crap moment, the Saturday Night Live Twin Peaks sketch, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

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YouTube -- RIGHT HERE

Ghostwood's Facebook page

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Be sure to come back in three weeks as Xan and I review "The Return, Part 15", the next episode of the Showtime revival of Twin Peaks!  Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

THE FLASH Casts Katee Sackhoff as Blacksmith

Is the Flash about to face a Rogue War?

Entertainment Weekly has revealed that the CW series The Flash has cast Katee Sackhoff as Amunet Black, better known to DC Comics fans as the supervillain Blacksmith.  The character will make her debut in "Girls Night Out", the fifth episode of the show's fourth season.

According to the article, Blacksmith is described as "a steely and badass boss of an underground black market for supervillains.  Amunet uses every means possible, including the long list of metahumans under her thumb, to ensure her illicit enterprise thrives."

Sackhoff, 37, is best known as Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on the Sci Fi Channel series Battlestar Galactica.  She's also voiced the comic book characters Sarah Essen in the animated movie Batman: Year One, and She-Hulk in The Super Hero Squad Show.  In addition, she's appeared on episodes of Longmire, Robot Chicken, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Futurama, 24, and Bionic Woman (2007).

Created in 2001 by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, Blacksmith first appeared in The Flash: Iron Heights as Amunet Black, who ran and operated "The Network," an underground black market in the twin cities, Central City and Keystone City, for supervillains to buy, sell, or move contraband.  During that time, she had a brief marriage to the supervillain Goldface. When they divorced, she stole the elixir that gave him his powers and changed it to gain the ability to merge metal with flesh and shape it to her will.  She was able to keep The Network hidden from the authorities, and if any villain reformed or quit crime, she made sure the memories of the Network were erased from their minds.  When Goldface and criminal profiler Hunter Zolomon (the future Zoom) were about to find out about The Network, she sent the Trickster to stop them.  Having a vision of power, Blacksmith planned out her takeover of the twin cities, with herself as the leader.

First, she organized a new group of Rogues, which consisted of the Weather Wizard, Mirror Master, Magenta, Murmur, Girder, Plunder, and the Trickster.  She made sure that her rogues were strong and had better control of their powers.  Next, she and her Rogues had the Flash's allies removed or incapacitated.  Mirror Master framed the Pied Piper for the murder of his parents.  Plunder took out Chunk and shot Plunder's doppelganger, Detective Jared Morillo, and assumed his identity.  Then, Mirror Master kidnapped Cyborg and police officer Fred Chyre and trapped them in a mirror universe, along with all the other police officers of Keystone City.  The Rogues then removed the speedsters by giving Jesse Quick's company financial trouble, and sent Jay Garrick to a hospital in Denver when his wife Joan became ill.

After everything had been put into place, Blacksmith and her Rogues launched their takeover and began by attacking the Flash.  They attacked hard and fast, which left Flash tired and badly injured, but just as they were about to finish him off, they were stopped by the Thinker, who wanted to use the Flash's brain to upload information.  After the Thinker was defeated, Blacksmith and the Rogues resumed their plan and attacked Flash and Goldface.  They successfully defeated the Flash while Goldface escaped.  During the fight, Blacksmith used her power to transform her body into ebony metal, while villains in the Network began to loot and pillage the two cities.  Fortunately, Goldface led the people of the twin cities against the Network, while the Flash managed to defeat the Weather Wizard, Mirror Master, and the Trickster before they escaped.  With her Rogues defeated, Blacksmith tried a desperate attack by collapsing the bridge that connects Keystone City and Central City.  The Flash quickly managed to rebuild the bridge and finally defeated Blacksmith by stranding her on a barge in the middle of the river.  With her Network discontinued, she was sent to Iron Heights prison.

The Flash returns to The CW for Season 4 on October 10th, 2017.

Netflix Debuts First Teaser Trailer for THE PUNISHER

Frank Castle is back to dish out some punishment.

Netflix has debuted the first teaser trailer for The Punisher, based on the Marvel Comics character and spinning off from the events of Daredevil Season 2.  The series stars Jon Bernthal as The Punisher/Frank Castle, Ben Barnes as Jigsaw/Billy Russo, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Micro, Amber Rose Revah as Dinah Madani, and Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page.

Debuting at the end of The Defenders Episode 8, the one-minute teaser trailer shows Frank Castle using a sledgehammer on a city street as he delivers a voiceover.

"All the things that I've done..." begins Frank as he starts pounding away at the pavement, while we see fleeting images of him shooting bad guys and looking at a photo of his murdered family.  "Memories...They never hurt me."

We see fleeting images of Frank's time as a soldier in the Middle East as he continues pounding away at the pavement.  "The past...it's more than memories.  It's the devil you sold your soul to...He's coming.  He's coming to collect."

Frank drops the sledge and walks off into the night.  The camera looks down at the pavement, revealing that Frank rather artistically carved his Punisher skull logo into the pavement.

If you'd like to check out the teaser, you can view it below thanks to YouTube user iVideos...




The Punisher is expected to debut on Netflix sometime in November 2017.

LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS Enters TWIN PEAKS' Red Room

Laura Palmer as a late night talk show guest.

That's the premise of a sketch from last night's episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, which featured Meyers entering the mysterious Red Room from Twin Peaks to interview none other than murdered homecoming queen Laura Palmer.

The two-minute sketch begins with Meyers mentioning the Showtime series, remarking "It's been a very exciting year for fans of the television show Twin Peaks.  It has been back on the air. Uh...It's a weird show, it's a classic show, and one our writers thought it would be fun, if instead of Studio 8G, one night we filmed Late Night inside the mysterious Red Room from Twin Peaks."

The sketch cuts to a meticulous recreation of the original 1990-91 Twin Peaks that aired on ABC, right down to the original 4:3 screen format.  We see the original series credits, with the Twin Peaks title replaced with Late Night, then dive into the classic dream sequence from the original series' third episode, "Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer".

"Welcome back to Late Night," says Meyers in a monotone, dressed as the 25-years-older version of Kyle MacLachlan's character, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, even including the older Cooper's distinctive necktie.  "I'm here with Laura Palmer."

"Hello, Seth Meyers," replies an actress dressed as Sheryl Lee's character, speaking in the odd reverse-speak used inside the Black Lodge by characters other than Dale Cooper.  "I'm happy to be your guest tonight."

"So, what's new?" asks Meyers.

Laura gets up from her chair and slowly walks over to Meyers, bends down and whispers something into Meyer's left ear, just as Sheryl Lee did in the original sequence.  Afterwards, she stands up and slowly walks back to her chair and sits down again, blinking her eyes as Lee also did.

"What a great story," remarks Meyers.

Laura laughs in reverse-speak, and then we see a regular-sized actor as Michael Anderson's character, The Man from Another Place, who has his back to us at first, rubbing his hands together as Anderson did in the sequence.  He claps his hands together and says "Let's rock!" as Anderson also did.

And naturally, we then hear the sounds of Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti's "Dance of the Dream Man" featured in the original sequence.  The Man from Another Place gets up and starts dancing as Anderson also did.

"We'll be back with comedian Ray Romano..." Meyers says with a monotone in standard talk show fashion as the show heads to commercial.

If you'd like to check out the sketch, you can view it below thanks to the official Late Night with Seth Meyers account on YouTube...

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 092: "Logopolis" is Up!

"It's the end...but the moment has been prepared for."
-- The Fourth Doctor, Doctor Who: "Logopolis"

Celebrating our 3rd Anniversary, my partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back with a new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast!  In this episode, Jesse and I are joined by special guest companion Ken Schaefer to review "Logopolis", the seventh serial of Season 18 from the original series of Doctor Who in 1981, starring Tom Baker in his final story as the Fourth Doctor, Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, Anthony Ainley as the Third Master, and introducing Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka!

This time, Jesse, Ken and I discuss things like Ken's background as a Doctor Who fan, the Colin Baker era story "The Two Doctors", the first Doctor you imprint on being your favorite Doctor for the rest of your life, A Fish Called Wanda, more on the Fourth Doctor's relationship with Adric being better than the Fifth Doctor's, the addition of Tegan to cater to Doctor Who's Australian audience, the Doctor preparing to regenerate, my teenaged reaction to the Doctor's regeneration, wondering if Darren from Bewitched is a Time Lord, the debut of Tegan Jovanka, the Doctor's lack of compassion towards Tegan's shrunken aunt, Tegan's Worst Day Ever, wondering if the TARDIS rearranges the interior to suit where the Doctor wants to go, comparing Tegan to Donna Noble, Anthony Ainley's first full episode as the Third Master, Roger Degaldo as the definitive Master, the Master's ability to multitask, trying to understand what the deal is with The Watcher, wondering if the Fourth Doctor accidentally fell or willingly let go, Tom Baker getting along with people better than he used to, the Master's "Peoples of the universe" line, Jesse's Reverse the Reverse the Polarity segment, new feedback from Holly from Wisconsin and Paul from Australia, and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

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And hey, if you'd like to pick up the officially official Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, you can find it on TeePublic right HERE!  Help support the show and feel free to post pictures on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in just one week as Jesse and I review the 1982 classic "Castrovalva", Peter Davison's debut story as the Fifth Doctor, starring Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Anthony Ainley as the Third Master!  Look for more of Next Stop Everywhere on iTunes, Google Play Music, YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

ARROW Casts Kirk Acevedo as Richard Dragon

Green Arrow just got another enemy.

Deadline has revealed that the CW series Arrow has cast Kirk Acevedo as Ricardo Diaz, better known to DC Comics fans as Richard Dragon.  Acevedo is one of three new Arrow villains for Season 6, along with Michael Emerson and David Nykl.

According to the article, Richard Dragon is described as "A hardened ex-con recently released from prison for crimes he didn’t commit, Ricardo Diaz (Acevedo) is bent on taking over Star City’s criminal underworld.  A master in hand to hand combat, honed by years of life on the street, Diaz has yet to meet a foe he can’t take down."

Acevedo, 45, is best known as Miguel Alvarez on the HBO series Oz, and as FBI Agent Charlie Francis on the Fox series Fringe.  He's appeared in the films Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Thin Red Line, and on episodes of The Walking Dead, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., 12 Monkeys, Grimm, Band of Brothers, Kingdom, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Legends, Person of Interest, The Mentalist, and Prime Suspect.

Created in 1974 by "Jim Dennis", a pseudonym for Dennis O'Neil and Jim Berry, Richard Dragon first appeared in the novel Kung-Fu Masters, Richard Dragon: Dragon's Fists as Richard Drakunovski, a teenage sneak thief in Japan who broke into a Chinese dojo outside of Kyoto to steal a priceless jade Buddha.  Before he could get away, Richard was caught and beaten by the dojo's teenage student, Ben Turner.  O-Sensei, the dojo's master, saw something worth nurturing in Richard, and for the next seven years taught Ben and Richard, side by side, mastery of the martial arts.  Richard came to find an inner peace, only using his skill when absolutely necessary.  Once he felt there was nothing more he could teach them, the O-Sensei left the two.  Turner and Dragon were recruited by Barney Ling, head of the law-keeping espionage agency known as G.O.O.D. (Global Organization of Organized Defense), to join the organization. Together, Ben and Richard would defeat the corrupt businessman Guano Cravat, foiling his plans to instigate a war for his own benefit.  Ben and Richard founded a martial arts dojo in Manhattan, and Richard would go on to battle international threats such as Telegram Sam, the Preying Mantis, the League of Assassins, and his former superior, Barney Ling.

The character was brought into the DC Universe in 1975, starting with his own series, Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter.  As one of the DCU's top martial artists, Richard later trained heroes such as The Question, Oracle, and The Huntress.

In 2013, as part of the DC Universe continuity relaunch known as The New 52, Richard Dragon was reinvented by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino in Green Arrow (vol.5) #23 as Ricardo Diaz, Jr., the son of a drug kingpin who had been killed by John Diggle (posing as Green Arrow).  He revealed that after his father's death and the fall of his criminal empire, he sought out and found the League of Assassins where his sensei taught him to become a living weapon.  He claimed that when his sensei also taught him patience and compassion, which he perceived to be a weakness, he killed his sensei and took his name.  Dragon placed a $30 million bounty on Green Arrow, which three members of the Longbow Hunters (Brick, Killer Moth, and Red Dart) intended to split.  Green Arrow was able to defeat all of them with the help of his young half-sister, Emiko.  Green Arrow was then reunited with his old partner, John Diggle, after Dragon attempted to kill Diggle by defenestration.  In a fight against both Green Arrow and Diggle, Dragon was able to significantly injure both of them, but was ultimately defeated.

Arrow returns to The CW for Season 6 on Thursday, October 12th.

Amazon's GOOD OMENS Casts Michael Sheen & David Tennant as Leads

Get ready for the Apocalypse you already knew was coming.

Variety has revealed that the upcoming Amazon series Good Omens, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, has cast Michael Sheen and David Tennant in the lead roles of Aziraphale and Crowley, respectively.

According to the article, the six-episode series is "set in 2018 on the brink of an apocalypse as humanity prepares for a final judgment.  But Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a demon, aren’t enthusiastic about the end of the world, and can’t seem to find the Antichrist."

"I first read Good Omens as a teenager and it’s been one of my favorite stories ever since," said Sheen in a statement to Variety.  "To be part of the team entrusted with bringing it alive on screen is a bit of a dream come true to be honest.  To work alongside Neil, who I think is one of the greatest storytellers of all time, is incredibly exciting.  And, just like the rest of the world, I’m a huge fan of David’s so I relish trying to save it with him."

Sheen, 48, is best known as British politician Tony Blair in the films The Deal, The Queen, and The Special Relationship, and as William Mastes on the Showtime series Masters of Sex.  In addition, Sheen has appeared as the villain House in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Wife", which was written by Neil Gaiman.  His other roles include Castor/Zuse in the film Tron: Legacy, Lucian in the movies Underworld and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and as Aro in The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

Tennant, 46, is best known as The Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and as the Marvel Comics supervillain Kilgrave the Purple Man on the Netflix series Jessica Jones.  His other roles include DI Alec Hardy on Broadchurch, Barty Crouch, Jr. in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Giacomo Casanova in Casanova.

Good Omens is co-produced by BBC Studios with Narrativia, the production company of Pratchett’s daughter Rhianna, and the Blank Corporation and in association with BBC Worldwide for Amazon Prime Video and the BBC.  Gaiman, Caroline Skinner, and Chris Sussman are executive producing for BBC Studios, and Rob Wilkins and Rod Brown will executive produce for Narrativia.  Gaiman adapted all six episodes of the series and will also serve as showrunner.  Following its exclusive launch on Amazon Prime Video, the series will also be broadcast on BBC in the U.K.

Released in 1990, Good Omens is a World Fantasy Award-nominated comedic novel about the birth of the son of Satan and the coming of the End Times.  This comes as a bit of bad news to the angel Aziraphale (who was the guardian of the Eastern Gate of Eden) and the demon Crowley (who, when he was originally named Crawly, was the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the apple). As the representatives of Heaven and Hell on Earth, they have become used to living their cozy, comfortable lives and have, in a perverse way, taken a liking to humanity.  As such, since they are good friends (despite representing the polar opposites of Good and Evil), they decide to work together and keep an eye on the Antichrist. The child is destined to be the son of a prominent American diplomat stationed in Britain, and overseeing him will ensure he grows up in a way that means he can never decide between Good and Evil, thereby postponing the end of the world.

Unfortunately, Warlock, the child everyone thinks is the Anti-Christ, is in fact, a perfectly normal eleven-year-old boy.  Due to the mishandling of several infants in the hospital, the real Anti-Christ is Adam Young, a charismatic and slightly otherworldly eleven-year-old living in Lower Tadfield, Oxfordshire, an idyllic town in Britain.  Despite being the harbinger of the Apocalypse, he has lived a perfectly normal life as the son of typical English parents, and as a result has no idea of his true powers.  He has three close friends, Pepper, Wensleydale and Brian, who collectively forms a gang that is called "Them" by the adults.

As the end of the world nears, Adam blissfully and naively uses his powers, changing the world to fit things he reads in a conspiracy theory magazine, such as raising the lost continent of Atlantis and causing Little Green Men to land on earth and deliver a message of goodwill and peace.  In the meantime, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse assemble, including War (a female war correspondent), Death (who resembles his Discworld counterpart), Famine (a dietician and fast food tycoon), and Pollution (Pestilence having retired after the discovery of penicillin).  The incredibly accurate (yet so highly specific as to be useless) prophecies of Agnes Nutter, 17th-century prophetess, also rapidly coming to pass.  As the world descends into chaos, Adam attempts to split up the world between his gang. After realizing that by embracing absolute power, he will not be able to continue to grow up as a child in Lower Tadfield, Adam decides to stop the apocalypse, setting up a final resolution.

Good Omens will presumably debut on Amazon sometime in 2018.

GHOSTWOOD 016: "The Return, Part 13" is Up!

"It's like Ghostwood here."

-- Audrey Horne to Charlie, Twin Peaks: "The Return, Part 13"

It is happening again...My co-host with the most Xan Sprouse and I are back once again with a new episode of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast!  This time, we review "The Return, Part 13" from the Showtime revival of Twin Peaks!

LET'S ROCK!

In our latest episode, Xan and I discuss things like Showtime's interest in Twin Peaks Season 4, the Mitchum Brothers' conga line, Anthony Sinclair: Office Ninja, Duncan Todd's attempts to kill Dougie coming off like trying to kill Inspector Clouseau, Dougie's resistance to iocaine powder, Sonny Jim's blinged out gym set, wondering what happened to Crack Mom, the popular fan theory that events in "The Return" aren't happening in chronological order, Doppelgänger Cooper going full Over the Top, wanting to know more about the Farm Accountant Guy, wondering why Richard Horne was in Montana, finally understanding how the Black Lodge ring works, Mormon Talk with Hutch and Chantal, the return of "Big Ed" Hurley, Nadine and Dr. Jacoby being all flirty with one another, "Big Ed" having a very lonely cup of soup, wondering if Sarah Palmer was watching the Bushnell Mullins fight on a weird loop, Charlie being really creepy by threatening to end Audrey's story, the book and film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, wondering if Audrey is still in her coma, the French movie Amélie, James Marshall performing "Just You" at the Roadhouse, David Lynch trolling the James Hurley haters, Ghostwood on iTunes and YouTube, my old fanzine DAMN Good Coffee...and HOT, Xan's correction on the song "Tenderness", and more!

If you'd like to check out our latest episode, you can find us on...

iTunes -- RIGHT HERE

Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn --  RIGHT HERE

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Ghostwood's Facebook page

Ghostwood's Twitter account

Be sure to come back next week as Xan and I review "The Return, Part 14", the next episode of the Showtime revival of Twin Peaks!  Look for more of Ghostwood: The Twin Peaks Podcast on iTunes, YouTube, Libsyn, and the official Southgate Media Group website!

BLACK LIGHTNING Casts Marvin "Krondon" Jones III as Tobias Whale

Black Lightning officially has his arch-enemy.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that the upcoming CW series Black Lightning has cast rapper Marvin "Krondon" Jones III as DC Comics supervillain Tobias Whale.  

In the article, Tobias Whale is described as "an African-American man with albinism who is the leader of Freeland’s most feared gang — The 100.  But in the days before Black Lightning, Tobias was a politician, rising up the ranks of local government through corrupt and illegal means.  That was until he was brought down by Alvin Pierce, Jefferson’s father. Enraged, Tobias killed Alvin and was driven underground into exile.  It’s here he found a place to rebuild, growing into the violent and methodical leader of The 100 as viewers find him today.  But Black Lightning’s recent return has ignited Tobias’ desire to emerge from the shadows and face his biggest adversary, Jefferson Pierce a.k.a. Black Lightning."

Krondon, who is also albinistic, is best known as a member of the hip-hop group Strong Arm Steady, and has written for artists including Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Xzibit.  He recently released his debut album Everything's Nothing and has previously appeared on television as Castor Mukasa on the series Harry's Law.

"I was excited about Krondon when I saw his audition," said showrunner Salim Akil.  "He’s going to make a great Tobias!  His authentic street sensibility along with an insightful intelligence is perfect for the Tobias character arc.  Not to mention his regal physical bearing will be additive to making our show exciting and different."

Created in April 1977 by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden, Tobias Whale first appeared in Black Lightning (vol.1) #1 as an African American albino who worked his way up from the rackets to head the Metropolis branch of The 100.  A schoolteacher named Jefferson Pierce spoke out against the 100's drug trafficking, so they made an example of one of his students. Seeking to avenge the murdered student, Pierce became Black Lightning and sent Tobias Whale to jail.

Breaking out of prison some months later, Whale teamed up with Syonide in order to distribute a new highly addictive drug.  The drug's formula was supposedly in the possession of a woman named Violet Harper, and Tobias sent Syonide to retrieve the formula.  Unable to gain any information or find any trace of the formula, Syonide killed Harper, who later came back to life when an Aurakle possessed her lifeless body, turning her into Black Lightning's Outsiders teammate Halo.  Once he learned of Harper's resurrection, Whale assumed that she must have memorized the formula, but since Harper (now calling herself Gabrielle Doe) had no memories from before her death, a frustrated Syonide killed her parents.

In The New 52, the 2011 reboot of the DC Comics Universe, Tobias Whale received word that his drug deal overseen by his representatives was disrupted by both Black Lightning and Blue Devil.  He decided to have them hunted down in order to get revenge on them, but was unsuccessful in the attempt.

This will be the first time the character will be seen in live action, although Tobias Whale has appeared in the animated series Beware the Batman, voiced by Michael-Leon Wooley.

Black Lightning is expected to debut on The CW as a midseason replacement sometime in early 2018.

THE FLASH Casts Sugar Lyn Beard as Hazard

The Flash's world is about to come up snake eyes.

Variety has revealed that the CW series The Flash has cast Sugar Lyn Beard as Rebecca Sharpe, better known to DC Comics fans as the supervillain Hazard.

According to the article, Hazard will appear in the third episode of the show's fourth season and is described as "perpetually down-on her luck and is convinced her life is cursed — until a freak accident changes everything.  With the universe on her side, she poses a threat to both Team Flash and Central City."

Beard, 35, is a Canadian actress probably best known as Jeanie in the movie Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.  She's also appeared in the movies The Disaster Artist, Sausage Party and Aloha, and has appeared in episodes of Drunk History, You're the Worst, Garfunkel & Oates, The Mindy Project, Weeds, The Red Green Show, King of the Hill, and Sailor Moon.

Created in 1987 by Roy Thomas and Todd McFarlane, Hazard first appeared in Infinity, Inc. (vol.1) #34 as Rebecca "Becky" Sharpe, the granddaughter of Golden Age supervillain The Gambler, who had psionic powers that she used in conjunction with special dice to influence probability as she wished. Seeking to avenge the Gambler's suicide following multiple defeats at the hands of various superheroes, she became Hazard and joined a new incarnation of the Injustice Society that called itself Injustice Unlimited.

The group overcame the security at the International Trade Conference in Calgary, which consisted of Infinity, Inc. and a contingent of the Global Guardians, and forced the heroes to help in some mayhem.  Hazard took the second Wildcat and the Tasmanian Devil to Las Vegas and with their help, financially ruined Mr. Taj, the proprietor of the Taj Mahal Casino, which featured crooked games that were in part to blame for her grandfather's suicide.

Hazard encountered Infinity, Inc. once again with the villains Icicle and Artemis, along with the third Harlequin, Marcie Cooper, the Dummy, and a duped Solomon Grundy.  Under the leadership of the Dummy, their first goal was to murder the members of Infinity, Inc. so that the world and the criminal underworld would know and fear Injustice Unlimited.  Although Hazard had previously voiced an unwillingness to take life, she consented to the murder of Infinity, Inc.  Hazard joined with Harlequin and the Dummy to murder Pat Dugan, the former Stripesy, who worked at Stellar Studios that served as Infinity, Inc.'s headquarters.  When Pat's young son became a collateral target, Hazard used her powers of probability manipulation to help save their lives.  When the other heroes arrived at their headquarters and the battle was begun, Hazard feigned the loss of her dice and did not join in. Afterwards, when Injustice Unlimited was successfully defeated, Hazard voluntarily entered into custody for her role in the criminal events.

The Flash returns for Season 4 on October 10, 2017.