NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 331: "The Masque of Mandragora" Is Up!

 
"You know, the worse the situation, the worse your jokes get."
-- Sarah Jane Smith to the Fourth Doctor, Doctor Who: "The Masque of Mandragora"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back for another new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast! This time, we discuss "The Masque of Mandragora", the first serial from Doctor Who Season 14 in 1976, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Jon Laurimore as Count Federico, and Norman Jones as Hieronymous!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like real life interfering with Jesse's schedule, Sarah Jane being like a Christmas present, Tim Pigott-Smith as Creedy in V for Vendetta, Elisabeth Sladen sticking around longer to make this serial, writer Louis Marks drawing from a number of sources, "The Masque of Mandragora" being filmed in the same location as The Village in The Prisoner, the first appearance of the TARDIS' secondary console room, the Easter Eggs in the secondary console room, the Mandragora Helix returning in Doctor Who Magazine's 1991 comic strip serial "The Mark of Mandragora", Jesse not having a problem with pacing for once, Sarah Jane not having a lot to do in the story, Tom Baker having a blast, Guiliano and Marco also not having a lot to do in this story, why the Mandragora Helix chose the 15th century, Count Federico not really liking Hieronymous, our favorite quotes of the story, new listener feedback from Dave Proctor, Holly Mac and Sandi from Oregon, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology DC's Lex and the City #1, the upcoming 2024 Doctor Who Christmas Special, and more!

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

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

And just in time for the new era of Doctor Who, we now have a BRAND NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic RIGHT HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in two weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I are joined by special guest companions DJ Nik and Holly Mac as we discuss "Joy to the World", the 2024 Doctor Who Christmas Special, featuring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor, Nicola Coughlan as Joy Almondo, Joel Fry as Trev Simpkins, and Steph de Whalley as Anita Benn!

SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW Casts Jason Momoa as Lobo

 
The Main Man is coming to the big screen.

Deadline is confirming reports that the upcoming DC Universe film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, based on the DC Comics character, has cast Jason Momoa as the bounty hunter Lobo. Momoa joins Milly Alcock as Supergirl/Kara Zor-El, Matthias Schoenaerts as the main antagonist Krem, and Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll.

Craig Gillespie will direct Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow from a script by Ana Nogueira. The project is based on the 2022 DC Comics limited series of the same name, written by Tom King and drawn by Bilquis Evely.

Momoa, 45, is best known to DC Comics fans as Aquaman/Arthur Curry in the films Aquaman, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and Justice League. He's also appeared as Duncan Idaho in Dune (2021), Khal Drogo on the HBO series Game of Thrones, and as Ronon Dex on Stargate: Atlantis. In addition, Momoa also portrayed the lead role of Conan in the 2011 remake of Conan the Barbarian.  

According to the article, Momoa has been linked to the character before James Gunn came in to lead DC alongside Peter Safran. He’s been vocal in the past about his interest in the part and today confirmed his attachment to the role in a post on Instagram, where he included comments from a previous interview.

Created in 1983 by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen, Lobo first appeared in Omega Men (vol.1) #3 as a Velorpian whose entire race had been exterminated by the Psions.  Lobo played an important role in the Citadel War, in his capacity as a bounty hunter.  He was hired by the Citadel's human agent Harry Hokum to capture the Euphorian known as Kalista in a bid to learn the secret behind her home world's planetary shield.  Along with fellow bounty hunters Bedlam and Berserk, he raided the mothership belonging to the Omega Men, where upon he engaged in combat with Kalista.  Soon after, Harry Hokum hired Lobo once again, this time to assassinate the Omega Men's interim leader Tigorr.  Lobo never had the opportunity to complete the contract however.

In 1988's Justice League International (vol.1) #18, the character was revamped as a Czarnian whose name comes from a Khund dialect that means "one who devours your entrails and thoroughly enjoys it."  He hailed from the planet Czarnia, which was a virtual paradise that knew nothing of war and the Czarnians were almost immortal.  When Lobo was born, his evil was so frighteningly apparent, the nurse who delivered him went insane and became the planet's first mental patient in ten millennia after the infant Lobo chewed off four of her fingers.  Lobo knew he was one of a kind, but he wanted even more.  Inspired by the idea of genocide, Lobo created a swarm of lethal scorpion-like creatures and set them on his people, wiping out his entire species but himself.

After traveling across the galaxies as an intergalactic bounty hunter, Lobo made his first appearance on the planet Earth when he was hired by Manga Khan to take out the newly formed Justice League International.  However, after Big Barda teleported Lobo across the galaxy, Lobo landed on Earth in the Justice League Embassy.  After a brief altercation with Guy Gardner, Lobo hung around, pretending to be a friend, while waiting for the right moment.   Before he could act, however, Manga Khan canceled his contract.  Since then, he encountered various DC Comics superheroes, operating solo or as a member of L.E.G.I.O.N.

In DC Rebirth, Lobo was reintroduced in the limited series Justice League vs. Suicide Squad as one of the villains freed by Maxwell Lord who was a member of Amanda Waller's first Suicide Squad.  Batman eventually implanted a bomb into Lobo's brain and detonated it, blowing up Lobo's head.  After Lobo regenerated it, he discovered Batman did so to free him from Lord's control, and later accepted Batman's offer to join a new incarnation of the Justice League of America to repay the favor.

Momoa will be the second actor to portray Lobo in live action, after Emmett J. Scanlan on the TV series Krypton. The character has appeared in various animated projects, including Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League (voiced by Brad Garrett), Young Justice (voiced by David Sobolov), and Justice League Action (voiced by John DiMaggio).

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 26, 2026.

THE FANDOM ZONE 309: "Cheers to the Tin Man" Is Up!

 
"Friend Nina, my disappointment in having no Nazis to kill when I arrived is lessened by my pleasure that you are alive."
-- G.I. Robot to Nina Mazursky, Creature Commandos -- "Cheers to the Tin Man"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "Cheers to the Tin Man", the third episode from Creature Commandos Season One, starring the voices of Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot, Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky, Anya Chalotra as Circe, and Michael Rooker as Sam Fitzgibbon!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like my playing under the weather, James Gunn probably smiling like G.I. Robot as he wrote the scenes where G.I. Robot massacred Nazis, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and Merle Dixon on The Walking Dead, some comics background on G.I. Robot, Sgt. Rock, and Dr. Will Magnus, G.I. Robot finding acceptance by Easy Company for his talents at killing Nazis, that awkward moment when G.I. Robot goes on a late-night talk show and all he wants to talk about is killing Nazis, soldiers returning from war having difficulty settling back into society, Dr. Will Magnus taking G.I. Robot apart to study him for his Metal Men research, that awkward moment when Sam the lonely military enthusiast befriends G.I. Robot only to turn out to be an alt-right Neo-Nazi, wondering what happened to Sam's cats after G.I. Robot killed him, the great use of "Coin-Operated Boy" by the Dresden Dolls, the latest round of obscure Easter Egg supervillains, wondering how G.I. Robot got due process at his trial without a jury of his peers, G.I. Robot collecting dust and cobwebs during his Belle Reve prison stay, Will Magnus' blackboard teasing the Metal Men, Rick Flag Sr. telling G.I. Robot that the Sons of Themyscira attacking them are Nazis, G.I. Robot getting taken off the board by Circe, G.I. Robot and Nina having a very Drax and Mantis-like pairing, wondering why Nina wasn't killed after the Episode 2 cliffhanger, Weasel and Dr. Phosphorus taking down Circe, Circe telling the Creature Commandos that they've doomed the world, our favorite quotes of the episode, another request for Creature Commandos feedback, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology DC's Lex and the City, Nik returning to Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast, getting Fandom Zone bragging rights, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Chasing Squirrels", the fourth episode from Creature Commandos Season One on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 308: "The Collywobbles" Is Up!

 
"G.I. Robot would like to kill Nazis with you. Would you like to kill Nazis with G.I. Robot?"
"If I killed Nazis with anyone, it would certainly be you, G.I. Robot."
-- G.I. Robot and Nina Mazursky, Creature Commandos -- "The Collywobbles"

Hello again, everyone! DJ Nik and I are back for another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast! This time, we discuss "The Collywobbles" and "The Tourmaline Necklace", the first two episodes of Creature Commandos, the DC Universe animated series starring the voices of Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Indira Varma as The Bride, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, and David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein!

In this episode, DJ Nik and I talk about things like my unphotogenic photo with "Weird Al" Yankovic, what happened with our original plan to discuss Superman & Lois Season 4 with our mutual friend Jesse Jackson, our initial reactions to Creature Commandos, the animated series being very much in James Gunn's wheelhouse, Gunn's talent at creating interesting ensemble casts, the heavy Gogol Bordello soundtrack, running down the Creature Commandos voice cast, some comics background on the Creature Commandos and Rick Flag Sr., Themyscira and Circe being introduced into Gunn's new DC Universe before Wonder Woman, wondering which voice actors will portray their roles in live-action at some point, callbacks to The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, Ilana throwing herself at Rick, Rick Flag Sr.'s fight with Dr. Phosphorus, Peter Serafinowicz as the voice of Darth Maul and Shaun's flatmate Pete in Shaun of the Dead, some comics background on Eric Frankenstein and The Bride, Rick Flag Sr. finally giving in to having sex with Ilana, Eric and Victor Frankenstein's different approaches to the Bride, Victor and the Bride having consensual undead sex, that awkward moment when Eric kills Victor, Eric stalking the Bride throughout history, Circe turning the Bride's arms into wacky inflatable tube men, our favorite quotes of the episodes, our request for Creature Commandos feedback, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology DC's Lex and the City, and more! 

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- RIGHT HERE
The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast
The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can pick up an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing from TeePublic HERE as well! Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week when DJ Nik and I discuss "Cheers to the Tin Man", the third episode of Creature Commandos, on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

SUPERMAN (2025) Teaser Trailer Debuts David Corenswet as the New Man of Steel

 
Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first teaser trailer for Superman, the upcoming 2025 DC Universe film directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

In this first 2-minute, 15-second trailer, we initially see Corenswet's Superman crashing into an Arctic wasteland, bloodied and wheezing for air. We shift to fleeting images of a curly mop-topped Clark Kent making his way through a crowded Metropolis sidewalk to enter the Daily Planet building.

As a slow, electric guitar version of John Williams' classic theme from Superman (1978) begins to play, Clark enters the Daily Planet newsroom, where we first see Brosnahan's Lois Lane. She glances over at Clark, who looks predictably befuddled around the room.

Next, we head to the Kent farm, where Clark hugs his father, Jonathan Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince).

Back to the Arctic, Superman whistles for his dog, Krypto the Superdog, who plows quickly through the snow to his master. "Krypto...home," wheezes Superman, handing Krypto the end of his cape. "Take me home."

The music switches to a powerful, orchestral version as we see Superman protecting a small girl from an explosion. At LuthorCorp, we glimpse Hoult's Lex Luthor turn away angrily from the window as Superman flies past, followed by another scene of Luthor with a gun.

Next, we see a caged Superman punch his way out of a cell, followed by a young boy rallying his people in Boravia with a makeshift yellow flag bearing Superman's chest emblem. The Boravian boy closes his eyes and prays for Superman for help.

In an abrupt tonal shift, we see a dour Superman with his chest covered in soot enter the Stagg Industries building past an angry mob as one of the crowd throws a can at the back of his head. As Superman looks up some information at a kiosk in the lobby, Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) uses his Power Ring on the lobby window, followed by a shot of Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) in flight.

More fleeting images follow, including Superman facing off against a fire-breathing Kaiju monster, Superman sharing a tender moment at night with Lois Lane, Lois and Clark kissing in a kitchen, Superman tending to his robot Kelex at the Fortress of Solitude, the Fortress growing from the Arctic ice, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, a domino effect of skyscrapers falling over, a battered Lex Luthor scowling, Krypto dragging Superman by his cape through the snow, Superman fighting someone in the middle of the Metropolis Meteors stadium, Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) protecting Lois with a force field from mulitple armored soldiers, Superman and Lois sharing a beautiful mid-air kiss, and Superman rocking up into the sky.

As the trailer music builds to a finale, the last thing we see is Lois holding Superman's hand, then pulling him into a reassuring hug.

If you'd like to check out the new trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official DC account on YouTube...

Superman is scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 11, 2025.

DC Studios Greenlights Film Based on Batman Villain CLAYFACE

 
At this point, we're seeing more of Batman's villains than we are Batman.

Variety is reporting that DC Studios has greenlit a feature film based on DC Comics supervillain Clayface. The film's script will be written by Oculus and Doctor Sleep filmmaker Mike Flanagan. Flanagan first pitched DC Studios on a Clayface project in 2023, previously posted on Twitter in 2021 that he was "really keen to do a standalone Clayface movie as a horror/thriller/tragedy."

According to the article, filming on the project is expected to begin early next year. The Batman director and producer Matt Reeves along with Lynn Harris will produce the film through their company 6th & Idaho productions.

Created in 1940 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Clayface first appeared in Detective Comics (vol.1) #40 as Basil Karlo, an actor who was driven mad after learning that a new actor would lead the role in a remake of a classic horror film that Karlo had originally starred in. Adopting the alias of the villain of one of his old movies, "Clayface," Karlo fatally wounded several members of the cast and crew of the remake before eventually being defeated by Batman and Robin.

In 2016, Karlo's origin was changed to bring him more in line with both his original origin and the DC Animated Universe. In this version, Karlo was the son of horror makeup/SFX artist Vincent Karlo, who illegally used an industrial chemical Renu to create his effects. Renu caused flesh to become malleable like clay. When found out, Vincent was fired due to the chemical being banned from use on human skin. Basil would grow up to be a celebrated actor in the film industry who landed the film of a lifetime, only to learn of his father's death over the phone while driving. Upon this discovery, the shocked Basil got in a car accident which left him horrifically disfigured.

Needing to maintain his career, Basil found his late father's stash of Renu and used it to recreate his old appearance, albeit with the side-effects leaving him addicted to the material. Soon after, Basil began using his shapeshifting and acting abilities to break into Daggett Industries in search of more Renu. In one incident of trying to steal Renu, Basil was confronted by the GCPD on Roland Daggett's payroll. The police opened fire on the actor, shattering a wall of Renu bottles which flooded onto Basil's body. This incident transformed Basil into the shapeshifting monster "Clayface", who became a major enemy to Batman and inmate of Arkham Asylum.

Clayface is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on September 11, 2026.

NEXT STOP EVERYWHERE 330: "The End of the World: Revisited" Is Up!

 
"Everything has its time and everything dies."
-- The Ninth Doctor, Doctor Who: "The End of the World"

Hello again, everyone! My partner in time Jesse Jackson and I are back for another new episode of Next Stop Everywhere: The Doctor Who Podcast! This time, we provide our commentary track for "The End of the World", the second episode from Doctor Who Series One in 2005, featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, and introducing Zoë Wanamaker as the voice of Lady Cassandra O'Brien!

In this episode, Jesse and I discuss things like trying to bring light to the Darkest Timeline we now find ourselves in, doing another Revisited commentary episode after a year, our original discussion of "The End of the World" in Episode 052 from 2016, "The End of the World" hooking New Who fans if they weren't already hooked by "Rose", my joy at seeing Doctor Who with decent special effects, the story being inspired by Douglas Adams' The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Russell T Davies being inspired by drastic beauty treatments by female celebrities, the introduction of the Time War and psychic paper concepts, the first mention of "Bad Wolf", the introduction of the TARDIS' telepathic field, Britney Spears' "Toxic" not being released as a 7" 45 RPM vinyl single, the introduction of cold opens before the opening credits, my initial reaction to the Ninth Doctor's "grunge" console room, Rose freaking out at seeing multiple aliens for the first time, the Ninth Doctor flirting with Jabe, my personal head canon that the Fifteenth Doctor went back and got Cassandra's Wurlitzer jukebox for his TARDIS console room, Rose taking the time to talk and relate with lower-class people, the creepy robot spiders, the first hints of the Ninth Doctor's PTSD, Rose's great takedown of Cassandra as a "bitchy trampoline", Christopher Eccleston's presence as an actor, wondering if the Doctor used Time Lord abilities to slow down the giant fan blades, the weirdness of the oval-shaped Doctor Who logo, new listener feedback from Dave Proctor and Sandi from Oregon, my upcoming story for DC Comics' anthology DC's Lex and the City #1, Jesse going to see Cyndi Lauper during her farewell tour, our upcoming discussion of "The Masque of Mandragora", the preview clip for "Joy to the World", and more!

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

Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
Direct MP3 downloads/Libsyn -- RIGHT HERE
Spotify -- RIGHT HERE

Next Stop Everywhere's Facebook page

Next Stop Everywhere's Twitter account

Next Stop Everywhere's Instagram account

And just in time for the new era of Doctor Who, we now have a BRAND NEW Next Stop Everywhere t-shirt, which you can find on TeePublic RIGHT HERE!  This spiffy shirt looks great when you're listening to your favorite Doctor Who podcast and travelling through time and space! Or you could order all sorts of cool Next Stop Everywhere merch there as well!

Be sure to come back in three weeks for the next episode of Next Stop Everywhere as Jesse and I discuss "The Masque of Mandragora", the first serial from Doctor Who Season 14 in 1976, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, and Jon Laurimore as Count Federico!