Bandwagon Jumpers: Venom & Sinister Six Movies Announced

Sony Announces Expanded Spider-Man Universe with Venom and Sinister Six Films

Sony decided to jump on the shared movie universe bandwagon, announcing this week that they would be releasing two spin-off films in the rebooted Amazing Spider-Man universe, Venom and Sinister Six.  This isn't the first time that Venom has appeared onscreen.  He was one of the villains in the much maligned Spider-Man 3.  Sony has been talking about bringing a solo Venom film to screen since they found out that the re-booted Amazing Spider-Man was a global box office success.  This isn't a huge surprise.  In comic books, Venom is a hero.  The alien symbiote has bonded to Peter Parkers enemy turned friend and former president of the Spider-Man fan club, Flash Thompson, a veteran who lost both legs in the Iraq War.  Flash can only wear the symbiote suit for a brief period of time, to make sure that it doesn't warp him and force him to do not so nice things like eat folks.  So, if Sony decides to go with the current incarnation of Venom, we've got a hero or an antihero, someone that audiences can root for.  

A movie focusing on the Sinister Six is a little more puzzling.  The Sinister Six are a collection of some of Spider-Man's greatest enemies.  They are originally brought together by Doctor Octopus who, sick of being humiliated by Spidey, thinks that his chances of defeating the Wall Crawler will raise if he brings together some likeminded individuals.  The original Sinister Six were Doc Ock, Vulture, Mysterio, Electro, Kraven the Hunter and Sandman.  I don't think that will be the group in the film.  Electro and the Rhino are being introduced in the new film.  In the newly released trailer, we catch a glimpse of Dock Ock's arms and the Vulture's wings.  So, if we just assume that those four will be in the group, who will be the last two?  Could the film introduce us to Kraven and Mysterio?  That would be awesome.  Kraven is a big game hunter who comes to NYC to hunt Spider-Man.  In modern incarnations, Kraven has had his own reality TV show, which I think would translate well to the big screen.  Mysterio's alter ego, Quentin Beck, is a special effects wizard who decides to use his talents and make it big in the crime game.

The problem is who will be the POV character?  Will audiences be able to relate to a film where every character is a villain?  We'll see.  What do you guys think?  Who would be your ideal Sinister Six?  Do you think the Green Goblin will be a member?  Any casting ideas?  Let me know in the comments.

Casting News: She's a Wonder Woman

Fast & Furious Actress, Gal Gadot, cast as Diana Prince in Batman vs. Superman

More casting news is coming out of the sequel to this year's hit, Man of Steel.  After the divisive casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, comes another casting announcement that will probably be just as divisive.  Gal Gado has been cast as Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman in the sequel that people are just calling Batman vs. Superman, even thought that is probably not the actual title of the film.

Gadot is an Israeli fashion model who transitioned to acting.  She doesn't have that much experience.  She played Gisele in the last three Fast & Furious films.  To be fair, she didn't have to do much acting. So, who knows how she'll do playing, arguably, the most iconic female superhero of all time.  It's a daunting task and I don't envy her.  It seems like Warner Bros./DC are using the Superman films as a sort of springboard for their own cohesive universe, like Marvel, so, it would seem that a Wonder Woman solo film, could finally be in the works.

I will say that Gadot certainly looks the part and she proved that she could kick ass in the F&F films, but I'm nervous about the whole acting thing.  I'm an avowed Batfleck defender.  My first post on this blog was a defense of the Oscar winner playing Batman.  I can't really get behind Gadot as Wonder Woman right now.  I'm not going to bash her or say that this is the worst or that it "raped my childhood."  I'm going to take a wait and see approach and just be happy that the Amazing Amazon is finally going to make her way to the big screen.  I mean, if she sucks, the role can always be recast.

So, what do you guys think?  Excited?  Neverous?  Hate it?  Ambivalent?  Let me know in the comments.

Trailer Time: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The Summer of Marvel continues with the first trailer for the follow-up to Spidey's rebooted adventures.

Next summer is shaping up to be the summer of Marvel and I coudln't be happier.  You've got Captain America, the X-Men, the Guardians of the Galaxy and the most famous of them all, Spider-Man.  Lots of fanboys and girls, myself included, were skeptical.  Is it too soon to reboot?  Honestly, it probably is, but the new movie was pretty amazing.  Andrew Garfield was a great Spidey and the chemistry between him and Emma Stone's, Gwen Stacy, was off the charts.  The second film looks to be bigger, better, and more badass than the first one.  It adds three new villains to the mix:  Jamie Foxx's Electo, Paul Giamatti's The Rhino and The Green Goblin, which could be Dane Dehaan's Harry or Chris Cooper's Norman.  The trailer also gives us a glimpse of Vulture wings and Doc Ock arms.  Could we be setting things up for the Sinister Six in the next film?

Hit the jump to check out the first official trailer for the Spidey sequel.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Recap: Gravity

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Episode 3: "The Asset"

When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D was first announced, one of the things that Marvel fans, myself included, were looking forward to, were seeing Marvel characters that maybe weren't big enough to be in a movie make their debut.  Now, I certainly wasn't expecting the Wasp to be flying around by episode three, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a little disappointed that after two episodes we still weren't seeing anything familiar.  Well, that changed slightly with this episode, where the series introduced the man who would be the villain Graviton.  So, what went down?  Hit the jump to find out.

Things That Suck: Fables Ending with Issue 150

Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham announce critcally acclaimed Vertigo series, Fables, will end with issue #150

When I first decided to get back into reading comic books some 11 years ago, I stuck to what I knew.  I started out reading X-Men comics and then eventually branched out to other Marvel titles, then I meandered over to DC.  I really wasn't familiar with independent or non-mainstream comics.  I remember there was an article from IGN talking about the best comic series of the moment from both major publishers.  Number one on the list for DC was the book Fables.  I had never heard of it and I thought I was pretty up on what DC was publishing.  Well, I wasn't the well-informed fanboy that I thought I was, because I didn't realize that DC had separate imprint for their more "edgier" titles - Vertigo.

Well, I tracked down all the trades that were out and I was hooked.  I loved this grown-up take on the fairy tale characters that I had grown up loving in print and in various Disney movies.  A town hidden in New York where Snow White is the deputy mayor and the Big Bad Wolf, now going by the name of Bigby, is the sherriff.  Mortal enemies working together, grudingly, due to a treaty that was signed pardoning everyone for crimes committed in the homelands.

Fables is amazing.  It is adult, but still whimsical.  Some of the characters have been changed dramatically -- The Frog Prince a janitor!  Cinderella a secret agent! -- but the core of what makes them who they are still remains intact.  The book moves at a surprsing clip, months going by in one arc.  Willingham isn't scared to kill off characters, or alter the status quo dramatically if that is what best serves the characters and the story he is trying to tell.

The art by Mark Buckingham is some of the best in comic books.  It walks that fine line of looking like it came straight out of a Hans Christensen or Brothers Grimm tale, but still being realistic looking.  Willingham and Buckingham are the dictionary definition of a dream team.

Fables has been a resounding success for DC.  It has spawned spin-off comic series like Jack of Fables, focused on Jack, from the various Jack fairy tale stores, and the currently running Fairest, telling untold tales of the various princesses from Aurora to Rapunzel to Cinderella.  (It was announced that Fairest would also be ending at the same time as the flagship title.)  Willingham has wrote prose stories and the first episode of a new video game series from Telltale Games, The Wolf Among Us, was just released.

Why mention these things?  Well, because I'm sad, and these things give me hope.  Hope that when the series does end, it won't be the last time that I spend with these characters that have been very important to me in the few years.  Also, I'm comforted by the fact that I still have a year and a half before I really have to grieve for the end of this series.

So, how do you guys feel?  Any Fables fans out there?  Let me know in the comments.

Trailer Time: X-Men Days of Future Past

The first trailer for Bryan Singer's return to the X franchise promises epic awesomeness

The X-Men film franchise has had it's fair share of ups and downs.  The first film was a decent introduction to the merry mutants.  It had it's faults, I'm looking at you Halle Berry and you toad and lightning comment.  X2 is still the high water mark for the franchise and one of the best comic book films ever made.  After Singer left, the third movie was helmed by Brett Ratner of Rush Hour fame (?). It was pretty all over the place and there was talk that it may be the last film.  

Well, Twentieth Century Fox was not going to let their cash cow go quietly into that good night.  You know what time it was.  Reboot time!  They hired James Mcavoy and Michael Fassbender to play the younger versions of friends turned enemies Xavier and Magneto.  Aside from a terrible wooden performance by January Jones, X-Men First Class was a return to form and a critical and box office hit.  

A sequel was inevitable and fandom let out a cheer when it was announced that not only was Bryan Singer making his triumphant return but he was going to loosely base the story on one of the most famous X-Men stories of all time: Days of Future Past.  Singer was super active on Twitter and announcements came fast and furious.  Cast members past would be returning and new additions would be made.  If you saw The Wolverine this summer, you got the first tease to whet your appetite.  

Now, we have the first official trailer for the film and it is pretty awesome.  We get glimpses of old favorites like Storm, Rogue, Iceman and Kitty Pryde as well as new additions like Bishop, Blink and Peter Dinklage's '70's iteration of Sentinel creator, Bolivar Trask.  It looks like the framework of the comic book story is going to be the same.  Professor X transports Wolverine's mind back to his past body and hijinks ensue.  Seriously.  This trailer is awesome.  McAvoy and his Seventies 'do.  Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique being threatened by Magneto.  I can't do it justice.  Just watch the trailer after the jump and leave your comments.

Once Upon a Time Recap: Clap Your Hands...

Once Upon a Time, Episode 3: "Quite a Common Fairy"

So, first we were introduced to Captain Hook and despite ourselves, we fell in love with this rogue.  Then, we found out all about Never Land and met some creepy, dirty looking Lost Boys.  We saw a shadow that was nothing like the whimsical sword fighting shadow we remembered from our childhood.  We met Peter Pan, a homocidal brat who is threatening our heroine's son.  It was dislike before first sight.  There is just one Never Land character we were missing.  Well never fret.  With this episode, we were introduced to everyone's favorite green fairy.  Yes, Tinker Bell was introduced to the Onceverse.  How did she fare?  What tweaks were made to her origin?  Hit the jump to find out.

Sleepy Hollow Recap: His Name is Moloch

Sleepy Hollow, Episode 4: "The Lesser Key of Solomon"

Sleepy Hollow continued to place it's own twist on history with a spin on what happened at the Boston Tea Party.  We also were able to put a name to this season's big bad.  Moloch is coming, y'all.  So, what went down and what exactly is the lesser key of Solomon?  Find out after the jump.

New Shows with a Full Season Pick-Up: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Scores Full Season Order

I'm sure this comes as a surprise to no one, but ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D set in the ever popular Marvel movie universe scored the networks first freshman back nine order.  It joins NBC's The Blacklist and Fox's Sleepy Hollow.

There has been some doom and gloom when it comes to the show's ratings.  It has slipped a little week to week in total live viewership, but it is still kicking ass in the 18-49 demo (the holy grail for advertisers).  It beat NCIS, the #1 show on TV, last week and this week was down a hair.  

I, for one, am a fan of the show.  I like that it is more light hearted and fun, but I don't doubt that if it needs to go dark, Whedon & Company are not afraid to go there.  This is a freshman show and it's still finding it's footing and it's voice.  I have a feeling that things will only get better for this already good show.

What do you guys think?  Are you enjoying the show?  Excited by the news?  Let me know.

Once Upon a Time Recap: Who You Really Are

Once Upon a Time, Episode 2: "Lost Girl"

The quest to find Henry continued in this episode.  The theme of this episode was all about confronting and accepting who you really are.  Emma and Rumplestiltskin took long hard looks in the mirror.  Did they like what they saw?  Hit the jump to find out.

Fall TV Preview: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

Fall Down the Rabbit Hole with this Once Upon a Time spin-off

Tonight, ABC premieres the second spin-off of the season after the CW's The Originals.  This is a spin-off of ABC's massively successful, Once Upon a Time.  It was originally supposed to be a limited series, set to air during the flagship's winter hiatus.  It seems ABC execs had high hopes for the series, because they decided to move it to Thursdays and premiere it in the fall.

The series follows Alice who is back from Wonderland and now residing in a mental institution after she told her family about her trip down the rabbit hole.  It seems that Alice fell in love with a genie named Cyrus while she was in Wonderland.  She believes that he is dead and her broken heart is the reason that she is denying everything to the shrinks in the asylum.  Everything changes when the Knave of Hearts shows up and tells her that Cyrus is alive.  Before long, Alice is busting out and going back to Wonderland with the Knave and the White Rabbit, in tow.

It looks like the show will follow in the footsteps of the original by blending different fairy tale mythologies.  It was announced at Comic Con that Lost's Naveen Andrews would be playing Jafar.  So, there is a chance we may also meet Aladdin and Princess Jasmine.  

One of the biggest draws is Sophie Lowe who plays Alice.  She is beautiful, scrappy, badass, and charming.  You relate to her immediately, which is smart.  I think fans of the flagship will love this.  The special effects are great and the love story between Alice and Cyrus seems believable.

Here's a preview of the show and you can catch the series premiere tonight at 8/7c on ABC.

Sleepy Hollow Recap: Bring Me a Dream...

Sleepy Hollow, Episode 3: "For the Triumph of Evil"

Sleepy Hollow has been a lot of things in its short life span.  It has been a fantasy series.  It has been a kind of weird, alternate history show.  It can be incredibly cheesy.  It sometimes has a sort of buddy cop feel to it and it can be patently ridiculous.  Is Ichabod ever going to change clothes.  Jeans are your friend, homeboy.  All these things sort of dovetail and make the series immensely watchable and hugely entertaining.  This episode coninued that trend.  It also introduced a super creepy demon for Abbie and Ichabod to dispatch.  We also got a little bit more backstory for the Sisters Mills.  Hit the jump for more.

Fall TV Preview: Arrow Season 2

The Hero That Starling City Deserves

Tonight, the CW continues it's week late rollout of new shows.  Arrow is one of the CW's biggest success stories and it follows in the footsteps of Smallville, another CW show based on a DC comic character.  This season will see Oliver stepping up and facing down some famous DC characters, including a Scarlet Speedster who is destined for his own show.  So, where did we leave off and what can we expect?  Hit the jump for more.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Recap: Teambuilding

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Episode 2: "0-8-4"

This is it.  The pilot has aired.  Joss has gone back to writing Avengers: Age of Ultron and has left day to day duties of the show.  This episode will give us a good idea of what to expect from the series week to week.  How did the second episode pan out?  Hit the jump for more.

Fall TV Preview: Supernatural Season 9

Fall TV Preview: What Happens When Angels Fall?

Networks continue to roll out their fall premieres.  Tonight, the CW thriller, Supernatural, begins it's ninth season.  The show has had a pretty impressive run.  After being banished to Friday nights a few years ago, the show was able to more than hold it's own and last  year it was moved to Wednesdays and paired with freshmen hit, Arrow.  This year, the show is on the move again, this time to Tuesdays where it's lead-in is Vampire Diaries spin-off, The Originals.  So, where did we leave the Winchester Brothers last year and what can we expect from the coming season?  Hit the jump for more.

Sleepy Hollow Renewed for Season Two

Fox Drama Scores Surprise First Renewal of the Season

Fox granted the first renewal of the 2013/2014 television season to the freshmen supernatural drama.  Sleepy Hollow premiered strong and has retained most of the audience from week to week.  It is one of the pleasant surprises of the season so far.  

Fox is going a weird way with this.  Normally, when a freshman drama is ordered to series, it's given a 13-episode order.  If the show does well, the network will order 9 more episodes or "the back 9."  Then, if the show continues to do well, it will grant a second 22 to 24 episode season.  It looks like Fox is going with the cable model, ordering 13 episodes in order to maximize its prime time real estate.

So, what do you guys think?  Are you watching?  Happy that it's back?  Do you wish there were more episodes?  What say you?

Once Upon A Time Third Season Premiere Recap: First Star to the Left...

Once Upon a Time, Episode 1: "The Heart of the Truest Believer"

So, that's Peter Pan, eh?  He is definitely not the Pan of our childhood, but I think we all knew that was going to be the case.  Did you guys have any idea that the kid with Henry was actually Pan?  I have to admit that I had no idea.  I didn't think we'd be introduced to him for at least a few episodes.  We also learned what Pan's plan for Henry was.  We saw some dysfunctional family bonding on the Jolly Roger and checked in with Neal in the Enchanted Forest.  It was a pretty jam packed episode, so let's get right to it.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Series Premiere Recap: Origin Story

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Episode 1: "Pilot"

Every TV season there is a pilot that everyone is looking forward to.  Anticipation is high.  This can be a blessing and a curse.  This year's pilot to watch has even more burdens on it's shoulder, seeing as how it is the continuation of one of the first shared movie universes ever and it comes on the heels of one of the most successful films of all time.  So, did the Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D pilot live up to the hype?  Hit the jump to find out.

Sleepy Hollow Recap: Adjusting

Sleepy Hollow, Episode 2: "Blood Moon"

You can't judge a book by it's cover.  Conversely, you can't judge a television show by it's pilot.  There have been shows that have had grade A pilots, but the shows themselves have been steaming piles of crap.  On the flip side, some shows have shaky pilots, but once they figure out the tone and direction of the show, it is relatively smooth sailing.  The pilot of Sleepy Hollow was a pleasant surprise, mixing horror elements with some time displaced comedy.  How was the second?  Hit the jump to find out.

Fall TV Preview: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Is Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D the fall's guaranteed hit?

The new fall television season rolls on tonight, with perhaps the most anticipated show of the year, ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.LD.  It is a continuation of the popular Marvel movie franchise and picks up where last summers The Avengers left off.  So, what's this all about?  Will it be the surefire hit that ABC is banking on?  Hit the jump for more information.

Sleepy Hollow Recap: Four Headless Horsemen of the Apcoalypse

Sleepy Hollow, Episode 1: "Pilot"

Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is one of the most well known pieces of American literature.  Most people are aware of the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.  Besides the book, I am most familiar with the Tim Burton-Johnny Depp-Christina Ricci film.  I'm pretty surprised that this is the first time that an iteration of the classic has come to television.  If you watched Fox at all this summer I'm sure you saw multiple previews for the show.  I have to say, I was a little trepidatious.  It looked a little cheesy.  I knew it comes from Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the co-creators of one of my all-time favorite shows, Fringe.  So, I tuned in last Monday, with (kind of) an open mind.  What did I think?  Hit the jump.

Fall TV Preview: Sleepy Hollow

FOX offically kicks off the 2013/2014 television season tonight with the ninth season premiere of Bones, followed by the premiere of the new supernatural drama, Sleepy Hollow.

We're all familiar with the story of the town of Sleepy Hollow and how it was terrorized by a Headless Horseman.  This show looks to re-tell the story using a modern twist by sending 18th century soldier, Ichabod Crane, to the future where he teams up with African-American sheriff, Abbie Mills, to stop the Horseman, who came to the future with him.  Whew.

This could be seriously convoluted.  There is the time travel aspect which is always confusing.  You have to suspend disbelief that a sheriff would believe some crazy dude in Colonial clothes and then would team up with him.  It's like the supernatural equivalent of the procedurals where the police bring in some civilian who can do their jobs better than they can.  Even though this show has the potential to be a giant train wreck, I have faith in it.  A lot of that faith comes from the fact that is written and executive produced by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.  They have been behind some of my favorite shows like Alias and Fringe, the best sci-fi show of the past 5 years.

After the jump you can check out the trailer for Sleepy Hollow.

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3

The first Iron Man film was a surprise success.  Outside of comic book circles, Tony Stark's armored alter ego was a relative unknown so it came as a bit of a shock when newly launched Marvel Studios decided to make him their first big tentpole release.  The general public didn't know it at the time, but the studio had an ace up it's sleeve named Robert Downey, Jr.  Marvel was looking for it's first big hit and RDJR was looking for a comeback.  They each found what they were looking for.  RDJR was Tony Stark.  He embodied every aspect of the character.  The snarky, self-involved playboy who deep down had an actual heart.  When I watched the first film, it was like Tony Stark had stepped off the comics page and right onto the big screen.  I can't think of a more perfect casting for any comic book film, before or since.  

The first Iron Man sequel carried the weight of great expectations.  Since, the first film had been a global box office success, the second film was expected to exceed it in every way.  It was supposed to be bigger, better, and make more money.  It was almost impossible for Iron Man 2 to not buckle under the weight of those expectations.

The second film was more than just a sequel to the first.  It was a set up film, of sorts.  It introduced the Black Widow, the Avengers Intitiative and what people could expect in this shared Marvel movie universe.  The movie was so jampacked and working so hard to service all these different masters that it sort of lost sight of what made the first movie so great.

Iron Man 3 comes on the heels of Marvel's The Avengers, a massively successful film that shattered box office records and sits on number 3 on the list of the most successful movies of all time.  It is also the launch of Phase 2, the next era of Marvel movies.  So, how did Iron Man 3 fare?  Hit the jump to get my take.

Things That Suck: JH Williams III Leaves Batwoman

JH Williams III Leaving Batwoman

Announces via Twitter that Issue #24 Will Be His Last

This really sucks.  This week, J.H. Williams III announced via Twitter that he would be leaving Batwoman, a character he has been involved with since she had her first solo adventures in Detective Comics in 2009.  Williams cited a DC editorial mandate forbidding him from marrying the title character to her police detective girlfriend.  Williams was quick to point out that DC wasn't against gay marriage, just marriage in general.  Apparently, since they re-launched their entire line with the "new 52" two years ago, marriage between characters has been a no-go, which raises the question, why approve the engagement storyline in the first place?

Since the New 52 launch, strict editorial guidelines and restrictions have caused a high turnover of creators who have been very vocal about their distaste for these guidelines and restrictions.  George Pérez, Rob Liefeld, and Gail Simone have all left their or threatened to leave their DC books because of the stranglehold that DC editorial seems to have on the creative process.

At Baltimore Comic Con, DC co- publisher, Dan DiDio, spoke out on the Batwoman marriage controversy.  "Heroes shouldn't have happy personal lives," DiDio said.  "They are committed to being that person and committed to defending others at the sacrifice of their own personal interests."  DiDio went on to address the Bat Family's personal lives specifically saying, "People in the Bat Family, their personal lives basically suck.  It's wonderful that they try to establish personal lives, but it's equally important that they set them aside.  That is our mandate, that is our edict and that is our stand."

This is sort of similar to the reasoning that Marvel gave when they decided to wish Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane out of existence.  It's also what television writers say when they are talking about bringing "will they/won't they" couples together.  That they become less interesting when they are together.  This just smacks of laziness to me.  I don't think it has anything to do with relatability.  If the team on the title are good at what they do, it shouldn't matter if the characters are married or single, they should still be able to churn out compelling, relatable super hero stories.

I was hoping this was going to turn out to be a Gail Simone situation.  A few months ago, there were rumors that Gail was leaving "Batgirl" and maybe DC altogether.  This turned out to be short lived as it was almost immediately confirmed that she would be remaining on the title.  Alas, it doesn't look like this will be the case with "Batwoman" since a new writer was announced at Baltimore.  A silver lining in this dark cloud is that the new writer is Marc Andreyko.  Marc has a strong track record writing three dimensional female characters, being co-creator of Kate Spencer aka Manhunter, and writing a critically acclaimed run on the series.  There has been no announcement on who will be taking over art duties.  They have huge shoes to fill.

What do you guys think of this news?  Were you as heartbroken as I was?  Do you prefer your super heroes attached or unattached?  Does it matter at all?  Let me know in the comments.

Fall TV Preview: Once Upon a Time and the Sophomore (Non) Slump

How Once Upon a Time Avoided the Sophomore Slump

The dreaded sophomore slump.  If you are making the second anything, it is always in the back of your mind.  It could be you second album, your second book, or in this case, the second season of a television show.  Many successful television shows have been hit with the dreaded sophomore slump.  It could be because the show runners get too ambitious.  They have become a massive hit and they have all this creative freedom, so they run with it and it all goes horribly wrong.  It has happened a thousand times.  It happened with Desperate Housewives, do you remember the kid chained up in the basement thing?  It happened with Heroes.  Some shows recover and some shows don't.  

ABC had two high profile shows enter into their sophomore seasons last year, Revenge and Once Upon a Time.  Revenge didn't fare so well.  You can read about that here.  (Yeah, I'm shamless.)  Once was able to successfully avoid the slump and deliver a second seson that built on and exceeded the promise shown in the first.  How'd they do it?  Hit the jump to find out.

Batfleck Backlash Begins

Here we go again.  We nerds and geeks are a passionate people.  We have strong opinions and we are not afraid to voice them.  It's seems our knee jerk reactions to most  things is negativity.  A casting announcement is made regarding our beloved characters and the first thing we want to do is tear them down to the ground.  It's especially bad if the person that is cast has burned us before.  That seems to be the issue with the recent news that multiple Academy Award winner, Ben Affleck, has been cast in the "Batman/Superman" sequel to "Man of Steel."

People are pissed.  They are pissed to a ridiculous level.  People have started a petition to stop him from playing Batman.  There are ridiculous tweets and memes flying around.  Like I said, this is not the first time that this has happened and it certainly won't be the last.  Everyone agrees that Heath Ledger's turn as The Joker in "The Dark Knight" is probably the best performance in a superhero movie ever, but it seems like people have selective memory.  The website, Newsarama, was quick to jog people's memories about the initial fan reaction to Ledger's casting.  We all know how that turned out, so who's to say that people won't be wrong about Affleck.  After the jump, here are some reasons why I'm betting on Ben Affleck.