👻💚🌻

Danny Phantom x Into the Spider-verse! Decided to add the little blob ghosts I’ve seen everywhere.

What do you think he’s listening to?

Episode 9

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(Spoilers for the whole show ahead!)

Lan Zhan remembers what Wei Ying had mentioned about the puppets the first night at Cloud Recesses showing he remembers quite a lot about him, he just doesn’t let on.

NHS is a big mood in this scene, an absolutely useless gay depending on two warrior gays to save his life. But he’s hindering their flawless team work so Lan Zhan uses the silencing spell on him.

This dialogue is so uncalled for and delivered in a way that makes you think Wei Ying just wants to see Lan Zhan have an outburst, kick back and admire how hot that is.

Wei Ying’s “you can go ahead and blame me for everything that is wrong with this world but my man has done nothing wrong in his life ever” smile.

You didn’t have to expose him like that but thank you, Jiang Cheng.

Wei Ying’s “sorry I accidentally did a hetero thing, let us please not remember this for the sake of my clean conscience” smile.

Yet Another Plot Device To Show Off Wangxian’s Chemistry

The Dire Owl subplot is one of the dreamiest scenes on the show and a fight sequence that proves Wangxian own the patent for words like soulmates, symmetry, equilibrium, balance, yin and yang, mirrors and their derivatives.

Here’s something that’s bothered me : Wei Ying calls for Lan Zhan twice and he doesn’t answer him the first time even though he looks searchingly in his direction. It is only when they knock into each other the second time that he explains the fog is a hallucination caused by the Dire Owl. (But of course Lan Zhan doesn’t need to answer him, the red string of fate will inevitably help them find the other.) 

Clear-headed as he is, did he for a second believe that the Dire Owl was making him hallucinate Wei Ying’s voice the first time, and is that why he ignored him? Because Lan Zhan’s mind could be the spotless sea of tranquillity it is, but Wei Ying has now become the shrillest thought that breaks through and demands his attention. He doesn’t respond though, so he must have been sure Wei Ying is safe.

For Lan Zhan, Wei Ying will do even the impossible. He’ll try his best to seal off all his senses and mute his head that’s forever brimming with thoughts. 

Ok, pause. I cried when I watched this for the first time and let me tell you why. The implications of this fight scene are astounding. We all know Wangxian are soulmates who can confront anything together but did we know that they could feel and find their way to each other even when their senses are completely shut? I mean, how attuned to someone’s existence do you have to be to achieve that? They are hyper focusing on nothing but the Dire Owl and yet moving perfectly with eyes closed in an outrageously impressive synchrony. They can feel the other’s presence and have utmost trust in each other to shield their direction. They move as if they’ve spent infinite lifetimes by the other’s side mastering this skill; they leap, spin and swerve like they think with the same mind. The way they fit together is to die for, nearly impossible and the legendary stuff from stories that we all wish we could have with someone in this existence. If I was whatever that stood in Wangxian’s way, I’d be terrified and call it a day. They are not just soulmates, they are The Original Formidable Soulmates™. 

Wangxian Are Here To Kick Queerbaiters In The Ass

This fantastic display of battle prowess by the two heroes fighting back-to-back is one of the many things that convinced me The Untamed is not like the other stories out there. Simply because every stop of their journey is too romantic and the others don’t come close enough. It is an injustice to compare or group their relationship with the ‘dude bro, no homo’ chemistry that bromances usually sell. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are two people who are so passionately devoted to and absolutely belong with each other, they are soulmates not just in the minds of the audience or because the creators were afraid to make them something more, but soulmates by their own admission. There are other factors that strengthen their already supergay case like the absence of a female love interest in their lives and their flirty interactions being genuinely adorable as heck, as opposed to just isolated instances of b(romance). And it really, really, helps our case that the novel is canonically gay but it is also remarkable that a show that’s teeming with gay subtext can exist at all and go on to become one that is widely embraced by everyone, casual watchers and shippers alike. 

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying's chemistry gives all the Western superheroes a run for their money. We no longer have to wonder what it looks like when two queer heroes who are in love get to kick ass together. See, this is what happens when you have the guts to invest in a gay romance. This show looked censorship in the eye and said gay rights anyway. (I’m going to digress from this show for a sec and just plainly weep for all the queer pairings on mainstream media that we shipped but couldn’t see the light of day because of the homophobic people behind them. It is great that the truth still lives in our hearts and the millions of words on ao3. But life feels a lot sweeter to know with certainty that our heroes are in love this time and celebrate the fact that the people who made this show knew and honoured that very well, that they honoured the audience. In my eyes, CQL is the unparalleled forefather of gay romance from now on. Because reading these epic queer stories is one thing but watching Wangxian’s story unfold along with the entire world means believing in the power of gay love. And seeing our favorite heroes in action makes the characters we look up to so much more real.)

Lan Zhan comes flying like the Prince Charming he is to break the shackles of heteronormativity trying to kill his soulmate! Hell yeah, king! Save us from that straight trope that’s been choking us since time immemorial.

We did not just see Wei Ying pretend to be dead so he can outsmart the bird and simultaneously get Lan Zhan to save him just because he likes that sort of thing. Nope, totally didn’t happen. 

Oh, hello Ah Yuan! Details like this prove the show is well worth multiple rewatches.

There is nothing more uniquely Wangxian than the million thoughts they share with each other through mere glances, the frequency of which steadily increases. Who knew you could speak with zero articulation? Not having a soulmate sure sucks for the rest of us mortals. I doubt the audience can truly grasp the depth of their communication but I’m pretty sure it goes like this most of the time. 

Wei Ying teasing Lan Zhan that the Goddess Statue tried to kill him because she had a crush on him is all kinds of hilarious. Lan Zhan looks somewhere in between “Wei Ying, we’re talking about the fate of the universe, stop being gay for 2 seconds please,” and "STFU, just because I can find my way to you blind doesn't mean I will hesitate to Silence you again."

Wei Ying Is Crumbling All Of Lan Zhan’s Walls

Most people maintain their distance from Hanguang-Jun, the Noblest Of Them All, he whose robes command respect and inspire fear. There is hence something very sweetly domestic about Wei Ying latching on to his silk tassel while subtext-whining, "Where are you going Lan Zhan, I refuse to live without you", and "Ugh Lan Zhan, you're so lost without me, ok fine, I'll help you.” It’s like he granted himself the lifetime entitlement of being Lan Zhan’s nuisance-companion the night they met, and thank goodness for that because Lan Zhan wasn’t going to let anyone into his life. Wei Ying is the exception who managed to charm his way into his heart and dissolve his barriers.

Notice Wei Ying even turns down free alcohol for Lan Zhan. And the sheer undisguised panic on his face that Lan Zhan is going to leave him alone after all the bonding activities he made sure they went through is endearing comedy at its peak. 

We see Lan Zhan no longer believes resolutely in His Ways and lets Wei Ying persuade him to believe there is a better one. This is a great 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 for them because they’re communicating.

Lan Zhan doesn’t fight him anymore, period. 

The Yin Iron starts acting up and Wei Ying is immediately there for Lan Zhan, gently grounding him. He can feel the horror and pain Lan Zhan has seen in the vision because of course he can. But does Lan Zhan see how much Wei Ying loves him and hurts for him? He has to. In moments like this, Wei Ying’s presence shows how wrong Lan Zhan is in wanting to do everything alone. We all need a friend in life. And it was destiny that led them to each other because their lives would’ve evidently been a lot lonelier without the other in it. 

Episode 9 shows Lan Zhan warming up to Wei Ying some more : he has stopped being antagonistic altogether, lets Wei Ying pull him around, freely accepts his help, shares many glances with him and is ready to blast anything that lays a finger on Wei Ying sky high. (Of course we see that Wei Ying exaggerates needing his help most of the time. He plays the “I’m a frail man desperately in need of Hanguang-Jun’s protection” card because swooning into the arms of his lover is one of his favorite things. And not even Lan Zhan calls him out for it. They’re just so whipped for each other.)

so I want to read/watch/listen to more Mexican/Latine media to force myself to get over some parts of white supremacy I'm finding difficult to let go of (not to be That™ white "ally" but I *am* white) and I don't really trust Google to give me anything deeper than like. Coco or something. And you seem like an experienced person I *can* trust here so: movie/show/music/etc recs by Mexican and/or otherwise Latine creators for someone who likes things like TAZ & gravity falls & superheroes?

Yeah I have quite a few issues w Coco that I won’t go into now (please do not ask me about it because i am a lil tired today, so that’s a convo for later ;w;) but this is some stuff I like!! 

1) The Book of Life (2014) (animated movie) I know i talked a bit about it already today, but it’s fun and cool and I still like it, and todays convo’s got me thinking about it again 🥺

2) El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera (cartoon series) it only got one season and it’s still something i think about, it was one of the few shows where i got to see myself as a kid and it’s still really fun and cool, love the char designs!

3) Slow Lightning by Eduardo C. Corral’s (poetry) UGH, so good, there’s so many good gems in his book, he explores themes of immigration, racism, and queerness as a Mex-Am, very very good

4) We The Animals by Justin Torres (novel) UGH, god this book HAUNTS me, it’s so fucking good, like i don’t even want to say anything else like JUST READ IT, UGHHHHAAAA, (author is mixed Puerto Rican/White)

5) Selena (1997) EVERY MEX-AM I KNOW HAS WATCHED THIS FILM AT LEATS 5 TIMES, IT IS A RIGHT OF PASSAGE, YOU MUST WATCH THIS FILM. It’s a biographical drama of the life of Selena Quintanilla, the QUEEN of Tejano music, it’s a CLASSIC

6) Victor and Valentino (animated series) is fun!! I’ve liked some of the episodes i’ve seen so far!! Not to mention they make a lot of REALLY good and funny references, like they had characters based off Juan Gabriel and Walter Mercado, so YEAH, like it’s PEAK

7) (music) Listen to Luis Miguel, Juan Gabriel, Vicente Fernandez, Selena Quintanilla, and Mana coward (/j but also i think these are good ones to listen to, but that just may be my nostalgia talking but i can rec some more modern musicians too if you’re interested!)

8) BLUE BEETLE COMICS!!!!!! AAA!!!! I love Jaime Reyes SO MUCH!!! He is one of the few Mex-Am superhero's out there and also he’s just kickass, I haven’t been able to read many and I lost the copy i had :,( but I still really liked it and I hope I can find it again and maybe buy some more comics w him

9) Watch Las Leyendas (the series) on Netflix, it’s so fucking underrated UGH.

This is getting a little long and these are just a FEW options!! I haven’t even mentioned El Chavo Del Ocho, or El Chapulín Colorado, or Mucha Lucha, or any novellas, or my favorite albums (Romances by Luis Miguel, the Selena Movie Soundtrack, etc.),  but YEAH, I think this is a good place to start fjhrjfhjfrm

*Most of these are very specific to my childhood, except for the books which I read in college and were recs from my cool queer Mexican professor (Rocio Carlos <-- check out their poems here!!) yeehaw!!!!  ;w;

So we spent this weekend in London at Heroes and Villains, and I swear to god it was one of the best cons I've attended. The main highlight for me were the guests: Caity Lotz, Katie Cassidy and Juliana Harkavy made our weekend! 💖
Caity Lotz is so beautiful, she has the bluest eyes I've literally ever seen. I mean... I was weak at the knees in her presence. Sara Lance means a huge amount to me, so getting to meet her (even though the photo ops were so brief) was amazing 💖 She complimented my Lance family shirt in our Lance sisters op which made me melt a little... 😍 But then in my solo I accidentally smacked her in the stomach because my damn arms wouldn't cooperate... My shoulder decided to freeze so I had to kind of swing it out... I don't think it was hard and I did apologise, but I still feel awful about it 😩 
So grateful that I got to see her, even if I didn't get to wear my Avalance "I don't want you to be normal" shirt (damn, that quote... I'm with Sara on giving up on never having a "normal life" so it means a lot! ❤️). Just so grateful for her general beauty and existence 💖

Katie Cassidy is actually an angel and I love her. Again she's SO beautiful and so so sweet... Ugh. I've loved her since Supernatural, her characters have literally bookmarked my university career, and it means the world to get to see her again 💖 On Saturday we got to give her the gifts that we'd got (a little game controller squishy thing, a book of cute cat pictures and a love spoon) and I swear I was so anxious about it I was shaking before we even approached her booth. I was so nervous about the love spoon, because really it's a super intimate thing (they're an old Welsh tradition, given as engagement or wedding presents) and I was so worried that she would think it was weird... But then when we gave them to her she seemed to really like them (which was a relief!) and I got to explain the tradition a little bit and everything. She was so sweet to us, and genuinely is one of the nicest people I've ever met. I may or may not have shook and for like an hour after and cried a little through sheer relief that she liked the presents and also love for her.... 😭💖

Then on Sunday we went back for another selfie and for me to get my auto, and I managed royally screw the whole thing up. I could feel myself talking kinda like a robot when I was trying to tell her how much Laurel means to me. When I get really anxious/stressed I get these moments where my mind is just blank and I basically forget the English language (thank you medications and chronic pain for that!) and that was what happened... I managed to ask her to write the quote I wanted to get "This is me being strong" but completely neglected to tell her why because I was so busy trying to remember how to talk.... Basically, it's a Laurel line from a scene in season 2, after Sara (as the Canary) stops her from relapsing into alcoholism in a particularly stressful situation involving hostages and shit. Laurel is talking about how she just wanted her sister to see that she could be strong (not knowing she's talking to Sara). The whole scene Laurel is just so brave and so strong, and it's one of the scenes that has made the biggest impact on me. 
I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for her to film the entirety of season 2, because Laurel went to such a dark and brutal place. I can't imagine the toll it must have taken, but I can say that I love and appreciate Katie Cassidy for showing me that even when you're at rock bottom you can be strong. I don't have an addiction problem, but I do have chronic pain which is becoming more and more debilitating as the years go on and an addictive personality. It would be so easy for me to fall into the path that Laurel did, but I hold on because I need to prove to myself and to everyone around me that I am strong despite my pain. 
The thing that I didn't manage to get out was that I am going to get that phrase (in her writing, since I now have it) tattooed on my right arm. When I was 15 I tore the tissue between my thumb and forefinger on my right hand, and from there my life changed forever when I developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. The pain that was contained to my right hand has now spread right up my arm, around my neck and down my left arm, and I'm currently also being tested for rheumatoid arthritis- yay for yet more pain! But with all of this, I have held on. As Laurel, even before she became the Black Canary, Katie has been my superhero. I fight on every single day and enjoy every single second because that is what Laurel Lance would do. I wanted to change the world, and I still do. My pain has basically taken my dream of doing that in the way I wanted away from me, but I will find another way and I will come back stronger. 
There is so much I could say about what Laurel Lance has taught me. I've been confronted by my own cruelty as a sibling through watching Sara and Laurel's early interactions; the scene where Laurel throws the glass after Sara as she leaves the apartment honestly gave me chills. The relationship between my brother and I has been strained for many years, mostly because of a difficult school life and the fact that due to his Autism he would frequently meltdown, and I was the main target for that. Even now I still am to an extent. I'm not as brave or strong as Laurel, I can't go to him and ask him not to hate me, at least not yet, but I have had a mirror held up to me and I'm trying to be better.
When I found out that Laurel died (I started watching very late) I was crushed. She was someone who had fought so hard to get back to the top, and then was snuffed out in the most pointless of ways just as she reached her peak. I was devastated and my depression worsened quite considerably for a while because if Laurel Lance, a genuine superhero, could not have her chance to shine what hope do I have? It made me feel hopeless, because all of that fighting and all of that struggle that inspired me so much was for nothing. It was a waste. I refused to watch Arrow for months after because I could not bear to see an episode without Katie in it. It wasn't until she was announced as a regular for season 6 that I started watching again... Laurel Lance means the world to me. Without Katie Cassidy I wouldn't have been able to complete my degree, because I would watch videos of inspiring Laurel scenes on a loop while I was completing my dissertation; it was all I had to keep me fighting on. 99% of my 2:1 belongs to her. 
But yeah... That was a super long ramble and it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how I feel about Laurel and about Katie...

The surprise of the con for us was Juliana Harkavy, what an actual angel that woman is 😭💖 Lexie and I were both in love as soon as we met her on Saturday; I mean I was pretty sure I would be anyway going off social media but you never know. I feel really bad that Dinah has annoyed me so much this season now... Although that's not because of her! We both said when we were talking about it that we've never felt so comfortable talking to anyone at cons- she's got a way to put you at ease instantly and it's amazing and I know we both really appreciated it 💖 It was almost like talking to a friend? 💖

We pretty much immediately decided we were going back to see her again on Sunday but when we did we saw she wasn't feeling well, which had us both immediately anxious for her and not expecting to see her on the con floor again... Well we were wrong? Honestly I'm so glad that she felt well enough to come back out, but it must have been hell dealing with a migraine there given that it's such a sensory overload! We've both got different kinds of health anxiety, so were worried- personally I get really upset and anxious when other people are in pain, so I was super worried. I can deal with all of my own pain, I've had it so long now I don't remember differently, and I would much rather take on other people's pain than know they're suffering. 
Despite everything, again she was one of the most lovely people to meet and Lexie and I are truly enchanted/in love 💖 Have so much respect and admiration for her after what she did; literally no one would have blamed her if she stopped signing, but no.. Fucking warrior queen right there 💖 Just hoping that she's feeling better now/isn't in as much pain... Migraines are no joke.

In conclusion... We miss them all so much already my heart hurts 💔 But so so grateful to have gotten to meet them and be around such beautiful and inspiring people 💖

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West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 8/4/17

In movie news, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming premieres this Sunday, and The Hollywood Reporter had a great article about the history of the franchise. For one thing, Donald Trump was originally approached to play the President in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, but his people were stalling because he was mulling a run for the actual presidency. When the producers moved on to cast Mark Cuban, Trump got pissed and his people threatened to sue (on what grounds, nobody knows). Also, the production was renamed to Dark Skies because the name Sharknado was turning off potential actors. To the cast’s chagrin, however, it was changed back to Sharknado at release.

The main takeaway from the article is the pay situation. In the beginning, star Ian Ziering was offered $100,000 to do the first film. He reportedly only took it because his wife was pregnant and he needed to keep up his SAG membership for the health insurance. Over time, however, his pay ballooned and he currently makes about $500,000 a film – which, as folks point out, is more than the $300,000 Gal Gadot reportedly made to star in Wonder Woman. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. For one thing, superhero films kinda pay on the low-ish side because there are so many moving parts. The pay tends to start low and then grows over time. By the third or fourth movie, the stars are, then, basically too expensive to keep, so it becomes renegotiation or reboot time. Plus, as I said on Twitter, washed up TV star in a “water cooler” franchise outranks unproven movie star in unstable cinematic universe. Yes, Wonder Woman was a great film, but to say that Gadot deserved more money is simply Monday morning quarterbacking. Nobody was worried about her pay before the film came out because, frankly, nobody gave a shit about her. She’ll eventually make her money, while Ziering will be begging for a Sharknado revival, as the series is clearly on its last legs based on the ratings. Sharknado is a funny thing because the social media impressions actually outnumber its ratings. So, folks feel the need to talk about Sharknado even if they’re not watching Sharknado.

The real crime about pay, though, is that Tara Reid only makes about $125,000 to Ziering’s $500,000 (his salary is about 1/6th the budget of Sharknado 5). When she spoke up about it, they created a poll to the public following Sharknado 3, asking whether or not her character should die. Lucky for her, the fans wanted her back (Production company Asylum claims the poll and her request were unrelated, but we aren’t stupid here).

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll watch even though the last installment was a chore to get through. The franchise really peaked at Sharknado 2: The Second One, but they generate buzz, so they keep coming. I’m still pissed about the last movie, where Ziering’s character, Finn, has a Black daughter-in-law who gets killed by a shark. Not only does the family not react, but she’s never mentioned again. It’s clearly the result of some terrible editing, but I can’t tell if they edited out reactions to her death OR if they edited in the character after the movie was basically done. I figure we’ll get to 6 and then they’ll have to think of something else. It’s too bad the Lavalantula franchise hasn’t enjoyed the same buzz, as I enjoy those pseudo Police Academy reunions.

In TV news, a LOT of folks are upset about that Confederate show that I mentioned last week, even calling for a boycott of HBO. Some folks have reminded the boycotters that their actions would hurt other Black shows on the network, like Insecure and Ballers. Instead, they encouraged that folks make their voices heard directly to HBO, using the hashtag #NoConfederate during its most watched hour last week, Game of Thrones. Well, in seeming retaliation for the show, producer Will Packer and The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder are creating Black America for Amazon. Whereas Confederate would follow a United States on the brink of its 3rd Civil War, Black America would follow an alternate reality where freed Blacks were given Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi as reparations, and the sovereign nation of New Colonia is formed. Meanwhile, its neighbor to the north, The United States, is in a bad state of affairs.  New Colonia is about to become a world power, while the US is slipping. Due to their proximity, their fates are tied together, but clearly the Black folks are doing better than everyone else.

Is it wrong that I have no interest in either show? I mean, I have no desire to see slavery still going in Confederate, but the whole premise of Black America just sounds like it’s doing too much, and feels more reactionary than anything. I mean, why didn’t we hear about this project before Confederate was announced? And the problem is that both projects are so far in their infancy that they won’t be happening any time soon, if they happen at all. I know the announcement appeased a lot of the anti-Confederate crowd, but neither sounds like a “good” show from what we’ve heard, and I almost feel like they take us away from having the race dialogue that a lot of folks feel we so sorely need as a country. What are y’all’s thoughts on these shows?

In other TV news, it was announced that ABC’s The Middle would be ending after its upcoming 9th season. This elicited to a lot of responses of “That show’s still on?”, and I immediately understood why Trump won. As the title suggests, the show focused on a middle class family, in the middle of the country, as they struggle to make it through. Over the past 8 years, they have been emblematic of the types of voters who feel their voices aren’t being heard as their situations get tighter. That’s the show’s audience, even though they’re not the glamorous demographic that Madison Avenue covets. I actually really enjoy the exploits of the Heck family, but I understand that the show’s not “hip” or “cool”, so it flew under a lot of folks’ radar. The upcoming Roseanne revival has been described as focusing on the Conners as they try to make their way in Trump’s America, but I’d argue that The Middle did it first, and will probably be looked upon as the most accurate depiction when the dust settles.

Across the dial, it was finally confirmed that Erinn Hayes’s character on CBS’s Kevin Can Wait will, in fact, be killed off. The show will pick up after some time has passed, paving the way for Kevin James to reunite with his The King of Queens costar Leah Remini. I understand shows sometimes need a retool, but all evidence was pointing to the show as a moderate success. The only sticking point was Remini guested in the season finale, and suddenly everyone wanted that chemistry back. To me, I’m good. I still have 8 seasons of The King of Queens to look back on (I don’t count that last season because it felt like they hated each other by that point, surprising me that they’d reunite. To me, this is almost like Martin Lawrence and Tisha Campbell doing a new show together). Hayes will bounce back, as she’s already been cast in Amazon’s The Dangerous Book for Boys, but I still don’t feel like the show did her right.

In comics news, it was revealed that the Milestone comic line’s reboot has been stalled because the creators behind it were trying to cut out the estate of co-creator Dwayne McDuffie. If you’re not familiar, the Milestone line was comprised of a bunch of minority-focused superhero books from the early 90s. There was Hardware (Black Iron Man), Rocket (Black Captain Marvel?), Blood Syndicate (Black…I dunno. I didn’t read that one). Oh, and Static (Black Lightning Jr, basically). The original creators were Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Derek T. Dingle, and Michael Davis (if we ever meet, ask me my Michael Davis stories. Dude is crazy, but I ain’t putting that stuff in writing for him to find it).

A few years back, they announced a revival of the Milestone brand, but Davis had been cut out and replaced by former BET head Reginald Hudlin. They kept saying an announcement was forthcoming, while Davis took to the internet saying it’ll never happen. He was hurt he’d been left out of something he’d had a hand in creating, but he also knew there were roadblocks that the group wouldn’t be able to get over.

Well, this week, McDuffie’s widow sued the group because his estate had been left out of recent negotiations, as Cowan, Dingle, and Hudlin were going to create a new entity to cut out McDuffie’s stake. There’s a lot of potential in the franchise, with recent cries for representation in fantasy media, but I’d like to go on record and say that those books just weren’t very good. They were just Black characters the same quality of the Image output of the time. I used to read Hardware and that book, ugh…Maybe they’ve got some fresh new takes on the characters, but I don’t think they’re even interested in comics at this point. They just want to control the intellectual property. Anyway, for all McDuffie did in the comic industry, it seems like he was constantly screwed over, even in death. I hope his estate is at least getting some money for the use of Damage Control (which he created) in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but I know it was work-for-hire blah blah blah. Anyway, here’s hoping Mrs. McDuffie gets what she’s owed.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Divergent franchise sequel, Ascendant, is now being developed as an ongoing TV series for Starz

The Black-ish spinoff, college-ish will now known as grown-ish

Vin Diesel is reportedly working on a Miami Vice reboot on NBC for the 2018-2019 season. I really hope they set it in the 80s. Otherwise, it’s just gonna be nothing but Pitbull and Flo Rida cameos…

The Will & Grace revival has already been renewed, despite the fact it hasn’t aired yet. It was also revealed that it will ignore the series finale, just like Roseanne…

Late 90s MTV staple, Total Request Live (TRL) will return in October, with FIVE hosts. I guess they’re trying to bring back that VJ position again.

Speaking of MTV, hot on the heels of removing gendered categories, MTV has changed the coveted Video Music Award from the Moon Man to the Moon Person. It will be able to use any space bathroom that it chooses.

Soap actor Hartley Sawyer will recur as The Elongated Man this season on The Flash

Speaking of the Arrowverse, the next 4-show crossover will take place over two nights this season, November 27th and 28th

Apparently hot ass Scientologist Catherine Bell from JAG has been on a show on Hallmark Channel called Good Witch for the past three years. Who knew? Anyway, it’s been renewed for a fourth season

Aussie actress Teagan Croft cast as Raven in the Titans series

Amazon is adding Carsey-Werner shows such as Roseanne, 3rd Rock from the Sun, A Different World, Cybill, Grace Under Fire, and Grounded for Life to its streaming library

Pacific Rim: Uprising‘s release has been moved from Feb 23 to March 23

Hasbro has called off talks to buy Lionsgate. In other news, apparently Hasbro was trying to buy Lionsgate.

Agent Carter‘s Hayley Atwell will reportedly join Ewan McGregor in Disney’s Christopher Robin 

Formerly a staple of Baltimore Comic Con, the Harvey Awards will move to New York Comic Con in 2018

They’ll be calling it Hawaii Five-WHOA, as Joey Lawrence is slated to guest star on the CBS series this season

Because he’s never turned down a job, Nick Cannon will host Lip Sync Battle Shorties, a kid-centered spinoff of Lip Sync Battle to air on Nickelodeon

During the 2017 Teen Choice Awards, Fox will experiment with 6-second commercials. This is how that subliminal programming shit starts!

Remembering where he came from, Kenan Thompson (who’s also now the longest-standing SNL cast member) is reportedly developing a live action sketch show for kids.

Transformers spinoff, Bumblebee, will open against Aquaman on December 21st, 2018

Blumhouse Television is bringing horror reality show Scare Tactics back to TV

Due to how he perceives Starz doesn’t appreciate his show, 50 Cent has threatened to snatch Power off the network.

Pokemon: I Choose You will get a two-night theatrical run in November. I’m not telling you the dates because the movie is a retelling of Ash & Pikachu’s meeting, yet it removes Brock and Misty from the story. Fuck this movie!

So, there was some crazy stuff in the comic industry this week, as a picture of of some women Marvel editors brought out the crazies. It all started with this pic:

Marvel editor Heather Antos and some other female editors got together for milkshakes, and based on the hashtag, it was to honor recently deceased former Marvel secretary “Fabulous Flo” Steinberg. A seemingly innocent thing, right? Well, here was the reaction on social media:

Wow, right? From dudes making inappropriate sexual remarks to folks blaming this on Social Justice Warriors, a certain corner of the internet lost its mind over some damn milkshakes.

But then came the backlash to the backlash. Fans and creators started posting pics in solidarity with the ladies.

The support even came from the “Distinguished Competition”, as they tweeted the following pic:

What started out as a snake bed for trolls turned into a show of solidarity that not only shed light on what women editors face on a daily basis, but also seemed to strengthen some relationships “across the aisle”. I mean, this is the best Marvel/DC crossover since Amalgam! As I said on Twitter, when history classes look back on this period in time, they will see that it was not blockbuster events but milkshakes that saved the comic industry. That’s why female comic editors had the West Week Ever.

  By the way, I’m apparently 16 years old because I just signed up for Sarahah. So, swing by and leave me some anonymous comments. Oh, and please don’t make me cry!