Forum 2.0

The crossover coming up on The CW's Arrowverse is awesome ... but we can't help wishing for more

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Aug. 22, 2019 -- We’ve enjoyed a flood of news about the The CW’s upcoming “Crisis on Infinite Earths” epic lately. Now that the waters seem to have crested, it’s time to assess – and ponder the maybes and th

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'Dawn of X' Xplores new X-Men status quo with six new titles

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Nov. 19, 2019 -- “Dawn of X” has arrived at Marvel Comics, and the morning light has revealed the contours of a new world for the X-Men.

Here’s how it began: Back in July, superstar writer Jonathan Hickman

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'Stumptown' comes from a writer with long history of writing strong, interesting women

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Oct. 3, 2019 -- On Sept. 25, People who gave the debut episode of Stumptown a try met an unusual woman, one whose life is a mess, but whose ability to manage violent, unpredictable situations is nonpareil.

De

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News Ticker: DCUniverse.com, Mysteriio, 'Orville' and more!

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

The Comics Ticker is rattling away with news – good, bad and uncertain:

Copyright DC Comics Inc.

The DC Comics-oriented streaming service DCUniverse.com will showcase its content at Comic-Con International:

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Apple TV+ vs. Disney+: The streaming wars have begun

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Nov. 12, 2019 -- It’s begun. 

I’m talking about the streaming wars. Yes, they’ve been going on for quite a while: behind-the-scenes rumors, buyouts, public announcements, cancellations, transplants, some actu

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The end of 2019, beginning of 2020 bring tons of must-see Geek TV

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Jan. 9, 2020 — Last year ended with a bang — a big bang, really — of Geek TV.

The clutch of shows released in the last month or so is just a prologue for the avalanche of genre television announced for 2020;

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CW's 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' has more Easter eggs than you can shake a Superman at

Katie Yu/The CW

You’d think this much leather could beat anything. But “Crisis on Infinite Earths” is proving a challenge for (top row, from left) Supergirl (Melissa Benoist), The Atom (Brandon Routh), Green Arrow (Stephen Amell), (Batwoman) Ruby Ros

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Axe falls on some comics-related shows, but plenty more are on air, in pipeline

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

June 20, 2019 -- A lot of comics-related TV shows have been canceled lately, and some folks will call it a backlash, a correction, or the end of a fad. Don’t believe them.

Yes, it has been something of a bloo

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'Dark Phoenix' didn't have emotional power of the comics -- nor could it

 

Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox.

Dark Phoenix includes younger characters with less weight than their comics counterparts, including (from left) Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Storm (Alexa

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What is the Legion of Super-Heroes, and why are so many people excited about its return?

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

DC Comics is reviving the Legion of Super-Heroes with some pretty big names. And, judging by the reaction on the Internet, it’s going to make a legion of readers pretty happy.

The Legion isn’t among DC’s best

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'iZombie,' 'Swamp Thing': Yeah, the endings sucked. Give 'em credit for fantastic starts

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

The just-ended, comics-based shows iZombie and Swamp Thing have three things in common:

1. Both just aired their series finales.
2. Both were uncommonly entertaining for most of their runs.
3. Both ended in a clumsy,

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Some of the big things 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' lifted from the comics

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Spider-Man: Far From Home was a whiz-bang, crowd-pleaser of a movie. But, as usual with a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, there are elements with long, unmentioned histories in Marvel Comics. So with a heart

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Latest 'Swamp Thing' adaptation appears to be its own animal

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

June 6, 2019 -- The new Swamp Thing TV show isn’t your daddy’s swamp monster. It isn’t even Alan Moore’s.

Moore is the English writer famous for From Hell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V for Vendetta Wa

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'The Boys' grow up a little with transition to TV

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

You might have noticed that it’s hard to find heroes in Amazon Prime’s new series, The Boys, which dropped July 26. A look at the source material shows that this is by design.

The Boys began as a comic book s

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Comics Connection: The books that inspire Marvel's Phase Four

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced the entire lineup for Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe July 20 at Comic-Con International: San Diego. While he piled surprise atop surprise, comics fa

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'DC's Year of the Villain' is both deja vu and something new

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

In comics, history not only repeats, but it usually raises the stakes.

Case in point: “The Year of the Villain.” This massive crossover at DC Comics features a major villain making offers to a wide array of s

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'Polar,' 'Alita' share dynamic action, visual dazzle as well as comics roots

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Polar and Alita: Battle Angel are two movies based on comics whose trailers are making the rounds. But that’s about the only thing these two very different projects have in common.

Polar has already arrived o

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Who is ... Mysterio?

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

So just who is this Mysterio guy in Spider-Man: Far From Home? Let’s go the Sacred Texts of the Nerd Canon to find out!

Mysterio first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man in 1964, in the 13th issue. That proved t

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Stan Lee deserves huge credit for gIving hope to the marginalized

Copyright DC Entertainment Inc.

Stan Lee appeared with Frank Miller at the 30th anniversary of Dark Knight Returns in 2016.

Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Nov. 13, 2018 -- Words of praise for the legendary Stan Lee, who died Nov. 11 at the a

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DC's superheroes battle multiple extinction events on several fronts

By Andrew A. Smith

Tribune Content Agency

Things aren’t going so well for our super friends in the pages of DC Comics. And, to paraphrase Ralph Dibny on The Flash TV show: It’s not even summer!

Summer has long had a special place in comics. Back whe

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