Author: Robert Greenberger

When director James Gunn took on a soft reboot of The Suicide Squad, he brought in some familiar members, some less familiar characters, and one who was, at best, tangential to the team in the comics. Yet, with a keen eye for casting, the director knew exactly who would make Peacemaker work despite his odd Pat Boyette-designed costume and weird rationale provided by co-creator Joe Gill. Christopher Smith loved peace so much he would violently assure it.

In the form of former pro wrestler turned actor John Cena, the character played it so straight that he was hysterical in an already gonzo film. Apparently, Gunn was so enchanted with the performance that he idly began writing a backstory miniseries and when he mentioned it to producing partner Peter Safran, he was encouraged to sell it. HBO Max snapped it up and it is now available on Blu-ray from HOB Home Entertainment.

The title credits alone make this having as it has become iconic and imitated.

Sifting through the DCEU and 80 years of DC Comics, Gunn cherrypicked the essential elements to tell us how Smith became the vigilante, spending much of the series exploring the strained (to put it mildly) relationship between Smith and his father (Robert Patrick), the bigoted White Dragon. Ironically, Auggie Smith designed many of Peacemaker’s helmets, each with its own attribute.

After recovering from his life-threatening injuries from the motion picture, we pick up with Smith attempting to resume his simple life. ARGUS had other ideas and forced him to accompany them on Project Butterfly, which proved to be the season-long threat with an alien lifeform that fled its dying planet and has been surreptitiously taking over seemingly thousands of Americans.

The odd team was comprised led by Clemson Mutt (Chukwudi Iwuji), Johnny Economos (Steve Agee), Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and newcomer Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), who we learn was coerced into working with ARGUS at the behest of her mother, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). Everyone not only gets something to do, but each gets their moment to shine, and their interactions are delicious with sharp character writing.

The x-factor comes in the form of Peacemaker’s neighborhood friend and wacko, Adrian Chase (Freddie Stroma), who dons the Vigilante outfit but never fully grasps how serious the stakes are.

The season is a personal delight for me seeing characters I once edited on the screen in fully realized form. There are also cameos from Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller along with silhouettes of the other Justice Leaguers.

The 1080p high definition transfer captures all the color tones nicely and has no obvious flaws. The DTS lossless audio track is also just fine.

The discs come with a boatload of Special Features, mostly taken from HBO Max: Teaser Trailer (3:00), Trailer (3:00), Peacemaker and Vigilante: BFFs (2:00), The Story so Far (4:00), How to Properly Give a F*ck (1:00), Dramatic Comic Book Readings with Chukwudi Iwuji (2:00), Gag Reel (9:00), Unlocking the Quantum Unfolding Storage Area (2:00), So What do you Really Thing of Peacemaker? (2:00), Danielle Brooks Explains the DC Universe (1:40), Keep the Tweets (2:00), Dance for Peace (2:00), On the set with Steve Agee (2:00), Project Butterfly Team Member: Eagly (2:00), Project Butterfly Team Member: Murn (1:00), Project Butterfly Team Member: Vigilante (1:00), Project Butterfly Team Member: John Economos (1:00), Project Butterfly Team Member: Harcourt (1:00), Project Butterfly Team Member: Adebayo (1:00), Project Butterfly Team Member: Vigilante (1:00),  Under the Helmet (3:00), Big Daddy Issues: Peacemaker’s Search for Inner Peace (5:00), and Making the World Safe for Violence: Peacemaker’s Team (12:00).

With Doom Patrol moving to HBO Max for their frenetic third season, the shows looks and feels much the same: an energetic mess that has a heart lying underneath the chaos and disjointed storytelling. Now available on Blu-ray from Warner Home Entertainment, the 10 episodes unfold quickly.

We immediately dispatch the cliffhangers leftover from season two and plunges us into new issues, stemming from the death of the Chief (Timothy Dalton) and soon after the death of the team. In fact, it takes the Dead Boy Detectives (Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant)—lifted from the Sandman universe and destined for their own series—to help locate the spirits. Meantime, a woman calling herself Laura De Mille (Michelle Rodriguez), arrives from 1949 and seems to be replacing the Chief as a leader. Once revealed as their long-time comics foe Madame Rogue, things take a deadlier turn.

While season two was mainly about Robotman (Brendan Fraser) and Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero), this season, it’s Elasti-Girl (April Bowlby) finally taking the spotlight. The slow dance between Rita Farr and Laura De Mille is a delight, thanks to fine performances. By season’s end, Rita seems ready to be the team’s true leader.

Larry (Matt Bomer) seems to be rid of his Negative Man energy, which is a mixed blessing, while Crazy Jane’s multiple personalities vie for attention, continuing her arc from last season.

We get the Garguax the Destroyer (Stephen Murphy), the Brotherhood of Evil, and the Sisterhood of Dada for good measure. But, the problem with the series remains fractured, focusing too much on individual story arcs and nowhere near enough team interplay. These are a bunch forced together by circumstance, who have bonded into a family of misfits, all robbed of their humanity, and yet, all showing their uniqueness hasn’t robbed them of anything at all.

With season four about to drop, now is a good time to revisit these episodes and refresh yourself because the pacing requires you to pay attention.

All ten episodes look sharp with a solid 1080p transfer and an equally good audio track.

Only two Special Features are here: Life After Death (14:00) with a look at the season; and Filter Not Included: Robotman’s Best Lines (3:00).

Any parent who somehow finds themselves watching HBO’s addictively compelling Euphoria must pray their children know no one like Rue or are raising anyone like her. The series, which debuted in 2019 just as the world locked down, has only grown in popularity. My high school students, apparently, didn’t trip over it until season two arrived earlier this year. Given the higher profile and awards it has justly earned, HBO has combined the two seasons onto DVD for home consumption, no subscription required.

Rue, played with a rawness by Zendaya, is a 17-year-old whose life began to spiral out of control after the death of her father. Alcohol, drugs, and sex were combined in varying quantities as she sought a balm, but repeated attempts at rehab proved futile. As the show’s narrator, Rue shows us her pessimistic outlook on life and helplessness; without a real sense she’s seeking redemption or salvation.

In her circle of friends, we have others who have their own issues, giving series creator Sam Levinson (who gave us an all-American spin on the Israeli series of the same name) a chance to fully explore the issues confronting today’s youth. The series is stunningly cast with the ensemble delivering captivating performances, which explains why Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Colman Domingo, and Martha Kelly all received two Emmy nominations each, with the series star winning twice.

People drop in and out of her orbit depending on Rue’s needs or absences, beginning with her best friend Lexi (Maude Apatow), who seeks to find her voice and get out from under the shadow of her older, sexier sister Cassie (Sweeney). Cassie is trying to correct her life after sexual promiscuousness and has learned some harsh life lessons early.

Perhaps the most sympathetic character in her circle is the newly arrived Jules (Hunter Schafer), a transgender girl who enters a turbulent romance with Rue, and they almost run away together, but when that doesn’t pan out, things grow tense. Jules has other issues, including having had sex with Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane), father of Cassie’s ex Chris (Algee Smith), who has a habit of recording his conquests, masking a deeper issue that surfaces in season two.

Rue takes her issues out on everyone, each a means to a particular end, all in service to end her pain. Zendaya’s bravest performance may be seen in season two’s “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird” when she lashes out at everyone, including her younger sister Gia (Storm Reid) and mother Leslie (Nika King). Her acting is subtle and demonstrates the impressive range, from the quiet contemplative “Trouble Don’t Last Always”, where she sits in a diner with her sponsor Ali (Colman Domingo) to “Hummingbird” where the pain and snot come out in equal amounts of anguish.

The show filled the Covid-19 gap with two one-hour specials, the first focusing on Rue and Ali and the second on Jules in therapy. Both work as standalone dramas while providing important insight into the characters.

It should be noted the parents get placed in a harsh spotlight as well. It’s not just Cal who does damage since Cassie and Lexi’s mom Suze (Alanaa Ubach), visibly has a handy glass of wine, ready for the next one.

The other adults round out the perspectives with Ali an interesting ally to Rue and drug dealer Fezco (Angus Cloud), forming an unexpectedly deep friendship with Lexi.

While other shows about teens range from the banal (Saved by the Bell) to the absurd (Riverdale) to the almost believable (Sex Education), this one is all about exploring the darker side of the teenage experience with few moments of genuine joy and almost no emphasis on being students preparing for their future as adults. Their learning is happening nowhere near school but the homes, bedrooms, and back alleys of their world.

The sixteen episodes plus two specials are included on five DVD discs which look fine but one wishes for at least Blu0ray to capture all the subtitles of the gray world they live in. The Special Features all come from HBO’s broadcast of the series, including “Euphoria in Conversation: Zendaya and Sam Levinson”; Storyboard to Scene; Euphoria Scene Breakdown; Euphoria Unfiltered: Zendaya; “Enter ‘Euphoria’”; “Enter Euphoria’ Part 1: Rue”; “Enter Euphoria Part 2: Jules”; “Euphoria: The Craft”; “Costumes of Euphoria”, and Euphoria Set Tour with Sydney Sweeney.

Silver: Of Treasures and Thieves Book One
By Stephan Franck
Abrams ComicArts/224 Pages/$24.99

When you think you’ve seen every interpretation of vampires, someone comes along to prove you wrong.  In this case, Stephan Franck offers us vampires on a heist caper successfully mixing gothic horror and crime noir.

Frank, a supervising animator on The Iron Giant, wrote and drew the story across four volumes over the last decade or so. Now, Abrams ComicArts has wisely seen to it to collect these into two handsome volumes, the first of which is now available.

Franck starts with characters and legacies directly tied to Bram Stoker’s Dracula so there are many familiar names, including Vlad Tepes himself. But we focus mainly on other players as the criminals gather to raid a castle in European. Our protagonist is James Finnigan seeking bar of pure silver that is coveted by the castle infested with vampires, who have long sought this relic. That the bar and information is found in the crypt of the Harker Foundation, beginning connections between Franck’s world and Stoker’s.

A gang of human criminals is contrasted with the vampire cult, corrupted living versus the undead masquerading as the living, with immortality warping their worldview. To them, immortality isn’t necessarily a great thing, and it has left them with ennui, lacking a purpose beyond drinking blood to survive.

Franck does a nice job delineating his characters, letting us into their lives in bits and pieces, notably during an extended train trip to the castle. There are a variety of types that any good heist story requires, complete with a vampire among them who has a separate agenda. The vampires themselves are a little less diverse but no less interesting.

The page construction and artwork make reading this a pleasure, as does the heavy paper stock that allows every line to reproduce with clarity. This story is for any good fan of adventure, crime, and horror as the three genres converge into something refreshingly entertaining.

I am decades away from the target audience for the just-released Krypto the Superdog: the Complete Series. Ever since the Canine of Steel arrived in 1955, he has been a popular supporting player, and with all-things super-heroic now part of the pop culture zeitgeist, it made perfect sense to give him a series for the younger side of the television demographic.

All 39 episodes of the 2005 series are presented here, adapted by producer Chris Mitchell. Joining Krypto (voiced by Sam Vincent) on his crimefighting adventures are Streaky (Brian Drummond), Supergirl’s pet cat, and Ace the Bathound (Scott McNeil). They even created Stretch-O-Mutt (Lee Tockar) to round things out. And if there are going to be animal heroes, there have to be animal villains, who happen to include the pets of Lex Luthor (Brian Dobson) and Catwoman. When things look dire, they can count on help from the Dog Star Patrol.

With Superman (Michael Dangerfield) too busy to walk and feed him or even play fetch, he leaves his childhood companion with Kevin Whitney (Alberto Ghisi), a 9-year-old boy, who winds up accompanying the dog on many escapades. Conveniently, Streaky is now housed with his next-door neighbor Andrea Sussman (Tabitha St. Germain).

The animation is solid and perfect for the audience. With Alan Burnett and Paul Dini looking over everyone’s shoulders, the stories are equally strong and in keeping with the other animated fare then running on television. It makes for fun viewing with your younger relatives, children, or even grandchildren.

The DVD is perfectly fine for viewing, with all 39 episodes contained on four discs, which offer no Special Features.

The live-action Titans series has been flawed from the get-go by presenting us with a Dick Grayson that the writers woefully misunderstand. There is no comic book creator who ever depicted Grayson in this manner so it sets the wrong tone. Its low-budget when created for the short-lived DC Universe streaming service didn’t help.

And yet, it has staggered through three seasons, with a fourth now streaming on HBO Max. Just last week, Warner Home Entertainment released Titans: The Complete Third Season on Blu-ray (no DVD or 4K).

We pick up from the end of season two with the team mourning the death of Donna Troy (Conor Leslie), they are jarred to discover that now Jason Todd (Curran Walters) has been murdered by the Joker. The team, and yes, it’s nice to see them function as a unit for a change, journey to Gotham City to console Bruce Wayne (Iain Glen). Not long after, a new vigilante, the Red Hood, is operating and the team takes its sweet time figuring out that it’s Jason, who somehow has been leading a secret life that the ever-aware Batman missed.

A large portion of the narrative features Dick versus Jason with everyone else in supporting roles. The Red Hood is a blood-thirsty, angry teen who happens to have been trained by the World’s Greatest Detective, so he’s very dangerous. When we discover Todd has been manipulated this whole time by the Scarecrow (a wonderful Vincent Kartheiser), we finally gain some sympathy for him. All sorts of psycho games are played during their bouts, making this more of a two-hander than a team show. In between, Dick finds time to renew his long-simmerig love for Barbara Gordon (Savannah Welch).

So, what is everyone else doing? Well, Starfire (Anna Diop) is visited by her also-angry sister Blackfire (Damaris Lewis), who romances Superboy (Joshua Orpin). Oh, and Donna has her own resurrection story (of course).  Raven (Teagan Croft) and Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) don’t get to do much, wasting their talent and chemistry.

Based on a numerous stories from the comics, none make the most of super-heroes or teen angst, or good storytelling. It’s more meh than anything else.

The 1080p transfer is perfectly fine for home viewing with rich blacks and a nice color palette.

There are a handful of Special Features including Training a Metahuman; Looking the Part, which spotlights LJ Shannon, Specialty Costume Designer; Inside the Character: Red Hood; Inside the Character: Barbara Gordon; and, Welcome to Gotham.

In the 1960s, Mort Weisinger ran more than a few stories speculating on what would happen had Superman and Batman married and had offspring, although no two stories were connected. Under Murray Boltinoff, World’s Finest Comics in 1973 began a series of stories about Clark Kent, Jr, and Bruce Wayne, Jr., which had its following. More recently, Superman and Lois had a son, Jonathan, while Batman met Damian, his biological son, grown in a test tube by Ra’s al Ghul. Once they established themselves, it was inevitable the youngster would be paired up and a series of entertaining Super Sons stories ran, mostly in the capable hands of writer Peter Tomasi.

Now, Warner Animation has paired them in a brand-new animated feature, Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons. This is one of the most consistently satisfying offerings from the studio in some time and was fun to watch, despite some obvious beats.

Interestingly, for the second time in a few years, the threat comes from Starro the Conqueror, although in this telling, it came to Earth from Krypton and is an evolving visual, unlike the original Mike Sekowsky design. One by one, Starro takes over Earth’s super-protectors, keeping them all aboard the JLA Watchtower, slowly infiltrating the humans around the globe.

As this story develops in the background, the first two-thirds of the film deals with Jonathan Kent (Jack Dylan Grazer) discovering first his powers, then that his father (Travis Willingham) is the World’s Greatest Super-Hero. Bringing Jon to the Batcave for an examination, Batman (Troy Baker) introduces them to Damian (Jack Griffo), who is as arrogant and self-confidant as he was initially in the comics. The boys are even more diametrically opposed as their fathers once were, and it takes time for them to find a way to work together.

This has to be the most entertaining Super Sons story not written by Tomasi. Jeremy Adams, who also writes for the comics, does a fine job with the characters. It is marred by a predictable final third that lacks suspense or surprise.

Visually, the new CGI tools at their disposal provide some nice panoramic backdrops for the story and nice character motion, with a smattering of hand-drawn animation. (Note: The opening visuals, silently recapping the origins, is from comics veteran Michael Golden.)

We can fully appreciate this thanks to a brilliant 2160p/HDR scan, coupled with a fine DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix. Together, it is a terrific home viewing experience.

The Special Features (only on the Blu-ray disc) are perfunctory with Rival Sons: Jonathan and Damian (14:41), featuring the hammy producer Jim Krieg, DC creative director Mike Carlin, supervising producer Rick Morales, director Matt Peters, Adams, and a clinical psychologist.

Additionally, we have From the DC Vault – Batman: The Animated Series’ two-part “The Demon’s Quest”.

I have to give Jordan Peele credit for original thinking. His stories tackle interesting ideas and premises, but each one comes with a shortcoming in narrative or structure. I wasn’t as impressed with Us or Get Out as I was with his BlacKKKlansman. I do give him credit, though, for always trying something different.

This summer’s Nope, now out on disc from Universal Home Entertainment, is almost an homage to Steve Spielberg as it once more delves into science fiction, similar to his foray into the Twilight Zone with a dose of M. Night Shyamalan’s paranoia.

It’s grounded by the story of two siblings— OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Em (Keke Palmer)—struggling to keep the family farm after one debacle after another threatens to derail them. After a series of unfortunate occurrences, it becomes clear that a UFO and its occupant have been behind it all and have malevolent plans. This is a far more engaging SF Western than Cowboys and Aliens ever was.

Peele, who wrote and directed, handles characters marvelously and gets strong performances from his lead, ably supported by Keith David, Brandon Perea, and Steven Yeun.

The film is available in the usual assortment of packages, including the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray/Digital HD Code. The 4K has a solid, if unspectacular, 2160p/HDR scan, letting you admit the countryside and details. Interestingly, the 1080p is slightly better, crisper with the subtle details.

Both come with an excellent Dolby Atmos soundtrack.

The Special Features are adequate. Included on the 4K are five Deleted Scenes (9:25); Gag Reel (5:29); Shadows: The Making of Nope (56:05); Call Him Jean Jacket (14:22); Mystery Man of Muybridge (5:30). These are also on the Blu-ray, but many are at 480p not 1080.

If you like Peele’s brand of filmmaking, this is for you.

When The Flash arrived on the CW, it was pitched as the anti-Arrow, a feel-good series about the joy of being a superhero. After all, the title character (Grant Gustin) was wearing a crimson and yellow suit; hard to be moody in that.

As with all CW superhero series, it was quickly over-populated with too many powered supporting players, frequently taking the focus off the hero. It also grew too reliant on speedsters, the Speed Force, and time travel, so a sameness was infused throughout each successive season. There was every reason to believe this was to be the final season, so it was plotted as such. They could have done better. Much better.

With The Flash: The Complete Eighth Season now on Blu-ray from Warner Home Entertainment, we see how weary the producers and writers had become, seeking to find ways to pump new life into the show. We began with the five-part “Armageddon” crossover event that aired separate from the remainder of the season, featuring a boring Despero (Tony Curran), who wasn’t a conqueror as a misguided figure trying to preserve one timeline. Yawn. At least we were minded that the Scarlet Speedster operated in a world with other heroes as it guest-starred, among others, the Atom (Brandon Routh), Black Lightning (Cress Williams), Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh), Ryan Choi (Osric Chau), Mia Queen (Katherine McNamara), and Batwoman (Javicia Leslie).

The rest of the season juggled multiple storylines, mostly involving or dealing with the repercussions of Iris (Candice Patton) suffering from time sickness. We also get the introduction of Tinya Wazzo (Mika Abdalla); in the comics, she’s the 30^th Century legionnaire known as Phantom Girl. With so many threads, quite a bit of time was with Iris and Sue Dearbon (Natalie Dreyfuss) chasing Tinya while the rest of Team Flash dealt with other silliness, including yet another speedster Fast Track (Kausar Mohammed).

The most interesting developments were non-super as Allegra (Kayla Compton) grew into her role of a journalist, and Caitlin Snow (Danielle Pennebaker) coped with the loss of her alter ego, Frost. And these were downplayed in favor of familiar storylines.  With a ninth and final season in the offing, one can hope for a more satisfying resolution for the characters.

All 20 episodes are presented with a strong 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. For such a colorful series, it requires a good scan and here we have it, along with a solid DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, capturing every sound effect and music cue.

The discs are packed with a handful of Special Features, notably 22 minutes of deleted scenes, some of which focused on character bits and are missed. There is also The DC Heroes – Path To Glory (17:00), focusing on the larger DCEU; The Flash – Standing the Test of Time (9:00), looking at its overuse of time travel; and the ever-popular Gag Reel (10:00).