POWERS Cancelled by Sony's PlayStation Network

Hey, at least the comic book is continuing...when it actually arrives in stores.

Powers co-creator Brian Michael Bendis has announced via his official Twitter account that the Powers television series has been cancelled by Sony's PlayStation Network and will not have a Season 3.  Here are the tweets Bendis posted earlier today...

this is hard to tweet, but word is that @POWERStheSERIES is sadly, no more. season 2 was the last. at least for now. 1/2

— BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (@BRIANMBENDIS) August 3, 2016

i'll type more about it later, but thank you ALL for your support. such a fantastic personal experience that you gifted all of us. 2/2

— BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (@BRIANMBENDIS) August 3, 2016

The series, which debuted on March 10, 2015, was based on the Powers comic book series by Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, and starred Sharlto Copley as Christian Walker, Susan Heyward as Deena Pilgrim, Michelle Forbes as Janis Sandusky/Retro Girl I, Olesya Rulin as Calista Secor/Retro Girl II, Logan Browning as Zora, Noah Taylor as Johnny Royalle, Eddie Izzard as Wolfe, Michael Madsen as SuperShock, and Tricia Helfer as Angela Lange.

With a total of 20 episodes over two seasons, Powers had received considerable criticism from fans for the show's low production values and lack of respect for the source material, even with Bendis' involvement.  Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of 52% based on 20 critic reviews, with an average score of 5.5/10.  The critical consensus from the site was "The interplay between the characters lacks spark, but the detailed world-building of Powers shows potential." On Metacritic, it received a score of 51 out of 100, and a user score of 6.5 out of 10, indicating "mixed or average reviews."

POWERS Season 2 Trailer Asks "Who Killed Retro Girl?"

Who killed Retro Girl?

The PlayStation original series Powers has released the first official trailer for the show's upcoming second season, following up on the events of the Season 1 finale that revealed the murder of Retro Girl (Michelle Forbes).

The one-minute, forty-five second trailer opens with Mayor Victor Robles speaking at a press conference about Retro Girl's death, which threatens to send the city into chaos.  "The world has been dealt a devastating blow," he begins as we see Retro Girl's corpse positioned on a white tarp with the words Kaotic Chic written in graffiti spraypaint, "Retro Girl has been murdered.  The city of Los Angeles will spare no expense in bringing those responsible to justice."

Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley) naturally doesn't take the news well, kicking over a chair and throwing it around before breaking down and crying.

"Dig into the case, see how far this goes," orders Walker's boss Captain Emile Cross (Adam Godley).  "You do whatever you need to do."

A riot appears to break out among pro and anti-Powers protestors, and a local news anchor warns that with Retro Girl no longer protecting the city, Powers are now free to rampage the streets.

Calista Secor (Olesya Rulin) goes to visit her estranged father, played by William Mapother, and then uses her new abilities to hurl him dozens of feet into the air.

"This is bigger than we ever imagined," Walker remarks to Cross and his partner Deena Pilgrim (Susan Heyward).

"Kids, we have our new Retro Girl!" bellows Wil Wheaton as Calista takes over for her deceased idol and suits up in costume.  

"Bad things are gonna start happening," Walker says to Michael Madsen.  "We could use SuperShock more than ever."

We then see Walker getting busy with Tricia Helfer as FBI Agent Lange.  "Is there a problem?" asks Walker.  "Actually a big problem," Lange replies, "ever since you became a suspect."

When Walker threatens to hit Lange's superpowered partner, she quips, "That's the Christian Walker I used to know, always thinking fist first."

The city descends into chaos, with Lange telling Walker, "It's open season on Powers worldwide."

"Here comes a full-blown Powers gang war?" asks Pilgrim.

We then see Madsen in costume as SuperShock, telling a rioting crowd, "This...must...STOP!"

Finally, we see Walker getting the drop on a teenaged girl, who warns "Please!  We have to go!  He's coming!"

Walker asks "Who?" and we see a sinister figure in a black fedora and overcoat, touching a lamppost and curling it over as a car explodes.

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




Powers returns to The PlayStation Network for Season 2 sometime in 2016.

POWERS Casts Michael Madsen as SuperShock

Was this as good for you as it was for me?

Comic Book Resources has word that the Sony PlayStation Network series Powers has cast Michael Madsen as the mysterious superhero known as SuperShock.

SuperShock is described in the article as "a perfect physical specimen with an unparalleled presence that catapulted him to global fame.  After retiring at the height of his career under mysterious circumstances and disappearing from public view, he emerges for the first time in forty years after the death of Retro Girl."

Madsen, 57, is best known as Vic Vega (Mr. Blonde) in Reservoir Dogs and as Budd in Kill Bill Vols.1 & 2, all films by director Quentin Tarantino.  His other more notable films include WarGames, Wyatt Earp, Species, Donnie Brasco, Die Another Day, Sin City, and the upcoming Tarantino film The Hateful Eight.  Madsen has also appeared in the television series Quantum Leap, CSI: Miami, 24, Axe Cop, the current Hawaii Five-O, and voiced the Green Lantern known as Kilowog for the animated direct-to-home video movie Green Lantern: First Flight.

"Super-Shock is the most powerful superhero in the Powers universe," said co-creator Brian Michael Bendis.  "With him comes a whole new set of problems and achievements.  With Retro Girl's death, Super-Shock comes out of wherever he's been and we'll discover a lot about the Powers universe through him and Walker and Deena's relationship.

"This is the biggest superhero in the world," Bendis added.  "Superheroes were named after him.  He never took an advertisement dollar, he never was in product placement.  He kept it pure for decades and decades."

Created in 2002 by Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, Super-Shock first appeared in Powers (vol.1) #24 and was featured in the storyline "The Sellouts" as one of the older Powers that wandered the Earth for millennia before revealing himself to the world as a superhero.

For years, he was a member of a popular superteam known as Unity that was active in the 1980s, but after time, he started to lose contact with reality and went on a destructive killing spree before being stopped by Ultrabright, his previous colleague and paramour.  As a result of his actions, all Powers are declared illegal by the United States government.

Powers is expected to return to the PlayStation Network for Season 2 sometime in 2016.

THE FANDOM ZONE Episode 004: "Into the Ring" is Up!

"I'm not seeking penance for what I've done, Father.  I'm asking for forgiveness...for what I'm about to do."

-- Matt Murdock, Daredevil: "Into the Ring"

We're back with a new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast, and even better, the ever-awesome Karen is back as well!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

iZombie 1x04 -- "Liv and Let Clive"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x16 -- "Afterlife"

Powers 1x07 -- "You Are Not It"

Daredevil 1x01 -- "Into the Ring"

We talk about things like grammar issues with the song "Live and Let Die," everyone's complete disinterest in Liv's zombie skin tone and hair color, knowing kung fu, Karen busting on me about my show notes, Ravi crushing on Liv, Blaine's Jenny Craig plan for zombies, keeping zombie henchmen in a freezer, the movie Glengary Glen Ross, the awkwardness of jumping the line to becoming an Inhuman, FitzSimmons shippers being happy once again, Deathlok's Matrix-like aircraft flying downloading ability, Powers being overly convoluted again, producing on the fly, Matt's horror at becoming blind, Karen's approval of depicting the visually-impaired, Matt Murdock as a Catholic, taking your shirt off in front of a blind person, the superiority of Daredevil's fights over Arrow's fights, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have our Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Come back next week for more on Gotham, The Flash, iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow and the second episode of Daredevil, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE Episode 003: "Tricksters" is Up!

"There's just one thing I've been dying to ask -- Why did you choose me?"

"Because I knew you had the strength to fulfill my legacy.  Besides, it was in your blood."

"Wait...What do you mean, in...in my blood?"

"The real reason I tracked you down and groomed you to be the best you could possibly be, Axel...I am your father...."

-- Axel Walker and James Jesse, The Flash: "Tricksters"

We're finally back on track with a new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast, but this time, we have a special guest host with the most, Dahne, who was kind enough to fill in for Karen as she deals with some Real Life stuff.

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Flash 1x17 -- "Tricksters"

iZombie 1x03 -- "The Exterminator"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x15 -- "One Door Closes"

Powers 1x06 -- "The Raconteur of the Funeral Circuit"

Arrow 3x18 -- "Public Enemy"

We talk about things like introducing Dahne, millions of Star Wars fans crying out at once with joy as Mark Hamill says the thing, nods to the original 1990-91 Flash series starring John Wesley Shipp, genetic camouflage, the return of comic relief cop Tony Bellows as the mayor of Central City, James Jesse as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who originally stopped the Trickster in the new Flash TV continuity, Slimer in the movie Ghostbusters, the introduction of the Speed Force, confiding in Eddie Thawne, Liv not being good enough for Major, Marcy from the Booze Cruise going Full Zombie, is some of Harrison Wells still alive in Eobard Thawne, the science of restoring Full Zombies back to normal, trivia night at a cop bar, flashing back to the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a mini-Battlestar Galactica reunion, hating Skye as a character, Bobbi and Mack as Team Back, Mockingbird vs. The Cavalry, shoutouts to comic book creators, Krispin's epic sex fail, Felicity outing The Atom as a Doctor Who fan, bringing back a dead character as her twin sister, Arsenal's sacrifice move, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have our Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Come back next week for more on iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Powers and the first episode of Daredevil, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE Episode 002: "Suicidal Tendencies" is Up!

"I have a 140 IQ and three PhDs, so it's pretty hard to insult my intelligence, but I'm pretty sure you just did."

-- Ray Palmer to Felicity Smoak, Arrow: "Suicidal Tendencies"

As we attempt to get back on track, Karen Lindsay and I have returned with our new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 5x16 -- "Conquer"

The Flash 1x16 -- "Rogue Time"

iZombie 1x02 -- "Brother, Can You Spare a Brain?"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x14 -- "Love in the Time of Hydra"

Powers 1x05 -- "Paint It Black"

Arrow 3x17 -- "Suicidal Tendencies"

We talk about things like the return of Pain Meds Karen, skipping The Walking Dead 5x15 ("Try"), the return of Morgan, the greatness of Red Poncho Zombie Guy, how to pronounce "Michonne" properly, the suicidal move of dropping Carol's casserole dish, the horribly awkward reunion of Rick and Morgan, Sasha's disturbing comfy bed of corpses, why you should never multitask while watching The Flash, clarifying the Reverse-Flash's timey-wimey plan for Barry Allen, Iris' horrible reaction to Barry confessing his feelings, the sheer stupidity of Lightning Psychosis, how The New 52 Wally West is not Wally West, the awesomeness of Nick Fury's gravestone, shipping Grant Ward and Agent 33, Keira Knightley + Emma Watson = Jemma Simmons, making money by turning rich people into zombies, shipping Liv with Major and Dr. Ravi, Liv being turned on by everyone she sees, talkin' 'bout Shaft, Walker and Wolfe's Vulcan mindmeld, Retro Girl's epic fail, Diggle and Lyla's second wedding, Ray Palmer as Iron Atom, totally ignoring your electrocuted sidekick, our mutual frustration with Oliver's flashbacks, separating Dangerous Habits from The Fandom Zone, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have our Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Come back next week for more on The Flash, iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Powers and Arrow, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE Episode 001: "Out of Time" Is Up!

"You're smart, Cisco, but you're not that smart.  Do you know how hard it has been to keep all of this from you, especially from you?  Because the truth is, I've grown quite fond of you. And in many ways, you have shown me what it's like to have a son.  Forgive me, but to me, you've been dead for centuries."

-- Dr. Harrison Wells to Cisco Ramon, The Flash: "Out of Time"

You've waited quite a while for this, but the wonderful Karen Lindsay and I are finally back with our first full-fledged episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

The Walking Dead 5x14 -- "Spend"

The Flash 1x15 -- "Out of Time"

iZombie 1x01 -- "Pilot"

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x13 -- "One of Us"

Powers 1x04 -- "Devil in a Garbage Bag"

Arrow 3x16 -- "The Offer"

We talk about things like any character dying at any minute, what happens when you shoot a grenade, revolving doors, abandoned wheelchairs, all kinds of wacky fun with the Reverse-Flash, animated Michael Allred opening credits, Buffy the Vampire Slayer updated for the 21st Century, the movie Warm Bodies, the return of Twin Peaks' Dale Cooper and Adriana from The Sopranos, letting Admiral Adama being Admiral Adama, lame Marvel supervillains, completely missing the mark on comic book adaptations, Michelle Forbes as Retro Girl, Karen drooling over Stephen Amell, the Lazarus Pit, Oliver and Laurel being total cowards where Quentin is concerned, Ra's al Ghul's weird masterplan, Starling City's police headquarters being attacked yet again, some comics on TV spoilers, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have our Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Come back next week for more on The Walking Dead, The Flash, iZombie, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Powers and Arrow, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

DAMN Good Television -- POWERS: "Pilot"

Back in the dark days of 2011, fans of the Powers comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming were cautiously optimistic about a television series adaptation for FX starring Jason Patric, Lucy Punch and Charles S. Dutton.  However, the filmed pilot apparently didn't impress the suits at FX, with reshoots and recasting being discussed by the network.

Well, those plans must have quickly spiraled downward because not three years later, Sony announced that Powers would be the first original series on the PlayStation Network, streaming through consoles and episodes purchased on PlayStation.com.  The second attempt features Sharlto Copley as Christian Walker, Susan Heyward as Deena Pilgrim, Michelle Forbes as Retro Girl, Eddie Izzard as "Big Bad" Wolfe, Noah Taylor as Johnny Royale, Olesya Rulin as Calista and Logan Browning as Zora.

Sounds pretty decent, doesn't it?  And the premise of a cop procedural set in the world of superheroes has done well for the Fox series Gotham, which has already been renewed for a second season.  So, considering all of this, I really have to wonder why this series seems pretty much doomed to failure.

This first episode, written by Charlie Huston and directed by David Slade, tanks as an adaptation of the source material from the start, showing Walker, the former superhero known as Diamond until he was depowered, operating in bright, sunny Los Angeles instead of a dark, atmospheric city like Chicago or New York.  And with the seriously disappointing production values that make superhero fan films on YouTube look like HBO's Game of Thrones by comparison, this series looks and feels just like a typical USA network show that just happens to have some superpowered characters in it.

With a much thinner, less imposing body frame than his comics counterpart, Copley's Walker hides behind a pair of sunglasses and a beard while moping a number of times about his lost powers. We want to slowly discover what makes him tick, but instead get clumsy chunks of exposition thrown at us in the form of things like an Extra segment hosted by Mario Lopez.

As for Susan Heyward's Deena Pilgrim, she gets partnered with Walker about a third into the episode and fans of the comic series are in for another letdown.  Anyone looking for their favorite sassy and snarky spitfire is going to find a much more subdued, dialed back version that barely resembles the character.  Oh, there are moments when Walker and Pilgrim banter in a traditional manner, but they're far too few and fleeting.

Another significant divergence from the comic series is the initial mystery of the death of Olympia, an aging superhero, which is taken from the third story arc "Little Deaths."  It's not nearly as intriguing of a mystery as the initial "Who Killed Retro Girl?" arc, although the upside is we actually get to see Michelle Forbes as Retro Girl for a while until she presumably gets bumped off.

The second story arc, "Roleplay," is also teased somewhat with the various superhero wannabes and "powers kids" that hang out and party across L.A. just waiting to become famous.  One of the self-absorbed "powers kids" is Zora, who unfortunately becomes another misfire in this adaptation as her character is reduced from being a century-old badass superhero goddess to a vapid young adult wearing a Geordi LaForge visor and a horrible costume seemingly made out of shiny duct tape.

Sure, this is only the first episode of ten for the first season, but PlayStation's decision to make it free only works if viewers actually want to pay $1.99 for each following episode unless they already have a PlayStation Plus membership.  Something tells me that bootleg versions will be big for non-gamers, but honestly?  I recommend just reading the comics instead.

iZOMBIE Trailer, Premiere Date, Synopsis & Cast List Revealed

It's been a while since The CW's upcoming series iZombie was announced for the 2014-15 television season, but the DC Comics/VERTIGO adaptation has finally made the midseason schedule, which was announced today at the Television Critics Association in Pasadena, California. 

And here's the spiffy new trailer for the series, thanks to the CW's official YouTube account...



There's also a new official series synopsis that includes a description of the full cast...

Olivia “Liv” Moore was a rosy-cheeked, disciplined, over-achieving medical resident who had her life path completely mapped out…until the night she attended a party that unexpectedly turned into a zombie feeding frenzy. Now as one of the newly undead, Liv is doing her best to blend in and look as human as possible. Her appearance passes for “Goth,” with shockingly pale skin and nearly white hair, and her demeanor has gone from exuberant to exhausted.

The change in Liv is baffling to her former fiancé, Major, her mother, Eva, and her best friend and roommate, Peyton, who still has the high-energy, Type-A personality that Liv has completely abandoned. Despite her post-traumatic ennui, Liv has devised a clever way to resist her baser urges to devour fresh human brains – she’s taken a job in the Seattle coroner’s office. In this appropriately dead-end job, Liv can secretly snack on the brains of the many Jane and John Doe corpses that make a final stop in the morgue. Despite carefully covering her tracks, Liv’s brilliant but eccentric boss, Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, discovers her secret and is surprisingly excited about the scientific possibilities. Dr. Ravi even helps Liv in her search for Blaine, the zombie responsible for her current undead status.

Even with her boss’ enthusiasm, Liv remains resigned to an eternity as a zombie without hope or purpose – until she realizes that with every brain she consumes, she retains a portion of that person’s memories. Liv suddenly begins to experience disturbing and often violent visions from the point of view of the murder victims. Much to the surprise of Dr. Ravi and homicide detective Clive Babineaux, Liv often has detailed knowledge of crime scenes and motives that she can’t easily explain. Posing as a psychic, she works with Detective Babineaux to investigate these crimes and discover who is responsible. It’s not the same as being alive again, but at least she can find purpose in her undead existence by helping Clive solve the murders of those who are indeed fully dead.

The series stars Rose McIver (“Masters of Sex,” “Once Upon a Time”) as Liv, Malcolm Goodwin (“Breakout Kings”) as Clive Babineaux, newcomer Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, Robert Buckley (“One Tree Hill”) as Major Lilywhite and David Anders (“Once Upon a Time,” “The Vampire Diaries”) as Blaine DeBeers. Based upon characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, and published by DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, iZOMBIE is from Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Spondoolie Productions and Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Rob Thomas (“Veronica Mars,” “Party Down,” “Cupid”), Diane Ruggiero-Wright (“Veronica Mars,” “The Ex List,” “That’s Life”), Danielle Stokdyk (“Veronica Mars,” “Party Down,” “Cupid”) and Dan Etheridge (“The Carrie Diaries,” “Veronica Mars,” “Party Down”).

iZombie will premiere on The CW on Tuesday, March 17th at 9 p.m. EST.

Your 2015 Geek Movie and TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for Like Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2015.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

4 - The Simpsons, Downtown Abbey (TV)
5 - Gotham (TV)
6 - Agent Carter (TV)
7 - American Horror Story: Freak Show (TV)
8 - Archer (TV)
16 - Constantine, 12 Monkeys (TV)
17 - The Musketeers (TV)
19 - The Venture Bros. (TV)
20 - The Flash (TV)
21 - Arrow (TV)
28 - The Americans (TV)

FEBRUARY

February 2015 -- Hannibal, iZombie (TV)
6 - Jupiter Ascending (Movie)
8 - Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead (TV)
13 - Kingsman: The Secret Service (Movie)
27 - House of Cards (TV)

MARCH

March 2015 -- Mad Men (TV)
3 - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
4 - Broadchurch (TV)
6 - Chappie (Movie)
20 - Insurgent (Movie)

APRIL

April 2015 - Game of Thrones (TV)
18 - Orphan Black (TV)

MAY

May 2015 - Daredevil, Penny Dreadful (TV)
1 - Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
15 - Mad Max: Fury Road (Movie)
22 - Tomorrowland (Movie)

JUNE

June 2015 - Defiance, Heroes: Reborn (TV)
12 - Jurassic World (Movie)
19 - Inside Out (Movie)

JULY

July 2015 -- The Strain (TV)
1 - Terminator Genisys (Movie)
10 - Minions (Movie)
17 - Ant-Man (Movie)

AUGUST

August 2015 -- Doctor Who (TV)
14 - The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Movie)
28 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Destiny (Movie, TV)

SEPTEMBER

September 2014 - Gotham, Once Upon a Time, The Simpsons, South Park (TV)

OCTOBER

October 2014 - American Horror Story, Arrow, Elementary, The Flash, Preacher, Supergirl, The Walking Dead (TV)

NOVEMBER

6 - Spectre (Movie)
20 - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (Movie)

DECEMBER

18 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Movie)
25 - Doctor Who 2015 Christmas Special, Sherlock 2015 Christmas Special (TV), Mission: Impossible 5 (Movie)

How DC Comics Could Benefit from Their New TV Shows

As some of you recall, all four television pilots based on DC Comics/VERTIGO properties were picked up last month by their respective networks.  Later this fall and in early 2015, comics fans will get to enjoy Gotham, The Flash, Constantine and iZombie in live-action, but will DC Comics be able to take advantage of this increased exposure for their characters?

Diamond's sales list of the top 400 comics  for May 2014, taken from ICv2, shows that DC could certainly benefit from more readers who become interested after watching one or more of these series.  So with that in mind, here are some suggestions on how DC might solve some of their sales problems beyond letting Geoff Johns and Scott Snyder write everything...

Gotham

The Problem -- Batman titles generally sell very well for DC, particularly Batman and the Batman Eternal weekly series at the moment, but a number of titles including Batgirl, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Catwoman and Batwoman aren't.  Catwoman would certainly benefit the most from Gotham, but Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya and the rest of the Gotham City Police Department don't exactly have a series to showcase them as lead characters.

The Solution -- Catwoman could be relaunched as a series set in Selina Kyle's earliest days as a thief in Gotham City, a "Catwoman: Year One" series that delves deeper into her character and criminal escapades more than 42 minutes a week on Fox will allow.  As for Gordon and the GCPD, the most obvious solution is to bring back Gotham Central, the critically acclaimed police procedural series that ran for 40 issues from 2003-06.  It would be fantastic if DC could persuade Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and/or Michael Lark to return, but there should a number of top-notch creators who would love to work on such a title.

The Flash

The Problem -- According to Diamond's list, The Flash #31 came in at #62 with sales of 34,240 copies, and this is with the new creative team of Robert Venditti, Van Jensen and Brett Booth along with increased awareness due to the controversy of changing Wally West from a redheaded caucasian to a bi-racial character.  There's also the issue of Barry Allen's current relationship with Patty Spivot, his lab partner at the Central City Police Department, who isn't featured (at least, not yet) on the new TV series.

The Solution -- Presuming DC doesn't want to pull the trigger and bring in another new creative team, there should be more of an effort to incorporate elements from the TV series into The Flash comic series.  S.T.A.R. Labs could feature more in storylines and so could a more traditional Reverse-Flash that isn't Iris West's brother Daniel.  As for Patty, the simplest way to address things would be to break her and Barry up as a couple before exploring a potential Barry and Iris hookup.  It would be really bad for Barry's look if he flirts with Iris while still involved with Patty.

Constantine

The Problem -- Constantine #14 charts at #138 on Diamond's list with just 17,422 copies and would probably be marked for cancellation by now if there wasn't a new television series.  The decision to relaunch the VERTIGO mature readers series Hellblazer as a sanitized New 52 series set in the DC Universe appears to have been a creative bust, although sales are still higher than Hellblazer's later years as a VERTIGO title.

The Solution -- The most sensible thing to do would probably be to bring back Hellblazer as a VERTIGO series, but perhaps with the title Constantine instead.  The Constantine television series promotes itself as "based on the series Hellblazer," not the current New 52 Constantine, so why keep the series that most fans don't seem to want, anyway?  There really should be a way to tell the mature readers stories that longtime fans prefer while still allowing Constantine to appear in the New 52 DC Universe.  Perhaps just having Constantine appear regularly in Justice League Dark while publishing a Constantine VERTIGO series is the answer?

iZombie

The Problem -- There isn't an iZombie ongoing comic book series.  Not since the VERTIGO comic that ran for 28 issues from 2010-12, anyway.

The Solution -- In the immortal words of one Buffy Anne Summers, add it up, it all spells DUH.  A new iZombie VERTIGO series is certainly needed after the show begins airing.  Bringing back the original creative team of Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, however, seems doubtful considering Allred is currently the regular artist on Marvel's Silver Surfer and Roberson had a rather public exit from DC Comics.  Still, it would be quite a notable event in the comics industry if it actually happened...

Gotham, The Flash and Constantine will begin airing this fall on Fox, The CW and NBC respectively.  iZombie will be a midseason replacement on The CW beginning in early 2015.

POWERS TV Series Gets Extra Life on Sony PlayStation

Looks like that long-awaited Powers TV series is about to 1-up.

The Hollywood Reporter has word that Powers, based on the Image/Marvel Icon comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, has received a straight to series order from Sony Pictures Television for the PlayStation video game console.

Debuting in 2000, Powers is a police procedural series set in a world of superpowered heroes and villains, following the lives of detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim.  The two investigate crimes involving those with superhuman abilities, referred to in the fictional word as "powers."  The comic book series had three volumes totaling 78 issues before being recently relaunched as Powers: Bureau.

The television series has been in active development since 2011, first at FX, where a pilot was filmed based on a script by Charles H. Eglee.  The cast consisted of the following:

Jason Patric as Christian Walker
Lucy Punch as Deena Pilgrim
Charles S. Dutton as Captain Cross
Carly Foulkes as Retro Girl
Bailee Madison as Calista
Alona Tal as Zora
Titus Welliver as Triphammer
Vinnie Jones as Johnny Royale
Khary Payton as Detective Kutter

More scripts were ordered, but the network wanted to reshoot and recast after seeing the pilot.  By April of 2012, all of the actors had been released from their contracts while writing continued.  In 2013, it was revealed that the show had taken a new direction with a new writer.

According to the article, Sony will recast the entire project with writer Charlie Huston replacing Eglee.  Circle of Confusion will return to executive produce alongside co-creators Bendis and Oeming.  Michael Dinner will remain as an executive producer and director.  Huston and Falling Skies' Remi Aubuchon will executive produce, with Bendis and Huston set as showrunners

The series will be a one-hour superhero drama consisting of ten episodes and is PlayStation's first original scripted drama series.  The digital streaming field is rapidly growing, with Netflix, Hulu and Amazon now producing original series and Microsoft's Xbox developing the video game Halo as its first drama.