SNL Scraps: A Summer 'Update'

Starting this Thursday, Saturday Night Live will debut a limited edition summer run of Weekend Update, dubbed Weekend Update: Summer Edition. Similar to the Weekend Update Thursday specials that aired during the 2012 election, they will serve as bonus editions of the segment. This has been spurred on from the most recent season's above-average ratings and positive reviews.

Other cast members will most likely appear in guest segments, but it is currently unknown if the episodes will have cold openings. However, the episodes will still be live. To promote this special event, SNL's YouTube channel posted a promotional clip featuring jokes from the past season, along with handpicked Update segments from past decades.

Do you feel like watching classic bits from some of the first few seasons? Check out a surprisingly young Chevy Chase, along with the late Gilda Radner appearing as one of her most famous recurring characters, Ms. Emily Litella.

Alternately, a famous bit that has often been referenced in popular culture, Point/Counterpoint. A simple debate immediately turns ugly, perhaps providing the inspiration for almost anything from Fox News.

Finally, you could take a look at comedy legend Eddy Murphy in his television days or enjoy the comedy stylings of current senator Al Franken. I'm a fan of this, because it shows the different incarnations of SNL throughout history.

Weekend Update: Summer Edition airs live on Thursdays starting on August 10th, 2017. You can find it on NBC.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #18 Review: Weaponizing The Fourth Wall

Issue eighteen takes a small break from Gwen's story to show Teddy's journey through the Marvel universe, beginning during the first Gwenpool-centered Christmas special. It's a fascinating look at what someone would do if they had no knowledge of the Marvel world, but accidentally got roped in. It's a similar conceit to the main premise of The Unbelievable Gwenpool itself, but with potentially even worse consequences. I'm not sure what Teddy is more upset about, not being recognized by the comic counterparts of his family and friends or seeing Gwen murder a group of criminals.

I also love the official debut of Gwen's new superpowers. She's able to effortlessly pluck objects from within panels, jump from location to location, and view 'scenes' from the comics that don't involve her. Just in one issue, we get a truly intense use of fourth-wall breaking as a power, time travel shenanigans, and a cameo from Benjamin Grimm.

I miss the Fantastic Four.

As we get further and further into "Beyond The Fourth Wall", I'm getting increasingly excited to see just how creative Christopher Hastings and Gurihiru will get. I don't know how this arc will end, but I'm sure it'll be great, especially because we'll see a fully superpowered Gwen vs Doctor Doom once Marvel Legacy arrives. Part of me hopes it's just twenty-two pages of Duck Amuck-style jokes.

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #18 is written by Christopher Hastings, drawn by Gurihiru, and lettered by VC's Clayton Cowles. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

The Flintstones #12: A Worthy Conclusion

With this issue, Mark Russell and Steve Pugh's landmark run on The Flintstones comes to a close. Over the past installment, they have routinely shown that it is indeed possible to turn a cheesy, pun-filled animated sitcom into a comic with a surprising amount of depth. Many articles have been written on the transformation, and I really have nothing more to say that hasn't already been said. On a personal note, I know what to say in regards to my own feelings.

Back when I first started reviewing The Flintstones, I felt skeptical. If you go back and read my review of the issue, you can see that I had misgivings about the premiere, finding it unnecessarily dark. Some of the other cosmetic changes also didn't gel with my notions of what a Flintstones series should be, such as the war plot and "yabba dabba doo" being changed into an anger management mantra.

After I promoted the review on Twitter, Steve Pugh actually responded, reassuring me of the world-building process. Over one year later, I can definitively say that he was absolutely right. The series manages to combine darker elements with ridiculous satire in a marvelous fashion.

This issue serves as a capstone to the series, embracing everything that we've come to love about the comic and tying up some of the loose ends in the story. From Gerald to the anthropomorphic animal appliances, the subplots are wrapped up in an efficient manner. I do wish that Mark Russell had more issues to flesh out some of the other concepts, Bam-Bam's origin definitely among them, but twelve issues and a crossover special is nothing to sneeze at.

It has been a pleasure to read and review this comic and I hope that Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Chris Chuckry, and Dave Sharpe can continue to produce quality work for years to come. Who knows, maybe the upcoming Snagglepuss comic will bring about a reunion.

The Flintstones #12 is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Steve Pugh, colored by Chris Chuckry, and lettered by Dave Sharpe. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

SNL Scraps: All Twenty-Two Emmy Nominations, For Your Reading Pleasure

There's still a couple of months until Saturday Night Live returns to the airwaves, but we have some new bits of information to tide us over. Firstly, despite the final episode of season forty-two implying that Alec Baldwin wouldn't be sticking around to play Trump, Alec himself revealed that he would be reprising his role in the upcoming season. It makes sense, as the show runs on current events, and they need to get someone to play the role. However, I have a feeling that Alec Baldwin won't be playing the role as often, based on previous statements declaring that he was getting tired of the role.

In more recent news, the nominations for the 2017 Emmy Awards have arrived, and some accolades have been given to NBC's prized sketch comedy show. For the award of "Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series", Alec Baldwin has been nominated for his portrayal of Donald Trump. I find it funny that he's nominated in that category, seeing as he's not actually a cast member in the show. Still, he's certainly made enough guest appearances in the season to count. Meanwhile, Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer, and Leslie Jones are all candidates for the "Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series" award.

Kate McKinnon has been playing almost every politician on the show recently, including a remarkable Kellyanne Conway impersonation, while Leslie's Weekend Update performances and prerecorded sketches have been increasingly well-received. Vanessa Bayer is no longer a member of the show, having left after the most recent season finale, but it would be a great way to cap off her last episode by winning an Emmy.

Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Tom Hanks, Dave Chappelle, and Lin Manuel-Miranda have also been nominated for the respective categories of "Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series" and "Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy." I definitely approve of this, seeing as those episodes were some of the best of the season. By the power of 'Sean Spicer' and David S. Pumpkins, let any of them win! The show itself has also been nominated for the category of "Outstanding Variety Sketch Series."

Emily Blunt's episode of the show has been nominated for the "Outstanding Costumes For Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Programming " Award. The designers up for it are Tom Broecker and Eric Justian. Don Roy King has been nominated for "Outstanding Directing For A Variety Series " for Jimmy Fallon's episode of the show. That same episode has been nominated in the category of Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Series. For "Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming", SNL's skit about Kellyanne Conway has been nominated. I don't know specifically which one, but I would suspect that it's the Fatal Attraction parody.

Next, the Dwayne Johnson-hosted season finale has been nominated for the "Outstanding Hairstyling For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special" award. The specific crew members are Jodi Mancuso, Jennifer Serio, Inga Thrasher, Joe Whitmeyer, Cara Hannah Sullivan, and Christen Edwards. For a non-sketch award, the official app has been nominated in the category of Outstanding Interactive Program.

Additionally, the Alec Baldwin episode has been nominated for Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) and the category of Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special, in a Schrodinger's Cat situation. In a rather unexpected move, Chance the Rapper actually got nominated for "Jingle Barack", a song that he wrote with Kenan Thompson and Will Stephen last year. His category is the "Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics Award." It appeared in the Casey Affleck-hosted episode.

Next, I've been mentioning the Creating Saturday Night Live shorts on the official YouTube channel. It turns out that the web series has been nominated for the Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction Or Reality Series award. For Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Comedy Series Or Variety Program, Brian Smyj has been nominated.

Finally, the show has been nominated for the Jimmy Fallon episode in terms of "Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Series" and all of the writers as a whole have been nominated for "Outstanding Writing For A Variety Series." Best wishes to them all!

Wow, that was a long list. SNL has tied Westworld with twenty-two nominations, bringing the official total for the long-running sketch show to 231 nominations over approximately forty-two years.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Josie And The Pussycats #8 Review: Guest-Starring The Archies!

The newest issue of Josie And The Pussycats shows just how the creative team has gloriously reinvented the characters. The original series had a very similar style to the main Archie comics, to put it charitably. Even before the band was integrated in 1969, the series generally featured the same 'wacky teens' stories, right down to the love triangle. Even when the band officially began, it also stuck with the love triangle and slowly phased out some of the weirder aspects. For example, Alexandra had magical powers.

If you don't count the temporary manga-influenced run in the back of Archie & Friends, then the "New Riverdale" imprint acts as the first drastically different interpretation of the characters. The foundation still exists, but the creative team puts a new spin on the characters and plots. Cameron and Marguerite have taken various aspects of the franchise from the original comics, the 2001 film, and even the various animated series and distilled them into a series that feels both familiar and brand new. It's the DC Rebirth of the "New Riverdale" universe in that way.

Just like the series itself, the title characters also have a more mature feel to them. They're no longer in the same vague high school age as the Archie crew, instead being somewhere in or post-college. I like seeing the Pussycats act as mentors to them. It allows the reader to see how they mesh as characters, both in terms of similarities and differences.

In fact, my only real issue with the comic would be the revelation that it's the penultimate installment of the comic. To be fair, I knew that it hadn't been seen in the solicitations, but the Archie Comics, Inc. series have gone on hiatus before. Maybe I should have been clued in based on the solicitation's mention of a finale, but the wording was just ambiguous enough to make me believe that it was an ending for the current arc.

Josie And The Pussycats #8 is written by Cameron DeOrdio and Marguerite Bennett, drawn by Audrey Mok and Kelsey Shannon, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick and Matt Herms, and lettered by Jack Morelli. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Martian Manhunter/Marvin The Martian Review: Isn't That Lovely?

In the realm of Looney Tune antagonists, Marvin the Martian is something of an odd duck. While all of the other foes that Bugs Bunny has faced are fairly harmless, he's one of the only ones that can actually be considered a credible threat. Let's be honest, Elmer Fudd is a perpetually-clueless dope, and he's not even good at that. At times, you almost feel sorry for him. Yosemite Sam has more weapons and confidence, but he's easily tricked and almost all bluster.

Marvin, on the other hand, can actually pose a very real danger to Bugs. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he projects an aura of menace, but there's a reason that so many entries into the franchise have positioned him as the villain. For the most part, he wants to commit genocide by destroying Earth for his own petty reasons, the most common of which is that it "obstructs his view of the planet Venus."  He utterly enjoys hunting smaller creatures and mocks Earthlings for being primitive. He also has a soft-spoken and gentle nature, making the true nature of what he aims to do even more disturbing, as much as that word can be applied to a slapstick cartoon.

With all of this in mind, it comes as no surprise that Steve Orlando and Frank J. Barbiere manage to turn what could be a ridiculously mismatched story into a touching cosmic tale. The heart of the crossover comes from Marvin and J'onn's shared Martian heritage. Despite having completely different views of society and coming from separate dimensions, they still share a bond, as slight as it may be. J'onn even pronounces Marvin's name in the distinct Martian dialect, trying to connect with him.

I'm also glad that Aaron Lopresti kept Marvin's ant-like structure in the art. It enhances the contrast between Marvin's puny gladiator design and the Martian Manhunter's distinctly more humanoid look. If we ever get a DC Rebirth series starring J'onn, then I hope Steve and Aaron are retained as the official creative team. The story has an effective grasp on keeping the standard Looney Tunes comedy, while also portraying the humanity seen in J'onn's worldview. Even though the chaos caused by Marvin's actions cause the populace to mistrust him, he still puts his hope in the essential goodness of human nature.

All the while, Marvin just has this smarmy tone of voice, and it fits with his character. In a way, he also does care about the Martian race, but he'll gladly prioritize them over others. One other thing that I really appreciate in the story is the inclusion of Area 52, where Marvin finds weapons to use against Earth. I'm fairly certain that it acts as a reference to the theatrical film Looney Tunes: Back In Action, where Marvin actually shows up in that government facility, later playing a key role in a spectacular joint Duck Dodgers/Star Wars homage.

The short backup story features the standard Looney Tunes incarnation of the character and a stylized version of J'onn. It's a cute story and packs a lot of jokes into a small amount of pages. In a way, it's very similar to the main feature, but features more references to the cartoons, such as Marvin's assistant K-9 and Duck Dodgers cameos by way of shape-shifting. Plus, cookies!

"Best Intentions" is written by Steve Orlando and Frank J. Frank J. Barbiere, drawn by Aaron Lopresti, inked by Jerome Moore, colored by Hi-Fi, and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual. "The (Next To The) Last Martian" is written by Jim Fanning, drawn by John Loter, and lettered by Saida Temofonte. Martian Manhunter/Marvin The Martian is available at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Josie And The Pussycats #7 Review: Arbitrary Honorifics Vs Charity

Josie And The Pussycats #7 focuses on the price of fame. Is it better to go to a fancy event and perform for a crowd of celebrities or attend a charity benefit and promote a good cause? Also, is it possible for Melody to transform into more superheroes? So far, I've compared her to Deadpool and she's blatantly referenced Sailor Moon. Considering that this issue has her using drumsticks as a facsimile of Wolverine's claws, I'd say it's definitely possible.

But, the issue is still relevant. Josie, Valerie, and Melody have to make a choice. Sure, the award ceremony is important, but it's also an event made almost exclusively for patting yourself on the back. Conversely, going to a charity benefit shows that fame hasn't made you too good to help other people, and you get to put on a show. Trophies or seeing the smiles on the faces of disadvantaged children, the eternal conflict.

I recently starting listening to an audiobook of Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel As According To Christ's Childhood Pal, Biff. I hope that doesn't start affecting me.

The art is especially good in this issue. There's a particular scene where the group is performing on stage alongside a background video image. The shading is absolutely beautiful. Kelly Fitzpatrick and Audrey Mok did an excellent job of contrasting the screen with the physical characters. The screen itself is colored in a grainy style where you can see almost every individual dot of color. It's very impressive and I hope that future issues incorporate that style.

Along with the aforementioned moral dilemma, the story also features more crime-busting, this time involving a group of crooked backup dancers dressed as robots. It is precisely as funny and pun-filled as you can imagine. It's always great when a comic can teach you valuable lessons about helping out for charity, but also include scenes where musical instruments are used as weapons of war.

Josie And The Pussycats #7 is written by Cameron DeOrdio and Marguerite Bennett, drawn by Audrey Mok, colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick,  and lettered by Jack Morelli. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Comics 100-Page Super Spectacular Review: DC Reprints 'Superman & Bugs Bunny' For A New Generation

Back in the Silver Age, DC Comics had a title called DC Comics 100-Page Super Spectacular that featured reprints of select comics, typically those related to special events that were going on. The issues had a diverse array of handpicked titles, ranging from the contemporary adventures in Young Love to the more standard Superman and Flash tales, with a splash of Batman thrown in for flavor. The nineteenth edition even had a selection of Tarzan newspaper strips. This week, the colorful characters in the Looney Tunes join in as DC reprints Superman & Bugs Bunny to promote the upcoming crossover specials.

To start off, I have read this miniseries before, many times. It holds particular nostalgic value for me because I first discovered it at my very first trip to a local comic shop. In my return visits to Argo's Books, I discovered the joy of reading comics and vintage books. The visits were brief, but I happen to go to a college that is a short walk away from the store. Getting the opportunity to officially review the special is a joy, and I'm delighted to share my thoughts with you.

The story starts off with a fitting pair of villains, Mr. Mxyzptlk and Yoyo the Dodo. In case you haven't heard of Yoyo, there's no need to fear. The Dodo himself describes his backstory, even including a recreated scene from his debut cartoon, Porky In Wackyland. Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Dodo soon bond over their shared love of the art of annoying people and conspire to help each other out. You see, DC's premiere imp (Sorry, Bat-Mite) is tired of superheroes and wants to go to a world where he doesn't have to deal with them, especially Superman. As for the Dodo, he wants to annoy people again. Society has gotten too weird for him in the Looneyverse. The Dodo agrees to send Mr. Mxyz to the world of the Looney Tunes.

You fool, don't look a gift rooster in the mouth! Wait...

The sequence that follows is utterly brilliant. Along with showing Mister M tangling with some of the weirdest characters that the universe has to offer, it's also something of a character study into how his mind works. For once, he's on the receiving end of some slapstick, and has a bit of a temper tantrum, unable to handle it. For all his talk of loving to annoy Superman and cause a bit of mischief, he can't even handle a pie to the face or an anvil to the head. At one point, he even says that this must be how Superman feels when he travels out of the fourth dimension. He's so petty that he can't even handle someone turning the tables on him.

This dovetails into the actual crossover, when Mr. Mxyzptlk decides to transport the Looney Tunes into the DC world, causing mass hysteria and talking cats and talking dogs living together. Or, more accurately, hurling cartoon sticks of TNT at each other. Once again, Mark Evanier, the author, takes this opportunity to create the best character combinations that are possible, used to maximum pun-filled effect. Take, for instance, Batman hunting Cobblepot and coming across a certain Playboy Penguin or the Flash having two separate encounters with Speedy Gonzalez and Road Runner.

It only gets weirder as Mxyzptlk and Yoyo start betraying each other, swapping characters into even more dimensions and combining various characteristics. This part does get slightly confusing if you don't know that Kyle Rayner was the Green Lantern or that Connor Hawke briefly took the mantle of Green Arrow at the time of the book's publishing. I wasn't confused when I first read it, but, then again, I had no idea that multiple people inherited the same title. On a similar note, some of the pop cultures make it clear that the comic is a product of the very early 2000s, but it doesn't hurt the book too badly.

Words can't describe how much I wish that we could have actually seen that happen.

Also, the running joke of Connor Hawke attempting to show people Michigan J. Frog's singing ability does wear slightly thin. It's still funny, but it does get a bit tiresome. It doesn't really adhere to comedy's rule of threes, instead sticking to the unknown 'rule of sixes.' Interestingly, now that I'm older, I actually recognized an alcohol joke in one of the sequences. Green Arrow first accuses and then gets accused of being drunk by a random person on the street. Still, seeing Batman gain the personality of Daffy Duck definitely makes up for it.

"They're called m-m-m-male rompers or something, I dunno!"

The best part of the story, by far, comes in when the Looney Tunes characters and the DC superheroes actually team up to stop the Toyman and get everything back to normal. The sheer absurdity of seeing the Looney Tunes fight crime alongside iconic heroes is something so wonderfully, dare I say it, loony and amazing. I definitely recommend reading the special or the miniseries, if you can get your hands on it. It's a joy to read and behold.

DC Comics 100-Page Super Spectacular (otherwise known as Superman & Bugs Bunny) is written by Mark Evanier, layed out by Joe Staton, finished by Tom Palmer and Mark DeCarlo, lettered by Phil Felix, and colored by Trish Mulvihill. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Archie #21 Review: Shaking Up The Status Quo

Warning: This review contains massive spoilers.

Archie #21 contains the second part of the highly-anticipated "Over The Edge" storyline. Despite having more of a comedic tone than the first installment, it might just be the most devastating chapter yet. When the last issue left off, Betty, Reggie, and Archie's respective cars experienced an accident and plunged over the side of the highway, leaving their fates in question. This issue reveals that Betty Cooper is fighting for life in the hospital.

I appreciate Mark Waid's reasoning for why he chose Betty to be the one in trouble. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, he explained that Betty has touched the lives of so many people in Riverdale in such a positive way. Seeing something happen to such a beloved figure would definitely strike a chord. I have to agree. Reggie does have occasional moments of goodness, but he's still not going to have a crowd of people coming to the hospital and rushing to his aid.

As for Archie, even though he's the main character, a lot of people in town have their issues with him, so it wouldn't make sense for him to be the one clinging to life. There's also the fact that he primarily narrates the series, so it wouldn't make sense from a writing standpoint. Although, as this issue demonstrates, you don't necessarily need a narrator for this particular story.

Jughead, the consummate professional.

Most of the issue does focus on how much Betty means to the town in a roundabout way, as the revelation that she is the injured one isn't actually revealed until the end of the issue. The bulk of it has several short stories about the residents of Riverdale going about their daily lives until they receive a phone call about the incident and immediately leave. For his part, Jughead is trying to pay off his tab by working at Pop Tate's, and celebrating with a burger after his disastrous shift. It actually shows him leaving the half-eaten burger at the table as he rushes off to the hospital. For a foodie like Jughead, that's major.

Other characters have similar moments of that magnitude. Dilton and Moose are working on a scientific experiment, but they immediately rush off to the hospital after getting the phone call. Ironically, that particular gadget was meant to help Betty. Also, we all know that Mr. Weatherbee is committed to discipline, but he stops in the middle of chewing out Raj and Sheila after getting the call. On a side, note, I'm happy to see more of Raj's movie-making exploits.

It's an effective way to keep the initial mystery going and portray the normal exploits in Riverdale. The story is set to shake up the town's status quo, and it's already demonstrated here. Finally, on a lighter note, I like that the character-focused chapters have the classic pun-based titles. Just like the eleventh issue of the title, it's a fun way to call back to the original universe.

Archie #21 is written by Mark Waid, drawn by Pete Woods, and lettered by Jack Morelli. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #17 Review: A Spectacular Second Chapter

It's official, The Unbelievable Gwenpool has transcended genres and turned into a cosmic horror story. Oh, it started innocently enough. We all laughed at the wacky adventures of someone from the real world wreaking havoc in a fictional universe. In the beginning, we were entertained by some lighthearted crossovers and stories rife with in-jokes. The art felt playful and the comic was a gentle escape from life's woes. Not anymore.

I wish I could just set aside a chunk of time and have a roundtable discussion with Christopher Hastings, Gurihiru, Clayton Cowles, Heather Antos, and everyone else involved of the production of this arc. Even just being a fly on the wall during the initial discussions would suffice, as it would allow me a glimpse into just how this arc was conceived. It's honestly one of the most innovative Marvel arcs that I've read in a long time, possibly with the exception of Jeff Lemire's Moon Knight. Even so, it never reached the levels of metatextual plots brought into play here.

Gurihiru's art enhances the story, adding whole new dimensions of meaning to the issue. At the issue goes on, you'll see what I mean, especially in regards to the Marvel multiverse. The art and lettering styles could be taught in comic classes as a lesson on how to properly write a comic. Back when I was lucky enough to interview Christopher Hastings, he described this arc as 'bananas' and I have to agree. It's fantastic on a number of levels. I'm not going to describe any plot details, you have to read it for yourself. It's worth an immediate read.

The Unbelievable Gwenpool #17 is written by Christopher Hastings, drawn by Gurihiru, lettered by and VC's Clayton Cowles. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

2016-2017 Cancellations, Renewals, And Pick-Ups: Critical Writ's TV Round-Up

Once again, the time has come to dissect the good, the bad, and the ugly of this year's upcoming television news. First, I'm happy to report that the standard networks weren't as cancellation-happy as last year. It especially irked me because a lot of genuinely promising material wasn't necessarily given a full chance. The critically-acclaimed The Office, Parks And Recreation, and 30 Rock didn't necessarily have the best ratings going into the initial season, but with a bit of leeway, they soon became some of NBC's most popular comedy programs.

A lot of quality programs have been axed in the past purely due to ratings, even if the critics adored them. Thankfully, we don't have any Muppet documentaries, awesome shows about a family of lawyers with enough meta content to rival Community, or unconventional follow-ups to sci-fi films to break our hearts by getting cancelled this year. Let's get to the round-up. As a disclaimer, this does by no means cover all of the news, just whatever I find interesting.

Cancellations:

Hell yeah! We're done!

Making History and Son Of Zorn (FOX): Yeah, this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. According to many reports, Fox had three shows produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and with ratings lagging for the trio, something had to go. I'll admit, I'm not as saddened by the departure of Son Of Zorn. It never really went past being just okay for my taste, but Making History was great. It had a semi-serialized plot and social commentary.

The Great Indoors (CBS): Starring snark-master Joel McHale, it's a show about a rugged outdoorsman who is pulled back into the office. How can he work with a group of millenials on an outdoors living magazine?! This calls for some irritating, laugh track-infused shenanigans! At the best of times, The Great Indoors simply felt like your average mediocre sitcom. At the worst, an offensive portrayal of the differences between generations. If you want to see a show that has a similar focus, but with a mostly positive manner, try Superior Donuts. It's on the same network and it got renewed earlier in the year.

Renewals*:

The Last Man On Earth (FOX): Thank goodness! As always, the most recent season ended on a massive cliffhanger, so ending the drama-comedy now would be irritating. TLMOE, starring Will Forte, Kristen Schaal, January Jones, Mel Rodriguez, Cleopatra Coleman, and Mary Steenburgen focuses on a group of survivors after a virus seemingly kills off most of the world's population. Obviously, the title no longer reflects the cast, but it's still a darkly humorous insight into just how to survive and tolerate annoying people. If you don't count Gotham, then it's the closest thing Fox has to a high-concept comedy, and even then, Lucifer definitely beats it in that category.

Gotham (FOX): I'll admit, the show is getting more entertaining. I'm still bored whenever the show focuses on Bruce Wayne or Jim Gordon, but the villains are getting even more entertaining. Riddler finally has his alter-ego up and running, Poison Ivy has been entertaining (Editor's Note: albeit incredibly problematic), and it has one of my favorite live-action portrayals of Mr. Freeze. Really, as long as the bulk of the plot continues to focus on the villains teaming up, I'll be fine. Just, please, ditch the Court Of Owls. They don't even have the proper masks.

Great News (NBC): I'll avoid the obvious joke. From Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfield, the show is set to return for a thirteen-episode second season. In regards to my earlier rant about networks giving shows a chance, I find that this is a positive example.

The Goldbergs (ABC): Eighties nostalgia is alive and well! Say, I wonder if the upcoming Ready Player One film will cast anyone from the show as an in-joke. I haven't seen a lot of the show, but I like reading about it, especially because it's currently the most prominent example of a Jewish family on tv.

Agents Of SHIELD (ABC): I'm excited to see what the next season brings, especially if they continue with the specialized story arcs. Having three serialized villains over the course of a season really helps get us attached to the villains and really see them as a threat. AIDA is one of the best characters on the show, in that regard.

Timeless (NBC): Alas, the glut of time-travel focused programming didn't help out the noble crew in this program. They traveled throughout time to stop a mysterious organization from changing history for the worse. Sadly, I guess the Agents Of SHIELD-esque cliffhanger, wherein the finale ended with the team somehow working for the bad guys, will never be solved. (Update: Literally the very next day, it was renewed for a second season. Neat! Unexpected, but neat!)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl (FOX): About halfway through the season, I began to suspect that season six of New Girl might be the last wacky offering from the show. It seemed like the plot threads were quickly being wrapped up, especially with an increased amount of references to past episodes. Fox did officially announce that the show would be renewed, albeit for a shortened finale season, a la Parks And Recreation. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nine-Nine will return, which is good, because it ended on a massive cliffhanger.

*Early renewals include Superstore and Lucifer.

Pick-Ups:

Unnamed Deadpool series (FX): Coming as a complete surprise to anyone not in the television industry or actively working on it, FX announced that a Deadpool cartoon would be coming to the airwaves next year. Community's Donald Glover will be working as the executive producer, showrunner, and one of the writers with his brother, Stephen Glover.

As of the time of this writing, ten episodes have been ordered. I don't know where the show stands in terms of rights to use MCU Marvel characters, but I hope that they make the most of whatever they can use. I do know that because the show will air on Fox's grittier network, the writers probably won't have trouble with adapting Deadpool's crass jokes on the air.

Unikitty (Cartoon Network): In even more unexpected news, The Lego Movie will be getting a television spinoff starring the eponymous Unikitty, with Tara Strong set to voice her instead of Alison Brie. I don't know how well a show about the ever-cheerful kingdom will hold up as a full-length show, but you can be sure that it'll be colorful.

Unnamed Black-ish spinoff: Zoey Johnson is set to be spun-off into her own show, but on Freeform, rather than ABC's main network. The show, if it does get picked up, will feature Yara Shahidi's character at college. Seeing as Black-ish is fantastic at covering social issues through a comedic lens, and just plain funny to boot, I see no reason why this potential spin-off wouldn't be just as good.

Krypton and Happy! (Syfy): Really? Okay, they're serious with this. Gotham might be laughably bad at the best of times, but at least it has a bit of a foundation to go on. You have your villains and a young Bruce Wayne training. (Disclaimer: It only has the villains. Yeah, I'm disappointed, too.) I get that they're going for a Game Of Thrones-type of vibe, but it's hard to believe that anyone could care about Superman's grandpa. Who are they going to use for villains? I could see Brainiac or even Darkseid, but that's a stretch. Hey, if the show ends with it being revealed to be Ambush Bug telling a bedtime story, then I might give it a chance.

As for Happy!, it's not an adaptation of Pharrell's song, but I predict it might be used in the marketing. It's an adaptation of one of Grant Morrison's weirder comics, and that's saying something. A foul-mouthed cop-turned-hitman survives a life-threatening injury and begins to see a talking blue horse, as voiced by Bobby Moynihan. Together, they fight crime. I promise you, none of that is a joke. I may have disliked the comic, but I'll gladly check out the pilot just to see how they pull this off.

Ghosted and LA To Vegas (Fox): First up, Ghosted stars comedy legends Adam Scott and Craig Robin as paranormal investigators, one cynical and one a believer. It will have a serialized element, but the show is primarily comedy-based. You might be thinking that this sounds like The X-Files, and you're right. It's set to air alongside the next revived season of the famed sci-fi drama. LA To Vegas has a fairly unique premise. Unlike your average cookie-cutter work-com, it takes place on an airline. How much do you want to bet that the pilot will be re-filmed to include a sprinkle of United Airlines jokes? It's being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, leading me to hope that it'll be promising.

Black Lightning (The CW): The CW's adding another superhero program to their venerable lineup, along with a healthy dose of diversity. The show will feature Black Lightning coming back into the superhero game after retiring to be with his family. Formerly picked up as a pilot by Fox, it moved over to the CW. I have a feeling that it'll air after Arrow, due to the similar tones. On a personal note, I hope that this will lead to the DC characters embargo finally being lifted, if only for a Batman And The Outsiders reference.

By The Book (CBS): Fun fact: My synagogue actually has the book that this show is based on. Titled The Year Of Living Biblically, it chronicles the story of a man who attempts to improve his relationship with religion by living his life according to every edict in the Bible for a year. It's a humorous and educational book, and I definitely recommend it. The show is produced by The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki. I'm not so sure how I feel about it being turned into a sitcom, potentially afflicted with a laugh track, but I do appreciate the increased representation for Judaism.

Deception (ABC): I've recently discovered that I'm something of a magic nerd. My nerdy interest was only increased when I heard about this new show from Greg Berlanti. Side note- Seriously, does he ever sleep? I don't know who has more shows in production, him or Ryan Murphy. It stars a disgraced magician who decides to use his powers of illusion for the FBI. I'll definitely watch it and I already hope for a Zatanna joke. Or a cameo, considering that the creator is helming the CW superhero gauntlet. (Now including Black Lightning!)


Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Jughead #15 Review: New Arc, New Writers!

This arc marks the beginning of the title's latest shift to an altered creative team. Derek Charm is still signed on as the artist, but instead of Ryan North helming the title, Archie's Mark Waid and Sonic The Hedgehog's Ian Flynn will take over scripting duties. Fortunately, they're still going to keep the same status quo, such as it is. For example, Sabrina will continue to be a recurring character, as you can see on the cover. Despite the inclusion of Josie and the Pussycats, this isn't a crossover with that title, but they still play a substantial role in the story.

I should mention something right off the bat. Even before the issue came out, the comic drew criticisms when the May solicitations were released. As the description reports, '"Sabrina the Teenage Witch tries to do something nice for Jughead, but it ends up creating a comedy of errors in which he’s the most desired bachelor in town.'" It drew concerns that the story might do something negative to Chip Zdarsky's initial portrayal of Jughead as being asexual, ranging from mild worries on Twitter to outright insulting the writers and going to far as to call them 'trash.'

I admit, I had a mild concern, but overreacting and jumping to insult the writers went too far. A staple of the "classic" Archie universe involved many teenage girls trying to get Jughead to go out with them, only for him to either be completely and utterly oblivious or simply weasel out of it and continue eating burgers. This is simply an adaptation of that particular plot point, just with a magical twist. Even when the solicitations for the next issue came out, it flat-out showed Jughead trying to dodge the amorous intentions of various characters.

"Pop, I need you to shield me with a wall of delicious burger meat! I MUST GET AN EDIBLE SHELTER!" 

And as it turns out, there was no reason to worry. All of it really does come about through a mistake of Sabrina's. She tried to make a magic spell to help Jughead get backstage passes to Josie's concert, but upping the intensity of the spell makes them fall in love with him. The power of music (comic book science!) makes things worse, as the infection spreads to most of the teenage women at the concert. It's all just an outside force causing the romantic events, not Jughead actively seeking it out.

It's a perfectly fine issue of the comic. Mark Waid and Ian Flynn do a great job of continuing to write for the characters, in part, I suspect, due to a series of successes with Archie. Really, the only difference is that with the style of the Jughead title, you're allowed to get goofier. This is the same comic that had Grubhead and increasingly surreal dream sequences about Jughead going on fantastic adventures.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have a driving race with Reggie. I'm sure absolutely nothing at all will go wrong." ...I'm sorry, in case it's still too soon to make that kind of morbid joke. 

Jughead #15 is written by Mark Waid and Ian Flynn, drawn by Derek Charm, lettered by Jack Morelli, and colored by Matt Herms. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

The Archies One-Shot Review: Get Grooving

I might not know a lot about bands or music styles, but I had a great feeling about the comic going into it. All of the other one-shots have been stellar, so why not this one? Also, the writers slated to script the story have had great successes with comics before. Alex Segura wrote the gloriously bizarre Archie Meets Kiss crossover, and Matthew Rosenberg wrote some brilliant Rocket Raccoon and Kingpin-focused limited series for Marvel Comics. I haven't been able to read his most recent offering (Secret Warriors), as of this writing, but I have high hopes. Say what you will about Archie Comics, Inc, but they know how to match the right creative team with the perfect project. It's what makes me anticipate the other one-shots, such as the rest of Art Baltazar's Little ____ specials and Katie Cook's Sabrina The Teenage Witch special.

The Archies feels like a natural extension of Mark Waid's work on the main title, and not just because Archie talks to the reader. The various character arcs flow smoothly, with everything carefully being laid out. You know precisely what the writers are trying to convey with every scene, as much due to the excellent artwork as the clear-cut story. Not only that, but it's really funny, almost like a classic teen comedy film from the eighties or nineties.

Some of my favorite jokes include Jughead somehow being able to sense when Archie's talking to the reader and a wonderful montage of auditions for The Archies. Adding to the cinematic effect, Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg weave the various towns in the Riverdale world together to create a shared universe. Jughead's cousin Bingo Wilkin makes his debut "New Riverdale" appearance in an early scene, and several classic locations are mentioned.

Wait a minute...Herman, aka Jughead's uncle, was mentioned in the seventh issue of the current Jughead title. In my review, a particular scene lead me to joke about Jughead being Deadpool. Forget Agents Of Shield, this is what's really connected!

The music references are also spot-on. Alex and Matthew truly are music fans, and you can definitely tell that in the issue. The characters constantly name-drop various real-life bands and talk about music efficiently. They truly put effort into making a great product. Fun side note: I actually knew of Morissey prior to reading the special, primarily due to The Chris Gethard Show. I think it's funny that I actually knew of a band, having a severe lack of knowledge about non-Weird Al singers. In any case, I highly recommend you spread the word about The Archies. With luck, it could lead to an ongoing series.

The Archies one-shot is written by Alex Segura and Matthew Rosenberg, drawn by Joe Eisma, lettered by Jack Morelli, and colored by Matt Herms. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

The Flintstones #11 Review: Beware The Neighborhood Association

As demonstrated by the issue's opening scene, there are some issues that humankind might not have been meant to meddle with. Whether due to arrogance or a misguided urge to help, attempting to improve on some areas of nature has the potential to negatively impact everyone involved. The opening panels depict a peaceful gathering of birds, enjoying their time in the trees. It's interrupted when Bam-Bam, Barney's adopted son, abruptly yanks the metaphorical rug out from under their feet and chops down the tree to create an ineffectual bird house.

Either that, or maybe he's just watched the movie Stone-oa one too many times. ...I never said my puns were good.

The vignette at the top of the issue is paralleled by the issue's main conflict. Two stories, one short and the other long, both about one species thinking that it knows what is best for another based on their superior intelligence and technology. Just as Bam-Bam destroys a bird's home to craft something out of the remains, the other aliens on the Great Gazoo's homeworld are debating the use of the Earth. Who better to judge them than the Neighborhood Association? So, do they just offer friendly advice if they see something that they deem unsuitable?

Darn it, stop responding to my jokes!

If you're a particularly litigious reader of DC Comics and someone who happens to be involved in a neighborhood association, don't worry. A more conventional version does appear in the issue, trying to possibly censor a gift from Barney to Fred just because they don't like it. To be fair, Fred doesn't exactly like having a gigantic statue of the two of them in his yard, but he doesn't want to hurt his pal's feelings. As always, the comic brings up some fascinating ethical and moral issues. I would recommend it. This might not necessarily be the best starting point, as the next issue is the last one, but the first collection recently came out. Why not also give that a try?

The Flintstones #11 is written by Mark Russell, drawn by Steve Pugh, colored by Chris Chuckry and lettered by Dave Sharpe. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

U.S.Avengers #6 Review: Don't Go Hailing Hydra (Or Trusting Steve)

U.S.Avengers #6 functions as a Secret Empire tie-in primarily by showing what the main cast members were doing during the initial takeover in Secret Empire #0. Thankfully, it avoids the standard pitfalls of an event tie-in comic by managing to further the development of the regular characters while also keeping the events of the main title straight. It's all too easy to get so tied up in recapping the current event that the main plot either gets put on hold or simply becomes stagnant. Alternately, the event will make no significant change to the story, making one wonder what the point of the tie-in was in the first place.

The comic definitely doesn't have to worry about that, as at least three new plot points are either furthered or created. Firstly, a certain character who I don't want to ruin may or may not be dead. The cover for this issue may or may not be an exaggeration, and it may or may not be that particular character. I doubt that the person is truly dead, but we'll find out in the upcoming issues. I'm not as interested in that particular development, because I still don't know a lot about the character. The death didn't have as much meaning to me, because of that.

However, the other two developments did fascinate me. Back in the last issue, a Hydra mole told the Red Hulk that he was working on a way to allow him to hulk out whenever he wanted, instead of just for one hour. Now, his true allegiance has been revealed, as it turns out that the specialized nanobots just allow the general's body to be controlled by an outside force.

Next, the rift between Toni and Enigma continues to grow, this time over a moral conflict. Enigma is concerned that Toni's increasing reliance on weaponry is a betrayal of her core belief system, while Toni maintains that she's not using them against any sentient beings. It's entirely possible that an invader could co-opt the devices, as shown with the nanobots, at least in my eyes.

I do hope that the rest of the tie-in issues have more substance to them, as not too much else happens. It's mostly a stepping-stone to see the new status quo under Hydra, but it's a steady one. Here's hoping that the rest will be just as good!

U.S.Avengers #6 is written by Al Ewing, drawn by Paco Medina, inked by Juan Vlasco, colored by Jesus Aburtov, and lettered by VC's Joe Caramagna. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Archie #20 Review: Start Your Engines?

Warning: This contains spoilers for the end of the issue.

This isn't your standard Archie Comics, Inc. publication. The reason is obvious, so I'm not going to beat around the bush. Someone is going to die, or at least get seriously injured. Death has come to the Archie universe before, notably in the Life With Archie soap opera-style comic, wherein Archie died while taking an assassin's bullet for Kevin Keller. (For context, the series took place in two alternate worlds where Archie had either married Betty or Veronica. The penultimate issue depicted his death in both timelines, where Kevin Keller had become a senator.)

Technically, the Archie Horror imprint issues also have deaths, but they outright aren't in a "what could have been" scenario. Strictly speaking, the only technical instance of a death that actually affected future events would, again, be in Life With Archie, with Mrs. Grundy's death by cancer. Archie's murder would count, but that was near the end of the series. As such, this storyline will be momentous for more than a few reasons.

As it is, the first installment does a fine job of setting up for the actual event itself. For the most part, it's devoted to putting the pieces together. Reggie is reintroduced, being a general bullying jerk. It's mostly shown through a series of lighter moments, which helps to reinforce the extreme whiplash near the end of the issue.

Oh boy, Reggie's going all PG-13! Or R, depending on how dirty your mind is.

A slightly smaller interlude also briefly sheds more light on the revelation that Mr. Blossom isn't actually Cheryl and Jason's father. I admit, I'm more interested in the current arc, but I appreciate that it's not being completely ignored. It might even tie-in to the rest of the arc, I'm not completely sure. Still, it does show that the (fake) Blossom parents might just be as manipulative as their Riverdale counterparts.

In any case, the setup to the race is interesting, if a tad too long. It's the last page that has the true meat to the story, with Reggie, Betty, and Archie's respective cars crashing over a railing and plunging to a mysterious fate. Who's dead? Who's alive? Maybe no one's dead, just quite yet. After all, the cover has a heart monitor at the top and while the victim's heart still seems in peril, it hasn't given out yet. (On a side note, I love the heart monitor motif for all three covers.) If you'll hear me out, I have a theory. The August solicitation for Archie #23 tease the fallout, and one particular cover has Archie gritting his teeth, as if in pain.

I predict that Archie will sustain grievous injuries in the crash, possibly affecting his mobility. The cover brings to mind someone holding on to parallel bars in an attempt to strengthen their legs. Perhaps Archie is using them to regain his strength. Again, it's only speculation, and a half-baked one at that. It could just as easily be Archie in a hospital room, sadly mourning a death. We'll see as the story continues.

Archie #20 is written by Mark Waid, drawn by Pete Woods, and lettered by Jack Morelli. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.

Reggie And Me #5 Review: A Complicated Depiction Of Morality

At the end of the previous issue, Reggie's selfish actions finally took a toll on the one thing he treasures most in life- Vader, his precious pet rescue dog. He was hit by a car after Reggie angrily yelled at him to go away. Seriously, Reggie?! Is Vader even smart enough to know how to get home? You need to be a better dog owner. I'm sure Vader is going to be fine. This is still an Archie Comics, Inc. publication, they're not going to kill a dog.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

No, actually this is just Vader's spirit. While his body is currently in urgent care at the animal hospital, his spirit is just traveling around. He even meets up with Hot Dog, Jughead's companion. In this universe, dogs just have the ability to astral project, I guess. Hey, maybe when my dog is happily lying on the floor, he's not actually sleeping, just traveling to meet his doggy friends. On a side note, I do have to mention that I find a particular moment where Vader recommends checking out the latest Jughead or Archie issue for something cheerier, considering that the new issue of Archie kicks off a three-part arc that promises to have dire consequences for the town.

The issue finally directly tackles the issue of Vader's intense loyalty to Reggie, despite his increasingly negative actions. It's conducted through a conversation between Vader and Hot Dog, who definitely has no bones (heh) about his owner's faults. Sure, Jughead is lazy, gluttonous, and prone to bouts of wacky plans, but he loves Hot Dog and would do anything to protect him. Conversely, Betty and Reggie talk about his actions in the 'real' world, based on some new revelations about his behavior.

I actually don't want to ruin too much about the end of this miniseries, because it is very good. Instead, I'll simply say that I appreciate the way that Tom DeFalco writes for Reggie, portraying him as a more complicated figure. Not everything is black and white for the various characters and it helps to keep the plot fairly realistic. It's a unique tone for an Archie comic, but an interesting one. For Jughead, it's going to be almost completely comedy-orientated, while Archie itself has a fifty-fifty balance between comedy and drama, most of the time. I hope that Tom DeFalco continues to write for Archie Comics, Inc.

Reggie And Me #5 is written by Tom DeFalco, drawn by Sandy Jarrell, lettered by Jack Morelli, and colored by Kelly Fitzpatrick. You can find it at your local comic book shop.

Zachary Krishef is an evil genius. Do not question his knowledge of Saturday Night Live trivia or Harry Potter books.