Fandom: Why do some fans care so much about how someone watches a show?

I can't stand when some fans try to tell other fans how they should be a fan. For instance, I saw where a fan posted this (I edited it to remove the show and ship): "when people think being a ___ fan means only watching it if ____ goes canon like if you like ___ cool okay I don't care but please don’t refer to yourself as a ___ fan as if you even watch the actual show it actually annoys me so much."

When Arrow originally aired, Laurel Lance/Black Canary was one of the main reasons I continued to watch the show. John Diggle and Thea Queen were the only other characters I liked. I didn't like this version of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow and I also didn't like Felicity Smoak and a lot of the other random characters that kept popping up on the show. The writing quality continued to go down each season, many of the storylines were terrible as well as focused too much time on Felicity or other random characters. Choosing to watch the show for Laurel, John and Thea didn't make me any less of an Arrow fan because I tuned in for those characters as opposed to all the other characters on the show. Which is why I don't let other fans speak for how I like or don't like something.

This type of fandom thinking makes no sense because there is no one way to be a fan or to watch a show. If you like only one or all the characters, a certain couple or all of them or none of them, certain seasons or all the seasons, etc. it doesn't change the fact that you are a fan. And no one should be able to define or determine why someone is a fan of a show. Why do they care why someone chooses to watch a show? They should watch a show their way and not worry or judge others for how they watch TV. Not everyone is going to like the same thing, so why expect people to watch TV the same way. Can't we just enjoy being a fan in our own way.

Fandom Friday: Do You Have a Least Favorite Fandom?

I love being a fan of so many shows, movies, characters, books, etc., which I'm sure you do as well. But since I know we all love to talk about our favorite fandoms, I was wondering what are some of your least favorite ones? Or your least favorite aspects of certain fandoms? By least favorite, I mean it's not something you hate but it's not something you're a big fan of either.

Here are my least favorite fandoms or aspects of it that I can think of:

1. MCU Spider-Man, I'm a big Spider-Man fan but it's just something about the MCU Peter Parker/Spider-Man that really annoys me. He really is one of my least favorite live action versions of the character.

2. Wonder Woman being romantically paired up with either Superman or Batman. She has her own love interest, Steve Trevor and doesn't need to be put in a relationship with her friends and co-workers.

The same can be said for Oliver Queen/Green Arrow being paired up with Chloe Sullivan on Smallville and Felicity Smoak on Arrow. Neither decision made any sense especially since Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary was featured on both shows.

3. Which brings me to the Arrow TV series this is my absolutely least favorite show in the CW Arrowverse. The first two seasons were relatively good. Although it was nothing more than a Batman show masquerading as a Green Arrow show. Then it just seemed to go downhill from there until the series ended. There were some things I enjoyed about the show such as Laurel Lance's journey to becoming Black Canary. As well as her Earth 2 counterpart being the villain Black Siren redeeming herself and becoming a hero. She eventually takes up the heroic mantle of Black Canary.

These are the only three things I can think of for now but I'll write another post when I have more.

Art of the Day: Speedy (Thea Queen)

Artwork: Speedy by rahdot

I never understood why the writers of Arrow tried so hard to distance the show from the comic books. As much as I like Thea Queen (played by Willa Holland), I really wish she had been Mia Dearden instead. In the comics, Mia is an amazing character and it would have been cool to have had her on the show. So far the only live-action appearance of Mia (played by Elise Gatien) was on Smallville for two episodes during the 9th season.

Anyone else wish Willa Holand had played Mia Dearden instead of the amalgamated version of Thea Queen? 

"Arrow" Ending is Great News for a Show that Lost its Aim

I'm sure fans have heard the news that Arrow will end in the 8th season with 10 episodes to conclude the series. That news was not surprising to a lot of fans because the show which is currently in it's 7th season has been steadily going downhill along with its ratings. The series started out really good if not feeling like a Batman knock off but it was still good. However, the show started to jump the shark on a continuous basis and lost focus of what to do with the show and the characters.

There is nothing wrong with deviating from the source material but the Arrow creative team put in so many changes and added so many random characters that this show stepped away from telling Green Arrow's story to turn into a badly written soap opera. They messed this show up so much that ending it is the best thing for it because Arrow really has run its course, the show has become stale and the writers have run out of good ideas.

I'm not sad to see the show end because it's been terrible for some time now but I am sad for the lost potential of the show. They had the chance to create a really interesting series that centered around Oliver Queen and Dinah Laurel Lance and their alter egos Green Arrow and Black Canary fighting crime and protecting the citizens of Star City (or Starling City for this show). That would have made a great show instead what was presented was a bad take on the world of Green Arrow.

Art of the Day: Roy Harper (Arrow)

Artwork: Roy Harper by Saryetta86

Art of the Day: Black Canary (Arrow)

Artwork: Black Canary by SpideyVille (James Rodriguez)

I didn't watch last night's Arrowverse crossover episode of The Flash (but there's a reason)

Last night, I made a point of not going online or on social media or even talking to my friends (yeah I know extreme) because I didn't want to be spoiled about the Arrowverse 'Elseworlds' crossover because I didn't watch The Flash. However, I did record it on the DVR and I'm also going to tape Arrow and Supergirl. Since I didn't feel like watching each episode separately, I decided to tape and watch them later at one time.

So hopefully, since I have to go online and occasionally social media as well as talking to my friends,  I will continue to avoid seeing or hearing any spoilers because I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

Teaser Trailer for the Arrowverse Crossover "Elseworlds"

The CW recently released a teaser trailer for the upcoming Arrowverse crossover "Elseworlds" and it looks really interesting.

I guess the three part story will center around a sort of Freaky Friday magical switcheroo along with dealing with some sort of alternate universe situation. And not to mention it will include Lois Lane, two Supermen, Batwoman, the Kent Farm from the Smallville TV series and John Wesley Shipp as an alternate universe Flash wearing his 1990s Flash TV series costume. Even with all of this, I'm sure there will still be a few surprises in store and now I really can't wait to watch it. 

As a reminder, the crossover starts Sunday, Dec. 9th with The Flash at 8 PM. Continuing with Arrow on Monday, Dec. 10th at 8 PM and ending with Supergirl on Tuesday, Dec. 11th at 8 PM.

Lois Lane Friday: Lois Lane is Finally Appearing on The CW's Arrowverse (and Who I Think Should Be Cast)

I can't believe Lois Lane is finally going to appear on The CW's Arrowverse shows. This news is super exciting, no pun intended. It was announced earlier this week that Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) will return for the DC Comics crossover event for Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl TV series and joining him will be Lois Lane.

According to reports, the crossover will be for three nights starting Sunday, Dec. 9th with The Flash at 8 PM. With the story continuing with Arrow on Monday, Dec. 10th at 8 PM and ending with Supergirl on Tuesday, Dec. 11th at 8 PM.

There have been a lot of speculations and fancast as to who should be the legendary tenacious reporter. For me, I would love to see Jenna Dewan as Lois. Okay, I know what you're going to say "she has already played Lucy Lane". Yes, that's true, she was cast as Lois' younger sister but stay with me, it can still work. Especially since the last time Lucy was seen was during the first season of Supergirl. The only thing that would be needed to make the change is for Jenna to wear a long wig. And there could be a running gag of sorts about how much Lois resembles her younger sister Lucy.

I watch a lot of old TV shows and the one thing that I noticed is that there were some actors who played more than one character on a series. Yeah it was a few guest appearances here and there until some possibly receiving a more permanent role in the series. And I don't see why Jenna couldn't do the same with Lois. She's a good actor and could easily pull off the role as the tough as nail reporter. I know this will never happen but I just thought I would put my two cent out there about who should be cast as Lois Lane.

Fashion Highlights from the SDCC - Gal Gadot, Shelley Hennig, Candice Patton and more

I know Comic Cons are generally about the comics, movies, TV shows, merchandise, etc. and there are a lot of good things being announced that I want to talk about. However, this post is about some of the fashionable attire I've seen in photos from the San Diego Comic-Con.

Here are some of my favorites:


Gal Gadot (Justice League movie)

I like this dress, it gives off a simple summery feel. Looking at it, you can tell it's anything but a basic white dress.

Toy Corner: Vixen Action Figure (Arrow)

Although, this Vixen action figure doesn't quite look like actress Megalyn Echikunwoke (see below), I'm still interested in getting this. If you don't already know, Echikunwoke is not only the voice for Vixen in the Vixen animated series but she also got a chance to suit up as the character for a live action episode of Arrow. How cool is that? There are not many actors that have had that honor.

This action figure which at the moment can only be pre-ordered is over 6 inches tall and includes several interchangeable hands.

You know I plan on getting this, I can't wait to add this to my collection.

Vixen Action Figure (Arrow)            $29.95          WB Shop  (wbshop.com)

Nesting: An Arrow's Black Canary Paperweight

Want something special for your desk? How about this Black Canary Paperweight? I'm really surprised that Laurel Lance's Black Canary keeps getting more merchandise especially since she was killed off in the 4th season of the Arrow TV series.

This paperweight which stands 7 inches tall is priced at $49.95. It's not available now but you can pre-order it on the WBshop website. If the quality looks as good as this picture, I wouldn't mind getting this. I'm also still planning on getting the Laurel Lance Black Canary action figure.

I hope that keep making more Laurel Lance stuff. Now if only DC Comics would make more merchandise for Vixen, Lois Lane, Static, Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown.

Arrow Black Canary Statue Paperweight       $49.95      WBshop (wbshop.com)

Art of the Day: Vixen (from Arrow)

Artwork: Vixen from the Arrow TV series by Glee-chan

I was really hoping that Vixen would get a live action TV series on The CW network. Even though I'm looking forward to watching the second season of the animated series it makes no sense why Vixen wasn't given a live action series.

Toy Corner: Arrow's Black Canary (Laurel Lance) Action Figure

There are so many things I love about being a collector, case in point finding an unbelievable find. For a while now I had been wondering if Laurel Lance's Black Canary from the Arrow TV series would get an action figure especially since her sister Sara Lance's Canary got a Funko figure and an action figure.

Finally some good news for us Laurel Lance fans, DC Comics will be releasing this Black Canary action figure. However, it will not be available until July but you can pre-order it. This is pretty cool, I definitely want one. Too bad this is coming out after Laurel was killed off the show.

Anyone else planning on buying this?

DC Collectables Arrow TV Series: Black Canary Action Figure      $24.95    WB Shop (wbshop.com)

Measures 6.6" inches tall and includes alternate hands and Black Canary's baton.

Laurel Lance: The Reason I Kept Watching Arrow

Happy Super Hero Day!

I did not watch Arrow last night, I am sticking with my decision to no longer watch the show. It maybe called Arrow but the show wasn't just about Oliver Queen's journey it was Laurel Lance's as well.

Laurel may not have started out as a costumed crime fighter but her job as a lawyer was just as important. Being a lawyer wasn't some power hungry ego trip, no she used the law to fight for those who could not fight for themselves. Although she may have harbored some romantic feelings for Oliver she had moved on with her life with Tommy Merlyn. Which is why his death coupled with a few other issues she had been going through caused Laurel to spiral out of control during the second season. That season completely put her character through the ringer. But one good thing about that whole ordeal is that it showed what Laurel was made of, she might have fallen but she got back up ready to take on the world again.

By seasons 3 and 4, her life was back on track and she had finally become the Black Canary. Taking on the task to become a hero was through her own will and determination. Despite all the doubt she received from Oliver, she put in the training and hard work to effectively turn herself into the Black Canary.

There are two quotes that I recently found that made me think of Laurel, "The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything" by Edward John Phelps. During the 2nd and 3rd seasons Laurel made a lot of mistakes but the important thing is she learned something from them. The second quote is "The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next" by Mignon McLaughlin. Laurel was a recovering alcoholic and it took courage for her to eventually seek help and get sober. But staying sober took even more courage because there are millions of things that could trigger a relapse for her but with every moment she makes the decision not to drink.

Although, I ultimately believe the writers and the show's creative team failed Laurel on numerous occasions, she still managed to be one of the best things about this show. She went through a lot but she turned her life around and once her character was killed off, I no longer felt any need to continue watching Arrow because unfortunately Laurel's journey had come to an end.

Art of the Day: Arrow's Black Canary (Plus my Opinion on Last Night's Episode)

Artwork: Black Canary by JGiampietro

I guess you could say I'm not a happy fan right now, I'm still upset about last night's episode of Arrow. Why in the world did they kill off Black Canary? I can't believe that the creative team actually thought that was a good idea. But as I really think about it, I always thought the writers and the rest of the creative team of Arrow never truly wanted Black Canary/Dinah Laurel Lance on the show. However, they knew that the character although a hero in her own right was also connected to Green Arrow/Oliver Queen so they reluctantly brought her in.

Look at how poorly and inconsistently written she was on the show until they had no choice but to improve on the writing for her yet it was still always at her expense. However, I will say that Katie Cassidy did an amazing job with what she was given to work with. She brought so much to the character and I've been a Laurel Lance fan since the first episode. Katie lost weight for the second season to show Laurel going through her addiction, then she later trained to transform into becoming Black Canary. That's some dedication to the role.

I feel like Laurel had been through so much and overcame it to become a hero in her day job as a lawyer and at night as Black Canary. It sucks that we had to wait two seasons for her to finally become the Black Canary (in the 3rd season) then they kill her off in the 4th season. I will no longer be watching Arrow because it has continue to go downhill and this was the last straw for me. It's disappointing because the show started out really good then the third season turned into the Oliver and Felicity show and continued from there. Speaking of Felicity, there is already a rumor going around that she may become the new Black Canary. If that turns out to be true then that's simply disgusting.

I will say one last thing, Katie Cassidy tweeted a really nice message out to fans "An incredible ride, a beautiful journey, Laurel will always be in my heart. Thank you!" That was very sweet, she did an amazing job with this character.

Lastly, there is some good news for Black Canary fans, she will be featured in the upcoming Rebirth Batgirl & The Birds of Prey and the Green Arrow comic book series. Which makes it very easy to add those two books to my list.

TV Round Up: Vixen episodes #3-6

Vixen animated series  CW Seed (cwseed.com)

I'm disappointed that Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, Gotham and the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow all have live action shows but Vixen only got an animated series. If you can even count it as a series since the six episodes range in time from a little over 3 minutes to less than 7 minutes per show. They couldn't even bother to make it a half hour or an hour per episode.

Something else that annoyed me about this whole thing is that they had to feature The Flash and Green Arrow characters instead of letting Vixen star in her own albeit diminutive series. Yes, I know it's connected to the Arrow/Flash universe but they didn't need to show them for that to work.

Something that I do love is how Mari/Vixen is written in the series but there is just not enough screen time for this show.

Now that my rant is over here's my review for the last four episodes:


Episode #3:

In this episode, Mari was talking things over with her foster dad while trying to figure out her new purpose now that she knows what her necklace can do. She demonstrated a few of her abilities to her dad but before she could make any decisions about what she was going to do, The Flash and Green Arrow show up unannounced and unwelcomed at her dad's home. Not waiting around to find out what they want, she invokes the power of the cheetah and runs off.


Episode #4:

This episode picks up right where the third one ended with Mari attempting to get away from Green Arrow and The Flash. As both "heroes" chase her throughout the city and not to mention Green Arrow was shooting arrows at her, they claimed they only showed up just to talk. Really, who shoots arrows at someone just to talk.

This episode would have been better without those two idiots showing up as well as the presence of Felicity. Oh and stupid Green Arrow didn't even believe Mari when she told them she wasn't in Central City when the particle accelerator exploded instead he had to contact Felicity and have her tell him the exact same thing Mari said. How ridiculous is that? Thankfully she told those two idiots off before she took off.

With most of the episode wasted on that nonsense, Mari trying to seek additional information about her necklace went back to the university to see Professor Macalester. Unfortunately for her it turned into an ambush with a mysterious woman and her two goons showing up to take the necklace.


Episode #5:

In Mari's attempt to get away from the mysterious woman, she was shot but when she woke up she was in for a huge shock. For one thing she was no longer in Detroit but in Africa and two she found out who the mysterious woman was, Kuasa her older sister. While there she found out the truth about the necklace and why her sister wanted it. Although the necklace had bonded with Mari that was not going to stop her sister from trying to get it.


Episode #6:

In this last episode, Mari had to go up against her sister to get back the necklace. During all of this, she discovered who she really was and now knew what she wanted to do which was to go back home to Detroit and be the hero of her city. But talking that over with her dad didn't last long before those two idiots showed up again, seriously they didn't need to be on this show. Of course Oliver was doing that same old spiel he gives to anyone trying to be a hero, that they're not trained. Who made him the authority on who should or should not be a hero? He really is just as off putting on this show as much as he is on his own show.

I loved that Mari wanted to figure things out for herself instead of immediately joining up with the Arrow/Flash brigade. Although I do wish she was the one who came up with her code name instead of Cisco.


I really do want a full length Vixen series, be it animated or live action but I definitely only want it to focus on Vixen and building up her world. Episodes #1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 were rather good but episodes #4 and the ending of #6 spent way too much time showing The Flash and Green Arrow which took away from the focus of the show, which is Vixen. There was no point in Cisco, The Flash, Green Arrow and Felicity (at least it was only her voice) even being on this show.

Overall, these six episodes are fascinating to watch and if you have not seen them yet, please give them a chance.

Superhero Movie Fatigue, I think I have It

I can't believe that I'm saying this but I'm starting to get bored with Superhero movies (and to some extent TV shows). I love watching the movies and shows and I've always had but lately I'm starting to feel burned out with them. And with even more expected to be out in theaters (and more TV shows) in the approaching years it's hard to think that I may have lost my interest in seeing them. As a huge comic book/superhero fan it seems a little disheartening.

I'm not sure when this started to happen but I believe I have developed some form of Superhero Fatigue. Perhaps my fatigue is from there being too many movies and TV shows. In the past, there were just a few to get excited about but now they seem to be almost massed produced. This is leaving me feeling a little disappointed with the industry.

I didn't even go see Ant-Man or Fantastic Four which is surprising since I actually like those characters. But for some reason I could not muster up any enthusiasm to go see them. My desire to see Deadpool, Batman vs. Superman, and Suicide Squad is close to zero. However, I do have interest in seeing Captain America: Civil War (out next year) and Thor: Ragnarok (out in 2017).

But for TV series, I have no interest in seeing the Jessica Jones series that will be on Netflix. I was bored trying to watch the Daredevil Netflix TV series (and I really like Daredevil, maybe I'll give it a second chance with a rewatch). Gotham was a completely boring mess and I stopped watching that early on and Constantine wasn't any better. Agents of S.H.E.L.D. was another show I stopped watching.

Although, I'm going to be watching Supergirl in the Fall, I'm not super excited about the show especially after seeing that less than stellar trailer that was released earlier this summer. But as I wrote in another post, I am going to give it a chance and watch it with an open mind. However, I'm a little indifferent about Legends of Tomorrow. I don't know if I'll tune in or not but a show I am interested in seeing is the Vixen animated series.

Now my Superhero Fatigue has not extended to my comics, I still enjoy reading them. Maybe I have selective fatigue because I enjoy watching Teen Titans Go!, Agent Carter, Agents of S.M.A.S.H. animated series, Avengers Assemble animated series, and against my early hesitance to watch both iZombie and The Flash they both turned out to be rather enjoyable and even more so after having to endure Arrow's absolutely awful third season. At least the best parts to me of Arrow's third season have been Laurel Lance finally becoming the Black Canary.

Are there too many Superhero Movies and TV shows or am I just burned out? Who knows, maybe by the time some of these movies and TV shows are out my interest and excitement for them will have returned.

Fashion Meets Comics: Laurel Lance's Red Print Shirt, Jeans and Handbag (Arrow)

I really like this outfit Laurel is wearing, it's so put together. It has a tailored feel to it even though it's only jeans and a button down.

Button down shirts are a wardrobe staple but sometime I find them a little boring which is why I like to find some in prints or bold colors. I like the print in this shirt because it's fun yet polished. And paired with dark wash jeans this outfit can even be worn to work (depending on where you work) all you would need to do is add a blazer and a great pair of pumps or flats. The brown hobo style bag is casual and still chic.

Toy Corner: Funko Harley Quinn, Storm and Arrow's Black Canary

Yesterday, the Funko Storm bobble-head that I ordered showed up before I left to go shopping. And after an hour of two of finding some really cute clothes, I stopped by GameStop and found Funko Arrow's Black Canary figurine. Although, it's Sara Lance instead of Laurel it's okay. But I do hope at some point there will eventually be one for Laurel. And later in the day I went to the bookstore and found this Funko Harley Quinn figurine.

Full disclaimer for Harley Quinn, I didn't like the dull and awful paint job for Harley's hat so I repainted it. There was a lot of smudges and one of the pom-poms on her hat wasn't even painted. While doing a search online, I've found similar complaints about the paint job for this figurine. At the bookstore there were three of these Harley figurines sitting on the shelf and this was the best out of the three. I was able to clean up some of the smudged paint on her face but not all of it. It's hard to believe that the company allowed such a poorly painted product to be shipped out.

I think these Funko's are starting to become a little bit of an obsession. I still wasn't able to get the Funko The Flash from the TV show since it was sold out when I went to the comic book store on Wednesday. 

Do you collect Funko products? If so, are there any that you really wish was in your collection?