Sherlock - The Abominable Bride

Taking place almost entirely in 1895, the natural habitat for Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Doctor Watson (Martin Freeman), "The Abominable Bride" is an unusual episode that allows the modern retelling of the detective's adventures to journey back to his original hunting grounds. After a brief reintroduction the characters, things start in earnest when Lestrade (Rupert Graves) brings the pair an unusual case of a suicidal bride whose ghost has appeared multiple times to wreak havoc.

The holiday special works fairly well until its final act where it stalls trying to incorporate the show's current storyline with the unsolved mystery (rather than just allowing the tale to exist on its own).

Available on both Blu-ray and DVD, extras include an extended featurette on the episode and the series, a Q&A about the series, a production diary, and shorter featurettes on the show's writing and various aspects of recreating the look of 19th Century London for the episode.

[BBC Home Entertainment, Blu-ray $21.71 / DVD $22.99]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #27

With a super-powered D'Hoffryn unmasked as the true big bad of the season, Season Ten's final arc continues with infighting among Buffy and the Scoobies as there never seems to be enough blame in this issue for the choices each characters has made.

Person of Interest - Reassortment

While Reese (Jim Caviezel) and Finch (Michael Emerson) are stuck in a medical ward attempting to prevent a deadly outbreak caused by one of Samaritan's agents (Joshua Close) all to kill two targets discretely, fans are likely going to be far more psyched with what's happening in the episode's B-story. Still fighting to differentiate between reality and the thousands of virtual reality simulations Samaritan has forced her to run, Shaw (Sarah Shahi) makes her latest escape attempt. And, at least based on what the episode offers the audience, this one might even be real.

DC Universe: Rebirth #1

It always starts with the Flash. Since 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths every major DC Comics' reboot, realignment, restructuring, or rebirth (so to speak) can be tied back to the character who gave birth the the Silver Age of comics. This time it isn't Barry Allen at the center of events, but Wally West. Last seen five years ago, Wally returns to the DCU with a bang.

Dark Passage

The weakest of the four movies starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Dark Passage is more memorable for its set-up than its film noir story. Bogart stars as wrongly-convicted murderer Vincent Parry who escapes prison in the opening scene. "Star" might be a bit of a stretch as Bogart isn't seen in the first third of the film, and when he does show up his face is under heavy bandages for another 10 minutes.

After his escape is helped by an unlikely source (Becall), Parry is directed to a plastic surgeon (Houseley Stevenson) who helps the supply the man on the run with a new face allowing the movie to move away from the first-person point-of-view of the first 40-minutes and allow Bogart to appear on-screen.

Over the remainder of the film Bogart and Becall's characters will grow closer while Parry uncovers the truth of the murders he is excused of and find some measure of justice and happiness. Re-released on Blu-ray and DVD, extras include a featurette on the film's history and the movie's trailer.

[Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray $21.99 / DVD $19.97]

Captain America: Steve Rogers #1

Marvel's new Captain America series is getting press for one huge reveal, but we'll get to that in a second. For those who haven't been paying attention, Steve Rogers has spent the last several months rapidly aged to a senior citizen with the Falcon taking over the role of Captain America. With Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 Steve is back in action along with the Falcon (still also Captain America, but not in this comic), and a team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents including Agent 13, Jack Flag, Free Spirit, and Rick Jones.

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Other than the bizarre Burtonian designs of the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) I remember almost nothing of 2010's Alice in Wonderland. Six years later Tim Burton reassembles the cast for a sequel one studio executive, and possibly some other people somewhere, thought would be a good idea. Six years from now I wonder if I will remember anything about this film.

X-Men: Apocalypse

X-Men: Apocalypse is a bloated film that wants more than anything to be epic in scale. Stuck with a ponderous first 45 minutes resetting up the world of the X-Men one decade after the events of X-Men: First Class (where apparently only some of our characters have actually aged) the movie has to spend far too much time catching us up on current events. With the script hamstrung by the need to properly introduce not only the movie's villain Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), which means flashbacks to ancient Egypt, but also several new characters who will make up both Apocalypse's Four Horseman (Olivia Munn, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp) and the new version of the X-Men (Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Lana Condor) it takes quite some time before director Bryan Singer's movie gets on track.

Legend

Based on the lives of English gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray (both played here by Tom Hardy), director Brian Helgeland's film is as unengaging a crime drama as I can remember. I gave the film multiple chances but other than offer Hardy the chance to play dual roles the movie has nothing going for it. In terms of nuts and bolts, Legend is competently made but lacks the heart to make us care about either of the Kray brothers or those whose lives were effected by their choices.

Helgeland wastes a solid supporting cast (Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, and Chazz Palminteri) on a story that doesn't have much to say about gangsters we haven't seen before. Legend isn't an awful film, just a lifeless one (which in someways is actually worse than a truly awful film which can, on occasion, be entertaining for all the wrong reasons).

Arrow - Schism

Just once I would like Arrow to end a season without Star City in flames. Is that too much to ask? "Schism" wraps up the season-long arc of Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) battle with Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough) for control of Star City. Despite his bunker being destroyed, Darkh reacquires A.R.G.U.S.' missle technology with plans to start a nuclear holocaust to wipe out all civilization on the planet. Without a plan, Oliver makes a plea to the city to prevent it from tearing itself apart its final hours. It's that small kernel of hope which Green Arrow uses to turn the entire city against Darkh.

Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #15

Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #15 takes Mystery, Inc. from Central City to the darkest jungles of Africa for a team-up with the Flash. After helping the Scarlet Speedster take down the Mirror Master, Scooby and the gang hitch a ride to Gorilla City where everyone, even Grodd, needs their help in dealing with a Gorilla Ghost haunting the city of telepathic apes.

Person of Interest - QSO

With each episode in the season The Machine begins to act a little more like its old self. In "QSO" it sends Root (Amy Acker) on a few seemingly unrelated tasks before making her a producer of a conspiracy radio talk show whose on-air talent has become a threat to Samaritan after uncovering a coded radio signal the artificial intelligence uses to instruct its operatives. Failing to understand how unbelievable the truth will sound on a show dealing with UFO stories and countless government conspiracies, Samaritan marks the man for death.

The Flash - The Race of His Life

Well, that was anticlimactic. Ending the show's Second Season on one of the weakest episodes of the series, "The Race of His Life" concludes the season-long arc of Barry's (Grant Gustin) battle with Zoom (Teddy Sears) with... a race? Opening with the funeral of Henry Allen (John Wesley Shipp), Barry's friends and family decide to prevent Barry from taking revenge by imprisoning the Flash in the pipeline while they try to stop Zoom on their won. As you might expect, something goes wrong.

Harleypool

Inspired by Nicole Marie Jean.

Preacher - Pilot

Very much a product of its time, writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon's series Preacher fit the time and tone of 90s comics (viewed mostly as a dark time by most comic readers) with its hyper-stylized violence and edgy storytelling. Hollywood has been attempting to adapt their work for years, and AMC has finally succeeded in bringing the tale of of a small town preacher possessed with god-like powers thrown into the middle of an epic battle between good and evil to the small screen. While I think other shows, such has Carnivale, may have beat Preacher to explore similar themes I'm sure fans of the comic are cautiously optimistic that AMC can do for Preacher what it has done for The Walking Dead.

Red Sonja #5

Red Sonja's return to Hyrkania continues as King Savas makes Midyan his captive and plans to use a Red Sonja impersonator to win the support of his people. As for the real She-Devil with a Sword, she has her hands full with taming a Roc for most of this issue. Finally taming the giant bird of legend, Sonja is ready to return to her friends and lead a rebellion against Savas and the throne.

Person of Interest - A More Perfect Union

"A More Perfect Union" balances three stories. The number of the week sends Reese (Jim Caviezel), Finch (Michael Emerson), and eventually Root (Amy Acker) all to a high-end wedding where a member of the wedding party (although not the one they initially suspect is in danger). While given the most time of all three storylines, it's actually the one which has the least impact on the season's arc (although the final melancholy shot of three of them at the wedding reception certainly fits the tone of the show's final season). As expected, Fusco (Kevin Chapman) continuing to investigate the series of missing people (all of them Samaritan victims) eventually leads the detective into grave danger as the computer's agents cover up their tracks. Has another agent of The Machine met their end? I'm not betting on it just yet.

The Nice Guys

In his latest film writer/director Shane Black returns to a formula he knows well. Set in the 1970s, The Nice Guys delivers on the buddy-cop genre by pairing hired thug Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) with drunk private detective Holland March (Ryan Gosling) on a case involving a missing girl (Margaret Qualley), a murdered porn star (Murielle Telio), political activism, and the United States Justice Department.

The Nice Guys is an attempt to recapture the brilliance of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang by similarly throwing together an unlikely pair to solve a case involving a missing woman. The Nice Guys lacks the snappy dialogue of Black's best film and the pulp detective and noir elements add an entire layer to Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang which is missing here. Given their similarities, it's impossible not to compare them, but even if his latest doesn't quite measure it still delivers in its own ways.

Gosling and Crowe work well together, but it's the addition of Angourie Rice (as March's daughter Holly) that ultimately makes the pairing work. Even if the murder plot is a bit convoluted, it's a joy to watch them slowly uncover the truth.

Legends of Tomorrow - Legendary

Following his inability to save the lives of his wife and son, the crippling of the Time Masters' ability to view and control history, and Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) sacrificing his life for the team's freedom, Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill) decides to abandon his compatriots back in 2016. Finding it hard to readjust to their old lives, and unable to leave their job unfinished, the group brings Hunter back to 2016 (in a manner that isn't all that well explained) to convince the Time Master to let them help rescue Kendra (Ciara Renée) from 1944 France.

The Blacklist - Alexander Kirk

The Blacklist concludes its Third Season with a two-part episode of Reddington (James Spader), the FBI, and Susan Hargrave (Famke Janssen) all working together in hunting down the person responsible for the death of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone): Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen). By the end of the episode a couple of big secrets will be revealed, one shocking only Red, and the other explaining Kirk's interest in both Lizzie and her daughter. While the first episode is more about setting up the show's new spinoff and teasing big secrets in Tom's (Ryan Eggold) past, the conclusion focuses more on Red's attempt to drive Kirk into the light by framing him as a terrorist in order to put a bullet in the man's skull.

Arrow - Lost in the Flood

In an episode that actually shows us very little of the super-powered Damien Darhk (Neal McDonough), Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Diggle (David Ramsey) discover the madman's underground suburb and search for a kidnapped Thea (Willa Holland) while Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards), the Calculator (Tom Amandes), and Curtis (Echo Kellum) work to try and stop Darhk from starting nuclear armageddon.

Killjoys - The Complete First Season

Set in a dystopian future, Killjoys follows the adventures of bounty hunting team Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) and John (Aaron Ashmore) flying all over the quadrant on missions to bring in criminals. The pair's dynamic is changed when John's older brother D'Avin (Luke Macfarlane), a fellow soldier with plenty of baggage, joins the team.

Lasting only 10 episodes, the show's First Season offers a couple of ongoing storylines to supplement the job of the week. Along with the friction between brothers, D'Avin's past coming back to haunt him, and the growing unrest of the populace and a burgeoning rebellion, Dutch's past as a super-assassin is teased throughout the season by the return of her mentor Khlyen (Rob Stewart) who wants her back. Highlights include Dutch forced to hunt down a friend, John dealing with the sudden escalation of Dutch and D'Avin's relationship, and the team coming across a haunted spaceship.

Usagi Yojimbo #154

Following a chance encounter, Miyamoto Usagi chooses to join Yamaguchi Kyosai on what should be an easy assignment to escort a merchant to trade negotiations. Well... easy until Usagi learns that the merchant fears an attack from Lord Hikiji. Of course he's right to be be concerned as the hired guns are quickly dispensed with in a surprise attack by Komori Ninja.

Person of Interest - ShotSeeker

Whereas the previous episode was dominated by the long-awaited return of Shaw (Sarah Shahi), what "ShotSeeker" lacks strong central narrative it makes up for by juggling several disparate, but all very intriguing, elements. Finch (Michael Emerson) begins some disheartening experiments pitting scaled-down versions of The Machine and Samaritan against each other. Bruce Moran (James Le Gros) returns looking for answers about Elias' (Enrico Colantoni) death. A curious Fusco (Kevin Chapman) continues to poke around issues that threaten to make him an enemy of Samaritan. An analyst with keen ear gets on the wrong side of Samaritan when he brings Reese's (Jim Caviezel) attention to a murder the A.I. has done its best to hide. And, for the second episode in a row, a fan-favorite character returns from the dead.

Astro City #35

Presented from the perspective of the teenage grandson of the original Jack-in-the-Box, Astro City #35 offers us a brief history of both the boy's grandfather and father (who would pick up the mantle years later after the original was killed in a final tussle with the Underlord and his Weirdies).

Thursday with Nicole Marie Jean

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Absolution / Ascension

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s two-part Third Season finale drags out the end of the Hive (Brett Dalton) storyline as Daisy (Chloe Bennet) spends most of that time guilt-ridden in quarantine while her friends work around the clock to prevent Hive from detonating his Inhuman warhead in the upper atmosphere. Hive's attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters forces Daisy into action, first in pleading with the Inhuman creature to take her back and, after realizing that's not possible, doing everything she can to kill it (more because she feels like a spurned lover than any heroic impulse).

The Flash - Invincible

As frightened as they are by Zoom's (Teddy Sears) army of meta-humans ripping apart the city, his friends and family are more concerned with Barry's (Grant Gustin) new-found sunny attitude since returning from the Speed Force. As it turns out, neither will survive the episode. Thanks to the work of Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Wells (Tom Cavanagh), the team finds a way to neutralize all meta-humans from Earth-2 at once - including the recently arrived Black Siren (Katie Cassidy) who kicks some Flash ass before going nite-nite with all of her super-villain counterparts. As for Barry, the team's victory is overshadowed by yet another loss as the show kills off a major supporting character leading to a big showdown in next week's season finale.

Darth Vader #20

Has he gotten away with it? That seems to be the case as Darth Vader survives encounters with both the Emperor and Inspector Thanoth. The former appears unaware of his apprentice's machinations while the later will offer no threat to the Dark Lord of the Sith following this issue. While his plans are far from complete, there's still the missing Aphra to deal with, it would appear Darth Vader has made it through events unscathed.

Castle - Crossfire

After eight seasons and 173 episodes Castle comes to a close not with a bang but a whimper. "Crossfire" offers fans of the show the conclusion of the LOCKSAT storyline (the same storyline that's derailed much of the show's final two seasons). With Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) separated again for much of the episode, Castle is abducted by one of LOCKSAT's minions (Michael Teh) while LOCKSAT himself (Gerald McRaney) attempts to lure Kate into a similar trap.

Person of Interest - 6,741

Although there is a late twist in the episode you're likely to see coming well before the reveal that explains both the title and what Shaw (Sarah Shahi) has been up to in the months since she was abducted by Samaritan operatives, "6,741" delivers an emotionally powerful episode as a damaged Shaw escapes Samaritan's clutches. But, after months of psychological torture and a nasty new brain implant, can she be trusted or could Shaw be the Trojan Horse which Samaritan needs to destroy The Machine once and for all?

Once Upon a Time - Only You / An Untold Story

Given last week's wrap-up of the Hades' storyline, the purpose of the final two episodes of Once Upon a Time's Fifth Season is to set-up next season. Introducing the characters of Dr. Jekyll (Hank Harris) and Mr. Hyde (Sam Witwer) when Zelena (Rebecca Mader), Hook (Colin O'Donoghue), and the Charmings are all accidentally transported to a new land filled with characters whose stories remain untold, lays the foundation for next season's conflict. The introduction of Jekyll and his ability to finally succeed in splitting his dark half from himself sets up the return of another major villain for next season as Regina (Lana Parrilla) expels the Evil Queen thinking she has finally found a way to destroy her evil half for good.

Hawaii Five-0 - Pa'a Ka 'ipuka I Ka 'Upena Nananana / O Ke Ali'i Wale No Ka'u Makemake

Hawaii Five-0 ends its Sixth Season with a two-part season finale. Both offer tense episodes with membres of Five-0 in grave danger, although it appears the whole team will make it back for another season (now that the show has been officially renewed by CBS). "Pa'a Ka 'ipuka I Ka 'Upena Nananana" wraps up the Gabriel Waincroft (Christopher Sean) storyline as the would-be super-villain gets himself shot by a scared junkie and hunted by the agents of Michelle Shioma (Michelle Krusiec). Despite putting their lives between Waincroft and the Yakuza assassins, Five-0 is ultimately unable to save the life of their enemy.

Super-Heroes Card Trader - Awesome Pack 1

C2E2 2016 - Cosplay Spotlight

Rocket Raccoon and Groot #5

Rocket Raccoon and Groot's vacation is rudely interrupted by a viking warrior who captures both heroes and takes the back to her home planet to face the charges of stealing on of her people's most sacred relics. Despite the relative comfort the two are shown when the planet's ruler declares Groot a god, things are not all sunshine and roses for the pair, especially once Rocket's abductor explains the truth about the machinations of the viking she is forced to serve.

Person of Interest - Truth Be Told

With The Machine now running properly again the latest number (Stephen Plunkett) hits close to home for Reese (Jim Caviezel) when his former CIA boss (Keith David) abducts the man for stealing classified government documents. Risking revealing to the CIA that John Reese is still alive, our hero is able to save the number but in doing so not only alerts his old boss to his whereabouts but also learns the number's current actions were all caused by one of his old missions for the CIA (shown in flashbacks).

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #26

While Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten #26 offers a major turning point in the season in revealing the identity of this season's big bad, it's not the most enjoyable aspect of the comic. Trapped in a hell dimension with no way home (without unleashing untold horrors on their loved ones), Xander and Dawn make the best of their surroundings. Befriending the local monsters, Xander puts his contractor experience to work winning over the populace in unexpected (and humorous) ways.

The Flash - The Runaway Dinosaur

With the Flash (Grant Gustin) trapped inside the Speed Force his friends and family are left to deal with the consequences of the experiment to restore his speed. While Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) recovers quickly from being knocked unconscious from the controlled particle-accelerator explosion, Jesse Quick (Violett Beane) languishes in an unexplained coma just as Barry once did (suggesting her foray into super-speed crime-fighting may come before Wally's). Aside from trying to lure Barry back from the limbo he's trapped in, his friends also must deal with zombified Girder (Greg Finley) whose form was reanimated by the shockwave.

Person of Interest - SNAFU

The Machine may have been saved but it will take Finch (Michael Emerson) and his team the better part of an episode to work the kinks out of the system. "SNAFU" opens with a humorous scene involving The Machine's inability to correctly identify people through its facial recognition software (allowing the actors to step in each other's roles for a brief moment). Meanwhile, Reese (Jim Caviezel) and Fusco (Kevin Chapman) spend the episode chasing down numbers who aren't actually in any danger. The real trouble, however, comes when Harold's A.I. decides to classify Finch, Reese, and Root (Amy Acker) all as dangerous threats.

Moon Knight #2

Be it real or only the delusions of a weak mind, Marc Spector has chosen his reality. Believing himself to be the super-hero Moon Knight, something his psychiatrists inform his is impossible, Marc is visited by his god Khonshu who attempts to rally its warrior and explain the situation in a way Marc's fractured mind can comprehend.

Words from a fellow inmate and the infiltration of Frenchie into the hospital provides a means of escape for Marc whose friend brings him some proper attire for his journey. Moon Knight as his friends escape the mad house, but what they find underneath creates all new problems for the hero.

Elementary - A Difference In Kind

"A Difference In Kind" ends Elementary's Fourth Season on a bit of an anti-climactic note. Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu) trace the bomb left in the brownstone to a rival (Roma Chugani) of Joshua Vikner (Tony Curran) within the remains of Moriarty's (Natalie Dormer) criminal empire. The cabal member will give given a look behind the curtain of the criminal empire thanks to the assistance of Morland Holmes (John Noble) who it turns out was the woman's first choice for Moriarty's replacement. More epilogue than climax, the episode features Holmes and Watson attempting to frame Vikner for a crime to remove him from office while Morland strikes a more permanent deal, both to save his son and cripple Moriarty's network.

Green Lantern #52

Hal Jordan's New 52 adventures come to a close with a battle between the last remaining Green Lantern and the Gray Agents attempting to make a name for themselves by taking the space cop down. Robert Venditti and his team write and end for the version of Hal Jordan that wraps up some, but certainly not all, of the loose strings surrounding the renegade Green Lantern's recent adventures. The Corps is still gone and we are no closer to understanding just what Hal Jordan is becoming.

Once Upon a Time - Last Rites

Loss is the theme of "Last Rites" as several of the show's female characters will mourn the loss of a loved one before all is said and done. Returned from the Underworld, Regina (Lana Parrilla) attempts to convince Zelena (Rebecca Mader) of Hades' (Greg Germann) true motivations. The cost of doing so will be high for both sisters as both Hades and Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) will meet the same end at the hands of the Olympian Crystal which not only kills its victims but removes them from existance all-together.

Darkwing Duck #1

With the far-too-short BOOM! Studios run of Darkwing Duck cut short by the comics rights of the character heading to Disney the terror that flaps in the night has been in limbo... until now. Relaunching the title through Joe Books, Disney gives the character new life on the printed page with Darkwing Duck #1.

With James Silvani returning to do the artistic duties, ssue #1 begins with Darkwing Duck's capture of Megavolt. However, that victory is short-lived with the return of Negaduck who takes advantage of Megavolt's addition to St. Canard's new state-of-the-art prison (an unveiling which includes a school trip by Gosayln and her friends) to trap our intrepid hero in a building full of criminals he put away.

Hawaii Five-0 - Pilina Koko

A few familiar faces return, and a new important supporting character is introduced, in an episode that sets up storylines well beyond next week's two-part season finale. "Pilina Koko" hits close to home for one member of Five-0 when a woman is found murdered in her own home. While cleaning up the crime scene Hirsch (Willie Garson) is attacked by the sole witness to the crime, a thief who saw a targeted execution of the woman who was once Gabriel Waincroft's (Christopher Sean) girlfriend. Leaving behind a young daughter, Chin (Daniel Dae Kim) discovers he has a niece he never knew about.

The Cosmopolitan Shay Mitchell

Pretty Little Liars and Mother's Day star Shay Mitchell is the cover girl for the June issue of Cosmopolitan. You can find the pics from her photo shoot inside.

The Blacklist - Susan Hargrave

Narrowing down the list of people who attempted to abduct Lizzie (Megan Boone) to a single name, Reddington (James Spader) targets the business of one-time friend Susan Hargrave (Famke Janssen) in an attempt to bring her out of hiding. It takes more than one prick before security company's head agrees to a meeting (one that, of course, was meant to be a trap for Red), but eventually Reddington gets his sit-down with the woman whose agents and their actions lead to the death of Elizabeth Keen.

Saturday with Shantel

Captain America: Civil War

The most ambitious Marvel Studios' movie to date, Captain America: Civil War attempts to merge aspects of Marvel's two best movies (The Avengers and Captain America: Winter Soldier) into a cohesive whole while telling a very streamlined version of the comic event of the same name. You know what? It's pretty damn good. It may not be the best of the Marvel movies, but it's certainly more successful than Avengers: Age of Ultron and halts the backslide we've been witnessing in the quality of the Marvel films since Winter Soldier.

Justice...

... tastes like bananas.