Argylle

Argylle is bonkers. The latest from director Matthew Vaughn, in his collaboration with screenwriter Jason Fuchs, contains more than a little Kingsman DNA in an over-the-top tale of a best-selling author who discovers the characters and stories she has been writing about are real. As a one-time experience, Argylle may be worth a viewing. As a film, the over-the-top tone is inconsistent for both the serious and comedic sequences it is constantly applied to. When the film leans into its inherent goofiness ratcheting up to levels that make Kingsman: The Secret Service look like a spy documentary, Argylle can be fun, but when it attempts to be serious about a story we simply can not take seriously the entire movie grinds to a screeching halt.

Romancing the Stone

When her sister (Mary Ellen Trainor) gets into trouble, reclusive romance novelist Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) finds herself on the way to Colombia with a treasure map unaware of the adventure or dangers ahead in this fish-out-of-water tale that is as entertaining today as it was nearly 40 years ago. Trailed by the dangerous Deputy Commander of Colombia's secret police (Manuel Ojeda), Joan's life is saved in the middle of the jungle by a man straight out of one of her romance novels (even if she doesn't recognize him at first).

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of

Suddenly at the entrance to the Underworld, because why bog down your audience in the logical progression of plot or story when randomly jumping ahead is just easier, Percy (Walker Scobell) and his friends descend looking to both free Percy's mother and retrieve the magical artifact that Percy discovers has been in his backpack for multiple episodes. And, here's the kicker, Hades (Jay Duplass) doesn't even want it.

Justice Ducks #1

Spinning out of the adventures of Darkwing Duck comes the new series featuring the super-hero team of Gizmoduck, Morgana, Stegmutt, Neptunia, and of course Launchpad and Darkwing Duck. The first issue of Justice Ducks has each of the heroes separately noticing trouble brewing in St. Canard and all arriving on the scene to find a giant menace stomping around town followed by a flying saucer filled with its friends.

Delicious in Dungeon - Living Armor

Living Armor would see an odd choice for a group of adventures who enjoying eating their kills in the dungeon but the walking  suits of armor are the creature of the episode as Laios (Damien C. Haas) discovers the armor isn't animated by magic, as everyone assumes, but by creatures living inside. While the others keep the various armor busy, Laios defeats the leader learning the secret of the creatures and discovering yet another delicacy one can only find in the dungeon. "Living Armor" also fills in a bit of the knight's backstory. 

The Flash #5

The Flash #5 is notable for Jai West, not Wally or Barry, being the primary protagonist of the issue. The issue centers around Jai's uncertainty and embarrassment for powers he doesn't fully understand. His father's obsession with the Stillness doesn't help matters. However, clarity comes from an unexpected source in science detective Inspector Pilgrim who has some knowledge of Jai's future, and, in his own words, some stake in its outcome.

Masters of the Universe: Revolution - Even for Kings

Spinning out of the events of Masters of the Universe: Revelation, the opening episode of Masters of the Universe: Revolution kicks off with a fan-friendly opening battle sequence featuring He-Man (Chris Wood) and several recognizable characters in Subternia fighting to free the souls of fallen friends from Scare Glow (Tony Todd) whose design I still find unfortunately too similar to one of, if not the, most recognizable characters of the franchise. Honestly, there's not much reason for the likes of Snout Spout, Ram Man, and Buzz Off to be included here other than a bit of fan service for those who collected those figures, but it does deliver a big battle to kick off the new series.

Desperately Seeking Susan

Hanging together by a number of coincidences and chance events, 1985's Desperately Seeking Susan plays of the rising popularity of Madonna in her first film role as the bohemian drifter Susan and Rosanna Arquette as the bored housewife mistaken for her leading to a farcical thriller concerning some stolen Egyptian earrings neither women realize are worth enough to kill for. Despite Arquette getting the much larger role, much of the marketing featured more on Madonna playing on the musician's popularity and first on-screen role.

Reacher - Fly Boy

Reacher concludes its satisfying Second Season opening with Reacher (Alan Ritchson), O'Donnell (Shaun Sipos) and Dixon (Serinda Swan) getting tortured while Neagley (Maria Sten) and some Senatorial support stage a rescue attempt. The ensuing shoot-out ends with Langston (Robert Patrick) fleeing and Reacher (in cliched action heroics) hanging off the edge of wheel of a helicopter before climbing onboard, fighting off the gun men, saving his friends, and makings sure Langston meets the same fate his friend. It all works out quite well, with more action still yet to come.

Superman #10

Superman Saturday takes us to the Old West. In the ongoing larger arc involving Superman being forced to team with Lex Luthor, we get this delightful little one-issue adventure where Superman finds himself transported to the past. With his powers slowly being recharged, Superman rides through the Old West with Marilyn Moonlight to avenge recent deaths out on the prairie.

James Bond 007 #1

A new volume of James Bond begins here. Kicking off the new series from writer Garth Ennis and artist Rapha Lobosco we start with a brutal James Bond killing off an entire crime family for good measure and wrapping up his latest assignment before returning to England to learn what new trouble MI6 has found for their most famous agent. This one involves water. No, really.

Citadel - Time Renders Us Enemies / Time Renders Us Enemies

After giving us the hard sell on Nadia (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) as the mole who brought down Citadel, the final two episodes clear her leaving only one real suspect. "Time Renders Us Enemies" focuses on flashbacks showing the romance between Nadia and Mason Kane (Richard Madden), the secret that broke their trust, and what she was really up to after disappearing from Citadel. All the little clues which seemed to point to her betrayal are explained away as her hiding a pregnancy from Mason. 

Space Usagi: Death and Honor #2

Space Usagi: Death and Honor continues with the middle issue of the tale offering a pair of space battles for Commander Usagi and Prince Kiyoshi as well as a check-in with the villains our story as Lord Matabe receives a visit from Admiral Niiro displeased to learn his forces are locked out of the computer systems and the wealth of the Shirohoshi clan has vanished. He needs Prince Kiyoshi.

Zorro - The Bet

"The Bet" feels like a very traditional episode of Zorro while also looping in another group of people often overlooked during the years of Zorro's adventures. After her sister Mei (Chacha Huang) is lost in a game of poker to an unscrupulous local landowner, a young woman turns to Zorro to help. The humor from the episode comes from not knowing exactly how to contact him, and even after the pair come together, how to communicate with each other which is where Bernardo (Paco Tous) comes in. 

Wonder Woman #5

Wonder Woman #5 offers trials for all flavors of Wonder Women as Sargent Steel recruits new allies in his fight against Wonder Woman. As has been the template for the comic, the focus shifts between the two different stories. For his choices, Steel chooses various nemeses of Diana over the years such as Giganta, Circe, Doctor Psycho, Angle Man, Grail, and Silver Swan.

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #303

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #303 is all about weaving Revanche into the main storyline and setting up a new partnership between the artificial intelligence and the mutated forces of Cobra led by Serpentor Khan. Despite past betrayals, the two forces come together with Revanche promising superior cyborg soldiers enhancing the mutated Cobra soldiers as well as a small force of Blue Ninja for another assignment.

Death and Other Details - Sordid

In the second episode of the series, Imogene Scott (Violett Beane) decides to help Rufus Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin), working behind-the-scenes, while he begins to interview various guests aboard the cruise ship. The arrival of Interpol at the end of the episode will no doubt lead to a shake-up in the status quo, but the time our detective had with those aboard the cruise ship prior to their involvement leads to the discovery of a few secrets and motives. "Sordid" is also notable for confirming the true identity of the murder victim as Cotesworth's partner and the reason for him being on the ship and taking such interest in guests such as Lawrence Collier (David Marshall Grant) and Leila (Pardis Saremi).

True Justice: Family Ties

In this Hallmark mystery, Katherine McNamara stars as a law student who works to exonerate her brother (Sam Ashe Arnold) after he is convicted of a murder he did not commit. Helping her are a group of fellow law students (Marisa McIntyre, Sabrina Saudin, and Markian Tarasiuk), each coincidentally with strategic internships that provide them unparalleled inside access to everything they could ever need. Joining them is a private investigator (Alexander Nunez) who helps with stakeouts, background checks, and surveillance. Also providing some encouragement are Casey's boss (Benjamin Ayres) and law professor (Nikki Deloach).

Echo - Tuklo

Repercussions of Maya Lopez's (Alaqua Cox) recent actions begin to reverberate in "Tuklo" as Vickie (Thomas E. Sullivan) and his idiot white trash friends (Lindsey Moser and Erin Ownbey) attempt to sell Maya to the foot soldiers of the Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) who arrive in town leading to a shoot-out in the bowling alley. "Tuklo" also brings Maya face-to-face with Bonnie (Devery Jacobs) for the first time in years, and later with the one person she never expected to ever see again. The episode's title comes from another ancestor (Dannie McCallum) of Maya as the sole female member of the Lighthorsemen. The sequence, framed as an old silent movie, is fun but, as with all of these flashbacks, still feels very disconnected from current events.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - We Take a Zebra to Vegas

The premise of "We Take a Zebra to Vegas" is that people lose track of time in casinos. That, with a bit of magic thrown in providing a magical reason for characters to be distracted, is pretty much all there is to the episode with Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) finally emerging from Hermes' (Lin-Manuel Miranda) casino after days missing the deadline imposed by the gods. Despite their failure, Percy chooses to move forward with his quest to the Underworld (although he still doesn't know how to get there).

Cobra Commander #1

Choosing not only to acknowledge but also incorporate the goofier elements from G.I. JOE: The Movie into the new shared G.I. JOE & Transformers universe is certainly an unexpected choice. The risk plays out all right in terms of background, although I'm hoping we see far less of Cobra-La going forward. Set before the creation of Cobra, the comic gives us the background the man who would become Cobra Commander as a scientist pushing the edges of science in Cobra-La who would then be sent out in to the world to further his own ambitions.

NCIS: Sydney - Bunker

"Bunker" gives us the ridiculous premise of a whole bunch of important VIPs allowing themselves to be locked in an underground bunker at an undisclosed location and nearly dying when the untested new technology which would release them fails. Among the group in the bunker Mackey (Olivia Swann) , Evie (Tuuli Narkle), and Blue (Mavournee Hazel). Meanwhile, JD (Todd Lasance) and DeShawn (Sean Sagar) investigate what initially appears to be an unrelated murder they then discover was the method the bunker saboteur used to get their invite.

White Widow #3

White Widow #3 continues the format of the series so far with a flashback to White Widow's interaction with a well-known Marvel hero followed by Yelena investigating trouble in her new home. The flashback from this issue involves Yelena getting into it with She-Hulk who Yelena attempts to convince that assassination is pretty cool.

Zorro - The Chosen One / Inheritance

Filmed in the Spanish Canary Islands, the new Zorro offers a reinterpretation of his character opening with the deaths of both Zorro and Alejandro De La Vega in the opening scenes. Our Zorro is a Native American warrior, the latest to pick up the mantle bestowed on them after being chosen. Both men fall to the corruption of California under the thumb of an unscrupulous Governor (Rodolfo Sancho). After this we meet the clever Diego de la Vega (Miguel Bernardeau) who leaves his schooling and training in Spain after learning of his father's death to assume control of his lands and learn the truth about his murder (which has been blamed on the now dead Zorro).

Role Play

Role Play is a mediocre romcom mashed-up with a so-so thriller for forgettable results. Kaley Cuoco stars as international assassin who has managed to keep her job a secret from her husband (David Oyelowo) for the better part of a decade until, in an attempt to spice up their marriage, the pair do some role playing in an upscale hotel bar which sets a series of dominoes in play that expose our assassin's line of work and the organization whose head (Connie Nielsen) is hunting her.

The film's first half-hour, involving the couple's attempts to spice up their marriage, is downright painful, although things pick up a bit after Oyelowo's character learns the truth about his wife. Even then, however, it will take a Herculean pit of patience to accept what follows with moderately passable action scenes and jokes that don't land in a film that can never quite decide how seriously we should take what unfolds. The actors do what they can, but they can't turn this turkey into a swan.

Zorro: Man of the Dead #1

Doing double duty as both writer and artist, Sean Gordon Murphy reimagines a modern Zorro with a Don Quiote influence. Zorro rides again! We open with a local celebration of Zorro shut down by the drug cartel who control the village. Jumping forward 20 years we reconnect with the children of Antonio de la Vega each scarred differently by the brutal slaying of their father (who was wearing the Zorro costume at the festival).

The Brothers Sun - Favor for a Favor

The struggle for The Brothers Sun is finding the balance between the more dangerous and bloody aspect of the show's premise and the wackier over-the-top humor leads to some hit-and-miss scenes. There's a segment in "Favor for a Favor" that hits that sweet spot perfectly. While searching for answers about the hitman sent after them, and getting dragged into delivering a Komodo Dragon to a kid's birthday party, Charles (Justin Chien) and Bruce (Sam Song Li) fight for their lives against a group of killers all dressed up in inflatable dinosaur costumes brandishing machetes (which somehow goes completely unnoticed by the guests).

Transformers #4

Reimaging the timeline of the Transformers arrival on Earth, the war between the Decepticons and Autobots has found a new home. With just a handful of warriors on both sides, and many more in need of repair and energon, the Decepticons led by Starscream attempt to wipe out the Autobots once and for all. 

Reacher - The Man Goes Through

The penultimate episode of Reacher's Second Season sets up the show's finale by Reacher choosing at the end to turn himself over to Langston (Robert Patrick) to save O'Donnell (Shaun Sipos) and Dixon (Serinda Swan). While ready to make a sacrifice, Reacher doesn't do so with a few contingencies. Before that, however, we'll get plenty of action including Reacher and Neagley (Maria Sten) getting into action at the hospital, first in questioning a witness (through Reacher's own special method) and later in a shoot-out and a confrontation with mysterious A.M. (Ferdinand Kingsley) as well.

Death and Other Details - Rare

There are quite a few moving pieces in the opening episode of Hulu's Death and Other Details, one could argue too many (but that doesn't stop it from being a darn good time). As our narrator, detective Rufus Cotesworth (Mandy Patinkin), points out, we need to keep our eyes on the details. Our story opens aboard a luxury cruise ship owned by a banker turned entrepreneur (Rahul Kohli) whose maiden voyage is hired for the retirement celebration of CEO Lawrence Collier (David Marshall Grant). Among the guests is Imogene Scott (Violett Beane) who grew up in the Collier household following the death of her mother in the one case Rufus was never able to solve (for which the young Imogene, played flashbacks by Sophia Reid-Gantzert, never forgave him).

Death's Game - The Reason You're Going to Hell

Death's (Park So-dam) torture of Choi Yi-jae (Seo In-guk) continues as he finds himself in the body of a bullied teenager full of  suicidal thoughts similar to those that ended his own life. Using his experience, and a grown-up strength that appears to be to manifest through the young kid's body, Choi Yi-jae finds ways to stand-up to the bully and even go further eventually become one himself which only leads events full circle and ends up in yet another death. Returned to Limbo once more we see Death remarking about how he has yet to learn from his experiences, although seeing the boy's relationship with his mother he thinks back on his own mother for the first time since his original death.

Varsity Blues

In West Canaan, Texas a back-up quarterback who cares more about his friends and his Ivy League scholarship than the weekly game gets thrown into the spotlight after the starter goes down. Earning more than three times its budget and holding the #1 spot at the box office for two weeks in January of 1999, Varsity Blues may not have been a runaway hit, but it did well enough to catch interest.

Given the number of over-the-top moments, it's easy to dismiss Varsity Blues as a raunchy teen sports film, but the film does have a bit of heart and a keen eye in its depiction of Texas high school football, over-zealous parents, the pressure on young kids, and the trouble with coaches chasing their legacy at the cost of everything else. 25 years later, released for the first time on 4K, the film has managed to stick around as something of a cult classic.

Dragons: The Nine Realms - Uncharted Territory

Offering another example of Tom (Jeremy Shada) getting carried away and pushing the team more than he should, "Uncharted Territory" also allows for bonding between Alex (Aimee Garcia) and Eugene (Vincent Tong), when they are separated from their dragons in a blizzard in the Cold Realm, and between Feathers and Webmaster who work together to survive until they are found. While I reject the premise that Alex is an outsider to the group at this point in the series, the pairings of humans and dragons works well enough to give Eugene and his dragons more allies in the group. "Uncharted Territory" is also notable for its epilogue in which Tom discovers he can unlock the capsule using one of the horns on his Viking helmet leading to another discovery.

Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow #4

The main story of Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow concludes here with the confrontation between Miyamoto Usagi and Jei leaving the final issue in the series offering an epilogue for Usagi and Yukichi after the events of the series. Back on the road, with Yukichi finally feeling well enough to travel, the pair of rabbit ronin finally have a chance to catch up and for Yukichi to tell his cousin about the run in with the young girl in the forest which immediately alerts Usagi as to who is on their trail. 

Echo - Lowak

The second episode of Echo is most notable for Maya Lopez's (Alaqua Cox) rather ridiculous stunt placing explosives on a moving train (are you telling me this was the easiest method?). The stunt is done well enough, but it takes more than a little disbelief (along with totally oblivious guards working for a man who would kill them for their ineptitude) that you'll have to overlook in order to accept it. It also puts everyone she's ever loved in danger, which is perplexing as we learn there were plenty of stops along the rail line which she could have targeted rather than her home town and her choice only furthers the chance of danger finding her family. 

Lift

I'm a sucker for heist films, but even for me Lift is a mixed bag with questionable casting choices and some notable plot issues. Playing against type, a toned-down Kevin Hart stars as super-thief Cyrus. After successfully staging a two-part theft in both Venice and London, and under pressure from Interpol, Cyrus and his team are recruited by Agent Abby Gladwell (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) to steal from a terrorist moving a half-billion dollars in gold to buy a device capable of creating natural disasters all over the world from a secret hacker collective.

Given her past romantic fling with Cyrus, Abby isn't exactly thrilled by her assignment. The rest of the team mainly consists of one-note characters such as Vincent D'Onofrio as a "master" of disguise (the joke being none of his disguises are any good), Úrsula Corberó as an unflappable pilot, Billy Magnussen as the over-enthusiastic safecracker, Viveik Kalra as the cowardly engineer, and Kim Yun Jee as the hacker (because you always need one in movies like this).

Delicious in Dungeon - Roast Basilisk/Omelet/Kakiag

The party's descent into the dungeon continues with three new recipes and challenges for the adventurers. Continuing to feel underappreciated, the annoying Marcille (Emily Rudd) makes a rather rash decision involving a giant bat that causes chaos but is ultimately helpful to the group. The episode is also notable for showcasing the trap prowess of Chilchuck (Casey Mongillo) who butts heads with the Senshi (SungWon Cho) over the dwarf not taking traps seriously, although the pair eventually come to and understanding and appreciation of each other's skill sets. The pair's verbal sparring is a nice visual representation of the show itself, in transforming a D&D adventure into something at least as equally centered around cooking and enjoying the sweet, sweet taste of monsters.

Fables #161

The penultimate issue of Fables arrive which overturns Bigby's victory over Peter Pan in the last issue as the villain cuts himself out of Bigby's stomach to stand triumphant. Next up for Pan is the irate Herne as the forest god unleashes his wrath on Pan. The rest of Bigby's pack is kept at bay for this issue, imprisoned by Tinkerbell who then arrives to turn the tide in Pan's battle against Herne. However, just as things look bleak for our heroes, one more warrior steps on the field.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians - A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers

Reunited after their adventure in St. Louis, and with even more eyes on them than before, Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) continue their quest running into not one but two gods before the episode concludes. During their meeting with Ares (AEW's Adam Copeland), the kids strike a bargain. For his help in getting them further west they agree to retrieve his shield... although the God of War forgets to mention that the shield is in the middle of a trap set by Hephaestus (Psych's Timothy Omundson) which will force them to leave one member of the quest behind.

American Fiction

American Fiction would be a fun paring with The TV Set or Yesterday as a double feature. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a lonely professor and struggling novelist whose work is often dismissed for not being black enough. After a dust up with a student forces an involuntary leave from the school, and while trying to avoid family drama he's not ready for, an angry and bitter Monk writes a novel under a pseudonym mercilessly parodying the worst black stereotypes only to find publishers and even movie producers lining up for My Pafology.

If that's all that was to the premise of writer/director Cord Jefferson's script it would be enough, but American Fiction offers much more with Monk dealing with the deteriorating mental health of his aging mother (Leslie Uggams), a death in the family, butting heads with his estranged brother (Sterling K. Brown), and a new romance. All that stress, added to his unintentional literary success he actively tries to kill, of course only drives him more crazy.

All of Us Strangers

Writer/director Andrew Haigh offers a stylish and delicate tale of early romance between Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal as neighbors in a mostly empty apartment building featuring great performances from both its leads. So where does my problem with All of Us Strangers lie? Without giving too much away, it's the shaky base of the film presented entirely from Adam's (Andrew Scott) point of view which gets problematic as we learn he's got a complicated relationship with reality.

First noticeable in the odd sequences with his parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), we can see the fraying tethers of Adam's grasp of reality. And despite the intricately woven tale, All of Us Strangers is a house of cards precariously wobbling. The confirmation at the end of the film shattered that design for me, as reality yanks out from underneath tumbling those cards down. It's a extremely complicated magic trick that looses much of its allure when the magician shows his hand.

The Brothers Sun - Pilot

What if The Parent Trap involved a Taiwan crime family? The first episode of The Brothers Sun introduces us to Charles Sun (Justin Chien), the crown prince of the criminal empire ruled over by his father (Johnny Kou). After his father is wounded in an attack on the family, Charles travels to Los Angeles to check in on his mother (Michelle Yeoh) and his younger brother Bruce (Sam Song Li) who has grown up in the United States completely oblivious to the family business. Bruce spends his time skating by on minimal work, attending community college, and secretly funding money into his love of improv.

SHAZAM! #7

SHAZAM! #7 is overflowing with chaos for our hero to deal with. We start out mid-battle between our Captain and a Bizarro Captain high in the skies above Fawcett City. Billy puts his brains to work to defeat the villain which he correctly surmises is a manifestation created by Felix Faust. On a high of the victory, Billy is also elated to learn his family is moving to a larger home. Unfortunately for our hero, there's more chaos to come.

Citadel - Tell Her Everything

Still largely concerned with coquettishly teasing Nadia (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) as the leading suspect to be Citadel's mole, "Tell Her Everything" opens with the man who used to be Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia rescuing Carter (Osy Ikhile) from a Manticore black site. After his accusations against Nadia, most of the episode takes place in an extended flashback filling in a bit of Nadia's spy romance with Mason and their time together at Citadel along with revealing that Kyle's current wife (Ashleigh Cummings) is also a mind-wiped Citadel agent.

Reacher - New York's Finest

After the only lead they had goes up in flames, literally, Reacher (Alan Ritchson) and his old friends start again. With only two more episodes in the season "New York's Finest" fills in several blanks to Reacher's investigation answering questions about the 650 stolen missiles and laying the foundation for the final two episodes of the season. In terms of the flashbacks, the episode is also notable for Reacher and his team being told to stand down on their heroin investigation which could make local military brass look bad foreshadowing the final piece of that storyline to unfold as well.

The Mandalorian - The Complete Second Season

After finishing the story of the Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu at the end of the First Season of The Mandalorian, the pair were thrown back together in The Book of Boba Fett. This makes the Second Season feel like a major step back for both characters, Grogu has abandoned his journey to become a Jedi and Din Djarin has returned to the strict ways of his upbringing despite learning to let go of those at the end of the previous season.

The Second Season isn't bad. It certainly has it's moments which include Din's cult accepting him, Grogu, and even Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) after their return from Mandalore leading to the united group's return to their homeworld in the season finale. And Grogu gets his own mode of transportation that is both incredibly cute and quite deadly (even if the episode that introduces it isn't one of the show's best). And too many of this season's episodes are middling with "The Convert" being a complete miss.

Echo - Chafa

Spinning out of the events of Hawkeye, Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) gets her own five-episode series with Echo. The opening episode "Chafa" feels a bit oddly cobbled together. Following an elaborate opening sequence taking place outside of time and space alluding to the origins of the Choctaw, we're given an episode focused on the childhood of young Maya (Darnell Besaw) growing up, racing through some individual scenes going into the family business, with the events of Hawkeye oddly jammed in, before picking up the thread of what happened to the character after the events of Hawkeye.

Birds of Prey #5

This series has begun to spin its wheels. With the novelty of the team's makeup worn off and no effort to really explain just what the hell the Megaera is or what it wants (other than Sin's body) there's not much of note in this issue except for repeated sequences of scenes we've already seen before, only less effective the second time around. For example, we get Barda versus Wonder Woman again, except this time Diana is mind-controlled by the Megaera making her a far less imposing threat leading to a different outcome.

Bob's Burgers - Mission Impossi-Bob

While Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) gets his own adventure trying to help a trapped Teddy (Larry Murphy) in a recluse's bunker, his absence provide the kids time to convince Linda (John Roberts) to cook a giant burger for a group of customers. Although I have serious doubts about whether or not they could have cooked the Beef-Hemoth all the way through, it's exactly the kind of thing Gene (Eugene Mirman), Tina (Dan Mintz), and Louise (Kristen Schaal) would champion. And as wacky as Bob's adventure is, he proves himself capable several times during his odd night out, finding Teddy on only the barest amount of information and even figuring out a way to protect Teddy calling him for help. All in all, a fun wacky time with the Belchers.

Marvel Meow #1

Marvel Meow #1 collects Nao Fuji's Infinity Comic digital series featuring the fluffy adorable cats from across the Marvel Universe owned by Earth's Mightiest Heroes (and a few villains) getting underfoot, and filling the pages will all kinds of cuddly cuteness. Highlights include Dr. Doom's solution to his loneliness taking a page from the heroes' feline friends, Mysterio getting more than he bargained for when Spider-Man mistakes him for Carol Danvers, various heroes offering to cat sit including the Fantastic Four, Wolverine and the X-Men, and Loki turning himself into a cat to get some attention (and have a little mischief), and Dr. Octopus playing with the cats of Black Cat.