Sand Demon is set to debut in the second episode of The Flash’s second season, titled “The Flash of Two Words”.
A description of the character’s back-story is below:
“Eddie Slick, who resembled Martin Stein, was a boxing promoter who was involved with the mob. When an operation went bad, the mob blamed Eddie and proceeded to bury him alive. This was where he found out how to use his powers and was able to escape by controlling the sand.”
Sand Demon first appeared in Firestorm #52, however he only lasted in the comic for two years as he was killed off by creators Gerry Conway and Joe Brozowski, in Firestorm #75.
The second season of The Flash begins airing on October 6th.
Our interview with special make-up effects creator Robert Kurtzman is now up on our YouTube channel! You can listen to the interview below.
Robert is best-known for his work as Freddy Krueger’s head de-merge effects supervisor and special make-up effects artist on A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. His other notable works include producer, director, writer, cinematographer, visual effects producer and special make-up effects producer on The Rage, director, visual effects producer, special make-up effects producer and special effects director on Buried Alive, co-producer, screen-writer and make-up effects supervisor on From Dusk till Dawn, special make-up effects unit crew on Evil Dead II, special effects supervisor on Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, creature effects crew on Predator, special make-up effects supervisor on Scream, make-up artist on Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, director and special make-up effects on Wishmaster, special make-up effects on From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money and From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter, character prosthetics supervisor and special make-up effects artist on Austin Powers in Goldmember, visual effects supervisor on The Devil’s Rejects and special make-up effects supervisor on Army of Darkness.
Our interview with special make-up effects creator Robert Kurtzman will be uploaded to our YouTube channel today!
Robert is best-known for his work as Freddy Krueger’s head de-merge effects supervisor and special make-up effects artist on A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. His other notable works include producer, director, writer, cinematographer, visual effects producer and special make-up effects producer on The Rage, director, visual effects producer, special make-up effects producer and special effects director on Buried Alive, co-producer, screen-writer and make-up effects supervisor on From Dusk till Dawn, special make-up effects unit crew on Evil Dead II, special effects supervisor on Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, creature effects crew on Predator, special make-up effects supervisor on Scream, make-up artist on Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, director and special make-up effects on Wishmaster, special make-up effects on From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money and From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter, character prosthetics supervisor and special make-up effects artist on Austin Powers in Goldmember, visual effects supervisor on The Devil’s Rejects and special make-up effects supervisor on Army of Darkness.
We hope you’re looking forward to the uploading of the interview.
The third episode of Dragons: Race to the Edge sees Hiccup and the gang leaving Berk to explore beyond the archipelago with the Dragon Eye, which leads on from the cliff-hanger in the previous episode where Hiccup finally manages to get the Dragon Eye working.
Just like the last episode, a new type of dragon is introduced and it was definitely a memorable one. I pointed out in our first Race to the Edge episode review that (much like Marvel’s Daredevil series) it feels like the How To Train Your Dragon TV shows are allowed to be darker on Netflix. The new dragon, called the Death Song, is a definite indication of this. The dragon lures other dragons to their death with a song, but on top of that, it’s basically a cannibal dragon as the death it inflicts is by eating them. I have to admit that it was a really good idea to have a dragon like the Death Song that eats other dragons. Naturally, as Dragons is still aimed at a younger audience, it doesn’t actually show this happening but it’s heavily implied on at least two occasions and sometimes things only need to be implied to have a large impact.
As well as the Death Song, I really liked how the showrunners decided to not immediately have our heroes find their island to settle on (considering so much publicity was on the Dragon’s Edge which we will eventually get to) and have them trying out islands first. This is a good story-telling idea because (as is the case in this episode) things may be too good to be true, as the island they settle on seems peaceful until they discover the Death Song. This was a good story-telling angle to use instead of having Hiccup and co. settling on island immediately after leaving Berk.
Out of curiosity, did anyone else tense up in the council scene when Stoick tells Toothless to look after Hiccup? Knowing what happens in How To Train Your Dragon 2 (with Race to the Edge taking place a year before the second film) makes the scene really stand out.
I’ve also had a question on my mind for a while- We’ve seen Thunderdum dragons in Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk but I could swear that this is the first episode to mention they don’t have great hearing. I don’t remember that ever being mentioned before but I could be wrong. Did anyone else think about this watching the episode? I could be mistaken.
In my opinion, the third episode of Race to the Edge is a key episode that, in some way, feels like the first episode of Race to the Edge. By this I mean that it’s the episode where Hiccup and the others leave Berk to find their own island so they can continue exploring, with the previous two episodes setting up future events (bringing back Dagur the Deranged and the discovery of the Dragon Eye). The Death Song was a really interesting new dragon and having an episode with the heroes trying to find a suitable island was a necessary addition, in my opinion. I don’t think the episode was perfect but it was very important in moving the story along, which sometimes is what matters the most.
My rating: 8/10
By Ruari Williamson
*The opinions in this article are of the writer and do not represent the views of all of the Everything Geek Podcast staff*.
Following on from the first episode of Dragons: Race to the Edge, the second episode of the two-part opener continued on from the cliff-hanger the last episode ended on. Naturally Hiccup decides to save his friends over catching Dagur the Deranged, yet (by some fortune) he is still able to catch Dagur and recover the Dragon Eye anyway after saving his friends. If I’m being honest, this was my problem with this episode and I think Dagur should have had the Dragon Eye for a few episodes. The implication of Hiccup having to make a choice implies that if Hiccup chooses one things he can’t do the other, therefore I feel he should have saved his friends and Dagur would get away.
That aside, the rest of the episode was really great. The scenes where various character try to open the Dragon Eye were entertaining and Gobber’s attempts at being a healer was hilarious. The humour was great in the first episode but was really picked up big-time in this episode.
We also see a new dragon introduced in this episode- the Snow Wraith. I found this dragon to be very interesting and it was great how the Snow Wraith really was part of the plot (unlocking the mysteries of the Dragon Eye), rather than just being a new dragon for the sake of creating a new dragon. The idea of including a snow dragon such as the Snow Wraith also allowed to crew to explore a snowy area, which in my opinion was animated perfectly (though shouldn’t our heroes have brought warmer clothes?). What I really liked about the dragon as well was, the Snow Wraith could detect people or other dragons by their heat. This was an interesting idea to use with a dragon, in my opinion.
Another thing I liked in this episode is we finally get back-story on Gothi, the old lady who never talks and communicates through her staff. We learn that she has a history with the Snow Wraith (including a flashback scene where a younger Gothi is attacked by the Snow Wraith leaving a scar on her arm). The back-story was really interesting and made sense in the plot of the episode, plus they kept up the humour with her as well (Gobber mis-interpreting her staff communication and her tripping Snotlout among the highlights). After seeing the great back-story the writers gave Gothi, I wouldn’t mind seeing the same done for other lesser-known Berkians.
The episode ends with Hiccup and Toothless managing to activate the Dragon Eye, which shows a hologram featuring multiple dragon types. Hiccup then declares that it changes everything.
In my opinion, this episode was a really follow up to the first episode of Race to the Edge. I did have a problem with the start of the episode as I felt it was too easy for Hiccup to receover the Dragon Eye from Dagur, but the rest of the episode made up for it and it ended up being a really good episode. The Snow Wraith dragon was very nice, getting back-story on Gothi was great and this episode (like the previous episode) ended on a great cliff-hanger, this time with the activation of the Dragon Eye. The humour was also picked up superbly in this episode.
My rating: 9/10
By Ruari Williamson
Note: Anyone else wonder how Savage randomly returns in this episode having not been on Outcast Island or Dagur’s ship in the last episode? And didn’t he kind of disappear in the Defenders of Berk finale? Those two questions aside, they also got rid of his nice moustache. Oh well, at least I can still look at Kenny’s from The Walking Dead Game. Wait, Telltale Games got rid of that? No!
*The opinions in this article are of the writer and do not represent the views of all of the Everything Geek Podcast staff*.
After the success of How To Train Your Dragon 2 (the sequel to the original film released in 2010), it was a time for a new TV series following Dragons: Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk. The new series was titled Dragons: Race to the Edge instead of airing on TV like the previous series, Race to the Edge was put on Netflix instead.
For those who aren’t aware, Race to the Edge is being released as 13 episodes every six months. 52 episodes are planned in total, meaning at least four batches of 13 episodes are coming. The first batch was released on June 26th.
In my opinion, the first episode really starts off in a good way and was a great opening episode for Race to the Edge. We knew going into the show that the new series takes place a year before How To Train Your Dragon 2, and that’s evident at the start of the episode with Hiccup’s narration as various buildings seen in the sequel are being built, while Hiccup narrates that it has been three years since the war with the Berserkers (Defenders of Berk). This was a really good way to tie both the second film and Defenders of Berk together through Race to the Edge.
Not only are elements of How To Train Your Dragon 2 already being established, but it’s interesting how most of Hiccup’s friends have moved on and gotten themselves jobs. Snotlout tests out new weapons, Tuffnut and Ruffnut have dedicated themselves to Loki and Fishlegs is teaching kids the history of Berk. We also get a scene where Astrid reveals to Hiccup that she has joined the Berk Guard, leaving Hiccup and Toothless with no one to fly with. The following scene where Hiccup visits the Dragon Academy as the only member who hasn’t quit really showed how far they had come, as well as how disappointing it was to Hiccup that his friends wouldn’t have time to fly with him anymore.
I have to be honest here, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Dagur the Deranged in Riders and Defenders of Berk. David Faustino undoubtedly did a great job as the character (and continues to do so here), but I always preferred Alvin the Treacherous (whose turn to an anti-hero was brilliantly written). That said, I actually prefer Dagur in Race to the Edge. He and his followers escape Outcast Island and I feel like (if possible) his time in prison made him even more deranged which is amusing to watch (and his comment that Hiccup now looks like a ladies man is hilarious).
Dagur’s escape from Outcast Island is only one of the important events in the episode, as Hiccup’s discovery (and later Dagur’s stealing) of the Dragon Eye is very interesting and makes you wonder what it’s useful for you. If I had a small complaint to make (not about the episode), I felt like there was too much publicity of the Dragon Eye through trailers and clips going into the episode (it was pretty clear that Hiccup was going to discover it and Dagur would steal it from him). The Dragon Eye barely features in the episode as it appears late in the episode but it does make you wonder why Dagur considers it to be very important.
Here’s an interesting note I wanted to make as well- With Netflix, a lot of people have been saying that shows on Netflix can do things (especially scenes that are dark) that they can’t do on TV. A lot of people point to Marvel’s Daredevil series this year as a prime example, but I also feel that Race to the Edge is allowed to be darker than Riders and Defenders of Berk was. The scene where Hiccup and Toothless are walking through the Reaper and see the dragon skulls was very creepy.
In my opinion, the opening episode of Race to the Edge couldn’t have been much better. We see how a number of characters have moved on since the Defenders of Berk season finale and several characters from the previous show return in this episode (including Dagur, Trader Johann, Mulch and Bucket). The main tool to move the story along in Race to the Edge (the Dragon Eye) is discovered and the episode ends on a cliff-hanger with Hiccup having to choose between saving his friends or stopping Dagur.
My rating: 9/10
By Ruari Williamson
Fun fact: The character of Mulch was voiced by Tim Conway in Riders and Defenders of Berk, but in Race to the Edge he is now voiced by Tom Kenny.
*The opinions in this article are of the writer and do not represent the views of all of the Everything Geek Podcast staff*.
Fear The Walking Dead returns for its third episode having taken a break last weekend, but the third episode kicks things up a notch and makes it appear like the show hadn’t taken a break at all.
There were a couple of things that I really liked about this episode. In the last two episodes we’ve seen the three families that will feature as the first season’s main characters (the Clark’s, the Manawa’s and the Salazar’s) but this was the first episode to actually have them all on-screen together. This made it interesting to see the dynamic they will have and whether there will be any friction between characters (such as Madison and Liza considering they’ve both dated Travis), but I also feel it’s good because it helps to show the roles each character has. For example, Travis definitely looks like he will be the moral compass of the group (and if the main series is any indication the moral compasses usually die) and Daniel Salazar is clearly going to be the character capable of doing things the others can’t or won’t, like when he puts down one of their neighbours who has turned. The dynamic of the group is going to be very interesting in the rest of the season.
One of the things I’ve seen fans of the main series say is they wish more animals included in the show, so it was nice to see a dog featured well in this episode (though it sadly met a gruesome end).
In my review of the previous episode, I mentioned how I loved the real world elements they had in the episode like including protests which continued in this episode (and were so large to the extent that none of the protestors saw a Walker biting into a riot guard). “The Dog” ended with the National Guard being brought in to clear up the Clark’s estate which I thought was a great idea. I don’t know about all of you but I have a feeling they’ll end up doing more harm than good in the rest of the season…
By the way, here’s a suspicion I had watching the episode. If you noticed, when a plane flies overhead during one scene the camera focuses quite a lot on its flight path. If you’ve been following The Walking Dead related news, you’d know a special episode has been announced featuring survivors fighting Walkers on a plane. You may think what I’m about to suggest is wild speculation (however you should keep in mind that the announcement confirmed one of the characters in the special will appear in the next season of Fear), but I strongly think that the plane is the one that will be featured in the special episode. Why else would the camera have focused on it so much in that scene?
In contrast to the previous episode, most of the deaths in this episode were either featured Walkers or smaller part characters whereas the first two episodes had supporting characters die. The deaths included Peter Dawson and Susan Tran (both of whom had turned and were put down in this episode), the dog and a couple of officers. The Cruz family (or some of you may remember them better as the party family in the previous episode) were also confirmed to have been killed following the attack on them in the previous episode.
I think this episode followed up the first two episodes perfectly. The episode continued on with the mysteries of what was happening and the use of protests to show the fall of civilisation was again a very good idea. We see that important services are already being infiltrated by the undead, such as the hospital that a Walker was shot in front of. The arrival of the National Guard at the end of the episode felt very ominous and it will be interesting to see what happens with their involvement in the rest of the season.
My rating: 10/10
By Ruari Williamson
*The opinions in this article are of the writer and do not represent the views of all of the Everything Geek Podcast staff*.
After the solid start that was the pilot episode, the second episode of Fear The Walking Dead picked things up in a big way.
The thing that really stood out me in the episode is how people reacted to things differently (last episode I mentioned how the Walkers look very fresh which contributes to this point) and how very real world elements were used here. The idea of having a protest surrounding a seemingly innocent death (which was really the killing of a Walker) was a great idea to showcase civilisation falling as most have no clue what the person really was. The crowd just saw a “homeless man” being killed and responded to that. Great idea, in my opinion.
Another of my favourite parts in this episode was the team-up in the school of Madison and Tobias. Kim Dickens is a great actress but I didn’t really feel like her character Madison stood out to me in the pilot episode. The second episode changed my opinion on her. Not only because of the team-up with Tobias but because of how conflicted she is and how unsure she is of what’s really going on (like at the end of the episode when she stops Alicia from trying to protect the family that had been partying actress the street). Tobias was a really interesting character in the pilot episode and I’m glad they did more with him this episode, as he clearly is already sort of aware of what’s going on and measures he needs to take to keep himself alive. I’m glad he survived this episode as well and I think he could become Fear’s version of Morgan, i.e. a character who shows up every now and again and is more clued into what is going on.
We also get to see more of characters that we only briefly see in the pilot as well as new characters. Two of these characters are Liza Ortiz and Christopher, Travis’ family. They were both developed very well in this episode and it was interesting to see the family dynamic Travis has with them. It’s funny because we see Travis trying to fit into the Clark family and struggling with his old family. Definitely shows the family feel the crew said they were going for before the series began airing.
The episode also features four deaths (including one Walker). In the pilot the last we hear of Matt is that he’s not responding to Alycia’s texts (including a particularly foreshadowing text) and this episode reveals he was bitten off-screen and Travis, Madison and Alycia leave him to turn. Art Costa, the principal of the school featured in Fear, is found reanimated by Madison and Tobias (which leads to a great scene where Madison and Tobias struggle to put him down). It’s funny as there was a small scene in the pilot where I thought Art was going to be found as a Walker when he’s facing his lockers. Possibly foreshadowing again there. The final confirmed death was Peter Dawson.
Note: For any of you who struggle to keep up with events happening in an episode, the Walker attacking the party family at the end of the episode was Peter Dawson. If you noticed during the episode a neighbour of the Clark family was loading things into his vehicle and coughing. This was foreshadowing his turning into a Walker and attacking other residents on the street at the end of the episode.
In my opinion, this episode was a perfect follow up to the pilot episode. The pilot episode was a good opener albeit slow but this episode picked up in a big way. We see more of characters introduced in the pilot as well as more Walkers, the virus starting to become more widespread and I thought the idea of the protests was excellent. The second episode definitely sets up an interesting rest of the season with the virus becoming more widespread.
My rating: 9/10
By Ruari Williamson
*The opinions in this article are of the writer and do not represent the views of all of the Everything Geek Podcast staff*.
After a long wait, the pilot episode of The Walking Dead companion series, Fear The Walking Dead, aired on AMC.
First of all, before I go into the characters and plot of the pilot episode- I do want to say that Fear The Walking Dead is both different and similar to the main series. The location, characters and timing (the show being set at the very beginning of the apocalypse) are the obvious differences but it still feels very much like part of The Walking Dead universe. This is done (in my opinion) by Fear being very similar to the main series in that it focuses on dialogue and is character driven, without being a casual action-packed zombie flick.
I found the characters of Fear The Walking Dead (that we’ve been introduced to so far) to be very interesting and believable. Drug addict Nick Clark is by far my favourite character so far played superbly by Frank Dillane (who also appeared in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). I think it was a great idea that a drug addict would be the first character to see a Walker (his friend Gloria). Travis Manawa, played by Cliff Curtis, also stood out to me and it’s interesting to see him trying to play a role in the Clark family (we only get one or two scenes with the other Manawa family members Liza Ortiz and Christopher though). Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) and Alicia Clark (Alycia Debnam Carey) do a good job in the other lead roles but didn’t stand out as much to me.
As for the supporting cast, Tobias (Lincoln A. Castellanos), Art Costa (Scott Lawrence), Matt Sale (Maestro Harrell) and Calvin (Keith Powers) all contributed well in their supporting roles and made me want to see more of them (except Calvin, of course, as he dies in the pilot).
If I did have one complaint about the pilot (though taking into consideration it’s the start of a pilot episode so it makes sense why this complaint happens) is certain locations appearing frequently throughout the episode, examples including the church and hospital. It’s a small complaint but I felt like we could have seen a little less of both locations as it sometimes felt like we kept coming back to both.
Here’s something that I have to admit surprised me. In the main series there are certain elements regarding Walkers that aren’t really revealed right away (or were in the main series but I was expecting them to be more dragged out in this series). Two elements that come to mind are regardless of how you get killed you become a Walker and headshots. I’ll talk about both in a bit more detail:
In the main series it’s not until the Season 2 finale episode “Beside the Dying Fire” that it’s revealed that everyone is infected and will become a Walker regardless of how they die (until then the characters assumed they had to be bitten to turn). Even though no characters actually state it in the episode (as the scene related to it is near the end of the episode) Nick kills Calvin by shooting him in the heartand Calvin turns into a Walker. Considering how long it took until the main series came out and revealed this I was surprised how Fear (essentially) covered it very early on its series. I’m guessing they didn’t want to drag that reveal out again.
Again something that wasn’t necessarily stated, but when Alycia and her friends are watching the footage video in school one of her friends says “Headshot!” like a video-gamer would when the Walker is shot in the head). The main series covered headshots pretty quickly too and I feel likethe scene is foreshadowing future events. My guess is it’s Alicia who will think back on it and point out to the others that they need to aim for the heads.
On the topic of Walkers, seeing fresh Walkers again was very interesting seeing as most Walkers in the main series now are very decayed (even recently turned Walkers don’t have quite as fresh a look anymore).
As far as deaths that take place in the pilot, there aren’t very many if you think about it. Gloria dies off-screen and is introduced as a Walker, an Old Man dies and two junkies are found dead. The only significant death is Calvin. I felt the scenes with Calvin and Nick were really well done and I think the build up to Calvin’s death was great (it made sense that Calvin would attempt to kill Nick to stop anyone finding out about his drug operations). I thought that death scene was really well done and props to both actors for a well done fight scene.
In my opinion this was a solid start to Fear The Walking Dead. If you’re worried that the show will feel too much like a “spin-off series”, I don’t think you’ll have anything to fear as the show is different enough with the similarities mostly being in that Fear is dialogue and character driven just like the main series. There isn’t a lot of action in the pilot but honestly I wasn’t expecting much (if I’m being honest I expected the first 30 minutes to only show human characters and the rest might include running into a couple of Walkers) so I was surprised when we got our first Walker (Gloria) within three minutes. I think it was great they spent so much time building up the characters in the pilot and this will give them more time to explore other things as the show moves on.
For what it’s worth, here is something else I have to say- If you’re going to compare this pilot to the first episode of The Walking Dead, “Days Gone Bye”, you’re definitely not going to enjoy the Fear The Walking Dead pilot as much as you could otherwise. Fear starts right at the beginning of the apocalypse and in the main series the apocalypse has already been happening for a few months. This means the main series could get right into the bones of the apocalypse while Fear has to build it up.
My rating: 8/10
By Ruari Williamson
*The opinions in this article are of the writer and do not represent the views of all of the Everything Geek Podcast staff*.
Details for the Political state of the Galaxy before, during and after Star Wars Episode VII: The force Awakens have rumoured to be available.
They state that, after Return of the Jedi and before the events of The Force Awakens, Supreme Leader Snoke began corrupting the Republic senate set up after the events of Star Wars VI.
Remembering the opulence of the Imperial Senate before Palpatine’s betrayal, Snoke’s allure is attractive for the greedy politicians.
The Republic and the First Order signed Treaties stopping any attacks unless the First Order stayed in the Outer Rim, beyond Republic territories.
General Organa started a secret Resistance to thwart any suspected First Order advancements while the Republic rebuilt itself. The corrupt and old Imperial Senators (now Republic senators) want the First Order to prevail so they can restore the Imperial Senate they once prospered in.
The treaty is broken after the events of The Force Awakens, the First Order is known to be a threat because of the use of the Starkiller.
The Republic is ripped apart as Senators side with Snoke and others side with democracy.
The Galactic Civil War returns and the Galaxy can no longer claim it solved the crisis after Palpatine’s death.
Keep in mind that these are only rumours, and have not been confirmed by Lucasfilm or Disney.
