Today's Entertainment

2 • December 16 - 22, 2018 • Brainerd Dispatch By Francis Babin TV Media T he holiday season is shaping up to be a real treat for comic book lov- ers and superhero fans. This month alone we will see "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," "Once Upon a Deadpool" and DC Comics' "Aqua- man" hit the big screen. While Spidey and others dominate the cineplexes, relax, catch up with your favorite small-screen heroes and enjoy some out-of-this-world action as they con- tinue their battle against the most dangerous criminals in the universe in an episode of "DC's Legends of To- morrow," airing Monday, Dec. 17, on CW. For years entertainment pundits have predicted that the superhero bubble would burst. It's just a matter of time, they'd say, as with all enter- tainment trends, before people even- tually tire of these types of stories and move on to something else (see the western). It seems, however, that the general public is quite content with the numerous superhero tales found on the big and small screen these days, and is not quite ready to move on. We are living in a golden age of television, and that extends to the su- perhero genre as well. Taking full ad- vantage of the medium's potential, CW and DC have created a rich uni- verse to showcase some of their best and most interesting characters and storylines. Since the debut of "Arrow" in 2012, the series has served as a launching pad for numerous new characters who have gone on to star in their own series, and in turn launch other characters such as The Flash. The Arrowverse is made up of the aforementioned "Arrow" and "The Flash," as well as "Supergirl," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" and two web series. In "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," we follow a rag-tag team of dysfunc- tional time-traveling superheroes as- sembled by Rip Hunter, the Time Mas- ter (Arthur Darvill, "Broadchurch") as they battle havoc-wreaking villains. The ever-growing Legends team is primarily comprised of Ray Palmer/ Atom (Brandon Routh, "Chuck"); Sara Lance/White Canary (Caity Lotz, "Mad Men"); Martin Stein (Victor Garber, "Alias") and Jefferson "Jax" Jackson (Franz Drameh, "Edge of To- morrow," 2014), who make up Firestorm; Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl (Ciara Renée, "Master of None"); Carter Hall/Hawkman (Falk Hentschel, "The Alienist"); Leonard Snart/Captain Cold (Wentworth Mill- er, "Prison Break"); and Mick Rory/ Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell, "Prison Break"). Over the course of three seasons, the Legends have fought many bat- tles against Vandal Savage (Casper Crump, "The Legend of Tarzan," 2016), Damien Darhk (Neal Mc- Donough, "Desperate Housewives") and other dastardly foes, but it seems that they have finally met their match. Last season ended on a trium- phant note as the team celebrated the defeat of the demon Mallus, but unfortunately things aren't as easy as they'd hoped. By defeating the sea- son's big bad, the team created more problems. Bigger problems. The barri- er between worlds has softened and magical creatures are penetrating our heroes' world like never before. This season, the team, along with John Constantine (Matt Ryan, "Con- stantine"), must contend with magi- cal creatures from myths, fairy tales and legends. These "fugitives," as our heroes refer to them, are extremely dangerous and have only death and destruction on their minds. Will our heroes be able to fend off these mon- sters? And how will the disintegrat- ing barrier between worlds impact the rest of the Arrowverse? Only time will tell, but what is certain is that it will be a wild ride. Due in large part to the massive success of the Marvel films, we live in a time of shared universes. Nowa- days, everything from "John Wick" (2014) to "The Conjuring" (2013) is trying to get in on the action by creat- ing series destined to spawn spinoffs, sequels, prequels and even the rare sidequel. Most of these cinematic universes have failed to take off (see the Dark Universe) or have been un- derwhelming both critically and com- mercially, but the Arrowverse and "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" have succeeded where most have failed. This success can be attributed to in- teresting characters, compelling plots and solid villains, among many other factors. Over the years, DC has earned a reputation for its dark, grim and ul- tra-serious films such as the recent blockbusters "Man of Steel" (2013) and "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016). Yet the company has taken a completely different ap- proach for its television properties. Unlike Ben Affleck's brooding (and extremely violent) Batman, the he- roes seen in the Arrowverse, and es- pecially in "DC's Legends of Tomor- row," are fun, quippy, flashy and ab- solutely over the top. Week after week, the time-travel- ing misfits visit new and fascinating places like Victorian London and 17th-century feudal Japan where they take on often ridiculous villains. The way Firestorm and the gang de- feat these villains is equally ridicu- lous. Case in point: last season ended with an epic battle between a stuffed toy (think of a Tickle Me Elmo) and a dragon demon. In short, the series is a unique breath of fresh air that does not take itself too seriously. On Monday, Dec. 17, recover from the stunning events of the "Else- worlds" crossover and reacquaint yourself with "DC's Legends of To- morrow" as they take on magical creatures from myths, fairy tales and legends on CW. The battle rages on Travel through time with 'DC's Legends of Tomorrow' Cover Story this week Caity Lotz as seen in "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon Over the weekend, a city in Nevada broke a world record by making a 5,000-pound serving of nachos. It was fun until a guy tried to grab one chip then dragged all 5,000 pounds onto his plate. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert One aide says the president is consumed with trying to decide who to blame for the Republicans election loss. Really, does he not own a mirror? The Late Late Show With James Corden Multiple sources are telling the Los Angeles Times that since the midterm elections, President Trump has "retreated into a cocoon of bitterness and resentment." Hillary Clinton was like, "Now you're going to take this job from me, too?" Jimmy Kimmel Live I get that California isn't the president's favorite state. But he could at least pretend to care about us. Like he does with Donald Jr. Late Night With Seth Meyers A bed slept in by Bill Clinton will be sold at an auction this weekend. But before you waste your money, most beds have been slept in by Bill Clinton. Late Laughs 13540 IRONWOOD DRIVE BRAINERD, MN 56401 HOURS MONDAY - FRIDAY 8AM-5PM Providing auto body repair in Brainerd, MN since 1996. Our company is an I-Car Gold Class Member, ASE Certified and Sikkens Waterbourne Certified. Our team is committed to 100% customer satisfaction. Choose Shannon's Auto Body for Collision Repair in Brainerd, MN & Beyond We are proud to provide service to customers across Aitkin County, Cass County, and Crow Wing County. www.shannonsautobody.com 218.829.6764 "Affordable, timely repairs done by an expert. 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