Welcome to the aftermath party of the previous episode, where all of our various heroes are wondering, where the heck is Dick Grayson?
Will Harper and his lady Artemis are having breakfast and discussing what to do with the glowing woman they rescued, having dubbed her for lack of a better handle, Halo. But figuring out what to do with her is supposed to be Dick’s problem, isn’t it, so where is he?
Elsewhere at a place called Happy Harbor, Superboy or rather Conner Kent, is mentally talking to his girlfriend Megan about the elephant in the Harbor, namely the guy formerly known as Prince Brion of Markovia. Who is currently watching his brother Gregor getting crowned King of Markovia, and getting all kinds of rage-y about it. Though that kind of rage is something Superboy has had to deal with before, this is a large Markovian issue and once again, where the hell is Dick Grayson to deal with it, already?
Off in Metropolis at the, what else, Luthor Grande Hotel, the man called Black Lightning but also Jeff, is calling Dick yet again to find out what the hell to do with Dr. Jace. Currently he’s put her up at the hotel, and he’s about to take her out to brunch for lack of anything else, but seriously Dick, what do we do now?
Turns out, Dick was off gathering Roy and Jim Harper for the next mission, and his last stop after accomplishing that is to head to Harper Securities, to recruit the boss, Will. Who is, after all the happenings of the previous episode, understandably reluctant to help Dick, unless he and the other Harpers come aid in a security job first. A shipment of Goode VR goggles is going out for delivery today and Harper Securities has been hired to provide, well, security. So all the Harpers and Grayson too, get spiffy security uniforms and it’s off to the semi-truck chases!
Artemis decides to take Halo to see Dr. Fate and see if he can’t divine some information about her origins or past, only to be privy to some very private scenes between Dr. Fate and his daughter, Zatanna, and their familial legacy.
Conner is trying to impart some patience to Brion through the judicious use of manual labor, which of course doesn’t sit too well with the pampered Prince.
Inevitably, a thug called Brick and his cronies are attempting to steal the entire shipment of VR goggles for some nefarious purpose, and Dick and the Harper fellows have to stop all of them! These being superheroes with no doubts as to their victory against the bad guys, Will decides right in the middle of a fight on a truck rooftop would be an excellent time to give Dick a talking-to about dropping the ball on his other responsibilities. And despite being a clone and therefore the youngest one there, according to Dick anyway, Will is inevitably right. The shipment is saved, all our fake security boys are heroes, and we even get treated to the end of a nighttime raid to save the metahuman trafficked kids left in Bedlams lair.
Life continues apace, and while we might have finally found Dick and figured out what he’s doing, plenty of other giant situations need tending to, and there’s still the nagging question of what can our heroes do to save the day, and night, next?
Tune in next time for Markovia’s new King’s first edicts, on ‘Young Justice Outsiders’!

Movie
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters

If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Events
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023


Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm