Boy has it been an incredible past couple of weeks for DC Comics in the mainstream. Of course, there are always news when it comes to what’s new in the comic book world, but for everyone else, television and movies are often the only outlets to some of the comic book properties. 2014-2015 television shows are being picked up and their initial trailers are being released and movie news for 2016 and beyond. Among these, it appeared that NBC, CW, Fox, and Warner Bros got together and said, “the month of May is when we’re gonna release all the awesome DC-related news”. Of course they didn’t actually do that, but damn it, it sure looked that way. In today’s post, we’re gonna take a look at all the related news that was released that are DC Comics related.
Batman Versus Superman News
So here’s the big one: the first real look at Batman vs. Superman, starting with Ben Affleck in the batsuit standing next to the Batmobile. The internet, me included, exploded in nerd boners, mostly praising the batsuit and its resemblance to Jim Lee and Frank Miller’s interpretation of the dark knight. As for my interpretation, I can only agree with most people. The suit is a definite calling to The Dark Knight Returns, which is consistent with the monologue that came with the announcement of this movie. The large bat symbol is meant to attract the criminal’s eye when shooting, so that they only remember the bat itself instead of looking at the face. Ben Affleck looks absolutely ripped in the suit, which seems to separate itself from the meshy and plated batsuits we’ve seen in the past by going for a more organic and rubbery look. I’m very happy with the obvious different direction they seem to be going in from the previous Batman movies.
There have been slight rumors that Wonder Woman’s costume is also going to be revealed. There has been rumors that it will follow a more gladiator-esque costume, which is more consistent with her Greek roots. I’m really hoping they aim for the Brian Azzarello New 52 interpretation of Wonder Woman, who is a fearsome yet caring warrior versus the Geoff Johns New 52 interpretation who is kind of a hot headed, blood thirsty, slightly naive warrior.
I’m sure they’ll continue to leak details as time goes on, and here’s hoping that there will be a Batman vs. Superman panel at this year’s Comic Con!
Oh my god, 2016 seems so far away…
The Arrow and The Flash on CW
Warner Bros. partially owns network the CW, so the two most recent DC superhero television interpretations of Superman (Smallville) and Green Arrow (Arrow) have aired on the CW. Smallville sort of pioneered a melodramatic superhero television show through 10 seasons. Arrow just wrapped up its very excellent season 2 this past Wednesday and has been renewed for a third season. The best news was that Barry Allen [aka The Flash] made a cameo appearance in the second season of Arrow. The CW hinted that they were interested in making The Flash into a fully fledged television show and after Barry’s warm reception, it got greenlit and is set to air with Arrow this Fall! As a tie in, it appears both shows will occasionally overlap, as seen in the extended show, which makes the idea of a Justice League that much closer. I absolutely adore Arrow and believe that the Flash will be just as or maybe even better than Arrow due to Barry’s much lighter and more effects driven personality and powers.
Watch the extended trailer for the Flash here
Gotham on Fox
Is there a Gotham City without Batman? Gotham on Fox aims to set up Gotham before the Caped Crusader watches over the city. This means we get to see Gotham at its supposed worst when the criminals aren’t afraid of a giant bat pummeling them in an alley. Leading the charge is a rookie Jim Gordon, who later becomes Commissioner and one of Batman’s closest confidants. As a passionate Batman fan, I will be keeping this show on a close watch, observing how they handle the transformations of what is likely the most recognizable set of Rogues in comic book history. Producers on the show promise us the origin stories of all of Batman’s Rogues from the Penguin to the Joker to Poison Ivy. What makes me excited about this show is that it appears to be created by Batman fans, who will surely fill each episode with easter eggs galore [if there is at least ONE Court of Owls reference, I'm going to nerdgasm all over the place.] The show looks gritty and dark, as Gotham should be, but there have been gritty and dark dramas in the past, so does that mean just because the big bad of the episode is The Penguin mean that it will be better than others that been cancelled in the past? I’m not sure, but I’ll be sure to let you know as I watch.
iZombie on CW
I know nothing about this comic or tv show barring the plot description and that it’s pulled from DC’s ‘indie’ publisher line Vertigo. From a quick summary, it appears that this coroner is an actual zombie who munches on the brains of her ‘patients’ and can simultaneously solve crimes by absorbing the info in their brains. It sounds kind of campy and “Pushing Daisies”-esque, but after looking at some of the Google images, I found myself really attracted to the art style, so much that I added the first four volumes of the comic book into my cart.
Constantine on NBC
Now I kind of liked the Keanu Reeves adaptation back in 2005. But apparently fans of the comics before then were incredibly upset about the non-British and broody interpretation of their British and dry witted exorcist. NBC aimed to correct what comic fans were upset with previously by reinterpreting the favored aloof ‘Dabbler in the Dark Arts’. Honestly, I really liked the trailer and it looks like a great paranormal television series. I never kept up with Supernatural based on the incredibly intimidating 8+ season series,but this looks like a great way to jump onboard a new witty paranormal hunting television show.
Vertigo Properties Incoming
Vertigo is the “indie publisher” of DC Comics, they published a lot of DCs lesser known but still relevant titles such as League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Fables, and more. When the Flash, Constantine, and iZombie got greenlit, it was mentioned that more Vertigo properties were being considered. While nothing is set in stone, some of the more popular titles that I mentioned above could very easily be one of the series that will be pursued. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen [another panned movie that I kinda liked, though comic book readers {which was me a couple of years after I watched the movie} were NOT happy with what happened to their favorite literary characters.] could be really neat if it followed a little more closer to the comic books. Fables, which could be interpreted as NBCs Grimm or ABCs Once Upon a Time, could be really neat if it had a higher budget like if was on HBO.
The Justice League Movie…in 2018
Obviously a fanmade poster, but it still gives me chills.
In 2018, there is going to be a Justice League movie. My god that’s nearly 4 years from now. There are rumors that more than just Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are going to be in Batman vs. Superman in 2016, such as Cyborg. It appears that Batman vs. Superman is going to introduce the idea of many meta humans being on Earth. That means we might get Green Lantern, Aquaman, and the Flash all on the same screen in 2018! How absolutely incredible would that be!? The closest thing we have to something like this is the Avengers. What makes this even more exciting is that the Justice League is often compared to being more like Gods versus their rival Avengers which sports one demi-god and a bunch of transformed humans. A massive Justice League fight could be a next level disaster porn that would [insert graphic and excessive euphemisms for nergasming]. Man of Steel director Zack Snyder is confirmed for directing again, which could lead to some incredible special effects. Logistics of how such a super hero studded movie can work be damned, this will be THE MOVIE to watch in 2018.
Let me hear what you guys are excited for!