Grant Morrison Leaving Action Comics And Batman Incorporated To Focus On Other Works

In a recent interview with Comic Book Resources, Grant Morrison revealed that he is going to step away from any superhero work for the forseeable future. Morrison explains,

"I'm coming to the end of long runs and stories I've had planned in my notebooks for years and the stuff I'm developing now is quite different.

The "Action Comics" run concludes with issue #16, "Batman Incorporated" wraps up my take with issue #12, and after that I don't have any plans for monthly superhero books for a while. "Multiversity" is eight issues and I'm 30-odd pages into a Wonder Woman project but those are finite stories.

I'm not saying that I'll never write superheroes again. It's just that my relationship to them has changed especially after finishing the book and I'm not sure if I want to maintain the same kind of relentless level of production."

Morrison will take his time away from superheroes to focus on his upcoming Image series, Happy!, his four-issue series with Darick Robertson.

There has not yet been any announcement from DC Entertainment as to who will be taking over the writing duties from Morrison on either book.

Batman Inc #3 Delayed Due To Aurora, Colo. Shooting

DC Entertainment today had announced that it will be delaying the release of "Batman Inc #3" for one month in light of the recent shooting in Aurora, Colo. The delay is due to fact that some of the content in the new issue may be perceived as insensitive in nature due to recent events.

"Out of respect for the victims and families in Aurora, Colo., DC Entertainment has made the decision to postpone the release of "Batman Inc. #3" for one month because the comic contains content that may be perceived as insensitive in light of recent events," DC Entertainment said in a statement.

Twelve people were killed and 58 were left injured in a shooting that occured last Friday at a midnight screening of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises".

While DC did not give any specifics of the exact nature of the "insensitive" content of the issue, Chris Burnham, the illustrator of the series, posted on Twitter that the delay was "due some grim imagery that would seem wholly inappropriate given the Aurora killings."

The new release date for the issue will be Aug 22.

THE JUSTICE LEAGUE RETURNS TO PREVENT EARTH’S “DOOM”

The Paley Center in Beverly Hills hosted the Justice League: Doom, Los Angeles premiere this week. Directors Lauren Montgomery and Andrea Romano joined LA Times Hero Complex’s Geoff Boucher and some of the cast to discuss the making of the film as well. The thirteenth animated film from DC Comics and Warner Home Video features the return of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and arrival of new Justice League member, Cyborg. The film gives fans (of all ages) large doses of action, humor, and suspense.

filmaffinity.com

PHOENIX COMICON 2011 - DC Comics Talent

Today on Day 2 of Phoenix Comic Con was filled with mingling with DC Comics artists. During the DC Comics and Brightest Day panel, which was hosted by Joel Gomez, Scott Clark, and Dave Beaty,  the artists who worked on Brightest Day got to talk about their experiences working on the series.

left to right: Gomez, Beaty, Clark

WonderCon 2011 - Day One

Day one of the 25th Wonder Con is officially over and what a day it was. The con had developed some major hype leading up to it's opening days with news of the presence of the Green Lantern movie cast and several big comic book names making appearances to the promise of never before seen footage, premieres and big comics announcements. WonderCon was in such high demand that 3 day passes were not able to be sold on site and it looks like 1-day, Saturday passes will also be sold out. If you did not have a chance to make it to San Francisco for the big weekend, read on for coverage from Fanboy HQ's first day on site.

As always, the day starts with lines. Lines to get inside, lines to get exclusives, and lines to get in more lines. The big event of the day was the Green Lantern film panel being held in the early evening hours including appearances by the stars Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively and moderated by Green Lantern creative genius, Geoff Johns.

Check out our Green Lantern article here for more details on the panel. And you can see more pictures in our web album here.

Other panels on today's schedule were 2 DC Comics panels, DC Nation and DC Comics: Green Lantern that highlighted some of the details going on with the DC Universe leading up to this Summer's Flashpoint series (because "we can't talk about anything past Flashpoint" they said). There were on the spot polls taken by Dan Didio co-publisher of DC Comics about many topics and a lot of discussion about the War of the Green Lanterns with Geoff Johns and Eddie Berganza. More details from these panels can be found in our DC Nation and DC Comics: Green Lantern posts.

The Exhibit Hall floor was large and full of excitement. Within 2 minutes of entering the floor Fanboy HQ was already directed to a different line for a chance to draw tickets to possibly be able to buy the Graphitti Designs exclusive White Lantern Batman and Flash action figures. Although it was kind of a pain for the whole process, we did succeed at getting to buy these great figures.

Check out the WonderCon exclusives page for pics of the Batman figure too.

There was SWAG from DC Comics being handed out including copies of comics, buttons, and posters. The Marvel booth was hosting cheering contests for random Marvel merchandise including figures and comics. Artist's Alley was large and well populated with big and small name artists displaying great work. I spent time talking with Joel Gomez, Jeph Loeb (didn't have a booth, but was in the area) and J. Scott Campbell. I also bumped into Geoff Johns and Frank Quitely walking around the exhibit hall floor.

And what comic convention would not be complete without costumed folks? Check out some photos below and more online at our web album.

Also, the Marriott Marquis hotel (the Convention hotel) had some tie ins - we were awoken this morning to a knock on the door and a delivery of a message from S.H.I.E.L.D. (yes, that S.H.I.E.L.D.) saying we'd been recruited and to turn the TV on to get a special message. It was talk of the S.H.I.E.L.D. discovery in the New Mexico desert of Mjolnir, Thor's hammer (and a plug for ACURA, marketing partner in the new Marvel Avengers film). It was a really cool way to bring the Con out of the Moscone Center.

Tomorrow is another full day. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates throughout the day and online each night for summaries and photos.

Martin Bright, 4/1/2011

Green Lantern Movie Panel - WonderCon 2011

It's a summer of superhero movies and that seemed to be on the mind of everyone at WonderCon day 1 seemed to be Green Lantern. I have never seen so many green superhero shirts in the same vicinity. And Warner Bros. knew they had a great audience to vet footage from their upcoming trailer and film for the all new Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds, Mark Strong, Blake Lively, and Peter Sarsgaard among many other big names. Moderated by Geoff Johns and including 2 of the films biggest stars Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. The footage was amazing and seemed to calm several of the doubting fans.
The footage shown was parts of the trailer that will be shown before the opening of the Thor movie coming out in the beginning of May. While Geoff Johns, co-producer on the project, said it was not the final cut of the trailer, there was a good 5 minutes of footage. WARNING!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!!! to avoid the spoilers, ignore the red text below:

The clips started with Abin Sur attempting to communicate with Sinestro before the ship is attacked, by Parallax. The attack leaves Abin Sur mortally wounded and in an escape pod headed for Earth. Parallax looks alot like a yellow cloud crossed with the giant-bug-alien from the first Men In Black and completely infiltrated the ship. Next we cut to Hal Jordan finding Abin Sur and receiving the ring and instructions to activate the lantern. Back at home, Jordan attempts (with some humor) to unlock the lantern before being sorta hypnotized by the lantern to recite the Green Lantern Oath and be shot through space to the planet of Oa. Jordan meets Tomar Re (voiced by Geoffery Rush) and learns about his suit and powers then we get cut to Sinestro speaking to the Green Lantern Corps. (the entire corps. - several cameos!). The clip finished up with quick shots of the Hector Hammond, more Parallax, and Carol Ferris. 


Still here? Good! Needless to say, the trailer should help propel the movie to a box office success. After the footage and introduction of Reynolds and Lively, the Q&A portion was opened to the audiences. Lots of "I love you Ryans" and "You're great on Gossip Girl, Blake" were shared amongst questions. Alot of funny remarks and back and forths between the two stars as well about how cool it was to do stunts or how the body suit was like "a coffin with a zipper" in the August, Louisiana heat. Some of Reynold's best remark to questions were:

Q: Do/Did you read the comics?
Reynolds: "Yes, I'd be an asshole if I didn't"

Q: How do you think the large amount of superhero movies will affect Green Lantern?
Reynolds: What, you don't think people in this room are excited for all these movies? You think they're holding out for Black Swan 2?

Q: What's it like playing a villain like Deadpool and a good guy like Green Lantern, and which do you prefer?
Reynolds: First off, Deadpool isn't a villain, he's an asshole...

Another question led to Blake Lively talking about the possibility of playing Star Sapphire in a sequel She'd love to and would like to have a little more to the front of the costume (to which the audience booed) and would like the chance to beat up Ryan in a fight. Ryan added, "I'm pretty sure the name of the movie is Green Lantern and I'd win."

Reynolds was also asked to recite the Oath, but was reluctant and instead tried to get an audience participation recital of the famous statement. He started it, Geoff Johns helped a little and the audience came in at the very end to finish it off. I'm sure he is trying to avoid being asked that question for the rest of his career and save it for on screen only.

Overall very fun panel and a great way to promote the film which has not seen very much marketing due to the high amount of special effects involved and still being polished. Finally, another tidbit spun off from a question to Reynolds (that I've been waiting for official word on), Geoff Johns said that a Justice League movie is officially in development - not just a rumor anymore.

Check out photos from the panel and of the various posters throughout the exhibit hall floor on our web album and stay tuned to Fanboy Headquarters for more coverage from Wonder Con 2011!

Martin Bright, 4/1/2011

DC Comics: Green Lantern Panel - Wonder Con 2011

After the DC Nation Panel, Eddie Berganza was joined on stage by Geoff Johns (with his Green Lantern prop replica from the new movie) to talk all things Green Lantern comics. There was talk of the War of Green Lanterns, the upcoming movie, Larfleeze's Orange Lantern Oath, the expansion on the rest of lantern spectrum and a little talk about Johns' upcoming work on Aquaman.
Johns and Berganza talked about how the War of the Green Lanterns was meant to bring focus to the 4 human corps members: Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner. And also, to talk about their humanity more. There will be a big conclusion to the story too, so keep reading.

Johns has plans for expanded stories on all of the tribes - We will definitely get to learn more about the Indigo Tribe, but do not expect a dictionary to decipher their language. Larfleeze's Oath will be revealed in time. A sequel to the Green Lantern: Secret Origins series is planned to look at the fall of Sinestro. Berganza and Johns noted that there are a lot of ideas, but its all a means of what the schedule permits.

Geoff Johns also threw in an official announcement that Ivan Reis and Joe Prado will be doing work on the new Aquaman series with him. If you seen any of the work they've been doing with Johns, then you should expect the new series to look great.

In addition to taking questions, the two gave out some of the White Lantern Batman and Flash figures and copies of the newly re-released Green Lantern: Secret Origins trade paperback to random question-askers in the panel.

Stay hooked into Fanboy Headquarters for more DC Comics and Wonder Con 2011 coverage.

DC Nation Panel - Wonder Con 2011

It happens at almost every comic convention and is always full of laughs, announcements, and entertainment, I'm talking about the DC Nation panel. The panel was moderated by DC Comics co-publisher, Dan DiDio and included a large cast of DC talent: J.T. Krul, Ed Berganza, Eric Wallace, Frank Quitely, Francis Manapul, and Len Wein, as well as, Senior Vice President of Sales, Bob Wayne. They could only talk about projects up to "Flashpoint" and made a big announcement about a new project relating to stories of DC's biggest characters from the 70's, 80's and 90's.Dan DiDio started the session by taking fan polls of various characters and stories going on in the DC Universe. There were cheers for the Brightest Day storylines and characters, the Green Lantern War, and a mixed reaction to the poll on Wonder Woman's new costume. Following the polling, DiDio talked about a new project, the DC Retroactives that will focus on stories of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash and the Justice League of America in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

Work on Superman will include work by Marv Wolfman. Batman will have contributions by Len Wein and Adam Grant. Green Lantern will include stories also from Len Wein and Ron Marz. As can be seen this will be a great series later this year that will bring back some of the favorite stories from many of the biggest heroes' pasts. 

Other topics from the panel:

• Batman: Year One, the follow up to the very successful Superman: Earth One will be out ASAP. The work is being finalized and prepped for publication.
• Follow along to the next few issues of Teen Titans for clues to the possible return of Black Adam or Osiris. 
• DC Nation will be working with Cartoon Network to bring programming to the TV Station. Including things like behind the scenes of DC Comics shows.

Dan DiDio (about to lose his voice) kept the session fun and did the usual dance around some questions that were not allowed to be shared just yet (like Flashpoint story details). Check out our coverage on the other DC panels that happened today at FanboyHQ.com.

DC Comics Announces BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH

DC Comics today has announced that after the conclusion of 'Brightest Day,' in which a new protector for earth will be chosen, will come 'Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search.' The series will be a three-issue series that will be written by Jonathan Vankin and drawn by Marco Castiello chronicling the fallout of Brightest Day. Not too many details have been given, but check out the DCU Blog and stay tuned here for updates.

Emerald City ComiCon 2011 - DC Nation Panel

     Like every other major con, DC Comics hosts a DC Nation panel to discuss things that have happened and stuff that will be coming down the pipeline in the DC Universe. Moderating the panel was editor-in-chief Bob Harras. Harras was joined by Matt Idelson (Superman group editor) and Vertigo's Will Dennis. Writers Chris Roberson, Marv Wolfman, and artist Sergio Aragones were also in attendance. Once the panel started and everyone introduced themselves, Harras directed people to the microphone in the middle of the room to start asking questions. People asking questions were then offered a donut if the question they asked was a good one with the real prize for the best question being a DVD of "All Star Superman."

     All of the questions were evenly divided between things going on within the DC Universe and company practices. One of the things that particularly stood out was the continuation of the "Earth-One" series and Harras confirmed that J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis are working on the follow up to the bestselling title. In a surprise revelation, he also let out that a "Batman, Earth-One" is in the works with Geoff Johns writing the story and Gary Frank doing the art. Some of the company practice questions pertained to the $2.99 price change that DC adopted at the beginning of this year. Harras iterated that DC Comics as a company felt that in order to keep current readership and to attract new readers, they felt that the $2.99 price point was the "sweet spot" in order to do the job.

    One of the questions directed to Marv Wolfman was about writing the storyline to "DC Universe Online." He answered by saying that he enjoys writing the story and that some "really good stuff" is coming soon. He also let everyone know that though he may need some practice, he thoroughly enjoys playing the game. He said "you can find me on Killing Joke as Titan 1. If you see me, please don't kill me." He also said that he and writer Tony Bedard will be alternating issues in writing the bi-weekly "DC Universe Online Legends" comic based on the game that is out on PC and PS3.

     The atmosphere was pretty laid back and full of humor with donuts being given away with reckless abandon. Besides the things mentioned above, theses were some of the announcements that Harras made about things coming up on the horizon over at DC:

- Wednesday Comics will be getting a second book in the series.
- "Elseworlds" doesn't have anything new in the pipeline, but something similar is "in the works"
- Lois Lane will have a big role in the upcoming "Flashpoint" storyline.
- Costumes for the new Wonder Woman tv show and the upcoming Superman movie have not been finalized, but they will have a similar look to the comic books.
- "Games," a story started by Wolfman and George Perez almost 30 years ago, will finally be released in the fall.
- Action Comics #900 will be a huge issue for Lex Luthor.
- Groo, though not a DC character, will be featured in a mini crossover series with Conan says Sergio Aragones, when asked about his well known character.
- Though Doom Patrol and Rebel Fighters are now cancelled, DC has some other projects coming down the pipeline, that does not involve adding anymore new Superman and Batman issues, that will hopefully replace those books. (This is the question that won the DVD.)


Jose Soria, 3/5/11




   

DCUO – First Week Impressions

DC Universe Online has been out for a week now. For the legions of fans awaiting the fateful day that the game would finally be released after numerous delays has come and gone. Now that the game is out in the hands of fanboys and fangirls everywhere, we can create our own hero or villain and suit up to either save the world, or conquer it. If you played the beta, then you are familiar with the game play mechanics of the game. The level cap in the beta was 20. In the full game the cap is 30. Having played the game for the first week since release, I thought I would give my first impressions on the game.
After creating my hero and deciding how I would like my powers like to be influenced (meta, magic, tech), and my movement style (flight, super speed, acrobatics) I descended upon Gotham City to take on the criminal underworld. Depending on which power base you choose, it determines your mentor and base. I chose to be a hero with acrobatic skills and tech gear. After playing the beta, I noticed that there really wasn’t much different in the final game content-wise. One can hope as time goes on there will be some updates with new content, areas, powers, and abilities.


Performance-wise there were still a few noticeable hiccups such as missing audio and game freezing. That can be mostly likely attributed to “growing pains” due to the demand of players trying to log in. During the game there has been some server downtime to increase server capacity and some servers were also added due to the same reason. The increased capacity has helped smooth over some of the performance issues, but still issues do remain.

Overall, DC Universe Online is a pretty solid game. It doesn’t have the depth of other MMOs such as World of Warcraft, but it is very entertaining. It also has a $15 per month subscription fee, which hopefully help pay for smooth server operation and provide updates with lots of new content.
Jose Soria – 1/18/11

Are you the next DC Universe Legend? Find out 1/11/11

DC Universe Online is finally going to hit the store shelves with a “POW!”. This undertaking of creating an action oriented MMO using the characters and locations of the DC Universe is certainly an ambitious one (and led to a 2 month delay of release for more beta testing). Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is producing the game in conjunction with DC Comics. Jim Lee, one of the most prolific comic book artists of recent times, has come onboard to help create an art style that will bring the DC?Universe to life. Famed comic book writer Marv Wolfman will help pen the story of the disaster that will befall the DCU in the game. For the past few years, SOE has been showcasing the current build of the game at various conventions across the U.S. Just this past summer they finally entered the beta stage for the PC version of the game. Playstation 3 players got to join in on the action in early December, including Fanboy HQ’s own Hotshot and Brightboy, check it out below:


Hotshot Says: “I was pleasantly surprised with the PS3 version of the beta. Aside from the occasional game freeze of other bug, the game ran pretty well. The SOE development team was able to handle most bugs and issue a patch fairly quickly. There was also a lot of content that allowed the player to choose between being a hero or a villain and creating a league or legion. With all of this superhero action goodness, there are a few drawbacks. The game will also be on PC, but there will be no cross platform play. SOE has stated that there is a possible in cross-platform play in the future, but at launch you can only play with others on the same platform. Also as with most MMOs, there is a monthly fee of $15 a month to play. With the purchase of the game, 30 days of play is included. The fee itself is sure to turn some people off from purchasing the game, especially the console players that are not really used to having to pay a monthly fee to play online (Unless you include Xbox Live, but that’s a different story….) Having played the beta, I feel that if the game is regularly updated with content, the game will very much be worth the $15 monthly fee.”


Brightboy Says: “I have never been a big gamer, but I am a huge DC Universe fan, so the idea of taking on the role of being a superhero got my interest and I rushed out to buy a PS3. The DCUO Beta was the perfect taste for getting into this game. As a rookie to the MMO game world, the interface and system was a little hard to get used to, but after a couple days of playing I was well on my way to becoming the world’s newest superhero (and for the last couple weeks the world’s greatest villain). The opportunity to team and fight as a League was awesome and could lead to some fun adventures. Regardless of which world you choose, the missions are similar with the only difference being whether your intentions are good or evil. The Beta would only let players reach Experience Level 20 and limited the areas of exploration but I see that as a way to expand the game once it goes live. Also, at then end of the beta there was a massive player vs. player battle where villains and heroes took to the streets of Metropolis and Gotham for a big rumble. Unfortunately, the servers had issues and didn’t work right for everyone, still the concept was exciting and hopefully there will be similar battles in the future. I think so long as new missions/expansions, additional equipment purchases and occasional, large game battles keep coming, then $15 is worth the value.”


So on 1/11/11 hit up your local video game shop and pick up DC Universe Online and find us online where the next legend is you!

Jose Soria, 1/11/11

Knight & Squire #1 - DC Comics

DC Comics brings Fanboys a take on a british (and somewhat funny) version of the Dark Knight and his universe. Knight and Squire look like medieval versions of Batman and Robin. This first issue introduces several characters into this storyline - Jarvis Poker, The Double Entendre, the Milkman, and more. Also there is an appearance by a known DC Comics hero, Wildcat.



In this opening story, it seems the reader is introduced to the characters that will make up the adventures of this series. Gathered in a pub, Good and Evil alike talk shop and reminisce about the days of fighting each other, all thanks to the Truce Magic (a spell on the pub that prevents conflict, weapons, bad mouthing, etc.). The Squire gives the history of everyone in the bar to a new costumed man that hasn't figured out if he is good or evil. After we are given the snapshot of what's going on, the spell is suddenly broken and the Knight must regain order.

The artwork is great. The Knight reminds me of a cross between Batman's look and RoboCop's armor. Jarvis Poker, the British Joker, pays homage to his American counterpart's look. There are some fun British culture references, complete with a key to the references at the end of the book. The writing did not build much suspense or curiosity, but I am hoping now that introductions are over, we'll see some action in issue #2.

Check out Brightboy Adventures next month for continued coverage on the Knight & Squire.

RED comes to theaters 10/15/10

If you're a Fanboy, chances are you have heard of Warren Ellis' comic book series RED. And if you haven't been living under a rock in the last six months then you have probably heard about the new Bruce Willis led cast of the new RED movie. Brightboy Adventures got to sit in on an early screening of the film. While I have not read the books (sorry Mr. Ellis, i have already ordered them and they are on their way), I found the movie to be a great film and after seeing the cast of the film at the San Diego Comic Con this past summer, I can understand what they meant when it was said they "had a lot of fun" making the film. Check out the review below.

You do not need to be a follower of the RED comic book series to see this film; the film stands out on its own. There is action, comedy, romance, and then lots more action and comedy. If you think you know the whole story from watching the previews and clips that are out there, then you're DEAD wrong. The film has very little, if any, down time; the plot has great continuity. This performance combines Bruce Willis' action side (Die Hard style) with his comedic side (The Whole 9 Yards humor, not Cop Out). Morgan Freeman gets a chance to get out of his element as the good morals guy and have a little fun. Helen Mirren brings grace and excellence to being a cold-hearted killer. Mary-Louise Parker's character brings out her gorgeous smile and crazy-adventure-seeker personality out. Karl Urban puts on his big boy pants to be the bad ass FBI agent he is in the film. And finally, John Malkovich is John Malkovich.

Check out RED in theaters this Friday, October 15. The comic book has been re-released as a graphic novel in stores and online now.

Red Hood: The Lost Days - #5 - DC Comics

Jason Todd is continuing down his path to kill his mentor. Over the course of his training he has worked with men and Talia al Ghul to understand the darker side of combat that Batman never taught him. The former sidekick has outgrown his red and yellow tights, but has not lost his need to do what’s right by innocent people. In this month’s issue, Jason is trying to save London from a series of bombings made to look like a terrorist attack. Facing off with one of his trainers and the Russian mafia, Jason must set aside his ambition in order to save the British, but little does he know it’ll lead him right toward his ultimate goal.

**********SPOILERS*********

 Highlight below for details of this month's issue

Jason races across London to diffuse Shurik’s bombs and ends up facing one of the Russian crews responsible for orchestrating the attack. Surrounded, outnumbered and out-armed Jason doesn’t seem like he’s going to escape London alive. Acting cowardly, Jason pretends to be in on the whole thing, saying he’s one of Shurik’s guys that were secretly hired to help place the bombs and distract the Russians to take control of the situation and escape. Once free, Jason heads over to meet Shurik and find out what the backup plan was in case the original bombing went wrong - in this case, suicide bombers. With a little threatening, Jason learns that three Arab teens have unknowingly been given bombs set to go off at key spots in London. Quick on the chase, Jason tracks down the three bombs. Diffusing the first two easily, he finds the third bomb on the London Bridge but cannot easily disarm it. After warding off a cop, he decides to drop the bomb in the river and bolt before anyone can ask questions. Safely back at his apartment, Jason is eager to “get out of Dodge” since so many people saw his face during the day’s events. Unfortunately, he’s not the only one home, the Russian crew found him, thanks to Shurik. This time around, Jason wasn’t going to act cowardly. He quickly fights the gang in the closed quarters and effortlessly kills them because “no one will miss these kinds of guys.” All but one of the men is killed in the first round of gunfire, but as Jason reloads to finish off the crew the man desperately begs for his life. His pleas go unheard as Jason prepares to kill the man, but then the Russian offers one of the very few things that Jason Todd would accept…the Joker’s whereabouts.

**********SPOILERS*********

The issue kept up the suspense of this story line. Jason Todd seems to be perfectly suited to take on the persona of his Red Hood. With only one issue left, one can wonder what the final steps are before the Red Hood appears in Gotham.  Check back in November for the conclusion to the days leading up to Jason Todd’s battle with Batman.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse World Premiere

Brightboy Adventures was lucky enough to get into the World Premiere of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse at the Paley Center for the Media in Beverly Hills. UGO.com, Warner Home Video, and DC Entertainment hosted the evening for the cast and fans to take the first official glimpse of the next DVD in the DC Animation films. The film did not disappoint and included a lot of “new shticks” (as Executive Producer Bruce Timm called them) from our favorite DC superheroes.

The film is based on Superman Jeph Loeb and Michael Turner’s original work in Superman/Batman: Supergirl and the film material stayed pretty close to the original work. Naturally the transition from graphic novel to DVD does call for some changes, the production was able to stick close with artwork and storyline. This time around the Big Blue Boy Scout and the Caped Crusader have changed a little in this “semi-sequel” to Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Batman still doesn’t see the good in people and has suspicions in the sudden appearance of Kara Zor-El, also known as Supergirl for the layman. Superman is looking thinner and is very overprotective of his newly arrived cousin, the only family and fellow Kryptonian he has. Kara is having issues controlling her powers and finding her place in the world. She wants to be a normal Earth girl, but Superman’s friends believe she is a big liability - Wonder Woman comes to take Kara (initially against her will) to Paradise Island to help her learn to control her abilities and Batman agrees. Superman eventually falls in line with his fellow heroes and Kara comes to terms with it and takes on the training. Darkseid is in search for a new leader for his Female Furies and he sets his Omega Effect eyes on Supergirl! The film also includes cameos by Granny Goodness (perfectly voiced by Ed Asner), Artemis, the Harbinger, Kryto, Doomsday, and Big Barda. There are intense battle scenes, “kryptonese” dialogue and some occasional laughs (some major comedic relief is provided by Batman!!).

During the Q&A session, Director Lauren Montgomery alluded to the title of the movie and why it was changed to Apocalypse from Supergirl; mentioning that their Wonder Woman film did not have great sales stats and so movies with women as the main character won’t get to go far (getting Supergirl on the cover was even a battle). And though female characters don’t sell DVDs well, this film is full of stong-willed and well balanced (albeit scantily clad) women. Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Artemis, Lyla/Harbinger, Granny Goodness, the Female Furies, Big Barda and an army of Amazons dominated scenes and held their own with Superman, Batman and Darkseid. The look of Supergirl was spot-on with her graphic novel appearance. It’s unfortunate that the opinion of female driven stories is so negative, but Bruce Timm and Lauren Montgomery have done a great job of still making the female hero a strong character and hopefully the marketing will draw in the female fanbase.

After the screening of the film there was a short Q&A with Bruce Timm, Lauren Montgomery, Andrea Romano (Casting Director/voice of Stompa), Tab Murphy (Screenplay), Tim Daly (voice of Superman), Susan Eisenberg (voice of Wonder Woman), and Rachel Quaintance (voice of Lyla/Harbinger and Artemis). Tim Daly discussed his personal likeness to Batman and how much he noticed Superman had cut back on the “carbs” this time around. Susan Eisenberg talked about how much stronger Wonder Woman has gotten over the years that she has voiced the character. The entire panel recognized how tremendous of a job Andrea Romano does casting the voice talent and how great a person she is to work for. Andrea Romano said that getting Andre Braugher to voice Darkseid was a wish come true and Ed Asner was so great to work with. The biggest news of the Q&A came from Bruce Timm though. He announced the next three films in the DC Animated DVD series. The first two, All-Star Superman and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights were announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2010. Timm commented that All-Star Superman is “already in the can” and just awaiting release in 2011. Green Lantern: Emerald Knights will be similar to the previously released Batman: Gotham Knight with several different stories told over a linking story arc. There will be approximately six stories told about different members of the Lantern corps., including Kilowag, Sinestro, and Abin Sur. The 3^rd film got its “official” confirmation from Bruce Timm last night, Batman: Year One. Timm said that the film will stick very closely to the Frank Miller graphic novel; Batman will not have all the gadgets and muscles that he is known for in modern storylines and films. All three films should be great additions to the DC DVD library.

Superman/Batman: Apocalypse will be released September 28^th on Blu-ray and DVD. Every fanboy (and girl) should check it out. A special thanks to UGO.com for the opportunity to see the premiere and meet the cast and crew.

Brightboy Adventures w/ Tim Daly

Brightboy Adventures w/ Bruce Timm

DC Entertainment To Shut Down WildStorm Comics

After taking the comic book industry by storm nearly 20 years ago, DC Entertainment has announced that it will shut down its WildStorm imprint. This comes at a time when DCE is in the middle of a bi-coastal realignment. The multimedia arm of DCE will move to Burbank, Ca, while the publishing arm of DCE will stay in New York.

The announcement of shutting down WildStorm comes after the July announcement that DCE was shutting down ZUDA Comics, their digital media imprint. The final issues published under the WildStorm name will be in December. After that, anything that was previously printed under the WildStorm imprint, will now be published under the DC Comics banner.

"Superman/Batman: Apocalypse" Red Carpet Event

In anticipation of the release of "Superman/Batman: Apocalypse,"the next movie in the series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies, Warner Home Video, Ugo.com, and The Paley Center for Media will present the bi-coastal World Premiers on September 21 in Los Angeles and September 23 in New York.

The event will be attended by both Filmmakers and members of the voice cast. After the screening, there will be a discussion and Q&A panel. BBA will be at the screening and participate in the post-screening discussion. Check back for our report on the Premier.

"Superman/Batman: Apocalypse," is coming to DVD and Combo Blu-Ray on September 28, 2010

Superman/Batman #75 Review

So far this year, DC Comics seems to have many anniversary issues in the pipeline. After Superman #700, Batman #700, and Wonder Woman #600, we are graced with Superman/Batman #75. Anniversary issues seem to generally gather some of the most prolific writers and artists in the company and put together a super-sized issue with many stories and art pages highlighting certain characters. The issues don't seem to follow the
current story arc.

The issue starts off with a story by Paul Levitz featuring the Legion of Superheroes teaming up with Batman. The art is by Jerry Ordway and is some of his best art in quite some time. After that, there are quite a few two page spreads by comic notables such as Azzarello, Finch, Manapul, and Bermejo. One of the many little strips that I found quite entertaining was the work by Azzarello and Bermejo. It features Superman and Batman's greatest foes, Lex Luthor and the Joker. What makes this strip stand out is that it is done in the style of Calvin and Hobbes. Another strip that that is quite interesting is one that features Conner Kent and Damian Wayne. Set in the future, Conner has taken on the role of Superman and Damian is now Batman. They meet in front of a statue dedicated to the Man of Steel and The Dark Knight.

Superman/Batman #75 is a great milestone for the series. Many great artists and writers were called together to assemble an issue that pays homage to all aspects of Superman and Batman. The issue is definitely worth taking a look at.

Beta Sign Ups For DC Universe Online Now Open!

The beta sign ups for DC Universe Online are now open!

In case you have been in the dark for the past two years, DC Universe Online (DCUO) is an MMO developed by Son
y Online Entertainment (SOE) for DC Comics. In the game, you get to create your own superhero and fight alongside DC heroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and many others. Or if you are more of a villain, you can create your own villain and fight alongside Lex Luthor, Joker, Riddler,
and many others from the entire DC Universe.


The game will be available for PC and PS3. Beta sign ups are open for both systems and the beta should be starting shortly before the game is released on November 2, 2010. The game will retail for $49.99 for PC and $59.99 for the PS3 version. There is also a special edition for the PC available but details are not available yet. The game will follow the subscription model and will cost $14.99 a month to play. One month is included with the purchase of the game.

Now that the game is almost released and the beta is gearing up and getting ready to go, will you be trying the beta out, and will you sign up and pay $14.99 a month to play the game? What are your thoughts on DCUO? Head on over to www.dcuniverseonline.com to sign up for the beta and learn more about this game.