Tag: DC

In all the uproar over DC's relaunch, what was once a somewhat robust program for original graphic novels seems to have been lost: no talk of any more Earth One books, and Vertigo's OGN line is limping along in purgatory. Thus an Amazon listing for WONDER WOMAN: HAND OF THE GODS by Margaret Weis, Lizz Baldwin, Justiniano and Walden Wong is of some interest.

David Goyer, co-creator of Flash Forward and the regular story collaborator with Chris Nolan on DARK KNGHT and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is looking to produce 100 BULLETS as a TV series for Showtime.

Meanwhile, back at the box office, GREEN LANTERN debuted at #1 with $52.6 million, less than THOR and even X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. As the Times put it: "An all-hands-on-deck effort by Warner Brothers to turn “Green Lantern” into a box office superpower fizzled over the weekend." With a budget of a reported $300 million, dreadful reviews and a big Friday-to-Saturday drop-off, GL's task as the advance guard for a new generation of movies based on DC characters has been made much more difficult.

If you had asked me if I had wanted to see a movie about Green Lantern, I would have been neutral, but if you had asked me if I wanted to see a movie about a giant space octopus made of fear and smoldering owl fewmets busting loose from green chains, I would have said hell yes! GREEN LANTERN is probably the most comic-book comic book movie since SPIDER-MAN. All the imagery and spirit come straight from the yellowing pages of some old comic by John Broome and Gil Kane -- a boldly colored, nuance-challenged world of wonder and battle in the stars.

Designing the Green Lantern Corps for the screen left veteran designer Neville Page spent with exertion -- it dwarfed his previous projects AVATAR, SUPER 8 and STAR TREK. To solve the problem, Page turned to the work of the comics giants who paved the way:

As the film GREEN LANTERN opens nationwide, a segment of the population, mostly male, is wildly excited because their favorite superhero is finally getting a lavish and respectful big screen treatment. Yes the reviews have been mixed, but under the watchful eye of Lantern's flamekeeper Geoff Johns, the whole mythology has been faithfully brought to the screen in expansive CGI splendor. For the Lantern fans out there—and there are many -- this is a treat. But are they really a cult within a cult, as this Onion video suggests? I admit to being completely unable to answer this question myself; I'm completely immune to the Lantern's power, and I find this highly puzzling. Everyone's life has gaps, memory holes that remain a mystery. In my case, one such example is learning to swim. One moment, I seem to recall, I was learning how to float as a tot. The next I'm a full grown adult standing on the beach and afraid of the water. Something must have happened...but what?

Will DC's retconning/realignment/simplification/post-Crisis world include a married Superman and Lois? Comments co-publisher Dan DiDio made to NBC's nerd new blogs seem to indicate Lois and Clark may be facing a moment in time when they are single once more:

Russell Crowe will attempt to banish memories of Marlon Brando as he assays the role of Jor-El, father to Superman, in Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL reboot. Crowe joins Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Michael Shannon in the cast. THe script is by David Goyer, while Christopher Nolan instructs from the sidelines.

And what of the other BIG event this weekend? GREEN LANTERN is the movie that will either justify the creation of a whole universe of DC superheroes (akin to Disney's Marvel-verse) or....well, it won't Thus far, reviews are...unfavorable, with a 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. . Despite this the movie is tracking very well with young men and should easily open at #1.

DC's Editor in Chief Bob Harras and executive editor Eddie Berganza explain what's going on and invite you to what they hope will be a big party where everyone is welcome.

DC has released the video of Grant Morrison from the Hero Complex Film Festival talking about Superman. Since Morrison has already reinvented Superman once with ALL-STAR, this is familiar but welcome territory.

The final pieces of the DC relaunch are revealed over at Hero Complex, and #52 is revealed as the Grant Morrison/Rags Morales ACTION COMICS #1. A whole new backstory for Superman is teased -- probably to be spelled out at tomorrow's Jim Lee/Geoff Johns event for the LA Times. Dan DiDio also gives a new big picture statement.