Warner Brothers announced a slew of films yesterday morning, essentially challenging Marvel with their upcoming movies. So what’s all on the table? Aside from the previously slated Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them (now to be a trilogy), here’s what we can expect through 2020 from WB.
2016
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
We’ve been privy to several released photos and plot lines from Zack Snyder’s gritty, filtered upcoming movie featuring a grizzly, buff, Batfleck and the chiseled jaw of Henry Cavill for some months now, yet I’m not alone in feeling blah toward the upcoming flick, even with the addition of Gal Gadot (whom I adore) as Diana of Themyscira. Inspired by Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight, we can probably expect something a bit darker than what we’re used to!
Comic Recommendation: Frank Miller’s Dark Knight books, or maybe Kingdom Come for a slighter older take on the Trinity
Suicide Squad
Again, gritty seems to to be the word of the year over at the studio, so who makes up the roster of this flick of bad guys directed by David Ayer? Deadshot seems to be the obvious choice, but my money is on Harley Quinn making her first ever movie appearance, as well as Black Manta, and the Wall herself, Amanda Waller. I’m all up for bad guys tearing shit up, but as long as there’s some FUN to it!
Comic Recommendation: Keith Giffen’s or Adam Glass’s Suicide Squad
2017
Wonder Woman
FINALLY. It’s been an unforgivable amount of years, but thank the old gods and the new, that our warrior is finally getting her own movie. Sure, it’s two years away, but it’s HAPPENING. Gal Gadot will again be donning the tiara as she battles her way through who knows what, but with the rumors swirling around that Diana’s origins will be in line with her New52 ones, we can except some amazing battles. Hopefully Brian Azzarello or Gail Simone will be on hand to assist with the script, so we can get the Wonder Woman we deserve. PLEASE DO NOT FUCK THIS UP, WARNER BROTHERS.
Comic Recommendation: Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman
C’mon, guys. A whole movie of this? Solid gold.
Justice League
There’s not much to be said about this ensemble film. Will it rival the Avengers? Who knows. Will Martian Manhunter make his appearance? I fucking hope so. Will it be along the lines of the Justice League: War animated film, so our team spends the film sputtering insults at each other? Pass.
Comic Recommendation: Brad Meltzer’s Justice League of America
2018
The Flash
It’s not news to some that this cinematic Flash would be different from CW’s Flash, but for some it was quite the nasty shock that Ezra Miller (of Perks of Being a Wallflower fame) will be donning those red tights. No word yet on what sort of story we might see, but MAYBE we can get a different Flash instead of Barry Allen, since he’s basically covered in the television show. Mayhaps a twist on The Flash: Rebirth!
Comic Recommendation: Geoff John’s The Flash: Rebirth
Aquaman
I had tons to say about Aquaman, but when I found the photo above my wits left me. We know Jason Momoa will be outfitted in the green and gold of DC’s “lamest” superhero, and I personally wish to see the New52’s storyline on the big screen. It handles all the misconceptions about Aquaman, while rendering him a certified badass. This is definitely in my top two “must see” flicks on this list so far, simply because it was getting lonely being the only Aquaman fan!
Comic Recommendation: Geoff John’s Aquaman
2019
Shazam
We got confirmation that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would be wearing that shiny, white cape of Billy Batson’s alter-ego, but this is the movie I’m least excited to see. It has potential for laughs, as Shazam gets the job done with a child-like wonder, but my main concern is how strong the story will be. There’s so many questions too, such as will the rest of the Marvel family appear? Will he just be called Shazam, or will we know him by Captain Marvel (not to be confused by Marvel’s Captain Marvel), if the copyright is still in place? Will Black Adam be the big bad?
Comic Recommendation: Jeff Smith’s Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil
Justice League 2
Again, there’s not much to go one, except rumors, but if rumors are all I have, so be it. Speculation places Darkseid as the blue-faced villain of the first Justice League movie (joining other blue faced nemeses like Apocalypse, from Fox’s X-Men, and Thanos, from Marvel’s cinematic universe), so I will use my tiny bit of internet to plead for Starro or Amazo or Vandal Savage! There’s so much out there, just waiting to see a tiny slice of the general population. So much. It’d be amazing as a comic fan to see some of it played out in all its glory.
Comic Recommendation: Mark Waid’s JLA: Tower of Babel
2020
Cyborg
Of all the people in the DC Universe, I was most surprised by this announcement. Victor Stone isn’t a character that you normally see solo (normally he’s on the Teen Titans roster), but a teenager with a genius level intellect will be a nice addition to all the burly men (and one woman) we will so far be seeing! Ray Fisher doesn’t have much under his belt aside from a handful of Broadway shows, but he’s set to make his first appearance in the Batman v. Superman movie, giving us a peek at what we can expect in 2020.
Comic Recommendation: Geoff John’s Teen Titans or Judd Winnick’s Titans
Green Lantern
As much as I would love this Green Lantern movie to feature John Stewart (cause let’s all admit, 90% of the Ryan Reynolds GL was trash), I think that would be hopeful to the point of foolishness, given DC’s track record of being wholly ignorant of what we, the fans, want. TWO blockbuster filmed led by black men in the SAME YEAR, would be absolutely mind blowing, and tons of people are already fans of John Stewart, having grown up on the animated Justice League series. Let’s make this happen, DC. Representation matters!
Comic Recommendation: Geoff John’s Green Lantern: Rebirth or John Starlin’s Cosmic Odyssey
Overall, this is exciting, and I’m very much cautiously optimistic of what the future holds. There’s still stand alone Batman, and Superman films that haven’t been announced yet, so with these PLUS all that Marvel is bringing to the screen…well, let’s just say my wallet is going to be a lot lighter, assuming I like what I see from trailers, and so forth. My only thing is…I hope both studios think of the younger people, and involve some of the teenager teams, like Teen Titans, and the Runaways or Young Avengers.
What movie are you most excited for?
Editor’s Note: Leia will be glad to help you find the comics referenced above, just tweet at her (@ladyvader99)!
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Top 10 Comics of 2017
Let’s be honest: DC Comics doesn’t know what to do with the Captain Marvel/Shazam family franchise despite them sitting on a potential goldmine. “Not….Batman? Don’t….know how it….works? Lighthearted…how does this….what is this?” Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr. have been kicked around, depowered, repowered, and depowered again; they have been completely violated, and pulled through the ringer so many times by DC scribes in the past decade just because of their more wholesome nature, which has made it pretty dismal to be a fan. It is also such a far cry from their status as the most popular and widely read superhero “family” of the 1940’s, outselling (yes) even Superman and Batman at the time. Billy Batson’s debut in 1940 in Whiz Comics #2 sold over 500,000 copies.
Superheroes. The opposite of serious.
Hey DC, how much are your top books selling a month now? A little over 1/5 of that. Yeah. Even Mary Marvel headlined Wow Comics, and by 1945 had her own Mary Marvel ongoing book as well. Let me say that again: She had her own ongoing. That lasted from 1945 to 1948. How difficult is it today for a female character to get their own solo these days? How much applause occurs when it actually does happen? Something is wrong here.
So DC, here’s my plea: Stop trying to fit the Shazam family into comics. They’re not going to thrive, as they haven’t in over 40 years. But don’t give up on them completely; why not give them a try in other media? Just listen.
The proposal:
Warner Bros and DC Comics should take a chance on a Captain Marvel/Shazam family cartoon series aimed at younger kids perhaps in the 10-14 range (and beyond, here’s looking at you Tumblr). They could, if they did it right, have a goldmine for merchandise and an opportunity for a really fun, energetic show for all ages that both boys and girls could equally enjoy.
Stylistically I envision a bright and colorful, pastel-toned and soft Max Fleischer Superman animation styling with that 1930’s-40’s esque setting that evokes the slapstick animated comedy shorts both from MGM and Warner Bros. Studios from the same era. Keep the tone light, quick, and snappy. Have story lines that mirror old adventure pulp movies and mysteries. With the Shazam franchise seeped deep with ancient mythology, archeology, and the supernatural, it seems like a no brainer! If The Mummy could spin out a relatively successful cartoon series, so could Shazam. Plus, archeology. Just archeology.
Alternatively, they could work with an Asian animation company to do a magical girl and super sentai meets western superhero style show like the oncoming joint French-Japanese production Miraculous Ladybug set to air next fall, or go on an adaptation “inspired by” limb and do a giant-robo style series. Yes, a Captain Marvel/Shazam giant-robo show. Ever since I saw artist Cliff Chang’s designs for a vintage anime style “Justice League” featuring a Gatchaman Batman and a Superman that is a little boy who controls a giant robot, I knew that robot concept would fit Shazam better. And it would fit Billy Batson better, too, as he truly is the child within the body of a near invulnerable adult man once transformed. Can you imagine how cool that would be? Summoned through an ancient artifact that activated due to Billy’s pure heart, Shazam, centuries old golem-robot rises from his slumber when summoned to protect Fawcett City against Dr. Sivana, and his ancient counterpart, Black Adam! Mechas for everyone!
All red, scratch out the S and give it a military cape. Bada-Boom.
Worried about two good natured young twins Billy and Mary being uninteresting as leads though? Let me point you to the enormous popularity of Gravity Falls.
Why is this so important? Why do I want this so badly? Because I really cannot think of anything else in Warner Bros./DC arsenal that’s “different” from the usual Batman or Superman shtick that could be appealing to kids. Shazam has always been such a happy medium between “superhero” sci-fi wackiness and then magical fantasy fiction it really does seem a no brainer for a cartoon series. The presence of magic along with sci-fi elements mean lots of variety, something you can seldom get with more sci-fi based superheroes.
My other reasoning? Mary Marvel.
Damn. Bulletproof? Gosh Mary.
I don’t understand the hate or dislike Mary Marvel seems to get from some comic fans. Is it because she’s actually a young girl? Is it because she is super feminine, often bubbly and sweet? She’s often called or pegged as the Snow White (she literally has Disney-brand animal magnetism, one of my favorite skill sets ever because animals are the best and hey I love Snow White) or the Pollyanna of DC comic heroines.
Great Mary now you’re eating the bullets. You only wish you were this cool.
Sure she can be written as pretty naïve or as a general ingénue (sometimes a bit too much) but I think it’s such a cool inversion because she is literally one of the most powerful superheroes of any gender in DC Comics according to skill set. But she hasn’t been treated as such in a long time. She has such an interesting history and legacy as a female character. I think she’s a great example to girls to show that they can be a tomboy and kick ass, or they can be feminine and also kick ass. Too often media seems to pit one against the other, and that just shouldn’t be.
They don’t write em like this anymore.
The Shazam/Marvel family get little of the respect they should be getting. This is why I think the best plan would be to give them a place where they could really shine; not in the comics, but on a cartoon show on TV. I feel that’s where their true potential could be explored much easier than trying a monthly comic. They can be retooled to be fresh and new as long as the humor and lighthearted appeal remains. So dear DC Comics, please hear my plea for The Big Red Cheese,the much maligned Mary, and poor Captain Marvel Jr. Give them a chance and invest in trying an animated TV series. I’ll even write it myself if need be. I’ll write a proposal. Anything. Just give them a chance to actually succeed.
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