io9Books & Comics

Marvel Still Won’t Be Releasing Any New Comic Books Next Week

For the fifth week in a row, the presses of Marvel Comics, in both physical and digital, will remain silent. As reported by Newsarama, Marvel has confirmed that next week Marvel will not be releasing any new comics on any platform or via any distribution method. On the one hand, this isn’t super surprising. The … Continued

io9Toys & Collectibles

Batman Casts a Long Shadow in This Amazing Arkham Asylum Poster

It’s a big year to be a Batfan. Well, a Bat villain fan, actually—not only does the Clown Prince of Crime turn 80 this weekend, 2020 is also the 10th anniverary of the revolutionary Batman: Arkham Asylum, which changed not just the Dark Knight’s video game career but influenced the gaming industry at large. To … Continued

io9

9 Superpowers We’d Love to Have in Our Present Day Reality

A big chunk of the wish-fulfillment aspect of most genre media (sci-fi, fantasy, horror) involves inviting you to fantasize about how you would use your own vast superpowers to save the world in a time of crisis. But in moments like the one we’re all living through right now, the idea of having superhuman abilities … Continued

io9Books & Comics

DC’s Latest Effort to Keep Comics Interest Alive Is Upcycled Digital Titles

Last week, DC Comics made waves when it announced its plans to begin shipping a limited number of new titles to select brick-and-mortar comic book shops across the country. This was meant to be independent and ahead of Diamond Comics Distributors, which stopped distributing comics earlier this year due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. … Continued

io9Books & Comics

Harley Quinn‘s Second Season Isn’t Just Doing Batman: No Man‘s Land

Harley Quinn’s season two premiere opened with a dramatic turn of events plucked right out of DC Comics’ massive Batman: No Man’s Land. That event had the U.S. government evacuating the city, destroying all of the bridges connecting it to the rest of the country, and leaving it to be taken over by the whole … Continued

io9Books & Comics

As Diamond Begins to Start Shipping Comics Again, DC’s Taking Distribution Into Its Own Hands

As a consequence of comic book stores across the country being forced to shut their doors amongst the novel coronavirus outbreak, the comic book industry as a whole all but came to a stop. Diamond Comics, which essentially has a monopoly on comics distribution, halted shipping and it was unclear how and when the company … Continued

io9Books & Comics

An Exclusive Look at Jim Lee’s Next Sketch to Support Local Comic Stores

The novel coronavirus pandemic is hitting many industries hard, but comics have borne a particularly tough brunt as retailers and publishers alike find themselves in a world where lockdown orders and shipping mayhem have led new releases to all but dry out. But creators are giving their all to help out, and we’ve got a … Continued

io9Books & Comics

This Fan Film Features a Martial Arts Showdown Between Batgirl and Lady Shiva

Lady Shiva, despite being incredibly cool, hasn’t gotten a lot of play in adaptations of the DC Universe. But she should: she’s a brilliant martial artist and the mother of Cassandra Cain, one of the Bat family’s most interesting characters. So a chance to see her square off in live action, even if it’s not … Continued

io9Books & Comics

Kevin Conroy’s Giving Batman: The Adventures Continue a Familiar Voice

Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, and Ty Templeton’s Batman: The Adventures Continue digital-first series is breathing new life into the Batman: The Animated Series continuity by puling a number of classic characters from DC’s comics into the story that never made it into the television show. Everything about the comic’s tone and style are meant to create … Continued

io9Books & Comics

Harley Quinn‘s Showrunner on Romance, Catwoman, and Underwater Musicals in Season 2

Harley Quinn’s second season is bringing some big changes to Gotham City that are set to push its entire cast of heroes and villains to grow and change in fascinating ways. But co-showrunner Patrick Schumacker wants everyone to understand that what Harley and the gang are going through isn’t exactly turning them into different people, … Continued

io9Books & Comics

Barbara Gordon Is Coming to Titans‘ Third Season

With Nightwing making his debut in Titans’ second season (and Bruce Wayne showing up rather frequently for a show that isn’t about him), it was only a matter of time before even more members of the Bat-Family made their way to the DC Universe show. During a recent streamed conversation with Titans cinematographer Brendan Steacy … Continued

io9Books & Comics

The Coronavirus Outbreak Has Put the Comics Industry Between a Rock and a Hard Place

More and more comic book stores across the United States are having to close their doors because of the ongoing covid-19 outbreak—whether that’s due to state restrictions or an actual lack of new product. One of the biggest questions looming has been what, if any, steps publishers and distributors like Diamond might be able to … Continued

io9Television

Harley Quinn‘s Season 2 Premiere Is a No Man’s Land of Fucked-Up Fun

The first season of DC Universe’s animated Harley Quinn series split the difference between Batman: The Animated Series and the grimdark Warner Bros. cinematic universe, telling a surprisingly earnest, foul-mouthed story of self-actualization. By breaking free of the Joker and stepping outside of his shadow, Harley gave herself the freedom to become her truest self: an … Continued

io9Books & Comics

Sotheby’s Is Auctioning 40,000 DC Comics From a Single Unprecedented Collection

There are many epic comic book collections out there, but few have garnered intrigue and infamy quite like the Ian Levine collection—alleged to be one of the few complete collections of DC’s comics from its very beginnings in 1935. Now it’s no longer not just alleged, but going up for sale to the highest bidder. … Continued

io9Books & Comics

Gotham High Is Sending Batman to High School for Some Teen Drama

The basic elements of Batman’s relationships with the Joker and Catwoman are so ingrained in everyone’s minds at this point that it’s much, much more fun when comics decide to veer off the beaten path a little bit. Take, for example, Gotham High, from writer Melissa de la Cruz and artist Thomas Pitilli. In this … Continued

io9Books & Comics

DC Kids Camp Wants to Inspire Young Readers to Become Creators

With more and more schools across the world mandating that students of all ages stay home amid the ongoing covid-19 epidemic, many parents are finding themselves having to find activities to occupy their children’s time. With that in mind, DC Comics has just launched DC Kids Camp, a series of fun courses to inspire them to … Continued

io9Games

Sam Witwer on His DC Universe RPG and GMing While Social Distancing

Thanks to shows like Critical Role, The Adventure Zone, and Queens of Adventure, it’s more popular than ever to watch others play tabletop roleplaying games. DC Universe has now gotten into the game with DC Universe All Star Games, based on a classic 1980s DC RPG, and io9 spoke with Game Master Sam Witwer (Star … Continued

io9Books & Comics

The U.S.’s Largest Comics Distributor Is No Longer Shipping, Due to Covid-19

The novel coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching ramifications on us all. But one way some people have been coping with new measures to physically distance and isolate indoors—picking up a pile of new comics to read—just got hit with a major blow. Last night Diamond Comics—the largest distributor of comics in both the United States … Continued

io9Books & Comics

Stargirl‘s Latest Promo Wants You to Laugh and Think About the Justice Society of America

As more of DC Comics’ superheroes like Stargirl make their way onto the small screen, Warner Bros. is getting to the important business of…trying to carve out new thematic spaces for each of its series to exist in. The Arrowverse has it covered in terms of straight-up comic wildness, and DC Universe’s Titans, Doom Patrol, … Continued

io9Books & Comics

Coronavirus Isn’t Stopping San Diego Comic-Con and Next Month’s WonderCon, For Now

Coronavirus has been declared a pandemic. Schools are canceling in-person classes, theme parks around the world are closing their doors, and several major events have been called off. Some folks are wondering what this means for the biggest comic convention of the year, San Diego Comic-Con, as well as next month’s WonderCon in Anaheim, California. … Continued