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Batman Ninja Is Ridiculously Fun, and Also Utterly Ridiculous

Batman Ninja is a gorgeous, almighty mess. Its frenetic incoherence is matched only by its desire to top itself again and again with vivid, striking imagery. I spent almost 90 minutes barely having a clue what was going on, but somehow despite that, also knew that I loved every goddamn second of it. Warner Bros.’ … Continued

io9Books & Comics

The Best Superman Stories of the Modern Era

As of last week, Superman celebrated his 80th year as the world’s most recognizable superhero. Tons of conversations have been happening about favorite stories and moments in the Kal-El canon, and it’s worth thinking about the ones that came out since dawn of the new millennium. Superman’s been in near-constant publication in comics and other … Continued

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Mister Miracle Is Secretly the DC Universe’s Casual Fashion Icon

Scott Free is many things. He is Mister Miracle, master escape artist. He is a New God, raised in the hellfires of Darkseid’s Apokolips. He is currently the Highfather, ascendant ruler and co-general of New Genesis and its armies. He’s a new Dad. But he is also this: a lowkey casual style thought leader. Tom … Continued

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Christopher Reeve’s Superman Showed Writer John Byrne How Clark Kent Was the Perfect Disguise

Clark Kent’s glasses acting as pretty much his first and last line of defense when it comes to revealing his secret identity has always been one of the silliest facets of the Man of Steel. But, at least in the eyes of legendary Superman comic writer John Byrne, one incarnation of Supes did it right. … Continued

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The Story That Made Me Realize How Lonely Superman Must Be

When I was a kid, it seemed impossible that Superman might have any problems. Sure, he had adventures that threw setbacks in his path but he always overcame those. It wasn’t until I read Action Comics #500 that I ever thought that the Man of Steel could have the same kinds of persistent emotional vulnerabilities … Continued

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Turns Out Krypton Was Infinitely More Insane Than We Thought

When Krypton was first announced, many people dismissed it as a simple prequel starring Superman’s grandfather. Then it was revealed that the stakes were much higher: Brainiac had gone back in time to attack the planet and prevent Superman from ever being born, while space adventurer Adam Strange traveled back to stop the villain. But … Continued

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Action Comics #1000 Honors 80 Years of Superman With Another Wrinkle in His Origin Story

Although Action Comics #1 launched in May 1938, DC Comics is celebrating 80 years of the Man of Tomorrow a little early with today’s release of Action Comics #1ooo, a bumper collection of tales reminding us about why we love the last son of Krypton so much. But a future-looking tale in the issue adds … Continued

io9Television

Black Lightning‘s Electrifying Finale Marks the End of a Damn-Near Perfect Season of Television

In his fight to protect his city from those who wish to destroy it, Black Lightning has seen the dead rise from the grave and watched in terror as nearly everything about his life crumbled to pieces. Through it all, though, Black Lightning’s never managed to lose its sense of hope and optimism. When you … Continued

io9Movies

Steven Spielberg Will Bring DC Comics’ Blackhawk to the Big Screen

Warner Bros.’ DC comics movie announcements are getting crazy. Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment officially announced today that Spielberg will produce and potentially helm Blackhawk, with a script from his longtime collaborator David Koepp. Blackhawk is based on the classic team of World War II fighter pilots lead by the titular hero, who have fought … Continued

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The Harley Quinn Spinoff Birds of Prey Has Found Its Director in Indie Filmmaker Cathy Yan

Warner Bros.’ plans for the DC Extended Universe are still… how should we put it… in flux, at least one film is moving forward: Birds of Prey, starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, which the studio has selected indie filmmaker Cathy Yan to direct. According to Deadline, Birds of Prey will begin filming nearer to … Continued

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No, Black Lightning Still Isn’t a Part of the Arrowerse

It’s easy to understand why fans of the Arrowverse want to see the CW’s newest team of live-action DC superheroes team up with Teams Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow. But sorry, folks, because the fact of the matter is that Black Lightning is really, really, really set in its own universe. Though Black … Continued

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John Ridley’s Adapting His American Way Comics Into a Politically Charged Superhero Movie for Blumhouse

John Ridley’s been a screenwriter and producer for decades, known for his work on Three Kings, 12 Years A Slave, and American Crime. But he’s also been creating an entire comic universe, too, in his historical superhero series The American Way, published by DC Comics. Today we learned those comics are going to be the … Continued

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Injustice’s Batman Recruits He-Man to Fight Asshole Superman

Injustice is already one of DC’s most delightfully loopy alternate universes. Now, it’s going to get even better with a new crossover series that mashes that world up with the Masters of the Universe. Spinning out of the stellar Injustice digital comic series—filling in the gaps in the stories before and between Netherrealm Studio’s excellent … Continued

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Sean Murphy’s Batman Continuity Has Its Own Set of Rules

Sean Gordon Murphy, author of Batman: White Knight, has crafted within it his own pocket Batman world, with some substantial differences from the mainline world of the DC Universe, the most obvious one being that the Joker has gone dangerously, uh, sane. But according to Murphy, there are a few more inviolable rules of his … Continued

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Fans Give Darkseid an Epic Makeover With Help From Mister Miracle

Earlier this week, artist Nick Derington shared his cover artwork for Mister Miracle #10, which is a fantastic close-up of Darkseid that balances detail and an impressively inverted photo-negative color palette. Fans have been remixing the cover all week, turning out some eye-popping riffs on this vision of the Lord of Apokolips. Here are some … Continued

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RoboCop, Secret Immortals, and Galactus’ Severed Head Are the Stars of This Week’s Best New Comics

Despite the fact that they all come from worlds where teams of superheroes save the multiverse on a daily basis, most of the heroes in comic books balk when they realize that their only hope of surviving the arcs of their own stories is—wait for it—working with other people. Sure, watching as a ragtag group … Continued

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Catwoman the Movie Doesn’t Deserve a Second Chance, But Catwoman Herself Does

Catwoman is a terrible movie. Even one of the writers behind Catwoman wholeheartedly agrees with that sentiment. That’s why, when Halle Berry says that the movie should get a more positive consideration due to its part in bringing more diverse superheroes to the big screen, we’re a little hesitant to agree. But one thing we … Continued

io9Television

Black Lightning’s Penultimate Episode Is an Epic Story About Gun Violence and School Shootings

In just a single season, Black Lightning’s already tackled systemic racism, police brutality, and gang violence, but last night’s episode proves that the show will stop at nothing to tell even more timely, resonate stories about the real world evils that we seemingly can’t escape. In Black Lightning’s Freeland, death is not an absolute. Those … Continued

io9Books & Comics

It’s Amazing That Marvel and DC’s Classic X-Men and Teen Titans Crossover Ever Happened

Thirty-six years ago, the two hottest superhero teams in comics met in an epic-scale single-issue story that paired the New Teen Titans and Uncanny X-Men against each other and major villains from rival universes. It’s the kind of project that seems like a miracle for even existing. Crossovers take a lot of energy and coordination … Continued

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Thank God, Christina Hodson Is the New Writer of the Batgirl Movie

Warner Bros. is “bat” at it again. After a few months of uncertainty, it’s just hired Christina Hodson to write a brand new script for a Batgirl movie. Joss Whedon was previously attached to the project but admitted he didn’t have a story and left the film back in February. Hodson, who wrote the upcoming … Continued