io9Books & Comics

Open Channel: Which Batman Is the Best Batman?

Because it’s her 25th anniversary, this year’s Batman Day has been hijacked by Harley Quinn. While the rest of the world is obsessing over a lovable maniac with a lapsed medical accreditation, we wanna revisit the question that always pops up when you think about how many versions of Batman there are. Throughout the 78 … Continued

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This Year’s DC/CW Crossover Goes Into ‘Crisis’ Mode With Evil Versions of Supergirl, Flash, and Green Arrow

We now know the premise of this year’s gigantic, two-night CW crossover between The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow, and it’s a doozy—and a take on the classic comic book storyline of heroes fighting evil, alternate versions of themselves. But there’s a lot more to it than Evil Supergirl’s awesome outfit. The CW … Continued

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DC’s Doomsday Clock Will Be Released Three Minutes Early to Remind Us How Close We Are to the Apocalypse

Traditionally, comics become available at midnight, be it digitally or in the case of big events, through special launch parties. DC’s upcoming Watchmen-infused event Doomsday Clock will arrive slightly earlier than usual… although for a bit of a grim reason. Written by Geoff Johns and with art from Gary Frank, Doomsday Clock will begin to … Continued

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Zack Snyder Is Content to Leave Justice League Alone to ‘Do Their Thing’

Tragic circumstances earlier this year lead to Zack Snyder leaving his work on the Justice League movie, with Joss Whedon brought in to take his place during reshoots. Although Snyder has slowly begun returning to the world of movie making in the form of a new short film, he will definitely not be planning a … Continued

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The Three-Hour Extended Cut of Superman: The Movie Is Finally Getting a Home Release

Years before extended cuts were a commonplace re-release for movies, the original Richard Donner Superman movie received a bumper cut—nearly 40 minutes longer—when it aired on TV. Now, decades after its premiere, that cut of the movie is finally being released on Blu-ray. Back in February 1982, ABC’s two-night broadcast of Superman: The Movie was … Continued

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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Has the Only Batman Romance That Ever Needed to Be Told

As a grim, obsessed loner dedicated to fighting crime in all its forms, Batman is supposed to have no time for love, yet somehow nearly all his live-action movies have had a token love interest. However, the animated Mask of the Phantasm revolves around the idea that Bruce Wayne had a fleeting yet meaningful chance … Continued

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This Week’s Mister Miracle Brings Game of Thrones-ian Intrigue Into Space

The first issue of Mister Miracle put Scott Free under a microscope, examining the psyche of a man trying outrun his own mortality in a hazy world where it’s hard to tell what’s real and what isn’t. Mister Miracle’s second issue offers much the same thematically, but through the deceptive lens of interstellar politics. Tom … Continued

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Batman’s Horrifying Identity Crisis Is the Heart of Dark Nights: Metal

DC Comics’ current crossover event is Dark Nights: Metal, a Batman-focused affair filled with melodramatic pseudo-science about the threats coming from an evil alternate multiverse. The second issue is out this week, and it’s setting the bar for a whole new level of crazy. In the real world, we know that Dark Nights: Metal is … Continued

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The Mysterious Figure Haunting Superman Since the Start of DC’s Rebirth Has Finally Been Revealed

Earlier this year, DC’s Rebirth initiative kicked off with a ton of mysteries, but one of the biggest ones that’s remained unanswered so far has been just who the hell Mr. Oz is, the cryptic, cosmic figure watching Superman from the shadows who has an intimate knowledge of the last son of Krypton. Today, we … Continued

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How Harley Quinn Evolved From the Joker’s Sidekick to One of DC Comics’ Best Characters

Twenty-five years ago today, Batman: The Animated Series aired its seventh episode, about the Joker forcing an ordinary man to help him assassinate Commissioner Gordon. The story wasn’t memorable, but the episode always will be—because it featured the first appearance of a character that grew into an icon of DC Comics: Harley Quinn. Although she … Continued

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Nicolas Cage Believes His Scrapped Superman Movie Is Better Than Man of Steel, Because It Exists Only in Our Minds

Superman Lives may have been doomed to movie oblivion years ago, but its one-time-star believes that even then, the movie has one thing going for it that no other Superman movie can have: the absurd power of our collective imagination. Yup, that’s Nic Cage’s own explanation for how the ill-fated Tim Burton film—which would’ve featured … Continued

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Len Wein Helped Make Comics’ Universes Bigger and Broader and the Whole World Is Better For It

When I sat down to think about whether I could muster any words of remembrance for Len Wein, I found myself stymied. How do you memorialize someone who went from being a fan to doing so much so well on so many levels? Then I realized that the breadth of his work was exactly the … Continued

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Hawk and Dove Have Been Cast on DC’s Titans TV Show

The crime-fighting duo of Hawk and Dove are going to be recurring characters on DC’s upcoming show, Titans, and now those roles have been cast. Deadline reports that Alan Ritchson will play Hawk and Minka Kelly will play Dove on the show, which will premiere in 2018 on DC’s upcoming streaming service. Neither actor will … Continued

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The Next Season of The Flash Is Sending Barry and Iris to Couples Therapy [UPDATED]

Even after the whole will they/won’t they stuff, Barry and Iris have been through a lot in three seasons of The Flash, a lot of it contrived because, god, why let these characters be happy for more than 5 seconds. The rapidly approaching fourth season is going to do the same, but with jokes now. … Continued

io9Television

These Early Designs for Batman: The Animated Series Are Simply Gorgeous

Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of Batman: The Animated Series’ television debut. All sorts of intriguing details have emerged in the wake of the anniversary—but so has some beautiful art, in the form of Kevin Nowlan’s early concept designs for the look of the show. Revealed as part of an extensive Q&A with Nowlan over … Continued

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How Batman: The Animated Series Changed the Way We Think About Superhero Adaptations

It’s not an exaggeration to say that, 25 years ago, a cartoon about Batman transformed the boundaries of what was considered possible when bringing a comic-book hero to a new medium. A quarter of a century ago, on this date, Batman: The Animated Series made its debut on TV screens across the world. I remember … Continued

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My Daughter’s Journey Into Superhero Fandom Has Made Me Look at How Nerd Culture Has Changed

“I would love if DC Superhero Girls were really alive.” “Why?” “Because I really like them. I’m their biggest faaAaaAan.” Over the summer, my daughter surprised me. When I went to San Diego for Comic-Con, her superhero fascination had cooled. Sure, she was inhaling as much Teen Titans Go! as various streaming services could serve … Continued

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Report: Warner Bros. Might Try to Lure a Major Star to Its Joker Origin Movie

Warner Bros.’ new Joker movie—and the new banner of “Elseworlds”-style movies in the DC universe—just got even weirder thanks to a new Hollywood report from The Hollywood Reporter. One that claims that WB is potentially looking at a huge actor to play the clown prince of crime: Leonardo DiCaprio. Building on Deadline’s scoop last week … Continued

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Two New Teen Titans Go! Clips Gleefully Skewer the Sharing Economy

The Boy Wonder as Steve Jobs is something I didn’t know I needed. He may have access to the oodles of money that comprise Batman’s real superpower but Robin needs some walking-around money of his own. Two preview clips of an upcoming episode of action-comedy series Teen Titans Go! show how the young hero gets … Continued

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George Miller’s Justice League Would’ve Had Wonder Woman Fight Minotaurs—and Superman

George Miller’s abandoned Justice League movie is one of the weirdest what-if stories of superhero movies. Details have swirled around for years, but now we’ve got a few more courtesy of actor Jay Baruchel, who would’ve played villain Maxwell Lord in the film, and they’re all about how much ass Wonder Woman would’ve kicked. Baruchel … Continued