io9

This Doomsday Clock Cover Is Almost Certainly Alan Moore’s Worst Nightmare

Alan Moore’s distaste for DC’s ownership of his and Dave Gibbons’ work on Watchmen is widely known at this point—and considering the fact that neither Moore or Gibbons were contacted for the characters’ use in Rebirth, that distaste is still very real today. This new comic cover is unlikely to help smooth things over for … Continued

io9

The Many, Many, Many New Comic Book Series Coming This Fall

Let’s be real: Comics are kind of a year-round thing. But you know what fall has that the rest of those lousy seasons don’t? Perfect comic book reading weather. So it’s a good thing that there’s tons of new comics on the way! Here’s our picks of the wonderful new books you’ll want to get … Continued

io9

Hasbro Is Suing DC Comics Over the Bumblebee Name

Hasbro is heading to court to go toe-to-toe with DC comics, and it’s for a very strange reason: the battle over who gets to the rights to sell toys with the name “Bumblebee” on them. With the beloved Transformer about to get his own standalone movie and a wave of merchandise to go with it, … Continued

io9

Iconic Thor Creator Walt Simonson Talks About Jack Kirby, the Most Important Comics Storyteller Ever

Today is the 100th birthday of comics legend Jack Kirby, the artist who co-created many of Marvel’s most famous superhero characters, including Thor. In the video below, hall-of-fame creator Walt Simonson talks about Kirby and the impact his work had on his own career, and the medium of comics overall. Last month at San Diego … Continued

io9

Superman Teaches Diversity in This Beautifully Restored Poster

In response to real-world tragedies, a number of people online have turned to Superman for a lesson in diversity and respect. Now, DC has shared some history and a beautiful restoration of a classic poster. You might’ve seen it, if you’ve spent much time on social media in the wake of Charlottesville: an image of … Continued

io9

That Famous Watchmen Panel You Keep Seeing This Year Isn’t Actually From the Comic

I am tired of meme. These tweets. I am tired of being caught in the tangle of their lies. It’s been a weird year, full of large and small horrors, hasn’t it? If you spend a lot of time on Twitter, you may have seen people using a picture of omnipotent superhero Dr. Manhattan with … Continued

io9

Here’s the First Glimpse at the Batman: Gotham by Gaslight Movie

Warner Bros. announced that the next DC animated movie would be an adaptation of Gotham by Gaslight, the classic Victorian alt-reality tale drawn by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. Now, we’re getting a preview of what that film will look like. The eight-minute first look comes as a special feature on the Batman and Harley Quinn … Continued

io9

At This Point, It Seems Like Warner Brothers Is Trying to Ruin DC’s Cinematic Universe

Though Warner Brothers and DC were slow to begin building their own shared cinematic universe in a fashion similar to Marvel’s, there was no reason to believe that they wouldn’t be able to pull it off successfully in their own time. Looking at the current state of things, though, that’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe. … Continued

io9

Patty Jenkins Calls Out James Cameron’s ‘Inability to Understand What Wonder Woman Is’

Yesterday, The Guardian published an interview with director James Cameron in which he said that Patty Jenkins’ take on Wonder Woman was an “objectified icon” and that the widespread critical acclaim for the character’s film has been “misguided.” Late last night, Jenkins took to Twitter with the perfect response. Rather than spelling out her thoughts … Continued

io9

Matt Reeves Clarifies The Batman‘s Place in the DC Movie Universe

It’s been a hell of a week for the DC movieverse—with the news that Warner Bros is also launching a banner for DC movies that are not part of the continuity of the DC Extended Universe. That news collided with a rumor about the future of The Batman last night, but director Matt Reeves has … Continued

io9

The Live-Action Teen Titans Series Has Found Its New Starfire and She’s a Big Deal

At some point in 2018, we can expect to see a live-action Teen Titans on Warner Bros’ brand-new digital streaming service. Tonight, we learned who’ll be playing the show’s incarnation of Starfire and the news of her casting has an importance that can’t be understated. Deadline reports that 24: Legacy’s Anna Diop has been cast … Continued

io9

Report: Martin Scorsese Will Produce a ‘Hard-Boiled’ Version of the Joker’s Origin Story

At last, the Joker is getting his own movie. It’ll star a yet-to-be-cast actor, good news for anyone who was turned off by Jared Leto’s interpretation of the character in Suicide Squad. And it’ll be an origin story that pays stylistic homage to 1980s Martin Scorsese films—with the legendary director himself producing. Deadline got the … Continued

io9Books & Comics

One of DC’s New Evil Batmen is Actually The Joker and His Robins Are The Stuff of Nightmares

I’m still not entirely sure how DC’s new Dark Nights: Metal is going to incorporate that terrifying squad of evil, alternate universe Batpeople, but that doesn’t matter right now. Folks, we need to have a talk about the Batman Who Laughs and his creepy-ass Robins and how I’m never sleeping again. Part of what’s so … Continued

io9

Here’s a New Version of Harley Quinn to Get Very Excited About

25 years after her debut on Batman: The Animated Series, Harleen Quinzel’s gone through a lot of changes. Harley’s various iterations have offered up different proportions of wackiness, tragedy and, uh, randiness. The one coming to Batman: The Enemy Within looks like she doesn’t take any guff. From anyone. Telltale Games has sent out the … Continued

io9

John Ridley Explains Why the Streets Are Burning in the Political Superhero Series The American Way

With main characters who are former superheroes trying to pursue justice in the turbulent 1960s, The American Way: Those Above and Those Below is a comic book series about revolutions old and new. Fires start burning in the series’ latest issue and writer John Ridley talks to io9 about what it all means. I’ll be … Continued

io9

What’s a Major Comic Book Event Even Supposed to Be Anymore?

Big superhero events are always marketed with promises of permanent status quo changes and shocking developments. The problem is, nobody believes that anymore. As of today, both Marvel and DC Comics are in the process of rolling out new major comic book events that, according to both publishers’ press releases about them, are designed to … Continued

io9

In Batman: Creature of the Night, an Orphaned Boy Dreams of Becoming the Dark Knight

Batman’s origin story exists in something of an odd place within the grand comic book canon. It’s a tale we all know the general details and various specifics of. But writers seldom spend time on the timeframe of Bruce Wayne’s life as a young, newly orphaned kid. While we know that witnessing his parents’ murder … Continued

io9

Why I’m Excited to See What the New Batman Video Game Does With One Particular Villain

Telltale Games’ ongoing creation of its own unique Dark Knight continuity—which began with last year’s Batman: The Telltale Series—has been fascinating to play through. The changes made to the people in Bruce Wayne’s double life have been surprisingly dramatic and the best one may be yet to come. Released last week, the first episode of … Continued

io9

Watching This Artist Draw Wonder Woman Is Like Seeing Sorcery Happen

Reading comics is great because you know, back in your mind, a blank page became alive with the words, lines, letters, and colors of a bunch of talented people. Watching part of that process happen in a time-lapse video is straight-up magical. Kim Jung Gi’s artistic skill has made him an internet phenomenon, and it’s … Continued

io9

The Black Lightning TV Show Has Cast Its Major Villain

In his first comics series, Black Lightning fought against a criminal organization called the 100, led by an oversized crimelord named Tobias Whale. The villain is following the electrically powered hero to TV, where rapper Krondon will be playing Jefferson Pierce’s archnemesis. The casting news comes from Entertainment Weekly, via an article that also includes … Continued