Tag: DC

The newest trailer for “The Dark Knight Rises” reveals the scale of the film – collapsing bridges, street riots, and that familar football-field calamity — but the most intriguing moments belong to franchise newcomers Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,  Marion Cotillard and the baneful Tom Hardy. Although a portion of the trailer, which runs 2 minutes and 19 seconds, is comprised of footage from the six-minute preview released in December, it’s the most that tight-lipped co-writer and director Christopher Nolan has revealed about the third and final installment in his epic Batman trilogy, which began with “Batman Begins” in 2005 and continued with 2008′s “The Dark Knight,” winning two Oscars. The trailer opens with Selina Kyle’s voice over a soft, eerie piano, telling Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), “There’s a storm coming.” When he remarks that she seems as if she is looking forward to it, ...

The American comic book doesn’t sell like it did in the 1940s, and the delirious collector speculation and buying-by-the-box sprees of the 1990s are long gone. Game-changing characters aren’t arriving on a monthly basis like they did during the early 1940s and then again in the early 1960s.  The 1980s will be remembered for bringing new ambition with masterpiece graphic novels; the 1930s were even more special because they brought the somewhat essential innovation of a man in tights leaping a tall building in a single bound. So what’s special about this moment in time for comics? Well, here’s one thing: For the first time in history,  it’s actually considered cool if you’re a comic book writer.  That’s a big deal. For decades it was the purgatory of publishing,  a sad refuge for a typewriter jockey who didn’t have a winning ribbon. Now famous people want to be ...

This post has been corrected, as detailed below. LONDON — The University of London’s stolid Senate House echoes with secrets and hidden history — it was headquarters for Britain’s propaganda and censorship department and “1984” author George Orwell used it as a model for his Ministry of Truth — so it was a fitting workplace last July for Christopher Nolan and the masked ambitions of “The Dark Knight Rises.” “Back in Gotham, back in Chris Nolan’s city,” actor Morgan Freeman said as he stepped past barbed wire and debris used in a just-finished scene. A moment later, he added: “The only drawback is this is the last one we get to work on with him. And a lot of us won’t really get that until later. It’s not until the curtain goes down that you think, ‘Jesus, that’s the last ...

Few superheroes have soared as high as Captain Marvel — he was the first comic-book character to reach Hollywood’s silver screen (Republic’s “Adventures of Captain Marvel” beat the Fleischer “Superman” cartoons to theaters by six months) and he was a newsstand powerhouse, outselling every rival in the 1940s. But Earth’s Mightiest Mortal plummeted from pop culture due to changing tastes and legal issues and, from 1954 to 1972, his comics weren’t published at all. He’s been in the DC Universe since that 1972 revival but (despite some bright spots) he’s never lived up to that illustrious heritage. Now, in the pages of “Justice League,” Geoff Johns, the star writer and chief creative officer of DC Entertainment, and artist Gary Frank are adding new wrinkles to the mythology and hope to put some of the old magic back in the word “Shazam!” HC: We’ve seen different versions ...

The landmark legacy of “Watchmen” and the intriguing future of  “Before Watchmen” will be center stage at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, with an on-stage Q&A featuring DC Entertainment co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio as well as a rare big-screen presentation of the director’s cut of Zack Snyder’s 2009 film “Watchmen.” “Watchmen” was the 12-issue series (1986-1987) by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons that arguably redefined the ambitions and literary stature of the American comic book. DC is returning to that universe with the ”Before Watchmen” project, which will launch a series of separate, multi-issue prequels – a bold move considering that Moore has publicly criticized the concept and will not be participating. Hero Complex lead writer Geoff Boucher will moderate the discussion with Lee and DiDio. The discussion is set for 1 p.m. on April 21 in USC’s ...

The CW, which wrapped up the 10th and final season of “Smallville” last May, is back in the business of superheroes. Now Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, played by Justin Hartley in “Smallville,” is aiming for his own TV show, “Arrow.” Stephen Amell will star as the billionaire playboy-turned-vigilante. The network released its first image from “Arrow’s” pilot (above) today, featuring Amell in the hero’s suit, designed by three-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood, who most recently took home Oscar gold for Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Amell has appeared on such TV shows as “The Vampire Diaries,” “Hung” and “New Girl.” Created by Mort Weisinger and first illustrated by George Papp, the DC Comics character dates back to the 1940s. Aside from the clear Batman and Robin Hood influences, Green Arrow was also inspired by the movie serial “The Green ...

Bruce Wayne wears the mask of Batman, but what is the hero’s true identity? The question is a knotty one and the answer depends on which Gotham City you have visited and when you were there. Some people visualize Adam West in a cowl, others see Christian Bale or Michael Keaton behind the mask. Maybe you think of the sunny, Saturday morning sleuth from “The Super Friends” – or is it the bitter, battered fading solider from Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns”? Interestingly, right now, the video game Arkham City and its brawny incarnation of Batman is shaping the base perception of the widest new audience to the hero. Even if you go back to the original medium, the pages of DC Comics, you can find recent versions of the hero that feel like caped riffs on James Bond, Sherlock Holmes or Dirty Harry. Batman first appeared in comics in 1939 and at this point he’s been in ...

DC Nation and Marvel Television are making superheroes jump off the page and into television sets, and each shined a spotlight on their present and future offerings Saturday at WonderCon. Both comic companies have a long history with animated fare on TV.  Bruce Timm’s animated creations using DC characters (“Batman,” “Superman,” etc.) have usually been crowd-pleasers, and Marvel’s forays include its new G4 anime offerings, popular ’90s “X-Men,” and even the classic ’60s “Spider-Man” series whose theme song still ranks as one of the best cartoon tunes ever. But it’s a new day, and first up was Marvel at its noontime panel. The company’s Disney owners have afforded it more of an opportunity and “muscle,” according to chief creative officer Joe Quesada, to put out more products. Head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb was on hand to present the newest offering, “Ultimate ...

Vertigo Comic fans got a glimpse of the future — which includes an adaptation of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” a graphic novel by chef Anthony Bourdain and a 10th anniversary “Fables” collection — during the publisher’s Friday evening panel at WonderCon. Editor Will Dennis, writer Scott Snyder and artist Dennis Nguyen spoke during the panel for Vertigo — the edgy-spirited imprint of DC Comics – highlighting a slate of comics, including “Fables,” “The New Deadwardians,” “Saucer Country,” “Voodoo Child,” “American Vampire,” “American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Get Jiro,” “Sweet Tooth” and “Scalped.” The “Dragon Tattoo” book, adapted by Scottish crime author Denise Mina from Stieg Larsson’s bookshelf sensation,  is slated for a November release and will be the first in a set of six — two graphic novels for each book in the original trilogy. “It’s ...

DC Comics is teaming up with WonderCon attendees to fight hunger in the Horn of Africa through a text-to-give campaign. DC Entertainment’s campaign, called We Can Be Heroes, is targeting the tens of thousands of TV, film and comics fans converging on the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend for WonderCon (Comic-Con International’s junior sibling) to raise money for three humanitarian aid organizations working to alleviate the hunger crisis in the drought-stricken African region: Save the Children, International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps. People can donate by texting the word “HEROES” to 80888. DC Comics, whose Justice League superheroes are serving as fictional spokespeople for the campaign, is matching every dollar donated up to $1 million. “Fans at WonderCon and beyond can band together with the Justice League to make a difference and save lives, just by sending a simple text ...