Justice League

For a man about to start a war, Geoff Johns seems calm. Upbeat, even. Upstairs from Golden Apple Comics in Hollywood in an office lunchroom ahead of a signing for Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, DC Comics’ chief creative officer, sporting just-tearing-at-the-knee jeans, a red plaid shirt and a weathered Aquaman baseball cap, occasionally pets his bulldog while discussing the summer event he and collaborator Jeff Lemire are scripting in their respective “Justice League” and “Justice League Dark” titles, and together in “Justice League of America.” (You can see a larger version of Ivan Reis and Joe Prado’s triptych cover for the first issues here.) “Trinity War,” which unfolds in six parts across those three series’ July and August releases, with tie-ins including “Trinity of Sin: Pandora” No. 1 (written by Ray Fawkes), is DC Comics’ biggest event since launching […]

Cisco Ramone, a.k.a. Vibe, is perhaps the unlikeliest member of the Justice League of America. He’s a teenager who, in a tragic turn of events, finds himself endowed with the ability to sense and fight inter-dimensional threats — in this case, the forces of uber-villain Darkseid. Cisco’s newfound powers, drawn from vibrational cracks between different dimensions, win him a place among the heroes he revered in his childhood. The new Justice League also includes Catwoman, Hawkman, Stargirl, Green Arrow and more. The launch issue of “Justice League of America’s Vibe” hits shelves Wednesday, but Hero Complex readers get a sneak peek at the comic, co-written by Geoff Johns and Andrew Kreisberg and illustrated by Pete Woods and Sean Parsons. Click through the gallery above or use the links below for larger versions. Cover | Variant Cover | Page 5 | […]

Is “Man of Steel” laying the groundwork for a Justice League movie? Director Zack Snyder may have been hinting at that during the Warner Bros. panel at Comic-Con International on Saturday. “Superman is the jewel in the DC crown,” Snyder told the Hall H audience of about 6,500. “And really what we’re trying to do is get his house in order, and then who knows what’s possible.” Snyder and actor Henry Cavill answered audience questions after screening footage from the film, slated for a June 2013 release. The footage began with glimpses of Clark Kent’s hometown and his childhood while a voice narrated, “What if a child dreamed of being something other than what society intended? What if a child aspired to something greater?” The clip continued to explore the theme of Kent trying to find his place in a world […]

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 […]

The new animated film “Justice League: Doom” arrives Feb. 28 on Blu-ray and DVD, but we’ll be hosting a sold-out screening on Thursday at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills. The list of cast members who will be appearing on stage is being finalized and we can tell you now that we’ll be joined by voice actors Tim Daly (Superman), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Olivia d’Abo (Star Sapphire), Paul Blackthorne (Metallo) and Phil Morris (Vandal Savage). We can also tell you that there may be a few other surprise appearances. “Justice League: Doom,” the latest DC Universe animated original movie from Warner Home Video, takes its core plot from Mark Waid’s memorable “Tower of Babel” story arc (which was published back in 2000 in the pages of DC Comics), although there are considerable differences. In both the comics and film, the world’s greatest heroes […]

“Justice League: Doom” will make its West Coast premiere on Feb. 16 with a Hero Complex screening at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills with a limited number of free tickets available for fans. Hero Complex lead writer Geoff Boucher will moderate a Q&A with the filmmakers and members of the cast after the screening. “Justice League: Doom,” the latest DC Universe animated original movie from Warner Home Video, takes its core plot from Mark Waid’s memorable “Tower of Babel” story arc (which was published back in 2000 in the pages of DC Comics) although there are considerable differences. In both the comics and film, the world’s greatest heroes are all placed in danger when villains get their hands on Batman’s secret files — which indexes the weaknesses of all his teammates and precise tactical plans for taking them down. The film features Nathan Fillion […]

Seventy-three years ago this month, a strange new vision arrived in American pop culture, a brawny figure in blue with a flowing red cape and the ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. The character of Superman has flown on into film, television, video games and every imaginable corner of entertainment, but he’s always remained tethered to his first home – Action Comics has been published every month since June 1938 and, in April, became the only American comic book title to reach a 900th issue. But, in a move that is either audacious or desperate — or a bit of both – DC Comics is making a break, at least in numbering, from the grand old series. In September, celebrated Scottish writer Grant Morrison and rising artist Ralph “Rags” Morales will start the series over with Action Comics No. 1, […]

DC Comics is going back to the starting point in September, renumbering its entire lineup of DC Universe titles with No. 1 and retooling nearly all of its major characters, including Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. At the same time, the company, which has been publishing comics for 76 years, also said it would start selling digital copies of its printed ongoing superhero titles through apps and a website the same day they’re released in comic shops, a move dubbed by the industry as day-and-date sales. That will affect the company’s superhero titles. That means DC is joining a movement already embraced by Archie Comics, which began same-day digital and print sales in April, along with other smaller publishers. DC’s rival, Marvel Comics, has not yet implemented such a move but has routinely held more market share every year since […]

Ben Fritz sat down with top Warner Bros. executive Jeff Robinov for a profile piece that ran Tuesday in the Los Angeles Times Business section. Fritz also brought back this Hero Complex report on the future of key DC Comics properties at the studio.   Jeff Robinov is already thinking about DC Comics movies for 2013 and beyond, and he’s got “Justice League” and a reinvented Batman on his mind. The president of the Warner Bros. motion picture group, who recently sat down for an extensive interview with The Times, discussed his long-term strategy for DC beyond movies already in the works, such as June’s “Green Lantern” and next year’s “The Dark Knight Rises” and Superman movie. The first priority for the man with the ultimate say on what films get made at Warner Bros.: Finally getting the Justice League, DC’s […]