Welcome to the first week of DC Rebirth and the ongoing saga of What Is Up With Those DC Films.
This week, four titles of the new DC Rebirth initiative came out, including Superman Rebirth #1, Batman Rebirth #1, Green Arrow Rebirth #1, and Green Lantern Rebirth #1. I’ve heard some surprisingly good things about one of these issues, not surprisingly mediocre things about another, and absolutely zero on the other two. Since my one and only title, if that, comes out in August, these glimpses are all I expect to have until I decide I’m not mad at DC Comics anymore. That’ll probably be in about 5 years, which is just in time for their next reboot.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian artists agency Chiaroscuro Studios, which represents some freelancers who work for DC and Marvel Comics, terminated their contract with DC freelance artist Allan Goldman. Goldman rather deserved it for making some horrible comments about the recent gangrape of a 16-year-old girl in Brazil. At least someone in this industry is doing right by women. You can read more about what Goldman said and the situation in Brazil at The Mary Sue, although be aware that it talks about an incredibly violent occurrence.
Things are a little more varied on the cinematic side of things. The R-rated Batman v. Superman BluRay trailer is here. Let the invention of related drinking games commence!
That’s not the only way BvS has been in the news this week, however. Jeremy Irons, aka the best Alfred the Batman films have ever seen, said that the film deserved its bad reviews because it was “overstuffed” and “muddled.” He also says that the next film—that would be the first Justice League—has a “smaller” and “more linear” script. I hope that script contains at least one scene of Alfred growling, “STILL NO GRANDCHILDREN?!” at Bruce because those scenes, the Perry White scenes, and the Wonder Woman scenes ruled that film for me.
Dope director Rick Famuyiwa has grabbed The Flash film director gig, after the rather unqualified originally assigned director exited the project about a month ago. I kind of (okay, very much) wanted a woman director for The Flash because the only woman director the WB has hired for these movies is Patty Jenkins for the Wonder Woman film, but a qualified black director who has a good movie like Dope on his resume is a solid choice.
Stephen Amell has said for the hundredth time that the movies and television shows will not cross over. Can we please stop asking him? Seriously. Do you want one big muddled DC Cinematic Universe where we can’t explain why the Superfamily didn’t stop that nuke on Arrow, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to on every little turn, or do you want the gift of two different, but solid canons?
I don’t understand why people are obsessed with pushing the TV canon into the film canon. From the angle of The Flash, it seems that a lot of viewers want to keep the character upbeat, which is not so much of a concern now that Famuyiwa is at the helm of the film. But I suspect it’s not just about that and it’s more about the perception of legitimacy. To which I say, if you really think the films will be the most legitimate just because they make the most money, you need to re-evaluate what legitimacy means to you. Money does not mean legitimacy in art (if you can call today’s mostly corporate output art). If money is not the issue and it’s about exposure–well then, chill out? If you like one version of The Flash over another version, then go introduce your preferred version to people you like and have merry conversations about that version forevermore. Alternatively: work in comics for a few years and realize that even a highly neglected, financially-struggling medium can come out with stories that might rule our culture in 20 years.
This has been your first DC Daily Planet issue for June 2016. Tune in next week for more, folks!
