News

Back in black? Not exactly.

Despite scores of rumors and half-baked story claims, Justice League never alluded to Black Suit Superman in any shape or form, leaving fans to wonder what could have been. And just as Henry Cavill teased viewers via Instagram throughout the film’s storied (messy?) production – not to mention those Justice League merchandise items depicting a black-suited Man of Steel – cinematographer Fabian Wagner has since confirmed that, yes, Cavill donned the famous armor on set. It just didn’t make the cut.

That’s something that can be said about a lot of Justice League content, given Warner Bros. reportedly placed a two-hour mandate on its DC mega-movie soon after Joss Whedon replaced Zack Snyder at the helm. As you surely know, a fan petition asking the studio to give us Snyder’s footage has already surpassed a staggering 150,000 signatures and continues to grow each and every day and now,...

Regardless of whether you loved or hated Justice League, we’re all aware of how a fair amount of footage was left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps it was either stuff that was shot by Zack Snyder that Warner Bros. didn’t want to use or, maybe, it just didn’t gel with the final cut; the latter happens all the time in the film industry. Still, there was one omission that remains a hot topic for discussion, that being Superman’s black costume.

For well over a year, many of us who were familiar with the source material expected to see the Last Son of Krypton don some darker threads upon his resurrection, just as he did in the comics. But, in Justice League‘s theatrical cut, the closest we’d gotten to that was him wearing some black slacks.

As debate raged on and conflicting reports of...

Back in black? Not exactly.

Despite scores of rumors and half-baked story claims, Justice League never alluded to Black Suit Superman in any shape or form, leaving fans to wonder what could have been. And just as Henry Cavill teased viewers via Instagram throughout the film’s storied (messy?) production – not to mention those Justice League merchandise items depicting a black-suited Man of Steel – cinematographer Fabian Wagner has confirmed that, yes, Cavill donned the famous armor on set. It just didn’t make the cut.

That’s something that can be said about a lot of Justice League content, given Warner Bros. reportedly placed a two-hour mandate on its DC mega-movie soon after Joss Whedon replaced Zack Snyder at the helm. Word is the studio is now planning to release a Superman trilogy that bundles together Henry Cavill’s three Dceu appearances thus far: Man of Steel, Batman V Superman,...

Justice League might not be the hit that Warner Bros. were no doubt hoping it would be, but there really is much for fans to love in the movie – no one can deny that. As it brings together six of the DC universe’s biggest names, there’s a lot of history to draw from and, while it doesn’t have much time to do that in its surprisingly lean 120 minute runtime, it tries its best to call back to a few classic comic book arcs and characters, as well as paying homage to previous DC pics that have come before.

It’s not only the easter eggs that fans need to be on the lookout for, though, as the film is also stuffed full of cameos, including one from its director: Zack Snyder. Yes, as he so often does, Snyder snuck himself into the movie for a very brief appearance,...

You’re not the only one crossing your fingers in the hope that Warner Bros. will release a director’s cut of Justice League.

Fabian Wagner, cinematographer on the pic and one of the DPs currently working on Game of Thrones season 8, has encouraged WB to dive through the archives and piece together all of those scenes that were allegedly left on the cutting room floor. Indeed, one need only look over Justice League‘s trailer campaign to identify all those shots that didn’t make the final cut.

Rumor has it that Warner imposed a two-hour mandate on Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon’s blockbuster, which goes some way to explaining the truncated runtime – at only 119 minutes in length, Justice League is undoubtedly one of the shortest superhero films in recent memory. Hell, it even took Wagner by surprise:

This one was even shorter than I expected, so there...

Fabian Wagner knows how to help build worlds.

Some of the cinematographer's most celebrated work has been on HBO's Game of Thrones, where he's shot such ambitious episodes as season five's "Hardhome" and season six's "Battle of the Bastards." So when Zack Snyder asked him to help shape Justice League, it was a natural evolution of his career, with him stepping into a project even bigger in scale than his ambitious episodes of Thrones.

He worked closely with director Zack Snyder, who is known for his epic-length director's cuts for films such as Watchmen (Wagner's favorite) and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of ustice....

Although the Batman film franchise has brought joy to millions of people since 1943 (oh yes, we’re counting the serials starring Lewis Wilson), it has certainly had its ups and downs. After all, they can’t all be The Dark Knight Trilogy.

No matter which movies are to your liking, most of you will probably agree that Batman & Robin was a failure on pretty much every level (although I do experience much amusement whenever seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s take on Mr. Freeze). What you may or may not know though was that Warner Bros. were confident in the film prior to its release and thought it would be a grand slam with moviegoers, so much that they were ready to move forward with a sequel titled Batman Triumphant or Batman Unchained, depending on whom you ask on what day of the week. But when Batman & Robin bombed, plans for that...

Ryan Lambie Nov 1, 2016

With potential spoilers, a new report suggests that a character from Prometheus is set to return in Alien: Covenant...

Nb: The following contains potential spoilers for Alien: Covenant.

See related DC Comics movies: upcoming UK release dates calendar Batman V Superman: where does it leave the Justice League? Why cinema needs Batman: the world’s greatest detective Zack Snyder interview: Batman V Superman Deborah Snyder & Charles Roven interview: Man Of Steel

There were lots of things in Ridley Scott's Prometheus that left us scratching our heads. Not least, why cast an actor of Guy Pearce's vintage, only to cover him in latex for the role of the wizened Peter Weyland? The answer, we later found out, was because Pearce was originally going to have a scene or two where he played a much younger version of the billionaire corporate boss, but these were ultimately dropped.

Despite the constant handwringing of various people about the current state of cinema, films based on comic-book properties have been around for quite a long time. The 1940s featured serials based on Batman and Superman, but even if those are discounted (as in this supercut), there have been comic book/comic strip films for at least 50 years. In this video, by YouTuber Moon Film, Wagner’s “Ride Of The Valkyries” scores the long walk from Batman in 1966 all the way up to this year’s Captain America: Civil War (sadly Suicide Squad is snubbed—which will probably just lead to more angst and bad tattoos for all involved).

The video is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it reminds you just how many times Hollywood (and independents) have tried to adapt these properties. There may be a bit of a golden age of superhero films at the ...

Justice League is almost halfway through its principal photography and we still have yet to see much of anything when it comes to behind-the-scenes photos or videos. However, photographer Clay Enos has decided to tease fans by sharing one of the very few behind-the-scenes images through the Entertainment Weekly photo department Instagram account. The image shows director Zack Snyder and director of photography Fabian Wagner (Game of Thrones) working together to film a scene. Wagner signed on as the Dp for Justice League when Batman v Superman's Larry Fong had to back out due to scheduling conflicts. As of now, the only details that are known about the film are from the recent Justice League set visit, but other than that, anything related to the film has been kept closely guarded. Expect updates soon as Comic-Con is just right around the corner.   That's a wrap gang! I've got to get...

From SneakPeekTV.Com, take a look @ the first film appearance of 'Batman', from "Batman" (1943) directed by Lambert Hillyer, starring Lewis Wilson as 'Batman', Douglas Croft as 'Robin',  J. Carrol Naish as 'Dr. Daka', Shirley Patterson as 'Linda Page' and William Austin as 'Alfred":

"...'Batman', a secret U S government agent, attempts to defeat the sabotage schemes of enemy agent 'Dr. Daka'...

"...operating in 'Gotham City' at the height of World War II..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Batman"...

Ryan Lambie Nov 4, 2016

Nearly 40 years ago, Doctor Strange got his first shot at screen glory. We take a look back at the Dr Strange TV pilot...

Even the biggest superheroes had to start somewhere. Batman made his screen debut in a 15-part serial for Columbia, where he spent the entire time tussling with a ‘Japanese’ criminal called Dr Daka (actually Irish-American character actor J Carrol Naish). Superman also made his first live-action appearance in a 40s serial, with Kirk Alyn wearing some very large underpants as the Man of Steel.

See related Looking back at Disney’s Beauty And The Beast Beauty And The Beast: see Angela Lansbury sing the title song Top 10 films of 2013: Frozen

Marvel’s roster of characters started to get their own shows in the 1970s, with Spider-Man leading the way and The Incredible Hulk following him with a successful, five-year run on CBS.

“Babe, you made the best choice ever! You won’t regret this, I promise.” Created by Mezco Toyz, this Tiffany doll—based on her look from Bride of Chucky—speaks six phrases and is available to pre-order now. Also in this round-up: a Q&A with Kevin Riepl, the composer of the Cabin Fever reboot, and the Blu-ray details for the 1993 horror thriller The Crush!

Bride of Chucky Doll: From Mezco Toyz: “First introduced in the film Bride Of Chucky, Tiffany was the devoted girlfriend of killer Charles Lee Ray before his soul transferred into the ‘Good Guy’ doll that would come to be known as Chucky. After Chucky ended up in a police evidence vault, Tiffany used her feminine wiles to rescue him. When Chucky electrocutes her in a bathtub, he transfers her soul into a bridal doll. Now trapped in a doll body, Tiffany joins Chucky on his...

Both Batman and Superman are comic book characters who have been around since the late 1930.s. When you really think about it, it.s somewhat amazing that we.ve never seen the two of them on screen together. That problem has be fixed retroactively, as our favorite internet pastime, the mashup, has been used to show us something quite spectacular. Presented below,  a Batman v. Superman team-up, as a 1940.s serial. The guys over at New York Magazine.s Vulture have taken clips from the very first time Superman and Batman were ever seen as live actors on the screen, and combined them together to make their own Batman v. Superman trailer - circa 1949. That.s Kirk Alyn as Superman in 1948, and Lewis Wilson as Batman from 1943, together for the first time! As is the case with most of these mashup trailers, we never really see the two of them...

Django/Zorro #1

Written by Quentin Tarantino and Matt Wagner

Art by Esteve Polls

Colors by Brennan Wagner

Published by Dynamite Comics

Even though historically speaking, Zorro and Django were contemporaries, they couldn’t be more different. First, there is their ages. Zorro is 95 years old whereas Django hasn’t even celebrated his second birthday as a fictional character. They come in different social classes and cultures (Mexican aristocrat and former African American slave) and are children of different genres with Zorro taking his cues from the pulp and superhero genres while Django is a product of blaxploitation and the Western. Going beyond their character differences, Django/Zorro #1 is scripted by a writer known for his work in pulp comics and plotted by one known for Pulp Fiction. However, like Django and Don Diego de la Vega, co-writers Quentin Tarantino and Matt Wagner use both the differences and similarities between their...

Grendel vs. The Shadow #2

Written and illustrated by Matt Wagner

Dark Horse Comics

The (relative) financial failure of Halloween III sealed the series’ sad fate: Rather than creating a new, original horror story under the Halloween banner each year, the producers returned to Michael Myers and turned out a series of ever-worse retreads.

Grendel creator Matt Wagner, on the other hand, spun pure gold by expanding beyond the world of his original anti-hero, Hunter Rose; particularly with the sublime 12-issue “Devil’s Legacy” run, in which Rose descendant Christine Spar inherited the cowl and forks.

From there, Wagner continued to re-imagine the character with each successive chapter, suggesting he had little desire to move anywhere other than forward with it.

Although Wagner has revisited Hunter Rose before (even after bringing Grendel into the distant future with “War Child” and “Devil Quest”) and engineered two Grendel/Batman crossovers, there’s something...

The contradiction in film criticism certainly does not go unnoticed. Sure, there are countless films that are praised and applauded for its excellence in quality and creativity. Unfortunately, the overlooked cinema fare that deserves just as much attention (more so than some of the recognized critically-acclaimed selections on an impressive selection of critics’ and moviegoers’ radars) get lost in the proverbial shuffle. It is simply the professional hazard of the movie industry because not every well-received and standout gem will get its rightful due come major awards season in Hollywood.

Just how many times have we as movie reviewers and/or movie fans become indignant when we realized that the special piece of entertainment we personally and critically cherished came up short and empty in expectations? Again, every smart kid in the classroom cannot get a gold star as we remain a competitive society in the world of celluloid superiority.

DC Comics

If you’re a long time comic book reader, the chances are that quite a few of your friends, as newcomers to the genre (no doubt attracted by the big budget escapades of this summer’s Hollywood heroes), will be seeking you out and requesting a company-specific reading list or two.

That’s fine, great even. The more the merrier, we say.

…And you won’t mind at all, will you?

You’ll give them the usual Marvel or DC lists, the pinnacles, the paragons and the prize-winners, the ones that we all knew about and cherished for decades before the ‘beautiful people’ finally took an interest.

You’ll go out of your way to recommend the books that made you proud to read comics in the first place. In so doing, you’ll be hopeful that, if your friends manage to read or obtain even one masterpiece from your careful selection,...

When you think about it, the furore that surrounded Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman not so long ago can probably be pinned down to the fact that some of his earlier film work didn’t match up to the catastrophically lofty expectations that fans of Batman movies will inevitably place on the star of their favourite property.

He might be on a high now, but Bat-fans will never forget his the bad moments – the Giglis and the Paychecks – that gave him an unwanted, and often unwarranted bad name. For Affleck, occasionally, he will only be as good as his worst films, and Batman needs to be a paragon of virtue, and an island of cool. Gigli does not fit that image.

But this won’t be the first time that Batman actors have been associated with awfully bad movies that should have been beneath someone of the calibre needed to play the Dark Knight.

Holy Drokk, Batman! A crossover between the bat vigilante and the fascistic future policeman? Unfortunately it’s not as good as it sounds and somehow John Wagner managed to get four books out of this unlikely team-up. “The Batman/Judge Dredd Collection” features all 4 crossover stories and, bizarrely, 1 crossover story featuring Dredd and Lobo.

But how do these two disparate characters cross paths? Well, in the first story, “Judgment on Gotham”, Judge Death gets his claws on a transdimensional belt, allowing him to jump dimensions from Mega City One to judge the living in Gotham. Batman stops him (of course) and afterwards touches the belt thus transporting him to Dredd’s stomping ground. The two tango before Dredd finally gets that Batman is a good guy and then they set off to stop Death and Mean Machine.

It’s not an amazing story but it’s more or less serviceable...

Now here’s something we’ve all debated with our friends at some point or another: just who was it that played the best Batman? Who encompassed everything we love and expect from the character? Who was the worst? Who was so mediocre that they barely made an impact at all?

All are questions that fanboys and conventional audiences alike still throw Batarangs at each other over to this day, but there’s a lot to consider before just labeling the best representation of the Dark Knight on the big (and small) screen. For example, what an actor’s track record and past work was like before they donned the cape n’ cowl. Whether or not they had free reign to give their own interpretation of the character and gave us something unexpected. And of course, whether they were able to convince us that they were a believably tortured soul.

Click the Above Title to read the Full Story....

The Tower Chronicles is a new comic book series produced by Legendary Comics, featuring the creative minds of Simon Bisley and the legendary Matt Wagner. Wagner is, of course, most famous for his original creation Grendel. Simon Bisley has partnered with Wagner in the past when he did the covers for the complete Dark Horse Comics Grendel: War Child run...which was my personal introduction to that series. I've been a huge fan of both ever since. This new comic is like a mega powers of the comic book industry. Its like the team-up of Batman and Superman. Its epic. The Tower Chronicles is the tale of John Tower, a supernatural bounty hunter. His missions lead him into mankind's most dangerous places to banish poltergeists, demons, and other supernatural evils that plague his “sometimes respectable” patrons.

I had the chance to...

One would think that being at the top of your game in a profession for nearly 25 years would tend to slow a person down. That's not the case with Matt Wagner. The creator of Grendel and Mage sat down with Dread Central to discuss his newest series, The Tower Chronicles.

"The Tower Chronicles is the collective title of the first all-original offering from the newly formed Legendary Comics, which is the comic book division of Hollywood powerhouse, Legendary Pictures," Wagner said. "It'll ultimately be a trilogy with each book being about 280 pages of story art. Each of the books is serialized in four prestige format sized volumes that are each 68 pages. The first book in the trilogy is called GeistHawk and The Tower Chronicles follow the adventures of John Tower who is a supernatural bounty hunter. GeistHawk is the name of the website he uses to filter out potential clients.

In an age of Vampires and Zombies, heroes who roam the night protecting us from ghouls and goblins are as necessary as Batman and Superman.

The Tower Chronicles, from writer Matt Wagner (Mage, Grendel) and 2000 Ad artist Simon Bisley, hits comic racks this week from Legendary Comics. This supernatural action-adventure story introduces us to John Tower. Much like Blade, he focuses extra-normal villains. These aren’t super-powered villains, but rather those creatures you’d find in a Grimm fairytale, on HBO’s True Blood or on the CW’s Supernatural.

The first twelve pages focuses on one of Tower’s hunts. He’s chasing down a seemingly innocent woman as though he’s a robber – except this robber leaps over objects with the grace of an acrobat. He also carries around enough rope to tie up his prey or use the rope as Wonder Woman would use her lasso.

Wagner...

Moviegoers wounded when gunman opened fire at screening of The Dark Knight Rises sue owner of theater, Cinemark USA

Three Colorado moviegoers who were wounded when a gunman opened fire at a July screening of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday sued the owner of the theater, Cinemark USA, accusing it of failing to provide adequate security, their lawyers said.

The action marks the first known civil lawsuits filed over the 20 July shootings at a suburban Denver screening of the Batman movie that killed 12 people and wounded 58 others.

James Holmes, a 24-year-old former neuroscience graduate student at the University of Colorado, has been charged with murder and attempted murder in the case.

"Readily available security procedures, security equipment and security personnel would likely have prevented or deterred the gunman from accomplishing his planned assault on the theater's patrons," the law firm of Keating, Wagner, Polidori and Free said in a written statement.

Christian Bale's tormented Batman duly rises for Christopher Nolan's bruising saga of revolution and redemption

Old superheroes never die; they simply hang up their capes and retreat to the shadows, awaiting the moment when fashions change and they're required again. One minute Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is hobbling around his country pile, leaning on his stick like a latterday Howard Hughes and woefully proclaiming that "there's nothing out there for me". The next he's back in the bat-suit, back in the saddle – recalled to save the world or Warner Bros, whatever comes first.

Preamble complete, the dark knight duly rises for the bruising final stanza in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, a satisfying saga of revolution and redemption that ends the tale on a note of thunder. If viewers were wanting a corrective to the jumpsuit antics of The Avengers, or the noodling high-school angst of The Amazing Spider-Man,...

Here’s what hits stores this week!

DC Comics

Absolute All-Star Superman Hc (New Printing), $99.99

All-New Batman The Brave And The Bold #12, $2.99

All-Star Western #1 (Moritat 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99

All-Star Western #2, $3.99

Aquaman #1 (Ivan Reis & Joe Prado 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99

Aquaman #2, $2.99

Batman The Dark Knight #1 (David Finch 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99

Batman The Dark Knight #2, $2.99

Blackest Night Black Lantern 1:4 Scale Power Battery And Ring Prop Replica Set, $35.00

Blackhawks #1 (Ken Lashley 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99

Blackhawks #2, $2.99

DC Comics Presents Catwoman Guardian Of Gotham #1, $7.99

DC Comics Presents The Jack Kirby Omnibus Sampler #1, $7.99

Dmz #70, $2.99

Flash #1 (Francis Manapul 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99

Flash #2 (Francis Manapul Regular Cover), $2.99

Flash #2 (Francis Manapul Black & White Variant Edition), Ar

Flash #2 (Greg Capullo Variant Cover), Ar

Flashpoint Hc (per DC Comics), $22.99

Fury Of Firestorm The Nuclear Men #1 (Ethan Van Sciver 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99

Fury Of Firestorm The Nuclear Men #2, $2.99

Gears Of War #20, $2.99

Green Lantern New Guardians #1 (Tyler...

With all the Marvel and DC films coming out lately, not to mention the new Superman and Batman films on the horizon, the popularity of superhero movies is at an all time high. Everywhere audience members turn another mainstream actor is gracing the screen in a costume that showcases a massive, ripped physique that mirrors their comic counterpart. Leave it to the studios to ensure that reality will always imitate art.

But with all the muscle and power on the screen, an audience member has to wonder: just how does an actor like Gerard Butler, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, or even Mickey Rourke or Robert Downey Jr. transform themselves into the larger-than-life heroes so many have followed in the pages of best selling comics and graphic novels.

Tmp recently sat down with noted actor Mark Hildebrandt as he prepares himself physically for several upcoming roles that should prove just as,...

With all the Marvel and DC films coming out lately, not to mention the new Superman and Batman films on the horizon, the popularity of superhero movies is at an all time high. Everywhere audience members turn another mainstream actor is gracing the screen in a costume that showcases a massive, ripped physique that mirrors their comic counterpart. Leave it to the studios to ensure that reality will always imitate art.

But with all the muscle and power on the screen, an audience member has to wonder: just how does an actor like Gerard Butler, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, or even Mickey Rourke or Robert Downey Jr. transform themselves into the larger-than-life heroes so many have followed in the pages of best selling comics and graphic novels.

Tmp recently sat down with noted actor Mark Hildebrandt as he prepares himself physically for several upcoming roles that should prove just as,...

Batman is an icon, synonymous with the superhero genre and with comic books in general. However, unlike many comic heroes Batman has evolved, constantly changing to keep up with the times. With Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises coming to our screens in a mere 12 months WhatCulture! is looking back at the changing face of the beloved Dark Knight.

Detective Comics Issue 27 (1938)

The Case of the Chemical Syndicate, issue 27 of Detective Comics saw the début of a new character for DC, the Bat-Man. Following the tradition of pulp detective comics, the Bat-Man was a crime fighting detective who had no qualms in killing his adversaries.

Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the original basis for Batman was a combination of pulp and detective heroes The Shadow and Sherlock Holmes. Visually Kane was influenced by Leonardo De Vinci’s designs for a flying machine that was based on the wings of a bat.

Jon Favreau's big-budget blockbuster "Cowboys & Aliens" hits theaters this weekend, bringing Platinum Studios' 2006 graphic novel to life on the big screen. But don't worry if you didn't know about the film's comic-book roots, because you're probably not alone.

Like quite a few films before it, the concept for "Cowboys & Aliens" originates in a comic book that isn't nearly as well-known as mainstream titles like The Amazing Spider-Man and Batman. However, just because a comic book movie's source material isn't well known, that doesn't mean the film was any less impressive -- in fact, the lesser-known comics sometimes make the best movies.

Don't believe me? Here are five impressive films you might not know were based on comics...

"A History of Violence" (2005)

This Oscar-nominated film starring Viggo Mortensen earned lots of praise for its tense, violent imagery, but the story of a diner owner who's thrust into the spotlight after...

First, I have to proclaim that I’ve never played World of Warcraft.

I’ve wanted to play, but it seems very complex. To be honest, I can barely play Lego Batman. Despite my video game challenges, I found "The Zarnecki Incursion” quite funny - especially with the dueling situations of the guys (and Priya) in one apartment, while the girls were in the other.

I know that not everyone likes the addition of Bernadette and Amy as regulars on the show, but I find that they provide a nice counterbalance to Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj.

Now, Priya... she can go. She’s there simply as a barrier to a Leonard/Penny relationship and, I hope, to be the impetus that gets them back together. In that regard, I don’t mind her, but I’ve had enough and I’m ready to see her leave California. Unlike Penny,...

Michael Keaton's Batman costume and dinosaurs from the Jurassic Park movies are to go under the hammer with the first-ever Irving G. Thalberg memorial Oscar at the 31st Profiles In History Hollywood memorabilia auction.

The $4 million (GBP2 million) Los Angeles auction, which takes place on 27 and 28 March, also features a rare King Kong six-sheet movie poster - one of only three known to exist - and Charles Middleton's Ming The Merciless cape from 1936 movie classic Flash Gordon.

The Batman costume is expected to be the auction's highlight, and is estimated to fetch between $60,000 (GBP30,000) and $80,000 (GBP40,000).

Meanwhile, the Thalberg Oscar producer Darryl F. Zanuck won in 1938 is set to be one of the auction's high-priced items.

To this day, the Thalberg Memorial Award is the rarest and most prestigious honour bestowed by the Academy. It is only given an average of once every other year.

There have only been 36 recipients, and the accolade has not been bestowed on anyone since 2000, when movie mogul Dino De Laurentiis was honoured.