Superhero Bits: Batman's 83rd Birthday, A New Shang-Chi And The Ten Rings Comic & More

(Superhero Bits is a collection of stories, updates, and videos about anything and everything inspired by the comics of Marvel, DC, and more. For comic book movies, TV shows, merchandise, events, and whatever catches our eye, this is the place to find anything that falls through the cracks.)

In this edition of Superhero Bits:

• Miles Morales meets the Spider-Smasher in May. 

• That "Joker" sequel isn't moving along so swiftly.

• Simu Liu won't sign certain "Shang-Chi" comics (for good reason).

• It's Batman's birthday today.

• All that and more!

A new character has been introduced in the pages of Marvel Comics in the form of Spider-Smasher (seen above). The character was first teased in last month's issue of "Miles Morales: Spider-Man," but all will be revealed when she debuts in proper fashion in issue #38, which hits stands on May 4, 2022. So who is this Capitán Billie and how does this visitor from the future impact the future of Miles' universe? All will be revealed soon enough. Full details on the upcoming issue can be found by clicking here.

The folks at Prime 1 Studio have revealed their latest statue based on director James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad," which immortalizes Idris Elba's "Bloodsport" in pretty impressive fashion. As we can see from the Instagram post above, the 28-inch statue captures the likeness of the character from last summer's DC blockbuster quite faithfully, with both the helmet and helmet-less looks coming as part of the deal. Pre-sales for the statue are set to begin tomorrow and pricing details have not been revealed at this time. Interested parties should be sure to check back with Prime 1 Studios' website tomorrow.

The latest Marvel show has made its way to Disney+ with the first episode of "Moon Knight" now streaming on Disney+. But this is just the first of six episodes in the limited series introducing Oscar Isaac to the MCU, so there is much more ground to cover in the coming weeks. To that end, a new promo has made its way online to coincide with the show's debut, which features choice bits of new footage. More than anything, it's like a welcome wagon letting people know that the time has arrived and Marc Spector has indeed made his long-awaited live-action debut.

"Morbius" is hitting theaters this Friday, and it figures to enter the world as our new box office champ, with Jared Leto at the center of it all. That means lots of tie-in promos for the film, as it is a big superhero movie and that is the way this stuff goes. In support of that idea, the folks at Sony have teamed with Snapchat for a new lens that will provide a bit of an AR experience themed after the Marvel Comics adaptation. It essentially uses the character's "bat radar" and look to give the user a living vampire makeover. Those who are interested can make use of it on Snapchat now.

While "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" turned the Marvel hero into a household name with Simu Liu taking on the lead role, the character has a pretty complicated history in the comics. Essentially, the old "Master of Kung Fu" comics dealt with troublesome Asian tropes and stereotypes, which is not at all what the character has become, particularly the version we now know in the MCU. As such, in an interesting move, it has been revealed via the Awesome Con website that Liu, who is appearing at the convention, will not be signing any "Master of Kung Fu" comics. Per the site:

Please Note: Simu Liu will not sign any Master of Kung Fu comics or other comics deemed offensive. All autographs from Simu will be signed in English only.

Sure, it's easy to understand why some fans might want Liu to sign these books, but it's also not hard to see why he might have an issue doing so. Liu wants to push positive representation for Asian people in pop culture, and him signing those books could be viewed as sending the wrong message.

As noted on Twitter by the folks at CGC Comics, today makes the 83rd anniversary of the publication of "Detective Comics" #27. This is significant as none other than Batman made his debut in the pages of the book, giving the world one of its biggest and most enduring superheroes. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, Batman has been a gigantic part of pop culture virtually ever since, dominating not just comics, but movies, TV, radio, animation, and basically every medium in between. And the character's popularity is as strong as ever, with "The Batman" currently ranking as the biggest movie of 2022 so far. Here's to many more, Mr. Wayne.

While Warner Bros. hasn't officially announced the project, we know that development is happening on a "Joker" sequel, with Todd Phillips writing a script for a follow-up that would presumably bring back Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime. Now, in a new report from The Ankler (via The Direct), progress on the project has slowed, with the script hitting a "snag." There are few details, but Phillips has yet to turn in a draft of the screenplay and it seems this is not moving along remotely quickly, despite the fact that the first film grossed more than $1 billion and Phoenix won an Oscar. Perhaps Phillips is having a tough time cooking up a worthy story? We'll see what happens as time marches on.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Marvel Comics has announced a new ongoing series centered on Shang-Chi will hit shelves this summer, titled "Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings." Not only is the publisher giving the star of last year's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" a new title to boost his profile, but the title of the book closely mirrors the title of the film, not to mention the artwork. This is a logical move, especially with a sequel in the works that will bring Simu Liu back to the MCU for more. "Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings" #1 hits shelves on July 20. Full details on the book can be found by clicking here.