Superhero Bits: The Latest Spawn Reboot Update, DC Celebrates The Death Of Superman & 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:
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That new "Spawn" movie could become a streaming show instead.
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DC is celebrating the Death of Superman.
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Marvel releases an "All Out Avengers" trailer.
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All that and more!
Gotham Knights video game gets an official tie-in comic from DC
After more than two years of waiting, "Gotham Knights" is finally arriving for gamers around the world to enjoy in just a couple of months. Now, DC Comics has revealed that they are giving fans a little something extra around that time in the form of an official tie-in miniseries titled "Gilded City." The six-issue series will debut on the same day as the game, October 25, and each issue will contain a code to redeem for an in-game item. As for the story at hand? The synopsis reads as follows:
In Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City, a mysterious virus has infected Gotham City—turning its victims into rabid, yellow-irised maniacs driven to looting, theft, and bursts of anger. Batman – in his final case before his death – and his Gotham Knights struggle to keep this strange virus contained while investigating its origins. But this is not the first time this unusual illness has overtaken the city, as the series splits between present-day Gotham City and the Gotham City of the 1800s, as The Dark Knight and his allies discover the Runaway – one of Gotham City's earliest masked vigilantes.
Look for "Gotham Knights" #1 on stands in October.
All Out Avengers #1 trailer from Marvel Comics
Marvel has released a new trailer for the all-new "All Out Avengers" series that is set to debut this fall. Derek Landy is set to pen the series, with Greg Land handling the artwork. It also sounds like those who haven't been keeping up with Marvel Comics continuity won't have a hard time jumping on board either as the publisher says, "From page one, panel one, the Avengers will be knee deep in the action with no setup, no explanations, and no time for questions! Beware of whiplash as you discover more with the flip of each explosive page!" Landy had this to say about it:
"The trick was to work within the confines inherent in the concept, but also to find a way to deliver what everyone would expect: a continuity of ideas and the development of an overarching storyline. I needed to find the hook that drags the reader from issue to issue, and I figured the best way to do that was to put the Avengers in the exact same situation as the reader: they are aware that this is happening, but they don't know why..."
"All Out Avengers" #1 is set to hit shelves on September 7.
Blue Beetle and Booster Gold 2 pack from McFarlane Toys
The folks at McFarlane Toys are now taking pre-orders for the above Blue Beetle and Booster Gold 2 pack. The DC heroes are collected together in 7-inch figure form for the set, which also comes with a grapple launcher, a blast, a cell phone, a drone, and a mechanical themed base. The set retails for $39.99. Full details and pre-order links can be found by clicking here.
Lex Luthor is President of the United States
The recently published "Batman: Fortress" #3 from writer Gary Whitta and artist Darick Robertson came with a pretty interesting reveal for the world of DC Comics. While we won't get into full-on spoilers here for those who intend to read the series, as the folks at Bleeding Cool pointed out, the book reveals that Lex Luthor is not only currently the President of the United States, but he is a member of the Republican Party. As for what this means for the future of the DC universe, if anything? That remains to be seen, but DC isn't afraid to make some real-world political connections here with one of its most infamous supervillains.
Is that a Johnny Blaze Easter egg in She-Hulk? Not so fast!
A recent "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law" featurette revealed some new footage from the upcoming Disney+ series. There is one particularly interesting (and blurry!) shot that got some fans talking online: a poster teasing Johnny Blaze, aka Ghost Rider, at first glance. However, as pointed out above by Charles Murphy, this actually appears to be a misdirect as the poster is for Donny Blaze, a character who apparently appeared in a previous trailer. Upon further inspection, the poster doesn't appear to have enough letters to spell Johnny, so it may be nothing more than a misdirect by the folks at Marvel. Temper expectations accordingly.
Simi Liu congratulates Destin Daniel Cretton on his big new Marvel gig
We recently learned that "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" director Destin Daniel Cretton is set to helm "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," which was announced at San Diego Comic-Con. Well, "Shang-Chi" star Simu Liu took to Twitter to congratulate his friend and collaborator on his new job with a sweet message:
"Three years ago at SDCC 2019 Destin and I sat backstage at Hall H watching some of the most famous people on Earth take the stage. We looked at each other like 'damn, is this really happening to us right now?' IT'S F****** HAPPENING BROTHER!"
Now, as for whether or not Shang-Chi will be featured in the next "Avengers" film? That remains to be seen, but with Cretton behind the camera, the odds seem tilted in Liu's favor.
DC announces The Death of Superman 30th anniversary special
Even though it didn't last all that long, 1992's "The Death of Superman" remains one of the most seminal events in comic book history. This November, DC Comics is going to commemorate the 30th anniversary of that tale with a special one-shot comic. "The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special" #1 features four new stories and reunites the original creative teams from the original storyline. The book will feature a host of variant covers and comes in at a whopping 80 pages, with a cover price of $10.99. Full details on the book can be found by clicking here.
That Spawn reboot? It could become a streaming series
We have been hearing endlessly about Todd McFarlane's planned "Spawn" movie reboot for years now. At one point it was supposed to be made by Blumhouse Productions, but we have heard next to nothing on that front for some time. Now, in a chat with Comicbook.com, McFarlane explains that he is at least considering turning the movie into a streaming series and has "had that conversation." Though he does have some reservations about going that route.
"The answer is you should probably think about it. What if one of the big networks come out and draw up a ton of cash and say they want to make it a streaming movie? ... My only hesitation for that kind of deal right now is that there's no data that I can think of that somebody's been able to build a [movie] franchise starting as a streaming [series]."
Nothing set in stone. No concrete updates. This one is still firmly in development hell, it seems, though at least McFarlane is open to exploring other avenues.
Watch The Rock surprise moviegoers as Krypto the Superdog
Lastly, "DC League of Super-Pets" is hitting theaters this weekend and looks to give Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson another number one movie at the box office. To help build some hype, Johnson actually put on a big Krypto the Superdog costume (he's voicing Superman's dog in the film) and surprised some audiences seeing the movie a bit early with an appearance. It is, at the very least, amusing to see The Rock in a big dog costume and, on another level, shows his dedication to his work. He's certainly famous enough where he doesn't have to do this sort of thing if he doesn't want to. Check the video out in its entirety above.