SDCC 2015 – New ‘Batman v. Superman’ Trailer

You didn’t think you could make the whole SDCC weekend without some new Dawn of Justice material, did you? The new 3-1/2 minute trailer debuted today, and it’s chock-full of goodies.

Here are some of the things we noticed in the new trailer:

Bruce Wayne’s involvement/intervention/hatred for Superman comes from a personal tragedy suffered from what looks like a 9-11 style attack on downtown Gotham where Wayne Enterprises is located. It could actually be the aftermath of Man of Steel. Bruce Wayne is a billionaire; it’s not unlikely to assume he has business in Metropolis, too.

Wayne receives some manic messages from who we can only assume to be The Joker. Jared Leto might be making an appearance in BvS, if just to tease Batman’s involvement in Suicide Squad. One of the messages is painted on what looks to be a Robin outfit (2:02). Could this allude to a post-Jason Todd era Batman? Todd was murdered by Joker in Death in the Family.

However, Batman looks new to the game. Or at least new to people knowing he’s in the game. He has Batarangs, and he brands the bad guys he corrals with the Bat-symbol – a bit more S&M than we’re used to.

Clark Kent, in whatever weird scale of morality he has, thinks that Batman is a menace and ought to be stopped. This is interesting since Superman, albeit creator of soooo much collateral damage, has stepped into the light and into the court of law to be judged.

We really get a sense of the “False God” perception that was painted on Superman’s statue. People worship him, and he is prophetic in nature. It’s a nice touch. Martha Kent still serves as a lightning rod for Clark’s morality, which will be great as he deals with infamy.

Finally, a look at Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor! He’s a bit neurotic, more befitting to his own personality than the Lex we grew up with. Kryptonite also makes it’s debut here. It’s beautiful. Sexy Lexy thinks so, anyway.

Oh, and there’s Zod’s dead body. Has it just not decomposed yet, have his remains been frozen, or is this movie taking place that soon after the events of Man of Steel?

Wonder Woman is looking FIERCE in this trailer. All the Gal Gadot haters must be so embarrassed. We get an early sneak at Diana Prince (2:03)

Batman lights up his own Bat-symbol. This isn’t standard Bat-protocol, as Jim Gordon and MCU (Major Crimes Unit) get that honor. He’s also doing it in his armored suit, which still can’t look any cooler.

Here’s where it gets weird – there is a major fight scene between Batman and some Superman soldiers? If this doesn’t scream Injustice, I don’t know what does. All I know is that Bats looks silly in a pilot jacket and cargo pants.

Above all, there are going to be some terrific action scenes between Batman, Superman, and even Wonder Woman.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice comes to theaters March 25, 2016.

RUMOR MILL – Ben Affleck May Direct and Star in a DCCU Stand-Alone Batman Movie

Yaaay… how exciting…

Warner Brothers has been working hard at establishing and building a cinematic universe to rival the MCU. We all know about the upcoming Superman v Batman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad movies and while those films have sufficient buzz the DCCU has yet to really pop. Until now.

Rumor has it that Warner Brothers will make a lot of announcements regarding their DCCU at San Diego Comic Con, one of which will be a stand-alone Batman movie, directed by and starring Ben Affleck. Initially that may not sound that great, but when you really think about it, this could be a game changer for Warner Brothers and DC.

While Marvel is currently launching ANOTHER Peter Parker origin story, DC will likely take a more interesting route with their, shall we say already overdone character. Affleck’s Batman that will appear in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is an established character; he’s older and wiser and there will be little to no focus on his origins. Enter the solo Batman flick: it won’t be an origin story as that wouldn’t make sense in the timeline. By the time the Batman movie comes out there will be established villains for him from Suicide Squad and he will have already been introduced to audiences. There will be so much more subject matter for the film to cover, and we likely won’t have to see Bruce Wayne’s parents get murdered and him go off the deep end before embracing the bat.

For the Batfleck naysayers, I ask that you give the man a chance before you reject him. Affleck was the butt of the joke for a while, but he has absolutely proved his ability as an actor and extremely talented director. He will be working with Chris Terrio, who worked on the Dawn of Justice script, will be working on Justice League parts one and two, as well as working with Affleck on his Oscar award winning film Argo.

Source: LR (yeah, we know. Take this one with a grain of salt.)

So Far This Week…May 28, 2014

Oh my stars and garters, Hushsters! We’ve skipped an entire week of news. In our defense, we were a little busy. We took a trip to Houston to visit Taylor Lowe, where we went to Comicpalooza. Not only was it a great time, but it was also kind of a milestone moment for us. We went as press for the first time, interviewed Batman artist Greg Capullo (also a first), met Stan “The Man” Lee, geeked out at the Buffy panel, and lots more. Check back on the site, or here for more of our Comicpalooza stuff, including a James Marsters panel and an in-depth synopsis of the weekend.

 

LeVar Burton is Kickstarting to relaunch Reading Rainbow. Will it work? Hell yeah it will; the campaign is “flying twice as high,” already shattering it’s $1,000,000 goal in less than 24 hours. “Take a look; it’s in a book. Reading Raaaainbow!”

X-Men: Days of Future Past was released this past weekend. It was “cool,” but we weren’t really that impressed. Here is my full review (SPOILER FREE) of the movie. On the bright side, they’ve released what the special edition Blu-Ray set will look like (August release?) and we will definitely be picking that up.

Sad times, as we lost one of the world’s greatest poets and civil rights’ activists in Maya Angelou.

A bunch of peeps are being cast for Season 5 of Game of Thrones. If you’re a book noob like me, then you probably don’t know who any of these guys are.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are better at acting than you are.

The Hateful Eight will start filming in November. The Quentin Tarantino film was canned previously when the script was leaked, but the director has since had a change of heart.

There goes more of that #SixSeasonsAndAMovie Community talk, with Hulu being the newest candidate to pick up the freshly canceled show.

Don’t say Denzel is an too old to kick ass… speaking of, when did Hit-Girl start looking like that?

My most anticipated game of the summer came out yesterday. Watch Dogs promises to be an open world adventure of hacking goodness – the game has already broken the company’s record for single-day sales (the same company that owns Assassin’s Creed, mind you). The release hasn’t been smooth sailing, though, as bomb threats and crippling glitches have slowed it down. Hopefully we can sit down and murder this game to have a review to you in the next couple weeks.

If you’re already over hacking, then check out this extended trailer for Arkham Knight, complete with gameplay.

We like to think our Game of Thrones reviews are decent, but let’s be honest: if we could watch Seth Rogan and Snoop Dogg get high and then review GoT every week, we probably wouldn’t write them anymore.

Boardwalk Empire alumnus Charlie Cox will be playing lead Matt Murdock in the Netflix original Marvel series, Daredevil. I loved his work on Boardwalk, so I think this is a great pick-up.

DC Comics has gone through quite the transformation since they launched 52 new books in 2011… but here we are in 2014, and they’re close to canceling 52 books in three years. Yikes.

The guy who played Barry Allen in the 1991 series has been cast as Barry Allen’s father in the new Flash TV Series.

Comic book legend Alan Moore is launching a mobile app called Electricomics, designed to help self-publish independent creators. This could be the answer to what creators do after ComiXology was acquired by Amazon earlier in the year.

Ben Templesmith is releasing his Kickstarter-backed The Squidder, a four issue series post-apocalyptic tale.

Here are this year’s Television Critics Award nominations. Orange is the New Black getting a nomination is HUGE. Could online streaming television really be the future of how we watch shows?

Marvel is looking to do something superhero-ey, but not what you’d expect. Grab your 3D printer and get ready to recharge your imagination with Big Hero 6.

Ooh! That reminds me, ComiXology is giving away a free comic book each day for 20 days. We are currently on day three, where you can pick up My Little Pony: Pony Tales Vol. 1. Check back each day; they occasionally have cool stuff, too (if My Little Pony isn’t your thang).

That Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist webseries we were talking about a while ago? Yeah, well it’s out. And it’s the shit. Devour it all right now.

Here’s Johnny! Depp plays Whitey in next month’s documentary, WHITEY: America vs. James Bulgar.

Jaden Smith wore a Batman costume to Kim K.’s wedding. And it was white. Who wears white on the brides day? Really?

The Mad Men mid-season finale involved a very odd musical number.

The Batman vs. Superman film finally got a full title, Dawn of Justice.

BATMAN… IN SPACE!!! LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham was announced. We’re just add that to the list of things we’re going to go broke for.

 

Written by Sherif Elkhatib and Adrian Puryear

 

So Far This Week… May 14, 2014

Okay, so there are two elephants in the room we gotta get out of the way:

The first image of Ben Affleck’s Batman costume and the Batmobile in Batman vs. Superman has been revealed. And it looks sick. Here are some details about the picture you might not have noticed.

Channing Tatum has been cast as Gambit for future X-Men films. We’re genuinely excited for this (Adrian and I for different reasons, I suppose), but the ladykiller with a Cajun accent should be making his debut in X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016.

Are you fans of Asshole Spider-Man, Otto Octavius? Well, you’re in luck, because he will be making a brief, one-time appearance in August as a pre-lude to the Spider-Verse story.

For a show that took off soooo slowly, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. took off like you wanted to believe any Whedon show could. The season finale was spectacular, and proof that, with a brand like Marvel behind him, there’s nothing that Joss can’t do.

The Simpsons/Family Guy crossover is really happening. Part of me is excited, but a larger part of me is feeling like my childhood is being taken advantage of. The episode airs in September.

We’re still sobbing into own our bowls of buttered noodles, watching our Community DVDs in wake of the news that the show will fall one season and a movie short of #sixseasonsandamovie. Dan Harmon has officially released a heart-felt statement about why the show will likely stay dead.

Being leader of the free world is pretty sweet – if you’re a Thony. Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin said on a Conan interview that he would gladly give Obama his own Iron Throne. Is that all I needed to do to get one of those?

Trekkies, weigh in! The director for the third Star Trek installment has been announced. Screenplay writer for the first two films, Roberto Orci, will be taking the reigns.

The Harry Potter spin-off titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be released November 18, 2016 – two days shy of the 15th anniversary of the UK release of the first book, titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont gets his own documentary. Check it out.

Image Comics (Sold! Wait, what?) will be releasing a book in August titled Wayward. It’s been described as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer for a new generation.” I was pretty close to calling B.S., but this is Image Comics we’re talking about; anything they put out is instantly in my pull list.

 

Now SHHHHHH…. Arrow is on!

Weekend Wrap-Up…April 27, 2014

It turns out that Batman vs. Superman has finally found somebody with the (Victor) Stone to play Cyborg – Ray Fisher. With news of Wonder Woman, and now Cyborg, joining the Dark Knight and Man of Steel, this is looking less and less like a clash of Batman and Superman and more like the interlude to a Justice League film.

GameStop will be closing over 100 stores and will start to focus on the modern tech world.  Too bad they won’t be in, like, every mall in America.  But then again there will still be over 6,000 stores.  Woah!

Thanos has been cast for Guardians of the Galaxy, but we still don’t know who.  What a let down.

Khal Drogo in Batman vs. Superman?

Death of Wolverine… cool…

Colorado is the 5th nerdiest state according to very official data.  Go us!  (But we may have to move to Utah…)

New Mexico diggers found their Atari games.

Spielberg and the Big Friendly Giant are a thing.

In celebration of 75 years of Batman, a Chicago gallery is hosting a Batman exhibit.  We are booking our tickets in 3..2..1..

OddWorld fans.. the remake is coming.

You, yes you can rent Joss Whedon’s In Your Eyes for only 5 bucks.

Have you heard of Showrunners? Well, now you have.

The Casual Vacancy is coming to HBO.

Jem and the Holograms.  That is all.

Penny and Glenn?  Yup, its true.

written by Adrian Puryear and Sherif Elkhatib

 

Weekend Wrap-Up February 2, 2014

The Denver Broncos reign on top was shorter than Leprechauns, as they fell to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8. What incredible play by the Seahawks. We’re still proud of our Broncos, and we’ll be rocking orange during our visit to Seattle for Emerald City Comic Con in March.

Aside from Denver’s poor performance, this is what the Super Bowl revealed:

– Nerds Rule: Captain America, Spidey, Transformers.  Oh, my!

– The return of 24

– RHCP and Bruno Mars need to go on tour.

– Budweiser made me wish I owned a horse and a puppy. And that they become best friends. But it still doesn’t make me want beer.

Hush Comics will be celebrating Black History Month will spotlights on African-American writers, artists and graphic novel reviews. #ALLBLACKEVERYTHING

Jesse Eisenberg, star of Now You See Me, The Social Network, and Zombieland, has been cast as Lex Luthor in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film. Now, this seems to have upset not only the fanboys, but the bald community as well. We’re less concerned about his dome and more concerned about the age discrepancy between Eisenberg and his co-stars. It’s my theory that Luthor may be cast as an intern at WayneTech or student at Metropolis State.

Also cast in Batman vs. Superman was Jeremy Irons, as Alfred Pennyworth. Irons has had many solid acting gigs through the last twenty years, notably as Rodrigo Borgia in The Borgias. Nobody is allowed to be upset with this casting, as Jeremy Irons meet the single qualification of Alfred – he’s British.

If your wallet is burning a hole in your pocket, you should go buy Justice League: War, the adaptation of the Justice League’s New 52 origin, hitting shelves on Tuesday. Check out our review here.

Dark Horse Comics has announced The Sakai Project, named after Stan Sakai, creator of Usagi Yojimbo. Most may remember Usagi as the mutant rabbit from who cameo-ed in the early TMNT cartoons. To celebrate 30 years of Yojimbo, Dark Horse is gathering dozens of artists to submit their own rendering of Usagi for a special anniversary issue, released in July.

Also out Tuesday, a new free game for Playstation Plus subscribers called Outlast comes out. It will scare the living crap out of you, I promise.

Bones has been renewed for a tenth season. Seems just yesterday that we were watching David Boreanaz brood around The Bronze.

Fienin’ for some bracket-style action? AMC has opened up Zombie Bowl 2014, where you get to vote on which recognizable walkers from The Walking Dead would win in a face-off with your face off. Our money is on the little girl in the pink bathrobe!

Fancy tech watches are all the rage right now, but Apple’s new iWatch product is rumored to be fitness-oriented. I’m not sure who buys watches anymore, but an integration with a fitness component could make it the next popular gadget for the market.

Harry and Hermione, siting in a tree?  According to J.K. Rowling, they should have been.  We think that Hermione and Ron were great together.  Not to mention, Harry Potter was never a love story, but a coming of age story.  H and H 4eva would have ruined that.

Can’t we all just be Friends? Well, David Schwimmer AKA Ross Gellar may possibly joining his  Friends cast-mates in prime-time sitcoms. Schwimmer stars in ABC’s Irreversible, which has yet to be picked up for a full season. Side question: Am I the only one who has been getting their David Schwimmer fix from that guy in American Horror Story?

Channing Tatum could be Gambit.  Ladies everywhere will suddenly be into the X-Men.  Men will watch no matter what.

Seth Myers gave us the Weekend Update for the last time last night on SNL.  Laugh over here.

Microsoft is offering $100 off your purchase of an X-Box One if you give them your PS3, which basically brings the price down to the retail price of a PS4. This console war is really bringing out the greed of Microsoft.

If you’re anything like me, you grew up on some Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers. Then, like me, you should be freaking out because Disney is in talks to make a movie based on the epic cartoon that will focus on the origin of the tiny mystery-solving duo.

Sneakerheads will have something to look forward to this week as a new issue of SLAM Magazine covering the Air Jordan legacy comes out. This issue focuses on Air Jordan I-VI, so I’m sure there will be installments.

Woody Allen is definitely the most glorified pedophile in America.  Fuck you, guy.

Star Wars novels have been around for some time now, but this is the first one that I will undoubtedly buy. Darth Maul – Lockdown was released January 28th (sorry, a little late!) and it follows Darth Maul’s stay at the galaxy’s most dangerous prison; it’s also pre-Phanton Menace, which means a colorful backstory is in order.

In less important news, it has been announced that there will indeed be a sequel to Sharknado coming out on the SyFy channel. And yes, Tara Reid, in all her asymmetric-boobed glory, will be returning as the star.

Lastly, it is with great remorse and a lump in our throats that we talk about Philip Seymour Hoffman.  He was found dead this morning in NYC from a drug overdose.  Not only was he the man who gave the best performance in any Mission Impossible movie, but he also gave us Capote, the term “shart” in Along Came Polly, and of course, Plutarch Heavensbee in Catching Fire.  You will be missed.