Ben Affleck as Batman in Superman Team-Up Film

listen to ‘Is Ben Affleck The Right Man to Play Batman? ’ on Audioboo

I got a phone call this morning from Movies.com editor Erik Davis and fellow Movies.com writer Sean O'Connell to discuss the recent Batman casting news for 2015's upcoming Superman/Batman movie. It's a quick talk about what our expectations are, what direction they might take with the character, and what Affleck's motivations might be in the wake of an Oscar win for directing.

News! Image Explodes, Dark Horse Sinks, Lion Forge Roars

Today was a massive day in publishing news, with the Image Expo in full-swing and some additional publishers jumping up and down yelling "ME TOO!" over all the applause for Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman.

First the Image stuff... 

Image announced that they'll be making their digital content available as DRM-free downloads in a variety of formats. This removes one of my biggest complaints about services like Comixology, in that you are essentially renting the books not actually owning them. Image was also forthright with what kind of numbers they're doing on the digital front, and it's nothing to sniff at. (Wired)

To kick off their new DRM-free digital policy, they've got Warren Ellis and Jason Howard's Scatterlands Vol. 1 available through the Image website for only $0.99. 

Panel detail from Scatterlands, by Warren Ellis and Jason Howard.

They also announced an all-star slate of upcoming books, with many of Marvel's biggest stars attached to upcoming projects. Here's some of the books they've announced so far: 

• Alone from J. Michael Straczynski and Bill Sienkiewicz, a six-issue mini that will "deconstruct comic book storytelling."
• Sidekick from J. Michael Straczynski and Tom Mandrake. The series explores what happens when the death of a superhero leaves a kid sidekick all alone. 
• Southern Bastards from Jason Aaron and Jason Latour. Described by Image on their Twitter as "Dukes of Hazzard x Coen Brothers or The Untouchables vs Boss Hogg."
  
• Rat Queens from Kurtis Weibe and John Upchurch. In a Tolkien-esque fantasy setting, a group of female mercs slay monsters and party as hard as they work.
• Velvet, from Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting. It's a Cold War book with a female spy lead.
• Sex Criminals from Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky. Two people with the ability to stop time at the point of orgasm find each other, go on a crime spree.
• Satellite Sam from Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin. This long-gestating project explores sexual indiscretions behind the scenes on a kiddie sic-fi TV show in the 1950s. 
• Ody-C from Matt Fraction and Christian Ward, a sci-fi spin on the Greek Odyssey. 
• Infinite Horizon from Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto. It's also supposed to be a sci-fi spin on Greek myth, and time will tell how this and Ody-C are different from each other. 
• Black Science from Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera. Announced as a sequel to Fear Agent, but focusing on break-throughs in taboo "black science."
• Deadly Class from Rick Remender and Wes Craig. Remender's using his own high school experience as the basis for this story of teenage assassins. 
• Noah, from Darren Aronofsky and Niko Henrichon. This is the English-translation of the existing four-part Noah comic that ties in to Aronofsky's upcoming feature film of the same name.

You can read more about these projects in detail at Comics Alliance and The Beat. 

Meanwhile, Dark Horse has resurrected the Kitchen Sink brand for reprints and original graphic novels. The first book under the partnership will be The Best of Comix Book: When Marvel Went Underground,  reprinting Stan Lee and Denis Kitchen's stab at the burgeoning underground comics movement of the early 1970s. Bleeding Cool has some groovy exclusive images from the collection.

Last, but not least, is the news from indie publisher Lion Forge, who just signed a deal with NBC Universal to license some of their beloved TV properties for comics. The first batch of titles will include Saved by the Bell, Airwolf, Knight Rider, Punky Brewster, and Miami Vice. I have no idea if Lion Forge is going retro on all of these or if they'll get a modern spin. Who's the audience for an Airwolf comic book in the year 2013? I guess Lion Forge will find out soon.

NSFW Art Routinely Gets Frank Cho Banned from Facebook, God Bless 'Im

Savage Wolverine and Liberty Meadows artist Frank Cho has had his account temporarily (?) suspended from Facebook yet again for what the social network perceives as an affront to human decency. Or something. (Psst, Frank - it's the boobs.)

The drawing is intended for a "Jungle Queen" themed sketchbook titled Jungle Beauty which Cho promises to have for sale at his table at the San Diego International Comic-Con. Cho blames "religious zealots and ass-hats" for his latest kerfluffle with Facebook. His previous ban was on or around May 16, 2013, which was either for this drawing of a topless Jungle Queen being bounced by a triceratops or this cheeky Coppertone-esque cartoon.

(Brought to our attention by Bleeding Cool.) 

Apple Bans 'Saga' #12, Clutches Purse, Exclaims "Well, I Never!" (UPDATED)

I can rent movies depicting simulated homosexual sex in Apple's online storefront; I can purchase full albums of songs describing sexual activity of all kinds. I ​can even buy books with graphic descriptions of sex scenes in them, like Fifty Shades of Grey, because books are of course for grown-up people. What I can't buy is the comic book Saga #12, which features two blink-and-you'll-miss-em depictions of homosexual sex within its pages. Because, duh, comics are for tiny babies to read between diaper changes and nappy time, of course.

The "comics are for kids" culture is just as strong as ever, and, frankly, Apple looks really stupid and hypocritical over this one. The Beat has some words from writer Brian K. Vaughn urging folks to get a physical copy at their local shop or download it directly from Image's website. He's keeping a good attitude about it. Me? I think it's crap for a lot of reasons.

Reason one, gay sex isn't somehow "more bad" than straight sex.​ Reason two, Apple already sells plenty of material that has stronger sexual content than Saga #12. And reason number three, comics made for adults are for adults. Period.

​UPDATED 4/10/13: Comixology CEO David Steinbeger says something to the effect of, "don't blame Apple; blame us" and allows Saga #12 to be purchased through their app. Here's the full statement:

To our customers -

In the last 24 hours there has been a lot of chatter about Apple banning Saga #12 from our Comics App on the Apple App Store due to depictions of gay sex. This is simply not true, and we’d like to clarify.

As a partner of Apple, we have an obligation to respect its policies for apps and the books offered in apps.  Based on our understanding of those policies, we believed that Saga #12 could not be made available in our app, and so we did not release it today.

We did not interpret the content in question as involving any particular sexual orientation, and frankly that would have been a completely irrelevant consideration under any circumstance.

Given this, it should be clear that Apple did not reject Saga #12.

After hearing from Apple this morning, we can say that our interpretation of its policies was mistaken. You’ll be glad to know that Saga #12 will be available on our App Store app soon.

We apologize to Saga creator Brian K. Vaughn and Image Comics for any confusion this may have caused.

All the best,

David Steinberger
CEO and co-founder

comiXology

​My response to ComiXology is a blanket WTF. I saw some grumblings online when this first came up that this was all being done to drum up interest in the book. I blew it off as cynicism, but now? Well, with Vaughn being the original source of the controversy and ComiXology waiting - who knows why - until today to clear the air, there's a lot about it that doesn't make sense.

​Forgive me, Apple, for getting all fussy.

WTF? According to DC, Superman Is Batman's Brother?

I was alerted to this bit of weirdness by Michael Nixon on Twitter. This is from DC's official page for Superman...

Superman has super-everything—strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, X-ray, heat vision…and a world-famous brother. What the world doesn’t know is that Clark’s mother, Martha, once changed her name from Wayne to Kent. Martha was the real target for the mob hit the night that her husband Thomas Wayne was murdered. While in the ambulance it was discovered that she was still alive, and the doctors were able to save her. She signed over guardianship of their son Bruce to the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in hopes that Bruce would be protected, and she was put into the Witness Protection Program and sent to Smallville, Kansas—a quiet town where nothing ever happens.

There Martha met and married the local farmer Jonathan Kent. With a new inability to carry a child due to the bullet wound, Martha and Jonathan were unable to have the baby they so longed for. However, their prayers were answered when out of the sky, a rocket landed in a nearby field as the couple was driving by. There was a small baby in the rocket who they adopted and gave the name Clark, and who would grow up to be Superman!

This new information is backed up on Batman's page as well...​

Millionaire Bruce Wayne was just a kid when he watched his parents get gunned down during a mugging in Gotham City. The crime would define his life, as he dedicated himself to becoming the world’s greatest weapon against crime—the Batman. What the world doesn’t know is that Bruce’s mother, Martha Wayne, was the real target for the mob hit the night that Bruce’s parents were murdered. While in the ambulance it was discovered that she was still alive, and the doctors were able to save her. She signed over guardianship of Bruce to the family butler, Alfred Pennyworth, in hopes that the young boy would be protected, and she was put into the Witness Protection Program and sent to Smallville, Kansas—a quiet town where nothing ever happens.

There Martha met and married a nice young man named Jonathan Kent. With a new inability to carry a child due to the bullet wound, Martha and Jonathan were unable to have the baby they so longed for. However, their prayers were answered when out of the sky, a rocket landed in a nearby field as the couple was driving by. There was a small baby in the rocket who they adopted and gave the name Clark Kent, and who would grow up to be Superman!​

Um...WHAT? Is this an April Fool's joke that DC forgot to take down or is this New 52 canon? If it's a joke, and DC takes it down (ED NOTE: They did - the very same day this made the rounds), I've saved the screens for posterity below...​

View fullsize

Captured on 4/2/2013

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​Captured on 4/2/2013.

The DC New 52 Timeline of Departures, Firings, and Bridge-Burnings

I'm writing this piece because I wanted someone else to do it and no one else had (that I know of). I wanted a living document of the events that seem to be unraveling one of the oldest and greatest comic book publishers.  I love DC Comics, though I fear you'd never know it looking at this website. I've expressed my disappointment with the company many times here, and unlike a lot of fans, my complaints aren't about them wiping the slate clean with the New 52, but about the public appearance of a hostile, poisonous working environment for comic book creators. I'm really hoping the ship rights itself. I'm hoping that I can stop updating this list because DC's creators are happy and the books are healthy.

As it is, this list will be updated as major changes continue to happen. I tried to limit the list to big events (some of them strictly to give context) or surprising and sudden changes. I am not listing the kind of typical writer or artist changes that occur when a book has been given a chance to sell or when the creators want to move on because their arc is finished. If there are any major events I've forgotten, let me know in the comments section and I might add it to the piece.

(To be fair, and to show that this isn't the way things typically run at a major comic company, Marvel has announced and then canceled one book in the past year before its first issue [John's note: from the time when this was originally posted] . Thanos, to be written by Joe Keatinge, was sidelined when Marvel changed their mind on the project, post-Avengers film.)

DC Comics logos, through the years, courtesy of DesignBuddy.com.

9/2009 - DC Entertainment is formed. Diane Nelson is named President of the newly labeled company, which includes DC Comics, but also all DC-related multi-media ventures and licensing. Nelson's background is not in comics but in brand management. The timing of DC's restructuring is of note, as it comes just a couple of weeks after Disney's $4 billion buyout of Marvel.

2/18/2010 - Dan DiDio and Jim Lee are promoted, sharing the title Co-Publisher. DiDio was DC Executive Editor (basically Editor-In-Chief, since the position didn't exist during DiDio's tenure) and Lee was Editorial Director of his own WildStorm imprint, which moved from Image to DC Comics in 1998. Writer Geoff Johns was promoted to Chief Creative Officer, a position created to allow someone from within DC the opportunity to oversee and exercise some measure of creative control over DC products like films, television, and video games. 

9/21/2010 - DC splits their offices between New York City and Burbank, CA.  Lee is a West Coaster anyway, and this allows the company to have more direct physical contact with Warner Brothers' TV and film.

9/27/2010 - Bob Harras is named DC Comics' Editor-In-Chief.  Harras held the EIC position at Marvel Comics from 1995-2000.

12/16/2010 - Nick Spencer is the first notable casualty in DC's new "fired before the first issue hits" practice, when he's announced as the new writer for Supergirl, then replaced on his very first issue by "co-writer" James Peaty.

8/31/2011 - The New 52 launches with 52 new monthly titles starting with all-new #1 issues, wiping the slate (mostly) clean and hoping to entice new readers with easy reading entry points.

9/16/2011 - Writer John Rozum quits Static Shock. due to disagreements with editor Harvey Richards and artist Scott McDaniel. The series is eventually canceled after just eight issues.

9/19/2011 - J.T. Krul is replaced on Green Arrow the same month as its first issue is released. 

9/30/2011 - Writer-artist George Perez announces his departure from the flagship Superman book the same month its first issue is released. Perez completes his first arc, but is the first to dish on behind-the-scenes problems, "Unfortunately when you are writing major characters, you sometimes have to make a lot of compromises, and I was made certain promises, and unfortunately, not through any fault of Dan DiDio, he was no longer the last word, I mean a lot of people were now making decisions; they were constantly going against each other, contradicting, again in mid-story."

10/12/2011 - Editorial conflicts and strong differences of opinion with co-writer and artist Ethan Van Sciver cause writer Gail Simone to step away from Fury of Firestorm. 

11/14/2011 - Ron Marz leaves Voodoo after his script to issue #5 is tossed out by editors. The series is canceled after ten issues. 

1/19/2012 - DC Entertainment shows off their new logo. This fan wonders why the new logo didn't debut with the New 52 re-branding. 

​Cover to Before Watchmen: Comedian, art by Jim Lee. DC Comics.

2/1/2012 - DC officially announces Before Watchmen, directly against the wishes of series creator Alan Moore. Rights to the Watchmen property were to revert to Moore and co-creator David Gibbons a certain number of years after the series was out of print, but DC has kept the book in print since its release (and for good reason - it's a perennial best-seller). Though Moore swore off DC in the late 1980s, some creative entanglements with DC continued, with work on V for Vendetta and titles under the WildStorm line. With Before Watchman, Moore fans realize any chance of reconciliation is permanently off the table.

4/20/2012 - Vertigo writer Chris Roberson (iZombie, Fairest) leaves DC and publicly burns bridges with the company. "Sorry. In a better world, characters like the Legion would be owned by a more ethical company, but sadly not in this one. The short version is, I don’t agree with the way they treat other creators and their general business practices."

8/23/2012 - Rob Liefeld leaves all of his DC duties - writing and drawing Deathstroke and writing Grifter and Savage Hawkman.  He cites major conflicts with editor Brian Smith, and says of his time at DC, "Reasons are the same as everyone's that you hear. I lasted a few months longer than I thought possible. Massive indecision, last minute and I mean LAST minute changes that alter everything. Editor pissing contests... No thanks. Last week my editor said, 'Early on we had a lot of indie talent that weren't used to re-writes and changes. [That] made it hard.' Uh, no, it's you."

12/3/2012 - Long-time editor Karen Berger steps down from Vertigo, DC's "mature readers" publishing imprint. 

12/9/2012 - Writer Gail Simone is unceremoniously dumped from Batgirl, a book with solid sales and a strong fanbase, with no apparent explanation, through an email from editorial.

​Cover to Batgirl #1, art by Adam Hughes. DC Comics.

12/21/2012 - Gail Simone is re-hired on Batgirl after massive fan outcry. 

1/14/2013 - Robert Venditti, the announced writer of the all-new Constantine book, is replaced by Ray Fawkes before his first issue hits the stands. 

1/14/2013 - Jim Zubkavich, hired to write Birds of Prey, is removed from the book and replaced by Christy Marx before his first issue hits the stands.  Nick Spencer, who had a similar experience on Supergirl in 2010, finally speaks out, "Seeing lots of ‘that’s how it is in this business,’ stuff in regards to the day’s news. It really isn’t, and it certainly shouldn’t be. To be a little more direct: the way DC treats a lot of their freelancers is absolutely abhorrent. When it happened to me on Supergirl, I didn’t say much, because I didn’t want to dwell on the negative. But when you see it happen to so many good people, and the damage it does to their careers, their incomes, etc…It’s just not okay. I don’t understand the need for it, and I wish it were otherwise. I love DC, love the characters, and I know I did some of my best work there. And I’m very happy for my friends who have been successful there. But I would tell any creator - especially newer, younger ones - to be extremely careful in doing business there."

1/16/2013 - Superman Family Adventures duo Art Baltazar and Franco discover that their book has been canceled when that month's Previews catalog lists the latest solicitation as the book's final issue.

1/25/2013 - Keith Giffen leaves Legion of Superheroes after just two issues. The pairing of artist Giffen with writer Paul Levitz was to be a re-united "dream team" for Legion fans, since both creators brought the book to critical and sales heights in the 1980s. 

Cover to Insurgent #1. DeSanto & Farmer/DC Comics.​

3/13/2013 - Insurgent , a creator-owned 6-issue sci-fi mini-series (from screenwriter Todd Farmer and F.J. DeSanto), is axed after three issues (especially stinging considering the series was shelved for nearly three years due to the DC purchase of Wildstorm). Sales were low, but cancellation of a mini-series is almost unheard of, as publishers will typically ride out the low sales knowing that they have no obligation to continue the arc past its already-established finite number. Some explanation for the first issue's low sales might be blamed on the fact that the title appeared under the "DC Kids" section of the Previews retailer order form despite being made for adults.

3/20/2013 - Josh Fialkov quits both Green Lantern Corps and Red Lanterns before his first issues hit the stands. Rumors swirl that editorial wanted to kill off the Green Lantern John Stewart, but if it was ever planned (DC denies it), the company has decided against it...for now.

3/20/2013 - Andy Diggle, who was to take over the reigns on Action Comics after Grant Morrison's departure, leaves the book before his first issue hits the stands, citing "professional differences." DC announces Tony S. Daniel as his replacement, but... 

3/22/2013 - Tony S. Daniel leaves Action Comics the same week he gets the new writing assignment.

3/26/2013 - Bleeding Cool notices that writer Mike Johnson, already scheduled to leave Supergirl, bows out much earlier than expected, with his name still on the cover of a book he was supposed to write and didn't.

3/29/2013 - Bruce Timm, Supervising Producer of WB Animation and the man behind every DC animated project since Batman: The Animated Series debuted in 1992, steps down, disinterested in the increasingly popular direct comic-to-film adaptations that the company produces. In this fan's eyes, Timm's contribution as a "welcome wagon" to the entire DC Universe can not be overstated. He kept DC characters on TV for 20 years in lively, well-made shows and is responsible for a whole generation of DC fans.

4/9/2013 - DC replaces Mico Suayan as artist on Red Hood and the Outlaws after the gruesome cover to #19 leaks to Bleeding Cool.  Unchanged credits on the book reveal that the decision may have been a last minute one.

5/17/2013 - Long-time DC writer James Robinson leaves Earth 2 and DC Comics. The move comes as a surprise as Robinson's enthusiasm for the book and long-term plans for the Earth 2 version of Batman had been heavily publicized. "I'm no longer working at DC Comics," Robinson tweeted.

8/1/2013 - DC heads Dan Didio and Jim Lee address the editorial troubles. "I think it’s actually been a little bit less in the last decade than it’s ever been," Didio said, which dodges the question of just what the heck is going on over there right now. Jim Lee is more direct, but throws creatives under the bus a little for not being able to properly collaborate, "To me it’s the normal course of business in that not everyone’s going to agree creatively what to do with a book. The company has to reserve the right to control the destiny and the futures of the characters, and the creators have to decide if they’re willing to work in an environment where they’re telling their story but in the framework of a universe that has continuity and you have to work with all of these other different creators and editors that would want to control the directions of the characters." This doesn't explain how these same creatives are able to collaborate as work-for-hire elsewhere.

Lobo redesign by Kenneth Rocafort

8/9/2013 - Justice League 3000 was to be a "dream team" book reuniting writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with artist Kevin Maguire.  Somewhere along the way, DC got cold feet with the lighter direction of the book (before the first issue had hit the stands, of course, because why wait for the fans' reactions) and fired Maguire, replacing him with Howard Porter. "I'm still a bit perplexed as to how it got to this point," said Maguire, reflecting the feelings of many fans who wondered why DC would even hire the beloved Justice League International veterans in the first place if they didn't want a book that was anything like Justice League International.

8/23/13 - DC launches a third version of the New 52 Lobo, the only character in the New 52 to experience three reintroductions since the company rebranding just two short years ago (first by Rob Liefeld who was told to drop Lobo's biker look, then a more traditional take by Jim Starlin, and now an all-new take on the character, who retroactively replaces those versions, designed by Kenneth Rocafort). Regardless of fan outcry over Lobo's slimmed-down, younger look, the third Lobo reboot stands as an example of conflicting editorial direction with no guiding vision over the New 52 universe.

9/5/2013 - Citing last-minute editorial meddling on approved storylines (and not because of an anti-gay marriage stance from DC Comics, as some spreading the news would have you believe), J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman stepped down from their duties on Batwoman. Williams stated on his site, "All of these editorial decisions came at the last minute, and always after a year or more of planning and plotting on our end. We’ve always understood that, as much as we love the character, Batwoman ultimately belongs to DC. However, the eleventh-hour nature of these changes left us frustrated and angry - because they prevent us from telling the best stories we can. So, after a lot of soul-searching, we’ve decided to leave the book after Issue 26."