Marvel Teams With Netflix for 'Daredevil,' 'Luke Cage,' and More TV

listen to ‘Here's Everything You Need to Know About Netflix's New Marvel Superhero Shows’ on Audioboo

Editor of Movies.com, Erik Davis and invited me and colleague Sean O'Connell for a brief discussion concerning today's huge Marvel news. Netflix and Marvel are partnering for four exclusive 13-episode original series -- Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones -- culminating in an event mini-series titled The Defenders. The new shows roll out in 2015 as part of Netflix's subscription-based streaming service. You can read Marve;'s press release here. Spoiler: I'm really glad to see DD coming to TV.

Podcasts: 'No Better Than Boomerang' on 5by5's Giant Size

Ok, for real - this is one of our best episodes.  Host Moises Chiullan and I discuss the current interest in villain comics, from DC's "Villains Month" to Marvel's use of Thanos to Image's superlative Bedlam and more! A good portion of the discussion centers around our mutual love of Superior Foes of Spider-Man, but that's not all, I promise! This episode also includes a 1-on-1 interview with Antony Johnson, creator of Wasteland and Image's fantasy Umbral (with Chris Mitten).

You can listen to the show here or subscribe to Giant Size via iTunes. 

Podcasts: "Not the 'Saga' Episode" on 5by5's Giant Size

So...Since my last update, the list of DC Comics' "departures, firings, and bridge-burnings" has gone viral . It's been a strange experience seeing comic pros I follow on Twitter (and whose careers I've followed for years as a fan) share the link to something I wrote, and it's certainly not how I ever wanted to end up on DC's radar, but here we are. Thanks to everyone who's spread the link, and special thanks to the dedicated comics bloggers who are reporting the changes in the first place. My day job and personal life get in the way of regular updates here at G&P, but you can always follow me on Twitter at @gholson and the site at @gutterspanels.

I talk about the list on the latest episode of 5by5's comic podcast Giant Size, but it's not the main focus of the show. The real reason I'm in-studio with host Moises Chiullan is to discuss our all-time favorite books from Image Comics, both old and new. You can listen to the show here or subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.

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.

Morrison on Alan Moore's Ending to 'The Killing Joke'

This is from Kevin Smith's podcast Fatman on Batman, with guest comic writer Grant Morrison. No matter their disputes in the past, Morrison is clearly a fan of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's ultimate Batman/Joker story The Killing Joke and interprets the book's ambiguous ending in a very decisive way. 

Podcasts: 'Heavy Metal Album Cover' on 5by5's Giant Size

Here's the second half of the Marvel NOW scorecard discussion between Moises Chiullan, Matt Alexander, and myself on 5by5's Giant SIze (listen here or subscribe here). That talk segues into Age of Ultron for a bit, and offers some good recommendations as to what to read in the Marvel NOW line. In the second half of the show, Moises gets a few minutes with artist Jim Cheung. They talk about Cheung's background and touch on his upcoming work in Marvel's big Infinity event.