When DC rebooted its main continuity back in 2011 with The New 52 initiative, it became obvious that some familiar elements were retained. In short, with characters such as Batman and Green Lantern having so much vital mythology behind them, they found themselves being the two that came in with less of a clean slate. Still, it remained a discussion point for some time as to whether certain major storylines were still canonical, with Knightfall, Hush and The Return of Bruce Wayne being but a few.
The thing about new comic books starring the Caped Crusader is that you never really know when the next Dark Knight Returns or Long Halloween will come around. And while Batman: White Knight certainly did impress us out of the gate, one can never be too sure if that level of quality will continue. Fortunately, not only have the first three issues been solid gold, but it looks like writer/artist Sean Gordon Murphy is most assuredly in the process of crafting the next timeless classic.
Not long ago, the comic book world was knocked on its collective rear upon hearing that one of Marvel's greatest stalwarts, Brian Michael Bendis, was finally packing up and leaving town to work exclusively with DC. Granted, most big name creators hop between both major publishers at various points throughout their respective careers and we knew the day would probably come for Bendis, but the news was no less shocking.
Much like any long-running horror franchise, Friday the 13th has gone to some strange places in its illustrious history. In short, Jason Voorhees has risen from the grave, took Manhattan in a way much different from the Muppets, gone to space, and has even been rebooted. But one sequel in particular still remains a point of discussion amongst the fanbase, that being the controversial Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday.
In the midst of Justice League's theatrical cut having been a mish-mash of two directors with two very different modalities - those being Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon - it's understandable that much footage got left on the cutting room floor. In fact, the vigilant online campaign to see a release of Zack Snyder's original vision is still going strong, even if the initial Blu-ray packaging hints that won't be in the immediate future.
If you'll recall, there was a time not very long ago when us fans of the Alien film franchise thought that the series was on the verge of a renaissance. Think about it: Not only was Ridley Scott unraveling his line of prequels that began with Prometheus, but Neil Blomkamp was also set to roll out what's often been referred to as Alien 5, which would've diverged from the timeline we've come to know by serving as an alternate sequel to Aliens.
Although Laurel Lance was unfortunately killed off back in Arrow season 4, we soon got a nice consolation prize when Katie Cassidy returned as the Black Canary’s Earth-2 doppelganger, Black Siren. Originally having appeared over on The Flash, she eventually made her way over to Star City to play on the emotions of Oliver Queen and the rest of the team.
Regardless of whether you loved or hated Justice League, we’re all aware of how a fair amount of footage was left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps it was either stuff that was shot by Zack Snyder that Warner Bros. didn’t want to use or, maybe, it just didn’t gel with the final cut; the latter happens all the time in the film industry. Still, there was one omission that remains a hot topic for discussion, that being Superman’s black costume.
As is the case with any genre, there exists a certain few motion pictures that have risen above the rest to be true achievements in that particular niche. When it comes to superhero movies, specifically, I believe that upper echelon includes The Dark Knight Trilogy, Iron Man and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, with 2017 adding two more to the club in the form of Wonder Woman and Logan. And even if you disagree with a few of those to be mentioned, there's no denying that we've been granted an embarrassment of riches.
As someone who has been pretty much a lifelong lover of the Alien film franchise, even I have to admit that the series has been quite parabolic. Really, after churning out two movies that are widely regarded as being some of the greatest science fiction flicks ever made, every installment in the time since has proven divisive amongst the general public and critics alike.
