With Justice League now out in theaters, the next DC Extended Universe film to come out in theaters–which is Aquaman, starring Jason Mamoa in the titular character’s first solo film–is an entire year away.
That’s right, let that sink in. For many of us, that’s quite the long time to wait, in order to get our DC fix.
But fear not, fellow DC enthusiasts, for DC has plenty of DC-related content & material to keep us thrilled and entertained through 2018, until the King of the seas arrives in theaters. Here are some upcoming DC highlights:
DC In D.C.
DC Entertainment is looking to bring in 2018 with a bang, beginning with the “DC in D.C.” event in the nation’s capitol January 15th. The 2-day event, which also happens to be on Martin Luther King‘s birthday, promises to have a plethora of presentations, panels and screenings.
In honor of Dr King’s day, DC will present along the theme of diversity, with a focus on African Americans, LGBTQ, and Women in comics.
When you think about it, as clever as the branding is, you’d almost wonder why this had never been done before. So if you’re in the DMV area during MLK weekend, be sure to stop by, and take part in the DC goodness.
DC Comics
Post Rebirth, DC is at an all time high as it pertains to their comics. The reinvigorated multi-imprint line continues to send shockwaves through the comics industry, and their comics have never been more popular.
Two years in the making, and led by the singular vision of DC Entertainment CCO Geoff Johns, Rebirth has culminated in Doomsday Clock, the year-long maxi event that will finally bring the DC Universe proper face to face with the characters of the Watchmen story.
If you’re a fan of Indie comics, DC has you covered in that arena as well, and in 2018, DC will be revitalizing their Vertigo line. According to DC Publisher Jim Lee, the relaunch will take place in August of ‘18, and will coincide with the imprint’s 25th anniversary. It’s sure to be a new era for one of the industry’s premier Indie franchises, as it celebrates its first major milestone.
And speaking of milestones….
Milestone is back!!
Though Milestone 2.0 was announced back in 2015, the partnership between Milestone Media & DC Entertainment will once again commence in 2018, with the launching of Earth M, the Multiversal name for Milestone’s Dakotaverse, as one of dozens of alternate universes within DC’s Multiverse.
And these are not the only imprints that are on the rise from DC. Wildstorm, Young Animal , and even the Hanna Barbera lines have all seen an uptick in momentum and notoriety.
So whatever your reading pleasure is, DC has you covered with the most iconic, powerful, diverse, thought-provoking, quirky and fun characters in all of comics.
Video Games
Injustice 2 continues to dominate the video game world. Not only did WB/Netherealms Creative Director Ed Boon promise that there will be new game content well into ‘18, but there will also be tournaments held throughout the year, and across the country. Many of them will be televised. So who knows; if your gaming skills are up to parl, perhaps you can take on Injustice champions like Sonic Fox and others.
DC Television
DC continues to enjoy historically unprecedented success with its television content, and that doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. At present, DC boasts more comic book related TV content than any other franchise; a whopping 8 shows, with nearly that many more on the way, in varying stages of development.
And in 2018, we will be blessed with 3 of them, in the form of Black Lightning, Krypton, and Titans.
Black Lightning will air on the CW (the network that serves as the main hub for DCTV content) in January. While DC has always provided diversity across all of its content, Black Lightning shows DC’s commitment to representation, as the show will be the first to highlight a primarily African American cast.
Next up is Krypton. Set to air sometime in 2018 on Syfy, this series is another ‘first’ of sorts, as it’s a prequel Superman story, and the first DCTV show to tale place within the DC Extended Universe.
And finally, we have the highly anticipated Titans. This series is special on multiple levels; for one thing, it almost didn’t get made, as it was originally meant to air on TNT. However, Geoff Johns promised the fans that the show was still in the works, and now it promises to be the premier live action TV show of the highly anticipated DC Network.
Speaking of which….
DC Network
For the first time ever, DC Entertainment will be unleashing upon the world, its very own digital network!
Officially announced earlier in 2017 and predicted by us several months earlier, the DC Network promises to be the hub for DC’s massive, historic multimedia library; movies and TV series, both live action as well as animated.
Imagine getting all your DC content, from the Golden Age to the Modern, from George Reeves to Henry Cavill, from the Super Friends to Young Justice, all on one place. This is monumental, in that this is the first digital service of its kind. Other franchises are promising similar services, but they are A) a few years away, and B) don’t possess half the multimedia content that DC has.
Something to look forward to, indeed.
Animation
DC continues to be the uncontested leader in comic book related animation, and it looks like they’ll remain undefeated in 2018, with a slew of animated projects coming down the pipeline. Whether it’s in series or movie format, DC has fans covered, with no less than a whopping FOUR projects from each format.
On the animated movie side, Batman: Ninja will be airing in Japanese theaters first, before making its way to American audiences (on home video format, no doubt). In this breathtaking anime feature film, Batman and his Bat Family travel back in time to Feudal Japan, to fight the Joker and a host of notorious Bat Villains.
Still on the topic of the Caped Crusader, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight is another period piece, where the Dark Knight is re-imagined in the Victorian era, wherein his nemesis is Jack the Ripper. This feature film debuts direct-to-video in February 2018.
Moving on from Batman, DC’s infamous villain team is back at it. Announced at SDCC 2017, Suicide Squad will feature in their second animated film entitled Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay. No trailers, story or cast details have been released as of yet, other than the promise that this film would fall within the DC Animated Universe (DCAU) continuity, but it was promised that Hell To Pay would debut in the Spring of 2018, most likely making it the second direct-to-video animated film of the year, right after Gotham By Gaslight.
And finally, we have the first of a 2-part animated feature, in the form of the classic story Death of Superman, Pt. 1. This feature differs from its animated predecessor Superman: Doomsday, in that it will ne a more faithful rendition of the classic storyline. The sequel to this film, Reign of the Supermen Pt. 2, debuts early 2019.
On the animated series side, DC has 5 different series launching on 3 different “networks”.
DC Superhero Girls, the widely popular series of direct-2-video films and online animated shorts aimed at an all-ages (with a focus on young girls) audience, will finally join its animated cousins Teen Titans Go! and Justice League Action on Cartoon Network.
Meanwhile, CW Seed will be offering 2 animated miniseries, both set within Arrowverse DCTV continuity.
The first is Freedom Fighters: The Ray, which spins out of the Crisis On Earth X mega crossover event from this season’s Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow series. The 6-episode, 6-minute series is already airing on CW Seed.
The second series features everyone’s favorite petty conjurer Constantine, in his own animated series. The title character is voiced by none other than Matt Ryan, who played Constantine in the live action DCTV series by the same name, and continues to do so in the Arrowverse. He also continued the role in the DCAU, in the animated film Justice League Dark.
Like The Ray, this will also comprise of several short episodes, and is set to air sometime in 2018 on CW Seed.
If either of these series are anything like the Vixen animated mini series that aired for 2 seasons on CW Seed, then both the Constantine and The Ray series will eventually be collected on video for consumer purchase at some point.
Returning to the aforementioned DC Network, one of their flagship series in addition to the live-action Titans series slated to air on the platform is the highly anticipated 3rd season of Young Justice. That’s right Young Justice is back!
After a 2-plus year hiatus, the series returns with a brand new subtitle: Young Justice: Outsiders.
According to the showrunners Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti, the show will continue where the previous season (Young Justice: Invasion) left off. It will also introduce a handful of fan favorite characters from DC lore.
Another DC animated series set to air on the Network, is based on the ever popular anti-heroine, Harley Quinn. The adult-theme series is helmed by Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker and Dean Lore, the showrunners of the former Powerless DCTV series.
While it’s perhaps too soon to tell for sure, the look of the show seems to a bit of the DC Universe meets Rick & Morty. Either way, it’s sure to be quite enjoyable.
DCEU Announcements
For better or worse, the DC Extended Universe is a hot (even controversial) topic that is forever on just about every moviegoer’s mind. No trade, blog, social media or fan website can go a single day without mentioning some aspect of the DCEU, whether good or bad. Some might even say that the DCEU is more popular than all other facets of DC Entertainment, despite it being such a small subset of the franchise. For point of reference, although DCTV boasts nearly a dozen shows, and broadcasts nearly year-round, and while its popularity is without question, many would say it pales in comparison to the 5-film DCEU, that only premiers once or twice a year.
With that said, fans are rabid for any shred of DCEU news, whether it be behind the scenes drama, director/casting news, and especially announcements on the upcoming movie slate.
Speaking of the latter, Warner Bros just recently announced the next “phase” of the DCEU during the Ame-Con in Brazil.
The new slate is as follows:
- Shazam (David Sandberg dir, Zach Levi starring)
- Suicide Squad 2 (Gavin O’Connor dir.Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson possibly starring)
- The Batman (Matt Reeves dir, Ben Affleck starring)
- Justice League Dark
- Batgirl (Joss Whedon dir)
- Green Lantern Corps
- Flashpoint (Ezra Miller starring)
- Wonder Woman 2 (Patty Jenkins dir, Gal Gadot starring)
Aside from the slate itself, very little about these films is known or has been announced. However, the blanks regarding additional casting, writers, directors, and release dates will no doubt be filled in over the course of the year, most likely during various Comic-Cons and similar events.
And speaking of which…
SDCC & Other Comic-Cons
When spring comes, Con season comes with it. That is the time when all franchises, studios and the like brandish their wares before an eager masses. As with previous years, WB and DC will look to continue their tradition of bringing the house down, especially in the mother of all Comic-Cons, which takes place every July in San Diego.
In addition to the DCEU, one can only begin to speculate as to which events, announcements, panels, etc. DC will present this year. But one thing’s for certain; it will have people talking throughout the year.
So, fellow DC enthusiasts, what are you most excited for, going into 2018? What will keep, you preoccupied until Aquaman hits theaters? Sound off in the comments below.
- Countdown To Aquaman: Things To Look Forward To From DC Entertainment in 2018 - January 1, 2018
- Constantine Returning to Live Action and Animation - October 16, 2017
- The DC Entertainment New York Comic Con Recap - October 16, 2017