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Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe is set to publish his second book, Just Beyond the Light: Making Peace with the Wars Inside Our Head, on Feb. 18, 2025.

Just Beyond the Light (available to pre-order now) will mix bits of memoir and philosophical and artistic musings. Blythe described it in a statement as a “tight, concise roadmap of how I have attempted to maintain what I believe to be a proper perspective in life, even during difficult times.”

Blythe wrote about his childhood in the South, friends he’s lost, what...

Occupational therapist Liana is overjoyed to discover that she’s pregnant with twins. That is, until she finds out each twin was fathered by a different man: her cheating husband, and the man who raped her. Over the years, she fights to hide the truth about her sons’ paternity — but how many secrets can she carry … and for how long? The Brazilian melodrama Desperate Lies, from Angela Chaves (Dark Days), stars Juliana Paes, Vladmir Brichta, and Felipe Abib.

Stream it now.

Check it out at the top of this page.

Occupational therapist Liana (Paes) has always dreamed of becoming a mother, but after two miscarriages, she’s worried that her chances are slim. Her focus on getting pregnant is also putting a strain on her marriage — her husband, a successful lawyer named Tomás (Brichta), feels like she’s no longer as committed to their relationship as she used to be.

Mariah the Scientist was arrested in Atlanta on Wednesday after she was accused of attacking another woman inside a nightclub on March 28. The rapper was charged with battery and simple battery and released on a $5,000 bond.

According to a police report obtained by Rolling Stone, the rapper, real name Mariah Buckles, allegedly approached the woman at Atlanta lounge Cavo Kitchen & Cocktails and “for no reason grabbed her by her wig and pulled the wig off her head. The female then proceeded to drag her on the table and floor.” The...

George R.R. Martin is currently “depressed” according to a recent blog post, and he’s partly blaming social media, calling out “anti-fans” who get off on thrashing pieces of entertainment and art rather than sharing a recent work they loved.

In a post titled “Dark Days”, George R.R. Martin reflected on the “nightmare” that was 2023 and how “rational discourse” appears to be over in our country. While some of this related to the political climate, he showed worry over how many treat movies and books. “I take solace where I can. In chocolate thrones, if nowhere else. In books. In films and television shows… though even there, toxicity is growing. It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited debates with fans who saw things different… but somehow in this age of social media, it is no longer enough to say “I did...

George R. R. Martin has no time for toxic fandoms.

The “Game of Thrones” franchise creator published a blog post titled “Dark Days” that included a banner reading “current mood: depressed.” Martin reflected on the past year as he ushered in 2024.

“This year, though, as I reflected on the year we had just lived through, I found I had no appetite for living through any of that again,” Martin said. “2023 was a nightmare of a year, for the world and the nation and for me and mine, both professionally and personally. I am very glad that it is over. Unfortunately, so far 2024 looks to be even worse.”

He continued, “Well, I take solace where I can. In chocolate thrones, if nowhere else. In books. In films and television shows…though even there, toxicity is growing. It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited...

21 Savage’s third solo album, American Dream, begins with his mother, Heather Joseph, describing her family’s emigration from Britain to America during his childhood. “Every path that I walked was for my son,” she tells us. (Big Rube of Dungeon Family fame penned her introduction.) It’s a concept many others have used before, most famously by Jay-Z and his mother Gloria Carter on “December 4th” from 2003’s The Black Album.

But longtime fans worried about the Atlanta rapper veering into maudlin self-aggrandizement shouldn’t worry. “Memories in my head,...

Exclusive: LA and London-based management and production company 42 has signed British writer, director and producer Rupert Wyatt for management.

Wyatt is best known for directing 20th Century Fox’s critical and commercial hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes, starring Andy Serkis. He will continue to be represented by UTA.

Wyatt made his directorial debut in 2008 with crime-thriller The Escapist, starring Brian Cox, Damian Lewis, Dominic Cooper and Joseph Fiennes. The Sundance premiere achieved multiple BIFA nominations. He also helmed Paramount Pictures’ The Gambler, starring Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, John Goodman, and Jessica Lange; and Captive State for Focus Features, with John Goodman and Vera Farmiga.

Most recently, he co-wrote and directed historical drama Desert Warrior, Mbc Studios’ largest ever feature film, which stars Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, and Sir Ben Kingsley. The movie is due to launch next year.

In TV, Wyatt was pilot director and executive producer...

Adam Driver cursed out an audience member who criticized the crash scenes in “Ferrari” after a recent screening of the film at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival.

“What do you think about the crash scenes? They looked pretty harsh, drastic and, I must say, cheesy for me,” the audience member said. “What do you think?”

“F–k you, I don’t know. Next question,” Driver said. A video of the exchange that was posted to X has already been liked over 7.7 thousand times.

When someone in the audience says the crash scenes in Ferrari “looked pretty harsh, drastic and I must say cheesy for me” and asked Adam what he thought pic.twitter.com/mXaF1LlTuf

— Adam Driver Central (@adamdrivercentl) November 12, 2023

Directed by Michael Mann and written by Troy Kennedy Martin, “Ferrari” is based on Brock Yates 1991 biography “Enzo Ferrari: The Man, the Cars, the Races, the Machine.” Driver stars...

Mudvayne kicked off their first full-fledged headlining tour in 14 years at the iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday night (July 20th). The outing, dubbed “The Psychotherapy Sessions,” features support from Coal Chamber, Gwar, Nonpoint, and Butcher Babies, with tickets available here.

Mudvayne reunited in 2021 after going on hiatus in 2010. While this tour marks Mudvayne’s first run as a lone headliner since 2009, the band did co-headline the “Freaks on Parade Tour” with Rob Zombie in 2022.

The Thursday night set featured Mudvayne performing 15 songs, including seven tunes from their classic 2000 album, L.D. 50. In recent months, frontman Chad Gray has dropped hints on social media that new music is in the works.

Meanwhile, for Coal Chamber, this marks their first proper tour in eight years, following a couple of festival gigs in recent weeks. Dez Fafara and company performed 12 songs, including four each from their 1997 self-titled debut and 2002’s Dark Days.

In an interview last year, Yard Act frontman James Smith spoke about how his band had “Trojan Horsed” the music industry. The Leeds-formed group snuck into the charts in 2020 amid a cavalry of post-punk acts. Early singles – the juddery “Dark Days” and the foot-stomping “Fixer Upper”, with its funky “Fame” guitar squalls – saw the four-piece lumped in with London bands such as Dry Cleaning and Black Midi. Eager comparisons were also drawn to the Sprechgesang (spoken-word singing) scene populated by Idles, Sleaford Mods, and Black Country, New Road. But Yard Act’s wry yet good-humoured take on post-punk always had that extra dose of salt, Smith’s tongue firmly in cheek.

“It’s weird, I feel there were a lot of good reviews for the first album that I disagreed with,” the 32-year-old says. He’s referring to their excellent debut The Overload, released in January and shortlisted for this week's Mercury Prize.

Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning guest curator for 2022’s Sheffield DocFest, has unveiled his program A Documentary Journey with Asif Kapadia.

Kapadia, who is best known for his documentaries ‘Amy,’ about Amy Winehouse, and ‘Senna’ about Brazilian motor-racing champion Ayrton Senna, opened the last in-person iteration of Sheffield DocFest in 2019 with his feature about legendary Argentine footballer Diego Maradona.

The festival, now in its 29th year, was digital only in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

Featuring “films that have had significant impact for him, inspiring his own style and creative choices as a filmmaker,” Kapadia has selected eight documentaries for the series, including “When We Were Kings” about Muhammad Ali (pictured above).

“Without this film, there would be no ‘Amy.’ There would be no ‘Senna.’ There would be no ‘Diego Maradona,’” said Kapadia of the Ali feature.

“This selection is personal to me, as someone who grew up in Hackney in the 1970s and 1980s,...

It’s rare to be able to say that a movie shows a side of New York you’ve never seen before, but “Topside” does just that. A subterranean drama whose first act is set below the city, where a downtrodden community has made a home of long-abandoned subway tunnels, this quietly affecting indie film from first-time helmers Logan George and Celine Held (who also stars) resides somewhere between “Dark Days” and “Leave No Trace” without feeling as familiar as its premise might suggest. That’s thanks not only to Held, who pulls double duty both in front of and behind the camera, but also to a moving performance by newcomer Zhalia Farmer that’s reminiscent of Quevanzané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”

“Stars don’t come down this far,” Nikki (Held) tells her five-year-old daughter Little (Farmer) one night in their makeshift hovel. They’re eating peanut butter straight from the jar,...

SXSW’s second day was all about diversity. There were revelatory sounds from Africa, Turkey, and the U.K., all of them shot through with a sense of pride for the respective artists’ homelands. In some cases, that meant Texas and Tennessee, too. Here’s what we saw on the stage, in the streets, and even on a boat.

Dawn Richard’s Glittery Galaxy

We’re still feeling the reverberations from Richard’s set at the Container Bar, where she blew all the other Doc Martens showcase performers out of...

Life lived below the subways, deep in the underbelly of New York City, has rarely been explored onscreen since the 2000 black-and-white documentary “Dark Days” took audiences below the surface. In Logan George and Celine Held’s festival-favorite debut “Topside,” the filmmakers root a mother-daughter story in these very depths. The film won the Best Director prize at SXSW 2020 and the Mario Serandrei Award for Best Technical Achievement at the Venice Film Festival later that year. Now, the film is opening from Vertical Entertainment in select theaters and on digital and VOD on Friday, March 25. Exclusive to IndieWire, watch the trailer below.

In this riveting film, a five-year-old girl and her mother live among a community that has made long-abandoned subway tunnels their homes. When the pair is forced to head above ground into a cold winter night, Little (Zhaila Farmer) and her mother Nikki (played by co-director Held) are plunged...

Next month’s Criterion Channel selection is here, and as 2021 winds down further cements their status as our single greatest streaming service. Off the top I took note of their eight-film Jia Zhangke retro as well as the streaming premieres of Center Stage and Malni. And, yes, Margaret has been on HBO Max for a while, but we can hope Criterion Channel’s addition—as part of the 63(!)-film “New York Stories”—opens doors to a more deserving home-video treatment.

Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.

I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...

Exclusive: Walter Salles will direct and Mariana Lima will star in I’m Still Here, based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s best-selling memoir about his mother Eunice Paiva, a housewife forced to reinvent herself as an activist when her husband fell victim to the military regime that took control of Brazil in 1964. Her husband became among many who were tortured and disappeared with no due process.

Mariana Lima, one of Brazil’s most acclaimed actresses with credits that include Dark Days and Father’s Chair, will play Paiva. Murilo Hauser, who scripted the 2019 Un Certain Regard winning-Invisible Life, adapted the screenplay, with Salles overseeing the development process.

Videofilmes, Mact, and Rt Features are producing.

The film is set to begin production in Brazil early next year, with Library Pictures International providing financing. CAA Media Finance will broker domestic distribution while Wild Bunch is handling international sales, excluding Brazil. The sellers...

The November 2020 lineup for The Criterion Channel has been unveiled, toplined by a Claire Denis retrospective, including the brand-new restoration of Beau travail, along with Chocolat, No Fear, No Die, Nenette and Boni, Towards Mathilde, 35 Shots of Rum, and White Material.

There will also be a series celebrating 30 years of The Film Foundation, featuring a new interview with Martin Scorsese by Ari Aster, as well as a number of their most essential restorations, including films by Jia Zhangke, Ritwik Ghatak, Luchino Visconti, Shirley Clarke, Med Hondo, and more.

There’s also David Lynch’s new restoration of The Elephant Man, retrospectives dedicated to Ngozi Onwurah, Nadav Lapid, and Terence Nance, a new edition of the series Queersighted titled Queer Fear, featuring a new conversation between series programmer Michael Koresky and filmmaker and critic Farihah Zaman, and much more.

See the lineup below and learn more on the official site.

Exclusive: Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired worldwide rights to the Daniel Hymanson-directed So Late So Soon, a bittersweet documentary that paints an endearing portrait of Chicago artists Jackie and Don Seiden.

The film, which made its world premiere at the 2020 True/False Film Festival, follows Jackie and Don who are half a century into their marriage as they approach the fragility of their elderly lives in their own distinct ways. Jackie, notorious for her unbounded energy, is constantly on the move, inspired to create works of art while also maintaining the couple’s multistory, brightly-painted Victorian house. Don steadily sketches in his notebook while facing alarming interruptions to his health. Director Daniel Hymanson filmed the Seidens, on-and-off for five years, capturing the hardships of aging as well as a view into enduring companionship, in this charming character study.

“I’ve been such a huge fan of Oscilloscope for years,” said Hymanson.

Beneath the New York City subway system lies a shadowy labyrinth teeming with people living on the margins of society. It’s a natural cinematic backdrop, and the 2000 documentary “Dark Days” probed it so well it has served as the last word on the subject for the past 20 years. However, the riveting drama “Topside” finds a unique way in. The directorial debut from co-directors Logan George and Celine Held (who also stars) around the prospects of raising a child in that darkness, only to find that the world above contains much scarier prospects.

Despite its rough-hewed aesthetic and a jittery, moment-to-moment pace, “Topside” adopts a familiar subgenre of kid-in-peril movies, from “Little Fugitive” to “The Florida Project.” Much of the drama takes place from the innocent perspective of five year-old Little (Zhaila Farmer), who roams her subterranean surroundings with unfettered curiosity. Her parents are hopeless junkies resigned to a daily struggle,...

Contrary to her movie’s title, the protagonist in “Feral” hardly fits any indigent stereotype: She’s young, attractive, kempt, modishly dressed, in fact by all appearances rather closer to the cliché of the college-educated, gentrifying if still “quirky” Brooklyn hipster. No one would guess that Annapurna Sriram’s Yasmine is homeless, a deceiving appearance that’s one of the few things she has left to turn to her advantage.

This first narrative feature by cinematographer and documentarian Andrew Wonder is an intriguingly offbeat character sketch that falls somewhere short of a fully-rounded portrait. Nonetheless, his arresting subject matter and refined aesthetic make for a promising debut worthy of discerning viewers’ attention. After a year’s festival-circuit travel, it’s getting a VOD release on June 2.

It takes a while to realize we’re not watching more than one lead figure here, as her arsenal of thrift-shop finery, makeup, hair...

Blake Lively is ready for some Dark Days at the Magna Carta, a new post-apocalyptic thriller produced by Stranger Things‘ Shawn Levy. The film is destined for Netflix, with a hot script from up-and-coming screenwriter Michael Paisley. Specific details about the story aren’t available, but it’s said to involve a “catastrophic event,” which is something we’re all familiar […]

The post ‘Dark Days at the Magna Carta’ Will Have Blake Lively Dealing With the Apocalypse appeared first on /Film.

Netflix has acquired the rights to Dark Days at the Magna Carta, a post-apocalyptic thriller written by Michael Paisley with Blake Lively attached to star in and produce, Deadline has confirmed. Stranger Things Ep Shawn Levy is also on board to produce the project, which is being eyed as a franchise vehicle for Lively.

The pic is said to be a character-driven narrative on a woman who must take extremes measures during a catastrophic event going in order to save her family.

Lively is producing under her B for Effort label with Kate Vorhoff and Levy, who will produce with 21 Laps partner Dan Cohen.

Blake Lively and Shawn Levy have teamed up for Dark Days at the Magna Carta, a post-apocalyptic thriller just picked up by Netflix.

Lively will star in and produce the thriller through her B for Effort production banner along with Kate Vorhoff, giving the high-profile actress a potential franchise to call her own.

Levy will produce via his prolific 21 Laps banner with partner Dan Cohen.

The project hails from rising scribe Michael Paisley, who only two years ago was working in the CAA mailroom. Paisley came up with the story and will now write the screenplay for what is envisioned ...

Blake Lively and Shawn Levy are teaming for Dark Days at the Magna Carta, a post-apocalyptic thriller just picked up by Netflix.

Lively will star in and produce the feature through her B for Effort banner along with Kate Vorhoff, giving the high-profile actress a potential franchise to call her own.

Levy will produce via his prolific 21 Laps banner with partner Dan Cohen.

The project hails from rising scribe Michael Paisley, who only two years ago was working in the CAA mailroom. Paisley came up with the story and will now write the screenplay for what is envisioned as a ...

The Hunger Games franchise is once again set to volunteer as tribute for the big screen, set to take audiences back to the deadly bread and circuses of dystopic Panem with an adaptation of author Suzanne Collins’s upcoming prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Lionsgate is officially moving forward with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as a feature film. The announcement arrives as readers still await the book’s scheduled May 19 release. Auspiciously enough, the studio is sticking with what worked by bringing back director Francis Lawrence, who handled the majority of the 2012-launched film franchise—Catching Fire (2013), Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015). He’ll work off a script by Michael Arndt, who worked on the Catching Fire screenplay, along with notable films like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Inside Out, Toy Story 3 and Little Miss Sunshine. Nina Jacobs is onboard as a...

Local Natives appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to perform their songs “When Am I Gonna Lose You” and “Dark Days.”

The first song comes off the band’s 2019 album Violet Street, while “Dark Days” dates back to their 2016 effort Sunlit Youth. Performing on Kimmel’s outdoor stage, the band gave both tracks their signature lush, moody vibe with Amelia Meath joining on “Dark Days.”

The band dropped Violet Street last April via Loma Vista Recordings. “When Am I Gonna Lose You” was one of the first songs from the album,...

Image Source: Everett Collection

Let the games begin . . . again. Nearly a decade after the third and final Hunger Games book, Mockinjay, was released in 2010, Scholastic announced a prequel novel is on the way. What was initially being referred to as the Untitled Panem Novel has now officially been titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, according to a press release from the publisher sent in early October. Suzanne Collins once again invites readers to revisit the dystopian nation of Panem during its tenth Hunger Games, which took place decades before the events of the original trilogy.

"With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival," Collins said in the first press statement about her new book. "The reconstruction period ten years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days - as the country of...

Fitz and the Tantrums have announced a new album, All the Feels, scheduled for release September 20th.

“So many highs and lows this last year but we’ll make it through together,” said lead vocalist Michael Fitzpatrick. “We are so excited to finally share what we’ve been working so hard on. ‘All The Feels’ has all the emotions. We hope you love it as much as we do.”

To celebrate the announcement, they’ve released a video for the title track, featuring Fitzpatrick suffering an unusual heart attack. A...

Suzanne Collins is officially volunteering as tribute to write a Hunger Games prequel.

On Monday, Scholastic announced in a statement that it would be publishing a prequel to Collins’ best-selling dystopian series The Hunger Games, coming in May of next year.

The novel, currently named “Untitled Panem Novel,” will focus on on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games in Panem, 64 years before the events of the first Hunger Games, which began the heroic journey Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence in the blockbuster films.

“With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are,...

Joseph Baxter Jan 21, 2020

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games prequel novel, arrives in May 2020.

The Hunger Games is readying a return to the pop culture panorama in the form of a prequel novel, which will see author Suzanne Collins revisit the dystopian society of Panem, except at a time well before Katniss Everdeen even existed, much less ignited the titular contest as "The Girl on Fire."

Indeed, Collins’s franchise follow-up will manifest as a prequel novel set on Panem during the period known as "the Dark Days," taking place some 64 years before the story we know. The long-awaited continuation of the literary franchise was first teased back in June 2019, during which its May 2020 release date was set, with Scholastic subsequently unveiling the book cover months later, revealing the title as The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

In the latest news on Hunger Games prequel...

The Hunger Games franchise will live on! I think we all knew that The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 wouldn’t be the last film we saw in the franchise. At least, I did. Author Suzanne Collins recently announced that she is writing a prequel novel and that it will arrive on May 19th, 2020.

So, of course, Lionsgate had to swoop in and pick up the rights to the unpublished novel, and they plan on bringing that prequel story to the big screen. The story for the new book will be set 64 years before the events of the original trilogy. It will focus on the failed rebellion attempt in the country of Panem.

Suzanne Collins talked about what she wanted to explore with this new story, saying:

“With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are and what we perceive is required for our survival. The...

The Ya adaptation movie craze has mostly passed now, but at its height The Hunger Games films were one of the biggest franchises out there. Released from 2012 to 2015, the four movies earned nearly $3 billion in total at the worldwide box office. It’s no surprise, then, that Lionsgate is working on a prequel now which will be coming our way in the next few years.

Today, Scholastic announced that author Suzanne Collins is writing a new prequel novel set in the world of The Hunger Games. It’ll take place 64 years prior to the events of the previous books and will begin on the morning of the reaping of the 10th Hunger Games in Panem. The novel is set to be released on May 19th, 2020.

Due to the popularity of the series, Lionsgate has been involved with the development of the book as well and the studio already has its...

Lionsgate has begun working on a “Hunger Games” prequel movie, based on a forthcoming novel from writer Suzanne Collins.

“As the proud home of the ‘Hunger Games’ movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published. We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie,” Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said Monday in a statement.

Collins’ best-selling dystopian trilogy of “The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay” was published by Scholastic starting in 2008 and later developed into four films starring Jennifer Lawrence. The books were set in Panem, a North American country with 12 districts — with children from the districts selected via lottery to participate in a compulsory death match called the Hunger Games.

The still-untitled novel will be released by Scholastic and set 64 years before the start...

Lionsgate is lining up a prequel to its smash Hunger Games franchise, one of the studio’s cornerstone hits, it emerged on Monday (17).

Lionsgate is lining up a prequel to its smash Hunger Games franchise, one of the studio’s cornerstone hits, it emerged on Monday (17).

“As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s [Collins] next book to be published,” Joe Drake, chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie.

Jordan Peele’s “Us” opens with an unusual piece of trivia: Across the U.S., there are thousands of miles of underground tunnels that have been long forgotten. The film says they include abandoned subway tunnels, unused sewers or old mine shafts — and many have no clear purpose at all.

If you haven’t seen “Us,” we won’t spoil why exactly that’s significant. But it’ll immediately make you wonder whether there’s a factual basis to the claim. Are there really a whole network of tunnels that people have just forgotten? Peele has had an answer for just about every other seemingly innocuous reference or image in the film, so where did he get this detail?

One person who knows first-hand that Peele isn’t just making something up is Will Hunt, the author of the just-published book “Underground: A Human History of the Worlds Beneath Our Feet.

This review contains minor spoilers.

To quote Steel Panther: “Death to all but metal.” It’s how I feel right now after reading Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s electrifying Dark Nights: Metal #1, Aka your new favorite comic book. If this were a song, it’d be a hard-hitting, down-tuned ripper to wash away the filth of “Despacito” from your ears. It’s that little something you want to play loud and proud.

To give you a brief rundown of what happens in this bonkers book: we kick off with the Justice League battling Mongul’s murder machines in a coliseum. In order to defeat these things, though, the League have to climb into them and form their own Megazord. Yes, Snyder and Capullo go full-on Power Rangers here!

Back in Gotham City, a bloody mountain has formed where it shouldn’t have. When the League investigate this anomaly,...

The announcements continue to roll out for DC Comics during several of their panels here at San Diego Comic-Con. During their Dark Nights: Metal and Dark Matter panel they announced another new ongoing series coming soon featuring Duke Thomas called Batman: The Signal and it will be written by DC Talent Workshop alum Tony Patrick.

Duke Thomas had made his debut in DC Comics New 52 Batman #21 during an arc called Zero Year where he assisted Batman. Then during the arc called Endgame, the Joker kidnapped Duke's family and used them to try and recreate Bruce Wayne's parents' murder right in front of him. Batman managed to save Duke, but Duke's parents unfortunately were lost to the Joker's gas. Later he became part of the group of Robins during the time that Bruce Wayne was gone. When DC launched Rebirth Batman had returned and offered Duke a position,...

Since Dark Days: The Casting Batman and others have started to unravel a mystery that we the readers have known for a while, which is that there is a dark multiverse, and it contains seven twisted evil versions of Batman. They are the following:

The Murder Machine

The Red Death

The Devastator

The Merciless

The Drowned

The Batman Who Laughs

The bad news for Batman and the rest of the Justice League is that they are coming to, "wreak havoc on earth". Through the months of September and November, each of these evil versions of Batman will have their own tie-in books. Today at Comic-Con while attending the annual Diamond Retailer's Lunch we had the opportunity to take a look at an image of the entire group of corrupted Batman except "The Batman Who Laughs. That of course is the Joker turned Batman, who's name is in reference to...

DC Comics

With only a few weeks away from DC's release of Dark Days: Metal #1, we today at San Diego Comic-Con we got some information about a team that is going to spin off into DC's post Dark Days: Metal line called Dark Matter. 

Thanks to Newsarama we learned that Jeff Lemire will be returning to DC Comics and alongside artist Ivan Reis to debut a new superhero team or family called The Terrifics. The team will consist of Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Phantom Girl and Plastic Man. The image that features the team is displayed on one of the walls at the DC Comics booth and the inclusion of Plastic Man had raised a lot of eyebrows with comic book fans.

Patrick O'Brian or Plastic Man had been absent from the DC universe for a while now only to show up again frozen in a sphere that resembled...

Hello again, and welcome to the recently resurrected Panel Discussion. I’m Kieran, and every week I’m going to go through some of the best comics of the week to give you an idea what you should pick up that you might have missed. This is another stacked week with some fantastic first issues and great jumping on points for books you might be behind on, so let’s take a look at what’s on offer.

The big, big release this week is DC’s Dark Days: The Casting #1 which is the second part of the prelude to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s upcoming Dark Knights: Metal summer event which promises to blow the doors off the DC Universe in the best way possible. The previous issue of Dark Days had Plastic Man, Mister Terrific and even the Multiversal Tuning Fork from Crisis on Infinite Earths,...

DC Entertainment

Batman and The Joker, what would one be without the other? For decades now the two have squared off in comic books, television shows and films. So far every film franchise for Batman has include the Clown Prince of Crime. Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger, the voice of Mark Hamill and Jared Leto are the names that have voiced, or played, The Joker in the past. Along with the obvious differences, each of them had been molded to compliment the Batman of the time. What would happen if we put Gotham and these two characters in a present time with modern-day problems? Would Batman's style of vigilante justice still work in our day and age? Would he even still be a hero?

Enter DC Comic's Batman: White Knight by writer illustrator Sean Murphy. In his comic book mini series that is set to be released...

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While DC has done a pretty good job of getting us excited for all the various tie-ins set to orbit their next major event, that doesn’t mean we’ve taken our eyes off Dark Nights: Metal itself. Aside from having the appeal that comes with uniting the fan favorite creative team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo going for it, there’s also the fact that they’re building upon everything they established on their definitive Batman run, in addition to taking advantage of the veritable treasure trove that is the DC Universe as a whole.

Come to think of it, Snyder already gave us that impression with the first of two Dark Days one-shots serving as prelude, so we can only wait with bated breath to see how far into the...

Ah, the carefree days of 2011. Charlie Sheen was "winning," Bridesmaids made poop jokes fun again, and Harry Potter was ending with Deathly Hallows, Part 2. All in all, it was a solid year. DC, and later Marvel, would be shaking up the comics world with a total reboot of their line of comic books in an event called the New 52. What a concept!

Fast forward five years later and DC would have to once again reboot their comics after the New 52 came crashing down under the weight of poor reviews, lagging sales, and angry fans. Superman wasn't working, the Justice League was dull, and what were they thinking on Flash? But like a boy band, sometimes even bad ensembles have good individual pieces. Jeff Lemire would take the virtually-unknown Animal Man and make a competent, complex hero out of him, while also launching Lemire into the upper stratosphere of comic book virtuosos.

By now, it’s probably safe to say that just about everybody keeping up with DC is pumped for the release of Dark Nights: Metal, which not only serves as the publisher’s next major event, but also happens to be the highly anticipated reunion of writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo. And if it’s anywhere near as good as the prelude one-shot that was Dark Days: The Forge #1 (you can read our five-star review here), well, then we might be in for a ride every bit as thrilling as their legendary run on Batman.

But, as more details have slowly come to light, it’s quickly become apparent as to how far-reaching this tale will be. Sure, such a thing is to be expected of major events, but you never know when the publisher intends on a limited series being more self-contained or if it’ll be as grandiose as,...

Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV | Art by Andy Kubert, John Romita | Published by DC Comics

Dark Days: The Forge #1 is a glorified zero issue that lays major groundwork for the upcoming Metal event that will be impacting nearly all DC comics this upcoming summer. Much is revealed in this issue that will have many fans asking some major questions. The issue, however, is if you are not very familiar with DC lore prior to The New 52 you may be left confused by nearly everything this is showcased in this book. Clearly, something major is going on and this is the very beginning. For some it may be a better choice just to wait until it gets fully started.

Long lasting DC fans that have loved stories like Crisis on Infinite Earths and even The Dark Knight Strikes Again will certainly have a lot to be excited about.

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Although we’re still several weeks away from the arrival of Dark Days: The Casting #1, the next stop on the road to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s much anticipated reunion that is Dark Nights: Metal, DC is intent on keeping the hype train going by releasing several more preview images.

Not long ago, the publisher teased us with a few uncolored interiors and variant covers taken from the one-shot and, in a repeat of sorts, we have a similar set of offerings to present you with today. This time, however, we have Jim Lee’s standard cover to go along with the batch, in addition to what appears to be a trade ad with some words from co-writer Snyder as he tries to convince us to buy the book. But,...

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If the quality boasted by the freshly released one-shot Dark Days: The Forge #1 is any indication of how good Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s much publicized reunion, Dark Nights: Metal, will be, then I think it’s safe to say we’re about to bear witness to a story that’ll be talked about for decades to come.

So, aside from already receiving hints at how deep Snyder is willing to go when it comes to utilizing the rich history DC has to offer, in addition to knowing how this is set to be the vanguard of the new Dark Matter imprint, it should come as no surprise that a slew of tie-ins are slated to arrive this fall.

Not long ago, Snyder himself hinted at a “dark multiverse” that would no...

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Even if you haven’t had the chance to read Batman #24, you’ve probably seen images from the issue pop up on your Facebook or Twitter feeds at some point. The reason for this is that the Dark Knight finally got down on one knee (in main continuity, mind you) and proposed to his longtime lover in Catwoman. It’s well established that Bruce Wayne hasn’t had great luck with longterm relationships, but if anyone should tie the knot with him, it’s most assuredly Selina Kyle.

Because of this, said issue has been flying off shelves, with a second printing already scheduled to arrive on June 21, featuring a recolored background and the words “marry me” on the cover. Seriously, you have to admire how Bruce doesn’t even bother to phrase his proposal as a question.

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Although it technically reared its head in the twilight of the New 52 within the pages of Justice League #50, the mystery surrounding there being three Jokers has undoubtedly been one of the most confounding situations looming over the Rebirth era. Shockingly, the Clown Prince of Crime has been largely absent in that time span, but it’s come to light that he’s set to play a crucial role in Dark Days.

If you’ve read the first of two one-shots leading into Dark Nights: Metal, The Forge, then you’re well aware of it not only being a masterclass in modern comic book storytelling, but that there’s a clear reason why we haven’t seen the Joker in so long: Batman has been keeping him in a secret cell in the Batcave.

This review contains minor spoilers.

Holy heavy metal, Batman! Dark Days: The Forge #1 is a serious game changer here. DC’s done a few big events this year, but nothing – I reiterate, nothing – can prepare you for the sheer awesomeness of this issue. Just this book alone answers a host of questions we’ve had for generations, and undoubtedly touches upon the future of the universe.

How best can I sum up this issue without spoiling everything? Well, true to its premise, this story is all about metal – more specifically, Thanagarian Nth metal. Not only do we get a brief history of how this element influenced Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s origins, but we also see hints of its importance to Doctor Fate’s helmet, Aquaman’s trident and Wonder Woman’s bracelets. Additionally, we discover how it ties into the Court of Owls and the resurrection of the Talons.