REVIEW: Sandman Overture

The Sandman never needed a prequel series. Really, it never needed any sequels, spin-offs or additional volumes at all, being a perfectly told epic in itself. Nonetheless, some of the extra material has been amazing, not least Death: The High Cost of Living and the original run of Lucifer. Having Gaiman back to write the untold backstory of Dream's imprisonment that created the entire story of The Sandman is exciting, but there's always the risk, as with anything of this nature, that the result will be disappointing. The Sandman was so remarkable that any attempt to revisit it will struggle to recapture the magic. Going back to explain it all is even more dangerous, since the mystery of the Endless and their origins is crucial to the appeal of the story.

A troubled publication schedule put me off Sandman: Overture about halfway through, but I suspected that it would read better in collected form. It's taken me a while to actually get round to picking the trade up, but now I have done, and I can happily confirm that Overture is a worthy successor (should that be precursor?) to the original Sandman. Gaiman pulls together a story on a truly epic scale that only really shines through when taken in as one mighty volume. It's also vital that it be read in good old-fashioned paper format, since J. H. Williams uses an artistic style that goes everywhere, in every direction, and at several points requires the book to be rotated or flipped upside-down in order to follow the sequence of events or dialogue, and that just doesn't work on a computer screen.

Williams's artwork, in combination with Dave Stewart's colours, creates a bold and powerful visual universe which is vital for Gaiman's storytelling to shine through. The key word for this story is scope. So many prequels fail by limiting the imagination of the reader/viewer by filling in too much of what might have come before. Overture expands the Vertigo universe, taking Sandman into broader, more science-fictional realms than before, giving everything a truly cosmic feel. Taking place, as Gaiman says, after Endless Nights and before Preludes and Nocturnes, Overture twists history around and brings Dream's new incarnation, Daniel, into the storyline in a vital aspect. The risk of limiting the character of Dream is averted by the most celebrated moment in the story, in which Morpheus is brought face-to-face with infinite variations of himself, in all manner of guises.

Overture takes on Endless Nights's best story and expands it by revisiting the City of the Stars, a realm that truly appears to be constructed from light, and makes it the core of the story. Billions of years earlier, Dream, or an aspect of him, failed to snuff out an insane star, leading to the imminent destruction of the universe in the present. Through his quest to put things right we visit more realms than ever before, with the other Endless taking part in events in different roles. More contentiously, we meet Dream's parents. Given that the Endless are siblings, it makes sense that there would also be parents involved, but their existence as distinct characters could have been the worst thing for Gaiman to show. Instead, Father Time and Mother Night are depicted as enormously powerful and remote beings who add to the mystery of the Endless. (They may also be viewed as the DC equivalents of Infinity and Eternity, and Gaiman's enough of a Marvel fan to have intended this.) There's even Dusk, who might just be another sister of the extended Endless family.

Even with the universe tearing itself apart in entropy and war, Gaiman keeps the story working at a personal level by pairing Dream up, for much of the voyage, with the orphaned alien girl, Hope Beautiful. To begin with she comes across as a slightly twee, spunky kid, but avoids becoming a generic character by meeting her own tragic end and then playing a vital part in the revitalisation of the universe. The balance between the cosmic and the personal is balanced well, reflecting how Dream is at once a small, flawed individual and the very essence of imagination in the universe.

Overture is far stronger when read as a novel, rather than a series of issues, and skirts that fine line between telling us too much and telling us just enough to keep the mystery interesting. I could definitely stand to see no more Sandman ever after this, though; Overture bookends The Sandman in a perfect ouroboros that should never be broken.

Comicbook Movie Release Calendar

It seems I am only permitted to watch movies based on comics these days. Really, I watched Blue is the Warmest Colour the other day (I have lesbian movie nights with lesbian friends. Don't you?) and it turns out that's based on a graphic novel. Anyway, this is the latest, most up-to-date list of the upcoming comic-based films, double-checked with Den of Geek, io9 and the like.

2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron
Marvel/Disney
Release: April 2015 for UK, May for US
All the Avengers plus Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and the Vision join forces to defeat the android Ultron.

Ant-Man
Marvel/Disney
Release: July 17th on both sides of the Pond.
The last installment of Phase Two of the MCU. Edgar Wright is out, who knows what this is going to be like.

The Fantastic Four
Fox
Release: 6th/7th August 2015
Reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise which is planned to revamp the other half of Fox's comicbook properties.

Bananaman
DC Thomson/Elstree Studios
Release: uncertain
The first part of the Beano Cinematic Universe (oh yes), Bananaman is clearly the most exciting movie project in development for years. Might be subtitled Man of Peel, which is brilliant. Absolutely no idea who is starring.

2016

Deadpool
Fox
Release: set for Feb 2016
Ryan Reynolds finally gets to do the Merc with a Mouth justice in what we expect to be a fourth-wall breaking slice of madness. Part of Fox's X-Men universe which may also cross over with the Fantastic Four films as they try to build up a cinematic universe akin to Marvel's.

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice
DC/Warner
Release: 25th March in both UK and US
DC are going head first into a huge superhero team-up movie to try to do what Marvel have done, but in reverse. Henry Cavill is back as Supes following on from Man of Steel. Ben Affleck makes his debut as Batman, with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and sundry other DC superheroes.

Captain America: Civil War
Marvel/Disney
Release: April 2016 in the UK, May in the US
Marvel's Phase Three kicks off one year after Age of Ultron with another barnstormer that might as well be called Captain America vs Iron Man. Chadwick Boseman is set to debut as the Black Panther and Spider-Man is expected to make his MCU debut following Marvel's deal with Sony.

X-Men: Apocalypse
Fox
Release: May 2016
The X-Men franchise completes the trilogy started with First Class and continued in Days of Future Past, coming full circle with recast Cyclops, Storm and Jean Grey. Channing Tatum debuts as Gambit, and expect Huge Ackman to return as Wolverine to face down the mighty mutant Apocalypse.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2
Paramount
Release: 3rd June on both continents, supposedly.
Hell, I haven't even seen the first one yet. More Michael Bay stuff with Megan Fox and some unsettling repto-humanoids. Apparently Krang might be in this one.

Suicide Squad
DC/Warner
Release: August 2016
Beating the ever-delayed Sinister Six movie from Sony, DC manage to make the first villain team-up movie to expand their cinematic universe. Genuinely quite interested in this one. One hell of a cast lined up, with Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as the Joker, Will Smith (!) as Deadshot and more. Could be something quite amazing.

Gambit
Fox
Release: October 2016
Channing Tatum returns as Gambit for his own solo adventure. Not much information to go on so far.

Doctor Strange
Marvel/Disney
Release: November, most likely.
Everyone's favourite Benedict Cumberbatch joins the MCU as the Sorceror Supreme. Rumours that Chiwetel Ejiofor is also involved. This should mark an interesting development point for the MCU as magic and parallel dimensions are introduced.

2017

"Wolverine 3"
Fox
Release: Early March, 2017, but expect things to move around a bit this far ahead.
No actual title for this, but it's the third Wolverine film from Fox after the dreadful X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the rather better The Wolverine. Patrick Stewart is also expected to appear in some capacity. No real information on the storyline, although Huge Ackman has been angling for the "Old Man Logan" arc from the comics as a source.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Marvel/Disney
Release: the now-traditional April/May slot.
Guardians of the Galaxy was the film of the year for 2014, so we're all stoked to see the sequel. Not much info yet, but we can expect it to follow up on the mystery of Quill's parentage.

Wonder Woman
DC/Warner
Release: Set for 23rd June in the USA.
DC are one step ahead of Marvel with this one, creating a female-led superhero movie before their rivals. Wonder Woman is one DC's Big Three, along with Batman and Superman, so it's pretty bizarre that she's not headlined a movie before. Gal Gadot returns to the role after her debut in Dawn of Justice.

Fantastic Four 2
Fox
Release: 14th July on both sides.
If the FF reboot does well, a sequel is guaranteed. All the main cast have signed up for the sequel, which is expected to feature Mole Man as a villain, probably with a returning Doom. On the other hand, if the first film tanks, this will probably be quietly shelved.

Untitled Spider-Man movie
Sony, with Marvel/Disney
Release: July 28th 2017 is the currently scheduled date, which has bumped back some of Marvel's other films.
The first proper Spidey film to come out following the deal between Sony and Marvel, this is as yet uncast and we have little information on it beyond the fact that they're looking to cast younger and send Peter Parker back to high school again. Don't expect yet another retelling of his origin story, though. We all know he was bitten by a radioactive/genetically engineered spider.

Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel/Disney
Release: Originally slated for July 28th, this will now be released on November 3rd in the States.
Apocalyptic events could mark Chris Hemsworth's final appearance as the God of Thunder. The Fire Giant Surtr will most likely be the villain this time round, but pound to a penny Loki will be back too.

The Justice League: Part One
DC/Warner
Release: 17th November in the States.
The Justice League is DC's premier superhero team, and they want a slice of the Avengers' money pie. This huge two-part blowout should reunite most of the Dawn of Justice crowd, potentially with yet more heroes added in for good measure. Darkseid is heavily rumoured as the villain, but he's essentially identical to Marvel's Big Bad, Thanos.

The Lego Batman Movie
Warner Bros.
Release: Uncertain, some time in 2017 most likely.
Will Arnett's hilarious take on Batman was the best thing about 2014's magnificent Lego Movie, and now he gets his own spin-off. Lego seem to have free reign to use DC characters so expect cameos and villains galore. The Lego Movie 2 is currently slated for 2018.

2018

The Flash
DC/Warner
Release: Currently set for 23rd March, Stateside.
I still haven't managed to catch any of the acclaimed Flash TV series, but since this is a complete reboot and recast that's pretty irrelevant. Hopefully this Billy Whizzard will be as fun as the concept should be. Ezra Miller is playing Barry Allen, the Flash.

Avengers: Infinity War: Part One
Marvel/Disney
Release: That April/May slot.
Marvel's answer to the big double-blockbuster, wisely not going directly up against Justice League but inevitably set to be compared. This is the beginning of the climax to Phase Three, the event that all the movies of the MCU have building to. Josh Brolin is back as Thanos, battling pretty much every character thus far introduced in the MCU, potentially including the upcoming TV characters too. No Joss Whedon though.

Black Panther
Marvel/Disney
Release: 6th July 2018
Finally, a black superhero headlines a movie for the first time since Blade and that dreadful Catwoman thing. Boseman will already have appeared as the Black Panther in Civil War and probably Infinity War, and we can probably expect Andy Serkis to appear as Klaw.

Untitled X-Men movie
Fox
Release: July 2018
Another X-Men flick is scheduled for 2018, but so far we have zip on the details. Very probably keeping on the young mutants from Apocalypse along with some new faces, but no news as yet.

Aquaman
DC/Warner
Release: 27th July 2018
The King of Atlantis gets his own movie, played by Jason Momoa. Some have written this off as too silly - Aquaman has been a bit of a joke character in DC animations recently - but it looks like they'll be playing this one straight. Momoa will have already played the character in Dawn of Justice and Justice League, of course.

Captain Marvel
Marvel/Disney
Release: Currently slated for November 2018.
Marvel's premier female superhero gets a chance to shine on the big screen. No news as to who's playing Carol Danvers yet, although it's entirely possible that, like Black Panther, she'll first appear in another movie (Guardians of the Galaxy 2 seems a reasonable bet). That said, we do know this movie is currently intended to be set mostly on the Earth, rather than the good Captain's frequent forays into space.

2019(ish)

Shazam!
DC/Waner
Release: 5th April 2019
Genuinely can't wait for this one. The other Captain Marvel, as yet uncast, pits his mighty fists against the nerfarious Black Adam, played by Duane 'The Rock' Johnson, taking five minutes out from filming Fast and Furious 26 or something. Mixed messages concerning whether this will be part of the elaborate movie universe DC is constructing or completely separate, but expect something quite standalone either way.

Avengers: Infinity War: Part Two
Marvel/Disney
Release: One year after Part One
The second part of the big shebang. With Captain Marvel showing in between the two halves, expect even more characters to be included, but Inhumans being delayed until afterwards might change plans a tad. Hopefully not just wall-to-wall scraps, but expect lots of spectacle.

Justice League: Part Two
DC/Warner
Release: June 14th, 2019.
DC are leaving a longer gap between installments in their gigantic blockbuster. Again, the two comics giants aren't going directly head-to-head with this one, but there's only a month or so between the US release dates. The new Green Lantern might be appearing in preparation for his upcoming solo film.

Inhumans
Marvel/Disney
Release: 12th July 2019, at the moment.
Marvel, not having the movie rights to their own X-Men characters, are bringing this lesser known crop of superhuman beings to the big screen. The Inhumans are already being seeded in Marvel's Agents of SHIELD on TV, so this is a slow burn set-up. Rumours are already flying, with Vin Diesel cheekily putting himself forward as Black Bolt. As he's already voiced Groot, amusingly this would make him two Marvel movie characters who can barely speak. Nice easy gig for him.

Untitled Batman movie
DC/Warner
Release: sometime before 2020.
A solo Batman outing starring Ben Affleck following his Dawn of Justice and (probably) Justice League appearances. No info so far.

"Man of Steel 2"
DC/Warner
Release: again, some point between 2016 and 2020.
As with Batman, Superman will also be enjoying a further solo appearance, again, probably, post Justice League. It's hard to see how they can fit both Batman and Superman movies in the schedule though. Henry Cavill is on board, natch.

The Sinister Six
Sony
Release: unknown, but it's still on the books.
With the Sony-Marvel alliance, this has been confirmed as still in the pipeline. Undoubtedly coming after Suicide Squad, this is going for the similar villains-as-protagonists route. No cast confirmed at the moment, and with Spider-Man being recast, everything's in the air. We also don't know for certain whether Spidey himself is going to taking part, or if Marvel will have some involvement.

Other Spidey-related projects that haven't officially been cancelled yet, but which are looking less likely to see the light of day, are the long-awaited Venom movie (last heard to be titled Venom-Carnage) and a team-up movie of unspecified female superheroes from the Spider-Man franchise.

X-Force
Fox
Release: unconfirmed
The final movie currently planned for the X-Men franchise, X-Force will involve a darker, less heroic team of mutant superheroes. Jeff Wadlow, from the fairly dreadful KickAss 2, is writing the script. Ryan Reynolds is expected back as Deadpool, along with an uncast Cable. I wouldn't be surprised to see Channing Tatum back as Gambit in this, and probably Colossus, who is usually part of the comics and is also appearing in Deadpool, but is currently uncast. Wolverine is also a likely candidate, but Huge Ackman can't play him forever. Given the bigger antihero role Mystique has in the newer X-films, I wouldn't be shocked to see Jennifer Lawrence involved.

2020

Cyborg
DC/Warner
Release: April 2020
One of DC's less well known and popular characters, Victor Stone, aka Cyborg, is still a pretty major Justice League hero. Ray Fisher is signed up to play Stone in Dawn of Justice, both Justice League films and finally his own movie. Good to have another black headline star.

Green Lantern
DC/Warner
Release: June 2020
The 2011 Green Lantern film tanked, and so DC are clearly not very confident on this property, running pretty much everything on their books before trying again. Ryan Reynolds is now Deadpool, and it's unlikely DC would want him back anyway, so there'll be a new man in green.

Justice League Dark
DC/Warner
Release: unknown
Not given a definite slot on DC's release calendar, but apparently coming sometime between now and 2020. Guillermo del Toro is currently set to direct, which would be pretty much perfect (I'd still like to see a third Hellboy movie). Justice League Dark is set to feature DC's biggest horror-themed characters, including Constantine, Swamp Thing, Deadman, Zatanna and Etrigan the Demon. Whether this ties into DC's main cinematic universe is unknown.

Sandman
DC/Warner
Release: not a clue
Can they really do Sandman justice on the big screen? It remains to be seen. Author Neil Gaiman is directly involved and wanted Benedict Cumberbatch for the role of Morpheus, but he's busy being Dr. Strange. The great Joseph Gordon Levitt is involved, probably to direct and possibly to star as well.

Comics Round-Up August (1)

My day off this week was a Tuesday, so I got to drop by the comic shop a day before the new releases dropped in. Which, considering how much I spent anyway, is probably a good thing. Also, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was excellent, although not quite as strong as the previous film. Which you all know by now, because you saw it when it came out. Anyway, cautiously looking forward to the third installment, which I'm guessing is going to be called War for the Planet of the Apes.

Moving on...

Captain Marvel #6 (Marvel)

Marvel really do seem to be trying to make a name for themselves as the company for strong female
characters, and in spite of some missteps, they're doing reasonably well there. This is the final installment of the inaugural "Higher, Further, Faster, More" storyline, and brings everything nicely to a head, with plenty of action balanced by some clever diplomacy and a benevolent use of surveillance. With a notable exception or two on each side, this is squarely noble females vs. imperialist males, with a none-too-subtle swipe at military and police brutality. Still, strong stuff, and I think I'll continue with this title.

Ghostbusters #18 (IDW)

Continuing the "Mass Hysteria" storyline, this isn't the strongest issue, very much a case of joining part 17 to part 19 and not really doing too much of its own work. Still, bringing Vigo back for an issue is a fun hook, the inclusion of the Spider-Witch from the game as an avatar for Gozer is very cool, and the character work is just spot-on perfect now. Particularly nice is an interlude featuring Winston's wife Tiyah and her sassy friend Kas, which is a welcome pause in the crash-bang-pow.

The Sandman Overture #3 (DC/Vertigo)

Wow, is it time for issue three already? Good grief, it's only been six months since part two! Anyway, yes this is fine, still not really living up to the name of Sandman, but the gradual development of a vast cosmos full of iterations of Morpheus is quite fascinating. The big problem is probably that Sandman is best read as a book, and individual issues, especially when they're separated by months, is a poor way to read it. Not sure about the new character, Hope - she strikes me as a generic cute, feisty-in-the-face-of-tragedy kid. J.H. Williams's art is gorgeous though.


Wolverine and Deadpool #2 (Marvel/Panini)

First British bumper re-release of the month's reviews. The "Savage Wolverine" storyline is already getting a bit dull. Giant gorillas? Cliches can be fun and all, but come on. I find Amadeus Cho a very dull character, I could take Shanna a lot more seriously if I couldn't see where her thighs meet her crotch, and the witchdoctor character is pretty racist. Also, the Hulk is in it for some reason. The Deadpool dead presidents story is much better, finishing up with a bold, sick, over-the-top battle with a guest spot by an extremely camp Dr. Strange. Altogether, needs less Wolverine and more Deadpool.

Batman Arkham #9 (DC/Titan)

And this is the other one. I want to get back into Batman, but DC are currently publishing a hundred and thirty-two different Bats-related titles, so the UK bumper comics are by far the best way to get back up to date. This collects Arkham Unhinged #10, Batwoman #17 and new Detective Comics #17. The former is a fun weird-ass villains get-together that brings Deadshot into the mix, while the latter is the final part of a very stylish fantasy adventure for a strong female team headed by Batwoman and Wonder Woman against the villainous Medusa. It's J.H Williams again, writing as well as painting this time, and it feels more like Sandman than the new Sandman does. The middle strip is the first part of an intriguing mind-fuck story called "Gothtopia," and it's sufficiently interesting to make me want to buy issue ten.

Amazing Spider-Man #5 (Marvel)

Apparently this is part of the Original Sin crossover event, but as I have read none of that, I have no clue how it ties in. I like where their going with this, with the new Spider-powered hero Silk providing an equivalent to Spider-Man with stronger powers and a more interesting backstory. Inevitably, this will all tie in to the upcoming "Spider-Verse" crossover which is already warming up, but the Black Cat vendetta storyline is pretty great. It's a shame it ends with a very tired cliffhanger, which we've all seen before.

Inhuman #3 (Marvel)

Still looks great, still enjoyable enough, but it's nothing special. Inhumans are basically just X-Men with a different power origin, and you can't blame Marvel for wanting to push them. If they can generate enough interest for a movie version they'll have their own equivalent to Fox's X-Men franchise. Dante is enough of a dick to be just about likeable, even if he picks the codename Inferno. (Seriously?) Sounds like more interesting developments might be on the way though.

Rocket Raccoon #2 (Marvel)

Chaotic, silly nonsense, but great fun. Umming over whether to continue this or switch to the Guardians of the Galaxy series (there's Star-Lord now too, and Captain Marvel and Iron Man all tie in). It's a comedy title, and it made me laugh, so it's done it's job. If anything, it reminds me most of Earthworm Jim. Seriously, look at that cover and tell me you can't hear the "Andy Asteroids" music. Whoah Nellie!

Comicbook movie stuff

The comicbook movie news just keeps coming. Between them, Disney/Marvel, Sony, 20^th Century Fox and Warner Bros/DC have flooded the market with superhero movies, each setting up one or more franchises and with plans to continue doing so. While we're already in serious danger of exhausting the desire for comicbook movies, there's plenty to get excited about. There's also plenty to make us sigh and shake our heads.


X-Men: Days of Future Past goes on release today, continuing Fox's premiere superhero franchise onto its fourteenth year. The series has proven itself to be surprisingly resistant to rebooting, primarily by adopting a soft-continuity approach that makes a top-down reboot unnecessary. Hugh Jackman continues to be the core actor in a star-studded cast, with at least one more solo vehicle planned. As well as that, we have X-Men: Apocalypse, and plans for X-Force and Deadpool movies.


With a huge array of both heroic and villainous characters, the X-Men franchise can feasibly run for years more, especially with the recasting of their core characters. At some point, they're going to have to bite the bullet and recast Wolverine, though. There's also the likelihood that Channing Tatum, recently cast as Gambit for Apocalypse, will get to headline his own movie.


Next year will also see the release of The Fantastic Four, rebooting the fun but flawed franchise from a few years back with a supposedly 'grittier' version. There have been contradictory comments concerning whether this film and its sequel will be part of the X-Men movie universe. We do know that Toby Kebbell is set to play Dr. Doom and that Tim Blake Nelson will appear as Harvey Elder, setting him up to be the Mole Man for the sequel. That could be a lot of fun, and make up for our never getting to see him as the Leader in the Marvel movies.


Back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, things are rumbling along nicely. The second trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy has been released, and I cannot stress just how much I am looking forward to that film. Both trailers suggest that this is going to be a joyfully fun movie, exactly the thing we need when so many superhero properties are obsessed with being gritty and serious, or god help us, 'dark.' After that, Phase Two will come to a close with Avengers: Age of Ultron, for which we will have to wait till next year. Hopefully, it won't be too busy with all six Avengers from last time, Nick Fury and Agent Hill, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, the Vision, Ultron and von Strucker all in there. Plus, presumably, a hint of Thanos.



Phase Three is already looking good, with Ant-Man set to star Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym. UPDATE: Edgar Wright is no longer directing Ant-Man, which is a massive disappointment and frankly removes the key selling point of the film. A third Captain America film has been confirmed, with a third Thor movie, based on the Ragnarok storyline all but guaranteed (which means Surtur as a baddie, so I'm owed a tenner). Kevin Feige has confirmed that a Doctor Strange movie will be happening, and even mentioned the possibility of an Inhumans movie. A Runaways script has reportedly been in development for some time but has been shelved for the time being, but we might see that in Phase Three. As for other properties, Hollywood Reporter claimed that both Ms. Marvel and Blade were getting movies in the near future, but there has been no definitive statement on either of them.


With Marvel's Agents of SHIELD now over in the US (we're two weeks behind here in the UK), Marvel have confirmed that season two is a go, along with an eight-part series for Agent Carter. This is good for many reasons. SHIELD really picked up once The Winter Soldier was released, so hopefully the new, improved version can continue to do good things into season two. They're not afraid of using lesser elements of the Marvel mythos either, with Lorelei, Graviton, Blackout and Blizzard all making some kind of appearance. Even Man-Thing got a mention (after his missus appeared in Iron Man 3). Agent Carter could be something really special, and I feel that a shorter series is the way to go. Something more self-contained, showcasing Hayley Atwell.


There's also the animated movie Big Hero 6 to look forward to. I'll admit that I know bugger all about the Japanese superhero team, but the just-released trailer looks like it could be a fun movie. Presumably, this is not part of the MCU, although I wouldn't rule out a cheeky reference here or a character cameo. What's odd is that, being a feature-length animation, it will be listed in Disney's Classics range, along with things like Frozen and The Little Mermaid.




After months of wondering if the Man of Steel follow-up will be called 'Batman vs Superman' or 'Superman vs Batman,' it has been revealed the actual title is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Which is fairly awful, in a clunky kind of way, but at least makes it even more abundantly clear that this is just WB's attempt to create a Marvel-styled Justice League franchise. The difference being that Marvel spent some time thoughtfully creating a franchise, with the major characters each getting their own movie to establish themselves with the audience. Seeding between the films was minimal at first, developing more as time went on. Not everything worked – The Incredible Hulk failed to garner enough praise to get the sequel it was clearly setting up – but what's most impressive is how much Marvel did, and how quickly, without coming across as heavy-handed. Unlike WB/DC, which is looking increasingly desperate. At least the logo looks pretty decent. Nonetheless, the creative team's contempt for their core audience is making me less and less interested in this overstuffed movie.


On television, on the other hand, DC seem to have nailed it. I have people shouting at me to hurry up and watch Arrow, which has just finished its second season. I'll get to it, but I'm still catching up on stuff from the seventies. The trailer for The Flash is very promising – just the right level of silly fun. 'Run, Barry, run!' The Constantine series trailer looks less promising, however, coming across as a very generic supernatural telefantasy. Time will tell, of course. I wonder if the Vertigo properties are entirely right for the screen treatment. Guillermo del Toro is still slated to be make a Justice League Dark movie, which could work – if anyone can pull it off, it's him – but I'm really not sure what to make of the news that Joseph Gordon Levitt is producing a Sandman movie. Oh, and David Goyer is co-writing it, which again, not so keen on. Sandman is one of my most adored comic series, and I really, really don't want to see it fucked up.



The most exciting news of all, of course, is that DC Thompson has signed a deal with Elstree Studios to finally produce a big budget Bananaman movie for release next year. No answers yet for the big questions. Who will play Bananaman? Will his alter ego be Eric Wimp or Eric Plinge? Will he fight General Blight, or the nefarious Appleman? This all remains to be seen.

Dreams, Doorways, Daleks

Some cool things to view or listen to:

First, today sees the release of episode two of Power of the Daleks, the fan-made re-imagining of the classic Doctor Who story, starring Nick Scovell as the Doctor and Nick Briggs as the Daleks. You cna watch episode two here. Of course, episode one is still available too, and you can read my review of that on this very blog. Part two is great, and I can't wait for the conclusion.

Also up today is the re-released prologue to the magnificent The Minister of Chance, entitled 'The Pointed Hand.' This is a professionally made audio series available for free. 'The Pointed Hand' stars Paul McGann and can be heard on YouTube or downloaded directly from the site. You can also listen to episodes one and two, free of charge, and in one week's time, the third installment, 'Paludin Fields' will be released. The Minister of Chance stars such names as Julian Wadham, Jenny Agutter, Lauren Crace, Tamsin Grieg and a host of others.

And, and, and, truly exciting news: Neil Gaiman has revealed that he is writing a prequel The Sandman, his truly epic, utterly beautiful graphic novel series. You can watch his ComicCon announcement here. I'm very excited about this. Prequels are ten-a-penny these days, and if anyone else were writing this, I'd be very dubious. However, this is Gaiman himself, stepping back to write a lost chapter of the Sandman story. I can't wait.

So, November 2013: the 25th anniversary of The Sandman and the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who: surely it's time for that crossover, Mr G?