Author: Tyler Johnson

Marvel has been under intense scrutiny when it comes to the direction of their publishing recently. Over the last few years, the comics imprint has made a huge push towards universe-wide crossover events, a younger, more diverse generation of heroes taking center stage, and yearly relaunches in an effort be more accessible to new comic readers. Somewhere along the way, these strategies have proved hurtful to sales rather than beneficial and as a result, Marvel has been somewhat cancellation-trigger-happy. The latest victim of this is Black Panther and The Crew, being cancelled after only two issues. From Marvel’s solicitation: “Black Panther,…

In today’s comic book movie renaissance, the process of casting the movies stars usually follows a “hero first, villain second” model. For almost 10 years, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been tied to play the villainous Black Adam but with the release date of his debut in Shazam set for 2019, the titular hero has yet to be cast. Casting Shazam for the DCEU will be a twofold process as the role will have to be played by two actors, the teenage Billy Batson and the hero himself Shazam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCyoZ2kWD_Q&feature=youtu.be During an interview for his upcoming remake of Baywatch, Johnson…

The best super heroes require a few main components. A tragic back story, an iconic costume, an interesting set of abilities but arguably what’s most important to a hero is his villain. For Wolverine, that villain is undoubtedly Sabretooth. While the last film in Hugh Jackmans Wolverine saga Logan was critically well-received, Sabretooths absence was definitely felt. With the home release of Logan fast approaching, a recently discovered deleted scene doesn’t exactly fill the void but it does at least acknowledge his existence. “Bobby, one of the child mutants from Xander Rice’s facility, goes up to a sleeping Logan and…

Fans of the Dark Horse comic ‘Hellboy’ and its two film adaptations have been split with the recent announcement of the movies reboot. On one hand, after almost 10 years, a new Hellboy movie is (finally) on the way. On the other, fan-favorite director Guillermo del Toro and star Ron Perlman will not be returning. Among those displeased with the events is actor Jeffrey Tambor. Tambor starred as Tom Manning,  the Director of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense in both Hellboy films. With the announcement of the impending reboot, he took to Twitter to express his distaste, not…

May 2nd marked the 9th anniversary of the very first Iron Man film and with it, the birth of the bold plan to connect all Marvel Studios films in a interwoven series known now as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Buried deep in the films credits, we were given our first tease of the Avengers yet to come when Nick Fury offered Tony Stark a spot on the Avenger Initiative and Marvel fans rejoiced for their prayers had finally been answered. According to reports from Chronicle Live, Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) may reunite for Avengers: Infinity…

After a year of slow, methodic planning, Captain America has revealed his true colors to the world, carrying the flag of Hydra. After a majority of the world’s heroes being either trapped in the Dark Dimension in New York or stranded in space at the mercy of a Chitauri invasion, Hydra rose to power over the entire country following Captain America’s lead. Things have never looked more grim for the Marvel Universe. Spoilers for Secret Empire #1 follow. With this new issue, we’re introduced to the horrific reality of Cap’s new America. His new team of Avengers (Thor Odinson, Scarlet Witch,…

Since his creation almost 80 years ago, Superman has fought countless foes and even friends. Of the list that is certainly longer than my arm, Superman has come to blows with Lex Luthor, Batman, Muhammad Ali and most shockingly, the Ku Klux Klan. The story behind the making of how the radio drama in which the Man of Steel came to square off with the KKK has just been announced to be adapted to the big screen with a script from Katherine Lindberg. Based on the young adult novel, “Superman versus the Ku Klux Klan: The True Story of How…

Like many giants in the modern age, the greats come in divisive rivalries. iOS and Android. Playstation and Xbox. Comic books (and now their movie producing arms) are no exception. Marvel and DC have been in a competition of capes since before many of us were living. Now that rivalry has leapt off the page onto the screen. Marvel Studios has found great success building their own on-screen universe of characters over the last decade (can you believe it’s been that long?) and DC has been trying to keep up, with mostly lukewarm results. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.…

Over the past year, DC Comics has aimed to take their superheroes back to basics in an effort to give fans what they’ve been asking for, without sacrificing substance. Enter DC: Rebirth, not a reboot or even a relaunch but a a new path forward without forgetting where they came from. Recently we’ve seen (bare with me here) both the past and present continuity Superman merged to form a “true” Superman, allowing Clark to keep his family (wife Lois Lane and his son Jon), don a costume fans appreciate (bright colors, red boots, and no on-the-outside undies) and also iron…

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is certainly no shortage of smart-asses. Between Starlord, Dr. Strange and now the inclusion of everyone’s favorite quipster, Spider-Man, Marvel’s upcoming Infinity War is sure to have sarcasm in spades. Though the film will put Thanos, the Mad Titan, at the center stage of antagonism, these wise cracking heroes may face a bigger opposition in the literalist that is Drax the Destroyer. Drax actor Dave Bautista has one particular hero in his sights, none other than Iron Man, Tony Stark. In a recent interview, Bautista proposed his ideal team up for the character. “Oh,…