Audible Announces Cast for Audio Production of Neil Gaiman's THE SANDMAN

Neil Gaiman will show you terror in a handful of dust...again.

Audible has announced the full cast for the upcoming audio production of Neil Gaiman's seminal DC Comics/VERTIGO series The Sandman.  Adapted and directed by Dirk Maggs, the production will cover the first three Sandman graphic novels, Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll's House, and Dream Country.

With Gaiman serving as The Narrator, the production stars James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class, Split, His Dark Materials) as Morpheus/Dream, Kat Dennings (Thor, 2 Broke Girls) as Death, Michael Sheen (Good Omens, Tron: Legacy) as Lucifer Morningstar, Taron Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Rocketman) as John Constantine, Riz Ahmed (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Venom) as The Corinthian, Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Black Panther) as Matthew the Raven, and more.  Here's the full list of performers (click to enlarge):

And look, there's even a handy press release...

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times Magazine as “the greatest epic in the history of comic books”, The Sandman changed the game with its dark, literary world of fantasy and horror - creating a global, cultural phenomenon in the process. At long last, Audible and DC present the first-ever audio production of the New York Times best-selling series written by acclaimed storyteller Neil Gaiman (who also serves as co-executive producer). Adapted and directed by multi-award-winner (and frequent Gaiman collaborator) Dirk Maggs, and performed by an ensemble cast with James McAvoy (It, Parts one and two, X-Men: First Class, Split) in the title role, this first installment of a multi-part original audio series will transport you to a world that re-writes the rules of audio entertainment the way that The Sandman originally re-defined the graphic novel.

When The Sandman, also known as Lord Morpheus - the immortal king of dreams, stories and the imagination - is pulled from his realm and imprisoned on Earth by a nefarious cult, he languishes for decades before finally escaping. Once free, he must retrieve the three “tools” that will restore his power and help him to rebuild his dominion, which has deteriorated in his absence. As the multi-threaded story unspools, The Sandman descends into Hell to confront Lucifer (Michael Sheen), chases rogue nightmares who have escaped his realm, and crosses paths with an array of characters from DC comic books, ancient myths, and real-world history, including: Inmates of Gotham City's Arkham Asylum, Doctor Destiny, the muse Calliope, the three Fates, William Shakespeare (Arthur Darvill), and many more.

A powerhouse supporting cast helps translate this masterwork into a sonic experience worthy of its legacy, including Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, and more. Setting the stage for their performance is an unprecedented cinematic soundscape featuring an original musical score by British Academy Award winner James Hannigan. Fans will especially revel in a new twist for the audio adaptation: Neil Gaiman himself serves as the narrator. Follow him as he leads listeners along a twisting path of myths, imagination and, often, terror. Even in your wildest dreams, you’ve never heard anything like this.

The Sandman audio production is expected to be released on July 15, 2020.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK Gets Series Order from HBO Max

And now it's Dark.

Deadline is reporting that the upcoming HBO Max streaming service has given a series order for Justice League Dark, a new drama series based on the DC Comics supernatural superteam.

The series will be from J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath's Bad Robot Productions, one of three new projects under the big film deal that Abrams signed with WarnerMedia last fall.  The other two are Overlook, which is inspired by Stephen King's The Shining, and Duster, a series conceived by Abrams set in the 1970's Southwest.

"What an amazing start to our association with the wildly imaginative Bad Robot team under J.J. and Katie," said Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer, HBO Max and President, TNT, TBS, & truTV.  "What could be better than an original J.J. idea and then Warner Bros. letting them loose on iconic I.P. from Stephen King and the DC Universe and to provide more must-have programming on HBO Max."

Created in 2011 by Peter Milligan and Mike Janin, Justice League Dark first appeared in Justice League Dark #1 as a team of supernatural characters in the DC Universe who handle situations deemed unfit for the traditional Justice League.

The current roster of the team includes Wonder Woman, John Constantine, Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Detective Chimp, and Man-Bat.  Other previous members included Deadman, Black Orchid, Andrew Bennett, Amethyst, Doctor Mist, Frankenstein, Madame Xanadu, Mindwarp, Nightmare Nurse, Pandora, the Phantom Stranger, Shade the Changing Man, Timothy Hunter, and Zauriel.

The team has been featured in two animated projects, the 2017 DC Animated Movie Universe film Justice League Dark, and the upcoming 2020 film Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.  Both films starred Matt Ryan as John Constantine, Camilla Luddington as Zatanna, Roger Cross as Swamp Thing, Nicholas Turturro as Deadman, Ray Chase as The Demon, and Colleen Villard as Black Orchid.

A live-action film adaptation of Justice League Dark was in development at Warner Bros. as recently as 2017, but directors Guillermo del Toro and Doug Liman, who had been previously attached to the film at separate times, both left the project.

THE FANDOM ZONE 172: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Parts 1, 2 & 3" Is Up!

"Keep riding the lightning, son.  I know you'll make us all proud."
-- The Flash (Earth-90) to The Flash (Earth-1), The Flash: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Three"

Hello again, everyone!  My co-host Jesse Jackson and I are back with a very special episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, we're joined by DJ Nik from The Whiskey & Cigarettes Show to discuss the first three parts of "Crisis on Infinite Earths", the sixth annual Arrowverse crossover event, based on the classic 1985-86 DC Comics maxi-series and featured in episodes of Supergirl, Batwoman and The Flash!

In this episode, Jesse, Nik and I talk about things like DJ Nik making his debut on The Fandom Zone Podcast, rereading the original Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Crisis being adapted for television on The CW, former original TitanTalk member and Supergirl writer Jay Faerber, all the great cameos from previous DC Comics movies and TV shows, the destruction of Argo City and Earth-38 Superman and Lois sending their son Jonathan to Earth in an escape pod, Oliver passing on the Green Arrow mantle to his daughter Mia and his death scene, Kevin Conroy's amazing Batman voice, Brandon Routh reprising Superman, Kevin Conroy playing an older Batman who murdered criminals and Superman, Supergirl and Batwoman as the new Flash and Green Arrow, Heat Wave babysitting Jonathan, Tom Welling and Erica Durance reprising Smallville's Clark Kent and Lois Lane, John Constantine meeting Lucifer Morningstar, Oliver becoming the new Spectre, Black Lightning stepping up after learning his entire family has been destroyed, antimatter cannons being very bad for Flashes, John Wesley Shipp getting a heroic ending as the Flash from Earth-90, the Danny Elfman theme from The Flash, our favorite quotes of all three episodes, listener David K. Proctor being turned on to Watchmen, and more!

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Be sure to come back in a few days, as Jesse and I review "A God Walks into a Bar", the eighth episode of HBO's Watchmen, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Sting Channels Constantine for HELLBLAZER 30th Anniversary Announcement

Sting is sending out an S.O.S. to all of John Constantine's fans.

DC Comics/VERTIGO has posted a short video from one Gordon Sumner, better known as the legendary musician Sting, announcing that he's written the foreword to the upcoming John Constantine, Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration commemorative collection.  The foreward will feature Sting's "take on the perspective of the Golden Boy, Constantine’s alternate-universe twin, touching on his relationship with the occult detective over the years."

According to the statement from DC, Sting recorded the video while preparing for his upcoming 44/876 tour with Shaggy.  The musician’s inclusion in the Hellblazer Celebration hardcover is a nod to Sting inspiring John Constantine's look.  The character first appeared in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 in 1985 and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben.  Based physically on Sting, Constantine proved popular enough in 1988 to be spun off into his own VERTIGO series Hellblazer, which ran for an impressive 300 issues.  The replacement series Constantine immediately followed, after Constantine was brought back to the relaunched DC Universe as part of "The New 52" to lead the supernatural team Justice League Dark.  In DC's "Rebirth" era, Constantine currently appears in his latest monthly series, The Hellblazer, which will end with its twenty-fourth issue.

In the 23-second video (which you can view HERE), Sting dons Constantine's signature trenchcoat and makes the following announcement:  "Hi, my name is Sting.  I'm here to celebrate the John Constantine, Hellblazer 30th anniversary.  John and I have a long history, so I've written a forward to the edition, which goes into more detail about our relationship.  And so, I wish him well -- He's done very well for himself."

The commemorative collection will explore the complete history of the series with four one-page essays written by author Rich Handley.  It will also include a comprehensive timeline of Constantine’s life and three one-page stories featured in Hellblazer issues #1, 2 and 4. Memorable stories from writers Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Paul Jenkins, Brian Azzarello, and others reflect the best of the long-lasting series, including Constantine's first appearance in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 and Hellblazer issues #11, 27, 41, 63, 120, 146, 229 and 240.

The John Constantine, Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration commemorative collection will be available for purchased on October 30, 2018.

THE FANDOM ZONE 133: "Krypton" is Up!

"I come from a planet called Earth, a time centuries from now, and I've come here to warn you -- Someone from the future is coming to destroy Krypton."
"Okay, right...Why?  Why would they do that?"
"Because where I'm from, your grandson becomes the greatest hero in the universe -- like, ever -- unless somebody changes things to make sure that he's never born."
"You all right?"
"I'm running out of time.  Take this.  You have to find the Fortress.  You have to save Superman."
-- Adam Strange and Seg-El, Krypton: "Pilot" 

With Karen still unavailable this week, I'm joined by Phil Perich from the Capes and Lunatics Podcast for the 3rd Anniversary episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Legends of Tomorrow 3x15: "Necromancing the Stone"

Black Lightning 1x09: "The Book of Little Black Lies"

Krypton 1x01: "Pilot"  (Series Premiere)

Gotham 4x15: "The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause"

In this episode, Phil and I talk about things like Karen still being unavailable, Matt Ryan's John Constantine becoming a regular cast member of Legends of Tomorrow Season 4, Constantine making a Doctor Who reference, a great Easter egg nod to the NBC Constantine series, Caity Lotz back in her Black Canary costume, more on Kid Flash assimilating to the Legends, wondering who will eventually end up as Black Canary, the CW Seed Constantine animated series, the contrast of Jennifer freaking out about having superpowers while Annisa embraces being a superhero, the Pierce family liking and getting along with one another more than the Queen family, Vixen and Supergirl existing on Black Lightning's Earth, wanting to see Metamorpho and the Outsiders, trying to round up Jesse Jackson, Adam Strange serving as a replacement Rip Hunter or Booster Gold, Daron-Vex and The Voice of Rao creating a theocracy on Krypton, that awkward moment when your military commander mother stabs you through the hand with a knife, Krypton having extreme climate change, the ticking clock of Superman's Back to the Future cape, Phil's theory of Seg-El and Lyta-Zod becoming the Kryptonian Nightwing and Flamebird, looking forward to finally getting a proper Brainiac, the neverending cycle of Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock butting heads and making up, the Penguin and the Riddler making up, Gordon's superpower being able to survive multiple gunshot wounds, that awkward moment when the Riddler goes to recruit Solomon Grundy only to find that Butch's personality has returned, some new feedback from Justina, John Byrne's limited series The World of Krypton, the movie adaptation of Ready Player One, and more!

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And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back next week as a special guest host and I review new episodes of Fox's Lucifer, Syfy's Krypton, and The CW's Black Lightning and Arrow, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW Conjures Matt Ryan's Constantine as Season 4 Regular

Well, it's not Constantine Season 2, but it's close.

Deadline has revealed that The CW series Legends of Tomorrow is making Matt Ryan's occult detective character John Constantine a full regular for the show's upcoming fourth season.  

According to the article, Ryan’s promotion from a recurring role to series regular is contingent on the show's Season 4 renewal. The article states The CW hasn't yet made renewals for next season but Legends and the rest of the network’s DC Comics series are fully expected to come back.

Ryan, 36, began appearing as John Constantine in the short-lived (but fondly remembered) NBC series Constantine, which ran for 13 episodes from 2014 to 2015 before being cancelled.  After appearing in the Arrow episode "Haunted" later in 2015, he returned to voice the character for the 2017 DC Comics animated movie Justice League Dark.  He then reprised Constantine in the Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 episodes "Beebo the God of War", "Daddy Darhkest" and "Necromancing the Stone", and voiced the character for a Constantine animated web series for CW Seed.

The character of John Constantine first appeared in The Saga of the Swamp Thing #37 in 1985 and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben.  Based physically on the musician Sting, Constantine proved popular enough in 1988 to be spun off into his own VERTIGO series Hellblazer, which ran for an impressive 300 issues until earlier this year.  The replacement series Constantine immediately followed, after Constantine was brought back to the relaunched DC Universe as part of "The New 52" to lead the supernatural team Justice League Dark.  In DC's "Rebirth" era, Constantine currently appears in his latest monthly series, The Hellblazer, which just reached its twentieth issue.

THE FANDOM ZONE 130: "Daddy Darhkest" is Up!

"That was Rip.  This is John Constantine."
"Skinny Brit in a trench coat.  Same thing."
"Oh, doubtful, mate.  You see, I am an accomplished warlock, an expert of the occult, and a master of exorcism.  I'm also a Taurus for those of you taking notes."
-- Sara Lance, Mick Rory & John Constantine, Legends of Tomorrow: "Daddy Darhkest" 

Back in The Fandom Zone once again, Karen and I have returned with another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Legends of Tomorrow 3x10: "Daddy Darhkest"  (Midseason Premiere)

Black Lightning 1x05: "And Then the Devil Brought the Plague: The Book of Green Light"

In this episode, Karen and I talk about things like more technical difficulties with Karen's sound card, my Constantine action figure's flaming cupcakes, wanting a Legends of Tomorrow soundtrack with songs used in the episodes, the Michael Keaton movie Mr. Mom, the return of Matt Ryan as John Constantine, Constantine flirting with Citizen Cold, why Heat Wave isn't homophobic, Mallus trolling Constantine about Astra, Amaya getting knowledge of the future from Kuasa, the Star Wars parody Thumb Wars, Sara reminding everyone she's bisexual and not a lesbian by shagging Constantine, Ava Sharpe doing her best Princess Leia hologram, Team Fandom Zone, Frozone looking for his super-suit, the famous Casey Kasem rant, Annisa shopping for her first Thunder costume, Tobias Whale and his sister confronting their abusive power, Jennifer breaking the wrist of a bully, Black Lightning being closer to the Marvel Netflix shows than the other CW superhero shows, some new Justina feedback, wanting our editor Rob to bring my TitanTalk podcast out of the darkness, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

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And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in two weeks as Karen and I review the Season 4 premiere of The CW's iZombie, the midseason premieres of AMC's The Walking Dead, Fox's Gotham and ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the sixth episode of The CW's Black Lightning, and new episodes of Fox's Lucifer and The CW's Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, and Arrow, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

Matt Ryan Confirmed to Reprise Constantine on LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

You didn't think a new animated web series was enough for everyone's favorite exorcist, demonologist, and master petty dabbler of the dark arts, did you?

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed rumors that Matt Ryan will reprise his role of DC Comics/VERTIGO character John Constantine once again, this time in a two-episode arc on the CW series Legends of Tomorrow.

According to the article, Constantine will appear in Episodes 9 and 10 of Legends of Tomorrow Season 3, which will take place chronologically after his previous appearance on Arrow in the Season 4 episode "Haunted".

Ryan, 36, began appearing as John Constantine in the short-lived (but fondly remembered) NBC series Constantine, which ran for 13 episodes from 2014 to 2015 before being cancelled.  After appearing on Arrow later in 2015, he returned to voice the character for the 2017 DC Comics animated movie Justice League Dark.  In addition, Ryan will voice the character for a Constantine animated web series for CW Seed, which is slated for release sometime in 2018.

"Having Matt Ryan reprise his iconic — dare we say legendary — role of John Constantine on Legends is something that [executive producer] Marc [Guggenheim] and I have been working toward since season one, and now the stars have finally aligned," said executive producer Phil Klemmer.  "While we are working to finish our 2017 Arrowverse crossover, which is no joke the most ambitious bit of network TV that four shows have ever had the audacity and insanity to endeavor, we were looking for a way to make an equally exciting 2018 return.  That's how we came up with Matt Ryan."

"As for the character of Constantine," added Klemmer, "we knew that an alienated, chain-smoking, bisexual, world-weary demonologist would feel right at home among our Legends.  His appearance in episode 310 will involve the following: a revisiting of Arrow season four and the events following that season's finale episode; a confrontation with this season's Big Bad on Legends — the name we've only heard whispered until now, Mallus; some hot sex — something that has been in short supply on the Waverider thus far in season three; and Damien Darhk [Neil McDonough], because how can you do an episode about dark magic and not have Damien Darhk?  More than anything, the episode promises to be scary as you know what.  Tonally, it's The Exorcist meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  Demonic possession in a mental institution — what's not to love?"

Legends of Tomorrow Season 3 premieres tonight on The CW at 9 p.m. EST.

CONSTANTINE Animated Web Series Conjures First Look at NYCC 2017

As John Constantine once said to Green Arrow...On with the show.

At New York Comic Con 2017, Warner Bros. TV released the first look at CW Seed's upcoming Constantine animated web series, based on the DC Comics character John Constantine and voiced once again by Constantine TV series actor Matt Ryan.

Armed with an arcane knowledge of the dark arts and a wicked wit, John Constantine fights the good fight.  With his soul already damned to hell, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect the innocent.  With the balance of good and evil on the line‎, Constantine uses his skills to face the supernatural terrors that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows…maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.

The CW Seed series is executive produced by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Constantine live-action series, Krypton), Greg Berlanti (The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl) and Sarah Schechter (Blindspot, Riverdale, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow).  The series is produced by Butch Lukic (Justice League Action, Batman Unlimited), written by J.M. DeMatteis (Justice League Dark, Batman vs. Robin) and directed by Doug Murphy (Justice League Action, Young Justice).

The three-minute first look opens with John's long-suffering mate Chas Chandler driving Constantine to a church and looking deeply concerned.

"Unconsecrated," reassures Constantine, referencing the demon blood coursing through his veins.  "Otherwise, I'd have a hard time setting foot in there.  And so would they."

Constantine lights up a smoke, something he was rarely allowed to do on the live-action series and senses something amiss.  "Oh, what's that bloody smell?" he asks.  "Smells like shit."

"Is this the thing that invited us?" asks a demon as a second two-headed demon steps into view.

"Yep, that'll be me," replies Constantine, looking distinctly unimpressed.

"Can it make good on its promise?" asks the two-headed demon.

Constantine drops his cigarette on the floor and rubs it out with his shoe.  "Oh, that.  That was a lie."

The group of five demons threatens Constantine, until an ancient-looking demon bursts through the church doors and thanks Constantine for the promised feast.

The ancient demon starts massacring the group of five demons, while Constantine merely watches and stays out of the bloody fray.  The ancient demon ends up pulverized, however, and one of the surviving five demons stops Constantine just he attempts to leave...

If you'd like to check out the first look, you can view it below thanks to the official Warner Bros. TV account on YouTube...



Constantine is expected to be released on CW Seed sometime in 2018.

Wizard World Columbus 2017: Day One Photos

The first day of Wizard World Columbus 2017 inside the Greater Columbus Convention Center was pretty subdued.  Even though most people seem to be attending only on Saturday, there was a decent-sized crowd for what was essentially half a day at another typically overpriced Wizard World convention.  There were only a few celebrities around -- Barry Bostwick and Lou Ferrigno to name a couple -- so I spent most of the afternoon taking advantage of the smaller crowd to plug holes in my comic book collection.

As always, I managed to get some photos from inside the convention...Hope you enjoy them!

Caliban from the movie Logan

John Constantine flashes his business card (for reals).  He really should change it from Master of the Dark Arts to Petty Dabbler 'cause he hates to put on airs.

Great Scott!  It's Barry Bostwick from The Rocky Horror Picture Show!

W is for Wonder Woman and Wild Dog

It's bad enough that John Wick's dog was killed, but stuffing it into his suit pocket?

If you'd like to see more pics from Wizard World Columbus, I've set up an album on my Facebook page HERE.  On to Day Two!

DC Rebirth: One Year Later

It's been one year since DC Comics relaunched their fictional universe with all-new number one issues in what they called "DC Rebirth."  After looking at the Top 300 Comics sales list for May 2017, I thought it might be interesting to see how well the latest DC Universe relaunch is performing in the long term.

As expected, the big winner of the DC Rebirth relaunch is Batman.  As one of DC's biweekly titles, Batman had the unenviable task of following an incredible run by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo during The New 52 era, but writer Tom King and rotating artists David Finch and Mikel Janin have more than proven themselves.  Issues #22 and #23 charted at #3 and #7 respectively in the Top 300, although #22 was part of "The Button" crossover storyline with The Flash that featured an lenticular cover.  

And speaking of The Flash, that series is definitely the surprise winner of DC Rebirth. Issues #22 and #23 chart at #4 and #23 respectively, with The Flash #22 featuring "The Button" crossover with Batman and a lenticular cover.  The creative team of Joshua Williamson and Carmine Di Giandomenico have been positively killing it, a welcome improvement from The New 52, where the title languished around the Top 50 mark.

All-Star Batman, from Scott Snyder and various artists, has also been strong and charts at #15, an impressive feat considering the book costs $4.99 a month.  Unfortunately, the title is ending with issue #14 this September, presumably because Snyder is moving on to New Challengers later this year, which means DC will lose one of its strongest sellers.

Detective Comics also does well, proving fans can't get enough of Batman books as long as they're done decently.  Issues #956 and #957 come in at #19 and #20 on the Top 300, showing that the idea to feature Batman and a team of Batman-related heroes was a good one.  It's a shame though, that Batwoman does well as a team member here but her solo series only comes in at #81.

After the main Batman titles, Justice League turns up in the #21 and #22 position, apparently showing a little fatigue after spending most of Rebirth's first year around the Top 10 spot. Writer Bryan Hitch has received considerable criticism online from fans tired of the rather dull and lifeless storylines without recognizable villains, so perhaps some of them are finally giving up on the series.  #21 and #22 is still nothing to sneeze at though, so I wouldn't expect a creative change any time soon.

Thankfully, Superman is close behind, with issues #22 and #23 charting at #25 and #28 on the Top 300.  Writer Peter Tomasi and artist Patrick Gleason continue performing as a solid creative team after their terrific work on Batman and Robin as part of The New 52.  DC Rebirth has been wonderful to Superman fans, restoring the Pre-Flashpoint Superman with Lois as his wife and the addition of Jon Kent, a.k.a. Superboy.  Who knew that making Superman a cool dad was exactly what the character needed?

Another big surprise is Titans, which charts at #31 for issue #11.  Dan Abnett seems to be the first writer since Geoff Johns to really "get" the Titans, as he successfully balances the superteam heroics with the awareness that the team's close friendship with one another feels like family.  The art by Brett Booth could be better, especially with his rather cartoonish facial depictions, but as with Justice League, DC isn't about to mess with the creative team as long as the sales hold up.

As for the rest, there are only a few standouts of note.  Wonder Woman got a creative boost from Greg Rucka and Liam Sharp, but the creators' final issue arrived this week and replacement writer James Robinson won't arrive for another six issues.  Dan Jurgens has been telling solid Superman stories once again in Action Comics, while Dan Abnett has been doing some serious worldbuilding in Aquaman although sales haven't been kind. Hopefully, that will change with the stunning work from new artist Stjepan Šejić.

For anyone wondering, here are the DC Rebirth titles I started off with one year ago:

Action Comics                                                Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps
All-Star Batman                                              Harley Quinn
Aquaman                                                        Hellblazer
Batgirl                                                             Justice League
Batgirl and the Birds of Prey                           Nightwing                          
Batman                                                           Suicide Squad
Cyborg                                                            Supergirl
Deathstroke                                                    Superman
Detective Comics                                            Superwoman
The Flash                                                        Teen Titans
Green Arrow                                                    Titans
Green Lanterns                                               Wonder Woman

And now, here are the DC Rebirth titles I'm currently getting, with new additions in bolded italics:

Action Comics                                                 Hellblazer
All-Star Batman                                              Justice League
Aquaman                                                        Justice League of America
Batman                                                           Nightwing
Batwoman                                                     Suicide Squad                     
Batman                                                           Supergirl
Cyborg                                                            Superman
Deathstroke                                                    Teen Titans
Detective Comics                                            Titans
The Flash                                                        Wonder Woman                                                

An overall net loss of four books, but pretty much consistent.  The most noticeable losses here are both Green Lantern titles, which continue being unable to meet the high bar set by Geoff Johns before Flashpoint, and both Batgirl titles, which aren't as strong as Gail Simone's or even Cameron Stewart and Brent Fletcher's runs in The New 52.  Harley Quinn is exactly the same book I ended up dropping during The New 52 and the lower sales are beginning to reflect that I'm not the only one who wants a change.  

The good news about DC Rebirth is that one year later, none of the original books have been cancelled.  (Okay, All-Star Batman is ending, but that seems more of a creative decision rather than sales.)  However, the bad news is that a number of titles emphasizing diversity have failed to catch on and probably won't make it to 2018, such as Cyborg, Blue Beetle, New Super-Man, and Superwoman.  Also, DC still hasn't figured out that the only Hellblazer we want to read involves top-notch British creators telling stories of true horror that aren't watered down with "swearing" using skull symbols.  It seems odd though, that DC doesn't have anything lined up to replace these books yet, unless you count their upcoming Dark Matter line with the aforementioned New Challengers and Jim Lee's The Immortal Men.

Oh, and I should mention that the main reason DC Rebirth is performing so well is probably due to the superb initial offering of DC Universe: Rebirth #1, followed by more of DC recapturing what their readers enjoyed prior to The New 52.  Unlike Marvel, which remains clueless about what its core readership actually wants, DC learned from the mistakes of The New 52 and addressed those mistakes with an engaging mystery woven throughout the Rebirth era.  Even better, there's still more to come, with Geoff Johns wrapping up that mystery in Doomsday Clock, Snyder and Capullo returning for the Metal event, and teasing hints that the Justice Society of America and the Legion of Super-Heroes will finally be back in play relatively soon.

Once again, it's a great time to be a DC Comics fan.  On to Year Two!

THE FANDOM ZONE 100: "Justice League Dark" is Up!

"I expect the worst, so I prepare for the worst, and when the worst happens, I'm ready.  But my outlook doesn't alter the reality of the world." 

– John Constantine, Justice League Dark

One hundred episodes of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  Sweet Christmas...

In this special 100th episode, Karen Lindsay and I are joined by special guest host with the most Jesse Jackson, as we take time out from our regular comics on TV reviews to review the 2016 DC Comics animated film Justice League Dark!

The three of us discuss things like a special appearance by Jesse's dogs, the mercy killing of the TV show Castle, celebrating 100 episodes of The Fandom Zone, the series we most enjoyed discussing during our run, the series that were more of a struggle to discuss, the series that surprised us the most, wanting an iZombie cookbook, what's coming up in the next 100 episodes, our special Dorbz giveaway announcement, the return of Matt Ryan as John Constantine, Constantine and Zatanna's past relationship, building the Justice League Dark brand, seeing Doctor Manhattan's little manhattan in the Watchmen movie, Jesse's love of Zatanna, the return of Jeremy Davies as Constantine's friend Ritchie Simpson, Karen's love of Swamp Thing, wanting to see a Sandman animated movie, shoutouts to our regular listeners, and more!

You can now check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

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The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Libsyn, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back soon for Episode 101 as we review Episode 6 of Netflix's Iron Fist, along with new episodes of The CW's iZombie and ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!