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05/09/16 @ 11:45 pm EST
A Writers’ Commentary: Ben Acker and Heath Corson talk Kings Quest #1, on sale now from Dynamite. Cover is by Marc Laming and Lara Margarida. Interiors by Dan McDaid and Omi Remalante. PAGE ONE:  BEN ACKER: Let me start by saying that I love this book. I love the story and I love the characters, but the thing I want to talk about here that I love above and beyond all that is I love collaboration. In this book, I get to work with three people with whom I’ve been dying to work for as long as I’ve known them. Page one, you got an artist named Bob Q, who at the time of this writing isn’t credited, but I hope he will be by the time you’re reading this. Bob Q has a unique style that is clean and cool and just dynamic. He’s doing flashbacks that set the scene along the way in this series and, in issue 3, you’ll see way more of him. I’ve always loved the personality of his art. I’m sure you’ll see more of him, but you’re on the ground floor with the great Bob Q, here!Dan McDaid is a genius. Every page, every panel, he knocks me out. We’ll get to him, as we’re talking about Page 1. But Dan is a guy I’ve known a little longer than Bob Q. I think we’ve come very close to working together a few times over the years, and when he was available and down to do this book, I couldn’t have been happer.Omi Remalante is not someone I’ve had to wait to work with. I’ve done a few books with Omi and he is consistently wonderful, as you’ll see. He kills it on colors and always has.Heath Corson has been a great friend of mine for years and years. We’ve never collaborated a lick and it was a little daunting, what with him being a powerhouse writer in his own right. Let me tell you that the process of collaborating with him was a joy. His sense of story and character and action and plotting – everything – he’s just great at the stuff of writing. I could go on and on. Heath is just as good at the stuff of collaboration. Egoless and inspiring. You don’t know how it’s going to be to do work with your friend, but you hope it’s just like this. And now I’ll let him tell about the book. Hit it Heath! HEATH CORSON: First of all, everything Ben just said and then some. We have had just a blast working together and the fact that ON TOP OF THAT we get to work with all these amazing artists, is just cream in our collective coffee. Now… To the book:Since the “Quest” aspect of King’s Quest is returning to space to get Dale Arden, who was left behind, we really needed to start out with a unique, grounded perspective on who Dale is and why she’s special. With that in mind, the most interesting POV was Jen’s. So we start with an intimate recollection between Jen and Dale. Which also serves to ease us into Jen’s VO that narrates this issue and throws us headfirst into the… PAGE TWO & THREE: DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD!  HEATH: Boom. Here’s our entire cast bracing for impact. I was particularly proud of Zarkov’s line here.BEN: When I read Zarkov’s line, I cheered. Good stuff, Heath!HEATH: Thanks buddy. Also, I love Phantom Jen’s design in the purple hoodie. Man, I want that hoodie. BEN: This is a good spread. You get all the characters and their POVs and relationships and roles in the group starting to come out. And this layout is all McDaid. PAGE FOUR: HEATH: Yeah, we hit the ground running… Or crashing as the case might be. But it let’s us dive right into playing with the character dynamics, which is my personal favorite part of writing ensemble stories like this. BEN: You nail it here, Heath. I love this dialogue, of which yours is the lion’s share. PAGE FIVE: HEATH: Here we see how great Flash’s reflexes are… And how itchy his zap gun trigger finger is. The man loves to vaporize space creatures. This monkey is no exception. BEN: I love that Lothar Phantom in panel 1. Make yourself at home, Phantom. This is the first time I noticed Zarkov’s flask. So good. And those monsters in the last panel. This commentary is just gonna be me chanting McDaid! McDaid! Over and over. Like I do in the emails I send him whenever I get new pages. I’d call, but he lives overseas. PAGE SIX & SEVEN: HEATH: Dan McDaid, folks. Drink that in. BEN: McDaid! McDaid! HEATH: I love these pages. These are the pages as a writer you hope you get back when you pass the storytelling off to your artist by saying stuff like: “A bunch of hideous monsters jump out here. Everyone freaks.” Plus, I LOVE Valiant’s expression here and how chuffed he is to chop things in half. BEN: I love Zarkov’s Jack Bennyish take on what’s going on. And how many trunks does that elephant monster have? McDaid! McDaid! Gubba gubba gubba gubba! PAGE EIGHT:  HEATH: How cowboy cool is Mandrake here? Throwing doves at monsters without breaking a sweat. And doing it in formal-wear. Mandrake might be my favorite to write. Lothar, on the other hand, takes no chances and just opens fire. Which is the other side of the badass coin. BEN: These colors are amazing! Remalante! Remalante! Remalante! HEATH: Yes, yes! Let’s tip our collective tops hats to Omi Remalante, our genius colorist. More of him coming in hot. PAGE NINE: BEN: There’s a thing in commentary tracks where the commenters are just relating the experience of watching the movie or reading the book, not because we’re taken with what we’ve created, but because creation like this is a collaboration and we’re so enjoying the work of our collaborators. It makes for solid work, but sometimes a commentary that just feels like narrating what you’re seeing. Sorry, not sorry. HEATH: Hahaha. It’s true. You realize that in comics we’re all fans as well as creators.Uh-oh. Shambling, scream-y mound has a secret, you guys. Wait for it… PAGE TEN: HEATH: Yup. It’s JUNGLE JIM! I found his dialogue really fun but deceptively challenging to write. I think Ben had to confer with actual Brits to get some of the phrasing correct. Right, Ben? BEN: Credit to Humphrey Ker, a decidedly English name for a decidedly English person giving me the Englishisms. Also credit to the “How British Am I?” sketch by the brilliant comedy group Superego. Once Humphrey pitched “dashed,” all I could think of was Superego’s Matt Gourley voicing Jungle Jim. And I love the “Ming’s forces” turn in here, so I hope it was Heath that wrote it, or else I’m just patting myself on the back. You know it’s a good collaboration when you’re not sure who wrote what.HEATH: I always assume if it is funny or clever, it was Ben. You should too. PAGE ELEVEN: HEATH: Ming’s forces, on the other hand, were really fun to write with their terrible corporate-slash-military-slash-Kafkaesque circular reasoning. And, peep those awesome spaceships! McDaid bringing it. Hard. Again, can we also just call out the COLORS here by Remalante? The jungle, the creatures, the spaceships and our heroes. All fantastic vibrant colors reminiscent of the pulp origins of these heroes. Makes it all sing.  BEN: You’re not wrong, Heath. You’re right. And look: “Gordon’s alive!” Remember that line? We’re just fans of this stuff. PAGE TWELVE: HEATH: Yeah, this would scare ME if I was a Ming flunky. It’s also a nice reminder how crazy powerful Jim is. Beast mode, indeed. BEN: More of Humphrey’s help here. I love beast mode that sounds like Downton Abbey. PAGE THIRTEEN: HEATH: It was right around finding the line “Be merciless for Ming” that it really sunk in that I was writing Flash freakin’ Gordon and these HUGE iconic characters that I grew up with. So cool.BEN: And look at those guys. These designs – the monsters and the soldiers – they’re so killer. And they only exist for a few panels. That’s crazy! So fully realized. McDaid! McDaid! PAGE FOURTEEN: HEATH: This Mandrake page is my favorite of the issue. Ben and I talked a lot about playing with his sense of theatricality and performance. Between the astounding art and the dialogue I felt like we all really did justice to Mandrake on this page. PS: THIS is the McDaid page I desperately want in my office… You know, just in case he’s reading this.BEN: Ha! Next issue’s Mandrake page is my favorite of that issue and is the one I want in my office. I told McDaid already. And to the point of the theatricality of Mandrake, I really love that he’s an old school stage magician at his core. It sets him apart from your Doctor Strange and Doctor Fate. Mandrake is not a doctor. He’s a smoke and mirrors guy and look – the illusions he’s casting are smoke! PAGE FIFTEEN: HEATH: Flash is a helluva action hero. He’s a real “shoot first, ask questions never” kind of guy. It was important to show that and McDaid really captures his physicality here. BEN: Yeah, usually we make it fun that he’s so gung ho. Like “maybe relax, Flash and ask a question or two before you charge in.” But here, when it’s clear, when it’s as black and white as Flash sees it anyway, you get to spend the bulk of a page having him say a cool thing and kick a bad guy off his rocket. PAGE SIXTEEN:  HEATH: I like this Jen/Lothar beat here. We talked a lot about their mentor/mentee dynamic and how it’s on Lothar to get Jen to step up. I like that Jen is out of her league and really sharply feels that deep into this adventure. But she IS supposed to be the Phantom and that’s a honest struggle for her to take on that mantle… Especially in the face of Lothar being as good a Phantom as there’s ever been. BEN: Yeah, there’s something really interesting to me about the nature of Lothar’s relationship with the mantle of the Phantom. I hope we remember to get into it in one of these issues. PAGE SEVENTEEN: HEATH: This page layout is just such wild fun. BEN: McDaid! McDaid! HEATH: You get this great heightened sense of flow and movement in Valiant. We see that the guy is an unstoppable freight train of violence. BEN: And also Simon Bowland, the letterer, is just as much the boss of how your eye takes in this page. Bowland is a real pro, consistently just great. Bowland! Bowland! HEATH: No kidding! Kudos to Bowland. Especially since in the first lettering pass, I’m pretty sure we accidently reversed all the dialogue from the bottom to the top. Which would have made everyone’s eyes cross. PAGE EIGHTEEN: HEATH: Jim realizing Valiant is still telling off the baddies makes me laugh a lot. That was a Ben joke that showed up in the second lettering pass. It took me by surprise when I read it and I totally laughed out loud. BEN: Thanks, Heath. You wrote Valiant’s pure joy here and I love it. I regret that we didn’t find a moment for Jungle Jim and Zarkov to share a drink. Maybe next issue!PAGE NINETEEN:BEN: I love how McDaid draws Barin. His little mustache! HEATH: Prince Barin. Finally! We’ve only been looking for him this entire issue. But he’s got pretty bad news… BEN: You bet he does. It’s been two years, not the two hours it felt like it took. This is one of the most important details of the book and Mandrake is about to explain it, and Flash gives him “Who cares why!” I love that. That’s so Flash. PAGE TWENTY: HEATH: HOLY CRAP! Dale is… Empress?! Does that mean she’s married to Ming? What the-?! I love this twist. And it only gets worse, you guys. Much MUCH worse. BEN: Stay tuned. 05/09/26 @ 3:03 pm EST
We are in the age of Matthew Lillard and everyone except Quentin Tarantino seems to be happy about it. The Scream and Scooby-Doo actor has been having a bit of a resurgence lately coming shortly after Tarantino made some disparaging comments about the actor with no provocation. Many in the industry stood up for Lillard and now the actor seems to be popping up everywhere including the latest Scream film, the second season of Cross and the second season of Daredevil: Born Again. The latest news reported by multiple sites has the actor joining the cast of Man of Tomorrow, the next DC Studios film written and directed by James Gunn. Gunn, who is good friends with Lillard and has worked with him previously on both Scooby-Doo movies, posted the below image of the pair together, commenting on the news reports as “pure speculation” and saying that they are just “casually hanging out”. Most took the posts to be sarcasm and assume that Lillard is now in the film as that is where Gunn is right now, filming the project. Fans on-line have begun even more speculation as to who Lillard could be playing including various heroes and characters with the most notable being Jim Gordon from Gotham and Plastic Man, a character that Gunn and Lillard once tried to pitch as a project to DC/Warner Bros. It’s my belief that he will be a more Superman centric character such as STAR Labs Professor Emil Hamilton or police detective Dan Turpin. But that also would be pure speculation.  05/09/26 @ 2:44 pm EST
Fans of Matt Reeves’ film The Batman got excited this week because of driving in the snow. The director posted images to his social media showing test footage of the Batmobile driving in winter conditions, which were the first signs that the long-awaited sequel had begun production. Though it has been postponed many times, it is set to be released in October of 2027 and will make the first time live-action Batman and Superman films will be released in the same year. The cold weather setting has long been assumed for the film based on the timeline created in both the first movie starting on Halloween and ending on Election Day and then The Penguin series on HBO Max which took place over a week or so immediately after the flooding of Gotham. The new film will pick up right after the award-winning series which places the time frame squarely in December. The plot for the film is still under wraps, but along with returning stars Robert Pattinson, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan and Jeffrey Wright, the project has reportedly added Scarlett Johannson, Sebastian Stan and Charles Dance. Stan is reported to be playing Gotham DA Harvey Dent aka Two-Face while Dance is said to be his father, Christopher. These castings have been reported by multiple reputable outlets but not confirmed by DC Studios or Reeves. With production having begun, the film is on track to keep its release date of October 2027.  05/02/26 @ 1:59 pm EST
James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, has addressed the strange “partial reboot” of the DCEU and why he didn’t just start completely fresh. With the new DCU starting with the animated Creature Commandos series and the new Superman movie, certain elements from the previous regime carried over like Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and there were some questions about more recent projects like Gunn’s own The Suicide Squad and Blue Beetle. And Gunn’s first DC movie also had elements from previous films including Margot Robbie as Harley Qiunn. So why not just start over? Turns out a lot of it has to do with the John Cena lead Peacemaker series on HBO Max. According to a social media post by Gunn, “Peacemaker Season 2 deals were all in place when I became head of DC. It was either break everyone's contracts and pay out all that money and take away HBO Max's biggest show at the time or find a way to make it work. I chose the latter. Mostly tho because I love the character and the show and thought he/they could be an important part of the DCU.” Now, this has left quite a mess trying to figure out what is and isn’t cannon, and Gunn realizes this. He posted, “I've been thinking about this a lot in regards to The Suicide Squad & Blue Beetle and I've been meaning to rewatch both with an eye towards that knowing what I know now almost three years into the DCU (with a couple more years of scripts being actively filmed or created). Maybe after MoT Jenn & Steve & I can get together for a special couple podcasts to discuss. What do you guys think is potentially or definitely NOT canon from TSS & BB?” He is referring to Jennifer Holland, his wife and actress who plays Harcourt and Steve Agee who plays Economos. The three of them did the post-episode podcasts for Peacemaker season two. Doing The Suicide Squad film makes sense with its ties to Peacemaker, but the reason for the Blue Beetle is that there are talks of an animated Blue Beetle series based on the 2023 film with Xolo Maridueña continuing in the role of Jaime Reyes. The fact it’s included here confirms the animated series is still happening.  ...
04/18/26 @ 12:44 pm EST
David Harbour is heading into the jungle. The actor has joined the cast of John Rambo, an upcoming origin-story film set before the events of First Blood. Harbour will portray Major (also known in earlier films as Colonel) Sam Trautman, the tough-minded commander and mentor figure long associated with the franchise. The film stars Noah Centineo as a younger John Rambo and is directed by Jalmari Helander ( Sisu) from a screenplay by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani. The project is expected to explore the experiences that forged Rambo into one of action cinema’s most enduring figures—years before he returned home to the confrontation that launched the original 1982 film. John Rambo is backed by Lionsgate and Millennium Media, with Templeton Media and AGBO also involved, and has reportedly wrapped production in Thailand. Additional cast members include Yao, Jason Tobin, Quincy Isaiah, Jefferson White, and Tayme Thapthimthong. Sylvester Stallone—who originated the role across five films—is attached as an executive producer, alongside Anthony and Joe Russo and other producers tied to the project.  04/18/26 @ 12:24 pm EST
Deadline is reporting that Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance will be joining the cast of the upcoming The Batman Part 2, which is set to start filming in the next few weeks. While this is unconfirmed by DC Studios, Dance is believed to be playing Charles Dent, the father of Harvey Dent aka Two-Face played by fellow newcome to the franchise, Sebastian Stan. There had been many reports over the last few months of other actors turning down the role of the elder Dent which is believed to have some parallels with the role Dance is best known for, Tywin Lannister. He joins a cast that also returns Robert Pattinson, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell and that has added Scarlett Johansson in an undisclosed part. Prior to joining the Matt Reeves’ sequel, Dance appeared recently in Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein and the Peacock series Day of the Jackal. 
04/11/26 @ 11:27 am EST
FX is doubling down on one of television’s most unlikely success stories. The Emmy‑winning docuseries Welcome to Wrexham has been officially renewed for three additional seasons, ensuring the show will run through at least Season 8. The announcement comes just weeks ahead of the series’ Season 5 premiere on May 14, 2026. The series chronicles the ownership journey of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney—often credited onscreen as Rob Mac—after their 2020 takeover of Welsh football club Wrexham AFC. What began as a celebrity‑owned sports experiment has evolved into one of FX’s most successful and beloved nonfiction franchises, following the club’s extraordinary rise through the English football pyramid. FX Entertainment president Nick Grad called the renewal “nearly unheard of,” praising the creative team and the global connection audiences have formed with the club and its community. Reynolds and McElhenney echoed that sentiment in a joint statement, crediting the documentary crew and Wrexham’s rapid on‑field success for making such a long‑term commitment possible. Season 5 will continue to track Wrexham’s pursuit of promotion to the Premier League following three consecutive promotions, a feat never before achieved in English Football League history. With cameras set to keep rolling for years to come, FX has made it clear that Wrexham’s story—both on and off the pitch—is far from finished.  04/11/26 @ 11:17 am EST
As anticipation builds for DC Studios’ upcoming Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, speculation around its final unannounced role has gone into overdrive. Over the past several days, a wave of casting rumors surged online—only to be decisively debunked by director and DC Studios co‑chair James Gunn himself. The most prominent rumor centered on the alien queen Maxima, a character from DC Comics long speculated to appear in the film. An initial report from Deadline claimed that Ella Purnell, Marisa Abela, and Adria Arjona had screen‑tested for the role. Gunn fired back on Threads, calling the report “shoddy & incorrect” and stating that he had never even met two of the actresses named. He emphasized that had anyone from the outlet checked with the production, the story would have been immediately denied. Gunn further clarified that his statement was not an indirect confirmation that Maxima is in Man of Tomorrow at all. When pressed by fans, he said he was “absolutely not confirming” the character’s inclusion, while adding that the film has only one remaining role left to cast, with all major roles already announced. Shortly after Gunn posted, the Hollywood Reporter came out with its own list of finalists for the role that included Arjona, the one actress in the first report that Gunn has worked with previously, along with Eva De Dominici, Sydney Chandler, and Grace Van Patten. Another rumor floating around is that Maxima is just a cover character and that they are really casting the DCU’s new Wonder Woman. While the character’s stories are very different, the physicality of both women are similar enough and it would be a good cover if DC Studios wanted to keep the introduction of a major character quiet. Which ever it is, a decision will need to be made soon as Man of Tomorrow is slated to begin filming sometime this month down in Atlanta and is slated to be released July 9th, 2027.  ... 04/05/26 @ 4:17 pm EST
Marvel fans may finally be getting the reunion they’ve been waiting for. Mike Colter and Finn Jones were recently spotted on the New York set of Daredevil: Born Again season 3, sparking widespread excitement that The Defenders are officially back. Photos from the production show Colter and Jones alongside Krysten Ritter, who reprises her role as Jessica Jones, strongly suggesting that Luke Cage and Iron Fist are once again entering Marvel’s street-level corner. While Marvel Studios has not formally announced their return, the presence of all three actors together during filming points to a deliberate reunion rather than a coincidence. The sighting is significant because Colter and Jones last portrayed their characters during Marvel’s Netflix era, where they joined Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and Ritter’s Jessica Jones in the 2017 crossover miniseries The Defenders. With Daredevil: Born Again already reestablishing that continuity on Disney+, season 3 now appears poised to fully reassemble the team for the first time in nearly a decade. Although plot details remain under wraps, the set photos alone have reignited fan enthusiasm for Marvel’s grounded, Hell’s Kitchen–based heroes. If the reunion is confirmed on screen, Daredevil: Born Again season 3 could mark a major turning point—bringing The Defenders back together and firmly reintegrating Marvel’s Netflix characters into the broader MCU.  03/28/26 @ 1:40 pm EST
Games Workshop has officially unveiled Warhammer 40,000: 11th Edition, confirming that the next evolution of its flagship tabletop wargame will launch in June 2026. The announcement was made during the AdeptiCon 2026 preview event, where a cinematic trailer, a new starter box, and early details about rules changes were revealed. The narrative focus of 11th Edition returns players to Armageddon, one of the most iconic war zones in Warhammer 40K lore. The new storyline centers on a massive conflict between the Imperium of Man and invading Ork forces, with the Blood Angels Space Marines positioned as the headline Imperial faction opposing an Ork Waaagh!. A major lore highlight is the confirmed return of Commissar Sebastian Yarrick, a long‑standing fan‑favorite character closely associated with Armageddon’s wars. His reappearance anchors the edition firmly in classic Warhammer history while advancing the ongoing narrative following recent campaign books. The launch of 11th Edition will be accompanied by a new boxed starter set titled Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon. The set includes newly revealed Space Marine and Ork miniatures, with early previews showing updated Intercessors that blend modern Primaris design with visual callbacks to older armor marks. While the full contents of the box have not yet been detailed, Games Workshop confirmed that additional starter products at different price points will follow, continuing the company’s recent approach to onboarding new players. Unlike the dramatic overhaul that accompanied 10th Edition, early information indicates that 11th Edition is designed as an iterative update rather than a full system reset. Existing 10th Edition Codex and Supplement books will remain valid at launch, meaning players will not need to immediately replace their current army rules. Confirmed design goals include streamlined core mechanics, reduced rules stacking, and a closer alignment between narrative and matched play. Games Workshop has emphasized faster gameplay, clearer interactions, and improved balance without discarding the foundations introduced in the previous edition. Although the June 2026 release window has been confirmed, many specifics—such as the full ruleset, complete model lineup, and codex roadmap—remain under wraps. Games Workshop has stated that deeper rules previews and additional reveals will be shared in the months leading up to launch.  ... 03/28/26 @ 1:16 pm EST
While attending a comics convention this weekend, Tom King offered fans a substantive update on the long‑anticipated Mister Miracle animated series, confirming that the project has moved into a significant new phase of development. King, who serves as both lead writer and showrunner on the series, revealed that the pilot episode has now been completed. According to his comments at the event, the show is no longer in early conceptual stages but is actively progressing, with King currently involved in editing the series and writing later episodes. One of the biggest takeaways from the panel was confirmation that a voice cast has already been hired. While no names were announced, King teased that fans would be extremely excited once the cast is officially revealed, suggesting that announcements are likely forthcoming. The Mister Miracle animated series is based on the acclaimed 12‑issue comic run written by King and illustrated by Mitch Gerads. During the panel, King reiterated that the show is aiming to closely reflect Gerads’ distinctive visual style, an approach that has been a priority throughout development. This commitment aligns with previous statements that the production is pushing the boundaries of animation to faithfully translate the look and tone of the original comics. King also confirmed that the series is set within the DC Universe and that he is writing all eight episodes himself. His dual role as writer and showrunner positions the project as a deeply personal adaptation of his Eisner Award–winning work, rather than a loose reinterpretation. Although no release date was announced during the convention, King’s update makes it clear that Mister Miracle is firmly in active development rather than stalled or uncertain. The completed pilot and hired voice cast mark major milestones, signaling that the project is steadily moving forward.  ... |
