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08/22/22 @ 11:15 am EST
 DF Interview: Kate Sheridan unleashes a conjuring conflict with menacing mysteries in the YA original graphic novel ‘In the Shadow of the Throne’By Byron BrewerWhen his younger siblings and parents begin to irritate him on vacation, Jordan tries to get some space. But instead of wandering around the museum, he finds himself dropped into a fantasy world of magic where he can finally have some fun and train to become a knight. Except Prince Astel and Sir Griffith are about to uncover a sinister secret kept hidden by the queen that'll thrust Jordan into the middle of a magical battle he never could have anticipated! From Maverick, the YA imprint of Mad Cave Studios, comes In the Shadow of the Throne, an original graphic novel by writer Kate Sheridan and artist Gaia Cardinalli. Braving innumerable dangers, I headed on a magical mystery tour to talk to scribe Kate Sheridan about this coming book. Here’s what they told me. Byron Brewer: Kate, tell readers about the inspiration for your new graphic novel, In the Shadow of the Throne. I know it has a very special place in your heart. Kate Sheridan: In the Shadow of the Throne definitely comes from a lifelong love of fantasy and desire to escape into a fantasy world. As a kid and teen I loved stories like the Inkheart series, or Sabriel, or Magic Knight Rayearth that involved traveling from a nonmagical place to a magical one. This book explores those themes of escapism, and what happens when that desire hits the reality of a dark fantasy world and what surviving there entails. Byron: Introduce us to young Jordan Rivera. Talk a little about the character and the life he leads… at least before this OGN’s adventure. Kate Sheridan: Jordan leads a pretty normal life. He's a gay teen boy from a Filipino-American family who uses fantasy as a form of escapism and dreams about going on big adventures. He's the eldest of three kids and looks after his twin younger brothers, Benjie and Isko, both in general and on this vacation they're all on with their family at the beginning of the book. And, like a lot of younger siblings, they drive him crazy. He'd much rather be spending his vacation time with his friends doing the stuff he wants to do. When we meet Jordan, he's looking for an escape, and he gets one that's a little more than he bargained for. Byron: Talk a little bit about your canvas for this novel. Paint us a word picture of the nature of the magical world artist Gaia Cardinali and you build herein. Is it dream or alt-reality? Kate Sheridan: Alt-reality would be accurate! It's a pure fantasy story, Jordan very much is physically transported to the world of Lymeira. Lymeira is a world full of the adventure that Jordan's looking for, of magic and knights and princes, but it's also full of danger. Dark secrets abound, and assassins and conspirators lurk around every corner. Gaia really did such a lovely job bringing the world to life, from its lush forests full of ruins and wolves, to the bustling medieval capitol and the towered castle that sits above it. Everything feels so lived in and full of history. Byron: Who are Prince Astel and Sir Griffith? Kate Sheridan: Prince Astel is the crown prince of Lymeira and the only son of its queen Emereth, and Sir Griffith (or Griff, as they're known to friends) is his nonbinary swornsword and protector who has known him since they were both very young! Byron: We don’t want spoilers, but tell readers what you can about the Queen and some sinister secret which turns Jordan’s world-hopping topsy-turvey. Kate Sheridan: Magic is considered dangerous and is outlawed, a policy that Astel's mother Queen Emereth instated. But something strange and definitely magical is happening in Lymeira, and the Queen knows more than she's willing or able to tell, so Griff, Jordan, and Astel take it upon themselves to delve into the situation and the tragic history that led to magic being outlawed. Byron: Can you give us an overview of the OGN, a sort of expanded elevator pitch sans conclusion details? Kate Sheridan: I can! Jordan is a boy who is pulled into a fantastical world of Lymeira while on a trip with his family to an art museum. There, he saves the life of Prince Astel with quick-thinking and a fallen knight's sword while also learning Astel's secret—that he's a mage in a country where magic is outlawed. For his service, Jordan is granted a boon by his mother, the queen, and chooses to become a knight under the tutelage of young Sir Griffith, Astel's swornsword. Though Astel dislikes and distrusts Jordan, they band with Griff to investigate strange and definitely magical happenings around Lymeira, a plot which begins to close in around the royal family, and the tragic history that ties them all together. When Griff is injured protecting the Queen, Jordan and Astel are left on their own to try to work together as time begins to run out. Byron: Talk about the artwork of Gaia Cardinali. Kate Sheridan: Gaia and her work are a dream, honestly, and I feel so blessed to have her as my co-creator. As a writer who is also an artist, I know just how much work goes into even a simple comics page, or even a single panel, and the amount of loving detail that she's able to put into every page really blows me away. Her style's such a nice mix of graphic and painterly, which is a hard needle to thread, but she does it so deftly! Byron: Kate, what other projects, inside or outside comics, might you have coming soon that you can tell readers about? Kate Sheridan: My main project right now is Whalebones, an adult comic anthology that explores love, death, and grief during New England's Whaling Era through a series of interconnected stories. I spent April to June of this year plotting, researching, and sketching a part of an artist residency with New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, which was an incredible experience. I'd really gotten to immerse myself in the area, and learn from the people who've made it their life's work to know and preserve these places and their history. I'm making it independently so I don't have concrete details on what kind of home it will have or how it will be released, but I'm hoping to be able to share more soon. Dynamic Forces would like to thank Kate Sheridan for taking time out of their busy schedule to answer our questions. The In the Shadow of the Throne OGN from Mad Cave Studios is slated to be on sale August 24th! For more news and up-to-date announcements, join us here at Dynamic Forces, www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/, “LIKE” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dynamicforcesinc, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/dynamicforces. 03/21/26 @ 1:51 pm EST
With HBO and DC Studios’ upcoming series Lanterns positioning itself as a grounded, detective‑style drama, fans are paying close attention to how the show will deploy one of the Green Lantern mythos’ most iconic figures: Sinestro. Officially confirmed to appear in the series and portrayed by Ulrich Thomsen, Sinestro’s inclusion signals that Lanterns is not just telling a crime story—it is laying the foundation for the moral and ideological conflicts at the heart of the Green Lantern universe. According to DC Studios’ official character description, Sinestro is a former Green Lantern who turned rogue after abusing his power. He is described as “ruthless yet undeniably charming,” with a manipulative obsession centered on his former mentee, Hal Jordan. Jordan is being played by Kyle Chandler. This immediately suggests that Sinestro’s role in Lanterns will be personal rather than purely antagonistic. Rather than functioning as a straightforward villain to be defeated, Sinestro is more likely to appear as a philosophical counterpoint to Hal Jordan. In the comics, Sinestro believes order must be enforced through fear, not willpower or trust. Translating that worldview into a grounded HBO drama fits perfectly with the show’s True Detective-inspired tone, where moral certainty is often elusive. Lanterns centers on Hal Jordan and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as intergalactic law officers investigating a murder in the American heartland. While the crime is Earth‑based, the implications are cosmic, and Sinestro’s presence may loom over the investigation rather than dominate it outright. Given Sinestro’s history as Hal Jordan’s mentor, one plausible role is that of a symbolic embodiment of Hal’s past failures. Sinestro may serve as a reminder of what happens when a Green Lantern decides the rules no longer work—or that he alone should decide how justice is delivered. This framing would reinforce Hal’s status as a seasoned Lantern nearing the end of his career, forced to confront the ideological consequences of the Corps’ authority. Production reports confirm that Sinestro is a recurring character, not necessarily the central antagonist of every episode. That opens the door for a more subtle narrative function: Sinestro as a background manipulator. Rather than openly opposing the Lanterns, Sinestro could be: Feeding Hal Jordan information to test his judgment, quietly steering events tied to the murder investigation or Serving as a warning figure for John Stewart, illustrating what a Lantern can become when certainty replaces empathy. This approach aligns with comments from Ulrich Thomsen, who hinted on social media that his time as Sinestro may not be finished, suggesting long‑term narrative relevance beyond a single season. While Lanterns is firmly Earth‑based, it exists within DC Studios’ broader DC Universe (DCU). Sinestro’s introduction here may function less as a payoff and more as setup. In DC canon, Sinestro is to the Green Lanterns what Lex Luthor is to Superman—a recurring ideological nemesis rather than a one‑time foe. By grounding Sinestro early as a calculating, persuasive presence rather than a spectacle‑driven villain, Lanterns could be positioning him as: A future architect of larger DCU conflicts, a connective figure between cosmic and Earth‑level stories or as a moral antagonist whose philosophy spreads rather than attacks. Nothing beyond Lanterns has been officially confirmed, but Sinestro’s stature in DC lore makes his appearance here feel intentional rather than incidental. Based on what is known, Sinestro’s role in Lanterns is unlikely to hinge on spectacle. Instead, he appears poised to challenge the core identity of the Green Lantern Corps—and of Hal Jordan himself. Whether he appears as a mentor‑turned‑enemy, a manipulative observer, or a philosophical provocateur, Sinestro represents the question at the heart of the series: Is justice about enforcing order—or believing people can choose to do better? In a show built around investigation, doubt, and moral consequence, Sinestro may not be the loudest presence—but he could be the most dangerous one.  ... 03/21/26 @ 1:35 pm EST
The entertainment world is mourning the loss of Nicholas Brendon, the actor best known for his role as Xander Harris on the beloved television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Brendon passed away at the age of 54, his family confirmed, stating that he died in his sleep of natural causes. News of his passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes from colleagues, friends, and fans who grew up with his work and were touched by his honesty and humanity. Born in Los Angeles in 1971, Brendon rose to international fame in 1997 when he was cast as Xander Harris, the witty, loyal, and often self‑deprecating heart of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Appearing in all seven seasons of the series from 1997 to 2003, Brendon helped shape one of television’s most enduring ensemble casts. Xander, the lone member of the group without supernatural powers, became a relatable stand‑in for audiences—grounded, flawed, brave, and deeply human. Following Buffy, Brendon continued to work steadily in television and film. His credits included recurring roles on Criminal Minds and Private Practice, as well as appearances in Kitchen Confidential, Faking It, and cult films such as Psycho Beach Party and Coherence. While none matched the cultural impact of Buffy, his performances were often praised for their sincerity and emotional openness. In later years, Brendon spoke candidly about his personal struggles. He was open about living with addiction, mental health challenges, and serious medical conditions, including a congenital heart defect and complications from spinal injuries that required multiple surgeries. His willingness to discuss these issues publicly resonated with many fans, who saw in him not just a television star, but a person navigating real and painful challenges while continuing to create. Despite these difficulties, Brendon remained creatively driven. According to his family, he found renewed passion in painting and visual art in recent years, sharing his work with friends and supporters. In their statement announcing his death, they remembered him as “passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create,” and asked for privacy as they grieve and celebrate his life.  ... 03/14/26 @ 2:53 pm EST
Multiple sites, including Deadline and Variety, are reporting that one of the stars of the upcoming HBO series Lanterns will be making taking his character to the big screen. Aaron Pierre, who plays new Green Lantern John Stewart, is now set to appear in the upcoming James Gunn film Man of Tomorrow. Though not officially a Superman sequel, MoT stars David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult reprising their roles as Superman and Lex Luthor along with other returning cast members Rachel Brosnahan, Skyler Gisondo and Sara Sampaio. This film will also introduce another popular DC Comic’s villain, Brainiac, played by German actor Lars Eidinger. Pierre joins DC’s cosmic police force along with Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan as they team up to investigate a murder in Nebraska. The tone of the Lanterns series is much darker and grounded, in the style of a True Detective season, but this move drives home that the series is connected to Gunn’s growing DC Universe that also includes Peacemaker and the animated Creature Commandos. The interesting thing to note is that while Pierre’s Stewart will appear, there is no word on whether Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, the Green Lantern introduced in Superman, will return. Fillion is also set to appear in Lanterns, having told reporters he has sworn more in his appearance in the upcoming series than in all of his previous roles combined. This may not bode well for the ring-wielding hero or his bowl cut. Lanterns is set to debut in August on HBO Max and Man of Tomorrow is scheduled for July 2027.  03/14/26 @ 2:34 pm EST
The anticipated reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will not be moving forward at Hulu. The news was broken to disappointed fans by producer and returning star Sarah Michelle Gellar on her Instagram this morning. The streamer had originally ordered a pilot to be directed by Eternals director Chloé Zhao from a script written Poker Face writers by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. Gellar wrote in her post, “I want to thank Chloé Zhao because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy’s stylish yet affordable boots. And thanks to Chloé, I was reminded how much I love her and how much she means, not only to me, but to all of you. This doesn’t change any of that, and I promise if the apocalypse actually comes… you can still beep me.” Sources say that the initial reaction to the pilot were not good and while discussions were had about reworking the pilot, Hulu has decided not to proceed but remains excited about the Buffy IP and will likely regroup and find a new approach to move the franchise forward.  02/21/26 @ 2:38 pm EST
You may have noticed that I’m not the biggest fan of ‘Industry Insiders’ who have paywalls set up to dole out rumors like… well, I couldn’t find a metaphor that wasn’t extremely insulting so we’ll just move on. Those ‘insiders’ need to have a ready supply of rumors to keep their subscribers coming back and since there is no accountability for erroneous rumors, one has to wonder if some of them are just made up out of thin air. James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, has a times come out and addressed a batch of rumors that fans ask him about on social media. He did this again recently and here are some of the rumors he addressed along with his response. A report that the upcoming Man of Tomorrow has changed its title to Superman: Man of Tomorrow. Gunn has said before that this was more than a Superman movie and confirms the title has NOT changed by simply saying, “Nope.” Another report says that the film with begin filming in a few weeks, and while it will begin shortly, he says “by strict definition of Few, nope.” Reports say that he’s trying to rush through Matt Reeves’ The Batman Epic Crime Saga so he can then get to Brave and the Bold. That’s another ‘Nope’. Scoopers claim that Paradise Lost, the Wonder Woman prequel series was now dead or shelved. I know this will surprise you, but he said, “Nope”. And he did confirm one thing, that Superman does not believe in Santa Claus because, “He’s an adult.” Rumors can be fun to talk about and debate, but if they set unrealistic expectations that ruin the film for someone, then that’s a problem. And paying for rumors… that seems a bit crazy to me.  ... 02/21/26 @ 2:21 pm EST
Many MCU fans wonder why the events of Daredevil: Born Again won’t be even referenced in upcoming films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In Born Again, Wilson Fisk ( Vincent D’Onofrio) is the new Mayor of New York and has declared martial law along with creating a taskforce to hunt down vigilantes and you would think someone like Spider-Man ( Tom Holland) would be on his radar. But that’s not going to happen on the big screen, no Fisk in BND and SFX Magazine thought that would be a good thing to ask Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane about. “I’d be into it, because I dig the comics! But no, that’s been kind of a fun and challenging thing. We know there’s a huge world out there of the MCU. This corner of it has crossovers. We’ve seen Daredevil in other shows, there are other characters that are going to be popping up in movies and stuff, and that all goes into the larger MCU of it all. The joke we make is, ‘Oh, those guys are uptown – we’re downtown!’ We kind of have a pocket that’s in this world of Hell’s Kitchen, in this world of New York. I always think that maybe these characters take a little vacation into the larger world but the story that we’re focusing on is really granular.” Let me translate that, “They can borrow our toys, but we can’t touch there’s.” A shame as we all want a real Daredevil/Spider-Man crossover.  02/14/26 @ 2:33 pm EST
“You have failed this beach!” Okay, there is probably no way Stephen Amell will say that line in the new Baywatch reboot, but I can’t be the only one who thought about it. Fox announced yesterday that the former Arrow, Heels and Suits LA star would be the lead in the networks bid to recapture the popularity of their lifeguard themed drama from the 90s. Amell will be playing the role of Hobie Buchannon, a role first introduced in the OG series. Hobie’s world turns upside down when Charlie, the daughter he didn’t know he had, shows up ready to put on the red bathing suit and follow in the family business. The show got a straight-to-series 12-episode order back in September, so the network is moving quickly. An interesting note is that Amell is the right age if the network wanted to bring back David Hasselhoff to reprise the role of Hobie’s father Mitch for an episode or two.  02/14/26 @ 2:12 pm EST
You may not have known this, but in 2021 a Zatanna movie was in the works. J.J. Abrams had given the project to Emerald Fennell to script as she was coming off 2020 directorial debut, A Promising Young Woman. So, what happened? According to Fennell, who recently joined the Happy Sad Confused podcast, what she had written was “probably too far away from the genre.” She was very honest about the work, saying: “I think it was demented because I was probably going through it at the time. And the thing is, I think what I can’t help but—and then, I’d just finished A Promising Young Woman, and there was this huge thing in this world I’d never operated in. And again, it was a kind of superhero movie, and I was like, ‘How do I make the version of a superhero movie that I would connect to emotionally?’ Which is sort of the woman in the middle of a nervous breakdown, so it’s a script reflective of a woman in the middle of a nervous breakdown. And in terms of what that means, I suppose it just meant that it was probably too far away from the genre.” For those of you who are not familiar with Zatanna, she was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson in the pages of November 1964’s Hawkman and has been a consistent magical character in the DC Universe ever since, regularly teaming up with Batman, John Constantine and was a member of the Justice League. Fennell went on to describe the script, “It was really dark. I haven’t read it for a really long time, because I found it really difficult. Because, also the thing is, I love JJ [Abrams] so much, and he took a chance offering me to do it, and I really wanted to deliver something amazing for them. And I always felt like I hadn’t quite maybe delivered the thing that they wanted. So, I haven’t read it since, and I wonder if I read it now, I’d be more generous toward myself. But I felt like, I wished I’d been able to deliver the thing they wanted. They were really lovely about it, it’s even just remembering. You’re making me remember scenes, I’m like, ‘Nobody would have made that.'” I have to admit I totally want to read that script now.  ... 02/07/26 @ 11:45 am EST
Don’t expect to see Vincent D’Onofrio show up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It seems the rights to the character still precludes him from appearing in a film unless Sony wants him to. Which, yes, Brand New Day is a Sony/Marvel production… but while visiting the Bingworthy podcast, the Kingpin actor responded to the question about the current mayor of the MCU NYC showing up by saying, “No. I think I’ll just wait until they have the rights to my character and they put me in one of those movies, and then I’ll figure it all out.” This makes sense that Marvel can’t just have the character show up in any random film, like The Thunderbolts, without Sony saying okay, but he is available for television appearances. Why Sony has chosen to not let the character show up in a Sony film though seems a little odd, unless the actor is using the rights issue as a cover to keep from telling us that Wilson Fisk will not be the mayor after the events of the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again season two, which is scheduled to release in March and complete well before Brand New Day hits theaters.  01/31/26 @ 2:22 pm EST
In 1989 writer/artist John Byrne was working on the West Coast Avengers title for Marvel and decided to have some fun. Since there was both an east and west coast version of the team, he decided to make a third one, in the middle of the country, and keeping with the body of water theme to the names… we got the Great Lakes Avengers. The team was made up of five founding members: Mr. Immortal, Flat Man, Big Bertha, Dinah Soar and Doorman and while the team has probably had more cease-and-desist lawsuits filed against them than real battles, they have been around for years now and have popped up a lot. The interesting thing though is that two of these members have now made appearances in the MCU. And not just blink-and-you-missed-it moments. Both Mr. Immortal and Doorman have had at least half, if not a full episode of a series dedicated to them. In She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, David Pasquesi plays Craig Hollis aka Mr. Immortal who has his immortal ability and uses it to get out a marriages, which he has a lot of. When pressured by his own attorneys, he leapt out of a high-rise window and plummeted to the street below, slamming into the roof of a car, only to pop right back up and walk away. It doesn’t end well for him though as he is forced to pay off all of his exes. Then we get to meet DeMarr Davis aka the Doorman in the new Wonder Man series. Byron Bowers plays the man with the ability to use his body as a door in and out of the dark dimension. While he is a mutant in the comics, in the MCU he gets his abilities by touching toxic waste from Roxxon, similar to how Cloak & Dagger got their powers. DeMarr becomes a cautionary tale about chasing fortune and fame in Hollywood that may have cost the life of beloved actor Josh Gad. It also made the industry enact a law banning superpowered people from working in show business. This is a major plot point in the series. With two of the five characters both located in Southern California, could we end up getting the rest of the team at some point and them relocating for a fresh start? Sounds like the perfect idea for one of those Marvel Spotlight one-hour specials.  ... |
