10/13/16 @ 12:21 pm EST

Source: Bleeding Cool | Categories: Dynamite

A Writer’s Commentary: Fabrice Sapolsky talks Intertwined #1, on sale now from Dynamite. Cover and interiors by series artist Fred Pham Chuong.

[WARNING: Spoilers ahead!]





Let me start by saying that Intertwined #1 was supposed to be very different originally. What is now issue #0 was supposed to be the beginning of the story, but after talking about it with my editor, we changed the way the story was told. Instead of making it a linear story in a Once Upon a Time in America manner, we started following the hero’s journey from Hong Kong to the U.S., from random student to hero. But the first 13 pages were already written, drawn and colored. So I decided to cut it from the rest of issue #1 and make it a #0. The good thing about this is now issue #0 can be read before or after reading issue #1 without spoiling anything.

Page 1

In the original version, we start with a cool noir action scene. But, since we changed the menu, we couldn’t serve the same dish twice in a row. I opted for a dream sequence, for readers to have a peek at the cool world of the Spirits of WuXing in the first pages. The series now follows Juan’s POV. Starting in his head became obvious because, as you’ll see later in the series, the “astral” plane plays a big role. See… That’s what I like about Intertwined: it has different influences and layers. We have Noir, we have Kung Fu, but we also have pulp, Chinese folklore, magic, social justice and spiritual vibes. For issue #0, my inspiration was the opening scene from the first episode of the Batman Beyond cartoon and The Big Boss, the first Bruce Lee movie. In issue #1, I had to find something else, hence the dream sequence. But I didn’t want it to be an action scene. I wanted something showing Juan Jin’s personality and how we’d be more than just and action/kung fu series. You’ll see here and there, in each episode, some social background. In Intertwined, a lot is happening behind the scenes.



There’s a panel I rewrote multiple times, to get the right tone. It’s the one where Juan compares himself to Peter Pan, or an Asian version of Peter Pan. I like that nod to the J.M. Barrie hero who inspired many comic book writers. And I always found the Disney version, by far the most popular, conveyed some… let’s say questionable designs for the main character: he has almond eyes and rabbit teeth. Which is typical of ethnic sterotypes in caricatures and some comics of the 20th century (Ming in Flash Gordon, Egg Fu, Fu Manchu,…). This is a very sensitive and important matter for both Fred, my co-creator, whose family comes from Vietnam, and myself. Juan Jin is a positive, powerful, Asian modern superhero. He’s not sorry for who he is. He wasn’t born in the United States so he has a lot of problems understanding how the American society puts the “race factor” front and center. He doesn’t see himself as Asian or Chinese first. He’s a human being before anything else. With great values. But representation, inclusion and diversity are major topics in Intertwined.

Page 2

We’re introduced to the Spirits of WuXing for the first time. At least three of them (out of five). They have a problem. One Spirit is dead (the Spirit of the Earth) and they have to find a solution. How the Spirit died is what triggers a chain of events that will involve Juan Jin. This is a game-changer in the History of Spirits. Usually, when a Spirit dies, he’s replaced by someone he or she chose. But here, the Spirit died with no replacement and the remaining Spirits are freaking out. They feel they need to find that person themselves. They’ll, sort of, play the sorcerer’s apprentice and there will be consequences for that. But for now, they set their sights on Juan.



Page 3

Juan wakes up to “I Got You” from Sonny and Cher. It’s just me loving that wake-up scene from Groundhog Day and paying homage to it (laughs). It’s not easy to present a character in very few panels. Fred and I discussed that page a lot. I came up with the idea that he was so obsessed with his martial arts tournament, that he was practicing all the time. So he’d even practice in the shower. Fred even put impacts on the walls in that panel. That’s how much of a fighter Juan Jin is! Last panel, there’s also a poster for The Big Boss. Fred added that. He’s the ultimate Bruce Lee fan. I am, for sure. But Fred is the biggest fan ever. One of the reasons that brought us together is Bruce Lee. And with Intertwined, we’re also paying homage to those movies we’d rent at the video club and see in VHS when we were kids. From that perspective, Intertwined is a labor of love. And believe me when I say that Bruce Lee’s words and philosophy helped me a great deal making this book happen and trying to find my way, as an “alien worker” in America. I can’t stress enough how Intertwined is important for me as a writer and as a human being. It’s fiction, but it’s the kind you can relate to. Because, and even if a lot of people in the United States have forgotten that, we all come from somewhere else. And we have to find keys to happiness in a society that works differently than the one we were raised into. It’s like living in a parallel universe! It looks familiar, but it’s not.

Pages 4-5

On page 4, we see Juan going head to head with the Triads (the Chinese mob). There’s a little Triad emblem on the door of the mini-van one of them is driving (panel 3). This is real! The Chinese mafia has its own logo. It’s fascinating. These pages also have a Spider-Man feel to it. I guess I couldn’t help it. Can’t hide my Spider-Man Noir origins (laughs).

Pages 6-9

This is a classic! The scene between the master and the student. We’ve seen this one too many times in Kung Fu movies and even in Hollywood-made martial arts movies. The Master is important. But the student can also be as talented as he’s reckless, which is Juan’s case.



Page 10

In panel 1, Yuki is introduced. He’s one of the 6 real-life characters who are part of our series. Yuki is a Kickstarter backer of ours. Making him a character was part of his package. I decided to make him the hero’s best friend in Hong Kong. This is a challenge also for Fred as he wasn’t really used to draw likenesses. But I believe Yuki was pleased. This page also shows us the beginning of a funeral service in Hong Kong. When I was researching for the series, I came across all sorts of article which pointed out how difficult and expensive burials were in the little Chinese territory. At some points, you had to wait months until you could organize and decent funeral for your relatives. This is one of the many real life issues I like to talk about. I don’t read a lot of fiction, but I’m a huge news reader. Reality is, of course, an incredible source of inspiration for comic book writers.

Page 12

Lady Xia is in the house! It’s no mystery that I love writing strong female characters. And even more if they’re mysterious too. I have a female-centric comic book that I’ve been working on for years with Leila Leiz called Harem. Leila is now doing Alters at Aftershock and I’m doing Intertwined at Dynamite, but I’m confident that, at one point, we’ll be able to go back and finish Harem together.

For this one page, I simply said to Fred : “I want an Asian Audrey Hepburn”. And he designed the beautiful and deadly Lady Xia. In this issue, you don’t really understand who she is. You see her with mysterious men in the chapel. Then you see her with mobsters in the streets. She’s the unofficial leader of the Spirits. She’ll play a MAJOR role in the issues to come. Stay tuned!



Page 14-16

This scene has been very tough to write but I’m very pleased with the result. It seems very simple, but it’s not. It’s an ordinary scene. An interaction between Juan and his mother. There’s a lot there. I tried to capture the relationship between a mother and her son in 1970s Hong Kong society. She’s tough. She’s cold. She never makes physical contact with her son. But you can see how much she cares. Fred is more comfortable with action scenes than with emotional ones. But there, he completely knocked it in conveying the right level of emotion. Oh, and since we’re in the 1970s, the mom smokes. It has become rare in modern comics. Not that I’m promoting cigarettes, quite the contrary, but it’s what the character does. You know, just like Wolverine back in the day… Just sayin’.

Page 19-23

I wrote this big street fight scene while watching one of my favorite movies, IpMan, with Donnie Yen. For fight scenes, I loosely write and the heavy lifting is done by Fred. First, he LOVES drawing fight scenes, and he’s the Kung Fu expert! His father and grandfather were already practicing and teaching Kung Fu. And the Spirit of Fire character is based on his brother Alex who’s also invested in martial arts. Fred often told me he’d draw positions as accurately as possible, based on his own moves, mixed with the main Kung Fu stars styles (such as Bruce Lee, of course. But also Jet Li or Donnie Yen).

Pages 24-26

These pages are also very dear to me. It’s obvious, but Intertwined is deeply rooted in Asian culture. I got the idea while I was on a trip in Beijing in 2015. And I’ve been exposed to the Chinese world for a long time. My sister-in-law is Chinese and my brother, who’s a talented director, is fluent in Mandarin. He was even able to direct a movie, a web-series and many TV spots in that language with locals. That said, New York has always been a multi-cultural town. And the series was always going to reflect that. When page 24 opens, we’re on a boat. Juan has been dropped by sea pirates paid by Lady Xia on a boat that came from Haïti. Living in Brooklyn, I could realize how much the Haïtian community is generous, united and warm. I have Haïtian friends. We come from different countries, of course, but most of them speak French too, so we can easily communicate in a friendly way. And, just as there’s a lack of positive Asian heroes in comics, there’s a lack of Haïtian heroes too (because frankly, Marvel’s Brother Voodoo is so cliché). When I started talking about it with my friends, they were very happy and just said: “thank you”. They were honored. I intend to respect their culture and their personalities, just like all the characters in my books. I want to publicly thank my friend Roobens for helping me with Haïtian Creole too! There’s also a character named Antwan who’s based on Haïtian-Canadian stand-up comedian Anthony Kavanagh. Anthony is an old friend of my family. His career is in France now, but he always has been a comic book fan too. Antwan is set to become a new kind of hero. Hopefully, with success, I’ll be able to tell his story and show that Haïtian heroes are much more than voodoo-inspired characters!



Next?

You probably ask yourself this question: the creators said Intertwined was “Kung Fu Noir”, but it’s more Kung Fu than Noir. Yes and no. As I said, this is a journey. If you look closely at the Intertwined logo, you’ll see New York on the left and Hong Kong on the right. Juan Jin goes from “Happy HK” to “Dark Chinatown”. This doesn’t happen in an episode. Issue #2 is definitely more Noir-infused, with half the issue taking place in a rude prison facility. And it’s getting darker as we delve into the series. Be prepared. This is just the beginning!

05/09/26 @ 3:03 pm EST

Source: Threads | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: Twitter | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: Threads | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: Deadline | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: Deadline | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: Variety | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: The Hollywood Reporter | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: Deadline | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: IGN.com | Categories: Dynamite

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

Source: comicbookmovie.com | Categories: Dynamite

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.  ...