11/03/16 @ 9:27 pm EST

Source: Bleeding Cool | Categories: Dynamite

A Writer’s Commentary: Max Marks talks Wolfcop #1, on sale now from Dynamite. Cover by Thomas Hodge and interiors by Arcana Studios.



PAGE 1:

Like most people who’ve seen WolfCop possibly hundreds of times, I’ve always agreed with the notion that the movie really comes into its own when Willie and Lou are riding side by side like this. When doing a cold open into the WolfCop universe, I really couldn’t imagine a better way than the two of them going down the road, Lou drinking, and Willie cursing and raving. It’s just the buddy duo vibe they’ve got in a nutshell.The Wolf Cruiser – WolfCop’s car – fits great into this medium, I think. It’s like the Batmobile if the guy who designed it was drunk and had to make it out of a cop car in an afternoon, and I feel like it’s become a character all on its own.

PAGE 2:

Writing in Willie’s voice is probably one of the most natural things a guy can do. The way that he talks in the film is infectious, especially if you’ve had the opportunity to hear Jonathan Cherry doing it off camera. And it’s a good thing, too, since both Lou and WolfCop aren’t really heavy talkers. Like in the movie, Willie fills the air most of the time and just compounds Lou’s headaches when he’s not cheerleading him in Wolf form.If you’re a fan of the movie and want to know how or why Willie is back, the answer is never made clearly in this issue… Though you will get answers eventually in the WolfCop mythos.

PAGE 3:

Probably the best shot of the Wolf Cruiser in the comics. It’s funny that I consider it such a core part of his character, but the first thing I opted to do was essentially kill it in the middle of the road. Frankly you shouldn’t be surprised that a car whose design is mostly comprised of being half torn apart would break down a lot.



PAGE 4:

And of course, when things go wrong, Lou’s solution is always to drink more. A lot more helpful when he’s WolfCop.This page is pretty much the beginning and end of the explanation you’ll have for why WolfCop and Willie are fleeing Woodhaven. The end of the film might give you a few ideas on how things could end up this way.Of course, even when he’s fleeing the law, Lou Garou wears his cop uniform and drives around in that car. He’s not really the planning type.

PAGE 5:

And right into the action. The way I always described the outskirts of Woodhaven was equal parts Canadian prairies and Mad Max. If you’ve ever been out to Saskatchewan, you’d notice that there isn’t a huge difference between the two. Just a lot more sky and a lot fewer bands of marauding motorcycle gangs. I mean, they exist, but they’re not so aggressive.This character is named Stitch-Eye. I think it’s pretty obvious why. If he talks kind of weird, it’s because I’ve heavily based the way he talks on people I had run ins with working security around Vancouver’s downtown east side. You won’t find a Hell’s Angel talking this way, but you’ll find lots of people who want you to believe that they’re friends with Hell’s Angels talking this way. Getting creative with ways to call a cop a pig is a big one. And, of course, that plays out pretty well with the overall theme in this one.

PAGE 6:

Say what you want about Lou’s alcoholism and apathy, he’s got a sense of justice. He just decides to use it at the worst possible times.Drinking and driving is fine, but if he sees what looks like two damsels in distress, he has no problem trying to go Harry Callahan on an armed gang. And of course he gets his ass kicked. Without the moon helping him out, he’s just a drunk cop with a superhuman sense of smell.The digital watch was a new addition. Not a lot of people wear those these days, of course, but Woodhaven always had an early 90s to late 80s retro-contemporary feel to it. And of course, if you’re waiting to literally rip out of your skin, maybe you shouldn’t count on grabbing your smartphone to check in.

PAGE 7:

There are lots of ways to make werewolves transform. Lycan fans all have their own preferences, whether it’s the clean hulk-out style, ones with held back body horror and stomach shifting, vague shadows under the full moon… Or just lots of grossness.Of course, we all know Lowell’s vision with WolfCop was heavy on the gross transformations, and there’s no way I could deny fans that. And it begins with some blood and vomit…



PAGE 8:

WolfCop’s first official appearance in comic form. You do not want this guy riding shotgun with you if he’s not your friend.I like how this turned out especially because of the way WolfCop seems a lot more like just a mad werewolf than a cop in this page. You mostly just see fangs and claws. It’s a common theme for WolfCop that post-transformation he can get a lot more violent. Wouldn’t you, if you’d just torn your way out of your skin and nobody’s even offered you a drink yet?

PAGES 9-10:

Now this is WolfCop! A lot of influence from the barn battle scene in the movie, which is in my opinion hands down WolfCop’s best scene. Some people prefer either his initial transformation scene or the jailhouse sex scene. All three are excellent choices, but I’m just really into when WolfCop is being WolfCop. This is him in his element. Full moon overhead, shrugging off gunfire, and tearing apart lawbreakers in full fury. These are the moments when Lou Garou is ready to let out all that anger he’s been repressing with alcohol for the last thirty-odd years.

PAGE 11:

Stitch-Eye’s got a big gun. If you google “Nitro Express revolver” you’ll understand why. The kind of gun that could conceivably stop a WolfCop. Or a dinosaur. I don’t know why this gun exists in real life. It legitimately looks like a weapon designed for fighting fictional monsters.And Lou Garou gets his sweet revenge. Someone bites his hand and makes him drop his gun, and he bites it right off.You do not want to mess with the WolfCop. No big gun will change that.

PAGE 12:

And the gag has come off for Willie, completing the team! He’s twice as necessary when Lou’s wolfed out like this. WolfCop doesn’t generally string together more than two or three words at a time, and when he does, it’s usually to make some kind of quick pun or demand.One of my regrets in this comic was how few women were in it in general, as these two are the only ones who ever make an appearance in it. I really liked how Jenny (that’s the blonde’s name) turned out with her design and I’m hoping we’ll see her again later.

PAGE 13-14:

This girl, on the other hand, we’ll probably never see again.Though if you ask me, that’s the most rational human response to seeing a werewolf eviscerate a gang of bikers. I wouldn’t care who he was saving me from. I’d want to get as far away as possible.And we’ve got our first appearance for Pigskin. This is what I’d really consider my first big original contribution to the WolfCop mythos. Everything you’ve seen so far is sort of me going off of the world Lowell created and drawing from the best parts of the film. You’ll see nothing like Pigskin in the film. But he’s still got a real grindhouse villain quality to him. He’s the first sign of the expanded world WolfCop is walking into. And you can tell he’s a lot more comfortable with this world than WolfCop is.I kind of regret nobody ever called him by his name in-comic. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a fan of puns (they’re the DNA of all other jokes, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise) and Pigskin works on so many levels.



PAGE 15:

Pigskin’s creepy henchmen, the Butcher Boys, were all made with one basic premise in mind: What weapons did WolfCop not go up against in the film that I really, really wanted to see a werewolf cop fighting? The obvious answer was chainsaws and flamethrowers. The fact that these are also very useful makeshift tools for preparing cannibalistic feasts was just a happy coincidence.On a note about the cannibalism, this was originally conceived in late 2014, a time when you might recall cannibalism was in basically every headline. I don’t know why 2014 was such a big year for cannibalism. But it’s definitely a mainstay for B-movies, and it’s welcome as all hell into the WolfCop universe.

PAGE 16:

People wanting to eat WolfCop is kind of a running theme. In the film, it was his blood. Here, it’s his flesh. Sooner or later, someone’s going to want to grind his bones to make their bread.Willie’s back riding shotgun with WolfCop here, and we’re well into the night, which is WolfCop’s best element.And here we’ve got WolfCop riding a motorcycle while chugging bourbon from a bottle. Gratuitous? Absolutely. Is that a bad thing? I will fight to the death defending the premise that it is not.

PAGE 17:

I always like views of WolfCop with the moon at his back like in this top panel. Things like this are why I’m so glad this character was brought into comics.And here we see WolfCop’s always effective master plan: Chug as much alcohol as possible before charging into combat!It’s actually not a bad plan. Alcohol is to WolfCop like spinach is to Popeye. It’s the secret sauce that makes him stronger than the average werewolf.Even if it wasn’t. I have a feeling Lou would be drinking roughly as much, though.



PAGE 18:

WolfCop with an M60. It had to happen. Even if just for one page.

PAGE 19:

And there’s the nitro pistol in action. Enough to stop a crazed cannibal in his tracks. The lack of a massive exit wound from such a big bullet is intentional, of course. Knocking him down is the best it can do.I’m always happy with the shots of Wolfcop firing into the panel. Werewolf with a gun is just one of the best ways to describe WolfCop.

PAGE 20-21:

And the butcher boys in action!Chainsaws are just such a great piece in anything b-horror, slasher, or monster related. Allan delivered the perfect scenario I’d had in my head here, of WolfCop grappling with one chainsaw while enduring another. If I had to pick a favorite panel in this whole book, it’s this.And Willie actually fires a gun! Which he never actually does in the film, in spite of owning the local gun shop. It just was never really necessary. But we’ve always envisioned him as that perfect redneck sidekick who may be a bit of a coward but is willing to lend a hand when lending a hand means sneaking up on a guy with a shotgun.

PAGE 22:

WolfCop is better when he’s on fire. Just saying. This is one of those visuals we’d never get in a 2 million dollar movie but we all desperately want to see from a character like WolfCop. The fanboy in me just went nuts when I saw these pages.

PAGE 23:

And Pigskin is standing up again. And holding that nitro bullet just so you understand what it means that it didn’t get all the way through him. As if the beatdown he gives WolfCop in the next panel didn’t get that message across.WolfCop’s a tricky character in that, in the world he’s been presented in so far, he’s more or less invincible outside of specific circumstances. I was of the opinion we needed to move away from that. We didn’t want fans to feel comfortable that, given enough moonlight and alcohol, WolfCop would always be safe. So seeing someone just completely wreck him in fisticuffs is the best way to get that settled.WolfCop’s strong, and he’s tough… But I think that what gets him by the most in a fight is his instinct. That might sound a bit weird and vague, but I think it comes across in all of his depictions to date.



PAGE 24:

This transformation was 100% everything I’d hoped it would be. Coming apart at the seems, like he was wearing that bloated body as a costume. Nice similarity as well as contrast with WolfCop’s transformations.In the WolfCop universe, a clean transformation is always unlikely.

PAGE 25:

So, people ask me, why a pig? Well, you can count on WolfCop to lay out the obvious pun there.The design here is a bit reminiscent of some of Gannon’s transformations in the Legend of Zelda series. As an avid gamer I’d be lying if I said there was no influence there. A lot of it comes from my love of Dungeons and Dragons, too. The Wereboar was always a weird monster to me, and one that didn’t get used much. Plenty of people think being part wolf or part tiget is cool. But part boar? I don’t know anyone who would volunteer for that.

PAGE 26:

And this is what I mean by instinct. He’s gutted, about to be eaten… And gun goes in the nostril!A few fellow Canadians have asked me if the burnt toast line was in any way inspired by a certain Canadian heritage minutes video you can find kicking around the web still, and I can neither confirm or deny. Well, I can confirm that there’s definitely something there. Canadian audiences are always so well-attuned to even the most obscure culture references.

PAGE 27:

And they all lived happily ever after!Sort of. WolfCop never really gets to rest, and things only get bloodier and more harrowing for him. But at least he did some good along the way. His car’s still broken down and Willie’s the only one he can rely on, but I felt this ending was enough that even if this was the only one we ever did, it was a great little walk through the potential world of WolfCop.

Thankfully, we’ve got more on the way!

11/01/25 @ 2:53 pm EST

Source: comicbook.com | Categories: Dynamite

There is a major movie franchise out there that is not going by its original name and it’s thanks to the star. When screenwriter Derek Kolstad finished what would become is most popular film, he was inspired by revenge-thrillers with one-word titles like Payback and Shooter. He dubbed his film, Scorn. The problem came when the star of the film went out and talked about it, he always referred to it by the lead character’s name rather than the title. After a while, the studio realized that their star, Keanu Reeves, had done millions of dollars worth of brand recognition for the name John Wick… they decided to go with it and renamed the film. Why Reeves did this is unknown, but Kolstad has since admitted that John Wick is a better franchise name, saying, “I can’t imagine it being Scorn now.” Was this an intentional thing on Reeves’ part or just a happy coincidence? We may never know. 

11/01/25 @ 2:38 pm EST

Source: Deadline | Categories: Dynamite

If you check the major Hollywood sites like Deadline and Variety, they’ll tell you that October 2025 has been the lowest box office take in almost 30 years. It sits currently at $440 million with a few days left to add. In 1998 the box office did $455 million, which this month should just creep past. By comparison October 2018 did $832 million with just three films: Venom, A Star is Born and Halloween, taking in $481 million. But last year, October only took in $478 million showing the decreasing trend. Adding to the decline is the fact that no major releases were scheduled for this weekend because of the Halloween holiday. And what was put into theaters the whole month really didn’t get people’s attention. Tron: Ares was the highest profile film and that hasn’t even broken $70 million in its four weeks in theaters.   When you look at numbers like that, it’s hard not to think about what might have been. There was a big budget film slated for release this month, a film that got delayed and delayed and hasn’t even started filming. A film that finally has a finished script and is set to release in October of 2027… that of course is Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part 2. One of the most anticipated films currently in production, the sequel to the 2022 hit, bolstered also by the fan favorite HBO series The Penguin, would easily match and likely succeed the success of the first film. The Batman opened on March 4, 2022 and ended that month with $338 million domestically.  It was originally scheduled to be released October 3rd, looking at that release date, this year there really wasn’t any big film put in its place. The film would’ve done better than the first and that amount would’ve driven 2025 towards the top of the list, maybe even surpassing 2018. Ah, what could’ve been.  ...

10/26/25 @ 12:25 pm EST

Source: The Direct | Categories: Dynamite

DC Studios has potentially taken a significant step by filing for a trademark for a film titled "Salvation Run." A move that isn’t too surprising since the Salvation planet and the idea of using it as a prison for meta humans was introduced in the season finale of Peacemaker season 2. But the filing does indicate just how big this idea could be for the DCU. "Salvation Run" is a storyline from DC Comics that originally ran in the late 2000s. The story centers on the mass exile of some of DC's most notorious villains to a hostile alien world, forcing them to band together for survival. It was a concept originally pitched to DC by Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin. The trademark filing by DC Studios suggests that the company is considering developing "Salvation Run" into a feature film. While trademark filings do not guarantee that a film will be produced, they often indicate serious intent or early-stage development. The filing protects the title and concept, ensuring that DC Studios retains exclusive rights as plans evolve. Should "Salvation Run" move forward, it could introduce a fresh dynamic to DC's film slate. Instead of focusing on heroes, this story would shine a spotlight on villains, possibly expanding character development and offering audiences new perspectives on well-known antagonists. It also opens opportunities for ensemble casting, complex storytelling, and connections to other DC properties. 

10/26/25 @ 11:56 am EST

Source: The Direct | Categories: Dynamite

For many MCU fans, there has been concerns about when or even if Jeremy Renner would be returning to the role of Clint Barton aka the Avenger Hawkeye. Renner first portrayed the archer in 2011’s Thor and returned in 2012’s The Avengers. He has been popping up as the character in various films and even his own Disney+ series that had been rumored to be getting a second season. And then came New Year’s Day 2023 and a horrific snowplow accident where the actor sustained over 30 broken bones, including a shattered leg, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a punctured lung. Renner has made a miraculous recovery and has returned to working on projects like Mayor of Kingstown and Wake Up Dead Man… but his future in the MCU is still unclear. Earlier this year Renner gave fans a disappointing update when he revealed that Marvel had talked to him about returning for season two but only offered him half of what he made for season one, which he turned down. None of this was looking good, even with two Avengers movies on the horizon. Shift to now where Renner is out doing various interviews and talking about the character again. He spoke of how Clint Barton has repeatedly tried to retire but keeps coming back and how he believes that it will continue that way until the character is killed off. He also said of the Hawkeye series specifically, "We got to where we’re trying to do the second season. And I think I’ll get strong enough to be able to do it. And we’ll work it out. It’s gonna be great." He was also asked by another Avenger actor, Brie Larson, if he would be returning for Avengers: Doomsday, to which he said “no” and then turned it back on her asking, “Are you?” The whole thing was done very playfully. And even if he doesn’t return for Doomsday, there’s always Secret Wars a year later.  ...

10/25/25 @ 12:37 pm EST

Source: Deadline | Categories: Dynamite

The highly anticipated Marvel series, Fantastic Four: First Steps, is set to make its debut on Disney+. Fans of Marvel’s first family have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new adaptation, which promises to bring fresh storytelling and exciting action to the beloved characters of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. The film, which was directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman, will be available for streaming starting November 5th. The Fantastic Four have long been favorites among comic book readers, and with Marvel Studios now handling the property after the luke-warm reception of the first two Fox films and the universally hated reboot. First Steps is not a retelling of the origin story but rather moves on to the team having been well established after four years and dealing with their greatest threat, the world-devourer Galactus. The new cast includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the quartet of heroes along with Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatis and Natasha Lyonne. The film did moderately well in theaters, taking in a worldwide box office total of $521M and an 86% critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes.   

10/25/25 @ 11:38 am EST

Source: Newsweek | Categories: Dynamite

When James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the new co-heads of DC Studios, they put out a list of projects as part of their first phase called Gods & Monsters. And while some of those projects like Creature Commandos, Superman and Lanterns have moved forward, one of the projects seems to be stalled. That would be the DCU version of Batman in an announced The Brave and The Bold project. This is a different Batman from the one Robert Pattinson portrays in the Matt Reeves films and would be a bit older and paired with his son Damian as the current Robin. Andy Muschietti, the director of The Flash, has been attached to the project the entire time and appears to still be in line to helm the project. But in the last week we’ve gotten the first movement on the project in a while. First Gunn said in various interviews that the project is still in the work and has changed some since the initial announcement, but he didn’t go into any specific details. Then Muschietti and his producing partner and sister Barbara were asked about the project while at the premier of their new series Welcome to Derry, and IT prequel story. When asked if they were still doing the film, Barbara said, “The intention is yes, but we can’t talk about it.” Andy added, “We have to wait a few, a couple of months to start talking about it.” But then realizing he may have said too much: “I screwed it already.” This is leading fans to speculate that an announcement is imminent and that we may finally learn who will be donning the cowl opposite David Corenswet’s Superman.    

10/18/25 @ 2:06 pm EST

Source: TV Line | Categories: Dynamite

Though we have yet to see season two of the Percy Jackson series, season three is adding Kate McKinnon, known for her energetic performances and comedic brilliance on “Saturday Night Live,” as the goddess Aphrodite. McKinnon brings her unique charm and wit to the role, promising an exciting new take on the goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite is one of the most famous figures from Greek mythology. She is the goddess of love, beauty, desire, and passion. Ancient Greeks believed Aphrodite had the power to inspire love and attraction in gods and mortals alike. According to myth, she was born from the sea foam and emerged fully grown, captivating all who saw her. Aphrodite’s stories often involve her relationships with gods like Ares and mortal heroes, and she played a key role in the legendary events leading up to the Trojan War, most notably by awarding the golden apple to Paris. With Kate McKinnon stepping into the role, viewers can expect a fresh, humorous, and dynamic portrayal of Aphrodite. Besides her time on SNL, McKinnon has been in various movies including the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters and the 2023 mega-hit Barbie. 

10/18/25 @ 1:49 pm EST

Source: The Direct | Categories: Dynamite

In an interesting turn of events, someone posted an image of the wrap gift for the upcoming Lanterns series, showing a baseball hat with the Green Lantern symbol and in the center of that symbol, a series of concentric circles. That person then commented that the modified logo could be indicating an involvement of The Centre, the main antagonist in Darwyn Cooke’s celebrated DC: The New Frontier series. That post was then removed by Warner Bros… In completely unrelated coincidence, have you read The New Frontier? Let me tell you about The Centre, a metaphysical, almost Lovecraftian presence, embodying existential dread and posing a challenge unlike any other faced by the world’s greatest superheroes. The Centre made its debut in "DC: The New Frontier" (2004), a miniseries that bridges the gap between the Golden Age and Silver Age of superheroes. In this alternate history, The Centre is portrayed as an ancient, primordial being that predates humanity itself. It is described as the very source of life on Earth, a sentient landmass that witnessed the rise and fall of prehistoric creatures and eventually grew to despise humanity, whom it perceives as a threat to the planet’s balance. The Centre is not a conventional villain. It is a massive, floating island with psychic and reality-altering abilities. Its consciousness spans across its entire form, making it nearly impossible to attack or reason with in any traditional sense. The Centre’s powers include: <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Telepathy: The Centre can communicate with and manipulate the minds of others, sending visions, inducing madness, or telepathically broadcasting its intentions. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Physical Invulnerability: Its immense size and composition make it resistant to most forms of attack, even those from the world’s strongest superheroes. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Creation of Monsters: The Centre spawns various mutated and monstrous creatures to defend itself and attack humanity. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Levitation and Flight: It can float above the Earth, moving with intention and purpose. In "DC: The New Frontier," The Centre’s appearance catalyzes the unification of the DC universe’s heroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and The Flash. Realizing that The Centre’s power is too great for any single hero to face alone, they join forces, combining their unique abilities and intellects in a coordinated assault. This is basically the precursor for the Justice League and would be an interesting story to loosely adapt if you were, say, building a new cohesive universe.  ...

10/11/25 @ 11:50 am EST

Source: Deadline | Categories: Dynamite

Rian Johnson, the acclaimed writer-director behind the “Knives Out” franchise, has made headlines with his latest entry, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” Johnson has openly described this third film as the closest the series has come to emulating the classic structure of an Agatha Christie novel—a deliberate shift from the subversive approaches of “Knives Out” and “Glass Onion.” At the Deadline Contenders London event, Johnson explained that “Wake Up Dead Man” adopts a “more traditional murder mystery structure,” echoing the formula Christie perfected. In his words: “This is how most Agatha Christie books work, where in the first act you meet all the suspects, you meet the protagonist, who’s not the detective. Then the murder happens, and the detective shows up.” This marks a departure from the previous films, which played with audience expectations—solving the murder early in “Knives Out,” and presenting a deceptively simple case in “Glass Onion.” In “Wake Up Dead Man,” Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc returns to tackle a darker, more gothic mystery, set in a remote stone church and featuring religious intrigue. The film’s protagonist, played by Josh O’Connor, is a priest who becomes Blanc’s sidekick, further grounding the story in classic whodunnit territory. Johnson also cited inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe, aiming for a “grounded, gothic tone” that predates Christie’s work. With the release of “Wake Up Dead Man,” Johnson completes his two-film deal with Netflix. So, what’s next? Johnson has confirmed that he will be taking a break from the “Knives Out” series to focus on an original project. “I’m writing right now, [but] it’s not one of these [Knives Out] films. It’s just something completely different, an original thing. I actually feel very energized after making this one [Wake Up Dead Man], but this is three in a row. It’s probably healthy to see other people.” He hasn’t revealed details about this new project or whether it will be with Netflix, but he’s made it clear that he wants to explore a different genre. Johnson’s creative philosophy is to “empty the well and then start from scratch,” ensuring each new film is a fresh challenge. Despite the break, Johnson remains enthusiastic about returning to the world of Benoit Blanc. He’s stated that as long as Daniel Craig is interested and audiences are engaged, he’d be happy to keep making “Knives Out” mysteries for life. Producer Ram Bergman echoed this, saying future installments are possible, but for now, the focus is on Johnson’s original script. ...

10/11/25 @ 11:37 am EST

Source: Deadline | Categories: Dynamite

The Season 2 finale of Peacemaker has left fans with mixed feelings and a lot of speculation for the future. Known for its irreverent humor, brutal action, and surprising depth, the closing episode focused more on wrapping up emotional drama but also planted significant seeds for the future of the DC Universe (DCU). This was done through the introduction of Checkmate and Salvation, signaling the long-term direction for the first phase of the new universe. Checkmate, for those unfamiliar with DC Comics lore, is a covert intelligence agency known for operating in the shadows, often handling threats that are too dangerous or politically sensitive for public superhero teams. They first appeared in Action Comics #598, created by Paul Kupperberg and Steve Erwin. While in the comics, the organization is created by Amanda Waller, in the HBO Max series, it is founded by Amanda’s daughter, Leota Adebayo and the rest of the 11th Street Kids using the drug money that Vigilante had been saving. Their arrival marks a significant turning point, suggesting that future seasons—and perhaps other DCU projects—will explore the complex world of espionage, betrayal, and secret wars within the superhero community. Salvation in the comics is a prison planet where Waller and Rick Flag started sending metahumans too powerful to be held in regular prisons. This was introduced in the Salvation Run comic series, originally pitched by George R.R. Martin, written by Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges and drawn by a variety of artists including Sean Chen and Joe Bennet. This lead into the Final Crisis event which had Darkseid coming to Earth. In the series, Salvation is an alternate reality discovered through the Quantum Unfolding Chamber that appears to be Earth-like and ideal for Flag and Lex Luthor’s plan for a place to send Metahumans. The season ends with Chris Smith aka Peacemaker, forced into Salvation by Argus and left to fend for himself. These introductions show that James Gunn overall plan for Gods & Monsters, the first phase of the DCU, is going to loosely adapt Salvation Run and may lead us to a version of Final Crisis. Even though there is a cliffhanger ending, Gunn has said that there are no immediate plans for a third season of Peacemaker, but he’s promised that these characters will be seen again soon, and the existence of Salvation will playout over all of the DCU including the upcoming Lanterns series and the 2027 film Man of Tomorrow. Reaction to the finale has been mixed with some fans disappointed with the lack of action nor any big cameo that many had speculated. Other fans though appreciated the emotional catharsis achieved by the characters and the new direction which included a few members of Argus, specifically Sasha Bordeaux, Langston Feury and Judo Master, becoming members of Checkmate along with the 11th Street Kids. Where and how we’ll see this story continue has yet to be announced.     ...