Finally, after many months of waiting, speculating and wondering when the next Batman v Superman trailer would make its way online it happened. Many folks were overjoyed that this new trailer showed some new footage. However, there was a good fraction of the crowd that truly believe the footage went overboard and showed far too much. Maybe Zack Snyder and the WB Marketing team did overstretch and give us too much this time around. That aside, the other major complaint which was much louder online than the too much footage issue was the reveal of Doomsday. Many fans were quite frustrated that this new trailer revealed the big baddy in the film, which was Doomsday. Personally, I think that it was a great idea to show that Doomsday was in the film during the trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and there are plenty of reasons to WHY he had to be shown during the final moments of the trailer.

Back in May, Umbero “El Mayimbe” Gonzalzez came on Shanlian on Batman (Episode 31) and shared to the world that Doomsday was in fact the big baddie in the film, and last weeks trailer confirmed El Mayimbe scoop that indeed Doomsday was in the film. Last week’s trailer finally gave us our first glimpse of that villain who many believe is one of Superman’s better villains in the DC universe. It seemed that people were pretty split along the lines 50/50 on the overall look, but the overall look of a character is ultimately subjective. Social Media’s knee jerk reaction of this reveal in the trailer was overwhelmingly negative. It could probably be safe to say that over 90% of the online community thought that Snyder and the Marketing Department over at Warner Bros. should have waited until the film actually came out in March. However, I strongly believe that Warner Bros. played it smart by actually showing that villain in the trailer.

This latest trailer was more or less a ‘hype’ video for this film. It has been well documented that the Civil War teaser trailer that was just released which actually last  was checked bested this Batman v Superman trailer almost 2:1. Do trailer views lead to more money at the box office? Perhaps. But, at the end of the day WB and this new DCEU has an uphill battle that they are facing when it comes to getting their shared universe into the stratosphere like the MCU has. Perhaps the overall thinking over at WB was it should show the villain to get more people excited over him squaring off with our DC heroes. Could it possibly be that WB was afraid that a leaked photo of Doomsday would either make it online or a toy would find its way out on Amazon, and would actually spoil the look of him in the film? We did just see that Aquaman toy leak all over the internet highway. But lets not forget that the potential real reason why WB decided to show Doomsday off (complete speculation) was that they know they need to put their best foot forward with this new DCEU franchise since Marvel has been making great films since 2008.

Lets not forget that there have been 12 Marvel films so far and total ticket sales of those films reach over 9 Billion dollars. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been crushing it since its inception 7 years ago, and it doesn’t seem like that money train of success is slowing down anytime soon. Even Ant-Man produced half a billion dollars at the box office. 2016 will be no slouch for the MCU either, not only is Captain America: Civil War coming out, but they will also have Doctor Strange ready in the latter half of the year.

So this new DC Extended Universe has a lot of catching up to do. Like it was said previously the new trailer shouldn’t be thought of as only a trailer, but a hype video for the film. The reason it had to show so much and had to show the ‘big baddie’ was it has to compete  not only against Civil War, but Deadpool as well. That film comes out a few months before BvS and that film is going to make tons of money for Fox.

Doomsday HAD to be shown this early in the marketing of the BvS film. Sure, maybe there could have been another way to do it, maybe just have Lex in the trailer say the words “Doomsday” and the comic book fans would get that reference, but the fact remains these films are not made for comic book fans anymore. Comic book fans that love the source material and read comics regularly are the minority. This superhero genre is now for the general movie audience, not just the die hard fans of the original comic book source material. Sure that statement might rub a few people the wrong way, but lets face facts. Comic book fans are just a small fraction of the audience of who actually go and view these films at the theatre. These films are made for mass consumption, and appeal to so many to different genders, ethnicities etc… Batman v Superman has appeal to a very wide mass of audience to make its money back and to not be seen as a colossal failure. Only saying that one very cryptic word would probably not bait the everyday movie to seeing that film anymore. But seeing that villain on the big screen might tantalize their pallet just enough to buy tickets opening day.

The fans of the MCU have always complained that those MCU films really don’t have a strong villain presence throughout their franchise. Their really hasn’t been a good villain presented on screen, unless you consider the Fake Mandarin in Iron Man 3 the best of all the Marvel films. Many were disappointed when it was revealed at the end that twist that made many people scratch their heads in disappointment over that reveal. The Robert Redford character in Captain America: The Winter Soldier might actually be the best villain that the MCU has had thus far. For having so many films already completed none of those villains really stick out. In the Iron Man franchise, Iron Man usually fights his own technology even through the Avengers films. Now don’t get me wrong me wrong I’m not trying to disparage those Iron Man movies those films are really enjoyable especially the first one, didn’t care for Iron Man 2 as much but those films are not giant lumps of dog crap. Loki is a great villain, but when you think of him in the MCU you see him tow the line of being an anti-hero maybe just a little bit more than you should. Maybe this is the way you really jump start this new DCEU franchise by giving a great follow-up villain to General Zod and raising those stakes with Doomsday. Doomsday is a formable foe to our DC heroes, and he is one of the few who can stand toe to toe in a battle with the Man of Steel. Doomsday killed Superman back in the 90’s in The Death of Superman comic book arc.

Showing Doomsday won’t hurt the overall viewing experience of this film, it was the natural progression of who the next villain would be in the next DC film. After Doomsday was finally revealed most people were thrilled with it so much, that they started talking about who the next villain would be in the Justice League film. Perhaps Darkseid might make an appearance  since there were Parademons in this latest trailer. Nonetheless, this film will not fail at the box office or even be looked down upon by the critics just because they showed who the villain was of this film in a trailer months prior. Don’t they always show villains in every single comic book film trailer anyway? The only one that I can think of that wasn’t revealed recently was Two-Face in The Dark Knight. Nolan and company kept a lid on that one for the most part until that film was finally released in summer 2008. Villain talk aside, the only thing that should really matter should be if Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is great and lives up to our expectations. Was it worth the extra year that the filmmakers needed to create this new world? With that being said we should be looking forward to seeing Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the DC heroes facing off against Doomsday come March of 2016.

By

Justin E. Shanlian

Now that the dust is finally settling on Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Knight game, it looks like WB Montreal might be working on another Batman game, or at the very least a future DC Comics video game.

Over at WBMontrealGames.com they have an inspiring recruitment video trying to get some fresh blood to fill some vacant spots to help begin development on future DC Games.

“We are a growing studio with two AAA projects in development focused on expanding the DC Comics universe in the interactive space.”

Could this be a new Arkham game? Or a Justice League inspired game? Could we be lucky enough for a Suicide Squad game to coincide with the release of that film? Only time will tell what the next game from this studio will be.

WB Games Montreal is known for the smash hit Batman: Arkham Orgins which nicely followed its predecessor Batman: Arkham City. Now that Rocksteady has finished with its run in Gotham, it looks like the logical choice would be to let WB Montreal work on the next game since it already has worked in that world before.

If WB Montreal is in fact working on the development of this game, lets hope that they learn from all the mistakes from Batman: Arkham Knight and fix those issues before the game releases. Let’s also hope that this game focuses more on a cohesive story than mission after mission using the Bat-mobile.

Hit the Jump for the original link

http://wbgamesmontreal.com/en/

During Monday’s Fall Finale of Gotham make sure you stay for the entire episode as Warner Bros. Pictures will be showing a special “sneak peak” of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Could it be a new trailer or a few minutes of the film being showed? Who knows, we at Shanlian On Batman remember back in 2005 when Smallville premiered 8 minutes of Batman Begins. However, we doubt they will show that much footage. Make sure you check out Gotham Monday at 8 pm.

Reading this again, was actually a ton of fun. It’s been a while since I picked this one up. In fact, Batman Year One was the first comic my dad ever gave me, and the first one I ever read. It was my first adventure, my first hero, my first dive into a paged world where people in capes jumped off rooftops and saved the day. Shout out to my dad for making sure my first time was this epic.

This one’s coming from the heart, guys.

Year One is an origin story. (Duh) But for those of you who have never read it, it’s not just Bruce’s story of his journey to becoming Batman. It’s Jim Gordon’s story too. And that is what makes this story a game changer. Team BatJim has been so essential to the Batman universe as a whole, and watching them experience their beginnings, if you will, together, is deep, dark, heart wrenching, and downright badass.

Now, for a first issue, this story does a lot more than set a foundation and explain a lot of things, something many first issues are usually built on. Miller gets right into the action, and the dark, gritty cloud that always hangs over Gotham City. Bruce and Gordon, have both just arrived in Gotham City, Gordon relocating for work, and Bruce returning after a 12 year absence. Bruce is ready to be back, ready to start the mission of saving his city, even though he doesn’t quite know how yet. Gordon just wants to bail.

I mean, let’s just be honest. Would you be trying to move to Gotham City?

NOPE.

In this first chapter, Gordon is contending with his new department, and Commissioner Leob and Jim’s new partner Flass, kinda suck. They’re motivated by their own self interests, and even worse, their own greed. Gordon has never been that guy, though, and they try very hard to force him into submission. (Late night, baseball bats, threats – the works) But Gordon ain’t no punk. And his comeback beatdown, was epiccccc. They weren’t ready.

Man. I wasn’t ready.

Meanwhile, Bruce is busy getting his lay of the land, and training at home. i.e Breaking small structures made from brick and kicking down trees, because yes. Yes, he can. He also goes out on his first run in the East End, which was a lot less successful than he was hoping for.

Basically, he got his ass kicked.

He wasn’t ready. Too cocky, too reckless, too quick to start a fight.

When he gets home, injured, bleeding, dying, he can’t decide if he wants to survive this. Ring the bell and Alfred will come, but if he leaves it, if he just leaves it… it’s all over. No more of any of this. And it’s tempting. But Bruce is a fighter. For him there is no ‘I can’t.’ Hell, there isn’t even ‘I can.’ The only thing Bruce has is ‘I will.’

Needless to say he rang the bell. I’m sure Alfred had a fit.

The writing in this story is amazing. The personal narratives of Bruce and Jim, are telling, poignant, and sharp. It’s all the classic ingredients of a gritty detective story, but it’s been cooked a different way. Like, with saffron or something. Because it doesn’t read like something you’ve read before. It maintains a freshness that keeps you turning the page.

There are little things that make big impacts too. For example, Gordon’s narrative is one yellow paper, whereas Bruce’s is on white. And each narrative is in their respective handwriting. There are also a ton of one liners in here that are soooo good. The kind that you have to pause and think about, then read again, then try not to burn yourself on the heat coming off the page. I’m telling you, Year One is the real deal .

And the art is just friggin’ classy. It’s old school, and the colors are mellow. Feels like you’re in the heart of the city, covered in the filth, lost in the lights. It brings you in, no, it invites you in. They want you to come into this world.

Me? I’ve been chilling here for a minute.

But you should swing by sometime.

I promise, it’s one hell of a ride.

Yesterday, Jo Blo came out with a very spoilerish article stating that Ben Affleck’s Batman would make its way in Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman film. If this came to fruition, which it probably will not it would be interesting to see Ben’s Batman cross pollinate into another DC film. We already know that he will be making an appearance in Suicide Squad and the subsequent Justice League films, but a Wonder Woman film? Doesn’t that seem a bit much?

Our take on this is Ben will PROBABLY NOT make it into a Wonder Woman film, and regards to those other things that were spoiled on Jo Blo, we too also think that is false. Why? Well look at it this way, why after all this time of everything being on lockdown at Warner Bros. would we finally get a treasure trove of information about a film that has yet to begin production? Sounds like the studio, or whomever gave them this information could have done so to mislead them or to take them off the trail of something bigger in the works.

Whatever the case may be, we at Shanlian on Batman do not think in the slightest that Ben will be in a future Wonder Woman film, but many things could change over the course of the next few months as filming begins very soon.

Per DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation the first trailer for Batman: Bad Blood has finally made its way online. This is the latest DC-Animated film that comes to us an an original feature, that follows the likes of Son of Batman and Batman vs. Robin.

Jason O’Mara reprises his role as the Caped Crusader for the fifth time with this outing. Sean Maher stars as Nightwing, Stuart Allen will play the boy wonder of Robin and Ghostbuster alumn Ernie Hudson rounds out the cast as Lucious Fox.

The plot for this film is still under wraps, but we will sure get more news on this film as the release of Batman: Bad Blood inches closer to us in early 2016. Check out the video from DC All Access at the 1:17 mark to play the trailer for the film.

With New York City Comic Con beginning today and running through the end of the weekend, rumors have been running wild on whether or not we would be seeing a new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Trailer or any piece of marketing from the film. Might we see a new poster, stills from the movie or another trailer? The wait for that answer may end in a few hours or just a few days. Fortunately for fans the viral marketing of the film seems to be revving up, as we not only got our first inside look at Lex Luthor from a Fortune 500 article just a few days ago, and his own twitter handle. But looks like Lex Corp will be taking up a booth at NYCC, and giving all the fans free wi-fi as well. Now this morning via a Youtube video we could to see a nice minute long video that promotes the new Lex Corp/OS so definitely be on the look out this weekend as something in fact may drop.

Here is that video check it out!