Hello There!
My name is Stephen Fenech, and I am brand new to steemit. As I was scrolling through the various popular pages and tags, I started to notice something very peculiar. Comic Books and Superheros are nowhere to be found! Now I am 23 years of age and have been reading comics since I was able to comprehend them, so I can see how the lack of men-in-tights wouldn't be an issue to most adult-aged users of steemit. However, one cannot deny that the recent mega success story that is Marvel Studios has indeed shifted the way the world views these caped crusaders. Not only has Marvel Studios dominated the box office...attracting groups of all ages, ethnicity, and sex...but they have also extended their reach to virtually every corner of every supermarket. All this success ultimately culminated in a deal with Disney to join forces and dominate pop culture as we know it. The rest is history. The rest of the entertainment industry seems to be hopping on this gravy train and for good reason! Where the men in tights go, people and their wallets are sure to follow.
As for me, I would like to start a dialogue about the state of the comic book industry (Film & Book) on steemit, and I plan to accomplish this by launching a weekly blog named "Metahuman Weekly", hence giving this article its name. In it, I will cover a wide range of topics...from trailer breakdowns, to movie reviews, and everything in-between. It is my hope that the community will find this entertaining and stimulating, and I absolutely encourage everyone who is interested in these topics to speak up and join the discussion! I know there has to be someone else out there who would appreciate a nice healthy dose of superheros here on steemit. So without further ado, let's begin!
Since I spent a good portion of this article introducing myself and the point of this weekly blog, I won't ramble on for too long. Rather, I will save some topics for next week. As for this week, we will discuss the state of the DC Cinematic Universe, as well as the upcoming Aquaman film directed by James Wan (creator of The Conjuring universe, among many other great films). After the major success of the Marvel films, their rival company, DC Comics, decided to launch a cinematic universe of their own. They launched this universe with the release of Man Of Steel, and although it got shaky reviews by the critics, it still managed to get a passing score on most reviewing sites, and most fans did seem to like it. They immediately announced a sequel to the film, and the hype really began to grow. DC is home to some of the most iconic superheros of all time, such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, and many others. With that pantheon of god-like characters (as well as amazing villains such as the Joker and Lex Luthor) people were starting to wonder if this new cinematic universe could really take down the giant that had become Marvel Studios.....
These thoughts were soon put to rest after the release of the sequel to Man of Steel. This extremely disappointing sequel was titled "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", and although the trailers were able to raise the hype to unprecedented levels, the movie itself fell flat and was universally panned among critics. I personally was okay with the initial theater release of the film, but it was apparent to me that a very large portion of the film had been cut out. My hunch proved to be correct as almost as soon as the movie began to falter at the box office, Warner Bros. issued a statement saying they planned to release a "3-hour extended cut" that was to be rated R (as opposed to PG-13). Three Hours! That was over 40 minutes of additional footage. This was when I began to lose faith...not in DC Comics...but Warner Bros. as their parent company. It was apparent to everyone that they had been heavily altering their films in order to fill more theater seats. This was confirmed by multiple artists working on projects such as BvS and the later-released "suicide squad. Although the "Ultimate Cut" was indeed far better than the theater release of BvS, it wasn't nearly enough to save the franchise's image, and the angry fans started calling for a reboot.
In response, Warner Bros. fired almost their entire creative team in charge of the planning of this still-new cinematic universe and moved forward with the much-anticipated release of the first female-led superhero film...Wonder Woman. Lucky for Warner Bros., Wonder Woman was loved by critics and fans alike, and received universal praise for being bold in pursuit of the first female superhero film. This, it seemed, was barely enough to keep the universe afloat and DC took this opportunity to reorganize their approach and make sure they hired the right teams to make any upcoming films. Oh, and you know...maybe stop sticking their greedy hands all up in these characters whom they know nothing about.
This leads us to Aquaman, the next hero in line to get his own feature film. After riding the success of Wonder Woman, the time has come for Warner Bros. to prove that they can make quality films on a consistent basis. Many people see this as DC Cinematic Universe's last chance to win back the critics, as well as the fans. Some are skeptical, but most seem to be optimistic. The film is, after all, being directed by one of the best directors in Hollywood at the moment (James Wan), and he has shown that he is capable of carrying the burden of a cinematic universe before.
From the trailers, this movie seems simply delightful! It appears to be everything we as comic book fans could ever want in an Aquaman film, and has oozed adventure, excitement, comedy, and vibrancy. Another notable positive takeaway from the trailers is the amazingly bright color palette that Wan has chosen. From yellow-orange sands of the Sahara, to the deep blues and purples of the Lost City of Atlantis, every frame seems to burst out of the screen with life. James Wan definitely seems to know the character (and his world) very well, and no shot exemplifies this idea more than the final shot of the 5-minute comic-con sneak peak seen below:
This shot alone was enough to set the comic book community ablaze with excitement, as it proves that Warner Bros. is finally ready to fully accept the true (and somewhat goofy) nature of the comic book characters they are trying to bring to life. Not only this, but they have managed to make Aquaman look completely bad ass! This is significant because Aquaman has been seen largely as a joke by the casual comic book audience for decades (due largely in part to his portrayal in the "Super Friends" animated TV show), and has often been referred to as "the dude who can talk to fish" by people outside the comic book community. This film looks to finally make Aquaman relevant again and will show off the full extent of his powers. Most people don't even realize how powerful he is! He could hold his own against Superman and Wonder Woman, and has one of the most complete power sets in the entire DC universe. I couldn't be more excited.
I have MUCH more to say about the state of DC comics and their relationship with Warner Bros., but I realize that this article is starting to tilt towards the lengthy side, so I will wrap it up for this week. A fair warning to those returning for next week's topic: I spent a rather large portion of this week's article explaining things. This will not continue into further articles. From here on out, you will be expected to have a general idea of what is happening in the world of comics, so that we may spend less time explaining and more time discussing! To all the comic book lovers out there who have made it to the end of this article, you have my utmost thanks and appreciation. Whether you are new to this fantastical world of men in tights, or you have been reading about it since you could crawl, it is my sincere hope that you will return for next week's topic! Until Then....
Peace and Love to you all,
-SAF