It's hard to find an individual who likes the month of August. Summer is slowly coming to an end and kids are being dragged back to school. Overall it is an unpleasant situation and now with this pandemic added on top of it all, August just seems like the absolute worst. But for once in 2020, there seems to be a sliver of good news. If you have been living under a rock for the last couple of months, then you haven't heard of DCFandome. As other companies stand idly by with no content to share or forcing payment of some kind (I.e. Disney with Mulan), Warner Bros has decided to present a ton of upcoming projects at their own version of comic con called DCFandome. Hundreds of stars will be in attendance virtually with announcements of new shows, movies, projects, and overall hype. There's a lot to unpack but here are my top five most anticipated things about the event.
1. Video Game News
After five long years, Rocksteady Studios announced they are working on a new DC Video Game center around The Suicide Squad. Rocksteady Studios is known for its critically acclaimed Batman games with the most recent one releasing June of 2015 with "Batman: Arkham Knight" (2015). All these years there has been speculation to what the next game in the DC canon would be, and as each E3 or Video Game Awards passed the likelihood of a new DC game became less and less with people starting to lose hope. But now, ever since their tweet from Friday, revealing after all these years their new project. The hype is back, and fans can not contain their excitement. On top of that, there are right now murmurs about another Batman game called: "Gotham Knights" being produced by WB Montreal. The game would have you play as the Batfamily fighting an evil cult and already I am onboard.
2. HBOMax Content
Even though production on pretty much 90% of Hollywood has come crashing to a halt, that does not mean there isn't anything to announce. Since DC is owned by Warner Bros. that means there is a possibility of DC shows beginning production on HBO Max. Right now DC has their streaming service "DCUniverse" Which houses shows like "Titans" and "Swamp Thing". However, since the launch of HBO Max, shows that originally debuted on the app like "Doom Patrol" has had shared ownership between the two streaming services. I think as DC Universe is slowly dissolved and becomes a comic only platform, production will shift over to HBOMax, allowing for more opportunities and higher production for these shows. I cannot wait to see what they announce at the event, my hopes is some detail on the new Gotham City Police show. Some things in the works right now also include the Green Lantern show and Catwoman starring Zoe Kravitz.
3. Star Power
DC released the list of people involved with DCFandome and it is a lot of individuals. From the crew of Young Justice like Greg Wiseman and Nolan North to big stars like Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson and his upcoming project "Black Adam". Other stars expected to promote their projects include Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins and their highly anticipated film: "Wonder Woman 1984" that was delayed due to Covid. Over 300 or so stars will be in attendance at this online event and it seems it will not be like this past comic con where it was just a bunch of Zoom panels. Instead, it seems WB is definitely planning something special. A lot of people doubt DC for their stars in the past, citing Marvel to have the better overall cast and crew with their projects. And while yes Marvel makes excellent entertainment, there is no denying that DC can't do the same.
4. Comic Book News
DC Comic books are the best in the industry right now. While Marvel may have won the movie battle, DC wins in every other category; especially in comics! Right now, in the world of comics, Batman issue #100 is only weeks away with very talented people attached like Jorge Jimenez and James Tynion IV. DC also has some other series being hyped up like DCeased (Zombie Series) and Wonder Woman's comic run as her movie slowly approaches. As you probably know I am an avid fan of comic books in general and think they are a staple to American culture, so I am glad to see companies like DC focusing on telling engaging stories.
5. Overall Community Presentation
What makes DCFandome stand out from other virtual conventions is its overall presentation. All the content and announcements will be accessible for free. In a time when money is tight and other companies like Disney are forcing consumers to fork over the money, it is nice to see DC step up to the plate and shift focus back to their fans. Over the last couple of years, new management has helped the company get back on its feet and I believe now as just a general comic book fan it is a good time to recognize and celebrate DC.
I will provide an update to all the announcements and overall presentation of the event in the coming weeks. I am keeping my fingers crossed for some Batman content but we shall see!
