Your 2020 Geek Movie & TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for, Like, Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2020.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these TV shows and films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

1 - Doctor Who (TV)

9 - Star Trek Short Treks: Children of Mars (TV)

14 - Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow (Crisis on Infinite Earths Parts 4 & 5) (TV)

15 - The Magicians (TV)

19 - Batwoman, Supergirl (TV)

20 - Black Lightning (TV)

23 - Star Trek: Picard (TV)

24 - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV)

FEBRUARY

February 2020? - Last Week Tonight, The Umbrella Academy (TV)

4 - The Flash (TV)

7 - Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Movie)

14 - Fantasy Island (Movie)

21 - Bloodshot (Movie)

23 - The Walking Dead (TV)

MARCH

March 2020? - American Gods, Stargirl, What We Do in the Shadows (TV)

27 - Mulan (Movie)

APRIL

April 2020? - Harley Quinn, Star Trek: Discovery, Westworld (TV)

3 - The New Mutants (Movie)

8 - No Time to Die (Movie), Twin Peaks 30th Anniversary

MAY

May 2020? - Dune: The SIsterhood, Lucifer (TV)

1 - Black Widow (Movie)

9 - Artemis Fowl (Movie)

JUNE

June 2020? - Doom Patrol, Wynonna Earp (TV)

5 - Wonder Woman 1984 (Movie)

JULY

July 2020? - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Boys, Pennyworth (TV)
3 - Free Guy (Movie)
10 - Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Movie)
17 - Tenet (Movie)
31 - Morbius (Movie)

AUGUST

August 2020? - Mindhunter (TV)
21 - Bill and Ted Face the Music (Movie)

SEPTEMBER

September 2020? - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Simpsons, Stranger Things, Titans (TV)
18 - The King's Man (Movie)

OCTOBER

October 2020? - Castle Rock, The Walking Dead (TV)
2 - Venom 2 (Movie)

NOVEMBER

November 2020? - The Mandalorian (TV)
6 - The Eternals (Movie)
20 - Godzilla vs. Kong (Movie)

23 - Doctor Who 57th Anniversary

DECEMBER

18 - Dune (Movie)
25 - The Tomorrow War (Movie)

SOMETIME IN 2020 - BizarroTV, Helstrom, Invincible, Jupiter's Legacy, The Sandman, Strange Adventures, WandaVision (TV)

THE FANDOM ZONE 172: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Parts 1, 2 & 3" Is Up!

"Keep riding the lightning, son.  I know you'll make us all proud."
-- The Flash (Earth-90) to The Flash (Earth-1), The Flash: "Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Three"

Hello again, everyone!  My co-host Jesse Jackson and I are back with a very special episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  This time, we're joined by DJ Nik from The Whiskey & Cigarettes Show to discuss the first three parts of "Crisis on Infinite Earths", the sixth annual Arrowverse crossover event, based on the classic 1985-86 DC Comics maxi-series and featured in episodes of Supergirl, Batwoman and The Flash!

In this episode, Jesse, Nik and I talk about things like DJ Nik making his debut on The Fandom Zone Podcast, rereading the original Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Perez, Crisis being adapted for television on The CW, former original TitanTalk member and Supergirl writer Jay Faerber, all the great cameos from previous DC Comics movies and TV shows, the destruction of Argo City and Earth-38 Superman and Lois sending their son Jonathan to Earth in an escape pod, Oliver passing on the Green Arrow mantle to his daughter Mia and his death scene, Kevin Conroy's amazing Batman voice, Brandon Routh reprising Superman, Kevin Conroy playing an older Batman who murdered criminals and Superman, Supergirl and Batwoman as the new Flash and Green Arrow, Heat Wave babysitting Jonathan, Tom Welling and Erica Durance reprising Smallville's Clark Kent and Lois Lane, John Constantine meeting Lucifer Morningstar, Oliver becoming the new Spectre, Black Lightning stepping up after learning his entire family has been destroyed, antimatter cannons being very bad for Flashes, John Wesley Shipp getting a heroic ending as the Flash from Earth-90, the Danny Elfman theme from The Flash, our favorite quotes of all three episodes, listener David K. Proctor being turned on to Watchmen, and more!

You can check out episodes of The Fandom Zone using...

Google Play Music -- HERE 

iTunes/Apple Podcasts -- HERE

Direct Download MP3s/Libsyn -- HERE

Spotify -- HERE

Stitcher -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Facebook -- HERE

The Fandom Zone on Twitter -- @FandomZoneCast

The Fandom Zone on Instagram -- HERE

And if that isn't enough for you, you can also check us out on YouTube, Soundcloud, and the official Southgate Media Group website!  Oh, and if you're interested in an officially official Fandom Zone Podcast t-shirt that all the cool kids are wearing, you can get those on TeePublic HERE as well!  Feel free to post a picture on our Facebook page of you or some other cool person you know wearing the shirt!

Be sure to come back in a few days, as Jesse and I review "A God Walks into a Bar", the eighth episode of HBO's Watchmen, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

BIRDS OF PREY Trailer Fantabulously Emancipates One Harley Quinn

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first full trailer for Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), based loosely on the DC Comics superteam.  Since the events of Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn has left the Joker and Batman has disappeared, leaving Gotham City unprotected from crime.  When a young girl named Cassandra Cain comes across a diamond belonging to crime lord who goes by the name of Black Mask, Harley joins forces with Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to protect her.

The two-minute trailer opens with Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) sharing a drink with Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) in a club.  "Do you know what a harlequin is?" asks Harley in an unusually somber tone.  "A harlequin's role is to serve.  It's nothin' without a master.  No one give two shits who we are beyond that."

As the haunting song "Hymne à l'amour" (Hymn to Love) by Edith Piaf begins to play, we see Harley tearfully cutting her long pigtails shorter.  "The Joker and I broke up," she remarks in a voiceover.  I wanted a fresh start.  But it turns out I wasn't the only dame in Gotham looking for emancipation."

We see Black Canary singing at Sionis' nightclub as Dinah Lance, followed by Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) walking out of police headquarters with her things in a cardboard box as her fellow officers applaud.  Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is shown aiming a crossbow at Harley in an alley before lowering the weapon and lowering the lid of her motorcycle helmet.

Next, we see Black Mask/Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor) exclaim "Spectacular news!" as he walks into a room (without his mask) to find three of the Birds of Prey hanging upside down by their bound feet and wearing gags.

We glimpse Harley being extremely happy about getting a pet hyena, sharing a stick of licorice with the animal.

"Ms. Quinn," Roman says to his henchman Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina), "she belongs to me."

As Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) hides behind a wet Harley, a few of Black Mask's goons start shooting at them, forcing the two to run for safety.  This is followed by Huntress confronting some mob members at a restaurant, kicking the table that results in gunfire.

After we glimpse Sionis and a dozen of his men holding a bound Harley at gunpoint, we see him alone in a separate scene, apparently losing his mental grip.  "Here's the deal, Quinn," he says to her.  "You need me!"

"He's after all of us now," Harley tells the Birds as we see her and the team together, presumably at some abandoned carnival fun house.  "None of us are walkin' outta here, unless we work together."

We see fleeting glimpses Harley dressed as Marilyn Monroe in her performance of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, followed by Harley riding on the rear bumper of a car while wearing roller skates.

"With you?" asks Montoya, in response to Harley's proposal to team up.  "You gotta be kidding me," remarks Huntress in a voiceover.

In a different scene, Harley jumps up and smashes the knees of a mob guy who has his feet propped up on a table.

As the team gets ready to fight, Harley seems very excited, telling the others, "Isn't this fun?  It's just like a sleepover.  We should order pizza.  Make Cosmos."  In response, Black Canary tells her to focus.

In another scene, Harley is wearing a large purple hat and coat, grinning in a very Joker-like fashion as she shoots a police officer with a beanbag gun.

"I'm the one they should be scared of!" Harley remarks as we see her escaping from jail as emergency water sprinklers pour down from the ceiling, followed by a montage of fleeting Harley moments.  "Not you!  Not Mister J!  Because I'm Harley freakin' Quinn!"

"Whoo!" exclaims Sionis as we see Dinah singing in the background.  "Who's having a good time?"

"Get ready, ladies..." says Harley as we see her, Black Canary and Huntress in action, followed by Harley in front of an explosion of fireworks as the film's cast list surrounds her.

In the trailer's final scene, we find Harley and Cassandra in a car, with Harley driving.  "Oh, you're that psycho chick," quips Cassandra.

"You never call a woman a chick," replies Harley.  "I'll accept broad, lady, woman, and on occasion, bitch."

"Bitch?  What are you talking about?"

"Toss that for me, will ya?" asks Harley as she hands Cassandra a stick of dynamite to toss out the passenger window at a nearby car.  The dynamite explodes as Harley laughs.

If you'd like to check out the trailer, you can view it below thanks to the official Warner Bros. Pictures account on YouTube...



Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is expected to arrive in theaters on February 7, 2020.

BIRDS OF PREY Movie Casts Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz

Start tallying the days until the Birds of Prey movie comes out.

Deadline has word that the upcoming Warner Bros./DC film Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), based on the DC Comics superteam, has cast Chris Messina as the deadly villain Victor Zsasz.  

Messina joins Margot Robbie, who is reprising her Suicide Squad role as Harley Quinn, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, and Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain.  Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) will be directed by Cathy Yan.

According to the article, Victor Zsasz is described as "a sadistic serial killer who carves a tally mark onto himself for each of his victims" and "will be working in cahoots with Ewan McGregor’s lead bad guy Black Mask."

Messina, 44, is probably best known as Malinov in the 2012 film Argo and as Dr. Daniel Castellano on the Fox and Hulu series The Mindy Project.  He has appeared in the films Julie & Julia, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, You've Got Mail, and Rounders.  In addition, he's appeared on episodes of The Newsroom, Sharp Objects, Damages, Medium, Six Feet Under, and Law & Order.

Created in 1992 by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle, Victor Zsasz first appeared in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 as the head of his own international company who had amassed a large personal fortune in addition to his family's wealth.  At the age of 25, his parents died in a boating accident, sending him into a deep depression.  He turned to gambling, losing money in competitions around the world.  One night, he ended up in a Gotham City casino known as the Iceberg Lounge, where he gambled everything he owned and ended up losing it all to the Penguin.  Afterwards, he saw that his life was empty, driven by desire, and there was no point to his existence.  While he was attempting to commit suicide by jumping from Gotham Bridge, a homeless man tried to assault him with a knife after he refused to give him money. Instinctively grabbing the knife, Zsasz saw in the man's eyes that all life is meaningless and that nothing nor anyone matters.  He then proceeded to stab the man to death as a "gift" for saving his life.  

From then on, Zsasz dedicated himself to "liberating" others from their pointless existence (Zsasz often refers to victims as "zombies").  He usually preys on young women, but has no qualms over whom he murders.  He slits his victims' throats and leaves them in lifelike poses, adding a tally mark to himself each time.  He has been diagnosed as insane and is regularly incarcerated in Arkham Asylum courtesy of Batman, breaking out on occasion to carry on killing.

During his debut appearance in the storyline "Batman: The Last Arkham", Zsasz bribed a contractor to include a secret passage leading out from his cell during the asylum's reconstruction under its new head, Jeremiah Arkham, who inherited the asylum from his uncle, Amadeus Arkham.  Although Zsasz was restrained during the daytime when being treated personally by Jeremiah Arkham, he was brought back to his cell at night, where he would leave the asylum through the secret passage, unbeknownst to the night guards.  After murders fitting his modus operandi begin surfacing, Batman and Commissioner James Gordon faked Batman's insanity in order to get him inside the asylum and investigate Zsasz. Jeremiah Arkham was exceptionally brutal towards Batman, who had supposedly murdered a police officer.  Over the course of the "treatment", Zsasz had warped Jeremiah's mind and turned him into a mere henchman.  Due to these continuous conversations with Jeremiah Arkham, Zsasz realized that Batman was a plant and subsequently murdered both the contractor and another inmate at Arkham who knew of Zsasz's ploy.  Both Nightwing and Batman caught up to Zsasz when he tried to escape for the final time and put him back in Arkham.

Recently, Zsasz has appeared various times in DC Comics' current continuity The New 52 as an inmate of Arkham, and he was later seen attacking Batgirl in the Narrows, while on the drug Venom.  Zsasz was released from Arkham Asylum by the Joker prior to the events of the storyline "Death of the Family".  Later, he was hired by Ignatius Ogilvy, the Emperor Penguin, to "leave [his] mark on Gotham City" and given a knife with Emperor Penguin's insignia on it.  Zsasz was later instructed to put the Man-Bat serum on the knife, as part of Emperor Penguin's plan to turn the population of Gotham City into Man-Bats through an airborne virus.  Zsasz was temporarily transformed into one.  During the Forever Evil storyline, Nightwing had retrieved Victor Zsasz from Chicago and was bringing him back to Arkham Asylum, until he was abducted by Superwoman and Owlman.  After the DC Rebirth reboot, Batman and Duke Thomas investigated a series of murders that were linked to Zsasz.  Flashbacks to the story arc "The War of Jokes and Riddles" revealed that Zsasz had sided with the Riddler in a war against the Joker.

Messina will be the third actor to portray Victor Zsasz in live-action, after Tim Booth in the 2005 film Batman Begins and Anthony Carrigan on the Fox TV series Gotham.

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on February 7, 2020.

BIRDS OF PREY Casts Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary & Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress

The Birds of Prey are ready to take flight.

Deadline is reporting that Warner Bros. has decided on who will play DC Comics superheroes Black Canary and Huntress in the upcoming film adaptation of Birds of Prey, joining Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.  The film will be directed by Cathy Yan

Jurnee Smollett-Bell, 31, will play Dinah Laurel Lance, better known as Black Canary.  Smollett-Bell is probably best known as Nicole Wright on the HBO series True Blood and as Jess Merriweather on the series Friday Night Lights.  Her other films include Hands of Stone, Gridiron Gang, Eve's Bayou, and Jack, while her other TV appearances include episodes of Underground, Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy, House, ER, NYPD Blue, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and Full House.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 33, is playing Helena Bertinelli, a.k.a. The Huntress.  Winstead is best known as Ramona Flowers in the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and as Lucy Gennero-McClane in Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard.  Her other films include 10 Cloverfield Lane, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Thing (2011), Death Proof, Sky High, Final Destination 3, and The Ring Two.  In addition, her TV appearances include episodes of Fargo, The Returned, Tru Calling, Wolf Lake, and Passions.

According to the article, Winstead was up against Sofia Boutella, Cristin Milioti, and Margaret Qualley for Huntress, while the role of Black Canary was between Smollett-Bell and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Created in 1947 by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, Black Canary first appeared in Flash Comics #86 as Dinah Drake, a florist who operated as a crimefighting vigilante on Earth-2 and eventually joined the Justice Society of America before moving to Earth-1 and joining the Justice League of America.  There, she began a relationship with JLA colleague Green Arrow and discovered that she has developed an ultrasonic scream, the "Canary Cry."  In 1983's Justice League of America (vol.1) #219, it was revealed that the JLA's Black Canary was actually Dinah Laurel Lance, the daughter of Dinah Drake and her husband Larry Lance.  In 1995, Black Canary was recruited by Oracle, the former Batgirl, as an operative for a covert-mission team that became unofficially known as the Birds of Prey.

As for the Huntress, she was created in 1977 by Paul Levitz and Joe Staton, first appearing in DC Super-Stars #17 as Helena Wayne, the daughter of the Earth-2 Batman and Catwoman.  A criminal named Silky Cernak blackmailed his old boss Selina Kyle into resuming action once again as Catwoman, an act which eventually led to her death.  Helena, vowing to bring Cernak to justice, created a costume for herself, fashioned some weapons from her parents' equipment (including her eventual trademark, a crossbow), and set out to bring him in.  After accomplishing this, Helena decided to continue to fight crime as The Huntress.  She soon joined the Justice Society of America and later Infinity, Inc., but was killed in 1986 during the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths.  In 1989, Joey Cavalieri and Joe Staton revamped the character in The Huntress (vol.1) #1 as Helena Bertinelli, who was born into one of Gotham City's most prominent Mafia families.  Her parents, Guido and Carmela, sent her to a boarding school and assign a bodyguard for her protection where she learned all forms of combat.  After witnessing the mob-ordered murder of her parents at the age of 19, she vowed to put an end to the Mafia as the Huntress.  In 2003, writer Gail Simone added Huntress to the Birds of Prey, after being recruited by Oracle to rescue the critically injured Black Canary.

This will be the second time the Birds of Prey will appear in live action, after the short-lived Birds of Prey television series, which aired on the WB network from 2002-2003 and starred Ashley Scott as Huntress and Rachel Skarsten as Dinah Lance.

Birds of Prey is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on February 7, 2020.

Cathy Yan to Direct BIRDS OF PREY Film with Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn

The Birds of Prey are facing off against Harley Quinn once again...This time, on the big screen.

Deadline is reporting that Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment have selected Cathy Yan to be the director of an untitled DC Comics "girl gang movie," based on DC's Birds of Prey series.  The film is expected to feature the return of Margot Robbie as her Suicide Squad movie character Harley Quinn, and was known to be in development back in May 2016.

According to the article, the deal isn't completed, but Yan is expected to become the second DC Extended Universe filmmaker after Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins, and the first female Asian director to direct a superhero film.  Yan reportedly got the job over numerous male directors, after an "exceptional" presentation for Birds of Prey.  Robbie also expressed her desire for the film to be directed by a woman.

The film is expected to start production by the end of 2018 or early next year, with a script by Christina Hodson, who was just brought in to write the Batgirl movie, and also wrote the Transformers spinoff Bumblebee.  Other Harley Quinn films are reportedly still in development, including the Suicide Squad sequel to be directed by Gavin O’Connor.  Two others, Harley Quinn vs The Joker and Gotham City Sirens with Suicide Squad director David Ayer, appeared to be less of a priority at the moment.

Yan was born in China, and raised in Hong Kong and Washington, D.C.  She has directed a number of short films and the movie Dead Pigs, starring Deadpool's Zazie Beetz.  In addition, she was write and co-executive producer of the TV series UnChartered.

Created in 1992 by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Harley Quinn first appeared in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor," voiced by Arleen Sorkin.  Initially intended as a female sidekick for The Joker, Harley quickly became popular with fans and the character was developed further.  In the 1994 DC Comics graphic novel The Batman Adventures: Mad Love, Quinn received her origin story, revealing her as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who fell in love with the Joker and turned to a life of crime in order to be with him.

The Birds of Prey were created in 1995 by Chuck Dixon, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, and Gary Frank, and first appeared in Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1 as a crimefighting partnership between Black Canary and Oracle, who previously was the superhero Batgirl until she was paralyzed by The Joker.  

The pairing soon expanded to include other DC heroes, primarily female, including The Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, Power Girl, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Big Barda, Gypsy, Hawkgirl, Misfit, Hawk and Dove, Black Alice, Vixen, Katana, Manhunter (Kate Spencer), Judomaster (Sonia Sato), Starling, and Strix.

In 2002, The WB adapted Birds of Prey for television, starring Dina Meyer as Oracle, Ashley Scott as Huntress, and Rachel Skarsten as Dinah Redmond, the daughter of Black Canary.  Set in a Gotham City abandoned by Batman, the Birds of Prey faced off against Harley Quinn (Mia Sara) and other DC supervillains such as Lady Shiva and Clayface.

HARLEY QUINN Movie with DC's Female Characters in Development

Another round of Harley Quinn vs. the Birds of Prey?  Maybe.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Warner Bros. is considering a spinoff of the upcoming film adaptation of Suicide Squad with Margot Robbie returning as fan-favorite Harley Quinn.

According to the article, Robbie would also produce the untitled spinoff, which would also feature several of DC Comics' female superheroes and supervillains.  The project has a female screenwriter, and while details are sketchy at this point, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey may be involved somehow.

The article also claims that Robbie was the driving force for the project.  Apparently, when she landed the part for Suicide Squad, she heavily researched the comics to learn as much as possible about the character.  In the process, she reportedly became a fan of DC’s female characters.  Robbie brought on the female writer to help develop the project and brought it to Warner Bros.

Created in 1992 by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, Harley Quinn first appeared in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor," voiced by Arleen Sorkin.  Initially intended as a female sidekick for The Joker, Harley quickly became popular with fans and the character was developed further.  In the 1994 DC Comics graphic novel The Batman Adventures: Mad Love, Quinn received her origin story, revealing her as Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum who fell in love with the Joker and turned to a life of crime in order to be with him.

The character's first comic book appearance was in 1993's The Batman Adventures #12, but Harley's growing popularity encouraged DC Comics to bring her into official Batman canon starting with Batman (vol.1) #570 in 1999.  She soon received her first ongoing series in 2001 that ran for 38 issues and was made a member of the Suicide Squad starting with 2011's Suicide Squad (vol.3) #1.  Harley received her second ongoing series in 2013, which still continues to be a Top Ten book in terms of sales.

If Harley faces off or teams up with the Birds of Prey, this will be their second on-screen encounter, after Mia Sara portrayed Harley Quinn on the 2002-03 Birds of Prey television series as the Big Bad for the series' single season.

DC Comics Announces REBIRTH Line with All Titles at $2.99

The curtain has finally been raised.

Comic Book Resources has posted the full list of titles for DC Comics'  upcoming "Rebirth" that is scheduled to begin on May 25, 2016 with the release of an 80-page special DC Universe: Rebirth #1, priced at just $2.99.

Afterwards, DC will start releasing various "Rebirth" specials and relaunched #1 issues for their ongoing series, apart from Action Comics and Detective Comics, which will return to their original numberings where they left off at #957 and #934, respectively.

According to the article, the line will include two types of books -- those published twice monthly and those published on a monthly basis.  Every DC Universe book, regardless of their publication schedule, will be priced at $2.99.  The line will consist of 32 total ongoings, 17 twice-monthly and 15 monthly titles.  DC will also publish 23 "Rebirth" one-shots ahead of launching the new ongoings.

"At DC we believe in superheroes, and what makes them great," said DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio in a statement.  "And, we also believe in the direct market and the core comics fan. 'Rebirth' is designed to bring back the best of DC's past, embrace the stories we currently love and move the entire epic universe into the future.  We are returning to the essence of the DCU.  With 'Rebirth' we are putting the highest priority on the direct market and we will continue to create and cultivate new opportunities for retailers to thrive and prosper, grow readers, fans and customers."

The article also states that creative team information on DC's new lineup is set to be revealed next month at WonderCon in Los Angeles, on Saturday, March 26.  The event will be live-streamed on DC's YouTube channel, for those unable to attend the event in person.

And here's the full release rundown...

June:

Rebirth Specials:

AQUAMAN REBIRTH #1
BATMAN REBIRTH #1
THE FLASH REBIRTH #1
GREEN ARROW REBIRTH #1
GREEN LANTERNS REBIRTH #1
SUPERMAN REBIRTH #1
TITANS REBIRTH #1
WONDER WOMAN REBIRTH #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):

AQUAMAN #1
BATMAN #1
THE FLASH #1
GREEN ARROW #1
GREEN LANTERNS #1
SUPERMAN #1
WONDER WOMAN #1

New Issues (Shipping twice monthly):

ACTION COMICS #957
DETECTIVE COMICS #934

July

Rebirth Specials:

BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY REBIRTH #1
HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS REBIRTH #1
THE HELLBLAZER REBIRTH #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE REBIRTH #1
NIGHTWING REBIRTH #1
RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS REBIRTH #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):

HAL JORDAN & THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
NIGHTWING #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping monthly):

BATGIRL #1
BATGIRL & THE BIRDS OF PREY #1
THE HELLBLAZER #1
RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS #1
THE SUPER-MAN #1
TITANS #1

Fall

Rebirth Specials:

BATMAN BEYOND REBIRTH #1
BLUE BEETLE REBIRTH #1
CYBORG REBIRTH #1
DEATHSTROKE REBIRTH #1
EARTH 2 REBIRTH #1
SUICIDE SQUAD REBIRTH #1
SUPERGIRL REBIRTH #1
TEEN TITANS REBIRTH #1
TRINITY REBIRTH #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping twice monthly):

CYBORG #1
DEATHSTROKE #1
HARLEY QUINN #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #1
SUICIDE SQUAD #1

New #1 Issues (Shipping monthly):

BATMAN BEYOND #1
BLUE BEETLE #1
EARTH 2 #1
GOTHAM ACADEMY: NEXT SEMESTER #1
SUPERGIRL #1
SUPERWOMAN #1
SUPER SONS #1
TEEN TITANS #1
TRINITY #1

THE FANDOM ZONE 026: "Damned If You Do" is Up!

"I beg of you my son, please choose happiness, unless you feel a calling.  A true calling."
-- The late Thomas Wayne to his son Bruce, Gotham: "Damned If You Do"

With our episode posting back on track, Karen Lindsay and I have another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Birds of Prey 1x13 -- "Devil's Eyes" (SERIES FINALE)
Fear The Walking Dead 1x04 -- "Not Fade Away"
Gotham 2x01 -- "Damned If You Do"

We talk about things like my exhaustion from Salt Lake Comic Con, the awkwardness of being hypnotized into acting like King Kong, Harley Quinn's Hypnotoad eyes, why Batman doesn't kill The Joker, Harley Quinn's total Oracle mindfuck, Birds of Prey's failure as a series, dreading Melissa Rosenberg writing Jessica Jones, wondering when Travis Manawa became The Man of the People, Nick finally washing himself (albeit in the pool), Travis and Madison's backseat sex, the passing of Catherine Coulson from Twin Peaks, Nick's total douchebag move with a morphine drip, the awkwardness of reflecting lights becoming muzzle flashes, The Penguin's plans within plans, Bruce Wayne's password fail, a special appearance by Karen's cat, Barbara Kean finally finding a personality (even if it's Harley Quinn's), Zaardon's blue gas, Batman villains Amygdala and The Tigress, revealing the official name for fans of The Fandom Zone, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have The Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week as we review the Season 3 premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, the next episode of Gotham, and the fifth episode of Fear The Walking Dead, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 025: "The Dog" is Up!

"Good people are the first ones to die."
-- Daniel Salazar, Fear The Walking Dead: "The Dog"

We know you've been patient once again, but Karen Lindsay and I have finally returned with another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Birds of Prey 1x12 -- "Feat of Clay"
Fear The Walking Dead 1x03 -- "The Dog"

We talk about things like Edna Mode from The Incredibles, horses and dogs being killed by zombies, Joe Pantiliono, Smallville's stupid "no flights, no pants" policy, Mr. Pink from Reservoir Dogs, Muhammad Ali's real name, Battle of the Network Stars, American Ninja, Batman villain Clayface as Dr. Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs, the awkwardness of your boyfriend showing up as you're coordinating a mission to take down a supervillain, Madison's coping mechanism of playing Monopoly as gunshots ring out, Nick totally giving up on hygiene, the awkwardness of having to kill your neighbor, Karen's hubs' surprise dinner, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have The Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week as we review the Season 2 premiere of Gotham, the fourth episode of Fear The Walking Dead, and the final episode of the 2002-03 WB series Birds of Prey, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 024: "Gotham" is Up!

"I promise you, however dark and scary the world might be right now, there will be light."
-- Jim Gordon to Bruce Wayne, Gotham: "Pilot"

You guessed it, Karen Lindsay and I have returned with another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Birds of Prey 1x11 -- "Reunion"
Gotham 1x01 -- "Pilot"

We talk about things like Batman: The Animated Series, writing female characters well, Wash being killed off in Serenity, the awkwardness of having your boyfriend's parents wanting him to dump you because you're paralyzed, jerky drunk bras, knowing how to use the index at the back of a high school yearbook, Dean Craig Pelton on Community, the evolution of Harvey Bullock, Sean Pertwee as Alfred, Barbara Kean only existing when Jim Gordon is on screen, Bruce Wayne as The Crow, theorizing who had Thomas and Martha Wayne murdered, dumping Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen,  little comics on TV news, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have The Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week as we review the third episode of Fear The Walking Dead and the penultimate episode of the 2002-03 WB series Birds of Prey, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!

THE FANDOM ZONE 023: "So Close, Yet So Far" is Up!

"When civilization ends, it ends fast."
-- Tobias to Madison Clark, Fear The Walking Dead: "So Close, Yet So Far"

Finally back on track, Karen Lindsay and I have returned with another new episode of The Fandom Zone Podcast!  

This week's reviews of comics on television include:

Birds of Prey 1x10 -- "Gladiatrix"
Fear The Walking Dead 1x02 -- "So Close, Yet So Far"

We talk about things like my pitiful culinary skills, the importance of moving your story arc forward early on, the trailer return of John Constantine, wondering where background people and cars are on Birds of Prey, cheesy '70s gang movie The Warriors, classic rock singer Donovan, our mutual love of The Monkees, Oracle not having time for small talk or teenage angst, Batman villain Amygdala, Karen's dislike of the word "Anyways," how fast a major city would fall in a zombie apocalypse, Madison foolishly ignoring Tobias' great advice, Madison wanting to help Principal Zombie, wanting to make Tobias into a total badass with a Battle Cart, comics on TV news, and more!

You can check out the episode HERE and for those of you who use iTunes, we're already available HERE, so please subscribe and rate us! If direct download MP3s are more your thing, you can find those HERE as well. In addition, we have The Fandom Zone show page on Facebook, which you can check out HERE. And we're also on Twitter using the account @FandomZoneCast.

Be sure to come back next week as we review the Gotham pilot and the eleventh episode of the 2002-03 WB series Birds of Prey, right here on The Fandom Zone Podcast!