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I believe this is the biggest returnable programme made to the direct market by one publisher in its entire history. 141 separate DC Comics titles and that’s not including the variant covers.

That’s the first 6 issues (including Rebirth specials) of all the bi-weekly titles.

And the first 3 issues (including Rebirth specials) of all the monthly titles.

Which means that retailers can order as many as they like, safe in the knowledge that those they cannot sell, they can rip the covers off and return to DC Comics for a refund.

A similar returnable programme was arranged by DC for the New 52 launch and for the recent Vertigo new title launch, though not as generous or extensive as this.

It will also give retailers a lot more data regarding what does and doesn’t sell in their store, if they can test the limits with this exercise.

Although for some it will just be too much like hard work. Here are the returnable titles.

Twice monthly titles preceded by a REBIRTH #1 special:

• AQUAMAN: REBIRTH #1 and AQUAMAN #1-5
• BATMAN: REBIRTH #1 and BATMAN #1-5
• THE FLASH: REBIRTH #1 and THE FLASH #1-5
• GREEN ARROW: REBIRTH #1 and GREEN ARROW #1-5
• GREEN LANTERNS: REBIRTH #1 and GREEN LANTERNS #1-5
• SUPERMAN: REBIRTH #1 and SUPERMAN #1-5
• WONDER WOMAN: REBIRTH #1 and WONDER WOMAN #1-5
• NIGHTWING: REBIRTH #1 and NIGHTWING #1-5
• HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS: REBIRTH #1 and HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1-5
• CYBORG: REBIRTH #1 and CYBORG #1-5
• JUSTICE LEAGUE: REBIRTH #1 and JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-5
• SUICIDE SQUAD: REBIRTH #1 and SUICIDE SQUAD #1-5
• DEATHSTROKE: REBIRTH #1 and DEATHSTROKE #1-5

Twice monthly titles not preceded by a REBIRTH #1 special:

• ACTION COMICS #957-#962
• DETECTIVE COMICS #934-#939
• HARLEY QUINN #1-6
• JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1-6

Monthly titles preceded by a REBIRTH #1 special:

• TITANS: REBIRTH #1 and TITANS #1-2
• BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY: REBIRTH #1 and BATGIRL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY #1-2
• RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS: REBIRTH #1 and RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1-2
• BLUE BEETLE: REBIRTH #1 and BLUE BEETLE #1-2
• SUPERGIRL: REBIRTH #1 and SUPERGIRL #1-2
• BATMAN BEYOND: REBIRTH #1 and BATMAN BEYOND #1-2
• TEEN TITANS: REBIRTH #1 and TEEN TITANS #1-2

Monthly titles not preceded by a REBIRTH #1 special:

• BATGIRL #1-3
• NEW SUPER-MAN #1-3
• ALL-STAR BATMAN #1-3
• SUPERWOMAN #1-3
• SUPER SONS #1-3
• TRINITY #1-3

But the 80 page $2.99 DC Universe: Rebirth #1? Non-returnable…

DC Comics To Make 141 Of Their Rebirth Titles Returnable

Final Fantasy, certainly for the last few years, has not been the hulking titan it once was. With muted responses to releases and some exploitative free to play games, it has been in a messy state.

So messy in fact that Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata says that the franchise was actually on its last legs. After conducting a survey in Japan about the state of the IP, things didn’t look great. Speaking to Game Informer (via Gamespot) he said:

The gravest situation of all was that, at the time we were starting Final Fantasy XV, we didn’t see an increase in new fans of the franchise. The brand image of Final Fantasy wasn’t really clear.

The reality is not that the situation is okay or in favor of us. Rather, it is more grave and serious than we had initially thought. The way we understood Final Fantasy after our analysis is that it was a dying IP that had already peaked.

Tabata did say that they are indeed trying to revive the series with XV with a combination of cutting edge technology, out-of-the-ordinary experience and challenging the status quo. Will they pull it off? I suppose we will have to wait until September to find out.

Final Fantasy Was Thought To Be A Dying Franchise Says Director

Now that the new Spider-Man film has a title, information may be coming faster. According to The Hollywood Reporter, former Batman and Birdman Michael Keaton is in early talks to play the lead villain in Marvel and Sony‘s Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The site reports it is unclear if a deal is in the making or if the production is just making “overtures” to bring Keaton on.

The film will star Tom Holland and follow on from Spider-Man’s Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Captain America: Civil War. While the villain is question mark at the moment, Birth.Movies.Death hears tell the Vulture may, at long last, take flight in the film — though they are unclear if he will be the key antagonist for Peter Parker’s third solo debut.

I, for one, always hope for Mysterio.

Who ever the main villain is, the film begins shooting later this summer with a July 7th, 2017 release date.

Michael Keaton In The Frame For Spider-Man: Homecoming

This is one of the most famous images by Rob Liefeld. It may also be one of the most mocked.

Created for Heroes Reborn, it has been parodied for the prominence and size of Cap’s chest the position of his stomach and the placement of his arms.

However, could it have had its origins elsewhere?
No, I’m sorry, that anatomy is completely unrealistic. Either way, now Rob Liefeld sees the joke…

Of course I'm #teamcap. I didn't give him those big tits for nuthin….

— robertliefeld (@robertliefeld) April 12, 2016

Swipe File: That Captain America Image By Rob Liefeld

With Game of Thrones‘ sixth season debuting in eleven days, HBO has begun the onslaught of clips, press and other wonderful things that come with inevitability of winter. For instance, this clip detailing Daenerys’ first look at Vaes Dothrak (via The Wrap):

Who’s ready for the new season of #GameofThrones? WATCH this sneak preview of where Khaleesi is headed next. https://t.co/sk0bGBTWc4

— TheWrap (@TheWrap) April 13, 2016

Or this clip of Sam and Gilly’s sickening trip to the Citadel:

And a couple more featuring the duos of Sansa and Reek and Cersei and Jamie:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And last, but not least, a 360 experience of the title sequence map, featuring a good look at Dorne (via Entertainment Weekly):

Game of Thrones returns for its sixth season on April 24th.

Game Of Thrones Unleashes Clips And 360 Map

The rumors of a Ben Affleck solo Batman film have finally been confirmed today as Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujiahara announced plans for the production at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the intention to make the film was mentioned during a presentation of upcoming Warner Bros. releases. Recognizing the achievements of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Tsujihara said, “I’m also excited to know that we will be working with Ben Affleck on a stand-alone Batman movie.”

It is currently unknown when the film will be released, but a script reportedly exists. Affleck will next take the cowl in Justice League Part I, directed by Zack Snyder and is expected to continue in the part in the Justice League sequel.

UPDATE: IGN’s Jim Vejvoda reports a Warner Bros. spokesman has confirmed Affleck will direct the picture.

Ben Affleck’s Batman Officially Begins

Wonder Woman has suffered considerable contradictions of late, the Azzarello/Chiang Wonder Woman never meshed with the Geoff Johns/Jim Lee version nor the Finch version, it as hard for readers to see these as the same people. Especially with the amount of times her history has been rewritten over the decades.

Rather than seeing this as a weakness new writer Greg Rucka seems to be using this as a strength. This week’s DC Rebirth Previews gives us details, and maybe what Rucka would have planned for Wonder Woman: Earth One if he’d been allowed.

“having realized a lot of what is taken as truth about herself is contradictory and the contradictions have become so acute, she no longer knows who she is” Rucka explains. “The first arc is called ‘True Lies,’ and she’s attempting to find the truth

Depending on the answers she finds. Diana may be rocked to her very foundation. Rucka teased a number of questions that Wonder Woman will be struggling w along the way:

“Is she the goddess of War? Was she made from clay? Is she a demi-goddess? Is Themyscira really what its been presented to be? Look back at how many times Diana’s mother Hippolyta has died; where’s the truth in that? What’s accurate, what isn’t?”

“We looked at the golden Lasso of Truth but it’s not the lasso that does it, it’s Diana who brings the truth.”

While his Year One storyline will provide foundations…

“There’s a moment in Diana’s origin story that we forget, and ‘Year One’ is about reminding people of the importance of that,” Rucka notes. “The core moment, maybe one of the most important moments for her, is when she leaves home; the time she answered the call. We overlook that a lot.” Naturally with any Year One tale, expect to see some classic tropes re-examined, as well as old friends—not to mention deadly enemies—reintroduced and re-examined: “Steve Trevor’s got to be there, Etta Candy has to be there,” Rucka says. “You think you know Barbara Minerva, the Cheetah? You think you know what’s been going on with Ares? You were wrong—you’re just flat-out wrong.”

Read more on Bleeding Cool’s DC Rebirth coverage here.

The Continuity Of Wonder Woman To Be Made Sense Of – DC Rebirth Details

From the DC Rebirth Previews coming this week, Geoff Johns wants everyone to avoid spoilers. And yes I am aware of the irony of running this…

“Beginning with DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1, the original universe evolves by mixing traditional values and a modern aesthetic.”

Geoff Johns is telling a story—and it’s got the attention of every-one in the room.

Johns stands in his usual position, in front of a wall-sized dry-erase board, surrounded by a couple dozen DC editorial staffers at the company’s Burbank, CA, HQ Easy-going but confident, Johns—Chief Creative Officer for DC Entertainment, a guiding architect for comics, feature films, TV and video games—laid out his plans for the story that would become DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH #1.

After Johns had finished his presentation and the meeting had adjourned, one of the editors pulled the writer aside and proclaimed, “I wish I could forget everything you just said and read it as a fan.”

The sentiment was shared by many of the editors; they’d attended creator read-throughs before, but none had generated a buzz like this.

It’s Johns’ hope that he can convince fans to avoid spoilers and pick up DC UNIVERSE- REBIRTH with fresh eyes and open minds. He promises it’ll be well worth the effort for a story that’s going to fundamentally shake everything you know about the DC Universe right down to its very core.

“The themes of [DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH] divide into four chapters,” Johns explains. “The first one is about loss. It focuses on what perhaps has gone missing in our comic books, when it comes to the DC Universe. And historically what the DC Universe really is.

“The second chapter is about legacy. That’s the main thing I feel has been lost from the DC Universe from the New 52 reboot. We’re showing a kind of secret side of the DC Universe, where legacy comes into play again.

“The next chapter is love, and it’s all about the love that’s in the DC Universe…and that which has disappeared from the DC Universe. “The fourth chapter is titled ‘Life,’ which is about both the end and beginning of life.”

Read more on Bleeding Cool’s DC Rebirth coverage here.

Geoff Johns Explains The Four Chapters Of DC Universe: Rebirth #1

Alongside the Ethan Van Sciver artwork posted over the weekend, DC Comics CCO Geoff Johns addresses the DC Comics reader in the DC Previews out this week.

He writes,

As the writer of GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH and THE FLASH: REBIRTH, the word “Rebirth” has come to mean something very important to me. It’s not a brand or a marketing tool; it never has been. To me “Rebirth” is about how to approach mythology – about how to honor and celebrate the characters and their respective universes and embrace the values they embody. It’s about the past, the present and most importantly the future.

GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH wasn’t only about the return of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. It was building on a great foundation with tales like “Sinestro Corps War” and “Blackest Night” – stories that challenged our heroes, redefined their villains and introduced new threats and adventures built on the core essence of the Green Lantern myth.

And if we were going to do a “Rebirth” across the DC Universe, we needed to take a hard look at where it was now. And a -Rebirth” starts with bringing something back that’s been missing…

For the DC Universe, it’s about more than just the heroes or villains we might not have seen in a while: it’s about the intrinsic values of what DC Comics and its universe stand for.

That’s epic storytelling.

That’s legacy and honoring the past, while moving it all to the future.

That’s hope.

In a world of digital cynicism and perhaps justified skepticism, I hope you’re surprised when you read the books.

I hope you’ll feel the passion the creators have for the DC Universe within their pages.

But my greatest hope is that all our readers—old and new, returning and die-hard—get a sense of the entire universe as one cohesive, living organism built on the greatest heroes and villains in the world, honoring what’s come before while looking to what will come tomorrow.

“Rebirth” is the next chapter in the ongoing saga of the DC Universe, and I can’t wait for you to experience it.

Read more on Bleeding Cool’s DC Rebirth coverage here.

Geoff Johns’ Address To DC Comics Readers, For Rebirth

Whatever ‘Death Of X’ is, Marvel Comics wants to clear out their warehouse of X-Men related titles, it seems. With every X-related trade paperbacks and hardcovers getting a very large discount for retailers who want to help Marvel in that endeavour.

So why do Marvel, seemingly, want to clear their warehouse of any X-Men title? And why in the next two weeks? I guess we must wait to find out….

Marvel Massively Discounts All Its X-Men TPBs And HCs For ‘Death Of X’ Sale

After the successful inter-network crossover between The Flash and Supergirl, executive producer Andrew Kreisberg was asked if there could be an Earth-1 Supergirl appearing on The Flash. When asked about a Kara Danvers in the CW universe, Kreisberg said:

Any Kara that exists on Earth 1 would also have to have been an alien. It can’t just be Kara Danvers from Poughkeepsie.

Adding.

Sure, different costume, but sure.

Which has lead a lot of fans into thinking he is talking about Power Girl. The character of Power Girl is basically an alternate reality version of Supergirl anyway, so it would make sense that a Kara from an Earth without a Superman like Barry and Oliver’s or Earth-2 wouldn’t necessarily take on a Super-related name.

If that is in fact what Kreisberg was referring to remains to be seen.

[Source: Entertainment Weekly]

Flash Fans Are Reading In Between The Lines And Finding Power Girl

While reports persist that Suicide Squad is in the midst of reshoots to inject more fun into the forthcoming film, Wonder Woman Gal Gadot tells Digital Spy (via Heroic Hollywood) that her solo debut will contain “moments of humor,” but “it’s pretty dark.”

It is unclear if the film will be as dark as Wonder Woman’s screen debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a film that has divided the fanbase over the amount of seriousness a superhero movie needs. Early footage from the film indicates that it will share a visual look with Batman v Superman, but in the hands of director Patty Jenkins, that look could be in service to a different tone.

Starring Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, and Robin Wright, Wonder Woman is scheduled for a June 2nd, 2017 release.

Gal Gadot Addresses Humor and Darkness In Wonder Woman Feature

Variety reports that actress Charlize Theron has joined the cast of the upcoming Fast 8.

According to their sources, the deal is closed and she will appear as a villain in the F. Gary Gray-directed installment of Universal‘s ongoing Fast and Furious franchise.

Vin Diesel returns as Dominic Torreto in the film, which he intends to be the first of a “concluding trilogy” in the racing and heisting series. Frequent Fast and Furious cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson also return.

Fast 8 arrives in theaters on April 14th, 2017.

Charlize Theron Joins Fast 8

Despite a $166.1 million domestic opening, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice may usher in an era of caution at Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio responsible for the film and a slate of upcoming films based on the DC Comics characters.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, moves are underway to build up the studio under the silo concept — a handful of dependable brands — that allowed the rival Walt Disney Company to soar to new heights with its Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation divisions. Each group has at least one highly anticipated film scheduled for release through the rest of the year and long-term plans into the next decade. At Warner, the hope is to groom its interests in LEGO, DC Entertainment and an ongoing series set in J.K. Rowling‘s Wizarding World into their competitive silos.

The plan means the studio, traditionally a home for filmmaker-driven projects and directors like Clint Eastwood and the new Bat of Gotham Ben Affleck, will likely cut back on original ideas not tied to the silos. It may also lead to fewer films produced by Warner Bros. overall.

Of course, restructuring in at least one of the silos may also happen. Many in the industry took note of Batman v Superman‘s 69% decline in its second weekend of release — a decrease actually in line with some of director Zack Snyder previous projects and a handful of other superhero films — and the overall negative critical reception of what was intended to be the big launch of Warner’s own superhero universe. As one rival studio head told THR, “it is not turning [DC] into Marvel. The audience has communicated, as have the critics.”

But the studio is already committed to August’s Suicide Squad and next year’s Wonder Woman. Snyder’s next DC film, Justice League begins production shortly. The next string of films in the brand may see more creative control held at the executive level than with the filmmakers, despite promises that the slate of films would depend on individual directorial vision.

Meanwhile, the Wizarding World will present its first non-Potter film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them this summer and the next LEGO film, The LEGO Batman Movie is set for 2017.

Batman V Superman May Lead To Fewer Projects; More Branded Films

David Goyer wrote Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. And Man Of Steel. And Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Constantine, Blade, Blade II, Blade Trinity, Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance, Blade the TV series, Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD The Crow: City Of Angels.

Also non-directly comic book inspired film and TV shows, such as Jumper, FlashForward and DaVinci’s Demons.

But there is also Sandman, Brooklyn Animal Control, Snowblind and Federal Bureau Of Physics and Krypton in his future.

But in 1986 when he was twenty years old, he was writing letters to the late Mark Gruenwald, writer of Captain America.

And seemed to prophesy Winter Soldier and Civil War…

Thanks to Richard Trenholm for digging this out for CNet.

When The Writer Of Batman V Superman Wrote To Mark Gruenwald About Captain America

We’ve already told you who we believe the new character joining DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow in the series finale is.

Well, the same source has also fingered a character in the Arrowverse/DC TV Universe for death. And it’s a common one associated with that role.

Arrow saw the character of Dinah Lance played by Katie Cassidy take over her sister Sara Lance’s role of Canary. And named Black Canary after Sara’s death. The character of Sara, still played by Caity Lotz, was then revived by the Lazarus Pit and adopted the name White Canary, joining DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow series.

Well, Black Canary seems to be heading for the graveyard again in Arrow. With no return from the Lazarus Pit.

I am also told, this is down to conflict between Cassidy and Arrow star Stephen Amell. The same reason Colton Lee Haynes who played Roy Harper/Arsenal also left…

But, as her death is announced on the show, another woman picks up her uniform and name and trioed to continue her mission.

So… we get yet another Canary!

And Merlyn gets a bionic hand just like Coulson!

Death Comes To DC TV’s Arrow. Again. (SPOILERS)

Bleeding Cool was the place that broke the story that Marvel were to cancel their Fantastic Four comics, after the personal intervention of CEO Isaac Perlmutter over a fractious relationship between Marvel Studios and Fox Studios.

However, after Marvel Studios was removed from the purview of Perlmutter, and the division between Perlmutter and film chief Kevin Feige worsened, things have changed. Especially since Fox utterly flopped with their Fantastic Four movie, abandoning the sequel and replacing it with Deadpool 2.

So. Not only will The Fantastic Four return to comics as All-New All-Different Fantastic Four but, Marvel’s Deadpool comic books will be cancelled. Fox’s success with the character has been an anathema to Perlmutter, so the edict has come down.

Currently that includes Deadpool, Deadpool: Mercs For Money and the original Deadpool graphic novel by Rob Liefeld, Chris Sims and Chad Bowers. It was originally listed on Amazon for this year, but it now can no longer be searched for on Amazon. By URL farming, you can find the original listing but it has now been rescheduled for 2020 and no one is allowed to pre-order it until Perlmutter changes his mind.

Gwenpool will continue publication as Perlmutter doesn’t know what a Gwenpool is.

But as with the Fantastic Four, Deadpool can appear in other comics, just not his own. So the plan, to get around Perlmutter’s demands, is for Deadpool to return, as part of the All-New All-Different Fantastic Four. The comic will have five leads, Mr Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Thing, the Human Torch and Deadpool, and will still be called The Fantastic Four. No mention of the disconnected name will be made. That’s intended to be one of the jokes.

Because, yes, it is being reinvented as a comedy R-Rated title, full of broken walls, jokes about stretching certain organs, rocky organs, flaming organs and invisible organs. And Deadpool playing an organ too probably, I don’t know, I’m not making this kind of thing up. There is already one “joke” poster created with Deadpool in from of Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny titled “The F–ktastic Four”

As well as the comics, just as with Fantastic Four before it, all Deadpool merchandise, aside from the likenesses of the movie, will be withdrawn, clothing, posters, toylines, trading cards, and licensed use in games, and cartoons. The only way Deadpool can be used is in his new Fantastic Four costume, as Fantatsic Four licensing returns to the marketplace.

As with the previous Fantastic Four cancellation, the Deadpool comic cancellation is intended to be maintained as long as the Deadpool brand continues to have a competing market position with Marvel’s other properties. For the Fantastic Four, that lasted for around a year. For Deadpool, it is expected that his comics will remain cancelled and he will be part of the Fantastic Four for a while longer than that.

All-New All-Different Fantastic Four To Return To Marvel As Deadpool Comics Are Cancelled

VR is showing up everywhere in the games industry, as publishers and developers bet big on the new tech and dream about the possibilities of where it could take us. One company who feels a little wronged though is Nintendo, who previous went in on the tech with the virtual boy in 1995. It didn’t go well for the company.

In a recent meeting I had with a higher up at Nintendo, when asked about VR they exclusively revealed to me that they were not very happy about the industry’s move towards the tech they now claim is outdated. My ‘source’ said:

What? VR? You want to talk about VR? Lets talk about VR. The Virtual Boy, 1995. Nintendo got there 21 years early, and you want to talk about VR now? Jabronis. The lot of them. That includes anyone who buys one. Where were they in 93?

During the tirade, my source went on to share a rather optimistic view of the upcoming Nintendo console, the NX.

The NX will be everything any home needs. It came to me while on a Spirit Walk in the Mojave dessert, and will revolutionise the way we not only play games, but live, the way we breathe. Do you understand what I am saying to you? I have flown on the wings of eagles, and what the industry brings now is but chicken feed. I have become one with the fabric of reality, and in that space is where the NX lies. Do you understand? You don’t. How could you? I’ve danced upon the strings of the universe and you are but mortal. VR? The NX will crush it like a bug, and barely notice.

My source ended by saying:

Please don’t tell your readers my name is Reggie Fils-Amie

“Any Body Who Buys VR Is A Jabroni” Says Nintendo Source; Claims Idea For NX Came To Them During Spirit Walk