The comics industry has barely begun shipping again, and already the Comics Teletype is overheating. Here are the top stories:
ITEM: The Dark Mr. Mom Returns? A lot of comics sites have had a lot of happy talk lately about Michael Keaton possibly coming back to play Batman in the "Flash" movie scheduled for 2022. Prior to this, the word was that "The Flash" had been canceled, due to alleged misbehavior by its star, Ezra Miller. But this movie has been killed and revived more times than Dracula, so anything's possible. And one thing that seems more than possible, probable even, is that "The Flash" (should it happen) will lean heavily on the multiverse.
The idea being bruited about is that Keaton would be a Batman from a parallel universe _ let's call it Earth-1989 for Tim Burton's "Batman" _ who is, obviously, much older and more experienced than the usual version, and could appear in multiple DC Extended Universe movies as a sort of connective tissue.
If Keaton actually signs a contract, he would likely be some sort of advisor figure. But maybe not, as "old Batman" is a major player in at least two famous DC Comics parallel-world stories:
_ In the 1986 "Dark Knight Returns," Frank Miller ("300," "Sin City") envisions a more brutal, cynical, sixtysomething Dark Knight for a future Gotham City that has spiraled out of control. A fight scene against Superman in "DKR" was more or less adapted for "Batman v. Superman." And the evil, aged Bruce Wayne seen on The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" (played by Kevin Conroy) is thought to be the Dark Knight Returns version.
_ In the 2011 "Flashpoint," Barry Allen goes back in time to prevent Reverse-Flash from murdering his mother. This idea was explored superficially in "The Flash" TV show, but in comics Allen's action creates a new timeline, one where _ among other things _ Bruce Wayne dies in Crime Alley and his father becomes Batman instead. Note: In this story, Thomas Wayne is not a nice guy.
So while Keaton's Gotham Guardian could become a wise mentor for younger heroes in the DCEU, it's also possible he will become a threat.
ITEM: Threat or Menace? J.K. Simmons, who played J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man trilogy that starred Tobey Maguire, is the only character from that suite of movies to make the transition into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing the same character in "Spider-Man: Far From Home." And he's not done.
"There is one more JJJ appearance in the can," Simmons told SiriusXM radio, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, " and from what I'm hearing there's a plan for yet another. So hopefully JJJ will continue now and forever."
Simmons was delightful as the ornery, opinionated and aggressive Daily Bugle publisher, and really looked the part. Sadly, JJJ's trademark crew cut was absent in "Far from Home," with Simmons showing his own, naturally hairless scalp.
That's too bad. But I'll take Simmons' JJJ any way I can get him.
ITEM: Hard-Writing Hero: Famed comics writer Denny O'Neil died at home June 11 of natural causes. He was 81.
O'Neil got his start at Marvel Comics in the '60s, but it was in 1970 that he made his indelible mark on the industry. Moving to DC and assigned the poor-selling "Green Lantern," he added Green Arrow (whom he had just revamped in "Justice League of America") to play a liberal Greek chorus to force the Emerald Gladiator to start asking questions about a number of social issues. These Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories, sometimes referred to as "Hard-Traveling Heroes," were shocking in an era when DC's superheroes were almost uniformly apolitical and personality-free.
O'Neil is also credited with taking Batman back to his creature-of-the-night roots, a critically acclaimed run on "The Question" and the creation or co-creation of a host of characters, including Ra's al Ghul.
O'Neil has inspired generations of readers and writers. He will be missed.
But he will not be forgotten. Especially since virtually every Bat-TV show or movie works in "O'Neil" and Denny's frequent collaborator (Neal) "Adams" as street names. It's practically a tradition, so keep an ear out for it.
ITEM: All Genre, All the Time: It's been a brutal couple of months for fans of genre TV and movies, with many fan favorites truncated and/or delayed by the pandemic. And it looked for a while like there was no relief in sight, with all The CW superhero shows delayed until January, and most movies postponed until next year.
But lo, the next six weeks bring relief. Not only are "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Snowpiercer" and "Stargirl" still at mid-season, they are joined by:
_ "NOS4S2" (AMC, June 21): Zachary Quinto stars as Charlie Manx, a vampire who feeds on the souls of children. TV villains don't come any creepier.
_ "Doom Patrol" (DC Universe/HBO Max, June 25): Features a team of freaks who battle threats just as weird as they are.
_ "Dark" (Netflix, June 27): This top-flight German sci-fi production mixes time travel, horror and melodrama.
_ "Old Guard" (Netflix, July 10): Based on an Image Comics title, this movie stars mercenaries who are secretly immortal. Their leader is "Andy" (Charlize Theron), originally known as Andromache of Scythia.
_ "Umbrella Academy" (Netflix, July 31): Our estranged but lovable family failed to save the world in Season 1. Thanks to Five's powers, they get a second chance.
_ "The Boys" (Amazon Prime): What if the Justice League was selfish, petty and arrogant, and only pretended to be heroic? Well, superhero-hater Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) would seek to put an end to them, that's what. Season 2 is expected toward the end of July.
