-

FROM POLYGON.COM

Through the multiverse of Marvel Comics, there are many different versions of Frank Castle. He’s been a pacifist monk, a fishman, and Wonder Woman’s husband — but among all these Franks, there’s one who is the most. Just... the most. And that’s the Cosmic Ghost Rider.

Polygon is excited to announce, courtesy of Marvel Comics, that the dumbest, best version of Frank Castle will ride again, in Cosmic Ghost Rider, a new ongoing series from writer Stephanie Phillips (Harley Quinn) and artist Juann Cabal (Guardians of the Galaxy).

Technically, Cosmic Ghost Rider is a version of Frank Castle who was the only human survivor in a universe where Thanos ruled who made a deal with Mephisto to get revenge and later teamed up with Galactus’ herald, collecting all the powers of a serial killer, the Ghost Rider, and the Silver Surfer. In practice, he’s an absolute idiot in an over-the-top outfit, who uses his abilities to do things like go back in time and try to raise Thanos to be a nice person.

“VENGEANCE REAWAKENED!” begins Marvel’s official summary of the series’s first issue, with appropriate bombast. “In a far-flung corner of deep space, Frank Castle has eked out a quiet existence, his days as Cosmic Ghost Rider finally behind him. But across the universe, a vicious bounty hunter is leaving a trail of bodies in his wake and his name is… Cosmic Ghost Rider?! When Frank’s peaceful existence is shattered, he must suit up once more and face his most savage enemy yet — himself! Be there for the start of a sprawling space adventure with shocking twists and turns in the saga of Cosmic Ghost Rider!”

Cosmic Ghost Rider #1 will hit comics shelves sometime in March 2023.

https://www.polygon.com/23460114/punisher-coming-back-marvel-comics-ghost-rider

-

FROM DC.COM

DC Comics is embarking on a yearlong storytelling initiative: Dawn of DC. Following the events of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and DC Universe: Lazarus Planet, the world’s superheroes have emerged from the biggest, most devastating battles of their lives and are reinvigorated in their fights against evil. With epic new storylines, over 20 exciting new titles, superstar creative teams, and villains that will push the heroes beyond their limits in bold adventures, this line-wide, multi event narrative initiative kicks off with January’s Action Comics #1051.

All year long, DC will be celebrating the classic characters while also embracing the next generation of new heroes, as we’re going to need everyone to help fight against the darkness. Dawn of DC will shine the spotlight on a number of fan-favorite superheroes and super-villains that haven’t been front and center for some time.

With bold new directions for some of DC’s biggest characters, such as Batman, Superman, Nightwing, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy, Dawn of DC is an easy entry point for both lifelong readers and those picking up a comic for the first time to dive into the new stories. Over 20 new comic titles will be launching throughout 2023 as part of Dawn of DC, featuring Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Shazam, the Doom Patrol, Green Arrow, Cyborg, the Penguin, and more.

Spinning directly out of Lazarus Planet, the world’s strangest superheroes are saving the world by saving its monsters! In the team's first main line series in over a decade, the Doom Patrol returns in Unstoppable Doom Patrol by Dennis Culver (Justice League Incarnate) and Chris Burnham (Batman Incorporated), available in March.

Clark and Jon won’t be the only Kent family members with their own series. The 2022 DC Round Robin-winning Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow by Kenny Porter (Flash: The Fastest Man Alive) and Jahnoy Lindsay (DC Power: A Celebration) will launch in April. Determined to find his place in a strange universe, Conner Kent/Superboy leaves Earth behind. But his journey of self-discovery brings him face-to-face with a group of freedom fighters who challenge not just everything Conner stands for but what it means to bear the Superman crest.

Green Lantern fans will have their pick of Green Lanterns in 2023 when both Green Lantern: Hal Jordan and Green Lantern: John Stewart fly into comic book shops! Green Lantern: Hal Jordan by Mariko Tamaki (Crush & Lobo) and an artist yet to be announced will be available in April. Fan favorite Hal Jordan returns to Earth and to his blockbuster superhero action storytelling roots. Spinning out of that series and launching later in the year, Green Lantern: John Stewart is by writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and an artist to be announced at a later date. The beloved John Stewart gets back to basics as the military-trained, gritty, but heroic Green Lantern.

Oliver Queen has been lost since Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, and his family is determined to find him—but there are dangerous forces just as determined to keep them apart at any cost. Green Arrow by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Sean Izaakse (Thunderbolts), which launches in April, is an action-packed adventure across the DC Universe that sets the stage for major stories in 2023.

A classic title returns with tales of the Dark Knight and core stories building out Dawn of DC! Coming in May, Batman: The Brave and the Bold features top writers and artists, including Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow), Mitch Gerads (Mister Miracle), Guillem March (Catwoman), Gabriel Hardman (Green Lantern: Earth One), Dan Mora (Batman/Superman: World’s Finest), Rob Williams (Suicide Squad) and more.

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths forever changed Victor Stone, and now, as Dawn of DC rises, he might just hold the secret to Earth’s future! He gets his own series, Cyborg, in May from a talent team that will be revealed at a later date.

The creative team behind the smash-hit Batman/Superman: World’s Finest, writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora, is reunited once again on Shazam!, available in June. Billy Batson is back as the champion in the action-comedy comic about a boy with powers that rival Superman’s and a whole lot of growing up left to do. We’ll see Shazam hanging out at the Rock of Eternity, his secret clubhouse that can travel through space and time, as well as punching dinosaurs in the face, seeing how long he can hold his breath on the moon, and getting into wild and fun adventures with his tiger, Tawky Tawny, by his side.

After escaping Gotham City and his criminal past to happily retire to Metropolis, the Penguin is forced back into organized crime by the U.S. government! The feathered felon, and Gotham City, will never be the same. Spinning out of the pages of Batman, The Penguin (working title) will be available in June from writer Tom King and artist Stefano Gaudiano (The Walking Dead).

Just in time for his 30th anniversary, John Henry Irons must bring Metropolis into the future while trusting his niece Natasha to carry the mantle of Steel. Steelworks will be available in June from a talent team that will be revealed at a later date.

Stay tuned as more from Dawn of DC, including the titles releasing in the second half of 2023, will be announced soon!

https://www.dc.com/blog/2022/11/18/dawn-of-dc-starts-in-january-2023

-

FROM HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM

Marvel Studios’ Blade is being unsheathed once more, this time with a whole new creative team.

Yann Demange, who directed the pilot of HBO’s boundary-pushing horror series Lovecraft Country, has come aboard to helm the vampire action thriller that still has Mahershala Ali attached to star.

Meanwhile, Michael Starrbury, who earned an Emmy nomination for penning an episode of Ava DuVernay’s drama, When They See Us, has been hired to pen a brand new script for the feature.

The new team puts the project back on track after losing its original director, Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) in September. The parting of ways was due to creative differences and occurred suddenly as the project was in pre-production and heading towards a November production start in Atlanta.

Rather than jamming another director in something that clearly needed an overhaul, Marvel pressed pause for a deeper look under the hood. That meant a page one rewrite for the project, which had labored in the screenwriting phase. Ali was personally involved in selecting the writer, according to sources.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/blade-marvel-2024-movie-1235267361/

-

FROM COMICBOOK.COM

An entire live-action Spider-Man TV Universe is on the way, starting with the upcoming series Silk: Spider Society, which is in the works at Amazon/MGM and Sony Pictures Television. This Silk TV series will have Walking Dead Universe writer/producer Angela Kang serving as showrunner, as part of her overall deal with Amazon Studios. As previously rumored, Silk will also mark a partnership between Sony and Amazon, in order to build "a suite of live-action television series based on the Sony Pictures universe of Marvel characters, which includes over 900 characters." Silk: Spider Society will debut domestically on MGM+ (formerly EPIX) channel, followed by a global launch on Prime Video.

Here's the series description for Silk: Spider Society, via Amazon Studios and Sony:

Based on characters created by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos, Silk: Spider Society is inspired by the Marvel comics and follows Cindy Moon, a Korean-American woman bitten by the same spider that bit Peter Parker, as she escapes imprisonment and searches for her missing family on her way to becoming the superhero known as Silk.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/silk-spider-society-series-spider-man-tv-universe-sony-amazon/

-