According to a press release from Archie Comics, Riverdale, featuring darker versions of Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica and Reggie, is coming to the CW this fall.
The pilot is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics, which has scored big with both readers and critics with adult-oriented takes on the popular characters, including the horror-themed Afterlife with Archie also written bu Aguirre-Sacasa. The official network description for Riverdale calls it “a surprising and subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends.” The show exposes “the surrealism of small town life — the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome façade.”
Riverdale is produced by comics-to-screen mega-producer Greg Berlanti, who also produces Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and the just acquired Supergirl for the network. Add in iZombie, and that makes six different comics-based shows on the CW.
The show features K.J. Apa as Archie, Camila Mendes as Veronica, Cole Sprouse as Jughead, and Lili Reinhart as Betty.
Archie Comics Publisher and CEO Jon Goldwater said in a statement: “This is a historic moment for Archie Comics — and I couldn’t be more proud. It’s a culmination of my time here, and I’m eager to see Greg Berlanti, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, The CW, Warner Brothers Studios, and the cast bring Riverdale to viewers every week. My promise to fans? You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
ABC pulled the plug on period spy and superhero drama Agent Carter today. The writing has been on the wall for some time. The show had dipped in the ratings this year, and star Hayley Atwell had signed on to the new ABC drama Conviction. The network swore that Atwell could do both, but it seemed highly unlikely.
Agents of SHIELD is left to carry the MCU banner on ABC, as the network also passed on SHIELD spin-off Marvel’s Most Wanted.
Variety is reporting that freshman drama Supergirl starring Melissa Benoist has been renewed for a second season, but is moving from CBS to sister network the CW, which is already home to superhero shows The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.
Although it was the highest rated new drama for CBS this year and brought the network its youngest audience, Supergirl always seemed like an odd fit at CBS; and the network had better ratings last year with the comedy block Supergirl replaced.
The show had its highest ratings ever when the Flash, played by Grant Gustin, crossed over from his show on the CW, reaffirming that the audience was there for Supergirl — just perhaps not at CBS.
Midway through Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa, King of Wakanda, heads to his car, ready to embark on a mission of vengeance as the Black Panther against the Winter Soldier, whom he believes killed his father. Sensing the conflict to come, the Black Widow attempts to intercept him, positioning herself between T’Challa and the door. Then an imposing bald woman who was with T’Challa steps to the foreground and says one line:
Move or be moved.
The way she held herself and delivered that single line of dialog conveyed to the audience that this is a woman who believes she can best the Black Widow in a fight. T’Challa evidently agrees, but defuses the situation with a simple, “As entertaining as that would be…”
So who is this badass woman who can compete with Marvel’s best? Although it is not explicitly stated, there is almost no doubt that she is a member of the Dora Milaje (dora-meh-LAH-shay), the King of Wakanda’s personal bodyguards and some of the most deadly fighters on the planet.
In Wakandan tradition, the Dora Milaje are also a pool of potential brides for an unmarried king. Each tribe of Wakanda puts forth their best representative so that all tribes have an interest in maintaining the peace as one of their own is in running for the crown. In current comics, T’Challa has announced that his bride will no longer be selected in such an arbitrary fashion.
The Dora Milaje are also featured prominently in the first few issues of Ta-Nehisi Coates run on the rebooted Black Panther comic book, and their role in Wakanda society is slowly being fleshed out with complexities that make them far more than a fantasy for adolescent boys.
With the Black Panther movie on the way there is no doubt in my mind that we have not seen the last of the Dora Milaje, and based on first impressions — that’s a very good thing.
We've seen Iron Man vs. Captain America, Batman vs. Superman -- now get ready for "cupcake vs. cupcake" as Food Network puts on a superhero-themed episode of Cupcake Wars. The…
It looks like Captain Marvel will appear in Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1 — before her solo movie hits theaters a year later.
Infinity War directors the Russo Brothers were speaking at the Smithsonian and running through the list of characters in the movie, when one of them blurted out the name “Captain Marvel.” A fan in the crowd pounced and asked, “Did you just confirm Captain Marvel?”
Russo replied, “”Um….Captain Barvel. Totally different character.”
So there you have it. Either Carol Danvers will be joining the Avengers in Infinity War, Part 1, or the House of Ideas is ready to introduce the exciting new character, “Captain Barvel.” We’re betting on the former.
After years of speculation and pleading from fans, Marvel has finally made the first tenuous moves towards making a Black Widow solo movie. In an interview with Deadline, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige moved Black Widow to the top of the stack of characters under consideration for their own movie. Even more exciting than that, he didn’t use the word “movie.” He used the word “franchise.”
DEADLINE: You’ve got a bunch of characters in this movie from Falcon and War Machine and Black Widow and Hawkeye, who have so far guest starred in movies with another character’s title above the fold. Is there one destined to get a solo movie down the line? FEIGE: We’ve announced the next nine movies, 10 counting Civil War, through the end of 2019. Where we go beyond that are ongoing discussions that we’ll focus on in the next few years because we have a lot to do before then. Of the characters that you’ve just mentioned I would say certainly the one creatively and emotionally that we are most committing to doing is Black Widow.
DEADLINE: Why? FEIGE: We think she’s an amazing character. We think Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of her is amazing. She’s a lead Avenger and has amazing stories in her own right to tell that we think would be fun to turn into a stand-alone franchise.
Did you hear that? They are “committed to doing” a Black Widow movie. No turning back from that. We’re going to hold them to it.
Appearing in five movies, the Black Widow is Marvel’s most recognizable female hero. But her ubiquitous presence on the silver screen has historically not translated to an abundance of choices in the toy aisle. There are likely multiple reasons for this. She is always a supporting character in the movies and traditional toy marketing discourages boys from buying toys featuring women, and girls from entering the action-figure aisle to find merchandise designed for them.
Marvel’s deliberate strategy of carefully proving a market for female action figures, toys and clothing has frustrated many fans, leading to multiple social media hashtag campaigns to pressure them into speeding up the release of merchandise aimed at women and girls. With Captain America: Civil War, the dam holding back merchandise featuring — and for — women appears to have broken.
One industry insider confided, “Marvel has licensed hundreds of products featuring Black Widow for this movie — if not thousands.” And the Widow is just the first. Scarlet Witch is already traveling down her established path in the movies, and Marvel has announced that they will be expanding products featuring female heroes like Spider-Gwen, Ms Marvel, Spider-Woman and Squirrel Girl through specialty retailers like Hot Topic.
But it all starts with Black Widow. From the toy aisle to apparel to home furnishings, everyone’s favorite Russian assassin is popping up everywhere.And we’ve put together a cheat sheet to show some of our favorite merch — and this is just a fraction of what is out there.
Toys & Collectibles
While not as widely available as some of the more core characters like Iron Man or Captain America, the Black Widow has an extraordinary amount of action figures available at a variety of price points. Most of these can be found at Target, Toys ‘r’ Us or other retailers; while a few items are Disney Store exclusives.
Action Figures
Collectibles
There are some great desk chotskies here from adorable (and inexpensive) Tsum-Tsums and FUNKO Pops to hyper-detailed (and pricey) action figures for adults from Hot Toys, Square Enix and Marvel Select.
Kids’ Toys
A lot of people felt that you couldn’t market Black Widow to little kids. It just took one look at that Playskool Hero to prove the naysayers wrong. I think I kind of need one of those.
LEGO Building Set
LEGO righted one of the most egregious slights of Avengers: Age of Ultron by giving us a Black Widow playset and finally letting Natasha rock the motorcycle she uses in the films.
LEGO® Super Heroes Crossbones’ Hazard Heist 76050
LEGO® Super Heroes Crossbones’ Hazard Heist 76050
LEGO® Super Heroes Crossbones’ Hazard Heist 76050
Costumes
Finally, a costume for girls who want to kick butt — not look cute.
Clothing and Apparel
Retailers from Target, to Walmart, to JC Penney’s to Macy’s all have Black Widow and Avengers apparel for women on the shelves. No more sneaking over to the boys department for an ill-fitting shirt. Girls today have lots of mass market options to show their fandom.
Avenger’s Grey Tee – Macy’s
Avengers High Low Tee – Macy’s
Avengers Long Sleeve Tee – Macy’s
Black Widow Baseball Tee
Black Widow Spy Tee – Disney Store
Black Widow Tee – Disney Store
Girl Power Tee – Disney Store
Marvel Black Pastel Tee – Walmart
Marvel Black Widow Sleep Set – Target
Marvel Comics Sleep Set – Target
Accessories
Marvel has been expanding their line of purses, wallets and handbags over the past few years and that trend continues for Civil War. An the Disney Store has an entire line or lamps, bags and tablet sleeves featuring the world’s greatest spy.
Free Comic Book Day celebrated every year on the first Saturday in May. It’s a day where comic book shops all across the world give away comic books to customers both old and new.
This year, FCBD lands on May 7th. Heroic Girls is giving everything you need to know to find a shop, pick out your books and have a great time.
Not All Shops Are Created Equal
Some shops make FCBD into a massive event, with special sales, in-store signings by local comic writers and artists, raffles, food trucks and more. Other stores barely acknowledge the event at all. There are 50 free comic books available on Free Comic Book Day, but how many each shop will carry varies wildly. Some may only carry two or three, while others will carry the entire line-up. Some will have hundreds or thousands on hand while others will have a few dozen.
Use the local comic shop locator to find the shops near you and call around to see what events each is planning for Saturday and what comics they will have on hand.
Free For You, Not For the Shops
The free comics that the shops are handing out are not actually free. Your local comic shop has to pay for them (although at a steeply discounted rate.) So that brings up two unofficial “rules” for being a good customer on FCBD.
Don’t be greedy — Look over the available comic and only choose the ones that look interesting to you. Don’t grab things you won’t read just because you can. The shops have to pay for those.
Spend a little money — I know it is “Free” Comic Book Day, but the shops are giving you all this cool stuff, be a good egg and find a little something to buy while you are there. If you’re not sure what to get, ask an employee for a recommendation.
Be Prepared
Below is a list of all the potential comics your local shop might carry. The “Gold” comics are the ones that most stores will carry, while the “Silver” will only be stocked by larger shops or shops doing big events. Make a list of the books you want, check with the shop to make sure they will carry them, and bring your list with you to the shop on FCBD.
Be Early
Check with your local comic shop to find out if they expect there to be a line for the books. Some shops have a line of people waiting every year to get the freebies. The shop can tell you when a good time to arrive is. If you might need to wait, bring snacks, reading material or small games to play to pass the time.
Have Fun
Free Comic Book Day is a blast. Wear a mask! Dress in costumes! Take photos! Live Tweet the event! Share your pics videos and thoughts on social media with the hashtags #FCBD2016 or #FCBD. Then search those hashtags to see what other people are doing to celebrate.
Candy maker Wrigley has a deal for you. If you buy five packs of their candy, you get a $10 Fandango credit good towards a ticket to see Captain America:…
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
You must be logged in to post a comment.