Later this year will see the release of DC Entertainment's very own streaming service. Basically it will be Netflix but exclusive to DC related content. So instead of Netflix and chill we'll be able to DC and chill! My kind of night . . .
Ahem . . . anyway! Like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime before it, DC intends to make original content exclusive to their platform. So far only a few original shows have been announced, Titans, Young Justice: Outsiders, an animated Harley Quinn series, and Metropolis a series revolving around Lex Luthor and Lois Lane solving crimes in Metropolis before Superman arrives. Which is the type of show that every super-fan wants to see (I guess). I'm kidding, maybe it will be good! This got me thinking, what else could they cook up? Netflix has everything from comedies like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt to dramas like Ozark to family friendly entertainment like Fuller House. In my opinion, if the DC platform is going to be successful it should adopt a similar pattern. Here are my ideas for what DC should produce next.
BATGIRL
DC has no shortage of Bat-characters to make an awesome TV show out of. From the Dark Knight himself to all his sidekicks, allies, and even villains, but they seem to be getting the spotlight on Gotham. Now that Joss Whedon has exited the Batgirl film and Warner Bros has put the film on the backburner, it's the perfect time for someone to step in and produce a bad ass Batgirl series. The best part is that there are at least three great Batgirl characters to choose from: Barbara Gordon, Cassandra Cain, or Stephanie Brown. Or, like the picture I used from the Futures' End tie in, use all of them! Gail Simone has reportedly expressed interest in writing a Batgirl film, and while she would be an inspired choice, I think her talents would be better used making a cool Batgirl TV series. Each Batgirl has her fans and in my opinion they are all worthy of television treatment. There's a rich history to be tapped with this character and the possibilities are exciting enough on their own!
AMERICAN VAMPIRE
This is a pretty obvious one right? The comic itself reads like story boards to the coolest vampire show already, so why not just film it already? As part of DC's Vertigo imprint, this series is able to be far more adult and mature than if it was just another DC horror comic. I got into this comic after being a fan of Scott Snyder from his Detective Comics and Batman run and wanted to see what else he had done. Turns out, he has this really cool concept for telling a centuries spanning vampire mythology way more interesting than most vampire stories even bother putting into one chapter.
Ahem . . .
Seriously though, American Vampire is ripe for today's binge watching serialized story telling. It features multi dimensional characters and creative execution that streaming services thrive on. Plus there was a really cool Dracula story that would be awesome to see in live action!
GREEN LANTERNS
One of the best comics to come out of DC Rebirth, at least in my opinion, was Green Lanterns. It allowed for familiar and exciting Green Lantern stories to be told with brand new characters in unique and fun ways. The two newest Green Lanterns are Jessica Cruz, a socially anxious shut in and Simon Baz, a wrongfully convicted Muslim seen as a terrorist by the people of Earth. Together they make a truly unlikely pair but eventually become best friends and partners protecting the planet from alien menaces. It's not easy given their inner demons but they manage to overcome them and save the day like true heroes.
Oh yeah . . . THAT. That would be a great show to binge watch. Right away there's the option for more diversity with the lineup as the leads are a Muslim male and a Hispanic female. But like all great story telling these characters are relatable in how they get into situations that are over their heads and have to overcome their own crap to pull through. It's something most people can relate to. Maybe not the fighting space monsters part, but you know . . . the getting over yourself thing.
I've expressed interest multiple times why I think Green Lantern and the Corps deserve their own show and this would be perfect for a serialized TV format. True the budget may be crazy huge but I have no doubt that in the right hands this show would be rewatchable with its themes, entertainment, and spectacle.
SWAMP THING
With its current line up, DC has stuck to mostly traditional superhero fare or prequels. Basically, it's what people are used to from them. There's nothing wrong with that, but like I said, they should explore other options. Swamp Thing was one of my favorite comics that came out of the New 52. I had no knowledge of the character other than he was thing from the swamp (seemed like a safe assumption). I got the comic because I liked the artist, Yanick Paquette, and the writer, Scott Snyder, was killing it on Batman. In the first issue, I was hooked. I immediately looked into other Swamp Thing stories like the classic Alan Moore run. I even watched the original movie. While dated, the film was still interesting and fun (directed by the late, great Wes Craven).
There was a short lived Swamp Thing TV series in the 80s which I believe was a continuation of the films. I think a new take, one that embraces a Cronenbergesque body horror side of things, would be really exciting and something different than is traditionally offered by either DC or Marvel. It doesn't have to be gory but definitely scary and not afraid to take risks just like the comics always have been. Who doesn't love a great love story involving a swamp monster and a white haired bad ass female? Well, not many people now, probably, but if they make this show that will change!
HOURMAN
A few years ago, there was talk of making an Hourman television series on the CW. These plans never materialized, instead Hourman was a supporting character in a couple episodes of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. While I enjoyed those episodes, I still wondered what this show would have looked like. Granted, I don't know much about the character other than being a fan of Geoff Johns' (my man) run on JSA. However, I do know that there have been multiple Hourmen in DC's history. Sometimes they don't have power, other times they have powers only for a short while - like 60 minutes (get it?). That would make for a fun police-procedural type of adventure show. Plus, with Hourman getting his power from Miraclo, an addictive substance, there's an opportunity to show the type of struggle beyond just fighting supervillains. Inner demons make for the best type of superhero stories after all. Plus this is a chance to explore other members of the JSA that don't normally get the spotlight on the other shows like Sandman, Wildcat, Starman, and all those awesome supporting characters.
ANIMATED LEGO DC ADVENTURES
Hey, it can't all be for the adults right? The Lego DC animated films are actually a lot of fun and a great way to get kids excited about superheroes. I've seen a couple of the movies and they are fun and my nephews get excited for them. Of course, then they just want me to buy them more Legos . . . maybe this isn't a good idea . . .
But seriously, it's a great opportunity to have some family friendly entertainment and tell, dare I say, safer Justice League type stories. Of course the big budget Lego Batman movie starring Will Arnett was just about the perfect Batman film that 8 year old me could have asked for but these other short films have their value as well. A show like this could explore different story opportunities that a live action counterpart wouldn't be able to do, given the budget, and be a whole lot of wacky fun along the way. I mean, as comic book fans, we're all little kids at heart right? ;)
JINXWORLD
When Bendis made the jump from Marvel to DC, he promised a wonderful partnership with DC where his original creations could thrive. Books like Powers, Scarlet, and Jinx are extremely popular with his fans and have more than enough potential to carry multiple live action television series. Powers was tried on a short lived Playstation platform but that fizzled out because . . . well I don't know to be honest. I assume the viewership wasn't there. Chalk it up to people not wanting to watch movies on a Playstation or possibly some other dumb reason. Either way, I think DC's streaming service is the perfect place to try again. I've read some of Powers and love the way it mixes the outrageous superhero action with a gritty crime drama. It's exactly the type of left field story telling that could set DC's platform apart from Netflix and Hulu. I imagine that some sort of announcement for something like this won't take long to materialize. After all, Bendis spent almost two decades at Marvel, DC had to have offered him something other than just Superman right?
DC NATION SHORTS
In this day and age, how many times a day do you sit and get caught up watching short clips or trailers on YouTube? Not long ago, DC ran some funny, action packed shorts on Cartoon Network with their shows. I don't think those are on there anymore, but you can still find them on DC's YouTube page along with other cool shorts like the Batman and Superman 75th anniversary shorts. The streaming service is the perfect place to bring those back and tell any kind of story that a writer and animator can think of. My favorite was one where Lois Lane was desperate to get a one on one exclusive with Batman, getting into all kinds of hi jinks to get her story. It ended with Batman answering her questions and she helped him fight some crime. Hokey, yes, but lots of fun and made me laugh. Of course, it didn't hurt that Kevin Conroy played Batman in it.
I'd love to see the DC Nation shorts run the gamut from funny bits like the Lois Lane short to more serious ones like the short films DC used to produce with their animated films. It's the type of stuff that I live for as a comic book fan. Funny, exciting, dramatic, and ultimately unforgettable.
THE SANDMAN
One of the most famous comic books of all time, The Sandman is an experiment in telling creative and marvelous stories in the comic book format. For some reason, the property remains in development Hell as no one can seem to crack how to adapt it in live action. I think it might be because the comic is so damn perfect, there's hardly a way to expand it without it falling flat. However, I think DC's streaming service is the perfect place to bring Morpheus and the dream world to life. As I've said before, streaming services have proven that they are at their best when they creators go nuts and tell the best stories that they can tell limited only by their imagination (and maybe budget, but that can be worked out). Sandman is something that fans have been clamoring for for years and I think now is the perfect time to adapt it and give us a wholly unique television series just like the comic was unique in its day. I mean, dang! These stories are timeless and still hold up to this day! What the hell is the hold up here??
POWERLESS (or something similar)
While it was short lived, I kind of liked Powerless. It was the type of left field show that saw a different side of the DC Universe. I think the show had potential and an audience but ultimately played it too safe. I remember the original pitch being characters selling "Superhero Insurance" and being frustrated with all the collateral damage caused by super fights. The show was then turned into a more traditional work place comedy where the characters worked for Wayne Tech making gadgets to help ordinary citizens stay safe from super hero battles. I like the original pitch better. It's exactly the type of funny concept people are joking about after every superhero film. I mean . . . we all saw Man of Steel right? BILLIONS in property damage! And that was just two dudes!
While I doubt that Powerless will be revived, after all the show's quality was meh at best, I think there is room for a sitcom set in the DC universe. Whether it's a police comedy like Brooklyn 99 (one of my favorite shows) or a romantic comedy of some kind, there's potential to tell unique every day stories set against the backdrop of the DC Universe. Powerless proved, if nothing else, that the idea is at least entertaining so why not have another crack at it?
ELSEWORLDS
One of DC's most popular brands is definitely Elseworlds. It's a chance for creators to tell creative, different, and surprising stories that they couldn't tell in the normal DC continuity. Stories like Kal El being raised by the Wayne family, Batman fighting Jack the Ripper in the late 19th century, Superman as a Soviet dictator, I mean these are bizarre but really awesome stories. DC recently released Batman: Gotham by Gaslight as an animated feature. I really loved it and it stayed really true to the weird but awesome narrative of the comic. Whether it's live action or animated, I think it would be great to see more of those stories adapted to the streaming platform. Like the Justice League: Gods and Monsters animated feature, it's a chance for creators to go wild and tell stories way out of left field (sorry I use that term a lot). They don't have to fit any continuity but the one they create and that's the type of creative freedom that artists crave. Netflix and Hulu offer that, it's how we can get shows like Stranger Things that a traditional network wouldn't risk but the streaming services thrive on awesome story telling from creative people.
THE QUESTION
Now here's one that Marc Guggenheim (co-creator of Arrow) and I have in common. The Question, either Vic Sage or Renee Montoya, is a TV show just dying to be created. Just think of the tagline! "Need answers? Ask THE QUESTION!" Oh man, it's sad that I'm not a famous Hollywood writer.
Anyway! This is the type of show that could either "play it safe" as a cool police procedural or be really inventive and twist that narrative till it breaks. Personally, I'm all for the latter. If a show like this premiered on FOX it would be another cop show featuring superhero characters. But give it to the streaming service? Then it has the potential to break the mold and be grittier, nastier, and way more experimental. Think Mulder from The X-Files and his crazy conspiracy theories. He learns that they are true and is willing to go to any lengths to discover the truth! And either Sage or Montoya is the perfect protagonist for this type of show. Vic Sage is a journalist and Montoya is a harden detective. Either or both characters are perfect to tell these stories. Plus it's a way to be different where there doesn't have to be super villains like Deathstroke, the Thinker, or the Legion of Doom. The adversaries are human corruption, greed, and social injustice. That's the type of show that America needs right now.
DOCUMENTARIES
One of my favorite things to watch are "behind the scenes" specials. When I was younger, I was always willing to spend the extra few bucks on a special edition DVD or Blu Ray if it meant I got to see how the film or TV show was made. DC has released a few documentaries over the years, one about their own origins (pictured above), one about their awesome supervillains called Necessary Evil, and one about Superman released when Superman Returns was in the movie theaters. These features interview not just people involved with the creation of these characters but different celebrities, including Stan Lee, who talk about the impact that the character or events had on them as children and in their professional careers. Freaking Gene Simmons describes his love of Clark Kent in the Superman documentary!
Maybe I'm in the minority with my love of these documentaries but they're probably inexpensive enough to pad some time and space on the streaming service. I think these types of films are very interesting and always get me excited to not only read more of the comics, or reread my favorites, but they inspire me knowing that there are other people like me that get just as excited about the DC Universe as I do.
BIRDS OF PREY
Here's a little insight into my brain - I remember watching this show as a kid and kind of liking it but feeling like something about it was a bit off. I recently rewatched this show on the CW Seed app and it hit me: this show was strangely ahead of its time but was afraid to be ahead of its time. Let me explain: The pilot episode featured brief glimpses of Batman, Catwoman, Batgirl and the Joker (voiced by Mark Hamill) and then moved ahead several years to Batman and Catwoman's daughter, the Huntress/Helena Wayne, and Barbara Gordon, now wheelchair bound going by Oracle, fighting crime in New Gotham (for some reason it was renamed and I hated that). They recruit the original Black Canary's daughter, Dinah, who can sense other metahumans, in their fight against other metahumans. Also Harley Quinn, without signature look save for some wardrobe choices, served as the main antagonist in the first and only season.
So how was it ahead of its time? Well, the premise is actually pretty great. Huntress, Oracle, and Black Canary fighting Harley Quinn and metahumans and other crime in Gotham City in Batman's absence is awesome. But this was during the heyday of Smallville where executives all thought that no one wanted superheroes so it was better to keep the main characters in street clothes and avoid showing more comic book-esque type set pieces and costuming. That was a mistake as the show could have stood apart from Smallville by embracing those things and showing more masks and supervillainy than it's counterpart. Ironically, Smallville found more success by doing this giving Clark more Superman-like adventures and featuring actual superheroes like Green Arrow, Aquaman, Black Canary, and Zatanna in all their costumed glory.
I'd love to see this concept resurrected and done right. With the success of Supergirl and Wonder Woman fans are demanding more female led, not to mention solid, story telling and the DC streaming service is the place to do it. While it's cool that Lois Lane will be the main character on Metropolis, and truthfully she deserves it, a more action packed, semi-traditional (but not too safe!) series would be something I'd tune in for over and over again.
OH AND I'VE SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST!
BATMAN BEYOND
I recently rewatched all of Batman Beyond including the masterpiece film Return of the Joker and it hit me how similar Batman Beyond and Spider-Man: Homecoming are, at least on the surface. They
have similar abilities in their costumes, both are coming of age teenage hero stories, feature a billionaire mentor, and are a whole heck of a lot of fun to watch (but that's a given).
It seems strange to me that given Batman Beyond's popularity, it has remained largely untouched following the show's end. There have been comic book revivals that have been successful but no one has tried to make a new animated series, film, or even a live action take. Why is that? It's damn near universally praised as a logical and wonderful continuation to the Batman mythos and features creative, exciting, and menacing villains. Plus it helps that Terry McGinnis is a wonderful character doing his best to use Batman not only as a hero for Gotham City but as a tool to redeem his troubled soul. Man, I'm getting choked up just thinking about it!
If DC decides to do no other series with their streaming service, they should tackle this one. It's a great way to have the best of both worlds with a great Batman series but they don't have to use the classic Bat rogues or even Bruce Wayne's Batman much if at all. Like I said, Gotham is giving us unique and fun takes on the classic Batman rogues gallery and the films have a pretty bad ass version of Batman with Ben Affleck (although who knows how much longer that will last *grrr*). Batman Beyond is the best way to tell really cool Bat-adventures without the baggage of Bruce Wayne attached. Of course, Wayne is a main character, but the show belongs to Terry and his trials as the Batman. OH MY GOD! PLEASE DO THIS ONE, DC!!
So there you have it! My ideas, and pleas, for what DC should do with their amibitious undertaking. I think this platform has the potential to be successful but only if it does what DC Comics has always strived to do - tell unique and incredible stories that anyone can enjoy. There is so much potential out there within their books that they'd be remiss not to exploit anything and everything they can!
Till Next Time!
JJ - the Comic Junkie
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