8 Things We Learned From DC's June 2019 Solicitations
7. Frank Miller Will Tell Superman's "Definitive" Origin In Year One
DC Comics
Although greeted with a hefty dose of hype upon its announcement, the roll-out of DC's Black Label line of comics has been anything but smooth. First there was the bizarre controversy generated in Batman: Damned, where the publisher opted to censor Bruce Wayne's already obscured penis in subsequent reprints (no, really), and then there's been the decision to incorporate older books like The Dark Knight Returns under the banner too.
It's potentially managed to dilute what Black Label is all about, but there's still plenty to look forward to, one of which is Frank Miller and John Romita Jr's Superman: Year One. It was a surprise inclusion when Black Label was first announced, but DC have finally clued readers in on what to expect from the duo's take on the Man of Steel's origin, complete with a first look at Romita's cover for issue one.
Supes is sporting the classic red and black symbol famously seen in the Fleischer Studios' Superman cartoons, while DC themselves promise that the book will "present the definitive origin of Superman". Whether that means they're looking to make it canon or not is unclear, but given the mixed messages surrounding Black Label so far, don't rule it out from happening just yet.
WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well.
In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.
