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101-417: Superman/Batman explores the camaraderie, antagonism, and friendship between its title characters. Jeph Loeb , the series' first writer, introduced a dual- narrator technique to present the characters' often opposing viewpoints and estimations of each other, which subsequent series writers have maintained. Before the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths , the two iconic characters were depicted as

202-477: A television series based on the comic book series in 2001 . The series was directed by Ralph Hemecker and written by Marc Silvestri and J.D. Zeik. Yancy Butler starred as Sara Pezzini. Although critically acclaimed and popular with audiences, it was canceled in September 2002. The cancellation was announced as a production decision, but there was widespread speculation that the true reason for its cancellation

303-541: A Canadian actor of Japanese descent who played recurring villain Nobu Yoshioka on Daredevil , suggested that Loeb forced the show's writers to drop proposed storylines fleshing out Nobu and fellow recurring villain Madame Gao . Shinkoda accused Loeb of explaining to writers that "there were three previous Marvel movies, a trilogy called Blade that was made where Wesley Snipes killed 200 Asians each movie. Nobody gives

404-419: A big part of the success a show with eight Emmy nods and a win this year for NBC.com. I will miss the superb cast and writing staff and wish everyone the best." At the time, Loeb had completed writing and producing the third-season episode, " Dual ". On June 28, 2010, Marvel Entertainment, as part of its expansion into television, appointed Loeb to the position of Executive Vice President, Head of Television of

505-536: A boy named Sam serves as the inspiration for Clark Kent to later become Superman. During Loeb's tenure as the head of Marvel Television, the Netflix shows Daredevil , Iron Fist and The Defenders were criticized for promoting negative stereotypes of East Asians and East Asian culture . Following the controversy surrounding Iron Fist ' s casting , Loeb defended the casting of white actor Finn Jones , emphasizing that Danny Rand 's status as an "outsider"

606-676: A cruise together along with Lois Lane . Along the way, they encounter Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson), as well as the Crime Syndicate from the Antimatter Universe, which is made up of evil duplicates of the heroes. The members they face are Ultraman (Superman), Owlman (Batman), and Superwoman (Wonder Woman), who is Lois Lane in the Antimatter Universe. An alternate, unnamed version of Deathstroke also appears, characterized very similarly to Marvel Comics' Deadpool . During

707-576: A dark matter fuel experiment on a Waynetech satellite, by creating solidgram versions of the original Teen Titans to distract the guards. He then uses the experiment's Kryptonian processor to enter the Fortress of Solitude. While Superman battles the Titan solidgrams, Batman manages to head off and defeat Light by trapping him in a Dark Matter crystal. Light is later freed by Lex Luthor, who wants him to join his new Injustice League . In "Nanopolis" (issues #57–59),

808-579: A deal with Zannel to license their comics as mobile comics . In 2022, Top Cow Productions reprinted the early issues of Cyberforce for the first time since 1994 in a 30th anniversary commemorative hardcover edition The project was funded through Kickstarter, and the commemorative edition was exclusively available through the platform. The book collected Cyberforce #0, Tin Men of War #1-4, WildCATS #5-7, Cyberforce volume 2 #1-13, Origins #1 ( Cyblade ) and #2 ( Stryker ), and Cyberforce Annual #1. Later in

909-412: A flashback series dealing with the aftermath of various DC crossovers, but Casey's original scripts were devoid of references to the crossovers, scrapping the plan for future stories in the intended vein. "Sweet Dreams" ( issue #65) is a special Halloween issue showing what scares Superman and Batman, and also exposing the inner fears of Joker and Lex Luthor. This is revealed as an induced dream created by

1010-469: A new Cyberforce series and various spin-offs. Top Cow attracted several professionals including artist Brandon Peterson , writer Garth Ennis and former Marvel staffer David Wohl . The company also helped launch the careers of various writers and artists, such as Christina Z , Joe Benitez , Michael Turner and David Finch . Benitez, Turner and Finch have since worked for DC and Marvel Comics . In 1996, Top Cow briefly parted ways with Image during

1111-499: A new villain with all the powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes . In "Prelude to the Big Noise" (issue #64), Batman discovers information on Superman's Kryptonian origins that place the two in danger unless Superman is willing to sacrifice himself. "The Big Noise" (issues #68–71)(issues #68–70 were illustrated by Ardian Syaf ) Originally, "The Big Noise" was intended to relaunch the book as

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1212-521: A period of self-doubt. Challenging the aliens to read his mind again, Superman convinces them that they were wrong about Earth. In "A.I." (issues #34–36, illustrated by Pat Lee ), Superman and Batman are introduced to Will Magnus and his malleable, shape-shifting Metal Men for the first time (in Post- Infinite Crisis continuity). Bruce Wayne hires the Metal Men as security guards. They go on

1313-458: A power struggle with Image associate Rob Liefeld . Liefeld left the company shortly after Top Cow's departure, and Top Cow returned to the partnership. At the same time, Top Cow was moving more into the fantasy genre with new properties Witchblade and The Darkness . Thanks to the success of Witchblade , Top Cow was able to expand, adding new titles to its lineup including The Darkness , Magdalena , Aphrodite IX , and others. Silvestri

1414-696: A rampage and steal a prototype OMAC unit. Known for his work on the DC Animated Universe and The Batman television series, Alan Burnett took over as writer of the series with issue #37. In "Torment" (issues #37-42, illustrated by Dustin Nguyen ), Superman is psychologically tortured by the Scarecrow and brought to the war planet Tartaros by DeSaad . DeSaad plants a mind-controlling spike in Superman's head, and sends him to retrieve Highfather 's staff from

1515-559: A series titled Batman/Superman was released from 2013 to 2016. A second Batman/Superman series was released in August 2019, with issue #16 as part of DC's Infinite Frontier . A new ongoing series by Mark Waid titled Batman/Superman: World's Finest was released in March 2022. Loeb , who wrote Superman for two years before the launch of the title, wrote the book for the first two years of its publication. Unlike later writers, Loeb's work on

1616-402: A seven-disc collectors set including the original made-for-TV movie, all 23 episodes of the series, and special features — was released July 29, 2008. In January 2017, NBC announced that it would be developing a Witchblade reboot, with Carol Mendelsohn and Caroline Dries serving as executive producers. An American superhero film based on the series was announced in 2008. The film

1717-537: A shallow grave is discovered in Metropolis, Supergirl tries to get the help of Batman to investigate, but ends up only finding the current Robin Damian Wayne , Even not doing well, they discover that the victims are killed by a sudden heart attack and all of them are employers of LexCorp. While infiltrating a party with another members, Supergirl finds the culprit to be The Scarecrow who wants revenge on Lex Luthor since

1818-420: A shit so don't write about Nobu and Gao." Shinkoda also claimed that he and Gao's actress Wai Ching Ho were not invited to the season 2 premiere of Daredevil and received less payment than the extras. Co-star Tommy Walker said that Daredevil and Defenders showrunner Doug Petrie had previously pitched a multiracial Asian American version of Iron Fist to Marvel Television in early development, but

1919-460: A silver-armored knight who fights them; after he is killed, the knight is revealed to be Superman. When the real Superman is informed, an alternative Batman appears and abducts him; meanwhile, the real Batman is working together with Detective Chimp , Doctor Occult and Klarion the Witch Boy to find the demons' source. The strange Batman takes Superman to his world of origin - a possible future where

2020-610: A story about Superman's powers being transferred to Batman during a battle with the Silver Banshee . Batman revels in his new powers and uses them to bring complete fear and order to Gotham's criminal underworld and eventually sets his sight on the rest of the world. Superman meanwhile, tries to lead a normal life as a husband and journalist. Their allies realized that the power switch has a psychological side effect to both men, as Batman's behavior becomes increasingly aggressive and Superman himself becomes emotionally depressed despite living

2121-456: A subsequent manga adaptation. The anime version is considered controversial by some, because GONZO has announced that the main character of the anime is of Japanese ethnicity but is not Itagaki , one of the previous bearers of the Witchblade. Instead the main character is a new character named Masane. Although this series centers around all new characters and tells a new story not contained in

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2222-496: A supervising producer and has written many episodes since then. He signed a three-year contract, and although producers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough offered to keep him on for future seasons, Loeb left to care for his son, who had cancer ( See Comics career below ). Loeb later became a writer/producer on the ABC TV series Lost during that show's second season. Leaving Lost , Loeb went on to become Co-Executive Producer and writer on

2323-799: A team of superheroes from an alternate universe called the Maximums (a pastiche of Marvel Comics ' Avengers series, more specifically their incarnations from the Ultimate universe , the Ultimates ). Keeping the bargain he made in "Absolute Power", Superman frees Darkseid from the Source Wall. Double-crossed, Superman becomes stuck in the wall himself. Bizarro and multiple Supergirls rescue him. Everyone so far and many more other duplicates fight in an arena before Bat-Mite escapes. The two imps tie up all loose ends with their cosmic powers. Additionally, Superman, Batman and

2424-506: A three-year battle with bone cancer . In June 2006, Sam had a story published in Superman/Batman #26, which was nearly completed before his death. His father finished the work with the help of 25 other writers and artists, all of whom were friends of Sam, including Geoff Johns , John Cassaday , Ed McGuinness , Joe Madureira , Rob Liefeld , and Joss Whedon . The issue also featured a tale titled "Sam's Story", dedicated to Sam, in which

2525-470: A while. The issue was released shortly after Superboy's death in Infinite Crisis #6, and Robin's eulogy of Superboy serves as both a framing sequence and as a meditation on the author's passing. The 26 contributors to the issue: "Sam's Story", a back-up story written by Jeph Loeb 10 days after his son's death, depicts young Clark Kent's friendship with a boy named Sam who gets cancer. Tim Sale provides

2626-500: Is also known for bringing Tomb Raider ' s Lara Croft to comics. In 2006, Top Cow made a business agreement with Marvel Comics to publish crossovers such as Darkness/Wolverine and Witchblade/Punisher . As part of this agreement, several Top Cow artists also provided art chores on various Marvel series. Tyler Kirkham worked on Phoenix: Warsong and New Avengers/Transformers ; Mike Choi worked on X-23: Target X ; and Silvestri himself worked on X-Men: Messiah Complex . At

2727-453: Is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics . It was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992. During the early years of Image Comics , founder Marc Silvestri shared a studio with Jim Lee . In this studio, he created his first creator-owned comic book , Cyberforce , as part of Image's initial line-up. After setting up his own studio, Top Cow Productions, he expanded into other comics, launching Codename: Strykeforce ,

2828-425: Is forced to flee Earth when Gorilla Grodd succeeds in filling the planet's atmosphere with Kryptonite. Subsequently, Grodd conquers Earth, having used his mental abilities to control the minds of every remaining inhabitant of the planet except Batman, who resists using his mental discipline. This is broken when Alfred Pennyworth dies enabling Grodd to capture him. At Batman's execution Superman returns, now immune to

2929-483: Is killed but Superman is able to kill Diana with her lasso, the timeline is thrown into chaos, and the two men travel through alternate timelines. Darkseid makes a deal with them in one reality to send them back through time to stop the supervillains who raised them from altering history. When trying to change Batman's history back, Batman breaks down and shoots Joe Chill – the killer of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne . The Legion then team up with Ra's al Ghul to take over

3030-468: Is quickly subdued by the Superman and Batman versions of that time. However, he reveals this all to be just a plan to get access to the Batcave and a powerful armor he uses to trap One Million Superman and Batman in an eternal time loop before going back and ends up battling Superman, Batman and Robin from the 21st century. Epoch again gains the upper hand by trapping the three inside an impenetrable barrier, but

3131-483: Is shown to survive. In the course of the fight, Luthor is irrevocably exposed to the world as a villain for the first time in Post- Crisis continuity. Losing the presidency, Luthor is succeeded in office by Pete Ross . In "Protégé" (issue #7, illustrated by Pat Lee ), Superboy and Robin investigate the new Toyman for their mentors. In "The Supergirl from Krypton" (issues #8–13, illustrated by Michael Turner ),

Superman/Batman - Misplaced Pages Continue

3232-732: The New York Times Best Seller list , includes work on many major characters, including Spider-Man , Batman , Superman , Hulk , Captain America , Cable , Iron Man , Daredevil , Supergirl , the Avengers , and Buffy the Vampire Slayer , much of which he has produced in collaboration with artist Tim Sale . Jeph Loeb was raised in a Jewish family in Stamford, Connecticut . He began collecting comic books in mid-1970. His stepfather

3333-737: The People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama, as well the Saturn Award for Best Network Television Series. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Dramatic Television Series. Loeb and Tim Kring were presented with the Jules Verne Award for Artistic Achievement at the Jules Verne Festival in Paris , France, on April 22, 2007, for their work on Heroes . Loeb himself

3434-453: The Red Hulk . In 2006, Loeb chose his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut , to be subject to superhero destruction in the first issue of the 2006–2007 Marvel miniseries Civil War , the central title of the crossover storyline of the same name. That same year, Marvel announced an untitled Spider-Man series by Loeb and J. Scott Campbell , to be released "sometime in 2007". The series

3535-482: The Source Wall , which Darkseid plans to use to restore his powers, which have been steadily waning since his escape from the wall. Batman comes after Superman, but is sidetracked by Orion 's wife Bekka . Both are unable to control their attraction to one another. Superman retrieves the staff, but is trapped in the Source Wall as a result. Batman and Bekka take advantage of DeSaad's attempted betrayal of Darkseid to steal

3636-451: The " Heroes Reborn " version of Captain America in 1996–1997. He and Tim Sale crafted several limited series for Marvel including Daredevil: Yellow Spider-Man: Blue , and Hulk: Gray . Loeb became the writer of Superman with issue #151 (Dec. 1999). His tenure on the title, largely drawn by Ed McGuinness , included the "Emperor Joker" and " Our Worlds at War " crossovers. He left Superman with issue #183 (August 2002). At

3737-689: The "Reign of Doomsday" storyline. Supergirl and Batman (Dick Grayson) are trapped on the Justice League satellite with the Cyborg Superman and Doomsday, who are attempting to tear each other apart, and ends with Doomsday beating and taking both Supergirl and the Cyborg. The story continues in Superboy (vol. 4) #6. Jeph Loeb Joseph " Jeph " Loeb III ( / l oʊ b / ) is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb

3838-502: The 2005 feature film Batman Begins , the others being Batman: The Man Who Falls and Batman: Year One . Other Loeb-Sale collaborations at DC include the Superman for All Seasons limited series and Catwoman: When in Rome . At Marvel Comics, Loeb worked on the " Age of Apocalypse " crossover storyline in 1995 and co-created the character X-Man with artist Steve Skroce . Loeb wrote

3939-412: The 2007 San Diego Comic-Con , an announcement was made by Marvel Comics extending the deal into 2008. At the 2007 New York Comic Con Top Cow announced that they would be one of the first major comics publishers to offer online distribution, through a partnership with IGN . The initial titles offered included Tomb Raider , The Darkness , and Witchblade , at $ 1.99 per issue. They also announced

4040-546: The 31st century—eliminate members of the Justice League of America , except for young Superman and Batman, whom they raise as their own children. Batman and Superman are raised to be dictators of the world, eliminating all opposition and killing people who would otherwise be their friends. During a fight with Wonder Woman and the Freedom Fighters , as Uncle Sam has been given Hal Jordan 's power ring , during which Batman

4141-471: The Bold" (issue #76). Following Bruce Wayne's death during Final Crisis , Superman has trouble coping with his friend's death, even informing Dick Grayson that he is essentially wearing Bruce's skin by dressing as Batman, but a conversation with Wonder Woman allows Clark to accept what has happened to his friend and acknowledge Grayson as the new Batman. Joshua Williamson wrote "Fright Night" (issue #77). After

Superman/Batman - Misplaced Pages Continue

4242-490: The EU, the game was released for Xbox 360 on June 29, 2007, and for PS3 on July 20 of the same year. To promote the video game, a five-issue mini-series was released, with each issue chronicled a chapter of the game. In June 2007, the mini-series was collected into a trade paperback . In February 2012, a sequel to the video game, entitled The Darkness II , was released for PC , Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 . The script for

4343-462: The JLA. They surprisingly also encounter some resistance, especially from the new Aquaman . This story also includes the reveal of two new variations of Kryptonite that have been also enhanced by a magical charm. One causes Superman to feel like a child and carefree for the day, which also has implications of a drug-like effect, while the second restores him to normal. As they continue to search, they encounter

4444-460: The Justice League of America face miniature versions of themselves. These Lil' Leaguers are childlike versions of the heroes and have similar powers. They face off against the Lil' Villains, and learn the harsh truth that the world is a very dangerous place when Lil' Superman is killed by a Father Box-enhanced Lil' Doomsday. In "Super/Bat" (issues #53–56), Johnson and Green are joined by Rags Morales for

4545-637: The Kryptonite asteroid is revealed to hold a pod that contains Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El . Batman says her arrival is too coincidental. Wonder Woman abducts Kara to Themyscira to train her for combat. Darkseid kidnaps Kara, intending her to be the new leader of the Female Furies . She is rescued from Darkseid and taken back to Earth. The villain follows, seemingly killing Kara at the home of Jonathan and Martha Kent . An enraged Superman throws Darkseid into

4646-695: The Last Line, a team run by Amanda Waller and a new Kryptonite-powered version of Doomsday created by Waller. In the end, Superman decides to give Batman the last piece of Kryptonite, because he feels he needs his weakness to be human and also in case he goes rogue. After he flies away, the Caped Crusader retreats to the Batcave, where it is revealed that a sample of each Kryptonite variation, along with large chunks of green Kryptonite, are still kept there. In "The Fathers" (issue #50), while rebuilding Smallville following

4747-602: The Marvel Universe to the loss of the assassinated Captain America. The first issue ranked No. 1 in sales for April 2007, and the fifth and final issue, dated July 4, 2007, was the "Funeral for Captain America", which was covered by the Associated Press and The Washington Post . Loeb wrote two miniseries for the Ultimate Marvel Universe . His work on The Ultimates 3 in 2007, with artist Joe Madureira,

4848-450: The NBC drama Heroes , which his colleague Tim Kring had created. Loeb wrote the teleplay for the first-season episodes " One Giant Leap " and " Unexpected ". The show prominently features the artwork of Tim Sale, Loeb's longtime comics collaborator. The series was nominated for the 2007 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, and a Writers Guild of America award for Best New Series. It won

4949-459: The Prankster tricks Superman and shrinks him to microscopic size. Batman must find him and return him to normal size. Before returning to normal, the two heroes must rescue the microscopic civilization whose existence has been inadvertently endangered by the Prankster. As of issue #46, Mike Johnson joined with Michael Green to continue the series; issue #44 was the beginning of the new run. They are

5050-743: The Scarecrow who had captured them, but Batman is able to free himself and defeat the villain. Scott Kolins wrote "Night of the Cure" (issues #66–67) as a special Blackest Night tie-in starring Bizarro and the Man-Bat. "Worship" (#72–74) Paul Levitz wrote the lead story in issue #75, the anniversary issue, guest-starring the Legion of Super-Heroes . In addition, this issue featured an all-star lineup, including Steven T. Seagle , William Tucci , Adam Hughes , J. T. Krul , and David Finch . "A Time Beyond Hope" ( Annual #4 (2010)) Judd Winick wrote "The Brave and

5151-445: The TV series Heroes . Four years later, Loeb was working on a script for The Flash as a feature with Warner Bros. While the script deal fell through, Loeb met then publisher Jenette Kahn who asked Loeb to write a comic book for DC Comics . In 2002, Jeph Loeb wrote the script for the episode of Smallville , entitled "Red", which introduced red kryptonite into the series. He became

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5252-533: The Toyman discover that Captain Atom is alive. "Who Would Win?" (issue #78) Before he finished writing Superman/Batman #26 (issued June 2006), Jeph Loeb's son, Sam , died on June 17, 2005, at the age of 17, after a three-year battle with cancer. The issue was supposed to be Sam's DC writing debut and was to be illustrated by Pat Lee . Jeph, along with 25 other comic book professionals and artists who had known Sam, worked on

5353-519: The art for the story in a style reminiscent of the Superman for All Seasons miniseries. Superman writer and Smallville producer Mark Verheiden took over Superman/Batman with issue #27. In "Never Mind" (issue #27, illustrated by Kevin Maguire ), The Superman and Batman of Earth-Two discover that their minds have been transferred by the Ultra-Humanite and the original Brainwave into

5454-608: The artificial Kryptonite released by Grodd thanks to Batman, and defeats the villain. However, this entire scenario is revealed to be a simulation created in the Batcomputer. So far, Joe Kelly 's work on the series has been exclusive to two Annual s. Both released stories have been reinterpretations of stories originally published during the Silver Age . In "Stop Me If You've Heard This One..." ( Annual #1, illustrated by Ed McGuinness , (2006)), Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne both end up on

5555-410: The best of friends. Frank Miller 's landmark series The Dark Knight Returns was the first DC story that depicts the heroes at odds with each other, as opposed to Pre- Crisis incarnations. This dynamic became DC Universe canon with John Byrne 's The Man of Steel , a Superman reboot published in 1986. After the first 13 issues, most of the story arcs were independent and self-contained from

5656-614: The bodies of Power Girl (Superman's cousin) and the Huntress (Batman's daughter). If they cannot reverse the process in time, the women's personalities will soon reassert themselves and destroy the men's consciousness, killing them. In "The Enemies Among Us" (issues #28–33, illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver for Parts 1–3, with Matthew Clark picking up Parts 4–5 and Joe Benitez concluding with Part 6), Superman, Martian Manhunter and other alien superheroes are being controlled by an entity known as Blackrock , which later infects Batman when he takes

5757-567: The book lasted for several storylines, which were interconnected. In the first story arc, "The World's Finest", also referred to as "Public Enemies" (issues #1–6, illustrated by Ed McGuinness ), then- U.S. President Lex Luthor declares Superman and Batman enemies of the state, claiming that a Kryptonite asteroid headed for Earth is connected to an evil plot by Superman. Luthor offers a $ 1,000,000,000 bounty, which encourages both supervillains and superheroes to attack. Superman almost kills Lex, with Batman standing aside. Superman changes his mind at

5858-603: The city's worst villains. Francis Manapul is on covers and interiors for this two-parter. In "Sidekicked" (issue #62, illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque), Supergirl and Robin (Tim Drake) reminisce about their first mission as a team: a hostage crisis at Arkham Asylum . The inmates they confront include the Joker , the Scarecrow , Two-Face , Clayface , the Mad Hatter , Killer Croc , Poison Ivy and Victor Zsasz . In "Night and Day" (issue #63, illustrated by Rafael Albuquerque), Superman

5959-463: The company after nearly a decade. Loeb had been planning his departure, however, before Feige's promotion. Loeb is known for his extensive use of narration boxes as monologues to reveal the inner thoughts of characters, though the character interactions he writes are sparse in terms of dialogue. Jeph Loeb's first comic work was Challengers of the Unknown vol. 2 #1 – #8 (March – October 1991), which

6060-528: The course of the adventure, Superman and Batman discover each other's secret identities and agree to work together, even though they disagree with each other's methods of operating. The issue is a reimagining of "The Mightiest Team In the World", the tale from Superman #76 (May–June 1952) in which the two heroes discover each other's secret identities and team up for the first time. In "The Unexamined Life... " ( Annual #2 (2008)), Superman loses his powers and takes on

6161-591: The end of 2002, Loeb teamed with artist Jim Lee to create the year-long story arc "Batman: Hush", which spawned three lines of toys, posters and calendars, and sat at the #1 spot for eleven of the twelve months it was in publication. The following year, Loeb and McGuinness launched Superman/Batman . Loeb's run on the title spawned a new ongoing Supergirl series, and an animated film adapted from Loeb's "Public Enemies" story arc. After signing an exclusive contract with Marvel in September 2005, Loeb launched Hulk with artist Ed McGuinness, in which he introduced

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6262-645: The entire Ultimate Universe and in the long run brought about its cancellation. "Over the course of just five issues, 34 different heroes and villains were murdered, often by gruesome means: Doctor Strange was squeezed until his head exploded; Magneto was decapitated; the Blob ate the Wasp and, while holding her half-devoured corpse, belched out, 'Tastes like chicken'; and so on." The review site Let's Be Friends Again described Ultimatum as "a base and insulting comic book." Critic Jason Kerouac wrote, " Ultimatum #5 could quite possibly be

6363-414: The events of "K", Superman and Batman uncover a piece of Kryptonian technology that reveals that Jor-El came in contact with Thomas Wayne while searching for an appropriate planet to serve as baby Kal-El's new home. It is revealed that Jor-El was initially hesitant to send Kal-El to Earth until his meeting with Thomas Wayne convinced him otherwise. In "Lil' Leaguers" (issues #51–52), Superman, Batman and

6464-509: The first writers to hold regular roles on this series since Jeph Loeb. In "K" (issues #44-49, illustrated by Shane Davis ), Superman and Batman began a mission to collect and rid the Earth of every piece of Kryptonite, a substance lethal to Superman, which has been in great abundance since Kara's arrival earlier in this series. Along the way, Batman and Superman receive a lot of support from other heroes, including Firestorm , looking for membership in

6565-402: The game was written by comic book writer Paul Jenkins , who previously worked on The Darkness comic series. Unlike the first game, the graphics for The Darkness II were developed using a cel-shading technique , emulating the aesthetic of its graphic novel namesake. The game received positive reviews from critics. Following a pilot film in August 2000, the cable network TNT premiered

6666-495: The heroes free themselves using their science skills as Superman breaks his time travel device, sending the villain randomly through time back to the 853rd century, where he is finally arrested by the Superman and Batman from that time. Cullen Bunn wrote "Sorcerer Kings" (issues #81–84). Phantom Stranger warns the Shadowpact about an upcoming magical threat. When they get to the appointed location, dozens of demons arise, followed by

6767-477: The identity of Supernova . The issue is a reimagining of "The Has-Been Superman" from World's Finest Comics #178 (September 1968) and "Superman's Perfect Crime" from World's Finest Comics #180 (November 1968). This story takes place early in the career of the original Robin and depicts his first meeting with Superman. Len Wein 's work has been exclusive to the third installment of the Annual s. This annual follows

6868-617: The issue, scripting or penciling individual pages. Marvel Comics allowed John Cassaday and Joss Whedon to work on the issue, despite their exclusive contracts. All 26 contributors donated their fees and royalties for the issue to the Sam Loeb College Scholarship Fund. The issue's main story, "The Boys Are Back in Town", sees Superman and Batman send Superboy and Robin to visit the Toyman in Japan because he has not been heard from in

6969-399: The last moment. The new Toyman , Hiro Okamura, assists with the asteroid's destruction. Captain Atom is seemingly killed. The danger averted and Luthor's plans in jeopardy, Luthor injects himself with a mixture of Venom and synthetic Kryptonite, dons a battle suit from the planet Apokolips , and confronts Batman and Superman. Luthor is defeated and appears to die in the battle, although he

7070-455: The latter stole his Sinestro Corps power ring from him. He then uses a concentrated version of the fear gas to make Supergirl hallucinate, but Robin manages to calm her down and the duo arrest Scarecrow. Chris Roberson wrote "Worlds' Finest" (issues #79–80). Coming directly from the DC One Million storyline, Epoch The Lord of Time arrives in the 853rd century trying to conquering it and

7171-612: The life he has always wanted, realizing that the transfer was the result of a curse that would give each man what they had always wanted, while simultaneously rendering them incapable of using it properly. With the aid of the Justice League, The Man of Steel was able to bring himself and the Dark Knight back to normal. In "Mash-Up" (issues #60–61), Superman and Batman meet the Justice Titans in Gothamopolis and together they must take down

7272-472: The miniseries The Defenders , along with younger adult shows like Runaways and Cloak & Dagger , and other live action or animated shows based on Marvel characters like M.O.D.O.K. , The Gifted , Legion , Helstrom . In October 2019, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was promoted to Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment , which includes Marvel Television, prompting Loeb to leave

7373-560: The newly created Marvel Television , in which Loeb would work with publisher Dan Buckley, to create both live-action and animated shows based on Marvel's catalog of characters. During his time as the head of Marvel Television, he executive produced live-action shows within the Marvel Cinematic Universe such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , Agent Carter , and Inhumans , shows on Netflix such as Daredevil , Jessica Jones , Iron Fist , The Punisher , Luke Cage , and

7474-427: The ongoing or crossover storylines in the other Batman and Superman comic titles. Superman/Batman #26, Loeb's final issue, features a story plotted by Loeb's son, Sam Loeb, who wrote it before his death from cancer in 2005 at the age of 17. Twenty-six writers and artists who knew Sam worked on the issue, donating their fees and royalties for the issue to the Sam Loeb College Scholarship Fund. As part of The New 52 ,

7575-619: The reality-spanning Source Wall , entrapping him. However, Kara is back in Themyscira and is introduced to the world as Supergirl. This story arc marked the only time in the late artist Michael Turner's career that he provided interior art for a company other than Top Cow Productions or his own publisher, Aspen MLT . The story was dedicated to Christopher Reeve , who died during the year the storyline ended. In "Absolute Power" (issues #14–18, illustrated by Carlos Pacheco ), Lightning Lord , Saturn Queen , and Cosmic King —three supervillains from

7676-450: The rock to successfully stand up to Superman. After Superman visits Lois Lane to be reminded why he fights for Earth, he is able to force Blackrock to leave Batman by convincing it that he will kill his friend to spare him being used by the rock. Tracking Blackrock to its source, they discover that it was actually being 'led' by Despero , who convinced an alien race that Earth was not worth saving by giving them access to Superman's mind during

7777-413: The same year the book was reprinted in a trade paperback with the same contents. In 2024, the company announced a new Witchblade series written by Marguerite Bennett and drawn by Giuseppe Cafaro . In December 2004, Dimension Films paid an undisclosed six-figure sum to develop a movie based on the comic, possibly for release in 2008. The film was pitched as a movie similar to The Crow , which

7878-516: The script of Teen Wolf . The film was released on August 23, 1985, and was a notable starring role for Michael J. Fox . Loeb and Weisman then collaborated in writing the script of Commando . The film was released on October 4, 1985, and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger . His next screen credit was the film Burglar , released on March 20, 1987. The plot was based on the novels of Lawrence Block about fictional burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr . His collaborators were Weisman and Hugh Wilson . The film

7979-436: The series' final issue a scathing review, saying, "Ultimatum is one of the worst comics I have ever read," and called it "the ultimate nightmare." Points of criticism among these reviews included the level of graphic violence, which included cannibalism , and the notion that the series was sold on the basis of its shock value, with some reviewers singling out Loeb's dialogue, characterization and storytelling, others asserting

8080-601: The series, along with King-Size Hulk #1, were collected into a trade paperback volume, Hulk: Red and Green , which made the New York Times Graphic Books Best Seller List in May 2009 (as did Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 , Volume 4, on which Loeb collaborated). The first issue of Loeb's The Ultimates 3 continued the series' history of ranking at No. 1 in sales, though the series

8181-468: The single worst piece of writing in recorded history." A Captain America: White limited series was announced in 2008 but only a #0 issue was published. The long-delayed project was scheduled to finally see print in September 2015. Loeb shares his writing studio, The Empath Magic Tree House, with Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg . Loeb's son, Sam, died on June 17, 2005, at the age of 17, after

8282-533: The staff and bring back Superman. Darkseid and DeSaad flee, and Tartarus is pulled into the hole Superman made in the Source Wall when he escaped. Superman, Batman and Bekka return to Earth, bringing Scarecrow with them. Bekka is retrieved by Orion, and is later seen being killed by a shadowy assailant . The team of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning filled in for issue #43, and later wrote off of scripts from Mike Johnson for issues #57–59. In "Darklight" (issue #43, illustrated by Mike McKone ), Doctor Light infiltrates

8383-653: The story's lack of originality, or opining that the series would've been better suited to someone who had previously been more involved with the Ultimate line, such as Brian Michael Bendis or Mark Millar . In 2009 Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum were included on ComicsAlliance 's list of The 15 Worst Comics of the Decade. Loeb was also awarded an honorary doctorate by St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas , and an Inkpot Award . Top Cow Productions Top Cow Productions

8484-483: The trend set by Joe Kelly's work, reimagining another Silver Age tale. In "Compound Fracture" ( Annual #3 (2009)), Superman and Batman encounter the Composite Superman , a failed experiment of Professor Ivo with all the powers of the Justice League of America. The issue is a reimagining of "The Composite Superman", the tale from World's Finest Comics #142 (June 1964) where Superman, Batman and Robin must battle

8585-483: The world was cursed in a spell summoned by the Coven, a group composed of Felix Faust , Morgan Le Fey , Brother Blood and Blackbriar Thorn . The future Batman reveals that the Coven plan to send a powerful monster through time to assure their victory in the past. "Reign of Doomsday" ( Annual #5 (2011)), "Reign of Doomsday – Part Five: No Exit!", picks up where Justice League of America (vol. 2) #55 left off and continues

8686-524: The world. Superman and Batman restore history, but the murders they committed haunt them. Issue #19 (illustrated by Ian Churchill ) is a stand-alone backdoor pilot story for the Supergirl series. The issue was later reprinted as Supergirl #0. In "With a Vengeance!" (issues #20–25, illustrated by Ed McGuiness), Mister Mxyzptlk battles the Joker , who has tricked Bat-Mite out of his powers, using other characters as their pawns. Superman and Batman fight

8787-426: Was Butler's alcohol addiction; Butler was ordered to enter rehab for alcohol addiction a year later, after being arrested for wandering intoxicated amidst traffic. Witchblade ran for two 12–episode seasons on TNT. The first episode aired on June 12, 2001, and the last episode aired on August 26, 2002. On April 1, 2008, Warner Home Video announced a long-anticipated DVD release. Witchblade: The Complete Series —

8888-550: Was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost , writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf , and a writer and co-executive producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its premiere in 2006 to November 2008. From 2010 to 2019, Loeb was the Head of and Executive Vice President of Marvel Television . A four-time Eisner Award winner and five-time Wizard Fan Awards winner, Loeb's comic book work, which has appeared on

8989-554: Was a vice-president at Brandeis University , where Jeph met one of his mentors and greatest influences in comic book writing, the writer Elliot Maggin . Jeph attended Columbia University , where he was a member of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's degree in Film. His instructors included Paul Schrader . Loeb's debut in filmmaking was his collaboration with Matthew Weisman in authoring

9090-477: Was a vital theme of the show. While promoting the second season of Iron Fist at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, Loeb appeared on stage wearing a karate gi and headband as part of a comic bit with Iron Fist actress Jessica Henwick , who forced him to remove the costume. The stunt was heavily criticized as culturally insensitive . During the #SaveDaredevilCon panel for Comic-Con@Home in July 2020, Peter Shinkoda ,

9191-592: Was also presented with a belated 2005 Jules Verne Award for Best Writing for his work on Smallville , which he had not previously been given because his trip to the Festival that year had been cancelled due to his son's ill health. On November 2, 2008, Daily Variety reported that Loeb and fellow Heroes co-executive producer, Jesse Alexander , were no longer employed on the series. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Loeb stated, "As of today, Jesse Alexander and I have left Heroes . I'm incredibly proud to have been

9292-514: Was also produced by Dimension . There have been no further developments. In March 2005, The Darkness was licensed by Majesco Entertainment for a console game to be developed by Starbreeze Studios . 2K Games later obtained the rights to the game, and a first-person shooter adaptation was released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 console systems on June 25, 2007, in the United States . In

9393-423: Was announced to begin in September 2008, with China and Australia among the possible locations being considered for filming. Megan Fox was approached for the role of Sara Pezzini at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con . The film's website and teaser poster were released in May 2008, but the project was later cancelled. In 2004 Japanese animation studio GONZO announced an anime version of Witchblade , with

9494-405: Was atypical for the time, featuring a female comedic role for starring actress Whoopi Goldberg . His second film that year was Teen Wolf Too , a sequel of Teen Wolf , which was co-written by Weisman and Tim Kring . The film was released on November 20, 1987. The film featured teen idol Jason Bateman and veteran actor John Astin . Loeb would re-team with Kring almost two decades later for

9595-673: Was heavily involved in training and developing new talent through the studio and Top Cow was known for a time for its "house style" (standardized elements of illustration across multiple titles produced by Top Cow), though former publisher Filip Sablik has argued that the company never truly had a house style. In addition to its company-owned properties, Top Cow has worked with creators to develop creator-owned properties. These properties have included Michael Turner's Fathom (which eventually ended up at Aspen Comics ), and Joe's Comics , created exclusively for J. Michael Straczynski , which included Rising Stars and Midnight Nation . Top Cow

9696-432: Was much less well-received critically than its predecessors. The first issue of Ultimatum ranked No. 1 in sales for November 2008. At Weekly Comic Book Review , Andrew C. Murphy gave it a B+ , praising David Finch's art, while Ben Berger gave it a C, opining that there was too much exposition , but praising Finch's art. The rest of the series, however, received more negative reviews. IGN 's Jesse Schedeen gave

9797-542: Was panned by critics for its use of transgressive sexual and violent content for shock value "without the political relevance or epic pacing of the first two volumes." In 2008, Loeb returned to the Ultimate Universe with artist David Finch for the critically reviled five-issue miniseries Ultimatum . Described in a 2015 Vulture retrospective as "one of the biggest creative disasters in comics history", Ultimatum' s gratuitous murder scenes permanently damaged sales across

9898-521: Was rejected by Loeb. Many of Loeb's books, such as Batman: The Long Halloween , Superman For All Seasons , and the Marvel "color" books ( Daredevil: Yellow , Spider-Man: Blue , Hulk: Gray ) have garnered critical praise, and have been adapted into other media. Hulk #1, in which Loeb introduced the Red Hulk , was the #1 selling comic book for January 2008. Subsequent issues sold well, but received mixed to negative reviews. Issues #7–9 of

9999-425: Was subsequently cancelled and then brought back on the schedule in 2010, with a 2011 article mentioning it was "still being worked on". In 2021, Campbell confirmed that the project has been cancelled despite having two fully pencilled issues. In 2007, Jeph wrote the miniseries Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America , which used the five stages of grief as a motif to explore reactions of various characters of

10100-476: Was the first of many collaborations with Tim Sale. Their later collaborations included the "Year 1" -centered Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Specials ; Batman: The Long Halloween , a 13-issue limited series ; and Batman: Dark Victory , a 14-issue limited series set in the first years of the hero's career. The Long Halloween was one of three noted comics that influenced

10201-682: Was to be directed by Michael Rymer , who directed the 2002 film Queen of the Damned and several episodes of Battlestar Galactica , and was to be written by Everett De Roche . The film was one of the two being produced and financed back-to-back by Platinum Studios , IDG Films and Relativity Media . The film was to be produced by Arclight's Gary Hamilton and Nigel Odell , Platinum Studios' Scott Mitchell Rosenberg , and Steve Squillante of Havenwood Media. Top Cow's Marc Silvestri and Matt Hawkins were to be executive producers with Platinum Studios' Rich Marincic and Greenberg Group's Randy Greenberg. Filming

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