GENRE | Comic Book Villain Body Horror – DC Moulds A Feat of 'Clayface'

"I want my life back."

DC Studios / 6th & Idaho

Clayface, DC's Batman villain origin genre film, starring Welsh actor Tom Rhys Harries as the titular shapeshifting comic book antagonist and directed by English genre filmmaker James Watkins, goes full body horror in his fresh adaptation of the second, Matt Hagen incarnation of the character. Told as a gruesome Hollywood tragedy, the comic book adaptation is a gross (complimentary) piece of work that entertains in the (clay) mould of 1986's The Fly or The Substance.

WANDER | 'Asian Comics' x Chinese Canadian Museum x Chinatown

Chinatown—(October 6, 2026) From the Barbican Centre in London and curated by renowned comics historian Paul Garvett comes the Canadian premiere of the featured Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form touring exhibition on display at the Chinese Canadian Museum. Browse more than four hundred original pieces of timeless artwork, rare publications, and diverse multimedia works from across twenty regions of the Asian continent (most recently seen at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture).

CABLE | DC Raises the Green 'Lanterns' on HBO

"Harry Potter went to Hogwarts, you ignorant alien f*ck!"

Warner Bros. Television / DC Studios

HBO's television adaptation of DC's intergalactic team of "space cops," better known as the Green Lantern Corps, stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as the two most famous incarnations of the superheroes, Hal Jordan and John Stewart (not to be confused with the venerable The Daily Show host), in a True Detective-style road murder mystery grounded firmly on Earth. The shortened, colourlessly titled Lanterns, created by showrunner Chris Mundy, screenwriter Damon Lindelof, and CIA officer-turned-comic book scribe Tom King, turns our interstellar emerald patrolmen into a rather compelling vehicle for an episodic cosmic neo-noir series.

REEL | Tom Holland Resets the Emotional 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'

"Enough of this soft-serve bullsh*t!"

Sony Pictures / Marvel Studios

Spider-Man: Brand New Day refreshes Tom Holland's enthusiastic interpretation of the webslinger superhero in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe canon and continuity. Led by the talented Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton this time around, we find a lonely Peter Parker struggling with his powers after the multiverse-changing events of No Way Home.

REEL | Milly Alcock Rescues A 'Supergirl' and Her Dog

"Your life will be your revenge."

DC Studios / Troll Court Entertainment

Supergirl, DC's lively, female-focused spin-off of last summer's triumphant Superman film reboot from producer James Gunn and usually reliable journeyman director Craig Gillespie, stars Aussie actress Milly Alcock as the superhero's Kryptonian cousin. It's a thin, Guardians of the Galaxy-style intergalactic big-screen adaptation of the acclaimed Woman of Tomorrow comic book run written by former CIA officer turned graphic novelist Tom King and illustrated by Brazilian artist Bilquis Evely.

CABLE | Nicolas Cage Investigates 'Spider-Noir' on Prime Video

"Maybe we can be alone together."

Sony Pictures Television / Amazon MGM Studios

Spider-Noir, the live-action television adaptation of Spider-Man Noir, the 2009 alternate-universe Marvel Comics spin-off webslinger character most widely seen in the Oscar-winning 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and famously voiced by Nicolas Cage, who reprises his role in the flesh this time, is an amusing throwback to the hard-boiled detective film genre. Showrun by screenwriters Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot and executive produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the television series overtly but lovingly leans heavily into its classic film noir influences.

REEL | Busting 'Ghost World' at 25 – A Sad Alt-Comic Book Brought to Life

"You guys up for some reggae tonight?"

United Artists / Granada Film

Before the twenty-fifth anniversary of its theatrical release, it's a fine time to revisit the first-ever film based on a graphic novel to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2001, Ghost World translated famed Eightball cartoonist Daniel Clowes' offbeat yet grounded, cult classic alt-comic book (1989-2003) of the same name into live-action, offering a wholly bleak yet highly comedic slice of life, not dissimilar to American Splendor.

CABLE | 'Wonder Man' Casts Yahya Abdul-Mateen II As the Hero

"Let your misery drive the bus."

Marvel Television

Wonder Man, Marvel's self-referential comedy series adaptation of the Hollywood-themed superhero, created by Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton and television writer Andrew Guest, stars the imposing but affable Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a struggling, fame-seeking actor hoping to reboot the eponymous role—think The Studio set in the MCU—while coincidentally being imbued with pure "ionic" superhuman strength and energy powers in a fresh, meta take on the genre.

REEL | 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Relaunches Marvel's First Family

"It's not clobberin' time?"

Marvel Studios

Marvel finally brings its famed first family of superheroes into their shared cinematic universe (after several failed attempts) in the retro-futuristic throwback adventure film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Helmed by veteran television director Matt Shakman, things are set in an alternate 1960s space age on "Earth-828" without our other familiar MCU characters as a galactic presence threatens the existence of their dimension.

REEL | James Gunn Resurrects 'Superman' – A Man of Action

"Tall, dark, and martian isn't my type."

DC Studios / Troll Court Entertainment

DC Studios co-head James Gunn brings his idealistic Silver Age vision of the iconic Superman to the fresh new DCU incarnation of the legendary extraterrestrial (undocumented) immigrant superhero character. Packed with colourful blockbuster action and countless super-powered sidekicks, it's a non-stop joyride that firmly resurrects and reintroduces the ideals of DC's big blue boy scout, full of heartfelt emotions with some strong Action Comics sensibilities to it.

REEL | Marvel Redeems the 'Thunderbolts*' – Our Saddest Avengers

"We are the evidence and this is the shredder."

Marvel Studios

Marvel reforms and redeems their own lesser misfit roster of anti-heroes (or past villains) in their off-brand Avengers-style team-up, Thunderbolts* (note the asterisk). Beef producer/director Jake Schreier helms the latest refreshingly straightforward adventure that tries hard and mostly succeeds in recapturing the MCU's original flavour of unlikely superhero fun, not too dissimilar from Guardians of the Galaxy or Suicide Squad.

REEL | Anthony Mackie Activates 'Captain America: Brave New World'

"Help me rebuild the Avengers."

Marvel Studios

Falcon sidekick Anthony Mackie officially takes over the superhero mantle in the long-awaited but bottom-tier Marvel sequel Captain America: Brave New World, directed by Julius Onah. After many production delays, creative overhauls, and lengthy reshoots, the new Cap uncovers another deep criminal conspiracy seeded within the deepest depths of the now alien-invasion-averse U.S. government.

CABLE | 'Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man' Spins A Tangled Web

"I truly believe that I have these powers to help people, to protect them."

Marvel Animation

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is Marvel Animation's latest all-ages alternate reality spin on the web-slinging superhero with a strong retro artistic style inspired by Jack Kirby's classic two-dimensional hand-drawn visual designs updated through modern 3D computer technology for a cool "moving comic" look and aesthetic.

SCREEN | Saving the 'Watchmen: Chapter II' in Animation

"Exposing this plot results in greater destruction."

Warner Bros. Animation / Paramount Pictures

DC's second part of its animated Watchmen retelling of the densely layered 1986 graphic novel's political themes continues its faithful adaptation. Watchmen: Chapter II furthers its use of superhero storytelling to deconstruct the nature of humanity, conflict, and war.

CABLE | Colin Farrell Steals A 'Batman' Crime Saga – 'The Penguin'

"I always thought you were capable of more."

Warner Bros. Television / DC Studios

Produced by The Batman director Matt Reeves, his The Penguin television spin-off miniseries once again stars an unrecognizable Colin Farrell (heavily made-up with extensive prosthetics) as the eponymous comic book supervillain named pejoratively after the aquatic flightless bird. Set in the immediate aftermath of the events of Reeves' 2022 film, we follow Farrell's Oz Cobb (renamed from "Oswald Cobblepot" in the comics) as he takes advantage of Gotham City's criminal power vacuum.

VIFF 2024 | Sleeping Around – Sook-Yin Lee Refunds 'Paying for It'

"Romantic love is bullsh*t and I'm not wasting anymore time chasing it!"

Vancouver International Film Festival

VIFF 2024—Vancouver-born former MuchMusic VJ and CBC Radio host Sook-Yin Lee comically adapts the autobiographical 2011 graphic memoir Paying for It written and illustrated by her former partner, Canadian cartoonist Chester Brown. Based on the end of their actual relationship in the 1990s, the charming sex work comedy explores Brown's subsequent decision to give up on romantic love and start exclusively paying for sex, as the title suggests.

GENRE | Joaquin Phoenix Puts 'Joker: Folie à Deux' on Trial

"They're saying you're a bad influence on me."

Warner Bros. Pictures / Joint Effort

Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix and director Todd Phillips both return for their gritty 1980s-era DC Comics supervillain-centric film sequel. Co-starring a committed Lady Gaga as an alternate fangirl version of Harley Quinn (called "Lee" here), Joker: Folie à Deux uses classic 1950-60s jazz pop song standards to express itself as a fractured quasi-jukebox musical of a prison fantasy romance.

SCREEN | Watching the 'Watchmen: Chapter I' in Animation

"We're society's only protection!"

Warner Bros. Animation / Paramount Pictures

DC's latest animated Watchmen adaptation, based on the groundbreaking 1986 graphic novel, takes its time faithfully translating another deconstruction of superhero storytelling nearly forty years after its initial publication. Watchmen: Chapter I, the first installment of a two-part release, features plenty of moody animation directed by veteran animator Brandon Vietti, who fleshes out the central murder mystery stylishly.

CABLE | 'Batman: Caped Crusader' Gets Animated on Prime Video

"He's an itch that needs to get scratched."

Warner Bros. Animation / DC Studios

From legendary Batman: The Animated Series writer/producer Bruce Timm comes the Dark Knight's next reimagined television incarnation. Even more of a superhero noir, Batman: Caped Crusader embraces the original Detective Comics as inspiration in a refreshing throwback to its hard-boiled crime mythos.

REEL | Ryan Reynolds Kills the Multiverse – 'Deadpool & Wolverine'

"Aim for the middle and you'll never miss."

Marvel Studios / Maximum Effort

Best of enemies, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, make their much-anticipated team-up in their first official R-rated Marvel Studios effort, the straightforwardly titled Deadpool & Wolverine, combining the previously unrelated 20th Century Fox-produced X-Men franchise into the current MCU continuity. Directed by Shawn Levy, the jam-packed Deadpool crossover sequel delivers a surprisingly emotional ride, overstuffed with the usual self-referential, wisecracking, dirty jokes and excessive violent action.