New 'Superman' and 'Fantastic Four' face fearsome foe: Audience fatigue



This July, Earth's greatest heroes meet their most formidable foe yet ... an indifferent audience.

At least, that's the worry as DC and Marvel go head-to-head for summer blockbuster season's main event: Disney's "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" vs. Warner Bros.' "Superman."

To be fair, Garner's character is canonical — she plays Shalla-Bal, the female successor to OG Silver Surfer Norrin Rad. It still feels like Marvel is up to its old tricks.

Does the fate of the world hang in the balance? No, but the fate of Hollywood might.

After years of alienating moviegoers by prioritizing leftist virtue-signaling over entertainment, the industry hopes to put people back in the seats next month with some good, old-fashioned tentpole crowd-pleasers. And what better to lure them in than two big-budget exemplars of the genre that has dominated the multiplex for the better part of two decades?

Except that audiences have been showing signs of superhero fatigue in the last few years, raising worries that this much-ballyhooed showdown may turn out to be box office Kryptonite.

'Superman' (July 11)

When Warner Bros. hired James Gunn as co-head of DC Studios, the announcement was met with mixed feelings.

While many were excited for the "Guardians of the Galaxy" director to dip his toes in the world of DC after the successes of "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker," some feared his signature humor and style would be a turnoff to mainstream audiences. Emotions on both sides intensified when Gunn announced he would be writing and directing the first movie of the post-Zack Snyder DCEU, "Superman."

Newcomer David Corenswet takes the reins from Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, a leading member of the Green Lantern Corps.

RELATED: The fast track to collapse: How AI and wokeness are speeding up Hollywood’s downfall

David McNew/Getty Images

Multiple trailers have led to plenty of speculation — and with it, sparring. Detractors cite poorly received test screenings, as well as unconfirmed rumors that the plot revolves around Lex Luthor using social media to garner hate for Superman with the hashtag “#Supers**t."

One thing seems certain: Whatever some fans find to criticize about the new "Superman," it won't be political pandering. Having himself felt the wrath of cancel culture, Gunn seems dead set on appealing to as wide an audience as possible.

Commenting on the film's first teaser trailer, which features shots of a bruised and battle-weary hero, Gunn said,

We do have a battered Superman in the beginning. That is our country. ... I believe in the goodness of human beings, and I believe that most people in this country, despite their ideological beliefs, their politics, are doing their best to get by and be good people — despite what it may seem like to the other side, no matter what that other side might be.

This movie is about that. It’s about the basic kindness of human beings and that it can be seen as uncool and under siege [by] some of the darker voices [and] some of the louder voices.”

Considering how vocal Gunn has been about his disdain for Donald Trump in the past, it’s refreshing to see the director offer signs that his movie will let viewers leave their differences at the door.

Fans of this new take have praised the performances, bright color palette, and a tone that feels more in line with the iconic 1978 Christopher Reeve-led "Superman." Will "Superman" save the industry? Strong pre-ticket sales suggest it has enough wind under its cape to soar well above Hollywood’s expectations.

'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' (July 25)

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" looks to continue the goodwill earned by this spring's "Thunderbolts*," which opened to high praise from audiences and critics alike despite disappointing box office.

After underwhelming iterations of Marvel's first family in 2005 and 2015 (the less said about the unreleased 1994 version, the better), the studio is hoping the third time's the charm.

Starring Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Invisible Woman/Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Human Torch/Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing/Ben Grimm, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" features the team going up against one of Marvel’s most feared villains: Galactus, the devourer of worlds.

If that will appease traditionalists, the gender-swapping of beloved Marvel mainstay the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) is bound to raise eyebrows — and attract more sniping at the "M-SHE-U."

To be fair, Garner's character is canonical — she plays Shalla-Bal, the female successor to OG Silver Surfer Norrin Rad. Point taken, but it still feels like Marvel is up to its old tricks.

Comments by producer Grant Curtis earlier this month certainly don't help matters.

“If you do go back through the comics," said Curtis, "you realize that Sue Storm is arguably the leader of the Fantastic Four, because without Sue Storm, everything falls apart.”

Many fans will be quick to point out the obvious: Mr. Fantastic has always been portrayed as the leader, with Invisible Woman taking on a more motherly role. For his part, however, Pedro Pascal doesn’t seem to mind being sidelined. In fact, he seems to welcome it.

I love being led in a way. What you may identify as generosity for me, it just isn't. I'm only inspired by … I guess just powerful women have been the thing that has gotten me through being alive. So to have the opportunity to stand by one, to learn from one — just a partner, it's partnership; it’s male and female, but it's also just a kind of transcendent sort of partnership in the work and in the characters. And so I don't really know what the f**k I'm gonna do without you [Vanessa] honestly,".

In addition to flaunting his "male feminist" bona fides (and giving fans the "ick" with his awkward shows of affection toward Kirby), Pascal has also drawn negative attention with his outspokenness on immigration policy. None of this has won over those for whom Pascal is simply and profoundly miscast as Reed Richards.

Worse, rumors that stars including Adam Driver, Jake Gyllenhaal, Christopher Abbott, and Jamie Dornan passed on the role before it went to Pascal suggest that it's the script's revisionist portrayal of Mr. Fantastic that is the problem — despite director Matt Shakman's insistence that he has looked to the original comics for inspiration.

That inspiration is certainly evident in the film's setting, a futuristic 1960s alternate reality that nicely pays homage to the original vision of "Fantastic Four" creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Pascal aside, the casting of "Fantastic Four" promises a satisfying adaptation, as does the comic-book-accurate appearance of Galactus (Ralph Ineson) — a far cry from the cloud-like space cluster depicted in 2007 sequel "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer."

While "First Steps’" pre-sales trail behind those of "Superman," they're impressive enough for Marvel to be optimistic.

Of course, no amount of hype, armchair producing, or post-credits "Avengers: Doomsday" teases can turn either of these movies into a hit. That power remains squarely with us: the audience.

In that spirit, which of these two movies are you looking forward to seeing? Or will you be forgoing superheroics altogether in favor of the seventh "Jurassic Park" movie? Let us know in the comments below.

Kingstone Studios: Spreading Christ's kingdom through comic books



Art Ayris thumbs through a pile of mail on his desk, then raises several envelopes. “Here's two letters from prisoners: ‘Send us your comics.’“

Every day, Ayris, CEO of Kingstone Media, gets these requests for the Kingstone Bible — a three-volume graphic novel adaptation of the Good Book.

In America, only 7% of people have read the Bible cover to cover. 'If only 7% of people read the instruction manual for something, you’re going to have a problem,' says Aryis.

He chats by video from the headquarters of Kingstone Studios in Central Florida. Behind him are displayed posters from his various releases.

He’s lean, a lifelong jogger. With his black mustache and his shock of white hair and his striped gray shirt, he looks like an off-duty firefighter. Calm demeanor, somehow able to become passionate without losing his tone or his cool.

He tells me that the average inmate has a third-grade reading level. “They just haven't really gotten the education they need. They certainly haven't gotten the spiritual education that they need.”

He feels deeply for inmates — their blood has quite literally run through his body.

'They gave blood to save my life'

Ayris was 4 at the time. His father, a contractor, was pushing a lawn mower and didn't realize his son was behind him, when a projectile piece of wire flew from the machine, striking Ayris in the stomach.

“Then I can remember laying on the seat of the car as he's driving me to the hospital and, you know, blood coming out of my intestines.”

He arrived at the hospital in critical condition, but the real danger wasn’t just the injury — it was the rapid loss of blood. The hospital didn’t have enough.

In a desperate move, doctors reached out to the local prison. Inmates came to donate blood.

“They gave blood to save my life.”

An unlikely beginning

Ayris’ passion for comics didn’t begin in the traditional way — he wasn’t a child who spent hours drawing on everything. His mother, an accomplished artist, had passed down an appreciation for creativity, but Art’s path was far from conventional.

Growing up, he was known more for being a “rounder” in school, often suspended for his antics. Deep down, Ayris was bored with school and not interested in conventional art. Yet even as he found trouble in his youth, he also found the beginnings of something greater.

A fateful choice

Ayris comes from several generations of American soldiers, with family in both world wars. His father was a veteran. His favorite uncle died while serving as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam.

At 18, Ayris was ready to continue this legacy. But at the last minute, his parents urged him to go to college instead.

There, he began his lifelong soldierly role in a different kind of battle: a campaign of ideas and theories.

A deeper purpose

Ayris describes his life as one marked by torpedoes — unexpected crises that have forced him to confront his own mortality and the deeper purpose of his existence.

He recently told his wife: “When I really do drop, you’ll know it’s God’s will because He’s kept me alive through so many of these episodes.”

When he was 19, gangrene set in from his childhood injury, nearly killing him again.

“The doctors told me, ‘We have to operate immediately,’” he recalls.

But the first procedure didn’t solve the problem. As complications mounted, Ayris was given a grim prognosis: one last attempt at surgery, or he would need a colostomy.

“I was 19 years old, weighing 135 pounds — I looked like a POW,” he says. “They didn’t know if I was going to live or die.”

At Ayris' lowest point, when survival was uncertain, a Presbyterian pastor visited him in the hospital: “He shared the basics of the gospel,” Art tells me. “He walked me through it — acknowledging I was a sinner, believing Christ died for my sins, and confessing Him as my Savior. And it just made sense to me. My whole idea of living for myself seemed so stupid.”

Though the transformation didn’t happen overnight, that moment planted a seed. “It took me a while to get all the partying out of my system,” he admits. “But by my early 20s, I had fully committed my life to Christ.”

The experience of nearly losing his life imbued Ayris with a sharpened focus on eternity. “God gives us a great life here, but even the best life is so short,” he reflects. “I’ve lost friends who’ve stepped into eternity, and it’s made me realize that the next life is what I really need to prepare for.”

A born educator

Ayris' greatest talent lies in sharing knowledge. He was destined to educate.

In his 20s, he became a pastor while working full-time as a teacher and a football coach. It didn’t take long for him to confront challenges in the education system. “It was horrendous, what I saw in the public school,” he recalls.

He was hired by the only fully unionized school in the county, where fellow educators immediately pressured him to join the teachers' union. Reluctantly, he signed up.

“When I started reading those magazines from the [American Federation of Teachers] and the [National Education Association], it was like reading the manifesto of the Communist Party,” he says.

Within a year, Ayris left the union. “I didn’t care who got upset with me. I just got out.” The experience cemented his conviction that education in America needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Not long after, the church asked Ayris to leave his teaching position and join full-time ministry. “It was a good genesis,” he says, reflecting on how his path eventually led to creating comic books. “I’ve always had a conviction that Christian media should be better.”

Spreading the 'instruction manual'

While serving as a children’s pastor, Ayris noticed a concerning trend. Many of the kids he ministered to had little or no knowledge of the Bible.

Worse yet, in America, only 7% of people have read the Bible cover to cover. “If only 7% of people read the instruction manual for something, you’re going to have a problem," says Aryis.

So he set out to make the instruction manual more accessible.

He noticed that these same children were captivated by graphic novels and manga — stories that often lacked uplifting or meaningful messages. Rather than settling for the limited and often uninspired materials available for children’s ministry, Ayris saw an opportunity.

“There’s no reason we couldn’t create a Marvel for this market,” he says. His vision was simple but bold: Use comics to connect kids to the Bible in ways they could understand and enjoy.

The Kingstone Bible

Kingstone Studios

With this idea in mind, Ayris co-founded Kingstone Comics. Partnering with a team of 40 illustrators — many of whom had worked for Marvel and DC — he set out to create high-quality, engaging content for a new generation.

But for Ayris, Kingstone’s mission couldn’t be more different. “DC just had the Joker being pregnant, giving birth to a baby, and all that trans junk woke stuff,” he says.

The company's first major project, the Kingstone Bible, combined stunning visuals with compelling storytelling, offering kids and adults alike an accessible way to engage with Scripture.

"We’re not competing with Christian publishers,” says Ayris. “We’re competing with Marvel and DC.”

Batman and the gospel

Christianity has always had a rich relationship with the arts.

From gospel murals in ancient catacombs to the timeless masterpieces of the Renaissance, believers have used creative expression to communicate truth.

“If there’s anything that’s creative, it’s God,” Ayris says, marveling at creation’s diversity, from the weirdness of the platypus to the complexity of human beings.

At Kingstone, this divine creativity fuels the mission to share faith through modern storytelling, using comics and animation as vehicles to reach new audiences.

For Ayris, Kingstone’s work is part of that long tradition, a continuation of weaving the sacred into the creative.

But instead of stained glass or symphonies, Kingstone builds stories with panels, ink, and bold visual narrative — tools designed to resonate with today’s generation.

US Comics

As Kingstone grew, Ayris saw another cultural need: reclaiming America’s history from narratives that diminished its greatness. In 2023, he launched U.S. Comics, an imprint dedicated to celebrating America’s founding, its heroes, and its struggles.

The first series takes readers through the early days of the nation, from the arrival of the Pilgrims to Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown.

The response to U.S. Comics has been overwhelmingly positive. Readers praise the depth and the comics' ability to make American history come alive.

U.S. Comics highlights the profound influence of Christian values on the country’s formation. “The founding fathers weren’t perfect,” Ayris says, “but there’s no question that America was founded on biblical principles.”

Kingstone Studios

The art of storytelling

Comics are a unique medium, relying on the sequencing of frozen images to create motion and life. Each panel is static, yet together they unfold dynamic narratives, immersing readers in vivid worlds of action and emotion. This makes comics a uniquely powerful medium for redemptive storytelling.

The superhero genre exemplifies this power but can only take it so far. Iconic figures like Batman battle villains across fiery landscapes and glittering utopias, their capes and armor symbolizing timeless clashes of good versus evil.

Despite their cultural impact, comics have often been dismissed as lowbrow entertainment, a diversion for the masses. For decades, they’ve been undervalued as an art form caught between writing and illustration.

Through Kingstone’s pages, the battle between good and evil transcends superheroes. It becomes a reflection of deeper spiritual realities. Whether introducing young readers to the Bible or offering fresh perspectives to seasoned believers, Kingstone blends tradition with innovation.

In prayerful hands, comics carry the weight of eternity.

The Constitution

U.S. Comics has also released a graphic novel adaptation of the U.S. Constitution. Art sees this as a critical tool for educating younger generations about the principles that shaped America, celebrating the dual nature of American identity — the individual and the community.

“The Constitution, like the Bible, is a living document,” Ayris says. “It continues to shape the nation’s direction. Through these comics, we want to reawaken a sense of reverence for the Constitution and help kids understand what made this country great.”

Created in collaboration with Joe Bennett, a former Marvel artist renowned for "The Immortal Hulk" and "Captain America," the comic pairs a rich historical narrative with striking visuals. It has quickly become one of Kingstone’s best sellers, reflecting a growing appetite for stories that honor America’s ideals and values.

Samaritan Inn

While building a career in comics, Ayris remained deeply committed to his local community, particularly through First Baptist Church of Leesburg, Florida.

Ayris spearheaded the founding of the Community Medical Care Center, a free clinic serving uninsured and medically vulnerable individuals. With the help of 50 volunteer doctors and eight dentists, the clinic now provides health care to over 7,000 people annually.

Then, working with his congregation, Ayris led the effort to transform the Big Bass Motel into the Samaritan Inn, a shelter for homeless families.

It was no small task. Converting the aging motel into a functional shelter required heavy finances and widespread community support.

He retold the story in his film “No Vacancy” (2022), featuring Dean Cain.

“Community is key,” Ayris says. “It's very important that communities pull together. When I made that movie, I wanted to show what happens when a community and a church work together.”

'A big Trump guy'

“I’m a big Trump guy,” Ayris says. “I’ve put up Trump signs, even out here in Webster. Sometimes, because I’m a pastor, people get a little frustrated with me. But I think they misunderstand.”

Released on June 14, 2024 — Flag Day and President Trump’s birthday — ”Trump 2024: Restoring the Glory to ‘Old Glory’” is one of U.S. Comics’ standout projects. The special-edition comic celebrates the story of Old Glory.

Flags carry a special resonance. They represent more than fabric. They embody the human condition.

“It is not just a piece of fabric. It’s a symbol of everything sacrificed for this country,” he tells me. “And if somebody starts spitting on the flag or trying to burn it in my presence, there's gonna be a hoedown.”

The heart of compassion

Most comics are mythology. They offer fiction and fantasy, a world of gods and heroes that hint at universal truths but often fall short of reconciliation. While there are plenty of historical comics, none quite matches the specific passion found at Kingstone, which has used the medium’s strengths — its ability to captivate and inspire — to openly proclaim the gospel.

In comics, heroes are often portrayed as mythical figures, elevated through their sacrifices and victories, becoming larger than life. But Kingstone’s heroes reflect a different kind of narrative. They draw from the Bible, where God stands with the victims, not the persecutors. Ordinary geniuses, sacred nobodies.

Kingstone’s mission is deeply tied to this Christian understanding of compassion.

The left has manipulated the Christian concern for victims. Today’s ideologies often co-opt the language of liberation, accusing Christianity of failing its own values while turning compassion into a tool of control. These narratives attempt to replace the heart of Christianity itself, using the language of justice to further agendas of power.

Kingstone confronts this distortion head-on, telling stories that present true compassion. Through Kingstone's work, comic artists transform the battleground of narrative into an opportunity to reveal the heart of the gospel.

In an industry dominated by mythology, Kingstone offers something profoundly different: stories that point not to fleeting heroes but to an eternal Savior, stories that don’t just depict battles but offer the ultimate victory of redemption.

They remind readers that the greatest hero of all didn’t ascend through conquest but through sacrifice — a story more powerful than any myth could ever tell.

“I never envisioned running a comic-book media company as a teenager,” Ayris says. “But God had to actuate my life, to bring out the gifts I didn’t even know were there. Once the Spirit of God fills you, you start discovering those things.”

Christian animated series 'Gabriel and the Guardians' to get its own comic adaptation with Rippaverse



A Christian anime series is heading to print after hosting an incredibly successful crowdfund that spawned the series.

Angel Studios, the company behind the film "Sound of Freedom," ran a massively successful campaign for the new animated show that garnered over $550,000 and promised to deliver 13 episodes. With just under 1,500 backers, the show drew a whopping average contribution of over $370 per person.

Now that the series is coming to fruition, Rippaverse Comics will bring the show to print as its own manga-style comic series.

'A gift from the Lord.'

The move is part of what has become a massive swing in the media space in terms of publishing and content.

For starters, "Gabriel and the Guardians" is inspired by ancient Hebrew text, taking themes from sources like the book of Genesis. The story follows Gabriel, a celestial guardian who is tasked with recovering a powerful artifact. The show features themes of identity, faith, and the Bible, which are not often broached in an animated series of this caliber.

At the same time, Rippaverse Comics has pushed its way into the publishing space with a firm stance of focusing on content, not progressive themes.

Rippaverse Comics founder and BlazeTV contributor Eric July called the new partnership a "gift from the Lord."

"Couldn't be more grateful," July added in an X post.

— (@)

The new comic will be run by RippaSend, the publishing wing of Rippaverse Comics, which has a stated goal of providing artists a platform to showcase their talents.

July successfully began publishing his own woke-free comics in 2022, starting with "Isom #1," which raised over $3.7 million in a preorder after a stated goal of $100,000. Then "Isom #2" raked in nearly $1 million in preorders within the first 24 hours of its release.

The company now has a cavalcade of characters and stories in its lineup and has a lot to draw from with "Gabriel and the Guardians."

The production has already been greatly received, with top-tier voice talent including Matt Lanter (Lego Star Wars, Call of Duty), Cristina Valenzuela (Sailor Moon, Evil Dead: The Game), and even Johnny Yong Bosch, who starred in "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."

Many fans have since theorized the move could signal that Rippaverse Comics is making the jump into animated productions with Angel Studios, but the crossover remains unclear.

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Colin Kaepernick's next act: Big Tech-funded AI comic book mogul, but will anyone care?



NFL quarterback turned activist Colin Kaepernick has launched an artificial intelligence-based platform for creating comic books and graphic novels.

The platform, called Lumi, said it allows artists to skip over gatekeepers, high production costs, and production timelines within the comic book and graphic novel industry. Lumi is led by Kaepernick and venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, a company that boasts dozens of startups in its portfolio.

"By leveraging advanced AI tools, Lumi enhances the creative process, allowing creators to focus on bringing their stories to life, while the platform handles all of the logistics," the company said in a press release.

The platform can turn "any creator into Disney," it claimed.

'It's unclear what gatekeepers Mr. Kaepernick is referring to since he had a lucrative deal with Netflix for a show no one seemed to like.'

Kaepernick transitioned into left-wing activism after kneeling during the national anthem at NFL games following losing the starting quarterback position on the San Francisco 49ers. He made vague claims of oppression and has since enjoyed several high-profile endorsement deals while allegedly also feigning attempts to return to the NFL.

As such, the Lumi press release was not without activist language.

"Lumi aims to open the funnel, enabling anyone to access storytelling superpowers, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and equitable world," the company wrote.

Funding has also come from unnamed tech executives from social media platform Meta and rapper Chamillionaire. Perhaps most notably, tech company Contextual AI has also thrown its hat in the ring after securing $80 million of its own. It is unclear, however, to what degree any technology from Contextual AI will be used for Lumi.

"Lumi addresses an unnecessary dependency on gatekeepers that slows creators down," Kaepernick said. "This allows creators to get back to what they ultimately want to do: create . The platform empowers creators to work freely and independently, deciding when and how they want to collaborate with others. This independence is crucial for fostering a vibrant and diverse creative ecosystem."

While the platform potentially leads to a faster end product, it certainly leapfrogs many artists along the way in an industry already suffering.

"I think this is sad because it cuts out all of the talented artists, actors, and talent that create stories and replace them with soulless AI," Return's managing editor, Peter Gietl, remarked.

"It's unclear what gatekeepers Mr. Kaepernick is referring to since he had a lucrative deal with Netflix for a show no one seemed to like. It remains to be seen whether AI-created art will resonate with an audience; it hasn't so far, but I think it is possible a talented person could use these tools to create great art," Gietl added.

Blaze News previously spoke with musicians regarding AI-generated music who overwhelmingly stated that any type of AI-based artform is likely to lack a human touch that resonates with audiences.

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Spider-Man comic featuring 'queer' trans-anarchist villains promoted to children for Pride Month



A free comic book promoted by Marvel for Pride Month featured multiple messages about gender and sexuality while being targeted at children 13 years old and up.

As part of an initiative for inclusivity, Marvel sent out free issues of its "Marvel Voices" comic to distributors for Free Comic Book Day.

The gender and sexuality-driven issue was targeted at teens and also had dedicated pages regarding black and "indigenous" stories and creators.

After a Bollywood-themed Spider-Man and a female hero named Spider-Gwen, a glowing Spider-Man took on a rather interesting foe.

The comic showed a group of thugs ransacking the Stark pharmaceutical company, as the leader of the gang is shown to be a "trans woman" named Peach.

"Peach. Leader of the Commune. Trans woman. Hacker. Yorkie enthusiast. Currently really frustrated," the comic read.

After the group realized there are only needles and syringes remaining, the transgender leader decided it was time to leave before the security system came back online.

As Spider-Man arrived, it is then revealed that the group is actually a cohabitating consortium of queer anarchists that see themselves as working-class heroes.

"The Commune. A Robin-Hood-esque, queer, human, anarchist crew who live and work together."

In addition to the juxtaposition of a transgender person stealing from a pharmaceutical stock room, Spider-Man himself also pointed out that the female-identifying man isn't able to partake in discourse.

"Back off. Spidey! We aren't hurting anyone, and we don't wanna start with you," the criminal said.

"Come oooon. Trespassing and theft are easy-peasy, but you can't handle a friendly conversation," Spider-Man replied.

'There is no specific race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, religious or planetary-origin requirement to being a hero.'

The comic book is riddled with incessant ideological messaging, including a full-page spread about diverse superheroes. Author Angelique Roche wrote that since the 1960s, the Marvel team has "evolved to reflect the world around us."

"Our heroes and their stories provided proof of what we have always known: that there is no specific race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic, religious or planetary-origin requirement to being a hero," she wrote.

Roche has described herself on her website as a former congressional staffer, and she was also a campaign manager for Democrat Nina Turner. Turner was an Ohio state senator from 2008-2014 before she ran for Ohio's secretary of state, losing to Republican Jon Husted. Roche managed Turner's campaign for that race.

That Park Place editor John F. Trent described the comic as an attempt to corrupt children and lead them into despair.

"On a storytelling level, they are priming their alternative universes with these characters so they can then bring them into the main universe to supplant their other characters like Captain America, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and Thor," he said.

The Pride comic is almost entirely made up of alternate timelines. Examples included "Earth-65" for the female Spider-Man character and "Earth-50101" that featured an Indian Spider-Man acting in a Bollywood film.

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New feminist Wonder Woman comic has hero enslaved as traditional, Christian wife who must reject the Bible to escape



A new Wonder Woman comic book has the hero trapped in her mind as a traditional, Christian wife who is verbally abused by her husband.

"Wonder Woman #8," written by author Tom King, places Wonder Woman under the constraints of a villain who has bound her with the Lasso of Lies, a powerful weapon much like her own, which he uses to manipulate her mind.

Please note that this article contains many spoilers.

While tied up with the magical lasso, the reader learns that Wonder Woman is trapped in her mind, living as a Christian wife in a pseudo-1950s landscape with cell phones.

Her husband is an abusive military officer who immediately takes issue with his wife's inability to deliver dinner on time. After reminding his wife, trad Wonder Woman, that he is "going out with the boys," she insists that she is "going to be better" for him.

The comic jumps back and forth between the real world and the one created to torment her. In her traditional-hell landscape, Wonder Woman's thoughts are invaded by Bible passages that poison her mind. 1 Timothy 2:9-15 is used, which talks about women being encouraged to dress modestly and decently, learning in quiet, and not having authority over a man.

Ephesians 5:22-24 is later cited, which says, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior."

Later in the comic, Wonder Woman's husband complains about the temperature on his steak, and when asking her why she isn't eating, she says it's because she's trying to lose weight.

"I do need to watch my figure," she states.

After becoming enraged when Wonder Woman asks him when he will be home, the tormenting husband tells her that she may not be able to cook, but at least she looks good.

"I shouldn't have asked. Have fun. I have so many chores around here to distract me. As much as anything can distract me from you," she said painfully.

"You can't cook, and you never know when to shut your mouth. But dammit, you do look all right in that outfit," the husband said while embracing the emotionally damaged woman.

Preview for Wonder Woman #8
— (@)

Eventually, Wonder Woman escapes her mental prison but not before one more painfully written interaction with her husband. While sending her spouse into a spiral by burning his eggs, Wonder Woman is mentally battling more Bible passages.

Titus 2:3-5 is then quoted in the comic as "women, likewise, are to be reverent in behavior. Not slanderers or slaves to much wine."

"They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children," it goes on.

She scolds her husband in their final interaction for not listening to her.

Eventually, Wonder Woman's mother appears in her hallucination to remind her that she is a strong, powerful woman who can accomplish anything.

Inspired by her mother, Wonder Woman breaks free from her confines and, while holding the villain by his throat, yells, "I do not believe your God!"

Loving this Wonder Woman issue 8 Cover D 1:25 Joshua 'Sway' Swaby Card Stock Variant #WonderWoman #Dc
— (@)

With dialogue narrating how Wonder Woman's will can never be broken — unlike even the toughest of men — the story comes to an end in both worlds.

In the trad world, Wonder Woman's husband is left with a departing note from his now-estranged wife.

"Steve. My mother came by. I'm leaving with her. I am not coming back."

"The truth is, I'm not who you think I am. I am only who I think I am."

"P.S. The house is a little messy. And you're going to need a new vacuum."

Steve is revealed as looking stunned while reading the note. A caption adds, "We pushed her as far as any man has ever been pushed."

"But from the clay from which she is made, it will not crack."

As That Park Place reported, a former DC Comics artist who worked on Suicide Squad and Justice League of America comics announced he would boycott the company over the recent tones in the Wonder Woman series.

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'Just another word for shapeshifter': X-Men creators scold fans over 'nonbinary' character for Disney+ reboot



The original creators of "X-Men: The Animated Series" defended a recent change for the Disney+ reboot of the show in which one of the characters has been remodeled as "nonbinary."

As Blaze News previously reported, a shapeshifting character named Morph was reimagined as a "nonbinary" person for the Disney+ iteration of the show called "X-Men '97."

"This is a lighter take on the character, who is nonbinary and has an interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine. The character's past with Mister Sinister, the show's villain, could also come into play," former Executive Producer Beau DeMayo stated.

This caused an uproar from fans as Morph's entire look was changed for the new, nonbinary direction, looking rather alien-like in the latest version of the show compared to how he was originally portrayed as a generic male character in the 1990s cartoon.

Creator Eric Lewald, his wife and writer Julia Lewald, and director Larry Houston spoke about the controversy, largely defending the change by claiming being nonbinary is the same as being a shapeshifter.

"For me, the word ‘nonbinary’ is the same as the word ‘shapeshifter,'" Houston said. "Every character that can change from one gender to another, or from human to animal, that’s just another word for ‘shapeshifter’ for me," he told Variety.

"He attacks Wolverine, his closest friend, in the most dramatic way by turning into Jean Grey and putting his hand on Wolverine’s neck and leaning in for a kiss," Eric Lewald said. "That’s as nonbinary as you can get. It’s Morph turning into a woman and coming onto Wolverine to freak him out. It was all there in Morph’s character. Now it’s become such a social thing that I think people will be more sensitive to how it’s used. That’s the only difference. We didn’t see a problem in reading him and didn’t feel he was any different," he added.

Julia Lewald chose to scold fans who took issue with the change:

"Did we teach you people nothing? Were you not watching?" she asked. "Did we not figure out how to be nice to each other and how to get along? It’s very odd to feel like we are still dealing with the same issues that we were dealing with 30 years ago. It’s painful," she explained.

Voice actor Lenore Zann took a similar tone and stated that the "message needs to be spread throughout the world right now."

"I hope we can bring hope to people and to children so they can look to the future and go, 'I have a place in this world. I belong, and it’s OK to be different.'"

If X-Men '97 is the "next day" - then really why does Morph look radically different? Look, he's right here, not looking odd at all:
— (@)

Aside from fan controversy, the show has dealt with internal issues leading up to the reboot's launch. DeMayo, the aforementioned former executive producer, was fired a bit more than a week before his project premiered.

Marvel had no comment on the matter and DeMayo went silent taking his Instagram account offline, the Hollywood Reporter noted.

While no official reason for his departure was known, speculation swirled around his consistent controversies. In 2023, he reportedly announced he was deleting his Twitter account after coming under fire for allegedly whitewashing a character named Sunspot, a Brazilian who appeared to be tan in earlier versions.

DeMayo faced criticism for casting actor Gui Agustini in the role, even though he is Brazilian.

DeMayo, who is also reportedly a gay black man, allegedly posted shirtless photos of himself online and operated what has been described as a non-explicit account on the site OnlyFans, which is known for pornography.

Morph's character design for 'X-MEN '97' by Amelia Vidal.
— (@)

Nonetheless, Morph was an iconic character as he appeared in the very first episode of the original cartoon and is the only character to undergo such a drastic reimagining.

In addition to complaints of other character-model tweaks, the show has likely had far more controversial moments before its launch than it should; however, this could, of course, translate to a greater number of eyeballs.

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Superhero Flicks Like ‘Madame Web’ Stink Because They’re About Other Movies Instead Of Real Life

Superhero movies are one of the most popular film genres, so why do they struggle at the box office?

James Wan Takes Viewers To An Ocean Far Away In ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’

Aquaman is routinely mocked in nerd culture as the fish guy, but Wan’s take on the hero works because he fully embraces the universe.

BlazeTV contributor Eric July clears nearly $1 million in preorders inside 24 hours for his latest graphic novel, proving once again readers want good stories, not bad ideology, from their comics



BlazeTV contributor Eric July put it all on the line and launched an independent comic book company in 2022, sure that he was not the only "comic book lifer" exhausted by the leftist agitprop and infantilizing regurgitate churned out by woke publishers like Marvel and DC Comics.

That risk paid off big-time last year.

July's Rippaverse Comics released "Isom #1" in 2022, telling the tale of Avery Silman, a valorous Texas rancher who resumes his duties in Cincinnatian fashion after it becomes clear his city once again needs the costumed hero Isom's help.

The book, which received rave reviews on League of Comic Geeks, raised over $3.7 million dollars in a preorder where the stated goal was $100,000, evidencing a significant appetite for compelling content unencumbered by woke innocence-signaling — for books where story comes first.

The Dallas-based podcaster, musician, and author is back with a second comic.

\u201cThe Pre-Order Campaign for ISOM #2 is now LIVE! And check out the FIRST official project from Rippaverse Studios - the ISOM #2 Animated Trailer! #Rippaverse #Isom #Isom2 #comicbooks\n\nhttps://t.co/Plp6D3XC8V\u201d
— Rippaverse Comics (@Rippaverse Comics) 1686578445

Within 24 hours of preorders for "Isom #2" going live, July raised over $863,000 (247% over the set sales goal), proving last year's success was not a flash in the pan but rather an actionable market signal.

In fact, the excitement over the second installment in the series was enough to strain the Rippaverse website to the point of temporarily breaking.

July told TheBlaze that the website went down Monday following an unprecedented deluge of preorders and activity. While he stressed the crash was "unacceptable" and is working to bolster his comic universe's burgeoning infrastructure, July admitted it was nevertheless a "great problem to have."

While there was no guarantee ahead of the company's launch last year that there would be such overwhelming interest, July was convinced from the start he was staring down a "perfect storm."

After all, as a self-professed "comic book lifer" with a customer-centric perspective on the trade, July understood precisely how the comic book industry was "destroying itself."

The big publishers appeared willing to alienate readers who once turned to comics as a form of escapism and excitement — those who sought archetypal characters and transcendent stories that stood the test of time, free from faddish jargon and propaganda.

Oftentimes, where ideology wasn't the leading character, readers still had to contend with demoralizing stories in dead worlds populated by recycled characters.

DC Comics published a comic book in 2021 with a storyline where the Robin character comes out as bisexual after another male character asks him out on a date.

According to the New York Post, Marvel modeled an evil character after former President Donald Trump.

The multibillion-dollar company later hired identitarian leftist Ta-Nehisi Coates to transmogrify Dr. Jordan Peterson's ideas and put them in the mouth of the fictional Nazi villain Red Skull.

Marvel also saw fit to introduce to its bloated fictional universe a pair of affected heroes named "Snowflake" and "Safespace"; the former a "non-binary" character who identifies as a dehumanized plurality.

DC Comics is evidently no better.

Superman, a sometimes-homosexual in a deeply unpopular series canceled after 18 issues, has a son who advances climate alarmism.

"Between changing all of these characters and you have this ridiculous kind of push for social justice, insulting the audience and all of that — and I was like, you know what? I am going to be a solution to the problem," July told TheBlaze last year.

In the way of a solution, July did not set out to pen the great anti-woke comic book. If anything, he wanted to write a "non-woke" comic book that anyone could settle into without having to worry about being sold on some grand political project.

"You have a lot of bad American comic book content. It's terrible," July told TheBlaze Tuesday. "People that have been reading comic books like myself forever finally said, 'Hey look, these guys clearly aren't making these books with an audience like myself in mind, so I'm just not gonna buy it.'"

Comic book lovers turned off by the mainstream output "still like comics," said July. "They like American comics."

The appetite is there, but readers won't necessarily be satisfied by foreign content, even if unwoke. Japanese manga, for instance, "doesn't scratch that itch."

Making the search harder is the impenetrability of certain extant fandoms.

"It can be intimidating for a lot of noobies to try to get in on a character they might recognize from a movie," said July.

One of the apparent benefits of a fresh comic universe unspoiled by focus groups and ESG czars, such as that on offer in the Rippaverse, is that prospective readers don't need to have committed entire genealogies to memory or suffered through convoluted multi-film, multi-series backstories and reboots.

"Isom #2," for instance, "is not intergalactic. It's not interplanetary and all that stuff with none of those crazy crossovers. It's none of that. ... It's a street-level story."

The book, written by July, whose writing appears to mine some particulars of his personal story, is illustrated by artist Cliff Richards. In addition to doing pencils for Dark Horse Comics' "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series and the artwork for Del Rey Books' graphic novel "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," Richards has also worked on various DC Comics titles.

The drawings are colored by Gabe Eltaeb, a former DC Comics colorist who quit in 2021 after taking issue with the woke bastardization of the Superman character and saying, "I'm tired of them ruining these characters; they don't have a right to do this."

The Rippaverse will soon be populated by content from Chuck Dixon as well — the prolific writer who worked on Marvel's pre-woke "The Punisher" comics, "Batman" for DC Comics, and hundreds of others.

Beyond the top-tier artwork and stories, July indicated some fans might see the appeal in the company's independence, decentralization, and personal touch.

"I think the day of the mega-corporation is over. It's not to say this is going to go away. What I mean is that you're going to see a lot more successes like ours who keep it relatively small. ... I'm at the warehouse. I'm packing orders. I have a direct line of sight with my audience. That's something you don't get with the likes of Bob Iger."

This direct line of sight goes both ways, enabling customers to see that they're dealing with people who "cherish what it is they're doing and take care of it. The audience picks up on this and the fact we don't despise the audience," said July.

In turn, Rippaverse Comics "recognizes that in order for us to last, we have to give them something that they want."

So far, so good, July indicated — despite the constant stream of vitriol from the left.

"When people found out that a guy that they feel like is ideologically different from them in an industry they feel like they own built his own sandbox, they got very aggravated," he said. "Despite all my hot political takes, I've not had anything ever in my life that got me more backlash. Nothing comes close. Not even comparable."

"I've got called everything that you can think of in the book, but doesn't matter because they can't stop it. That's the reason why we did it the independent way. We're going to continue to be great. We love our customers. They're gonna continue to support it."

Leftists, simultaneously confronted with the books' wide support and rendered incapable of cancelling Rippaverse due to its independence, "know that they can't do that with us, so they can scream into the abyss. We go virtually unimpacted. If there is an impact, they're just galvanizing the truth, incentivizing people to buy more Rippaverse books."

Eric July's Isom 2 Shane Davis Cover Drawing Process youtu.be

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