Aquaman Isn't the Only DC Movie in 2018

It’s possible that we’re living in the best timeline because comic book movies have taken over pop culture and most of them are legitimately good – the bar for these movies has definitely been raised. This year, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is taking ginormous steps forward as it finally unleashes Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and shines the spotlight on Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The studio also had massive success with director Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther – the world finally got to explore Wakanda on the big screen. Meanwhile, 20^th Century Fox is releasing the hugely anticipated sequel to Deadpool – it still blows my mind that Wade Wilson has become a household name – and giving the Dark Phoenix storyline another shot in a new X-Men film. Over at Columbia Pictures, Miles Morales will star in his own animated movie and the studio is attempting to build its a new live-action universe with Venom – or maybe they’ll surprise us by connecting it to the MCU, but that’s just a rumor right now. Will Columbia Pictures finally bring Kraven the Hunter to the big screen? Man, I hope so!

While it is a busy year for comic book movies, Warner Bros. will only have one live-action movie releasing this year: James Wan’s Aquaman. Maybe that’s the best move for the studio after Justice League didn’t meet expectations and, to be fair, Warner Bros. does have big plans for 2019 (Shazam, Wonder Woman 2), but that does not mean we’re only getting one movie featuring DC characters in 2018! There are some pretty exciting DC animated movies heading straight to home release and I’m here to make sure you don’t forget about ‘em!

Craving a new Dark Knight story right away? Director Sam Liu and writer James Krieg’s Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is already out. Inspired by Brian Augustyn, Mike Mignola, P. Craig Russell, and Eduardo Barreto’s elseworlds comic, this animated movie takes place in Gotham City during the Victorian era. Jack the Ripper is at large and there’s only one person who can stop him: Batman. Due to some bloody violence and language, Gotham by Gaslight is rated R. While the animated versions of The Dark Knight Returns and Year One were extremely loyal to the source material, Gotham by Gaslight does make some significant changes to the mystery and manages to include some brutal hand-to-hand sequences. If you love the classic comic, odds are this one is a no-brainer for you. For everyone else, you can read some reviews of the movie here and watch the trailer here. Fun fact: Bruce Greenwood (Batman: Under the Red Hood) reprises his role as the Caped Crusader and Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter voices Selina Kyle.

Amanda Waller’s Task Force X has a new mission! Director Sam Liu and writer Alan Burnett’s Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay releases digitally on March 27 and hits Blu-ray/DVD on April 10. The treacherous team’s upcoming story is looking like it’ll be a ton of twisted fun as the criminal crew’s new objective puts them at odds with a huge group of villains. Since it’s bad guys vs bad guys, you know things are going to get hectic and I’m guessing a lot of the characters won’t be safe, especially since heavy hitters like Vandal Savage and Eobard Thawne are involved. Plus, Bronze Tiger is on Task Force X, so you know there’s going to be an awesome martial arts scene. Check out the trailer here.

Love anime? Love Batman? Get ready for Batman Ninja. This amazing-looking animated feature brings the Caped Crusader’s world to feudal Japan. This action-packed adventure arrives April 24 and features Roger Craig Smith, Tara Strong, Fred Tatasciore, and more. One look at the new designs for these characters and my interest was totally hooked. Deathstroke’s in this and I can’t wait to see how his action scenes will play out…

The Dark Knight Returns, aka one of the most iconic comic stories of all-time, received a phenomenal animated adaptation; however, with a story like that one, cramming it into an 80 minute movie wouldn’t do it justice. To make sure the story was brought to life properly, it was broken into two parts (both are superb, by the way). Now, we’re getting an animated version of The Death of Superman and the Reign of the Superman, and part one arrives later this year! The very first DC Universe Animated Original Movie was based on Superman’s frenetic fight with Doomsday and its aftermath, but the 2007 movie had a limited runtime so substantial changes had to be made. With two movies, we’re finally going to see a more faithful version of this unforgettable story. At the time of writing, only a very limited amount of information has been released about this two-parter, but if it’s anywhere near as good as The Dark Knight Returns two-parter, it’ll be an obvious purchase. Fingers crossed they eventually give Knightfall a two-parter, too...

But wait, there's more! Also available this year:

• Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold
• DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis
• LEGO DC Comics Superheroes: The Flash
• LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High
• LEGO DC Super Heroes: Aquaman – Rage of Atlantis
• Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (in theaters 7/27)
• Batman & Mr. Freeze: Subzero (remastered Blu-ray)

Aquaman is the only live-action DC movie this year and it's going to feel like a long wait until we get to visit Atlantis on the big screen again - Aquaman's movie doesn't hit theaters until 12/21! Thankfully, there are plenty of great options to help ease the wait. DC fans, don't miss out.

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