WATCH: First 'Joker' trailer introduces Joaquin Phoenix's Clown Prince of Crime

The first trailer for "Joker," the upcoming Todd Phillips-directed movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as DC Comics' iconic clown villain, was released on Wednesday. 

The disturbing clip documents the descent of Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) from a failed comedian to the deranged criminal who eventually becomes Batman's archenemy — all set, aptly enough, to a chilling rendition of the classic song "Smile."

The film is set to debut this October. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Lesbian superhero Batwoman powers toward TV first

LONDON—Lesbian superhero Batwoman is powering towards a ground-breaking role as the star of her own television series.

The show being developed by an American network would be the first live-action superhero series with an openly gay lead and is based on the DC Comics star Kate Kane - a.k.a. Batwoman.

"Kate Kane soars onto the streets of Gotham as Batwoman, an out lesbian and highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city's criminal resurgence," said a brief for the show.

Caroline Dries, a writer and executive producer on the project, said she was "thrilled" to be helping bring the flawed heroine to the small screen with the CW Network.

"CW is so badass for taking on #Batwoman. Grateful to the DC comics writers for reviving this hero and giving us a fun and complicated hero who reflects so many of us," she tweeted.

The project will also include Greg Berlanti, a producer who has previously worked on superhero TV series "The Flash," "Green Lantern" and "Legends of Tomorrow."

The show's creators are reportedly hoping to find a lesbian actress to play the lead role, though that has not been confirmed.

The US charity GLAAD, which campaigns for LGBT representation in the media, welcomed the prospect of more gay characters on television.

President Sarah Kate Ellis said Berlanti had "amassed a track record of telling diverse and powerful LGBTQ stories, so it is not surprising he is a driving force behind Batwoman".

The number of gay characters in comics has risen steadily in recent years, both through the introduction of new LGBT figures and by adding to backstories of established stars to reveal a gay back story.

Batwoman first appeared in the comics in 1956, but was only "outed" as a lesbian by writer Greg Rucka in 2009.

"Yes, she's a lesbian," Rucka told the Comic Book Resources website at the time. "If people are going to have problems with it, that's their issue." (Reporting by Sonia Elks, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org)

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Superman confronts a new villain: white supremacists

WASHINGTON - No longer are planet-destroying extra-terrestrials or billionaire evil geniuses the villains: Superman, the DC Comics superhero, has a new mission protecting hard-working immigrants from white supremacist bullies.

In the latest edition of the "Action Comics" series, which has published Superman's adventures since 1938, the "Man of Steel" intervenes to stop an out-of-work factory worker as he is about to kill some immigrants.

Wearing a blue work shirt and red-white-and-blue bandana, the moustachioed cartoon villain embodies all the cliches of the poor blue-collar American.

Gun in hand, he threatens veiled women and rails at Hispanic workers, accusing them of stealing his job.

"You work cheap, don't speak English so you can't talk back or even ask for a penny more. You cost me my job! My livelihood! For that… you pay!" he says, as he opens fire.

Just then Superman steps in, bullets bouncing off his chest, to save the day.

"The only person responsible for the blackness smothering your soul is you," Superman tells the white supremacist.

The passage echoes the recent violent protests by American rightwing extremists.

In August, a 32-year-old woman was run over and killed by a Nazi sympathizer after a violent "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In 2015, Dylann Roof, a white supremacist, shot and killed nine black worshipers at a Charleston, South Carolina church.

American comic books have often taken on social issues, finding up-to-the-minute material in contemporary public conflicts and debates.

Marvel Comics, for instance, launched a new version of Spider-Man in 2011, making him half-black, half-Hispanic.

In 2016, DC Comics published a seven issue mini-series called "Superman: American Alien."

In it, Kal-El (Superman's real name) struggles to reconcile his extra-terrestrial origins with his new life on Earth.

Superman is in effect an immigrant, who left his doomed home planet Krypton when he was a baby and was taken in and adopted by an American couple in Kansas, in the rural US heartland.

Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were both Jews of European descent, and Superman's story parallels the flight of European immigrants in the 1930s seeking peace and prosperity in the United States.

"The Man of Steel," whose caped costume is inspired by the Stars and Stripes, grows up on a farm and embodies the American dream

But Superman's patriotism, like that of Marvel Comics' Captain America, has been interpreted differently at the hands of the various writers who have scripted his adventures.

In the 1986 series "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns," for example, Frank Miller presents Superman as president Ronald Reagan's elite fighter, deployed to combat the Soviets or to restore order in the United States, neutralizing Batman.

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LOOK: DC Comics fans gather for world record attempt

MANILA -- Dressed as Batman, Superman and the Flash, Filipino fans hoped to make it to the Guinness Book of World Records for the most DC Comics cosplayers gathered in one location.

According to the event organizer, the aim was for at least 500 cosplayers to join.

Some of the participants even traveled from abroad to take part in the event held on Saturday.

"I have three Superman costumes. This is my new 52, just like this one. But i have the classic Christopher Reeve one and the Henry Cavill 'Man of Steel'. I didn't choose this. It chose me," said Gerard Sison, a professional Superman cosplayer.

The Guinness world record attempt is part of a number of celebrations around the world to mark the 80th anniversary of the DC Comics universe.

To celebrate the anniversary of the publication of the very first Superman story, DC Comics are asking fans to help set a new world record for the largest global gathering of people dressed as DC Comics Super Heroes. -- Report from ANC, Reuters

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DC superheroes, Lego and Harry Potter spin-off get new Warner Bros. films

LOS ANGELES - The superheroes of DC Comics will battle the Marvel heroes at the box office, as Warner Bros. confirmed plans for upcoming films on Wednesday that include new installments of "The Lego Movie" franchise and expansions of the "Harry Potter" world.

Masked hero Batman will get a starring role with Ben Affleck's portrayal in Zack Snyder's anticipated 2016 release of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Affleck will reprise the role for Snyder's 2017's "Justice League Part One" with Henry Cavill returning as Superman and Amy Adams as Lois Lane. Snyder will also direct "Justice League Part Two" for release in 2019.

Actress Gal Godot will debut as Wonder Woman in "Batman v Superman," and helm her own "Wonder Woman" film in 2017.

Lego Batman, voiced by Will Arnett in this year's hit animation "The Lego Movie," will get his own spotlight in "The Lego Batman Movie" in 2017, and will also return in "The Lego Movie 2" in 2018. The Lego franchise will also include "Ninjago" in 2016.

The new release dates and casting details were issued by Time Warner Inc's Warner Bros. studios at the company's investor conference. They come at a time when Disney's Marvel superheroes such as "Captain America," "Iron Man" and "Avengers" are ruling the box office.

"The demand for high quality video content is growing fast - in the United States and around the world - as new technologies have created new platforms and millions of new connected consumers," said Warner Bros. Chief Executive Kevin Tsujihara.

While the "Harry Potter" franchise concluded with its eighth installment in 2011, three new films from the fantastical world of magic created by author J.K. Rowling will be released every two years from 2016, starting with "Fantastic Beasts."

The new film will feature characters from the fictional textbook written by Newt Scamander at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and will be directed by David Yates, the filmmaker behind the final four "Potter" movies.

A new band of DC heroes, the "Suicide Squad," will get their own film in 2016, directed by "Fury" filmmaker David Ayer. The Suicide Squad are ruthless incarcerated villains who work for the government in high-risk missions.

Speedy hero The Flash will be played by 22-year-old "Perks of Being a Wallflower" actor Ezra Miller in a standalone film in 2018, and "Game of Thrones" actor Jason Momoa will take the lead in "Aquaman" that same year.

Captain Marvel, who has the power to transform into six mythical heroes, will lead new film "Shazam" in 2019, and stage actor Ray Fisher will play the lead in 2020's "Cyborg," the superhero alter-ego of Victor Stone and one of the founding members of the Justice League.

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