The biggest comic book convention in the U.S. by attendance, making it a perfect stage for companies to offer major announcements about their future plans.
While we can’t compile very single bit of news from NYCC 2015 in one place, we can pull together a list of the show’s biggest announcements, from Marvel’s film shake-up, to Dark Horse’s Avatar license, and everything in between. Without further ado, here are the ten biggest announcements from NYCC 2015!
10. Iron Fist, Gender Twist
Carrie Ann Moss’s role in Marvel’s Jessica Jones Netflix series has been a mystery since Moss was announced as part of the cast. However, Head of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb revealed at Marvel’s Netflix panel that Moss would be playing Jeryn Hogarth – a genderswapped version of Iron Fist’s attorney and confidante.
While Hogarth’s presence isn’t the first connection to Iron Fist in Marvel’s Netflix shows, she does represent one more piece of the build up to the last remaining mystery in Netflix’s Defenders series. Iron Fist has not yet been cast, nor appeared directly in any series yet, but Daredevil's first season featured several connections to the hero, including a strain of drugs known as “Steel Serpent” – the name of one of Iron Fist’s arch-foes – which was sold by one Madame Gao, who was suspected by some to be a resident of Iron Fist’s mysterious adopted homeland, K’un Lun.
9. T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents & Avatar
NYCC 2015 also saw the return of two disparate franchises – one a comic book coming to the big screen, and the other a movie coming to comic books.
First up, Michael Uslan’s “big announcement” was, as predicted, the launch of a film and television franchise for T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents created in partnership with the United Nations. Described as “Jason Bourne meets the Avengers,” the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents franchise will reportedly include movie and TV projects, and will feature a cameo from none other than Stan Lee – curious, as he has no prior connection to T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.
Also announced was Dark Horse’s acquisition of the comic book license for James Cameron’s Avatar, one of the highest grossing films of all time. Some of Cameron’s previous works - Terminator and Aliens - already have a home at Dark Horse. Dark Horse’s Avatar deal will run for ten years, with stories set to explore the history and mythology of Pandora. The announcement comes as Cameron is prepping a series of Avatar film sequels.
Sure Avatar may be considered old news; but remember, when Dark Horse acquired Star Wars' rights back in 1991 it was even more in the rear view than Pandora.
8. New BATMAN/SUPERMAN Team
Tom Taylor is no stranger to Superman, having written an alternate reality version of the iconic hero in Injustice: Gods Among Us, and, as announced at NYCC 2015, he’ll finally get a crack at writing the mainstream Man of Steel when he takes over Batman/Superman for an arc in 2016.
Taylor will team up with artist Robinson Rocha to tell a story set in Batman and Superman’s distant past – one that will reportedly shake their bonds of friendship, and their partnership, to the core. Yanick Paquette will provide covers for the arc.
Sure it's just an arc, but it's timed to coincide with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice so it's an important book. And sometimes arcs turn into full-fledged runs -- just ask Brian Michael Bendis about Daredevil.
7. SPIDER-WOMEN
Capitalizing on the popularity of characters Silk, Spider-Gwen, and Spider Woman (Jessica Drew), Marvel announced a crossover series entitled Spider-Women that follows Silk and Drew as they visit Spider-Gwen’s reality – where they will reportedly meet their doppelgangers.
Spider-Women will be bookended by an “alpha” and “omega” chapter, with the main story playing out in Silk, Spider-Gwen, and Spider-Woman’s solo titles. It will hit shelves in early 2016.
6. Micronauts/ROM Gets Creative
IDW revealed its creative teams for Rom the Space Knight and Micronauts, two cult favorite licensed books published by Marvel Comics in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s.
The Rom relaunch will be written by Christos Gage and Chris Ryall, with art from David Messina and Paolo Villamelli, while Micronauts will be written by Cullen Bunn, with art from David Baldeon. Both books will première on Free Comic Book Day 2016.
5. AVENGERS: STANDOFF!
Announced as part of a celebration of Captain America’s 75th anniversary, Avengers: Standoff is a 2016 mini-event from Marvel Comics that follows the Avengers as they uncover the dark secrets of a small town.
Written by Nick Spencer, Standoff will be bookended by two standalone issues, while the story itself will take place across Marvel’s Avengers line. Editor Nick Lowe compared Standoff’s scope to that of this year’s Black Vortex, the small-scale crossover between the X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy.
4. JESSICA JONES' First Episode
One of NYCC 2015’s biggest surprises was the debut of the entire first episode of Marvel’s second Netflix series, Jessica Jones. The pilot episode was met with near universal critical praise from those in attendance, including us at Newsarama, who reviewed the pilot here.
The episode earned high marks for a stunning performance from star Krysten Ritter, as well as its dark tone and the chemistry between its leads.
3. CAPULLO Off Batman -- And Off to MARK MILLAR Project
Batman penciller Greg Capullo is one of the "New 52"’s biggest bona fide superstars, and a big part of the reason the Dark Knight’s core title remains a fan favorite and critical darling. But Capullo’s creative partner Scott Snyder announced during his spotlight panel that Capullo would be taking a hiatus from the title after Batman #51.
The reason for his absence? Capullo is taking on a creator-owned project with Mark Millar. It’s unknown at this time what that project will be, but Snyder assured the crowd it was a planned break, and that Snyder himself would remain on Batman in that time.
2. ANT-MAN & WASP & the Movie Shuffle
Though the announcement of Marvel’s cinematic shake-up came during New York Comic Con, it didn’t happen at NYCC – which is why this isn’t the top announcement on this list.
First off, Marvel announced a sequel to its surprise hit Ant-Man, titled Ant-Man and the Wasp, scheduled for July 6, 2018. This necessitated moving Black Panther to February 16, 2018, and bumping Captain Marvel to March 8, 2019.
Meanwhile, Marvel also added three new, untitled projects to its roster, for May 1, 2020, July 1, 2020, and November 6, 2020.
1. Before DARK KNIGHT RETURNS
Announced during DC’s “Heroes to the Core” panel, an unnamed prequel series set in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight continuity will hit shelves in February.
While there are few further details, this prequel series will reunite Miller with his Dark Knight III: The Master Race co-writer Brian Azzarello, and John Romita, Jr., with whom Miller worked on Daredevil: The Man Without Fear.
Exactly when this series will take place is unclear – it could be before or after the other prequel All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder, which Miller’s co-creator, Jim Lee, says is also in the process of being revived.
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