Third Eye Faithful, get hype for a whole new era of DC television and movies done right! The Co-CEO of DC Studios, JAMES GUNN announced this week that he and many other amazing creators are unleashing the first chapter of programming titled GODS AND MONSTERS!
In his short video announcement, James Gunn disclosed an exciting amount of upcoming live action and animated series and films. Kicking off this new era will be SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS in March -followed by THE FLASH in June, which will serve as a total reset for the DCU! And possibly introducing some Flashpoint plot lines as catalyst for the new timeline? We can only hope! James Gunn is a big comic guy and its awesome to see him talk about his influences for this new era of the DCU! And so, with excitement for this announcement we’ve put together a reading list for each new series so you can ahead of the hype!
Check out our entire GOD & MONSTERS reading collection here or keep reading to see them all in order by series!
SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS
In theaters March 17th 2023
First up on the roster is the previously announced Shazam: Fury of the Gods. While this upcoming film is not definitively in the new DCU timeline it does deserve a spotlight! Billy Batson is one of the best characters DC has to offer! A hero with the heart of a kid, living out the ultimate dream of every 14 year old boy! Pick up any Shazam series for the most fun you’ll have in as superhero comic!
SHAZAM AND THE SEVEN MAGIC LANDS TP
Art by Dale Eaglesham, Scott Kolins, Marco Santucci, and others Award-winning writer Geoff Johns (Doomsday Clock, Batman: Earth One) upended the world of Billy Batson, spreading the wizard’s powers between Billy and his five foster siblings. Now, in the long-awaited sequel, the newly formed Shazam Family embark on their first adventure as a super-team through a series of magical realms. With art from Dale Eaglesham (Justice Society of America), Scott Kolins (The Flash), and Marco Santucci (Swamp Thing), this book collects the entire epic of the Seven Magic Lands from SHAZAM! #1-11 and #13-14.
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SHAZAM! VOL 1 FROM THE PAGES OF JUSTICE LEAGUE TP (NEW 52)
Young orphan Billy Batson has bounced from foster home to foster home, but he’s far from the ideal child. Brash and rude, Billy is a troubled teen that just can’t seem to find a calling. But after a fateful night on a subway car, that all will change.
Brought to the feet of the magical wizard Shazam at the Rock of Eternity, Billy is imbued with powers beyond any mortal man. By shouting the wizard’s name–Shazam!–the young teen is mystically transformed into the powerhouse known as Shazam! Now given abilities that make him Earth’s Mightiest Mortal at the utterance of a simple phrase, will Billy make the right choices and do what it takes to become a hero? Or will he succumb to the poor choices of youth–and the villainous Black Adam!
Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE #0, 21 and stories from JUSTICE LEAGUE #7-11, 14-16, 18-20.
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Click here to view the full SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS reading list!
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THE FLASH
In theaters June 16th 2023
Next up is THE FLASH! This movie will serve as the main reset for the DCU timeline and from here chapter 1 begins!
FLASH BY GEOFF JOHNS VOL 1
Geoff Johns’s unforgettable run on THE FLASH begins when Wally West finds himself without super speed in a darker, mirror version of Keystone City. Can a powerless Flash defeat Captain Cold and Mirror Master and save the city he loves? Plus, The Flash is shocked to learn that a strange cult is killing all the people he’s ever rescued. Collects THE FLASH #164-176 and THE FLASH: IRON HEIGHTS #1.
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FLASHPOINT TP
The red-hot, sold-out five-issue miniseries from Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert is on its way in trade paperback!
This is Flash Fact: When Barry Allen wakes at his desk, he discovers the world has changed. Family is alive, loved ones are strangers, and close friends are different, gone or worse. It’s a world on the brink of a cataclysmic war – but where are Earth’s Greatest Heroes to stop it?
It’s a place where America’s last hope is Cyborg, who hopes to gather the forces of The Outsider, The Secret 7, S!H!A!Z!A!M!, Citizen Cold and other new and familiar-yet-altered faces! It’s a world that could be running out of time, if The Flash can’t find the villain who altered the time line!
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Click here to view the full FLASH reading list!
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BLUE BEETLE
In theaters August 18th 2023
Jaime Reyes makes his big screen debut this Summer! While this project wasn’t originally a part of the Gods & Monsters timeline, you’ve got to be excited to see this fan-favorite hero making his way to the spotlight! We couldn’t be more thrilled for this upcoming film and all the fun that will ensue!
BLUE BEETLE JAIME REYES TP BOOK 1
Art by Cully Hamner, Duncan Rouleau, Rafael Albuquerque and others High school student Jaime Reyes is thrust into the life of a hero after an encounter with extraterrestrial armor transforms him into the Blue Beetle! What is the armor’s true purpose, and what evils will our planet face if Jaime isn’t strong enough to use the armor correctly? Find out in BLUE BEETLE: JAIME REYES BOOK ONE, collecting BLUE BEETLE #1-12.
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BLUE & GOLD TP
Desperate to regain the spotlight, Booster Gold looks to attract attention the same way any washed-up, second-rate hero would—social media. The hero from the 25th century enlists the help of his best friend, Blue Beetle, who possesses both the money and the brains to help his old pal navigate the scary world of internet influencers. Don’t miss Dan Jurgens’s triumphant return to Booster Gold with the help of all-star artist Ryan Sook (Legion of Super-Heroes), telling a tale filled with heart and maybe even redemption for DC’s two favorite underdogs! Collects BLUE & GOLD #1-8.
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Click here to view the full BLUE BEETLE reading list!
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AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM
In theaters December 25th 2023
The epic sequel to Jason Mamoa’s AQUAMAN! It’s too early to tell if this film will fall into the new DCU continuity but The Flash movie may open up that possibility! Regardless, it just feels right to see Jason Mamoa pick up that trident one more time before the fate of the DCU changes forever!
AQUAMAN BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS HC
Collecting the entire run of Aquaman written by Geoff Johns, this 728-page hardcover includes AQUAMAN #0-19, #21-25, #23.1 (featuring Black Manta), #23.2 (featuring Ocean Master) and JUSTICE LEAGUE #15-17. These issues are illustrated by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Pete Woods, Paul Pelletier, Claude St. Aubin, Geraldo Borges and others, with a cover by Reis and Prado. As these stories begin, Aquaman has renounced the throne of Atlantis – until, from a forgotten corner of the ocean, emerges the threat of the Trench! Then, Aquaman joins up with his old teammates, The Others, to learn who destroyed Atlantis! But as they seek the truth, Black Manta is stalking them all-and Mera learns some dark truths about Aquaman! And in the “Throne of Atlantis” epic, Aquaman teams up with his Justice League comrades to defend the surface world from the invading Atlantean horde.
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AQUMAN & THE FLASH VOIDSONG TP
With the Justice League taken out of commission, Aquaman and the Flash face an alien invasion on their own. Will this unlikely pair be able to find the weakness of this seemingly invincible foe and save the Earth? Writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (Batman Beyond: Neo-Year, Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty) team up with rising-star artist Vasco Georgiev to deliver an epic tale of two heroes facing impossible odds. Collects AQUAMAN & THE FLASH: VOIDSONG #1-3.
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Click here to view the full AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM reading list!
WALLER
Series date TBD
Don’t worry, Viola Davis will be reprising her role of AMANDA WALLER from the Suicide Squad films! But this time she’s getting her own series! That means it’s time to catch up on all the missions Waller has diverted to her Task Force X in these awesome Suicide Squad graphic novels!
The ultimate graphic novel companion to the high-octane, highly anticipated Suicide Squad movie coming in 2021!
Featuring everyone’s favorite DC antiheroes–from Harley Quinn to Captain Boomerang–this collection is sure to thrill any fan seeking more high-stakes black-ops missions where no one is safe! Ranging from classic adventures by John Ostrander to contemporary tales with art by Jim Lee–all the comics heavy hitters who’ve shaped the Squad are featured in this collection!
Collects Suicide Squad #10 (1987), Suicide Squad #15 (2012), Suicide Squad #22 (2013), Suicide Squad: Rebirth #1 (2016), Suicide Squad #16 (2017), Suicide Squad #20 (2017), Suicide Squad #47 (2018), and Suicide Squad Special: War Crimes #1 (2016).
Click here to view the full WALLER reading list!
What’s Next?
All of this and more is leading up to the release of SUPERMAN: LEGACY in 2025 which Gunn calls “the true beginning of the DCU! The movie will be written and possibly directed by James Gunn himself, and focusing on the early years of Clark Kent as Superman, taking inspiration from Grant Morrison’s ALL STAR SUPERMAN!
There’s so many more great things on the horizon for the DCU and we’ve got all the reading you need to keep buzzing about it! Check out our reading collections for the other awesome God & Monsters announcements below!
SUPERMAN: LEGACY reading list!
