Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution are developing short-form digital Motion Comics based on the renowned graphic album Batman: Black & White and the graphic novel Superman: Red Son. Bringing stories and comic-book art to life with limited animation, voice-overs and sweeping musical scores, the Motion Comics line recently kicked off with the debut of moving version of Alan Moore’s Watchmen and Frank Miller’s Batman: Mad Love. The first and second chapters of Watchmen are now available for download via iTunes, Amazon Video on Demand, Xbox Live and the Sony PlayStation Store. Summary editions of the Watchmen Motion Comics are available to Verizon Wireless V Cast customers and Sprint TV subscribers via the DC Comics Channel.
Batman: Black & White is taken from three award-winning volumes of short stories starring the Dark Knight, and highlights the work of some of today’s leading graphic artists and writers. Blending elements of romance, mystery and the supernatural, the tales are told from the perspective of Batman and feature appearances by such classic villains as The Joker, Harley Quinn and Two-Face. It’s Batman as seen through the prism of some of today’s most eloquent graphic artists and writers.
Superman: Red Son is on the Eisner Award-winning graphic novel written by Mark Milar and drawn by Dave Johnson. The Motion Comic will take viewers back in time to the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union as Superman fights for the Communists. In this unique twist, Superman is raised in Russia and grows to become the Soviet Union’s greatest weapon as the world is transformed into a communist state opposed only by a crumbling capitalistic America and its President, Lex Luthor. A Superman stands on the brink of ultimate power, Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern each make a valiant stand to end the iron-curtain reign of the Man of Steel.
Release dates for Batman: Black and White and Superman: Red Son will be announced in the coming months, along with info on the next assortment of titles coming to the Warner Premiere Motion Comics slate.
Developed with the participation of Dave Gibbons, who illustrated the original Watchmen graphic novel, the second chapter of the Watchmen Motion Comic takes place at the time of The Comedian’s funeral. Silk Spectre recalls her assault at the hands of The Comedian as Nite Owl and Doctor Manhattan recount their own experiences the larger-than-life enigma who proves to be a hero and a villain in one costume. Warner Bros. Digital Distribution will debut chapter three during the week of October 20, and will release future chapters every two weeks thereafter.
