ComicCorp Quick Hits: Former Arrow Star Returning, Huge Watchmen News and More!

At the most recent Supanova Comic Con and Gaming Expo in Brisbane, Australia, former Arrow star John Barrowman let the cat out of the bag; Malcolm Merlyn is returning to the series.  After the surprising announcement of Colton Haynes return as Roy Harper during the summer, and the apparent death of Merlyn in the season five finale, no one really expected such a big bombshell, but yet, here we are.  Merlyn seemingly died off camera when he stepped on a mine and let it explode in order to delay enemy combatants.  Unlike some actors who request to be off a show, and thus get killed off, Barrowman wasn’t so keen on his character dying.  It was show runner Marc Guggenheim who opted to kill Merlyn.  No word yet on when he’ll make his return or for how long.

 

In Watchmen news, Tim Blake Nelson was cast for a role in the HBO live action take on the iconic 1980’s Alan Moore classic.  Nelson revealed though who he’d be playing on the Empire Film Podcast; and it’s an original character.  Nelson claims he’ll play a man named Looking Glass.  He’s quoted as saying;

My character’s name is Looking Glass, and it’s a really interesting, intriguing character.  I don’t really completely understand him, and that’s intentional. Damon Lindelof metes out facts about your character as you go along… So I’m learning as I go along with this guy is, and trying to… It’s almost like fresco painting. The clay is always wet.

In other Watchmen news, reprints of that and other famous “modern classics” by DC Comics will receive trade reprints under the Black Label banner of DC Comics.  Black Label will focus on evergreen stories, or stories that have no direct impact on continuity of major characters.  Stories like Watchmen, All-Star Superman, and Batman: The Long Halloween will be the type of stories reprinted on here.  Now, naturally not every book is going to be an evergreen story; as The Long Halloween is in fact cannon.  But that seems to be the focus on the line.  The release dates for these reprints can be see below.

All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (Trade Paperback, Dec. 4, 2018)
DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke (Trade Paperback, Feb. 19 2019)
Watchmen (DC Modern Classics Edition) by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (Hardcover, March 26, 2019)
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross (Trade Paperback, Apr. 23, 2019)
Frank Miller’s Ronin by Frank Miller (Trade Paperback, May 6, 2019)
Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli (Trade Paperback, June 11, 2019)
All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder Vol. 1 by Frank Miller and Jim Lee (Trade Paperback, June 11, 2019)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson (Trade Paperback, June 18, 2019)
Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again by Frank Miller (Trade Paperback, June 18, 2019)
Batman: The Dark Knight — The Master Race by Brian Azzarello, Frank Miller and Andy Kubert (Trade Paperback, June 25, 2019)
Luthor: 10th Anniversary Edition by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo (Hardcover, July 9, 2019)
The Joker: 10th Anniversary Edition by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo (Hardcover, July 9, 2019)
Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean (Trade Paperback, Aug. 13, 2019)
The Joker by Brian Azzarello: The Deluxe Edition by Brain Azzarello and Lee Bermejo (Hardcover, Sept. 10, 2019)
Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland (Trade Paperback, Sept. 17, 2019)
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (Trade Paperback, Sept. 24, 2019)
Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope (Trade Paperback, Oct. 8, 2019)
Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, Andrew Robinson, Killian Plunkett and Walden Wong (Trade Paperback, Oct. 22, 2019)
Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (Trade Paperback, Nov. 5, 2019)
Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean (Trade Paperback, Nov. 12, 2019)
Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (Trade Paperback, Nov. 26, 2019)
Batman: Haunted Night by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (Trade Paperback, Dec. 17, 2019)
Catwoman: When in Rome by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (Trade Paperback, Dec. 31, 2019)