Moon Knight May Be Headed to Netflix for Supernatural Series

Marvel Comics has launched YET ANOTHER new series featuring Moon Knight.

That is not the big news though. The real big news is the rumors about Netflix launching a Moon Knight television series are not 100% rumor. The streaming service is having such massive success so far Moon Knight, Ghost Rider, and Blade are all in development. ScreenRant has the whole story so far.

All three heroes have something in common: they have a supernatural twist to them. Of the three, Ghost Rider and Blade were featured in hit movie franchises. Moon Knight never had the chance because he is - mostly - a B character.

Moon Knight's Identity Crisis

Marvel's resident Batman Redux has had several different comic book series published featuring him and, while some were uneven, most were actually quite good. The very best Moon Knight tales - IMHO - were published in The Hulk Magazine in the late 1970's/early 1980's. Moon Knight's solo series in the early 1980's was quite good, but did not sell well. Ditto for the cancelled 1990's series. Moon Knight returned in many forms in short-lived and decently written books. The problem with Moon Knight was (and is) the character was way too close to Batman to really stand out on his own.

To separate Moon Knight from Batman, they tweaked his alter ego and gave him three alter egos. In addition to being a reclusive billionaire Steve Grant, the man behind the cape and cowl was also mercenary Marc Spector and a cab driver Jake Lockley.

What is the root of all this alter ego mania? You see, Moon Knight has a split personality disorder. On top of that, he talks to Khonshu, an Egyptian Moon God who grants him special powers. Or Moon Knight could be mentally disturbed and thinks he is talking to Khonshu.

Which Moon Knight though? In addition to "Batman Moon Knight", there is a different Moon Knight who dresses more dapper and has an arrogant personality far removed from the original version of the character.

A lot of game playing with Moon Knight's identity really created a convoluted character with limited sales potential. Moon Knight has a cult following though and Marvel enjoys revisiting the character.

Hopefully, Marvel Studios and Netflix will keep things focused on the early Marc Spector mercenary version of Moon Knight and avoid any Steve Grant/Bruce Wayne/Batman comparisons.

Better yet, Marvel could play up Moon Knight's very early supernatural traits and set the stage for the debut of.......Werewolf by Night. Wishful thinking!

Moon Knight Debuts

Moon Knight's first appearance was in the excellent 1970's Marvel horror comic Werewolf by Knight. The two-part tale (issues #32 and #33) dealt with Moon Knight trying to capture the lycanthrope on behalf of an evil syndicate. A Werewolf by Night movie was planned and, surprisingly, promotional materials were produced announcing the film but nothing came about. Why not bring The Werewolf to Netflix?

During his battle with the werewolf, Moon Knight was scratched (not bitten, scratched) and this led to Moon Knight gaining power and strength proportionate with the cycles of the moon. All that ended up being dropped over time.

Marvel and Netflix could - and should - bring it back for the streaming series because Moon Knight's greatest appeal would be turning him into a hero that walks the tightrope between traditional heroes and traditional horror tales. Ghost Rider and Blade do this to great success.

The Horror Spin

Marvel has created a host of horror and supernatural characters throughout the course of its publishing history. Superheroes are always going to be Marvel's top attractions, but the horror and supernatural characters could be successful if marketed to the right niche.

Netflix has carved out a niche with "earthen" heroes who deal with gritty, real-life problems. Daredevil, The Punisher, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage are not out to save the world. They deal with the microcosm of crime on the harsh street level. Adding MORE characters who do the same thing would risk oversaturation. The impending arrivals of Iron Fist and Shang Chi show Netflix and Marvel understand this. These two heroes represent pure martial arts fantasy, and a move away from Hell's Kitchen.

Opening a new "fan front" with supernatural heroes (and villains) absolutely would be a good move.

The new Moon Knight comic series debuted issue one in April. Sales were in the 67,000 copies range.

Negan's Notorius Debut On The Walking Dead

Negan arrives. Results mixed.

Sorry for the long delay, but non-blog duties do take me away from making my originally planned twice-weekly updates. News flies so quickly in the massive world of comic book-inspired television and movie world so staying on top of things is pretty tough.

Besides, everyone already knows the big news. I'd like to focus on picking one bit of news and then expanding on it from an interesting angle. Or at least I try to make things interesting.

One thing I have been formulating in my head has been the debut of the nefarious, notorious Negan at the season finale of The Walking Dead.

By now, we all know a great deal of the reaction to the finale and the entire season has been somewhat negative. Viewer and critical complaints about the finale - and the season in general - focused on the slow pace of the series and the (supposedly) underwhelming debut of Negan. The complaints due have some merit since ratings for the season finale's ending were down. Fans were turned off upon discovering the reveal of who Negan killed would be delayed until next season. Viewers feel they are being milked for ratings. The tragic irony is the ratings have gone down. Viewers departed rather than experienced being taken advantage of.

That said.....The season as NOT bad and neither was the debut of Negan. I really though the season was quite good and Jeffrey Dean Morgan did make a great Negan. 

The issue with Negan is he is always going to be compared with The Governor. In the comic book, Negan debuted - seemingly - as a redux of The Governor. The redux was just The Governor with a different personality.

And then several months of monthly Walking Dead comic books featuring Negan, readers quickly discovered the personality of Negan is a lot different and far more engaging than The Governor. Negan is not "yet another antagonist" for The Walking Dead crew to deal with. He is a psychopath with a strange moral code that is the yang to the yin of his hideous immoral nature.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan mixed Negan's strange sense of humor, violent sadism, and technocratic free market pragmatiism to great effect. Perhaps it was a bit overwhelming for viewers not familiar with the character. In time, as the character of Negan is revealed through the course of the next season, viewers are going to see he is far different from the other antagonists that have appeared on the program. The interactions between Negan, Carl, and Rick further establish he is a different kind of villain. The amoral nature of Negan plays against Rick's own decent into violent authoritarianism.

Remember, Rick's plan was to kill Negan and all his gang. The purpose was to - in essence - set up his own protection racket, one no different than Negan's. The only thing that put a stop to Rick's own violent rampage was Negan had greater numbers and organization.

The entire fiasco was Rick's fault. A confrontation with Negan could have been avoided. The life of the (so far unrevealed) character would not have been lost.

Therein lies the ironic dynamic between Negan and Rick. Calling Negan a villain is difficult after Rick crossed a serious moral divide. And he did so long ago.

Punisher Series Is Greenlit By Netflix

No one should be surprised Netflix has opted to turn The Punisher into a weekly series. Jon Bernthal's performance as Frank Castle during season two of Daredevil clearly impressed fans. A Punisher series was considered even before season two was filmed. Netflix has a ton of Marvel-related ideas in various stages of development including even a possible Moon Knight series. Read the whole story at Entertainment Weekly.


The Punisher may appear on the upcoming Defenders ensemble special series.

The Magical Arrival of the Doctor Strange Trailer

I consider Doctor Strange the most interesting of all the superhero movies slated for a 2016 release. Along with Suicide Squad, Doctor Strange is pretty unique, and unique sometimes comes with questions about ticket sale potential. Suicide Squad features Batman & The Joker so box office gold is pretty much unavoidable for that film - at least for the first two weekends.

The character of Doctor Strange has been around for 50-odd years, but Batman he is not. The big question is can a hero who is so far removed from the typical suit/mask/secret identity mix catch on with mainstream audiences?

The history of Doctor Strange does not reflect a very successful publishing life. In the 1960's, the books Strange Tales and Doctor Strange sold fairly well  as cult publications. Sales on college campuses among the counterculture set were strong due to (misplaced) perceptions of Doctor Strange  being a nod to psychedelic contraband.

Doctor Strange's title was cancelled time and time again over the years even though many of the story arcs were downright excellent. As a supporting character, Doctor Strange has been used quite well. Carrying his own book has proven tough. Can he carry a movie?

Why wouldn't he? Superhero movies are almost like Beatlemania these days.

At this stage, pretty much every hero movie draws people into theaters unless it is exceptionally bad. Fantastic Four pulled in about $50 million despite being a disaster of epic proportions.

Maybe the time is right for a Doctor Strange movie right now. An "atypical" hero could end up being what audiences want. The hunger for more hero fare is out there, but there is probably a want for something different as well.

Jon Bernthal Does A Fine (and Violent) Turn as The Punisher

Jon Bernthal did a solid job as The Punisher. He is the fourth actor to step into the vigilante's combat boots. While Thomas Jane is always going to be everyone's favorite Punisher thanks to his role in the deliriously silly movie in 2004, Bernthal's version may end up being the dark, sinister one closer to the Marvel Max version.

Purists may be irked that Bernthal's Punisher talks a bit more than the comic anti-hero. Bernthal's Punisher reveals his feelings and internal anguish far more than the one seen in the comic books. Fans do have to realize the Netflix series has to establish a character that works well within the context of the story. That means the character of Frank Castle has to be fleshed out. A one-note killing machine would gain any sympathy from audiences. He may be able to shake things up during slow spots in the series, but that type of character gets old after a while.

In season two of Daredevil, The Punisher did appear as an intriguing yang to Matt Murdoch's ying. The trouble is the season shifted focus to the Elektra-Daredevil dynamic and dropped the moral difference angle between Castle and Murdoch. That's what happens when you only have 13 episodes per season to work with.

Bernthal's run as The Punisher in Daredevil was intriguing. Let's hope we see more of him in the future.

Countdown to Negan's Debut on The Walking Dead

"Hi. I'm Negan"

Chilling words make a great preview. Rather than rush things, The Walking Dead established a slow build for the brilliant character of Negan. In the comics, Negan developed into an outstanding villain. Insane, unredeeming, unpredictable, and adherent to a bizarre code of honor, Negan kept the comic series intriguing.

Fans of the book are sure to help give the 90-minute season finale a major buzz. This outstanding preview sets up the arrival of a villain far worse (and more interesting) than the zombie hordes the characters have been dodging.

Batman v. Superman: Box Office Opening Analysis

Rottentomatoes is reflecting a "29% Rotten" rating for the film that was supposed to launch the DC Extended Universe. The film does launch the universe, but on a sour (and dour) note. The opening weekend box office is going to be good news, but the news is sure to be short-lived. The-Numbers.com has a smart analysis of the film.

Batman v. Superman is on the road to breaking tons of records at the box office for March and Easter weekend. $80+ million on Friday is absolutely a fantastic start. The film, however, won't have legs to earn the $1 billion or so Avengers: Age of Ultron, Furious 7, or Jurassic World earned. Batman v. Superman is going to cool heavily and become a "wait for the DVD" release. Not good for a movie that needs to pull in $800 million to break even. The box office disappointment becomes even more embarrassing when Deadpool earned $750 million worldwide on a much, much smaller budget and far less hype.