You don’t have to be a massive fan of a property in order to do it justice on either the big or small screens, but it certainly helps. Given his lengthy association with the Marvel Cinematic Universe – which eventually led to his current position as co-CEO of DC Studios – it’s not a revelation to discover that James Gunn is a noted comic book aficionado.
Not that it would make or break his chances of success, especially when you consider that mentor and Marvel Studios maestro Kevin Feige has never been shy in admitting that Star Wars was his first love – but having a deep and extensive knowledge of the source material makes it a lot easier to build a shared universe.
However, despite having laid out his credentials across the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the Holiday Special, alongside The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, Gunn was still asked directly by a fan if he had such a thing as a collection. As you might of guessed, he does, and it’s a hefty one.
Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention the vocal detractors who are already supremely confident that Gunn and Peter Safran are preparing to run DC right into the ground based on their sweeping changes to the established order, but it’s not as if Zack Snyder wasn’t above the odd deviation from what’s been established as continuity on the printed page, either.
People fear change, but Gunn’s lifelong love of DC should instill at least a shred of confidence in even the most hardened skeptics.