We may quite a ways away out from its official debut, but Gods and Monsters – the first chapter of projects from new DC Universe heads James Gunn and Peter Safran – will no doubt keep comic book fans drooling right up until that first release date.
With Superman: Legacy being the first film slated to launch the overhauled franchise, followed by the likes of The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and the horror-tinged Swamp Thing, along with countless television shows to boot, Gunn has made a promise here, and we can only expect the best delivery.
It will be no surprise if the DCU fandom takes a page out of Marvel’s fandom and starts fantasizing about what could come after Gods and Monsters; after all, some of DC Comics’ writers have already started doing so.
ComicBook caught up with Jeff Lemire, whose credits span across DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, and Valiant, and questioned him on what adaptation he would most want to be given the reigns for, and he had a very clear, very simple answer for his DCU dreams locked and loaded.
“Animal Man. If James gave me a blank check and creative freedom, that would be the one for sure.”
Lemire spearheaded the critically-acclaimed revival of the hero Animal Man back in 2021, as part of The New 52 revamp. With his power to use the abilities of any animal that has ever existed, such as the flight of an eagle, the relative jump height of a flea, or, presumably, the ability to make a fig grow by dying inside of its pit like a wasp can, Animal Man is a great answer as far as the capacity for imagination goes.
Lemire’s also masterminded the comic book Sweet Tooth, which was originally published under DC Comics’ Vertigo label, before being turned into a Netflix series back in 2021. The second season is due soon, and the creator himself recently assured us that more information about that is coming very soon.