It's the start of a year-long branded effort as "Man of Steel," comic books, and the video game "Infinite Crisis" roll out.
The new logo.
Warner Bros. Entertainment and DC Entertainment unveiled a new 75th anniversary logo for their flagship hero, and announced that a new animated short produced by Zack Snyder, the director of Man of Steel, is in production.
It's the start of a year-round effort to keep the high-flying character, considered the father of superhero comics, in the public eye.
“Warner Bros. is privileged to be home to the global Superman brand, which has had an unparalleled impact on popular culture for 75 years,” said Warners CEO Kevin Tsujihara. “We are proud to commemorate this milestone with exciting entertainment across the entire studio and across the globe, ensuring this enduring icon reaches new generations of audiences."
The new logo will be used by all divisions -- DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, WB Television, WB Animation, WB Interactive Entertainment, Warner Home Entertainment and WB Consumer Products – on Superman-related products and initiatives.
Up first: DC Comics’ new Superman Unchained, by writer Scott Snyder and artist (and DC co-publisher) Jim Lee, which goes on sale June 12.
Details for the short are being kept secret (maybe in a lead vault?), but insiders tell Heat Vision Snyder envisioned one continuous shot, without edits, that's an homage to the Man of Steel and his many iterations over the past 75 years: Max Fleischer's cartoons, on-screen portrayals by George Reeves and Christopher Reeve, iconic versions drawn by artists Wayne Boring, Curt Swan and Neal Adams, on up through Henry Cavill’s interpretation in Man of Steel.
Joining Snyder in the endeavor are animation veteran Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League) and Man of Steel storyboard artist Jay Oliva, as well as DC’s Geoff Johns and Mike Carlin and WB Animation’s Peter Girardi.
Warner and DC are planning to show an animatic version of the two-minute short, which is being worked on in Los Angeles, London and Korea, during this summer’s Comic-Con, ahead of a fall debut across multiple platforms. That's just one part of a Superman rollout at this summer's Con.
The year of Superman actually kicked off in May when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released Superman: Unbound, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie.
Following Superman Unchained and Man of Steel, which opens June 14, Superman will pop up in high-profile ways in Infinite Crisis, WB Interactive’s new multiplayer online battle arena game that will debut this fall, as well as in all-new shorts produced by WB Animation to air during Cartoon Network’s DC Nation block throughout the year.
“Superman is undeniably the greatest superhero in the world and likely the most influential comic book character of all time,” said DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson. “In addition to being an enduring presence in pop culture for the last 75 years, he continues to be a commanding global icon.”
The goal of the companies is to sustain the high visibility throughout the rest of the year, including the Christmas season, into next year -- Batman’s 75th anniversary.
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