Warner Bros. Television Group and DC Entertainment headed to Washington D.C. this past Martin Luther King Jr. weekend for the ultimate superhero fan event of the year!
The event, aptly named “DC in D.C.”, took place Friday, January 12, and Saturday, January 13, 2018, at the Newseum. The event explored current issues in the United States—pop culture, entertainment, and enlightenment—all through the lens of superhero fictions. Comic book artists and writers joined various guests from politics, government service, entertainment, business, academia, and more in a series of panel discussions.
“DC in D.C.” also showcased the world premiere of The CW’s upcoming DCTV series Black Lightning, based on the first black DC superhero with his own standalone comic title; panel discussions with stars and producers from Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and other DC-brand shows; prominent DC Comics writers and artists; and a premiere screening of the highly anticipated DC animated film Batman: Gotham By Gaslight among other exclusives.
Check out the full panel video below:
Here’s the full panel listing from the event:
The Art of the Matter: From Sketch to Screen — Just how do our favorite DC Super Heroes fly from the page to the screen? This behind-the-scenes look at the creative process provides an “origin story” of how some of DC’s greatest Super Heroes on the page have evolved into some of TV’s hottest Super Heroes on screens all over the world. Join executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (Arrow, Black Lightning, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl, upcoming Titans), DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns (Arrow, The Flash, Titans) and others as they trace the explosion of DC’s heroes — from ink panels to television and film screens worldwide.
The Many Shades of Heroism: DC Heroes Through the African-American Lens — 2018 will not only bring Black Lightning, a new African-American DC Super Hero to television screens (40 years after the electrifying hero was created), but also a new DC comic book from Oscar®-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) and more exciting storytelling featuring African-American characters. In this panel, Black Lightning star Cress Williams and executive producers Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil will join the acclaimed John Ridley, author and comic book writer Alice Randall (The Wind Done Gone, Earth M), and Black Girl Nerds Editor-in-Chief Jamie Broadnax as they look beyond the super suit to the African-American men and women who are heroes to their community. Black Lightning premieres Tuesday, January 16, 2018, at 9/8c on The CW. Follow Black Lightning on Twitter at @blacklightning.
Wonder Women — DC and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman took charge of screens in an unprecedented way last summer, toppling the cinematic patriarchy and paving the way for even more super women. DC has been flexing its power with female heroes on television screens for years, including kickass characters on Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, Gotham and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Join DC’s Legends of Tomorrow star Caity Lotz, The Flash stars Candice Patton and Danielle Panabaker, Berlanti Productions President Sarah Schechter (Arrow, Black Lightning, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl, upcoming Titans) plus DC writers and artists Julie Benson (Batgirl and the Birds of Prey), Shawna Benson (Batgirl and the Birds of Prey), Shea Fontana (Wonder Woman, DC Super Heroes), Agnes Garbowska (DC Super Hero Girls) and Mariko Tamaki (Supergirl: Being Super) for this super-powered panel. Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow will rotate through The CW’s Monday 8/7c time period in 2018, offering fans 23 consecutive weeks of original episodes. Supergirl returns January 15 for four original episodes, after which DC’s Legends of Tomorrow runs from February 12–April 9. Supergirl then resumes April 16–June 18.
The Pride of DC: The Art of LGBTQ Inclusion — On December 8, history was made with the debut of Freedom Fighters: The Ray, a new animated series on CW Seed, the digital channel of The CW Network, that features the first gay Super Hero to lead a show. The series is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Animation and Blue Ribbon Content, the digital studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group. Join The Ray executive producer Greg Berlanti and voice star Russell Tovey for a wide-ranging discussion with DC writers Marguerite Bennett (Batwoman), Steve Orlando (Midnighter and Apollo) and Mark Russell (Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles) about inclusion for LGBTQ characters. Watch Freedom Fighters: The Ray here: www.cwseed.com/freedom-fighters-the-ray.
The Aftermath: Battle & Trauma in Comics — DC’s Batman author and former CIA counter-terrorism operations officer Tom King takes on Jack Kirby’s Mister Miracle in a new monthly comic book which focuses on a Super Hero who grapples with post-traumatic stress disorder, an issue not often seen in comics and tragically overlooked in the real world. King will be joined by Gotham recurring guest star J.W. Cortes (a 13-year Marine combat veteran and a police officer with New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority), additional comic book writer/artists and thought leaders for a candid conversation about the lasting effects of battlefield trauma.
From the official press release, scheduled participants included:
– The stars of Black Lightning—Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, Damon Gupton and James Remar—along with executive producers Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil
– Executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (Arrow, Black Lightning, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl, upcoming Titans) plus television series stars Caity Lotz (Legends of Tomorrow), Candice Patton (The Flash), Danielle Panabaker (The Flash), J.W. Cortes (Gotham), and Russell Tovey (Freedom Fighters: The Ray).
– DC comic book writers and artists such as DC Entertainment’s Jim Lee, Julie Benson, Shawna Benson, Shea Fontana, Agnes Garbowska, Tom King, Steve Orlando, Alice Randall, Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley, Mark Russell, Mariko Tamaki and DC Entertainment’s Geoff Johns, the best-selling author of Rebirth and Doomsday Clock.
https://youtu.be/RZpJeuXo2CY
