Super Day, Devil Keys, Demonic Girlfriend

And a Happy National Superman Day to you, too. As designated, June 12 is the day to annually honor one of the greatest superheroes to ever exist in comics, movies and/or real life. And this is a blue suitable ramp-up the upcoming Superman movie, scheduled for release July 11, 2025. I’m too impatient to wait that long, so I’m gonna call Warner Bros.™ to see if they can bump that up to next week. Wednesday preferred as I’m starting a new binge drinking cycle that following Friday.

So for the top graphic, I replaced Superman’s traditional “S” emblem with the 2025 shield. I did it using Photoshop™ and not my AI-powered Harry Potter commemorative wand. As staunch old school I am and one who fears change, I rather like the upgrade. But they’ve kicked us in the “S” many times over the decades. They’ve done to Batman as well, so I’m not taking it personally. This time.

As for the new Superman movie, titled Superman or Superman: Legacy (I’m cool with either), there is not only a new Son of Krypton, the plot is stacking the deck with a wild cast of appearances. Not a spoiler as this is what I copied online, but if you don’t wanna know, avert your eyes… 

David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent/Superman, a 25-year-old Kryptonian survivor and a young journalist for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Joining him is Lois Lane (of course), Jimmy Olsen (why?) and that perennial pain in the cape, Lex Luthor. Also making the scenes are…

• HAWKGIRL

Shiera Sanders Hall. Hawkgirl owes her powers to a belt of Nth metal, a substance native to the planet Thanagar. The metal is psycho-reactive, responding to its bearer’s thoughts and in its base form has a number of electromagnetic/gravitational properties. It grants the power of flight, superhuman strength, super-acute vision, and an enhanced healing/regeneration ability.

• MISTER TERRIFIC

Michael Holt is the third smartest man in the world, a brilliant inventor and the second superhero to call himself Mister Terrific. Despite having no powers, his T-Spheres make him invisible to technology and he is a member of the Justice Society.

• GUY GARDNER

Top member of the Green Lantern Corps, and the second one to be chosen from Earth. He has also been a member of Justice League International.

• METAMORPHO

A founding member of the Outsiders, who has also joined multiple incarnations of the Justice League. Originally adventurer Rex Mason, he is converted into a man made of a shifting mass of chemical after being cursed by a retrieved ancient artifact.

• THE ENGINEER

Angela Spica, the second Engineer, has the ability to shape-shift and weaponize herself due to nanotechnology. Her body is made up of liquid metal, allowing her to operate on The Carrier without needing special equipment. She is a founding member of the Authority, a superhero team known for their morally gray characters and willingness to push boundaries.

So while we all have red sun-less nights for another year in anticipation of Superman/Superman:Legacy (2025), here are a few out now horror/sci-fi movies/documentaries that may or may not be super…

ACMA:GAME / Out now (Amazon Prime Video™)

“It is said that if you collect 99 Devil’s keys, you can have ‍everything in the world. Driven by desire, players risk their lives in the deadly Acma:Game. Desperate to trace down who killed his father, Teruasa must put his brains to the ultimate test as the psychological warfare begins.”

This is a TV based on a manga and not real life. Too bad — I finally collected all 99 of the Devil’s keys (had to buy a LOT of Cracker Jacks™), and am ready to have everything in the world. Just not sure where I’m gonna put it all.

MY UNDEAD YOKAI GIRLFRIEND / Out now (Amazon Prime Video™)

“College student Tadashi ‘Hachi’ Inukai is tired of feeling like a loser. But that all changes one day when he accidentally conducts a mysterious ritual he finds online, summoning a demonic Yokai to the mortal plane, nicknamed Izzy. Bonded by magic, Hachi and Izzy must figure out how to navigate life, love and murder.”

This is a TV mini-series. Yokai means “strange apparition” and are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. If were able to summon a demonic Yokai (working on it), I certainly wouldn’t name it Izzy. Probably something more along the lines of Chris P. Bacon or Jack D’aniels. Then again, Hell Master D has a nice ring to it.

THE ELITE OF DEVILS / Out now (Thailand), Release pending (US)

“Five senior university students are invited to an old elite mansion by a professor, where she terrifies them and reveals her demonic power before making a decision.”

And what decision would that be — flunking them, thereby forcing ’em to get service industry jobs? That’ll teach ’em to pursue a higher education.

DEAD WHISPER July 5, 2024 (Limited), July 9, 2024 (VOD)

“A Cape Cod lawyer and grieving father. When Elliot boards a ferry on business, he is redirected to a nightmarish island off the coast. There, a demonic entity offers him a reunion with his dead daughter, but at the peril of his soul.”

Sounds like a spin on Baghead (2024). In that one, a shape-shifting creature allows you to talk to lost loved ones and achieves this by swallowing a personal item of said deceased person. Wonder who I could summon with a Taco Bell™ Beefy 5-Layer Burrito? I already know what I can summon with a Taco Bell™ Beefy 5-Layer Burrito. We all do.