There’s no denying the superhero comic adaptation is nearing a saturation point – for some it’s well past – and there is still an enormous wealth of characters that haven’t even entered the conversation yet. Kick-Ass co-creator Mark Millar’s next limited series Starlight isn’t going to come out until next year, but 20th Century Fox is in negotiations to acquire the title, beating out two other studios for the rights. Even though the film versions of Millar’s films have ranged only from decent to watchable, his comics are good enough for directors to keep working with.
Oh, and speaking of superheroes, X-Men: Days of Future Past screenwriter Simon Kinberg is on board to produce the film, and while some sites are reporting he’ll also be screenwriting, the superhero brainiacs at Latino Reviewbroke the news via Twitter and said he’s only attached as a producer, as did THR.
Using those particular names to connect this can make someone’s gut reaction turn sour real quick. The story, which will feature solid art from Goran Parlov, follows a space hero who saved the universe from certain doom 35 years previous, but found that no one believed his outlandish stories once he returned to Earth. Now an aging husband and father with an ordinary life, he must take on one more adventure once his old rocket appears. If the narrative has a distinct personality, then I expect the comics to be pretty spectacular; I’m keener on the idea of space superhero-ism rather than just seeing another costumed badass.
It’s pretty clear the next X-Men movie is going to be pretty cool, but movies written by Kinberg, who also wrote a draft of Fox’s The Fantastic Four, are hit or miss. He’s got the pretty solid Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and then X-Men: The Last Stand and This Means War. Judge not, and all that, but he’s clearly a studio writer. Millar kinda seems that way nowadays, too. Fox is also currently in production on his 2012-2013 series The Secret Service.
Below you can check out the full cover and a couple of non-sequential pages of the first issue, which hits store in March. Let us know in the comments if you guys can handle another superhero, but keep in mind that at least it’s an original one.
