On Thursday we got to the see the first footage of the upcoming live-action Titans series. While the show appeared to be extremely dark and gritty, we didn’t quite know just how violent it was until Robin appeared. He quickly and definitively dispensed of a few thugs, and uttered those now infamous words. If you’re reading this and still don’t know what I’m talking about… what are you waiting for?
On top of that, it was also announced the DC Universe is now available for pre-order. DC fans had two price points to choose from: 1) You could prepay for the entire year at $74.99 USD or 2) You could pay on a month-by-month basis at the relatively low price of $7.99 USD.
As of now, the prepaid yearlong subscription is the only choice available.
More details have surfaced since that have given us a better look at the streaming service, which is set to launch this Fall.
On preview night of SDCC, the night the Titans trailer dropped, those in attendance got to see a work-in-progress build of the subscription service. CNET has a detailed report.
Movies, TV shows, and comic books!
As we already knew, the content will be available on Android and iOS operating systems, but it was also revealed that it will be available online and offline. The service will include movies, TV shows, and comic books. CNET reports that the media available for consumption so far includes Batman films and the DC Animated Universe, along with the much anticipated four series’ which will be exclusive to the streaming service.
As of now, it looks like the selection of available comic books are tied to the films and TV shows available on the service, specifically mentioned are a large library of Teen Titans comic books, to go with Titans.
Of course, this makes sense given the re-releases of their animated movies alongside comic book copies of the source material on which the movies were based.
The comic book reader was also previewed, showing that the app is extremely seamless and smooth as demonstrators manually turned the pages. The comics section also provides the user with the option to set the timing as the app goes over panels.
Although Titans and Doom Patrol will form part of a shared universe, Swamp Thing will not. This likely applies to the Harley Quin animated series and of course, Young Justice: Outsiders as well.
Jim Lee, CCO and Co-Publisher, said, “We have no mandate to tie everything together.”
What makes it different than other streaming services: an active fan community
And lastly, what is supposed to be setting it all apart from other streaming services is DC’s desire to maintain an active fan community. There will be message boards for fans to connect, discuss, or debate (as we tend to do). I hate to use the term, but DC is definitely aware of the toxicity among fans these days. However, they made it very clear that the boards will be heavily moderated to ensure a safe, inclusive environment for all fans.
Yes, I will be paying for this service. While I will be trying out the new live-action series’, $8 a month is a small price to pay for my beloved Young Justice. Plus, how can you reject having a large digital database of comic books at your disposal? While watching something, you’ll likely be able to stop for a moment to think on the source material, and search for it to find how it was translated from page to screen.
While I find the idea of their moderated message boards dubious at best, it is at the very least, an interesting experiment that DC is willing to undergo. I definitely like the idea that instead of just having a straightforward streaming service, you will also be able to interact with other users. It seems to me that DC is thinking of the fans. While their most basic goal is to create a successful, profitable venture, the fans are still on their mind, even if it is slightly idealistic.
You can pre-order DC Universe for one year now. It’s scheduled to launch this Fall.