Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of Geek News. Superman was released this week. As you’re reading this, we haven’t yet watched Superman, but we may be in the process of watching the film and will have a review by this Friday. We’ll kickoff this Geek News round-up with some preliminary Superman box office numbers.
Superman Expected to Exceed $120 Million Opening Weekend
Warner Bros. and DC Studios’ Superman soars with $56.5 million across Friday and preview screenings in 4,135 theaters. This is the second-biggest figure for the calendar year, just behind A Minecraft Movie ($57.11 million), which is another Warner Bros. film. Warner Bros. is on a hot streak this year.
Note: Superman earned additional revenue with early-access screenings on Tuesday (July 8, 2025) for Amazon Prime members.
Written and directed by the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy’s James Gunn, Superman had projections of $100 million for its debut, while optimistic outlets forecast upwards of $140 million. The truth may lie in the middle, with Superman earning closer to $120 million. This is a fantastic opening weekend for the film and DCU franchise. Superman also gets a boost from luxury ticket prices for IMAX and other premium large format auditoriums.
On a personal note, Superman (2025) is the first Superman movie we’ve been excited about since the Christopher Reeve era.
Even with a stellar opening weekend, Superman will need to maintain its momentum as other major film releases approach. Not only does Superman relaunch the Man of Steel, but it also relaunches DC Comics’ cinematic universe. If Superman does well, the DCU could have years of superhero movies in its future.
Midnight Sons Crossover Event “Damnation” in the Works?
Okay. The Blade MCU movie may not be cancelled. Yes. We may have jumped the gun on that news a few months ago. Marvel continues to build up toward a major Midnight Sons crossover event. We know for sure the MCU intends to release a Midnight Sons movie. Mahershala Ali is attached to play Blade in Midnight Sons, and Ali has stated that he’ll only do a Midnight Sons movie as Blade if the MCU releases a Blade film. So long as Mahershala Ali is attached to play Blade in Midnight Sons, a Blade movie isn’t yet canceled. Perhaps just postponed indefinitely.
Geekly also has an idea which story (from the comic books) the Midnight Sons crossover event will use: Damnation. In Damnation, Doctor Strange assembles a team (of Midnight Sons) to help him defeat Mephisto. The characters rumored to be involved in Midnight Sons include Werewolf by Night, Elsa Bloodstone, Moon Knight, Blade, and Ghost Rider. Yep! Ghost Rider may be headed to the MCU, joining Blade. And Blade could set up the events of Midnight Sons. Mephisto’s position in the underworld (hinted at in Ironheart) is threatened by other demons/devils. Lilith, who was believed to be Blade’s antagonist, may be one of the rival demons fighting Mephisto. We’ll have to see how this shakes out. The dark corner’s of the MCU has the most room for growth.
Dice Commandos Announced on GameFound
We’ve covered most of the games Solo Game of the Month has released on GameFound. The company offers great single-player board game options, and Dice Commandos appears to be no different. We know little about Dice Commandos, but what we do know about the game has us intrigued.
Dice Commandos is a tactical dice puzzle game where you control a team of elite operatives completing objectives through stealth, combat, and special abilities. Again, we know little about this game, but it looks as though the game has various difficulty settings for multiple missions. Each mission functions as a new tactical puzzle. Players can customize their squad (with each squad member having unique abilities). I love how Dice Commandos has stealth options in addition to combat. I will try to finish a mission with stealth. Tee hee!
Run a fledgling board game publishing company packed with quirky employees, fun prototypes, and ruthless competition in Tabletop Inc.. I have yet to play Tabletop Inc., but it looks outstanding. It pokes fun at the board game industry with goofy spoofs of classic modern board games like Wingspan and Cthulhu: Death May Die. Tabletop Inc. uses a fast-paced worker placement. My interest is piqued. Typically, worker placement tends to be slow. I’m all for a fast-paced worker placement game.
And look at those game pieces (pictured above). They look outstanding. I have yet to play Tabletop Inc., but it looks fun, engaging, and packed with interesting choices. Tabletop Inc. is a love letter to the board game community, and I’m all for it. Tabletop Inc. launches early next week; you can follow the project here. Pledge information has yet to be released, so we don’t have pricing for Tabletop Inc.. Even though this project will be for the Tabletop Inc. expansion, gamers will be able to purchase the base game.
Kittens in Space Blasts Off on KickStarter
Cute kittens and space? I’m in. Kittens in Space is a card-shedding game like Uno. Players battle each other to save the adorable kittens in their hand (and load them onto a spaceship) before their opponents.
The DCU launches later this week with James Gunn’s Superman. We’re getting prepared by ranking all the Superman movies up to this point. Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here, Geekly Gang. As you’ll find out, I haven’t watched some of these movies in years, if not decades.
Many of these Superman movies are “products of their time.” That happens when a film was released in the ’70s and you’re watching it almost half a century later. We’ll have some exclusions on this list. We won’t include 1997’s Steel or 1984’s Supergirl because those were offshoots, not mainline Superman movies. We also won’t include team-up movies like 2016’s Batman v Superman or 2021’s Justice League; we’ll just cover the solo Superman films. Besides, Jim and I discussed our thoughts on Batman v Superman when it first released. Wow! That was a long time ago.
Let’s rank all the Superman movies, starting with sixth place and counting down to number one.
6) Man of Steel (2013)
From a technical standpoint, Man of Steel may be the most polished Superman movie (Superman Returns may have something to say about that), but that’s expected from the most recent Superman solo movie. And a sound Superman movie from a technical standpoint doesn’t necessarily make a great or even good Superman movie. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s talk about the good elements within Man of Steel.
Man of Steel puts much time and effort into building up Krypton. Perhaps this is why we received a Krypton television series that no one wanted and few watched. Zod is fleshed out in this version of Superman more than he will be in our next entry, Superman II. Man of Steel gives more of a reason why Krypton has fallen into disrepair. That’s good.
In principle, I also like the idea of Superman needing to hone his skills and Ma Kent giving him the guidance he needs. I even like how the fight scenes incorporate the ground more than most recent superhero films. More on this point in Superman II. Can you tell I’m running out of steam for nice things to say? I could be missing a point or two, but let’s rip off the band-aid.
Man of Steel is the most disappointing Superman movie. It easily takes our sixth spot because it’s not a Superman movie. To be clear, I don’t blame Henry Cavill or any other cast member for this assessment. They did what they could with the material. Man of Steel has problems at the story and direction level.
Man of Steel hammered home Superman’s trauma. They do so at the narrative structure. Non-linear stories are the hallmark of a trauma story (like the Sweet Here After), so much so that writers will refer to non-linear storytelling as the trauma storytelling method. Superman seldom lends himself to trauma. Sure, he has issues he must overcome, but the level Man of Steel stoops to is worthy of Batman. Not every superhero is Batman. Superman is nothing like Batman. Supes has issues, yes. He doesn’t necessarily have trauma. Certainly not the deep-seated trauma Man of Steel presents. I half expected Superman to turn into Martian Manhunter. That person has trauma.
Man of Steel also ushered in the reluctant and darker version of heroes in the DCEU. The DCEU did this so much that the reluctant hero went from being a trope to a cliche. There isn’t much difference between a trope and a cliche, except that tropes can often be done well and cliches usually can’t. Man of Steel set the DCEU on a collision course with failure. Superman isn’t a reluctant hero. Wonder Woman usually isn’t a reluctant hero. Batman going over the edge–actually makes sense–but from a character standpoint, little else in the DCEU made sense.
I know I said that Zod and Krypton were fleshed out well in Man of Steel. That’s both a good and bad thing. Man of Steel relies too much on Krypton and builds it up so much that it neglects Kal-El’s relationship with Earth. Outside of Martha Kent, Superman has no connection with Earthlings. This was the worst possible move. I blame writer David S. Goyer. He turns everyone, including Leonardo da Vinci (Da Vinci’s Demons, which I don’t suggest watching), into Batman. Again, Superman is nothing like Batman.
I’ll end with Man of Steel’s wanton destruction. Many people have mentioned this before, but I’ll add my two cents. Superman doesn’t even attempt to draw Zod and the others to an unpopulated location. Superman does exactly that during his fight with Zod in Superman II. Why didn’t you do your homework, Davey? While it’s true Zod may have taken the battle back to a city or town, Superman should’ve attempted to draw fire away from humans. But this is a Superman who has no connection with Earth or humans. Man of Steel’s Superman isn’t really Superman.
Man of Steel would’ve claimed our fourth spot because it’s the fourth best movie of this bunch, but it’s not a Superman movie. They never call him Superman. Perhaps this is a movie about Skibidiman.
5) Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
I’ll try to stay positive at first while discussing every Superman movie, but Superman IV: The Quest for Peace makes that difficult. But not impossible. With an hour and a half runtime, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is the shortest Superman film by at least thirty minutes. If another movie is eighty percent as bad as Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and runs thirty minutes to an hour longer, does that make the other movie worse? That’s a real debate for the next film on this list. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is self-aware enough to know it should waste as little of a viewer’s time as it can, and I’ll say the movie’s pacing is good. Not great, but good.
There’s even a hint at a good story in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. The Kryptonian judges, whom Superman asks for advice about ridding the world of all its nuclear weapons, warn him against Earth putting all their faith in one man, even if that man is Kal-El. Lex Luthor espouses this logic numerous times in the comics. I wonder if a version of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’s script includes Lex worrying that Superman is too powerful. Instead, Superman IV leans heavily into “the threat of nuclear war is good for business.” While that’s a good motivation for Lex, he’d most likely spin that underlying desire as Superman is overreaching by ridding the world of its most dangerous weapons. But that’s Lex saying the quiet part out loud, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’s creatives had some naked political agendas.
The script and direction aren’t subtle with their politics. Even the tertiary story gets in on the action. A greedy businessman, Warfield (again, subtle), takes over the Daily Planet. He commodifies the news, and in the end, he gets his comeuppance. While I agree with Lacy Warfield’s (the man’s daughter) sentiment that a newspaper’s business should be journalism, not money, the message is ham-fisted at best. This exact scenario has played out in modern reporting, but that doesn’t mean the message wasn’t cranked to the highest volume and the nob yanked.
Any scene with the kid asking Superman to rid the world of nuclear weapons gives a bad name to saccharine. It’s beyond the term. The entire nuclear weapon storyline is a product of the Eighties. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace would look a lot different in today’s climate. And that brings us back to capitalism needing the threat of war to survive. Lex Luthor becomes a stand-in for capitalism, not caring where the money comes from so long as the money flows. In short, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is over the top with its messaging.
Before I get into the horrid action sequences, let’s discuss that awkward double-date scene with Superman, Lois, Clark Kent, and Lacy Warfield. It’s the definition of cringe. Fortunately, the scene doesn’t last long, but leads to some eye-rolling situational comedy.
Yep. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace has some of the worst special effects in superhero cinema. What’s worse is that some of the head-scratching superpowers introduced in Superman II (more on that film later) return in Superman IV. Amnesiac kisses? Check. Telekinetic vision? Double check; Superman and Nuclearman use this ability. And Superman IV adds poisonous fingernails, which age Superman for some reason, for Nuclearman. What’s worse is that Superman IV reuses old footage. Many of the fight scenes repeat, and Lex even uses his dog whistle trick from the original Superman. Yikes!
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace takes the fifth spot for all these reasons, but it’s still a Superman movie. And because of Superman IV’s brevity and pacing, I watched this movie in fewer sittings than the next film on this list.
4) Superman III (1983)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace may be the worst movie in the Superman franchise (I don’t include Man of Steel as a Superman movie), but Superman III is disappointing. If it wasn’t for the existence of Man of Steel, Superman III would be the most disappointing Superman movie. I’ll try to say some nice things about Superman III before I list the numerous ways the movie failed.
An internal Superman struggle is a good direction for a story. Superman III introduces a synthetic Kryptonite, and the synthetic Kryptonite turns Superman evil. Not bad. It’s a little hokey that Clark Kent physically walks away from the Nega-Superman to fight himself, but this scene may have inspired Black Kryptonite (Smallville “Crusade” in 2004 and eventually the comics), which does just that. An exposed Kryptonian splits into two identities, one good and one evil. An internal Superman struggle is a solid foundation. Unfortunately, Superman II also had a hint of internal struggle, so the series was already getting repetitive.
I also liked Clark’s return to Smallville. Superman is a small-town kid at heart, and he often returns to Smallville in the comics. Heck. One of the most recent Superman stories features Lois and Clark moving to Smallville and starting a family. The Lana Lang love story felt forced, but I can see why the Superman film series wanted to shake things up from the status quo of Lois and Clark. And Lana is canonically one of Superman’s love interests, one of the few outside of Lois Lane.
Oh, what could’ve been. Here comes the disappointment. Early drafts of Superman III’s script included Bizarro and Brainiac. While watching the final fight sequences, you can see Bizarro and Brainiac’s influence. Superman III’s second conflict centers around Richard Pryor’s character, who can somehow speak to computers (a stand-in for Brainiac), asking a billionaire to construct a killer computer (a second stand-in for Brainiac), and this supercomputer transforms a woman (Vera) into a Bizarro-like monstrosity. And the fight I mentioned prior between Superman and himself is yet another Bizarro stand-in. Just use Brainiac and Bizarro.
Not gonna lie, Robot Vera gave me nightmares as a kid. But here’s where we get into the not-so-nice points. Richard Pryor was shoehorned into this movie. Superman II leaned into slapstick and camp (more on that movie in a little while), so Superman III felt it had to market itself as a comedy. Pryor is a big name. Let’s squeeze him into Brainiac’s shoes. That’s not speculation. The studio has admitted they felt as if they “had to market Superman III” as a comedy. To his credit, Pryor wasn’t as annoying as I remembered. He can be annoying, but the script gave him little to work with, and the skiing sequence was stupid.
In general, the script stank. One could almost see what Superman III tried to do with its story (Brainiac and Bizarro) and changed course to match what they believed audiences wanted. And everything was about computers. Superman has powers, but we have computers. What powers the world? Computers. What can defeat Superman? Brainiac…I mean, computers. I cringed every time Robert Vaughn spoke about technology. He came off like Grandpa trying to explain the interwebs to the youngins, who, you know, grew up with computers. And don’t get me started on some of the graphics. I may have played the missile scene (a pixelated Superman dodges heat-seeking missiles) in an ’80s video game or two. Superman III wasn’t entirely bad, but it disappointed.
3) Superman II (1980)
I went into this rewatch of Superman movies thinking I’d put Superman II at number one, but the remaining movies on this list narrowly edge out Superman II. I’ll discuss those two movies in a moment. Before I go into Superman II’s shortcomings, let’s discuss what it gets right. Superman II does one thing modern superhero movies should adopt: gravity.
Literal gravity. Because Superman II had technical limitations, the movie’s four flying characters (Superman, General Zod, Ursa, and Nan) must occasionally land. This roots the viewer in what’s up and what’s down. It grants each blow more impact. The one I think of specifically is when Ursa mockingly calls for Superman, he turns to face her, and she throws a manhole cover into Supe’s midsection. Superman flies backwards, and while this is a dated (and comical) action sequence, it looks like it hurts. Black Panther is overall a better movie than Superman II, but the battle where Black Panther and Killmonger tumble in what looks like weightlessness doesn’t have the same impact.
I’ll add another bright spot for Superman II before listing some nits. I liked the character’s origin (and a few highlights from the previous movie) being recapped during the opening credits. I forgot Superman II did this. The MCU would be easier to keep up with if it did something similar. This wouldn’t work all the time, but I wouldn’t mind a refresher to cut down on MCU homework, and studios can stop force-feeding us character origins. Consider sliding an origin story into the movie’s opening credits.
Okay. We’ve reached the nitpicks. While Superman: The Movie has hints of comedy, Superman II includes actual slapstick comedy moments (Otis during the prison break). It isn’t too distracting, but these moments show what the movie franchise would become. Superman II leans more into camp. Again, the movie is still good, but this also shows the franchise’s direction. And then there are the powers. What is going on with these odd one-off superpowers? Superman: The Movie had Kal-El reverse the Earth’s rotation to turn back time. This is odd, but it makes Bizarro-World sense. Superman II says, Hold my beer.
Odd powers include: Saran wrap Superman logo, General Zod (and company) using telekinesis vision, a pod (ray) that turns Kryptonians into humans (which got switched off-camera into shielding a Kryptonian), and Superman having amnesic kisses. Most of these powers are very convenient for the plot, which is rather thin.
At its core, Superman II is a love story between Lois and Clark. I like this idea. Unfortunately, Superman II’s execution of this story was as clumsy as a Clark aw, shucks moment. Pair this with some other baffling choices (like why did Clark have to walk back to the Fortress of Solitude instead of bumming a ride from Lois? I didn’t understand this when I was a child and still don’t), and Superman II doesn’t shine quite as bright as our next two entries.
2) Superman Returns (2006)
I wasn’t expecting Superman Returns to be this watchable. I had to get over the cringe of seeing Kevin Spacey’s name (and watching him on-screen), but the man does a brilliant job as Lex Luthor. His performance is close enough to Gene Hackman’s while deviating until he made the character his own. The remaining cast followed suit, except for Frank Langella’s Perry White. Langella blends a hard-nosed, hard-working journalist with an editor who wants to sell numerous copies of the Daily Planet. Langella’s performance is a perfect marriage of Warfield (who took over the Planet in Superman IV) and the original Perry White. I’m impressed with Superman Returns’ acting and direction.
Even though Superman Returns’ runtime is the longest of all six movies ranked, it has good pacing. Were there a few moments that dragged a hair too long? Sure. But every Superman movie has those moments; Superman Returns may have the fewest of these moments. But many of the movie’s cool moments or story beats look and feel familiar. That’s because we’ve seen them in Superman: The Movie. This is why Superman Returns doesn’t take the top spot. Unlike Star Wars: The Force Awakens did with Star Wars: A New Hope, Superman Returns doesn’t lift all of Superman: The Movie’s story threads. The movie makes enough alterations.
But here are the similarities I found. Lex wants beachfront property and will murder millions of Americans to get it; he just switches coasts and the means. Lex’s woman accomplice grows a conscience and foils his plans at the last moment. Lex uses Kryptonite again, which didn’t happen as much as one might think in previous Superman movies, but it did in Superman: The Movie. These are major story beats and almost all of them came from the original, but Superman Returns, like the movie’s actors and their portrayals, it does take enough liberties to make the movie feel fresh.
I’ve waited long enough to mention the one plot point most people hated in Superman Returns: Lois and Clark’s son. The passage of time has softened my response to this storyline, but this doesn’t bother me. I can’t remember if Lois and Clark’s child bothered me in 2006. Recently, the two had a child in the comics. I mentioned this series in the Superman III write-up above, but I’ll reiterate it here. The story where Lois and Clark have a child and set roots in Smallville is one of the better Superman runs of the past decade to decade and a half. Had Superman Returns been released after this comic book run, more fans could’ve bought into Superman having a biological son with Lois. Regardless, I didn’t mind this story. It wasn’t handled the best–I would’ve tweaked a few things like Clark knowing he had a son–but it wasn’t a deal breaker.
But I do have a gripe that almost was a deal breaker. When is Superman Returns supposed to be set? Superman Returns takes place between ten and fifteen years after Superman II, so that would make the movie’s timeframe 1990 to 1995. Why does everyone have cellphones? Didn’t that happen in the early 2000s? Cellphones and other advanced technology may be the biggest head-scratchers, but Superman Returns holds a lot of anachronisms. The movie doesn’t know when it wants to be set. Still, Superman Returns is a good watch. Just turn off the switch in your brain that asks what time this is and allow the shock of Lois and Clark having a kid together to wane. Years later, Superman Returns is a surprisingly watchable movie.
1) Superman: The Movie (1978)
Yes! We have the original Superman (1978). I haven’t watched Superman: The Movie in years, decades perhaps. I forgot how the movie opens. A kid leafing through an issue of the Daily Planet is quaint. It made me smile. I got the vibe of a storybook mixed with the iconic newspaper where Clark and Lois work. The same can be said of the opening theme.
John Williams’ soundtracks always put me in a great mood. And then we’re treated to Jor-El (Superman’s birth father, portrayed by Marlon Brando) sentencing General Zod and his cronies to the Phantom Zone. Surprisingly, Superman: The Movie had the foresight to introduce the potential villain of its sequel. That didn’t happen often before the 2000s. In that sense, Superman: The Movie was ahead of its time.
Unlike Pa Kent’s death scene in Man of Steel, John Kent’s death of a heart attack in Superman: The Movie makes sense. Despite all Superman’s powers, he can’t save everyone, not even the ones closest to him. Pa Kent’s death scene in Superman: The Movie humanizes Clark Kent; it reminds him of the fragility of human life. I also like that Pa Kent’s death doesn’t serve to set up Kal-El as a reluctant hero like it did in Man of Steel. I hope 2025’s Superman abandons the reluctant superhero cliche.
I won’t go into a blow-by-blow for the remainder of Superman: The Movie. I was just shocked by how little I remembered from the movie’s opening and how groundbreaking some of these scenes were. Superman: The Movie may have flaws and be a product of its time, but it legitimized superhero movies. Oddly, it took over a decade for another major superhero film (Batman 1989) other than a Superman movie to grace the silver screen. No. I don’t count 1984’s Supergirl; unfortunately, it was a cash grab on the Superman movie franchise. I’m looking forward to a better Supergirl film.
Superman: The Movie takes a while to get going. Most of its early runtime revolves around Superman’s origin, but the movie does a great job telling this story. Movies like Superman 1978 do such a great job of showing a superhero’s origin that including an origin for well-known characters in modern superhero movies is a turnoff. I may like Superman II’s action more, but it does venture more into camp, and Superman Returns borrows more than a little of Superman: The Movie’s sugar to claim this top spot. Sometimes the original is the best.
That’s our list. How would you rate the previous Superman movies before this year’s film releases? Let us know in the comments. I can’t wait for Superman to release later this week. Except for Man of Steel, I had fun rewatching these movies. Yes. I even enjoyed rewatching Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. RIP, Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, and Margot Kidder. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another week of geek news. This week is a little quiet due to the United States Holiday, the Fourth of July, and the upcoming DCU and MCU movies: Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps, respectively. So, we don’t have any major news to report. Instead, let’s discuss some board game releases for the upcoming week.
Mafia Blitz Launches on KickStarter
Honestly, I’ve never cared for social deduction games, but fast-paced social deduction games that don’t include player elimination (like One Night: Ultimate Werewolf), I can get behind. That is the premise of Mafia Blitz. Mafia pioneered the social deduction game. Mafia Blitz, designed by frequent Meeple Mountain contributor Mark Iradian, aims to do the same for quick social deduction games. Each role has unique win conditions, with many roles having overlapping win conditions. There are even some roles that include end-game triggers.
I like Mafia Blitz’s approach of having one price point: $20. Too often, crowdfunding projects include multiple add-ons, which can lead to a different gaming experience from one copy of the same game to the next. Mafia Blitz doesn’t have that issue. If you’re interested in Mafia Blitz, check out their KickStarter page.
Paradise: A Wastepunk Boardgame Launches on GameFound
Paradise: A Wastepunk Boardgame is another board game type I don’t typically care for (a skirmisher combat game), but it’s another one that has me intrigued. Its setup reminds me of a Memoir ’44 that has character abilities. Coincidentally, Memoir ’44 is one of the few skirmisher games I enjoy.
Throw in some quick dice combat, what appears to be gear cards, and detailed terrain pieces, and Paradise: A Wastepunk Boardgame has my attention. I also love the colorful palette Mindwork Games uses. Paradise: A Wastepunk Boardgame is Italian board game design studio Mindwork Games’ first design. They give me strong early CMON vibes. Both companies began as purveyors of awesome miniatures. That fact should let you know the level of detail this game’s miniatures will have. I wonder what the quality difference is between the PVC and resin miniatures. The resin minis are more expensive, and resin minis tend to break more easily than PVC minis. It’s something to consider.
Far Far Out looks fantastic. The Netherlands-based game design group Studio Inifinitus offers multiple ways to win in this Civilization-like board game. The system tiles look amazing. These system tiles interlock and contain planets.
Players then place planets on top of the system tiles. I’m unsure if the planets always spawn on specific systems or if it differs each game. My guess is that players can change up which systems a planet can be placed. Far Far Out is stunning.
The game lists three ways to win. Far Far Out’s inclusion of 64 battle dice–64!–suggests that one method for victory is military/combat, but Far Far Out insists these battle dice serve multiple purposes. Far Far Out features a lot of exploration. I like that in a game set in outer space. We don’t know too much about the game’s mechanisms, but they have us intrigued.
Far Far Out’s more expensive pledge (around $175) includes intricate miniatures, while its less expensive pledge (around $117) includes detailed standees. The only difference I’ve found between the two versions is the unpainted miniatures (pictured above), but Far Far Out leaves the description of its more expensive pledge as “all deluxe content.” The campaign could add more deluxe content, so keep an eye out. The price tag is a bit high because Far Far Out includes a lot of bits. This is a premium game with a premium price. If you’re interested in Far Far Out, zoom to its GameFound page.
Rest in Peace, Jim Shooter
Former Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief and comic book visionary Jim Shooter passed away on June 30, 2025. Shooter has a complicated comic book history. On one hand, he “rescued” the comic book industry. By the mid-1970s to early 1980s, comic books had gone stale. A 13-year-old Shooter would get his start with DC Comics and proceed to pull comic books out of its slump. During his time as Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief, Shooter orchestrated the massive crossover event, Secret Wars, which is the major event the MCU is currently building toward. But Shooter wasn’t without his share of controversy.
Shooter’s Marvel Comics was openly homophobic, refusing to feature queer stories. Writer/artist John Byrne was forced to conceal Northstar’s sexual orientation for years before the character became the first openly gay comic book character. Instead of letting Northstar out of the closet, Shooter penned the first comic book that featured a queer storyline: two gay men attempt to r*pe Bruce Banner and this caused Banner to transform into The Hulk. Shooter had a “Don’t Say Gay” Policy with Marvel Comics. This restriction prevented positive queer representation in Marvel Comics for over a decade.
Still, Jim Shooter (during his teen years) wrote the first race between Superman and The Flash. This race between titans has become a tradition for DC Comics, and he solidified much of the Legion of Super-Heroes lore during his early tenure. Shooter even created one of my favorite Superman villains, Parasite. And Shooter’s jump to Marvel Comics ended the revolving door of editors after Stan Lee had transitioned to Marvel Films. Shooter was the editor who oversaw the growth of Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s classic run of The Uncanny X-Men, which led to the team becoming a global phenomenon. The Uncanny X-Men also saw the inclusion of many BIPOC stories.
Shooter has an impressive comic book history and a checkered past with queer inclusion. His contributions to comic books, and especially Marvel Comics, will not be forgotten. As a member of the LGBT community, I wish Shooter had done more for LGBT inclusion in Marvel comics. Even so, my thoughts go out to Shooter’s family. Rest in Peace.
That’s all the geek news we have for this week. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Happy Sunday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here, serving up another week of geek news. We’ve got a couple of television and movie updates, but the biggest one may be that Spaceballs 2 will hit theaters in 2027. Let’s talk about it.
First Spaceballs 2 Teaser Released
Spaceballs 2 rumors are flying everywhere at the moment. We don’t know what the movie’s full title is going to be for sure. The original Spaceballs dubbed its future sequel Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money, but judging from this week’s teaser, the movie’s full title may be Spaceballs 2: The Schwartz Awakens.
Sure, Spaceballs 2 is tapping into Gen X’s nostalgia, but I don’t mind this sequel. If nothing else, it was great to see a nearly 99-year-old Mel Brooks in great health. I can’t believe he’s turning 99 on June 28th. Yikes! We know for sure that Mel Brooks will return as director, and he’ll probably reprise one or both of his roles, President Skroob and Yogurt. Several other casting rumors have swirled since the teaser. In the past, Rick Moranis has mentioned that he’d act in another Mel Brooks movie. It’s unclear if Moranis believed Brooks had another movie left to direct. Bill Pullman and his son, Lewis Pullman (who portrayed Sentry in Thunderbolts*), have also expressed interest in joining Spaceballs 2’s cast.
The original Spaceballs was a fan favorite. I could see numerous actors attached to play different roles. Only time will tell who makes the finals cast list, but despite the obvious nostalgia button being pressed, I’m excited.
Final Superman Trailer Released
Not going to lie, the teeth flying out of the enemy’s mouth and clanging off the camera are a little much. Yowza! Moving on. Despite the final Superman trailer’s brevity, it packs a punch. Pun intended. We get an idea that Lex Luthor intends to destroy Superman, but his monologue suggests that he doesn’t mean to kill Superman, at least not yet. Lex plans to kill everyone important to Superman: Lois (the reporter who does all his interviews) and the people who raised him. Dang! Lex is a certified hater. He goes as far as to say, they (the world) chose Superman, let them die. Nicholas Hoult’s Luthor doesn’t play.
Lex has discovered the Fortress of Solitude (which we saw in the previous trailers), but this trailer may sow the seeds of Lex’s machinations. Superman could pull from the Superman: Birthright comic storyline and have Lex frame Superman as an advanced scout for the Kryptonian race attempting to overtake Earth. One of Lex’s henchmen, Ultraman, could be a Kryptonian clone. He certainly has strength comparable to Superman as he pushes Supes’ face into concrete. The kaiju-style monster Superman fights could even be an animal from Superman’s zoo.
In the comics, Superman kept Kryptonian animals in a zoo enclosed in his Fortress of Solitude. If Lex wants to frame Superman and the Kryptonians for acts of violence, it makes sense if he releases one of the Kryptonian animals from the Fortress of Solitude’s zoo. It could be just as likely that this kaiju-style monster is an illusion. The Superman: Birthright storyline includes something similar with Lex’s smear campaign against Superman. But Lex may not be the only villain working behind the scenes.
Maxwell Lord appears to be the one behind the Justice Gang, this universe’s current iteration of the Justice League, that includes Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific. It looks as though Lord will only be mentioned, but it’ll be interesting to see how he’s pulling strings. The Justice Gang looks to be wearing Lord apparel. Guy Gardner may also be the perfect Green Lantern to fight Superman. He’s a grade A douchebag, and the perfect foil for Supes. Overall, I liked this final trailer. It doesn’t spoil too much. I could be wrong about a lot of these details. And I can’t wait for Superman to hit theaters next month.
Clash of Clans Show Will Be a Workplace Comedy
We covered the Clash of Clans show announcement a couple of weeks ago. I’ll be honest; I never did get into Clash of Clans. But the news that Clash of Clans will be a workplace comedy has me intrigued. We don’t know if the characters will know they’re part of a video game or if they’re committed to the Clash of Clans’ universe. The zanier the better. Bring it on.
Plakks Basketball Launches on KickStarter
Plakks has a great track record of taking popular sports and translating them to a dexterity-based tabletop game. They’re doing the same with basketball. The pitch is simple. Players bounce the basketball on their half of the court and try to make a basket in their opponent’s goal. If they make a shot, they get to place a player on their opponent’s side of the court. Player figurines affect the ball’s bounce and shrink the playing field. Whoever places five players on their opponent’s side first wins.
Players control ants in this interstellar version of capture the flag. But watch out! A meteor approaches, changing the rules of the game and making players’ weapons more powerful. ANTgravity takes video game concepts and applies them to a quick board game of outer space dominance.
Asteroids (the purple tiles seen above) can block your path. You can shoot them, gaining any bonuses underneath, to clear a path to your opponent’s headquarters (and their flag), but if an ant travels off the board, it floats into outer space and respawns at the hospital. Capture your opponents’ flags and bring them back to your headquarters before time runs out. ANTgravity launches early next week on GameFound. The Core Set costs approximately $34, while the Gameplay All-In runs about $57.
That’s all we have for Geek News this week. We may be a little light on news, now that we’re less than a month away from Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps. Board game news should pick up again closer to GenCon in early August. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. We’ve had quite a few trailers over the past week. We’ll start with Superman, because the DCU hasn’t received nearly enough shine from JK Geekly, and that’s on me. Let’s fix that with this week’s Geekly News post.
New Superman Trailer
JK Geekly didn’t cover the first Superman trailer, mostly because that trailer received unnecessary–and frankly, baffling–criticism. The most vocal critics didn’t care for the first trailer’s comedic elements. One tweet that ripped apart a small scene with robot medics, where one (voiced by Alan Tudyk) said there was no reason for Superman to thank the robots because they don’t possess feelings, and the next robot medic shows emotion, received 37 million likes. That was a joke. Most of the responses didn’t seem to understand comedy. I would get the criticism if the joke wasn’t well told. That wasn’t what most people suggested. Regarding the comedy, I thought it worked well enough for a quick joke. But this doesn’t even get into fans’ costume vitriol.
I probably should’ve covered the first trailer anyway, but I waited for the second trailer, so let’s get to it. John Murphy’s interpretation of John Williams’s classic Superman theme was fantastic. I like the premise this second Superman trailer presents. Lois knows Clark is Superman. Thank goodness. Superman presumably stopped a war, which is something he might do, and that causes an international incident (which would definitely happen if other nations believed Superman represented the United States), and that leads Lex Luthor to sow doubt in the Earth needing a Superman. So far, this is all on brand.
I love this premise. Pa Kent and Lois nail their portrayals. Ma Kent cleaning Superman’s boots so he could help people was adorable. Lex might be a little campy. Nicholas Hoult is an accomplished actor; I’ve liked him since his major acting debut in the BBC series Skins. I have hope this is Hoult channeling a bit of Gene Hackman’s Lex (not Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex), and the moment where he ventures into camp is fleeting. I can’t stress this enough. These trailers offer glimpses of an over two-hour movie.
Similarly, I’m a little concerned about David Corenswet’s Superman losing his cool with Lois. From what we see (in a trailer for a two-hour movie), Lois doesn’t press him too much. Perhaps, there’s more to this scene that we’re not seeing. But Corenswet’s Superman slightly loses his cool. This isn’t a Michael Gambon as Dumbledore screaming at Harry Potter when the text in The Goblet of Fire clearly states that he calmly asks Harry a question. Outside of losing his cool while saying, “People were going to die,” Corenswet looked and sounded like he could be a younger, slightly arrogant, and naive Superman.
The two Superman trailers have me excited for the movie. I can’t wait to see the movie in a couple of months.
Ironheart Trailer Drops
The MCU’s Ironheart trailer dropped this week, too. This marks the closest a Marvel project was to releasing before it received its first trailer. Even Werewolf By Night, a surprise Marvel project in 2022, had a trailer months before it released. I don’t know what this means for Ironheart. This could mean that the studio has little faith in the project or that they have the utmost confidence. It could also be a nothingburger. I find it odd that Ironheart didn’t receive a trailer sooner when Sinners (a film by Ironheart’s producer Ryan Coogler) was atop the box office.
My favorite comment for the Ironheart trailer was “I’m genuinely impressed they haven’t disabled the comments.” lol. Same. Most viewers didn’t care for the premise, and to be fair, Ironheart didn’t do a good enough job of setting up its premise. I’ve read the show’s description, and Ironheart sounds like it could be great. Riri Williams (Ironheart) picks up where Iron Man left off. The Hood (the main antagonist) is a magic user who runs a criminal underground. SciFi versus Magic. What’s not to love? Ironheart and The Hood’s relationship gives me strong vibes of what Iron Man and The Mandarin should’ve been. And Ironheart could be setting up the ultimate magic meets technology with Doctor Doom. I’ll amend what I said. Ironheart could be epic.
But this trailer falls flat. It’s paint-by-numbers. Reintroduce Riri (in case people forgot who she was from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), clumsily introduce the antagonist, and give the viewer a vague idea of the show. Still, I like Ironheart’s inclusion of practical effects; Riri’s armor-up scene was tight. And Ryan Coogler wouldn’t attach his name to a stinker. Ironheart still interests me. The trailer could’ve done more.
Coexist Will Launch on Gamefound on May 19, 2025
Take control of a wildlife conservation team with Coexist. Publisher Matagot Games has an amazing track record. They’ve teamed up with Stonemeier Games for Wingspan, Scythe, and several others. One of Matagot Games’ originals, Takenoko, still hits my table. We don’t know much about Coexist’s gameplay. Matagot has shared that the core game flow is recruiting caretakers, welcoming animals to your conservation headquarters, and releasing animals back into the wild after their needs are met, or you may lower your reputation by placing the animals in a reserve.
Matagot Games has teamed up with Human Initiative to Save Animals (HISA). I love it when board game companies do this; whenever this happens, a portion of the game’s profits will go to HISA, a real-world conservation organization that’s based in Bordeaux. Coexist’s art looks fantastic.
Bordeaux street artist A-Mo provides Coexist’s art. Matagot Games stays true to its Bordeaux roots. HISA is headquartered there, and A-Mo is from there. I love the theme, Matagot Games seldom releases a poorly received game, and the varied animal types needing specific things (so one conservation team cannot save every animal) could supply a lot of strategic value.
Since Coexist hasn’t yet been released, Geekly doesn’t have specifics for the campaign’s pricing. If you’d like to follow the campaign, feel free to visit Coexist’s Gamefound page.
Battle Monsters Launches on Kickstarter
Strategic kaiju battles await with Restoration Games’ Battle Monsters. This title reimplements 1992’s Battle Masters, which used the Warhammer intellectual property. That makes sense. Restoration Games is known for taking old games (like Thunder Road: Vendetta and Fireball Island), occasionally retheming the game if they cannot use the license, and re-engineering old games for modern gamers. Battle Monsters looks to be another great title.
Wow! Those detailed miniatures look amazing. A lot comes in the box, no matter which box you choose. The game features quick dice-based combat. Players control a kaiju and a team of soldiers. Coordinating your forces is the key to victory. You can mix and match any titan (kaiju) and faction on any map. I also like that there’s a solo play option; that’s a great trend for the board game hobby.
The smallest pledge amount is $125, and you must choose between the Godzilla and Kong boxes. The Big Bundle runs $299, and gamers receive Godzilla, Kong, and the Mothra expansion. The Mega Bundle costs $379, but backers at this level receive all Battle Monsters’ content, including upgrades like specialty stands for each kaiju miniature. If you’re interested in getting your kaiju on, check out Battle Monsters’ Kickstarter page.
SquareEnix Leaks Kingdom Hearts IV Screenshots
While we knew SquareEnix was working on Kingdom Hearts IV, the game released its first images. Most of the images are of low quality. We chose one of the better shots to show gamers what they could expect from SquareEnix’s upcoming title. Kingdom Hearts IV’s environment looks like a virtual Shibuya. These photos reveal little of the game’s story or other locations. We’re certain Shibuya will be one of several locations players will visit.
The above image is grainy as heck, but one thing is for certain. The player is controlling Mickey. This may be a first for the Kingdom Hearts series. Mickey is seldom a playable character. I can’t wait to see if players will get to play as the famous mouse.
That’s all the geek news we have for this week. Next week, I’ll be out of town, so Geekly News may be rather short. We’ll see when the day comes. Thank you for reading. And wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.
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