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DC Comics has confirmed that Black Manta is "the only prominent DC character who has ever explicitly been identified as autistic in the comics" – making it clear that the publisher is committed to including neurodivergent characters in its stories, but also that they have a long way to go to be more inclusive.

In DC's latest edition of ?Ask The Question – DC Comics’ online platform where fans submit questions answered by the editorial team – one answer highlighted how DC still has progress to make in officially and effectively integrating autistic characters into its universe. This is especially true for the often underrepresented autistic community in comic books, with Black Manta being cited as one of the few canonically autistic characters in the publisher's wide roster of heroes and villains.

According to Alex Jaffe, who identifies as being “on the spectrum” himself, the number of autistic DC characters can be counted...

Without Christmas movies and TV, the holiday season would feel lacking, not just for movie buffs, but for everyone who celebrates the unwritten custom of getting together and watching something Christmas-themed the night before completes other traditions. While some people have a ritual of revisiting their favorite Christmas film every year, others look forward to Christmas movies releasing as recently as 2024. From romcoms like Meet Me Next Christmas, to horror films like Terrifier 3, Christmas has become the setting for all genres of cinema.

A common fixture of the Christmas film is everyone's favorite bearded man who flies in with his reindeer every year. Without Santa Claus, it would not entirely feel like Christmas. Well, not entirely. While there have been slasher movies with Santa in them, and the occasional movies with moral messages being spread by Santa, many films just use the premise of Christmas to tell stories that...

Love Lies Bleeding features a top-notch cast led by Kristen Stewart. The crime thriller's plot follows a romance between a reclusive gym manager and a bodybuilder, culminating in a wild and violent climax. With engaging performances from Stewart and Katy O'Brian and an intense narrative, Love Lies Bleeding is a must-watch film.

Directed and co-written by Rose Glass, Love Lies Bleeding boasts a truly top-notch cast. In Kristen Stewart's action thriller with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, the Oscar-nominated actor plays Lou, a reclusive gym manager living in New Mexico. Set in 1989, Love Lies Bleeding straddles several genres. At its core, the film is a neo-noir crime thriller, but it's also a romance with dark comedy elements. However, Love Lies Bleeding's plot is straight-forward enough: a rising bodybuilder, Jackie (Katy O'Brian), drifts into town on her way to a potentially star-making competition in Las Vegas.

Not only do Lou and Jackie fall hard for each other,...

Warner Bros. and James Wan’s Swamp Thing TV series is officially a go, and it’ll form a cornerstone of the forthcoming DC Universe.

That’s the announcement that swept the globe four weeks ago, when it was confirmed that Warner’s mooted streaming service would go by the name ‘DC Universe’, and that it would feature the likes of Titans, Young Justice: Outsiders and an animated series dedicated to the inimitable Miss Harleen Quinzel – better known to you, I, and the people of Gotham as Harley Quinn.

For Swamp Thing, we understand James Wan and his team plan to incorporate some horror elements into the finished series, which will presumably be anchored by Alec Holland and Abby Arcane, if today’s character breakdowns are any indication.

Up first is the latter lead. Otherwise known as Abby Holland, it seems the Powers That Be want to foster a Shape...

Even though she was never a writer or artist, Karen Berger is one of the most influential people in comics. She has won three Eisner Awards for Best Editor and singlehandedly created the Vertigo imprint for DC Comics while recruiting some of comics’ greatest talents to work for DC (Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman). By the end of the 1980s, the books she edited (Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, The Sandman, Shade, the Changing Man, Animal Man) became the “Berger-verse”, whicheventually turned into the Vertigo imprint. Existing on the edges of the DC Universe and later becoming mainly creator owned books, Vertigo was a place where talented creators had relative freedom to create comics of any genre from horror (Hellblazer), fantasy (Books of Magic), crime (100 Bullets), modern day fairy tales (Fables), or even books that transcend genre boundaries, like Sandman, The Invisibles, or Preacher. During her 20 year tenure as executive editor of Vertigo,...

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Editor’S Note: Get caught up in time for tonight’s brand new episode of Nashville with Best Week Ever‘s own Abby Holland’s recap of last week’s episode entitled “I Don’t Wanna Talk About It Now.”

This Last week on Nashville, there was a lot of lying, cheatin’, and love-makin’. Rayna and her new boss were still fighting, Deacon tried to face his demons, and Scarlett got a makeover. Nashville sure is full of drama, y’all! So pour yourself some sweet tea because these are the top ten moments from Nashville you’d skin a rattlesnake for…...

Alan Moore. His name alone is sure to give comic book readers a nerdgasm for Moore is one of, if not the, best comic book writers (hell, just plain writers) of all time. But before there was Watchmen, before League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, before Promethea, there was Swamp Thing.

It all started in 1982 when Wes Craven’s muddled Swamp Thing movie starring scream queen Adrienne Barbeau was being released. Trying to cash in on the movie buzz Swampy editor and co-creator Len Wein revived the Saga of the Swamp Thing series with Martin Pasko taking on the writing chores. After writing 19 issues Pasko left the book and Wein was left scrambling to find who to replace him. He took a chance on one Alan Moore, whose work on 2000 Ad and V for Vendetta impressed Wein. When Moore took over with issue 20 (along with superb artists Steve Bissett, John Totleben and...

Hello, sane and normal people on the internet! In case you haven’t heard, #Bynesing is new trend where people cover their heads with scarves to show their love and admiration for Amanda Bynes.

Whether you prefer Amanda’s classic blue scarf or a blanket of your choosing, #Bynesing can be done anywhere. You can do it on a boat. You can do it in a moat. You can do it in a chair. You can do it in the air. You can even do it-like Amanda!-in grand old Times Square. It’s all very exciting stuff, as our star Mad Men and Smash recapper Abby Holland explains below.

Don’t forget to post a photo of yourself Bynesing on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #Bynesing (and be sure to copy us, too: @BestWeekEver on Twitter and @Vh1 on Instagram).

Check out a brand new episode of Best Week Ever this Friday,...

If you’re gonna read our brand new Smash recaps starting next week, you’re going to have to know what’s happening on the newest season. Thanks to Best Week Ever Associate Producer Abby Holland, Smash devotee, we’re going to be recapping this clunker every week.

Missed a few eps this season? Don’t worry. We’ll catch you up.

10. Bombshell, the musical about Marilyn Monroe that they have been slaving away at for a year, is maybe not going to happen now.

9. Jennifer Hudson joined the cast and her character is really boring!

8. This guy; who is supposedly a love interest for Karen (Katherine McPhee); is not gay.

7. Julia (Deborah Messing) is depressed and then gets her groove back by writing a new song about JFK and Marilyn. Finally!

6. This guy is still gay.

5. Ivy got cast in another play on Broadway after being fired from Bombshell.