‘Batman: Gotham By Gaslight’ Premiering at “DC in D.C.”

Over Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, Warner Bros. Television Group and DC Entertainment will bring their hit TV series and comic-book worlds to Washington, D.C. at the Newseum for “DC in D.C.” — a landmark pop culture event running Jan. 12 & 13 (www.dcindc2018.com). The weekend confab will include screenings, public panel discussions and the premiere of the latest DC Universe Animated Movie Batman: Gotham By Gaslight (ages 18+). The weekend will culminate with the world premiere of the Black Lightning series, based on the first African-American DC super hero with his own stand-alone comic, at the Warner Bros. Theater at the Smithsonian, with an afterparty at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12

Batman: Gotham By Gaslight Premiere Screening [6:30-9:15 p.m.]

Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment provide a new take on Batman as a steampunk Dark Knight hunts Jack the Ripper through the shadows of turn of the century Gotham City in this all-new animated feature available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment January 23, 2018, on Digital and February 6, 2018, on Blu-ray and DVD. The premiere event is for mature audiences 18 years of age or older, will kick off with a cocktail reception and will be followed with a Q&A session with the film’s voice cast and producers. Newseum Theatre.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 13

The Art of the Matter: From Sketch to Screen [10-10:45 a.m.]

Just how do our favorite DC Super Heroes fly from the page to the screen? This behind-the-scenes look at the creative process provides an “origin story” of how some of DC’s greatest Super Heroes on the page have evolved into some of TV’s hottest Super Heroes on screens all over the world. Join executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (Arrow, Black Lightning, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl, upcoming Titans), DC Ent.’s Geoff Johns (Arrow, The Flash, Titans) and others as they trace the explosion of DC’s heroes — from ink panels to television and film screens worldwide. Additional panelists to be announced.

The Many Shades of Heroism: DC Heroes Through the African-American Lens [11-11:45 a.m.]

2018 will not only bring Black Lightning, a new African-American DC Super Hero to TV screens (40 years after the electrifying hero was created), but also a new DC comic book from Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) and more exciting storytelling featuring African-American characters. In this panel, Black Lightning star Cress Williams and executive producers Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil will join Ridley, author and comic-book writer Alice Randall (The Wind Done Gone, Earth M), and Black Girl Nerds Editor-in-Chief Jamie Broadnax as they look beyond the super suit to the African-American men and women who are heroes to their community. Black Lightning premieres Tuesday, January 16, 2018, at 9/8c on The CW. Follow Black Lightning on Twitter at @blacklightning. Additional panelists to be announced.

Wonder Women [12-12:45 p.m.]

DC and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman took charge of screens in an unprecedented way last summer, toppling the cinematic patriarchy and paving the way for even more super women. DC has been flexing its power with female heroes on TV for years, including kickass characters on Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, Gotham and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Join Legends star Caity Lotz, Flash stars Candice Patton and Danielle Panabaker, Berlanti Prod. President Sarah Schechter (Arrow, Black Lightning, Legends, et al) plus DC writers and artists Julie Benson and Shawna Benson (Batgirl and the Birds of Prey), Shea Fontana (Wonder Woman, DC Super Heroes), Agnes Garbowska (DC Super Hero Girls) and Mariko Tamaki (Supergirl: Being Super) for this super-powered panel. Additional panelists to be announced.

The Pride of DC: The Art of LGBTQ Inclusion [2-2:45 p.m.]

On December 8, history was made with the debut of Freedom Fighters: The Ray, a new animated series on CW Seed, the digital channel of The CW Network, that features the first gay Super Hero to lead a show. The series is produced by Berlanti Prod. in association with Warner Bros. Animation and Blue Ribbon Content (WBTV digital group). Join The Ray executive producer Greg Berlanti and voice star Russell Tovey for a wide-ranging discussion with DC writers Marguerite Bennett (Batwoman), Steve Orlando (Midnighter and Apollo) and Mark Russell (Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles) about inclusion for LGBTQ characters. Watch Freedom Fighters: The Ray here. Additional panelists to be announced.

The Aftermath: Battle & Trauma in Comics [3-3:45 p.m.]

DC’s Batman author and former CIA counter-terrorism operations officer Tom King takes on Jack Kirby’s Mister Miracle in a new monthly comic book which focuses on a Super Hero who grapples with post-traumatic stress disorder, an issue not often seen in comics and tragically overlooked in the real world. King will be joined by Gotham recurring guest star J.W. Cortes (a 13-year Marine combat veteran and a police officer with New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority), additional comic-book writer/artists and thought leaders for a candid conversation about the lasting effects of battlefield trauma. Additional panelists to be announced.

Black Lightning Sneak Peek Screening [6:30-8:15 p.m.]

Cress Williams (Hart of Dixie, Friday Night Lights) stars as the title character in Black Lightning, a new series based on the first African-American DC Super Hero to have his own stand-alone comic title. The series debuts Tuesday, January 16, 2018, at 9/8c on The CW, but fans can get a sneak peek during this public screening at the Newseum, preceded by a reception. In addition to Williams, China Anne McClain (House of Payne), Nafessa Williams (Twin Peaks), Christine Adams (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Marvin “Krondon” Jones III (Harry’s Law), Damon Gupton (Bates Motel, Criminal Minds) and James Remar (Gotham, Sex and the City) star.

Based on the characters from DC, Black Lightning is from Berlanti Prod. and Akil Prod. in association with Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (Arrow, Legends, The Flash, Supergirl), Salim & Mara Brock Akil (Being Mary Jane, The Game, Girlfriends), and Sarah Schechter (Arrow, Legends, The Flash, Supergirl). The Black Lightning character was created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden.

Directly following the screening, series stars Williams, McClain, Williams, Adams, Jones, Gupton and Remar will join executive producers Salim Akil & Mara Brock Akil for an electrifying Q&A session about the series and its upcoming first season. Immediately following the Q&A, guests are invited to Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for the Black Lightning premiere party.