DF Interview: Chrissy Williams examines older women sewing, baking and fighting to the death in ‘Golden Rage’

By Byron Brewer

In a world where older women who've been deemed useless to society are abandoned on an island, Golden Rage documents their golden years of making friends, baking dessert, and fighting to the death.

Created by writer Chrissy Williams (editor of DIE, The Wicked + The Divine), artist Lauren Knight (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and colorist Sofie Dodgson (Bitter Root, Tank Girl), Golden Rage is a brand-new five-issue miniseries where Battle Royale meets The Golden Girls!

After that build-up, I could not wait to chat with scribe Chrissy Williams.


Byron Brewer: Chrissy, as a writer and editor myself, it always does me good to see an editor finally getting the chance to shine with Golden Rage. “Battle Royale meets Golden Girls”, eh? I don’t know why, but sounds like my late mom would sure love this! Tell readers about the inspiration and genesis of this book you are so enthusiastic (also does me good to see) about.



Chrissy Williams: So, Golden Rage looks at a group of older women who have been deemed useless to society and abandoned on an island to fight to the death, whilst making friends and dessert. The idea originally sprang from watching Mad Max: Fury Road. That scene where we meet all the badass older women in the desert, all so perfectly capable and tough? I remember feeling really moved in that moment, just to see those characters on screen at all. We are so rarely shown older women who are tough and capable, and I wanted them to be my protagonists and celebrate them as heroes.

I’ve always looked to older women as role models – Angela Lansbury is still working now at 96. 96! Anyway, the idea of older women being exiled and forced to live together sprang from that – and the two touchstones of Battle Royale and The Golden Girls came together quite naturally in my head as a result. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother – that’s rough. I’m glad to hear she would love the idea of Golden Rage. I hope my mother likes it.


Byron: Take us into the world you and artist Lauren Knight are building for this mini-series.



Chrissy Williams: Lauren and I have talked a lot about what happened on the mainland to bring the women to the island. We’ve talked about what kind of horrific fascist society would tell its children that old women are weak and useless. The worrying thing is that I don’t think that society is a distant dystopia, but only a (hopefully) slightly exaggerated version of our own reality. Golden Rage doesn’t care about that fascist society though. It is a comic explicitly focused on the women themselves and their island existence. They get to make the rules up for themselves – we see how they live, how they fight, and how they survive.



Byron: Introduce readers to some of your prime protagonists, spotlighting who they are and a bit about their natures.



Chrissy Williams: One of the first old women we meet is Rosie. She’s Italian, and incredibly physically strong. She’s terse and blunt and takes no sh*t. She’d make a great wartime consigliere. Rosie lives in an abandoned lighthouse with two other women, Lottie and Caroline. Lottie is…less strong. She frets about cats and chickens and wants to make sure everyone is dressed warmly enough. Caroline is a creative writing teacher who wishes there were more books on the island, and she makes fun of the chicken-obsessed Lottie. Then we have Jay. Jay is only in her thirties, and she’s only just been sent to the island to join all these older women. But why…?



Byron: What else can you tell us about the island? Are there more than one of these extant?



Chrissy Williams: That is an excellent question I’m hoping we’ll explore more in the future! Other islands would surely bring their own unique challenges and constraints. Imagine being trapped on an island surrounded by bears, for example. This particular island has a rugged North Atlantic vibe, but it’s good that we’re seeing it in the summer. The women have a very different fight for survival come winter…



Byron: Any other inhabitants on the island outside the “golden warriors”?



Chrissy Williams: There are lots of inhabitants on the island, and we explore a few of the various gangs. Different groups settle in different areas and have different challenges based on whether they’ve living in a lighthouse, a cave, or some other kind of structure. These women have had to build their society here for many many years, so all sorts of interesting behaviors and beliefs have developed. We look at life and death, but what else is there? Is there room for art in a survivalist society? Can you have a nice bath there? What about a tasty piece of cake?



Byron: It’s a comic, so it begs the question: Is there any manipulative behind-the-scenes big-bad lurking? If so, can we get a clue or two other than “buy the book”? (LOL)



Chrissy Williams: Well, the biggest-bad is obviously the mainland and its underlying threat is felt throughout. I want to say the ageism and sexism in this society has been instituted by the menfolk, but I imagine that many women would have participated willingly in the denigration of older women, conditioned by the society they were raised in. Societal conditioning doesn’t make for a super-fun villain, though, so of course we focus more on the island women themselves. There is a constant fight for supplies and survival, which makes it inevitable that different factions develop, based on strength, intelligence, and other skillsets. Sometimes these different groups of women can coexist peacefully. And then sometimes a woman comes along who thinks she should get more than everyone else.



Byron: Talk about your collaboration with Lauren on Golden Rage.



Chrissy Williams: Working with Lauren has been brilliant. It’s her first full series as an artist, and my first full series as a writer, so we’ve been learning how to make it work together. Obviously I’ve brought in my previous experiences working as an editor on series like DIE and The Wicked + The Divine, but being able to make all the final creative decisions ourselves has been really exciting. There’s so much of our own personalities wrapped up in the book. Lauren has a great eye for horror, and I think some of the comic’s best moments come from seeing her dark art juxtaposed with humor in the text. I honestly can’t wait for people to see this strange little world we’ve created.



Byron: Chrissy, as a creator or as an editor, tell readers as you can about some projects ready to come out or that you are working on.



Chrissy Williams: Well, we just sent the DIE hardcover to press, which is very exciting. That’s all four series of Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans’ comic in one gorgeous volume. It’ll be out at the start of November. The Poetry Comics anthology I co-edited is out in PDF form now, from the publisher Sidekick Books. I’m also a poet, and my latest collection LOW is available in the UK and U.S. It includes a lot of poems about clowns and drag queens.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Chrissy Williams for taking time out of her busy schedule to answer our questions. Golden Rage #1 from Image Comics is slated to be on sale August 3rd!

For more news and up-to-date announcements, join us here at Dynamic Forces, www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/, “LIKE” us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/dynamicforcesinc, and follow us on Twitter, www.twitter.com/dynamicforces.

There is a major movie franchise out there that is not going by its original name and it’s thanks to the star. When screenwriter Derek Kolstad finished what would become is most popular film, he was inspired by revenge-thrillers with one-word titles like Payback and Shooter. He dubbed his film, Scorn. The problem came when the star of the film went out and talked about it, he always referred to it by the lead character’s name rather than the title. After a while, the studio realized that their star, Keanu Reeves, had done millions of dollars worth of brand recognition for the name John Wick… they decided to go with it and renamed the film. Why Reeves did this is unknown, but Kolstad has since admitted that John Wick is a better franchise name, saying, “I can’t imagine it being Scorn now.” Was this an intentional thing on Reeves’ part or just a happy coincidence? We may never know. 

If you check the major Hollywood sites like Deadline and Variety, they’ll tell you that October 2025 has been the lowest box office take in almost 30 years. It sits currently at $440 million with a few days left to add. In 1998 the box office did $455 million, which this month should just creep past. By comparison October 2018 did $832 million with just three films: Venom, A Star is Born and Halloween, taking in $481 million. But last year, October only took in $478 million showing the decreasing trend. Adding to the decline is the fact that no major releases were scheduled for this weekend because of the Halloween holiday. And what was put into theaters the whole month really didn’t get people’s attention. Tron: Ares was the highest profile film and that hasn’t even broken $70 million in its four weeks in theaters.   When you look at numbers like that, it’s hard not to think about what might have been. There was a big budget film slated for release this month, a film that got delayed and delayed and hasn’t even started filming. A film that finally has a finished script and is set to release in October of 2027… that of course is Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part 2. One of the most anticipated films currently in production, the sequel to the 2022 hit, bolstered also by the fan favorite HBO series The Penguin, would easily match and likely succeed the success of the first film. The Batman opened on March 4, 2022 and ended that month with $338 million domestically.  It was originally scheduled to be released October 3rd, looking at that release date, this year there really wasn’t any big film put in its place. The film would’ve done better than the first and that amount would’ve driven 2025 towards the top of the list, maybe even surpassing 2018. Ah, what could’ve been. 

DC Studios has potentially taken a significant step by filing for a trademark for a film titled "Salvation Run." A move that isn’t too surprising since the Salvation planet and the idea of using it as a prison for meta humans was introduced in the season finale of Peacemaker season 2. But the filing does indicate just how big this idea could be for the DCU. "Salvation Run" is a storyline from DC Comics that originally ran in the late 2000s. The story centers on the mass exile of some of DC's most notorious villains to a hostile alien world, forcing them to band together for survival. It was a concept originally pitched to DC by Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin. The trademark filing by DC Studios suggests that the company is considering developing "Salvation Run" into a feature film. While trademark filings do not guarantee that a film will be produced, they often indicate serious intent or early-stage development. The filing protects the title and concept, ensuring that DC Studios retains exclusive rights as plans evolve. Should "Salvation Run" move forward, it could introduce a fresh dynamic to DC's film slate. Instead of focusing on heroes, this story would shine a spotlight on villains, possibly expanding character development and offering audiences new perspectives on well-known antagonists. It also opens opportunities for ensemble casting, complex storytelling, and connections to other DC properties. 

For many MCU fans, there has been concerns about when or even if Jeremy Renner would be returning to the role of Clint Barton aka the Avenger Hawkeye. Renner first portrayed the archer in 2011’s Thor and returned in 2012’s The Avengers. He has been popping up as the character in various films and even his own Disney+ series that had been rumored to be getting a second season. And then came New Year’s Day 2023 and a horrific snowplow accident where the actor sustained over 30 broken bones, including a shattered leg, broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and a punctured lung. Renner has made a miraculous recovery and has returned to working on projects like Mayor of Kingstown and Wake Up Dead Man… but his future in the MCU is still unclear. Earlier this year Renner gave fans a disappointing update when he revealed that Marvel had talked to him about returning for season two but only offered him half of what he made for season one, which he turned down. None of this was looking good, even with two Avengers movies on the horizon. Shift to now where Renner is out doing various interviews and talking about the character again. He spoke of how Clint Barton has repeatedly tried to retire but keeps coming back and how he believes that it will continue that way until the character is killed off. He also said of the Hawkeye series specifically, "We got to where we’re trying to do the second season. And I think I’ll get strong enough to be able to do it. And we’ll work it out. It’s gonna be great." He was also asked by another Avenger actor, Brie Larson, if he would be returning for Avengers: Doomsday, to which he said “no” and then turned it back on her asking, “Are you?” The whole thing was done very playfully. And even if he doesn’t return for Doomsday, there’s always Secret Wars a year later. 

The highly anticipated Marvel series, Fantastic Four: First Steps, is set to make its debut on Disney+. Fans of Marvel’s first family have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of this new adaptation, which promises to bring fresh storytelling and exciting action to the beloved characters of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm. The film, which was directed by WandaVision’s Matt Shakman, will be available for streaming starting November 5th. The Fantastic Four have long been favorites among comic book readers, and with Marvel Studios now handling the property after the luke-warm reception of the first two Fox films and the universally hated reboot. First Steps is not a retelling of the origin story but rather moves on to the team having been well established after four years and dealing with their greatest threat, the world-devourer Galactus. The new cast includes Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the quartet of heroes along with Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatis and Natasha Lyonne. The film did moderately well in theaters, taking in a worldwide box office total of $521M and an 86% critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes.   

When James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the new co-heads of DC Studios, they put out a list of projects as part of their first phase called Gods & Monsters. And while some of those projects like Creature Commandos, Superman and Lanterns have moved forward, one of the projects seems to be stalled. That would be the DCU version of Batman in an announced The Brave and The Bold project. This is a different Batman from the one Robert Pattinson portrays in the Matt Reeves films and would be a bit older and paired with his son Damian as the current Robin. Andy Muschietti, the director of The Flash, has been attached to the project the entire time and appears to still be in line to helm the project. But in the last week we’ve gotten the first movement on the project in a while. First Gunn said in various interviews that the project is still in the work and has changed some since the initial announcement, but he didn’t go into any specific details. Then Muschietti and his producing partner and sister Barbara were asked about the project while at the premier of their new series Welcome to Derry, and IT prequel story. When asked if they were still doing the film, Barbara said, “The intention is yes, but we can’t talk about it.” Andy added, “We have to wait a few, a couple of months to start talking about it.” But then realizing he may have said too much: “I screwed it already.” This is leading fans to speculate that an announcement is imminent and that we may finally learn who will be donning the cowl opposite David Corenswet’s Superman.    

Though we have yet to see season two of the Percy Jackson series, season three is adding Kate McKinnon, known for her energetic performances and comedic brilliance on “Saturday Night Live,” as the goddess Aphrodite. McKinnon brings her unique charm and wit to the role, promising an exciting new take on the goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite is one of the most famous figures from Greek mythology. She is the goddess of love, beauty, desire, and passion. Ancient Greeks believed Aphrodite had the power to inspire love and attraction in gods and mortals alike. According to myth, she was born from the sea foam and emerged fully grown, captivating all who saw her. Aphrodite’s stories often involve her relationships with gods like Ares and mortal heroes, and she played a key role in the legendary events leading up to the Trojan War, most notably by awarding the golden apple to Paris. With Kate McKinnon stepping into the role, viewers can expect a fresh, humorous, and dynamic portrayal of Aphrodite. Besides her time on SNL, McKinnon has been in various movies including the 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters and the 2023 mega-hit Barbie. 

In an interesting turn of events, someone posted an image of the wrap gift for the upcoming Lanterns series, showing a baseball hat with the Green Lantern symbol and in the center of that symbol, a series of concentric circles. That person then commented that the modified logo could be indicating an involvement of The Centre, the main antagonist in Darwyn Cooke’s celebrated DC: The New Frontier series. That post was then removed by Warner Bros… In completely unrelated coincidence, have you read The New Frontier? Let me tell you about The Centre, a metaphysical, almost Lovecraftian presence, embodying existential dread and posing a challenge unlike any other faced by the world’s greatest superheroes. The Centre made its debut in "DC: The New Frontier" (2004), a miniseries that bridges the gap between the Golden Age and Silver Age of superheroes. In this alternate history, The Centre is portrayed as an ancient, primordial being that predates humanity itself. It is described as the very source of life on Earth, a sentient landmass that witnessed the rise and fall of prehistoric creatures and eventually grew to despise humanity, whom it perceives as a threat to the planet’s balance. The Centre is not a conventional villain. It is a massive, floating island with psychic and reality-altering abilities. Its consciousness spans across its entire form, making it nearly impossible to attack or reason with in any traditional sense. The Centre’s powers include: <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Telepathy: The Centre can communicate with and manipulate the minds of others, sending visions, inducing madness, or telepathically broadcasting its intentions. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Physical Invulnerability: Its immense size and composition make it resistant to most forms of attack, even those from the world’s strongest superheroes. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Creation of Monsters: The Centre spawns various mutated and monstrous creatures to defend itself and attack humanity. <!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Levitation and Flight: It can float above the Earth, moving with intention and purpose. In "DC: The New Frontier," The Centre’s appearance catalyzes the unification of the DC universe’s heroes, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and The Flash. Realizing that The Centre’s power is too great for any single hero to face alone, they join forces, combining their unique abilities and intellects in a coordinated assault. This is basically the precursor for the Justice League and would be an interesting story to loosely adapt if you were, say, building a new cohesive universe. 

Rian Johnson, the acclaimed writer-director behind the “Knives Out” franchise, has made headlines with his latest entry, “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” Johnson has openly described this third film as the closest the series has come to emulating the classic structure of an Agatha Christie novel—a deliberate shift from the subversive approaches of “Knives Out” and “Glass Onion.” At the Deadline Contenders London event, Johnson explained that “Wake Up Dead Man” adopts a “more traditional murder mystery structure,” echoing the formula Christie perfected. In his words: “This is how most Agatha Christie books work, where in the first act you meet all the suspects, you meet the protagonist, who’s not the detective. Then the murder happens, and the detective shows up.” This marks a departure from the previous films, which played with audience expectations—solving the murder early in “Knives Out,” and presenting a deceptively simple case in “Glass Onion.” In “Wake Up Dead Man,” Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc returns to tackle a darker, more gothic mystery, set in a remote stone church and featuring religious intrigue. The film’s protagonist, played by Josh O’Connor, is a priest who becomes Blanc’s sidekick, further grounding the story in classic whodunnit territory. Johnson also cited inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe, aiming for a “grounded, gothic tone” that predates Christie’s work. With the release of “Wake Up Dead Man,” Johnson completes his two-film deal with Netflix. So, what’s next? Johnson has confirmed that he will be taking a break from the “Knives Out” series to focus on an original project. “I’m writing right now, [but] it’s not one of these [Knives Out] films. It’s just something completely different, an original thing. I actually feel very energized after making this one [Wake Up Dead Man], but this is three in a row. It’s probably healthy to see other people.” He hasn’t revealed details about this new project or whether it will be with Netflix, but he’s made it clear that he wants to explore a different genre. Johnson’s creative philosophy is to “empty the well and then start from scratch,” ensuring each new film is a fresh challenge. Despite the break, Johnson remains enthusiastic about returning to the world of Benoit Blanc. He’s stated that as long as Daniel Craig is interested and audiences are engaged, he’d be happy to keep making “Knives Out” mysteries for life. Producer Ram Bergman echoed this, saying future installments are possible, but for now, the focus is on Johnson’s original script.

The Season 2 finale of Peacemaker has left fans with mixed feelings and a lot of speculation for the future. Known for its irreverent humor, brutal action, and surprising depth, the closing episode focused more on wrapping up emotional drama but also planted significant seeds for the future of the DC Universe (DCU). This was done through the introduction of Checkmate and Salvation, signaling the long-term direction for the first phase of the new universe. Checkmate, for those unfamiliar with DC Comics lore, is a covert intelligence agency known for operating in the shadows, often handling threats that are too dangerous or politically sensitive for public superhero teams. They first appeared in Action Comics #598, created by Paul Kupperberg and Steve Erwin. While in the comics, the organization is created by Amanda Waller, in the HBO Max series, it is founded by Amanda’s daughter, Leota Adebayo and the rest of the 11th Street Kids using the drug money that Vigilante had been saving. Their arrival marks a significant turning point, suggesting that future seasons—and perhaps other DCU projects—will explore the complex world of espionage, betrayal, and secret wars within the superhero community. Salvation in the comics is a prison planet where Waller and Rick Flag started sending metahumans too powerful to be held in regular prisons. This was introduced in the Salvation Run comic series, originally pitched by George R.R. Martin, written by Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges and drawn by a variety of artists including Sean Chen and Joe Bennet. This lead into the Final Crisis event which had Darkseid coming to Earth. In the series, Salvation is an alternate reality discovered through the Quantum Unfolding Chamber that appears to be Earth-like and ideal for Flag and Lex Luthor’s plan for a place to send Metahumans. The season ends with Chris Smith aka Peacemaker, forced into Salvation by Argus and left to fend for himself. These introductions show that James Gunn overall plan for Gods & Monsters, the first phase of the DCU, is going to loosely adapt Salvation Run and may lead us to a version of Final Crisis. Even though there is a cliffhanger ending, Gunn has said that there are no immediate plans for a third season of Peacemaker, but he’s promised that these characters will be seen again soon, and the existence of Salvation will playout over all of the DCU including the upcoming Lanterns series and the 2027 film Man of Tomorrow. Reaction to the finale has been mixed with some fans disappointed with the lack of action nor any big cameo that many had speculated. Other fans though appreciated the emotional catharsis achieved by the characters and the new direction which included a few members of Argus, specifically Sasha Bordeaux, Langston Feury and Judo Master, becoming members of Checkmate along with the 11th Street Kids. Where and how we’ll see this story continue has yet to be announced.