Action Comics #2 variant cover
As you know, ACTION COMICS #1 by writer Grant Morrison and artist Rags Morales goes on sale today and we've already got a first look at a variant cover for issue #2, with art by Ethan Van Sciver. Check it out!
(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Wednesday, Afternoon (ET) Edition
Week two of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 kicks off today with more high profile coverage. Ready?
SWAMP THING issue # 1 goes on sale today and the NEW YORK TIMES has a lengthy major profile on writer Scott Snyder in the Arts section. If you haven’t already seen it, there’s an amazing spread from SWAMP THING issue #1 by Yanick Paquette. There’s also an interesting tease about the upcoming BATMAN storyline, with Snyder telling the NYT that “Gotham is trying to show you that everything you draw your strength from is wrong.”
Meanwhile, the HUFFINGTON POST has an exclusive preview of BATWING issue #1 and an interview with Judd Winick about Batwing and the character’s tragic origin story. Winick explains to HUFF PO “the fact that he lost his parents to AIDS and never knew them is one piece of that puzzle.”
Come back for more updates throughout the day. There are a number of big stories that we expect to be breaking shortly. To be continued …
From The Editor’s Desk: Janelle Asselin on BIRDS OF PREY
Like most DC editors, I’m not just an editor - I’m also a fan. And the book that made me a DC fan was BIRDS OF PREY. I’ve read a lot of DC books over the years, but BIRDS is the book that really hooked me. So when we were originally told that DC was bringing back BIRDS OF PREY in 2010, I may have knocked a few people over in claiming editorial rights to the book. I thought I was excited then.
It’s nothing to how excited I am right now.
The new BIRDS OF PREY is thrilling, fun, and beautiful. Writer Duane Swierczynski has crafted a story that takes off from issue one and does not let you stop for breath. It’s a new take on the characters and the team, so both new and old fans will come into the book on equal footing. But the spirit of BIRDS OF PREY - the spirit of doing good against all odds and the spirit of unlikely friendships - that remains in full force.
This spirit of friendship is most evident between Black Canary and our new character, Starling. Black Canary is, for the most part, the same incredible character she’s always been. As we move forward with the series, readers will discover that Black Canary in world of the New 52 has moved to the fringes of the super-heroic world but refuses to give up trying to save the world in her own way. Her good friend Starling has been by her side since college and they make a fun duo. For anyone who’s ever had that awesome BFF that’s nothing like you but seems to understand you anyway - you’ll immediately recognize and love the dynamic between Black Canary and Starling. Katana joins the team thanks to a nudge from another of Black Canary’s old friends - and while she isn’t exactly what Canary and Starling expect, well, she delights in bustin’ evil heads the same way they do.
But how does that spirit of friendship work with Poison Ivy, you ask?
For that you’ll have to wait and see - we have to keep some aces up our sleeves, you know! I will say that Duane’s done a great job of making her part of the team in a way that’s true to the spirit of all of the characters.
All of that being said, I’d be seriously remiss to not talk about artist Jesus Saiz’s contribution to the book. Holy cow, it’s so pretty. The thing I love about Jesus’s art is that he draws women realistically. The BIRDS are sexy, don’t get me wrong. But they’re a realistic kind of sexy that is a visual representation of the dedication the whole team has to making these characters real - not just eye candy. Each character has an individual style and flair that Jesus takes pains to show in his art. From the classic, traditional style of Black Canary to the rockabilly flair of Starling to the modern-samurai-chic of Katana to the sexy organic dress of Poison Ivy, each lady looks different and matches their personality externally. Jesus did endless designs and sketches to make sure we had each character right before we started on the book. And beyond the look of the characters, Jesus’s storytelling is dynamic and eloquent.
I could not be more proud of the work the whole BIRDS OF PREY team has done to put together our portion of the New 52. We look forward to having you along for the ride.
(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Tuesday Afternoon (ET) Edition
The Labor Day weekend didn’t slow down the publicity wave for DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, including high profile exclusive previews:
USA TODAY has the exclusive first look at DETECTIVE COMICS #1 and an interview with writer/artist Tony S. Daniel who told the paper that “fresh, brand-new villains are the ones who will give Batman challenges he's never faced before.”
AIN’T IT COOL NEWS caught up with STORMWATCH writer Paul Cornell and featured a preview of the series’ first issue. Cornell offered a tease of what to expect from the series and hinted at the specific roles of the team’s members. “Sometimes he finds it best to be a hero, working with the Justice League,” he said of Martian Manhunter. “Sometimes he finds it best to be a warrior, working undercover with Stormwatch. There he can indulge his terrifying side.”
The recently launched CHAMPION! has the first look at BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT issue #1. “I thought there’s no better way to bring something grand scale to Batman than having a mass-level breakout at Arkham Asklym, everybody from high-level important villains to low-level guys that nobody has heard of,” said series writer and artist David Finch. “By the end of the issue, they’re swarming over Gotham City, and it hast to be dealt with, not just by Batman but by a lot of characters.”
CBR had the very first look at JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL issue #1.
IO9 previewed O.M.A.C. #1 and spoke with series writer Dan DiDio, who teased an upcoming crossover with O.M.A.C. and FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. “I've always been attracted to the eclectic parts of the DC Universe and so has Frankenstein writer Jeff Lemire, so it feels like a natural fit,” said DiDio. “So much of my story is built on the war of Brother Eye and O.M.A.C. versus Checkmate, and S.H.A.D.E. gets brought into the middle of it.”
THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ Hero Complex debuted the first five pages of GREEN ARROW #1, written by L.A. based J.T. Krul. (The piece also included coverage of last week’s midnight event at comic book shop House of Secrets in Burbank for the official launch of DC Comics-The New 52.)
Meanwhile, SALON.COM interviewed DC Entertainment Co-Publisher and JUSTICE LEAGUE artist Jim Lee about DC Comics-The New 52 and JUSTICE LEAGUE #1.
Each week, IGN will be conducting interviews with the DC Comics-The New 52 creative teams. So far, they’ve posted interviews with DETECTIVE COMICS writer/co-artist Tony Daniel and with JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL creative team Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti. “We want to construct fun, entertaining stories that capitalize on bigger-than-life events with a strong mix of characters,” Jurgens said.
To be continued …
Teasing DC Comics-The New 52: "He makes a sound like a supersonic bomber."
"He makes a sound like a supersonic bomber. And then it looks like his shadow itself turns against him."
– Corporal Rock in MEN OF WAR #1
Teasing DC Comics-The New 52: "Stop playing superhero!"
"I remember a time when you would have begged me to stop playing superhero!"
– Buddy Baker in ANIMAL MAN #1
“OMG…WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO FLASH IN THE NEW 52?”
Let me say this up front: FLASH is the DC series I’ve always loved the most. I own more Flash comics than I can count, and have adored the character since I was a 4-year-old living in a tiny Queens apartment. So it’s an understatement to say that editing this series in DC Comics – The New 52 is a true privilege.
And what a series it is! The super-talented writer-artist team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato has me running giddy on a cosmic treadmill! FLASH remains a very fun series to read — it’s got drama, intrigue, tragedy, humor…everything you want out of your entertainment!
But it also has something else. It’s something we let slip at Comic Con, but many of you might not have heard it, so brace yourself for this SPOILER WARNING:
The Flash is a single man. He’s a bachelor who has never been married.
I’ll give you all a few seconds to take that in and digest it.
Yes, folks — in the post-FLASHPOINT world, Barry Allen has not only never dated Iris West, but he’s dating someone else entirely in issue #1! And that someone is…his longtime coworker Patty Spivot!
If that upsets you, sorry about that. But I make no apologies for opening up a traditional storytelling avenue with our hero’s romantic life, something that’s been shut closed for a very long time now. This is no indictment of marriage. I’m a married man and wouldn’t trade it for anything. But in the realm of fiction, I feel strongly that this change to Barry opens up fresh, new creative directions and exciting new storylines.
But don’t fret—Iris West remains an active supporting cast member. And a wonderfully entertaining one, at that! Who else could possibly hit up Barry for anonymous crime-story tips to fill her blog on the Central City Citizen’s website? No one but the go-getter Iris could consume so much caffeine and live to tell about it.
And who knows, maybe someday we’ll have the opportunity to see why Barry and Iris fell in love in the first place. Or maybe not! Stay tuned — I can assure you Barry’s love life will never, ever be boring!
The life and times of Barry Allen are as familiar today as they were yesterday, but his love life is one of the things that have been freshened up for 2011. New fans will fall in love with the fastest man alive for the first time, and I guarantee that longtime Flash fans will not only still recognize the world of Barry Allen, they will be hooked like they were the first time.
I should know, because one of those longtime fans is me!