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FLASHPOINT FRIDAY: “Death solves all problems."

Sean Ryan’s one-shot, FLASHPOINT: GRODD OF WAR, takes its readers on a trip to a war-ravaged Africa. Led by his hunger for violence and power, Grodd has successfully taken over the continent and has been made king of all the land. With plans for expanding his empire globally, Grodd is not a character to be overlooked. We talked to Sean about his tortured protagonist and what the ramifications of his rule of Africa might have on the FLASHPOINT universe:

THE SOURCE: While Grodd gives off a very tough exterior, he's clearly tortured by his own personal demons. Why is Grodd such a haunted figure, even in a world without a Flash?

SEAN RYAN: I think because there is no Flash in this world, that's why Grodd feels like crap most of the time. He's missing that challenge, or at least, that person who could give him a challenge. Stuff is coming too easily for Grodd in this world and he sort of hates that. He's a smart dude, Grodd. He likes to be intellectually stimulated. And he's not getting that.

What motivates Grodd?

SR: Power. He craves power over things. I think it mainly comes from a sense that he knows he's smarter than everyone else, so why shouldn't he be in charge? I certainly think that's what motivated Grodd to start his conquest of Africa. Now that the conquest is nearly over...His motivation is starting to change.

Tensions between Aquaman and Wonder Woman have had global ramifications. How does Grodd fit into the hierarchy of international super powers?

SR: He really doesn't. They ignore him. A thing I wanted to touch on in the story is how Africa is often ignored. There's awful things happening in Africa all the time in our own world and we don't really know about it. It usually takes some kind of celebrity to point it out to us. So that's sort of what's going on in Africa in Flashpoint. Grodd has taken over Africa and turned it into a mass grave, but the world could care less. They're more focused on Aquaman and Wonder Woman.

Grodd is a world leader. How does he rule Africa? Is he an isolationist?

SR: He rules Africa not very well, but he's not terribly concerned with running it very well. Grodd's not really one to enact wide ranging social programs. And he's an isolationist at the start of the story...But by the end of the story, you'll see Grodd start to look out at the rest of the world and see an incentive for joining the bigger war, but for reasons you might not have expected.

If Grodd's Africa had a motto, what would it be?

SR: I was looking up famous quotes and mottos for this question and found this insane quote from Joseph Stalin that sums Grodd's Africa and the story pretty well: "Death solves all problems."

Tags:

aquaman, Flash, flashpoint, flashpoint: grodd of war, grodd, sean ryan, wonder woman

FLASHPOINT FRIDAY: “The stakes involved? About 118 million lives.” – Rex Ogle

THE SOURCE: In issue one of the WORLD OF FLASHPOINT, we see the impact of the war on real world locations including Paris and New York. Why focus on those cities?

REX OGLE: I came up with three visuals that I thought nailed the social climate of a world on the edge of a terrible war. I picked Paris, because I wanted to show some mass destruction on the frontlines, and it’s a place people are familiar with (from movies and TV, if not first hand). Same with NYC—it’s iconic.

Also, I thought if the world were ending, how would people act on these streets I call home?

Will the series also explore DC Universe cities like Gotham and Metropolis?

REX: Metropolis and Gotham both get a lot of love in PROJECT: SUPERMAN and BATMAN: KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE (respectively), so I aimed for a more global tour of the world. After all, it is called WORLD OF FLASHPOINT. But Traci 13 does touch down in Gotham and finds a very unexpected ally.

Issue 2 expands the scope of the series even further, as Traci 13 travels around the world to Africa, Asia, and North America and South America.

REX: Don’t forget Australia, Antartica, and Europe! Traci 13 travels to every continent. But it’s not about the locations so much as the people she meets along the way. Expect plenty of cameos.

What area of the world has been the most impacted by the war between Aquaman and Wonder Woman?

REX: The entire planet has been affected by the Amazon-Atlantean feud, though none quite as deeply as Europe.

What, if anything, can you tell us about the global council that makes up H.I.V.E.?

REX: Hmmm, there's a scientist, a dictator, a madman, and of course a very scary kid. Who doesn’t love a creepy kid?

I really scored some rad cameos, drawing deep from the massive well of DCU characters and put together people I thought might be brought together under these kinds of dire circumstances.

What made Traci 13 the right protagonist for this series?

REX: Here’s this young girl with an immense amount of power at her fingertips, but she doesn’t quite know how to use it in the beginning and it causes her to lose her family. I think anyone can relate to not being smart enough as a kid and making mistakes.

Also, her last name is “13”. I still think that’s cool.

Are any of the characters in THE WORLD OF FLASHPOINT actually better off than the versions we have known in the DC Universe?

REX: Wow. Great question. (No comment.)

The action in THE WORLD OF FLASHPOINT may well bring dire consequences to the world's population. Just how big of a threat is set in motion in the first issue?

REX: Hmmm. The stakes involved? About 118 million lives, including pretty much all of our fave heroes and villains. And to think, Traci is only 15 years old. NO pressure.

Tags:

aquaman, flashpoint: batman - knight of vengeance, flashpoint: project superman, flashpoint: the world of flashpoint, gotham city, h.i.v.e. council, metropolis, rex ogle, traci 13, wonder woman

IGN Begins Countdown of Top 100 Heroes in Comics

Top-traffic game site IGN has started a countdown of their top 100 super heroes of all time. Everyday they've been unrolling more and more of their list. So far, they've revealed a little more than half of their entries and DC has secured a solid number of spots, with characters such as Black Lightning, Superboy, Jonah Hex, Booster Gold, Aquaman, and Barry Allen being included. Head on over to IGN to see the full list so far and keep checking back as the rest is revealed today and tomorrow.

Tags:

aquaman, barry allen, black lightning, booster gold, IGN, jonah hex, superboy

FLASHPOINT FRIDAY: From The Editor’s Desk: Eddie Berganza on EMPEROR AQUAMAN #1 Cover

Earlier today, I gave you a step-by-step visual rundown of how a script page turns into a final piece of art. Now I want to show you two more process pieces by breaking out a couple covers. Let’s start with the cover to FLASHPOINT: EMPEROR AQUAMAN #1 – the same issue I gave you a sneak peek of this morning.

Covers tend to be tricky because not only does the artist need to capture the essence and themes of the whole book, but they also have to be careful not to reveal any spoilers. For these reasons, FLASHPOINT: EMPEROR AQUAMAN #1 is the perfect example of a successful cover. Looking at it, you certainly don’t get the impression that Aquaman is, to put it lightly, the nicest guy. He’s a warrior – one with attitude. He towers over a scene of destruction with his trident glimmering and ready for battle. So while the cover does not reveal any plot-specific spoilers, the overall feel of the book is made very evident upon first glance at it.

1. It all starts with a rough sketch based on brainstorming ideas about what the cover could look like.

2. Next, penciller Ardian Syaf takes this sketch and provides more detail and context.

3. Vicente Cifuentes then expertly layers on his inks.

4. And to conclude the process, Kyle Ritter fills in the inks with eye-popping colors.

Pretty cool stuff, right?

Tons and tons of work goes into this process. This is world-building one page at a time. Head on over to Comic Book Resources for two exclusive interviews with FLASHPOINT creators Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and Scott Snyder & Lowell Francis for a more in depth breakdown of these processes (and for some sneak peeks at the FLASHPOINT titles they’re working on).

Tags:

andy lanning, aquaman, ardian syaf, comic book resources, dan abnett, emperor aquaman, flashpoint, kyle ritter, lowell francis, scott snyder, Vicente Cifuentes

FLASHPOINT FRIDAY: From the Editor's Desk: Eddie Berganza on Emperor Aquaman

1. It all begins with the script.

Following Geoff Johns' lead from the main FLASHPOINT book, Tony Bedard script's a dire scene for FLASHPOINT: EMPEROR AQUAMAN.

Just one of the of the 20 books fleshing out the world of FLASHPOINT, but this one is giving the history that led to King Arthur's fateful decision to sink a continent.

PAGE ONE

Splash: Rome, shortly after Western Europe was plunged beneath the waves. In Vatican City, thousands of corpses float upward from St. Peter’s Square like eerie souls slowly ascending. AQUAMAN swims through them, trident in hand, stone-faced amid the death and destruction. This is about a day after a gigantic earthquake lowered Western Europe below sea level, so everything is under water and the buildings and pavement are cracked and wrecked.

BANNER: THE SUNKEN CITY OF ROME

11 Months Ago

CAPTION: [I’ll come up with some storybook-style captions like they came from the royal histories of Atlantis, narrating the scene]

TITLE: EMPEROR AQUAMAN

Part 1: Prince of Peace

2. And this is what penciller Ardian Syaf does creating a beautiful but disturbing image:

3. Adding depth to this is Vicente Cifuentes with his water proof inks:

4. Finally, Kyle Ritter finishes it with lavish color for a very grim opening to FLASHPOINT: EMPEROR AQUAMAN #1.

FLASHPOINT FACT: "He will drown the world--then rule it!"

It begins this May!!!

Tags:

aquaman, ardian syaf, eddie berganza, flashpoint, Geoff Johns, kyle ritter, tony bedard, Vicente Cifuentes

Flashpoint Friday: Andy Kubert on Aquaman

It's been a big week for Aquaman, with Geoff Johns announcing a new series continuing out of BRIGHTEST DAY. Here's Andy's take on Aquaman as you'll see him in FLASHPOINT.

"What you're looking at is probably my very first drawing of Aquaman. For Flashpoint, he's military, tough and rugged with a scar on his face. You can see a lot of Sgt. Rock in his look...but that's probably in my genes! I gave him the buzzcut to help with his background and decided to keep the trident like the original one...why mess with a good thing? The fins on his boots in this sketch didn't make the final cut for the series. I like the take no prisoner attitude that he portrays since that's his character. Someday, I'd love to take a crack at a hard-hitting mini-series with him. There's so much visual that can be done with underwater techniques."

Tags:

andy kubert, aquaman, flashpoint, flashpoint friday, Geoff Johns

"Where we go in the book will surprise some people"—Geoff Johns on AQUAMAN

Geoff Johns announced over the weekend at MegaCon in Orlando that he’ll be writing a new AQUAMAN ongoing series, spinning out of the events of BRIGHTEST DAY.

Today, NEWSARAMA has the first interview on the upcoming ongoing series, with Geoff explaining, "I really want to find Aquaman's place in the DC Universe, but then also explore what he means within the rest of that world."

Head over to NEWSARAMA for plenty of teases about what’s in store for Aquaman, Mera, Aqualad, and Black Manta.

Tags:

aqualad, aquaman, black manta, brightest day, Geoff Johns, megacon, mera, Newsarama

This is Aquawar (Part 2)

BRIGHTEST DAY #19 ended with Black Manta striking a very deadly blow during the first battle of the much anticipated Aquawar. The action picks up in issue 20, with a battle of father against son and the emergence of a new hero. Ivan Reis and Joe Prado deliver epic action throughout this issue, including an amazing two-page spread that ends this preview.

What say you, Aquaman fans? Have you recovered from last issue's cliffhanger yet?

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Tags:

aquaman, aquawar, black manta, brightest day, Geoff Johns, ivan reis, joe prado

"Valentine's Day is just a made-up day. But so is Wednesday."

Someone once said "Valentine's Day is just a made-up day. But so is Wednesday. Also, I think gravity is made up."

That someone? Gail Simone.

Hmmm, that doesn't exactly bode well for Huntress and Catman's upcoming first date, does it? We asked Gail, is this going to be a disastrous first date?

Here's what she had to say about BIRDS OF PREY issue 11:

"The most requested date in BIRDS OF PREY history happens in this issue. It's mostly about shy glances over a shared milkshake, and holding hands chastely in a lovely dewy meadow while parasols twirl slowly in the gentle breeze of Autumnal air.

"Well, no, not REALLY, these are the two lustiest, toughest members of the Birds and the Secret Six, so it's really more about sharp pointy things and bad behavior!"

Bad behavior? From Catman and Huntress?

Come to think of it, most of the time, these relationships seem destined to end in tragedy.