AIN’T IT COOL NEWS ran an exclusive preview of JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #3 and caught up with series writer Dan Jurgens. “Our JLI will enjoy both the curses and benefits of greater United Nations funding and involvement,” he explained. “When you combine the fact that much of the UN's reasoning is simply PR, rather than actually getting something done, it's a recipe for problems.”

GAWKER’s IO9 spoke with the creative team of THE FLASH, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato. “When you read the first arc, it's about The Flash trying to evolve. You realize in the second arc, that that's what the Rogues have been doing this entire time,” Manapul revealed. “But obviously it went wrong and they're not together. We're going to see what that's all about and how they came across the powers that they now have.”

MTV GEEK chatted with BATMAN: NOEL writer/artist Lee Bermejo. “I wanted to make him as real as possible, so I started imagining his costume with Kevlar plating, and it would be a bit more useful, and reflect a little bit of real world clothing that you might find on motorcycle dudes, things like that,” Bermejo said of designing The Dark Knight for this original graphic novel. “I think this worked for the comparisons to Scrooge, too, because … his very demeanor is like a suit of armor.” Be sure to read the whole interview for an exclusive preview of BATMAN: NOEL, in comic book stores on Wednesday and available everywhere next week.

And while it’s still Halloween, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES decided to send shivers up your spine with their horror-focused interview with I, VAMPIRE writer Joshua Hale Fialkov. “To me, a book is titled what it's titled on purpose,” Fialkov stated. “This book is titled I, VAMPIRE and that means that in every issue, you're going to get a chance to look inside what it's like to be a vampire or to be in the life of vampire or to be surrounded by vampires. And the question of why Andrew can control himself when none of the others can is a big, big part of the story. It's a big part of what we're working on in the next year in terms of the mythology.”

Meanwhile, Atlanta’s CREATIVE LOAFING profiled GRIFTER writer Nathan Edmondson, a Georgia local. Check out their piece to read about how Nathan got involved in the comic book industry and teases at what’s to come in the series.

To be continued …

MAXIM chatted with AQUAMAN writer Geoff Johns who spoke in the defense of Aquaman and his cool cast of characters. . “Her background is really interesting,” Johns said of Mera. “She felt very strong to me, her hydroconnect powers are very interesting - controlling the water is visually beautiful and I felt the character was very appealing. That’s why we introduced her in BLACKEST NIGHT and had her stand on her own before we brought Aquaman in. You know, I think people respond to the character because she is such a strong, confident kickass superhero.”

TV GUIDE MAGAZINE interviewed BATWING writer Judd Winick. Head on over to their website to read what he had to say and to check out an exclusive preview of issue #3, which hits stores next week.

Speaking of previews, IGN has your exclusive first look at STORMWATCH #3. And while you’re on their site, be sure to check out their list of eight comic book writers to put on your radar, including Joshua Hale Fialkov, J.T. Krul and Sterling Gates.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES did the Monster Mash with Dan DiDio, Keith Giffen and Jeff Lemire, who teased the upcoming crossover between O.M.A.C. and FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. “The real subtext that's going on here -- and there's actually not that much subtext -- is seeing a little a bit of what Checkmate versus S.H.A.D.E. is about. How the two different agencies compare to each other or how they look at each other,” DiDio said. “The other subplot that is really interesting is, without giving too much away, Brother Eye might want something from S.H.A.D.E. and this might be a way of putting up a big distraction,” Lemire continued. “Trying to slip in the back door.”

Fan of The Big Bang Theory? Then head on over to ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY to check out Jim Lee’s awesome sketch of Leonard as a ThunderCat. Meanwhile, WIRED’s UNDERWIRE named The Joker as comics’ greatest supervillain.

To be continued …

You surf the web enough, you start seeing patterns.

The number 52, for instance, seems to be very popular right now. Drill down further and new trends start to emerge. Critics like ANIMAL MAN and THE FLASH. Websites likes a good holiday story, particularly a week out from Halloween. Ready?

FLASH FACT: critics really do like THE FLASH. Just check out POPMATTERS' advance 10 out 10 stars rave review of THE FLASH #2, which hits stores tomorrow. “Francis Manapul writer-artist behind the New 52 Flash and co-writer Brian Buccellato, simply streak ahead of any previous limitations in storytelling. What Manapul and Buccellato have produced with the Flash is a rich, textured drama that hinges on both the emotional core and hard scifi,” they wrote. “Manapul and Buccellato conduct readers to a wonderland of augmented cognition and rapid cell development. But the real joy is linking beyond the ideas the writers express, and finding science theories for ourselves like the neuroscience of prediction and quantum entanglement and bringing these to bear on our reading of the book … The Flash is simply comics at its finest.”

Want to hear more about THE FLASH? Head on over to NEWSARAMA, for Vaneta Rogers' interview with the creative team. "What's interesting about Barry Allen's perception among fans is that a lot of people think he's 'old-school.'"said series co-writer and artist Francis Manapul. "But in reality, the only thing old-school about him is his idealism. His optimism. Right? So he's this very black and white type of hero, and he's been thrust into this world that's gray." THE FLASH co-writer Buccellato suggests, "We went through a period where the anti-hero and tortured hero were prevalent, and it's because they were unique at the time that they captured the imagination of readers. But now, I think people see a noble hero as something special. We want somebody who will do the right things because they're the right things, and maybe we don't need to know that deep down he's tortured."

Meanwhile, with Halloween around the corner, GAWKER’s IO9 interviewed I, VAMPIRE writer Joshua Hale Fialkov to help get you in a horror state of mind. “I went back to Bram Stoker. I'm using Dracula but with a slightly more superhero twist,” Fialkov revealed when asked about what type of powers the vampires in his title possess. “They can turn into bats, wolves, and a hybrid monster (to give them that great visual punch). They have the Stoker set. They can walk in the sunlight, but they can't use their powers. To kill them, you must chop off their head and stake them in the heart. They can turn to mist. They're super-strong, but not Superman. The basic idea is that they're an upgraded version of us.”

AIN'T IT COOL NEWS interviewed DC Entertainment Co-Publisher and JUSTICE LEAGUE artist Jim Lee about DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. “Brian and Cliff have come up with ways of introducing centaurs into WONDER WOMAN that is very creepy, and it's exciting to see a realistic, modernist take on ancient Greek mythology, and used in a way to make it kind of...you know, the same way we've seen different updatings of classic mythology, like Frankenstein, vampires, werewolves, he's kind of doing that with Greek mythology, so it's exciting to see.”

Meanwhile, CBR spoke directly with the WONDER WOMAN creative team, Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. “Greek mythology is something that is unique to the character of Wonder Woman. Let's play it up. Why shouldn't it be played up?” Azzarello said. “The other thing is, now, we've given her a family -- a big, horrible family -- and the story possibilities are endless. The gods act horribly to each other, they act horribly to humans. But at the same time, they're not entirely unsympathetic, either. They are all coming from a place you understand. That's kind of the universal quality of mythology, that it's all about human nature. The other thing is, Wonder Woman's never had a Gotham City. Now, her family is going to be her Gotham City.”

While you're at COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, be sure to check out their exclusive first look at tomorrow’s TEEN TITANS #2.

Once Halloween is in the rear view mirror a week from today, we can all get ready for the winter holidays. Writer/artist Lee Bermejo helps sets the stage with an interview with NEWSARAMA about BATMAN: NOEL. “There are characters who fit in with the roles that those ghosts play in Dickens,” says Bermejo. “The ‘Ghost of Christmas Past’ is a sequence with Catwoman. The ‘Ghost of Christmas Present ’ is a sequence with Superman, and the ‘Ghost of Christmas Future’ is Joker. The roles these characters play at that moment in the story help serve the same purpose that the ghosts serve in A Christmas Carol.”

To be continued …

(Greg Capullo’s variant cover for JUSTICE LEAGUE #3)

New York Comic Con has been over for two days, but, well, everyone's still talkin' about it. Here are some recommended reads:

UGO caught up with Geoff Johns about AQUAMAN. “They are a glimpse of the horrific world at the bottom of the ocean and beyond that Aquaman has never faced, that we have never really encountered,” Johns said of The Trench, the villains in the series’ first arc. “They are still learning and meeting new species every day, so I wanted to go as horrific and bizarre as I could. And you haven't even really seen how bizarre these creatures can get. They are pretty nasty.”

Following the announcement of THE CURSE OF SHAZAM, NEWSARAMA chatted with artist Gary Frank. "Both Geoff and I were keen that our costume should look different to the rest of the Justice League's costumes since it comes from a different place," Frank revealed of how fans can expect Shazam to look. “We're still ironing it out but, whereas the other costumes feel very modern and cool, ours needs to feel timeless and, hopefully, cool. We are dealing with magic rather than tailoring, so this has to be in there somehow.”

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES spoke with Scott Snyder, writer of BATMAN, SWAMP THING and AMERICAN VAMPIRE, about all of his respective series. “To me, he takes on a Robin because he needs a human connection,” Snyder said of Batman. “He needs to be a father because of what happened with his parents. He needs an ally because he is lonely – even though he won’t admit it. So he takes on a Robin but then at the same time, as much as he cares for that character, he has tremendous issues about getting too close to anyone and having it be his mission.”

And speaking of Gotham City, AIN’T IT COOL NEWS chatted with Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti about ALL-STAR WESTERN and their upcoming series, THE RAY. “All great cities have their own history and Gotham is no different,” said Palmiotti about the setting of ALL-STAR WESTERN. “Some of the main landmarks in the city will be and are featured in some of the new 52 books coming out and we are working closely with the crew to make sure we create an environment that reflects both ways the time period and the life of the city.”

(The cover of BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN)

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has the first exclusive interview with Chip Kidd about his upcoming original graphic novel, BATMAN: DEATH BY DESIGN. “What I've always liked very much is that there are certain things Batman can do that Bruce Wayne cannot. But there's very much a flipside to that because there are things Bruce Wayne can do that Batman cannot,” Kidd said. “You need both of those things -- or at least I do -- to make things interesting. A good part of the story and the plot goes into the building and design trade of Gotham City -- how that works or doesn't work and how it's corrupted. There is a good bit of history with Bruce Wayne's father. It's not any kind of twisted, huge revelation. It's about the design legacy of the Wayne's in Gotham City.”

To be continued …

(Ivan Reis and Joe Prado’s variant cover for BATMAN #3)