After a savage attack on his company that left him as a sole survivor, Oliver Queen is haunted by the final words of Roy, one of his closest friends: “You have it in you to do something inspiring, Ollie, and I’m going to watch you do it.”

While he seeks out a mysterious female raider he caught on camera during the attack, Oliver can’t help but wonder about the potential of his Green Arrow Industries. Can he fulfill Roy’s dreams of turning his corporation itself into a superhero? What would it take for a big business to not only fight for people but also inspire them?

“One of the (many, many, MANY) cool things Geoff has going on in FLASHPOINT is that for all the epic superhero moments, at its heart is a story about people dealing with change,” said Pornsak Pichetshote. “And, I don’t know, it seems like that’s the undercurrent of every major news story right now. Plus, from his hard-hitting heroes days, hasn’t Green Arrow had its roots in using cool superhero action to comment on the world? So why not keep that tradition going in a story that involves blood, super-weapons and archery?”

FLASHPOINT: GREEN ARROW INDUSTRIES is written by Pornsak Pichetshote and features art by Marco Castiello, Ig Guara, Vincenzo Acunzo, and Ruy Jose, and arrives in stores next week. Head over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES to view exclusive preview pages.

(Standard cover by Trevor McCarthy; Variant cover by Dustin Nguyen)

The mystery of the Gates of Gotham continues to unravel as Batman attempts to solve the clues tying the Wayne legacy back to them. But will he be able to figure this all out in time to prevent another attack made on the city?

With a reveal that will leave jaws hanging, BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM #2 is written by Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins with art by Trevor McCarthy, and hits stores today. To view exclusive preview pages, head over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES.

The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo this weekend was full of exciting news. Not only did we premiere lots of art for many of our books coming out this September, but two of our artists were also the distinguished recipients of the 2011 Joe Shuster Awards.

Congratulations to Fiona Staples, who won for Outstanding Comic Book Cover Artist for numerous titles including DV8: GODS AND MONSTERS #1-8 and SUPERMAN/BATMAN #79. Congratulations are also in order for Francis Manapul, who won the award for Outstanding Comic Book Artist for a variety of books including ADVENTURE COMICS #6, SUPERMAN/BATMAN #75, and THE FLASH #1-6.

And speaking of Francis Manapul, check out the above image for a first look at this fall’s THE FLASH #1, where he’ll be serving double duty as the artist and co-writer along with Brian Buccelato. And if that’s not enough, head over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES as they have the gorgeous first spread from issue #1. Keep checking back to THE SOURCE for more info, art, and details about THE FLASH in the coming months.

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).