Come one, come all, as DC Co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio hold court for a relaxed afternoon discussion. Share your opinions, thoughts and questions with Dan and Jim for a spirited debate about anything and everything in Room 1A06-7. I’ve got my seat. See you in a few!
It seems like just yesterday that I was flying back from San Diego Comic-Con and now here we are and it’s time for the next stop on the 2010 DC Nation tour – Fan Expo Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Canada from August 27-29. Actually it was just yesterday that I flew back from San Diego, but thanks to the magic of comics you’re reading this weeks from when I write it. I’m jealous because when you read this it’s almost football season and you’ve seen a certain action movie that hasn’t come out yet as I’m writing this. I’m also hungry and I’m assuming that when you read this I’ll have eaten something. I’m really looking forward to the future—one month from now. Huh? Oh, right! I was talking about Fan Expo Canada. While I won’t be able to attend, I’m counting on all of our fans in Canada to keep a great tradition alive. You see, I once mentioned Dan DiDio’s love of the strangely flavored potato chips that are available in Canada. The DC Nation fans responded by brining Dan a TON of chips to the show.
So get ready and let’s try to top last year’s haul by bringing an obscene amount of chips to the show. I’m not kidding, people – let’s make this dream a reality. Only you can make this happen! Bring your odd-flavored chips to any of our industry-leading panels and have a blast asking questions of your favorite creators while delivering your contribution to the chip bonanza. Speaking of guests, check out this stellar rundown of who you can meet at Fan Expo Canada:
Gary Frank, Andy Kubert, J. Michael Straczynski, Ethan Van Sciver, Doug Mahnke, Brian Azzarello, Darwyn Cooke, Francis Manapul, Yanick Paquette, Cameron Stewart, Jeff Lemire and many more!
That’s some list, huh? If you are anywhere near Canada I’d suggest getting the heck over to this show, otherwise you might miss something totally awesome. And be sure to say hi to Dan for me when you drop off the chips.
Be seeing you,
Ian Sattler, Senior Story Editor DCU
...it’s best to leave while the party is still going. And we certainly have quite a party going on as we celebrate SUPERMAN/BATMAN’s 75th issue—in serendipitously enough the same year DC celebrates its own 75th Anniversary.
It’s hard to believe this all started with Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness wanting to expand the SUPERMAN franchise from their run with a new take on a team-up book featuring the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. In the past this was the WORLD’S FINEST, but that name just didn’t seem as fresh anymore. Enter Mike Carlin and his observation of an interesting tattoo he had seen on his commute—in a melding of the S-shield and the Bat-symbol, the book’s logo was born!
Now under that icon, some very impressive talent has made its way through its pages. And this couldn’t be more true of the book that will be coming out soon. Starting with an awesome cover by Frank Quitely, the lead story is by Paul Levitz, who finally gets to team the Legion of Super-Heroes with Batman as well as Superman and Superboy, all lusciously illustrated by Jerry Ordway, no stranger to Strange Visitors. But this is just the beginning. What follows is a special section featuring 2-page strips. My homage to WEDNESDAY COMICS.
It starts with Steve Seagle and Teddy Kristiansen doing the only sequel they ever will to IT’S A BIRD… with “It’s A Bat, ” a story of how an editor tries to get a special section like this going. It continues with Billy Tucci and Peter Tomasi with Gene Ha each playing up the grand adventures of our heroes, while Adam Hughes, David Finch, J.T. Krul, Francis Manapul, Duncan Rouleau, Jill Thompson, Michael Green with Mike Johnson and Rafael Albuquerque and Shane Davis all show us how the Superman and Batman families have been inspired by these two icons. From Supergirls to super-pets, and a wild take on a Lex Luthor and Joker teaming by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, it has it all, but don’t just listen to me. Go check it out!
So let the party rage—keep the music going, Matt Idelson—as I bid you a fond adios, muchachos; las Linterna Verde me llama.
--Eddie B.
It’s not San Diego without a DC NATION panel, and we’ve got a doozy to kick things off. We checked in with DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio for the lowdown on what fans can expect:
“The fun of San Diego Comic-Con begins tonight with the DC NATION CONVENTION KICK OFF PANEL. Join Jim Lee and myself as we talk some Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and much, much more. Who’ll be on it? What surprises are in store? Well, you know the rules — what’s said in DC NATION stays there, so make a point to get the show off to a good start. See you there.”
The DC NATION CONVENTION KICKOFF starts now in room 6DE.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Well look no longer because the 2010 DC Nation tour pulls into Charlotte, North Carolina for Heroes Convention from June 4th - 6th at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Hi, I'm DCU Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler. You might remember me from other convention posts such as, "The guy who was stoked to get doughnuts in Seattle" or "The guy with the party hats in Baltimore". I fly to Charlotte tomorrow at dawn (seriously why do they make flights that leave so early?) and I am am thrilled to be attending Heroes again. This is one of the best shows in the country for fans to come and meet their favorite creators and this year's guest list is pretty stacked. Take a look:
FRANCO AURELIANI, MARK BAGLEY, BRIAN BOLLAND, BERNARD CHANG , CLIFF CHIANG, CULLY HAMNER , SCOTT HAMPTON , TONY HARRIS , JEREMY HAUN , GREG HORN, ADAM HUGHES , JAMAL IGLE , KEVIN MAGUIRE , DUSTIN NGUYEN , MIKE NORTON , STEPHANE
ROUX , BILLY TUCCI , ETHAN VAN SCIVER & BILL WILLINGHAM
As usual we'll be hosting our industry-leading, not technically but theoretically award-wining panels on Saturday and Sunday. If you can make it to the show please come out and see us. It'll be fun, I promise.
DC NATION!
Saturday, 12-1pm, room 207BCD
The DC NATION returns to Charlotte! We’re always looking for new recruits, so be sure to come on by as Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler and some of the industry’s top talent give you the inside scoop on all things DC.
SUNDAY CONVERSATION WITH IAN SATTLER
Sunday, 12-1pm, room 209
All are welcome to join Senior Story Editor Ian Sattler for a relaxed Sunday afternoon discussion. Share your thoughts, or be enthralled, as the group share their stories and love for this medium.
As if he weren’t busy enough with his duties as Co-Publisher of DC Comics, our very own Dan DiDio is a constant presence at cons across the country and around the globe. From time to time, we’ll get a note from Dan with a photo of him and some of our great fans, so we thought it’d be nice to give a few of those dedicated, costume-wearing readers a little time under The Source’s spotlight. So here are a few shots from Dan’s most recent jaunt across the country with some familiar faces.
Vixen, Zatanna and a certain Dark Knight with Dan (and our other Co-Publisher Jim Lee in the background. Hey, Jim!) at WonderCon last month. From left: Thera Pitts, Dan, Emylee Wang and Aaron Blossom.
This snapshot of the Lantern spectrum comes to us from sunny Florida, where Dan was attending MegaCon not long ago. Can you name all the characters above? If so, your eyes are better than mine. Here’s a listing of some of the costumed folk: Rick Lance, Rebecca May Womack, Derek Rich, Dan, Dwight Dunbar, Sherita Dunbar, Danny and Heather Kelley and John Lemay.
Another from MegaCon: Dan and Black Lantern Superman, i.e. Danny Kelley. Nice duds, dude! Um, is that a heart in your hands?
We’ll have some more photos as we get farther into the convention season, so stay tuned to The Source.
April 14 is a big day for fans of THE FLASH. How can The Source make it bigger, though?
Well, we're hoping you're as excited as we are about the launch of THE FLASH #1. Surely, you've seen the preview of THE FLASH #1 we ran on Monday and yesterday's sneak peek into artist Francis Manapul's concept art for the series? If not, they're definitely worth a look.
But here at The Source, we're always trying to brainstorm new and cool ways to make the comic reading experience a bit more fun. So what would be cooler than buying a copy of THE FLASH #1 -- from the creative minds of Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul? How about getting a copy of the comic signed by some of the amazing talent involved in putting the issue together?
How can you swing that? Well, it's easy. Starting 4/7 and continuing during the week leading up to the release of THE FLASH #1, DC NATION's Twitter account will be asking one Flash-related question a day. The first five Flash fans who correctly answer the question will be eligible to win a signed copy of one of DC's biggest new launches of 2010. Think you're an expert in all things Flash? Well, get ready to have your Scarlet Speedster knowledge tested, pal. Not only will I be bringing my years of Flash fandom to the task at hand, but I've enlisted the writer of THE FLASH himself, Mr. Geoff Johns to help me in crafting questions that will will be far from simple.
We'll announce all the legal goodies and rules on 4/7, the day before the contest actually launches. In the meantime, you can prep for the fun by signing up for a Twitter account if you don't have one. Once that's done, take a moment to start following DC NATION, THE FLASH writer Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul.
Good luck!
You know, ever since I started at DC Comics (nearly eight years ago for those of you keeping track), I’ve been asked when are we
going to do a new HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE and a new WHO’S WHO? Over the years I’ve given varying responses to these questions (everything from “waiting to find the right talent” to “not ready to start revising history’); after all, the creative energy that Marv Wolfman and George Perez put into the original HISTORY was hard to top, and the amount of man hours it took to build a new WHO’S WHO was a little daunting. And truth be told, if we ever planned to take on these two monumental projects again, we wanted to make sure we rolled them out at a time we felt that the universe was no longer in flux and the history, as built, and the Who’s Who entries would stay relevant for as long as the original projects (some of the editors, myself included, can be seen still using the original Who’s Who as a reference guide). The last thing we’d want to do is to build these books and have them outdated before their final issues hit the shelves. Well, given the events of BLACKEST NIGHT (you didn’t really think I’d give away the ending, did you?), and the fact that we are approaching DC Comics’ 75th anniversary, I am very happy to announce that the time is now.
A new WHO’s WHO is currently in production with the first issue hitting the stores in May. Like the original series, this is a massive
undertaking: 18 issues, over 800 entries and featuring, literally, a thousand characters. Former DC Editor Bob Greenberger has returned to the fold (Bob worked on the original Who’s Who as well) and is taking on the incredible task of building this series so that it has the same lasting impact of the first one. As for the history of the DC Universe, well, we are coming at that a little differently. Rather than a prose piece, master storyteller Len Wein has crafted a detailed and weaving story of two families whose lives have been impacted by five generations of super-heroes.
DC LEGACIES tells the tale of the history of the DC Universe as experienced by the characters who live in it. Five generations, ten issues and fifteen of comics’ greatest artists will be telling a tale for the ages. And while you will be hearing more about this project as it gets closer, this Nation page just gives you a sample of the first-issue art of the incomparable team of Andy and Joe Kubert as they tackle the first generation and the age of the Mystery Men.
A little special comic book goodness to kick off 2010. Happy New Year, Nation!
To be continued…
DD
You've seen the cover to OUTSIDERS #27, but what else does artist Philip Tan have in store for the team with writer Dan DiDio? Well, we don't know all the answers, but we have some, courtesy of this week's DC NATION column, which you can find in every DCU comic this week.
How's it going DC Nation? Not a ton of time to post today, as I'm about to get on a flight from LA to Baltimore. Make sure to check back on Monday for a full update from the 10th annual Baltimore Comic Con. We'll be doing DC Nation and Sunday Conversation and I will probably talk about pro football. Just a hunch on that last one. The one good thing about the length of this flight is that I'll have time to watch the new Superman/Batman animated DVD. See ya back East!
