DC Universe Online Legends kicks off today - check out the digital variant cover from Blur Studios!

The first issue of DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS, the official comic book tie-in to the hit massive multiplayer online action game, hits comic shops and the DC Digital Online Store today. Picking up where the game's trailer left off, the villainous Lex Luthor's made a deal with the evil alien Brainiac that's given him the means of finally killing Superman - but he's doomed all of humanity in the process.

DC Comics Co-Publisher, legendary comic book artist and DC Universe Online Executive Creative Director Jim Lee had this to say about the new bi-weekly Legends comic book series:

"With DC Universe Online, we've managed to create a version of the DC Universe that fully captures the superhero experience, and lends itself to a virtually endless number of possible storylines and scenarios for each individual player. The Legends comic is another way for us to keep expanding the borders of that world, and attract new comic readers who'd like to dive even further into the DC Universe as they're playing the game."

Check out a preview of the first issue we posted here. Digital comics readers will get a special digital variant covers on their first six issues, all featuring art from Blur Studios - the same studio behind the thrilling DC Universe Online cinematic trailer!

Check out Blur's digital variant to issue one below!

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DCU in 2011: Luthor wins in DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #1

If there was a crowd-stopper at last year's San Diego and New York Comic-Cons, it was definitely the DC Universe Online cinematic trailer: a great, six-minute piece of animation where the big heroes of the DC Universe, well, get absolutely destroyed.

Each time the trailer played in our booth, most everyone within a thirty-foot radius (myself included) would stop in their tracks and watch for the full video. The trailer's pinnacle comes when Lex Luthor [SPOILER WARNING] impales Superman with a kryptonite-tipped spear, which would draw a gasp from the crowd each time without fail.

Are you curious how Lex came to that moment of triumph? Just what happened in the DCU that tipped the scales to the side of evil? DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS, a 26-part bi-weekly series will answer your questions. Written by Marv Wolfman and Tony Bedard and drawn by the team of Howard Porter, Livesay, Adriana Melo, Norman Lee, and Mike S. Miller and with covers by Ryan Sook, Ed Benes, Ivan Reis, and more, LEGENDS is the official tie-in to the DC Universe Online game from Sony Online Entertainment.

And heads up, PlayStation 3 fans: we've been giving away PS3 beta codes from the DC_Nation twitter feed and our Facebook fan pages all week, and will be giving away more today. So if you haven't already, friend us, follow us, fan us and what have you and keep a sharp eye out for those codes to get an early peek at the game.

DC Universe Online will be available for the PC and PlayStation 3 next Tuesday, 1/11/11.

The first issue of DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS hits comic shops in February, and will be available digitally day-and-date for the PSP and at the DC Digital Comics Store.

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DCU IN 2011: DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS revealed — with EXCLUSIVE DCUO game screenshots

A while back, we unveiled some details about DCUO: LEGENDS, the new, biweekly series that would be set in the same universe as SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT’s own DC UNIVERSE ONLINE, which hits in early 2011.

Well, we’ve got more for you, and some jaw-droppingly beautiful art that’s sure to get you psyched for not only the game, but the book.

First up the creative: On the writing side, we have Tony Bedard and Marv Wolfman. Neither is a stranger to superhero comics, and fans and critics alike have been buzzing about Bedard’s work on R.E.B.E.L.S. and GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Wolfman, of course, is no stranger to comics, having penned inconic runs on TEEN TITANS, SUPERMAN and the legendary CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS – additionally, Marv’s a key part of the DCUO writing team. So who better to take point on telling tales set in that universe?

Artistically, we have two superstar talents handling the covers to the first two issues in Ed Benes and the variant to #1 by Ryan Sook. And while I can gush about them to no end, why not just take a look at each cover? Sook’s, in particular, evokes recent DCUO footage in a way that’s bound to get gamers and comic fans excited:

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For the interiors, we’ve got DCU vets Howard Porter and Adriana Melo. And if this sequence below doesn’t get you jazzed for the comic – and the game – well, I don’t know what to tell you.

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But that’s not all. In addition to the art, news and all around goodness above, we’ve also got NINE – yes, nine – exclusive screen shots from DC UNIVERSE ONLINE, courtesy of our friends at Sony Online Entertainment. What a nice way to kick off the week, huh?

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Sony Online Entertainment reveals latest DC Universe Online trailer

Just in time for Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, our friends at Sony Online Entertainment have raised the curtain on another new trailer for DC Universe Online. The video is a doozy, and reveals some of the over-the-top combat and customized characters, as well as the powers and movement sets that players can choose from when creating their own addition to the DCU. Are you as eager to play this game as I am?

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