DCU IN 2010: MORE ON BRIGHTEST DAY: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA

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AS: OK, I’m more awake now. Lunch does that to me. Are there any other DCU books that will be under the BRIGHTEST DAY banner?

DD: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA will also feature the banner, starting with April’s #44, but the characters that will be joining the team are still very much under wraps. Sorry, I’m usually not this secretive in the afternoon. Hope you understand.

AS: No worries, Dan. But I do have one more question before we wrap things up. Cool?

DD: Sure, but not right now

AS: OK, we’ll come back at 3pm. See you then.

DCU IN 2010: MORE ON BRIGHTEST DAY: TITANS

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AS: One of the titles that a lot of people have been asking about of late is TITANS. I know that we have a new creative team hitting soon. What can you tell us about that?

DD: TITANS is another series that will fall directly under BRIGHTEST DAY, with Eric Wallace and Fabrizio Fiorentino coming on board, starting with the TITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE SPECIAL and then the regular series. We loved the work the two of them did on INK, so we’re excited to see them build a new team of Titans, under the leadership of none other than Deathstroke, the Terminator.

Who the members are and how they affect the original Titans is a major part of the DCU’s story for 2010.

AS: Come on, Dan. You woke me up at 6 a.m. for this. Can you drop a few clues as to the roster?

DD: Don't see why not. Seeing as how the creative team is coming off a great mini-series like INK, it’s not a surprise that the Tattooed Man will be a member of Deathstroke’s Titans team.

AS: One more?

DD: Well, it wouldn’t be much of a Deathstroke team if there wasn’t a femme fatale in the mix, and we’ve definitely got one – with ties to the original Titans, to boot – in Cheshire. We’ll save the full roster for a later date.

AS: Fair enough. Readers, I’m starving, so I’m going to grab a quick lunch, but come back to The Source in about an hour for another bit of BRIGHTEST DAY news.

DCU IN 2010: MORE ON BRIGHTEST DAY: THE FLASH

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AS: In meetings I’ve heard BRIGHTEST DAY referred to, offhand, as DCU: REBIRTH. Being the sleuth I am, this leads me to believe it’s more than just a concentrated series, right?

DD: Definitely. BRIGHTEST DAY isn’t just a single book. Like BLACKEST NIGHT, it’s an event that happens across the entire DC Universe, affecting a number of titles.

Following BRIGHTEST DAY #0, we’ll be bannering a number of new and ongoing series with BRIGHTEST DAY, which will let readers know these books are key to the entire BD story.

AS: Keeping my detective hat on, since Geoff is writing BRIGHTEST DAY and we announced he’d be writing a new FLASH ongoing coming right around the same time…

DD: Correct. We’ll be launching the new FLASH ongoing series, by Geoff and Francis Manapul in April with a BRIGHTEST DAY banner, and there will be several more titles utilizing it come May and June.

With this book, Geoff and Francis are really bringing Barry Allen back into the spotlight and cementing him as the premiere Flash in the DCU in his own monthly. It’s no secret that I’ve been waiting a long time to se this. I’ve always been a huge Barry fan, and I can say that Geoff and Francis are reinvigorating him as a character in much the same way Geoff did with Hal Jordan. Should be fun.

AS: You mentioned other titles?

DD: Yup.

AS: Alright Source readers, swing back in an hour for more BRIGHTEST DAY news. It’s a busy Monday!

DCU IN 2010: KICK OFF YOUR MONDAY WITH SOME MAJOR NEWS

Alex Segura: OK Dan, I got your call, I’m here. It’s pretty early, even for us. This is a first for THE SOURCE – a live interview with you on the blog. Very exciting. What’s got you so jazzed up?

Dan DiDio: I’ll just get right to the point, Alex – we’re ready to announce everything that’s coming up after BLACKEST NIGHT.

AS: Wow, really? I’m glad I brought my notebook.

DD: And I’m happy to announce that for the DCU, after the BLACKEST NIGHT will come a BRIGHTEST DAY this April. A biweekly, 26-issue series, kicking off with BRIGHTEST DAY #0.

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AS: BRIGHTEST DAY – that’s major. Who’s steering the ship creatively, though?

DD: As you can imagine, we’re really excited by the great work the teams behind GREEN LANTERN and GREEN LANTERN CORPS have brought to our fans every month. And, we just don’t want to let go of that just yet. So BRIGHTEST DAY will be written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi.

AS: And both GREEN LANTERN and GREEN LANTERN CORPS will have a BRIGHTEST DAY banner?

DD: Correct.

AS: Can you say anything about the artists on the book? I’d imagine, since it’s a biweekly book, you’d need more than one.

DD: Sorry to wake you and not give you all the answers at once, but we have to save a few for later. We have a number of wonderful artists slated to contribute to the book, which we’ll be announcing soon. We can say that Fernando Pasarin will be handling the art on BRIGHTEST DAY #0.

AS: Sounds good. And we’ll have more BRIGHTEST DAY news for you faithful readers in, oh, about two hours. In the meantime, can I go grab a cup of coffee?

DD: Sure.

DCU in 2010: Closing the curtain -- for now

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Well, that's a wrap, folks. At least for now. Thanks for spending time with us as we roll out part of our plans for the coming year. It's been a busy and exciting few days here in Source-land, as you can probably imagine. So, why not take a moment to look over some of the major press hits spinning out of "DCU in 2010," shall we?

AIN'T IT COOL NEWS spoke to writers Geoff Johns and J. Michael Straczynski about their respective EARTH ONE OGNs, while NEWSARAMA caught up with artists Gary Frank and Shane Davis for their take.

TIME's TECHLAND blog cornered Superman Group Editor Matt Idelson to talk about the WAR OF THE SUPERMEN event slated to hit the DCU next year.

BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE writer Grant Morrison sat down with USA TODAY's John Geddes to discuss the time-hopping adventures of Mr. Wayne.

AOL COMICS ALLIANCE lead blogger Laura Hudson talked to incoming BATMAN AND ROBIN artist Andy Clarke and Batman Group Editor Michael Marts about the series and Clarke's upcoming stint.

MTV's SPLASH PAGE blog cornered writer Marc Guggenheim about his upcoming ACTION COMICS gig.

• After showing off some lovely Francis Manapul Barry Allen art, his partner on the book, writer Geoff Johns, talked to Geoff Boucher from LA TIMES' HERO COMPLEX blog.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES talked to both Dan DiDio and LEGACIES writer Len Wein about the upcoming 10-issues series spanning the history of the DC Universe.

IGN closed out the week with a chat with incoming GREEN ARROW writer J.T. Krul about the Rise of Arsenal and more.

Quiet week, eh? Note my sarcasm. Before I sign off and let you all enjoy your weekend, I want to give a quick thanks to all the readers for stopping by this week and visiting with The Source. Hopefully you'll stick around in the coming weeks. Because, as I noted above, this week's rollout is only part of what we have in store for you in 2010. Have a great weekend, folks.

DCU IN 2010: Special edition of DC NATION

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Hey, Dan DiDio here with special edition Digital DC Nation. And if you’ve been following The Source all this week you’ve gotten your first glimpses of the post Blackest Night DC Universe and a sneak peek as some the amazing stories and books we have planned for the 2010.

You’ve heard from Grant Morrison as he gave hints to the whereabouts of Bruce Wayne (possibly one of the wildest Batman stories ever to be told), while Group Editor Matt Idelson confirmed that Clark Kent will return to his famous costume just in time to enter into a WAR OF SUPERMEN (the culmination of over three years of Superman story telling) and have Marc Guggenheim join the writing team. And rounding out the trinity, I finally got to tell you the outcome to the Wonder Woman postcard campaign (and yes, issue 600 is heading your way in June).

Francis Manapul debuted samples of art that we feel catapults The Flash into the new millennium and master creator Len Wein encapsulated his plans for the narrative recounting of the history of the DC Universe in DC: LEGACIES. But like I said in the opening, if you have been following along on The Source, you know we didn’t stop there!

You also learned that the stunning events of JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE go directly into the aptly titled one shot JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE AND FALL which then gives way to the two major storylines THE FALL OF GREEN ARROW (in his ongoing series) and the RISE OF ARSENAL (in his own mini series), all of which, should not be missed!

And capping it all off, we were intensely proud to announce the new Earth One series of original graphic novels. Joe Stracynski and Shane Davis on Superman and Geoff Johns and Gary Frank on Batman, a great start to what I hope will be a great line of books.

So there you have it, your first look into what’s in store for DC Comics for 2010. I hope you are as excited about all this as we are.

Oh… what’s that you say?

What happens at the end of Blackest Night?

Sorry folks. Not. Just. Yet.

So enjoy the egg nog and pop open the champagne, we’ll be back with more in January, and then, all, or at least most of, your questions will be answered.

From all of us to all of you, thank you, as always for your continued support, and have the happiest of holidays.

To be continued….

DD

DCU IN 2010: FRANCIS MANAPUL’S FLASH

If you’re a regular Source reader, you know that while we love talking the talk, we know when to step back and let a piece of art speak for itself. This is one of those instances.

Not too long ago, we announced that Geoff Johns and artist Francis Manapul were taking the reins of the new FLASH ongoing series next year. We also showed a few in-progress pieces of the character, too. But we haven’t shown any final, colored, 100-percent Barry Allen Flash images. Until now, that is.

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Behold, the cover to FLASH: SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS, hitting in March 2010, a nice little appetizer before the epic meal that will be the FLASH ongoing. We’ll have more details on the issue in due time, but let’s focus on what you see above – this wonderful cover. We roped in Manapul to give us his two cents on the piece, and working on the Scarlet Speedster. Take it away, Francis:

“I'm excited to be starting the book. The entire creative team is looking forward to introducing new ways of portraying speed. It's also cool that we'll be introducing a new generation to Barry Allen as well as myself so I'll be right in they're shoes of getting to know this guy. It should be an exciting ride!”

Francis was also kind enough to give us a look into his process. Check out these two in-progress images.

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For more on the upcoming FLASH series from writer Geoff Johns, click over to THE LA TIMES HERO COMPLEX blog, where Geoff Boucher sits down with a fellow Geoff to talk about the book.

DCU IN 2010: MARC GUGGENHEIM STEPS IN AS WRITER ON ACTION COMICS

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If you’ve been paying attention to this blog at all over the last week, you’ve probably figured out that 2010 is gonna be a big year for the Man of Steel. THE WAR OF THE SUPERMEN will kick off on FREE COMIC BOOK DAY and that’s only the opening silo in an epic battle that will change Superman’s status quo.

Part of the sea change hitting the SUPERMAN titles begins next summer, as ACTION COMICS welcomes writer Marc Guggenheim as the new, regular writer. Guggenheim, as most of you know, has a slew of television and film credits, not to mention work on comics, including FLASH. But what’s his take on Superman going to be like? Well, don’t ask us. Ask Marc:

"One of my earliest memories was reading -- not even reading, just looking at the pictures, actually, as I was too young to read --

Action Comics. It's an enormous thrill and a humbling thing to write a comic you literally grew up reading. When D.C. called, I understood how President Obama must have felt when the Nobel Committee called him. Now I just have to work hard not to screw it up."

Sounds ominous – but when things are heading toward a WAR OF THE SUPERMEN, it’s not going to be rainbows and candy, is it?

For some more teases and clues on Guggenheim’s run, head on over to MTV’s SPLASH PAGE blog. And stay tuned to The Source. Believe me when I say there are more amazing announcements hitting in the next few days.

DCU IN 2010: WE KNOW WHO THE NEXT ARTIST ON BATMAN AND ROBIN IS

And, if we know, you’ll soon find out. Usually.

But before we go ahead and give you the news, we want to remind you that superstar artist Cameron Stewart is locked and loaded as the artist on BATMAN AND ROBIN for three issues, the first one of which hits next month. We’ve been super-careful about showing any art until the perfect time – now.

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Can’t wait? I know. It’s tough. But you’re welcome to revisit these images as often as you like, ok?

As some of you loyal SOURCE-ers know, this week is all about announcements, pointing to the big stuff happening in the DCU in 2010. It’s hard to argue that there’s a bigger title than BATMAN AND ROBIN, which has been rocking the new Dark Knight’s universe with regularity. So, who’s the next artist that’ll pair with the hyper-talented Grant Morrison?

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None other than Andy Clarke, coming off a spectacular stint on R.E.B.E.L.S. with writer Tony Bedard. What’s the arc about? Who does Andy get to draw? Too early to say, folks. But we did snag some of Batman Group Editor Michael Marts’ time to give us his two cents. Take it away, Mike:

“After Andy’s recent work on R.E.B.E.L.S. And BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL, we were dying to get him on to one of the main BATMAN titles. And this storyarc of BATMAN & ROBIN is the perfect fit for him—Grant Morrison actually tailored the script toward Andy’s artistic strengths.”

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And to hear more about the move from Mr. Marts and Andy himself, stroll over to AOL’s COMICS ALLIANCE blog.

DCU IN 2010: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE hits in April

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The World’s Greatest Detective is facing his toughest mystery.

Lost in the timestream, believed to be dead by his friends and enemies alike, Bruce Wayne must use every bit of intelligence, every ounce of strength and training he’s acquired over the years to find his way back to the city, and adopted family of vigilantes, he’d left behind.

Blasted by the mysterious and powerful Omega Effect in the pages of FINAL CRISIS during a deadly battle with the malevolent New God Darkseid, Bruce Wayne must battle back through the waves of time to reclaim what was his – his city, his life…his cowl?

From the kinetic and awe-inspiring imagination of writer Grant Morrison and an all-star cast of artists, including Chris Sprouse, who’ll handle art chores on the first issue, BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1 (of 6) hits in April and will prove to be Bruce Wayne’s defining moment as a hero, and his toughest challenge yet.

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But enough from me – what do the players have to say about this breaking news? Well, suffice to say, Morrison is calling the mini-series: “The latest chapter in the long-running, ‘definitive’ Batman epic.”

And how 'bout those amazing Andy Kubert design sketches?

For a bit more, swing by USA TODAY.com, where John Geddes sits down with Morrison to get more insight on where Bruce Wayne – and the entire Bat-universe – is heading.

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