Dial H | DC Comics

THE DARK Group Solicits

(The cover for DIAL H #2)

DIAL H #2

Written by CHINA MIEVILLE

Art by MATEUS SANTOLOUCO

Cover by BRIAN BOLLAND

On sale JUNE 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• Part two of the five-part opening story!

• As our hero learns to use the H DIAL, he begins to suspect there is something sinister at work.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #10

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art and cover by MIKEL JANIN

On sale JUNE 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• Featuring John Constantine , Zatanna , Deadman, Andrew Benet, Madame Xanadu, Black Orchid and Dr. Mist!

• In part two of JEFF LEMIRE’S first story the team sets up shop in their new HQ, the HOUSE OF MYSTERY – but first, they’ll have to survive an attack by THE DEMONS THREE!

ANIMAL MAN #10

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by STEVE PUGH

Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN

On sale JUNE 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• “EXTINCTION IS FOREVER” part two!

• Guest-starring JOHN CONSTANTINE and JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK.

• BUDDY BAKER seeks the help of THE TOTEMS to return to his family.

SWAMP THING #10

Written by SCOTT SNYDER

Art by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA

Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

On sale JUNE 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• The deadly return of ANTON ARCANE!

• This is the beginning of a new chapter in the SWAMP THING saga and a perfect time to start reading!

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #10

Written by MATT KINDT

Art and cover by ALBERTO PONTICELLI and WAYNE FAUCHER

On sale JUNE 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• Welcome aboard new writer MATT KINDT!

• “SATAN’S RING” begins here!

• FRANKENSTEIN and THE CREATURE COMMANDOS must investigate suspected double-agents in SHADE field offices. Their first stop is the UNTROPOLIS – an exact copy of Metropolis that floats upside down in the 4TH CLOUD above Superman’s home town.

I, VAMPIRE #10

Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV

Art by ANDREA SORRENTINO

Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN

On sale JUNE 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• As the vampires continue their journey across the country to their homeland they encounter an ancient enemy!

• Introducing THE ORDER OF THE VAN HELSINGS!

RESURRECTION MAN #10

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING

Art by JESUS SAIZ

Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

On sale JUNE 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• The battle between good and evil for RESURRECTION MAN’S soul...and if either side wins, Mitch Shelly loses!

• Where is the TRANSHUMAN?

DEMON KNIGHTS #10

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT

Cover by MIKE CHOI

On sale JUNE 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• Part two of “ASSAULT ON AVALON!”

• While searching for MERLIN, our heroes find KING ARTHUR…both of him!

See a gallery of all the cover artwork here.

Tags:

DC COMICS- THE NEW 52, Dial H, Justice League Dark, animal man, swamp thing, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E., I Vampire, Resurrection Man, demon knights

THE DARK Group Solicits

DIAL H #1

Written by CHINA MIEVILLE

Art by MATEUS SANTOLOUCO

Cover by BRIAN BOLLAND

1:25 Variant cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND

On sale MAY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• A brand new series by bestselling and Hugo award winning novelist CHINA MIEVILLE!

• What would happen if you discovered the H Dial, an unbelievably powerful artifact that turned you into a super hero?

• And what if you found out that the world is threatened by this very device that’s become your uncontrollable obsession?

• These are just the first questions asked in this thrilling and inventive storyline that introduces the strangest super heroes and super villains in the DCU while exploring the boundaries of reality!

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #9

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by MIKEL JANIN

Cover by RYAN SOOK

On sale MAY 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• New series writer JEFF LEMIRE introduces a new team roster and a new mission!

• Featuring JOHN CONSTANTINE, ZATANNA, DEADMAN, BLACK ORCHID and more!

• Constantine and the team must steal a map to the source of all magic out of the clutches of FELIX FAUST!

• The first of a four-part story that will have lasting implications for the entire DC Universe.

SWAMP THING #9

Written by SCOTT SNYDER

Art by YANICK PAQUETTE and MARCO RUDY

Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

1:25 Variant cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

On sale MAY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• SWAMP THING battles his way through the BONE KINGDOM to take on SETHE and his servants!

• This issue lays the groundwork for the debut of a classic Swamp Thing villain and the beginning of the next phase for this series.

ANIMAL MAN #9

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by STEVE PUGH

Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN

On sale MAY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• “EXTINCTION IS FOREVER” part one of three!

• Separated from Buddy, the rest of the Baker family is in terrible danger!

• Guest-starring JOHN CONSTANTINE!

ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL #1

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by TIMOTHY GREEN and JOSEPH SILVER

Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN

On sale MAY 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T+

• A stand alone tale detailing the history of the epic struggle between THE RED, THE GREEN and THE ROT!

• As seen in ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING, these forces will play a major role in the future of the DC Universe!

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #9

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI and WAYNE FAUCHER

Cover by ALBERTO PONTICELLI and WALDEN WONG

On sale MAY 9 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• S.H.A.D.E. sends FRANKENSTEIN to find the mysteriously missing ANIMAL MAN.

• Frankenstein battles THE ROTLINGS!

I, VAMPIRE #9

Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV

Art and cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO

On sale MAY 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• “RISE OF THE VAMPIRES” aftermath!

• The new leader of the vampires is ANDREW BENNETT?!

• The vampire pilgrimage to their new homeland begins here. Many new characters and stories will be introduced along the way.

RESURRECTION MAN #9

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING

Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO

Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

On sale MAY 9 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• Continued from this month’s SUICIDE SQUAD #9!

• AMANDA WALLER and the SUICIDE SQUAD want MITCH SHELLEY’S seemingly indestructible body in the worst way possible – and that’s how they’ll probably wind up getting it!

DEMON KNIGHTS #9

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Art and cover by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT

Cover by MIKE CHOI

On sale MAY 9 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• “THE MURDER OF MERLIN” begins!

• Who has the power to murder Merlin – and what else are they capable of?

Tags:

animal man, Animal Man Annual, DC Comics-The New 52, Demon Knights, Dial H, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E., I Vampire, Justice League Dark, Resurrection Man, swamp thing

China Miéville talks DIAL H and his superheroic alter ego

We recently announced DC Comics-The New 52 “Second Wave” and DIAL H which will be written by China Miéville with art by Mateus Santoluoco.

I had the chance to talk with China about writing his first ongoing series that will begin this May and what inspires him about the cult classic title DIAL H FOR HERO.

So, China, you’re an established award-winning novelist and now you’ll be writing your first ongoing comic book series. Can you tell us a bit about what that transition is like?

CM: Pretty much, I suspect, as people would imagine. Lots of nerves - because comic fans are appropriately passionate and unforgiving, and because it's a very different kind of writing. I have tended to write at length, I'm a person who likes descriptions and rococo prose, so having to strip that out, or rely on dialogue and so on, has been something I've been very nervous about getting right. All of which said, it's also been an unremitting delight to learn a new way of working. I like doing stuff that's collaborative, too - writing comics, involving very direct and ongoing editing, more than novels (which save it up for the end), working with cover artists, interior artists, bearing in mind everyone else writing in the universe, the history of the world you're writing in, and so on, is much more like being part of a gang than my usual stuff. I think it's gone well. I guess ultimately you have to ask the readers, though.

DIAL H FOR HERO is series with a cult following. What inspires you about the title?

CM: The initial joy that title always gave me was because making up superheroes is so ridiculously enjoyable, it's a basic game that all of us into comics play, it was always part of our draw for the world of capes. I doubt there's many comics geeks who didn't have scraps of papers covered in garish designs and 'cool' superhero names. Dial H is the title above all other that is the celebration of the superherogenerative drive - it's a superhero comic, and a metasuperhero comic at the same time.

Combine that, when I was a little older, with ongoing excitement at how little of the backstory and the universe of Dial H was ever explained, and I find that combination of child-geeky ludic delight and unusually opaque foundations unique in the DC universe, and indeed in any other comic universe of which I know. What I'd like to do is indulge that mystery but also prod at it, explore it, shine a few lights in crevices, without ruining everything by overexplaining. I remain convinced cakes are to be both had and eaten.

What’s it like to work with an artist and see your words and story illustrated, especially the protagonist?

CM: Lovely, of course. It's very good for the soul - you have to approach it with an open and collaborative frame of mind, because you aren't creating these characters alone, you're creating them with someone else, and the thing you create is always a strange combination of your ideas, theirs, and the ineffably generated third element that is sourced from neither of you, but becomes indispensable. I draw some myself, but I am deliberately not relating to any sketches I do as the echt characters, because they must all be joint creations.

What’s the first comic book series you ever read?

CM: Almost certainly one of the British ones, from 2000AD - Judge Dredd, or my beloved Nemesis the Warlock, or something like that. I remember as a kid finding a stash of old Aquaman comics and thinking - I was very very young - that this must be this Superman of whom I'd heard, and being interested that quite so many of his adventures were aquatic.

If you could be a superhero (existing or made up), who would you like to be?

CM: Like all comics nerds, I have, of course, long had my superheroic alter ego. His/my name is Doctor Crisis. I have pictures and everything. Power-sets are determined. I will attempt to retain a scrap of dignity by keeping them in my desk.

Tags:

brian bolland, china mieville, dc comics-the new 52 "second wave", Dial H, dial h for h.e.r.o., mateus santoluoco

USA TODAY on DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 “SECOND WAVE”

The news is out: DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 will begin releasing its “Second Wave” of titles beginning this May, with the addition of six new series. USA TODAY broke the story in this morning's newspaper, including interviews with DC Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras, BATMAN INCORPORATED writer Grant Morrison and DIAL H writer China Miéville.

In USA TODAY's exclusive announcement, Harras said, "The New 52 was about showing the new world. Now we're just expanding on that world and furthering the story.”

Want more details? Then definitely check out USA TODAY's article "Seven things to know about DC Comics' new wave of books" where there's more details, more quotes and more insight on the six titles.

Tags:

batman incorporated, bob harras, china mieville, DC Comics-The New 52, Dial H, grant morrison, second wave, The New 52, usa today

DC COMICS IN 2012 – INTRODUCING THE “SECOND WAVE” OF DC COMICS-THE NEW 52

In May of 2012, DC Comics will release a “Second Wave” of titles as part of its historic DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 initiative. Six new, ongoing series will build on the shared universe and bold concepts introduced in September 2011 with the renumbering of DC Comics’ entire line of comic books.

Featuring a variety of different genres and storytelling sensibilities, the titles in the “Second Wave” will be helmed by some of the most legendary writers and artists in the comic book industry, and will also feature the first ongoing comic book series written by acclaimed novelist China Miéville.

“The excitement of the initial launch of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 was in seeing the re-imagining of these classic characters and concepts,” said Bob Harras, DC Entertainment Editor-in-Chief. “The ‘Second Wave’ is all about world-building.”

DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 “Second Wave” includes:

BATMAN INCORPORATED – Writer: Grant Morrison. Artist: Chris Burnham. The acclaimed ongoing writer of ACTION COMICS, Grant Morrison, presents a fresh take on BATMAN INCORPORATED, in which the Batman brand is franchised globally in preparation for a major international threat.

EARTH 2 – Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott. The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.

WORLDS' FINEST – Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire. Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2. Perez and Maguire will be the artists on alternating story arcs.

DIAL H – Writer: China Miéville. Artist: Mateus Santoluoco. The first ongoing series from acclaimed novelist China Miéville, this is a bold new take on a cult classic concept about the psychological effects on an everyman who accidentally gains powers to become a hero.

G.I. COMBAT – Writer: J.T. Krul. Artist: Ariel Olivetti. Featuring the return of a classic DC Comics series, THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT, along with rotating back-up stories and creative teams – including THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, with writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Dan Panosian; and THE HAUNTED TANK, with writer John Arcudi and artist Scott Kolins.

THE RAVAGERS – Writer: Howard Mackie. Artist: Ian Churchill. Spinning off from TEEN TITANS and SUPERBOY, this series finds four superpowered teens on the run and fighting against the organization that wants to turn them into supervillains.

The six new series will replace BLACKHAWKS, HAWK AND DOVE, MEN OF WAR, MISTER TERRIFIC, O.M.A.C. and STATIC SHOCK, all of which will conclude with their eighth issues in April.

“Many of the characters from our canceled books will appear in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 titles, and in some very surprising ways,” said Harras. “We’re developing stories that reach from cultures around the globe to parallel worlds. We’re just getting started.”

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(BATMAN INCORPORATED art by Chris Burnham; Cover for DIAL H #1 by Brian Bolland)

Tags:

batman incorporated, DC Comics-The New 52, Dial H, Earth-2, g.i. combat, The Ravagers, worlds finest