A savage attack by the Amazons ends in Dick Grayson’s orphanhood. With Deadman now being the closest thing he has to a family, Dick will have to convince his friend to join him in the Resistance after a vigilante named Vertigo enlists their help. But why was the Graysons’ circus a target of an Amazonian attack? What do they have in their possession that’s worth so much and to what lengths will the Amazons go to attain it?

FLASHPOINT: DEADMAN AND THE FLYING GRAYSONS #2 is written by J.T. Krul and features art by Fabrizio Fiorentino, Alejandro Giraldo, and Kyle Ritter. Look for it when it swings into stores next week.

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This July, a new storyline kicks of in the TITANS ANNUAL #1 and continues into the regular TITANS series. (Those are the covers to the Annual and issue #37 by Fabrizio Fiorentino above!)

Why should Titans fans be excited about “The Methuselah Imperative”? Writer Eric Wallace explains why:

First of all, this is our biggest story yet since Deathstroke took over the team. Some of the action in the TITANS ANNUAL (part one of “The Methuselah Imperative”) is pretty intense. Readers are going to love when they see what artist Cliff Richards has accomplished. The only way to describe it is “epic.”  It’s exactly why we all love it when big superhero teams like the JLA meet up with a group of nasty villains like our current roster of Titans. You just know carnage will ensue.

But “The Methuselah Imperative” isn’t just one massive slugfest. What I love most about this storyline is that the emotional stakes for the characters—both heroes and villains—is just as big and epic as the action surrounding it. This is especially true for Ray Palmer, who finally catches up with Deathstroke to arrest him for the murder of Ryan Choi. Now Ray’s been on this quest for a long time, so he’s chomping at the bit to bring Slade down. Needless to say some major baggage is going to get jettisoned the hard way.

Also, Ray’s not the only character whose emotional journey comes to a peak during this storyline. There’s also Roy (Arsenal). Ever since the death of Lian, he’s been on a downward spiral. His friend Dick (Batman) is determined to pull him back into the light. Roy has resisted this up until now, but that’s going to change when the two former teammates go head-to-head in one brutal, grisly battle. This leads Roy asks some tough questions about what it means to be a hero and whether or not he can ever become one again. I won’t tell you what his answer is, but I will say that it changes the future of the Titans irrevocably.

Parts two and three of “The Methuselah Imperative” (TITANS #37 & #38) continues the story of Deathstroke’s master plan coming to final fruition. As you can see from the cover of TITANS #37, Jericho’s back and I couldn’t be happier. Not only is this something Deathstroke has been engineering since Day One, it’s also something I pitched to DC way back when we were creating this new direction for the Titans. I’ve always loved the character of Jericho and wanted to see another “classic” member of the Titans back on the team, but not necessarily one of the characters you might expect. At the same time, I didn’t want him to just show up. I wanted his return to be special. So in addition to his return to the Titans fold, we’ll also learn where he’s been, what he’s been up to, and how rejoining the Titans again just might end up saving his soul.

In addition to all this, there are also some big surprises for Marvel Family fans in “The Methuselah Imperative.” Osiris, whose primary obsession now is to bring back Black Adam, will see his relationship with Isis change. This is because they’ve returned to Kahndaq and now must somehow find a way to rule their kingdom together. And yes, it’s going to be a very rocky journey. Oh, and you might have also noticed Marvel Family villain Dr. Sivana on the cover of TITANS #37. How he’s mixed up in all of this, including Jericho’s return, is pretty wild. Let’s just say we’ll once again see Sivana putting the “mad” in “mad scientist” to full effect, and leave it at that.

As for Deathstroke and where he ends up at the end of “The Methuselah Imperative,” he’ll have gone through hell and back by that point. Therefore, he’s going to be ready for changes in his life. Massive changes, I might add. Stay tuned.

Written by the creative talents behind the highly anticipated motion picture, these exclusive one-shots tell the tales of the movie characters before the events of the film. What were Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Kilowog, Abin Sur and The Guardians all doing before the curtains rise on June 17?

Experience it all in these one-shots, as told by the superstar Green Lantern movie team including producer Geoff Johns (GREEN LANTERN, THE FLASH), screenwriter Michael Goldenberg, producer/screenwriter Greg Berlanti, producer Donald De Line, screenwriter Michael Green (SUPERMAN/BATMAN) and screenwriter Marc Guggenheim (JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA). Each issue will be available day-and-date digitally for $2.99.

GREEN LANTERN PREQUEL SPECIAL: SINESTRO #1

Written by GEOFF JOHNS and MICHAEL GOLDENBERG

Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO

Movie art cover

GREEN LANTERN PREQUEL SPECIAL: KILOWOG #1

Written by PETER J. TOMASI and ADAM SCHLAGMAN

Art by JOE BENNETT and FABRIZIO FIORENTINO

Movie art cover

GREEN LANTERN PREQUEL SPECIAL: ABIN SUR #1

Written by MICHAEL GREEN

Art by KARL KERSCHL

Movie art cover

GREEN LANTERN PREQUEL SPECIAL: TOMAR-RE #1

Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM

Art by CLIFF RICHARDS

Movie art cover

GREEN LANTERN PREQUEL SPECIAL: HAL JORDAN #1

Written by GEOFF JOHNS, GREG BERLANTI and DONALD DE LINE

Art by JERRY ORDWAY

Movie art cover

Each issue is 32 pages / Color / $2.99 US / RATED T

TITANS’ “Family Reunions” storyline kicked off last week in #28. The issue gives us a peek into Deathstroke’s ultimate plan for the team, as well as revelations about the promise he made to each member. But what’s it like writing Slade and the gang? TITANS writer Eric Wallace has his answer:

"For my approach, I let Slade's own wants and desires shape him, which in turn shapes what I write. Everything Deathstroke does relates to the big thing he wants, i.e. his mission. We've already gotten a few clues as to what that is, but it's still a mystery. That's going to change over the next few issues as we peel back the layers and finally reveal what Slade is really up to. The first of these new clues turns up big time in, of all places, Arkham Asylum in TITANS #28. Again, no spoilers here -- but let's just say a certain Arkham inmate has a crucial role to play in Slade's ultimate plan.

In regards to writing for this particular group of characters, these initial TITANS storylines are all about family. So, honestly, parenthood is a big inspiration for writing Slade (and the others). Slade is a dysfunctional father to these "children" (Osiris, Mark, Cinder, Cheshire, and Arsenal). So I often find myself drawing on the lessons of childhood and parenthood when shaping how and why the characters act or react in a particular situation. And what kind of dad is Slade? Well, there are many kinds of fathers out there. A father can be good, bad, selfish, honest, dangerous, self-destructive, loving, homicidal, stressed out, kind, gentle, or pure evil. Slade is all of these and more. It's what makes him, and all fathers, human. Throw in extreme, intense, or "grand guignol" situations (stories with high stakes, over-the-top violence, but grounded in real emotions) and you have the ingredients for good stories."

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