This week, JUSTICE LEAGUE kicks off a brand new story arc in issue #7 of the bestselling series. Head on over to ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY to see an exclusive preview of the issue, which sets the superhero team in the present day for the first time.

“The first arc with Darkseid told of the League’s origins from five years ago, so we’re really excited to say that JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 is the team’s first adventure set in the modern day, right now in 2012,” series editor Brian Cunningham told THE SOURCE. “The opening pages of the issue establish the public’s perception of them…which is an enormous factor into what the ‘Villian’s Journey’ is really all about. In the pages following ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’s preview, we’ll see exactly how much the League itself has changed over the course of five years. It will definitely surprise you.”

JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 is written by acclaimed writer Geoff Johns and is illustrated by guest artist Gene Ha. The issue also serves as the debut of the SHAZAM! backup story, which is also written by Geoff Johns and features art by Gary Frank. Pick up the issue when it goes on sale this Wednesday. 

If you’ve been reading THE SOURCE, you know that there is a lot to be excited about in JUSTICE LEAGUE #7. Not only does the issue mark the beginning of a new story arc, but it also shifts the team from the past to the present … and reintroduces Steve Trevor! Written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by series guest artist Gene Ha, JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 is not an issue to be missed. And that’s not all! The issue also kicks off the new SHAZAM! backup story, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank, which reveals the all-new origin of Billy Batson in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. So now that we’ve whet your appetite, take an exclusive first look at JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 by checking out Gary Frank’s variant cover for the issue below. “It was great to get the chance to do all of the redesigned team members together,” Frank exclusively told THE SOURCE. “I noticed how it was generally Superman or Batman at the center of this kind of ensemble shot, so I thought I'd give the girls the spotlight this time by putting Wonder Woman in the heart of things.” “We asked Gary to draw #7’s cover simply because this issue contains Gary’s gorgeous first chapter of the ongoing ‘Shazam!’ backup story,” said series editor Brian Cunningham. “We felt it was a nice nod to tie the main League cast and Gary together. And, like he always does, Gary gives each League member a strong sense of humanity that not many artists can match. It’s what makes him an elite talent and we’re thrilled to be able to work with him on an ongoing basis. Oh, and wait’ll you see Gary’s take on Shazam and his cast — it’s his best stuff yet!” Look for JUSTICE LEAGUE #7 in stores next month.

Earlier today, we gave you a first look at tomorrow’s THE SHADE #3. Now, since it’s the season of giving and we’re feeling festive, we’re showing you one more exclusive asset from the issue. Below, check out Cully Hamner’s awesome variant cover for the issue.

"This cover's an example of the results I can get when I'm not allowed to romance the art for too long,” Hamner exclusively told THE SOURCE. “I had an extremely short window in which to get it done, and the idea design and execution came really fast, especially considering that I'm not known as a really fast artist. I did the concept sketch in about a half-hour, and I'd guess from starting the drawing to locking the colors was about two, maybe two-and-a-half hours. I had to stay extremely simple in my design and color composition (which, luckily, I had also done in the two previous covers), and the result is an image I really like. I guess the lesson here is that you can't go wrong with simple and direct!"

“The first three-issue arc of THE SHADE required an artist who’d be as comfortable drawing battles with armored assassins in Germany and giant lizard gods in Australia as he or she would be drawing conversations between two lovers in a bedroom and between two old drinking buddies in a nightclub,” series editor Wil Moss told us. “Thankfully just such an artist was available — the great Cully Hamner!

Ably abetted by color maestro Dave McCaig, Cully revitalized the look of The Shade and Opal City, depicting anything writer James Robinson could think to ask of him with style and ease. Cully’s set the bar pretty high for the artists who have to follow him, but if any group can hold their own, it’s Darwyn Cooke (#4), Javier Pulido (#5-7), Jill Thompson (#8), Frazer Irving (#9-11), and Gene Ha (#12).

But in the meantime, don’t miss THE SHADE #3, where Cully draws the coolest-looking fight between a giant lizard god and a man made of shadows that you’ll ever see. (Trust me, they’re going to be everywhere in 2012.)”

OUT MAGAZINE previewed TEEN TITANS #3, which features the introduction of a new gay character, Bunker. “We wanted to show an interesting character who’s homosexuality is part of him, not something that’s hidden,” artist Brett Booth told them.

This week, SUPERMAN #3 joins the ranks of the other eight DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 books to have an exclusive preview featured on ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’s homepage.

As the mystery surrounding Madame Xanadu’s plan thickens, the Justice League Dark team continue to come together. For a sneak peek at what’s coming next week, head over to GAWKER’s IO9 for their exclusive preview of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #3.

The colors and powers of the Green Lantern universe continue to meld together in GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #3. MTV GEEK has your first look at the issue.

Morphicius’ powers won’t stop growing and it’s up to Carter Hall to figure out how to stop him before he becomes invincible. Check out COMICVINE’s exclusive preview of THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #3.

Lots of exciting things happening over at POPMATTERS! “If you think about it, what worse horror is there, than having the person you love turn into a monster? And not losing the love?” I, VAMPIRE writer Joshua Hale Fialkov said in an exclusive interview. “And that to me is the drive of I, VAMPIRE. It’s the idea that he loves her beyond words. And he doesn’t love old her, her before the transformation. He loves her as a vampire. And that’s the real point. If Andrew were in love with this 500-year-old version of Mary that no longer existed, he would have just cut off her head a long time ago. But the fact is, he still feels the love and he still has this desire for her. And his hope, is not even to ‘cure’ her, it’s to ‘fix’ her.”

“My take on the character is, to Buddy Baker, his family always comes first,” Jeff Lemire told POPMATTERS about ANIMAL MAN. “There are really dark things trying to tear them apart. We’re going to see how far they can stretch before they break, and if they don’t break, they’re going to have to evolve into something new as a family to survive.”

And while you’re at POPMATTERS, be sure to read their profile of Superman in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES chatted with James Robinson, Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone about their upcoming collaboration, THE SHADE #4. “The whole thing is linked together, past and present, so that there is a story in the present, which concerns the Shade's past and a family you didn't realize that the Shade had,” Robinson revealed. “Each of the ‘Times Past’ issues play out that way. The first one jumps back into the 1940s, the second one is set in Paris in 1901 and the third one is in 1830s London for the Shade's origin. Each time, you learn more about the family and more about what is going on. As I did with Darwyn's story, I took great pains with each of the other ‘Times Past’ tales with Jill Thompson and Gene Ha, to make them stand alone, even though they're a part of the bigger picture.”

NEWSARAMA spoke with Josh Williamson, who will be taking over as the writer of VOODOO in 2012. “I think people will be surprised by the direction we’re taking the character, how it works with what came before but also takes her into new dangerous territory,” Williamson said of his upcoming run.

Feeling festive? BATMAN ON FILM interviewed BATMAN: NOEL writer/artist Lee Bermejo about his creative process, how BATMAN: NOEL came into fruition and some teases at a project he’s contemplating set in what he calls, “the JOKER-verse,” that’ll be “a different take on a very classic character.”

If you’re still looking for some gift ideas, MTV GEEK just published a list of what they deem to be the 10 best Batman graphic novels. And if you like Batman-themed countdowns, NEWSARAMA has their list of the greatest villains Batman has ever faced.

To be continued …