2012 will bring the highly anticipated release of BATMAN: EARTH ONE, an original graphic novel retelling the Batman legend in a contemporary setting.

The collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Geoff Johns and critically acclaimed artist Gary Frank, BATMAN: EARTH ONE also marks the first original graphic novel for Johns – who is best known for his work on fan favorite ongoing series for DC Comics.

Together, they will present a new vision of Batman – a flawed and fallible hero who isn’t yet the master of Gotham City’s shadows.

"Gary and I are tackling BATMAN from the beginning, before he knows what he's doing and with a very different ultimate goal in mind,” said Johns. “He's never left Gotham. And our Gotham and the people in it are very gray. Our heroes unlikely. Our villains hidden. Our story is only beginning with volume one."

“It's essentially the first piece of the jigsaw,” said Frank. “He's not the Batman people know, but he might be one day. He's certainly not yet a superhero. The fun is to watch him piece the persona together drawing on his experiences and the influences of those around him and, at this stage, the idea of becoming a ‘superhero’ hasn't even entered his head.”

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The superhero event of the summer is now the perfect gift for the holiday season. FLASHPOINT has been collected into a hardcover edition just in time for last minute shoppers in search of a quick fix for a comic book fan.

The critically-acclaimed series is written by New York Times bestselling author Geoff Johns, and features gorgeous, vibrant visuals by legendary artist Andy Kubert. Together they herald the triumphant return of fan-favorite Flash Barry Allen, whose resurrection in a new reality changes everything about the DC Universe and its iconic heroes.

Superman has spent a lifetime held captive underground for government tests.

Wonder Woman is at war with Aquaman, with the whole human race caught in the crossfire.

And Batman – well, we want to leave some surprises.

This isn’t some parallel Earth or some mirror world where everything is topsy-turvy. This is reality, and it’s up to Barry – powerless and alone – to set things right.

And, really, isn’t that what the holidays are all about?

Aquaman may be fighting against the tide of public opinion within the pages of his eponymous series, but his profile in the real-world media is undergoing a sea change thanks to his depiction in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. In an interview with THE HUFFINGTON POST, writer Geoff Johns dove right in to a candid conversation about the less flattering perceptions of the character ­ and how he embraced the challenge of making Aquaman relevant.

"I went back and read a lot of the old Aquaman and there's a lot of great stuff, but there was this attempt to push him as hard as he could to be cool or edgy and I thought that addressing that stuff would appeal to anybody, not just comics readers. It was different, no one had done that yet, and I thought it was more real and honest. And it's fun, working with an underdog."

Some have said that three is the magic number. If that’s the case, November should be a fascinating month. Here at THE SOURCE, we’ll spotlighting key third issues from DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 with an ongoing series of posts titled “3 Things You Didn’t Know About DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.” Expect the unexpected–in threes.

I can’t speak for the rest of DC Nation, but I continue to be reenergized by the direction of GREEN LANTERN.

Who’d have thunk that it would take Sinestro, of all characters, to do it? The GL nemesis now wears a GL uniform again…and this turn of events has transformed the series into the unlikeliest of buddy books, teaming Sinestro with his former protégé Hal Jordan. Seeing the two go back and forth has made the series a true joy to work on, thanks to the creative team supreme of writer Geoff Johns and artist Doug Mahnke.

Naturally, I’m super-excited for the series’ future, and here are 3 things I can share:

1. THIS IS NOT THE SINESTRO YOU REMEMBER.

Sinestro has always been known as the dictatorial GL who fell from grace and returned as the Green Lantern Corps’s greatest nemesis. Now Sinestro wields a GL ring once more — under mysterious circumstances, no less — and what he plans to do with it will likely surprise you as much as it did me.

In our first arc, we reveal a tragic secret about Sinestro: He has a beating heart, a fact Sinestro locks tightly away from the entire universe…until it unlocks for a millisecond. Explaining more would say too much, but watch for it — it could make Sinestro your favorite character in DC – THE NEW 52.

Is Sinestro a hero or villain? The answer is…yes.

2. THE RINGS CARRY SECRETS.

Sinestro revealed to Hal in issue #3 that the ring allows its bearer to create a “stealth mode” costume in black. We learn another doozy in issue #5.

What else does Sinestro know about the ring that we don’t? Stay tuned.

3. THE CORPS’S DAYS ARE NUMBERED.

At least, that’s how the Guardians of the Universe feel. As revealed in issue #3, they’ve deemed the Green Lantern Corps a failure, just as they once did the robot Manhunters that the Corps replaced billions of years ago. What exactly are the Guardians up to? They’ve been chatting about creating a “Third Army” — and what that is will become clear as the series slowly builds towards its next massive crossover with the other GL series. And THAT, DC Nation, will be so hugely momentous, it will quake the DC cosmos to its very core!

In the meantime, enjoy GREEN LANTERN for the here and now — Sinestro and Hal Jordan getting to know each other again for the first time.