Lex Luthor's unexpected alliances in DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS

At the end of the epic DC Universe Online cinematic trailer, we see Lex Luthor giving what's left of the Justice League the lay of the land in a world where Brainiac is quickly taking over.

This storyline rolls out in DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS, where Lex Luthor must join forces with a few unexpected allies to take the fight back to Brainiac. But - The Atom? And Black Canary?!

Find out who else has Lex'sback as the series continues with issue #6 (shown below), on sale in April.

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DCU in 2011: Luthor wins in DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #1

If there was a crowd-stopper at last year's San Diego and New York Comic-Cons, it was definitely the DC Universe Online cinematic trailer: a great, six-minute piece of animation where the big heroes of the DC Universe, well, get absolutely destroyed.

Each time the trailer played in our booth, most everyone within a thirty-foot radius (myself included) would stop in their tracks and watch for the full video. The trailer's pinnacle comes when Lex Luthor [SPOILER WARNING] impales Superman with a kryptonite-tipped spear, which would draw a gasp from the crowd each time without fail.

Are you curious how Lex came to that moment of triumph? Just what happened in the DCU that tipped the scales to the side of evil? DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS, a 26-part bi-weekly series will answer your questions. Written by Marv Wolfman and Tony Bedard and drawn by the team of Howard Porter, Livesay, Adriana Melo, Norman Lee, and Mike S. Miller and with covers by Ryan Sook, Ed Benes, Ivan Reis, and more, LEGENDS is the official tie-in to the DC Universe Online game from Sony Online Entertainment.

And heads up, PlayStation 3 fans: we've been giving away PS3 beta codes from the DC_Nation twitter feed and our Facebook fan pages all week, and will be giving away more today. So if you haven't already, friend us, follow us, fan us and what have you and keep a sharp eye out for those codes to get an early peek at the game.

DC Universe Online will be available for the PC and PlayStation 3 next Tuesday, 1/11/11.

The first issue of DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS hits comic shops in February, and will be available digitally day-and-date for the PSP and at the DC Digital Comics Store.

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DCU IN 2011: DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS revealed — with EXCLUSIVE DCUO game screenshots

A while back, we unveiled some details about DCUO: LEGENDS, the new, biweekly series that would be set in the same universe as SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT’s own DC UNIVERSE ONLINE, which hits in early 2011.

Well, we’ve got more for you, and some jaw-droppingly beautiful art that’s sure to get you psyched for not only the game, but the book.

First up the creative: On the writing side, we have Tony Bedard and Marv Wolfman. Neither is a stranger to superhero comics, and fans and critics alike have been buzzing about Bedard’s work on R.E.B.E.L.S. and GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Wolfman, of course, is no stranger to comics, having penned inconic runs on TEEN TITANS, SUPERMAN and the legendary CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS – additionally, Marv’s a key part of the DCUO writing team. So who better to take point on telling tales set in that universe?

Artistically, we have two superstar talents handling the covers to the first two issues in Ed Benes and the variant to #1 by Ryan Sook. And while I can gush about them to no end, why not just take a look at each cover? Sook’s, in particular, evokes recent DCUO footage in a way that’s bound to get gamers and comic fans excited:

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For the interiors, we’ve got DCU vets Howard Porter and Adriana Melo. And if this sequence below doesn’t get you jazzed for the comic – and the game – well, I don’t know what to tell you.

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But that’s not all. In addition to the art, news and all around goodness above, we’ve also got NINE – yes, nine – exclusive screen shots from DC UNIVERSE ONLINE, courtesy of our friends at Sony Online Entertainment. What a nice way to kick off the week, huh?

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Get a first look at DOC SAVAGE #1

Writer Paul Malmont and artist Howard Porter join forces to launch the Man of Bronze into his own ongoing series. And with Doc Savage the target of a brazen attack on New York City, you can be sure things don't start off slowly. Tragedy will strike one of Doc's compatriots and someone may not survive the first issue's opening pages. We've got a sneak peek at the first issue right here, which hits today.

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Start your week with a look at John Cassaday's cover to DOC SAVAGE #1

Last week, you got a first look at Rags Morales' interpretation of "The Bat-Man" in the pages of FIRST WAVE. Today, we've got a first look at superstar artist John Cassaday's cover to DOC SAVAGE #1, written by Paul Malmont with interiors by Howard Porter, hitting 4/14.

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Pretty nice, huh? But it doesn't stop there. We'll have more to say and show in relation to Mr. Cassaday in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

FIRST WAVE editor Joey Cavalieri's ever-growing To-Do list...

Just got off the phone with Brian. He’s gotta make a few simple adjustments on the next FIRST WAVE script.

• Gotta call Rags Morales. Let him know everybody in the office is slapping me on the back for the looks of the first issue, as if I drew it. Might as well ring him up and share the, er, credit.

• Gotta call Nei Ruffino, same reason.

• Pardon my sharing my “to-do” list like this, but it’s the only way I can remember it all.

• Gotta call Howard Porter, make sure we’re getting more DOC SAVAGE pages like the one here.

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• Gotta call Paul Malmont, thank him for calling me “legendary” in a recent interview (Is that a nice way of saying I’m history?), and ask after the next DOC rewrite.

• Gotta call Moritat and thank him and Gabriel Bautista for the amazing SPIRIT #1 art job.

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• Gotta call Bill Sienkiewicz to see the first phenomenal SPIRIT BLACK AND WHITE story.

• Gotta call Kyle Baker to see if he called Harlan Ellison about the second one. Wait, do I have that backward?

• Gotta make sure that everybody’s still jazzed about seeing “The Bat-Man” in FIRST WAVE and that he’s in it enough.

• Jeez! That means I gotta call Brian again!

The FIRST WAVE expands in April

Did you think we’d run out of news after two weeks of DCU in 2010?

No such luck, Source crew. In fact, we’ve got two new ongoing books to unveil, both hitting in April.

You’re all familiar with FIRST WAVE, right? The pulp-y, neo-noir epic from writer Brian Azzarello and artist Rags Morales hits in March and brings readers into a world where the Batman, Doc Savage, the Spirit and many more hard-boiled heroes stand side by side.

To further flesh out the FIRST WAVE world and give some of these iconic characters some much-needed face time, we’re launching two new ongoing series: THE SPIRIT and DOC SAVAGE.

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DOC SAVAGE #1 kicks off the Man of Bronze's very own ongoing, as Doc Savage finds himself the target of a brazen attack on New York City. And things get worse as tragedy befalls one of Doc's allies, and it's starting to look like someone may not survive the opening pages of "The Lord of Lightning" arc. Featuring a story from Paul Malmont, the national bestselling author of THE CHINATOWN DEATH-CLOUD PERIL, with art by Howard Porter, with covers by superstar artists J.G. Jones and John Cassaday.

That's not all, though. the DOC SAVAGE series will also sport a JUSTICE INC. co-feature, courtesy of crime novelist Jason Starr (Vertigo Crime's THE CHILL) and artist Scott Hampton. The first installments finds our star, Richard Benson, the Avenger, chasing down the criminals that have abducted one of his own detectives, sending Benson into an heated, unforgiving rage.

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THE SPIRIT, written by Mark Schultz (Superman: Man of Steel, Xenozoic Tales) with art by DC newcomer Moritat and a snazzy cover by LADRÖNN, puts the spotlight back on Will Eisner’s fedora-wearing vigilante. What happens when the international crime syndicate known as The Golden Tree decides to help the villainous Octopus consolidate control over Central City’s criminal underworld? Well, it’s safe to say this is the kind of thing the Spirit handles best, even if The Golden Tree has offered up one of their deadliest – and sexiest -- assassins to take down the Spirit.

Check out a few pages of Moritat's lovely work below:

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The first issue also features the debut of the eight-page THE SPIRIT; BLACK & WHITE co-feature, showcasing some of the industry’s finest talents interpretation of the classic hero. And what better way to kick things off than a tale of the Spirit by writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Bill Sienkiewicz?

What's going on with the JSA in March?

Well, we gave you a little tease last week -- with some help from Matthew Sturges --about JSA ALL STARS #4 (which we've kindly included below), but what of the other titles tied to the team? I'm staying tight-lipped, but these cover images should help give you an idea to what's coming up.

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What's happening with the JSA in February? Here's a hint

February's still a ways away, dear readers, but we figured it'd be a good time to give you an inside look at the covers of some of the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA family of titles hitting that month -- and there's a ton of hitting happening in these pages. Check out the covers for the February issues of MAGOG, POWER GIRL, JSA ALL STARS and the JSA ANNUAL below.

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