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(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Thursday Evening (ET) Edition

In Los Angeles this Friday? COMIC BOOK RESOURCES and Golden Apple Comics will be co-hosting a wrap party for the release of the first issues of DC Comics-The New 52. In attendance will be Brian Buccellato (THE FLASH), Bernard Chang (DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS), Dan DiDio (O.M.A.C.), Joshua Hale Fialkov (I, VAMPIRE), Sterling Gates (HAWK & DOVE), Adam Glass (Suicide Squad), Kyle Higgins (NIGHTWING/DEATHSTROKE) and Scott Lobdell (SUPERBOY/TEEN TITANS/RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS). For full details about the event, head on over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES.

IGN continued their series of interviews with all of the creative teams behind DC Comics-The New 52. “I'm already growing attached to our first villain (and creation), Mob Rule,” THE FLASH co-writer Brian Buccellato said. “We are NOT making life easy for The Flash…why should we?”

And speaking of THE FLASH, IFANBOY has selected the first issue as their “Pick of the Week.” This marks the fifth consecutive week that they’ve chosen a title from DC Comics-The New 52. Ron Richards wrote a fantastic post about his connection to the character to accompany their selection. “When creating stories about The Flash, it’s all about speed and momentum,” he wrote. “Both in depicting The Flash within the book and the pace of the story itself. It’s clear with THE FLASH #1 that Manpul and Buccellato understand that. The kinetic energy that comes from drawing The Flash clearly is spread to the story itself and as of right now, I’m super excited to be a fan of The Flash once again.”

IGN also caught up with I, VAMPIRE writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and AQUAMAN writer Geoff Johns. “She's a lot more aggressive than most of our heroes in the DC Universe. But she is incredibly strong and she's incredibly loyal,” Johns said of Mera. “The first issue kind of sets the stage for Aquaman and then Mera comes into the book, and – I think it's issue #6 – is actually just going to focus on Mera. So for me, ever since BLACKEST NIGHT, pulling her out of obscurity and putting her into it and building her up, I think it just makes Aquaman stronger and it adds another iconic female superhero to the DC Universe.”

Want previews of some of next week’s second issues?

MTV GEEK has your first look at DETECTIVE COMICS #2, by Tony S. Daniel, Ryan Winn and Sandu Florea.

COMICVINE has the exclusive preview of JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #2, written by Dan Jurgens and featuring art by Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan.

We don’t know about you, but we’re sure going to miss seeing USA TODAY and THE NEW YORK TIMES’ weekly reviews of all the week’s releases.

And you may have noticed that NEW YORK MAGAZINE featured ANIMAL MAN in the “brilliant” section of their Approval Matrix, saying that issue #1 takes the book’s premise into “great, creepy territory.”

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Monday Noon (ET) Edition

This Wednesday will bring the final week of first issues from DC Comics-The New 52. The press buzz hasn't quieted down yet!

CBS SUNDAY MORNING profiled DC Comics-The New 52 yesterday. Keep checking back to THE SOURCE, as we will post the video here once it becomes available for viewing online. We don’t want to spoil anything, but if you missed yesterday's segment, be sure to watch the entire video. It has a particularly cool ending.

PARADE MAGAZINE ran a piece on some of the changes to Superman in DC Comics-The New 52. “We take him back to a time when he had to struggle more, when he was more vulnerable,” Jim Lee said to them about the Man of Steel. Want more Superman? Head on over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES to check out their exclusive preview of SUPERMAN #1, which hits stores this week.

YAHOO’s ASSOCIATED CONTENT interviewed DETECTIVE COMICS writer and artist Tony S. Daniel. “I wanted to nail down a more vintage detective/crime story aspect to the storytelling, a film noir style to my stories,” Daniel told them of the series. “The style here is the bleak, pervasive menace to Gotham City in Batman's world.” DETECTIVE COMICS #2 hits stores next week.

GAWKER’S IO9 interviewed BATWOMAN creative team J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman about what to expect from the series. “We're trying to establish that Batwoman operates in more of a supernatural portion of Gotham,” Blackman teased. Her opponents and some of the storylines have a supernatural bent to them, which in my mind makes them feel very different than the other Bat-stories. We're combining horror with romance with vigilante action, but there's also that strong supernatural angle as well.”

And if you’re still not sure what titles to pick up this week, there's a number of high profile exclusive previews to check out. In an interview accompanying their exclusive preview of TEEN TITANS #1, Scott Lobdell tells USA TODAY that the first issue is "designed specifically so that as you're sitting down to read this book, you're learning about Kid Flash, Red Robin and Wonder Girl. Pretty much what you see on the paper is what we know about them and what they know about each other." THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ HERO COMPLEX and IGN channeled their dark sides with their respective exclusive previews of I, VAMPIRE #1 and JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1. UGO has the exclusive first look at THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1, while MTV GEEK premiered their exclusive preview of THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #1.

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Thursday Morning (ET) Edition

Look what just landed on our desks!

Yesterday marked the release of 12 more titles in DC Comics-The New 52. As press continues to roll in, check out some of the highlights from the past couple of days.

For the fourth week in a row, IFANBOY selected a title from DC Comics-The New 52 as its Pick of the Week. Their selection this week? WONDER WOMAN #1 by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. “In this issue, she’s a straight up action star, with the power of a god,” IFANBOY wrote of the Amazonian princess.

And speaking of WONDER WOMAN, the series’ critically acclaimed creative team was interviewed by MTV GEEK, IO9 and COMIC BOOK RESOURCES. “There's a very clear sense that what's happening to these characters actually means something. Some of them are in real danger, and why are they in danger? Because they're up against something that is much more powerful and immoral than they are,” Azzarello said to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES. “ I always shy away from the word ‘evil,’ but let's just say there's some big evils in this book.”

UNDER THE RADAR chatted with Cliff Chiang, who will be part of a WONDER WOMAN release party at Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn, New York this Saturday. “We're revamping the gods and their roles in the world. They're kind of conniving and scheming for power,” Chiang explained. “Wonder Woman is a pawn of theirs. Sometimes she upsets their plans and sometimes she unwittingly helps them achieve their goals. It's been great modernizing the gods and getting rid of togas and all the classical Greek architecture. The heart of all that mythology is great, but we don't want any of this to feel old. We want readers to see a very clear creative vision. We're not just rehashing.”

In anticipation of a couple local signings over the course of the next week, THE LOS ANGELES EXAMINER gave Los Angeles native Eric Wallace’s MISTER TERRIFIC a 5-star review, calling it a “strong debut issue.”

THE HUFFINGTON POST interviewed BATMAN and SWAMP THING writer Scott Snyder. “All of a sudden these murders begin that start to alert him to the fact that maybe he doesn't know the city as well as he thought,” Snyder said of the Dark Knight. “there's an enemy from old Gotham nursery rhymes. An ancient evil in Gotham that's been there for centuries. Because Gotham really 300 years old, no matter how long Bruce has been Batman, he's not as old as the city. So maybe the city belonged to another symbol, a rival symbol, long before it did the Bat, and maybe that sort of organization or that enemy just hasn't really been bothering with Batman until now.” Head on over to THE HUFFINGTON POST to read the full interview and check out their exclusive preview of SWAMP THING #2.

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR highlighted their favorite titles released over the past two weeks from DC Comics-The New 52, which they dubbed an “impressive array of books.” Among their picks were BATMAN AND ROBIN, BATWOMAN, FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E., GREEN LANTERN, SUPERBOY, BATMAN, CATWOMAN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS and WONDER WOMAN.

SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE interviewed DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras about DC Comics-The New 52. "I think the (52) first issues really are setting the groundwork, but we're building from there with every issue," Harras told them. "The goal is definitely to keep readers excited and really kind of getting back to that sense of 'What's gonna happen next?' ... We're really just building the base of excitement."

FORBES covered the impact of DC Comics-The New 52 thus far. “To quote one comic store owner, ‘The New 52 is the biggest game changer in comic books we’ve seen in 30 years,’” the piece read. “The anticipation of the new releases every week has been nothing short of mind-blowing. Comic shops can’t keep the titles in stock. Some are selling out within hours of being put on the shelf, if they even make it to the shelf.”

IGN continued their series of interviews with all of the creative teams behind DC Comics-The New 52. Check out what Geoff Johns (JUSTICE LEAGUE), Tony Bedard (BLUE BEETLE), Judd Winick (CATWOMAN), Peter Tomasi (GREEN LANTERN CORPS), and Eric Wallace (MISTER TERRIFIC) had to say about their respective series. “There's a reason these characters stick together,” Johns teased. “You'll see new villains. You'll find out why Aquaman and Green Arrow hate each other. It's actually a pretty good story behind that, and that will come to light. You'll see the never ending problems that exist on the team because of Batman and Green Lantern. You'll see why Wonder Woman is the best fighter among the team. You'll learn why Superman keeps his distance from everybody else. There's a really cool arc where Superman and his role on this team is a little bit different than before. I think that's on purpose; he's a little bit disconnected from them. You'll see why Flash refuses to call himself a vigilante.”

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Tuesday Morning (ET) Edition

As we prepare for another 12 titles from DC Comics-The New 52 to be published tomorrow, coverage and buzz continues to roll in. Here are some of the highlights.

AIN’T IT COOL NEWS caught up with Geoff Johns to discuss JUSTICE LEAGUE, AQUAMAN, GREEN LANTERN and DC Comics-The New 52 as a whole. “My big story-line for my first year of AQUAMAN is him on a quest to find out who sank Atlantis,” Johns revealed. “Because it wasn't an accident.”

USA TODAY ran an exclusive preview of SUPERGIRL #1 and interviewed series co-writer Mike Johnson. "We're really excited about the opportunity to hand this book to a female reader who is into things like The Hunger Games. This is a strong character with her own point of view," Johnson told them of Kara.

MTV GEEK spoke with Jeff Lemire about FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. “He is absolutely humorless, which in turn leads to a lot of humor down the line,” Lemire said about the series’ protagonist. “But he is a noble soldier, an unstoppable killing machine with the heart of a poet and the manners of a Victorian gentleman.”

IGN continued their series of interviews with all of the creative teams behind DC Comics-The New 52. Check out what Nathan Edmondson (GRIFTER), Adam Glass (SUICIDE SQUAD), Peter Milligan (RED LANTERNS), Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods (LEGION LOST) and Peter Tomasi (BATMAN AND ROBIN) had to say about their respective series. “Their relationship is a father and son at odds right from the start,” Tomasi said to IGN of Bruce and Damian Wayne in BATMAN AND ROBIN. “Bruce struggles to get a handle on Damian and his past, trying to his best to teach his son what it means to be a just and moral person but making plenty of mistakes along the way. Damian wants to be accepted for who and what he is, but his past and present are locked in a constant battle that threatens to take a terrible toll.”

NEWSARAMA has the exclusive preview of LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 by Paul Levitz and Francis Portela. The issue goes on sale tomorrow.

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Monday Afternoon (ET) Edition

As we get ready for the third week of full releases from DC Comics-The New 52, the previews keep rolling in. Want to know what’s coming up? Check out some of the press highlights from the past few days.

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ HERO COMPLEX shed a spotlight on local Los Angeles writers Kyle Higgins and J.T. Krul with their exclusive previews of NIGHTWING #1 and CAPTAIN ATOM #1.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has the first look at GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1, by Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna.

WIRED’s GEEKDAD and UNDERWIRE teamed up to post the exclusive preview of BLUE BEETLE #1 (and in case you missed it last week, click here to read GEEKDAD’s interview with series writer Tony Bedard).

IGN debuted the first sneak peek into Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort’s RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1.

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Tuesday Afternoon (ET) Edition

With the second full week of releases of DC Comics-The New 52 coming out tomorrow, more and more previews continue to roll out.

TV GUIDE MAGAZINE has the first exclusive look at SUICIDE SQUAD #1. “Espionage is not pretty, it's not martinis and tuxedos, it's usually down and dirty,” series writer Adam Glass (Supernatural) told them.

COMICS ALLIANCE debuted a 5-page sequence from BIRDS OF PREY #1 by Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz (and in case you missed it last week, be sure to read Editor Janelle Asselin’s blog post on what to expect from the series).

NEWSARAMA has the exclusive preview of DEATHSTROKE #1 by Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett and Art Thibert.

IGN continued their series of interviews with the writers and artists of all the books in DC Comics-The New 52. “Slade is a strategist—he's two, sometimes three steps ahead in a fight,” Kyle Higgins said when asked about DEATHSTROKE.

“The first thing we do is show that Batwoman just wants to be the good soldier of Gotham,” described BATWOMAN writer/artist J.H. Williams III told IGN. “She’s going after crimes and villains that really don't connect to her personal story, but they quickly become personal for her mission.”

“One of the primary aspects of his character that makes him so appealing and compelling is that he makes mistakes - big, huge messes in his life, and yet he keeps going on,” GREEN ARROW writer J.T. Krul said about the series’ protagonist to IGN. “He doesn't make excuses for himself; he doesn't pass the buck - Oliver Queen freely and wholeheartedly puts the blame on his shoulders and carries the weight day in and day out.”

NEWSARAMA also debuted the cover to DETECTIVE COMICS #4. Meanwhile, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has the first look at the cover for ACTION COMICS #4 and WORD BALLOON premiered the cover to GREEN LANTERN #4.

To be continued …

(EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ ABOUT) DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, MONDAY EVENING (ET) EDITION

Earlier today, we announced that all the books in the first two weeks of release from DC Comics-The New 52. As we ready for the week two books to hit stores, here are some of the press highlights from the past few days.

USA TODAY ran an exclusive preview of FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. and interviewed the series’ writer, Jeff Lemire (who also writes ANIMAL MAN). "I want to get deeper into his origin and see what makes this monster basically want to protect humanity,” Lemire said of Frankenstein.

IFANBOY published their exclusive preview of GRIFTER #1. “It’s Grifter from day one, from square one,” series writer Nathan Edmonson teased to them. “It’s not a Grifter you’ve seen before. It’s not a story you’re familiar with.”

IGN debuted the first six pages of RED LANTERNS #1, by Peter Millian and Ed Benes.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES had the first look at BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray.

COMPLEX interviewed Scott Snyder about the two series he’s writing, BATMAN and SWAMP THING. “It’s a big epic, ambitious story about Bruce Wayne and the way he thinks of Gotham as his friend and this kind of ancient evil under Gotham that exists, or may exist, that he has somehow overlooked as Batman,” Snyder said of BATMAN. “So it has to do with the history of the Wayne family and the Grayson family, and there will be big revelations about this enemy from the past, and this enemy is going to bring all the weight of history against the Bat family and try to crush them.”

IO9 posted quick reviews of each of the first week’s worth of releases from DC Comics-The New 52. They also dubbed ANIMAL MAN as the best book thus far. “One of the reasons Animal Man #1 works so well is that Lemire plops the reader right down into his daily routine...and then drops the horror in the final act,” wrote Cyriaque Lamar. “Gold stars for the creative team.”

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Tuesday Afternoon (ET) Edition

The Labor Day weekend didn’t slow down the publicity wave for DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, including high profile exclusive previews:

USA TODAY has the exclusive first look at DETECTIVE COMICS #1 and an interview with writer/artist Tony S. Daniel who told the paper that “fresh, brand-new villains are the ones who will give Batman challenges he's never faced before.”

AIN’T IT COOL NEWS caught up with STORMWATCH writer Paul Cornell and featured a preview of the series’ first issue. Cornell offered a tease of what to expect from the series and hinted at the specific roles of the team’s members. “Sometimes he finds it best to be a hero, working with the Justice League,” he said of Martian Manhunter. “Sometimes he finds it best to be a warrior, working undercover with Stormwatch. There he can indulge his terrifying side.”

The recently launched CHAMPION! has the first look at BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT issue #1. “I thought there’s no better way to bring something grand scale to Batman than having a mass-level breakout at Arkham Asklym, everybody from high-level important villains to low-level guys that nobody has heard of,” said series writer and artist David Finch. “By the end of the issue, they’re swarming over Gotham City, and it hast to be dealt with, not just by Batman but by a lot of characters.”

CBR had the very first look at JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL issue #1.

IO9 previewed O.M.A.C. #1 and spoke with series writer Dan DiDio, who teased an upcoming crossover with O.M.A.C. and FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. “I've always been attracted to the eclectic parts of the DC Universe and so has Frankenstein writer Jeff Lemire, so it feels like a natural fit,” said DiDio. “So much of my story is built on the war of Brother Eye and O.M.A.C. versus Checkmate, and S.H.A.D.E. gets brought into the middle of it.”

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ Hero Complex debuted the first five pages of GREEN ARROW #1, written by L.A. based J.T. Krul. (The piece also included coverage of last week’s midnight event at comic book shop House of Secrets in Burbank for the official launch of DC Comics-The New 52.)

Meanwhile, SALON.COM interviewed DC Entertainment Co-Publisher and JUSTICE LEAGUE artist Jim Lee about DC Comics-The New 52 and JUSTICE LEAGUE #1.

Each week, IGN will be conducting interviews with the DC Comics-The New 52 creative teams. So far, they’ve posted interviews with DETECTIVE COMICS writer/co-artist Tony Daniel and with JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL creative team Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti. “We want to construct fun, entertaining stories that capitalize on bigger-than-life events with a strong mix of characters,” Jurgens said.

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Tuesday Noon (ET) Edition

We’re twelve hours from the launch of DC COMICS: THE NEW 52. Here’s the very latest on today’s coverage:

· AM NEW YORK highlights tonight’s highlight’s tonight’s Midnight Madness event at Midtown Comics’ Times Square location. DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio tells reporter Scott Rosenberg that “not only do we have two of the top talents in the industry launching our premier superhero team book, but it really does set a style and tone that people should be expecting throughout the line as we get into the new 52.”

· THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE interviews Dan DiDio about the increased diversity of DC Comics-The New 52 and interviews local PA retailers about our same day digital plans and the changes to DC Comics continuity.

· THE PATRIOT NEWS interviews local retailers and Dan DiDio about DC Comics-The New 52.

· IGN lists two books you might have heard of, JUSTICE LEAGUE # 1 and FLASHPOINT # 5, on their list of 10 Comics to Watch This Week.

To be continued…

Tags:

AM New York, Dan DiDio, DC Comics-The New 52, flashpoint, IGN, justice league, Midnight Madness, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Patriot News

Everybody’s Talking about (the Already Sold out!) Issue 881 of DETECTIVE COMICS

If you’ve been anxiously awaiting the final issue of Scott Snyder’s run on DETECTIVE COMICS with artists Jock and Francesco Francavilla, well, you’re not the only one. Issue 881 is one of the best reviewed issues in recent memory.

Witness:

IGN gave the issue a 9.5 and noted, “When all is said and done, this creative team has delivered one of the greatest Batman epics I've ever read.”

Josh Flanagan from iFANBOY declared issue #881 his Pick of the Week.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES called the run “historic.”

COMIC VINE awarded the issue a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars and called the issue “amazing.”

And here’s what NEWSARAMA had to say… “Detective Comics #881 represents the culmination of the single greatest run of Detective Comics in decades. Perhaps of all time.”

The issue went on sale yesterday and, like 880 before it, is already sold out. If you see a copy at your local comic book store, don’t hesitate. Just pick it up.

Tags:

Batman, comic book resources, comic vine, detective comics, francesco francavilla, ifanboy, IGN, jock, Newsarama, scott snyder