Writer Phil Hester has big plans for Wonder Woman in 2011, which includes digging into dark corners of Diana's past and deep into her rogues gallery.

Phil says it much better than I can:

"I’ve had the pleasure of revamping a few Wonder Woman villains of late and let me tell you something, I’ve never wished harder for a time machine. I’d love to go back and tell my twelve-year-old self that I’d someday be making a list of real-live DC super villains to play with, and deciding their fates in the pages of Wonder Woman.

Also, I’d knock the peanut butter cups out of my hand.

I’ve spent many a sleepless night making a mental checklist of all the awful people in the DCU who hate our beloved Diana, and though she deserves no enmity from any quarter, the list is long. Long and colorful.

There are decades of rogues to choose from, some ridiculous, some genuinely disturbing. And like Batman’s enemies, Wonder Woman’s seem to take their vendettas very personally. There are so many character flaws and bizarre quirks piled into these creeps that any writer could find a handhold there. I could lose myself for days scaling the mountain of peculiar opponents

lined up against Diana.

Yes, there is no shortage of miscreants who hate Wonder Woman, but that’s not enough for Wonder Woman: Odyssey. Mere hatred won’t do. I unfurl the list again in my head and check off the villains who hate Diana...

Until I find one who loves her.

-Phil Hester

Sweet, right?

Superman's walk across the country is a long one, but he won't be alone; writer Chris Roberson will have several of the DCU's biggest heroes join him at different points of his journey.

Take it away, Chris:

"On an unconscious level, Superman's return to the American Heartland in an attempt to reconnect with the values that he has begun to question, and to revisit the kinds of places where he had his earliest formative experiences

As 2011 unfolds, we’ll see Superman get to the real heart of this journey, both geographically and emotionally, as he encounters allies and enemies that remind him of key moments in his past. An encounter with the Flash in Colorado serves to remind Superman of the time he and teenaged Lex Luthor shared a detention hall. A meeting with Batman in the Utah desert calls to mind the time Clark Kent and a young Bruce Wayne defended a village in Bhutran from Vandal Savage, who was searching for the road to Nanda Parbat. And of course, those are only two of the eight stories we’ll be telling.”

- Chris Roberson

It’s no secret – especially if you’ve been reading this here blog – that SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE has press and fans alike talking about it. In fact, the book debuted at #1 on THE NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list for graphic novels.

So, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the creative team behind SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE will be reuniting for a sequel.

It’s too early to talk art, story or release date, but make sure to stay tuned to The Source for more info. We checked in with the DC Comics Co-Publishers, Jim Lee and Dan DiDio for their thoughts on the success of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE.

“Joe created a Superman for the modern reader – a Clark Kent that’s conflicted and inexperienced but also focused and determined to embrace his destiny,” DiDio said. “We couldn’t be more pleased with how it turned out.”

“Shane has elevated his game with his artwork on EARTH ONE,” Lee said. “Every once in a while, you get the chance to see an artist really blossom with a project – where everything clicks and the pieces come together. This is it for him. Complemented by Inker Sandra Hope's slick line and Colorist Barbara Ciardo's haunting palette, Shane truly creates a unique, new world."

With the added assignment of a sequel, Straczynski has gone from a pretty busy guy to a very busy guy, which means some adjustments have to be made to ensure a top quality second installment to EARTH ONE.

Starting with SUPERMAN #707 and WONDER WOMAN #605, Straczynski will step back as the monthly scripter of both books, opening the door for two rising talents to step in and complete the books’ respective storylines using JMS’s story notes. Straczynski’s influence will be apparent in both titles – Superman’s Walk Across America continues, the mysteries surrounding Wonder Woman barrel toward a conclusion and in due time you’ll have a second volume of SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE to put on the shelf next to the first.

To take on the SUPERMAN scripting assignment we have writer Chris Roberson, who was tabbed for the assignment by Superman Group Editor Matt Idelson. Roberson – who many Vertigo and FABLES readers know, wrote the recent CINDERELLA mini-series --will be stepping onto SUPERMAN with January’s #707. Roberson will be joined by guest artist Alan Goldman on #707 and regular artist Eddy Barrows with SUPERMAN #708 to complete the historic “Grounded” storyline in tandem with JMS.

On WONDER WOMAN, Editor Brian Cunningham brought in writer Phil Hester to join series artist Don Kramer and Straczynski, starting with WONDER WOMAN #605. Hester is no stranger to DC, which has featured his work as both writer and artist on a number of titles, including EL DIABLO, GREEN ARROW and NIGHTWING. WONDER WOMAN #605 will be co-penciled by artist Eduardo Pansica, who will also be the artist on #606. Kramer will return to full art duties with #607.

"I'd originally come to DC to do the Superman Earth One book which, at the time, was top secret so nobody knew about it," Straczynski said, "and filled out on Brave and the Bold for a while to have fun and get up to speed on the DCU. When I was done with SEO I took on the Superman and Wonder Woman monthlies on the theory that I'd have time to script the full 12 issues before bounding back onto Earth One. But when the huge numbers started coming in on Earth One, and the need to fastrack the next volumes became evident in order to keep the momentum going, I knew there was no way in god's green earth that I could write that and the monthlies simultaneously. Since DC has had my notes and outlines from day one on both titles, so they're still my stories, it makes sense to let Chris and Phil keep going from the story beats I’ve set up. I’ll dive in on occasion as needed for important story points. It's still my story, I’m involved in both books, and they're going to continue in the direction we set up. I’m looking forward to seeing what Chris and Phil have in store.

"Meanwhile, I'm taking full advantage of the situation to take a one- to five-year sabbatical from writing monthlies in order to go exclusively into writing graphic novels like Superman Earth One and Samaritan X, along with the occasional high-visibility minseries. I think that's where the business is going, and creatively, limited series and graphic novels have always been my strong suit in that they let me tell cohesive stories with a beginning, middle and end. They can also be written and drawn before anything is ever announced or solicited, as was the case with Earth One, which has been one of the greatest and most creatively rewarding experience of my career. At some point I'm sure I'll come back to monthlies -- it's just too darn much fun -- but for the next one to five years, it's strictly GNs and miniseries, with Superman Earth One being the first priority, followed by Samaritan X."

We touched base with Dan DiDio for his take on the plans and upcoming creative changes:

“We were so pleased with the response to SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE that it made sense to fast-track a sequel, and we definitely wanted to go back to the same amazing creative team. We knew we had to make some creative adjustments to the two ongoing books Joe was involved with to ensure his stories reached their natural conclusion and to also guarantee their arrival in stores in a timely manner. We firmly believe this plan is the strongest solution – it guarantees a fitting conclusion to two of the most historic and important storylines to ever involve Superman and Wonder Woman, while locking in another epic SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE adventure.”

The mysterious leader of the paramilitary organization finally confronts Wonder Woman as she continues learning what happened to the Amazons and why reality is askew. J. Michael Straczynski's epic tale keeps rolling on, with art by Don Kramer.

WONDER WOMAN #604 hits today.

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