The Shade, powerless and held captive by the deities of his great grandson’s Masonic cult, must devise an escape in time to prevent a terrorist attack. But who are these deities and how are they able to negate Shade’s powers? And what has driven Shade’s family to plot his death?

THE SHADE #10, written by James Robinson and illustrated by Frazer Irving, hits stores today. Click here to see an exclusive preview of the issue.

For this week’s installment of Preview Mondays, we’re giving you exclusive first looks at HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #1 and SWEET TOOTH #35.

Originally launched in the early 1980’s, HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE returns this July as a new six-issue miniseries. In the inaugural issue (on sale this Wednesday), Skeletor has rewritten all of Eternia's history. Now a scrawny and simple woodsman caring for his ailing father, Adam (a.k.a. He-Man) is haunted by dreams of his past glory. With the help of his hawk, Zoar, he decides to set out on a journey to rediscover his rightful destiny. But which of Skeletor’s henchmen is waiting to stop him before he can begin his quest? HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #1 is written by James Robinson and features artwork by Philip Tan, Ruy Jose and LeBeau Underwood. Click here to see an exclusive preview of the issue.

In SWEET TOOTH #35, Dr. Singh arrives in Alaska where the plague that decimated the world started. What will he discover about the origins of Gus, the plague and the hybrid children? And once he’s at the laboratory that started it all, what other secrets will he uncover? The Mysteries of SWEET TOOTH begin to reveal themselves as the exciting series conclusion draws near! SWEET TOOTH #35 goes on sale this week and is written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire. Click here to see an exclusive preview of the issue.

Fans of THE SHADE have already been treated to art by the likes of such fan-favorite artists as Cully Hamner, Darwyn Cooke, Javier Pulido and Jill Thompson. Tomorrow, artist Frazer Irving joins this roster with THE SHADE #9 for a 3-issue arc.

“The Shade was always fun in the original STARMAN comics, but I'd never considered how I would go about drawing him as those characters always seemed to be the playthings of those with a far greater pedigree than mine,” Irving told THE SOURCE. “So when the opportunity arose, I let my instincts guide me. James [Robinson] had populated these issues with some very cosmic and vibrant supporting characters, and there was my hook: the Shade is all dark, almost solid black, yet the retina-searing hues of the antagonists would create an intense contrast so that he would always stand out regardless of the scene. I added a third level of chromatic madness with subdued and even slightly sickly colors for the ‘real world’ scenes to convey the underlying corruption exhibited by the characters that performed there, all of which should ideally evoke very different feelings from the reader as each scene plays out. There are a lot of crazy colors going on in these pages, but that craziness all comes from the disturbed writing of Mr. Robinson, who right now has me drawing scenes that bend the mind into uncomfortable yet oddly compelling shapes. I sometimes think he watches me from the dark corners of my studio as I draw, yet when I turn to look there is nothing save for a few mysterious wisps of dark smoke...”

THE SHADE #9, written by James Robinson and illustrated by Frazer Irving, goes on sale tomorrow. Click here to see an exclusive preview of the issue.

Last week, you heard rumors coming out of KAPOW! Comic Con that a DC Comics character would be gay when reintroduced to readers in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. We compiled some coverage of the speculation about that character’s identity for you and asked that you share your best guesses in the comments section on our website.

Today, we are pleased to announce that the mystery about the identity of the character in question is over. Appearing in next week’s EARTH 2 #2, Alan Scott is the only Green Lantern of Earth 2. A team leader with a Type-A personality and an appetite for justice, Alan also happens to be homosexual. And while his origins won’t be shown in full detail until issue #3, we can tease that a traumatic event will serve as the catalyst for him assuming his superhero identity as The Green Lantern.

Alan’s storyline is a direct result of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 and DC’s commitment to taking a fresh look at its characters. Originally a Golden Age character whose previous continuity spanned from the 1940s through modern times, Alan was a charter member of the Justice Society. As a character, Alan is one of the oldest within DC Comics’ pantheon (being created in 1940). In EARTH 2, he is getting an update for contemporary times to reflect the world we live in. He is younger, has an updated costume and is being introduced to DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 for the very first time. It is also important to note that while Alan is a gay man, his sexuality is merely only one part of his multi-layered character.

“I’m very proud to be introducing Alan Scott into DC COMICS-THE NEW 52,” said series writer James Robinson. “He was my favorite Golden Age character and one I’m very familiar with so I’m really excited to be updating him for a contemporary readership. However, I think old-time readers will be pleasantly surprised by how, in some ways, I'm trying to show the ‘classic’ Alan Scott at the same time. He's still the same dynamic, heroic guy he was. He's still the head of a media empire like he was in his prior version, but of course with the form of media changing and evolving with the times. And in many ways, his origin mirrors the original one also. Oh, and on Earth 2 there is only one Green Lantern, so Alan's title is The Green Lantern. Alan's sexuality is just one facet of him, along with his innate goodness, valor, charisma and skill at leadership that makes him the perfect man to wield the power of the green light in the world of Earth 2.”

"Before starting work on #1, the first document I had to work from was the character breakdowns for our primary players,” continued EARTH 2 artist Nicola Scott. “With Alan the brief was very clear. He needed to be a big, strapping, handsome man that everyone would instinctively follow and love. No short order but right up my alley. Alan strikes me as an incredibly open, honest and warm man, a natural leader and absolutely the right choice to be Guardian of the Earth. His sexuality is incidental. Every time I draw him I love him even more.”

Below, take a first look at Alan Scott in the pages of EARTH 2 #2 (on sale Wednesday) and stay tuned to THE SOURCE later in the day to hear more from Robinson and to read more about Alan Scott and EARTH 2.