Everyone’s Talkin’ About DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, Friday Morning (ET) Edition

OUT MAGAZINE previewed TEEN TITANS #3, which features the introduction of a new gay character, Bunker. “We wanted to show an interesting character who’s homosexuality is part of him, not something that’s hidden,” artist Brett Booth told them.

This week, SUPERMAN #3 joins the ranks of the other eight DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 books to have an exclusive preview featured on ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’s homepage.

As the mystery surrounding Madame Xanadu’s plan thickens, the Justice League Dark team continue to come together. For a sneak peek at what’s coming next week, head over to GAWKER’s IO9 for their exclusive preview of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #3.

The colors and powers of the Green Lantern universe continue to meld together in GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #3. MTV GEEK has your first look at the issue.

Morphicius’ powers won’t stop growing and it’s up to Carter Hall to figure out how to stop him before he becomes invincible. Check out COMICVINE’s exclusive preview of THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #3.

Lots of exciting things happening over at POPMATTERS! “If you think about it, what worse horror is there, than having the person you love turn into a monster? And not losing the love?” I, VAMPIRE writer Joshua Hale Fialkov said in an exclusive interview. “And that to me is the drive of I, VAMPIRE. It’s the idea that he loves her beyond words. And he doesn’t love old her, her before the transformation. He loves her as a vampire. And that’s the real point. If Andrew were in love with this 500-year-old version of Mary that no longer existed, he would have just cut off her head a long time ago. But the fact is, he still feels the love and he still has this desire for her. And his hope, is not even to ‘cure’ her, it’s to ‘fix’ her.”

“My take on the character is, to Buddy Baker, his family always comes first,” Jeff Lemire told POPMATTERS about ANIMAL MAN. “There are really dark things trying to tear them apart. We’re going to see how far they can stretch before they break, and if they don’t break, they’re going to have to evolve into something new as a family to survive.”

And while you’re at POPMATTERS, be sure to read their profile of Superman in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES chatted with James Robinson, Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone about their upcoming collaboration, THE SHADE #4. “The whole thing is linked together, past and present, so that there is a story in the present, which concerns the Shade's past and a family you didn't realize that the Shade had,” Robinson revealed. “Each of the ‘Times Past’ issues play out that way. The first one jumps back into the 1940s, the second one is set in Paris in 1901 and the third one is in 1830s London for the Shade's origin. Each time, you learn more about the family and more about what is going on. As I did with Darwyn's story, I took great pains with each of the other ‘Times Past’ tales with Jill Thompson and Gene Ha, to make them stand alone, even though they're a part of the bigger picture.”

NEWSARAMA spoke with Josh Williamson, who will be taking over as the writer of VOODOO in 2012. “I think people will be surprised by the direction we’re taking the character, how it works with what came before but also takes her into new dangerous territory,” Williamson said of his upcoming run.

Feeling festive? BATMAN ON FILM interviewed BATMAN: NOEL writer/artist Lee Bermejo about his creative process, how BATMAN: NOEL came into fruition and some teases at a project he’s contemplating set in what he calls, “the JOKER-verse,” that’ll be “a different take on a very classic character.”

If you’re still looking for some gift ideas, MTV GEEK just published a list of what they deem to be the 10 best Batman graphic novels. And if you like Batman-themed countdowns, NEWSARAMA has their list of the greatest villains Batman has ever faced.

To be continued …

THE DARK Group Solicits

(Not final cover)

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #6

Written by PETER MILLIGAN

Art and cover by MIKEL JANIN

On sale FEBRUARY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Enchantress has been subdued, but this team of misfits hardly knows how to celebrate when each is still wrestling with their own demons. While Zatanna and Constantine try to decide on their next steps, Deadman deals with his loss, and Shade the Changing Man tries to bring Mindwarp back from the edge of sanity – but at what cost?

SWAMP THING #6

Written by SCOTT SNYDER

Art by MARCO RUDY

Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

1:25 Variant cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

On sale FEBRUARY 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

The Rot is winning, and its necropolis in the American desert is nearly complete. With Abigail Arcane all but lost to its power and the herald of Sethe risen, Alec Holland will bitterly regret trying to flee his destiny as Swamp Thing…but even if he wanted to do the right thing, it’s too late now!

ANIMAL MAN #6

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by JOHN PAUL LEON, TRAVEL FOREMAN and JEFF HUET

Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN

On sale FEBRUARY 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

Before he and his family became hunted by The Rot, Buddy Baker starred in a low budget indie Super Hero film. Now we get to “watch” the movie, courtesy of director Jeff Lemire and guest cinematographer John Paul Leon!

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #6

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI

Cover by J.G. JONES

On sale FEBRUARY 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Frankenstein and The Commandos head back to Vietnam to take out a rogue super human whom Frankenstein fought beside back in 1969! Meanwhile, The Humanids stage a revolt in The Ant Farm, and Nina and Lady Frankenstein are all that stands between them and total chaos. But they soon discover other deep, dark secrets hidden in S.H.A.D.E. City.

I, VAMPIRE #6

Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV

Art by ANDREA SORRENTINO

Cover by JENNY FRISON

On sale FEBRUARY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T+

It’s a shock ending you won’t see coming! Guest star Batman grudgingly helps Andrew fight the Queen of Blood, who has taken over Gotham City with her army of vampires! But Mary’s going to lose something dear to her in the process! Come see why the Internet is raving about this great new series that mixes Super Heroes and horror!

RESURRECTION MAN #6

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING

Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO

Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

On sale FEBRUARY 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T+

Welcome to Arkham Asylum, Mitch Shelley. No one believes you when you say you gain new powers every time you’re reborn. And no one is going to let you die to prove it. You’re going to be here a long, long time...

DEMON KNIGHTS #6

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT

Cover by MIKE CHOI

On sale FEBRUARY 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T

Bodies are piling up, and one of their own has switched sides to lead the charge to destroy them! So how will the Knights turn the tide of battle? It all comes down to the deal Etrigan and Jason Blood have made. But can a demon truly be trusted under fire, or would he rather watch you burn?

DC COMICS ALL ACCESS: Eddie Berganza

52 Thanksgivings!

Really. Here we are into the third month of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, and you have all helped us turn it into a runaway success we can all be thankful for.

I personally am thankful for having been involved in this history-making venture, and we are not about to let up.

On a recent mini-trip out west, one of the days involved getting up at 5 A.M. Pacific Time to make sure it would be in the right time zone to go over JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK with writer Peter Milligan in England. We talked over how to grow the threat of the evil witch Enchantress and what it would mean to Deadman.

Then Group Editor Ben Abernathy and I reviewed what is happening in the HUNTRESS mini (which I had just expressed to artist Marcus To the week before in Canada how he is kicking butt with Helena) and the big surprises there.

Next, I met up with Mike Johnson, one of the Mikes writing SUPERGIRL (the other is Green). We talked about some of the epic adversaries that Kara will soon face as she begins to understand her origins and place here on Earth. Next, Creative Executive Adam Schlagman and I braved L.A. traffic (a challenge not for the week willed--seriously, anybody who drives out there deserves a GREEN LANTERN ring) to go over with Scott Lobdell what the evil organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E., that we so far have seen only in TEEN TITANS and SUPERBOY, is up to and what it means to the Young Justice of the DC Universe.

Barely scratching the surface of the threats that could be uniting against our heroes, we had to rush back to West Coast DCE offices so Adam Glass and I could talk about some rather nasty things that he is planning for the SUICIDE SQUAD. Some of it is gut wrenching, if not stomach churning. In a good but "eww" way.

Somewhere in there I fit in time to see Kevin Kiniry, Executive Director of Creative Services, who gave me a walk-through of what DC Direct will be putting out in the coming months. Such cool stuff! Good thing the holidays are around the corner!

So yes, a time to give THANKS to all of YOU for supporting all our efforts. Who needs rest when there's soooo much excitement around here??!!

--Eddie Berganza, Executive Editor

Images: Mahmud Asrar on SUPERGIRL and Mikel Janin on JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK are just 2 of 52 things to be thankful for this year!

Previews of tomorrow’s DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 releases

Over the past few days, we’ve been linking to all of the exclusive previews of the second issues from DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 that are going on sale tomorrow.

Below, take a look at all the previews that ran (sorted alphabetically and separated by cover), compiled here in one easy location for your convenience.

[gallery link="file" order="DESC" columns="4"]

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, Thursday Evening (ET) Edition 

Need a quick break from playing BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY? Then check out these exclusive previews of two of next week’s most eagerly awaited issues from DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ HERO COMPLEX previewed AQUAMAN #2, alongside Geoff Boucher's celebration of the character's birthday.

Meanwhile, CRAVE ONLINE has your first look at JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #2.

To be continued...

THE DARK Group Solicits

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #5

Written by PETER MILLIGAN

Art by MIKEL JANIN

Cover by RYAN SOOK

On sale JANUARY 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Enchantress is out of control and more powerful than ever. She has brought a nation to its knees through her arcane powers. Will Madame Xanadu, John Constantine, Shade the Changing Man, Zatanna, Mindwarp, Deadman and June Moon be able to work together to defeat her? One thing is certain: One of these heroes will not make it

out alive!

SWAMP THING #5

Written by SCOTT SNYDER

Art and cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

1:25 Variant cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

On sale JANUARY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

Alec and Abby bring the fight to Sethe’s chosen servant in the blood-slicked slaughterhouses of west Texas! But while the battle is joined in America, the war may already be lost in the jungles of Brazil, as danger approaches for the Parliament of Trees…

ANIMAL MAN #5

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by TRAVEL FOREMAN and JEFF HUET

Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN

On sale JANUARY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

With Ellen and Cliff’s lives hanging in the balance, Buddy finally faces off against The Hunters Three! But the fight doesn’t go as planned, causing the Baker family to go on the run. What dark new threat is chasing them – and why? Find out as the first arc of DC’s surprise breakout hit comes to a startling conclusion!

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #5

Written by JEFF LEMIRE

Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI

Cover by J.G. JONES

On sale JANUARY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

When Checkmate fails to bring the rogue metahuman O.M.A.C. under control, they call in S.H.A.D.E.’s best agent, Frankenstein! It’s all-out monster mayhem as O.M.A.C. and Frank battle in the streets of Metropolis. But what is Brother Eye’s real goal? It’s up to Father Time and Ray Palmer to find out! Continued from this month’s O.M.A.C. #5!

RESURRECTION MAN #5

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING

Art by FERNANDO BLANCO

Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

On sale JANUARY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

Mitch Shelley is dead. Again. But this time, things are different. He’s no longer in the realm of the living. While the Body Doubles try to find out what happened to him, the Resurrection Man must find a way to escape the realm he’s trapped in before a host of celestial beings finds him…

(Not final cover)

I, VAMPIRE #5

Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV

Art by ANDREA SORRENTINO

Cover by JENNY FRISON

On sale JANUARY 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

The war of the vampires comes to Batman’s doorstep! The Queen of Blood has deadly plans for the citizens of Gotham City, but before Andrew can stop her, he must face The Dark Knight!

DEMON KNIGHTS #5

Written by PAUL CORNELL

Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT

Cover by MIKE CHOI

On sale JANUARY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

The pressure is mounting as the Horde prepares to breach the walls of Little Spring – but inside the town, our heroes are at each other’s throats! With their fragile alliance in tatters, and the enemy whispering in their ears, someone’s going to break – but for a reason you never saw coming!

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

IGN continued their series of interviews with all of the creative teams behind DC Comics-The New 52. This time around, they caught up with Peter Milligan (JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK), Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver (THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN), and Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti (ALL-STAR WESTERN). “Our goal with Gotham was to make it less of a backdrop and more of a living, breathing character,” Gray explained of his book’s setting. “Placing Jonah Hex there, a man used to wide open spaces and solitude only helps his character and the mythology of Gotham.”

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES interviewed ACTION COMICS writer Grant Morrison. “Part of this first story arc shows how he goes from being an outlaw to the world's first superhero,” Morrison said of Superman. “It's very much about that and about the pressures that would be placed on you if you had this bright idea that you were going to change the world.”

And speaking of COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, head on over to their site to check out their exclusive preview of RED LANTERNS #2.

To be continued …

Mikel Janin exclusive to DC Entertainment

There’s been no shortage of big news here on THE SOURCE, and today’s certainly no exception. And as we continue to make headlines and generate buzz with DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, we’ve got another announcement of our own right here.

Mikel Janin, the artist behind JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, has signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics. Paired with writer Peter Milligan, he will continue to draw the adventures of the team tasked with fighting evil too twisted for our regular heroes to handle. Janin cut his teeth with JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, and went on to illustrate FLASHPOINT: DEADMAN & THE FLYING GRAYSONS.

And how’s Janin feel about his new contract? Let’s ask him.

“I'm so happy and proud to announce I've signed an exclusive agreement with DC. It was exactly one year ago when I met DC Executive Editor Eddie Berganza in Avilés Comic Con. Pepe Caldelas, from Nutopia Agency, introduced my work to him, since other well known Nutopia artists, such as Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes or Ulises Arreola were already working for DC. When Eddie gave me my first assignment, seven pages for JLA, it was a dream come true. But I didn't expect that these pages will lead so quickly to such important assignments like FLASHPOINT: DEADMAN & THE FLYING GRAYSONS, and specially The New 52 series JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, teaming up with no less than Peter Milligan. DC has put its trust in me and my art, and I feel grateful and honored. Signing exclusively with them is just a way to strengthen the great relationship between the two of us.”

Check out this exclusive piece of art from the first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, which hits comic book stores today!

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

Today, the final batch of first issues from DC Comics-The New 52 went on sale. Among these books was AQUAMAN #1.

“Everybody around has at least heard of Aquaman, and they've probably heard all the jokes — the same jokes Aquaman's heard — and they have their opinion on Aquaman,” writer Geoff Johns told USA TODAY. “Whether it's good or bad, that's what the book's all about.”

“We tackle what people think Aquaman is already right off the bat,” Johns said to CNN’s GEEK OUT. “He is very much a character that is an underdog in the world of super heroes.”

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY has the exclusive preview of BATGIRL #2 by Gail Simone, Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes featured on their homepage.

The second part of THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ HERO COMPLEX interview with BATMAN writer Scott Snyder has gone live. “It really goes after his confidence as a protector and legend of Gotham,” Snyder said of The Dark Knight in his series. “Along with it, there’ll be a lot of revelations about the Wayne family, about the Grayson family too, and it will all tie into NIGHTWING. The epic storyline will be 11 issues long, really about a war for Gotham’s soul between the Bat and this other organization, with some shocking new enemies for him built out of this mythology we’re going to develop.”

With the first day of October being this weekend, Halloween is quickly approaching. To kick off our preparations, FEAR.NET interviewed writers Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire about their horror series, SWAMP THING, ANIMAL MAN and FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. “The Red and the Green are so closely linked,” teased Lemire about an upcoming crossover between ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING. “So in many ways, both of our stories, even though they're kind of separate for the first ten issues or so, are actually kind of part of a bigger story. That will come together at the end of the first year and then spin off into something new with both books linked again. We're super excited about that.”

And speaking of titles in the Dark family? BLOODY DISGUSTING has selected JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1 as their “Graphic Content Pick of the Week.”

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 …

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