FLASHPOINT FRIDAY: “It’s about not being afraid of change.”

flashpoint-logo_whiteAfter a savage attack on his company that left him as a sole survivor, Oliver Queen is haunted by the final words of Roy, one of his closest friends: “You have it in you to do something inspiring, Ollie, and I’m going to watch you do it.”

While he seeks out a mysterious female raider he caught on camera during the attack, Oliver can’t help but wonder about the potential of his Green Arrow Industries. Can he fulfill Roy’s dreams of turning his corporation itself into a superhero? What would it take for a big business to not only fight for people but also inspire them?

“One of the (many, many, MANY) cool things Geoff has going on in FLASHPOINT is that for all the epic superhero moments, at its heart is a story about people dealing with change,” said Pornsak Pichetshote. “And, I don’t know, it seems like that’s the undercurrent of every major news story right now. Plus, from his hard-hitting heroes days, hasn’t Green Arrow had its roots in using cool superhero action to comment on the world? So why not keep that tradition going in a story that involves blood, super-weapons and archery?”

FLASHPOINT: GREEN ARROW INDUSTRIES is written by Pornsak Pichetshote and features art by Marco Castiello, Ig Guara, Vincenzo Acunzo, and Ruy Jose, and arrives in stores next week. Head over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES to view exclusive preview pages.

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The Search for Swamp Thing Begins

Covers(Standard cover by Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes and Ulises Arreola; Variant cover by J.G. Jones)

Following the unpredictable events that concluded the BRIGHTEST DAY series in April, Swamp Thing went missing. With him on the loose, who better to help find him and restore his identity than John Constantine, the man who helped him learn it in the first place?

In BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING #1, Constantine enlists the help of the world’s greatest detective, Batman, to assist in finding the plant elemental. The Dark Knight, in turn, seeks out the help of one of Constanine’s former flames, Zatanna. Can the trio get to the bottom of Swamp Thing's location and stop him from his path of darkness before it’s too late?

Written by Jonathan Vankin and featuring art by Marco Castiello and Vincenzo Acunzo, BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING #1 hits stores tomorrow. Head over to both COMIC BOOK RESOURCES and to NEWSARAMA, as both have their own exclusive preview pages.

This Just Happened: BRIGHTEST DAY #24

Today marks the last issue of BRIGHTEST DAY. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, then clicking on the jump is the very last thing you want to do (major spoiler alert!)

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John Constantine was first introduced to the DC Universe in Alan Moore’s SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING #37 (1985), in which the always suave and mysterious Brit’s first role was that of a supernatural advisor to Swamp Thing. Upon their introduction, John’s vast knowledge of Swamp Thing’s origins caused him to embark on a quest of self-discovery. It was on this journey that Swamp Thing first encountered many other characters in the DC Universe, including the Phantom Stranger, Deadman, and Etrigan the Demon.

John then took on the role of the protagonist with the launch of his own series, HELLBLAZER, which has run continuously since its initial release date in January of 1988. A chain-smoking occult detective, he has often struggled to balance the powers of Heaven and Hell on earth. While John has been known to take on the role of a hero, he is often cynical and not unwilling to compromise with darker forces for his own benefit.

Going forward, Vertigo will continue publishing HELLBLAZER as an ongoing comic book series. The series recently celebrated its 275th anniversary issue by its current creative team of acclaimed writer Peter Milligan and artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Landini. Through the years, John Constantine’s stories have been written by a diverse and prolific cast of writers, including Jamie Delano, Brian Azzarello, Neil Gaiman, Ian Rankin, Mike Carey, Garth Ennis, Andy Diggle, Warren Ellis, and Grant Morrison. The series has also been illustrated by such artists as David Lloyd, Leonardo Manco, Steve Dillon, Rick Veitch, Marcelo Frusin, and John Ridgway.

John Constantine’s return to the DC Universe follows BRIGHTEST DAY #23’s shocking reveal of Swamp Thing. With the plant elemental on the loose, who better to help find him and restore his identity than he who helped him learn it in the first place? The story continues in BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING #1, written by TOKYO DAYS, BANGKOK NIGHTS author (and former Vertigo editor) Jonathan Vankin and with art by Marco Castiello, in stores this June.

Head on over to Comic Book Resources and Newsarama for exclusive interviews with Co-Publisher Dan DiDio  about the series' final issue.

You may have been worried that the events of BRIGHTEST DAY were coming to an end with this ultimate issue of the series, but as John Constantine would say, that’s just “bollocks.”

Announcing BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH ….

If you haven’t read BRIGHTEST DAY #23 and haven’t seen any of the press coverage about the big reveal, you might want to stop reading here. A few weeks back, we announced a new miniseries called BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH, written by Jonathan Vankin and drawn by Marco Castiello. Today we can announce the book’s actual title: BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING.

As for who that blacked out figure is, we can’t say … yet.

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After Brightest Day Comes... The Search

Following the exciting conclusion to Brightest Day, the new protector of Earth has been chosen - but one reluctant hero makes a return to try and convince Batman, Superman and the rest of the DC Universe's heroes that this may not be a good thing at all.

BRIGHTEST DAY AFTERMATH: THE SEARCH will be a three-part miniseries written by Jonathan Vankin and drawn by Marco Castiello chronicling the fallout of Brightest Day. We can't give away too much about it now, but keep reading Brightest Day and keep an eye on The Source for more clues.

THE SEARCH begins in June.

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