On Wednesday, the first set of issue #2s from DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 will go on sale. There's a ton of exclusive previews out there to whet your appetite.

USA TODAY has your first look at ACTION COMICS #2. "He has his reasons and they almost kind of make sense," series writer Grant Morrison told USA TODAY of Lex Luthor. "But then you dig a little deeper and you find this very petty, jealous, envious man, and unfortunately that's what drives his brilliance. He's a very strong character and has to be a real balance with Superman."

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ran an exclusive preview of O.M.A.C. #2. "OMAC is a character I remember when it first came out. I enjoyed it immensely," said series writer Dan DiDio to THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS. "The idea that you think you're in control of things and you lose your sense of control and that even when you think you're doing things your own way, someone else may be leading you — it was really a fascinating core theme."

Along with their exclusive preview of GREEN ARROW #2, POPMATTERS wrote a terrific analytic post about the psychology of the series. “For nothing more than a ‘solid superhero story’, Krul and Jurgens evoke a richness that is seldom glimpsed at,” they wrote.

IGN has your exclusive first look at BATWING #2 and NEWSARAMA premiered a 5-page interior sequence from HAWK AND DOVE #2.

Just in time for the haunting month of October, the CHICAGO TRIBUNE ran their list of the 10 Best Horror Graphic Novels for Halloween. DC Entertainment secured 5 of the 10 spots, with titles including BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN, SWAMP THING VOL. 1, BOOKS OF MAGIC, ARKHAM ASYLUM and HELLBLAZER.

And continuing the spooky theme this month brings, top ranking horror website BLOODY DISGUSTING talked horror/dark comics with I, VAMPIRE writer Joshua Hale Fialkov. “For me, I wanted to take the best parts of horror and romance fiction, and combine it with what makes DC Comics great,” Fialkov said of his series. “We have a huge canvas to paint on, we will we rub-up against other characters and books, which is a blast to write. I'm really being given the freedom to tell a huge story all on my own with all of these great toys to play with. You'll definitely see some huge DC characters in the book in the not too distant future.”

To be continued …

If Jack Kirby were still alive, today would have been his 94th birthday. The King, as he is fondly referred to as, impacted the comic book industry in monumental ways.

To celebrate, we thought we’d catch up with some of the writers who are bringing new life to some of Jack’s classic characters in DC Comics-The New 52. With contemporary representations of characters such as OMAC and Etrigan the Demon, Kirby’s legacy lives on and is as strong as ever.

“There is no denying the genius of Jack Kirby and the effect he has had on comics through history. And to this day, many of his great creations still exist today and stand the test of time,” said O.M.A.C. writer Dan DiDio. “Of all the series Kirby created at DC Comics, OMAC is one of the ones nearest and dearest to my heart. The manic nature of the story telling and the wild futuristic setting are some of his best, and in working with Keith Giffen on the new OMAC series we hope to bring that same level of creative energy and excitement to our book.”

“Jack Kirby's vast creative imagination stretched in all directions,” DEMON KNIGHTS writer Paul Cornell told us. “In The Demon he gave free rein to his gothic inclinations, that wonderful way he has with a gnarled tree branch at night. He made Etrigan angry with the world and his status in it, and let loose his wonderfully different way with words in the Demon's rhymes. We've kept almost everything, to be honest. Well, we've given him some armor, and now he only rhymes sometimes, but this is still Kirby's guy. You don't meddle with that stuff.”

In case you missed it yesterday, check out the two exclusive teases we posted yesterday on THE SOURCE of O.M.A.C. #1 and DEMON KNIGHTS #1.

Happy birthday, Jack!

THE SOURCE: How do you write the first line of a new series?

KEITH GIFFEN: One word at a time, over and over until it feels right.

How do you draw a first panel of a first issue?

I usually work out of order so I aim for the panel I'm least looking forward to, and there's one in every book. Get that out of the way and the rest comes that much easier. With Omac, it's usually a pile-on fight scene.

How do you introduce a new hero?

Shoot for maximum impact, and that doesn't always mean an action beat.

How do you introduce characters?

As naturally as the story will allow. No shoe horns need apply.

How do you draw a first appearance?

Fatalistically. Nine times out of ten, the first drawing of a character is the worst drawing of that character. It takes a bit of time to grow comfortable with him, her or it.

What was the first comic you ever worked on?

Huh... That's a memory stretch. I think it was an inside front cover pin-up of the Sons of the Tiger. First whole story... The Sword in the Star for a now defunct marvel b&w mag. I really sucked.

Who was the first artist you followed?

Gene Colan.

What was the first convention you attended as a fan?

Some NYC Con way back when.

What was the first comic book you read?

An old Worlds Finest. The one with Batwoman and a green creature wearing Mickey Mouse gloves. A fan actually sent me a copy of the book. It's the only individual comicbook I own, my own stuff included.

During today’s panel for The Dark and The Edge at SDCC, we premiered art from ANIMAL MAN, BLACKHAWKS, DEATHSTROKE, FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E., JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, MEN OF WAR, OMAC, RESURRECTION MAN, SUICIDE SQUAD, SWAMP THING, I, VAMPIRE, and VOODOO. Click through the gallery to see all this new art.

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