A look at Neal Adams' variant cover to FIRST WAVE #1
The Spirit, Doc Savage, Batman and Neal Adams? How can you go wrong?
Take a look at some FIRST WAVE #1
It's almost here -- an Earth very much like our own, but featuring a collection of pulp and noir heroes that include the Batman, the Spirit, Doc Savage, Black Canary and many more.
In the shadows of the War, the roots of the Golden Tree cabal grew deep into the heart of a fallen world and the leaders at the heart of this secret organization see no place in their utopia for heroism. Doc Savage, struggling with the loss of his father, has been blind to their advance – until now. Central City's mysterious Spirit has caught wind of their plans as well. But whose side have the Blackhawks chosen? What is the Red Right Hand? And where is the Batman? Eisner Award winner Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS, JOKER) and superstar Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS) craft a DC universe like you've never seen before. It's a world with no supermen, only mortal men. Death can come at any moment, and adventure can still be found at every corner of the map.
Dive right in with a look at some black and white interiors from the first issue. And, as an added bonus, we're including the Morales sketch pages some of you saw in the back of select DCU books and the handful we initially spotlighted here. Enjoy:
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The FIRST WAVE expands in April
Did you think we’d run out of news after two weeks of DCU in 2010?
No such luck, Source crew. In fact, we’ve got two new ongoing books to unveil, both hitting in April.
You’re all familiar with FIRST WAVE, right? The pulp-y, neo-noir epic from writer Brian Azzarello and artist Rags Morales hits in March and brings readers into a world where the Batman, Doc Savage, the Spirit and many more hard-boiled heroes stand side by side.
To further flesh out the FIRST WAVE world and give some of these iconic characters some much-needed face time, we’re launching two new ongoing series: THE SPIRIT and DOC SAVAGE.
DOC SAVAGE #1 kicks off the Man of Bronze's very own ongoing, as Doc Savage finds himself the target of a brazen attack on New York City. And things get worse as tragedy befalls one of Doc's allies, and it's starting to look like someone may not survive the opening pages of "The Lord of Lightning" arc. Featuring a story from Paul Malmont, the national bestselling author of THE CHINATOWN DEATH-CLOUD PERIL, with art by Howard Porter, with covers by superstar artists J.G. Jones and John Cassaday.
That's not all, though. the DOC SAVAGE series will also sport a JUSTICE INC. co-feature, courtesy of crime novelist Jason Starr (Vertigo Crime's THE CHILL) and artist Scott Hampton. The first installments finds our star, Richard Benson, the Avenger, chasing down the criminals that have abducted one of his own detectives, sending Benson into an heated, unforgiving rage.
THE SPIRIT, written by Mark Schultz (Superman: Man of Steel, Xenozoic Tales) with art by DC newcomer Moritat and a snazzy cover by LADRÖNN, puts the spotlight back on Will Eisner’s fedora-wearing vigilante. What happens when the international crime syndicate known as The Golden Tree decides to help the villainous Octopus consolidate control over Central City’s criminal underworld? Well, it’s safe to say this is the kind of thing the Spirit handles best, even if The Golden Tree has offered up one of their deadliest – and sexiest -- assassins to take down the Spirit.
Check out a few pages of Moritat's lovely work below:
The first issue also features the debut of the eight-page THE SPIRIT; BLACK & WHITE co-feature, showcasing some of the industry’s finest talents interpretation of the classic hero. And what better way to kick things off than a tale of the Spirit by writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Bill Sienkiewicz?
It's here: Take a look at a few more pages from BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE
This is it. Doc Savage makes his return to DC Comics, and crashes right into Gotham's protector, The Batman. Noir mastermind Brian Azzarello teams with artist Phil Noto to present a gritty and shadowy version of the DCU, where thugs are at every corner, corruption runs deep and even the heroes reside in a gray area of morality.
Doc Savage has heard only bad things about The Batman, Gotham's violent new vigilante, but what can he do to stop him? Check out some more pages from this issue, a vital prologue to the upcoming FIRST WAVE mini-series from Azzarello and artist Rags Morales.
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How about some more Rags Morales’ sketches from FIRST WAVE?
We've been parsing out some of these amazing Rags Morales sketches (chock-full of info from FIRST WAVE writer Brian Azzarello) bit-by-bit as we lead into the BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL #1 hitting shelves this week. And we've got a look at some other characters that will be populating the FIRST WAVE world, including the Spirit, Rima the Jungle Girl and a certain Black Canary. Swing by Thursday for the final installment, won't you?
Have another helping of Rags Morales on FIRST WAVE
Not long ago, we showed you a few sketchbook pages from THE FIRST WAVE, featuring sketches from artist Rags Morales and notes from writer Brian Azzarello. But why stop at two when we've got plenty more?
Last time, we looked at the Batman through the eyes of Morales and Azzarello, as they show us a younger, more brash Dark Knight. Now, we put the spotlight squarely on the Man of Bronze and his cohorts. But don't worry, we won't stop there. Check back next week for more from the world of FIRST WAVE.
Enter the world of FIRST WAVE
We're gonna go light on the commentary here, mainly because this stuff can A) speak for itself and B) is amazing. From the desk of writer Brian Azzarello, with amazing art from Rags Morales, prepare to enter the world of FIRST WAVE...
But that's not all, folks. We've got a ton more sketches and info from Azz and Rags, so check back to learn more about Doc Savage and the other characters -- some familiar, some not -- populating the world of FIRST WAVE.
Get a first look at the BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL #1
It's here. We've talked and teased and talked some more about not only the special, but the upcoming THE FIRST WAVE around these parts pretty often, but nothing beats real pages to look at. So, here we go. A first look at the BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL, from writer Brian Azzarello and artist Phil Noto:
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Some more art from THE FIRST WAVE
A week ago, we unveiled the details about THE FIRST WAVE, writer Brian Azzarello and artist Rags Morales' gritty pulp romp, featuring Doc Savage, Batman, the Spirit and more. But did you think we'd stop there?
As we noted, superstar artist J.G. Jones will be handling variant covers for the mini-series, and we snagged an in-progress look at the cover to THE FIRST WAVE #1. We even pulled the very busy Jones away from his desk for a second to give us his thoughts on the story spinning out of November's BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE SPECIAL. Take it away, J.G.:
"I'm just happy to be aboard the First Wave bus along with the serious talents doing the heavy lifting. I love the world that Brian has inhabited with these iconic pulp characters, and the artwork by Rags is spot on perfect. Catch the wave; it should be a wild ride!"
Well said. And now, the cover...
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