Unveiling R.E.B.E.L.S. ANNUAL: STARRO THE CONQUEROR

Tying into his recent debut in the pages of R.E.B.E.L.S., the origin of the real Starro the Conqueror is revealed. Why have we never seen this cosmic barbarian before? And how did he amass his army of super-soldiers? The answers are all here, courtesy of writer Tony Bedard and a collection of top artists -- including Kalman Andrasofszky, Derec Donovan, Joe Prado and Karl Moline -- with each one handling a chapter of the story. Check out some preview pages below. R.E.B.E.L.S. ANNUAL: STARRO THE CONQUEROR hits 10/7.

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Take a moment to enjoy some R.E.B.E.L.S. covers

There's no arguing that artist Kalman Andrasofzsky is one talented guy. So why not take a look at some of his more recent work? Specifically, his covers on R.E.B.E.L.S.? We swung by Editor Brian Cunningham's office to get the lowdown. Take it away, Brian:

"I love how people stop in my office and marvel at how effective Kalman’s covers are. And they are just so different from your traditional comic book covers. I saw some of his Star Wars work at New York Comic-Con in February, and I felt the book needed a cool sci-fi sensibility like his. It really compliments the interior art of Andy Clarke, Claude St. Aubin and Scott Hanna.

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REBELS #5 really balances the innocence and the creepiness so effectively. It almost looks like a Vertigo cover with a sci-fi sensibility. This one, more than any other Kalman has done, has provoked a strong reaction with most people who have seen it prior to publication. It’s on sale now, so check it out in print!

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All I told him for REBELS #6’s cover was to channel his inner Frazetta. And he hit it outta the park.

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REBELS #7 was a tough nut to crack. We wanted to get that Starro starfish shadow subtly in there, but still have the drowning Vril Dox visible. It’s the type of cover where you need to look at it twice to see the subtle star shadow.

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For REBELS #8, Kalman really wanted to tackle the “all-new, all-dangerous” Omega Men. Without revealing too much, Tigorr and crew are seriously amped up, and ready to kick some Starro horde butt—and Kalman ramped it up to 11.

And REBELS #9...? Well, we gotta save something for later, right?"

Get a look at R.E.B.E.L.S. #5

Tony Bedard and artist Claude St. Aubin keep the heat going in the pages of R.E.B.E.L.S., as the abductor of the intergalactic L.E.G.I.O.N. police force stands revealed, leading the entire sector to mobilize. What happens when Vril Dox's team of renegades teams up with the Omega Men, Durlans, Khunds and Dominators? Well, you can get at least some of the answers here.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #5 hits 6/10

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Starro unleashed

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We teased the amazing Starro design sketch by J.G. Jones not too long ago, but why not unveil the reinterpreted villain's final look?

CBR spoke to R.E.B.E.L.S. writer Tony Bedard about Starro, and he had a few interesting tidbits:

I want to leave some mystery because we’re slowly unveiling the new Starro over the next few issues of ”R.E.B.E.L.S.” and then really going in-depth with the upcoming Starro special. I think it’s safe to say that the Star Conqueror is a cosmic Genghis Khan, but he’s also much more than that.

And here's what he looks like, courtesy of the cover to R.E.B.E.L.S. #6, by Kalman Andrasofszky:

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Have a slice of R.E.B.E.L.S. #4

Tony Bedard welcomes guest artist Claude St. Aubin aboard just in time to meet the galaxy's new would-be conquerer. Dox and the Omega Men plot their next move as the alien Khunds and Dominators team up to face off against the mysterious threat. As tempting as it might be, though, do not -- I repeat -- do not just jump to the last page. It's a shocking one. Yup.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #4 hits 5/13.

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A few links of note for Tuesday

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Yes, it's only Tuesday. But look at it this way -- that means a few more days of cool debuts here at The Source. Surely that's motivation enough?

• In case you missed it, the team at MYSPACE COMIC BOOKS previewed SUPERMAN #687 and SUPERMAN/BATMAN #59.

• Over at Comic Book Resources' Robot 6 blog, Tim O'Shea talks to R.E.B.E.L.S writer Tony Bedard about the series, and artist Claude St. Aubin's upcoming stint as artist.

• In Batman news, Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert's conclusion to "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" got positive review attention from Comic Book Resources, Newsarama's "Best Shots" team and IGN. IGN also previewed the first issue of BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL -- THE UNDERGROUND.

Newsarama shows off some shiny TRINITY pages and Robot 6's Tom Bondurant continues to annotate every issue. Impressive, eh?

• The build up to BLACKEST NIGHT continues, with IGN previewing GREEN LANTERN #40, and reminded people about that page Eddie Berganza posted last week. Newsarama's Vaneta Rogers spoke to artist Ethan Van Sciver at length about the looks for the different Lantern Corps and their symbols.

• And in case you were still hungry for Red Circle info after our debuts last week, superstar artist J.G. Jones spoke to Newsarama's Matt Brady about his role in redesigning the characters for the DCU.

R.E.B.E.L.S: Claude St. Aubin steps in

Part of the fun that comes with working on The Source is the chance to see cool art pop into my inbox from the hardworking DCU editors. As I was wandering around the sixth floor earlier this week, R.E.B.E.L.S editor Brian Cunningham let me know that artist Claude St. Aubin will be stepping in for regular artist Andy Clarke on R.E.B.E.L.S, with writer Tony Bedard. Instead of just rephrasing what Brian told me, I've decided to quote him directly. It's like live-blogging, except not at all:

An artist of Andy Clarke’s caliber needs help on a monthly book. The level of detail in his work takes time. Thankfully, we can spot Andy with Claude St. Aubin, who is doing the strongest work of his career. Joined by inker Scott Hanna, Claude’s work ramps up with issues #5 and #6. Andy returns in issue #7 and #8 — which I'm sure you'll see pages from right here on The Source.

Well said, Brian. Check out St. Aubin's handiwork below.

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