Writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Eddy Barrows continue to chronicle Superman’s story as he walks across America – bringing the Man of Steel closer to the people of his adopted planet than ever before. In this issue, Superman visits Cincinnati and its surrounding areas, while also featuring a special cameo from a certain Dark Knight, which we’ve spotlighted for you here.

SUPERMAN #703 is out today.

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Grant Morrison and artist Frazer Irving continue their epic BATMAN AND ROBIN tale, as one of our heroes lies near death. Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne enter the ultimate, blood-soaked battle against two foes who almost destroyed the original Batman. But are they up for the challenge? And if they can’t make it as a team, have they sealed their fates?

BATMAN AND ROBIN #14 hits 8/25.

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Happy Friday, Source gang. As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve been taking a moment to spotlight the stellar work of Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely and Philip Tan timed to the release of BATMAN AND ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN. Well, we’ve saved two more posts for you to close out the week. First up, Grant and company discuss the process behind designing Batman and Robin. Come back later for a look at Quitely’s take on the collection of new characters that cropped up in the first six issues of the series.

THE DESIGNS

BATMAN & ROBIN

The new Batman and Robin first appeared in a flash-forward scene at the beginning of BATMAN #681, but artist Tony Daniel was asked to draw them in silhouette so as not to reveal any potential costume changes before they'd been approved. I'd suggested some major revisions, including a yellow bat symbol in a black circle - the reverse of the traditional chest shield - and a yellow and gray Robin outfit, derived from the uniform of the Earth-2 Robin from the 1960s.

Frank Quitely added his own touches, such as longer boots for Batman and a more articulated, plated hood, but in the end all of these redesigns were regarded as being too "off-model" for the characters and we settled on something a little more familiar.

THE BATMOBILE

We didn't want our global warming/recession-era Batmobile to resemble the chrome-piped, gas-guzzling, Techno-Deco road leviathans of the past, so the Batmobile of 2009 was created to be compact and curvy. As you can see from Frank's sketches, the new Batmobile comes fully equipped with hydraulic suspension, which enables it to assume various driving configurations.

The idea for the flying Batmobile in BATMAN AND ROBIN was suggested by this beautiful and exuberant Alex Ross sketch, done as a potential BATMAN cover in 2007.

THE RED HOOD AND SCARLET

The Red Hood is a venerable Bat-villain name. In 1951 The Hood was introduced as a mystery villain dressed in a tuxedo, a red cape and a red, reflective, pill-shaped dome helmet. The story revealed the unlucky man beneath the Red Hood to be a petty criminal who promptly fell into a vat of chemicals, only to emerge, vastly more famous, as Batman's arch-enemy The Joker. The same story was, of course, woven into the flashback plotline of THE KILLING JOKE.

When a new version of the Red Hood appeared in Judd Winick's "Under the Hood," he was revealed to be the presumed-deceased second Robin, Jason Todd. A leather jacket and jeans replaced the dapper formal wear of the original, while the new red hood itself resembled a motorcycle helmet rather than a crimson bell jar.

We decided that Jason's second attempt at anchoring the Red Hood identity in the public consciousness would be more self-consciously super-heroic - cape, tights, secret HQ, the lot. In his latest effort to get noticed, the former Boy Wonder would imitate more blatantly the basic look and M.O. of Batman, his mentor. The weird pill helmet and cape were brought back as a nod to the original design.

The brief for Scarlet was simple - an ersatz female Robin whose beautiful young face was hidden beneath a shriveled mask of horror.

Tim Drake's had a rough year, to say the least.

Struggling with a new identity, searching for the mentor only he believes is actually alive and tangled up with Ra's Al Ghul and his deadly League of Assassins -- not exactly a recipe for long-term health, y'know?

Well, things aren't going to get any easier. Starting with June's RED ROBIN #13, writer Fabian Nicieza will step in as the new regular writer, joining series artist Marcus To for what will certainly prove to be an extension of the wild ride Red Robin's been on so far.

Wait, you want details? Well, sure. Let's check in with the new writer himself. Take it away, Fabian:

"It feels great to be back on Red Robin for the first time! Having the opportunity to close out Tim Drake's Robin series was bittersweet. He's a character I've always wanted to write, but it was a tumultuous, dark time for him and I was writing the book knowing the series would end and evolve into Red Robin.

"I was reading Chris Yost's first year on the series with jealous admiration in that he was doing a great job, getting to work with an excellent young artist in Marcus To and getting to move Tim through the darkness into a better place as a way of natural story evolution!

"To unexpectedly get the chance to come back at this time, with Tim Drake in a more positive place mentally, stepping into his own as a young adult and better prepared to develop his own distinctive approach to crimefighting -- both in Gotham City and across the world -- only means the hundreds of stories I've always wanted to tell with the character now number in the thousands!

"What lies ahead? Adventure, mystery, complex moral issues, an evolving rogue's gallery specific to the character, romantic triangles (maybe quadrangles!), fun and humor all ripe for the picking! I can't wait for readers to see this excellent character's continuing development into something unique and special in the DC Universe!"

Bat-editor Mike Marts was also kind enough to sneak us a look at the cover to the issue, from the aforementioned Mr. To.