With ACTION COMICS #9, two acclaimed guest artists will explore an alternate Earth and the story of its Kryptonian protector. Multiple Eisner Award-winning artist Gene Ha will be a guest artist for the primary plot, penned by regular series writer Grant Morrison. And fresh from his recent work on THE SHADE miniseries, artist Cully Hamner will illustrate the issue’s back-up story, written by Sholly Fisch.

Parallel worlds come to the forefront of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 “Second Wave,” with titles such as EARTH 2 and WORLDS’ FINEST exploring the adventures of heroes on alternate Earths. ACTION COMICS #9 sets up the multiverse with a standalone story of a Superman from another Earth, who must fight a monster from yet another parallel world. But this isn’t just any monster; it’s a Superman surrogate known as Superdoom, twisted into an unstoppable agent of evil.

The back-up story will also feature an adventure of this alternate Superman, set on his parallel Earth.

Regular series artist Rags Morales will return for ACTION COMICS #10 in June. In the meantime, check out Ha’s inks for ACTION COMICS #9.

When Batman wakes up in an empty room that he has no recollection of going to, he’ll need to turn to Mister Miracle for help. But just when the two of them think they’ve escaped, they’ll have to make their way through an intricate obstacle course filled with danger at every turn. Can Batman and Mister Miracle make it out of this maze in time to stop the evil force that put them in there in the first place?

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #15, in stores today, is written by Sholly Fisch and illustrated by Stewart McKenny and Dan Davis.

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It’s a special holiday issue of BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD starring Ragman!

With Chanukah around the corner, the season should be full of celebration and cheer. But yet, there are parts of Gotham City that are struggling harder than ever before.

When an evil corporation hires a band of criminals to drive citizens out of one of Gotham’s neighborhoods to try to buy all its property, it’ll be up to Ragman to save the day. And while he teaches Batman a thing or two about Gotham City, Ragman himself will learn the meaning and value of everyday miracles from a local Rabbi looking to save his community’s synagogue.

BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #14 is a heartwarming holiday tale for all ages. From the creative team of Sholly Fisch, Rick Burchett and Dan Davis, the issue is on sale today.

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Some have said that three is the magic number. If that’s the case, November should be a fascinating month. Here at THE SOURCE, we’ll spotlighting key third issues from DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 with an ongoing series of posts titled “3 Things You Didn’t Know About DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.” Expect the unexpected–in threes.

1) BACKUPS ARE COMING

Starting with #4 (on sale 12/7), ACTION COMICS will now include eight-page backups written by Grant Morrison’s hand-picked choice, Sholly Fisch (writer of THE ALL NEW BATMAN THE BRAVE & THE BOLD). Each one will tie in directly with the 20-page lead story. What’s the backup of #4 about? Well, that brings us to our next “thing you need to know”…

2) STEEL IS MAKING HIS “NEW 52” DEBUT

The lead story in ACTION #4 by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales features the debut of the “New 52” Steel! Last we saw of John Henry Irons, in ACTION #2, he had quit his military job in protest over Lex Luthor torturing Superman under General Lane’s command. Now, as the Terminauts lay siege to Metropolis, it’s time for John Henry to put his money where his mouth is and go help Superman defend the city. The backup in #4 ties into the main story by depicting a critical fight between Steel and the brand new Metall-0!

3) BRAD WALKER AND CHRISCROSS TO DRAW BACKUPS

Brad Walker (HEROES FOR HIRE) is drawing the backup in #4. The backups of #5 -- spotlighting Ma & Pa Kent -- and #6 will be drawn by ChrisCross (SUPERMAN/BATMAN). The backup of #7 sees Brad Walker return to the art, and then #8 -- the conclusion of the first storyarc -- is one big issue-long epic by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales!

As a bonus, check out this first look at Steel’s armor by Brad Walker (based off a design by Rags Morales)! Much in the same way that Superman is wearing jeans and a T-shirt in this current arc, at this point Steel’s armor is in its “prototype” phase. Look for the final design somewhere down the line, but in the meantime, get ready for one heck of a throwdown!

- Wil Moss, Associate Editor, ACTION COMICS