Rise of the Third Army!

This October, the “Rise of the Third Army” will spawn across GREEN LANTERN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS, GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS and RED LANTERNS.

 

To commemorate this exciting storyline, artist Ivan Reis has created a stunning piece of artwork that will be split into 4 interconnecting covers for each of the books involved. Take an exclusive first look below!

 

“This was the first time in my career that I’ve illustrated 4 interconnecting covers,” Reis told THE SOURCE. “It’s also the second time I’ve done a 4-page spread (the first one was in BLACKEST NIGHT). That one had just 12 characters so I loved returning to the Green Lantern universe to work on this image. I had too much fun working on these hundreds of characters.”

 

 

So how will the “Rise of Third Army” play out in all of these books? We asked the writers of each series to tease a little bit about what to expect from their respective titles come this October.

 

GREEN LANTERN writer Geoff Johns:

 

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely--and the Guardians time is finally here. The Lantern titles spent the first year of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 re-establishing themselves, but it all comes back together with year 2 starting with GREEN LANTERN #0 and leading into October's #13's - which share an amazing cover by Ivan Reis. In October, the Guardians' Third Army rises to replace the Green Lantern Corps - but how is horrifying and why will change the Guardians and their ancient mission forever. As we discover what the Third Army actually means, our strongest Lanterns are targeted for absolute destruction. From Atrocitus to Guy Gardner to our newest Green Lantern from Earth - who may have been wrongly chosen - all their darkest secrets and failures will come to light. What is Sinestro's ultimate fate? Who is this new Green Lantern and why was he chosen? What is the Third Army? What with Atrocitus sacrifice to take on the Guardians? What will Larfleeze give up to find the one thing he wants? What happens to Guy Gardner when he's targeted after Hal Jordan? And, most importantly, who is the First Lantern?”

 

GREEN LANTERN CORPS writer Peter J. Tomasi:

 

“How sick is that cover?! C'mon, on your feet -- let's give it up to Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Albert Oclair, and Rod Reis -- they've earned their own power rings for the willpower to finish this masterpiece! The Guardians and the Third Army want to break the Green Lantern Corps -- and they've now got their sights on Guy Gardner and John Stewart! The question is not IF the Guardians can accomplish their mission, but how horribly will they shatter our ringslingers’ lives!”

 

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS writer Tony Bedard:

 

“In GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS, Kyle Rayner has gathered a team of Lanterns from all seven colors of the spectrum. As the Third Army strikes, Kyle must combine all seven shades of power within himself.  A bigger and badder lineup of New Guardians will push Kyle to become our secret weapon against the onslaught of the Third Army.”

 

And last but certainly not least, RED LANTERNS writer Peter Milligan:

 

“The Red Lanterns are continuing their mission to bring bloody vengeance to an unjust world when they run into (or are run into) a mysterious enemy with no mouth and a curious resistance to death. One Red Lantern succumbs to this new adversary, while Atrocitus finds a way to fight back – which entails returning to a place of great pain and associating with an ancient nemesis.”

 

Don’t miss the “Rise of the Third Army,” beginning with GREEN LANTERN #13, in stores October 3.

Everyone’s Talkin’ About DC COMICS-THE NEW 52, Monday Evening (ET) Edition

All afternoon, THE SOURCE has been rolling out your very first look at DC Comics in February 2012.

February still seems a long ways off. But this Wednesday? That's right around the corner and we've got a whole new batch of third issues from DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 hitting stores. For ease of reading, we've compiled a comprehensive rundown. Tell your friends.

USA TODAY interviewed writer Brian Azzarello to accompany their exclusive preview of WONDER WOMAN #3, in which Diana’s new origins are revealed. "I can't wait to start really, really playing with the gods," Azzarello told them. "Look who she's immediately gaining as siblings — suddenly, the god of war is her half-brother … Now instead of protecting a mortal from the gods, she's also protecting her half-brother or sister."

POPMATTERS has your first look at I, VAMPIRE #3. “I, VAMPIRE is mythic in every way,” POPMATTERS wrote of the series. “It is the story of how the whole world is threatened by a love story that just darkens the character of each individual involved in that poisoned relationship. In some of the finest storytelling ever to grace the character of Andrew and his struggles with Mary, Josh Fialkov singularizes the character and the title among the recent crop of DC’s New 52. It is very much the evolution of the romantic vampire’s we’ve come to enjoy seeing on screen over recent years.”

MAXIM previewed DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #3. The issue by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang continues Deadman’s journey of self exploration as he attempts to gain answers on how to gain control of his “life.”

Now that he’s bonded with his armor, can Jaime Reyes learn how to control it? Find out in BLUE BEETLE #3 by Tony Bedard, Ig Guara, Ruy Jose and J.P. Mayer, previewed exclusively at MTV GEEK.

It’s time for a fourth team member in BIRDS OF PREY #3! Head on over to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES for your exclusive preview.

With the Intruders neutralizing the ring powers of the Green Lantern Corps, it’ll be up to Guy Gardner and John Stewart to figure out how to stop this grave threat. Check out IFANBOY’s exclusive preview of GREEN LANTERN CORPS #3 by Peter J. Tomasi, Geraldo Borges and Scott Hanna.

IGN previewed Selina Kyle’s latest adventures in CATWOMAN #3. What trouble has the femme fatale got herself into this time? Find out when the issue by Judd Winick and Guillem March hits stores this week.

Following their exclusive preview of LEGION LOST #3 last week, TOR.COM has your first look at LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #3 by Paul Levitz and Francis Portela.

And that's not all. DISCOVER MAGAZINE highlighted the science in MISTER TERRIFIC in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52.

What else is going on the internet?

ADVERTISING AGE presented a 2011 Media Vanguard Award to the BURN NOTICE digital comic for “Most Innovating Broadcast Brand Extension.” (Congratulations to all those involved with the book!)

Meanwhile, BATMAN: NOEL writer and artist Lee Bermejo was interviewed by YAHOO! ASSOCIATED CONTENT. “I like a very ‘urban warfare’ look for my Batman,” Bermejo said of The Dark Knight’s costume design in the book. “I suppose it comes from my overall need to ground things in as much reality as possible. I like to approach all design from the inside out, trying to figure out what fabrics could be used to make the thing IF it were really being constructed. I wanted there to be a point to Batman having this more modern, utilitarian look. It fit in well with what I wanted to do in the story.”

“The idea for the project pretty much came when I had finished Joker,” Bermejo continued to THE MORTON REPORT. “And I had a blast drawing Joker. I really enjoyed it. But it was a really dark, brutal piece of work, and I kind of wanted to go in the other direction. To push myself creatively, but also to try something new.”

Finally, COMICVINE listed four reasons why Sinestro is the most powerful Green Lantern.

And speaking of Green Lantern, check out Francis Manapul’s breathtaking variant cover for next month’s issue #4. Amazing, right?

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Tuesday Afternoon (ET) Edition

Tomorrow sees the release of the final first issues from DC Comics-The New 52 and coverage is a-buzzin’. Check out some of the press highlights from the past 24 hours.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL’S SPEAKEASY BLOG broke the news this afternoon that all 52 titles in DC Comics-The New 52 sold out in advance of publication and have gone back for additional printings. Be sure to check out their coverage for more details on specific sales numbers and for an exclusive first look at Greg Capullo’s variant cover for THE FLASH #2.

With AQUAMAN #1 hitting stores tomorrow, series writer Geoff Johns was interviewed by various outlets. "I think it's a great time to try Aquaman,” Johns told COMIC BOOK RESOURCES. “It's a great challenge to see if we can make the character captivating for people. I just really find him interesting. What makes him cool is the challenge of making him cool, because he is Aquaman!"

“I think that he's the ultimate underdog to me. I think that's a good thing,” Johns said of his series’ protagonist to NEWSARAMA. “He's underestimated by everybody, except Mera. Balancing the perception of what Aquaman is, and trying to break that perception, is what the book's all about."

TRUE WEST has the exclusive preview of ALL-STAR WESTERN #1, by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Moritat, which sets Jonah Hex in 19th century Gotham City.

And if you want to travel to outer space, NEWSARAMA has your exclusive first look at GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS by Tony Bedard, Tyler Kirkham and Batt.

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Thursday Morning (ET) Edition

Look what just landed on our desks!

Yesterday marked the release of 12 more titles in DC Comics-The New 52. As press continues to roll in, check out some of the highlights from the past couple of days.

For the fourth week in a row, IFANBOY selected a title from DC Comics-The New 52 as its Pick of the Week. Their selection this week? WONDER WOMAN #1 by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. “In this issue, she’s a straight up action star, with the power of a god,” IFANBOY wrote of the Amazonian princess.

And speaking of WONDER WOMAN, the series’ critically acclaimed creative team was interviewed by MTV GEEK, IO9 and COMIC BOOK RESOURCES. “There's a very clear sense that what's happening to these characters actually means something. Some of them are in real danger, and why are they in danger? Because they're up against something that is much more powerful and immoral than they are,” Azzarello said to COMIC BOOK RESOURCES. “ I always shy away from the word ‘evil,’ but let's just say there's some big evils in this book.”

UNDER THE RADAR chatted with Cliff Chiang, who will be part of a WONDER WOMAN release party at Bergen Street Comics in Brooklyn, New York this Saturday. “We're revamping the gods and their roles in the world. They're kind of conniving and scheming for power,” Chiang explained. “Wonder Woman is a pawn of theirs. Sometimes she upsets their plans and sometimes she unwittingly helps them achieve their goals. It's been great modernizing the gods and getting rid of togas and all the classical Greek architecture. The heart of all that mythology is great, but we don't want any of this to feel old. We want readers to see a very clear creative vision. We're not just rehashing.”

In anticipation of a couple local signings over the course of the next week, THE LOS ANGELES EXAMINER gave Los Angeles native Eric Wallace’s MISTER TERRIFIC a 5-star review, calling it a “strong debut issue.”

THE HUFFINGTON POST interviewed BATMAN and SWAMP THING writer Scott Snyder. “All of a sudden these murders begin that start to alert him to the fact that maybe he doesn't know the city as well as he thought,” Snyder said of the Dark Knight. “there's an enemy from old Gotham nursery rhymes. An ancient evil in Gotham that's been there for centuries. Because Gotham really 300 years old, no matter how long Bruce has been Batman, he's not as old as the city. So maybe the city belonged to another symbol, a rival symbol, long before it did the Bat, and maybe that sort of organization or that enemy just hasn't really been bothering with Batman until now.” Head on over to THE HUFFINGTON POST to read the full interview and check out their exclusive preview of SWAMP THING #2.

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR highlighted their favorite titles released over the past two weeks from DC Comics-The New 52, which they dubbed an “impressive array of books.” Among their picks were BATMAN AND ROBIN, BATWOMAN, FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E., GREEN LANTERN, SUPERBOY, BATMAN, CATWOMAN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS and WONDER WOMAN.

SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE interviewed DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras about DC Comics-The New 52. "I think the (52) first issues really are setting the groundwork, but we're building from there with every issue," Harras told them. "The goal is definitely to keep readers excited and really kind of getting back to that sense of 'What's gonna happen next?' ... We're really just building the base of excitement."

FORBES covered the impact of DC Comics-The New 52 thus far. “To quote one comic store owner, ‘The New 52 is the biggest game changer in comic books we’ve seen in 30 years,’” the piece read. “The anticipation of the new releases every week has been nothing short of mind-blowing. Comic shops can’t keep the titles in stock. Some are selling out within hours of being put on the shelf, if they even make it to the shelf.”

IGN continued their series of interviews with all of the creative teams behind DC Comics-The New 52. Check out what Geoff Johns (JUSTICE LEAGUE), Tony Bedard (BLUE BEETLE), Judd Winick (CATWOMAN), Peter Tomasi (GREEN LANTERN CORPS), and Eric Wallace (MISTER TERRIFIC) had to say about their respective series. “There's a reason these characters stick together,” Johns teased. “You'll see new villains. You'll find out why Aquaman and Green Arrow hate each other. It's actually a pretty good story behind that, and that will come to light. You'll see the never ending problems that exist on the team because of Batman and Green Lantern. You'll see why Wonder Woman is the best fighter among the team. You'll learn why Superman keeps his distance from everybody else. There's a really cool arc where Superman and his role on this team is a little bit different than before. I think that's on purpose; he's a little bit disconnected from them. You'll see why Flash refuses to call himself a vigilante.”

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Monday Afternoon (ET) Edition

As we get ready for the third week of full releases from DC Comics-The New 52, the previews keep rolling in. Want to know what’s coming up? Check out some of the press highlights from the past few days.

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES’ HERO COMPLEX shed a spotlight on local Los Angeles writers Kyle Higgins and J.T. Krul with their exclusive previews of NIGHTWING #1 and CAPTAIN ATOM #1.

COMIC BOOK RESOURCES has the first look at GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1, by Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna.

WIRED’s GEEKDAD and UNDERWIRE teamed up to post the exclusive preview of BLUE BEETLE #1 (and in case you missed it last week, click here to read GEEKDAD’s interview with series writer Tony Bedard).

IGN debuted the first sneak peek into Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort’s RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1.

To be continued …

(Everybody’s Talkin’ About) DC Comics-The New 52, Friday Afternoon (ET) Edition

Geoff Johns and Jim Lee stopped by the MAXIM offices to talk about DC Comics-The New 52 when they were in NYC for the Midnight Madness launch of JUSTICE LEAGUE # 1. Head on over to MAXIM to read their coverage and to check out an exclusive Batman image that Jim custom drew for them.

In anticipation of BLUE BEETLE #1 hitting stores next week, series writer Tony Bedard was interviewed by WIRED’s GEEKDAD. GEEKDAD will be posting an exclusive preview of issue 1 in the coming days, so bookmark the site, if you haven't already.

And speaking of previews, COMIC VINE has the exclusive first look at DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1.

To be continued …

Who’s Who at DC Comics-The New 52: Tony Bedard

THE SOURCE: What do you love about writing this character?

TONY BEDARD: For starters, Jaime Reyes, the new Blue Beetle, is funny and imperfect and realistic. He's a character that is easy to identify with. Plus, as a Puerto Rican who grew up in the States I relate very directly to him culturally. Yes, Puerto Rican and Mexican-American are very different in a lot of ways, but much of the Latino experience is universal. And I adore writing science-fiction, so the alien armor aspect of Blue Beetle is fun to flesh out. When you're writing a book that some describe as "Green Lantern meets Spider-Man," it's basically a dream job.

What is your favorite thing about your part in the new 52?

I get to launch two very different new series -- GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS which explores the ever-expanding Green Lantern mythos, and BLUE BEETLE which has "sleeper hit" written all over it. It's like starring in a summer blockbuster and a really cool Indy Film at the same time!

Can you tease the villains he will be fighting?/What villains would you like to write?

Jaime will go up against a combination of new and established villains. Early on he faces the Brotherhood of Evil, who have often been seen taking on the Teen Titans and Doom Patrol. We'll also see him run afoul of the Green Lantern Corps, since the Blue Beetle's living armor was actually designed as an alien weapon of mass destruction. And we'll build up Blue Beetles own rogues gallery, including the queen of the El Paso drug cartel La Dama, and the warriors from the interstellar empire known as The Reach, who want to ensure that Blue Beetle carries out his assigned mission to conquer planet Earth.

What new things are you doing with this character?

Since we get to re-tell his origin in September, I am making it less convoluted, easier for new readers to enjoy. Also, in the past it seemed almost too easy for Jaime to become Blue Beetle. This time around he will have a much harder time controlling the armor and he won't get to tell everyone close to him his big secret. We're basically upping the conflict for this poor kid and making sure he doesn't catch a break so there's never a dull moment.

How will you shock readers?

I think readers will be shocked by how great artist Ig Guara is! We've also got a few crazy twists in the opening issues, though I don't want to give them away. Suffice to say, if you want shock, DO NOT miss BLUE BEETLE #4!

What is your favorite page in this first issue and why?

I think it's the splash page where we finally see Jaime in the Blue Beetle armor for the first time. Ig really gave it some visual punch, and the build-up to that moment is so cool (and gross) that I think it really sets the hook for issue 2!

The Green Lanterns Take Sinestro’s Fate into Their Own Hands

The anger and pain inflicted by the War of The Green Lanterns is still reverberating throughout Oa. The Guardians are deliberating in seclusion. John Stewart has been ostracized. And a contingent of Green Lanterns decide to assassinate Sinestro causing Soranik Natu and Kyle Rayner to come to blows. Without unity and order have the Green Lanterns lost their way?

Written by Tony Bedard and with art by Ransom Getty and Andy Smith, WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS: AFTERMATH concludes today in issue #2, “Casualties of War.”

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FLASHPOINT FRIDAY: “This whole damned war is a mistake!”

The time has finally come for Aquaman and Wonder Woman to bring their battle face to face. But before all hell is unleashed, Diana has a startling revelation to share with Arthur that might change all the reasons behind why they’re even at war. Can Arthur look past the fact that Mera’s blood is on Diana’s hands to spare the lives of millions? Or is he so blinded by his desire for vengeance that he doesn’t care how many more lives are lost in the crossfire?

FLASHPOINT: EMPEROR AQUAMAN #3 written by Tony Bedard and with art by Vicente Cifuentes and Diana Egea, reveals the complex plot of betrayal that has led, what should have been two of Earth’s greatest heroes, to fight to the death. The final issue of this miniseries goes on sale next week.

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Love Is A Battlefield

The War of the Green Lanterns may have ended, but its bitter consequences linger throughout the universe. The relationship between Kyle Rayner and his girlfriend Soranik Natu has yet to recover since Krona enslaved the Corps and Kyle was spared from his manipulative mind-control.

When Kyle has a vision of Star Sapphire Miri destroying a neighboring planet, he and Soranik will be forced to work together to prevent their friend from causing any more damage. But can the duo get past their issues for the greater good of the Corps? And what is causing Star Sapphire Miri to lash out and become so hungry for power?

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #62 by Tony Bedard, Daniel HDR and Keith Champagne, flies into stores today.

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